Help & Setup

Twilio gives you an official WhatsApp number. Messages are reliable and you don't need to keep a phone app connected.

1. Sign up at twilio.com/whatsapp (free trial available)
2. Get your credentials: Account SID, Auth Token, and a WhatsApp-enabled phone number
3. Configure the webhook: In Twilio Console → WhatsApp → Sandbox or your sender, set the webhook URL to:
   https://tell5-business-power.onrender.com/api/twilio/webhook
4. Set environment variables on Render or your .env file:
   TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID=your_sid
TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN=your_token
TWILIO_PHONE_NUMBER=whatsapp:+14155238886
5. Done! Messages from WhatsApp will be automatically processed by the AI pipeline.

📘 Twilio WhatsApp API docs →

Baileys lets you connect your personal WhatsApp number by scanning a QR code. No monthly fees, but your phone must stay online.

1. Go to the Connections page in your dashboard
2. Click "Start Baileys Bot" or wait for it to start automatically
3. A QR code will appear on screen
4. Open WhatsApp → Linked Devices → Link a Device on your phone
5. Scan the QR code displayed on the Connections page
6. Once scanned, Tell5 will show "WhatsApp is connected"

⚠️ The bot stays connected as long as the server runs. Render free tier may sleep after inactivity. Reload the page to wake it up.

📘 Baileys documentation →

Every incoming WhatsApp message goes through these steps:

1. Classification — The AI categorises the message as: order, inquiry, complaint, feedback, or pending
2. Context building — Your business knowledge, personality settings, and conversation history are loaded
3. Reply generation — The AI writes a WhatsApp-appropriate reply using your business facts and personality
4. Enrichment — The Google ADK agent optionally enhances the response
5. Storage — The conversation is saved so you can review it in the dashboard

💡 You can toggle the AI pipeline on/off in Settings. When off, messages are stored for manual reply.

You can teach the AI about your business in two ways:

• Knowledge Base — Add specific business facts (pricing, policies, hours, menu items). The AI reads these before replying.
• Personality Q&A (Admin) — Train the AI with question-and-answer pairs. When a customer asks a matched question, the AI uses your pre-written answer.
• Onboarding — Set your name, personality words, and conversation distance (professional ↔ casual). This shapes the AI's tone.

All training data is injected into every AI reply automatically.

• order — Buying, placing, tracking, cancelling an order; delivery/shipping questions
• inquiry — Asking about products, prices, availability, hours, location, general information
• complaint — Reporting problems, damaged items, poor service, refunds, returns
• feedback — Thanks, appreciation, suggestions, positive comments
• pending — Message is unclear or doesn't fit the other categories. Click "Mark as Resolved" in the conversation modal to reclassify it.

Q: Why am I not receiving messages?
A: If using Baileys, the bot may have disconnected. Go to Connections and scan the QR code again. If using Twilio, check your webhook URL is correct.

Q: How do I reset the Baileys connection?
A: Delete the services/whatsapp/auth/ folder and restart the bot. A new QR code will appear.

Q: Can I use both Twilio and Baileys?
A: Yes! They work side by side. Twilio handles the official WhatsApp number, Baileys handles your personal number.

Q: Does the AI cost money?
A: All AI providers are used at their free tiers (Gemini, Groq, OpenRouter). No charges.

Q: My messages are always showing "pending"?
A: The AI classifies "pending" when it's unsure. You can click "Mark as Resolved / Done" in the conversation modal to reclassify it as an order.

Q: How do I export my data?
A: Click "Export CSV" on the dashboard. Conversations older than 7 days are automatically deleted.

Q: Tell5 was created by who?
A: Tell5 was created by Francis David, who is from Nigeria and also works with Meta on AI and messaging technologies.