Step 2 — WhatsApp integration

#Setting up WhatsApp

#Step 1: Twilio WhatsApp sandbox

1. Go to twilio.com/whatsapp/sandbox
2. Follow the instructions to activate your test number
3. Send the code shown to your phone to join the sandbox

#Step 2: Send a message (Python)

from twilio.rest import Client

TWILIO_SID = "your_sid"
TWILIO_AUTH = "your_auth_token"
WHATSAPP_FROM = "whatsapp:+14155238886"  # Twilio sandbox number

client = Client(TWILIO_SID, TWILIO_AUTH)

message = client.messages.create(
    from_=WHATSAPP_FROM,
    to=f"whatsapp:+971{lead['phone']}",  # UAE numbers
    body=f"Hi {lead['name'].split()[0]}! This is Neo from Steinhoff Systems. I saw you're interested in {lead['area']} properties. I have a few options — would you like me to send details?",
)

#Step 3: Production WhatsApp Business API

The sandbox is for testing. For production:

1. Apply for WhatsApp Business API through Twilio
2. Submit your business for Facebook/Meta verification
3. Get approved templates for your messages (Meta requires pre-approved templates)

#Approved message templates (what you need)

#Gotchas

1. UAE numbers — strip the leading 0, prepend +971. Format: whatsapp:+971501234567
2. Read receipts — WhatsApp Business API provides read status. Use it: only trigger the voice call if WhatsApp is unread after 30 seconds.
3. Rate limits — Twilio limits to ~1 message/second for new accounts. Queue messages if sending bursts.
4. Template approval — Meta takes 24–48 hours to approve each template. Start the approval process before you have paying clients.

#The follow-up sequence

1. t+15s — WhatsApp intro message
2. t+30s — If unread, voice call
3. t+2min — If no WhatsApp response, follow-up WhatsApp
4. t+15min — If still no response, second voice call (different message)
5. t+1h — Final WhatsApp before archiving to CRM

This sequence recovers 37% of leads that would otherwise go cold.