WhatsApp and Instagram together
Conversations from your WhatsApp Business number and Instagram direct messages arrive in one unified inbox, each clearly marked with its channel.
Shared inbox
One shared inbox for WhatsApp and Instagram.
Clio’s shared inbox lets your whole team answer customers from one WhatsApp Business number and your Instagram account, in the browser, without passing a phone around. Every reply lands in the same conversation history, next to the customer’s CRM record.
The 24-hour window, enforced
WhatsApp only allows free-form replies within 24 hours of the customer’s last message. The inbox shows whether the window is open and switches to approved templates when it isn’t.
Delivery and read ticks
See when a WhatsApp message was sent, delivered and read, the same way you would on your phone — for every agent’s messages, not just your own.
Photos, documents and voice notes
Customers send images, documents and voice notes; the team sees them inline in the conversation and can reply with attachments.
Quick replies
Save the answers your team types every day — prices, directions, opening hours — and insert them in a couple of keystrokes.
AI assistance with a human in charge
AI can draft replies and summarise long conversations. When an automated conversation needs judgement, it is handed over to a person, who takes it from there.
Definition
What is a shared inbox?
A shared inbox is one place where several people read and reply to the same customer messages. For WhatsApp, that matters because a business number normally lives on one phone. With Clio, the number is connected through the official Meta WhatsApp Cloud API, so your team can work on it together, each with their own sign-in and role.
Roles and permissions
Admin, manager, agent and viewer roles decide who can reply, export, change settings or manage billing.
Customer context
Labels, custom fields, notes and appointments sit beside the chat, so no one asks a returning customer to repeat themselves.
Automation built in
Workflows can answer common questions and route conversations before anyone opens them.
Internal team chat
Channels and direct messages for your team, inside Clio, so questions about a customer don’t leave for another app.
Inbox questions
Questions about the shared inbox
Can several employees use the same WhatsApp number?
Yes. Once your WhatsApp Business number is connected to Clio through the Meta Cloud API, every team member you invite works from the shared inbox for that number, with their own login and role.
Can I still use the WhatsApp app on my phone?
A number connected to the WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) is used through Clio rather than the consumer or WhatsApp Business phone app. See how Clio works for the connection requirements.
How do I manage Instagram DMs with my team?
Connect your Instagram professional account to Clio and its direct messages appear in the same shared inbox as WhatsApp. Read more about Instagram messaging in Clio.
Your WhatsApp operation shouldn’t
depend on one person’s phone.
Give your team one place for conversations, customer data, automation, and follow-ups.
Meta-verified business required · Official Meta WhatsApp Cloud API · Meta messaging charges billed separately
Prefer to talk first? support@clio.co.in