WhatsApp CRM · Education & study abroad
WhatsApp CRM for education teams, with your choice of WhatsApp provider
Xale is a WhatsApp CRM for education and study-abroad teams that works with the WhatsApp setup you already have. Connect a number straight to Meta's WhatsApp Cloud API, keep the WhatsApp Business app through Coexistence, or plug in your existing Wati, Gallabox or UrbanChat account. New enquiries become leads, conversations sit on the student's record, and each counsellor sees only the chats their role allows.
Updated September 2026 · By the Xale team
Why WhatsApp
Why WhatsApp is where students and parents reply
Ask a counsellor in India how students prefer to talk and the answer is rarely email. Students reply on WhatsApp between classes, parents forward the thread to the family, and passport scans and marksheets arrive as photos in the same chat. A call at the wrong hour goes unanswered; a message waits until they are free.
The trouble starts when those chats live on a counsellor's personal phone. Managers cannot see who replied, a returning student reaches a colleague with no history, and when a counsellor leaves, the chats leave too. A WhatsApp CRM puts every conversation on the lead record, under the same roles and branches as the rest of your pipeline. Xale does that without making you change WhatsApp provider.
Connect directly
Three ways to connect WhatsApp directly to Meta
No provider today, or moving off one? Xale connects your number to Meta's WhatsApp Cloud API in one of three ways.
Embedded Signup to the Cloud API
Sign in with Facebook inside Xale, choose your WhatsApp Business Account and pick the number, using Meta's own Embedded Signup flow. Xale registers the number on the Cloud API automatically during onboarding.
Best for: Teams starting fresh on the WhatsApp Business Platform.
Coexistence: keep the WhatsApp Business app
Connect the same number to the Cloud API and keep using the WhatsApp Business app. Messages sent from the app appear in Xale on the lead, and Xale brings in the chat history Meta shares at onboarding, up to about six months. Meta switches off some app features on coexistence numbers, such as broadcast lists, so check its list first.
Best for: A founder or front desk that lives in the Business app.
A token from your own Meta app
Paste a permanent System User token with the Phone Number ID and WhatsApp Business Account ID from your own Meta app. Xale checks them with Meta before it saves the connection.
Best for: Teams with an in-house developer or an existing Meta app.
Keep your provider
Already on Wati, Gallabox or UrbanChat? Keep it
Moving a number is disruptive, so Xale connects to the account you already pay for, using your provider's API key. On all three, new WhatsApp enquiries become leads automatically, and a background sync every 15 minutes catches anything the webhook missed.
Wati
Conversations are copied into Xale's shared inbox and counsellors reply from it. Create templates from the CRM with text headers (media headers are not supported yet) and send approved templates from automations.
Gallabox
New enquiries become leads and automations send approved Gallabox templates. Conversations are not yet copied into the Xale inbox, so replies stay in Gallabox for now.
UrbanChat (Happilee)
UrbanChat is a white-label of Happilee. Conversations appear in the shared inbox, counsellors reply from Xale, and automations send approved templates. Its webhook format is not fully documented, so the background sync is the dependable path for new chats and some appear on the next sync rather than instantly.
Provider matrix
What works with each WhatsApp provider
Checked against the product in September 2026. “Not yet” means it is not built today.
| Capability | Cloud API (incl. Coexistence) | Wati | Gallabox | UrbanChat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New WhatsApp enquiries become leads | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, via background sync |
| Conversations in the shared Xale inbox | Yes | Yes | Not yet | Yes |
| Reply from the Xale inbox | Yes: text, media and templates | Yes | Not yet | Yes |
| Create templates inside Xale | Yes, including media headers | Yes, text headers only | No: create them in Gallabox | No: create them in UrbanChat |
| Template broadcasts from Xale | Yes, sent immediately | No | No | No |
| Template sends from automations | Not yet | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduled report digests on WhatsApp | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Shared inbox
One shared WhatsApp inbox, scoped to each counsellor's role
Cloud API, Wati and UrbanChat conversations land in one inbox, and every chat is tied to a lead. Visibility follows your lead rules: counsellors see chats for leads assigned to them, branch managers see their branches, and admins see everything.
When a student moves from pre-sales to an application counsellor, the new owner opens the lead and the whole conversation is already there. See how roles and branch access work in Xale.
WhatsApp is for talking to students. For staff conversations about a student, Xale has internal team chat on every lead, kept separate from this inbox.
- Filter by stage, status, counsellor, branch, source, custom fields and more. Filters run on the server, so they stay quick with tens of thousands of conversations.
- Jump straight to conversations with an undelivered message.
- Send text, images, audio, video and documents on Cloud API chats. Files students send stay with the conversation.
- A session timer on each chat shows how much of the 24-hour window is left.
- Set a follow-up without leaving the chat.
Templates
WhatsApp templates and Meta approval, inside the CRM
Outside the 24-hour window, WhatsApp only allows pre-approved templates. On the Cloud API you create, edit, delete and sync templates in Xale, including ones with an image, video or document header. Choose Marketing, Utility or Authentication, add variables and submit. The status (Pending, Approved, Rejected, Paused or Disabled) updates automatically when Meta changes it. Meta says review can take up to 24 hours.
Broadcasts
Template broadcasts to opted-in students, with delivery and reply counts
Pick the audience with your leads-list filters, for example every lead in the Application stage at one branch. Xale previews how many leads match and includes only those with WhatsApp opt-in switched on. Each broadcast shows sent, delivered, read, replied and failed counts, per recipient too, and can be cancelled mid-send. Broadcasts run on the Cloud API only and go out immediately; scheduling for later is not available yet.
Automations
Automations that send WhatsApp templates through your provider
Automations send an approved WhatsApp template through Wati, Gallabox or UrbanChat when something happens in the pipeline, with variables filled from lead fields, custom fields or deal details. Business-hours windows and cooldowns stop an automation messaging a student at midnight or twice in a row.
Lead created
Send a welcome template when a new enquiry lands.
Stage or status change
Send deposit instructions when a lead reaches Deposit.
Assignment change
Introduce the new counsellor after a reassignment.
Re-enquiry
Acknowledge a returning student straight away.
Time-based
Re-engage a lead that has gone idle or has no follow-up.
Automated sends through the Cloud API are not available yet. On a Cloud API connection your team replies, sends templates by hand and runs broadcasts.
Managers can also receive any saved report view as a scheduled WhatsApp template summary through Wati, Gallabox or UrbanChat, alongside the emailed CSV or Excel file. See reports and scheduled digests for education teams.
Meta ads
Click-to-WhatsApp ads and Meta Lead Ads in the same CRM
Connect your Meta ad account and the daily ad-spend sync adds click-to-WhatsApp campaigns to your campaigns as WhatsApp campaigns, so their spend appears in reports in its own section instead of vanishing into a source total. The chats those ads start reach your connected number and become leads like any other.
Meta Lead Ads forms work separately: leads from every connected Page's forms sync automatically every 15 minutes with campaign and form attribution.
WhatsApp rules
The 24-hour customer service window, explained
These are Meta's rules, and they apply whichever provider you use.
- 1
The student messages you
A message or call from the student to your business number opens a 24-hour customer service window.
- 2
Inside the 24 hours
Counsellors can send free-form messages: typed replies, photos, documents and voice notes.
- 3
After the window closes
Only a pre-approved template can go out. The student's next reply opens a fresh window.
Costs follow the same line. Since 1 July 2025 Meta charges per delivered template message. Non-template messages and utility templates sent inside an open window are free; marketing templates are always charged. If you use Wati, Gallabox or UrbanChat, check their pricing too for plan fees and any per-message markup.
In Xale the web inbox shows a session timer on every chat, and the mobile app switches to the template picker once the window has closed.
Mobile
WhatsApp in the Xale Android app
Counsellors at education fairs, school visits or the front desk can work WhatsApp from the Xale Android app. Its Chat tab has a WhatsApp workspace with Inbox, Broadcasts, Templates, Contacts and Settings, chats can send media, and the 24-hour window is handled for them. Swipe a lead card left to open WhatsApp. The app installs as an APK with in-app updates. It also syncs counsellor calls to leads: see how call logs and recordings reach the lead.
Good practice
Good practice for WhatsApp in admissions
General guidance based on WhatsApp's own policies. It lowers the risk of blocks but guarantees nothing; Meta decides quality ratings and sending limits.
Get opt-in, and honour stop requests
WhatsApp's policy says you may only message people who gave you their number and agreed to hear from you, and that you must respect opt-out requests made on or off WhatsApp. Add a consent line to enquiry forms. Xale's per-lead opt-in switch starts on for new leads, so switch it off for anyone who has not agreed or asks you to stop.
Match the template category to the message
Utility suits updates the student expects, such as a document reminder. Marketing suits promotion, such as a scholarship webinar. Meta reviews every template and can change its category.
Send fewer, better-targeted broadcasts
Filter by stage, branch or course interest rather than messaging your whole database. Blocks and reports lower your quality rating, and WhatsApp can limit sending when quality stays low.
What Xale's WhatsApp CRM does not do yet
- Scheduling a broadcast for later. Broadcasts are sent immediately.
- Automated WhatsApp sends through the Cloud API.
- Broadcasts through Wati, Gallabox or UrbanChat.
- Replying to Gallabox conversations from the Xale inbox.
- Wati templates with image, video or document headers.
Frequently asked questions
WhatsApp CRM questions from education teams
What is the difference between the WhatsApp Business app and the WhatsApp Business API?
The WhatsApp Business app is a phone app for one person or a small team on one number. The WhatsApp Business Platform, usually called the API and hosted by Meta as the Cloud API, is built for software: several counsellors can work one number from a CRM, approved templates can reach students after the 24-hour window, and broadcasts and automated sends become possible (in Xale, automated sends currently run through Wati, Gallabox or UrbanChat). Coexistence lets you keep the app as well.
Can we keep using the WhatsApp Business app after connecting Xale?
Yes, with Coexistence. Connect the same number through Meta's Embedded Signup in Coexistence mode and keep chatting from the app. Messages sent from the app appear in Xale on the lead, and Xale brings in up to about six months of chat history. Meta switches off some app features, such as broadcast lists, on coexistence numbers.
Do we need a BSP such as Wati, Gallabox or UrbanChat?
No. You can connect straight to Meta's Cloud API through Embedded Signup or a token from your own Meta app. If you already use Wati, Gallabox or UrbanChat, connect that account instead of moving your number. Automated WhatsApp sends from Xale's automations currently need one of those three providers.
How long does WhatsApp template approval take?
Meta reviews every template, and its documentation says review can take up to 24 hours. On the Cloud API you submit templates from Xale and the status updates automatically when Meta changes it. Only approved templates can be sent.
Who charges for WhatsApp messages?
Message charges are set by Meta; if you use a provider, check its plan for any fees or markup. Since 1 July 2025 Meta charges per delivered template message, and non-template messages inside an open 24-hour window are free. Check Meta's pricing page for current rates.
Can counsellors see each other's WhatsApp chats?
Only if their role allows it. The WhatsApp inbox follows the same visibility rules as your leads: counsellors see chats for leads assigned to them, branch managers see their branches and admins see everything. When a lead is reassigned, the new owner sees the full conversation history.
Can we schedule a WhatsApp broadcast for later?
Not yet. Broadcasts are sent immediately when you press send, to opted-in leads chosen with your leads-list filters, and they currently run on Cloud API connections.
Can automations send WhatsApp messages through the Cloud API?
Not yet. Automations send approved templates through Wati, Gallabox or UrbanChat. On a Cloud API connection your team can still reply from the inbox, send templates by hand and run broadcasts.
Related
More on running admissions in Xale
- Study abroad CRM softwareA ready pipeline and one deal per university application.
- Meta Lead Ads CRM integrationFacebook and Instagram lead forms synced about every 15 minutes, with cost per lead.
- CRM with call recordingCounsellor calls and recordings synced to each lead on Android.
- CRM reports and analytics for educationClick any number to open the leads behind it.
- Multi-branch CRM with role-based accessThe roles and branch rules behind WhatsApp visibility.
- Platform, reliability and securityWorkspace isolation, hourly backups and team onboarding.
- Follow-up management CRMEach role on a lead or deal keeps its own follow-up, with due reminders.
- CRM with internal team chatStaff talk about a student in its own thread, not in WhatsApp groups.
- Student document managementDocuments on the student record, and stages that wait for them.
- How to choose a study abroad CRMA buyer's checklist for consultancies.
Bring your team's WhatsApp into one CRM.
Connect the Cloud API or the provider you already use, and see every chat on the lead it belongs to.