Unknown users from Whatsapp conversations

Service Hub Tickets & Conversations
1

Hi,

I have the whatsapp channel created and whatsapp conversations enter the inbox but they enter as unknown users. I have some doubts related to it:

1. If the user has started the conversation, does that user has the Whatsapp Transactional suscription accepted so I can answer her/his question with a text message or with a template message? If so, how can I subscribe him/her if there is not a contact associated?

2. Is there any option to automatically create a contact from an unknown whatsapp user with a workflow?

3. If I have a workflow which sends a whatsapp utility template inmediately after a user opens an inbox conversations, would it be sent if the user is not opt-in as whatsapp transactional suscriber?

Thanks.

2

Hey @IManes and welcome, it’s a pleasure to have you here! :orange_heart:
Great questions, thanks for asking the HubSpot Community!
For reference, I’d like to share these resources that might give you some of the answers:
- Collect and manage consent for WhatsApp conversations
- Create contacts in your conversations inbox
Now, let’s consult our Top Experts: Hi @TomM2, @danmoyle and @jforte do you have any insights to share with @IManes, please?
Thanks so much and have a wonderful day!
Bérangère

3

Thanks BérangèreL, but those articles don´t answer my doubts. I will wait the experts answers.

Regards

4

@IManes in looking over HubSpot documentation, here’s what I’ve found that may help answer your questions. HubSpot’s WhatsApp integration routes incoming messages from unknown users into the conversations inbox, where you can respond during the 24-hour session opened by their initiation.

Question 1: Transactional Subscription for replies. When a user initiates a WhatsApp conversation, it opens a 24-hour customer service window allowing your business to reply to them freely with free-form text messages or templates without needing a separate transactional subscription opt-in. This initiation serves as the opt-in for responses during that window. For unknown users (no associated contact), manually create or associate a contact from the conversation thread to manage subscriptions long-term, as workflows require contacts for subscription actions.

Question 2: Auto-create Contact via workflow. As far as I know, HubSpot does not natively support workflows that automatically create contacts from unknown WhatsApp conversations; there’s no direct trigger for new inbound WhatsApp threads in conversation-based or ticket-based workflows. Incoming messages will appear as “unknown” until manually associated with an existing contact matching the phone number or a new contact is created in the inbox. Custom code or third-party tools like Zapier or Tray may bridge this gap.

Question 3: Utility template after Inbox open. A workflow sending a WhatsApp utility template immediately after a user opens an inbox conversation would fail for unknown users, as workflows are contact-based and require an associated contact with opt-in consent. Even if associated, utility templates demand verifiable opt-in, and without a 24-hour window or proper session, delivery is restricted; the user’s initiation allows replies in the inbox but not automated workflow sends. I’d try to use inbox replies or manual template sends instead.

Hope this helps with some clarity!

5

Hi Dan,

I have a conversation-based workflows that triggers every new conservation and the correct users enter the workflow but as they are unknown I cannot make them subscribed. The thing is that the company won´t reply messages during weekends and we need to send an uutility message saying we will reply next monday. So how can we manage this situation?

6

Hey @IManes. I don’t think with current HubSpot functionality that you could solve this cleanly with conversation-based workflows. The safest pattern I found with some light AI research is to use the WhatsApp channel’s own auto-reply/office-hours logic (where available) or an approved template plus a contact-creation step as a workaround.

Here’s how I’m understanding the limitations, and why you are where you are with this. Conversation-based workflows enroll the thread, but subscription status and WhatsApp actions live on the contact record, which does not exist for “unknown” visitors. Because there’s no contact, the workflow cannot set WhatsApp subscription or send a WhatsApp action, so your “weekend utility template” cannot fire reliably for unknown users. Based on that, here are a coupe of options you might explore.
​

Option 1: Use Inbox / Channel Automation (best within native limits). If your portal has the new Inbox automation for WhatsApp, use that instead of Workflows: Go to Settings → Inbox & Helpdesk → Inboxes → [Your WhatsApp inbox] → Automation.
​

According to a couple of resources I found, once there, you should be able to configure an automatic reply for new messages that arrive outside business hours (e.g., Friday 18:00–Monday 08:00) with copy like “Thanks for your message, our team will reply on Monday.” This runs at the channel level, not the contact level, so it works even when the sender is unknown and does not depend on subscription properties. But it gives you the weekend message you want, without touching subscription status or workflows.

Option 2: Template + contact creation workaround. If you must use a WhatsApp utility template (maybe because of language or compliance constraints), your flow has to include a contact:

  1. Detect new weekend conversations
    • Keep your conversation-based workflow that enrolls new threads and checks timing (e.g., if conversation created on Saturday/Sunday or outside office hours, branch “Yes”).
  2. Create/associate a contact
    • Manually: an agent creates a contact from the phone number in the first message and associates the conversation; this is what teams are doing today since auto-creation from WhatsApp is not supported.
    • Or via custom code/integration: use a middleware (Tray/Zapier/Make/custom app) that listens to incoming WhatsApp messages, creates a HubSpot contact with the WhatsApp phone number, and associates the conversation.
  3. Send the approved weekend template from a contact-based workflow
    • Once the contact exists, enroll it in a contact-based workflow that sends your “weekend / back on Monday” utility template, using the Meta-approved template ID.
    • This respects the 24‑hour window: the user’s inbound message opens the session, and the template is used to respond automatically during that window.

​This is more complex, but it’s currently the only way to use an actual template action rather than a plain channel auto-reply.

Given your goal (“we don’t reply weekends, but we need a WhatsApp message saying we’ll reply Monday”) and that your conversations are entering as unknown, here’s what I’d probably lean toward. Use WhatsApp inbox/channel automation for an “out-of-office/weekend” auto-reply at the channel level. Then, keep your conversation-based workflow for internal routing, tasking, or ticketing, but do not depend on it for sending WhatsApp messages to unknown users.

If you later decide you need more complex behavior (e.g., different messages by segment), invest in an integration that creates contacts and then switches to contact-based WhatsApp actions.

Because of the limitations you’re finding in HubSpot standard set-up, I think you’re probably looking at using a third-party integration or custom app to handle contact creation and template sending.