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WhatsApp Unified Messaging Channel Capabilities
Explore the capabilities of WhatsApp channels in Unified Messaging, and compare them with WhatsApp channels in Service Cloud Digital Engagement and Marketing Cloud Engagement.
| Available in: Salesforce Enterprise and Unlimited Editions for Service Cloud AND Enterprise and Unlimited Editions for with Marketing Cloud Next Growth and Advanced Editions |
| Enterprise and Unlimited Editions for Marketing Cloud Engagement Growth and Advanced Editions |
| Not supported in Government Cloud Plus |
If a capability is listed as “not applicable” in a particular type of channel, that’s because the capability doesn’t fit the channel’s purpose or limits. For example, the concept of agent capabilities doesn’t apply for Marketing Cloud Engagement because marketing interactions typically involve only automated responses from a company, rather than responses from a human agent.
Setup and Routing
| Capability | Unified Messaging | Service Cloud | Marketing Cloud Engagement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automated channel setup (no case required) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Message routing method | Journey Builder for marketing interactions, Omni-Channel for service interactions | Omni-Channel | Journey Builder |
| Tab-based capacity | Yes, during service interactions | Yes | Not applicable |
| Status-based capacity | Yes, during service interactions | Yes | Not applicable |
Messaging Session Start and End
| Capability | Unified Messaging | Service Cloud | Marketing Cloud Engagement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer can start session | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Agent can start session | Yes, via the Send Message global action | Yes, via the Send Message global action | No |
| Automated outbound messages | Yes | Yes, via the Send Conversation Messages invocable action | Yes, via Journey Builder |
| Agent can end session | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
| Agent can mark session inactive | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
| Available session statuses | Yes | New, Consent, Waiting, Active, Inactive, Ended, Error | Not applicable |
| Send and receive messages via an API | No | No | Yes, via the Marketing Cloud LLTS WhatsApp API (send and receive) |
Customer Experience
| Capability | Unified Messaging | Service Cloud | Marketing Cloud Engagement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typing indicator: customer side | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
| Typing indicator: agent side | No | No | Not applicable |
| Read receipts: customer side | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
| Read receipts: agent side | No | No | Not applicable |
| Delivered receipts: customer side | No | No | Not applicable |
| Delivered receipts: agent side | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
| Desktop application support | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
Agent Experience
| Capability | Unified Messaging | Service Cloud | Marketing Cloud Engagement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick text | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
| Message templates | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
| Einstein recommended replies | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
| Agent-to-agent transfer | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
| Agent-to-flow transfer | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
| Agent-to-queue transfer | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
| Flag raise | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
| Supervisor whisper to agents | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
| Conversation transcripts | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
| After-conversation work timer | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
| Einstein Bots integration | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
| Individual-object linking | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
| Channel menu | Yes | Yes | Not applicable |
Content Sharing
| Capability | Unified Messaging | Service Cloud | Marketing Cloud Engagement |
|---|---|---|---|
| File sharing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Text | Yes, up to 1,024 characters for template messages and up to 4,096 characters for session messages | Yes, up to 4,096 characters. Inbound text-only messages over 9 MB are sent as an attachment. |
Yes, up to 1,024 characters for template messages and up to 4,096 characters for session messages |
| Emoji | Yes | Yes | No |
| Images | Yes; file types and size limits vary by the type of interaction (service versus marketing). | Yes, up to 5 MB inbound and 25 MB outbound: .jpeg, .png. Images must be 8-bit, RGB, or RGBA. Outbound images that are 5 to 25 MB are sent as a link. |
Yes, up to 5 MB: .jpg, .png |
| Documents | Yes; file types and size limits vary by the type of interaction (service versus marketing). | Yes, up to 30 MB inbound and 25 MB outbound: .pdf, .txt, .ppt, .pptx, .pps, .ppsx, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .csv. Supported for inbound only: .zip, .tiff. Outbound documents that are 16 to 25 MB or of type .pdf, .txt, .json, .xml, .csv, .ppsx, and .rtf are sent as a link. |
Yes, up to 100 MB via a public URL or 5 MB via Content Builder: .pdf |
| Audio files | Yes; file types and size limits vary by the type of interaction (service versus marketing). | Yes, up to 16 MB inbound and 25 MB outbound: .aac, .amr. Supported for inbound only: .mp3, .ogg. Only opus codecs are supported. Base audio/ogg isn’t supported. Outbound audio files that are 16 to 25 MB are sent as a link. |
Yes, up to 16 MB via a public URL or 5 MB via Content Builder: .mp4 |
| Video files | Yes; file types and size limits vary by the type of interaction (service versus marketing). | Yes, up to 16 MB inbound and 25 MB outbound: .mp4, .3gp. Only H.264 video codec and AAC audio codec is supported. Videos with one audio stream or no audio stream are supported. Outbound video files that are 16–25 MB or of type .3gp are sent as a link. |
Yes, up to 16 MB via a public URL or 5 MB via Content Builder: .mp4 |
| GIFs | Yes, during service interactions (inbound only) | Yes (inbound only) | No |
| Enhanced links | Yes | Yes, via messaging components (plain text only) | Yes |
| Questions with options | Yes | Yes, via messaging components | Yes, via templates in Journey Builder |
| Time selectors | Yes, during service interactions | Yes, via messaging components | No |
| Forms | Yes, during service interactions | Yes, via messaging components (plain text only) | No |
| Automated notifications | Yes | Yes, via messaging components and flows | Yes, via Journey Builder |
| Payment requests | Yes, during service interactions | Yes, via messaging components (plain text only) | No |
| Authentication requests | Yes | Yes, via messaging components (plain text only) | Yes, via templates in Journey Builder |
| Right-to-left languages | Yes | Yes | No |
Automated Responses
| Capability | Unified Messaging | Service Cloud | Marketing Cloud Engagement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-responses | Yes, configured in Service channel settings and Journey Builder | Yes, after user sends an initial message, agent accepts a session, or session ends | Yes, via default responses after user sends a non-keyword message |
| Keyword-based auto-responses | Yes, configured in Service channel settings and Journey Builder | Yes | Yes |
Security and Consent Management
| Capability | Unified Messaging | Service Cloud | Marketing Cloud Engagement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sensitive data rules | Yes, during service interactions | Yes | No |
| Encryption at rest | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Channel consent levels | Implicit opt-in, explicit opt-in | Implicit opt-in, explicit opt-in, double opt-in | Explicit opt-in |
| Customers can opt out | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Edit Data Residency | Yes | No | No |
