AI WhatsApp Support in Dynamics 365

WhatsApp handoffs flow through as oc_liveworkitem records. Reps handle them as chats in the Omnichannel Agent app, not as incidents.

Pre-requisites

Connect WhatsApp in OpenCX first. Dynamics handoff has nothing to route until a WhatsApp number is live — see Connect WhatsApp.

WhatsApp number connected — see Connect WhatsApp.
Dynamics 365 credentials saved — see Connect to OpenCX.

How conversations land in Dynamics 365

Setting up

Confirm the WhatsApp number is live

Send a test message to your WhatsApp number and confirm the AI responds. If not, revisit Connect WhatsApp.

Confirm Dynamics is connected

The Dynamics 365 card on your Settings → Integrations should show Active.

Point the workstream to your WhatsApp rep queue

Copy the workstream GUID from Omnichannel admin center → Workstreams for the rep team that should handle WhatsApp, and paste it into default_queue_id in the OpenCX Dynamics settings. For this WhatsApp handoff flow, default_queue_id is a legacy/shared setting name and should contain the Omnichannel workstream GUID used to route oc_liveworkitem chats — not an incident queue GUID. Other Dynamics 365 docs may use the same field name for incident-style routing, so if you’re configuring cases/incidents rather than Omnichannel live chat, follow that flow’s queue-specific instructions instead.

Trigger a test handoff

Message your WhatsApp number with “I need a human”. The AI hands off; the live work item appears in the Omnichannel Agent app tied to the routing rules on the workstream you set.

What the rep sees

A live WhatsApp chat in the Omnichannel Agent app — not an incident.
The AI’s session summary as the conversation subject.
sessionId and channel: whatsapp in the work item’s context variables.
The customer’s WhatsApp phone number on the work item (email may be empty).
OpenCX records dynamics365_chat_id on the OpenCX session for audit.

Channel-specific details

24-hour WhatsApp session window

WhatsApp’s Business API only allows reps to send free-form messages within 24 hours of the customer’s last inbound message. After that window, outbound messages must use approved templates. Omnichannel honors this restriction — reps will see a template picker outside the window.

Contact lookup is email-first, so WhatsApp contacts may be unlinked

OpenCX links contacts by emailaddress1. WhatsApp sessions often have no email, so the live work item may arrive without a linked contact. Reps can link one from the conversation view — or collect an email in the AI flow before handoff.

Media attachments

Images, audio, and documents the customer sends in WhatsApp attach to the Omnichannel conversation thread. Meta’s WhatsApp media size limits apply (typically 16 MB).

Rep replies in Omnichannel don't sync back to OpenCX today

Reps continue the conversation inside Dynamics. Messages they send don’t back-sync into the OpenCX session; OpenCX marks the session as handed off once the live work item is created.