Adding Twilio WhatsApp API as a communication channel

An administrator can integrate Twilio WhatsApp API with BMC HelixGPT to make the BMC Helix application support easier for users. This integration helps reduce response times and lets users get help without switching applications.
It supports secure two-way messaging between WhatsApp and BMC HelixGPT by using a webhook, so users can communicate with their BMC Helix application through WhatsApp.
Watch the following video (1:56) showing how to add a communication channel to connect WhatsApp with BMC HelixGPT by using Twilio:

https://youtu.be/Gb2s_Yp9g20

Scenario

Apex Global, a large retail company, faces high call volumes and slow customer support.
Jonnie, the IT Administrator, adds a channel to connect WhatsApp with BMC HelixGPT by using the custom webhook. Customers like Laura can ask about their orders on WhatsApp and get instant automated replies. This reduces the call center workload, speeds up responses, and improves customer satisfaction.

Supported content

Knowledge services: These are the knowledge sources like BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround and BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management.
Service requests
Live chat conversations

Unsupported content

Attachments
Service lookup questions
Images
Voice recordings
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Before you begin

Make sure you have an active Twilio WhatsApp API account with a verified phone number.
Make sure you create and configure the Twilio Messaging Service to send and receive WhatsApp messages.

Process overview

Task	Where to perform an action	Action
1	Mid Tier	Add Twilio WhatsApp API account verified mobile number in Mid Tier
2	HelixGPT Agent Studio	Add Twilio WhatsApp API as a custom webhook channel
3	Twilio	Configure the webhook

Task 1: To add Twilio WhatsApp API account verified mobile number in Mid Tier

Perform the following steps in Mid Tier:

Click the Applications widget and navigate to Administrator console > Application Administration console.
Click the Custom Configuration tab to see the Application Settings list.
Select Foundation > People > People, and then click Open.
On the People form, from Login/Access Details > Login ID and Password, click New search, enter the admin user's Login ID or Login Name and click Search to find the user record.
Select the person and update the Twilio WhatsApp API account verified mobile number to the user record at the following locations:
- General > Contact Information > Business+ > Phone Number.
- More Details > Additional Contact Information > Mobile Phone+ > Phone Number.
Click Save.

Task 2: To add Twilio WhatsApp API as a custom webhook channel

Perform the following steps in HelixGPT Agent Studio:

Select an application from the Application list.
Select an appropriate skill for the application you select.
Click the Channels tab.
Click Add Channel.
The Add Channel dialog box is displayed.
Select Custom Webhook from the Channel list and click Add.

On the Add Channel dialog box, enter the values for the following fields:

Important: Copy the values for the fields marked with an asterisk (*) exactly as shown in the code snippets in their descriptions.

Field	Description
Channel	Custom channel name
Name	Name of the custom channel
Description	Custom channel description
Webhook URL	This field is populated automatically. It is the REQUEST URL that you provide when configuring a messaging service in Twilio.
Custom Bot ID	Account SID (Security Identifier) value. Use the Account SID from the Twilio account info page.
Custom App Password	Auth Token value. Use the Auth Token from the Twilio account info page.
Configuration*	Defines core logic, OAuth config, stream behavior, and alias values. Click here to view the configuration value { "authType": "basic", "contentType": "form-urlencoded", "staticServiceUrl": "https://api.twilio.com/2010-04-01/Accounts/{AccountSid}/Messages.json", "appendConversationPathToEndpoint": false, "messageTypeAlias": "text", "isGroup": false, "enableCache": false, "atMentionStartTag": "", "atMentionEndTag": "" }
Incoming Payload Mapping*	Imports channel webhook data into BMC HelixGPT. Click here to view the incoming payload mapping value { "text": "Body", "id": "SmsSid", "aadObjectId": "From", "fromId": "From", "recipientId": "To", "platform": "twilio" }
Outgoing OAuth Payload Mapping*	Generates access token requests. Click here to view the outgoing OAuth payload mapping value { "clientKey": "AccountSid", "clientSecretKey": "authToken" }
Outgoing Payload Mapping*	Structures the message sent to the channel. Click here to view the outgoing payload mapping value { "recipientId": "From", "fromId": "To", "text": "Body" }
User Identity Mapping*	Identifies and resolves the user for personalized conversations. Click here to view the user identity mapping value { "channelId": "chatClient.channel", "platform": "chatClient.platform", "serviceUrl": "serviceUrl", "fromId": "from.id", "fromName": "from.name", "aadObjectId": "from.aadObjectId", "conversationId": "conversation.id", "conversationType": "conversation.conversationType", "tenantId": "conversation.tenantId", "recipientId": "recipient.id", "recipientName": "recipient.name", "group": "conversation.group", "isGroup": "conversation.isGroup", "locale": "entities[0].locale", "conversationId": "chatId", "aadObjectId": "chatUserId" }

Click Save.

Task 3: To configure the webhook

From your Twilio account, perform the following steps:

Navigate to Messaging Service > Integration Settings and select the Send a webhook option.
Enter the webhook URL as the Endpoint URL.
Append the channel-specific path to the base URL based on your deployment:
- For HTTPS (secured): https:///wsapi/scheme/https/server
- For HTTP (not secured): https:///wsapi/scheme/http/server
Copy the Webhook URL of your channel from HelixGPT Agent Studio and paste it in the <Host URL>.
Requested URL format:
https://<your-domain>/wsapi/scheme/https/server/<Host URL>
Example:
Click Save.