# Bow Chat

Connect a WhatsApp number, add your team, and reply to customer conversations from one shared Bow Chat inbox.

## What Bow Chat does

Bow Chat gives your team one shared workspace for customer conversations. Connect a WhatsApp number, add your teammates, and reply from Bow Chat instead of a personal phone.

## Three things to keep separate

| Concept | What it is |
|---|---|
| Workspace | Your company's Bow Chat account |
| User | A named login for one team member |
| Inbox | One connected WhatsApp number (or other channel) |

Adding a user gives someone a Bow Chat login. It does not connect their WhatsApp — that is a separate step. One connected WhatsApp number creates one inbox, and that number's chats and groups appear under it after sync.

## Connect a WhatsApp number

1. Open **Settings -> Inboxes -> Add inbox**.
2. Select **WhatsApp Web**.
3. Scan the QR code from the WhatsApp account you want to bring in.
4. Wait for sync, then confirm the expected chats and groups appear.

If a group does not show up right away, refresh after sync and check the conversation status filter is set to **All** — a saved filter can hide a conversation even after a successful connection.

## Add a team member

1. Open **Settings -> Agents**.
2. Invite the teammate by email.
3. Choose their role.

| Role | Can do |
|---|---|
| Admin | Manage setup, users, inboxes, and account settings |
| Agent | Work conversations within the account's access settings |

Give every person their own login instead of sharing one. It keeps a record of who replied or changed a setting, and keeps the account within its purchased user count.

## Beyond the shared inbox

Basic WhatsApp visibility does not include SLA tracking, overdue alerts, or team performance reporting for groups. For structured monitoring of specific WhatsApp groups, see [Groups Monitoring in Bow Chat](/bow-chat/groups-monitoring).

To reach customers with campaigns rather than reply to them, see [WhatsApp messaging](/communications/whatsapp).

## In this section

| Page | Use it for |
|---|---|
| [Bow Chat channels](/bow-chat/channels) | Choosing between the WhatsApp Web connection, the WhatsApp Business Platform, and Customer Rooms |
| [Groups Monitoring](/bow-chat/groups-monitoring) | Inactive-group nudges, review safety, and group identity |
| [Configure Groups Monitoring](/bow-chat/configure-in-panel) | Setting up group rules, review candidates, and nudge delivery |
| [Schedule Staff Cover](/bow-chat/staff-cover) | Temporary cover for selected WhatsApp groups |
| [Customer Rooms](/bow-chat/customer-rooms/overview) | Giving each customer a private branded room for messages, documents, status, and the next action |

Canonical: https://docs.boni.one/bow-chat/overview
Version: 2
Updated: 2026-08-26T18:14:39.455Z