Contact management
Create, update, list, and delete contacts with name, phone, source, lead stage, custom attributes, and opted_in flag.
WhatsApp CRM
Contacts, segments, and conversations — a CRM built around WhatsApp, not bolted on.
Wavy's CRM layer is not a generic contact database with a WhatsApp plugin. Contacts, conversations, lead stages, segments, and tags are part of the same data model that the messaging, campaign, and automation systems use. A contact is created when they first message your business number, when you import them via CSV, when you create them manually, or when they are synced from Airtable. Every conversation is linked to a contact, every campaign targets a segment of contacts, and every automation rule evaluates a contact's message history.
Status: Configuration-dependentContact, segment, and conversation routes exist. Airtable sync requires server configuration.
No third-party CRM syncThere is no Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, or Pipedrive integration. CRM data lives in Wavy's workspace-scoped tables.
Consent-awareContacts carry an opted_in flag. Segments and campaigns respect consent as the intended workflow.
How the CRM layer works
The exact data model and paths that make up the CRM.
This is the real contact and conversation model in the backend — not a generic CRM feature list.
- Contact creation — Contacts are created manually through the API, through CSV import using the expected column names, or from a new inbound WhatsApp sender. Airtable is an outbound upsert path for local contacts, not an import source.
- Lead stages and attributes — Every contact has a lead_stage field (default: "New Lead") and an attributes dict for custom fields. Lead stages are free-text strings, not a fixed funnel — you define your own stages.
- Segments — Segments filter contacts by supported lead-stage, opt-in, and source criteria. Campaign recipients are resolved when the campaign is created, not when it is launched.
- Conversations — Messages are linked to contacts through conversations. Conversation status values are open, pending, solved, or expired, with assignment, human/bot handling, tags, optional CX score, and optional summary fields.
- Conversation summaries — When AI Copilot is configured (LLM key set server-side), conversations can be summarised. Without the key, the summary field stays empty — no fabricated summary is produced.
What you need
Requirements for a working CRM layer.
The core CRM is available without external providers. Airtable sync and AI summaries have additional requirements.
- Core CRM — no external provider needed — Contacts, segments, conversations, lead stages, and tags work from the workspace database. No Meta or LLM configuration is required to create and manage contacts.
- Inbound contact creation — requires webhook — For contacts to be created automatically from inbound WhatsApp messages, the Meta webhook must be configured and verified. Without it, contacts can only be created manually, via CSV, or via Airtable.
- Airtable sync — requires server configuration — The Airtable sync path upserts contacts to a server-configured base. It is not a per-workspace OAuth connection. The Airtable API key and base ID are deployment settings.
- AI summaries — requires LLM key — Conversation summaries and suggested replies need
LLM_API_KEYset server-side. Without it, Copilot returns a not-configured response and the summary field remains empty.
Safeguards
What keeps the CRM honest.
- Workspace scoping — Contact, segment, conversation, and campaign APIs apply workspace filters on their main paths. The broader tenant-isolation release audit remains open, so complete isolation is not claimed here.
- Consent field and current caveat — Contacts have an
opted_infield and campaign workers recheck it. The current create/import defaults require hardening so a new record is not mistaken for documented consent. - No fabricated summaries — When the LLM key is absent, Copilot returns a clear not-configured string. It does not produce a low-quality or empty summary that could be mistaken for an AI-generated insight.
- CSV import behavior — The importer reads
name,phone, andlead_stage. Rows without a phone number and duplicate phone numbers are skipped without a per-row error report. - Airtable sync is one-directional — The Wavy sync path upserts contacts to one server-configured Airtable base. It is not bidirectional and does not export conversations or campaign data.
CRM capabilities
What the contact and conversation model covers today.
CSV import & export
Import expected CSV columns; rows without phone numbers and duplicates are skipped. The export endpoint requires authenticated API access.
Segments
Filter contacts by supported lead-stage, opt-in, and source criteria. Campaign recipients are resolved at campaign creation time.
Conversations & inbox
Every message is linked to a contact through a conversation. The inbox API manages assignment, status, tags, and bot handoff.
Airtable sync
Upsert contacts to a server-configured Airtable base. One-directional, not a per-workspace OAuth connection.
AI summaries
When an LLM key is configured, Copilot can summarise conversations and suggest replies. Without it, the feature degrades explicitly.
Questions
WhatsApp CRM — straight answers.
Does Wavy integrate with Salesforce, HubSpot, or Zoho?
No. There is no third-party CRM integration. CRM data — contacts, segments, conversations, lead stages — lives in Wavy's workspace-scoped tables. The only external sync path is Airtable, which is a one-directional upsert to a server-configured base.
Can I use the CRM without configuring WhatsApp?
Yes. The core CRM — contacts, segments, lead stages, and attributes — works from the workspace database without any Meta configuration. Inbound contact creation requires a webhook, but manual creation and CSV import do not.
How are contacts created from inbound messages?
When a new phone number sends a message to your business number, the webhook receiver creates a contact record with that phone number and starts a conversation. This requires a configured and verified Meta webhook.
Is the Airtable sync bidirectional?
No. The sync upserts contacts to a server-configured Airtable base. It is one-directional and does not sync conversations or campaign data. It is also not a per-workspace OAuth connection — the API key and base ID are server settings.
Are conversation summaries available without AI?
No. Summaries are generated by AI Copilot, which requires an LLM key configured server-side. Without it, Copilot returns a not-configured response and the summary field remains empty. No fabricated summary is produced.
Can I define my own lead stages?
Yes. The lead_stage field is a free-text string, not a fixed funnel. You can set it to any value — New Lead, Qualified, Negotiation, Won, Lost — through the contacts API or CSV import.
A CRM built around WhatsApp conversations, not a plugin.
Contacts, segments, conversations, and lead stages are part of the same model as messaging and campaigns. No third-party CRM sync — just workspace-scoped data you control.