Everything you need, from setup to day-to-day
This guide walks through the full Marshanam journey — connecting WhatsApp and your website, configuring the AI, adding your team, working the inbox, and keeping capture of leads and reports. Start at the top if you're setting up for the first time, or jump straight to the section you need.
From first login to running your inbox
Most teams move through these five stages. Each one is covered in detail below.
Set up your workspace
Create your organization, connect WhatsApp, and install the website chatbot.
Configure your AI
Add your business knowledge and set how AI should answer and when to hand off.
Add your team
Create team member accounts, assign roles, and set up additional organizations if needed.
Work the inbox
Handle conversations, take over from AI when needed, and capture leads.
capture & connect
Review reports, connect webhooks, and manage billing as you grow.
Setting up your workspace
The first things to do after you sign up — before any conversations start coming in.
Creating your account & organization
Sign up, name your organization, and set your business details. This organization is the workspace your WhatsApp number, chatbot, team, and conversations will live under.
- Confirm your business name & details
- Verify your login email
- Review your 14-day trial details
Connecting WhatsApp Business
Link your WhatsApp Business API number so incoming messages start flowing into Marshanam. This step includes verifying the number with WhatsApp before it goes live.
- Add and verify your WhatsApp Business number
- Send a test message to confirm the connection
- Check it appears correctly in the Chat Inbox
Installing the website chatbot
Add the Marshanam embed script to your website so visitors can start a chat. The widget can be placed on any page and styled to match your site.
- Copy the embed script from your dashboard
- Paste it into your site's page template
- Open your site and send a test chat
Teaching the AI about your business
The RAG-based AI answers using the business knowledge and rules you set up here — it doesn't know anything about your business until you add it.
Adding your business knowledge
Provide the information the AI should draw on — pricing, hours, policies, FAQs, and general business details. This is the source the AI uses to answer customer questions.
- Add your core FAQs and policies
- Keep pricing and hours up to date
- Review and refresh it periodically
Configuring AI Auto Reply
Set how the AI should respond to routine questions on WhatsApp and your website, using the knowledge you've provided, so common inquiries get answered without waiting on your team.
- Turn on AI Auto Reply for each channel
- Test common questions before going live
- Review AI replies regularly and refine your knowledge
Setting handoff rules to your team
Decide what happens when the AI can't answer a question — conversations stay in the shared inbox so a logged-in team member can open them, see the full history, and reply manually.
- Know when a conversation needs a person
- Review conversation history before replying
- Reply manually without losing context
Getting your team into Marshanam
Set up who can access what — from a single small team to several organizations under one login.
Adding team members
As an admin, create a user account for each team member directly within your organization, so they can start working in the shared inbox. There's no separate invite step — the admin sets the account up.
- Create a user account for the team member
- Set them as an admin or team member
- Remove access when someone leaves
Managing multiple organizations
If you run more than one brand, location, or client account, each can be its own organization — with its own WhatsApp number, team, and conversations — while you switch between them from one dashboard.
- Create a new organization
- Keep each one's channels & team separate
- Switch between organizations from one login
Understanding admin vs. team member access
Admins can manage settings, billing, and team members for the organization. Team members work in the inbox — reading, replying, and taking over conversations from the AI — without access to organization-level settings.
- Admins: settings, billing, team & channels
- Team members: shared inbox & conversations
- Adjust roles anytime as your team changes
Running conversations once you're live
What day-to-day use actually looks like, once WhatsApp and your website are connected and the AI is configured.
Working in the Chat Inbox
WhatsApp and website conversations arrive in the same dashboard, with each channel kept as a separate conversation, so your team always knows where an inquiry came from.
- Browse conversations by channel
- Open a conversation to see its full history
- Reply from the same screen, either channel
Taking over from AI
When a conversation needs a personal reply, any logged-in team member can step in — with the full conversation history already in front of them, so nothing has to be re-explained.
- Open any live conversation
- Review what the AI has already said
- Reply manually and continue the thread
Capturing leads during a chat
Useful customer details — name, phone number, and email — can be captured directly from a WhatsApp or website conversation when available, without separate manual data entry.
- Leads are created from the conversation
- Available details are captured automatically
- Captured leads show up in the funnel report
Keeping track as your inbox grows
Once conversations are flowing, this is where you check performance, connect other tools, and manage your plan.
Reading Reports & Analytics
Review response-time trends, conversation volume, team activity, and captured-lead reporting across WhatsApp and website conversations, all in one place.
- Check response-time trends
- Review conversation volume by channel
- See captured leads in the funnel report
Setting up webhooks
Connect a webhook endpoint to send supported Marshanam events — like new messages or captured leads — to your CRM or automation platform as they happen.
- Add your webhook endpoint URL
- Choose which events to send
- Send a test event to confirm it's working
Billing & plan changes
Upgrade your plan, add seats for team members, or review your current usage against your plan's limits as your conversation volume grows.
- Check your current plan & usage
- Add seats or upgrade your plan
- Review invoices & billing details
Common issues & what to check
Quick checks for the most common setup issues, before reaching out to support.
Check that your WhatsApp Business number shows as connected and verified in your dashboard. If it was recently connected, send a test message from a personal number to confirm it's reaching the Chat Inbox.
Confirm the embed script is placed on the page and hasn't been removed by a site update or caching. Clear your browser cache and reload the page to check again.
The AI answers using the business knowledge you've added — if a question isn't covered there, add it. Also check that AI Auto Reply is turned on for the channel in question.
Delivery status is reflected in real time where WhatsApp supports it. If a message consistently shows as undelivered, check that the recipient's number is correct and reachable on WhatsApp.
This is usually a role issue — team members see the shared inbox but not organization-level settings, which are limited to admins. Check their role under team management.
Confirm your endpoint URL is correct and reachable, and that the specific event type is selected in your webhook settings. Sending a test event from the dashboard can help confirm where the issue is.