If you want to send messages with your spreadsheet, you can use a Google Sheets function. It’s easy!
Create a Google Sheet
- Create a new spreadsheet.
- Name your spreadsheet and make sure you have the right version of Google Sheets (e.g., 1, 2 or 3).
- Make sure you have the right permissions on that sheet for sending messages from it!
Get Your API Key
To get started, you’ll need to obtain your WhatsApp API key. To do this, open up the WhatsApp Web app and click on Settings in the top right corner of the screen. Then click on “WhatsApp Business” and select “Create an account.”
Once in this section of settings, scroll down until you see “API Key.” If it’s not already selected as highlighted below:
Copy down both values (API Key and Secret Key) since we will need them later when creating our Google Sheets function.
Start a New Message
- Click on the WhatsApp button in the spreadsheet.
- Select the contact you want to message from your list of contacts, or enter their phone number if you don’t have a contact saved for them yet (you can also use this function to search for new users).
- Type your message into the box that appears at the bottom of your screen, then click Send!
Insert the Function (or use the button)
Now that you’ve created the function, it’s time to insert it into your spreadsheet. To do this, click on the “Insert Function” button in Google Sheets (or use CTRL+L). In the box that appears, type in:
- “gsxfunctions.”
- Then type in the name of your function–in this case: SendWhatsAppMessage().
- Then enter your API key from earlier into field 2 and click OK!
You can use this function to send messages from Google Sheets in a few different ways. First, you can use it to send messages as part of your marketing efforts, including sales and customer service emails.
You can also use this function as part of a website or app that has some sort of messaging functionality (like Slack).
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out in the comments below! If you enjoyed this tutorial, please share it with your friends on social media.
Sure! Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to send WhatsApp messages using a Google Sheets function:
Step 1: Set up Twilio Account
- Create an account on Twilio (https://www.twilio.com/whatsapp) and obtain your Account SID and Authentication Token from the Twilio Console.
Step 2: Enable WhatsApp in Twilio
- In the Twilio Console, navigate to the “Programmable SMS” section and then to the “WhatsApp” submenu.
- Follow the instructions to enable WhatsApp and purchase a WhatsApp-enabled phone number.
Step 3: Install the “Twilio” Add-on in Google Sheets
- Open your Google Sheets document where you want to send WhatsApp messages.
- Click on “Add-ons” in the menu bar and select “Get Add-ons”.
- In the Add-ons marketplace, search for “Twilio”.
- Click on the “Twilio SMS” add-on and choose to install it.
- Grant the required permissions to the add-on.
Step 4: Create a New Google Sheets Function
- In your Google Sheets document, click on “Add-ons” in the menu bar and select “Twilio SMS”.
- Choose “Send WhatsApp Text Messages” to open the Twilio SMS sidebar.
- Click on the “Set up Twilio” button and enter your Twilio Account SID and Authentication Token when prompted.
- Click on “Save” to authenticate your Twilio account.
Step 5: Enter the Phone Number and Message Content
- In your Google Sheets document, create two columns: one for the recipient’s phone number and another for the message content.
- Enter the recipient’s phone numbers in the phone number column and the corresponding message content in the message content column.
Step 6: Use the Twilio Function to Send WhatsApp Messages
- In the cell adjacent to the first phone number, enter the following Google Sheets function:
=SENDWHATSAPP(A2, B2)
(Assuming the phone numbers are in column A and the message content is in column B, and the first row contains headers). - Copy this function down the cells next to each phone number to apply the WhatsApp messaging function to all desired recipients.
Step 7: Send WhatsApp Messages
- Click on the “Add-ons” menu and select “Twilio SMS”. This will open the Twilio SMS sidebar.
- Click on the “Send WhatsApp Text Messages” button in the sidebar.
- The function will send WhatsApp messages using the Twilio API.
That’s it! You have now set up and used the Twilio SMS add-on in Google Sheets to send WhatsApp messages through a Google Sheets function. Note that this add-on uses the Twilio API, so you may incur costs based on your Twilio usage.
FAQ
- What is a Google Sheets function, and how can it be used to send WhatsApp messages?
- A Google Sheets function is a pre-built formula that you can use to perform calculations, manipulate data, and automate tasks in a Google Sheets spreadsheet. You can use a Google Sheets function to send WhatsApp messages by installing the “Twilio SMS” add-on from the Google Sheets add-ons marketplace and using the
=SENDWHATSAPP()function provided by the add-on.
- A Google Sheets function is a pre-built formula that you can use to perform calculations, manipulate data, and automate tasks in a Google Sheets spreadsheet. You can use a Google Sheets function to send WhatsApp messages by installing the “Twilio SMS” add-on from the Google Sheets add-ons marketplace and using the
- Do I need to have a Twilio account to send WhatsApp messages using a Google Sheets function?
- Yes, you need to have a Twilio account to send WhatsApp messages using the
=SENDWHATSAPP()function in Google Sheets. You also need to configure your Twilio account to enable the WhatsApp API and purchase a WhatsApp-enabled phone number.
- Yes, you need to have a Twilio account to send WhatsApp messages using the
- How do I install the “Twilio SMS” add-on in Google Sheets?
- To install the “Twilio SMS” add-on in Google Sheets, click on “Add-ons” in the menu bar and select “Get Add-ons”. Search for “Twilio”, select the “Twilio SMS” add-on, and choose to install it.
- How do I configure my Twilio account to send WhatsApp messages?
- To configure your Twilio account to send WhatsApp messages, you need to enable the WhatsApp API in the Twilio console and purchase a WhatsApp-enabled phone number. Follow the instructions in the Twilio documentation to learn how to enable the WhatsApp API and purchase a WhatsApp-enabled phone number.
- How do I use the
=SENDWHATSAPP()Google Sheets function to send WhatsApp messages?- To use the
=SENDWHATSAPP()Google Sheets function to send WhatsApp messages, first enter the recipient’s phone number in one cell and the message content in another cell. In the cell adjacent to the recipient’s phone number cell, enter the=SENDWHATSAPP(A2, B2)function (assuming the recipient’s phone number is in cell A2 and the message content is in cell B2). Then, copy the function down to apply it to all desired recipients.
- To use the
- How much does it cost to send WhatsApp messages using the
=SENDWHATSAPP()Google Sheets function?- The cost of sending WhatsApp messages using the
=SENDWHATSAPP()Google Sheets function depends on your Twilio usage. Twilio charges for each WhatsApp message sent or received, with pricing based on the country and region. Refer to the Twilio documentation for more information on pricing.
- The cost of sending WhatsApp messages using the
- Can I include emojis or multimedia content in WhatsApp messages sent using the
=SENDWHATSAPP()Google Sheets function?- Yes, you can include emojis or multimedia content such as images or videos in WhatsApp messages sent using the
=SENDWHATSAPP()Google Sheets function by using the appropriate parameters. Refer to the Twilio documentation for more information on the supported parameters.
- Yes, you can include emojis or multimedia content such as images or videos in WhatsApp messages sent using the
- Is it possible to send WhatsApp messages to multiple recipients using the
=SENDWHATSAPP()Google Sheets function?- Yes, it is possible to send WhatsApp messages to multiple recipients using the
=SENDWHATSAPP()Google Sheets function. Simply copy the function and paste it into adjacent cells for each desired recipient, and update the recipient’s phone number and message content accordingly.
- Yes, it is possible to send WhatsApp messages to multiple recipients using the
- How can I know if the WhatsApp message sent through the
=SENDWHATSAPP()function was delivered to the recipient?- There is no built-in functionality in the
=SENDWHATSAPP()function or in the Twilio API to check if a WhatsApp message sent through the function was delivered to the recipient, as WhatsApp messaging is not a reliable delivery mechanism. However, Twilio provides messaging status and error reporting APIs that can be used to get delivery status updates.
- There is no built-in functionality in the
- Is it possible to schedule WhatsApp messages to be sent at a specific time using the
=SENDWHATSAPP()function in Google Sheets?- No, the
=SENDWHATSAPP()function in Google Sheets does not have built-in functionality to schedule WhatsApp messages to be sent at a specific time. However, you can use Google Apps Script to create a custom function that sends WhatsApp messages at a scheduled time. Note that this requires knowledge of coding and may not be suitable for non-technical users.
- No, the
