Today’s businesses embrace messaging apps like WhatsApp to communicate with customers. This results in a surge in the automation of business customer interactions using chatbots.
Such a chatbot is ChatGPT, a large language model by OpenAI that you can integrate with WhatsApp to automate customer interactions by providing fast and accurate responses to customer queries.
Understanding and Accessing the ChatGPT API
Before integrating with WhatsApp, it is essential to get abasic understanding of ChatGPT and ChatGPT API. ChatGPT is agenerative large language modelthat receives text-based queries and returns human-like responses. OpenAI provides a simple API interface for developers to access and use ChatGPT’s GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 models.
To access ChatGPT API keys, you need to navigate to theOpenAI APIplatform. After signing in, click on the profile icon. Then, click on theView API keysoption.
Next, click theCreate new secret keybutton to create a new API key.
Enter the requested details, i.e., thenameof the key.
A secret key will prompt.
Copy and store the key in a secure place for future use.
Setting Up a WhatsApp Business Account
To integrate ChatGPT with WhatsApp, you must set up a WhatsApp Business account. Note thatWhatsApp Business is different from regular WhatsApp. This account will allow you to access theWhatsApp Business API, which you will integrate with the ChatGPT API.
The full source code is available in aGitHub repository.
You can use a third-party service like Kommunicate, a WhatsApp chatbot, or a Python script to integrate ChatGPT with WhatsApp. This tutorial’s focus will be on integrating ChatGPT using a Python script. It will then give you an overview of integration using a WhatsApp chatbot.
Using Python Script to Integrate WhatsApp With ChatGPT API
Before you start the development, create a virtual environment for your application usingPipenvas follows:
This command will install thedjango,djangorestframework, andopenaipackages.
Then, create a new Django project.
Navigate to the createdwhatsappdirectory and create a Django app namedgpt:
In thewhatsapp/settings.pyfile, add the new app,gpton the installed apps list as follows:
In yourwhatsapp/urls.pyfile, add thegptapp URL. This will redirect to the URLs you will create on thegptapp:
On thegpt/views.pyfile, add the following block of code to create ChatGPT API view:
The viewsets up an API endpointthat expects a GET request with a query parameterqcomprising the user input. It then uses OpenAI’sgpt-3.5-turbomodel to generate a response based on the provided input and returns the response as the API’s output.
Next, create aurls.pyfile and register the API view by adding the following lines of code:
Run themigrateandrunservercommands as follows:
Test the/api/chatendpoint by sending a GET request tohttp://localhost:8000/api/chat?q=Hello.
Expected output:
Next, installGoif it is not already installed on your machine.
Clone theWhatsmeowclient using the command below:
Navigate to the repository,whatsapp-gpt, and on the file,main.goupdate this line:
Save the changes and run the file:
The application will prompt you with a QR code to log in to your WhatsApp account.
Move to your WhatsApp mobile app and navigate toSettings > QR code > Scan codeto add a new linked device and scan the popped QR code on your terminal.
After logging in, the application will start listening to incoming messages. If someone sends a message, the received message will make a GET request to API with the message as a query parameter and send the response back to the sender on WhatsApp.
Using WhatsApp Chatbot to Integrate WhatsApp With ChatGPT API
Another way to integrate ChatGPT into WhatsApp messages is by using a WhatsApp chatbot.
Once you register your WhatsApp Business API, use a chat builder like OpenDialog to create a flow for the chat. You will then test your chatbot and add it to your mobile phone.
Integrate OpenAI API With Your WhatsApp Chatbot
To integrate your WhatsApp chatbot with OpenAI models, use the API key from OpenAI.
Integrating WhatsApp chatbots with OpenAI GPT models presents a risk of WhatsApp blocking your account on security claims.
Though this method is easier if you already have a chatbot, you should only opt for it once you’re comfortable with the risks involved.
Configuring Automated Responses
To get better customer service, configure automated responses to provide fast and accurate responses to customer messages. These responses will personalize the customer by name and provide relevant responses to customer queries.
Testing Your WhatsApp Chatbot
Like all AI API systems, testing is key before you deploy your WhatsApp chatbot. This is to ensure that it works as expected. API testing tools like Postman and Curl can help to test your chatbot’s responses.
In this case, the Django REST framework provides a browsable API to help test API requests and responses.
Measuring Success and Fine-Tuning
Once your WhatsApp chatbot is in deployment, it is crucial to measure its success and usage over time. This will help with fine-tuning it accordingly. Analytics tools like OpenDialog and Rasa can help to track metrics such as response time, retention rate, and customer satisfaction.
Streamline Customer Support on WhatsApp With ChatGPT Integration
OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 or GPT-4 models can handle large volumes of inquiries, provide instant responses, and use advanced language processing, making it a better solution for customer service interactions. By integrating ChatGPT with WhatsApp, you may save time, improve customer satisfaction, and streamline communication. Several other large language models could also improve your chatbot’s performance.
