Client documents arrive in AIDA via WhatsApp
AIDA's WhatsApp integration lets you receive documents via WhatsApp directly in AIDA. Your client receives a chat from AIDA and uploads photos and files to it. AIDA then classifies them, extracts their data and archives them according to the rules you have defined. You don't have to move a single file from your phone to AIDA, and your client doesn't install any app: they use WhatsApp, which is already on their smartphone.
WhatsApp is one of AIDA's native input channels, alongside email, the AIDA Mobile app, web upload, API and Xerox ConnectKey scanners. You'll find them all on the AIDA integrations page. In this article we look at how the integration works, how to set it up step by step and when it is a better fit than email or AIDA Mobile.
What is AIDA's WhatsApp integration?
In AIDA, WhatsApp is an input: one of the channels through which documents enter the processing workflow. AIDA opens a chat with the person you specify in the configuration. From then on, every photo or document sent in that chat is processed according to the rules of the document type: data extraction, archiving and delivery to destinations.
Should you enable WhatsApp on a document type or on AIDA Hub?
It depends on what you expect to receive in the chat. You can enable the WhatsApp input in two places:
- On a document type: classification is implicit, because everything that arrives in that chat belongs to that type. This is the natural choice when a person always sends the same document, such as a driver sending delivery notes.
- On AIDA Hub: the chat accepts documents of any type. AIDA Hub splits files containing several documents into individual sub-documents and classifies each one into its own document type, which then applies its extraction and archiving rules. This is the right choice for anyone who receives all kinds of documents from clients, such as a professional firm.
Behind the chat is Intelligent Document Processing (IDP), the technology that turns unstructured documents into structured data. It combines OCR, which recognizes printed and handwritten text, with document classification and the extraction of the fields you need.
Why receive documents via WhatsApp?
Because that's where documents already arrive. Many professionals, especially those who work with private individuals, receive photos and PDFs from clients on WhatsApp every day. For the client it's the easiest option, while email and dedicated portals get in the way.
The problem is the next step: moving the documents from WhatsApp to the computer and then into AIDA. Without an integration, every file has to be moved by hand:
- from an iPhone to a Mac you can use AirDrop, but the file still has to be dragged into AIDA;
- on Android, the most common route is to forward it by email to the AIDA input address, an awkward step to repeat for every document;
- until someone forwards them, client documents stay in the phone's photo gallery, mixed in with personal messages and conversations;
- a single file forgotten in a chat is enough to leave a case incomplete.
Why does almost nobody notice the problem?
Because, one file at a time, forwarding a document takes a few seconds, and nobody counts them. But those seconds add up for every file, every client and every day, and the people spending them see it as part of the job: an accepted nuisance, not a problem to solve. That's exactly why people rarely look for a solution.
With the WhatsApp integration this step disappears. The client uploads documents to the AIDA chat and the professional finds them in AIDA, already read and archived, without lifting a finger.
How do you set up the WhatsApp integration, step by step?
You set it up from the AIDA interface, once for each document type, without writing any code.
- Create a document type and define the fields to extract, such as number, date and client. AIDA learns any field from a single example. You select the field and click the value in the document, and the model is ready, with no lengthy training cycles.
- Open the WhatsApp input of the document type, or of AIDA Hub, and click Configure.
- Enter a name and number. The name is a reminder for you and is not shown to the person. For the number, choose the international dialing code from the drop-down menu and enter the phone number. The person must already have WhatsApp installed and active on their smartphone.
- Set a property, if you need one. Turn on the "Set the value of a property" option and choose a property and its value. AIDA will assign it to every document coming from that number: for example, the name of the person sending you the documents, or the number of the case they belong to.
- Click Create and Send: the number you entered immediately receives the invitation message on WhatsApp.
From then on, the invited person can send documents and photos in the chat. AIDA confirms receipt of each file with a short message and processes it according to the rules of the document type it belongs to.
Can I invite several people to the same document type?
Yes. From Configure you can create a new invitation for each number, for example one per client. You can delete it at any time with the trash can icon, which deletes the conversation.
Why set a property for each number?
It tells you who a document comes from, or where, without anyone having to type it in. If you set the "Client" property to "John Smith", every document sent from that number already carries the client's name. In the same way you can specify a case, a branch or a job site.
Can I use a local WhatsApp number?
Yes. Invitations are sent from an AIDA WhatsApp number. If you prefer a number from your own country, you can request one by contacting the AIDA team.
How does it work in practice? An example at a law firm
Take a lawyer who handles cases for private individuals. Clients send documents on WhatsApp, because it's the app they use every day: a photo of a contract, a registered letter they received, payment receipts. Today the lawyer, or their assistant, has to retrieve each file from the chat and upload it to AIDA.
With the WhatsApp integration, the firm creates an invitation with the client's number on the AIDA Hub WhatsApp input as soon as the case is opened. The client receives the chat from AIDA and uploads their documents there from then on. AIDA Hub classifies them into the document types the firm has configured, which extract their data:
| Document sent by the client | Document type | Extracted data |
|---|---|---|
| Photo of the lease agreement | Contract | Parties, start date, monthly rent |
| PDF of the registered letter received | Correspondence | Sender, date, subject |
| Photo of a payment receipt | Receipt | Date, amount, payment reference |
The lawyer finds the documents already organized in AIDA, ready for the case, without forwarding a single file, and the client's documents don't sit in the photo gallery of their phone. If the firm wants, the same documents also land in its folders on Google Drive or on SharePoint and OneDrive. For other ways AI helps law firms, read the article on legal innovation with AIDA.
The lawyer is just one example. The same workflow works for anyone who receives documents from people who are unlikely to use a portal or a dedicated email address, but always have WhatsApp in their pocket.
What happens if a file contains several pages or several documents?
Each file sent in the chat reaches AIDA separately. For a multi-page document, it's therefore better for the client to send a single PDF rather than one photo per page.
With the input on AIDA Hub, the opposite case also works. A single PDF containing several documents, such as a contract and its receipts scanned together, is split into individual documents, and each one is classified into its own type.
WhatsApp, email or AIDA Mobile: which input should you choose?
It depends on who is sending the documents.
- AIDA Mobile is the app for AIDA users, meaning you and your team, when you capture documents with your smartphone.
- WhatsApp is for people who aren't AIDA users and need to send you something: clients, private individuals, external contractors who would never install an app to do it.
- Email is the natural choice for documents that already arrive as attachments.
| Feature | AIDA Mobile | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Who sends | People who aren't AIDA users: clients, private individuals, external contractors | Anyone who has the input address | AIDA users: you and your team |
| What the sender needs | WhatsApp installed and active | An email account | The iOS, iPadOS or Android app and an AIDA account |
| How it's enabled | Invitation to the number with "Create and Send" | Dedicated address created by AIDA for each document type | Installing the app |
| What's sent | Photos and documents in the chat | Attachments and, optionally, the email body converted to PDF | Photos taken with the app and files from the device |
| Multi-page documents | One PDF per document | One attachment per document | Page photos merged into a single PDF |
| Photo processing | Photo sent as is | Attachment sent as is | Perspective correction, cropping, color and page size |
The inputs aren't mutually exclusive. The same document type can receive documents from WhatsApp, email, AIDA Mobile, the web and the API. Every document follows the same extraction and archiving rules, whatever the channel.
Who can use AIDA's WhatsApp integration?
Anyone who receives documents from people who aren't AIDA users. That means private individuals above all, for whom WhatsApp is the most natural channel, but also employees and contractors working outside the office who don't have an AIDA account. Some examples:
Professionals who work with private individuals
- Law firms: contracts, registered letters, receipts and official reports that clients send for a case, without the lawyer having to forward them to AIDA.
- Accountants and tax assistance centers: receipts for medical expenses and other payments, annual income statements and tax return documents. Clients can send them during the year, as soon as they receive them, instead of bringing them all at the last minute. In Italy this includes CAF and patronati, the centers that help citizens with tax returns and welfare paperwork, and the CU, the annual statement of income issued by employers.
- Mortgage brokers and financial advisors: payslips, annual income statements and bank statements for a mortgage or loan application.
- Property managers: payment receipts, quotes and documents that condominium residents send to the building manager.
Businesses that work with consumers
- Real estate agencies: documents for a sale or a rental, such as the tenant's payslips, property records and signed contracts.
- Insurance agencies and loss adjusters: joint accident report forms, quotes and repair invoices for handling a claim.
- Installers and construction companies: utility bills, property records and client documents for tax deduction and incentive applications.
- Schools, gyms and sports clubs: signed enrollment forms and certificates required from members.
Companies with people working outside the office
- Human resources: onboarding documents and signed forms sent by new employees before their first day at work.
- Logistics and transportation: signed delivery notes, transport documents (DDT in Italy) and CMR consignment notes, sent by drivers once a delivery is complete.
- Technical support and maintenance: service reports and reports signed by the client, sent by the technician before leaving the job site.
- Sales force: customer orders, expense reports, receipts and sales slips from sales agents. Each one is already linked to the agent through the invitation's property.
In the first two cases, the input on AIDA Hub is the better option, because the same client sends different types of documents. In the third, an input on a single document type is often enough, such as delivery notes for drivers or expense reports for sales agents.
How does the WhatsApp integration support straight-through processing?
Straight-through processing (STP) is the share of documents that go through the entire workflow with no manual intervention. The WhatsApp integration removes the first manual step, the one in which someone collects files from the phone and uploads them to the system.
AIDA does the rest. It learns from a single example, so you don't need new training batches when a document's layout changes. It also highlights anomalous values, so your team only reviews doubtful cases instead of checking every photo.
WhatsApp integration FAQ
Does the sender need to install an app or have an AIDA account?
No. All they need is WhatsApp installed and active on their smartphone. The person receives the invitation in the chat and can then send documents and photos just as they would to any contact.
Why not just forward documents to AIDA by email?
You can, and many people do today. But every forward is a manual step that has to be repeated for each file and is easy to forget. With the WhatsApp input, the document enters AIDA the moment the client sends it.
Do I need coding skills to enable the WhatsApp integration?
No. You enable the integration from the AIDA interface without writing any code. Enter a name and number, choose whether to set a property and click Create and Send.
Where do documents received via WhatsApp end up?
You can store them in the AIDA document archive and send them to the document type's destinations, such as Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, Dropbox, SAP or webhooks. With the Zapier integration you can also send them to thousands of other apps.
What happens if a text-only message arrives in the chat?
AIDA processes the files sent in the chat, meaning photos and documents. It replies to a text-only message with an automatic thank-you, without creating any documents.
Does the WhatsApp input work for all document types?
Yes, if you enable it on AIDA Hub, which classifies every document it receives into its type. If you enable it on a document type instead, it applies only to that type, and every document received follows that type's rules.
Try AIDA's WhatsApp integration
If your clients already send you documents on WhatsApp, AIDA can bring them straight into your document workflow. Photos and files are read, and their data is extracted and archived wherever you need it. Explore all AIDA integrations or book a personalized demo to see the WhatsApp integration at work on your own documents.
