Automated WhatsApp welcome messages for sales leads with Google Sheets & Rapiwa

Automated WhatsApp Welcome Messages for Sales Leads with Google Sheets & Rapiwa

Who is this for?

This automation is ideal for sales teams, digital marketers, support agents, or small business owners who collect leads in Google Sheets and want to automatically send WhatsApp welcome messages. It's a cost-effective and easy-to-use solution built for those not using the official WhatsApp Business API but still looking to scale communication.

What this Workflow Does

This n8n automation reads leads from a connected Google Sheet, verifies if the provided WhatsApp numbers are valid using the Rapiwa API, and sends a personalized welcome message. It updates the sheet based on delivery success or failure, and continues this process every 5 minutes — ensuring new leads are automatically engaged.

Key Features

• Automatic Scheduling: Runs every 5 minutes (adjustable)
• Google Sheets Integration: Reads and updates lead data
• WhatsApp Number Validation: Confirms number validity via Rapiwa
• Personalized Messaging: Uses lead name for custom messages
• Batch Processing: Sends up to 60 messages per cycle
• Safe API Usage: Adds 5-second delay between each message
• Error Handling: Marks failed messages as not sent and unverified
• Live Status Updates: Sheet columns are updated after each attempt
• Loop Logic: Repeats continuously to catch new rows

How to Use

Step-by-step Setup

1. Prepare Your Google Sheet

   • Copy this Sample Sheet
   • Ensure it includes the following columns:
     • WhatsApp No
     • name (note: trailing space is required)
     • row_number
     • status, check, validity

2. Connect Google Sheets in n8n

   • Use OAuth2 credentials to allow n8n access
   • Set the workflow to fetch rows where check is not empty

3. Get a Rapiwa Account

   • Sign up at https://rapiwa.com
   • Add your WhatsApp number
   • Retrieve your Bearer Token from your Rapiwa dashboard

4. Configure HTTP Request Nodes

   • Use Rapiwa's API endpoints:
     • Verify Number: https://app.rapiwa.com/api/verify-whatsapp
     • Send Message: https://app.rapiwa.com/api/send-message
   • Add your Bearer Token to the header

5. Start Your Workflow

   • Run the n8n automation
   • It will read leads, clean phone numbers, verify WhatsApp validity, send messages, and update the sheet accordingly

Requirements

• A Google Sheet with correctly formatted columns
• Active Rapiwa subscription (~$5/month)
• A valid Bearer Token from Rapiwa
• Your WhatsApp number connected to Rapiwa
• n8n instance with:
  • Google Sheets integration (OAuth2 setup)
  • HTTP Request capability

Google Sheet Column Reference

Workflow Logic Summary

1. Trigger Every 5 Minutes
2. Fetch All Rows with Pending Status
3. Limit to 60 Rows per Execution
4. Clean and Format Phone Numbers
5. Check Number Validity via Rapiwa
6. Condition Check:
   • If valid → Send Message
   • If invalid → Update status as not sent, unverified
7. Send WhatsApp Message via Rapiwa
8. Update Sheet Row
   • On success: sent, verified, checked
   • On failure: not sent, unverified
9. Delay 5 seconds before next message
10. Repeat for next lead

Customization Ideas

• Add image or document sending support via Rapiwa
• Customize messages based on additional fields (e.g., product, service)
• Log failures to a separate sheet
• Send admin email for failed batches
• Add support for multilingual messages

Notes & Warnings

• The column name "name " includes a space — do not remove or rename it.
• International number format is required for Rapiwa to work correctly.
• If you're sending many messages, increase the Wait node delay to prevent API throttling.

Support

• WhatsApp Support: Chat Now
• Discord: Join SpaGreen Community
• Facebook Group: SpaGreen Support
• Website: https://spagreen.net
• Developer Portfolio: Codecanyon SpaGreen