How to add WhatsApp to MRPeasy
Short answer
MRPeasy has no native WhatsApp channel, so you add one with a small middleware service: poll or receive change events from MRPeasy, send approved template messages through the WhatsApp Business Cloud API, and write replies back through the MRPeasy REST API. Keep the first version to status notices and simple confirmations.
MRPeasy is a cloud MRP/ERP aimed at small discrete and process manufacturers. Its users are often a handful of planners, a shop foreman and a purchasing person, and most of their customers and suppliers already live in WhatsApp. Order status questions, delivery confirmations and supplier date changes happen in chat while the truth sits in MRPeasy, so someone retypes it.
The gap is not data, it is channel. MRPeasy exposes customer orders, purchase orders, manufacturing orders and stock through its API, and WhatsApp reaches people who will never log in. A thin bridge between the two removes the retyping without changing how the shop runs MRPeasy.
This page covers the realistic build: which MRPeasy objects to read, how WhatsApp templates and opt-in actually work, how replies become MRPeasy updates, and where a bridge like this tends to break.
What teams use it for
Customer order status on request
A buyer messages 'where is order 1042' and gets the customer order status, planned ship date and tracking text pulled from MRPeasy.
Shipment notices
When a shipment is booked or marked shipped, send a template message with carrier and reference to the customer contact on the order.
Supplier date confirmations
Send open purchase order lines due this week to the supplier contact and let them reply with a confirmed date or a delay.
Shop floor shortage pings
When a manufacturing order is blocked by a missing material, message the purchaser with item, quantity short and the orders affected.
Quote follow-up
Nudge a customer on an open quote after a set number of days and capture an accept or question reply as a note on the quote.
Owner daily digest
A morning message to the owner with orders due, late purchase orders and low stock items from a few read queries.
MRPeasy integration surface
- MRPeasy REST API with API key and secret generated by an admin in the integration settings; the account plan and version determine whether API access is included, so confirm before designing.
- Resource endpoints for items, customer orders, purchase orders, manufacturing orders, shipments and partners (customers and vendors). Exact paths and field names vary by API version, so read the current API documentation rather than copying examples.
- Contact data lives on partner records; WhatsApp needs a mobile number in international format, so expect to add or normalise a phone field or keep a mapping table outside MRPeasy.
- Change detection is usually done by polling with a modified-since filter on a schedule, because outbound webhooks may not exist for every object; verify what your plan offers.
- No on-prem install: MRPeasy is hosted, so the bridge runs on your side or in a small cloud service and talks to MRPeasy over HTTPS only.
How it works
- 1
Register a WhatsApp Business account
Use Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform Cloud API directly or a business solution provider. Verify the business, add a sender number that is not already on a personal WhatsApp account, and set the display name.
- 2
Create the API credentials in MRPeasy
Generate an API key and secret under a dedicated integration user with the narrowest access that still reads orders and writes notes. Store them in a secrets manager, not in the script.
- 3
Build the poller
A scheduled job asks MRPeasy for customer orders, shipments and purchase orders changed since the last run and stores a cursor so nothing is sent twice.
- 4
Map events to templates
Outbound messages outside the 24 hour customer service window must use pre-approved templates. Draft templates for shipped, delayed and confirm-date, with variables for order number and date.
- 5
Handle inbound webhooks
Expose an HTTPS endpoint for WhatsApp messages. Match the sender number to a partner, classify the reply (status question, confirmation, other) and answer or route it.
- 6
Write back carefully
Post confirmed dates or notes to MRPeasy through the API, with the message id stored for traceability. Anything ambiguous goes to a human queue instead.
- 7
Log and monitor
Keep a table of sent messages, delivery status and failures so you can answer 'did the customer get it' without asking Meta.
Example flows
Shipment notice to a customer
Trigger: A customer order in MRPeasy moves to shipped.
- Poller sees the changed order and shipment record.
- Bridge looks up the partner contact with an opted-in mobile number.
- Sends the shipped template with order number and carrier reference.
- Stores the WhatsApp message id against the order.
Result: The customer knows the same day, and the sales contact stops answering 'has it left' calls.
Supplier confirms a late delivery
Trigger: A purchase order line is due within three days and unconfirmed.
- Bridge sends the confirm-date template to the vendor contact.
- Supplier replies with a new date in free text.
- A parser extracts the date and the bridge echoes it back for confirmation.
- On a yes, the bridge adds a note or updated expected date through the API.
Result: Planners see the real date in MRPeasy without chasing by phone.
Keeping data on-prem
MRPeasy itself is cloud only, so there is no on-prem ERP to protect, but the message content can still be sensitive. Run the bridge, the message log and any language model used to parse replies inside your own network or private cloud, and let only the MRPeasy API calls and the WhatsApp Cloud API calls leave it. If you want reply parsing without sending customer text to a public model, use an open-weight model served locally and keep WhatsApp as transport only.
Security checklist
- Treat the MRPeasy API key and secret like a password: dedicated integration user, least access, rotated on staff changes.
- Collect and record opt-in per contact before any business-initiated message; keep the proof.
- Verify the WhatsApp webhook signature and reject unsigned calls.
- Never put pricing, margins or bank details in a template unless the recipient is verified for that data.
- Log every inbound and outbound message with the order it touched for audit.
Ways to get it done
No-code automation platform
Effort: Days
Fine for one or two notification flows if MRPeasy and WhatsApp connectors exist on your platform; limited for two-way replies.
Build in-house with the Cloud API
Effort: 2 to 4 weeks for a first version
Best if you have a developer and want full control over templates, polling and write-back.
Partner build such as Netray
Effort: 3 to 6 weeks including template approval
Useful when replies need understanding, approvals or an on-prem model, and you do not want to maintain it.
Pitfalls
- !Template approval takes time and rejections for vague wording are common; start early.
- !Phone numbers in partner records are often local format or missing, which silently drops messages.
- !Polling too often can hit API rate limits; use modified-since cursors and sensible intervals.
- !Treating a free-text 'ok' as a confirmation of a specific line leads to wrong dates; echo back what you understood.
- !Marketing-style messages without opt-in risk the number being rated down or blocked.
Frequently asked questions
Does MRPeasy have a built-in WhatsApp integration?
Not that you can rely on. MRPeasy offers its REST API and some integration options, but a WhatsApp channel is normally added through a bridge you build or buy. Check your plan and the current feature list before assuming otherwise.
Can WhatsApp messages update MRPeasy records?
Yes, through the MRPeasy API. In practice limit write-back to low-risk fields such as notes or a confirmed date, and put anything that changes quantities or prices behind a human approval.
Do I need the WhatsApp Business app or the API?
The free Business app suits manual chat. Automated notifications and replies tied to MRPeasy need the WhatsApp Business Platform, directly or through a provider, with approved templates for outbound messages.
Is a language model required?
No. Status notices and fixed-choice replies work with simple rules. A model helps only when suppliers or customers reply in free text, and it can run locally if the content is sensitive.
How do I avoid sending duplicate messages?
Store a cursor for the last processed change and a unique key per order event, such as order id plus status. Check it before sending so a retry or overlapping poll does not notify the same person twice.
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