WhatsApp Integration

Full LMS access for parents via WhatsApp — menu system, proactive pushes, and phone-only parent support.

Powered by SendZen. Parents without email can access all school features through WhatsApp. Email parents can use both the portal and WhatsApp simultaneously.

Two Parent Profiles

Email Parent

Primary: Web portal. Secondary: WhatsApp (if phone on file). Both channels receive the same information.

Phone-Only Parent

Primary: WhatsApp. No portal login required. Magic links provide 7-day temporary portal access when needed.

Interactive Menu

Parent sends hi, hello, menu, or 0 to activate the menu.

1️⃣ Notices & Announcements
2️⃣ Fee Reminders
3️⃣ Attendance
4️⃣ Progress Report
5️⃣ AI Engagement Report
6️⃣ Message Teacher
7️⃣ Pending Consents
8️⃣ Timetable
9️⃣ Change Language

Every option is fully self-service — attendance, progress reports, AI engagement summaries, timetable, and message-the-teacher all resolve entirely inside the chat, with no portal or app login required. Parents with more than one child are prompted to pick which child before options 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8.

Language Selection

On first contact (right after opting in), parents pick a preferred language from a short menu. Every menu and reply from then on renders in that language — the fixed menu chrome uses hand-maintained translations, while dynamic content (report summaries, engagement trends) is translated on the fly via the Gemini-backed translation service, falling back to English if translation fails.

1️⃣ English
2️⃣ हिंदी
3️⃣ తెలుగు
4️⃣ தமிழ்
5️⃣ ಕನ್ನಡ

Reply 9 or language at any time to change it.

Proactive Pushes (auto-sent, no action needed)

  • New school notice published → WhatsApp message to all opted-in parents
  • Fee due or overdue → WhatsApp reminder with payment link
  • Consent request → WhatsApp message with Approve / Deny buttons
  • Teacher messages bridged to WhatsApp — parent replies flow back to teacher chat
  • Weekly AI engagement report summary with magic link

Magic Links

For phone-only parents who need portal access (e.g. to download a report card), the backend generates a signed magic link. The link is valid for 7 days and gives portal access without requiring a password. The link is sent via WhatsApp and expires on first use or after 7 days.

Environment Variables

SENDZEN_API_KEY=

SENDZEN_WHATSAPP_NUMBER=+91XXXXXXXXXX

WHATSAPP_WEBHOOK_SECRET=

Key API Routes

POST/api/whatsapp/webhook

Inbound webhook from SendZen — receives parent replies

POST/api/whatsapp/send

Send a WhatsApp message to a parent (internal use)

POST/api/parent/magic-link/generate

Generate a magic link for a phone-only parent

POST/api/parent/magic-link/verify

Validate magic link and issue session token