Glossary / Webhook
Webhook
A webhook is a real-time HTTP push notification that tells an external system (CRM, helpdesk, analytics platform) that something happened in another system — the pipe that connects WhatsApp Business API events to every downstream automation.
Full definition
A webhook is a server-to-server HTTP POST request sent automatically when a defined event occurs — for example, when a WhatsApp message is received, when a conversation is marked resolved, or when a lead's qualification status changes. Unlike an API call (where your system asks 'what happened?'), a webhook pushes the data to you the moment the event fires. In WhatsApp Business API contexts, webhooks are how message delivery events, read receipts, template status changes, and conversation events reach your CRM, helpdesk, or analytics platform in real time. NimbleBiz exposes a webhook endpoint for every conversation event — new message, AI qualification complete, human handoff triggered, CSAT rating received — so teams can build automations: create a deal in HubSpot when a lead qualifies, fire a Slack alert when a VIP customer escalates, or update Shopify when a cart-recovery conversation closes. Without webhooks, AI agents and the external systems they should update are disconnected — data moves manually or not at all.
Key facts
- Webhooks push data to your system when events happen — no polling required
- Common WhatsApp webhook events: message received, delivery confirmed, read receipt, template approved/rejected
- NimbleBiz webhook events include: lead qualified, handoff triggered, CSAT received, conversation closed
- Webhook failures must be handled with retries and logging — a failed webhook means a missed automation
- Webhooks require a publicly accessible HTTPS endpoint on the receiving system to process the payload
Related terms
The WhatsApp Business API (now Meta's Cloud API) is the official programmatic interface that lets businesses send and receive WhatsApp messages at scale, send bulk campaigns via approved templates, and build AI agents or chatbots — distinct from the free WhatsApp Business app which is single-user only.
ReadA knowledge base, in the context of AI agents, is the structured content — help docs, product pages, FAQs, past tickets, PDFs — that an AI agent retrieves from to answer customer questions accurately, grounded in your actual business instead of making things up.
ReadCross-channel attribution unifies customer identity across WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and website chat so a single customer journey — even one that touches multiple channels — is tracked as one conversation, one lead, and one sale.
ReadSee webhook in production
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