How to Migrate From Charles to Tenashi

Charles is built for a specific kind of WhatsApp use case: consumer brands running subscription re-engagement, loyalty campaigns and conversational commerce at scale on the official WhatsApp API. It's a premium tool with a clear focus, and if that campaign-orchestration use case is your primary need, Charles is a genuine fit.

Teams that move away from Charles typically fall into one of two camps: either they're a smaller or mid-market business that doesn't need enterprise campaign infrastructure and is paying for capability they don't use, or they're a team that primarily needs agents in a shared inbox managing day-to-day sales and support conversations rather than large-scale re-engagement flows.

If you're in either of those camps, here's the practical path from Charles to Tenashi.

What Charles is genuinely strong at

Before going further: Charles's strength is real. Subscription re-engagement and loyalty campaign flows on WhatsApp at scale, built for consumer brands with enterprise API contracts — that's a specific, legitimate use case. If that's your world, Charles is purpose-built for it and Tenashi is not a replacement.

The migration makes sense when:

• Your primary WhatsApp use is conversational sales and support, not large-scale campaign orchestration. Your team is replying to leads and resolving support tickets, not running loyalty re-engagement sequences.
• You don't need an enterprise API contract. Charles's pricing and positioning is enterprise- tier. For a mid-market or growing team, that's disproportionate overhead.
• You want a built-in CRM and pipeline. Charles's CRM capabilities are limited compared to what a sales team actively tracking deals needs.

What changes when you switch to Tenashi

What you gain is a shared inbox where your whole team can work, a full CRM with contact records and deal stages, and support tickets with SLA — all without an enterprise API contract or campaign setup overhead.

What you trade: the sophisticated subscription re-engagement and loyalty campaign flows that Charles specialises in. Be honest with yourself about how much of Charles's value you were actually using before committing to the switch.

Step-by-step: migrating from Charles to Tenashi

1. Export your contacts and campaign data

Before making any changes, export your contact list (CSV) including all subscriber segments, loyalty tiers and campaign history attributes you want to preserve as CRM fields. Document any ongoing campaign flows for reference. Chat history won't transfer.

2. Decide on your number

• Same number. Your Charles number is registered on the WhatsApp Business API. Release it from the API first (step 3), then link it to Tenashi via QR. Your customers keep the same contact thread.
• New number. Link a different existing WhatsApp number to Tenashi and migrate contacts over.

3. Release the number from the WhatsApp Business API

Charles operates on the official WhatsApp Business API. A number on the API cannot simultaneously be used as a linked device. You'll need to deregister the number through your Meta Business Manager or through Charles/your BSP directly — this may involve your enterprise API contract team. Do this in a planned maintenance window.

4. Connect to Tenashi

Start your Tenashi trial and scan the QR code with the WhatsApp app on the phone holding your number. Done in under a minute. WhatsApp groups your number is part of now appear in the inbox.

5. Import contacts and build your workspace

Upload the contacts CSV. Then build the day-to-day sales and support structure:

• Sales pipeline — deal stages for your sales cycle.
• CRM fields — recreate the segments and attributes that matter for sales and support context (segment, lifetime value, support tier, product, region).
• Support ticket settings — SLA targets and categories.
• Canned replies — the answers your agents send most frequently.
• Automations — routing rules, keyword assignment, after-hours messages.
• Broadcasts — for proactive outreach, replacing the re-engagement flows with simpler sends.

6. Move your team in

Invite agents, assign open conversations, and run through the day-to-day flow: reply to a message, push a deal through the pipeline, raise a ticket. Verify groups are visible. Cancel Charles's enterprise contract once you're satisfied with the new setup.

Where Tenashi fits

Tenashi is built for the team doing day-to-day WhatsApp work — agents in a shared inbox, deals tracked through a pipeline, support tickets resolved with SLA accountability. No campaign orchestration, no enterprise API contract, no setup overhead.

For a team coming from Charles, the key upgrades:

• A full CRM with contact records, deal pipeline and company history in one place.
• Support tickets with SLA so support issues have accountability.
• Flat, transparent pricing — no enterprise contract, no per-conversation billing.
• Groups in the inbox — the API Charles uses can't access them.
• Same-day adoption — link your number and your team is in the inbox today.

Pricing: Starter $18/mo, Growth $27/mo, Scale $56/mo, 3-day Growth trial, no card.

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FAQ

Can I keep my WhatsApp number from Charles?

Yes. Work with Charles or your BSP to deregister the number from the WhatsApp Business API, then link it to Tenashi by scanning the QR code. This may involve your enterprise API contract arrangements — plan accordingly.

What do I lose by leaving Charles?

The campaign-orchestration capability: subscription re-engagement, loyalty flows and conversational commerce at enterprise scale on the official API. If those campaigns were generating meaningful business outcomes, evaluate carefully before switching. Tenashi is built for conversational sales and support, not campaign orchestration.

Is Charles appropriate for smaller teams?

Charles's positioning and pricing is aimed at established consumer brands running campaigns at scale. For smaller or mid-market teams primarily doing day-to-day sales and support, Tenashi is a more proportionate fit.

Can Tenashi handle WhatsApp groups?

Yes. Tenashi links your real number as a device, so your WhatsApp groups appear in the shared inbox. The official API that Charles uses cannot read or reply to WhatsApp groups.

Does Tenashi have any broadcast capability?

Yes. Tenashi includes ban-protected broadcast campaigns — human-paced sends with jitter and duplicate guards. It covers standard proactive outreach well. What it doesn't do is the sophisticated multi-step loyalty and re-engagement flows that are Charles's core product.

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Using Charles for day-to-day sales and support rather than large-scale campaigns? Start a free trial, link your number, and give your team a shared inbox with a CRM, pipeline and tickets — designed for the conversations you're actually having.