How to Migrate From Interakt to Tenashi
Interakt gave your e-commerce team a clean entry onto the WhatsApp Business API: catalog browsing in chat, order notifications, broadcast campaigns. But as the conversation volume grew, a few gaps started showing. Your pipeline lives in a spreadsheet. Support tickets go somewhere else. And every proactive message outside a 24-hour window still requires a pre-approved template even for simple follow-ups.
If your team has outgrown Interakt — or if you'd rather start without the API approval overhead and just get a shared inbox with a real CRM and pipeline — this is the practical migration path.
Why teams switch from Interakt
Interakt's core is the WhatsApp Business API, which gives you catalog integration and official broadcast. It's a strong fit for online sellers who want notification flows. Teams tend to look elsewhere when:
- The pipeline lives outside the chat. Interakt doesn't have a built-in sales pipeline. Leads that come through WhatsApp have to be manually tracked somewhere else, which creates duplicated work and dropped follow-ups.
- Support tickets aren't connected. When a customer has a post-sale issue, there's no native ticketing. The WhatsApp thread and the support system are in different tools.
- Template approvals slow the team down. Every outbound message outside a session window needs pre-approval from Meta. For a small team sending tailored replies, that friction adds up.
What actually changes
| On Interakt (WhatsApp API) | On Tenashi | |
|---|---|---|
| Your number | Registered on the API | Linked by QR scan — stays yours |
| Product catalog | Yes | Yes |
| Sales pipeline | Not included | Built in with deal stages |
| Support tickets | Not included | Built in with SLA tracking |
| Proactive messages | Template-gated | Just type and send |
| Per-conversation fees | Yes | No — flat pricing |
One honest trade-off: Interakt has deep Shopify and WooCommerce order integrations that pull order data directly into chat. If a customer asks about their order status and you want the agent to see it without leaving the chat, that's Interakt's speciality. Tenashi's strength is a more complete sales-and-support workflow for any business, not just e-commerce platforms.
Step-by-step: migrating from Interakt to Tenashi
1. Export your contacts and catalog
In Interakt, export your contacts (CSV) and note down your product catalog items — you'll rebuild the catalog in Tenashi, so a spreadsheet of products, prices and descriptions is useful. Export any opt-in lists or broadcast segments you want to preserve. Chat history on the API can't be bulk-exported, so note any critical threads.
2. Decide on your number
- Same number (recommended for most teams). You'll release the number from the WhatsApp API first (step 3), then link it to Tenashi. Customers keep messaging the same number; nothing changes on their end.
- New number. Link a different existing WhatsApp number to Tenashi and run in parallel while you migrate customers gradually.
3. Release the number from the WhatsApp Business API
This is the critical step for reusing your Interakt number. A WhatsApp Business API number can't be used as a linked device simultaneously — you have to deregister it first. Go to your Meta Business Manager (or Interakt's number settings) and delete/deregister the number from the API.
Once it's off the API, you can open the WhatsApp app on the phone that holds that number and link it to Tenashi via QR. Do this during a quiet window — it's the only moment of real downtime.
4. Connect to Tenashi
Start your Tenashi trial, open the connect screen, and scan the QR code with the WhatsApp app on your phone. The number is live in a shared inbox within a minute. Your WhatsApp groups — which the API blocked you from — now appear in the inbox alongside DMs.
5. Rebuild your catalog, import contacts, set up the pipeline
Upload the contacts CSV. Then rebuild in roughly this order:
- Product catalog — add your products in Tenashi's catalog so agents can share product cards in chat.
- Deal pipeline — set up your stages (Inquiry → Quoted → Ordered → Delivered or whatever fits your sales cycle).
- Custom contact fields — platform, order value tier, region, source.
- Canned replies — quick replies for your most common questions.
- Automations — routing rules, away messages, first-touch assignment.
6. Invite your team and go
Add your agents, assign any open conversations from the migration, and do a quick run-through: send a test message, raise a test ticket, and push a deal through the pipeline to make sure everything is wired. Keep Interakt running for a few days if you have ongoing broadcast campaigns before cancelling.
Where Tenashi fits
Tenashi covers the two pieces Interakt leaves out: a sales pipeline and support tickets, both living alongside the chat. For any business that runs WhatsApp as a sales and support channel — not just an e-commerce notification layer — that changes how the whole team works.
What you get on top of what Interakt offered:
- Every WhatsApp lead in a deal stage with an owner and next action.
- Support tickets with SLA so post-sale issues have a resolution path.
- No template gate for your agents' replies.
- Groups in the same inbox as DMs.
- Flat pricing with no per-conversation meter.
Pricing: Starter $18/mo, Growth $27/mo, Scale $56/mo, 3-day Growth trial, no card needed.
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FAQ
Can I keep my Interakt number when I migrate?
Yes. Deregister the number from the WhatsApp Business API via Meta Business Manager, then link it to Tenashi by scanning a QR code with the WhatsApp app. Same number, same customer contact threads.
How long does the migration take?
The connection itself takes minutes. Rebuilding contacts, the catalog and pipeline settings is realistically a couple of hours. The only timing-sensitive step is the API deregistration.
Does Tenashi have a product catalog?
Yes. You can add products to a Tenashi catalog and share product cards directly in chat. It's not a Shopify-native integration, but it covers the core use case of sharing products with customers in conversation.
What do I lose by leaving Interakt?
Mainly the native Shopify and WooCommerce order-data integration. If your support workflow relies on agents seeing order details inside the WhatsApp thread without switching apps, that's Interakt's distinctive value. Tenashi is better for teams that want a full sales pipeline and tickets alongside the chat, across any type of business.
Does Tenashi charge per conversation like the WhatsApp API?
No. Tenashi links your existing number directly rather than using the WhatsApp Business API, so there are no per-conversation charges and no template approval gate. You pay a flat monthly plan.
Ready to add a pipeline and tickets to your WhatsApp inbox? Start a free trial and have your team in a shared workspace with CRM and catalog included, today.