WhatsApp N8N Order Automation

A complete WhatsApp automation system for order processing using n8n workflows, Node.js, and WhatsApp Business API.

🚀 Features

• WhatsApp Integration: Full WhatsApp Business API integration
• n8n Workflows: Visual workflow automation for order processing
• Order Management: Complete order lifecycle management
• Customer Management: Automatic customer data collection
• Real-time Processing: Instant message processing and responses
• Menu System: Dynamic menu display and ordering
• Order Tracking: Real-time order status tracking
• Database Storage: SQLite database for orders and customers

📋 Prerequisites

• Node.js 16+ installed
• WhatsApp Business API access
• Facebook Developer Account
• n8n installed globally

⚙️ Setup Instructions

1. Install Dependencies

npm install

2. Install n8n Globally

npm install n8n -g

3. Configure Environment Variables

Copy .env.example to .env and configure:

cp .env.example .env

Fill in your WhatsApp Business API credentials:

• WHATSAPP_ACCESS_TOKEN: Your access token from Facebook Developer Console
• WHATSAPP_PHONE_NUMBER_ID: Your WhatsApp Business phone number ID
• WHATSAPP_WEBHOOK_VERIFY_TOKEN: A secure token for webhook verification

4. Start the Application

# Start the Node.js server
npm start

# In another terminal, start n8n
n8n start

5. Configure WhatsApp Webhook

1. Go to Facebook Developer Console
2. Navigate to your WhatsApp app
3. Set webhook URL: http://your-domain.com/webhook/whatsapp
4. Set verify token: Use the same token from your .env file
5. Subscribe to message events

6. Import n8n Workflows

1. Open n8n at http://localhost:5678
2. Import the workflow from n8n-workflows/whatsapp-order-automation.json
3. Configure the webhook nodes with your server URL

📱 Customer Commands

Customers can interact with your WhatsApp bot using these commands:

• MENU - Display the restaurant menu
• HELP - Show help information
• TRACK - Track current order status
• 1x2, 3x1 - Order items (item ID x quantity)
• CONFIRM - Confirm pending order
• CANCEL - Cancel pending order

🔄 Order Flow

1. Customer sends message → Webhook receives message
2. Message processing → System identifies command/order
3. Menu request → Display available items
4. Order placement → Parse items and quantities
5. Order confirmation → Customer confirms order
6. Order processing → System creates order record
7. Status updates → Automatic notifications sent

🗄️ Database Schema

Customers Table

• id - Primary key
• phone_number - WhatsApp number (unique)
• name - Customer name
• email - Customer email
• address - Delivery address

Orders Table

• id - Primary key
• order_number - Unique order identifier
• customer_id - Foreign key to customers
• status - Order status (pending, confirmed, preparing, ready, delivered, cancelled)
• items - JSON array of ordered items
• total_amount - Order total
• created_at - Order timestamp

Products Table

• id - Primary key
• name - Product name
• description - Product description
• price - Product price
• stock_quantity - Available stock
• sku - Product SKU

🔌 API Endpoints

Orders

• GET /api/orders - List all orders
• GET /api/orders/:id - Get specific order
• POST /api/orders - Create new order
• PATCH /api/orders/:id/status - Update order status

Customers

• GET /api/customers - List all customers
• GET /api/customers/phone/:phone - Get customer by phone
• POST /api/customers - Create/update customer

Webhooks

• GET /webhook/whatsapp - Webhook verification
• POST /webhook/whatsapp - Process incoming messages

🎯 n8n Workflow Nodes

The included workflow contains:

1. Webhook Trigger - Receives WhatsApp messages
2. Message Router - Routes messages based on content
3. Menu Handler - Displays product menu
4. Order Parser - Processes order messages
5. Order Creator - Creates order records
6. Status Tracker - Handles order tracking
7. Response Sender - Sends WhatsApp responses

🔧 Customization

Adding New Products

Update the products table in SQLite or use the admin interface:

INSERT INTO products (name, description, price, stock_quantity, sku)
VALUES ('New Item', 'Description', 9.99, 50, 'ITEM-001');

Custom Message Templates

Edit services/whatsappService.js to customize message templates:

async sendOrderConfirmation(to, orderDetails) {
  const message = `
🎉 *Order Confirmed!*
📋 Order: ${orderDetails.orderNumber}
💰 Total: $${orderDetails.total}
  `.trim();
  
  return this.sendMessage(to, message);
}

Adding New Commands

Extend services/orderProcessor.js to handle new commands:

async processIncomingMessage(phoneNumber, messageText, messageType) {
  const normalizedMessage = messageText.toLowerCase().trim();
  
  if (normalizedMessage === 'your-command') {
    await this.handleYourCommand(phoneNumber);
  }
  // ... existing commands
}

🔍 Monitoring & Logs

• Server logs: Console output shows message processing
• Database logs: SQLite queries and results
• n8n logs: Workflow execution details in n8n interface
• WhatsApp API logs: Facebook Developer Console

🚨 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Webhook not receiving messages

   • Check webhook URL configuration
   • Verify SSL certificate if using HTTPS
   • Confirm webhook token matches

2. n8n workflow not triggering

   • Ensure n8n webhook URL is correct
   • Check workflow is active
   • Verify node connections

3. Database errors

   • Check database permissions
   • Verify SQLite file path
   • Review table schema

4. WhatsApp API errors

   • Validate access token
   • Check phone number ID
   • Review API rate limits

📄 License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create feature branch
3. Commit changes
4. Push to branch
5. Open pull request

📞 Support

For support and questions:

• Create GitHub issue
• Check documentation
• Review n8n community resources