Tutorial
Set up StaffPing in 5 minutes
From install to your first WhatsApp alert — five short steps. No WhatsApp Business setup required on your end, and the free trial is enough to fully test the flow before paying.
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Install StaffPing from the Shopify App Store
Open the Shopify App Store and search for StaffPing, or use the install link below. Click Install and approve the requested permissions. You'll be redirected back to your Shopify admin with the app open. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial that includes your first 50 messages free, so you can fully test before paying anything.
Why this matters: StaffPing requests just two read-only Shopify scopes: read_orders and read_draft_orders. We never request write access to your store, customer data, or product catalog. Your team's WhatsApp numbers stay in our systems only for the purpose of delivering alerts, and we follow Shopify's GDPR webhooks for customer and shop data redaction. - 2
Add a recipient
Open the Recipients page from the app sidebar and click Add Recipient. Enter a friendly label (e.g. "Warehouse — Ali" or "Store Manager") and the WhatsApp phone number with the international country code (e.g. +92 300 1234567 or +1 415 555 0100). Save the recipient.
Why this matters: The recipient receives a 6-digit verification code on WhatsApp from the official StaffPing number. You enter that code back into the app to confirm the number is real and reachable. Until verified, no order alerts are sent to that number — this prevents accidental messaging of wrong numbers and keeps you compliant with WhatsApp Business Policy, which requires confirmation that the recipient can actually receive transactional messages.Common gotcha: If the verification code doesn't arrive within a minute, the most common cause is a wrong country code or a typo. Double-check the format — the country code is required and StaffPing uses it to route the message to the right region. - 3
Create your first ping
Go to the Pings page and click Create Ping. Pick the trigger event — the four available triggers are orders/create (every new order), orders/paid (only paid orders), orders/fulfilled (when an order ships), and orders/cancelled. Give the ping a clear name like "All paid orders → Warehouse" so future-you knows what it does at a glance. Assign one or more verified recipients. Pick an alert template — Minimalist, Detailed, or Detailed with no payment info — to control how much of the order each message shows. Optionally add filter rules: minimum order total, specific order tags, product SKUs, shipping country, payment gateway, financial status, or fulfillment status.
Why this matters: Filter rules are how you avoid alert fatigue. A small store might want every order — but a busier store benefits from filtering, e.g. "alert the warehouse only for orders above $100" or "alert the fulfillment lead only for international shipping". Multiple rules on the same ping combine with AND logic, so you can stack conditions. The template matters just as much: Minimalist (the default) shows the order number, customer name, and status lines but no line items; Detailed adds the items, quantities, address, and payment details; Detailed with no payment info keeps the items and drops the money fields. Teams that pack or cook from the alert should switch off Minimalist.Common gotcha: Pings are independent. If you have two pings that both match an order (e.g. one for all orders, one for high-value orders), both will fire and a recipient assigned to both will receive two messages. Use rules to keep pings non-overlapping, or accept the duplication if multiple teams need the same alert. - 4
Test the ping end-to-end
Use the Send Test button on the ping detail page. A sample alert is sent to all assigned recipients using the template you picked for the ping, populated with realistic placeholder order data. This lets you confirm the message actually arrives, formats correctly on a phone screen, and that the recipient sees the level of detail you expect.
Why this matters: Testing before any real order fires saves embarrassment. WhatsApp templates have strict character limits and formatting rules — you want to know now, not after a real customer order is missed because the message bounced. Test messages are clearly marked with a Test badge in the Logs page so they don't pollute your usage records, and they're never billed against your usage cap regardless of which plan you're on.Common gotcha: If the test message doesn't arrive, check that the recipient is still verified (you can re-send the verification code from the Recipients page). If the test message arrives but real orders later fail, check the Logs page — the failure reason is logged and most failures (invalid number, paused template) are self-explanatory. - 5
Watch the Logs page
Once a real order matches your ping's trigger and rules, you'll see the message appear in the Logs page within seconds. Each row shows status (queued, sent, delivered, failed), recipient, ping name, trigger event, and timestamp. On paid plans, you'll also see a Billed or Free badge that tells you whether Meta charged for that specific message.
Why this matters: The Logs page is your operational source of truth. If a team member claims they didn't receive an alert, the Logs page tells you whether the message was sent, delivered, or failed — and why. You can filter by status, trigger, ping, or billing state to audit costs and reliability over time. Failed messages get a Resend button so you can retry without re-triggering the original order event.Common gotcha: Most failures are permanent (invalid phone, paused template) and Resend won't help — you need to fix the root cause. Transient failures (Meta's #131000 generic error, rate limiting) are auto-retried by StaffPing in the background, so a Failed status with a transient error code usually resolves itself within a few minutes.
That's it — you're done.
Real order events from this point onward will fire matching pings. You can adjust triggers, recipients, or filters at any time without re-installing or re-verifying. Need a hand? Email us and we'll get back within a day. For deeper questions about pricing, billing, or compliance, see the FAQ.
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