How to use WhatsApp Group Collaborators
If you manage customer WhatsApp groups through DoubleTick, there will be times when you need to loop in a team member to handle a specific query without actually adding them to the group. That is exactly what the Collaborators feature is designed for. This article explains what collaborators are, how they differ from regular group members, and when to use them.
What Is a Group Collaborator?
A collaborator is a team member who can read and respond to messages in a WhatsApp group without being added as an official group participant. They have full access to the conversation while it is needed, but they do not appear in the group member list and can be removed just as silently once their work is done.
Why This Is Useful
In a standard WhatsApp group, every person you add shows up in the member list, is visible to all other participants including customers, and takes up one of the limited participant slots. Removing someone is also visible to the group. This can create problems when you need to quickly involve an internal team member for a specific task without exposing them to the customer or cluttering the group.
Collaborators solve all of this. They get access only when needed, they remain invisible to the group, and removing them leaves no trace.
How It Works
This feature is available on both the DoubleTick Android app and the DoubleTick web app. You can add or remove collaborators at any time from either platform, and changes take effect immediately.
Adding a Collaborator on Android
Adding a Collaborator on Web
A Practical Example
Imagine you are managing a customer WhatsApp group and the customer raises a finance-related query. Your Customer Success Manager is already part of the group, but your finance team member is not, either because the group has reached its participant limit or because their permanent presence in the group is not relevant. Rather than adding them as a full member, you add them as a collaborator. They get instant access to the conversation, resolve the query, and are then removed. Throughout this entire process, they never appear in the group member list and the customer is unaware of their involvement.
Collaborators vs Group Members
A regular group member appears in the member list, is visible to the customer, occupies a participant slot, and generally has long-term access. A collaborator, by contrast, does not appear in the member list, is not visible to the customer, is unaffected by participant limits, and can be given temporary access that is revoked the moment it is no longer needed.
When Should You Use This Feature
Collaborators are most useful when you need temporary involvement from another team or department, when a group has already reached its participant limit, when you want to avoid exposing internal team members to customers, or when you need to manage access quietly without notifying the group.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
Collaborators can be added and removed at any time from both the Android app and the web app. Removing a collaborator immediately revokes their access to the group.
To summarise, the Collaborators feature gives your team a clean and controlled way to bring the right people into a group conversation without disrupting the group structure or exposing internal operations to your customers. It is a practical solution for teams that manage multiple customer groups and frequently need cross-functional support.
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