# Set up your first monitored WhatsApp group

Connect a monitor inbox, map staff, choose a policy and verify a customer request end to end.

## Before you start

Groups Monitoring helps you track customer requests across WhatsApp groups. Open [panel.bow.chat](https://panel.bow.chat), choose your organization and open **Groups Monitoring**. Some menus still say **Group SLAs**.

You need an administrator, a connected WhatsApp Web inbox whose number belongs to the groups, and Groups Monitoring enabled for your account. Group capacity, advanced reports, exports and alerts depend on your account's enabled features. Contact [Bow Chat support](mailto:sales@bow.chat) if the module is missing.

## Set up one group first

1. Select the correct WhatsApp inbox. Confirm that its group conversation is visible in [Bow Chat](https://app.bow.chat).
2. Open **SLA settings** and the participant directory's **Staff list**. Add the employee numbers that should count as staff, including country codes. For the usual setup, set **Unlisted participants** to **Clients**. [Map staff and customers](https://docs.bow.chat/groups-monitoring/staff-and-customers).
3. Turn monitoring on for one group. Seeing a group in the inbox does not enable monitoring automatically.
4. Choose **First response only** to track the first staff reply, or **Response + resolution** to track completion too. Set the response time and, when applicable, resolution time and resolution keywords.
5. Review the request-grouping time. Follow-up messages can belong to an existing request rather than opening a new one.
6. Click **Save this group**. Confirm **Up to date**; **Unsaved changes** means edits still need saving.
7. Configure response-overdue and resolution-overdue alerts separately if you need notifications. [Understand requests and alerts](https://docs.bow.chat/groups-monitoring/incidents-and-alerts).

## Prove that it works

Use a group and participants approved for testing. Send a new request from a number classified as a client, then check **SLA reports**. Reply from a mapped staff number and confirm that the first response is recorded. Under Response + resolution, send a configured resolution keyword or use **Resolve**, then verify completion.

Test with new messages after saving. Directory and policy changes do not rewrite older processed activity. A quiet group can correctly have no requests; an empty report alone does not prove the setup works.

Once this succeeds, enable the remaining groups. Bulk changes default to **Picked** groups. Choose **All monitored** only when intended, review the exact confirmation count and verify the saved settings.

## If nothing appears

Check the selected inbox, connected number, monitoring switch, saved policy and participant roles. If every unlisted sender is classified as staff, customer messages may never open requests. If staff are classified as clients, replies may not stop the response timer. If these are correct, contact support with the group, time and displayed status; do not share passwords or verification codes.

Next: [response, resolution and promises](https://docs.bow.chat/groups-monitoring/response-resolution-and-promises), then [activity reports](https://docs.bow.chat/groups-monitoring/activity-reports).

Canonical: https://docs.bow.chat/groups-monitoring/get-started
Version: 1
Updated: 2026-10-20T12:19:55.116Z