Upsert a contact - Welcome 👋

Overview

Create or update a customer contact with intelligent AI-powered data processing. This endpoint automatically creates the contact if it doesn’t exist, or updates it if it does, along with optional metadata, custom field values, stage assignment, and agent assignment - all in a single request. Supports WhatsApp, Web-WhatsApp, and Webchat channels. For WhatsApp-based channels the contact is identified by phone number; for webchat, the contact is identified by an external user ID you provide.

Use Cases

CRM Data Import: Bulk import customer data from external CRM systems
Form Submissions: Create customers from web form submissions with flexible data
E-commerce Integration: Sync customer data from your e-commerce platform
Lead Capture: Capture leads with any structure of data
Customer Onboarding: Create customer profiles during signup flows
Data Migration: Migrate customer data from legacy systems
Webchat User Tracking: Create contacts for authenticated webchat users with your own external IDs

Authentication

This endpoint requires authentication using an API key. Include your API key in the request header:

x-api-key: your_api_key_here

Request Body

Common Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
`channel`	string	Yes	Channel type: `"whatsapp"`, `"web-whatsapp"`, or `"webchat"`
`contact_name`	string	No	Customer’s display name
`contact_email`	string	No	Customer’s email address
`stageId`	string	No	Pipeline stage UUID to assign the customer to
`agentId`	string	No	Team member UUID to assign as responsible agent
`meta_data`	object	No	Any additional customer data (AI will structure it)
`custom_field_values`	array	No	Custom field values to set on the customer (see below)

WhatsApp / Web-WhatsApp Fields

Required when channel is "whatsapp" or "web-whatsapp":

Field	Type	Required	Description
`channel_phone_number`	string	Yes	Your WhatsApp channel phone number (the sender)
`contact_phone_number`	string	Yes	Customer’s phone number

Webchat Fields

Required when channel is "webchat":

Field	Type	Required	Description
`channel_id`	string	Yes	UUID of your webchat channel
`external_user_id`	string	Yes	Your unique identifier for the user (used to find or create the contact)

Custom Field Values

The custom_field_values array lets you set values on the associated customer using custom field definition keys. Each entry has:

Field	Type	Required	Description
`key`	string	Yes	The custom field definition key
`value`	string	Yes	The value to set

If a custom field definition is marked as an identifier, the value will participate in customer deduplication automatically.

"custom_field_values": [
  { "key": "rut", "value": "12345678-9" },
  { "key": "company_name", "value": "Acme Corp" }
]

Response Structure

Returns the created or updated AI contact object:

Field	Type	Description
`id`	string (UUID)	Unique identifier for the contact
`name`	string	Contact’s name
`phone`	string	Contact’s phone number
`email`	string	Contact’s email
`platform`	string	Channel platform (whatsapp, web-whatsapp, webchat)
`client_id`	string (UUID)	Your organization ID
`ai_customer_id`	string (UUID)	Associated customer profile ID
`created_at`	string (ISO)	Contact creation timestamp
`default_stage_id`	string (UUID)	Current pipeline stage (if assigned)

Example Requests

WhatsApp Contact

curl --request POST \
  'https://api.vambe.me/api/public/customer/upsert/info' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --header 'x-api-key: your_api_key_here' \
  --data-raw '{
    "channel_phone_number": "+56987654321",
    "channel": "whatsapp",
    "contact_phone_number": "+56912345678",
    "contact_name": "Maria Rodriguez",
    "contact_email": "maria.rodriguez@example.com",
    "stageId": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
    "agentId": "228d7a0d-9072-4ca8-939b-959b75cc606a",
    "meta_data": {
      "company": "Acme Corp",
      "position": "CEO",
      "industry": "Technology",
      "source": "LinkedIn Campaign"
    },
    "custom_field_values": [
      { "key": "company_name", "value": "Acme Corp" },
      { "key": "rut", "value": "12345678-9" }
    ]
  }'

Webchat Contact

curl --request POST \
  'https://api.vambe.me/api/public/customer/upsert/info' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --header 'x-api-key: your_api_key_here' \
  --data-raw '{
    "channel": "webchat",
    "channel_id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
    "external_user_id": "user-abc-123",
    "contact_name": "Jane Doe",
    "contact_email": "jane@example.com",
    "custom_field_values": [
      { "key": "plan", "value": "premium" },
      { "key": "account_id", "value": "ACC-9876" }
    ]
  }'

Example Response

{
  "id": "df980fc8-b6db-4820-bf22-2969482d106d",
  "name": "Maria Rodriguez",
  "phone": "+56912345678",
  "email": "maria.rodriguez@example.com",
  "platform": "whatsapp",
  "client_id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
  "ai_customer_id": "660e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440001",
  "created_at": "2024-09-30T10:00:00.000Z",
  "default_stage_id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
  "blocked": false,
  "chat_status": "UNATTENDED",
  "is_chat_read": false
}

Common Use Cases

1. Import CRM Data with Custom Fields

const importCRMCustomer = async (crmData) => {
  const response = await fetch(
    'https://api.vambe.me/api/public/customer/upsert/info',
    {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here',
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        channel_phone_number: '+56987654321',
        channel: 'whatsapp',
        contact_name: crmData.full_name,
        contact_phone_number: crmData.phone,
        contact_email: crmData.email,
        stageId: 'your_initial_stage_id',
        custom_field_values: [
          { key: 'company_name', value: crmData.company_name },
          { key: 'industry', value: crmData.industry_sector },
          { key: 'lead_score', value: String(crmData.qualification_score) },
        ],
        meta_data: {
          source: crmData.lead_source,
          notes: crmData.internal_notes,
        },
      }),
    },
  );

  const contact = await response.json();
  console.log(`Imported customer: ${contact.name} (${contact.id})`);
  return contact;
};

2. Create Webchat Contact from Authenticated User

const createWebchatContact = async (authenticatedUser) => {
  const response = await fetch(
    'https://api.vambe.me/api/public/customer/upsert/info',
    {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here',
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        channel: 'webchat',
        channel_id: 'your_webchat_channel_uuid',
        external_user_id: authenticatedUser.id,
        contact_name: authenticatedUser.displayName,
        contact_email: authenticatedUser.email,
        custom_field_values: [
          { key: 'plan', value: authenticatedUser.plan },
          { key: 'account_id', value: authenticatedUser.accountId },
        ],
      }),
    },
  );

  return await response.json();
};

3. Process Form Submission

const processContactForm = async (formData) => {
  const response = await fetch(
    'https://api.vambe.me/api/public/customer/upsert/info',
    {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here',
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        channel_phone_number: process.env.WHATSAPP_PHONE,
        channel: 'whatsapp',
        contact_name: formData.name,
        contact_phone_number: formData.phone,
        contact_email: formData.email,
        stageId: 'your_leads_stage_id',
        agentId: formData.assignToAgent || null,
        meta_data: {
          formType: 'Contact Form',
          submittedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
          subject: formData.subject,
          message: formData.message,
          source: formData.utm_source,
          campaign: formData.utm_campaign,
        },
      }),
    },
  );

  return await response.json();
};

4. E-commerce Customer Sync

const syncEcommerceCustomer = async (order) => {
  const response = await fetch(
    'https://api.vambe.me/api/public/customer/upsert/info',
    {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here',
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        channel_phone_number: '+56987654321',
        channel: 'whatsapp',
        contact_name: `${order.customer.first_name} ${order.customer.last_name}`,
        contact_phone_number: order.customer.phone,
        contact_email: order.customer.email,
        stageId: 'your_customers_stage_id',
        meta_data: {
          orderId: order.id,
          orderNumber: order.order_number,
          orderTotal: order.total_price,
          currency: order.currency,
          products: order.line_items.map((item) => item.title).join(', '),
        },
      }),
    },
  );

  return await response.json();
};

5. Bulk Customer Import

const bulkImportCustomers = async (customers) => {
  const results = [];

  for (const customer of customers) {
    try {
      const response = await fetch(
        'https://api.vambe.me/api/public/customer/upsert/info',
        {
          method: 'POST',
          headers: {
            'Content-Type': 'application/json',
            'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here',
          },
          body: JSON.stringify({
            channel_phone_number: process.env.WHATSAPP_PHONE,
            channel: 'whatsapp',
            contact_name: customer.name,
            contact_phone_number: customer.phone,
            contact_email: customer.email,
            custom_field_values: customer.customFields || [],
            meta_data: customer.additionalData,
          }),
        },
      );

      const result = await response.json();
      results.push({ phone: customer.phone, success: true, id: result.id });
    } catch (error) {
      results.push({
        phone: customer.phone,
        success: false,
        error: error.message,
      });
    }

    // Add delay to avoid rate limiting
    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 200));
  }

  console.log(
    `Imported ${results.filter((r) => r.success).length} of ${customers.length} customers`,
  );

  return results;
};

Key Features

Upsert Behavior

The contact lookup depends on the channel:

Channel	Identified by
`whatsapp`	`contact_phone_number` on the given channel
`web-whatsapp`	`contact_phone_number` on the given channel
`webchat`	`external_user_id` on the given `channel_id`

If contact exists: Returns the existing contact and applies any updates (name, agent, stage, metadata, custom fields)
If contact doesn’t exist: Creates a new contact and customer
Idempotent: Safe to call multiple times with the same data

Custom Field Values

Values are set on the customer (not the contact), so they are shared across all contacts for that customer
Fields are identified by their definition key (e.g. "rut", "company_name")
If a field definition is marked as an identifier, the value participates in automatic customer deduplication
All custom field definition keys must exist beforehand; the endpoint returns a 400 error listing any missing keys
Supported field types: text, number, date, boolean, options

AI-Powered Data Processing

The meta_data field uses AI to:

Extract structured data from unstructured metadata
Match fields to your custom field definitions
Convert data types automatically
Handle flexible formats for phone numbers, dates, etc.

Automatic Processing

All in one request:

Create/update contact
Assign to pipeline stage
Assign to agent
Process and save metadata
Upsert custom field values

Channel Types

Channel	Description	Required Fields
`whatsapp`	WhatsApp Business API	`channel_phone_number`, `contact_phone_number`
`web-whatsapp`	WhatsApp Web (QR Code)	`channel_phone_number`, `contact_phone_number`
`webchat`	Webchat widget	`channel_id`, `external_user_id`

Error Responses

Status Code	Description
400	Bad Request - Missing required fields for the channel, or invalid custom field keys
401	Unauthorized - Invalid or missing API key
500	Internal Server Error - Something went wrong

Important Notes

Channel Phone Number: Must be a WhatsApp number/channel you own and have configured
Channel ID: Must be a webchat channel UUID you own
External User ID: Your own unique identifier for the webchat user; used to deduplicate contacts
Phone Format: Automatically cleaned (spaces, dashes, etc. are removed)
Custom Field Keys: Must match existing custom field definitions; create definitions first in the Vambe dashboard
AI Processing: Metadata is processed asynchronously with AI
Immediate Response: Returns contact immediately, metadata processing continues in background

Best Practices

1. Use Custom Fields for Structured Data

Prefer custom_field_values over meta_data when you have well-defined fields. Custom fields are typed, searchable, and can be marked as identifiers for deduplication.

// Preferred: structured custom fields
{
  "custom_field_values": [
    { "key": "company_name", "value": "Acme Corp" },
    { "key": "rut", "value": "12345678-9" },
    { "key": "plan", "value": "enterprise" }
  ]
}

// Use meta_data for unstructured/dynamic data
{
  "meta_data": {
    "notes": "Met at conference, interested in premium plan",
    "source": "Trade Show 2025"
  }
}

2. Include Source Information

meta_data: {
  source: 'LinkedIn Campaign',
  importedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
  importedBy: 'CRM Sync Script',
}

3. Validate Data Before Sending

const validateAndUpsert = async (customerData) => {
  if (!customerData.phone || !customerData.name) {
    throw new Error('Phone and name are required');
  }

  const cleanPhone = customerData.phone.replace(/[^\d+]/g, '');

  return await fetch('https://api.vambe.me/api/public/customer/upsert/info', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here',
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      channel_phone_number: process.env.WHATSAPP_PHONE,
      channel: 'whatsapp',
      contact_phone_number: cleanPhone,
      contact_name: customerData.name,
      contact_email: customerData.email,
      custom_field_values: customerData.customFields || [],
      meta_data: customerData.additionalData,
    }),
  }).then((r) => r.json());
};

POST /api/public/contact//update-metadata - Update metadata for existing contact
POST /api/public/ticket/open/web-whatsapp/ - Create ticket for contact
GET /api/public/contact//info - Get contact details

Migration from Deprecated Endpoint

If you’re migrating from the deprecated POST /api/public/whatsapp/message/note/send endpoint: Old:

POST /api/public/whatsapp/message/note/send
{
  "to_phone": "+56912345678",
  "from_phone": "your_phone",
  "note": "Internal note",
  "contact_name": "John Doe",
  "meta_data": { ... }
}

New (This endpoint):

POST /api/public/customer/upsert/info
{
  "channel_phone_number": "your_phone",
  "channel": "whatsapp",
  "contact_phone_number": "+56912345678",
  "contact_name": "John Doe",
  "meta_data": {
    "internal_note": "Internal note",
    ...
  }
}

The new endpoint provides better structure and automatic AI processing of all metadata!

Headers

x-api-key

string

required

API key needed to authorize the request

Body

application/json

channel

enum<string>

required

Channel type for the contact.

Available options:

whatsapp,

web-whatsapp,

webchat

meta_data

object

required

Arbitrary metadata to set on the contact.

channel_phone_number

string

Phone number or ID of the channel. Required for whatsapp/web-whatsapp.

Minimum string length: 1

channel_id

string<uuid>

UUID of the webchat channel. Required for webchat.

Pattern:

^([0-9a-fA-F]{8}-[0-9a-fA-F]{4}-[1-8][0-9a-fA-F]{3}-[89abAB][0-9a-fA-F]{3}-[0-9a-fA-F]{12}|00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000|ffffffff-ffff-ffff-ffff-ffffffffffff)$

stageId

string<uuid>

Stage ID to assign to the contact.

Pattern:

^([0-9a-fA-F]{8}-[0-9a-fA-F]{4}-[1-8][0-9a-fA-F]{3}-[89abAB][0-9a-fA-F]{3}-[0-9a-fA-F]{12}|00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000|ffffffff-ffff-ffff-ffff-ffffffffffff)$

agentId

string<uuid>

Agent ID to assign to the contact.

Pattern:

^([0-9a-fA-F]{8}-[0-9a-fA-F]{4}-[1-8][0-9a-fA-F]{3}-[89abAB][0-9a-fA-F]{3}-[0-9a-fA-F]{12}|00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000|ffffffff-ffff-ffff-ffff-ffffffffffff)$

contact_phone_number

string

Phone number of the contact. Required for whatsapp/web-whatsapp.

external_user_id

string

External user identifier used to find or create the webchat contact. Required for webchat.

Minimum string length: 1

contact_email

string

Email of the contact.

contact_name

string

Display name of the contact.

custom_field_values

object[]

Custom field values to upsert on the customer, identified by definition key.

Show child attributes

Response

Contact created or found successfully.

​Overview

​Use Cases

​Authentication

​Request Body

​Common Fields

​WhatsApp / Web-WhatsApp Fields

​Webchat Fields

​Custom Field Values

​Response Structure

​Example Requests

​WhatsApp Contact

​Webchat Contact

​Example Response

​Common Use Cases

​1. Import CRM Data with Custom Fields

​2. Create Webchat Contact from Authenticated User

​3. Process Form Submission

​4. E-commerce Customer Sync

​5. Bulk Customer Import

​Key Features

​Upsert Behavior

​Custom Field Values

​AI-Powered Data Processing

​Automatic Processing

​Channel Types

​Error Responses

​Important Notes

​Best Practices

​1. Use Custom Fields for Structured Data

​2. Include Source Information

​3. Validate Data Before Sending

​Related Endpoints

​Migration from Deprecated Endpoint

Headers

Body

Response

Overview

Use Cases

Authentication

Request Body

Common Fields

WhatsApp / Web-WhatsApp Fields

Webchat Fields

Custom Field Values

Response Structure

Example Requests

WhatsApp Contact

Webchat Contact

Example Response

Common Use Cases

1. Import CRM Data with Custom Fields

2. Create Webchat Contact from Authenticated User

3. Process Form Submission

4. E-commerce Customer Sync

5. Bulk Customer Import

Key Features

Upsert Behavior

Custom Field Values

AI-Powered Data Processing

Automatic Processing

Channel Types

Error Responses

Important Notes

Best Practices

1. Use Custom Fields for Structured Data

2. Include Source Information

3. Validate Data Before Sending

Related Endpoints

Migration from Deprecated Endpoint