How to Connect WhatsApp to Trello (Step by Step)
Create a Trello card for every new WhatsApp lead, let a chatbot add details and move cards between lists, and keep your board in step with your chats — no code.
Many small teams run their sales or support on a Trello board, and their customers on WhatsApp. Somebody copies each new enquiry from one to the other, and some get missed.
This guide shows how to connect WhatsApp to Trello so cards are created and moved for you.
What you can do
- A card for every new WhatsApp contact. When someone messages your business number for the first time, a card with their name and phone number is added to the list you choose, with a label if you want one.
- Cards from a chatbot. A chatbot can ask a few questions — what they need, their budget, their city — and then create a card with those answers in it.
- Keep the board up to date. Chatbot and workflow steps can find a card by name, update it, move it to another list, add a comment, or add a checklist.
- React to Trello changes. A workflow can start when a card is created or moved on a board you watch — for example, to tell your team on WhatsApp.
The Trello steps
| Step | What it does |
|---|---|
| Create card | Adds a card to a list, with name, description, due date and labels |
| Find card | Looks for a card by name on a board |
| Update card | Changes a card's name, description, due date or list |
| Move card | Moves a card to another list |
| Add comment | Posts a comment on a card |
| Add checklist | Adds a checklist with items to a card |
Before you start
- A MotherBot account with a connected WhatsApp Business number.
- A Trello account.
- The Trello integration needs a paid MotherBot plan that includes it — the Free Forever plan has no integrations. See plans. Trello bills its own plan, if you are on a paid one.
How to connect WhatsApp to Trello
- In MotherBot, go to Integrations → Trello and click Connect. Trello asks you to allow access. Nothing needs to be copied or pasted.
- Choose your default board and list. Cards that don't name a list go here.
- To get a card for every new contact, switch on Auto-create card for new contacts, and pick a label colour if you want one. This needs the default board and list from step 2.
Three setups worth building
1. A lead board that fills itself
Columns: New, Talking, Won, Lost. Every new WhatsApp contact lands in New. As a chatbot qualifies the lead, its Find card and Move card steps move the card along.
2. A support queue
A chatbot asks what the problem is and for an order number, then creates a card in Open issues with those answers and tells the customer their request is logged. A workflow can alert your team on WhatsApp whenever a new card lands.
3. A project or booking request form
For agencies, builders and event planners: a chatbot collects the brief — dates, budget, location — and creates one card with all of it, plus a checklist of next steps.
Things to know
- Cards need a list. If neither the step nor your settings name a list, the card cannot be created, and the step says so.
- A Trello change does not know the customer. A workflow started by a card being created or moved has no WhatsApp contact attached, so use it to alert your team, not to message the customer.
- Messages to customers still follow WhatsApp's rules. Outside the customer's 24-hour window, only approved templates can be sent.
Frequently asked questions
Can I connect WhatsApp to Trello without Zapier?
Yes. MotherBot connects to Trello directly. You allow access once, and chatbots and workflows can create, update and move cards.
Can every new WhatsApp lead become a Trello card?
Yes. Switch on "Auto-create card for new contacts" in the Trello settings and choose a default list. Each first-time contact gets a card with their name and phone number.
Can a Trello card move when a WhatsApp chat changes?
Yes. A chatbot or workflow step can find a card and move it to another list — for example when a chatbot qualifies a lead.
Can WhatsApp send a message when a Trello card moves?
Yes, to your team. A workflow can start when a card is moved on a watched board and send a WhatsApp message to a number you choose, such as a manager's. The card has no customer attached, so it cannot message the customer directly.
Next steps
See the Trello integration, or learn to build a chatbot.
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