How to use the replace formula to strip spaces from a phone number before a WhatsApp automation?

Jestor's new replace formula substitutes one piece of text for another — for example, a space for nothing — letting you automatically clean phone numbers that have spaces, dashes, or symbols before using that data in a WhatsApp automation.

Why do phone numbers typed by different people cause problems in automations?

Everyone types a phone number differently: one person with spaces between the digits, another with dashes, another with nothing at all. When that data feeds a message-sending automation on WhatsApp, those formatting variations can break the send. The replace formula solves this by standardizing the text before it's used.

How to configure the replace formula in Jestor?

Create a formula field on the table where the phone number is registered.
Use the replace formula to substitute spaces, dashes, or other unwanted characters with nothing, "gluing" the number into a single format.
Use that already-cleaned field as the reference in the message-sending automation via WhatsApp.
The same formula can be reused for other text, like making it easier to generate an ID.

Use of the replace formula	Example
Clean phone number	Removes spaces, dashes, or symbols before a WhatsApp automation
Standardize text	Makes it easier to generate IDs or other derived fields

Why choose Jestor?

This formula is one more piece of Jestor's process automation working behind the scenes of WhatsApp flows, preventing a poorly formatted number from breaking an automatic message send.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the replace formula only work for phone numbers? No, it can be used to substitute any piece of text for another, including generating identifiers.

Do I need to code to use this formula? No, it's configured like any other formula field, with no code.

Does this formula work in automations and also in everyday manual use? Yes, it can be used both inside automations and in fields visible during everyday table use.

Reference video

Get to know Jestor

With Jestor, you can automate workflows, connect departments, and build internal systems your way — all without code and with AI support.

Get to know Jestor at jestor.com and discover how to take your company's management to a new level of efficiency and integration.

How to build an automation roadmap for your company

A good automation roadmap doesn't start by automating everything at once — it starts with a simple starter template, validated with the team, and expands process by process inside a structured BPMS. That's how Jestor recommends starting any implementation. How Do You Build an Automation Roadmap Step

Common mistakes when automating internal processes and how to avoid them

Among the most frequent mistakes automating processes, you'll find automating a poorly mapped process, granting overly broad access to sensitive data, and editing a live workflow without testing it first. Jestor's BPMS, Security, and App Versioning help you avoid exactly these three mistakes. What Are the

How to measure the ROI of a process automation project

Measuring the ROI of process automation requires comparing the tool's cost against the time it saves and the errors it prevents — not just looking at the monthly fee. Jestor's dashboard helps turn this into concrete numbers, comparing before and after automation. How Do You Calculate the

How to identify priority processes to automate first

Priority processes to automate are usually the ones consuming the most team time, generating the most errors, and most affecting the end customer when they go wrong — in that order. Jestor's dashboard and BPMS help you see these three criteria with data, not guesswork. How Do You Prioritize