As a WhatsApp Business solution provider, we give you the ability to use WhatsApp to send messages to your customers, or engage with them in two-way conversations.

• WhatsApp is a simple, reliable, and private way to talk to anyone in the world.
• More than 1.5 billion people in over 180 countries use WhatsApp to stay in touch with friends, family, and businesses, anytime and anywhere.
• WhatsApp Business helps businesses and customers connect quickly and easily.
• Customers want to connect with businesses in the same way they chat with their friends and family with fast, simple, and convenient messaging.
• WhatsApp Business is a way for businesses to better manage conversations with their customers and provide useful information.

WhatsApp business messages are ideal to:

• send opted in users alerts, reminders and notifications.
• converse with your customers to provide outstanding customer service.
• automate replies with chatbots so you can reach more people with less overhead.
• send non-transactional notifications to opted in users with personalized, relevant, and specific content.

You must ensure you have reviewed and comply with WhatsApp Business messaging policies.

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Permission

In order for you to contact your customers using WhatsApp, you must gain permission from them by obtaining an explicit opt-in to contact them. This can be achieved in a variety of ways, as long as:

• the opt-in is an active opt-in, for example, checking a box or responding with a specific response.
• it’s clear that users are opting into receiving WhatsApp messages from a business.
• the business name that a person is opting in to receive messages from is clearly stated.
• the types of message are clearly stated.
• the WhatsApp logo is shown, if possible.
  See https://whatsappbrand.com/.
• you comply with applicable law.

Website based opt-in

We recommend using a check box on you websites with a clear statement that checking the box means the business may contact you through WhatsApp. Ensure that you use the WhatsApp logo, so the user recognises the channel. Optionally, you might want to capture or confirm the phone number to use to contact the customer.

Opt-in forms

You can use our opt-in forms to add a prebuilt form to your website.

Email opt-in

You can send an email to customers asking them to visit the contact preference center on your website to opt-in to WhatsApp.

SMS opt-in

If you already have permission to send SMS to your customers, then you can send an SMS to invite them to opt-in to future communications using WhatsApp. You could either ask them to either visit the contact preference center on your website and include a link, or ask them to reply with an explicit keyword to opt-in, for example:

Hi, to receive future order updates from Acme Inc via WhatsApp instead of SMS simply reply "WhatsApp" to this message. Thanks

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Other options

Learn more about gathering opt-ins in Meta’s developer documentation.

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Message types you can send

WhatsApp allows businesses to send two types of messages; template messages and conversation session messages.

Template messages

A template message is a template-based message pre-approved by WhatsApp. These messages may be sent at anytime to opted-in WhatsApp users. The templates are text based and can contain merge fields to allow personalization, date times, or currency values to be dynamically added at the point of sending.

As part of our WhatsApp onboarding programme we assist you with the registration of your templates, subject to WhatsApp approval.

Conversation session messages

If your customer reaches out to you through WhatsApp, then you are permitted to respond to them and start a conversation. You should ensure that all inbounds are answered promptly and a quality experience is received by your customer.

Conversations last for 24 hours from the last inbound message received from the customer. During a conversation you may assist your customers as appropriate, and this may include recommending products and selling to them.

Unlike template messages, session messages can contain rich content and are not template based. You may send:

• Text messages
• Text and URL
  With preview.
• Images
• Audio
• Documents
• Location
  Only customer to business.

Supported media types

The following media types are supported in session messages:

Invite customers to chat

WhatsApp provides a simple way to embed links into websites and messages to invite customers to chat. The feature is called Click to Chat. This feature allows you to create a URL using the WhatsApp phone number for your business and an optional pre-filled text message, which when clicked either opens WhatsApp on a mobile device or navigates to the WhatsApp for web site. An example would be:

https://wa.me/15551234567?text=I'm%20interested%20in%20your%20car%20for%20sale

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Set up WhatsApp for Business

As a WhatsApp solutions provider, we manage your onboarding and liaise with WhatsApp to

• setup your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA)
• register your WhatsApp phone numbers
• register your templates for your approved use cases.
  This must be completed prior to completing the channel setup. We guide you through this process during onboarding.

During this process you need to provide:

• Details of your business, and intended WhatsApp use.
• The specific use cases and message wording you want to send through WhatsApp.
• Details of your opt-in process.
• A phone number to use with your WhatsApp Business Account.

WhatsApp phone numbers

You can register one or more phone numbers with your WhatsApp Business Account to be used to send and receive messages. These numbers are visible to a WhatsApp user if they look at your business profile in WhatsApp. In all other circumstances they see the name you set in your business profile.

Phone number ownership verification
WhatsApp require you to verify the ownership of phone numbers you want to use. This verification process can be performed using either an SMS message or a voice call. A verification code is be sent or read out to you; you must note this down and enter it into the portal to complete the verification process.

If you choose to use an existing phone number for your business rather than have us allocate you one, then you must ensure it can be verified with WhatsApp.

For voice call verification any automated telephony systems must be temporarily disabled in order to receive the call.

Verify a number

Once we have setup your WhatsApp numbers, you can request the verification code and verify your numbers.

To do this:

1. Log in to the portal.

2. Go to Channels > Configure.

3. Select Verify in the WhatsApp section.
   
   
   

4. Expand the drop-down menu and select the channel to use to verify, either Voice or SMS. If your number is SMS-enabled then this is the most straightforward, otherwise use voice to receive a call.
   Any automated answering facilities must be disabled to receive the call.
   
   
   _

5. Select Request Code.

6. Enter the verification code you received and select Verify. You must ensure that the code is entered correctly with no leading or trailing spaces, for example:
   619-020

Repeat the steps above for each WhatsApp number you need to verify.

We can provide a UK mobile number to use with your WhatsApp Business Account, and also complete the phone number verification on your behalf if you want.

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Configure your WhatsApp channel

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You must have been approved for WhatsApp use first

The WhatsApp channel is visible once we have completed the initial setup. Contact your Customer Success representative if you need help.

Multiple WhatsApp channels

You see a WhatsApp channel for each WhatsApp-enabled phone number you have in the channels screen. You must repeat the configuration steps below for each of them.

Once you’ve been approved to use WhatsApp as a business and have verified your phone numbers you can proceed to setup the business profiles for them.

1. Log in to the portal.

2. Go to Channels > Configure.

3. Select Business Profile in the WhatsApp section.
   
   
   

4. Fill in your business details for the WhatsApp phone number. Ensure they are accurate as this information is visible to all WhatsApp users.

5. Select Save.
   
   
   

6. Return to Channels > Configure, and select HSMs in the WhatsApp section. Check that the templates you asked us to register are present and correct.
   If there are any issues with your templates, contact your Customer Success representative.
   
   
   

Repeat the steps above for each WhatsApp number you want to use.

Now that you’ve setup your WhatsApp channel in the portal, you’re ready to start engaging your audience.

Learn more about sending through WhatsApp using the API in the Enterprise Communications API WhatsApp documentation.

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Configure Chat to use WhatsApp

Once you have setup your WhatsApp channel you can enable a chat team to receive your inbound WhatsApp conversations.

To do this:

1. Go to Contact > Chat > Configure in the left hand menu.
   
   
   

2. Select your team, or create a new one.

3. Select Setup in the WhatsApp section.

4. A chat team may have one WhatsApp phone number associated with it. In the popover window, expand the drop-down menu and select the WhatsApp-enabled phone number for this team to use.
   
   
   

5. Optionally, but recommended, expand the drop-down menu and select the template to use as a re-engagement message. Select Save.

   A re-engagement message can be used to allow your customer agents to contact customers whose conversations have lapsed due to being over 24 hours since the last inbound message. For example, if a customer sends a message during the weekend but no agent is available until Monday, then the agent isn’t able to reply as the conversation window has expired. The re-engagement message allows the agent to send a template message to make the customer aware that someone is now available to help them.

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No merge fields in the re-engagement template

Only template messages which have no merge fields are listed for selection as the template to send to re-engage a chat, as personalisation isn’t supported for re-engagement messages.

6. Select Add to team to complete the process.

Once you’ve completed the setup, start a WhatsApp conversation with your assigned WhatsApp phone number and ensure it arrives in Chat to test the configuration.