Onboarding Guide Summary
Before a business can access the WhatsApp Business API, each client has to go through an approval procedure.
To start using the WhatsApp Business API, you will need the following:
1.) A Facebook Business ID (with a verified Business if possible)
2.) A valid phone number with the ability to receive phone calls or SMS
Facebook Business ID
You need to have a Facebook Business ID before you can proceed to the WhatsApp approval process. To find your Business ID, log into the Facebook Business Manager of the business and navigate to Business Settings. The Business Manager ID is displayed under the business name.
If you don’t have a verified Facebook Business account, you need to create a Facebook Business Manager. To create a Business Manager:
- Go to business.facebook.com/overview
- Click Create Account.
- Enter a name for your business, your name and work email address and click Next.
- Enter your business details and click Submit.
More information about the creation of the Facebook Business Manager you can find here
Message On Behalf request
After the Facebook Business Manager ID is provided, you will receive a Message on Behalf request. You need to accept it, so your BSP can send messages on your behalf with your Facebook Business Manager ID.
Please navigate in your Facebook Business Manager Account to Requests > Received to accept the request.
Only the admin of the FBM account can see this request and accepted it.
WhatsApp approval procedure / Verify your Business Client account
Start the process of verifying your business in Facebook Business Manager. This procedure helps to protect users from false information.
Attention:
Once you have completed the official form with the legal business details, you won’t be able to change them.
- Go to Security Center and click Start Verification. If you haven’t logged in to your Business account, the button will be grayed out.
- Enter your business details, click Next and select your business from the list.
- Select a phone number and confirm details.
- After you received the verification code, click the Submit button.
It can take some time for Facebook to check all the details and approve your Business Verification.
Phone number, Display Name & Review Process
After the verification is successful, you will be able to add your phone number and the Display Name for your WhatsApp business profile.
During the WhatsApp approval procedure, the WhatsApp team reviews the client’s request according to the WhatsApp Business Policy You can check the status in the Facebook Business Manager account.
Post-Approval Procedure
Once you are approved from WhatsApp, start following procedure on our portal.
1.) WABA Number Configuration
Once you get approval mail from WhatsApp, let us know, our team will add necessary configurations such as WABA Number, Namespace, etc.
2.) Apply for Business Initiated Message Templates
To send Business Initiated Messages, you need to get approval from WhatsApp team. You need to submit all your message templates here, so that we send it for approval.
Learn about template documentation here.
Post-approval of your message templates, you can start sending messages to the clients.
Meantime, configure other settings on our portal as mentioned below.
3.) Configure Default Response
You need to configure your default responses when a user starts conversation. Hence, you need to follow this procedure and add required details.
4.) Configure Auto Response (Conversation)
Auto response acts as a bot in our system. When a user messages you and configured keywords matches, then an automated response will be sent to the user. You can start configuring your auto response here.
5.) Opt-in
You need to have your Opt-in clients list to send WA messages. You can add your opt-in mobile numbers here.