What is it?
A business can send and receive messages with leads and customers through WhatsApp, by connecting their WhatsApp Business account to Inbox - which opens up international communication for Inbox, including the ability to respond to web chat leads to a customer's WhatsApp number.
Availability
This feature is available internationally, for accounts that have Inbox Pro active.
How to set up WhatsApp in Business App
- For an account with Inbox Pro active, go to Business App, then go to Administration > Inbox Settings and find the connection card for WhatsApp Business Messages. Click Sign in with Facebook.
- A new modal will appear to sign in with your Facebook account.
- Once logged in, you’ll be asked to allow Social Reputation to connect. Click Continue as [Your name].
- Next, you’ll be asked to connect your account to ‘Digital Agency’. Click Get Started.
- Next, choose an existing Business portfolio (or create a new one) for the business you wish to connect WhatsApp to. Fill out the business name, website, and country.
- Choose a WhatsApp business account to associate, or create a new one.
- Fill out the details of the business when creating a new account:
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PLEASE NOTE – Add the business’s main phone number to associate with WhatsApp for business. The user can use the assigned Inbox number, if they are in a country where SMS is supported and the account has been assigned a number (USA/Canada).
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HOW TO VERIFY OWNERSHIP OF THE INBOX NUMBER:
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First, in Inbox settings, go to Your SMS/Phone Number and go to Settings then select (temporarily) Forward the call and enter your personal number, so you can receive the call wit the verification code from Meta. (Once the number is verified you can return this setting to how it was before)
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Next, in the WhatsApp setup screen, enter the Inbox number, and then choose a phone call verification method. You should receive a phone call at your forwarded number, with a code, to prove ownership.
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Once verified, make sure to return the call forwarding settings to whatever is best for the business.
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- Confirm the app’s ability to connect to WhatsApp on a final confirmation screen:
- Wait for verification to complete.
- Once successful, you will see a final confirmation screen detailing how many messages the business can send and receive:
- The modal will close. After a few moments you’ll see a final confirmation inside Inbox settings that confirms the WhatsApp is connected to Inbox, with a green ‘connected’ badge.
How to send messages
Once WhatsApp is connected, a business can initiate conversations with customers using only approved templates.
NOTE: The business will be charged for these outbound messages above the monthly included amount (250 or 1000) through Meta (not Business App). See billing details, below.
Once a customer replies to the business, the business can send any messages for up to 24-hours since the customer's last message.
If a WhatsApp Business account was just created, and has no approved templates, we automatically submit a message template for approval in many supported languages (see screenshot) – but note: it may take a few minutes or even hours, up to one day for a template to be approved.
Users can create and submit more templates for approval using the WhatsApp for business portal. Create Message Templates for Your WhatsApp Business Account | Meta Business Help Center
How do I show my business name in WhatsApp chats with customers?
A business can become verified from https://business.facebook.com/latest/whatsapp_manager/ which unlocks more features for businesses messaging in WhatsApp, including more business-initiated conversations per day (from 250 to 1000) and the ability to show their business name in conversations.
Messaging Limits
Unverified businesses can only initiate 250 conversations per day. To send more, a business can demonstrate high quality messaging over time, or verify their business inside the Facebook business platform. Go to https://business.facebook.com/latest/whatsapp_manager/ to view this screen:
How is WhatsApp billed?
Access to WhatsApp is limited to paying Inbox Pro products. This includes free unlimited incoming messages, and 250 cold-outbound messages per month (which can be increased to 1000 per month through WhatsApp verification)
When a business wants to expand beyond their included conversations per month, WhatsApp conversation pricing applies. Learn more and see the rate card.
WhatsApp billing for conversations is managed within Meta Business platform directly. The business will need to add a valid payment method to their Meta Business account to take advantage of all messaging features.
https://business.facebook.com/latest/whatsapp_manager/
Troubleshooting
Issue: Sent messages or templates is not working, and they are undelivered.
Possible solution: Make sure a valid payment method and business address are added to your WhatsApp business account, at https://business.facebook.com/latest/settings/whatsapp_account. If either of these are not set, WhatsApp will not deliver messages.
Related Documentation
Q&A
Q: Can a client connect an existing WhatsApp business account to Inbox, and still use the mobile WhatsApp app?
A: Not currently, but in the future WhatsApp is looking to provide better support for this. The feature is called “WhatsApp Coexistence” and is currently in closed beta at WhatsApp.
If a business has a WhatsApp for business account on their phone already, they can register a new (second) account for using with Inbox. In the future, we hope to support ‘coexistence’ as well.
Q: Why can’t I write an outgoing message?
A: WhatsApp business only allows approved templated messages to be cold-sent to users, and there is a small charge for these messages. Once a customer messages the business, you can write custom replies within a 24-hours window. Outside of this window, you can only send approved templated messages.
Q: Why did my message fail to send?
A: Your template may not be approved. You can check the status of approved templates in https://business.facebook.com/latest/whatsapp_manager/message_templates. You may also need to add a payment method or missing business address to your WhatsApp business account.
Q: How do I edit my templates?
A: You can change your default template in WhatsApp for business directly, here – but be careful: https://business.facebook.com/latest/whatsapp_manager/message_templates. Warning: Do not delete the template; you also must include the {{1}} and {{2}} dynamic fields and cannot add or change these variables at this time.
Q: What will WhatsApp messaging cost me?
A: The first 250 conversations (expanded to 1,000 conversations for Meta-verified businesses) each month are free so businesses can start to build experiences their customers will love. When they’re ready to expand beyond 1,000 conversations per month, our conversation pricing applies. Learn more and see the rate card.