Activating and managing a WhatsApp Business account are crucial steps to ensure effective communication with your customers. In this article, we guide you through the essential steps to obtain Meta certification, fill out the verification form, activate your numbers, and manage your conversations.
1. Obtaining Meta Certification
To activate your WhatsApp Business account, it’s essential to obtain Meta certification. This verification process ensures that your business is recognized by the platform and can operate without restrictions. The validation takes about a week, so make sure to include it in your planning to avoid delays in your communications. Once certified, your business will have access to all WhatsApp Business features.
Verification Process
Your business verification on Facebook is part of the WhatsApp integration. Facebook verifies two main elements:
- Authenticity: Is the business legally registered?
- Association: Does the person requesting verification work for the business?
💡 You'll find the steps to follow and the list of accepted documents.
Additional Resources
Check out these articles for more details:
- Resolving Business Verification Issues on Facebook
- How to Confirm Your Business Verification with Facebook
2. Filling Out the WhatsApp Form
To activate your account, fill out the WhatsApp form by providing the following information:
- Brand name
- Business email address
- Facebook Business Manager ID
- Industry sector
- Examples of messages to be sent via WhatsApp
- Phone numbers to activate
💡 Where can I find my Facebook Business Manager ID?
- On Facebook, open the Business Settings menu
- Navigate to the Business Info submenu
- On the Business Info page, right below your business name, you’ll see your Business Manager ID
3. Activation of Numbers
After submitting the form, the provided numbers will be sent for verification. This step is crucial to ensure they meet WhatsApp Business requirements.
Note:
- Meta generally allows the activation of 2 to 4 numbers for a newly certified account, but this number depends on various criteria (account tenure, Meta Score Rating, usage history)
- You can register multiple numbers initially. In the Ringover form for WhatsApp, add all the numbers you wish to activate. Keep in mind that Meta imposes restrictions on the number of numbers that can be registered (this depends on the account's age, Meta Score Rating, and usage history).
- Use the numbers regularly and in compliance with WhatsApp’s policies to avoid restrictions or blocks
- If a number has already been used with another WhatsApp Business account, that account must be deleted before the number can be reused. However, this will result in the loss of all associated data, including messages and contacts. Proceed with caution
- To avoid any kind of blocking from Meta, we recommend using our "Omnichannel Communication" add-on
Quality Evaluation
The quality of your messages is assessed based on user feedback from the last seven days (blocks, reports, etc.).
💡 Tips for Maintaining High Quality:
- Comply with WhatsApp Business policies
- Send messages only to users who have consented
- Personalize your messages and ensure they’re useful
4. Cost of Conversations and Use of Templates
Messages sent via templates are charged at 20 cents per conversation, including the first message and follow-ups using a template.
5. Account Customization
Although WhatsApp Business allows partial customization, certain changes like the profile photo or description require assistance from Ringover Support.
6. Using Shared Numbers
Shared numbers make it easy to distribute communications within your team. Whether for one user, multiple users, or a group, billing is per interaction, not per user.