Adding WhatsApp social messaging channels

Fastpath: Admin Center > Channels > Messaging and social > Messaging

This article describes how you can add WhatsApp social messaging channels. WhatsApp is a popular chat and voice messaging app with more than 1.5 billion users in over 180 countries.

Zendesk Suite plans include five WhatsApp numbers (for accounts created after Feb 1, 2021), but WhatsApp usage-based charges may apply. If you need more numbers, or if numbers are not included in your plan, you can add these on.

Note: Once you add your WhatsApp number for messaging, you will no longer be able to use that number to receive calls in WhatsApp.

This article contains the following sections:

• Understanding the requirements and impacts of adding a WhatsApp channel
• Adding a WhatsApp channel
• Editing your WhatsApp business profile
• Next steps

Related articles:

• Using the Message Us button

Understanding the requirements and impacts of adding a WhatsApp channel

Before adding a WhatsApp channel, make sure you meet and understand the following requirements and impacts:

• Once you connect your phone number with WhatsApp Business API, you will no longer be able to use that phone number to receive calls in WhatsApp (Meta limitation).
• You need to have a Meta Business Manager that belongs to your own business.
• The person who is connecting the phone number must be an Admin within their own Meta Business Manager (Meta requirement). If you are unable to access the existing Meta Business Manager, you must create one, which can be done as part of the setup flow. See Adding a WhatsApp channel.
• The phone number used needs to be able to receive international phone calls/SMS (Meta requirement). See Meta's documentation for more information.

  If your phone number is currently in use with the WhatsApp for Business mobile app, you will need to follow Meta's process to remove the account before following Zendesk's instructions below.

  Note: A phone number can't be connected with the WhatsApp for Business mobile app and the WhatsApp Business API at the same time (Meta limitation).
• The display name needs to match your business name/branding, otherwise, WhatsApp will reject it. See Meta's WhatsApp documentation for more information.
• If you connected your phone number with another Business Solutions Provider (BSP), you can still register that phone number with Zendesk. To do so, you must delete your current WhatsApp integration, disable the 2FA attached to the number and delete the number from your WhatsApp Business Account. Then you can connect that phone number with Zendesk using the self-service process.
• If you used the WhatsApp Business API to connect your phone number, you can still use it with WhatsApp for Small Business or any WhatsApp app on a mobile device. To do so, you must delete the WhatApp Business API integration and disable the 2FA attached to the number, then manually delete the number from your WhatsApp Business Account. A few minutes after doing so, you will be able to use the phone number with the WhatsApp standard app.

Adding a WhatsApp channel

To support WhatsApp social messages, you can add one or more WhatsApp channels. You must be an administrator to add WhatsApp channels. To learn how to find the information required to add a WhatsApp channel, see Editing your WhatsApp business profile.

Important: If your WhatsApp business account hasn't been approved, you will only be able to add one WhatsApp channel. This channel will be restricted and only allow you to message a maximum of 10 users. Once your WhatsApp business account is approved, this messaging restriction will be lifted and you will be able to add additional WhatsApp channels using the self-service flow.

Topics in this section include:

• Starting the setup flow
• Finishing up

The following video takes you through the flow for adding WhatsApp.

WhatsApp Zendesk Self-Serve (2:37)

Starting the setup flow

Follow the instructions in this section to use the self-service process for adding a WhatsApp channel. If your WhatsApp business account has not been verified, you can only go through the flow once. Adding additional numbers can only be done once the WhatsApp business account has been verified.

To add a WhatsApp channel

1. In Admin Center, click Channels in the sidebar, then select Messaging and social > Messaging.
2. Click Add channel and select WhatsApp from the drop-down.
3. Click Continue with WhatsApp to open the WhatsApp setup flow.

   The set-up flow will ask you for the following information. Follow the instructions in the flow to add this information.

   Action	Description
   Authenticate to your Facebook profile	This is your profile that's linked to your company's Meta Business Manager. You can Continue with the existing profile or sign in to another account.
   Provide permission to share your WhatsApp business account and phone number with Zendesk.	Zendesk needs this permission to host the number and connect it to the Agent Workspace.
   Select a Meta Business Manager for your WhatsApp number.	You can select an existing Business Manager or create a new one.
   Select the business account you want to share with Zendesk.	You can select an existing WhatsApp Business Account or create a new one. If you already connected a number via your Zendesk account, we recommend that you select the existing WhatsApp Business Account to add additional phone numbers. In order to know the limit of phone numbers per business, see Meta's documentation.
   Set up your business profile	See Editing your WhatsApp business profile for the type of information you need to provide in the profile.
   Set up your phone number	If you don't already have a phone number set up, add a phone number and verify it. If the business account you selected already has a phone number you want to use, click Cancel to skip this part.

4. When you've finished the setup flow, click Done.
5. From the drop-down in the Admin Center channel configuration, select the number you’d like to activate and click Next.

   

   If the number is dimmed and marked (pending) you will need to complete your Meta Business Manager’s verification and wait for the phone number display name to be approved. Once you receive an email from Meta that your business account and display name have been approved, restart the setup flow and follow the instructions to finish connecting your phone number.

6. Assign a name to the new WhatsApp channel you are connecting, then click Add channel.

   Use a name that makes it easy to identify the channel in the Channels list.

   Adding the channel may take up to 5 minutes as Zendesk sets up hosting for your new number. When the channel connects successfully, a Channel added message appears.
7. You host and own your WhatsApp Business Account through your Meta Business Manager. From there, you will be able to monitor the display name, the messages usages, your quality rating, etc.

Once this is done, you can access your WhatsApp Business Account Manager through your own Facebook Business Manager. In Facebook Business Manager, click Accounts > WhatsApp accounts, locate the WhatsApp Business Account, then open Settings > WhatsApp Manager. From there, you can monitor the display name, the message usage, your quality rating, and the like.

Finishing up

To successfully spin up your WhatsApp number there are a few things to double check:

• Has your Meta Business Manager been verified? Before your WhatsApp business account can be approved, your Business Manager will need to be approved as outlined above.
• Are you eligible to use WhatsApp per WhatsApp’s Commerce Policy and has your WhatsApp business account been approved? This takes approximately 1-2 weeks. If you fall in the list of prohibited businesses, you will unfortunately not be able to use this channel.
• Does your selected display name align with WhatsApp’s guidelines? If you don’t select a display name that falls within WhatsApp’s guidelines, you will end up delaying the launch of your WhatsApp number.

If you don't go through Business Verification, you will have restricted access. Restricted access includes:

• Unlimited customer-initiated conversations.
• The ability to send notifications to 50 unique customers in a rolling 24-hour period, provided you have a Sunshine Conversations License.
• The ability to register up to two phone numbers.
• You cannot apply for an Official Business Account until the Meta Business Manager verification is complete.

You can go through the verification at any time to lift these restrictions.

Editing your WhatsApp business profile

When you add a WhatsApp channel in Admin Center, you can include business profile details for your account. These details are visible to your customers from WhatsApp.

Business profile details include:

• Channel name: Enter a unique name to identify the channel.
• Brand (for accounts with multiple brands): Select a brand to associate with the channel.
• Profile picture: Upload a profile picture. This picture appears in your WhatsApp business profile and in WhatsApp conversations.
• Description: Enter a brief description of your business. This information will appear at the top of your WhatsApp business profile.
• Enter more information about your business, including your business Address, Email, Industry, and Websites.

To add a WhatsApp business profile

1. In Admin Center, click Channels in the sidebar, then select Messaging and social > Messaging.
2. Locate the WhatsApp channel you want to edit and click to open it.
3. Enter the business profile details about your WhatsApp channel.
4. When you've finished adding these details, click Save.

Next steps

After you've configured your WhatsApp channel and edited your business profile, you can:

• Enable access for agents who will participate in social messaging conversations.
• Configure automatic responses to messages.
• Advertise your WhatsApp number.
• Request an Official Business Account