Do this first
Submit your templates on day one, before anything else. Everything else is instant, but template approval is the one step you wait on — and campaigns and order updates both depend on it.
Get connected
- 1
Create your account
Sign up with your work email and verify it. No card is needed — your free trial starts immediately and runs for 15 days.
- 2
Register a tester number
Before you subscribe, your account can message one registered tester number. Use your own phone. This is a safety net so you can test everything without risk of messaging a real customer by mistake.
- 3
Connect WhatsApp
Settings → WhatsApp → Connect. Meta's own signup dialog opens: create or pick your WhatsApp Business Account, add and verify your number, grant permissions. Come back and you are live.
- 4
Send a test message
Use the test-send button to message your tester number. If it arrives, your connection is correct and everything else will work.
Get your templates in review
- 1
Submit your first templates
Templates take time to approve, so start them early. Build one utility template for order or booking updates, and one marketing template if you plan to run campaigns.
- 2
Choose the category carefully
An order update is utility. A promotion is marketing. A one-time passcode is authentication. Choosing wrongly is the single most common cause of rejection — and of paying more than you need to.
- 3
Sync and check status
Approval is usually minutes. Sync pulls the current status from Meta so what you see matches what they hold.
Teach your AI
- 1
Write the brief
Describe who the agent is, the tone to use, what it must never do, and when to escalate. Plain English, a few sentences. This is read on every reply, so keep it tight.
- 2
Give it your material
Upload your FAQ, return policy and price list. Add the URLs of pages it may quote from. Attach any documents it should be able to send customers.
- 3
Pick a model
Start with the balanced default. Move simple routing flows to the fastest model once you see what they cost.
- 4
Test it against yourself
Message your own number and ask the ten questions your customers actually ask. Adjust the brief until the answers are right.
Build your first automations
- 1
Start with a welcome flow
Trigger on any inbound message. Send a short greeting that sets expectations, then hand to the AI. This alone changes how your business feels to a new customer.
- 2
Add an escape hatch
Branch on phrases like “talk to a person” and notify a teammate. Nobody should ever feel trapped talking to a machine.
- 3
Add an out-of-hours path
Use a condition on time of day to say honestly when someone will reply — far better than silence.
- 4
Watch the run history
Every run is recorded step by step. If something does not fire as expected, read the actual run rather than guessing.
Connect your store (Growth & Pro)
- 1
Connect the platform
WooCommerce needs a REST key pair; Shopify needs a custom-app token. We register webhooks and import recent orders and products automatically.
- 2
Map events to templates
Point order confirmed, shipped and delivered at your approved utility templates so they reach customers outside the 24-hour window.
- 3
Fire a test order
Use the test-order button and read what arrives on your own phone before a real customer sees it.
- 4
Turn on COD confirmation
If you sell cash-on-delivery, this is usually the change with the fastest payback. Set the reminder delay and decide what happens on no reply.
Bring your team in
- 1
Add teammates with roles
There is no per-agent charge, so add everyone who answers customers. Give agents reply permissions without export or billing access.
- 2
Agree how you use assignment
Decide as a team whether conversations are assigned before replying or handled first-come. Either works; not deciding does not.
- 3
Import your contacts
Bring in your existing customer list by CSV, mapping your own custom fields. Only import people who gave you their number knowingly.
- 4
Send one careful campaign
Pick a small, well-defined segment for your first send rather than everyone. Check the delivery and read numbers before you scale up.
Three things to know first
None of these are dealbreakers, but all three surprise people who did not read them beforehand.
Your number leaves the WhatsApp phone app
A number connected to the Business API can no longer be used in the normal WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app. This is Meta's rule and applies to every provider. Most businesses connect a dedicated number.
You cannot message anyone until they message you, or you have a template
The 24-hour window governs everything. Get at least one utility template approved early so you are not stuck.
Meta bills you separately
Your subscription is the software. Conversations are billed by Meta to your own WhatsApp Business Account, with no margin from us.
Launch checklist
Everything ticked? You are ready for real customers.
- WhatsApp connected and a test message received
- At least one utility template approved
- AI brief written and tested against your ten most common questions
- A welcome automation live, with a route to a human
- Out-of-hours behaviour decided and configured
- Team added with the right roles
- Store connected and a test order fired (Growth & Pro)
- Wallet topped up if you are using AI