Yes, you can. However, you can only create a single WhatsApp Business account at a time. To add more WhatsApp Business accounts, you need to go through the application process again to create another WhatsApp Business account.

If your business is verified, you can also add up to 25 Business Profiles per WhatsApp account. For every new Business Profile, you have to go through the same application process.

Also see:

• How do I apply for a WhatsApp business account for my business?

• Add & manage WhatsApp Business profiles

• What does WhatsApp Business Verification entail?

Businesses must initiate Business Verification (BV) when they are ready to scale business-initiated conversations, add additional phone numbers, or request to become an Official Business Account (OBA).

Once approved, businesses can send business-initiated conversations to 1K unique customers and increase based on these messaging limits upgrade requirements.

Find out more in Meta's documentation:

• Messaging Limits

• Business Verification

At the moment, Clickatell does not offer an API to check whether a phone number is WhatsApp enabled or not. We will, however, perform a check on your behalf before attempting to send a message from your business to the end-user. If the number is not enabled, we will fail that message and return an error code to you.

To start talking with your customers via WhatsApp, you require a verified WhatsApp Business Account.

To apply for a new WhatsApp Business account, follow the steps below:

1. Log in to your Clickatell account and under WhatsApp, select +New WhatsApp Account & Profile.

2. Complete the sign-up journey in Facebook Business Manager.

   1. Follow the prompts and complete the setup wizard.

   2. Once completed, you will be redirected to the Clickatell Portal and guided to your next steps.

3. Purchase a WhatsApp Subscription (only if you are on our pre-paid, self-serve package, Connect Lite)

4. Link your API.

5. View & test your integration.

The embedded signup flow only works in web browsers and does not work on mobile devices or mobile browsers.

Note: As a registered BSP (Business Solution Provider), Clickatell assists you with the application, but we do not have control over the approval of your application.

For more information, see:

• What are the eligibility requirements for a WhatsApp Business account?

• What are the prerequisites for a WhatsApp Business account?

• Which phone number and display name should a business sign up with?

• Why was my WhatsApp Business Account application rejected?

• What does WhatsApp Business Verification entail?

The WhatsApp for Business solution is best suited for medium to large businesses to use for customer notifications or for improved customer service.

The two main factors that WhatsApp takes into consideration are your business industry and the types of message content you intend to send on the network.

The following industries and types of content are not allowed on the WhatsApp network:

• Independent software vendors

• Software services

• Real cash gaming (gambling)

• Adult content

• Alcohol/tobacco/drug-related products (including pharmaceuticals)

• Weapons

• Healthcare products/supplements

• Other categories not conforming to WhatsApp or Facebook's commerce and community standards

The WhatsApp Commerce Policy provides a complete list of what is allowed and supported on the network. When you apply to use WhatsApp for your business, you’re agreeing to adhere to this policy.

Types of messages

Customer Support – Messages initiated by the customer to request information, start a conversation with your brand, or make a purchase. Examples include customer questions, invoice requests, product purchases, logging returns, and more.

Customer notifications – Messages initiated by your business to improve the customer experience. For example, order confirmation, delivery status updates, payment reminders, and more.

Note: Marketing and promotional messages are NOT permitted on the WhatsApp API.

Implementation capability

Once approved by WhatsApp, you will need the development resources to integrate your application with Clickatell’s multi-channel One API in order to send and receive WhatsApp messages. Find out more about how One API works and the technical capabilities required here.

Information you’ll need to provide during the application process

When you’re applying to use Clickatell's WhatsApp solution, you’ll need to provide information that you can prepare beforehand in order to speed up the process.

• Company name and valid website URL – Your website should provide a clear description of your business and products. Facebook page URLs are not accepted.

• Industry and product/service details – A description of how you’ll be using the business solution and what industry your business operates in.

• Facebook Business Manager ID – Your Business Manager account will be used by WhatsApp to identify your business and to associate your phone numbers with your business. Here’s how you can find your Facebook Business Manager ID or create a new one if you don’t have a Facebook Business Manager account yet.

• Company headquarters location – Select the country where your business' headquarters is situated

• Approval of Clickatell to send messages for you – You’ll need to approve Clickatell within Facebook Business to send messages via WhatsApp on your behalf. You’ll receive the request to approve Clickatell within your Facebook Business Manager account as soon as we load your application on the WhatsApp system. To approve:

• Log in to your Facebook Business Manager account and navigate to Business Settings, then click on Requests.

• You’ll find our request in the Received requests tab – click on Approve.

You need the following to apply for a WhatsApp Business account:

• Facebook Business Account (You can also create one during the WhatsApp sign-up process.)

• Phone Number to register (this number should not be linked to a WhatsApp account yet)

  • You'll require access to this number to receive an SMS/voice call for verification.

  • Also see these guidelines.

• Business Display Name (It should have a clear relationship with the Business.)

  • Also see these guidelines.

• Keep the following ready:

  • Legal company name

  • Business phone number & website

  • Business email address

  • Country, city, state/province/region

  • Corporate street address

  • Business category

  • Business description

Also familiarize yourself with the WhatsApp Business eligibility requirements before completing the application.

Note: Although Clickatell assists you with the application, we do not have control over the approval of your application.

Note that this is different from achieving a green tick mark as an indication of being an official business account. Business verification is a prerequisite to becoming an official business account.

Until you are business verified, you are limited to the following:

• Adding 2 numbers to your WhatsApp account.

• Sending business-initiated message templates to 250 unique recipients per 24-hour period.

• Unlimited user-initiated messages.

Once your business is verified successfully, these limitations are lifted.

Learn how to verify your business account:

• WhatsApp User Guide

• Meta help material

We recommend that a business signs up with the phone number and display name they want to use with the WhatsApp Business Platform and that they want to share with their customers.

We strongly discourage signing up with a test or personal phone number or test display name, as these will be difficult to change afterward.

Phone number guidelines

You may use any number, including landlines, mobile numbers, or toll-free numbers. You must, however, be able to receive an OTP or answer a verification phone call from WhatsApp on the number you provide. It should also be a number with no previous WhatsApp registrations associated with it.

• Phone number used for existing WhatsApp account: A business cannot sign up with a phone number that has already been registered for use with WhatsApp Messenger or the WhatsApp Business App. To use such a phone number, you must first delete the WhatsApp account associated with that phone number to use it for a new business account.

• Toll-free numbers or numbers under IVR: Businesses cannot currently sign up with IVR or toll-free numbers through the flow as they not be able to verify the phone number.

• ISV, SI, and third-party: If you onboard or integrate over an independent software vendor (ISV), system integrator (SI), or a third-party business, each ISV/SI/third-party business must go through the WhatsApp ISV approval process. If approved, ISV/SI/third-party business needs to sign and comply with WhatsApp terms.

• Organizations with government affiliation: If your organization has a government affiliation, you need additional approval from WhatsApp.

• The number must be active during the verification process. You will receive either an SMS or a voice call for authentication and verification purposes.

• You cannot use short codes.

If you’re unsure, the Clickatell support team can confirm whether your number is valid for WhatsApp Business use before registration.

Display name guidelines

• Must follow the WhatsApp Commerce and Business policies.

• Accurate representation of your business.

  • The display name must represent a business or its service, product, or department.

  • A test/demo account must maintain an association with the business.

  • A display name should not be:

    • An individual’s full name.

    • A generic term (e.g., Catering).

    • A generic geographic location (e.g., Cape Town).

    • A slogan or a long description.

• Consistent with external branding.

• Clear relationship with your business.

  • It must be referred to on the business's website or external media references.

• Correct formatting.

  • No variations on title capitalization, must have grammatically correct capitalization, and must not include all capitals except for acronyms.

  • No variations with spacing.

  • No extra punctuation.

  • No emojis.

  • No character symbols.

  • Minimum of 3 characters.

  • Not in URL format.

If you have a verified sender, your display name is visible to the end-user. If not verified, the end-user can view your display name only in the contact information section of WhatsApp.

Please reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.

WhatsApp requires a Facebook Business Manager ID as part of the application process for a WhatsApp Business Account. WhatsApp will not approve your Business Account application without a valid Facebook Business Manager ID.

How do I know if I already have a Facebook Business Manager account?

If your company has an official Facebook page or Instagram account, it is possible that you already have a Facebook Business Manager account. Please contact the department in your company responsible for your social media account (e.g. Marketing) to confirm whether you already have a Business Manager ID before creating a new one.

Where do I find my Facebook Business Manager ID?

1. Log into your Facebook Business Manager account.

2. Select Business Settings and then Business Info.

3. Your Business Manager ID is listed below your business name

How do I create a new Facebook Business Manager account?

If your company does not already have a Facebook Business Manager account, you can create a new one by following the steps below.

1. Go to Facebook Business Manager

2. Select Create account.

3. Enter your business details and click Submit.

Below are possible reasons for the incorrect status of your WhatsApp Meta Profile. Log in to your Business Manager and update your profile accordingly.

Connected - A phone number can send notifications within its messaging limit.

Restricted - A phone number has reached its rolling 24-hour messaging limit and cannot send notifications until the messaging limit is reset. For example, if a business in ‘1K customers/24h” tier sends notifications to 500 users at 1pm and notifications to additional 500 users at 1:30pm, a business can start sending notifications to 500 users at 1pm the following day. A phone number can still respond to user-initiated messages. The state is formally known as “Message Limit Reached.”

Flagged - A phone number moves to a “Flagged” state (previously called “warned”) when its message quality is low (i.e., quality rating hits “low” state). If a phone number maintains a good quality rating (high or medium rating) for the next 7 days, it returns to “connected” state with no change in its messaging limit. If the quality rating does not improve, the number will return to “connected” state with a lower messaging limit tier.

Banned - A phone number has been banned from sending or receiving any messages.

Pending - A phone number is not yet registered. (PENDING_LICENSE status on Unity

Offline - Client instance is offline or not connected to WhatsApp servers.