Integration · Channels
WhatsApp Business Platform integration on your own Meta account
We connect the WhatsApp Business Platform to your systems through the Cloud API, on a WhatsApp Business Account you own. The build handles opt-in, approved templates, the service window and signed webhooks, and hands a conversation to a person when it should.
WhatsApp Business Platform
Channels
Access
Authentication and least-privilege scopes
A system user access token from your Meta Business portfolio, with the app subscribed to your WhatsApp Business Account webhooks
- whatsapp_business_messaging
- whatsapp_business_management
- webhook: messages + statuses
- app secret: signature check
The number, account, templates and token sit in your Meta portfolio; you can revoke our access at any time.
Objects
What we read and what we write
Inbound message webhook
Read: YesWrite: No
Text, media, location and button replies; each one opens or refreshes the service window.
Status webhook
Read: YesWrite: No
Sent, delivered, read and failed; drives retries and the delivery log.
Message (send)
Read: NoWrite: Yes
Free-form while the window is open, an approved template outside it.
Message template
Read: YesWrite: Yes
Drafted and submitted for approval; its category sets the price and rules.
Media
Read: YesWrite: Yes
Uploaded or downloaded by id; only what the workflow needs is kept.
Opt-in record (your system)
Read: YesWrite: Yes
Where, when and to what the person agreed; checked before every first message.
Data flow
System of record and write-back
Your CRM or helpdesk stays the system of record for contacts, consent and history. The integration receives Meta’s webhooks, decides what to send and writes each conversation back.
- A customer messages your number, or you send an approved template to someone who opted in.
- Meta posts a signed webhook; the service checks the signature and acknowledges it at once.
- The assistant answers inside the window, or routes the conversation to a person.
- Every message, status and handoff is written back to your CRM or helpdesk.
- Customer on WhatsApp
- Opt-in form
- CRM or helpdesk
- Human inbox
- Delivery log
Worked example
WhatsApp Business Platform in a build
Before any message
Opt-in recorded
The person agrees to hear from your business, and the record is stored.Customer writes
Service window opens
Their message starts the customer service window. Free-form replies, media and buttons are allowed.Inside the window
Assistant replies or hands off
Each new customer message resets the timer; a person can take over.Window closes
Templates only
With no new customer message, only pre-approved templates can be sent.Customer replies
Window reopens
A reply to a template opens a fresh window and the conversation carries on.
Sample workflows
What teams build with WhatsApp Business Platform
Pattern 01
Order and booking updates
Utility templates confirm an order or booking and carry a button to reschedule. Replies land back in the same conversation, where the assistant picks them up.
Pattern 02
Support with human handoff
The assistant answers from your help content inside the window and passes the thread, with a summary, to a person in your helpdesk when it is unsure or the customer asks.
Pattern 03
Leads from click-to-chat
A customer starts a chat from your site or an ad. The assistant asks the qualifying questions and creates the lead with the transcript attached.
Failure handling
What breaks, and what the build does about it
Meta retries a webhook or delivers it twice
Handlers are idempotent on the message id, so a duplicate delivery never sends a second reply.
A template is rejected or paused
Workflows that depend on it fall back to a person or an email while we revise the wording to fit its category and resubmit.
The window closed before the reply was ready
The service checks the window before sending. If it has closed, an approved template invites the customer back instead.
Fit · WhatsApp Business Platform
When it is the wrong choice
- You want to message people who never opted in. Meta’s policy forbids it, and your quality rating drops quickly.
- Most conversations need long documents, forms or logins. Web chat or email suits them better.
- Nobody on your side can own the Meta Business portfolio. The account, number and templates must sit with your business.
Alternatives worth pricing
Visitors already on your site, with no phone number needed.
Customers who expect a call or a text, or markets where WhatsApp is not the default.
A hosted WhatsApp inbox
Agents only need a shared inbox with no custom logic; several providers sell one ready-made.
Where it is used
Related use cases, services and guides
Limits
Limits and common errors
A customer message or call starts a 24-hour customer service window that resets with each new message. Inside it any service message can be sent; after it closes, only approved templates.
Source: Send messages (opens in a new tab) · Meta for Developers · accessed
Opt-in must clearly say the person agrees to messages from your business, naming it; any channel may collect it.
Source: Get opt-in for WhatsApp (opens in a new tab) · Meta for Developers · accessed
Messaging limits cap unique users reached outside a service window per rolling 24 hours: 250 for new portfolios, rising to 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited.
Source: Messaging limits (opens in a new tab) · Meta for Developers · accessed
Since 1 July 2025 Meta charges per delivered template message, by category and the recipient’s country code. Non-template messages and utility templates inside an open window are free.
Source: Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (opens in a new tab) · Meta for Developers · accessed
Webhook payloads are signed in the X-Hub-Signature-256 header with your app secret. Failed deliveries are retried for about 36 hours, so duplicates can arrive.
Source: Webhooks: getting started (opens in a new tab) · Meta for Developers · accessed
Security
Security notes
- Every webhook is checked against its X-Hub-Signature-256 header with your app secret before it is processed.
- The system user token lives in a secrets manager, never in the browser or a workflow export.
- Opt-out keywords stop first messages at once and are stored with the consent history.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do we need our own Meta Business account for WhatsApp?
Yes. The WhatsApp Business Account, the phone number and the templates sit in your Meta Business portfolio, and we work with access you grant. If we stop working together, nothing has to be moved.
What is the WhatsApp customer service window?
When a customer messages you, a 24-hour window opens and restarts with each new message from them. Inside it you can reply freely. Once it closes, only approved templates can be sent until the customer writes again.
Which WhatsApp template category should our messages use?
Marketing for promotions, utility for updates on something the customer started, such as an order, and authentication for one-time codes. The category sets the price and the rules, so each template fits one category cleanly.
How is WhatsApp messaging billed now?
Per delivered template message, at a rate set by the template category and the recipient’s country code. Replies inside an open service window are free, as are utility templates sent inside it. We estimate the monthly cost before go-live.
Is the WhatsApp Business Platform the same as the WhatsApp Business app?
No. The app is one phone and a person typing. The platform is an API, so your systems, several agents and an assistant can all work the same conversations.
Can we message customers on WhatsApp before they opt in?
No. Meta requires a clear opt-in that names your business before you message someone first. We add opt-in capture to your forms, checkout or calls, store the record and stop sends when someone opts out.
Next step
Have a workflow in mind? Let’s scope it together.
Book a free 30-minute strategy call. Bring one process you want to automate and we will talk through scope, integrations and a sensible first step.
Free 30-minute call · no commitment