WhatsApp Business Setup

This guide walks you through connecting WhatsApp Business to your Muin Communications Hub. Once connected, you can send and receive WhatsApp messages directly from Muin’s unified inbox, use message templates for outbound communication, send media messages, and configure automated responses.

Overview

What You Can Do with WhatsApp in Muin

Capability	Description
Receive Messages	Customer messages appear in your unified inbox
Reply	Respond directly from Muin
Message Templates	Send pre-approved outbound messages
Media Messages	Send and receive images, documents, and videos
Automated Responses	AI-powered replies to common questions
Broadcasts	Send template-based messages to contact lists
Contact Resolution	Match WhatsApp senders to existing contacts

WhatsApp Business Rules

WhatsApp enforces strict messaging policies. Key rules:

Rule	Description
24-Hour Window	Free-form replies only within 24 hours of last customer message
Template Messages	Outside the 24-hour window, only approved templates may be sent
Opt-In Required	Customers must opt in before you can send templates
No Spam	Bulk unsolicited messaging is prohibited
Quality Rating	Meta monitors your messaging quality and can restrict access

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Prerequisites

Before connecting WhatsApp to Muin, you need:

1. Meta Business Account

If you do not already have one:

1. Go to business.facebook.com
2. Click Create Account
3. Enter your business name, your name, and email
4. Complete business verification:
   • Legal business name
   • Business address
   • Business phone number
   • Business website
   • Legal business documents (varies by region)
5. Wait for verification approval (typically 1-5 business days)

2. Phone Number

You need a phone number dedicated to WhatsApp Business:

Requirement	Detail
Dedicated Number	Cannot be used with personal WhatsApp or another WhatsApp Business
Can Receive SMS/Calls	Must be able to receive a verification code
Format	Full international format (e.g., +1 555 123 4567)
Type	Mobile or landline (landline uses voice verification)

If you are migrating from WhatsApp Business App to the API (through Muin):

• The number will be transferred to the API
• Existing chat history will not migrate
• Contacts can still message you at the same number

3. Muin Requirements

• Muin admin permissions
• Communications Hub enabled
• Active Muin subscription that includes WhatsApp

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Connecting WhatsApp to Muin

Step-by-Step Connection

1. Navigate to Communications —> Settings —> WhatsApp
2. Click Connect WhatsApp
3. You are redirected to Meta’s authorization flow: a. Sign in to your Meta Business account b. Select or create a WhatsApp Business Account c. Select or register a phone number d. Authorize Muin to access the WhatsApp Business API
4. Return to Muin
5. Verify the phone number:
   • Select SMS or Voice Call verification
   • Enter the 6-digit code received
6. Set a display name for your WhatsApp Business profile
7. Click Complete Setup

Business Profile Configuration

After connecting, set up your WhatsApp Business profile:

1. Go to Communications —> Settings —> WhatsApp —> Profile
2. Configure:

Field	Description	Example
Display Name	Shown to customers	”Acme Corp Support”
About	Short description	”Official support channel”
Address	Business address	”123 Main St, City, State”
Description	Longer business description	”We help small businesses…”
Email	Contact email	”support@acmecorp.com”
Website	Your website URL	”https://acmecorp.com”
Category	Business category	”Business Services”
Profile Photo	Square image, min 192x192px	Your logo

Verifying Your Business

For higher messaging limits and a green verified badge:

1. Go to Meta Business Suite —> Settings —> Business Verification
2. Submit verification documents:
   • Business registration documents
   • Utility bill or bank statement with business address
   • Phone number ownership proof
3. Wait for Meta review (2-10 business days)
4. After verification:
   • Messaging limit increases from 250 to 1,000+ per day
   • Green verified badge available
   • Access to additional API features

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Message Templates

Understanding Templates

Message templates are pre-approved message formats required for:

• Initiating conversations (outside the 24-hour window)
• Sending notifications
• Sending broadcasts
• Sending transactional messages

Creating Templates

1. Go to Communications —> WhatsApp —> Templates
2. Click Create Template
3. Configure:

Field	Description
Name	Internal template name (lowercase, underscores)
Category	Marketing, Utility, or Authentication
Language	Template language (create multiple for multi-language)
Header	Optional: text, image, video, or document
Body	Message text with variables
Footer	Optional: small text below body
Buttons	Optional: CTA or quick reply buttons

Template Variables

Use variables for personalization:

Hello {{1}},

Your invoice #{{2}} for {{3}} is now due.

Please pay by {{4}} to avoid late fees.

Thank you,
{{5}}

Variable mapping when sending:

{{1}} = Contact first name
{{2}} = Invoice number
{{3}} = Amount
{{4}} = Due date
{{5}} = Organization name

Template Categories

Category	Use Case	Approval Speed
Utility	Order updates, account notifications, appointment reminders	Fast (usually < 24 hours)
Authentication	One-time passwords, verification codes	Fast
Marketing	Promotions, newsletters, product announcements	Slower (up to 48 hours)

Template Approval

Templates must be approved by Meta before use:

1. Submit the template from Muin
2. Meta reviews the content (usually 24-48 hours)
3. Status updates:

Status	Meaning
Pending	Under Meta review
Approved	Ready to use
Rejected	Did not meet guidelines (reason provided)
Paused	Temporarily disabled by Meta due to quality issues

Tips for Template Approval

• Be specific about the purpose of the message
• Do not include URL shorteners (use full URLs)
• Do not use all caps or excessive punctuation
• Include opt-out instructions for marketing templates
• Avoid vague language that could apply to any business
• Test with a small audience before scaling up

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Sending Media Messages

Supported Media Types

Media Type	Max Size	Supported Formats
Images	5 MB	JPEG, PNG
Videos	16 MB	MP4, 3GPP
Audio	16 MB	AAC, MP3, OGG, AMR
Documents	100 MB	PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, PPT, PPTX
Stickers	100 KB	WebP
Location	N/A	Latitude/Longitude
Contacts	N/A	vCard format

Sending Media from Muin

In a conversation:

1. Open the conversation in the unified inbox
2. Click the attachment icon
3. Select the media type
4. Upload or select from your file library
5. Add an optional caption
6. Click Send

In a template:

1. When creating a template, set the header type to Image, Video, or Document
2. Upload the media or provide a URL
3. The media is included in every template send

Media Best Practices

• Compress images before sending (faster delivery)
• Use PDF for documents (widest compatibility)
• Keep videos short (under 30 seconds for best engagement)
• Include alt-text captions for accessibility
• Store frequently used media in the Muin file library

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Automated Responses

Setting Up Auto-Responses

Configure AI-powered responses for WhatsApp:

1. Go to Communications —> WhatsApp —> Automation
2. Configure:

Setting	Description
Welcome Message	Sent when a new contact messages for the first time
Away Message	Sent outside business hours
AI Auto-Reply	AI answers from your knowledge base
Quick Replies	Predefined keyword-triggered responses

Welcome Message

Example:

Hello! Welcome to Acme Corp. How can we help you today?

1. Billing question
2. Technical support
3. General inquiry

Reply with a number or type your question.

Quick Replies

Set up keyword-triggered responses:

1. Click Add Quick Reply
2. Configure:

Field	Description
Keywords	Trigger words (e.g., “hours”, “location”, “price”)
Response	The automated reply
Media	Optional attachment (e.g., menu PDF, location pin)
Fallback	Route to human if quick reply does not resolve

AI Auto-Reply

Connect your knowledge base to WhatsApp:

1. Toggle AI Auto-Reply on
2. Configure:
   • Confidence threshold (recommended: 80%)
   • Channels: Enable for WhatsApp
   • Business hours behavior (AI only, or AI + human)
   • After-hours behavior
3. AI draws from the same knowledge base as the Support Widget
4. Low-confidence messages are routed to the unified inbox

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Compliance with WhatsApp Policies

Opt-In Management

You must have explicit opt-in before sending templates:

1. Go to Communications —> WhatsApp —> Opt-In
2. Configure opt-in collection methods:

Method	Description
Website Form	Add WhatsApp opt-in checkbox to your forms
SMS Keyword	”Text JOIN to +1-555-123-4567”
QR Code	Scan to opt-in on WhatsApp
In-Chat	Ask for opt-in during a conversation

3. Opt-in records are stored for compliance
4. Opt-out requests are processed automatically (customer texts “STOP”)

Quality Rating

Meta assigns a quality rating to your phone number:

Rating	Description	Action
Green	High quality	No action needed
Yellow	Medium quality	Review recent messages for issues
Red	Low quality	Immediate action required or risk restriction

Monitor your quality rating at Communications —> WhatsApp —> Quality.

Factors that affect quality:

• User blocks and reports
• Template message response rates
• Spam complaints
• Message frequency to unresponsive contacts

Messaging Limits

WhatsApp limits how many unique contacts you can message per day:

Tier	Limit	How to Reach
Tier 1	1,000 contacts/day	Default after verification
Tier 2	10,000 contacts/day	Maintain green quality for 7 days
Tier 3	100,000 contacts/day	Maintain green quality at Tier 2
Unlimited	No limit	Maintain green quality at Tier 3

Prohibited Content

Never send via WhatsApp:

• Gambling content
• Adult content
• Weapons or controlled substances
• Misleading or deceptive content
• Content that violates intellectual property rights
• Unsolicited bulk messages

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Testing

Test Before Going Live

1. Go to Communications —> WhatsApp —> Testing
2. Add test phone numbers (your own or team members)
3. Send test messages:
   • Test a template message
   • Test a media message
   • Test the welcome message
   • Test AI auto-reply
4. Verify messages arrive correctly
5. Test the 24-hour window behavior
6. Test opt-in and opt-out flows

Test Mode

Enable test mode to prevent accidental sends to real contacts:

1. Toggle Test Mode on
2. Only messages to registered test numbers are sent
3. All other sends are logged but not delivered
4. Disable test mode when ready for production

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Troubleshooting

Messages Not Sending

1. Check WhatsApp connection status at Communications —> WhatsApp
2. Verify the phone number is active and verified
3. For template messages: check the template is approved
4. Check the 24-hour window (can only send free-form within 24 hours)
5. Review messaging limits (may have hit daily cap)
6. Check quality rating (red rating may restrict sends)

Template Rejected

1. Review the rejection reason in the template list
2. Common rejection reasons:
   • Content too vague or generic
   • Missing opt-out option (marketing templates)
   • URL shorteners used
   • Violates WhatsApp commerce policy
3. Edit the template and resubmit

Messages Not Receiving

1. Verify the webhook is active at Communications —> WhatsApp —> Webhook
2. Check the phone number status
3. Verify the number is not registered with WhatsApp Business App simultaneously
4. Test by sending a message from a personal WhatsApp to your business number

Quality Rating Dropped

1. Review recent messaging patterns
2. Check for high block/report rates
3. Reduce messaging frequency
4. Improve message relevance and targeting
5. Ensure all contacts have opted in
6. Pause marketing campaigns until rating recovers

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Next Steps

• Communications Hub - Full multi-channel setup
• AI Support Widget - Website chat support
• Smart Forms - Collect opt-in via forms