Introduction to WhatsApp for Business

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Last updated: Aug 27, 2024
2 min read

WhatsApp Business API (WABA) is the only WhatsApp integration we support. It's an official, secure, and reliable method for businesses around the world to reach and communicate with their customers. With 1.6 billion monthly active users, WhatsApp is the most popular mobile messenger app.

With WhatsApp Business API , your account lives entirely in the cloud, and cannot be connected to the regular WhatsApp mobile app. It will only be accessible through the CloudCX inbox.

What you need to get started

You will require an account with one of our WhatsApp providers in order to be able to connect WhatsApp to CloudCX.

The providers we support are:

  • Twilio

WhatsApp 24-hour customer service window

Service window

When a customer contacts you on your WhatsApp Business API account, you are given 24 hours to respond. This is known as the Customer Service Window, and was put in place by WhatsApp to combat spam. During this period, you can communicate freely with your customer, with no limitations on the content or type of your messages. 

Any communication within the 24 hours is considered a session message. Every time your contact replies, the service window resets for another 24 hours. 

Message template

After the 24-hour period is over, you can only use message templates to contact your customer. If they respond, a new 24-hour window will open, and you will once again be able to send session messages. If you want to talk to a customer without them having reached out to you, you will need to use a message template as well.

To learn more about message templates and how you can use them, check out this article:

Introduction to WhatsApp Message Templates

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