# WhatsApp Agent: Start Guide

## Why WhatsApp

WhatsApp is a service and marketing channel with incredible potential; it’s the most used messaging app in Europe, LATAM, India, and it’s growing fast in the United States

Main reasons to use WA:

* Open rate of marketing messages: 85%
* Click-through-rate: 15%
* Automatic collection of the customer’s Name, Surname and Phone Number
* 24 hours to keep the conversation going, while if someone texts you on your website, as soon as they close the browser you cannot reach to them
* You are always in your customers pocket, one conversation away
* Most importantly - customers EXPECT to speak with you on WA

## Start Guide: Prerequisites

### 1️⃣ Get a phone number

To connect Zipchat & WhatsApp, you need a phone number; you can use an existing phone numbe or buy a new one.

**USING AN EXISTING PHONE NUMBER**

If you decide to use an existing phone number, you need to cancel your existing WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business Account first. If you don’t do it, you won’t be able to complete the integration. [You can cancel your account following this guide.](https://faq.whatsapp.com/2138577903196467/?cms_platform=android)

⚠️ If you cancel your account, you will loose all the existing conversations with your customers. Conversations cannot be transferred from one account to another.

While a lot of customers have no problems in cancelling their existing account, if you don’t want to do so or don’t want to loose all the conversations, you can always buy a new phone number.

**BUYING A NEW PHONE NUMBER**

You can buy any phone number you want, from a virtual or phisical provider. You can also buy a number from [Yourbusinessnumber.com](http://Yourbusinessnumber.com) , a good provider (not associated with Zipchat) that allows you to buy a number in only a couple of minutes.

 👉🏻 Pro tip: many virtual providers only offer phone numbers with UK or US country code, and that’s actually not a problem. Once your number is connected to Zipchat, you can request Meta to approve your display name and your customers won’t see your phone number but your company name, even if they don’t have you registered as a contact.

### 2️⃣ Facebook Business Verification

To fully use the WhatsApp API via ZipChat, your Facebook Business must be verified. Without verification, access is limited to a 30‑day trial period.

 ⚠️ Facebook Business Verification is different from verifying a Facebook Business Page.

**Steps to Verify Your Business**

1. Log in to your **Facebook Business Manager** (or create one if needed).
2. Go to **Business Settings**.
3. Scroll to **Security Center**.
4. Click **Start Verification** — there are four main steps.
5. Enter your **business information** (e.g. name, address, phone).
6. Facebook may suggest matching businesses — select yours, then click **Next**.
7. Confirm your details.
8. Choose a **verification method** (e.g. document upload or phone).
9. Enter the **verification code** received.
10. Submit and wait for confirmation.

### 3️⃣ Prepare WhatsApp Assets

To offer your customers the best experience, please prepare the following assets:

* A profile image (ideally, your logo) in square format, max 5mb
* A business description (max 256 letters) to add in your profile
* Your company address to add in your profile

### 🎉 Great! You can now integrate WA & Zipchat

Now that you have completed all these steps, you can now integrate WhatsApp & Zipchat.

[**Complete the integration by yourself, following this guide (it takes only 5 minutes 🕑)**](https://www.notion.so/WhatsApp-Setup-of-the-Agent-Marketing-Campaigns-28271caef48b800da72de217662f447f?pvs=21)


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.zipchat.ai/installation-and-setup/chat-settings/channels/whatsapp-agent-start-guide.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.