Connecting WhatsApp is mostly waiting on Meta rather than on Bookboost. The setup itself takes an afternoon. Meta's business verification takes 1 to 5 business days on average, and sometimes up to two weeks, and nothing can be activated until it clears.
So the useful work is getting four things right before you start, because each of them can send you back to the beginning of that wait.
The four things you need
1. A phone number. Either Bookboost provides you with a new number, or you use one of your own.
2. That number must not be in use on WhatsApp. If it is connected to the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business mobile app, that account has to be deleted before the number can be connected to Bookboost. Deleting it permanently removes the chat history tied to that number, so read the messages you need to keep first.
3. A verified Meta Business Manager. This is a free tool from Meta for managing your business information. It has to be verified by Meta, and someone on your team has to have Admin access to it.
4. A display name that matches your branding. This is how guests see your business on WhatsApp. If it does not match the business Meta has verified, Meta may reject it.
Getting your Business Manager verified
This is the part that takes the time, so start it early.
Creating the account takes about 15 minutes. Start at Create a Meta Business Manager account. You enter your business name, a business email address, ideally on your company domain, and your business address and phone number.
Make every detail match your legal documents. A mismatch between what you type here and what is on your registration certificate is the most common reason verification drags on.
Verification is a document review. Meta asks you to upload proof that the company is real:
A business license or registration certificate.
A tax or VAT certificate.
A utility bill or bank statement showing your business name and address.
Your official website, on a domain that matches the business name.
Most businesses are verified in 2 to 5 days. If Meta asks for extra documents it can take up to two weeks.
If Meta says your page is not eligible for verification
Meta requires you to create an app on its developer platform before it will let you continue. Go to Create an app in Meta for Developers and create one.
Then return to the verification page. Your business should now show as eligible. The change sometimes appears immediately and sometimes takes a few hours.
The 24-hour messaging window
Once your number is live, WhatsApp limits when you can write to a guest. These are Meta's rules, enforced to prevent spam, and they are not something Bookboost can change.
If a guest messages you first, you have 24 hours to reply with anything you like.
After 24 hours with no message from the guest, you cannot reply freely. You need a pre-approved message template.
To start a conversation yourself, you always need a template that Meta has approved.
This shapes how you plan campaigns, so it is worth understanding before you go live rather than after. See WhatsApp Message Templates.
Final checks before activation
Your Meta Business Manager is verified.
Your WhatsApp Business Account is approved.
Your display name follows WhatsApp's rules.
Your business is not in a restricted industry under WhatsApp's Commerce Policy.
What this does not do
Bookboost cannot speed up Meta's verification. The review is entirely Meta's, and support has no visibility into where your application sits in it.
One WhatsApp number per property. A number cannot be shared across properties.
Meta allows 20 numbers per business by default. If your group needs more, contact us before you start.
Deleting a WhatsApp Business app account is not reversible. The chat history goes with it.
A Facebook page is not required, though Meta recommends having one.
What to do next
Once your Business Manager is verified, do the connection itself. See Connect WhatsApp to Bookboost.
Getting help
Open Help at the bottom of the left menu and choose Talk to Us, or email support@bookboost.io.