This is the connection itself: you start it in Bookboost, finish it on Meta's side, and then tell us so we can activate the channel. It takes under an hour of your time, followed by 2 to 3 business days while Meta reviews the WhatsApp Business account and the number.
Do not start until your Meta Business Manager is verified. See What you need before connecting WhatsApp, because an unverified Business Manager stops you halfway through with nothing to do but wait.
Before you begin
You are logging in with a Facebook account that is an admin of your company's Meta Business Manager. Not a personal account, and not a colleague's.
If Bookboost is providing the number, your SMS channel has to be connected first. Meta's verification code is delivered by SMS and it lands in your Bookboost Inbox, so without SMS you have no way to receive it. If you would rather not use the SMS channel, tell your Onboarding Coordinator before you start and they will give you the alternative.
Connecting the channel
Log in to Bookboost and go to Settings > Integration.
Select your property at the top of the page, then select WhatsApp and Complete the form.
You are redirected to Facebook. Log in with the admin account, and Meta asks you to choose a Business Account.
Pick the account that belongs to your company, and where there is more than one, pick the one Meta has already verified. If you are not certain which is which, stop and ask your team or your onboarding coordinator. Choosing the wrong one means undoing it later.
Choose a WhatsApp Business account. Create a new one if you have never used the WhatsApp API before. Select an existing one if you already connected WhatsApp to Bookboost for another property, and check first that it is not in use with another provider.
If you created a new account, fill in your business information: company name, website, and country. Then complete the business profile, which is a description, website, optional business hours and address, and a profile picture or logo. This is what guests see when a message from you arrives, so treat it as a public-facing page rather than a form.
Verify the phone number. You choose whether the six-digit code arrives by SMS, which works for mobile numbers, or by phone call, which works for mobile and landline. Enter the code to continue.
Tell us you are done, by leaving a note in the shared portal or emailing onboarding@bookboost.io. Bookboost handles the final activation.
Which number you are verifying
If it is your own number, it must not be active on WhatsApp Personal or WhatsApp Business. Deleting that account frees the number for API use and permanently removes its chat history. WhatsApp's own instructions for deleting an account cover how.
If Bookboost is providing the number, stay logged in to Bookboost and select SMS as the delivery method. The code arrives in your Bookboost Inbox.
After you tell us
Meta reviews the WhatsApp Business account and the phone number. This normally takes 2 to 3 business days, and the channel is not usable until it completes. We let you know as soon as it is ready.
What this does not do
It does not finish by itself. The channel is activated by Bookboost after you tell us the setup is done, so a silent finish means nothing happens.
It does not work without a verified Business Manager. If yours is not verified, you can create one during this flow, but you cannot complete the connection until Meta verifies it.
It does not let you send campaigns immediately. Templates have to be approved by Meta separately.
Bookboost cannot see Meta's review queue. If the 2 to 3 days pass with no change, contact us and we will look at it from our side, but the decision is Meta's.
What to do next
While Meta reviews, prepare the templates you will need, because you cannot message a guest first without one. See WhatsApp Message Templates and How to get a WhatsApp template approved.
Getting help
Open Help at the bottom of the left menu and choose Talk to Us, or email support@bookboost.io. During onboarding, your Onboarding Coordinator is the faster route.