Connect with your customers where they already are The WhatsApp channel

WhatsApp offers two options for businesses: the Business App and Business Platform. The WhatsApp Business App is an enhanced version of the private app and is tailored for small businesses. However, it's not GDPR-compliant, making it unsuitable for professional use if companies need to adhere to European data privacy regulations. A WhatsApp Business Platform such as Userlike connects to your WhatsApp account via the official WhatsApp Business API. This solution is scalable, GDPR-compliant and allows businesses to send WhatsApp marketing campaigns.

Setting up the WhatsApp channel is simple. Sign up for a Userlike account if you don't have one yet. We'll guide you step by step to connect your WhatsApp account and set up your business profile. When you're done, you can start engaging your customers on their favorite app.

Anytime you send a message to customers first, e.g. newsletters, you need to use a message template. You can create and submit the template to WhatsApp directly from your Userlike account. Once approved, you can use your message templates repeatedly. Placeholders (e.g. for links, names or offers) allow you to customize the template for each campaign. If you don't reply to a request for 24 hours or more, you need a message template because it’s counted as a new conversation initiated by your business. With this 24h service window, WhatsApp incentivizes companies to respond in a timely manner.

Any business can apply to receive a green checkmark. You can start the process in Userlike or Facebook Business Manager. The application must contain proof that your brand is notable and well-known. Businesses have no control over whether their WhatsApp Business account will receive the green checkmark badge or not. However, you can resubmit your application after one month.

You can only create WhatsApp newsletters via a WhatsApp Business Platform such as Userlike. With Userlike’s WhatsApp Campaigns feature, you create a template for your newsletter and get it approved by WhatsApp within minutes. Placeholders allow you to adapt the campaign to different target groups and purposes. Once you're done, you select a subscriber group, a delivery time – and start sending!

All messages initiated by a business must be approved before they are sent. In addition to marketing messages, such as newsletters, this includes transactional messages (e.g. order confirmations) and authentications. This is WhatsApp's way of preventing spam messages from being mass sent on its platform.

Yes! Userlike's WhatsApp Business Platform enables businesses to use WhatsApp Business in a GDPR-compliant way. Userlike is a German company using a certified server infrastructure hosted in Germany and comes with advanced data security features that go beyond the standard. WhatsApp messages are generally encrypted, which means that third parties cannot read them – making this channel more secure than a traditional email.

Both WhatsApp and Userlike messages are encrypted. However, as the two systems need to be linked, it can’t be called “end-to-end encrypted.” With Userlike's secure data protection setup, communication with your customers still remains fully protected and GDPR-compliant.

With Userlike, you get access to WhatsApp Business from the Team plan onward. If you want to use more than one WhatsApp channel (i.e. more than one number) you can reach out to discuss your needs with our support team.

With Userlike, 1,000 WhatsApp support conversations (“user-initiated conversations“) are free of charge every month. This amount generally covers the needs of small and mid-sized businesses. If you stay below this limit, there are no additional costs. Starting with conversation 1,001, WhatsApp charges a small cent fee per conversation varying by country. Business-initiated conversations are charged starting from the first message. The fee varies by country and topic (marketing, transactions and authentications). You can find a cost chart and examples in our article “WhatsApp Business Pricing: What Costs You Can Expect” .

You can send marketing messages using Userlike’s WhatsApp Campaigns tool. There are additional costs for this. From the Team plan onward, 100 campaign messages are included every month. You only pay a processing fee of one cent per marketing message. If you book the optional WhatsApp Campaigns add-on for €39 you can send unlimited campaign messages (plus processing fees). Since marketing messages are business-initiated, WhatsApp charges apply for message templates. You can find a cost chart and examples in the article “WhatsApp Business Pricing: What Costs You Can Expect” .

Every Userlike account with access to WhatsApp Business (starting from the Team plan) gets 1,000 user-initiated conversations for free every month. No further charges for the WhatsApp Channel will apply.

WhatsApp does not charge per message but per conversation. A conversation covers a 24-hour period when any amount of messages can be exchanged. The period starts as soon as you reply or proactively contact the customer.