Getting Started with Vonage’s WhatsApp

Business API: Embedded Sign Up

This guide contains all of the steps needed for your business to get started using WhatsApp with
Vonage’s ‘Messages and Dispatch API’, using the Embedded Sign Up

What is Embedded Sign Up?

It’s a self-service onboarding tool, embedded in Vonage’s Customer Dashboard, allowing you to
create your own WhatsApp Business Account (WABA). Creating your own WABA means it's
owned and managed by you and your business, giving you more control and flexibility.

Who can use the Embedded Sign Up?

You must be a direct customer, i.e. you will be using WhatsApp for your own business’s usage.

If you are creating a WhatsApp Account on behalf of another business, for example as a Partner
or Billing Agent, you’ll need to use our Managed Onboarding Process, kick started by completing
Vonage’s Application Form.

Prerequisites for using Embedded Sign Up

- You must have access to your businesses Vonage Account, via the Vonage Dashboard
- You must have an active personal Facebook Account
- You must have access to your businesses Facebook Business Manager Account. If you
don’t have one, you can create one via Embedded Sign Up. See below.
- You’ll need the phone number you want to use for WhatsApp. This can be either a Vonage
LVN or your own number. In either case, the phone number must follow below
requirements:
- Not already being used elsewhere on WhatsApp - either on the personal or
business app. If your number needs to be migrated from another WhatsApp
Business API Provider, you’ll need to onboard via our Managed Onboarding
Process, as above
- Be able to accept VOICE calls or SMS
- Not a short code or toll-free number
- For Contact Centre numbers, the IVR system must be able to be disabled or
intercepted in order to complete the 2FA

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Onboarding Action Items:
1. Access Embedded Sign Up
Navigate to the Social Channels section in the Vonage Dashboard. Click on “Set up my WhatsApp
Business Account”

2. Continue To Facebook Hosted Set Up

You’ll then be presented with an introductory screen explaining the
requirements and important information about embedded sign up.

Ensure you have read and understood this information before you click
through to the Facebook hosted screens

2. Log In with Facebook

In order to use Embedded Sign Up you will need to have an active Facebook account. The first
thing you’ll need to do is log in with this Facebook account. If you do not have a Facebook
account, you will need to create one, or ask someone else at your business who does have a
Facebook account to continue the process.

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3. Confirm WABA Sharing with Vonage
You’ll need to share your WABA with Vonage. Vonage will handle the billing
and payment with Facebook, so you need to grant Vonage access to do so.

You will not be able to handle the billing yourself; every WABA must be
managed by a WhatsApp Business API Provider.

Click continue.

4. Select your Facebook Business Manager

This must be the Facebook Business Manager of the business that you are
creating a WABA for. If you do not have one, you can create a new one, by
selecting the first option.

If you choose to create a new one, you will be taken through a few additional
screens, not outlined on this page. You’ll need to enter your business name,
phone number and registered address, and then the account will be created
for you.

5. Select your WhatsApp Account

If you already have a Business Account, you’ll need to confirm which
WhatsApp Account you want to continue with. Select the account that you
will be adding your phone number to. If you want to create a new one, select
the first option.

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6. Create your WhatsApp Profile
Enter the display name you want to use for your WhatsApp number. All
display names must meet Facebook’s Display Name Guidelines. Facebook
will give you prompts on the screen if they detect that your display name
might be breaching these guidelines. The display name will be reviewed
against these guidelines later on in the process.

Select your businesses category and add a description of your business if

you’d like. All this information in your WhatsApp Profile will be visible to the
end user when they receive a message from your business on WhatsApp.

7. Submit & Verify your WhatsApp Phone Number

Add the phone number you will be using for WhatsApp. Note the phone
number requirements at the top of this document for more information.

Facebook will need to send you a code, to verify that you own this phone
number. Select whether you would prefer to receive the code via SMS or
Voice Call and then “Send Code”.

Once you’ve received the code, enter it in the next screen.

If you haven’t received the code, wait the allocated time until you can retry. If
you are still having trouble, ensure that your phone number is able to accept
Voice Calls or SMS. The code can sometimes come from a US (+1) phone
number, so check that your phone number accepts international calls. If you
need to change the phone number, follow the instructions on the screen to
“provide a new one”.

8. Return to Vonage Set Up

Once the code has been verified, Facebook will confirm that the phone
number has been set up.

Click “Ok” and navigate back to your Vonage screen.

Although your phone number is live with Facebook, you’ll need to

complete a few more steps in order to start using it with Vonage. This
screen explains those steps

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9. Associate Number to a Vonage API Key

Select the phone number you want to provision and the API key you
want to send the WhatsApp traffic on.

We recommend linking each WhatsApp phone number to its own

dedicated sub API key.

The first number you add to a WABA may be eligible for a trial, which
means that it can be associated with an API key and proceed to be
provisioned without waiting for any further checks.

If you cannot see the phone number you want in the drop down, it may be because it is not a trial
number. The phone number will appear in the list once:
● You have verified your business with Facebook
● Your WABA has been approved
● Your display name has been approved

10. Vonage Provisioning

Vonage will then provision the WhatsApp phone number with your
selected API key. This can take a few minutes. Do not close this
window whilst the provisioning is taking place.

Once successfully complete, your number will be live with Vonage!

The phone number will now appear on your Vonage Dashboard, under Social Channels.

Important: Although your phone number is live, it is only Live under Facebook’s “Unverified Trial
Period”. This allows you to start messaging before your WABA has been completely verified. See
Facebook’s documentation for types of messages you can send during this period

Follow steps outlined in our Post Go Live Guide to start sending trial messages with Vonage.

See steps below regarding how to move out of this trial period.

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11. Complete WABA Set Up
In order to leave the trial period, and start sending unlimited messages with WhatsApp, you’ll need
to complete the below steps:

- Verify your business with Facebook, if not done so already

- Facebook will review your business against their Commerce Policy. Your business must
be approved.
- Facebook will review your display name against their Naming Guidelines. Again, the
display name must be approved

Once your business is verified and you’ve passed all WhatsApp checks, you will be able to send
unlimited messages via WhatsApp. More information about set up in our Post Go Live Guide.

Get Help
If you get stuck at any point during the process, please reach out to our Support team via:

- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://help.nexmo.com/hc/en-us