WhatsApp Business API Onboarding with Mersal: 10 Steps to Get Started
WhatsApp Business API Onboarding with Mersal helps your business connect its Meta Business Portfolio, activate WhatsApp Business API, verify a business phone number, and start managing WhatsApp conversations, templates, campaigns, automation, and reports from one platform.
Many businesses want to use WhatsApp in a professional way, but they are not always sure how the setup works. Before sending official WhatsApp templates, running campaigns, or managing customer replies from a business inbox, your WhatsApp Business API setup needs to be connected correctly.
Mersal makes this process easier by guiding businesses through the onboarding flow and helping them continue the setup after activation. Once your WhatsApp Business account is connected, you can use Mersal to manage templates, campaigns, contacts, inbox conversations, SMS, chatbots, automation, and reporting.
In this guide, we will walk you through the WhatsApp Business API Onboarding process step by step, using Mersal as the platform where your business starts and manages the setup.
Table of Contents
- What is WhatsApp Business API Onboarding?
- What you need before starting
- Step 1: Open Settings and Profile
- Step 2: Open WhatsApp Setup
- Step 3: Continue with Meta Login
- Step 4: Select Business Assets
- Step 5: Enter Business Information
- Step 6: Add Your WhatsApp Number
- Step 7: Review and Confirm Permissions
- Step 8: Complete the Connection
- Step 9: Open the WhatsApp Inbox
- Step 10: Manage Customer Conversations
- Common onboarding issues
- Why start WhatsApp API with Mersal?
What is WhatsApp Business API Onboarding?
WhatsApp Business API Onboarding is the process of connecting your business to the official WhatsApp Business Platform. This usually includes connecting your Meta Business Portfolio, creating or selecting a WhatsApp Business Account, adding your phone number, verifying ownership, setting your display name, and confirming the required permissions.
After onboarding is completed, your business can start preparing WhatsApp templates, sending approved messages, managing replies, using automation, and tracking performance.
With Mersal’s Official WhatsApp API solution, your business can complete the setup and then manage WhatsApp communication from the Mersal dashboard.
What You Need Before Starting
Before starting the WhatsApp Business API Onboarding process, it is better to prepare your business information. This helps you avoid delays and makes the setup smoother.
- A Meta or Facebook account with access to your business assets.
- A Meta Business Portfolio for your company.
- Your official business name.
- Your business website or public business information.
- A phone number owned by your business.
- Access to receive an OTP by SMS or phone call.
- A clear WhatsApp display name that matches your business identity.
Important: If your phone number is already connected to another WhatsApp setup, you may need to review the current setup before using it for WhatsApp Business API.
Step 1: Open Settings and Profile
Start by logging in to your Mersal account. From the dashboard, open the settings area and go to your profile. This is where your business information and communication channels are managed.
Make sure your business profile information is clear and complete before starting the WhatsApp setup.
Step 1: Open your Mersal settings and profile before starting WhatsApp Business API onboarding.
Step 2: Open WhatsApp Setup
Inside your Mersal profile settings, go to the WhatsApp section. If WhatsApp is not connected yet, you will see a setup option that allows you to begin connecting your WhatsApp Business account.
Click the setup button to start the onboarding process.
Step 2: Open the WhatsApp setup section from your Mersal account.
Step 3: Continue with Meta Login
After clicking setup, a Meta login window will open. This is part of the official connection process between your business, Meta, WhatsApp Business API, and Mersal.
Use a Meta or Facebook account that has access to your business portfolio. Review the information shown in the Meta window, then click continue to proceed.
Step 3: Continue with Meta login to start connecting your WhatsApp Business assets.
Step 4: Select Business Assets
Next, you will select the business assets that should be connected. This may include choosing your Meta Business Portfolio and creating or selecting a WhatsApp Business Account.
Make sure you choose the correct business portfolio. Selecting the wrong business portfolio can cause confusion later, especially if your company manages multiple businesses or pages.
Step 4: Select your business portfolio and WhatsApp Business Account during onboarding.
Step 5: Enter Business Information
Meta may ask you to enter or confirm business information such as business name, category, country, website, and timezone.
Keep this information accurate and consistent with your real business identity. Your website and public business information can help support your business presence during setup and review.
Step 5: Enter your business information accurately during the Meta onboarding flow.
Step 6: Add Your WhatsApp Number
In this step, you will add the phone number your business wants to use for WhatsApp Business API.
The phone number should be owned by your business and able to receive a verification code by SMS or phone call. You will also enter the WhatsApp display name that customers will see when they receive messages from your business.
Step 6: Add and verify your WhatsApp Business phone number.
Tip: Choose a display name that clearly matches your business brand. Avoid generic names, unrelated names, or names that customers would not recognize.
Step 7: Review and Confirm Permissions
Before completing the connection, Meta will show the permissions that Mersal needs to help manage your WhatsApp Business account.
These permissions allow Mersal to support features such as WhatsApp account connection, message management, conversations, templates, campaigns, automation, and reporting.
Step 7: Review the permissions and confirm the connection.
Step 8: Complete the Connection
After confirming the required permissions, your WhatsApp Business account will be connected to Mersal.
Once the connection is complete, you can return to your Mersal dashboard and continue setting up WhatsApp communication features.
Step 8: Your WhatsApp Business account is now connected to Mersal.
Step 9: Open the WhatsApp Inbox
After onboarding, you can open the WhatsApp inbox inside Mersal. This is where your team can view and manage customer conversations from one place.
The inbox helps your business organize active and inactive conversations, view customer messages, and manage replies more professionally.
Step 9: Open the WhatsApp inbox to manage conversations from Mersal.
Step 10: Manage Customer Conversations
The final step is to start using the connected WhatsApp Business account inside Mersal. You can manage customer conversations, send approved templates, re-engage customers when needed, and organize your team’s communication workflow.
This is where WhatsApp Business API becomes more than a setup process. It becomes part of your full customer communication system.
Step 10: Manage WhatsApp customer conversations, templates, and follow-ups from Mersal.
What Can You Do After WhatsApp Business API Onboarding?
Completing WhatsApp Business API Onboarding is only the beginning. After your account is connected, Mersal helps your business use WhatsApp as part of a complete communication workflow.
- Create and manage WhatsApp message templates.
- Send WhatsApp campaigns to selected contact lists.
- Manage customer replies from the WhatsApp inbox.
- Send SMS campaigns and reminders.
- Build chatbot flows and automated replies.
- Organize contacts and customer segments.
- Track delivery, replies, campaigns, and communication performance.
Common WhatsApp Business API Onboarding Issues
Some businesses complete onboarding smoothly, while others face delays because of missing information, phone number issues, or wrong business setup.
| Issue | Why It Happens | How to Avoid It |
|---|---|---|
| Phone number cannot receive OTP | The number may be inactive, unavailable, or unable to receive SMS or calls. | Test the number before starting onboarding. |
| Number is already connected | The number may already be linked to another WhatsApp setup. | Review the existing setup before using the number for WhatsApp API. |
| Wrong business portfolio selected | The user may choose a portfolio that does not belong to the right company. | Confirm the correct Meta Business Portfolio before continuing. |
| Display name review delay | The display name may not clearly match the public business identity. | Use a clear name that customers recognize and that appears on your website or public pages. |
| Templates are not ready | The business completes onboarding but has not prepared approved templates yet. | Create message templates inside Mersal after activation. |
Why Start WhatsApp API with Mersal?
Mersal is an all-in-one customer communication platform and an official WhatsApp Business API provider trusted by Meta.
Instead of using separate tools for onboarding, templates, campaigns, SMS, chatbots, contacts, and reports, Mersal brings the full communication flow into one platform.
- Official WhatsApp Business API onboarding.
- WhatsApp templates and campaign management.
- WhatsApp inbox for customer replies.
- SMS campaigns and reminders.
- Chatbots and automation flows.
- Contact management and customer segmentation.
- Reports and communication analytics.
The main value of Mersal is not only activating WhatsApp API. The value is helping your business use WhatsApp, SMS, chatbots, contacts, automation, and reports together in one organized system.
Final Thoughts
WhatsApp Business API Onboarding is the first step toward using WhatsApp professionally for business communication.
With Mersal, businesses can start the onboarding process, connect their Meta and WhatsApp assets, verify the business phone number, and then manage customer communication from one platform.
Once your WhatsApp account is connected, your business can use Mersal to manage conversations, send templates, run campaigns, organize contacts, automate replies, and track results.
Ready to Start WhatsApp Business API Onboarding?
Create your Mersal account and start connecting your business to the official WhatsApp Business API. Manage WhatsApp, SMS, chatbots, campaigns, contacts, automation, and reports from one platform.