How to Create a WhatsApp Business Account in 6 Easy Steps!

Are you tired of handling sales and customer inquiries on your personal WhatsApp? It’s time to make the switch from WhatsApp Messenger to WhatsApp Business!

Separating your personal and business accounts gives your business a more professional image, which boosts customers’ trust. Also, WhatsApp Business gives you access to features that make communication with customers much easier, like automated replies.

To help you make the switch, we’ll tell you how to create a WhatsApp business account and what it can do for you.

What is a WhatsApp business account? #

A WhatsApp business account separates your personal and business communications. Instead of using your personal account for both, you can create an account with your business name and use it to contact your customers.

WhatsApp has a separate application for business accounts with features to make customer communications easier. You can download it from your phone’s app store and create an account on it, completely separate from your personal WhatsApp application.

Why create a WhatsApp business account #

Using WhatsApp for business is the right move for small teams, and here’s why:

• Budget-friendly global targeting: Using the WhatsApp Business app, your team can reach customers anywhere around the world at no extra cost.
• Professional business image: Contacting customers from a business account looks more professional, which automatically builds credibility and trust.
• Automated messages: This feature helps your team stay engaged with customers, even if they aren’t available to respond 24/7.
• High open rate: WhatsApp has a 98% message open rate, so using it for business gives you a better shot at high engagement and conversion rates.

How to create an account for your business on WhatsApp: A step-by-step guide #

Here are the steps you need to follow to create a business account on WhatsApp.

1. Download and launch the WhatsApp Business app #

You can download the WhatsApp Business app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, but beware that it has a different logo from the personal WhatsApp messenger.

Once downloaded, launch the WhatsApp Business app.

2. Review the terms and conditions #

WhatsApp will ask you to agree to its terms of service once you launch the application. Review them carefully and click on Agree and Continue when you’re done.

3. Register and verify your phone number #

If you already have a personal WhatsApp account, the app will ask if you wish to migrate that account to the WhatsApp Business app.

Select Use +XXXXX if you want to migrate your existing account or Use a Different Number if you’d prefer to use another number, keeping your personal and WhatsApp business accounts separate.

In this example, we’ll select Use a Different Number:

On the following screen, select your Country, and then enter the phone number you’d like to use. Click Next to verify the phone number and enter the 6-digit code you’ll receive via SMS.

Next, WhatsApp will ask you to give access to your contacts and media. Click Continue or Not Now.

Then, it’ll ask you to restore a backup if you have one on Google Drive. Tap Continue if you do or Cancel if you don’t.

4. Create your WhatsApp Business profile #

Your WhatsApp Business profile is the first thing your customers will see when you contact them, so it needs to look professional. You can add your business name, logo, address, description, and category.

4. Create a product catalog #

A product catalog gives your customers an easy way to browse through the products or services you’re selling. You can create it through ⁝ > Business Tools > Catalogue.

WhatsApp will prompt you to add items to it, and for each item, you’ll need to add its name, price, link, and item code.

If you’re not interested, you can click on Not Now at the bottom of the page.

5. Add more details to your profile #

Now, your WhatsApp Business profile is ready to use, but you can add other details to make it look more professional, like opening hours, an email address, or your business’ website.

To add these details, go to ⁝ > Business Tools > Business Profile

You can customize your opening hours any way you like. For instance, you can choose to be always open, select specific opening hours, or limit your schedule to appointments only.

If you go with selected hours, you can set up a lunch break by adding two sets of hours instead of one. Also, you can choose different opening times for each day.

When you’re done adding these details, click on Save.

Your business profile is now complete, and you can start using WhatsApp’s helpful business features, like automatic greetings and away messages.

6. Set up automatic greetings and away messages #

Automatic WhatsApp greeting messages are a quick and efficient way to greet customers. These messages are sent whenever someone sends you a WhatsApp message for the first time.

Greeting messages don’t have a defined schedule. Meanwhile, away messages are similar to out-of-office messages, and you can set them to have the same schedule in your business profile.

To set them up, go to Settings > Business Tools > Greeting Message

Set the Send greeting message toggle to On. Then, click on the pencil icon to change the message to whatever you like.

You can customize the greeting message further by clicking on Recipients. For instance, you can choose to send this message only to people you don’t know or add specific exceptions.

Now that you’re done with the greeting message, you can set up the away message. Go to Settings > Business Tools > Away Message

Set the Send away message toggle to On, and edit the message as needed.

Next, go to Schedule to set up specific hours for your away messages.

Now, you’re ready to start contacting your customers from your new WhatsApp Business account.

Limitations of using WhatsApp Business app #

While the WhatsApp Business app is useful for small teams, it might be a bit out of depth for scalable businesses, outpaced by the advanced WhatsApp Business API.

• Poor automation features: The WhatsApp Business app doesn’t support many chat automation features that the API supports, like templates and chatbots. There’s also no way to automate workflow and assign customers to specific agents based on customer interactions.
• Basic analytics: While the app provides basic analytics like the number of messages sent, delivered, and read, it doesn’t provide detailed insights into individual agent performance, so you won’t know who to hold accountable if leads drop.
• No integration with CRM: The app doesn’t integrate with CRM platforms, so your team won’t be able to sync conversations or track customer interactions directly in the CRM. Instead, they’ll have to manually shift between the two platforms, which is time-consuming and gives room for human error.
• Tricky deal handovers: Handing over deals on WhatsApp Business can be confusing, as there’s no automatic or smooth way to hand over a customer to sales then to support, and so on. The handover, plus sharing customer history, will have to be manual between different teams.

Conclusion #

Creating an account on the WhatsApp Business app is a great move for small teams, as it’ll give your business a more professional image and help you boost your engagement rates. After signing up, you get access to automated replies, scheduled working hours, and more.

That said, the WhatsApp Business app isn’t very scalable, as it doesn’t support integrations and only allows a limited number of devices. If your team is scaling quickly, the WhatsApp Business API might be a better choice.

Next up, learn more about the difference between the WhatsApp Business app and WhatsApp Business API in our guide!

Frequently Asked Questions #

About the author

Hania Elmessiry

Hania is a content writer with four years of experience, driven by deep passion for writing and reading. She helps B2B companies market their products and boost their sales using one of the most powerful tools of mankind: words. Writing has always been her way of connecting with people, sharing her ideas, and leaving an impact.

@Hania Elmessiry on LinkedIn