WhatsApp Number Migration: A How-to Guide

If you're looking to seamlessly migrate your existing WhatsApp phone number to respond.io, you've come to the right place. In this article, we’ll explain the benefits of WhatsApp Business migration to respond.io, as well as the requirements. Finally, you’ll also find a summary of how to carry out the migration of your WhatsApp number.

WhatsApp Number Migration to Respond.io: Benefits

Businesses typically get WhatsApp API access from a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP). There are two types of BSP: Those that just provide access to the WhatsApp API — which doesn’t have an interface — and those that offer the WhatsApp API with a messaging inbox and a variety of features.

When unsatisfied with their current WhatsApp BSP, businesses often migrate their WhatsApp phone number to a new BSP.

Businesses migrate their WhatsApp phone number for a number of reasons, the most popular ones being reliability, pricing and customer support quality. Sometimes, they are looking for a BSP with specific features like flexible integrations, an automation builder or a comprehensive reports module.

Whether you are a WhatsApp Cloud API user or you’re getting WhatsApp API access through a BSP, migrating your WhatsApp phone number to the respond.io WhatsApp Business Platform (API) is the right choice. We discuss why in this section.

Higher Reliability

To provide a satisfactory customer experience, it is essential to choose a BSP with high platform uptime. Because respond.io has been purpose-built to handle high conversation volumes, platform uptime is famously high when compared to other BSPs.

Uninterrupted service ensures that customer-facing agents can give customers get the attention they need.

If your customer messaging platform is frequently down, it will have a negative impact on your customer conversations. For example, you won’t be able to reply to leads immediately, causing them to lose interest in your business.

Additionally, not being able to send essential updates on time can be problematic for customers with pressing issues and can affect your customer retention.

Respond.io WhatsApp Business API is hosted in Meta’s cloud servers. Thanks to that, new WhatsApp updates and features reflect instantly in respond.io and users also enjoy fast message delivery rates.

Now that we have discussed reliability, let’s see how competitive respond.io is in terms of cost.

High-value Proposition

When migrating your WhatsApp phone number to another WhatsApp BSP, choose one that makes the most of your budget. For starters, keep in mind that you’ll also need a WhatsApp API messaging inbox. Respond.io includes an omnichannel inbox for convenience and great value.

Beware of certain WhatsApp BSP pricing practices. Some BSPs act as barely more than brokers, providing little value on top of WhatsApp API access while adding their own charges.

Some of these charges include WhatsApp API setup, hosting or per-message fees. None of these charges apply to respond.io. Businesses will only incur WhatsApp conversation charges.

While pricing is important, you might face blockers when migrating your WhatsApp phone number or using WhatsApp later on if your BSP does not provide proper customer support.

Excellent Customer Support

Understanding WhatsApp API to its fullest is challenging, and it's likely that your company’s teams may encounter situations where they need assistance. To make things smooth, select a WhatsApp BSP with high-quality customer support that can escalate issues directly to Meta on your behalf if necessary.

Respond.io’s customer support is available 24 hours a day, Monday to Friday in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Arabic and simplified Chinese. The respond.io support team has direct access to Meta’s customer support, and can liaise with them on your behalf for more complex issues.

Plus, the Enterprise plan comes with a dedicated customer success manager to help you meet your business goals and ensure you have a smooth WhatsApp API experience. Migrating to another BSP does not have to disrupt your business operations. We explain why in the next point.

WhatsApp Number Migration: Zero Impact on Your Conversations, Workflows and Broadcasts

One of the reasons why businesses are reluctant to migrate their WhatsApp phone numbers is the potential loss of their ongoing conversations, Workflows automation and broadcasts for your WhatsApp marketing campaigns.

This is not an issue for existing respond.io users who are merely switching their WhatsApp BSPs to respond.io. After migrating your phone number to the respond.io WhatsApp Business Platform (API), you can retain any open conversation windows.

For instance, if you had an ongoing conversation with a contact while using WhatsApp 360dialog, the window will remain accessible when you transition to respond.io.

Migrating your number will not reset the 24-hour customer service window, so the remaining time will continue to apply.

Similarly, the WhatsApp broadcasts (or WhatsApp bulk messages) and automation previously configured for your former BSPs will be automatically reconfigured to function with your newly connected respond.io WhatsApp Channel. This applies to BSPs supported by respond.io and any other BSP.

Next, we’ll introduce you to the main features businesses are looking for when migrating to respond.io.

WhatsApp Migration: Advanced Features for WhatsApp Business API

Among others, these are the main reasons why businesses migrate their WhatsApp phone number to respond.io: An omnichannel inbox, automation builder, Reports Module and flexible WhatsApp integrations.

Let’s go through all of them and see how they benefit your business.

Manage Leads from Every Chat App in One Platform

While WhatsApp is widely used globally, your customers probably use other messaging channels such as Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Instagram or traditional channels like SMS and email.

With respond.io’s omnichannel inbox and its ability to recognize returning contacts on any channel, you can consolidate all customer interactions across Channels into a single profile and conversation thread. At the click of a button, agents can even jump quickly into a WhatsApp call to close a deal or assist a customer facing a problem.

Managing many leads from several channels sure can be difficult. That's why respond.io's Lifecycle exists. This feature helps businesses track and manage contacts at every stage of the customer journey, from first interaction to conversion. This way, businesses can close deals faster and enhance customer relationships.

Simplify Operations with an Automation Builder

One of the main advantages of using WhatsApp API is the possibility to build automation to reduce human input on business operations. However, you’ll need to rely on a third-party automation builder, as by default, WhatsApp API does not include one.

With respond.io’s Workflows, you can build WhatsApp API automation to reduce agent load, increase efficiency and minimize human error. Respond.io Workflows are highly customizable and can be used for multiple purposes such as:

• Routing inbound conversations to the right team and assigning them to the right agent based on your preferred logic

• Handling spam messages automatically as they arrive in your inbox

• Sending CSAT surveys to collect customer feedback

• Sending WhatsApp auto reply and schedule messages

And more! To get an easy start on respond.io Workflows, consider using Workflow templates.

Gain Valuable Insights with the Reports Module

Analyzing conversational data is key to better understanding your business’s strengths and shortcomings. With the right analytics tool, you’ll be able to identify areas for improvement and design effective strategies to give customers the best assistance through WhatsApp.

The respond.io Reports Module features nine tabs with metrics, tabs and listings displayed in a user-friendly way. That’s not all: Each tab has its own set of filters for in-depth analyses. Finally, you can download reports as CSV files for later reference.

Integrate with Your Business Software

To manage WhatsApp contacts and conversations at scale, you probably rely on WhatsApp CRMs, data banks and other third-party software designed for medium and large companies. Respond.io facilitates the integration of WhatsApp API with your CRMs of choice.  For a start, you'll find native integrations with Salesforce and Hubspot.

If you’re a Zapier or Make user, know that respond.io also has native integration with both platforms. Use them to integrate respond.io with thousands of apps without coding. Now that you’re familiar with the benefits that respond.io brings as a BSP, let’s see how WhatsApp phone number migration works.

WhatsApp Number Migration to respond.io: How Does it Work?

In this section, we’ll cover three important topics to get you started with WhatsApp phone number migration. We’ll start by explaining what WhatsApp Business Account attributes will be migrated. Then, we’ll cover the migration requirements. Finally, we’ll give you a rundown of the migration process.

WhatsApp Business Migration to Respond.io: What Will Be Migrated?

Migrations don’t happen on a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) level, but a phone number level. If you have two phone numbers under your WhatsApp Business Account, you can migrate just one phone number to respond.io at a time.

To manage all your WhatsApp conversations and accounts in one place, just migrate all phone numbers in your WABA to respond.io.

Besides the WhatsApp phone number, there are some other WhatsApp attributes you can transfer from your current BSP to respond.io WhatsApp Business Platform (API).

These attributes are display name, phone number quality rating, messaging limit, Official Business Account status and approved high-quality message templates. You won’t be able to migrate low-quality, rejected or pending message templates.

The following section is especially important, as we’ll establish the groundwork for a successful migration process.

WhatsApp Business Migration to Respond.io: Prerequisites

To make the migration process as smooth as possible, be aware of the WhatsApp and respond.io requirements before starting.

• Meta Business Manager: You need admin access, a verified business, and an approved WABA and display name.

• Two-Step Verification: Disable it in Meta Business Manager or request your BSP to do so.

• Phone Number Slots: Ensure your respond.io WABA has enough slots or remove an existing number.

• OTP Access: You must have access to the phone number to receive an OTP via SMS or call.

• IVR Registration: If required, register the number through the IVR system.

• Pop-Ups: Allow pop-ups on your browser (see the Chrome guide if needed).

• Same Business Account: Use the same Meta Business Manager account linked to your BSP.

You can migrate your phone number to respond.io WhatsApp Business Platform (API) from any other WhatsApp BSP, regardless of whether it is listed as a WhatsApp Channel on respond.io.

While you also need a WhatsApp Business Account connected to respond.io, you’ll have the choice to create one during the migration process. If you don’t own one, just make sure you don’t skip that step to guarantee a successful migration.

If you meet these requirements, you can migrate your WhatsApp phone number to respond.io WhatsApp Business API in minutes.

WhatsApp Business Migration to Respond.io Step by Step

Step 1: Start Migration

Go to Workspace Settings > Channels > WhatsApp Business Platform (API) > Connect. Choose to connect a new or existing WhatsApp API account, then click Get Started.

Click Migrate With Facebook, log in, and grant permissions to manage your WhatsApp Business Account.

Step 2: Connect Facebook & Select WABA

Sign in to Facebook and link or create a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) under respond.io. Enter your business details (creating a new WABA is recommended to avoid issues).

Step 3: Enter Your Phone Number

Input your phone number in E164 format with the country code. Select SMS or call to receive the OTP for verification. If migrating from another BSP, a notice will appear before proceeding.

Step 4: Verify Phone Number

Enter the OTP received via SMS or call to verify ownership. Click Next > Finish to complete verification.

Step 5: Finalize Migration

Select the Phone Number to connect. Choose the previous provider/channel. Click Save to complete the process.

For additional information, visit respond.io’s Help Center to get a detailed guide on how to migrate your WhatsApp phone number.

That’s all you need to know about WhatsApp phone number migration to respond.io. If you don’t have a WhatsApp API account yet, try respond.io for free and get a WhatsApp API account in minutes.

Further Reading

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• WhatsApp Broadcast vs Group: A Comparison for Business

• 4 respond.io Alternatives to Consider

• Social Commerce Platform: A Guide for Businesses