Question 1

What is the difference between the WhatsApp Business app and the WhatsApp Business Platform?

Accepted Answer

The free WhatsApp Business app runs on one phone and is fine for an owner replying personally. The WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) is the version businesses integrate with: several agents on one number, automation, store and CRM connections, and template messaging at scale. A number can live on one or the other, not both, so we plan that switch before touching the number you already advertise.

Question 2

Can we upload a purchased contact list and send a campaign to it?

Accepted Answer

No, and we will not build it. WhatsApp requires an opt-in from each recipient, collected somewhere they clearly agreed to hear from your business by name, and unsolicited bulk sending is the fastest route to a blocked number and a restricted Business Manager. The list that actually earns money is one you grew yourself from checkout, the website, ads and existing customers.

Question 3

What is the 24-hour window, and when are approved templates required?

Accepted Answer

When a customer messages you, a 24-hour customer service window opens in which you can reply freely, including images and documents. Outside that window you may only send a message template that Meta approved in advance. That is why the template set is designed during the build rather than improvised after the first missed reply.

Question 4

How long does template approval take and why do templates get rejected?

Accepted Answer

Approval is often minutes to a day, but rejections are common for templates that read as vague marketing, contain placeholder-only content, or are filed under the wrong category. We write templates with the variable structure and category — marketing, utility or authentication — that match their real purpose, and resubmit with corrections when Meta pushes back.

Question 5

What does running WhatsApp actually cost?

Accepted Answer

There are two costs: what Meta charges for messaging, priced by message category and the recipient's country, and the build and maintenance on our side. Meta has revised this pricing model more than once, so we check the current rates for your markets and estimate a monthly range from your real volume before you commit. Customer-initiated service conversations are the cheap part; marketing templates are the expensive part.

Question 6

Can you get us the green verified badge?

Accepted Answer

No agency can promise it. The green tick marks an Official Business Account and Meta grants it based on how notable and widely referenced your brand is; it cannot be purchased, and it is separate from the business verification required to send at scale. We complete display name and business verification properly, which is what actually unlocks messaging, and treat the badge as a maybe.

Question 7

Can we keep our current phone number?

Accepted Answer

Usually yes. If that number is currently on the WhatsApp Business app, its chat history and app access do not carry over to the Cloud API, so we plan the migration with you before anything is registered. Some clients keep the familiar number for the API and move personal chats elsewhere; a landline or a fresh number can also be registered if you prefer to keep the two separate.

Question 8

How does WhatsApp connect to our online store?

Accepted Answer

Through webhooks and your store's API. Order confirmations, shipping updates and cart reminders are triggered by store events, and incoming questions can be answered with live product, stock and order data. We work on ikas today for exactly this, and the same pattern applies to Shopify, WooCommerce or a custom back end.

Question 9

Can AI answer customers instead of our team?

Accepted Answer

For a large share of repeat questions — price, stock, delivery time, order status, opening hours — yes, and that is the agent we are building for ikas stores. It answers from your catalogue and knowledge base rather than improvising, and hands over to a person the moment it meets a complaint, a refund or anything it cannot verify. You keep a per-channel switch to turn the AI off.

Question 10

What happens if our quality rating drops?

Accepted Answer

Meta scores your number from user feedback such as blocks and reports, and lowers your daily messaging limit tier when quality falls. The practical remedy is fewer and better-targeted marketing templates, a visible opt-out in every campaign, and utility messages people genuinely want. We monitor the rating in Business Manager and pull sending back before a limit becomes a restriction.

Question 11

How long does setup take?

Accepted Answer

A working Cloud API setup with verification, a first template set and store notifications is typically two to four weeks. Business verification is the least predictable step because it depends on Meta's review of your documents. Campaign segmentation and the AI agent usually run as a second phase once real conversations are flowing.

Question 12

Who owns the number, the account and the data?

Accepted Answer

You do. The WhatsApp Business Account and the phone number sit inside your Meta Business Manager with us added as a partner, so our access can be removed at any time without you losing the asset. Conversation history and consent records live in your systems, and we hand over documentation for both at the end of the engagement.

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