The WhatsApp Business
platform, in plain words.
Every term you will meet setting up WhatsApp for your business, defined without the jargon.
Glossary
Terms worth
knowing.
- WhatsApp Business Platform
- Meta's official way for businesses to message at scale over the WhatsApp Cloud API, separate from the free WhatsApp Business app.
- WhatsApp Cloud API
- The Meta-hosted API that sends and receives WhatsApp messages. WBIZ runs on it, so there is no unofficial gateway in between.
- WABA
- WhatsApp Business Account. The Meta account that holds your phone numbers, templates and messaging limits.
- Phone number ID
- The identifier Meta gives each registered WhatsApp number, used when you send through the API.
- BSP
- Business Solution Provider. A company that helps businesses onto the WhatsApp Business Platform. WBIZ connects you through Meta's own signup.
- Message template
- A pre-approved message format used to start conversations outside the 24 hour window. Also called an HSM.
- Template category
- How Meta classifies a template: marketing, utility or authentication. Category affects pricing and rules.
- Session message
- A free-form reply you can send within 24 hours of a customer's last message, without a template.
- 24 hour service window
- The period after a customer messages you when you can reply freely. After it closes you need an approved template.
- Conversation
- Meta's unit of billing. A 24 hour thread of messages between you and a customer, priced by category.
- Opt-in
- A customer's agreement to receive your WhatsApp messages. Required before you message them, and you should keep a record of it.
- Opt-out
- A customer's request to stop receiving messages. You must honour it, and WBIZ can stop pending sends on opt-out keywords.
- Green tick
- The official business account badge Meta grants after verification. It signals a genuine, verified brand.
- Quality rating
- Meta's health score for your number, based on how customers react to your messages. Low quality can cut your messaging limit.
- Messaging limit
- The number of business-initiated conversations you can start in a day. It rises as your quality and volume hold up.
- Webhook
- An HTTP callback Meta or WBIZ sends your server when something happens, like a delivered message or an inbound reply.
- WhatsApp Flow
- A multi-step form or journey that runs inside a chat, for bookings, lead capture and more.
- Click to WhatsApp ad
- A Facebook or Instagram ad that opens a WhatsApp chat with your business instead of a landing page.
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