How to Set Up WhatsApp Business, Step by Step

Build a profile that builds trust

The profile is the part most businesses rush, and it is the part customers actually see. Your business name and category are what show in search and at the top of every chat, even before someone saves your number, so make them match the name on your storefront and receipts. Add the logo, a one-line description of what you do, and your real opening hours so customers know when to expect a reply.

Fill in the address, email and website too. None of it is required to send a message, but a complete, consistent profile is what makes a stranger comfortable enough to write the first one, and it is the same business information Meta checks if you later apply for the green verification badge.

How to get the WhatsApp green tick

Turn on the tools that answer for you

The free app already does more than chat. A product catalog lets customers browse items, prices and photos without leaving the conversation. A greeting message welcomes anyone who writes for the first time, and an away message sets expectations when you are closed, so silence never reads as being ignored.

Save quick replies for the questions you answer ten times a day, like price lists, directions or opening hours, and recall them with a short shortcut. Use labels to sort chats into new lead, paid, follow-up, and your own categories, so nothing slips. Set these up once and a single person can handle a surprising amount of volume before needing anything more.

Your options when one phone is not enough

There is no single "right" setup, only the one that fits where you are. If one person comfortably handles the volume, the free app is the whole answer and you can stop here. The decision point arrives when several people need to answer the same number, or you want automation, saved templates and reporting the app does not offer.

You have three honest paths from there. Stay on the app and accept its limits. Or keep this exact number and add a shared inbox on top through Coexistence: a Meta feature where the WhatsApp Business app and the Cloud API run on the same number at once, so your team gains assignment, automation and reporting while the app keeps working for one-to-one chats, recent chats stay in sync, and your history is not wiped. Or, if you want a brand-new dedicated line or never plan to use the app, start fresh on the full Cloud API instead. marv.Inbox connects you through Coexistence by default, and the same inbox also handles Messenger, so you are not locked to one channel.

How WhatsApp Coexistence works