Create a WhatsApp chatbot with a new phone number
A WhatsApp chatbot runs on a business phone number that you register on the WhatsApp Business Platform. It replies to customers automatically, sends campaigns and notifications, and helps your team manage conversations from one place.
For example, an online store can use a WhatsApp chatbot to confirm orders, answer delivery questions around the clock, and hand the conversation over to a team member when a customer requests it.
Let's talk about what you need to get started, how to create a WhatsApp chatbot with a new phone number, how to subscribe to your chatbot as its owner, and how to fix errors in the connection wizard.
Benefits and use cases
With a WhatsApp chatbot, you can:
- Reply to messages 24/7 and send campaigns, event announcements, and updates using message templates.
- Personalize conversations by adding subscriber data to messages and using the Filter element to split flows by variables, subscriber countries, or subscription sources.
- Run flows using triggers, for example, when a user messages you for the first time or places an order through your WhatsApp catalog.
- Integrate ChatGPT or other AI tools to answer open-ended questions, and use the AI Agent element to guide the conversation.
- Send API requests to your system from the flow, retrieve data, and reply accordingly.
Here’s how businesses can use a WhatsApp chatbot:
- An online store can send delivery updates and answer questions about returns automatically.
- A beauty salon can help customers book, reschedule, and cancel appointments in a flow and send reminders a day before the visit.
- A language school can answer questions about courses and prices, collect applications, and route leads to a team member in Conversations.
Getting started
A WhatsApp chatbot in SendPulse relies on multiple Meta objects. It helps to know what they are, since you'll need them to verify your business, add a payment method, or fix errors in Meta Business Suite or WhatsApp Manager. The connection wizard sets them up for you:
| Facebook account | Your personal Meta account that you use to log in to the wizard. |
| Meta Business Portfolio | Your company's profile in Meta that owns your business assets, such as Pages, ad accounts, and WhatsApp Business Accounts. In the wizard, you can select an existing portfolio or create a new one. |
| WhatsApp Business account | The account in your portfolio that stores your business phone numbers, message templates, and billing details. The wizard creates it for you. |
| Business phone number | The number your chatbot uses and customers see in the chat. The wizard registers it on the WhatsApp Business Platform. |
You can connect a phone number to SendPulse in three ways, depending on where the number is registered now:
| Connection type | Best for | Where to learn more |
| New phone number | Phone numbers without a WhatsApp account, or numbers whose account you're ready to delete along with the chat history. | This article |
| WhatsApp Business app number connected through Coexistence | Phone numbers already used in the WhatsApp Business app when your team wants to keep the app and chat history. | Create a WhatsApp chatbot through Coexistence |
| Migration from another provider | Phone numbers registered on the WhatsApp Business Platform with another provider. | Switch to SendPulse from other WhatsApp providers |
Here's what you need before you open the connection wizard:
| A Facebook account with access to your Meta Business Portfolio | You'll use this account to log in to the wizard. If you don't have a Meta Business Portfolio, you can create one in the wizard. |
| A phone number without a WhatsApp account |
The phone number is not registered in the consumer WhatsApp app or the WhatsApp Business app, and no other WhatsApp provider uses it. Read more: Prepare your phone number before connecting. |
| Access to the phone number during setup | Meta verifies the phone number with a code sent by SMS or a voice call. Keep the phone with the SIM card next to you. |
| A display name for your chatbot | The name customers see in the chat. Come up with a name that complies with the WhatsApp Business Policy. |
| A desktop browser | Meta's connection wizard opens in a pop-up window, so allow pop-ups for SendPulse. On mobile browsers, especially Safari on iOS, the wizard often fails to complete. |
With an unverified Meta Business Portfolio, you can register up to two phone numbers and send business-initiated messages to 250 unique customers per phone number within a rolling 24-hour period. To lift the limits, verify your business in Meta. Read more: Verify a business in Facebook Business Manager and Manage a WhatsApp chatbot without Facebook business verification.
Start the connection wizard
To start the setup, go to the Chatbots section in your SendPulse account. If you haven't connected any messaging channels yet, click Connect. If you already have connected chatbots, go to Manage bots and click Connect next to WhatsApp.
In the WhatsApp section, go to the Connect own number tab, accept the terms, and click Continue with Facebook.
If another WhatsApp provider has already registered your phone number, go to the Migrate tab instead. Read more: Switch to SendPulse from other WhatsApp providers.
Log in to the Facebook account that manages your Meta Business Portfolio or the account you'll use to create it.
Meta's connection wizard will appear. Click Continue.
Add your phone number
On the setup type screen, the wizard offers two options: connect your existing WhatsApp Business app number or register a new phone number.
Select Enter a new phone number, enter your phone number, and click Next.
To test the chatbot before your business phone number is ready, select Use a display name with a virtual number instead. Meta issues a test number with the +1 country code and the 555 area code, then verifies it automatically. A business can claim up to two of these numbers, and the option appears only for eligible businesses.
If your phone number works in the WhatsApp Business app and you want to keep using it, select your connected phone number instead and follow the steps outlined in Create a WhatsApp chatbot through Coexistence.
Choose how to receive the verification code. Select SMS for a mobile number, or voice call for a landline, toll-free, or VoIP number. Make sure the number accepts international SMS and calls, and that no automated phone menu answers the verification call.
Once you register your phone number on the WhatsApp Business Platform, you can chat with customers from it only in SendPulse. The number will no longer work in the consumer WhatsApp app or the WhatsApp Business app, and you won't see your previous chat history.
If the number is still registered in a WhatsApp app, delete the account first, wait up to three minutes, and start the wizard again. Read more: Get your phone number ready for connection.
Once you select and verify your number, click Next.
Select your Meta Business Portfolio
After the number, the wizard asks which Meta assets you’d like to share with SendPulse. You can select assets your company already has or create new ones on this screen.
| Asset | Description | What to select |
| Business portfolio | Your business in Meta. It manages your business assets, including Pages, ad accounts, and WhatsApp Business Accounts. | Your company's portfolio. If you don't have one, create it here and enter your company's legal name, phone number, website link, and email address. |
| WhatsApp Business account | An account within your portfolio that includes your business phone numbers, message templates, and billing. | Create a WhatsApp Business account or select an existing account. |
| Ad Account | A Meta asset that stores your advertising settings and payment details, including for click-to-WhatsApp ads. | Create a new ad account or select an existing one |
To speed things up, we recommend that you verify your business in Meta before you connect WhatsApp. The verification process depends on your business's country. You can check the verification status in the Security Center of your business settings. Read more: Verify a business in Facebook Business Manager.
Once you select, click Next.
Set up your WhatsApp business profile
Customers see your WhatsApp business profile in the chat with your chatbot. Enter business information for new assets:
| Category | The category that best describes your business. |
| Country | The country your business operates from. |
| Website |
Your company's website link, up to 512 characters. Meta checks the link as you type it. You can create a website or bio link page with SendPulse. |
| Ad currency | The currency of the new ad account. |
Your company name and the green check mark appear in the chat only for Official Business Accounts. Meta usually grants this status to well-known brands. If your account doesn't have it, customers see your phone number in the chat and in your profile.
Read more: Edit your WhatsApp Business profile.
Click Show more options to see the remaining fields, then click Next to close the wizard.
In the next window, check all the information you added and click Confirm.
Complete the connection
Once your account is set up, the wizard connects it to SendPulse. This may take a few moments.
If you run into connection errors at this step, see Troubleshoot WhatsApp connection errors.
Afterward, you’ll see Your account is connected to SendPulse and the list of assets the wizard created. Click Continue to feature setup.
Meta opens WhatsApp Manager > Setup guidance with the Connecting phone number to SendPulse task, which takes about a minute.
Then, return to the SendPulse tab and click Set up chatbot in the notification.
Subscribe to your WhatsApp chatbot
To test your WhatsApp chatbot, add your own WhatsApp account as the chatbot owner. To do this, click Set owner.
Then, follow the steps on the screen:
- Log in to your personal WhatsApp account on your mobile app.
- Point your phone camera at the QR code and open the link. WhatsApp starts a chat with the code pasted into the message field.
- Send the message with this code.
The code changes every time you reload the page, so make sure you send the latest one. This confirms that you're the owner of the chatbot.
If everything is set up correctly, the chatbot sends you the Welcome message flow, and the Owner label appears next to your contact in the chatbot audience in SendPulse.
Build your chatbot flows
The Welcome message, Standard reply, and Unsubscribe from flows are available by default. You can also create your own triggers and flows.
Plan the key conversations your chatbot should support, then build dedicated flows with the flow builder elements. Branch flows based on user behavior with the Button, Filter, and AI Agent elements. You can also generate flows with AI or apply ready-made flow templates that match your goals.
Once you set up your chatbot and its flows, add chatbot links to your website or pop-ups.
Track your chatbot's performance in your account statistics and in chats with subscribers to analyze the user journey and improve it.
Read more: Create a chatbot flow, Create a WhatsApp campaign, Grow your audience.
Last Updated: 09.10.2025
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