BYOK from day one
You bring the WABA, phone number, and credentials. The platform never holds the carrier relationship. If you leave, your number stays yours.
Channel · WhatsApp Cloud API
WhatsApp customer support that routes by meaning
Bring your WhatsApp Business Account. OrcaLinq answers routine messages with AI, hands off valuable conversations to your team, and respects every template, window, and pricing rule Meta enforces.
Why this channel
WhatsApp is where your customers actually message you.
For most non-US teams, WhatsApp is the primary inbound channel for customer questions, support, and pre-sale. OrcaLinq treats it as a first-class semantic PBX channel — not an afterthought next to web chat.
AI-first answering
Routine questions get an answer in seconds. Sonar reads intent, knowledge cites the source, confidence threshold protects against guessing.
Human handoff to any endpoint
When the conversation needs a person, the platform pages the right agent on the endpoint they already use — even if that's not WhatsApp.
Templates and 24-hour windows
Outbound outside the 24-hour window goes through approved templates. The platform tracks approval state and category-based pricing.
Setup
Five steps from zero to live WhatsApp messaging
- 1. Pick or create a Meta Business account. The WABA lives under it.
- 2. Add the WABA and phone number. Verify ownership and complete business verification.
- 3. Create a system user with messaging permissions. Capture the WABA ID, phone number ID, app secret, and verify token.
- 4. Paste credentials into the dashboard. Stored encrypted, never returned, never logged.
- 5. Configure the webhook on Meta. Test delivery; the Podium shows live status and any signature mismatches.
Limitations and tradeoffs
What WhatsApp lets you do — and what it doesn't
These constraints are platform-level. The semantic PBX layer respects them and surfaces them clearly.
WhatsApp Business app conflict
Once a number is on Cloud API, the WhatsApp Business mobile app for that number is deactivated. Plan migration timing.
24-hour customer service window
Free-form replies are allowed within 24 hours of the customer's last message. Outside the window, an approved template is required.
Template categories and pricing
Marketing, utility, and authentication templates have different pricing on Meta. The platform exposes the active category per template.
Country and rate limits
Quality rating, throughput, and country-level rules are enforced by Meta. The platform surfaces health metrics on the Podium.
Security
Signed inbound, encrypted credentials, audited handoff
- X-Hub-Signature-256. Every inbound webhook is verified with the raw body before processing.
- Encrypted credentials. WABA tokens, app secrets, and verify tokens are stored encrypted, never returned in API responses.
- Tenant-scoped media. Media files are downloaded into per-tenant storage and re-uploaded to WhatsApp on outbound.
- Wake audit. Every routing decision, template send, and handoff for every WhatsApp conversation lands in the per-tenant audit trail.
WhatsApp FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA)?
Yes. WhatsApp Cloud API requires a WABA on Meta. The platform is BYOK — you own the WABA and the phone number. The platform connects via your app credentials.
Can I keep using the WhatsApp Business mobile app?
Usually no. Once a number is migrated to WhatsApp Cloud API, the WhatsApp Business app for that number is deactivated. Plan the migration when you're ready to commit.
How does AI answering work on WhatsApp?
Inbound messages are signed and verified. The Sonar intent engine reads the message; if confidence is high and policy allows, AI replies. If not, the conversation is paged to the right human on their preferred endpoint.
What about templates?
Outbound messages outside the 24-hour customer service window require approved templates. The platform tracks template categories, approval state, and pricing tier.
Are media messages supported?
Yes. Inbound media is downloaded to tenant-scoped storage; outbound media is uploaded to WhatsApp via your credentials. Image, document, audio, and video are supported subject to platform rules.
What if my agent isn't on WhatsApp?
Agents pick the endpoint they prefer. A WhatsApp customer can be answered by an agent on Telegram, the PWA, or a custom endpoint. The reply lands on WhatsApp regardless.
Related pages
Keep exploring
See WhatsApp Cloud API run on your own WABA.
Bring a sandbox WABA or a real number you're ready to migrate. We'll wire BYOK live during the demo.