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Setting up the WhatsApp integration

  • premium tool
  • recruiting

Best for: Messaging candidates over WhatsApp

Features: WhatsApp becomes the priority candidate messaging channel, with automatic SMS fallback and rich text formatting in the message editor

Support: Meta Business Help Center

Workable supports WhatsApp as a candidate messaging channel, alongside SMS. Once you connect a WhatsApp Business Account, WhatsApp becomes the priority channel for messaging candidates — it's attempted first for every message, with SMS used automatically as a fallback for candidates who aren't on WhatsApp. This article covers how to set up the integration. Once connected, learn how to message candidates and manage your account in Using the WhatsApp integration.

 

Plan eligibility

WhatsApp messaging follows the same plan rules as Workable Texting, so you can message candidates on either channel without a separate purchase or limit.

  • Trial, Premier, and Enterprise plans: WhatsApp conversations are unlimited, the same as SMS.
  • Standard plan with the texting add-on: The add-on now covers both channels, so WhatsApp is unlimited with no separate purchase needed.
  • Standard plan without the add-on: WhatsApp uses the same free, limited-access conversation count as SMS today. The remaining-conversations count shown next to the send action reflects combined SMS and WhatsApp usage.

 

Before you begin - Prerequisites

Before starting the setup process in Workable, make sure you have the following in place:

  1. A Meta Business Portfolio. Instructions on creating one are available here.
  2. A verified Meta Business Portfolio (strongly recommended). WhatsApp works without verification, but with significant limitations. Instructions for business verification are available here and can take up to 14 days. You can check your verification status under Meta Settings > Business info > Business verification status.
  3. Full administrative permissions for the associated Meta Business Portfolio. The Workable admin completing the integration needs full admin access — this can be checked under the member permissions in the Meta Business Portfolio settings. Limited permissions will lead to setup issues.

Limitations for unverified accounts: An unverified Meta Business Portfolio comes with some limitations. 

  • Candidates see the assigned phone number as the sender instead of your company display name
  • Your account is limited to 2 concurrent job-candidate conversations instead of 20.
  • Meta caps the account at 250 business-initiated messages per 24-hour period. 

Read more about Meta's messaging limits for unverified accounts.

 

Connecting WhatsApp to your account

Once your prerequisites are ready, you can start the integration:

  1. Go to Settings > Integrations > Apps.
  2. Locate the WhatsApp integration and start the setup flow by selecting Add WhatsApp. This opens Meta's onboarding flow, embedded in Workable, where you will also be requested to log in with your Meta credentials.
  3. Select your existing verified Meta Business Portfolio. The flow also allows creating a new one, but this isn't recommended — use your existing portfolio instead.
     
  4. Create a new WhatsApp Business Account. ❗Don't select an existing WhatsApp Business Account, as this causes integration errors.
  • Workable provides a dedicated phone number for your WhatsApp Business Account, so you don't need to provide your own. This number is assigned from Workable's messaging partner, Twilio, and serves as the sender ID candidates see. Any references to Twilio you may notice during setup relate to this phone number assignment behind the scenes — there's no separate Twilio account or billing relationship for you to manage.
  • Your WhatsApp display name — the sender name candidates see when they receive a message — defaults to your Workable account name. This is different from the WhatsApp Business Account name you enter during the Meta onboarding flow.

If a step in the onboarding flow fails, select Retry to try that step again.

 

What happens after you complete the onboarding flow

Completing the Meta onboarding flow doesn't make WhatsApp immediately available for messaging. A few system checks run automatically in the background, and there's nothing you need to do to speed them up:

  • Phone number registration: the phone number assigned to your account is submitted to Meta for approval and registered for WhatsApp messaging.
  • Display name approval: your display name is submitted to Meta for approval and must comply with Meta's display name guidelines. If Meta rejects it, the integration won't become available.
  • Opener templates approval: Meta requires every business-initiated WhatsApp conversation to start with a pre-approved template message. Workable automatically submits its standard templates for approval, in English and every language enabled in your Language Kit.

The integration is only complete once all of these checks pass. You can monitor the integration status in your settings — the status indicator appears grey right after onboarding and turns green once every check succeeds. This typically takes about 24 hours, though it can occasionally take longer.

 

Note: If the status indicator stays grey for more than 24 hours, or turns red, we will be notified to investigate and take appropriate action. Messaging continues as normal via SMS in the meantime.

 

Warming up your account

Meta continuously scores every WhatsApp Business Account based on how recipients react to its messages. Blocks, reports, and negative responses lower your account's quality rating, which can lead Meta to pause your messages or reduce your messaging limits. Many of these issues can't be fixed after the fact, so it's important to avoid them from the start.

New WhatsApp Business Accounts start with a low messaging limit that Meta raises progressively based on your sending volume and quality. To avoid issues in the first days after connecting:

  • Start with individual or small-batch messages, prioritizing applied candidates — they expect to hear from you and are unlikely to report the message.
  • Avoid large bulk sends to sourced candidates in the first days after the integration completes, and scale up your outreach volume gradually.
  • Verify your Meta Business Portfolio before scaling — unverified accounts are capped at 250 messages per 24-hour period.

Once your account is connected and warmed up, see Using the WhatsApp integration to learn how candidate messaging, consent, and account management work.

 

FAQs

Can I use my existing WhatsApp Business Account or phone number?

No. You need to create a new WhatsApp Business Account during setup — selecting an existing one causes integration errors. Workable provisions and manages a dedicated phone number for you, so you don't need to provide your own.