How to Ace WhatsApp’s New Opt-In Rules and Engage Customers Like a Pro

The November 2024 update to WhatsApp’s Business Messaging Policy introduces key changes that require businesses to obtain explicit opt-in permission from customers before messaging them on WhatsApp. This opt-in must clearly indicate the business name and communication intent, and businesses must comply with local laws when collecting customer phone numbers and obtaining consent. In this guide, we’ll dive into these changes, explain how they impact your messaging strategies, and provide tips to ensure your campaigns are compliant, engaging, and successful.

Think of opt-in as your customer’s thumbs-up to stay in touch. It’s more than a formality—it’s the foundation for building trust and ensuring your messages are welcome. WhatsApp now requires businesses to:

1. Collect the customer’s phone number.
2. Get their explicit permission to receive messages or calls from your business.

This means you can’t just send messages to anyone—only those who’ve given you the go-ahead.It’s not just about compliance; it’s about creating a positive experience for your audience.

Ensuring compliance with WhatsApp’s policies is critical to maintaining your account and building trust with your customers. Here’s what you need to do:

Keep It Clear: Make sure customers know exactly what they’re signing up for. Transparency is key to avoiding confusion or complaints.

Say Who You Are: Clearly mention your business name during the opt-in process so customers know who’s reaching out.

Follow the Rules: Different countries have different laws, so your opt-in methods need to align with local regulations.

It is up to businesses to determine the method of opt-in, ensuring it complies with applicable laws. As long as the opt-in method meets the necessary requirements, it will be policy-compliant. Supported methods include:

• SMS
• Website
• By phone (using an interactive voice response (IVR) flow)
• In person or on paper (customers can sign a physical document to opt in)

This flexibility means that brands can obtain opt-ins outside of chat, creating more opportunities to connect with customers across various channels.

To create a seamless opt-in experience and maintain high-quality interactions, follow these tips:

Set Clear Expectations: Tell users what types of messages they’ll receive—such as order updates, special offers, or recommendations—and offer opt-ins for specific categories to ensure relevance.

Provide Flexible Options: Let customers choose the message types they want, reducing unwanted communication and the risk of being blocked.

Simplify Opt-Outs: Make opting out easy with clear instructions, and always honor these requests to build trust.

Streamline the Process: Ensure both opt-in and opt-out flows are smooth and intuitive, enhancing user engagement.

Show the Value: Highlight the benefits of opting in, such as exclusive deals, important updates, or personalized offers, to encourage participation.

Monitor Feedback and Quality: Track engagement, feedback, and quality ratings to ensure your messages are appreciated and relevant. Regularly refine message templates and approaches based on insights.

Stay Relevant: Focus on sending meaningful updates like delivery notifications, appointment reminders, or tailored offers—avoid content that serves only your convenience.

By focusing on value, relevance, and user-friendliness, you can foster trust and maintain positive engagement on WhatsApp.

WhatsApp introduces template pacing to ensure quality control for both marketing and utility templates to ensure your content is engaging. Here’s how it works:

Pilot Testing & Feedback: Messages are first sent to a small test group, and based on positive or negative feedback, the campaign either proceeds or is paused for adjustments.

Applicability & API Updates: Template pacing applies to new templates, previously paused templates, or those without a GREEN quality rating, with API responses indicating if messages are sent or held for quality assessment.

Time-Sensitive Safeguards: Internal mechanisms ensure that high-throughput campaigns are delivered within an hour in 99% of cases, while incorporating metrics like read rates to improve overall content quality.

This approach helps businesses refine campaigns, avoid low-quality content reaching a wider audience, and maintain user trust.

At AiChat, we understand how challenging it can be to stay on top of ever-changing policies. That’s why we’re here to help. From creating seamless opt-in processes to tracking the performance of your messages, we’ve got the tools and expertise to make your campaigns compliant, effective, and engaging. Let’s work together to turn these policy updates into an opportunity. With AiChat, you’ll build trust, boost engagement, and connect with your customers like never before. Ready to get started? Let’s chat!