WhatsApp is the most-used patient channel in many markets. The platform sends every confirmation, reminder, and receipt through it; campaigns broadcast through it; 1:1 conversations route through it. This guide covers how the WhatsApp pipe is wired today and how to keep it healthy.

What you need first#

A WhatsApp Business Account approved by Meta.
A phone number registered with WABA (cannot be used in the regular WhatsApp app).
A verified business profile (display name, logo, address).
Meta Business Manager access for an admin.

If you don't have these yet, the integration guides you through Meta's onboarding. Takes a few business days for Meta approval.

For admins, how WABA is wired today#

Initial setup#

WhatsApp onboarding today is platform-assisted, not self-serve. Your account manager wires the WhatsApp number on your tenant by configuring a sender role (primary, reception, or v2) against either the legacy Unifonic provider or the Meta Cloud API. The choice is a per-role switch. Once flipped, the same sends route through the new provider with no code change.

Self-serve WABA connect via Meta OAuth is on the roadmap. Until it ships, contact your account manager when you want to add or move a WhatsApp number.

Multiple numbers per tenant#

You can run more than one WhatsApp number on the same tenant by splitting them across sender roles. Primary handles general patient sends, reception handles booking-desk replies, v2 handles a second business line. Each role can be on Unifonic or on Meta independently. The system reads the role per send and routes to the right number.

Per-branch number assignment (different branches use different numbers) is not yet wired as a settings knob. If your branches really do have separate numbers, ask the account manager for a sender-role mapping that fits.

Templates. the most important concept#

WhatsApp Business has two windows:

Customer-service window (24h): when a patient sent a message in the last 24 hours, you can reply free-form.
Outside the window: you can ONLY send Meta-approved template messages.

Practical impact:

Booking confirmation, reminders, receipts. all need templates (you initiate, not the patient).
Marketing campaigns. always templates.
1:1 reply when patient just messaged. free-form is OK.

Register a template#

Settings → Integrations → WhatsApp → Templates → + New.
Pick the category (utility