Connecting WhatsApp Business to Goji

For a great many businesses WhatsApp is customer service. The trouble with running it from a phone is that only one person holds the phone. Connecting WhatsApp Business to Goji puts those conversations in a shared inbox, where your whole team can see them, answer them, and tie them to the order they are about.

What connecting WhatsApp gives you

• A shared inbox. Every incoming message lands in Goji with the customer's number and name, and replies go back through WhatsApp normally.
• Order updates. Confirmations and status changes can be sent on WhatsApp automatically, from the same workspace that holds the order.
• History that survives. Conversations stay with the customer record, so the next person to help them can see what was already discussed.

Before you start

WhatsApp is the most demanding channel to set up, because Meta — not Goji — requires a verified business behind every number:

• A WhatsApp Business account through Meta, with a phone number that is not already active on the ordinary WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app.
• A verified business in Meta Business Manager. Verification is Meta's process and can take a few days.
• Access to the number to receive the confirmation code during setup.

Use a number you are willing to dedicate to this. Moving a number that is already in the consumer app means it stops working there.

How to connect it

1. In Goji, open Channels and choose WhatsApp Business.
2. Sign in with the Facebook account that manages your business.
3. Follow Meta's setup: pick or create the WhatsApp Business account, then pick or add the phone number.
4. Enter the verification code Meta sends to that number.
5. Approve the permissions and return to Goji, where the number appears as a connected channel.

The 24-hour rule, explained

This one causes more confusion than anything else on WhatsApp, and it comes from Meta's policy rather than from us. After a customer messages you, you can reply freely for 24 hours. Outside that window a free-form message will not be delivered; you must send an approved template instead.

That is why order updates use templates: an order confirmation may go out days after the last message, and only a template will arrive. Templates are submitted to Meta for review and usually approved within a day.

If something goes wrong

• The number was rejected. It is probably still registered in the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app. Remove it there first, then try again.
• A message was not delivered. Check whether the last customer message was more than 24 hours ago — if so, only an approved template will reach them.
• Verification is pending. Business verification is Meta's queue, not ours. The connection works once it clears.

Common questions

Can I keep using WhatsApp on my phone for this number? No. A number connected through the business platform is no longer used in the phone apps.

Is there a cost? Meta charges for certain conversation types. Their pricing applies to your business account directly.

Can several staff answer at once? Yes — that is the main reason to connect it. Access follows your team permissions.