Overview

Overview

Once your WhatsApp channel has been set up by the onboarding team, the next step is to get the right contacts opted in.

Start by uploading your customer list, then choose the contact onboarding route that matches the consent you hold:

• Upload your customer list
• If you already hold valid WhatsApp marketing consent, import the contacts as opted in
• If the initial WhatsApp contact and consent request are permitted, invite the contacts to confirm their choice
• If initial WhatsApp contact is not permitted, share the public join page through another permitted channel

In ProConnect, customers are the business accounts you sell to. For most wholesalers, that means retailers, stores, or other trade customers.

Contacts are the people using WhatsApp on behalf of those customers. A contact is usually identified by their WhatsApp phone number and can be linked to a customer by customer number.

1. Upload customers

Start by uploading your customer list. This gives ProConnect the customer numbers that contacts can be linked to when they join the channel.

Customer numbers are also called customer references in ProConnect. They are usually the same customer number from your ERP, CRM, accounts system, or B2B Store.

The customer CSV uses:

• REFERENCE: required customer reference or customer number
• NAME: optional customer name, useful for identifying accounts in the admin panel
• Any extra columns: optional customer attributes for segmentation

Customer references are not case-sensitive. If your onboarding team has configured a specific customer-number format, use that format.

Extra columns are saved against each customer and can be used later for segmentation. For example, you might upload a region, depot, price band, or store type. Segmentation is an advanced feature, so you do not need to define every segment before you start onboarding contacts.

When building a segment, you can match customer attributes or paste a specific list of customer references. This makes it easy to create an audience from customer numbers selected in your ERP, CRM, or accounts system without adding a new attribute to the customer import.

Internal staff customer groups and the contacts linked to them are excluded from marketing segment totals and exports, keeping campaign audiences focused on customers.

Campaign audience totals, segment exports, and campaign sends also exclude contacts whose WhatsApp numbers ProConnect identifies as unreachable. This does not opt the contact out: if they later send you a message or another message is delivered, ProConnect automatically includes them again.

2. Choose a contact onboarding route

Import contacts with existing consent

If contacts have already given valid consent to receive WhatsApp marketing from your business, import them with the OPT_IN column set to Y. This creates the contacts, opts them into every company channel, and does not send an invite.

The import preserves existing opt-outs. A blank or negative OPT_IN value leaves consent unchanged; it does not opt a contact out.

Only use automatic opt-in where you hold valid WhatsApp marketing consent for each contact covering every company channel. Your business is responsible for how that consent was collected and recorded.

See Import contacts for the full CSV format and a downloadable sample.

Invite contacts who have not yet consented

An invite asks a contact to confirm whether they want WhatsApp marketing. Before sending one, make sure the contact has already opted in to WhatsApp communications from your business and that the initial message is permitted under applicable law.

An invitation is not a way to create permission for the first business-initiated WhatsApp message. In the UK, asking for marketing consent can itself be direct marketing under PECR.

The quickest route is usually a bulk invite. This works best when you already have WhatsApp-capable phone numbers in your CRM, ERP, SMS list, email marketing platform, or another existing contact source.

The bulk invite CSV includes:

• REFERENCE: the customer reference or customer number
• PHONE: the contact's WhatsApp phone number

Each upload can include up to 250 contacts.

When you upload the file, ProConnect:

• Creates or updates the contact
• Links the contact to the matching customer reference where possible
• Sends the configured WhatsApp invite template
• Records the invite in the invite log

The invite log shows delivery, read, opt-in, opt-out, and customer-matching outcomes.

You can also send a single invite from the same area of the admin panel. Single invites are useful for ad hoc onboarding, but bulk invites are normally the best starting point.

Invite consent flow

The invite template is configured by your onboarding manager and can be adjusted to your requirements.

The standard template asks the contact to confirm whether they want to receive WhatsApp marketing messages. The usual buttons are:

• YES, I’D LIKE TO OPT-IN
• No Thanks, Stop

This invite is a consent request. The contact will not receive future WhatsApp marketing messages unless they choose the positive opt-in option.

If they opt in, they are added to the channel and receive a confirmation response. If they do nothing, they do not receive further marketing messages. If they choose the negative option, their opt-out is recorded.

Meta also requires businesses to follow WhatsApp opt-in requirements and respect opt-outs. Read Consent and opt-in for Meta's guidance, UK GDPR and PECR requirements, record keeping, and recommended consent wording.

Use the join page

Some customers will not have a known WhatsApp phone number, or you may not know the right contact for every account. For those customers, use the public join page.

The join page is a customer-initiated opt-in route. A customer opens the page, enters their customer number if required, enters their WhatsApp phone number, and requests the WhatsApp confirmation flow.

Configure the join screen so it clearly names the business, says that the customer is requesting WhatsApp messages, and describes the message types. Make your privacy information available at or before submission. Submission must be an unambiguous positive action.

Your onboarding manager normally configures the join page URL. It is usually a stable /join/... link based on your channel name or campaign name.

You can share the join page link in:

• The Account page in your B2B Store, where signed-in customers can join with their customer number already filled in
• Customer emails
• Website pages
• Email footers
• Statements and account communications
• Printed flyers
• Trade counters and in-store displays
• QR codes

The admin panel can show the join page link and QR code so it can be copied, shared, downloaded, or printed.

When promoting the join page, explain why customers should join. For example, you might promote exclusive offers, quicker deal updates, new product alerts, order reminders, or a preferred replacement for SMS or email marketing.

Recommended approach

For most wholesalers, the recommended setup is a customer-only channel.

That means contacts join with a customer number and are linked to the customer account they represent. This gives you better reporting, cleaner segmentation, and more useful context for future two-way messaging, requests, automations, and AI-assisted conversations.

Open or semi-open channels are possible, but they should be agreed during onboarding. If you are unsure, keep the channel restricted to known customers.

Best practices

• Upload customers before inviting contacts.
• Use contact imports only when every automatically opted-in contact has already given valid WhatsApp marketing consent.
• Keep evidence showing who consented, when, how, and exactly what they were told.
• Use customer references consistently across customer imports, bulk invites, and join-page instructions.
• Use bulk invites only when the initial business-initiated WhatsApp message is permitted.
• Use the join page and QR code when you do not have phone numbers.
• Tell customers why joining the WhatsApp channel is useful.
• Keep customer numbers attached wherever possible so segmentation and future messaging work well.