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Prerequisites

Some features in PCG MS do not require any prerequisites. However, you can access the full functionality of the website if you have:

  • A valid and active Facebook account: An inactive or newly created Facebook account could be flagged as unusual activity by Meta, potentially resulting in actions such as permanent disabling of your business account.

  • A phone number: that is not linked to either the WhatsApp app or the WhatsApp Business app. If your business already has a phone number linked to WhatsApp's standard or business app and you wish to use it on the platform, you must first delete your WhatsApp account associated with that phone number.

Sign Up for PCG MS

To begin using PCG Marketing Service, start by creating an account. Visit the registration page and enter your business's credentials. You can use your organization's business email for registration. At this stage, there is no interaction with the WhatsApp Business Platform, allowing you to create an account on our platform without needing to input or link your Meta credentials.

Without setting up the WhatsApp Business Platform, only stand-alone features are accessible.

Setting Up PCG MS with WhatsApp Business Platform

To connect your account to WhatsApp, follow the Embedded Sign-up Flow. Successful registration integrates your PCG MS account with the WhatsApp Business Platform, expanding the features to include integrated features.

Communication Mechanism

The way businesses communicate with customers using the WhatsApp Business Platform is slightly different from the conventional apps.

Conversations

Conversations are 24-hour message threads between you and your customers. They are opened and charged when messages you send to customers are delivered. The criteria that determines when a conversation is opened and how it is categorized is explained below. Charges are applied per conversation, not per individual message sent or received. Please notice that these charges are done directly between the business and Meta, PCG MS do not mediate with this aspect.

Customer Service Windows

When a WhatsApp user messages you, a 24-hour timer called a customer service window starts (or refreshes).

All message types, except for template messages, can only be sent to a user when a customer service window is open between you and the user.

Template messages can be sent to a user at any time even if a customer service window is not open, as long as the user has opted-in to receiving messages from you.

Conversation Categories

Conversations are categorized with one of the following categories:

  • Marketing: Enables you to achieve a wide range of goals, from generating awareness to driving sales and retargeting customers. Examples include new product, service, or feature announcements, targeted promotions/offers, and cart abandonment reminders.
  • Service: Enables you to resolve customer inquiries.

Marketing conversations can only be opened with template messages. Service conversations can only be opened with free-form messages. See Opening Conversations below.

Opening Conversations

Conversations are opened when you send a template message or free-form message under the following conditions.

Opt-in & Opt-out

Businesses are required to obtain opt-in before opening conversations with customers outside the 24-hour window. Businesses can obtain opt-in in a multitude of ways, both on and off WhatsApp. Ultimately, we want to help people receive useful, expected information from businesses they want to hear from.
The following are examples of supported opt-in methods:

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

Please notice that opening conversation without opting-in will lead to policy violation that can cause your account to be restricted or disabled. The customer can opt-out from receiving messages by tabbing on an opt-out button created within a template message. The system will automatically disable sending chat messages and templates for customers that opted-out

Marketing Conversations

When you send an approved marketing template to a customer, WhatsApp checks if an open marketing conversation exists between you and the customer. If one exists, no new conversation is opened. If one does not exist, a new marketing conversation is opened, lasting 24 hours.

Service Conversations

A service conversation is opened when a free-form message is delivered to your customer and no open conversation of any category exists between you and the customer.

A customer service window must exist between you and the customer in order to send a free-form message.

Notice: free-form messages are WhatsApp messages that are not a template. Examples: text, image, video,...etc.
Example Scenario
  • Hour 0: You send a marketing template to a customer. No open marketing conversation exists between you and the customer, so a marketing conversation lasting 24 hours is opened.
  • Hour 4: The customer messages you. This opens a customer service window between you and the customer, allowing you to send them free-form messages for the next 24 hours.
  • Hour 5: You send a free-form message to the customer. An open marketing conversation already exists between you and the customer, so a service conversation is not opened.
  • Hour 24: The marketing conversation expires.
  • Hour 25: The 24-hour customer service window is still open, so you send a second free-form message to the customer. No open conversation exists between you and the customer anymore, so a service conversation is opened, lasting 24 hours.
  • Hour 26: The 24-hour customer service window is still open, so you send a third free-form message to the customer. An open service conversation already exists between you and the customer, so a new service conversation is not opened.

As seen above, a service conversation won't open if there's a marketing conversation already opened. However if a service conversation is opened, and you send a marketing template, a marketing conversation opens as well (unless one is already opened). This is the difference between service and marketing conversations in terms of coexistence.
Billing & Charges

When your business messages customers through the WhatsApp Business platform, you will be charged per conversation. Each conversation includes all messages exchanged within a 24-hour period.

To send up to 1,000 service conversations per month (and use all the other integrated features), you must choose and subscribe to one of the plans offered by PCG MS.

After successfully subscribing, you need to set up a payment method in WhatsApp Manager. This setup allows you to initiate and continue conversations even when you exceed the 1,000 service conversation limit. Charges will be applied per conversation according to the prices listed below: