Getting started with WhatsApp surveys
WhatsApp is a survey delivery channel in AskNicely, alongside SMS and email. When it's set up, your contacts receive a WhatsApp message from your own business number containing a link to your survey.
Before you begin
There are a few things you'll need in place before connecting WhatsApp:
A Meta Business Portfolio: This is the Meta account that will own your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA). If you don't have one yet, set it up at business.facebook.com before starting, it can't be created during the AskNicely setup flow, and Meta's review of a new Portfolio can take some time.
A dedicated phone number: You will need a phone number to send messages from. It can't be a number that's currently active on the regular (consumer) WhatsApp app, it needs to be dedicated to business use. If you don't have one, Meta can generate a number for you during setup (up to two per Business Portfolio).
Opt-in from your recipients: Meta requires that the people you message have given you their phone number and consented to receive WhatsApp messages from you. You're responsible for obtaining and tracking that consent.
How to connect WhatsApp
Open the WhatsApp in AskNicely App Store
In AskNicely, go to Admin → App Store → WhatsApp and click Connect WhatsApp via Meta.
Sign in to Meta
A Meta popup will open. The person completing this step needs to be:
- Logged into a personal Facebook account with admin access to your Meta Business Manager
- Authorised to manage WhatsApp Business Accounts in that Business Manager
Select or create your WhatsApp Business Account
Inside the popup, you can choose an existing WABA or create a new one. You'll need:
- A business display name: this is what your recipients see, so choose carefully. It's harder to change later.
- A business category (e.g. Retail, Hospitality, Financial Services)
Add your phone number
If the WABA already has a phone number associated with it, no extra steps are required.
However, if the WABA doesn't have a phone number, you can:
- Select an existing phone number:
- Add a new number
If you add a new number, you will have to verify it via SMS or voice call OTP. Make sure to complete this step - skipping it is the most common cause of a failed connection.
Approve permissions
The popup will ask you to grant AskNicely permission to send messages on behalf of your business. Click Approve.
Wait for your sender to go ONLINE
Once you've finished the Meta flow, AskNicely sets up your sender in the background. This usually takes 30–90 seconds.
Setting up message templates
WhatsApp doesn't allow businesses to send free-form messages. Every survey you send must use a pre-approved template that Meta has reviewed.
What a template looks like
Templates use named placeholders that get filled in when the message is sent. For example:
Hi {firstname}, thanks for visiting {branch_name}.
Could you take 30 seconds to rate your experience?
Reply STOP to opt out.AskNicely automatically adds the survey link and "Powered by AskNicely" to your messages, you don't need to include those in your template.
Getting your template approved
Templates are submitted to Meta automatically when you create them in AskNicely. Approval typically takes 5-60 minutes, though it can occasionally take up to 48 hours.
We submit all templates under Meta's Utility category, which is the right fit for feedback surveys, is cheaper and has the fastest approval rate.
Tips for getting the Utility template approval:
- Reference the specific interaction you're collecting feedback on (e.g. "your visit to our Auckland location" rather than a generic "your experience")
- Keep the language conversational: avoid all-caps words, exclamation marks, and promotional phrasing
- Include a clear opt-out line: Reply STOP to opt out
- Make sure your display name in the template matches your registered business name
Template statuses
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Draft | Created but not yet submitted, or submission failed. Edit and resubmit. |
| Pending approval | With Meta for review. Don't launch your survey yet, sends will fail. |
| Approved | Ready to use. |
| Rejected | Meta declined it. See tips above, make changes, and resubmit. |
Message and reminder templates
For each survey language, you can set up two templates:
- Initial: the first message sent to your contact
- Reminder: sent automatically 2, 3, 5, or 7 days later if the recipient hasn't responded
Both require separate Meta approval.
How survey sending works
When AskNicely sends a survey to a contact with a phone number, it tries channels in this order:
WhatsApp → SMS → Email
- WhatsApp is tried first if it's connected, the contact's number is in the correct international format, and you have an approved template for their language.
- SMS is used as a fallback if WhatsApp isn't configured, or if the send fails (e.g. the recipient isn't on WhatsApp).
- Email is used if SMS also fails or isn't configured.
AskNicely remembers which contacts aren't on WhatsApp so we don't keep trying for them. Nobody gets missed.
Replies
Recipients can reply to your WhatsApp survey messages. Their replies appear in AskNicely attached to the original survey response, the same way SMS replies work.
A few things to know:
- 24-hour window: After a recipient replies, you can send them free-form messages for the next 24 hours without needing a template. After that, you'll need a template again.
- Opting out: If a recipient replies with STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE, they'll be marked as opted out and won't receive further WhatsApp messages from you via AskNicely.
- Automations still work: Follow-up tasks, admin notifications, and AI actions all trigger on WhatsApp replies just as they do for SMS and email.
Common questions
Will my customers know the message is from me? Yes. Messages come from your registered WhatsApp Business name and phone number. Once your business is Meta-verified, your name will appear with a green checkmark. AskNicely doesn't appear anywhere in the message.
What if a customer isn't on WhatsApp? AskNicely automatically falls back to SMS, then email. We store this information so we don't keep trying WhatsApp for that number.
How long does setup take? Plan for a half-day window end-to-end. The Meta connection takes about 10–15 minutes of your time, and template approval usually completes within an hour (though it can take up to 48 hours in some cases).
Can I have more than one WhatsApp number? Not currently. There's one WhatsApp Business sender per AskNicely account.
Can I use my personal WhatsApp number? No. The number used for WhatsApp Business can't also be active on the consumer WhatsApp app, it needs to be a dedicated business number.
Can I disconnect WhatsApp? Disconnecting is irreversible. Clicking Disconnect will:
- Release your WhatsApp sender registration
- Delete all your approved templates (each one will need to go through Meta review again)
- Delete your message history in Twilio
If you think you might want to reconnect in the future, contact your AskNicely support contact before disconnecting.
Need help?
If something isn't working as expected, reach out to your AskNicely support contact and we will investigate. Below is a list of possible issues that can be easily fixed:
- The WhatsApp option doesn't appear in the AskNicely App Store: the WhatsApp app may not be enabled on your account yet. Reach out to your AskNicely support contact.
- The pop-up opens but closes immediately: your domain may need to be registered in our Meta app; contact support.
- Template stuck on "pending approval" for more than 24 hours: contact support and we can check the status on our end.
- I cannot select my WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) during registration: a WhatsApp Business Account can be linked to only one solution provider at a time. Only WABAs not currently connected to another provider appear in our integration dropdown. If you are connected to another software with your Waba account, consider creating a new WABA.