WhatsApp Business Account and Official Business Account

Overall description

Business Account

Business accounts that have not completed enterprise certification

If the WhatsApp account is a business account, the display name will only appear in small text in the contact view; all other views will show the phone number (unless the account is a business verified account, in which case the business display name will appear, see Business verification). Help customers learn more about your business by filling out your business information, including your business website, address, and business hours.

A business account that has completed enterprise certification

For select regions, all existing and new companies that have completed company verification and display name review will have their company name displayed in chat conversation titles, conversation lists, and personal information starting October 18, 2022. If users have saved their company phone number to their contacts, the name from their contacts will always be displayed.

This feature is in beta testing and is available to companies in Indonesia, Mexico, and Colombia, and it will take some time before it is rolled out globally.

Official business account

If the WhatsApp account is an official business account, a blue check mark will appear next to the display name in the contact view.

WhatsApp has confirmed that a real and well-known brand owns this account.

WhatsApp Official Business Account (OBA) criteria are based on many factors and are different from other platforms' policies. In addition to complying with the WhatsApp Business Policy and Business Policy below, businesses also need to meet the following conditions:

Well-known: represents well-known companies, brands or entities with high search frequency

Certified: Verified by the company

Set up two-factor authentication (2FA): Two-step verification has been set up.

WhatsApp Official Business Account (OBA) application steps

Prerequisites

If the WhatsApp account is an official business account, a blue check mark will appear next to the display name in the contact view.

WhatsApp has confirmed that a real and well-known brand owns this account.

WhatsApp Official Business Account (OBA) criteria are based on many factors. In addition to complying with the following WhatsApp Business Policy and Business Policy, businesses also need to meet the following conditions:

(1) Popularity: represents well-known companies, brands or entities with high search frequency

(2) Certified: has passed company verification, i.e. enterprise certification

(3) Set up two-step verification (2FA): Two-step verification has been set up

Procedure

Log in to https://business.facebook.com/ with a BM administrator account to perform related operations

Step 1: Enable two-step verification

1) Enable two-factor authentication

Operation path: [Business Settings]---[Security Center]---[Two-factor Verification]---[Manage Personal Settings]---Enable Two-factor Verification

There are two common ways to do two-factor authentication: SMS verification or identity verification app. You can choose one of the two. It is recommended to choose identity verification app as it is less likely to cause problems.

Note: The authentication application generally uses [Google Authenticator], which can be downloaded on a mobile phone.

2) Set up two-step verification

Contact NX service personnel, make corresponding settings in the system, and enable two-step verification.

Step 2: Submit OBA application

Please note that you need to complete company verification and display name approval before applying for OBA

1) Provide relevant information to NX personnel

(1) Company website: Generally enter the website provided during registration

(2) Country/Region of Operation:

(3) Supporting links: articles, blog posts or independent reviews that show that your company is well-known and recognized by consumers. It cannot be: company website, Facebook or Instagram homepage, software download page, and paid or promoted content. This is the most important content and basis for OBA certification review.

Additional notes:

(1) You need to submit 5 supporting links (especially from well-known publications such as India Today, Economic Times, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Wikipedia, Business Insider, etc.) to prove that the company is a well-known company, which will help Meta determine its popularity.

(2) Fields such as country of business operations, parent company or brand (especially well-known brands), and preferred language can help further understand your brand and your eligibility to use OBA

(3) It is best to have links released in different periods, because the meta will also take into account local popularity, and newly released links may also be considered as a factor affecting popularity.

Notability Description:

(1) The awareness requirement is that the company represents a well-known brand or entity with a high search frequency.

(2) Popularity also reflects how often a company appears in online news articles. Meta evaluates a profile based on how often an account appears in news articles in electronic publications with a large audience. Paid or promoted content is not reviewed as a news source, including company or app directories.

2) Application rejection explanation

(1) The application is rejected, which means that the account does not meet the OBA application requirements and cannot be appealed.

(2) The company can continue to expand its own reputation and resubmit an official business account application after 30 days.

(3) The rejection of the application will not affect the existing WhatsApp information and capabilities.