WhatsApp opt-in

Definition

A WhatsApp opt-in is a person's explicit agreement to receive messages from a business on WhatsApp. The WhatsApp Business Platform policies require a business to obtain it before sending any business-initiated message, which in practice means any template sent outside a customer service window opened by the client. Meta expects the opt-in to be clear, to name the business and to state that messages will arrive on WhatsApp; it may be collected on a website form, in a branch, over the phone, through a tick box in an application form or inside a conversation. It is separate from the marketing consent required by POPIA, PECR or the GDPR, although brokerages usually collect both at once.

What you need to know

Two layers of rules meet here. Meta enforces opt-in through behaviour: a number that sends templates to people who did not expect them collects blocks and reports, its quality rating drops and its messaging limit can be reduced. The law enforces consent for direct marketing (section 69 of POPIA in South Africa, PECR regulation 22 in the UK, ePrivacy rules in the EU) but generally allows servicing messages about an existing policy on other grounds.

A brokerage therefore tracks two things: a channel opt-in ("you may contact me on WhatsApp about my policies") and a marketing opt-in ("you may send me offers"). In ORIS the WhatsApp Opt-In field on the client record gates every campaign send, and segments can filter on it, so a client without a recorded opt-in is never targeted.

The easiest moment to collect it is onboarding or the first inbound message: the client writes to the brokerage, the 24-hour window opens and the adviser asks whether the client agrees to receive premium notices and documents on this channel. The reply sits in the conversation with a timestamp, which is the proof. Welcome message templates include that question, and the South African setup guide covers the number, opt-in and templates together.

Concrete example

A Windhoek brokerage imports 1,800 clients from its policy administration spreadsheet. Only 400 had ticked the WhatsApp box on the application form, so only those are flagged opt-in. For the rest, the firm adds a line to its next debit-order confirmation letter and asks each client who phones in whether they agree to WhatsApp contact, updating the record with the date and the staff member's name.