Don't Get Cut Off: Understanding Messaging Limits on WhatsApp Business

Don't Get Cut Off: Understanding Messaging Limits on WhatsApp Business

WhatsApp Business has become a powerful tool for businesses to connect and engage with customers. But unlike traditional social media platforms, WhatsApp enforces messaging limits to ensure a positive user experience. These limits prevent companies from bombarding users with unsolicited messages and ensure a more natural, conversation-driven approach. This blog post delves into the world of WhatsApp Business messaging limits, how they work, and how you can potentially increase them to reach a wider audience. ‍

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Starting Out: Limits for New Businesses

When you first start using WhatsApp Business, your messaging limits might feel restrictive. If your business isn't verified yet and your phone number lacks a "connected status" and approved display name, you'll be limited to initiating a maximum of 250 conversations within a 24-hour period. This ensures a gradual ramp-up and helps prevent overwhelming new users with unsolicited messages.

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The Perks of Verification: Higher Limits and Growth Potential

Once your business goes through the verification process and your phone number receives a "connected status" along with an approved display name, you unlock the potential for significantly higher messaging limits. WhatsApp uses a tiered system, allowing verified businesses to initiate conversations with a greater number of unique customers per day. However, this doesn't mean you automatically get the highest tier.

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The Road to Higher Limits: Maintaining a Good Reputation

Think of your messaging limit as a score you can improve over time. WhatsApp considers three key factors when determining whether to increase your limit:

• Connected Phone Number Status: This seems obvious, but your phone number needs to be actively connected within the WhatsApp Business platform to be eligible for higher limits.
• Phone Number Quality Rating: WhatsApp assigns quality ratings (low, medium, or high) to phone numbers based on user feedback. Maintaining a "medium" or "high" rating is crucial for unlocking higher conversation limits. A low rating might keep you capped at the base level of 250 conversations, even if you meet the other criteria.
• Recent Conversation History: WhatsApp also analyzes your recent activity. To qualify for a limit increase, you must have initiated conversations with a minimum number of unique customers in the past 7 days. This minimum number is calculated by dividing your current limit in half. For instance, if your current limit is 1,000 conversations per day, you'll need to have initiated at least 500 unique conversations (half of 1,000) in the last week to be considered for an upgrade.

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The Benefits of Reaching Higher Tiers:

By consistently meeting these criteria, your messaging limit will automatically increase to the next tier within 24 hours. This gradual increase ensures responsible use of the platform and prevents spammy behavior. Reaching higher tiers translates to reaching a wider audience and potentially generating more leads and sales.

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Keeping Tabs on Your Limit:

Wondering where you stand? You can easily check your current messaging limit within the WhatsApp Business Manager. Navigate to the Overview Dashboard and select the "Insights" tab. A panel will be displayed showcasing your limit, but only if it's higher than the default 250 conversations per day.

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Reaching Your Limit and Bouncing Back:

Don't worry if you reach your messaging limit for the day. Conversations naturally end as customers respond or after a 24-hour period of inactivity. These "closed" conversations free up slots for you to initiate new ones. Think of it as a queue – once someone leaves the line, another customer can take their place.

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A Note on Low Quality Ratings:

If your phone number quality rating dips to "low," even if you meet the other criteria for a limit increase, your messaging might remain capped at 250 conversations. In such cases, you have two options: wait for your rating to improve through positive customer interactions or submit a support ticket requesting a messaging tier upgrade. However, keep in mind that approval for such requests is not guaranteed.

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Keeping Your WhatsApp Business Quality Rating High: Avoiding a Limit Drop

Remember your WhatsApp Business quality rating? Think of it as a trust score that reflects how users perceive your messages. If your rating dips into "flagged" territory for seven consecutive days, there's a consequence: your messaging limit will automatically decrease by one level. Let's break down how to avoid this potential limitation.

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Understanding Your Quality Rating:

As mentioned earlier, your quality rating is a dynamic score based on user feedback over the past seven days. Here's a quick refresher on what shapes this score:

• User Feedback: Actions like blocking your number, reporting messages as spam, and the reasons users provide for blocking you all weigh heavily on your rating. A surge in negative feedback can trigger a quality rating decline.
• Positive Engagement: On the flip side, positive interactions and continued conversations with users can improve your rating.

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Where to Find Your Quality Rating:

The location of your quality rating, business phone number status, and messaging limits remains the same – navigate to the "Account tools" section within WhatsApp Business Manager and select the "Phone numbers" tab.

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Avoiding a Limit Drop:

Here are some key actions to prevent your quality rating from falling into "flagged" status and consequently causing a messaging limit decrease:

• Prioritize Policy Compliance: Double-check that all your messages adhere to the official WhatsApp Business Policy and Commerce Policy. Following these guidelines ensures a respectful and appropriate communication style with users.
• Respect User Opt-Ins: It's crucial to only send messages to users who have explicitly opted-in to receive them from your business. Avoid unsolicited communication.
• Personalization is Key: Craft messages that are relevant and valuable to individual users. Generic welcome messages with a lack of personalization can negatively impact your rating.
• Find the Right Balance: Don't overwhelm users with excessive messages. Maintain a moderate sending frequency and ensure informational messages are clear and concise.

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By following these practices, you can cultivate positive user interactions, safeguard your quality rating, and ensure you can continue reaching a wider audience on WhatsApp Business.