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MotherBot
Getting Started

Quick Start Guide

Get your WhatsApp Business account connected and send your first message in under 10 minutes.

Prerequisites

  • A Meta Business Manager account (business.facebook.com)
  • A phone number for WhatsApp. It can be a new number, one moving from another provider, or one you already use on the WhatsApp Business app — choose “Use my WhatsApp Business app number” when connecting and you keep using the app on your phone too. One thing doesn’t work on a WhatsApp Business app number: WhatsApp calls. Meta only allows calls on numbers connected to WhatsApp Cloud API, so if you want to call customers or take their calls, connect a number that isn’t on the app. A number on regular (personal) WhatsApp can’t be used until it’s removed from there.
  • Your MotherBot account — sign up at the registration page
  • A payment method on your WhatsApp Business Account in Meta Business Suite — Meta bills message charges to it directly

What you pay for, and to whom

Your MotherBot plan pays for MotherBot. Three other kinds of cost are billed to you directly by the company that provides them. None of them are in a MotherBot plan price, and MotherBot doesn’t resell or mark up any of them.

  • WhatsApp messages — Meta. Meta charges for each delivered template message, at rates that vary by country and category, and bills the payment method on your WhatsApp Business Account. Since 1 October 2026 Meta also charges for replies within 24 hours of a customer’s last message (service messages): the first 1,000 each calendar month on each WhatsApp number are free, then each reply costs ₹0.115 in India. Utility templates sent inside that 24 hours are charged too. Without a valid payment method, Meta stops delivering your replies. WhatsApp calls your business places are charged ₹0.389 per 6-second pulse, only once the customer answers — a 20-second call is 4 pulses (₹1.556), a 50-second call is 9 pulses (₹3.501). Calls customers make to you are free.
  • AI — your AI provider. AI replies, the agent copilot, knowledge bases and the other AI features use your own API key from a provider such as OpenAI, Google Gemini or Anthropic. That provider bills you for every use, at its own rates.
  • Other apps and channels — each service. Shopify, Zoho, Razorpay, Shiprocket, SMS, RCS and email providers and every other integration connect to your own account with that service. Their subscription, usage, per-message and transaction fees are billed by them.

Step 1 — Create your Organization

1

Sign up or log in

Go to /auth/signup and create your account. During onboarding you name your organization and choose a subscription plan.
2

Complete your profile

Fill in your business name and timezone. These settings configure analytics defaults and campaign scheduling behaviour.

Step 2 — Connect WhatsApp Business API

1

Get your API credentials from Meta

In Meta Business Manager, go to WhatsApp → API Setup. Copy your:
  • Phone Number ID
  • WhatsApp Business Account ID (WABA ID)
  • Permanent Access Token (generate one in System Users or from the API Setup page)
2

Add the account in MotherBot

In your dashboard go to Settings → WhatsApp Accounts → Add Account. Paste your Phone Number ID, WABA ID, and Access Token. Click Connect MotherBot validates the credentials immediately.
3

Configure the webhook in Meta

After connecting, MotherBot shows your unique webhook URL and verify token. In Meta Business Manager go to Configuration → Webhooks, enter these values, and subscribe to the messages field.
4

Verify the connection

Send a WhatsApp message to your Business number from a personal phone. It should appear in Dashboard → Messages within a few seconds.

Warning

WhatsApp Business API cannot send messages to users who haven't messaged you in the last 24 hours unless you use an approved Template. See the Templates docs for details.

Moving from another provider

Your approved templates belong to your WhatsApp Business Account at Meta, not to the provider you used before, so they come with you.

  • Same account. If you connect the same WhatsApp Business Account you used before, its templates appear on your Templates page automatically within a minute of connecting.
  • Asked for a PIN? Your previous provider probably set a two-step verification PIN on the number. The number shows Not finished connecting with an Enter PIN button. Ask them for the PIN, or turn two-step verification off for the number in WhatsApp Manager and enter any new 6-digit PIN.
  • New account. If your number moved to a new WhatsApp Business Account, open Templates → Copy from Another Account to copy your approved templates across. Both accounts must belong to the same Meta business.
  • Contacts. Export them from your previous provider as a CSV and import them in the next step. Chat history stays with the previous provider.

Stop using the WhatsApp Business app on your number

If your number is connected with Use my WhatsApp Business app number and you want it on WhatsApp Cloud API only — for example, to use WhatsApp calls — move it across like this. Your chats and contacts already in MotherBot stay where they are.

  • 1. Back up the app first. The chats on your phone are removed from the app in step 3. Export any you want to keep.
  • 2. Disconnect the app from MotherBot. In the WhatsApp Business app, open Settings → Account → Business Platform and tap Disconnect. The number shows as Disconnected in MotherBot. Until step 4, nothing can be sent or received in MotherBot.
  • 3. Take the number off the app. In the WhatsApp Business app, open Settings → Account → Delete account for this number. A number that’s still on the app can’t be connected to Cloud API on its own. This only removes the number from the app on your phone. Your WhatsApp Business Account in Meta Business Suite — which holds your templates — stays. Don’t delete that account.
  • 4. Connect it again the normal way. In MotherBot, open the WhatsApp Accounts screen, click Connect Account, then Continue with Facebook — not Use my WhatsApp Business app number. Use the same Meta business and WhatsApp Business Account, and enter the code Meta sends by text message or phone call. The number then works on WhatsApp Cloud API only, and calls can be switched on in its settings.

Note

Use the same WhatsApp Business Account so your templates, contacts and chat history stay on the same number in MotherBot. If you pick a different account, the number is added as a new one — copy your approved templates across with Templates → Copy from Another Account (both accounts must be in the same Meta business).

Step 3 — Import your contacts

1

Prepare a CSV

Create a CSV with at least a phone column. Optional columns: name, email, tags, and any custom field columns you've defined.
phone,name,email,tags
+12125551234,John Smith,john@acme.com,"vip,enterprise"
+447911123456,Emma Jones,emma@co.uk,"trial"
2

Import

Go to Contacts → Import CSV and upload your file. MotherBot deduplicates by phone number — existing contacts are updated, not duplicated.

Step 4 — Send your first message

1

Navigate to Messages

Open Dashboard → Messages. Click New Conversation and enter a contact's number in international format (e.g. +12125551234).
2

Choose a template or reply

For a new contact (no 24h session open), select an approved template. If you recently received a message from them, you can type a free-form reply directly.
3

Send

Your message is delivered via the WhatsApp Business API. The status updates to Delivered (two grey ticks) and then Read (two blue ticks) as the recipient interacts.

Step 5 — Invite your team

  • Go to Settings → Staff Members → Invite.
  • Enter the team member's email and assign a role: Admin or Agent.
  • They receive an invitation email and can log in immediately.
  • Agents can access Messages, Contacts, and Live Chat. Admins have full access including Settings.
  • Admins can restrict specific permissions per staff member for fine-grained control.

Step 6 — Define custom contact fields

If your business needs to track extra data per contact (company name, account tier, invoice number, etc.):
  • Go to Contacts → Custom Fields.
  • Define labels for up to 10 fields (cf1–cf10).
  • These fields appear in the Add/Edit contact forms and CSV import/export.
  • Use them as broadcast template variables or in chatbot messages automatically.

Tip

You can connect multiple WhatsApp numbers under one organization — useful for different departments or regions. Each number gets its own inbox and can have separate chatbots and campaigns.

Next

Team Access