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This guide walks you through onboarding clients to connect a Meta channel using the Zavu dashboard.

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Overview

Partner invitations allow you to:
  • Generate unique invitation links for your clients
  • Let clients connect WhatsApp Business or a Facebook Page themselves
  • Optionally pre-assign a Zavu phone number for WhatsApp invitations
  • Track invitation status and manage multiple clients

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Creating an Invitation

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Step 1: Navigate to Partner Invitations

  1. Log in to your Zavu Dashboard
  2. Select your project from the sidebar
  3. Click on Partner Invitations in the navigation

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Step 2: Create a New Invitation

  1. Click the New Invitation button
  2. Fill in the invitation details:
One invitation connects one channel. To onboard a client on both WhatsApp and Messenger, create one invitation per channel; each produces its own sender.

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Connecting a Facebook Page (Messenger)

Pick Messenger as the connection type. Your client opens the link, authorizes with Facebook, and picks a Page they administer. The Page’s Messenger inbox, including Marketplace chats, is then routed to Zavu. They need admin access to at least one Facebook Page. No phone number is involved, so the phone number options are hidden for this connection type.
A Facebook Page can only be connected to one Zavu project at a time. If your client picks a Page that another project already connected, the newer connection wins and the older one stops receiving messages.

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Step 3: Choose Phone Number Option

You have three options for the WhatsApp phone number:

Client Provides Number

The client will use their own phone number during WhatsApp Business setup. Choose this when your client already has a number they want to use.

Pre-assign Zavu Number

Select a phone number from your account to pre-assign to this invitation. The client will register this number with their WhatsApp Business Account.

WhatsApp Business App

The client connects their existing WhatsApp Business App account. They keep using the app on their phone while also enabling Cloud API messaging.
Pre-assigning a phone number is useful when you want to provision numbers for your clients or when clients don’t have a suitable number for WhatsApp Business.

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WhatsApp Business App Connection (Coexistence)

If your client is already using the WhatsApp Business App on their phone and wants to keep using it while adding Cloud API capabilities, choose the WhatsApp Business App option. This enables coexistence mode where the same phone number works on both:
  • WhatsApp Business App - For personal 1:1 conversations from their phone
  • Cloud API (via Zavu) - For automated messages, broadcasts, and integrations
Coexistence mode has some limitations:
  • Fixed throughput of 80 messages per second
  • Not available in Nigeria and South Africa
  • Maximum 4 linked devices
  • Edit and revoke messages disabled in the app
When your client completes the setup with this option, they can optionally sync their existing message history and contacts into Zavu. Learn more about WhatsApp Business App Connection. After creating the invitation:
  1. Copy the generated invitation link
  2. Send it to your client via email, chat, or any preferred method
  3. The client will use this link to complete the WhatsApp Business setup

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What Your Client Sees

When your client opens the invitation link, they’ll see:
  1. Welcome Page - Shows your company name and setup instructions
  2. Requirements - What they need:
    • A Facebook account with admin access to their business
    • A phone number for WhatsApp (unless pre-assigned)
    • About 5 minutes to complete setup
  3. WhatsApp Setup - They’ll complete Meta’s embedded signup flow:
    • Log in with Facebook
    • Select or create a WhatsApp Business Account
    • Register and verify the phone number
  4. Confirmation - Success message when setup is complete

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Pre-assigned Phone Number Flow

If you pre-assigned a Zavu phone number:
  1. The client sees the phone number on the invitation page
  2. They copy this number during Meta’s signup flow
  3. When prompted for verification, they select Phone Call
  4. Zavu automatically receives the verification code
  5. The code is displayed on the invitation page for the client to enter
When using a pre-assigned number, instruct your client to select “Phone Call” for verification instead of SMS, as this provides the smoothest experience.

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Managing Invitations

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Invitation Statuses

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Actions

From the invitations list, you can:
  • Copy Link - Copy the invitation URL to share with your client
  • Cancel - Invalidate the invitation so it can’t be used
  • Resend - Generate a new link for expired or cancelled invitations

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After Completion

When a client completes the WhatsApp setup:
  1. A new sender is automatically created in your project
  2. The sender has WhatsApp enabled with the registered phone number
  3. The invitation status changes to Completed
  4. You can immediately start sending WhatsApp messages through this sender

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Finding the New Sender

  1. Go to Senders in your dashboard
  2. Look for the sender with the client’s WhatsApp number
  3. The sender ID is also shown in the completed invitation details

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Best Practices

Set Appropriate Expiration

Use shorter expirations (3-7 days) for urgent onboarding. Longer expirations may lead to stale invitations.

Include Client Details

Always fill in the client name and email to easily track and manage invitations.

Pre-assign for Control

Use pre-assigned numbers when you want to manage phone numbers centrally or when clients need number provisioning.

Follow Up

If an invitation is pending for more than a few days, reach out to your client to assist with the setup.

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Troubleshooting

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Client Can’t Complete Setup

Common issues and solutions:

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Invitation Stuck in “In Progress”

If an invitation shows “In Progress” for an extended time:
  1. The client may have started but not completed the setup
  2. Contact the client to check their progress
  3. If needed, cancel and create a new invitation

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Next Steps

API Integration

Automate invitation creation with the API

Send Messages

Start sending WhatsApp messages through your new senders