Quick start — Be up and running in 5 minutes
This condensed guide takes you from zero to a working WhatsApp AI assistant on your own business number. For detailed instructions, see the dedicated articles linked in each section.
Before you start, make sure you have:
- A valid email address.
- A Facebook account attached to a Meta Business Portfolio (formerly Business Manager). If you don't have one, Meta will offer to create one during the connection.
- A phone number not associated with the consumer WhatsApp app, and able to receive an SMS or a call for verification.
Path overview
Sign-up, guided onboarding, WhatsApp connection, assistant activation, test: everything flows automatically. You have nothing to look for manually — the sign-up wizard takes you from one step to the next.
Step 1 — Create your Reepli account
- Go to dashboard.reepli.ai/register.
- Enter your email address and choose a password of at least 8 characters.
- Click Create my account. A checkbox to opt in to the Reepli newsletter is ticked by default, just below the button — untick it if you wish.
- Open your inbox and click the verification link that Reepli sends you.
Your account starts automatically with a 7-day free trial giving access to the Starter plan's features. No credit card is required.
For more details, see Create your account.
Step 2 — Complete onboarding
After verification, the onboarding wizard opens automatically. It guides you through:
- Your business profile — business type, business name, industry.
- Website (optional) — Reepli extracts services, FAQ and hours to pre-fill your assistant's context.
- Languages — your dashboard language and the assistant's default reply language.
- Calendar (optional) — Google or Outlook connection for appointment booking.
- WhatsApp — see step 3 below.
- Assistant behaviors — selecting the situations to automate from the start.
At any time, you can interrupt onboarding and resume it later from the dashboard.
Step 3 — Connect your WhatsApp Business number
At the WhatsApp step of onboarding (or later from the WhatsApp settings):
- Click Connect with Meta. A Facebook Login window opens — this is the official Meta Embedded Signup procedure.
- Sign in with your personal Facebook account (the one that administers your Business Portfolio).
- Follow the Meta screens: select your Business Portfolio, create or choose a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) and link your phone number.
- Verify the number by SMS or voice call.
- Once the Meta window closes, Reepli automatically imports your pre-approved message templates and switches the connection to Connected status.
You keep ownership of your number and your message templates: everything stays in your Meta Business Portfolio.
For the full procedure, see Connect WhatsApp Business.
Step 4 — Activate your assistant
Reepli isn't a visual builder: the assistant works through pre-written behaviors that you enable or disable in one click.
- Go to the Scenarios page of your dashboard.
- Enable at least the three recommended behaviors:
- Welcome & qualification — first contact, identifying the need.
- Appointment booking — offers a slot when a calendar is connected.
- Appointment reminder D-1 — automatic reminder sent the day before.
- For each behavior, check the details: who it's aimed at, which message template it may use.
Based on the business type provided during onboarding, Reepli automatically enables a selection of relevant behaviors. You can add others at any time.
For details, see Activate your assistant.
Step 5 — Test your assistant
The best way to test: ask a friend to send a WhatsApp message to your business number. The assistant should reply within a few seconds.
- On a third-party phone, open WhatsApp and send a message to your Reepli number, for example: Hi, I'd like an appointment.
- Wait 2 to 5 seconds. The assistant replies following the appropriate behavior.
- On the Reepli side, open the Messages page. The conversation appears in real time with the incoming message and the assistant's reply.
- To take over, click Take over the conversation in the details: the bot pauses on this thread and you're the one replying.
The messages you type from the WhatsApp Business mobile app also appear in your Reepli inbox thanks to Meta coexistence. This is expected: you and the assistant share the same number and the same Inbox.
What's next?
Your basic setup is complete. Here are the useful next steps:
| Action | Article |
|---|---|
| Refine the context the assistant uses to reply | Configure the assistant |
| Discover the interface in detail | Dashboard overview |
| Understand single-operator mode | Single-operator mode |
| Launch a campaign (Pro and above) | WhatsApp campaigns |
| Track your prospects (Pro and above) | Contacts & CRM |
Quick troubleshooting
I'm not receiving the verification email
- Check your spam or junk folder.
- Make sure the address you entered is correct.
- Request a new send from the login page.
- If the problem persists, email [email protected].
The WhatsApp connection fails
- Check that your Business Portfolio is validated on Meta's side.
- Make sure the number you chose isn't already active in consumer WhatsApp or in another WhatsApp Cloud API integration.
- Temporarily disable pop-up blockers: the Meta connection window needs them.
The assistant doesn't reply
- On the Scenarios page, check that at least one customer behavior is enabled.
- In the WhatsApp settings, check that the number's status is Connected and that the Meta quality is High or Medium.
- In the assistant settings, check that you haven't put it on a global pause.
Meta starts new WhatsApp Business accounts at a limit of about 250 unique customer conversations per 24 h. This limit increases automatically as long as your number's quality stays good.