The official WhatsApp Business API and team inbox for businesses across the UK.
Answer customers in London, Manchester, Glasgow or Cardiff from one official WhatsApp number shared by your whole team, with Instagram in the same inbox. Plans are shown in pounds sterling, and Meta’s fees for +44 numbers are easy to estimate before you start.
How UK businesses talk to customers on WhatsApp and Instagram
WhatsApp is the UK’s everyday messaging app. Ofcom’s Online Nation research has repeatedly found it to be the most widely used smartphone app among UK adults online, ahead of the big social networks. So customers expect to message a business the way they message friends: a quick question about stock, a photo of a damaged parcel, a voice note asking whether Saturday at ten is free. Many find the business first on Instagram, then tap the WhatsApp button on the profile or website to finish the conversation.
Most chats are in English, but not all. Shops in Birmingham, Bradford, Leicester or east London regularly receive messages in Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Polish, Romanian or Arabic, and some Welsh customers prefer to write in Welsh. Customers also expect replies outside office hours, especially in the evening and at weekends, and are quick to move on to a competitor when nobody answers.
The sectors that rely on WhatsApp most are easy to recognise on any high street: independent online shops and fashion boutiques, hair and beauty salons, barbers and aesthetics clinics, dental and physiotherapy practices, estate and letting agents, plumbers, electricians and builders sending quotes from site, garages booking MOTs and services, restaurants and takeaways, driving instructors, tutors, gyms and travel agents.
Problems begin when WhatsApp stays on one person’s phone. Chats are lost when that person is on holiday or leaves, two colleagues reply to the same customer, and managers cannot see what was promised. Sending promotions from the WhatsApp Business app or an unofficial bulk tool gets numbers reported and banned, and it can also put the business on the wrong side of UK marketing rules. The official API and a shared inbox put every chat in one place, with a history, an owner and a record.
How UK businesses use BelloSend day to day
Order and dispatch updates for online shops
An independent homeware shop connects its store to BelloSend with the API and webhooks (Max plan). When an order is placed or dispatched, an approved utility template goes out with the order number and delivery day. When the customer replies to ask about a different address, the chat lands in the shared inbox for the team.
Appointment reminders for salons and barbers
A salon in Leeds lets clients pick a treatment, a day and a time in a WhatsApp Flow sent by the chatbot, then sends an approved reminder template the day before. Clients who need to move their booking just reply, and a stylist picks up the conversation with the full history in front of them.
Viewings and enquiries for estate and letting agents
A letting agent answers comments under its Instagram listings privately in a DM, then continues on WhatsApp. A short Flow collects the area, budget and move-in date, and the chat is assigned to the right branch team. Internal notes keep track of viewings, so nobody asks the tenant the same questions twice.
Quotes from tradespeople
A plumbing and heating firm asks customers to send photos and videos of the problem on WhatsApp. The office tags the job, assigns it to an engineer, and sends the quote as a PDF from the inbox. If the customer goes quiet for a few days, an approved follow-up template reopens the conversation.
Black Friday and Christmas campaigns
A fashion retailer imports its opted-in customers by CSV, tags those who agreed to hear about offers, and sends a marketing template for Black Friday, then for the Boxing Day sale (Max plan). Delivery, read and failure figures show what worked, and every reply opens in the inbox for the team or chatbot.
Reminders for dental and aesthetics clinics
A private dental practice sends check-up reminders as utility templates and lets patients confirm or rebook in the chat. Custom roles (Pro and Max) limit what reception staff can open, and the audit history records who changed what. Clinical details stay out of Flows and are handled through the practice’s own systems.
Bookings and questions for restaurants and takeaways
A restaurant in Bristol uses the chatbot to answer the usual questions on WhatsApp and Instagram, from opening hours to allergen information it has written itself, and keeps a member of staff ready for anything else. Table requests for larger groups go to the manager, and Instagram mentions are answered from the same inbox.
After-sales, returns and payment reminders
An electronics retailer routes returns and faulty-item questions through a chatbot that asks for the order number, then hands the chat to an agent. A wholesaler serving cafés sends approved payment reminder templates for overdue invoices, and the team replies to any query from the same number, in the browser or the Android app.
Everything your team needs to work on WhatsApp and Instagram.
BelloSend joins daily customer service, structured outreach and automation without forcing your team to stitch together separate tools.
Shared team inbox
Handle WhatsApp and Instagram conversations together, assign contacts, use quick responses and keep customer context visible.
Instagram comments and mentions
See comments and mentions beside your direct messages and answer each one publicly under the post or privately in a DM.
Campaigns and templates
Manage Meta templates for compliant WhatsApp campaigns to opted-in contacts, and save Instagram templates — cards, buttons and post shares — for replies your team sends every day.
Chatbot and AI
Build chatbot workflows, keywords, AI-assisted contexts and human hand-off paths that answer on WhatsApp and Instagram, each channel with its own instructions.
Contacts and teams
Organize contacts with tags, create teams and control access with roles and granular permissions.
Flows and calling
Create interactive WhatsApp Flows and, when enabled by Meta, manage business calling, IVR and transfers.
Live analytics
Track messages, contacts, sessions, campaigns, agent performance and Meta account insights across both channels.
One conversation history. The right teammate. No lost context.
Give support and sales teams a shared place to answer WhatsApp and Instagram, while assignments, availability and permissions keep work organized.
- WhatsApp and Instagram direct messages in one queue
- Instagram comments and mentions answered in public under the post or privately in a DM
- Contact and message history in one view
- Teams, assignments and agent transfers
- Quick responses and custom actions
Move from approved template to measurable campaign.
Sync WhatsApp templates, segment opted-in contacts and monitor delivery without hiding the operational details your team needs. WhatsApp campaigns reach your opted-in contacts; Instagram campaigns reach the people who messaged you in the last 24 hours, because Instagram never lets a business start the conversation.
- Meta template management and synchronization
- CSV contact imports, tags and targeting
- Delivery, read and failure status visibility
- Saved Instagram templates — cards, buttons and post shares — for replies inside an open conversation
Automate repeatable work without trapping customers.
Use keywords, visual flows, AI contexts and external webhooks on both channels, then transfer the conversation to a person when it matters.
- Visual chatbot and WhatsApp Flow builders
- AI contexts and configurable providers, with separate instructions per channel
- Ice breakers and a persistent menu on your Instagram profile
- Human hand-off, queues and SLA workflows
From your number to a working team in three steps.
BelloSend supports Meta Embedded Signup and manual Cloud API configuration, depending on how your business manages its WhatsApp assets.
Connect your WhatsApp account
Choose eligible Coexistence or Direct Cloud API setup and connect the business assets authorized in Meta.
Prepare your workspace
Invite users, assign roles and teams, sync templates, organize contacts and configure your workflows.
Serve, automate and improve
Handle real conversations, launch compliant campaigns and use live operational data to improve.
Connect securely. Integrate on your terms.
Use official WhatsApp connectivity, scoped API keys and outbound webhooks while keeping each organization, credential and action properly controlled.
Official Meta APIs
Connect through Meta’s WhatsApp Business Platform and Instagram Messaging API, without unofficial routes.
APIs and outbound webhooks
Create scoped API keys and signed event destinations that cover WhatsApp and Instagram, to connect BelloSend with approved business systems.
Protected integration secrets
Access tokens and app secrets are encrypted at rest when stored by the configured production service.
Organization isolation
Accounts, contacts, messages and settings are scoped to the active organization.
Roles and permissions
Use Admin, Manager, Agent or custom roles to grant only the access each person needs.
Audit history
Review changes to key resources and understand who changed operational settings.
Answer from anywhere, on Android.
The same inbox, the same organizations, the same permissions — built as a real Android app rather than a website in a frame. Available now for Android; iOS is coming.
Android 7.0 or newer · free with your BelloSend account · updates itself
A native experience
Swipe, search, record a voice note, send a picture from the camera — at the speed the phone moves, offline-tolerant, with your chats where you left them.
Notifications that arrive
A new customer message rings the phone even when BelloSend is closed, with the message in the shade and a tap straight into that conversation.
Calls, made simple
Take a WhatsApp call on a locked phone the way any call arrives, and place one from a conversation in a tap — speaker, mute and transfer included.
What teams say after switching.
Support leads, campaign managers and admins on what changed day to day.
We had four people answering from one phone and it was a mess. Now I can see who is on what, and the notes stay with the chat when someone hands it over.
Honestly I expected to fight with the setup. First campaign went out in about twenty minutes and I could finally see who actually read it.
Adding an agent takes two minutes and I choose exactly what they can open. That was my main worry before we moved everything over.
One price, everything included
Every plan carries the whole product. What changes is how much of it you need — how many people, numbers and contacts.
Billed monthly or yearly. Change or stop whenever you like.
The UK rules that apply to WhatsApp messaging and marketing
Using the official WhatsApp Business API does not replace UK law. Data protection and electronic marketing rules apply to WhatsApp just as they do to email and text messages. Here is what UK businesses usually need to know.
UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018
Customer names, phone numbers and chat histories are personal data under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, overseen by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). You need a lawful basis for each use of the data, a privacy notice that mentions WhatsApp, sensible retention periods and a way to handle access and deletion requests. Most organisations that process personal data must also pay the ICO data protection fee.
Consent for marketing messages under PECR
The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/2426) set the rules for electronic marketing. The ICO’s guidance says these rules cover texts, social media direct messages and similar stored messages, so treat WhatsApp marketing like a marketing text: individuals, including sole traders, need to have given specific consent, such as ticking an opt-in box. The rules for messaging limited companies and other corporate bodies are less strict.
Soft opt-in, opt-outs and identifying yourself
Under PECR, you may market similar products to existing customers without fresh consent (the soft opt-in) only if you collected their details during a sale or negotiation and gave them a clear chance to opt out then and in every message. You must never hide who is sending the message, must give a valid way to opt out, such as replying STOP, and must keep a do-not-contact list.
Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 amends the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and PECR. Among other changes, it raises the maximum fines for PECR breaches, such as unlawful marketing messages, to the level of UK GDPR fines. Its changes come into force in stages, so check the ICO’s current guidance before you rely on a specific rule.
Sending data outside the UK
WhatsApp messages and the software you use to manage them may involve service providers outside the UK. Under the UK GDPR, a transfer of personal data abroad must rely on UK adequacy regulations, appropriate safeguards such as the International Data Transfer Agreement or the UK Addendum, or a listed exception. Check where each provider processes your data and record your assessment.
Meta’s rules: opt-in, the 24-hour window and templates
Meta’s WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy requires opt-in from each person before you message them, naming your business, and you must honour requests to stop. You can reply freely within 24 hours of a customer’s last message; outside that window you can only send templates Meta has approved. Numbers with many blocks and reports get lower limits or are restricted.
FCA-regulated firms: recording communications
If your firm is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, its rules on recording telephone conversations and electronic communications (SYSC 10A) can apply to client chats about certain investment business, and the FCA has fined firms for using unrecorded messaging apps. Agree with your compliance team which conversations may take place on WhatsApp and how they are kept before you start.
This is general information about UK rules, not legal advice; ask a qualified adviser or the ICO about your own situation.
Questions about BelloSend and the WhatsApp Business API
Is WhatsApp marketing legal in the UK?
Yes, if you follow PECR and the UK GDPR. To send marketing messages to individuals, you need their specific consent, or the soft opt-in for existing customers buying similar products, plus a clear way to opt out in every message. Meta separately requires opt-in that names your business. In BelloSend you can tag contacts who opted in and send campaigns only to them, but your business stays responsible for consent and opt-outs.
Do I need consent just to reply to customers who message me?
No marketing consent is needed to answer a customer who wrote to you first: you can reply freely within the 24-hour customer service window. You still need a lawful basis under the UK GDPR to keep and use their details, and your privacy notice should explain how you use WhatsApp. If you later want to send them offers, get marketing consent or make sure the soft opt-in applies.
Should a small UK business use the WhatsApp Business app or the API?
The free WhatsApp Business app suits one person on one phone and a few linked devices. Once several people answer customers, or you want approved templates, chatbots, campaigns and integrations, the WhatsApp Business API is the better fit. BelloSend connects your number to the API so your whole team can answer from one shared inbox in the browser or the Android app, with Instagram alongside.
How much does Meta charge for messages to UK numbers?
Meta charges per delivered template message, by category and by the recipient’s country. On Meta’s rate card effective 1 October 2026, a marketing message to a +44 number costs USD 0.0635 and a utility or authentication message USD 0.022. Service replies cost the utility rate after 1,000 free per number each month. Meta bills these fees directly; use the free WhatsApp pricing calculator to estimate your monthly total.
Can I pay for BelloSend in pounds?
Plans are shown in pounds sterling on this page, converted at the day’s rate, and you can also view them in US dollars or euros. BelloSend charges one plan price for Growth, Pro or Max, billed monthly or yearly, with no fee per message. For invoicing and payment options, contact the team on WhatsApp or at contact@bellosend.net before you sign up.
Can I keep my existing UK business number?
Yes. You connect the number you already use. If Meta makes it eligible for Coexistence, you keep the WhatsApp Business app on your phone while the same number works in BelloSend, with up to six months of one-to-one chats synced if you choose. With a direct Cloud API setup, the number works only through BelloSend. Meta decides eligibility during onboarding.
Can BelloSend get my business the green tick?
No one can promise it. The badge, now called an Official Business Account, is granted only by Meta. Your business portfolio needs Meta Business Verification, your number needs two-step verification and an approved display name, and you must have been on the WhatsApp Business Platform for at least 30 days. Once your number is connected, you can submit the request in WhatsApp Manager.
Where is my customers’ data handled, and is it secure?
BelloSend uses HTTPS, keeps each organisation’s contacts and messages separate, and encrypts access tokens and app secrets at rest. Roles and the audit history control and record who does what. Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle data. As the business holding your customers’ data, you remain responsible under the UK GDPR, including checking any international transfers.
Can FCA-regulated or healthcare businesses use BelloSend?
Many regulated businesses use WhatsApp for appointment reminders and general enquiries, but sector rules come first. FCA-regulated firms may have to record certain client communications, and clinics should keep clinical details out of chat flows. BelloSend keeps the message history, custom roles and an audit history, but it is not a compliance archive, so check your obligations with your compliance lead.
Which languages does BelloSend support, and who answers support?
The app is available in English, French, Arabic and Spanish, and this website in 52 languages. Your team can reply to customers in any language they write in, and the AI chatbot can be given its own instructions for each channel. Support is free on every plan, answered within 24 hours in English, French or Arabic, with priority for Pro and Max.
Bring your WhatsApp and Instagram operations into one clear workspace.
Give your team the conversations, automation and controls they need without adding another disconnected process.