How to get WhatsApp virtual number

July 4, 2021

Are you looking for ways to get a virtual number? In this guide, we will show you how to get a WhatsApp virtual number for your business step-by-step.

WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging services and allows you to send texts or call anyone who uses the app. Additionally, you can also send and receive voice messages, images, videos, and even make video calls.

WhatsApp has also been successful in promoting users’ businesses and helping them with a dedicated app called WhatsApp Business. This tool is designed to help you connect with your customers and answer their questions. On top of that, it allows you to create a catalog to promote your products and services and automate responses.

To start using this service, you should get a WhatsApp virtual number first, so in this guide, we’ll show how to do it. Before we have a look at the process, let’s understand what a WhatsApp virtual number is and its benefits.

What’s a WhatsApp Virtual Number?

As its name suggests, a WhatsApp virtual number is a phone number that you can use for WhatsApp without the need for a physical SIM card. This means that you can use this number on multiple devices at the same time and have multiple users.

Virtual numbers are widely used in businesses nowadays since you can redirect and forward all the calls and SMS to the correct agent using a single virtual number. And if you use the WhatsApp Business app, it is even more convenient for your business. Let’s see why.

Why Use a Virtual Number for WhatsApp Business?

A WhatsApp virtual number makes it easy to manage your business calls and messages and it doesn’t require a SIM card to use the number on multiple devices. This can be very helpful if you have several employees working for your business and multiple phone numbers for various services.

Apart from being more convenient, having a virtual number is also much cheaper than buying real phone numbers. Once you have a virtual number, you can then use it to create a WhatsApp account without the need for a SIM card. As this number allows you to create many WhatsApp accounts, it’s an excellent alternative for those who want to grow their business internationally.

Another advantage of using a virtual number for your business is that you don’t need to use your personal number or have a dummy phone number. This will help you maintain your privacy and avoid having to manage several dummy phone numbers.

Now that we better understand its benefits, let’s see how you can get a WhatsApp virtual number.

How to get a WhatsApp Virtual Number

The best way to get a WhatsApp virtual number is by using a dedicated service that allows you to create a virtual number. Here are a few services you can use:

1. MessageBird

MessageBird is one of the best omnichannel communication platforms that allow you to buy a virtual number and use it for the social chat accounts for your business. It also has many other products to help you create and test your virtual numbers.

The service provides you with a flow builder that you can use to create automation flows and allows you to unify all the communications from different channels into a single inbox. If you’re looking for excellent service and great value for money, MessageBird is the best option for you.

Key Features

Options to buy multiple virtual numbers for your businesses
Drag and drop flow builder for data automation
One-click video meeting platform with scheduling
Awesome omnichannel customer support and engagement

Price

MessageBird has a free plan with limited features and contacts and three Pro plans that start at 50 USD per month and include 7-day access to a dedicated onboarding channel.

2. blacktel.io

blarctel.io is one of the simplest services that let you get a virtual number for WhatsApp Business. It is very easy to use and set up and has an affordable price for the services it provides.

You can easily get a virtual number, get it verified and use it as a second account for your business. You can also create more than one virtual number and create multiple accounts for your WhatsApp business.

Key Features

Create several accounts in WhatsApp Business using virtual numbers
Virtual phone numbers for two-factor authentication
A mailbox with auto record options by default
Call, text, and SMS verification options

Price

blarctel.io is a premium service. Its price depends on the country where you want to get the number and the type of service you want (calls + SMS, only calls, only SMS, fax, and so on). The price goes from 9€ to 50€ per month plus some extra charges.

Now let’s have a look at how to get a virtual number for WhatsApp using one of these services.

Get a WhatsApp Virtual Number with MessageBird

For this tutorial, we will use MessageBird to get the WhatsApp virtual number because it provides you with a wide range of features and is excellent value for money. Let’s go through the process to create a virtual number.

1. Create a Virtual Number

1.1. Create an Account with MessageBird

To start using MessageBird, you need to subscribe to one of their plans. You can start using it for free but if you want more features you need to subscribe to a premium plan. Then, create a MessageBird account to get started with the plan you have chosen.

1.2. Upgrade your Balance

After that, you’ll be redirected to the MessageBird dashboard and will need to add some balance to your account to get a virtual number. You can claim free credits if you have used the free plan but you can’t use the free test credits to buy virtual numbers.

To buy more balance, click Upgrade on the header menu.

Then, enter the amount you want to add to buy the virtual number. You will need $1 per month to buy a number as mentioned on their pricing page, so choose the amount depending on how many numbers you want to buy. Then, check out the details and fill in the required information.

Finally, select the payment method to confirm your order and purchase it.

1.3. Buy a Virtual Number

Now you can use your balance to purchase a number. Go to the Numbers tab in your MessageBird dashboard and press Buy a number.

You will then need to enter the country of the virtual number that you want to buy. For this tutorial, we will select the United States but you can choose any country. After that, click Search and you will see different virtual numbers for your region. Select the one you like and press Buy.

Then, you will see the order summary on the right side of your screen. If everything is correct, hit Continue to confirm the subscription.

Finally, press Start Subscription and confirm your purchase.

After that, go to the Numbers tab in your MessageBird dashboard and you will see the new virtual number you have just bought.

Now that you have your virtual number, you need to associate it with your real number to get a WhatsApp virtual number.

2. Associate Virtual Number with your Phone Number

To associate the purchased virtual number with your phone number, you’ll have to create a flow using the MessageBird flow builder.

For that, all you need to do is open the Flow Builder tab in the MessageBird dashboard and click Create New Flow. This will provide you with two options: create a custom flow or use a template.

Select Create Custom Flow.

After that, you will need to choose a trigger for your flow. Use the Phone Call trigger and click Next.

You also need to add the virtual number that you purchased earlier by ticking the checkbox next to the virtual number from the options on the right side of your screen and clicking Save.

You can add and link more triggers in the flow builder to make sure that you have a connection with your virtual number.

Click on the ‘+’ sign to add more triggers, search for “Forward Call” and select it.

Again, you will be able to see its options on the right side of your screen and you need to include your real phone number in the Forward to number section.

After that, add the End of flow trigger to complete your flow. Click on the ‘+’ sign once again and add the “End of flow” trigger.

After that, click Simulate to test your call.

Then, click on the call button on Start New Call to simulate a test run for your connection.

If everything goes well you will see that your status appears as successful which means that you can start using your virtual number with WhatsApp Business!

3. Validate WhatsApp Business with the Virtual Number

After you have successfully tested your virtual number, you need to validate it to get the WhatsApp virtual number for your business.

For that, download the WhatsApp Business app to your mobile. You can find it in the Play Store if you use an Android device or in the App Store if you use an iPhone or iPad.

Install it on your phone and link it with your virtual number. Just enter your virtual number and click Next.

Then, enter the WhatsApp Business verification code that will be sent as an SMS to the virtual number.

You can view the SMS from the SMS > SMS Overview tab in your MessageBird dashboard.

Then, add all the necessary details for your business such as the name and category.

After you have added all the other required information for your business, your new WhatsApp Business account will be successfully created with the virtual number.

That’s it! That’s how you get a WhatsApp virtual number and start using it for your business!

Conclusion

In summary, having a virtual number allows you to use multiple devices with the same number using the WhatsApp Business app. On top of that, you can easily use these virtual numbers without an actual phone SIM card.

In this guide, we’ve shown you how to get a WhatsApp virtual number. We have also mentioned a couple of services to create a virtual number for your business. There are several options out there, but in our experience, MessageBird is the best one to get a virtual number.

There are 3 major steps you need to follow to use your virtual number in your WhatsApp Business account with MessageBird:

Create a virtual number
Associate virtual number with your real phone number
Validate WhatsApp Business with the virtual number

If you have followed all the instructions, you should be able to get the WhatsApp virtual number working without any issues.

Additionally, you can use WhatsApp Chat to add a WhatsApp chatbot to your website. We also recommend you have a look at our list of the best WhatsApp chat plugins and our guides to add WhatsApp Chat to WordPress.

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