Checklist before migrating a business WhatsApp to another platform
Checklist for migrating a business's WhatsApp to another platform
Migrating a business's WhatsApp to another platform seems like a tool change, but it's an infrastructure change. If done poorly, you lose conversations, contacts, labels, approved templates, and—most costly—the number's reputation with Meta. This checklist is designed for you to print, check off, and know at each step whether you're on track or need to stop.
It's built for businesses that use the WhatsApp Business app or a platform with Meta's official API, and want to switch to another platform. It doesn't cover migrating a personal number to WhatsApp Business (that's a different process), but it does cover all the steps that are forgotten when the number already has history.
Stage 0: before touching anything, define the scope
Most migrations fail because what's being migrated wasn't defined. A WhatsApp number has three layers: messages, contacts, and configuration. Each layer is migrated differently and with different risks.
- Messages: the conversation history. With the WhatsApp Business app, you can export per chat, but without media. With the official API, the history depends on the platform that stored it: if the previous platform doesn't export it, it's lost.
- Contacts: names, numbers, and labels. The WhatsApp Business app doesn't export contacts natively; you have to do it with an external tool or manually. API platforms usually have CSV export, but they don't always include labels.
- Configuration: away message, greeting, quick replies, labels, approved templates, number of agents, and permissions. This isn't migrated automatically: you have to recreate it on the new platform.
If the previous platform doesn't export messages, assume they're lost. Don't promise your team the history will be there if you haven't verified it before.
Stage 1: inventory of what you have today
Before choosing a new platform, do a complete inventory of what the business uses today. Without this, the migration is done blindly.
- What app or platform is used today? WhatsApp Business app, official API with a platform, or both?
- How many WhatsApp numbers are handled? All on the same account or on separate accounts?
- How many people handle them? Do they have their own profiles or do they share the same number and device?
- What features are actually used? Labels, quick replies, away message, templates, campaigns, statistics.
- What integrations are there? Google Sheets, CRM, appointment systems, payment gateways.
- Is there audio transcription? Is it used? If used, the new platform must have it.
- How many messages are received per day? This defines the plan and capacity of the new platform.
| Item | What to review | Sign that it's OK |
|---|---|---|
| Current app or platform | Identify if it's WhatsApp Business app or official API | You have the name and account type (free or paid) |
| Numbers | List all numbers that are handled | Each number has its owner and purpose documented |
| Team | Number of agents and whether they share devices | You know how many profiles you'll need on the new platform |
| Features used | Labels, quick replies, away message, templates, campaigns | Each used feature has someone responsible for recreating it on the new one |
| Integrations | Sheets, CRM, payments, webhooks | You have the list of active integrations and their configuration |
| Volume | Messages per day, peak hours | You have an estimate of daily messages to choose a plan |
Stage 2: verify that the new platform meets the minimum requirements
Not all platforms that claim to integrate with WhatsApp are the same. Before migrating, verify that the new one meets these minimum requirements. If it fails any, stop: you will lose something you currently have.
- Uses Meta's official WhatsApp API (WhatsApp Cloud API). If it uses an unofficial API (for example, through an automated browser), the number can be banned.
- Allows exporting and importing contacts. If you can't get your contacts out, you're locked into the platform.
- Has multi-agent support. If two or more people handle today, you need each to have their own profile.
- Allows setting an away message and automatic greeting. If not, you lose features you already have.
- Has templates (HSM) and campaigns. If you do bulk sends, this is non-negotiable.
- Allows audio transcription. If you use it today, don't lose it.
- Offers data export. You must be able to get your conversations and contacts out whenever you want.
A platform that doesn't export data is a trap. If you can't leave, don't enter.
Stage 3: prepare the data for migration
Data migration is done in this order: first contacts, then labels, then configuration, and finally messages (if they can be migrated). Do not reverse the order: if messages are migrated before contacts, conversations end up without names.
- 1Export contacts from the current platform. If you use the WhatsApp Business app, export manually or with an external tool. If you use a platform with an API, look for the CSV export option.
- 2Clean contacts: remove duplicates, invalid numbers, and contacts that are not customers (for example, internal numbers).
- 3Define the labels you will use in the new platform. Do not migrate unused labels: that clutters the database.
- 4Export conversations if the platform allows it. If not, document what is lost and notify the team.
- 5Configure the new platform with clean data: contacts, labels, away message, greeting, quick replies, and templates.
- 6Test the new platform with a test number before migrating the real number.
Stage 4: the migration itself — the day of the change
On migration day, make the switch at the time of lowest traffic. Ideally a Tuesday or Wednesday morning, avoiding Mondays (spikes in inquiries) and weekends (less staff to resolve issues).
- Notify the team 48 hours in advance: what will happen, when, and who to contact if something fails.
- Have access to both the previous and new platforms ready. Do not close the previous session until confirming the new one works.
- Disable automatic messages on the previous platform (away, greeting, quick replies) so that two systems do not respond at the same time.
- Activate the new platform and verify it receives messages. Send a test message from another number.
- Verify that contacts have names and labels. If something is missing, fix it before notifying customers.
- Set up the away message on the new platform before the first real message arrives.
- Monitor the first 24 hours: response time, unassigned messages, delivery errors.
| Stage | What is checked | Signal that it is OK |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory | Current app, numbers, team, features, integrations, volume | Complete list with responsible parties per item |
| New platform requirements | Official API, export, multi-agent, away, templates, transcription | Platform meets all requirements or exception documented |
| Data preparation | Clean contacts, defined labels, exported conversations | CSV without duplicates, only used labels |
| Migration | Switch during low-traffic time, team notified, previous platform deactivated | Messages coming into new platform, contacts with names, away active |
| Post-migration | First 24 hours, unassigned messages, errors | No lost messages, team responding normally |
Stage 5: after the migration — what to review in the first 48 hours
The migration does not end when messages come in. The first 48 hours are critical: that is when errors that did not appear in testing show up.
- Check that absence and greeting messages are sent correctly. Ask a trusted customer to write to you and verify the response.
- Check that tags are applied automatically if you had rules configured.
- Verify that templates (HSM) are approved. If a template is rejected, bulk sending fails.
- Check that integrations (Sheets, CRM, payments) still work with the new platform.
- Review the statistics: message volume, response time, unassigned messages. Compare with the previous week.
- Document what was lost in the migration (if anything was lost) and notify the team so they know how to handle it.
What to do when something fails
If something goes wrong, don't panic. The most common problems have known solutions:
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| New messages are not arriving | The previous platform is still active or the new one is not connected | Deactivate the previous one, verify the connection of the new one, restart the session |
| Contacts have no name | CSV imported without the name column or with incorrect format | Reimport the CSV with the correct format, verify that names are in the expected column |
| Tags are not applied | Automatic rules were not configured on the new platform | Recreate the rules, test with a test message |
| Templates are not sent | Template rejected or under review | Check the status in the Meta panel, correct if rejected, wait up to 48 hours if under review |
| The team does not see messages | User permissions misconfigured | Verify that each agent has their profile and permissions, reassign conversations |
| Automatic responses are duplicated | The previous platform still has absence active | Deactivate all automatic messages on the previous one before activating the new one |
If the problem is not in the table, the next step is to verify the connection with the Meta API: the account status, the number, and the webhooks. Most delivery errors are visible there.
What you should never do in a migration
- Do not migrate a number that is in the process of verification with Meta. Wait for it to finish.
- Do not deactivate the previous platform before confirming that the new one receives messages.
- Do not import contacts with dirty data: duplicates and invalid numbers dirty the database forever.
- Do not configure the new platform without testing with a test number.
- Do not notify customers that you changed platforms: they don't care. The only thing they notice is if the response is slower or if a message is lost.
If the migration is done well, customers don't notice anything. If it's done poorly, everyone notices.
Frequently asked questions about WhatsApp migration
Some questions that always come up when planning a migration:
Is the message history lost? It depends on the previous platform. If you export conversations, it can be migrated. If not, it is lost. Check it before migrating, not after.
Does the WhatsApp number change? No. The number is kept, what changes is the platform that manages it. The number cannot be transferred to another Meta account without going through the verification process.
How long does the migration take? Preparation takes days (inventory, data cleaning, configuration). The change itself, if everything is ready, is done in one hour. Do not rush the preparation.
Can you go back? Yes, if the new platform exports data. That is why it is essential that the new platform has export capability. If it does not, do not migrate.
What happens to messages that arrive during the migration? If the change is done during low-traffic hours, the risk is minimal. Set a short away message on the new platform before activating it.