Message limits and Quality rating

Message limits and Quality rating

When you send WhatsApp campaigns to contacts, you need to use associated business phone numbers. There are a few factors to be considered when you choose the phone number you're going to use to send WhatsApp campaigns, including:
  1. Messaging limits
  2. Quality rating

Messaging limits

Messaging limits refer to the maximum number of conversations you've initiated through your WhatsApp Business number with a WhatsApp user during the time frame of 24 hours. This limit is set based on a tier system. All new accounts start at tier 1 once they complete the verification process. From the quality and volume of messages you sent from a number, it will be automatically upgraded to the successive tier. Please note that you'll also be downgraded if a large number of your messages are blocked or reported by the recipients.

In the tier-based system, the message limits will be allotted in the following fashion:
Tier
Message limit per 24 hours

No Tier

You'll belong to this tier if you've registered a fresh number. You'll move to the next tier after you send out your first WhatsApp campaign.
Tier 50
50 unique contacts
Tier 250
250 unique contacts
Tier 1k
1000 unique contacts
Tier 10k
10,000 unique contacts
Tier 100k
100,000 unique contacts
Tier Unlimited
Unlimited contacts

When  you reach the sending limit and try to send further WhatsApp campaigns, WhatsApp will mark your phone number as Restricted and will not let you send messages for the next 24 hours. This restriction is temporary and will be updated after 24 hours.

Upgrade to the next tier

In order to move from the current tier to the next one, the business phone number needs to fulfil the following criteria:
  1. Your phone number is connected to your business account.
  2. Your phone number's quality rating must be Medium or High.
  3. You should have sent messages to twice as many contacts in your current limit within a period of seven days.
When the phone number meets all the above criteria, it will be moved to the next tier in 24 hours.

Quality rating 

Quality rating refers to the dynamic status assigned to WhatsApp phone numbers by WhatsApp (Meta). The status is decided based on how recipients interact with your WhatsApp business messages or campaigns in the last seven days. Each time you try to send a WhatsApp campaign to a unique customer, Meta will check the quality rating of your phone number. If the quality rating of your phone number has been marked as Low for the last seven days, WhatsApp will immediately downgrade your daily messaging limit to the lower tier.
 
The recipient interaction mentioned above can imply any relevant activity ranging from receivers reading the message to them reporting or blocking your message. So, it is best to maintain quality WhatsApp campaigns and conversations with contacts who've given their explicit consent. This can minimize the instances of blocks and reports from the recipients.
 
There are three quality rating statuses:
  1. High quality (Green)
  2. Medium quality (Yellow)
  3. Low quality (Red)
Note:
In case you notice a sudden drop in the quality rating, go through the message templates you've created in the past seven days. The drop could be a result of your contacts reporting or blocking this message template.

  1. When the quality rating of a phone number is at low quality, it will be flagged. Phone numbers that are in the flagged status will not be moved to the next tier for at least seven days.
  2. After seven days, if the number's quality status improves to medium or high, then the number will be kept in the current tier and be marked as Connected.
  3. If there's no improvement in the quality after seven days, the number will be moved to a lower tier and marked as Connected. Either way, a number that has low quality status will not be moved to higher tiers until the quality status improves.

How to check messaging limit and quality rating

You can check the quality rating of the phone numbers in your WhatsApp business account under WhatsApp manager. Additionally, you can check the quality rating of phone numbers in Zoho Marketing Automation by following these steps:
  1. Click the Settings icon in the top-right corner.
    Settings icon
  2. Click WhatsApp under the Marketing Channels.
    WhatsApp
  3. Navigate to the Phone Label and Numbers tab. Check the quality rating column of the required phone number. 
    Quality rating
You can follow the best practices to maintain the quality of your phone numbers.