Marichi Talks
Meta's programmable way for a business to send and receive WhatsApp messages at scale, through software rather than a single phone.
The WhatsApp Business API, now formally part of the WhatsApp Business Platform, lets a business connect its WhatsApp number to software instead of a phone. Messages arrive in a shared system, many people can answer them, and messages can be sent automatically from your own tools.
It matters once WhatsApp becomes a real channel for the business rather than a side line. A single phone cannot be shared safely between ten agents, cannot send a payment reminder from your billing system, and cannot run a chatbot at night. The API can do all of that, under Meta's rules: approved templates for messages you start, opt-in from customers, and per-message pricing.
To get started you need a Meta business portfolio, a phone number that is not active on another WhatsApp account, and a provider to connect through. In Marichi Talks you connect your own number through Meta's sign-up, then use the shared inbox, templates, campaigns, Flow Builder and the developer API from one account.
A clinic in Ndola connects its reception number. Appointment reminders go out from its booking system, and three receptionists answer replies from the same inbox.