United Telecoms brings direct WhatsApp integration to its omnichannel platform for SA businesses

Johannesburg, 12 Aug 2026<img src="https://justfineinfotech.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/jupN49TiO3Jg7NFOFTtC57jgYqFl3FXOcT6qpiVwtP60I8OukTr7dWI8tHyK6KomGehUO4OszG7xx0FZ5ENePch-XUNnRF9UxEkR.jpg" alt="A United Telecoms contact centre agent manages WhatsApp conversations alongside voice calls and live chat from a single platform.”>
A United Telecoms contact centre agent manages WhatsApp conversations alongside voice calls and live chat from a single platform.

United Telecoms, a South African provider of PBX, VOIP, unified communications and contact centre solutions, has connected its omnichannel contact centre platform directly to Meta’s WhatsApp Business Platform

Businesses can now run WhatsApp messaging without a third-party WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) in the middle; those that prefer to keep an existing BSP, such as 360dialog, can continue to do so

WhatsApp itself isn’t new to United Telecoms’ contact centre platform. Agents have already been able to handle WhatsApp messages alongside voice calls and live chat for some time. What’s changed is how that WhatsApp connection reaches Meta’s servers: directly, rather than through an intermediary provider

Historically, connecting a contact centre to WhatsApp Business has meant routing every message through a third-party BSP sitting between the contact centre and Meta. That extra link in the chain creates a few practical issues for a business:

• If a message fails to send or a delivery status doesn’t update, the issue must first be traced through the BSP and, if the BSP can’t resolve it, escalated to Meta separately, which extends the time it takes to get a fix.
• New features Meta adds to the WhatsApp Business platform, such as new message types or catalogue tools, only become available to a business once its BSP has built support for them, which can lag behind Meta’s own release.
• The BSP is an additional company with access to customer conversations and account data, in addition to the contact centre platform and Meta itself.

United Telecoms has now built a direct connection to the WhatsApp Business platform using Meta’s official API, removing that middle layer for businesses that choose it. Issues can be diagnosed and resolved directly with Meta rather than through a third-party support queue, and new WhatsApp Business Platform features are available as soon as Meta ships them, without waiting for a BSP to catch up

The change is additive, not mandatory: existing BSP integrations continue to work without any changes required. Businesses that want the direct route can set it up themselves, or use a centrally managed connection if they would rather not run their own integration with Meta. A documented set-up guide covers account verification, numbers and message templates either way

“For us, this is mainly about owning the connection end to end,” said Ryan Lumley, Director at United Telecoms. “Fewer intermediaries means fewer things that can go wrong, and more control over how the integration evolves. It’s a change to the infrastructure behind WhatsApp messaging, not to how agents use it day to day.”

Agents still manage WhatsApp customer conversations from the same interface used for voice calls, live chat and SMS, with a single customer record behind each conversation, regardless of channel. Reporting, permissions and CRM integration work the same way as before

“Businesses on our platform still pay their usual subscription and user fees,” said Lumley. “This is about what happens behind the scenes, not a new pricing model.”

The direct connection option is available to businesses on United Telecoms’ omnichannel cloud call centre software. Existing customers can request it through their account manager, and new customers can enquire about it when scoping a contact centre package

Businesses with an existing WhatsApp business account set-up don’t need to change anything unless they choose to move to the direct route

Does this replace our existing WhatsApp Business Solution Provider?

Not necessarily. Businesses using a BSP such as 360dialog can continue to do so; the direct Meta connection is an additional option for using WhatsApp without a third-party provider

Will this change what we pay?

No. Standard United Telecoms subscription and user fees still apply, and any usage-based WhatsApp messaging charges set by Meta are billed at Meta’s rates, regardless of the connection method used

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United Telecoms has provided South African businesses with reliable PBX, VoIP, unified communications and contact centre solutions since 1985, helping organisations modernise their infrastructure through cloud telephony, contact centre technology and AI-powered omnichannel tools

For more information about United Telecoms’ contact centre platform and its direct WhatsApp connection, contact United Telecoms today

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Source: www.itweb.co.za