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Onboarding

The onboarding wizard is the main entry point for new WhatGHL clients. It walks you through the minimum setup so your agency can start using WhatsApp with GoHighLevel.

What you will set up​

By the end of onboarding you should have:

  • Your user profile confirmed in WhatGHL.
  • Your GoHighLevel agency authorized and linked.
  • One or more locations imported as sub-accounts in WhatGHL.
  • WhatGHL selected as the conversation provider in GHL for each location that will use WhatsApp.

Without agency linking and conversation provider selection, messages will not route correctly between GHL and WhatsApp.

Step 1: Your profile​

Confirm or complete your name and email. This identifies your account in the dashboard and on notifications your organization may send.

Step 2: Connect GoHighLevel and import locations​

Here you link your GHL agency through the official authorization flow:

  1. Click Connect or Start authorization.
  2. A pop-up window from GoHighLevel opens. If nothing appears, your browser may be blocking pop-ups — allow them for the WhatGHL site and try again.
  3. Sign in to GHL and accept the permissions the app requests.
  4. When the connection succeeds, you should see agency information in WhatGHL.

Import locations (sub-accounts)​

If the wizard offers it, you will see a list of locations available in your agency:

  • Select the locations you want to use with WhatsApp.
  • Confirm the import.
  • Imported locations appear under Sub Accounts, ready for sessions, AI, billing, and other per-location settings.

You can import more locations later from Sub Accounts or Agencies, depending on what your account allows.

Agency linking and location import​

Connect your GHL agency, complete OAuth authorization, and import locations as sub-accounts in WhatGHL.

Step 3: Select conversation provider in GHL​

After locations are imported, each location that will send or receive WhatsApp must use WhatGHL as the conversation provider in GoHighLevel (SMS channel).

Why this matters: GHL decides which integration handles SMS/WhatsApp traffic. If WhatGHL is not selected, inbound and outbound messages will not reach your WhatsApp sessions.

What to do:

  1. Open the location’s settings in GoHighLevel (or use the button in WhatGHL if the sub-account shows SMS provider pending).
  2. Go to the SMS / conversation provider area.
  3. Select WhatGHL (or the WhatGHL provider name shown in your account).
  4. Save and, if GHL asks for it, complete any verification step.

Conversation provider selection​

In GoHighLevel, choose WhatGHL as the conversation provider so messages route to your linked WhatsApp sessions.

Step 4: Ready​

When the wizard finishes, your account is marked as set up. You can open Sub Accounts, pick a location, and continue with daily configuration.

If something does not work​

  • Pop-up blocked: allow pop-ups for the WhatGHL domain and restart the authorization step.
  • Insufficient GHL permissions: your GHL user must be allowed to install or authorize apps for the agency. Ask your agency admin if the connect button fails or permissions are denied.
  • Agency linked but no locations: complete import when the wizard offers it, or manage locations from Sub Accounts later.
  • SMS provider still pending: open GHL configuration from the sub-account warning and select WhatGHL as provider (Step 3).

After onboarding​

Next taskWhere to go
Create and link your first WhatsApp numberSessions
Show or hide WhatGHL in GHL’s sidebar menuEmbedded use in GHL
Translation, voice, routing, billing per locationSub-accounts (tabs in each location)

Post-onboarding agency actions (unlink/relink OAuth, embedded onboarding settings, Stripe billing) are managed from Agencies when your role allows it.

  • Introduction — what WhatGHL does and how this documentation is organized.
  • Sessions — first WhatsApp session and QR pairing.