# Design a WhatsApp calling journey

Prepare calling eligibility, permission, routing, context and follow-up.

## Prerequisites

A WhatsApp sender eligible for the intended call direction, an approved voice route and a team or supported voice application.

## 1. Define the call purpose

Choose the customer task and decide when a call is more useful than chat. Keep WhatsApp calling distinct from ordinary telephone voice in the deployment plan, routing and charging model.

## 2. Prepare permission and eligibility

Review the sender country, account eligibility and current requirements for incoming or business-initiated calls. Obtain the applicable permission before an outbound call. Messaging consent alone is not universal calling permission.

## 3. Connect the voice route

Route the call to the supported team, SIP or WebRTC application and define service availability. WhatsApp Business Calling must not be bridged to the public telephone network. Do not implement a transfer by simply forwarding the call to a PSTN number.

## 4. Prepare AI and human handoff

Give the chosen voice runtime the approved knowledge and authorized actions for the task. Carry the conversation goal and attempted steps into a human handoff. Apply identity checks before sensitive information or account changes.

## 5. Record the result

Rehearse incoming, permitted outbound, declined, missed and interrupted calls. Record the actual business action and send an eligible follow-up. Review the deployment’s recording, retention and disclosure requirements with the responsible owner.

## Troubleshooting

When a call cannot start, check the actual sender eligibility, permission and configured route before retrying. A successful chat send does not prove that voice is enabled. Use the connected calling product’s published API rather than assuming ordinary telephone parameters also place a WhatsApp call.

## Next steps

- [Explore the related WhatsApp capability](/products/whatsapp/calling).
- [Find all WhatsApp guides and explained answers](/products/whatsapp/resources).
- [Prepare your first complete exchange](/products/whatsapp/getting-started).

## Related resources

- [Connecting WhatsApp to Bird: from buying a number to a live channel](/learn/whatsapp/connecting-whatsapp-to-bird) (video)
- [What is the 24-hour customer service window on WhatsApp?](/explained/whatsapp/what-is-the-24-hour-customer-service-window) (answer)
- [WhatsApp message builder](/tools/whatsapp-message-builder) (tool)
- [WhatsApp](/products/whatsapp) (product)

[Get an implementation brief](/learn/workspace?topic=whatsapp)