Business-initiated calling

What is Business-initiated Calling?

Business-initiated calling (BIC) lets your business call a customer via WhatsApp. The customer must have granted calling permission first.

BIC availability by integration path:

Path	BIC supported today	Who handles templates and permissions
Direct SIP	Yes	Customer builds against the 8x8 ChatApps API — see Direct SIP integration
8x8 Converse	Yes	Template send and permission-webhook handling are baked into the Converse integration — the customer does not build against the ChatApps API
Genesys	Not today (planned)	—
VCC via AI Studio	Not today	—

If you are on Converse, most of this page is background reading — Converse manages the permission lifecycle for you. If you are on Direct SIP, follow the five-step integration below.

Topology

WhatsApp user  ←  Meta  —SIP←  8x8 CPaaS  —SIP←  Your SBC / PBX / Contact Center

The Meta ↔ 8x8 leg and the 8x8 ↔ customer leg are both SIP. There is no 8x8 API for placing a call — your system triggers the outbound leg through the delivery path (Direct SIP endpoint, Converse, etc.).

Permission model

Two states

State	Duration	How acquired
Temporary	7 calendar days (168 hours) from approval	User grants in response to a permission request, or via the auto-shown permission prompt, or by calling the business when callback is enabled (`responseSource: automatic`)
Permanent	Does not expire until revoked (released 3 November 2025)	User grants from the business profile, or in response to a permission request

The user chooses permanent or temporary — the business cannot request one or the other. The permission-request payload is identical either way.

expirationTimestamp is omitted for permanent permissions — its absence is meaningful.

Rate limits and revocation

Rule	Value
Permission requests per user	1 per 24 hours, 2 per 7 days (reset by any connected call)
Connected calls per business phone number	100 per 24 hours (rate limit; does not revoke permission)
Consecutive unanswered calls → system message	2
Consecutive unanswered calls → permission auto-revoked	4
Error `138017`	Returned if you send a permission request when a permanent permission already exists

There is no webhook when a temporary permission expires. Check callPermissions before every call.

Business-initiated calls bypass the user's Silence Unknown Callers setting.

Geographic availability

BIC is NOT available in

🇺🇸 United States, 🇨🇦 Canada, 🇹🇷 Turkey, 🇪🇬 Egypt, 🇻🇳 Vietnam, 🇳🇬 Nigeria

If you serve customers in these regions, use user-initiated calling instead.

Sanctioned countries (all features blocked): 🇨🇺 Cuba, 🇮🇷 Iran, 🇰🇵 North Korea, 🇸🇾 Syria, 🇺🇦 Ukraine (Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk).

Voice quality depends on the customer's network. Local telecom regulations may impose further restrictions.

Direct SIP integration

Five steps. Skip this section if you are on Converse — Converse handles all of it.

Step 1: Create the call permission template

POST https://chatapps.8x8.com/api/v1/accounts/{accountId}/channels/{channelId}/templates

{
  "name": "cpr_template_sample",
  "category": "MARKETING|UTILITY",
  "language": "en",
  "components": [
    { "type": "HEADER", "text": "Customer Service Request" },
    { "type": "BODY", "text": "We would like to call you to help resolve your recent inquiry faster and provide personalized assistance." },
    { "type": "FOOTER", "text": "Talk to you soon!" },
    { "type": "CALL_PERMISSION_REQUEST" }
  ]
}

Category must be MARKETING or UTILITY. Use UTILITY for transactional calls.
The BODY text is required and must not be empty.
CALL_PERMISSION_REQUEST cannot be combined with other interactive components.
Approval takes up to 24 hours. Track approval status with template_status_update on the CABM webhook rather than polling.

See Add WhatsApp template for the full API reference.

Step 2: Send the approved template

POST https://chatapps.8x8.com/api/v1/subaccounts/{subAccountId}/messages

See WhatsApp over 8x8 API for the send-message payload shape.

Step 3: Receive the reply on the inbound-message webhook

The reply comes from 8x8, not from Meta. Nothing is configured on the Meta side.

{
  "version": 3,
  "namespace": "ChatApps",
  "eventType": "inbound_message_received",
  "description": "ChatApps inbound message",
  "payload": {
    "umid": "<UNIQUE_MESSAGE_ID>",
    "subAccountId": "<SUBACCOUNT_ID>",
    "timestamp": "2026-01-22T22:51:55.00Z",
    "user": {
      "msisdn": "<USER_PHONE_NUMBER>",
      "channelUserId": "<WHATSAPP_BSUID>"
    },
    "recipient": {
      "channel": "whatsapp",
      "channelId": "<CHANNEL_ID>"
    },
    "type": "Interactive",
    "content": {
      "interactive": {
        "type": "callPermissionReply",
        "callPermissionReply": {
          "response": "accept",
          "isPermanent": false,
          "expirationTimestamp": "2026-01-23T06:51:55.00Z",
          "responseSource": "user_action"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Field	Values	Notes
`response`	`accept`, `reject`	The user's decision
`isPermanent`	`true`, `false`	`true` when the user allowed calls permanently
`expirationTimestamp`	ISO 8601	Temporary only; omitted for permanent
`responseSource`	`user_action`, `automatic`	`automatic` covers callback-permission and auto-revocation

Watch for responseSource: automatic. A handler that only expects user_action will miss auto-revocation and keep calling a user whose permission is gone.

Endpoint requirements: HTTPS, HTTP 200 within 5 seconds, exponential-backoff retries, deduplicate on umid.

Store the reply against the user. Do not build a hourly expiry job — poll callPermissions before every call instead (Step 4).

Step 4: Check permission before every call — and before every request

GET /api/v1/whatsapp/subaccounts/{subAccountId}/channels/{channelId}/callPermissions?destination=+6500000000

Field	Description
`status`	`temporary`, `permanent`, or `not_granted`
`actions[]`	For `send_call_permission_request` and `start_call`: `canPerformAction` plus `limits` (`timePeriod`, `maxAllowed`, `currentUsage`)
`expirationTime`	When the permission expires

Two uses:

Before placing a call. not_granted covers declined, expired, and revoked alike — it is the single gate. If not granted, do not call. Because no webhook fires when a temporary permission lapses, this check is not optional.
Before sending a permission request. Error 138017 is returned when a permanent permission already exists, so checking first avoids generating errors against your best-converted users.

See Get call permission status for the full API reference.

Step 5: Place the call

Your system triggers the outbound call through your SIP endpoint. 8x8 delivers the call over SIP, exactly as for UIC.

Webhooks

Two separate configurations. Do not conflate them.

Webhook	Type	Carries
Inbound message	MO	`inbound_message_received`, including `callPermissionReply`
Business Management Updates	CABM	`template_status_update`, quality and account events

See WhatsApp webhooks for setup.

Best practices

Only call when the customer expects it

Request permission immediately before calling (within minutes).
State the specific purpose in the request.
Call within the promised time frame.
Don't request permission for undefined "future calls".
Don't reuse a permission for a different purpose than stated.

Respect opt-out immediately

When the customer revokes or declines, stop calling and cancel any pending calls.

Provide value in every call

Voice should add something a message cannot — actionable resolution, immediate assistance, or a real conversation.

Track and optimize

Metrics worth monitoring — surface them from your delivery path's native reporting (Converse reporting module, Genesys reporting, or VCC reporting). VSS (configured on demand via your account manager) gives you the per-session end-of-call record on the 8x8 side.

Metric	Target	Insight
Permission grant rate	> 60%	How well your request template resonates
Call answer rate	> 75%	Customer intent after granting permission
Call completion rate	> 90%	Technical quality and engagement
Customer satisfaction	> 4.0/5	Overall experience
Opt-out rate	< 5%	Whether you're respecting preferences

Maintain compliance

Follow TCPA (US), GDPR (EU), and local telemarketing law. Keep an audit trail of permissions, calls, and opt-outs.

Troubleshooting

Error 138017 when sending a permission request The user already has a permanent permission. Skip the request and call directly.

Call fails with not_granted Permission has been declined, revoked, or expired (temporary). Do not retry until the user grants again.

Customer doesn't receive the permission-request template

Verify the template is approved (check template_status_update on CABM).
Verify the customer's WhatsApp number is correct and active.
Verify you have an active 24-hour messaging window (for MARKETING category).

High opt-out rate

Confirm calls match the stated purpose.
Reduce frequency.
Ensure agents provide value in the conversation.

Next steps

Meta reference

Support Channels

Technical support: support@cpaas.8x8.com
Sales inquiries: Contact your account manager or visit cpaas.8x8.com/en/contact-us
Support Portal: https://support.cpaas.8x8.com/hc/en-us

What is Business-initiated Calling?​

Topology​

Permission model​

Two states​

Rate limits and revocation​

Geographic availability​

Direct SIP integration​

Step 1: Create the call permission template​

Step 2: Send the approved template​

Step 3: Receive the reply on the inbound-message webhook​

Step 4: Check permission before every call — and before every request​

Step 5: Place the call​

Webhooks​

Best practices​

Only call when the customer expects it​

Respect opt-out immediately​

Provide value in every call​

Track and optimize​

Maintain compliance​

Troubleshooting​

Next steps​

Related 8x8 API references and guides​

Meta reference​

Support Channels​