• Introduction
• Create a (Group Number) property
• Steps to assign a number to each group
• Displaying additional columns in the Contacts list
• Using Excel to assign a number to each group

Introduction

The maximum number of messages that a business can initiate and send to customers within a 24-hour period is 250 conversations per WhatsApp number.

For example, if you have a large customer base (such as 10,000 contacts) and want to send a message to all of them, you will only be able to send the message to 250 contacts on the first day. On the following day, you can send it to another 250 contacts, and so on.

However, relying on random sending in this way may result in some contacts receiving the same message more than once, while other contacts may not receive the message at all.

{info} For verified accounts, you can increase the messaging limit by following the steps outlined in the Messaging Limits Document.

For new, unverified accounts, this document will show you how to divide your contacts into groups of 250 unique contacts, then assign a separate number to each group. This approach allows you to send messages (templates) to all your contacts in an organized manner, without duplication or randomness.

First: Create a (Group Number) property

1. Go to Settings > Properties > Contacts > New property.
   
   

2. Fill in the required fields, then click Next:

• Name: Enter the property name, for example “Group Number”.
• Description: Add a description related to the purpose of the property.
• Group Name: Select the group under which this property should be categorized, for example “Contact Information”.
  
  

3. In the Type field: Select the property type, for example, "Number", then click Save.
   
   

• The property will be created and listed in the properties list:
  
  

• In the Contacts list, select any contact at random. You will find the property listed under the group you selected. In this example, it appears under the “Contact Information” group.
  
  

Second: Steps to assign a number to each group

1. Go to the Contacts list.
   
   

2. Scroll to the bottom of the page, then click the arrow to display items as shown in the image below.
   
   

3. Select the number "250" from the list to display 250 contacts on each page.
   
   

4. Click the checkbox at the top to select all contacts.
   
   

5. Click Update.
   
   

6. In the Add Property field, select “Group Number”, then click Submit.
   
   

7. Enter the required group number in the Group Number field (for example, “1”), then click Submit.
   
   

8. Select any contact and verify that the Group Number has been updated to the value you entered.
   
   

9. Repeat these steps for the required number of groups.

Displaying additional columns in the Contacts list:

You can display additional columns in the Contacts list. For example, to add the Group Number column, follow these steps:

1. Click the (+) icon at the top.
   
   

2. Select Group Number from “Contact Information.”
   
   

3. The option will appear in the list of selected columns.
   
   

4. Click Save.

5. The Group Number column will appear, as shown in the image below:
   
   

{info} You can display any other column using the same method.

Using Excel to assign a number to each group

You can use this method to assign group numbers to contacts when managing a large contact list. The process involves exporting contacts from your account in "Alaaqat" to an Excel file, editing the file to add group numbers, and then re-importing it back into your account after completing the updates.

{info} Exporting contacts is not available on the Free plan. See the plans on the pricing page.

{info} Make sure to add the Group Number column and the WhatsApp Number column to the Contacts list before exporting the file to Excel. The import uses the WhatsApp number to find each contact again. You can add the columns by following the steps for displaying additional columns in the Contacts list.

1. Click the Export icon.
   
   

2. Select the xlsx file type.

3. Click Submit.
   
   

4. This step will export the contacts to an Excel file. You will receive an email in your account’s inbox containing a link to download the file.

5. Click Download Now.
   
   

6. Open the Excel file you saved.
   
   

7. Fill in the Group Number column with the required value.
   
   

8. Delete every column except the WhatsApp number column and the group number column, then save the file. Every column in the file must be matched to a property, and columns that Alaaqat fills in itself, such as ID and Created At, can't be imported. Keeping only these two columns also makes sure the import changes nothing else on your contacts.

9. Click the Import icon.
   
   

10. In Step 1 of 2, select the file you saved, then click Next. The file can be an xls, xlsx or csv file of up to 1 MB.
    
    

11. In Step 2 of 2, choose the matching Property for each column: WhatsApp Number for the WhatsApp number column, and Group Number for the group number column.

12. Under Choose the Unique Keys, tick the box in the WhatsApp Number row. If the box is already ticked and locked, WhatsApp Number is a unique key property in your account, and rows are always matched on it.

13. Under When a matching record is found, choose Update it, then click Next.
    
    

14. The import runs in the background, and Alaaqat notifies you when it is done. If a row can't be imported, the notification says that the import failed, and lists the row numbers with the reason.

{warning} Don't leave every box under Choose the Unique Keys unticked, and don't choose Skip the row. Without a unique key, every row creates a new contact, so your contacts are duplicated instead of updated. With Skip the row, the contacts already in Alaaqat stay unchanged, and the group numbers are not saved.

{info} A row is matched to an existing contact when any ticked column matches. If several contacts match, the oldest one is updated. A row whose WhatsApp number cell is empty can't be matched, so it creates a new contact: make sure the column is filled in for every row.