Why Businesses Switch from respond.io
respond.io is a capable global WhatsApp CRM platform — but it is built for global and Southeast Asian enterprise markets. For GCC businesses, the gaps are significant: no Arabic interface, USD-only pricing, no GCC compliance expertise, and no LLM API bundled in the platform.
If you are paying for respond.io but not getting the GCC-specific features you need, migration to Resayil is simpler than you think. Your WhatsApp number and conversation history belong to you — not to respond.io.
What Transfers and What Does Not
Transfers fully:
- Your WhatsApp Business phone number (Meta-managed, not respond.io's property)
- Contact list (export as CSV, import to Resayil)
- Message templates (recreate in Resayil; re-approval takes 24-48 hours)
Requires recreation:
- Automation flows (rebuild in Resayil's flow builder — typically faster with Resayil's visual editor)
- Team structure and routing rules
- Canned responses
Does not transfer:
- Historical conversation history (remains in respond.io, accessible for a period after cancellation depending on their plan)
Step 1: Export Your Contacts from respond.io
In respond.io, go to Contacts → Export → select all fields → download CSV.
The export includes: phone numbers, names, custom fields, tags, and opt-in status.
Tip: Before exporting, clean up your contact list. Remove duplicates, update any stale phone numbers, and add any missing custom field data. It is easier to clean data in respond.io's interface than after importing to a new platform.
Step 2: Sign Up for Resayil and Verify Your Business
Go to resayil.io → Sign up for a 14-day free trial (no credit card required).
During onboarding:
- Submit your Meta Business account ID
- Upload business verification documents (trade license, CR certificate)
- Resayil's team verifies your business with Meta — typically within 1-2 business days
Step 3: Migrate Your WhatsApp Number
This is the critical step. Your WhatsApp Business number must be migrated from respond.io's Meta Business account to Resayil's.
The official process:
- In your Meta Business Manager, under WhatsApp Business accounts, find your phone number
- Initiate a "Move WhatsApp number to new BSP" request (Meta provides a guided flow)
- Resayil's onboarding team receives the transfer request and accepts it
- Your number is migrated — typically within 24 hours
Important: During the transfer window (usually a few hours), outgoing message sending is suspended. Plan the migration for a low-traffic period (weekend, overnight). Incoming messages are held and delivered after transfer completes.
Resayil's onboarding team manages this process and coordinates timing with you to minimize disruption.
Step 4: Import Contacts to Resayil
In Resayil admin: Contacts → Import → upload the CSV from respond.io.
Map the columns: phone number, first name, last name, custom fields, tags.
After import:
- Verify a sample of contacts imported correctly
- Check that opt-in status was preserved (do not send marketing messages to contacts without confirmed opt-in)
- Add any contacts from other sources (new leads acquired after the respond.io export)
Step 5: Recreate Your Message Templates
Your WhatsApp message templates need to be recreated in Resayil and re-submitted to Meta for approval.
Process:
- In respond.io, screenshot or export your approved templates (name, content, variables, buttons)
- In Resayil, create each template with the same or equivalent content
- Submit for Meta approval — typically 24-48 hours
- Test each template after approval
Tip: Use this as an opportunity to improve your templates. Templates you have been using for 6+ months can often be updated with better conversion copy, clearer CTAs, and more relevant imagery.
Step 6: Rebuild Your Automation Flows
Document your respond.io automation flows before cancelling your account. In Resayil's visual flow builder, rebuild each flow:
- Welcome message flow
- Lead qualification bots
- Support triage automations
- Broadcast sequences
- Scheduled recurring automations
Resayil's flow builder uses a visual drag-and-drop interface — many users find it faster to build flows in Resayil than in respond.io's interface.
Step 7: Train Your Team
Before go-live, run a 30-60 minute training session for all agents:
- How conversations are assigned and picked up in Resayil's inbox
- How to use canned responses
- How to add notes to conversations
- How to escalate conversations to supervisors
- How to use the mobile interface
Resayil provides onboarding documentation in English and Arabic.
Step 8: Cancel respond.io
Once your WhatsApp number is migrated, contacts are imported, templates are approved, and flows are rebuilt — cancel your respond.io subscription.
Timing: Keep respond.io active for 2-4 weeks after migration to reference historical conversations and ensure nothing was missed.
Total Migration Timeline
| Task | Duration |
|---|---|
| Business verification with Resayil | 1-2 business days |
| WhatsApp number transfer | 24-48 hours |
| Contact import | 1-2 hours |
| Template recreation and approval | 2-3 business days |
| Flow rebuilding | 1-3 days depending on complexity |
| Team training | 1 hour |
| Total end-to-end | 1-2 weeks |
Most businesses complete the full migration in a single week, with the longest task being Meta template re-approval.
Q: Will I lose my conversation history when switching from respond.io? A: Conversation history stored in respond.io stays in respond.io. WhatsApp itself does not provide an API to export historical conversation threads to a new platform. Your contacts and their contact data transfer; the chat logs do not.
Q: Can Resayil's team do the migration for me? A: Yes. Resayil offers a concierge migration service for teams migrating from other platforms. Contact Resayil's onboarding team at signup to request migration assistance.
Q: What if my WhatsApp number is not currently connected to Meta's API? A: If you are migrating from the WhatsApp Business App (not an API platform), the process is slightly different — you connect your number to the API for the first time. Resayil's onboarding team guides you through this process as well.