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Consent for WhatsApp can be captured using a form built in Surveys, pages, and forms that saves the consent as a data field.

The process of collecting consent for WhatsApp goes as follows:

This article shows you how to setup this process to collect consent for WhatsApp. It consists of

three steps:

Before you start

Things you need to know:

1. Create a confirmation page

It might seem slightly backward, but first, let’s create a confirmation page to thank our WhatsApp users for signing up.

In Dotdigital, go to Content > Surveys, pages, and forms.
Select NEW SURVEY, PAGE, OR FORM.
Select Blank template.
Enter a name and choose a location. In this example, this example uses the name WhatsApp opt-in confirmation.
Drag a Title block onto the canvas, and enter your title text. In this example, I’ll use ‘Thank You!’.
Drag a Text block underneath the title, and enter some body text. I’ll use the text, ‘You're now subscribed to receive exclusive updates and offers via WhatsApp. Stay tuned!’
Save and Publish your form.
Learn how to do this in Publish a survey, page, or form.

Let’s now create a program to add the WhatsApp consent data field to contacts that opt in.

In Dotdigital, go to Automation > Programs.
Select NEW PROGRAM, then select Blank template.
Enter a name for this program. For example, WhatsApp opt-in.
Select the start node, then for Enrolment scheduling, select SET SCHEDULE, then select No scheduled enrollments.
Select APPLY, then APPLY again.
Drag an Update contact node onto the canvas connected to the Start node.
Select the node to open the settings, then select Update selected data field.
If you don’t already have a consent data field, select CREATE DATA FIELD, then add the following data field values:
1. Name: WA_CONSENT
2. Type: Yes/No
3. Default value: (leave blank)
4. Access: This data field is private
On the Update contact node, make sure the WA_CONSENT data field is selected; then for the Update method, select Replace with a new value, then expand the drop-down menu, and select ‘is yes’.
Select APPLY.
Drag an Exit node onto the canvas connected below the Update contact node.
Save and activate your program.
Learn how in Activate and deactivate automated programs.

Learn more about programs in our Program builder documentation.

In this section, we create a generic form for capturing WhatsApp consent. Feel free to style and customise yours exactly how you want it.

In Dotdigital, go to Content > Surveys, pages and forms.
Select NEW SURVEY, PAGE, OR FORM.
Create a header for your page. In this example, I use an Image block for the logo and a text block for a title. But you can customise this however you want.
For the mobile number collection form, drag a Columns block onto the canvas. Set the number of columns to three. However, we only use the middle column.
Learn more about columns.
From the Form blocks menu, drag a Text box into the middle column of your column block.
In the Text block settings, set the Question type to Contact mobile number, check the Required check box, and enter any other details you want such as an error message or watermark.
From the Form blocks menu, drag a Consent block onto the canvas below the Text block. Add your own consent text to this block.
From the Form blocks menu, drag an Action button block onto the canvas. Enter your own Submit button text. In the example, I used ‘Sign up’.
From the Form blocks menu, drag a Confirmation block onto the canvas. Then set the confirmation to Go to a page, and choose the WhatsApp opt-in confirmation page you made in step 1 of this article.
Expand the Form options menu, and select Submit actions.
Under Add respondents, choose to add to your WhatsApp Subscribers list, and to enrol users onto the WhatsApp opt-ins program we made in step 2.

Learn more about creating and customising a form in Create a survey or form.