Viber is the main messenger in Ukraine, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, the Philippines, Myanmar and a dozen other markets, so a working “Write to us on Viber” link is often worth more than a phone number. Viber links are less standard than Telegram or WhatsApp ones, and a wrong format simply opens nothing. This guide shows the formats that work, where each one belongs and how to see which link brings you customers.
The free Viber link generator builds all of them, including the QR code, so you do not have to remember the syntax.
Link to a personal number: viber://chat?number=
To open a chat with a regular Viber account by phone number:
viber://chat?number=%2B380501234567
The number goes in international format, and the plus sign must be URL-encoded as %2B. This link opens the chat directly in the app on a phone. On a desktop it works only if Viber Desktop is installed; in a plain browser tab nothing happens, which is why a personal-number link should always sit next to the number in plain text.
There is also viber://add?number=%2B380501234567, which offers to add the number to contacts instead of opening a chat. Use it rarely: customers want to write, not to save a contact.
Link to a business account: viber://pa?chatURI=
Business accounts, chatbots and communities in Viber have a chat URI, a short name you receive when the account is created. The link is:
viber://pa?chatURI=mycompany
This is the format for anything business-related: it works regardless of the customer’s privacy settings, does not expose an employee’s number and is the entry point for chatbots. If you have a Viber chatbot built with SMSBAT, this is the link you place on the website.
A pre-filled message can be added with the text parameter:
viber://pa?chatURI=mycompany&text=I%20want%20to%20book%20a%20table
The text must be URL-encoded (spaces become %20). A pre-filled message doubles as tracking: “I came from the pricing page” tells the bot where the conversation started, and the bot can branch on it.
Context parameter for chatbots
Viber bots receive a context value when a conversation is started from a link with context=:
viber://pa?chatURI=mycompany&context=fb_ads_autumn
Unlike the pre-filled text, the context is invisible to the customer. It arrives in the “conversation started” event, so the bot can greet with the right offer and the inbox can tag the contact with the source. This is the closest Viber equivalent of Telegram’s start parameter, and it is the parameter to use in ads.
Web links: invite.viber.com and vb.me
Because viber:// links do nothing in a desktop browser without the app, Viber also offers web links that first show a landing page and then hand over to the app:
https://invite.viber.com/?g2=...for communities and group invitations.- Short
vb.melinks for stickers, packs and some promotions.
For business accounts the viber://pa form is still the one to use on mobile-first placements; for email campaigns opened on a laptop, pair it with a QR code or a fallback text.
QR codes
Print placements, packaging, restaurant menus and event stands are Viber’s home turf in many countries. A QR code that encodes viber://pa?chatURI=mycompany&context=menu_table12 opens the bot immediately and even tells you the table. The generator exports the QR code for each link you build.
Where each format belongs
| Placement | Link |
|---|---|
| Website contact button (business) | viber://pa?chatURI=...&context=site |
| Website contact button (small business, one phone) | viber://chat?number=%2B... plus the number in text |
| Ads | viber://pa?chatURI=...&context=campaign_name |
| business link plus a QR code for desktop readers | |
| Print, packaging, stands | QR code with a location context |
| Community invitation | invite.viber.com link from the community settings |
Tracking and handling the conversations
A link only starts the dialogue; someone has to answer. With a chatbot connected to SMSBAT the context value becomes a tag on the contact, the first reply is sent within seconds by the bot or by the AI operator, and the whole conversation lands in the shared inbox next to WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and the website widget. Reports then show how many conversations and orders each link produced.
Before any of that you need a business account or a bot. A Viber chatbot is registered through an official partner; the registration page walks through the steps, and the Viber chatbots page explains what a bot can do and how sessions are billed.
Common mistakes
- Plus sign not encoded.
number=+380...fails in many places; use%2B. - Personal-number link on a company site. It ties customers to one employee’s phone and breaks when the person leaves. Use a business account.
- No fallback for desktop. Show the number or a QR code next to the link.
- Spaces in the pre-filled text. Encode them, or the link gets cut at the first space.
Summary
Use viber://pa?chatURI= for anything business-related, add context= to see where conversations come from, and put a QR code wherever the customer holds a phone rather than a keyboard. The Viber link generator builds the links and codes for free, and the same approach works for Telegram and WhatsApp.