WhatsApp message templates, the 24-hour window and costs

These rules apply to WhatsApp messages sent from omotto. They do not take away normal messaging in the WhatsApp Business phone app, if you kept it when you connected WhatsApp.

Meta is the company behind Facebook and WhatsApp. It sets these rules to keep WhatsApp free of spam.

The 24-hour window

When a customer writes to you, a 24-hour window opens. Every new message from that customer starts the 24 hours again.

• Inside the window you can reply with any normal message, written freely.
• Outside the window, or when you want to write first, you can only send a template. A template is a message that Meta has approved in advance.

So a reply to someone who wrote this morning is easy. A message to someone who has been quiet for a week needs a template.

What a template is

A template is a ready-made message. Parts that change from one customer to the next are written as numbered blanks, called variables. When omotto sends the message, it fills them in.

Hello {{1}}, your order {{2}} is ready for pickup.

omotto sends it as “Hello Dana, your order 4821 is ready for pickup.” A template can also include buttons, a picture or other media. Meta approves each language separately, so a template in Hebrew and a template in English are two reviews.

Approval does not mean permission to send whatever you like. You still need your customers’ permission to message them, especially for marketing, and you must stop writing to anyone who asks you to stop. See customer consent.

The three kinds of template

When you create a template you choose a category. omotto’s names are shown first, with Meta’s name in brackets.

• Updates (Meta calls it Utility). News about something the customer did or asked for, such as an order or an appointment. It must not contain a promotion.
• Marketing. Promotions, offers and messages to bring customers back. It costs more, and customers can opt out.
• Login codes (Meta calls it Authentication). One-time codes for logging in.

If you mark a template as Updates but it reads like an offer, Meta may file it as Marketing instead. omotto tells you when that happens, because each message then costs more.

Create your own template

1. Open Settings, then Chat services, then WhatsApp, then Templates.
2. Click New template.
3. Type a name for the template. It is only for you. Use lowercase letters, numbers and underscores, for example order_update.
4. Choose the language and the category.
5. Write the message. Use {{1}}, {{2}} and so on for the parts that change, and give every blank an example, so Meta can see what it will look like.
6. Check the notes under “Before you send it to Meta”. The message should start and end with fixed words, not a blank, and should have at least three fixed words for each blank.
7. Click Save draft.
8. Open the saved draft and click the review button to send it to Meta. The button reads Send to Meta for review, or Submit draft while the template is still a draft.
9. Wait for the answer. omotto shows where the template stands, and notifies you when Meta answers.

If Meta asks for a change, omotto shows the reason and what to fix. A template can also be paused by Meta after customer complaints. While it is paused, omotto skips it. Only approved templates can be sent.

Templates that omotto provides

omotto comes with ready-made templates for common jobs, such as passing a question to an expert, reminding a customer of an appointment, confirming who a customer is, and getting back in touch with customers who went quiet. You can look at them but not change them. To adapt one, duplicate it and edit your copy. Not every feature is switched on for every business, so what you see depends on your setup.

Some messages go out by themselves when something happens, such as an order update. These use an approved template, and you set them up as triggers. Not every event in your online shop sends a message automatically. Only the ones you set up do.

What WhatsApp costs

This is the one place in this help that explains how WhatsApp is billed.

You add your own credit card in Meta, and Meta bills you directly for some WhatsApp messages. This is separate from your omotto plan. Paying omotto does not pay Meta, and the other way around.

Meta usually charges for each template message that is delivered. The amount depends on the kind of template and on the country of the customer who receives it. Some messages are free, for example Updates templates sent while the customer’s 24-hour window is open. Messages you type freely inside the window are not charged this way.

Prices change, so this help does not list them. Meta publishes the current prices on its WhatsApp pricing page. Meta may ask you for the card while you connect, and you can check it later in your WhatsApp Business account at Meta. If Meta reports a payment problem, see fixing connection problems.

The Coach can help you plan templates and explain what you see, but you add and manage the card yourself in Meta.