Send WhatsApp templates after the 24 hour window

Before you start

• Your WhatsApp inbox is connected through the WhatsApp Cloud API (with Connect with WhatsApp or with a phone number id and access token). WhatsApp numbers connected through Twilio do not send templates in Deskwoot. How to connect a number: Set up WhatsApp.
• You created your templates in WhatsApp Manager in Meta Business Suite and Meta approved them. Meta reviews every template, which can take from a few minutes to a day.

Create a template in WhatsApp Manager

You create and edit templates in Meta's WhatsApp Manager, not in Deskwoot. Under Settings > Inboxes > your WhatsApp inbox > Templates, the button Open WhatsApp Manager takes you to the templates of your WhatsApp Business Account.

1. In WhatsApp Manager, go to Message templates > Manage templates and create a new template.
2. Pick a category. Utility is for updates on something the customer already started, such as an order, a delivery or an appointment. Marketing is for offers and news. Authentication is for one time codes, which Deskwoot does not send. Meta checks the category and changes it when the text does not fit.
3. Give the template a name (lower case letters, numbers and underscores) and a language. If your customers write in several languages, add each language to the same template.
4. Write the text and put a variable wherever the customer's details go: {{1}}, {{2}} in order, or a name such as {{order_number}}. Meta asks for a sample value for each variable. Named variables like first_name or tracking_number are filled in for you in Deskwoot.
5. Add buttons if you need them. A link button can end in a variable, for example https://yourshop.com/track/{{1}}. In Deskwoot you then fill in only the end, such as the tracking number.
6. Submit the template. Meta reviews it, which often takes a few minutes and can take up to 24 hours.
7. Deskwoot reads the template once Meta reports the approval. To see it right away, click Sync now in the Templates tab.

Where Deskwoot gets your templates

Deskwoot keeps a copy of the templates of your WhatsApp Business Account. It reads them when you connect the number, every 6 hours, whenever Meta reports a new status or category, and when you click Sync now under Settings > Inboxes > your WhatsApp inbox > Templates. That tab lists every template with its language, category and status.

The conversation offers approved templates only. Authentication templates (one time codes), carousels, flows, catalogs, limited time offers and templates with a location header are listed in the settings but not offered, because Deskwoot cannot fill them.

Send a template in a conversation

1. Open the conversation. When the customer's last message is more than 24 hours old, the reply box shows The 24 hour window is closed.
2. Click Choose template and pick a template from the list. The search finds templates by name, text and language.
3. Fill in the variables. A named variable such as first_name starts with the contact's value, and order_number or tracking_number with the conversation's linked order, or with the contact's order when they have only one. Next to each field, the Use a field button opens a list of the contact's details and custom attributes, the contact's orders from your connected store (order number, status, total, tracking number, tracking link and carrier), your name and first name, the workspace name, the inbox name and the conversation number.
4. If the template has a link button that ends in a variable, the form shows the button's address with a field at its end. Type the end there, for example the tracking number, or pick it with Use a field. The preview shows the full address under the button.
5. If the template starts with an image, a video or a PDF, choose the file.
6. Check the preview, which shows the message exactly as the customer will read it, and click Send template.

The template appears in the conversation with its name above the text. When the customer answers, the 24 hours start again and you can write free text. Private notes for your team work at any time from the Reply menu.

Start a new WhatsApp conversation

1. Click Compose new message and pick a contact with a phone number.
2. Choose your WhatsApp inbox under Via. If the contact has not written to this inbox in the last 24 hours, the template form takes the place of the message field.
3. Pick and fill in a template and click Send.

A template that starts with a file cannot start a conversation. Send it from the conversation once it exists.

In the iPhone and Android app

Once the 24 hours are over, the app shows the same bar in the conversation, with Choose template and Write a note. Pick a template, fill in its values by typing or with Use a field, including the end of a link button, check the preview and send it. For a header image, tap Choose a photo and pick one from your phone's photos. Templates with a video or PDF header are sent from the web dashboard.

When you start a new conversation in the app on a WhatsApp inbox, the template form shows up in the same way if the contact has not written to that inbox in the last 24 hours. A template that starts with a file cannot start a conversation.

When WhatsApp refuses a template

If WhatsApp refuses a template while you send it, the template window stays open and says why, for example that the template is paused because of low quality or that the customer stopped marketing messages from your business. Nothing goes into the conversation, so you can change the values or pick another template. If WhatsApp reports later that it did not deliver a template, a line in the conversation that only your team sees says why. Deskwoot updates the template's status in the settings, so a paused or disabled template leaves the list right away.

Templates through the API

With the REST API on the Enterprise plan, an integration lists the templates of a conversation, sends a template and starts a conversation with one. The endpoints are in the API documentation.

Frequently asked questions

Why can I not type a reply in a WhatsApp conversation?

The customer's last message is more than 24 hours old, and WhatsApp delivers free text only within that time. Send an approved template instead. Once the customer answers, you can write freely again.

Why is my template missing from the list?

The list shows approved templates only. Check the status under Settings, Inboxes, your WhatsApp inbox, Templates, and click Sync now if you created the template a moment ago. Authentication, carousel, flow, catalog and location templates are not offered.

Why does Use a field show no orders?

Deskwoot links an order to a contact by the email address of the order. A WhatsApp contact with only a phone number has no orders until you add their email address or merge them with the contact that has it. Without a connected store, there are no orders to show.

Does WhatsApp charge for templates?

Meta bills template messages to your WhatsApp Business Account at its own rates, which depend on the category and the customer's country. You see them in WhatsApp Manager.

Can Fynn send templates?

No. Fynn answers customers who just wrote, within the 24 hours. A template reaches someone who has not written for a day or longer, so a person sends it from the conversation, or an integration through the API.

Can I send a template to a WhatsApp group?

Yes. The template goes to the whole group. Once anyone in the group writes, free text works again for 24 hours.