Templates
WhatsApp Templates guide
WhatsApp templates are predefined message formats that allow businesses to send automated messages to customers via the WhatsApp messaging platform. These templates can be used to send notifications, alerts, and other types of messages. They are designed to be highly customizable and can be personalized with dynamic fields such as customer name and order details. The use of templates ensures that messages are consistent, and compliant with WhatsApp's policies, and helps businesses save time and resources in crafting messages.
Templates help you to start a conversation with customers who never wrote you or when the contact 24-hour conversation session is expired.
All templates must be approved by WhatsApp before use, it may take up to 72 working hours to approve a template by WhatsApp so please plan your campaigns accordingly.
Picky Assist doesn't have any roles in approving or rejecting WhatsApp templates
You will be billed for sending Template messages as per the country you are sending the message. View Country Wise Pricing and for WhatsApp Cloud API you need to link a Credit card with Facebook Business Manager. Read More and those who are using our fully managed WhatsApp official service must have enough credit in Wallet to send template messages
Types of Templates
There are mainly 3 types of Templates users can select according to their requirements
1, Text Template: This template allows businesses to send simple text messages to customers, such as appointment reminders, order confirmations, and delivery updates. It Supports emojis, and special characters and can contain up to 1024 characters
For Example : Hello {{name}} , Your Order has been successfully placed.(see the picture below)
2, Media Template: This template allows businesses to send Images, Videos, Documents, and other types of media to customers, such as product catalogs, promotional videos, and event invitations.
For Example:(See the picture below)
3, Interactive Template(Interactive Buttons) : WhatsApp Template messages support sending messages with interactive buttons such as quick replies and call-to-action buttons.
Quick replies allow users to quickly respond to a message with a set of predefined options, while call-to-action buttons allow users to perform a specific action such as making a phone call and opening a website.
For Example: (see the picture below)
Template Category
Template category helps WhatsApp to identify which category the template belongs to, WhatsApp classifies all the templates into 3 categories as below. You can read the complete guidelines on WhatsApp
Please keep in mind that when creating a template message for a particular category, it is essential to ensure that the message context is relevant to the category you have selected.
Utility templates
Utility templates relate to a specific, agreed-upon transaction and accomplish one of the following: Confirm, suspend, or change a transaction or subscription.
Any template that has a mix of utility and marketing content will be classified as a marketing template.
Confirm or suspend an existing transaction
"Your order #0021 is confirmed"
"Thank you for your reservation! See you next week"
"Your payment was received! We hope you enjoy the concert!"
"Your consultation is complete, and your prescription is attached below"
"Thank you for visiting the doctor, here is your treatment plan"
"Your order has been canceled; your refund will be processed in 7-10 days"
Change or update a transaction
"You have successfully checked in! Here’s your boarding pass for your flight"
"Your order has shipped! It will be delivered on Friday"
"Reminder: Your appointment is at 1pm on Tuesday"
"Your password was changed"
"Your profile was updated"
Account, billing, or payment notification
"Here is the monthly statement you requested"
"Your payment failed, click here to retry"
"Your payment was accepted” / "Your payment failed"
Reminder: your payment is due on Tuesday"
"Here is your low-balance warning for account ending in -XXXX"
"Your pre-paid balance is low; click here to top up"
Note: Examples are illustrative only, templates containing similar content or content including this example text may be categorized differently based on their exact content.
Message validity period
The message validity period sets the time within which a template message must reach the customer's WhatsApp. If delivery does not occur within this specified period, the message expires. You can set a validity period from a minimum of 1 minute up to a maximum of 60 minutes, ensuring the message is delivered within this timeframe or it will expire. If you enable the message validity period but do not specify a timeframe, the default 30-day WhatsApp validity period applies. Undelivered messages that expire within this period result in a refund of the charges, preventing unnecessary costs for undelivered messages.
Imagine your business wants to send a "Limited Time Offer" message to customers on WhatsApp, providing a special discount that expires in one hour. To ensure the message reaches customers in time for them to take advantage of the offer, you set a template message with a validity period of 15 minutes. Once the message is sent, if a customer doesn’t receive it within the specified 15 minutes perhaps because they are offline - the message expires. This expiration prevents unnecessary charges for undelivered messages. If the message is delivered and read within the validity period, however, the customer will have enough time to view the offer and act on it before it expires. This feature ensures that time-sensitive promotions are effectively communicated to customers and helps you avoid charges for messages that do not reach their recipients within the validity period.
Refunding for Expired Utility Templates
If a utility template with a validity period is not delivered within that timeframe, the charges deducted for the message will be refunded automatically within 2 hours of sending. This can be verified in the Broadcaster report. When sending a template to a contact without an active session or contacting them for the first time, a charge is applied. This charge can also be viewed in the Broadcaster report, as illustrated in the image below.
The above image shows the Broadcaster report after sending a utility template message with a validity period. The message status is marked as "Submitted" because it has not yet been delivered to the customer's WhatsApp, and a charge was deducted for sending the template. If the message is not delivered within the validity period, the status will change to "Failed" after 2 hours, and the Charges field will show zero, indicating that the deducted amount has been refunded. Additionally, the error message "Message Validity Expired" will be displayed, as shown in the image below.
Authentication templates
These requirements will apply to authentication templates starting May 29, 2023.
Authentication templates enable businesses to authenticate users with one-time passcodes (usually 4-8 digit alphanumeric codes), potentially at multiple steps in the login process (e.g., account verification, account recovery, integrity challenges).
Authentication templates are our most restricted. Businesses must use WhatsApp’s preset authentication message templates, which include optional add-ons like security disclaimers and expiry warnings. In addition, authentication templates must configure a one-time password button (copy code or one-tap).
URLs, media, and emojis are not allowed for authentication template content or parameters. Additional length restrictions of 15 characters also apply to parameters.
Provide an authentication code to the user
"{{1}} is your verification code."
"{{1}} is your verification code. For your security, do not share this code."
"{{1}} is your verification code. This code expires in 15 minutes."
Marketing templates
Marketing templates are our most flexible – they do not relate to a specific, agreed-upon transaction and instead may relate to the business and/or its products/services. These templates may include promotions or offers; welcoming / closing messages; updates, invitations or recommendations; or requests to respond or complete a new transaction.
Any template that has a mix of utility and marketing content will be classified as a marketing template.
Promotions or offers
"If you buy 2 or more coffees, you’ll get $5 off!"
"Thanks for your order! Use code SAVE20 for 20% off your next order!
"Your pre-paid balance is low; click here to top up! Get a 10% bonus with code EXTRA10"
"Hey members join us tonight for this event"
Welcoming or closing messages
"This is Vinny’s Bakery and we are now on WhatsApp!"
"Hello, welcome to our profile on WhatsApp!"
"I'm sorry for the delay, my name is XX, how can I help you?"
"Thank you, have a good day"
"Thank you for visiting our store, we really appreciate your visit."
"A question for you - how much time are you spending doing your hair?"
Updates, invitations, newsletters, or recommendations
"Our store has moved. Come and check us out!"
"We will be closed next Monday for the holiday"
"Good news! The product you saved is back in stock."
"Join us for our upcoming holiday gala!"
"Here are this month’s coupons – happy shopping!"
"We think you will love this – check out our new ice cream flavor"
Requests to respond or complete a new transaction
"Thank you for your order. We’d love your feedback. Please click here."
"Forgot something? We kept your items, click to check out"
"Your application is waiting for you. Click here to complete"
"You missed your recent appointment, tap here to rebook."
Note: Examples are illustrative only, templates containing similar content or content including this example text may be categorized differently based on their exact content.
Template Name
When naming a template, it is important to ensure that the name is clear, descriptive, and easy to understand.
Please make sure the template name contains only lowercase alphanumeric characters and underscores ( _ ).
No other characters or white space are allowed.
For Example Instead of Using templates_123 , Use refurbished_car_2023
Dynamic Variable
Dynamic variables are an essential feature of message templates as they allow for the passing of dynamic content to the message. When requesting a message template, you can specify the dynamic variables by using placeholders such as {{1}}, {{2}}, {{3}}, and so on. These placeholders can be used to pass specific data values, such as a user's name, a date, a location, or any other relevant information.
For Example,
Hello {{1}} You recently requested to change your password. Please use the OTP code {{2}} to complete the process.
In the above template, you can replace {{1}} and {{2}} with your own value when sending a Template message.
Language
When submitting a template message for approval on WhatsApp, it's important to specify the language of the template. This is because WhatsApp supports many different languages, and the approval team needs to be able to review and approve templates in the correct language.
For multiple languages you don't need to request multiple templates, you can request multiple languages through a single template by specifying the language.
Template Limitations
Please take a look at the Template Limitations mentioned below, as it ensures adherence to WhatsApp's guidelines and maximizes the impact of your messages.
Template Editing: Currently, it is not possible to edit an approved WhatsApp template. However, you can add new language variations to an existing template.(In case of PickyAssist)
Approval Process: All templates need to go through the approval process by WhatsApp, and we don't have control over this process.
Formatting Limitations: Dynamic variable actual message content should not include new lines, tabs, or four consecutive spaces.
Character Limits: The body of the template is limited to 1024 characters, while the header and footer are limited to 60 characters. Button text is limited to 20 characters. Only the body text supports emojis.
Media Template Support: Media templates support video, image, and document (PDF) types
Footer Limitations: The footer is fixed and cannot be dynamically customized. If a template includes a footer, it will be automatically appended to the message.
Pre-planning
Before you begin building your templates, please get the following details ready
Make sure that you have an active Whatsapp Cloud API or WhatsApp Official channel connected to your Picky Assist account.
Decide what type of Template you would like to build and the main objective of your Template.
Sample Image with Body & Footer
Sample PDF Document with Header, Body & Footer
Creating New Templates
Go to Settings -> Channels -> WhatsApp Official / WhatsApp Cloud API then Click on " Template" from the left side menu as shown below;
Then click on the "Add Template" button in the right side top as shown below;
A popup will appear on the screen as shown below;
Requesting Text Templates
A text template can be requested with or without header and footer
Requesting Media Templates
You can request media templates, currently video,image and document (pdf) is supported through media templates.
Click on "+Media" button as shown below
Select the Media Type
Please select the media type, only image,video and document (pdf) is supported as shown below;
Sample Media File
To expedite the approval process of your WhatsApp templates, it is highly recommended to upload a sample media file directly or provide a downloadable link. This will allow WhatsApp to review and approve your templates more efficiently. Uploading a sample media file is preferable for speedy approval.
Requesting Interactive Templates
There are 2 type of Interactive templates supported by WhatsApp
1 Quick Replies which helps you to give upto 3 options for the customers to choose like Yes, No, Maybe, there is no option to pass these values dynamically you have to define the value while requesting the template
2. Call to Action there are 2 types of Call to Action supported by WhatsApp in Templates, you can request both the Call to Action buttons in a template or separately
Open Website : Allow customers to open a website like order tracking, meeting links etc, you can pass the website link dynamically
Call Number : Allow customers to quickly dial a number when this button is pressed it takes the customer to the phone dial pad along with the number passed by you, you don't have the option to pass the number dynamically so you have to provide the number to be dialed while requesting template
You can't combine Quick Replies & Call to Action buttons in a single template
Click on +Buttons to add Interactive Template
Select the Interactive Template Type from the Drop Down as shown below
Call to Action - Visit Website
Please mention the Button name & Website, if you want to pass any dynamic value for the website url then please use {{1}} add the value as shown below;
Call to Action - Call Phone Number
You need to mention the button name and number to be dialed as shown below
Checking Template Approval Status
Once the template is submitted successfully,You will able to see the status of the templates as shown below
If you are using WhatsApp Cloud API and you have received email from WhatsApp that template is approved but status here not showing as approved then this could be the permission issue to the Webhook, so in this case you can click on "Sycn with WhatsApp Account" to sync the templates.
Sync With Whatsapp Account
You can synchronize templates from Meta Platform with your account by clicking on the "Sync With WhatsApp Account '' button as shown below
Template Logs
Logs helps you to find the reason if the templates are getting rejects or you are getting any error while you trying to submit a template, you can refer the Logs to find more reasons as shown below;
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