You can reply directly to your WhatsApp contacts within 24 hours of their last message. Once 24 hours have passed, WhatsApp requires you to get the customer's consent before sending further messages. This is a measure to protect users from unwanted marketing.
To get permission or to share important information with the contact after the 24-hour period, you can send any message using a template approved by Facebook or WhatsApp.
Below are some common message templates that have already been verified and approved by Facebook/WhatsApp in the past.
- Hi. There's an update available regarding your request. Please reply to this message if you'd like for us to get back in touch with you.
- Hello {{1}}! We're sorry we couldn't respond to you right away. {{2}} has new information for you, so please reply to this message so you can continue the conversation!
- Hi. I'm sorry we weren't able to respond right away. I would be happy to assist you now. If you would like to continue this conversation, simply reply "Yes" to this message.
- Hello {{1}}! We have new information regarding your request. Please reply so we can update you. Best regards, {{2}}
In message templates, you can work with placeholders to personalize the templates, for example, using {{1}} for the contact name or {{2}} for the operator name. There are other placeholders for the contact's email address, their customer number, and the conversation subject.