What you will learn in this article:
Why in some cases you can't chat freely, but have to use a WhatsApp template.
How you can reply to your contact, even though the Customer Care window (24h since the contact last messaged you) is closed.
1. Video
2. In which cases will the WhatsApp conversation window be closed?
If the contact's last message was sent more than 24 hours ago.
If you want to proactively message the contact, without them having written to you on WhatsApp beforehand.
3. How to still be able to message your contact
In these cases, you can only message the contact if you use a WhatsApp template. In this case, the chat window looks like the one shown in the screenshot:
This is primarily for spam protection, so that companies do not send unfiltered messages to their contacts that violate WhatsApp's guidelines.
4. Setting up and using a (Wildcard-) WhatsApp Template
In theory, you can create a WhatsApp template for any topic. To be able to respond to simple requests outside the time window, we recommend a wildcard template, which can be set up as follows:
Firstly, navigate to your profile picture in the top right and select Settings.
Click on Templates on the left, followed by WhatsApp templates. You can now add a New Template in the top right.
Choose Discover popular templates.
To find the wildcard template, select wildcard in the filter on the left and then click on General conversation starter.
Customize the text in this template so that it applies to your location & business. You can then submit the WhatsApp template for review at the bottom right:
Great, you've created your free text template! Now wait a few minutes until Meta has reviewed the WhatsApp template.
Navigate back to your Inbox and click on WhatsApp Template in the bottom of the chatbox. Here you will find the newly created wildcard template.
Now you can freely add text in the blue box, allowing you to individually respond to your contact, even though the customer care window is closed.
Exchange ideas with experts from your industry in our community. This is the best place to gather initial ideas, especially at the beginning:
Join our community here: Superchat Community