Today
Why do I need a WhatsApp template to message a customer?
The supervisor routed the question to the support agent
Because WhatsApp only allows free-form messages within 24 hours of the customer's last message. Outside that window, a business reaches out with a template Meta approved.
WhatsApp message templates are fixed messages with variables, like a name or a time, that Meta approves in advance. In RealOffice.AI you create them, submit them for approval, and use them in chats, campaigns, scheduled messages, automations, AI agents and the API.
The 24-hour window, in plain words
When a customer writes to your business on WhatsApp, a 24-hour window opens. Inside it you can reply with anything: free text, an image, a file or buttons.
Every new message from the customer restarts the window for another 24 hours. More than a day since they last wrote? To reach them you need an approved template.
A first message to a customer, a meeting reminder, an order update or a campaign also go out as templates. The moment the customer replies, the window opens again and the conversation carries on as usual, AI agent included.
Three kinds of templates
Meta classifies every template by its purpose, and the category affects approval and the message price.
- MarketingOffers, event invitations or reaching out to past customers. Includes carousels of cards with images or video.
- UtilityOrder confirmations, meeting reminders or status updates. Messages tied to something the customer did or asked for.
- AuthenticationOne-time codes (OTP) with a copy button, in the format Meta defines.
Build a template in one editor
- Header, body and footerA text, image, video or document header, a body with variables, and a short footer.
- ButtonsQuick reply, website link, call a number or copy a code.
- Ready-made galleryStarting points by industry. Pick one, adapt it to your business and submit it.
- Live previewSee how the message will look in WhatsApp before you submit it.
- Approval statusEach template shows whether it is pending, approved or rejected.
The template opens, the agent carries on
Hi Yael, a reminder about your appointment tomorrow at 11:00 with Avi. Are you coming?
Can I move it later in the day?
The customer replied and the window opened · the supervisor routed to the calendar agent
Sure. Tomorrow I have 14:30 or 16:00. Which works for you?
16:00
Done, you're now booked for tomorrow at 16:00. See you!
Templates through the API
Manage and send templates from your own systems. accountId picks the WhatsApp number when you have more than one. Read the API docs
Manage templates
- GET
/api/whatsapp/templates?accountId=All of the account's templates, with each one's status and category. - GET
/api/whatsapp/templates/{templateId}Details of a single template. - POST
/api/whatsapp/templates?accountId=Create a template and submit it to Meta. - DELETE
/api/whatsapp/templates/{templateId}/{templateName}Delete a template.
Send
- POST
/api/whatsapp/send-templateSend a template with variables to a contact. - POST
/api/whatsapp/schedule-templateSchedule a template for a future local time.
Questions about WhatsApp templates
What are WhatsApp message templates?
Fixed messages a business sends through the WhatsApp Business API, with variables filled in for each customer. Meta reviews and approves every template before it can be sent.
What is the WhatsApp 24-hour window?
The time in which a business can reply to a customer with a free-form message. It opens every time the customer writes and lasts 24 hours. Outside it, you can only reach out with an approved template.
How long does template approval take?
Review time is up to Meta. The status shows next to the template in the platform, and a campaign using a template that isn't approved yet waits rather than going out.
Why does Meta reject a template?
Common reasons are a category that doesn't fit the content (such as an offer in a utility template), variables with no text around them, or content that breaks WhatsApp's policies. Fix it and submit again.
Can an AI agent send a template?
Yes. You choose which templates the agent may send, and it fills in the variables from the conversation and the contact's details. Smart agents
Can one template exist in several languages?
Yes. Every template has a language, and you can create a version in each language your customers speak.
Let's talk
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