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Send your first message

WhatsApp decides when you may send a free-form message. This is the single rule that surprises most new teams, so it is worth understanding on day one.

Who can do this

  • Owner
  • Admin
  • Agent

The rule​

  • When a customer messages you, a 24-hour service window opens. Inside it you can reply with anything: text, images, documents, buttons.
  • Outside that window, or before the customer has ever messaged you, you can only send an approved message template.

That is Meta's rule, not ours. Details: the 24-hour service window.

If a customer messages you first​

Nothing to set up. The conversation appears in the Inbox as unassigned, you open it, type in the box at the bottom and press Enter.

  1. Open Inbox from the left rail.

  2. Select the conversation. New ones show under the All and Unassigned tabs.

  3. Type your reply and press Enter to send. Shift + Enter adds a line break.

Turn on browser notifications when the banner offers, so you hear about new messages without watching the tab. See notifications.

If you want to message someone first​

You need an approved template.

  1. Create a template in Templates and submit it to Meta. Approval usually takes minutes to a few hours. See message templates.

  2. In the Inbox, select the + button at the top of the conversation list to start a New conversation.

  3. Choose the contact or enter the number, pick an approved template, fill in any variables and send.

You can also send a template into an existing conversation whose window has closed: the composer shows Messaging window closed. Send a template to re-engage. with a Send Template button.

What a first template should say​

Meta reviews templates and rejects vague or promotional-looking utility messages. For a first template, keep it specific and expected:

  • Good: "Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} has been packed and ships today. Reply here if you need to change the address."
  • Rejected often: "Hey! Great news from us. Click to know more."

Rules and common rejection reasons: getting templates approved.

What it costs​

Template messages are charged by Meta at their published rates, billed to the payment method on your WhatsApp Business Account. Replies inside the 24-hour service window are not charged as template messages. Boldally adds no markup.

Next steps​

The shared inbox
Tabs, search, filters, and how conversations are picked up.
Message templates
Build, submit and manage templates.
Campaigns
Send one template to many contacts at once.
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