One of the most advantageous aspects of using WhatsApp Business API is the ability for businesses to automate their customer communications through the use of pre-approved Notification Templates.

For businesses that are just getting started with WhatsApp Notification Templates, it’s critical to understand what types of messages these can be used for, how to structure them and get them approved in accordance with WhatsApp policies.

If you’re just getting started, here’s a primer on the WhatsApp Message Template and best practices.

What are WhatsApp Notification Templates?

Businesses use WhatsApp Notification Templates to send standardized messages to customers such as appointment reminders, shipping updates, issue resolutions, back-in-stock alerts, product launch updates, cart abandonment reminders, and more. Customers who have opted in to receive such notifications will only receive them. WhatsApp has pre-approved and preset messages that a business can use to start a conversation with a customer.

You’ve probably noticed that as a WhatsApp Business user, you can’t start conversations with customers on the platform. This is because it was designed for support agents to provide customer service. As a result, businesses can answer customers’ questions but cannot contact them first. However, templates can solve that minor problem; you can start conversations with customers by sending these predefined messages..

WhatsApp Template Best Practices

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1. Grammar

There should be no grammatical or spelling errors in the templates. One good practise is to proofread the content for spelling and grammar before submitting it to WhatsApp for review.
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2. Localization Parameter

Check that the message’s formatting is correct. When using variable parameters such as 1, 2, etc., make sure you use the correct number of curly brackets. There should be two curly brackets on the left and two brackets on the right side of the variable. The template will be rejected if the number of brackets is incorrect.
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3. Links

If you use links in your WhatsApp template, make sure to include the complete URL. Do not use short links (those generated by URL shorteners such as bit.ly, TinyURL, and others). These links are known to obscure the destination of the link. Furthermore, the domain in the URL should be unique to your company.
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4. Template Name,

When entering a name for the message template, only lowercase alphanumeric characters and underscores should be used. Only whitespaces and no other characters are permitted. For example, instead of ‘pymt updt 01,’ a valid template name could be ‘payment update details.’
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5. Language

Messages should be written in the language of the template. For example, if you select “English” as the template language and send the message in Spanish, the template will be rejected. Also, ensure that the language of choice is supported by WhatsApp.
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6. WhatsApp Guidelines

Create simple and concise message templates that will clearly convey information to users. Message templates must have the appropriate ‘Category’ and ‘Language’ tags. They must not include any content that violates the WhatsApp Commerce Policy, such as abusive or threatening language.

Types of WhatsApp Templates with Examples

We’ve included some ready-to-use WhatsApp Notifications templates below. Remember that this is not an exhaustive list, but it will assist you in getting started with your WhatsApp notification campaign.

Don’t forget to customise and personalise these templates before sending them to your customers to convey your brand’s distinct personality!

Account updates

Assume the customer has an account to log in to your e-store, but something has changed or a new account has been created. With the Account Update template, you can easily notify customers about changes to their account settings or request that they verify their email/account.

Alert updates

Alerts update is a broad category that includes notifications such as order placed, product back in stock, and others.

Upsell Notifications

If your customer purchased green tea from your online store, this is an excellent opportunity to sell him a tea infuser or electric kettle. Use the template below to entice your customers and increase sales.
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Appointment updates

Has the customer scheduled a health checkup, a haircut, or Yoga? You can send them a confirmation of the appointment with an Appointment Update. You can also send useful reminders.
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Away Notification(OOO, Delayed, Welcome)

You can engage customers even when you are unavailable, such as during holidays or non-working hours, using this template. We’ve created a few templates to help you get started with chat automation.
Issue resolution

Is there a problem with your service, or do customers have other issues? Simply send the customer a status message about their problem using the Issue Resolution WhatsApp templates.

Payment update

Send Payment Update notifications to notify customers when their payments have been received. It can also be used to notify customers about refunds for returned products.

Personal finance update

You can use this template as a bank or other financial institution to inform a customer about their financial situation.

Reservation update

Reservation Updates is the best template for hospitality and leisure businesses. You can use them to keep customers updated on the status of their reservations.
You can either send them a table confirmation via WhatsApp or notify them that their room is ready.

Ticket updates

Is there a customer complaint? You can keep them up to date on the status of their complaint with ticket updates.
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Transportation update

If you work in the transportation industry, you can use Transportation Updates to share information. You can also inform the customer about a delayed flight or where they can find their luggage

Order Confirmation Notification

Send an automated notification for confirmation on WhatsApp to double-check the authenticity of your COD orders.
Including a COD option boosts sales but leaves you vulnerable to pranks such as fake orders. It’s best to re-confirm these orders by WhatsApping the customer!

Abandoned Cart Notifications

Send customers timely nudges in the form of automated notifications to encourage them to check out. It can do wonders for bringing customers back to your store. These minor but critical steps will ensure WhatsApp’s abandoned cart recovery.

Discount/Offer Update

Send personalized and timely automated notifications to customers about new offers and discounts via WhatsApp.

Reconnect with a Lead

As previously stated, businesses can only interact with customers via a template message after the 24-hour mark. Assume you received a question about one of your products from a customer who seemed genuinely interested in the item but then stopped responding. Perhaps he became preoccupied with work and forgot about the conversation, or perhaps he felt it was not the appropriate time. ‍

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