WhatsApp Automation
What are WhatsApp template messages?
Direct answer
Template messages are pre-approved message formats that businesses must use on the WhatsApp Business API to start a conversation with a customer, like an order confirmation or delivery update. Meta reviews them once, then you send them with variables filled in. Once the customer replies, you can chat freely for 24 hours.
How the system works
- Business-initiated messages need templates. You cannot cold-message free text on the API; the first message must match a format Meta approved.
- Variables personalize them. A template like "Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} totals {{3}}. Reply YES to confirm" gets filled per customer.
- Replies open a 24-hour window. Once the customer responds, you can send free-form messages (and AI replies) for 24 hours after their last message. Each new customer reply resets the clock.
- Categories affect cost and review. Utility templates (order updates, confirmations) are treated differently from marketing templates, and approval reviews are stricter for marketing.
What this means for COD confirmation
Order confirmations are utility messages, the least problematic kind: they get approved routinely and customers rarely report them. The reply ("YES", a question, a new address) opens the free-chat window, which is exactly where an AI agent earns its keep by handling the actual conversation.
Do you need to manage this yourself?
No. Platforms handle template creation, submission, and rotation for you. ReplAi ships with confirmation and update templates in Arabic and English as part of onboarding, so you never touch the Meta review process directly.
Last updated 2026-07-09