WhatsApp only lets you send a free reply for 24 hours after a customer last wrote. Once that window closes, you reengage the customer with an approved template. Mando puts a template button right in the composer.
When you need a template
Inside the 24 hour window you can type a normal reply. Once it closes, the composer shows an amber note that the reply window has closed and that you should send an approved template to continue.
You can send a template at any time, including to reopen a closed conversation, but it is the only way to write first once the window has passed.
Send a template
- Open a WhatsApp conversation.
- Click the WhatsApp template button in the composer toolbar.
- Pick a template from the list of approved templates.
- Fill in any variables, then check the live preview.
- Click Send template.
Fill in the variables
Each blank in the template becomes a field to fill. The first field is prefilled with the customer name, and you can edit it. Send stays disabled until every field has a value.
A template with no blanks has nothing to fill, so you can send it straight away. The preview box shows exactly what the customer will receive.
Where templates come from
Only templates approved by WhatsApp appear in the list. You create and submit templates in Settings, under Integrations and WhatsApp; pending or rejected ones do not show.
If the list is empty, you have no approved templates yet. Create one in settings, then wait for it to be approved before it appears here.
Frequently asked questions
The template button is greyed out.
It is active only on WhatsApp conversations, and on a plan that includes the shared inbox.
Can I edit the wording?
No. The body is fixed by the approved template. You only fill in the variables.
Nothing sends and I get an error.
The error text comes straight from WhatsApp, for example a window or template rule. Fix what it names and try again.