A business initiated conversation with your customers must use a template message, once they have opted-in and given you the permission to send them messages. Templates must be approved by WhatsApp before you can use them to send notifications.
Think of your template message as a conversation starter; the goal is to convert this initial message into a two-way conversation when the customer replies. Two-way conversations are considered higher value because you are engaging with your customer. In addition, they reduce your spend because WhatsApp does not charge for outbound messages within the 24-hour session.
Template messages are dynamic messages that contain variables inside double curly braces () when the message is sent. In the example below, numbers indicate variables that are automatically filled in from your database.
Template Message should be submitted as follows:
Name: account_registration
Hi 1! Your login code for 2 is 3.
Your customer will receive:
Hi Sara! Your login code for EOcean is 6545.
Template messages are used for the following reasons:
- Initiate new conversations with customers
- Send broadcasts
- Restart the session after the 24-hours have expired
Once the customer replies, a session is started and businesses can begin communicating with their customers on WhatsApp during the session.