WhatsApp Message TemplatesUpdated 9 days ago

Message Templates are specific message formats businesses can use to send out notifications or customer care messages. They can be sent outside of the 24-hour conversation window, allowing you to start new conversations or follow up with customers who have gone silent.

Message Template Creation and Approval

Submitting a Message Template via Facebook:

1. Open WhatsApp Manager in Facebook Business Manager
2. Select “Create and Manage”
3. Click “WhatsApp Manager”
4. Select “Message Templates,” located in the top bar.
5. Click “Create Template”
6. Fill in the fields in the official submission form:
   • Name
   • Type
   • Language
   • Content
   • Custom fields

You can also find instructions on how to create Templates in this Facebook article.

Once you create your Templates, they will appear in Gorgias under the WhatsApp integration that they are connected to. To see them, navigate to Settings -> App Store -> My apps -> WhatsApp -> Select the desired WA Integration, and then click on the "Message Templates" tab.

Similar to Macros, you will be able to see the name of the template, category, status of the template, language, etc. In the top right corner, the button will lead you to your Meta Business Manager, where you can manage your existing templates or create new ones. 

If you click on a Template, a sidebar will open where you will be able to review your template and its details. You will also be able to use WhatsApp variables in your Templates.

In order to initiate a WhatsApp conversation with a customer in Gorgias, it's mandatory that you use WhatsApp templates. You will not be able to initiate a regular text-based conversation. 

If you wish to respond to a Ticket whose channels are email, chat, etc, with WhatsApp, change the channel within that ticket and then use your Templates to reply.

Once you create a new ticket in Gorgias, change your channel from Email to WhatsApp in the drop-down menu. Then, you will be prompted to use your existing templates to initiate a conversation, again, much like Macros.

And you will see your templates listed out:

Requirements for Message Templates 

To ensure that your Template is approved, it:

1) Must be one of the following accepted template categories:

Allowed issue categories ✅ 

• Marketing - Send promotional offers, product announcements, and more to increase awareness and engagement.
• Authentication - Send codes that allow your customers to access their accounts securely. 
• Utility - Send account updates, order updates, alerts, and more to share important information.

Not allowed ❌ 

• Message template with content that violates the WhatsApp Commerce Policy.
• Message Templates with content that violates the WhatsApp Business Policy.
• Message Templates with content that contains potentially abusive or threatening content, such as threatening a customer with legal action or threatening to shame them publicly.

2) Must have a template name

• It can only contain lowercase alphanumerics characters and underscores
  

3) Must meet WhatsApp's length and character guidelines

• Templates cannot have newlines, tabs, or more than 4 consecutive spaces
• The character limit for the body component is 1024. The character limit for the header and footer components is 60 characters each.

4) Must include translations for all languages that are planned to be supported

Limitations

• Currently, we only support text-based WhatsApp message templates (including templates with quick-replies)
• Templates with video, photo, or location headers or call-to-action buttons are not currently supported