LiveVox now offers WhatsApp Message Templates as part of our digital channel suite! Communicate with your customers the world’s most popular mobile messaging app directly from the LiveVox desktop. You can now use WhatsApp just like you would SMS, webchat, or email and respond to customers quickly in their preferred communication channel.
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With WhatsApp you can engage with customers by initiating the interaction, replying to inbound messages sent directly by customers. To start a conversation with a customer on WhatsApp you’ll need to use a WhatsApp Message Template. Below we explain how to use the WhatsApp Message Template.
Whatsapp message templates are an integral component of any WhatsApp-based customer communication workflow. They are structured messages with variable fields and are used for numerous purposes such as:
- appointment confirmations,
- order updates and tracking,
- welcome messaging,
- payment information, and
- appointment cancellations.
Using WhatsApp messages maximizes users’ productivity in multiple ways. For example, pre-approved template messages can reach a significant number of customers in a shorter period of time. In addition, the outreach is significantly more personalized because templates allow for customization. WhatsApp message templates also allow for two-way communication, and directly engaging with customers this way helps build rapport. You can also use templates with customers who have initiated conversation.
Through the WhatsApp Business Platform, companies can automatically generate templates and use them to streamline customer communication. It’s important for companies to efficiently manage their templates to maximize every outreach effort. When a company creates a new WhatsApp template, it needs to be approved by Meta before getting sent out. This is why having a group of ready-to-go, frequently used templates is optimal, and avoids bottlenecks caused by approval delays. In order to learn how to manage WhatsApp templates, users must learn the basics of creating, deleting, and customizing them first.
Getting started
Before starting, users must know the basics of Node.js and Express.js, have a WhatsApp Business ID, and a phone number ID. Below you’ll find how to create, retrieve, and delete a WhatsApp Message Template.
Step 1: How to create a WhatsApp Message Template on LiveVox
Users must first make a POST request to message_templates with their WhatsApp Business ID. There are strict guidelines that Meta requires, and they review requests everyday to ensure that they meet those requirements. Meta will reject templates if they don’t follow their specifications. Meta accepts the following parameters: category of type ENUM, components of a type JSON array, language, and name. For component parameters, sub-parameters accepted include type (of the type ENUM of HEADER, BODY, FOOTER, and BUTTONS), format (of the type ENUM of TEXT, IMAGE, DOCUMENT, VIDEO, LOCATION, text (of the type string), and buttons (of the type JSON array). Using these guidelines, you can create basic WhatsApp templates that are solely text-based or media-based.
Step 2: Retrieving a WhatsApp Message Template
In order to retrieve a WhatsApp message template, users must make a GET call. The GET call must be made to:
- https://graph.facebook.com/v13.0/whatsapp-business-account-ID/message_templates.
The next step is to create a new route in routes/messageTemplates.js. This will bring up the templates that you’ve already created.
Step 3: Deleting a WhatsApp Message Template
Deleting a WhatsApp message template is similar to retrieving one. Instead of creating a GET route, users must create a DELETE route instead. Pass the template name as a JSON body.
By using WhatsApp for business, companies can reach out to customers that have opted in to receiving text messages, mitigating risk. WhatsApp message templates help users increase efficiency and productivity by streamlining an otherwise tedious and time-consuming workflow.