The 24-hour customer service window, in plain words
When you can reply freely on WhatsApp, when you need a template, and how to make sure no customer waits for an answer.
WAlenz team · · 2 min read
If you've used WhatsApp's business tools, you'll have seen it: sometimes you can type any reply, and sometimes WhatsApp only lets you send a template. The difference is the customer service window.
How the window works
- A customer sends your business a message.
- A 24-hour window opens. Inside it you can reply with anything: text, photos, videos, voice notes, documents.
- Every new message from the customer starts the 24 hours again.
- When 24 hours pass without a message from the customer, the window closes. From then on, you can only send templates (pre-approved messages), until the customer writes again.
So if a customer asks about a product at 3 PM on Monday, you can answer freely until 3 PM on Tuesday. If they reply at 10 AM on Tuesday, you have until 10 AM on Wednesday.
What it costs
Free-form replies inside the window are free. Templates are charged by Meta per message, at a rate that depends on the template's category (marketing, utility or authentication) and on the customer's country. Meta bills these charges to your WhatsApp Business Account.
That's a good reason to answer quickly: a conversation that stays inside the window costs nothing.
When the window has closed
You can still reach the customer, with a template. Useful ones to have approved:
- A follow-up: "Hi {{first_name}}, just checking whether you'd still like the jasmine tea we talked about?"
- A reminder (utility), for an order or booking the customer made.
When the customer replies to the template, a new window opens and you can talk freely again.
Making sure nobody waits
- Answer within working hours. Most windows close while the customer sleeps, not while you're busy.
- Use an away message. An automatic reply outside business hours tells customers when you'll be back.
- Share the work. In a shared inbox, assign each conversation to someone, so no message is left for "someone else" to answer.
In the WAlenz inbox, every conversation shows how much time is left to reply freely. When the window has closed, the reply box switches to a template picker, so you never type a reply WhatsApp would refuse.