Why do you need WhatsApp templates?

WhatsApp only lets a business message freely within 24 hours of the customer's last message. Want to send something after that, or start a conversation yourself? Then you need a template approved by Meta. A template is a fixed message text with placeholders, such as the customer's first name or an order number.

Templates belong to your WhatsApp channel. The same templates are used in the inbox (after 24 hours), in automations, in broadcasts and for the satisfaction survey (CSAT).

The WhatsApp templates page

Go to Channels and click Templates on the WhatsApp card (next to Manage). This opens the WhatsApp templates page, with all your templates and their status at Meta:

• Approved — ready to use.
• In review — Meta is still reviewing the template.
• Rejected — the card shows Meta's reason.
• Paused — Meta has put the template on hold (see below).

Use the tabs All, Approved, In review and Rejected to filter the list. Each tab shows a count. Click Refresh status to fetch the latest status from Meta.

Each card shows the name, language, category and status, plus a WhatsApp-style preview with the buttons. Variables are shown as green labels.

Delete removes the template at Meta, in all languages. Automations and broadcasts that use this template stop working.

Creating a new template

Click New template. The form has three parts: 1 Basics, 2 Content and 3 Buttons.

Start from an example

Under Start from an example, pick a starter: Follow-up after 24h, Order update, Return received, Appointment reminder, Missed call, Delayed delivery, Refund processed or Review request. Review request is a Marketing template with a button to your review page: fill in your own link there. A starter fills in the whole form in the chosen language. If you then change Message language and haven't edited the text yet, the text switches along.

1 Basics

• Name — lowercase letters, digits and _ only (Meta's format), for example vraag_opvolging. The same name can exist in several languages.
• Category — Utility (recommended) for a follow-up on a question, order or appointment. This rate is lower. If the content is promotional after all, Meta may change the category. Choose Marketing for offers, news and campaigns; this rate is higher.
• Message language — Nederlands, English or Deutsch.

2 Content

• Header — optional, up to 60 characters. You can't use variables here in this form.
• Message — the text itself, up to 1024 characters (the counter is below it). Use + Variable {{1}} to add placeholders: {{1}}, {{2}} and so on. Use B to make text *bold* and I for _italic_.
• Footer — optional, up to 60 characters.

Example values: only for Meta's review

Meta wants to see an example for each variable so it can review the template. You enter these under Example values, for example Anne for {{1}}.

Important: the example is not what your customer receives. "{{1}} = Anne" is only an example for Meta. When the message is sent, {{1}} becomes the real value, for example the customer's first name. So your customer Peter gets "Hi Peter", not "Hi Anne".

If you used a starter, each variable shows what it stands for, such as Customer first name or Order number.

3 Buttons

Click Add button to add up to 3 buttons:

• Quick reply — a button the customer taps to reply.
• Open link — opens a web address (starting with https://).
• Call — calls a phone number (such as +31…).

What the customer sees

Under What the customer sees you get a live preview of your message, with your example values filled in.

Checking and submitting to Meta

Before you can submit, Bugalou checks these rules:

• Variables are numbered in order, without gaps ({{1}}, {{2}}, not {{1}}, {{3}}).
• There is no variable at the very start or the very end of the text. Meta rejects that.
• Every variable has an example value.
• All buttons are filled in completely.

Click Submit to Meta. Meta reviews the template, usually within a few minutes, sometimes up to 24 hours. After submitting, you can't edit a template. To change something, delete the template and create it again.

Sending a template from the inbox

When the 24-hour window of a WhatsApp conversation has expired, a red bar with the Send template button appears above the reply box. You also see this button on a message that failed with the notice "24h window expired".

1. Click Send template.
2. Pick an approved template. You can search; each template shows its language and category. Templates with media or a coupon-code button are greyed out and can't be chosen here.
3. Fill in each variable. Where it fits, the customer's first name is already filled in.
4. Check the preview and click Send template.

The message appears in the conversation right away. A template does not reopen the window: only once the customer replies can you answer freely again. Missing a template? This window also has + New template.

What does Meta check, and what doesn't it?

• Meta reviews the template once. It does not check the values you fill in for each message.
• Bugalou takes the customer's name from the contact. That is often the WhatsApp profile name, which isn't always a real first name. Check the preview.
• If many recipients block or report your message, Meta may pause the template. You then see the status Paused.

Templates in automations

You can also have an approved template sent automatically, for example after an order or after a delay step. For this, use the Send WhatsApp template step in the automation builder, where you choose per variable which data goes into it. The article "Building Automations" explains how this works.

Templates with an image, video or document

Templates with an image, video or document in the header are (for now) still created in the broadcast wizard. You can send them via broadcasts, but not (yet) from the inbox.