To set up your TextUs organization for WhatsApp functionality, you will first need to select the accounts that you’d like to connect. You will require both a non-messaging admin account and a messaging account.

The selected non-messaging admin account will configure the connection between your TextUs account and your Meta Business Profile, and the selected messaging account will provide the phone number that will send and receive WhatsApp messages.

For the full guide on how to register for WhatsApp from within TextUs, please see How to connect TextUs to a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA). The article outlines the requisites for enabling the connection as well as a step-by-step guide to registration itself.

Unlike SMS messaging, WhatsApp messaging only allows free-form messages under specific circumstances. To prevent spammy and non-compliant interactions, all other messages must be sent using WhatsApp templates. Templates are pre-defined messages, and they must be approved by WhatsApp before they can be sent.

Until your contact has sent you a message, all WhatsApp messages must be sent using templates. Once the contact responds to you, you have 24 hours from the time of their most recent message in which you can respond to them with free-form messages. This is known as the 24-hour service window. Once that window passes, you cannot use free-form messages and must use a template if you wish to contact them again.

There are three categories of WhatsApp templates: marketing templates, utility templates, and authentication templates. Understanding the definitions of these categories is crucial, as there are certain limitations to the usage of marketing templates that do not apply to utility or authentication templates. The template type is displayed when viewing each approved template.

A Utility template is a transactional or operational message that:

Utility templates are non-promotional and contextual to an existing relationship or transaction. They support messages like services follow-up, account updates, and operational notifications.

Authentication templates are used for:

These are typically reserved for high-security or account login use cases and may require additional Meta approval.

A Marketing template is any message designed to:

The Marketing category is also the default category assigned to any templates that do not fit into any of the outlined categories or contain a mix of the criteria from each.

To learn more about template categorization and to view examples of each category, please see Meta's Template categorization page.

A Variable is a component you can add to your WhatsApp templates in order to personalize them. Similar to the function of personalization variables in TextUs SMS messages, variables allow you to customize designated fields in your message with information such as contact names, dates, or company names before sending.

When creating a variable, you can select between three variable types: Text, Date, and Personalization Variable. Text and Date variable types require you to enter a variable name. This name is how you will refer to your variable when you add it to your message. Selecting Personalization Variable allows you to include one of your pre-configured TextUs personalization variables that you use in your SMS workflows. To learn more about these and how to add and manage them, please see Enable user personalization variables.

WhatsApp templates can also include buttons. Buttons are pre-defined responses or actions that are sent along with your template message. There are three types of buttons: Quick reply, Call a number, and Go to website.

Quick replies are pre-defined response options that the user can tap to respond to your message instantly. When a quick reply is tapped, that response is sent in the chat as a message. This feature can be used to provide possible answers to a question asked in your message, as seen in the example below:

Call a number and Go to website buttons are Calls to Action (CTAs) and provide message recipients with easy ways to connect with your business via phone or webpage. When creating these buttons, you will define the number or link that they direct to.

By reducing the time it takes to send a reply, adding buttons to your template can boost your response rate and prompt more successful interactions. Up to 10 buttons can be included per message template.

To create a new WhatsApp template, complete the following steps:

To preview your message before submitting for review, click Preview. To submit, click Submit for Review.

You can also create a new template directly from your Inbox by clicking the Choose Template button and then the plus icon. The rest of the creation process is identical to step 6 as described above.

WhatsApp templates must go through an approval process before they can be activated and used. Templates are typically approved or denied quickly through an automated process, but it is possible for the decision to take up to 48 hours. To check the status of a template that you have submitted, go to Settings > Messages > Templates and view the WhatsApp tab.

Templates have 5 possible statuses: Active, In Review, Rejected, Paused, and Disabled. Active templates have been approved and can be used. Paused or Disabled templates are templates that were previously Active, but received bad feedback from recipients and thus have been limited in their use. They may be edited and resubmitted to restore their status back to Active.

If your template is rejected, you can edit the template and resubmit it for approval. Typical reasons for rejection include formatting errors (incorrect variable use, etc.) and violations of WhatsApp’s Business Messaging Policy.

You can send and receive WhatsApp messages from the same Inbox where you manage your SMS messages. Both WhatsApp and SMS messages will appear in the same conversation display with any given contact, removing the need to switch between views and providing an accurate timeline on all communications regardless of format. Each message will have a small icon below it next to its delivery status indicating whether it was sent via SMS or via WhatsApp.

To send a WhatsApp message, select the format dropdown menu on the top of your message compose box. Select WhatsApp.

This will switch the compose box to the WhatsApp message format. Because WhatsApp messages must be pre-approved templates outside of the 24-hour service window (as described earlier), you will then need to Choose Template.

The WhatsApp templates window will display all existing WhatsApp templates. Templates have 5 possible statuses: Active, In Review, Rejected, Paused, and Disabled. Only Active templates may be sent. To choose a template to send, select the template of your choice and click the Use button. Configure any variables, and then click the send icon.

As described above, you are not allowed to send a free-form message unless you have received a response from your contact. Once your contact responds, you have 24 hours from the time of the most recent response to send your free-form message. Once those 24 hours have passed, you may only respond with a template.

If you receive no response from your contact, you may send another templated message. Keep in mind, however, that it is strongly recommended to limit the amount of messages you send with no response so as not to be considered spam.