How to use WhatsApp Message Templates

Create a Message Template

To create a WhatsApp message template, log in to your Desk360 account and navigate to Settings > General Settings > WhatsApp Message Templates from the left-hand menu and select the Create Message Template button. When you select the button, you will be taken to the page seen in the screenshot below.

In this step, you need to fill in four fields: product details, template name, language(s) in which the template will be created, and category. All four fields are required.

Product: Choose the product you'd like to create a message template for. Only your products with WhatsApp integration will be displayed in this field.

Name: In this area, give your template a name. You can only use English characters and underscores here. The maximum number of characters allowed in the name field is 512.

Language(s): In this field, you can select more than one language. You can create content in any of the 40 languages supported by Desk360.

Category: Select the category that reflects the content of the template message in this field.

If you continue after filling out these fields, you will be brought to the page where you can create the content of your message template.

Header

This field is optional. You have three options for this field: None, Text, and Media. If you do not want to use the Header field, simply select None. When you select Text, you can enter up to 60 characters to your header in your template. The Add Variable button allows you to enter any parameter into the text area. In this field, you can only input one parameter. The amount of characters in the variable is included in the 60-character limit. When you select Media, you can give your template a header that is an image, video, or document. The media you include in this field must be an example and not contain any customer information. When you send your message to your customers after the template has been approved, you need to include the original material.

Body

In this step, fill in the Body field with the main text you want to send your customers. This field is mandatory and must include the message you intend to deliver to the customer. The maximum number of characters that can be entered into this field is 1024. You can enter an unlimited number of variables in this field, but note that the number of characters in your variable is also counted toward the 1024 limit. You should also avoid using parameters at the start and the end of your body text.

Footer

You can use this box to add a signature text or information to your message. This section only supports text, has a character limit of 60, and no variables can be added.

Buttons

You can utilize the Buttons feature to create buttons that allow your customers to quickly respond to or take action on the messages you send. You can choose between two types of buttons in this field: Quick Reply and Call to Action. When you select Quick Reply, you have the option of creating up to three reply buttons. The Call to Action button, on the other hand, is a selection that allows you to redirect your customers to a website or to make a phone call. If you select the action buttons, remember to include the country code in the phone numbers and to include https:// in front of the links.

Add/Remove Languages

Under the Languages tab on the page, you can add a new language specific to this message template. Language-specific templates need to be approved by WhatsApp. For example, if an English template is approved, the French content of the same template might get rejected. Visit the WhatsApp Message Templates page for additional details on the approval process.

Preview

On the right side of the screen, you can see a preview of all the changes you've made, as seen below.

When you finish creating your message template and select the Send button in the lower right corner, it will be forwarded to WhatsApp for approval. If the template is approved, you can now send this message to your customers. You cannot, however, send any unapproved templates.

Delete a Message Template

To delete a WhatsApp message template, log in to your Desk360 account and navigate to Settings > General Settings > WhatsApp Message Templates from the menu. The templates you've already created will be listed to you. To delete a template, find the message from the list and select the trash icon under Manage title.

You cannot use the same template name for new message templates after deleting a message template. Names for templates can only be given once, and deleting the template has no effect on this.

If you want to delete the content of only one language of a multilingual template, select the template you want to make changes from the list and select the pencil icon under Manage title. This will lead you to the details page for the template. Select the language from the Languages section on the left side of the page and select the trash icon (see Add/Remove Languages).

Send a Message Template

After logging in to your Desk360 account, navigate to Settings > General Settings > WhatsApp Message Templates steps from the menu to send the approved WhatsApp message template you created to your customers. The templates you've already created will be listed to you. Find the message you wish to send and select the send icon under Manage title.

Bulk Message

When you select this button, you will be taken to the page seen in the screenshot below. With the Bulk Message option in the upper right corner, you can send the same message to multiple numbers at the same time. The Languages column on the left allows you to send message templates based on language. Make sure to enter the phone numbers in the section, as illustrated in the example, then press enter after each number to include the numbers in a label. Otherwise, the delivery will fail. If your message contains variables or media, you can include them in the sections underneath the phone numbers.

If you click the button under Languages to add a new language that isn't among these, you'll be taken to the Message Template Creation page. However, if you previously deleted a language from a template, it is not possible to re-create content for the same template in the deleted language. After you've completed all of the fields, select the send button in the lower right corner to send the message template to the recipients.

Single Message

With the Single Send option in the upper right corner, you can send the same message with modified variables and media to different numbers at the same time. Ensure that you've entered the phone numbers including their country codes Enter the section number together with the country code, as shown in the example below. Fill in any variable or media fields that appear in your message.

If you click the button under Languages to add a new language that isn't among these, you'll be taken to the Message Template Creation page. However, if you previously deleted a language from a template, it is not possible to re-create content for the same template in the deleted language. After you've completed all of the fields, select the send button in the lower right corner to send the message template to the recipients.

We’re constantly working on new features and you will soon be able to get statistics on the message templates you've sent, select and send message templates to your customers directly from the Live Support page, and view the message templates you've sent in chat threads.