Looking for a solution to register WhatsApp Business Messages Templates?
In this blog, we will discuss the step by step process to register a WhatsApp Business Message template and get it approved. Please note this guide is for WhatsApp Business Platform users. For the WhatsApp Business App, please refer to the WhatsApp official website.
What are WhatsApp Business Templates?
With WhatsApp Business Platform message templates, you can send personalized and engaging messages to your customers, which can help you improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.
While using the WhatsApp Business Platform, you are required to register a message template before you can send it via API or via WhatsApp Marketing Software. As a business, WhatsApp charges you for each message sent. These charges apply regardless of who sends them- the business or the end user.
Messages sent through a WhatsApp Business Account are of two types:
- Business Initiated Chat (BIC): WhatsApp Business Account owners (business such as yours) can send outbound messages to customers. These can include:
- Marketing messages: Marketing messages can be any outbound message to a customer such as offers, promotions, new product launches or any other message that is not a service message.
- Service messages: These can include OTPs, authentication messages, order confirmations, payment confirmations or any other message to help a user complete any transaction with your business.
- User Initiated Chat (UIC): These can be any message sent by an end user to a business. These do not require any template to be registered. The user can send you a simple ‘Hi’ or any other message. Based on your business workflow, you can set up API based on flow builder based workflows to send responses to users.
Learn more about WhatsApp Business Account pricing. Please note that you are only charged once in 24 hours at the initial message, whether it is for a Business Initiated, or User Initiated Chat. Post 24 hours, a fresh charge of an equivalent unit is charged, even if the same conversation is ongoing.
Importance of WhatsApp Business Message Templates
WhatsApp Business message templates are pre-approved message templates offer a range of benefits to enhance customer communication, streamline operations, and contribute to overall business success.
- Efficiency: Instead of crafting repetitive messages from scratch, businesses can leverage these templates to send standardized yet personalized messages quickly and easily. This streamlined approach frees up time for customer service representatives to focus on more complex inquiries and provide a more personalized experience.
- Consistency: WhatsApp Business message templates ensure consistency and professionalism in business communication. By adhering to approved templates, businesses can maintain a consistent brand voice and tone across all interactions, fostering trust and credibility with their customers. Additionally, templates help businesses avoid grammatical errors and typos, projecting a polished and professional image.
- Customer Satisfaction: WhatsApp business message templates enhance customer engagement and satisfaction. By providing timely and relevant information, businesses can keep their customers informed about order updates, delivery notifications, promotional offers, and other important updates. This proactive approach demonstrates care and attention to customer needs, fostering stronger customer relationships and boosting satisfaction.
- Integrity: WhatsApp Business templates play a vital role in preventing spam and maintaining the integrity of the WhatsApp account. By requiring businesses to use approved templates, WhatsApp effectively curtails the spread of unsolicited and irrelevant messages, ensuring that users receive only valuable and relevant communications. This safeguards the user experience and upholds the reputation of WhatsApp as a trusted messaging platform.
How to register WhatsApp Business Message Templates
Creating WhatsApp business message templates with EnableX WhatsApp Business API involves a straightforward process. The process is as follows:
- Register for a WhatsApp Business Account with a official WhatsApp Technology service provider such as EnableX. Sign up for a free WhatsApp Business Account trial.
- Complete documentation for your WhatsApp Business account: All businesses need to register with WhatsApp. This requires creating an account on the Facebook Business Manager, and submitting some documents. Our team will help you complete this process.
- Procure a new WhatsApp phone number: Or migrate your existing WhatsApp business phone number. This number should not have an existing WhatsApp service, whether personal, or WhatsApp Business (the SMB app) working on it. If you want to use an existing number, you can deactivate personal WhatsApp services on it before submitting it for approval.
- Receive a Green tick WhatsApp Business Account: Commonly referred to as Verified WhatsApp Business Account, this will ensure your business appears on WhatsApp with your business’s name, and a green tick, verifying your official presence on WhatsApp.
- Receive WhatsApp Business API url and code: If you are looking to send WhatsApp Business messages through an API, EnableX will provide the API url and code, so you can integrate into your existing codebase. You can also choose to use EnableX’s WhatsApp Campaign Manager
You are now ready to send messages. For registering templates, the following steps need to be taken:
- Formulate your message template: Create simple, easy to understand templates. The user should be able to easily understand your message at the first go.
- Decide the call to action: If you want the user to take some action, such as visit a site, or provide any information, decide the Call to Action, and integrate it into your message with a Click to Call, or Click to action button
- Understand variables: To personalise the messages, WhatsApp allows you to insert variables. Common examples can include the user’s name, the transaction number, dates and any other element that needs to be modified at the user level.
Once you have all these ready, you can submit your message template on the EnableX portal. This can only be done after your WhatsApp Business Account service is configured and approved by Meta.
In the example below, EnableX is registering a message to send promotional messaging about our video API service to an audience.
As you will notice, the WhatsApp Business Message Template registration screen will ask for all the details of the template you wish to register. This allows you to configure the template end to end. You can also include rich media such as videos, images, PDFs etc. in your message. You can also specify the URL to which your call to action should go.
EnableX’s customer success team will also help you configure these messages. To get started, you just need to register for an account, or contact EnableX.
Once your template it is registered, it is usually approved by WhatsApp in a few minutes. Once that happens, the template status will change from pending to approved in the template list.
Once the template is in approved status, you are all set! You can now send the template as a WhatsApp message to any user in your contact database. Want to send bulk WhatsApp messages using excel sheet?
By leveraging the WhatsApp Business API, businesses gain control over their WhatsApp messaging strategy, streamlining communication, enhancing customer engagement, and ultimately driving business growth.
Ready to get started? Start your free WhatsApp Business trial account now!
Want to learn more about WhatsApp Business Platform?
Common Reasons for Low Efficiency WhatsApp Business Campaigns
Learn from common mistakes and reasons for template rejection, allowing you to fine-tune your templates for better success rates.
Integrating Templates into Customer Support: Explore ways to incorporate WhatsApp message template for business into your customer support strategy, enhancing response times and overall service quality.
Utilizing Templates for Marketing Campaigns: Uncover the potential of your WhatsApp business templates in marketing efforts, from promotional messages to personalized offers, maximizing the impact of your campaigns.
Not Analyzing Response Rates: Implement strategies for measuring the success of your WhatsApp business message templates, analyzing response rates, and adapting your approach based on real-time data.
Gathering Insights for Improvement: Continuous improvement is key. Discover how to gather insights from template performance to refine and optimize your messaging strategy.
FAQs
Q. How long does it take to get a WhatsApp Business Template approved?
The approval time for a WhatsApp Business Template varies, but it typically takes a few minutes.
Q. Can I edit a WhatsApp Business message template after it has been approved?
It is usually better to submit a fresh template request.
Q. Are there any restrictions on the content of templates?
Templates must adhere to WhatsApp’s policies, avoiding prohibited content and language.
Q. What happens if my WhatsApp Business message template is rejected?
You’ll receive feedback on the rejection reasons, allowing you to make necessary adjustments.
Q. How often should I update my templates?
Regular updates ensure relevance, but excessive changes may impact approval rates.
