Reply to customers in Conversations

WhatsApp → Messages → Conversations shows your chats with customers and lets you reply to them. It is the only place in FortWave where you can write free-form messages; everywhere else you send approved templates.

The 24-hour window

WhatsApp allows free-form messages only within 24 hours of the customer's last message. Each conversation shows how much time is left, or Window closed.

• Window open: reply with any text, and attach files.
• Window closed: you can only send an approved template until the customer writes back. Their reply opens a new 24-hour window.

Start a new conversation

1. 1Select New conversation.
2. 2Choose the number to send From and enter the customer's WhatsApp number.
3. 3Pick an approved template and fill in its variables. A new conversation always starts with a template.

Send files

While the window is open you can attach PDF, Word, Excel, PNG, JPEG, MP4 or MP3 files. The text and each file are sent as separate messages, and the cost is shown before you send.

Message statuses

• Sending: on its way to WhatsApp.
• Sent: accepted by WhatsApp.
• Delivered: arrived on the customer's phone.
• Read: opened by the customer (if they have read receipts on).
• Not delivered: WhatsApp couldn't deliver it. Open the message to see why.

Want colleagues to answer too? See Invite your team and use the Business Inbox.