WhatsApp Cloud API: Message templates

• Requirements to create WhatsApp message templates in Kommo
• Creating WhatsApp message templates in Kommo
• How to create and submit WhatsApp message templates for Meta approval
• Message templates statuses
• Common reasons for template rejection

When creating a new WhatsApp template in Kommo, you can add the following information to it:

• Title: Choose a name for your template
• WABA ID: Select the WABA account this template will belong to
• Category: Choose from Utility or Marketing templates
• Language: Select the language of the template text
• Header: Add text or multimedia content for the header section
• Body: Provide the main template text
• Footer: Add text for the closing footer section
• Buttons: Include call-to-action buttons like “Learn More” or links to another page

On the right side of the “New template” window, users will see different markers. These markers (inserted with the square [ ] brackets) will automatically identify the data from the lead/contact/ or company card into the template (i.e if they have [Contact name] marker inserted in the template, it will be automatically replaced with the full contact name after sending it.)

When you’re creating a template in Kommo, you can choose which special fields you want to add to it (e.g. “Lead name”) by clicking on them at the right-side of the form.They’re called placeholders and they will fill automatically based on each client’s information to help you make your message template adaptable for different clients. For example, in the image above “Hey [Contact name], you have an appointment with [Responsible user] on April 6 at 2 pm. Looking forward to seeing you!” the placeholders selected were [Contact name] and [Responsible user]. When you choose them in Kommo, you will be requested to provide an example of how it will look like in the template. This example field will appear on the bottom of the form.

Likewise, Meta will decline message templates that only consist of placeholders without any accompanying text, as they could potentially be misused for spamming customers.

Here is an example: “Hi [Lead name], [ID]. [Lead status].”

For more information on preventing template rejection, check Common reasons for template rejection section.

Creating and sending templates for Meta’s approval in Kommo is pretty easy. Here is what you need to do:

1. Go to WhatsApp Cloud API widget > Templates, or you can also access it by clicking Settings > Communication tools.

1. Click on Add a new template and a modal window will appear.

1. Next, you need to change the template type to WhatsApp and fill out all the information. On the right, you can see a preview of your message, this way, you can make sure the template looks just like you envisioned.

1. At any point, you can click on Save draft to ensure your progress doesn’t get lost and re-open it to continue working on it.

1. Click on Send for review when you’re ready to send it for Meta’s approval. The review process usually takes from 1 minute to 48 hours.

After submitting a template message for approval, Meta will review it and either approve or reject it. You can monitor your template statuses in Kommo.

Possible statuses for templates include:

• Draft - a saved template that has not been sent for Meta review.
• In-review - when a user submits their message template for review.
• Approved - when a user’s message template gets approved.
• Rejected - when a user’s message template gets rejected
• On pause - when a user’s message template is deemed low quality it will be paused for 3 or 6 hours to protect phone number rating.

If one of your templates enters the “On pause” status, it probably indicates that the template has been temporarily paused or disabled due to repeated negative feedback from customers or low read-rates. Templates with this status are not eligible for sending to customers. To address the issue identified by Meta, you can initiate this process and seek resolution through the Meta Business Support Home website.

If your template gets rejected by Meta, you can press the Show reason button inside your template card to reveal why Meta has taken this decision. You can then edit the template and resend it for approval by repeating the process or choose to delete it by clicking on Delete template.

Templates are often rejected for the following reasons:

• Missing variable parameters example: Make sure to provide an example for each placeholder in a template.
• Variable parameters contain special characters: The placeholder template can’t contain the following characters #, $, or %.
• Message templates violate WhatsApp's Commerce Policy: When offering products or services for sale, all related messages and multimedia content must comply with WhatsApp's Commerce Policy, including prices, descriptions, fees, taxes, and legal disclosures.
• Message templates violate WhatsApp's Business Policy: Avoid requesting confidential identifiers from users, such as complete payment card numbers, bank account numbers, or personal identification numbers. Partial identifiers (e.g., The last 4 digits of a social security number) may be requested. Additionally, refrain from requesting documents that may contain confidential identifiers.
• Content includes potentially abusive or threatening material: The message template can’t contain threats of legal action against a customer or public shaming.
• Duplicate templates: Sending a template with the same text in the body and footer as an existing template.

If you need more help with setup or troubleshooting, feel free to reach out to our support chat or contact us via WhatsApp. You can also hire a Kommo partner to do all the hard work for you.

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