Connect your WhatsApp account to receive WhatsApp messages and reply via Whistle for Cloudbeds. In this article, find information on how to configure WhatsApp messaging channel and create templates.
Things to note before getting started
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- You can use your number for WhatsApp in Whistle for Cloudbeds. However, if the number is already registered to a WhatsApp account, it must be disconnected. Once disconnected, return to Whistle to attempt the connection again.
Note that disconnecting a current account from WhatsApp will result in the loss of data, the new account will not import previous conversation history. - You must have a verified Meta/Facebook Business account. Verify or update your Meta Business Profile in step 1 before proceeding to guarantee that your profile reflects accurate and up-to-date information once connected to Whistle.
- The user undergoing the flow must be an Administrator of this business account.
- Click here to check the estimated WhatsApp Pricing per Country/Region.
- You can use your number for WhatsApp in Whistle for Cloudbeds. However, if the number is already registered to a WhatsApp account, it must be disconnected. Once disconnected, return to Whistle to attempt the connection again.
1 - Getting Started
Verify and update your WhatsApp Profile in Meta by following the next steps:
- Navigate to your Meta Business Suite
- Login to your Facebook business account - If you have multiple accounts, select the one you want to update
- Select the phone number profile you wish to update
- Open the Profile settings
-
Update settings including:
Photo
Business Category
Submit Request for Official Business Account (Optional)
Description
Contact Information - Save.
2 - Enable WhatsApp messaging
- Access the Company
page
- Go to Messaging Services
- Search for WhatsApp
-
Switch the toggle on
to enable it
- Click to edit settings
- Select which number you want to connect
- Click to
- Authorize Cloudbeds to continue with Meta login
- Click to get started with the connection to Cloudbeds
- Fill out the business information form
- Create or select a Whatsapp Business account to be connected
Once you select the correspondent account, the Whatsapp connection is complete. Click to finish.
You're ready to use Whatsapp with your guests in Whistle for Cloudbeds.
3 - Configure your WhatsApp templates
WhatsApp message templates are a great way to send valuable information to customers. You can use them to deliver reminders, notifications, or customized updates. All outbound messages in WhatsApp must have a message template to start a conversation with customers.
- WhatsApp can take around 48 hours to approve or reject your template.
- If your template remains pending for more than 48 hours, reach out to support.
- In the WhatsApp settings page, click to add
- Create the title, message template, and language
- Save
- You can select the template you want to set as the default
Once configured and approved, you can access all templates through the conversation box:
Opt-in Requirements for WhatsApp Messaging
- By default, WhatsApp messaging requires guest consent to allow freeform messages to be sent.
- If you prefer, you can disable WhatsApp's opt-in requirements in Whistle WhatsApp settings and include “opt-out” verbiage within your newly created templates.
- A message from the guest in a 24-hour window is still required to enable freeform.
Tips for creating your templates
- If you are unsure how to phrase your template, take an iterative approach. Submit a template, get it approved by WhatsApp, and tweak it based on results. You can always submit a new template version and delete the old version.
- If you need to write a template to re-open the 24-hour window, we suggest starting with mentioning the previous thread. Example: "I'm sorry that I couldn't respond to your concerns yesterday but I'm happy to assist you now. If you'd like to continue this discussion, please reply with YES".
- Consider using a friendly tone when sending messages over WhatsApp. Selective use of specific emojis is shown to increase engagement with end users.
Each template needs to be reviewed and approved by Meta before being used. You can check the template statuses and rejection reasons in the following sections:
Template Statuses
- Pending
- Indicates that the template is still under review by WhatsApp. The review can take up to 24 hours.
- Approved
- The template was approved by WhatsApp and can be used to notify customers.
- Rejected
- The template has been rejected by WhatsApp during the review process.
- Paused
- The template has been paused by WhatsApp due to recurring negative feedback from end users, typically resulting from "block" and "report spam" actions associated with the template. Message templates with this status cannot be sent to end users.
- Disabled
- The template has been disabled by WhatsApp due to recurring negative feedback from end users or for violating one or more of WhatsApp's policies. Message templates with this status cannot be sent to end users.
Rejection reasons
WhatsApp will generally reject templates for three reasons:
.
- The format is incorrect, such as misplaced or malformed placeholders.
- The template breaks the WhatsApp terms of service, commerce policy business policy, or is seen as abusive.
- The template is too generic and has placeholders that could be used for abuse.
Because placeholders can be replaced with multiple words, WhatsApp does not allow template placeholders to be placed at the beginning or the end of the message. Doing so will result in the automatic rejection of the template.
| Rejection Reason | Solution |
| Variables are placed at the very beginning or end of the message. | Add additional words or punctuation before/after the variable. |
| Variables are placed next to each other, such as " {{1}} {{2}}" | Make sure there is at least one word in between each variable, or simply use one variable instead of multiple. You can substitute a placeholder value with multiple words. |
| Variables have mismatched curly braces, or use words instead of numbers. | The correct format is {{1}}, not {{one}} |
| Variable parameters are not sequential. Example: {{1}}, {{2}}, {{4}}, {{5}} lead to a rejected template because {{3}} does not exist. | Double-check that all placeholders are sequential |
| Newlines, tabs, or more than 4 consecutive spaces | This is not allowed per Meta’s rules |
| The template is a duplicate. WhatsApp rejects templates submitted with the same wording with a different name, to prevent abuse. Please note that this check does not apply to OTP templates. | Slightly tweak the name and content of the new template |
|
The template contains content violating the WhatsApp Commerce Policy or the WhatsApp Business Policy. Includes: requesting sensitive identifiers from users, such as payment card numbers, financial account numbers, or National Identification numbers. |
You must follow WhatsApp's policies to avoid further enforcement action from Meta. If you need to request sensitive identifiers, you can ask for partial identifiers (ex: last 4 digits of Social Security number). |
| Templates appear to be related to gaming or gambling. Common words such as "raffle" or "win a prize" almost guarantee a template rejection by WhatsApp. | Identify any words that could remotely be perceived as related to gaming/gambling, and replace them. |
| Templates that are overly vague, such as “Hi, {{1}}, thanks”. are commonly accused of spam users, so they will be rejected. | Surround the parameters with information that clarifies to Meta what type of information will be inserted. |
| The wrong language was chosen. Example: a template in English was submitted as a "Portuguese" language. | Double-check that the language is correct. |
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