WhatsApp basics
WhatsApp has its own rules for how businesses can message customers. Meta sets these rules, not Midlr, and they apply to every business on the WhatsApp Business Platform. This page explains them in plain words, and shows where each one appears in Midlr.
You don't need to learn all of this before you start. But knowing these few ideas saves you from surprises, like a message that won't send or a number that gets limited.
Business number vs personal WhatsApp
A business number is the phone number your business connects to Midlr. It works through Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform, so many people on your team can use it at the same time, from the web and the mobile app.
Your customers keep using their normal WhatsApp. For them, you look like any other WhatsApp contact, with your business name and profile picture.
Some things to know:
- A new number you connect is set up only for the platform. You can't also log in to it with the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app on a phone.
- If you already use a number on the WhatsApp Business app, you can connect it to Midlr instead of using a new number, and keep using the app on your phone too. Chats stay in sync between the app and Midlr. See Connect your WhatsApp number.
- Your business number belongs to a WhatsApp Business Account, which sits inside a Business Portfolio (Meta's name for your company in Meta Business Manager). One account can hold several numbers.
In Midlr: your numbers are on the Business Numbers page. See Manage your numbers.
The 24-hour customer service window
This is the most important rule.
When a customer sends you a message, a 24-hour customer service window opens. While it is open, you can reply with any kind of message: text, pictures, voice notes, files, buttons and so on.
- Every new message from the customer starts the 24 hours again.
- When 24 hours pass with no message from the customer, the window closes.
- When the window is closed, you can only message that customer with an approved template (see below).
So you can't start a conversation with a free-text message. A customer has to message you first, or you have to send a template.
In Midlr:
- In Chatting, if the window with a contact is closed, Midlr tells you that you can't start a conversation with this contact until they write first. To reach them anyway, send a template. See Sending messages.
- The chat filters let you show chats where the service window is open (you can still reply) or closed (expired). See Chatting (the inbox).
TIP
Answer customers quickly. A reply inside the window is easy and can be any kind of message. After the window closes, you need a template.
Templates
A template is a message you write in advance and send to Meta for approval. Templates are how a business starts a conversation, or contacts a customer after the 24-hour window has closed. Campaigns always use templates.
A template can have text, a header (picture, video or document), buttons, and placeholders such as the customer's name that you fill in when you send it.
Template categories
Every template has one of three categories. The category tells Meta what kind of message it is.
| Category | What it's for | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Promotions and anything that tries to sell or bring the customer back. | Offers, new products, newsletters, "we miss you" messages. |
| Utility | Updates about something the customer already did or asked for. | Order confirmation, delivery update, appointment reminder, bill. |
| Authentication | One-time codes to log in or confirm who someone is. | "Your code is 123456." |
Choose the category honestly. Meta checks it and can change it, for example from Utility to Marketing, if the message looks like a promotion.
Meta approval
Meta reviews every new template before you can use it. In Midlr, a template shows as Pending while Meta reviews it, then Approved or Rejected. Most reviews are quick, but Meta can take up to 24 hours.
Common reasons for rejection are: a category that doesn't match the content, placeholders with no text around them, or content that breaks WhatsApp's policies.
In Midlr: create and track templates under Messages > Templates. See Templates.
Opt-in and consent
Before you message a customer on WhatsApp, the customer must have agreed to receive messages from your business. This is called opt-in. Meta requires it.
Good ways to get opt-in:
- A checkbox on your website or checkout form that says the customer agrees to get WhatsApp messages.
- The customer messages you first, for example by scanning your QR code.
- Asking in person and noting it.
Make it easy to stop. If a customer asks you to stop, stop messaging them.
Messaging people who didn't agree leads to blocks and reports. That lowers your quality rating (see below) and can get your number limited.
In Midlr: contacts have an Opt-In status you can filter on, and campaign reports show who has Opted in and Opted out. See Contacts and Campaigns.
Messaging limits
Meta limits how many different customers your business can start a conversation with in a rolling 24-hour period. This is your messaging limit. It counts the templates you send to start a conversation. It doesn't count your replies to customers who wrote to you first.
- The limit is shared by all the numbers in your Business Portfolio. It is not per number.
- New businesses start low. The limit goes up as you send good-quality messages and when you complete Business Verification with Meta.
In Midlr: you see your current limit on the Business Numbers page and in more detail on Messaging limits. When you launch a campaign, Midlr shows how much of your limit is left and pauses sending when you reach it. See Messaging limits & quality.
Quality rating
Meta gives each business number a quality rating based on how customers react to your messages in recent days. If many people block you or report your messages as spam, the rating drops.
| Rating | What it means |
|---|---|
| High | Customers are happy with your messages. |
| Medium | Some customers are blocking or reporting you. Be careful. |
| Low | Many customers are blocking or reporting you. Your number may be limited soon. |
To keep a high rating: only message people who opted in, send messages that are useful to them, don't send too often, and make it easy to stop.
In Midlr: the quality rating shows on each number card on the Business Numbers page and on the number's details page. See Messaging limits & quality.
What Meta charges for
Meta charges for some WhatsApp messages. Midlr doesn't set these prices.
- Meta charges for template messages it delivers. The price depends on the template category (Marketing, Utility or Authentication) and the customer's country.
- Replies you send inside an open 24-hour customer service window are generally free.
You pay Meta through a payment method you add in Meta Business Manager. Until you add one, you can't send templates to start conversations. See Create your account for the Add funds to your account step.
For current prices, see Meta's own WhatsApp pricing page.
On top of Meta's charge, Midlr adds a small markup fee for each message it delivers outside the customer service window, such as template messages. See Payments.
WARNING
Sending a campaign to many people costs money with Meta. Check your template category and your audience before you send.