nce upon a time, a phone call was the easiest and most preferred way of communication. But now chats and texts are preferred over frequent calls.
So, businesses, take note – About 85% of your customers who own a smartphone prefer mobile messages to calls and emails.
There’s one more reason behind texting taking the spotlight and that is their high open-rate. Almost 90% of customers open a text within 3 minutes!
Now, with COVID-19 locking everyone behind doors, businesses have been compelled to use some of the other forms of texting to connect with customers.
As everything has become virtual, almost 68% of businesses use a messaging platform to interact with customers.
And what can be better than using customers’ favourite messaging platform – WhatsApp?!
Regardless of age and technical expertise, WhatsApp is being used by a huge population around the globe. More than 75% of the population use WhatsApp at least weekly. Hence, using WhatsApp Business API is your next step towards upscaling your business.
WhatsApp Business API is here to help you enhance your customer service. Though it offers multiple features and benefits, one of the aspects that you should take notice of is WhatsApp Template Message.
WhatsApp template message make your life easier and we have created this blog to tell you about what type of WhatsApp template message are available with examples.
So, let’s proceed!
The 11 Categories of WhatsApp Template Message
To get approval from WhatsApp, the WhatsApp template message require a good template name and proper categorisation.
So, to make it easier for you, WhatsApp offers 11 different categories. Here, we have explained each of these categories with examples where you can get some inspiration.
1. Account Updates
You need an account update template when your customer has made changes in their account details or you have a new account created by a prospect.
Suppose, you are an online e-commerce company that needs account creation prior to placing an order. So, this template will be useful for you.
For example, in case of account creation, you can use - Dear {{1}}, You have successfully registered as a customer with us. Ready to embark on a journey with us?
On the other hand, for new information update, you can use a template like “Dear {{1}}, Thanks for choosing us! However, it looks like you’ve missed filling up your email id. Could you please provide that for a better shopping experience? We’d be glad!
2. Alert Updates
Alert Updates are useful for keeping the customers informed. It may be about the status of an order or an update about your services etc. The alert updates are used for a more generic WhatsApp Business template message.
For example, when a customer places an order with you, the following alert updates can be used:
- Hi {{1}}, We’re glad to inform you that your order is packed and ready to be dispatched
- The wait ends {{1}}! Your order has been shipped and you can track your package on the provided link. For further queries, please feel free to reach out!
Other than this, you can also use a general alert update like “Dear {{1}}, Thank you for registering with us! Via WhatsApp, you will receive your weekly schedule and daily updates. In case of any query, please feel free to reach out!”
3. Appointment Updates
If you’re in the health & wellness industry, appointment updates are necessary. Whether your customer books an appointment with the physiotherapist or takes a spa appointment to spend the day, appointment updates are a great way to step up your customer service.
Send your customers a confirmation of their appointment like “Dear {{1}}, your appointment for {{2}} has been scheduled with us on {{3}} at {{4}}. See you!”
Further, you can also send appointment reminders to your customers like “Dear {{1}}, here’s a gentle reminder for the appointment you have with us on {{2}} at {{3}}. See you soon!”
4. Auto-Reply
The auto-reply WhatsApp template message is quite a common one that is used by businesses.
It is mostly used to inform customers of the unavailability of business during weekends or holiday periods or even outside business hours.
For example: “Thanks for your message! We’ll get back to you within 24 hours.”
If you want to send an auto-reply to your customer within 24 hours, we recommend using the Konverse AI auto-reply function instead of a template.
5. Issue Resolution
Facing server connectivity issues? Or, the website under maintenance?
Make sure to inform your customers about any issue that you’re facing using the issue resolution WhatsApp template message. Whether it’s a technical issue or any other malfunction, let customers know. This will ensure better customer relationships.
You can send updates like “Dear customers, we’re currently facing an issue with our server connectivity. We are doing our best to resolve the issue within 24 hours. We’ll keep you informed about the status. Thanks for your cooperation.”
Once the issue has been fixed, immediately inform customers about it- “Dear customers, the issue has been resolved. Thanks for your support”. Such updates are a sign of good customer service!
6. Payment Update
Payment updates are important. Whether a customer has made an online payment or you have processed a refund, inform the customers and keep them updated.
For example, leave a short message to update customers on a payment refund – “Dear {{1}}, your refund for order number {{2}} has been processed. It shall be credited within 2-3 business days”.
Also, in case of order, provide a payment confirmation – “Dear {{1}}, your order has been successfully placed. Thanks for shopping with us!”
7. Personal Finance Update
WhatsApp Business API has certain terms and conditions when it comes to financial institutions. So, if you’re are allowed to access WhatsApp Business API, they send updates for every service that your customer avails.
For example, if your customer needs to check their account balance, you can provide them with a WhatsApp template message like “Dear {{1}}, we have received your balance request. Your savings account {{2}} currently has {{3}}. Thank you”.
Similarly, for all other services like fund transfer, credit card payment, etc. make sure to update your customers.
8. Reservation Update
Reservation updates are for the brands in the travel & hospitality industry. Confirming customers about their reservations and bookings help in increasing customer engagement.
You can also send them their ticket links and provide an update about their room booking, table booking etc.
For example, for hotel bookings, you can use a WhatsApp template message like “Dear {{1}}, thank you for your reservation at {{2}}! Your check-in time is between 11:00 and 15.00. If you arrive early or late, you can reach the reception or simply make a call at {{3}}. See you soon!”
9. Shipping Update
Customers, when shopping online, remain excited to receive their orders! So, by providing them with shipping details and regular updates, you can reduce a lot of queries related to the status of their order.
For example, once the package is dispatched, use a shipping update template like “Hurray! We have dispatched your shipment with order no. {{1}}. Track your package here and find it soon at your doorstep.”
10. Ticket Update
If your customer has raised a ticket about order status, refund status, shipping details or any other queries, a ticket update WhatsApp template message is helpful.
You can also set a template message to send to customers when you fail to inform them within 24 hours. For example, “Hi {{1}}. Your query has been received. We are currently working on it and will keep you updated! Thanks for your cooperation.”
11. Transportation Update
If you’re a business in the transport industry, then you can easily use this WhatsApp template message for sharing tickets with customers. You can also keep your passengers informed about delays or baggage counters.
One such example of a transportation update can be “Dear Passenger, your trip to {{1}} has been booked with us. The train {{2}} will depart from platform no. {{3}} at {{4}}. We wish you a happy and smooth journey!”.
Similarly, you can inform passengers about flight delays or cancellations etc.
WhatsApp Template Message: 3 Templates to Send After 24 Hours
One of the most popular template messages that businesses send are the ones sent after the 24 hours’ time frame is over. Since you can only respond using a template beyond the 24-hour mark, these templates are very popular among businesses regardless of industry.
However, writing these template messages are often a headache for organisations. So, we are happy to help!
Here, we have provided 3 example template messages that you can easily use to respond to customers after 24 hours.
Example 1:
Hello {{1}}. Thank you for reaching out!
It looks like you’ve approached us beyond our working hours. So, we’re not able to respond to you on time. If you’re still in need of resolving your query, please respond to this message and we’ll get back as soon as possible!”
Example 2:
Dear {{1}},
At this hour, it’s difficult for us to respond to your query. If you still want a response, please send us a ‘yes’ and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Sincere regards,
{{2}}
Example 3:
Oh no! We were unable to respond to your query in time. If you still need your query to be resolved, then send us a wave in response to this message. We’ll reach out as soon as possible!
Define your WhatsApp Templates with Konverse AI
Looking at these examples, you must have got an idea about the template message content. Short & sweet – That’s how they should be.
With Konverse AI, you can explore the different WhatsApp template message categories and build your messages to keep the conversation with customers flowing.
So, we suggest you consider Konverse AI and build your template message in no time.
More from
category
