WhatsApp Canned Responses

In the Product Highlight series, we take a closer look at various features and functions of the Console, the interface of our Guest Communications Hub. It’s a practical insight that shows how easy it is to make the most of our conversational AI.

Below, we explore the benefits of WhatsApp reply templates and how to use them.

What are WhatsApp canned responses?

WhatsApp canned responses are template messages used to contact guests directly via WhatsApp. Meta must approve every message sent to a guest that is not a response to an ongoing conversation. After each reply from the guest, you have 24 hours to respond without needing Meta’s message approval. After this 24-hour window, you must use a template again to continue contacting the guest. Therefore, it is advantageous for your hotel to create and approve these message templates for WhatsApp in advance.

Reach your guests where they like to be

As WhatsApp is the most widely used messaging app in the world, enabling communication between hotels and guests on this channel is particularly important. When hotels use this platform, they offer guests a familiar medium. However, privacy must always be a top priority. For this reason, canned responses are a secure and, through authorisation, respectful way of communicating with guests.

Where to find it?

Follow these steps to create a new WhatsApp canned response:

1. Open the Console.
2. Navigate to the inbox.
3. Select a WhatsApp conversation
4. Click on the Power Tools icon in the input area.
5. Select “Canned responses“.
6. Click on “create new” to create a new template
7. Fill in the required fields

Follow these steps to send a canned response to your guests:

1. Open the Console.
2. Navigate to the inbox.
3. Select a WhatsApp conversation (reply templates are only available in WhatsApp conversations).
4. Click on the Power Tools icon in the input area.
5. Select “Canned responses“.
6. Select the message to send from the list on the left
7. Fill in any missing variable
8. Hit “Send to user”

You should note the following

If you have multiple hotels in a team, be sure to select the appropriate pre-written answer for each property. The ready-made responses are configured according to the respective WhatsApp numbers.