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Managing WhatsApp templates

Create WhatsApp templates in the admin portal, get them approved, choose what your CRM records when one is sent, and send a test.

Important

WhatsApp is in private beta. If your organisation is part of it, the WhatsApp section is in the admin portal's left-hand menu.

A WhatsApp template is a message WhatsApp has approved in advance, so your team can start a conversation with a client who hasn't messaged you in the last 24 hours. Admins create and manage templates in the Cradle admin portal, under WhatsApp, then Templates.

Creating a template

  1. Choose New template.
  2. Give it a name, in lowercase with underscores, such as appointment_confirmation. WhatsApp shows this name during review.
  3. Pick the language the message is written in.
  4. Write the message body. Use {{1}}, {{2}} and so on where a value changes per message, such as the client's name or a date. Give an example for each placeholder; WhatsApp reviews the template with those examples filled in.
  5. Optionally attach a file, such as a PDF of your terms or an image. The file goes with every message sent from the template, and the body becomes its caption.
  6. Save. The template is a draft until you submit it, and you can edit or delete it freely while it is.

Getting it approved

WhatsApp reviews every template before it can be sent. Choose Submit for approval on the draft and pick the category that fits:

  • Utility for order updates, appointment reminders, confirmations and receipts.
  • Marketing for promotions and offers.
  • Authentication for one-time passcodes.

The template shows as Pending review until WhatsApp answers, usually within a day. Use the refresh icon to check. An approved template is ready to send from the Cradle apps; a rejected one shows WhatsApp's reason.

Two things to know:

  • A template can't be changed once submitted, and can't be submitted twice. If it's rejected, or you need to change an approved one, create a new template with the changes.
  • Approval is tied to your WhatsApp Business account. If you connect a different account later, templates approved under the old one show as approved but can't be sent. Create them again under the new account.

The settings icon: CRM note and test send

Each template has a settings icon on its row. It opens a dialog with two things that are yours to set, whether or not WhatsApp has approved the template.

CRM note

When a message is sent from the template, Cradle logs it to your connected CRM the same way it logs any message. The CRM note lets you choose what gets recorded:

  • With a note, the CRM records the note in place of the message, for example "Appointment confirmation sent" rather than the whole confirmation, and the template's file stays out of the client's record.
  • Without a note, the CRM records the message as sent. If the template carries a file, the file is filed too: attached to the message in HubSpot, on the client's Files in Karbon, and as a document against the client in FYI.

The note is recorded exactly as written, so placeholders like {{1}} aren't filled in. Changing the note later also changes how earlier messages from this template appear in FYI, which rebuilds the conversation note each time.

Send a test

Once a template is approved, the same dialog lets you send it to one number, so you can see how it arrives and what your CRM records. Pick the number to send from, enter the number to send to in full international format, fill in any placeholders, and choose Send test.

"Sent" means WhatsApp accepted the message; delivery is confirmed a moment later and shows in the message log. If the template can't be sent yet, the dialog says why in place of the form.

What your team sees

An approved template appears as a send option in the Cradle desktop and mobile apps, available whether or not the client is inside a 24-hour reply window. Sending one re-opens the window, so the client can reply freely and your team can carry on the conversation.

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