Replying to a lead on WhatsApp
Updated · 2 min read
When a customer messages your business on WhatsApp, the conversation appears inside their lead in Camorna, and you can reply from there. The reply goes out from your connected business number, so the customer sees your business — not Camorna.
Before you start
- Meta connected to Camorna. WhatsApp belongs to Meta, so it comes with your Meta connection. See How to connect Meta.
- A WhatsApp Business number linked to your Facebook Page. This is the number customers message your business on. It is a WhatsApp Business number — the business version of WhatsApp — not the personal WhatsApp on your own phone. You link and verify it in your Facebook Page's settings.
- A message from the customer. You can only reply once they have written to you first. That is WhatsApp's rule, explained below.
Replying
- Open the lead. Their messages are shown in the conversation.
- Write your reply, or choose Draft a reply and let Camorna write a short one for you to check.
- Send it.
If a message shows Did not send, choose Send again.
The 24-hour window
WhatsApp has a rule that applies to every business: you can reply freely for 24 hours after the customer last messaged you. After that, the window closes.
In Camorna you will see:
- "Reply available after the customer messages." — they have not written yet, so there is nothing to reply to.
- "The service window has closed. You can reply again when the customer next messages." — more than 24 hours have passed since their last message.
This is WhatsApp's rule, not ours, and it exists to stop businesses messaging people who did not ask to hear from them.
What to do when the window has closed
- Call them, or email them, using the contact details on the lead.
- When they next message you on WhatsApp, the window opens again for another 24 hours.
The practical lesson: reply the same day. Lead alerts set to Immediate make that much easier.
Related
Still stuck? A person reads every message.
Contact us →