WhatsApp Templates

Support Portal integrates with WhatsApp Business providers to give your team access to pre-approved message templates directly within conversations. Templates are structured messages — reviewed and approved by WhatsApp — that allow agents to initiate outbound contact, send transactional notifications, and deliver standardized communications without violating platform messaging policies.

This article covers template management for both WhatsApp Cloud API and Twilio WhatsApp Business inboxes.

Operational objective

WhatsApp enforces a session-based messaging model: once a customer conversation window expires (typically 24 hours after the last inbound message), your team can only re-engage using an approved template. Templates therefore serve a critical operational function — they are the mechanism for proactive outreach.

Common enterprise use cases include:

• Telecom service notifications — Planned maintenance windows, billing cycle alerts, SIM activation confirmations, or data usage threshold warnings sent to subscribers via approved utility templates.
• Government appointment confirmations — Citizen-facing agencies sending appointment reminders, document readiness notices, or case status updates through compliant, pre-approved message formats.
• Regulated transaction alerts — Order confirmations, shipment tracking updates, payment receipts, or policy renewal notices that require structured, auditable message delivery.

Templates ensure that outbound messaging remains consistent, compliant, and traceable across your organization.

Template categories

WhatsApp classifies templates by purpose. The category assigned to a template affects delivery priority, cost, and compliance requirements.

Not all categories are available through every provider. Review your provider's documentation for category-specific approval criteria and rate limits.

Template content types

Templates support several content formats depending on the components defined during creation.

Text templates contain a message body with optional variable placeholders. Variables use positional notation — {{1}}, {{2}}, and so on — and are populated at send time with values such as customer names, reference numbers, or dates.

Media templates include a header element containing an image, video, or document alongside the message body. Media files must be hosted at publicly accessible URLs and conform to WhatsApp size limits: images up to 5 MB (JPEG, PNG), videos up to 16 MB (MP4, 3GPP), and documents up to 100 MB (PDF, Office formats).

Interactive templates include quick-reply buttons or call-to-action buttons. Quick replies present tappable response options to the recipient. Call-to-action buttons link to a URL or initiate a phone call, and may include dynamic parameters for personalized links (such as order tracking URLs).

Supported and unsupported template features

Support Portal processes the most common template types. The following features are not currently supported:

• Authentication templates (OTP codes, verification flows)
• List-picker and catalog templates
• Carousel and multi-card templates
• Location-based headers with map coordinates
• Payment integration and form-based data collection templates
• Flow templates with conditional branching

Templates using unsupported features are excluded from the synchronized template list automatically.

Creating templates at the provider level

Templates are authored and submitted for approval through your WhatsApp Business provider — not within Support Portal. The creation workflow differs by provider.

WhatsApp Cloud API

Access the Meta Business Suite at business.facebook.com. Navigate to Account tools > Message templates and select Create template. Define the template category, language, and content structure (header, body, footer, buttons). Submit the template for WhatsApp review. Approval typically completes within 24 hours, though some templates may be processed in minutes.

Twilio WhatsApp Business

Access the Twilio Console at console.twilio.com. Navigate to Messaging > Content Template Builder and select Create new template. Choose the content type (text, media, quick reply, or call-to-action), configure the message structure and variables, and submit for approval. Once approved, the template receives a ContentSid identifier that links it to your Twilio account.

In both cases, the approved template becomes available for synchronization into Support Portal.

Synchronizing templates

After a template is approved at the provider level, it must be synchronized into Support Portal before agents can use it.

Automatic synchronization

Templates synchronize automatically in the following situations:

• When an agent opens the template selector in a WhatsApp conversation
• When a new conversation is initiated on a WhatsApp inbox (Twilio provider)

This means most teams do not need to manage synchronization manually — templates appear as agents interact with the platform.

Manual synchronization

Administrators can force a template refresh from the inbox configuration. Navigate to Settings > Inboxes, select the WhatsApp inbox, and use the Sync Templates control. This retrieves the current template list from the provider and updates the local cache.

Manual synchronization is useful after bulk template changes at the provider level, or when a newly approved template needs to be available immediately.

Sending a template in a conversation

When a conversation's messaging window has expired — or when an agent needs to send a standardized outbound message — templates provide the mechanism.

Open the conversation with a WhatsApp contact. In the message composer, select the template icon to open the template selector. The interface presents all synchronized templates for the inbox, organized by name.

Use the search field to locate a specific template by name or keyword. Select a template to load its content and parameter fields.

Providing template parameters

If the selected template includes variable placeholders, the interface presents input fields for each parameter. Populate these fields with the relevant values — for example, a subscriber's account number, an appointment date, or a case reference ID.

For media templates, provide a publicly accessible URL for the header image, video, or document. The URL must not require authentication and must serve the file over HTTPS.

For templates with dynamic URL buttons, provide the URL parameter value (such as a tracking code or session identifier) that completes the button link.

Review the message preview to confirm all values are correct, then select Send Template to deliver the message. The sent template appears in the conversation timeline as a structured message.

Provider-specific considerations

While the template workflow within Support Portal is consistent across providers, there are differences worth noting at the provider level.

Both providers enforce WhatsApp's messaging policies, including category-based rate limits, opt-in requirements for marketing templates, and content review for approval.

Compliance and operational guidelines

Template-based messaging carries compliance obligations, particularly for organizations in regulated industries.

Opt-in requirements — Marketing templates require explicit customer consent before delivery. Utility and transactional templates may be sent based on an existing business relationship, but your organization's data protection policies should govern when and how outbound contact is initiated.

Rate limits and quotas — WhatsApp enforces per-account sending limits that scale based on message quality and account history. Consistently high delivery failure rates or recipient complaints can reduce your account's messaging tier. Monitor template delivery metrics to maintain healthy sending thresholds.

Content review — All templates undergo WhatsApp's review process before approval. Templates must serve a legitimate business purpose and comply with WhatsApp's commerce and business policies. Rejected templates can be revised and resubmitted.

Media hosting — Files referenced in media templates must be served from reliable, HTTPS-enabled infrastructure. Avoid hosting media on endpoints that require authentication, rotate credentials, or impose rate limits on downloads.

Troubleshooting

Template does not appear after approval — Trigger a manual sync from Settings > Inboxes for the relevant WhatsApp inbox. If the template still does not appear, confirm its approval status at the provider level and verify that it uses a supported template type.

Template fails to send — Confirm that all required variable fields are populated. For media templates, verify that the URL is accessible and serves the correct file format within size limits. Check whether the conversation's inbox matches the provider where the template was created.

Media not rendering for recipients — The media URL may require authentication, may have expired, or may serve an unsupported format. Test the URL in an incognito browser session to confirm public accessibility.

Variable mismatch errors — The number of parameter values provided must match the number of variable placeholders defined in the template. Review the template definition at the provider level to confirm the expected parameter count and sequence.

For inbox configuration and channel setup, see Inboxes. For automation rules that can trigger template-based follow-ups, see Automation.