WhatsApp: your number, templates and the 24-hour rule

SmartDuke uses Meta's official WhatsApp Cloud API with your own business number. You can message customers from their page, from automations or by asking Duke, and their replies appear on their page. With Duke on duty, Duke can answer them for you.

What you need first

1. A Meta business account: free at business.facebook.com. Verify your business there to send more than 250 new chats a day.
2. A WhatsApp number that isn't already used on the WhatsApp app. Meta sends it a one-time code.
3. Your IDs and a token: in Meta's WhatsApp setup (developers.facebook.com), find the phone number ID, the WhatsApp Business Account ID, and make a permanent token from a system user (Meta Business settings → System users).
4. Approved templates: to start a chat, WhatsApp needs a template it has approved. Most are checked within minutes.

Connect your number

1. Go to Settings and choose WhatsApp.
2. Under Connect your number, paste the Phone number ID, the WhatsApp Business Account ID and the Access token.
3. Click Connect WhatsApp. SmartDuke checks the details with WhatsApp before saving them.

When it's connected you'll see your Number, the Name customers see, the last four characters of the token, and the date. The token is stored encrypted and never shown again.

You need permission to manage WhatsApp (owners have it). Each number can be connected to one business only.

The 24-hour rule

WhatsApp has one important rule:

• Within 24 hours of a customer's last message, you can reply in your own words, free.
• Outside those 24 hours (or to start a new conversation), you can only send a template that WhatsApp has approved.

SmartDuke follows this for you: when the window is closed, it only offers your approved templates.

Get templates approved

1. Write a WhatsApp template in Message templates.
2. Open it. Under WhatsApp approval, give an example for each of your own placeholders (for example “Gold, 3 months”), so WhatsApp's reviewers can see what a real message looks like.
3. Click Send to WhatsApp for approval.

The template shows Waiting for WhatsApp, then Approved or Rejected (with WhatsApp's reason). WhatsApp's answer arrives by itself; you can also click Check approvals on the templates list.

WhatsApp's rules for templates: up to 1,024 characters, and it can't start or end with a placeholder. Changing the text later means it has to be checked again.

Message a customer

1. Open the customer's page and find the Messages card.
2. Click WhatsApp followed by their first name.
3. If they wrote in the last 24 hours, choose Write a reply and type your message. Otherwise choose an approved Template and fill in any values it needs. A preview shows the message.
4. Click Send on WhatsApp.

The customer needs a phone number saved with its country code (for example +44 7700 900123). If the country code is missing, SmartDuke uses your business's country.

Message statuses

Sending…, Sent, Delivered, Read (the blue ticks), or Failed in red with the reason.

When customers write to you

Their messages appear on their Messages card and timeline. If the number isn't one of your contacts yet, SmartDuke adds a new contact with their WhatsApp name. Photos and files show as [image] or [document] with any caption.

Conversations Duke is answering are listed on Duke on duty, where you can take over. There's no separate WhatsApp inbox.

If WhatsApp disconnects

If Meta stops accepting your token (it expired or was removed), you'll see WhatsApp disconnected on the WhatsApp settings page and a notification. Make a new permanent token in Meta Business Settings → System users and use Replace the connection. See WhatsApp isn't replying.

To disconnect on purpose, click Disconnect. Past messages and templates are kept.