How to message a customer on WhatsApp after the 24-hour window closes

The short answer: after 24 hours, only an approved template message gets through

When a customer messages you on the WhatsApp Business Platform, a 24-hour timer starts. While it runs, you can send free-form messages: plain text, rates, a booking link, anything you would type in a normal chat. According to Meta's Service messages documentation, the window opens when a user messages or calls the business. If the user messages or calls again before it runs out, the timer goes back to 24 hours.

When the window closes, you can send only a pre-approved template message. Meta's pricing page also says you may message only users who have opted in to hear from you. If the guest answers your template, a new window opens. Meta's page on per-user marketing template limits says a user's reply to a marketing message starts a 24-hour customer service window. That fits the general rule that any message from the user opens or resets the window.

One older rule of thumb is now out of date: "free inside the window, paid outside". Since 1 October 2026, Meta charges for some messages sent inside the window too. The last section of this post covers what is charged, dated as of November 2026.

How to tell if the window is still open: count from the customer's last message

The clock runs from the customer's last message, not from yours. Your own replies and follow-ups do not extend it. Only a new message or WhatsApp call from the guest does.

Here is a worked example. A guest writes to your resort on Monday at 10:42 PM asking about rooms. You send the quote at 10:45 PM. The window still closes at 10:42 PM on Tuesday, because the guest's message started the clock.

If the guest sends even a short "ok" or "thik hai" ("fine") on Tuesday at 9:00 AM, the window restarts. It now closes on Wednesday at 9:00 AM. Any message from the guest counts, not only a serious one.

A practical habit follows from this. Before the window closes, end your reply with a question the guest naturally answers, so the clock restarts without you chasing.

• "Aap kaun si dates plan kar rahe hain?" (Which dates are you planning?)
• "Kitne log aa rahe hain, 4 ya 5?" (How many people are coming, 4 or 5?)
• "Shall I hold the rooms till 6 PM tomorrow?"
• "Veg ya non-veg meals chahiye?" (Do you want veg or non-veg meals?)

What to send before the window closes: a sample night-time conversation

The best follow-up is the one you never need, because the guest got everything inside the window. This sample conversation, from a demo resort, shows a guest asking in Hinglish at 10:42 PM for 2 rooms for a family of 4. The agent quotes, confirms the dates and sends a booking link, and the lead is captured.

Everything the guest needs to decide has reached them while free-form replies are allowed. Now imagine this guest reads the quote, says nothing, and goes quiet. Twenty-four hours after their last message, the window closes. Your next message has to be a template, and the rest of this post is about writing that message.

Check the time of the guest's last message in your inbox, not the time you sent the quote. That is the time the 24 hours counts from.

Steps to write a follow-up template Meta will approve

Meta sorts templates into three categories. Per its template categorization page, marketing covers goals "from generating awareness to driving sales and retargeting customers". Utility must be non-promotional and relate to something the user did or asked for, or be essential to them. Authentication verifies identity, for example with one-time passcodes.

Meta has no example for a lead who has gone quiet. The nearest row is retargeting, which Meta says is marketing "even if requested by users". So a "still interested in your dates?" nudge is most likely marketing. That is our reading of Meta's table, not something Meta states outright. Meta also says that since 9 April 2025, a template submitted as utility that WhatsApp judges to be marketing is approved as marketing.

1. Pick the category honestlyFor a nudge to a guest who has not booked, choose marketing. Choosing utility only to save money does not work: WhatsApp checks the category and can approve it as marketing anyway.
2. Write short text with placeholdersInclude the guest's name, the dates and the room type, so the message reads as personal and clearly refers to their enquiry. Use the variable fields your template form provides. End with one clear question the guest can answer in a word.
3. Submit it for reviewPer Meta's template categorization page and template fundamentals page, you create the template in WhatsApp Manager or through the API and choose a category. WhatsApp checks the category, then the template goes through review. It shows as APPROVED, PENDING or REJECTED, and you are told by email and by an alert in WhatsApp Manager.
4. Fix a rejection and resubmitMeta's categorization page names one reason: INCORRECT_CATEGORY, when WhatsApp disagrees with your category. You can create a new template, edit the category and resubmit, or request a review within 60 days of creation or of a category change.
5. Keep one approved follow-up readyWe did not find a review time on the Meta pages we checked, so do not wait until a hot lead goes quiet. Get one follow-up template approved in advance.

An English example, with the bracketed parts filled in per guest: "Hello [guest name], you asked about a [room type] at our resort for [dates]. Are these dates still on your plan? Reply YES and we will send the booking link."

A short Hinglish version: "Namaste [guest name], aapne [dates] ke liye [room type] ke baare mein poocha tha. Kya yeh dates abhi bhi chahiye? YES likhein, hum booking link bhej denge." In English: "Hello, you asked about a room for these dates. Do you still want them? Write YES and we will send the booking link."

Sending the follow-up without annoying the guest

• Send one follow-up. If the guest stays silent, send at most one more a few days later, then stop and mark the lead closed. This is our advice, not a Meta rule.
• Message only guests who opted in. Meta's developer documentation says you may message only users who have opted in, and the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy recommends separate opt-ins per message category and clear opt-out instructions.
• Honour every request to stop. The policy says a business must respect requests, on or off WhatsApp, to block, stop or opt out of its messages, including removing the person from its contacts list.
• When the guest replies, the window reopens. Answer quickly with full details and the booking link.
• If the guest asks for something unusual, such as a date change or a special price, a person should take over from the shared inbox.

Tone matters as much as timing. A good follow-up reads like a front-desk note about their specific dates, not a broadcast. If the guest ever writes "stop" or "mat bhejo" ("don't send"), stop at once.

What a follow-up message costs since 1 October 2026

The details below are as of November 2026, from Meta's pricing page and pricing update. Meta has charged per message since 1 July 2025. It charges when a message is delivered, not when it is sent, and never for messages users send to you. The rate depends on the message category and the country code of the recipient's number, and India (+91) has its own rate card.

Unused free service messages do not carry over, and the count resets each month. Meta's update also says a payment method had to be on file by 30 September 2026. Without one, Meta stops delivering service messages once they become chargeable; those within the 1,000 free allowance are still delivered. You add a payment method in Meta's Billing Hub.

We have not quoted India rupee rates for marketing or utility templates. Meta publishes them in its own rate cards, which offer INR, so check the current card before you budget. With SALIQ, template messages are paid from prepaid service credits, with a GST tax invoice on every top-up and no monthly minimum. See pricing for details.