Support replies, from the first message to the last
Change the words until they sound like you, then save each one as a quick reply. Square brackets are the parts you fill in.
1. The first acknowledgement
Hi [name], thanks for messaging [business]. I've got your message and I'm checking it now. You'll hear back from me by [time].
2. Asking for the details
Thanks [name]. So I can check this properly, could you send your [order number / booking date] and a photo of [the item / the problem]?
3. Asking for payment details safely
Please don't send your full card number in this chat. The last four digits and the date you paid are enough for us to find it.
4. When you've found the order
Hi [name], I've found your order [order number]. It [left us on date / is being packed today], and it should reach you by [date].
5. Found the booking
Hi [name], I can see your booking for [service] on [date] at [time]. Would you like to keep it, or move it to another day?
6. When you need more time
Hi [name], I'm still checking this with [team / supplier]. I'll update you by [time] tomorrow, even if I don't have the full answer yet.
7. A delay, with the new date
Hi [name], sorry for the wait on your [order / repair]. The new date is [date], because [reason]. If that doesn't work, reply here and we'll sort out another option.
8. When it was our mistake
Hi [name], we got this wrong, and I'm sorry. Here's what we'll do: [fix]. It'll be done by [date], and I'll message you when it is.
9. Passing it to a person who can fix it
Hi [name], I'm passing this to [name], who looks after [topic]. They'll message you here by [time], and you won't need to explain it again.
10. A complaint that needs a call
Hi [name], I'd like to sort this out properly with you. Could I call you at [time] today, or is another time easier?
11. Outside opening hours
Hi [name], thanks for your message. We're closed now and back at [time] on [day], and we'll reply to you first thing.
12. Refund processed
Hi [name], your refund for order [order number] has been processed. It should show in your account within [number] working days.
13. Replacement on the way
Hi [name], a replacement [item] is on its way and should arrive by [date]. For the faulty one, [what to do with it].
14. How to send something back
Hi [name], to return the [item], pack it with the receipt and [drop it at place / book a pickup at link] by [date]. Reply here once it's sent.
15. Checking the fix worked
Hi [name], just checking that [fix] sorted things out for you. If anything's still not right, reply here and I'll pick it up.
16. Closing the chat
Thanks [name]. I'll close this one for now. If anything else comes up, message us here and we'll pick it up.
17. A short rating request
Hi [name], how did we do with your [order / question] this week? Reply with a number from 1 to 5, where 5 is very good.
18. Message meant for someone else
Hi [name], I think this was meant for someone else. We're [business], and we [what you do]. No problem at all.
Business API versions, with the category Meta gives each
Inside 24 hours of a customer's last message you can reply with anything on the Business API. After that, Meta's documentation says only approved templates can be sent. These three follow Meta's rules: numbered variables in double curly brackets, in order, with words before the first and after the last.
Request update (utility)
Hi {{1}}, an update on your request {{2}}: {{3}}. Reply here if you have any questions.
Delivery delay (utility)
Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} is delayed, and the new delivery date is {{3}}. Reply here to change or cancel it.
Feedback on one chat (utility)
Hi {{1}}, you chatted with us about {{2}} on {{3}}. How did we do? Reply with a number from 1 to 5.
One rule surprises people. Meta's categorisation guide lists a delay apology that adds a credit for a future order as marketing, so keep any credit out of your utility templates and send it separately. A feedback request only counts as utility when it names the order or chat it's about. Meta says a general survey "will not be approved as utility".
The category sets the price. As of November 2026, Meta charges SGD 0.0937 for a marketing message to a Singapore number and SGD 0.0205 for a utility one. The template approval guide covers how the review works.
What makes a support message work
Most customer service templates online are emails. A chat is shorter and more personal, so the rules tighten.
- Give a time in every reply. "By 3pm" calms a customer more than "soon".
- Ask for one thing per message, and say why you need it.
- Apologise once, in one plain line, then go straight to the fix.
- Say who's taking over when you pass a chat on, so the customer doesn't repeat the story.
- Never ask for a full card number or an NRIC number. WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy says not to ask for "full length individual payment card numbers" or "personal ID card numbers".
- Leave a way to reach a person. If you automate replies, the policy says you need "prompt, clear, and direct escalation paths", such as a hand-over in the chat or a phone number.
A late delivery, handled in five messages
Made-up example: Siti messages a homeware shop to say her lamp hasn't arrived.
The shop's coordinator replies with message 1 within ten minutes and promises an answer by noon the next day.
The next day the courier confirms the lamp is stuck at the depot, so Siti gets message 7 with the new date and the reason.
The lamp arrives on that date. A day later message 15 checks it works, and she replies that it does.
A week later, message 17 asks her to rate the help. She gives it a 4, and says the first delivery date was wrong.
That's four short messages and one apology. The shop promised two times, and kept both.
When there are more chats than people
Templates speed up typing. They don't help when two people answer from two phones and nobody knows who replied.
Palby AI Agent, which we make, puts every chat from the number you already use into one team inbox, where you assign chats by hand, in turn or to whoever has the fewest open. Its AI agent answers the common questions and hands complaints to a person on WhatsApp or in Lark. It links your number as a device through a third-party service called Green API rather than the Business API, so it doesn't send Meta's approved templates.
30 minutes. You choose the day and the time.
Book a walkthroughKeep reading
- WhatsApp template approval
- Human hand-over
Questions about customer service message templates
A thank-you, what you're doing about it, and when they'll hear from you next. If you need something from them, ask for one thing and say why.
Once, in one plain line, then go straight to the fix and a date. Long apologies read as excuses in a chat.
Not the full number. WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy says not to ask for full card numbers or personal ID numbers. The last four digits and the payment date are usually enough to find a payment.
The 18 replies aren't. They're for answering from your own number, by hand or as quick replies. The three in the Business API section follow Meta's template rules and still need Meta's approval before you send them.
Utility, if it names the order or chat it's about. Meta's categorisation guide says a general survey won't be approved as utility.