Replies for every stage, from hello to thank you
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. First reply to an enquiry
Hi [name], thanks for getting in touch with [business]. Happy to help. What are you looking for, and when do you need it by?
2. Asking for the details
Thanks [name]. So I can give you a proper price, could you send [size / quantity / address / photos]?
3. Sending the quote
Hi [name], here's the quote for [job]: [price], ready by [date]. It's valid until [date]. Any questions, just ask here.
4. Following up a quote
Hi [name], just checking you got the quote for [job]. Happy to change anything if it doesn't quite fit.
5. Confirming a booking
Hi [name], you're booked in for [service] on [day, date] at [time], at [place]. See you then.
6. Reminder the day before
Hi [name], a reminder about [service] tomorrow at [time]. Reply 1 to confirm, or tell me if you need to change it.
7. Running late
Hi [name], sorry, I'm running about [minutes] minutes late. I'll be with you by [time].
8. After a no-show
Hi [name], we missed you today. No problem, these things happen. Would [day] or [day] suit you instead?
9. Order ready
Hi [name], your [order] is ready. You can collect it from [place] between [times], or reply and we'll arrange delivery.
10. Thank you after a sale
Thanks for choosing [business], [name]. If anything isn't right, message me here and I'll sort it out.
11. Asking for a review
Hi [name], glad [job] went well. If you have a minute, a review would help us a lot: [link]. Thank you.
12. Asking for a referral
Hi [name], thanks again. If you know anyone who needs [service], I'd be glad to help them too.
13. A quiet customer
Hi [name], I don't want to keep messaging if the timing isn't right. Should I check back next month, or leave it for now? Either way is fine with me.
14. Checking in with a past customer
Hi [name], it's been [time] since we did [job]. Is it still [working / looking good]? Just message me here if you need anything.
15. Price change notice
Hi [name], a heads-up that our prices for [service] change on [date]. Anything booked before then stays at the old price.
16. Closed for the holidays
Hi [name], we're closed from [date] to [date]. Leave us a message and we'll reply when we're back on [date].
Messages 1 to 10 answer a customer who wrote to you, or confirm what they asked for. Messages 11 to 16 can reach people who haven't written lately, so read the Singapore rules in the last section before you send one that sells.
Download the messages for Word
Introductions, for when you write first
Each of these says who you are and how you know the person before it asks for anything.
To a new lead
Hi [name], this is [your name] from [business]. You left your number on [form / listing] about [what they asked about]. When's a good time for a 10-minute call this week?
After a referral
Hi [name], I'm [your name]. [Referrer] mentioned you're looking at [thing] and said it's fine for me to message you. Would a short call this week help, or should I send the details here?
After an event
Hi [name], it's [your name]. We met at [event] on [day] and talked about [topic]. Here's the [link / file] I said I'd send: [link]. Want to pick it up on a call next week?
Joining a group
Hi everyone, I'm [your name]. Thanks for adding me, [admin]. I [what you do] for [who] in [area]. If anything about [topic] comes up, I'm happy to help here.
Starting a group
Hi [name], I'm starting a WhatsApp group for [who] to [share what], with [one or two] messages a week. Can I add you? No problem at all if not.
After a long gap
Hi [name], it's [your name] from [business]. We last spoke in [month] about [topic], so you may not have my number saved. Is that still on your list, or is it sorted?
Business API versions, with the category Meta gives each
Most WhatsApp templates online are written for the Business API, where Meta approves each template before software sends it. If you're on the API, these five are the replies above rewritten to Meta's rules: numbered variables in double curly brackets, and nothing promotional in a utility template.
Booking confirmation (utility)
Hi {{1}}, you're booked in for {{2}} on {{3}} at {{4}}. Reply here if you need to change it.
Reminder the day before (utility)
Hi {{1}}, a reminder about your {{2}} with {{3}} tomorrow at {{4}}. Reply 1 to confirm, or reply here to change the time.
Order ready (utility)
Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} from {{3}} is ready for collection at {{4}}. Reply here to arrange delivery instead.
Quote follow-up (utility)
Hi {{1}}, this is {{2}} with a quick follow-up on your quote for {{3}}, sent on {{4}}. Reply here if you have any questions.
Checking in with a past customer (marketing)
Hi {{1}}, it's been a while since your last {{2}} with {{3}}. Would you like us to book the next one? Reply STOP if you'd rather not hear from us.
The last one is marketing because it asks for a new booking. Meta's categorisation guide says any template with promotional content, even mixed with an update, counts as marketing. 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.
How to use them on your phone
In the WhatsApp Business app, save each message as a quick reply under Tools and give it a shortcut, then type / in any chat to pick it. On a personal number, keep them in a note and paste them in.
A few habits make them work better:
- Send the first reply within the hour if you can, because they've probably messaged someone else too.
- Keep to one question per message, so it's easy to answer.
- Use three short lines rather than one long paragraph, since nobody reads a wall of text in a chat.
- Keep anything that isn't urgent to working hours.
- Never invent a deadline to hurry someone.
A week of messages from a small aircon servicing business
Made-up example: on day one, 12 enquiries got message 1 within the hour, and 9 of them sent their details.
On day two, 9 quotes went out with message 3, and on day three 4 people booked straight from the quote.
On day four, the 5 who hadn't replied got message 4. Three of them booked.
Each of the 7 bookings got message 5, then message 6 the day before.
A week after the first message, the 2 still quiet got message 13. One said next month, and one said no.
That's 12 enquiries, 9 quotes and 7 jobs, plus one dated for next month.
Three of those seven jobs came from one polite follow-up. The rest came from replying within the hour.
Follow up without chasing
Send one follow-up with a way out, and write down the date you'll check back.
- Follow up a quote once, two or three days after you sent it.
- Give them an easy way to say no, like message 13.
- Write down when you'll check back, and do it on that day.
- Stop after they've said no, and thank them.
Before you send one that sells
WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy says you may only message people who gave you their number and opted in to hear from you, and that you must respect every request to stop. It also says people can block or report a business, and WhatsApp may limit a business's messages on that feedback.
Singapore's Do Not Call rules, in Part 9 of the Personal Data Protection Act, add one more step. Before you send a message that promotes something to a Singapore number, you need either a recent check against the Do Not Call Register or the person's clear consent on record. A reply to a customer who asked you something isn't a promotion. The WhatsApp Business guide sets out both sets of rules.
When the replies need more than a phone
Templates save typing. They don't answer your enquiries for you, or remember who went quiet.
Palby AI Agent, which we make, answers enquiries on the WhatsApp number you already use, from the price list, files and web pages you give it. It checks in once with a lead who goes quiet, and doesn't chase anyone who never wrote back. It links your number as a device rather than through the Business API, so it doesn't send Meta's approved templates. See how the team inbox works.
30 minutes. You choose the day and the time.
Book a walkthroughKeep reading
- WhatsApp template approval
Questions about WhatsApp message templates
In the WhatsApp Business app, save it as a quick reply under Tools, then type / in a chat to pick it. On a personal number, keep your messages in a note and paste them in.
Thank them, say you can help, and ask the one thing you need to know next. Reply within the hour if you can, because they've probably messaged someone else too.
Who you are, how you got their number, and one question. Keep it to two or three short lines, with the reason you're writing up front, so it doesn't read like spam.
The first 22 aren't. They're for replying from your own number, by hand or as quick replies. The five in the Business API section are written to Meta's template rules, and each one still needs Meta's approval before you can send it.
Replies and booking confirmations, yes. Before you send a message that sells something to a Singapore number that hasn't written to you, check the Do Not Call rules and make sure they opted in.
Once, two or three days later: ask whether they got it and offer to change anything. If they go quiet after that, send message 13, which gives them an easy way to say no.