Features
Any WhatsApp message you send outside the 24-hour service window must use a template that Meta has approved in advance. ConneXus lets you write templates with variables, buttons and media headers, submit them to Meta for review, and see the approval status sync back — so you are not bouncing between our dashboard and Meta Business Manager.
Templates support more than plain text, and the extra components are what lift response rates.
Meta prices template messages by category. Utility and authentication messages — order updates, delivery notifications, one-time passcodes — are billed at a much lower rate than marketing messages, and utility and authentication rates step down further as monthly volume rises. Picking the correct category is the single biggest lever on your WhatsApp bill, which is why it is a first-class field rather than an afterthought.
The usual causes are avoidable: a marketing message submitted under the utility category, variables at the very start or end of the body, placeholder text left in, missing opt-out language on promotional content, or a URL that does not resolve. Rejections are not fatal — edit and resubmit.
| Category | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Utility | Order confirmations, shipping updates, appointment reminders, account notices — tied to a transaction the customer initiated |
| Authentication | One-time passcodes and login verification |
| Marketing | Offers, product announcements, re-engagement, anything promotional |
| Service | Free-form replies inside the 24-hour window — no template needed |
Most templates are reviewed within minutes to a few hours, though Meta does not guarantee a turnaround. Submit anything time-sensitive well ahead of the campaign.
A utility template relates to a transaction the customer already started — an order, a booking, an account event. A marketing template promotes something. Marketing is priced significantly higher, and mis-categorising a promotional message as utility is a common rejection reason.
Meta allows limited edits to approved templates; substantial changes mean submitting a new one. Because template names are referenced by your automations, creating a new version is usually cleaner than editing in place.
Connect your number through Meta Embedded Signup, keep ownership of your WhatsApp Business Account, and pay Meta directly for messages — we never add a markup.