Service message

A business's reply to a customer inside the 24-hour customer service window, used to answer questions and resolve requests.

A service message is any message you send in reply while the customer service window is open. It can be free text, media, an interactive list or buttons. It is the everyday back-and-forth of customer support.

Meta does not generally charge for service messages, which makes good support on WhatsApp inexpensive at Meta's level. Your provider may still apply its own pricing. In Marichi Talks, each number gets 1,000 free WhatsApp service messages per UTC month, and you can see what each message cost in your wallet.

Because service replies are only possible after a customer writes, encourage customers to start the conversation: put a click-to-chat link on your website, a QR code at the counter, and a 'Reply here' line in your templates. A fast first reply keeps the window open and avoids the need for paid templates.