How does the 24 hour service period work in Live Chats?

You may have noticed that, during live customer service on channels managed by the Meta group (WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook), the conversation with the traveler is often blocked after a certain period of time. On the conversation screen, you see the message "Waiting for the traveler to respond. Click here to send another message."

This happens because Meta's channels are highly regulated, and to use them, it's necessary to follow some rules set by the company. One of these rules is an anti-SPAM policy, which allows a company to send messages to a contact only if that contact is sending messages to the company. In this article, we will detail some important points regulated by the Meta group and what Asksuite offers to ensure you have the best experience in live customer service with your potential guests.

Related Customer Service Channels:

• WhatsApp API
• Instagram
• Facebook

What is a conversation for the Meta Group?

It is an exchange of messages between a company and a customer within a 24-hour window.

This means that when a contact sends a message to your company, they initiate a window (a period) of 24 hours during which you can send free-form messages. Each new message the contact sends to the company restarts this window and grants another 24 hours of open communication.

Types of Conversations:

• Conversations initiated by the customer:
• • The customer can initiate the conversation at any time.
  • Each message sent opens a 24-hour window for free communication with the company.

• Conversations initiated by the company:

  • The company can initiate the conversation using pre-approved message templates by Meta on WhatsApp; on Instagram and Facebook, you can initiate contact without issues.
  • You must wait for the customer's response to communicate freely within the 24-hour period.
  • When the 24-hour period is reached, you must wait for the customer's response to continue the conversation or use a message template to resume the conversation.

How does it work in the Asksuite live chat?

Following Meta's security policies for any channel within the group, we will display a message notifying that the 24-hour period has passed and that you will need to wait for the traveler to respond. If you prefer to send a proactive HSM (Highly Secure Messaging)* message to the traveler, you can do so using the "start conversation" templates already registered in your company and approved by Meta.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------🔍 Note: HSM*, or "Highly Secure Messaging," is a technology used by WhatsApp that allows for the sending of highly secure and authenticated messages between companies and their customers. This is essential to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of communications, especially in sensitive transactions, such as payment confirmations and verification code sending.

In WhatsApp, there is the possibility to send an HSM in the context of starting a conversation with a customer and following up after the 24-hour window. However, in Instagram and Messenger, there is no such option, and the company must wait for the visitor to send a new message or initiate contact through other channels.

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To learn more about creating Start conversation templates on WhatsApp, please access our article: How to create a Start Conversation template on WhatsApp?