How does the 24-hour window work in live chat?

You might have noticed that when providing live support on platforms managed by the Meta group (such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook), the conversation with the traveler is often blocked after a certain period of time. On the conversation screen, you'll see the message "Waiting for the traveler to respond. Click here to send another message."

This happens because Meta channels are highly regulated, and using them requires following some of the company's rules. One of these rules is an anti-SPAM policy, which allows a company to send messages to a contact only if that contact is actively messaging the company. In this article, we will go over some important points regulated by the Meta group and what Asksuite offers to ensure the best experience in live support for your potential guests.

Related Support Channels

• WhatsApp API
• Instagram
• Facebook

What is a conversation for the Meta Group?

It's 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 24-hour window during which you can send free-form messages. With each new message the contact sends to the company, this window is reset, giving you another 24 hours of open communication.

Types of Conversations

• Conversations initiated by the customer:
  • Can start the conversation at any time.
  • Each message sent opens a 24-hour window for free communication with the company.
• Conversations initiated by the company:
  • Can start the conversation using pre-approved message templates on WhatsApp by Meta. On Instagram and Facebook, you can initiate support without issues.
  • 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 support or use a message template to resume.

How does it work in the Asksuite live chat?

Following Meta's security policies for any channel in the group, we will notify you when the 24-hour period has expired and that you'll need to wait for the traveler to respond. If you prefer to send a proactive HSM* 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 the sending of highly secure and authenticated messages between businesses 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 delivery.

In WhatsApp, there is an option to send an HSM when initiating support with a customer and following up after the 24-hour window. However, in Instagram and Messenger, this option is not available, and the company will need to wait for the visitor to send a new message or initiate contact through other channels.

To learn more about start conversation templates on WhatsApp, please visit our article: How can you create a WhatsApp template to Start Conversation?