What the window is
When a customer messages your business number, WhatsApp opens a 24-hour window. Inside it you can reply with any message: text, photos, documents or buttons. Each new message from the customer restarts the 24 hours.
Once the window closes, you can only send an approved message template until the customer writes again.
Why it matters for cost
On WhatsCommerce, replies inside the window are free, however they are sent: by a person, a chatbot, an automation or the AI. Outside it, a template is a paid message priced by its Meta category.
That means the cheapest conversations are the ones customers start, so make it easy for them to message you: put your WhatsApp link and QR code on your shop, bills and packaging.
How to use it well
Answer quickly while the window is open. Many customers ask two or three things in a row, and each message keeps it open.
When you need to reach someone outside the window, use a template that gives them a reason to reply, such as an order update with a “Talk to us” button. A reply reopens the window.