The same brain on WhatsApp: free-form replies inside Meta's 24-hour session window, approved templates outside it, quiet hours, and the missed call → WhatsApp play.
View as MarkdownThe WhatsApp service answers the business's WhatsApp number with the same agent, knowledge, and flows as every other door. It also carries outbound: workflow notifications and campaigns can message customers on WhatsApp — with Meta's rules handled for you.
The 24-hour session window
Meta allows free-form messages only within 24 hours of the customer's last message. OpenAgent applies the rule automatically wherever a WhatsApp message is sent:
| Situation | What OpenAgent sends |
|---|---|
| Customer wrote within the last 24h | A normal session message — free-form text, written by the AI or your workflow |
| Window closed (or first contact) | An approved template — you pick which template the workflow or campaign uses |
Templates are created and submitted for Meta approval from the service's Templates page; approved ones become selectable in workflow notifications and campaigns.
The missed call → WhatsApp play
A favorite for med spas and trades: trigger A call goes unanswered → notification → WhatsApp. Inside the window the AI texts free-form and finishes the booking in-thread; outside it, the approved "sorry we missed you" template opens the conversation and the AI takes over on the reply. Build it in Recipes.
Quiet hours & suppression
- Quiet hours hold outbound sends until a decent hour — the 2am blast nobody meant to send stays unsent.
- Missed-call texts are queued and swept, not fired by fragile timers — a held message goes out when quiet hours end.
- STOP and DND anywhere stop everything: one suppression list covers the whole workspace. See DND & suppression.