Sending WhatsApp Messages
Once WhatsApp is connected and you have an approved template, there are five places messages can go out from. This article covers each.
System notifications
These are the automatic, transactional messages: reminders, confirmations, and alerts triggered by something happening in the platform.
- Go to Settings → System Notifications.
- Find the notification you want in one of the category tabs.
- Tick the WhatsApp checkbox on its row.
- Use Edit Template → WhatsApp on the same row to write the message.
The WhatsApp column only appears on notifications that support it, and every checkbox is disabled while the global WhatsApp switch is off. Turn it on under Manage Notifications first.
Notifications that can go out on WhatsApp include signup confirmation, session reminders and schedule changes, payment received and payment reminders, course welcome, membership reminders and expiry, course completion, certificate awarded, assignment due date reminders, course expiry reminders, absentee alerts, feedback form requests, event notifications, and mentorship bookings.
[!Important] One-time passwords are never sent on WhatsApp. Login, signup, and password reset codes go by email and SMS only.
If your organization is still on the older notification system, several notifications will not send on WhatsApp at all, including signup, payment received, and course welcome. If you have switched WhatsApp on and those specific messages are not arriving, check whether you have moved to the new notification system under Settings → System Notifications.
Campaigns
Campaigns are one-off promotional sends to a segment of learners.
- Go to Marketing → Campaigns and create a campaign.
- For Channel, choose WhatsApp.
- In the next step, pick your template under Select Template, or use Add Template to build one there.
- Use Test your campaign to send yourself a copy. Enter a dial code and number and click Test.
The WhatsApp channel is disabled until you have a promotional WhatsApp account connected. The tooltip reads "You do not have a promotional integration for this channel. Click here to get started."
Always run the test send before scheduling. It is the only way to see the real message with real placeholder values, and it catches a broken CTA link or a placeholder that resolves to a dash before thousands of learners do.
Workflows
Workflows send WhatsApp as part of an automation.
- Open your workflow and add or edit a Send Message node.
- Choose the WhatsApp tab.
- Select a template. The preview updates on the right.
- Click Update message.
A workflow will not publish with an empty message node. You will see "Template missing on block {number}" and "Please add a template to the {channel} message block."
Certificates
On a certificate, open Certificate Generation & Notifications and turn on Notify learners when certified. WhatsApp appears as one of the channels, with an Edit message link to write the template.
Feedback form reminders
From a feedback form, use Send Form Reminder, tick Send WhatsApp, and confirm. The dialog notes "(Charges may apply)", which is covered in WhatsApp Logs & Charges.
Who receives messages
Messages go to the learner's contact number with its country dial code. Both parts matter.
If a learner's record has a phone number but no country selected, the number is sent to WhatsApp without a country code and the message fails. When a particular learner never receives WhatsApp while others do, check the country on their profile first.
Opt-outs
Learners can unsubscribe from promotional messages. You can see their choices on the learner's profile under "Opted in for promotions campaigns via", where WhatsApp is one of the channels listed.
[!Important] Opting out stops promotional messages only. Campaigns and workflows skip unsubscribed learners. Transactional system notifications such as payment confirmations and session reminders still go out.
The opt-in display on the learner profile is read-only. Admins cannot change a learner's preference from there.
What's next
To check whether messages actually arrived, continue to WhatsApp Logs & Charges.