Customising WhatsApp Message Templates

Where to edit WhatsApp templates

Go to Settings → Messaging → WhatsApp. You'll see a list of all available message templates. Each template shows its name, the trigger that sends it, a preview of the current message text, and its approval status with Meta (Approved, Pending, or Rejected).

Default templates

Trade2Base includes five default templates that cover the most common customer touchpoints:

• Appointment reminder — Sent 24 hours before a scheduled job to confirm the date, time, and engineer name.
• Engineer on the way — Sent when a job moves to the In Progress stage, letting the customer know the engineer is en route.
• Job complete — Sent when a job is marked complete, thanking the customer and prompting them to raise any concerns.
• Invoice sent — Sent when an invoice is issued, including a direct payment link.
• Review request — Sent 24 hours after job completion, asking the customer to leave a Google review.

Editing template text with merge tags

Click Edit on any template to open the message editor. You can rewrite the body text freely, using merge tags to pull in live data for each customer. Available merge tags:

• {customer_name}The customer's first name
• {job_date}The scheduled job date (e.g. Monday 2 June)
• {job_time}The scheduled job start time
• {engineer_name}The assigned engineer's first name
• {invoice_link}A unique URL to the Stripe payment page
• {invoice_total}The invoice amount including VAT
• {review_link}Your Google review short link
• {business_name}Your trading name from Business Profile
• {business_phone}Your business phone number

Character limit: WhatsApp templates are capped at 1,024 characters in the body. The editor shows a live character count. Merge tags are counted at their maximum expanded length, so the preview count may be slightly higher than the actual sent message.

WhatsApp Business Policy: Templates must not contain promotional language, pricing, or calls to action that could be classified as marketing messages (those require a separate “utility” or “marketing” category template with explicit customer opt-in). Trade2Base's default templates are pre-approved under the “utility” category.

Previewing a template before saving

After editing the template body, click Preview to see how the message will look on a mobile screen. The preview replaces merge tags with realistic sample data — for example {customer_name} becomes Sarah.

You can also send a test message to your own WhatsApp number by clicking Send test and entering a mobile number. The test uses the same sample data as the preview. Your template must be saved first — saving does not submit the template for re-approval unless you have changed the body text.

Disabling specific templates

If you don't want a particular automated message to send — for example you handle review requests manually — you can disable the template without deleting it.

Click the toggle next to any template to switch it off. The template and its text are preserved; it simply won't fire when its trigger condition is met. You can re-enable it at any time.

Disabling a template in Trade2Base does not remove it from Meta Business Manager — it only prevents Trade2Base from sending it.

Troubleshooting delivery failures

If a WhatsApp message fails to deliver, the message in the customer's conversation thread shows a red Failed badge. Hover over the badge to see the error reason. Common causes and fixes:

• Number not on WhatsApp — the customer's mobile number is not registered with WhatsApp. Trade2Base will automatically fall back to SMS if SMS fallback is enabled in Settings → Messaging.
• Template pending approval — you edited the body text and Meta has not yet approved the updated template (usually 24–48 hours). The old approved version continues to send until the new version is approved.
• Template rejected by Meta — the body text violated WhatsApp Business Policy (e.g. contained promotional content). Edit the template to remove the offending content and re-save to resubmit for approval.
• WhatsApp disconnected — your Meta Business number is no longer connected to Trade2Base. Go to Settings → Messaging → WhatsApp and reconnect.

Still need help?

Contact our UK support team via live chat or email support@trade2base.com.