The 24-hour window, in plain words
When you can reply freely, when you need a template, and why it protects your number.
If you run your studio’s WhatsApp through the official WhatsApp Business Platform, one rule shapes almost everything you can send: the 24-hour customer service window. It sounds technical. It isn’t.
The window opens when the customer writes
Every time a customer sends you a message, a 24-hour window opens for that chat. Each new message from them restarts the clock.
So if Layla writes at 7:40 in the evening asking about Saturday’s reformer class, you have until 7:40 the next evening to reply however you like. If she writes again the next morning, the window now runs until the following morning.
The window belongs to the customer. Only their message opens it. Your own messages don’t extend it.
Inside it: reply freely
While the window is open you can send normal messages: text, photos, voice notes, documents, links. You can answer questions, share the timetable, confirm a booking or send a payment link. This is the everyday back and forth of running a front desk.
The practical lesson: reply fast. A question answered within minutes keeps the conversation going, and every reply from the customer keeps the window open.
Outside it: approved templates only
Once 24 hours pass without a message from the customer, the window closes. From then on, you can only start a conversation with a message template: a message you wrote in advance and Meta approved.
Templates come in three categories:
- Marketing: offers, new classes, win-back messages. The customer must have agreed to hear from you.
- Utility: updates about something the customer already did, such as a booking reminder or a membership renewal notice.
- Authentication: one-time codes.
When the customer replies to your template, a fresh window opens and you are back to normal messages.
Because templates need approval before you can use them, write the ones you use often ahead of time: a class reminder, a “we miss you” note, a renewal notice. Then you are never stuck when the window has closed.
Why this keeps your number in good standing
The window exists to stop businesses from messaging people who never asked. Meta watches how customers react to your messages. If many people block you or report you as spam, your number’s quality drops, and Meta can limit how many people you can message each day.
Following the rules is the simplest way to protect your number:
- Reply freely while the customer is talking to you.
- Use approved templates to restart a conversation.
- Send Marketing only to people who agreed to receive it.
- Always honour STOP. When someone opts out, stop messaging them.
A healthy number reaches more people. Treat the window as a guide to good manners on WhatsApp, and it will rarely get in your way.
How Flex handles it
Flex keeps track of the window for every chat. While it is open, Flex and your team reply normally. Once it closes, Flex only lets you send an approved template, so nobody on your team breaks the rule by accident. STOP and START work automatically on every number.