Add integration for automated messages to WhatsApp

WhatsApp is big in Spain and other parts of Europe. Practically nobody uses SMS. 95% of our contact with guests is via WhatsApp after initial contact via email.

I’d love this for the UK market too, but for WhatsApp Business (which is free for small teams, allows virtual numbers and multiple team members). Most of my touchstay activity is pasting personalised guide links into a WhatsApp msg

Yes, we also use WhatsApp Business.

Unfortunately standard WhatsApp and WhatsApp for Business don’t support the sending of automated messages in the same way as SMS. There is an additional WhatsApp for Business API which does, though it is separate to the regular WhatsApp apps. We’re looking to implement that in early 2025.

That’s great news Joe. Would the WhatsApp messages be regarded as ‘Utility’ ie ‘directly related to a transaction, including post-purchase notifications’
Does Touchstay plan to markup the WhatsApp Business API message prices with an aggregated account, or allow us to register our own WhatsApp billing account?

Yes, With WhatsApp you can only schedule the sending of messages from pre-approved templates, and these would be under the “Utility” classification. We are looking into pricing now but I don’t have an answer yet on how that will work.

We rent villas in Turkey to guests from all over the worls. A lot are from the Middle East and WQhatsApp is the most popular comms platform by far. In fact for all our guests. And with internation text charges using SMS is VERY costly. In fact its a big issue. And who uses SMS now other than for 2 factor autentication ;-)

Our business is in South Africa and people don’t use SMS. WhatsApp is the preferred method of communication.

In South Africa, we also communicate via WhatsApp Business. Being able to use this feature will go a long way toward automation. Looking forward to seeing what TouchStay will do.