Sending replies

The composer sits at the bottom of every open conversation.

Reply options

• Type text — plain text. Cmd/Ctrl+Enter to send. Supports {{contact.first_name}} variable substitution.
• Saved replies — pre-canned text from /dashboard/saved-replies. Pick from the dropdown, edit if needed, send.
• Send template — pick from approved Meta templates. Fill body / header / URL button variables. Required outside the 24-hour service window.
• Media attachment — image, video, audio, document. Up to Meta’s per-type size cap.
• Location — share a pin (latitude + longitude) or request the customer’s.
• Interactive — reply buttons, list pickers — usually built via the Flow Builder rather than ad-hoc here.
• Start a flow — from the composer toolbar; triggers any published flow on this conversation.

The 24-hour customer service window

Meta policy: outbound free-form messages are only allowed within 24 hours of the customer’s last inbound. Outside that window, only approved template messages can be sent.

The composer enforces this:

• Inside the window — text composer enabled
• Outside the window — text composer disabled, “Send template” badged as required

The countdown resets every time the customer sends anything (text, button tap, sticker, …).

Variable substitution

Every text reply is substituted server-side:

• {{contact.[field]}} — per-contact attribute (reserved or custom)
• {{account.[field]}} — linked account attribute
• {{agency.[field]}} — workspace-wide attribute
• {{contact.first_name | "friend"}} — fallback when missing

See Variables for the full reference.