What is “Message opt-in” and how does it work? 

Message opt-in is a feature exclusively available for WhatsApp Business API users on SleekFlow.

When you send a free-form text during a closed WhatsApp conversation, the message cannot be sent and will result in an error. SleekFlow detects this and automatically sends a designated template with a quick reply button. Once the customer clicks the button and replies to you, a new 24-hour conversation window is opened, allowing you to resend the original free-form message that initially failed to send.

This process works because, by responding to the "Message opt-in" template, the customer triggers the reopening of the conversation, enabling further interaction and allowing your message to be delivered successfully. See the example below to learn more about the feature in action. 

It is a fail-safe mechanism when a user forgets to use a template to initiate a conversation in a closed chat, or as a workaround when applying a template is too time-consuming in urgent situations

Configuring the “Message opt-in” feature

To configure the “Message opt-in” feature, you will first need to go to the WhatsApp Official API page. You can follow the steps below to go to the WhatsApp Official API page:

1. On the left navigation bar, click on the icon
2. You will be redirected to the Channels page. Click on “WhatsApp Official API" on the menu on the left.
3. Once you have landed on the “WhatsApp Official API” page, click on the “Message opt-in button” tab
   
    
4. In the “Message opt-in” tab, you can select the Facebook Business account to view a list of WhatsApp Business API accounts (WABAs) and check the current status of their opt-in settings. Each WhatsApp Business API account (WABA) can be configured individually to use the "Message opt-in" feature, allowing you to control how it applies to different accounts.
   
   The configuration you set for the "Message opt-in" feature will automatically apply to all channels associated with the selected WABA. Once an opt-in setting is configured for a specific WABA, it will govern the opt-in behavior across all connected WhatsApp channels in that account, ensuring consistent application across customer conversations.

Turning on “Message opt-in” feature

You can follow the steps below to enable the “Message opt-in” features for your WhatsApp Business account:

1. In the “Message opt-in” tab, find the WhatsApp Business account for which you would like to enable the “Message opt-in” feature
2. Click on the “Message opt-in status” toggle next to the WhatsApp Business account
   
    
3. Once it is turned on, a dialog will appear and you will be asked to choose a template message for this channel’s "Message opt-in" feature
   
    
4. Under the “Message template field, click on the “Select opt-in template”
5. Select the template you want to use
   
   
   You can choose templates that meet all of the following criteria:
   1. Templates with one quick reply button
   2. Templates without any variables
   3. Templates without attachments (no media or files)
   4. If the templates you have do not fit all the criteria above, it will return as no results found. 
      You can refer to this article to learn more about creating your WhatsApp template message
       
6. Once you have selected a template for your “Message opt-in”, you can preview the template before confirming the configurations
7. You can click “Confirm” at the bottom right corner of the dialog to save the changes
   
    

The "Message opt-in" feature is now set up! You can send free-form messages to your customers, and this feature will automatically send the "Message opt-in" templates for you.

Turning off “Message opt-in” feature

You can follow the steps below to turn off “Message opt-in” feature for your WhatsApp Business accounts:

1. Under the WhatsApp Official API channel page, click on the “Message opt-in button” tab
2. Find the WhatsApp Business account for which you would like to turn off the “Message opt-in” feature
3. Click on the “Message opt-in status” toggle next to the WhatsApp Business account
   
    
4. Once toggled off, the “Message opt-in” feature will be turned off for the WhatsApp Business account

Edit template message for “Message opt-in” feature

You can choose another template message for your "Message opt-in" feature by following the steps below:

1. Under the WhatsApp Official API channel page, click on the “Message opt-in” tab.
2. Find the WhatsApp Business account for which you would like to edit the template message.
3. Click the button to edit the template.
4. Once clicked, the template edit dialog will appear.
5. Under the “Message template” field, click on the field or icon to select a template.
6. You will be prompted to choose another template.
7. After confirming and previewing the template, click “Confirm” to save the changes.