There are 4 business-initiated conversation categories:
1. Utility conversations (operational) – Facilitate a specific, agreed-upon request or transaction or update to a customer about an ongoing transaction, including post-purchase notifications and recurring billing statements
2. Authentication conversations – Enable businesses to authenticate users with one-time passcodes, potentially at multiple steps in the login process (e.g., account verification, account recovery, integrity challenges)
3. Marketing conversations – Include promotions or offers, informational updates, or invitations for customers to respond / take action.
4. Service conversations – all user-initiated conversations will be categorized as service conversations, which help customers resolve enquiries.
WhatsApp counts by the number of individual contacts to whom the messages are sent.
Conversation charges will be based on template category. When a template is delivered, it opens a new conversation of that category for 24 hours and incurs the charge of that conversation category, unless the template is delivered during an open conversation of that category. For example, if a utility conversation is open and a marketing template is delivered within that open conversation, a new, separate marketing conversation is opened and marketing conversation charge is initiated.
However, sending multiple templates of the same category within an open conversation will not incur additional charges. For example, a business can send multiple utility templates in an open utility conversation with no additional charges.
