How do I handle the WhatsApp 24-hour window in support?
The short answer: every time a customer messages you, WhatsApp opens a rolling 24-hour service window. Inside it, your agents can reply with any free-form text, images, PDFs, quick-reply buttons, or interactive lists — no template needed and no per-message charge for those service replies. Once the window closes, WhatsApp blocks free-form outbound messages, so if you need to re-engage a customer who has gone quiet, you must reopen the thread with a pre-approved template message. Get that one rule right and support runs smoothly. Get it wrong and agents watch replies silently fail at 2 a.m. This page explains exactly how the window behaves, how it interacts with Meta's per-message billing, and the workflow InfiQ recommends for Indian support teams.
Quick answer
Reply free-form within the 24-hour service window (no template, no per-message charge). If the customer returns after it closes, restart the conversation with an approved template — a utility template for order/ticket updates, marketing only with opt-in.What the 24-hour window actually is
The window is a customer service allowance, not a billing meter. Each inbound message from a customer — a text, a button tap, a call to your click-to-WhatsApp ad, or a reply to one of your templates — starts (or extends) a 24-hour period during which your team may send unlimited free-form messages back. These free-form service replies are not charged as their own billable events; they are the free part of the exchange. The clock is a rolling one: every new customer message pushes the deadline forward another 24 hours from that message's timestamp. In a lively back-and-forth, the window effectively never closes because the customer keeps resetting it. It only lapses when the customer stops replying and 24 hours of silence pass.
- A customer message opens or extends the window by 24 hours from that message's time
- Inside the window: send any free-form content — text, media, quick replies, interactive lists
- Outside the window: free-form outbound is blocked; only approved templates get through
- The window is per customer conversation, tracked automatically in your InfiQ inbox
How billing really works (and what changed on 1 July 2025)
This is where a lot of outdated advice goes wrong. WhatsApp no longer bills per 24-hour conversation. Since 1 July 2025 Meta charges per delivered message, priced by the template's category — marketing, utility, or authentication. Your free-form service replies inside the open window are still free; you only pay when you send a template. So the practical cost of support is simple: replying to a live customer costs nothing extra, and re-opening a lapsed chat costs one template send at the utility or marketing rate, ex-GST. A utility template (an order update, a ticket resolution, a delivery ETA) is cheaper than a marketing template and is the right category for most support re-engagement. InfiQ shows these charges as transparent rupee pricing, so finance can see exactly what a re-engagement costs before an agent presses send.
- Billing is per delivered message, by category — not per conversation
- Free-form replies inside the open window carry no template charge
- Re-engaging a lapsed chat = one template send (utility is the usual, lower-cost choice)
- InfiQ surfaces the live ₹ rate per category so cost is visible before sending
The support workflow that keeps you inside the window
Speed is the whole game. Because the window is 24 hours from the customer's last message, the surest way to never pay for a template is to resolve queries while the chat is still warm. Route inbound support to a shared team inbox with clear ownership so no message sits unclaimed past a few hours. Use canned replies and quick-reply buttons to shorten handling time. When a query genuinely needs follow-up the next day — a refund that clears overnight, a part that ships tomorrow — assume the window will have closed and plan to reopen with a utility template rather than trying (and failing) to send a free-form update. Set an internal SLA well under 24 hours; if your first response consistently lands within an hour or two, the vast majority of conversations resolve without ever touching a template.
- Assign every inbound chat an owner; enforce a first-response SLA under a few hours
- Lean on canned responses and interactive buttons to close chats fast
- For any next-day follow-up, plan the utility template instead of a doomed free-form send
- Watch the window countdown in the inbox so agents know when free-form will stop working
Re-opening a conversation after the window closes
When a customer resurfaces days later — 'any update on my refund?' — their new inbound message reopens a fresh 24-hour window, and you can reply free-form again immediately. The tricky case is when your side needs to reach out first after the window has lapsed: an agent has news but the customer has gone quiet. That outbound must be an approved template. Keep a small library of support templates ready: an order/ticket status update, a 'we've resolved your issue' note, an appointment or delivery reminder. Categorise them correctly — status and transactional messages are utility; anything promotional is marketing and needs prior opt-in. Well-written templates with a clear reason for messaging protect your sender quality and keep re-engagement cheap. Vague or promotional-in-disguise templates risk blocks and higher-rate misclassification.
- A customer's fresh message reopens the window — reply free-form right away
- Agent-initiated outbound after a lapse must use an approved template
- Keep utility templates for status, resolution, reminders; keep marketing separate with opt-in
- Clear, purpose-driven templates preserve quality rating and lower re-engagement cost
Do this on InfiQ from day one
InfiQ is an official Meta Business Partner, and the support workflow above is built into the platform. The team inbox shows a live countdown on every open conversation so agents can see at a glance whether free-form replies will still send. Template messages are one click from the same thread, with the category and current ₹ rate shown before you send, so re-engagement is deliberate and its cost is never a surprise. Because you get full BSUID ownership of your WhatsApp Business Account, your number, templates, quality rating, and conversation history stay yours — not locked inside a reseller's account. That means the workflow you build for the window today keeps working as your support volume grows.
- Live 24-hour countdown per conversation in the shared inbox
- One-click approved templates with category and ₹ rate shown before sending
- Full BSUID ownership of your WhatsApp Business Account and templates
- Transparent ₹ pricing, ex-GST
Frequently asked questions
Does replying to a customer inside the 24-hour window cost anything?+
How is the 24-hour window measured?+
What happens if I try to send a free-form message after the window closes?+
Which template category should support use to re-engage a customer?+
Is WhatsApp still billed per 24-hour conversation?+
If a customer replies to my template, does that open the window again?+
How can agents tell how much time is left in the window?+
Can I use marketing templates to follow up on a support ticket?+
Run WhatsApp support the right way from day one
See the live window countdown, one-click templates, and transparent ₹ pricing in action — book a demo with InfiQ, your official Meta Business Partner.