Template Buttons

1. 1

   Pick the action, then the type

   Answer in the chat: quick reply. Open a page: URL. Speak to someone: phone number or voice call. Use a code: copy code for a coupon, an OTP button for authentication. Fill in a form or book a slot: Flow.

2. 2

   Define buttons at creation

   Add a BUTTONS component with a buttons array. Each entry has a type and text; URL buttons add url (plus an example when the URL has a variable), phone buttons phone_number, copy-code buttons an example code.

3. 3

   Order them in two groups

   Keep all quick replies together and all other buttons together, and put the action most people need first, since only two may show inline.

4. 4

   Fill dynamic parts at send time

   In the send request, add a button component per dynamic button with its sub_type (url, quick_reply, copy_code, flow) and zero-based index, then its parameter: a URL suffix, a quick-reply payload, a coupon_code or a Flow token.

5. 5

   Handle the taps

   Quick-reply taps arrive on your webhook as inbound button messages carrying the payload you set; URL clicks appear in template analytics; Flow responses arrive as nfm_reply interactive messages.

Buttons per template

Up to 10

Quick reply

Up to 10

URL

Up to 2; 2,000 characters; 1 variable at the end

Phone number

1; number up to 20 characters

Copy code

1; code up to 20 characters

Button text

25 characters (voice call label 20)

Shown inline

Up to 3; more puts the rest behind “See all options”

Non-template reply buttons

3, inside the service window only

• Breaking the two groups

  URL, quick reply, URL is rejected because quick replies must sit together. Order buttons as all quick replies, then all other types (or the reverse).

• Hiding the main action

  With four or more buttons only two show inline and desktop users cannot view the message at all. Keep important templates to three buttons, with the main action first.

• Putting the variable mid-URL

  A URL button allows one variable and only at the end. Use a short path on your own domain, such as /b/{{1}}, and resolve query parameters on your server.

• Confusing template buttons with reply buttons

  Non-template interactive messages allow 3 reply buttons and work only inside the customer service window; templates allow 10 and can start a conversation. Pick the format for the situation, not the button count.

• Sending quick replies without payloads

  Without a payload you only get the button text back, which cannot tell you which booking or order was meant. Set a payload per send that identifies the record.

• Start labels with a verb and keep them well under 25 characters so they never truncate.
• Use payloads that carry the record ID (CONFIRM_APPT_8812), not just the choice.
• Add UTM tags to URL-button links so clicks can be attributed beyond template analytics.
• Test every template with four or more buttons on a phone, because desktop recipients cannot view it.

“Buttons turn a message into an action — tracking an order, paying, confirming an appointment, copying a code — and they are where most measurable engagement happens, since template analytics count clicks per button. Choosing the right type and the right number decides whether the customer acts in one tap or has to hunt behind “See all options” or switch devices. For developers, button payloads and indexes are what connect a tap back to the right record.