A business day in Ooty
Udhagamandalam is the Queen of Hill Stations, and its busiest weeks are the May shows: roses, then flowers, with vegetables at Kotagiri and fruit at Coonoor. Every visitor who books ahead sends a message first.
Carrot and potato lots from Udhagai's farms are loaded for the plains
A homestay confirms a family's Doddabetta day trip
A tea shop sends a past buyer the courier details of a reorder
In Flower Show week, a hotel's front desk answers a rush of room questions
A taxi operator sends tomorrow's Avalanche pickup time
For Ooty's hotels and homestays, tea sellers, vegetable traders and taxi operators: how to tell a reply from a utility, marketing or passcode message on the official WhatsApp Business API, how to handle the Flower Show rush, which templates to write in Tamil or Kannada, and the rupee cost.
See it work
A homestay wants to write to a guest; a tea shop wants to write to a past buyer. Answer three questions to find out what Meta allows and what it costs.
The first question decides most cases. A guest who wrote about rooms opens the 24-hour service window, and everything you send in it is a reply at the service rate. Outside it, you need an approved template, and its category depends on what it says.
The last branch is the one a busy hotel forgets in May. A Flower Show offer to every number in the phone is marketing without an opt-in, and Meta's quality ratings fall when people block or report it.
Question 1 · up to 3
Has the customer messaged you in the last 24 hours?
Your answers
None yet — pick an answer to start down the tree.
Path map
Depth 0 of up to 3. Circles are questions, squares are outcomes.
Reply freely, no template
Room photos, tea prices or a taxi quote are ordinary replies inside the 24-hour window, each charged at the service rate.
Path: “Yes”
Send a utility template
A check-in reminder for a Flower Show booking, a tea order dispatched to a buyer's home, or tomorrow's Avalanche pickup time.
Path: “No” → “Yes” → “No”
Send an authentication template
The passcode a tea shop's online store sends when a buyer signs in, in Meta's fixed passcode format.
Path: “No” → “Yes” → “Yes”
Send a marketing template
A Rose Show weekend offer to past guests, or a new tea to past buyers, sent only to people who opted in.
Path: “No” → “No” → “Yes”
Do not send it
Without an opt-in, an offer is not allowed. Ask for consent the next time the customer writes to you.
Path: “No” → “No” → “No”
Question 1: Has the customer messaged you in the last 24 hours? 2 options.
From The Nilgiris district administration's pages and Invest India's ODOP list.
Udhagamandalam, called the Queen of Hill Stations, is the headquarters of The Nilgiris; Coonoor is 19 km away and Kotagiri 31 km.[1]
The district covers 2,545 sq km in 6 taluks and 4 blocks, with 5 municipalities and 10 town panchayats; its listed languages are Tamil and English.[1]
At 2,623 m above sea level, Doddabetta, about 10 km from Ooty, is the highest peak in Tamil Nadu; Avalanche is 28 km from the town, and Pykara is considered very sacred by the Todas.[2]
The 2025 summer festival ran a Vegetable Show at Kotagiri, a Spices Show at Gudalur, the Rose Show (10–12 May) and the Flower Show (15–25 May) at Ooty, and a Fruit Show at Coonoor.[3]
Invest India's One District One Product list names tea for The Nilgiris, and the horticulture department subsidises tea growers, including tea clones.[5],[4]
Potato, garlic, carrot and cabbage are notified for crop insurance in the Udhagai, Coonoor and Kotagiri blocks.[4]
The district counts the Government Botanical Garden at Udhagai, Sims Park at Coonoor and the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve among its sights.[4],[2]
Four kinds of business in the town and around it, and the messages each sends most.
The May shows and the drive up to Doddabetta fill rooms, and most guests ask about rooms, routes and parking before they arrive.[3],[2]
Tea is the district's ODOP product, and visitors who buy a packet in town often want to reorder from home.[5]
Carrots, potatoes, cabbage and garlic grow in the Udhagai, Coonoor and Kotagiri blocks and are sold to markets below the hills.[4]
Doddabetta, Avalanche, Pykara and Mudumalai are a day trip each, and every one needs a pickup time.[2]
Meta approves each template once per language. Start with Tamil and English, and add Hindi, Kannada or Malayalam if your guests write in them.
Replies inside the 24-hour window can be in Badaga, Tamil or any language your staff write, with no template needed. InfiQ's own support works in English and Hindi.
| Language | Meta code | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Tamil | ta | Customers, growers and guests from Tamil Nadu |
| English (India) | en_IN | Guests from cities across India and tea buyers by courier |
| Hindi | hi | Visitors from northern states |
| Kannada | kn | Guests driving up from Karnataka |
| Malayalam | ml | Guests and traders from Kerala, by way of Gudalur |
Prices in ₹, with USD and EUR
A plan from ₹999 a month, then each delivered message at the India rate: ₹0.145 for a reply to a guest, ₹0.19 for a confirmation or pickup reminder, ₹0.94 for a show-weekend offer and ₹0.14 for a passcode.
Snapshot rates · as of 20 Oct 2026, 00:02 UTC
Lite
₹999 / month≈ $10.51 USD
₹833 / month, billed yearly≈ $8.76 USD
Growth
₹2,999 / month≈ $31.55 USD
₹2,499 / month, billed yearly≈ $26.29 USD
Enterprise
Custom volume pricing, custom SLA and dedicated infrastructure.
Per message to Ooty · India
| Category | ₹ INR | USD |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹0.9435 | $0.0099 |
| Utility | ₹0.1941 | $0.0020 |
| Authentication | ₹0.1402 | $0.0015 |
| Service | ₹0.1450 | $0.0015 |
| Market | Marketing | Utility | Authentication | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | $0.0572₹5.4352 | $0.0241₹2.2874 | $0.0241₹2.2874 | $0.0241₹2.2874 |
| Bangladesh | $0.0678₹6.4397 | $0.0034₹0.3254 | $0.0034₹0.3254 | $0.0034₹0.3254 |
| Brazil | $0.0578₹5.4970 | $0.0063₹0.5981 | $0.0063₹0.5981 | $0.0063₹0.5981 |
| Chile | $0.0822₹7.8162 | $0.0185₹1.7585 | $0.0185₹1.7585 | $0.0185₹1.7585 |
| Colombia | $0.0116₹1.0993 | $0.0007₹0.0706 | $0.0007₹0.0706 | $0.0007₹0.0706 |
| Egypt | $0.0596₹5.6629 | $0.0033₹0.3167 | $0.0033₹0.3167 | $0.0033₹0.3167 |
| France | $0.0795₹7.5588 | $0.0278₹2.6393 | $0.0278₹2.6393 | $0.0278₹2.6393 |
| Germany | $0.126₹12.0088 | $0.0509₹4.8386 | $0.0509₹4.8386 | $0.0509₹4.8386 |
| Hong Kong | $0.0678₹6.4397 | $0.0241₹2.2867 | $0.0241₹2.2867 | $0.0241₹2.2867 |
| Hungary | $0.0795₹7.5596 | $0.0323₹3.0700 | $0.0323₹3.0700 | $0.0323₹3.0700 |
| India | $0.0099₹0.9435 | $0.0020₹0.1941 | $0.0015₹0.1402 | $0.0015₹0.1450 |
| Indonesia | $0.0380₹3.6133 | $0.0231₹2.1979 | $0.0231₹2.1979 | $0.0231₹2.1979 |
| Iraq | $0.0316₹2.9992 | $0.0073₹0.6943 | $0.0073₹0.6943 | $0.0073₹0.6943 |
| Israel | $0.0327₹3.1045 | $0.0049₹0.4662 | $0.0049₹0.4662 | $0.0049₹0.4662 |
| Italy | $0.0735₹6.9847 | $0.0277₹2.6369 | $0.0277₹2.6369 | $0.0277₹2.6369 |
| Kazakhstan | $0.0559₹5.3098 | $0.0166₹1.5824 | $0.0166₹1.5824 | $0.0166₹1.5824 |
| Kuwait | $0.0733₹6.9671 | $0.0407₹3.8671 | $0.0407₹3.8671 | $0.0407₹3.8671 |
| Malaysia | $0.0796₹7.5644 | $0.0130₹1.2314 | $0.0130₹1.2314 | $0.0130₹1.2314 |
| Mexico | $0.0367₹3.4877 | $0.0079₹0.7471 | $0.0079₹0.7471 | $0.0079₹0.7471 |
| Morocco | $0.0383₹3.6425 | $0.0213₹2.0218 | $0.0213₹2.0218 | $0.0213₹2.0218 |
| Netherlands | $0.148₹14.0494 | $0.0463₹4.3987 | $0.0463₹4.3987 | $0.0463₹4.3987 |
| Nepal | $0.0678₹6.4397 | $0.0031₹0.2990 | $0.0031₹0.2990 | $0.0031₹0.2990 |
| Nigeria | $0.0478₹4.5421 | $0.0062₹0.5898 | $0.0062₹0.5898 | $0.0062₹0.5898 |
| Oman | $0.0316₹2.9992 | $0.0228₹2.1709 | $0.0228₹2.1709 | $0.0228₹2.1709 |
| Pakistan | $0.0438₹4.1620 | $0.0139₹1.3200 | $0.0139₹1.3200 | $0.0139₹1.3200 |
| Peru | $0.0651₹6.1843 | $0.0278₹2.6392 | $0.0278₹2.6392 | $0.0278₹2.6392 |
| Poland | $0.0338₹3.2105 | $0.0113₹1.0702 | $0.0113₹1.0702 | $0.0113₹1.0702 |
| Qatar | $0.0316₹2.9992 | $0.0111₹1.0547 | $0.0111₹1.0547 | $0.0111₹1.0547 |
| Romania | $0.0795₹7.5596 | $0.0268₹2.5436 | $0.0268₹2.5436 | $0.0268₹2.5436 |
| Russia | $0.0742₹7.0520 | $0.0370₹3.5173 | $0.0370₹3.5173 | $0.0370₹3.5173 |
| Saudi Arabia | $0.0532₹5.0537 | $0.0099₹0.9401 | $0.0099₹0.9401 | $0.0099₹0.9401 |
| Singapore | $0.0678₹6.4397 | $0.0148₹1.4072 | $0.0148₹1.4072 | $0.0148₹1.4072 |
| South Africa | $0.0351₹3.3385 | $0.0088₹0.8369 | $0.0088₹0.8369 | $0.0088₹0.8369 |
| Spain | $0.0654₹6.2161 | $0.0185₹1.7578 | $0.0185₹1.7578 | $0.0185₹1.7578 |
| Sri Lanka | $0.0678₹6.4397 | $0.0019₹0.1759 | $0.0019₹0.1759 | $0.0019₹0.1759 |
| Turkey | $0.0101₹0.9587 | $0.0008₹0.0792 | $0.0008₹0.0792 | $0.0008₹0.0792 |
| Ukraine | $0.0795₹7.5596 | $0.0275₹2.6138 | $0.0275₹2.6138 | $0.0275₹2.6138 |
| United Arab Emirates | $0.0532₹5.0537 | $0.0145₹1.3811 | $0.0145₹1.3811 | $0.0145₹1.3811 |
| United Kingdom | $0.0587₹5.5795 | $0.0204₹1.9346 | $0.0204₹1.9346 | $0.0204₹1.9346 |
| North America | $0.0231₹2.1976 | $0.0031₹0.2989 | $0.0031₹0.2989 | $0.0031₹0.2989 |
| Rest of Africa | $0.0208₹1.9796 | $0.0037₹0.3516 | $0.0037₹0.3516 | $0.0037₹0.3516 |
| Rest of Asia Pacific | $0.0779₹7.4057 | $0.0105₹0.9938 | $0.0105₹0.9938 | $0.0105₹0.9938 |
| Rest of Central & Eastern Europe | $0.0795₹7.5596 | $0.0196₹1.8595 | $0.0196₹1.8595 | $0.0196₹1.8595 |
| Rest of Latin America | $0.0684₹6.5048 | $0.0105₹0.9934 | $0.0105₹0.9934 | $0.0105₹0.9934 |
| Rest of Middle East | $0.0363₹3.4490 | $0.0084₹0.7998 | $0.0084₹0.7998 | $0.0084₹0.7998 |
| Rest of Western Europe | $0.0548₹5.2054 | $0.0158₹1.5019 | $0.0158₹1.5019 | $0.0158₹1.5019 |
| Other | $0.0559₹5.3098 | $0.0071₹0.6769 | $0.0071₹0.6769 | $0.0071₹0.6769 |
Plan prices are monthly, in rupees, excluding GST; yearly billing is two months free. Messages are charged per delivered message on top of the plan, at the rate for the recipient’s country. Full details: InfiQ pricing. These are the four outcomes of the decision tree above. Invoices carry your Tamil Nadu GSTIN.
Work out your own monthly cost by message type.
Calculate your exact costOn InfiQ
Matched to the four answers in the tree.
In Flower Show week the front desk, the owner and the driver can answer one number together, with labels for each booking.
Each guest's and buyer's opt-in is recorded with its source and time, so show-weekend offers go only to people who agreed, and STOP replies are enforced.
Approve check-in, pickup and dispatch templates once in Tamil and English, then reuse them all season.
A homestay already on the WhatsApp Business app can keep the app on the same number while the API runs alongside it.
Nearby
City pages for neighbouring markets in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.
Many Ooty guests drive up from these cities, and the hills' tea and vegetables go down to them; each page looks at its own city's trades. The India guide covers DPDP, DLT and the rules for the whole country.
Yes. The shared team inbox gives 10 users on Lite and 25 on Growth, with transfers, labels and private notes, so the front desk, the owner and whoever handles parking can work one number through show week. Every reply to a guest who wrote in the last 24 hours costs ₹0.145.
Yes, to buyers who agreed to hear from you. A new-tea note is a marketing template at ₹0.94. Once a buyer reorders, the order confirmation and the courier details are utility at ₹0.19, and an online-store login passcode is authentication at ₹0.14.
Yes, to buyers who opted in. A price list sent to everyone on your list is a marketing template at ₹0.94. If a buyer messages you first, your prices and lot details in the next 24 hours are ordinary replies at ₹0.145, and a loading note for an order they placed is utility.
Yes. Kannada (kn) is a Meta template language, approved separately from your Tamil and English versions, so keep all three and send each guest the one they read. Replies inside the 24-hour window need no template in any language.
Yes, if the guest booked the trip and gave you their number for it. A pickup reminder with the time, the driver's name and the car number is a utility template at ₹0.19. If the guest replies to change the time, your answers inside the window are service replies.
No. With WhatsApp Coexistence you keep the app on the same number while the API runs alongside it, within Meta's coexistence limits. Your existing chats stay on the phone, and the team inbox and templates come with the API.
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on the dates shown. Page updated 2026-10-20.
Start a 7-day Lite trial, no card needed, or book a demo to see the shared inbox, consent records and Tamil and Kannada templates. Once Meta business verification is complete, your number is usually live in about two hours.
