Replying to a New Lead on WhatsApp Within Two Minutes: Template, Consent and Stop Rules

Why can't you send a normal WhatsApp message to a new lead?

Because the lead has not written to you on WhatsApp. On Meta's pricing page, businesses can use non-template messages only to respond to users, and only inside an open 24-hour customer service window that opens and resets with each user message. "If it is not open, businesses can only send template messages to reach out to users." A person who filled in a form or tapped a lead ad has not opened that window, so the first message has to be a template that Meta has approved. Our guide to the 24-hour window and templates goes deeper.

Does a web form count as opt-in?

It can. Meta's opt-in page lists a website as a supported place to collect opt-in, next to SMS, a phone flow and paper, and leaves the method to the business. It requires two things: the business must state clearly that the person is opting in to receive communication, and must state the business's name. Separate opt-in for each category of message is recommended, not required.

That is a rule about your form wording, and MAJ Leads does not read your form. It holds back from people marked do-not-contact (see below), but it cannot tell whether the line on your form said WhatsApp. If it does not, add it before you switch this on. Lead form consent wording gives sample lines, and WhatsApp opt-in and the proof log shows what to keep.

What message does MAJ Leads send?

One template, submitted from Settings to your own WhatsApp Business account, so the customer sees your business and your number, not ours. Its text is:

Hi {{1}}, this is {{2}}. We got your enquiry about {{3}}. {{4}} will be in touch shortly.

MAJ Leads lead_ack template. The four slots are the customer's first name, your business name, what they asked for, and the first name of the rep who will follow up.

It is submitted in English and as the utility category. Meta's template guidelines say utility templates are "typically triggered by a user action or request", and must be non-promotional and either specific to or requested by the user. Mixed content, such as an order update with a promotion, is treated as marketing. The note has no offer and no link, which is why it is written that way. If a slot is empty the message falls back to plain words: "there", "our team", "your request". The rep's name comes from the lead's live task, and when nobody owns it yet the message says "Our team".

Meta's page does not name a web-form enquiry as an example, and it says Meta can change the category of a template it reads as marketing, so we do not promise how yours will be classed. See why Meta changes a template's category.

When does it send, and when does it stay silent?

The note goes out between one and two minutes after the enquiry, on a random delay inside that range. Every rule below is checked again at the moment of sending, not only when the lead arrived.

The send also goes through the same gate as every system WhatsApp message in MAJ Leads, which applies do-not-contact, quiet hours and daily caps. If that gate says no, the note is dropped, not retried into the evening, because a "we got your enquiry" at night is worse than none. Only a transport error is retried, and only for about ten minutes after the note was queued.

What does it cost, and what happens if they reply?

A template sent outside an open window is billed by Meta per message under its category. We print no rate here because Meta changes them; the dated figures are in our guide to WhatsApp Business API pricing. If the customer replies, a 24-hour window opens and your rep can answer in the chat. Meta's pricing page says what is charged inside that window and notes a change from 1 October 2026, so read it before you budget.

Does it replace the call?

No. The rep still gets the alert, and the call is still the first real touch. The note only tells the customer that someone has their enquiry and who that someone is. The same connected number is used when you ask a won customer for a review; see how to ask for Google reviews without breaking Google's rules.

Where does this leave your team?

If your form asks for WhatsApp consent, your number is connected and your template is approved, a new lead gets one plain note and your rep keeps the call. If any of those is missing, nothing is sent. See how it works and pricing.