What is Session Messages?
Session messages are any customer-initiated messages exchanged between a business and a user within a 24-hour window, beginning when the customer first sends a message to the business. These communications are typically used for providing rapid customer support, answering inquiries, and fulfilling immediate service requests.
The Deeper Dive: A Detailed Explanation
Session Messages are a critical concept within the pricing and operational models of many major business messaging platforms, most notably the WhatsApp Business Platform. The 24-hour window, known as a session, is opened the moment a user sends the business a message. Once this session is open, the business is free to exchange any type of message with the user—including replies, updates, and service information—without incurring the higher cost associated with business-initiated, template-based messages.
The purpose of the session message structure is to encourage and facilitate timely, high-quality customer service. By allowing businesses to reply freely within the 24-hour window, the platform ensures that support conversations flow naturally and quickly. However, if a business needs to contact a customer after the 24-hour session has closed (e.g., to send a weekly promotion or a fulfillment update), they must use a pre-approved, structured message template, which is usually subject to a different pricing tier.
Understanding session messages is vital for cost management and communication strategy. A business must prioritize resolving the customer's issue within the active 24-hour session. If the conversation needs to extend beyond that window, the business must ensure they have the necessary pre-approved templates ready to continue the service conversation, which is often termed a template message or notification.
Advantages of Using Session Messages
- Cost-Effective Support: Allows for unlimited back-and-forth communication within 24 hours at a favorable or zero cost, depending on the platform's model.
- Natural Conversation Flow: Enables human agents or chatbots to have seamless, free-form interactions without restrictions on message content.
- Timely Resolution: Encourages agents to resolve issues quickly and efficiently before the session window closes.
- Improved Customer Experience (CX): Customers appreciate continuous, uninterrupted service when they initiate contact.
- Flexibility in Replies: Businesses can use unstructured, conversational language for replies, which feels more personal.
Challenges and Considerations
- 24-Hour Constraint: The strict time limit means complex issues may require the use of paid templates to continue the conversation after the window closes.
- Defining the Start: Requires clear system logic to accurately track when the 24-hour session begins and expires based on the customer's last incoming message.
- Pricing Model Complexity: Businesses must understand the differing costs between customer-initiated session messages and business-initiated template messages to manage budgets.
- Time Zone Management: The 24-hour clock runs based on the time the customer messaged, which requires careful management for globally distributed teams.
Practical Examples
- A customer messages a travel company at 3:00 PM on Monday asking about baggage fees. The 24-hour session message window opens immediately. The agent and customer exchange messages back and forth for 45 minutes to resolve the query. All these messages are considered part of the session.
- An agent is unable to resolve a complex technical issue within the 24-hour window. The session expires at 3:00 PM on Tuesday. To provide the customer with the final fix later that evening, the business must send a pre-approved "Issue Resolution Update" template message, as the conversation no longer qualifies as a session message.
- A retailer's chatbot receives a message requesting tracking information. The bot replies instantly, and a session message is initiated. If the customer does not reply again within 24 hours, the retailer cannot send another promotional follow-up message without using a template.