WhatsApp Template Categories, Service Windows and Pricing Considerations
Updated
Sprinklr’s Customer Feedback Management (CFM) platform allows you to distribute feedback surveys to customers via WhatsApp, utilizing Meta-approved message templates on the WhatsApp Business Platform. Meta acknowledges feedback surveys as a valid business application under the template objective Feedback Surveys, enabling businesses to gather customer insights in a compliant and scalable manner.
This guide outlines the process for setting up, sending, and optimizing WhatsApp feedback surveys with Sprinklr CFM. It also provides insights into how template categories influence pricing and how to effectively minimize costs by utilizing the 24-hour customer service window.
Note:
The information in this document is based on Meta’s official WhatsApp Business Platform policies and pricing published as of January 2026. Meta may update policies, pricing, template categorisation, or message delivery behaviour at any time.
For customers in the U.S., it is advisable to use Utility templates for feedback surveys and to dispatch them within the 24-hour service window whenever feasible. Should you need to utilize a Marketing template for a U.S. audience, be mindful that delivery may be inconsistent, and it is important to closely track the success rates of your sends.
Prerequisites
Before sending WhatsApp feedback surveys using Sprinklr, ensure that you have completed the following steps:
Onboard your WhatsApp Business Account to Sprinklr. See Onboard a WhatsApp Business App Account.
Create and submit a feedback message template from the CFM Creative Library for Meta approval.
Choose the appropriate template category (Utility or Marketing). See Template categories.
Understand how the 24‑hour customer service window impacts pricing. See The 24‑hour customer service window.
The most important factor that determines cost is when you send the feedback survey relative to the customer’s last WhatsApp message.
Scenario comparison
Scenario | Within service window | Outside service window |
When | Customer messaged your business within the last 24 hours | Customer has not messaged recently |
Recommended template | Utility | Utility or Marketing |
Cost | Free | Charged per conversation |
Best suited for | Post‑support or post‑transaction feedback | Periodic or batch feedback campaigns |
Utility templates sent while the customer service window is open do not incur conversation charges. For post‑support feedback, this is the recommended and most cost‑effective approach.
Template Categories
When creating a feedback template in the CFM Creative Library, you must assign a category. For feedback surveys, the relevant categories are:
Utility Template
Marketing Template
Utility templates
Use a Utility template when the feedback request is directly linked to a recent transaction or support interaction.
Utility templates must:
Refer to a specific transaction, order, or support case.
Use neutral, non‑promotional language.
Focus only on collecting feedback.
Example: “How was your experience with our support team today?”
Cost:
Free when sent within the customer service window.
Lower conversation rate when sent outside the window.
Marketing templates
Use a Marketing template when the feedback survey is not tied to a specific interaction.
Marketing templates apply when:
The survey measures general brand satisfaction.
The message includes promotional or upsell language.
The survey is part of a broader outreach campaign.
Cost:
Charged at a higher conversation rate than Utility templates, both inside and outside the service window.
Utility vs. Marketing: Comparison
Criteria | Utility | Marketing |
Tied to a transaction | Yes | No |
Promotional content | Not allowed | Allowed |
Cost within service window | Free | Charged |
Cost outside service window | Lower rate | Higher rate |
Risk of re‑categorisation | Low (if content is compliant) | Not applicable |
Meta reviews all templates and may re‑categorise them after approval. If a Utility template is reclassified as Marketing, all future conversations using that template are charged at the Marketing rate. Sprinklr CFM can automatically stop sends if re‑categorisation occurs.
The 24‑hour customer service window
How the window works
A 24‑hour customer service window opens when a customer sends a message to your business on WhatsApp. Each new customer message resets the window to 24 hours.
Only WhatsApp user‑initiated messages open or refresh the window. Messages on other channels, such as email, voice, or SMS, do not affect the window.
Free Utility templates within the window
Meta pricing states that Utility templates delivered within an open customer service window are free. If you send a feedback survey immediately after resolving a support case, and the window is still open, there is no conversation charge.
Window Lifecycle
Event | Effect |
Customer sends a WhatsApp message | Service window opens or resets to 24 hours |
No customer message for 24 hours | Service window closes |
Business sends a Utility template within the window | Free |
Business sends a template after the window closes | Charged per conversation |
Note: Businesses must regularly review the category of their approved templates. When a template is used, charges apply according to its category at the time of sending, regardless of whether the category was updated after approval.