10 templates to copy

WhatsApp message templates for business, ready to copy

Written by Bernardo Villela, CEO of CertuAI

About CertuAI: CertuAI is the AI that answers a small business's WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger 24/7, with a built-in CRM, and is a Tech Provider on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform. Paid plans start at US$ 75 a month, with no lock-in and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Create my agent

Ten general messages you can copy now, and five pages with messages for one situation each: cancelling, rescheduling, closing a chat, welcoming a new patient and asking for a payment.

Updated on 13 October 2026 · Written by CertuAI

Summary in 7 facts

Ten general messages you can copy now, and five pages with messages for one situation each: cancelling, rescheduling, closing a chat, welcoming a new patient and asking for a payment.
Short answer A WhatsApp message template is a ready text that a business saves and sends again and again, changing only the details such as the name, the date and the price.
A good one says who you are, gives one clear piece of information and ends with one question the customer can answer in a single word.
It should say they reached the right place and what to do next.
Say when you will be back, so the customer does not wait in the dark.
Short answers to the questions that come every day.
Many people do not save a business number, so they see only digits.

In numbers

Number	What it means
67 businesses	CertuAI measured when customers write on WhatsApp to 67 businesses that answer with its AI agent: 32.5% of 122,720 messages arrived outside Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm.
122,720 messages	Source: CertuAI's own service data, 67 businesses, 122,720 messages received on WhatsApp from 30 July 2026 to 30 September 2026, measured on 9 October 2026.
28.1%	The largest business sent 28.1% of the messages; without it, 32.3% arrived outside those hours.

What is a WhatsApp message template for a business?

Short answer

A WhatsApp message template is a ready text that a business saves and sends again and again, changing only the details such as the name, the date and the price. A good one says who you are, gives one clear piece of information and ends with one question the customer can answer in a single word.

Greeting message templates

The first thing a new customer reads. It should say they reached the right place and what to do next.

1. Simple greeting for any business

When to use: A customer writes to you for the first time.

Hello! You reached [Business]. Thank you for writing to us.

Tell us what you need and we will answer you in a few minutes.

2. Greeting with a short menu

When to use: Most of your customers ask about the same three or four things.

Hi, welcome to [Business]!

What can we help you with today?
1. Prices
2. Booking a time
3. Our address and hours
4. Something else

Reply with the number.

3. Greeting that asks for the name

When to use: You want to save the contact with a name before the conversation goes on.
```
Hello, this is [Your name] from [Business]. Happy to help.

Before we start, what is your name?
```

4. Greeting for someone who came from an ad

When to use: The first message arrives from an ad or a link, and you do not know yet what the person wants.

Hi! Thanks for getting in touch with [Business].

Did you see one of our offers, or do you have a question about something else? Tell me and I will point you the right way.

Away message templates

For the hours when nobody can answer. Say when you will be back, so the customer does not wait in the dark.

5. Away message for closed hours

When to use: A message arrives outside your opening hours.

Thank you for your message. [Business] is closed right now.

We are open [days], from [opening time] to [closing time]. We will answer you as soon as we open.

6. Away message for a holiday

When to use: The business is closed for a public holiday or a short break.

Hello! [Business] is closed for the holiday and opens again on [date].

Leave your message here and we will reply in the order we received it.

7. Away message for a busy moment

When to use: You are open, but everyone is with a customer and the answer will take a while.

Hi! We got your message. All of us are with customers at the moment.

We will get back to you within [time]. If it is urgent, write URGENT and we will look at it first.

Quick reply templates

Short answers to the questions that come every day. Save them once and stop typing them.

8. Quick reply with address and hours

When to use: Someone asks where you are or when you open.

We are at [address], near [landmark].

Opening hours: [days], from [opening time] to [closing time].

Here is the map: [map link]

9. Quick reply with the price

When to use: Someone asks how much a product or a service costs.

[Product or service] costs [price].

That includes [what is included]. Would you like to book it, or do you have another question first?

10. Quick reply with the ways to pay

When to use: Someone asks how they can pay.

You can pay by [payment method 1], [payment method 2] or [payment method 3].

Which one works for you? I will send the details.

Templates by situation

Each page below has its own set of messages. No message is repeated from one page to another.

Appointment cancellation messageWhen you cancel, when the customer cancels, and after a missed appointment. Appointment reschedule messageOffering new times, confirming the change and following up. Chat closing messageEnding a customer service conversation clearly and politely. Welcome message for a new patientFrom the first hello to the day after the first visit. Payment reminder messageFrom the first friendly note to the final notice.

Four rules for any business message on WhatsApp

Say who you are in the first line. Many people do not save a business number, so they see only digits.
Give one piece of information per message. Two subjects in one message means one of them gets no answer.
End with one question or one next step. A message with no next step ends the conversation.
Fill in every [bracket] before you send. A message that arrives with [Name] in it does more harm than no message.

How to send these messages automatically

Use the tools of the WhatsApp Business app. The app has a greeting message for a first contact, an away message for when you cannot answer, and quick replies for texts you type often. WhatsApp explains each one on its own help pages: How to use greeting messages, How to use away messages and How to use quick replies. Follow those pages for the steps, because the menus change from one version of the app to the next.

These tools send the same text to everyone. They do not read the question. A customer who asks for the price at night gets the away message, not the price.

Let an AI agent answer. An AI agent on your WhatsApp number reads what the customer wrote and answers with the information you gave it: your hours, your prices, your rules. You write the rule once, in plain words, and the agent uses it in every conversation. A person on your team can step in at any time.

What CertuAI measured on the WhatsApp of businesses

CertuAI measured when customers write on WhatsApp to 67 businesses that answer with its AI agent: 32.5% of 122,720 messages arrived outside Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm. If your team works those hours, that is the share of messages that waits until someone is back.

When customers write, at 67 businesses, 30 July 2026 to 30 September 2026
What was measured	Result
Customer messages that arrived outside Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm	32.5%
Customer messages that arrived at the weekend	15.8%
Customer messages that arrived on weekday evenings, 6 pm to midnight	12.7%
Conversations that started outside Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm	34.6%
Time for the AI agent to reply, median	11.7 seconds

Source: CertuAI's own service data, 67 businesses, 122,720 messages received on WhatsApp from 30 July 2026 to 30 September 2026, measured on 9 October 2026. The hours are counted in each business's own time zone. Test accounts, test contacts and imported chat history are left out. The largest business sent 28.1% of the messages; without it, 32.3% arrived outside those hours.

Questions people ask

Can I copy these WhatsApp message templates and use them in my business?

Yes. Every message on this page and on the five pages linked from it was written to be copied. Press Copy, paste the text into WhatsApp and replace each word in [brackets] with your own information before you send it.

What is the difference between a greeting message and an away message?

A greeting message welcomes someone who writes to you, usually for the first time. An away message tells the person that nobody can answer right now and says when you will be back. Most businesses need both: one for open hours and one for closed hours.

What is a quick reply on WhatsApp?

A quick reply is a text you save in the WhatsApp Business app so you can send it again without typing it. It suits answers that never change much, such as your address, your opening hours and the ways to pay. You still choose when to send it.

How long should a business message on WhatsApp be?

Short enough to read without scrolling on a phone: three or four lines for most messages. If you need to say more, send the main point first and the details in a second message, after the customer answers.

Should I use emojis in messages to customers?

It depends on how you already talk to your customers. One emoji in a greeting is fine for a salon or a food shop. For a clinic, a law office or a message about money, plain words are safer. When in doubt, leave it out.

Tired of pasting the same message all day? CertuAI is an AI agent that answers your customers on WhatsApp with your own business information, at any hour, and keeps each conversation in a CRM. Plans from $75 a month. 30-day money-back guarantee: if you do not like it within 30 days, you get 100% of your money back.

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In short

Ten WhatsApp message templates for a small business: greeting, away and quick reply texts to copy, plus pages for cancelling, rescheduling and payment.