Order Notifications

Order notifications are WhatsApp messages sent to customers at key points in the order lifecycle — when an order is received, confirmed, shipped, delivered, or cancelled. Each notification is defined by an event type and a message template. Socialone automatically picks the right delivery method based on the customer's 24-hour messaging window.

24-Hour Window Logic

WhatsApp allows businesses to send free-form messages only within 24 hours of the last customer message. Outside that window, only pre-approved utility templates can be sent.

• Window open: Socialone sends the notification as a plain session message using the body text you configured. No template approval needed.
• Window closed: Socialone uses the linked approved utility template instead. If no approved template is linked, the notification is parked and logged — it will not be sent until the window reopens.

To ensure notifications reach customers reliably at all times, link an approved utility template to each event type you care about.

Setting Up a Notification Template

1. Go to Settings → OMS Settings → Notification Templates and select the WhatsApp account.
2. Click Add Template and select the event type.
3. Enter the message body. Use variable placeholders in {{1}}, {{2}} format to insert dynamic values.
4. Set up the variable mapping to tell Socialone what each placeholder means (see Variable Mapping below).
5. Optionally link an approved utility template from your WhatsApp account for out-of-window sends.
6. Save and set the template to active.

Event Types

Variable Mapping

Variables let you insert order data into the message body. You map each numbered placeholder to a data field path.

{
  "1": "contact.first_name",
  "2": "order.id",
  "3": "order.total",
  "4": "static:Thank you for your order!"
}

Common field paths:

• contact.first_name, contact.last_name, contact.phone
• order.id — order number
• order.total — total amount
• order.status — current status
• order.tracking_number — courier tracking number
• static:your text here — a fixed string

Linking an Approved Utility Template

To send notifications when the 24h window is closed, link a pre-approved WhatsApp utility template to the notification template:

1. Create and submit a utility template in Templates for the same event (e.g. "Order Confirmed").
2. Wait for Meta to approve it (typically 24–48 hours).
3. In the notification template, select the approved template from the Utility Template dropdown.
4. Set up the variable mapping for the template's placeholders.

Admin Alerts

Staff alert templates (New Order Alert and New Booking Alert) are sent to a designated staff WhatsApp number rather than to the customer. Configure the notification account for admin alerts in Settings → OMS Settings. These are useful for small businesses where the owner wants an instant WhatsApp ping for every new order.

Multi-Language

Each event type supports multiple language variants. Create separate notification templates for the same event with different language codes (e.g. en, hi, ta). Socialone sends the variant that matches the customer's preferred language when available, falling back to English.

Common Blockers

• Notification not sent: check whether the customer's 24h window was open at the time. If closed and the utility template is not approved, the notification is parked. Check the event log on the order.
• Variable showing blank: the field path may be wrong or the data may not be set on the order. Use the preview feature to test with a sample order before activating.
• Utility template rejected by Meta: the template body must match the approved template exactly. Variable count and position must also match. Re-submit after fixing.
• No notification template for the event: create and activate a template for the event. Without an active template, Socialone silently skips that notification.

Related Docs

• Order Lifecycle
• OMS Settings
• Template Setup