WhatsApp Business API for new booking staff notification

Use case overview

The scenario sends the staff manager a personalised WhatsApp template when a new booking is created. The message includes the customer name, service name, booking date, and booking time. A static URL button opens the schedule.

Template example

📅 New booking

Client: {{1}}

Service: {{2}}

Date: {{3}}

Time: {{4}}

Open the schedule to review.

[Open schedule]

The schedule URL button is fixed in the Meta template — only body variables are sent via the API.

Variables and purpose

• {{1}} — customer name
• {{2}} — booked service
• {{3}} — booking date
• {{4}} — booking time

Filled-in example

📅 New booking

Client: Maria

Service: dental check-up

Date: June 15, 2026

Time: 2:00 PM

Open the schedule to review.

[Open schedule]

When to use it

• clinics and salons
• field service
• integrators

Business value

• Scheduling system or booking widget posts a new booking event
• System resolves the staff manager phone and booking summary fields
• Internal notification template is built with customer name, service, date, and time
• WhatsApp message is delivered to the staff manager
• Manager opens the schedule via the static URL button to review and prepare

Workflow

1. The scheduling system or widget creates a new booking and fires an event.
2. The system resolves the staff manager phone number and booking summary fields.
3. An internal notification template is built with four body variables and a static URL button.
4. The manager receives the WhatsApp alert on their phone.
5. Delivery result is logged; the manager opens the schedule via the button.
6. Delivery progress is reported asynchronously — typically sent, then delivered (or failed/undelivered).
7. Your system receives status via webhook (hooks[]) or polls GET …/hookInfo?messageId=<id> and handles failures if needed.

Technical implementation

Prerequisites

• A 1MSG account with WhatsApp Business API connected and an approved message template.
• Manager phone number in international format (without + and spaces) — MANAGER_PHONE in generated code.
• Booking summary: customer name, service, date, time; schedule URL fixed in Meta template button.

Code examples

#!/usr/bin/env node

// === Configuration (replace "___" placeholders) ===

const API_BASE_URL = "https://api.1msg.io"; // production 1MSG API base URL
const CHANNEL_ID = "___";                   // channel ID from 1MSG dashboard
const API_TOKEN = "___";                    // channel JWT token (Bearer)

const TEMPLATE_NAME = "___";                // approved template name
const TEMPLATE_NAMESPACE = "___";           // template namespace (422 without it)
const TEMPLATE_LANGUAGE = "___";            // template language code, e.g. "en"



// === Test data ===
const MANAGER_PHONE = "___";            // manager phone in international format
const TEST_CUSTOMERNAME = "___";    // {{1}} customer name
const TEST_SERVICE = "___";    // {{2}} service name
const TEST_BOOKINGDATE = "___";    // {{3}} booking date
const TEST_BOOKINGTIME = "___";    // {{4}} booking time

function normalizePhone(phone) {
  return String(phone).replace(/\D/g, "");
}

function assertConfigured(values) {
  for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(values)) {
    if (value === "___" || value === "" || value === undefined || value === null) {
      throw new Error(`Missing configuration value: ${key}`);
    }
  }
}

async function sendTemplateMessage({ phone, customerName, service, bookingDate, bookingTime }) {
  assertConfigured({
    CHANNEL_ID,
    API_TOKEN,
    TEMPLATE_NAME,
    TEMPLATE_NAMESPACE,
    TEMPLATE_LANGUAGE,
    phone,
    customerName,
    service,
    bookingDate,
    bookingTime,
  });

  const url = `${API_BASE_URL}/${CHANNEL_ID}/sendTemplate`;

  // params carries body ONLY. Button text is fixed in the Meta template — no button param.
  const requestBody = {
    phone: normalizePhone(phone),
    template: TEMPLATE_NAME,
    namespace: TEMPLATE_NAMESPACE,
    language: {
      policy: "deterministic",
      code: TEMPLATE_LANGUAGE,
    },
    params: [
      {
        type: "body",
        parameters: [
          { type: "text", text: String(customerName) }, // {{1}} customer name
          { type: "text", text: String(service) }, // {{2}} service name
          { type: "text", text: String(bookingDate) }, // {{3}} booking date
          { type: "text", text: String(bookingTime) }, // {{4}} booking time
        ],
      },
    ],
  };

  const res = await fetch(url, {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
      Authorization: `Bearer ${API_TOKEN}`,
    },
    body: JSON.stringify(requestBody),
  });

  const raw = await res.text();
  let data;
  try {
    data = JSON.parse(raw);
  } catch {
    data = null;
  }

  if (!res.ok || !data || data.sent !== true) {
    console.error("Send failed. API response:");
    console.error(raw);
    process.exit(1);
  }

  console.log("Message sent to manager.");
  console.log("API response:", raw);
  return data;
}

if (require.main === module) {
  sendTemplateMessage({
    phone: MANAGER_PHONE,
    customerName: TEST_CUSTOMERNAME,
    service: TEST_SERVICE,
    bookingDate: TEST_BOOKINGDATE,
    bookingTime: TEST_BOOKINGTIME,
  }).catch((err) => {
    console.error("Execution failed:", err.message);
    process.exit(1);
  });
}

module.exports = { sendTemplateMessage };

Immediate API response (synchronous)

• HTTP 2xx and JSON "sent": true mean 1MSG accepted the message for sending — not that it already reached the customer's phone.
• Save the `id` field from the response (value looks like wamid.…). Use it to correlate delivery callbacks or polling.
• The response may also include message and description — informational only.

Delivery status (asynchronous)

• Register a webhook (POST …/webhook) so 1MSG POSTs delivery updates to your HTTPS endpoint in a separate `hooks[]` payload (sent, delivered, read, or failed/undelivered when applicable).
• Optionally poll: GET {base}/{channel}/hookInfo?messageId=<id from sendTemplate>.
• In practice, delivery often completes within a few seconds — but that is not guaranteed by the API contract.

Common errors

• Invalid or non-normalized phone number
• Unapproved or missing template name / namespace
• No customer opt-in for WhatsApp business messages
• Template variable count mismatch (422 from API)
• Delivery failure — check status webhook and retry policy

FAQ

• Do I need an approved template? Yes — cold-start WhatsApp messages require a Meta-approved template.
• Can I customize the message text? Body variables are dynamic; fixed text and button labels are set in the Meta template.
• How do I check delivery? sent: true only confirms acceptance. Track delivery via webhook hooks[] or GET …/hookInfo?messageId=<id>.
• What if the message is not delivered? Log the failed/undelivered hook, verify opt-in and template status, then retry or fall back to another channel.
• Can I connect this to my CRM or backend? Yes — trigger the API call from your platform webhook or event handler.

Related

• Knowledge base
• Creating a template
• Sending a template
• SDK