WhatsApp Business API for support menu — interactive buttons

Use case overview

This scenario sends an interactive button message with sendButton during the 24-hour customer service window. Three quick replies let the client choose main menu, order status, or agent handoff without typing.

Template example

How can we help you today?

When to use it

Reach for this scenario when a customer message opens or continues a WhatsApp support session and they need a quick self-service path before an agent reads free text. It fits tier-1 support queues where repetitive order status, menu, and escalation requests slow first response inside the 24-hour customer service window.

Workflow

1. Status tracked

   A client message arrives via webhook and keeps the session open.

   status: "read"

2. Build & send

   Your backend sends the interactive button menu with footer guidance.

   POST /send_button

3. Customer acts

   The client taps one of the three options.

   user action

4. Delivered

   The webhook delivers the button id for routing to menu, status, or agent flows.

   delivered

Technical implementation

Prerequisites

1. 1MSG API Key · How to get API Key
2. WhatsApp Business account · How to Connect WABA
3. Open 24-hour session window · How the 24-hour window works
4. Customer opt-in · How to Manage Customers Consent
5. Webhook endpoint · How to Set Up Webhooks

Code examples

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

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



# === Test data ===
TEST_PHONE="___"                 # client phone in international format

PHONE_NORM="$(printf '%s' "$TEST_PHONE" | tr -cd '0-9')"
URL="${API_BASE_URL%/}/${CHANNEL_ID}/sendButton"

read -r -d '' PAYLOAD <<JSON || true
{
  "phone": "${PHONE_NORM}",
  "body": "How can we help you today?",
  "footer": "Choose an option",
  "sections": [
    { "type": "reply", "reply": { "id": "menu", "title": "Main menu" } },
    { "type": "reply", "reply": { "id": "status", "title": "Order status" } },
    { "type": "reply", "reply": { "id": "agent", "title": "Talk to agent" } }
  ]
}
JSON

RESPONSE="$(curl -s -w '\n%{http_code}' -X POST "$URL" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}" \
  -d "$PAYLOAD")"

HTTP_CODE="$(printf '%s' "$RESPONSE" | tail -n1)"
BODY="$(printf '%s' "$RESPONSE" | sed '$d')"

case "$BODY" in
  *'"sent":true'*) ok=1 ;;
  *) ok=0 ;;
esac

if [ "$HTTP_CODE" -ge 200 ] && [ "$HTTP_CODE" -lt 300 ] && [ "$ok" -eq 1 ]; then
  echo "Message sent to client."
else
  echo "$BODY" >&2
  exit 1
fi

Response and delivery status

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 (looks like wamid.…) to correlate delivery callbacks.

{
  "sent": true,
  "id": "wamid.HBgLMzgwNjM5...",
  "message": "Message accepted for delivery"
}

Delivery itself arrives later, as a separate callback. Register a webhook (POST …/webhook) and 1MSG POSTs status updates to your HTTPS endpoint in a top-level hooks[] payload.

{
  "hooks": [
    {
      "id": "gBGGeSaGViBfAgnlzOSHEwK9O6F",
      "type": "message",
      "status": "sent",
      "timestamp": "1654864094",
      "recipient_id": "556123122026"
    }
  ]
}

If you would rather not receive callbacks, poll GET {base}/{channel}/hookInfo?messageId=<id> instead. In practice delivery often completes within seconds — but the API contract does not guarantee it, so never block a flow waiting on it.

Common errors

FAQ