WhatsApp Business API for client needs clarification

Use case overview

The scenario sends the lead a personalised WhatsApp template asking them to clarify their purpose. The message includes their name and the product or topic of interest. Three quick-reply buttons let them choose personal use, business use, or browsing only; taps arrive via webhook for CRM routing.

Template example

Hello, {{1}}! To find the best option for "{{2}}", please clarify: what goal are you considering this solution for? Choose a suitable option below.

[For myself]

Quick-reply button labels are fixed in the Meta template — only body variables are sent via the API; taps return via webhook.

Variables and purpose

• {{1}} — lead or customer name
• {{2}} — product, service, or topic of interest

Filled-in example

Hello, Alexey! To find the best option for "CRM for teams", please clarify: what goal are you considering this solution for? Choose a suitable option below.

[For myself]

When to use it

• inbound leads
• product-led growth
• agencies

Business value

• CRM or form capture flags a lead with unclear need profile
• System resolves lead phone and product context
• Needs-clarification template is sent with three quick-reply options
• Lead taps a button — webhook delivers the choice for CRM routing
• Sales or automation continues with the matched need segment

Workflow

1. CRM flags a lead whose need profile is incomplete after capture.
2. Lead phone and product context are resolved from the payload.
3. A personalised template is sent with two body variables and three quick-reply buttons.
4. The lead taps «For myself», «For business», or «Just browsing» — the event arrives via webhook.
5. CRM routes the lead to the matching sales track or nurture path.
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

• An approved WhatsApp template with two body variables and three quick-reply buttons.
• A 1MSG account with template send API and a configured webhook for incoming messages.
• CRM integration to map button choices to routing rules or lead fields.

Code examples

Node.js

#!/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 TEST_PHONE = "___";            // client phone in international format
const TEST_CUSTOMERNAME = "___";    // {{1}} customer name
const TEST_PRODUCTORSERVICENAME = "___";    // {{2}} product or service name

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, productOrServiceName }) {
  assertConfigured({
    CHANNEL_ID,
    API_TOKEN,
    TEMPLATE_NAME,
    TEMPLATE_NAMESPACE,
    TEMPLATE_LANGUAGE,
    phone,
    customerName,
    productOrServiceName,
  });

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

  // params carries body and button blocks (dynamic buttons).
  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(productOrServiceName) }, // {{2}} product or service name
        ],
      },
    ],
  };

  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 client.");
  console.log("API response:", raw);
  return data;
}

function handleIncomingMessage(message) {
  const text = (message && (message.text || message.body || "")).trim();
  // Meta quick_reply label (from template.txt) → route key (code_contract.ref) "for_self"
  if (text === "Для себя") {
    console.log("Reply received: for_self");
    return { status: "for_self" };
  }
  // Meta quick_reply label (from template.txt) → route key (code_contract.ref) "for_business"
  if (text === "Для бизнеса") {
    console.log("Reply received: for_business");
    return { status: "for_business" };
  }
  // Meta quick_reply label (from template.txt) → route key (code_contract.ref) "just_browsing"
  if (text === "Просто смотрю") {
    console.log("Reply received: just_browsing");
    return { status: "just_browsing" };
  }
  console.log("Free-text reply — handle separately.");
  return { status: "other" };
}

if (require.main === module) {
  sendTemplateMessage({
    phone: TEST_PHONE,
    customerName: TEST_CUSTOMERNAME,
    productOrServiceName: TEST_PRODUCTORSERVICENAME,
  }).catch((err) => {
    console.error("Execution failed:", err.message);
    process.exit(1);
  });
}

module.exports = { sendTemplateMessage, handleIncomingMessage };

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.

CTA

Ready to use client needs clarification? Connect your 1MSG channel and run the code examples above.

Related

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