WhatsApp Business: Using Utility Templates – Meritto

Overview

WhatsApp Business API (WABA) Utility Templates are pre-approved message formats designed for sending transactional updates such as admission confirmations, fee reminders, and class rescheduling alerts. These templates facilitate automated, structured communication while ensuring compliance with WhatsApp’s 24-hour messaging policy for non-promotional messages.

Utility templates enable seamless integration with institutional workflows, reducing manual interventions and ensuring timely message delivery. They support high message delivery rates and can be configured to trigger automatically based on system-defined events.

This guide provides an in-depth understanding of WABA Utility Templates, their configuration process, use cases, and best practices for implementation within Meritto.

Use Cases of Utility Templates

There can be various use cases for institutes to simplify communication on WhatsApp via the use of Utility Templates. Below are some of the most common examples along with a sample template example:

Message Type	Use Case	Template Example
Lead Registration	Confirm successful registration	"Greetings! Thanks for registering through {{1}}. Click {{2}} to access your profile & to fill the Application form for [Institute Name]"
Application Reminder	Recover incomplete applications	"Hi {{1}}, Greetings! Thank you for starting your application for {{2}} at {{3}}. The deadline is {{4}}. Complete your application here: [Link] [Institute Name]"
Application Submission	Confirm successful application	"Hi {{1}}, Thank you for submitting your application. Your Application Number is {{2}}. Quote this application number for any future communication with regards to admissions in [Institute Name]."
Enrollment Confirmation	Notify successful enrollment	"Dear {{1}}, Your enrolment for {{2}} (Batch: {{3}}) is confirmed. Kindly collect study materials and course books by {{4}}. [Registrar's Office]"
Attendance Update	Share monthly attendance reports	"Hi {{1}}, Attendance for the subject {{2}} is {{3}}%. Minimum required: 75%. [Department]"
Fee Payment Reminder	Send payment-due notices	"Dear {{1}}, Greetings from [Institute Name]! Fee of ₹{{2}} for {{3}} is due by {{4}}. Pay now: [Link]. [Accounts Team]"
Class Rescheduling	Alert schedule changes	"Hi {{1}} Alert: There has been a change in your class schedule. {{2}} class on {{3}} is rescheduled to {{4}}. Check the portal for details. [Faculty]"
Exam Results	Share result access	"Hi {{1}}, {{2}} results are published on the website. Click on the link below to access the results: [Link]. [Examination Cell]"
Exam Schedule	Share exam slot details	"Dear {{1}} Your slot for the Remotely Proctored exam has been booked successfully. Date of Exam: {{2}} Time: {{3}} Exam instructions attached. Follow instructions carefully. Contact the helpline if needed. Regards, {{4}}"

Template Guidelines: Crafting Better (Utility) Templates

Common Rejection Reasons:

Submissions are commonly rejected for the following reasons, so make sure you avoid these mistakes.

Variable parameters contain special characters such as a #, $, or %.
Variable parameters are not sequential. For example, {{1}}, {{2}}, {{4}}, {{5}} are defined but {{3}} does not exist.
The template contains too many variable parameters relative to the message length. You need to decrease the number of variable parameters or increase the message length.
The message template cannot end with a parameter.
The message template contains content that violates WhatsApp’s Commerce Policy: When you offer goods or services for sale, Meta considers all messages and media related to your goods or services, including any descriptions, prices, fees, taxes and/or any required legal disclosures, to constitute transactions. Transactions must comply with the WhatsApp Commerce Policy.
The message template contains content that violates the WhatsApp Business Policy: Do not request sensitive identifiers from users. For example, do not ask people to share full length individual payment card numbers, financial account numbers, National Identification numbers, or other sensitive identifiers. This also includes not requesting documents from users that might contain sensitive identifiers. Requesting partial identifiers (ex: the last 4 digits of their Social Security number) is OK.
The content contains potentially abusive or threatening content, such as threatening a customer with legal action or threatening to publicly shame them.
The message template is a duplicate of an existing template. If a template is submitted with the same wording in the body and footer of an existing template, the duplicate template will be rejected.

Tips to Craft Good Templates

For a good utility message creation, it is important to understand the purpose and your target audience. In the template content, one should have clarity on what words to add, how the recipient will read the message, and how to make it actionable for the recipient to interact with. Below are some more pointers on how to craft templates that have high approval rates and make it relevant for the audience to be involved in:

Use straightforward language to ensure the message is easily understood and keep messages brief and to the point.
Keep the Template Name the SAME as the Template Title. Just make a few changes like writing the initial letter Small and replacing the white space with an Underscore. For example, account_update, payment_reminder, etc.
Place critical information first: For example - "Deadline for submission approaching for {{1}}. Submit the assignment using the link: [Link]."
Use most variables mid-sentence with 5-7 character buffer zones. Use static words like "Regarding your [Service] on {{1}}:" before variables -
Example:❌ Your {{1}} is ready → ✅ The document for application #{{1}} has been processed!
Ensure that one does not keep too many variables in the body content in proportion to the text such that it can confuse the target audience and also lead to rejection by Meta.
Avoid hybrid templates by eliminating marketing triggers (e.g., "exclusive offer" or "limited time"). Use neutral language like "Your order #{{1}} is ready" instead of "Special deal inside!"
While providing variable tokens for the variables, it is a good practice to add "Default Value" during mapping as it tends to reduce message failure rates as well as provide a backup for the audience to read if in case the variable does not have any value relevant to the target user.
Do not use emojis in Quick Reply Buttons as it tends to get rejected by Meta.
Create single-purpose templates (e.g., "Payment Confirmation" and "Application Update" as separate templates) rather than combining multiple actions. This reduces complexity-related rejection.
Embed expiration or event or actionable cues: For example -
"Your application's last date is {{1}}. Kindly complete your application in the next {{1}} hours."
"Thank you for registering. Use the below link to log in to your Application Portal. {{Link}}
This reinforces utility intent compared to open-ended messages.

Conclusion

Utility Templates are indispensable tools for educational institutions. By automating critical communications—from admission confirmations to fee reminders—these templates ensure high open-rate delivery of time-sensitive updates while adhering to Meta’s strict messaging policies. For clients, mastering utility templates translates to reduced administrative overhead, enhanced communication, and myriad strategies to nurture the audience with end-to-end updates in the enrolment journey. A structured approach to template design, grounded in Meta’s hidden validation criteria minimizes rejection risks and ensures seamless integration with institutional workflows. As education becomes increasingly digital-first, adopting these templates isn’t just strategic—it’s essential for maintaining relevance in an era where instant, reliable communication defines institutional credibility.