WhatsApp Flows

WhatsApp Flows is a way to build structured interactions for business messaging. With Flows, businesses can define, configure, and customize messages with rich interactions that give customers more structure in the way they communicate.

You can use Flows to book appointments, browse products, collect customer feedback, get new sales leads, or anything else where structured communication is more natural or comfortable for your customers.

With Flows, you can:

• Present simple input forms (in order to schedule an appointment, for example)

• Create workflows that guide users through multiple screens (for ordering products, for example)

• Create endpoints that exchange data across screens to enable more complex interactions (such as guiding a user through a process with multiple potential outcomes)

How does it work?

Flows is a feature of the WhatsApp Business Platform that allows you to swiftly develop and deploy native, task-centric workflows on WhatsApp. This results in enhanced interactions between customers and businesses.

With WhatsApp Flows businesses can design, build and customize their own journeys, which can make chatbot and AI agent solutions better, as well as offer end-to-end experiences.

For users, Flows can improve interactions with businesses on WhatsApp, leading to better task completion and fewer drop offs than alternative channels.

For businesses, Flows can improve engagement and completion rates, resulting in improved business outcomes.

Leveraging Flows

Flows is built for form-based use cases. You can create Flows to achieve a range of tasks with your customers, including:

• Lead generation

• Appointment booking

• Registration, Sign up, and Sign in

• Customer support and feedback

• And many more

Meta will continue to expand Flows capabilities to unlock additional use cases in the future. We will keep you updated.

Sign Up

Appointment Booking

How are Flows configured and used?

Flows are linked from a CTA in a message. Flows are composed of:

1. Screens: When tapping on the Flows CTA in a message, the user will access the initial screen of the Flow. The user can then interact with the Flow to move through multiple screens until completion.

2. Layouts: These define how components are presented within a Flow, providing a structured look and feel.

3. Components: You can use components to display information, and to create input fields for your users. You can display information with Text, Images, and Embedded links. You can create input fields for your users to complete using Text Inputs, Dropdowns, Checkboxes, Radio Buttons, Opt-in, and Date Pickers.

Flows can be attached and sent as Business Initiated Messages, as well as standard messages. See Best Practices.

Getting Started

WhatsApp Flows are supported for numbers hosted either through Cloud API or as On-Premise API hosted by 360Dialog.

The minimum version for development and go-live with WhatsApp Flows using the On-Premise API is v2.51.1.

As announced in November 2023, Meta is transitioning to a fully Cloud-hosted WhatsApp Business Platform and will stop supporting On-Premise API in October 2025. Starting from On-Premise client v2.53, all new feature updates will be exclusively delivered to Cloud API. While the On-Premise API client will receive quarterly releases, they will focus solely on bug fixes and security patches.

• See differences between On-premise API and Cloud API
• Enable Cloud API in your Partner Hub to be able to register Cloud API numbers
• Learn how to change hosting type of registered numbers

Manage Flows

Manage Flows through the WhatsApp Manager

Clients can set up Flows directly from the WhatsApp Business Manager UI. To access it, the user must have admin rights to manage the account. The Flows editor can be found under the "Account tools" section under the main menu in Meta's WhatsApp Manager.

Find in Form Builder section below payload examples with code snippets and explanations of how different Flows come together to create immersive experiences for users.

Manage Flows through the Partner API

Flows can be crafted through our Partner API. We have enabled various endpoints to perform different operations to Flows. Alternatively, your clients can access a Flow builder user interface through the "Account tools" section in Meta's WhatsApp Manager.

Meta has introduced a new flow JSON template “Book an Appointment” which you can use as reference when creating a flow in Builder. The flow template can be found here.

To use the endpoints below, retrieve the {waba_account_id} suffix using the Partner API. (eg. WABA ID "120000000000000" corresponds to the ID "XxXxxXX". If the correct ID is not parsed, the API will return an error.

Creating a Flow

POST https://hub.360dialog.io/api/v2/partners/{partner_id}/waba_accounts/{waba_account_id}/flows

New Flows are created as drafts.

Request Body

Name	Type	Description
name*	String	Provide a name for your new flow
clone_flow_id	String	id of source flow from the same WABA
categories*	Array[String]	A list of Flow categories Allowed values: SIGN_UP, SIGN_IN, APPOINTMENT_BOOKING, LEAD_GENERATION, CONTACT_US, CUSTOMER_SUPPORT, SURVEY, OTHER
endpoint_uri	String	The URL of the WA Flow Endpoint. Starting from Flow JSON version 3.0 this property should be specified only via API. Do not provide this field if you are cloning a Flow with Flow JSON version below 3.0.

200: OK A successful response will include the Flow ID.

{
  "id": "<Flow-ID>"
}

Updating a Flow

PATCH https://hub.360dialog.io/api/v2/partners/{partner_id}/waba_accounts/{waba_account_id}/flows/{flow-id}

Existing Flows can be updated using the update endpoint, by providing the Flow ID.

Request Body

Name	Type	Description
name	String	Provide a name for your new flow
categories	Array[String]	A list of Flow categories Allowed values: SIGN_UP, SIGN_IN, APPOINTMENT_BOOKING, LEAD_GENERATION, CONTACT_US, CUSTOMER_SUPPORT, SURVEY, OTHER
endpoint_uri	String	The URL of the WA Flow Endpoint. Starting from Flow JSON version 3.0 this property should be specified only via API. Do not provide this field if you are cloning a Flow with Flow JSON version below 3.0.

Updating a Flow's Flow JSON

POST https://hub.360dialog.io/api/v2/partners/{partner_id}/waba_accounts/{waba_account_id}/flows/{flow_id}/assets

The individual screens of a Flow are defined through a "Flow JSON", that can be updated through this endpoint. To learn more about the Flow JSON definition follow this documentation link.

Request Body

Name	Type	Description
name*	String	Flow asset name. Value should be flow.json
asset_type*	String	Asset type. Value should be FLOW_JSON
file*	json	File with the JSON content. File must be attached as form-data.

200: OK See below for a sample response

{
  "success": true,
  "validation_errors": []
}

Preview a Flow

GET https://hub.360dialog.io/api/v2/partners/{partner_id}/waba_accounts/{waba_account_id}/flows/{flow_id}/preview

Flows can be previewed through a public link generated with this endpoint. The preview will show how the screens will look like, but will not be interactive. The final screens might render slightly different for some users.

Query Parameters

Name	Type	Description
invalidate	Boolean	Invalidate=true will generate a new link. Default is false

200: OK Sample response

"preview": 
{
  "preview_url": "<URL>",
  "expires_at": "<timestamp>",
  "id": "<Flow-ID>"
}

Deleting a Flow

DELETE https://hub.360dialog.io/api/v2/partners/{partner_id}/waba_accounts/{waba_account_id}/flows/{flow_id}

While a Flow is in draft status it can be deleted. Once published a flow can only be deprecated (see endpoint documentation further down).

Retrieving a List of Flows

GET https://hub.360dialog.io/api/v2/partners/{partner_id}/waba_accounts/{waba_account_id}/flows

This endpoint can be used to retrieve a list of flows under a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA).

Query Parameters

Name	Type	Description
fields	String	Flow fields to return. Available: id, name, categories, validation_errors, status, json_version, data_api_version, data_channel_uri[DEPRECATED in API v19.0 ] Use endpoint_uri field instead), preview, whatsapp_business_account

200: OK Sample response

{
    "data": [
    {
        "id": 1,
        "name": "flow 1",
        "status": "DRAFT"
    },
    {
        "id": 2,
        "name": "flow 2",
        "status": "PUBLISHED"
    },
    {
        "id": 3,
        "name": "flow 3",
        "status": "DRAFT"
    }
    ]
}

Retrieve Flow Details

GET https://hub.360dialog.io/api/v2/partners/{partner_id}/waba_accounts/{waba_account_id}/flows/{flow_id}

This endpoint will return a specified flow's details such as: id, name, status, and validation errors if they exist. You can request other fields by using the fields param in the request.

Query Parameters

Name	Type	Description
fields	String	Flow fields to return. Available: id, name, categories, validation_errors, status, json_version, data_api_version, endpoint_uri, data_channel_uri[DEPRECATED in API v19.0 ] Use endpoint_uri field instead), preview, whatsapp_business_account

200: OK Sample response

{
  "id": "<Flow-ID>",
  "name": "Flow Name",
  "status": "DRAFT",
  "validation_errors": []
}

Retrieving a Flow's List of Assets

GET https://hub.360dialog.io/api/v2/partners/{partner_id}/waba_accounts/{waba_account_id}/flows/{flow_id}/assets

Returns all assets attached to a specified flow.

200: OK Sample response

{
  "name": "flow.json",            
  "asset_type": "FLOW JSON",
  "download_url": "<DOWNLOAD-URL>",  
  "paging": {
    "cursors": {            
      "before": "QVFIU...",            
      "after": "QVFIU..."        
    }    
  }
}

Publishing a Flow

POST https://hub.360dialog.io/api/v2/partners/{partner_id}/waba_accounts/{waba_account_id}/flows/{flow_id}/publish

You can publish your flow once you have ensured that the Flow meets the design principles of WhatsApp Flows, the Flow complies with WhatsApp Terms of Service, the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy and, if applicable, the WhatsApp Commerce Policy.

Once published, a flow cannot be modified. Changes to a flow can be done by cloning it and modifying the cloned copy of the Flow.

200: OK Sample response

{
  "success": true
}

Deprecating a Flow

POST https://hub.360dialog.io/api/v2/partners/{partner_id}/waba_accounts/{waba_account_id}/flows/{flow_id}/deprecate

Once a flow is published, it cannot be modified or deleted, but can be marked as deprecated.

200: OK Sample response

{
  "success": true,
}

Migrating Flows

Migrate Flows from one WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) to another. Migration doesn't move the source Flows, it creates copies of them with the same names in the destination WABA.

Notes:

• You can specify specific Flow names to migrate, or choose to migrate all Flows in source WABA.

• Flows can only be migrated between WABAs owned by the same Meta business.

• If a Flow exists with the same name in the destination WABA, it will be skipped and the API will return an error message for that Flow. Other Flows in the same request will be copied.

• The migrated Flow will be published if the original Flow is published, otherwise it will be in draft state.

• New Flows under destination WABA will have new Flow IDs.

POSThttps://hub.360dialog.io/api/v2/api/v2/partners/{partner_id}/waba_accounts/{waba_account_id}/flows/migrate_flows

Path Parameters

Name	Type	Description
partner_id	string	Your Partner ID
waba_account_id	string	The ID of the WABA account.

Request Body

Name	Type	Description
source_waba_account_id	string	Source WhatsApp Business Account ID to copy flows from Example: exampleWA
source_flow_names	array[string]	List of source flow names to migrate. If not provided, all flows will be migrated. Example:["flow1","flow2"]

curl --request POST \
  --url https://hub.360dialog.io/api/v2/api/v2/partners/{partner_id}/waba_accounts/{waba_account_id}/flows/migrate_flows \
  --header 'Accept: application/json' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
  "source_waba_account_id": "exampleWA",
  "source_flow_names": [
    "flow1",
    "flow2"
  ]
}

Response

200

{
  "migrated_flows": [
    {
      "source_name": "appointment-booking",
      "source_id": "1234",
      "migrated_id": "5678"
    }
  ],
  "failed_flows": [
    {
      "source_name": "lead-gen",
      "error_code": "4233041",
      "error_message": "Flows Migration Error: Flow with the same name exists in destination WABA."
    }
  ]
}


Successful response

400

{
  "detail": {
    "<location>": {
      "<field_name>": [
        "string"
      ]
    }
  },
  "message": "string"
}

Wrong payload

404

 {
  "detail": {},
  "message": "string"
}

Not found

Webhooks

If you're subscribed to our Partner API webhooks, you will receive events regarding the statuses and performance of your business' Flows.

Currently, there are webhooks to monitor:

• Flows status changes
• Client error rates
• Endpoint error rates
• Endpoint channel latencies
• Endpoint channel availability

Additional information on the webhook events' payloads can be found in Meta's developer documentation here.

Setup Data Channel

In order to later de- and encrypt data passed through WhatsApp Flows, every WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) requires a key pair, which needs to be signed for every phone number sending Flows within the WABA.

Generating a Key Pair

Generate a public and private RSA key pair by typing in the following command in the terminal/console within your operating system (Note: OpenSSL needs to be installed):

openssl genrsa -des3 -out private.pem 2048

The generates 2048-bit RSA key pair encrypted with a password you provided. Next, you need to export the RSA public key to a file, which can be accessed within your file system:

openssl rsa -in private.pem -outform PEM -pubout -out public.pem

Signing the Public Key

For every phone number sending Flows the public key needs to be signed. This will be done through the our WhatsApp Business API endpoints. The process differs for Cloud API and On-Premise.

As announced in November 2023, Meta is transitioning to a fully Cloud-hosted WhatsApp Business Platform and will stop supporting On-Premise API in October 2025. Starting from On-Premise client v2.53, all new feature updates will be exclusively delivered to Cloud API. While the On-Premise API client will receive quarterly releases, they will focus solely on bug fixes and security patches.

• See differences between On-premise API and Cloud API
• Enable Cloud API in your Partner Hub to be able to register Cloud API numbers
• Learn how to change hosting type of registered numbers

In Postman, when inputting the business public key as a parameter in the Body, select x-www-form-urlencoded. Additionally, the public key needs to be copied in full to work (from ----BEGIN PUBLIC KEY---- and ending with ----END PUBLIC KEY----).

Set Business Public Key (Cloud API)

POST https://waba-v2.360dialog.io/whatsapp_business_encryption

Request Body

Name	Type	Description
business_public_key*	String	2048-bit RSA business public key generated.

200: OK A successful response will include the following payload:

{
  "meta": 
  {
    "api_status": "stable",
    "version": "<latest-api-version>"
  }
}

Set Business Public Key (On-Premise API) [will be deprecated]

POST https://waba.360dialog.io/v1/settings/business/whatsapp_business_encryption

Request Body

Name	Type	Description
public_key*	String	The generated Business Public Key.

200: OK A successful response will include the following payload:

{
  "meta": 
  {
    "api_status": "stable",
    "version": "<latest-api-version>"
  }
}

Verifying the Public Key

You can verify the public key by retrieving it through the following endpoints.

Get Business Public Key (Cloud API)

GET https://waba-v2.360dialog.io/whatsapp_business_encryption

200: OK A successful response will include the following payload:

{
  "business_public_key": "<2048_bit_RSA_key>"
  "business_public_key_signature_status": VALID | MISMATCH
}

Get Business Public Key (On-Premise API)

GET https://waba.360dialog.io/v1/settings/business/whatsapp_business_encryption

200: OK A successful response will include the following payload:

{
  "business_public_key": "<2048_bit_RSA_key>"
  "business_public_key_signature_status": VALID | MISMATCH
}

Set up Data Channel Endpoint

When the Flow needs to exchange data with your backend systems, it will make an HTTP request to an endpoint, that you provide. This endpoint needs to be set up so that it can receive and process POST requests.

With this endpoint you will receive data passed into the Flow by the end user, which you can process e.g. storing it in your database.

Once set up you will share the data channel endpoint URL with the Flow through the Flow's Flow JSON.

Meta has introduced an endpoint example in NodeJS that works with the “Book an Appointment” flow JSON end to end, with app secret validation, endpoint error codes, and script to create public/private key. The endpoint code is available on Github and Glitch.

Since you're the owner of the endpoint you will not be able to validate the payload and verify the origin of the incoming webhook event. We will launch a solution during Q1/24 to improve the endpoint security by providing a secure proxy service. Announcements will be made here and through email communication.

Implement Encryption/Decryption

The body of each request passed to your endpoint will be encrypted and will have the following format:

{
    encrypted_flow_data: "<ENCRYPTED FLOW DATA>",
    encrypted_aes_key: "<ENCRYPTED_AES_KEY>",
    initial_vector: "<INITIAL VECTOR>"
 }

Parameter	Description
encrypted_flow_data	The encrypted request payload.
encrypted_aes_key	The encrypted 128-bit AES key.
initial_vector	The 128-bit initialization vector.

You can then proceed to decrypt this data using the encrypted_aes_key. You can find a detailed example with sample code on this page of Meta's developer documentation.

After encryption the data will have the following format:

{
    version: "<VERSION>",
    user_locale: "<LOCALE>",
    action: "<ACTION_NAME>",         // init | back | data_exchange | ping
    screen: "<SCREEN_NAME>",
    data: {                         // JSON of values from screen
        prop_1: "value_1",
        ...
        prop_n: "value_n"
    },
    flow_token: "<FLOW-TOKEN>”
}

After processing decrypted request you can process the data end craft a response object, that will be encrypted and returned back to the Flow. A sample response payload before encryption would follow the format:

{
    eg_textfield_variable_1: "sample_Value_1",
    eg_textfield_variable_2: "sample_Value_2"
}

The response payload needs to be encrypted using the AES key received in the request and can afterwards be send back as Base64 string. An example on how to encrypt the data can be found in Meta's developer documentation via this link.

Implement Endpoint Logic

Your endpoint will receive requests in the following cases:

1. User opens the Flow

2. User submits the screen

3. User presses the back button on the screen

4. Error notification request (in case your endpoint returned with invalid content on the previous request)

5. Periodical health check from WhatsApp

For a detailed explanation of all cases and how to process the individual requests, please refer to Meta's developer documentation for implementing endpoint logic.

Webhook Response

Once the Flow closes you will receive a message payload through your messages webhook URL, which will look like the followig example:

{
  "messages": [{
    "context": {
      "from": "16315558151",
      "id": "gBGGEiRVVgBPAgm7FUgc73noXjo"
    },
    "from": "<USER_ACCOUNT_NUMBER>",
    "id": "<MESSAGE_ID>",
    "type": "interactive",
    "interactive": {
      "type": "nfm_reply",
      "nfm_reply": {
        "name": "galaxy_message",
        "response_json": {
            "flow_token": "<FLOW_TOKEN>", 
            "optional_param1": "<value1>",
            "optional_param2": "<value2>"
        }
      }
    },
    "timestamp": "<MESSAGE_SEND_TIMESTAMP>"
  }]
}

Parameter	Description
context object	Context of the message that the user replied to. Context object contains message_id of flows request message and sender number.
context.from string	User's WhatsApp account number
context.id string	Message ID
context.type string	Always interactive
interactive.type string	Always nfm_reply
interactive.nfm_reply.name string	galaxy_message
interactive.nfm_reply.response_json string	String that can be parsed to JSON that contains the params business sent like flow_token
timestamp string	Time of flow response message

Send Flow as Message

Via WhatsApp Manager

Adm users can use the Flows Builder, which allows Flows to be sent directly via WhatsApp Manager. The functionality works only with phone numbers registered to Cloud API.

Via API

You can send a Message with a Flow in a user-initiated conversation using a Message with a Call To Action (CTA). You send this message either through the On-Prem client or Cloud API with information specific to the Flow. The Flow is triggered when the user taps the CTA button.

To send a message with a Flow, you can use the new type of the Interactive Object named flow with the following properties:

Interactive message parameters

Parameter	Description
interactiveobject	The interactive message configuration
↳type(required) string	Value must be "flow".
↳action(required) object	Parameter Description name(required) string Value must be "flow". parametersobject ↳modestring The Flow can be in either draft or published mode.(Default value: published) ↳flow_message_versionstring Value must be "3". ↳flow_tokenstring Flow token that is generated by the business to serve as an identifier. ↳flow_idstring Unique ID of the Flow provided by WhatsApp. ↳flow_ctastring Text on the CTA button. For example: "Signup" Character limit - 20 characters (no emoji). ↳flow_actionstring navigate or data_exchange.(Default value: navigate) ↳flow_action_payloadstring Required if flow_action is navigate. Should be omitted otherwise. Parameter Description screenstring The ID of the first Screen. dataobject Optional input data for the first Screen of the Flow. If provided, this must be a non-empty object. Parameter Description screenstring The ID of the first Screen. dataobject Optional input data for the first Screen of the Flow. If provided, this must be a non-empty object.
Parameter	Description
name(required) string	Value must be "flow".
parametersobject
↳modestring	The Flow can be in either draft or published mode.(Default value: published)
↳flow_message_versionstring	Value must be "3".
↳flow_tokenstring	Flow token that is generated by the business to serve as an identifier.
↳flow_idstring	Unique ID of the Flow provided by WhatsApp.
↳flow_ctastring	Text on the CTA button. For example: "Signup" Character limit - 20 characters (no emoji).
↳flow_actionstring	navigate or data_exchange.(Default value: navigate)
↳flow_action_payloadstring	Required if flow_action is navigate. Should be omitted otherwise. Parameter Description screenstring The ID of the first Screen. dataobject Optional input data for the first Screen of the Flow. If provided, this must be a non-empty object.

Send a POST call to the /messages endpoint.

Sample Request for Cloud API

{
  "recipient_type": "individual",
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "whatsapp-id",
  "type": "interactive",
  "interactive": {
    "type": "flow",
    "header": {
      "type": "text",
      "text": "Flow message header"
    },
    "body": {
      "text": "Flow message body"
    },
    "footer": {
      "text": "Flow message footer"
    },
    "action": {
      "name": "flow",
      "parameters": {
        "flow_message_version": "3",
        "flow_token": "AQAAAAACS5FpgQ_cAAAAAD0QI3s.",
        "flow_id": "1",
        "flow_cta": "Book!",
        "flow_action": "navigate",
        "flow_action_payload": {
          "screen": "<SCREEN_NAME>",
          "data": { 
            "product_name": "name",
            "product_description": "description",
            "product_price": 100
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Sample Response

{
  "contacts": [
    {
      "Input": "[phone]",
      "wa_id": "47385946746"
    }
  ],
  "messages": [
    {
      "id": "gHTRETHRTHTRTH-av4Y"
    }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "api_status": "stable",
    "version": "2.44.0.27"
  }
}

Send Flow Template Message

You can send a template message with a WhatsApp Flow. Only published Flows can be sent this way. Use the new button type called FLOW. Use this type to specify the Flow to be sent with the template message.

First you need to create a template. Here is an example request:

{
  "name": "example_template_name",
  "language": "en_US",
  "category": "MARKETING",
  "components": [
    {
      "type": "body",
      "text": "This is a flows as template demo"
    },
    {
      "type": "BUTTONS",
      "buttons": [
        {
          "type": "FLOW",
          "text": "Open flow!",
          "flow_id": "<flow-id>",
          "navigate_screen":  "Flows Json screen name",
          "flow_action": "navigate"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}'

Parameter	Description
buttons
↳flow_idstring	The unique ID of a Flow.
↳nagivate_screenstring	Required if flow_action is navigate. The unique ID of the Screen in the Flow.
↳flow_actionstring	Either navigate or data_exchange.(Default value: navigate)

Sample Response

{
  "id": "<template-id>",
  "status": "PENDING",
  "category": "MARKETING"
}

Ensure that your template passes all required reviews so that status is APPROVED instead of PENDING. See Template Statuses.

Now you can send a template message with a Flow using the following request:

Sample Request for Cloud API

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "recipient_type": "individual",
  "to": "PHONE_NUMBER",
  "type": "template",
  "template": {
    "name": "TEMPLATE_NAME",
    "language": {
      "code": "LANGUAGE_AND_LOCALE_CODE"
    },
    "components": [
      {
        "type": "button",
        "sub_type": "flow",
        "index": "0",
        "parameters": [
          {
            "type": "action",
            "action": {
              "flow_token": "FLOW_TOKEN",   //optional, default is "unused"
              "flow_action_data": {
                 ...
              }   // optional, json object with the data payload for the first screen
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Sample Response

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "contacts": [
    {
      "input": "<phone-number>",
      "wa_id": "<phone-number>"
    }
  ],
  "messages": [
    {
      "id": "<message-id>"
    }
  ]
}

Receiving Flow Response

Upon flow completion a response message will be sent to the WhatsApp chat. You will receive it in the same way as you receive all other messages from the user - via message webhook. response_json field will contain flow-specific data. See Webhook Notifications for more details.

Sending a WhatsApp Flow as user initiated message

{
    "recipient_type": "individual",
    "to": "whatsapp-id",
    "type": "interactive",
    "interactive": {
        "type": "galaxy_message",
        "header": {
            "type": "text",
            "text": "Flow message header"
        },
        "body": {
            "text": "Flow message body"
        },
        "footer": {
            "text": "Flow message footer"
        },
        "action": {
            "name": "",
            "parameters": {
                "flow_message_version": "3",
                "flow_token": "AQAAAAACS5FpgQ_cAAAAAD0QI3s.",
                "flow_id": "1",
                "flow_cta": "Book!",
                "mode": "draft"
            }
        }
    }
}

Best Practices

Here are some guidelines to optimize both the WhatsApp Flows user and developer experience.

Form Flows

Feedback Form Flow

The Feedback Form Flow can be used to collect customer feedback for an experience that includes purchase and delivery of a product. It can also easily be modified to collect other kinds of customer feedback as well.

This example tutorial breaks out the wrapper scaffolding code from the screen code. However, you should combine all the code in these examples using the Form Builder.

Wrapper Code

Include the following code to "wrap" the 2 screens of the Feedback Form (the General Satisfaction Questions screen, and the Rating Questions screen):

{
    "version": "2.1",
    "screens": [
  /* screens we'll define in the next sections */
    ]
}

General Satisfaction Questions Screen:

{
    "id": "screen_feedback_one",
    "title": "Feedback 1 of 2",
    "layout": {
        "type": "SingleColumnLayout",
        "children": [
            {
                "type": "Form",
                "name": "form_feedback_one",
                "children": [
                    {
                        "type": "TextSubheading",
                        "text": "Would you recommend us to a friend?"
                    },
                    {
                        "type": "RadioButtonsGroup",
                        "label": "Choose one:",
                        "name": "would_recommend",
                        "data-source": [
                            {
                                "id": "1",
                                "title": "Yes"
                            },
                            {
                                "id": "0",
                                "title": "No"
                            }
                        ],
                        "required": true
                    },
                    {
                        "type": "TextSubheading",
                        "text": "How could we do better?"
                    },
                    {
                        "type": "TextArea",
                        "label": "Leave a comment",
                        "required": false,
                        "name": "how_to_do_better_comment"
                    },
                    {
                        "type": "Footer",
                        "label": "Continue",
                        "on-click-action": {
                            "name": "navigate",
                            "next": {
                                "type": "screen",
                                "name": "screen_feedback_two"
                            },
                            "payload": {
                                "would_recommend": "${form.would_recommend}",
                                "how_to_do_better": "${form.how_to_do_better_comment}"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                ]
            }
        ]
    }
}

The Form component organizes all the input fields on the page and sets the footer CTA to be disabled until all required fields have been completed.

RadioButtonsGroup and TextArea components are used to get input from the user.

You can decide for each input field whether it is required or not using the boolean “required” field.

Additional items to note here are the navigate action which is designed to navigate to the chosen screen. This example also passes a payload to the next screen - the form collects the would_recommend and how_to_do_better payload so it can be received as part of the user’s response.

Rating Questions Screen

Once you have the first screen in the Builder and modified as needed, the following can be pasted below it:

{
    "id": "screen_feedback_two",
    "title": "Feedback 2 of 2",
    "data": {
        "would_recommend": {
            "type": "string",
            "__example__": "1"
        },
        "how_to_do_better": {
            "type": "string",
            "__example__": "Have more color options"
        }
    },
    "terminal": true,
    "layout": {
        "type": "SingleColumnLayout",
        "children": [
            {
                "type": "Form",
                "name": "form_feedback_two",
                "children": [
                    {
                        "type": "TextSubheading",
                        "text": "Rate the following: "
                    },
                    {
                        "type": "Dropdown",
                        "label": "Purchase experience",
                        "required": true,
                        "name": "purchase_experience_dropdown",
                        "data-source": [
                            {
                                "id": "5",
                                "title": "★★★★★• Excellent (5/5)"
                            },
                            {
                                "id": "4",
                                "title": "★★★★☆• Good (4/5)"
                            },
                            {
                                "id": "3",
                                "title": "★★★☆☆• Average (3/5)"
                            },
                            {
                                "id": "2",
                                "title": "★★☆☆☆• Poor (2/5)"
                            },
                            {
                                "id": "1",
                                "title": "★☆☆☆☆• Very Poor (1/5)"
                            }
                        ]
                    },
                    {
                        "type": "Dropdown",
                        "label": "Delivery and setup",
                        "required": true,
                        "name": "delivery_dropdown",
                        "data-source": [
                            {
                                "id": "5",
                                "title": "★★★★★• Excellent (5/5)"
                            },
                            {
                                "id": "4",
                                "title": "★★★★☆• Good (4/5)"
                            },
                            {
                                "id": "3",
                                "title": "★★★☆☆• Average (3/5)"
                            },
                            {
                                "id": "2",
                                "title": "★★☆☆☆• Poor (2/5)"
                            },
                            {
                                "id": "1",
                                "title": "★☆☆☆☆• Very Poor (1/5)"
                            }
                        ]
                    },
                    {
                        "type": "Dropdown",
                        "label": "Customer service",
                        "required": true,
                        "name": "customer_service_dropdown",
                        "data-source": [
                            {
                                "id": "5",
                                "title": "★★★★★• Excellent (5/5)"
                            },
                            {
                                "id": "4",
                                "title": "★★★★☆• Good (4/5)"
                            },
                            {
                                "id": "3",
                                "title": "★★★☆☆• Average (3/5)"
                            },
                            {
                                "id": "2",
                                "title": "★★☆☆☆• Poor (2/5)"
                            },
                            {
                                "id": "1",
                                "title": "★☆☆☆☆• Very Poor (1/5)"
                            }
                        ]
                    },
                    {
                        "type": "Footer",
                        "label": "Done",
                        "on-click-action": {
                            "name": "complete",
                            "payload": {
                                "purchase_experience_rating": "${form.purchase_experience_dropdown}",
                                "delivery_rating": "${form.delivery_dropdown}",
                                "customer_service_rating": "${form.customer_service_dropdown}",
                                "would_recommend": "${data.would_recommend}",
                                "how_to_do_better": "${data.how_to_do_better}"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                ]
            }
        ]
    }
}

The input data for the screen matches the payload of the navigate action from the previous screen, and the complete action terminates the flow (the screen is defined as terminal).

For each dropdown, the id of the option that the user selects is sent as part of the complete action payload. In addition, the inputs from the first screen, propagated through the second screen’s data, is also sent as part of the complete action payload. This way, the business will receive the entire feedback response from the user on the webhook.

Testing

Now that Flow development is complete, you should test it prior to publishing.

To test the Flow before publishing you can:

• Use the interactive preview in the Meta Builder UI

Or

• Send the Flow as a draft message using the Partner API

Once everything has been tested successfully, you can publish the Flow (via the Builder UI or the API) and start sending Feedback Form Flows to users.

Designing your Flow

Call-to-Actions (CTAs)

The CTA should always tell the user what will happen next or what task is being completed on each screen, for example Confirm booking.

Capitalization

Use sentence case on screen titles, headings, and CTAs. Use consistent capitalization throughout each flow.

Emojis

Always consider the context of the content when using emojis, such as:

• Are they appropriate to use?

• Will they add to the content?

• Do they reflect the business brand?

Error Handling

• Errors should be clearly communicated to the user, including what has happened and how to resolve it.

• Make sure validation rules are clearly communicated, such as if a user tries to enter a password that is not long enough.

• If the flow is exchanging data with your endpoint and a screen becomes invalid (eg. appointment booking), take the user back to the previous screen rather than ending the flow.

Diverging Flows

If you need to create a sub-flow for certain use cases (eg. a forgot password flow), try to keep it to a maximum of 3 screens and always take the user back to the main flow and task at hand.

Flow Simplicity

Flows shouldn’t be long: Users should enter flows aiming to complete a task as quickly as possible, with tasks taking no longer than 5 minutes to complete.

Don’t have more than one task per screen: Screens with too many tasks may look messy and overwhelm the user. If the flow needs the user to complete multiple tasks, try splitting them up over several screens.

Don’t use too many components per screen: Too many components will make your screens look messy and may overwhelm users. It will also take longer to load.'

Build for caching: Once a user has completed a screen and moves onto the next, their information will be cached. If there are too many components on a single screen and the user exits the flow, they will lose all of this information, which could be frustrating for users.

Form Quality

• Always use the right components for specific actions, for example, use the date picker to capture Date of Booking.

• If an input requires a lot of text, use the text area component and not the text input.

• Questions and form labels must provide full clarity on what it is asking the user.

• Forms or questions should be logically ordered, for example, first name, last name, etc.

• Forms that are not critical to completing a task should be made optional to the user.

Formatting

Ensure that any information is correctly formatted for context, for example, currency symbols, phone numbers, and dates.

Grammar and Spelling

• Always check the content in your flows before publishing.

• Ensure you use consistent spelling and capitalization for certain terms.

• Check your grammar such as ensuring sentences use full-stops.

Helper Text

Helper text should provide clarity for users, eg. the correct format for a phone number, date input, or email address.

Initiation Flow

The chat should provide clarity

Users will choose to open a flow based on the clarity of the initiation messages. The exchange should feel conversational, providing context and clear task-focused actions for the user.

Users want to complete a task

The CTA should go hand-in-hand with the message content. It should be short and concise, telling the user what task they can expect to complete by opening the flow.

There should be no surprises

The first screen of the flow should mirror the action of the CTA. Any deviations from the task at hand will result in a bad experience for the user, resulting in them closing the flow.

Login Screens

Some flows may need login screens to complete tasks. However, there are factors to consider when including them in your flows.

Use only when necessary

Including a login screen may be off putting for some users, so try to only use them when absolutely necessary. If you do need one, set the expectations for users so it doesn’t come as a surprise.

Sense of place within flow

Research has shown that login screens may confuse users within flows. Some people thought screens would take them to an external page, outside of WhatsApp. This may result in users losing their sense of place within the flow.

Users need to see the benefit of logging in

The placement of login screens is key. If they are too early in the flow, users will not be motivated to continue. Showing the benefits upfront will make users want to complete the flow. Aim to make the login screen one of the last steps before completion.

Navigation

• Always set expectations for how long it will take to complete a task, eg. "It should only take a few minutes to complete."

• Help the user know where they are in the flow by using short, concise action-oriented screen titles, such as "Book appointment."

• Use screen titles to show progress where possible, eg. "Question 1 of 3."

• End the flow with a summary screen, especially if there have been multiple steps, so users can review and complete the task with clarity.

Opt-in

• It should be clear what the user is consenting to.

• You should try to include a "Read more" CTA which links to the relevant information, eg. Terms and Conditions.

Options and lists

• Keep it simple, try not to use more than 10 options per screen.

• Only use dropdown options when there are 8 or more options.

• Use a radio button if there is only one selection to make.

• Use checkboxes if the user can select multiple options.

• Always make the option at the top of the list the default selection.

Termination Flow

Set expectations

The last screen should clearly tell the user what will happen when they end the flow. They will also want confirmation of their actions. Sending a summary message should make the user feel reassured.

Bookend your flows

The termination messages should provide the user with clarity and a sense of completion. They should know what they have done, what the next steps are, and who they can get in touch with if they have any questions or if they want to edit or cancel a task.

Trust and Support

• The business logo (profile photo) should be simple and identifiable in the footer so the user knows and trusts the flow.

• Add a CTA within your flow that enables your users to get in touch when needed. This can also be done in follow-up messages once the user has completed the flow.

Writing Content

• Make sure your content follows a simple, clear hierarchy using a heading, body and captions

• Do not repeat content unnecessarily, for example:

  • “Complete registration"

  • "Complete registration below"