Service Conversation
A WhatsApp conversation opened by the customer, inside which the business can reply free-form for 24 hours at no charge — service conversations are free.
Last updated: 2026-06-10
Definition
A Service conversation is one the customer starts: they message the business first, which opens a 24-hour customer-service window during which the business can reply with any free-form content — text, images, documents, catalog messages, interactive buttons — without a pre-approved template and without charge. Service conversations are free; when Meta moved Marketing, Utility, and Authentication to per-message pricing in 2025, it kept customer-service messaging free and removed the old monthly free-conversation cap, making all service conversations free rather than just the first 1,000. The window resets with every new inbound customer message. Once it lapses, re-opening contact requires a paid template in one of the three business-initiated categories.
How it applies in India
Free service conversations are why inbound-led WhatsApp commerce is so capital-efficient for Indian SMBs: a customer who messages from a click-to-WhatsApp ad, a wa.me link on the website, or a QR code at the counter can be served — catalog browsing, order taking, payment link, support — entirely free as long as agents or bots reply inside the rolling 24-hour window. WatEase's inbox shows the remaining window time per chat so teams prioritise replies before the free window closes.
Frequently asked questions
Are service conversations really unlimited and free?
Yes. Customer-initiated conversations and the business's replies inside the 24-hour service window are free, with no monthly cap — Meta removed the old 1,000-free-conversations limit when it moved to per-message pricing for the other categories. You only pay when you initiate contact with a template outside an open window.
Can I send promotional content inside a free service conversation?
You can reply free-form inside the window, but pushing unsolicited promotions into support chats raises block and report rates, which damages your quality rating and messaging tier. Keep service replies responsive; run promotions as properly opted-in Marketing templates.
Related terms
- Service Window (24-hour)A 24-hour period after a customer's last inbound message during which the business can reply free of charge with any non-template content.
- Marketing ConversationA WhatsApp message category covering promotional content — offers, product launches, re-engagement — billed at the highest rate of Meta's template categories.
- Utility ConversationA WhatsApp message category for transactional updates tied to an existing customer action — order confirmations, shipping alerts, payment receipts — priced far below Marketing.
- Authentication ConversationA WhatsApp message category exclusively for one-time passcodes (OTPs) and login/verification codes, sent via Meta's fixed-format authentication templates.
- Conversation-Based PricingMeta's pricing model for the WhatsApp Business API: businesses are charged per 24-hour conversation, with rates that depend on category and country.
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