Asking a client for WhatsApp opt-in: message template

WhatsApp category : Customer reply (24-hour window)

When to send this message

Send this inside the 24-hour window the client opened themselves: they scanned the QR code on the quote, tapped the wa.me link in your email signature, or replied "ok" after a call. No Meta template is needed because you are replying to them.

The message does two things. It confirms that the client is happy to receive service messages about their policies on WhatsApp (premium reminders, schedules, claim updates), and it asks a separate question about marketing. Keeping the two apart matters: under POPIA section 69 direct marketing by electronic message needs consent, and under UK PECR the same applies, while a message about an existing policy is simply servicing. A client who says no to offers but yes to reminders should not be lost.

In ORIS the answer sets the whatsapp_opt_in flag on the client record and, where they decline offers, the marketing_opt_out flag, so campaigns skip them automatically. Keep the reply in the thread: the conversation is your consent record. The POPIA detail is in POPIA and WhatsApp: what a broker may send.

Variants

Plain (after the client's first message)

Warm (after a face-to-face meeting)

Short (Kenya or Zambia, client came in via QR code)

Formal (commercial client, compliance-minded)

Two separate consents (servicing, then marketing)

Writing tips

• Ask within 24 hours of the client's message. Once the window closes you can only reach them with an approved template, and a cold "please opt in" template is exactly what Meta's policy forbids.
• Name the brokerage and the adviser in the first line. Clients have several unknown numbers messaging them; yours must be recognisable instantly, and FAIS disclosure expects the FSP to be identifiable anyway.
• Spell out what they will receive (premium reminders, schedules, claim updates) rather than "information": informed consent is judged on that precision.
• Leave the client's reply in the thread and note the date on the record. If the Information Regulator or the ICO ever asks, that is the evidence.
• Clients who ticked a box on a paper proposal form years ago should still get a WhatsApp confirmation: a message in the thread is easier to prove than a scanned form.

Common mistakes

• Writing "I've added you to our broadcast list": that is not a request, and a client who blocks the number drags your quality rating down.
• Bundling servicing consent and marketing consent into one YES/NO question.
• Sending this to an entire CSV import: opt-in is asked of a person who contacted you, not of a spreadsheet.
• Leaving out how to opt out (STOP or a plain message). The keyword is also what triggers the automatic opt-out in ORIS.

Frequently asked questions

Can I send an opt-in request as a Meta template to someone who never messaged me?

No. Meta requires consent before the first outbound message; it is collected outside WhatsApp (web form, proposal form, QR code) or in a conversation the client opened. A cold opt-in template exposes your number to blocks and a falling quality rating.

Is the consent on a signed proposal form enough?

It is valid if it names WhatsApp, describes the purpose and is retained. In practice a confirmation inside the conversation is far easier to find and to prove, and ORIS stores it against the client record with its date.

What if the client says yes to servicing but no to marketing?

Record both choices separately: WhatsApp opt-in active, marketing opt-out active. Promotional campaigns will skip them while they keep receiving premium reminders, policy documents and claim updates.

Do I need a new opt-in when a client changes number?

Yes, consent is tied to the number, so a new number is a new conversation. Use the moment to verify identity before sending any policy document to a number you have not seen before.