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Customer service

WhatsApp delivery delay notifications for local rounds

Delay notification automation lets the office mark a round or visit list as running late and tells every affected customer in one step. Messages go out on WhatsApp using an approved template, or by text where needed, and replies are gathered in one place.

An example of how the studio would build it. No live services are connected.

From a round running late to every affected customer told.

  1. Step 01

    Delay marked

    The office marks a round as delayed in Google Sheets, choosing a reason and a revised time window.

  2. Step 02

    Customers found

    List the customers on that round today, with their preferred channel and whether they’ve agreed to service messages.

  3. Step 03

    Message approved

    Show the office the message, built from a pre-approved WhatsApp template, and the list of recipients before anything is sent.

  4. Step 04

    Updates sent

    Send the notice through the WhatsApp Business Platform, or by text through Twilio where WhatsApp isn’t available.

  5. Step 05

    Replies collected

    Gather replies, such as ‘leave it with a neighbour’, in one list for the office, matched to each customer.

The result

Customers know what’s happening, and the phone stays quiet on a difficult day.

Nothing goes out until a person approves the message and the list. Each customer receives one notice per delay, and another update is only sent if the office changes the time again.

Before we connect it.

Where this is useful

Useful for veg box schemes, laundry collections, cleaners, window cleaners, mobile dog groomers and other businesses that work in rounds. A sensible first version covers one kind of delay with a single approved message, sent only after the office checks the list.

What we need to connect

  1. 01Your rounds or visit lists in Google Sheets, or exported from the system you plan routes in, with each customer’s mobile number.
  2. 02A WhatsApp Business Platform account with an approved utility template for delays, plus a Twilio number for text messages.
  3. 03Records of which customers have agreed to service messages on each channel, and the wording you want for each kind of delay.

What needs careful handling

WhatsApp only lets businesses start conversations with templates Meta has approved, so the delay wording is agreed and submitted before launch. Some customers will reply asking for something different, such as another day, and those replies go to the office rather than being answered automatically. If the round catches up, the office can send a short correction, but repeat updates are limited so customers aren’t flooded with messages.

Questions people ask.

Can we use the normal WhatsApp Business app for this?

The WhatsApp Business app has broadcast lists, but they only reach people who have saved your number and are sent by hand. The WhatsApp Business Platform, used here, works through an API with approved templates, which suits sending to a list reliably. Platform messages are charged by Meta according to its current pricing, which depends on the type of message.

What if a customer doesn’t use WhatsApp?

They receive a text message through Twilio with the same information instead. Each customer’s preferred channel is stored with their details, so nobody receives both.

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