Reply to customers — text, media, voice notes and reactions
Send messages, photos, videos, documents and voice notes, quote a message, react with an emoji and use keyboard shortcuts.
Who can do this: Owner, Admin, AgentPlan: All plansNeed: An open 24-hour window for free-form messages
You can reply with anything while the customer’s 24-hour window is open — the timer in the thread header shows how long is left. Once it closes, only a template goes through.
Send a text message
- Open the conversation.
- Type in Write a reply…. WhatsApp formatting works:
*bold*,_italic_,~strikethrough~and```monospace```. - Press Enter to send. Use Shift + Enter for a new line.
If sending fails, your text stays in the box with “Could not send. Your message is still here to retry.”
Send a photo, video or document
- Click the paperclip (Attach media) and choose Photo, Video or Document.
- Pick the file. Add a caption in Add a caption… if you like.
- Press Send.
| Type | Formats | Max size |
|---|---|---|
| Photo | JPEG, PNG | 5 MB |
| Video | MP4, 3GP | 16 MB |
| Document | PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, TXT and more | 16 MB |
| Audio / voice note | Recorded in the browser | 16 MB |
Record a voice note
- Click the paperclip and choose Voice note. Allow microphone access when your browser asks.
- Speak. The timer shows Recording… current / max.
- Click Stop and attach, then Send — or Cancel to discard.
Reply to a specific message, react, copy or delete
Hover over (or long-press) a message to see its actions:
- Reply — quotes the message above your reply, just like in WhatsApp. Click × on the quote to cancel.
- React — sends an emoji reaction the customer sees on their phone.
- Copy text — copies the message to your clipboard.
- Delete — removes the message from your Vatli workspace only. It does not unsend it from the customer’s WhatsApp.
More ways to reply
- Templates — the template icon in the composer. See Send a template from the inbox.
- Quick replies — the + menu → Quick replies. See Quick replies.
- Buttons and lists — the + menu → Interactive message. See Send buttons and list menus.
- Draft with AI — the ✨ button writes a reply you can edit before sending. See Draft replies with AI.
Message ticks
| Tick | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Clock | Sending |
| ✓ grey | Sent — WhatsApp accepted it |
| ✓✓ grey | Delivered to the customer’s phone |
| ✓✓ blue | Read (if the customer has read receipts on) |
| Red × “Not delivered” | Failed — the reason shows under the message. See Why a message failed. |
Messages sent automatically by the AI assistant carry a small AI badge.