The WhatsApp Business welcome message: the shape that works, 20 templates by business, and setup on the official API
Ready WhatsApp Business welcome messages by business (stores, clinics, restaurants, services, education, after hours, returning customer), the difference between the app's greeting and the welcome card on the official API with its buttons, and what not to write in a welcome.
The ArabyBot teamOfficial Meta partner · written from our own platform dataOn this page 4
The short answer
One sentence saying who you are and what you do here, at most three buttons that shorten the path (offers, my order status, talk to a teammate), and an invitation to type freely — then the AI agent answers at once. On our platform it is a card in the number's settings: text, an image or video and up to three buttons, sent to new conversations only, a reply inside the window free for the first 1,000 replies per number each month. A second card handles "I did not understand". Twenty templates by business below.
Also asked as: «رسالة ترحيب واتساب للمحل» · «رسالة ترحيبية واتساب بزنس جاهزة» · «نص رسالة ترحيب للعملاء واتس» · «عمل رسالة ترحيب على الواتس اب العادي» · «رسائل ترحيب واتساب أعمال» · «ازاي اعمل رساله ترحيب على الواتس» · «رسالة ترحيب قصيرة للعملاء» · «نموذج رسالة ترحيب رسمية للعملاء» · «رسالة ترحيبية للعملاء بالانجليزي» · «رسالة ترحيب بزبون جديد» · «افضل رسالة ترحيب واتساب» · «how do i automatically send whatsapp welcome messages to new subscribers»
The welcome that works: three parts
- One sentence saying who you are and what you do here
"Welcome to {{store}}, I answer prices, availability and order status at once." No history, no slogans.
- At most three buttons that shorten the path
Your most requested: "offers", "my order status", "talk to a teammate". Each button opens a path or hands to the agent with context.
- An invitation to type freely
"Or type your question here" — because most customers type what they want and press nothing. The AI agent answers from your files.
20 templates by business
Stores
Welcome to {{store}}. Type the product name or send its photo and I will tell you the price and availability at once, or pick a button.
Hello, this is {{store}}. Orders ship within {{time}}, and cash on delivery is available. How can I help?
Welcome. This week's offers are on the first button, your order status on the second, and any question you can type here.
Clinics and centres
Welcome to {{clinic}}. To book, tap the button, or type the service you want. In an emergency call {{number}}.
Hello. I answer about appointments, prices and the address, and give no medical advice — the doctor answers that at the appointment.
Restaurants and cafés
Welcome to {{restaurant}}. The menu is on the first button, and delivery runs until {{hour}}. Type your order or ask about any dish.
Hello. We are taking orders now, and preparation takes about {{minutes}} minutes. Your address and number, and we start.
Services and trades
Welcome to {{business}}. To request a site visit tap the button and write the area and type of work, and {{name}} will contact you within {{time}}.
Hello. Prices start from {{price}} depending on area and materials, and the site visit is {{free/…}}. How can I help?
Education and courses
Welcome to {{centre}}. Type the grade or course you are asking about and I will give you the schedule and fees, or tap to register.
Hello. Registration is open until {{date}}, and seats per group are limited. Which branch suits you?
Outside working hours
Welcome. We work from {{from}} to {{to}}; I answer prices, hours and order status from our files now, and what needs a teammate reaches them in the morning.
Hello. The team is off until {{time}}. Leave your question and we reply first thing — and your order is taken now.
A returning customer
Welcome back, {{name}}. Your last order was {{product}} — reorder with one tap, or ask about something new.
A short one-line welcome
Welcome to {{business}} — type your question and I answer at once.
Hello, glad you reached out. How can we help today: a new order or following one up?
A formal welcome for companies
Welcome to {{company}}. We are glad you reached out; to ask about our services pick a button, or write your request and the right person replies within {{time}} during working hours.
Welcome to {{company}} customer service. To speed things up, write your order or contract number, or pick the department you need.
Two more short variants
Welcome to {{business}}! Type what you are looking for, or send a photo, and we will reply with the price and availability right away.
Hi, thanks for messaging {{business}}. Pick an option below or type your question — our team is here {{from}}–{{to}}.
What not to write in a welcome
No long paragraph about the business's history, no five buttons, and no "how may I help you today?" alone — all of them delay the answer the customer came for.
Setup
From WhatsApp tools → number settings → welcome message: the text, an optional image or video, and up to three buttons each opening a path. On the same screen, the "I did not understand" card. Then the AI agent takes the rest from your files — WhatsApp auto-reply.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the welcome message in the app and on the official API?
In the WhatsApp Business app it is one text sent on the first message or after 14 days of silence. On the official API through our platform it is a card: text, an image or video and up to three buttons that open a path — then the AI agent continues from your files. The bigger difference: the second works for a whole team on one number.
Is the welcome message sent with every message?
No — for a new conversation only. Whoever wrote "in stock?" deserves an answer, not a greeting; that is why a good welcome is short, carries the buttons that shorten the path, and is followed by the agent's answer at once.
Does it cost anything?
No. It is a reply inside a conversation the customer started, and replies inside the window are free at Meta for the first 1,000 replies per number each month.
MSA or dialect?
In your customers' dialect: the welcome is the first sentence a customer reads from your business, and MSA there feels more formal than a shop should. The templates below are in MSA to fit every market — move them toward your dialect.
What about the "I did not understand" message?
A second card in the same settings, sent when the path finds no reply — and with the AI agent it rarely shows because it answers from your files. Make it a door, not an apology: "I did not find an exact answer; rephrase, or tap to talk to a teammate".
How we write these guides Figures come from our platform and Meta's actual invoices, dated with their sample; we describe what works today, not what we plan, and say what we do not do and when someone else is the better choice. Reviewed by the ArabyBot team on 21 October 2026.
Read next
Try the agent before you pay anything
The agent that will answer your customers is the one answering you now: ask it from the chat button here or on WhatsApp. Your account is free with no credit card, and the free trial on your own number or page is activated after you contact our team on customer-service WhatsApp.