On this page
MESSAGING AND TEMPLATES
Utility template
A utility template is a WhatsApp message template that concerns a specific transaction, account or request the customer already made: order confirmations, delivery updates, appointment reminders, payment alerts, account notices. It is priced far below marketing, is not subject to the marketing frequency cap, and has been free when delivered inside an open 24-hour window since July 2025.
marketing templatetemplate categorycustomer service windowtemplate recategorisation
Why it matters
Utility is the category that makes WhatsApp operations cheap: Rs 0.115 per delivered message in India, no per-user cap, no pacing throttle, no United States pause, and free inside an open customer service window. The catch is content discipline: one promotional line in a utility template gets it recategorised to marketing and billed at seven times the price.
In VGraple CRM
Appointment reminders, order status updates, payment links, form follow-ups and sequence steps default to utility templates. The builder warns when wording looks promotional, and the broadcast cost preview shows which recipients have an open window (free) versus a closed one (Rs 0.115). Automation rules can send utility templates on stage changes without a human touching the inbox.
Related terms
Marketing template, Template category, Customer service window, Template recategorisation.