Multilingual WhatsApp templates in Instant Messaging

Multilingual WhatsApp templates in Instant Messaging

Ever wondered what it feels like to be greeted in your own language by a brand you love?
A “Welcome!” feels nice, but a “¡Bienvenido!” or “स्वागत है!” feels personal.
 
In today’s global world, conversations often need to cross both time zones and cross languages. But expecting every support agent to speak every language under the sun is just not realistic.
That’s where multilingual WhatsApp templates in IM come in, helping your business sound local, friendly, and familiar no matter where your customers are from.
  


Business example   

Imagine you run an online travel agency.
A customer from Paris signs up for an itinerary update, and another customer from Japan signs up on the same day.
Both receive the same notification template, but:
  1. The French customer sees “Votre réservation est confirmée.”
  2. The Japanese customer sees “ご予約が確認されました。”
Same workflow, same template, but each customer receives a message that feels tailored to them.
This is the power of multilingual templates.
 

What is a WhatsApp template?  

A WhatsApp template is a pre-approved message format that businesses use to send reliable, consistent communication to customers. They are perfect for alerts, confirmations, reminders, notifications, and marketing messages.
 

How WhatsApp templates make your business communication more effective

  1. Templates help you stay consistent and efficient.
  2. They make sure every message follows WhatsApp policies.
  3. They reduce agent effort since no one needs to retype the same message.
  4. They support automation for essential updates and help maintain a high-quality customer experience during busy hours.
Once you have a solid template strategy, the next step is making those messages feel truly personal. That is where multilingual templates come in.
 

What are multilingual WhatsApp templates?   

When you create a WhatsApp message template, you can attach translations in English, Spanish, Hindi, French, or any other language you need to use with customers.
Same message, same tone, but each recipient can read it in their own language.

For example:
Your customer in Madrid sees “¡Bienvenido!”, while someone in Mumbai gets “स्वागत है!”.
And yes, if you add a translation later, it will go through Meta’s approval again.
 

What if their language isn’t supported?  

No worries! IM will fall back to your default language (usually English) so your message always reaches the customer.
No gaps, no confusion, just consistent communication.

Pricing overview for multilingual templates   

  1. Each approved translation is treated as its own template
  2. Charges apply for every delivered template message in each language
  3. Utility template messages are free if delivered within 24 hours of a user-initiated message
  4. Marketing templates always follow WhatsApp Business Platform pricing
 
 For full pricing details, see the help document: 

How language mapping works in IM   

Every template in IM begins with a default language. When IM detects the customer’s preferred language, it automatically sends the message in that version.

For example:
  1. If your French translation is ready, French customers receive that version of that WhatsApp template.
  2. If your German version isn’t ready yet, IM sends the English template instead. 
No delays, no lost messages.
 

Best practices for setting up templates in  IM

  1. Choose the correct category (for example, Marketing for offers)
  2. Use clean numbered placeholders like {{1}} and {{2}}
  3. Limit emojis.
  4. Always use real translations; WhatsApp doesn’t auto-translate
  5. Set fallback logic in IM mapping
  6. Make sure you have customer opt-in for proactive messages
  7. Review reclassifications after approval, as Meta might update your category
  8. If a template is rejected, correct the issue and resubmit.

Why this matters   

When you speak your customers’ language, you make them feel seen, valued, and understood. That builds trust, improves engagement, and creates a lasting connection.
So the next time you’re sending a message, think beyond just delivering information. Think about connecting with people, one language at a time.
 

Your turn!

Have you tried multilingual templates in IM yet?
What worked for you and what challenges did you face?
Share your thoughts below and let’s learn from each other!  

Regards,
Prabin | Zoho Desk

    • Topic Participants

    • Raj R

    • Sticky Posts

    • Zoho Desk Partners with Microsoft's M365 Copilot for seamless customer service experiences

      Hello Zoho Desk users, We are happy to announce that Zoho Desk has partnered with Microsoft's M365 to empower customer service teams with enhanced capabilities and seamless experiences for agents. Microsoft announced their partnership during their keynote

    • WhatsApp pricing changes: Pay per message starting July 1, 2025

      Starting July 1, 2025, WhatsApp is shifting from conversation-based pricing to per-message billing. That means every business-initiated message you send will count. Not just the first one in a 24-hour window. Pricing updates on the WhatsApp Business Platform

    • Live Webinar - Work smarter with Zoho Desk and Zoho Workplace integration

      Hello customers! Zoho Desk and Zoho Workplace are coming together for a webinar on 14th May, 2024. Zoho Workplace is a suite of productivity apps for email, chat, docs, calls, and more at one single place. Zoho Desk is closely integrated with a few tools

    • Apple iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 updates for Zoho Desk users

      Hello Zoho Desk users! Apple recently announced the release of iOS 17 and iPad OS 17. These latest OS updates will help you stay productive and efficient, through interactive and seamless user experiences. Zoho Desk has incorporated the updates to help

    • Zoho Desk Cheat Sheet For The Year-End

      Check out these Zoho Desk best practices to end this year on a high and have a great one ahead! #1 Set Business (Holiday) Hours - If you have limited working hours, please make sure you restrict your business hours or set them as holidays for the coming days. Let your customers know when you will, and won't, be available. #2 Update the Annual Holiday List - Check the holidays for the new year and update the holiday schedule. Usually, holidays from the current year will be carried over for the next

    • Recent Topics

    • Create Item group from a composite Item

      I have applied my mind for hours but cannot figure this out. Can you have a composite item in an item group?. E.g. We bundle different color and size SKU's together as composite items. Also Using composite items as Bill of Materials. We want to create

    • Main difference of Zoho Recruit Corporte version and Staffing HR vesion

      Hi Zoho, I need help to fully understand what is the main key point differences of Recruit Corporate version versus the Staffing HR version? We are currently using Corporate HR version and we are looking on having an insightful automated reporting, does

    • Out of Stock items showing in Commerce

      I have over 6000 items and most are not in stock, but all items are showing up in Commerce whether they are inventory or not. What option or feature can you use to hide items in Commerce at zero or negative quantities? I currently am using Commerce for

    • Is it possible to transfer data from one related list to another within the same module ?

      In the Leads module, there is an existing default Product related list that already contains data. Recently, I added a custom multi-lookup field, which created a new related list in the same Leads module. Now, I need to move the existing data from the

    • How to implement new online payment gateway?

      Hello, Can you tell me how to proceed to implement my local payment gateway? DIBS has an open avaiable API that should be easy to implement into ZOHO BOOKS. http://tech.dibspayment.com/dibs_payment_window

    • Formula working in MS Excel , is not working in Zoho Sheets, Filter fuction which is working in MS sheets per the attached workbook / Daily update.

      Filter function , which is working in MS Excel is not working in Zoho sheets. Please help on function of filter of particular class sheets and extract students name who has more than 3.5 hours of study hours on particular day depending on date in D7 cell.

    • New in Smart Prompt: Record Assistant for contextual assistance, and support for new AI models

      Smart Prompt helps teams stay informed and move faster by providing relevant suggestions where work happens in CRM. With this update, Smart Prompt becomes more adaptable to your organization’s AI preferences. You can now choose which Large Language Model

    • Improved Integration Failure Information (And Notification Options)

      Hi, When an attachment service for example fails, you just get "Field x - Error", I can check the field it is failing on and find nothing wrong, same file size, type, dimensions, etc. so more information as to the actual issue would be helpful. And an

    • Create static subforms in Zoho CRM: streamline data entry with pre-defined values

      Last modified on (9 July, 2025): This feature was available in early access and is currently being rolled out to customers in phases. Currently available for users in the the AU, CA, and SA DCs. It will be enabled for the remaining DCs in the next couple

    • Change User Role in a Form

      Hi, When in a form, it would be good (And consistent) to be able to change the user role/permission like you can with Shared Reports, All Entries or the actual User itself, rather than having to delete the users permission and then add it back again with

    • Reassign Partially Saved Entries

      Hi, I would like to be able to go to Partially Saved Entries and like the option to delete them I would like the option to multi-select and be able to reassign them to another user to complete (Such as when a user has left the company). Thanks Dan

    • Increase the "Maximum Saved Entries per User" Options Limit

      Hi, You can create lots of saved entries, yet the Limit when you apply one is 25, we may often expect 32 to be in draft, and therefore want to enforce that, can we increase the limit of this field from 25 to 100 (As you can just turn it off and have more

    • Dynamic Field Folders in OneDrive

      Hi, With the 2 options today we have either a Dynamic Parent Folder and lots of attachments all in that one folder with only the ability to set the file name (Which is also not incremented so if I upload 5 photos to one field they are all named the same

    • Product Updates in Zoho Workplace applications | December 2025

      Hello Workplace Community, Let’s take a look at the new features and enhancements that went live across all Workplace applications this December. Zoho Mail Block emails without notifying the sender Block emails without sending a rejection notification

    • Zoho CRM for Gmail Extension Not Working in Brave Browser?

      Is anyone able to get the Zoho CRM Chrome Extension working in the Brave browser? They're both built on the Chromium platform and every other Chrome Extension works with the exception of Zoho CRM for Gmail so any ideas here?

    • Set Frozen Cells in the Report Settings

      Hi, It would be nice to be able to set the frozen cells in the report Settings, and have an option if this is fixed or can be changed after loading (On the next load it still goes back to the Settings). Thanks Dan

    • Microsoft Teams now available as an online meeting provider

      Hello everyone, We're pleased to announce that Zoho CRM now supports Microsoft Teams as an online meeting provider—alongside the other providers already available. Admins can enable Microsoft Teams directly from the Preferences tab under the Meetings

    • Tip of the week #26: Import/ Export calendars in Zoho Calendar.

      Any calendar on the web or calendars that you create in any other calendar application can be imported in to Zoho Calendar. This will help you to add the events from the calendars that you import to your Zoho Calendar. You also have the option to export

    • Add Zoho Forms to Zoho CRM Plus bundle

      Great Zoho apps like CRM and Desk have very limited form builders when it comes to form and field rules, design, integration and deployment options. Many of my clients who use Zoho CRM Plus often hit limitations with the built in forms in CRM or Desk and are then disappointed to hear that they have to additionally pay for Zoho Forms to get all these great forms functionalities. Please consider adding Zoho Forms in the Zoho CRM Plus bundle. Best regards, Mladen Svraka Zoho Certified Consultant and

    • Blocklist candidates in Zoho Recruit

      We’re introducing Block Candidate, which helps recruiters to permanently restrict a candidate from applying to current/future job openings. Once the candidate is blocked, they will no longer be able to participate in the recruitment process. This will

    • What is the safest way to convert OST to PST files?

      The safest way to convert OST to PST files is by using a reliable and professional OST to PST Converter tool. Manual methods often risk data loss, corruption, or dependency on Exchange Server connectivity. A trusted converter Aryson OST to PST Converter

    • Zoho CRM for Everyone's NextGen UI Gets an Upgrade

      Hello Everyone We've made improvements to Zoho CRM for Everyone's Nextgen UI. These changes are the result of valuable feedback from you where we’ve focused on improving usability, providing wider screen space, and making navigation smoother so everything

    • Social icons, open in new tab?

      Hello, I have two social icons on my footer, Facebook and Psychology Today. Clicking on the Facebook icon opens a new tab, the Psychology Today icon does not. I would like them both to open a new tab. Am I missing a setting somewhere?

    • Introducing Connected Records to bring business context to every aspect of your work in Zoho CRM for Everyone

      Hello Everyone, We are excited to unveil phase one of a powerful enhancement to CRM for Everyone - Connected Records, available only in CRM's Nextgen UI. With CRM for Everyone, businesses can onboard all customer-facing teams onto the CRM platform to

    • Real-Time Screen Annotation During Zoho Cliq Screen Sharing

      Hi Zoho Support Team, Hope you're doing well. We’d like to request the addition of real-time screen annotation tools during screen sharing sessions in Zoho Cliq video calls. 🔍 What We're Looking For: The ability for the presenter—and optionally, other

    • encountering an error when attempting to associate an email with a Deal using the Zoho CRM extension in Zoho Mail.

      When I click "Yes, associate," the system displays an "Oops!! Something went wrong" error message. I have attached a screenshot of the issue for reference.

    • Autofill address using smart fields mapped over the pdf document

      Hi, I'm using mail merge to map smart fields onto PDF documents I plan to distribute for signing. I already have a Zoho Sign subscription. When mapping smart fields from the Employee form, I only see the permanent and current addresses which include the

    • Live Chat for user

      Hi everyone, I’m new to Zoho Creator and wanted to ask if it’s possible to add a live chat option for all logged-in portal users so they can chat internally. I’m trying to create a customer portal similar to a service desk, but for vehicle breakdowns,

    • How do I cap employee leave accrual

      HI there, How do I cap an employee's leave accrual? The policy is that you accrue 15 days leave annually (1.25 days a month) and once you reach 15 days, you wont accrue more until you take leave. Thank you!

    • Open sub form from a button as a popup form

      Is there a way within a form to use similar code as below to show a button in the form when clicked opens the subform for data to be added to the record being viewed in the form OpenUrl("#Form:<Customer_Delivery_Address>?<Delivery_Address>=" + input.ID,"popup

    • Dont have backup option in setting

      Hi guys. I started using zoho book a week ago. I bought premium package yet I don't have backup option in setting. I hope anyone can help me find a solution. Thanks in advance

    • Making Tags Mandatory

      When creating an expense, is it possible to make the Tags field mandatory?  I see the option in settings to make other fields mandatory, like Merchant, Description, Customer, etc, but nothing about Tags. Thanks! Kevin

    • Is there a plan to integrate zoho voice with zoho books?

      Hello, Is there a plan to integrate zoho voice with zoho books? Right now we are using the Twilio SMS integration into zoho books, but have recently decided to switch to zoho voice for calls and sms. Is there a plan to integrate zoho voice natively into

    • Pass variables to Zoho Desk via URL to create a fast new ticket landing page

      We are integrating our phone system into Zoho Desk. Currently when a helpdesk agent answers the phone, a soft client opens a new tab with zoho desk at the new case page. https://desk.zoho.com/support/companyname/ShowHomePage.do#Cases/new We would like

    • Zoho Books Extension: What Happens If Custom Fields Already Exist?

      When developing Zoho Books extensions, what happens if the target Zoho Books organization already has a custom field with the same API name as one defined in the extension? I’m asking because we originally created an on-Books version of this functionality,

    • Modular Permission Levels

      We need more modular Permissions per module in Books we have 2 use cases that are creating problems We need per module export permission we have a use case where users should be able to view the sales orders but not export it, but they can export other

    • ¡Vuelven los Workshops Certificados de Zoho a España!

      ¡Hola usuarios de Español Zoho Community! Hace ya unos días que hemos dado la bienvenida al 2026, y promete ser un año de lo más emocionante. Y es que nos gustaría haceros nuestro particular regalo de Reyes, aunque lleguemos un poco tarde. 🎁 ¡Nos gustaría

    • Free Webinar on 21 January: Looking back at Zoho Mail in 2025

      Hello Zoho Community! Curious about how Zoho Mail evolved in 2025? Wondering how these updates can make your everyday email work simpler? We’ve got a session you won’t want to miss. In our Zoho Mail 2025 recap webinar, we’ll walk you through the key features

    • Cliq Networks users can see all other network users contact information

      Is there a way to hide user contact information from each user in networks? I would only like the users to see the admin's contact information, not other users. Network users information shared by default

    • Zoho Sheet - Printing - Page Breaks and Printing Customization

      I think the title is descriptive enough in that I cannot find help documentation on a simple task of adding in page brakes for separating pages on print. Thanks

    • Next Page