Order status automation is a powerful feature within the BusinessChat platform engineered to eliminate communication friction for e-commerce businesses. By automatically sending real-time order updates to customers via WhatsApp, this tool is designed to stop "Where is my order?" support queries before they start.
1.0 Foundational Requirements for Activation
Before you can activate order status automation, it is crucial to ensure your BusinessChat account is correctly integrated and prepared. These prerequisites lay the essential groundwork for a successful, seamless automation workflow, ensuring the system has the necessary connections and permissions to function correctly.
1.1 E-commerce Platform Integration
A fundamental requirement is an active and correctly installed e-commerce platform application within your Business Chat account. This integration allows BusinessChat to receive real-time order status updates directly from your store.
The currently supported platforms are:
Salla
Zid
Shopify
WooCommerce
1.2 Approved WhatsApp Message Templates
The automation relies on pre-approved WhatsApp message templates to send notifications. This is a core requirement of Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform, designed to prevent spam and ensure a high-quality, non-intrusive experience for all users. It is essential that you create and submit message templates specifically for this purpose before activating the campaign. When creating these templates, you must select the appropriate usage, which is order status, to ensure they are available for selection within the automation builder.
Once these foundational requirements are met, you can proceed with the setup and activation process.
How to create a message template for the order status automation?
To create a template to use in the order status automation, follow these steps:
Click the profile avatar at the bottom of the BusinessChat main page and choose Settings
Click WhatsApp templates
Click Create A Template
From the window that will open, click Usage and choose Order Status
Click one of the available sample templates and edit the content as you wish
Submit the template for approval and sync the WhatsApp number to get the latest template status. Once approved, you will be able to use it in the order status automation.
What to watch for in the order status message template?
The templates to be used in the order status automation must be approved as Utility from Meta to ensure successful delivery.
Avoid writing promotional content in the template.
Make sure you use relevant custom fields, like the order ID and order total, to clarify to Meta that it’s a utility message for an ongoing transaction.
Once the template gets approved, check the category; if it’s Utility, then you are good to use it. Otherwise, if it got approved as Marketing, try submitting another template.
Note: It is important to distinguish between Local Usage and Meta Category, as they serve very different purposes:
Local Usage (BusinessChat): This is an internal label designed to help you organize and identify your templates within the platform. It does not affect cost or delivery.
Category (Meta): This is the official classification assigned by Meta. It is critical because it dictates:
Pricing: Costs vary by category (e.g., Marketing is 0.17 SAR, while Utility is 0.4 SAR ).
Delivery Reliability: Meta may block Marketing messages if a user exceeds a certain receiving threshold. Therefore, critical notifications like Order Status should always be classified as Utility. Unlike Marketing messages, Utility templates are not subject to blocking based on marketing frequency caps.
2.0 Step-by-Step Order Status Activation Guide
This section provides a practical, actionable walkthrough for launching your first order status automation. Following these steps will guide you through the precise process of configuring triggers and assigning message templates in the BusinessChat interface.
Navigate to Automated Campaigns: From the main dashboard, go to the "Automations" section, click Add a new automation, and select the "Order Status" automation type to begin.
Configure the Trigger: Click on the trigger settings. Here, you will select the specific order statuses that will initiate the automation. For example, you might choose statuses like "Completed" (تم التنفيذ) or "Out for Delivery" (جاري التوصيل). Choose all the statuses you want to inform the customer about and click Save. If you want to change the message content based on the status, you must create a new campaign for each order status.
Assign a Message Template: Select the pre-approved WhatsApp template to send to the customer when the trigger condition is met and click Save. This is the message your customer will see.
Activate the automation: Once the trigger and template are configured, click the "Activate" button to launch the automation. The system will now automatically send notifications as order statuses are updated in your e-commerce store.
Important Note: If you want to send an automated message to customers asking them to confirm the order when the selected payment method is "Cash on Delivery" (COD), you must create a "COD Confirmation" campaign. Order Status Automation and COD Confirmation Automation are two different workflows, and each performs a unique function.
Understanding this setup process is the first step. The following section explores the underlying logic of how these components work together, which varies by e-commerce platform.
Why Does an Error Appear for the Customer When Clicking the Order Link?
The order link in the Order Status Automation message is tied to the customer who owns the order. If they face an issue opening the link when clicking the button in the message, it most likely means they are trying to do so on a device where they are not logged into the store. This is a result of some recent changes on e-commerce platforms like Salla.
The Solution: Ask your customer to click the button in the message they received, then tap the three dots at the top of the browser page, and log in to their account on the store. After doing this, they will be able to open the link by clicking it a second time.
3.0 Order Status Automation Report and Statistics
After running the campaign, you can track its statistics as follows:
Started: We received a notification from the store regarding a customer order status that was defined in the automation trigger.
Exited: Not available for this automation because it is not a marketing campaign.
Purchased: Not available for this automation because it is not a marketing campaign.
Completed: The customer completed the automation to the final stage.
Revenue: Not available for this cautomation because it is not a marketing automation.
You can download the order status automation report to analyze the data with specific cases and identify who are the customers that received the order status message and who didn't, if necessary.
Note: The automation will send order status notifications only to numbers directly linked to the order. If the order is a gift for another person (not the person who completed the order), you will not be able to send order status notifications to the recipient.
4.0 Platform-Specific Logic and Behavior for order statuses
While the goal of order status automation is consistent—to keep customers informed—its technical execution and trigger behavior can vary significantly depending on the e-commerce platform you use. Understanding these platform-specific differences is crucial for accurate setup, managing customer expectations, and effective troubleshooting.
4.1 Salla Integration Logic
The integration with Salla is designed to trigger automations based only on Salla's main order statuses.
A critical point to understand is that if you create custom sub-statuses under a main status in your Salla dashboard, the automation will not send separate notifications for each sub-status. The system will only trigger the automation once, when the overarching main status is activated.
The following table maps Salla's main statuses to the corresponding statuses available in Business Chat:
حالة سلة (Salla Status) | حالة بزنس شات (Business Chat Status) |
بإنتظار الدفع | بإنتظار الدفع |
بإنتظار المراجعة | بإنتظار المراجعة |
قيد التنفيذ | قيد التنفيذ |
تم التنفيذ | تم التنفيذ |
جاري التوصيل | جاري التوصيل |
تم التوصيل | تم التوصيل |
تم الشحن | تم الشحن |
ملغي | ملغي |
مسترجع | مسترجع |
قيد الإسترجاع | قيد الإسترجاع |
4.2 Zid Integration Logic
The integration with Zid is a direct, one-to-one mapping because the Zid platform supports only main order statuses, without a sub-status hierarchy. The status you see in your Zid store is the same one that will trigger the automation in BusinessChat.
The following table shows the direct mapping between Zid and Business Chat statuses:
حالة زد (Zid Status) | حالة بزنس شات (Business Chat Status) |
جديد | جديد |
جاري التجهيز | جاري التجهيز |
جاري التوصيل | جاري التوصيل |
مكتمل | مكتمل |
ملغي | ملغي |
مسترجع | مسترجع |
قيد الاسترجاع | قيد الاسترجاع |
جاهز | جاهز |
4.3 Shopify Integration Logic
The Shopify integration is fundamentally different: notifications are triggered by a specific event rather than a status change. The order status notification is sent only once a tracking link becomes available in the Shopify order. It does not trigger for every incremental status update (e.g., "Processing," "Packed"). This behavior is designed to provide the most valuable update to the customer—the ability to track their shipment.
Understanding these triggers allows you to do more than just send simple updates; it opens the door for strategic communication, such as asking for a review once the delivery is confirmed.
5.0 Strategic Use Case: Automating Customer Review Requests
You can leverage order status automation as an advanced strategy to move beyond simple notifications and proactively engage customers. By using the "Delivered" status as a trigger, you can automate requests for reviews, helping you generate valuable social proof and customer feedback at the perfect moment.
Follow these steps to implement this strategy:
Create a new "Order Status" automation.
Set the trigger condition specifically to the "Delivered" (تم التوصيل) status. This ensures that the request is sent only after the customer has received their product.
Assign a custom WhatsApp message template you've created specifically to request a review. This message should be friendly and clearly ask the customer to share their experience with the product or the store.
When the automation is activated, the system will append a unique link to the customer's order. This link directs them to the appropriate page to leave a review, making the process frictionless.
Important Note: You cannot add a custom link (such as a Google Maps link) for the order or store review if you use Order Status Automation for this purpose, as this automation automatically adds the link specific to each customer's order.
Important Note: The review message from Order Status Automation sends immediately when the order status turns to "Delivered," which may mean the order is still in the shipping phase. To avoid sending a store review request before the order reaches the customer, use the Post-Purchase Re-targeting Automation.
Note: if you use the order status automation to send product or store rating requests, you need to pay attention that the template used in this specific automation will most likely be categorised as Marketing by Meta, and that is okay, this is just to set pricing and delivery expectations.
While this system is robust, issues can occasionally arise. The following section provides a comprehensive guide to diagnosing and solving everyday problems.
6.0 Comprehensive Troubleshooting Guide for the Order Status Automation
This section is a diagnostic tool designed to help you identify and resolve common issues that may prevent your automations from functioning correctly. To provide maximum clarity, this guide is structured to diagnose problems originating from three distinct layers: Meta Platform policies (payments, template quality), BusinessChat configuration (platform logic, working hours), and built-in system logic (intelligent automation behavior).
6.1 Diagnosis: Messages Are Not Being Sent (Automation Failure)
Potential Cause 1: Insufficient Funds or Payment Issues
If an order status automation fails or becomes stopped, one of the most common causes is a payment issue with your Meta Business Account, which is used to pay for WhatsApp messages.
Technical Indicator: Look for a red banner at the top of the Businesschat page. It will read something like: Payment problem on the WhatsApp Business account.
Solution: Check your billing and payment settings within your Facebook Business Manager. Ensure your payment method is valid and has sufficient funds. If you have pending payments, pay the Meta bill, then return to the BusinessChat platform to send a test message and reactivate the automations.
If there are no pending or failed Meta payments, then move to check the second reason.
Potential Cause 2: The Ecommerce app is not connected
Since the ecommerce integration is essential for the automations to work on the Businesschat platform, you need to ensure it is working.
Technical Indicator: go to the app store and tap the icon on top of your profile avatar. Look for your relevant ecommerce platform (Salla, Zid, Shopify). If it’s connected, you will see the ecommerce platform cart with a green check mark. The next step is to check if there are any yellow alerts on the order status page. If you see a small button that says “Stopped”, hover over it with the mouse, and you will see the reason; it might be that the ecommerce token is invalid despite the app itself being connected.
Solution: If the ecommerce app is uninstalled or the subscription has expired, click your ecommerce platform (Salla, Zid, Shopify), then click Install in the pop-up. You will be directed to your ecommerce platform. Follow the steps to complete the installation of the integration. If the app is installed, look for the option to update it in the App details and options. If you are on Zid, make sure to go back to the ecommerce platform and click activate the app after you install it.
Potential Cause 3: Low-Quality or Rejected Message Template
Meta's systems use AI to monitor the quality of message templates. If a template is flagged for being "low quality" (low quality)— often due to negative user feedback—Meta will pause or disable it to protect users and maintain the quality of the number.
Technical Indicator: Check for Meta Error Codes such as 132015 (Template Paused) or 132016 (Template Disabled) on the order status messages. The error message may explicitly state that the reason is low quality. Or for easier identification, check the template from the order status automation itself; you should see an alert next to the template if it’s paused or disabled. If nothing is visible, go to the templates pages, locate the template by name, and check its status.
Solution: This decision is made by Meta's automated systems and is often difficult to appeal. The most effective solution is to create a completely new message template with different wording and structure, then submit it for approval. Edit the automation to use the new template once approved.
6.2 Diagnosis: Automation Does Not Trigger as Expected
Potential Cause: Misunderstanding of Platform-Specific Logic- Shopify
Before assuming a technical failure, verify that your expectations align with the platform's specific behavior as outlined in Section 3.0.
For Shopify users: Confirm that a tracking link is present in the order. The automation will not trigger without it.
Potential Cause: Misunderstanding of Platform-Specific Logic- Salla
If the automation is active but the message was not generated at all (meaning there is no trace of the message in the customer's conversation history), and you are using Salla, the issue is likely caused by a mismatch between your store's status settings and BusinessChat's integration logic.
Renamed Statuses (Custom Names): BusinessChat supports only the original status names provided by Salla. If you have renamed a status in your Salla dashboard to a custom name (e.g., changing "Shipped" to "On the Way"), BusinessChat will not recognize this change. The system continues to search only for the original name.
Custom Sub-Statuses: If you have set up custom sub-statuses under a Main Status in Salla, BusinessChat will not send multiple messages for each sub-step. The automation triggers only on the Main Status alert.
Solution: there's no solution, customers will receive one message containing the main status of thier order, they will not receive notifications for the custom statuses.
NOTE: Reactivating a stopped automation will not trigger messages for status changes that occurred during the downtime. The system does not process events retroactively.
7.0 FAQs
Will the order status automation send messages to all my customers who placed orders yesterday?
The automation applies only to new status changes occurring after activation, preventing a spam wave to old orders.