Overview & Supported Channels
The BusinessChat platform unifies customer communication across multiple messaging channels into a single, centralized Inbox, allowing businesses to manage social media interactions and customer support using shared AI bots, team workflows, and routing mechanisms.
Live Channels (4): WhatsApp, Live Chat, Instagram Direct Messages, and Facebook Messenger.
In Build Channel (1): Telegram (Currently operating in preview mode; not connectable for live production traffic).
The 24-Hour Reply Window Rules
Understanding reply windows is the single most critical operational requirement for managing customer conversations across social and messaging channels.
Clock Trigger: The 24-hour clock begins precisely when the customer sends their last inbound message.
Left of the 24-Hour Line (Active Window): Agents, automated bot flows, and AI bots can reply freely with any supported message format or rich media element.
Right of the 24-Hour Line (Closed Window): Once 24 hours pass without an inbound customer message, strict channel-specific restrictions apply.
WhatsApp: Conversations can be reopened at any time by sending an approved WhatsApp Template message.
Instagram & Messenger: HARD STOP. Once 24 hours elapse without a customer message, the window closes completely. Nothing reopens it—no templates, broadcasts, tags, or settings. The customer must send a new inbound message to re-initiate the window.
Live Chat & Telegram: No reply window restrictions. Conversations never expire or lock.
📌 CRITICAL POLICY NOTICE: META 24-HOUR HARD STOP: For Instagram Direct Messages and Facebook Messenger, the 24-hour reply window is an unyielding hard stop. Unlike WhatsApp, Meta does not provide outbound paid templates for Instagram or Messenger. Once 24 hours pass, agents cannot send any outbound messages until the customer messages the account again.
File Handling, Download Ceilings & Compression Limits
All media sent through the BusinessChat platform is processed and optimized automatically according to strict provider payload rules:
Automatic Shrinking: Images, videos, and audio files are compressed automatically to fit destination channel payload caps.
System Fetch Ceilings (Download Limits): Image Max: 30 MB | Video Max: 50 MB | Audio Max: 30 MB.
Fetch Limit Exceeded Error: If an attachment exceeds the fetch limit, the system cannot download it from the source server at all. The customer must upload a smaller file.
Lowest Acceptable Quality Error: Occurs when a video or audio file was shrunk as far as system compression limits allow, but still exceeds channel caps. A shorter or lower-resolution file is required.
PDF Document Exception: PDF files are never shrunk or compressed; they are uploaded at full size, subject strictly to destination channel document ceilings.
Global Formatting and Character Limits
System-wide character caps govern message structure prior to channel-specific validation:
Reply Text & Captions: 4,096 characters max.
Button/List Menu Body, CTA-URL, Product Body: 1,024 characters max.
Headers & Footers: 60 characters max.
Button Labels: 20 characters max (strictly enforced by Meta/WhatsApp API).
Carousel Cards: 2 to 10 cards per carousel; 160 characters max per card body.
Channel-Specific Text Length Caps
WhatsApp: 4,096 characters max (messages exceeding this limit are rejected outright).
Live Chat: 4,096 characters max (messages exceeding this limit are rejected).
Instagram Direct Messages: ~1,000 characters max. Text exceeding ~1,000 characters is automatically split into multiple sequential messages at sentence or paragraph breaks.
Facebook Messenger: 2,000 characters max. Text exceeding 2,000 characters is automatically split into multiple messages at natural breaks.
Channel Operational Health Statuses
You can check your account settings to verify the status of your connected channels. Status indicators communicate real-time connectivity state:
Operational Statuses: Sending, Connected, Approved. The channel is fully healthy; failed message sends are due to reply window closures or payload rules, not account connection.
In-Progress Statuses: Pending, Unverified, Unknown. Channel setup is currently in progress; allow processing to finish and recheck.
Action Required / Escalation: Banned, Restricted, RateLimited, Flagged, Disconnected, Rejected, WabaRejected, Deleted, Migrated. Provider pulled access or authentication failed. Business admin must fix settings or re-authenticate.
Architecture & Native Mobile App Coexistence
Account Mapping: One business per connected Instagram account or Facebook Page. A business can connect multiple social accounts, but an individual account or Page can only be linked to one business.
Contact Profile Sync: Inbound messages automatically populate the customer's real name and profile handle into the Contact Profile.
Native Mobile App Coexistence: Merchants can continue using native phone apps (Instagram app or Meta Business Suite). However, outbound replies sent directly from native mobile apps do NOT echo or sync back into the BusinessChat Inbox. Native replies will not automatically pause running bot flows unless handled manually.
Channel Feature & Capability Comparison Matrix
The table below summarizes core technical specifications and rules across all five platform channels:
Channel | Identifier | Reply Window | Text Cap | Doc Ceilings | Welcome UI |
Phone Number | 24 hrs (Reopen via Template) | 4,096 chars | 100 MB (All formats) | Templates / Flow | |
Live Chat | Widget ID | None (Never expires) | 4,096 chars | 20 MB (All formats) | Widget greeting |
Direct Login | 24 hrs (Hard Stop) | ~1,000 chars | 25 MB (PDF ONLY) | Ice Breakers & Menu | |
Messenger | FB Page Admin | 24 hrs (Hard Stop) | 2,000 chars | 25 MB (All formats) | Ice Breakers, Menu, Get Started |
Telegram | Bot Token | None (In Build Preview) | 4,096 chars | 20 MB (All formats) | Bot `/start` command |
Note: Ice breakers are pre-configured, interactive prompt buttons or question pop-ups that appear when a customer opens a new chat window with a business on messaging channels like Instagram Direct Messages and Facebook Messenger.