Fallbacks & Template Routes
How a broadcast reaches contacts when the primary path can't be used, and how template routes pick the right WhatsApp number per contact
Step 3 of the wizard (Pick a Flow or Pick a Template) has a second half. In flow mode you switch on WA fallback templates (optional) for contacts the flow can't reach. In template mode you add template routes so one broadcast covers several WhatsApp numbers.
Both exist because of WhatsApp's 24-hour customer-service window. Meta rejects freeform messages to contacts whose window is closed. Instagram has the same 24 hour window but no template fallback.
Routing Across Channels
A broadcast goes to every conversation of a contact, not to one. A contact with a Telegram chat and a WhatsApp chat gets the broadcast on both, and each send is its own row in the live activity log. Each channel is then handled on its own terms, as the sections below explain.
To limit which channels receive it, use Reach all messaging channels in Audience Filter. The counters count sends, not contacts, so Delivered, Failed and Skipped can add up to more than the audience.
WhatsApp Window - The Underlying Rule
| Window state | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Open | The contact has sent your org a WhatsApp message in the last 24 hours. Freeform messages are accepted. |
| Closed | More than 24h since the contact's last inbound. Only pre-approved templates can be sent. |
Templates always go through, whatever the window state. Freeform text, media and AI-generated cards do not.
Flow Mode - Template Fallbacks
When you pick a flow, you can turn on WA fallback templates (optional) and add a list of routes. Each fallback is an Integration plus a Template.
At dispatch time, for each contact:
- Wexio checks whether the flow can reach the contact on that channel.
- If it can't (the WhatsApp window is closed and the flow's first card isn't a template), Wexio looks at the fallback list.
- It picks the fallback whose integration matches the contact's WhatsApp chat and sends that template instead.
With no fallbacks configured, those contacts are recorded as Skipped with WhatsApp 24h window closed. If your audience has WhatsApp contacts and your flow's first card is freeform, add at least one fallback.
Per-Contact Decision
| Contact's chat | WA window | Flow's first card | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Any | Run the flow | |
| Open | WA Template | Run the flow | |
| Closed | WA Template | Run the flow (template is window-safe) | |
| Closed | Any other card | Send a fallback template if one's configured for this WA integration; otherwise mark as skipped | |
| Telegram or Viber | n/a | Any | Run the flow |
| Closed | Any | Skipped with Instagram 24h window closed. There is no template fallback. |
Why a List of Fallbacks
Templates exist per integration, so one fallback can't cover several WhatsApp numbers. A list lets you cover EU, US and APAC numbers in one broadcast. Wexio picks the fallback that matches each contact's chat.
If a contact's WhatsApp chat is on an integration that no fallback covers, no fallback fires and the contact is skipped.
Template Mode - Template Routes
In template mode you supply one or more template routes. A route is a (template, integration) pair, the same shape as a fallback. Routes are the primary delivery path here, not a fallback.
At dispatch time, Wexio picks the route whose integration matches the contact's chat and sends that template.
| Contact's chat | Matching route configured? | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Has a chat on a route integration | Yes | Send that route's template |
| No chat on any route integration | No | Skipped |
Multi-Region Patterns
One broadcast with several routes can cover several WhatsApp numbers:
- One route per region. EU template with EU number, US template with US number, APAC template with APAC number.
- One route per language. English template with the English-only number, Spanish template with the Spanish-only number.
- One route per use case. Transactional number for receipts, marketing number for promos, in one broadcast if the audience spans both.
Each chat receives at most one template: the one routed to its integration.
No Fallbacks in Template Mode
Templates are already window-safe, so there is nothing to fall back from. If a route matches, the template lands. If none matches, the chat is skipped. The wizard has no fallback switch in template mode.
Common Patterns
Conversational Flow With a Safety Net
- In Step 2, choose Flow.
- In Step 3, pick a flow that starts with a text card asking a question. Add one fallback template per WhatsApp integration in your audience, announcing the same campaign.
In-window contacts get the conversation. Out-of-window WhatsApp contacts get the announcement. Telegram and Viber contacts always get the flow.
Multi-Region Template Announcement
- In Step 2, choose Template.
- In Step 3, add one route per region:
(template_es, WA_Spain),(template_pt, WA_Portugal),(template_en, WA_UK).
Each contact receives the template for the number they chat on. Chats that aren't on any of these numbers are skipped.
One-Channel-Only Flow
- In Step 2, choose Flow.
- In Step 3, pick the flow and add no fallbacks.
Contacts the flow can reach get it. Contacts it can't (closed-window WhatsApp) are skipped. Use this when you don't want to send those contacts anything.
What Routing Doesn't Cover
- Flow-to-flow window routing. Running a different flow when the WA window is closed is not supported. Use a flow-mode broadcast with template fallbacks.
- Cross-channel preference. If a contact has both Telegram and WhatsApp, you can't pick one for them. Each channel they are on receives the broadcast, unless you limit the channels in step 1.
- SMS and email. Broadcasts dispatch through WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and Viber integrations. Other channels are not offered in the channel picker.
Related
- Create a Broadcast: the wizard, step by step.
- Delivery & Logs: the live activity log and the skip reasons.
- Retry Failed Contacts: redrive failures after adding a fallback.