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How to wait for WhatsApp delivery in a workflow and fall back to SMS or email

In Automation › Workflows, turn on Wait for WhatsApp Message Delivery Status in the WhatsApp action. Then add an If/Else condition using Contact Details › Valid WhatsApp and, in the false branch, an SMS or email action.

Updated on

Before you start

  • WhatsApp must be connected and active in Settings › WhatsApp.
  • To start the conversation from the workflow, you need an approved WhatsApp template.
  • For the SMS or email fallback, the contact must have a phone or email filled in, and those channels must be set up.
  • You need permission to create and publish workflows.
Where to find it

Automation › Workflows › Create Workflow › WhatsApp action › Wait for WhatsApp Message Delivery Status

Step by step

Build the workflow from scratch

  1. Open Automation › Workflows, click Create Workflow and choose Start from Scratch.
  2. Click Add Trigger and choose what starts the workflow (for example, Contact Created or Appointment Booked). Save.
  3. Click +, choose the WhatsApp action, select the sending number and the approved template.
  4. Turn on Wait for WhatsApp Message Delivery Status and click Save Action. The contact stays in this action until Meta returns the delivery status.
  5. Click + below the action and add If/Else.
  6. In the condition, choose Contact Details › Valid WhatsApp and set the Yes branch (message arrived) and the No branch (it didn't).
  7. In the No branch, add a Send SMS or Send Email action with the same information as the WhatsApp message.
  8. If there is a None branch (no known status), add the SMS or email fallback there too.
  9. In the Yes branch, continue the workflow as usual (for example, wait for a reply).
  10. Click Save, turn on Publish and save again.

Use the ready-made recipe

  1. In Automation › Workflows, click Create Workflow and look for the WhatsApp Delivery Status recipe.
  2. Open it and swap the WhatsApp template and the SMS and email texts for your own.
  3. Review the condition branches, save and publish.

Tips

  • Keep the fallback message short and with the same request as the WhatsApp message: the customer doesn't know the first one failed.
  • Combine this wait with an Undelivered branch on the WhatsApp action itself to handle immediate failures (rejected template, blocked number).

Common problems

  • The contact gets stuck in the WhatsApp action → The wait option keeps the contact there until Meta responds. If the number has no WhatsApp, the status comes back as failed and the flow moves on; make sure the next condition has a branch for the negative case.
  • The Valid WhatsApp condition doesn't show up → Look for it under Contact Details in the If/Else action. If WhatsApp isn't connected in the account, the option is not shown.
  • The fallback SMS fails too → The contact has no valid phone or the SMS number isn't set up. Check the contact record and the phone settings.
  • The WhatsApp was delivered but the flow went down the No branch → Review the condition: the Yes branch must match Valid WhatsApp being true.

Frequently asked questions

What is the wait-for-delivery-status option for?

So the workflow doesn't move on blindly: it only decides the next step after knowing whether the WhatsApp message was delivered or not.

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