Replying to patients on WhatsApp

Once WhatsApp is on, replying works exactly like texting — with one extra choice: which channel this reply goes out on.

The Reply via selector

At the top of each conversation you’ll see Reply via with SMS and WhatsApp buttons. Teamio pre-selects whichever channel the patient last used — a patient who messaged you on WhatsApp gets your reply on WhatsApp, a patient who texted gets a text. You can switch before sending, per message.

Everything else is unchanged: the whole team sees the same threads, and a patient’s WhatsApp messages and texts sit together in one conversation history.

The one WhatsApp timing rule

WhatsApp allows free-typed replies for 24 hours after the patient’s last WhatsApp message — that’s WhatsApp’s rule for every business, not a Teamio limit. Inside that day, reply exactly as you like.

If more than 24 hours have passed, Teamio steers you back to SMS for that message — texting is always available, so the patient still hears from you right away. When they next message you on WhatsApp, the 24-hour window opens again.

Tip

In practice you’ll rarely notice the rule: it only comes up when you’re restarting a quiet conversation. Patient-initiated back-and-forth — the normal case — always sits inside the window.

Related

• Message patients on WhatsApp
• Turn on WhatsApp for your practice
• Text a patient (and start new conversations)