Why the official API matters

There are unofficial tools that automate a personal or WhatsApp Business app number. They work until they do not: the number gets restricted, usually on the busiest day, and the clinic loses its booking channel with no warning. The official Cloud API is the sanctioned route and is what this software uses.

What it costs to run

Anything the patient starts is free to reply to for twenty four hours. Messages the clinic starts outside that window — the reminder the evening before, for instance — use a pre-approved template and are charged by Meta per message. Each plan includes a monthly allowance.

What patients can do

• Book an appointment with any doctor whose sessions you have opened
• See what else is free if their preferred day is full
• Check their upcoming appointments
• Cancel, which frees the slot immediately and stops the reminder
• Ask for a person, which takes the software out of the conversation

Consent, honestly

A patient who messages you has agreed to be messaged back about their appointment. A patient in your records who never opted in is not messaged, even though you have their number.