Channels overview
WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and webchat — what each one can do, which to connect first, and the Meta rules that shape all of them.
A channel is just a way customers reach you. Enscale supports four, and whichever they use, the conversation lands in the same inbox, against the same customer record, and can trigger the same automations.
That's the whole point: your customer doesn't care which app they messaged you on, and now neither do you.
Which one should you connect first?
Connect WhatsApp first if you're going to use campaigns or automations. It's the channel everything else assumes, and it takes the longest — Meta's verification and template approval both mean waiting on them. Starting the clock early is worth it.
Connect webchat first if you just want to see Enscale working today. No Meta account, no approvals, no waiting. You'll have a live conversation in about five minutes.
Doing webchat now and WhatsApp immediately after is a sensible plan, and what most stores end up doing.
| Channel | Time to set up | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Webchat | ~5 min, no approvals | Webchat widget |
| ~5 min | Instagram setup | |
| ~5 min | Facebook setup | |
| 10–15 min + Meta approval | WhatsApp setup |
What each channel can do
| Webchat | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conversations in your inbox | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automations | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI agents | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Campaigns / broadcasts | ✓ | — | — | — |
| Auto-reply to comments | — | ✓ | — | — |
| Triggers when someone clicks your ad | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Needs a Meta account | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Needs pre-approved message templates | ✓ | — | — | — |
Campaigns are WhatsApp-only. That's Meta's rule, not ours — WhatsApp is the only one of the three where they permit sending a templated message out to a list.
How many channels you can connect
Your plan caps the total across all types. Five channels means five connections in any mix — not five of each.
| Plan | Channels |
|---|---|
| Free | 1 |
| Starter | 5 |
| Growth | 10 |
| Pro | 15 |
| Scale | 25 |
So two WhatsApp numbers plus one Instagram account is three of your allowance.
The 24-hour rule (the big one)
This is the single most important thing to understand about messaging channels, and it catches everyone out at least once.
On WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, you can only send a normal, free-typed message within 24 hours of the customer's last message to you.
After that window closes, Meta won't deliver a free-typed message. To reach the customer you need an approved template — a message whose wording Meta signed off in advance.
Why it exists: it's Meta's defence against businesses spamming people who messaged them once, months ago. Every business on WhatsApp lives with it.
What it means for you in practice:
- Replying to a customer who just messaged? Type whatever you like. You're inside the window.
- Sending an order update three days after purchase? No window is open. You need a template.
- Running a campaign? Always a template, by definition.
Webchat has no such window — it's your own website, so Meta's rules don't apply.
This shapes how you build automations, which is covered properly in the 24-hour rule.
Consent, and why it protects you
Before you send anything outbound on WhatsApp, the customer has to have agreed to hear from you. Enscale enforces this — contacts who haven't opted in are skipped automatically, in campaigns and automations alike.
Enscale records where and when each opt-in came from, so if Meta ever asks, you can show it:
| How they opted in | What it means |
|---|---|
| Storefront popup | Gave their number through a popup on your store. |
| Back-in-stock signup | Joined a waitlist for a product. |
| Replied with a keyword | Sent START or SUBSCRIBE on WhatsApp. |
| AI conversation | An AI agent captured their agreement in chat. |
| Added by staff | Someone on your team recorded it. |
| Automation | A Set WhatsApp Consent step recorded it. |
| CSV import | Consent was collected elsewhere and imported with the list. |
Customers opt out by replying STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT or OPT OUT. Enscale handles all of these automatically and immediately excludes them from anything outbound.
Messaging people who never opted in is the fastest way to get your WhatsApp number restricted by Meta. When that happens it affects every customer trying to reach you — not just the ones you messaged. It is not worth the risk.
Keeping an eye on channel health
Each connected channel shows a status:
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Working normally. | Nothing. |
| Disconnected | The connection was removed or revoked at Meta's end. | Reconnect from Integrations. |
| Error | Connected but failing — usually an expired login or a changed permission. | Reconnect from Integrations. |
Channel problems are the one notification you can't switch off. A silently broken channel means customers are messaging into a void and getting no reply, which does more damage than any other failure in the app. See Notifications.
What channels cost
Enscale doesn't charge per channel or per message — your plan covers all of them.
Meta charges you for WhatsApp, billed directly to your WhatsApp Business account. Enscale never sees or marks up that money. See Meta template charges for what those charges look like.
Instagram, Facebook and webchat have no per-message cost.
Next steps
- WhatsApp setup — the one to do first.
- Message templates — getting messages approved by Meta.
- Inbox — where all of this lands.