The WhatsApp inbox in HireData lets you manage and send messages directly to candidates, either manually or through automations. Below you’ll find an explanation of how the inbox functions and answers to the most common questions about conversation management, templates, and permissions.
1. What the Inbox Is and How It’s Organized
1. What the Inbox Is and How It’s Organized
The WhatsApp inbox has two main views:
My Chats – Shows conversations you personally own or are currently handling.
All Chats – Displays all WhatsApp conversations across your organization (based on your permissions).
You’ll also see a list of candidates who haven’t been messaged yet, allowing you to start new conversations using templates.
2. Conversation Indicators: Green, Grey and Red Dot
2. Conversation Indicators: Green, Grey and Red Dot
Green: Active chat (managed by the conversation owner)
Indicates an ongoing conversation.If you see “Managed by you”, you are the conversation owner.
If someone else owns the chat, their name and avatar will appear.
Grey: Session open, no active chat
The 24-hour messaging window is open, but no conversation is currently active.Anyone can send a message within this period (until 24 hours after the last inbound message).
Red: Session closed
The 24-hour window has expired.You can only send messages using an approved WhatsApp template, or wait for the candidate to reply to reopen the session.
1.1 Green Dot indicating that you are the conversation owner
1.2 Green Dot showing that someone else is the conversation owner
2.1 Grey Dot to show that message window is open but no conversation
3.1 Red Dot indicating session is now closed
3. The 24-Hour Conversation Window Explained
3. The 24-Hour Conversation Window Explained
Every WhatsApp conversation has a 24-hour window that begins when a candidate sends or replies to a message.
How it works:
Each new inbound message restarts the 24-hour timer.
You can freely exchange messages while the window is open.
Once the window closes, only approved templates can be used to restart the conversation.
Only the conversation owner can reopen closed chats.
4. Sending Messages
4. Sending Messages
You can send messages to candidates directly from the WhatsApp inbox, either manually or through automations. The type of message you can send depends on the conversation status, which is shown by a colored dot next to the chat.
Conversation Status
You can send messages to candidates directly from the WhatsApp inbox, either manually or through automations.
What you can send depends on the conversation status (see 2. Conversation Indicators: Green, Grey and Red Dot for details):
Green (Active chat): You can freely send and receive messages during an ongoing conversation managed by the chat owner.
Grey (Session open, no active chat): The 24-hour window is open, but there’s no current conversation. Any user can send a message to continue the chat before the window closes.
Red (Session closed): The 24-hour messaging window has expired. You’ll need to use an approved WhatsApp template to restart the conversation or wait for the candidate to respond.
You must also be the conversation owner to reopen or manage certain chats, depending on your permissions.
5. Using WhatsApp Message Templates
5. Using WhatsApp Message Templates
Message templates are pre-approved WhatsApp messages required to start or reopen a chat outside the 24-hour window.
They can include placeholders that automatically pull candidate or job data.
To enable or create a WhatsApp template for manual sending:
Go to Settings → WhatsApp → Message Templates.
Choose an existing approved template or create a new one.
Link it to the appropriate form or workflow.
The template will then appear in the inbox when messaging a candidate manually
You can learn more in our detailed guide: How WhatsApp Templates Work
6. Starting and Managing Conversations
6. Starting and Managing Conversations
Starting a New Conversation
If a candidate has a linked WhatsApp number:
Go to their profile.
Open the Inbox tab.
Click Send Message.
If the conversation window is open, you can send a message directly.
If it’s closed, select a WhatsApp template to reopen it.
Viewing Open Conversations
Open conversations (green dot) appear in:
Inbox: Displays all accessible conversations.
My Chats: Shows conversations you currently manage and that remain open.
7. Chat Ownership and Permissions
7. Chat Ownership and Permissions
A conversation appears in My Chats when:
You are the owner of the candidate or conversation, or
You’ve recently interacted with the candidate (sent or received a message).
If you are not the owner, you may not be able to close or modify the conversation.
8. Closing Conversations
8. Closing Conversations
Closing a chat:
Marks the chat as closed in the inbox (it isn’t deleted).
Removes it from your My Chats view.
Stops automations from sending further messages unless reopened
9. Automations and Message Labels
9. Automations and Message Labels
Messages marked “Sent by automation” were automatically triggered by workflows or rules, for example, reminders or follow-ups when a candidate reaches a certain stage or doesn’t respond.
This label helps distinguish automated messages from those sent manually by users.
10. Comments and Internal Collaboration
10. Comments and Internal Collaboration
You can add internal comments to any conversation.
Comments are visible to all users who have access to that candidate’s record.
They are not visible to the candidate.
Use comments to share notes or collaborate internally with your team.
11. Cost & Billing Overview
11. Cost & Billing Overview
Inbound messages (i.e., when a candidate sends a message first) are free for replies within a 24-hour window.
Outbound messages (when you initiate a conversation) require using an approved WhatsApp template, which incurs fees.
Template costs are billed by Meta Platforms (WhatsApp’s platform owner) and vary based on message type and the region being sent to.
On top of Meta’s fees, using WhatsApp through HireData also deducts credits from your HireData plan for each message or automated task.
You can monitor costs via Meta’s billing interface for transparency.
For a detailed breakdown of how WhatsApp message costs and templates are billed, see How Does the WhatsApp Messaging Cost Structure Works