# Start a Messaging Session with a Customer (Web and Desktop App)

When you need to message a customer before they message you, such as sending an appointment reminder, a service notification, or a marketing campaign, you can open a messaging session yourself from the Cloud Voice App on web or desktop.

:::note
You can begin a session over an **SMS** (Short Message Service, plain text messaging) channel or a **WhatsApp** channel.
:::

## Requirements

Before you start, confirm the following.

Ask your system administrator to verify the phone system:

- Runs version `84.23.0.24` or later.
- Has at least one SMS or WhatsApp messaging channel configured.
- Grants your account permission to create sessions in that channel.
- For WhatsApp, has the templates you want already synchronized. A WhatsApp session can only be opened with a WhatsApp-approved message template.

If you use the desktop app, it must be one of these versions:

- Windows: 1.7.3 or later.
- macOS: 1.7.3 or later.

## Start a session over an SMS channel

1. In the Cloud Voice App (web or desktop), go to **Chat > External Chat**.

2. Click the add icon (![Add session](/images/pbx/add-macbook.png)) to begin a new session.

   
   ![Cloud Voice, the External Chat view with the add-session control](/images/pbx/add-sms-session.png)

3. In the dialog that opens, enter the session details:

   ![Filling in the details for a new SMS session](/images/pbx/add-new-sms-session.png)

   - **Session Type**: Select **SMS**.
   - **Sender**: Select the channel number the message will be sent from.
   - **Recipient**: Select a country/region code, then type the recipient's number.

4. Click **Create**.

   :::note
   If an active session with the same sender and recipient already exists, and the channel allows duplicate sessions, a confirmation dialog appears. Click **OK** to continue. You then take over the existing session and can see its full chat history.

   ![The dialog confirming you want to reopen an existing session](/images/pbx/duplicate-session.png)
   :::

The SMS session is created, and you can start messaging your customer.

![An open SMS session ready for messaging](/images/pbx/send-sms-message.png)

## Start a session over a WhatsApp channel

1. In the Cloud Voice App (web or desktop), go to **Chat > External Chat**.

2. Click the add icon (![Add session](/images/pbx/add-macbook.png)) to begin a new session.

   
   ![Cloud Voice, the External Chat view with the add-session control](/images/pbx/add-sms-session.png)

3. In the dialog that opens, enter the session details:

   ![Filling in the details for a new WhatsApp session](/images/pbx/add-new-session.png)

   - **Session Type**: Select **WhatsApp**.
   - **Sender**: Select the phone number associated with the channel.
   - **Recipient**: Select a country/region code, then type the recipient's number.

4. Click **Create**.

   :::note
   If an active session with the same sender and recipient already exists, and the channel allows duplicate sessions, a confirmation dialog appears. Click **OK** to continue. You then take over the existing session and can see its full chat history.

   ![The dialog confirming you want to reopen an existing session](/images/pbx/duplicate-session.png)
   :::

   The WhatsApp session is created. What happens next depends on the session:

   - If you took over an existing session that is still inside its 24-hour service window, you can message the customer right away.
   - If this is a brand-new session, or the 24-hour window of the session you took over has closed, you must send a message template first. Continue with Step 5.

   :::caution
   The 24-hour service window is a WhatsApp rule: you can only send free-typed replies within 24 hours of the customer's most recent message. Once that window has passed, you cannot restart the conversation with a plain message and must send an approved template first (Step 5).
   :::

5. Send a message template to open the conversation:

   1. Click **WhatsApp Message Template**, then search for and select the template you want.

      ![Choosing a WhatsApp message template to send](/images/pbx/select-template.png)

   2. If the template contains media or variable placeholders, upload the required files and enter a value for every variable.

      ![Completing the media and variables in a WhatsApp template](/images/pbx/client-wa-message.png)

      :::note
      - The right-hand panel shows a live preview of the finished message.
      - For a location variable, paste the [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps) URL and the system fills in the name and coordinates for you. You still need to type the street address yourself for the `{{Address}}` variable.

        ![A location template with the address entered manually](/images/pbx/client-location-message-template.png)
      :::

   3. Click **Send**.