COD order confirmation on WhatsApp, the Pakistan way

Why confirming a COD order matters

Every returned parcel costs you money, even when the goods come back in perfect condition. A confirmation call or message catches that loss before dispatch, in three ways:

• Wrong details are caught early. An incomplete address, the wrong city or a phone number missing a digit shows up at confirmation, not after the courier has the parcel.
• You learn whether the customer still wants it. Some people order in a hurry and change their mind. A short message reminds them the parcel is coming and the cash should be ready.
• Fake orders are stopped. A number that never answers, or an order placed as a joke, is set aside before dispatch.

Confirming does not mean doubting every customer. It means both sides agree on the same three things before the parcel leaves: what is being sent, where, and how much cash to collect.

WhatsApp's 24-hour rule and templates

Through WhatsApp Business, a business can send a free-form message only within 24 hours of the customer's last message. In the Karobar inbox every WhatsApp chat shows how much of that window is left.

After 24 hours a free-form message cannot be sent. Only an approved template can, which is a pre-written message that Meta has approved. In Karobar, templates are written in the app and submitted to Meta. A new template stays pending until Meta approves it. When the window is closed, the chat's message box stays locked until you pick a template, and a template that Meta has paused, rejected or not yet approved will not send.

How to confirm an order, step by step

Use this routine for every new COD order, whether it came from WhatsApp, another chat or an Instagram DM:

1. In the Sales Desk, open the orders whose confirmation status is unconfirmed.
2. Message or call the customer on WhatsApp. Read back the items, size, total and address.
3. If the customer says yes, set the confirmation status to confirmed. Karobar records who confirmed it and when.
4. If the phone is not answered or the message gets no reply, set unreachable and try again later.
5. If it becomes clear the order was not real, set fake order and do not send the parcel.
6. On a confirmed order, use Notify customer to send an "order confirmed" message, so the customer has it in writing. The same button sends the shipped update later; see courier tracking updates.

A Notify customer message goes into the chat the order came from, on the same channel. On WhatsApp a normal message works within 24 hours and an approved template after that. Instagram and Messenger allow messages only inside Meta's window, and TikTok within 48 hours. When a window is closed, Karobar suggests WhatsApp instead and can open a WhatsApp chat on the customer's phone number if needed.

A confirmation message script and checklist

A good confirmation message is short, clear and asks one question:

Change the status yourself once the customer answers. Karobar does not read a "yes" or "no" reply and change the status for you, so do not skip this step.

Automatic updates for WhatsApp orders

Confirmation is done by you, but the updates after it can be automatic for WhatsApp orders. The setting is off by default and is switched on under notifications in settings. Once on, a message goes out when an order becomes confirmed, shipped, delivered or paid. The cancelled message is switched on separately.

• Only for orders that came from WhatsApp. Instagram, Messenger and TikTok orders do not get automatic messages.
• If 24 hours have passed since the customer's last message, the update goes only when an approved template is set for it. Otherwise it is skipped.
• Placing a draft order sends nothing.

One more help: when a customer sends a cart from your WhatsApp catalogue, Karobar creates the order for you, with status pending, payment COD, confirmation unconfirmed, and linked to the chat. Anything that does not match a catalogue product stays on the order as a text line. All that is left for you is to confirm it. See products catalogue and WhatsApp orders from the catalogue.

Warning signs of a fake order

Do not decide on one sign alone, but when two or three appear together, be more careful before dispatch:

• The number is called again and again and never answers, or is switched off.
• The address is very incomplete, such as only a city, and stays incomplete when you ask.
• The customer cannot remember the order or says they never placed it.
• A new number places a large or expensive order without any conversation.
• Parcels to the same address or number have come back before.

Asking for an advance or a partial payment on such an order is reasonable. Set the payment method to partial, enter the advance, and Karobar works out how much is left to collect on delivery.