Cash-on-delivery order confirmation on WhatsApp: a practical guide for Egyptian stores

Why confirmation comes first

An unconfirmed cash-on-delivery order can mean a courier trip to a customer who is not expecting it, an item that comes back, and stock that was held for nothing. Confirming the order, address, and delivery window with the customer before dispatch is a well-defined task. The confirmation result should be written back to the order or CRM so the team can see which orders are safe to ship.

What to confirm

• The items, with size and colour where relevant
• The full address, including area and a landmark if your couriers rely on one
• A phone number the customer will answer when the courier calls
• The delivery window
• The total amount to pay on delivery

Templates and the 24-hour window

Within 24 hours of a customer’s last message, businesses can reply normally. After that window, business-initiated messages require an approved WhatsApp template. An order placed on the website, with no recent message from the customer, means the confirmation is business-initiated, so prepare an approved confirmation template and send it only to customers who agreed to receive order updates on WhatsApp.

Example flow (illustrative): one cash-on-delivery order

• A customer places a cash-on-delivery order on the store
• A confirmation message is sent on the channel the customer agreed to, with the order summary and address
• If the customer confirms, the order is marked ready to ship
• If they ask to change the address or an item, the request is routed to the team
• If there is no reply within the time you set, the order is flagged for a call before dispatch
• Once shipped, “where is my order?” questions are answered from the shipping status where that is connected

Other messages around an order

Pre-sale questions

An agent can answer size guides, delivery areas, and delivery timeframes from approved information, and point the customer to the right product page. Stock questions should be answered only if the agent can read live stock data; otherwise it should say a team member will confirm.

Order status

When the agent is connected to your store or shipping provider, it can look up an order number and return the current status in the chat. Without that connection, it should collect the order number and route the request rather than guess.

Returns and exchanges

The agent should quote your written returns policy exactly and collect the details needed to start a return. It should not approve exceptions or refunds; those go to a person. If your policy is not written down clearly, fix that before automating it.

Abandoned carts and promotions

Outbound messages for abandoned carts or promotions are tempting, but WhatsApp’s Business Messaging Policy requires opt-in permission before a business messages someone and requires opt-outs to be honoured. Only message customers who have agreed to hear from you, ideally with separate consent for offers, and keep the frequency low.

Keeping a record

Every conversation should be linked to the customer and, where relevant, the order, so support can see the history. The guide to AI agents and CRM covers what the agent should read and write. The e-commerce workflow is described on AI automation for e-commerce, and the channel side on the checklist before putting AI on WhatsApp.