WhatsApp templates

What this area controls

WhatsApp Templates stores the ready-made messages that appear in the Send WhatsApp menu on orders and patient profiles. Staff pick a template, Kashef fills in the patient's details, and WhatsApp Web opens with the message ready. Kashef only prepares the message; the employee reviews it and presses Send in WhatsApp themselves, so nothing is sent automatically from this page.

Messages always go to the phone number currently saved on the patient profile, even if the patient had a different number when the order was registered. The Loyalty points balance template appears only on the patient profile, together with Send new OTP; all other templates appear on orders.

Templates are shared by every branch of the laboratory. Only users with permission to manage WhatsApp templates can create or change them, and they are managed from the cloud workspace, not from a Kashef Desktop computer.

Create a template

1. Open Admin > WhatsApp Templates and choose New template.
2. Enter an English name and an Arabic name. Staff see the name that matches their interface language, so keep both short and clear, for example "Results ready" or "Home visit reminder".
3. Set the Display order. Lower numbers appear first in the order's WhatsApp menu.
4. Write the Arabic message content exactly as the patient should receive it.
5. Check the Sample preview, then save.

Variables you can use

Type a variable between double curly braces and Kashef replaces it when the message is prepared:

• {{ patient_name }} — the patient's name.
• {{ order_number }} — the order code, for example ORD-2608-00123.
• {{ amount_paid }} — the amount the patient has paid on the order, with the currency. Available only after a payment is recorded.
• {{ portal_url }} — the patient portal sign-in address. It uses your connected portal domain when your current subscription includes custom domains; otherwise it uses the Kashef address.
• {{ result_url }} — the secure link where the patient can view released results.
• {{ points_added }} and {{ loyalty_balance }} — loyalty points from this visit and the current balance.
• {{ lab_name }} — your laboratory's name.
• {{ login_code }} — the current single-use patient portal OTP.

Only these variables are allowed. If a template contains any other variable, Kashef refuses to save it and tells you which one is not supported, so patients never receive a message with an empty placeholder.

Turn a template on or off

The Payment received with loyalty points template confirms the amount paid and the points earned. When the order earned no loyalty points, Kashef leaves out the line that mentions points, so you can keep using it without a loyalty program.

Use Active to control whether a template appears for staff. An inactive template stays saved with its history but disappears from the order WhatsApp menu until you turn it on again. This is the safe way to retire a seasonal or outdated message.

Patient login codes

Codes for the patient portal are issued from the cloud workspace. A Kashef Desktop computer working locally cannot issue a code for the cloud portal.

Order creation confirmations include the current portal OTP. You can place {{ login_code }} in the template to control its position; otherwise Kashef adds it after the confirmation. The OTP also appears on invoices and receipts, together with the portal phone number the patient signs in with.

The Send new OTP and Patient portal login code templates include {{ portal_url }} by default. Keep this variable in your message so patients can open the portal directly.

Send new OTP prepares a replacement code and immediately revokes the previous one. It does not send automatically: review the message and press Send in WhatsApp. Simply opening the menu does not replace a code. Codes have no time limit, work once, and require the patient to create a new password after sign-in. Use this option when a patient forgets their password or needs a replacement code.

Good practice

Keep messages short and friendly, and never include diagnoses, result values, or other clinical details in the text itself — use {{ result_url }} so the patient opens results through the secure link. Review templates whenever your working hours, phone numbers, or portal address change, and ask a second person to read new templates before activating them.