> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.soneka.africa/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Frequently Asked Questions About Soneka — Help Center

> Answers to common questions about Soneka: setup, WhatsApp templates, billing, integrations, AI Copilot, and support response times.

Can't find what you're looking for below? Email us at [**connect@soneka.africa**](mailto:connect@soneka.africa) or send us a message on WhatsApp at **+254 722 685 776** — our median reply time is 30 minutes.

***

## Getting Started

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Do I need a WhatsApp Business API account before signing up?">
    No. You can sign up for Soneka and start your free 14-day trial without a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA). The onboarding wizard walks you through creating or connecting a WABA as part of setup. If you already have a Meta-verified WABA from another platform, you can connect it directly during onboarding.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How long does it take to get up and running?">
    Most businesses are live and sending messages within **a few hours**. Here's a rough breakdown: signing up and connecting your Facebook Business Account takes about 10 minutes; WhatsApp number registration typically takes 1–2 hours for Meta to verify; your first message template is usually approved within 24 hours. If you're migrating from another platform, your contacts and flows can be imported in the same session.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What is the free trial and what does it include?">
    The 14-day free trial gives you full access to every Soneka feature — broadcasts, automation flows, inbox, AI Copilot, analytics, integrations, and API access. No credit card is required to start. At the end of 14 days, if you haven't upgraded, your workspace automatically moves to the free Starter plan. All your data is preserved.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I invite my whole team during the trial?">
    Yes. All plans, including Starter and the free trial, support **unlimited team seats**. Invite your agents, managers, and developers right away — there's no per-seat charge on any plan.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens to my data if I don't upgrade after the trial?">
    Your workspace moves to the free Starter plan, which includes 1 WhatsApp number, 1,000 messages per month, and 500 contacts. Your contacts, templates, flows, and conversation history are all preserved — you simply work within Starter's volume limits until you choose to upgrade.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## WhatsApp & Templates

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How long does template approval take?">
    Meta typically reviews and approves new message templates within **24 to 48 hours**. In some cases approval can take up to 72 hours, particularly for templates in categories like finance, healthcare, or political content. You can track the approval status of every template in real time from **Templates → Status**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What should I do if my template is rejected?">
    When a template is rejected, Soneka displays Meta's rejection reason alongside the template. Common reasons include promotional language in a utility template, missing opt-out instructions, or content that violates WhatsApp's commerce policy. Edit the template to address the flagged issue, then resubmit. There is no limit on resubmissions, but repeated rejections for the same number can affect your account quality rating.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What types of templates can I create?">
    Meta recognises three template categories: **Marketing** (promotions, offers, re-engagement), **Utility** (order updates, appointment reminders, transactional confirmations), and **Authentication** (one-time passwords). Each category has different pricing and content guidelines. Soneka's template editor helps you choose the right category and validates your content before submission.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I use dynamic variables in templates?">
    Yes. Templates support double-curly-brace variables such as `{{1}}`, `{{customer_name}}`, or `{{order_id}}`. These are filled in at send time from your contact attributes, flow variables, or API payload. You can preview how a template renders with sample values before submitting it to Meta.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Messaging & Broadcasts

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How many messages can I send per day?">
    Your daily messaging capacity depends on your **Meta messaging tier** (not your Soneka plan). New WhatsApp Business API numbers start at Tier 1 (1,000 unique conversations per day) and scale automatically up to Tier 4 (unlimited) as you maintain a healthy quality rating and volume. Soneka displays your current Meta tier and quality rating on the **Dashboard**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What counts as a 'conversation' vs a 'message'?">
    Meta charges per **24-hour conversation window** rather than per individual message. Once a conversation window is open — either because your contact messaged you or because you sent a template — all messages exchanged within that 24-hour window are part of the same conversation. Soneka's billing, however, counts individual **outbound messages** sent against your plan's monthly message limit.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need explicit opt-in before messaging contacts?">
    Yes. WhatsApp's policy requires that contacts explicitly opt in before you send them proactive (outbound) template messages. Opt-in can be collected via a web form, SMS, in-store sign-up, or any other channel — but you must be able to demonstrate that consent was given. Soneka provides a built-in opt-in widget you can embed on your website. Contacts who message you first open a free-form conversation window for 24 hours, during which opt-in is implied.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if my sender quality rating drops?">
    If your quality rating falls to **Low** (red), Meta may restrict or temporarily suspend your ability to send template messages. Soneka sends you an in-app alert and email the moment your rating drops below the Medium threshold. You can improve your rating by reducing opt-out rates, spacing out broadcasts, and ensuring messages are genuinely relevant to recipients.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Billing & Plans

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Is pricing per seat, per message, or per workspace?">
    Soneka pricing is **per workspace** based on monthly volume limits (messages and contacts) — not per seat. You can add unlimited team members to every plan without paying more. The Starter plan is permanently free; paid plans start at \$96/month for Growth.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How does the 20% annual discount work?">
    When you choose annual billing, Soneka applies a 20% discount to the monthly rate. For Growth, that means $77/month instead of $96 (billed as $924 upfront). For Pro, $256/month instead of $320 (billed as $3,072 upfront). The discount is applied automatically at checkout.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What is the refund policy?">
    Soneka offers a **14-day money-back guarantee** from the date of your first paid upgrade, available once per workspace. Monthly plan refunds are full and unconditional. Annual plan refunds are prorated for unused complete months, minus a 10% processing fee. To request a refund, email [**billing@soneka.africa**](mailto:billing@soneka.africa).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I pay with M-Pesa or mobile money?">
    Yes. Soneka supports M-Pesa, Airtel Money, and Safaricom Global Pay (virtual cards) alongside Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and 18 other global payment gateways including Paystack, Flutterwave, Razorpay, and PayPal.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if I exceed my plan's message or contact limit?">
    Soneka will notify you when you reach 80% and 100% of your monthly limits. Once a limit is reached, additional outbound messages are paused until your cycle resets or you upgrade. Your inbox and inbound messages continue to work normally — you won't miss messages from customers.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Integrations

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Does Soneka integrate with Shopify?">
    Yes. The Soneka–Shopify integration syncs order events (confirmed, shipped, delivered, refunded) directly into WhatsApp notifications using your approved templates. You can also trigger flows based on cart abandonment and customer segments. Install the integration from **Admin → Integrations → Shopify**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I use Soneka alongside Twilio?">
    Soneka connects to WhatsApp via the official Meta Business API and does not require Twilio. However, if you currently use Twilio as a BSP (Business Service Provider) for WhatsApp, you can migrate your number to Soneka's direct Meta connection using the migration wizard — this usually results in lower per-conversation costs.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is there a Google Sheets or Google Calendar integration?">
    Yes. Soneka connects to Google Sheets via its native integration (useful for syncing contact lists and logging conversations) and to Google Calendar for appointment-based flows. Both are available under **Admin → Integrations → Google**. Zapier and Make (Integromat) connectors are also available for custom workflows.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is there a public API I can build on?">
    Yes. Soneka exposes a full REST API and webhook system. API keys are generated in **Admin → Settings → Developers**. Documentation, OpenAPI specs, and Postman collections are available in the Developer section of this Help Center.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## AI & Automation

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What is Soneka Copilot and how does it work?">
    Soneka Copilot is an AI assistant embedded in the agent inbox. It reads the conversation context and suggests reply drafts, helping agents respond faster and more consistently. Copilot can also summarise long conversation threads, suggest handoff actions, and flag conversations that need escalation. It is available on all plans.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is my customer data used to train AI models?">
    No. Soneka does not use your workspace data — messages, contacts, or conversation content — to train any AI model. Copilot suggestions are generated in real time using the conversation context, but that context is not retained or used for model improvement.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Which large language models (LLMs) does Soneka use?">
    Soneka Copilot is powered by a combination of models depending on the task. Reply drafting uses GPT-4o; summarisation uses a fine-tuned lightweight model optimised for speed. Enterprise customers can request custom model configurations, including the ability to bring their own Azure OpenAI or Anthropic endpoint.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I build flows without coding?">
    Yes. The Soneka Flow Builder is a visual no-code editor where you drag, drop, and connect triggers, conditions, delays, and message steps. You can build complex multi-step sequences — including branching logic, webhook calls, and AI-powered responses — without writing a single line of code.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Support & SLAs

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How quickly does Soneka respond to support requests?">
    Email support at [**connect@soneka.africa**](mailto:connect@soneka.africa) has a median reply time of **4 hours, including weekends**. WhatsApp support at **+254 722 685 776** is typically faster, with replies in around **30 minutes** during business hours.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do Enterprise customers get a different level of support?">
    Yes. Enterprise and Scale plan customers receive **24/7 support with a 1-hour SLA** for critical issues. You also get a dedicated account manager and same-day response from the sales and technical team. Enterprise support is available via a private Slack channel in addition to email and WhatsApp.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I escalate a support issue?">
    If you have an open ticket that has exceeded the expected response time or your issue is critically urgent, reply to your existing ticket with the word "ESCALATE" in the subject line, or send a WhatsApp message to **+254 722 685 776** referencing your ticket number. Our team treats escalation flags as high-priority.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I request deletion of my workspace data?">
    You have three options: (1) revoke Soneka's Facebook app permissions from your Meta Business Settings, (2) email [**connect@soneka.africa**](mailto:connect@soneka.africa) with a data deletion request, or (3) go to **Admin → Settings → Account Profile → Delete Account & Workspace**. Access tokens are revoked instantly; your workspace data is wiped within 30 business days; encrypted backups are purged within 60 business days.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>