WhatsApp automation for businesses in Qatar
Businesses in Qatar can use Slide, by Synquic, to answer WhatsApp enquiries with bots and an AI agent, record who agreed to hear from them, and send follow-up templates only to those people. Since 1 July 2026 Meta prices messages to Qatari numbers on a Qatar line of their own, paid from a Slide wallet billed in US dollars. Marketing messages must meet Article 22 of the PDPPL: prior consent, the sender named, the message marked as marketing, and a way to unsubscribe.
Facts on this page were last reviewed on 11 October 2026. See the key facts and sources.
The buyer and the problem
Education and training providers, retailers and service businesses in Qatar that collect enquiries on WhatsApp and want to stay in touch with interested people afterwards, in Arabic, English or both.
Answering the first enquiry is the easy part. The follow-up is harder: knowing who actually agreed to hear about the next intake or offer, wording each marketing message the way Qatari law asks, and making sure that someone who says stop is never messaged again on any channel.
Supported capabilities, mapped to the product
Consent asked inside the conversation
A bot question can ask for consent with explicit yes and no buttons, write the answer to a custom field on the contact, and tag the contact with where the consent was given.
Campaigns limited to a consenting tag
Campaigns send approved templates to a tag or segment, so a follow-up reaches only contacts tagged as consenting. Unsubscribed and blocked contacts are skipped automatically.
Source:Campaigns guideOpt-out keywords you define
When a contact sends one of your opt-out keywords, Slide blocks them and skips them on every channel. The keyword list starts empty, so add STOP and an Arabic equivalent before the first send.
Enquiries from forms, links and QR codes
A website form, a QR code on printed material or a WhatsApp link can start a flow, and the answers are saved on the contact from the first message.
Arabic and English templates
Arabic sits in Slide's template editor beside two English variants, and Meta accepts templates in both, so every follow-up can be submitted in each language.
Handoff to an adviser
When an enquirer needs a person, a handoff step leaves the conversation and the collected answers in the shared inbox and emails the team.
An enrolment enquiry, with a follow-up only for those who agreed
A training institute advertises a new intake (see Slide for education). This example follows one enquiry from the first message to a consented follow-up weeks later.
- Trigger
An enquiry starts from a QR code
A prospective learner scans the QR code on an open-day flyer. WhatsApp opens with a prefilled message, and the enrolment flow starts.
- Customer interaction
Programme, level and intake
List questions ask which programme, which level and which intake, in Arabic or English depending on the first button tapped. Each answer is written to the contact.
- Qualification
Consent is asked, not assumed
The bot asks: "May we send you WhatsApp messages about future intakes and open days? You can stop at any time by replying STOP." Yes tags the contact as consenting, with the source "enrolment bot"; no is recorded too, and nothing promotional follows.
- Human handoff
An admissions adviser takes over
A handoff step leaves the conversation in the inbox with the programme, level and intake already captured, and emails the admissions team, who answer the questions on fees and documents.
- Action
A consented follow-up weeks later
Before the next intake, a campaign sends an approved marketing template to the consenting tag only. The template opens with the institute's name, says it is a promotional message, and ends with "Reply STOP to unsubscribe".
- Exception
Someone replies STOP
STOP is on the institute's opt-out keyword list, so Slide blocks the contact and skips them on every channel from then on. Had the list been left empty, as it is by default, the reply would have been treated as an ordinary message.
- Recorded outcome
A record that shows consent and its source
The contact holds the programme, the consent answer and its source, the template history and the opt-out, and the campaign report shows what was sent, delivered and read.
An illustration of how the workflow runs, not a customer case study. Names, numbers and messages are examples.
What you need, and the launch sequence
Requirements
- Business verification and a free number
Meta business verification for your portfolio, which takes several business days, and a number that is not registered on the WhatsApp consumer or Business app.
Source:Meta Business Manager guideWhatsApp Business setup guide - Two kinds of template
Utility templates for replies about an enquiry after the window closes, and marketing templates for intakes and offers. Meta approves each one, and every marketing template should carry your name, a marketing label and an unsubscribe line.
Source:WhatsApp Business setup guideNCSA: Electronic communications for direct marketing guideline (opens in a new tab) - Opt-out keywords in both languages
Slide blocks a contact who opts out, but only once their reply matches a keyword on your list, which starts empty. Add STOP and its Arabic equivalent before launch.
- Consent fields on the contact
Create custom fields for the consent answer and its source before you build, so the bot can fill them and segments can use them.
Source:Contacts guideAutomation builder guide - Your regime: PDPPL or QFC
Check whether your business falls under the PDPPL, administered by the National Cyber Security Agency, or under the QFC Data Protection Regulations 2021 as a Qatar Financial Centre entity.
Source:Al Meezan: Law No. 13 of 2016 (opens in a new tab)
Launch sequence
Start Meta business verification and connect the number (WhatsApp setup guide).
Create the consent and source fields in contacts, and add STOP and its Arabic equivalent to the opt-out keywords.
Build the enquiry flow with the consent question inside it, ending in a handoff to the team that answers.
Write marketing templates that name the business, say they are marketing and end with an unsubscribe line, in Arabic and English, and submit them.
Set up each follow-up as a campaign to the consenting tag only, never to the whole contact list.
Test the opt-out yourself: reply STOP from a team phone and confirm the contact is blocked.
What is specific to Qatar
A rate line of its own since 1 July 2026
Until 1 July 2026 Qatar was priced in Meta's Rest of Middle East group; it now has a standalone line, so cost estimates made before July may be out of date. Meta has no rate card in Qatari riyals, and Slide bills in US dollars (rupees only for a workspace created with an Indian number).
Source:Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)Billing and wallet guideArticle 22: consent, and three things in every marketing message
The PDPPL forbids electronic direct marketing without the person's prior consent. Each message must show who it is from, say that it is marketing, and give a valid address for unsubscribing. The NCSA guideline for regulated entities requires opt-in and names email, text messaging and social media among the channels.
Source:NCSA: Electronic communications for direct marketing guideline (opens in a new tab)Turning Article 22 into WhatsApp templates
The mechanics Slide offers: open each marketing template with your business name, label it as a promotional message, and end with an opt-out line such as "Reply STOP to unsubscribe". Then add STOP and its Arabic equivalent to the opt-out keywords, which are empty by default, so the reply blocks the contact; campaigns skip blocked and unsubscribed contacts. Confirm with your adviser that a reply keyword is an adequate unsubscribe route for your messages.
Source:NCSA: Electronic communications for direct marketing guideline (opens in a new tab)Campaigns guideThe PDPPL and the QFC regime
Law No. 13 of 2016 covers personal data processed electronically, which includes the names, numbers and messages in a WhatsApp inbox, and the National Cyber Security Agency administers it. Entities in the Qatar Financial Centre have a separate regime, the QFC Data Protection Regulations 2021.
Source:Al Meezan: Law No. 13 of 2016 (opens in a new tab)Arabic is the official language
Article 1 of the Permanent Constitution names Arabic as Qatar's official language. Slide's template editor includes Arabic, and an AI agent replies in Arabic only when its instructions say so.
Source:Constitution of Qatar, Article 1 (opens in a new tab)Automation builder guide
This is a summary of public rules for orientation, not legal advice. Slide does not certify that any business's messaging complies with local law; check your own obligations with a qualified adviser.
What these claims rest on
- Qatar has been its own WhatsApp pricing market since 1 July 2026
Qatar left the Rest of Middle East group on 1 July 2026 and now has a standalone rate line.
- Qatar requires prior consent for electronic direct marketing, with sender identity and an unsubscribe in every message
PDPPL Article 22: no electronic direct marketing without the person's prior consent; each message shows the sender, says it is marketing, and gives a valid unsubscribe address. The NCSA guideline requires opt-in and names email, text messaging and social media.
Official sourceChecked 11 October 2026NCSA: Electronic communications for direct marketing guideline (opens in a new tab) - Qatar's Personal Data Privacy Protection Law (Law No. 13 of 2016) covers personal data processed electronically
The National Cyber Security Agency administers it. Qatar Financial Centre entities have a separate regime (QFC Data Protection Regulations 2021).
- WhatsApp campaigns send approved templates to tags or segments, with scheduling and delayed follow-ups
Scheduled broadcasts to tags or segments, delayed follow-up steps, and an email fallback. Unsubscribed and blocked contacts are skipped. SMS fallback works for Indian numbers only.
How the cost is made up
Slide bills the plan and WhatsApp usage separately. A workspace created with a Qatari number is billed in US dollars; there is no riyal billing at Slide and no QAR rate card at Meta. The pricing page lists plans and prices, paid plans have a 14-day trial, and AI steps depend on the plan. Confirm the payment method with the Slide team before you subscribe.
Meta charges each delivered template by category on the Qatar line, which replaced the regional rate on 1 July 2026. Since 1 October 2026 replies inside the 24-hour window are charged as well, after the first 1,000 each month per business number, while conversations started from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad are free for 72 hours when you reply within 24.
For a consented follow-up programme, the cost is roughly the size of the consenting tag times the number of templates you send, plus the replies they bring. The wallet shows your exact per-message price, and sends stop when it is empty.
When this fits, and what it does not do
A good fit when
- Enquiries you want to follow up later, but only with the people who agreed.
- A team that needs every marketing template to carry the same sender name, label and opt-out line.
- Audiences who read Arabic, English or both.
Needs a person when
- Fees, documents, eligibility and other questions that need judgement.
- Anyone who asks for a person.
- Requests to see or delete the personal data you hold.
Not established by this page
- Whether a reply keyword alone meets Article 22's unsubscribe requirement for your messages; ask your adviser.
- Whether WhatsApp business calls work with Qatari numbers.
- Where customer data is hosted. Ask the Slide team before you sign.
Direct answers
What changed in WhatsApp pricing for Qatar in 2026?
Two things. On 1 July 2026 Qatar left Meta's Rest of Middle East group and got a rate line of its own, so per-message prices for Qatari numbers are now set separately. On 1 October 2026 Meta started charging for service replies inside the 24-hour window, after 1,000 free each month per business number, and for utility templates sent inside the window. Your exact rates are shown in the Slide wallet.
Source:Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)Meta: Pricing for non-template messages (opens in a new tab)WhatsApp Business: FAQ (opens in a new tab)What does Article 22 of the PDPPL require for WhatsApp marketing?
Article 22 bars electronic direct marketing without the person's prior consent, and every message must show the sender, say it is marketing, and give a valid unsubscribe address. The NCSA guideline on electronic direct marketing requires opt-in and names email, text messaging and social media. Build consent into your flows before anyone joins a marketing campaign, and take advice on how the guideline applies to your WhatsApp messages.
Source:NCSA: Electronic communications for direct marketing guideline (opens in a new tab)How do we set up unsubscribes in Slide for Qatar?
Add opt-out keywords first: the list is empty by default, and a STOP reply only blocks the contact once STOP is on it. Add an Arabic equivalent too. When a keyword matches, Slide blocks the contact and skips them on every channel, and campaigns already skip unsubscribed and blocked contacts. Put the unsubscribe instruction in every marketing template so people know how to use it.
Source:Campaigns guideCan Slide keep a record of who consented?
Slide keeps what your flows write: a bot can store the consent answer in a custom field and tag the contact with its source, and the conversation stays on the contact. There is no dedicated consent register or consent audit export, and contacts cannot be exported today. If you need a formal record, keep one in your own system as well.
Source:Automation builder guideContacts guideWe are registered in the Qatar Financial Centre. Does the PDPPL apply to us?
QFC entities have their own regime, the QFC Data Protection Regulations 2021, separate from the PDPPL that the NCSA administers for other businesses. This page does not summarise the QFC rules, so check them with your adviser. WhatsApp's own requirement applies either way: opt-in that names your business before you message someone first.
Source:Al Meezan: Law No. 13 of 2016 (opens in a new tab)WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy (opens in a new tab)Can our bot and templates be in Arabic?
Yes. Arabic, Qatar's official language, is in Slide's template editor and is accepted by Meta, and bot questions are text you write in any language. An AI agent replies in Arabic only when its instructions say so. Your team works in a dashboard that is in English only.
Source:Constitution of Qatar, Article 1 (opens in a new tab)Meta: Template supported languages (opens in a new tab)Automation builder guideCan we pay in Qatari riyals?
No. Slide bills workspaces created with non-Indian numbers in US dollars, and Meta has no WhatsApp rate card in Qatari riyals either. Message charges come from your prepaid Slide wallet. Confirm the payment method with the Slide team before you subscribe.
Source:Billing and wallet guideMeta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)Billing and wallet guideKey facts: WhatsApp automation in Qatar
Slide suits a business in Qatar that wants to answer WhatsApp enquiries automatically and follow up only with people who agreed: consent questions, custom fields, tags, campaigns to a tag, opt-out keywords and Arabic templates are built, which supports the mechanics Article 22 describes; whether a reply keyword is an adequate unsubscribe address is a question for your adviser. It is a weaker fit if you need a formal consent register with audit exports, riyal billing, WhatsApp calling, or an Arabic interface for your team.
- Product
- Slide (also "Slide by Synquic"), a platform for automating customer messaging across channelsSource:About Synquic
- Company
- SynquicSource:About Synquic
- Channel
- WhatsAppSource:WhatsApp Business setup guide
- Market
- Businesses messaging customers on Qatari numbers. Slide accepts sign-ups from any countrySource:Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)
- Prerequisites
- A Meta business portfolio, Meta business verification before sending at scale, a phone number not registered on the WhatsApp apps, and Meta-approved templates for messages outside the 24-hour windowSource:WhatsApp Business setup guideMeta Business Manager guideWhatsApp Business setup guide
- Human handoff
- An automation step hands the conversation to the team in the shared inbox with the collected answers and notifies them by email. It does not pause automations permanently, and there is no hand-back stepSource:Automation builder guide
- Meta pricing market
- Qatar (its own rate line since 1 July 2026)Source:Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)
- WhatsApp usage charges
- Meta charges per message by category and by the recipient's country. Since 1 October 2026 service replies are charged too, after 1,000 free each month per business number. In Slide these charges come from the prepaid wallet, separately from the planSource:Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)Meta: Pricing for non-template messages (opens in a new tab)WhatsApp Business: FAQ (opens in a new tab)Billing and wallet guide
- Slide billing
- Workspaces created with a number outside India are billed in US dollars. Confirm the payment method with the Slide team before you subscribeSource:Billing and wallet guideSlide pricing
- Data protection law
- PDPPL (Law No. 13 of 2016), administered by the NCSA; QFC entities follow the QFC Data Protection Regulations 2021Source:Al Meezan: Law No. 13 of 2016 (opens in a new tab)
- Electronic marketing
- PDPPL Article 22: prior consent, and every message shows the sender, says it is marketing and gives an unsubscribe addressSource:NCSA: Electronic communications for direct marketing guideline (opens in a new tab)
- Opt-out keywords
- Slide blocks a contact who opts out on every channel, but the WhatsApp keyword list is empty until you add words
- Limitations
- English-only dashboard; AI replies in Arabic only when instructed; no contacts export; no QAR billing; handoff alerts by email onlySource:Automation builder guideContacts guideBilling and wallet guideAutomation builder guide
- Pricing source
- The current pricing page, slide.synquic.com/pricingSource:Slide pricing
- Last factual review
Where to go next
- WhatsApp automation: overviewSlide automates WhatsApp support, lead capture, follow-up and Shopify order messages. What it needs, how Meta charges since October 2026, and its limits.
- Messaging automation in QatarHow Qatar businesses automate WhatsApp, Instagram and email with Slide: the Qatar price line since July 2026, USD billing, and Article 22 consent for marketing.
- WhatsApp automation in MENAHow a business serving several MENA countries runs WhatsApp on Slide: per-country pricing, restricted countries, Arabic templates and routing customers by country.
- WhatsApp Business setup guideStep by step, from connecting the account to the first send.
- Slide pricingCurrent plans, what each includes, and how channel usage is charged.
Build consent into your first WhatsApp flow
Start on the free plan and connect your number, or book a demo to set up consent fields, opt-out keywords and your first template with the Slide team.