WhatsApp automation for businesses in Singapore
Slide, by Synquic, lets a business in Singapore send WhatsApp campaigns to consenting customers, answer the replies with bots or an AI agent, and pass buyers to a sales team in a shared inbox. The Do Not Call rules cover marketing sent to Singapore numbers over WhatsApp, so each number needs a registry check within 21 days or clear, documented consent, and Slide does not run that check for you. Since 1 July 2026 messages are priced on Meta's Singapore line and drawn from a wallet billed in US dollars.
Facts on this page were last reviewed on 11 October 2026. See the key facts and sources.
The buyer and the problem
Retailers, service businesses and B2B sellers in Singapore that want to message customers on WhatsApp in English, Chinese, Malay or Tamil, from announcements to the replies they bring in.
WhatsApp is where customers already are, but a broadcast to a list is also where the rules bite: the DNC rules, the Spam Control Act and the PDPA all bear on who may be messaged and how. The team needs to send only to people it can show agreed, stop at once for anyone who opts out, and still handle the replies a campaign brings in.
Supported capabilities, mapped to the product
Campaigns to a segment, not to a list
Campaigns send approved templates to tags or segments built from contact fields, so a send can be limited to contacts with documented consent or a recent DNC check recorded on them. Unsubscribed and blocked contacts are skipped.
Opt-out keywords
A contact who sends one of your opt-out keywords is blocked and skipped on every channel. The keyword list starts empty, so add STOP and its equivalents before the first campaign.
Templates in all four official languages
English, Chinese (Simplified), Malay and Tamil are all in Slide's template editor, so a campaign template can be submitted in the language each segment reads.
Address request messages
Meta limits WhatsApp address request messages, which ask a customer to send a delivery address inside the chat, to Indian and Singapore numbers, and Slide supports them within that limit.
Replies handled by a menu or an AI agent
Buttons on a campaign template can lead into a menu flow, and an AI agent can answer product questions from your knowledge base or a connected Shopify catalogue. It answers in Chinese, Malay or Tamil only when its instructions say so.
Delivery, read and cost reports
Each campaign reports sent, delivered, read and failed messages and their cost, and every automation run behind the replies keeps a step-by-step log.
Source:Campaigns guide
A consented new-collection campaign, with DNC checks done first
A homeware retailer in Singapore announces a new collection on WhatsApp. This example follows the send and two customers' replies. For following up open leads after an enquiry, see the Singapore sales conversion workflow.
- Trigger
Campaigns are scheduled per language
The marketing team schedules two campaigns of an approved marketing template for Thursday morning, one in English and one in Chinese (Simplified), each addressed to a segment rather than to all contacts.
- Qualification
Only numbers the team can stand behind
Each segment holds contacts whose consent field records clear, documented consent, plus contacts whose DNC check date is on or after a cut-off the team sets to 21 days before the send. Slide has no DNC registry lookup, so the team checks numbers in its own source list and imports the result as a field before the send.
- Action
The template names the sender and offers a way out
Each version names the retailer and ends with "Reply STOP to unsubscribe". As an instant message it does not need the "<ADV>" label that bulk email carries, but the unsubscribe stays.
- Customer interaction
A customer asks about delivery
A customer taps "See the collection", gets the list of new pieces from the bot, and asks whether a sofa can arrive this month. The bot sends an address request message so the customer can share the delivery address in the chat.
- Human handoff
Sales confirms the delivery
A handoff step leaves the conversation, the chosen item and the address in the shared inbox and emails the sales team, who confirm a delivery slot and send a payment link from their own checkout.
- Exception
Another customer replies STOP
Because STOP is on the retailer's keyword list, Slide blocks that contact and skips them on every channel, so later campaigns leave them out. Without the keyword, the reply would have been an ordinary message.
- Recorded outcome
The send is measured and recorded
Campaign reports show sent, delivered, read, failed and cost for each language, and each customer's contact holds the conversation and any tag the team added.
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
- Meta verification and a free number
A Meta business portfolio with business verification, which takes several business days, and a number not registered on the WhatsApp consumer or Business app.
Source:Meta Business Manager guideWhatsApp Business setup guide - Consent and DNC fields on your contacts
Create custom fields for documented consent, its source, and the date of the last DNC check, and fill them on import. Slide imports contacts but has no export, so run DNC checks on the source list you import from.
Source:Contacts guidePDPC: Advisory guidelines on the DNC provisions (opens in a new tab) - Marketing templates with an unsubscribe line
Write each marketing template with your business name and an unsubscribe instruction, in each language you send in, and submit it for Meta's approval.
Source:WhatsApp Business setup guideSingapore Statutes: Spam Control Act 2007 (opens in a new tab) - Opt-out keywords
Add STOP and the equivalents your customers might use. Slide blocks a contact on a matching reply, but the list is empty until you fill it.
- A wallet and a confirmed payment method
Campaign messages are paid from a prepaid wallet in US dollars for a Singapore sign-up. Confirm the payment method with the Slide team before you subscribe.
Source:Billing and wallet guideBilling and wallet guide
Launch sequence
Start Meta business verification and connect the number (WhatsApp setup guide).
Clean your source list: check numbers without documented consent against the DNC registry, then import contacts with consent, source, language and check-date fields.
Add opt-out keywords, then write and submit templates in English, Chinese (Simplified), Malay or Tamil as your customers need.
Build the reply flow: menu buttons, an AI agent for product questions, an address request where delivery matters, and a handoff to sales.
Create segments that include only consented or recently checked numbers, and schedule the campaign to them.
Re-check numbers without documented consent before every send, since the registry check must be no more than 21 days old.
What is specific to Singapore
The Do Not Call rules reach WhatsApp
The PDPC's advisory guidelines apply the DNC provisions to marketing messages sent to Singapore numbers by voice, SMS or data applications such as WhatsApp. Each number must be checked against the DNC registry within 21 days before you send, unless you hold clear and unambiguous consent in evidential form. Slide has no DNC registry check built in, so this check is yours to run.
Source:PDPC: Advisory guidelines on the DNC provisions (opens in a new tab)The Spam Control Act covers bulk instant messages
The Act covers unsolicited commercial messages sent in bulk: over 100 in 24 hours, 1,000 in 30 days or 10,000 in a year. Since 2020 instant messaging accounts are in scope; they are exempt from the "<ADV>" label that email needs, but an unsubscribe facility is still required. Put an unsubscribe line in every marketing template and set the matching opt-out keyword.
Source:Singapore Statutes: Spam Control Act 2007 (opens in a new tab)The PDPA governs the data behind every chat
The Personal Data Protection Act 2012, enforced by the PDPC, generally requires consent and a notified purpose to collect, use or disclose personal data. Tell customers what you will message them about when you collect their number, and ask the Slide team where your data is hosted before you sign.
Source:Singapore Statutes: PDPA 2012 (opens in a new tab)A standalone rate line since 1 July 2026
Singapore left Meta's Rest of Asia Pacific group on 1 July 2026 and now has its own line. Meta publishes a rate card in Singapore dollars; Slide bills in US dollars, or in rupees 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 guideFour official languages, all in the editor
Malay, Mandarin, Tamil and English are Singapore's official languages, with English as the working language. Slide's template editor has English, Chinese (Simplified), Malay and Tamil.
Source:Constitution of Singapore, Article 153A (opens in a new tab)
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
- Singapore's Do Not Call rules cover marketing sent to Singapore numbers over WhatsApp
The DNC provisions apply to marketing messages sent to Singapore numbers by voice, SMS or data applications such as WhatsApp. Numbers must be checked against the DNC registry within 21 days unless there is clear and unambiguous consent in evidential form.
Official sourceChecked 11 October 2026PDPC: Advisory guidelines on the DNC provisions (opens in a new tab) - Singapore's Spam Control Act requires "<ADV>" and an unsubscribe on bulk commercial email
It covers unsolicited commercial messages sent in bulk (over 100 in 24 hours, 1,000 in 30 days or 10,000 in a year). Since 2020 instant messaging accounts are in scope but exempt from the "<ADV>" label. An unsubscribe facility is required.
Official sourceChecked 11 October 2026Singapore Statutes: Spam Control Act 2007 (opens in a new tab) - Singapore's Personal Data Protection Act 2012 is enforced by the PDPC
Collection, use and disclosure of personal data generally need consent and a notified purpose.
- Singapore has been its own WhatsApp pricing market since 1 July 2026, and SGD is a Meta billing currency
Singapore left the Rest of Asia Pacific group on 1 July 2026 and now has a standalone rate line.
- 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
There is a Slide plan, and there is WhatsApp usage. A workspace created with a Singapore number is billed in US dollars; Slide has no Singapore-dollar billing, although Meta publishes an SGD rate card. Plans and prices are on the pricing page, paid plans come with 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 per message, by category, on the Singapore line it introduced on 1 July 2026, so estimates made against the old Rest of Asia Pacific rate need redoing. Service replies inside the 24-hour window have been charged since 1 October 2026 after 1,000 free per number each month, and a conversation started from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad is free for 72 hours when you reply within 24 hours.
A campaign costs the number of contacts in its segment times the marketing rate, plus the replies it generates. Sending only to consented or checked numbers also means paying only for messages you can stand behind. The wallet shows your per-message price, and sending stops when it is empty.
When this fits, and what it does not do
A good fit when
- Campaigns to customers whose consent you have recorded.
- Replies that a menu or an AI agent can answer, with sales handling the rest.
- Deliveries that need an address collected in the chat.
Needs a person when
- DNC registry checks, which happen outside Slide.
- Price negotiations, complaints and refunds.
- Payments: in-chat payment requests are not available for Singapore numbers.
Not established by this page
- Any uplift from WhatsApp campaigns: Slide publishes no measured outcomes.
- Where customer data is hosted. Ask the Slide team before you sign.
- Automatic replies in the customer's language: the AI agent does it only when instructed.
Direct answers
Do Singapore's Do Not Call rules apply to WhatsApp messages?
Yes, for marketing. The PDPC's advisory guidelines apply the DNC provisions to marketing messages sent to Singapore numbers by voice, SMS or data applications such as WhatsApp. You must check each number against the DNC registry within 21 days before sending, unless you hold clear and unambiguous consent in evidential form. Take advice on which of your messages count as marketing.
Source:PDPC: Advisory guidelines on the DNC provisions (opens in a new tab)Does Slide check numbers against the DNC registry for us?
No. Slide has no DNC registry lookup, so run the check on your source list before you import it, and record the result and its date in a custom field. A segment that requires that date to be on or after a cut-off, which the team moves to 21 days before each send, then keeps unchecked or stale numbers out of a campaign. Contacts can be imported into Slide but not exported, which is why the check belongs in the system you import from.
Source:PDPC: Advisory guidelines on the DNC provisions (opens in a new tab)Contacts guideCampaigns guideDo our WhatsApp marketing messages need the "<ADV>" label?
No. Under the Spam Control Act, instant messaging accounts have been in scope since 2020 but are exempt from the "<ADV>" label that bulk commercial email carries. The Act still requires an unsubscribe facility for messages sent in bulk, meaning over 100 in 24 hours, 1,000 in 30 days or 10,000 in a year. Put an unsubscribe line in each marketing template and set the matching opt-out keyword in Slide.
Source:Singapore Statutes: Spam Control Act 2007 (opens in a new tab)Which languages can we use with customers in Singapore?
Customers can write, and your team can reply inside the 24-hour window, in any language. For templates, Slide's editor has English, Chinese (Simplified), Malay and Tamil, which covers Singapore's four official languages. The AI agent replies in a customer's language only if its instructions say so, and the dashboard your team uses is in English.
Source:Constitution of Singapore, Article 153A (opens in a new tab)Automation builder guideHow are WhatsApp messages to Singapore numbers priced?
Per delivered template message, by category, on a Singapore rate line Meta introduced on 1 July 2026; before that, Singapore shared the Rest of Asia Pacific line. Since 1 October 2026 service replies are charged too, after 1,000 free each month per number. In Slide the charges come from your prepaid wallet in US dollars, and the wallet shows your exact rate.
Source:Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)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 guideBilling and wallet guideCan we collect a delivery address inside WhatsApp?
Yes. Meta allows address request messages only for Indian and Singapore numbers, and Slide follows that limit, so a flow can ask a Singapore customer for their delivery address in the chat. It fits a delivery or installation flow, just before the handoff to the team that schedules the visit.
Can customers pay inside WhatsApp?
Not through Slide. In-chat payment requests rely on Indian payment methods configured with Meta, so they are available to Indian businesses only. A Singapore business can send a link to its own checkout inside the 24-hour window instead, when free-form messages are allowed.
Source:Meta: Send messages (opens in a new tab)What does the PDPA mean for our WhatsApp contact list?
The PDPA generally requires consent and a notified purpose to collect, use or disclose personal data, which covers the numbers, names and chat history you keep in Slide. Tell people what you will send them when you collect their number, record the consent source on the contact, and ask the Slide team where your data is hosted. Synquic says its SOC 2 Type II audit and ISO/IEC 27001 certification are in progress, not complete.
Source:Singapore Statutes: PDPA 2012 (opens in a new tab)Contacts guideKey facts: WhatsApp automation in Singapore
Slide fits a Singapore business that wants to run WhatsApp campaigns only to contacts it can show consented or recently checked, and to handle the replies with menus, an AI agent and a shared inbox: segments on custom fields, opt-out keywords, templates in all four official languages and address requests are built. It is a weaker fit if you need the platform to run DNC registry checks for you, to export contacts, to take payments in the chat, or to bill in Singapore dollars.
- 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 Singapore 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
- Singapore (its own rate line since 1 July 2026; SGD is a Meta billing currency)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
- Do Not Call rules
- Marketing to Singapore numbers over WhatsApp is covered: check the DNC registry within 21 days before sending unless you hold clear, documented consentSource:PDPC: Advisory guidelines on the DNC provisions (opens in a new tab)
- Spam Control Act
- Bulk commercial instant messages are in scope; they are exempt from the "<ADV>" label but must offer an unsubscribeSource:Singapore Statutes: Spam Control Act 2007 (opens in a new tab)
- Template languages
- English, Chinese (Simplified), Malay and Tamil, all in Slide's template editorSource:Constitution of Singapore, Article 153A (opens in a new tab)
- Address requests
- WhatsApp address request messages work for Singapore and Indian numbers only
- Limitations
- No contacts export; in-chat payments are India only; English-only dashboard; AI replies in other languages only when instructed; handoff alerts by email onlySource:Contacts guideAutomation builder 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 SingaporeSlide in Singapore: the WhatsApp rate line since July 2026, DNC checks for WhatsApp marketing, Spam Control Act rules for email, the PDPA and four official languages.
- 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.
Run your first consented WhatsApp campaign
Start on the free plan and import a checked list, or book a demo to plan segments, opt-outs and templates with the Slide team.