# WhatsApp: Free service conversations Whenever a WhatsApp user messages your business, a 24-hour timer called a [customer service window](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/cloud-api/guides/send-messages#customer-service-windows) starts (or refreshes if one has already been started). When a free-form message is delivered by the business in response, with no open conversation of any other [category](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing#conversation-categories) open between your business and that user, a [service conversation](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing#service-conversations) is opened. **Starting November 1, 2024, all service conversations are completely free for all businesses.** Previously, each WhatsApp Business Account received 1,000 free service conversations per month and paid Meta a fee for each additional conversation, but this threshold has now been removed. Business benefits: * Reduction in costs for existing customer journeys​. * Improved ROI for IVR and call center deflection​ use cases. * An increase in the number of service-related use cases. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://guides.clickatell.com/release-notes/release-notes-archive/2024-release-notes/q4-2024/channel-updates/whatsapp-free-service-conversations.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.