# Initiate New Chat Learn how to start a chat with a customer using **3** methods. If the contact has sent you a message, it will appear in your Inbox list. You can chat with the customer, transfer an existing conversation to yourself, or you can search for the target user's WhatsApp number and send a WhatsApp template. ## Respond to Customer Messages When a customer sends you a message, you can reply immediately and start a chat conversation. Through the filter on the left, the conversation list will display open conversations. Select one of the conversations, and the conversation window will expand on the right.

## Transfer the Conversation to Yourself Click the prompt button in the chat box to transfer the conversation to yourself.

## Start a Conversation with Any User If you want to send a message to a contact that is not saved in your Inbox, you can search for them and send a WhatsApp template as the first interaction. ### Step 1: Enter the customer's phone number in the search box

### Step 2: Click the button below “+ Create a new conversation” to create a new session

### Step 3: Select the WhatsApp number to send to After selection, click “Next”

### Step 4: Choose the template to send Quickly filter templates by category

### Step 5: Confirm the template content/set template variables After confirming, click “Send”