Common action types:
{ "action": { "text": "Visit site", "postbackData": "visit",
"openUrlAction": { "url": "https://example.com" } } }
{ "action": { "text": "Call us", "postbackData": "call",
"dialAction": { "phoneNumber": "+18005551234" } } }
{ "action": { "text": "Add to calendar", "postbackData": "cal",
"createCalendarEventAction": {
"startTime": "2026-06-12T15:00:00Z",
"endTime": "2026-06-12T15:30:00Z",
"title": "Service appointment" } } }
All five actions, and what each one is genuinely for:
| Action | Effect on the device | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Open URL | Opens a link, in the browser or in-message | Tracking pages, checkout, receipts, help articles |
| Dial | Prefills the dialler with your number | Support escalation, service confirmations |
| View location | Opens a map at coordinates or an address | Store directions, pickup points, service addresses |
| Share location | Prompts the person to send their own location | Deliveries, roadside and on-site service |
| Create calendar event | Opens a prefilled calendar entry | Appointments, deliveries, reservations |
Two of these are underused. Share location removes an address-typing step that produces bad data on every channel, and it is the difference between a delivery exception and a completed drop. Create calendar event is the single most effective no-show reducer available in the format, because it turns a reminder into an entry on the person’s own calendar in one tap, and it costs nothing extra to attach.
Actions carry postbackData like replies do, and the tap fires a suggestion response to your webhook even though the response never appears in the thread. That is how you attribute a tap on a tracking button without a redirect, and it is more reliable than link-level tracking because it arrives as a structured event tied to the message. Set the field with the same intent:record convention used for replies.
Open URL takes a little care. The link opens on a phone, so it needs to work on mobile without a login wall, and it should carry its own tracking parameters if your analytics depend on them rather than relying on the postback alone. Deep links into an app work when the app is installed and fail quietly when it is not, so a web URL that redirects is the safer default.
Actions do not survive fallback. When a message goes out as SMS or MMS the buttons disappear, so a dial or track action needs the number or the URL written into the fallback text as well. Treat the buttons as an upgrade on top of a message that already works as plain text.