When you send a WhatsApp message from an RMA automation based on a date field, the date may be displayed incorrectly if it is placed directly as a variable in the form/template. This article explains which fields play a role here and how to include the date correctly in your message.
1. The two availability fields
A candidate record has two standard date fields that determine availability, and both can be filled in at the same time:
Availability calculated — a date that is automatically calculated by the system.
Availability other date, namely: — a manually entered alternative date.
💡Tip: When setting up your trigger and filters, check which of these two fields should take precedence for your automation, especially if both fields can be filled in for the same candidate.
2. Displaying the date correctly in a WhatsApp message
Do not place the date value as a directly integrated variable in the form/template. In a WhatsApp message template the date is shown with date and time in English (ENG) notation — for example the availability date (Candidate: Available Date, Available From Date) or the start date (Vacancy: Start Date). You then see the following in the first WhatsApp message.
You can solve this by adding the Ask AI: Custom task. This task is placed before the “Send Survey” task in the flow.
Use the following prompt for this:
The input field contains the {{availability date}} of a candidate. This includes the day of the week, a date and time.
Could you delete the day and time for me? So only the date is left.
Output format should be: dd-mm-yyyy
The output is a custom AI variable, which you then give the correct mapping in the form.
This approach prevents the incorrect date notation that can occur with direct variables in WhatsApp templates.
An alternative solution is to add the custom Ask AI variable directly to the form, instead of the Ask AI task described above.
👉🏼 Please note: this alternative solution only works with email templates and not with WhatsApp message templates.
3. Testing the automation manually
Automations that trigger when a date is reached (for example Availability calculated) can be tested on a specific record via the automation's test function (see also the article RMA - Create an automation).
Please note: do not run too many test runs in quick succession on the same record — this can cause an error when activating the test. In that case, wait a moment and try again.