Read receipt
A read receipt is a messenger signal that the recipient has opened the message: in WhatsApp it is two blue ticks, in Telegram two ticks instead of one.
What it is
One tick means the message has gone out. In WhatsApp two grey ticks mean delivered, two blue ones mean read. In Telegram two ticks at once mean read. For the sender it answers the question of whether the person saw the message.
How it looks in practice
A manager sent a client an offer. The read receipt appeared after a minute, and there has been no reply for a second day. That is already information: the person saw it but did not answer. They need a different conversation than someone who opened nothing.
It also works the other way for a manager’s boss. You can see that a client wrote and the manager read it and did not reply. Read without a reply is one of the signs of an abandoned dialog.
Where the receipt misleads
It can be turned off. In WhatsApp a person can hide receipts in the settings, and you will not see that they read. A message can be read in a pop-up notification without opening the chat, and then there is no receipt. In groups receipts work differently. So the absence of a receipt does not prove the message was not seen.
Why it matters
The share of read messages is a useful mailing indicator next to deliverability and replies. But it measures attention, not result. Many read and few replied means the problem is in the text or the offer, not in delivery.
The typical mistake
Citing a receipt as confirmation of an agreement. “He read it, so he agreed” does not work. Reading is not consent and does not replace the person’s answer.
More in Signals
- Reply speed to clients in messengers: why one minute decides and how to keep it across the whole teamIn messengers a client goes to whoever replied first, because chat feels like live conversation and a pause of hours reads as a refusal. Count the first real answer from a person: a “we got your message” receipt is not a conversation. Speed rests on a manager’s decisions: a norm per department, balanced workload, cover for absent reps and a clear rule for nights. Slow replies quietly cost deals.
- Viber broadcast without bans: how to message clients and keep your senderA Viber broadcast without bans rests on recipient consent, an easy opt-out, sensible hours, a recognizable sender, and personal texts that go to a small part of your client base first. The number and the sender name must belong to the company, not to an employee. You judge a broadcast by replies, opt-outs, complaints, deals, and revenue, not by the number of sends.