What clients send a gardening company on WhatsApp
Clients of landscapers and gardeners like WhatsApp because a photo explains more than a phone call. A homeowner sends three pictures of an overgrown hedge and asks what it costs to trim. A regular maintenance client asks if the crew still comes tomorrow now that rain is forecast. Someone shares a location because the gate is at the back of the house. In spring and early summer the number of these messages goes up quickly, exactly when everyone is busiest outside.
| Message | Example | Who should handle it |
|---|---|---|
| Quote request with photos | Photos of a hedge, lawn or patio: "What would this cost?" | Owner or the person who makes quotes |
| Planning question | "Are you still coming tomorrow if it rains?" | Crew lead or planner |
| Access and location | A pinned location, "the gate code is 1234" | Crew lead on the job |
| Change to the work | "Could you also cut back the tree by the shed?" | Crew lead, then the owner if it changes the price |
| After the job | A photo of a plant that is not doing well | Owner or crew lead |
Why the owner's phone becomes the bottleneck
In most small gardening companies the business WhatsApp number sits on the owner's phone. The owner is often working in a garden too, with gloves on and a hedge trimmer or mini digger running. Messages pile up until the break, and then the owner has to pass each one on: forward the photos to whoever makes the quote, call the crew lead about tomorrow's planning, type the answer back to the client. Clients who wanted a quick yes or no wait half a day, and some ask a competitor in the meantime.
Your options, from free to a full system
- The owner relays everything. Free, and fine when there are only a few messages a week. In the busy season it costs hours.
- Linked devices. The crew lead logs in to the business account as a linked device (WhatsApp allows up to 4). It works, but they see every chat and every client number, also on days off and after they leave the company. See WhatsApp access for a coworker.
- Job and planning software. If you want quotes, planning, routes and invoices in one place, field service software built for trades is the better fit. Some of these tools connect to WhatsApp through a Business API platform, which costs more and takes longer to set up.
- Automatic forwarding to one person with InBetween. Client messages go straight to the crew lead or the person who makes quotes, without anyone in between.
How it works for a small gardening company
You connect your existing WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business number by QR code or pairing code, like WhatsApp Web, and enter the number of the person who should receive client messages. A client writes "Are you still coming tomorrow? They forecast rain all morning" and the crew lead receives it in their own WhatsApp as "Customer 2", with the client's number hidden by default. The crew lead checks the planning and replies "We will come in the afternoon, around 1 pm". The client receives that from your business number. The owner can read along in the dashboard.
When the season is busy and quotes come first, you change the coworker to the person who visits gardens and makes quotes. In the evening or during the winter break you press Pause: messages wait and are forwarded when you switch it back on. Photos work both ways, so the crew can also send a picture of the finished job.
How it works, in 3 steps
- Create an account at app.in-between.tech with your email address and a password. No card needed.
- Connect WhatsApp: scan the QR code or enter the pairing code, exactly like WhatsApp Web. Your phone keeps working as normal.
- Enter your coworker's number. From then on every customer message reaches your coworker. When they reply, the answer goes back to the customer from your business number.
Photos, locations, voice notes and documents come along. With Pause you stop forwarding temporarily, for example in the evening. Messages wait until you switch it back on.
Forward customer messages automatically. Replies go back from your number.
Try free for 30 daysHonest limits
- One coworker per client. A client stays with the coworker who accepted them, with up to 2 coworkers on Pro and 20 on Pro+. Coworkers do not see each other's chats.
- No quotes, planning or invoices. InBetween does not plan jobs or make quotes. It forwards messages and replies, nothing more.
- Safety first. Agree that the crew answers during a break, not while operating a mower or chainsaw. A reply within the hour is fast enough for most clients.
- Not an official Meta product. It uses linked-device technology, not the WhatsApp Business API, and the app dashboard is currently in Dutch.
Frequently asked questions
Do garden photos and locations reach the crew lead?
Yes. Photos, locations, voice notes and documents are forwarded. Photos the crew sends back, for example of the finished hedge, reach the client from the business number.
Can I send quote requests to one person and planning questions to another?
Not by topic. Messages follow the client, not the question: on Pro or Pro+ a new client is offered to all coworkers and the first to answer Yes gets all messages from that client. You can switch a client in the dashboard.
Can my coworker see customer phone numbers?
Not by default. Your coworker sees "Customer 1", "Customer 2" and so on. You can choose to show numbers in the dashboard.
How much does it cost?
New accounts get 30 days of Pro+ free without a card. After that you can stay on free Basic (25 customer messages per month), or choose Pro at €87 per month (2,000 messages) or Pro+ at €142 per month (unlimited). Cancel monthly.