WhatsApp for small business: how to use it well

Three ways to use WhatsApp for business

You can switch from regular WhatsApp to the Business app on the same number without losing your chats. Moving a number to the Business API is a bigger step; see InBetween vs the WhatsApp Business API.

What the free WhatsApp Business app adds

• A business profile with address, opening hours, website and a short description.
• Greeting and away messages that are sent automatically.
• Quick replies for answers you type often, and labels to sort chats.
• A simple catalog to show products or services.

What it does not do: it cannot send a message to the coworker who should handle it. Every customer question lands on one account, and someone has to pass it on.

WhatsApp Business tips and tricks for small businesses

• Share a short link and QR code. In WhatsApp Business, go to Business tools and then Short link. Put the link on your website, email signature and invoices, and the QR code on your counter or van.
• Complete your business profile. Opening hours, address and a one-line description answer the first questions before anyone types.
• Ask for the right details up front. Use the greeting message to ask for a photo, an address or an order number.
• Use labels. For example New request, Waiting for payment and Done, so nothing gets lost.
• Save quick replies for prices, directions and payment details.
• Add WhatsApp to Google. The old chat button in Google Business Profile stopped in 2024. You can still add your WhatsApp link as a social profile link where Google offers it, or on your website.
• Keep one number. Do not hand out the private numbers of employees. Customers should always reach the business.

Pros of WhatsApp for business

• Customers already have it. No app to install, no account to create.
• Photos, voice notes, locations and documents make questions clear quickly, for example a photo of damage or a pinned address.
• Conversations are informal and fast, so customers often reply sooner than to email.

Cons and common problems

• The owner becomes the switchboard. The number is on the website and the van, but the answer is with the technician, mechanic or crew.
• Sharing the account shares everything. A linked device for a coworker shows every chat, every customer number and your history.
• Holidays and evenings. An away message tells customers you are not there; it does not get them an answer.
• Privacy. Customer phone numbers are personal data. The fewer people who can see all of them, the better.

How a team can answer from one business number

1. Keep one business number that customers know, on WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business.
2. Decide who answers customer messages: you, the office, or the person doing the work.
3. If that is someone else, either give them a linked device (they see everything) or forward only customer messages to them.

InBetween does the forwarding: connect your number by QR code or pairing code, like WhatsApp Web, and enter your coworker's number. Each customer message is forwarded as "Customer 1", "Customer 2", with the number hidden by default. Your coworker replies in their own WhatsApp and the customer receives it from your business number. It uses linked-device technology, not the official Business API, and the app dashboard is currently in Dutch.

When something else fits better

If you answer every message yourself, the free Business app is enough. If five or more people chat with customers at the same time, a Business API platform with a shared inbox is the better choice. InBetween fits in between: an owner or office plus one or more people doing the work.

Frequently asked questions