If most of your customers already write to you on WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business makes the job easier. This article walks through the most useful features, step by step, based on WhatsApp's own help pages.
01Business profile
After you install the app and verify your business number, the first job is the business profile. It can show your address, opening hours, e-mail, website and a short description.
- Always enter your hours. To send the away message "outside of business hours", the hours must be in the profile.
- Add your website. Customers can see prices, photos and the address there.
- Use a real photo or your logo. So customers know at once who they are writing to.
02Greeting message
The greeting message goes automatically to customers who write to you for the first time or after 14 days without messages. It is not sent again to someone you have messaged in the last 14 days.
- Open the greeting message in the app's business tools.
- Turn it on and write your message.
- Choose who receives it: everyone, people not in your contacts, or selected people.
Use the greeting to tell customers what information you need. For example: "Hello, which product are you interested in? Send a photo and we can quote faster."
03Away message
The away message goes automatically to messages that arrive when you cannot answer. There are three options: always, during a schedule you choose, or outside business hours. Say in the message when you will reply.
Greeting and away messages are only sent while your phone is connected to the internet.
04Quick replies
If you answer the same questions again and again, write the answers once and save them. Type "/" in a chat to list your saved quick replies, then pick one and send it. You can save up to 50 quick replies.
- Address and directions
- Opening hours
- Price list or a link to your website
- Payment and bank details
05Catalogue
The catalogue shows your products or services inside WhatsApp. Customers can browse it and send you the item they are interested in.
- Photos. Up to 10 photos per item.
- Details. The item name and country of origin are required. Price, description and website link are optional.
- Approval. Items become visible to customers after WhatsApp approves them.
06A WhatsApp link for your website and Google
Use a wa.me link so customers can write to you with one tap. According to WhatsApp:
- Write your number in international format, without zeros, plus signs, brackets or dashes: https://wa.me/905XXXXXXXXX
- To add a ready message, add ?text= and the message to the end. The message appears ready in the customer's text field.
- Put this link on every page of your website, on your Instagram profile and on your business card.
A ready message tells you which page or product the customer is writing about. For example, the button on a product page can start with "Hello, I would like to know more about the kitchen cabinets".
You can also add WhatsApp to your Google Business Profile: on verified profiles, where the option is available in your region, you enter your WhatsApp link in the chat field of the contact section. For the profile itself, see our Google Business Profile guide.
