WhatsApp for business leads: the app, the API and doing it properly

In India, a large share of customer conversations already happen on WhatsApp, and it is widely used in many other countries too. In the USA, where SMS and iMessage are more common, it is popular with international and immigrant communities and with customers who travel. In Vietnam, Zalo is the leading local app, but plenty of businesses that serve foreign clients and tourists use WhatsApp as well. Used well, WhatsApp turns website visitors into conversations within minutes. Used badly, it gets your number reported and blocked. This guide covers the setup and the habits that keep it working.

WhatsApp Business app or WhatsApp Business Platform?

Meta offers two products, and they suit different businesses.

Start with the free app. Move to the Platform when one phone can't keep up, when several people need to answer from the same number, or when you want messages to flow into your CRM or booking system. Pricing for the Platform changes from time to time, so check WhatsApp Business for current rates before you plan a budget.

Set up the Business app properly

1. Use a dedicated number. A business number you keep for years, not a staff member's personal phone. Changing it later breaks every link and QR code you have shared.
2. Complete the profile. Business name, category, a short description, address, opening hours, email and website. These show when someone taps your name.
3. Add a clear profile photo. Your logo or shopfront, readable at a small size.
4. Set a greeting message for first-time chats: who you are, what to send, and when to expect a reply.
5. Set an away message for closed hours, with your opening time, so nobody waits in silence.

Catalogue, quick replies and labels

The catalogue lets you list products or services with a photo, price, description and link. A customer can browse it inside the chat, and you can share a single item in a reply. For a bakery that might be its cakes; for a dental clinic, its main treatments with a starting price; for a tour operator in Da Nang, its day trips.

Quick replies save answers you type every day, called up with a short keyword after a slash. Good candidates:

• Directions and a map link.
• Prices and what is included.
• Payment options, such as UPI for India or a card link.
• Documents a customer must bring or send.
• Your review link, to send after a job is done.

Labels sort chats into groups such as "New enquiry", "Quote sent", "Paid" and "Follow up". At the end of each day, a glance at the "Quote sent" label shows who to follow up with. This simple habit is often the difference between an enquiry and a sale.

Click-to-chat links: WhatsApp on your website

A click-to-chat link opens a chat with your number in one tap, on phone or computer, without the customer saving your number first. The format is:

https://wa.me/919876543210?text=Hi%2C%20I%27d%20like%20a%20quote%20for%20a%20website

Write the full number with the country code, without the plus sign, spaces, dashes or a leading zero: 91 for India, 1 for the USA, 84 for Vietnam. The optional text part pre-fills the first message; spaces and punctuation must be encoded, as above.

Where to use it:

• A clear "Chat on WhatsApp" button on every service page, near the other contact options rather than instead of them.
• A pre-filled message per page, such as "Hi, I'm asking about root canal treatment", so you know where the lead came from.
• A QR code at your counter, on your visiting card and on delivery packaging.
• Your Google Business Profile, Instagram bio and email signature.

Keep the button small and out of the way on mobile, so it doesn't cover your content. Our website design service builds these in as standard.

Respect opt-in: the rule that protects your number

WhatsApp's Business Policy requires that people agree to receive your messages before you contact them, and that you respect it when they ask you to stop. When a customer messages you first, you can reply. Sending marketing messages to a list of numbers you bought or collected for another purpose is both against the rules and the fastest way to get your number restricted, because recipients can block and report you in one tap.

Good practice:

• Ask clearly: "Can we send you offers and updates on WhatsApp?" with a tick box on your website form or at billing, and keep a record of who said yes.
• Use broadcast lists only for people who have saved your number and agreed; broadcasts reach only contacts who have you saved.
• Send fewer, more useful messages: a restock, a festival schedule, a booking reminder.
• Honour every "stop" at once.

Data protection laws also apply to the phone numbers you collect, including India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act and similar rules in the USA and Vietnam. Collect only what you need and explain why.

Measure what WhatsApp brings in

Reply speed matters as much as the setup. A customer who messages three businesses about the same job often goes with the first one that answers clearly. Decide who checks WhatsApp during working hours, and keep replies short, polite and specific: the price range, the next available slot and one question that moves things forward.

Use a different pre-filled message for your website, Google profile and print materials, then note the source when you label each chat. After a month you will see which channel actually produces enquiries. Add the WhatsApp button click as an event in your website analytics, too.

WhatsApp works best as the fast path from a good website or Google listing; our guide on getting found on Google Maps covers the second. If you would like WhatsApp buttons, tracking and a lead form set up properly, get in touch with ToBrand.