A customer writes at 11:40 pm: “Hi, how much is it?” You answer in the morning from your personal number, somewhere between the family group and a meme from a friend. A week later they ask “did we say Thursday?” and you scroll through the thread, because there are no labels and no order history. That’s how WhatsApp runs in most small businesses, and that’s where it leaks money.
WhatsApp Business fixes exactly these problems, for free, in one evening. It’s a separate app with a company profile, a product catalog, labels for conversations and reply templates. Below we go through each block with its limits and example copy, and at the end we’re honest about when the app stops being enough and you need the API. In Mexico, Brazil, India and Spain WhatsApp is the default way to talk to a business; in the US it’s one door next to SMS and Instagram DMs.
App or API: decide in a minute
| WhatsApp Business (app) | WhatsApp Business Platform (API) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Paid per outbound message by category; rates depend on the recipient’s country |
| Who answers | One phone + up to 4 linked devices (desktop, web) | Any number of agents through a CRM or chat platform |
| Automation | Greeting, away message, quick replies | Chatbots, flows, CRM and payment integrations |
| Broadcasts | Lists up to 256 recipients, delivered only to people who saved your number | Meta-approved templates, no 256 cap |
| Fits | Up to 50–80 conversations a day, team of up to 4 | High volume, multiple shifts, integrations |
If you’re a salon, a repair shop, a small store or a solo professional, start with the app. Moving to the API later doesn’t cost you the number: since 2025 Meta supports running the app and the API on the same number side by side.
A profile that doesn’t scare people off
Everyone who opens your contact sees the profile, including people arriving from ads. Fill in all of it:
- Name and category. The name should match your signage and your Instagram handle.
- Description, up to 512 characters. Not “a young dynamic team”, but what you sell, to whom, where and how fast you reply: “Phone repair in Austin, 410 Congress Ave. Free diagnostics, most repairs in 1–2 hours. We reply 9 am–9 pm.”
- Hours, address with a map pin, website and email. The map pin removes a third of the “where exactly are you?” questions.
- A wa.me link with prefilled text. Format:
https://wa.me/15125551234?text=Hi,%20I%27d%20like%20to%20book. The customer doesn’t have to invent a first message, and the text tells you where they came from. Use different texts for your Instagram bio, business card and website. - QR code from the app settings: on the counter, the packaging, the receipt.
Different prefilled texts do the job of UTM tags: the first message tells you which post brought the customer.
Catalog: a storefront inside the chat
Catalog limits: up to 500 items, each with up to 10 photos, a name, price, description, link and item code. Items can be grouped into collections, and the customer can build a cart and send it to you as a single message.
What works:
- One item = one customer decision. Not “Manicure”, but “Gel manicure, 60 min, $45” and separately “Removal + plain manicure”. The customer picks instead of asking follow-up questions.
- First photo on a light background, no text. Catalog thumbnails are small.
- Price in the price field, not in the description. Search and the cart only work with the price field.
- Collections by buying scenario: “New arrivals”, “Gifts under $50”, “Bestsellers”, not your warehouse categories.
- Services priced on site (repairs, tailoring): 5–7 items like “Diagnostics” with “from $X” in the description.
Labels: a CRM with 20 tags
The app gives you up to 20 labels, a chat can carry several, and the chat list filters by label. That’s enough for a simple funnel as long as you don’t breed tags.
A working eight-label scheme:
| Label | When to apply | What to do with the filter |
|---|---|---|
| New | First message, no reply yet | Reply within 15 minutes during working hours |
| Consulting | Asked questions, hasn’t chosen | Check in after 2 days: any remaining questions? |
| Invoiced | You sent payment details or a link | Remind once after 24 hours |
| Paid | Money received | Confirm timeline and order contents |
| Closed | Received, happy | Ask for a review after 7–10 days |
| Repeat | Second order and beyond | First to get announcements |
| Issue | Complaint, return | Reply personally, never with a template |
Once a week open the “Invoiced” and “Consulting” filters: that’s where the money you forgot to collect is sitting.
Quick replies: 50 templates and the one-screen rule
Quick replies are triggered with / in the input field, you get up to 50, and a template can carry a photo or a file. A good template closes the question completely and fits on one phone screen without scrolling.
Which templates to create first:
- /prices: your 5–7 core items with prices and a link to the catalog. Update it together with your price list.
- /address: address, landmark, parking, map link: “410 Congress Ave, entrance from the courtyard next to the pharmacy. Free parking in front.”
- /payment: methods and details, plus “send a screenshot after paying and we’ll confirm within the hour.”
- /book: what you need for a booking: “To book you in, send a preferred date, time (we’re open 10–8) and the service from the catalog. Open slots this week: …”
- /review, /shipping, /warranty, /returns: one per recurring question.
Where a name or date goes in a template, leave an obvious marker like [date]: it’s visible and hard to forget.
The greeting message goes out on first contact and after 14 days of silence: “Hi! This is Ridge Coffee Roasters. We reply 8 am–10 pm, usually within 15 minutes. Menu and prices: /prices.” The away message runs outside working hours and must contain a reply time: “We’ll get back to you after 9 am” beats any amount of politeness.
Broadcasts without getting banned
A broadcast list in the app holds up to 256 recipients, and the message is only delivered to people who have saved your number in their contacts. Everyone else gets nothing. That’s anti-spam protection, not a bug.
Rules that keep the number alive:
- Ask for consent in writing. “Want new-collection announcements every two weeks? Reply ‘yes’ and save our number.” Record the “yes” with a label.
- No more than two broadcasts a month to the same list. Every block and “report spam” lowers your number’s quality rating; a streak of reports ends in a ban.
- Substance, not “we have a sale”. A useful broadcast reads like a message to a friend: “New batch of Ethiopian arabica lands Monday. First 20 orders get a free bag of ground coffee.”
When the app isn’t enough
- More than 80–100 new conversations a day. Labels and one phone with four linked devices stop holding the flow; you need queues and agent assignment.
- A team bigger than four or several shifts: the app doesn’t show who already answered.
- Automated flows: order confirmations from your online store, appointment reminders, shipping notifications. API only.
Response-time standards and templates shared across Instagram DMs, Telegram and WhatsApp are in customer service on social media. If most of your volume comes from Instagram, read the Instagram DM automation breakdown.
WhatsApp doesn’t bring customers on its own: people arrive from your Instagram bio, a Telegram post, a click-to-WhatsApp ad or a QR on the packaging. Setting up the app is half the job; the other half is regular posts carrying a wa.me link.
Repost21 doesn’t publish to WhatsApp; it’s a one-to-one channel. But the Instagram, Facebook, Threads and Telegram posts that send people into your WhatsApp can live in one content calendar with best-slot suggestions, and the Luna assistant can draft the same quick-reply texts from the price sheet in your brand knowledge base. Try it free.