WhatsApp Integrating Business with your customer management system: here’s how it works

A customer sends you a text message about a quote whilst you’re out on a job. If the conversation stays on your phone, a colleague won’t be able to see what’s been discussed. Linking WhatsApp Business to your customer management system ensures that business conversations end up in a shared inbox and on the customer file.

This is different from simply adding a ‘WhatsApp’ button to your website. That button makes the first step easier for a visitor, but the conversation then continues via WhatsApp on your phone. If you want to manage WhatsApp customer contact with your team, you’ll need a linked WhatsApp Business number.

What’s the difference between a WhatsAppbutton and linking WhatsApp Business?

A ‘WhatsApp’ button acts as a redirect. Someone clicks on your website, opens WhatsApp on their own phone or in WhatsApp Web, and may see a pre-filled introductory message. This is handy for customers who prefer to message rather than fill in a form.

However, the messages sent afterwards do not automatically appear in your customer management system. They remain in WhatsApp, outside of Klantly. This means a colleague cannot take them over from the inbox, and the conversation does not appear on the customer profile.

When linked via the WhatsApp Business API, it works differently. Your business number is linked to Klantly. Incoming messages then end up in the same inbox alongside emails and website chat.

In short:

• An ‘WhatsApp’ button takes a visitor to WhatsApp, but does not save conversations in Klantly.
• A linked WhatsApp Business number routes messages to the shared inbox.
• With a linked number, the conversation is associated with the correct contact and appears in the communication log.
• Only on a linked number can automations respond to an incoming WhatsAppmessage.

When do ‘WhatsApp’ conversations appear on the customer card?

This happens when you integrate the WhatsApp Business API. When a message arrives, it is linked to an existing contact or a new contact is created. From that moment on, the entire conversation is associated with that customer.

On that customer card, you’ll see more than just the messages. Quotes, appointments, invoices, work orders and internal notes are also included. This prevents staff from having to search WhatsApp first and then check an email inbox or folder.

In the customer management portal, the customer card is the standard starting point. This means that whoever takes over a conversation can immediately see who they are talking to and what has already been agreed.

Please note the distinction: a WhatsAppconversation that you have outside Klantly on a private telephone will not automatically be recorded in the system. For a shared WhatsApp inbox, the business number must therefore be properly linked.

How does a shared WhatsApp inbox work for your team?

A shared inbox brings together emails, chats and linked WhatsAppmessages. This means you no longer need to ask whose phone a customer messaged. Staff with the correct permissions can view the same conversations and assign or tag them.

For example: a customer sends a message on Friday afternoon asking when their conservatory will be fitted. You’re out and about and don’t see the message until later. Your colleague in the office opens the conversation in the inbox, sees the customer file and the associated appointment. They can reply straight away without the customer having to provide their order number, address or details again.

If the customer then responds with a photo or a follow-up question, everything remains in the same timeline. When you pick up the conversation again on Monday, you can read back what has been said. This is particularly useful in the event of illness, holidays or when several people are in contact with the customer.

If you want to ensure customer information doesn’t get scattered, it also helps to create appointments and documents from within the same contact record. In the article on centrally managing customer data, you can read why this makes a difference when dealing with customers over the phone.

What can you do with a linked WhatsApp Business number?

A linked number is more than just a place to read messages. Because the conversation is stored in the same system as your customers and documents, you can deal with the customer’s enquiry more quickly.

For example, you can:

• assign a call to a colleague, so it’s clear who’s handling it;
• create a quote, appointment, task or note directly from the customer file with details already filled in;
• see which quote, appointment or invoice is linked to the contact;
• use an incoming message as a trigger for a task or notification;
• have the AI agent answer the call, if you have set it up to do so.

This last option requires clear guidelines. An AI agent can answer initial questions using knowledge about your business and hand the conversation over to the team if the answer is missing, the customer requests it, or the subject is sensitive. It is not a replacement for your sales representative or the person responsible for handling complaints.

When is it worth linking up WhatsApp Business?

Integration is particularly useful if customers frequently send messages via the app and you don’t want those conversations to be tied to a single phone or person. Think of a business owner who works on-site during the day, an office team following up on quotes, and technicians receiving enquiries about scheduling.

Do you only use WhatsApp as an easy-to-use contact button and handle all conversations yourself? In that case, a WhatsAppbutton may be sufficient. If you want to share WhatsApp conversations, keep the history with the customer and allow colleagues to take over messages, then a linked WhatsApp Business number is a better fit.

A linked number doesn’t automatically improve your customer contact. Your team still needs to pick up calls and carefully record appointments. But everyone works from the same call history, rather than from separate phones.

Would you like to find out, with no obligation, how Klantly WhatsApp can bring together customer management and other day-to-day processes for your business? Get started for free