Manage WhatsApp Business Enquiries as Leads in LeadCentre
LeadCentre works with WhatsApp in two directions. Connect your WhatsApp Business number and a message from someone new becomes a lead, with a push alert for your team, a status and follow-up reminders. And every lead, from any source, has a WhatsApp button that opens a chat with your own pre-written message, on every plan.
Built In: Built into LeadCentre, with no other tool needed.
- New WhatsApp enquiries join your Leads list beside forms, ads and emails, so each chat is tracked like any other lead.
- The WhatsApp button opens a chat with any lead, with your template and their name already written.
- You keep replying from the WhatsApp Business app you use now, on the same number.
What this does
Lots of customers would rather send a WhatsApp than fill in a form, and those chats are easy to lose among family messages and supplier groups. The WhatsApp Business connection reads incoming messages on your business number. When someone who isn't already a lead messages you, LeadCentre creates a lead with their WhatsApp name, their number and what they wrote.
The other direction works on every plan, with nothing to connect. The WhatsApp button on each lead opens WhatsApp on your phone with your template ready, such as "Hi {first_name}, this is {my_name} from {company}. Thanks for your enquiry about {service}." There are separate templates for during and outside business hours.
What to have ready
- A LeadCentre login with the Admin role.
- Your business number on the WhatsApp Business app, updated to the latest version, on the phone that holds it.
- A Facebook login, used to approve the connection with Meta.
What happens when a WhatsApp enquiry comes in?
Step 1
Someone messages your business number
From the chat link on your website, your Facebook Page, an ad or a number they saved.
Step 2
LeadCentre creates the lead
Their WhatsApp name, number and first message go into a new lead. Later messages from the same person stay with that lead.
Step 3
Your team gets the alert
A push notification goes to the people switched on for New lead alerts, not just whoever holds the WhatsApp phone.
Step 4
You reply on WhatsApp
Answer in the WhatsApp Business app as usual, or tap WhatsApp on the lead to open the chat with your template, then set the status.
Step 5
It's followed through
Set follow-ups, move the lead from New to Won or Lost and record the job value when you win it.
What you can do with WhatsApp leads
On every plan:
- The WhatsApp button. On every lead from any source, it opens a chat with your template filled in. It works whether or not you connect your WhatsApp Business number.
- WhatsApp enquiries as leads. With your number connected, each new WhatsApp enquiry becomes a lead.
- New lead alerts. A push notification for each new WhatsApp lead, sent to the people switched on for New lead alerts on the Team page. The alert goes to your team, and the customer only sees the replies you send on WhatsApp.
- Other contact buttons. Call, Text and Email on the same lead, for when a call is quicker.
- Statuses and follow-ups. New, Contacted, Quoted, Booked, Won and Lost, with follow-up reminders, assignment, folders and won values.
- Instant Replies. An automatic email to leads who also give an email address.
With the Respond add-on:
- Two-way SMS from a dedicated UK business number, for customers who'd rather text.
- Automatic SMS replies to new leads with a mobile number, and Lead Rescue follow-ups to leads still at New or Contacted who haven't replied. Lead Rescue stops once a lead moves on.
- AI that drafts or sends text replies from your Knowledge Base, once you switch it on.
Respond's messages are SMS from your LeadCentre Number, separate from your WhatsApp chats.
How to connect WhatsApp Business to LeadCentre
You need a LeadCentre login with the Admin role, the phone that holds your business number with the WhatsApp Business app on it, and a Facebook login to approve the connection with Meta. If your business number is on ordinary WhatsApp, move it to the WhatsApp Business app first.
The connection uses Meta's option for keeping the WhatsApp Business app on a number while another service reads its messages. Meta's guide lists what changes on the number: linked devices such as WhatsApp Web are unlinked, and broadcast lists and disappearing messages are switched off.
- 1
Update the WhatsApp Business app
On the phone that holds your business number, update the WhatsApp Business app to the latest version.
- 2
Start the connection
In the portal at dashboard.leadcentre.com, go to Settings > Connections and find WhatsApp Business. Start the connection and log in with Facebook when Meta asks.
- 3
Connect your existing number
Choose to connect the WhatsApp Business app you already use, enter your business number and follow the steps WhatsApp shows on your phone to confirm it.
- 4
Link your other devices again
If you use WhatsApp Web or WhatsApp on a computer, link it again from the WhatsApp Business app on your phone.
- 5
Send a test message
From a phone that isn't already one of your leads, send your business number a WhatsApp such as "Hi, I need a quote for a new fence". Check it appears in your Leads list with the sender's name, number and message, and that the alert reached the right phones.
- 6
Reply and tidy up
Reply from the WhatsApp Business app or with the WhatsApp button on the lead. Then archive the test lead.
What data comes through?
Each new lead takes what WhatsApp shares about the sender and their first message, and LeadCentre fills the fields for you.
The name is the one the sender set on their own WhatsApp profile, so it may be a first name or a nickname. WhatsApp includes the sender's number whenever it can be shared, as Meta's message guide explains.
| Field sent | Usually matched to |
|---|---|
| Sender's WhatsApp profile name | Full name |
| Sender's WhatsApp number | Mobile |
| Their first message | Enquiry / Message |
| Time the message was sent | Date received |
| WhatsApp's message ID, added for you | Unique ID (stops duplicates) |
| WhatsApp, added for you | Lead source |
Managing WhatsApp leads beyond your chat list
WhatsApp is a good place to talk to a customer and a hard place to keep track of jobs. Chats move down the screen as new ones arrive, an enquiry looks the same as a message from a supplier, and a colleague can't see what's waiting on your phone.
LeadCentre keeps the conversation in WhatsApp and adds what a chat list doesn't have:
- A status for each enquiry, so you can see who's been quoted and who's still New.
- Follow-up reminders, such as "check they got the fence quote" on Friday, with a push to the person the lead is assigned to.
- Alerts for the team, not just for the phone holding the WhatsApp number.
- One list for every source, so WhatsApp enquiries sit beside forms, ads, emails and calls.
- Won value, so the work WhatsApp brings in counts in your Home figures.
For a routine that keeps chats from going cold, see lead follow-up best practices.
For agencies managing client enquiries
Each client connects its own WhatsApp Business number in its own LeadCentre account, so its chats become leads only in that account. Connecting needs the phone that holds the client's number, so the quickest way is usually for an Agency Admin to open the client with Manage and talk the client through it on a call. If you've switched Connections off for a client's own people, set it up for them that way.
If you run click-to-WhatsApp ads for a client, those chats become leads like any other, ready to be counted in their won figures. New lead alerts go to the people chosen on the client's Team page, and agency staff see the leads when they open the client. An Agency Admin can reach every client, and an Agency User only those assigned to them. More on agency accounts.
Pricing and requirements
What you need for this connection. Prices for each plan and the Respond add-on are on the pricing page.
- LeadCentre plan
Any plan. The WhatsApp button on every lead and the WhatsApp Business connection are both included.
- WhatsApp Business account
Your business number on the WhatsApp Business app, kept up to date, and a Facebook login to approve the connection. Messages you send from the WhatsApp Business app stay free, as Meta explains.
- Admin role
An Admin on the account, or agency staff for a client account, makes the connection.
- Respond add-on
Optional. Adds two-way SMS, automatic SMS replies and Lead Rescue from a dedicated UK business number. See Respond.
- Messaging usage
WhatsApp replies you send from your phone use no LeadCentre allowance. Respond's texts count towards its monthly allowances. When one runs out, the account is told and can buy credits for extra usage. Incoming enquiries are still saved.
Common problems
A WhatsApp message didn't become a lead
Check the WhatsApp Business card in Settings > Connections shows your number as connected. Leads come from one-to-one chats with your business number, and a message from someone who's already a lead stays with their existing lead.
WhatsApp Web logged out after connecting
Connecting unlinks your other devices, as Meta's guide explains. Link WhatsApp Web or desktop again from the WhatsApp Business app on your phone.
The WhatsApp button doesn't show on a lead
It shows when the lead has a usable phone number. Add the number in international format, such as +44 7700 900123, and the button appears.
My reply went from my personal WhatsApp
The WhatsApp button opens WhatsApp on the phone you're using, so the message comes from the account on that phone. To reply as the business, use the phone with your business number, or reply from the WhatsApp Business app directly.
The lead's name is a nickname
The name comes from the sender's own WhatsApp profile. Ask for their full name in the chat and update the lead in the portal.
Questions about this connection
Can I use WhatsApp with LeadCentre without connecting anything?
Yes. The WhatsApp button on every lead opens a chat with your pre-written message, on every plan. Connecting your WhatsApp Business number adds the other direction, so new WhatsApp enquiries become leads.
Can I keep using the WhatsApp Business app?
Yes. Your number stays on the WhatsApp Business app and you keep chatting there. Meta's guide lists the few things that change on the number, such as linked devices needing to be linked again.
Does every WhatsApp message create a lead?
A lead is created when someone who isn't already a lead messages you. Later messages from the same person stay with that lead, so a long chat is still one lead.
Who sees new WhatsApp enquiries?
Everyone on the account sees the lead in the app and the portal, within their role: a User sees leads assigned to them plus unassigned ones. The push goes to the people switched on for New lead alerts on the Team page.
Is this a WhatsApp Business CRM?
LeadCentre is lead management software rather than a full CRM. For WhatsApp Business leads, it adds what a chat list lacks: alerts for the team, statuses, follow-up reminders and won values. See lead management software vs CRM.
Connect your lead sources
Set up your LeadCentre account and connect this source, and your next enquiry can arrive on your phone.