Before You Start

  • Your WhatsApp number is connected to EasyBiz. Customer chats only reach the Inbox once it is.
  • You know your way around the Inbox. This article uses the You, New and All tabs explained in Find Your Way Around the Inbox.
  • If you used the old Managing Conversations Inbox article: starting new chats, the 24-hour rule and templates now have their own article, Start a New Chat and the 24-Hour Rule.

Overview

When a customer messages you for the first time, the chat waits in the New tab until someone on your team picks it up. The person who sends the first reply takes the chat, and it moves to their own list. From the reply box, you can type a message and also send photos, documents, saved replies and the customer's order documents. Every reply goes out from the same WhatsApp number the customer messaged, so customers always hear back from the shop they contacted. The rest of your team can see who is handling each chat, so two people don't answer the same customer.

Why pick up chats this way

  • No customer is left waiting. The number beside the New tab shows how many chats nobody has picked up yet.
  • No double answers. Once you reply, the chat is yours, and your teammates see it is being handled.
  • Less typing. An invoice, receipt, order photos or a PayNow QR for the exact amount owed goes out in a few clicks.

If chats are left in the New tab, nobody is responsible for them, and customers wait until someone notices.

Pick up a chat

  1. In the Inbox, click New.

The Inbox with the New tab highlighted and new customer chats listed

  1. Select the chat you want to answer.
  2. Type your reply in the text box and press Enter, or click the send button.

Sending your first message assigns the chat to you, and it moves to your You tab.

Take a chat before you reply

Use this only if you need time before answering, for example to check an order first. It lets your teammates know you are on it.

  1. Open the chat.
  2. Click the ⋮ menu at the top right of the chat.
  3. Click Assign to me.

The ⋮ menu of an open chat with Assign to me highlighted

Reply to a teammate's chat

If a teammate is already handling a chat and you reply to it, you are added to the chat too, alongside your teammate.

Which number your reply goes out from

Your reply always goes out from the WhatsApp number the customer messaged. If your business has more than one WhatsApp number, the reply box shows Replying from with the number your reply goes out from, so you can check before you send. See Connect Multiple WhatsApp Numbers.

Send messages and files

Type your message and press Enter to send it. The buttons below the text box let you add more:

  • Emoji: add an emoji to your message.
  • Media gallery: send photos or videos saved in your Media Center.
  • Upload media: send photos or videos from your computer.
  • Upload document: send a PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint or text file.
  • Template: send an approved WhatsApp message. Templates are explained in Start a New Chat and the 24-Hour Rule.
  • Mini-apps (the tap icon): send a Mini App form, such as a pickup booking. This button shows only when your business has a Mini App. See Sending Your Mini Apps to Customers.
  • +: send one of the customer's order documents.

The row of buttons below the reply box highlighted

You can also drag a file from your computer and drop it into the chat to send it.

Photos and files in a chat are kept for 180 days. After that, the chat shows "This file is no longer available" in their place.

Send an order document

  1. Click + below the text box.
  2. Click Order PayNow QR, Order invoice, Order receipt or Order photos.

The + menu with Order PayNow QR highlighted, above Order invoice, Order receipt and Order photos

  1. Choose one of this customer's orders from the list.
  2. Check the preview, then send it.
Option What the customer gets
Order PayNow QR A PayNow QR code for the amount still owed on the order, which they scan in their banking app.
Order invoice The order's invoice.
Order receipt The order's receipt.
Order photos Photos saved on the order, such as items at drop-off. If the order has none, the panel shows "No photos available".

Quick replies

Quick replies are messages your team has saved for questions you answer every day, such as your opening hours.

  1. Type / in the text box.
  2. Keep typing part of its name to filter the list, then click the quick reply you want.
  3. If the quick reply needs an order, choose the order. Check the message, then send it.

The text box with / typed and the quick replies list open above it, outlined in red, showing Opening Hours, Price List, Express Same-Day Service, Thank You and Our Services

Quick replies work only while the customer has messaged you in the last 24 hours. To create or change them, see Setting Up Quick Reply Templates.

Suggested replies

If your business has turned on suggested replies, a draft answer appears in grey in the text box, and you press Tab to use it before you send. See Use Suggested Replies in Your Inbox.

Example: sending a PayNow QR

At CleanFast Laundry's Tampines shop, a customer, Mrs Tan, messages on WhatsApp: "Hi, my curtains are ready? How much do I pay?" Her order has a total of $48.00, and she paid a $20.00 deposit at drop-off.

Line Amount
Curtain cleaning, 2 panels $48.00
Deposit paid at drop-off −$20.00
Still owed $28.00
  1. Wei Ming, the counter staff, clicks New and selects Mrs Tan's chat.
  2. He types "Hi Mrs Tan, yes, your curtains are ready for collection. Here is the QR for the balance." and sends it. The chat moves to his You tab, so his teammates know he is handling it.
  3. He clicks +, then Order PayNow QR, and picks her curtain order.
  4. The preview shows a PayNow QR for $28.00. He sends it.
Picking up a new chat: opening it from the New tab, clicking the ⋮ menu, then Assign to me, and the chat moving to the You tab

Mrs Tan receives the QR in WhatsApp, scans it in her banking app and pays $28.00.

FAQs

What happens if two staff reply to the same chat at once?

While a teammate is typing in a chat, you see "[their name] is typing" above the reply box, so you can leave it to them. If you both send anyway, the customer gets both messages, and you are both added to the chat.

Why can't I type in a chat?

The customer last messaged you more than 24 hours ago. WhatsApp then allows only an approved template until the customer replies, so the text box is locked and only the Template button works. See Start a New Chat and the 24-Hour Rule.

Why does a photo in an old chat say "This file is no longer available"?

Photos and files in chats are kept for 180 days. After that, they are removed and this message shows in their place. If the customer needs the file again, send it again.

Can I send an invoice from a different customer's order?

No. The order list after + looks up orders by this customer's WhatsApp number, so you pick from their own orders.

Does the PayNow QR change if the customer pays part of the bill?

Yes. The QR is made for the amount still owed on the order when you send it. If the customer pays part of it at the counter, send a new QR for the rest.

What's Next

You can now pick up a customer chat and reply with messages, files, quick replies and order documents. Next, learn how to message a customer first and what to do when a chat is outside the 24-hour window, in Start a New Chat and the 24-Hour Rule.