Click-to-chat links and QR codes
Both do the same job: open a chat with your number, with a message already typed, so the customer only has to press send.
They are the cheapest way to fill your inbox. A message a customer sends you costs a small flat rate — a fraction of what a template costs — and it opens a 24-hour window you can then answer in for nothing. The opposite of a broadcast, where you pay the full rate to start every single conversation.
Which to use where
| Best for | |
|---|---|
| Link | Anywhere someone is already on a screen: your website, Instagram bio, email signature, an ad, a WhatsApp status |
| QR code | Anywhere physical: packaging, receipts, a shop counter, a table tent, a flyer, a van |
Same destination, different medium.
Create a link
- Open Links and click to add one.
- Pick the WhatsApp number it should open.
- Give it a name — internal only, so you can tell your links apart later.
- Write the pre-filled message — what appears in the customer's box, ready to send.
- Save. You get a short link to use anywhere.
Create a QR code
- Open QR codes.
- Pick the number and the pre-filled message, exactly as above.
- Generate, then download the image for print or screen.
Writing the pre-filled message
This is the whole craft, and it takes one line.
The message should be from the customer's point of view, because it is their message. It should say what they want, so your reply can be useful immediately.
| Good | Weak |
|---|---|
Hi, I'd like to book a table | Hello |
I'd like to know about the Diwali offer | Hi, I saw your ad |
Order #____ — I have a question | (blank) |
One link per place
Make a separate link for your website, your Instagram bio and each campaign, each with a slightly different pre-filled message. When conversations arrive you can tell at a glance where they came from — no analytics required.
Making QR codes work in print
- Print it large enough. Roughly 2cm square minimum on packaging; bigger on a poster people scan from a distance.
- Keep the quiet zone. White space all around it. Design elements crowding the edge break the scan.
- Tell people what they get. A bare QR gets ignored. "Scan to track your order" gets scanned.
- Test the actual print, not the screen. Scan the printed piece with an ordinary phone camera before ordering five thousand.
If something goes wrong
- The link opens WhatsApp but is not addressed to you. The number is not fully connected. Check Phone numbers.
- The pre-filled message does not appear. Some in-app browsers strip it. The chat still opens correctly, which is most of the value.
- The QR will not scan. Too small, printed at low resolution, or no quiet zone.
- Conversations come in but nobody answers. Set up working hours and an away message so people at least get an honest reply.