Catalogue
A product list with prices, shareable inside a chat.
WhatsApp Business app
WhatsApp Business app: setup, features, and the records it does not keep
The app is free, and it is the right place to talk to customers. It is not a customer database — the record of what someone bought lives in the chat scroll. Here is how to set up the talking part, and the gap you still have to close.
Set up the basics
- 1
Install and register
Get WhatsApp Business from the official app store, then register your business number with the SMS code.
- 2
Fill in the business profile
Name, category, address, hours, and a website or catalogue link. This is what customers see before the first message.
- 3
Turn on the daily features
Catalogue for products, quick replies for repeated questions, labels to sort chats, and an away message for closing hours.
What the app does well
Quick replies
Save common answers and send them with a shortcut.
Labels
Mark chats as new, paid, or needs follow-up.
Automated messages
Greeting and away messages run without you typing.
What it does not keep
The app stores conversations, not records. You cannot ask "who bought this product last month" and get a list. Search works on the text inside chats, one at a time. If the phone is lost or the number changes, history depends on a backup.
- No customer table: name, product, and date are not stored as data.
- No cross-chat filtering: you cannot collect every buyer of one product.
- Chat export is one conversation as text, not a file you can analyse.
How to close the gap
Keep the record outside the app. A WhatsApp form collects the details before the chat starts and stores them as a record you can search later — no API, no bots.
WhatsApp forms plus customer records. Free to start.
Common questions
Is the WhatsApp Business app free?
Yes. The app is free from Meta for small businesses. Charges apply when you use the WhatsApp Business API and template messages, which is not how cntct.us works.
Can I use the same number for WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business?
Not on two phones at once. You can migrate the number to WhatsApp Business, or use a second number for the business. Pick one and keep it so customers are not confused.
Does the app keep customer records?
It keeps chat history, not structured records. You cannot filter "everyone who bought product X" or see order totals without opening chats one by one.
Can I export chats?
Yes, one conversation at a time, as a text file. That is useful for an archive but not a database you can search or total.
So how do I keep customer records?
Use a form that writes the details to a database outside WhatsApp, or a spreadsheet if you will retype them. What matters is that the record survives a lost account or phone.