WhatsApp for your business: the app, the platform and the rules

Customers like WhatsApp because it is quick and familiar, and many small businesses already use it from a personal phone. That works for a while, but it mixes personal and work chats, shows your personal number to every customer and leaves nothing behind when someone leaves the business. There are better options, and it helps to know how they differ.

The short version

• The WhatsApp Business app is for running conversations yourself from a phone, with tools such as greetings and away messages.¹
• The WhatsApp Business Platform is for connecting WhatsApp to your own software, and it has its own pricing.²
• You may only contact people on WhatsApp if they gave you their number or username and opted in.³
• Automated replies must come with a clear way to reach a real person.³

The two products

The app lets you greet people as soon as they start a conversation, and respond when you are away, which is a good start for most small businesses.¹

The platform has four message categories: marketing, utility, authentication and service. WhatsApp says it does not charge for service messages, or for utility messages sent in response to users.² Rates and rules vary and change, so check the pricing page for your country before you budget.

Whose number do customers see?

A normal WhatsApp conversation shows your phone number. If you use a personal number, every customer gets it, and sharing the link on your website publishes it too.

The most straightforward fix is to use a separate number for the business. A second SIM keeps customer chats away from your personal ones, and you can hand the number over if someone else takes on the work. That is our recommendation for most small businesses.

Usernames may change this in time. In June 2026, WhatsApp began letting people reserve usernames, a privacy feature that lets them hide their phone number from people not in their contact list. WhatsApp said the feature itself would launch later in the year.⁴ Check whether it has reached you and whether it works for your business before relying on it.

The rules on contacting people

WhatsApp’s Business Policy applies to business use, and its first requirement is clear. You may only contact people on WhatsApp if they have given you their mobile number or username, and you have received opt-in permission confirming they want to receive further messages or calls from you.³ You are responsible for deciding how you get that opt-in, and for complying with the law.³

UK law applies as well. The ICO says “electronic mail” has an intentionally broad meaning that includes new forms of messaging, so the rules on marketing messages are not limited to email.⁵ Our guide to UK email marketing rules explains who needs to give consent.

A sensible way to think about it:

• A customer messages you first, and you reply. This is normal customer service.
• You send them a job update they asked for. This is also normal.
• You send your whole contact list a special offer. This is marketing, and it is where the rules bite.

Automation needs a human exit

If you use automation on the platform, WhatsApp requires you to have prompt, clear and direct escalation paths available, such as transfer to a human agent.³ We would give the same advice even without that rule. Nothing loses a customer faster than a bot that will not let them speak to someone.

WhatsApp should not be your only record

A chat is a poor record of an enquiry. It lives on one phone, it is hard to search across customers, and it leaves with the person holding the handset. WhatsApp also cannot confirm that a tap on a “message us” button turned into a sent message, so a click is not a lead.

Our suggestions are:

1. Keep a web form as well. Some customers prefer not to share a phone number.
2. Record every real enquiry in one list, whichever channel it came from.
3. Do not ask for sensitive details over chat, such as card numbers.
4. Agree who answers. Shared responsibility often means nobody replies.

Which one is right for you?

• Sole trader or small team: Start with the Business app on its own number, and use greetings and away messages.
• Several people answering: Consider a shared system, as a single phone quickly becomes a bottleneck.
• You want enquiries in your own system, or automatic updates: You are looking at the Business Platform, which needs some technical work, and we would check the costs and rules for your business first.

Our lead generation software can bring WhatsApp enquiries into one list with your website and email leads, so nothing is lost when someone is busy. Whichever route you choose, replying quickly matters most.