Turn Website Visitors into WhatsApp Contacts with WhatsApp Webchat [Jan 2024]

A WhatsApp webchat widget is a handy way to turn your website visitors into WhatsApp contacts. In this article, you’ll learn what WhatsApp webchat and omnichannel webchat widgets are. We’ll also discuss how WhatsApp integration with website can take your marketing, sales and support strategies to the next level. Plus, we’ll show you how to incorporate automation into your WhatsApp webchat with respond.io.

WhatsApp Webchat: Introduction

WhatsApp webchat encourages website visitors to start a WhatsApp chat with you. When clicked on, it takes customers to the mobile or desktop WhatsApp app where they can send the first message.

This is an image that illustrates the benefits of WhatsApp webchat. WhatsApp webchat turns your website traffic to WhatsApp contacts, lets you identify contacts with their phone numbers and names, and allows you to reconnect with customers after they’ve left the website - something not possible with live chat.

There are many reasons to adopt WhatsApp webchat. For a start, it turns website visitors who initiate WhatsApp webchat into WhatsApp contacts. This is particularly beneficial for companies with high website traffic.

Contacts are often anonymous on live chat. By contrast, WhatsApp webchat lets you identify contacts by their phone numbers and names. Now that you know the contact's identity, you can chat with them again by sending the first message or following up with a WhatsApp broadcast even after they've left the website.

Now that you’ve learned the benefits of WhatsApp webchat, let’s find out how to set up WhatsApp webchat on your website.

Set Up WhatsApp Integration with Website

The process for setting up a WhatsApp webchat is simple and can be done quickly by following these steps.

This is a screenshot of the Respond.io omnichannel webchat widget. It offers website visitors the option to contact your business through WhatsApp webchat or live chat. You can even add more Channels such as Facebook Messenger or Telegram to the widget.

To get started, navigate to Settings > Growth Widgets. Then, click Add Widget and choose WhatsApp Widget before clicking Create Widget.

After that, enter the website(s) where you want to add the chat widget and select the account you want to create a widget for.

This is a gif that shows how to select an account to create a widget.

You can add a pre-filled text or customize the widget’s appearance by clicking on the Advanced Settings buttons. Finally, click Generate Widget, copy the generated script and install it on your website.

If you want to connect with customers across multiple channels, an omnichannel widget can help. You can also opt to add a website chat widget to your website.

Now that you've successfully set up your WhatsApp web chat, we’ll show you how businesses can leverage it to maximize its potential next.

WhatsApp Integration with Website: Use Cases

In this section, we’ll discuss why WhatsApp webchat fares better than conventional live chat when it comes to marketing, sales and support.

WhatsApp Webchat for Marketing

Many companies use live chat to capture leads and collect their contact details manually. However, the drop-off rate is high because many contacts have privacy concerns. Others may inadvertently provide the wrong information.

This is an image of how to use Chat Widget for Website for marketing. It eliminates the need for manual data collection, helping you to capture more leads.

WhatsApp webchat eliminates the need for manual data collection, helping you to capture more leads for further WhatsApp marketing. Once leads initiate a WhatsApp webchat, you’ll get their phone numbers and names automatically. Next, we'll take a look at how your business can use WhatsApp webchat for sales.

WhatsApp Webchat for Sales

Using live chat for sales has its fair share of disadvantages. For instance, the anonymity of live chat makes it harder for salespeople to get accurate contact information they need to build rapport with the prospects. Plus, salespeople need to be constantly available to reply to live chat.

This is a picture about the benefits of using WhatsApp Web chat or whatsapp chat plugin for sales. WhatsApp webchat allows salespeople to identify prospects through their names and numbers.

By contrast, WhatsApp webchat allows salespeople to identify prospects through their names and registered numbers. This makes it easier to build a personal relationship with them. Furthermore, your sales team can reach out to prospects via WhatsApp anytime.

Once leads have been converted into customers, you can use respond.io's shared inbox to answer webchat inquiries for support.

WhatsApp Webchat for Support

On live chat, support agents often struggle to deliver personalized solutions without knowing the identity of contacts. Live chat also doesn’t allow agents to follow up on complex inquiries at a later time — contacts are gone for good once they leave the website.

This is an image about the benefits of using WhatsApp Chat Widget for Website for customer support. On WhatsApp webchat, you can easily identify your customers and tailor the solutions to their needs. With respond.io’s shared inbox, the support team can even track the conversations the contact had with the sales team prior to becoming a customer.

WhatsApp webchat lets you easily identify returning customers, tailor solutions to their needs and reopen conversations when resolutions are ready. With respond.io’s shared inbox, the support team can even track sales conversations prior to conversion.

We’ve looked at how WhatsApp webchat benefits different use cases. Now, let’s learn how to make the most out of WhatsApp webchat with respond.io’s chat automation.

Turn conversations into customers with respond.io's official WhatsApp API. ✨

Manage WhatsApp calls and chats in one place!

Book a Demo

How to Automate WhatsApp Webchat with Respond.io: 3 Quick Wins

Respond.io offers advanced chat automation that unlocks the full power of WhatsApp webchat. In this section, we’ll go over the different ways to create WhatsApp-related automation.

Answer FAQs on WhatsApp Webchat with Chat Automation

With chat automation, you can set up WhatsApp auto replies to commonly asked questions on WhatsApp webchat. This reduces agents’ workload and allows them to focus on important matters.

This is an image about how to set up automated respond for the WhatsApp Chat Plugin for Website. With chat automation, you can set up automated responses to commonly asked questions on WhatsApp webchat.

To set up automated responses to FAQs, simply create a WhatsApp multiple-choice menu.

Set Up an Away Message for WhatsApp Webchat

You may not be available 24/7 to attend to WhatsApp webchats, but you can create an Away Message to set the right expectations for customers. Contacts will receive an Away Message if they start a WhatsApp webchat conversation outside of business hours.

This is an image about how to set up an away message for WhatsApp Chat Button on Website. You may not be available 24/7 to attend to WhatsApp webchats, but you can create an Away Message to set the right expectations for your customers.

Ideally, the Away Message should include information like business hours and expected response times.

Route WhatsApp Webchat Contacts to the Right Team

On respond.io, you can create advanced Workflows that route contacts on WhatsApp webchat to the right team. Alternatively, you can use Shortcuts to escalate a WhatsApp webchat to another team or a manager.

No matter your use case, WhatsApp webchat and respond.io’s shared inbox can take your business to next level. To get started with WhatsApp webchat, try respond.io for free and get a WhatsApp account in minutes.

Turn conversations into customers with respond.io's official WhatsApp API. ✨

Manage WhatsApp calls and chats in one place!

Book a Demo