Guides · Sales

WhatsApp Business for Small Businesses: How to Set It Up and Use It Well

How UK small businesses and tradespeople can use the free WhatsApp Business app to answer enquiries faster, share quotes and photos, and win more work.

By Sachin Shah · 16 October 2026 · 6 min read

Quick answer: WhatsApp Business is a free app that gives you a business profile, automatic greeting and away messages, quick replies, labels to organise chats and a catalogue of your services. It's ideal for small businesses because many customers prefer messaging to calling. Add a WhatsApp button to your website and Google profile so people can reach you easily.

For a lot of customers, sending a WhatsApp is much easier than making a phone call. They can message you at 10pm, send a photo of the problem and get on with their evening. For you, it means enquiries you can answer between jobs.

The free WhatsApp Business app makes this easier to manage.

What WhatsApp Business gives you

Feature	What it does
Business profile	Your business name, description, address, hours and website
Greeting message	Automatically welcomes new customers who message you
Away message	Automatically replies when you’re busy or closed
Quick replies	Saved answers to common questions you can send in a tap
Labels	Tag chats as “New enquiry”, “Quoted”, “Booked” and so on
Catalogue	Show your services or products with photos and prices

How to set it up

1. Download WhatsApp Business from your app store.
2. Choose the number. Use your business number. If it’s currently on personal WhatsApp, the app can move it over.
3. Fill in your profile. Business name, category, description, address or service area, hours, email and website.
4. Add a profile photo. Your logo or a clear photo of you or your van.

Set up messages that work for you

Greeting message

Hi, thanks for getting in touch with Smith Plumbing. Please tell us what you need, your postcode, and send a photo if you can. We’ll reply as soon as we’re off the tools.

Asking for the postcode and a photo means you can often give a rough price without a visit.

Away message

Thanks for your message. We’re closed right now but will reply first thing tomorrow. For emergencies, call [number].

Quick replies

Save answers to the questions you get asked every day: areas you cover, your call-out charge, payment methods, your review link. In WhatsApp Business you type “/” to bring them up.

Use labels as a simple pipeline

Labels let you see at a glance where each enquiry is up to. Try:

• New enquiry
• Quote sent
• Follow up
• Booked
• Paid

Check your “Quote sent” and “Follow up” labels every few days. Our guide on how to follow up a quote has messages you can send.

Make it easy for customers to find you on WhatsApp

• Add a WhatsApp button to your website, especially on phones
• Add your WhatsApp number to your Google Business Profile
• Put it on your van, cards and quotes
• Mention it in your voicemail (see missed calls are costing you jobs)

A few good habits

• Reply quickly, even if it’s just “Got it, I’ll call you after 4pm”
• Keep it professional. It’s a business chat, even if it feels casual
• Send your review link by WhatsApp when the job is done
• Don’t spam. Only send offers to people who’ve asked for them

Want WhatsApp on your website?

Every website we build for tradespeople and local shops can include a WhatsApp button so customers can message you in one tap. Start with a free website check.

Sachin Shah, founder of SS Consultancy Group. Sachin started his career making cold calls and has spent more than ten years helping businesses grow their sales. He now builds websites and sales systems for small businesses in London and across the UK.