WhatsApp handoff — when the chatbot passes the customer to your phone
Configure Voxinly's WhatsApp handoff so a customer ready to book can be talking to you on WhatsApp inside ten seconds. The single most-used feature in the platform.
British trade customers prefer WhatsApp. They book the local sparky over WhatsApp, they share photos of broken boilers over WhatsApp, they argue about quotes over WhatsApp. If you're a tradesman and you're not on WhatsApp for business, you're invisible to a chunk of your customer base. Voxinly's WhatsApp handoff means the chat widget can pass a ready-to-book customer straight to your WhatsApp, with all the context they've already shared baked into the opening message.
Step 1 — Add your number
Open /admin/chatbot → Handoff
Scroll to the 'Handoff' section. Find the 'WhatsApp number' field. Enter your business WhatsApp number in international format — +44 7xxx xxx xxx for UK mobiles.
Step 2 — Configure when handoff offers
Voxinly offers WhatsApp in three situations by default — you can toggle each independently:
- Always visible — a 'WhatsApp us' button in the chat header from the moment the widget opens
- On request — when the customer types 'can I speak to a person', 'phone me', 'WhatsApp', 'call me', etc.
- On hot-lead detection — when the customer's signals suggest they're ready to book (price discussed, postcode confirmed, time discussed)
Step 3 — Pre-fill the WhatsApp message
Set the opening message template
When a customer clicks the WhatsApp handoff, WhatsApp opens with a pre-filled message. The default is good — 'Hi, I'm chatting with your website assistant about [job]. My postcode is [postcode]. Can we continue here?' — but you can customise the template in the 'WhatsApp opening message' field.
Step 4 — Test the handoff
Open the widget on your phone
Don't test on desktop — test on your phone, because that's how 70% of trade customers will use it. Have a brief chat, click the WhatsApp button.
Check the opening message
WhatsApp should open to a new chat with your business number, pre-filled with the customer's context. Tap send. Confirm it arrives on your business WhatsApp inbox.
Step 5 — What you see on the other end
On your WhatsApp Business, the message arrives as a normal customer chat. You'll see their name (if they shared it), the postcode, the job type, and a summary of what Voxinly already discussed. You don't need to ask 'what's the job?' or 'where are you?' — Voxinly's already done the qualifying. You just pick up the close.
What WhatsApp handoff does for conversion
We measured handoff conversion across 200+ trade customers in our first six months. The pattern is consistent:
| Handoff option | Conversation → booking rate |
|---|---|
| Email only (no WhatsApp, no phone) | 8% |
| Email + phone number | 14% |
| Email + WhatsApp | 27% |
| Email + phone + WhatsApp | 31% |
WhatsApp is the single most impactful handoff option. Even if you already display a phone number, adding WhatsApp roughly doubles the booking rate from chats. The reason is friction: customers who'd hesitate to phone (it's 8pm, they don't want to wake the kids, they hate being on hold) will happily WhatsApp.
FAQ
Do I need a WhatsApp Business account or will my personal one work?
Either works technically. We strongly recommend Business — it's free, lets you set away messages and quick replies, and keeps personal life separate. Takes five minutes to set up.
What if I'm not on WhatsApp during business hours?
Set an auto-reply on your WhatsApp Business: 'Got your message — back to you within an hour.' Customers are forgiving of the wait if they know it's coming.
Will the WhatsApp button work on desktop?
Yes — it opens WhatsApp Web in a new tab. If the customer isn't logged in to WhatsApp Web, it shows a QR code prompt. On mobile it opens the WhatsApp app directly.
Can the chatbot reply on WhatsApp on my behalf?
Not yet. Voxinly's WhatsApp handoff is one-way — the customer is now talking to you, not the chatbot. WhatsApp two-way automation is on the roadmap.