With over 2 billion users, WhatsApp is an indispensable tool in the world of business. But instead of using your personal WhatsApp account for work-related communication, you can organize everything under one roof through the WhatsApp Business app.

Whether you run a local business, an online store, or offer a service, a WhatsApp Business account has many tools to help communicate with customers and increase your brand’s exposure. In many respects, it’s similar to having a Google Business profile.

In this article, we’ll explore how to switch a normal WhatsApp account to a WhatsApp Business one as well as the available tools you can use to further your business. Let’s dive in!

Step-By-Step: Convert a Whatsapp Account to a Whatsapp Business Account

Below we’ll go step-by-step on how to convert WhatsApp into Business WhatsApp without losing your contacts and chat history. Follow 

Create a Backup

It’s recommended to create a backup for your WhatsApp account before changing to a WhatsApp Business account. Without a backup, it’s possible your chat history could be deleted in the process.

To create a backup, simply open WhatsApp and tap on the More Settings icon in the upper right-hand corner.

From there, navigate to Settings > Chat > Chat backup > Back Up.

A backup will be created onto the Google Drive account linked to your WhatsApp account. In case your chat history doesn’t transfer over, you can easily restore everything using the Google Drive backup file that you’ve created.

Download the Whatsapp Business App

Now that your backup is ready, go ahead and download the WhatsApp Business app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.

Allowing Access and Transfering Accounts

When opening the WhatsApp Business app for the first time, be sure to agree and allow access when prompted. Your normal WhatsApp number will be detected automatically by the app, but there is also an option to use a different number.

Before or during transfer you may be asked to restore your backup. Tap Continue or Restore.

Create a Whatsapp Business Account

Once your account has completed transferring, you can now create a business account. Here you can fill out your business name, pick a business category, and put your business logo or image for your profile.

Build a Business Profile

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A WhatsApp Business profile is similar to a Google Business profile in the type of information you can share. You can add important details to your profile like:

• Days you are open.
• Working hours.
• Description of your business or service.
• Business address and location.
• Business email address.
• Website address.

Adding as much detail to your business profile will help customers learn what they need to know before sending you a message and will save you time in the long run.

WhatsApp Business Tools

There are several helpful tools you can use to effectively run your business in the WhatsApp Business app. To access these tools, tap the More Options icon in the upper right-hand corner on Android or Settings on iPhone, and then tap Business tools.

Messaging Tools

The highlight of WhatsApp Business is its messaging tools. You can create templates to auto-respond or quickly reply to chat messages. The three main messaging tools are:

• Automatic greeting messages: When customers message you for the first time they can be greeted with an automated greeting message that you created. These can be messages to keep the conversation going like “Hi, how may I help you?” or longer ones detailing the next steps.
• Auto-respond away messages: If customers send a message outside of working hours or while you are away from your phone you can let them know you will contact them soon through an automatic away message template.
• Quick replies: When running a business there are often many messages you will send or receive repeatedly. Quick replies are ready messages you can create for the messages you send most frequently.

Starting out and as your business grows, these messaging tools become increasingly handy in managing your day-to-day communications with customers.

Product or Service Catalog

You can create a catalog of the products or services you offer that can be viewed on your WhatsApp Business profile. Catalog listings can include images and other important details such as:

• Price.
• Description.
• Website link.
• SKU codes to help keep track of catalog items.

When chatting with customers, you can directly share catalog items just as you would share images, links, and locations from the clip icon. With a detailed catalog, you can save time by allowing customers to see what you offer without asking or quickly refer customers to catalog listings.

Short Link Tool

The short link tool allows you to easily share your WhatsApp Business profile with customers. If a customer taps on the link from a device with WhatsApp installed, it will automatically open a chat between you two.

If a customer opens the link from a web browser, it will direct them to your WhatsApp business profile and your default message if you enabled one.

Labels

To better organize your chats with customers you can use labels to sort them into categories such as “New customer” or “Order received.” Labels are a great way to better manage customers and reduce the possibility of missing orders or mistakes.

Key Takeaways

And that’s how you create a WhatsApp Business profile. When transferring to a WhatsApp Business account be sure to create a backup beforehand and keep an eye out for prompts to restore your backup chats.

With your new business profile you can easily: 

• Share your business details such as location, catalog, and working hours.
• Gain more exposure for your brand.
• Manage customer chats through auto messages and labels.
• Save time by using quick replies and adding as much detail to your profile and catalog to help customers learn what they need to know about your business.

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