WhatsApp, chatbots or forms: how should customers contact you?
Phone, WhatsApp, contact forms, chatbots: customers like different ways of getting in touch. Here are the pros and cons of each, and how to choose a simple mix that suits the way you work.
Most small businesses do best with a simple mix: phone and WhatsApp for quick questions, a short form for detailed requests, and a chatbot only if you get lots of repeat questions or out-of-hours enquiries. Whatever you choose, reply quickly and tell customers when they’ll hear back.
Every enquiry is a potential customer. But if someone calls while you’re up a ladder, or fills in a form that never reaches you, that customer may simply try the next business on the list. Choosing the right contact options is one of the cheapest ways to win more work.
Phone
Pros: personal, quick, and best for urgent jobs. Many customers still prefer to talk to a real person.
Cons: when you’re busy, calls get missed, and many people won’t leave a voicemail. Record a friendly voicemail message that says when you’ll call back, and make your number tap-to-call on your website.
Pros: familiar to almost everyone, works when it suits both of you, and customers can send photos of the job, which makes quoting much easier.
Cons: it can blur work and personal life, and customers may expect replies at all hours. The free WhatsApp Business app helps, with a separate business profile, automatic greeting and away messages, and saved quick replies.
Contact forms
Pros: you get the details you need in one go, customers can send them any time, and they work well for quote requests.
Cons: long forms put people off, and a form can feel like sending a message into the void. Keep it to the essentials (name, contact details, what they need), send an automatic confirmation, and say when you’ll reply.
Chatbots
Pros: a chatbot can answer common questions around the clock and capture enquiries while you sleep.
Cons: there are set-up and running costs, and a poor chatbot frustrates customers. A good one says clearly that it’s an AI assistant, sticks to what it knows, hands over to a real person when needed, and has limits on how much it can cost you each month. It’s worth considering if you answer the same questions every day. More on AI solutions & automation.
How to choose the right mix
Think about your customers and your working day:
- Out on jobs all day? WhatsApp plus a short form lets you reply when you’re free.
- Lots of detailed quote requests? A form that lets customers attach photos saves back-and-forth.
- The same questions every day, or many evening enquiries? A chatbot may earn its keep.
- Older or very local customers? Keep your phone number front and centre.
Whichever options you choose, reply as quickly as you can and set expectations, for example “We reply within one working day”. A fast, friendly reply on any channel beats a slow reply on the perfect one.
