WhatsApp Business Setup for Small Businesses

If your customers already message you on WhatsApp, the free WhatsApp Business app can make that chat look professional and save you hours of typing. It adds a business profile, a catalogue, saved replies, labels and automatic greeting and away messages. This guide walks you through a 30-minute setup, with examples for Singapore cafes, home bakers, tutors and service businesses.

In our experience many customers would rather send a message than call, so a tidy WhatsApp setup is often the first thing worth fixing. We run our own business this way, so the examples below are the same habits we use every day.

WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business?

WhatsApp describes the Business app as a separate app, built for small businesses, with tools that the regular app does not have. The tools that matter most to a small business are:

A business profile with details such as address, email and website.
A catalogue to show products or services.
Quick replies for the questions you answer every day.
Labels to organise and find conversations.
Greeting and away messages.

WhatsApp lists WhatsApp Business as free to download, so you can try it without paying.

Step 1: Use a business number

Use a number that customers can save and trust. If you currently use your personal number for the business, think about getting a separate SIM or number so that your family chats and customer chats stay apart. Check WhatsApp's help pages for the current rules before you move a number between apps.

Step 2: Fill in the business profile

Your profile is the first thing a new customer sees. Add:

Business name. The name customers know, spelled the same as on your Instagram and Google profile.
Category. Pick the closest one, such as restaurant, beauty salon or education.
Description. One or two sentences: what you do, where, and when you reply.
Address or service area. Home-based businesses should think carefully before showing a home address. Describe the area you serve instead, such as "Island-wide delivery", if that is true.
Hours. Set realistic opening and reply hours, and update them for public holidays.
Website or Instagram link. Gives people more proof you are real.

Example description for a home baker: "Custom cakes and cookies, baked to order in the East. Order 5 days ahead. We reply between 10am and 8pm."

Step 3: Build a catalogue

WhatsApp's guidance describes the catalogue as a digital storefront where you can add items with a name, images, a description, a price and a product code or link. Services can go there too, not only products.

Tips:

Start with your top five items. You can add more later.
Use clear photos. A plain background and good light is enough. Do not use photos of people without their permission.
Put real prices. Even "from $45" saves a lot of back and forth.
Add the lead time in the description. For example, "Please order 3 days ahead."
Keep it current. Remove items that you no longer offer.

A tuition centre can list each class as an item, with the level, day and fee in the description. A cleaning service can list packages with what is included.

Step 4: Set up quick replies

WhatsApp says quick replies let you save pre-written answers to common questions. Make a list of the five questions you answer most often, then give each answer a short shortcut. Here are examples:

Shortcut	When to use it	Example text
/hello	First message	"Hi! Thanks for messaging [business]. What can we help you with today?"
/hours	Opening hours	"We are open Tue to Sun, 10am to 7pm. Closed on Mondays and public holidays."
/price	Price questions	"Our packages start from $[x]. Could you tell us what you need so we can quote properly?"
/order	How to order	"To order, send us: 1) item, 2) quantity, 3) date and time, 4) delivery or collection."
/payment	Payment details	"You can pay by PayNow to [name or UEN]. Please send a screenshot and your name."

Always read the text before sending. A quick reply saves time, but it should still sound like a person.

Step 5: Add greeting and away messages

A greeting message goes to new customers, and an away message goes out when you are not available. This is useful when you cannot reply at once. WhatsApp describes both as automated messages you can set up so customers are not left waiting in silence.

Greeting example: "Hi! Thanks for messaging [business]. Tell us what you need and we will reply as soon as we can."

Away example: "Thanks for your message! We are away until 9am tomorrow. We will reply first thing."

Do not promise a reply time you cannot keep.

Step 6: Use labels to stay organised

Labels let you tag chats and filter them later. A simple scheme works for most small businesses:

New enquiry
Quoted
Waiting for payment
Paid
Done

Once a day, scan the "Quoted" label and follow up on anyone who has not replied after two days. This one habit often recovers sales that would otherwise be forgotten.

Step 7: Put your WhatsApp link everywhere

Make it easy to start a chat. Add the link to your Instagram bio, Facebook page, Google Business Profile, website and printed menus or flyers. If you have the budget, a QR code on your counter or packaging also works. Our Instagram post ideas article has ideas for pinning a "how to order" post.

A weekly 10-minute routine

Clear the unread chats and tag each one with a label.
Follow up on every "Quoted" chat older than two days.
Update your catalogue if prices or stock changed.
Add one new quick reply for a question you answered by hand this week.

Things to check before you send promotions

Sending promotional messages to people who have not agreed to receive them may breach Singapore's data protection rules (the PDPA). This guide does not cover those rules, so read the official guidance from Singapore's Personal Data Protection Commission before you send any promotions. Do not copy customers' phone numbers into group broadcasts without their agreement.

Where this fits

A neat WhatsApp setup turns Instagram posts, Google searches and ads into actual orders, because it removes friction at the last step. If you want to see how a whole business can run through one chat, read how we work with clients without meetings. To decide where to put your marketing effort first, see social media, SEO or ads: where to spend first.

If you would like us to set up your business profile, catalogue and reply templates, or run your posts so more people start that chat, see our social media management plans. Everything is done on WhatsApp, with fixed prices.

Frequently asked questions

Is the WhatsApp Business app free?

WhatsApp describes the WhatsApp Business app as free to download. Check the app itself for any paid features offered later, because plans can change.

Can I use the same number for WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business?

You register one phone number per account. Many small businesses use a separate number for the business so that personal chats stay private. Check WhatsApp's help pages for the current rules on moving a number.

Do I need to follow any rules when I message customers?

Yes. Messaging people who have not agreed to hear from you may break Singapore's PDPA rules. This guide does not cover them, so read the official PDPC guidance before sending promotions.

Sources

Figures from third-party sources are as published at the time of writing and are not independently verified. Check current prices and rules before you decide.

Want us to handle this for you?

Starter, Growth and Pro plans from SGD 520 a month, fixed price, all by WhatsApp.

See Social media management

WhatsApp Business setup for a Singapore small business: a 30-minute guide