In Guyana, business happens on WhatsApp. Customers ask for prices, send their orders and confirm delivery there long before they’ll visit a website or pick up the phone. Yet many businesses still run their sales from a personal WhatsApp account, mixed in with family chats and church groups.
The free WhatsApp Business app fixes that. It’s built for exactly this, and most owners use only a fraction of what it can do. Here are seven features worth setting up this week.
1. A complete business profile
When a new customer taps your name, they should instantly see what you do and how to reach you. Fill in every field: business category, a one-line description, your address, opening hours, email and website. Use your logo as the profile picture, not a selfie. A complete profile tells a stranger you’re a real, established business before you’ve typed a word.
2. A catalogue of your products or services
The catalogue lets you add products with a photo, price and short description. Instead of typing the same answer twenty times a day, you send the item straight from the catalogue. Start with your ten best sellers. Clear photos on a plain background and a visible price will save you hours of back-and-forth.
3. Quick replies for the questions you answer every day
“How much?”, “Where are you located?”, “Do you deliver?” You probably answer these daily. Save each answer as a quick reply with a shortcut, like /price or /location. Type the shortcut and the full answer appears. Your replies get faster, more consistent and free of typos, even when a staff member is answering.
4. Greeting and away messages
A greeting message goes to anyone who messages you for the first time. Use it to thank them, say what you do and ask what they need. An away message goes out after hours, so nobody feels ignored at 10 pm. Something simple works: “Thanks for reaching us. We’re closed right now but we’ll reply first thing tomorrow from 8 am.”
5. Labels to keep track of every customer
Labels turn your chat list into a simple sales pipeline. Create labels such as New enquiry, Quote sent, Paid, Delivered and Follow up. At the end of each day, open Quote sent and follow up with anyone who went quiet. Many sales are lost simply because nobody followed up.
6. Broadcast lists (used carefully)
A broadcast list sends one message to many customers, but each person receives it privately, like a normal chat. It only reaches people who have saved your number, so ask happy customers to save it. Use broadcasts for genuinely useful news: new stock, a holiday schedule, a limited offer. Once or twice a week is plenty. Send every day and people will block you.
7. Status updates as a free shop window
Everyone who has your number can see your Status, and Guyanese people check Status constantly. Post a few times a week: a new product, a happy customer, a behind-the-scenes photo of an order being packed. It costs nothing and keeps you in front of people who already know you.
Bonus: make your number easy to find
Put your WhatsApp number everywhere customers look: your Facebook page, Instagram bio, receipts, delivery bags, business cards, vehicle and shop sign. A wa.me link (for example wa.me/5926218504) opens a chat with one tap, so use it online wherever you can.
Your 30-minute WhatsApp checklist
- Install WhatsApp Business and complete every profile field
- Add your top 10 products to the catalogue with prices
- Save 5 quick replies for your most common questions
- Turn on a greeting message and an away message
- Create 5 labels and tag today’s chats
- Post one Status update
Small changes like these make a one-person business look and feel like a well-run company. That’s what customers remember, and it’s what brings them back.
592 Solutions helps Guyanese businesses with digital marketing and branded print, from social media to corporate gifts. Questions? WhatsApp us at +592 621 8504.