WhatsApp for a brand-new business: the day-one checklist that saves you from moving numbers later
The most expensive WhatsApp mistake is made on day one: using your personal number. Everything after that, the signboard, the Google profile, the customers' contacts, chains you to it. Here is the setup that takes an hour in week one and saves a migration in year two.
Quick answer
Get a dedicated business number before you print anything. Install the WhatsApp Business app on it, complete the profile fully, set a greeting and an away message, create the click-to-chat link, and put the number on Google Business Profile, your website and social profiles. Write your ten most common answers as quick replies. When messages exceed what you can answer within minutes, add an AI agent on that same number. Never automate a personal line.
The checklist
- A dedicated number. Prepaid SIM or eSIM, registered to the business. See business and personal on one phone.
- WhatsApp Business app on that number, not regular WhatsApp.
- Complete profile. Name matching your signboard, logo, category, description, hours, address with map pin, website. See profile optimisation.
- Greeting and away messages. Templates in greetings and after-hours.
- Click-to-chat link with a pre-filled message, and a QR code for print. See placing your number.
- Put the number everywhere: Google Business Profile, website, Instagram, Facebook, receipts, the door.
- Ten quick replies for the questions you already know you will get.
- Labels for five pipeline stages.
- Notifications on the phone that will actually be answered.
- A written price list and policy note, because you will need them for staff and for an agent.
When to add the agent
Not on day one, usually. Answer the first few hundred messages yourself; you learn what customers ask and how you want to sound. The moment to add an AI agent is when replies slip past a few minutes, evenings and weekends pile up, or you type the same answer for the tenth time that day. Because the number is already a dedicated business number on the Business app, the agent pairs in minutes and nothing customers know changes. The six-step guide takes it from there.
Mistakes that are painful to undo
- Personal number on the signboard.
- A business name on WhatsApp that differs from Google and the shop.
- No written prices, so every staff member quotes differently.
- Broadcasting to early customers without asking; the number's reputation starts on day one.
Frequently asked questions
Should a new business use WhatsApp Business or regular WhatsApp?
WhatsApp Business, on a dedicated business number, from day one.
Can I use my personal number to start?
You can, and you will regret it when it is on the signboard. Get a business number before printing anything.
When should a new business add an AI agent?
When replies slip past a few minutes or the same answers repeat daily, usually within the first few months.
What should I write down on day one?
Prices, policies and the ten common answers. Staff and the agent both need them.
Where should the number go?
Google Business Profile, website, social profiles, receipts and the door, as a click-to-chat link and a QR code.
Set it up once, never migrate
Business number today, agent when you need it, same number throughout. 7-day free trial.
Sources and further reading
- Google Business Profile Help, Chat with customers
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy · opt-in, opt-out and prohibited-use rules every business must follow
- ReplyKit, Will WhatsApp ban my number for automation? · how Meta's messaging limits and quality rating work
ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp. This article is general guidance for running a small business, not legal, financial or regulatory advice.