WhatsApp Business is now almost every business’ very first option for messaging, ranked among the top 3 business apps on the App Store, and achieved over 100,000,000 downloads on Google Play. Even if you are not doing it, probably most of your competitors are already on board. With several uniquely designed functions, including the automation tab of WhatsApp, these smart tools can streamline communication, sales, and ultimately, automation for your daily operations which means less work for the same result.

Still, people might find a tiny flaw in this app – there is no built-in feature for you to schedule a WhatsApp message, except for basic quick replies or greeting and away messages under the automation tab. Imagine how much time and effort you could save if you could plan all your WhatsApp conversations with a WhatsApp message scheduler! Luckily, there is always more than one solution to a problem.

From simple tricks to advanced methods, SleekFlow has got them all. Shall we talk? 

First thing first, what is a WhatsApp Schedule Message?

You might think it is super straightforward. I am not wasting your time to tell you what it means literally. It is always more important to know what it can do and how you should unleash its potential.

The schedule function allows you to send a message at a selected date and time like a WhatsApp message scheduler. Instead of running the app every time you try to send a message, you can set options to automatically send out a text on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis.

The feature is not only capable of delivering a one-time message. Under the automation tab of WhatsApp, you can also create a message sent periodically, for example, birthday wishes, New Year greetings, and reminders.

Understanding what it can be done, let’s see how it should be done.

SKEDit – a WhatsApp Schedule Message solution for Android users

Using Android Automation, SKEDit lets you structure, schedule messages on WhatsApp, and plan up to 5 communication channels.

If you want to check, recheck, and triple-check the content, you can choose the option “Ask me before sending.” This way, you will receive a notification seeking approval to complete the action on the scheduled day. If you think it is pretty redundant, you can choose not to be asked when sending the message. Although it can make the delivery process faster and smoother, you first need to disable the phone’s screen lock and battery optimization. In other words, it can cause compromised privacy concerns, and thus, is not recommend.

Siri Shortcuts – a WhatsApp Schedule Message solution for Apple Users

Unlike Android, iOS sadly does not have any third-party apps available to schedule messages on WhatsApp. If an iPhone user wishes to plan a WhatsApp schedule message earlier, he or she can do this process through Siri Shortcuts.

A step-by-step tutorial for creating a WhatsApp Schedule Message through Siri Shortcuts:

1. Simply type in “Shortcuts” and download it on the App Store.

2. Tap “Automation” and “Create Personal Automation.”

3. On the next screen, click “Time of Day” and select the dates and times you would like to schedule WhatsApp messages.

4. Tap “Add Action,” and type in “Text” in the search bar.

5. Enter your message in the pop-up text field.

6. Click the “+ icon” below the text field and search for “WhatsApp” in the search bar.

7. Select “Send Message via WhatsApp,” and choose to whom you want to send the message to.

8. At the pre-set time, you will receive a notification.

9. Click the notification and hit “Send.”

(Source: TechWiser)

SleekFlow – the most convenient way to schedule WhatsApp messages for every business

If you are running a business, obviously, none of the above fits you because of their low efficiency. More platforms mean more coordination. If one app can do it, why double the amount of time and effort?

To better streamline your work process and maximize efficiency, you will need an all-in-one platform to take care of all the back-and-forth WhatsApp messaging each day.

SleekFlow, for example, is one of the top-rated social commerce solutions among businesses and the official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) assigned by Meta. You can schedule automated messages by choosing the preferred interval and time; fields of application include but are not limited to birthday greetings, booking reminders, or other creative marketing initiatives you can think of. In this case, even without a built-in automation tab of WhatsApp, you can send WhatsApp schedule messages effortlessly.

Instead of spending more time on repetitive operations, you can devote more energy to growing your business!

If the recipients do not get back to you within a certain amount of time, you can even schedule a follow-up message by setting up several conditions.

SleekFlow also allows you to send broadcast messages to customers under customized fields and segmentations in a single click. There will be a list of variables for you to tailor-make each message content.

You can choose to send the message instantly or select a future date and time.

Upon delivery, there will be some metrics such as “Sent,” “Delivered,” “Read,” and “Replied” for you to keep track of the performance of each message.

When the message is sent, there will be a single tick at the right corner.

The symbol will change to a double tick when the message is well delivered.

The double tick will become blue once the recipient has read the message.

Other statistics include response rate and open rate.

WhatsApp Business also offers many other features besides schedule messages and broadcast messages:

• WhatsApp catalog to showcase your up-to-date products and services

• WhatsApp chat labels to properly categorize the conversations with different customers

• Basic messaging statistics

• Include WhatsApp as a channel on the live chat of your website to continue conversations even after they leave the page

If you were to upgrade your WhatsApp Business account from the free app to the WhatsApp Business Platform, you can get more benefits and additional functions to boost sales:

• Multiple WhatsApp logins on phones and electronic devices

• WhatsApp Business green tick verification for a reliable profile (customers can see your business name even without saving your number)

• Interactive WhatsApp chat buttons for a higher reply rate

• In-chat payment link in the WhatsApp chat box

• Integration with major CRM platform such as Salesforce or HubSpot to display the customer profile and order history right next to the chat box

• Native Shopify integration for you to draft orders in WhatsApp chat

Further reading:

• WhatsApp Business: all you need to know

• A step-by-step guide to creating a free WhatsApp Business account

• The ultimate guide to WhatsApp Business API

• Automating WhatsApp for marketing and customer service: a WhatsApp chatbot guide for 2023