A plain WhatsApp button vs Wapadesk

Most websites use the same thing: a green button that opens WhatsApp with "Hello, I'm interested in..." pre-filled. It works, and it is free. This page is honest about what it does well and where it quietly loses enquiries.

What a plain button does

A click-to-chat link (wa.me/<number>) opens WhatsApp on the visitor's phone or desktop with a message ready to send. From that moment the conversation lives in WhatsApp: your team asks the same opening questions by hand, and nothing is recorded unless someone writes it down.

Where it loses enquiries

1. The visitor never presses send. They open WhatsApp, get distracted, and the enquiry is gone. You never knew it existed.
2. The first reply is always the same questions. Name, what they are interested in, when, have they had it before. Your team types them every time.
3. Nothing is tracked. You cannot see which page the enquiry came from, how many people clicked, or who was never answered.
4. Nobody owns the follow-up. A WhatsApp inbox is not a lead list. Enquiries from last week scroll out of view.

What changes with Wapadesk

• The button looks the same (standard WhatsApp icon and green), with a slow ring animation so it is noticed.
• A short chat asks the questions your team would ask anyway, one at a time, in your words.
• Every answer is saved as it is given. Someone who stops after their name and number is still a lead in your dashboard, marked "never sent".
• WhatsApp opens with everything already written, so your team replies instead of asking.
• Each lead has a stage (New, Contacted, Follow-up, Booked), a follow-up date and notes; new leads that wait too long trigger a reminder and an escalation.
• Visitors can also book an appointment inside the chat if you turn that on.

What stays the same

You still reply from the WhatsApp you already use. Wapadesk never reads or sends your messages; it only prepares the first one and keeps the record.

Cost

A plain button is free. Wapadesk is 89 GBP per website per year with nothing added, and the first 14 days are covered by a money-back guarantee. One recovered enquiry a year usually covers it.