Customer conversations

Answering customers on WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger: replying fast, writing a first reply that moves things forward, the platform rules, complaints, follow-ups and when to pick up the phone.

The first reply is a race

An enquiry goes cold quickly, so a fast, short first reply is worth more than a slow, perfect one.

The first reply: acknowledge, answer, next step

A good first message shows you understood, answers what it can, and says what happens next, in words that can't be misread.

Platform rules: the 24-hour window, templates and opt-in

WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram decide when and how a business may message someone, and breaking the rules costs you reach.

Handling complaints and apologising well

How you handle a complaint, and especially how you apologise, measurably changes how the customer feels afterwards.

Following up without being a pest

People welcome a follow-up more than we expect; make each one useful, within the rules and easy to decline.

When to pick up the phone, and keeping one record

For anything emotional, complicated or high-stakes, a call works better than people expect; one record of the customer saves them repeating themselves.