Give approval via WhatsApp: quotes, approval forms and documents that actually come back

Every company that delivers something is waiting for approvals. The contractor for the go-ahead on additional work, the installer for the signed quote, the orthodontist for the consent to a treatment, the landlord for a resident's approval form. And almost always the delay is the same: the document goes by post or email, the recipient does not open it or puts it off, and after a week someone calls to chase it up.

That costs more than patience. Every day without approval is a day on which the schedule is not fixed, materials cannot be ordered and an employee spends time on a reminder email or a phone call. Construction company elk measured that it can be done differently: since residents can give their approval via WhatsApp, 70 per cent of the approval forms come in through that channel.

WhatsApp is more than text. Via the WhatsApp Cloud API, the platform CommuniQate runs on, you can send and receive in a conversation:

• Documents as PDF, Word, Excel or PowerPoint, up to 100 MB per file. So a quote, drawing, specification or contract simply goes along as an attachment.
• Photos and videos, for example a photo of the current situation, a sketch or a short explanation. Customers send them back just as easily.
• Reply buttons (up to three per message) with short texts such as Approve, Question or No thanks.
• A link button to a page outside WhatsApp, for example a signing page or a payment link.
• Forms that open in WhatsApp, with choices, text fields, a date and an upload. The customer fills them in without leaving the chat and the answers arrive in your dashboard.

That last one is the most important building block for approvals: a form records not only the answer, but also who gave it, when, and exactly what it related to.

Not every approval carries the same weight. Choose the form that matches what is at stake:

1. 1A button under a short summary. For small decisions: an additional work option of a few hundred euros, a changed delivery date, an extra visit. You send the essentials in three lines, with an Approve button and a Question button. The customer taps, you have your answer, and it sits in the conversation with a timestamp.
2. 2A form in WhatsApp. For quotes and approval forms where you want to record more: which option, the name of the signatory, a tick box for the terms, possibly a photo. You get a structured submission instead of a loose "ok".
3. 3A link to digital signing. For agreements where a signature is required by law or by contract, such as a rental contract or a financing agreement. A real signature via WhatsApp cannot be placed in the chat itself: WhatsApp delivers the link, the signing happens on the signing page.

For most companies the first two forms cover almost all approvals. The third is there for the exceptions, and it is precisely there that a reminder via WhatsApp makes sure the link actually gets opened.

In the Netherlands an agreement is in principle not bound to a specific form: an offer and an acceptance are enough, and that acceptance may also be in a chat message. A customer who replies to a concrete quote with "agreed", or taps the Approve button, accepts that offer. What counts next is the evidence: can you show later what exactly was offered, who accepted and when?

That is why three things matter:

• Make the offer concrete in the message itself. Not just "see attachment", but the essentials in the text: what, how much, at what price, valid until when. The approval then refers to something that is in the same conversation.
• Keep the conversation. On the Cloud API messages, button replies and form submissions stay with the contact, with a timestamp and phone number. If you connect CommuniQate to your CRM, the approval is also recorded there with the quote.
• Know the exceptions. For some agreements the law prescribes a written form or a signature. Use the third route for those: a signing link via WhatsApp.

In doubt about a specific contract? Put it to your legal adviser. This article describes practice, not legal advice.

A good approval request is short, concrete and easy to answer. These rules work:

• Start with what it is about. Project name, quote number or the address, so the customer immediately knows what it refers to.
• Put the essentials in the message, the detail in the attachment. Three lines of text plus the PDF, not the other way around.
• Mention the validity. "This price is valid until 30 September" is a reason to answer now, without pressure.
• Always offer a way out. A Question or Call button next to Approve takes away the barrier to responding.
• Confirm the approval immediately. A customer who gives approval wants to read within a minute that it has been recorded and what the next step is.

Three messages you can use straight away; the braces are the variables CommuniQate fills in:

Quote with approval button Hi {{first_name}}, here is the quote for {{description}} at {{address}}: {{amount}} including VAT, valid until {{date}}. The details are in the attachment. Shall we schedule it? [Approve] [I have a question]

Additional work or change Hi {{first_name}}, for {{project}} an option is available: {{option}} for {{amount}} extra. Would you like to include it? Let us know your choice below and we will schedule it. [Yes, include it] [No, leave as is]

Confirmation after approval Thank you {{first_name}}, your approval for {{description}} is recorded ({{date}}, {{time}}). Next step: we will schedule the work and let you know the date here. Anything come up in the meantime? This conversation stays open.

For Meta a quote or approval request is a service message, just like an appointment reminder. You can read what that means exactly (the utility category and the costs) in our article on appointment reminders. For approvals two things are extra important:

• The 24 hour window is your friend. If a customer replies to your message, you may freely send documents, photos, buttons and forms for 24 hours, without a template. So send the quote as a reply to the request or straight after the visit, while the conversation is still open.
• If you start the conversation, do it via an approved template with the PDF as header. A WhatsApp message template may have a document as header, variables in the text and buttons underneath. That way a quote also reaches a customer who has been quiet for a week.

Do not add a special offer for something else: then the template becomes marketing and your request less credible. And with a request by phone you briefly ask whether WhatsApp is okay and note that down; with a request via your website, QR code or chat link that is already arranged.

Asking for approval is one thing; knowing which ones are still outstanding is another. This is how you set that up:

• A label per stage. Quote sent, Question open, Approved, Scheduled. Everyone in the team inbox sees at a glance where a customer stands.
• An automatic reminder. No response after three working days? Then a short, friendly reminder goes out, with the same buttons. You can read which rhythm works after that in our article on following up quotes via WhatsApp.
• The approval in your CRM. If you connect WhatsApp Business to your CRM, the status of the quote changes as soon as the customer taps or submits the form. No retyping, no forgotten update.
• A fixed place for documents. What the customer sends back (a photo, a completed form, a signed document) is attached to the contact and can be found later.

That is how it works at elk: every resident has one continuous conversation, from the invitation by letter with a QR code to the last question after handover, and the housing consultant sees per project who still has to respond.

The direct effect is speed: an approval that used to take days or weeks now comes back within hours, because the customer sees the message as soon as it arrives and can answer with one tap. Behind that is the saving: no stamps and envelopes, no scans and prints, no rounds of calls to chase things up. At elk that was 80 per cent lower postage costs.

The least visible effect is perhaps the biggest. A customer who can give approval in a few taps experiences a company that makes it easy. At elk resident satisfaction rose by 45 per cent. That is why approvals and documents are, after appointment reminders, a logical second flow to set up.