Sales and WhatsApp CRM glossary

The 24 hours after a customer’s last WhatsApp message, during which a business can send free-form replies. After it closes, the business can only send approved template messages.

Read more: WhatsApp API pricing

Software that uses a large language model to reply to leads, answer questions from facts the business provides, qualify and score leads, and hand conversations to a person when needed.

Read more: What an AI sales assistant can do

A message sent automatically when a customer writes, such as a greeting or away message. Fixed auto replies say the same thing every time; AI replies answer the actual question.

Read more: Auto reply samples

One message sent to many people, each receiving it privately like a one-to-one chat. On the WhatsApp Business app a broadcast list holds up to 256 contacts; on the API, Meta’s messaging limit applies instead.

Read more: WhatsApp broadcast limit

A company approved by Meta to connect businesses to the WhatsApp Business Platform and usually provide software on top, such as a team inbox, broadcasts or a CRM.

Meta’s check of a company’s legal details using official documents. On the WhatsApp Business API it unlocks higher messaging limits and display name approval. It does not by itself add a badge.

Read more: Green tick verification

A Facebook or Instagram ad whose button opens a WhatsApp chat with the business. Replies to people who arrive this way are free for 7 days on the WhatsApp Business API.

Read more: Click-to-WhatsApp ads

A lead with little sign of buying soon: quiet for a long time, vague, or a poor fit. Cold leads get light, infrequent follow-up rather than daily calls.

Read more: Hot, warm and cold leads

The share of leads that become customers, or that move from one pipeline stage to the next, usually shown as a percentage.

Software that keeps every lead and customer, their conversations, the next step and the outcome in one place, so a team can follow up consistently.

Read more: Choosing a CRM

The planned timing of follow-ups after a lead’s first contact, for example same day, day 1, day 3, day 7 and then weekly, slowing down over time.

Read more: How often to follow up

WhatsApp’s verified business badge, now shown as a blue checkmark. It comes from an Official Business Account approval or a Meta Verified subscription.

Read more: Green tick verification

The moment an automated assistant passes a conversation to a person, for example when the lead asks for a human, wants to book, or the AI is unsure.

A lead showing clear buying signals now, such as asking about price, availability or booking. Hot leads should be called the same day.

Read more: Hot, warm and cold leads

A person or business that has shown interest in what you sell, for example by messaging, filling a form or calling, and has not bought yet.

A Facebook or Instagram ad that collects the person’s details in a short form inside the app. It brings more leads than click-to-chat ads, usually with lower intent.

Read more: Facebook lead ads to WhatsApp

The process of capturing leads from every source, assigning them, replying, qualifying, following up and recording the outcome until each lead buys or is closed.

Read more: What is lead management

Staying helpfully in touch with leads who are interested but not ready to buy, with useful messages and check-ins, until they are ready to decide.

Read more: Lead nurturing

Finding out whether a lead fits what you sell, usually by need, budget, location and timeline, before spending sales time on them.

Ranking leads by how likely they are to buy, from what they did and said, so the team calls the best ones first. Small teams often use Hot, Warm and Cold.

Read more: Lead scoring

Where a lead came from, such as WhatsApp, a click-to-WhatsApp ad, the website, a portal, a referral or a walk-in. Tracking it shows which channels bring buyers.

The number of different people a business can start conversations with in a rolling 24 hours on the WhatsApp Business API. It starts at 250 and rises automatically with good quality.

Read more: WhatsApp broadcast limit

A paid monthly Meta subscription that verifies a business and adds a badge, account protection and support on WhatsApp, Facebook or Instagram where available.

A person’s permission for a business to message them on WhatsApp. Meta requires it before a business starts a conversation.

Read more: WhatsApp opt-in

A person’s request to stop receiving messages, for example by replying STOP. Businesses must honour it promptly, including in automated follow-ups.

Meta’s green, yellow or red rating of a WhatsApp Business API number, based on how people react to its messages, such as blocks and reports. Low quality can reduce messaging limits.

Read more: Why numbers get banned

Sharing new leads among salespeople in turn, so each gets a fair share and every lead has an owner.

A view of how many leads drop off between stages, from first contact to sale. It uses the same stages as the pipeline but focuses on conversion numbers.

Read more: Sales pipeline stages

The stages a lead moves through from first contact to a sale, with every open lead in one stage and a dated next step.

Read more: Sales pipeline stages

A free-form WhatsApp reply a business sends within 24 hours of the customer’s last message. It does not need a template.

One inbox where several teammates handle chats from the same WhatsApp number, with chats assigned to people and a record of who replied.

Read more: WhatsApp for multiple users

How quickly a business first responds to a new lead. Replying within minutes rather than hours greatly improves the chance of a sale.

Read more: Speed to lead

A pre-approved WhatsApp message used to start a conversation or write after the 24-hour window. Templates are marketing, utility or authentication, and each category has its own price.

Read more: Template guidelines

A lead who is interested but not ready to buy yet, for example comparing options or waiting on a decision. Warm leads need regular, useful follow-up.

Read more: Hot, warm and cold leads

Meta’s official way for businesses to use WhatsApp through software: team inboxes, automation, AI replies and integrations, with per-message charges for templates.

Read more: App vs API

A CRM connected to a business’s WhatsApp number that keeps every chat with the lead record and helps the team reply, follow up and track outcomes.

Read more: What is a WhatsApp CRM