Website chat · WhatsApp
Website chat, answered in WhatsApp.
Someone types in the chat box on your website. It arrives in your WhatsApp like any other message. You reply there, and they see your answer on your website within seconds.
How it works
- Put one line at the bottom of your website. It goes in the same place on Wix, Squarespace, WordPress, Shopify and almost everything else.
- Choose WhatsApp for where enquiries land, and confirm it from the phone you want them on. We take the number from WhatsApp itself, so it cannot be mistyped.
- An enquiry arrives with who it is, how to reach them and the page they were on. Swipe to reply, type your answer and send.
- Your answer appears in the chat box on your website. If they have already left, it is emailed to them a couple of minutes later.
Why not just a WhatsApp button?
A WhatsApp button opens WhatsApp on your visitor’s phone or computer. They leave your website, they need WhatsApp, and WhatsApp usually shows you their phone number. Plenty of people are happy with that. Some are not, and you never hear from them.
With ChatRelay the visitor types in the chat box and stays on your website. Nobody needs WhatsApp but you. We compare the two most popular buttons in detail: Joinchat and Elfsight.
Worth knowing before you start
- Enquiries reach you from our WhatsApp number, not yours, so your own WhatsApp carries on exactly as it does now.
- Your customer is not given a WhatsApp chat with your business. They message you on your website, and it reaches you on WhatsApp. Meta’s rules make the other way round a different product.
- It carries text. A photo sent on its own is not passed on, so if you need to see something, ask them to email it.
- WhatsApp needs a card to switch on, even in the free trial, and costs nothing until the two weeks are up.
What it costs
£29 a month for one location, and £9 a month on top for WhatsApp. Sign up by 31 January 2027 and WhatsApp is £1 a month for your first three months. Pay yearly and two months are free.
Your contact form and your email inbox come too, at no extra cost, and every conversation is included: we do not count them or cap them.
Questions
Does my customer need WhatsApp?
No. They type in the chat box on your website, in any browser. Only you need WhatsApp.
Can more than one person answer on WhatsApp?
Yes, on Rota, at £79 a month. Each enquiry goes to the first person straight away, then down your list until somebody answers. Relay, at £29, reaches one place.
What happens out of hours?
Your chat box says when you are back and takes their details. You still hear about the enquiry straight away, so you can answer early if you want to.
Will it slow my website down?
No. It waits until your page has loaded, and it weighs less than a small photo.