How to choose between a WhatsApp code and a phone number on your card

What each option does for the person holding the card

1. 1

   A phone number is universal but takes effort

   Anyone can read it, type it and call it, on any phone and in any country. It also demands typing, and people who find that tedious simply do not. It suits older customers, urgent jobs and people who want to speak to someone.

2. 2

   A WhatsApp code is one scan to a chat

   Scanning opens a conversation with your number, optionally with a message already written. There is no number to type. It works only for people who have WhatsApp, and in some countries that is nearly everyone while in others it is a minority.

3. 3

   Both together covers the gap

   A printed number for those who want to call and a code for those who want to message costs nothing extra on a card. Keep the code beside a short line telling people what it does.

Decide with three questions

1. 4

   Do your customers already use WhatsApp?

   If most of the people you serve message you on it today, a code removes a step. If they text or call, it adds an unfamiliar one. Look at how people contact you now rather than how you imagine they will.

2. 5

   Do you want enquiries to arrive as messages?

   Messages let you reply when it suits you and keep a record. Calls are faster to close and harder to ignore. Many trades want the call, and a message-first channel can mean slower responses than you intended.

3. 6

   Are you willing to share this number?

   A WhatsApp chat shows your number to the sender, and your profile name and photo may be visible depending on your privacy settings. If that is your personal mobile, think about whether you want strangers to have it. A separate number for business is the usual answer.

Setting up a WhatsApp code with VCardForever

The WhatsApp code is one of the nine code types. You enter the number with its country code, and can add a message that is pre-filled when the chat opens. The code you print points at a short address that we control, so you can change which number it opens later without reprinting. That makes it safe to start with one number and move to another. What it does not do is run WhatsApp for you. The chat happens in WhatsApp, the replies come from you in WhatsApp, and there is no inbox, auto-reply or message history inside VCardForever. If you want people to reach you without sharing a number at all, the contact form on your card sends their details by email instead.

1. 7

   Enter the number in full international form

   Country code first, with a plus sign. A number saved the way you dial it locally, with a leading zero, often does not open a chat. Test it with your own phone before printing.

2. 8

   Write a pre-filled message people will not delete

   Something short and specific, such as asking for a quote or a booking, tells you what the person wants as soon as the chat opens. An empty chat leaves them staring at a blank box.

3. 9

   Scan it from a phone that has never contacted you

   Your own phone will show your own chat history and hide problems. Use a friend's phone, or one with a clean WhatsApp, and check the right number and message appear.

When it goes wrong

1. 10

   The scan opens a browser page instead of WhatsApp

   The phone has no WhatsApp installed, or the code was opened from a desktop. The visitor needs the app. This is the clearest reason to keep a plain number on the card too.

2. 11

   The chat opens to the wrong number

   A digit was mistyped or the country code is missing. Correct it in the dashboard and the printed code follows, which is the point of a dynamic code.

3. 12

   Messages arrive from strangers you do not want

   Anyone can message a number once they have it. Move the code to a business number, or use the contact form so people write to an email address instead.