WhatsApp shared inbox buyer's guide: 12 questions to ask before you sign
Twelve questions that separate WhatsApp shared inbox tools: numbers, groups, ownership, access, history, reporting and exit, with what a good answer looks like.
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- By WavesFlo team
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- Published
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- 3 min read
Feature lists make every WhatsApp shared inbox look the same. Twelve questions separate them, and most are answered by a vendor's help pages rather than its marketing page. Ask them in the demo, in this order, and write the answers down.
What should you ask?
| Question | Why it matters | A good answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1. How is a number connected? | A phone link and a Cloud API route behave differently on groups, history and the phone itself | A plain description, with what changes on the phone |
| 2. How many numbers, and how are they counted? | Some tools give each number a seat or a charge | A limit and a price at 10, 50 and 200 |
| 3. Are groups supported, and how? | Many tools do not mention them at all | What can be read, sent and managed in a group |
| 4. Who owns each chat? | Two people answering one customer is the commonest failure | Assignment by hand and by rule, with a live typing indicator |
| 5. Who can see which number? | Branches should not read each other's chats | Access per number and per role, enforced on the server |
| 6. What does history include? | Chats usually start at the link, not before | A stated start point and a retention setting |
| 7. What stops a number being flooded? | Restriction risk is per number | Daily and hourly ceilings, a cooldown per person, quiet hours |
| 8. What do messages cost? | Cloud API tools pass charges through | A rate per category, or a flat statement that messages are not metered |
| 9. What can I report on? | Counts should come from receipts, not estimates | Delivery, read and timing figures, exportable |
| 10. How does it connect to my CRM? | Native syncs vary widely | Named CRMs, what is logged and what is not |
| 11. What happens when someone leaves? | Their chats should stay with the business | Chats remain with notes and labels |
| 12. What is the exit? | You should be able to leave with your data | An export, and terms in writing |
What are the warning signs?
- A pricing page that lists users but not numbers, or numbers but not users.
- No mention of groups, when groups are part of your work.
- A price that is monthly in one place and yearly in another.
- No statement of where your data is processed.
- A trial that cannot be run on your own numbers.
How do you run the demo?
- Send the vendor your org chart and your number list before the call.
- Ask to see a number connected live, including what happens on the phone.
- Ask to see a group, and a customer who writes to two numbers.
- Ask for the total at your size, at twice your size and at half, in writing.
- Ask what leaves with you if you cancel.
How does WavesFlo answer them?
Taken through the twelve, WavesFlo's answers are short: each number links from its own phone, access is set per number and per role and enforced on the server, chats stay with the business when someone leaves, and sending limits are on by default. Put those answers to the test on two of your own numbers, starting with how the shared inbox handles many numbers.
Questions
What should I look for in a WhatsApp shared inbox?
How a number connects, how numbers and users are counted, whether groups are supported, who owns each chat, access per number, and what the price does as you grow.
How do I compare WhatsApp shared inbox pricing?
Count your people, numbers and monthly messages, and ask each vendor what its price scales with. Pricing models sets them out.
Should I run a trial on my own numbers?
Yes, where one is offered. Groups, history and a number going offline only show up on real numbers.
Can I move to a different tool later?
Contacts can usually be exported as CSV; chat history usually cannot move. The switching checklist covers it.