WhatsApp ordering for dealers and retailers
Dealers, and shops if you allow it, order by writing to your WhatsApp number. They pick from lists or send "code x quantity" lines, see the basket with schemes and credit, and confirm. The order is placed as from the dealer portal, and the same chat gives status, the statement and help.
PLANSScale only
Tested with simulated WhatsApp messages in Meta's format (13 tests pass); not yet tried on a live number.
The problem it solves
- Dealers send a photo of a notebook page on WhatsApp, and someone at the office retypes it.
- An order typed from a chat misses the scheme the dealer expected, and the claim comes back later.
- Dealers call three times to ask whether their order has left the depot.
How it works
- Under Settings > Distribution > WhatsApp Ordering, switch on Orders on WhatsApp and choose the number. Use your own WhatsApp Business number, or the SmartMy shared number with your keyword.
- Select dealers or shops and use Action > Invite to Order on WhatsApp. They get the number and a click-to-chat link.
- A dealer writes Hi. SmartMy knows it by the mobile number on its contact and answers with the menu: Order, Order again, Order status, Statement, Help.
- Order goes through categories and items to the quantity. Or the dealer sends lines such as SH-101 x 12, one item per line.
- Review shows prices, what the schemes give, the total before tax and a warning when credit is short. Confirm places the order with the portal's credit check and approval.
- Confirmed, held and dispatched messages follow through the usual notifications. Your office reads every chat under Orders > WhatsApp Chats.
Everything it does
Ordering in the chat
- Buttons (up to 3) and lists (up to 10 rows); numbered lines on phones without them
- Items 8 to a list with More and Back, or type part of a name or code
- "2 cases" counts whole packs; a quantity below the minimum or in part packs is refused with the reason
- Code lines with x, *, : or a space; barcodes work; unknown codes are listed
- Order again: the last order's items without free goods, to Confirm or Change
Status, statement and help
- Order status: the last 5 orders and where each is
- Statement: owed, overdue, credit limit and credit left; with online payment, the 3 oldest unpaid bills with Pay Now
- Help: a SmartMy Desk ticket when Desk is installed, else your help line
Shops
- Who may order: Dealers (to start with), Retailers, or both
- A shop orders at its retailer price list with retailer schemes, as a retailer order its dealer confirms
- Shops have no Statement: the dealer keeps their account
The two numbers
- Your own number: a WhatsApp Business account on Meta's Cloud API, billed to you by Meta
- SmartMy shared number: a first message needs your keyword ("Hi SHREE") unless you wrote to that person in the last 30 days
- On the shared number each answer takes WhatsApp credit. An order by code lines takes about 2 answers; through the lists, about 3 plus 3 per item
Office and housekeeping
- WhatsApp Chats: who wrote, the basket, every message and the orders placed
- Dealer orders show Came From: WhatsApp
- Unknown numbers are told once a day how to get added; messages are kept 365 days
Who uses it
DealerOrders, orders again, checks status and the statement, pays bills and asks for help on WhatsApp.
Area managerReads the chats and the orders that came from WhatsApp.
Distribution AdministratorSets the number, who may order and the help line, and invites dealers and shops.
Where you use it
- WhatsApp: your own business number or the SmartMy shared number
- Web: Orders > WhatsApp Chats, and Settings > Distribution > WhatsApp Ordering
- Not read: photos of a written list are kept in the chat, not turned into an order
What you control
Settings
- Orders on WhatsApp: off to start with
- Number that takes orders, Who may order (Dealers), Help line
- Number given to dealers and Keyword, which make the Click-to-Chat Link
- Per item: Internal Reference (the code dealers type) and pack fields
Approvals
- Dealer order credit: an order over the credit available or with overdue bills waits for approval, as from the portal
Notifications
- WhatsApp Ordering Invite: to the dealers or shops you invite; WhatsApp, else SMS, else email
- Dealer Order Confirmed, Waiting for Approval and Dispatched: to the dealer; WhatsApp, else SMS, else email, plus in-app
Works with
SmartMy DeskHelp raises a ticket, and one number can take orders and tickets.
SmartMy HRMSOne number can take orders and job applications; other numbers go to the job application chat.
Questions
Do dealers need an app or a login?
No. They write to your number from the mobile saved on their contact.Our own number or yours?
Both are built. Your own number needs a Meta Cloud API account, billed by Meta. Our shared number needs only a keyword, and its answers use WhatsApp credit.Can a dealer send a photo of his list?
The photo is kept in the chat for your team, but it is not read into an order.Has it been tried on real WhatsApp?
Not yet. It passes tests with simulated WhatsApp messages in Meta's format. Going live needs the Meta set-up and an approved invite template.Related features
DEALERSDealer portal: catalogue, ordering and deliveryEach dealer gets its own web pages. They show a catalogue at its own prices and the credit it has left. They also show every order with its status, deliveries, proof and invoices. It opens on any phone or computer, in the dealer's language.DEALERSSchemes live in the dealer's basketAs a dealer types quantities on the portal's New Order page, the basket shows the free goods and discounts it gets. It also shows how much more of an item reaches the next slab or free lot.DEALERSDealer orders with credit and overdue checksEvery dealer order is checked when it is confirmed: the dealer's status, its credit limit with open orders, and bills overdue past its credit days. An order that fails waits for an area or distribution manager and is confirmed by itself once approved.DEALERSDealer statement and online paymentDealers see their account on the portal for any period, with every bill, credit note and payment and a running balance. Each bill opens its own page to pay online, and invoices, credit notes and the statement download as PDF.LARGE NETWORKSRetailer ordering and retailer loyaltyShops order from the dealer who serves them on their own page, at the dealer group's retailer prices and with your retailer schemes. The dealer confirms and delivers, the delivery counts as the dealer's secondary sales, and shops earn points they turn into gifts.DEALERSAnnouncements, documents, targets and help tickets for dealersYour dealers read your announcements, open your price lists and circulars, follow their monthly targets and raise help tickets on their portal. You see who read each announcement.
See your market on it.
Tell us how many dealers and salesmen you have, and how orders and claims reach you today. We will set up your dealers, price lists and beats with you.