WhatsApp Lead Qualification That Updates Your CRM
Lead qualification on WhatsApp means asking the questions your sales team would ask, such as what the lead needs, how much, by when and on what budget, and recording the answers before a salesperson picks up. AeroChat asks them in the chat, writes the answers to HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, Close or LeadSquared, and passes qualified leads to the right person.
What happens today
Every enquiry gets the same treatment. A salesperson replies, asks the same five questions, and finds out halfway through that the budget is far off or the project is next year.
Good leads wait behind ones that were never going to buy. The answers stay in the chat instead of the CRM, so the next person who calls asks them all again.
How it runs on WhatsApp
- AeroChat answers the lead’s first question from your knowledge base.
- It looks up the lead in your CRM by phone number or email, and reads what is already known, so it skips questions that are already answered.
- It asks your qualifying questions one at a time, and adapts to each answer.
- It writes each answer to the matching CRM field and sets the lead status.
- For a qualified lead, it creates a deal and hands the conversation to the owner, or books a call into the owner’s calendar.
- For a lead that is not a fit yet, it sends useful information, sets a nurture status and tells them a salesperson will follow up.
- If the lead asks for a person at any point, it hands the conversation over straight away.
The recipe
Copy this into AeroChat
When a new lead asks about our products or services, answer their question first. Then follow these steps.
- Search HubSpot for a contact with their phone number, then their email. Skip any question the contact record already answers.
- Ask these questions one at a time: what they need, the quantity or size of the project, when they need it, and their budget range.
- Save the answers to the contact properties Need, Quantity, Timeline and Budget (example).
- If the budget is above S$5,000 and the timeline is within three months (example), set the lead status to Qualified, create a deal in the New stage, and hand the conversation to the contact owner.
- If not, set the lead status to Nurture (example), send our product guide link from the knowledge base and tell them a salesperson will be in touch.
- If they ask for a person at any point, hand the conversation over straight away.
Ask one question at a time. Do not ask a question they have already answered. Reply in the customer’s language.
Change the questions, the property names and the qualifying thresholds to your own sales criteria before you paste it.
Connect the systems behind it
- HubSpot. AeroChat records the answers on contact properties and creates the deal for qualified leads.
- Pipedrive. AeroChat updates the person and deal, and creates a call activity with the deal owner.
- Salesforce. AeroChat fills the lead fields with the answers and logs the conversation as a task.
- Close. AeroChat updates the lead and creates the opportunity, with a note your team sees before calling.
- LeadSquared. AeroChat records the qualifying answers on the lead and creates the opportunity.
Using a different system? If it has a public API, it connects to AeroChat the same way: describe what you want, paste in its key, and it runs.
Can’t find your tool? Message us in the chat on this page and we’ll tell you how it connects.
What it costs on WhatsApp
The lead’s answers cost nothing to receive. AeroChat’s replies inside the 24-hour customer service window are service messages: free up to 1,000 a month per business phone number, then charged per message. Skipping questions the CRM already answers keeps the chat short, which now saves money too. Rates vary by country and are set in Meta’s rate cards. AeroChat passes Meta’s WhatsApp fees through at cost.
Also on Instagram, Messenger, TikTok and web chat
The same qualification workflow runs on Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok (direct messages and TikTok Shop buyer chat), Telegram, web chat and email. The answers go to the same CRM fields on every channel. See this workflow on Instagram.
Who uses it
- Property agents: buyers and tenants asked about budget, area and move-in date before an agent spends time on them.
- B2B suppliers: trade enquiries qualified on volume and timing, then passed to the right sales rep.
Questions
Can WhatsApp qualify leads automatically?
Yes. AeroChat asks the questions you set, one at a time, records each answer in your CRM and sets the status. Qualified leads go to a salesperson, and the rest get a follow-up path you choose.
Which questions should I ask?
The ones your best salesperson asks first, usually need, size, timing and budget. Keep it to four or five. AeroChat skips any your CRM already has the answer to.
Does this replace my salespeople?
No. It does the first conversation and the data entry. Your salespeople get qualified leads with the answers already in the CRM, and take over from there.
What does WhatsApp charge for a qualification chat?
The lead’s messages are free. Your replies within 24 hours of their last message are free up to 1,000 a month per business phone number, then charged per message.
Qualify your next lead before a salesperson picks up
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On Shopify? Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store.
Related: lead capture into your CRM and sales follow-up.