Most property leads aren't lost because the buyer wasn't interested. They're lost in the gap between the enquiry and the site visit: a slow first reply, a number that was never saved, an agent who forgot to follow up. Connecting WhatsApp to a CRM closes that gap. The enquiry arrives on WhatsApp, a few quick questions qualify it, the CRM records it and assigns an agent, and reminders take the buyer through to the site visit. This guide walks through that flow step by step, including the free 72-hour window that Click-to-WhatsApp ads open and how to measure what's working.
The flow at a glance
- The buyer enquires by tapping a Click-to-WhatsApp ad on Facebook or Instagram, or by submitting your website form with the WhatsApp opt-in ticked.
- An automatic reply thanks them and asks three or four short qualification questions with buttons.
- The CRM creates a lead with their answers, the source (which ad, which form, which project) and a status of "New".
- The lead is routed to the right agent by project, area or language, and the agent is alerted.
- The agent takes over the chat and offers site-visit slots.
- Confirmation and reminder templates go out before the visit.
- After the visit, the agent records the outcome and follow-ups are scheduled in the CRM.
Every step leaves a record, so when an agent leaves or a buyer comes back three months later, the history is still there.
Where leads come from, and opt-in
WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy says you may only contact people who have given you their number and opted in to receive messages from you. How that works depends on the source:
- Click-to-WhatsApp ads: the buyer starts the conversation, so you can reply. Ask before adding them to anything beyond this enquiry, such as new-launch updates.
- Website forms: add a clear tick box: "Send me details about this project on WhatsApp."
- Site office walk-ins and hoarding QR codes: a QR code that opens a WhatsApp chat with your business lets the buyer start the conversation themselves. Ask in your first reply where they saw you, so the CRM records the source.
- Leads bought from third parties or old spreadsheets: without opt-in to hear from you on WhatsApp, don't message them there.
The 72-hour free entry window for Click-to-WhatsApp ads
Meta's WhatsApp pricing documentation describes a "free entry point" (FEP). The conditions matter, so here they are as Meta states them:
- It applies when a user messages you through a Click to WhatsApp Ad or a Facebook Page call-to-action button, using the WhatsApp Android or iOS app. Desktop and web apps are not supported.
- If you respond within 24 hours using any type of message, that message is free, and the FEP window opens from the time you responded.
- "FEP windows remain open for 72 hours." Meta says all messages are free in that window, including template messages.
- However, the customer service window is independent of the FEP window. If the 24-hour customer service window closes, you can only send template messages, even though they're still free while the FEP window is open.
What this means in practice:
- Reply fast. If you don't respond within 24 hours, the free window never opens. An instant automated reply solves this.
- Try to book the site visit inside the 72 hours. Confirmation and reminder templates sent inside the window cost nothing.
- Have templates approved in advance, so you can still reach a buyer who went quiet after the first day.
Outside these windows, Meta charges per delivered template, at a rate set by category and country. Our WhatsApp automation guide explains pricing in more detail.
Qualification questions that don't put buyers off
Keep it to three to five questions, with buttons wherever possible. Each answer should change what happens next. If it doesn't, drop the question.
| Question | Example options | Why ask it |
|---|---|---|
| Which area? | New Town / Rajarhat, EM Bypass, South Kolkata, Other | Routes to the right project and agent |
| What size? | 2 BHK, 3 BHK, 4 BHK or larger | Matches inventory |
| Budget range? | Ranges that match your projects | Avoids showing the wrong project |
| When are you planning to buy? | Within 3 months, 3–12 months, Just exploring | Sets priority and follow-up pace |
| Preferred language? | English, Bengali, Hindi | Routes to an agent who speaks it |
Always include a "Talk to an agent" button. Some buyers will never answer a bot, and WhatsApp's policy requires clear escalation paths when you use automation. If you're considering an AI assistant to answer free-text questions about your projects, read our guide to AI chatbots for business first, especially the part on wrong answers.
What the CRM should record
- Contact: name, WhatsApp number, opt-in status and date.
- Source: campaign, ad or form, and project of interest. Without this you can't tell which ads produce visits.
- Qualification answers from the questions above.
- Assigned agent and the time of first human reply.
- Stage (see the table below) and the date it last changed.
- Next action with a due date, so nothing depends on memory.
- Lost reason, if the buyer drops out: budget, location, bought elsewhere, not reachable.
Routing leads to agents
A practical approach is to route by rules your sales head already uses, written down:
- By project or area, if agents specialise.
- By language, using the buyer's answer.
- Round robin among available agents, if they don't specialise.
- Working hours: leads arriving at night get an automatic reply saying when an agent will respond, and are assigned first thing in the morning.
- A response deadline: if the assigned agent hasn't replied within your agreed time, the lead moves to someone else and the manager is alerted.
Follow-up templates
Templates have categories, and the category affects approval and price. Meta's categorisation guidelines say utility templates are triggered by a user action or request and must be non-promotional. Anything with promotional content, or a mix of both, is marketing.
| Template | Example | Likely category |
|---|---|---|
| Site visit confirmation | "Your visit to [Project], New Town is booked for Saturday at 11 am. Your contact on site is Rahul, 98XXXXXXXX." | Utility |
| Visit reminder | "Reminder: your site visit is tomorrow at 11 am. Reply 1 to confirm or 2 to change the time." | Utility |
| Documents requested | "Here is the floor plan you asked for during your visit." | Utility |
| New launch or price offer | "Bookings open for Tower B. Pre-launch prices till 30 November." | Marketing; send only to buyers who opted in to updates |
Meta makes the final categorisation, and similar wording can be classified differently. In our view, follow-ups work best when each one gives the buyer something they asked for, rather than a generic "Are you still interested?" every few days. Unwanted messages get blocked and reported, and WhatsApp's policy says its systems may limit how many messages a business can send based on that feedback.
Measuring the funnel
Set up these stages in the CRM and count how many leads reach each one, by source:
| Stage | What to measure |
|---|---|
| New lead | Leads per source and cost per lead from your ad account |
| Qualified | Share of leads that answer the questions and match a project |
| Site visit booked | Time from first message to booking |
| Site visit done | No-shows, and cost per completed visit by source |
| Booking | Bookings by source and by agent; lost reasons for the rest |
Also track time to first reply and the share of leads with a next action overdue. Compare each month with your own previous months. The aim isn't a benchmark from somewhere else. It's to find the stage where your leads drop out and fix that stage first. If many leads qualify but few book visits, look at agent follow-up. If visits are booked but not attended, look at reminders and directions.
Common mistakes
- Asking ten questions before a human appears.
- Letting the bot quote prices or availability that aren't connected to live inventory.
- Agents using personal WhatsApp numbers, so the conversation leaves with them.
- Not recording the lead source, which makes it impossible to judge which campaigns work.
- Missing the 24-hour reply on ad leads, and with it the free entry window.
Want this set up for your projects?
We connect WhatsApp to CRMs, set up qualification flows, routing and visit reminders, and build the reports that show which campaigns lead to site visits. See our CRM solutions, WhatsApp automation and real estate marketing pages, or tell us how your leads are handled today.
Based on Meta's WhatsApp pricing and template categorisation documentation and WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy, as read on 18 October 2026.
Sources
- Meta: WhatsApp Business Platform pricing (free entry point)
- Meta: Template categorization
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy
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