WhatsApp has become a phone, email, customer service desk and meeting room all at once. Almost everyone uses it and almost nobody agreed on the rules. The result shows up every day: five-minute voice notes, messages at eleven at night, group chats that never stop buzzing.
Etiquette here is simply a way to respect the time and attention of the person on the other end. These are the ten rules that make the biggest difference.
1. Respect the time of day
Sending messages late at night or early on a Sunday, especially about work, puts a task in the hands of someone who is resting. If you need to note something outside working hours, schedule the message or send it at the start of the next business day.
2. Get to the point
A "Hi, how are you?" followed by silence forces the other person to reply without knowing what you want. Say hello and explain why you are writing in the same message.
3. Voice notes only when they make sense
Voice notes are great for explaining something complicated or adding a personal touch, but the recipient cannot always listen right away. If it is long, ask first whether you can send it and try to keep it short. Information that needs to be checked later, such as an address, price or time, should always be in writing.
4. One complete message, not ten fragments
Every message is a notification. Writing one sentence per line, one after another, makes the other person’s phone buzz non-stop. Think it through, write it all and send it at once.
5. Do not demand a reply because of read receipts
The two blue ticks show that the message was opened, not that the person had time to reply. Complaining that "you saw it and didn’t answer" creates tension over something that is almost always just a lack of time.
6. Ask before adding someone to a group
Nobody likes being dropped into a group with fifty strangers. Ask for permission and explain what the group is for.
7. In a group, talk to the group
Topics that matter to only one person belong in a private chat. Chain messages, advertising and political arguments are among the main reasons people mute or leave a group.
8. Be careful what you forward
Before passing on a news story, check the source. Before forwarding a screenshot of a conversation, remember that the other person wrote it for you, not for everyone.
9. Unannounced calls only for emergencies
A voice or video call without warning interrupts whatever the person is doing. A quick message asking whether you can call solves that.
10. Reread before sending
Autocorrect has changed plenty of important words. And tone of voice does not come through in text: a curt sentence can seem rude without you meaning it. A "thanks" or an emoji at the end helps make your intention clear.
When WhatsApp belongs to the business
In customer service, the same rules apply, plus a few more:
- Use WhatsApp Business, with your name, business hours, address and catalogue filled in.
- Set up an away message, so people who reach out after hours know when to expect a reply.
- Reply quickly during business hours. People who message a business on WhatsApp are usually comparing options, and whoever replies first gets ahead.
- Have quick replies ready for the most common questions, but personalise the start and end of the conversation.
- Keep personal and professional separate. The photo, status and about text on the business number speak for the brand.
Many of the conversations that arrive on WhatsApp come from ads. When a campaign brings someone in and the reply is slow or confusing, the investment is lost right there. That is why, when we manage paid media for a client at iodo, we also look at what happens after the click.