Companion to the routing guide, WhatsApp-first
The lead segregation guide covers the architecture. This page is the WhatsApp-heavy, ad-campaign-heavy version Indian businesses actually run: every source in one pipeline, with the source visible on every lead.
The sources and their capture
| Source | Capture mechanism | Source tag |
|---|---|---|
| Website forms | Form submits to permanent store + notification | form + page name |
| WhatsApp click-to-chat | Prefilled message per page/campaign; business number with multiple admins | wa + page label |
| Google/Meta ads | UTM-tagged landing pages or lead forms | utm_source/campaign captured |
| Calls | Call tracking number or minimum: a log discipline | call + date |
The WhatsApp specifics India actually needs
- Business number, multiple admins: one personal phone is a single point of failure with leave schedules.
- Prefilled context: the click should carry "Enquiry about [page] from [campaign]" so the reply starts informed.
- Labels and statuses: new, replied, quoted, won, lost, visible to the whole team.
- The bridge: a nightly export (or automation) copying WhatsApp enquiries into the same permanent store as form leads, with source tags. One store, every source.
The response SLA that wins deals
India's buying behavior rewards speed brutally: a lead answered in five minutes closes at multiples of one answered next day. The pipeline exists to make five-minute responses possible: notification to the right phone, context on the lead, an owner named per source. Set the SLA you can keep (same hour, same day), measure it, and let it be a selling point: this desk publishes its own SLA for exactly that reason.
Costs, honestly
Pipeline build: ₹45,000 – ₹1,70,000 one-time by sources and integrations, then maintenance-level running costs, see the routing guide. Or run the lost-leads audit first: most businesses discover they need fewer tools and more discipline than the vendors promised.