The best WhatsApp message templates for business are short, specific to what you sell, and do one job each: a greeting message that says hello and asks the right question, an away message that says when you'll answer, and quick replies for the questions you get ten times a day. Below you'll find ready-to-copy messages for restaurants, salons, shops, real estate agents, clinics and freelancers, the exact steps to set each one up in the WhatsApp Business app, and the message most businesses forget: the one already typed when a customer taps your WhatsApp link.

The four messages every business needs

WhatsApp Business gives you three automatic or semi-automatic messages, and there's a fourth one that lives outside the app:

The first three are covered in WhatsApp's own Help Center. The fourth is the one I think matters most for anyone getting customers from Instagram, Google or a flyer, and I'll get to it after the templates.

How to set up greeting, away and quick replies in WhatsApp Business

These are the current steps from WhatsApp's Help Center for the Android app. The Help Center has an iOS tab too, if your menus look different on iPhone.

Greeting message

The greeting message is sent automatically when a customer messages you for the first time, and again when they message you after 14 days of inactivity in their chat with you.

1. From the Tools tab, tap Greeting message.
2. Turn on Send greeting message.
3. Tap Greeting message to edit the text, then tap OK.
4. Tap Recipients and choose Everyone, Everyone not in address book, Everyone except… or Only send to….
5. Tap Save.

Two things WhatsApp mentions that trip people up: your phone needs an internet connection for the greeting to go out, and greeting messages are switched off automatically if you connect Meta Business Agent.

Away message

The away message goes out automatically when you're not available.

1. From the Tools tab, tap Away message.
2. Turn on Send away message.
3. Tap the message to edit it, then tap OK.
4. Tap Schedule and choose Always send, Custom schedule or Outside of business hours.
5. Tap Recipients, pick who gets it, then tap Save.

"Outside of business hours" only appears if you've added your hours to your business profile, so do that first. It's the option most shops and restaurants want.

Quick replies

Quick replies are saved messages you send with a shortcut. You can store up to 50, and they can include images and videos (though WhatsApp notes media isn't supported in quick replies on Web or Desktop).

1. From the Tools tab, tap Quick replies.
2. Tap the add button, then Message to write it.
3. Tap Shortcut and give it a keyword, for example "hours" or "prices".
4. Tap Save.

To use one, open a chat, type "/" in the message field and pick it. The message lands in the text box, so you can edit it before sending. WhatsApp also creates some default quick replies from your business profile, like your hours and address, which is one more reason to fill the profile in completely.

WhatsApp business greeting message examples by business type

Copy these, then change the details. A good greeting message does three things: says who answered, sets an expectation, and asks one question that makes the next reply faster.

Restaurant or café

• Greeting: "Hi, thanks for messaging [Name]! For a table, tell us the day, time and number of people. Our menu and opening hours are here: [link]."
• Away: "We're closed right now. We open again at [time]. Table requests sent now will be answered first thing, and you can see the menu here: [link]."
• Quick replies: /table "We have a table for [number] at [time]. Can I confirm it under your name?" · /allergies "Please tell us any allergies when you book and the kitchen will adapt what it can." · /takeaway "Takeaway orders are ready in about [minutes] minutes. Send your order and the name for pickup."

Hair or beauty salon

• Greeting: "Hello, welcome to [Salon]! Which service would you like, and do you have a preferred day? We'll send you the free slots."
• Away: "We're with clients right now and reply between appointments. If you prefer, book directly here: [booking link]."
• Quick replies: /prices "Here's our price list with photos: [link]." · /confirm "You're booked for [service] on [day] at [time]. If anything changes, just message us here." · /late "No problem. We can keep your slot for up to [minutes] minutes, after that we'll need to move it."

Shop (online or local)

• Greeting: "Hi, thanks for writing to [Shop]! Tell us the product you're after (a photo or the name is enough) and we'll check stock and delivery for you."
• Away: "We answer messages from [time] to [time], Monday to Saturday. Leave your question and the product name and we'll reply in that order."
• Quick replies: /stock "Yes, we have it in [size/colour]. Would you like me to reserve it?" · /shipping "We ship to [area] in [days] working days. Shipping costs [price]." · /pay "You can pay by [methods]. Once it's paid, we'll send the tracking number here."

Real estate agent

• Greeting: "Hello, this is [Name] from [Agency]. Which property are you asking about? Send me the reference or the link and I'll share the details and visit times."
• Away: "I'm on visits right now and I'll get back to you today. If it's about a specific property, send me the reference so I can reply with everything at once."
• Quick replies: /visit "I can show it on [day] at [time] or [day] at [time]. Which works for you?" · /docs "To move forward I'll need [documents]. You can send them here or by email." · /listings "Here are all my current listings: [link]."

Clinic or health professional

• Greeting: "Hello, you've reached [Clinic]. To book, tell us the type of appointment and your preferred days. For urgent medical issues, please call [emergency number] instead of messaging."
• Away: "The clinic is closed now. We'll reply from [time]. For an emergency, call [emergency number]."
• Quick replies: /book "We have [day] at [time] with [professional]. Shall I book it?" · /reminder "A reminder of your appointment tomorrow at [time]. Reply here if you need to change it." · /address "We're at [address]. Parking: [details]. Map: [link]."

Keep medical details out of chat templates. Ask for what you need to book, not symptoms.

Freelancer

• Greeting: "Hi, thanks for getting in touch! Tell me a bit about the project: what you need, for when, and a rough budget if you have one."
• Away: "I'm focused on client work right now and reply to messages at [time]. My portfolio and services are here in the meantime: [link]."
• Quick replies: /rates "My rates start at [price] for [service]. Full details here: [link]." · /call "Happy to talk. Here's my calendar to book a 20-minute call: [link]." · /next "Great. I'll send the proposal by [day], and we start once the deposit is paid."

The pre-filled message in your WhatsApp link

Here's the part most template lists skip. Customers rarely find you inside WhatsApp. They tap a WhatsApp button on your Instagram bio, your website or your Google profile. And that link can arrive with a message already typed.

WhatsApp's click to chat help page explains the format: https://wa.me/ followed by your full phone number in international format, without zeroes, brackets or dashes. To add a pre-filled message, you add ?text= and the message, URL-encoded. So a Portuguese number with a message looks like this:

https://wa.me/351912345678?text=Hi%2C%20I%27d%20like%20to%20book%20a%20table

The customer taps, WhatsApp opens the chat with your business, and "Hi, I'd like to book a table" is sitting in the message box. They still choose whether to send it, and they can edit it.

Why the pre-filled message matters

• It removes the blank box. An empty message field is a small hurdle. A ready sentence means the customer only has to tap send.
• It tells you where the lead came from. Use a different message per channel: "Hi, I saw your Instagram…" on the bio link, "Hi, I'm at table…" on a table QR code.
• It asks your first question for you. If you always need the date and number of people, the pre-filled message can say so.

Pre-filled messages to copy

• Restaurant: "Hi! I'd like to book a table for [ ] people on [ ] at [ ]."
• Salon: "Hello, I'd like to book a [service]. Which days do you have free?"
• Shop: "Hi, I saw this on Instagram and want to know if it's in stock: "
• Real estate: "Hello, I'm interested in the property with reference: "
• Clinic: "Hello, I'd like to book an appointment. Preferred days: "
• Freelancer: "Hi, I found you through your link in bio and I have a project about: "

Leaving the end of the sentence open is deliberate. It invites the customer to finish it.

Build the link without encoding by hand

Nobody should be typing %20 for spaces. Our free WhatsApp link tool takes your number and message and gives you the finished wa.me link to copy:

WhatsApp Business also has its own short link under Tools, where you can switch on a default message for customers who open it. That works too. The advantage of building your own wa.me links is that you can make as many as you want, one message per channel, and know which one brought each conversation.

Put it on paper: a QR code

The same link works as a QR code on a table, a shop window, a business card or a flyer. Scanning opens WhatsApp with your message ready. Generate it here and download it for print:

Where to put your WhatsApp link

• Instagram bio. Instagram lets you add up to 5 links to your profile. A WhatsApp link can be one of them, but a link page with a WhatsApp button next to your menu, prices and map usually works harder.
• Google Business Profile, website contact page, email signature. Anywhere a customer might want to ask a quick question.
• Printed material. As a QR code, with a one-line reason to scan ("Book on WhatsApp").

Using Linktotem's WhatsApp button

If you use a Linktotem page as your link in bio, the WhatsApp contact button takes your number and an optional message written in advance, and builds the wa.me link for you. Visitors tap it and land in your chat with that message ready. You see how many people tapped it in the page analytics, next to every other button.

You can put it next to opening hours with "open now", a menu or price list with photos, a booking button and a map, so the customer arrives in WhatsApp already knowing the basics. If you want a head start, the beauty salon template and the restaurant template already combine a WhatsApp button with a price list or menu, opening hours and a map.

To be upfront about cost: building and publishing the page is free, with our badge in the footer. Starter (€5/month or €50/year, after a 14-day free trial) removes the badge and adds scheduling, rules and a year of stats. Details are on the pricing page.

A few rules for good business messages

1. Write like a person, not a system. "Hi, thanks for writing!" beats "Your message has been received."
2. Give a time, not a promise. "We reply from 9am" is more useful than "We'll reply as soon as possible."
3. Ask one question. Each greeting above ends with the question you'd ask anyway.
4. Keep links to one. One link page is easier to read in a chat than a list of five.
5. Review them every season. Update hours, prices and holiday closures. An away message that says "closed for August" in October costs you customers.