Your leads live on WhatsApp.
Now your follow-up does too.
FranFunnel now texts franchise leads on WhatsApp and SMS from one timeline. New leads are greeted on WhatsApp the moment they inquire, replies go out on the channel each lead prefers, and Meta's 24-hour messaging rules are handled for you. Included in your seat. Live in 48 hours.
Who it's for
Meet franchise candidates where they already answer.
More than 3 billion people use WhatsApp every month (Meta, 2025). Many franchise candidates would rather answer there than in a text thread from an unknown number.
US and Canadian brands
Your candidates aren't all down the street.
Foreign investors buying a US unit, E-2 visa candidates, people relocating from abroad, multi-unit and master-franchise inquiries from overseas. They answer WhatsApp, not a text from a number they don't recognize. FranFunnel greets them there, on the same timeline as your SMS leads.
Franchisors outside the US and Canada
In your market, WhatsApp is how people message a business.
FranFunnel greets every new franchise lead on WhatsApp the moment they inquire, keeps the conversation moving to a booked call, and sits on top of the CRM you already run. Same white-glove setup. Same $249/month per seat.
What it does
From inquiry to booked call, on WhatsApp.
Built on the official WhatsApp Business Platform, with a verified business sender. Your team works it from the same lead timeline as SMS.
Instant WhatsApp greeting
The moment a lead comes in, FranFunnel sends a Meta-approved opener with their first name, your name and your company. If WhatsApp isn't set up for that lead, it falls back to SMS.
Replies follow the lead
Answer on whichever channel the lead last used. One tap in the composer switches between SMS and WhatsApp.
Read receipts
Sent, delivered and read on every WhatsApp message, right in the lead timeline. Know who saw your message before you follow up.
One timeline per lead
SMS and WhatsApp side by side, with the WhatsApp mark on the lead list and every message, so your team knows the channel before opening the thread.
Priya Raman
Inquired today · Dubai, UAE
9:02 AM · Approved template · Read
9:14 AM · via WhatsApp
9:15 AM · Read
9:17 AM · via WhatsApp
9:17 AM · Read
Channel: WhatsApp · Free-form until tomorrow 9:17 AM
Example conversation. Names are fictional.
Meta's 24-hour rule, handled
Free-form for 24 hours. Approved templates after that.
WhatsApp lets a business reply freely for 24 hours after the lead's last message. Outside that window, only Meta-approved templates can go out.
FranFunnel tracks the window for every lead and shows your team exactly how long they can reply freely. When it closes, the composer offers approved templates instead of failing. We register the templates with Meta and keep them in sync, so nobody on your team has to think about it.
| When | Event | What can be sent |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 9:14 AM | Lead writes | Free-form replies for 24 hours |
| Wed 9:14 AM | Window closes | Approved templates only |
| Thu | Nudge goes out | Approved template |
| Thu 11:02 AM | Lead answers | Window opens again |
How a lead flows
From form fill to booked call.
01
Lead comes in
From your forms, portals or API, exactly as today.
02
WhatsApp greeting
A personalized, approved opener lands on the lead's WhatsApp right away.
03
The lead replies
The 24-hour window opens. You, your team or Autopilot reply freely from web or phone.
04
Call booked
Times offered in the thread, read receipts and nudges keep it moving until the call is on the calendar.
Good to know
Added to what you have. Nothing you have changes.
SMS stays exactly as it is
Your numbers, drips and autoresponders keep working as before. WhatsApp runs beside SMS, never instead of it.
Included in your seat
$249/month per seat with unlimited messaging. No per-message WhatsApp fees. Month-to-month.
We set it up
Our team connects a verified WhatsApp sender and the approved templates, and walks through WhatsApp consent on your inquiry form. Live in 48 hours.
Works with +1 numbers
Meta doesn't deliver marketing templates to US and Canadian numbers. Ours are utility follow-ups on the lead's own inquiry, so they do.
AI that knows the channel
Autopilot writes for WhatsApp and nudges quiet leads with an approved template once the window closes. Optional, and a rep can take over any thread at any moment. It replies in several languages; ask us about yours.
Web, iPhone and Android
The same WhatsApp features in the web app and both mobile apps, wherever your team works.
Phone app vs FranFunnel
WhatsApp on a rep's phone isn't a follow-up system.
WhatsApp on a rep's phone
- The conversation lives on one person's phone
- Nothing syncs to your CRM
- Nobody else can see the thread or take it over
- When the 24-hour window closes, the rep is stuck
FranFunnel for WhatsApp
- Official WhatsApp Business Platform, verified sender
- WhatsApp and SMS on one lead timeline, synced to your CRM
- Any rep can pick up the thread, on web or phone
- Window tracked live, approved templates ready when it closes
Common Questions
WhatsApp for franchise leads, answered.
Yes. FranFunnel texts franchise leads on WhatsApp and SMS from one lead timeline, built on the official WhatsApp Business Platform. New leads are greeted on WhatsApp the moment they come in, and every reply goes back on the channel the lead last used.
No. WhatsApp runs beside SMS, never instead of it. Your numbers, drips, and autoresponders keep working exactly as before, and a lead who isn't set up for WhatsApp gets the opener by SMS. Your rep can switch a conversation between SMS and WhatsApp in one tap.
WhatsApp lets a business reply freely for 24 hours after the lead's last message, and only Meta-approved templates can go out after that. FranFunnel tracks the window live for every lead and shows your team exactly how long they can reply freely. When the window closes, the composer offers approved templates instead of failing, and FranFunnel registers and maintains those templates with Meta for you.
Yes. Meta doesn't deliver marketing-category templates to +1 numbers, so FranFunnel's WhatsApp templates are utility follow-ups written as replies to the lead's own inquiry, and those do deliver to US and Canadian numbers. That makes WhatsApp useful for domestic candidates who prefer it, not only for leads abroad.
No. WhatsApp is included in FranFunnel's $249/month per seat price, with unlimited messaging and no per-message WhatsApp fees. It is month-to-month, and setup is white-glove, live in 48 hours.
Yes. Leads must agree to be contacted on WhatsApp, and the consent on your inquiry form should name WhatsApp. The FranFunnel team covers this as part of the white-glove setup, along with connecting your verified WhatsApp sender and the approved templates.
Yes, if you want it on. Autopilot, FranFunnel's AI agent, writes for the channel the lead is on, answers questions, offers meeting times in the thread, and re-engages quiet leads with an approved nudge once the 24-hour window has closed. A rep can step in at any moment: the instant they send a manual message, the agent for that stage shuts off. Autopilot replies in several languages, so ask us about yours.
Yes. In markets where WhatsApp is how people message a business, FranFunnel greets every new franchise lead there the moment they inquire and keeps the conversation moving to a booked call. Setup is the same white-glove build, it sits on top of your existing CRM, and it is the same $249/month per seat. Talk to us on a demo about your market.
WhatsApp is a trademark of Meta Platforms, Inc.
Reach every franchise lead on the channel they answer.
WhatsApp and SMS from one timeline. $249/month per seat, month-to-month. Our team sets it up.
No long contracts. No complicated setup. Live in 48 hours.