HelpWhatsAppHow WhatsApp works for your visitors

How WhatsApp works for your visitors

The whole visitor journey on WhatsApp, in the order it happens, so you can explain it at the counter in one breath.

Owner & Manager Where: The visitor's tracking page 4 min read

A visitor always joins on the free web page first. WhatsApp is their own extra choice on top, and it never replaces the tracking link or the lobby TV.

What it is

A visitor joins your line on the normal web page, then taps Get WhatsApp updates, sends one message from their own phone, and receives two WhatsApp messages about their place. It is free for the visitor, and it is always their own choice. Text messages are not open in any country yet, so for now WhatsApp is the only phone channel a business can switch on. See WhatsApp or text messages: one channel.

How to check it in turnda

Join your own line the way a visitor does: scan your QR code or open your join link. Use your own phone, so you see exactly what they see.
On the tracking page, look for the button Get WhatsApp updates. On a kiosk tablet, look for a QR code labelled Scan for WhatsApp updates.
Open Messaging in the sidebar, then the Conversations tab. After your test visitor presses Send, the conversation appears here with the two messages.

No button on the tracking page? The button only shows when WhatsApp is switched on in Billing, the line has Visitor updates on this line on, and WhatsApp is not paused (for example your pack has run out at your monthly limit, your card was declined, or WhatsApp is down on our side). See A visitor did not get a WhatsApp message.

A real example

Mei joins the queue at your café at 12:10 by scanning the QR code. Her tracking page shows her ticket, A-24, and the button. She taps it, WhatsApp opens with a short message already typed, and she presses Send. At 12:32 she is almost up, so she gets the second message and walks back in.

What Mei sees and gets

When	What Mei sees	What it uses
12:10 · joins on the web page	Her ticket and the live tracking page. No phone number was asked for.	Nothing.
12:11 · taps Get WhatsApp updates	WhatsApp opens with a message ready. She presses Send.	Nothing yet. Her own message opens the 24-hour window.
12:11 · message 1	“You’re in the line”, with her number and her tracking link.	One message from your pack.
12:32 · message 2	“Almost your turn”, so she starts walking back.	One message from your pack.

What happens in the system

1Joins on the web page
Free, with your own questions
2Taps “Get WhatsApp updates”
WhatsApp opens with their message already written
3Presses Send in WhatsApp
This turns updates on for this visit
4Message 1: you are in the line
Sent at once, with the tracking link
5Message 2: almost your turn
Sent once, when they are near the front
6Called
The tracking link and lobby TV show it too

One visitor, from the web page to the second message.

	Never taps the button	Taps but does not press Send	Taps and presses Send Popular
WhatsApp updates	Not turned on	Not turned on yet	On for this visit
Messages used from your pack	None	None	Two at most
Tracking link and lobby TV	✓	✓	✓

Three visitors, three outcomes. Everyone keeps their place.

What you need to do

Nothing for each visitor. The number comes from the message they send, so your join page does not need a phone box.
Make sure WhatsApp is on: Switching WhatsApp on.
Tell visitors in one line: tap the button, then press Send. Tapping alone turns nothing on.
Keep an eye on Not told — call them on the Queue. That flag means a message could not go, by WhatsApp or by email, so call their name. If “almost your turn” is refused by WhatsApp and the visitor left an email, turnda sends it by email instead (never after STOP), and the Queue shows them as reached by email.

What turnda does not cover

The visitor’s phone and network. A phone that is off, out of signal, or has WhatsApp muted shows the message late or not at all.
WhatsApp itself (run by Meta). turnda cannot start a chat with someone who has not written first, and cannot make WhatsApp deliver faster.
The Send press. Only the visitor can do it. If they do not, WhatsApp stays off for them and the tracking link carries on.

Common questions

Question	Answer
Does the visitor pay?	No. WhatsApp updates are free for the visitor. You pay for the messages in packs.
What if they also left an email?	They still get email updates, and everyone has the free tracking link and the lobby TV.
Can they stop it?	Yes. They reply STOP at any time.
What if the same phone is already on this line?	The page says WhatsApp updates are already on for that phone on another visit, and keeps their place.
What if their number is from a country my pack does not cover?	The page says WhatsApp updates are not available for that number at your business. They keep the tracking link and the lobby TV (and email only if they left one).