Links and QR codes

Put a link or QR code on an ad, a standee or a website. People who open it start a WhatsApp chat with you, and their first message tells you which link brought them. A link records where someone came from. It doesn't record that they opted in.

What a link does

Each link has a code and a prefilled message. When someone opens the link, WhatsApp opens a chat with your number, with the message ready to send and the code at the end:

Hi! I'd like to know more. (ref:SHOP-COUNTER)

They tap send. i-Connect sees the code and adds your tags, counts the chat, and can start a sequence.

Before you start

• Connect a WhatsApp number.
• To start a sequence from the link, publish it first. Only active sequences are offered.
• Owners, Admins and Managers can create and delete links. Analysts can view them.

Create a link

1. Go to Lead capture → Links & QR codes and click New link.
2. Enter a Name for your own use.
3. Enter a Code: 2 to 30 capital letters, digits or hyphens. Customers will see it.
4. Choose the WhatsApp number.
5. Edit the Prefilled message, up to 200 characters. The code is added after it.
6. Add Tag contacts, separated by commas, if you want them.
7. Choose Start a sequence, if you want one.
8. Click Create.
9. In the list, use Short link to copy the link, or QR to download the QR code as an image.

What happens next

When a message with the code arrives:

• It reaches your inbox like any message. A new number becomes a contact.
• The 24-hour window opens, so you can reply.
• The link's Chats count goes up.
• The tags are added to the contact, new or existing.
• The sequence starts, if the contact passes its entry rules.

A link isn't opt-in

Opening a link or sending the prefilled message records no consent. A new contact from a link has Unknown consent, so they won't receive marketing. This is true even if the prefilled message says START, because the code in the same message means it isn't a keyword.

A link doesn't undo an opt-out either. Only the person can do that. To record consent, use one of these:

• a Consent checkbox in a WhatsApp Flow,
• a hosted form,
• the person sending an opt-in keyword such as START by itself.

This matters for Start a sequence. Only contacts opted in to marketing is on by default, so a new contact from a link won't enter a sequence that has it on. Turn it off for a sequence of service messages. You can't turn it off for one that sends a marketing template. See Sequences and consent.

Tags and attribution

• Tags are how you find these contacts. Filter All contacts by the tag, or build a segment on it.
• Tags can also start a sequence with the trigger A tag is added.
• For a new contact, i-Connect also stores the code as their source. An existing contact gets the tags but keeps their source.
• The contact's page shows their source as inbound, not the code. Give each link its own tag if you want to compare them.

Clicks and chats

The wa.me link button copies the direct address. It works, and the code is still read, but visits to it aren't counted as clicks. Share the short link or QR code to get click counts.

Change or delete a link

A link can't be edited. To change one, delete it and create it again with the same code. Printed QR codes keep working, because they point to the code. Its counts start from zero.

Deleting a link stops its short link and QR code. Contacts it already brought in keep their tags.

What can go wrong

• A message arrived but no tag was added. The person can edit the message before sending. If they removed the ref: code, it can't be matched.
• "The code … is taken; choose another". Codes are unique across i-Connect, not just your organisation. Choose another.
• The sequence didn't start. It may not be active, or the contact didn't pass its entry rules. Check consent first.
• A scan shows "Form not available". The link was deleted.