Practical guides
WhatsApp Business, website, CRM: what does an SME really need?
These three tools do not replace each other: each one answers a different question. Here is how to tell which one you lack, and in what order to set them up.
The Bikus Group team5 min read
WhatsApp Business: talking to your customers
The WhatsApp Business app is the logical starting point. You show your products with their prices, welcome people who write to you and reply even when you are unavailable. Your customers already use it.
Its limit appears as messages multiply: enquiries get lost in the thread, a forgotten customer reminds nobody, and the history stays on one phone.
The website: being found and building trust
WhatsApp serves people who already know you. A website serves those searching Google, and those who want to check you are serious before writing. It shows your offer, references and address day and night, and it belongs to you.
The CRM: never losing an enquiry
A CRM does not attract customers; it keeps you from losing the ones who show up. Each enquiry gets a record: who, what, which stage, when to follow up. The manager sees where each deal stands without going through the team's phones.
Which tool are you missing?
- people cannot find you online, or keep asking for your address and prices: you need a website;
- you get enquiries but forget to follow up: you need a CRM;
- several people answer customers and nobody knows who did what: you need a CRM;
- you are starting out and messages are few: WhatsApp Business is enough for now.
A warning about automated WhatsApp messages
The WhatsApp app and its business platform are two different things. The platform handles automated sending, and Meta bills it per delivered message, based on the message type and the recipient's country. Since 1 October 2026, even replies to customers are charged beyond 1,000 a month per number. Do the sums before building your whole customer relationship on it, and favour useful messages over mass sending.
In what order
Install WhatsApp Business today. Add a simple website so people can find you, with a button to WhatsApp. Connect it to a CRM as soon as you receive more enquiries than you can track in your head.
That is why we built BIKUS SYSTEM: a website ready for your trade, connected to a CRM that tracks every enquiry. The basic plan starts at 5,500 FCFA a month at the launch price, valid until 31 March 2027, then 10,500 FCFA a month; a 35,000 FCFA setup fee applies, and the price depends on the modules chosen.
