# No customer waits for the phone: Shared WhatsApp inbox in Cameroon

**Your team answers customers from one business number, each from their own login, without stepping on each other’s replies.**

WhatsApp on one phone works until two people need to answer at once, or the person holding it goes home. EliteTeQ Inbox moves your business number into a shared inbox that works on any computer or phone, and gives every chat a clear owner. Staff in Douala and Yaoundé answer the same +237 number at the same time.

- Each teammate signs in with their own login
- Assign, transfer and @mention on any chat
- Greeting, away message and office hours per number
- New chats shared out in turn with auto-assign

Share my number with my team free: https://crm.eliteteqpos.com/signup (7 days free · no card needed · keep the WhatsApp Business app)

## The problems of one business phone

> Customers message at nine at night and nobody answers until morning.

Set office hours for each number, in Douala time (WAT). After hours, customers get your away message straight away, and their chat waits at the top of the list for the morning.

> Aïcha ends up answering every chat, because the phone lives at the till.

Tick who handles the number and turn on auto-assign. Each new customer goes to the next person in turn.

> The 24 hours passed and now WhatsApp won’t let us reply.

Every chat shows how long you have left to reply. When the window closes, send an approved template from the same box.

### Who answers your customers when the phone holder goes home?

Tell us how many people should answer. We set up logins, auto-assign and office hours with you on WhatsApp, usually in one sitting. [Set up my team inbox](https://wa.me/12144235355?text=Hi%20EliteTeQ!%20Our%20team%20shares%20one%20WhatsApp%20number.%20Can%20you%20help%20me%20set%20up%20EliteTeQ%20Inbox%20with%20logins%2C%20auto-assign%20and%20office%20hours%3F%20I%E2%80%99m%20in%20Cameroon.) on WhatsApp +1 214 423 5355.

## How a shared WhatsApp inbox works

Customers message the same number they always have; your team answers from the inbox.

1. **A customer writes** — Aïcha messages your +237 business number. The chat appears in the inbox for everyone allowed to see that number.
2. **It goes to one person** — Auto-assign gives new chats to the next teammate in turn, or anyone can take it. The chat shows whose it is.
3. **The team works on it together** — The owner leaves an internal comment, “@Brice offer free delivery”, that the customer never sees.
4. **Nothing is left waiting** — Waiting chats rise to the top, and a countdown shows how long you have before WhatsApp’s 24-hour reply window closes.

## What is a shared WhatsApp inbox?

A shared WhatsApp inbox lets several staff answer customers from one WhatsApp Business number at the same time, each from their own login. EliteTeQ Inbox does this on the official WhatsApp Business Platform: chats are assigned to one teammate, internal comments stay inside the team, and the owner sees every conversation in Cameroon.

- One number, many logins, on computer or phone
- Each chat assigned to one teammate
- Internal comments the customer never sees
- Owners and admins see every chat

## EliteTeQ Inbox at a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Product | EliteTeQ Inbox, by EliteTeQ Softwares Limited (Nairobi, Kenya) |
| What it is | A WhatsApp team inbox and CRM |
| Channels | WhatsApp Business (official Cloud API, works alongside the WhatsApp Business app), Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs, Facebook and Instagram comments |
| Works on | Any browser; installs on Android and iPhone |
| Price | From $29 a month; $59 Growth; $99 Business with unlimited people; a year costs 10 months |
| Free trial | 7 days, every feature open |
| WhatsApp numbers | 1 to 3 included by plan; up to 20 per business (Meta’s limit once the business is verified with Meta) |
| In Cameroon | +237 WhatsApp Business numbers, office hours on Douala time (WAT) |
| Languages | Customers write in French and English |
| Setup | About 40 minutes, or done with you on WhatsApp |
| Last reviewed | 2026-11-01 |

## What a shared inbox fixes

The everyday problems of one business phone, one at a time.

### Every chat has an owner

Assign a chat by hand, or turn on auto-assign so each new customer goes to the next teammate in turn. Transfer a chat with a handover note and the new owner gets an alert.

- Round-robin auto-assign per number
- Transfers with handover notes
- Two people can still reply if they need to
- Bulk-assign many chats at once

### Greeting, away message and office hours

New customers get a greeting during office hours. Anyone who writes while you’re closed gets an away message, at most once every 12 hours. Hours run in Douala time (WAT).

- Set each day separately, including overnight shifts
- A different greeting and hours for each number
- Late messages never trigger an old auto-reply

### Templates for when the window closes

WhatsApp lets you reply freely for 24 hours after a customer writes. After that, or to message someone new, you send a template approved by WhatsApp. Create and track them in the app.

- Live preview while you write
- Status: in review, approved or rejected, with the reason
- Languages: English or French

### On the phone too

Install EliteTeQ Inbox on Android or iPhone from the browser. It looks and works like WhatsApp, with sounds, pop-ups and an unread badge.

- Notification sounds and pop-ups
- Swipe-friendly lists and pipeline
- Stay signed in for 90 days while in use

## WhatsApp Business app alone vs with EliteTeQ Inbox

You can keep the app; the inbox adds the team, in Douala, Yaoundé or anywhere else.

| WhatsApp Business app alone | With EliteTeQ Inbox |
|---|---|
| One phone, plus a few linked devices | Every teammate on their own login |
| No way to say who handles a chat | Assign, transfer and auto-assign |
| Notes to staff go in another chat | Internal comments inside the chat |
| No record of who replied, or how fast | Reply speed per teammate in reports |
| Each number on its own phone | Several numbers in one inbox (Business plan) |

## For teams that answer customers on WhatsApp

Anywhere more than one person needs to answer the business number.

- [Beauty salons](https://eliteteqpos.com/cm/industries/beauty-salons/)
- [Restaurants & cafés](https://eliteteqpos.com/cm/industries/restaurants-and-cafes/)
- [Clothing stores](https://eliteteqpos.com/cm/industries/clothing-stores/)
- [Electronics stores](https://eliteteqpos.com/cm/industries/electronics-stores/)
- [Mobile phone shops](https://eliteteqpos.com/cm/industries/mobile-phone-shops/)
- [Pharmacies](https://eliteteqpos.com/cm/industries/pharmacies/)
- [Hardware stores](https://eliteteqpos.com/cm/industries/hardware-stores/)
- [Wholesale & distribution](https://eliteteqpos.com/cm/industries/wholesale-distribution/)

## EliteTeQ Inbox in Cameroon

Customers keep messaging the same number, in its +237 format; only the way your team answers changes.

In Cameroon, a business may hear from customers in French in Douala and in English in Buea on the same day. EliteTeQ Inbox lets you assign each chat to the teammate best placed to answer it.

Cameroon is bilingual: customers write in French or English, and often switch. Your team replies in either, and template messages can be created in French or English.

Office hours are set day by day for each number. A common setup in Douala or Yaoundé: weekdays open, Saturday mornings open, Sunday closed. Anyone who writes while you are closed gets your away message, at most once every 12 hours, and the chat waits at the top of the list for the morning.

- **Numbers:** +237 (e.g. +237 6 70 00 00 00)
- **Office hours:** Run on Douala time (WAT)
- **Weekend:** Saturday and Sunday
- **Templates:** English or French
- **Price:** From $29 a month, in US dollars
- **Paying:** Card, charged in Kenyan shillings at the day’s rate

## Selling on WhatsApp in Cameroon

Customers in Cameroon pay with MTN MoMo, Orange Money, cards, and bank transfers, so when a sale closes on WhatsApp the customer may confirm payment in the chat, and your team needs to see that message quickly.

### [Buea](https://eliteteqpos.com/buea/)

South-West Region · an administrative and university town on Mount Cameroon

Buea combines regional administration with a substantial student population, producing pronounced term-time swings in food, convenience and services demand. Trade is conducted mainly in English. The university sets the calendar — food, convenience and services swing hard between term and vacation — and trade is conducted in English. When Buea trade peaks, auto-assign spreads new WhatsApp chats across whoever is on shift.

### [Limbe](https://eliteteqpos.com/limbe/)

South-West Region · a coastal town with refining and tourism activity

Limbe's trade mixes industrial supply to refining and port activity with a coastal leisure and hospitality trade, so businesses see both steady business-to-business demand and sharp weekend and holiday peaks. Hospitality operators benefit from fast table billing, while suppliers to industry need invoicing and credit accounts on the same system. Refinery and port supply sits alongside a coastal leisure trade, giving steady weekday business-to-business demand and sharp weekend peaks. When Limbe trade peaks, auto-assign spreads new WhatsApp chats across whoever is on shift.

### [Douala](https://eliteteqpos.com/douala/)

Littoral Region · Cameroon's economic capital and principal port

Douala is the commercial and logistics centre for Cameroon and for landlocked neighbours inland, so a large share of its wholesale trade is transit and re-export rather than local retail. The port corridor and the Akwa and Bonanjo commercial areas carry most formal trade, while goods bound for Chad and the Central African Republic pass straight through. When Douala trade peaks, auto-assign spreads new WhatsApp chats across whoever is on shift.

### EliteTeQ Inbox in every city of Cameroon

- [Douala](https://eliteteqpos.com/douala/): Littoral Region, Cameroon's economic capital and principal port
- [Yaoundé](https://eliteteqpos.com/yaounde/): Centre Region, Cameroon's political capital
- [Bamenda](https://eliteteqpos.com/bamenda/): North-West Region, the principal city of the North-West Region
- [Buea](https://eliteteqpos.com/buea/): South-West Region, an administrative and university town on Mount Cameroon
- [Limbe](https://eliteteqpos.com/limbe/): South-West Region, a coastal town with refining and tourism activity


## Questions businesses ask us

**Can two people reply to the same chat?**

Yes, and both replies are sent. To avoid double answers, assign the chat to one person.

**Can a teammate be limited to one number?**

Yes. Agents can be limited to certain numbers. Owners and admins always see everything.

**What’s the difference between the greeting and the away message?**

The greeting goes once to new customers during office hours. The away message goes to anyone who writes while you’re closed, at most once every 12 hours. Both are set per number.

**Why can’t we type a reply to some customers?**

It has been more than 24 hours since the customer last wrote. WhatsApp only allows an approved template until they reply again.

**How many new people can we message each day?**

New businesses can start conversations with 250 people a day. Meta raises it to 1,000, 10,000 and beyond after business verification and good-quality messaging. Replies to people who wrote first don’t count.

**Do customers see internal comments?**

Never. Comments are only for your team. Type @ and a name to mention a teammate.

**Can staff in Douala and Yaoundé share one WhatsApp number?**

Yes. Everyone signs in to EliteTeQ Inbox with their own login, from any computer or phone, and answers from the same business number. Chats can be assigned, transferred or shared out in turn, and agents can be limited to the numbers they handle. Office hours run on Douala time (WAT).

**Do customers in Cameroon get a reply after hours?**

They get your away message straight away, at most once every 12 hours, and their chat waits at the top of the list for the morning. Office hours are set per number, on Douala time (WAT).

Sources for the WhatsApp rules on this page (Meta):

- [WhatsApp Business Platform pricing (Meta)](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing)
- [Messaging limits (Meta)](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/messaging-limits)
- [Message templates (Meta)](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/overview)
- [Business phone numbers and limits (Meta)](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/business-phone-numbers/phone-numbers)
- [About the WhatsApp Business Platform (Meta)](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/about-the-platform)

## Put your WhatsApp number in front of the whole team in Cameroon

Start the 7-day free trial, or message us and we’ll connect your number with you.

## More about EliteTeQ Inbox

- [EliteTeQ Inbox overview](https://eliteteqpos.com/cm/inbox/)
- [WhatsApp CRM & pipeline](https://eliteteqpos.com/cm/inbox/whatsapp-crm/)
- [Facebook & Instagram inbox](https://eliteteqpos.com/cm/inbox/facebook-instagram-inbox/)
- [Click-to-WhatsApp ad leads](https://eliteteqpos.com/cm/inbox/click-to-whatsapp-ads/)
- [WhatsApp API for developers](https://eliteteqpos.com/cm/inbox/api/)
- [Pricing](https://eliteteqpos.com/cm/inbox/pricing/)

## Talk to EliteTeQ about EliteTeQ Inbox

- WhatsApp or call: +1 214 423 5355 (https://wa.me/12144235355?text=Hi%20EliteTeQ!%20Our%20team%20shares%20one%20WhatsApp%20number.%20Can%20you%20help%20me%20set%20up%20EliteTeQ%20Inbox%20with%20logins%2C%20auto-assign%20and%20office%20hours%3F%20I%E2%80%99m%20in%20Cameroon.)
- Email: info@eliteteqpos.com
- Web: https://eliteteqpos.com/cm/inbox/whatsapp-team-inbox/