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

**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 Guangzhou and Shenzhen answer the same +86 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 Beijing time (CST). After hours, customers get your away message straight away, and their chat waits at the top of the list for the morning.

> Chinedu 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%20China.) 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** — Chinedu messages your +86 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, “@Mariam 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 China.

- 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 China | +86 WhatsApp Business numbers, office hours on Beijing time (CST) |
| Languages | Customers write in English, French and Arabic (overseas buyers) |
| 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 Beijing time (CST).

- 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

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

## EliteTeQ Inbox in China

Customers keep messaging the same number, in its +86 format; only the way your team answers changes.

WhatsApp isn’t used for domestic business in mainland China, where customers use WeChat. EliteTeQ Inbox is for Chinese exporters and trading companies whose overseas buyers in Africa and the Middle East message them on WhatsApp, so the whole sales team can follow every buyer.

Overseas buyers write in English, French, Arabic, Swahili and more. Your sales team replies in the buyer’s language; template messages can be created in English, French or Swahili.

Office hours are set day by day for each number. A common setup in Shenzhen or Guangzhou: 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:** +86 (e.g. +86 138 0000 0000)
- **Office hours:** Run on Beijing time (CST)
- **Weekend:** Saturday and Sunday
- **Templates:** English
- **Price:** From $29 a month, in US dollars
- **Paying:** Card, charged in Kenyan shillings at the day’s rate

## Selling on WhatsApp in China

Customers in China pay with Alipay, WeChat Pay, 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.

### [Guangzhou](https://eliteteqpos.com/guangzhou/)

Guangdong Province · a major trade and wholesale centre in southern China

Guangzhou is one of China's great wholesale trading cities, hosting large-scale markets and trade fairs that draw international buyers, so bulk pricing, order tracking and multi-language customer interaction matter more here than typical retail features. QR wallet payment dominates and fapiao invoicing obligations apply as nationally. Large-scale wholesale markets and trade fairs draw international buyers placing bulk orders, making order tracking and multi-language interaction more important than typical retail features. When Guangzhou trade peaks, auto-assign spreads new WhatsApp chats across whoever is on shift.

### [Chengdu](https://eliteteqpos.com/chengdu/)

Sichuan Province · the capital of Sichuan and western China's largest consumer market

Chengdu is western China's main commercial centre, with a large food, tea-house and leisure economy and dense mall retail. Customers pay by scanning QR wallets almost by default, and invoicing runs through the state fapiao system. A large food and leisure economy and dense mall retail sit alongside each other, and customers scan to pay almost every time. When Chengdu trade peaks, auto-assign spreads new WhatsApp chats across whoever is on shift.

### [Shanghai](https://eliteteqpos.com/shanghai/)

Shanghai Municipality · China's largest commercial and financial centre

Simplified Chinese product naming and receipting are baseline requirements. When Shanghai trade peaks, auto-assign spreads new WhatsApp chats across whoever is on shift.

### EliteTeQ Inbox in every city of China

- [Shanghai](https://eliteteqpos.com/shanghai/): Shanghai Municipality, China's largest commercial and financial centre
- [Beijing](https://eliteteqpos.com/beijing/): Beijing Municipality, China's capital and a major commercial centre
- [Shenzhen](https://eliteteqpos.com/shenzhen/): Guangdong Province, a technology manufacturing and trade hub
- [Guangzhou](https://eliteteqpos.com/guangzhou/): Guangdong Province, a major trade and wholesale centre in southern China
- [Chengdu](https://eliteteqpos.com/chengdu/): Sichuan Province, the capital of Sichuan and western China's largest consumer market


## 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 Guangzhou and Shenzhen 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 Beijing time (CST).

**Do customers in China 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 Beijing time (CST).

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 China

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/cn/inbox/)
- [WhatsApp CRM & pipeline](https://eliteteqpos.com/cn/inbox/whatsapp-crm/)
- [Facebook & Instagram inbox](https://eliteteqpos.com/cn/inbox/facebook-instagram-inbox/)
- [Click-to-WhatsApp ad leads](https://eliteteqpos.com/cn/inbox/click-to-whatsapp-ads/)
- [WhatsApp API for developers](https://eliteteqpos.com/cn/inbox/api/)
- [Pricing](https://eliteteqpos.com/cn/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%20China.)
- Email: info@eliteteqpos.com
- Web: https://eliteteqpos.com/cn/inbox/whatsapp-team-inbox/