# One WhatsApp number. Your whole team answering.: The WhatsApp team inbox and CRM for businesses in South Africa

**Every customer message from WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram in one list, with a clear owner and a next step.**

EliteTeQ Inbox is a shared inbox and lead pipeline built on the official WhatsApp Business Platform. Your staff answer from their own logins on a computer or phone, you see who replied to whom, and no customer waits because the business phone was in someone else’s pocket. Whether your staff are in Johannesburg, Cape Town or at home, they answer from one +27 business number.

- WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram DMs and comments in one place
- Keep using the WhatsApp Business app on your phone
- Lead pipeline with hot leads flagged for you
- 7-day free trial with every feature open

Put my team on one number free: https://crm.eliteteqpos.com/signup (7 days free · no card needed · your whole team)

## Sound familiar?

> The business phone was in Pieter’s pocket all weekend. Monday morning: a pile of unread chats, and two customers in Johannesburg who bought elsewhere.

Put the number in a shared inbox. Everyone signs in with their own login, on a computer or phone, and the chats still waiting rise to the top.

> Two of us answered the same customer with two different prices.

Each chat belongs to one teammate. Notes to each other go in internal comments, inside the chat, and the customer never sees them.

> We pay for ads every week, and I can’t tell which ones bring buyers.

Every lead from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad arrives with the ad’s name on it, and the report ranks your ads by leads and by sales.

> I don’t know who is close to buying and who went cold.

Every customer sits on a pipeline board. The ones waiting for you, fresh from an ad or about to decide are flagged hot.

### How many chats are waiting on your business phone right now?

Message us that number. A person replies in under 10 minutes and connects your WhatsApp with you, so your team can start answering today in South Africa. [Connect my number with you](https://wa.me/12144235355?text=Hi%20EliteTeQ!%20I%E2%80%99d%20like%20to%20connect%20our%20business%20WhatsApp%20number%20so%20my%20whole%20team%20can%20answer%20from%20EliteTeQ%20Inbox.%20I%E2%80%99m%20in%20South%20Africa.) on WhatsApp +1 214 423 5355.

## How a team starts on EliteTeQ Inbox

Most businesses are answering from the shared inbox the same day they sign up.

1. **Sign up and add your team** — Create your workspace and add teammates with their own logins. The 7-day trial opens every feature.
2. **Connect your number** — We connect your +27 WhatsApp Business number with you over WhatsApp, on Johannesburg time (SAST). It can stay on the WhatsApp Business app on your phone.
3. **Bring in Facebook and Instagram** — Link your Facebook Page and Instagram account so DMs and comments land in the same inbox.
4. **Answer, assign, follow up** — Assign chats, move leads through your pipeline, and see in reports who answered and how fast.

## What is EliteTeQ Inbox?

EliteTeQ Inbox is a team inbox and CRM for businesses that sell over chat. It connects your WhatsApp Business number, Facebook Page and Instagram account to one shared list where several staff can reply, every customer becomes a lead in a pipeline, and the owner sees who answered, how fast, and which leads are close to buying in South Africa.

- One business number, many staff, each with their own login
- Every chat assigned to one person, with internal comments the customer never sees
- Leads move through stages from first message to paying customer
- Reports on reply speed, leads per day, busiest hours and ad sources

## 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 South Africa | +27 WhatsApp Business numbers, office hours on Johannesburg time (SAST) |
| Languages | Customers write in English, Afrikaans and isiZulu |
| Setup | About 40 minutes, or done with you on WhatsApp |
| Last reviewed | 2026-11-01 |

## Plans and prices

US dollars per month. Yearly billing costs 10 months. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial.

| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | WhatsApp numbers | People | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29 | $290 | 1 | 3 | Facebook & Instagram inbox; Comments management; WhatsApp shared inbox; Basic CRM and lead management; Conversation assignments; Basic reports |
| Growth (most popular) | $59 | $590 | 2 | 6 | Everything in Starter; Advanced CRM and sales pipeline; Automated greetings and follow-ups; AI-assisted replies (coming soon); Campaign tracking; Staff performance reports; Advanced conversation management |
| Business | $99 | $990 | 3 | Unlimited | Everything in Growth; Multiple WhatsApp numbers; Advanced automation workflows (coming soon); AI-powered customer support (coming soon); Multiple teams and departments (coming soon); Advanced analytics; Priority support |

Meta charges separately for template messages you start, at its rate for the customer’s country. Replies within 24 hours of a customer’s message are free.

## What your team works with every day

Four screens do most of the work: the inbox, the pipeline, comments and the reports.

### The shared inbox

Every WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram chat in one list, newest first, with the channel, the assignee and how long the customer has waited.

- Assign or transfer a chat with a handover note
- Internal comments with @mentions
- A countdown shows when the 24-hour reply window closes
- Reply in English, Afrikaans and isiZulu, the way customers write

### The lead pipeline

Each customer is a card on a board, from new lead to paying client. Drag a card to move it; rename the stages to match how you sell.

- Stages named after your own sales steps
- Hot leads flagged automatically
- Filter by teammate, category or hot leads
- Insights on how leads move between stages

### Comments on Facebook and Instagram

Comments on your posts come in next to your chats, so a “price?” under a post gets answered as quickly as a DM.

- Reply publicly or privately from one box
- Automatic replies when a comment contains a keyword
- Threaded replies, like on Facebook

### Reports the owner can read

See the week at a glance: leads per day, how fast your team replies, the busiest hours, and which teammate closes the most.

- Compared with the previous period
- Leads from ads vs leads that came directly
- Team leaderboard and waiting list
- Print or save as PDF

## One phone for the business vs EliteTeQ Inbox

The difference is that every chat has an owner and nothing depends on one phone, whether your team is in Johannesburg, Cape Town or at home.

| One shared phone | EliteTeQ Inbox |
|---|---|
| Whoever holds the phone answers | Every teammate answers from their own login |
| Two people reply to the same customer | Each chat is assigned to one person |
| Chats get lost under newer messages | Waiting chats and hot leads are flagged |
| No idea who replied, or how fast | Reply speed and leads per teammate in reports |
| Facebook and Instagram on other devices | All channels in the same list |

## Built for businesses that sell over chat

Any business where customers ask on WhatsApp before they buy in South Africa — shops, salons, restaurants, clinics, distributors and service companies.

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

## EliteTeQ Inbox in South Africa

EliteTeQ Inbox works for any business with a WhatsApp Business number in South Africa. Your number keeps its +27 format, and customers see your business name as they do today.

South African customers expect a business to answer on WhatsApp the way they message friends. When enquiries come into a branch phone and a manager’s phone, nobody knows who already replied. One shared inbox gives every chat a clear owner.

Customers write in English, Afrikaans, isiZulu and other languages. Your team replies in the customer’s language inside the 24-hour window; template messages are created in English.

Office hours are set day by day for each number. A common setup in Johannesburg or Cape Town: 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:** +27 (e.g. +27 82 000 0000)
- **Office hours:** Run on Johannesburg time (SAST)
- **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 South Africa

Retail is dominated by formal chains and shopping centres, with township and informal trade running alongside on a different payment mix. Card is the default and cash is the exception. Scheduled grid interruption is published in advance, which makes it a planning problem rather than a surprise.

### [Johannesburg](https://eliteteqpos.com/johannesburg/)

Gauteng Province · South Africa's largest city and economic centre

Sandton, the CBD, Rosebank and the southern suburbs behave like separate retail markets spread across a metro too large to service centrally. A team in Johannesburg answering one WhatsApp number never leaves these customers waiting.

### [Cape Town](https://eliteteqpos.com/cape-town/)

Western Cape Province · a major tourism, services and technology centre

The summer season fills the V&A, the city bowl and the Atlantic seaboard with international visitors, then empties them; staffing doubles and halves with it. The binding constraint is split-bill table service under load, because the peak-season restaurant trade is where the year's margin is made. Cape Town's retail and hospitality trade has a pronounced summer peak driven by international visitors, which means high card and foreign-currency volumes and staffing that expands and contracts with the season. A team in Cape Town answering one WhatsApp number never leaves these customers waiting.

### [Durban](https://eliteteqpos.com/durban/)

KwaZulu-Natal Province · the busiest port in sub-Saharan Africa

The port drives import and distribution trade year-round while the beachfront fills during domestic holiday periods. The binding constraint is running business-to-business invoicing and seasonal hospitality from one system, through the same grid interruptions as the rest of the country. Durban's economy is built on its port and the import and distribution trade that flows through it, which gives wholesale and business-to-business supply a larger share of local commerce than in Cape Town. A team in Durban answering one WhatsApp number never leaves these customers waiting.

### [Pretoria](https://eliteteqpos.com/pretoria/)

Gauteng Province · South Africa's administrative capital

Government, diplomatic and university activity give dependable weekday demand and a quieter weekend than the coastal cities, with more corporate account billing. Pretoria's trade is anchored by government, diplomatic and university activity, giving it steadier weekday demand and a less seasonal pattern than the coastal cities. Card payment dominates and corporate account billing is more common here than in purely retail markets. A team in Pretoria answering one WhatsApp number never leaves these customers waiting.

### EliteTeQ Inbox in every city of South Africa

- [Johannesburg](https://eliteteqpos.com/johannesburg/): Gauteng Province, South Africa's largest city and economic centre
- [Cape Town](https://eliteteqpos.com/cape-town/): Western Cape Province, a major tourism, services and technology centre
- [Durban](https://eliteteqpos.com/durban/): KwaZulu-Natal Province, the busiest port in sub-Saharan Africa
- [Pretoria](https://eliteteqpos.com/pretoria/): Gauteng Province, South Africa's administrative capital
- [Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)](https://eliteteqpos.com/port-elizabeth/): Eastern Cape Province, a port city and centre of vehicle manufacturing
- [Bloemfontein](https://eliteteqpos.com/bloemfontein/): Free State Province, South Africa's judicial capital and a regional service centre
- [East London](https://eliteteqpos.com/east-london/): Eastern Cape Province, a coastal port and manufacturing city
- [Polokwane](https://eliteteqpos.com/polokwane/): Limpopo Province, the commercial centre of Limpopo
- [Mbombela (Nelspruit)](https://eliteteqpos.com/nelspruit/): Mpumalanga Province, a regional centre and gateway to the Kruger National Park
- [Pietermaritzburg](https://eliteteqpos.com/pietermaritzburg/): KwaZulu-Natal Province, the provincial capital of KwaZulu-Natal


## Questions businesses ask us

**Can I keep using WhatsApp on my phone?**

Yes. If your number is on the WhatsApp Business app, it can stay there: messages show on the phone and in the inbox, and replies typed on the phone appear in the inbox marked as sent from the app. Open the app at least every 14 days or Meta disconnects it.

**Can I use my personal WhatsApp number?**

No. Move it to the free WhatsApp Business app first. It keeps the same number and your chats.

**Will my old WhatsApp chats show up?**

When you connect a WhatsApp Business app number, Meta offers to share your recent chat history once, roughly the last 6 months. If you agree, those chats are added to the inbox. Older chats stay on your phone.

**How long does setup take?**

About 40 minutes the first time. Most businesses let us do it with them on WhatsApp, and paid setup packages are available if you want contacts, pipeline and templates done for you too.

**How much does it cost?**

Starter is $29 a month for 1 WhatsApp number and 3 people, Growth $59 for 2 numbers and 6 people, and Business $99 for 3 numbers and unlimited people. Paying yearly costs 10 months. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial.

**Do we pay WhatsApp for messages?**

Replies inside 24 hours of a customer’s message are free. Meta charges for template messages you start, at its rate for the customer’s country, billed to your Meta account and not part of the EliteTeQ price.

**Can we send a broadcast to everyone?**

Not yet. You send approved templates to people one by one, and only to customers who agreed to hear from you. Mass messages to people who didn’t ask get numbers reported and limited.

**Is there a WhatsApp CRM for businesses in South Africa?**

Yes. EliteTeQ Inbox is a WhatsApp team inbox and CRM that businesses in South Africa use with their own +27 WhatsApp Business number. Staff in Johannesburg, Cape Town or anywhere else answer from their own logins, every chat becomes a lead on a pipeline, and Facebook and Instagram messages land in the same list. Plans start at $29 a month with a 7-day free trial.

**Can our team reply to customers in English, Afrikaans and isiZulu?**

Yes. Replies inside WhatsApp’s 24-hour window can be in any language, so your team answers in English, Afrikaans and isiZulu the way customers write. Template messages, for customers who haven’t written in 24 hours, can currently be created in English.

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)

## Give every customer chat an owner in South Africa

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

## More about EliteTeQ Inbox

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

## Talk to EliteTeQ about EliteTeQ Inbox

- WhatsApp or call: +1 214 423 5355 (https://wa.me/12144235355?text=Hi%20EliteTeQ!%20I%E2%80%99d%20like%20to%20connect%20our%20business%20WhatsApp%20number%20so%20my%20whole%20team%20can%20answer%20from%20EliteTeQ%20Inbox.%20I%E2%80%99m%20in%20South%20Africa.)
- Email: info@eliteteqpos.com
- Web: https://eliteteqpos.com/za/inbox/