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Messaging and consent

Digital clienteling on WhatsApp

Digital clienteling means a named associate reaching a known client one to one on WhatsApp, SMS or email. Clientele puts all three channels in one inbox, sends only where the client gave consent for that channel, holds messages until quiet hours end and logs every word on the profile.

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Before this message left

  • WhatsApp consentGranted
  • Client local time10:04, inside 8 to 20
  • SenderStore WhatsApp number
  • Logged on profileYes

Why clienteling moved into messages

Clients of luxury and high ticket stores rarely answer the phone from an unknown number, and few walk past the boutique by chance. They do read a short message from an advisor they know. A photo of a piece on WhatsApp, a reminder by SMS that alterations are ready, an email with three options before a gift date: this is how most clienteling happens today.

That shift brought two problems. Associates message clients from personal phones, so the store never sees the conversation and loses it when the associate leaves. And messages go out without any record of consent, which is a risk in every market with privacy rules, and an annoyance for clients who never asked to be contacted on that channel.

One inbox the store owns

Clientele fixes both. Every message, outgoing and incoming, on every channel, is written and read inside Clientele and saved to the client profile. The associate still uses their phone, but through the store's channels: the store's own WhatsApp Business number, SMS within the plan allowance and unlimited email.

When a client is reassigned, the new associate sees the full thread and continues in the same tone. Managers see every conversation in the store in one list. And the messages themselves usually start in the Money Feed, where each client already has a reason and a drafted note.

Three channels, each with its own job

Clientele picks the client's preferred channel when it has consent, otherwise the first channel that does. The associate can switch before sending.

WhatsApp, SMS and email in Clientele

WhatsApp

Sent from
The store's own WhatsApp Business number
Included per month
Every plan, fees billed by WhatsApp to your account
Works best for
Photos of pieces, quick replies, booking a visit

SMS

Sent from
The store's sending number
Included per month
500 Boutique, 2,000 Brand, 8,000 Flagship, 20,000 Enterprise
Works best for
Short reminders, pickups, clients without WhatsApp

Email

Sent from
The store's address
Included per month
Unlimited on every plan
Works best for
Longer notes, several options, formal clients

Consent per channel

Four consent states, recorded with date and source

A client can agree to WhatsApp and refuse SMS. Clientele keeps a separate record for each channel and checks it at the moment of sending, not only when a list is built.

Granted

The client agreed to this channel. Messages can be sent, and the record shows when, how and who captured it.

Denied

The client said no. The channel is closed for that client and the composer will not send on it.

Withdrawn

The client agreed once and then opted out. The withdrawal date is kept, and sending stops at once.

Unknown

No record yet, typical after an import. Treated as no consent until an associate records the answer.

Sources include an in store form, Shopify, an import and double opt in. The audit trail answers the question a regulator or a client may ask: when did this person agree, and how do you know.

Boutique associate sending a WhatsApp clienteling message with a product photo to a client from the store floor

What happens when an associate presses send

  1. 01

    Consent check

    No granted consent for the channel, no message. It is marked blocked and the associate sees why.

  2. 02

    Quiet hours

    Outside 8 am to 8 pm in the client's time zone, the message is scheduled for the next allowed moment.

  3. 03

    Allowance

    SMS counts against the plan's monthly allowance. Email and WhatsApp on your number do not.

  4. 04

    Delivery and log

    The message goes out, the client profile records it, and the client is watched for a purchase in the attribution window.

Virtual and remote clienteling

Not every client lives near the boutique. Digital clienteling lets an advisor in Paris look after a client in Dubai: photos and options on WhatsApp, a virtual appointment logged on the profile, a reserved piece shipped. Quiet hours follow the client's time zone, not the store's, so a message written at the end of a European afternoon reaches an Asian client at breakfast, not at midnight.

For e-commerce teams, the same inbox turns an abandoned wishlist into a personal conversation with a named advisor rather than another automated reminder.

Better drafts, same rules

On paid plans, the drafts in the composer are written in each associate's voice by AI clienteling, kept short for SMS and without prices or discounts. Every consent and quiet hours rule above applies to them exactly as to a message typed by hand.

To see the drafts on your own client list, run the clienteling software demo on the homepage. Allowances for every plan are on the pricing page.

FAQ

Digital clienteling questions about channels and consent

What is digital clienteling?

Digital clienteling is one to one outreach from a named associate to a known client through messaging channels such as WhatsApp, SMS and email instead of only in person or by phone. Done well, it keeps the personal tone of the sales floor while letting an associate look after many more clients each week.

Do we use our own WhatsApp number?

Yes. Every plan sends WhatsApp messages through the store's own WhatsApp Business number, so clients see your brand and your conversations stay yours. Conversation fees charged by WhatsApp go to that business account directly; Clientele does not add a markup.

How is consent handled for each channel?

Each client has a consent record per channel (WhatsApp, SMS, email) with a status of granted, denied, withdrawn or unknown, the date it was captured, its source and who captured it. Before any message leaves, Clientele checks that the channel has granted consent. If not, the message is blocked and nothing is sent.

What are quiet hours?

Messages go out only between 8 am and 8 pm in the client's own time zone, and the store can change those hours. A message an associate sends at 10 pm is scheduled automatically for 8 am the next morning where the client lives.

How many SMS and emails are included?

Email is unlimited on every plan. SMS is 500 a month on Boutique, 2,000 on Brand, 8,000 on Flagship and 20,000 on Enterprise, counted as usage in the billing period. WhatsApp runs on your own business number on every plan.

Can associates see replies on their phones?

Yes. Replies from all three channels land in one inbox inside Clientele, on the phone or a desktop, and every message in both directions is saved on the client profile so a colleague can pick up the conversation.

Keep reading

See the first messages your team would send

Upload a client list or use our sample boutique. Each client in the demo feed comes with a drafted message and the channel it would go out on.

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Plans from $99 a month billed yearly. Subscriptions only, cancel at the end of any period.