WhatsApp Proposal Sharing

Summary

WhatsApp Proposal Sharing lets you send a published proposal to your customer over WhatsApp in one click, using a covering message your business writes once. This article covers setting up the message template, sending a proposal, and tracking the share — plus why WhatsApp lands better than email or SMS with Indian customers. It is live for every OpenSolar org by default: there is no flag to turn on and no per-org setup step.

This feature is only available in India

Before You Start

• An active OpenSolar account with a completed project (design and pricing finalised) and a published proposal design.
• Link sharing enabled on the proposal — if it isn't, the Send via WhatsApp button auto-enables it with a toast confirmation.
• WhatsApp installed — the app on mobile, or WhatsApp Web/Desktop on a laptop — logged in as the consultant's own number (the send always goes from the Pro's own WhatsApp, never on their behalf).
• Ideally, the customer's mobile number saved as a project contact, so the right chat is pre-selected. Not mandatory — see point 5 under Step 2 below.

How to Use It

Step 1 — Set your business's WhatsApp message template (one-time, per org)

A business owner or manager, not each rep, should own this step.

1. Go to Control › Templates › WhatsApp Message.
    

   

2. Write the organisation's covering message once — formal, informative, in the business's own voice — introducing the company and framing the proposal.
    

   
   
    

3. Insert dynamic placeholders so each send is personalised automatically: {customer_first_name}, {project_address}, {system_size_kw}, {annual_savings}, {payback_period}, {proposal_link}, {pro_first_name}, {business_name}, {business_phone}.
    

   
    

4. Save. {proposal_link} is mandatory — the editor blocks save if it's missing, so no message can go out without the proposal link in it. Plain text only, 4,096-character limit with a live counter (matches WhatsApp's pre-fill cap).
    

   

A sensible default message already ships in every org, so the feature works before anyone customises anything — but a manager should review and adjust it to match the business's tone before reps start sending at volume.

Step 2 — Send a proposal via WhatsApp (every proposal, one click)

1. Open the relevant Project in OpenSolar with the proposal design finalised and published. 

   
   
    

2. Go to the Proposal tab and click Send via WhatsApp, alongside the other existing send options.
    

   
    

3. OpenSolar builds a wa.me deep link carrying the org's template, filled in with this customer's real numbers, plus the proposal link — and, if a number is on file, the correct contact pre-selected. 

   

    

4. WhatsApp opens with the message fully composed. Review it — and edit it for this specific customer if needed, the template is a default, not a lock. 

   

   
    

5.  Pick the contact number from WhatsApp. A number typed in at send time is saved as a new project contact automatically (editable later under Manage › Contacts).
    

   
   
   
    

6. Check Manage › Activity for the logged “Proposal Shared via WhatsApp” entry with a timestamp, and use it to time the follow-up call.
    

   
   
    

Why WhatsApp, Not Email or SMS

Relying only on email or SMS to deliver proposals creates friction that is specific to how Indian consumers and small businesses actually communicate:

• No email on file at all: many Indian residential customers have no active email address on record — for those deals, an email-only send flow doesn't just work slowly, it's unusable.
• Low email engagement where an address does exist: WhatsApp business messages open at 90–98%, against 18–25% for email, and are read in minutes rather than hours.
• SMS can't carry the proposal: character limits, no rich preview, and increasing carrier filtering under DLT regulations mean SMS cannot deliver an interactive proposal credibly.
• Every rep writes their own covering note by hand: with no template, the message that introduces the business is whatever each salesperson types on their phone between site visits — inconsistent, unreviewed, and sometimes missing the link entirely.
• Competitors land first: customers sourcing quotes through schemes like PM Surya Ghar are comparing several installers on the same roof; an emailed proposal that sits unopened for hours loses the moment to a competitor who reached the customer on WhatsApp within minutes.
• No record of who was contacted or when: manual copy-paste into WhatsApp (today's fallback) leaves no trace in OpenSolar, so follow-up timing is guesswork — installers report losing housing-society deals to multi-week follow-up gaps caused by exactly this.
• Committee/group deals stall: housing-society and RWA decisions happen in WhatsApp groups; an email to one committee member never reaches the rest, and a proposal without a proper introductory message doesn't land with people who never met the installer.

What You Gain

• Reaches the channel Indian consumers already read: ~550M+ WhatsApp users in India, roughly three-quarters of all smartphone users, and the large majority of Indian SMBs already run business communication through it.
• Far higher engagement than email: 90–98% open rates and 30–45% reply rates on WhatsApp business messages, against 18–25% opens and 2–5% replies on email — and it's typically read within minutes, not hours.
• A consistent, business-approved message every time: the org-level template means every customer gets a properly written introduction with their real savings and payback figures filled in — not whatever a rep improvised on their phone.
• Faster first contact wins deals: in a market where customers are collecting multiple quotes for the same roof, being the proposal that's opened while the customer is still deciding is a real competitive edge.
• Forwardable into decision-making groups: a WhatsApp message can be forwarded into a family or housing-society group chat in one tap, spreading through the whole decision-making body rather than sitting in a single inbox.
• Trackable for follow-up: each send is logged with a timestamp in Manage › Activity, so follow-up becomes something a sales manager can actually see and manage, not memory.
• No manual six-step workaround: previously — finish the proposal, copy the link, leave OpenSolar, open WhatsApp, find the contact, paste, and write a message from scratch. Now it's one click, with the message and link already in place.
• Works even where there's no phone number on file yet: WhatsApp still opens with the message ready, and the number entered gets saved as a contact for next time.
• Zero setup cost: built on the existing share link and a wa.me deep link — no WhatsApp Business API, no Meta approval, no BSP onboarding — so it's available to every org today without any account setup.

At a Glance: Before vs. After

Best Practices

• Have a business owner or manager write and review the WhatsApp template in Control › Templates before reps start sending at volume — this is the part customers judge the business on.
• Don't leave the default template unedited indefinitely — tailor it to the business's own tone and the specific value points that resonate locally.
• Reps should still read the pre-filled message before hitting send in WhatsApp, and adjust it for anything specific to that customer.
• Follow up within 24 hours of sending, and sooner if the proposal-view activity shows the customer has opened it.
• For housing-society or group deals, proactively ask the customer to forward the message into the committee's WhatsApp group.
• Don't describe this to customers or partners as full “WhatsApp integration” — set expectations correctly: no delivery confirmation, no automated sending, no two-way messaging in v1.

Troubleshooting

• The Send via WhatsApp button isn’t there: the proposal design isn’t published yet. Finish the design and pricing, publish the proposal, then reopen the Proposal tab.
• Clicking it does nothing on desktop: WhatsApp Web isn’t signed in on that browser. Open web.whatsapp.com, scan the QR code from your phone, and send again.
• The message opens without the proposal link: the template is missing {proposal_link}. An owner or manager needs to add it back in Control › Templates › WhatsApp Message — the editor blocks save without it.
• The wrong chat is pre-selected: the number on the project contact is out of date. Update it under Manage › Contacts, or search for the right contact in WhatsApp before sending.
• The message looks cut off: the template is over WhatsApp’s 4,096-character pre-fill cap. Trim it in the template editor and watch the live counter.
• Placeholders show as {customer_first_name}: that field is empty on the project. Fill it in on the project, or edit the message in WhatsApp before sending.
• The share isn’t in Manage › Activity: only sends started from OpenSolar are logged. A manual copy-paste of the share link into WhatsApp leaves no record.

Related Articles

• 3D Design View in Proposals — [add link once the article is published]
• Photorealistic Obstructions Library — [add link once the article is published]

Something not working the way it is described here? Contact OpenSolar support through the Help Centre, or reach out to the India Sales & Ops team.