Stuv AI — Grow Your Business Online, Leads from Month One
Chat with us
Lead Qualification on WhatsApp: Score Every Enquiry and Follow Up Fast
AI Agents & Sales

Lead Qualification on WhatsApp: Score Every Enquiry and Follow Up Fast

A practical way for stores to qualify enquiries from Maps, Instagram, calls and the website — four questions, a simple hot/warm/cold score, and a WhatsApp follow-up routine.

S
Stuv AI Team
··8 min read

Once Google, Instagram and your website start working, enquiries arrive from everywhere — and most stores handle them in the order they notice them. The buyer ready to spend ₹1.5 lakh this weekend waits behind someone collecting prices for next year.

Lead qualification fixes that: ask a few questions, score the answer, and act on the hottest leads first.

Four questions that qualify most store enquiries

  1. What are you looking for? (product, size, style)
  2. Budget range? Offer ranges rather than asking for a number.
  3. When do you need it? This week, this month, later.
  4. Where are you? For delivery and whether a visit is realistic.

These can be asked naturally in a WhatsApp chat, an Instagram DM, on a call or in a website form. An AI assistant asks them in the first reply, so your team starts with the answers.

A simple score: hot, warm, cold

ScoreTypical signalsWhat to do
HotClear product, budget fits your range, needs it within a month, nearbyCall or WhatsApp within the hour; offer a visit slot
WarmInterested but comparing, or timeline 1–3 monthsSend options and a catalogue; follow up in 3–5 days
ColdJust browsing, budget far off, or outside your delivery areaPolite reply with useful info; add to occasional updates
Illustration: leads from Google Maps, Instagram DM and a phone call scored hot or warm
One list across channels, scored, with hot leads pushed to the owner’s WhatsApp.

Why speed matters

In the Harvard Business Review study of online leads, companies that replied within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify the lead as those that replied an hour later. Hot leads are exactly the ones that are also talking to your competitors.

A WhatsApp follow-up routine

  • Day 0: answer, ask the four questions, share 2–3 relevant options.
  • Day 1: for hot leads, confirm the visit time and send the location pin.
  • Day 3–5: for warm leads, share a new arrival or a room scene of what they asked about.
  • After a visit: thank them, recap what they liked, and answer open questions.

On WhatsApp, business replies to a customer’s message are free-form within Meta’s customer service window; messages you start later need approved templates. Plan follow-ups with that in mind and always respect opt-outs.

What to measure

  • Share of enquiries scored hot, by channel.
  • Median time to first reply for hot leads.
  • Hot leads that booked a visit; visits that bought.

Stuv qualifies every enquiry from Maps, Instagram, calls and your website, scores it and sends the hot ones to your WhatsApp. Request access to set it up.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

What is lead qualification?

Asking a few questions — need, budget, timeline and location — to judge how ready an enquiry is to buy, so your team spends time on the best leads first.

How quickly should I reply to a hot lead?

Within the hour if you can. Buyers often contact several stores, and the first useful reply usually wins the visit.

Can I send WhatsApp follow-ups automatically?

Yes, through the official WhatsApp Business Platform. Replies inside the customer service window are free-form; messages you start later must use approved templates, and customers must be able to opt out.

Related Articles

Stuv AI tools for this

See it in action — start free

Turn one product photo into studio images, lifestyle scenes, editorial creatives, and product videos in under 60 seconds.

#lead-qualification#WhatsApp-follow-up#lead-scoring-small-business#sales-follow-up-India