Conversational Bumpers on WhatsApp: How to create an Onboarding that converts
Table of Contents
Conversational Bumpers: Onboarding via WhatsApp
In the realm of digital products, there are typically two growth strategies:
- Marketing – Sales Growth
- Product-Led Growth (PLG)
While most of us rely on marketing and sales to secure demos, explain the product, and follow up, PLG is the holy grail. Achieving it isn’t easy: you need impeccable UX, well-defined value paths, a budget to generate quality traffic, and a product so good it sells itself.
That is, the user understands the problem you solve and, simply by using your product—which is already a significant ask—is convinced to stay and pay.
Some time ago, one of the leading implementers of ZOHO CRM and WhatsApp shared an important insight: it’s not just about choosing the right SaaS and getting the team to use it, but ensuring they use it effectively. This is a long journey toward successful system implementation within a company.
As solution providers, our goal shouldn’t just be to deliver value but to ensure that value is truly in the user’s hands—accessible, clear, and useful from day one.
And when we talk about digital products, we must discuss onboarding. Wes Bush, in his book Product-Led Growth, provides an excellent framework for this: the Bowling Alley Framework. This system guides users through the product experience with minimal deviations, helping them reach their “aha moment” as quickly as possible.
However, that book was written some time ago. Today, the way we interact has changed. Users live on their phones. And within their phones, they live on WhatsApp.
Therefore, it’s time to talk about Conversational Bumpers, and more specifically, how to implement onboarding via WhatsApp.
1. Bowling Alley Framework
Wes Bush suggests that users should follow a straight path from registration to value. To achieve this, he introduces two types of “bumpers” that keep them on track:
- Product bumpers: in-product elements like tours, tooltips, checklists, progress bars, or empty states.
- Conversational bumpers: messages sent outside the product (email, push, SMS, WhatsApp) that guide, educate, and motivate.
Both are necessary to help users complete their journey and become customers. And when it comes to conversational channels, WhatsApp is unbeatable.
Image adapted from Product-Led Growth.
2. Let’s divide this exercise: Leads vs. Customers
Each stage of the funnel requires a different strategy. You can’t speak to a lead who’s just discovered you the same way you would to a customer who has already trusted you.
Therefore, when designing an onboarding strategy with conversational bumpers, we must clearly distinguish:
- Leads → individuals who are just starting and need to experience quick value (quick win).
- Customers → active users who should progress toward deeper usage or key functionalities.
3. WhatsApp as an Onboarding Channel
3.1 What are Conversational Bumpers?
They are conversational messages designed to:
- Educate the user,
- Prevent them from straying off course (the “straight path”),
- Bring them back if they get lost,
- And ultimately, convert them into customers.
Instead of guiding within the product (like a tooltip), conversational bumpers do so outside the product, without losing context.
While emails have traditionally been used for this, WhatsApp offers a more powerful, direct, and personalized approach. You can always combine both to amplify the effect. At WOZTELL, we do this and have seen incredible results.
3.2 Why is WhatsApp the ideal channel?
- Open rate exceeding 90%
- Scalability of the channel
- Intimate, direct, and distraction-free
- Near-instant response with AI assistants
- Support for multimedia: you can send images, videos, documents, buttons, and lists.
Before you continue reading, when we talk about WhatsApp for businesses, we must be able to perform these actions with the WhatsApp Cloud API. We recommend reading our Basic Guide to WhatsApp Cloud, but if you prefer, here’s a quick summary:
A quick summary on WhatsApp Cloud API
There are three types of WhatsApp: Personal WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business, and WhatsApp Cloud.
The ideal tool for businesses is WhatsApp Cloud, which you can access through Business Solution Providers like WOZTELL by creating an account.
WhatsApp Cloud API has different rules:
1. Charges for initiating conversations: Outside the 24-hour window, if the business starts the conversation, it must use a pre-approved template by WhatsApp, which has an average cost of $0.05.
2. 24-hour window rule: From the customer’s last message, you have 24 hours to respond for free. If this window closes, you must send a template to reopen the conversation.
3. Exclusive advantages and features: Clients using WhatsApp Cloud move beyond the traditional WhatsApp experience to professionalize their processes with messages featuring buttons, lists, products, all kinds of chatbots, mass messaging, integrations with their tools, automations, and even artificial intelligence on WhatsApp.
Although using WhatsApp is practically indispensable for companies that rely on it as a pillar for revenue or customer service, professionalizing this channel comes with a small cost. But what price can you put on success and efficiency? The solution: WhatsApp Cloud. It’s not only accessible but its value far exceeds the initial investment, allowing you to professionalize your communications officially and efficiently.
WhatsApp Cloud API allows you to establish a more human, natural relationship. In the context of onboarding, this makes the difference between active users and inactive accounts.
| Channel | Open Rate | Response Time | Personalization | Engagement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15–25% | Hours or days | High | Low | |
| Push | 50–70% | Immediate | Medium | Medium |
| SMS | 90%+ | Minutes | Low | Low |
| 90–98% | Seconds | High | Very High |
I’m not suggesting that WhatsApp is the only channel; the best strategies are always based on multiple entry points.
WhatsApp not only has a better open rate: it generates conversation, which is crucial in onboarding. It’s not a one-way channel but an environment where the user can ask questions, express doubts, and progress at their own pace.
Common Product Bumpers
- Welcome messages
- Product tours
- Progress bars
- Checklists
- Onboarding
- Suggestions (tooltips)
- Empty states
Common Conversational Bumpers
- User onboarding emails
- Push notifications
- Explainer videos
- Direct mail
Image adapted from Product-Led Growth.
4. Conversational Bumpers for Leads
Objetive: Achieve a quick win. Show value as soon as possible.
It’s different to talk to someone who already knows a bit about you compared to someone who’s never heard of you. This is the ideal opportunity to hyper-personalize WhatsApp messages and interactions. We always recommend:
1. Generate hyper-personalization: Use what you already know about the lead. If you know the client’s interest is Marketing, Sales, or Customer Success, talk to them about that—and nothing else.
2. Address them by name: No one likes a simple “Hello 👋”; they always prefer a “Hi Antonio, how are you? I’m Julieta Montaña from WOZTELL.”
3. Use AI for qualification: Sending the message is the easy part; the challenge is responding to those interactions. Imagine embedding all your Presales team’s knowledge into an AI bot to guide contactability and qualification processes.
Message examples
Best practices for conversational bumpers for leads: Within templates, you can use as many variables as you like, allowing for a much more personalized message. Additionally, use carousel messages or buttons. Personalize with variables like name, industry, source of acquisition. Measure interaction and adjust flows based on behavior.
5. Conversational Bumpers for Customers
Best practices for conversational bumpers for customers: Send content based on product usage (events). Combine automated messages with access to an agent. Use short surveys to detect friction points. Utilize AI agents in responses to avoid overwhelming your Customer Success team.
Hybrid Strategy: Combine Product + Conversational Bumpers on WhatsApp
The best onboarding strategy is hybrid:
- Within the product, use tours, progress bars, and tooltips to guide.
- Outside the product, use WhatsApp to bring users back, explain, or motivate.
For example:
- If a user doesn’t complete their setup → WhatsApp sends them a personalized checklist.
- If a user creates their first flow → WhatsApp offers a guide to connect it with their CRM.
This approach reduces friction, increases activations, and improves conversion.
Conclusion
Onboarding is no longer just about showcasing the product. It’s about guiding conversations that help the user achieve real results. And WhatsApp, as a direct, personal, and powerful channel, is the ideal tool to deploy Conversational Bumpers that truly convert.
