Organization

· 7 min read

Free Kanban CRM for WhatsApp: Turn Chats Into a Sales Pipeline

Your WhatsApp chat list isn't a sales pipeline. Set up a free Kanban CRM inside WhatsApp Web, one column per stage, and stop losing deals to forgetting.

If you sell on WhatsApp, you've probably been here: a customer asked for a quote on Tuesday, you sent it, they said they'd think about it — and vanished. Two weeks later you remember them by chance while scrolling your chats. By then it's too late.

The problem isn't that you're disorganized. It's that the WhatsApp chat list is sorted by who messaged most recently, not by who's closest to buying. It's an inbox, not a sales pipeline. A Kanban CRM fixes exactly that — and you can have one for free, right inside WhatsApp Web.

What a Kanban CRM is

Kanban is a board split into columns, where each card represents something that needs to move forward. Applied to sales, each card is a customer and each column is a stage of the deal. You drag the card to the right as the deal progresses.

The advantage is visual and instant: three seconds looking at the board tells you how many people are waiting for a quote, how many got one and haven't replied, and how many have closed. Your chat list will never tell you that.

Building your pipeline: which columns to use

Start simple. A pipeline with too many columns turns into busywork and you'll drop it within a week. For most people who sell on WhatsApp, five columns are enough:

  • New lead — just arrived, hasn't been answered yet.
  • In conversation — you are talking right now.
  • Quote sent — the ball is in the customer’s court. This is the column where the most money is lost to forgetting.
  • Negotiation — they replied and are discussing price or timing.
  • Won — closed. (A "Lost" column is worth having too: understanding why you lose is as valuable as celebrating what you win.)

Rename them to fit your business. A dental clinic might use "Consultation booked"; a real estate agent, "Viewing scheduled"; a tutor, "Trial lesson done". What matters is that each column is a real step the customer takes, not an internal status of yours.

How to do this inside WhatsApp Web, for free

Most CRMs make you leave WhatsApp, open another tab, enter each customer by hand and keep both sides in sync. Nobody keeps that up for long — when things get busy, data entry is the first thing to go.

The alternative is a CRM that lives inside WhatsApp Web. TappyWhats is a free extension for Chrome and Edge that does just that: it imports your chats and groups automatically and turns each contact into a card, with photo, phone number and a preview of the last message. You don't enter anyone — your customers are already there.

  1. 1Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store or the Edge Add-ons store.
  2. 2Open WhatsApp Web and log in as usual.
  3. 3Create your free account, no card needed.
  4. 4Open the Kanban. Your contacts already show up as cards.
  5. 5Rename the columns to match your pipeline stages and start dragging.

What to do once the pipeline exists

The board alone already brings order. But the real gains come from three habits:

Write it on the card, not in your head

Each card holds notes and labels. "Prefers calls in the afternoon", "thought it was pricey, send the payment plan option", "referred by Priya". Two weeks from now, when you pick the conversation back up, that one line is worth more than rereading the whole chat history.

Put a value on the card

The TappyWhats Kanban lets you add a deal value to each card. When you add up the Negotiation column, you know how much money is on the table right now — and that changes your priorities for the day.

Schedule the follow-up right away, not later

The moment you send the quote, schedule the follow-up message for three days later, right there. Most deals lost on WhatsApp aren't lost on price: they're lost to silence.

Truly free, and your data is yours

TappyWhats starts with a 7-day free Pro trial, no credit card, and then keeps working on the Free plan, with lower limits. The Kanban, notes, labels and history are saved to your account and follow you to any computer. You can export everything as JSON whenever you want.

To avoid surprises, here's what that means in practice: your CRM data lives in your TappyWhats account, isolated from other accounts, and it's still worth exporting a JSON copy now and then for your own records. The extension only works on a computer, with WhatsApp Web open — for most people selling solo or in a small team, that's a trade-off well worth it.

Install TappyWhats for free and build your first pipeline today. Your contacts are already on WhatsApp — they just need organizing.

Quick answers

Is there a free CRM that works inside WhatsApp?

Yes. TappyWhats adds a Kanban CRM inside WhatsApp Web on Chrome and Edge. You get 7 days of Pro free, no card, and then you can stay on the Free plan, which has lower limits.

Do I have to enter my contacts by hand?

No. The extension imports your chats and groups and turns each contact into a card automatically. You only drag cards between the stages of your pipeline.

Does it work on my phone?

No. TappyWhats runs on a computer, in Chrome or Edge, with WhatsApp Web open. Your CRM data is saved to your account, so it is there on any computer you log in from.

Install TappyWhats and try Pro for 7 days

Kanban CRM, quick replies and scheduled messages inside WhatsApp Web. No credit card.

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Frequently asked questions

Before you install, understand how TappyWhats works

The most important question comes first: anything automatic depends on your computer being on. It’s all explained below, with no fine print.

Automation runs on your PC — not in the cloud

Automatic sending doesn’t happen on a server of ours: your own computer does the work. Automatic follow-up, scheduled messages and bulk sending are run by the browser, in the WhatsApp Web tab. For a routine that sends overnight or all day long, the computer needs to stay on 24 hours a day, with the browser open. Shut down, went to sleep or closed the browser? The automation is cut off where it was and does NOT resume on its own when the machine turns back on — whatever was left halfway needs your manual review.

Automatic follow-up Scheduled messages Bulk sendingrequire the PC to be on — and don’t resume on their own if it shuts down
Do I need to leave my computer on for automations to work?

Yes — and that applies to everything automatic: automatic follow-up, scheduled messages and bulk sending (remarketing). TappyWhats has no server sending messages for you: your own computer does the work, inside the browser, in the WhatsApp Web tab. In practice, your PC is the server. If it is off, asleep, offline or WhatsApp Web is closed, nothing is sent at that time. If your routine sends overnight, on weekends or throughout the day, the computer needs to stay on 24 hours a day, with the browser open on WhatsApp Web.

Why doesn’t TappyWhats send from the cloud, like other platforms?

Because that exact choice is what keeps the price so low. A cloud platform has to keep a server connected to your WhatsApp 24 hours a day, and that cost shows up in the monthly fee. TappyWhats runs inside the browser you already use: there is no server of ours connected to your WhatsApp sending messages, so there is no per-customer sending infrastructure cost. The price of that savings is depending on your computer being on for anything automatic. It’s a deliberate trade-off, made for people who are just starting out and don’t want to pay a high monthly fee.

If I turn off my computer or close the browser, will the automation pick up again on its own?

No. This is the part that needs to be clear before you buy: the browser does not run in the background. If the computer shuts down, goes to sleep, loses internet or the browser is closed, the automation is CUT OFF where it was and does not resume on its own when the machine comes back. When you turn it back on, you need to open WhatsApp Web and MANUALLY REVIEW whatever was left halfway: check who already received it, what didn’t go out, and reschedule what’s missing. A message scheduled for a time when the PC was off is not sent later on its own either. We don’t promise that everything resumes by itself, because today it doesn’t. If your operation can’t depend on this, the way to go is TappyOne CRM (crm.tappy.id), which runs on a server.

Does a closed laptop or a sleeping computer count as “on”?

No. A closed laptop, a computer in sleep or hibernation, and a closed browser cut off the automation just like shutting the machine down — and since it doesn’t resume on its own, each of these situations turns into a manual review afterward. To run overnight: in Windows power options, set sleep and hibernate to "Never" (turning off only the screen is fine), keep Chrome or Edge open on the WhatsApp Web tab, keep the internet connected, and prevent Windows from restarting on its own for updates.

I can’t leave my PC on all the time. Is there a version that runs on a server?

Yes: TappyOne CRM (crm.tappy.id). It’s our platform that runs on our own servers, 24 hours a day — follow-up, scheduling and sending keep happening with your computer off, and your team can access it from anywhere. It’s a separate product, with a subscription from R$ 157 (Brazilian reais) per month. To sum up the choice: TappyWhats is the low-cost option for people who are just starting out and can leave the PC on; TappyOne CRM is for those who can no longer depend on a machine being on.

Can I rent a cloud machine (VPS) just to keep TappyWhats running?

You can. Some people rent a remote Windows computer and leave the browser open there, precisely so they don’t depend on their home PC. It works, but you end up paying for that machine and looking after it: updates, the WhatsApp Web session dropping, restarts. Before going down that path, compare the cost with TappyOne CRM (crm.tappy.id, from R$ 157 (Brazilian reais) per month), which already delivers this ready to use and with support.

What about the features that aren’t automatic — do they also require the PC to be on?

No. The Kanban CRM, labels, notes, quick replies, history and search are used manually: they work when you open the browser and don’t need anything running in the background. The computer-on requirement applies only to things that happen on their own at a set time: automatic follow-up, scheduled messages and bulk sending.

Is TappyWhats free?

When you install it, you get a 7-day free Pro trial, no card required. After that, the extension stays on the Free plan, with lower limits. Paid plans are optional and appear inside the extension itself.

Where is my data stored?

With a TappyWhats account (including during the free trial and on the Free plan), your CRM data — cards, notes, labels, reminders and settings — is stored on the TappyWhats server, isolated per account, so you don’t lose anything when you switch computers or work as a team. Message text is encrypted and used only by product features, such as AI; photos, videos and documents are not stored on the server. You can export everything as JSON whenever you want.

TappyOne CRM

Can’t leave your PC on 24 hours a day?

Then the way to go is TappyOne CRM: our platform that runs on a server, 24 hours a day. Follow-up, scheduling and sending keep happening with your computer off, and your team can access it from anywhere. Subscription from R$ 157 (Brazilian reais) per month.

Discover TappyOne CRM

TappyWhats is the low-cost option for people who are just starting out. TappyOne CRM is the next step.

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