On this page
- The trip cycle on WhatsApp
- The qualifier flow
- Quotes, payments and documents
- Itineraries, reminders and on-trip support
- Past travellers: the marketing audience
- Six templates that pass review
- The inbox for a five-person agency
- What it costs: 400 enquiries, 120 bookings a month
- 30-day rollout
- Mistakes
- What VGraple CRM does here
Too long? Read this
- Travel enquiries need destination, dates, travellers and budget before a human can quote; a qualifier flow collects them in a minute and the consultant quotes a lead, not a number
- Quotes, payment links, document checklists, itineraries, check-in reminders and on-trip updates are utility messages that run from booking stages
- Past travellers are the marketing audience: seasonal packages to consenting contacts, segmented by destination and budget, once a month
- Coexistence keeps the owner's phone in the loop; six templates, a cost example and a 30-day rollout
A travel enquiry cannot be quoted until someone knows the destination, the dates, the number of travellers and the budget, and the agency that collects those four in a minute and replies with two options within the hour wins the booking. WhatsApp does the collecting with a qualifier flow, then runs the rest of the trip (quote, payment link, documents, itinerary, reminders, on-trip support) as utility messages from booking stages, keeps the owner's phone in the loop through coexistence, and turns past travellers into a consenting marketing audience for seasonal packages. This playbook gives the flows, six templates, the inbox setup for a small team, a cost example and a 30-day rollout.
The trip cycle on WhatsApp
| Stage | Message | Category | Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enquiry | Qualifier: destination, dates, travellers, budget, hotel category | Free-form (in-window) | First message, QR, ad, website widget |
| Quote | Two options as a document; "which one?" buttons | Utility | Consultant sends |
| Booking | Payment link for the advance; confirmation | Utility | Traveller picks an option |
| Documents | Passport, ID, visa checklist with reply-to-upload | Utility | Stage "Booked" |
| Pre-trip | Itinerary and vouchers; check-in and departure reminders | Utility | Stage "Confirmed", timers |
| On trip | Pickup times, hotel details, support | Free-form or utility | Traveller messages, timers |
| Post-trip | Feedback, review request, photos | Utility | Stage "Completed" |
| Later | Seasonal packages | Marketing (consent, opt-out) | Scheduled broadcast |
The qualifier flow
Trigger: any first message, the QR on the storefront and brochures, a click-to-WhatsApp ad, the website widget. Steps: "Where would you like to go?" (free text or a list of top destinations); dates (buttons: this month, next month, pick dates); travellers (adults and children as a WhatsApp Flow form); budget band; hotel category. Save all of it to the lead, assign the consultant for that destination with the summary, and send "Two options are on their way within the hour". The consultant now quotes a lead, not "Kerala trip?".
Quotes, payments and documents
The quote goes as a document inside the conversation (free in-window) with two reply buttons; the chosen option triggers a payment link for the advance through your own gateway; payment moves the booking to "Booked" and records revenue on the conversation. The document checklist follows as a utility template with a reply-to-upload instruction; uploads land in the conversation and are stored on the contact, visible only to roles you allow. A follow-up sequence covers quotes that go quiet: day 1 "questions about the options?", day 3 a similar itinerary at a different budget, day 7 "shall I close this?".
Itineraries, reminders and on-trip support
At "Confirmed": itinerary and vouchers as a utility document. Timers: web check-in reminder 24 hours before departure, pickup time the evening before, hotel details on arrival day. On trip, the traveller's messages open free windows; the shared inbox routes them to the on-call consultant, with the trip's itinerary in the AI's knowledge base for logistics questions at 2 am (pickup time, hotel address). An away rule carries the emergency number. After the trip: feedback with rating buttons, a review link on positive replies, a "share your photos" invitation.
Past travellers: the marketing audience
Consent is collected at booking ("reply YES for our seasonal packages"); the segment is past travellers by destination, budget band and travel month. One marketing campaign a month, weekend morning, with two packages and an opt-out line; readers who do not reply get the qualifier flow as a retarget two days later. This audience converts several times better than any ad.
Six templates that pass review
- travel_quote_ready (utility, document header): "Hi {{1}}, two options for your {{2}} trip on {{3}} are attached. Reply A or B to proceed, or ask me anything."
- travel_advance_payment (utility): "Hi {{1}}, to confirm {{2}} the advance is {{3}}. Pay here: {{4}}. The balance is due on {{5}}."
- travel_document_checklist (utility): "Hi {{1}}, for your {{2}} trip we need: {{3}} by {{4}}. Reply with photos of each."
- travel_itinerary (utility, document header): "Hi {{1}}, your {{2}} itinerary and vouchers for {{3}} are attached. Reply with any questions."
- travel_checkin_reminder (utility): "Reminder: web check-in for {{1}} opens now; your flight {{2}} departs {{3}} at {{4}}. Pickup at {{5}}."
- travel_seasonal_packages (marketing): "Hi {{1}}, {{2}} winter packages are open: {{3}}. Reply PACKAGES for details or STOP to opt out."
The inbox for a five-person agency
Teams by destination (domestic, international) or by consultant; assignment by the destination the qualifier captured; the owner in coexistence mode watching from the app; notes for handovers between the sales consultant and the operations executive; stages that match the trip cycle; the Android app for the on-call person. The weekly review: enquiries by source, quote-to-booking rate, time to quote, on-trip escalations.
What it costs: 400 enquiries, 120 bookings a month
Enquiries and quotes free in-window; payment, checklist, itinerary, reminders and feedback about 1,500 utility messages (Rs 173); one package campaign to 3,000 past travellers (Rs 2,589); quote follow-up sequences about Rs 150. Meta total about Rs 2,900. VGraple CRM from Rs 0 to Rs 1,499 depending on volume.
30-day rollout
Week 1. Connect the number in coexistence mode; submit the six templates; build the qualifier flow; import past travellers with consent and destination tags.
Week 2. Consultants work from the pipeline; payment links and document checklists live; itinerary and reminder templates on stage changes.
Week 3. On-trip support routing, the AI for logistics, the Android app for on-call; feedback and review requests.
Week 4. First seasonal campaign to consenting past travellers; review quote-to-booking rate, time to quote, campaign replies; add Instagram DMs for enquiries from reels.
Mistakes
- Quoting before the four questions are answered.
- Packages to travellers who consented only to trip updates.
- Documents visible to everyone; restrict by role.
- No on-call plan for on-trip messages.
- Owner's phone disconnected instead of coexistence; the owner reverts.
What VGraple CRM does here
Qualifier flows with WhatsApp Flow forms, a pipeline with stages, payment links in chat, document handling on contacts with role-based access, utility templates with document headers, timers on booking stages, sequences that pause on reply, coexistence, the shared inbox with teams and the Android app, and broadcasts with consent handling and delivery protection are on every plan including Free (AI on Growth and above). The travel and tourism solution page has the full setup.