Guide · Updated 7 October 2026 · 6 min read
Most customers in Phnom Penh already message businesses on WhatsApp or Telegram. The simplest booking system is to let your website prepare that message for them. Here is how it works, what it costs, and where its limits are.
How click to chat works
WhatsApp offers a free feature called click to chat. A link of the form https://wa.me/your-number opens a chat with you, without the customer saving your number. You can add a ready-made message to the link with ?text= followed by the text.
On a booking form, the customer chooses a service, a day, a time and the number of people. The site turns those choices into a message like:
Hello, I'd like to book a table for two, Friday at 19:30. Thank you!
The customer presses Send. You receive a clear request, in the app you already use. Telegram offers the same kind of link with t.me/.
What it costs
- Click to chat links: free. No platform, no subscription, no commission per booking.
- Answering the customer: free. On the WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta states that messages sent from a user to a business are not charged, and that service conversations have been free since 1 November 2024.
- Automatic messages are different. Templates sent by a business, such as marketing messages, are charged per message by Meta. That matters only if you want fully automated confirmations through the official API.
The limits, honestly
- It is a request, not a confirmed booking. You still reply to confirm. For most restaurants, spas and boutiques, that reply takes ten seconds and adds a personal touch.
- No shared calendar. If you have many staff and many slots, a dedicated booking tool can make sense. You can start with WhatsApp and switch later.
- No-shows. A reminder the day before helps. On my Premium package I add an opt-in reminder and an optional deposit through ABA PayWay.
Five tips for better booking requests
- Ask only what you need: service, day, time, number of people, name.
- Show your opening hours next to the form, so people do not ask for impossible slots.
- Write the message in the customer's language: the form can switch between English and French.
- Answer fast. A quick confirmation is what makes this system feel professional.
- Put the booking button on every page, not only at the bottom.
Want to see it working? The form at the bottom of my homepage writes a WhatsApp message live as you type.
Sources
- WhatsApp Help Center, How to use click to chat
- Meta for Developers, WhatsApp Business Platform pricing
Prices and figures checked on 7 October 2026.