01
Problem
MESTE (Mama Emma Service Traiteur d’Excellence), a caterer in Accra, wanted to sell its meals online through WhatsApp Business.
Tools that customise a WhatsApp shop to take orders directly, payment included (Omnichat, Zoko, Callbell…), are paid subscriptions MESTE could not afford.
02
Constraints
- No subscription to a paid tool.
- WhatsApp API calls are paid; so is Google Chat.
- Customers order from WhatsApp; the shop managers use Telegram.
03
Successive versions
V1
Form, back office and WhatsApp confirmation (delivered)
- The WhatsApp Business catalogue is the shop window: customers browse the dishes there but do not order there.
- Customers order through a bilingual Tally form (French, English): formula, dish, side, extras, delivery area and fee, day and time slot.
- Every order lands in a Google Sheets back office: orders and statuses, loyalty, reviews, activity charts.
- From the dashboard, the “Send recap” link opens the WhatsApp chat with the customer with the order summary and Mobile Money (MoMo) payment details.
- A Telegram bot alerts the management group for every order: managers are notified on their phones at no cost.
Planned next step
Reading messages and tracking deliveries on WhatsApp
Next step, not built yet: an automation with n8n, Claude and WhatsApp to read an order written any old way and track the delivery between the kitchen, the rider and the customer.
The demo
Try the solution with made-up data: place an order with the form, or paste a WhatsApp message that AI turns into an order, then follow the delivery.
04
Support
Conclusive results: the client is satisfied and is taking ownership of the tool.
The managers were trained on the tool and given written documentation.
05
Limits
- The WhatsApp recap is sent by a manager’s click from the dashboard: it is not sent automatically.
- Delivery tracking (a rider accepting the job, the customer told when they arrive) is not automated yet: that is the evolution planned with n8n.
06
Lesson
A subscription-free solution built on tools the team already uses (WhatsApp, Telegram, a spreadsheet) is picked up faster than a paid platform that would have to be learnt.