Sending bills via WhatsApp

Last updated: 2026-05-19

Tenants get bills on a channel they already use. Tap Send via WhatsApp on a bill and WhatsApp opens on your phone with the full breakdown pre-filled — you just hit send. We never message tenants directly; everything goes from your own WhatsApp account.

What the tenant sees

A plain-text message from your number. Example:

Hi Wanjiku,

Your April 2026 electricity bill
Kileleshwa Flats · Unit 4B

Previous: 53,210 kWh
New:      53,381 kWh
Used:     171 kWh
Rate:     KES 28.50/kWh
Total:    KES 4,873

— Stimafy
https://stimafy.online

Why plain text? Because emojis and rich formatting render inconsistently across phones, and KPLC's own SMS is plain text — so it feels familiar.

The bill statuses

Draft — bill exists but hasn't been sent. You can edit the underlying reading without resending.
Sent — you tapped Send via WhatsApp. A Send reminder button appears for follow-ups.
Paid — you tapped Mark paid. No more reminders; the bill is closed for this cycle.

Sending an initial invoice

Go to Invoices and find the bill (status: Draft).
Tap Send via WhatsApp. WhatsApp opens in a new tab/app with the message pre-filled.
Hit send.
Bill status moves to Sent. Stimafy notes the time.

Sending reminders

After 5-7 days without payment, send a reminder. It's a shorter, friendlier message — no need to repeat the math:

Hi Wanjiku,

Quick reminder: your April 2026 electricity bill is still outstanding.

Kileleshwa Flats · Unit 4B
Amount: KES 4,873

Pole sana — let me know if you've already paid and I'll update the record.

— Stimafy
https://stimafy.online

Reminder count shows on the invoice card — 2 reminders · last 3d ago. After the second one, consider a personal call.

Marking a bill paid

Tap Mark paid. We don't connect to M-Pesa right now — payment confirmation is on the honour system between you and the tenant. M-Pesa STK Push and till integration is on the roadmap.

Common questions

Why does it open WhatsApp instead of just sending?

The official WhatsApp Business API costs money per message and requires a verified business. For Stimafy's first version, we use wa.me links — the standard way to open a WhatsApp chat with a pre-filled message. You always confirm before sending, which means tenants see the message coming from your real number.

Can I see if the tenant actually got the message?

Not from Stimafy — for that we'd need the WhatsApp Business API. What we track is how many times you clicked Send, which in practice is a strong proxy. WhatsApp itself shows you the ticks (sent / delivered / read) in your own chat.

The tenant has no phone number — can I still bill them?

Yes — the bill still gets created and shows up in the Invoices list. The Send via WhatsApp button is disabled (greyed out as "No phone") until you add a phone number to the tenant. You can send it manually via SMS or email and tap Mark paid when you're done.

What format does the phone number need to be in?

International format with country code, no plus sign, no spaces. For Kenya: 2547XXXXXXXX (e.g. 254712345678). Local format like 0712345678 won't produce a valid WhatsApp link.