Manilla vs WhatsApp
WhatsApp is great for talking to clients. It's a terrible filing cabinet.
A document lands in the middle of a chat thread that already has fifty other messages in it — a good-morning sticker, a question about last year's return, a photo of a bank statement, in no particular order. Six months later, working out who has and hasn't sent what means scrolling back through all of it.
| Decision criteria | Manilla | |
|---|---|---|
| What the client sets up | Nothing — they open a link | Nothing, but it's buried in chat |
| Documents and answers together | One request, both | Photos, PDFs, replies, all mixed |
| Knowing what's still missing | Live per-field status | Scroll back through months |
| Chasing | They see what's left | You, every few days |
| How it looks to them | Your firm's name and colour | A chat like any other |
| Next client, same list | Saved as a template | Retype it per client |
SwitchingNothing about switching means giving up WhatsApp
Manilla doesn't replace how you talk to clients — it replaces the part where a photo of a document gets buried in that conversation. Send the request link over WhatsApp exactly like you do today; the difference is what happens after they tap it. They see a checklist, not a chat, and you see live status instead of scrolling.
QuestionsBefore you switch
Do I have to stop using WhatsApp?
No — send the Manilla link over WhatsApp exactly like you would any other link. What changes is where the actual documents land: a checklist page instead of your chat history.
Does my client need to install anything?
No. A Manilla request opens in any browser, on any phone. No app, and no account on their side — the same reason a link works over WhatsApp in the first place.
What if my client is more comfortable just sending photos?
The upload step is still just picking a photo from their phone — Manilla asks for the same file, it just lands in a checklist you can see the state of, rather than a message you have to remember to look for.