Businesses running on niche or legacy CRMs, such as Learnify, Leadpro, or smaller PropTech and recruitment systems, face a common problem: WhatsApp lives in one place and customer records live in another, with no native API bridging the two. Stitch, the WhatsApp business communication platform, solves this with a Chrome extension that overlays WhatsApp functionality directly onto the CRM interface, without requiring the CRM vendor to build or maintain a deep API integration. This guide walks through how that overlay works and how to set it up.
Many CRMs, particularly recruitment and property systems built for a specific vertical, were never designed with WhatsApp in mind, and their vendors have no roadmap to add it. Rather than waiting on a native build, Stitch's Chrome extension sits on top of whatever CRM is already open in the browser and adds WhatsApp capability directly into that interface. The extension was demonstrated as the main tool used inside the CRM system Rex, allowing users to send WhatsApp messages directly from the CRM without switching tabs or apps. This approach was also shown solving the same problem for a recruitment company that needed a centralized, compliant WhatsApp messaging solution to replace personal mobile use, where the extension was presented as a way to bridge integration gaps the CRM's own API could not close.
The result is that IT and operations leads don't need to negotiate a bespoke integration project with a smaller CRM vendor. The extension works at the browser level, which means it can be deployed against systems that have limited or no public API support.
Before setting up the Chrome extension overlay, have the following in place:
The extension overlay depends on a working WhatsApp Business API connection behind it. Stitch-AI assists with this setup, including adding the company to the Meta Business Suite and creating a WhatsApp business profile. The recommended approach is to use the company's main landline number for WhatsApp, which streamlines communication by keeping the business's existing point of contact consistent across channels. This requires a verification process involving a call or text to authenticate the number before anything else can be configured.
Note: This step is identical regardless of which CRM you use downstream. The WhatsApp Business API connection is the foundation; the Chrome extension is the layer that connects that foundation to your specific CRM screen.
Once the WhatsApp Business API connection is live, install the Stitch Chrome extension and connect it to your WhatsApp business account. The extension is built for API integration and adds a set of interface features directly onto whatever page you're viewing, including the pages of your CRM. Specific features include:
The extension enhances user experience by enabling seamless WhatsApp communication directly from the CRM interface or from LinkedIn, since it works at the browser level rather than being locked to one specific platform.
For CRMs without a native API connection, the extension's phone-number lookup does the work that a deep integration would otherwise handle. Once installed, the system can display a green WhatsApp icon next to numbers already present in the CRM, which simplifies message initiation by turning any visible phone number into a direct messaging entry point. This means contact matching happens visually and functionally at the point of use, on the CRM page itself, rather than through a background sync process that requires the CRM to expose contact data through an API.
This is the mechanism that makes the extension viable for CRMs like Learnify, Leadpro, and smaller PropTech or recruitment platforms: the extension doesn't need the CRM's cooperation to identify a contact, because it reads the number already displayed on the page.
With the extension connected, day-to-day messaging happens from within the CRM screen itself. Stitch-AI's broader platform includes a Chrome extension, web app, and mobile app for seamless communication, giving teams flexibility in how they access conversations depending on where they're working. The Chrome extension specifically provides notifications for unread messages and allows users to reply directly from within the CRM system, so a message can be sent and answered without a separate WhatsApp window ever opening.
Alongside the extension, the web app shows all conversations, attributed to specific WhatsApp business accounts, and allows filtering conversations based on teams or specific users. This gives operations leads a way to review what's being logged and by whom, even for a CRM that has no visibility into WhatsApp activity on its own.
If part of your lead flow comes through your website rather than existing CRM contact records, Stitch-AI also provides a widget for websites, enabling direct customer messaging via WhatsApp. This captures new conversations at the point a prospect first reaches out, which then flow into the same conversation history the Chrome extension surfaces inside the CRM.
Once messaging is flowing through the extension, the underlying platform supports various customer journeys, allowing for personalised interactions and automated responses. This step is where operations leads should map out what happens after a message is logged, for example routing enquiries to the right team member or triggering a standard response outside office hours, so the CRM overlay isn't just logging conversations but actively supporting the workflow around them. When automating these workflows, it is vital to ensure that UK GDPR and Data Residency Rules are followed to maintain compliance when handling customer data.
Getting the most out of a browser-extension overlay comes down to a few practical habits, several of which came up directly in past implementations.
A few issues come up repeatedly when connecting the extension to a CRM that has no native WhatsApp support.
For businesses running Learnify, Leadpro, or other niche and legacy CRMs without WhatsApp-ready APIs, Stitch's Chrome extension approach removes the dependency on the CRM vendor building native support. By connecting a verified WhatsApp Business API account, installing the extension, and letting phone-number recognition handle contact matching directly on the CRM page, teams get clickable WhatsApp icons, conversation history, and reply-from-CRM functionality without a bespoke integration project. The web app then provides the team- and user-level oversight that a native integration would typically offer, filtering conversations across WhatsApp business accounts. For operations leads evaluating WhatsApp options against a CRM with no integration roadmap, this overlay model is the practical starting point: install the extension, verify the number, and start messaging from the same screen you already use every day.
