Zero install
No app to download. No password to remember. No pending update. The employee opens WhatsApp like any other day.
No app to install. No password. No tablet at the door. Each employee sends "entrada" to the Mesero number and the system records the shift, compliant with Spain's RD 8/2019. Breaks, exit, status, daily and weekly totals — all in the same chat. Works alongside the Mesero Fichar mobile app.
Conventional clock-in apps (Sesame, Factorial, Bizneo) struggle with adoption: another app to install, another password to remember, opening it each shift. Hospitality has high turnover and mixed staff — friction kills compliance. WhatsApp is the only surface everyone uses without training.
No app to download. No password to remember. No pending update. The employee opens WhatsApp like any other day.
Their iPhone, their old Android, their Huawei without Play Store, their WhatsApp Web. The surface is the same for everyone: a message to Mesero.
The day you activate WhatsApp clock-in, you send codes to your team. Within 7 days you have 100% bound. Traditional apps stall at 60-70%.
Only the first message requires a code. After that, the system recognises the employee by phone number and processes any command instantly.
From Mesero Admin → Employees → click "Generate code" on the employee. A 6-digit code valid 24h is shown plus a QR the employee can scan to open WhatsApp with the message pre-filled.
Sends "vincular 482917" to the Mesero WhatsApp number. The system confirms with full name: "Vinculado correctamente como María García López". Phone now bound to their employee record.
Each shift: "entrada" on arrival, "pausa" before lunch, "vuelta" on return, "salida" on leaving. Or tap the buttons that appear in each reply. Everything recorded with UTC timestamp and source="whatsapp".
| Message | Action | Reply |
|---|---|---|
entrada · 1 · ⏭️ button | Clock in | Confirmation with local time |
salida · 2 · 🚪 button | Clock out | Confirmation + total hours today |
pausa · ☕ button | Start break | Confirmation + "vuelta" reminder |
vuelta · 🔙 button | End break | Break duration + clock-out reminder |
estado · 3 | Current status | If clocked in, since when + hours so far |
hoy | Today's summary | Hours worked, shifts, still clocked in? |
semana | Week summary | Total hours + days worked |
ayuda · menu · 4 | Show menu | State-aware numbered list |
vincular <code> | Initial binding | Confirmation with full name |
The system detects and prevents double clock-ins at the database level. An employee can clock in via WhatsApp and out via the Fichar app — or vice versa. The backend never creates two open shifts, thanks to a row-level lock when checking current state.
Started via WhatsApp, closed via app (or vice versa): same TimeEntry closed, no duplicate. TimeEntry.Source records who created the entry; close-source is implicit.
If both surfaces fire at the same millisecond, a SELECT ... FOR UPDATE lock blocks the second insert until the first commits. The user gets one entry, not two.
Mesero WhatsApp clock-in isn't just "punch the clock". It's the same functional depth as the app, but through the chat.
Every reply includes 1-3 WhatsApp buttons (Clock in, Clock out, Status…). One tap instead of typing. Interaction feels native.
If the employee attaches a location pin, it's saved with the clock-in. Useful for delivery, multi-site staff, field workers.
"You forgot to clock out. Would you like to register it now?" sent next morning. Uses Meta-approved utility templates (~€0.025 per message).
Replies match the restaurant's interface language (Spanish default, English available). Mixed-language teams each get their language.
The bound phone is the identity. Only the SIM/account owner can clock in as that employee. When staff rotate, the manager unbinds with one click.
Every WhatsApp clock-in records: UTC timestamp, source phone, recognised intent (text vs button), and location if shared. Inspectors see exactly when and how each hour was logged.
WhatsApp Business charges for "business-initiated conversations outside the 24h service window". Because the employee always writes first (entrada, salida, etc.), Mesero's replies are free within the service window. Only proactive next-day reminders fall into Meta's pricing — and the Spanish utility rate is ~€0.025 per conversation.
Activate Mesero, add your employees, generate the binding codes and send them via your work WhatsApp group. Tomorrow morning you have the first complete shift record — without anyone installing an app.