Tom Tasty on WhatsApp: Your box in the chat

One email to remind you, another about the delivery, plus a link to your account if you want to swap a dish: it works, but it is not always the shortest route. Most of us have our phone in hand anyway, and the chat we open most often is WhatsApp. That is why, since this autumn, you can manage your Tom Tasty box there too: view it, change it, skip it, rate it and ask questions, without switching apps.

I'm Michael Wendt and I keep developing Tom Tasty. In this article I'll show you how to switch on WhatsApp, which messages you get and everything you can do yourself in the chat. In short: almost everything you used to need your account for.

How to switch on WhatsApp

WhatsApp is an additional channel, not a replacement for email. Switching it on takes about a minute:

1. Log in to your account and open “Settings”.
2. Enter your mobile number if it is still missing.
3. Tap “Send code via WhatsApp”. You'll receive a 6-digit code from Tom Tasty in WhatsApp.
4. Enter the code in your account. Done: your number is confirmed, and the Tom Tasty chat appears in your WhatsApp list.

In the settings you then choose, message by message, whether it should also come by WhatsApp: the reminder before the order deadline, the delivery notice, payment notices. If you want a message only in WhatsApp, deselect the email there.

Why the code? We only send something to a number once it is clear that it really belongs to you. Until it is confirmed, the chat doesn't know your account and can't change anything in it. If you later enter a new number under “My details”, simply confirm it again.

Your week with Tom Tasty in the chat

If you have switched on the Autopilot, WhatsApp accompanies you through the whole week. Every message has buttons you can reply with directly. A tap is enough: no copying, no searching for links.

Thursday, 11 a.m.: your suggestion for next week

24 hours before the order deadline, you get the box we have put together for your next delivery, with all dishes at a glance. Below it are three buttons:

• Suggestion is fine: the box arrives as planned. You don't have to do anything; the button is just a confirmation for you.
• Change dishes: the weekly menu opens directly in WhatsApp (more on that below).
• Skip this week: if you don't need a box next week, we skip it. The confirmation follows right away by email.

You can make changes as often as you like until Friday, 11 a.m. You are only charged after the order deadline.

After your order: the confirmation

As soon as your order is placed, the chat shows you when the box arrives, what's in it and what it costs. All the details are in the confirmation email as usual.

Tuesday: your box is on its way

The day before delivery, we let you know that Swiss Post is bringing your box. You don't have to be at home: the dishes are packed chilled. Put them in the fridge after unpacking; they stay fresh there for up to 7 days.

Sunday, 5 p.m.: how did you like it?

After the delivery we briefly check in. “Give feedback” opens a list of your dishes, and for each one you tap whether you liked it or whether it wasn't really your thing. If you like, you can add a comment. If Sunday doesn't suit you, tap “Ask me later” and we'll get back to you on Tuesday at 6 p.m., before your next box.

If something is wrong with the payment

If a charge fails, you'll know right away, together with the deadline by which you can add a valid payment method so your box still arrives. If your card is about to expire, we remind you in good time. Both messages have a button that takes you straight to your payment method.

By the way: once your number is confirmed, you also receive the login code for your account by WhatsApp. Handy when the email is taking its time.

And so your phone stays quiet at night: we never send automatic messages between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m.

Change dishes without leaving WhatsApp

For me, this is the nicest feature. Tap “Change dishes” or simply type “menu” in the chat, and the whole weekly menu opens as a form in WhatsApp:

• You see all main dishes of your line, pre-filled with what is already in your box.
• For each dish you choose how many. 0 means it isn't included.
• Labels show what's new, what's especially popular and what's vegan or vegetarian.
• If your profile lists an allergy or intolerance, we warn you at the dishes concerned.
• On a second page you can add soups, muesli and more, depending on your line.
• If you are just one or two dishes away from the next volume discount, we tell you.
• Finally you see the new box with its price and save. The confirmation arrives in the chat and by email.

After the order deadline the week can no longer be changed. The chat then tells you the box has already been ordered, and you can plan the following week right away.

My tip: just type “menu”

You don't have to wait for the reminder on Thursday. One word is enough and the menu of the next open week is there. The form opens in the WhatsApp app on your phone; WhatsApp on a computer unfortunately doesn't show such forms.

Just ask: the assistant in the chat

Behind the chat is our digital assistant, the same one that helps you on the website and in your account. It is there around the clock and knows your box, your deliveries and your Autopilot. You write to it as you would write to a person. A few examples:

• “When is my next delivery?”
• “I'm on holiday for two weeks, can you pause?” The assistant pauses your Autopilot for 1 to 6 weeks.
• “I don't like coriander.” or “I have a voucher code.” It sends you a button that takes you straight to the right page in your account, already logged in, with no password and no searching.
• “Is there gluten in the lentil curry?” It answers with the information about the dish.
• “How does the volume discount work?” Everything in our FAQ, it knows too.
• “I want to cancel.” That works in the chat too. It asks for the reason, and only with your “Yes, please” is the cancellation made.

Important: the assistant never changes anything on its own. It suggests what it would do, and only when you confirm with “Yes, please” is it carried out. You also receive the confirmation by email.

You can also send a voice message; the assistant understands it. It replies in the language set in your account: English, German, French or Italian.

For the most common requests there are shortcuts. Type a slash “/” in the chat to see the list (WhatsApp shows the shortcuts in German):

• /menue shows your box and opens the menu.
• /lieferung tells you when the next box arrives.
• /pause pauses your Autopilot.
• /team puts you in touch with a person from our team.

When you need a person

Not every question is for an assistant. If it can't help, it offers to pass your request on to our team, and someone gets back to you personally. Our team sees the conversations and can also take over directly. A person then replies in the chat and signs with their first name. While the team is in the conversation, the assistant stays out of it.

If something went wrong with your delivery, just send us a photo and write briefly what happened. A photo flags the conversation as a complaint for our team, and someone will get back to you personally.

Feedback that makes your next box better

Sunday's rating isn't a survey that ends up in a drawer. It flows straight into your next suggestion: what you liked is considered first when we put your box together. What wasn't your thing, we leave out of your next suggestions. The more often you rate, the better Thursday's suggestion fits, and the less often you need to change anything at all.

You stay in control

• WhatsApp only comes if you switch it on yourself and confirm your number.
• You choose message by message what comes by WhatsApp, and can change it in the settings at any time.
• If you reply “STOP”, you immediately stop receiving WhatsApp messages from us. You can switch them back on in your account.
• If you write “unsubscribe”, we briefly ask whether you mean the WhatsApp messages or your box, so nothing wrong happens by mistake.
• Order and payment confirmations always also come by email. They are your receipt.

How we handle your data, including on WhatsApp, is described in our privacy policy.

At a glance

• Switch on in your account under “Settings”: enter your number, code via WhatsApp, done.
• Thursday suggestion, Tuesday delivery notice, Sunday feedback, plus confirmations and payment notices.
• Typing “menu” opens the whole weekly menu as a form in the chat.
• The assistant answers questions, pauses or cancels your Autopilot, but only with your yes.
• The team can take over at any time; photos reach us directly as a complaint.
• No automatic messages between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m.; “STOP” ends everything immediately.

Conclusion

With WhatsApp, Tom Tasty moves to where you already are. You check next week's box in a minute between two messages, a holiday break is one sentence, and if something isn't right, our team is just a photo away. Email stays, and so does your account. WhatsApp is simply the shorter route.

No Autopilot yet? Find out how Tom Tasty works week by week under How it works. And the weekly menu shows what we are cooking this week.

Image: AI-generated for Tom Tasty