Hey, Do You Use WhatsApp in your Customer Service?
I had heard rumors about it last November at the Customer Service Summit in New York, but now it’s confirmed: WhatsApp has officially announced the launch of their long-awaited business API. In this article, you’ll find out why this is going to be a game changer for many businesses and how you may take advantage of it to boost your customer support.
Main Benefits for Businesses
Until today, those brands that wanted to integrate WhatsApp into customer service had some hurdles to face. In fact, they had to use WhatsApp ‘manually’ or with workarounds using third-party applications which could guarantee neither great performances, nor fully avoid data breaches. That’s why many other businesses, even though very interested, have patiently awaited this announcement. The development of WhatsApp’s new Business API though is going to bring great advantages for brands planning to use the ‘green app’ for customer service:
1. It will be fully integrable into Digital Customer Service platforms. Some of them such as Conversocial, Sparkcentral, Clarabridge, and others, have already started working on it in co-operation with WhatsApp. So are some of their biggest clients (see example below)
Image: Whatsapp.com/business/customer.stories
2. Customer conversations over WhatsApp will become scalable thanks to digital customer service platforms
3. Managers will be able to easily collect data and get reliable reports
4. Customer service assistants will be able to smoothly handle conversations over WhatsApp. They will be featured within customer’s threaded history along with other support channels (e.g., email, live chat, social networks, etc.)
5. Customers won’t have to learn anything new to get in touch with brands: just using WhatsApp as they already do now
WhatsApp in Your Customer Service
Now let’s move the focus onto your business. Whether it is a small, mid-sized or large, there are several ways you can use WhatsApp. So, if you’re looking for some inspiration, read on below some examples:
- Answering inquiries
- Customer onboarding activities
- Proactively reaching out to customers [e.g., to inform about new products features]
- Offering WhatsApp as a VIP service [to a selected number of customers]
- Confirming bookings / deliveries / sales
- Sending reminders [to solicit customer’s actions]
- Providing notifications [e.g. payment confirmation]
Over to you
WhatsApp in your Customer Service is a great opportunity not to be missed, since Messaging is based on 1-to-1 conversations. It’s up to you though, to decide IF, WHEN and HOW to use it. So you’d better start thinking about it now. Or maybe…you should wait and learn from your competitors?
Have great conversations.
You may also want to read: From Bad to Great Conversations With Customers
Featured image: Copyright: ‘https://www.123rf.com/profile_igoror‘ / 123RF Stock Photo
Paolo Fabrizio
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