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SubscribeRunning a business involves a lot of customer-centric activities. After all, your customers are the ones who bring you money, give you recognition, and help you achieve your goals. No matter what type of business you run, keeping customer satisfaction a priority is a fundamental objective.
Gone are the days when customers liked to visit physical stores to check out products or call customer support and wait in queues for minor issues. Especially after the pandemic, virtual services are on the rise.
This means there is a higher need to provide customers with more chat and online options to reach your business. The easier it is for them to reach you, the more likely it will be for you to get a conversion.
And when it comes to offering convenient customer service channels, why not choose one of the most popular messaging apps around the world, WhatsApp?
WhatsApp for Business: What Is It?
We’ve all used or known regular WhatsApp as the platform for sending messages and calling our loved ones. WhatsApp Business is a similar platform specifically designed for commercial use. It looks like regular WhatsApp but is armed with tools to enhance business communication.
Now, you may ask, how can WhatsApp be used for business?
The WhatsApp Business app can be used as is for small businesses. There’s also a solution for medium and large businesses, which is the WhatsApp Business scalable API. It has features such as:
- Business Profile
- Your own phone number
- Product and service catalog
- Chat labels
- Analytics
- Quick replies
- Chat migration
- Automated responses
- Web access
- Audio and video call
- Interactive elements like stickers, photos, GIFs, videos, etc.
It is free to download and can connect with customers who are on the regular WhatsApp app. If you’re still confused, let’s move on to discuss how it can do wonders for your business.
Why Use WhatsApp for Business
The WhatsApp Business API is an ideal platform to improve customer experience and reduce pressure on live agents. With a verified WhatsApp Business account, you can boost brand recognition and gain customer loyalty.
Moreover, there are more than 2 billion people around the world who use WhatsApp. Chances are that most of your customer base uses this app as their primary messaging platform. Hence, they will find it convenient to connect with your brand there.
Using WhatsApp for business lets you connect personally with your customers, send automated responses, use a chatbot to address simple queries, and gather data to create more personalized experiences.
Whether you’re running a local departmental store or a multinational brand, there can be various advantages of WhatsApp for business. Let’s learn more!
Benefits of Using WhatsApp for Business
There are several benefits of WhatsApp Business when it comes to customer service. Here are a few.
Automation at Scale
WhatsApp Business offers automation for your business that are scalable and customizable based on your goals and requirements. You can save manual resources, reduce overheads, and improve response times with this platform.
Immediate Response
WhatsApp enables your business to deliver fast results with real-time and personal conversations. From addressing inquiries to placing an order, everything can be done here, even through automated menus.
Secure Communication
WhatsApp messages are encrypted end-to-end, which means you have a secure channel to send and receive sensitive information like account details and payment info. With WhatsApp’s encryption system, customers don’t need to worry about their information being wrongly extracted and used for other purposes.
Reports and Analytics
WhatsApp Business can be integrated into your multichannel customer service system for reporting needs. It uses relevant metrics to track and analyze campaign performance, understand customer needs, and record ROI trends and customer satisfaction levels.
Personalized Service
This messaging platform lets you connect with your customers via a two-way conversation. It can also send customized responses based on the customer’s queries and conversation history. You can also gather data from the interaction to store for future reference.
Through WhatsApp for business, you can send personalized messages to customers as well for improved engagement.
This is why you use WhatsApp instead of texting or emailing your customers at a large scale. However, to get started, you must set up WhatsApp for Business.
How to Set Up and Use WhatsApp for Business
To learn how to use WhatsApp for Business, you must first set up an account.
- First, download the app from the Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store.
- Agree to the terms and conditions before registering your number.
- Enter your business phone number. This can be your virtual number for WhatsApp Business.
- Then, enter important details about your business, such as name, category, profile picture, etc.
- You can learn about the features, such as business profiles, product catalogs, and messaging tools.
- You can go straight to settings if you don’t need a tutorial.
- Add more information about your business, such as opening hours, location, and additional information.
- You can also set up advanced features like automated greeting and away messages, labels, and quick replies.
- Now, you’re all set to begin communicating with your customers.
You can also use the WhatsApp Business platform to collaborate with colleagues, employees, partners, other industry experts, and so on. There are additional tools that you can integrate with WhatsApp to provide advanced features like live chat, chatbots, etc.
Tips and Considerations While Using WhatsApp Business
While every business uses WhatsApp in a slightly different manner, there are a few tips that apply to all kinds of companies. These best practices can elevate your WhatsApp Business experience and fetch better results in customer service.
Create an Optimized Profile
Make sure to add all relevant business information to your profile, including a profile picture, status, operational hours and details, location, and contact information. Use a friendly and welcoming tone in any descriptions. Basically, make it easy for your customers to reach you and learn about your offerings.
Have a Detailed Product Catalog
Having a thorough catalog makes it easy for your customers to spot products, browse the latest offerings, check discounts, and much more. So, it is a great idea to have a WhatsApp catalog. You can create and add products to your listing, arrange them into categories, and write concise descriptions for each.
Set Automated Messages
The goal of WhatsApp Business is to emulate natural conversation with customers. Hence, you should set automated messages for greetings, follow-ups, updates, etc. You can also set auto-replies to common queries.
Take it one step further by creating broadcasts about major events and also creating groups to segregate your customer base. This helps the right messages to reach the right people effectively.
Utilize WhatsApp Status
Your WhatsApp status is visible to anyone who visits your profile or has you in their contacts. Use this to upload the latest news about your business, upcoming sales or events, etc. You can also upload videos on WhatsApp status, share interactive content with prospective customers, and promote your brand more.
Leverage WhatsApp Business API Features
WhatsApp Business API is built for medium to large businesses, with multiple features that enable high-quality customer service. With the API, you get perks like a green tick, actionable buttons within messages, live chat integration, and more.
It enables your customers to navigate your store smoothly, achieve basic tasks while on the platform, and get their issues resolved in the shortest amount of time.
Final Thoughts
While there may be many advantages and disadvantages of WhatsApp for business, it is an undeniable fact that this platform serves as a direct channel of interaction with your target audience and existing customers. Using WhatsApp Business can do wonders for your service quality, which in turn will lead to higher conversions, better revenue, and a stronger brand reputation.
With JustCall, you can manage WhatsApp conversations at scale, handle phone and chat support, and integrate your WhatsApp inbox with your customer support channel. Start a free trial to learn more!
