Millennials make up the largest consumer group across the planet, and their preferred method of communication is messaging. Now more than ever, businesses should prioritize customer experience and convenience. People are constantly on the go and are no longer interested in or willing to put up with inattentive customer support or tedious website navigation. This is why most businesses make developing a mobile-first marketing strategy a priority. Most customers are expecting to be able to get in touch with brands and businesses the same way they connect to their friends and family. WhatsApp for business is the key to a successful social media presence and one of the best ways to meet those customer expectations.

Why Use WhatsApp?

Many messaging platforms are available in the app store today, so you may wonder what makes WhatsApp the best choice for any business of any size. With 1.5 billion people spanning over 100 countries, WhatsApp is the largest messaging channel in the world. With such large-scale reach, businesses can engage customers anytime and serve people from nearly any location. The biggest key to customer service is the relatively new WhatsApp Business API.

What Can You Accomplish?

WhatsApp for Business differs slightly from the regular app because it includes several features that simplify providing stellar customer service.  Various tools to automate, sort, and quickly respond to messages.

• Set Up Greeting and Away Messages- A greeting message sets a tone for initial customer interaction. You can craft a message for when people receive their first contact from you. If you are too busy or unable to respond promptly, you also can set away messages on WhatsApp Business that can be set for certain times. This way, people are not left in the dark and know when to expect a response.
• Quick Replies- One of the best things about WhatsApp is the speed with which you can respond to inquiries. Quick Replies allows you to customize pre-written answers to up to 50 customer FAQs. To insert a Quick Reply answer you simply type “/” and will automatically display you all your available responses.
• Organization- Labeling comes in handy because you can easily filter chats and messages with different colored labels. You can go further and create specific broadcast lists for specific audiences based on those labels. If you wish to announce any delays or updates on orders you can direct them to those who have placed orders or inquiries involving that product.
• Analytics– Although still relatively basic, you have access to some simple stats to help you better understand your customers’ engagement and experience. You can easily keep track of how many messages are sent, delivered, read, and received messages. If you want a more in-depth spread of analytics you can use one of several third-party analytics tools.
• Short link- One way to let customers know you are up, running and available on WhatsApp is by using the Short Link feature. You can quickly share your profile with potential customers.
• Desktop Compatibility- It’s impractical to spend your entire day chatting solely over the phone. Thankfully, WhatsApp for Business functions just the same with a desktop or web app, making it even easier to toggle back and forth and remain as available and flexible as possible.

How To Integrate WhatsApp

You will now be able to manage your WhatsApp for Business account the same way you manage your Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter profiles. WhatsApp takes similar precautions as Facebook Messenger to reduce spam. Customers must opt-in to receive any notifications by providing their contact information on your site.

You should integrate WhatsApp with your website so that when a user clicks the icon, they are redirected to the channel to easily and quickly communicate with you. This serves as a great alternative to live chats.

WhatsApp has revolutionized how people can share information and stay in touch for free, from any corner of the world and at lightning speed. WhatsApp for Business has extended that experience to allow businesses to better communicate with their audiences.