13 reasons why you should upgrade to WhatsApp Business Platform for your customer service

With over 2 billion users in 2023, WhatsApp is one of the most prevalent messaging apps. Instant messaging complements the lifestyle of the majority of modern customers – it’s concise, it’s easily accessible, and it’s not as pressurized as phone calls and emails.

The WhatsApp Business Platform (previously WhatsApp Business API) is a great way to make messaging part of your customer service experience. There are many different ways to utilize WhatsApp’s familiar features to your business’ advantage, in a way that customers find easy to engage with. If you’re considering upgrading but still need convincing of the benefits of WhatsApp Business Platform, here are 13 reasons why it could be the best thing to ever happen to your customer service experience.

Familiarity is invaluable and impossible to manufacture. Using WhatsApp for your customer service means using a globally-recognized channel that has already made itself comfortable on millions of people’s devices. There’s no need for your customers to learn how to use a new messaging system or download anything they likely don’t already have.

Because many people already use WhatsApp to stay in touch with family and friends, it’s bound to feel like a more direct and personal method of communication. Emails to customer service departments can feel impersonal, as can chatbots and hotlines. Receiving updates straight to their phones, and being able to reply and be heard in the same space, opens a direct line of communication between your customers and your business.

There are lots of reasons why people tend to prefer chat apps for communication. Emails aren’t always convenient, and it’s rare that replies are instant. And, whether it’s a confidence or accessibility issue, many people don’t feel comfortable speaking on the phone. With 2.7 billion users, WhatsApp is a clear favorite when it comes to messaging apps.

Not all messages are text only. WhatsApp Business Platform supports rich media, which is useful for situations when images or videos need to be sent to better get to the root of a problem. You can also use this feature to your advantage, whether it’s through sharing catalogs and product photos or engaging with your audience through clever campaigns.

Voice notes are also a popular WhatsApp feature, and provide an added layer of accessibility for those who may have issues with typing.

It’s easy to track a conversation’s progress through WhatsApp, which can be useful for mapping customer journeys and keeping track of enquiries and complaints. Similarly, it gives your customers one centralized place to store their interactions with your brand, in a format much easier to keep track of than endless emails and phone calls.

WhatsApp Business Platform allows you to cater to different segmentations of your customer base with ease. This includes tailoring messages to customer preferences, even down to specifics as detailed as your tone of voice.

Arguably one of the best Whatsapp Business account features, scalable automated messaging can save you valuable time and energy. You can craft instant replies for specific actions (such as when someone signs up to your mailing list), automated responses to frequently asked questions, and roll out any business updates or notices en masse. Even automated away messages count as engaging with your customer base and will be appreciated.

WhatsApp allows its users to have up to four linked devices at a time and can be accessed by smartphone, tablet, and computer. This means that it’s easily accessible whether your customers are on the go or at home, using Apple or Android, or whether they prefer to text or type.

When using WhatsApp Business Platform you have to create a business profile, filled with all of the information your customers need to know. Because WhatsApp must authenticate your business profile, it adds an air of authority and authenticity to your brand. 

Your business profile is also where your catalog of products and services can be displayed for customers to browse. Your catalog can contain up to 500 products, each with a price, description, website link, and product code.

WhatsApp, like many instant chat apps, is characterized by the expectation of quick replies. Being able to see when a message has been delivered, opened and read adds clarity to interactions for both you and your business, and limits the opportunities for their attention to wander elsewhere.

When using the WhatsApp Business Platform, it’s essential to utilize analytics and insights to paint a picture of just how much your customers are engaging with your messages. This valuable data can help you tailor your communication efforts to suit your client base better. Except the Infobip platform, you can use WhatsApp Business Manager to get metrics about messages and conversations associated with your WhatsApp Business Account, such as the number of messages sent, delivered, opened, and CTA button clicks for a given period.

End-to-end encryption makes WhatsApp secure and confidential. This makes conversations feel one-to-one and lends confidentiality to your messages. This, coupled with the previously mentioned fact that all business profiles must be approved by WhatsApp in order to operate, makes it a very secure method of communication.

Customers are more likely to interact with (and do business with) a brand that offers more than one method of communication. If you’re looking to make WhatsApp a new branch of your omnichannel strategy tree, it can only improve your customer relations, thanks in part to how easily it integrates with other communication channels and social media. 

These are just 13 of the many reasons why WhatsApp Business platform can be a boon to your customer services. If you’re looking for more information on WhatsApp Business Platform pricing, or interested in finding out more about omnichannel marketing, speak to an Infobip expert today.