The WhatsApp Business App was originally created for small businesses, with a low number of support requests. It is designed to be used on a single device, which is perfect for smaller organisations looking to manage a low volume of customer enquiries.
But, WhatsApp Business also has an Application Programming Interface (API) for larger organisations, with multiple agents, managing a higher volume of customer messages. The API is designed for larger support teams that have outgrown the standard WhatsApp Business inbox.
What is WhatsApp Business?
WhatsApp Business is a messaging channel for organisations looking to interact with their customers via WhatsApp. It is both synchronous and asynchronous. So, businesses can interact with customers in real-time or with an ‘acceptable’ delay between messages.
What are the benefits of introducing WhatsApp for Customer Service?
- WhatsApp has billions of users, worldwide. Connect with a global audience, especially as over 50% of users are between 18 and 35 years old.
- WhatsApp messages are encrypted end-to-end. So, the channel enables secure, two-way conversations between businesses and customers.
- Through WhatsApp, customers can chat in real-time or asynchronously. That drives customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.
- Unlike SMS, WhatsApp Business enables a branded profile. This lets customers know exactly who is contacting them, which builds trust.
- WhatsApp offers rich media options, such as audio, images, documents, stickers and videos to make conversations more engaging.
- Potential to use a range of intelligent message bot solutions to encourage self-service, reduce agent handle time and potentially deflect contacts entirely.
What are the limitations of WhatsApp Business?
The biggest limitation of the WhatsApp Business App is that larger organisations will quickly outgrow the standard, single user, single device inbox. This means that, as the demand for customer service through WhatsApp grows, the channel will get harder to manage.
That’s where the API comes in…
How does the WhatsApp Business API work?
The WhatsApp Business API was designed for organisations that need to handle a growing numbers of WhatsApp customer messages effectively. It enables users to connect their WhatsApp Business number to specialised support software, such as DigiDesk.
Through the API, businesses are able to handle much higher volumes of WhatsApp customer messages through a dedicated platform. The integration also means that WhatsApp messages can be managed in a similar way to voice, email and other digital channels.
By integrating with a multi-channel platform, conversations can be threaded across multiple channels, with a shared conversation history. It will also be much more viable to integrate with third party CRM systems, such as Salesforce.
How do I start managing WhatsApp for customer service through DigiDesk?
- We can source (and port) WhatsApp for Business numbers for you and manage the whole onboarding process through META seamlessly.
- We can then connect your WhatsApp for Business number(s) into the DigiDesk platform, which enables you to manage thousands of messages per month.
- DigiDesk enables you to monitor your WhatsApp messages via a series of real-time wallboards, with advanced text analytics and sentiment analysis.
- You will benefit from advanced workflow, with intelligent distribution of messages across multiple teams and agents, with a range of KPIs and full audit trail.
- Your agents will gain an advanced agent desktop, which enables them to review customer messages and reply to messages effectively at scale.
- We can work with you to help manage the WhatsApp 24-Hour Rule and explore a range of AI and message bot options to help improve customer service.
If you’re interested in how your organisation could manage WhatsApp for Customer Service at scale, please contact us here.
