5 Ways Brands Can Use WhatsApp for Customer Service

WhatsApp is the third largest social media app in the world, behind only Facebook and YouTube. In total, the popular messaging app has two billion users—that’s more than double the amount of users on Facebook Messenger!

What’s even more exciting than the number of users on WhatsApp is the quality of users that WhatsApp attracts. WhatsApp is the favorite Internet app worldwide among people ages 16 to 64. 

Users love messaging their loved ones on WhatsApp, and they’re also using it in record numbers to interact with businesses. 175 million people message a business on WhatsApp every day, and nearly half of businesses plan to increase their investment in the app in 2022. 

WhatsApp is a powerful tool for connecting with customers all over the world, and offering support via WhatsApp can really elevate your customer experience. 

Here are five ways brands can use WhatsApp for customer service: 

Communication via mass messaging

Brands are already widely using SMS to alert customers to things like promotions, shipping statuses, events, job openings, or important information regarding their accounts. WhatsApp also allows brands to mass message large groups of customers, but it does so in a way that’s even more accessible than SMS.

While customers may need to pay service charges to receive and send text messages to brands, WhatsApp messages cost nothing to send, no matter which country customers are from. This gives brands an incredible level of access to international markets. And because WhatsApp is an app rather than a smartphone-native function, it provides more extensive functionality than SMS so brands can further personalize the customer experience. 

Like SMS messaging, users can opt in to receive messages from WhatsApp that ping them right on their smartphone, and because WhatsApp users are in the app daily, visibility on these messages is high. 

Offloading tasks to virtual agents

Virtual agent technology isn’t just for live website chats or voicemails—it extends to WhatsApp, too.

Customers can interact with WhatsApp chatbots that are available 24/7 to address simple queries. These virtual agents can also be configured to guide customers through your mobile IVR and then transfer them to a live agent when necessary. 

WhatsApp chatbots are easier to interact with than mobile website chatbots and they increase first-call resolution by offloading the tedious stuff so your live agents can focus on more complicated problem solving. 

In-app media sharing

WhatsApp has rich media and data sharing capabilities, beyond what most web or mobile chat functions can offer. It allows customers to send files and metadata like text, images, documents, locations, videos, audio, contacts, and more to a brand representative without leaving the app. Customers can also take photos, create videos, and provide voice clips directly from the WhatsApp interface. 

This function not only expands the accessibility of your customer service, but it makes it easier and quicker for agents to resolve queries because those queries have more visibility in visual or written form than they may have through vocal communication. 

Because customers already familiar with WhatsApp don’t have to switch apps, navigate a website, or search for your contact information online to get assistance, they can easily communicate via a channel they already feel comfortable with and trust, which ultimately helps them feel more comfortable with your brand.

Integrating WhatsApp with your CRM 

WhatsApp collects and stores lots of customer information and data. With stored message history and a strong search function, WhatsApp conversations are easy to put down and return to later so that customers can interact with reps on their own time. 

Agents are also able to access context about customers that can inform the service they provide and make the experience more personable. Customers who are already in your CRM system will be identified by name when they reach out for support via WhatsApp, and any information gathered from WhatsApp can be accessed by your entire team of representatives to inform interactions on other channels. 

More personalized interactions 

A lot of branded communications with customers can feel a little stale. By utilizing WhatsApp, agents can have a little more fun in their conversations with customers and communicate with them the same way their friends and family members would communicate with them. 

If your business operates in an industry that allows for more casual conversation, WhatsApp offers extensive support for sticker sets and built-in GIF searching and sharing capabilities that can add a touch of fun to your customer service. This helps customers build a stronger relationship with your brand and really enjoy their experience.

Download our WhatsApp messaging data sheet to learn more about how you can connect with customers anywhere in the world.