The rapid acceleration of online interactions and transactions presents opportunities to improve customer experiences (CX) for businesses of every size. From retail to education, healthcare to banking, those organizations smart enough to tap into Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM) applications like WhatsApp are sure to create a superior customer experience. And those quality experiences translate into business results.
WhatsApp is the third most popular social media platform in the world and the number one messaging service. It has over 2.2 billion active users and services 100+ billion instant messages worldwide every single day, up nearly 54 percent since 2018. And WhatsApp revenue growth over that same time has increased from $1.3 to $8.7 billion, mostly on increased business functionality.
However, many organizations have yet to realize the potential for WhatsApp to improve customer experience, a critical component of developing brand loyalty and revenue growth.
The fact that it’s free, so widely used, and secure makes WhatsApp a low-risk, high-reward component of the customer experience mix. Yet many organizations still get stuck on where to start. Here are some tips for how to develop a better customer experience using WhatsApp.
Ways Successful Companies Use WhatsApp to improve CX:
- 1. Find the Right Fit
WhatsApp was initially designed as a tool best for small businesses, it now meets the needs of just about any sized organization. Choosing wisely between basic WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business, and the WhatsApp Business Solution (API) is an important starting point.
2. Show Them What You’ve Got
The WhatsApp ‘Catalog’ feature supplements or replaces the need for an online store. It allows for display of up to 500 products or services, including images, prices, descriptions, product codes, and if required, links back to a website. And all of those can be shared directly with customers and prospective customers.
3. Organize and Personalize
The ‘Labels’ feature allows for organizing and categorizing users and messages based on topics such as high priority or returning clients. There are preprogrammed labels and the option to create new labels specific to a business function or need. And that level of personalization creates more familiar and meaningful customer interactions.
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- 4. Set Up Automatic Answers
WhatsApp offers the ability to provide sophisticated, pre-programmed responses to customer inquiries and messages in real-time. That means no matter where a customer is in the world, no matter what time they reach out, there is potential for meaningful interactions at a very low cost.
5. Follow the Leaders
Make sure to pay attention to which people and organizations are using WhatsApp in the most innovative and successful ways. And use those examples as strategic inspiration. Here are some good examples to review.
- 6. Make the Connections
Potential customers need the opportunity to connect with businesses using WhatsApp. Including links on websites or through other social media sites such as Instagram and Facebook opens direct communication between the customer and the brand. And that is gold from a customer experience perspective.
- 7. Know the Audience
WhatsApp touches a broad range of customer segments. The platform is particularly popular in the US, South America, and India. But it’s experiencing rapid expansion and is now in use in over 100 countries. And broadly speaking it’s most popular among 26-35-year-olds, followed closely by 36-45-year-olds and 15-25-year-olds. Understanding who you’re trying to reach will go a long way in determining whether or not it’s worth adding WhatsApp to your CX mix.
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- Bonus Tip:
Always keep an eye on the future. WhatsApp’s automated chatbot interactions offer a glimpse into the changing nature of customer experience. WhatsApp is a functional, accessible example of a wave of artificial intelligence innovations sure to impact the future of customer experience.