Automating After-Sales with WhatsApp Business API

Not all sales end at the purchase. Some of the most important sales happen after the purchase is made. According to the Pareto Principle, 80% of a given output is a direct result of 20% of the input. After-sales is one of those areas where a little effort can go a long way - especially with an effective WhatsApp Business API strategy.

Furthermore, research has shown that it costs six to seven times more to acquire a new customer than it does to retain an existing one. This makes sense when you think about all of the effort (and expense) that goes into attracting a new customer in the first place in addition to the fact that existing customers are already familiar with your product or service.

Given all of this, it's clear that after-sales are an important part of the customer lifecycle and should be a priority for any business.

However, with traditional after-sales methods, it can be difficult to provide the same level of service (and personalization) that you can with other channels. Companies will often rely on call centers, which can be expensive to operate and often lead to long wait times for customers.

Incorporating Automation

One way to streamline your after-sales process is to incorporate automation. This can be done in several ways, but one of the most effective is through the use of chatbots. Chatbots are computer programs that mimic human conversation. They're designed to handle simple, repetitive tasks - like answering frequently asked questions or providing customer support.

What's more, chatbots can be deployed on a variety of platforms - including WhatsApp, webchat, and social media messaging. And that's where the WhatsApp Business API comes in.

The WhatsApp Business API is a platform that enables businesses to communicate with their customers through WhatsApp, either through their smartphones or via a widget on a website. It provides all the features of WhatsApp - like messaging, group chat, media sharing, and more - but with the added benefits of enterprise-grade features and support including the ability to integrate with a product catalog and an internal CRM system. Giving your business the ability to make interactions more personal and relevant. This makes it an ideal platform for automating your after-sales process.

When signing up with a WhatsApp solution provider you can build a chatbot that can handle all of the simple, repetitive tasks that are associated with after-sales - like answering customer questions, providing support, and more to fine-tune your business to fit customer expectations.

However, not all tasks are suitable to be handled completely by a chatbot. That's why it's important to have a team of agents in the mix as well. But with WhatsApp for Business, you can use chatbots to take front-line after-sales service requests and free up your team's time so they can focus on the more complex tasks. When the time comes, the chatbot can seamlessly hand over to an agent if the situation calls for it. This will help you provide a better overall experience to your customers and allow you to sort issues out before they become bigger problems (such as poor reviews making their way online).

The features of the WhatsApp API can also be used to send tailored follow-up messages after purchase so you can get valuable feedback after a sale. You can also send customers ideas for their next purchase using data from customers' purchase histories to make intelligent recommendations. This can be in the form of simple text with links to your site, enticing product images, or even video clips or voice messages. The possibilities are many and varied.

The WhatsApp Business API is the perfect way to add elements of automation to your after-sales process. It's efficient, cost-effective, and provides a better overall experience for your customers. So if you're not already using it, now might be the time to start.

Conclusion

After-sales is an important part of the customer journey - one that should not be overlooked. Doing so will free up your team's time, help you build relationships with your customers, and keep them coming back. However, it's important to do so in a way that doesn't sacrifice quality or personalization by bombarding your customers with automated messages.