WhatsApp for Business and All You need to Know about It!

If you used MakeMyTrip, BookMyShow or Redbus last year, we are sure you would have received your ticket and updates over a WhatsApp text? Rings a bell? Now Redbus went a step ahead and even allowed you to chat with your fellow passengers to know about the bus locations and pickup/drop points. If you wondered how they managed to use WhatsApp for all these purposes, let’s tell you that they were testing out WhatsApp for business. Ever since their announcement last September, we have all been teased in different ways about the integration and application of WhatsApp for business.

And yesterday, the app for business finally rolled out. With the app launched in the US, the UK, Indonesia, Mexico and Italy, WhatsApp for business launch will also happen in India in the coming weeks. The spokesperson has shared that the app has been designed and developed keeping in mind small businesses who are increasingly looking for ways to capture local markets and establish a brand presence in the most economic ways possible.

The app is initially free and will have the most basic features and also give you options to pay for some advanced services – basically, a freemium model. If you know, India is one of the largest smartphone hubs with almost every single one of us owning one and with an internet connection. With such massive patronage, it definitely makes sense for businesses to immediately connect with their target audiences through the most used messenger platform – WhatsApp.

The app will allow businesses to list their name as a business account and in the coming weeks or months, WhatsApp will also pave the way for brands to get a verified status to promote legitimacy of the brands. Some of the features part of the WhatsApp business includes business description, links to websites, store details like address and more, quick response texts, greeting messages and a simple integrated analytics tool to gauge which message has been effective.

From the customer perspective, they will all have control over brands and the

way they interact with them. This means that options like contact blocking and report spam options have a major role to play in the business version of WhatsApp. With the app having become an integral part of our lives, brands now have an effective way to reach out to people, recognize their needs and stand before them with their solution.

We only have to wait and see how marketers make use of this feature and how we can bring in innovation to marketing, sales and customer experience with WhatsApp for business. Let us know what you think!