• Applications How companies use WhatsApp to communicate with their customers

The most widely used messaging app in the world,

WhatsApp, continues to expand its catalog of services not only for personal use but also for company or

business

accounts

.

This version, designed for businesses and freelancers, includes extras such as automatic replies, the possibility of setting a business time and location, etc.

However, for the use of some automatisms such as automatic responses in chats, it required the use of the

WhatsApp business platform.

Some examples of how these 'bots' worked were seen during the pandemic, when the

World Health Organization

designed one of these accounts in which the status of covid in each region could be consulted, or the case of several 'factchecking' services. to verify the veracity of the news.

The novelty, announced by Mark Zuckerberg himself, CEO of Meta, during an event that took place last Friday, is the official launch of the

WhatsApp Cloud API

and how it is available to any large, medium, small or self-employed company. .

"There are already more than a billion users connecting with a business account, through our messaging services, every week.

They seek help, find products and services, and shop.

Today I am pleased to announce that we are opening

WhatsApp

to any business of any size around the world with the WhatsApp Cloud API," said Zuckeberg.

This 'opening' also offers free hosting services, in this way, the start-up of the company and all the customer service that can be provided through the

messaging service

, "will be done in minutes, instead of of in months".

This API (application programming interface) will help companies to offer more efficient customer service, with shorter

response times

, without the need to spend money for the maintenance of the service or the applications on a server.

Access to metrics and statistics

Among the services that it includes for anyone who has or creates a

WhatsApp Business

account is access to metrics and statistics that can help to better target promotions to customers, programmed automatic responses based on customer service hours , customizable links to add to a website or a social network that redirect directly to the company chat or the possibility of linking up to

10 devices

with which to manage the same company chat (so that they can manage and have access multiple employees simultaneously).

The creator of

Facebook

also clarified that these services will have the same security with which the messaging service is managed, with the addition that companies will not be able to contact

WhatsApp

users unless they have requested to be contacted.

That is, the client is the one who has to take the first step and write to the company account.

Currently,

WhatsApp Business

has been downloaded 23 million times, according to various metric analysis services and the latest queries in the main application marketplaces (

Google Play

and App Store), so thousands of startups and small businesses can benefit of this change that will save them time and money.

Customize the customer service interface

In addition, the step of releasing this

API

also opens the possibility of designing and building a custom interface for the company on the basis provided by

WhatsApp

.

Similarly, free cloud storage will serve to safely store

customer data

and all the information necessary for the company, without the need to pay for storage services.

Bearing in mind that

62% of Spaniards

say that it is easier for them to send messages to a company than to contact them through the web, according to a survey carried out by Kantar, while

70%

say they feel more connected when they can communicate directly with the company;

This tool is already essential to offer good customer service.

In addition, it is a great first step for the

digital transformation

of the company.

To access all these advantages, first create a company

WhatsApp

account by downloading the WhatsApp Business app (it is advisable to have two different phone numbers and two terminals so as not to mix both accounts).

Then access this link in which Meta itself will guide you to install the

WhatsApp Cloud API

.

In case you want some advice, fill out this form and the

Meta

developers will contact you to configure the tool.

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