In the modern era, everyone has a smartphone, whether it is used for personal reasons, work, or both. Though SMS messages or texting were once the most popular form of communication, this has been overtaken by cloud messaging services such as WhatsApp.
It is estimated that around 84% of adults in the UK aged 25 to 34 are users of the WhatsApp messaging service, with 60 billion messages sent every day across the world. However, despite this being such a well-known messaging platform, you may not have heard about WhatsApp’s Business feature.
Therefore, let us delve into what WhatsApp Business is, and whether it is a worthwhile avenue for your company to explore.
What is WhatsApp Business?
WhatsApp Business works in the same way as WhatsApp Messenger. Users can message, call, and even send photos to their contacts. However, WhatsApp Business makes it easier to interact with potential customers by providing tools that can automate, sort, and promptly respond to messengers.
Users of WhatsApp Business can also benefit from a few other exclusive features, including a business profile to list your address, website and email, labels for organising your correspondence, and numerous other messaging tools.
WhatsApp is free to download as an app on any Android or iPhone by visiting the Google Play Store or App Store. Though this may seem like a positive and beneficial solution, WhatsApp has encountered its fair share of controversies.
WhatsApp Business controversy
In October 2020, WhatsApp announced its plans to update the app, rolling out a new set of features that would allow businesses to upload their catalogues to the app, and allow users to message a company, browse their items, and complete a purchase without leaving the app.
In order for users to do so, WhatsApp introduced a new privacy policy which has received a lot of backlash and controversy. At first, the company threatened to delete the accounts of users who don’t agree to this privacy policy update, however a spokesperson for WhatsApp has denied that this is the case.
Instead, users who have not yet accepted the changes are to be continually bombarded with push notifications and reminders. This has left many users losing faith in the WhatsApp brand, and moving to other cloud messaging services that can do all the same things – but better!
Alternatives to WhatsApp Business
The Horizon cloud contact centre by Gamma is an integrated business communication and customer contact centre solution that simplifies customer interaction. Though, admittedly, this service is not free, this cloud contact centre solution provides an easy-to-use feature set for small to medium businesses at a price point you can afford.
The Horizon cloud contact centre has a fully integrated CRM solution, allowing you to manage every customer interaction within a single consolidated database, with the added benefit of integration with Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics.
Overall, it is up to personal preference whether WhatsApp Business is a worthwhile avenue for your company to explore. However, with controversy surrounding the safety and security of the brand, it may be in your best interest to explore other options.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
