WhatsApp has just announced the rollout of new tools for its business and enterprise facing app, “WhatsApp Business”. The company added a new post on its official blog to share details about the tools that it has introduced in the app.
WhatsApp said that these tools are meant to increase its support for the businesses that require more powerful communication tools to get in touch with their customers. It went on to say that a number of users have shared feedback with the company that it is easier and quicker for them to chat with the business rather than going on to send an e-mail or make a call.
According to the blog post, the company is adding features to improve the WhatsApp Business app in three areas. The first one is where a customer would want some important and helpful information such as a boarding pass, shipping confirmation, or shopping receipt.
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To do this, users can now submit their contact number on the website or store of the associated business so that they can send the information directly on WhatsApp instead of sending it through an e-mail or even physical post. The second area that WhatsApp is focusing on is to make it easier for users to initiate a conversation.
Businesses can soon add a ‘Click-to-chat’ button on their website or through a Facebook ad to make it easier for users to get in touch with potential or existing customers for clarification or support. Talking about support, WhatsApp has also added tools that will make it easier for businesses to provide “real-time” support with the help of the platform for answers related to their products or help with an issue.
One interesting thing to note here is that WhatsApp added that “Business will” have to “pay to send certain messages” so it will ensure that they are not spamming users with messages. This means that WhatsApp has figured out a source of revenue with the WhatsApp Business app. The post added that users will continue to have full control of all the messages that they receive on the app and they can block any business from sending them messages with just a tap of a button.
WhatsApp added that it is working on bringing more businesses on WhatsApp Business and it is already working with “a select number of companies” that focus on managing customer communications. As part of these tools, WhatsApp has also officially introduced its WhatsApp Business API (Application Program Interface).
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