Now the messengers themselves are only taking the first steps towards business - for example, companies are beginning to master tools such as Telegram bots and channels. But the real potential of instant messengers is far from being revealed, and this is primarily due to limitations on the part of the programs themselves. For example, the standard WhatsApp or Viber applications are simply not designed for the simultaneous work of several employees: if you have several dozen calls a day, then you will not be able to process them efficiently. Also, the applications do not provide tools for collaboration and some kind of minimal reporting. Only Telegram has an open API.
Now there are specialized solutions for working with clients through instant messengers, for example Sonar, Ongair, Wazapper. One such platform is our WhatsHelp service, which will launch in beta testing in November. We are launching closed pilot projects with companies from the USA, Hong Kong, Holland, India and Poland, and in Russia there are about 150 companies in line for testing, including Beeline, Rostelecom, Megafon, Tele2, Euroset, Wikimart, Aviasales, HeadHunter, Promsvyazbank. During our work, we understood how you can use the advantages of instant messengers for different types of business, and also came up with several rules that will help you start effective communication with clients.
###What advantages do messengers have for communicating with clients compared to traditional communication channels?
Messengers do not replace any channel completely, but only provide a new, more functional way of communicating with customers. Their main advantages are as follows.
1) We know the number mobile phone- unlike e-mail, which is easy to change, a phone number provides a much more reliable and long-term contact with the client. 2) Instant push notifications - when we send messages, in almost 99.9% of cases we can be sure that it will be read as quickly as possible. 3) Privacy and personality - unlike correspondence with clients on social networks or in open areas, instant messengers provide a sufficient level of privacy to resolve personal requests. 4) Diverse content - messengers allow you to send not only text, but also photos, videos, and geolocation. You can also call through the main messengers, and for free. 5) Real-time mode and delayed responses at the same time: on the one hand, instant messengers allow you to communicate with clients in real time, on the other hand, if they wrote to you during non-working hours, then it is quite acceptable for the client to respond with some delay.
###Who benefits from using instant messengers to communicate with clients?
In the first place is a small business selling goods and services - through messengers it can advise clients, accept orders and make appointments. Most fall into this category individual entrepreneurs and small companies, ranging from beauty salons to installation companies plastic windows. Moreover, the messenger can serve as both a full-fledged channel for placing orders and the first point of contact, followed by a call. Already, thousands of sellers on Avito indicate their WhatsApp number and ask them to write there, rather than call.
Retailers from e-commerce and offline can advise customers on products, inform via messenger about the status of the order and collect customer reviews. Many online stores spend hundreds of thousands of rubles monthly on sending SMS with information about the status of orders, while through instant messengers this can be done almost free of charge (it is important to obtain consent from the client). It is also convenient to inform about promotions and special offers using a tool such as channels (Viber and Telegram have them).
Some banks and financial services in Russia (for example, Tochka and Alfa Bank) have implemented chats in their online applications and provide support via WhatsApp or FB Messenger. Not all problems can be solved through correspondence in the messenger due to security requirements, but such common questions as “What is the limit for cash withdrawal?” or “Where is the nearest machine?” can be successfully processed. Companies can also come up with many additional services using instant messengers: for example, when sending a message /usd in a chat, the messenger automatically sends back the current rates of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and the currency exchange rate at the bank.
Travel agencies, air carriers, hotels, and travel services can use instant messengers as convenient channels for consultations and bookings. Companies can also use push notifications to remind about flights or bookings and inform about upcoming promotions, hot tours and special offers. For example, the online service for booking tickets Aviasales.ru has a Viber channel with more than 21,000 subscribers, where company employees post information about cheap air tickets and special offers from airlines.
Telecom companies and telecom operators can organize informing subscribers about their balance through instant messengers and save on SMS messaging. Moreover, with the help of instant messengers you can organize customer self-service: when you send the /balance command to the chat, the messenger can send the current status of your personal account and a link to payment in personal account. It is also a convenient channel for consultations and technical support subscribers.
FMCG brands and digital agencies can use messengers to organize competitions, create game mechanics and collect consumer contacts. For consumers, taking a photo of their child with a certain brand of baby food and sending the photo via WhatsApp to participate in a competition is much easier than doing the same using a promotional website. This approach will allow you to increase audience activity tenfold and reduce the cost of contact.
The main goal in the first stage is to inform your existing and potential clients about the convenient opportunity to contact you through your favorite messenger and ask them to add your number to the phone book. You can do this in the following ways.
1. Place your WhatsApp or Viber number, Telegram name or contacts in other instant messengers on the website. 2. Make a newsletter with information about a new opportunity via SMS or e-mail. 3. Add your messenger number to business cards, brochures, etc. 4. The most important thing is not to send spam mailings; your number will be blocked instantly.
A new channel needs to be introduced gradually to avoid large flow simultaneous requests from clients, as well as understand the main topics of requests. You also need to integrate the communication process through the messenger into the existing scheme of working with clients.
WhatsApp messenger (owned by Facebook) is developing free application WhatsApp Business for small and medium businesses. Companies will have officially confirmed accounts, and the messenger will also simplify the procedure for communicating with clients. This is stated in the WhatsApp blog.
WhatsApp is also developing a paid solution for large corporations (airlines, banks or online retailers) that will allow businesses to send useful notifications about flight times and delivery alerts to customers, TechCrunch. Messenger will introduce tools for big business into the WhatsApp platform itself, writes The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
“Every day people interact with businesses, whether it's ordering from the local bakery or searching for a new style at a clothing store. But the way of this communication on WhatsApp is not ideal. We've heard stories from store owners who use WhatsApp to communicate with hundreds of their customers using a single smartphone, as well as from people who weren't sure how this business reliable and can he be trusted?
This business tool is new in terms of monetization of other Facebook products that depend on advertising, WSJ notes. WhatsApp CEO Matt Aidema told the publication that the messenger wants to create an opportunity for people to connect with businesses. WhatsApp's free tools are currently being tested by companies in Brazil, Europe, as well as India and Indonesia.
According to executive director messenger, in the future the messenger plans to charge businesses money for some services. He did not say what the tools will be or when the company plans to introduce them. In addition, the messenger has not yet determined the details of monetization of services.
TechCrunch recalls that at the end of August, WhatsApp began testing the ability to verify accounts for businesses.
Let us recall that in the spring it became known that WhatsApp was planning direct payments between users in India. The messenger will cooperate with the UPI payment system (it is supported by the state), which will provide its services free of charge. The WhatsApp audience in India exceeds 200 million people.
WhatsApp for Business is a free app and business profile for small business owners that makes it easier to communicate with customers. An entrepreneur can add an address, email, website, and detailed description activities. The business application shows statistics on the number of messages sent and read. You can set up automatic replies.
About a year ago I transferred all correspondence to Telegram. For some time I even deleted WhatsApp because... the number of notifications went through the roof. I allowed myself this because I don’t communicate with clients directly, I have a sales department. But this is unacceptable for business.
The client must provide convenient way communication, and not impose yours. Therefore, in companies we try to connect all possible communication channels, including WhatApp.
In January 2018, WhatsApp released an application for small businesses.
Many self-employed or small business owners use WhatsApp to communicate with clients. It's convenient.
It is not convenient that for the client it looks like the personal phone of one of the employees or the owner. WhatsApp for Business is designed to make communication clearer and more effective.
Let's try to figure out how WhatsApp will be useful for small businesses.
In your account profile you can add information about the company: address, type of activity, description, address email and website. The information is available for viewing by other users. It is not yet clear whether it will be possible to search for companies directly in the application. As soon as such a function appears, I will write an article.
Today, only a small functionality for automating messages is available, but even this can make life easier and become a little closer to the client.
Quick Answers are templates that you can set up in advance and use to answer common questions. They are also called snippets. Entered using a slash. For example, in order not to write a lengthy message of gratitude every time, it is enough to write /Thank you, and WhatsApp will substitute the prepared message.
Data is sparse. For now, you can view a report on the number of messages sent, delivered, opened and received. Perhaps other indicators will be introduced in the future.
By going to the WhatsApp business account profile, the client sees the address, opening hours, email, website and brief information.
The screenshot shows an example of an automatic response to a client’s first message.
The problem of most entrepreneurs is that their personal number is used for business. Now you can separate personal from business, while using two accounts on your phone at the same time.
Stories, like those on Instagram, Facebook, VKontakte, are also available on WhatsApp, but few people use them yet fewer companies. It's time to fill this vacuum.
I believe that in the Digital field it is very important to do everything on time. I was a little lazy and missed the opportunity. As soon as a new product appears, you need to test it and use every opportunity to be the first. To be first means to have no competitors. Well, you understand.
WhatsApp functionality will continue to evolve. This is a fact.
I see a couple of global trends.
VKontakte copies Facebook.
Facebook is copying SnapChat.
SnapChat is constantly inventing something and trying to survive, but it becomes a donor of functionality for other social networks. I feel sorry for him.
Also Odnoklassniki, they’ve been trying to catch up for 5-6 years now. For some reason I don't feel sorry for them.
2. Acceleration of information consumption.
This global trend gives rise to local trends: simplification of the interface, transition to instant messengers and other changes. All this affects people's behavior patterns online.
I see the future in instant messengers as more personal and simpler means of communication. I assume that the trend in the development of instant messengers will continue.
There is no doubt that WhatsApp will increase its functionality.
Here's my forecast for the next three years
Probably, in the near future business profiles will be indexed by Google and Yandex. I wouldn’t be surprised if this year we can write to companies on WhatsApp directly from Google search results.
There will be a lot of interesting things ahead. The main thing is not to miss the moment.
Unfortunately, for now, only Android phone users have access to the application. But I think that an application for iOS will be released in the near future.
If you have Android and there is already WhatsApp, the algorithm is like this:
IMPORTANT:
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One of the world's most popular instant messengers has long been planning to launch a separate corporate application for small and medium-sized companies. In September, it became known about the launch of limited testing of WhatsApp for business, and now the corporate messenger is moving to a larger stage of collecting feedback. In a short overview, we will tell you how corporate WhatsApp works and how to manage personal and corporate contacts.
The APK file of the WhatsApp Business app is already available for free download, but only testers of the corporate messenger can download it. In the near future, the company owned by Facebook is going to release an official application that will be available to a wide range of users.
The help section of the WhatsApp Business app explains how you can use the corporate version of the messenger and manage your personal/work contacts within one service. There are three main use cases available.
Unlike personal use of the messenger, WhatsApp for business allows you to link your account not only to a mobile phone number, but also to a “regular” wired one. The traditional version of the messenger does not have this option - you can create an account only using your cell phone number.
Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, plans to introduce a small fee in the future for using the corporate version of the messenger. Monetization details are still unknown. In the corporate version, the logo has changed - instead of a handset, the letter “B” (obviously, Business, i.e. business). Otherwise, the application's interface is no different from the usual WhatsApp.
The enterprise version of WhatsApp also includes features useful for business communication, such as the ability to create a company profile, autoresponder, analytical tools and chat migration.
