Why WhatsApp for business

Enabling best practice in Customer Communication Management (CCM)

Most families today are quite spread out, and many have started using WhatsApp for everyday communication. WhatsApp groups are being set up for all family events, in fact, just about every conversation. It turns out that WhatsApp is attractive because it’s convenient for a whole range of reasons.

The younger generation tends to use email less often because it's not where they feel most connected. While most have a Gmail account, they prefer communicating through platforms like WhatsApp or Instagram, where conversations feel more immediate and engaging. It’s a shift towards spending time and interacting in ways that suit their lifestyle.

If you are part of an enterprise involved in B2C communications, it’s time to think about using WhatsApp for your messaging. There is a group of mainly Gen Z individuals who will love you forever if you were to start communicating with them through this channel.

At Cumulo9, we have now enabled WhatsApp on our C9 Transact digital solution platform, which already accommodates transactional email, SMS, and eInvoicing (Peppol). It was not easy, which is why we suspect many organisations have been slow to adopt this platform for customer communications.

As messaging preferences continue to evolve, we are also keeping an eye on emerging platforms such as WeChat, which is widely used for communication within the Chinese community, so we can continue to support diverse audience needs.

Why WhatsApp from a bricks-and-mortar perspective

All you need is a cell phone number, as it is a “push” or instant messaging (IM) service that allows apps and websites to send real-time notifications to users. It could be text, voice, or video, allowing users to make video calls and share images, documents, and their locations.

• The WhatsApp client runs on a mobile phone, but the information sent or received can be accessed from a computer
• End-to-end encryption is a key feature, meaning that only senders and receivers can read messages, and even WhatsApp cannot access them

Why WhatsApp from a commercial perspective

• WhatsApp messages are designed to be conversational, so you can execute actions (e.g. for a utility company, WhatsApp could drive an invitation to change plans, and it could save on your customer service costs)
• Sharing and group functions mean that the application has endless use cases

There are competitors to WhatsApp, such as Telegram or Signal, and Apple’s iMessage, but they do not have the same level of penetration in this part of the world. WeChat is an exception, but just for one community, Chinese users. 

WhatsApp is not a “here today, gone tomorrow” application!

WhatsApp is owned by Meta Platforms Inc., the same company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger.  In 2014, it was purchased for US$19 billion, making it one of the largest tech acquisitions in history.

WhatsApp now has over 3 billion users worldwide, and this year, users send approximately 100 billion messages daily, totalling around 36.5 trillion messages annually.

WhatsApp for business and costs

With open rates over 90% and click-through rates typically between 45% and 60% business messages sent to WhatsApp recipients will get attention. We appreciate that WhatsApp enables more conversational communications, which are bi-directional. In a recent survey, 37% of consumers preferred using instant messaging apps over email. 

However, for businesses, there is a cost, and the WhatsApp Business Platform offers two plans: one for small companies and one for larger Enterprises. Charging is at an individual message (conversation) level. If the message is categorised as a “utility” message, it is about the same price as an essential or transactional email, and a little cheaper than an SMS.

WhatsApp requires pre-approval of all templates, and if the message is classified as a “marketing” conversation, you will incur additional costs. Businesses also pay a template set-up fee, so you can expect to pay NZ$2,500 per set-up. There is also a small minimum monthly fee. Access to the WhatsApp Business Platform’s business-centric focus should generate an ROI through rich self-serve features, such as the option to connect chatbots to your WhatsApp Business account to automate conversations.

Remember, you can still append PDF-based invoices or formal notifications to a WhatsApp message. This may be a transitional period until other bill notification and presentment methods evolve and become preferred. 

Regarding costs, don’t get confused with the Business App, which is free, but does not allow you to scale or personalise your messages or offer any automation features. To gain the most value from WhatsApp, you will want to use the Business Platform, which is the service Cumulo9 offers via C9 Transact.

Get started on WhatsApp for business through Cumulo9

Summary

We sense that email is at the top of its curve and that new sunrise offerings, like WhatsApp, will eventually take over. It makes sense, even if only because of the security concerns associated with instant messaging apps. We believe WhatsApp can motivate adoption by driving CX through more meaningful customer conversations. Isn’t this the goal of most organisations? 

Drop us a line if you’d like to know more about Cumulo9’s WhatsApp for business - C9 Transact platform. You can also find additional content on our website by clicking here.