How You Can Use WhatsApp For Your Business

How You Can Use WhatsApp For Your Business

Social messaging service WhatsApp may have been under the radar for many when Facebook acquired it in 2014 for approximately $19 billion. But WhatsApp was already well on its way to becoming one of the largest communication tools in the world, with more than 700 million active users, messaging over 30 billion times a day. That’s almost double Facebook’s own messaging traffic.

WhatsApp is a cross platform, proprietary service that allows users of both feature phones and smart phones to share their location and communicate via text messaging, voice calling, video and audio messages. Founded in 2009 by two former Yahoo employees, WhatsApp is free for your first year and then costs only 99 cents per year. It allows you to chat in real-time, supports multimedia, and can transmit to groups of up to 50 people. The service is huge outside of the U.S., especially in countries where post-paid billing plans are less accessible or too costly.

While some may view WhatsApp as just another communication tool in the world of instant messaging, many innovative companies are using the technology to help their small- or medium-sized business grow by connecting with customers and employees.

John Rasiej, CEO of SpeakLouderThanWords.com, a consultancy that helps small- and medium-size businesses communicate, says he uses WhatsApp for his private clients to get in touch when they have a quick question.

“This could be relating to work on business strategy and standing out from their competition, as well as when they have an issue on public speaking,” he says. “I also use it as the prime means for people in group programs I run when they have individual questions.”

For both kinds of clients, Rasiej takes advantage of the app’s audio function, and has them provide recordings of their questions. WhatsApp allows both parties to ask and answer things on their own schedules instead of hoping they can find a time to connect live. 

“I like this because WhatsApp kind of reinforces the idea of brevity and efficiency. By having their voice instead of text I get more of the meaning behind their question than an email or text would give,” he says. “And they get to hear the answer in my voice instead of reading through a written response.”

WhatsApp runs on all popular mobile operating systems available worldwide: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Symbian, Windows and J2ME, ensuring strong take-up in developing countries. 

That’s enabled small companies in big countries such as India to contact clients directly. For example, Prabhkiran Singh & Siddharth Munot, owners of India-based apparel company, Bewakoof.com, say the app is responsible for 15% percent of sales thanks to its communication functions.

Rich Pleeth, CMO of tech start-up GetTaxi, a global taxi booking app operating in New York, Moscow, St Petersburg, London and Israel, says WhatsApp can be a lifesaver.

“I manage an international team, spread across all our territories. As a result, I’m always on the go, travelling from place to place,” he says. “So how do I successfully organize my global team while constantly in an airport, hotel or Airbnb on a different time zone, without spending a fortune? Well, it’s very simple. It’s all about WhatsApp.”

New features to enable voice calls and video chats are also in the planning, which will allow businesses to be even more innovative when it comes to interacting with staff and customers.

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