Businesses can significantly enhance customer satisfaction by adopting WhatsApp for customer support, addressing common customer concerns such as long waiting lines, slow responses, and impersonal communications. By choosing the right customer support solution and connecting with clients on their preferred channels, businesses can meet their needs effectively. With nearly two billion users, WhatsApp is an undisputed leader, offering one of the most effective customer support channels with a 98% open rate and a 40% response rate.
In this blog, we shall discuss 7 effective tips on how to use WhatsApp for customer support
Why should you use WhatsApp for customer support?
Reduce dependency on email
You may prevent sending and receiving emails for assistance. Many individuals do not check their email as frequently as they used to. This implies it may be unread or create delays.
Immediate and prompt assistance
Even if your consumers read their emails, you can’t top WhatsApp’s instant messaging features. WhatsApp allows customers and agents to communicate regardless of their location.
Low cost
WhatsApp is a more cost-effective customer service option than phone calls and emails. You may also set it up quickly because it requires little infrastructure.
Contextualised conversations
WhatsApp preserves a message log, which is useful for both customers and support agents, allowing them to continue where they left off.
Guaranteed security
WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption for all communications. Customers may be certain that their communications via the app are safe. WhatsApp prevents users from being overwhelmed with spam by requesting authorization for every chat.
Personalised chats
WhatsApp’s default conversation style is intimate and pleasant. You do not have to use templates while resolving queries. You may address clients by name and deliver individualised responses to all of their inquiries.
Multi-agent support
WhatsApp Business Platform allows you to connect up to ten devices to a single account, assign chats to agents, and track their activities.
7 effective tips to use WhatsApp for customer support
Complete WhatsApp business profile
A WhatsApp business profile includes information that makes it simpler for clients to connect with you both on and off of WhatsApp. It adds credibility to your brand. It can also create expectations for how consumers will engage with you through the app.
Here are must-haves for a company profile on WhatsApp: Logo, brand name, description of how your company uses CTA to engage customers, Website link, working hours, and contact information (phone number, email address, etc.).
However, business profile features such as Green Tick and Business Category cannot be shared via the WhatsApp Business app. These are only achievable with the use of a WhatsApp Business API account, which you can obtain through a WhatsApp Business Partner (BSP) such as Noapp.
Inform customers they can reach you on WhatsApp
Offering WhatsApp customer support allows clients to contact you through a medium they are already familiar with and understand. However, this only works if they know where to locate you.
Make it easy for your consumers to locate and contact you via WhatsApp. Try including a “click to chat” link anywhere you provide customer support contact information. You may also generate a QR code that links clients to your WhatsApp support staff.
QR codes are an excellent choice for offline consumer contact materials. For example, use them on product packaging and business cards. That way, when a buyer buys your goods and scans the QR code, they are sent to your WhatsApp number.
Shift the FAQs section to an automated chatbot
Although most businesses offer a FAQs area on their websites, customers prefer to receive responses directly from the firm. WhatsApp can be useful in this situation, particularly if you construct a WhatsApp chatbot for it. Users can ask inquiries regarding a specific product or service, as well as shipping and payment alternatives.
Just be sure you supplement your chatbot script with commonly requested questions and update it whenever a new popular query arises. It is also critical to provide clients with a simple mechanism to get replies from real customer support representatives.
Collect customer feedback
Gathering feedback is a critical component of business growth and development. WhatsApp chatbots can function as an interactive feedback form and review-sharing platform. The most prevalent ways are:
1. Request feedback once a consumer receives your goods or service.
2. Conducting surveys to assess chatbot quality or customer care agent effectiveness.
Use multimedia features effectively
WhatsApp client contacts typically begin as text conversations, but they do not have to remain that way. WhatsApp allows photos, videos, music, and PDFs.
So, if a client wants assistance with a product issue, ask them to provide a photo. Share videos including assembly instructions. Share PDF documents or audio samples. Alternatively, you might join a video chat.
But don’t get gimmicky. If rich media can enhance the consumer experience, then use it. Otherwise, stay with text because that’s what most clients anticipate when they contact you over WhatsApp.
Send regular updates
Adding WhatsApp business to your communication mix might help you deliver status updates to consumers about bookings, order tracking, and so on. You may utilise the channel to notify clients about the actual state of their purchase, its expected arrival date, and other important information. Updating consumers on the status is one of the most important customer service recommendations for growing your business.
Here are best practices while using WhatsApp for status updates. Instead of sending an email to confirm each new order, utilise WhatsApp messaging to get high open rates. Brands are using WhatsApp to notify customers of the availability of goods on their wishlist that were previously out of stock. Your company may send a brief message to clients informing them about discounts on a certain product, which can enhance conversion.
Share notifications on WhatsApp
Your company may utilise WhatsApp API to deliver notifications and reminders to clients, as well as improve their overall experience with your brand. Customers can get several sorts of alerts, such as booking confirmations, payment reminders, and so on. Customers are more interested in reading WhatsApp messages than they are in email, so providing notifications and reminders may be really beneficial.
WhatsApp provides many sorts of alerts. Your company may use WhatsApp to send a billing invoice or a payment request for an order, keeping clients up to date on their payments.
WhatsApp appointment alerts can help your business remind consumers about essential appointments. WhatsApp is always a terrific approach to keep consumers updated on the status of their orders.
FAQs
What is WhatsApp for customer communication?
WhatsApp Business Platform allows you to design and deploy chatbots to handle a variety of client needs. These enhance customer interactions and, when properly deployed, can minimise reliance on agents. For example, chatbots can respond to typical questions and concerns.
What are the benefits of WhatsApp for customer service?
One of the most significant benefits of utilising WhatsApp for customer support is that it enables fast and comfortable real-time communication. Customers may contact companies at any time and from any location and receive rapid replies.
How can I use WhatsApp for customer communication?
Leverage WhatsApp for customer communication by employing the WhatsApp Business API to automate responses, provide real-time support, send notifications, and engage customers with multimedia messaging capabilities.