Facebook has launched WhatsApp Business, as a free to download Android app. It gives businesses the tools they need to reach out to potential customers more easily. It"ll likely be very beneficial to the 80% of small businesses in India and Brazil who already communicate with their clients through WhatsApp.
Businesses will be able to create profiles on WhatsApp where they can display a description of what the business does. They can also add an email address, a store address and a website URL. With this information in hand, it"s simpler for customers to find the information they need.
The app comes with some useful tools so your time won’t be consumed by the new application. Quick replies have been added so that you can provide answers to frequently asked questions, greeting messages can be pre-programmed, and away messages can automatically be sent to customers while you’re busy. Additionally, you’ll also be able to see metrics for the number of your messages which have been read in order to see what is working and what’s not.
Accounts on WhatsApp Business will be listed as businesses to average users. Over time, WhatsApp plans to add confirmed accounts to those businesses which provide and account phone number that matches the business phone number. This is meant to lead to more customers trusting a business’s reputation.
Average users will be able to block any number, including businesses, as well as report them as spam. WhatsApp Business is available today via Google Play in Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, the U.K., and the U.S. Users in other countries will be able to download it in the coming weeks.
Source: WhatsApp