Time to Transform CX Using WhatsApp – The Next-Generation Customer Support Tool!
In the digital age, customer demands and preferences keep changing at frequent intervals. No enterprise can boost customer experience and meet customer expectations without adopting the new customer support channels. Instead of switching from conventional customer support channels, the enterprises must explore ways to optimize Omni channel customer experience by making the new channels a part of their existing customer support systems.
How should an enterprise decide the right customer support channel? An enterprise can easily pick the best customer support channel by keeping in mind the demands of current and future customers. It must implement a robust customer support strategy by analyzing existing, potential, and targeted customers. At the same time, the enterprise needs to ensure that customer support is delivered through the channels where these customers are.
However, the customer strategy must focus on interacting with customers through their mobile devices and widely used messaging apps like WhatsApp. Most users nowadays spend over 60% of their digital media time on mobile apps. But they spend most of their digital media time on five specific apps. The top five apps differ from one user to another. Is WhatsApp one of the top five apps of most users?
According to the latest usage statistics posted on The Statistics Portal, WhatsApp is currently being accessed by 1.5 billion active users on a monthly basis. Also, over 58% of these active users access WhatsApp several times a day. The statistics even makes it essential for enterprises to use WhatsApp a powerful customer support tool to stay relevant and meet customer demands.
7 Reasons to Use WhatsApp is the Next-Generation Customer Support Tool
1. Over 42 Billion Daily Messages
Recently, Mark Zuckerberg announces that 42 billion messages are being exchanged daily on WhatsApp. Likewise, users share 1.6 billion photos and 250 million videos in 53 languages daily through the Facebook-owned messaging service app. The information clearly depicts the effectiveness of WhatsApp as a customer support channel in comparison to emails, social media, text/voice chat, and phone.
2. Multidimensional Conversation
WhatsApp helps enterprises to unify multiple customer support channels. A customer support executive can use WhatsApp to interact with voice/video calls, text messages, photos, videos, and voice notes. He can further use texts and videos to resolve complex customer issues. Hence, an enterprise can easily use WhatsApp to boost omnichannel customer experience. Also, it can integrate WhatsApp seamlessly with existing customer support channels.
3. Private and Personal Conversations
A customer support executive can use WhatsApp to interact with multiple customers at a time. But WhatsApp, unlike social media, will keep the conversations private and personal. The messaging service app will further make it easier for customers to avail guidance on sensitive buying decisions regarding the latest gadgets or fashion trends. The private communication channel will further create opportunities for the customer support executive to cross-sell and up-sale.
4. Encrypted and Secure Interaction
Like messaging apps, WhatsApp also supports group conversations, file sharing, and voice messages. But WhatsApp, unlike messaging apps, keeps all conversations encrypted. The messaging service app even does not share conversations and information with Facebook. Hence, the interactions between a customer support executive and customers will remain private and encrypted. The encrypted conversations help enterprises to address key challenges related to privacy and information security.
5. Simultaneous Chat
Often enterprises have to deploy additional customer support staff to handle phone calls or replying to emails. But WhatsApp allows executives to chat with multiple customers at a time. A skilled customer support executive can handle multiple customer issues simultaneously and proactively. Hence, an enterprise can easily curtail cost per customer contact by integrating WhatsApp with other channels of customer support.
6. Stored Chat Conversations
In addition to promoting real-time customer support, WhatsApp further allows customer support executives to resolve customer issues before and after business hours. The messages sent by a customer before or after service hours will remain stored in WhatsApp. The customer support executive can respond to the messages the next day. Also, an enterprise can analyze the stored chat and conversations to gain insights based on real-time conversations.
7. Business Enterprise Services
In 2017, WhatsApp announced its plan to roll out business enterprise services. At present, the features for facilitating business-to-customer messaging are being tested by small enterprises. The feature will soon enable enterprises to offer customer service and support through the popular messaging service app through their verified business accounts. However, WhatsApp is yet to reveal the enterprise services to be provided in addition to general customer service communications.
How can an Enterprise Leverage WhatsApp to Enhance Customer Experience?
As a powerful customer support channel, WhatsApp will definitely help enterprises to boost customer experience and speed up customer service delivery. At the same time, it can use WhatsApp as a robust marketing tool to create cross-selling and up-selling opportunities. But no enterprise should forget that WhatsApp was not originally designed as a customer support tool. It must address a number of challenges to use WhatsApp as a robust customer support channel.
Ways to integrate WhatsApp as a Customer Support Channel in your CX Strategy:
- Designing a custom customer support system based on WhatsApp
- Hiring skilled support executives and upskilling existing customer support executives
- Bring innovations to customer experience strategy to make WhatsApp a part of Omni channel customer support
- Outsourcing WhatsApp customer support to an Omni-channel service provider
Conneqt Business Solutions is working closely with enterprises from varied sectors to integrate WhatsApp seamlessly into their existing customer support channels. In addition to setting up custom WhatsApp-based customer service systems, we also help enterprises to respond to each WhatsApp message proactively by overcoming constraints related to time and resources.
Contact us to transform the customer experience by using WhatsApp as a robust customer support channel.