Meta-owned WhatsApp has no doubt become a game changer for both micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to well-established corporates when it comes to reaching customers online.
WhatsApp has always provided people with the ability to connect faster. From enabling people to reach out to friends to stay in touch with family, WhatsApp has strengthened relationships in many ways and improved communication for many people.
Now, for people and businesses globally, WhatsApp is where business gets done. It doesn’t matter whether the business is a small virtual shop or a Fortune 500 company, businesses of all sizes today can rely on WhatsApp to connect with and help their customers and ultimately grow their business.
If you run a small, fast-growing business or a large, global-focused enterprise, your business can benefit from WhatsApp in many ways. Here are some key ways small, medium-scale and large businesses can leverage WhatsApp to grow.
WhatsApp’s Cloud-based API for businesses and developers
WhatsApp’s business offering has options available for businesses of all sizes across the world, and the new secure cloud hosting service provided by Meta has been created especially for bigger brands.
For larger businesses seeking new ways to communicate with their customers faster, conveniently and reliably, WhatsApp’s new Cloud API offers an enterprise-level solution with the ability to pay per conversation with their customers.
The start-up time on this new API has been cut down from months to minutes, enabling businesses and developers to quickly and easily access the WhatsApp business offering. This API, which is built directly on top of WhatsApp, allows businesses and developers to customise their experience and increase the speed at which they can typically respond to their customers.
Businesses can sign-up directly for this service and eliminate costly server expenses via https://business.whatsapp.com/.
Explore unique features for fast-growing businesses with the WhatsApp Business app
Designed especially for small businesses, one feature of the WhatsApp Business app that many fast-growing businesses across the world have leveraged for managing communication with their customers is the click-to-chat link.
This feature enables businesses to generate a chat link directly from the WhatsApp Business app and share it across their online presence so that their customers can easily send them messages and receive feedback immediately. This gives businesses the ability to be easily reached while also giving customers control of the businesses they chat with.
Other tools that businesses of all sizes can leverage on the WhatsApp Business app include:
Quick Replies: Businesses can create shortcuts to responses to questions frequently received from customers on WhatsApp Business to fast-track the process of addressing relevant concerns from their customers.
Number of people who can join WhatsApp Groups raised to 512 from 256
Away Messages: It is easier for businesses to manage expectations with their customers who send messages past business hours with Away Messages. Now you can let your customers know when your business is closed and when operations will be open again, to manage their expectations.
Labels: Organise and filter relevant communication with your customers to enable you to find and respond to messages faster.
Catalog: With Catalog, businesses can showcase products and services in a mobile storefront and group similar items into collections to make it simpler for customers to shop. You can go ahead and share links to your entire catalog or specific items with new and existing customers on WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram from within the WhatsApp Business app.
Across Africa, small, medium-scale and large businesses are leveraging the WhatsApp Business app to reach more people and grow their business. Start your own journey with the WhatsApp Business app here.