Customer service via WhatsApp - how to improve support and advice

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WhatsApp is more than just a messenger. The Instant messenger (which, however, is owned by Facebook) enjoys such a large Popularitythat it has become synonymous with smartphone-to-smartphone messaging. You can also use this popularity for your business. With a Customer service via WhatsApp you take a giant step towards Customer orientation.

 

 

Customer-centric business solutions - turn multichannel marketing into multichannel customer service

With marketing, you already know how important it is, Be active on all channels where your customers are also active. Of course, customer service is no different. A quick responsiveness and a Immediate accessibility are simply important to customers. After all, why should they bother leaving their familiar apps?

So create a customer service experience that picks up and accommodates your customers.

Of course, this is more than simply an accommodating orientation in the direction of your customers. Because you can also use the results in Measure conversions.

Thus, the study - conducted by Facebook "More Than a Message" revealed that more than half of all respondents more likely to buy from a company would give you a Service option via Facebook or WhatsApp offers. This is plausible because the messenger much faster and more direct than a service e-mail to customer service. And unlike a phone call, a WhatsApp message can also be spontaneous and in between send.

Results of the More Than A Message study
53% of users would be more likely to buy from a business that you can contact via Messenger (Image: insights.fb.com)

That's why WhatsApp customer service is miles ahead of other channels

Why WhatsApp others, so far superior to traditional channels when it comes to customer service is, this can be seen above all on the basis of their disadvantages.

The disadvantages of classic customer service

The availability by phone often presents problems even for larger SMEs. Start-ups have a particularly hard time here finding an appropriate Service infrastructure that can withstand even major onslaughts. In addition, telephone service also often presents customers with unsolvable tasks. Queues, poor connections or simply the lack of possibility to make free phone calls.

At the other end of the spectrum, we find the E-mailwhich allows customers to formulate requests according to their own schedule. However, for this to happen, they must wait longer for the answerMoreover, e-mail is a very formal medium. Accordingly, composing messages clearly takes more time than a comparable chat message in a messenger would. The process is particularly cumbersome on the smartphone.

Importance of channels for customer service
Customer service channels and their predicted importance (Fig: en.statista.com)

Finally, there is the alternative of the Community Management as customer service. In this case, customers contact a company directly via hashtag, mention, or post in the social networks. This often leads to very fast reactionsbut above all because companies have a negative reputation fear. After all, this form of customer service is often rather Crisis management.

The advantages of WhatsApp Customer service

All these channels are countered by WhatsApp's functionality, which has transformed the app from the dominant SMS alternative to the go-to messenger for smartphones. WhatsApp messages are sent and received instantly, even sending attachments is no longer a problem.

Customers can use the best time for their conversation with the customer service themselves choose and also on the way write in the train or canteen without any problems. At the same time the Chat history both the customers and the service employees Security, because they always have important information at hand.

The popularity of Messenger among users is shown by the We are Social Report. While it should come as no surprise that customer service via messenger app is popular with Generation X and Millenials, the older generation is also enthusiastic about the possibilities of WhatsApp and Co.

WhatsApp is the third largest social media platform
Social media platform with the greatest user activity (Image: datareportal.com)

Because of course it is presumptuous to assume that older customers will make the leap from using a messenger privately to using the Messengers as a service tool not do. For you as a company, it is essential to advertise your messenger service accordingly. In this way, you can also use customer service via WhatsApp primarily as a Marketing toolto present your company in the best possible way on every customer's smartphone.

The automated Customer service via WhatsApp - 24/7 best service

An unbeatable advantage of the chat service in WhatsApp: you and your company are always availableeven if you are actually not available at the moment. With Chatbots you can optimize your customer service.

The technology can of course be used for proactive marketing and send your customers relevant information about new products. But also in customer service the AI-based solutions. The underlying engine is able to recognize natural language and filters by Keywords the right answer. This is convenient for customers, as they have a contact person with catalog knowledge at all times, but do not have to wait for their answers.

WhatsApp has some decisive advantages for customers and companies. The WhatsApp messenger is so deeply integrated into the everyday lives of many customers that the bnotifications of the app will be retrieved shortly.. This facilitates the native dialog once again.

Companies benefit from the fact that customers do not have to search via the browser, where they can potentially find a different offer with every Google search. At the same time, WhatsApp as a platform is one of the Pioneers for Chatbot Marketing. So you can find suitable systems with your desired configuration quite easily.

Not a service desert Online shopping - why you should use WhatsApp for customer service

What applies to private life should apply all the more to everyday business life. When Customer orientation for innovation in your company is more than a mere buzzword, then you should not simply take the Best possible customer service but also offer him Offer where your customers are.

As with all forms of service in general and customer service in particular, the integration of WhatsApp is the Communication in the foreground. In a one-to-one conversation with your customer, you can respond accurately, quickly and efficiently, clarify open questions, solve problems or provide advice on your products.

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But that in itself is not a solution in service bottlenecks, because the speed of WhatsApp and other messengers also presents you with a challenge -. You must be able to operate this speed.

But then you offer more than just a valid alternative to customer service by phone or email with Customer Service in Messenger.

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