WhatsApp: Automation, Tips, Updates, and Trends

Last Updated: 8 months ago by BrodNeil

With a whopping 2.78 billion users worldwide, WhatsApp isn’t just for chatting with friends anymore. It’s becoming a top choice for businesses, too.

What’s Up with WhatsApp?

WhatsApp Business Automation: Everything You Need to Know

We increasingly see WhatsApp as the go-to tool for businesses to get creative, work more efficiently, and connect better with customers.

People around the globe are sending over 175 million messages to WhatsApp Business accounts. It’s not just in big cities – whether in Indonesia or Mexico, the US or the UK- that digital communication is becoming a big part of everyday life.

WhatsApp gives businesses a direct way to stay in touch with their customers, no matter where they are. And in today’s world, where everyone is so connected.

What is WhatsApp Automation?

WhatsApp automation is when we use special tools and systems to improve communication. This includes sending instant and personalized messages and handling customer chats automatically to make things smoother for users.

When businesses automate many tasks and interactions on WhatsApp Business, it’s called WhatsApp Business automation.

WhatsApp Business API is a particular version of WhatsApp designed to help businesses talk to their customers more efficiently.

By using automation, businesses can make their customers happier, work more efficiently, and save time.

Exploring the Features of WhatsApp Business API and Understanding WhatsApp Automation

1. Proactive Messaging

Suppose a customer wants updates on their order, service request, payment, appointment, etc. In that case, you can use the WhatsApp Business API to send them messages without asking.

2. Message Flow Automation

The WhatsApp API lets you create any message flow and answer customer questions. The idea behind automation is to handle interactions, conversations, and engagements without requiring people to do it.

3. Automated Sales and Marketing

Businesses can set up sales and marketing processes using WhatsApp chatbots. These chatbots can understand what customers want, suggest products, help choose items, and make it easy to buy things.

4. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Call Deflection

You can use the WhatsApp Business API to move customers from phone calls to WhatsApp. The IVR system can ask users if they want to switch to WhatsApp to keep chatting. If they say yes, they’re sent straight to the WhatsApp chatbot.

Advantages of Leveraging WhatsApp Business Automation

Here are the top benefits of using WhatsApp automation:

It helps your business stand out in a competitive market where fast responses to changing trends and customer needs are crucial for staying ahead.
Automation makes response times much quicker. Customers want fast answers, and WhatsApp automation delivers just that.
With WhatsApp Business API, you can set up automated marketing campaigns on WhatsApp to reach your target audience effectively.
It gives your team more time to deal with important issues. Automating WhatsApp tasks frees up valuable time for your team to focus on other essential tasks.
It boosts your conversion rates. Happy customers are likely to buy from you and stick with your brand. With automated WhatsApp messages, you can guide customers through the sales process effortlessly, bringing them closer to purchasing.

7 Powerful Use Cases of WhatsApp Business Automation

Here are some common ways WhatsApp automation is used:

1. Welcoming New Customers

Automated WhatsApp messages can welcome new customers who’ve connected with your business. These messages go out when a customer starts talking to your team.

It’s an excellent way to say hello to people who want to learn more about what you do. For example, Air Asia Support sends an automated greeting message when a customer contacts them on WhatsApp.

2. Setting Out-of-Office or Away Messages

Away messages are automatic messages that go out whenever a customer contacts your business outside regular hours. They’re like a note saying, “Hey, we got your message, and we’ll get back to you soon.”

They’re super helpful for keeping customers engaged, ensuring none of their messages slip through the cracks.

3. Sending Delayed Notifications During Peak Hour

When your chat queue is busy, and all your agents are helping other customers, you can send automated WhatsApp messages to let customers know you can’t assist them immediately. But you promise to help them within a set amount of time.

Customers like honesty and prefer brands that are clear about when they’ll get help.

4. Setting Quick Replies to Answer Customer FAQs

This feature makes handling customer FAQs easy. You can create, change, and save these messages to send whenever customers ask common questions.

Saving these messages helps your team because they can quickly respond to FAQs, leaving them more time for other important jobs. For instance, airlines often use automated messages to answer customer FAQs.

WhatsApp automation is handy when you need to update customers about their orders. With automated messages, you can let customers know where their shipments are.

6. Sending Timely Reminders

Another everyday use of WhatsApp Business automation is sending customers notifications and reminders. These could be about upcoming events, appointments, tasks they must do, or special discount offers they might miss out on. It’s a fantastic way to keep customers engaged and improve their experience.

For instance, Indigo might send a WhatsApp reminder to a customer, nudging them to complete the web check-in for an upcoming flight.

WhatsApp automation is an excellent tool for quickly sharing discounts and offers with customers. Messages that include discounts and offers are called promotional messages because they help boost sales.

You can use automated WhatsApp messages to inform customers about the discounts and offers they can get. WhatsApp messages are often opened quickly. People who use the app regularly would instead get promotional messages on WhatsApp than through other channels.

For example, Deyga, a skincare brand, used WhatsApp automation to tell its customers about a discount they could use.

Wrapping Up: WhatsApp Business Automation

In conclusion, WhatsApp Business Automation offers many opportunities for businesses to streamline their operations, enhance customer interactions, and boost efficiency.

By leveraging the power of automation, companies can effectively manage customer inquiries, send timely updates, and even drive sales through personalized messaging and chatbot assistance.

The possibilities are endless, from automating responses to frequently asked questions to seamlessly integrating WhatsApp into customer service workflows.

Embracing WhatsApp Business Automation helps businesses stay ahead in a competitive market and ensures a smoother and more convenient customer experience.

As technology evolves, incorporating automation into WhatsApp business strategies will become increasingly vital for companies looking to thrive in today’s digital landscape.

With the right approach and tools, businesses can unlock the full potential of WhatsApp Business Automation to achieve their goals and delight their customers.

WhatsApp News and Trends

WhatsApp Users Can Now Have All New Chats’ Messages Disappear by Default

As the world’s largest instant messaging service expands its options, users may now choose to make any new messages they send or receive disappear.

The Facebook-owned service, which has over 2 billion users worldwide, added an option to enable the temporary feature by default for all new chats.

Key takeaways:

In addition to the seven-day term it first announced last year, WhatsApp is now offering users the option of having their messages disappear after 24 hours or 90 days.
Suppose either of the participants in a conversation has activated the ephemerality option. In that case, the communications will disappear after a set amount of time.
Users can still get around the disappearing feature by forwarding messages or taking a screenshot.