If you’re online-first, then I am sure that you have seen one, you’ve used one. After all, WhatsApp business chatbots are all the rage today.
Every modern consumer has probably used a WhatsApp chatbot to connect with brands and resolve their queries at some point in time. The benefits of a WhatsApp chatbot are immense and companies have seen some incredible results. There are firms that have reduced their sales cycles from days to minutes. Some have achieved unparalleled reach. Like this leading bank, that used one to resolve every 8 in 10 queries with no human intervention!
So why do companies NEED a WhatsApp Business chatbot?
From better visibility to better marketing, a WhatsApp chatbot has a lot to offer. Let’s take a look!
1. Wide reach on the world’s most popular chat app
WhatsApp is the world’s most popular messaging platform. Over 2.4 billion active customers talk to their friends and family every day. Even WhatsApp own numbers are enlightening. In 2021, the brand claimed that over 100 billion messages are exchanged daily on the platform.
The app is famed for having one of the most intuitive and simplistic interfaces around. Hence, ensuring that all customers can use the platform to its fullest – without necessarily having to be technologically adept.
2. 24×7 availability with high security
WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption makes it one of the most secure platforms in the world.
It ensures only you and the person you’re communicating with can read what’s sent, and nobody in between, not even WhatsApp.
Thus, making WhatsApp the ideal platform to send messages that contain sensitive information. OTPs, transactional updates, and follow-ups can all be sent using WhatsApp. And unlike conventional channels, the top benefit of WhatsApp chatbots is that they are available round-the-clock to assist users.
3. Quicker, more agile, easy FAQ solving
A WhatsApp chatbot takes all of that burden off of you. So, all your most common, recurring questions are easily addressed by a WhatsApp chatbot – during the day or at night!
4. Personalisation with user data and rich media
Beyond the WhatsApp chatbot’s ease and portability, a well-built and trained chatbot can try to emulate natural conversations. During these interactions, the chatbot is able to collect and recall user data and context when it’s relevant. It offers a high level of personalisation as now each of your individual users’ needs and behaviour is easily mapped out and catered to by a chatbot that’s highly contextual in its responses.
Moreover, its media richness makes it a great platform for companies to interact with customers. Unlike email or phone support, WhatsApp allows brands to send photos, videos, gifs, voice recordings, and documents.
5. Product range that’s accessible with ease
WhatsApp is turning out to be the Mecca of online shopping.
WhatsApp conversational commerce is an upgrade to the user experience. For example, the newly launched product catalogue allows you to offer a product or display a catalogue of 30 products that are relevant to the user’s needs.
With entry points planted at specific digital locations, you can drive users to your WhatsApp shop, converse and sell meaningfully, and offer post-purchase support – all on the same chat window!
6. Marketing and advertising that’s targeted and tailor-mad
WhatsApp now let’s businesses send message templates that are non-transactional, and purely promotional. But of course, this is subject to certain rules. To ensure a high degree of relevancy to the user, your WhatsApp chatbot can send templates that your users have explicitly opted-in to receive, are personalised and provide value to the user with a clear CTA.
Such relevant messaging ensures higher open rates, better CTRs, more conversions, and simply more ROI for you.
7. Performance that’s measurable, tangible, and consequently, actionable
Another benefit of a WhatsApp chatbot is that gives you a peek into your team’s performance. Track metrics like your first and average response time, resolution rate and time, and customer satisfaction score. You can find out the most common lags that need fixing and process gaps that need to be filled.
8. Faster, smarter agent routing
The problem with the unmanned channels/tools brands use is that human intervention never comes quickly enough. An email thread needs hours to rope the right department/agent in.
But, with a WhatsApp Business chatbot, humans can seamlessly and instantaneously pick up chats from the bot. This empowers agents to deliver excellent customer service, without having to work through thousands of monotonous chats.