What is WhatsApp Business and how to use it?

Customer service refers to the interactions a company has with its consumers. In recent years, it has changed drastically to adapt to the new digital consumer and the new communication channels that exist. Nowadays, digital customer service becomes extremely important to improve the customer experience and strengthen your brand's reputation.

We can communicate with our customers in different ways. In this sense, there are several digital tools to establish direct communication with customers. One of them is WhatsApp Business. With 50 million active users, it is the most popular messaging app today.

Like many entrepreneurs, you will surely wonder what is it? How does it work? We are about to tell you in this post. Keep reading!

What is WhatsApp Business and what is it for?

Surely you have already heard of the free download application WhatsApp. Many of us use it to communicate with our friends and family. In addition, there is WhatsApp Business, the business version of WhatsApp. You'll be happy to know that it's also free and available both for iPhone and Android.

The WhatsApp Business app is designed similarly to the standard app, but this one was created especially for small and medium-sized businesses. WhatsApp Business has automation features, which are very useful for SMEs. You can use it to carry out everything you normally do in the WhatsApp application. But don't get confused, they are still different applications! We tell you in detail below.

Differences between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business

WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business have a similar user interface, so they have many elements in common. However, WhatsApp Business has some unique features and functionalities that set it apart. We mention them here: 

• You don't need to use your real name on WhatsApp, but WhatsApp Business requires a company verification process in order to use it.
• WhatsApp only shows your name, your photo and an informative text with a maximum of 139 characters. On the contrary, WhatsApp Business allows you to create a business profile where you can add various data such as your address, business hours, email address and website of your business, among others.
• Because you have a private profile on WhatsApp, it doesn't allow you to send automated messages. WhatsApp Business allows you to create welcome messages and all kinds of messages with a maximum of 200 characters.
• WhatsApp Business allows you to sort your chats by categories and informs you if you are talking to a business or a private account while normal WhatsApp only informs you if you are talking to a business account.

There is also an API version of WhatsApp Business, but this is a paid version of it and focused on large companies that have mass messaging campaigns and strategic customer service.

The advantages of WhatsApp Business for your SME

Having a WhatsApp Business account can bring several advantages to your SME. We tell you about them below. 

• Send automated messages and facilitate communication with the customer.
• Increase customer conversion by providing a better experience.
• Have messaging statistics.
• Have a wide network of users of more than 2,000 million users.
• Integrate landlines to your account.
• Have contact with your customers in real time.

How to create a WhatsApp Business account for your SME?

Now that you know the advantages of this application for your SME, we will tell you how to create a business account. It's very simple.

1. First you should download the WhatsApp Business app. Depending on whether you have an Android or iPhone, you can do it from Google Play or Apple Store.
2. In order to start creating your account, you need to agree to the app's terms and conditions and privacy policy.
3. Verify your business phone number and register it in the app.
4. Add your business details such as your address, business hours, email address, and business website among those requested.

Once you've completed all these steps, your business account is ready to go. We advise you to fill in all the data of your company in order to provide more information and confidence to your customers.

As you can see, the version of WhatsApp for business is an excellent tool to interact with your customers digitally. Now that you've figured out how WhatsApp Business works and how to create a business account, what are you waiting for to do it?