At the end of 2017, WhatsApp already had more than 1.5 billion monthly active users. It also enabled about 60 billion messages sent daily. An extremely important figure to highlight when one would ask: why did Mark Zuckerberg invest 19 billion dollars in the acquisition of this giant of digital messaging? Furthermore, when Facebook bought WhatsApp in 2014, the latter barely had 450 million users. What a way to grow a company in just 3 years! Nor is it a crazy idea, since sending messages through digital platforms is the both the most performed activity and time consuming one on mobile devices.
From traditional voice channels to automation and self-service
A recent survey conducted by Enghouse Interactive and Contact Babel shows the disinterest of population in interacting through traditional voice channels. According to the survey, the percentage of inbound telephone interactions will decrease from 90% in 2006 to 62.2% in 2021. Furthermore, the survey reveals an increasing use of self-service channels such as webchat and social networks.
A few years ago, many companies managed customer service on WhatsApp but this management was manually. The application didn´t allow others to connect via API. Hence, possible automated management of interactions on WhatsApp were unofficial developments quickly identified and shut down.
WhatsApp Business, a change in customer service management paradigm on WhatsApp
Last year, WhatsApp decided to change its politics. Companies now have the opportunity to manage customer support on WhatsApp through its official API. However, it still didn´t allow contact center platforms to connect with the app to offer self-service. Consequently, management of these channels remained manual and in many cases disconnected from customer service. It was impossible to combine data from interactions on the platform with other information from other channels such as social media, email or even voice.
This year they have gone one step further. WhatsApp has allowed companies to perform some actions in an automated way. Now, Management of customer service can is available through chatbots, as long as users start the conversation. It is not intended merely for marketing purposes.
This change has opened up the door for contact center platforms to integrate WhatsApp as its self-service channel. Here is where Presence Social Interactions is born, the first contact center solution officially connected with WhatsApp.
