Get the most out of Whatsapp Business

Surely the Whatsapp application has no secrets for you, that you use it both personally and professionally on a daily basis. But did you know that it has a version for companies? Whatsapp Business is specially designed to automate the communication of SMEs with customers and to always offer professional service through this communication channel.

In the specific case of the tourism sector, where customer service is so important, this tool offers us a multitude of advantages and functionalities to improve our communication with travelers right from the recruitment and loyalty process, and to offer a professional image from the first contact.

To start using Whatsapp Business, all you have to do is download the app to your mobile phone and enter your phone number, just like in the personal version. But be careful: you won't be able to combine the classic version of Whatsapp and the Business version with the same number, so you'll have to choose which of the two you configure on a phone, or use a dual SIM.

Whatsapp Business is designed and works in a similar way to classic WhatsApp, meaning you can use it to do everything you did before, such as sending messages and photos. But, in addition, it offers you three main advantages:

- Automate response and customer service processes.

- Linking to a company profile.

- Use of labels.

When you start using Whatsapp Business, your customers will see that it is a company account, since it is indicated under the name of the company, which provides a professional image to your business. In addition, you can customize your profile including your company logo, your website and, very importantly, your business hours.

Why is the schedule so important? One of the main advantages of this application is that you can Automate your answers, such as absence messages, so that if a customer writes to you when you have finished your working day, they will receive a message informing them that you cannot attend to them right now, or directly that you will call them tomorrow after 9:00 a.m. You can also tell him where to call if he has an emergency at the destination, if it's a case that can't wait. To configure this type of absence messages, it is important that you have registered your schedule in your profile, since your customers will receive them in response to messages sent after hours. This will avoid many frustrations for your customers, since they will always know when they will receive your reply.

You can also automate other processes through this business version of Whatsapp. For example, if a new customer contacts you by sending you a message, you can configure your profile so that they receive a welcome message. A message idea for a new customer might be this: “Thank you for contacting us. Tell me how I can help you.” You can also configure who receives this welcome message: all contacts, those who haven't written to you in a certain number of days, or simply the new numbers not added to your calendar.

Among the digital automations offered by this app for small and medium-sized businesses is the Use of labels: you can manage your contacts by assigning them labels created by you: “new customer”, “VIP customer”, “loyal customer”, etc. This is very practical when it comes to keeping track of conversations and creating mailing lists: if you have a group of customers interested in cruises and tags them in the agenda as “cruise passengers” you can use this tag to send them sea travel offers through a distribution list.

On the other hand, you can also benefit from the development of short links and QR codes to connect with your customers: share them well through email marketing, your social networks or your website so that they can start a chat with your company and thus capture leads directly.

Let's not forget about the quick answers, which will facilitate your response processes by shortening the time you spend answering the same questions over and over again. Write the answers you offer the most times during the week and save them in Whatsapp Business as saved answers, and when answering in a chat you can make a quick selection from a specific menu. Here are some ideas for quick answers: “Check-in at the hotel is starting at 14:00”, “Check-in opens 24 hours before the flight departs”, or “To enter the United Kingdom you must carry a passport”. You'll save a lot of time and energy!

Finally, you can create a product catalog so that it's visible on your company profile and accessible to customers. Quite a commercial showcase!

If your customers already write to you permanently on your personal WhatsApp, and you spend half of Saturday answering chat messages on your mobile phone, we recommend that you switch to Whatsapp Business and start taking advantage of its professional features as soon as possible. Remember that it can be very useful for, for example, sharing the itineraries you created in MOGU with your customers and offering them direct access to your trips. We encourage you to try it!

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