WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over 2 billion users. While it started out as a messaging platform for individuals, WhatsApp has evolved to also support business accounts. Transitioning a regular WhatsApp account to a business account unlocks many useful features for managing communications with customers.
Benefits of switching to a WhatsApp business account
Here are some of the key benefits of upgrading to a WhatsApp business account:
- Get verified – Business accounts on WhatsApp get a verified badge that lend credibility and authenticity.
- Business profile – Create a business description, email, address, and other details that customers see.
- Quick replies – Set up predefined replies to frequently asked questions to respond faster.
- Greetings messages – Customize welcome and away messages that auto-respond to new conversations.
- Statistics – View data on messages sent, delivered, read, and more to optimize communication.
- Labels – Organize chats into categories to easily find and monitor conversations.
- CTAs – Add call to action buttons to guide customers, like for booking appointments or accessing a catalog.
- Link preview – When sharing links, see a preview thumbnail, title, and description.
With these features tailored for businesses, companies can deliver more professional customer service and streamline communications through WhatsApp.
How to upgrade to a WhatsApp business account
Upgrading a personal WhatsApp account to a business account is simple. Just follow these steps:
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings.
- Tap on Business Settings.
- Click on Switch to Business Account.
- Agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
- Fill in your business details like name, address, email, etc.
- Verify your business phone number through an SMS code.
Once this process is complete, your account will be converted to a business account. You’ll see a business profile and access to all the business tools.
Setting up your business profile
After switching to a business account, the next step is setting up your business profile. This contains important details customers see when chatting with your business. Follow these tips for an effective profile:
- Business name – Keep it consistent with your brand name customers know.
- Description – Briefly describe what your business does.
- Email – Use your official business email address.
- Address – List your main business location’s address.
- Profile photo – Use your business logo or a relevant, high-quality image.
- Cover photo – Pick an aesthetically pleasing header image.
- Call to action – Add a call to action inviting customers to get in touch.
A complete, professional business profile helps build trust and gives customers the right impression when engaging with your business.
Setting up quick replies
One of the most useful WhatsApp business features is quick replies. These are predefined messages you can set up to respond frequently asked questions from customers instantly. Here are some tips to use quick replies effectively:
- Identify common questions customers ask to determine what quick replies to set up.
- Keep replies brief but informative – they are limited to 1024 characters.
- Use variations and follow-ups for common inquiries like store locations or business hours.
- Include CTAs in some quick replies to guide customers to take action, like visit your website.
- Organize quick replies into categories so agents can find relevant ones easily.
- Test quick replies with real customers to refine them based on feedback.
With thoughtful quick replies covering common requests, your team can deliver faster, high-quality customer service through WhatsApp.
Setting up greeting messages
Greeting messages on WhatsApp business accounts allow you to set an auto-reply when someone first messages your business. They are a great way to deliver an introductory message and prime customers for the conversation. Here are some tips on greeting messages:
- Keep the greeting short, warm and welcoming.
- Inform about business hours and expected response times to set expectations.
- Include recommendations on what the customer can do, like browse your catalog or book an appointment.
- Localize your greeting in different languages if serving an international customer base.
- Write a customized away message for when your business is closed and can’t respond immediately.
- Avoid overused greetings and experiment with emojis or gifs to make it more engaging.
An excellent greeting message makes a great first impression and gets conversations with customers started on the right note.
Using labels
WhatsApp business accounts allow you to organize your conversations using labels. Labels help you categorize chats based on purpose, priority, or any criteria relevant to your business. Some label best practices include:
- Create descriptive labels like “Priority”, “Lead”, “Support”, etc. that make their purpose clear.
- Use colors to color code labels for quick visual identification.
- Set up labels that represent your sales or support workflow stages.
- Add new chats to relevant labels right away for orderly conversation management.
- Train agents to use labels consistently to maintain organization.
- Review and reorganize labels periodically based on changing business needs.
Effective labeling ensures chats are properly routed to the right teams and helps streamline customer communication.
Viewing chat statistics
WhatsApp business accounts provide useful chat statistics to help understand customer communication patterns. You can view metrics like:
- Messages sent and received
- Messages read and delivered
- Most frequently contacted customers
- Busiest days and times
- Response times
Analyzing these statistics offers insights like:
- When most customers are actively chatting to plan staffing
- Popular subjects customers ask about to create content
- How response times impact customer satisfaction
- Identifying priority customers based on messaging frequency
The data in WhatsApp chat statistics can drive strategic decisions to improve customer service at your business.
Adding CTAs
Calls to action allow businesses to guide conversations and prompt customers to take desired actions within WhatsApp. Some ways to use CTAs effectively include:
- Add a CTA to your business profile inviting new visitors to start chatting.
- Include CTAs in quick replies and greeting messages to showcase offerings.
- Use CTAs in conversations to direct customers to your website, catalog, booking system, etc.
- Insert CTAs at logical breakpoints during conversations to progress the interaction.
- Make CTAs clear and action-oriented with strong verbs like “Book now” or “Start chatting”.
- Test different CTAs to determine which phrasing drives most conversions.
Well-placed CTAs can successfully guide customers through sales funnels and boost conversions.
Getting verified
Verifying your WhatsApp business account adds a green checkmark badge displayed next to your business name in chats. Here are some verification tips:
- You can request verification after setting up your business profile.
- WhatsApp reviews documents like business licenses, tax IDs, and phone numbers to verify accounts.
- The verification process can take a few days after submitting documentation.
- Verification adds credibility but isn’t required to use WhatsApp for business.
- If verification is rejected, thoroughly review WhatsApp’s criteria and reapply after meeting the requirements.
While optional, getting verified can build trust and give customers confidence they’re chatting with a legitimate business.
Using the WhatsApp Business API
For larger businesses, WhatsApp offers the WhatsApp Business API as an advanced way to manage conversations at scale. The API allows you to:
- Integrate WhatsApp with your CRM and support ticketing systems.
- Programmatically send and receive WhatsApp messages.
- Automate notifications and alerts to customers.
- Develop customized chatbots to handle common queries.
- Analyze conversations through business intelligence integration.
The WhatsApp Business API takes enterprise customer engagement to the next level.
Best practices
Here are some top tips for best leveraging a WhatsApp business account:
- Set up automatic away messages for when your team is unavailable
- Train agents on your brand voice and tone for consistent messaging
- Respond promptly within the expected time advertised in greetings
- Customize communication by segment – younger generations use different language
- Monitor chat statistics to identify patterns and room for improvement
- Integrate with your internal systems like CRM software or help desk
- Regularly refresh quick replies and greeting messages to keep them relevant
- Experiment with timing of CTAs for optimal conversion rates
Following these best practices will help your business deliver 5-star service on WhatsApp.
Mistakes to avoid
When getting started with a WhatsApp business account, be sure to avoid these common missteps:
- Using a consumer mobile number instead of a dedicated business number.
- Not personalizing greetings or quick replies enough.
- Neglecting to set away messages for when the business is closed.
- Failing to allocate enough staff to manage WhatsApp conversations.
- Not monitoring chat statistics to identify customer communication trends.
- Responding with inconsistent brand voices due to lack of guidelines.
- Sharing too much irrelevant information instead of concise responses.
Avoiding these pitfalls will ensure your WhatsApp customer experience is thoughtful, streamlined, and effective.
WhatsApp business account vs regular account
The key differences between business accounts versus regular WhatsApp accounts are:
| WhatsApp Business Account | Regular WhatsApp Account |
|---|---|
| Business profile with verified badge, description, address, etc. | Personal profile with photo, status, etc. No verification |
| Predefined quick replies | No pre-set replies |
| Auto greeting messages | No automated greetings |
| Labels for conversation organization | No conversation labels |
| Statistics on messages and customers | No chat statistics or analytics |
| CTAs and link previews | No call-to-action buttons or link previews |
| API for advanced management at scale | No API access |
Business accounts unlock many powerful tools for customer service, sales, and marketing unavailable through regular WhatsApp.
Conclusion
Upgrading to a WhatsApp business account unlocks a suite of capabilities to elevate your customer communications to the next level. Take advantage of the verified profile, quick replies, labels, statistics, and other exclusive tools now available to businesses.
Carefully setting up these features creates seamless conversational experiences that build lasting customer relationships. Avoid common mistakes like inconsistent branding and slow replies to ensure your business provides top-notch customer service through WhatsApp.
With smart use of labels, greetings, quick replies, CTAs, and the Business API, WhatsApp can become an invaluable business communications channel. Transition today to get started delighting customers and driving results.