Social networks have become the 21st-century marketplace. This is because most human interactions now happen on social networks. WhatsApp is one of those social networks that are currently used as an online shop.
WhatsApp currently has 1.6 billion users, and research revealed that more than 5 million people are using WhatsApp for Business.
What does it take to have your business on WhatsApp?
Running a business on WhatsApp goes beyond posting good pictures on your status and using catchy words. You need to be available to respond to customers when they message you.
You need to build trust with your customers so they can reach you anytime. This can be somewhat taxing since you will need to attend to other aspects of your life at one point or the other. Sometimes, you can even get tired of typing the same response to different customers daily.
What do you do?
Imagine you have a team that doesn't take breaks or go to sleep, an immortal team that is always available to respond to your customers.
That would be good, right?
Well, that's what a chatbot does. No breaks, no sleep, and it’s always there to respond to your customers. I’m assuming you are reading this article because you want to know more about WhatsApp chatbots. Don’t worry; you are reading the right article.
What is a Chatbot?
A chatbot is a software program mimics natural language to interact with users. Chatbots are pre-programmed to answer common questions and respond to customers' queries on your behalf.
WhatsApp Chatbots
WhatsApp chatbot enables you to provide customers with the support they need on a platform they use often. You can use the WhatsApp chatbot to automate repetitive marketing processes, allowing more focus on generating leads.
It also simplifies customers' journey to buying your product, gives them a good customer experience, and helps you engage with them better.
Benefits of WhatsApp Chatbot
WhatsApp is the largest instant messaging platform with 450 million active daily users. WhatsApp is very effective for marketing due to its instant message and status feature.
Entrepreneurs leverage this feature to advertise their goods to people on their WhatsApp contact list. WhatsApp chatbot has simplified customer care for both entrepreneurs and customers.
Customers don't need to wait hours on a customer care call, waiting for an agent to speak to them. They also don't have to keep sending emails before they get a response.
Entrepreneurs are also free from constantly responding to customer inquiries. WhatsApp chatbot also helps suggest recommendations to customers by analyzing their historical data on purchases. This help customers to make a quick decision and translates to more sales.
Some of the benefits of WhatsApp Chatbot include:
24/7 customer care service.
Reduced need for physical interactions.
Immediate response to customer needs.
End-to-end encryption on WhatsApp makes communication with customers secure.
It shortens the sales cycle.
Categories of WhatsApp Chatbot Messages for Business
There are different chatbot messages for different occasions. The messages are programmed according to the need.
These are some of the categories of WhatsApp chatbots for businesses:
Welcome Message
This is the first message users receive when they make an inquiry. The welcome message includes the brand introduction. You can decide to add a detail of what your brand is about.
You can add something like, " Hello! Welcome to Brave Achievers; we help young, resilient youths get skilled for their dream job in tech". This confirms to users if they are in the right place or not.
Product Information
Product information centers on the detailing of your products and their availability.
Delivery updates
This contains information on the delivery of goods.
Billing updates
You have messages on how to make payments and refund processes at this stage.
How to Create WhatsApp Chatbot for your Business
Apply for WhatsApp Business API
Before applying for the API, you'll need to get the WhatsApp business app. API is an acronym for Application Program Interface. It is like an intermediary that allows two applications to interact with each other. To get the API, you'll need to submit information containing your business details. Your business has to meet the API requirements before being approved. The primary requirement is the type of industry your business belongs to. It is hard to get API access for industries such as Political organizations, Alcohol, Tobacco, Health care, Arms, and adult content.
Choose a Platform to Create your Bot
You need to choose an excellent platform to create your WhatsApp bot. One of the things you want to look out for in choosing your platform is simplicity. If it is complex to create your bot on the platform, chances are it will be complex to solve issues if you have a problem with your bot. Choose a platform that offers an easy guide to creating your bot and helps you integrate it seamlessly into the WhatsApp Business API.
Create your Conversation Flow
The next thing is to create a conversation flow for your bot. It would be best if you had a good understanding of your business FAQs before starting. This will help you in designing a step-by-step conversation flow with your bot. You make it easier for customers when you can pre-empt their questions and offer answers to them. This is the real purpose of the bot. So, it would be best if you were articulate about this process. You can try to respond to customer queries manually for a week to check your conversation path with customers. Then, use this information to create a conversation flow for your bot.
Test the Bot
It is crucial to test before launching. Ask your business FAQs from the bot and check the response. Suppose the answer sounds like your reply. If not, you will need to review the conversation flow on the bot. Testing ensures you get what you want.
Final thoughts
The face of business is changing. Chatbots have become the new customer care. Customer care agents no longer need to worry about responding to queries every minute. Chatbots have helped reduce the workload.
They also help customers get a response anytime they have inquiries. You will be doing yourself much favor as an entrepreneur to make the most of this technology.