Bring Your Service Closer to Your Customers – WhatsApp Business as Part of Our Contact Center

Customers expect to receive service in the channels they already use in their everyday lives. WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps among consumers – but did you know you can also use it as a customer service channel?

Customers expect fast and agile communication from companies. An increasing number of people want customer service via social media channels and instant messaging. WhatsApp Business meets this demand.

For companies, the growing number of service channels can be challenging, as inquiries across all channels need to be handled quickly and efficiently. One effective solution is a Contact Center application that enables customer service teams to respond to messages from multiple channels conveniently within a single system.

Read more about WhatsApp solutions for businesses.

Whether a customer reaches out via email, chat, or WhatsApp, customer service agents can respond quickly – all from one application.

Integrating WhatsApp Business into Your Customer Service System

WhatsApp is an easy and natural channel for customers to interact with businesses, as many already use the app daily.

However, customer expectations for instant messaging channels may differ from those of other channels. Customers often expect faster responses through messaging apps such as WhatsApp Business, which places specific demands on customer service operations.

Customer service via WhatsApp Business is significantly streamlined with a centralized customer service system. Your company’s WhatsApp account can be integrated into Line Carrier’s Contact Center or ticketing system, allowing you to provide service across multiple channels from a single interface.

Through integration, the WhatsApp Business account can be added to the Contact Center as a dedicated service queue. This enables your customer service team to handle WhatsApp inquiries in the same interface as other channels. Agents gain a comprehensive view of the customer profile and interaction history, regardless of the channel, allowing them to deliver even better service.

Key Considerations When Planning a WhatsApp Business Integration

There are several limitations and conditions related to the integration that should be considered already during the planning phase of launching WhatsApp Business as a service channel. Some of these restrictions are defined by WhatsApp itself.

WhatsApp 24-Hour Rule

WhatsApp Business has its own rule that limits company-initiated communication to a 24-hour window following the customer’s most recent message.

If more than 24 hours have passed since the customer’s last message, the company can no longer reply to the customer using the WhatsApp channel.

This WhatsApp-specific rule should be taken into account when planning the service implementation.

Additional Fees After 1,000 Monthly Conversations

The first 1,000 monthly conversations on a WhatsApp Business account are free of charge. After that, WhatsApp applies a small fee per conversation. A conversation is defined as a 24-hour period starting from the company’s first reply to a customer-initiated message.

Integrated Phone Number Cannot Be Used for WhatsApp Calls or Detached from the Service

Once a phone number is integrated into the Contact Center, it can no longer be used for WhatsApp calls.

After the phone number is confirmed and linked to the Contact Center, it cannot be removed or used in WhatsApp mobile applications.

Images Sent via WhatsApp Appear as Attachments in the Contact Center

In the customer service system, a WhatsApp message thread generates a ticket. Images and files sent via WhatsApp appear as attachments in the Contact Center ticket. Supported file formats include mp3, mp4, images, PDF, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.

Forwarded WhatsApp Messages Are Not Displayed

If a customer forwards another user’s WhatsApp message to your WhatsApp number, the forwarded content itself will not appear in the Contact Center. Only any accompanying text written by the customer will be visible. There will be no indication that the message originally included forwarded content or attachments.

Ready to Get Started with WhatsApp Customer Service?

WhatsApp Business can be integrated into the Line Carrier Contact Center as a dedicated service queue. This allows customer service teams to handle WhatsApp inquiries in the same interface as other channels, such as phone calls, text messages, and email.

When planned correctly and with the above limitations in mind, WhatsApp Business offers a wide range of useful features for business communication. By understanding these constraints in advance, companies can effectively leverage WhatsApp Business for customer engagement.

Read how our sister company DialOk’s customer A-Katsastus uses WhatsApp for vehicle inspection appointment bookings.

WhatsApp Business provides an excellent low-threshold additional channel, especially for companies operating in consumer business. Integrating WhatsApp Business into a customer service system makes adoption easy and requires minimal additional effort from customer service teams beyond the initial setup.