WhatsApp is a free messaging service that is often downloaded as a mobile phone app if you are unfamiliar with it. Its simplicity and ease of use have quickly made WhatsApp a staple messaging tool. According to Statista, WhatsApp currently has a user base of around two billion people. Even if your customer communications are not currently done through WhatsApp, as you continue to expand, the opportunity to conduct business through the app will be there as well. In a recent webinar, we asked the question, “Besides email and phone, what channels does your business use to communicate with prospects and customers?”
There were a large number of multiple choice answers buy Phone Number List listed, with WhatsApp being the preferred method by a large margin. Along with this, many viewers had additional questions regarding the use of the integration and how to set it up for a Vtiger CRM instance. This blog will offer those resources and highlight the key benefits and drawbacks of the integration. As an additional note, this integration is being developed exclusively for our new CRM version, Vtiger 8.
When initially reviewing this integration, we found three key benefits, especially for sales and support teams:
Sales teams
Conversations between sales reps and prospects can now be automatically captured in your CRM. With this integration, WhatsApp messages are automatically linked to a contact or lead record, and the sales rep is notified. Instead of sending a message to the sales rep’s phone number, prospects must now send messages to the corporate WhatsApp number. This, in turn, helps reduce the number of WhatsApp phone numbers your company uses.
The contact engagement score has been revised, as WhatsApp messages will automatically be counted as a touchpoint. This will help your sales team better understand how far ahead in the sales process they are and how engaged they are with your team and company.
Support Teams
Live chat is the preferred communication channel for customers who need support. With WhatsApp, customers don’t have to go to a website to get support. Vtiger now allows your support agents to easily respond to incoming WhatsApp messages directly from the Live Chat console. Please contact the Vtiger team if you want to learn more about enabling Live Chat for your Vtiger CRM.
It is important to note that Vtiger WhatsApp Integration has some limitations to prevent potential spam from being sent to your contacts.
Restrictions
The integration is currently only available through Twilio. You'll first want to create a phone number and plan through Twilio.
You will need to have a Facebook Business Manager account
Outreach activities can only be carried out through pre-approved WhatsApp templates.
Once a customer sends a message or replies to a message, you only have 24 hours to respond.
Even with the limitations, this is a great resource for further communication with your clients and executives.
A great initial approach would be to send out an email campaign to your customers and leads. This can notify them that WhatsApp can now be used to contact your team and share your business WhatsApp number so they can easily send a message when the need arises.
If you like this new integration, check it out for yourself. See how using WhatsApp with your Vtiger account can make it easier to engage with customers and leads. A full step-by-step guide on setting up the WhatsApp integration is available in the article linked here .