Whatsapp is becoming the preferred communication and customer engagement channel for businesses across the world
Its user experience is the key to its success — and businesses need to adhere to its guidelines
Whatsapp has an elaborate opt-in process before businesses can send outbound messages to customers
With 2 Bn users (400 Mn in India), there’s no doubt that Whatsapp has emerged as one of the most effective communication platforms in the world. Even as it reached an incredible scale, Whatsapp stayed true to its simplicity and efficacy — which is why it still boasts of an incredible open rate of 95%.
Naturally, Whatsapp is the tool of choice for companies who want to engage with customers in a meaningful, personalized manner. But given that Whatsapp has always prioritized user experience, they take several measures to ensure that users don’t get inundated with spam. That’s why they make it compulsory to collect Whatsapp Business opt-ins to interact with customers on the platform.
How does Whatsapp’s Opt-in Work?
Whatsapp requires companies to have explicit consent from the customer before they connect with them through Whatsapp Business. This opt-in has to be done through a third-party channel before the company can begin sending messages. The opt-in also needs to meet certain specific conditions:
- It must adhere to this format: “receive [noun], [logo and name], on [number]”
- It has to have a specific user interface. – The opt-in must be through a visual element (like a checkbox), should have the WhatsApp logo in it, and the user explicitly has to enter their phone number.
The Best Ways To Collect Whatsapp Business Opt-Ins
It’s best to have a comprehensive strategy in place when it comes to Whatsapp Business Opt-ins. Here are some of the most effective ways to do this:
Own Website
You can do this in two ways. The first is to have a pop-up on your website so that you can drive customer interaction to Whatsapp whenever the need arises. You can also have banners across your most popular webpages. Yet another option is to have a specific campaign around Whatsapp opt-in. So you can create a landing page for opt-ins and then share the links on your homepage and social media channels.
Existing Communication Channels
Using an existing communication channel is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to get consent from customers. SMS, for instance, is a great way to get customers to opt-in. You can use a simple one-click, opt-in SMS option to direct consumers to your new and improved communication channel. Emails and social media announcements are another, more comprehensive way to get your customers on to your Whatsapp communication channel. A more innovative way of obtaining consent would be an automated Voice IVR. Use your existing IVR system to send an automated call to customers wherein they need to press one key to consent.
Within The Purchase Journey
Imagine this— a user is purchasing an airline ticket on a website, and the site gives them an option to opt-in and move the process to Whatsapp. Now the customer can receive their tickets, boarding passes, and flight reminders on Whatsapp itself. Naturally, an opt-in message that comes during the customer’s purchase journey will be far more likely to be successful, as the customer can foresee the advantage immediately.
In-Store Opt-ins
If you have offline stores, then a Point-of-Sale opt-in can be extremely effective. On-ground opt-ins are even more successful than online opt-ins. You can tell customers how Whatsapp communication will help — from things like information about reward points to collecting CSAT scores, to filing for refunds.
Contact Us Forms
When customers are filling out Contact forms, they already have an urgent need to communicate with you. If you have a separate field asking them on which channels they’d like to be contacted and add a checkbox with Whatsapp as an option, chances are they’re going to tick it.
It’s also important to remember that Whatsapp is very particular about user experience, and you will need to respect this at all times. You can only send outbound messages that follow a pre-approved template. Having stringent regulations around using the platform means that you can actually deliver a user experience that’s efficient, personalized, and right on target.
