WhatsApp Business API is offers businesses a messaging ecosystem for fast, secure, and reliable communication with consumers. Previously, we talked about the advantages of the WhatsApp Business API. This time, we want to show you how to exactly use WhatsApp Business API to build an impactful customer journey.
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How WhatsApp Business API Affect the Customer Journey
Generally, a customer’s journey starts at the awareness stage when prospective customers first discovers about a product that a business offers. This usually happens when the individual faces a problem and requires a solution. In the awareness stage, lead generation occurs. Starting with awareness, the customer journey will usually end with a purchase.
However, in this era of advance communicative technology, the customer’s online experience is very important. The stage after purchase, namely customer care or after sales becomes very important to achieve the best end-to-end customer journey.
This is where it is important for you to understand how WhatsApp Business API can make a positive impact on your business customer journey. This includes:
Awareness Stage
Businesses usually carry out efforts to gain public awareness, such as maximizing activities on social media, writing a blog entry or article as well as online and offline campaigns with the help of Key Opinion Leaders (KOL). This strategy is expected to form and build engagement and awareness among target consumers. However, sometimes these efforts only create product recognition but does not incite the customer’s interest or curiosity to make a purchase transaction.
This is where businesses will need to consider other strategies to help customers gain product awareness. One way is to add a call-to-action (CTA) to get customers to directly communicate with your business. When using various promotional media, you can add CTAs to the target consumers who may be interested in finding out more about your product. Remaining connected and approachable can strengthen customer retention and build rapport.
Using WhatsApp Business API in promotional media will help you achieve this. You will remain connected and accessible to consumers through such advertisements. With your official WhatsApp Business account marked with a green tick, a well-known feature of the WhatsApp Business API, consumers develop trust towards your brand. By taking advantage of WhatsApp Business API, people who have yet to know or use your products will find your brand credible and trustworthy, and immediately become prospective customers.
Consideration Stage
According to Adweek, 81% of consumers in the B2C sectors will usually conduct some research before purchasing a product. In the B2B sector, this figure is higher at 94%. This shows the importance of businesses helping consumers to understand the need for the product as well as provide other information which the customer needs before making a purchase.
Usually, creating social media content and websites are top choices for business to introduce their products and provide other relevant information. However, these are insufficient to create significant impact because there are many consumers who want to hear directly from you to better understand and believe in your product quality.
The features offered by WhatsApp Business API will simplify your communication with potential customers, such as the nifty agent allocation feature that allows adding an unlimited number of customer service agents and the freedom to allocate work your team. You will be able to answer all questions from potential consumers who are curious about your products quickly and conveniently. All potential customers who want to find out more about the products you offer will be able to expect efficiency from your team. With safe and pleasant interactions via the WhatsApp Business API, your customers can more easily understand your business and products.
Purchase Stage
At the purchase stage, which is usually the target of a business, consumers will learn about the unique value proposition or x-factor of your product. They will want to understand what they will get when they buy the product.
In addition to the latest information about your products, your business’ value proposition is also one of considerations to evaluate customer experience. By creating a pleasant and relevant customer experience for consumers, a unique value proposition is then formed.
To achieve this, you can enhance conversational experiences between businesses through customer service agents and consumers who expect real-time interactions. This means consumers expect to get a quick reply through the media of their choice, such as WhatsApp.
WhatsApp Business API makes this possible with unlimited agent features that will ensure your customers are always served. Plus, you can directly send important messages notifications that will appear in pop-up notifications on your customers’ devices so that your messages will not be missed.
Care Stage
With increasing fierce commercial competition, the care stage is becoming especially important for businesses. This phase is crucial for consumers as it determines whether they will make a repurchase or recommend the products to friends and relatives.
The most effective strategy here is good customer support services. Through WhatsApp Business API that comes with human-chatbot collaboration features, you can respond to consumer questions and complaints automatically. In addition, there is an auto-responder feature that will provide automated replies when customers contact you beyond working hours. With an unlimited number of customer service agents, you can also guarantee that your customers will receive answers that suit their needs.
The Importance of Customer Journey for Businesses
Understanding the customer journey of consumers is very important for businesses. This will help make it easier to prepare appropriate strategies to attract target consumers.
Moreover, at this time, the customer journey has begun to be disrupted by the presence of instant messaging applications such as WhatsApp. Facebook Business discovered that more than 68% of users in a study reported better customer experience when direct communication with businesses via instant messaging services are made available. Optimizing the use of WhatsApp Business API will present a huge potential for your business, especially with WhatsApp monthly users reaching more than 2 billion users.
Discover various WhatsApp Business API utilization models that your business can apply. Contact us to find out more about WhatsApp Business API!
