WhatsApp Business API: 2019 Year in Review

Welcoming a new decade makes us realize how far we’ve come over the last 10 to 20 years. Remember when the first iPhone was introduced in 2007? What about when WhatsApp entered the digital world in 2009? And then Instagram, Snapchat, and now TikTok have joined the space, enabling new ways for consumers to communicate with each other and the brands they love. 

Consumers have never been as engaged with brands as they are now. In fact, approximately half of them use mobile messaging apps to connect with customer service. And, 92% of customers are satisfied using live chat services, making it the support channel that leads to the highest customer satisfaction.

Using WhatsApp Business API to Build Stronger Customer Relationships 

WhatsApp, the most popular messaging app in 133 countries, allows businesses to communicate with 1.6 billion people. Many have already taken advantage of the channel, as the number of companies offering their services over WhatsApp continues to grow daily. 

In 2018, Infobip became an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider – partnering with enterprises across industries to implement the WhatsApp Business API and help deliver a better customer experience, globally. 

Since this launch, businesses across industries and around the world have experienced the impact of reaching customers over their favorite chat app at each stage of the customer journey.

Banking & Finance

Over the last few years, the banking and finance sector has been one of the most adaptive industries to changes in communication and technology. It has undergone its own form of digital transformation with the introduction of chat banking.  

In our blog, How Chat Banking Can Improve Customer Experience, we define chat banking as the act of performing banking services, such as checking your account balance and transferring funds, over chat apps, such as WhatsApp. 

One of the leading generations to adopt this form of banking is Generation Z – which are consumers born between 1996 and 2010. In other words, it’s the generation that has never known life without mobile phones. For this reason, banks find it difficult to connect with Gen Zers, and Gen Zers have struggled to connect with banks. However, the gap is slowly closing as more financial institutions adjust their communication and approach with the newest generation entering the workforce – and they’re doing it with chat apps!

To become an early adopter to Gen Z banking habits, find out how to use WhatsApp Business API to deliver a banking experience that speaks directly to their needs: How to Deliver a Gen Z Banking Experience with WhatsApp Business API.

Also, find out how some of the world’s leading banks and financial institutions have already adopted the new technology through Infobip with their everyday clients:

Customer Spotlight: Raiffeisenbank Russia 

Raiffeisenbank (RBA) is one of Russia’s most trusted banks. The financial institution was spending significant funds and resources on customer calls and recognized their clients wanted to use different channels of direct engagement to avoid calling queues. 

After introducing WhatsApp as a new customer communication channel with clients, the bank experienced a 19% growth in NPS and a 10x cost reduction. 

Read the full case study: Raiffeisenbank: WhatsApp Customer Service Channel Reduces Cost Per Contact By 10x 

Customer Spotlight: Mukuru

Mukuru helps migrant workers in Africa transfer money internationally at lower costs than traditional banks. The financial institution was looking for a way to offer customer support that was always available and reliable. 

By implementing the WhatsApp Business API through Infobip, Mukuru was able to set up a self-service chatbot that helps customers manage their money transfers faster without assistance from a live agent. 

As a result, 22% of Mukuru’s existing customers opted-in to use WhatsApp instead of USSD. This resulted in lower call center costs and an increase in customer support agent efficiency. 

Read the full case study: Mukuru: Faster Customer Service and Reduced Costs with WhatsApp Business API 

Retail & eCommerce

Similarly to the banking and finance sector, the retail and eCommerce industry has experienced a digital transformation of its own.

In 2015, Uber’s Chris Messina introduced a new term that would change the world of retail forever – conversational commerce – which is defined as the intersection of messaging apps and shopping. 

Offering customer service over WhatsApp enables businesses to offer a human-like experience that’s fast, convenient, and familiar. 

With WhatsApp Business API, retailers can: 

• Let customers know when items are back in stock
• Help customers keep track of loyalty program points 
• Keep customers informed about deliveries 
• Make wrong orders right

To find out more ways WhatsApp Business API can help your retail or eCommerce business, check out our blog and infographic: How to Create a Better Shopping Experience with WhatsApp Business API. 

Customer Spotlight: Unilever

Find out how Unilever in Brazil used WhatsApp Business API through Infobip to build connections with their customers which, as a result, increased sales for their new line of fabric softener, Comfort.

Travel & On-Demand

2019 was a tough year for airlines. With the Heathrow and British Airline strikes, along with the British Airlines booking system crash and airline delays due to the Typhoon Hagibis in Japan, passengers and airlines all over the world experienced the chaos that came with delivering and receiving information on time. 

Using WhatsApp Business enables travel and airline companies to improve the overall travel experience for passengers and reduce stress for ground workers by: 

• Delivering flight delay notifications 
• Offering early check-in options 
• Enabling fast lost luggage recovery 

Find out more ways travel and airline companies can use WhatsApp to deliver a better travel experience through our blog and infographic: 3 Ways to Deliver a Better Travel Experience with WhatsApp Business API. 

Customer Spotlight: EaseMyTrip.com 

In 2019, travel company, EaseMyTrip, was looking for the right channel to engage their customers with the latest deals and updates. They also wanted to improve customers’ travel experience with timely flight notifications. 

The travel company decided to implement the WhatsApp Business API through Infobip and offer SMS as a failover channel in case customers didn’t have an internet connection. 

As a result, EaseMyTrip was able to increase engagement and improve the overall travel experience – eliminating their initial problem of customers not opening email notifications on time, since WhatsApp messages are now opened and responded to within 10 minutes. 

Read the full customer story: EaseMyTrip.com: Better Conversion and Customer Experience Through WhatsApp Business.  

WhatsApp Business API and Infobip

As WhatsApp continues to grow and develop, so does Infobip. Stay tuned for updates on new use cases, features, and customer stories set to launch throughout 2020!