The need for WhatsApp chatbots

Whatsapp Chatbots have successfully revolutionized the idea of conversational platforms. Automation has been on the constant rise with the introduction of new developments continuously.

With the advent of automation, the burden of unnecessary workload has decreased to a far end. The employees can now easily focus on tasks that hold maximum weightage.

Lead-generation, customer- support, booking meetings, etc. are all essential tasks that are at the same time very time-consuming and repetitive.

Automation in this form helps increase engagement with customers. It is very simple and convenient for people to use WhatsApp.

So, initially, companies engaged only in simple chatbots.

To interact with these bots one has to visit the source which has inculcated the bot within their website framework. To get connected to the bot, you have to visit the websites landing page, which is usually the home page.

But now with the advent of WhatsApp chatbots, one does not need to leave the interface i.e. one can stay on the same platform to communicate with the company.

Moreover, the functioning would be similar to how a person would be communicating with another person.

A lot of companies specialized in AI or chatbots per se are giving out this facility to other companies to inculcate WhatsApp chatbots in a way to ease up the process of sales.

Things to know before building a WhatsApp chatbot –

WhatsApp Chatbots enable businesses to have an online business presence on WhatsApp, to seamlessly communicate with customers, and help their businesses blossom.

It is nothing but the inclusion of an automated platform that can be accessed by the customer without changing their interface.

• WhatsApp does not allow companies to start chatbots in the field of medicine or healthcare.  WhatsApp prohibits it.
• Also, WhatsApp does not have access to backend i.e. to store and manipulate data. That will be provided by the company giving you access to the API.
• You need to be careful while sending out messages to the customers. The initial message cannot be promotional in nature. You can be reported as a spam account.
• However, if the person has shared their details with you and has shown interest in knowing the offers and discounts running in the company, then you have all the right to send them messages in that relation.
• Therefore, a customer has to give consent that he/she is willing to receive such messages.  If it is not authorized by the customer then you will immediately receive negative feedback.
• Restrict your initial message to only a transactional message.
• Make sure that you design your templates precisely as once they are approved you cannot introduce changes to it. You will have to wait until the new template gets approved.

How to build a WhatsApp chatbot?

To build a WhatsApp bot, you will need to download the WhatsApp application for business and start an account for your business.

You can set up your profile picture as per your business logo.  Next, enter your business name as the contact name which must be your common business number. This will be used as a communication medium in order to reach out to the customers.

 It’s recommended for you to enter the business e-mail ID, the time of availability and a one-line description of your business idea.

A proper intense stepwise guide is provided in another blog

You can understand how to build a bot with the help of companies such as Verloop

What to consider while building a WhatsApp chatbot?

Before you plan on cultivating the idea of introducing a WhatsApp chatbot, you must try to answer the following questions to develop a strong business plan and get a fair idea :

1. What business goals do you plan on achieving through the inclusion of the chatbot?
2. The design/flow of the conversation.
3. If the line of questions and their answers will be structured or free flow?
4. Understanding when to transfer the conversation to the agent.
5. How will the chatbot respond to spontaneous questions?

WhatsApp chatbots are a huge relief to companies who want to give out mainstream and mundane activities to the chatbots to reduce stress and some burden off of the sales representatives.

You would want to compartmentalize your activities and divide them on the basis of importance and lead generation. Proper division of activities amongst the bot and the sales representative is very important.

For example, activities such as scheduling meetings, collecting trivial information such as E-mail-ID, collecting of feedback from customers, availability of products with their price, quality, quantity, etc. can all be handled by the WhatsApp chatbot.

The point of the chatbot is to be engaging and collect appropriate information or even answer standardized questions.

Herein, all the required software will be provided. The company in question only needs to mention a definitive structure. The flow, generation, and implementation will all be taken care of, without any hassle. Get a consultation with a WhatsApp Chatbot provider to scale the growth of your business.

Here’s our video on our latest implementation – WhatsApp chatbot