Do you remember the days when you lived without WhatsApp? Imagine having to live like that again. You would find it tough, wouldn’t you? Well, not without reason.
In February this year, Mark Zuckerberg shared that WhatsApp has a whopping 1.5 billion global users. 200 million of them (or over 13 percent) are in India alone! He stated that 60 billion messages get exchanged on the platform daily. It’s hard to estimate how large the volume of messages shared in India comprises that number, but it must certainly be high.
Most SME businesses –owners and employees alike – are present on WhatsApp. It’s one of the most widely used apps in the SME sector. Enquiries, rates, confirmations of orders, intra-office communication and much more, get exchanged by the droves on the platform every single day. It won’t be too much to claim that the app is an integral part of the SME sector’s functioning today.
But WhatsApp has one fundamental, albeit deliberate, limitation. The app doesn’t provide its API. This makes tracking the flow of communication an arduous task for SMEs.Obviously, the reason for not providing an API is that just like Facebook and Instagram, WhatsApp wants users to stay on its platform for as long as possible.
Until recently, CRM service providers didn’t have a solution to this limitation. But not anymore. Slowly, more and more CRM companies are offering customized API’s to integrate WhatsApp messages with their offering.
Limesh Parekh, CEO of Enjay IT Solution says, “In today’s times in India, WhatsApp is used more than anything else. Integrating WhatsApp with CRM works as a force multiplier for both the platforms. Enjay CRM can not only send and receive WhatsApp messages, but it can also work as an automated workflow which is very useful for lead nurturing or customer on boarding”.
Here are 5 examples how the integration benefits small and medium enterprises:
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Lead nurturing: Send brochures, images and videos to prospects based on their recent interaction with your team.
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Follow Ups: Send automated messages with details of your products to prospects
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Order tracking: Automate notifications and information about order tracking details to your customers. This is something that most SME’s struggle to manage.
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Collect feedback: Automate sending links to customers to collect feedback after an order has been completed.
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Keyword-based action: Automate actions within your CRM tool based on specific keywords that your customers use. For instance, the word ‘Support’ can automatically create a support ticket and assign it to the respective team member.
