WHITEPAPER

WhatsApp for
Customer Care
Power seamless customer experiences
with the WhatsApp Business API and
Sparkcentral by Hootsuite
Contents
1 Why deliver customer care with WhatsApp?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2 Choosing the right WhatsApp solution for your business.. . . . . . 7

3 Key benefits of WhatsApp for business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Deepen customer connections.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Drive business growth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Improve employee experience.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

4 Customer success story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

The WhatsApp Business API helps businesses engage

customers on the messaging channels they prefer,
using both one-way notifications (such as appointment
reminders, shipping alerts, claim submission, payment
notifications, verification codes, and boarding passes)
to two-way customer support conversations and surveys.

In this whitepaper, you’ll discover the key features available in

the WhatsApp Business API that can help your business achieve
its customer communication goals, including higher conversion
rates, better customer experience, lower costs, and higher
customer satisfaction.

2 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Why deliver customer care with WhatsApp?
WhatsApp has been growing fast since the company was acquired
by Facebook in 2014. According to Statista, it’s the most popular
global messenger app, with over two billion monthly active users.

For consumers looking to engage, WhatsApp is a convenient, conversational

alternative to phone support (which comes with excruciating hold times)
and email (which can take hours or days to receive an answer).

Adding WhatsApp to your social care strategy creates a win-win situation

for customers and customer care teams. Customers can communicate
and resolve problems in their own time, on a familiar channel, while
customer care teams can automate responses to common questions
and free up valuable time to deal with more complex issues.

Most popular global mobile messenger apps as of July 2021,

based on number of monthly active users (in millions)

WhatsApp 2,000

Facebook 1,300
Messenger

Weixin/WeChat 1,242

QQ 606

Telegram 550

Snapchat 514

0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000

Source: We are Social, Hootsuite

3 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

 What’s in it for your brand
■ Official and verified business profile
■ Guaranteed end-to-end encryption and GDPR-compliant communication
■ Many ways to get in touch with your customers (customer service,
consulting, marketing)
■ Massive reach via an app used by more than two billion people worldwide
■ Faster response time: 60% faster than answering phone or email inquiries
■ Automation options that can save up to 80% in effort
■ Saving costs on expensive call centers and dated CRM systems
■ Employee satisfaction (using a tool that customers love)
■ Happy customers and increased Net Promoter Score

What’s in it for your customers

■ A familiar app in an ad-free environment
■ Secure communication with end-to-end encryption
■ Skip the waiting times associated with other communication channels
(no music on hold, no busy lines, no waist of valuable time)
■ Cross-device messaging (start on desktop and transition to smartphone,
or vice versa)
■ Send videos, pictures, voice messages or geo location
■ Get faster replies
■ More effective service from agents who can easily look up chat records
and notes

4 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

WhatsApp messaging in action

Presence
Use the
Today channels your
customers prefer
Hi again! 10:00

Personalization Hello Hannah, how can I help you

Recognize your today? 10:00 Responsiveness
customer
Respond quickly
I have a question about my
order 10:02

Context I see, you ordered new shoes

Know the yesterday, and it seems they haven’t
customer been delivered yet 🤔 10:03
context
Yes, that’s it. I was wondering if I can
still expect it today... 10:04

Let me check and get back to you! 🧐

10:04
Quality
Check your
grammar, tone
Thanks! 10:05 of voice, use of
emojis and guide
I’ve identified some delays in your your customer
region but your order will be shipped throughout the
by EOD. Let me give you a 10% off conversation
Generate voucher for your next purchase on
opportunities our website. 10:06
Increase the
likelihood of a
next purchase
Oh wow! Thanks a lot 👍

5 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

WhatsApp messaging in action
An example of a conversation between a client and a brand on WhatsApp to illustrate
our recommendations is on the previous page.

Start with presence

Start where your customers are. Today’s customers demand convenience—and they
want to reach out to brands on the channels that they themselves use frequently.

Personalize and contextualize

Know who your customers are and their history with your brand. Integrate your CRM
system with your messaging solution to create a 360 degree view of your customer,
and use that information to deliver personalized, world-class customer care.

Respond fast
Speed doesn’t always mean an immediate response from a live agent. If you’re
dealing with high volumes, an immediate and friendly reply from a bot or an
autoresponder starts a conversation off on the right note.

Bots also allow you to gather more information about a customer’s inquiry before
the conversation is handed over to an agent. Plus, an automated message can
immediately set the customer’s expectations around when they can expect an
answer from your agent.

Sparkcentral by Hootsuite

See it in action!

Scan the QR code to the right to see how we have

implemented our WhatsApp customer care solution.

6 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

Deliver consistent, high-quality content
Create social media and messaging
guidelines for your employees to ensure
all interactions with customers reflect
your brand’s identity—right down to
spelling, voice, and even emoji usage.
Create new opportunities
to exceed expectations
Go beyond customer service to offer
proactive customer care. For example,
turn a routine interaction (such as ship
date inquiries) into opportunities to offer
product discounts or other benefits that
will surprise and delight your customers.

Choosing the right WhatsApp solution

for your business
In addition to its consumer app, WhatsApp offers two
official solutions for business.

The WhatsApp Business App, available at whatsapp.com/

business, is designed for small businesses of up to about
5 employees. It’s free, but isn’t an enterprise-level solution
for businesses that need to meet requirements such as
GDPR compliance.

The WhatsApp Business API, available at developers.

facebook.com/products/whatsapp, allows medium
and large businesses to communicate with their
customers at scale. Businesses can connect hundreds
or thousands of agents and bots to interact with
customers programmatically and manually. Additionally,
the API can be integrated with numerous back-end
systems, such as CRM and marketing platforms.

7 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

If you’re interested in connecting with your customers through
the WhatsApp Business API, WhatsApp recommends you do this
through their official Business Solution Providers (BSPs).

Sparkcentral by Hootsuite is a trusted and experienced partner

in integrating WhatsApp into our clients’ digital customer care
strategy. By successfully connecting WhatsApp Business API
with Sparkcentral by Hootsuite, your support team will be able to:

■ Manage conversations efficiently in a single dashboard.

■ Create teams and work simultaneously with colleagues

on incoming conversations

■ Route conversations to teams based on specific criteria

■ Proactively send relevant and timely WhatsApp messages

to customers at scale

■ Deflect incoming phone calls to WhatsApp

We also offer brands verified WhatsApp business accounts.

The green badge next to the contact’s name confirms that
it is an authentic and reputable business account.

WhatsApp Business solutions

Consumer App Person Person

Small Business App Person SMB

Business API Person Enterprise

8 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Consumer SMB App Business API
Friend to friend Customer to small business Customer to enterprise

Infrastructure Phone locally Phone locally Company Server

Cost Free app Free app Commercial contract

INFRASTRUCTURE

with BSP, different models

BSP No BSP No BSP BSP implementation

implementation implementation required and beneficial
available available

Back end No back-end No back-end Back-end integrations

integrations integrations possible, e.g. CRM

Multi agent No agents Up to 4 agents Thousands

Bot No bot No bot Yes

Verified account No verification No verification Account verification possible

POLICY

Infringer Infringer risk Infringer risk No infringer risk

Notifications No policy Manual marketing Most marketing

messages OK messages not permitted

Calling Voice and video calls Voice and video calls No voice and video calls

Shops No integration with Button to Facebook No integration with Facebook

Facebook shops shop available shops (WhatsApp native
shopping launching soon)

Payments No native payments Payment pilots in No native payments available

available Brazil and India
FEATURES

Groups Groups available Groups available No groups

Catalogue No catalogue Catalogue available Limited catalogue

experience launching soon

Storefront No storefront Storefront available Storefront available

Auto response No auto responses Auto response Customized auto

deployable deployable responses deployable

Office hours No office hours in Office hours in profile Office hours in profile
profile available available available

Buttons No buttons No buttons Various types of buttons

Source: WhatsApp Business API

9 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

 WhatsApp Business API key features

End-to-end encryption. Use secure channels to exchange

documents and information with confidence.

Cost savings. Messages sent via WhatsApp Business API

are cheaper than regular text messages.

AI chatbots integration. Businesses can deploy WhatsApp

Business API chatbots to resolve common queries such as
basic requests for information about products or processes.

Anti-spam features. A strict anti-spam policy ensures that

users receive only messages they have consented to receive.
WhatsApp Business API also discourages promotions, but
you can use it for marketing campaigns.

High open rates. WhatsApp Business API messages have one

of the highest open rates of any communication platform.

Easy access to records. Search previous conversations or

document exchanges to get context and ensure you’re
providing helpful responses.

Multiple recipients. Share documents or collaborate with

multiple recipients to resolve queries faster.

10 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Key benefits of WhatsApp for business
At Hootsuite, we believe that every social customer care program
should be built on three pillars: deepening customer connections,
driving business growth, and improving employeeToday
experience. Here’s
how WhatsApp Business API contributes to these three objectives.
Hi again! 10:00

Hello Hannah, how can I help you

today? 10:00

I have a question about my

User-Initiated messages
order 📦
Business-Initiated messages 10:02

I see, you ordered new shoes

The user/customer starts The business starts a message
yesterday, and it seems they haven’t
a message thread by beenthread
delivered yet🤔
by messaging 10:03 the

messaging the business user/customer

Yes, that’s it. I was wondering if I
■ No prior opt-in required ■can still expect it today...
Requires a pre-approved
10:04

■ Responses are free of template

Let me check and get back to you! 🧐
10:04
charge within 24 hours ■ Requires prior opt-in
Thanks!
■ Priced per message
10:05

I’ve identified some delays in your

region but your order will be shipped
by EOD. Let me give you a 10% off
voucher for your next purchase on
our website. 10:06

Today
Oh wow! Thanks a lot 👍
Hi again! 10:00 Today

Hello Hannah, how can I help you Hello Hannah, your order is
today? expected to arrive between 9:00
10:00
and 10:30am. Not going to be in?
I have a question about
Reschedule your delivery 📅 8:20

my order 10:02
I have a question about my
I see, you ordered new shoes
order 📦 10:02
yesterday, and it seems they haven’t
been delivered yet 🤔 10:03
I see, you ordered new shoes
yesterday, and it seems they haven’t
been delivered yet 🤔 10:03

Yes, that’s it. I was wondering if I

can still expect it today... 10:04

11 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

Let me check and get back to you! 🧐
10:04
 Deepen customer connections
WhatsApp Business API allows brands to connect with customers in
a space where communications seamlessly integrate with daily life.
Customers can message their family in one moment and ask a quick
question about their order in the next, all in the same messaging
environment.

From the perspective of the customer, this type of messaging is far

more convenient and less stressful than making a phone call or
sending an email. A Facebook-commissioned Nielsen study found
that 56% of people would rather write a message than call customer
service—and 53% of people are more likely to buy from a company
that they can message directly.

Sparkcentral by Hootsuite’s WhatsApp Business API solution

delivers an additional layer of secure communications. Customers
can see that they are dealing with a verified business, and
messaging is handled in a GDPR-compliant environment, helping
to drive customer confidence and build trust.

Respond quickly to user-initiated messaging

User-initiated messaging, also called reactive messaging, occurs when
a customer initiates contact with a business. You can respond to a
user-initiated message with any type of message within 24 hours of
message receipt. This is known as the response window, and is defined
by the WhatsApp Business API. There is no charge for these messages.

In Sparkcentral by Hootsuite, if the 24-hour window has passed, you

will see a “Customer Care Window has expired” message. In this case,
your outbound message must be a notification message (previously
referred to as “highly structured messages”). This is a paid notification.

12 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Hi {{1}}, thank you for your reservation at
{{2}}! We look forward to seeing you on {{3}}.
You can check in between {{4}} and {{5}}.

If you arrive outside of these hours, you can

reach reception at {{6}}.
Hi {{1}}, your package has been
shipped on {{2}}. 8:03 See you soon! 😁 8:03

  Track your Package

Notifications must use a preapproved template from one

of the following categories:
■ You can include media (image, document, video, location)
in the template.
■ You can edit text formats, add emojis, or include variables
such as specific names, locations or tracking numbers.
■ You can add either call-to-action buttons or quick-reply
buttons (but not both) to make your template interactive.
■ When your message has been approved, you can view
it directly in Sparkcentral by Hootsuite.

13 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

 24 hour free response window

24 hour window in which business

can respond without charge

Thursday 9:07 am Friday 9:06 am

User sends a Thread closed until the next
message to support user-initiated message

Source: whatsapp.com/business/api

Deliver proactive customer care with business-

initiated messaging
Business-initiated messaging, also called proactive messaging,
occurs when a business initiates contact with a customer.

WhatsApp Business API has strict user and privacy policies that
allow businesses to communicate with individuals only if those
individuals give informed, voluntary, and unequivocal consent to
receive messages through WhatsApp. The consent must be given
based on an action taken by the user, such as manually entering
a phone number or voluntarily checking a box. The cost of
WhatsApp Pro-active messaging varies from country to country.

If you use SMS texting as part of your marketing strategy,

WhatsApp Business API recommends using that channel
as a way to get customers’ permission to send messages.

14 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Drive business growth
WhatsApp Business API is a powerful tool that can improve business
outcomes at every stage of the customer journey. Let the world know
you’re reachable, automate conversations using chatbots, qualify new
leads, process payments, and send proactive notifications that
improve customer satisfaction—all from one central platform.

Let the world know you’re reachable through WhatsApp

Every conversation begins somewhere. Start with a “click to chat” link
or QR code anywhere you’d share your website URL, such as on your
Facebook Business page and other social profiles and content.

When a person scans a QR code or clicks on a short link, customize

the pre-filled message to indicate that the person is opting in to
receive messages from your business on WhatsApp.

After sharing your link, put some money behind it, using social ads,
influencer social posts, search engine ads, and/or any other advertising
channels your business uses.

And don’t forget about the offline world. If your business has a physical
location, you can use signage to make your clients aware that they can
contact you through WhatsApp, or add your QR code to printed
materials such as product packaging, out-of-home (OOH) advertising,
press releases, and more.

15 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Today

Hi! 10:00

Autoresponder Hello, thank you for contacting

Respond Outdoor Sports! We are here to
immediately to answer questions on weekdays
incoming messages between 9AM–5PM. 10:00

What can I help you with today? 10:01

I have a question about

my order 10:02

Automate conversations using chatbots

One of the most powerful features of the WhatsApp Business API is the ability
to automate your customer care messages. For example, at Sparkcentral by
Hootsuite, we can set up a virtual WhatsApp Business API assistant for your
brand so that it automatically responds to incoming customer messages.

That way, your customers can still interact with your brand and get the
information they need in a timely manner during periods when customer
care agents are unavailable, such as after hours or during breaks. The
potential reduction in operational spending is substantial, with Juniper
Research predicting that as early as next year, companies will save about
$8 billion per year in customer support costs through the use of chatbots.

16 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Qualify new leads
By integrating Sparkcentral by Hootsuite with your CRM system, your team will know
if each person contacting you is a potential new customer or an existing one. If they
are already in your database, our platform retrieves their name from your CRM system
and includes it with their WhatsApp message. If you have never had contact with them,
you will see them as an unknown person with their telephone number.

When you add a new lead’s information in Sparkcentral by Hootsuite, it is automatically

saved to your CRM system so the lead will be identified in any future conversations.

Process payments

When it comes to processing payments, WhatsApp shows extremely

promising results, with brands using the WhatsApp Business API with
Sparkcentral by Hootsuite have reported an increase in conversion to
payments of up to 7x that of traditional channels like SMS messaging and
interactive voice response (IVR) deflection—plus a reduction of 60% in the
cost of collections.

Here are two ways a user can make a payment during a WhatsApp chat:

■ 
Redirect to external site: The brand sends a link to an external
payment page, such as a payment gateway, a checkout page on the
brand’s website, or a third-party ecommerce site. On the external page,
a cart is prepopulated with the user’s purchase, ready to check out.

■ 
Card on file: If the brand already has up-to-date payment information
stored on file from previous transactions, the bot or agent asks the user
for permission to charge this payment method again with a prompt
like, “Would you like to pay with your card ending in 1234?”

17 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

 still expect it today... 10:04

Let me check and get back to you! 🧐

10:04

Thanks! 10:05

I’ve identified some delays in your

region but your order will be shipped
by EOD. Let me give you a 10% off
voucher for your next purchase on
our website. 10:06

Oh wow! Thanks a lot 👍

Today

Proactive notification
Send recommendations
based on recent
purchases Hey Hannah, we think this backpack
will make a great pairing with your
hiking boots. Check it out! 8:03

  View product details

Send proactive notifications

People want to hear from their favorite brands when the content is contextual
and relevant to their needs. Proactive messaging opens many opportunities to
surprise and delight your customers in contexts like the following:
■ Proactive outreach and reminders about renewals, upgrades,
and relevant offers and deals
■ Product recommendations based on recent purchases
■ Product updates
■ Shopping cart abandonment reminders
■ Alerts and notifications based on customer preferences

18 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Improve employee experience
WhatsApp helps your customer care team work smarter, not harder.

Keeping your employees happy is a critical pillar of social customer care.

And when agent productivity rises, so does your return on investment in
customer service. You can improve your team’s day-to-day experience by
limiting the number of repetitive tasks they need to perform, such as by
using a knowledge base with templated responses, or by setting up
automated topic detection for incoming queries.

Automation can actually reduce demand on your live agents by handling

most queries with a chatbot, with Heyday by Hootsuite reporting that
up to 83% of queries can be handled via automation. Live chatbot agents
simultaneously help multiple customers at a quicker, more efficient rate.
The potential for savings is huge, and at the same time, you’ll meet your
customers where they prefer. It’s a win-win.

Collect customer feedback

If you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it. Collecting feedback on customers’
interactions with your customer care team provides invaluable data about
agent performance and customer satisfaction that you can use to improve
your team’s performance.

Sending a short survey at the end of the conversation is an effective way of

collecting feedback. Monitor your CSAT score over time to spot opportunities to
further improve customer experience. Give your agents insight into their personal
CSAT score and customer feedback to motivate them to keep up the good work.

Brands using the WhatsApp Business API with Sparkcentral by Hootsuite

have reported a lift of up to 3x in their Net Promoter Scores—a compelling
reason to start delivering customer service via WhatsApp today.

19 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

 IVR deflection
More brands are using interactive voice response (IVR) deflection—also
called “call-to-messaging deflection”) to the WhatsApp Business API to
enhance their customer support. IVR deflection to WhatsApp Business
API gives customers the flexibility to leave and re-enter the conversation,
moving from voice to messaging. This technology increases customer
satisfaction rates and boosts operational efficiency. Admin costs are
lowered as customers are redirected from expensive voice channels to
low-cost messaging. Brands using WhatsApp Business API with
Sparkcentral by Hootsuite have reported a decrease of up to 30%
in operational costs.

Autoresponder Happy to help! I’ll send you a quick

Use templated questionnaire that will help us
responses for improve. Thank you 🙂 10:05

👍
reptitive tasks

10:06

Surveys How would you rate your overall

Collect feedback satisfaction with the service you
from customers received?
􀃋 😡
􀃍 😠
􀃏 😐
􀃑 🙂
􀃓 🥰 10:06

20 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Customer success story
Sparkcentral by Hootsuite helps leading brands build stronger
relationships with their customers. Here is a recent success story.

An online education platform enhances learning experiences through WhatsApp

Aprende Institute—a leading online education platform—had a persistent challenge:
how to make digital learning more personal.

The institute serves a growing community of 30,000 students and is focused

on engaging those students to improve learning outcomes.

Given the popularity of WhatsApp among its student demographic, the institute
adopted WhatsApp in its contact center as a flexible and cost-effective way to
communicate and serve its students.

Using WhatsApp for digital engagement was

a no-brainer. Not only to answer questions or

comments, but also proactively throughout

the journey of our students.”

Lee Hasson
Chief Technology & Marketing Officer,
Aprende Institute

21 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

 Start implementing WhatsApp Business API
into your social customer care strategy today
With Sparkcentral by Hootsuite, brands can easily manage not only
incoming WhatsApp messages, but also social media customer
support queries through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook Messenger,
and WeChat. Sparkcentral by Hootsuite can even manage messages
received via your own digital channels like your website or app.

The platform can be integrated with existing ticket distribution

functions in your customer service contact center and with CRM
systems including Zendesk, Microsoft Dynamics, and Salesforce.

To request a demo of Sparkcentral by

Hootsuite and learn how you can deliver an
Sparkcentral by Hootsuite
exceptional customer service experience on
WhatsApp, visit hootsuite.com/products/
sparkcentral. You can also learn more about
our capabilities by messaging us via
WhatsApp using the QR code to the left.

22 WhatsApp for Customer Care Whitepaper

The global leader in social media management
With over 200,000 paid accounts and millions of users, Hootsuite
powers social media for brands and organizations around the
world, from the smallest businesses to the largest enterprises.

Hootsuite’s unparalleled expertise in social media management,

social customer care, and social selling empowers organizations
to strategically grow their brand, businesses, and customer
relationships with social.

Trusted by leading brands worldwide Social marketing

Social selling

Social customer care

Employee advocacy

Try it today or request a demo at hootsuite.com