10 Reasons to use Business Messaging for Notifications and Engagement

Top 10 Reasons to use Business Messaging for Notifications and Engagement

As a follow on from our SMS Fraud Blog last week, where we shared that Smishing stole $20.6 billion(USD) in 2022 (105% YoY) in U.S. (Source: Robokiller),this week we will focus on the top reasons businesses should consider messaging such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Apple etc. for notifications and engaging their customers.

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Table: Top 10 Reasons to use Business Messaging for Notifications

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1 — Verified Sender (Business Tick)

One of the reasons that SMS fraud is so successful is because there is no verified sender, and SMS fraudsters can trick the end users into thinking they are communicating with a trusted brand. This is not possible with business messaging such as WhatsApp Business.  As part of the WhatsApp business setup, there is a rigorous verification check and to get the trusted green tick requires further validation checks.

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2 —  Encrypted and Secure Communication

Application to person (A2P) SMSs sent between a business and the customer is in clear text. This means that anyone that intercepts an SMS can read it. This is very open to MiTM attacks (Man in the Middle) of fraudsters looking to grab sensitive information e.g., Credit Card numbers, Social Security Numbers. With business messaging like WhatsApp the communication is encrypted End to End. This means no one can read a WhatsApp if they intercept a conversation between the sender and receiver.

3  — Know your customer

When a customer engages with your brand on business messaging, you will have their mobile phone number which very rarely changes (when is the last time you changed your mobile phone number?) and additional details such as a picture and name. If the number is a business account you will also receive details such as address, business purpose and address.

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4 — No Mobile App Download, Cross Platform

Customers can only send SMSs from their phone typically and typically on mobile data will have a cost to the user. Business messaging is cross platform and works on every android, iOS, and browsers on laptop/desktop. Messaging works seamlessly across any platform and best of all there is no need to download another app onto your phone, as everyone has WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Apple iMessage on their phone. Send business messages will never have a cost to the end user, whether they are sending messages domestically or internationally.

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5 — Easy to Use Interactive Workflows with Rich Media

Most customers are advised never to click a link in an SMS or an email, as it maybe fraud. Most major brands like banks will inform customers they will never send a link in a text or email for this reason. This means for most brands; SMS can only be used for 1-way notifications or OTPs (One Time Passwords). This is really a shame, as engaging in 2-way safe interactive workflows can really be beneficial for the customer and the brand. For example, imagine receiving a business message (with verified sender) a notification that your parcel will come between 2-4pm, the business can ask if the customer will be home, and whether they should leave the parcel if they are not home. Its also easy to share images or rich media through business messages, something that is not possible with SMS (only MMS and who uses MMS!).

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6 — Automate any Customer Journey

Any customer journey can be implemented for a fraction of the cost and time with a business messaging platform. As there is no mobile app to download, the end customers can benefit from the new customer journey immediately. Also, as there is no Appstore or Play store approval process required, as is typically the case when making a mobile app update.  We share an example of a parcel delivery workflow.

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7 — Messaging Rarely Muted

Most phone users turn off mobile App notifications except for their most favourite news, bank, news, and social media apps. Also, users rarely mute their messaging apps and will typically see all their new messages in their WhatsApp or Apple messaging client. This means for businesses that customers will see their notifications on business messaging, whereas their mobile App notifications will be muted or get lots on user’s home screen where most users just clear notifications in one go/swipe.

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8 — Conversation History, and easy to find for End User

Messaging Apps like WhatsApp allow users to keep their conversation histories, which make it a very convenient way to go back again and find out what was said or what was ordered last time. There is a search function which make it very easy to find a contact, a key word or what product was ordered last time. Conversations between businesses and users are persistent, which means customers can go back to an older conversation and click on link.

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9 — Quick Launch from anywhere – Widget, QR, Phone Number

Engaging with business messaging is very easy, and there are many ways. The simplest is to enter the phone number and message the business. However, other options include creating a QR code to launch messaging to the business, adding a website widget to your business website, and social media such as Facebook and Instagram allow WhatsApp buttons to be added.  

Figure:Many ways to launch business messaging from any digital asset

10 — Integration into back-end systems (e.g., CRMs) securely

When customers interact with a business, there is often a need to interact with the backend systems from the business. For example, if a customer has a question on how a product or service works, the business will want to expose their knowledge base, so the customer can self-serve their query. Also, many businesses have existing contact centres for voice and email support, addition of business messaging would require integration to the back-end system. We just published a case study for an IT service company Cobalt that enabled OMNI channel messaging support to their customers and integration to their Goto CRM. You can read the Cobalt use case here.

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Figure:Cobalt Case study, secure integration to Goto CRM

Conclusion:

OMNI channel messaging and WhatsApp business platform has transformed the way businesses engage with their customers and are streamlining various aspects of their operations. In 2022, 1 billion users engaged on WhatsApp Business and Facebook Messenger in 2022, an increase of 50% year over year growth. From personalized customer support to reminders, order placements, and educational resources, the platform empowers businesses to deliver personal, interactive, and safe communication.

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