The integration of Whatsapp chatbots in customer communication – 6 steps to success

Mail and telephone were yesterday, messaging apps are today. And chatbots can help in customer service to handle any volume. A little background knowledge and six steps lead the little helpers to success.

Worldwide two billion active users per month, in Germany alone there are 33.4 million: Whatsapp is not only on everyone’s lips, but also on all smartphones. Reason enough for more and more decision-makers to offer the app as a fully-fledged communication channel in customer service. Especially since this offer was opened to companies of all sizes. After all, consumers expect straightforward advice that is as convenient as possible. But with the introduction of WhatsApp as a communication channel, do companies now have to fear a flood of messages that they can only deal with with great effort and a high level of staffing? Not necessarily! On the one hand, inquiries that would normally be received by email or telephone are diverted to a more efficient medium. On the other hand, chatbots can also be used on Whatsapp for a (first) classification of inquiries and thus valuable relief for employees.

If you take a closer look at the trend, it quickly becomes clear that chatbots have already established themselves on various digital channels – for example in Facebook Messenger or in live chat on the website of companies. But the use of a bot on WhatsApp is not yet the standard, after all, the messenger is mainly used in private and is far too often underestimated for commercial use. However, with the use of the official Whatsapp Business API, companies have the option of integrating automated helpers into the chat.

However, some of Whatsapp exist Defined conditions that should ensure that the bot does not unintentionally spam customers or even cause more confusion than help: On the one hand, a Whatsapp bot can only be used when customers are actively starting a conversation, and on the other hand, it always has to also have the option of forwarding inquiries to real employees. Last but not least, fewer UI elements such as buttons or input fields are available when using WhatsApp. A good chatbot can easily compensate for this with a clever way of communication.

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So that the Whatsapp bot actually offers added value and is also well received by customers, six basic steps should be observed.

A chatbot should not be implemented as entertainment for the customer become. Also, the boss’s instructions to promote your own “digitization” and to use the panacea “automation” are not appropriate goals. First of all, you should therefore carefully consider whether a bot is really needed. Then a very specific benefit must be defined so that the Whatsapp bot can be specially tailored to it. This is the only way to ensure that he actually helps the customer. What questions and problems do the customers have? Which of the bot functions are useful and easy to implement for your own application? What needs do customers have in terms of service and communication? What does the budget allow?

The main goals are often to relieve the customer service staff by answering frequently recurring questions or collecting leads. In the course of this, bots can also be an excellent tool for messenger marketing. Because the direct accessibility via WhatsApp is a big advantage over other communication channels and a chatbot can ensure that the whole thing runs automatically without much effort. In contrast to emails and the like, communication via WhatsApp also leads to extremely high opening rates of 98 percent due to the perceived personality – companies should use this for themselves, for example by cleverly promoting offers in conversation and highlighting their benefits without being intrusive Act.

For the implementation of a bot at Whatsapp, the use of the official Whatsapp Business API is necessary, as the normal business app cannot be used to integrate chatbots. In addition, there are a few basic tools available with the app that do not make professional customer communication possible. Access to the Whatsapp Business API is therefore far more worthwhile: not only for data protection reasons, but also for the more extensive implementation of a machine helper. While the interface was only available to large corporations for a long time, it has recently also become available to very small companies – so companies of all sizes can implement complex settings and offer their customers a comprehensive service that is also scalable. The API is docked to professional customer messaging software, which companies can then use to communicate with their customers. Companies receive access to the API exclusively through partner companies who ensure that the Whatsapp infrastructure is used seriously.

This next step can be a crucial point for the success of an implementation, because as for “human” employees, the same applies to the bot: It should have a personality that suits the company and is personable! Because it is called a chatbot, but in the end customers want to have the feeling of being given friendly, competent and targeted advice – ideally with as personal a touch as possible.
Unfortunately it is not possible to use the Whatsapp bot with your own profile picture and name because the name and picture are already taken from the company profile. In contrast to chatbots, which greet customers on the company’s own website: There is much more leeway here to express a personality. Although there are fewer options with WhatsApp in this regard, companies should be careful not to let the bot appear cool, but trustworthy and personable. One possibility for this is a welcome message in which the helper introduces himself and uses suitable emojis (less is more here, however ???? ???? ????‍♀‍ ????).

Basically two different ” Types “Chatbots are differentiated – also with Whatsapp. On the one hand, there are context-based chatbots. They require the greater amount of work in terms of strategic planning and also more complex AI-based systems. There are also rule-based chatbots. They follow a simpler structure, for example with a numbered selection menu or simple keyword recognition. The second variant requires less effort and there is less risk of the conversation going nowhere – after all, answer options are usually already given. An entertaining text preparation breathes life into the whole thing. In addition to a welcome message and suitable emojis, media files can also provide variety.

In addition, variables can be used: information requested by the bot and then within The conversation can be used to personalize messages – such as the name or place of residence of the customer. In order to keep the conversation flowing, it is advisable to play through many possible processes when creating the bot. Some providers also ensure that the bot’s response appears a little delayed – like in a conversation with a real person.

Last but not least, in In any case, a redirect from the bot to the real employee will be available – because WhatsApp even requires this for implementation. After all, it can always be the case that customers ask questions that are beyond the capabilities of the bot. Nevertheless, the bot has often already done good preparatory work in this case and, for example, requested the contact details and the customer’s request. This saves employees time and gives them more space to process more complex inquiries.

A first test phase before the launch is important – after all, it is it is the only way to determine if and where there are still problems. In addition, it can often be helpful to include bystanders in the test phase – i.e. those who are neither part of the development nor part of your own company. You can give the best feedback and most likely relate to the customer experience.

Regular checks after the launch of the chatbot ensure that everything continues Wish works, because often small adjustments and changes have to be made at regular intervals.

What use is the best software when nobody knows of its existence? As good as nothing. It is therefore important that customers also find out about the existence of the Whatsapp bot and know what added value it brings with it. It should be clear to the customer that using the bot is a simple and convenient method of obtaining information or solving certain problems – as soon as that is achieved, both sides benefit!

Timoor Taufig

Timoor Taufig is co-founder and CEO of Userlike, the German software for digital customer communication via live chat and messaging. The platform bundles all communication channels in one place, including chatbots, audio calls and connection to the Whatsapp API.

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