Newsletter
WhatsApp Business has a new update rolling out now intended to make conducting public relations through the app a bit easier. For those that may not already know, this is a wholly separate application from WhatsApp which is intended to give business owners and PR representatives a professional, commercial presence on the same social platform used by that other application. It bears mention – before anybody rushes to the Google Play button below to install the app – that once a user restores messages a WhatsApp backup to the business version, that backup can’t be used again to switch back to WhatsApp Messenger. The app’s developers recommend backing up the initial back-up with a second copy saved off-device, just in case.
With that said, there are three new features included in the update to WhatsApp Business. The first new feature is the ability to create quick replies, which are linked to keyboard shortcuts for the replies and allow business users rapid access to the chat responses they use most often. While a cookie-cutter approach to business responses isn’t necessarily ideal, the inclusion of quick replies should streamline the process of responding, to begin with, potentially enabling more inquiries to be addressed. Tying directly into that, the update allows users to set a greeting message for use when, as is implied, greeting other on the WhatsApp services platform. Finally, a labeling mechanism has been added for messages to help business owners or PR representatives keep tabs on, organize, and find messages more easily.
Meanwhile, other features previously released for the app remain intact. That means it still allows for the creation of a business profile and features built-in business messaging tools to let customers know when that profile is available for contact. Furthermore, the application still allows a single device to have both a personal and business account kept separate via the installation of both the main WhatsApp application and the business variation. WhatsApp Business can also still be used with a landline or other fixed phone number, freeing up the user’s personal cell number for use in the other app. So, anybody representing a business or who happens to own a business will probably want to go ahead and check the application out for themselves via the Google Play button below.
