In this article, I want to tell you from the experience of implementing the WhatsApp messenger for communicating with customers of the Novakid online platform for teaching children English. Why we chose WhatsApp and with whom we implemented it, how much this application helps in running and developing business, how it helps to serve customers and coordinate the work of employees - details below.
The first steps
We started using WhatsApp in mid-2018, about six months after the launch of the startup. The number of students on the platform increased from 0 to 1000 and there was a need for prompt communication with customers. Practice has shown that this is the most convenient and efficient communication tool. With the help of the application, employees of the online school not only remind about classes, but collect feedback and comments on the work of the platform.
“ The implementation was difficult. WhatsApp just announced the launch of the official Business API, and we were among the first to use this software to communicate with customers. At some point, we even began to take risks - to use self-written solutions, for which we could get a permanent ban from the creators of the messenger . "
It should be noted that WhatsApp does not work directly with the end user and does not provide access to its API, a limited list of official partners is engaged in this (you can see the list here ). We chose one of the available integrations on the Intercom marketplace - we use this platform to work with clients. However, this path did not lead to success either - the presence of a service-layer between the direct provider of the WhatsApp API and our system significantly slowed down the work - requests were processed very slowly, templates for sending were coordinated for a long time, and it was difficult to build normal work with the API.
Communication price
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“ Once we got rejected all the Turkish language mailing templates. But, as it became known later, this is the format of WhatsApp INC., And providers cannot influence this in any way, ”says a support employee.
Another slight inconvenience is related to the preparation and operation of templates. Sorting them is problematic, everything is mixed with default templates, which creates additional complications, but they are not critical.