Whatsapp Business: What is it for, how it works and for whom it is

WhatsApp is undoubtedly the most used app in the world to exchange messages between users and groups of users, presenting itself as a large pool of future customers for companies in step with the times, who can take advantage of the app to advertise, present exclusive discounts, place orders and provide assistance. Precisely for this great potential Facebook, the company that controls WhatsApp, provides for all owners of companies, shops and in general VAT number (therefore also doctors, architects, engineers etc.) makes available a special version of the app: WhatsApp Business .
In this guide we will show you what WhatsApp Business is, how it works and how to download it on our smartphone, so as to always stay in touch with all our customers.
Before continuing it is important to know that this app is also free, just like the counterpart intended for private users.

What is WhatsApp Business

WhatsApp Business works exactly like normal WhatsApp with the difference that the account provides all the information and communication tools of companies, organizations, shops and companies.

The main difference between normal WhatsApp and the Business application is in the profile card: while the personal one contains only name, status and photograph, with the dedicated Business app we can show a real business card, with all the useful information for be recognized and found by customers: name, logo, photo, description, opening and closing times, website, email address etc.
With the Business app we will also get automatic reply features, so that we can always respond to our customers contacted in chat or in a group even when we are absent, when we contact for the first time or when we cannot respond (by setting our status activity directly in the settings).
Also to use WhatsApp Business a phone number is needed to create the account and we will have to make sure that it has not already been used for normal WhatsApp, otherwise we will get a warning message when creating the account.

How to download WhatsApp Business

WhatsApp Business can be downloaded for free for both Android smartphones and iPhone.

As mentioned in the previous chapter, we will have to configure the new account using a new phone number not yet used on WhatsApp, otherwise we will not be able to continue or we will have to give up one of the two services (transferring the whole account if necessary).
To use WhatsApp and Whatsapp Business together on the smartphone there are several alternatives:

1. Using a Dual SIM phone : the simplest and most immediate method, considering that almost all modern smartphones now have two SIM slots.
2. Activate a Business account using a landline number : many companies still have a landline and, compared to normal WhatsApp, we can also use a landline number (at the time of the confirmation message we will have to call us instead of receiving an SMS).
3. Use a smartphone with profile separation : many Chinese smartphones such as Xiaomi offer a second space on the phone on which to install only corporate apps, which will never interact with personal apps but still provide notifications from both environments.

In any case, it is possible, at the first start, to transfer all the data from the WhatsApp account to the Business one so as not to lose the history of the previous chats. This migration from WhatsApp to WhatsApp Business, however, is not reversible and there is no going back, so it is better to think carefully about what we do before giving a definitive confirmation.

How to configure WhatsApp Business

To configure the WhatsApp Business account on the new installed application, press the three dots button at the top right, access the Settings and then press on Activity Settings .

From this screen we can fill in the Profile menu and write your name, description, business category, opening hours, website, email address, shop address (if any) etc. We try to be as precise as possible, so that we can be easily found and recognized by customers.
In the same screen we can configure personalized automatic replies by pressing on the menus Away message, Welcome messages and Quick answers .
From these menus we can create an automatic reply message when we are absent, a welcome message for new customers who start a chat with us and various personalized quick replies, useful for special customers or to respond to superiors or prominent people in a different than "common" customers. The only other additional menu is Statistics, where we can check the statistics of the activity carried out on the app towards our customers.
For all the rest, WhatsApp Business is the same as normal WhatsApp: we can send messages to individual users, let ourselves be added by loyal users, participate in groups, send the same message to many people, make phone calls and video calls, send files, photos and documents of all kinds and also use Whatsapp Web .

Conclusions

The purpose of Whatsapp Business is to provide a communication tool for companies that differs from the service offered by the normal app (designed for communication between people): with this app we will be able to benefit from a large communication showcase for any entity o organization and provide after-sales help, support for activities and services and why not also make dedicated promotions, "secret" discounts and in general take advantage of all the methods to make good advertising.
Unfortunately, WhatsApp Business can only be used on a phone and therefore cannot be shared among members, colleagues or employees of a company, making the application much more limited than Telegram, which instead allows shared corporate accounts.
If we want to use Telegram to manage our company's communications, we invite you to read our guides Download Telegram for PC, Android and iPhone and Telegram: Cheats, secrets and hidden options of the most complete messaging app .
If instead we want to become expert users of WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business, we can continue reading on our article Whatsapp: 30 tricks and secrets of chat on Android and iPhone .