Early last year, WhatsApp launched its WhatsApp Business app for Android, and since then over 5 million businesses every month have been using it to create their business profiles and connect with their audiences through the app.
The iOS version of the app was launched last month to a number of countries but now it is fully available all over the globe enabling small business owners to connect with their consumers in a convenient manner.
Unlike the regular messaging app, the Business version of the app allows the entrepreneurs to set up an account where they can easily share relevant details of their company including email addresses, physical location, phone number, etc. It also comes with ‘Messaging Tools’ which allows the business owners to respond to customers by quick responses, greeting messages, away messages and more.
As part of its move to make money from WhatsApp, the company is planning to start charging businesses for sending marketing and customer service messages at a fixed rate for confirmed delivery, ranging from 0.5 cents to 9 cents per message depending on the country. Until that time comes, businesses have enough time to weigh whether WhatsApp Business adds value to their business or not such that they would want to pay to use it.
