INSIGHT Paul Gandar - Stitch
60% of customers would choose to do business with a brand if
they offered a slick customer journey in WhatsApp over that
of conventional digital channels. – Stitch
WhatsApp: A Ticking Time Bomb
WhatsApp has revolutionised the way we communicate. It is no longer a fad for the young, but an essential
form of communication for all ages. Paul Gandar, Director of Stitch discusses why WhatsApp is not just a
ticking time bomb but also a huge Channel opportunity
WhatsApp was to free
messaging that Skype
was to free calling. It
didn’t take long for
WhatsApp to kill SMS, from
launch in 2009 it is now the
number one messaging platform
in over 100 countries, weak
really only in the USA & China
(those markets dominated
by Facebook Messenger &
WeChat respectively).
e platform is so popular in
fact, that its use is now proli c
in work communication.
It is not uncommon now
for businesses to have work
chat groups, meaning
communication is now
bypassing work tools such as
email, Slack, MS Teams etc.
More worryingly, your
customer’s client and supplier
communications are now
being carried out over sta ’s
personal WhatsApp accounts.
Sales enquiries answered, and
technical queries addressed,
all because WhatsApp is the
customer messaging channel of
choice.
ere has been two distinct
actions taken by business. 1)
ey turn a blind eye. 2) ey
inform sta not to use it, but
don’t follow through with any
policing/auditing. e end
result is that companies large
and small, far and wide, are
still placing a vast number of
consumer interactions over
personal WhatsApp accounts –
knowingly, or unknowingly.
So, why did WhatsApp
update their terms of business
last year? You might want to
read in detail, or at least take
note of this part:
“In addition, beginning on
December 7, 2019, WhatsApp
will take legal action against
those ... that violate our
Terms of Service, such as ...
non-personal use, even if that
determination is based on
information solely available to
us o our platform.“
ere is also the matter of
GDPR. Imagine you run a
small business with 20 sta .
Your sta member is messaging
your customer about an
opportunity; let’s just paint the
problems out clearly:
• Engaging over WhatsApp
means customer details are
now stored in the employee’s
personal mobile device.
• Do you control the PII
(Personally Identi able
Information) on this device?
• What if your sta member
joins a new social platform,
say House Party, but your
customer hasn’t… your sta
member has now published
your clients PII details out to
a 3rd party platform without
their consent
• Your customer contacts
you, asking to remove all
their details and previous
discussions – how are you
going to do that on a phone
you don’t control?
• Your sta member leaves your
business. How you going to
control that data/information
now?
• Even if you run a personal
WhatsApp account on a work
phone, you are still reverse
publishing the contacts (note:
this is not the case a WAB
account)
• Whilst you own the phone,
you have limited remote
access capabilities to control
the content
WhatsApp now have options
for businesses to consider
1. WAB (WhatsApp Business)
- FREE for iOS & Android
users
2. WhatsApp API
As you’d expect, the FREE
version is a teaser, but in reality,
is aimed at one-man-band
operations. But if your company
has more than 3 people
handling customer enquiries –
be it sales or support then WAB
will not cut the mustard. You
need WhatsApp API.
WhatsApp have around
45 global business partners,
who will provide you access
to the WhatsApp API. ese
providers are aiming to deliver
you a pretty raw API, for you
to integrate with your, or your
customer’s existing software
ecosystem. You will need to
nd a way to manage messages,
assign conversations, and
automate customer interactions.
It’s great for enterprise
customers, but not something
you can take the masses.
But not every voice &
data reseller have these
requirements (knowledge
on rules of engagement, API
documentation, business
policies, or a team of internal
developers) in-house, and if they
do, it is a constant development
project to look after.
Your options?
Stitch works with partners to
deliver a range of WhatsApp
API powered messaging
solutions for customers. We
can get your customers up and
running within a few weeks,
connecting their sales & service
teams to customers, to drive
sales and increase customer
service levels, all via the o cial
WhatsApp API. We ensure
your customers adhere to all
WhatsApp’s policies, which will
prevent their accounts getting
Paul Gandar, Director of Stitch blocked.
18 | Comms Business Magazine | May 2020 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
/www.commsbusiness.co.uk