Almost after 9 years of its inception, WhatsApp has now started exploring avenues for monetisation. The instant messaging app had recently unveiled WhatsApp Business for small and medium enterprises. Now, the Facebook-owned company eyes to roll-out several features for large enterprises.
WhatsApp for the enterprise will reportedly have features such as customer support and merchant payment. It also developing an end-to-end customer relationship management (CRM) software which it will launch by this year-end. It will offer CRM to large enterprises via application programming interface (API).
Currently, about 10 enterprises are testing WhatsApp’s CRM API. The instant messaging app will also be slated to expand its payment solution to enterprises. Notably, it’s likely to follow its parent – Facebook while offering services for enterprises.
Seven weeks ago, the instant messaging platform had launched WhatsApp Business in India along with other geographies. While it will remain free in the long term, the company plans on charging for additional capabilities in the future.
Currently, the app enables businesses to save time with smart messaging tools — quick replies that provide fast answers to frequently asked questions, greeting messages that introduce customers to your business, and away messages that let them know you’re busy.
WhatsApp in India has collaborated with ticket booking platform BookMyShow, hotel rooms aggregator OYO and airlines Spicejet and Indigo and many others for WhatsApp Business.
India is the largest market for WhatsApp with a user base of 250 million.
Soon, the company is also slated to offer Unified Payment Interface-powered payment for its user base in India. At present, WhatsApp UPI is limited to select a number of users in the country.
With WhatsApp ramping up its CRM offerings to small as well as large enterprises, the flow of information and communication will be instant and smooth. Additionally, the UPI integration will also fasten and ease payment reconciliation.
The development was first reported by ET.
