WhatsApp is not only used for personal and private converstations. Nowadays, businesses are also starting to see the advantages of communicating via WhatsApp. That is the conclusion of WhatsAppen.nl after doing a market research on the internet.

Marktplaats

The use of WhatsApp has gone beyond private conversations. On websites like Marktplaats.nl, an online auction website comparable to Ebay.com, converstation between buyer and seller often takes place via the free messenger service. However, little is known about the exact usage: “Marktplaats.nl has limited information available about the usage of WhatsApp among our customers”, according to a spokesperson of Marktplaats.nl. An active user of the websites belonging to Marktplaats.nl explains why WhatsApp is so useful: “People check their WhatsApp account more often than their e-mail. The treshold to check your WhatsApp is lower than for checking your e-mail. Of course, calling goes even faster and is more direct, but via WhatsApp you have an actual confirmation on paper”.

Editorial

Editorial offices also start to recognize the advantages of WhatsApp.

Local newswebsite Regio18.nl is utilizing WhatsApp to gain newsreports and suggestions. WhatsApp is a popular tool to report any news items, according to editor Pieter van den Berg. “Especially in case of 911 incidents, WhatsApp shows its value as a communication tool”, he says. For Regio18, WhatsApp is then the ideal method to quickly transfer the information, often accompagnied by images taken directly on the scene. Another reason for its popularity, is the fact that it is totally free; people find it therefore easier to report news items than via text messages or by phone.

A representative of the NOS, one of the biggest news broadcoasting companies in the Netherlands, informs us that at this moment, they are not actively using WhatsApp for gaining news items and that there are no intensions either at this stage. However, WhatsApp is the recommended phone application for employees with a company phone. “Whatsapp comes standard on the smartphones that we issue to our employees”, according to the representative. It is the ideal way to cut down on the costs of transmitting news. Additionally, all messages can be quickly completed with pictures and images, or even videos. “The only disadvantage is that we rely on the capacity and availability of the 3G and/or WIFI networks”, mentions the NOS.

Customer Service

Widely known Dutch brands en companies shall introduce WhatsApp for business purposes as well. SNT, responsible for customer relations of a wide selection of companies, will deploy WhatsApp on a large scale when it comes to new ways of communicating with the customers.

According to Thomas Blankvoort, Manager Business Development & Innovation at SNT, the commercial purposes of WhatsApp are not only cost efficiency, for both the company and the customer, but it also delivers a better experience towards the consumer. “Customer services can be contacted without a surcharge and are able to deliver a personal and prompt reply.”

SNT cannot inform us at this moment which companies will be part of the kick-off regarding this new way of customer service. “As with any introduction of new technology, we are now completing the finishing touches on a few technical and practical challanges”, Blankvoort informs us. SNT will roll out WhatsApp for commercial purposes only for a limited amount of companies in the beginning, to eliminate any difficulties and issues when it is applied on a larger scale to ensure an optimalisation of the user-experience towards the customer.

In all, we can conclude that WhatsApp is growing towards being a fully accepted and integrated tool of communication. WhatsApp is seeing a huge increase in the amount of users, and herewith, the professional possibilities of this free application will also grow. As usual, we will keep a close eye on any developments out there regarding WhatsApp!