According to reports, Meta has recently launched a beta version of WhatsApp Premium, a business-oriented version of the messaging platform. The Premium version reportedly allows up to 10 devices to be connected simultaneously, which is a useful feature for businesses that rely on WhatsApp as a service channel and require multiple agents to access the same WhatsApp Web account. While the beta version is currently available to select users, it is expected that the Premium version will be released to a wider audience soon.
Difficulty of companies with WhatsApp service
Today, WhatsApp is a popular sales tool due to its low communication barrier compared to making a phone call. Customers feel more comfortable sending a WhatsApp message to inquire about a product’s price than making a call.
However, companies using WhatsApp for sales on up to four connected devices often require more attendants due to high demand, leading them to subscribe to official platforms like Helena or unofficial platforms like Touschat to avoid high investment costs.
With WhatsApp Premium’s release for up to 10 devices, Google Chrome plugins gain prominence. Companies using WhatsApp for customer service have identified difficulties using the native WhatsApp Web for corporate services, which can be overcome with plugins.
- Unable to identify attendants operating a conversation
- No way to know which conversations belong to a specific operator as messages sent do not have agent’s name
- Quick reply shortcuts do not support images, only text
- No CRM functions for contact organization funnel
- Cannot start a new conversation directly on WhatsApp Web by entering phone number
- No option to schedule sending of future messages to remind customers of appointments
- Unable to create a script with combined answers, images, and texts to send with one click.
WhatsApp plugins that give your WhatsApp Web a boost
The Google Chrome browser offers plugins, which are extensions that provide additional features to WhatsApp Web. These plugins undergo validation and approval by Google Chrome, ensuring their safety.
Some of these plugins can be beneficial for both regular and premium versions of WhatsApp, especially since the latter does not provide any extra features even when using up to 10 connected devices. Below are some plugins that can improve usability, with or without WhatsApp Web.
WaLeads is a multi-user plugin that features a true Kanban CRM for organizing WhatsApp contacts. Each attendant can access it with their login and password, and call identification is straightforward. It also generates attendance reports, quick responses, mass sending, message scheduling, and tag-based contact transfer. A 3-day trial version is available for download on the website.
WaTidy is an economical and intuitive plugin that functions as a replacement for Promoute Route. It has CRM features organized by service tabs, and although it is not multi-user, it can be installed on multiple computers with more than one Premium key. It also enables attendants to sign their name in messages and provides features for organizing WhatsApp contacts. A free version is available for testing on the website.
waUp allows for the creation of ready-made scripts for standardized communication in the sales process. Sales teams can send text, images, and videos with a single click and use labels to organize their customers. It also features mass shooting for contacts from a tag and WhatsApp groups. The trial version can be downloaded from the website.
Using WhatsApp as a sales tool is not new, but having a management solution is crucial for success. It is worthwhile to explore solutions that provide new features and deployment options for a WhatsApp service channel.
