News
October 27, 2023
Introducing WhatsApp Flows: Revolutionizing Business Messaging
It’s been 50 years since the first multi-user online chat system, “Talkomatic,” was developed at the University of Illinois — long before GIFs, video chat, and even emojis.
And while some design choices might now seem strange to contemporary audiences — like the "Brady Bunch"-style screen with individual windows for each chat participant — the platform stands as a perfect illustration of just how far along messaging technology has come in the subsequent half-century.
That journey, of course, continues today. And as users enjoy increasingly rich, dynamic messaging threads with their friends and family, they’ll often come to expect the same level of interaction with their favorite brands, too.
It’s why we’re so excited to announce the release of WhatsApp Flows: a powerful new feature for the WhatsApp Business Platform that allows businesses to create custom experiences right in their chat box — without the need to visit an external website or download another application.
Curious? Let’s take a closer look at some of the key benefits of this versatile tool.
Stay in “The Flow” of Your Conversations
With WhatsApp Flows (now available for both Android and iOS devices), brands will be able to unlock more flexibility and functionality on the platform than ever before — removing a great deal of friction while efficiently addressing customer needs.
Previously, a business might interact with a consumer with a number of back-and-forth messages, or by leading the customer to an external sales portal or website. Now powered by Flows’s customizable building blocks (called “Components”), brands can create tailored, personalized experiences for their users without the need for heavy technical lifting.
As you can probably imagine, Flows provides a number of practical applications for businesses. There are a few ways brands can use these blocks to improve the customer experience – but bear in mind, it’s hardly an exhaustive list.
Promotions and Rewards (“Sign Up”)
We all receive messages from brands offering 10% off to “sign up” now. But with Flows, these messages go beyond mere text, providing interactive, seamless experiences for your users.
Your customer can view the promotion, review the details, and “sign up” — all on the same screen. No need to remember promo codes, hit a confirmation link, or switch apps.
Customer Service Feedback (“Contact Us”)
Do your customers love giving you feedback? With Flows’s simple and fast forms, your customers can fill in their information, receive a case number, as well as a quick reply from your business — all in the same conversation.
These forms can also be a great way to conduct surveys with segments of your customers.
Appointment Booking (“Book Now”)
Calling a restaurant for a reservation is very…1990s. Today, it’s all digital — and can be as frictionless as ever with Flows.
In the same app they use to plan dinner with friends, users can message their favorite spots, ask "may I book a table?" and instantly receive a Flows form right within WhatsApp to make their reservation. No more waiting on hold while planning your Friday nights — just click, confirm, and go.
Products and Subscriptions (“Get Quote”)
Customers can also use the “Get Quote” module to answer a few questions and receive personalized, real-time prices based on their purchasing needs.
Chatbots with Business and User-Initiated Chats
This is where Flows can particularly shine. When integrated with a chatbot, Flows can empower your system to quickly respond to common customer queries, both general and specific). Crucially, this can reduce friction and free up your agents to tackle more complicated or sensitive issues as they arise.
Success Stories — Flows In Action
Wondering how brands are seeing real-world success with Flows? Let’s dive into two standout examples from our user community.
Sefamerve
Sefamerve, a leading women’s fashion retailer with sales in over 70 counties, initially leveraged WhatsApp as a support channel. After exploring their options with Flows, the company created a seamless shopping and checkout experience, all accessible within their customer’s chat box.
In just four months, the team rolled out features like account creation, product search, and add-to-cart workflows, with the results largely speaking for themselves:
- 158% increase in conversions
- 2.6x more revenue
- 80,000 products made available for purchase directly through WhatsApp.
Lenovo
Global tech leader Lenovo wanted to refine its appointment booking process in Indonesia. The team employed Flows to allow customers to effortlessly manage technical service appointments within the app — eliminating the need for external links or otherwise cumbersome additional steps.
The results?
- 8.2x boost in conversion rates for bookings, compared to their website.
- 44.5% increase in customer engagement on WhatsApp.
- Notable industry recognition, including the 2023 Service Quality Index Diamond Award
Getting Started
Impressive as these results may be, one of the top benefits of Flows is that you won’t need a team of developers — or complicated technical builds — to get started. Beginners can start out with short and simple flows for use cases like lead generation , and expand to broader applications over time.
For even deeper levels of customization, the WhatsApp Flows Builder is a versatile developer tool right in WhatsApp Manager geared toward more technical users.
Make Your Conversations Flow
In our digital world, the nature of communication is always changing — and successful brands always need to be prepared for that next shift in consumer expectation.
Thankfully, WhatsApp Flows provides brands with a number of powerful tools to improve customer experiences across various industries and use cases.