WhatsApp Business Platform that Will Move You Forward – Interview
Every Head of Information Technology today faces one main challenge, regardless of industry: the digital transformation. And when we name the digital transformation as our current business challenge, we clearly include the modern requirement for business success that organizations place greater attention on connecting with clients, as a way to improve customer experience and increase his or her loyalty to your brand.
According to Dagan Halevy, CEO of Elad Systems, “Companies are responding to the digital transformation challenge by providing omni channel service: they are making themselves available to connection with clients on every channel, everywhere – and at all times.”
Halevy made these comments in advance of the Future of Omni Channel Conference, produced by People and Computers, that will take place Monday, May 13th, at Stucco Hall in Tel Aviv.
According to Halevy, “Organizations are going to have to get on board with instant messaging. The business world is moving in that direction, and there is more and more expectation that institutions will be using this channel, on a platform like WhatsApp for example. This is becoming an established communication channel for business: the clients are already using this platform and are comfortable interacting with it. Therefore, it benefits organizations to equip themselves with products and services so they will be ready to interact with their clients in this way. It will also serve them if their business communications on every platform will be connected to their organizational CRM.
WhatsApp for Business, Halevy explained, is a good example of this development, as it offers customer service centers and sales divisions the opportunity to communicate directly with their clients. Six months ago, WhatsApp introduced a product, which was actually a new platform, in order to assist organizations in strengthening the multi channel connection with the clients. We, at Elad, took this product, added some internal developments and integrated it to suit the needs of several different organizations. We took the API that WhatsApp released and connected it to our product, SimpleChat. SimpleChat was developed by Elad Systems to support organizations in their desire to effectively manage multi channel communications in customer service centers.
He added that “We must distinguish between two platforms. WhatsApp released WhatsApp for Business , a free application that is mostly suited to small businesses. This version of their business platform includes no automation. It also does not provide any way for organizations to document conversations between clients and customer representatives within a company’s management system. Also, it does not enable a multi channel interface or glean information from any interactions. The second version is the more “serious “ version, and it is designed to serve the needs of large organizations and companies.”
SimpleChat, Halevy explained, is a multi channel product from Elad Systems that is integrated into the heart of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM system. The solution transforms an organization from one that interacts through a single channel to one that has multi channel capabilities. Through implementing SimpleChat, an organization can provide responses to clients through the communication channel that each client prefers to use, at a time that is convenient to them. SimpleChat also fuels a unified customer experience, regardless of the communication channel with which a client is currently interacting. They can type in WhatsApp, send a text, talk in chats, monitor content on social media and oversee company mentions in posts, send private texts on facebook messenger or tweet on twitter. All the communications are documented on one single unified screen of text conversations in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM that is accessed by a customer service representative.
Halevy explained that “the product also includes a bot that can be used for business conversations. This bot can provide authentic answers to clients, suited to the services and products that each particular organization provides to its clients. The bot functions from within the system, and does not require a human service representative.”
“The benefits of the solution,” Halevy noted, “are on several levels. It allows conversations that were once managed by a human customer service representative to be effectively transferred to digital channels. Past experience proves that more than 30% of the telephone calls have been transferred to a digital responder. Similarly, this service allows each client to receive answers through his or her personal service center as well. These new services allow organizations to cut the time of service calls, reduce client wait time for a customer service rep and overall improve client satisfaction.
Additionally, it lets you monitor social media channels to increase leads and undertake other important marketing tasks. Organizations can easily install an automated responder that is activated during the hours that the customer support center is closed. With this solution, you can use new automatic processes, like: using location information, digital forms, and digital signage.
“We already have” Halevy summed up, “scores of clients who are successfully using this product. Our clients include Assuta Hospital and the Shlomo Sixt Group. Many scores more are in the early stages of integrating this system, including a public- governmental institution, health organizations and financial groups. We have already signed a distribution agreement for bringing this producto to the English market and we are looking forward towards the markets in Europe and North America.
This year, 2019, we have crossed the threshold of 100 clients in israel and as far as we are concerned, the sky is the limit.