WhatsApp Introduces Its Business App for Small Businesses
People all around the world use WhatsApp to connect with small businesses they care about — from online clothing companies in India to auto parts stores in Brazil. But WhatsApp was built for people and we want to improve the business experience. For example, by making it easier for businesses to respond to customers, separating customer and personal messages, and creating an official presence.
So today we’re launching WhatsApp Business — a free-to-download Android app for small businesses. Our new app will make it easier for companies to connect with customers, and more convenient for our 1.3 billion users to chat with businesses that matter to them.
WhatsApp Business is a separate app, currently only available for Android and only available via Google Play in four countries — Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, U.K. and the U.S. The wider rollout is said to begin “in the coming weeks”.
The app is built on top of the core WhatsApp app, so it looks and works exactly like the WhatsApp app. The only difference is that you can setup a Business Profile and enable Greeting Messages, Away Messages and Quick Reply Templates. You also get statistical data about messages sent and received, but it’s pretty basic.
WhatsApp did not mention when they plan to release apps for other platforms.