WhatsApp Business app is available in select markets,
including Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, the UK and the US. WhatsApp’s regular chat
app has over 1 billion users worldwide and the familiarity with the platform
will play a huge role in getting customers to use the app to reach businesses.
WhatsApp Business is already available in India.

Just like users and their status messages, business accounts will get profiles
details such as a brief business description, email address, physical addresses
for stores, as well as the links to the website. The new app will also work on
the desktop version.

Business chats
will be clearly marked as such to let ordinary users identify this function
clearly. Businesses can get confirmed or verified accounts by linking the phone
number used for WhatsApp with their business phone number.

In addition to sending and receiving messages from
businesses, users can block any business account, as well as report them as
spam. It’s not entirely clear though what exactly happens on reporting a
business as spam. Would it be disallowed from using WhatsApp after a certain
number of strikes?

Just like other customer service platforms, WhatsApp will
add enhanced functionality on the business end. For now, companies will get
smart messaging tools such as quick replies, greeting messages, and away
messages, similar to other tools in the market. In terms of analytics, for now,
businesses can see metrics like the number of messages read, what customers are
liking or responding to fastest.

WhatsApp Business is not yet a full enterprise solution.
Large airlines, e-commerce sites, and banks will get a customised version,
according to WhatsApp. This specialized solution is likely to be WhatsApp’s big
monetization play. It’s logical next step for the WhatsApp Business offering,
which will be the foundation for the big business version.

To download a copy of the WhatsApp Business, Click Here.