WhatsApp may soon launch a new feature that will allow people to engage with businesses on the messaging app. The company had confirmed about the feature almost a year ago and now, the feature named WhatsApp for Business seems very close to a launch.
Although WhatsApp has not formally confirmed when the service will roll out, a FAQ regarding it has now popped up on WhatsApp’s website. The feature will allow users to communicate with businesses to ask questions, seek support etc.
Earlier it was reported in a WABetaInfo Blog that WhatsApp had recently submitted a new update to the Google Play Beta Program with version number 2.17.285. Interestingly, WhatsApp is also planning to integrate the UPI payments with this update in the India.
As per the report, the release of this update will reveal much about how the user can view a business account in WhatsApp. The business contact numbers will first be verified by WhatsApp.
“Some business accounts have been verified by WhatsApp. If you see a green badge next to a contact’s name, it means that WhatsApp has confirmed that the phone number of this contact belongs to a business account,’’ the FAQ on WhatsApp website reads.
Further, the blog suggests that WhatsApp business users will face certain restrictions, such as they will be required to specify a website and email address in their profile. Even more than that they will not be able to change their name and a name with a specific length must be chosen.
So, if you have saved a business’s number in your phonebook, you will see it as it is on WhatsApp. However, if you don’t have a business’s number, the name you will see in WhatsApp will be the name the businesses have chosen for themselves.
WhatsApp also confirms when you start interacting with a business inside a chat, you cannot delete these messages from the chat. Moreover, if users don’t want a business to contact them, they can block the number just like any other contact.
The Facebook owned company has been working on this service to make their messaging platform a lot more useful for its users. Similarly, Facebook has also rolled out home screen ads to its Messenger, which is also in its beta stage as of now.
