Popular messaging app WhatsApp has officially announced about its Business app feature. WhatsApp for business will allow users and businesses to communicate with each other using the messaging platform. The company has been testing the new tools through a closed pilot program and it will soon be available for all businesses.
WhatsApp was rumored to be testing the business accounts feature for the past few months. The company had confirmed this via a FAQ posted on its website earlier last month. As per that report, WhatsApp will soon have verified accounts for businesses with green ticks similar to Facebook and Twitter.
Now, the Facebook owned company has confirmed about the feature stating that it will be monetizing the messaging platform. The company says that it is building and testing new tools via a free WhatsApp Business app for small companies and a paid service for bigger companies like airlines or e-commerce sites.
“We’re building and testing new tools via a free WhatsApp Business app for small companies and an enterprise solution for bigger companies operating at a large scale with a global base of customers, like airlines, e-commerce sites, and banks,” reads a blog post by WhatsApp.
The new business app will allow people to communicate with the businesses on WhatsApp. Business accounts will offer notifications to customers like flight timings, delivery confirmations, and other updates.
Further, users will identify a business from another person as the verified business profiles will be having a green badge. Moreover, Businesses will also be able to create a company profile with information such as their address, business hours, and description of product or services offered.
It will also be easier for users to respond to messages via chat. The new feature is currently in test phase and it is soon to be available for all the users. The company is also taking feedback from users regarding the new features.
“We’ll be listening carefully to feedback during our test phase and keeping people informed as we make these tools more widely available,” the blog reads further.