Imagine customer service as a function so essential to your organization that it engages customers at every level of their journey–from learning and purchase to usage and, ultimately, repurchase.
As customers, we want to hear continuously from our favourite brands, not just when they launch a new product.
After-sales service is a magic wheel that never stops. As soon as you land a customer, you can't just let them go. You have to turn the wheel again and again to transform them into repeat buyers.
This is end-to-endless customer service.
When consumers engage with a brand for the first time, WhatsApp conversations are a powerful predictor of conversion. 87% of US shoppers subscribed to a brand's chat program are likely to make a purchase.
You don't have to be a DTC brand to directly converse with your shoppers. Consumers are way more comfortable telling brands what they want when they want it–through their favourite marketing channel (aka WhatsApp)
This new capability lets companies transform shoppers' WhatsApp experiences and gives them new ways to discover, browse, and buy products from their favourite brands.
What is an After-Sales Service?
As the name suggests, after-sale service is any service provided after a customer has purchased a product. Giving customers attention after a completed sale lets them know you value them–not just their wallet.
High-quality after-sale support may include promptly answering customer enquiries, maintaining contact through loyalty programs, or even writing personalized thank-you notes. No matter what after-sales service you choose, the purpose is the same: keeping your customers happy and coming back for more.
Importance and purpose of after-sales service
Sales reps naturally focus on making a sale–that's the point. The average time to close a sales deal can range from weeks to months. While neck-deep in that process, it's easy to lose track of what happens to customers after the deal is done.
Too frequently, sales reps move on to the next sale, and their old prospects disappear into the ether.
Garnering new opportunities is essential, but it's also crucial to continue nurturing your existing customers. The probability of selling to your existing customer is 60-70%, while the chance of selling to a new prospect is only 5 to 20%.
Following up with stellar after-sales service delights customers, and they're more likely to stick around and spend more with your company. Beyond the simple benefit of making repeat sales, here are a few benefits of making top-notch after-sale services:
After-sales service keeps customers happy
Modern customers are more demanding because they can. Customers have infinitely more choices than at any other point in history. According to Salesforce, 67% of customers say their standards for good experiences are higher than ever.
A great product with terrible customer service won't last long. Exceed your customers' expectations with solid customer support, prompt communication, and other bonuses. Intervene quickly at potential barriers before any negative feelings can take root.
It makes customers loyal
Customer loyalty is an ongoing positive relationship between a customer and a business. A staggering 95% of customers say trusting a company increases their loyalty.
It's what drives repeat purchases and encourages existing customers to choose your company over competitors over and over again.
It's not about individual products or services–loyalty happens due to multiple positive interactions that build customer trust over time. Offer your customers regular bonuses, discounts or upgrades as a form of gratitude for their purchase.
This way, you'll have a competitive advantage over companies that tend to ignore the needs of their customers as soon as they receive their money.
It favours positive referrals
People inherently place more trust in the opinions and recommendations of people they know. Their endorsements carry much more weight and believability than paid marketing messages from brands.
While other companies must find ways to ask for referrals, you already have the door opened by providing your customers with excellent after-sales service. Happy, loyal clients will be more likely to become your brand ambassadors, telling how awesome your brand is through social media or word-of-mouth.
It improves your brand image
A customer's interaction with your brand shapes their entire perception. It starts when they first hear of your brand and ends well after they've purchased your product. A positive post-sales experience can make your brand reliable and trustworthy.
An excellent brand image sets your business apart from your competitors. If anything goes wrong, they're sure your wonderful customer service can compensate for minor unpleasantries and earn you more points.
A peek into the automation capabilities of WhatsApp for travel
The way customers want to interact with businesses has changed. Globally, 66% of online adults surveyed agree that messaging is their preferred way of communicating with a business, growing to 72% among 18-34-year-olds. But, how do you know you're getting the most marketing value of messaging?
That's where WhatsApp Business API comes in handy. Launched specifically for medium—to large companies, this powerful tool enables businesses to communicate with multiple customers at scale. The sales team can create a customized communication flow that caters to customers' needs with automated replies, interactive messages, and chatbots.
The WhatsApp Business API improves your sales efforts because it allows you to:
- Automate WhatsApp messages at scale: Businesses can send quick responses, order updates like shipping confirmation, delivery notifications, reminders to leave reviews, feedback requests, special offers based on their purchase history.
- Create a targeted customer experience: WhatsApp Business API allows the segmentation of shoppers into interests, demographics, and buying stages, then delivers personalized messages with relevant information, recommendations, and timely updates through a mix of text and images.
- Upgrade post-purchase customer experience: Post-purchase is the hallmark of customer satisfaction for many users. WhatsApp API lets you coordinate and regularize delivery updates, payment reminders, and notifications by sending them directly to the customer's chatbot.
Understanding the distinction between the basic WhatsApp Business option and the more robust WhatsApp Business API.
And you don't need to spend weeks getting this rolling. In five easy steps, we will walk you through setting up your WhatsApp Business API trial account using Gallabox.
- Enter your details to sign up for the free trial on gallabox.com.
- Invite your team and adapt to the roles and access levels to ensure everyone can collaborate effectively.
- Importing data is easier with Gallabox, which lets you import contacts individually or in bulk from tools such as Google Sheets, CRMs, or other third-party software.
- Now that your team and contacts are set, you can create WhatsApp Chatbots, Drip Marketing campaigns, or even WhatsApp Flows.
- Gallabox integrates seamlessly with your tech stack—your CRM, e-commerce platform, payment processor, or marketing tools—bringing everything under one roof.
Now that you've quickly set up the WhatsApp Business API with Gallabox let's see how you can best use it for your travel company.
Benefits of using WhatsApp for After-Sales service
Every region has its favourite chat app, but one has risen to prominence worldwide in the past few years.
WhatsApp has almost 3 billion users across 180 countries, and its user base is growing. Most users open WhatsApp 24-25 times daily, which ensures brands can connect with customers and display their updates and offers, resulting in a higher conversion rate.
To meet current customer experience standards, service must be quick, readily available anywhere, and even proactive. Customers are 4.7x more likely to view real-time messaging as
important versus unimportant.
The fact that consumer adoption of text messaging has continued to grow highlights that the channel meets their needs and expectations for convenience.
A study by Spectrum says that over half of their respondents have regular communication with a brand on WhatsApp. Almost half of them have messaged with a brand between one to ten times, 18% have messaged with a brand between eleven to twenty times, and 15% have messaged with a brand over forty times.
WhatsApp is uniquely positioned to serve the modern consumer, making it a powerful tool for marketers, irrespective of industry. A study found that texting is quickly gaining favour with consumers. Currently, 93% of US shoppers are interested in or opt to receive text from brands. Last year, that number was 81% (which is already a 26% jump from 2020).
The fact that consumer adoption of WhatsApp has continued to grow highlights that it meets the expectation of convenience. When asked, their favourite message types to receive from brands (52%), shipping notifications (45%), sales and promotions, and birthday/anniversary/holiday greetings (30%) topped the list.
And shoppers aren't leaving brands on read. They're actively engaging with brands when they receive any message. Globally, 63% of consumers engage with the brand's text messaging programs at least twice weekly. These numbers are a testament to their comfort and familiarity with WhatsApp.
WhatsApp conversational messages are an excellent first touch—they're urgent, to the point, and hyper-personalized. Customers usually expect exciting announcements and limited-time offers via WhatsApp first and are ready to click through and shop. With WhatsApp, you can use visuals (images and videos) and crisp messaging to educate shoppers about the product they're interested in or to build loyalty to the brand.
But the real surprise is that shoppers are just as likely to reach out to learn more about your offering:
- 88% of customers of global consumers would strike up a conversation to learn more about your product
- 70% would start a conversation to get a product recommendation
- 80% would ask for a promotion or discount
Lastly, when reached at the right time, customers would spend more than they had planned. It is important to understand your customers' mindsets and when they will be most likely to shop. The best times when the shoppers are most likely to make a purchase are while watching TV when they get a text about a sale, or while drinking their morning coffee.
Your WhatsApp campaigns should be timed well and precisely segmented to share the right product at the right time with the right people.
How do you use WhatsApp for after-sales service?
As we have seen, after-sale services are crucial to keep customers returning for more. Now, let's cover the essential steps to providing a brag-worthy after-sale service:
Show your appreciation
Showing gratitude can be awkward and difficult. But keeping things personal is a great way to keep them engaged with your brands and raise the odds of turning them into loyal customers.
Studies show that expressing gratitude is one of the most undervalued aspects of connecting with customers. About 77% of customers like it when brands say that they like when brands say "Thank You".
You don't have to start writing lengthy love letters. The rules of writing a "thank you" note are quite straightforward:
- Keep your message short and sweet. Your message should not exceed 30 words.
- Be authentic. Customers can send when a message is genuine or another marketing gimmick.
- Personalize your note by referring to an item they purchased. For instance, "Thank you for purchasing [Book Title]! We think you'll love it as much as we do."
- Show your customer appreciation. Convince your customers that their choices matter and are important for your business.
- When writing a thank you, try using a neutral tone that is enthusiastic. Your thank you message should always show respect.
Even better, "thank you" notes can be combined with other engagement elements, such as an appreciation discount, information about the product, or links to other relevant products that they can benefit from.
This is similar to how Reliance Digital shows appreciation to their customers by providing them a flat 15% off other relevant products. The message shows appreciation for customers' choices and rewards them with further benefits.
Ask for customer feedback
What other people have to say about your business carries more weight than you have to say about your business, even if they're complete strangers. BrightLocal says 98% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses.
With Whatsapp Business API, you can quickly and seamlessly reach out to customers, collect feedback and make data-driven decisions based on the insights you gather. Here are a few WhatsApp message templates that you can use to ask for customer feedback:
- Checking in with recent buyers: One of the best times to ask for customer feedback is after they've bought the product or service. This is an excellent opportunity to ask customers about their experience with the product or service and gather insights on how to improve it.
- Engaging with loyal customers: Long-term customers are a valuable source of feedback as they have a deeper understanding of your brand and provide opinions on your products or services.
- Get specific answers: Whatsapp is an excellent platform for asking specific questions. Since customers are more active on the platform, they would love to get into the details with a simple message. You can ask about their experience with your recent launches, features, customer service, or overall experience.
Whatsapp chatbots can be programmed to send customer feedback at scale. With the help of machine learning algorithms, chatbots can analyze customer feedback and provide valuable insights to business.
Coupons and discounts
Incorporating coupon promotions and other incentives into your Whatsapp marketing strategy is smart. Half of customers end up buying more products with a coupon than they would've without one.
The most common types of incentives can be categorized into two buckets: promotional vs non-promotional–like gifts, coupons, or BOGO offers–are typically the most preferred and effective.
But suppose your brand isn't able to offer monetary discounts. In that case, you can always entice them with free shipping, loyalty or VIP program programs, exclusive content and first access to new product launches.
For instance, Savana, an e-commerce platform, leverages coupons and discounts to keep users returning. The sense of urgency created by the limited offer encourages customers to act quickly and make purchases, increasing sales for the business.
Instant customer support
If something goes wrong, your customer will want a quick fix. You can use WhatsApp to guide them through the solution step by step. You can hop on calls (video or audio), send voice notes, and write detailed instructions with images and videos. This hands-on support shows that your business is dedicated to solving their problem.
Once the issue is resolved, you immediately ask them for feedback. You can follow up on them in a few days to see if everything is working fine. This simple gesture shows that you care about your customers.
For products that need regular maintenance, you can schedule reminders to keep them informed. A friendly nudge on WhatsApp ensures they don't miss important actions and helps them keep their product in top shape.
How to set up WhatsApp for After-Sales service?
Gallabox is a top WhatsApp Business Service Provider (BSP) that enables businesses to send unlimited bulk WhatsApp messages to contacts instantly.
By leveraging Gallabox's advanced features, you can create customized broadcast lists, segment customers, and even send personalized messages.
Using the WhatsApp Business API, businesses can automate broadcasts, track delivery statuses, and manage all communications seamlessly in one place.
Step 1: To begin, head over to "Broadcast" on the left navigation. If you manage multiple channels, no worries. Just pick the one you want to use for this broadcast.
Step 2: Click the "New Broadcast" button at the top right corner to start creating your bulk campaign. You can either choose an approved WhatsApp Template that you have previously created or craft a brand new template by clicking "New Template" at the top right corner.
Step 3: To get the best results, you can also segment your contacts based on their interests or purchase history. Once a segment is created with certain criteria, any new contacts that match these criteria will automatically be added to the segment.
To create a segment, click the new segment button in the top right corner. A popup will appear, and you can add various filters to create your segment for better understanding.
Step 4: Now, we will create a segment by filtering contacts mapped to a specific contact owner. Once you see your filtered list, give your segment a clear and descriptive name for easy reference. Later, click the “Create Group” button to finalize your segment.
Step 5: Click view count next to any segment to see how many contacts belong to that group and are ready to send a broadcast. Simply check the box next to the segments you want to target, and you can choose one or multiple segments for a truly personalized campaign.
Step 6: After selecting your audience and clicking continue, you'll see a popup.
If you've used any variables to personalize your message, this step involves mapping variables in your WhatsApp template and adding media like images or videos.
Step 7: Similar to the variable data, you can also upload or map media files and add a payload to the template.
If required, click on learn more to understand the payload better. Click confirm. Once you've added the variables, you can rename your broadcast, but by default, we fill it with the current date and time. Choose when to send your message immediately or schedule it for a later time to optimize engagement.
Step 8: Under target audience, you'll see the total number of contacts you're broadcasting to. If you're sending a marketing template message, make sure to toggle on sending the message to contacts who opted in for marketing.
This honours your customer's consent, helps avoid getting blocked, and maintains your account's quality rating.
On the right side, you'll see a preview of how your message will look for the first 20 recipients who want to manage replies differently or automate them, use the broadcast reply settings to assign incoming messages with respect to this broadcast to a team, a specific user or a bot for efficient handling.
Step 9: Once you're happy with everything, click the big send broadcast button to deliver those messages to your broadcast.
Moving Forward with WhatsApp for sales
It's normal to enter a business focused on finding new customers, but ongoing success relies on the many benefits that loyal and satisfied customers bring to the table. Investing in an excellent after-sales service strategy will provide endless returns in the form of great referrals, customer retention, and a positive brand image.
However, managing such diverse after-sale service use cases alone might feel tiring and troublesome; that's where Gallabox steps in.
Gallabox allows you to integrate Whatsapp Business API with your favourite tools, manage patients' contacts, and streamline bulk messaging, allowing health professionals to focus on their prime objective—patient care.
In addition to WhatsApp messaging, Gallabox also provides excellent WhatsApp workspace and no-code chatbot solutions. So don't wait; sign up now to get a free trial.
FAQs
Why should I use WhatsApp for after-sales service?
WhatsApp is a fast, convenient, and widely used communication platform that allows businesses to provide real-time customer support, share updates, and resolve issues efficiently. With features like chat automation, multimedia support, and chatbots, businesses can improve customer satisfaction.
Can I automate responses on WhatsApp?
Yes, using WhatsApp Business API and chatbots, you can automate responses for common customer inquiries, such as:
- Order confirmation and status updates
- FAQs about products and services
- Appointment reminders
- Escalation to a human agent for complex issues
Is WhatsApp secure for after-sales support?
Yes, WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption to ensure secure communication. However, businesses should also follow best practices:
- Never ask for sensitive customer data like passwords
- Use official WhatsApp Business accounts with verification badges
- Provide clear policies on data handling
