Accelerate Customer Engagement with Salesforce and WhatsApp Integration

Accelerate Customer Engagement by Integrating WhatsApp with Salesforce CRM

customer-engagement-with-salesfo blog

Written by Manpreet Kaur

Content Writer

May 22, 2023

Organizations can revolutionize their communication with WhatsApp-first messaging. It’s advanced capabilities offer convenient, integrated, and personalized experiences between customers and businesses world-wide. Salesforce and WhatsApp integration facilitates and supports seamless conversations across Sales, Service, Marketing and commerce interactions. This blog covers all essential aspects of Salesforce and WhatsApp integration and how you can leverage this to transform your business communications.

What is Salesforce WhatsApp Integration?

The Salesforce WhatsApp integration connects you with valued customers and manages all WhatsApp communication through a user-friendly and intuitive chat interface. Salesforce’s Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud, and Commerce Cloud applications easily integrate with WhatsApp to offer promotional and customer service features, as well as transactional and conversational commerce features, thereby offering 24/7 customer support and personalized messages.

salesforce-whatsapp-integration

What are the Benefits of Integrating Salesforce WhatsApp for Businesses?

Enhanced Communication

Businesses can communicate with their customers on the same platform where they manage their sales, service, and marketing activities. This can lead to reduced response times and more personalized interactions, boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty. In addition, it is possible to have multiple service agents respond to queries or automate query resolution with an AI-powered WhatsApp bot.

Increased Efficiency

By communicating through WhatsApp, businesses can streamline their communication and minimize manual data entry, improving efficiency and reducing errors.

Better Customer Insights

Businesses get access to valuable data about customer behaviour and preferences to understand customers better, and can customize their sales, service, and marketing activities accordingly.

Improved Collaboration

It improves collaboration between sales, service, and marketing teams to ensure everyone works towards the same goals and follows a consistent approach to customer communication.

Multi-Channel Communication

You can offer your customers a variety of communication channels to choose from. This ensures that customers can communicate with businesses in a way that is convenient for them.

Notify Clients with Pre-Approved Notifications

You can communicate with customers using WhatsApp’s pre-approved message notifications. The permitted Salesforce notifications include the following:

  • Appointment Notification
  • Transportation Notification
  • Ticket Notification
  • Issue Resolution Notification
  • Alerts
  • Account Notification
  • Payment Notification
  • Financial Notification
  • Shipping Notification
  • Reservation Notification

With the ability to design and use up to 250 message templates, you can easily send valuable notifications to your customers. Businesses must seek approval for templates; WhatsApp may take 3-4 business days to review and approve them.

Use Cases for Integrating WhatsApp with Salesforce

Salesforce’s Spring Release allows you to transform customer service. Integrating this popular messaging app into your customer service strategy offers customers a better conversational platform and a more engaging experience. Plus, with Salesforce’s enhanced functionality, brands can effortlessly broadcast pre-approved templates in a planned and automated sequence. The goal is to enhance the customer journey and build lasting relationships through engaging conversations, not annoy them with endless ads.

salesforce-whats-app-integration

What features does Salesforce-WhatsApp Integration Offer for Sales, Service, and Marketing Clouds?

Sales Cloud

  • Lead Generation: Sales teams can leverage WhatsApp communications to generate new leads, send personalized messages, respond to queries, and provide product information to move prospects through the sales funnel.
  • Sales Updates: This helps sales representatives use WhatsApp to update their managers on deals they are working on. The information allows managers to track sales performance and make informed decisions.

Service Cloud

  • Customer Support: Customers can reach out to businesses with questions, concerns, or issues through WhatsApp, which the service teams can address quickly to offer solutions and resolve issues on time.
  • Customer Updates: Service representatives can use WhatsApp to update customers on their queries, improving customer satisfaction.

Marketing Cloud

  • Promotions and Offers: Marketers can use WhatsApp to send promotions, offers, and discounts to customers. They can also use WhatsApp to run contests or conduct surveys to engage with customers and collect feedback.
  • Campaign Updates: Marketers can use WhatsApp to update their team on campaigns’ status, ensuring everyone aligns with business goals.
marketing-cloud

Requirements for Integrating WhatsApp with Salesforce Cloud

The specific requirements for integrating WhatsApp with Salesforce Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and Marketing Cloud vary depending on business needs and goals. However, here are some general requirements businesses should consider:

Sales Cloud

  • WhatsApp Business Account: To integrate WhatsApp with Sales Cloud, businesses need a WhatsApp Business account, which allows them to send and receive customer messages and manage their WhatsApp presence.
  • API Integration: Businesses must access a third-party integration platform like Twilio or Message Bird. The integration platform provides an API that allows businesses to connect their WhatsApp Business account with Sales Cloud.

Service Cloud

  • WhatsApp Business Account: It is mandatory to have a WhatsApp Business account to integrate WhatsApp with Service Cloud. Also, the customer must have Digital Engagement SKU enabled in their Production Org if you have purchased and enabled Digital Engagement Product on their account. This activates the message channel on the Production Org.
  • Omnichannel Integration: Service Cloud offers omnichannel integration that allows businesses to manage all customer interactions, including WhatsApp, in one place. To use this integration, businesses must set up an Omnichannel routing feature in Service Cloud.

Marketing Cloud

  • WhatsApp Business Account: To integrate WhatsApp with Marketing Cloud, businesses must have a WhatsApp Business account. You can send the following types of messages:
    • Template Messages: These include transactional messages such as order confirmation, payment confirmation, reminders for abandoned carts, and others. These messages are approved before you can send them to ensure they are promotion-free.
    • Sessional Messages: These are user-initiated messages such as service desk support messages and do not need approval.
  • Integration Platform: Businesses must use an integration platform such as Salesforce’s Marketing Cloud Connect to connect WhatsApp with Marketing Cloud and manage messaging campaigns.

In addition to these requirements, businesses may need to consider other factors such as compliance with local regulations, data privacy, and security. Businesses must work with a reputable integration partner and follow best practices to ensure a successful integration. To be able to do that, you’ll need the following:

  • Get a Salesforce User License
  • Get approval for your WhatsApp Business API
  • Get Facebook Business Manager verification

Why Royal Cyber?

Royal Cyber possesses certified Salesforce CRM professionals to implement Salesforce – WhatsApp integration as part of any existing or new SF CRM space, enabling businesses to elevate customer experiences. Our certified professionals have the right integration experience and strive to help you engage customers, accelerate sales, and drive optimal results for your business.

Want to Connect with your Customers Seamlessly?

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