Whatsapp for business - would you use in practice?

whatsapp for business

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Rumour has it that whatsapp will open it's api for business use. As many clients are already messaging me on whatsapp, could this be a practical solution for rolling out to business customers?

Replies (18)

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Man of Kent
By Kent accountant
04th May 2017 14:53

Jeez, isn't email, text, twitter, skype, GoToMeeting/join.me, post, face to face enough?

Just another hole correspondence could fall into.

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By Mr_awol
04th May 2017 15:15

I wouldn't let clients message me on WhatsApp (to my mobile).

I would use an API/desktop based service for incoming messages and for sending out reminders (if it was cheap).

Working out and/or monitoring which clients actually have WhatsApp could make it too much hassle though.

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By Democratus
04th May 2017 15:19

Whats Whatsapp?

Old Codger.

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RLI
By lionofludesch
04th May 2017 16:09

If a client Whatsapped me (whatever that is), I'd disengage immediately.

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Replying to lionofludesch:
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By Pelican
05th May 2017 10:09

lionofludesch wrote:

If a client Whatsapped me (whatever that is), I'd disengage immediately.

Probably need to move with the times.

Whatsapp allows you to do broadcasts. Basically advertise to all the contacts in your phone for free in one go.

It works very well for our practice.

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Replying to Pelican:
RLI
By lionofludesch
05th May 2017 10:13

It's not for me.

One has to maintain a little dignity. We're chartered accountants.

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By nick farrow
04th May 2017 17:09

no

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By mrme89
05th May 2017 10:43

Reading this thread made me feel like I'd walked into a retirement home for accountants.

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Replying to mrme89:
By Democratus
05th May 2017 14:46

OOOhhh I am going on Dragon's Den with that idea...£1M for 10% stake. Just imagine it.

Separate rooms for Chartered, Certified and CIMA members, and the CIPFAs can stay out the back in the yard.

Regular arguments about why UK GAAP was better in the old days, eveybody having on display their first calculator lovingly kept in a special drawer, the air perfumed with the smell of dusty ledgers, dart boards with HMRC logo sellotaped over it, 150 cups of tea per day, radio 4 in the background, ............sounds lovely.

Who's with me?

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Replying to mrme89:
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By legerman
05th May 2017 14:19

mrme89 wrote:

Reading this thread made me feel like I'd walked into a retirement home for accountants.

Depends at the market you're aiming for. I aim at micro businesses, so whatsapp is a good tool in my opinion. If you're dealing with larger businesses then I understand the reticence to use it.

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Replying to mrme89:
FT
By FirstTab
07th May 2017 11:29

Age does not equal always technophobia.

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Replying to FirstTab:
RLI
By lionofludesch
07th May 2017 11:34

I'm not frightened of it. I just can't be bothered learning new software every ten minutes. I've more interesting thinks to do than stare at a little screen for hours on end.

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By free-rider
05th May 2017 15:13

I have a dual SIM card phone using one SIM for work and another for private purposes.

WhatsApp is linked only to private SIM as otherwise some clients send messages in WhatsApp at any time of day and night ignoring weekends and bank holidays.

Don`t see a reason to share my WhatsApp with clients.

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By KateR
09th May 2017 10:38

I use Whatsapp for personal stuff. There have been issues regarding security and privacy so not sure would use it for business at the moment.

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By pauljohnston
09th May 2017 10:45

Whether we like it or not electronic communication is the way ahead and if we dont use it potential clients will go to accountants that do.

Like Mr AWOL we will embrace it if it can be on a desktop system

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By theedges
09th May 2017 11:06

A few years ago I would have said no, but the method clients use to communicate with me has changed so I've changed with it. They seem to do it anyway as if they have your mobile number it comes up on their whatsapp. I'd definitely use it more for business, it's probably more professional than texting.

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Teignmouth
By Paul Scholes
09th May 2017 11:15

I'm with undignified Pelican and others on this, I've been using it for years with friends and families (it's great for group messaging and making arrangements) and clients with similar experience just started to use it with me, it never occurred to me it was unusual or undignified, it's just easier and quicker for some people.

One of my clients who is clearly uncomfortable with text and email, sends me short voices messages on it and what I like is that for messages and voice mail you can tell when it's been delivered and read/heard.

I and some clients now use it to send photos of documents, in fact I can't remember the last time I used the scanner and whilst I have some sympathy with those who feel inundated with so many forms of communication, that's today's world, besides, what I've noticed is a drop off in email and I find that now far more cumbersome and dignified compared to Whatsapp and other mobile comms.

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By Ashlea
10th May 2017 09:56

I guess this depends on the size of your practice and your type of clients.
I have a small practice that I run solely. My clients are very grounded and friendly. I understand why they need my services and I appreciate the modern day reality of running a business along side life and families.
If a client is happy to use WhatsApp then so am I. Picture messages are usually costly and poor quality. WhatsApp is free and instant. The client doesn't have to post, drop off or scan/email a letter, instead they take a photo and click send. (Fair enough they can also send the photo by email on their phone but not everyone has email apps on their phone).
I appreciate that this would only be viable for smaller firms though, in which case the desktop/cloud text messaging systems are more efficient for that purpose.

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