Salesforce Launches Unified Conversations for WhatsApp

Salesforce today launched Unified Conversations for WhatsApp, which transforms one-way marketing promotions or service requests into dynamic, two-way conversations from a single WhatsApp number.

Now, instead of managing separate threads for promotions and support, customers can automatically receive personalized opt-in marketing promotions and individual support within a single WhatsApp chat. Companies can use data stored in Salesforce from across their more than 900 hubs within WhatsApp to deliver personalized conversations.

"With more than 2 billion people using WhatsApp today, Salesforce's new Unified Conversations for WhatsApp enables brands to connect with their customers where they are and have a single, connected, and trusted experience," said Steve Hammond, executive vice president and general manager of Salesforce Marketing Cloud, in a statement. "This helps brands break down barriers across their company and build stronger relationships throughout their customers' journey, including natural handoffs from marketing to service teams, by sending customers the right message, no matter where they are in the customer journey, at the right time and in the right context."

Unified Conversations for WhatsApp is powered by Salesforce Data Cloud, allowing marketers and service agents to work off the same, shared customer profile and gain the relevant context needed to deliver trusted experiences in a single chat thread.

With this app, marketers can segment audiences and create content for marketing campaigns while giving service agents a window into customers' interactions to provide recommended next-best actions using a single WhatsApp number.

Inside one WhatsApp conversation, healthcare organizations can schedule, confirm, and provide follow-up support for procedures and appointments. Financial service institutions can prevent fraud by offering a single experience in WhatsApp to proactively verify and provide assistance for unusual transactions. And travelers can respond to personalized trip offers and book experiences through chatbot-powered prompts in WhatsApp.