Dear WuBookers, among the various channels we have at our disposal to communicate with our guests, there is also WhatsApp Business. Particularly popular in Europe, the popular phone application in fact offers some tools designed for professional use, which can also prove very useful for the hospitality industry. 

Differences between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business

The first aspect that distinguishes WhatsApp Business from WhatsApp is the ability to create a verified profile and include information visible to all, including: property name, a brief description, hotel address, email and phone number, opening hours, and website.

Moreover, within the application it is possible to set up a product catalog, in which the hotel’s rooms, their photos and rates, and related services (these may also be vacation packages or limited offers) can be shown, with links to the respective pages on the site for direct reservation. Products in the catalog are visible to those in contact with the property via WhatsApp and can be shared in chat.

Not only that: definitely useful are also the opportunities related to messaging management, which are absent in the normal version.
Through WhatsApp Business, in fact, the hotelier can: 

• set welcome messages, which are sent automatically whenever a person contacts us for the first time, to greet them politely without making them wait too long;
• set up away messages, scheduling them for time slots when the Front Desk is not operational (e.g., between 00:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.). This is very useful to reassure the customer and alert them that they will receive a more accurate response as soon as possible;
• Organize chats by type and send preset communications depending on the case. This functionality is manageable through WhatsApp Business internal labels that can be created and assigned (even more than one at a time) to distinguish the status of the conversation, for example, “Confirmed reservation” or “Requesting information” or “Awaiting confirmation,” and so on.In this way, in addition to having a clear and immediate overview of the status of the various chats, the hotelier can send the same preconfigured message to all contacts that fall into a given category (including any deadline reminders or impromptu offers) and speed up response operations to increase conversions; 
• quickly answer common questions: again speaking of preset messages, you can save up to 50 of them and recall them in chat through a key combination to type (“shortcode,” in the jargon).

Even from this first overview, the convenience of using this method to communicate with travelers is evident, but the benefits do not end there. 

The advantages of using WhatsApp Business in hotels 

Immediate, widespread, and easy to use, WhatsApp Business greatly facilitates communication with its guests, including potential guests, thus relieving hotel staff of repetitive tasks that take time away from other activities.
In fact, this instant messaging system makes it possible to welcome customers and establish a relationship during and after their stay. This will make it easier to: intervene promptly in case of need or unforeseen events; answer travelers’ questions and curiosities, making them feel pampered and cared for; suggest any extra services; and ask for a review at the end of their stay. 

Moreover, an additional point of contact will be added, which is especially appreciated by the smartest customers.

Unlike a phone call, which you may happen to lose track of, messages in the app can also be monitored: in fact, internal statistics offer data on messages sent, delivered and read. This is an important aspect for assessing the effectiveness of communication, the type of effort required and performance over time.
Independent of regular WhatsApp, the Business version also allows you to separate personal and professional communications and – as a result – avoid any mistakes by taking proper breaks from work when you are off duty.

In fact, WhatsApp Business can also be used from a PC, and anyone in the hotel can use it.

And to compensate for the apparent informality of this channel – which may not fit well with the property’s image – just set up appropriate messages in form and style. Personalization is the key to making interactions with your guests distinctive and coordinated with respect to the brand. 

How to enable the Business profile on WhatsApp

Activating WhatsApp Business is free and requires only a few simple steps.
First, you need to download the application from Google’s online stores or Apple’s App Store.
Once downloaded, you need to match a mobile or landline number and continue with the verification procedure. If you choose a mobile number, the most convenient thing is to request the 6-digit code via SMS; while for the fixed number you will need to choose the call.
After registering the phone number, you can create the actual account, indicating the name of the property and the relevant category, and set the profile picture.

That done, it is time to customize the fields mentioned above such as name, description and contact information: just go to the “Explore” section, then click on “Activity Profile” to add all the details.
To configure the application on the hotel’s PC, simply download it to the fixed device you want to enable and connect it to the related number: this way you will not need to manage conversations from a smartphone, but everything can be done from the computer. 

Taking advantage of WhatsApp to share quotes 

In addition to the uses already mentioned, WhatsApp can also be an excellent channel for handling any requests for quotes and encouraging direct reservations.
The most common cases are usually three: 

• a customer requests a quote, and upon acceptance, the hotelier manually enters the reservation; 
• a customer requests and accepts the quote, and the hotelier sends a link to the Booking Engine to complete the transaction, thus leaving the guest with the reservation; 
• the hotelier responds to the guest’s request by sending a personalized quote that the guest can accept to proceed with the reservation themselves. 

The last two options are the most secure and effective and can be adopted easily because of the integration between WhatsApp Business and the hotel PMS.

For example, through the dedicated quote module of Zak (WuBook’s management software for hospitality properties), ad hoc links can be generated for each guest and sent via email or WhatsApp. Moreover, quotes can include multiple offers and additional services. When the guest accepts and completes the reservation process, the property’s availability calendar automatically updates, thus avoiding the risk of errors or overbooking.
But how to incentivize the use of WhatsApp by potential customers? Certainly by linking it to the property’s Facebook page and Instagram profile – if they exist – to create ads that link back to WhatsApp messaging.
It is then essential to include it within the website. Also in this case, Zak has the right solution: thanks to the Website Creation feature, in fact, it is possible to create a website dedicated to the property and integrate within it the WhatsApp icon linked to the Business account. By doing so, users will be able to chat directly with the hotel without having to go through other channels.

In conclusion, WhastApp Business is a very useful tool that can be further leveraged and enhanced when integrated with a good PMS, benefiting hoteliers and guests.