WhatsApp has become a popular mobile app for business purposes in recent years. An increasing number of customers say that it’s their preferred channel for communicating with businesses. But WhatsApp must also be integrated into your compliance recording strategy. Touch can help.

WhatsApp is now ranked as the most used mobile messenger app in the world, with over 2 billion active users worldwide^[1] and more than 100 billion messages sent each day^[2]. The app is available in 180 different countries, and accessible in more than 20 languages.

Importantly, it’s also becoming one of the most popular mobile messaging apps for businesses since the launch of WhatsApp Business API in 2018. In 2021, the last set of business statistics published, the number of WhatsApp Business users surpassed 1.2 billion users^[3], while in 2022 the business version of the app was downloaded 292 million times on Android and iOS devices^[4].

The increasing importance of WhatsApp for customer-business interactions

Furthermore, a number of statistics in a report from WhatsApp and business messaging partner Sanuker^[5] show the growing importance of WhatsApp in customer-business interactions:

• 64% of WhatsApp users agreed that WhatsApp fosters a personal connection to businesses.
• 65% feel more confident messaging businesses compared to sending an email.
• 68% of users view WhatsApp as the easiest method of contacting a business.
• 83% of customers use WhatsApp Business to contact a business to learn about products, and 75% of them go on to make the purchase.

WhatsApp must be aligned with compliance and call recording obligations

Of course, the growing use of WhatsApp means that it becomes subject to compliance obligations. Or, the recording of conversations may also be used for audit purposes, dispute resolution, and for the training and improvement of employees. For example, much of the information shared during customer interactions is likely to fall under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Touch Call Recording Service aligned with WhatsApp

WhatsApp is designed for private use and the consumer market. This makes it a challenge for enterprises to onboard the app into their compliance program. Touch has the expertise you need and has integrated WhatsApp recording into our Touch Call Recording Service for your business. It’s complex - but we have numerous deployments of call and digital communications recording solutions. It’s proven, and it just works.

Because Touch Call Recording Service is located in the network, it requires no costly and risky hardware or large software deployments and embraces both new and legacy data and applications. It integrates with more than 50 different channels, including:

• Mobile and fixed voice calls
• SMS and other text-based recording
• Enterprise apps such as MS Teams
• PBX integrations, including Mitel MX-ONE, Cisco Call Manager, Avaya, Alcatel Lucent, Unify - and more
• Industry-specific apps such as Bloomberg Chat and Refinitiv Messenger, to name just a few
• WhatsApp

Not only does it ensure compliance – regardless of the location, device or app being used by employees or customers – it also enables greater business efficiency, better QA, and helps to strengthen the customer-business relationship.

Touch Call Recording Service is a flexible, scalable compliance recording solution that ensures you not only meet legal obligations without disruption, but also that compliance strategy is wholly aligned with business processes and apps without impacting performance or business objectives. Contact us today to find out more.

^[1] According to Meta/Facebook’s most recent figures

^[2] WhatsApp official figures

^[3] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1308738/global-whatsapp-business-users-and-companies-by-region/

^[4] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1276030/whatsapp-business-downloads-leading-countries/

^[5] https://sanuker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/SANU-392000-00003_ebook_APAC_EN-v1b-1.pdf