Live chat vs. WhatsApp - which is best for your business?

When customers have questions or need help, you ideally want to respond as quickly and effectively as possible. Two of the most popular communication tools for customer service are live chat and WhatsApp.

Both channels offer instant text-based messaging between customers and customer service agents. However, there are some key differentiators, namely, live chat is embedded into your website, while WhatsApp is a separate mobile app.

So, which customer support tool is best for your business? In this guide, we’ll compare live chat and WhatsApp and their benefits to your customer support operations.

Why it’s important to choose the right communication tool

How you engage with customers directly impacts how customers perceive your brand and, ultimately, your potential sales. This includes how you speak to them, where you speak to them, and how efficiently you solve their query.

Choosing the right tool can improve response times, help you retain customers, and even reduce the load on your support team.

What are the benefits of live chat customer service?

Live chat is a messaging tool integrated directly into your website or app. It allows customers to instantly communicate with support agents in real-time. Here’s how live chat can benefit your customer service operations.

Seamless user experience

Since live chat is embedded directly on your site or app, it’s available whether the customer is on a desktop, mobile or another device, and customers don’t have to leave the platform to seek help.

This creates a frictionless customer experience, as customers can continue shopping or browsing while resolving their issues. This prevents customers from abandoning their baskets and improves conversion rates. According to data from customer service platform Tidio, those who engage with businesses through live chat are 513% times more likely to become customers.

Fully customisable to your brand

With live chat sitting inside your website or app, you can customise it to be aesthetically cohesive with your brand. That means using your logo, font and brand colours, allowing your business to maintain a consistent, professional image.

Data collection & personalisation

Live chat tools allow you to quickly capture customer data, track their journey on your site, and provide agents relevant context before they begin a conversation. This leads to more personalised interactions and faster resolutions. You can also gain instant feedback on how your service is doing to help you improve.

What are the benefits of WhatsApp for Business customer service?

WhatsApp, the mobile messaging app, has extended its platform to businesses with WhatsApp for Business. This means businesses can now use the app to communicate with customers.

Widespread usage

WhatsApp has 2 billion global customers. This means many of your customers are likely already familiar with its interface, making it an easy platform for them to use.

Message read receipts

WhatsApp offers read receipts, showing when messages are delivered and read. This transparency can help agents better manage conversations and ensure customers know their queries have been received and are being handled.

Drawbacks of WhatsApp

Although WhatsApp is one of the most popular apps in the world, it would be remiss not to mention the few key differences that hinder its use as a customer service tool.

Slower response times

Think about how you use WhatsApp daily—it’s a casual messaging app. You might only reply to a handful of messages at a time and park the rest for later.

Therefore, as a customer, if you use WhatsApp to ask a business a question, you may not expect an instant reply and might not respond to a customer service agent with any urgency. You’re also likely to lose customers to distractions from notifications or switching to other apps on their phones, which can lead to loss of business.

Limited to smartphone users

If customers don’t already have WhatsApp downloaded, it will take them a minute or two to install it and connect it to their phone number, leaving them frustrated. Not to mention, customers who don’t have a smartphone are excluded from using WhatsApp altogether.

An additional step to switch devices

Although WhatsApp can be used on desktops, not everybody knows that, and even fewer have it set up already. WhatsApp is primarily a mobile app. Customers browsing your website on their laptops would need to switch devices if they wanted to speak to a customer service agent via WhatsApp, adding friction to their experience.

24-hour time limit

After a business responds to a customer query on WhatsApp, they reply for a maximum of 24 hours. After this point, they can only send pre-approved message templates, meaning they cannot write a personalised message specific to the customer’s query. That means any ongoing conversation may have to switch to another tool to continue, such as email. You can find out more about the WhatsApp Business messaging policy here.

Still a relatively new tool

Unlike live chat, WhatsApp is still a relatively new and uncommon tool for contacting a business, which may make some customers unwilling to try this option. They may opt for a less-instant means of contacting your business, like phone customer support, or they may decide it’s not worth contacting you at all, resulting in lost business.

Which tool is right for your business?

In our opinion, live chat is the superior option. It keeps customers on your website while they get their queries answered, and it’s a proven method of improving conversions.

You could technically give customers the choice by making both options available. But this would inevitably make things more complicated to manage, both for your customers and your business operations.

• See more: How managed live chat can increase your sales 
• See more: Turbocharge your customer services through managed live chat
• See more: What is Interactive Voice Response and is it right for my business?

It could cause customers to use both tools for the same issue, thus doubling the number of tickets your customer service agents need to resolve. At the same time, your customers may lose track of where they placed their query and leave their issues unresolved.

Set your business up with Bizik’s managed live chat

With Bizik, you’ll get a fully customisable widget embedded in your website, allowing your customer’s questions to be answered seamlessly and effectively while they browse.

Even better, our team of dedicated customer service agents will do the talking for you.  They’ll greet the customer, ask the right questions, offer guidance, and they can communicate in 100+ languages.

Thanks to our post-chat surveys, you’ll also gain valuable customer data, which get feedback on your services. Start your one week free trial to see how your business can benefit.