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What are WhatsApp Flows?
WhatsApp Flows, the newest feature addition in WhatsApp Business Platform, helps businesses design, build, and customize their own (customer) journeys. This way, you'll be able to create rich menus and customizable forms to support the needs of different customers, allowing you to provide seamless services while interacting with your customers.
Basically, WhatsApp Flows let's you create something similar to a customizable and flexible online form, where your customers get to pick different choices from a drop-down menu or (pre-)fill information fields while being guided through their buying or support journey. These WhatsApp Flows can also make handovers from and to chatbots feel more natural, and help automate processes seamlessly. They can also be used to streamline appointments and deliveries, gather customer information, add leads to your CRM, and personalize content to target your customers.
"Interactions made flexible, functional, rich. Powered by WhatsApp Flows. With WhatsApp Flows businesses can design, build and customize their own journeys, which can make chatbot and AI agent solutions better, as well as offer end-to-end experiences."
- Meta
The Use Cases of WhatsApp Flows
WhatsApp Business Platform strives to provide an end-to-end conversational commerce experience to help turn conversations into conversions. With the introduction of WhatsApp Business Flows and payments on WhatsApp, this end-to-end experience will be completed. WhatsApp Flows will help drive sales and customer loyalty, streamline scheduling, and support your customers in making the right choices.
1. Reduce No-Shows
It’s no secret that no-shows and closed doors are a source of frustration for most delivery drivers and other scheduled home services like mechanics and service providers. From the wasted preparation and delivery time to the lost revenue, a no-show can really ruin the day. In fact, in 2020 the average cost per failed delivery was a whopping $17,2 in the US, €14,69 in Germany, and £11,6 in the UK. Time really is money. WhatsApp Flows can help reduce the chances of finding closed doors.
How? Well, a day before the delivery is scheduled, you can send your customers a message with a delivery or appointment reminder and a button to a WhatsApp Flow that allows them to reschedule to a more convenient time seamlessly within the WhatsApp conversation. Easier for them, and easier for you as a business, because you can say goodbye to lengthy back-and-forth questions in the chat about rescheduling an appointment - it can all be done in Flows in a more convenient UI. 
2. Drive Sales Through Marketing
Getting the right content to the right audience is key. WhatsApp Business Platform can already be used to send out promotional messages and newsletters. Adding WhatsApp Flows into this mix will give your customers a chance to choose what type(s) of content they wish to receive, and how often, tailoring your marketing efforts to their needs.
For example, some customers may want to receive new product updates or special offers, while others want to be re-engaged about one specific product (when it's back in stock). Making sure you target each customer with offers they wish to receive will help increase conversion. The personalized customer experience will also help build trust with your brand, as your customers will feel seen, heard, and understood by your business.
3. Streamline Scheduling & Booking
What queries are almost always in your top 10 most asked questions to your customer service? Are they perhaps something along the lines of 'What are your opening hours?', 'Can I schedule an appointment next week?', 'When can I stop by?' - Then WhatsApp Flows can not only help you streamline, automate, and answer these questions, but also help schedule the bookings and make the appointments through WhatsApp Chat. And it's not just about booking appointments. WhatsApp Flows can also assist your customers with booking your services, such as reserving tables or seats, or booking tickets.
4. Assist Customers & Drive Sales
There are countless scenarios where customers need a little help when browsing or purchasing your products. This can range from seeing if something is available in their size, to checking delivery options. WhatsApp Flows can help your customers decide on the right products, assisting them in their buying journey.
Conversion rates are typically higher if customers don't have to switch to a different channel to get their questions answered or continue their buying journey, so WhatsApp Flows can potentially boost sales.
5. Simplify Sign-ups and Log-ins
Are you promoting your event(s) through WhatsApp? Then WhatsApp Flows can help sign customers up faster. You can even combine it with Authentication Messaging Templates to double-check the customer data input. And all of this, within the App.
In similar fashion, WhatsApp Flows could also make it easier for your customers to sign into their account. With WhatsApp Flows, they just have to follow the flow you set up to verify their identity, and then access their account.
Flexible, Functional, and Rich Interactions with WhatsApp Flows for Your Customers
Are you ready to design, build, and customize the customer journeys your business offers with WhatsApp Flows? Then you'll need a WhatsApp Business Platform account, because this feature is only available trough the API. You can access the API through a Meta Business Partner such as CM.com. All of the WhatsApp features, including WhatsApp Flows, will be made available to you. Talk to one of our experts to discuss the possibilities.
