Did you know that 59% of customer service agents are at risk of burnout? It’s also frustrating for a customer when they reach out with a billing question only to get met with a live chat agent specialising in general inquiries. Traditionally, this would mean juggling emails, phone calls, and different platforms to connect the customer with the right person. 

Your teams can collaborate and serve customers on their preferred platform thanks to shared inboxes for WhatsApp Business. Because of WhatsApp, businesses have reduced email and phone engagements by up to 40% while growing overall customer engagement by up to 13%.

In this blog, we explore how Cue empowers customer service teams to use WhatsApp Business for better customer support, reduced agent burnout, and ultimately, happier customers.

Why should your team use WhatsApp Business?

71% of customers believe that a quick response from a customer service team can make or break their customer experience. 

With WhatsApp for teams, you can add multiple departments, automate repetitive customer questions, and provide real-time support, all within WhatsApp. 

WhatsApp for teams empowers you to:

1. Boost customer satisfaction: Solve customer issues fast, accurately, and with a personalised touch.

2. Improve team collaboration: Shared inboxes allow your team to see the entire conversation history, ensuring everyone is on the same page.

3. Drive sales & engagement: Take action with targeted messages, answer product-related queries, and guide customers through the buying journey.

Setting up WhatsApp for teams

WhatsApp makes it easy for teams of all sizes to cater to their customers through the WhatsApp Business mobile app and the WhatsApp Business API - both offering their own features.

WhatsApp Business mobile app

This is a free option designed for smaller teams. You can connect one phone number to the app and manage basic business functions like greetings, away messages, and labels. The mobile app doesn’t allow you to add multiple team members, but you can log in on up to 4 devices. Small teams with basic customer support needs can start with the WhatsApp Business mobile app. Linking your account is as simple as following a few steps:

• Start your WhatsApp Business app.

• Tap the “more options” icon (the three vertical dots).

• Select “linked devices”.

• Choose the “link a device” option.

• Scan the provided QR code, and you're good to go.

WhatsApp Business API

The WhatsApp Business API is a more advanced, feature-packed solution ideal for larger teams. It allows you to connect multiple agents, integrate with CRM systems, and leverage automation tools like chatbots. Big teams that handle larger amounts of queries should opt for the WhatsApp Business API. Adding users to your WhatsApp Business account with Cue is a simple process:

• Log in to your Cue workspace and click on the settings icon at the bottom left of the screen.

• Click on the purple “create a user” button at the top right of the screen and fill in the user details. 

• Assign a role to the user. The Cue workspace has four roles for you to choose from. These include

  • Agent: Users can access the Inbox to live chat with customers

  • Broadcast manager: Users can create and send broadcasts from the workspace

  • Flow manager: Users can create and manage flows for the workspace

  • Workspace owner: Users have full access to all areas of the workspace

• Submit the form and add your user by clicking on “create”.

How teams can use the WhatsApp Business API

Let's explore the different ways you can use WhatsApp for teams to supercharge your customer support.

1. Centralised communication hub

Whether it’s a technical support ticket, a sales ticket or a general customer support ticket, the Cue platform stores everything in one central location for teams to access. This means agents don’t need to manage multiple customers on multiple platforms.

Cue allows you to create dedicated views for different teams in your organisation. These teams can be grouped by department, client inquiries, or just be used as organisational folders.  You can then create flows to automatically assign tickets to the relevant team.

In the Cue platform, teams have access to the following sections:

• My tickets: This view shows tickets assigned to you.

• All tickets: All open tickets.

• Unassigned tickets: This view shows tickets that haven't been assigned to any team member yet.

Learn more about what you can do in your shared inbox.

Teams management for insurance

An insurance company can use Cue to set up multiple teams to handle claims processing, general inquiries, quotes and policies. Then create flows using chatbots to redirect users to the appropriate team

2. Collaborative problem solving

When a customer has a complex inquiry that requires assistance from both sales and technical support teams, shared inboxes eliminate the need for handoffs or never-ending email chains.  Agents can easily collaborate within the Cue platform, share context, and brainstorm solutions in real-time – all while the customer remains connected to the conversation. This creates a sense of teamwork and ensures the customer receives the best possible support.

WhatsApp collaboration for retailers

Retailers can collaborate when a customer has just made a purchase but realises they might have made a mistake with their shipping address. The sales and support teams can easily see the history of the conversation and respond accordingly.

3. Give your team a breather with WhatsApp auto-replies

With WhatsApp auto-replies, you can send instant responses to customers acknowledging that you’ve received their messages and letting them know when to expect a response. 

Auto-replies buy your team time and give them a moment to gather context on the situation before responding. You can also use them to provide helpful resources like FAQs or tutorials, empowering customers to find answers on their own while your team attends to other queries. 

Drive loyalty with auto-replies

A car dealership can set up an auto-reply thanking customers for contacting them and informing them that a representative will be in touch within a specific timeframe. They can also include a link to their FAQ page for answers to commonly asked questions.

4. WhatsApp chatbots for better team performance

While WhatsApp chatbots aren't necessarily a Teams feature, they can be super useful additions to your WhatsApp Business strategy. 

WhatsApp chatbots are AI-powered assistants that can handle repetitive tasks like answering FAQs, scheduling appointments, or providing order details. This frees up human agents to focus on more complex customer interactions and personalised support.

Help customers faster 

An e-commerce business can use WhatsApp chatbots to send order confirmations, shipping updates, and delivery notifications. This keeps customers informed and reduces the need for them to reach out for status updates. It’s important to still give your customers the option to speak to an agent.

5. Convenient ticket notes

Teams can use ticket notes to include information and provide context and guidance for the next agent who picks up the conversation. These notes can include summaries of troubleshooting steps taken, key points discussed with the customer, or the next steps required for resolution.

Ticket resolution for e-commerce

When a customer support agent is in the middle of processing a customer's refund request, they can leave detailed notes outlining the steps taken and any relevant information for the next available finance agent. This eliminates the need for the finance agent to review the entire conversation history, saving them time and ensuring a smooth handover of the refund process. 

Bonus tip: Turn website visitors into customers with web chat

When customers browse your website and have questions, the Cue web chat lets them easily start a conversation directly from your website, and they can continue chatting on WhatsApp.  Your team can then get messages routed to them when customers start live chats.

Secure more bookings with a web widget

A hospitality provider can integrate the Cue web widget on their website, allowing guests to chat with staff about booking inquiries, request room service, or ask questions about hotel amenities, all without leaving the website. 

Get started with WhatsApp for teams

81% of customers claim that receiving good customer service makes them more likely to make another purchase. WhatsApp allows teams to supercharge your customer service efforts, lighten the load on your team, and keep your customers happy. Contact Cue today and get a call back in 15 minutes!