Chat Apps Dominate Customer Communication
Interactions via WhatsApp and RCS are rising significantly, but so are tried-and-tested channels such as SMS and e-mail with increasing interaction processes.
When communicating with a company or brand, customers increasingly want dialog-oriented communication via the channel of their choice. A new study by Infobip shows that chat apps such as WhatsApp are becoming important channels for customer communication. For the study, Infobip evaluated more than 153 billion communication interactions on its platform.
The data shows a 62 percent increase in interactions via WhatsApp (80 percent) and Rich Communication Services (RCS) in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. Other trends: digital customer communications across all digital channels, increased more than two-thirds. When it comes to chat apps, around 99 percent of interactions with customer support and chatbots take place via WhatsApp.
WhatsApp interactions with customer
While newer channels are gaining traction, the data also demonstrates the continued growth of more traditional channels such as SMS and email. Interactions through these channels increased by 75 and 91 percent, respectively. Looking at industries, WhatsApp interactions increased 134 percent in banking and finance and 104 percent in retail and e-commerce. In the telecom industry, RCS interactions increased by over 1000 percent.
The Infobip data shows that the growth of chat apps has led to new use cases such as conversational commerce, where messaging and e-commerce come together to deliver better customer experiences and improved revenue for businesses.
“Our data shows that customers don’t want a one-way interaction with a brand. They want a dialogue – whether it’s support, sales or marketing,” explains Infobip’s Ivan Ostojić. “On the company side, this requires an appropriate structure for omnichannel communication.”
