Title: WhatsApp for telcos: How to transform CX and boost retention
URL: https://www.infobip.com/blog/the-telco-customer-journey-with-whatsapp
Telcos play an important role in our daily lives, with us relying on them for connection, entertainment, and information.
But how connected do customers feel to their providers? According to Infobip research, not very:
- 63% of customers say they have switched from their main provider
- 53% made the switch due to poor customer service
- 40% of customers stay with their telco provider anywhere between one to five years
In an era when customer expectations are higher than ever, telcos are embracing new ways to enhance engagement and streamline communication. And with the accelerated adoption of digital channels comes the need for always-on communication.
WhatsApp has emerged as a key channel for telecom operators looking to deliver seamless, real-time interactions across every stage of the customer journey. From onboarding to support and retention, WhatsApp is redefining how telcos connect with their customers.
## The growing adoption of WhatsApp in telecom
While call centers still play a role in the telco customer support ecosystem, we can see a shift to more digital channels. The growing adoption of WhatsApp by telcos is driven by the demand for instant, convenient, and personalized communication.
According to our 2024 Telco Messaging Trends report:
## 65%
have already integrated WhatsApp into their customer service strategy.
## 385%
increase in WhatsApp support interactions
## 6x
increase in WhatsApp marketing interactions
There is no doubt that telcos have been one of the first industries to recognize the benefit of using the channels that their customers trust and use every day.
By going digital and being available on WhatsApp, telcos can offer conversational experiences in marketing, sales and support on a single chat app that their customers use regularly.
With WhatsApp, telcos can:
- Reduce churn by providing instant, 24/7 support
- Streamline operations, reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction
- Drive revenue by providing a richer range of services such as WhatsApp for upselling and cross-selling
## Benefits of using WhatsApp for telcos
With WhatsApp, telcos can transform customer engagement, reduce friction, and create meaningful, conversational experiences throughout the customer journey.
### Faster, more efficient customer service
Customers expect instant responses, and WhatsApp enables telcos to provide 24/7 automated support through AI-powered chatbots while seamlessly handing off complex issues to live agents. This reduces wait times, improves resolution speed, and enhances overall customer satisfaction.
### Higher engagement and retention
With WhatsApp’s high open rates, telcos can send real-time notifications for billing, promotions, and loyalty rewards, keeping customers engaged and informed. Personalized recommendations and interactive product catalogs make it easy to upsell and cross-sell, increasing customer lifetime value (CLV).
### Cost savings on customer support
Shifting customer interactions from voice calls to WhatsApp reduces call center strain by automating high-volume queries with chatbots and enabling agents to handle multiple conversations at once. This lowers operational costs while maintaining fast, high-quality customer support.
### Enhanced customer experience
WhatsApp simplifies key interactions, from onboarding and service activation to troubleshooting and self-service account management, eliminating common customer frustrations. By offering a seamless digital journey, telcos can improve retention and ensure customers stay connected with minimal effort.
### Personalization
Personalization is one of the biggest advantages WhatsApp offers telcos, helping them deliver tailored customer experiences that drive engagement, satisfaction, and retention.
By leveraging customer data and AI-driven insights, telcos can create one-to-one interactions, leading to personalized offers that convert.
### Secure and reliable communication
With end-to-end encryption and verified business accounts, WhatsApp provides a secure, trusted channel for customer interactions.
By easily integrating with a customer data platform and a customer engagement solution, telcos can track engagement, personalize communication, and maintain compliance with industry regulations.
With these benefits in mind, let's explore how telcos can leverage WhatsApp across the entire customer journey. Starting from acquisition to support and all the way to retention.
## WhatsApp for telcos use cases
WhatsApp offers marketing, sales, and support use cases that make it a great channel for telcos to add to their communication mix.
Let's have a quick look at how WhatsApp can be used across the telco customer journey.
### Attract new customers with personalized marketing
Build a strong digital channel to acquire customers with.
How to do it:
- **Run targeted ad campaigns** by connecting Facebook & Instagram ads to WhatsApp for higher lead conversion.
- **Add a QR code** on physical advertisement or use IVR deflection to bring customers to your WhatsApp channel with minimal effort.
- Give customers the opportunity to [**opt-in to a conversation**](https://www.infobip.com/blog/how-to-collect-whatsapp-business-opt-ins) with your brand over WhatsApp to guide them through their buying journey.
### Consideration and onboarding
Once your lead has opened a WhatsApp conversation, you can start sending relevant promotional offers to entice them to become a customer and onboard them within a single chat.
How to do it:
- **Send personalized promotions** by using a customer data platform to segment customers and send tailored offers.
- Enable in-chat product browsing so prospects can **view, compare, and buy plan**s.
- Send customers nearby [**store locations**](https://www.infobip.com/docs/whatsapp/message-types#location-free-form-messages) or use maps to enrich the experience.
### Activation and service
WhatsApp allows telcos to provide instant support, cross-sell and up-sell and streamline transactions for customers.
How to do it:
- Complete onboarding through online **SIM registration & activation**.
- Use **WhatsApp for secure one-time passwords** (OTP) for account logins and resets.
- Allow them to **purchase, upgrade, top-up or sign** into their account all on one channel.
### Customer support and self service automation
WhatsApp allows telcos to reduce customer service bottlenecks by implementing chatbots for support and self service automation.
How to do it:
- Use AI-powered chatbots to answer FAQs instantly with seamless transfer to a live agent for more complex issues.
- Reduce call volumes by offering self-service support through **IVR deflection to WhatsApp**.
- Assist customers with appointment scheduling, account management and payments.
### Proactive engagement and retention strategies
With a 95% message open rate, WhatsApp allows telcos to build proactive engagement strategies that help retain customers and increase lifetime value.
How do it:
- Collect customer feedback by sending **surveys within the conversation**.
- Send **exclusive deals** to retain high-value customers.
- Send customers a list of new or relevant phones that might be of interest to them.
## Real-world success stories: How WhatsApp transforms telco CX
### ComparTfon: Creating an end-to-end digital journey
ComparTfon is a Mexican telecoms service provider and a division of Compartamos Banco – the largest microfinance bank in Latin America. Their sales channels suffered from high cart abandonment and low conversions. To overcome the challenge, they needed to shift their customers from an offline to an online purchase journey.
Introducing the WhatsApp Business Platform, Moments and Conversations as a sale channel helped the telco provider become a data driven and customer centric organization. This led to improved KPIs and happier customers
They have witnessed a continual improvements across their conversion rate and cart abandonment rates.
### Jazz: Improved customer service and 32% lower costs
Jazz, a Pakistani industry leader, struggled with managing long call center queues and slow ticket resolution leading to unsatisfied customers. They wanted to provide self-service options to customers over their favorite chat app, WhatsApp.
Adding WhatsApp with Infobip allowed the telco provider to send alerts and streamline processes leading to faster customer service and lower spending.
By offering different services through WhatsApp, Jazz was able to reduce tax certificate call costs by 32% while recording a Net Promotor Score of 80/100.
### Indosat Ooredoo: Elevating customer engagement and increasing customer satisfaction by 40%
Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison focuses on providing an exemplary customer experience. Calling customer service is not free in Indonesia so many of the company’s subscribers search for help online and inundate its social channels. They needed a new digital channel to meet consumer demands and answer diverse and numerous customer queries.
Introducing a WhatsApp chatbot as a new customer service channel enabled Indosat to cover over 200 individual use cases. These include checking balances and remaining data quotas, downloading bills, and registering for value-added services
Since then, Indosat has seen a 40% increase in customer satisfaction, with 70% of customers giving the chatbot the highest possible score.
## Why Infobip is the ideal WhatsApp provider for telcos?
Choosing Infobip as your WhatsApp provider will help you create customizable end-to-end customer journeys. Our goal is to empower telcos to connect with a vast audience of over 2 billion WhatsApp users across 180 countries, ensuring seamless and scalable communication.
Our platform offers the flexibility to integrate WhatsApp directly into your existing system via API or by using it through our omnichannel conversational solutions:
- [Answers](https://www.infobip.com/answers), our chatbot building platform which helps you build AI-powered chatbots
- [Conversations](https://www.infobip.com/conversations), our cloud contact center to help you provide the best service
- [Moments](https://www.infobip.com/moments), our customer engagement solution to maximize your engagement with personalized messages
- [People CDP](https://www.infobip.com/people), our customer data platform to help you collect, store, and activate your customer data
Whether you need to automate customer journeys, streamline support with AI-powered chatbots, or equip agents with a centralized communication hub, Infobip provides the tools and expertise to transform your WhatsApp strategy into a powerful customer experience advantage.
### Ready to transform your telco’s CX?
Talk to our experts today to discover how WhatsApp can transform your telco business.
[ Get in touch ](https://www.infobip.com/contact)
