Facebook is considering allowing businesses to use WhatsApp to directly message customers, a new report reveals.
According to Bloomberg, the company is keen to enhance the incredibly popular messenger’s business potential.
Facebook has already confirmed that its own Facebook Messenger service will offer B2C (business to consumer) messaging, but WhatsApp is also fertile ground for a business push.
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“As we learn those things, I think there’s going to be opportunities to bring some of those things to WhatsApp, but that’s more longer-term than the near-term.”
The general idea would be to allow customers to make service enquiries with companies over WhatsApp.
Companies would also be able to provide customers with information on WhatsApp, or notify them of changes to their service.
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Facebook bought WhatsApp for $22 billion (£14.2bn) last year, although the company has since been quiet on plans to further monetise the messenger service.
WhatsApp currently has just north of 800 million monthly active users, and is on track the hit 1 billion by the end of the year.
The messenger’s popularity stems from the fact that it operates using internet connections, avoiding cellular data charges, and that it works across platforms e.g. iOS and Android.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
