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Can you find any examples of Fortune 500 companies using WhatsApp messaging for business use cases?
Hello! Thanks for your question about Fortune 500 companies using WhatsApp messaging for business use. The short version is that after searching extensively through corporate websites, industry reports, trusted media sites, user forums and review sites, I've determined that the information you requested is not publicly available. Although WhatsApp is very popular worldwide, it also has massive security issues, which I therefore assume makes it unappealing to utilize in business. However, I was able to uncover a couple of examples of brands that have experimented with WhatsApp, as well as some information regarding the future of overall business messaging. Below you will find a deep dive of my findings.
METHODOLOGY
After searching exhaustively, I was unable to find any examples of Fortune 500 companies using WhatsApp messaging for business use cases. I looked for specific testimonials, reviews, and statements from Fortune 500 companies expressing use of WhatsApp and was unable to uncover any information. I analyzed company websites and customer service set-ups to determine their methods of messaging communications; however I found no evidence of the use of WhatsApp. I also looked into the future of business messaging for signs of WhatsApp emerging as a business tool resource, as well as searching media outlets for reports on the use of WhatsApp by US businesses; however I was only able to uncover a handful of brands experimenting with WhatsApp for some of their customer service needs. Although my research failed to uncover a direct answer to your question, my findings did reveal a substantial amount of information regarding the security vulnerabilities of WhatsApp, as well as information citing specific reasons why WhatsApp is a disadvantageous tool for use in business (which also cites a direct flaw for use in US companies specifically). Based on this information, I assume these security flaws and incompatibilities are the reasons why I was not able to find any evidence of WhatsApp usage in Fortune 500 companies.
BRANDS EXPERIMENTING WITH WHATSAPP
It appears that WhatsApp has gained a small amount of buzz within the fashion industry as well-known brands such as "Diesel, Burberry, Clarks, Agent Provocateur and Kenneth Cole have begun testing in this space ." Specifically speaking, Agent Provocateur, a high-end lingerie brand, utilized WhatsApp to assist in the buying process for "time-poor" customers. Clarks shoe company uses WhatsApp as a tool to communicate with customers.
In addition to these brands, Hellman's Mayonnaise is also using communicating with its customer base through WhatsApp.
DISADVANTAGES OF UTILIZING WHATSAPP IN BUSINESS
A recently published article cites ten disadvantages to using WhatsApp as a business tool. Below is a list of these reasons according to the article.
1. "WhatsApp does not provide enterprise data protection."
2. "WhatsApp is a cloud service based in the USA." (which is bad for businesses, because "weak data protection laws" and "broad surveillance" in the US prevent US based/hosted cloud services from ensuring "comprehensive data protection required by businesses.")
In addition to these findings, as recent as January 2017, WhatsApp has been reported to have a "security vulnerability" which allows "snooping on encrypted messages."
THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS MESSAGING
An up and coming messaging platform designed specifically for use in business is Digital Genius. "Digital Genius is a startup that uses artificial intelligence to improve the customer service process. The company indexes information about previous support inquiries and customer satisfaction with answers to surface possible answers to current problems. Human agents can then select between or modify suggested answers, combining the best of AI-based automation and the personal human touch."
As for the future of WhatsApp specifically, it appears the service will continue to flourish. It has been reported that in 2017 WhatsApp will focus on commercial messaging in the global arena, however the source of this information made no reference to US businesses. Mark Zuckerburg and Facebook have recently acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion dollars. The app currently hosts more than "1.2 billion monthly active users, up from over 700 million in January 2015." Beyond this, I was not able to uncover any additional information focusing on how this growth will translate into use in enterprise.
Overall, the business messaging sector is expected to continue increasing in popularity since, for millennials and younger generations, "messaging has become the key communication experience."
SUGGESTIONS FOR CONTINUED RESEARCH
In understanding what types of information is and is not available regarding messaging apps used in Fortune 500 companies, I've suggested a few other routes you may be interested in researching:
-Given that WhatsApp has been recently acquired by Facebook, you could look into ways in which Facebook is planning to reconfigure/re-brand WhatsApp in order to seek information that can be used to determine any improvements or re-tooling of the app that may make it more suitable for use in business.
-Because security issues and US laws regarding data are roadblocks in the usage of WhatsApp for businesses, another option may be to loosen the search criteria to include examples of smaller businesses who may not require as much security, include foreign businesses, or smaller companies who may be utilizing WhatsApp to communicate with their customers regarding less sensitive information (for example: marketing/promotions or for gathering consumer feedback).
-Focusing on the use of WhatsApp in foreign business may also provide more useful information as WhatsApp seems to be more popular on a global scale versus in the US alone.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, after searching extensively through corporate websites, industry reports, trusted media sites, user forums and review sites, I've determined that the information you requested is not publicly available, because although WhatsApp is very popular worldwide, it also has massive security issues, which therefore makes it unappealing to utilize in business. However, I learned that WhatsApp was recently acquired by Facebook, which might suggest upcoming changes to the app that could possibly make it more acceptable for use in business later down the road. If you'd like to continue research on any of the other topics I've outlined above, just let us know!
Thanks for using Wonder!