
Verified business accounts - artsandsci
https://faq.whatsapp.com/general/26000052?lg=en&lc=US
======
jasode
Isn't this related to an upcoming feature[1] for businesses to contact (some
may read it as "spam") you on WhatsApp?

If so, the verified colors being "green" or "yellow" is really a minor detail.

A better submission would be a story of the "big picture" about businesses
interacting with WhatsApp users. (E.g. Will the unsolicited commercial
interactions make the platform better or drive people away?)

 _> If you'd like to stop a business from contacting you, you can block them._

I'm guessing users are not looking forward to the day when the smartphone
imposes yet another housekeeping task on them.

[1] [http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-
tech/new...](http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-
tech/news/whatsapp-spam-messages-businesses-customers-company-directly-
app-a7620081.html)

~~~
rodorgas
You can have businesses support without spam if they only allow the chat to be
started by the user.

------
sschueller
WhatsApp is missing out in a big way. In Brazil almost every business has a
whatsapp number.

Where are the tools to make using whatsApp easier for a business? The fact
that I still need my phone around to use the webclient just sucks. Telegram
doesn't need it, why does whatsapp?

~~~
rodorgas
WhatsApp need it because of the P2P technology. On Telegram, your messages are
stored on their servers, so it's less secure, but you can text on multiple
devices.

I agree that we need business tools. The demand for customer service via
WhatsApp where I work is much higher than the ability to a single operator
answer them.

~~~
fishywang
It's possible to store messages on the servers and be secure at the same time
(I'm not saying Telegram in particular is secure). I think it's more because
Whatsapp's model is much cheaper on server expenses (they only need to store
messages on the server until it's delivered).

~~~
rodorgas
It can be secure, but it's less secure by definition.

While it's almost impossible to crack some cryptos, it's definitely impossible
retrieve data that simply isn't there.

~~~
fishywang
What I'm saying is I don't think Whatsapp designed it to be secure (P2P is
more likely a byproduct of their design). They designed it to save server
cost. After they are successful, it's straightforward to implement P2P crypto
on that design, so they added that feature because they don't store the
messages on server anyway.

------
MatthewWilkes
And yet WhatsApp refuse to allow my work phone access to their network as they
don't recognise the phone number as that of a mobile phone. After they asked
to see documentation from my phone provider to show that it was indeed a
mobile phone contract they ran out of excuses and fell back on "there's
nothing we can do"

~~~
BenjiWiebe
Yet surprisingly they allow Google voice numbers. Strange.

~~~
nathancahill
Not all of them. I was lucky because I ported my carrier number to Google
Voice, so telecoms still think it's a cell phone number. However, you have to
try a number of GV numbers before one sticks now. This is something they've
changed recently.

Twilio numbers do not work, since they are now sending the verification code
from a 6 digit short number, which Twilio does not support.

WhatsApp has also cracked down on a number of temporary phone number services
including Burner.

------
nathancahill
This will work great in Mexico. Almost all businesses here allow you to order
stuff over WhatsApp. I've bought everything from car insurance to street tacos
on WhatsApp.

Businesses have both FB and WA icons painted on the outside, with the FB page
name and the WA number.

Partially due to the heavy cash economy, all businesses' calls to action on
social media (FB/Instagram) focus on getting people to message and then place
orders via WA or Messenger (instead of clicking Buy links to CC forms online).
The response rates are really good, within minutes for most places. It feels
like a perfected version of "chatbot AI" sometimes.

------
jeffmould
As someone who uses WhatsApp to communicate with friends and family overseas,
I could potentially see that as a nice support channel for businesses.
However, there are several problems I see. First, you can't have more than one
account linked to the app on your phone.

Second (and correct me if I am wrong), there is no way to create an account
associated with a landline phone that I can figure out.

Third, it would be nice if multiple users could access the same account from
their devices. Even if used as a sales tool this would limit interaction to
one person.

Finally, without an API this is walled garden approach. Without being about to
integrate with existing support platforms it is basically useless as a support
channel.

In the end, I would like to see WhatsApp have a "business version" and would
most likely be a consumer of such service, but verified accounts seems like
putting the cart in front of the horse to me.

~~~
puranjay
> Second (and correct me if I am wrong), there is no way to create an account
> associated with a landline phone that I can figure out.

In markets like India (one of Whatsapp's largest) landline phones have been
obsolete for nearly a decade now. It's not a forward-looking feature.

Tons of businesses in India are already using Whatsapp here in India. It's a
huge and critical part of the economy now.

~~~
jeffmould
I can appreciate that. Unfortunately, here in the US most businesses still all
rely on some form of landline number. For many, this is more a virtual
number(s) through some VoIP provider. It would be nice to see WhatsApp
integrate with some of the players in that market as an "add-on" feature to
their services.

~~~
tome
Staples (UK) didn't allow me to set up a business account because my company
didn't have a landline number.

------
cur50r
TBH I think a previous contributor hit the Nail on the head. It must be part
of a new business strategy because on its own it does more damage then good.

Whatsapp will now need to allow a team to go through business verification,
double check more message flags and support business customers.

Also there is talk of not allowing the deletion of messages, this brings up
several questions of encryption and privacy. Something that WhatsApp have
recently got down.

All of the above cost money and add very little value. There is no additional
service that is acquired by a business from using a personal account.

Therefore it would be crazy for them not to have something else coming. What I
hope Is a fully synchronised system with whatsapp. When this happens
whatsapp/Facebook joins the realms of the giants like WeChat

------
eponeponepon
I'm curious as to how this will interact with things like state-mandated do
not call registries. Currently I can register my phone number such that
businesses are not permitted to cold-call me; if this were, say, Skype or
Hangouts, then I would have to give ScamCo plc my account name and accept a
request from them (or vice-versa), but since services like Whatsapp don't have
any concept of mutual consent before contact, I don't get to be asked whether
I'd like to hear from them.

I expect it also won't be too long before marketing execs start clamouring to
be allowed to use "rich text" and images, and we'll all get to start receiving
dodgy Javascript through Whatsapp. Ho hum.

------
philliphaydon
Is whatsapp making a snail paced attempt at becoming WeChat of the west?

~~~
mullen
Never going to happen at this pace.

No API

No Money Transfer (Well, not yet)

~~~
nindalf
Money Transfer is going to become a feature in India. They're using a payments
API that works with all bank existing accounts, so anyone using whatsapp in
India could transfer money to and from anyone who's set up their account for
UPI.

Source - [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-
business/w...](http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-
business/whatsapp-gets-nod-for-upi-payments/articleshow/59537161.cms)

------
har564
Now, Whatsapp should release API access to chats so that customers can
automate chats. That'll allow them to scale to an Enterprise level.

~~~
BinaryIdiot
Yes! I am working on a side project that currently integrates with email and
sms; I would LOVE to hook into Whatsapp as well in the very near future.

It could really replace / augment the same type of integration Facebook
Messenger supports.

------
fairpx
I'm not sure if it costs money to have a verified business account but
frankly, this is what Twitter should have done. Have paid verified business
accounts. I'd easily pay $25+/mo and have a bunch of handy business features
and maybe be promoted once in a while to a relevant audience. Missed
opportunity.

------
contingencies
TLDR: Copying WeChat.

