The top 5 messengers for companies at a glance

Communication is at the heart of every successful business. In an increasingly digitalized world, choosing the right communication channel is crucial. Messenger apps have long established themselves as an indispensable tool for companies to interact with customers, employees and partners in an efficient and timely manner. But amidst the multitude of messenger apps available, it can be a challenge to keep track of them all.

In this article, we present an overview of the top 5 messengers for businesses. These powerful tools not only offer easy communication options, but also a wealth of features that are revolutionizing the way businesses interact. From seamless team communication to highly effective marketing to real-time customer support, these messenger apps are versatile and can play a vital role in helping you achieve your business goals.

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What are messengers used for in companies?

Messenger apps are extremely versatile in business and serve a wide range of purposes. Here are some of the most common uses for Messenger in business environments:

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Internal Communication:

Team communication in real time
Quick exchange of information between employees
Group chats for project teams, departments and sites
Document exchange
Employee engagement

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Customer Care:

Provide customer support via chat
Respond to customer inquiries in real time
Automated chatbots to assist with frequently asked questions
Customer contact management

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Marketing and sales:

Direct customer contact for marketing campaigns
Dispatch of advertising messages and offers
Lead generation and customer acquisition

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Supply Chain Management:

Tracking of deliveries and orders
Communication with suppliers and partners
Real-time updates on the status of orders

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Process automation:

Automation of business processes through chatbots
Appointments and bookings via Messenger
Integration with other enterprise applications such as CRM and ERP

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WhatsApp Messenger for business

WhatsApp Business

WhatsApp Business is a free app available for Android and Apple smartphones, designed specifically for small businesses. WhatsApp Business simplifies interaction with customers by providing tools to automate, sort, and quickly reply to messages. The user interface and many features are similar to those of the WhatsApp Messenger app for individuals, making WhatsApp Business very easy to use for most businesses.

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Compared to the app for individuals, a WhatsApp corporate account offers the following additional features:

Company profile to list important information, such as a company's address, email, and website.
Messaging tools to quickly respond to customer inquiries, such as text modules and automated responses
Categorize customers and chats (e.g. new customer, prospect, service request, etc.) for better clarity
Automated responses to customers (e.g. outside business hours)
Creation of product catalogs

WhatsApp Business can be downloaded free of charge from the Google Play Store and the App Store.

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A company profile can be created on WhatsApp Business (source: Google Play Store).

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WhatsApp API interface

To provide larger businesses with a secure, scalable, and GDPR-compliant solution tailored to their needs, Facebook launched the WhatsApp Business API in August 2018. This application programming interface (API) enables businesses to receive and reply to WhatsApp messages from their customers.

Unlike the WhatsApp Business app, the API itself comes without a user interface. The API connects WhatsApp to a professional messaging tool, such as the one offered by Mateo. Enterprises integrate the WhatsApp API endpoint with the software of an official WhatsApp Business Solution provider. Mateo offers enterprise customers the corresponding integration in a clear user interface with its in-house software.

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The most important features of the WhatsApp Business API

The WhatsApp Business API offers companies with a privacy-compliant communication platform quite a few additional features compared to the normal version of WhatsApp Business. These include, among others:

WhatsApp Newsletter Marketing
In-depth statistics
DSGVO compliant customer communication
Unlimited number of users per account
Unlimited devices per account
Integration with other software applications
Fully automated messaging

For more information, see our article "What is the WhatsApp Business API?".

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Google Business Messages

Google Business Messages is an emerging communication platform used by businesses to connect with customers through Google Search and Google Maps. With this feature, businesses can send and receive messages in real time, answer customer inquiries, and provide information without users having to switch platforms. This allows for seamless and convenient interaction between businesses and customers. Google Business Messages can be extremely useful, especially for local businesses and service providers to answer customer questions, communicate opening hours, or schedule appointments. It offers an efficient way to handle customer concerns while increasing the company's visibility in Google search results.
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Instagram & Facebook Messenger

Social media are playing an increasingly important role in corporate communications and the online presence of companies. On social media, you can not only present your company and your products or your services, but also use some useful functions of the integrated messengers for customer communication.
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The Facebook Messenger for Business

Facebook Messenger is a widely used messaging app that businesses can use to interact with customers. Here you can respond directly to inquiries, help customers with problems, or provide information. Facebook Messenger can be used to send text messages, pictures, videos, documents, and voice messages. Facebook the most popular social network in the world and with over 23 million users in Germany alone, it is highly likely that a large proportion of your customers use Facebook regularly.
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Instagram Direct Messages

Customers just need to click "message" on your company's Instagram profile to chat with you.

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Like Facebook, Instagram is part of Meta Platforms. On Instagram companies can present their products and brands. High-quality images and videos can be shared here to arouse the interest of the target group. Companies can also interact directly with customers and followers via comments and direct messages. The introduction of Instagram Shopping allows businesses to sell products directly through the platform. Users can view, select and purchase products without leaving Instagram. This can simplify the sales process for businesses.

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Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is an integrated communication platform from Microsoft that offers businesses a wide range of collaboration and communication tools. It enables easy sharing of text messages, files, images, and videos, and it is primarily designed for Teams collaboration. With MS Teams, businesses can seamlessly switch between different applications and tools to complete tasks efficiently. It also offers video conferencing and online meeting capabilities, making it a comprehensive platform for internal business communication and collaboration. MS Teams is not suitable for customer communication or marketing.

By the way: Mateo's user interface can be easily integrated into Microsoft Teams with all included messengers (WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, email, SMS). So, for example, you can answer WhatsApp messages from your customers from within MS Teams.

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Slack

Slack is a messaging platform that is ideal for internal communication and collaboration in companies. The platform makes it possible to organize messages in different channels to structure conversations and involve relevant teams or project groups.

A key benefit of Slack is its integration with third-party apps and services. This allows teams to seamlessly share files, manage tasks, sync calendars, and more without leaving the platform. Slack also offers advanced search and archiving features to make it easier to find important information. This can be especially beneficial in larger organizations.

The platform is known for its ease of use and responsive design, which increases adoption in businesses. Overall, Slack is a powerful messenger platform for businesses that makes communication and collaboration more efficient. It is especially popular in companies with a strong focus on teamwork and project management. Like MS Teams, Slack is not suitable for customer communication or marketing.

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Messenger for companies in other countries: WeChat, LINE & Co.

The messengers presented so far are particularly widespread in Germany. But depending on where your company operates and which target group you want to reach, using other messengers that are rather unknown here in Germany may be the better choice. We briefly introduce these messengers.

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WeChat - a must in China

WeChat is the most used messenger in China and has over 1 billion monthly active users. For businesses operating in China or looking to reach Chinese customers, WeChat is a must-have. The platform offers multiple features, including messaging, social networking, mobile payments and even mini-apps. Companies use WeChat for marketing, customer service, and building brand presence.

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LINE - widely used in Asia

LINE is widely used in Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and other Asian countries and has more than 165 million monthly active users. It's not just a messenger, but also a platform for games, shopping, payments, and more. Businesses can use LINE to communicate with customers, advertise, and even create their own chatbots.

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KakaoTalk - the No. 1 in South Korea

KakaoTalk is the dominant messaging app in South Korea with over 50 million users. Businesses use KakaoTalk for customer communication, customer support and marketing campaigns. The app also offers mobile payment services and a variety of emojis and stickers to make communication more lively.

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Viber - popular messenger especially in Eastern Europe

Viber is popular in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and some parts of Asia, and has more than 1 billion users worldwide. It enables not only messaging and calling, but also media and location sharing. Companies can use Viber for customer service, direct marketing and interaction with customers in these regions.

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Mateo's professional communication software - the most important messengers clearly arranged in one place

At Mateo, we are your messaging experts when it comes to customer communication and the right marketing. Hundreds of companies already use Mateo and are enthusiastic about it. Our customers particularly appreciate the following advantages of Mateo:
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Central user interface

In addition to WhatsApp Business API, Mateo bundles many other communication channels such as email, Instagram, SMS or Facebook Messenger in a central inbox. On the intuitive and clear user interface, you will find various helpful tools for particularly efficient customer communication. A web widget with the messaging channels you support is available for your customers for particularly easy contact.

Through the central inbox in Mateo's software , various communication channels are clearly bundled

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Integrates with Microsoft Teams

Mateo's user interface can be easily integrated with Microsoft Teams with all messengers included (WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, email, SMS). So, for example, you can answer your customers' WhatsApp messages, set up newsletter campaigns and send emails from MS Teams.
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Custom Message Templates

Thanks to various message templates that can be created individually, the amount of paperwork is minimized and the efficiency of customer communication is increased. This means that personnel resources in the service area can be used elsewhere.
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With Mateo's WhatsApp API solution, newsletters can be sent in a DSGVO-compliant manner. Due to the first-class open rate of 98% for WhatsApp messages, marketing can thus be done much better than via email or other channels.
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More positive Google reviews

With Mateo, you create an outstanding customer experience. Mateo can automatically request online reviews from your customers. The more reviews you have, the better you will be found on Google, for example. Reviews also create trust in your company.
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Privacy

Mateo's messaging tool is compatible with all German and European legally binding data protection requirements. If the law changes, the software will be revised accordingly. For absolutely secure customer communication, all messages are encrypted end-to-end. You can read all the info about the DSGVO when using WhatsApp in our article"WhatsApp Business and DSGVO". This will help you avoid the warnings, severe penalties and expensive legal costs that often occur in the event of non-compliance with the DSGVO (= use of the standard WhatsApp Business app).
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Scalability for all company sizes

The scalability of the messaging tool has been confirmed by the large number of companies already using Mateo with high satisfaction. Whether customers have just a few employees or many hundreds, the software works smoothly and, depending on the package, with an unlimited number of end devices, users and phone numbers. The fact that Mateo significantly reduces the workload in the customer service area opens up new growth opportunities for many companies.
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Low cost provider for WhatsApp Business API

With an entry-level price of just 79 euros per month, Mateo is a cost-effective provider of WhatsApp Business API solutions on the German market. Combined with the integration of additional communication channels and various helpful tools, Mateo offers excellent value for money. Mateo's personal customer support assists companies with every step of the integration, ensuring very low barriers to entry.

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Top 5 messengers for business at a glance [October 2023].