Whatsapp is building a spanking new service completely separate to the regular version of the app. Whatsapp's new version will include landline numbers in order to make the business-focused messenger easier for customers and companies to communicate.
This dramatically different version is currently in the works, developed specifically for businesses, and a number of its key features have just been leaked.
One of the most notable and useful of these features is landline compatibility!
Small business owners that sign up to the new version of the app will now be able to use Whatsapp Business and Whatsapp as completely different messenger apps on the same mobile phone. This will make it easier to separate their personal and professional lives – helping with organization and saving a lot of stress.
In addition, they can link their company's landline number to their Whatsapp Business app. This means they won't have to hand out their personal number to hundreds or thousands of strangers – quite a bonus.
Messages and calls from the app will reach the landline number, but Business account users will be able to access these on their mobile device.
The business version of the app has a slightly different logo in order to reiterate that Whatsapp and Whatsapp Business are completely separate. It has the same general design as the Whatsapp logo, but the Business badge has a B rather than a phone icon and drops the white border.
While this new version is quite similar to the regular Whatsapp app, it has two additional sections in the Settings menu – Statistics and Business Settings.
The Statistics section shows the current total of messages sent, delivered, read and received, but more analytics-type tools will be coming in the future.
Business Settings lets users customise their profile as well as setting automated responses for customers trying to contact them out of office hours.
Whatsapp Business is currently only available for beta testers, but when it's ready people will be able to place orders on Whatsapp and even receive updates from companies – such as delivery confirmations and flight times.
