WhatsApp is updated with a key function for companies

The latest beta of WhatsApp, specifically 2.17.1, includes a new function that will interest companies above all, it is the verification of account The classic tick of WhatsApp will have another function apart from informing users that messages have been received, now it will also serve to confirm that a number number is the official of the user or business.

Despite the fact that WhatsApp was not created to provide coverage to companies , but simply as a messaging app to talk between friends and family, its use in the professional field has increased enormously in recent years, reaching replace emails and calls as official means of communication, especially in small and medium-sized businesses

Increasingly, talk to the mechanic, make an appointment at the physiotherapist and many other actions are performed with a simple message of WhatsApp, saving time and money. This new update records this new use, and opens the door for other companies decide on this way of communicating with the client.

We are left with the question of how this verification will be achieved, and what will be the requirements for the user to access this verification, if it will be necessary to prove professional use, or if it will depend on the activity of the account. The truth is that in this aspect there are many questions still, but we imagine that when the update is released officially we will have answers

First in its sector

Account verification is not something new, we've been seeing it on Twitter and Facebook years ago. It was originally designed to protect celebrities, seeking to avoid fake or parody accounts that could generate misunderstandings . Its application to companies was the next step, very useful for the user who contacts the company to know that they are dealing with genuine representatives

The application of this tool to messaging apps yes that is a novelty, since neither Neither Telegram nor Vine offer it, precisely because they assume that the use of this type of service is focused on communication in theprivate sphere Once it has been shown that not always is so, WhatsApp becomes a pioneer, and it remains to be seen if the rest of the competing companies will get on the same bandwagon

It is clear that the verification in WhatsApp will have a more minority utilitythan in other public networks such as Facebook, WhatsApp or Instagram, but the The fact that you have taken into account this secondary use of WhatsApp is a positive point in favor of the company, and a commitment to the opening of horizons, perhaps towards new functions business type.

The beta 2.17.1 is now available for WhatsApp in the Play Store, not yet in the App Store, although we assume that soon that update will occur. What do you think of the idea of ​​verification? Do you think it has utility? Remember that your comments are always welcome.