Viber is a messaging app used by 900 million people to stay in touch asynchronously with others on personal and professional levels.
With over 55 million users in Africa, 270 million in Asia, 110 million in Eastern Europe and 260 million active users worldwide, Viber is the fifth largest messaging app before LINE or Kaokaotalk.
Now present in 193 countries around the world, Viber has become a must-have for many people to discuss with their peers. As it happened with other messaging apps (WeChat, Messenger), Viber is now also a preferred channel for consumers to discuss with companies.
Why consumers like messaging?
Statistics show that in 2018, there will be over 2 billion messaging users. People use messaging apps because it enables them to stay in touch with their friends and family on their own schedule.
The real novelty with messaging is that it is asynchronous, meaning that you can send a message but don’t have to stare at your screen, waiting for a reply. This gives them additional flexibility and allows them to run multiple conversations at once or start a discussion and continue it at a later stage, something that phone conversations do not allow.
Why should you be available through messaging channels?
When consumers enjoy a specific channel for personal usage, they tend to be inclined to use it in other spheres as well: why using multiple channels when you can do everything through your favorite one?
Different generations have different preferences when it comes to selecting a channel. While older generations tend to prefer phone and emails, Social Media and messaging apps take the lead for younger ones. To remain competitive, it becomes increasingly important to consider these differences and integrate various communication channels to cater for different user profiles.
But there are other reasons why you should definitely consider opening your customer care to messaging channels: it gives your team additional flexibility and increases your availability.
As mentioned earlier, messaging is asynchronous, which means that, unlike live chats or phone, it does not require instantaneous replies. Consequently, while a client may not be able to reach you over the phone at 3am in the morning, he could very well send you a message via Viber, Messenger, WeChat or any other messaging channel and be certain you would treat it once available.
This flexibility also exists internally: instead of having to focus on one conversation at a time, your team can now treat multiple threads at once, categorize messages based on specific business criteria and reply messages according to your own internal process instead of a first-come-first-serve basis.
Should you consider integrating Viber?
It all boils down to who your customers are and what they use. If you have clients already using Viber, offering this communication channel would give you new opportunities to keep in touch and interact with your audience. Moreover, when you use Dimelo Digital, Viber is very easily connected so all new messages enter the platform like any other source you already use (email, web chat, social media, etc.) without disrupting your processes or the way you handle messages.
Contact us today to discuss your digital customer care strategy and discover how easily you could start offering Viber for your clients to get in touch.
Originally published Dec 01, 2017, updated Dec 30, 2022
