Infobip, a global cloud communications company that enables businesses to build connected customer experiences across all stages of the customer journey at scale, has partnered with ICT company Redbullet to enable the company to provide an Automated WhatsApp for Business API channel to its clients with the option of a breakout to a live agent.

Established in 2010, Redbullet is a Botswana-based company that provides omnichannel solutions to enterprise customers in the local market. It specialises in delivering communication solutions such as SMS, bulk SMS, premium SMS and USSD to customers in partnership with local mobile network operators.

Bakang Sebele, Managing Director/Co-Founder at Redbullet, explains that the company approached Infobip based on its reputation as a big omnichannel provider in South Africa. It had previously also used Infobip’s SMS platform before developing its own.

New technology

“WhatsApp for Business is a fairly new technology in Botswana, but most people here use WhatsApp as their preferred channel of communication. It made sense to extend our services and offer WhatsApp for Business API as part of our omnichannel solution,” he says.

“Partnering with Infobip provides value for us as it not only augments our existing services, but also puts us ahead of the game in providing this solution to the local market. Speed to market is also a key factor, as the WhatsApp for Business API channel is basically a plug and play.”

Redbullet provides omnichannel solutions to customers across a wide range of sectors, including insurance, retail, healthcare and parastatal. Sebele says that interest in the WhatsApp for Business API channel has been robust since Redbullet included it in its solution bundle.

“Redbullet has already signed up market leaders in the local insurance and fund administration sectors with several banking and retail clients in the final stages of the process. The feedback we’ve received has been extremely positive and clients have noted how the Redbullet and Infobip partnership has delivered a fully automated enterprise-class WhatsApp Chatbot in a matter of weeks rather than months,” adds Matthew Botwood, Enterprise Sales Manager at Infobip.

“Clients have also managed to take a massive step in delivering on their Digital Transformation (DX) strategies without needing to invest heavily in new infrastructure or redesign existing processes. Other key benefits include reduced call pressure on the contact centre as clients use WhatsApp as a self-service channel. This results in a positive uptick in customer service metrics as clients can track their claims or queries automatically and can still have a chat with a live agent if needed. The net effect is reduced operational costs from lower call volumes and employee churn coupled with increased brand loyalty and customer spend.”

Automation is key

Sebele points out that key advantage of using WhatsApp for Business comes down to ability to automate the channel, especially with the inclusion of Infobip’s Answers chatbot and Conversations call centre solution.

“WhatsApp is the most widely-used chat app in Botswana, so companies do not have to develop their own platform as everyone is already using it. From a customer service perspective, WhatsApp makes it easy to have two-way communication with the end user,” Sebele explains. “What’s more, the channel can be automated to even further enhance the customer experience (CX).”

Botwood adds, “The partnership with Redbullet means that Infobip has teamed up with an organisation that has vast capabilities to roll out the WhatsApp for Business API solution in Botswana.

“Our experience of working with Redbullet was extremely easy and satisfying as they have a solid understanding of our services. They are also ‘in tune’ with the local market and know how to best approach a specific customer.”

While Redbullet will initially target the Botswana market with the WhatsApp for Business API solution, it also plans to eventually target the Namibian market, where it already has a healthy customer base.