WhatsApp on December 16 released its year-end review of 2021, capturing key moments of how the app developed in response to the changing needs of the people through the tumultuous year. The Meta-owned app highlighted its development of various chatbots to help during the COVID-19 pandemic, the launch of the free WhatsApp Business App for small and micro businesses, launching payment services on the app, and a host of features and updates.
“During the pandemic, the world over, WhatsApp became one of the most used and dependable ways for people to connect with family and friends, as well as for users to interact with businesses,” said Abhijit Bose, WhatsApp Head in India.
WhatsApp was used by state governments to launch COVID-19 related helplines and chatbots. The MyGov chatbot allowed users to download vaccine certificates, book appointments; with more than 55 million users contacting the bot and 12 million vaccine certificates being downloaded through the chatbot, the company stated.
“We’re humbled and pleased that during challenging times of the pandemic we could serve India, by building custom helpline solutions in partnership with the central and several state governments and civic actors to offer COVID relief related solutions that citizens could depend upon,” Bose said.
He also highlighted that offering small businesses the tools through the free-of-cost WhatsApp Business App helped them build digital storefronts to service their customers better. “We believe Payments on WhatsApp can be a key partner to NPCI and RBI in achieving the shared objective of scaling the adoption of UPI and enabling financial inclusion for the underserved,” he added.
WhatsApp released its WhatsApp Business Platform and WhatsApp Business app for SMEs that “offers modern, secure and convenient solutions that allows businesses to build experiences their customers will love.”
Companies like Bharat Petroleum, Indian Oil and Uber integrated their business to WhatsApp’s business offerings, in addition to 15 million small and micro businesses across the country.
The company’s foray into the financial services segment allowed millions of users access, thus enabling greater financial inclusion. It has also released features like Disappearing Messages, View Once, and Default Disappearing Mode and others to improve the privacy and security of its users.
(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)
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