How To Use Viber for Business in the Philippines

Do you know that you can connect to your audience, deliver amazing customer service, and reinforce your brand image – all for free?

You can do all that by using Viber for business.

As an e-commerce business owner in the Philippines, using the Viber app might just be what you need to improve your communications processes and stand out from the competition.

Ready to unlock the power of a Viber business account for your e-commerce brand? Learn how in the paragraphs below!

Introduction to Viber: Overview and Features

Viber is one of the oldest messaging platforms around. 

Launched in 2010, it preceded other instant messaging giants like Line and Facebook Messenger. Consequently, it’s one of the most popular instant messaging apps today, with about 1.17 billion users worldwide last 2020.

It’s also very popular in the Philippines, with about 40 million users by 2020 and a robust 22% increase by 2022.

Viber is a cross-platform instant messaging and Voice over IP (VoIP) application. It lets users send text messages, make voice and video calls, share multimedia files, and engage in group chats.

Key features of Viber include the following.

• Text messaging. Users can send Viber messages to individuals or groups, with features like message status for delivered messages to improve utility.
  
• Voice and video calls. Viber supports free voice and video calls between users over the internet.
  
• Multimedia sharing. Users can share photos, videos, audio messages, and other multimedia files.
  
• Stickers and emoticons. Viber offers a wide range of stickers and emoticons to enhance messaging.
  
• Group chats. Users can create group chats with multiple participants for easy communication with friends, family, or colleagues.
  
• Public accounts. Viber allows businesses, celebrities, and brands to create public accounts to interact with and send business messages to their followers.
  
• End-to-end encryption. Viber has end-to-end encrypted messages and calls, ensuring that only the intended recipients can access the content.
  
• Integration with contacts. Viber contacts use your phone numbers as user IDs, making it easy to find and connect with friends and contacts from your phone’s address book.

Aside from being just another messaging app, Viber has powerful features that small and medium-sized businesses (MSMEs) can use to grow. Business communication, automated messages, and business accounts are just a few of the features you can leverage for different aspects of your business. 

Find out more about Viber’s potential below.

Benefits of Using Viber for Business Communication

What makes Viber for business special? 

Here are three of the main benefits you can expect if you use a Viber business profile for your brand:

• Cost-effective communication. Viber not only allows you to send messages and call or video chat with other Viber users, but it also lets you make quick international calls without incurring long-distance charges. This can be invaluable for global operations.
  
• Feature-rich public account for business presence. This chat app offers a Viber business messages account to separate your contacts from your business account. You can use it for customer support, marketing, and brand promotion.
  
• Efficient marketing features. Viber has many different communication features that let e-commerce businesses like yours make an impression on customers both new and old. You can create Viber business accounts, create a Viber community, implement Viber chatbots, and support rich media content for your promotional messages.

Depending on what your strategies are, you can leverage Viber’s features for every part of your customer journey.

Whether it’s for bulk messages to your target audience, sending business pricing to ensure deals, or messaging customers to ensure customer satisfaction, there’s a way you can use this handy app.

Viber Business Account Setup: Getting Started

Before you can enjoy the benefits of Viber business messages, you first need to have an account. 

Fortunately, making an account for your e-commerce brand is easy in this app:

1. Download and install Viber. Make sure you have the latest version of the Viber app installed on your device. You can download it from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android).
   
2. Make a Viber account. The first step is making a personal account on Viber. You’ll need to verify your phone number for this, so make sure you’re using the business number.
   
3. Go to the Viber settings. Once you have a regular account, open the Viber app and navigate to the “More” tab (usually represented by three dots) on the bottom right corner of the screen.
   
4. Set up your public account. Look for the option that says “Public Accounts” or a similar term depending on the version of the app, then follow the instructions to create your account. You’ll need to provide info like your business name, category, description, and profile picture or logo.
   
5. Verification process. Verified businesses will receive a “Business Account” banner that will show in their profile. They will also receive a “blue tick” in their messages. Both features will reassure customers that the business is legitimate and is not spam.
   
6. Customize your account. Once your Public Account is set up, you can customize it by adding details such as personalizing your Viber Sender ID, branded imagery, contact information, website links, and other relevant information.
   
7. Start engaging. Begin engaging with your audience by sharing updates, promotional content, or responding to user inquiries through your Public Account. You can send transactional messages, conversational messages, or promotional messages through this account.

You also have the option of using a Viber Chatbot for automated messaging. Implementing this solution will ensure that your customers can ask questions, search for information, and reach out for assistance at all hours of the day.

This accessibility, hand-in-hand with a live experience from your business account, will significantly enhance customer satisfaction.

Using Viber for Customer Support and Service

Consumer needs have changed – they expect direct and round-the-clock interaction.

An article by McKinsey & Company shows the importance of brand accessibility: in a study they quoted, 40% of respondent consumers expect responses from businesses in 1 hour, and 79% expect a response in 24 hours.

Businesses in the Philippines need to be just as “reachable,” and Viber is a great tool for that.

The Viber Chatbot functionality offers 24/7 access to customers for their most important questions. With this feature, you can automate customer support and answer inquiries, send updates, and make your customer experience stand apart without lifting a finger yourself.

Of course, you can also chat with customers in person if needed with your Public Account, so you can provide whatever your communication strategy demands.

Ultimately, Viber Business messages cost little to nothing while they let your business communicate effectively and improve brand loyalty. 

Sending Promotional Offers and Deals to Customers

You can boost your digital marketing with a dedicated Viber business account. With the seamless customer communication that it offers, you can easily remove the hassle of promotion.

The app lets you send customized messages, and promote goods, services, and campaigns. Viber messages also support rich media, so you can enrich promotional offers with stickers, URLs, image carousels, and even custom keyboards. 

As long as they’ve got an internet connection and a phone, you can connect to Viber’s millions of users in the Philippines.

Conducting Surveys and Collecting Feedback on Viber

Another strength that Viber offers for businesses is the ability to tap directly into their customer directory and ask them for responses.

Let’s say for example that a skin care business wants to conduct a survey. They sell care products to Filipino customers, and they want to enhance their current offering by sending messages that poll their list.

The brand can easily create a warm Viber broadcast to participate in an exclusive skincare survey.

They carefully craft copy intended to enhance customer engagement, insert chat links to the survey, and include rich media carousels that tell the audience what to expect.

They hit send, and they receive a flurry of engaged responses within minutes. Then the business can then monitor analytics and insights from all Viber interactions to their messages to understand user behavior, engagement patterns, and the effectiveness of their strategy.

Viber Messaging Campaigns: Tips and Best Practices

Running Viber messaging campaigns is an excellent strategy that can boost customer experience and propel you toward your business goals faster. But that’s only if you do it right. 

Here are some of the best tips and tricks to help you succeed in your next campaign:

• Get permission first. Conversational commerce through messaging channels like Viber is a great tool, but be sure to get explicit consent before sending messages. This ensures compliance with data protection regulations and avoids being labeled as spam.
  
• Include a clear call-to-action (CTA). Whether it’s promoting a sale, offering a discount, or inviting users to visit your website, make sure the next steps are crystal clear through a clear and actionable CTA.
  
• Offer incentives and promotions. Your audience’s time and attention is important. Show you value them by offering exclusive discounts or promotions to Viber users.
  
• Ensure personalized and localized content. Tailor your content to the specific audience you are targeting in the Philippines. Consider language preferences, cultural nuances, and local events to make your messages feel like one-to-one interactions rather than impersonal mass broadcasts.
  
• Always include high-quality multimedia content. Use Viber’s multimedia features to your advantage. Share visually appealing images, videos, QR codes, and interactive content to showcase your products or brand effectively.
  
• Integrate Viber with your e-commerce platform. This can streamline the purchasing process and provide a seamless experience for users who choose to shop directly through Viber.

By following these tips and best practices, you can enhance your e-commerce business’ Viber messaging campaign, build stronger connections with customers, and drive meaningful engagement and conversions.

Building Brand Awareness and Engagement on Viber

One of the most powerful strategies to build brand awareness and engagement on Viber is to create and nurture a Viber Community.

Viber Communities provide a space for like-minded individuals to come together, interact, and engage with your brand. It can serve as a central hub for your brand’s most dedicated followers, giving them a sense of belonging and loyalty.

You can create a thriving Viber Community by consistently delivering value, exclusivity, and meaningful interactions. 

To do so, you must clearly define the purpose of your Viber Community. Whether it’s for exclusive updates, discussions, or special promotions, having a clear objective will attract users who resonate with your brand.

Then, share exclusive content, offers, and sneak peeks within the Viber Community. Provide members with incentives to join, such as access to limited-time discounts, early access to products, or members-only events.

Lastly, encourage community members to interact with each other and with your brand. Pose questions, run polls, and create discussions to really get the conversation going and make users feel actively involved.

This way, your brand doesn’t just become another boring corporate logo, but a living, breathing entity that Viber users (and your potential customers) can interact with.

Integrating Viber with CRM Systems and Business Tools

Viber supports a range of integrations that enhance user experience and functionality. 

Here are a few important examples:

• Payment gateways. Integration with popular payment gateways allows businesses to facilitate secure and convenient in-app transactions. They offer several solutions, such as Viber Pay, Viber Payment Request, and Viber’s Bot Payment API.
  
• CRM integrations. Connecting Viber with customer relationship management systems helps businesses manage customer interactions (like booking confirmations), track preferences, and personalize communication for a more tailored shopping experience.
  
• Social media integrations. Integrating Viber with social media platforms allows for promoting Viber on multiple channels. You can cross-promote products, share updates, and leverage social engagement within the Viber messaging environment.

For your e-commerce business, integrating with platforms and services that enhance customer engagement, streamline transactions, and provide a seamless shopping experience is crucial. 

Fortunately, Viber has an accessible API, which means that there are already tons of integrations available for it. You just have to know what you want Viber to do for your business, then look for ways to integrate Viber into it.

Final Thoughts

Viber in the Philippines is fast becoming a tool for marketing, customer experience, and other important facets of e-commerce.

With Viber installed, your brand can stand out from the competition and create an actively engaged audience – but not many business owners know how to. Fortunately, with this article, you now have everything you need to use Viber for business.

Create a Public account for your business, engage with your customers and communities, and nurture your business’ online brand with ease. 

Try Viber for Business today!