Integrating WhatsApp Business

WhatsApp has become deeply woven into our daily lives. We use it to chat with friends, video call family members on the other side of the world, organize group trips and study sessions, and share photos, videos, links, and music with a single tap.

In short: WhatsApp makes communication effortless.

So it’s no surprise that in 2018, WhatsApp introduced a business version: WhatsApp Business. It instantly elevated the way customers and companies communicate. Because WhatsApp was already such a familiar and trusted channel for personal messaging, the shift to contacting businesses through WhatsApp was a small — and very natural — step. The adoption was huge, thanks to its ease of use and strong functionality.

What exactly is WhatsApp Business?

WhatsApp Business works much like the regular WhatsApp app we all know. The key difference is that it’s linked to your business phone number instead of your personal one. Customers can simply message your company the same way they message friends — making the threshold to get in touch extremely low.

It also enables rich communication — meaning you can exchange photos, videos, and audio messages. So if a customer receives a damaged product, they can report it instantly and add visual context. Your support team can handle the case quickly and effectively.

And although the conversation feels like a one-on-one chat, multiple team members can manage conversations behind the scenes. To the customer, it still feels like a single point of contact.

Key benefits of WhatsApp Business

✔️ Very low barrier to contact

Everyone knows how to use WhatsApp — making it one of the easiest ways for customers to reach you.

✔️ Rich, contextual communication

The ability to send images, video, and audio leads to faster, more accurate issue resolution.

✔️ One channel — flexible team support

Customers use one chat entry point while your team collaborates behind the scenes.

WhatsApp Business in practice

WhatsApp Business offers many features — video calling, business profiles, automated greetings and away messages, labels, canned replies, and of course, chat.

But at Harmonizer, we like to think beyond the standard use cases.

For a major Dutch transport company, we created an integration that allows job applicants to apply directly via WhatsApp — simply by scanning a QR code. No lengthy forms, no account creation — just a natural chat-like flow. To achieve this, we connected WhatsApp Business with their ATS system, Emply.

Traditionally, candidates complete a full application form online. But long forms and required CV uploads are increasingly seen as barriers — often causing candidates to drop off. Many organizations would prefer to start the conversation earlier.

In this WhatsApp-based flow, a candidate scans a QR code (for example in a bus shelter or restaurant window), and a WhatsApp chat opens. The candidate answers a series of conversational questions — dynamically pulled from the original application form. Based on their responses, Harmonizer generates follow-up questions — personalized per applicant.

Once completed, Harmonizer compiles the responses into a full application and sends it directly to the recruiter dashboard in Emply — without any manual processing.

The result:

A smoother, more personal candidate journey — and zero admin for the employer.

Try it yourself (test environment — data is auto-deleted after 24 hours):

And that’s just the beginning…

We’re also working on cases where customers report industrial machine malfunctions via WhatsApp. Each machine has a unique QR sticker. The moment it’s scanned, a support case is automatically created with machine details and reporter info. Support staff can handle everything from within Microsoft Dynamics — while the customer continues chatting in WhatsApp, even sending photos and videos to clarify the issue.

Another example: a youth support organization wanted to offer young people a safe, low-threshold way to ask for help. By connecting WhatsApp to Microsoft Teams, each incoming question appears as a conversation in Teams, allowing any available team member to respond instantly.

In short: the possibilities are endless. And it’s exactly those endless possibilities that make our Harmonizer hearts beat a little faster.