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Conversational Commerce Is on the Rise

Roberto Peñacastro - Leadsales
CEO

STORY INLINE POST

Sofía Hanna By Sofía Hanna | Journalist and Industry Analyst - Tue, 02/07/2023 - 09:23

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Q: What is Leadsales’ added value? 

A: Leadsales is a solution for family businesses as it addresses one of the main problems that SMEs in Latin America face. As these companies grow, their WhatsApp operations also grow and they have to deal with seemingly infinite messages. We realized that there was no proper way to organize them and we came up with a solution that allows multiple people to answer through the same WhatsApp number. With Leadsales, SMEs can also organize their WhatsApp chats using the Kanban methodology, allowing them to drag and drop the leads across columns to properly follow up on sales and support. 

We have been integrating Facebook and Instagram messaging to offer better organization in a single platform. While many people communicate with companies through Instagram and Facebook, the conversation often moves to WhatsApp. This platform also provides companies with useful tools like email and phone numbers. We are considering the integration of LinkedIn but to do so, we would have to develop another platform. LinkedIn is useful for talent recruiters and salespeople but it does not provide a proper way to follow up. 

Q: Some customers want to communicate with companies like they do with friends and family. Why is Leadsales the right solution for clients and businesses?

A: Businesses adapt to what the market demands. I saw this trend from the Google Ads department, seeing customers shift their marketing campaigns from a typical landing page to a WhatsApp button. We named this trend “conversational commerce” as it goes beyond talking with people. Most companies are adopting AI and automation but for certain services, customers need to talk with a real person to actually make a purchase. Conversational commerce is gaining relevance because personalized attention results in a higher conversion rate and a better customer experience. 

Q: Do you recommend generating quick responses within Leadsales or do you think businesses should answer clients personally?

A: There has to be a balance between automated and personal responses to increase the efficiency of the direct agent. Companies can rely on semi-automatization, which consists of quick replies, such as a welcome message. Our lead bot allows us to create a full menu so agents can answer basic questions but then customers receive personalized treatment. 

Q: What other products do you offer to continue building customer relationships and generating loyalty?

A: We have a follow-up feature to program messages so agents do not miss an opportunity when a customer is unavailable. With this feature, they can be one step ahead and program a follow-up. We also have analytics features to analyze the conversation while it is actually happening. Leadsales also has systems in place to send notifications after periods of inactivity for specific contacts. The lead bot helps to optimize the simple tasks, so the sales agent can focus on those that are most important.  

Q: What are the benefits of offering multi-agent interaction? Does this not become confusing when dealing with leads?

A: Customers usually want to talk with the business; they do not care who they are talking to. Consequently, there is no need to actually give them this information. Customers are also more confident if they feel they are talking to an official account rather than to multiple sales agents. We have seen many businesses that have multiple phones assigned to all their sales reps and this becomes very confusing. 

Q: What do you expect to get out of Meta's The Future of Messaging acceleration program?

A: We entered this program in early October and it has been useful, giving us access to many people within Meta and allowing us to understand how to become a business solutions provider. On Dec. 9, 2022 we will pitch our solution and plans for next year. Meta will reselect three companies to continue working with it for another year. Our goal is to either be acquired by Meta or to become an essential partner by building up its WhatsApp ecosystem. 

Q: Leadsales will have another seed round in April 2023. How will those funds be allocated and what is your long-term vision for the company?

A: We are addressing a real pain point and we are actually helping companies. This is the reason why we have been profitable since day one. We are present in 20 countries but we aim to use the capital to continue reaching different markets like Brazil, the EU, Africa and Southeast Asia. To reach these markets, we will require more talent. We are a tech company by nature and we are going to keep investing in tech talent to have local teams as well. 

Q: What is the process for incorporating or selling your solution in countries where customer service is different from that in Mexico?

A:  The beauty of software as a service is that we can sell wherever because the product is on the internet. Market penetration has been organic and we have built a blog with educational content that addresses certain public questions. Leadsales is a simple software that can be used by everyone because we made the technology accessible. It is a platform that is simple to use. 

Q: Where are communication modes heading and what is a good way to keep pace with the market?

A: Brands have to become more personal. Companies need to understand and embrace this change to build close relationships with their customers. Those that adapt will win. Leadsales has grown because we have gained social validation. We try to use social media to amplify our voice and we think it is working. Whoever sells on social media has to try Leadsales.

 

Leadsales helps to manage WhatsApp and Social Media conversations, improving customer service and centralizing business contacts automatically with an existing team.

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