WhatsApp Archives - AfricaBusiness.com

12Sep

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Tech Tools Could Streamline SA’s Vaccine Rollout

Did you know that over three billion messages related to COVID-19 have been sent by governments, non-profits and international organisations to citizens via official WhatsApp chatbots[i]? The South African government was one of the first to harness the power of the platform to share correct, up-to-date COVID-19 information from the National Department of Health, but Kyle Oosthuizen (@KyleOosthuizen), Chief Operating Officer at Blue Robot, the leading provider of socially powered messaging solutions, believes that it – and other tech tools - could be utilised for far more, especially now that vaccines are being opened up to younger generations. He says that while the WhatsApp chatbot is slightly more convenient than government’s COVID-19 resource and news portal, it isn’t adding any new va...

20May

By APO GroupNo Comments

Kenya News

97% of internet users in Kenya use WhatsApp; here’s how businesses can reach them (By James Bayhack)

By James Bayhack The COVID-19 pandemic has left many customer service departments under immense pressure to meet client expectations while keeping response times low. This is particularly important in competitive industries like eCommerce, travel and hospitality, where customer service is a priority. To address this challenge, companies must enable their support staff with the right tools and channels to meet and exceed customer expectations. WhatsApp should be one of these support channels for your business. According to the Global Web Index’s 2020 Social Media User Trends Report (https://bit.ly/3bG5209), Kenya has the highest percentage of monthly WhatsApp users compared to the rest of the world, with an astonishing 97% of internet users who use WhatsApp every month. WhatsApp is clea...

20Apr

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business, South Africa News, Tech

What does WhatsApp’s Privacy Policy Update Mean for Brands?

Despite public pushback, Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp will be going ahead with the privacy policy update it announced earlier this year. While the public has begun to appreciate that WhatsApp’s privacy rules are in fact still very much in favour of the user, with messages sent remaining private and encrypted at all times, what will this mean for brands that use the app to reach and engage with consumers? “The benefits for brands are massive,” says Kyle Oosthuizen, Chief Operating Officer at Blue Robot - creators of messaging solutions that allow brands to communicate with their audience at scale. “These updates form part of Facebook’s efforts to make communicating with a business secure, better and easier for everyone. The new updates will be made to business features that will he...

17Mar

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Fintech, South Africa News

Ukheshe Technologies and Infobip collaborate to create SA’s first WhatsApp payment gateway

Leading digital fintech enablement provider, Ukheshe Technologies, together with Infobip, a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected customer experiences across all stages of the customer journey at scale, have developed South Africa’s very first WhatsApp payment gateway for use by Telkom, one of the country’s largest mobile operators. In addition to being South Africa’s first digital wallet platform, the solution is also the first WhatsApp channel to enable payments using QR. The project and collaboration with Infobip forms part of Ukheshe’s objective of expanding its international reach as a solution driven B2B provider of digital-first payment solutions that enable banks, telcos and fintechs to provide banking and payment services to their customer...

6Mar

By Caitlin NaidooNo Comments

South Africa News

Whatsapp’s New Privacy Terms: Data Protection And Privacy Laws In South Africa

By Caitlin Naidoo, Centurion Law Group In January 2021, WhatsApp announced that it would be altering its privacy terms to share data with Facebook causing panic among WhatsApp users. Users that want to continue using WhatsApp’s services have no choice but to agree to these new privacy terms. WhatsApp is a messaging platform used globally as an alternative to normal SMS or device-specific texting platforms such as iMessage or BBM, hence the hysteria causing millions of users to flee to alternative platforms such as Signal and Telegram. Much of the concern over these new privacy terms is due to a lack of understanding from the general public regarding privacy laws, particularly in relation to the internet and social media. Many people were under the impression tha...

AURA builds world’s first WhatsApp security chatbot in partnership with Tracker

16Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News, Tech

AURA builds world’s first WhatsApp security chatbot in partnership with Tracker

AURA, South Africa’s leading security and medical response platform has launched the world’s first WhatsApp security chatbot in partnership with Tracker, one of the country's most trusted names in stolen vehicle recovery. Powered by AURA, Tracker’s unique Tracker CareGuard service offers rapid mobile emergency response anywhere, anytime within South Africa. The new cutting-edge solution enables subscribers to request immediate mobile armed response assistance wherever they are by sharing a location pin in WhatsApp. Warren Myers, Founder and CEO of AURA says the new WhatsApp service illustrates the power of technology in preventing and combating crime and the role it plays in enabling South African businesses to offer innovative security products and services to customers. “The Tracker Car...

Financial Scams – How to avoid becoming a victim

15Jan

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News, Tech

Financial Scams – How to avoid becoming a victim

South Africa has significantly more financial crime than most other countries. With a rate of 77% compared to a global average of 49%, SA is something of a hotbed for fraud and scams. As consumers and insurance-seekers we need to understand the risks of economic crime and how to avoid becoming a victim, the risks of committing insurance fraud and how to avoid being inadvertent perpetrators of fraud ourselves, by for example, omitting information in an insurance application. Herman Lombard, Founder and Executive Director of financial services provider African Unity, explains that an intentionally fraudulent claim could result in cancellation of the policy as well as a negative reputation with the insurer and the industry in general. “Consumer fraud is the second highest ranking category of ...