Enhancing WhatsApp Integration in Movidesk to Boost Sales and Reduce Cancellations
About the Project
Movidesk is a Brazilian SaaS multichannel customer service platform that centralizes communication and enhances support team productivity. One of the most attractive features for leads is the integration with WhatsApp for customer support. However, we observed that many deals were not closing after leads entered the sales funnel, and we were also facing an increase in cancellations related to the WhatsApp integration.
As part of the team responsible for WhatsApp integration, our goal was to reduce losses in the sales funnel, decrease the number of cancellations, and enhance the user experience.
Understanding the Problem
A vital aspect of my role was to understand why our leads were not converting and why customers were canceling due to the WhatsApp functionality. To find these answers, we adopted a data-driven and research-based approach:
- User Journey: We mapped the journey from sign-up to cancellation of the WhatsApp functionality.
- Desk Research: We collected and analyzed all available data about the functionality.
- Quantitative Survey: We sent a survey to both our current customers and those who canceled to identify patterns.
- Qualitative Research: We conducted in-depth interviews via video calls with 5 customers who used WhatsApp heavily and 5 who used it minimally. We also reviewed recordings of lost sales calls related to WhatsApp issues.
- Benchmarking: We analyzed 6 competing tools that offered WhatsApp integration.
Following these steps, we pinpointed key factors impacting the user experience and causing cancellations:
- The flow of the WhatsApp functionality was fragmented across various stages of the customer journey:
- Customers couldn’t select a subject for support or continue an ongoing chat;
- Support agents received context-less support requests, necessitating repetitive questioning;
- Messages appeared as sent to agents, yet weren’t being delivered correctly.
- The channel exhibited different behavior compared to other chat channels, resulting in a high number of open bug tickets.
- Agents couldn’t initiate chats with customers, relying on customers to initiate contact.
- The WhatsApp feature had high market potential but was limited in terms of features.
- Inadequate leads were entering the sales funnel, leading to significant losses.
Ideation and Prototyping
With a clear understanding of the challenges, we initiated the ideation process to devise suitable solutions:
- Solution Sketch: We created possible conversational flows to address the identified functionality issues.
- Design Critique: We held a 1-hour session to gather feedback from other product designers on the designed flows, messaging, and message accessibility. Developers were also involved to provide their perspectives.
- Prototyping: We created prototypes to test the proposed conversational flows.
- Usability Testing: We tested the prototypes with 5 customers and 5 agents. The goal was to evaluate the effectiveness of the messages and flows for both customers and agents, resulting in fine-tuning of flows and message content.
- Technical Feasibility: We validated the solution with the technical team to ensure implementation feasibility.
Delivery
In the end, after numerous interactions with users and stakeholders, we delivered improvements throughout the functionality flow, making it smoother and preventing issues in the user experience. As a result, we anticipate increased user satisfaction with the feature.
Impact of the Solution
Three months after implementing the improved functionality, we observed the following significant outcomes:
- Approximately 50% reduction in tickets related to “WhatsApp” issues.
- 56% decrease in cancellations of the product attributed to “WhatsApp.”
- 57% increase in satisfaction with the WhatsApp functionality.
Learnings and Final Thoughts
- The initiative underscored the importance of data-driven actions to gain business priority and engage the team toward project goals.
- We learned to consider both user pain points and business needs, aiming for a balance between the two. Overemphasizing one at the expense of the other can result in ineffective actions.
- Continuous monitoring of key functionality data is essential to prevent surprises, such as discovering that the WhatsApp channel, initially seen as an important customer entry point, had also become a major contributor to user exits.
- During solution development, we grasped the significance of validating preliminary ideas, preventing waste of time and resources on solutions that wouldn’t meet customer needs. Collaborative approaches with stakeholders contributed to creating a more efficient solution.
This project provided a valuable opportunity for my professional growth, enabling me to apply research and design methodologies, while understanding the importance of close collaboration with multidisciplinary teams to achieve impactful results for both the business and users.