WhatsApp is no longer just a chat app, it’s one of the important backbones of world communication. With over 3.3 billion users and a 98% open rate for business messages, it has become the most effective way for companies to connect with customers.
At the same time, new AI tools make it possible for users to chat directly with software - instead of filling out forms or clicking links. Direct chat is now a viable option for fetching-or-posting data to software systems. WhatsApp will be an important bridge between users and systems here.
This convergence makes WhatsApp the ideal platform for logistics customer service. From shipment tracking to customs document downloads, and from quoting to claims WhatsApp enables faster, more transparent, and more cost-efficient communication. Furthermore, it does not create an additional workload for logistics companies. It’s about transforming the customer experience. Client portals worked well for logistics customers, and WhatsApp makes it possible to improve this experience.
As the Modaltrans team, we already see many courier services starting to use WhatsApp as the main communication point with their customers. If you have a package coming from Amazon, tracking notifications will be delivered via WhatsApp, not SMS. Some airlines have started using WhatsApp for customer care. Even some airports like Gatwick, Dublin and Zurich have been using WhatsApp for different processes.
So, we implemented the same solution for our partners on Modaltrans. You can explore all available integrations on our integrations page.
With this integration, shippers will be able to take the following actions from their phone without needing to contact anyone at their logistics service provider:
- Checking their own shipments, documents and details
- Monitoring active quotes and accepting or rejecting them.
- Sending claims or notes to logistics company management.
- Checking customs declaration statuses and downloading PDFs
This is the initial version of this integration. We will add more actions based on your feedback over time. The onboarding process can take a few days, maybe one week. The onboarding steps are;
- Our support team needs to create a WhatsApp account on the Meta Business portal.
- Then you will need a phone number to add to your WhatsApp account. Think of this phone number as your call center phone, and it should not be linked to an active WhatsApp account. Again, our support team will handle this step on your behalf. You just need to arrange the phone number.
- Finally, our support team will copy the message templates to your account and handle the confirmation process. Each template must be confirmed by WhatsApp administrators.
After these steps you need to update the client contacts which you want to use this integration. You should add their phone number and approve WhatsApp usage for each contact once. We will add quick LinkedIn posts so you can announce this to your network. Initially, we recommend starting with a few well-known clients.
For fleet operators, driver communication through WhatsApp is coming soon. We will notify you about this when it is ready.
