WhatsApp has rapidly evolved from an easy messaging platform into a comprehensive communication tool for both personal and professional interactions. Thanks to business accounts, companies now engage with their customers directly through WhatsApp – from ticket confirmations and transaction details, through promotions, updates, promotions updates or ticket cancellation notifications – directly on this app. While this has made communication for companies like Cred, BookMyShow, Cult.fit or Croma easier this has also resulted in more spam for users; there are ways they can manage or block these unwanted messages effectively.
Understanding Business Accounts on WhatsApp
WhatsApp Business Accounts are created to facilitate easy communication between businesses and their customers, offering automated messages, customer support services and promotional content – but at times can become overwhelming with spam when multiple businesses start sending regular updates and offers directly.
Blocking Unwanted Business Messages
WhatsApp provides an effective method for you to block business accounts that send unwanted communications – here’s how it works:
- Open WhatsApp: Launch the app and navigate to the ‘Chats’ tab.
- Select the Business Account: Identify the business account sending unwanted messages and open the chat.
- Block the Account: Scroll down to the bottom of the chat to find the ‘Block’ option. Tap on it and confirm your decision. Alternatively, you can tap on the three dots in the top right corner of the chat and select ‘Block’ from the dropdown menu.
By blocking a business account, you will no longer receive messages from that particular account. However, it’s important to note that this action needs to be taken individually for each business account.
Opting Out of Business Messages
Many businesses now offer the option to subscribe to their updates via WhatsApp. This is often presented as a checkbox during the ordering or registration process on their website. If you prefer not to receive promotional messages or updates from a business, make sure to deselect this option when interacting with their services online.
Reporting Spam on WhatsApp
In addition to blocking, WhatsApp also offers the option to report accounts that send spam. This can be done directly from the chat:
- Open the Chat: Navigate to the chat with the business account you want to report.
- Report the Account: Tap on the three dots in the top right corner and select ‘Report’ from the dropdown menu. Follow the prompts to confirm your report.
Reporting an account helps WhatsApp identify and take action against businesses that misuse the platform for spamming purposes.
Conclusion
Although business accounts on WhatsApp offer businesses the ability to stay in contact with customers more conveniently, they can sometimes lead to unwanted spam messages for users. By learning how to block and report such accounts, users can regain control over their messaging experience by only receiving communications that meet their criteria – for instance opting out of business messages when signing up for services and blocking or reporting any accounts which breach these preferences as soon as they appear.
