Businesses have long since considered Whatsapp an indispensable tool for reaching out and marketing themselves to customers. However, it comes with a strict set of laws and regulations they must remain compliant with; else, they face legal consequences.
As a business owner or marketer, your prime responsibility is to ensure compliance when using Whatsapp and determine the legal risks of using the platform. The problem is that the policies for Whatsapp compliance are somewhat ambiguous and varying internationally, and you might find yourself caught on the hook violating one unknowingly.
In this article, we’ll provide a step-by-step guide to navigating Whatsapp’s indistinct compliance landscape – but be warned; these are not meant to provide prescriptive advice.
Define And Enforce Whatsapp Chat Use Terms And Conditions
It is crucial to familiarize yourself and your employees with Whatsapp’s terms and conditions and remain compliant. You can access the Whatsapp security and privacy help center and read through, as those policies exist to protect your business in case a lawsuit comes flying through your window. Additionally, you can implement your own company’s policies concerning Whatsapp to ensure compliance with your employees and familiarity with your audiences, an example of which is the opt-in framework.
Train and Educate Staff
This practice must be done before allowing staff and employees to access company-approved channels. Informing your employees on strict professional use of the messaging platform and why they shouldn’t use their personal accounts for customer interaction will prevent future repercussions.
Implement Supervision and Moderation
Your audience may be exposed to problems when using themessaging app. From security breaches to disinformation, it falls in your hands as the business owner to ensure safety for you and your clients when interacting with Whatsapp. Creating community moderation guidelines and placing supervisory procedures will keep communications from becoming too negative or harmful.
Keep Records
All Whatsapp chats and messages are considered business records vital to comply with laws from varying states or countries. You should keep backups of all messages, files, photos, chats, deletions, and others just in case. You may also use third-party Whatsapp compliance archiving tools for extra steps but carefully scrutinize each before selecting and utilizing.
Need help with your Whatsapp compliance blues? Visit LeapXpert now and begin your responsible business communication today.
