How to Use the Whatsapp Business in the Sports and Fitness Sector

Sports, fitness and wellbeing trends will continue to evolve in 2022. Combinations include, amongst others, Yoga and High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), tech-driven sports equipment and meditation apps such as Headspace, as well as the growing consumer desire for unique and personalised experiences.

The WhatsApp Business API offers the opportunity to offer unique and personalised experiences in the sports, fitness and wellbeing industry, whilst at the same time reducing pressure on customer care.

Let's explore in more detail.

It isn’t hard to imagine how standardised messages – think of questions about subscriptions, appointments (whether physical or online) and opening hours - can reduce pressure on customer care. 

Wouldn’t it be easier if questions were answered before they’re asked? And that recurring incoming questions are answered for you? 

The WhatsApp Business API has a way to make things a bit easier on your customer care centre. How? With Message Templates.

Message Templates are pre-approved messages that can be sent in both inbound and outbound communication with your customers. These messages can be used to send notifications to those customers with an active opt-in to receive the timely notification from your business, or to help you send quick replies whenever a consumer contacts your support desk via WhatsApp.

In addition to Message Templates, it is also possible to offer a chatbot within your WhatsApp channel - this allows for frequently asked questions to be addressed in an automated way, 24/7. 

Businesses across all sectors are starting to see the mind-bending value of one of the most promising digital trends in recent history: chatbots. Specifically WhatsApp chatbots. Here are some reasons you should take notice of the potent business trend that is WhatsApp chatbots.

Preset, but personal

Whatever the use case, these messages need to be valuable, informative and relevant. This means personalisation is key. To personalise the message, you can use numbered placeholders {x}. 

Each of those placeholders can be filled with letters, digits, special characters and spaces. Sounds abstract? 

This is best explained with some examples of how these Message Templates can be used to optimise customer care in the sports, fitness and wellbeing sector.

Hi {1}, welcome to day 1 of your 10 day meditation challenge! Today, it’s all about managing anxiety. Here [2}, you can unlock day 1 and pick a narrator. Get ready to bring a sense of spaciousness into your day.

Morning {1} Today is the day! It’s marathon time! Are you ready? Make sure to eat your carbs this morning and you’ve got your running shoes ready to go! Show this QR code at the admission desk and you’re good to go!

Hi [1], this is day 7 of your 30 Day Abs Challenge! Today, we’re going for 40 sit-ups, 20 crunches, 20 leg raises and 30 sec plank! Ready, set, let’s target those abs!

Dear [1} Unfortunately, our [2} training is canceled today, as the teacher is injured. Instead, virtual Rico will be here to give us a boxing class. Same time & place. En-roll in the class here {3}!

Your subscription will end in 2 months. If you want to extend or change your subscription, you can do so as of today!

You finished your triathlon! You can truly be proud of your accomplishment today. And in case people don’t believe you did it, here’s a photo of you crossing the finish line in {1}

During the holidays, our opening hours are slightly different. On December 24th, we close at 16h, and we’re closed on December 25th and 26th. On the 27th, we’ll be here to support you in burning those Christmas calories from 9AM. Merry Christmas!

This week is Bring Your Friend week. Have you already signed up your friend, brother, mom or colleague? You can give max. 4 people a free week pass!

Hi [1}, the gym will be more crowded than usual due to the Bring Your Friend Week. We expect a peek between 7 and 10 PM. We know you mostly visit in the evening, but if possible, you may want to come in early this week!

But let’s be honest, you probably already have great ideas on how to use this messaging channel to engage with your audience. And if you don’t, this NIKE campaign will get your creativity started.

Custom Message Templates

These were just a few of the many examples of how you can use the WhatsApp Business API to actively inform customers of an improved customer experience. WhatsApp and your WhatsApp Business API distributor may provide you with Message Templates, or you can request your own. Approval of Message Templates is done by WhatsApp and your WhatsApp Business Solution Provider. Important to note is that for outbound use of these Templates, you will need an active opt-in from your customer to send specified information.

Otherwise, they may be used only in the customer care window, initiated by your customer. If your customer has any questions after receiving your notifications, he or she can ask for more information by simply replying to your message, opening up such a customer care window in which you can communicate freely. So besides using Message Templates, of course, you can also have a spontaneous chat, where you can type your messages with rich media in response to a customer-initiated conversation.