WhatsApp Business News

The conversational mindset: rethinking customer experience in the WhatsApp era

Written by Pascal Detraz | Sep 22, 2025 9:54:01 PM

Adopting a conversational strategy for your business isn’t just about connecting a chatbot or providing generic answers. These are the core principles behind our product approach at Sandra.

A conversational strategy requires a mindset shift — a real understanding of user behavior on WhatsApp.

Here are the 6 key principles to keep in mind before launching a customer experience on this channel:

1. Synchronous vs Asynchronous


On WhatsApp, users can reply instantly... or days later.
Your business must be able to:

  • Respond immediately
  • Resume conversations after long pauses — without losing context

—> This requires conversational memory and smart integrations with your CRM or internal tools.


2. Personal vs Professional

WhatsApp is an intimate space. Brand communication must remain:

  • Human, natural, and non-intrusive
  • Adapted to the moment and preferred format (text, audio, image...)
—> A well-crafted notification is useful. Poorly timed or worded, it becomes spam.


3. Passive vs Active

The customer can:

  • Start the conversation (Click-to-Chat)
  • Or react to a triggered message (reminder, promotion, follow-up)


—> The key is sending the right message at the right moment — with true contextual relevance.


4. Private vs Public

While WhatsApp is perceived as private, groups, communities, and channels are public — and soon open to advertising via WhatsApp Ads.

Brands must anticipate that their messages can be shared.

—> It’s a great opportunity for reach, but also a perception risk — the quality of each interaction matters.

5. Structured vs Free-form

The web trained us to follow rigid flows (forms, steps, menus…). But conversation is naturally messy.

WhatsApp finally allows both:
A structured ordering flow… with free-form questions along the way.

—> This flexibility brings humanity back into digital experiences.


6. Ongoing vs One-off

On WhatsApp, conversations don’t necessarily end.
They can resume 3 days later. Or 2 weeks.

Your agent (human or AI) needs memory. Otherwise, the experience breaks.

—> You must treat the relationship as a continuous thread — not as a series of isolated tickets.


In Summary:


Launching a WhatsApp strategy isn’t just about adding a new channel.
It’s about embracing a new mindset: fluid, personal, respectful, and adaptive.

At Sandra, we help you build that kind of conversational relationship on WhatsApp:

  • Scripted
  • Personalized
  • GDPR & nFADP compliant
  • Connected to your tools, your context, your tone — and much more