WhatsApp and Visio-assistance: a must for customer support and after-sales service?

1. Why WhatsApp is (also) making its mark in technical professions

Massive, intuitive adoption

With over 2.5 billion active users worldwide (source: Statista, 2024), WhatsApp is one of the most widely used messaging systems, including in the workplace. In many sectors (maintenance, construction, agriculture, transport), technicians already use WhatsApp to send photos, ask questions and share error codes.

Why this adoption?

• Initial use in the private sphere
• Easy to use (no training required)
• Free
• Immediate responsiveness (asynchronous but fast)
• Multimedia sharing (photo, video, audio, location)
• Present on all media (smartphones, tablets, PCs, etc.)

From informal to organizational

The real challenge is not to impose a tool, but to structure what already exists. The objective:

• Secure exchanges (RGPD, confidentiality, archiving)
• Capitalize on best practices
• Tracking interventions
• Connect these flows to intelligent support tools

Solutions like FIXEE connect WhatsApp to a professional video-assistance platform, integrated with a knowledge base.

2. Visio-assistance: see, guide, solve… from a distance

What video assistance really does

By connecting a support expert to a field technician via a real-time video tool, you can :

• Direct observation of the problem (machine, part, interface)
• Visual instructions (gestures, connections, handling)
• Immediate resolution or precise diagnosis
• Capturing knowledge in real-life situations

Case study: assistance on a construction site

A structural engineering company used video-assistance via WhatsApp to help installers with complex technical issues (laying reinforcement, pipe connections).

Result:

• 70% of calls handled without travelling
• Average resolution time halved
• Reduce customer disputes over non-conformities

Limits to take into account

• Network connection required (4G minimum)
• Confidentiality to be secured (sensitive visuals)
• Quality of equipment (camera, microphone)
• Environmental noise management

3. Benefits for manufacturers

Operational time savings

At a manufacturer of ventilation systems, the combined use of WhatsApp and videoconferencing has made it possible toavoid 300 technical trips per year. This represented a saving of €75,000 in logistics costs and almost 1,200 working hours reallocated to higher-value tasks.

Improving customer satisfaction

In an industrial boiler-making SME, customers could send a video via WhatsApp as soon as they noticed a problem. The technician viewed the video, responded live, and sometimes suggested a remote solution. The satisfaction rate rose from 84% to 96% in six months.

Knowledge capitalization and faster onboarding

Now that every video exchange is automatically documented (transcript, summary, knowledge sheet), new recruits are able to build up their skills more quickly. This database is used as a training tool for all new technicians. As a result, the time taken to ramp up skills has been cut by 40% in the 3 branches tested.

4. How to structure an effective field support strategy with WhatsApp + visio

Step 1: Map relevant use cases

Not all incidents require visio. You need to identify :

• Cases where the image changes everything (visual diagnosis, professional gesture)
• Recurring errors that can be documented
• Incidents with a high learning value

Step 2: Choosing the right technical solution

Solutions such as FIXEE.AI, Blitzz, SightCall or Salesforce Service Cloud + TechSee enable:

• Seamless integration with WhatsApp
• Professional video assistance with note-taking and capture
• Secure recording of exchanges
• Automatic capitalization in a knowledge base

Step 3: Measuring impact

• Number of cases treated remotely
• Average resolution time
• Post-support customer satisfaction
• Number of knowledge files generated

5. Inspiring examples of companies that have taken the plunge

Example 1: Industrial maintenance (Lyon region)

An SME specializing in industrial conveyors has deployed a WhatsApp + visio solution in 4 regions. In one year :

• 53% reduction in on-site interventions
• Creation of over 300 micro-tutorials based on the videos
• Greater autonomy for junior technicians

Example 2: Agricultural equipment (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)

A farm equipment dealer has introduced videoconferencing for remote diagnostics. Customer/workshop exchanges are filmed (with agreement), analyzed and integrated into a database of similar cases.

• 85% of requests are now processed in less than 4 hours
• Tutorials based on real cases are used in customer training courses

Example 3: Special machine integrator (Brittany)

For each delivery, the customer service team sends a WhatsApp message 24 hours after the start-up to check the delivery. In the event of a problem, a visio is launched. Support is reactive, incidents are handled without having to travel, and customer follow-up is reinforced.

Conclusion: professionalize the informal, capitalize on the instant

What was once an informal conversation between technicians can become a strategic lever. WhatsApp and video-assistance don’t replace physical support, but they can optimize, rationalize and document it. Provided they are integrated into an overall knowledge management system.

By structuring what is said, shown and resolved remotely, manufacturers can build a collective operational memory, reduce costs, improve the customer experience and enhance the value of their business knowledge.

What if tomorrow, every video became a training sheet? Every WhatsApp exchange an educational resource? This future is already here. We just need to organize it.