Why WhatsApp wins on channel
It is already installed, already open, and requires no account, no portal and no password. For a large share of Indian customers it is the default way to contact a business, and telling them to use a web form instead is a losing argument.
Why it fails as a system of record
Conversations live on a device. They cannot be assigned, prioritised, escalated or reported on. When the phone changes hands the history is gone, and when the employee leaves, the customer leaves with them. Group chats scroll, and anything more than a day old is effectively unfindable.
There is also a quieter problem: a personal WhatsApp number creates a personal relationship with a company customer, which is excellent until the day that person joins a competitor.
The arrangement that works
Keep WhatsApp as a channel and remove it as a system. A WhatsApp Business API number connected to your helpdesk means the customer writes exactly as they always did — and on your side the message becomes a ticket on that customer’s record, alongside their emails.
Any agent can answer. The history is permanent. Reporting includes it. And nothing is stored on anybody’s phone.
The operational warning
WhatsApp resets customer expectations from hours to minutes. Enable it only if you can staff it, set business hours on the number, and use an automatic out-of-hours reply that gives a real timeframe rather than silence.