WhatsApp will soon allow you to chat with verified businesses

WhatsApp has been exploring potential monetization channels ever since it dropped the $1 annual subscription free after being acquired by Facebook. To that effect, the company is doing a pilot program with select businesses to get their contacts verified. A WhatsApp verified business contact can be distinguished with a green check badge next to the business's name. This allows customers to be sure that they are chatting or sharing details with a legitimate entity.

There are a few other distinguishing characteristics of a business conversation in the app. The messages will be in yellow chat bubbles and there is no way of deleting messages in the chat. If the business's contact has been saved in the phone, the user will see that name. Else, the name provided by the business's themselves will be displayed in the app. Users who do not wish to receive updates from a business can block the corresponding contact.

This feature could have immense potential, especially in countries where WhatsApp is more or less the de facto method of communication. For example, customers can get quick updates on the status of their online order or know flight or train updates much faster than having to dial-in or email customer support. With WhatsApp encrypting chats at both ends, most of the security concerns could also be taken care of.