The Ultimate Viber Business Messages Guide

Have you been considering the use of Viber Business Messages but don’t know where to start?

tyntec’s Starter Guide for Viber Business gives you the right tools to create your own Viber Business Profile, how to manage and leverage it, to ultimately accelerate customer service, increase sales conversions, and more.

💪 Ready to get started? Create your tyntec account and follow the next steps.

🎁 You’ve got 1,500 complimentary messages to try out Viber Business Messages with a live account!

Savvy brands are going all out to engage with consumers on their terms - and who can blame them? 

Research shows that putting customer experience front and center increases customer satisfaction rates by up to 30% and revenues by 50%. In fact, 84% of consumers say a brand’s customer experience is as important as its products and services. 

Enterprises are doubling their commitment to digital channels, especially messaging platforms, which customers increasingly prefer over traditional channels.

After all, 53% of consumers say they are more likely to shop with a business they can message!

One of the top chat apps globally, Viber boasts over one billion users worldwide with deep penetration rates in Southeast Asia (59%), Central and Eastern Europe (76%), and CIS (76%). The platform is most used by younger audiences, especially 25-34 year-olds and is popular with both men and women.

Viber’s actively engaged audience is the right place for companies to message consumers: 

• 70+ million interactions every single hour
• 35+ minutes spend on Viber per day
• 30+ messages sent per day per user
• 820+ million active users.   

As a digital channel, Viber offers a great place where brands can interact with consumers. 

While it offers various business services, including in-app advertising, its Conversational Commerce flagship is Viber Business Messages. Let’s find out more about what this messaging service can do for you 🚀

Viber Business Messages is a 1-to-1 conversational channel for companies to interact with end-users via a Viber Business Profile connected with a business phone number. It can be used to send promotional and transactional messages to opted-in customers, in addition to enabling two-way conversations.

The use of Viber Business Messages is an essential part of brands’ Conversational Commerce strategies, helping brands engage customers in a variety of ways:

• It gives customers instant care and support.
• It keeps customers in the loop with notifications about orders, shipping, and accrued loyalty points.
• It can steer customers via chat to products they might be interested in buying.
• It helps companies promote their latest deals, send personalized offers, and much more.

Viber Business Messages is delivered via official partners like tyntec. 

Through our Conversations API, tyntec helps companies professionalize and scale Viber interactions with a programming interface. 

With tyntec’s Conversations API for Viber, you can:

• Leverage Viber through your company’s infrastructure and access via custom UI or third-party interface, e.g., CRM.
• Connect thousands of agents as well as bots to interact with customers programmatically and manually.
• All standard accounts provide the verified tick automatically. 
• Integrate with numerous back-end systems such as CRM and marketing automation platforms.

To start using Viber Business Messages, your company needs to register for a Viber Business Profile. 

Before creating your Viber Business Profile, let’s go through the critical considerations for your omnichannel strategy based on Viber Business Messages.

✔️ My core audience is in a country (or countries) where Viber is strong

With over one billion users in over 190 countries, Viber offers great penetration rates around the world, particularly in Southeast Asia (59%), Central and Eastern Europe (76%), and CIS (76%). 

At the same time, Viber continues to grow! For instance, Viber had over 400% user increase in the Asia-Pacific region in 2020, with a 20% increase in the Philippines alone. 

Bottom line: if your customer base is located in one of Viber’s top markets, it may be worth getting a Viber Business Profile to enable 1-to-1 messages. 

✔️ My core audience is ready to text my business

Most consumers prefer to chat with businesses instead of receiving emails or calling a hotline number. 

Investigate if customers are giving you feedback on which channels they feel more comfortable talking to your brand. As a rule of thumb, Gen Z and millennials are usually faster to adopt chatting as the primary means of communication - which is the main demographic using Viber heavily. 

If you’re unsure how your customers will use Viber, you can test this out with tyntec’s 30-day free trial for Viber. 

In the trial phase, you can add Viber call-to-actions to get users’ consent without being intrusive:

• Include a click-to-chat link into your website, promotional emails, etc. 
• Promote your new Viber Business Profile in your Viber Community and/or Group. 
• Communicate with existing loyal customers. 

With these actions, you can measure how many inbound leads you have generated in a certain amount of time and define if Viber is the right channel for your company.

✔️ My messaging operations are based on SMS - and it’s very complex to manage

While SMS remains relevant to reaching mobile subscribers, messaging has evolved from one-way to two-way conversations. Popular chat apps like Viber may be a suitable replacement when SMS operations have become too complex and/or costly for your company. 

Check more details on how SMS and Viber differentiate and the benefits for your business:

Depending on what you’re aiming at, Viber Business Messages may end up costing less than SMS because: 

• Viber comes with built-in two-way functionality. You don’t have to pay additional costs to set up a virtual number or shortcode to receive text messages. 
• Sending media messages does NOT cost more (unlike MMS). 
• If you’re sending longer messages, you end up paying for more than 1 SMS to reach your user. That is not the case with Viber since it supports up to 1000 characters. 
• At the same time, Viber’s delivery rate of 97% makes a good case on why the chat app is increasingly being used to replace SMS.
• Viber Business Messages supports SMS fallback, so in case the end-user doesn’t have Viber installed, the message can be delivered as a text message. 

✔️ I need to replace Viber desktop due to security issues 

Companies started using Viber consumer accounts to interact with consumers, utilizing the popular Viber desktop. While this is practical and a good starting point, the Viber desktop is a consumer application that may create security issues for your company. 

Also, using the Viber desktop means companies cannot integrate or sync the Viber message exchange in its systems, e.g., CRM. 

Using the tyntec’s Conversations API can help you integrate Viber into your existing compliance and security management systems. Another alternative is using tyntec’s Conversations Inbox with Viber built-in to manage your customer conversations with security and GDPR compliance.  

✔️ My current channels are not helping the company convert more sales and/or generate repeat purchases

That happens often! Especially as most companies are still focused on legacy channels that do not invite customer conversations. Check out your current KPIs - open/response/conversion rates and see where the loopholes are. 

 Also, consider mapping your customer journey and find out where Viber - and perhaps other messaging channels, too - can help.

With Viber, you can converse with customers throughout the buyer journey, from discovery to retention, with one Viber Business Profile for enterprise messaging. 

Is your company ready to give Viber a try? Keep reading to learn more on how to create your Viber Business Profile ➡️

To benefit from Viber Business Messages, a company must create a business profile to communicate with users securely and in a scalable manner. By default, business accounts are fully encrypted and provide instant recognition to users of the company’s brand with a verified tick.

When a business sends a message to a Viber user, it will be displayed in a dedicated Viber chat from that sender. The end-users will view the following:

• Business name and logo, business website URL, and description.
• The Viber verified icon – Green (or blue for iOS devices) checkmark.
• Unsubscribe button – Each Viber user has the option to opt out from receiving messages from a specific sender by blocking that sender. They can also opt out of receiving all Business Messages directly in their settings.
• Learn more button – A way to find out more information about the sender.

An overlay will appear on the subscriber’s chat screen upon the first interaction with your business profile. The overlay will allow users to learn more about your business by giving them the option to open the business info page. There’s also an option for users to stop receiving messages from a company account. 

Viber is one of the most secure and privacy-driven messaging apps on the market today. All messages between your business, Viber, and your users are end-to-end encrypted.

• The connection between business & Viber servers is secured and encrypted. Requests are being sent over HTTPS only.
• Messages can only be viewed on the end user’s device. Viber does not save or store the message content once the message is delivered. 
• Viber does not sell customers’ data. 
• Push notifications do not reveal the content of the message itself on the end user’s device lock-screen. 
• The connection between Viber & end-user is secured and encrypted (unique key per end-user).
• For every Business, Viber safelists a limited number of IPs (no domains allowed). This ensures that only requests sent from the whitelisted IP addresses will be sent successfully.
• Push notification purpose is to “wake up” the Viber client and does NOT include message content.
• The Viber Business platform uses industry security best practices and complies with applicable laws.
• Viber only uses secured servers for Business Messages. All servers are hosted on virtual private clouds. 

Every business account must apply to Viber for approval before gaining access to the Viber Business Messages. tyntec is your official Viber partner to get your Viber Business account approved!

Before starting, check the industries banned from using Viber Business Messages. 

Follow only 4 steps to create your Viber Business Profile:

1. Sign up for a tyntec account. 
2. Collect the information needed and fill out the Setup Form. 
3. Sign standard Viber’s Warranty Letter (opt-in and anti-spam agreement)
4. Your Viber Business profile will be reviewed by Viber and is activated at the requested date, configured upon Viber’s approval. You can start messaging right away!

How do companies leverage Viber Business Messages? 

For enterprises looking at Conversational Commerce and Marketing opportunities, Viber provides a premium environment for high-quality, personalized messages. 

Viber addresses traditional pain points throughout the customer journey to elevate customer experiences—all within the app.

Combined, Viber Business Messages creates a frictionless journey for customers, which is great news for them - and for your business. To learn how your use cases are supported by Viber, jump to the next section, Message Types.

Viber provides businesses with a dedicated profile (businessID) that supports one-way and two-way communications initiated by the company and/or the user for the following message types: 

Promotional messages 

Promotional messages are built in the same way as all messages for Viber, but use the additional Promotional label in the web interface when creating your Viber messages to let Viber know the nature of a message. This has no functional effect on your message.

A promotional message is also defined as a message that contains rich media, such as a button, emoji, image, etc.

Transactional messages 

Transactional messages allow you to notify customers of any changes or important notifications they should be aware of (e.g., account charges, booking confirmations, feedback, etc.). In other words, these are purely informative. Transactional messages can be one or two ways to allow your customers to respond for further action.

A transactional message is also defined as a message that contains text only. It may also include a URL. In Russia only, a transactional message will be a templated message to be approved by Viber.

Conversational messages (Sessions) 

Sessions is a conversation flow that allows you to communicate with a user in a defined timeframe. For customer support purposes, sessions will open up a new communication channel between the company and its users. 

The session rate will be applied ONLY if the user initiates the conversation. If you send a message and it turns into a session, it will start from the company’s first reply.

Have you got your Viber Business Profile already? Then it’s time to start messaging your customers. In this section, let’s explore:

• Before messaging: collect opt-ins
• Find your customers on Viber
• Send and receive your first messages with tyntec
• Managing Viber conversations with the Conversations Inbox

The recipient of messages must provide consent (opt-in) before a business sends any messages. Companies must retain the proof of receipt of such consent. Companies can collect opt-ins by promoting Viber on their usual communication channels, incl. Website, email, SMS, and more.

For the Sessions message type, the user must initiate a business conversation using Viber’s URL scheme. A user who has started the conversation will be considered as opted-in for future messages until he revokes such opt-in or unsubscribes.

Messages sent to users without their consent will be considered SPAM, and the service will be subjected to a penalty, as mentioned in the Warranty Letter.

Also, businesses must send content that exclusively correlates to the information they presented to Viber at the registration stage. Content unrelated to the company of the Business/sender ID  will also be considered as SPAM.

Viber proactively monitors block rates and may disable services with exceptional block rates until further notice. A disabled Business will have to provide all the information requested by Viber concerning the content of the message to release its account and avoid liquidated damages, which release remains at Viber's sole discretion.

Viber Business Profiles are not easily discoverable on the Viber app. However, there are helpful tools to get your customers to find your profile and also message your brand first:

• Chat links: with a 1on1 chat with the sender, you can open a conversation with your customer. 

viber://chat?service=<sender_ID>

Note that it will work only if the user already has the Viber app installed on the smartphone when using this link. 

• QR codes: QR convert offline traffic in a store to Viber Contacts. You can add the QR Code to your website or emails as well. Remember that the QR Code only works if users have the Viber app installed on their phones. You can create your Viber QR scanner here:

viber://more/qr 

When the user taps the button, the camera will open to capture a QR code and start the conversation. 

Have you got opted-in customers? Great! Then learn in our tutorial the basics of sending and receiving Viber messages with tyntec. 

After sending your Viber messages, you’ll get the message status directly on the API. In case your message is not delivered, check here the error codes to find out why. 

Also, it’s recommended that you be careful with bulk messages sent too frequently to avoid a high amount of your contacts blocking your Viber Business Profile. 

Viber monitors block rates constantly to avoid the risk of SPAM. If Viber identifies that your Profile has reached a certain amount of blocks/opt-outs, Viber may temporarily suspend your account.

The use of Viber Business Messages with tyntec’s Conversations Inbox can greatly benefit marketing and customer service departments, as it offers a single centralized platform to manage inbound and outbound Viber conversations.

Let’s discover how you can strengthen your Viber CX with the Conversations Inbox main features 💪

Conversations Inbox has been designed to meet this vast demand, enabling companies to leverage Viber Business Messages in the following way:

• Manage inbound + outbound Viber messages from your Viber Business Profile.
• Send and broadcast messages to opted-in consumers to aid in marketing drives. 
• Receive and respond to customer-initiated messages (‘Sessions’) in one interface. 
• Make use of smart features like agent routing, team collaboration, and more in one place. 
• Engage the customer throughout their journey from inquiry to delivery and beyond on nearly ten messaging channels, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram Direct Messages, SMS, and more. 
• Scalability is a crucial feature of tyntec’s Conversations Inbox, the solution able to easily manage large-scale messaging volumes.

🌟 Check the top 7 capabilities on Conversations Inbox to manage your conversations with Viber. 

#1 - Send messages to opted-in customers

Send one-to-one and one-to-many messages to opted-in customers with ease. Broadcasting functionality is also possible for Viber Business Messages.

#2 - Receive messages 

When a user directly messages the brand, their message appears in the platform’s ‘Inbox’ in moments. There’s no need to wait for notifications and/or email reminders.

#3 - Assign to human or virtual agents in an instant

Before replying, the message can be assigned to a specific agent, team, or virtual assistant (chatbot). 

There’s no need for agents to ping each other, as the message will automatically appear in the assigned agent or team’s Conversations Inbox window.

#4 - Reply in an efficient manner

A user’s message can be replied to in the text field beneath their text. A ‘quick reply’ can also be dispatched immediately to help reduce response times and boost customer satisfaction for frequently asked questions.

#5 - Meet customer expectations

A brand’s agents aren’t always going to be available — there will be specific timeframes (i.e., the middle of the night) where a brand ‘shuts up shop’. 

To combat customer frustration, create automated messages that allow brands to use full scheduling options to create customized opening/closing times lists. It means customers will at least know when they can expect a response instead of being left guessing or, worst still, choosing to walk away.

#6 - Enable team collaboration for all teams involved with Viber

Multiple departments may require access to Viber — think social/marketing, customer service, sales, technical support, and more — creating a potential logistical issue. Conversations Inbox enables brands to add agents and assign them to teams effortlessly before assigning inquiries to the team best qualified to answer them.

#7 - Integrations: CRM, chatbots, and more!

Crucially, Conversations Inbox can be rolled out with minimum disruption and zero-coding and offers a host of other CX-critical benefits, too, including full integration with existing CRM platforms such as Microsoft Dynamics for Viber, third-party chatbot implementations, and expert guidance from tyntec.

While Conversations Inbox’s Instagram offering is demonstrably robust, brands know they now live in a multichannel world; one that must be coordinated and managed efficiently to create authentic omnichannel experiences for every customer, no matter the touchpoint 👍

The following steps are to create your Viber Business Profile and start rocking your customer engagement! 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

1. Create your tyntec account and submit all the information for your Viber Business Profile
2. Once your Viber Profile is live, test it out!
3. Collect your opt-ins and start sending messages!

Option #1 – with Conversations Inbox

Option #2 – with Conversations API for Viber

Get your live Viber Business Profile and enjoy 1,500 complimentary messages to send Viber messages. Create an account.