I recently came back from South Africa, and I have to say the game reserves and airlines out there just might be doing better customer messaging than most marketing teams I’ve worked with.
No joke. I was two hours north of any cities, deep in the bush, and WhatsApp made the entire experience so smooth. Not email. Not an app. Not a printed confirmation. WhatsApp. And it worked beautifully.
So, why are CRM teams still stuck in a two-channel world (email and ads) while everyday brands, even in the African wilderness, are using WhatsApp to deliver smarter, faster, and more human customer experiences?
The two-channel trap that’s ruining customer experience
Most marketing automation relies heavily on email. It’s familiar, relatively cheap, and easy to build journeys around. Pair it with Google and social ad retargeting, and you’ve got your “always-on” strategy, right?
Everyone else is doing the same though. Inboxes are crowded. Attention is short. Engagement is falling if you keep emailing the same thing over and over again. And when a key booking email lands in spam, like my game drive booking confirmation did, it breaks the customer experience before it even starts.
Meanwhile, WhatsApp is sitting right there; installed, opened daily, and trusted by your audience.
Why marketers are hesitation regarding WhatsApp
You’ve probably heard or said yourself something like this before:
- “WhatsApp feels too personal for marketers to jump on.”
- “It’s not built for campaigns.”
- “It’s going to be expensive.”
- “We don’t have time to figure that out.”
Fair concerns but outdated. WhatsApp is more than ready for marketing and customer service, and tools like Spotler Message make it simple to use.
I think most of the hesitancy comes from the second concern “It’s not built for campaigns.” And yes,that is true if you’re only thinking of using the channel to send discount offers or limited sales window type messaging. This isn’t what customers want.
The constant bombardment over SMS from well-known pizza companies a few years back have scarred marketers. So, let’s address that and talk about what “better messaging” actually looks like.
The jungle (literally) knows what it’s doing
Mabalingwe Game Drive – Seamless from start to safari
I booked the tour online. The confirmation email? Straight to spam. But then I got a WhatsApp with:
- My full booking details.
- A GPS map link with the correct entrance (as there were multiple).
- A request to confirm my car registration.
- A QR code to get through the right gate.
- Onboarding and a host of useful info before I even arrived.
It was clean, smart, and stress-free. I knew exactly what I needed to do before I’d even packed the camera and snacks.
FlySafair – Conversational check-in that worked brilliantly
My internal flight check-in also came through WhatsApp:
- It asked me if I was ready. I replied “Check in now”.
- I confirmed my booking details.
- Selected yes when my details and luggage/passport security questions popped-up.
- Then got my boarding passes, instantly.
- Later, I got a live update about airport congestion with a graph of busy times.
- And after the flight landed a message about which carousel my luggage would come out
It was interactive, efficient, personal and, most importantly, without ever feeling invasive. No app downloads. No searching through emails. Just helpful, well-timed messages that made travel smoother.
The perfect customer journey – no stress, no uncertainty
What blew me away in both cases was how calm I felt. No stress. No second-guessing. I never wondered what the next step was or whether I’d missed something.
I had been guided perfectly, step by step, all within WhatsApp. From confirmation to access, from updates to feedback, the entire customer journey was managed with zero friction.
I was ready for long lines, paper tickets, dodgy WiFi, and missing info. Instead, I got what felt like a concierge service… all through a messaging app I already use daily. That’s the kind of experience people remember and want more of.
Email’s playing catch-up
Now compare that to trying to find a confirmation email that was sent a couple of weeks ago or more on an iPhone. Good luck! Those emails are stored on the server, and search often doesn’t bring them up when you need them most.
That moment when you’re trying to pull up a booking code or check-in link in a rush and it’s just not there. It’s anxiety-inducing. WhatsApp eliminates all of that.
The message thread is always there. Easy to find. Easy to read. No subject lines. No folders. Just answers.
WhatsApp is built for this!
Here’s why WhatsApp works so well for service messaging and customer communication:
- It’s where your customers already are – opened 5x more than email, trusted, and spam-free.
- Two-way conversations – not just broadcast messaging. You can collect preferences, feedback, and even bookings.
- Rich media support – send images, maps, QR codes, documents.
- Timing and immediacy – perfect for transactional messages, reminders, and real-time updates.
- Higher engagement and conversion – messages are read and acted on faster than email.
In short, WhatsApp combines the immediacy of SMS with the richness of email, and none of the baggage.
Spotler makes WhatsApp marketing easy
If this all sounds great but you’re thinking, “That’s going to be a nightmare to set up,” don’t worry. This is where Spotler’s WhatsApp Marketing can help.
With Spotler, you can:
- Integrate WhatsApp into your existing marketing automation workflows.
- Use pre-built templates to get up and running fast.
- Synchronise your contacts from your CRM, CDP or shop system.
- Monitor results and optimisation.
- Launch without needing dev support, it’s all built for marketers.
WhatsApp is a paid channel but if you use it right, you’re not just sending more noise. You’re creating smarter, more responsive touchpoints that move customers forward and build loyalty.
If a game reserve in South Africa can deliver smarter customer experiences than a Fortune 500 brand, what’s your excuse?
Your customers are already using WhatsApp every day. They’re checking in. Getting updates. Receiving service info. And they love it.
Don’t let your brand be the one still relying on email alone. Welcome to the jungle, we got fun and games!
Ready to add WhatsApp to your messaging stack?
👉 See how Spotler makes WhatsApp marketing easy.
Whitepaper: WhatsApp Proactive Messaging
WhatsApp lets you create great campaigns. It’s an excellent way to bring the right marketing and communication content to the attention of your customers. Learn more about the importance of opt-ins so that you can use the power of WhatsApp yourself after reading.
