Why not WhatsApp?

Can we use WhatsApp in our organisation?

It’s a reasonable question but the answer is no, and deep down you probably know that already.

Using WhatsApp for anything other than personal communication breaches WhatsApp’s own terms of service. It is also unlikely to meet your organisation’s information security requirements, or comply with your data protection policy.

Before explaining why, let’s take a step back; why might you want to use WhatsApp in your organisation in the first place? Well, love it or loathe it, WhatsApp is a brilliant communication tool. It’s fast, simple and effective - perhaps the most effective way to reach busy people in dispersed organisations. Platforms like Slack and Teams (not to mention email) can’t touch it for getting the job done.

However, as most of us will know, there is something that just feels wrong about using WhatsApp at work. Why? What is actually wrong with it?

First, you are sharing data on a platform your organisation has not licenced and has no control over. The moment you put data on WhatsApp, it exits your organisation. In addition to your legal obligations under the GDPR, your organisation’s own policies will require you to retain control of its data, especially if it is sensitive . ‘End-to-end encryption’ is only as strong as the security at either end, and with WhatsApp you only control one end.

Second, WhatsApp raises serious privacy and accountability issues. The fact it requires users to share their phone number leaves staff open to unwanted and potentially harmful communication. The fact the organisation has no secure record of communication makes it much harder to conduct any kind of internal investigation. It also makes it virtually impossible to fulfil subject access requests, which in itself is a breach of the GDPR.

Third, consider work/life balance. How do you feel when a WhatsApp message comes in from work when you are trying to have some down time? You can’t read it because the ticks will go blue, and then you will have to reply. Yet somehow you can’t ignore it. This is not healthy. There is a reason your work and personal email are separate. There is a reason you go home at night. You need to switch-off, and so do your team.

Given all of this, why do people continue to use WhatsApp to communicate professionally? Why do employers continue to turn a blind eye? The answer is simple: they think there is no better alternative.

Well they are wrong. ChatPro is WhatsApp for your organisation, only it’s better. Your whole organisation can use it, from the bosses to the cleaners, and no one has to share their phone number. You can send text, voice and picture messages, create as many individual and group chats as you need, and set a timer so it turns off when you go home. When you are using it, you know that your organisation’s data is secure and you are meeting your data protection obligations. Yet ChatPro still has that beautiful, simple way of getting your message across.

So, what next? Well if you’re worried about cost, visit our pricing page. You will be very surprised at how affordable ChatPro is. If you still have any questions, get in touch. Unlike WhatsApp, you’ll find a real human being at the other end.

If you’ve done all that, it’s make-your-mind-up time. Click here to start a free, 14-day, no risk trial.