Attorney Michael de Broglio on: South Africa, Law, Politics, Attorneys, Sport, Photography, Technology, Gadgets, Media, Crime, Road Accidents Fund,
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I was particularly interested in all of the comments on my blog of Tuesday, 17 January 2017. WhatsApp has really become the definitive way of doing business in South Africa and in some respects I am making a mistake by not having a WhatsApp number associated with the firm so that people can contact us in that way. I am not sure if you can get a WhatsApp number that goes together with a computerised system, so you can deal with it on the computer as opposed to on a phone – unless people say it defeats the whole purpose of mobility, but that would actually be more convenient for businesses.
It is something I have been giving some thought to and perhaps we should have that implemented rather than delay it any longer. The only problem is how one advertises that in one’s advert when you already have 0800 ACCIDENT, and the 011 444 6200 that we advertise in a catchy way. There is a limit to how much information you can put out.
Insofar as Waze is concerned, it is an application I used many years ago at the advice of an Israeli friend of mine because Waze originated in Israel before it was bought out by Google and moved to their campus in Mountain View by San Francisco. It is undoubtedly extremely accurate and apparently keeps more of a record as to where it is diverting people to so that it can shift their traffic in different directions. My problem with Waze was that it really does demolish the battery of one’s phone. At that time I took it off my phone solely as a result of that – and I am talking about 4 or 5 years ago and certainly before it was bought by Google in 2013. Hopefully, now that I am going to give it a go again based on what I read on my blog, it uses less battery than before.
An interesting thing about Waze that many of you may not know is that it was sold to Google for a reported $1,3 billion, but as part of the deal, and Waze had 100 employees, each one of them received an average amount of approximately $1,2 million! I remember the fuss that was made about Mark Shuttleworth who gave every one of his employees R1 million but obviously what Waze gave their staff is considerably more!
Posted by Michael de Broglio on Wednesday 17-May-17
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Comments
Nicolle said:
on Monday 05-Jun-17 09:32 AM
Whatsapp Web is spectacular! It is a brilliant idea to create an easy-to-access Whatsapp number for de Broglio Attorneys Inc. One does not necessarily need to advertise that specific number, but, just make the number easily available on the website etc.
Lourien said:
on Thursday 01-Jun-17 12:47 PM
I am not using waze at the moment and I am also not sure if I would ever use it. We need to test it to see if it will work. It might be a good idea but it will create a lot of admin, it would need to be transferred to a computer, but I just find that emails work so much easier. The problem I think is that whatsup is not that professional and its not that you can type up a document and adjust the wording, spacing or font to be more professional. I am not convinced that this would be a great idea unless it is used to phone back clients only. If someone wants to buy something or get a service they will make sure they get to their destination or phone them to get advise. Yes, whatsup is cheaper and easy but will it actually increase your clients, how sure are you that they are actually interested and will make the effort from their side as well?
Helen said:
on Thursday 01-Jun-17 10:10 AM
This is so true that Waze consuming lots of battery life. After 30 min of using Waze the battery deciding to die. Very sad that w do not have yet stronger devices on the market with stronger batteries!
Cornelie said:
on Wednesday 31-May-17 03:12 PM
Almost everyone has whats up think it will be a good idea to get a whats up line for our clients so much easier then a normal sms.
Sinead said:
on Wednesday 31-May-17 11:00 AM
Whatsapp is really growing. Soon there will be ads like the ones you see on Facebook and companies will be able to advertise that way. Soon all other forms of social media will phase out as well.
I only heard about Waze probably 2 years ago and I have the app on my phone but I hardly ever use it. I think I will give it try though.
Liesl said:
on Wednesday 31-May-17 10:39 AM
Anybody and everybody that has a phone has WhatsApp, it's quick, efficient and cheap. I listen to 94.7 and they use WhatsApp as well. Waze I absolutely love and use all of the time. I recently travelled all the way from Jhb to Standerton recently using Waze and I didn't need to recharge my phone once while we were on route
Brenda van den Bergh said:
on Monday 29-May-17 09:17 AM
The WhatsApp idea for business sounds good, it is a far better communication between the firm and clients and I think the majority clients would respond better to a WhatsApp message rather to an email? Communication with clients will increase drastically, so i think that would be a good idea to implement.
Nikita said:
on Friday 26-May-17 03:31 PM
WhatsAap is the best app and really helps at court. You can see if someone has read your message/ instruction, whether they are responding or whether they are ignoring you. I think if we were to use it for the office people may overuse this system because it is so easily accessible and cheaper than other means of communication. We would need a person to manage that system very efficiently
Melissa van Tellingen said:
on Friday 26-May-17 03:11 PM
Interesting blog. WhatsApp has been a lifesaver at court as it's an effective tool to ask for assistance or just a photo of something that is needed on the day without calling and waiting and not hearing each other in a noisy environment. Waze on the other hand is just as great. Although it does use up your battery quit fast. I always have a car charger at hand when I use it.
Prishani said:
on Friday 26-May-17 09:36 AM
WhatsApp is a really useful tool when it comes to getting things done especially from a business point of view. It is a quick and easy way to communicate, it is also cheaper than having to make phone calls. I think it is something that will be very helpful if it is implemented. I haven’t used Waze before but I have only heard good things about the App. It seems that it is definitely something I should have on my phone!
tersia said:
on Wednesday 24-May-17 09:58 AM
I think the watsup number allocated to one's firm is actually a nice idea. A lot of people (client's) have watsup and I think it would be much easier for them to communicate with us in that way, but I do think one or two people might have to deal with all the messages then. It might become an overflow of messages and someone should be allocated to t that really knows the business well to answer any all queries.
I have also downloaded waze recently, but I still use my google maps - you can call me old school, or not really that old school. It must have been happy days for their employees, and a really nice gesture I think.
Joyce said:
on Friday 19-May-17 04:54 PM
I think lots of people young and old use WhatsApp these days. I think placing an advert on WhatsApp would do great for business. Would be easier to communicate with existing clients as well.
Jadine E said:
on Friday 19-May-17 04:08 PM
Whats app is much more efficient and takes a while to drain the battery life of the phone.
Angelique Jurgens said:
on Friday 19-May-17 02:48 PM
I think if you can put whatsapp on a PC then it could work out but then it definitely needs to save all the conversations as it would put a company in a vulnerable position. However perhaps if it is just used as a "call back service" it would be better.
I agree with the waze up - it would drain my battery which is the reason why I don't have it on my phone, even after turning off notifications. Sometimes when I sit in traffic I often think of quickly downloading Waze again. That is absolutely crazy that Waze gave their staff that much! It is awfully kind and I am sure all the staff that left the company must have been kicking themselves!
brumilde said:
on Friday 19-May-17 02:44 PM
Whatsapp now has a comp app. so you can get a cell no for the company and reg it on a comp. waze still is awesome. just wish they would liaise with whatsapp. so you can choose to send location via waze not just google maps.
Henrietta said:
on Friday 19-May-17 10:18 AM
Both these apps are very popular. I have both of them on my phone and use both apps often. I think to have a whatsapp number for the business will be a good idea. I know there is a way to use if on the computer. The only problem with having the whatsapp number is that someone will have to go through it regularly. But more that 90% of people today have whatsapps and its a cheaper way of communication.
Sarah said:
on Friday 19-May-17 10:07 AM
Most people use whats app these days, its quicker and more cost effect to use. Those employees must of been like really great workers and must of had a really good relationship .
Ashleigh said:
on Friday 19-May-17 09:59 AM
Whatsapp is a great app with much great success. That boss was clearly happy with his staff and appreciated his staff to do something like that. A lot of bosses would not even consider spoiling their staff with just tripling their salary never mind giving them a million each.
Jessica M said:
on Friday 19-May-17 09:44 AM
MAN I wish I was working with them back then damn, what a good boss I must say to consider his staff like that. Not many do, not many even show gratitude or appreciation to their staff less alone give them R1,2 million lol. But I shall also try out the app soon to see what it is about.
Angelique P said:
on Thursday 18-May-17 04:50 PM
Even old people are using WhatsApp lol. So yes I think WhatsApp is the way of doing things these days. It's nice to have an app that you can chat with your friends and family. Everyone can use WhatsApp and it’s very cheap. I know people that invented these kinds of apps get a lot of money each month.
Jolene said:
on Wednesday 17-May-17 03:20 PM
As far as I know you can have WhatsApp on your computer but you can then only use the App on your computer. You cannot have the App on your phone and PC at the same time for the same number. It will definitely attract more clients, we get so many phone calls where the client immediately ask us to phone them back because they don’t have airtime. It can save us money as well, to send a quick text is much cheaper than a phone call. I have never used Waze before but I also heard about the battery problem.
Zindy said:
on Wednesday 17-May-17 03:10 PM
Most people are using WhatsApp nowadays, not a bad idea at all just yesterday I had to send directions to a client via WhatsApp as no matter how many times he tried to pick up a location on his Garmin he could not find it.
Liz said:
on Wednesday 17-May-17 03:10 PM
The idea of having a WhatsApp line for potential clients, is an excellent one. It will be a quick and easy way to answer clients' questions and get back to them swiftly. Clients will also perhaps be more inclined to make use of a WhatsApp line because it would be more convenient. I have not used Waze before because I normally just make use of Google Maps, however, with the hype surrounding the app, I will install it, especially if it means skipping the traffic.
Tamaryn said:
on Wednesday 17-May-17 02:33 PM
A WhatsApp line means of communicating with the firm would be great-perhaps a number like 082 DB CLAIM - what would be needed then is someone to monitor it full time and then to bear in mind that whoever sends and enquiry has continual access to the responder and when the responder is online.
I use Waze often and if I have it plugged in to charge at the same time as I have the app open I don't have any problems with the battery life.
Jadine Richards said:
on Wednesday 17-May-17 12:59 PM
I think using WhatsApp would be a great way to make the firms services more accessible. The more options potential clients have the better...it certainly couldn't hurt! I am a huge advocate of Waze. I use it whenever I drive for purposes of avoiding traffic.
Dune said:
on Wednesday 17-May-17 12:26 PM
What a great idea to actually have a WhatsApp nr whereby potential new client can send their queries to. At this day and age one would think that everyone has access to the internet and or emails, however that's not the situation, however almost everyone has access to a cellphone. I definitely think that it would attract more business. With regards to waze. I always use it and I will never change to any other app. I must say it does eat a lot of my battery only when I use it though. But what a great app, will recommend it to anyone that travels a lot.
Daniella said:
on Wednesday 17-May-17 12:26 PM
I Have notice that a lot of businesses are using whatsapp especially Radio Stations, that have made a whatsapp line for people to send through voice notes and messages instead of you having to call in and be on hold for hours. Waze has had many updates since and battery wise for me its the same as using my maps. It doesn't take a lot of battery life and it is way more convenient
Bianca said:
on Wednesday 17-May-17 10:46 AM
I do think that implementing a WhatsApp "chat" platform will certainly benefit many prospective clients as one does not always have the money to make a call. It certainly will make querying more affordable to clients and it is more convenient to quickly send a message off rather than have to be on the phone. I suppose you will find that some people do not have smartphones, however I am pretty sure that will be a small number of the market. I personally have never used Waze but I have heard extremely good things about the app.
Nina said:
on Wednesday 17-May-17 10:09 AM
I think I should definitely download Waze and give it a try. I have only heard good things about it.
If I'm not mistaken you can use whatsapp on your computer and I think this could be quite convenient and save a lot money in a business set up.
Alexis said:
on Wednesday 17-May-17 09:33 AM
I have never used Waze I must admit and this is the first I am hearing of it. Whatsapp however ia great app that everybody uses on a daily basis, however it is odd to meet someone whom does not have same - do actually have a friend like that, so all is smses etc, which is fine as I have plenty of that. Very generous of them to give away that amount of money to their staff - nice to see that they ultimately care
Clare said:
on Wednesday 17-May-17 09:29 AM
I think that is awesome and it would be a great way to contact clients that don't have emails. I like the idea of this but how does 94.7 do the WhatsApp messages I think that is done via computer?
One the Money side I will love just even R100 000.00 for a Bonus :)
Zanell said:
on Wednesday 17-May-17 09:28 AM
I've never used Waze before but I have seen Uber drivers use it, it also tells you when a road block is up ahead. I must say Google Maps does the same thing for me, in the morning on the way to court it will always give met he best route to avoid the most the traffic. WhatsApp is always convenient, even if we are at Court and the client stays at the coffee shop, they will always ask you to WhatsApp them.
Thabitha said:
on Wednesday 17-May-17 09:24 AM
That will be a brilliant idea to have a WhatsApp for the company especially for our clients who doesn't have email address they will be contacted via WhatsApp and it is cheaper.
Jessica Apfel said:
on Wednesday 17-May-17 08:54 AM
Those are some lucky employees - but when your Intellectual Property is invested in such an app, it would seem only fair that you are reasonably paid for your contirubtion. 1.2 million may be slightly above reasonable though. A company Whatsapp line would be really effective. Many of our clients are on the 'bread line' and it would be a much cheaper way for them to relay information to us. It could also be effective if client's had an emergency. On Sunday evening, a client of ours had missed his bus for trial and was not able to relay his emergency timeously - whatsapp may well have been a more cost effective and quicker way of informing us?
david said:
on Wednesday 17-May-17 08:08 AM
both waze and whatsapp are brilliant.
a while ago i got rid of my garmin, nowhere near as good as waze especially with the live traffic function.
just yesterday i struggled to find a client. got her to send her location via whatsapp. problem solved.
couldn't function without these 2 apps.
Johannesburg based attorney specializing in personal injury matters including Road Accident Fund claims and medical negligence matters. My interests include golf, reading and the internet and the way it is constantly developing. I have a passion for life and a desire for less stress!
