In many countries, WhatsApp has become the main means of connection between people, and this behavior is not limited to social interactions but extends to the workplace. Those who have a smartphone and the app installed on their device take advantage of the convenience of this tool and end up using it to connect with clients, suppliers, and team members as well. And it is precisely there that the danger lies for companies, and some points of attention should be examined:

• Is communication on behalf of the company done through personal WhatsApp numbers?

• Does the organization have corporate numbers for employees to use the app?

• Are there policies and guidelines in place for the appropriate use of this channel?

• Who manages the content of interactions through this channel to apply potential corrections?

• Does the company comply with LGPD regulations? Who is actually the data controller of these conversations?

• Are the conversations conducted on WhatsApp confidential and stored securely?

Many companies today face the same dilemma when it comes to WhatsApp: to allow its use at work or to prohibit it?

Companies that decide to prohibit its use will certainly lose engagement and agility in communication with clients and partners. But those who opt to allow this channel often do not know how to ensure the security of this communication, the storage of data exchanged in these conversations, and the prevention of sensitive information leaks that may be part of these discussions with clients.

Thinking about this reality, we created a brief and effective step-by-step guide for the implementation of corporate WhatsApp in your company, with 5 steps you need to know to proceed with this process in a safe and smart way. Check it out!
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1. Provide all employees with a corporate line for WhatsApp use

The first step to take is to ensure that the number your employee is using for professional communication via WhatsApp is owned by the company. Only in this way will the company have the legal right to access the transmitted data and subsequently monitor such communication.

If the employee uses their own mobile device with their personal line and personal WhatsApp, advise them to download WhatsApp Business and register it with the corporate number that the company will provide. Yes, they can use 2 WhatsApp numbers on the same device, one active on the standard WhatsApp app and the other on the WhatsApp Business app, and this activation is very simple.
Moreover, this corporate line can be any extension or digital number of the company, without the need to acquire a new mobile phone plan from the carrier, if that is also a financial issue for the company. In other words, even without a company mobile device or a chip, you can still offer a corporate WhatsApp number to your employee.
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‍This first step is crucial for the company to have the legal right to access and store this communication, and also to ensure compliance with LGPD regulations.

2. Create internal rules and policies for the proper use of this channel

Once the company employees have a new corporate channel for communication with clients, suppliers, and other external contacts, it is essential that the policies and rules for using this resource are clear, after all, it becomes "official" communication from the company, which must be protected. Customization of the channel, usage hours, type of language, dos and don’ts, document sharing policies—these are some examples that require company rules.
This guidance will not only ensure the proper use of the channel by employees but also protect the company in any potential future issues with its employee, such as labor-related matters.
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You can reach out to Zapper for guidance with some examples of internal policies and best practices for using WhatsApp in your company. In the image below, we illustrate an example of an automatic email from our tool for employees, which already includes the link to the policies and terms of use that the company will establish for using the channel.

3. Ensure the storage of the entire communication history

Once the usage rules for the channel are established, the company needs to ensure that it will have access to this communication and that all conversations will be stored. Without this storage guarantee, the company is completely at the mercy of the employee, running the risk of losing information at any moment, whether due to the potential loss of the mobile device by the employee or even the deletion of important messages and files by the user. Remembering that in this channel, sensitive information may be transmitted regarding negotiations or similar matters.

Once the company has access to this communication, many managers have the same question: is it allowed to monitor employees' WhatsApp? According to the TST (Superior Labor Court), the company has permission to supervise any communication channel used by the employee, as long as that number is owned by the company and, therefore, intended for professional purposes. Thus, the company, following the first step outlined above, is permitted to monitor corporate WhatsApp.

But what about messages from third parties, is it allowed to store what my client says, for example? The answer is once again positive, because if communication is through a corporate number, the company automatically has access to what the third party says in that conversation, in addition to their public WhatsApp profile data (name, number, avatar photo). In this case, a good practice to avoid potential problems is to inform at the beginning of the dialogue with the third party that this conversation is being stored and monitored, as well as the privacy policy that the company follows since it holds this data, as shown in the example in the image below.

4. Implement an intelligent mechanism for message monitoring

Monitoring all employees' conversations daily is practically an impossible task and is arduous and unproductive work. In this case, it is essential that the company have a mechanism to filter what should be monitored and analyzed, whether it involves contexts in which a manager can intervene in the conversation to better assist their employee with a potential negotiation or client service, or in other contexts with more sensitive dialogues that could represent misconduct by employees and more serious problems for the company.
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The Zapper tool allows you to configure Compliance policies according to the needs and use cases of each company, and such rules will identify possible suspicious conversations based on the detection of keywords used or the sending of certain files by employees. In these cases, the tool triggers alerts for the appropriate managers to analyze each occurrence and remediate potential misconduct, infractions of company rules, harassment, or even leaks of confidential information.

5. Measure results and provide feedback to your operation

Messages exchanged via WhatsApp by employees generate a substantial amount of data, and as we know, today data is the new oil!
Neglecting what can be gleaned from the intelligence of this information exchange between your team and potential clients, partners, and so forth, is not the smartest thing to do.
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Once the company implements the Zapper solution, and conversations begin to be captured and stored, the tool will analyze the transmitted data and provide information and reports that will certainly contribute insights for decision-making and the creation of new communication strategies for the company.

Thus, in addition to identifying and preventing fraud and data leaks, the solution also supports the marketing department and sales teams through a quantitative and qualitative assessment of your team's service and the campaigns and communication strategies used.

So, to restrict or allow WhatsApp?

Based on these 5 steps discussed, we hope it has become easier for you to decide whether or not to allow WhatsApp within your company. This answer will depend on how the company's operation is designed and how much WhatsApp is a strategic channel for the business.

Click here and count on Zapper to assist you throughout this process, and define the best strategy for implementing WhatsApp in your company, ensuring intelligence and security above all.