ManyChat alternative for businesses in Malaysia

Instant messaging is now influencing the path to purchase. 

For this reason, chat management has become essential for e-commerce businesses. It has the potential to provide a variety of benefits for companies, from the development of a brand story to the improvement of customer satisfaction. It can even directly impact your sales revenue. 

As a result, most have begun to focus on constructing an effective customer care department to engage customers on an immediate basis. One of the common examples is the incorporation of chatbots in automating interactive conversations via Instagram Direct Messages, Facebook Messenger, and even SMS to improve the brand's reach and visibility. This explains why ManyChat, one of the service providers for chat management, has acquired a certain level of popularity in Malaysia.

ManyChat has a pretty straightforward and simple-to-understand dashboard where users are able to easily access a menu with several settings on the left and the content of each part on the right side of the screen. The ease of use and simplicity are also facilitated by the two different types of interfaces it provides the Basic Builder and the Flow Builder, features which attract a great deal of attention from its many users. 

However, what the users often do not realise, is that there are many alternatives to this chat management platform. It is crucial for all business owners to research and explore the availability of other providers to own the very best interest of their company.

SleekFlow vs ManyChat: what we offer

To begin with, it is fair to say that ManyChat is a great app for start-ups and small-scale companies. But if you are looking for scaling up your business, SleekFlow is your best option. 

1. Omnichannel messaging

Despite the fact that ManyChat provides users with a multi-channel chatbox experience, the number of messaging apps available is limited. On SleekFlow, other than WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram Business, and SMS, even LINE, WeChat, Telegram, and Viber are linkable!

Furthermore, ManyChat only supports Twilio bridging for SMS messaging while SleekFlow allows the full integration of Twilio to be used for both SMS messaging and WhatsApp. To create a Twilio account for free, just follow SleekFlow’s simple step-by-step instructions. Since we are outside of Canada, the US, and the UK, the options on ManyChat are indeed rather limited.

2. Inbox features

Built and improved consistently with customer feedback, SleekFlow also delivers additional features tailored for customer support, marketing, and sales. Other than the all-in-one omnichannel platform, conversations can be automatically assigned to co-workers, ensuring that those responsible for the customers get notifications and that all customers receive immediate assistance. Collaborators can also be added to manage the customers simultaneously, and reply at the exact same time. There is even a section for you to add internal notes, where messages sent into the chat box are only visible to your teammates, but not to the customers!

While ManyChat enables multiple users to reply to clients one-on-one, the extra functions are quite restricted. Here are the reasons why:

Firstly, each conversation needs to be assigned manually, and to one single person only. For businesses with a large volume of enquiries and customer databases, this process and be tiring and time-consuming.

Secondly, as for the notes section, even though ManyChat has built a mini tab for different employees to leave minute details, they can only be typed out in that specific box as a notepad. This means that they can be accidentally deleted or information may accumulate over time and become outdated. It can get confusing when the conversation is passed on to others.

With respect to the customer profile, both SleekFlow and ManyChat have them displayed on the right. However, SleekFlow does show more details like birthdays, lead stage, priority, and more.

3. Social CRM

Handling customer relationships can be overwhelming. We need to compile all the customer information, categorise them into different segments, and constantly update them to maximise efficiency.

Further reading: Tactics to master social CRM in Malaysia

The good news is that the Hubspot integration is accessible on both SleekFlow and ManyChat, making it convenient for businesses who have an existing Hubspot account for their CRM. Other similarities include the contact labels in SleekFlow and the contact tags in ManyChat, the availability of data analysis, and actionable insights for refined targeting.

Make tab switching a thing of the past!

4. WhatsApp messaging and broadcasting

WhatsApp broadcast messages have gained immense popularity since businesses started to realise the potential of WhatsApp’s growing number of 2 billion users worldwide. Not only is it viable for the generation of leads, but also it is great for accelerating sales growth. To support SMEs and enterprises alike, WhatsApp has prepared a wide range of functions, for example, multiple logins, buttons, and quick replies, other than the much-favoured broadcasting feature. On third-party platforms such as ManyChat and SleekFlow, contacts can be imported from an Excel file, and metrics can be studied to examine the results.

ManyChat has just launched its WhatsApp channel in May 2022, so they are relatively new to the feature. Hence, the information associated with WhatsApp messaging on their website is also minimal. 

SleekFlow, on the contrary, has incorporated the WhatsApp channel for quite a while. They have a comparatively enormous library of related information such as WhatsApp commerce utilised by Pizza Hut Malaysia, how Celcom and CIMB bank adopt WhatsApp for customer service, WhatsApp chatbots, and more. Moreover, they have a detailed layout of campaign metrics all at one glance, simplifying the breakdown for retargeting and determining the success of a campaign. There are even free tools that are super useful, with one of them being the WhatsApp link and QR code generator.

Through SleekFlow, our staff members can handle 3-4 conversations at the same time instead of one to one. The result is quadruple.

Jeremy Tong

Managing Director, Lalamove

5. Automation and chatbots

ManyChat is famous for its user-friendly flowchart-based interface where the operators can just drag and drop questions and conditions in the flow builder. On top of that, their comment automation and story mention triggers are also reasonably well-established and impressive to note. Nonetheless, some reviews mentioned that their chatbot responsiveness is often affected by bugs and latency and that they have poor technical support service.

Contrastingly, SleekFlow has excellent user satisfaction across review platforms. They have a neat and structured interface for the arrangement and settings of automation rules, logical steps and instructions explained through blogs, graphics, and videos. They are dedicated to letting users choose whichever way they prefer as they walk through the learning process.

Let’s not forget that SleekFlow offers English and Chinese content and services while ManyChat only has Russian and Spanish as alternative languages! Not so relevant for us, isn’t it?

Why businesses in Malaysia should consider using SleekFlow 

Social media penetration in Malaysia

As of 2021, 86% of Malaysians were using social media. It was a 24% increase from 2016 when social media users made up only 62% of Malaysia's total population. With a penetration rate of 94%, YouTube has the most users, followed by Facebook at 89% and Instagram at 75%. The data further supports Malaysians’ reliance on digital content as it reveals Malaysia as Southeast Asia's leading video-consuming country in which Malaysians spend around three hours every day on social media. More importantly, 53% of social media users use it for work. So, are you reinforcing the social presence of your business yet?

If you have developed a rather robust social profile for your business, it is time to be there for your customers. Be present. Attend to feedback, comments, and enquiries as soon as possible. Even better, immediately.

Research has found that most customers on Facebook actually wish to receive a response within an hour. Unfortunately, only 50% of the businesses are meeting that expectation. As Facebook offers a badge for those who respond quickly, it would be only beneficial to achieve this simple requirement for your customers - using a chat management tool.

Challenges faced in Malaysia before SleekFlow came into play

Manual client service with basic WhatsApp is still a widespread practice and it is ineffective. Since customers enjoy using WhatsApp to communicate with the company's online grocery shop, as the firm expands, a single log-in for the company's WhatsApp number cannot manage the influx of messages. It also makes it difficult for specialised customer service representatives to execute their duties properly if they must share a single work phone. 

Another issue is a lack of connection between social chats and CRM. Companies of a significant size usually had multiple social media platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, WeChat, and other social media. However, management found it difficult to handle and record all questions. Presumably, they were unable to track the aggregated social commerce performance, such as how the discussion progressed and the number of new leads generated via WhatsApp or WeChat. There is no way to predict which channel should receive greater resources. Worse, the lack of visibility into consumer profiles makes remarketing less practical, despite the fact that retargeting is a critical revenue generator for e-commerce platforms.

SleekFlow helps launch endless successful campaigns

SleekFlow, as an omnichannel social messaging platform, aspires to help businesses thrive with digitalisation. From conversations to conversions, the functions offered on the platform are developed to conduct a series of measurable initiatives for creating leads and increasing the size of your sales pipeline management.

The well-rounded platform also allows you to sync with your own CRM software too.  Simple labelling, customising the parameters of personalised messages, automating replies, creating personalised broadcast campaigns, and analysing detailed metrics can all be effortless on SleekFlow. Going forward, your customers might just get the impression that they are talking to a friend who knows them!

View the features of SleekFlow’s free plan here.

Examples of businesses that are already using SleekFlow

Lalamove uses SleekFlow to streamline its workflow

Lalamove, as one of the fastest growing delivery services across Asia, undoubtedly has a large volume of enquiries daily. Apart from the internal communication between the drivers and staff, they find SleekFlow’s end-to-end feature beneficial for saving manpower and boosting productivity. The standardisation makes workflow systematic whereas the WhatsApp broadcasting makes it easier to build trust and relationships with customers.

STACCATO Shoes uses SleekFlow to boost its remote sales

STACCATO, an iconic fashion footwear retailer, is a company with an enormous network of chain stores. After subscribing to SleekFlow, the staff in STACCATO can sell at any time and from any location using their own device. Multiple log-ins for their frontline salespeople from both the website and mobile apps are possible now. Their staff can still be on duty via WhatsApp with an independent device even if they are far away from the retail store due to quarantine or the legally restricted number of people at the workplace. They can assist clients remotely and respond to messages immediately. This, in turn, encourages workplace efficiency and nurtures customer relationships effectively.

How to get started with SleekFlow, a free ManyChat alternative

There are numerous distinctions between ManyChat and SleekFlow, and not all are included in the examples above. At the end of the day, determining which choice is more appropriate for your organisation all comes down to your objectives and ambitions. 

SleekFlow application is the one you should use if you want to achieve something significant. ManyChat, on the other hand, may be a better option for those who are only looking for the most basic and fundamental features and capabilities. For the time being, the only way to determine if SleekFlow is better suited for your company is to discover it yourself. So go ahead and try it out, then let us know what you think!

Step 1: Create your SleekFlow account

Visit SleekFlow’s official website and click on ‘Start Free’ button at the top right corner. Then, fill in your email address, select sign up, and fill in the information requested. No credit card information is required for the free plan!

Explore the differences between SleekFlow’s free trial plan and paid versions here.

Step 2: Explore functions and features

Browse through the quick guides to find out how to get started with the wide range of functions and features according to the main goals of your company.

Step 3: Test your inbox and connect your channels

We’ve created a sandbox environment for you to test your inbox. In layman's terms, this sandbox is a virtual testing machine that allows you to send and receive messages using SleekFlow before connecting to your actual WhatsApp account. 

Then, choose the channel (e.g. WhatsApp) you’d like to begin with!

Step 4: Begin your journey

View, reply, and assign conversations! Various automation settings and campaigns can be created. Integrate your Shopify store and start earning more!

Further reading: A comparison of SleekFlow vs. Respond.io