South-East Asia · 6 min read
Which messaging apps customers expect in each South-East Asian market, and how to put them on your website without losing track of enquiries.
By Chris ·
An English-led business moving into the region usually brings a contact form and an email address. Then it discovers that most of its customers would rather send a message, and that the app they want to use depends on the country. Getting this right is one of the cheapest improvements a business in the region can make.
The short version, by market
| Market | Customers expect | Also common |
|---|---|---|
| Thailand | LINE | Facebook Messenger; WhatsApp for visitors |
| Indonesia | Instagram direct messages | |
| Vietnam | Zalo | Facebook Messenger |
| Malaysia | Facebook and Instagram | |
| Philippines | Facebook Messenger | Viber |
| Hong Kong | WeChat for mainland clients | |
| Singapore | Email for formal enquiries |
These are tendencies, not rules. An expat-heavy customer base in Phuket will message on WhatsApp; a Thai one will reach for LINE. Look at where your existing enquiries come from before choosing.
1. Use the business version of each app
A personal phone number on a website is fragile: it leaves when the person leaves, and nobody else can see the conversation. Each app has a business option: a LINE Official Account, WhatsApp Business (the app, or the Business Platform for higher volumes), a Zalo Official Account, a Facebook Page inbox. They add business hours, automatic replies and, in most cases, more than one person answering.
2. Pre-fill the first message
WhatsApp links can carry a pre-written message. Instead of a bare “Hi”, the conversation can start with the page the customer was on, the date they picked and the service they want. That saves several rounds of questions and makes it obvious which enquiry came from the website.
3. Keep the form for enquiries that need structure
Messaging is perfect for quick questions and bookings. It is poor for anything that needs several details, attachments or confidentiality. Keep a short, structured form for those, and say on the page which channel suits what.
4. Tell people what not to send
Customers will send passport photos, medical details and bank slips through whatever channel is open. A line of guidance next to the button (“Please do not send documents or passport details here”) protects them and you, and helps with the data protection laws that now apply across the region.
5. Say when you reply
An unanswered message feels worse than an unanswered email. Show your hours, set an automatic reply outside them and route messages to whoever is on shift. If you serve several countries, route by market, so a Jakarta enquiry does not wait for a Bangkok team.
6. Measure it
Clicks on a messaging button can be tracked as events in your analytics, by page and by channel. Without that, the website looks as if it produces no enquiries while the team’s phones are full of them.
Each market page covers its channels and payments in detail: Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Singapore. For the integrations themselves, see bookings and systems. Not sure which channels your site should offer? Send us a note.
