PETALING JAYA: For many Malaysian SMEs, WhatsApp has quietly overtaken email as the primary channel for customer engagement, reflecting how businesses are adapting to the country’s mobile-first communication culture.
Jeffri Shahul Hamid, founder and chief executive officer of Enginemailer, said SMEs are increasingly relying on WhatsApp for enquiries, bookings, promotions and after-sales support because it mirrors how Malaysians already communicate in their daily lives.
“With close to 90% of Malaysians using WhatsApp, conversations are immediate and informal, and they often lead to faster conversions compared to email,” he said.
Email, however, has not lost its relevance. Jeffri noted that it remains critical for structured, permission-based communication such as newsletters, marketing campaigns and official business updates. While email engagement tends to be slower, it is still effective for scalable, planned communication that does not require an instant response.
“The most effective SMEs recognise that WhatsApp and email serve different roles,” he said, adding that successful businesses use both channels strategically, depending on the customer’s stage and intent.
Despite the widespread use of messaging apps, many SMEs are still struggling with structured communication systems. Jeffri said this is largely because customer messaging has grown faster than businesses’ internal processes.
“WhatsApp makes it easy to start conversations, but without structure, those conversations become scattered across personal phones, shared devices and different WhatsApp versions,” he said.
Over time, this leads to lost visibility over customer histories, inconsistent responses and missed messages. Costly third-party solutions further complicate matters, as some platforms charge based on database size, forcing SMEs to delete contacts or restart lists once costs rise.
“This discourages long-term relationship building and causes email to be treated as optional, even though it’s critical for retention,” he said.
The risks extend beyond inefficiency. Jeffri said SMEs often underestimate the long-term damage caused by unstructured communication, including erosion of customer trust, lost repeat purchases and limited scalability.
“Fewer than 30% of Malaysian SMEs have adopted structured automation or digital communication systems, yet customer expectations for fast and consistent communication keep rising,” he said.
Another growing concern is data security. Jeffri warned that many SMEs rely on third-party vendors to mass-broadcast WhatsApp messages, unknowingly handing over their customer databases. In some cases, these databases may be resold, damaging brand reputation and customer trust.
“Once customer data is leaked or misused, the impact is very difficult to reverse,” he said, stressing the importance of using compliant platforms that meet PDPA (Personal Data Protection Act) and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) standards.
Cost and mindset remain the biggest barriers to adoption. Jeffri said many SMEs still see communication systems as an expense rather than an enabler, preferring manual solutions that feel cheaper in the short term but create inefficiencies over time.
“There is also a belief that basic messaging is ‘good enough’ until the business starts to scale,” he said, adding that this often leads to fragmented communication and staff burnout.
Integrating WhatsApp and email on a single platform can significantly improve response times and consistency for small teams. Jeffri said managing both channels from one system reduces operational friction and allows businesses to choose the right channel without switching tools or duplicating work.
“Speed matters, but consistency and reliability matter more for customer trust,” he said. “WhatsApp delivers timely, personal messages, while email supports structured, longer-form communication.”
From a compliance standpoint, Jeffri said one of the most common mistakes SMEs make is using informal WhatsApp setups without understanding the differences between WhatsApp Personal, WhatsApp Business and the official WhatsApp Business API.
“Messages often sit on personal phones or unmanaged accounts,
with no clear records of consent or access control,” he said, exposing businesses to unnecessary PDPA and reputational risks.
Looking ahead, Jeffri believes automation combined with AI will shift from a “nice-to-have” to a necessity for SMEs. As customer expectations rise, automation helps small teams handle higher volumes of enquiries without increasing headcount.
“The future of customer communications is intelligence-driven,” he said, pointing to agentic AI systems that can interpret messages, draft responses and support decision-making beyond scripted replies.
Better communication infrastructure is also key for SMEs looking beyond Malaysia. Jeffri said centralised and automated systems allow small teams to serve international clients consistently, regardless of time zones or geography.
Finally, he highlighted the role of locally built platforms in supporting Malaysia’s broader digitalisation agenda. Unlike foreign tools, local platforms are designed around PDPA requirements, regional norms and local cost structures.
“By adopting local platforms as part of the national digital stack, Malaysia can accelerate digital adoption, improve citizen experience and reduce reliance on foreign systems,” he said.
As SMEs face rising competition and customer expectations, structured communication may no longer be optional, it is becoming a foundation for sustainable growth.
The Sun Malaysia
