LINE OpenChat: What Is It and What Type of Business Is It Suitable for?

LINE OpenChat is a new online chat room within the LINE application, which replaced LINE Square. OpenChat enables users with shared interests and preferences to chat and share information 24/7 while retaining the privacy of their personal LINE accounts.

Currently, there are around 50 million LINE users in Thailand. As a result, LINE marketing has become appealing to marketers as it can help them accurately reach their target audience. Today’s article will cover what LINE OpenChat is, how it works, and how it could benefit your business. Let’s dive right in!

What Is LINE OpenChat? How Does It Differ from LINE Group and LINE OA?

INE OA is one of the top marketing tools recommended to communicate directly with customers. Most businesses have LINE OA to have 1-1 chats with their customers and to broadcast messages. In other words, it allows brands to communicate with their customers, close sales, or inform customers about promotions, loyalty cards, and announcements and help them with their problems. Read more about other LINE services here.

LINE OpenChat is a new feature developed from the previous LINE Square to be a community where your group of customers can share experiences, knowledge, and opinions. Despite the similarity to LINE Group, LINE OpenChat offers a larger chat room where privacy settings can be customised. You can filter people within the group or make it public to enable communication among users with mutual interests. Moreover, OpenChat retains your privacy by allowing you to use a different name and profile picture for the chat room. Put simply; it’s like a Facebook group where you can hide your profile from the public.

LINE OpenChat, LINE Group and LINE OA Comparison

Would You Still Need OpenChat When You Already Have Your LINE OA?

It depends on your business type and preference because LINE OA and OpenChat are completely different.

While LINE OA acts as the brand’s representative in communicating with customers, informing them about promotions, and selling products, LINE OpenChat is a community for news updates where members can talk or solve their problems together. Sometimes, those who suggest how to fix problems in OpenChat are not the brand owners themselves but members who have faced the same issue and come to share their experiences. This provides a community and helps to strengthen your brand reputation and relationship with customers. The only thing to be aware of is that you need to make sure your group chat is always active.

Highlighted Features of LINE OpenChat 

Here are some of the top features of LINE OpenChat that LINE Group and LINE OA don’t have:  

1. OpenChat allows up to 200,000 members, and subgroups can be created. For example, if you sell DIY gadgets, you may set up a chat group for DIY lovers and split off subgroups for tailors, home decoration, recycling household items, etc.
2. Members can set different profile names to maintain their privacy, so they won’t feel exposed and will be more comfortable talking to each other. 
3. Group administrators can manage and set up the chat group settings. LINE OpenChat can be set as public, or it may require admin approval or the use of an invitation code to gain access. Those who join the group are also able to access the chat history.
4. OpenChat still has the same features as LINE Group, including Notes, Announcements, Photos & Videos, Events, etc.
5. The chat group can be found through keyword searches by members interested in similar product or activities. 

What Type of Business Is LINE OpenChat Suitable for?  

LINE OpenChat is the perfect tool for businesses that aim to build a community or fan base, such as schools requiring regular discussion sessions. 

However, other brands can also use LINE OpenChat as a small community for their customers. For instance, camera brands can invite members to share their photography techniques or photos taken using the brand’s cameras; or food brands may share their recipes via Notes and invite members to share their cooking tips with the group.

LINE OpenChat is an appealing marketing communication tool for many reasons, and it’s gaining more users rapidly. Creating and using LINE OpenChat is not complicated at all. So, what are you waiting for?