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What Is charles?

charles is a WhatsApp marketing platform made in Berlin. Its easy-to-use software enables businesses to drive revenue, retention and innovative customer experiences by complementing existing marketing channels with the reach and richness of WhatsApp.

It does so by enabling CRM teams to set-up recurring flows and automations based on consumer specific events in a personalized manner. It supports businesses to stay GDPR-compliant and consistently iterate in this new channel while also integrating with select CDP/CRM, service and shop systems such as Shopify, Klaviyo, Emarsys and Zendesk to leverage data for their omnichannel strategy.

charles' key products are 📣 Campaigns and 🚀Journeys.

With Journeys, you set up and send engaging automated WhatsApp flows – like opt-in flows, WhatsApp product finders and Black Friday campaigns. With Campaigns, you can send outbound marketing messages to your consumers, and track responses.

Who Uses charles?

WhatsApp marketing platform enabling brands to complement existing marketing channels with the reach and richness of WhatsApp - driving revenue, retention and innovative customer experiences.

charles Software - charles' WhatsApp marketing platform helps CRM teams drive revenue, retention and innovative customer experiences with an easy-to-use software.
charles Software - Use behavioural triggers to send the right message at the right time in a personalized way.
charles Software - Set-up recurring flows and automations based on consumer specific events.
charles Software - charles' analytics and attribution software meets your data needs to track the success of your WhatsApp campaigns.
charles Software - Integrate with select CRM/CDPs such as Emarsys and Klaviyo.

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Reviews of charles

Average score

Overall
4.4
Ease of Use
4.3
Customer Service
4.7
Features
4.2
Value for Money
4.3

Reviews by company size (employees)

  • <50
  • 51-200
  • 201-1,000
  • >1,001

Find reviews by score

5
52%
4
38%
3
10%
Domenico
Domenico
ecommerce Manager in Italy
Verified LinkedIn User
Textiles, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Empowering Marketing and Customer Engagement with Hello Charles

5.0 last year

Pros:

What I liked most about Hello Charles is its remarkable capability to manage marketing campaigns on WhatsApp. This feature has been a game-changer for us. The ability to interact with our customers in real-time has not only streamlined our communication but also significantly boosted our conversion rates. The platform's intuitive design and efficiency in handling customer queries have greatly enhanced the quality of our customer dialogues, fostering a stronger connection with our brand.

Cons:

As of now, I am thoroughly satisfied with Hello Charles and its offerings. It has seamlessly integrated into our workflow, and we haven't encountered any major issues. However, as with any software, there is always room for enhancements. I look forward to seeing future updates that might bring even more innovative features or improved user experience.

Marina
Specialist E-Mail Marketing in Germany
Retail, 10,000+ Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Efficient, proactive and customer-oriented

5.0 2 months ago

Comments: Our collaboration with the service provider Charles for WhatsApp has proven to be very positive. Right from the start of the collaboration, we were supported at all times and Charles was proactive in the implementation. This continues in day-to-day use, where we have always had very good experiences. Individual requests, such as connecting to other systems, were also implemented without any problems and efficiently. Charles actively and intensively exchanged ideas with other service providers to guarantee us the best and fastest possible solution. In addition, we continue to be proactively presented with ideas and further developments that are perfectly tailored to our business model and our goals.

Pros:

It is very user-friendly and intuitively designed. You will receive immediate help if questions or problems arise and possible developments tailored to your individual journey will be presented.

Cons:

At the beginning there were technical difficulties with sending messages to all contacts, but these were immediately noticed and resolved by Charles.

Kristin
Team Lead Customer Service in Germany
Textiles, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Charles is recommended

3.0 last year

Comments: Overall recommendable. Friendly staff.

Pros:

Customers appreciate contact via WhatsApp

Cons:

Technical problems and failures again and again

Charles Response

last year

Hey Kristin, thanks for your comments, we're happy to hear your customers like hearing from you on WhatsApp. We're really sorry to hear about technical problems. This is not what we want to happen for our clients. Make sure you report any issues and we will do our best to fix them. Best, charles

Louisa
E-Commerce Manager in Germany
Consumer Goods, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Great tool, great support

4.0 9 months ago

Pros:

Compared to other tools, Charles offers the ability to seamlessly connect WhatsApp marketing with email marketing via Klaviyo. This effortless integration allows us to pursue an effective multi-channel marketing strategy for both retention and acquisition. The ease of use of the tool makes it particularly intuitive to use, and ideal for planning campaigns and aligning them with business objectives. In addition, the team is very committed from the onboarding phase to success management and is always available to provide support and maximize the success of our marketing activities.

Cons:

While still being a relatively new tool, charles is on the pricier side and still needs some development in analytics for campaigns, customer insights and flows.

Johnathan
Online Marketing Manager in Germany
Retail, 501–1,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Highly Recommended!

5.0 9 months ago

Pros:

- The SMS marketing Campaigns. - Simple Set up for Website hooks. - Plenty of integrations to choose from. - Helpful staff and customer service.

Cons:

- Was tricky to set up CTWA campaigns. - Expand video Tutorial section.

Peter
WhatsApp Marketing Manager in Germany
Textiles, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Using Charles to convert website visitors to customers

4.0 last year

Comments: Overall, it's all about using Charles in the right way for your business. This could mean sending out newsletter only during sale events or doing it weekly. It all depends on your average order value and your community.

Pros:

The ability to automate flows makes Charles a very strong tool! Another great use-case, that has been overlooked by many users, is the power to convert website visitors to customers. With a sign-in rate of over 10% it's much higher than in email (2%).

Cons:

In some cases, Charles may have some minor bugs. Also, analytics might need some extra effort and aren't done as easy as in email tools.

Charles Response

last year

Peter thanks so much for your review and for choosing us. We're delighted to hear our WhatsApp automation is working well for you and that WhatsApp is proving a successful channel for your business. Converting website visitors is a great insight and one we'll look into more closely. Thanks! We're working on the bugs and adding extra analytics. Keep letting your Success manager know of any problems so we can make sure we fix it. Thanks again and we look forward to working with you for a long time to come. charles

Ibrahim
Head of E-commerce in TĂĽrkiye
Consumer Goods, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Ibrahim Koc

5.0 10 months ago

Pros:

The interface is very useful and fast. It is very nice that it can be integrated with many apps.

Cons:

It is a pity that there is no mobile app. The price is also more expensive than others.

Laura
CRM Manager in Germany
Wholesale, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Very satisfied

4.0 last year

Comments: I have had a very good experience with Charles so far. You always have a fixed contact person, which I find very important.

Pros:

I'm generally very pleased with Charles. It's easy to use and there are a lot of features that you can use to take your Whatsapp marketing to the next level.

Cons:

Currently, I am still missing reporting or KPI's that can be tracked better.In addition, one or two things could be improved/added to the segmentation.

Charles Response

last year

Thanks so much for your feedback Laura. We're happy to hear you find us easy to use and that we help take your WhatsApp marketing to the next level :) We get your KPIs comment. This is something we know is super important to marketers and is a big priority for us in 2023. Keep talking to your Success manager and we'll make sure it's on our product roadmap! charles

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Automotive, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Actually the best choice in the market

4.0 last year

Comments: Powerful tool in mid-short business activities,

Pros:

Plug & play approach: quick set up before start spreading messages

Cons:

Data viz, analytics, integrations: I'm sure that all will be improved in less 18 months

Charles Response

last year

Wow, we love hearing that – thanks for the review and keep an eye out for new features in the coming months!

Silvia
Marketing Manager in Italy
Apparel & Fashion, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Great tool for whatsapp communication

5.0 10 months ago

Pros:

Easy to implement and to use, user interface is very simple and usable also from other "less expert" team member. Very good customer support, fast responses and always trying to help you in your strategy.

Cons:

It would be great to have more integration (i.e. Salesforce, Zendesk etc).

Tabea
CEO in Germany
Food & Beverages, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Great Tool but need some improvment

4.0 last year

Pros:

The support and they are always willing to improve.

Cons:

That the tool often not work....Some bugs will not been fixed at all.

Charles Response

last year

Thanks for the feedback Tabea, we appreciate it. We're glad you feel supported by us and please keep in touch with your Success manager, we're always making improvements to our tool, hopefully your issues will be fixed soon. charles

Noel
Head of eCommerce in Germany
Medical Devices, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

CRM would be unthinkable without it

5.0 last year

Pros:

Easy operation & constantly growing number of features. The team is always at your side.

Cons:

In the beginning they still had some bugs. However, these are rapidly decreasing.

Charles Response

last year

So great to hear we're an essential part of your CRM, Noel – and that our product is improving. We're working on it. We appreciate you taking the time to give us your feedback! charles

Dennis
Owner in Austria
Cosmetics, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

It`s a good Tool

4.0 last year

Comments: Benefits: Mobile Marketing about Whats App

Pros:

- Whats App Marketing- Live Chat in every Browser at every time

Cons:

It`s complicated to search for more demo videos or learning material for check up the tool

Charles Response

last year

Hey Dennis, thanks for taking the time to let us know your thoughts. All feedback is appreciated. We upload new demo videos all the time, please talk with your Success manager so we can find a way to make them easier to find. Thanks again! charles

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Apparel & Fashion, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Game changer for us and a huge edition to our channels

5.0 2 years ago

Pros:

The journeys feature as mentioned is great. We use it practically for all our campaign send outs to build interactive message flows instead of just a simple message.

Cons:

Sometimes there are little bugs with the tool when creating templates but when reporting them to Malte, they are usually fixed in no time.

Charles Response

last year

Hey there, Thanks for taking the time to leave your review and we're happy to hear you love Journeys as much as us and Malte is great, isn't he? We'll pass on your kind words! charles

Elena
brand manager in Switzerland
Automotive, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Elena

5.0 last year

Pros:

the product itself is great, [sensitive content hidden] also provides very good support

Cons:

24h chat closures, limited features (no multiple pictures), complicated to download data etc.

Charles Response

last year

Thanks for your review Elena. We appreciate it and are super happy to hear you get good support from our Success team. It's always good to hear how we can improve too. Re 24h chat closures, that's unfortunately due to WhatsApp's policy. The cost per conversation from WhatsApp is for a chat that takes place within 24h. After that, you'll need to pay WhatsApp again for a new conversation. You can still message them though – you just need to create a "Campaign" message and send it. Btw you can add multiple images to WhatsApp messages – in Journeys just click the image icon again (second from the top on the left) after you've added an image. If you're not sure how, your Success manager will help you. Hopefully we've understood your comments right and this helps answer them! We will work on making it easier to download your data. Thanks again! charles

Luisa
Marketing Manager in Germany
Consumer Goods, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Great Tool to access our customers or interested parties!

5.0 last year

Comments: So far we have only done newsletter campaigns and has worked pretty nice. Our POC motivates us to push more and we are excited to explore charles further and bring results :)

Pros:

Easiness with platform and with our POC in any help, doubt - the loom videos are incredible!

Cons:

Integration with some platforms still a bit lacking but nothing major

Charles Response

last year

Thanks so much for your feedback Luisa. We're delighted to hear you're enjoying our platform. We've passed your comments on to the team. Ease of use is a priority for us so it makes us happy that our efforts are working. Re your integrations comment, we've taken that on board. We have some exciting integrations coming up so maybe that will fill in the gap. We're also glad you find the Loom videos helpful. We enjoy making them too :) charles

jan
content manager in Belgium
E-Learning, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

whatsapp as part of our daily business

4.0 last year

Pros:

Love being able to chat directly to our users on their phone, it makes it easier and somehow less intrusive than sms or calling.

Cons:

whatsapp has many hoops to jump through, but thats not charles fault as such.

Charles Response

last year

Hi Jan, thanks for the review! We love that you love chatting with your customers via WhatsApp. Less intrusive is exactly what we're going for so that's great to hear too. Keep letting us know what we can do to improve! charles

Olivia
Marketing Manager in Germany
Consumer Goods, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Good experience and support

4.0 9 months ago

Pros:

Good experience, support and user-friendly platform.

Cons:

Flexibility with internal e-commerce integrations.

Elisa
Junior Customer Experience Manager in Italy
Food Production, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Great software and Customer Support

5.0 last year

Pros:

It works great for sharing our promos and product launches, very easy to use, very reliable Customer Support

Cons:

Room for improvement when it comes to the speed and fluidity of sending the campaigns

Charles Response

last year

Thanks for your feedback Elisa, we're happy to hear charles is going well you – we're working on making speed better. charles

Caroline
Customer Happiness in Germany
Consumer Goods, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Charles is tippi toppi

3.0 last year

Pros:

Mich überzeugt die persönliche Betreuung vom Charles Team. Anliegen und Probleme werden direkt addressiert und versucht zu lösen. Top! Wir nutzen Charles aktuell um Kundenanliegen zu lösen. Zukünftig mehr Marketingkampagnen. Unsere Kunden schätzen den individuellen und schnellen Kontakt über WhatsApp - auch außerhalb der Geschäftszeiten.

Cons:

* Interner Aufbau der Einstellung finden wir zu unübersichtlich* Wir hätten gern mehr Farben in der Tagauswahl* Aktuell nur eine Verbindung mit einem Shopify Shop möglich (DE) - wir haben allerdings noch weitere Shops * Wunsch nach mehr NPS Aussagen zu Nachrichtenzeit, Bearbeitungszeit etc.

Johanna
E-Commerce Managerin in Germany
Arts & Crafts, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Gute Anwendung fĂĽr gezieltes WhatsApp Marketing

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: Leicht anzuwenden und mit einem guten Support ausgestattet.Durch die Journeys lassen sich tolle Kampagnen bauen, die den Kund:innen SpaĂź bereiten.

Pros:

Wir können unsere Kund.innen personalisiert bespielen und erzielen somit bessere und höhere Direct sales.

Cons:

Bisher ist die Kampagnenplanung noch nicht möglich. Das würde vieles erleichtern

Charles Response

last year

Hey Johanna, danke für deine Bewertung. Gute Nachrichten! Kampagnenplanung ist jetzt verfügbar, wende dich an deinen zuständigen Customer Success Manager, um mehr zu erfahren! charles