Zalo Official Account: Set Up a Business Channel

Zalo Official Account, or OA, is the business page on Zalo, the Vietnamese messaging app from VNG. A shop, clinic or school can use it to answer customers, share news and look more trustworthy. This guide shows a small business how to set one up in an afternoon.

It is written for owners and staff in Vietnam who already use Zalo as a person and now want a proper business channel. It is general information, so check Zalo's own pages for the latest steps and rules.

What a Zalo Official Account is

A personal Zalo profile belongs to one person. An Official Account belongs to a business or group. It has its own name, avatar, cover picture and description. People can follow it, read what it posts and chat with it. In July 2019 the Zalo Official Account home page described the service as a way to reach more than 100 million Zalo users.

The big gain is separation. Your own chats stay private. Customer chats go to a page that your team can manage. Zalo's rules say an OA can have several managers with different levels of permission, and each manager signs in with a Zalo account. So the page does not depend on one person.

Sources: Zalo OA home page, July 2019; Zalo OA solutions page, July 2019; Zalo OA terms, July 2019; Wikipedia, VNG Corporation, August 2019

Before you register

Prepare a few things first. It makes the sign-up faster and avoids mistakes you must fix later.

• A personal Zalo account that will act as the manager. One Zalo account can create and manage up to 10 Official Accounts, according to Zalo's terms.
• The exact business name, as it appears on your paperwork and signboard.
• An avatar and cover picture. Zalo's terms ask for an avatar of 150 by 150 pixels and a cover of 320 by 350 pixels, each under 1 MB.
• A short description in plain words: what you sell, where you are and when you answer.
• A phone number, address and website, if you have them.

Do not make a staff member's private account the only manager. People change jobs. Add a second manager the business can always reach, and write down who holds each role.

Also pick the right category. Zalo's terms list six: organization or business, shop or service, community, celebrity, news and entertainment, and utility. Shop or service is meant for small businesses and registered household businesses that sell or serve people directly.

Sources: Zalo OA terms, July 2019

How to create the account

Go to oa.zalo.me and press the button to create an Official Account. Sign in with your personal Zalo account when asked.

Next, choose the name and category, then upload your avatar and cover. Add your description and contact details. Read everything once more before you save.

The name matters most. Zalo's terms say it must show your brand or business name, must not copy another brand, must start with a capital letter and must not hold special characters. A vague name is not allowed. Zalo's own naming guide adds that people search by product words, so a name with a clear keyword, such as the kind of shop you run, is easier to find than a personal name or a random handle.

After you save, Zalo reviews the account. Its terms say new accounts are checked automatically when the form is complete, and that Zalo can still refuse one. If yours is refused, you get one chance to fix the details. After 14 days without an update, the account is locked for good. So fix problems quickly.

Once approved, invite people who already know you. Zalo's terms let an owner invite friends from their contacts, up to 20 followers a day. The same terms warn against tricks such as fake prizes to win followers.

Sources: Zalo OA terms, July 2019; Zalo naming guide, 2016; Zalo OA home page, July 2019

Review, search and verification

Two numbers are worth knowing. First, Zalo's terms say an OA needs at least 20 followers to show up in Zalo's search. Second, an OA with fewer than 200 followers can change its own name in the manager area, and Zalo then reviews the change. Past 200, you must email Zalo to ask for a new name.

Verification works differently from what many owners expect. Zalo's terms say its team may ask for verifying details from OAs tied to brands, organizations, news sites, artists and TV shows. If the manager does not answer, Zalo can lock the account until the details arrive. In 2016 Zalo's guide also said an OA could change its page link only after it was verified, and that verification then needed 100,000 followers. Zalo can change these rules, so read the current help pages before you plan around any number.

Sources: Zalo OA terms, July 2019; Zalo account page guide, 2016

Use messaging for customer service

Zalo's solutions page describes several tools. Broadcast messages go to followers, and a content account can send one per day to a group. A toolbar menu sits under the chat box and can open your website, call your hotline or give an automatic reply. Customer care messages are sent to individual people, and bigger firms can send them through Zalo's open API. Articles can hold pictures and video.

The best use for a small shop is service, not mass advertising. Answer questions about stock, prices, opening hours and orders. Set a simple routine for your team:

• Pick one person to watch the inbox in each shift.
• Reply within the same working day, and say so in your description.
• Keep a short list of common answers, such as delivery time, payment methods and return rules.
• Pass hard questions to the owner and tell the customer you will come back to them.
• Never ask for bank card numbers or passwords in a chat.

Sources: Zalo OA solutions page, July 2019

Habits that keep the page useful

A new account is easy to start and easy to forget. Zalo's terms say an OA that does not interact with followers for 30 days can be locked, so a quiet page is a real risk.

First, check the inbox every day, even on slow days. An unanswered question often means a lost sale. Second, update your hours before holidays, so customers are not left waiting. Third, review who manages the account every few months and remove anyone who has left. Fourth, post articles only when you have something real to say, such as a new arrival or a holiday opening time.

Start small. One clear name, one honest description, two managers and a steady habit of replying will do more than a busy page with no one behind it.

Sources: Zalo OA terms, July 2019