Meeting customers where they already are, on their phones
En una ciudad donde el agua, la luz y el gas son el pulso invisible de la vida cotidiana, Empresas Públicas de Medellín ha decidido encontrar a sus usuarios donde ya están: en WhatsApp. La medida no es solo tecnológica; es un reconocimiento de que la comunicación humana ha migrado, y que las instituciones que no siguen ese movimiento se quedan hablando solas. EPM abre así un canal unidireccional que convierte un recordatorio de pago en algo que la gente realmente lee.
- Millones de usuarios de EPM recibían notificaciones por canales que ignoraban —correos sin abrir, llamadas sin contestar— mientras sus facturas acumulaban mora.
- La brecha entre lo que la empresa comunicaba y lo que el cliente percibía generaba cortes de servicio evitables y una fricción innecesaria en ambos lados.
- EPM lanzó un canal oficial de WhatsApp desde el número 300 742 71 00, enviando recordatorios de pago personalizados según el historial y el riesgo financiero de cada cliente.
- Los mensajes incluyen enlaces directos a portales de pago, eliminando la necesidad de ir a oficinas físicas o buscar opciones por cuenta propia.
- El sistema opera con estándares de seguridad de datos y apunta a tasas de lectura significativamente más altas que los canales tradicionales, mejorando el recaudo sin aumentar la presión sobre el usuario.
Empresas Públicas de Medellín abrió un canal de atención a través de WhatsApp, la plataforma que en Colombia dejó de ser una opción para convertirse en el modo por defecto de comunicación personal. El servicio opera desde el número 300 742 71 00 y representa un giro consciente en la forma en que la empresa se acerca a sus clientes sobre una de las obligaciones más cotidianas: pagar los servicios públicos.
Por ahora, el canal funciona en una sola dirección: EPM envía, el usuario recibe. No hay conversación ni soporte en tiempo real. El foco está en lo esencial —cuánto se debe, cuándo vence y cómo pagar sin salir de casa— con enlaces directos a portales de pago integrados en el propio mensaje.
Lo que distingue esta iniciativa de una campaña masiva de mensajes es la precisión detrás. EPM segmenta sus comunicaciones según el historial de pago y el perfil de riesgo de cada cliente: quien paga a tiempo recibe un recordatorio distinto al de quien está al borde de un corte de servicio. El sistema fue diseñado con criterios de seguridad de datos, consciente de que las cuentas de servicios públicos contienen información financiera sensible.
Norma Isabel Gálvez Osorio, vocera de EPM, subrayó que los mensajes de WhatsApp tienen tasas de lectura muy superiores a las notificaciones tradicionales. Un aviso que se lee tiene más probabilidades de traducirse en un pago, lo que beneficia al usuario —que evita interrupciones del servicio— y a la empresa, que mejora su gestión de cartera.
La decisión refleja algo más amplio: los colombianos ya no esperan que las instituciones los llamen o les escriban al correo. WhatsApp es el canal de lo urgente y lo personal, y EPM simplemente decidió estar ahí. Por ahora, el servicio es informativo. Si evolucionará hacia la atención bidireccional es una pregunta abierta. Lo que ya está claro es que una empresa de servicios esenciales reconoció que la fricción de los canales tradicionales tiene un costo real, y eligió reducirlo.
Empresas Públicas de Medellín, the city's major utility provider, has opened a new customer service channel through WhatsApp, the messaging platform that has become the default way most people communicate in Colombia. The service operates through the number 300 742 71 00, and it represents a deliberate shift in how the company reaches customers about one of the most universal obligations: paying for water, electricity, and gas.
The channel works in one direction for now—EPM sends messages, users receive them. The company is not yet fielding questions or conducting back-and-forth conversations through the platform. Instead, it focuses on what matters most to both parties: telling customers what they owe, when it's due, and how to pay without leaving home. Users can click directly from the messages to online payment portals, eliminating the friction of having to find a payment option themselves or travel to an EPM office to settle an account.
What makes this approach different from a simple mass text campaign is the precision behind it. EPM segments its messages based on each customer's payment history and financial risk profile. A customer who pays on time receives different communications than one who is falling behind. This targeting is meant to deliver relevant information at the right moment—a reminder before the deadline for someone in good standing, perhaps a more urgent notice for someone whose service is at risk of interruption. The company built the system with data security standards in mind, aware that utility accounts contain sensitive financial information.
Norma Isabel Galvez Osorio, speaking for EPM, emphasized that WhatsApp messages have a higher read rate than traditional notifications. People check WhatsApp constantly. They ignore emails. A payment reminder that actually gets seen is more likely to result in payment, which benefits both the customer—who avoids service cuts—and the company, which improves its collections. The executive framed this as a way to make the interaction more efficient and to expand the company's reach into portfolio management, the industry term for collecting what people owe.
The decision reflects a broader reality about how Colombians communicate. WhatsApp is not a novelty anymore; it is the assumed channel for urgent, personal information. Banks use it. Government agencies use it. Restaurants use it. EPM recognized that meeting customers where they already are—on their phones, in an app they check dozens of times a day—makes sense. The company is responding not to a customer demand that was explicitly voiced but to a shift in behavior that has already happened.
For now, the service is informational only. EPM is not yet using WhatsApp for customer support questions or disputes. That may come later, or it may not. The company may find that one-way notifications are sufficient for its purposes. What matters in this moment is that a major utility provider has decided that the friction of traditional channels—phone lines, offices, websites—is no longer acceptable. The future of customer service, at least for essential services, runs through the apps people already have open.
Citações Notáveis
The channel increases the likelihood that messages will be read and allows users to know promptly the status of their financial obligations with the company— Norma Isabel Galvez Osorio, EPM
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does a utility company need WhatsApp? Don't people already know how to pay their bills?
They do, but knowing and doing are different things. A bill sits in an email inbox. A WhatsApp message interrupts you. EPM is betting that the interruption leads to payment before the deadline.
So this is really about collections—making sure people pay on time.
That's the primary goal, yes. But it also reduces service interruptions, which is better for customers too. If you pay before the cutoff, your water doesn't get shut off.
Why segment the messages by risk profile? Why not just send the same reminder to everyone?
Because a customer who has never missed a payment doesn't need the same urgency as someone who is three months behind. Tailored messages feel more relevant and are more likely to be acted on.
Is this secure? Are people comfortable sharing payment information through WhatsApp?
EPM says it built the system with security standards in mind. The messages themselves don't contain sensitive data—they're reminders and links. The actual payment happens on EPM's secure portal, not in the chat.
What happens if someone has a problem with their bill or wants to dispute a charge?
Right now, this channel doesn't handle that. It's one-way information only. If you need to argue about a charge, you still have to call or visit an office. That may change, but for now EPM is focused on getting people to pay.
Does this actually work? Do people pay their bills faster because of a WhatsApp message?
EPM hasn't released data on that yet. But the company is confident enough to launch it, which suggests they've tested it or seen it work elsewhere. The real test will be whether collections improve.