Research: WhatsApp Dominates Customer Service Channels in Indonesia
Jakarta, TopBusiness—Infobip, a global AI-based cloud communications platform, has released the Indonesia Messaging & Engagement Trends Report 2026, revealing that Indonesia is moving beyond mere digital reach towards conversational-based customer engagement.
With smartphone penetration at 98.7%, internet penetration at 80.5%, and 331 million active mobile users, Indonesia has become one of the most potential markets in Southeast Asia for businesses to build closer relationships with customers through conversational channels.
Messaging channels have now become one of the primary means for businesses in Indonesia to reach and retain customers. WhatsApp remains the most dominant business messaging channel in Indonesia with a usage rate of 81%, playing a crucial role in onboarding, customer service, and two-way interactions.
“SMS continues to be the backbone for authentication and transactional notifications, while email remains relevant for communications that require more complete documentation,” said Kukuh Prayogi, Enterprise Business Director at Infobip, in a statement received by TopBusiness Magazine.
Businesses in Indonesia are also beginning to show the tangible impact of using these channels. Sinar Mas Land’s AI-based WhatsApp assistant, Silvia, now handles 42% of customer conversations while simultaneously increasing customer satisfaction scores to 4.46.
The online grocery platform Segari has successfully reduced response times by up to 90% and increased its Net Promoter Score from 25–30 to 72 after centralising its customer engagement system.
The use of more interactive message formats is also continuing to grow. Indonesia currently ranks fifth globally with 89.5 million users supporting RCS, indicating increasing market readiness for richer and more interactive customer experiences.
Through its partnership with Telkomsel, Infobip is also helping to expand access to RCS for Business in Indonesia, providing organisations with a verified channel to deliver more interactive customer experiences, complementing WhatsApp and SMS.
Indonesia has become one of the most dynamic messaging markets in the world, with businesses now redesigning conversational-based customer engagement.
“Customers are already accustomed to contacting brands via messaging, and the key differentiator now is how those conversations are managed at every stage of the customer journey so that every touchpoint feels connected rather than fragmented,” explained Kukuh Prayogi.
The report also shows that the use of messaging plays different roles in various industries. In the banking sector, conversations are increasingly used for onboarding, authentication, and account services.
Meanwhile, the retail sector connects trading activities with post-purchase engagement. Telecommunications service providers utilise messaging throughout the customer lifecycle, while travel and technology businesses rely on it for time-sensitive services and customer operations.
However, as various use cases evolve, businesses also face challenges in managing diverse conversations, channels, and customer needs as a single, unified experience.
This complexity is also influencing how businesses invest in communication technology. The Indonesian CPaaS market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 33.25%, from US$122.8 million in 2025 to US$686.5 million by 2031. This growth reflects the increasing business need for platforms capable of managing multi-channel customer engagement at scale.
AI is also bringing a new dimension to how businesses manage this complexity. Indonesia currently ranks ninth globally in AI skill penetration, while 62% of companies are expected to adopt AI by 2030.
In the context of customer engagement, this opens opportunities to move beyond basic automation and leverage AI to understand context, coordinate interactions, and support customers as conversations evolve.
“As AI takes an increasingly large role in customer interaction, the right context becomes vital. Through Infobip AgentOS, businesses can connect customer data, communications, and automation so that AI can understand the customer’s stage in the customer journey and determine the most relevant next step,” added Kukuh Prayogi.
For businesses in Indonesia, this report highlights one practical priority: aligning technology investments with the role of each interaction in the customer journey. This means businesses need to identify areas where automation can reduce friction, where richer messaging can enhance the customer experience, and where human support remains necessary.