WhatsApp, a simple messaging app created by two former Yahoo employees Brian Acton and Jan Koum, in 2009, has the number one position among global instant messaging applications with about two billion monthly active users.
Initially released in 2009, WhatsApp is so popular among Netizens because of its affordability, global appeal, accessibility, and features like international calls. In the last two years, WhatsApp is also becoming a favorite channel for doing business also.
Apart from the popular app for personal use, this second app -WhatsApp Business-has similar names and entirely different feature sets, costs, and use cases. It is free of charge and comes with basic features like fast replies, labels, and business profiles. It is the best option to handle individual conversations and customer requests. You should try out WhatsApp Business API Pricing to enhance features,
But it should be noted that the WhatsApp business app is limited mainly to small service teams and might not be compliant with GDPR-which can be an issue for European businesses and those who operate under the EU.
In this situation, Facebook introduced WhatsApp API in August 2018 to ensure scalable solutions customize their needs. Through this application, unlimited messages can be received and sent to customers.
Why WhatsApp?
- WhatsApp can be the easiest and convenient method for customers to get in touch with businesses.
- Mobile messages have open rates of 98% compared to 20% of the email. It lets them free from crowded messages and provides a more personal and direct connection with the seller.
- WhatsApp messaging allows reacting faster to customer requests and solving questions and can boost conversion rate and customer satisfaction.
- With a wide range of emojis, GIFs, and images, customer service is highly convenient, efficient, and fun.
How Can One Start?
There are primarily two ways to begin a WhatsApp Business API account using a solution provider and then running their infra and solution. While solution providers can have prior approval to activate a telephone number within WhatsApp to manage their infra and solution, one should build their solutions like webhooks and node web calls.
Starting a WhatsApp Business API is a simple as well as complicated procedure.API is a set of processes and functions that can transmit data between two applications. It needs a top layer of design to sort and interpret the sent and received data quickly.
So WhatsApp Business API often demands a well-trained and willing team to read lines of code and a dashboard and panel to organize the information visually to comprehend and manage the data. An internal team of developers can come in handy during a procedure.
Setting up a WhatsApp Business API can be time-consuming. It can cause a significant drain of resources, and partnering with a Whatsapp business Solution provider can make things easy.
Advantages of Whatsapp Business API
- WhatsApp Business API has a centralized dashboard and can share team inboxes. It will help in easy chat and customer management.
- It provides a facility for multiple users to sign in to the dashboard at once.
- WhatsApp Business API provides third-party software integration, unlike WhatsApp business and private WhatsApp.
- Through this programmatic, responses can be sent to the customer’s queries.
- Verification of an official business account can be done in WhatsApp API through a green checkmark/
- It also helps with tracking performance and critical metrics also.
Significant Features of WhatsApp Business API
The central feature of Whatsapp Business API is that it only enables interaction via opt-in service. Thus it is possible to communicate only with customers who have given consent to receive WhatsApp messages and notifications from the seller.
The customer should initiate the business by sending the first message. As soon as the customer sends the message, a twenty-four window will open through which companies can be responded to without any cost.
An amount will be charged from the business if they want to reply after this time limit. This charge may vary according to the country of the customer.
The system of charging to respond after twenty-four hours is implemented to encourage more prompt responses from the businesses and ensure increased customer satisfaction in the business communications happening via WhatsApp.
Apart from these, it should be kept in mind that using Whatsapp business API requires complying with WhatsApp’s policies and guidelines. These policies and guidelines are used to ensure the consumer’s cyber safety and prevent any form of illicit transactions.
Failures in abiding by these policies can result in revoking the WhatsApp business API. WhatsApp is one of the most popular instant messaging applications. WhatsApp Business API provides a wide array of marketing and business opportunities in one of the biggest communication channels available in the market.