You may have heard of WhatsApp Business API… How does it differ from WhatsApp Business accounts? What are its features? And more importantly, how can businesses utilize it to serve their customers better?
This article will introduce you to WhatsApp Business API features, the differences between Template Messages and Session Messages, how automated messaging works, and other WhatsApp Business API FAQs.
Now, let’s dive in.
WhatsApp Business API enables advanced business functions, like automated and template messages. In addition, it allows companies to utilize WhatsApp Business accounts more comprehensively and to their fullest extent.
In addition, you can broadcast on WhatsApp through WhatsApp Business API. Broadcasting messages through WhatsApp is a common practice for businesses to send out updates and recent promotions to a selected group of customers in one go.
Automated messaging function simplifies manual and complex operating procedures and saves time from performing countless repeated tasks.
For example, the WhatsApp Broadcast function uses the unique template message from the WhatsApp Business API to automatically send out the message to a specific group of recipients at once.
To use WhatsApp Business API, you’ll need to connect it through third-party software.
However, users cannot download WhatsApp Business API from App Store or Google Play. Instead, you have to connect the API through a WhatsApp Business API provider.
As a third-party provider, imBee's WhatApp Business API connection service is available for use. imBee software supports additional features, such as helping businesses enable multiple users using the same phone number to manage all conversations in WhatsApp simultaneously. Users can also design various customized broadcast message templates to enhance the messaging experience.
Companies who use WhatsApp Business API can directly apply to WhatsApp to receive their business account verification. The WhatsApp Business account will get a green tick label displayed next to the brand name if the application is successful. This official verification badge strengthens the customer’s trust and confidence in the company’s brand and validity.
The Business Profile page of WhatsApp Business API contains critical business information, such as the company name, business type, brand description, business hours, company address, company website, and company email.
The green tick label beside the brand name signifies that this WhatsApp account has been officially certified and truly represents the brand. Hence, customers communicating with a badged account gives them the confidence to avoid scams or get false information from fake accounts.
The brand names of large industry powerhouses are highly recognized and well-known. To reassure existing and potential customers and maintain a degree of legitimacy, these corporations should opt to use the official WhatsApp Business API account to obtain the verified badge.
Most of imBee’s customers also stated that they prefer to use WhatsApp Business API to WhatsApp Business due to the improved brand image that this feature helps portray.
Multiple Login
To elevate the enterprise experience, WhatsApp Business API supports multiple logins through the same phone number, allowing numerous chat agents to manage incoming WhatsApp messages simultaneously.
In addition, this feature facilitates collaboration across time zones and locations. It enables agents from different locations to take over the conversations and work around shifts under different time zones. No matter where the agents are, business team leaders can keep track of each team member’s working progress and their overall performance.
Multinational companies usually minimize their human labor costs by outsourcing customer service functions or setting up overseas teams. The multi-login feature can help since businesses will simply need to have a single account.
Furthermore, specific inquiries from customers might require the knowledge of certain team members to answer. The multiple-user login function from WhatsApp Business API and the routing function from imBee's One Team Inbox can solve this issue. imBee allows users to distribute and assign customer inquiries to the appropriate personnel to answer, letting topic experts answer particular questions correctly.
WhatsApp Business also comprises the Broadcast Message feature, allowing businesses to send these blast texts to a maximum of 256 WhatsApp users. However, the target recipients must add the business’ phone number beforehand to their address books to receive the message correctly.
Yet, many customers hardly save business’ phone numbers into their contact lists and simply use a WA.Me Link to send messages without adding their number in advance.
As a result, there might not be many available target audiences for this Broadcast Message feature. Further impaired with the limit of 256 contacts will not attract merchants to use a feature with significant limitations.
One way to overcome this limitation is to use the Broadcast Message function of the WhatsApp Business API. Businesses can import the phone numbers to broadcast the messages without being restricted by the number of recipients and the address book requirement.
For more information on the Template Message, please refer to the later sections below.
Now, let’s look at some practical business applications of using the WhatsApp API Broadcast function. For instance, educational institutions can notify students of classroom venue changes; logistics companies can send real-time status updates of the packages; financial companies can send personal and corporate bank account updates to their clients.
Automated Notification
WhatsApp Business API can be linked to the corporate website and effectively replace the traditional e-mail and SMS notifications. For example, businesses can use WhatsApp API to automatically send confirmation messages to a customer’s personal WhatsApp, such as detailed information on website shopping, member registration, and event sign-ups. The contacts collected from sending confirmation messages will help pave the way for future interactions.
Subsequently, merchants can use imBee’s tagging function to group contacts into various categories. Later, they can send the latest updates and product information to related customer tag groups with similar characteristics.
WhatsApp Business API can store customer information on the company’s cloud system, allowing the business to save all their customer’s personal contact information and conversation records. Cloud storage is a relatively secure and protected storage method than WhatsApp Business that keeps data inside the mobile phone application.
WhatsApp Business API lets companies send two messages to customers: (1) free form message type and (2) Template Message.
Free form messages in WhatsApp Business API are the same in WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp Messenger. Whether it is a text message, or a variety of message types such as audio recordings, pictures, videos, files, etc., they are all regarded as free form messages.
There are two types of interactive messages, (1) List Messages and (2) Reply Buttons. Businesses can only use this feature within 24 hours since the customer sends out the most recent message.
After subscribing to the imBee service, merchants can set Interactive Message as one of the Auto Replies messages. It is a chatbot-like feature that helps facilitate immediate communication.
Merchants can simultaneously use these two interactive messages. Users can only choose one option when replying to these two types of messages, but they can click on other options again when entering other chatbots.
Each list message can create up to TEN action items. It provides direct options for users to choose and helps customers properly communicate their needs to the business.
When using interactive messages, up to THREE reply button options can only be displayed at a time. Users can easily select the information they want to know more about and get answers faster than waiting for the agent’s manual response.
Template Message is a paid messaging feature used together with the Broadcast Message function of WhatsApp Business API. Before sending out the Template Message, merchants need to create and apply a message template through WhatsApp and wait for approval.
WhatsApp has switched to the “Conversation-Based Pricing” model from February 1, 2022. Under this pricing model, businesses are charged per conversation. If a business wants to send a message to the customer and start a new 24-hour conversation, the business can only send a “Template Message” as the initial message. Businesses can only start sending free form messages after getting a response from customers. Otherwise, they can only continue to contact customers through Template Messages. If you still have doubts about “how to define the start and end of a conversation”, “when to start charging”, “any charging examples based on different message-initiated roles”, etc., please visit Meta's Conversation-Based Pricing for WhatsApp Business Platform for more information.
Companies also have to set the variables when creating a Template Message properly. Only after substituting with the respective variables can agents then send out Template Messages.
There are three types of Template Messages, (1) Text Message Template, (2) Media Message Template, and (3) Interactive Message Template.
A Template Message consists of only text. For example, if you want your customer to receive the following message:
Hi John! Thanks for being our valued member from June 2021. We’ll send you feature updates every month to keep you informed.
Companies should submit the following template message for approval:
Hi {{1}}! Thanks for being our valued member from {{2}}. We’ll send you *{{3}}* *updates* every {{4}} to keep you informed.
Businesses can send out a Template Message attached with images to customers. Using the picture format is one way to enhance interaction and conversation flow with the customer, attracting their attention more than text messages do.
For example, a restaurant could send menus to upcoming guests to confirm their dish selections to prepare the ingredients and plating in advance. To make it more enticing, restaurants can send out photos of the plated food to the guests.
The interactive message template provides clickable buttons for customers to select from, including Action buttons and Reply buttons. This function is similar to the Interactive Message under Session Messages. The difference is that only merchants can actively send out the Interactive Message Template to the customers to start the conversation. On the other hand, it is customers’ inquiries that trigger the Interactive Messages under Session Message.
When the company wishes that the customer clicks on external links or calls them, they can formulate interactive template messages using Action buttons. One Action button corresponds to one action, i.e., Help Centre, Talk to a Business Rep, Watch Demo Video.
When the company wants to receive a customer’s reply on a particular matter, it can use Reply Button. For example, a request for the customer to confirm a scheduled itinerary, merchants can create a Template Message with quick Reply Buttons showing clickable options, such as “Confirm Attendance” and “Cancel Appointment.”
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