We all know the innumerable advantages offered by the WhatsApp application. His arrival into our lives has facilitated the way in which we communicate. It is therefore not surprising that even companies, and not just citizens, use WhatsApp as a direct and customizable means of communication.
Faced with the different needs of companies, WhatsApp decided to develop two solutions capable of satisfying the demands of the business sector . This is how WhatsApp Business and the WhatsApp Business API were born.
Now, we are sure that you must be wondering what are the differences between one application and the other, and what is the perfect solution for your business. Don't worry because you found the item you were looking for. We are going to tell you everything you need to know about the WhatsApp options for companies and what are the advantages they offer.
What is WhatsApp Business?
WhatsApp Business was created by Meta in order to help small businesses sell and better interact with their customers. Unlike the classic WhatsApp app used every day by citizens, the Business version offers all the necessary functions and tools to communicate and sell.
For example, with the new application you will be able to show the catalog of all the products and services offered by your store, compile information and much more. In fact, WhatsApp Business favors the generation of potential customers with its sales features and even allows you to send important notifications such as automatic absence and welcome messages. Likewise, the WhatsApp Business application includes several advanced search filters for group texts, unread messages, broadcast messages, and labeled chats.
Thus, the application offers the possibility of opening a commercial account that becomes a live chat tool with some interesting but limited functionalities.
Anyway, we have to underline that the process to start an account in WhatsApp Business is quite simple.
To start, you must download the WhatsApp Business app, enter a verified business number , insert the company data and add the address of the website and email. All these data facilitate the exchange with the client , since in the chat they will find all the necessary information to communicate with your store.
Ready! Now yes, to enjoy the benefits of the app.
What is WhatsApp Business API?
WhatsApp Business API is a communication platform created and designed to meet the business needs of medium and large companies.
Its operation is based on the API, that is, an application programming interface that allows connecting various platforms through the integration of this software. This is how the WhatsApp business API allows large companies to communicate with their customer base, regardless of its size, in a matter of a few minutes. All this is also possible thanks to the automation of conversations with customers and the sending of mass notifications.
This is the feature of the WhatsApp Business API chatbot, which can automate the most frequent queries and thus respond to customers 24 hours a day without limitations, a very important benefit in this globalized world. But the advantages do not end because, if the chatbot is not only capable of answering customer questions, the query can also be taken up by a customer service agent.
In any case, for you to understand how it works a little better, we have to point out that WhatsApp Business API offers two communication formats.
On the one hand, we have customer service, that is, the session message that starts when a customer starts a private and secure communication with the company.
This window lasts 24 hours during which consumer problems and queries can be resolved, improving the quality of the service offered. With this type of message you can choose whether customer support requires the attention of a human agent or can be automated with the chatbot.
On the other hand, we have the bone notification service, the template message that can be used to send notifications and reminders to users who gave consent.
This type of service is very popular because it allows you to share information and notifications quickly and easily with the target audience. To give you an example, you will be able to send a message about the delivery status of an order, as well as notify a failed payment.
What makes it different from the previous one?
Now that you have discovered in great detail what WhatsApp Business is and what WhatsApp Business API is, you must be wondering what are the main differences between these communication channels. Don't worry because we are going to tell you about it.
Type of company to which it is directed
As we have mentioned before, the WhatsApp Business application was created for medium and small businesses, so some of its functions are limited, while the WhatsApp Business API is ideal for large companies that need to communicate with a large number of customers. at the same time.
Number of sessions allowed
WhatsApp business allows you to open a maximum of 4 live sessions from 4 different devices to be able to respond manually. On the contrary, WhatsApp Business API offers the possibility of serving an unlimited number of users at the same time thanks also to the automation of messages.
access type
For what has to do with the process of opening a business account , WhatsApp Business can be downloaded for free from the App Store and the Play Store, unlike the WhatsApp API, which can only be used through the platform provided. by third parties, such as Afilnet.
automated messaging
Now, we are going to talk about a very important advantage for a mass communication channel: the automation of messages. WhatsApp Business, as we mentioned before, has limited features, so it is possible to automate only the welcome and absence messages.
Instead, the WhatsApp Business API provides the chatbots feature, which allows you to create intelligent automated responses to the most frequent customer queries, thus saving time and work for customer support.
Flexibility
Another element that we must analyze is flexibility in communication. On the one hand, we have WhatsApp Business that allows you to send regular texts, attachments, and emojis without the need for prior approval. On the other hand, there is WhatsApp Business API that adds rich media such as sessions and templates that must be previously approved by Facebook.
Advantages of using WhatsApp Business API
As you may have noticed, the WhatsApp Business API provides its users with some very important advantages that are not obtained from WhatsApp Business. In fact, let's remember that the API has been developed to be able to solve problems that, with the commercial WhatsApp account, were not possible.
Let's see now what are the most important benefits.
Far-reaching
The WhatsApp API makes it possible to reach a large number of customers at the same time, resorting to the use of artificial intelligence and the chatbot.
intuitive design
This API was designed to offer a simple, clean and easy to use interface. That is why a unified dashboard is presented to track the communication of the multiple open windows.
multiple accounts
In order for the customer support service to work with the best conditions, the WhatsApp Business API provides the opportunity to create business accounts from multiple devices so that they can be used by multiple users.
In this way, each support agent will be able to resolve customer queries in a fast and organized way, also using artificial intelligence.
Compatibility and integration
Another great benefit of the API is its ability to integrate seamlessly with applications (for example, CRM), web pages, and software used by companies that want to use this service. Thus, it manages to integrate with the company's infrastructure, automating and customizing business processes.
Results measurement
As a last advantage, we have to point out that WhatsApp Business API includes the functionality that allows you to track the chats started and even easily measure the metrics, that is, KPIs.
So that you can understand better we will give you an example. With the template messages, that is, the automated notifications , you will be able to improve the rate of customer retention, acceptance, delivery, opening and even conversion. These KPIs can be measured with the WhatsApp API.
Conclusion
Is WhatsApp Business or WhatsApp Business API better? It is the most frequent question whose answer depends on the needs of the companies. With the WhatsApp business application you will be able to access interesting functions that can be useful for your business, although you must take into account that the functions have limitations.
All this is not the case with the WhatsApp Business API, which gives large companies the possibility to create efficient and effective customer support , capable of solving customer queries, while at the same time automating much of the work of sending mass notifications saving time and money.