Are you thinking of using the WhatsApp Business API as a means of communication in your company? If your answer is yes, then let me tell you that it is the best decision you can take if you want to keep in touch with your database efficiently.
In fact, the WhatsApp business API platform gives users the possibility to use a set of interesting tools that make customer communication fast, effective and personalized. Among them, one of the most appreciated features is surely the WhatsApp template for Business API, a way to send messages automatically.
The advantages of sending templates are many, benefits that explain why this tool has become popular in a short time and has become a necessary functionality to provide an efficient and streamlined customer support center.
If you want to discover everything you need to know about the templates incorporated by the WhatsApp for Business API, what competitive advantages it offers, the best practices and why you should use it, you found the article you were looking for. Today, we are going to tell you this and much more.
Message Templates for WhatsApp Business API vs Login Messages
Before we begin, we have to point out that Business API WhatsApp templates, known until a couple of years ago as highly structured messages, are messages that must go through an approval process by Meta to protect the customer experience. Once authorization is achieved through the messaging application, you can send automated messages such as welcome messages, absence messages, among others.
Now, it should be clarified that templates and login messages are different things. The template should only be sent if the client contacts you of their own free will, so, to be distributed, it is necessary to wait for the user to write to you. When this happens, the first thing you'll receive is a session message , after which you can send a template. In case of not responding to the client within 24 hours , you can use the template you want without having to send a session message.
What are the elements of WhatsApp Business API message templates?
Now, in order to create templates through WhatsApp API for Business, it is important to know what are the elements that make up this tool. Indeed, all the templates are configured in this way:
- Header: that is, the title of the messages in WhatsApp Business. It is the first thing that the client will read and must explain in a few words the content of the message;
- Body: it is the message that you want the client to receive;
- Footer: it is a small area that is below the body of the message;
- Interactive buttons: are those elements that increase the level of user interaction with the message they receive. They make the automated conversation with the customer more fluid, redirecting to the corresponding support team or to the main website of your company. It should also be noted that there are two types of interactive buttons. You can choose between quick response buttons that the reader must press to initiate an automatic action , or call-to-action buttons that allow you to initiate a phone call or open a predetermined website.
The ones that we have just mentioned are the elements that together are part of the WhatsApp Business API templates. Each one of them must be thought out and planned in great detail to create messages that are attractive to the user and at the same time respect the rules imposed by Meta so that they approve it and let you use it.
The function of the new WhatsApp Business API templates
Having said all of the above, now that you know what types of templates you can use and what are the elements that make up these types of proactive messages , you must be wondering what the utility of this tool is. Don't worry, because we are going to tell you about it.
As everyone knows, companies, regardless of the field of work, receive endless messages from customers on a daily basis in a short time. Especially, consultation messages are received about the price of an item, the opening hours or the catalog of products and services offered. All these messages must be answered as soon as possible, to prevent the user from getting annoyed or annoyed by the lack of attention, although this implies the need to have a really effective customer service.
For this, the WhatsApp Business API templates were created, a tool that speeds up the response process by assistance operators who no longer have to waste time writing manual responses. All thanks to the WhatsApp templates that allow you to automatically send messages to customers to answer the most frequent questions that support centers usually receive.
In short, we can affirm without a doubt that the main utility of the WhatsApp API for Business templates is to offer companies the possibility of having a quality, fast and efficient user assistance service thanks to the automation of messages sent thus managing to maintain direct and personalized communication with customers. Let's not forget that a happy shopper will not only make a purchase in your store again, but will also recommend your brand to family and friends, so it is essential to provide support that is up to par.
The benefits of Business WhatsApp templates for your company
Now, it should be noted that the usefulness of the WhatsApp Business API templates is not limited to what we have mentioned before. In fact, this tool offers a series of interesting competitive advantages, such as the ones we are going to tell you about now, and which explain why the number of companies that decide to take advantage of this functionality is increasing.
Streamlining customer support work
Indeed, it should be noted that it is estimated that a customer service operator takes an average of two minutes to write a manual message. Instead, using a message template, the user can receive an answer to an unresolved question in just 5 seconds of contacting your company. As you may have noticed, you can save time, money and resources that you can allocate to other areas of work.
Thanks to the WhatsApp Business API and the templates, it is no longer necessary to write endless messages manually, messages that may contain errors (grammar, punctuation or spelling). All this is in the past with automated messages. The important thing is that the template you decide to use arouses the interest of the customer and that it can help them solve the problem they are facing or the question for which they have contacted the support center.
Planning and updating of messages to be sent
Hand in hand with speeding up response times is the fact that templates can be sent automatically and scheduled based on the specific needs of each company. In this sense, we have to point out that this tool allows you to create welcome or absent messages, to give you some examples, which will be sent when a customer starts a conversation without the need for it to be written manually by an operator. In this way, the user receives a prompt response without having to wait too long, while the assistants can solve the queries of other clients.
Writing errors and response delays are a thing of the past because the content to be sent can be scheduled and sent automatically.
Creation of different categories of multiple utility WhatsApp templates
However, approval from WhatsApp is required for the use of the best message templates, it is important to note that you can use this tool to create texts for multiple utilities. What do we mean? With the templates, you can prepare WhatsApp messages to provide more information, to answer customers' frequently asked questions, to communicate that your company is closed for vacation, to redirect the user to the corresponding customer service area, or to offer the product catalog and services sold by your company.
The possibilities are vast. The important thing is to create high-impact automated message templates that comply with Meta standards to avoid inconvenience.
Customer support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week
As we've mentioned before, the templates are automatically sent when the customer starts a conversation. The automation of this functionality, thanks to the configuration of all the sending parameters, makes it unnecessary for the command to be sent by an operator in person, so the customer support center is available at any time of the day and of the night.
Automatic sending of reminders, appointments, alerts and promotions
Informing your client at all times is essential to maintain a closer bond and improve the reputation of your brand because the user will trust your work and will recommend you to other people. To achieve this, WhatsApp-approved templates can be very useful because you can automatically schedule the sending of notifications that are important to the customer, such as appointment reminders, shipping alerts for purchased products, among others, improving the customer experience.
Conclusion
WhatsApp Business API templates came into our lives to facilitate the way we communicate. With this amazing tool, businesses can streamline customer support workflow through automated template messages for fast and efficient conversations.
What are you waiting for? Contact Afilnet, a leading provider in the communication and marketing sector, to be able to access the API of the WhatsApp Business messaging application and take advantage of all the advantages that the tool offers.