With more than two billion users globally, WhatsApp is a platform that most people already know and love. All of the features that make WhatsApp so popular for messaging between friends and family are now available with WhatsApp Business Platform, enhancing business messaging capabilities.
For businesses, it’s a two-way, customer-centric, meaningful conversation that can happen at any time, any place. WhatsApp Business Platform can also be integrated with your enterprise technology stack, centralising key information so your employees can spend less time searching for what they need and more time on the tasks that really matter.
Carry on reading this blog to learn everything you need to know about your customers’ favourite platform.
What is the WhatsApp Business Platform?
The WhatsApp Business Platform is a way to supply rich, personalised, interactive and engaging conversations via WhatsApp, in a simple, secure and reliable way. A WhatsApp Business account plays a crucial role in managing business communications efficiently. It’s a form of conversational messaging, which helps businesses get – and stay – close to their customers.
Platform features
Some of the features of WhatsApp Business Platform include:
- The ability to communicate with your customers at scale
- Automated responses
- Real-time monitoring of conversations
- Conversion analytics
- Customisable message templates
- An unprecedented level of security with end to end encryption and data privacy
- Integration with existing internal systems facilitating high-volume messaging and advanced automation features
Types of messages you can send via WhatsApp
- Marketing e.g personalised product recommendations
- Rich notifications such as order confirmations and delivery updates
- Two-way customer chats
- Alerts
A business account is essential for managing customer interactions and enhancing credibility, as it allows businesses to create branded profiles and integrate with other platforms.
To get started, customers have to opt-in to WhatsApp communications. Then they will receive either a one-way message, or they can start to have interactions with a live agent, or even a chatbot.
Platform deployment
Choose from one of two options:
- Via remotely accessible online portals
- The implementation of an API, which will add WhatsApp Business Platforms functionality directly into your business’s existing CRM system.
WhatsApp Business App vs. WhatsApp Business Platform
Differences in design and target audience
The WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp Business Platform are tailored to meet different business needs, making it essential to choose the right tool for your business. The WhatsApp Business App is a free-to-download app designed specifically for small business owners. It allows them to communicate with customers on WhatsApp in a more personal and direct manner. This app is perfect for businesses with a lower volume of customer inquiries, offering features like quick replies, away messages, and labels to keep conversations organised.
On the other hand, the WhatsApp Business Platform is built for medium to large businesses that need to connect with customers at scale. This platform enables businesses to provide personalised services to a larger audience, integrating seamlessly with existing CRM systems. It offers advanced features such as chatbots, automated messages, and customisable message templates, making it a robust solution for businesses looking to enhance their customer experience.
Advanced features of the WhatsApp Business Platform
The WhatsApp Business Platform stands out with its advanced features, designed to meet the needs of larger businesses. Here are some of the key features that set it apart:
- Cloud API: This is the preferred solution for sending and receiving messages, offering ease of implementation and low maintenance. It allows businesses to scale their messaging capabilities without worrying about infrastructure.
- Business Management API: This API is used to manage WhatsApp Business Accounts and message templates, ensuring that businesses can maintain consistency and quality in their communications.
- Interactive Messages: The platform enables businesses to send rich and interactive messages, including buttons, lists, and more, enhancing customer engagement by making interactions more dynamic and user-friendly.
- Greeting Messages: Businesses can create automated greeting messages to welcome customers, setting the tone for a personalised and engaging experience from the very first interaction (working with Esendex’s professional services team).
Why do customers love using WhatsApp to communicate with businesses?
Today’s buyers have tuned out advertising and email blasts. In fact, consumers now receive an average of 63.5 notifications per day, therefore it’s no surprise they’re prioritising which notifications they want to receive and muting everything else. Businesses need to stand out more than ever, which is why they should be considering WhatsApp Business.
Businesses can connect with WhatsApp users for customer support and personalised services, making it easier to engage and retain customers.
Customers love using this platform to message businesses because:
- It’s one-on-one – like phone or email, it’s a one-on-one conversation, but without picking up the phone or scrolling through an inbox.
- It’s conversational – just like a phone call, WhatsApp creates two-way, customer-centric conversations, but without the on-hold music.
- It’s asynchronous – messaging allows for both immediate, interactive responses and for responding when it’s convenient.
- It’s a platform they already love – customers are already using WhatsApp to communicate with friends and family.
What are the benefits of WhatsApp Business?
As mentioned above, businesses need to be heard, especially in today’s saturated market. They should provide relevant, personalised customer experiences and always-on support.
WhatsApp’s business solutions play a pivotal role in improving customer engagement and enhancing communication, offering simplicity and convenience for real-time interactions.
This is exactly what WhatsApp Business can do for you. It empowers businesses to connect with their customers personally, at scale, because:
- It’s intuitively conversational – businesses can get closer to customers with two-way conversations that deliver the intimacy of a phone call at the scale of email and SMS.
- It can create richer interactions – you can go beyond the limitations of text and email with fully featured messaging to create consistently richer and more delightful experiences that help drive business outcomes across the customer journey.
- It provides quality by design – WhatsApp helps businesses focus on high-quality conversations. The API has built-in user feedback controls. This helps ensure that engagement stays high over time.
- It allows you to automate and scale – all within a flexible platform that lets you deliver consistent, personalised customer experiences at scale.
How are other businesses using WhatsApp Business?
Many businesses are using WhatsApp Business to achieve success, from streaming giant Netflix to Dutch online travel agency Booking.com. Various companies are leveraging WhatsApp for Business to enhance customer interactions, provide efficient customer service, and engage in effective marketing strategies. In our blog here, we discuss in detail these success stories, highlighting how they’re using the platform and providing tips on how you can follow in their footsteps.
WhatsApp Business Security and Compliance
Terms of service and policies
Security and compliance are paramount when it comes to business communications, and WhatsApp Business is committed to providing a secure and compliant platform. The platform adheres to strict terms of service and policies, ensuring that businesses use it responsibly and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Here are some key aspects of WhatsApp Business security and compliance:
Business Verification: WhatsApp Business verifies business accounts to ensure that customers are interacting with legitimate businesses. This verification process builds trust and confidence among customers, knowing they are dealing with authentic entities.
End-to-End Encryption: All messages, including text, images, and videos, are encrypted, ensuring that communications are secure and private. This encryption guarantees that only the sender and recipient can read the messages.
Data Protection: WhatsApp Business complies with data protection regulations such as GDPR and CCPA, ensuring that customer data is handled with the utmost care and confidentiality.
Spam and Abuse Prevention: The platform has strict policies in place to prevent spam and abuse. These measures ensure that customers receive only relevant and authorised messages, maintaining the integrity of business communications.
By adhering to these terms of service and policies, WhatsApp Business provides a secure and compliant platform for businesses to communicate with customers. This commitment to security and compliance helps build trust and loyalty, ensuring that businesses can focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences.
How to get started with the WhatsApp Business Platform
WhatsApp Business Platform offers businesses the opportunity to be where customers are most likely to respond as you can now send texts, pictures, videos and audio directly to their pockets, with the addition of branding and even bots for fully automated interactions.
Using a personal WhatsApp account for business communications can limit your ability to engage customers effectively. Personal accounts lack the features, professionalism, and compliance needed for business use, making a separate business account essential for a trustworthy and efficient customer experience.
Learn more about WhatsApp Business and how it can benefit your business by downloading our guide here. It contains everything you need to know, from features and functionalities to how WhatsApp Business can be used for different industries.
You can also get in touch with an Esendex expert today to find out how much the WhatsApp Business Platform costs, discuss your comms strategy and much more.
