What is WhatsApp Business API and how to use it

As a popular messaging app with over 2 billion users worldwide, WhatsApp has become an essential communication tool for people and businesses. In response to the growing demand for business communication on WhatsApp, Meta has created the WhatsApp Business API. This solution provides businesses access to the messaging app, allowing them to communicate more efficiently and effectively with their customers.

The article provides a comprehensive overview of WhatsApp Business API, including its features, benefits, pricing, and how to create an account.

Let’s begin with a brief mention started with what WhatsApp Business API is.

What is WhatsApp Business API?

WhatsApp Business API is a cloud-based solution providing businesses with a powerful communication channel as a WhatsApp business platform for customer service and messaging needs.

With WhatsApp Business API, businesses can provide customer service, send updates and notifications to their customers, and more. In addition, the WhatsApp Business API offers several features that can help businesses provide a better customer experience. These features include quick replies, reply buttons, and template messages.

Quick replies allow businesses to respond to frequently asked questions more efficiently. In contrast, reply buttons and template messages can be used to automate responses to common queries.

Whatsapp Business app vs. WhatsApp Business API

WhatsApp Business App is a mobile app designed for small businesses to communicate with their customers on WhatsApp. It is a standalone app that you can download and install on any smartphone. The app provides features such as quick replies, automated messages, and the ability to create a business profile.

On the other hand, WhatsApp Business API is a cloud-based solution that allows businesses to integrate WhatsApp with their existing customer communication tools. In addition, it provides more advanced features such as automation, chatbot integration, and the ability to send interactive messages in bulk. It also allows you to send a larger volume of messages, making it suitable for more extensive businesses with higher communication needs.

How to use WhatsApp Business API?

To start your journey with WhatsApp Business API, you will need to create an account (more about it below.) By creating an account, you will unlock a world of possibilities to send WhatsApp messages to your customers, set up communication channels, and connect with your customers in a more personal and efficient way. With this API, you can customize your messages to fit your brand, automate your responses, and even send messages in bulk.

Additionally, you can use the API to respond to customer inquiries quickly, provide real-time support, and send notifications. Integrating WhatsApp Business API into your workflow allows you to streamline your customer communications, increase engagement, and ultimately enhance your customer’s experience with your business.

Let’s look more closely at what you can do with WhatsApp Business API.

Provide customer service

One of the key benefits of using WhatsApp Business API is that it allows businesses to provide customer service and improve customer engagement through the messaging app. This can be done through live chat or by setting up quick replies to common queries. By providing customer service through WhatsApp, businesses can respond to customer queries more efficiently, resulting in a better customer experience.

Send notifications and collect feedback

Companies like yours can use WhatsApp API to send business-initiated messages, notifications, and updates to customers. For example, use the messaging app to send order confirmations, delivery updates, and other important information. Also, you can use WhatsApp to conduct surveys and gather feedback from your customers, allowing them to make data-driven decisions and improve your products and services.

Access to a large user base

Another benefit of using WhatsApp Business API is that it gives businesses access to a large user base. With over 2 billion users worldwide, WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps  worldwide. Therefore, by using WhatsApp Business API, businesses can reach a large audience and connect with customers more personally and directly.

WhatsApp pricing

WhatsApp Business API pricing is conversation-based, meaning businesses only pay for the messages they send. The cost per message varies depending on the country and the message volume.

However, WhatsApp Business API also offers conversation-based pricing, which can be a cost-effective solution for businesses that send a high volume of messages. With conversation-based pricing, companies can save money using WhatsApp as a communication channel.

In addition, WhatsApp Business API provides businesses access to various other communication channels, including SMS and Facebook Messenger. As a result, businesses can create a more comprehensive customer communication strategy by using these channels alongside WhatsApp.

How to create a WhatsApp Business API account?

1. Apply for access

First, you need to apply for access to WhatsApp Business API through your Facebook Business Manager. This process can take some time, as Facebook will need to review and approve your application. Once your application has been approved, Meta will require you to verify your business before setting up a WhatsApp Business API account. This verification process involves providing Meta with information about your business, such as your business address and phone number and may take several days to complete.

2. Set up your WhatsApp business account

Once your business is verified, you can set up your WhatsApp Business API account and start communicating with your customers. It’s important to note that even though creating a WhatsApp Business API account can be time-consuming, it is well worth it for businesses that want to provide their customers with a seamless communication experience.

You can start by adding your phone number and display name. Then, you can change them as many times as you want before completing registration. After that, you must wait 30 days between display name change requests.

3. Get a WhatsApp Business API client

At its core, the WhatsApp Business API client is based on Docker. This platform allows you to develop, deploy, and run applications in containers. Docker provides a consistent environment for the application, regardless of the underlying infrastructure.

If you prefer a less complicated solution, get a provider with a WhatsApp Business API option. For example, Meta’s official partner, Chatfuel.

By using the WhatsApp Business API client, businesses can leverage the popularity and convenience of WhatsApp to communicate with their customers more efficiently and effectively. This can help improve customer satisfaction and ultimately increase sales and revenue.

Use all the potential of WhatsApp for your business

WhatsApp is a powerful tool that can help businesses improve their customer communication strategy by providing customer service, sending notifications and updates, accessing a large user base, and more.

While WhatsApp’s built-in features bring impressive results, businesses like yours can go beyond and equip their marketing communication with intelligent automation. Sign up today with a free trial to start your journey with Chatfuel, Meta’s official partner and one of the biggest chatbot platforms.