Have you considered using WhatsApp API for business but need clarification on what it is and how it works? This comprehensive WhatsApp Business API guide will answer all your questions.
We'll discuss what WhatsApp API is, the difference between WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp Business API, and WhatsApp Business API access.
Key Takeaway
- WhatsApp Business API is an application programming interface that allows businesses to receive and respond to unlimited WhatsApp messages in real-time.
- Integrations with CRM, analytics and third-party applications are key features of WhatsApp Business API, as are verified WhatsApp Business profiles with a green tick, messages Bulk notification via broadcast, support for WhatsApp Chatbot, and interactive messages. Multiple agents provide customer service.
- Businesses can apply for WhatsApp Business API through Meta and WhatsApp Business Solution Providers.
What Exactly Is WhatsApp Business API?
WhatsApp Business API is an application programming interface that enables businesses to seamlessly receive and respond to unlimited WhatsApp messages. It was founded in August 2018 by Facebook to provide medium and large businesses with a tailored solution for scaling their customer engagement through WhatsApp.
One of its benefits is the ability to automate business and customer communications through automatic replies, WhatsApp chatbots, and interactive messages.
In a nutshell, WhatsApp Business API enables businesses to create a personalized communication flow that is tailored to their customers' needs.
WhatsApp Business API Components
What makes WhatsApp API a better alternative? The answer is in its components. Here is the list of it.
1. Business Profile
Typically, a customer will look at your WhatsApp business profile to learn more about your company. As a result, businesses must keep their cover photo, description, address, email, and website up to date.
2. Phone Number
To begin, you must first link a phone number to your WhatsApp API account. Depending on your provider, you can either purchase a new phone number or port an existing one. It is critical that the phone number associated with the WhatsApp API be able to receive calls or SMS.
It is not recommended that you use a phone number that is already associated with a WhatsApp Messaging or Business App account. You can migrate your number from the App to the API, but you cannot return it from the API to the App.
A phone number is linked to a WhatsApp Business Account, which can be managed through Facebook Business Manager. Other Facebook assets can also be managed in Facebook Business Manager.
3. Limits on Messaging and Phone Number Tiers
The phone number tier of your WhatsApp API account determines the number of Contacts an account can message. A phone number within a WhatsApp Business account can advance through five tiers, which are as follows:
- Unverified Trial Tier: Send messages to 50 different contacts in 24 hours and have up to two numbers.
- Tier 1: Have a maximum of 25 numbers and send messages to 1,000 unique contacts per day.
- Tier 2: Send messages to 10,000 different contacts within 24 hours.
- Tier 3: Within 24 hours, send messages to 100,000 unique contacts.
- Tier 4: Send messages to an unlimited number of unique contacts in 24 hours.
It is critical to understand that the messaging limits apply only to business-initiated messages known as Message Templates. When registering a phone number, businesses typically start at the Unverified Trial Tier or Tier 1 depending on the service provider.
To move from the Unverified Trial Tier to a higher tier, you must first verify your Facebook Business Account. Businesses in Tiers 1, 2, and 3 will be upgraded to the next tier once they reach their current tier's messaging limit.
However, Meta has recently changed the way messaging limits are automatically adjusted. It was also predicted that the changes would initially affect businesses in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico before spreading to all businesses.
Previously, businesses had to send twice the limit of their messaging tier in 7 days to advance to the next tier. However, thanks to a recent update, they only need to send half of their messaging tier limit in 7 days to advance to the next tier.
Furthermore, if a company has a high-quality rating and is not flagged, it will be automatically upgraded to the next tier after 24 hours of exceeding the messaging limit.
4. Phone Number Quality Rating and Status
The quality rating and status of your phone number indicate customer satisfaction with your company's conversation quality. These high-quality insights are available in Facebook Business Manager.
A variety of factors influence the quality rating. This includes customer blocks, the frequency with which outbound messages such as notifications or promotional messages are sent, and response time. There are three possible quality ratings:
- Medium (green)
- High (yellow)
- Low (red)
To avoid having your phone number blocked, you must take caution. This is critical because blocking your phone number reduces its quality rating from high to medium or low. As a result, the best practice will be to follow a few WhatsApp messaging guidelines, such as sending only high-quality messages relevant to your contacts, to ensure increased quality ratings.
A change in quality rating could affect the status of your phone number. There are five distinct statuses in total.
- Pending: This is the status before the completion of the Commerce Policy check.
- Offline: This is the status when a business does not meet the criteria for the Commerce policy check or wishes to cancel its WhatsApp API account.
- Connected: This is the default setting.
- Flagged: This is the status when the quality rating falls below a certain threshold. If the quality rating rises to Medium or High within the next seven days, the status will be reset to Connected. If it does not, WhatsApp will restore your Connected status while lowering your number's messaging limit.
- Restricted: This is the status that businesses achieve when they reach their messaging limit while having a low-quality rating.
By subscribing to receive notifications, you can be notified whenever the status of your WhatsApp API phone number changes. You will now receive a notification whenever the status of your WhatsApp API phone number changes from "connected" to "flagged" or vice versa.
WhatsApp Business API Features
The WhatsApp Business API also can respond to customers automatically, which has been shown to improve customer service experience and services.
The WhatsApp Business API's advanced features include the following:
- Integrations with CRM, analytics, and third-party applications
- Verified WhatsApp Business profile with a green tick
- Messages Bulk notification via broadcast
- There is no app or interface; instead, use BSPs or CRM
- Support for WhatsApp Chatbot and interactive messages
- Customer service with multiple agents
What Is the Difference Between WhatsApp Business App & WhatsApp Business API
Here are some other differences between the App and the API.
1. Messaging Automation
WhatsApp Business includes messaging automation to help small businesses save time and communicate with their customers more effectively. Companies can use the app to send:
- Automated greeting messages
- Automated away messages
- Quick responses are available, but they are not automated
WhatsApp API comes with advanced automated features that enable them to:
- Automate a complete message flow
- Use WhatsApp bots to automate the sales process
- Proactive notifications should be automated
- Automate an interactive voice response system to route phone calls to WhatsApp
2. Statistics
The WhatsApp Business app only displays the status of messages sent, delivered, and read.
WhatsApp Business API provides more in-depth analytics on messages sent, delivered, received, and read. It displays an overview of the data as well as charts.
3. Broadcast
WhatsApp Business App can only send Broadcast messages to a maximum of 256 users. Furthermore, only users who have added you to their contacts list will receive the Broadcast.
The Business API, on the other hand, can send Broadcast to an unlimited number of users (opted-in users).
Who is Eligible to Use the WhatsApp Business API?
Before delving deeper into WhatsApp API and the application process, check to see if your company can get approval from Facebook. Before applying for the API, certain business terms and conditions must be followed.
Aside from the terms and conditions, there are two other factors to consider. The size of your company and the industry you work in.
1. Company Size
The process of creating and integrating a WhatsApp chatbot is lengthy and complex. WhatsApp currently approves medium and large-sized businesses quickly.
2. Industry
WhatsApp has a strict commerce policy when it comes to which industries can use the WhatsApp Business API. The API is not permitted to be used by independent software vendors, real-money industries such as gaming and gambling, adult content and entertainment, arms, alcohol and tobacco, supplements, other medical drugs, and many more.
Also read: WhatsApp Marketing Benefits and Tips for Applying Them
How to Apply WhatsApp Business API
There are two methods for applying for WhatsApp Business API:
1. Straight from Meta
With the WhatsApp Cloud API, Meta now provides businesses with direct access to WhatsApp APIs.
WhatsApp Cloud API is the cloud version of WhatsApp Business API, allowing businesses and developers to build on top of WhatsApp, customize their experiences, and quickly and easily respond to customers.
However, there are a few significant drawbacks to WhatsApp Cloud API, which include:
- Meta does not provide a platform for utilizing the WhatsApp Cloud API.
- Meta does not allow Indian companies to pay for WhatsApp conversations.
- Meta offers only limited assistance (only via email)
2. From a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP)
WhatsApp Business Solution Providers are intermediaries who assist you in gaining quick access to the WhatsApp Business API.
Previously, Meta did not provide direct access to the WhatsApp API. As a result, businesses sought assistance from WhatsApp partners such as TapTalk to gain access to and a platform to use WhatsApp API.
You can get the following benefits by using WhatsApp Partners like TapTalk to obtain the WhatsApp API:
- Access to WhatsApp Business API is Quick
You can get approved more quickly and with a lot less effort by working with a BSP. For instance, the duration of this process could take one to two weeks.
- Full Onboarding and Support
Another important advantage of selecting a WhatsApp Business partner is that they offer full onboarding and support if you run into any problems.
- A Platform for the WhatsApp API
To make the most of the WhatsApp Business API, WhatsApp Partners offer you a no-code platform with powerful features and an intuitive user interface.
Utilizing The Full Potential of WhatsApp Business API with TapTalk.io’s
It takes time to apply for WhatsApp Business API, but with the right provider's assistance, the process can go smoothly.
Additionally, the value you can gain from interacting with leads and clients in their preferred settings and with quicker response times is worth the wait. After all, WhatsApp has the largest and most active user base of all messaging apps, sending 65 billion messages daily! You should be sending messages or even making phone calls from this location.
Therefore, a WhatsApp integration API is the way to go whether you want to use WhatsApp to generate leads, offer customer service, or promote user engagement using a combination of live agents and chatbots.
The OneTalk Messaging Platform is the simplest and quickest way to get the WhatsApp Business API.
This platform will assist users as business entrepreneurs in a variety of ways, including the ability to save money on human resources who provide customer service, obtain a green tick account, be available in real-time for customers, and perform managerial tasks. another reason is that the combination of this two software will replace many of the tasks traditionally performed by human resources.
Finally, the user will benefit greatly from these two software combinations. Users can immediately adopt this digital era software as one right step if they want to immediately occupy the top sales by easily capturing customers.
Contact the TapTalk.io team right away to make your business better than it was before.
