Unlock the Benefits of a WhatsApp Business Account for SMBs

Chris Messina, the creator of hashtags, may have introduced the phrase "conversational commerce" in 2015, but it has become more widely accepted over the past few years. According to reports, 91% of consumers demand immediate support. 

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that messaging apps may both increase client happiness and conversion rates.

You've come to the perfect place if you're a brand wondering how this software may help your company. 

The capabilities and advantages of WhatsApp Business (App and API) will be covered in this article, along with some great marketing advice for your online business.

WhatsApp Business: What is it?

For small businesses to enhance their consumer connections, Facebook (now Meta) established the free messaging app WhatsApp Business. 

This application enables you to automate welcome and away messages and establish customer segments using labels. 

It also includes message automation and catalog creation.

The Business app was only used as part of a pilot program before its restricted availability in January 2018. 

"What we saw was a need for businesses to have more efficient tools," said Matt Idema, Meta's VP of Business Messaging, in elaborating on the rationale for the introduction of the app. 

He also spoke exclusively to The Economic Times about how the software might make several business obstacles easier to navigate.

Keep in mind that the WhatsApp Business app and API are different. 

Small businesses can utilize the free app, while medium- to large-sized organizations can benefit from the pay-per-use API service. 

You may build chatbots and obtain customizable message templates using the WhatsApp Business API.

API or WhatsApp Business App?

There are two WhatsApp business solutions available. 

Which one is best for you mostly relies on how big your company is.

A pre-built option for small businesses, such as barbers, dentists, or online boutiques, is the WhatsApp Business App. 

Although it comes with several built-in business capabilities, its biggest drawback is that it only supports one user account. 

Since everyone uses the same account name, it's impossible to tell who directly responded to your clients while using the WhatsApp business app, which can be installed on up to five devices and shared among your employees. 

Additionally, the WhatsApp Business App does not provide collaboration functions. Therefore, professional service teams cannot use it.

The WhatsApp Business API was created for medium-sized and bigger companies with qualified customer service teams.

It is flexible and adaptable, and it can be linked to your current business solutions and procedures.

WhatsApp Business Account Benefits

The benefits of a WhatsApp business account. for businesses have been discussed in great detail.

You can use WhatsApp as a method of customer service. 

By allowing installations across several devices, it promotes collaboration among customer support representatives. plus more.

What about WhatsApp Business's benefits for users, though? 

What can they expect from WhatsApp Business? What benefits do they experience when connecting with a WhatsApp Business Representative?

Because even though WhatsApp Business has clear benefits for businesses of all sizes, including startups, these benefits also benefit consumers.

We also need to comprehend how consumers profit from enterprises using WhatsApp Business because client pleasure is the foundation of business success.

In this article, we'll turn things around and examine a fresh angle: WhatsApp Business' benefits for users. 

Here are the advantages and features of the WhatsApp Business account without further ado.

Free Business WhatsApp App

The fact that WhatsApp Business App is free is one of its most wonderful features. There won't be any cost to you. On the other hand, you will be able to boost your revenue and improve customer relations thanks to enhanced efficiency and new communication channels.

Profile for WhatsApp Business

In WhatsApp Business, you may build a company profile with the following characteristics, as opposed to the ordinary WhatsApp, which only allows for the usage of a profile photo and name:

‍

• Cover image
• Domain of work
• Description
• Location
• hours of work
• a website link to yours
• product listing

Your organization can be immediately introduced in WhatsApp with the use of the improved profile, and it can be a fantastic place to do so.

Solving Issues Quickly with WhatsApp Business

Everybody is a consumer worldwide. 

Whether you're a business owner or marketing expert, we're willing to bet that you've encountered delayed and ineffective problem-solving with a company at some point.

It's annoying, isn't it?

Here is another figure that highlights WhatsApp Business' advantages: A live customer support agent is thought to be too far away by three out of every four clients.

WhatsApp offers effectiveness in contrast to emails and contact forms, which may have the unfavorable reputation of being "dead-end" conduits.

The benefits of WhatsApp Firm, or at least interacting with a business that uses it, for the client are two-way, speedy communication, and quick replies.

After all, that is how chat apps work.

The days of waiting for a response to an email or form filled out with a complaint are long gone. 

The days of waiting on hold for a customer support representative to take up your call are long gone.

Customers who use WhatsApp Business benefit from quick response times to their messages and problems.

Even if they have to wait a short while, they can still go about their daily activities till the WhatsApp message notification sounds.

In a Known Territory, You (Business) Meet Them (Customers).

Have you ever wondered what WhatsApp Business can accomplish for my consumers in terms of convenience? 

All you have to do is let the facts tell the tale.

Here are some broad numbers to start.

Not being able to reply to or take action on a text message that they receive irritates three out of every four clients.

43 percent of customers have texted a company on their initiative.

Almost six out of ten clients would rather not use a different app to communicate with businesses.

And this is how WhatsApp is related to that.

Every month, two billion individuals use WhatsApp throughout the world.

Every day, more than 175 million individuals text a WhatsApp Business account.

The data speaks for itself.

There is a demand for text messaging to be used more frequently for corporate communication. 

The Complete Shopping Experience

There's simply no better way to illustrate WhatsApp Business's benefits for users than with statistics, so here's one more: 

If the purchasing procedure is excessively difficult, nearly three out of four customers are inclined to switch brands.

If it hasn't already, the word "troublesome" will soon be redefined thanks to WhatsApp.

Customers can enjoy a comprehensive buying experience using WhatsApp. 

Customers can be led through the many steps of the buying funnel, from consideration to checkout, in a single app.

Here is one instance. 

If you operate an online store, a typical purchase path for a buyer using a mobile device to browse would resemble this:

• Facebook adverts (Facebook app), an e-commerce website, a product page, a checkout page, payment authentication (banking app), and a buy confirmation are all examples of third-party apps (email app)

But one of the advantages of WhatsApp Business for clients is the in-app buying experience thanks to WhatsApp and the elegance of Facebook advertisements that click on WhatsApp. In other words, starting with the second step, everything may be done within WhatsApp, from looking up products and FAQs to adding items to the cart and finishing the transaction.

Tools and automations for messaging

Following are some of WhatsApp's automations:

WhatsApp Customers who write to you during a time when you have designated them as unavailable will automatically receive an away message in response.

As the name implies, the WhatsApp Greeting message welcomes your clients when they write to you and start a conversation.

You may develop templates for WhatsApp Quick responses that you can use when chatting. By inputting the / sign in the conversation, you can access and send out these frequent responses or phrases.

According to the labels you create, WhatsApp labels categorize and graphically identify your consumers. 

It aids in your comprehension of each customer's current communication stage. It might say, for instance, "New customer" or "Invoice sent."

Their biggest advantage is a quicker reaction time, and they'll help you save time when you have several consumers to attend to.

Pricing for WhatsApp Business API

The API is a more sophisticated solution with a subscription approach, in contrast to the WhatsApp Business App, which is free. 

However, prices differ significantly amongst providers, so be sure to thoroughly weigh your options. 

The various charges you can anticipate are as follows:

• Monthly charges. Business software suppliers can give you access to the API. Starting at $90 per month, ChatDaddy offers access to the WhatsApp Channel, which includes our customer chat platform.
• Setup fees. Many service providers additionally charge a one-time setup cost on top of the monthly fee because API integration is technically more difficult than other channels. For instance, the service provider Vonage costs €1,000 for each number. There is no startup fee for this platform.
• Rates for each conversation. Always free for the first 1000 talks. The fact that their monthly talk volume is often less than 1000 indicates that small to medium-sized enterprises are probably not charged for discussion fees. For each additional communication, WhatsApp levies a modest cost.

WhatsApp Business restrictions and guidelines

The ability to avoid a clogged email inbox and connect with clients on a relatively untapped channel is a key factor in why so many businesses are eager to start connecting with their customers through WhatsApp.

WhatsApp wants to avoid going down the same spammy path that email has, which makes sense. 

They have posted a Business Policy to that effect. 

The following are what I consider to be its most salient features:

• Only clients who have previously messaged you or who explicitly opted in during a pertinent user flow, such as when purchasing on your website, are eligible to receive communications from you.
• You have a 24-hour window known as the customer service window to respond when a consumer contacts you over WhatsApp. You can only respond outside of this window using pre-approved template messages. The client cannot tell the difference between session messages and template messages because they are changeable.
• Transactional (notifications such as delivery status updates) and non-transactional (other types of communications) are the two categories of template messages (promotions e.g. coupon codes). The approval procedure for both must be completed, which often takes a few hours. Within Userlike's platform, creating new template messages is simple.
• If you utilize WhatsApp bots, you must offer a simple escalation route to human customer service representatives if the bot is unable to assist. This could be, for instance, a switch to a live chat window or a link to an email form.

Additionally, WhatsApp has a commerce policy that lists the products and services that are not permitted on its platform.

The ability to send broadcasts/newsletters (in the form of authorized message templates) to an unlimited number of contacts via the API, as opposed to the app, is a benefit. 

Only 256 contacts can be included in broadcasts you send using the app.

Official accounts of a company. 

If a company has already assisted you with WhatsApp, you may have noticed a pleasant green badge next to the company profile. 

This gives a profile more credibility and authority.

You must check off a few requirements to receive the green badge:

• You utilize the official platform to access the WhatsApp Business API.
• You've turned on two-factor authentication.
• You run a reputable company.

You have two choices for requesting your green badge if you meet these requirements. Going through your official API provider is the simplest option because it already gives your request more credibility. 

As a customer, we give you a straightforward request form and manage the procedure on your behalf.

Another choice is to use WhatsApp Business Manager, choose the appropriate WhatsApp number, and begin the green badge request to establish your brand's authority.

Up to five links, such as social media accounts, review websites, or magazine articles, can be added. 

If your request is turned down, you have one month to reapply.

Conclusion | WhatsApp Business Account Benefits for SMBs

The above capability makes it slightly more difficult to install and use the API. 

This is due to:

Everything from creating an account to sending messages is a paid feature.

A BSP must approve the creation of a WhatsApp API Account; a 24-hour communications window is in effect.

Only a few nations, including Mexico, Indonesia, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Germany, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Malaysia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States, are permitted to use non-transactional content and message templates.

ChatDaddy is a cutting-edge messenger-based sales CRM tool that assists companies in increasing sales and forging enduring bonds with their clients. 

It is a tool that helps businesses achieve better outcomes and boost profitability.

In conclusion, WhatsApp Business is a great option for companies that provide services to customers in nations where WhatsApp is widely used. 

Please get in touch with us if you require any assistance in developing your WhatsApp Solution.

FAQs | WhatsApp Business Account Benefits for SMBs

Q: What distinguishes a WhatsApp Business account from a regular WhatsApp account?

A: While WhatsApp is the messaging service's consumer version, WhatsApp Business is made particularly for businesses. The primary distinction between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business is that businesses receive a verified and expanded Business Profile so that customers can feel confident when conversing with other users.

Q: What advantages does having a WhatsApp Business account offer?

A: With a WhatsApp Business account, you can:

1. Increase engagement with automated messaging
2. Deliver interactive customer help with chatbots or live messages.
3. Secure your data with end-to-end encryption.
4. Integrate third-party CRM and marketing software.
5. By using company profiles, deliver improved brand experiences.
6.  Utilize message metrics to enhance your marketing efforts

Q: Can WhatsApp be utilized in a professional setting?

A: Your employees are putting your organization in considerable danger of security breaches and data breaches if they use WhatsApp for work-related communications on their mobile devices.

Q: Is it possible to change my WhatsApp account to one for a business?

A: Yes, you can change the phone number associated with your personal WhatsApp account to a business account. This transfers your messenger account's chat history, preferences, and media to your business account. Remember that there isn't yet a way to go from a corporate account to a messenger one.

Q: How do I create a WhatsApp marketing message?

A: Thank devoted clients with the following sample of a WhatsApp marketing message: "Hello [customer name], we wanted to give you first access to our new product drop tomorrow at [hour]" Please let us know whether you'd want us to reserve one for you since the [product] is only available in a limited quantity. Reserve yours right away.