Is the Exclusive-Access WhatsApp Business API Right For Your Business?

ou have used Facebook Messenger to engage with your Facebook fans.

You might also have used WhatsApp to connect with business owners who have their phone numbers displayed on their websites or pages.

Now, Facebook is bridging the gap between Facebook and WhatsApp by using WhatsApp Business for small businesses and WhatsApp API for larger organizations.

If you have already set up your WhatsApp Business account, you might already know that you can set up automated responses and quick replies for common FAQs.

Currently, access to WhatsApp Business API is very limited, and you will need to submit a form to Facebook for a chance to access this feature.

As mentioned in the heading above, WhatsApp Business API is putting customers first, encouraging businesses to respond faster to inquiries and feedbacks.

While businesses can reply their customers and send them messages completely free of charge within a 24-hour window, any responses given after the duration will be charged.

This means that WhatsApp Business API may not be as suitable for marketing purposes or announcement blasting, since the API is marginally encouraging businesses not to speak unless they are spoken to first.

Businesses seeking for these features could be better off using WhatsApp Business or Facebook Messenger first

Uber, Singapore Airlines, Booking.com, Melia Hotels, Wish & Bank BRI are just among the few customers that are currently using WhatsApp Business API. Perhaps this gives a rough idea of the scale of businesses using WhatsApp Business API.

If you are running a small business instead of a medium or large one, we strongly suggest that you use the WhatsApp Business app, which has a comprehensive range of features on its own.

Since access to WhatsApp Business API is very limited, rumours have been spreading about its requirements - including where a business is based and how many messages they need to spend each month with not much confirmation from WhatsApp