WhatsApp Business API

The WhatsApp Business API account requires approval by a WhatsApp Partner and has commercials associated with services. It is a more advanced account with scalable features suitable for a domestic and global customer base and can be managed by different people on multiple devices with insight and actionable analytics.

Features of WhatsApp Business Account: –

Create a Business profile for your Brand: A business profile can detail opening hours, website address, contact details, Brand Logo, Display Name, and other information about your business. WhatsApp users can view this and be reassured you’re a business, not a personal user. It helps to build a trust with customers.

Categorise customers and Tags: Put labels on customers (e.g. New Client, Prospect) and categorise Tags according to whether it’s regarding an order, customer query or something else.

Set up auto response messages: Automate custom responses to customers while you’re away from the system or send automatic introductions to contacts to introduce your services.

Use quick replies: Reuse popular responses for customers in chats in just a few taps – save prewritten replies, tap to pick a response, and avoid writing it from scratch.

Create a product catalogue: Showcase your products or services with a WhatsApp-based catalogue of the things you sell.

Types of Messages for WhatsApp Business API

There are 2 types of conversations on WABA each with different rates –

Business Initiated – Conversation is started when the business sends a message to the user which is delivered. When Brands Initiated the message (Say Confirmation Message on purchase or Promotional message – New Year Sales)

User Initiated – When user initiated the messages (Say To know about the Tracking details, Sales Support, return query etc) – Conversation is started when the business replies with a message that is delivered to the customer. No prior opt-in required. Conversation is charged once for the 24-hour session After the initial conversation session expires, brand can continue a second conversation with user at a user generated rate as long as it has not been 24 hours since the user’s last message

WhatsApp Business API Key Features and formats

• 1024 characters (all languages), Feasibility to send Arabic/Urdu (Right to Left language)
• Audio (upto16 MB): aac, mp4, amr, mpeg, ogg
• Document (upto100 MB): pdf/docx/xls
• Image (upto5 MB): jpeg, png
• Video (upto16 MB): mp4, 3gp
• Sticker (upto100 KB):
• Lengthy and complex (workflows, journeys, FAQ’s available 24/7)
• 24/7 support (automated bot replies)
• Insights and Actionable Insights (e.g., Read, impressions, clicks, drop-offs etc.)

Few important points to remember: –

• Messages cannot exceed 4096 characters in length.
• The maximum file size for uploaded media is 64MB
• Message validity of is 30 days from submitting request, user will receive as soon as he is in data network.
• URLs or Media files will not be auto downloaded to the usersphone unless the user has saved your business number as a contactor you have used pre-approved content

Requirement for WhatsApp Business API

Facebook Business Manager ID

Provide verified Facebook Business Manager ID with C-First for sending it to WhatsApp for approval (More details at https://www.facebook.com/business/help/1710077379203657?id=180505742745347 )

WhatsApp Message Templates

Provide WhatsApp templates with C-First for sending it to WhatsApp for approval or Login to the C-First panle and create the template and get it approved <5 m

Business USE CASES

Abandoned carts are one of the major challenges for e-commerce brands.

The average shopping cart abandonment rate is over 80% – whereby customers add products to their digital carts but leave without purchasing.

Brands use omnichannel strategies to reach out to their prospective customers including Email, SMS, Voice, Web Notifications, Push Notifications, Facebook custom audience, and many more…

But if Brands are reaching out to their customer’s favourite and most preferred channel then I believe they are in the game.

WHATSAPP has genuinely gained the trust of most users, which is why more users allow WhatsApp to send push notifications than any other app in the world.

Now Brands have multiple options to reach out to their customer using #WABAAPI –

Single product messages are messages with a single product item from the business SKU’s

Multi-product messages contain a selection of up to 30 items from a business SKU. 

Product recommendations related to a customer’s previous search/ /interest/purchases

Sharing informative/ Educating content with their users

Sharing Relevant/Festive/ Special days offers with existing customers

Sharing Newsletters/Announcement/Upcoming special schemes with users.

Engage high-intent users before they drop off.

Instantly address their concerns and give them the confidence to buy.

Transform the WhatsApp Channel into a Virtual platform where the Brands can help their customers discover and purchase the products in a single window with the best customer experience

The automotive industry in India is the fourth largest in the world as per 2021 statistics.

Indian automotive industry (including component manufacturing) is expected to reach Rs. 16.16-18.18 trillion (US$ 251.4-282.8 billion) by 2026.

The Indian auto industry is expected to record strong growth in 2022-23, post-recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now

It’s very important and crucial for Automobile Brands to engage with their prospective customers at right time with the right content/message via the right and most preferred channel to boost user engagement and retention.

Automobile brands can now create memorable buying experiences for their prospective customer using WhatsApp API by sharing Product videos, Images, Comparisons with the same segment vehicles, and Store Tour guides.

WhatsApp Business optimizes customer service and powers better conversations with new and loyal customers alike. Where email lacks speed and phone calls lack multimedia capability, WhatsApp is the go-to platform for quick, personal, modern, and interactive messaging.

Automobile Brands can use WABA for #leadgeneration, #testdrive Booking, Car Service Booking, Spare Part and Accessories Inventory details, Invoice sharing, Car Delivery Status, Test Drive Feedback and Surveys, Appointment reminders Car Leasing, and Live Agent Support in a single chat window i.e #whatsappbusinessapi

Sending alerts regarding maintenance services will help car owners to get timely service done on their cars for a long vehicle lifecycle.

Appointment reminders – Sending reminders to customers regarding their Pick Up Services, monthly vehicle check-ups, EMI payment date, and insurance renewal.

Reach out to where your customers Are!

Use WhatsApp Business API

Check out a few important use cases that can help brands

Save resources and costs of marketing, sales, and service communications

Being reachable 24*7 for customers with Live Agent/Chatbot solutions

Doing proactive messaging to build ongoing relationships

EdTech sector has shown massive growth across the globe in the last 2 years as most of the students/Teachers/Parents were online.

Even before COVID-19, there was already high growth and adoption in education technology, with global edtech investments reaching US$18.66 billion in 2019 and the overall market for online education projected to reach $350 Billion by 2025.

Whether it is language apps, e-learning, virtual tutoring, video conferencing tools, or online learning software, there has been a significant surge in usage since COVID-19.

With the shift towards digital e-platform rising, the competition between the EdTech brands is escalating, Brands need to strive hard to deliver a better and WOW user experience for all the stakeholders: Students, Teachers, Mentors, Coaches, Universities, Schools, Colleges, and Parents to create a competitive advantage for themselves.

WhatsApp Business Account is the most effective and innovative way to engage with online students/users

One-to-one conversations between the Teachers and the students/parents can be very helpful in generating leads.

It also builds the students/Parent’s confidence as it verifies the Brand Entity, ensuring that the lead in speaking to an authentic entity on the other side.

A Classical Use Case

Parents and students are considering multiple institutes at a time.

To help them make up their mind, Brands can engage them by sharing valuable content on a timely basis with the best delivery. (Say sharing Online Videos, Notes, Prospectus, Campus Tour, Testimonials, Campus Placement, Scholarships, Internship, Faculty, Fee Structure, Hostel Facilities, Admit Card, Result Announcement, Payment gateway, Fee Reminder, etc)

Brands can also use Whatsapp Business Account for Student support services and FAQs, Important Notifications, New Covid Guidelines, Examination Centre Details, Feedback, NPS, etc.

The Best part is Brands can use Whatsapp in low connectivity locations where digital resources to support online learning are inadequate.

Students and Teachers who don’t have access to video conferencing tools (Tier 3, 4 cities) can use WhatsApp to conduct classes.

WhatsApp can help brands in building community and Alumni groups which help them to engage with their Brand Ambassador for a lifetime

With good conversational capabilities and a better Reach, WhatsApp Channel makes the user experience more natural, personalized, and ROI-driven.

Retail store re-openings are accelerating the use of digital to re-think in-store and online customer experience and engagement.

The effects of COVID-19 on the industry are profound and unprecedented.

While it is critical for retailers to work through operational and tactical considerations to re-open retail stores, it is also an opportunity to re-examine who you are as a business.

Due to quarantine measures, retail customers have been opting for minimal human contact and moving towards online consumption patterns.

Innovation and digital disruption are the only way to survive, but adoption needs to happen at an even faster pace than before.

A sharp drop in Covid-19 cases in the country has helped the pace of economic recovery and encouraged retailers to roll out the store expansion plans they had put on hold after the pandemic broke out two years ago.

Pandemic has also brought drastic changes to the consumerism pattern and buyers’ behavioral psychology.

Now, Customers want to use the best medium to engage with the brands and Whats App is the most preferred channel for most the users

as

80% of WhatsApp users want to be able to communicate with businesses through messaging

70% of WhatsApp users think it is the easiest way to connect with businesses.

With its extensive reach, highly engaged user base, and rich communication capabilities, it has the potential to be one of the most powerful customer engagement channels in the omnichannel ecosystem, especially for businesses that are serving thousands of customers globally.

Whats App Business Account is helping retail brands in a big way as this can help them in Customer Support, Store location identification, Up-sell, cross-sell, easy return, and refunds.

WhatsApp Business – Use cases for your reference.

Retail: TOP USE-CASES IN RETAIL

●Search for products

●Place orders and pre-orders, Track packages

●Customer education / FAQ, Support live agents

●Send personalized notifications

●Manage loyalty points

●Manage complaints

●Collect customer feedback

●Monitor user sentiment

●AI Based Recommendations

●Locate nearby stores

Important Industry Trends unearthed in 2021

●7% of the buyer’s journey is now completed digitally

●16% of total retail sales, accounts from e-commerce

●50% of e-retail consumers have made a purchase using their voice assistant

●44% of users order groceries and other items using voice-activated speaker weekly

BFSI: TOP USE-CASES IN BFSI

●Deposit Process – Automate sending e-statements, checking account balance, Interest, etc.

●Easy Transfers – Guide customers through add/update beneficiary, check transfer limit and more

●Intelligent Advice: Let AI intelligently suggest where to save and where to spend with expense analytics

●Personalized Banking: Offer personalized banking solutions to increase customer engagement and retention

●Capture Leads: Engage, qualify and convert leads through intelligent conversational ads

●Drive Sales: Drive sales with suitable product recommendations, alerts on latest deals and promotional offers

●Answer FAQs: 65% of customer’s queries are repetitive. Let chatbot take care of them

●Customer support: Offer 24/7 customer support in over 55 languages across Website, App and even WhatsApp

●Collections: Notify customers on loan due dates and overdue to make sure payment happens in time, and provide frictionless way to pay back the installments

Important Industry Trends unearthed in 2021

●60% -Reduced business response time

●75%- Cost saving while retaining quality output

●40%- Increase in operational efficiency

●20%- Increase in upsell revenue

●Disburse Loans – Let your customers view, apply or check loan eligibility, pay installment, calculate interest

Telecommunication:

TOP USE-CASES IN BFSI

Engagement: Send personalized notification and reminders to customers so that they never miss a deadline

Growth: Recommend the plans based on customers’ location, usage & requirement to boost sales

Sell-through-service: Predict customer’s needs and upsell, cross-sell through conversations, e.g. setup automatic recharge by observing usage patterns, suggest upgrade plans, etc.

Customer feedback: Improve your NPS by collecting timely feedback

Customer support: Help users update subscriptions, pay balance, etc. in over 55 languages across Website, App and even WhatsApp

Troubleshooting: Enable customers troubleshoot Internet, Wi-Fi, or Email problems by walking them through detailed diagnostic

steps.

Insights and Analytics: See your business-critical data come to life through visually represented graphs and charts

Important Industry Trends unearthed in 2021

60% Reduced business response time

30% cost expended in customer servicing

30% Increase in upsell revenue

40% Increase in Operational Efficiency

Education

TOP USE-CASES IN EDUCATION

●Drive Sales: Make lead generation seamless through conversational ads and re-targeted campaigns

●Growth: Boost conversion with suitable course recommendations and personalized assistance

●Learning Experience: Enable students and teachers to track learning progress in real-time

●Manage course schedules: Provide students and faculty with course updates, timetables and other information

●Application Management: Help students apply for a course, check application status and modify course choices easily.

●Customer support: Offer 24/7 customer support in over 55 languages across Website, App and even WhatsApp

●Insights and Analytics: See your business-critical data come to life through visually represented graphs and charts

Important Industry Trends unearthed in 2021

●83% of students own a smartphone

●40% of millennials use chatbots on a daily basis

●67% of organizations offer mobile learning to students

●77% percentage of US companies use online learning

Ecommerce

TOP USE-CASES IN RETAIL/E-Commerce

●Search for products

●Place orders and pre-orders, Track packages

●Customer education / FAQ, Support live agents

●Send personalized notifications

●Manage loyalty points

●Manage complaints

●Collect customer feedback

●Monitor user sentiment

●AI Based Recommendations

●Locate nearby stores

Important Industry Trends unearthed in 2021

●7% of the buyer’s journey is now completed digitally

●16.0% of total retail sales, accounts from e-commerce

●50% of e-retail consumers have made a purchase using their voice assistant

●44% of users order groceries and other items using voice-activated speaker weekly.

Agriculture & Agro Tech

TOP USE-CASES IN Agriculture

●Product information: Enhance the product awareness and purchase journey by offering on-demand information across channels like website, app and even WhatsApp.

●Locate nearby stores: Locate nearby stores to Farmers and potential buyers

●FAQ: Multiple lingual questions being answered based on product, company, best practices and product usage.

●Customer support: Live agent support to customers and offer 24/7 customer support in over local language via WhatsApp

●Voice Bot: To alert farmers in case regular subscription and product purchases to nurture leads

Important Industry Trends unearthed in 2021

●50% of farmers know to use WhatsApp

●40% of FAQ chatbots on a daily basis can help farmers and Agri business create awareness and impact in business

●50% of offer chatbot based business learning to farmers as a part of the agri-business engagement

To create a Business use cases/Work Flow’s – Reach out to Cfirst Expert at marketing@C-First.com