Looking for WhatsApp business solutions? These are your choices!

WhatsApp Business, WhatsApp Business API or even a WhatsApp Business solution provider? It can be quite confusing when you look at the different options that companies have. We got you! We’ll compare different WhatsApp business solutions so you can find the one that’s best for you.

With an open rate of over 90% and a conversion rate of 90%, it is the world’s most attractive social media network! If you’re not already using WhatsApp for your business, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to communicate with your customers!

But here comes the tricky part. Once you decide to use WhatsApp for marketing, sales, or customer service, you might be confused by all the different options. So let’s take a closer look at the business services available and see which WhatsApp business solution is best for you.

WhatsApp ecosystem

Most people know that WhatsApp is a private smartphone application used for chatting with friends and family. With the popularity of WhatsApp, more and more enterprises are beginning to use WhatsApp as a customer channel. WhatsApp has developed two solutions specifically for enterprises: WhatsApp business app and WhatsApp Business API (Official name: WhatsApp Business Platform).

important: As a company, you can only use commercial apps and APIs as WhatsApp prohibits commercial use of regular apps.

WhatsApp Business Solutions for Micro Businesses: WhatsApp Business App

In 2018, WhatsApp launched the WhatsApp Business app for (very!) small businesses. The app has never been suitable for medium or large businesses, so it’s designed for freelance workers, single business owners, and micro businesses with up to five employees.

The WhatsApp Business app is free. Businesses can download the app for free and use it on their smartphones. It uses and feels very similar to the regular app.

So, what can you actually do with business apps?

You can set up a company profile and upload information such as your business hours and a small product catalog. You can also have two-way chat with your customers.

On the other hand, this is something that the WhatsApp Business app cannot do.

you can not…

• Extend newsletters or marketing messages (push notifications are limited to 256 recipients)
• Connect chatbot
• Integrate CRM system
• Centralize your entire team’s communication in one (desktop) inbox
• Guaranteed data protection

All these limitations can quickly become a problem when you want to scale your WhatsApp communications and work with larger teams.

Typical example: German design agency “I love DESIGN” started with the WhatsApp Business application. To keep all their customer chats in one place, they only have a “WhatsApp phone”. Employees will always pass the phone around so everyone can connect with customers via a shared device.

I love DESIGN founder Tim Bünger said that quickly, this became a hassle, especially as the WhatsApp channel became very popular with customers and the incoming requests became too many to fit on one phone while processing.

That’s when my passion for design moved towards the WhatsApp Business API.

Professional WhatsApp business solution: WhatsApp Business API

WhatsApp Business API is WhatsApp’s mature business solution. It is a digital interface through which you can connect to the business functions of WhatsApp. Starting in 2022, the API will be officially called “WhatsApp Business Platform”.

What does the WhatsApp Business platform offer?

You can visit:

• WhatsApp’s marketing tools let you send personalized marketing messages and give you access to analytics
• Large number of message senders (possibly unlimited)
• chatbot
• Connectors for integrating with CRM systems
• Account verified (green checkmark).

This API link is theoretically open to everyone. But you obviously need to know how to build software around it, how to design and connect chatbots, and how to connect business tools like CRM systems or payment systems.

Even for larger businesses, this takes time, skill and money. This is where WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) comes into play. BSP is a verified WhatsApp partner, Meta certified to build and provide official WhatsApp Business solutions. Therefore, BSP has provided WhatsApp software out of the box that you can start using immediately.

WhatsApp Business Solution Provider: What You Should Know

Not all providers who want to sell you WhatsApp business solutions are legitimate. Therefore, be sure to check Meta’s partner directory first.

Be especially wary of modified solutions to WhatsApp, or “WhatsApp mods”, such as GB WhatsApp or WhatsApp Plus. They are not an official business solution provider and provide unauthorized (and therefore unsafe) WhatsApp software.

With Sinch Engage, you don’t have to worry about this problem. We are one of the oldest BSPs and have developed stable, secure and simple WhatsApp business solutions over the years that are used by hundreds of companies around the world.

Sinch Engage offers:

• Deploy now (get started in minutes!)
• No special IT skills are required. If you know how to use WhatsApp, you can use Sinch Engage.
• Best-in-class customer support and expertise
• Central chat inbox (not just for WhatsApp but also for all related messengers such as Facebook Messenger, Telegram and Apple Messages for Business)
• bulk message sender
• Campaign tools for personalized marketing messages and performance insights
• Intuitive drag-and-drop chatbot (build your own chatbot in just minutes, it’s easy…and fun!)

Companies like BMW, AAA, Kia, and METRO trust our WhatsApp business solution and successfully use it for marketing, customer service, sales, and even recruiting.

Even if you currently use the WhatsApp Business app, there is no problem in switching to Sinch Engage. You can even take all your chats and phone numbers with you.