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Whatsapp Business API: What it means for your business

MAY 16, 2023

Whatsapp needs no serious introduction in terms of its use and popularity in Africa. Africa is often regarded as a “mobile-first” market, and it’s safe to say that SMS is the predominant channel for consumer engagement in this part of the world. However, with the adoption of mobile internet in Africa, which according to Statista is set to hit 475 million by 2025, consumers are now exposed to and have access to multimedia messaging platforms and apps like Whatsapp which allows for the sharing of images, voicenotes, location, and much more to drive a more engaging customer experience between not just individuals, but also between Businesses and their customers.

With over 2 billion active users, WhatsApp has become one of the most effective channels for Businesses to engage  consumers as it has the highest adoption compared to similar platforms on the internet with a 97% adoption in Kenya, 96% in South Africa and 95% in Nigeria according to GlobalWebIndex.

Explaining the 3 types of the Whatsapp solution

  1. WhatsApp Personal Account which allows users to communicate with friends and family on a day-to-day basis simply by installing the app and creating an account with a phone number
  2. WhatsApp Business Account which allows small businesses to communicate with their customers from a professional WhatsApp account. The Whatsapp Business App is free and allows business owners to set up a business profile, greeting message, label conversations, quick replies, away messages and a catalog to promote their products.
  3. WhatsApp Business API (Application Programming Interface), a more powerful tool that helps Enterprises to create a personalized communication flow for customer support, authentication, promotional and transactional messaging. The Whatsapp Business API simplifies business communications through automated replies, chatbots and interactive messages and provides insights and analytics that helps brands better engage with their customers and improve customer experience.  

Whatsapp Business API Vs. Whatsapp Business Account 

The WhatsApp Business API and the WhatsApp Business Account were built to cater to engagements between businesses and customers. They both have their own unique advantages and are suitable for different types of businesses. Here are the differences between the two in terms of functionality and capability.

WhatsApp Business API WhatsApp Business Account
Business size
Suitable for medium and large enterprises with a large customer base.
Suitable for small businesses with a smaller database of customers.
Number of Contacts for engagement
unlimited contacts
maximum of 1024 contacts per group
Personalization
Supported

Improves customer experience by allowing Businesses to address customers by their names.
Hello Grace, your favorite item is now back in stock.
Not Supported

Businesses can send messages without the ability to personalize with the customer name in each message
Hello Grace, your favorite item is now back in stock.
Automation
Supported

Greetings, away messages, and quick replies are offered by the WhatsApp Business API. Also includes OTP, FAQs
Limited

Only offers greetings, away messages and quick replies.

Chatbot
Supported

Enabling 27/4 customer support.

Not Supported
3rd party systems Integration
Supported

Enables seamless integration into websites and 3rd party softwares like the CRM, inventory management, payment systems and more.
Not Supported
Business Verification
Supported

The green verification tick added to your business name rather than phone number shows authenticity and reliability..
Limited

The Whatsapp Business Account only displays the phone number of the business and without a verification badge. .
Multiple devices
Supported

The WhatsApp Business API supports multiple logins with different devices using the same WhatsApp number.
Limited

With the WhatsApp Business Account, you can connect only 10 devices.

As shown above, while a Whatsapp Business Account may be suitable for small businesses, the WhatsApp Business API offers more advanced features and integrations that can help larger businesses to scale their operations and provide a better customer experience. If your business needs to handle a higher volume of customer conversations and want to integrate WhatsApp into existing business processes, then the Whatsapp Business API is for you. Contact us here to see how it works!