Create engaging customer interactions with the WhatsApp Business API

Learn how you can use the WhatsApp Business API to create rich communications to better engage your customers.

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Globally, customers are demanding more flexible and personalized experiences from the brands they buy from, including their communications. And when they do interact, 52% of consumers prefer to use text-based chat, making it the most popular digital channel for business communications. Plus, 66% of chats occur via mobile devices.

Digital channels, like WhatsApp, make it easier than ever to deliver intuitive and highly engaging customer interactions. They’re also ideal for building loyalty and driving growth through timely, personalized, and interactive media-rich marketing. In fact, 80% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands that offer personalized experiences.

Consumers also want to feel valued as individuals by the brands they interact with, with 89% expecting you to provide two-way conversations through messaging channels and apps, while 90% “would love” to be able to reply in-message to ask questions.

“I want something that’s in real-time and allows me to deal with an inquiry or problem in one go.” - 34-40-year-old consumers based in the USA
Source: Choosing the right channel for your customers, Webex by Cisco

In this article, we’ll show you how WhatsApp can help you deliver all of this and more while tapping into the channel’s growing audience of more than two billion users.

What is the WhatsApp Business API Platform?

WhatsApp for business messaging offers two main paths to adoption: its proprietary Business App or the WhatsApp Business Platform and its flexible API.

The WhatsApp Business App is designed for manual one-to-one communication only. It lets you create an official business profile and set automatic replies for when customers send messages outside of business hours. However, only four people can reply at any one time, with no support for APIs or chatbot integrations.

The WhatsApp Business Platform offers the same functionality as the business app, but with much greater flexibility and scalability, including the following features right out of the box:

Enterprise-grade security

WhatsApp provides end-to-end encryption to ensure every conversation remains private while protecting sensitive data from potential cyber threats. This also helps give peace of mind by providing your customers a secure space to engage with your business.

Official brand verification

Verified business profiles include a green checkmark badge to help customers confirm your interactions as coming from an authentic organization. You can also add official business information to help drive customers through to your website and services.

Flexible API integrations

The WhatsApp Business Platform’s easy-to-use API lets you integrate it with your back-office systems—like your CRM. This creates a seamless exchange of data between the two, helping you automate personalized responses, create interactive calls to action, and learn more about how customers engage with your brand.

Rich media and contextual actions

Create suggested replies and one-touch buttons that trigger pre-defined actions, such as ‘tell me more’, to drive sales, service, and marketing outcomes. You can also share high-definition media, like image carousels, video cards, and dynamic product lists to help enhance the customer experience.

How do businesses use the WhatsApp Business Platform?

To help inspire your customer messaging strategy, here are four ways businesses across major industries use rich, two-way conversations in WhatsApp to improve engagement and optimize business productivity.

Automated service support

Help customers get the answers they need, when they need them with automatic replies to frequently asked questions or integrate chatbots to field routine queries using natural language. You can also add an option to talk to a live service agent if the customer still needs help after engaging with your automated replies or chatbot.  

Proactive utility notifications

Keep your customers informed and stay competitive with proactive utility notifications, such as billing reminders, order dispatch updates, and appointment confirmations. For example, a primary care provider may use WhatsApp to reduce no-shows by allowing patients to ask for an alternative booking in response to an appointment reminder text.

Protect and authenticate

Verify customer identities with two-factor authentication and one-time passwords through the WhatsApp Business Platform. This is an increasingly essential method of countering phishing and other fraudulent activities. For example, you can automate two-factor authentication codes to be sent when customers sign into your e-commerce site.

Promote and personalize

You can use WhatsApp to upsell, cross-sell, and share targeted promotions and offers in response to past customer behavior. For example, with the right commerce integrations, a retailer may create a seasonal marketing campaign that promotes its most profitable products to customers that previously bought or showed interest in those items.

You can learn more about how to use WhatsApp to drive marketing success here.

Example of proactive utility notification.

How to get started with WhatsApp Business API

If you want to use WhatsApp to boost customer interactions with your business, working with an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) is the way to go.

That’s where we come in. The Webex Interact business messaging solution lets you connect with your customers on WhatsApp from a single, easy-to-use platform that’s up and running in just a few clicks.

You can use our online tool to create automated replies and bulk messaging campaigns and monitor delivery and open rates with real-time reporting analytics. Plus, expert support means we’re always ready to help you make the most of WhatsApp.  

Webex Interact’s pay-as-you-go pricing is dependent on the type of message you want to send and its destination—that way, you only pay for the messages you use. And with no contracts or hidden fees—engaging your customers is simple and affordable.

Sign up to start creating dynamic customer conversations, today.