We invite you to watch the full webinar in this link.
We did this talk in our first webinar, given by our Engineering Manager Jose Franco and our commercial executive Vanessa Chavarro.
Vanessa: José Why is it important to connect to WhatsApp?
José: I share with you some data from a study called “Digital global overview report”, developed by two companies: Hootsuite and We are Social, which collect worldwide information on the use of social networks and internet connectivity.
Source: Digital Global Overview Report 2021. We Are Social and Hootsuite
In the case of Colombia, the total number of users who are connected to the internet from any device in Colombia is 34 million users. Almost 95% of those users are accessing through mobile devices, this is a very large potential customer base. WhatsApp is in the top 3 of the most used social networks in Colombia, surpassing YouTube and Facebook.
Vanessa: That is why we find today that WhatsApp is the strongest service channel that companies can provide to their customers. It is the most important instant messaging application.
What are the different WhatsApp alternatives that exist now?
We know that WhatsApp has a mobile application, there are also different aspects, tell us a little more about that topic.
José: I would like to talk a little about WhatsApp ecosystem, in that timeline, we are all familiar with that WhatsApp messaging application, the one that we have been using since 2009 and that almost everyone knows, it is for private users and we are also familiar with the WhatsApp web application, which allows us connect by scanning a QR from the computer, and its counterpart more or less the same from the Windows desktop application.
Starting in 2018 after the acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook (now Meta), it has been oriented specifically towards business, and we see how in January 2018 WhatsApp released an alternative version that is WhatsApp Business, for small and medium-sized businesses. business. Which today is also widely used, but in reality it still has very similar characteristics at the messaging level, even you can do the same thing there that you do with WhatsApp and that is scan the QR code and enter WhatsApp Web.
Since 2018, Facebook decided to open up this messaging application a little more and released what we know as WhatsApp Business Api, which was initially designed for large companies. We found ourselves as banks, insurance companies, and large chains. They began to connect and to do so a BSP was needed. which is like a kind of service provider to connect to.
Vanessa: We would call it as an intermediary between Facebook and the final company.
José: This year, Facebook makes the announcement of the new WhatsApp Cloud API, which is aimed at small and medium-sized businesses. These last two have many similarities: WhatsApp Business API and WhatsApp Cloud API.
Vanessa: What is an API?
José: It is an intermediary that allows two software applications to share information with each other. Example: Suppose I have an application in a database of my clients who have an ID with a balance and I want a third party to send me the ID and I send them with a response the balance that that client has with that specific ID. So if I want to make those two different applications talk to each other, we will need an intermediary (a bridge to share that information).
Vanessa: What can you do with an API? What is it for?
José: In the case of outgoing messages, for notifications, appointment reminders, etc., everything can be automatically addressed without the intervention of a person.
Vanessa: Differences between WhatsApp Business API alternatives?
José: In this table you can see the key differences between WhatsApp Business API and WhatsApp Business Cloud API.
Vanessa: What type of businesses can use the API?
José: Depending on the size (any company can use this API) and the sector.
Vanessa: What is the cost of using APIs? Is free?
José: It depends on the business model you go with, if you go with the WhatsApp Business API BSP, you will have two associated costs, one, what Facebook charges through conversations and two, what the intermediary charges you, which is the BSP, there are several intermediaries that were linked as BSP to Facebook. BSP monetization is different.
And if it is through WhatsApp Business API, you do not have to pay any intermediary but directly with Meta (it is free because you are saving the BSP). After a thousand monthly conversations, Facebook is going to charge you per conversation.
The conversation is a 24 hour window, back and forth messages that the business has with the user, there are two types of conversations, the one initiated by the user and the one initiated by the business.
You will be able to see the differentiated rates in this table (put price links based on conversations and Facebook rates)
Vanessa: What is the best alternative for my business?
José: It all depends on the business, whether they need call center guidance attending to that flow of conversations and what they want to do with the applications of this broad ecosystem that WhatsApp already has.
Vanessa: Can you use your existing number with that alternative?
José: If possible, these are some requirements:
• The number must be valid and your property.
• Include a country code and an area code.
• Be able to receive voice calls or SMS.
• Not be a short code.
• Not have been used before on the WhatsApp Business Platform.
Vanessa: What restrictions do you have when using the API?
José: There are two restrictions to keep in mind, one is message templates: Templates must be used to start a conversation initiated by the business, and the other is message limits and quality rating: WhatsApp message limits limit how you can use the platform. Your ability to use the platform depends on your business maintaining a good quality rating.
Remember that you can enter the full webinar through this link where users interacted with our Speakers and you will have the most detailed information.
And if you are interested in a multi-agent WhatsApp solution, you can check out our platform. iKono Chat.
Thank you so much.
#We invite you to read our blog post «Bots will dominate communications»
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