The WhatsApp Business Ecosystem Explained Video

We are aware that the WhatsApp Business API empowers businesses to connect with their customers personally, and at scale. But what are the actual differences with the other types of WhatsApp applications out there? What can we actually do with it? Let’s dive into it.

Hey there, good to have you here with us, Let’s first have a look at the agenda for this video: First off, we will look at the WhatsApp ecosystem, from the Consumer App to the WhatsApp Business API. Then we will look at the 2 different types of messages we can send from the WhatsApp Business API, going through its opt-in policy.Now, The WhatsApp Ecosystem is formed by 3 different WhatsApp services.First of we have the Consumer App, the one you and I have on our phones to talk with our friends and family.

Then we have the Small Business App, used by small to medium businesses to connect with their group of customers.And finally, WhatsApp Business API, used by enterprise companies to communicate at scale with a larger customer base. In this course, we will focus on this last one, the WhatsApp Business API. Which offers the possibility to add chatbots to conversations, backend integrations among others things. So for Companies that intend to have the WhatsApp Business API, keep in mind that we have 2 options. One is The Cloud API hosted by Meta, but provided by us, Landbot. We are official business solution providers with WhatsApp and offer a no-code chatbot platform to build conversational experiences.

We offer you the WhatsApp Business API without needing to write code. On the other hand, we have the On-Premise API, which is more of like a legacy version where the hosting and servers are not hosted by Meta. Now, let’s move into the different types of messages on the WhatsApp Business API. Hold on a sec… Hey there, Nik here from the future, or the present, or the past. Well… basically, since we recorded this video, apart from me losing a bit of hair, Meta has changed the types of messages you can send.

Let me show you. Now, there are 4 categories of conversations:First we have Service Conversations.These are the kinds of conversations that help customers resolve enquiries when they contact you on WhatsApp.  These types of conversations are measured in “sessions,” which are 24-hour increments.The session starts whenever the business responds to the message.Then we have Utility conversations. These conversations are requests or updates to a customer about an ongoing transaction.

For example, post-purchase notifications or recurring billing statements.Authentication conversations enable businesses to authenticate users with one-time passcodes. This can happen at multiple steps in the login process such as account verification, account recovery, integrity challenges, and moreAnd finally, Marketing conversations. These include promotions or offers, informational updates, or invitations to customers. Any conversation that does not qualify as Utility or Authentication is categorized as a marketing conversation.Now, except for Service conversations, you need to get an opt-in subscription before you can start having Utility, Authentication and Marketing conversations with users.

These 3 categories of conversations require a message template previously approved by WhatsApp. I’ll hand it over to Nik from the Past to finish it off. So, to recap, we’ve:Seen the different types of WhatsApp, from the Consumer App all the way to the WhatsApp Business API,And we went over the different types of messages you can send via de WhatsApp Business APIHave a good one, And I’ll see you around.