What is WhatsApp Business?

WhatsApp Business is a version of WhatsApp designed specifically for small businesses. This makes it quick and easy to get in touch with prospects and customers.

WhatsApp is currently running a pilot project in which selected companies are being verified. This should make it easier for users to recognize fakes or spam profiles. According to WhatsApp, there is still no way to apply for verification for an official company account. You can tell that your chat partner is verified because a small seal is displayed next to the contact name.

The normal version is sufficient to write to companies that use WhatsApp Business as a private user; no separate business account needs to be created for this.

What options does the WhatsApp Business app offer?

• It is possible to use the business and standard versions side by side . In addition to the functions of the classic version such as writing text messages and voice notes as well as the call function and sending various media, the functions of the business version include:
• Automatic messages when you are away or on vacation: For example, outside of your opening hours , you can create auto-response messages so that your customer receives immediate feedback and you can still enjoy your end of work or vacation. You can also create a schedule for this. Alternatively, there are also welcome messages for new contacts or push notifications after two weeks of inactivity.
• Labels: Similar to common e-mail programs, you can provide chats with labels (5 are stored by default) and thus keep a good overview of different types of chat partners.
• Quick answers: There are questions that keep coming up with your customers and you want to save time answering them? Ready-made messages can be set up in the app settings like an “FAQ”. You mark this with a word that you can see and when you enter “/marking word” your detailed quick answer appears immediately.
  Statistics: You can see how many messages you have received and sent, as well as how many messages have been read. This can also help with the billing of your consulting services.

Set up a company account with WhatsApp Business

You can store data such as the following in your company account:

• Surname
• address (location)
• In which category do you classify your company?
• Company Description
• opening hours
• e-mail address
• site

Cost of WhatsApp Business

You can download WhatsApp Business for free in your app store (for Android or iOs). So it is available to you for free. You may incur charges for your connections/data volume according to your mobile phone contract.

Pros: why is the business version worth it?

The right target group

Since WhatsApp is the most popular messenger with over 2 billion users worldwide, your customers can be reached very easily and dynamically. With end-to-end encryption, the security aspect is not a problem when using it.

The target group : From young to old, many millions of people in different locations use the app. Many people are reluctant to simply call strangers or unknown companies, so contacting them via the usual app by text message is much more pleasant for them and also more likely.

Use on multiple devices

After you have installed your business account on your phone, you can also manage it as a team centrally via desktop via the browser with ” Whatsapp Web “.

What is the difference between WhatsApp Business and the WhatsApp Business API?

The main difference between the two versions of WhatsApp is the target group they are aimed at: the free WhatsApp Business app is aimed at small business owners, while the enterprise version WhatsApp Business API was developed for medium-sized to large companies. Accordingly, it offers even more functions (e.g. a programmable chatbot), but is not free of charge.

Conclusion on WhatsApp Business

If you, as a small business owner, want an uncomplicated and direct way of contacting your customers, it is definitely worth testing the free app. With relatively little effort, you can make customer service quick and easy.

If your need for customer contact goes beyond the existing possibilities, you can consider trying out the WhatsApp Business API or another scalable CRM program.