Everything You Need to Know About WhatsApp Business API

Best WhatsApp business API solutions or WhatsApp Business blog outlines the differences between WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp Business API. This guide focuses exclusively on WhatsApp API and what it can do for businesses.

The WhatsApp API was designed with medium-sized and larger companies in mind. APIs do not have apps or front-end interfaces, so there is no app. Instead, it requires end-users to integrate the WhatsApp API endpoint into their business software.

WhatsApp is selective about who it allows connecting directly to its API. To date, it has only been made available to a handful of large companies such as Singapore Airlines, Uber, and Wish.

Business Solution Providers (BSPs) or WhatsApp Partners allow businesses to connect to WhatsApp API. Getting a WhatsApp API account is easier if you apply through them.

Best WhatsApp Business API Solution Providers

On Facebook's directory, there are more than 60 official API solution providers for WhatsApp Business. The experience of each BSP will be very different. To simplify things, WhatsApp BSPs can be either SMS providers or Others.

SMS Providers

As an example, Twilio and Vonage are SMS providers. Before they started selling WhatsApp accounts, these companies were already using their proprietary APIs as SMS providers. Therefore, the API you need to connect to will be similar to their Legacy SMS API.

Business service providers like these are great for businesses who already use their service and wish to integrate WhatsApp API into their communication channels. Companies do not have to connect their different chat platforms in-house.

Your BSP determines how easy it is to open an account. Twilio, for example, has a self-service platform, so you can get started without contacting customer support. Vonage, on the other hand, is more enterprise-oriented and requires you to speak with sales.

Since these SMS providers integrate WhatsApp API with their proprietary API, it takes them a lot more time and effort to add or update any new WhatsApp features.

Others

Then, some groups do not identify themselves as SMS providers. For example, in addition to SMS providers as BSPs, WhatsApp has partnered with CRM vendors, chatbot agencies, and self-service bot platforms.

Best WhatsApp business API in India, such as 360dialog, are more likely to use a proxy API. Since their API is similar to WhatsApp's, new features can be enabled quickly and easily.

They use WhatsApp's API, which redirects to their API. Consider a BSP using a proxy API if you wish to reflect the latest updates on your WhatsApp account quickly.

You can use this guide as a reference when shopping for BSPs, as it covers all features available directly from WhatsApp API. However, before we get to the specifications, let's take a look at the price and profile of WhatsApp API.

Best WhatsApp business API in India Pricing

As a recap, you need to sign up with a BSP and pay them to get an API account for WhatsApp. Likewise, BSPs have to pay WhatsApp on their end to connect to their API to provide the service to end-users.

WhatsApp charges businesses a different price than what BSPs pay them. Because each BSP can set its pricing, it's essential to determine if you're getting the most bang for your buck.

WhatsApp Business API Profile

You now know the role BSPs play in setting up a WhatsApp API account for you, so let's look at what a WhatsApp API business profile looks like. WhatsApp API profiles are similar to WhatsApp Business App profiles.

As WhatsApp API profiles will not be searchable in-app, it is up to the business to promote its presence. The cover photo, description, email address, and website of a company can be optimized.

WhatsApp Business API Contact Management

WhatsApp has strict requirements for starting a conversation with a user. WhatsApp prefers that end-users start a conversation by messaging their account first.

However, WhatsApp allows companies to send their customers the first message provided they follow a set of rules. Next, we'll look at these rules and some features available via WhatsApp API that makes Contact Management easier on your application.