With more people turning to chat with businesses on WhatsApp, the app announces updates to the WhatsApp Business API that will make it quicker for businesses to get started and for people to easily chat with these businesses.
Get Started on WhatsApp Faster
The app has cut down the time it takes for businesses to get up and running from weeks to just five minutes. Whether a business wants to work with a business solution provider or get support directly from Facebook in the future, these improvements will make it easier for more medium and larger businesses to have customer conversations on WhatsApp.
Receive Additional Information from Businesses
As more businesses come onto WhatsApp, the app is improving how businesses can communicate with their customers. For example, businesses were often limited to sending timely notifications, which made it difficult to follow up with customers outside of a 24-hour window. So now the app will support more types of messages — to let people know when an item is back in stock, for example.
Respond to Businesses in New Ways
The app is also rolling out new messaging features that can help people get business done faster. New list messages present a menu of up to 10 options so people no longer need to type out a response. Reply buttons will allow people to quickly make a selection from up to three options with just a quick tap that a business can set ahead of time through their WhatsApp Business API account.
As always, people remain in control of their chats. People still need to reach out to start a conversation or request a business contact them via WhatsApp. With these updates, the app is also providing new ways for people to give greater feedback about the experience they are having if they have a reason to block a business.
