With the rise of conversational marketing, businesses are integrating major social and communication platforms to enhance customer satisfaction and offer an improved customer experience. Among the many marketing tools available, WhatsApp has become a primary strategy for promoting brands and strengthening customer relationships. In particular, the WhatsApp Chatbot is a must-have for customer service marketing.
By using WhatsApp Business, merchants can engage with customers through welcome messages, auto-replies, and business profiles. To obtain upgraded WhatsApp functions, many businesses collaborate with WhatsApp Business API suppliers or partners, seeking to enhance enterprise competitiveness. These upgraded features include WhatsApp Chatbots, broadcast functions, and CRM systems.
But what are the benefits of upgrading WhatsApp functionality for businesses? How can chatbots assist merchants in increasing sales beyond automatic responses? Read on to discover the top advantages and costs of WhatsApp Chatbots.
What is the WhatsApp Business API?
The WhatsApp Business API is an application programming interface that is tailored for businesses looking to leverage WhatsApp as a communication channel with their customers. Unlike the free WhatsApp Business app, the API does not have a direct user interface for consumers to use. Originally, it was a set of API codes that required businesses to obtain it from a third-party provider, such as CHATSDB, or develop it themselves. As a result, most merchants choose to obtain APIs, such as CHATSDB O2O Chat Automation for Sales, from Meta's official Business Solution Providers and their partners.
What is a WhatsApp chatbot?
WhatsApp chatbots are automated software programs that operate on pre-programmed data or artificial intelligence (AI). They enable customers to communicate with them using the general WhatsApp chat interface, allowing the Chatbot to temporarily replace real-person customer service to respond to customer inquiries. When live customer service is available, it can pick up the previous conversation between the Chatbot and the customer.
In addition to simulating human conversations, chatbots enable brands to maintain a consistent tone and brand image throughout the dialogue. By automatically responding to frequently asked questions or conversations on WhatsApp, chatbots not only reduce wait times for customers but also significantly alleviate the daily load of customer service. Moreover, establishing effective interactions with consumers via chatbots can save a lot of marketing and sales concerns.
Advantages of WhatsApp Chatbot
WhatsApp chatbots offer several advantages for businesses, including:
Improved customer service Chatbots can respond to customer inquiries 24/7, allowing businesses to provide round-the-clock support to their customers.
Increased efficiency Chatbots can handle a high volume of customer inquiries simultaneously, allowing businesses to handle more customer interactions without increasing staff.
Cost-effective Chatbots can reduce the costs associated with customer service by automating responses to frequently asked questions, freeing up staff to handle more complex issues.
Consistency Chatbots can maintain a consistent tone and brand image throughout the conversation, ensuring a seamless customer experience.
Personalization With the use of artificial intelligence, chatbots can personalize responses based on customer data, creating a more engaging and personalized experience for customers.
Data collection Chatbots can collect data on customer inquiries and interactions, providing businesses with valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences.
WhatsApp Official Conversation Charges
Users of the WhatsApp Business API are charged based on their monthly messaging usage, in addition to monthly fees charged by the API provider. WhatsApp's current fee model is based on "conversation-based pricing," with the conversation window being one "dialogue" per 24 hours.
For business-initiated conversations, merchants are required to use a template message to start their initial conversation with a customer. Conversation costs are charged every 24 hours for merchant-initiated engagements. If a customer's last message to the merchant was sent over 24 hours ago, the merchant will pay an additional fee. Each merchant-initiated conversation costs approximately USD 0.074.
For customer-initiated conversations, if a customer initiates a conversation and the merchant responds within 24 hours, the customer will be charged a conversation fee. However, if the merchant does not respond to the client within 24 hours, the transaction is considered a "merchant-initiated interaction," and the cost will be increased. Each customer-initiated conversation costs approximately USD 0.022.
For the first 1,000 conversations per month, merchants can enjoy them for free. Therefore, small and medium-sized enterprises need not worry about conversation fees.
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