The WhatsApp Business App is a free app available on Android & iPhone. It’s very similar to the one people use for chatting with friends, but this one was built for micro-businesses to interact with customers, providing tools to automate, sort, and quickly respond to messages.

The WhatsApp Business App can be used either through the mobile app or through WhatsApp Web & Desktop. You can add four additional devices to manage the same business profile and engage customers.

Why Choose WhatsApp over SMS? #

Choosing WhatsApp over SMS offers several benefits for both personal and business communication needs. WhatsApp is a more dynamic platform, allowing users to send not only text messages but also images, videos, documents, and voice messages.

Additionally, WhatsApp supports end-to-end encryption, so conversations remain private and secure, a feature not inherent in standard SMS messaging. For businesses, WhatsApp provides a direct and personalized way to communicate with customers, including automated messages and quick replies, which are not possible through traditional SMS.

These features, combined with its widespread global usage, make WhatsApp a more flexible and user-friendly choice for both personal and professional communication.

WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business #

How to Set Up Your WhatsApp Business App #

Setting up the WhatsApp Business App involves a few straightforward steps. Below, we’ve summarized each step. For detailed guidance, click the links provided.

1. Install WhatsApp Business App #

Start by downloading the WhatsApp Business app from your phone’s app store. It’s available for both Android and iOS devices. Once downloaded, open the app to begin setup.

2. Create A WhatsApp Business Account #

After installing the app, you’ll need to create a WhatsApp Business account. Enter your phone number and follow the instructions to verify it. Then, fill in your business details, such as your business name and description.

3. Use WhatsApp Business Features #

The WhatsApp Business features are specifically designed for businesses. You can use automated messages, quick replies, and labels to manage customer interactions more efficiently.

Advantages of WhatsApp Business App #

The WhatsApp Business app has its limitations, but more on that later. The fact is, it’s definitely worth a shot, especially if you’re new to this and want to check if it’s a good fit for your business. Here’s why some businesses use the WhatsApp Business app:

1. Direct Communication with Customers #

WhatsApp Business allows for direct and personal communication with customers, creating a more intimate experience. The ability to send tailored messages, photos, videos, and even product catalogs directly to your customers’ phones creates a stronger connection and improves the customer experience.

2. Global Reach with No Extra Cost #

With WhatsApp’s vast user base, businesses can reach customers worldwide without the additional costs associated with international messaging. This global accessibility opens up new markets and opportunities for growth, all from the same platform used for local customer interactions.

3. Improved Business Presence #

The app allows businesses to create a profile that includes essential information like business hours, location, and description. This not only makes the business more accessible but also lends credibility in the eyes of the customers.

4. Quick Replies & Automated Messages #

Efficiency is key in customer communication. The WhatsApp Business App offers features like quick replies to frequently asked questions, greeting messages to welcome customers, and away messages to inform them when the business is closed. These automation options ensure that customer engagement is maintained even when you’re not actively online.

5. Organizational Features #

With features like labels, businesses can organize chats and contacts, making it easier to manage customer interactions. This helps in keeping track of orders, customer feedback, and inquiries, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks.

6. Cost-Effective Customer Engagement #

Engaging with customers through WhatsApp Business is incredibly cost-effective. The ability to broadcast messages to multiple contacts simultaneously allows for broad-reaching communication efforts without the significant expenses associated with traditional advertising channels.

Disadvantages of WhatsApp Business App #

The limitations of the WhatsApp Business App can be a deal breaker for some businesses. In some cases, the app is simply not enough to answer all their needs.

Below I will list all the disadvantages of the app one by one. However, let me assure you, this is a happy ending story!

1. Limited Collaboration #

The first rule of marketing is - Focus on your audience! Once you make your brand available on WhatsApp, you’ll notice customers love it! Your business starts growing, the number of people trying to get in touch with your brand increases, and at one point, you are overwhelmed by incoming messages.

When you have only five devices connected to your WhatsApp Business profile (only one of them can be a phone), answering all customers’ questions is difficult. And once the number of messages rumps up, you’ll probably find it’s impossible.

Plus, there’s no option for assigning conversations to different team members, as there’s no shared team inbox.

2. WhatsApp Broadcasts Limited to 256 #

If you plan to use the WhatsApp Business app for a campaign, you’ll need multiple broadcast lists due to a 256-user limit per list—for example, four lists for 1000 people.

However, expanding your reach further, even to a million, becomes difficult. Importing contacts isn’t straightforward; you must either sync phone contacts—risking data protection issues—or manually add numbers one by one, a tedious task if your contacts are in Excel or from Shopify.

Moreover, your broadcast will only be received by users who have your number saved. Adding to the inconvenience, the app lacks detailed analytics, leaving you in the dark about the engagement metrics of your messages. This brings us to the following drawback:

3. Only Basic Analytics #

Marketers rely on the results of previous campaigns when they plan and develop future marketing activities. Without detailed analytics, they don’t get to know which type of messages are best received by their customers, and which types of promotions work and which don’t; they simply can’t know what triggers the audience’s interest to adjust their marketing approach.

The WhatsApp Business app offers only the basic reports:

• Messages Sent: Tracks the total number of messages that have been sent out by the business.
• Messages Delivered: Indicates the number of messages that have been successfully delivered to the recipient’s device.
• Messages Read: Shows how many of the delivered messages were actually read by the recipients.
• Messages Received: Counts the total number of messages received from customers and contacts.

4. No Integration Possibilities #

To grow your business, you must offer your customers smooth and quick communication. This includes always knowing what the last point of the conversation was and what information was exchanged. Today, no company can expect customer retention without a CRM to track all this.

However, the WhatsApp Business app does not enable an interface here, so any conversations you had with your customers remain entirely isolated on the app. You’d have to do it manually if you want to transfer information from chats into your CRM system.

5. Limited Automation Options #

The WhatsApp Business app offers only basic automation features. You can set up and automatically send Welcome messages, schedule Away messages to be sent outside business hours, assign a unique ’tag’ to messages for quickly responding to frequently asked queries, and that’s about it.

The potential of chatbots and customer support automation on WhatsApp is not even remotely possible with the WhatsApp Business app.

6. Data Protection is Not Guaranteed #

The app automatically reads all saved contacts and their phone numbers stored in your phone. This can cause data protection issues and suspend your business account, or WhatsApp can remove your access to its Business Products altogether.

Grow Your Business with WhatsApp Business API #

As your business grows and you start feeling the constraints of the WhatsApp Business app, it might be time to consider transitioning to the WhatsApp Business API. Outgrowing the app is a natural progression if you are expanding your customer base and need more robust features to manage their communications effectively.

The difference between the WhatsApp Business app and the WhatsApp Business API is that the platform is designed for businesses that require advanced functionalities not available in the app. This includes having a larger team managing customer interactions, WhatsApp integration with CRM systems, or automating customer communications on a larger scale.

Making the move to the WhatsApp Business API can seem like a big step, but it’s a sign that your business is thriving and ready to take on more sophisticated communication challenges without being held back by the limitations of the WhatsApp Business app.

Conclusion #

The WhatsApp Business app is a valuable tool for micro-businesses and entrepreneurs who want to improve their customer engagement and communication processes. With business features such as a business profile, product catalogs, labels for chat organization, automated messages, quick replies, broadcast messages, and accessibility on the web & desktop, the WhatsApp Business app offers a wide range of possibilities for businesses to maintain effective communication with their customers.

Despite its limitations, including restricted collaboration tools, broadcast limits, basic analytics, lack of CRM integration, and limited automation, the app remains a handy tool for businesses that are not ready yet to upgrade to using the WhatsApp Business API.

Frequently Asked Questions #

About the author

Miodrag Magyar

Miodrag brings over 15 years of hands-on experience in content writing and marketing, with a talent for making even the trickiest topics clear and interesting. His passion lies in guiding businesses to effectively utilize WhatsApp to build stronger customer relationships and drive results. With an eye for detail and a heart for storytelling, he’s here to show how effective WhatsApp communication can boost sales and enhance customer engagement.

@Miodrag Magyar on LinkedIn