How to Choose a Business Solution Provider (BSP)

When choosing a Business Solution Provider (BSP), you need to ask yourself several questions:

  • What’s your messaging volume? Different BSP pricing models are suitable for different messaging volumes.
  • What is your budget? In WhatsApp Business Platform Cost, there’s more information on how much it can cost you to use the API for customer communications.
  • What WhatsApp features do you need? Not all BSPs provide the same features of WhatsApp Business Platform/API, including different message types. To learn more about the types of WhatsApp messages, please check Messaging.
  • Are you a first-time user of WhatsApp Business Platform/API, or are you switching from one provider to another? Some providers allow you to switch, while others don’t. Some make it difficult for businesses to switch away from them by expecting them to buy a phone number from them and not allowing to migrate the number.
  • Do you already have a phone number you’d like to use, or are you open to getting a new one? Some providers allow you to bring your phone number. Others need you to buy a phone number from them.
  • What kind of support do you need? Some BSPs provide personalized support with phone numbers and guaranteed response time. While others have a ticketing system or are available via email only.

Differences Between the Business Solution Providers (BSPs)

Below are some of the differences between the BSPs that a business must consider when choosing one:

BSPs have different pricing models.

Some BSPs charge you according to your messaging volume; per message sent and received or a fee per x number of messages. Such BSPs are suitable for businesses with low or unpredictable messaging volumes.

Others charge a fixed monthly fee per user or team, regardless of your messaging volume, making them cost-effective for businesses with a high volume of messaging.

There are three main pricing models that BSPs have:

  • Fixed monthly rate
  • Per-message fee
  • Per message bundle

Fixed Monthly Rate

Some BSPs charge you a fixed monthly rate regardless of the number of agents/seats and your messaging volume. If you have a high messaging volume, such BSPs could be a cost-effective option for your business.

One such BSP is 360dialog. They have three public pricing plans:

API only (starting €49)

A suitable starting point for most businesses.

Professional €99

Same as the API-only package, with premium customer support.

Enterprise (starting €200)

Best for large companies with ultra-high bandwidth.

Rasayel’s partner price (US$15)

If you choose 360dialog as your BSP and Rasayel as your WhatsApp inbox, the cost of 360dialog is reduced to $15 per month. This is regardless of the number of messages you send and receive or the number of team members you have. Please WhatsApp us at +13024070488 or email us at support@rasayel.io for more information on this.

Per-message Fee

You are charged for every message you send and receive from customers. This pricing model is suitable for businesses with low or unpredictable messaging volumes. MessageBird and Twilio are two BSPs that charge 0.005 USD for each message your send and receive.

Per Message Bundle

They charge you a fee for a specific number of messages you send and receive. For example, they charge 5 USD for 500 messages.

Some BSPs lack a few WhatsApp Business Platform/API features.

Each BSP must create the infrastructure to host the WhatsApp Business API on their server. As a result, some of the original features and experiences of WhatsApp Business API may not be supported. Before selecting a BSP, you need to know what features of the API (such as message types) you need so that you choose the BSP that provides them. To see the messaging types and categories of WhatsApp Business API, see Messaging.

Meta allows businesses to switch providers while keeping their WABA and phone numbers; however, some providers make it difficult for businesses to switch away from them.

The time taken to create a WABA with different BSPs can differ greatly.

With some providers, it takes less than 15 minutes, while with others, you need up to 4 weeks to get an account. You should aim to start your WABA application process as early as possible if it takes your provider a long time to give you access to the API.

Some providers don’t let you use a phone number of your choice.

There are providers that require you to buy a phone number from them to be able to create an account. Others are open to creating an account for you with any phone number that you bring.

With some providers, you can see your messaging logs and history.

BSPs can provide you with different logs, such as reports of your messaging history, delivery errors, messaging volume, or logs for developers.