WhatsApp offers two options for business use: the Business App and the Business API. Which one is right for you depends mostly on the size of your business. The WhatsApp Business App is an out-of-the-box solution built for small businesses. It offers a set of built-in business features, but its main limitation is that it only allows for one user. So it doesn’t work for professional service teams. The WhatsApp Business API was built for larger businesses with professional customer communication teams. It’s scalable and allows businesses to flexibly connect to solutions like Userlike.

You can directly answer your WhatsApp contacts within 24 hours following their last message. If you want to message them outside of this 24-hour period, you have to use a pre-approved message template. Like all messages, templates are free of charge. You can easily create and manage them within Userlike.

Verified WhatsApp Business accounts have a green checkmark badge in the profile and chat header. This shows that WhatsApp has verified that an account is owned by the brands it claims to be. Unfortunately, businesses have no control over whether their WhatsApp Business account will be verified or not. WhatsApp checks and decides on this based on a variety of factors, most importantly whether it concerns a “reputable brand”. So if you’re working for a well-known company, then your WhatsApp Business account will likely get a verified badge soon after setup.

It’s currently not possible to send WhatsApp messages in bulk to multiple contacts or groups with Userlike. But we will introduce a Campaigns feature soon so you can also send newsletters to your contacts via WhatsApp.

The use of automation (i.e. chatbots) is allowed during the customer service window after a customer sends you a message, as long as the chatbot offers an easy escalation option to human support reps. You can use Userlike’s chatbot infrastructure for this.

Yes. The WhatsApp Business API’s secure setup enables companies to use WhatsApp in their customer communication. WhatsApp messages are encrypted, which means that third parties can’t read them – making this solution more secure than a conventional email.

To use the WhatsApp Business API, you need to connect it to a business solution like Userlike. Both WhatsApp and Userlike messages are encrypted. But because the two systems must be connected, it can’t be called “end-to-end encrypted.” It is, however, GDPR-compliant.

Userlike’s servers are located in Germany in a GDPR-compliant setup. No access for third parties.

With Userlike, you get access to one WhatsApp channel in the Team plan. If you want to use more than one channel (i.e. more than one number), it is best to talk to our support team. With our Flex plan, we can offer a setup tailored to your requirements.

The WhatsApp channel is included from the Team plan and the first 1,000 conversations per month are free. After that, WhatsApp charges a fee for every conversation. Conversations last 24 hours with no limit to the number of messages exchanged.