The WhatsApp Business app
The WhatsApp Business app is the free application you install on a phone. It was made for a small business that answers its customers from that phone, and it brings some extras compared with the personal app, such as a business profile, a catalog and quick replies.
It works well while one person, or a very small group, answers from one phone. The limits show when the volume grows: the conversations live on a device, the number of people who can use the same number at once is small, and the history is hard to share with the rest of the company.
The WhatsApp Business Platform (API)
The WhatsApp Business Platform, usually called the API, does not come as an app on a phone. A company reaches it through an approved provider, and the conversations appear inside a system. That is what lets several people answer from the same number, each one with a name and a role.
Because the messages go through a system, they can also be connected to other tools: a customer record, an agenda, a payment or a report. The price of this is more setup, an approval step with the provider and rules about how and when you may send messages.
The 24 hour window and the message templates
On the API, the customer service window is the period of 24 hours that starts with the last message the customer sent you. While it is open, you can answer with free text. Each new message from the customer opens a new window.
When the window is closed, or when you want to start the conversation, you need a message template: a text with a fixed structure that Meta has approved beforehand. Templates are meant for notices, reminders and similar uses, and each one has a category that can affect how it is charged and what it may say.
Opt-in, fees and the rules that change
Before you send messages to people who did not write to you first, you need their permission, known as opt-in. Keep a record of when and how each person agreed, and make it easy for them to stop receiving messages.
The fees and the policies of the platform are set by Meta, and the provider you choose may add its own charges for access or for the system. Both can change over time. Do not rely on a figure you read in an article, including this one: ask the provider for the current values and read the current rules of Meta before you plan the cost.
How to choose between the two
There is no single right answer. Think about who answers, how many conversations you have and what you need to connect, and then choose the simplest option that covers it. Moving from the app to the API later is possible, but it is a change of setup, so it is better to plan it than to be forced into it.
- The app tends to fit one small team, one phone and a low volume of conversations
- The API tends to fit several people answering together, a need for history and reports, or a connection with other systems
- If you send notices or reminders first, check the templates, the opt-in and the cost before you start
- Ask the provider what happens to your number and your history if you change provider or go back to the app
How Verbum helps
Verbum connects WhatsApp Business with the other channels in one inbox, so WhatsApp, Instagram and e-mail appear on the same screen, with the AI suggesting the reply and a person approving it. Availability depends on the approval of the WhatsApp Business provider, on the setup of the workspace and on the messaging policies that apply, and provider fees and channel restrictions may apply separately.
Talk to the team about your number, your volume and the way you answer today, and check the channels page for what is available now.