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WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging services in the world, but its owner Meta (formerly Facebook) hasn’t figured out how to make a lot of money out of it. Now the company has a new feature that could change that.
Meta announced that it is rolling out the WhatsApp Cloud API to all businesses worldwide, which has been in beta testing since November. The functionality allows businesses to integrate WhatsApp messages from customers or clients into their back-end systems. For example, someone could send a message to a local computer repair shop about their broken laptop, which could then be automatically added to the shop’s task system, and someone from the shop could send a message with responses about the repair.
Importantly, Meta will charge companies to use cloud APIs, which is part of the company’s long-term goal of monetizing the app without inconveniencing users. Meta attempted to place ads on the app a few years ago, causing one of WhatsApp’s co-founders to leave the company in 2018. Meta reportedly stopped placing ads on WhatsApp in late 2019.
The good news is that as long as companies are willing to pay for chat tools, WhatsApp probably it still works the same for normal people. Plans are always changing, but at the moment Meta has no (public) intention to put Facebook or Instagram ads on WhatsApp.
This new business product is not completely new, it is just a cloud version of the WhatsApp Business API, which was also a paid product for businesses. However, Meta hopes more groups will use the new cloud option, as it runs entirely on Meta’s servers (companies don’t have to host their own) and can supposedly be set up in minutes.
WhatApp’s new business tools are also useful for customers. Businesses can use it to set up automated quick responses, welcome messages, FAQs, distance messages, and other options. At a minimum, it should give you a slightly better experience than an automated customer support phone call.
Source: TechCrunch
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