As of April this year, WhatsApp had over 2.4 BILLION unique active users worldwide with over 100 billion messages sent daily! Setting up a WhatsApp account for your organization is certainly a no-brainer if you want to achieve greater customer engagement.

When Meta released the WhatsApp Business API on May 19th, our 3CX developer wizards got to work immediately. It was clear that this channel of communication would be a huge addition for many organizations no matter their size.

But why not simply use the WhatsApp Business app?

WhatsApp Business has many limitations which are easily overcome by using 3CX. This article highlights the WhatsApp integration features and how it compares to using the standalone application.

How easy is it to set up?

3CX Web Client - Add WhatsApp

Downloading the WhatsApp Business application from the app store is easy, as we are all used to installing an app. The 3CX API integration is a little more involved but the steps are all fully documented in the WhatsApp integration guide. By spending half an hour getting the WhatsApp business platform API integration set up, your organization will benefit from so many additional features that it certainly is time well spent.

Enabling multiple devices for agent responses

Use WhatsApp Business on other devices

WhatsApp Business

WhatsApp Business limits the number of devices that can be connected to 5. This is made up of 1 physical device that has the app installed and then 4 other browsers that are linked by scanning the QR code. For any SMB or Enterprise, this device limit and provisioning process is going to be a major stumbling block.

Imagine the example of an organization with a distributed workforce, which is not that uncommon these days. To get WhatsApp Business set up on 4 other agents' browsers, they would likely have to send a picture of the QR code to the admin with the physical device so that they can authenticate the browser.

3CX API integration

The difference couldn't be greater. By integrating 3CX using the WhatsApp Business API, you can allow an UNLIMITED number of agents access to replying to messages. Having a distributed workforce is not an issue. When a new user is set up with a 3CX account, they receive a welcome email to log into the 3CX Web Client. That means that no matter where they are in the world or what time zone they work, there are zero barriers to getting set up.

Agent ownership & chat management

WhatsApp Business

Short and to the point. There is none. When a message is delivered, it is similar to a group chat. There is no mechanism for a specific agent to take ownership of a chat conversation. Customer support could become cumbersome.

3CX API integration

3CX Web Client - Take chat ownership

The power of the API integration into 3CX really comes into its own for agent ownership helping to deliver great customer service. Incoming messages can be delivered to a single agent or a group of agents with no number limit. For example, a contact center of 500 agents could all receive the above message.

3CX Web Client - Chat ownership assignment for messaging

Administrators can choose to have agents manually ‘Take’ the WhatsApp conversation using the highlighted button or auto-assign the conversation to the agent who responds first. Once the conversation is taken or assigned, only the agent can respond. But what happens when the agent who has taken the conversation needs to escalate the conversation to another agent? No problem.

3CX Web Client - Transfer or resolve WhatsApp conversations

Using the ‘Transfer’ button (1), an agent can easily transfer the conversation to another agent. Once the conversation is transferred, the new agent receives the full chat transcript so that they do not need to ask the same questions again.

Once a conversation has been successfully completed and the customer is happy, use the ‘Dealt with’ button (2) to keep the conversation panel clear and archive the chat.

Quick response templates

Quick response templates are a powerful feature to speed up agent replies so they need to be, as the name suggests, quick to access and send.

WhatsApp Business

3CX Web Client - Quick Replies

Custom quick replies can be set up but they are not filterable, meaning that an agent could actually take longer to find a quick reply instead of just typing it manually.

3CX API integration

3CX Web Client - Quick Replies New Enquiry

3CX’s Quick Response templates are fully customizable and can be sorted into many separate categories (e.g New Enquiry & Admin) and 15 different languages.

Quick Responses Template - Add template text

To make the message templates more personal, placeholders can be used so that the template automatically updates the greeting. This will save the agent further time and also boost the customer experience.

Message delivery

WhatsApp Business

WhatsApp Chats - Error Message

If you are using a web browser linked to a physical device, there could be an instance where a message is not delivered and the error message shown above is displayed. According to WhatsApp’s help center:

At times, you might see the above message on your linked device in place of a message you sent or received. Due to end-to-end encryption, you might need to wait for the message to arrive on your linked device. This can happen if you or the person you're chatting with recently reinstalled WhatsApp or are on an older version.

To speed up the process:

  • Check your phone to see the message.
  • Ask the person you're messaging to open WhatsApp on their phone.
  • Make sure you’re both on the latest version of WhatsApp.

Needless to say, this could be very problematic.

3CX API integration

Answering WhatsApp messages

On the contrary, 3CX gets WhatsApp messages delivered every time, with no tie to a physical phone device to check messages. You can answer WhatsApp messages from any 3CX client including mobile apps, Web Client, and desktop applications for Windows and macOS.

So what's the bottom line?

WhatsApp Business 3CX API integration
Ease of setup Quick and easy to download and set up via a device app store. Adding additional browsers can be problematic No coding or developer knowledge required. Setup in 15-20 mins
Device limits Must have 1 physical handset. Can add up to 4 additional browsers via QR code scanning Unlimited
Agent ownership None. It's like one big group chat Send chat messages to groups of agents who can take ownership of a chat and transfer the conversation to another agent if needed
Quick response templates Supported but limited Admins can create unlimited templates and set up easy filtering for agents to find the correct message quickly
Message Delivery Heavy reliance on using the single physical handset to check messages No tie to physical devices. Messages are delivered easily

A WhatsApp Business profile is a fantastic addition to your organization's communication channels no matter the size. The stats outlined in the introduction attest to that. Whether you are a small business with a couple of agents replying to messages, or a large enterprise with hundreds, the WhatsApp 3CX API integration feature set makes it a no-brainer.

Check out our WhatsApp integration guide and start reaping the benefits today.