# Respond.io | #1 AI-Powered Customer Conversation Management Software ## [Overview](https://respond.io/) **Respond.io's Conversation-Led Growth™ Framework** The only customer conversation platform with 8 years of market leadership, enabling businesses to Capture, Convert and Retain customers across the complete customer journey. Trusted by Meta and TikTok for early feature access, respond.io delivers the quickest ROI in the market with enterprise-grade security and 99.999% uptime. **Unified Inbox for All Conversations** Every conversation, from anywhere, consolidated into one powerful platform. Connect every channel including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, TikTok, email, website chat, and more - ensuring no lead or customer inquiry is ever missed. --- ## [Capture Leads](https://respond.io/capture-leads) **Transform clicks, comments and DMs into leads with purpose-built tools for every channel** ### Capture from Website Make it easy for leads to reach out with chat links and widgets, buttons and integrated lead forms - Embedded chat widgets for real-time website engagement - Lead forms that integrate directly into conversations - Website visitor tracking and engagement tools ### Capture from Facebook Get Facebook users to start messaging you with chat links from your profile, comment replies, Facebook Live and more - Meta Click-to-Chat Ads integration - Automated private replies to comments and posts - Facebook Live chat engagement tools ### Capture from Instagram Get Instagram users to start messaging you via chat links in IG stories, auto replies and DM buttons - Instagram Story link integration - Automated DM responses to engagement - Bio link optimization for lead capture ### Capture from TikTok Get TikTok users to start messaging you via DMs, bio links and TikTok Live - TikTok Messaging Ads connection - Bio link integration for instant messaging - Live stream engagement tools ### Capture from Offline Sources Funnel offline leads into your contact list from on-ground events, billboards, physical stores and beyond - QR code generation for physical marketing - Event lead collection tools - In-store customer engagement solutions --- ## [Convert Leads](https://respond.io/convert-leads) **The first to act gets the sale — automate routine processes and prioritize high-value chats to beat competitors** ### Lead Qualification Qualify leads automatically and block spam to focus on high-quality prospects - Automated lead scoring and qualification - Spam filtering and protection - Intelligent lead prioritization ### Response AI and Automation Respond to chats fast by answering inquiries instantly with automatic replies - AI-powered response suggestions and drafts - Conversational AI for handling repetitive inquiries - Intelligent routing based on conversation content - Canned responses for common questions ### Appointment and Meeting Booking Automate bookings so leads can schedule appointments 24/7 when interest peaks - 24/7 automated scheduling capabilities - Calendar integration and availability management - Meeting reminders and follow-up automation ### Lead Distribution Assign leads to the agents based on availability or expertise for quicker resolution - Intelligent lead routing algorithms - Skills-based assignment systems - Real-time agent availability tracking - Load balancing for optimal distribution --- ## [Retain Customers](https://respond.io/retain-customers) **Reengage customers with timely broadcasts on any channel so they remember you when they're ready to buy again** ### Send Promotions and Newsletters Keep customers excited with personalized offers and updates that drive loyalty - Multi-channel broadcast messaging (SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, LINE, Viber) - Personalized content based on customer history - Campaign performance tracking and analytics - Optimal timing and frequency optimization ### Send Renewal or Other Reminders Notify customers of expiring subscriptions or annual appointments to build trust and prompt action - Automated subscription renewal notifications - Appointment reminder systems - Service renewal campaigns - Time-sensitive offer alerts ### Send Surveys Over Chat Skip the emails and links — send text-based surveys that feel like real conversations and get instant feedback right in your inbox - Conversational survey experiences - Real-time feedback collection - In-chat response tracking - Automated follow-up based on responses --- ## [Channels and Integrations](https://respond.io/integrations) **Capture, sync and manage leads easily across all your favorite tools** ### Messaging Channels - **WhatsApp Business**: Full API integration with Business messaging - **Facebook Messenger**: Complete conversation management - **Instagram Direct**: Seamless DM handling - **TikTok Messaging**: Direct integration with TikTok platform - **Telegram**: Full messaging capabilities - **LINE**: Complete messaging support - **Viber**: Business messaging integration - **SMS**: Text messaging integration - **Email**: Full email conversation management ### CRM Integrations - **HubSpot**: Field mapping and automatic contact sync - **Salesforce**: Complete CRM integration with deal tracking - **Pipedrive**: Lead management and pipeline updates - **ActiveCampaign**: Marketing automation sync ### E-commerce Platforms - **Shopify**: Order tracking and customer support integration - **WooCommerce**: Complete e-commerce messaging support ### Productivity Tools - **Zapier**: Access to 5,000+ app integrations - **Google Sheets**: Automatic data synchronization - **Slack**: Team notifications and workflow integration ### Developer Resources - **API Access**: Comprehensive developer API for custom integrations - **Webhook Support**: Real-time data synchronization - **Custom Workflow Builder**: Advanced automation capabilities --- ## [Pricing](https://respond.io/pricing) **Plans Built to Scale Your Business** ### Starter Plan - $79/month Perfect for small teams getting started: - 5 users included - Team & Custom Inboxes - Mobile App access - Respond AI: AI Prompt and AI Assist - Basic Reports and analytics - Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) - Growth Widgets for lead capture - Unlimited monthly active contacts ### Growth Plan - $159/month Enhanced features for growing businesses: - 1,000 Monthly Active Contacts included - Broadcast messaging capabilities - Basic workflow automation - Advanced reporting and analytics - Additional team collaboration tools ### Advanced Plan - $279/month Comprehensive solution for established businesses: - 1,000 Monthly Active Contacts with flexible scaling - Advanced workflows and automation - Advanced reports and detailed analytics - Additional integrations and API access - Priority customer support - Custom workflow builder ### Enterprise Plan - Custom Pricing Tailored solutions for large organizations: - Custom Monthly Active Contact limits - Dedicated account management - Advanced security and compliance - Custom integrations and API development - SLA guarantees and priority support - White-label options available **Flexible Pricing Benefits:** - Pay only for contacts you actively communicate with - Free 7-day trial available - No setup fees or hidden charges - Annual billing discounts available --- ## Resources ### [Contact Us](https://respond.io/contact) **24/5 Live Support & 24/7 AI Support** Get expert assistance when you need it with comprehensive support coverage and dedicated account management for Enterprise clients. ### [Video Guides](https://respond.io/video-tutorials) **Master Business Messaging from Industry Experts** Comprehensive video tutorials and training materials to help you build stronger customer connections and optimize your messaging strategies. ### [Developer Hub](https://developers.respond.io/) **Complete Technical Documentation** Comprehensive guides and API documentation to help developers integrate and customize respond.io for their specific business needs: - API Reference and documentation - Webhook integration guides - Custom workflow development - SDK and libraries - Code samples and tutorials ### Tools #### [WhatsApp Pricing Calculator](https://respond.io/whatsapp-pricing-calculator) **Calculate Your WhatsApp Business Messaging and Calling Costs** Interactive tool to estimate your WhatsApp Business API costs based on your messaging volume and usage patterns. #### [WhatsApp Link Generator](https://respond.io/whatsapp-link-generator) **Create WhatsApp Links Instantly** Generate click-to-chat WhatsApp links for your marketing campaigns, website integration, and customer communication needs. #### [WhatsApp QR Code Generator](https://respond.io/whatsapp-qr-code-generator) **Create WhatsApp QR Codes** Generate QR codes that directly connect customers to your WhatsApp Business conversations for offline marketing and in-store experiences. --- # Customer Stories ## [80% Decrease in First Response Time: How respond.io Transformed E4CC's Customer Support](https:/respond.io/customers/how-e4cc-consolidated-22-siloed-regional-offices-on-one-platform) E4CC offers English language training to Latin Americans looking to secure jobs in call centers. In addition to grammar and vocabulary, it teaches employable skills such as sales, customer service and technical support. The business has 22 branches in four countries, as well as an online service for international students and the English4Kids arm for school-aged children. ### The Problem As E4CC continued to scale, it struggled to get a clear picture of overall performance as its businesses across Central and South America were operating in silos. It also needed to revamp its conversational support methods as resolution times were too high. For both, E4CC needed a solution that it could implement across the region.‍ ### The respond.io Solution E4CC had been working with a local SaaS provider but approached respond.io to see if a more effective strategy could be developed. The following solutions were implemented. #### Regional Operations were De-siloed for Easy Management All contacts, channels and conversations for operations across Latin America were consolidated on respond.io for a single source of truth and seamless contact management. Operation efficiency of the online education service increased as agents now have inter-country access to sales and support channels for international students. Meanwhile, managers can monitor agent load and performance in real-time from anywhere. A comprehensive reporting and analytics stack allows them to filter data to pick up on any anomalies and set team and individual agent KPIs (key performance indicators). #### Sales and Support Channels were Analyzed and Adjusted Initially, E4CC relied on Facebook, utilizing a global Facebook Page and individual country Pages for all customer communication. However, resolution times for support cases were prolonged due to slow customer responses. Recognizing the effectiveness of its Facebook click-to-chat ad campaigns as the primary driver of new student sign-ups, E4CC, after consulting with respond.io, decided to retain the channel for sales use. They then integrated WhatsApp via a [respond.io partner](https://rspd.link/get_waba_360dialog), transitioning support to WhatsApp, [the preferred messaging app in Latin America](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-9). This strategy allowed E4CC to maintain its high-traffic advertisements and simultaneously optimize both customer acquisition and support. Now, agents are not only able to respond to inquiries but also can send the first message using personalized templates or broadcasts to update students about their classes or accounts. #### 3x Faster Chat Routing Agents used to assist contacts as they moved through the sales funnel. Respond.io enabled agents to segment contacts with tags and use [Workflows automation](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations) to reduce manual intervention in the sales journey via automated messages and [chat routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio#toc-mobile-0). The support funnel was similarly automated. Instead of personally alerting an agent or team about specific support requests, respond.io assisted E4CC in implementing a precise routing system with a menu of support functions. Customers merely select a support function and are [automatically assigned to an agent](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) in the right team. > Respond.io has revamped the way we operate at E4CC and the results speak for themselves. One of the things we really want to highlight is the support we receive from our Customer Success Manager at respond.io. Our journey with the team so far has not only been productive, but also a very pleasant one! – Luis Castillo, E4CC ### Results After uniting operations across the region on a single platform, E4CC noticed an immediate improvement in operation efficiency, contact management and communication speed and quality. The implementation of routing logic, for instance, has dramatically decreased first response time by 80%. Choosing the right channels for conversational sales and conversational support also improved engagement, with support agents reporting faster resolutions over WhatsApp. The ease of integrating channels encouraged E4CC to connect Instagram and Telegram as secondary channels for sales and support respectively. E4CC is now keen to explore voice calls on respond.io to truly unify all customer communication on one platform. ## [Automating 40% of Its Tasks, Moj for Creators Boosts Resolution Time By 94%](https:/respond.io/customers/how-moj-for-creators-supports-200k-creators-in-15-languages) Moj for Creators is a training program by Indian video sharing service Moj. It equips selected video creators with the tools and skills to become Moj influencers through technical and creative courses, coaching and mentorship. The brand also runs trend workshops and advanced courses for established creators. ### The Problem As a fast-growing brand, Moj for Creators needed to enable reliable communication with creators as quickly as possible. Its chosen platform had to work at scale and support multiple teams as well as reach a massive, multilingual audience spread across India. In addition to supporting 1:1 conversations in several local languages, it wanted to segment groups of audiences and send tailored broadcasts. It also needed to supervise its outsourced agents remotely. In the long term, the brand planned to automate most of its processes for greater efficiency and reduced dependency on human agents.‍ ### The respond.io Solution Moj for Creators surveyed several solution providers in the market. It chose respond.io as its setup was relatively straightforward and agents could quickly start talking to creators. #### WhatsApp API was Connected to a Central Inbox As the [most popular messaging app in India](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-8), WhatsApp was the natural choice for a communication channel. Moj for Creators connected [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) with respond.io’s inbox so [multiple teams](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) of agents could initiate and reply to conversations. This includes 15 teams providing support to 200,000 creators in 15 languages — all from a single WhatsApp number. #### Routine Tasks across Operations were Automated While features like [canned responses](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/snippets) increase conversation efficiency, the sheer volume of daily conversations was hard to handle manually. Moj for Creators used respond.io’s [Workflows automation builder](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflows-overview) to automate several processes and phases in the creators’ journey. This includes an entirely automated onboarding process, [chat routing](https://help.respond.io/l/en/convert-leads/how-to-route-contacts-by-their-preferred-language) by language and program stage, round-robin [assignment to an available agent](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) and [support escalation](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management). Through [HTTP requests](https://respond.io/blog/february-2022-release-new-workflows-steps-new-navigation-and-messaging-module-design-custom-channel-integration-and-bits-and-bobs#toc-mobile-4), the brand is able to integrate Google Sheets for data recording when necessary. #### Creators were Segmented for Promotional Messaging and Notifications Moj for Creators [categorizes](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts/contact-details#tags) creators by language, content genre, location and stage in the program, among others. This allows it to segment creators for broadcasts to promote events such as genre-specific workshops or send bulk updates for certain courses. The brand also regularly runs trend challenges and uses [Variables](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) and HTTP Requests to notify the winners. #### Agents could be Supervised Remotely and Assigned KPIs As it outsources its support, Moj for Creators needs visibility over agents’ conversations with creators and their outcomes. Respond.io enabled managers to supervise ongoing conversations, [step in to guide agents](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts/contact-activity?_ga=2.228577880.417049847.1666333100-363328488.1646196266#comments) if they need help and track metrics such as first response times and resolution times through the [analytics component](https://help.respond.io/l/en/support-use-case/reporting-for-support?_ga=2.223386206.417049847.1666333100-363328488.1646196266). The brand now sets key performance indicators (KPIs) to reduce resolution times further and improve support quality. > “Respond.io quickly improved our performance and we still have yet to realize the full potential of the platform. At the speed we’re going, this is sure to happen. Workflows was a revolution for us. Ultimately, we want to reduce our dependency on agents and automate most communication, unless it’s sensitive or urgent. We believe respond.io will let us do this swiftly and at scale.” — Romel Raj Krishna, Associate Manager for Moj for Creators ### The Results As Moj for Creators works with emerging and successful talents alike, it needs to be able to support the entire creator lifecycle and build long-term relationships with its creators over instant messaging. Moj for Creators sends over 20,000 targeted broadcasts per day to keep creators updated about its program and events. By tweaking its strategies with respond.io’s tools, Moj for Creators has reduced support resolution time from 38 hours to under 2 hours — an impressive 94% improvement. Respond.io empowers it to design the exact creator experience it wants with a customizable mix of automation, analytics and human input. The brand has successfully automated 40% of its processes using Workflows for quicker task execution. However, it maintains human agent access for a more personal experience in complex support cases. Want to tailor a similar solution for your company? [Reach out to us](https://respond.io/contact) today. ## [Behind Apna's Success: 30-Minute Resolution Times Unveiled](https:/respond.io/customers/breaking-down-apna-success-30-minute-resolution-times-unveiled) Apna, formally known as Apnatime Tech Pvt Ltd, acts as a vital link between recruiters and job seekers, serving a diverse clientele ranging from small enterprises to large corporations. The company takes pride in helping 22 million job seekers secure employment opportunities across 73 cities throughout India.‍ ### The Problem Apna initially provided support through website chat, but this approach had a flaw. Website chat sessions closed when recruiters left the website portal, preventing agents from being able to send them updates. To address this issue, Apna sent recruiters case updates via WhatsApp API on a third-party messaging platform. However, this solution introduced a new problem: The WhatsApp messages weren't visible in the website chat interface so agents could not reference them for context when recruiters brought them up. Moreover, the web chat system didn't keep a record of conversation history, which made it even harder for support agents to obtain context. Lastly, recruiters often accessed the website chat on their mobile phones, but this posed additional challenges. The website chat interface did not facilitate a smooth experience on phone devices, making many simple tasks such as sharing screenshots cumbersome. Consequently, recruiters expressed their preference for two-way communication on WhatsApp. To tackle these challenges, Apna decided to seek an omnichannel support solution, aiming to consolidate website chat and WhatsApp in one platform to provide the necessary context for more effective customer assistance. ### The respond.io Solution After evaluating various choices, Apna opted for respond.io’s [Enterprise plan](https://respond.io/pricing). This decision was solidified by respond.io's comprehensive features, seamless integration with Apna's existing software and its impressive growth trajectory. The following solutions were implemented. #### WhatsApp Business API was Connected as a Channel Integrating [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) with respond.io significantly improved communication with recruiters. WhatsApp’s multimedia capabilities make communication a breeze, and sharing screenshots to provide context is not a hassle anymore. What’s more, now agents can follow up with recruiters whenever needed over WhatsApp, something that wasn’t possible with web chat. By connecting WhatsApp Business API to respond.io, Apna achieved more efficient and satisfactory conversations between recruiters and support agents. #### Messaging Channels were Consolidated in an Omnichannel Inbox. Apna seamlessly integrated WhatsApp Business API and web chat into [respond.io's omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-support) and was pleasantly surprised to find email was a supported channel as well. Realizing the advantages of [streamlined conversation management](https://respond.io/blog/customer-conversation-management), Apna swiftly included email in its omnichannel strategy. Apna's new omnichannel approach not only improved its operations but also positioned it for future growth. With the ability to handle multiple communication channels in a centralized inbox, Apna is now set to more effectively manage a growing user base and meet increasing demands for its services, as well as scale its teams quickly. #### Comprehensive Customer Profiles and Conversation Histories Provide Context at a Glance Managing conversations on multiple platforms comes with a major challenge: Recruiter profiles and chat histories are siloed. This makes gaining context difficult. At the click of a button, Apna’s support team can now [merge contact profiles](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) and conversation histories across channels, creating a single customer story. In addition, Apna has access to ample customer context in the [respond.io Messages Module](https://help.respond.io/messages/messages-overview). When a recruiter contacts the company, support agents can see past interactions over different messaging channels in a single conversation thread. With first-hand access to customer context like never before, Apna’s support team is not only able to resolve cases more quickly but is also able to give more informed and personalized assistance. > *Respond.io provided a scalable, flexible and reliable chat solution during our hyper-growth stage, allowing us to support thousands of recruiters daily. Its advanced technology facilitates stable and efficient conversations with our team, which enables recruiters to optimize their recruitment processes and inspires confidence in our platform.* — Zoyeb Batliwala, Director of Employer Success at Apna. ### The Results Apna's partnership with respond.io transformed its communication strategy with recruiters and yielded remarkable results. By integrating WhatsApp Business API, web chat and email into a unified omnichannel inbox, Apna significantly improved its customer experience. The metrics speak volumes. Now equipped with context, Apna’s support team achieved an impressive first response time of under 5 minutes for 80% of its customers, demonstrating a commitment to swift and attentive customer service. Resolution times under 30 minutes for 80% of customers highlight Apna's ability to efficiently address user inquiries and concerns. Most notably, a customer satisfaction rate that exceeds 80% is a testament to Apna's successful adoption of respond.io's tools and its ability to meet and exceed customer expectations. This underscores the positive impact of streamlined communication for customer support in the field of talent recruitment. ## [Bella Piel Received an Award For Elevating Customer Experience In Latin America By Cutting Down Response Time By 37%](https:/respond.io/customers/how-bella-piel-slashed-messaging-costs-by-95-percent) Bella Piel is a Colombian skincare solutions provider founded in 2004. Customers purchase products at its 63 outlets nationwide or via its website, which averages over 16,000 visitors monthly. Their outlets offer personalized product recommendations according to the customer's skin type and feature an Experience Chair where clients learn first-hand how to use their products. These complement its digital endeavors and are in line with its focus on providing customers with memorable experiences, even in places where the brand isn’t physically present. At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bella Piel knew it had to embrace an omnichannel communication strategy. It aimed to replicate the same level of service on its digital channels, website and Instagram.‍ ### The Problem Bella Piel had been using WhatsApp and Facebook to communicate with customers, but needed to create a seamless omnichannel strategy from the inside out. As an extension of that, it wanted to develop a single brand voice to communicate with customers. It was also important to Bella Piel that it retains the structure of its sales and regional support teams and enable managers to supervise conversations and agents remotely. Finally, managers wanted to generate monthly performance metrics for analysis as the brand believes what is not measured can’t be controlled, and what isn’t controlled can’t be improved. ### Solutions by respond.io and Attention To create a scalable sales and customer support infrastructure over instant messaging, Bella Piel decided to work with respond.io and its implementation partner, Attention. The following solutions were implemented. #### All Communication Channels Integrated on One Platform All Bella Piel's instant messaging channels, including Facebook and WhatsApp, were integrated into one respond.io Workspace. Web chat was also added to its website to work seamlessly alongside other channels as part of its omnichannel strategy. Previously, agents had to switch between WhatsApp Business App and Facebook Inbox to attend to customers. Now, communication channels are centralized in one shared inbox where all agents can attend to customers based on their needs or location. This also allowed Bella Piel to easily audit agents’ conversations and standardize its brand voice and messaging. #### Regional Routing was Automated with Workflows Bella Piel previously managed several Facebook and WhatsApp accounts so that teams could handle communications for their specific regions. However, having multiple branded accounts was confusing for customers. Using respond.io’s [Workflows](/blog/inbound-conversations) automation, Bella Piel was able to [route customers](/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) to their respective regional teams without having to maintain multiple accounts. This dramatically improved the customer experience as getting in touch with a local agent was seamless. #### Agent Performance and Customer Satisfaction Monitored Remotely Initially, managers were not able to determine the load or performance of individual agents as its solution back then did not include an analytics component. By moving over to respond.io, Bella Piel now has the tools for daily agent supervision and long-term analytics. Via the supervisor dashboard, managers can ensure agents are online and review their conversations in real-time. Managers are also able to step in at critical times to steer conversations in the right direction or provide guidance to agents. In addition to day-to-day improvements, comprehensive analytics and reporting allow managers to review KPIs at every level of their operations, including by region, team or agent. #### Messaging Spend Slashed by 95% When it required a solution to scale its instant messaging activities, Bella Piel partnered with a local WhatsApp provider. This resulted in a high monthly cost just for WhatsApp messaging. This figure was drastically reduced by migrating to respond.io’s [recommended WhatsApp Partner, 360dialog](/blog/360dialog-whatsapp-integration). Even after taking into account Facebook’s new pricing model, Bella Piel is spending much less than it did with its former WhatsApp Business Service Provider. > “In a time of crisis, Bella Piel saw light in the darkness and spotted an opportunity. Our approach during Covid-19 accelerated our growth by 5 to 10 years. Getting here wasn’t easy, but today we are certain that we made the best decision by choosing to work with respond.io. The company not only understood our main objectives, but also developed specific solutions for us that addressed our current goals, as well as Bella Piel’s prospects for the future.” — Daniela González, omnichannel communication manager at Bella Piel > “We couldn’t be happier working with respond.io. The team is extremely responsive with efficient and cost-effective solutions that have drastically improved operations and reduced our messaging costs. We especially like how personalized our Workflows are to our use cases. Thanks to solutions like these which are easy to implement and run, we recently won a customer experience award for eCommerce in Latin America!” — Ferney Beltran, product specialist at Attention ### Results By centralizing communication on an omnichannel platform, respond.io allowed Bella Piel to improve its client experience through the creation of a single brand voice and high-quality service and support, no matter the channel or region. Providing managers with detailed analytics allowed them to balance agent loads and share best practices from the most successful agents across the teams to further increase performance. This improvement was perceived internally and externally and directly contributed to Bella Piel’s regional customer experience award. Their success so far has prompted Bella Piel and Attention to proceed with further improvements to their implementation by connecting a PBX phone system as a channel on respond.io. ## [Cutting ShareChat's Resolution Time In Half: respond.io's Automation Does The Trick!](https:/respond.io/customers/how-sharechat-for-creators-supports-50k-creators-in-15-languages-on-whatsapp) ShareChat for Creators is the creator program arm of Indian social media giant ShareChat. It helps selected high-performing content creators and aggregators improve their content and views through educational sessions and daily engagement campaigns. The program has 50,000 creators sharing content with over 180 million monthly active users on ShareChat. ### The problem ShareChat is India’s largest native social media app. To compete with globally popular social media apps in the country, it relies on high-quality original and aggregated content. Its creator program is therefore critical to audience engagement and loyalty. However, handling communication at that scale is a monumental undertaking. Agents were using their personal WhatsApp numbers to talk to creators via 1:1 and group chats without clear rules in place about what to say and how to say it. ShareChat’s priorities were to develop a set of processes to standardize communication methods and messages. It also wanted to enable visibility into these conversations. Ideally, this could all be achieved with a single software or platform. ### The respond.io solution ShareChat subsidiary Moj was using respond.io for its [Moj for Creators](https://respond.io/customers/how-moj-for-creators-supports-200k-creators-in-15-languages) training program. ShareChat for Creators worked with a respond.io Customer Success Manager to tailor a set of business messaging solutions. #### Creator communication was restructured for efficiency First, ShareChat for Creators decided to revamp its communication structure. Its key stakeholders are creators and aggregators who produce content in 15 languages across 9 genres, such as Entertainment, Sports, News, Humor and Lifestyle. It created two Workspaces on respond.io to separate communication for original creators and content aggregators. It then established teams for each genre in every language. Now, 200 in-house agents handle original creators, while 30 agents from an external agency oversee aggregator communication, all on respond.io. As the internal and external teams have autonomous Workspaces, they send any complex inquiries they receive on respond.io as [notifications on Slack](https://respond.io/blog/slack-notification-incoming-webhook) for full visibility, collaboration and alignment between both parties when necessary. #### All WhatsApp communication was unified on a single WhatsApp number Agents were originally chatting with creators and aggregators via their personal WhatsApp numbers. However, the ShareChat for Creators program grew rapidly and soon there were over 200 agents’ phone numbers associated with the brand. Managers had no insights into these interactions. Chat records locked in personal phones also made handovers impossible if agents were away or left the company. ShareChat for Creators connected a [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) account to respond.io for [multiuser access](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users#toc-mobile-7) and onboarded all agents onto the platform. This gave the brand a single [verified WhatsApp number](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick) for credibility. To standardize its messaging, it sends updates to creators via pre-approved [WhatsApp Message Templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message). #### WhatsApp broadcasts replaced WhatsApp Groups for personalized communication at scale To encourage content creation on trending topics for higher engagement, ShareChat for Creators broadcasted daily creator campaigns via in-app messages on ShareChat. It also ran [WhatsApp Groups](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-group) to discuss these campaigns. However, discussions frequently went off-topic and agents had to follow up with creators individually to address concerns they had. Now, mass messaging happens solely via [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast). This allows ShareChat for Creators to communicate at scale while personalizing interactions and addressing individual concerns. It sends an average of 90,000 to 140,000 broadcast messages a day to audiences segmented by genre and language. Data analytics offer insights into broadcast delivery times and errors, while Contact replies are easy to follow up on with respond.io’s [Messages Module](https://help.respond.io/l/en/quick-start/responding-to-messages#messages_module). #### Automation was implemented to lighten the load Agents used to manually answer frequently asked questions such as how to improve content views and engagement. Not only was this tedious, but it also took time away from more important work. To minimize these repetitive tasks, ShareChat for Creators uses respond.io’s [Workflows automation](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) to automatically direct such inquiries to its in-app guide. This increases time spent on the app and leverages an existing and comprehensive resource for creators. Uncommon or more complex inquiries are directed to human agents. Creators and aggregators are identified by their content genre and language, and Workflows automatically [routes them to the right team](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assigns them to an agent](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio). #### Visibility into conversations was enabled for accountability Consolidating all creator and aggregator communication on one platform enabled full conversation transparency. For the first time, managers could evaluate agents’ performance on a team and individual basis, from the content of all interactions to response and resolution times. This compelled agents to be more accountable for communication outcomes. In addition to peer collaboration over Slack for complex inquiries, managers can also [step in](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts/contact-activity#comments) and guide conversations on respond.io in real time if necessary. > “Prior to using respond.io, our communication structure was rather chaotic and we had to rely on agents’ personal reports to gauge their progress. Respond.io introduced communication and performance transparency to our workflow. Its user interface is friendly and the flexibility of its automation caters easily to our use cases. Finally, it's helping us improve creator communication, and therefore their results, at the pace and scale we had in mind.” — Kuldeep Modh, Strategy and Operations Manager at ShareChat ### The results Narrowing its point of contact to a single WhatsApp number and standardizing its messaging enabled ShareChat for Creators to develop a strong brand identity and voice. As the content scene becomes more competitive and the program continues to scale, this consistency will inspire trust among creators and aggregators. Automating common responses allows agents to focus on high-priority inquiries, lowering the average first response time from 23 hours to 18 hours and the resolution time from 31 hours to 17 hours. Meanwhile, switching broadcasts to WhatsApp ensures creators and aggregators are [more likely to see them](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business#toc-mobile-1) as it’s the most popular messaging channel in India. Conversions of inactive creators to active creators rose from 2% over in-app messages to 14% over WhatsApp broadcasts. Following this success, ShareChat for Creators is building a Customer Management System that can be [integrated with respond.io](https://respond.io/integrations) for smoother creator management. ## [Diskat Automates Sales with AI Agents for an 80% Conversion Rate](https:/respond.io/customers/diskat-maintains-80-percent-conversion-rate-with-ai-agents) Diskat is a Guatemala-based e-commerce retailer offering affordable consumer products, from electronics and gadgets to household and lighting items, through its online store[.](https://diskatguate.com/) The business runs successful social media ads and gets hundreds of orders daily via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and TikTok. ### The problem: Fragmented data and manual effort Handling a massive inventory of products and high volumes of messages across multiple channels and software was a challenge. Diskat’s agents spent hours managing chats and repetitive tasks, with customer data scattered between chat apps and the business’s ERP. Because they lacked automation to sync data between conversations and the ERP, agents had to enter every order detail manually, leading to delays, errors and inefficiency. At the same time, Diskat was investing heavily in TikTok ads but faced poor lead quality and spam. Without accurate conversion tracking, ad platforms couldn’t learn which leads became paying customers. The company needed a system to connect sales, automation and advertising in one place. ### The respond.io solution Diskat chose respond.io as the best solution for an end-to-end automation framework that unified sales operations, marketing analytics and ERP integration. Respond.io’s Customer Success team worked closely with Diskat’s CEO to build a system that automated responses while connecting conversations to orders and orders to ad conversions. #### Sync customer order data with ERP The first step was to integrate respond.io with Diskat’s ERP so orders made through chat would automatically update the internal system. Diskat created custom fields within respond.io including name, phone number, product and price that would be saved as structured data. Once captured, the structured data was sent to the ERP using [API](https://respond.io/help/integrations/developer-api) and [Webhooks](https://respond.io/help/integrations/webhooks), enabling automatic order creation. This removed the need for manual entry and ensured every confirmed sale over chat was instantly and accurately reflected in inventory and accounting systems. #### Optimize ad targeting with Meta’s CAPI and TikTok Lower Funnel events To optimize Meta and TikTok ad performance, Diskat connected [Meta’s Conversion API (CAPI) to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/l/en/retain-customers/how-to-improve-lead-targeting-and-automatically-send-purchase-events-to-meta-when-a-customer-makes-a-payment), enabling it to target audiences with similar traits as customers who made a purchase. Respond.io’s [TikTok Lower Funnel Events Workflow](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/step-send-tiktok-lower-funnel-event) serves a similar purpose, sending conversion data to TikTok. The conversion APIs were connected with respond.io’s [Lifecycle feature](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle), so that changing a contact’s stage to “New Order” triggered conversion events for both Meta and TikTok. This setup gave the ad platforms real-time data about buyers who made purchases to improve audience targeting and reduce wasted ad spend on low-quality leads. #### Automate sales with AI Agent Diky And finally, to relieve Diskat’s agents from the overwhelming tasks of repetitive customer inquiries and data collection, the business deployed an AI Agent named Diky to handle the entire purchase flow from greeting leads to confirming orders. Diky responds instantly to product questions, collects essential customer details such as name, address and phone number, confirms prices and delivery times, and passes the chat to a human agent only for logistics or tracking support. This automation allowed Diskat to maintain fast response times and consistent service quality even at high message volumes. > “Respond.io allowed us to unify and automate our entire sales process, from sales journeys to ad optimization. In addition to halving our operational and marketing costs, AI Agent Diky now manages most of our orders, so our team can focus on growth instead of repetitive work.” > — **Diskat’s CEO** ### The results Within two months of implementation, Diskat completely transformed its sales operations. **90% of all sales conversations are now handled end-to-end by AI** Agent Diky, drastically reducing manual workload and response times. And the AI agents have proven to be effective in closing sales: Diskat **maintains an 81.4% conversion rate** and as the number of customers coming in multiplies, its revenue is expected to continue to rise as well. Additionally, by improving conversion tracking through CAPI and TikTok Lower Funnel Events, Diskat **cut marketing and operational costs in half** without sacrificing performance. With unified automation across platforms, sales and marketing, Diskat now operates a leaner, smarter and far more scalable conversational commerce engine. Ready to see exponential sales growth for your own business? [Contact us for a free consultation](https://respond.io/demo) today! ## [Ferreteria EPA C.A. Increased Sales By 20% Using Qualification Workflows](https:/respond.io/customers/how-ferreteria-epa-ca-increased-sales-conversions-by-20) Ferretería EPA C.A. is a Venezuelan hardware retail chain with a wide range of product categories including electrical products, plumbing and masonry. Its targets are businesses and individual consumers. It currently has 16 stores in different cities around Venezuela. ### The Problem In the past, Ferretería EPA C.A. attended to customer inquiries via website chat and WhatsApp, one of the [most popular messaging apps in Venezuela.](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-9) Each agent used their own WhatsApp number, so it was difficult to monitor conversations and collaborate as a team. Primarily, it needed a [WhatsApp solution for multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users). This would help the agents identify customers, collaborate with each other, provide more effective customer service and potentially increase sales.‍ ### The Respond.io Solution After comparing it with other solutions, Ferreteria EPA C.A. decided to choose respond.io for several reasons: Ease of use, competitive pricing, its [omnichannel inbox](https://help.respond.io/l/en/messages/messages-overview) and [automation builder](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflows-overview). With the help of respond.io, the following solutions were implemented. #### WhatsApp API and Website Chat were Connected to an Omnichannel Inbox When compared to website chat, messaging apps like WhatsApp have [more benefits for customer communication](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service#toc-mobile-0). Yet, website chat is a universal way of contacting a business that doesn’t require customers to install any app. Due to the growing popularity of online commerce, it was important for Ferretería EPA C.A. to meet the needs of its increasing online customers through website chat and WhatsApp by enabling more agents to handle conversations. The respond.io team recommended 360dialog as a WhatsApp partner for the activation and management of a [WhatsApp Business API account](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). Ferreteria EPA C.A. has now access to a [WhatsApp API account for multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) for a flat fee. Shortly after, [website chat](https://help.respond.io/l/en/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview) was connected too. Customer conversations are centralized on a single platform by connecting WhatsApp Business API and Website Chat to respond.io. Now conversations are easier to supervise and agents can collaborate in difficult cases. #### Pre Chat Surveys were Implemented to Reduce Agent Workload WhatsApp conversations allow businesses to capture leads automatically as they can save a customer’s phone number. Although website chat is often anonymous, you can overcome this limitation with respond.io. Ferretería EPA C.A. added a respond.io website chat widget to its website. To optimize resolution times, it decided to include a [pre-chat survey](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) that collects key customer data before starting a conversation with an agent. Since there’s no need for so many questions, it saves time for both agents and customers. #### Automation was built to Handle Inbound Conversations Currently, Ferreteria EPA C.A. has 11 customer-facing agents attending to customers through respond.io. These agents are multi-functional and are responsible for answering inquiries as well as registering purchases. Ferreteria EPA C.A. implemented a respond.io Workflow [automation for inbound conversations](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations) to identify conversation purposes. Customers are presented with an interactive [menu of inquiry or purchase options](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot#toc-mobile-6) and are directed to an available agent. #### Catalogs are Distributed en Masse via WhatsApp [WhatsApp API Broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast-0#toc-mobile-5) presents a great opportunity for companies like Ferretería EPA, which has an extensive product catalog. Now, its catalog is not only found in its physical stores but is also sent as a PDF via WhatsApp. While the WhatsApp Business App [is very limiting when it comes to mass messaging](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#toc-mobile-1), WhatsApp Business API allows business to message thousands of users at once. This, coupled with respond.io's [targeting](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts/contact-details#tags) and segmentation capabilities, make it an effective remarketing tool. #### Customer Satisfaction is Assessed with CSAT Surveys Ferretería EPA C.A. has an average of 19,000 messages per month (inbound and outbound) over WhatsApp and web chat. That's a large number of customer interactions, and also a great opportunity to measure how satisfied customers are with its service. Using respond.io Workflows, Ferretería EPA C.A. sends customers a [CSAT survey](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) after their interactions with its agents. Thanks to this, Ferretería EPA C.A. is able to identify its strengths and areas for improvement. > “We were looking for an easy-to-configure tool that could consolidate our different communications channels. Respond.io and 360dialog offered a better proposition than the other solutions, with quick and easy onboarding. In addition, we like the way respond.io has developed over time. They have taken into account proposals from the entire community and implemented them, creating a truly excellent tool.” - Oriana Sanchez, Systems Manager for Ferretería Epa C.A. > “Thus far we have connected seven companies to respond.io including ours. In our particular case, we use respond.io for our support center. We regard respond.io as a smart solution with an easy-to-integrate API, which allows joining multiple messaging channels under a single platform, and building Workflows without programming. Respond.io propels our clients’ businesses, adding value to every customer-company interaction.” – Jose Cruz, Business Development Manager for Intelix Synergy C.A. ### The Results Switching to respond.io brought Ferretería EPA C.A. positive results. For a start, WhatsApp multi-agent access was a game-changer, as now all agents work under the same WhatsApp number, instead of using one phone number per agent. But respond.io benefited the company in other aspects. Contact data enrichment, promotional messages and customer satisfaction were improved with pre-chat surveys, WhatsApp broadcasts and CSAT surveys, respectively. During its time as a respond.io client, Ferretería EPA C.A. increased its number of monthly conversations by 80%. Because conversations are handled efficiently with Workflows, customer base and sales conversions have both grown by 20%. ## [From 36 Hours to Minutes: How respond.io Improved CUHK's First Response Times](https:/respond.io/customers/how-cuhk-handles-98-of-mba-inquiries-with-natural-language-processing) The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a prestigious research university in Hong Kong’s Sha Tin district. It was among the first business schools in Asia to offer a full suite of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) programs. These highly selective programs accept just a few applicants per intake.‍ ### The Problem Applicants for CUHK’s full-time and part-time MBA programs are mostly from Hong Kong, Mainland China, India and other ASEAN countries, regions in which [instant messaging is extremely popular.](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-8) The MBA Programs Office was looking for a way to move inquiries away from email and onto channels popularly used by prospects, specifically [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-3). It also wanted to set up web chat on its website. Most importantly, it wanted to handle common inquiries automatically.‍ ### The Respond.io Solution CUHK alumnus Gerardo Salandra (respond.io co-founder and CEO) was already pioneering a messaging platform that would help businesses shift customer communication from email and phone to instant messaging. The MBA Programs Office signed up for his novel solution in 2017 and was one of respond.io’s earliest customers. It implemented the following strategies. #### Inquiries were shifted from email to instant messengers and web chat CUHK MBA Programs Office was originally handling inquiries via email and [keeping track of contacts and their data was challenging](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-for-customer-service#toc-mobile-0). Email threads are messy to mine for information. Existing prospects who sent a new email were hard to identify as returning contacts. Their emails also lacked the context of previous interactions. CUHK created a Facebook Page for its MBA program and connected Facebook Messenger to respond.io. It also created a respond.io [web chat widget](https://help.respond.io/l/en/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview) on its MBA home page. This allows prospective students to ask questions immediately while browsing through the program’s website. Now, all conversations on both Facebook Messenger and web chat flow into respond.io’s inbox. Respond.io also alerts users if a returning Messenger contact starts a chat on web chat or vice versa. Administrative staff can [merge these conversations into one profile](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) to create a single record of all interactions by the same prospect for full context. #### FAQs were automated to reduce repetitive work About 98% of inquiry emails comprised casual frequently asked questions about the MBA program. CUHK wanted to reduce the time agents spend on answering FAQs. It integrated natural language processing platform [Dialogflow](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dialogflow/dialogflow-overview) with respond.io and created an intuitive chatbot to handle FAQs on Facebook Messenger and web chat. When prospective students send a message, a carousel of inquiry categories opens. Students can select the relevant category or ask a question. The chatbot [processes the inquiry](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dialogflow/dialogflow-managing-intents) and sends an appropriate, comprehensive pre-set response. It then proposes related topics students can click on for more information. Conversations are reflected in real time on respond.io so staff can monitor the chat and respond manually if necessary. #### Lead collection and management were improved Two common issues with web chat are that most web chats allow users to chat anonymously and conversations end as soon as users leave the page. This prevents businesses from collecting users’ contact details, keeping chat records and following up later. CUHK made a [contact form](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) mandatory on its respond.io web chat to capture prospects’ names and email addresses. If they drop off from the conversation by closing the page, CUHK can send a follow-up email. It also integrated its CRM with respond.io to centralize all contact data and conversations on one platform. Contacts created on any channel connected to respond.io are imported into its CRM. This way, it’s able to clearly trace all the communication that took place across the prospect’s MBA journey, from awareness to enrolment. > We’ve been using respond.io for 5 years now and the platform has grown tremendously over time. We haven’t implemented newer tools like Workflows automation but we’re interested in its potential. Right now, one of the features we rely on heavily is the Dashboard, which gives us all the key insights and short and long-term trends we need to help us make decisions. — MBA Marketing and Admissions Team at CUHK. ### The Results First, implementing chat messaging over Facebook Messenger and web chat as part of its communication strategy made it easier for prospects to initiate contact with CUHK’s MBA Programs Office. This increased inquiries by 50% compared to email. Connecting all its channels and its CRM to respond.io then created a single source of contact information for the Programs Office. With the improved ability to identify returning prospects, staff can pick conversations up from where they left off. As almost 98% of prospects’ inquiries are now automatically handled by Dialogflow’s chatbot, the admin team is free to focus on other matters. In fact, the Programs Office now has just a single user on respond.io keeping an eye on prospects’ conversations. Thanks to the chatbot, first response times have improved from 36 hours to within minutes. Buoyed by these results, CUHK’s MBA Programs Office is now considering adding [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) as a new channel to communicate with prospects. ## [GETUTOR Said Goodbye to Sleekflow - and Hello to 24% More Sales](https:/respond.io/customers/sleekflow-alternative-review-by-getutor) [GETUTOR](https://www.getutor.com.hk/en/) is a leading educational consultancy in Hong Kong that matches thousands of students with private tutors. All classes are conducted in students’ homes or online, so the sales process is managed entirely online or over WhatsApp. ### The problem GETUTOR relies on a small team of agents to answer parents’ inquiries and match them with a suitable tutor based on their unique preferences and requirements. With a high volume of inquiries coming in, it was easy to overlook conversations, leading to missed sales opportunities. Jedi Hui, the owner and founder of GETUTOR, wanted a [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) solution to prioritize messages and speed up the booking process with automation. He signed up for an annual subscription to Sleekflow as it promised advanced AI and automation features. Unfortunately, Sleekflow did not live up to expectations. Even setting up a basic WhatsApp template message was impossible after three weeks of failed attempts and slow, unhelpful replies from Sleekflow’s technical support. Automation features were severely limited and the “advanced AI features” it advertised didn’t work. On top of that, he faced steep additional costs after importing the business’ contact list as Sleekflow charges for all stored contacts, not just the ones a business actively communicates with. Hui regretted investing in an annual plan, but decided to cut his losses and look for a functioning solution. ### The respond.io solution Wary after his poor experience with Sleekflow, Hui conducted a thorough search for alternatives. He briefly considered Wati but needed a solution that would guarantee support with onboarding and any issues that might arise after, so he chose to give respond.io a chance based on its reputation. He found the setup and connection process to be a breeze compared to Sleekflow: Sending WhatsApp templates via Workflow automation was possible in a day rather than weeks, and respond.io’s Monthly Active Contact pricing model meant the business didn’t need to pay extra for stored contacts. Respond.io’s onboarding expert, Victoria, then guided him on how to set up and optimize Workflows for more advanced automation to achieve GETUTOR’s business goals. #### Prioritize unanswered leads in a team inbox In the past, 10-20% of leads went unanswered as conversations piled up in the inbox. Conversations had no clear status indicators so those pending follow-ups couldn’t be distinguished. Instead, they were buried under new messages or were just forgotten. With respond.io’s team inbox, agents could see which messages required responses to ensure all were attended to. Agents were trained to close conversations to indicate the outcome so it was easy to see which conversations had been resolved. That meant ongoing open chats were prioritized so no sales opportunities are lost. #### Streamline course booking with automation and AI The course booking process was a manual system of asking questions to determine parents’ requirements for a tutor. GETUTOR did not have an agent assignment system, and handling conversations simply depended on which agent saw the message and had time to respond first. With respond.io’s Workflows automation, GETUTOR implemented an [AI Agent](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-ai-agent) to manage initial inquiries and gather student information and preferences. Then, the AI agent compiles the information and automatically assigns the lead to an available human agent. #### Implement lead management through the entire funnel To better understand the customer journey and why leads convert or drop off, GETUTOR uses respond.io’s [Lifecycle](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) feature. This allows the business to track leads by stages including New Lead, High Interest and Customer, so agents have context on where each contact is in the journey. [Lost Stages categories](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle#getting_started:~:text=a%20paying%20customer.-,Lost%20Stages%3A,-Lost%20Stages%20are) enable the business to see at a glance why a deal has been lost — for example, if the lead was disqualified or lost to a competitor. This helps identify where improvements can be made to close more deals successfully. #### Gain detailed analytics from reports and exported chats GETUTOR takes advantage of respond.io’s advanced reporting features to get in-depth insights and improve the customer experience. Respond.io includes Lifecycle, agent performance, broadcast and conversation reports. With Sleekflow, Hui had anticipated using data import and export for analytics, but lost data due to bugs and unresolved issues. Now, respond.io helps him accomplish everything he had hoped to do. He exports conversations to run customized analyses using AI and improves the tutor matching system to pair students with a tutor that best suits their needs. > *“As CEO of GETUTOR, I found that some of Sleekflow's advertised features didn't operate as expected, and communication with their support team was time-consuming, leading to concerns about our operational smoothness and efficiency. Respond.io’s onboarding is smooth, all vital features are present and the customer support is 24/7. When I need anything, I can always count on them to provide the functions my business needs.”* - Jedi Hui, CEO of GETUTOR ### The results Since switching from Sleekflow to respond.io, GETUTOR has rapidly seen the results it was looking for. By using AI workflows to collect information, **the number of leads the business handles per day has increased by 50%**. From missing 10-20% of opportunities in the past, GETUTOR now responds to every lead in a timely manner. With prompt responses and an improved booking process, conversions are also up. In just **two months, sales increased by 24%**. With Lifecycle tracking, agents get instant context into the customer journey so they can prioritize high intent leads and recognize returning customers to make the right recommendations. The business is continually using analytics to improve and is looking forward to seeing further results based on the insights gained. Most importantly, Hui appreciates being able to rely on respond.io for any support needed along the way. Respond.io is top-rated on G2 for its customer support and delivers faster ROI than Sleekflow, as GETUTOR has seen. Considering a [Sleekflow alternative](https://respond.io/sleekflow-alternative) or ready to try out a conversation management platform for the first time? [Contact us for a free consultation](https://respond.io/demo) today and start seeing the results for yourself. ## [How 800 Storage Achieved 30% More Conversions over WhatsApp](https:/respond.io/customers/how-800-storage-achieved-30-more-conversions-over-whatsapp) Dubai-based 800 Storage owns 15,000 sq ft of storage space for B2B and B2C customers. Storage items include merchandise and products, office furniture, office files and construction materials. Customers typically discover the company via Google ads or referrals and then reach out over WhatsApp or email for a quotation.‍ ### The Problem First, 800 Storage needed better WhatsApp multi-user functionality to handle a high volume of sales and support inquiries. It also wanted to automate conversation routing and assignment. As it uses data from several third-party systems, including its custom-built Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, 800 Storage required a business messaging platform with integration capabilities. Finally, it wanted to monitor its entirely-remote agents.‍ ### The respond.io Solution 800 Storage surveyed a few business messaging solution providers but selected respond.io for its powerful automation. To maximize the platform’s capabilities, it worked with a Customer Success Manager to implement the following solutions. #### WhatsApp was Connected to a Central Messaging Inbox 800 Storage’s sales and support teams had limited multiuser access to [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app), resulting in slow responses to customers. This had a direct impact on business growth. On respond.io’s advice, 800 Storage upgraded to [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) and integrated it with the platform for multi-team access. Since it can now handle a high volume of conversations, it added WhatsApp click-to-chat links to its website to drive more inquiries to the sales team. #### Automated Routing and Assignment were Implemented WhatsApp Business App has no way to identify and route contacts based on who they are (new or returning customers) and what they need (sales or support). These had to be manually determined. Some agents were also carrying heavier loads than others, which led to careless mistakes and slow response and resolution times. Now, [Tags](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts/contact-details#tags) identify customers with active storage space rentals. [Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/november-2021-release-workflows-module-and-send-message-templates-via-messages-api#toc-mobile-0), respond.io’s flagship automation builder, uses these to [automatically route](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) active customers to the support team and new customers to the sales team. It then [assigns](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) them round-robin to agents for equal load distribution. #### Third-Party Systems were Integrated Previously, customers who wanted a quotation would fill in their contact details on a web form. Sales agents would get in touch to find out their storage requirements and manually input the information into the ERP to generate a quote. By integrating its ERP and third-party systems like Dialogflow and Google Sheets with respond.io, 800 Storage can automate processes and data transfer across the platform, its various systems and even WhatsApp. Now, customers fill in their requirements in a web form. Workflows processes the data, sends the quotation to the customer via WhatsApp and assigns an agent to the conversation — all automatically. Thanks to this, 800 Storage believes it has among the fastest quotation times in the market. #### Agents and Conversations are Supervised Remotely and in Real Time As agents are based in another country, managers rely on multiple software for monitoring and performance measurement. They had to switch between platforms or even devices for this. Supervision is crucial for 800 Storage as 70% of customers object to its pricing when they receive the quotes. Agents need to effectively communicate the value of the company’s solution to retain their interest. Through respond.io, managers can supervise conversations and assist with internal comments. They can also view the performance of teams or individual agents using key metrics like response and resolution times from the same platform to pinpoint areas of improvement. > “Respond.io drastically reduced the number of platforms and clicks it takes to get things done through its integrations and automation. I’m positive the latest solutions in the market are being implemented here. Since we started working with a Customer Success Manager, I’ve also received quick and effective solutions to problems. I’m definitely satisfied with the quality of customer care.” – Malek Barghout, CEO of 800 Storage. #### Results Efficiency increased significantly across the board. Multi-team access for WhatsApp and automated routing and assignment cut first response times by 30% to 1 minute and 56 seconds. Automating data transfer between systems also reduced resolution times by 60% to just 5 minutes and 24 seconds. With more balanced workloads and the real-time guidance of managers, agents are more effective at moving leads down the sales funnel, resulting in 30% more conversions. In short, 800 Storage is closing more deals in less time. Following the success of 800 Storage on the platform, CEO Malek Barghout signed up another company, [Colour My Plate](https://respond.io/customers/how-colour-my-plate-revamped-its-sales-operations-for-45-more-conversions), on respond.io.‍ ## [How Automax® achieved 42.5x ROI from WhatsApp broadcasts](https:/respond.io/customers/automax-boosts-roi-from-whatsapp-broadcasts) Automax® is a luxury car dealership located in the United Arab Emirates serving customers around the region, including Saudi Arabia. Its multilingual sales team caters to locals and expats alike, and the business has a large social media following, especially on Instagram and TikTok. ### The problem: Managing WhatsApp conversations at scale Automax®’s social presence generates significant interest and receives high volumes of new leads per month from click-to-chat campaigns. However, operating on the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) limited the team’s ability to scale retargeting campaigns, track ad performance and manage high volumes of responses. Since the WhatsApp Business App limits broadcasts to 256 contacts at a time, the business couldn’t reengage at the volume it needed to. As a result, leads who came in from ads but weren’t ready to buy would go cold and not return. Lead status had to be manually updated and tracked in their CRM, which led to oversights and inconsistent follow-ups. Sales agents also reported time wasted on unqualified inquiries; when thousands of leads arrived in a day, spam or unqualified leads diverted focus from serious buyers. Because contact data collection was inconsistent, agents often had to ask for basic details like language preference and country—both essential for routing and setting expectations. Leads from Saudi Arabia generally required Arabic support, while those in the UAE might prefer English, Arabic or Russian given the large Russian expat community. Not having the option to select an agent who spoke their language slowed conversations and added friction. Finally, there was no after-hours coverage, so valuable prospects who messaged outside business hours waited until the next day or simply dropped off and purchased from a competitor. ### The respond.io solution Automax® adopted [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) with respond.io to improve lead quality, scale broadcast volume and automate processes throughout the customer lifecycle. The business connected respond.io to WhatsApp API, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and TikTok so all conversations, ad replies and broadcasts are managed in a single platform. #### Automatically capture contact data and route leads Respond.io enabled the business to automate language preference and country selection at the start of each chat to route customers to an agent who speaks their language. Recognizing the country also helps distribute agent workload as customers in the UAE are more likely to be bilingual; for example, if an Arabic-speaking agent is not available, the customer may be able to speak to an English-speaking agent. #### Handle after-hours conversations and lead qualification with AI An [AI Agent](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents) greets prospects outside office hours, answers FAQs and gathers key qualification information before handoff to a salesperson. Additionally, by using AI to manage routine questions and filter out poor-fit leads, Automax® keeps human agents focused on serious buyers even during high-volume spikes. #### Send retargeting broadcasts at scale Respond.io enables reliable, high-volume broadcasts, so the business now regularly sends over 80,000 [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) per month. Broadcasts are segmented using respond.io’s Lifecycle tracking feature so leads receive timely follow-ups tailored to where they are in the customer journey. #### Improve ad conversion rates with Meta Conversions API and TikTok Lower Funnel Events To optimize ad performance and attract leads with high conversion potential, Automax® connected [Meta’s Conversion API (CAPI) to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/l/en/retain-customers/how-to-improve-lead-targeting-and-automatically-send-purchase-events-to-meta-when-a-customer-makes-a-payment) to notify Meta of purchase events so that future ads would be shown to audiences with similar traits as those who made a purchase. Respond.io’s [TikTok Lower Funnel Events Workflow](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/step-send-tiktok-lower-funnel-event) serves a similar purpose, sending conversion data to TikTok to improve targeting and ad performance. With cleaner event signals , the team increased conversion rates on both Meta and TikTok while maintaining a steady influx of 6,000 to 8,000 new leads per month. *“With respond.io, WhatsApp became a true performance channel. Multilingual routing and an AI Agent let us handle volume without sacrificing quality, and targeted broadcasts delivered a 42.5x ROI.”* - Naeem Philipe Tabrizi, Marketing Director, Automax® ### The results Since implementing respond.io, Automax® reliably broadcasts **80,000+** targeted WhatsApp messages every month, fueling consistent reengagement. Multilingual routing keeps conversations relevant from the first reply, and respond.io’s AI Agent takes care of lead qualification so reps can prioritize qualified buyers. Most notably, targeted WhatsApp broadcasts achieved a **42.5x ROI** in platform costs, and integrating Lifecycle with Meta CAPI and TikTok Lower Funnel Events delivered **10% more conversions**. By unifying customer data into a single inbox and automating the early stages of every chat, Automax® now handles peak-season conversation surges with confidence while converting more prospects into paying customers. Want to achieve similar results for your business? [Contact us for a free consultation](https://respond.io/demo) today! ## [How Breakthrough Maths Halved Response Times to Boost Sales by 35%](https:/respond.io/customers/breakthrough-maths-boosts-sales-by-35-percent-by-halving-their-lead-response-times) ##### Breakthrough Maths Boosts Sales by 35% by Halving Their Lead Response Times Breakthrough Maths specializes in providing high-quality math coaching and education to students. Operating primarily online in Ireland and the UK, they offer online courses to help students improve their math skills and excel academically. Through personalized instruction and engaging learning materials, Breakthrough Maths aims to make math more accessible and enjoyable for students of all levels. ### The Problem Before integrating respond.io, Breakthrough Maths heavily relied on the WhatsApp app to handle leads. However, this approach posed challenges in scaling up the number of WhatsApp conversations to meet the needs of a growing student base. Also, the absence of a business messaging platform with a centralized inbox made it difficult to organize interactions and follow-ups efficiently. Consequently, this often resulted in delayed customer interactions and potential lead loss, with suboptimal response times averaging 54 minutes. ### The Respond.io Solution Recognizing the need for a scalable solution and a centralized inbox, the business turned to respond.io. The following solutions were implemented. #### Conversation Numbers were Scaled with Respond.io and WhatsApp API As Breakthrough Maths scaled its conversations month by month, the limitations of the WhatsApp app became apparent, prompting a transition to the WhatsApp Business API and a respond.io Business plan. Now, equipped with these tools, the business can efficiently handle up to 3,000 monthly active contacts, with the flexibility to scale even further if necessary. This transition helped Breakthrough Maths process a larger volume of WhatsApp sales inquiries without difficulty. Currently, the business adeptly manages an average of 2,360 monthly incoming messages while upholding lower response times and nurturing leads. #### A Centralized Inbox was Used for Agent Efficiency By centralizing all customer conversations in the respond.io inbox, Breakthrough Maths gained more visibility into chats and fostered collaboration between agents. A new, streamlined process, combined with better oversight, further contributed to the business's communication efficiency. #### Bulk Messaging was Made Possible with WhatsApp API Broadcast Thanks to the WhatsApp API, Breakthrough Maths now sends an average of 12,800 monthly bulk messages, encompassing promotions, transactional messages, notifications and updates. This allowed the business to foster relationships with students on a larger scale, enhancing engagement and nurturing connections. > “Respond.io has improved a lot since last year. I really like it now. There are no delays or interruptions. It's really good!” - TJ Hegarty, founder of Breakthrough Maths. ### The Results Since transitioning to respond.io for scalability, Breakthrough Maths has achieved an impressive reduction in response times, slashing the average from 54 minutes to just 26 minutes—a remarkable 50% decrease. This notable improvement has had a positive ripple effect on sales metrics, with Breakthrough Maths experiencing a substantial 35% increase in sales, bolstered by respond.io's scalability. Moreover, the business has witnessed a 21% rise in lead conversion rates, driven by more efficient and structured communication processes. Finally, with the capability to reach an average of 5,000 leads per broadcast, Breakthrough Maths is primed for sustained growth and continued success. ## [How Colour My Plate Revamped Customer Conversations for 45% More Conversions](https:/respond.io/customers/how-colour-my-plate-revamped-its-sales-operations-for-45-more-conversions) Colour My Plate is a weekly meal subscription service in Dubai specializing in healthy gourmet meal plans. It operates from a central kitchen and delivers throughout the United Arab Emirates. A unique selling point is that its agents are qualified dieticians. They advise customers with dietary or medical restrictions on suitable plans or even customize one for them. ### The Problem First, Colour My Plate needed a scalable business messaging platform that could support an increasing volume of chats and the expansion of its sales and support teams. It was also keen on streamlining interdepartmental communication. Finally, it wanted to supervise agents’ conversations and reduce resolution times for inquiries and issues. ### The respond.io Solution Colour My Plate COO Malek Barghout was using respond.io for [800 Storage](https://respond.io/blog/how-800-storage-achieved-30-more-conversions-over-whatsapp). As he was already familiar with and trusted the platform, he worked with a Customer Success Manager to implement the following solutions for Colour My Plate. #### All Channels and the ERP were Connected to a Central Inbox Colour My Plate upgraded its WhatsApp Business App accounts to WhatsApp API. It then connected WhatsApp API, Instagram and Facebook Messenger to respond.io so chats on all channels flow into one inbox. With multiuser access to all channels, more sales and support agents can be scheduled for shifts. Confident it can now systematically handle a high volume of customer conversations, Colour My Plate added WhatsApp click-to-chat links to its website to drive more inquiries. Finally, agents update and retrieve data on the company’s purpose-built Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system while talking to customers. Colour My Plate integrated its ERP with respond.io so agents no longer have to switch between platforms for this. #### Relevant Teams were Added to the Workspace Daily operations involve the collaboration of five teams. Initially, resolving meal plan customization inquiries was tedious as agents took hours to go back and forth between the kitchen manager and customers. Colour My Plate onboarded all five teams onto respond.io. Agents no longer have to repeat requests or information, which reduces resolution time and room for errors. All teams have access to customer profiles and conversation histories, and can collaborate seamlessly on one platform. #### Conversation Routing and Assignment were Automated When customers make a purchase, the ERP automatically creates a [Tag](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts/contact-details#tags) on respond.io to identify them as active customers. Respond.io’s [Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/november-2021-release-workflows-module-and-send-message-templates-via-messages-api#toc-mobile-0) automation [routes](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) them to the support team and [assigns](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) them to an available agent when they message. Meanwhile, Workflows routes new customers to the sales team. If they require complex nutrition advice, agents can [escalate the conversation](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) to an expert dietician. If agents are unavailable, automated away messages inform customers of an expected response time. #### Customers Could be Segmented for Promotional Broadcasts With Tags, Colour My Plate discovered a surprise benefit: The ability to segment customers for [WhatsApp Broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast). Respond.io’s Broadcast Module allows it to define targeted recipients and schedule or send bulk messages. Aside from informing active subscribers about plans or promotions, these re-engage inactive customers. #### Conversations are Supervised to Improve Accuracy and Outcomes Around 40% of customers reach out to discuss their needs before deciding if they want to proceed with a meal plan. Previously, managers could only review these conversations after they ended and mistakes had been made that negatively affected the outcome. Now, managers have an eagle-eye view of conversations in real-time and can actively supervise chats. They ensure the messaging is accurate and guide agents via internal comments to steer conversations in more favorable directions. > I like that respond.io lets us design the exact workflows we need. For instance, we escalate clients with complex needs so discreetly that customers don’t realize they’re speaking to another dietician. These are high-value clients. Talking about medical conditions can be distressing and we want them to feel comfortable. Working with a Customer Success Manager helped us quickly achieve the customer experience we had in mind. – Malek Barghout, COO of Colour My Plate ### Results Unifying all teams on respond.io allows Colour My Plate to onboard new agents easily as expands. Not only does respond.io support multiuser access for all messaging channels, but managers can also supervise, train and evaluate new agents from one platform. Automated routing and assignment cut first response time from 3 minutes 15 seconds to 1 minute 56 seconds. Even more impressively, better internal collaboration reduced the resolution time for meal plan customizations by 90%, from 180 minutes to just 15 minutes. In essence, agents are able to keep customers interested with quick responses and navigate tough conversations well with supervised interactions. As a result, Colour My Plate now sees 45% more conversions among undecided customers, with many of them subscribing to high-value customized plans. ## [How Contable.app Achieved 30% Higher Customer Retention by Switching to a Shared Inbox](https:/respond.io/customers/how-contableapp-achieved-30-percent-higher-customer-retention-by-switching-to-shared-omnichannel-inbox) Contable.app is a Chilean bookkeeping company that handles accounting for micro-businesses. From its app, clients can manage their invoice payments as well as do their accounting. But that’s not all — Contable.app’s accountants also advise clients on financial and pension-related matters via WhatsApp and Telegram. ### The Problem In the beginning, the Contable.app accountants used their personal WhatsApp app to communicate with customers, which meant there were several phone numbers associated with the business. Accountants had to go back and forth between WhatsApp and other platforms they use to reference and share information with customers. This led to slow response times or worse, forgotten conversations. As these chats took place on accountants’ personal phones, managers had no insights into these issues until they received complaints from customers who expected quicker responses or who were fined for not declaring their taxes on time. Contable.app needed to regain control over its customer communication. It was looking for a way to consolidate its communication channels in a single platform and get visibility into client conversations. Most importantly, it needed to grant its accountants [multiuser access](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) to a shared inbox to provide support through a single point of contact. ### The respond.io Solution Contable.app considered a few business messaging solutions, but not all provided [integrations with WhatsApp API.](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) Eventually, they chose respond.io due to its WhatsApp API integration capabilities, value-for-money proposition and openness to [customer feedback through Canny](https://respond.canny.io/). #### WhatsApp API and Telegram Bot were Connected to a Central Inbox For a start, Contable.app applied for a WhatsApp API account and [connected it to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/whatsapp-cloud-api#connecting_whats_app_cloud_api). While in the past each accountant used their own phone number to chat with clients, now all accountants operate under a single WhatsApp Business Account number. Consolidating all numbers gave Contable.app a single point of contact over WhatsApp. Contable.app also uses Telegram as its secondary channel as the app has a certain degree of popularity in Chile. Therefore, it upgraded its Telegram account to a [Telegram Bot](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-4) and connected it to respond.io to send and receive messages. Occasionally, a customer messages Contable.app from both WhatsApp and Telegram. To ensure they always associate messages with the right client and create a single conversation thread per client, accountants can [merge the same contact](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) on both channels into a unified profile. #### Accountant Assignment was Automated with Workflows Contable.app used to manually assign inbound conversations to its accountants. To reduce first response times and increase customer satisfaction, it set up a respond.io [Workflow](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflows-overview) that [automatically assigns conversations](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to accountants. If the Contact is an existing client, he is immediately assigned to his respective accountant in respond.io. On the other hand, Contacts who don’t have an accountant are automatically assigned to a supervisor. Before using respond.io, accountants had to jump from one platform to another and manually access or input data. Now, they use [HTTP requests](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflow-steps#step_http_request) to retrieve data from their accounting software to see the status of the Contact when they interact with the platform. #### Managers Gained Conversation Visibility and Performance Insights At Contable.app, accountants who advise and educate customers via WhatsApp and Telegram must ensure they are expressing themselves correctly. Failing to communicate concepts clearly could cause customers to miss important deadlines or submit the wrong information. From the respond.io [Dashboard](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting/dashboard), Contable.app managers are able to observe conversations and give feedback to accountants when needed. Formerly, it was not uncommon for accountants to accidentally abandon conversations. Luckily, that’s now a thing of the past, as all customer conversations flow into the same inbox and managers are now able to identify the ones that urgently require a response and follow-up on forgotten conversations. > “I regard respond.io as a young, lively and dynamic company, always innovating and improving its product. Not many platforms I work with update me every few months with new features! Plus, I’ve always loved the possibility to contribute to the product’s direction through Canny. In fact, I’ve requested many features that ended up coming to life.” – Luis Cruz, CEO at Contable.app. ### The Results Centralizing all messaging channels on one platform has given Contable.app managers much-needed control over conversations with customers, as client history is now clear and easily accessible. Contable.app also used Workflows to systematize repetitive company tasks. By integrating its accounting software with respond.io, it secured 40% faster response times, as accountants didn’t need to juggle multiple software anymore. What’s more, customers noticed an improvement in service quality provided by their accountants. Inquiries are now answered in a timely manner, and no conversation is left unattended for extended periods of time. This led to a 30% customer satisfaction increase and a 30% higher retention rate. ## [How EMAX Beauté Streamlined Lead Engagement for 18x More Appointments](https:/respond.io/customers/how-emax-boosts-appointment-bookings) EMAX Beauté is a leading provider of beauty, skincare, haircare and body wellness services, operating under four brands — Beauté Library, Curvena, Venusde and B+ Clinic. With multiple branches around the greater Kuala Lumpur area, EMAX offers a diverse range of treatments and products that it promotes with its wide-reaching social media presence. ### The Problem While EMAX was already doing marketing and sales over multiple chat channels, inefficiencies in lead tracking, spam management, response times and appointment booking were hindering business growth. They were allocating a significant budget to Meta ads and receiving thousands of leads, but the team found it challenging to track which campaigns were working. With limited visibility into lead sources, EMAX found it challenging to accurately evaluate which ads were driving high quality leads, making it difficult to optimize budgets across multiple campaigns and channels But that wasn’t the only problem. A flood of spam leads consumed agents’ time, making it harder to spot and respond to genuine prospects. As response times increased, so did missed opportunities to engage further with prospects. The main objective of the ads was to encourage prospects to book an appointment for a beauty treatment, but the number of conversions was low.. The team identified key challenges in the customer journey — including slow response times, limited visibility into lead sources and manual inefficiencies — and set out to find a solution that could streamline engagement and improve overall conversion workflows. ### The Respond.io Solution EMAX was previously using another WhatsApp Business platform but began exploring alternatives that could offer more advanced integration capabilities, stronger reporting functions such as tracking customer journeys and better scalability to support their evolving business needs. EMAX reached out to respond.io and we provided them with a custom onboarding plan to set them up for success. #### Track Lead Sources with Click to Chat Ad Workflows EMAX began by connecting all its channels from the Venusde hair care and beauty service brand. These included WhatsApp, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and email. Respond.io’s onboarding team helped EMAX’s agents set up Workflow automation so that whenever a lead clicked on a Meta ad, the source of the message would be shown in the inbox. EMAX also began using [TikTok Messaging Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads) as both Venusde and Beauté Library have a sizable TikTok following. These ad responses went directly to the respond.io inbox along with a notification of which ad a lead was replying to, giving agents instant context. EMAX optimized its advertising strategy with clear insights into which ads generated quality leads and which didn’t. #### Reduce Spam and Boost Lead Quality with CAPI and TikTok Lower Funnel Events To reduce spam and attract leads with high conversion potential, EMAX connected [Meta’s Conversion API (CAPI) to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/l/en/retain-customers/how-to-improve-lead-targeting-and-automatically-send-purchase-events-to-meta-when-a-customer-makes-a-payment) to notify Meta of purchase events so that future ads would be shown to audiences with similar traits as those who made a purchase. Respond.io’s [TikTok Lower Funnel Events Workflow](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/step-send-tiktok-lower-funnel-event) serves a similar purpose, sending conversion data to TikTok to improve targeting and ad performance. With these processes in place, ads were targeting higher-quality prospects, and in just two weeks, spam had greatly reduced. #### Identify the Cause of Drop-Offs and Improve Experience Throughout the Funnel with the Lifecycle Feature To better track the customer experience and discover the cause of lost opportunities, EMAX used respond.io’s Lifecycle feature. This allowed agents to tag leads as they came in, for example as New Lead, and change the status as leads progressed through the funnel. These details are visible in the conversation so agents recognize that they should prioritize a New Lead or Hot Lead, while those marked as customers can be targeted for repeat purchases. The number of leads in each stage is also shown on the main respond.io dashboard and in reports so cold and lost leads can be identified to analyze possible causes and make improvements. #### Reduce Response Time with Auto-Assignment, Snippets and AI Prompts Slow responses were a major cause of lost leads, so promptly replying to the high volume of messages across channels was the next challenge. With respond.io, EMAX set up a round robin auto-assignment workflow, so conversations would be assigned to agents in turn, ensuring leads were evenly distributed. With a more manageable workload, agents could respond fast. They quickly adopted the Snippets feature, which enabled them to send canned responses to frequently asked questions with a single click. They’re also taking advantage of [AI prompts](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai#toc-1:~:text=Make%20Every%20Message%20Matter%20with%20AI%20Prompts) to compose quick, personalized replies. #### Streamlining Appointment Booking Respond.io can automate the treatment booking process completely if businesses require it; however, EMAX prefers a human touch, so agents chat with each customer who’s interested in booking a treatment session. With higher quality leads and faster responses, agents are able to engage leads while interest is high, securing more appointments. To streamline the process, agents use [Snippets](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/snippets) for replies on availability and confirmations. They’re even able to collect payment for the treatment directly upon booking by sending a link to the payment platform; the lead then sends a screenshot of the receipt in the chat. The deal is closed in a single conversation! > *"Respond.io strikes a great balance between versatility and technical depth. Much like their namesake, their platform is responsive, fast and clearly built with the customer in mind. What really stands out is the quality of their technical support—it’s not just surface-level AI replies, but genuinely helpful assistance from people who understand the tech. They combine solid sales enablement with real engineering substance. A great product and team to work with!"* - Wilson Lee, CEO of EMAX Beauté ### The Results EMAX has now integrated respond.io into all four of its brands and achieved great success within a few months. Response time has reduced by 75% thanks to automation and a more even workload distribution. After implementing CAPI and TikTok Lower Funnel events, spam has reduced by 60%, so agents can focus on genuine conversations. With enhanced lead source tracking and integration capabilities, EMAX gained greater visibility and operational efficiency across its campaigns. Respond.io played a key role in optimizing high-performing ads, streamlining engagement workflows, enabling the team to respond faster, assign leads more effectively and make more informed marketing decisions The company has seen appointments booked via chat on respond.io increase by 18x. In-chat payment link capabilities also allow for seamless transactions where applicable, resulting in smoother operations and strong business results overall. Want to achieve similar results for your business? [Contact us for a free consultation](https://respond.io/demo) today! ## [How Farmacia La Buena Cut First Response and Resolution Times by Half](https:/respond.io/customers/how-farmacia-la-buena-cut-first-response-and-resolution-times-by-half) Farmacia La Buena is a pharmaceutical and essential healthcare goods provider with 80 outlets in El Salvador. In the beginning, it was a strictly brick-and-mortar business, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused Farmacia La Buena to find new ways to engage with customers, who relied on the company for their medical needs. Thus, it started using WhatsApp for customer communication.‍ ### The Problem At first, the company’s sales and support agents used the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) to chat with customers. Because they all shared a single WhatsApp Business account, it was very limiting — only 5 of its 10 agents could use the app simultaneously. What’s worse, customer conversations were often abandoned or neglected due to a lack of supervision. This negatively affected response times and consequently, customer satisfaction. Farmacia La Buena realized that it needed a more sophisticated [multiagent solution](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) for its customer-facing agents to work with efficiency. ### The respond.io Solution Farmacia La Buena signed up for a respond.io Business plan but quickly upgraded to an [Enterprise plan](https://respond.io/pricing) to enjoy additional features and a dedicated customer success manager. The following solutions were implemented. #### Multiuser Access for WhatsApp Was Enabled First of all, Farmacia La Buena upgraded its WhatsApp account to [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) and [connected it to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/l/en/quick-start/connecting-channels#step_1_connect_a_channel) to allow all of its agents to operate under a single number. Now the company agents are not restricted by WhatsApp Business App’s multiuser limitations and can log in simultaneously into [respond.io’s shared inbox](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-team-inbox). With more agents online, more customers can be attended to at a time and response times immediately decreased. #### New Conversation Entry Points Were Facilitated with an Omnichannel Widget Encouraged by the possibilities of [respond.io](https://respond.io)’s [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication), Farmacia La Buena decided to start using several popular messaging channels to reach as many customers as possible. As most customers get to know Farmacia La Buena through its website, the company decided to add an [omnichannel widget](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) with the following channels: [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-widget), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/add-messenger-to-website), [Instagram DM](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-widget), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/add-telegram-to-website) and website chat. Now customers choose between a range of channel options to start a conversation with the company. For example, those who want to chat over their desktop may not be familiar with [WhatsApp Web](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-web) and could choose website chat or Facebook Messenger instead. #### Repetitive Processes were Streamlined with Advanced Automation Farmacia La Buena now has 25 customer-facing agents utilizing the respond.io platform. To reduce first response times, it used [respond.io’s Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) automation to automate processes and reduce agent load. First, to create a great first impression effortlessly, the company uses a [welcome message Workflow template](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#creating_a_new_workflow_from_a_selected_template) to automatically [greet customers](https://respond.io/blog/live-chat-greeting-examples) who initiate a conversation. Then, customer conversations need to be directed to the proper team. When done manually, [chat routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) is a repetitive, time-consuming process. For efficiency, Farmacia La Buena also built a chat routing Workflow that routes conversations to the sales or support team depending on their needs and [assigns them](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to an available agent. #### Promotions are Sent to Segmented Audiences via WhatsApp One of the disadvantages of [mass messaging with the WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#toc-mobile-1) is a broadcast limit of 256 unique contacts per broadcast list. For a business with thousands of customers across El Salvador, this was a major constraint. WhatsApp API brought new marketing opportunities to Farmacia La Buena. Now, it [broadcasts WhatsApp promotions](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message#toc-mobile-1) to segmented audiences. [Segments](https://help.respond.io/contacts/segments) allow businesses to group customers based on specific criteria such as location, language, or behavior. Once segments are created, businesses can use them to send targeted broadcasts to customers who are most likely to be interested in the message. #### Agent Supervision Became Possible with a Shared Inbox With respond.io’s shared inbox, supervisors now have an eagle eye over the conversations. This allows them to find areas for improvement in the way agents handle customers and ensure agents follow up on all conversations. They can also identify complicated cases and step in when needed. Plus, Farmacia La Buena’s current respond.io plan can be scaled to give access to more agents as business needs grow. > “Respond.io is an innovative company that has boosted our interactions with clients in a way that wouldn’t be possible with other platforms. Now we can broadcast WhatsApp messages at scale, which was impossible before. The vulnerabilities we had in the past are long gone: No more lost conversations and no more agent restrictions.” – Elias Rosa, Business Intelligence Analyst for Farmacia La Buena ### The Results After upgrading to WhatsApp API, the company no longer faces issues derived from multiuser limitations on WhatsApp. With a respond.io Enterprise plan, Farmacia La Buena can rest assured that more agents can be added to the platform as needed for scalability. While increasing its broadcast limits was not the company’s main concern, it soon experienced the effectiveness of broadcasts via the WhatsApp API. Now WhatsApp has become one of its main marketing and remarketing channels with nearly 8,000 targeted [WhatsApp promotional messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-promotional-messages) sent per month. Lastly, respond.io was instrumental in helping Farmacia La Buena enhance its customer experience. By automating its routing strategy with Workflows, the company was able to reduce first response times and resolution times by 50%. ## [How Golden Luxe Enjoys a 20x More Stable Messaging Experience with respond.io](https:/respond.io/customers/how-golden-luxe-enjoys-a-20x-more-stable-messaging-experience-with-respondio) Golden Luxe is an online jewelry store with young Colombians as its main customers. It boasts a solid social media presence on Instagram and Facebook, showcasing its products via elegant photos and videos. While many customers buy directly from its website, Golden Luxe’s thriving social networks are its second sales channel and have proven to be effective at generating conversions too. Customers interested in a product generally contact the brand with purchase intent, and the sale is completed in just a few steps with little input from sales. ### The Problem In the past, Golden Luxe was working with a different messaging solution that wasn’t very reliable. The platform used to crash several times a week, sometimes for hours. Messages would stop coming in, a critical issue for a company that relies on conversational sales and support. The most important thing for Golden Luxe was finding a stable, reliable platform that wouldn’t disappoint its customers or agents. It also wanted to build automation with simple, intuitive user interface and user experience, as that would help route customers to the right team.‍ ### The Respond.io Solution When looking for a messaging platform, Golden Luxe considered several of the available options in the market. It decided to settle with respond.io, which stood out as a feature-rich solution with an [attractive user interface](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting/dashboard). #### Messaging Channels were Centralized in One Platform The respond.io team onboarded Golden Luxe to the platform and helped it connect its customer communication channels: [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [Instagram DM](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) and [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat). With a central omnichannel inbox, Golden Luxe agents sell and provide support from a single platform. In the [Messages Module](https://help.respond.io/l/en/messages/messages-overview), they have access to every customer’s chat history across all the connected messaging channels in one thread. This is made possible with respond.io’s [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) tool. When a customer contacts a business over two or more messaging channels, the platform suggests joining duplicate profiles into one to prevent siloed conversations across different channels. #### A Stable Messaging Experience was Guaranteed with Respond.io As soon as it began using respond.io, Golden Luxe experienced a massive improvement in platform stability; downtimes were extremely rare and all customer messages arrived in the inbox with no issues. This was a pleasant first impression since now the company can rest assured that its sales and customer support are no longer compromised by technical problems. #### Customer Experience was Improved with Respond.io’s Intuitive Platform Before using respond.io, Golden Luxe experimented with automation on a competitor platform to route inbound conversations and pass them to the right team. Unfortunately, its automation was neither intuitive nor user-friendly. Because customers didn’t understand how it operated, they couldn’t trigger the desired response and would drop off when frustrated. The company knew that it needed a better automation builder. Golden Luxe now utilizes [respond.io’s Workflows automation](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflows-overview) to greet and [route customers](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio). After a [welcome message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message), customers can choose between three options on a chat menu: Purchase, track orders and warranties. Based on their choice, they are [routed to a sales or support team](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [automatically assigned](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to an available agent. Golden Luxe noticed that Workflows are really easy to comprehend by the average customer. Now customers only need to press a button on an interactive menu to receive the attention they need from the right team. #### Tags were Used to Identify Returning Customers To identify returning customers, Golden Luxe uses [respond.io Tags](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts/contact-details#tags). These can be automated using Workflows, meaning that Contacts can be automatically labeled or unlabelled with Tags if certain conditions are met. Whenever a Golden Luxe agent enables a sale to a first-time customer and closes the conversation, a *Returning Customer* Tag is automatically assigned to the customer. With this simple method, returning customers are easy to identify and retarget with future promotions. > “Since we switched to respond.io, stability has not been an issue anymore. Plus, the platform is very rich in features compared to our previous messaging platform and to other solution providers in the market. It’s definitely one of the most reliable options.” – Manuel Pérez, General Manager at Golden Luxe. ### The Results Since signing up for respond.io, Golden Luxe reports that it has a 20x more stable messaging experience. While it suffered from weekly platform crashes in the past, respond.io granted almost no platform downtime. This has seen an increase in agent productivity and customer engagement. With a functional messaging platform and Workflows, Golden Luxe is able to secure an average first response time of 5 hours. The messaging experience allows customers to buy and seek assistance without technical problems, encouraging many to return. Thus, the company has a returning customer rate of 17%. Golden Luxe hasn’t stopped exploring all the features that respond.io has to offer. In the future, it intends to retarget existing customers with [WhatsApp Broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast), as they have [higher open rates than email promotions](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing#toc-mobile-1) and can contribute to a higher number of conversions. ## [How H&H Skincare Boosted Its Customer Loyalty to 60%](https:/respond.io/customers/how-hh-skincare-boosted-its-customer-loyalty-to-60-percent) H&H Skincare retails high-quality skincare products in physical retail outlets around Indonesia and in online stores like Shopee, Lazada, and Tokopedia. What sets H&H Skincare apart from the competition is its unique selling point of having 24-hour consultation and support for its customers. The brand prides itself on expert advice and support, ensuring customers use their products correctly and effectively to get the results they want. In addition to chatting with customers over [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) and [Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), H&H Skincare runs a 24-hour livestream on TikTok promoting its products and answering questions. This level of accessibility has helped the business build a loyal customer base.‍ ### The Problem In early 2022, H&H Skincare gained a lot of traction when it opened more channels for customers to communicate with it. More channels meant more opportunities for engagement, which unfortunately led to the company’s first major problem – a bottleneck in its customer service, over WhatsApp in particular. H&H Skincare struggled to keep up with the high volume of inquiries it received daily, overwhelming the single agent it had employed to handle them. Expanding its workforce was necessary, but the WhatsApp Business App, which can only [support up to 4 devices and agents simultaneously](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app#toc-mobile-1), was inadequate. To meet its needs, H&H Skincare upgraded to WhatsApp API, which [supports multiple devices and agents at the same time](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users#toc-mobile-0). Since WhatsApp API requires a third-party platform to send and receive messages, H&H Skincare needed to find a suitable platform. ### The respond.io Solution A satisfied customer who was already using WhatsApp API connected to respond.io recommended the platform to H&H Skincare. H&H Skincare gave the customer conversation management software a shot and hasn’t looked back since. #### Customer Communication Channels were Unified on a Single Platform The respond.io team onboarded H&H Skincare to the platform and helped it [connect all its customer communication channels](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication). This included [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Instagram DM](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) and [Google Business Messages](https://respond.io/blog/google-business-messages). When customers contact a business over multiple messaging channels, it can lead to [siloed conversations](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts#toc-mobile-0) since chats on one channel don’t show up on another. Respond.io’s [Contact Merge feature](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) solves this problem by combining a customer’s chat history and contact details across channels into a unified profile. This improved the agents’ efficiency as they could identify returning customers even if they messaged on a different channel. #### Support Operations were Scaled Up H&H Skincare [scaled up its customer support team from 1 to 15 agents](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-multi-agent) with WhatsApp API via respond.io. Now, agents can respond to customer inquiries promptly, improving the overall customer experience and increasing customer satisfaction. Respond.io's intuitive platform also made it easy for H&H Skincare to quickly onboard and train new agents. Today, H&H Skincare agents are able to efficiently handle the thousands of incoming messages they receive each day. #### Customer Routing Was Automated When H&H Skincare first used respond.io, it relied on its agents to manually tag teammates to assign them to customers. Shortly after, the business used respond.io’s [powerful automation feature](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflows-overview) to welcome customers and get them to select a conversation purpose. Customers had the choice to either contact the clinic, seek customer support, request a consultation or make purchases over WhatsApp. Customers would then be [routed to the relevant team](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) based on their decision. The automated process freed up its agents’ time and enabled them to handle more conversations while on the clock. #### Know Your Customer Surveys Provided Agents with Context Instantly With [automated surveys](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) at the start of a conversation, H&H Skincare could ask for and store critical customer details such as skin type, conditions and status. This streamlined approach equips the agent who responds to the inquiry with relevant information, allowing them to provide personalized and efficient support to the customer. H&H Skincare can use these insights to create personalized [broadcasts](https://help.respond.io/l/en/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) that promote products and services to the right audience. #### Canned Responses were Used to Answer FAQs H&H Skincare now uses [Snippets](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/snippets) to provide canned responses to their customers' frequently asked questions (FAQs). From inquiries about their outlets, products or online stores, agents can answer them with a few clicks, leading to faster response and resolution times. > “We were really struggling to handle the surge in conversations on WhatsApp but the solutions offered by respond.io addressed more than just our initial problem. Respond.io allowed us to scale up our sales and support teams, reply to customers on different channels from one place and speed up communication. Our sales skyrocketed as a result.” — Fikri Bisyir, Co-founder of H&H Skincare ### The Results Since connecting WhatsApp API to respond.io, H&H Skincare has experienced significant improvements in customer engagement and loyalty. It sees 60% of monthly messages from returning customers and a 300% increase in daily new contacts compared to 2022. H&H Skincare also understood the importance of ensuring timely responses to incoming messages. The brand cut down its average first response time from 8 hours to 2.8 hours in a matter of months. Because 75% of H&H Skincare’s sales occur online and most of its customers communicate with them over WhatsApp, the company saw a 160% increase in sales in 6 months! By utilizing WhatsApp API and respond.io, the business expanded its reach, acquired new customers and improved relationships with existing ones. ## [How Homage Achieved a 9% Increase in Care Visit Success with Respond.io Automation](https:/respond.io/customers/how-homage-achieved-a-9-percent-increase-in-care-visit-success-with-respondio-automation) Homage is an award-winning caregiving and health solution that combines trained healthcare professionals with technology to provide on-demand holistic home and community-based care to seniors and adults. This allows them to age and recover with grace, dignity and autonomy. It presently operates in three markets – Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.‍ ### The Problem Homage uses WhatsApp to broadcast outreach messages to healthcare professionals about urgent home visits for clients. The Homage team previously typed out each message manually on the WhatsApp app, which proved to be immensely time-consuming. For greater efficiency, Homage needed an advanced solution to automate these WhatsApp notifications. The solution it chose also needed to support its Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to access up-to-date data when communicating with healthcare professionals or clients. ### The Respond.io Solution After validating that respond.io supported the solutions it had in mind, Homage worked with the respond.io team to implement the below. #### Notifications were Automated via Respond.io API Homage connected a WhatsApp Business API account to respond.io via a third-party Business Solution Provider (BSP). This was the first step in expanding its messaging capabilities and facilitating automation. Then, Homage integrated its CRM with respond.io to retrieve real-time data when seeking the most suitable healthcare professionals for various use cases. With this new setup, it is now able to automate WhatsApp notifications with minimal effort. #### Homage Switched to Respond.io WhatsApp Business API for Better Value Seeking a more cost-effective way of communicating with healthcare professionals, Homage explored alternatives to its WhatsApp Business API solution. They found respond.io's WhatsApp Business API to be an ideal choice, offering the benefits they needed without any additional fees. Using this API also allows Homage to manage its WhatsApp Business Account and access information such as billing from a single platform. #### Data Export and Reports were Leveraged for Granular Conversation Insights Committed to delivering the best care experience, Homage utilizes the granular insights into WhatsApp conversations made possible with respond.io. Managers can view individual conversations or get a big-picture view of the team’s performance at a glanc The Reports Module, equipped with comprehensive filters and visualization tools, also provides valuable data for continual improvement. Finally, the ability to export messages to a CSV file allows for a detailed review and adjustment of failed messages if necessary. #### High-Quality Customer Support was Extended Whenever Needed Finally, Homage highlighted the high level of customer support it experienced with respond.io. The platform offers support 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, with a customer success manager available for Enterprise clients. > *“Upon signing up to respond.io, contacting the customer support team remained exceptionally easy. Special appreciation goes to our dedicated customer success manager, who provided invaluable support. Additionally, other members of the customer support team consistently demonstrated readiness, promptly addressing my queries and efficiently troubleshooting any issues encountered.”* — Product Manager at Homage ### The Results The transition from manual to automated WhatsApp notifications enabled a more agile and efficient outreach process to Homage’s healthcare professionals, significantly saving the team time. Now, Homage spends 50 fewer hours per month on its outreach process. By saving 50 hours a month on outreach using respond.io, Homage could allocate more time and resources towards facilitating successful care visits, resulting in a 9% increase in successful care visit rates. ## [How Innov821 DMCC 2x Its Student Enrollment by Centralizing Communications](https:/respond.io/customers/dalilk-academy-doubles-student-intake) Innov821 DMCC, better known as Dalilk Academy, is an established online English training and exam preparation center. It delivers quality education to late teens and young adults throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, particularly in Saudi Arabia. It attracts prospective students via social media and directs prospects to a WhatsApp number. Sales agents then handle and convert those students. Innov821 DMCC also retargets them via sales promotions or events to increase sales conversion.‍ ### The Problem The company initially managed course inquiries through multiple personal WhatsApp numbers, but this approach led to three major issues. First, it lost potential enrollment from not replying to students on time. Managing multiple numbers made it difficult to keep track of all incoming students and assign them to agents. This resulted in prospective students being overlooked or not responded to on time. Second, Innov821 DMCC struggled to increase the number of enrollments due to the limitations of using personal WhatsApp numbers. It could only broadcast promotions and events to 256 contacts per broadcast list. As it was impractical to send multiple broadcasts over several numbers, they faced a growth bottleneck. Lastly, it was difficult to assess the effectiveness of consultants as their conversations were scattered across multiple numbers and devices. Managers had no visibility over how their teams handled inquiries, making it difficult to assess who was performing well and who needed improvement. As a result, there was an additional loss of sales opportunities. ### The Respond.io Solution To address the issues they faced using multiple personal WhatsApp numbers, Innov821 DMCC turned to respond.io. They wanted to improve their communication needs with students and increase the number of student enrollments. #### A Centralized Inbox That Connects Multiple Agents And Devices Innov821 DMCC transitioned from using multiple personal WhatsApp numbers to a single WhatsApp Business Platform (API) account and moved to respond.io. This streamlined its operations. Instead of managing messages on multiple phones or apps, all student inquiries come into one inbox. It’s easier to keep track of student messages, reducing the loss of potential enrollment. It was also now possible to identify which marketing campaigns students came from and segment them by course interest. This improved the agents’ performance by allowing them to respond immediately with relevant course details, providing a tailored experience for each lead. #### Workflow Automation Builder To Maximize Opportunities For Every Lead By leveraging respond.io’s various automation tools, Innov821 DMCC increased the number of enrolled students. The Workflows chat automation builder enabled it to route and assign students to the right consultants for their needs automatically. The configuration considers agent capacity to ensure agents respond to inquiries in a timely manner, reducing the number of lead drop-offs. #### Broadcasts Were Used to Promote Sales and Events to a Wider Audience Innov821 DMCC also increased the scale of its promotional campaigns by sending promotional and event marketing broadcasts on popular channels like WhatsApp. It could efficiently send targeted messages to the right audience at the right time. For example, it sent automated broadcasts to alert prospects about upcoming seminars. These messages were personalized to each student, depending on their course of interest, and resulted in an increased number of student enrollments. #### Applied Reporting Tools to Monitor and Improve Agent Performance Respond.io’s robust reporting tools effectively addressed the challenges of monitoring and evaluating consultants’ performance at Innov821 DMCC . It gained valuable insights into metrics such as first response and resolution times and identified areas of improvement. Managers were also able to understand peak messaging times, allowing them to optimize the availability of their consultants and align their operations more closely with student behavior. These insights enabled managers to make informed decisions and implement strategies to improve effectiveness in securing enrollments. > Respond.io helped us scale our business and grow at a rapid rate. It reduced the complexity of our operations so that we could answer student inquiries quickly while improving response quality. It was the key leading to our recent successes. - Ahmad Hijazi, Innov821 DMCC ’s Managing Director ### The Results Innov821 DMCC saw significant improvements after using respond.io in its sales and marketing processes, driving enrollment rates. It has sent an average of 1 million monthly broadcast messages, effectively nurturing students into course signups. Meanwhile, automation tools ensure that every inquiry is answered quickly, minimizing the loss of potential opportunities. This combination of targeted broadcasts, automated Workflows and agents responding quickly from a centralized inbox resulted in a staggering 73.2% conversion rate. In short, Innov821 DMCC was able to double its enrollment rates with 730,448 student sign-ups within 7 months. Innov821 DMCC achieved a 100% increase in student intake over 7 months by using insights from the Reports Module. These insights allowed them to optimize their engagement strategies, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions that effectively boosted enrollments. ## [How Kleta Used respond.io to Achieve 100% Subscriber Growth in Just Two Months](https:/respond.io/customers/how-kleta-achieved-100-growth-with-high-quality-customer-service) Kleta is a bicycle subscription service for locals in Barcelona, Valencia and Seville who need a reliable way to get around their cities daily. To secure a great user experience, the mobility startup emphasizes stellar customer service. This includes bicycle personalization, at-home maintenance and repair and replacement services in the event of breakdowns or theft. Customers just have to report an incident and the company immediately works on a resolution. ### The Problem Kleta needed an omnichannel messaging inbox to receive and respond to support requests. It also wanted to use a combination of automation and human agents to attend to customers and ensure customer information was always up-to-date.‍ ### The respond.io Solution Kleta was originally working with a business messaging solutions provider that only could only facilitate chats over WhatsApp. It approached respond.io for a more sophisticated set of tools to offer high-quality omnichannel support as it scaled. #### Support Channels were Centralized on One Platform Kleta was handling customer communication over email and [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), which requires an inbox to send and receive messages. It connected both channels to respond.io when it switched solutions providers. To establish a presence on popular channels in the region, Kleta then started an Instagram account and integrated it with respond.io. This allows it to offer support across multiple channels while agents can respond to customer inquiries and support requests from a single platform. #### Everyday Processes and Customer Data Updates were Automated As 75% of its support requests are incident reports, Kleta wanted to automate predictable tasks. It used respond.io’s automation builder [Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/november-2021-release-workflows-module-and-send-message-templates-via-messages-api#toc-mobile-0) to create Anna, a virtual assistant persona. “She” invites customers to select a support category in Spanish or English from a menu. An [HTTP request](https://respond.io/blog/february-2022-release-new-workflows-steps-new-navigation-and-messaging-module-design-custom-channel-integration-and-bits-and-bobs#toc-mobile-4) in the Workflow obtains and updates customer data from cloud-based data solution Ninox before processing the support request. Several tasks can now be handled autonomously until completion. However, Kleta still provides access to a human agent as a fallback or for more complex requests. #### Access to Human Agent Support was Improved At first, Kleta had a single customer service agent personally answering all support requests on WhatsApp during limited operating hours. This quickly became unfeasible. The Barcelona team expanded and a second team was set up in Venezuela to offer support for extended hours, six days a week. Workflows now [route](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) customers by language and shift and [assign](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) them to available agents. Automation also allows agents to [escalate support cases](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) easily. #### Agent Performance and Customer Satisfaction are Monitored Remotely With a support team spread across two countries, Kleta needed to monitor agent performance remotely and in real-time. Additionally, it could only gauge customer satisfaction through Google reviews. These provide insights into the subscription, riding and overall customer experience but do not show how customers feel about support specifically. On respond.io, managers can supervise conversations and intervene as necessary. The powerful analytics component also enables long-view and granular data on performance metrics for goal-setting. [Conversation summaries](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/closing-notes) help Kleta collect data to improve support handling and build future automation accordingly. Best of all, it also collects customer feedback on both automated and agent support with [Customer Satisfaction](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) (CSAT) surveys after each conversation. > “Respond.io helps us offer the necessary support to retain and attract customers. We doubled our subscribers in two months without compromising on support quality. We are also more data-centric in making decisions now with the insights provided. This is definitely the platform that will allow us to scale and achieve the growth we want to see.” — Diego Casabe, COO of Kleta ### Results Through the right mix of automation and human support, Kleta resolves most issues and gets subscribers back on their bicycles again within 48 hours of an incident. Automated support scores 4.3 out of 5 stars in CSAT ratings. Meanwhile, agent support averages 4.6 stars, with 2 out of 3 customers giving the support team full marks. This consistently high level of customer service increases customer confidence and brand loyalty. As referrals make up a high percentage of customer acquisition, Kleta successfully grew its subscribers by 100% in just two months. Kleta is aiming to triple its subscribers and employees within the year. With respond.io, it can easily onboard more agents and create more sophisticated automation to maintain a superior customer experience as it scales. ## [How Lamarsa Coffee Used Chat Commerce to Boost Sales Across 6 Countries by 50%](https:/respond.io/customers/how-lamarsa-coffee-used-chat-commerce-to-boost-sales-across-6-countries-by-50) Lamarsa Coffee is among Malaysia’s largest coffee equipment retailers, carrying premier brands such as Rocket Espresso, La Marzocco, Mahlkönig and more. It serves B2B and B2C customers from Brunei, Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan and Australia as well as the local market‍ ### The Problem As its business grew, Lamarsa Coffee struggled to handle the flood of sales, order and after-sales inquiries through WhatsApp. It wanted to resolve inquiries efficiently, automate tasks and target the right contacts for broadcasts on the channel. It also wanted to reach customers on other popular messaging channels in its markets and create special access to dedicated salespeople for high-value customers. ### The respond.io Solution When Lamarsa Coffee was searching for a business messaging solutions provider that could streamline customer communication and shorten its sales cycle with automation, a respond.io customer recommended the platform. #### Omnichannel Communication was Centralized Lamarsa Coffee was chatting with customers over WhatsApp Business App. However, limited user access meant only a few agents could handle sales conversations at a time. Respond.io recommended it migrate to [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) and connect it to the platform for greater multiuser access. Lamarsa Coffee also connected Facebook and Instagram as click-to-chat ads on both drive customer acquisition. Then, it created a web chat and WhatsApp click-to-chat links for its website on respond.io to encourage engagement. Instead of switching between messaging platforms and potentially missing messages, agents now have conversations across channels on a single platform. They can also identify returning customers [even if they reach out on another connected channel](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts). #### Routing Strategies for Customers and VIPs were Implemented Previously, agents used to manually determine the nature of inquiries and pass them to the relevant teams. This severely delayed response times and meant Lamarsa Coffee risked losing prospective customers to competitors who responded faster. This is where respond.io’s [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflows-overview) automation comes in. Now, customers select an inquiry category from a menu and Workflows [routes](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) them to the relevant team. Meanwhile, it instantly [assigns](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-0) high-value customers to their dedicated salespersons. If agents are away or busy, automated away messages manage customers’ expectations and assure prospects of a response. #### Customers were Segmented for Precise Broadcast Targeting For the first time, Lamarsa Coffee is able to [easily segment](https://docs.respond.io/contacts/contact-details#tags) imported and new contacts by customer category and other criteria. This lets it send targeted [bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) about promotions, pre-order notifications, shipment updates and more over WhatsApp. Through respond.io, it is even able to broadcast to [certain interested prospects](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-15) who haven’t messaged the company first or added Lamarsa Coffee to their WhatsApp contact list. This way, it can nurture contacts from the start of the sales cycle. #### Conversations are Monitored and Measured for Quality Improvement Agents were initially chatting with customers over their personal phones. Managers had no insights into what they were saying or how long they were taking to respond to customers or resolve conversations. Respond.io enables managers to monitor live conversations and step in to guide agents if necessary. They can also access valuable analytics such as first response and resolution times to hold agents accountable and set performance goals. > “In a short time, respond.io was able to solve problems we’d been facing for years. We signed up for the Enterprise Plan to have a dedicated Customer Success Manager, who helps us make the most of the platform. Customers quickly lose interest when they feel like they are talking to a robot. Respond.io lets us balance automation and the human touch so we can meet customers’ expectations while exceeding our goals.” — Claudia Tan, co-owner of Lamarsa Coffee #### Results Since web and WhatsApp click-to-chat links were added to its website, Lamarsa Coffee has acquired 10x times more leads per quarter. Consolidating all channels on respond.io and adjusting routing and assignment strategies over time have improved first response times by 38% since Lamarsa Coffee began tracking this metric. Resolution strategies are currently in progress. Ultimately, this has translated to 50% more sales from quarter to quarter in less than a year. Lamarsa Coffee credits this success partly to the improved customer acquisition and retention empowered by respond.io. ## [How Qobolak Used Broadcasts to Double Student Lead Conversions](https:/respond.io/customers/how-qobolak-used-broadcasts-to-double-student-lead-conversions) ##### How Qobolak Used Broadcasts to Double Student Lead Conversions Qobolak, an education placement company, plays a pivotal role in linking students in the Gulf Coast Countries, especially Saudi Arabia, with universities in the UK, USA, Europe and Australia. Its services include assistance in submitting university applications, onboarding students in the host countries and assisting with student accommodation.‍ ### The Problem Qobolak faced significant challenges in increasing the number of student leads, monitoring employee performance and managing the complex follow-up processes with students after securing university offers. These issues impacted the number of lead conversions and the quality of student consultation services, both of which are essential for successful student placements. ### The Respond.io Solution Qobolak was searching for solutions that could streamline its communication processes, enhance employee performance monitoring and boost its overall student engagement strategies. It needed a system that could [integrate various communication channels](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) into a single platform, making it easier to manage student interactions efficiently. Moreover, Qobolak sought advanced tools to monitor and improve its team's responsiveness and effectiveness in dealing with student inquiries and follow-ups. This led Qobolak to adopt respond.io's robust functionalities, which promised to optimize service delivery in the educational placement sector by addressing these critical areas. #### Consolidate Multiple Channels into One Unified **Platform** Qobolak previously relied on decentralized and uncoordinated communication methods. It used Facebook Messenger and Instagram DM, and had 20 agents who were using their personal WhatsApp numbers to communicate with students. This led to difficulty in tracking conversations and documents sent by students. Respond.io provided a [centralized communication platform](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-support), consolidating conversations across multiple WhatsApp numbers and channels into one streamlined system. This shift allowed Qobolak to move from using many WhatsApp numbers to just one with WhatsApp API connected to respond.io. The centralized inbox also improved interactions between students and agents, including better organization and tracking of essential documents. #### Comprehensive Monitoring of Agent Performance Previously, there was a lack of visibility into how effectively agents were following up on leads and closing sales, which is crucial in the educational placement sector. Through the [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview), managers can track detailed employee metrics such as the [number of conversations handled](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-conversations), [first response times](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-responses) and [resolution times](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-resolutions). With these in-depth insights, managers can now accurately assess how efficiently each agent responds to students and how successfully agents place them in universities. They can also review individual conversations in detail to spot quality gaps for improved service. This not only improves accountability but also identifies areas for performance enhancement, driving overall team productivity and effectiveness in the education placement market. #### Increase Event Attendance Through Broadcasts Qobolak successfully generates most of its leads at education fairs yet faces challenges in effectively communicating its participation at these events to potential students. Sending [WhatsApp broadcasts via respond.io](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) served as a direct channel to deliver such announcements and updates to a [wide audience](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-whatsapp) efficiently. This new approach has led to significant improvements in event visibility and attendance. Compared to previous education fairs, Qobolak has reached a larger audience more effectively, increasing attendance and overall student engagement to enhance its outreach and impact in the educational placement sector. > “We're thrilled with the transformation in our student engagement and lead conversions since implementing respond.io. It has been a game-changer, streamlining our communication and boosting our team's results so well.” — Waddaa Aboulatta, Qobolak’s Head of IT ### The Results Implementing respond.io significantly enhanced Qobolak's operations. The shift to a single WhatsApp account for student communications improved the company's professional image and allowed for better quality control and follow-up supervision by managers. This strategic change led to more consistent and reliable student interactions, effectively closing gaps in the placement process and reducing potential revenue losses. Additionally, the use of WhatsApp broadcasts proved highly effective. With 49,800 messages sent over eight months, Qobolak significantly increased its lead generation. This resulted in a 95% increase in lead conversions. This approach kept Qobolak at the forefront of students' minds, boosting engagement and rapidly improving lead generation and conversion rates. ## [How Sleek Gained 3x More Qualified Leads over WhatsApp](https:/respond.io/customers/how-sleek-gained-3x-more-qualified-leads-over-whatsapp) Sleek is an [all-in-one digital platform](http://sleek.com/) that provides startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with administrative services like company registration, governance, accounting and tax compliance management. Its founders launched the company in Singapore in 2017 as an antidote to the slow pace of paper-based processes. It enables businesses to digitally and remotely sign legal documents, incorporate companies and file requests to a company secretary 24/7, among others. Sleek has expanded to Hong Kong, Australia and the United Kingdom. ### The Problem To communicate with prospective clients, Sleek incorporated web chat on its website via a service provider. However, agents found the chat interface confusing, which slowed down their response times. Web chat also produced too few high-quality leads. Prospects often faked their contact details and agents wasted too much time trying to follow up with them. As most of its competitors were talking to prospects on WhatsApp, Sleek was keen to try moving sales conversations to WhatsApp instead of using web chat. It needed a messaging platform with a more user-friendly interface. It also wanted a better vetting process to verify contact information and generate more qualified leads.‍ ### The respond.io Solution While searching for a suitable business messaging platform, Sleek’s management came across respond.io’s case studies. They signed up for a respond.io free trial account, tested its use cases on the platform and subscribed to the service for all four markets. #### Private Workspaces were Set Up for Each Market To maintain operational autonomy and privacy, Sleek assigned each market an independent [Workspace](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/managing-a-workspace) or sub-account within the respond.io platform. The sales and business development teams for each country could access their respective Workspace and its messaging inbox. Management and agents alike find respond.io ’s user interface intuitive and easy to navigate. They rate the user experience as significantly better than that of their previous solutions provider. Additionally, respond.io has advanced functionality like chat automation and [customizable inboxes](https://help.respond.io/l/en/messages/custom-inbox). #### WhatsApp API was Connected to Drive Sales Chats and Capture Leads Sleek engaged a [WhatsApp partner](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-1) to set up dedicated [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) accounts for each country and [connected them](https://help.respond.io/l/en/quick-start/connecting-channels) to their respective Workspaces. It then added [WhatsApp chat links](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-for-instagram) and [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code) to its website to drive inquiries. Prospects who click or scan these enter a WhatsApp chat with Sleek’s agents. This ensures automatic and high-quality lead capturing. Prospects tend to use fake email addresses when filling out contact forms on web chat. However, WhatsApp enables businesses to capture contacts’ WhatsApp profile names and authentic phone numbers. Furthermore, web chat requires agents and prospects to be online simultaneously to communicate. Agents also lose chat records if they clear their cookies. WhatsApp allows users to respond when convenient so consultations can take place over time, which is crucial for a complex business like Sleek. A persistent chat history on respond.io ensures agents can refer to previous interactions for context if necessary. #### Chat Routing, FAQs and Away Messages were Automated In Singapore, UK and Australia, Sleek’s default language is English. Sleek Hong Kong, however, communicates in two of the region’s most widely spoken business languages: English and traditional Chinese. Respond.io’s [Workflows chat automation](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflows-overview) makes managing this easier. For the Hong Kong market, a Workflow [routes](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) prospects who click on the WhatsApp chat link to the English or Chinese-speaking teams according to the language they selected for browsing the website. It then [assigns chats round-robin](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-5) to an agent for even lead distribution. Across all markets, most sales inquiries comprise frequently asked questions. Sleek’s agents use [canned responses](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/snippets?_ga=2.233847896.731843357.1671419436-949410458.1671514628) to provide quick and standardized replies to these. Another Workflow sends an out-of-office reply when prospects message after business hours so they are never left hanging. Instead, they receive a [WhatsApp template message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-interactive-message#toc-mobile-3) with a link to a meeting scheduler to book a consultation. #### Conversations and Agent Performance are Monitored and Analyzed Respond.io maintains a permanent record of customer interactions across their lifecycle. This qualitative data helps Sleek track the success of its sales efforts and improve its customer service over time. Additionally, performance metrics such as agent load, first response time and resolution times are monitored in real time. The Reports Module also measures long-term trends such as peak chat hours so managers can make informed decisions about resource allocations. > “Our playground is mainly in the APAC region and respond.io has been an invaluable partner in growing our customer base and relationships here. WhatsApp is an ideal channel for these tech-savvy markets and it has transformed the way we interact with customers. We look forward to strengthening our foothold in the industry with respond.io.” — Adrien Barthel, Co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of Sleek ### The Results Switching its sales conversations over to instant messaging proved to be a tremendous success in Singapore and Hong Kong, where WhatsApp is immensely popular. Sleek noticed that clients tend to maintain relationships over WhatsApp in the long term, even sharing receipts and files for bookkeeping purposes over the channel. The company reports 3.5x more sales inquiries over WhatsApp than it used to have over web chat. Prospects are less likely to drop off as they can instantly chat with agents instead of filling out a contact form first, removing friction from starting a chat. Sleek records 3x more qualified leads now as it acquires authentic contact information. With an intuitive UI and automated chat routing and assignment, agents are able to respond to contacts within 2 to 3 minutes of a message. Quick, high-quality responses from its sales teams have earned Sleek an impressive net promoter score (NPS) of 68%. That said, clients’ enthusiasm for WhatsApp in Australia and the UK is not as high. Sleek is reexamining its strategy and is contemplating adding Facebook Messenger to respond.io as an alternative for both markets. ## [How Speedhome Doubled Its Monthly New Customers and Keeps Them Coming Back](https:/respond.io/customers/how-speedhome-doubled-its-monthly-new-customers) Speedhome is a property rental platform that connects landlords and tenants in Malaysia. Landlords can list their properties on the platform at no cost and tenants can rent homes without paying a deposit upfront, which makes moving more affordable for them. Speedhome acts as an intermediary between landlords and tenants and provides services such as background checks, home renovation and rental payment management to ensure a smooth rental process.‍ ### The Problem Speedhome needed to measure the performance of multiple teams of agents in responding to inquiries and resolving conversations efficiently. However, the company lacked a reliable method to track this information. To address this challenge, Speedhome sought a solution that could accommodate a large number of agents and could provide insights into their performance. In addition to performance tracking, Speedhome required a platform that could support the various channels it used for stakeholder communication. These included [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), a custom channel and messaging channels like [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-business) and [Google Business Messages](https://respond.io/blog/google-business-messages), which the company plans to use in the future. Speedhome also wanted to understand how effective respond.io would be in enhancing its customer experience. ### The respond.io Solution Speedhome experimented with various software options in search of an answer to its problems. Of the many solutions it tried, respond.io stood out as the only software that seamlessly connected all channels during setup. Because the process went so smoothly, it gave Speedhome the confidence to select respond.io as its software of choice. #### Consolidated Customer Communication Channels on a Single Platform With [respond.io](https://respond.io)'s [omnichannel capabilities](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication), Speedhome was able to consolidate all its communication channels onto a single platform, enabling its agents to communicate with customers via WhatsApp and its in-app messaging channel. This not only made it more convenient for Speedhome’s agents to reply to their customers but also future-proofed the company's expansion plans beyond Malaysia, where WhatsApp may not be as widely used. Since respond.io supports popular channels such as LINE and [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), Speedhome can continue to use the platform to communicate effectively with its customers, regardless of their location or preferred communication channel. #### Customer Routing was Automated To replace its system of manually routing customers who contact the company, Speedhome leveraged respond.io’s powerful and flexible [automation builder](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflows-overview) to [route customers](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) according to the nature of their inquiry efficiently. When customers reach out to Speedhome, they can choose a relevant inquiry category from a chat menu such as sales, customer experience, operation support, listing and webinar. They are then automatically directed to the corresponding team and [assigned to an available agent](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio). The customer routing process has enabled the company to better meet its customers' needs by assigning the right agent to them quickly, resulting in [higher customer satisfaction](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) levels. #### Agent Performance Could be Tracked and Analyzed Speedhome faced the challenge of monitoring the performance of 70 agents across 9 teams – a task that was not possible with its previous messaging inbox and would have been unfeasible to track manually. With all its agents working on respond.io, Speedhome could easily measure the performance of its staff. Using the [Reports and Analytics module](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview), team leaders had access to metrics such as the time an agent took to respond to an inquiry or resolve a conversation. As a result, respond.io empowered Speedhome to supervise and analyze its teams' performance effectively. #### Upsold Additional Services Through Promotional Messaging Speedhome recognized the potential of leveraging its existing instant messaging channels to promote additional services. With this goal in mind, the company used respond.io's [Broadcasts Module](https://help.respond.io/l/en/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) to deliver targeted promotional messages and upsell services such as Speedreno (its furnishing and renovation service) and Speedfix (a home maintenance service). This strategic utilization of instant messaging proved highly effective, resulting in a noticeable increase in customer engagement and uptake of these supplementary services. #### Assessed Customer Feedback with CSAT Surveys A month after implementing respond.io, Speedhome wanted to determine the effectiveness of customer communication management software for its operations. The property rental platform conducted a CSAT survey with its customers using the respond.io’s automation tools. The CSAT survey resulted in mostly positive feedback from Speedhome’s customers, validating the positive impact of respond.io on its business. > “Respond.io’s flexible Workflows is a great advantage as it enables us to implement changes and adapt to various situations swiftly. The ability to quickly modify our support Workflow has proven extremely useful. As a result, our response times have significantly decreased and we are now able to promptly address more customer messages in the same amount of time. This feature, along with respond.io’s reliable messaging capabilities allow us to deliver better customer experiences.” – Choong Kwok Ming, Head of Product, Speedhome ### The Results Since adopting respond.io as its customer conversation messaging software, Speedhome has witnessed a remarkable increase in customer engagement and loyalty. The number of monthly returning customers has surged to 56%, while the number of new monthly customers jumped 122% more than they received previously. Additionally, the CSAT survey conducted by Speedhome yielded an impressive 71% score, highlighting the high level of satisfaction among its customers. These positive developments demonstrate how leveraging the power of respond.io has enabled Speedhome to connect with its customers more effectively and build long-lasting relationships. ## [How Sport Center Los Naranjos Gained 20% More Conversions from Sales Inquiries](https:/respond.io/customers/how-sport-center-los-naranjos-gains-20-more-conversions-from-sales-inquiries) Sport Center Los Naranjos is a wellness center in Caracas with facilities such as a gym, swimming pools, hair salon and restaurants. It also has karate, fitness and dance classes, as well as a swimming academy for students of all ages. ### The Problem Sport Center Los Naranjos was handling customer inquiries over multiple channels, especially WhatsApp Business App. However, limited multiuser access on the app meant only a few agents could chat with customers at a time, which delayed responses. To efficiently handle and supervise inquiries, it wanted to integrate its wellness management software with a business messaging solution. This would centralize customer conversations and data, and enable multiuser access to all channels.‍ ### The respond.io Solution To establish customer communication over instant messaging, Sport Center Los Naranjos approached Venezuelan business solutions provider and respond.io partner Optikos.io. They implemented the following solutions. #### Messaging Channels were Connected to a Central Inbox While messaging apps are immensely popular in Venezuela, local restrictions sometimes interrupt service. To guarantee consistent operations, Optikos.io hosts these channels on respond.io. Sport Center Los Naranjos upgraded its [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) to [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) for [better multiuser access](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users). It then connected WhatsApp API, Facebook Messenger and Instagram to respond.io so agents can respond to omnichannel inquiries without switching between messaging apps. To attract customers, Sport Center Los Naranjos runs click-to-Messenger ads. These encourage potential subscribers to immediately find out more or address any concerns they might have with an agent, increasing their chances of converting. #### Teams and Data were Consolidated for a Single Reference Point At Sport Center Los Naranjos, the sales, administration and coordination teams work together on customer cases. Previously, interdepartmental collaboration was tedious as teams were siloed and had to find and share relevant resources manually. To increase efficiency, the center onboarded these teams, or 10 agents collectively, onto respond.io. It also integrated its wellness service software Fitco and Google Sheets with respond.io via [HTTP requests](https://respond.io/blog/february-2022-release-new-workflows-steps-new-navigation-and-messaging-module-design-custom-channel-integration-and-bits-and-bobs#toc-mobile-4) to collect and manage customer data automatically. Now, the teams share a single Workspace to consolidate customer profiles, data and conversations. Agents can retrieve and update data on the same platform while chatting with customers. Shared access to data ensures everyone has the same information, which increases the ability to collaborate among teams seamlessly. #### Automation was Implemented to Handle Inquiries Efficiently The sport center receives over 1,000 inquiries a month. Previously, it had no way to route conversations. Agents read each inquiry and passed them to the correct person for response manually. It needed a method to process these inquiries automatically. Respond.io introduced the center to [Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/november-2021-release-workflows-module-and-send-message-templates-via-messages-api#toc-mobile-0), its flagship automation builder. As most inquiries are predictable or surround the same topics, Sport Center Los Naranjos could [automate frequently asked questions](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service#toc-mobile-6) (FAQs) and responses. However, it still needed to [escalate complex inquiries](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) to a human agent. Workflows [routes](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) these to the sales team and [assigns](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) them to an available agent. The center now uses these conversations as an opportunity to enter customers into a sales funnel. #### Conversations are Monitored to Standardize Messaging As agents were initially working on their personal devices, managers had no insights into what they were saying. By centralizing all customer communication on a single platform, managers now have an eagle-eye view over conversations. They monitor and guide ongoing chats, and can view chat histories to see if the correct conversion strategies are applied. They can also access metrics such as first response and resolution times to ensure agents are performing to expectations. > “It’s important to us that we provide great customer service. This includes being able to be there for clients from the start of their interest in our gym and accompanying them throughout their decision-making process. Respond.io helps us create that experience. The results speak for themselves.” - Ricardo Molina, Director at Sport Center Los Naranjos > “Working with respond.io has been invaluable. With one platform, we can offer clients a contact database, an inbox and automation. It has improved the way they talk to customers and the outcomes of those interactions. As a result, we’re now able to move on to the next phase and develop strategies for higher conversions and even better service.” – Jaime Molina, CEO at Optikos.io. ### Results Centering all teams, customer data and conversations on one platform translates to smoother operations and a better customer experience. Sport Center Los Naranjos has shaved first response times from 20 minutes to 5 minutes and cut down resolution times from 5 minutes to 1 minute for inquiries. Meanwhile, automated FAQs ensure that only serious customers reach the sales team. The team’s lighter load allows them to focus on converting these customers while live guidance from managers helps nudge these conversations in favourable directions. As a result, Sport Center Los Naranjos converts 20% more subscribers from inquiries.‍ ## [How Srikandi Streamlined Communication for 47 Branches and Accelerated Revenue Growth](https:/respond.io/customers/how-srikandi-streamlined-communication-for-47-branches-and-accelerated-revenue-growth) Srikandi is an authorized Mitsubishi Motors dealer in Indonesia, boasting a strong presence with 47 branches nationwide. It offers a wide range of Mitsubishi cars for sale and comprehensive automotive services, including car servicing, body repairs, car rentals and tailored financing options.‍ ### The Problem Each of Srikandi’s 47 branches has its own sales and support department. A major challenge it faced was that agents used their personal phone numbers to communicate with customers via WhatsApp. This decentralized communication led to uneven workload among agents, inconsistent customer experiences across locations and difficulties for managers to monitor conversations. ### The respond.io Solution Srikandi was searching for an effective solution to centralize its customer communication. It wanted customers to contact the business directly rather than individual agents and agents to respond to customer conversations from a single platform. It also needed a platform that could automatically assign conversations to agents for equal workload distribution, as well as provide managers with tools for supervisory oversight, enabling them to monitor and evaluate agents' performance at a glance. Additionally, Srikandi sought capabilities to send broadcasts, aiming to promote its products and services to a broader audience effectively. To address these requirements, Srikandi evaluated four solution providers. It ultimately chose respond.io, drawn by its impressive client base and robust [mobile app](https://help.respond.io/mobile-app) that mirrored the familiarity and convenience agents experienced using WhatsApp on their phones. #### WhatsApp Cloud API and Facebook Messenger were connected to an Omnichannel Platform Srikandi wanted a single official WhatsApp number to be associated with its business, so it adopted one WhatsApp phone number for all 47 branches. This led the company to connect [WhatsApp Cloud API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-cloud-api) to respond.io. Furthermore, to leverage [click-to-chat ads on Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads), respond.io recommended integrating Facebook Messenger too so all customer communication channels were unified in a central location. #### Broadcasts were Leveraged to Promote Products and Services Now that it had the [omnichannel solution](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) it needed, Srikandi faced another problem. Since customers were used to contacting agents on their personal numbers, they rarely contacted the business via its new WhatsApp business phone number. In a strategic move to drive brand awareness and boost engagement, Srikandi began leveraging the power of [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) and respond.io's [segmentation](https://help.respond.io/contacts/segments) capabilities. By sending tailored messages based on [Contacts’ interests](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-details#tags), the company effectively engages its existing leads and customers on its official WhatsApp number. #### Conversations were Routed and Assigned Automatically With all inbound conversations directed to a single place, Srikandi needed an efficient way to assign leads and customers to agents automatically. Using the respond.io [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) automation builder, it [automatically routes](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) leads and customers to their preferred branch and [assigns them](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to a sales or support agent. Additionally, Srikandi wanted each lead to be managed by the same agent throughout their sales journey so agents could provide personalized attention and build relationships and trust. It achieved this through respond.io’s [dedicated agent assignment feature](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/auto-assign-customers#auto_assign_customers_to_a_dedicated_agent). This was also implemented for VIP customers to ensure they receive top-notch customer service from its best agents. #### Managers were Able to Monitor Agents in Real Time Respond.io’s [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) offers managers visibility into agent activities. Managers were able to monitor all ongoing conversations, ensuring agents followed the company's communication standards and guidelines. This oversight allowed for [timely interventions](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity#comments) when needed, assuring consistent and high-quality customer interactions across all branches. > “Respond.io has revolutionized our customer communication landscape. Now, with a single platform, we monitor and manage WhatsApp conversations for sales and support across 47 branches, replacing the scattered mobile records with centralized, efficient oversight.” — C. Lesmana, Srikandi’s IT Director ### The Results Within five months, Srikandi's adoption of respond.io showcased significant improvements. It broadcasted 20,100 promotional messages, leading to a 125% rise in customer conversations. This surge indicates that its broadcast strategy successfully encouraged customers to contact the company via its official WhatsApp number instead of agents’ personal numbers. Respond.io’s automation capabilities efficiently managed the increase in conversations as 88% of them were automatically routed to the right branch and assigned to the right agent. This significantly reduced the risk of overlooking conversations, contributing to a more satisfying customer experience. Best of all, the high number of conversations [led to more conversion opportunities](https://respond.io/blog/customer-conversation-management), contributing to a 23% increase in revenue. This underscores the effectiveness of Srikandi's new communication and engagement strategies, leveraging respond.io for business growth. ## [How TRS.INK Used Viber to Reach 132K Citizens in the Western Balkans' Covid-19 Response](https:/respond.io/customers/how-trs-ink-used-viber-to-reach-132k-citizens-in-covid-19-response) Like many other sectors, hospitals and private insurance companies in the Western Balkans were caught off-guard when the Covid-19 pandemic struck in March 2020. They immediately mobilized service providers across the region for solutions to manage the crisis. IT solutions consultant TRS.INK sought a method for the healthcare sector in the region to systematically handle pandemic-related communication with local populations.‍ ### The Problem Instant messaging was chosen as a more effective medium than email and phone calls for Covid-19 and general healthcare communication as it’s highly scalable yet allows for personalization. Citizens also check messenger inboxes more frequently than email and can refer to saved information at any time. TRS.INK needed a messaging platform that supported all popular instant messaging channels as no official channel for Covid-19 communication had been selected yet. The platform also had to support integration with existing hospital information systems used by public and private hospitals in the region. Finally, it needed to be user-friendly for quick set-up and implementation.‍ ### The Respond.io Solution Few messaging platforms available in the Balkan Peninsula offer a wide range of multichannel connections, therefore limiting channel choices. TRS.INK came across respond.io and developed the following solutions with the support of a Customer Success Manager. #### Viber was Connected to respond.io Local IT service providers were not interested in developing a new messaging solution such as a dedicated app because of the time and complexity involved. Instead, they wanted to leverage existing modes of communication. Viber and WhatsApp were determined to be the most popular channels among the region’s target population of preadolescents to 60-something year-olds. TRS.INK opted for Viber as the official channel for healthcare communication in the region.It easily connected a [Viber Chatbot](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-5) to respond.io to send push notifications, broadcasts or 1:1 messages to contacts as needed. #### Hospitals’ Healthcare Systems were Integrated for Accurate Communication When patients register at a hospital, their name, phone number and other identification details are automatically uploaded onto the hospital’s database and synced with all integrated systems. With respond.io, TRS.INK is able to equip hospitals with the solution to correctly identify patients and ensure they receive the results meant only for them. #### Opt-ins were Automatically Initiated to Enable Communication over Viber Previously, patients physically filled in a contact form at hospital appointments and returned in person to collect their results. During the pandemic, these processes had to be conducted automatically and remotely to reduce the burden on hospital staff and contain the spread of Covid-19. TRS.INK sent each citizen who went to get tested for Covid-19 an SMS with instructions to opt in for Viber communication. Once the opt-in was collected, hospitals could then send relevant updates directly and securely to patients’ Viber accounts. #### PCR Test Results, Vaccine Appointments and More are Sent Automatically Health institutions that implemented this solution were among the first in the region to deliver PCR test results via Viber. Home isolation and medical intervention instructions were also sent over the channel. Once the Covid-19 vaccine was available, Viber’s scope of use was expanded to set up vaccine appointments. Contacts would receive personalized push notifications of proposed appointment slots and had to confirm their acceptance. If they rejected it, they’d receive a survey to select a suitable date and time. After the appointment, a vaccine certificate would be sent to their Viber account for easy retrieval as proof of vaccination. > “Respond.io allowed us to establish a line of communication with patients quickly and effectively during a time of crisis. Launching a dedicated app for Covid-19 communication would have been too slow and expensive, and we foresaw low adoption rates, especially among less tech-savvy audiences. Now that we’re out of crisis mode, we see great potential in respond.io’s solutions for wider use in the healthcare industry and beyond.” — Healthcare Integration Architect and Consultant at TRS.INK. ### The Results Between August 2020 and October 2022, TRS.INK succeeded in reaching more than 132,000 citizens on Viber about their PCR test results or Covid-19 vaccinations. These messages were delivered in the Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian languages. The messages had a 99.9% successful delivery rate on respond.io and reached preadolescents to sexagenarians, evincing the high usage of instant messaging among citizens of all ages. As Covid-19 shifts into the endemic stage, TRS.INK’s use of Viber will evolve accordingly. It aims to provide information about health insurance, enable direct communication with general practitioners and deliver laboratory results and radiological findings over the channel. The IT consultant is also interested in expanding its relationship with respond.io beyond the healthcare sector to the business administration sector. This is easy with the flexibility respond.io offers in the range of instant messaging channels and integrations it supports.‍ ## [How Yoho Centralized 6 Support Channels to Improve Chat Response Times by 84%](https:/respond.io/customers/how-yoho-centralized-6-support-channels-to-improve-chat-response-times-by-84) [Yoho](https://www.yohohongkong.com/) pioneered Hong Kong’s e-commerce landscape when it began selling consumer electronics and home appliances in 2013. Today, it’s among the largest e-commerce platforms in the region in terms of website traffic and online sales in its category. Yoho conquered 5.6% of the market share in 2020/2021 with demand from customers in Hong Kong and mainland China predominantly. The company also has three retail locations in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, which account for 20% of its total sales. Its online-merge-offline (OMO) model expands business opportunities in both markets and offers customers enjoyable shopping experiences in both worlds. ### The Problem Initially, Yoho mostly focused on handling inquiries over web chat, its most popular support channel among customers. As a result, inquiries on channels like WhatsApp and WeChat were sometimes neglected. It approached respond.io for a central inbox to handle chats on both apps for improved response times. However, Yoho and respond.io rapidly deepened their collaboration as the business grew. Handling a higher volume of inquiries on six messaging channels was challenging. In addition to centralizing its channels, Yoho also wanted to make data-driven decisions to reduce response times and improve the support experience. ### The respond.io Solution As very few business messaging platforms support WeChat integrations, Yoho approached respond.io for an all-in-one solution to its messaging challenges. #### Conversations on All Channels were Directed to a Single Inbox Yoho’s support team dedicated most of their time and attention to [web chat](https://help.respond.io/l/en/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview), where it receives the bulk of customer inquiries. Other support channels like [WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-customer-service), [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-customer-service), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-for-customer-service) and email were only sporadically checked, which delayed replies. Yoho upgraded its [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) account to [WhatsApp API.](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) It connected WhatsApp API and WeChat to respond.io so conversations on both channels flow into a single inbox for easier tracking and follow-ups. Yoho then connected all remaining channels, even switching its web chat from a different provider to respond.io. In addition to offering omnichannel support on one platform, respond.io facilitates the ability to recognize returning customers on any channel and have their full context ready for reference. The shortened response time prevents customers from sending duplicated inquiries across channels when impatient for a response. Agents address all inquiries systematically and no longer waste time on duplicate conversations. #### Separate Workspaces were Created for Core Support Categories Initially, all nature of inquiries flooded the various channels. For better conversation management and more precise performance tracking, Yoho created three Workspaces on respond.io. Each Workspace handles a specific conversation category: General inquiries, warranties and after-sales support for appliance installations. Each Workspace also has its own channels, including a dedicated WhatsApp number for after-sales service to send customers [template messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-1) to set installation appointments. #### Automation Enables Faster Resolutions in Customers’ Preferred Languages To improve resolution times, Yoho automated responses to common general inquiries on web chat, WhatsApp and WeChat with respond.io’s [Workflows automation](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflows-overview?_ga=2.61953130.731843357.1671419436-949410458.1671514628) builder. First, customers on any channel select their preferred language from an inquiry menu. Yoho provides support in English as well as traditional and simplified Chinese to cater to different language needs. Customers then select an inquiry category. Common inquiries follow a self-service route with automated FAQs or redirects to relevant sections on its website. More complex issues are [routed](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assigned](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to support agents, who are all fluent in all three languages. #### Sales Opportunities are Recovered and Boosted via Support At any given time, Yoho has over 20,000 SKUs (stock keeping units) in its inventory. When an item was out of stock, customers would inquire about availability or restocks. Delayed responses often translated to lost sales as customers would turn to competitors. Now, agents promptly recommend alternative products and share relevant promotions to encourage purchases. For instance, customers who spend HK$400 and above on a single receipt enjoy additional discounts or special offers. When agents inform them about this, customers nearing that amount are likely to add more items to their carts to qualify for the offer. #### Support Weaknesses are Pinpointed with Analytics Yoho wanted to radically improve response and resolution times. However, it lacked a broad view of conversation trends and agent performance. Its data was scattered across messaging platforms or limited to the few metrics offered by its original web chat provider. With respond.io, managers have [granular insights and overviews of agents’ or team performance](https://help.respond.io/l/en/support-use-case/reporting-for-support). As agents’ workloads are updated in real time, managers can allocate additional resources if necessary. Long-term trend reports on peak support hours, conversation types and response and resolution times enable managers to pinpoint areas of improvement and restrategize for improved performance. > “E-commerce accounts for about 80% of total sales so offering a high standard of customer service online was crucial for us. Respond.io helps us enhance our service quality across all support channels, from email and web chat to our customers’ favorite messaging apps. We appreciate its user-friendly automation and the ability to measure performance with a high level of granularity for the first time. This allows us to take concrete steps to improve our outcomes.” — Tetsu Ho, Technical Product Manager at Yoho Hong Kong. ### The Results With all conversations consolidated on respond.io, customer inquiries no longer go unnoticed. Separate Workspaces also allow Yoho to better manage its channels and monitor the performance of individual teams. Response times on messaging apps used to span 24 to 48 hours. First response times across all channels now average 5 hours and 43 minutes, approximately 84% faster than the former median response time of 36 hours. Meanwhile, automating its FAQs allows the support team to focus only on urgent or complex support issues. It now chalks an average resolution time of 11 hours, down from 16 hours. Quick and efficient customer service inspires customer loyalty and repeat service use. In the span of four months, Yoho has seen a 9% growth in members. Yoho is now looking into sending promotional broadcasts to customers and automating abandoned cart recoveries as the next steps in its respond.io journey. ## [iMotorbike Handles 2x More Leads with AI Agents on Respond.io](https:/respond.io/customers/imotorbike-handles-2x-more-leads-with-ai-agents-on-respond-io) iMotorbike is an online marketplace for buying and selling pre-owned motorbikes in Malaysia and Vietnam. The company also offers insurance renewals and express repair services, serving thousands of riders daily through digital channels. Managing multiple customer journeys across two countries posed significant operational complexity. ### The problem iMotorbike received high volumes of enquiries daily, more than its team could handle during business hours. Messages piled up across channels and it was difficult for agents to keep track of which customers had been attended to. Additionally, different enquiry types — buy, sell, insurance renewal and repairs — were mixed together, so leads often landed with the wrong team. Without intent-based routing, handoffs to the right team were slow, context was lost and qualified buyers or sellers often dropped off during the delays. iMotorbike needed a platform with advanced automation that could handle conversations at scale while keeping diverse customer journeys organized. ### The respond.io solution iMotorbike chose respond.io as the best solution to manage omnichannel conversations in a team inbox with automation. It quickly set up WhatsApp API and connected Facebook Messenger, Instagram and TikTok. However, due to the many possible customer journeys, it still struggled to stay on top of conversations with Workflows automation. It was respond.io’s AI Agent that was the true game changer for the business. #### Customize AI Agent templates for complex customer journeys Respond.io’s [AI Agents](https://respond.io/ai-agents) proved to be the perfect fit for iMotorbike’s needs. First, the business customized AI Agent templates for specific roles, for example, one AI Agent for buyers and another for sellers. Then, it added clear instructions in the prompt for each journey, defining context and configuring assignment to the right team. It also set up automatic [lifecycle updates](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) to track which journey stages each customer was on for clear qualification and prioritization. #### Manage routine conversations and tasks with AI Agents With thorough training on the business’ [knowledge sources](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/managing-ai-knowledge-sources), AI Agents now handle most day-to-day enquiries, including browsing for bikes, prices, showroom locations and loan details. It only routes sales-ready leads to the team, freeing them to focus on processing loans or confirming test rides. The AI Agents also close conversations automatically when leads have no more questions or the chat is resolved, keeping the shared inbox organized. This ensures no message goes unnoticed, no matter which channel it came from. #### Respond to higher volumes of messages faster With AI Agents responding instantly, iMotorbike’s team handles high volumes of enquiries with ease. In the past, agents struggled to keep up with 500-600 messages per day, but the business now receives and manages twice as many chats. Faster response times and accurate, contextual answers prevent customers from dropping off, leading to more satisfied customers and higher sales just one month after deploying the AI Agents. > “Setting up the AI Agent on respond.io was surprisingly easy thanks to the ready-made templates. The interface made it intuitive and easy to manage conversations, assign leads and update lifecycle stages. Within an hour, we deployed a working prototype that handled basic enquiries accurately.” > — Jay Ooi, Digital Marketing Manager, iMotorbike ### The results By implementing respond.io’s AI Agents, iMotorbike achieved greater efficiency across its customer operations. Response times are 67% faster, contact handling capacity doubled, and 70–80% of conversations are now managed instantly by AI. The company also observed a notable increase in sales within the first month of implementation, as customers are no longer kept waiting and receive replies while interest is high. With AI Agents simplifying communication and customer lifecycle management, iMotorbike has built a scalable, high-performance system ready to support continued growth in multiple markets. Want to achieve similar results for your business? [Contact us for a free consultation](https://respond.io/demo) or [try respond.io](https://app.respond.io/user/register) today! ## [Jagoan Hosting Increased a CSAT Score to 93% by Implementing Powerful Workflows ](https:/respond.io/customers/how-jagoan-hosting-raised-productivity-by-52-percent) Indonesian web hosting provider Jagoan Hosting, owned by IT company PT Beon Intermedia, provides domain registration, website creation, and cloud and web hosting services. It caters to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) around Southeast Asia. ### The Problem Most of Jagoan Hosting’s sales and customer service inquiries come in over web chat and WhatsApp, the [most popular messaging channel](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-8) in the region. However, its solutions provider supplied WhatsApp API access via a third party. It therefore couldn’t troubleshoot or provide support for issues encountered on the channel. Jagoan Hosting needed a reliable WhatsApp API provider and a messaging platform that could send and receive messages over WhatsApp. Ideally, the platform would support multiple channels so it could consolidate all its customer conversations in one place. ### The respond.io Solution After surveying several WhatsApp API providers, Jagoan Hosting found a promising omnichannel platform with powerful automation. It registered for a respond.io account and executed the following solutions. #### Messaging Channels and Relevant Teams were Centralized Jagoan Hosting has a strong presence on [Telegram,](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) and [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat), where it posts brand updates and relevant content. Its Telegram channel acts as a [community forum](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-groups) for members to share related interests and interact with each other. On respond.io’s advice, Jagoan Hosting switched [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) providers to receive the support it needs. Then, it connected its social media and instant messaging accounts to respond.io to direct all customer messages into a central inbox. Finally, it onboarded its social media, customer support and customer relationship teams onto respond.io. The teams now handle customer interactions across all channels from a single platform. #### Web Chat was Established for Sales and General Inquiries As prospective customers browse through Jagoan Hosting’s website to see if it meets their needs, the brand uses web chat to address inquiries they might have. It chose to host its web chat on respond.io instead of a separate provider so these inquiries would also flow into the shared inbox. The brand created a [web chat widget](https://help.respond.io/l/en/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview) on respond.io and added it to all its landing pages. Customers just click on the widget to talk to a “sales bestie”, or a customer support agent. #### Exclusive Channels were Designated for Member Support Jagoan Hosting automatically enrolls customers who sign up for its services in a members’ club. They enjoy exclusive privileges, including access to private support channels for 24/7 assistance from the customer relationship team. Members can log in to the website to access a private web chat or message “Jovita”, the brand’s WhatsApp support persona, for instant support. Offering members 24/7 help on their preferred channels ensures they feel special and well looked after. #### Automation was Implemented to Segment, Verify and Route Customers To relieve agents from performing repetitive tasks, Jagoan Hosting automated certain processes on respond.io. [Automated Workflows](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflows-overview) categorize contacts according to their stage in the customer journey. It then [routes chats](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) accordingly to the right team and [assigns them](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to agents with the fewest open conversations for quick responses. A Workflow also verifies members’ identities before granting them access to the members-only WhatsApp channel. While the website login ensures only members can use the exclusive web chat, WhatsApp required a special verification method. Now, when a contact tries to chat with Jovita on WhatsApp, an [HTTP request](https://respond.io/blog/february-2022-release-new-workflows-steps-new-navigation-and-messaging-module-design-custom-channel-integration-and-bits-and-bobs#toc-mobile-4) automatically validates their phone number in Jagoan Hosting’s internal database to confirm their membership status. Verified members are assigned to an agent while non-members receive an “access denied” message. #### Performance Metrics are Tracked and Exported for Analysis The respond.io [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/l/en/support-use-case/reporting-for-support) monitors agents’ workload and performance metrics such as first response and resolution times in real time. It also tracks long-term conversation trends such as the busiest times for support in a day or week. However, Jagoan Hosting wanted to use its existing performance measuring system. It created a Workflow that automatically exports performance data on respond.io to its business intelligence tool for analysis. The brand also uses Workflows to send [customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveys](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) and exports the results to [Google Sheets](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflow-steps#step_add_google_sheets_row) for tabulation. This offers valuable insights into the customer experience and pinpoints areas of improvement to increase customer loyalty and advocacy. > “The flexibility of respond.io’s solutions allow us to customize the platform’s use for our specific needs. I really like the ability to request and upvote desired features. It shows that respond.io wants to understand users’ real-world needs and charts its path forward according to genuine feedback. I’ve recommended the platform to friends and peers, which is high praise indeed.” — Andy Novianto, Operational Manager at PT Beon Intermedia ‍ ### The Results Since it subscribed to respond.io and switched WhatsApp API providers, Jagoan Hosting has encountered a few technical issues on WhatsApp and other channels. It credits this to the stability of the messaging platform and the support it receives from respond.io’s Customer Success team. As a result, agents are 52% more productive and can handle a higher volume of conversations than before. This allows the brand to focus on growing its customer base and providing exceptional service to members. Leveraging automation and making strategic decisions based on available data and insights has led to improvements such as a 20% reduction in wait time for service. Prompt attention from agents and efficient resolutions are clearly pleasing customers. Jagoan Hosting now averages an impressive 93% in CSAT scores. ## [JU Productions Chose Respond.io Over Manychat for 718% More WhatsApp Sales](https:/respond.io/customers/ju-productions-chose-respond-io-over-manychat) [JU Productions](https://ju.productions/) is a Singapore-based business that provides professional product photography and digital marketing services. Its flagship offering, the [Scheduled Lookbook™](https://ju.productions/services/media-production/by-service/scheduled-lookbook), is a shared economy product photography model where multiple brands join a single professional photoshoot session with models. ### The problem JU Productions relied on the WhatsApp Business App to engage leads and clients, but the platform quickly proved too limited. It lacked automation, making it difficult to manage conversations at scale or follow up with leads efficiently. Many leads opted out when they received promotional messages for photoshoot sessions as they didn’t fully understand what was on offer and didn’t hear back from the company quickly. The business was running [click-to-WhatsApp ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads) on Facebook and Instagram but lacked visibility into campaign performance. That made it challenging to optimize ads for conversions, which led to wasted ad spend. The company also struggled with spam and inappropriate messages. Ads showcasing their portfolio of professional model shoots often attracted irrelevant inquiries, forcing sales staff to spend time filtering out bad leads while being exposed to offensive content. When considering an upgrade, the team trialed both [ManyChat](https://respond.io/blog/manychat-alternative) and respond.io. While ManyChat was strong in automating replies to social post comments, it fell short in areas JU Productions considered critical. ManyChat’s automation focused mainly on keywords and posts rather than providing full end-to-end workflows for lead qualification, routing and segmentation. Difficulty assigning conversations hindered team collaboration, and reporting gaps made it hard to track response times and measure team performance. ### The respond.io solution The business decided on respond.io as the best WhatsApp API provider to scale its marketing efforts and get more sign ups for its photoshoot sessions. Respond.io enabled it to optimize ads, send [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) in higher volumes along with quick follow-ups, and filter spam to protect staff from offensive content. #### Optimize ads with CAPI JU Productions connected WhatsApp API to respond.io to handle all conversations in a team inbox. This allowed it to see which Meta ads were driving enquiries and enabled agents to give contextual replies for faster conversions. The business then set up [Meta Conversions API (CAPI)](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-send-conversions-api-event) to send conversion events, such as Scheduled Lookbook™ session bookings, back to Meta. This helped Meta improve its ad targeting by learning which types of users were likely to convert, leading to higher-quality leads and better ad performance. #### Automate broadcasts and workflows The company sends WhatsApp broadcasts twice a month to inform leads about the upcoming Scheduled Lookbook™ calendar. Before using respond.io, this was a manual process as broadcast lists are limited on the WhatsApp Business App. Lack of follow-up led many potential customers to drop off. Now with respond.io, JU Productions schedules broadcasts in higher volumes and handles follow-ups with an automated workflow. If [prospects indicate they want to opt-out](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in) after receiving the broadcast, they receive one follow-up message letting them know what they’ll be missing out on and asking them to confirm if they’re sure they want to opt-out. Taking advantage of FOMO (fear of missing out) has been amazingly effective and led to a dramatic reduction in opt-outs. After these leads indicate they’re still interested, they automatically receive an explainer deck and are instantly routed to a sales rep for a personalized follow-up. This approach boosted sales from WhatsApp marketing messages by an incredible 718% compared to the Business App, while eliminating the manual effort of contacting each potential client one by one. #### Filter spam with AI agents To reduce spam, the business began to [qualify leads with respond.io’s AI agents](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents). An AI agent collects information such as brand name and service interest to filter out irrelevant contacts and route only high-intent customers to the team. This eliminated the need for staff to engage with inappropriate messages directly. Spam conversations are reviewed just once a day before being blocked, protecting employees while reducing operational overhead. And without the need to deal with spam, analytics showed improvement in response and resolution times for real customers > “We’re grateful to have chosen respond.io — the platform has been a huge part of our growth, and the team consistently rolls out new features and resolves issues quickly, which gives us confidence we made the right decision.” > — **Jefferson Liew, CEO, JU Productions** ### The results By using WhatsApp API with respond.io, JU Productions has transformed the way it engages leads and customers. The integration with Meta’s CAPI allowed the company to optimize advertising spend with real conversion data, resulting in a **47.2% lower cost per qualified lead**. Automated broadcasts and workflows around the Scheduled Lookbook™ not only eliminated manual follow-ups but also dramatically improved campaign performance. **Opt-outs dropped by 98%** thanks to the confirmation workflows, while **sales from WhatsApp marketing messages soared by 718%** compared to the Business App. Finally, spam filtering workflows ensured that employees were no longer exposed to irrelevant or offensive messages. This not only safeguarded staff but also reduced operational overhead, as spam is now filtered automatically and reviewed in bulk only once per day. With respond.io powering its WhatsApp communications, JU Productions has achieved scalable, efficient sales and marketing operations while protecting its team and driving sustainable growth. ## [My Dream Travel & Tours Increases Leads 30% with WhatsApp Calls](https:/respond.io/customers/my-dream-travel-increases-leads-with-whatsapp-calls) My Dream Travel & Tours is a travel agency with offices in Canada and India that helps customers book flights, holiday packages and visa services, with a strong focus on delivering fast, personalized service. From discounted air tickets to complete document support, the business caters to travelers looking for a smooth and stress-free booking experience. Being available via call makes it easier for the agency to provide the high-quality service customers expect. ### The problem: Siloed chat and calls slowed down customer engagement My Dream Travel & Tours used WhatsApp chat as the primary channel to engage with leads from its website and social media pages. However, chat alone wasn’t always enough to move customers smoothly through the booking journey. Certain steps like clarifying travel details, discussing visa options or confirming documents were better handled over a call. Unfortunately, switching between chat and voice calls introduced friction. Agents had to initiate a call from a landline and then return to the chat for document sharing. Conversations felt disjointed and customers sometimes dropped off before completing their bookings. On the flip side, some customers preferred to start the conversation with a call, but this required manual data entry and possible missed data if the conversation had to be moved to chat or email for document sharing. The sales team needed a way to bring chat and calls into one platform to provide a smooth customer experience from first contact to closed booking. ### The respond.io solution My Dream Travel & Tours began using respond.io in 2023 to manage conversations on WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and email in a single inbox. When respond.io became one of the first [WhatsApp Business Solution Providers](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) to offer early access to [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-calling-api), the business was eager to implement it to boost customer engagement, move leads through the funnel faster and unite chat and calls in a single inbox for a full view of the customer. #### Engage leads and reduce drop-offs with seamless call option With WhatsApp Calling enabled via respond.io, customers now had the option to call or message the business via a single WhatsApp number. Not only did this make it easy for interested leads to reach out instantly, it also reduced booking complexity. Customers could switch from chat to call mid-conversation for more complex discussions, such as choosing flight itineraries or verifying document requirements. The ability to choose when and how to interact, such replying when they were available over chat or initiating a call to sort out something immediately, encouraged more customers to complete booking processes. #### Gain full context to personalize the customer experience Since every interaction is captured in a single WhatsApp thread, agents gain full visibility into the customer journey, including past messages, internal notes and call summaries. When customers return with follow-up questions or new requests, agents can quickly pick up where they left off, providing a more coherent and personalized experience. The unified conversation history reduces repetition, builds customer trust and supports a higher standard of service across the sales process. #### Speed up sales cycles by centralizing chat and calls in one inbox Travel agents can now manage chats, calls, customer details and documents within the respond.io platform. During a call, they can send booking confirmations, boarding passes or invoices in real time via chat. With the streamlined process, agent response times to leads have reduced and handoffs between chat and call cause no [friction to the customer](https://respond.io/blog/frictionless-customer-experience). This has shortened the sales cycle significantly, and now the process from first contact to booking can often be handled in a single conversation. > "Managing sales across chats and landline calls used to be messy. Now, with WhatsApp Calls, we handle the entire booking in one conversation — from inquiry to call to document sharing. Many of our customers also prefer calling us directly on WhatsApp — it’s easy, familiar, and keeps everything in one place for them." - *Manpreet Grewal, Manager of My Dream Travel & Tours* ### The results Since adopting WhatsApp Calling with respond.io, My Dream Travel & Tours has seen a significant improvement in both engagement and conversions with the ability to escalate from chat to voice without changing platforms. Since the company can now handle conversations more efficiently, it has **doubled its chat volume**. Additionally, the company has recorded a **30% increase in new leads** since contacts who prefer to get in touch via a call now have this option. Now, around **10% of customers use WhatsApp Calls during their booking journey**, which has helped agents finalize more deals with ease. Real-time voice communication has helped establish trust, answer questions promptly, and close bookings faster—transforming WhatsApp into a true end-to-end sales channel. Want to try WhatsApp Business Calling API for your business to achieve similar success? [Contact us for a free consultation](https://respond.io/demo) today. ## [noonmar Increases New Customers by 40% in One Month](https:/respond.io/customers/noonmar-increases-new-customers) **noonmar**, a global e-commerce marketplace known for authentic Turkish goods, started with sweets and quickly expanded into health and beauty products, jewelry and accessories, and home décor. With a growing international customer base, quick and seamless communication across multiple messaging channels is key to its success. ### The problem: Lack of visibility for performance optimization noonmar has an extensive social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and attracts customers through ads on these channels. The business subscribed to respond.io to unite all of these channels into a single inbox so agents could respond more efficiently and sell faster. While this helped, the business was concerned about the effectiveness of its marketing and sales efforts as a whole. It wanted greater visibility into ad performance and a deeper understanding of the customer journey, so that it could optimize its marketing strategy and move customers through the funnel faster. The business also required understanding into the return on investment (ROI) of its efforts including spending on ads, a CRM and its respond.io subscription. ### The respond.io solution noonmar had trusted respond.io to manage conversations from multiple channels in one inbox for several months, but needed to confirm the value of its investment. With assistance from our customer success specialists, the company implemented Meta’s Conversion API (CAPI) and respond.io’s lifecycle tracking to improve ad performance, attract more leads, optimize the customer experience and increase sales. #### Track and optimize ad performance with CAPI and TikTok Lower Funnel Events noonmar runs [click to chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads) on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok that drive conversations to WhatsApp. While they saw a high volume of chats, they couldn’t determine how many actually led to purchases. By integrating [Meta’s CAPI with respond.io](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-send-conversions-api-event), noonmar started sending conversion events—such as add-to-cart or completed purchase—back to Meta. This helped Meta improve its ad targeting by learning which types of users were likely to convert, leading to higher-quality leads and better ad performance. [Respond.io](https://Respond.io)’s [TikTok Lower Funnel Events Workflow](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/step-send-tiktok-lower-funnel-event) serves a similar purpose, sending conversion data to TikTok to improve targeting and ad performance. This also gave noonmar clear visibility into which TikTok ads were driving sales. #### Streamline the customer journey with lifecycle tracking To move leads through the funnel faster, noonmar implemented customer [lifecycle tracking](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-update-lifecycle) on respond.io. This feature gives agents immediate context about where a contact is in the buying journey, whether they’re a new lead, a returning buyer or somewhere in between. Custom lifecycle stages guide agents on what action to take next. For example, new leads need quick responses to stay engaged, while returning customers may be ready to purchase again. This structure allows agents to personalize conversations and close deals more efficiently. #### Use respond.io’s analytics for smart segmentation and retargeting noonmar uses [respond.io’s analytics](https://respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-lifecycle) as a powerful tool for smart segmentation and customer reactivation, especially when there's a need to boost sales and hit monthly targets. It’s able to quickly identify and reengage previous customers with highly personalized offers that drive repeat purchases or even upsells. Through such tailored communication, noonmar is able to increase return on ad spend (ROAS) steadily, not by increasing ad spend but by reclaiming potential revenue lost in underperforming ad campaigns. > "Before respond.io, we struggled to understand the true impact of our ads. Implementing Meta’s Conversion API and lifecycle tracking gave us clear visibility into performance and customer journeys. This insight helped us optimize our marketing spend and increase conversions by 20%. Respond.io is now a vital part of our growth strategy." - Lulia Alsayyed, Marketing Manager of noonmar ### The results Customer lifecycle insights have helped the business prioritize leads effectively, shortening its sales cycle and getting more contacts to complete a purchase. Since implementing lifecycle tracking, the **conversion rate has risen by 20%**. While the business initially saw respond.io as a costly tool, they’ve now seen the full ROI it can offer and view it as an essential part of the marketing and sales process. By optimizing its click to chat Meta ads via CAPI, noonmar has seen a **40% increase in new customers**. Thanks to better targeting, the leads it attracts are more likely to buy. The number of leads has also **increased by 10%** as the business has a greater understand of which ads motivate conversations. Want to gain the same results for your business? [Contact us for a free consultation](https://respond.io/demo) today. ## [Only Tourism Automates 80% of Visa Inquiries with Respond.io’s AI Agent](https:/respond.io/customers/only-tourism-automates-80-percent-visa-inquiries-with-ai-agents) Only Tourism is a Dubai-based travel services provider simplifying global travel for customers across the UAE and international destinations. Its services include visa processing, tours and holiday packages to Sri Lanka, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Philippines. Known especially for its expertise in handling visas, the business receives frequent inquiries over WhatsApp. ### The problem: Agents overwhelmed with repetitive processes As Only Tourism expanded its customer base, conversation volumes grew rapidly. The business relied heavily on WhatsApp to manage inquiries, but manually replying to every message became unsustainable. Agents were spending hours repeating information about visa requirements, pricing, and application statuses. Response times slowed, which caused leads to drop off and seek answers elsewhere. To improve efficiency, Only Tourism subscribed to respond.io to manage all conversations in a single inbox. In the meantime, it also experimented with Intercom’s AI Agent, Fin, to test the best solution for scaling conversations. However, Intercom’s solution was extremely expensive, and offered less personalized customer support. ### The respond.io solution When respond.io’s customer team understood Only Tourism’s challenges, they stepped in to work out a solution. Customer Success Manager Joshua Loo demonstrated that respond.io could deliver the same automation capabilities as Intercom at a far lower cost. Additionally, the team offered guidance on how to achieve [Meta’s verified blue tick](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-blue-tick), further solidifying Only Tourism’s confidence in the platform. The customer success team worked closely with Only Tourism to deploy a customized [AI agent](https://respond.io/ai-agents) that could handle the complexity of visa inquiries, provide 24/7 coverage, and deliver consistent, professional responses. #### Customized AI Agent setup for accuracy and reliability Respond.io’s customer success team conducted a dedicated [AI Agent](https://respond.io/ai-agents) setup session to ensure the AI Agent responded in Only Tourism’s brand tone, with clear guardrails in place for precision and reliability. Another key step was [optimizing the company’s knowledge sources for AI](https://respond.io/help/convert-leads/how-to-write-effective-ai-knowledge-sources), so that the AI agent could accurately retrieve and deliver detailed visa information without human intervention. The [AI Agents can be set up for specific roles](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents) with templates and then further customized. They learn from a business’s knowledge sources, which can include PDFs or web content. Once AI Agents are trained on the knowledge sources, they should be fully equipped to answer inquiries related to their roles, but it’s important to set guidelines and test the agents before deploying. #### Integration with APIs for visa application processing It was important that the AI Agent could not only answer new leads asking about visa requirements, but also manage follow-ups from customers who had already applied. For that, the AI Agent needed access to real-time visa application data. Using [APIs](https://respond.io/help/integrations/developer-api), Only Tourism set up an integration to enable the AI Agent to retrieve visa application statuses using the applicant’s ID number. #### Eliminate weekend chat backlog with 24/7 instant replies When human agents were handling conversations manually, it was difficult to keep up with inquiries that came in overnight or on weekends. This meant agents came into work with a large backlog, and customers were kept waiting. To reduce pressure on human agents, the AI agent was configured to manage all incoming conversations during off-hours. This provided immediate, structured responses 24/7, ensuring customers received the same high level of service regardless of time or day. > “With respond.io’s AI Agent managing 80% of our visa inquiries, we handle twice as many conversations while keeping customers satisfied with prompt, accurate answers. Since our team no longer faces an endless backlog of routine inquiries, they can focus on providing quality support for more complex cases.” > — Adam Xaniar, CEO of Only Tourism ### The results Since enabling its new AI Agent, Only Tourism has seen rapid growth along with dramatic improvements in operational efficiency. The businesses now processes **6x more monthly leads** than in the past as it now has the capacity to handle them and leads no longer drop off. The AI Agent handles **2x more conversations per day** than agents could respond to manually, and automates **80% of visa-related inquiries**. Agents have reclaimed hours previously spent on repetitive questions and can now concentrate on higher-value conversations, such as complex travel packages and customer retention efforts. With fewer manual tasks, faster response times, and a scalable AI system in place, Only Tourism is better positioned to handle increasing demand and maintain round-the-clock service quality. Want to achieve similar results for your business? [Contact us for a free consultation](https://respond.io/demo) today! ## [Pinnacle Contact Center Recruits 112 Candidates Daily, Thanks To Chat Routing and Assignment Automation](https:/respond.io/customers/how-pinnacle-contact-center-recruits-112-candidates-every-day-over-whatsapp) Pinnacle Contact Centre is the support center for Beansh, a recruitment agency based in Kuala Lumpur. Beansh focuses on mass recruiting rank-and-file employees to middle management for various industries, including contact centers and shared services. Meanwhile, Pinnacle is responsible for appraising all applicants and convincing qualified candidates to sign on with its clients. ### The Problem Pinnacle had 6 WhatsApp Business App accounts but limited user access on each account meant only a few agents could be online at a time. Pinnacle wanted to expand multiuser access on WhatsApp, streamline all candidate conversations on one platform for visibility and monitor agents who are working remotely in real time. ### The Respond.io Solution In its search for a suitable business messaging platform, Pinnacle came across respond.io. It worked with a Customer Success Manager on the following solutions. #### All Agents and Conversations were Gathered in One Place Pinnacle had divided its clients among 6 [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) accounts for easy organization. Recruitment ads display the relevant phone number for each client. While some candidates called these numbers to set up interviews, over 85% of them chose to message agents over WhatsApp. Pinnacle hired multiple agents to handle the high volume of daily candidate conversations. However, only a few agents could use the app at a time, which hindered business growth. With respond.io, Pinnacle organized its clients into four [Workspaces](https://help.respond.io/l/en/organization-settings/workspaces). It then upgraded all WhatsApp accounts to [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) and connected each WhatsApp number to the relevant Workspace for [multiuser functionality](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) on the channel. Pinnacle can now schedule as many agents as necessary to handle all conversations from one platform. #### Automated Chat Routing and Assignment were Implemented Since WhatsApp Business App doesn’t have a method to route conversations, candidates had to specify which client they were applying for a job with at the start of a chat. The agent would start the qualification process in place for that client. Respond.io’s [Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations) automation allows Pinnacle to treat the platform like an automatic call distributor system for quicker processing. A Workflow [routes](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) candidates directly to the right team and uses a round-robin assignment strategy to [assign](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) candidates to an available agent. If no agent is available, an [automated away message](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business) sets response time expectations. #### A Single Reference Point for All Information was Created Agents were initially working on their personal phones. As Pinnacle provides real-time hiring updates to clients throughout the day, managers called agents several times a day for progress reports and filled in data like the number of applications or successful hires in Google Sheets. Using respond.io immediately improved the efficiency of Pinnacle’s progress reports. At a glance, managers can see how many candidates agents are talking to, while [a tagging system](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts/contact-details#tags) identifies successful hires and their clients. #### Live Supervision and Performance Tracking was Enabled As Pinnacle is responsible for urgent and mass hiring, speed is crucial. Hybrid working arrangements also mean agents sometimes work remotely or offsite. When they were using their personal phones to talk to candidates, managers had no visibility into these conversations. Now, managers use a combination of live supervision and random checks to monitor agents. In addition to acquiring metrics such as first response and resolution times, they can also perform qualitative conversation audits to see how agents are filtering and placing candidates. The ability to zoom into and dissect conversations is especially useful when there are abnormal results or agents are not hitting their KPIs. > “We are constantly on the road and respond.io allows us to check the real state of the nation from anywhere, anytime, especially with its mobile app. In one screen, I can see who’s productive and who isn’t performing to expectations. The platform is relatively easy to learn and agents are able to pick it up with minimal training. This is definitely a tool we see ourselves using in the long run.” — Ramesh Singh, CEO of Pinnacle Contact Centre ### The Results Consolidating all agents, candidates and conversations on one platform gives managers a 360° view of real-time events. From having zero insights into response and resolution times, Pinnacle now averages 1 hour in first response times (down from 2 hours and 29 minutes when they started tracking). Agents are also able to resolve hiring conversations within 46 minutes, a 20% improvement from its original times. Being able to view these metrics has also allowed Pinnacle to set KPIs. Its 14 agents each have to successfully hire 8 candidates per day day, which translates to 112 successful hires across the company every day. Its success on WhatsApp encouraged Pinnacle to expand its channels of communication. It recently connected Facebook and Telegram to respond.io. ## [Praga Medica Recovers 70% More Global Leads with WhatsApp + respond.io](https:/respond.io/customers/praga-medica-recovers-70-percent-more-leads) Praga Medica is a [Prague‑based medical tourism facilitator](https://www.pragamedica.com/) that organizes vision‑correction, plastic‑surgery, dentistry and other procedures for international patients. Its team of consultants advise potential patients on treatments and arrange to meet them on arrival. WhatsApp has proven to be a crucial channel for smooth global communication. ### The problem In the past, Praga Medica primarily did business over email. Leads would express interest via a contact form on the website and consultants would send all brochures and documents in an email. The consultants preferred this method as contacts who went to the trouble to communicate via email tended to be genuine leads. However, this also meant missed opportunities as the manual process made it difficult for potential customers to get a timely response. David Fiala, the co-founder and managing director, saw webchat as an option to streamline engagement and adopted this as a channel using another solution, Chatra, in 2018. However, the consultants considered webchat a waste of time as they received high volumes of spam and low quality leads. As consultants deprioritized this channel, genuine leads dropped off when they did not receive a timely response, and there was no way to track or reengage them. Fiala then observed that other businesses were using WhatsApp to chat with leads and customers. When leads contact them through WhatsApp, their phone numbers are instantly captured, so it’s easy to get back in touch with them. At first, Praga Medica implemented the WhatsApp Business App, but with consultants using individual WhatsApp accounts, it was a challenge to delegate leads and track response times. WhatsApp was also incompatible with Chatra, so it could not be integrated into webchat. Manual entry of lead data in their CRM was another challenge. With email and Chatra, consultants spent valuable time consolidating information from email and webchat to update the CRM. ### The respond.io solution Fiala understood that WhatsApp API would help solve the problem of uniting WhatsApp conversations in a single inbox for management and tracking. He looked for a WhatsApp API solution that would integrate with their CRM and chose respond.io because it met all the business’s requirements. #### Capture lead contact data with every chat With webchat, there was no way to capture a lead’s contact data other than asking for a phone number or email. If a consultant didn’t engage with the lead immediately, the lead would drop off and the business couldn’t contact them again. Praga Medica connected respond.io to [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) and began using WhatsApp as the primary contact channel, installing a [WhatsApp webchat widget](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-webchat). Praga Medica uses an industry-specific CRM, so not every platform can easily integrate with it. With respond.io, the business was able to use webhooks and HTTP requests to sync data seamlessly. When a lead comes in through WhatsApp, their phone number is saved in respond.io and sent to the CRM, so consultants can follow up easily. The business also connected webchat to respond.io, and while it’s still necessary to ask for contact details, automation workflows now do this if a consultant is unavailable. > “*With Chatra, live chat was a side channel nobody loved. With respond.io, everything is centralized around WhatsApp, and consultants finally care about it.*” \- David Fiala, Co-founder of Praga Medica #### Reduce spam by using AI to collect information and qualify leads Consultants were reluctant to use webchat as a channel because of the high volume of spam that came in. Rather than providing advice to genuine patients, they were wasting valuable time answering inquiries that went nowhere. Praga Medica set up an AI Agent in respond.io to [collect information from all contacts](https://respond.io/help/convert-leads/how-to-automate-contact-information-collection-with-ai) and filter out spam. Only qualified leads will be routed to a human agent. Now, consultants understand the value of chat as conversations coming in from WhatsApp are turning into paying customers. #### Convert more leads by responding faster The AI Agent workflows have also helped convert potential patients faster by [delivering instant replies to incoming inquiries](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation#toc-5), even outside of working hours as their global customers are in different time zones. This ensures that leads are engaged the moment they reach out, increasing the likelihood they stay in the funnel. > *“With Respond AI handling routine questions, and WhatsApp giving us direct access to phone numbers, everything clicked—our consultants could focus on high-quality leads that were far more likely to convert into paying customers.” -* David Fiala ### The results By switching from webchat to WhatsApp and unifying all conversations on respond.io, Praga Medica captured **70% more lead contact data**, making it easier to follow up and convert prospects. Respond.io’s AI-powered workflows also helped them **filter out 97% of spam**, allowing consultants to spend their time with real customers instead of irrelevant messages. Most impressively, the business achieved a **50% reduction in first response times**, resulting in faster lead engagement and improved chances of conversion. With consultants now fully onboarded and trained to use respond.io, Praga Medica has a streamlined communication process that supports long-term growth. Want to achieve similar results for your business? [Contact us for a free consultation](https://respond.io/demo) today! ## [SchuVar Tours Shortens Sales Cycle by 60% Across 8 Branches](https:/respond.io/customers/schuvar-tours-shortens-sales-cycle) SchuVar Tours is a wholesale travel agency with eight branches across Nicaragua, offering local and international travel services. Its skilled team of agents guide clients through every step to book their perfect vacation. Their mission: To design dream trips and become the leading travel agency in and beyond Nicaragua through trust, innovation, and top-tier service. ### The problem SchuVar Tours had all the ingredients for success—a massive Facebook following of over 100,000, compelling Meta ads, and a clear call to action: *Message us on WhatsApp to book your trip.* Leads flowed in steadily, curious travelers eager to discover their next getaway. But without a lead management system in place, the business struggled to engage leads while interest was high. With agents spread out across branches and handling multiple channels, leads often went overlooked or were left hanging for hours or days. There was no clear assignment process, so agents simply had to pick up the leads that they saw. This meant missed opportunities as prospects who received slow replies or none at all went elsewhere. The business wanted to close more deals, faster, while keeping agents aligned on priorities and evenly distributing the workload. ### The respond.io solution SchuVar Tours decided to try respond.io as a way to bring conversations from multiple channels into a single inbox, improve lead follow-ups and turn leads into paid bookings. It connected all its channels, including [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, email and webchat to respond.io to get all contacts and conversations in one place. By leveraging automation, it streamlined the entire customer journey and increased conversions. Here’s how they did it. #### Collaborate more effectively with a team inbox First of all, uniting agents across branches and channels into a [single team inbox](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-team-inbox) with respond.io made it easier to organize customer communication. There was no need for agents to juggle multiple apps or wonder who was handling what conversation. Internal comments also helped agents stay aligned on context when handing over a conversation or if they need to ask advice from a supervisor. #### Streamline the booking process with automated replies To ensure leads aren’t kept waiting and to speed up the booking process, SchuVar Tours set up [automated responses](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation) with respond.io’s Workflows. The auto replies collect basic information about the lead’s interests and inform them about agent availability, saving agents time and managing customer expectations. #### Auto-assign conversations to agents for faster service After gathering information, the lead is then automatically assigned to the next available agent. The business uses a round-robin format to assign customers to available agents in turn so the workload is evenly distributed. With this system in place, agents can respond promptly and focus on closing deals. #### Scale meta click to chat ads to increase new leads With more efficient processes in place, SchuVar Tours had the capacity to handle more leads, so it ramped up its advertising, tripling the number of leads it receives via paid ads. Respond.io integrates with Meta [click to chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads) so all ad responses indicate which channel and ad the conversation came from, showing which ads are attracting quality leads. With reports and analytics, the business can measure ad performance to ensure all marketing investments translate into revenue impact. #### Implement lead status tracking through the funnel Additionally, respond.io’s Lifecycle feature enables SchuVar Tours to manage each lead throughout the entire customer journey, so agents get instant context on each customer and can prioritize those with high intent. For instance, they recognize a lead who has received a quote is closer to purchase than a lead sending a first inquiry, so they attend to the former first. As a result, they have shortened their sales cycles for faster bookings. Once the customer makes a payment, the agent updates their status accordingly. This makes it easy for the business to track the number and speed of deals closed. It also helps identify existing customers, who are later retargeted with [WhatsApp promotional broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message). > *”Thanks to respond.io, at SchuVar Tours, we optimized our internal organization, reduced response times, and improved the customer experience with more efficient management based on accurate metrics.” -* Esmeralda Sevilla, Deputy Manager of SchuVar Tours ### The results By streamlining its sales process and gaining full visibility of the customer journey—from chat initiation to payment—SchuVar Tours has reduced delays and increased conversions for a **60% faster sales cycle**. Since implementing respond.io, SchuVar Tours has improved response times by automating customer detail collection and prioritizing high-intent leads. Agents are collaborating efficiently in respond.io’s team inbox so no lead goes overlooked and everyone has full context. This has resulted in a **nearly 100% follow-up rate**. As the business now has the capacity to manage higher volumes of ads, it’s been able to scale its click to chat ads and generate **40% of its leads from paid ads**, a 3x increase over three months. These improvements have transformed SchuVar Tours’ sales operations—turning what was once a fragmented, manual process into a high-performing, scalable engine for growth. Want to see similar success for your business? [Contact us for a free consultation](https://respond.io/demo) today. ## [Sicar Boosted Single-Conversation Resolutions by 35% — Thanks to WhatsApp Calls](https:/respond.io/customers/sicar-closes-conversations-faster-with-whatsapp-calls) Sicar provides point-of-sale (POS) systems to a range of businesses across Mexico, helping entrepreneurs handle payments, keep track of warehouse inventory and manage shipping between branches. As Sicar plays a crucial role in business operations, prompt engagement over both WhatsApp chat and voice calls is key to maintaining customer trust and satisfaction. ### The problem: Handling chats and calls separately caused delays and left agents without context Sicar takes pride in promptly addressing any issues that arise for customers to keep operations running smoothly. It offers support over WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, email and webchat. The business began using respond.io in 2020 to [connect all its messaging channels to a single inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-support) to stay on top of chats and ensure tickets are resolved. However, while its chats are managed efficiently, more complex issues need to be discussed over a call, and this led to delays. Call and chat were handled by separate teams as calls were on landline phones, and successfully handing over a chat conversation to phone support took hours or even days. This led to customer frustration and lost business. Additionally, it was difficult to track the history of customer issues because there was no record of the calls in the chat, and call support had no visibility into chat history. Without this context, agents were unable to provide the high quality experience customers expected. The business needed a way to combine chat and calls into a single platform to provide fast, high quality resolutions to customers. ### The respond.io solution As respond.io was a chosen [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) to partner in the release of [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-calling-api), Sicar gained early access to the feature. WhatsApp Business Calling API proved to be the solution to uniting chat and calls to offer a seamless resolution process to any inquiry. #### Bring chats and calls into a single platform When Meta’s WhatsApp Business Calling API became available with respond.io as one of the first providers, Sicar seized the opportunity to move all of its calls from landlines to WhatsApp. As most of its customers were on WhatsApp, it’s easy for them to jump from a WhatsApp chat into a call if necessary. The business now uses a single WhatsApp number for inquiries — all chats and calls are visible in the same thread, so any agents involved with the customer get instant context. #### Seamlessly transfer conversations from chat to call In the past, when a customer needed to be transferred to a call, the call had to be handed over from the chat agent to a phone agent, requiring manual effort on the business side and subjecting the customer to a long wait. Now, if the issue in the chat becomes too complex to handle over text, the agent simply asks for permission to call and then continues the conversation by phone. Inquiries about feature setup, walkthroughs, or bug clarifications can be answered on the spot — often within a single session — because there’s no wait or transfer involved. #### Automate escalations for a smooth customer experience Sicar automates its escalation process by sending a ticket via [Workflows](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview) as soon as an inquiry comes in. Customers fill out the ticket which is then routed to an appropriate agent. Agents respond promptly and attempt to resolve the issue over chat, then escalate to a call if necessary. > “Before, requests or inquiries that needed a call could take hours or even days because our landline was handled separately from chats. Now that we use WhatsApp for both chat and calls, our agents can switch instantly from a conversation to a voice call with the same customer — all in one place. It’s faster, more personal, and our customers love it.” - Eliseo de Dios Aréchiga, Co-founder and Director of Marketing, Sicar ### The results Just one month after switching from desk phones to WhatsApp Calling alongside chat, Sicar saw dramatic improvements in their operations and customer satisfaction. Agents now **resolve inquiries 20% faster** by combining chat and voice in one thread. There’s also often no need for multiple conversations as real-time calls lead to quicker understanding and resolution, resulting in a **35% increase in tickets closed in a single conversation**. And customers appreciate the difference; because of the speed, simplicity, and continuity of WhatsApp-based support, the Sicar has seen a **15% boost in** [**CSAT scores**](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score). Together, these gains show how WhatsApp as a unified communication channel can significantly enhance both customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. Want to boost your customer experience by integrating WhatsApp chat and calls? [Contact us for a free consultation](https://respond.io/demo) today. ## [The Secret Behind Sharwa's 40% Conversion Rate on WhatsApp](https:/respond.io/customers/how-sharwa-designed-a-communication-strategy-that-achieved-85-in-csat-scores) Sharwa is an Egyptian social commerce platform founded in early 2022 to combat the effects of inflation in the region. It allows customers in Cairo and nearby cities to purchase household essentials like groceries at wholesale prices by placing bulk orders as a group with their friends and families. Customers can place their orders on Sharwa’s website or via WhatsApp. Sharwa works directly with local suppliers and manufacturers to obtain great deals and coordinates deliveries with a fleet of drivers. It aims to expand its service nationwide in the near future. ### The Problem As a new business, Sharwa had to establish communication channels with its key stakeholders: Customers and operational staff such as vendors and delivery drivers. It needed a platform that could support multichannel communication with chat automation to maximize the capabilities of its small team. It also required an analytics component to monitor agents and track conversation trends. ### The Solution Sharwa evaluated four business messaging solution providers. It chose respond.io for its automation flexibility, scalability for multiple users, sleek and intuitive user interface and experience. These translated into the following solutions. #### All Teams were Onboarded onto respond.io to Streamline Communication First, Sharwa organized its teams into 3 [Workspaces](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/managing-a-workspace) on respond.io. The separate Workspaces for customer support, operational support and a test space for its tech team gave each team the autonomy to implement its own strategies. A dedicated WhatsApp number was [connected to each Workspace](https://help.respond.io/l/en/quick-start/connecting-channels) while [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-for-customer-service) and [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-customer-service) were also connected to the customer support Workspace. This gathers messages across channels in their respective inboxes so no message goes unnoticed. #### Chat Automation was Implemented for Efficient Customer Handling Sharwa uses respond.io’s [Workflows automation builder](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflows-overview) to route customers by the nature of their inquiry. Its customer support team has three core functions: Product inquiries, complaints and order placement over WhatsApp for less tech-savvy customers. At the start of a chat, customers choose a support function via a chat menu. The Workflow routes them to the respective [team on shift](https://help.respond.io/l/en/convert-leads/route-contacts-by-shifts) and [assigns them to an available agent](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/step-assign-to). Agents use [canned responses](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/snippets) to answer common questions quickly so they can handle more complex inquiries or [escalate them to the right agent](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts/contact-activity#comments). Sharwa also uses an order placement Workflow that sends customers a product catalog featuring items on sale before taking their orders. Finally, an order-tracking Workflow obtains customers’ phone numbers so agents can use them to track an order’s progress in their fulfillment system. #### Operational Support can be Coordinated in Minimal Steps While the customer support Workspace handles inquiries, the operational support Workspace enables agents to provide live support to vendors and drivers via a dedicated WhatsApp account. Common vendor inquiries include steps to becoming a supplier and troubleshooting issues for specific products. Driver communication includes coordinating drop-offs and liaising with customers. Vendors and drivers just have to identify their roles at the start of a conversation. They are then routed to the vendor support or driver support teams accordingly. Automation ensures they reach an available agent in minimal steps as drivers, especially, are often in a hurry. #### WhatsApp Push Notifications are Used to Retarget or Reactivate Customers As WhatsApp boasts [high user and engagement rates](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-1) in Egypt, Sharwa sends [WhatsApp push notifications](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-notification) with its latest offers to retarget recent customers. Meanwhile, inactive customers are identified by the date of their last purchase. They are sent “We miss you” messages over the channel in an attempt to reengage them. Finally, customers who request out-of-stock items are segmented by [Tags](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts/contact-details#tags) and sent restock alerts when the product is available. #### Conversation Trends and Agent Performance can be Tracked and Measured As a start-up, Sharwa wants to meticulously track its agents’ performance and customer behavior to make informed decisions on resource allocation and service standards. Strategies include [ascribing categories to customer inquiries](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/closing-notes), [tracking conversation and performance metrics](https://help.respond.io/l/en/support-use-case/reporting-for-support) via respond.io’s Reports Module and [exporting conversation data](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/data-export) for analysis to identify areas of improvement. > “Over 60% of Egypt’s population are WhatsApp users. We want to be accessible to both digital natives and non-natives alike. Respond.io allows us to cater to both with the flexibility of its solutions. It also helps us optimize what our team of just 8 users can accomplish, from enhancing our chat response trees to enabling us to scale with more users, channels and automation as needed.” — Mohamed Hanafy, co-founder and CPO ### The Results Onboarding all teams on respond.io gives managers an overview of team and individual agent performance to develop improvement strategies accordingly. As a result, first response times are now 60% faster and conversation resolutions are 40% faster. The effectiveness of its revamped strategies and subsequent training for customer handling is evident in customer satisfaction scores. Improved response and resolution times as well as higher quality responses have increased CSAT scores from 70% to 85%. As a result, a solid 50% of its customer base is now regular Sharwa customers. Retargeting campaigns over WhatsApp also succeed in securing an average of 40% of conversions. In the meantime, Sharwa is studying conversation trends to determine how to better balance agents’ workloads and increase productivity. It also plans to widen the scope of its chat automation for a more seamless customer experience on WhatsApp. # Blogs ## [10 Best AI Sales Tools for Businesses: Reviews, Pricing & Features ](https:/respond.io/blog/best-ai-sales-tools) Looking for the best AI sales tools in 2025? Explore how leading platforms like respond.io, Apollo.io and Regie.ai use AI agents, data insights and automation to transform how teams qualify leads, manage outreach and close deals faster. Sales used to be about charm. Now it’s about data, timing and speed. If your team still spends half the day manually updating spreadsheets or answering the same customer questions that could easily live in an FAQ, it’s time for an upgrade. [AI sales](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent) tools are your new secret weapon. They do the heavy lifting, from sorting leads to writing follow-ups to tracking every customer through the customer lifecycle, so your human agents can [focus on closing sales](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-close-a-sale). In this guide, we’ll unpack what AI sales tools are, how they transform modern sales teams and our picks for the 10 best AI sales tools for businesses in 2025. ### Why your businesses need an AI sales tool Most sales teams, yours *probably* included, use [too many sales tools](https://www.salesloft.com/resources/blog/the-negative-impact-of-too-many-sales-tools). One for outreach, one for calls, one for analytics and one that just… exists because nobody bothers canceling it. But more tools ≠ more results. The right AI sales tools fix that by connecting the dots across your sales stack and learning from what’s already happening. Instead of juggling five tabs, your team gets a single, smarter view of every lead, message and deal in motion. In practice, this means: - Less manual work: No more manual logging or spreadsheet gymnastics. AI sales tools track every interaction automatically. - Lead tracking: AI sales tools can determine when leads are ready to engage, so you don’t waste energy chasing ghosts. Some tools can even handle follow-ups. - Sharper focus: AI sales tools can flag which leads are actually worth your time, saving reps from chasing the unqualified leads or casual browsers. - Integrated workflows: Most AI sales tools plug into your existing CRM or chat platform instead of replacing them. But remember: the purpose of AI sales tools isn’t to replace your sales team. Rather, it’s to help them sell like a team twice their size. ### What are the different types of AI sales tools? AI sales tools come in many forms, so instead of lumping everything together, we’ve compared the top platforms based on what they actually help sales teams do. Some tools focus on conversations, some on sourcing leads and others on outbound engagement. | Type of Tools | Description | | --- | --- | | Omnichannel messaging and AI Agents | Brings every communication channel together in one inbox and uses AI to qualify leads, follow up, route messages and handle routine workflows automatically. | | Lead sourcing and sales intelligence | Helps you find and verify prospects, track intent data and connect your CRM. | | Outbound engagement and sales sequences | Automates outreach across email, calls and social while using AI to optimize timing, personalization and follow-ups. | To make this easier to navigate, we’ve grouped the best AI sales tools of 2025 into three clear categories: - Omnichannel messaging and AI agents like Respond.io, Zoko, SleekFlow and Kommo bring every channel together in one inbox. They use AI to qualify leads, route messages and automate routine sales workflows. - Lead sourcing and sales intelligence tools such as ZoomInfo, Cognism and Apollo.io give teams verified contact data, intent signals and CRM enrichment for smarter prospecting. - Outbound engagement and sales sequences platforms like Salesloft, Outreach and Regie.ai automate multi-channel outreach across email, calls and social, using AI to optimize timing, personalization and follow-ups. In practice, most sales teams use multiple categories together, then spend hours each week keeping everything aligned. The result of this is friction. Deals move more slowly than they should, and leads fall through gaps nobody notices in time. [AI agents](https://respond.io/ai-agents) simplify all of that by working across tools instead of living in one corner of the stack. They manage real conversations, act on context in real time and remove friction across every step of the sales process. ### Why AI agents outperform standalone AI sales tools Most sales teams already use AI in some form, but many tools only automate one task at a time. One tool finds leads. Another sends follow-ups. Another logs data into the CRM. They help in small ways, but they do not work together, which leaves reps doing manual work to move deals forward. [AI agents](https://respond.io/ai-agents) change that. They sit inside the workflow instead of operating in isolation. They read conversations, pull context from customer history and CRM records, then decide what to do next. They can answer messages and calls, qualify leads, collect details, route conversations, follow up and escalate to human agents when needed. #### AI agents understand context Old chatbots followed rigid keywords. But AI agents understand meaning. They read tone, intent and message history before deciding what to do, whether that’s answering a question, collecting details or sending the chat to a rep. And here’s the best part: you can [connect them to your own knowledge base](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents). Upload FAQs or product docs and the agent will pull answers directly from your company’s real information. #### AI agents handle more work with less effort Most sales teams rely on a stack of disconnected AI tools. One handles lead qualification, another manages outreach and a third pushes updates into the CRM. They are useful, but together they create a fragmented workflow that needs constant coordination. AI agents remove that friction by working across systems. They handle tagging, qualification, routing, data capture and follow-ups inside the same platform. That keeps conversations moving and lets sales teams focus on selling rather than managing tools. #### AI agents keep sales moving The death of deals is [when momentum slows](https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/conversation-led-growth-7135901854428774400/). AI agents keep things alive by following up automatically, escalating when needed and ensuring every message gets a response. The best AI agents can even understand voice messages, answer calls and record call transcripts so leads know they've been heard. The best part is that AI agents don’t need breaks or working hours. Even when your team logs off, they keep leads warm and your pipeline active, so by the time morning hits, your agents are already a few steps ahead. ### What are the top 10 best AI sales tools for businesses in 2025? AI sales tools aren’t created equal. Some are glorified spreadsheets with a chatbot; others actually move deals forward. To make this guide easier to navigate, we’ve divided the top 10 tools into three categories based on what they actually help sales teams do: Now let’s get into it, starting with the tools that bring all your customer conversations together and put AI at the center of your sales process. #### Category 1: Omnichannel messaging and AI Agents The best tools in this category bring every customer conversation into one workspace and use AI to qualify leads, resolve questions and keep momentum high. What matters most is how well they understand context and act across the entire sales workflow. **Winner:** Respond.io, because it blends chat, voice and AI agents in one unified platform. ##### Respond.io [Respond.io](http://respond.io/) is an AI-powered, omnichannel conversation management tool where messages, calls and automation come together. It gives businesses [AI agents](https://respond.io/blog/how-respondio-ai-agents-work) that do more than reply. They can qualify leads, understand attachments, pull answers from knowledge bases and escalates to human agents when needed. ###### **Best for:** Companies that want AI agents, workflows and omnichannel communication in one powerful platform. ###### **Key features:** - Combines chat, voice and automation in one omnichannel inbox that connects all common channels from WhatsApp and Messenger to TikTok, Instagram, Telegram, email and VoIP. - Lets teams build workflows with a simple drag-and-drop interface for auto replies, surveys and escalations. - Uses AI agents that can qualify leads, answer questions using your knowledge base and hand over complex cases to humans. - Incorporates AI agents into voice services; AI agents can understand and reply to voice messages, transcribe calls, answer calls and transfer them to humans as needed. - Includes a test environment so teams can preview how their AI agents respond before going live. - Integrates with countless CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce to keep data and conversations connected. - Offers AI reply suggestions that help agents respond faster and maintain a consistent tone. - Manage and execute outbound campaigns across all your messaging channels from a single unified inbox. - Transparent pricing with no hidden fees or add-ons. - GDPR and ISO 27001 certified, coupled with 99.999% availability ###### **User Sentiment:** - Respond.io is known for its unified omnichannel inbox, AI automation and excellent support, though there have been some concerns over its learning curve.G2 rating: 4.8/5Capterra rating: 4.6/5 - G2 rating: 4.8/5 - Capterra rating: 4.6/5 ###### **Pricing:** The Growth plan starts at $159 per month for 10 users. It includes unlimited AI agent usage, advanced automation and full access to the omnichannel inbox. ##### Zoko Zoko is helps eCommerce teams sell, support and automate directly on WhatsApp. It connects to Shopify so you can recover abandoned carts, confirm COD orders and send broadcasts, all from a shared inbox your team can manage together. ###### **Best for:** Small, Shopify-focused businesses that want to turn WhatsApp into a complete sales, marketing and support engine. Zoko is helps eCommerce teams sell, support and automate directly on WhatsApp. It connects to Shopify so you can recover abandoned carts, confirm COD orders and send broadcasts, all from a shared inbox your team can manage together. ###### **Key Features:** - Syncs with Shopify to automate cart recovery, order updates and payment confirmations. - Visual flow builder for designing promotions, reminders and custom chat journeys. - Shared inbox with agent assignment, tags and saved replies for faster collaboration. - Integrates with Meta and WhatsApp Ads to capture and message leads instantly. ###### **User sentiment:** - Zoko is praised for its ease of use, smooth performance, and strong WhatsApp marketing features, though some want better UI and advanced tools.G2 rating: 4.5/5Capterra rating: N/A - G2 rating: 4.5/5 - Capterra rating: N/A ###### **Pricing:** Zoko's Elite plan is priced at $114.99/month and supports up to 10 agents, though you'll have to pay an additional $12 per additional agent. ##### Sleekflow SleekFlow gives smaller teams a simple way to manage WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram conversations from one place with basic automation built in. It focuses on helping businesses reply faster and run simple campaigns without technical setup. ###### **Best for:** Small businesses that want to handle all customer conversations on WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and more, from one inbox with basic automation and AI built in. ###### **Key Features:** - Unified inbox for WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, SMS and web chat. - Flow Builder to automate replies, campaigns and follow-ups without code. - AI Agent and Inbox Co-Pilot that understand context and assist live agents. - Integrations with Shopify, HubSpot, Salesforce and Meta Ads for a complete customer view. ###### **User sentiment:** - SleekFlow is liked for its user-friendly inbox and automation, but many users report pricing concerns, bugs/lag and wish for deeper analytics.G2 rating: 4.6/5Capterra rating: 4.5/5 - G2 rating: 4.6/5 - Capterra rating: 4.5/5 ###### **Pricing:** Sleekflow’s Pro package is priced at $199/month. It supports up to 5 users and up to 2,000 monthly active contacts. ##### Kommo Kommo brings together CRM, chat and automation all in one, clear interface. It connects messaging apps, calls and deal stages so your sales process moves in real time, all the way from first message to closed deal. ###### **Best for:** Small and medium teams that want a CRM where WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram live right beside the sales pipeline. ###### **Key Features:** - A unified inbox for WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and more. - Built-in WhatsApp Cloud API with automation and broadcasting. - Customizable pipelines that show every deal’s progress at a glance. - No-code salesbot that can be set up to qualify leads, assign chats and trigger workflows. ###### **User sentiment:** - Kommo is a capable, budget-friendly platform that offers useful automation, though users note it can feel limited and occasionally unreliable for more advanced needs.G2 rating: 3.8/5Capterra rating: 4.3/5 - G2 rating: 3.8/5 - Capterra rating: 4.3/5 ###### **Pricing:** Starts at $25 per user/month, which includes features like the no-code Salesbot, pipeline automation and triggered SMS and emails. #### Category 2: Lead sourcing and sales intelligence Great tools in this category give sales teams accurate prospect data, intent signals and CRM enrichment that help focus outreach. Data quality and compliance are the real differentiators because better inputs lead to better outcomes. **Winner:** ZoomInfo, thanks to its depth of global data and strong intent coverage. ##### ZoomInfo ZoomInfo is a go-to market intelligence platform that gives you access to a massive, frequently refreshed database of companies, contacts and buyer intent signals. It’s not trying to do everything. Rather, it leans into being the strongest lead engine behind your existing sales and marketing stack. ###### **Best for:** Large B2B sales teams that need a high-powered data engine to fuel their outreach and targeting. ###### **Key features:** - ZoomInfo keeps its contact and company records constantly updated, giving teams reliable data to work with. - It identifies companies showing active buying signals through intent and WebSights tracking. - Users can build precise prospect lists using advanced search filters based on industry, company size or technology used. - It connects with tools such as Salesforce, HubSpot and Outreach so sales data flows between systems without manual uploads. ###### **User sentiment**: - Users like Zoominfo’s B2B contact database with intent data and CRM links but dislike the high price and some old/wrong data.G2 rating: 4.5/5Capterra rating: 4.1/5 - G2 rating: 4.5/5 - Capterra rating: 4.1/5 ###### **Pricing:** ZoomInfo does not list its pricing publicly. You’ll need to contact their sales team for a quote, though their plans are grouped into three categories: Sales, Marketing and Talent. ##### Cognism Cognism is a sales intelligence platform known for its compliant data coverage. It gives access to verified international contacts and uses intent data to surface leads that are more likely to convert. It’s strong for lead sourcing, but it doesn’t go beyond that into chat or messaging automation. ###### **Best for:** Teams that need global B2B contact data with strict GDPR compliance. ###### **Key features:** - Provides verified emails and direct dials for global prospects. - Uses intent signals to show which companies are actively researching your product category. - Keeps data GDPR-compliant through in-house verification and automatic updates. - Integrates with tools like HubSpot, Salesforce and Outreach for fast data sync. ###### **User sentiment**: - Customer reviews highlight its secure data coverage and strong support, but some find it costly and less intuitive to use.G2 rating: 4.5./5Capterra rating: 4.7/5 - G2 rating: 4.5./5 - Capterra rating: 4.7/5 ###### **Pricing:** Cognism doesn’t list pricing publicly and only shares custom quotes after a sales call, with costs varying based on team size and data needs across its Grow and Elevate plans. ##### Apollo.io Apollo.io combines a large B2B contact database with built-in outreach and analytics tools. It’s popular because it packs prospecting, sequencing and tracking into one platform at a much lower price than enterprise options. It’s effective for lean teams but still limited compared to a full omnichannel platform like [respond.io](http://respond.io). ###### **Best for:** Startups and growing sales teams that want affordable lead data and outreach in one tool. ###### **Key features:** - Offers a contact database of over 275 million verified records. - Lets users create and automate email sequences directly inside the app. - Tracks engagement and replies for easy follow-up. - Integrates with CRMs and sales tools like HubSpot and Salesforce. ###### **User sentiment:** - Many teams appreciate how easy it is to find leads and run outreach in one platform, though a few note inconsistent data accuracy.G2 rating: 4.8/5Capterra rating: 4.6/5 - G2 rating: 4.8/5 - Capterra rating: 4.6/5 ###### **Pricing:** Apollo’s Professional plan costs $79 per user per month (billed annually) and adds multi-touch outreach, AI features, automations, parallel dialing, call recording and advanced analytics. #### Category 3: Outbound engagement and sales sequences Top tools in this category help plan and automate multi-channel outreach across email, calls and social. They improve follow-up timing, highlight what works and reduce manual effort so reps can stay productive. **Winner:** Salesloft, for its balance of cadence automation, reporting and coaching that fits high-volume outbound teams. ##### Salesloft Salesloft is a sales engagement tool that helps teams plan, send and track multi-channel communication. The platform’s analytics also show how messages perform across email, calls and social, helping managers coach teams and improve results. While it includes AI features for recommendations, it still depends heavily on manual setup and human input. ###### **Best for:** Sales teams that want a structured way to manage outreach, follow-ups and performance in one platform. ###### **Key features:** - Organizes outreach with automated cadences for email, calls and LinkedIn messages. - Tracks engagement data to show which messages and channels drive the most replies. - Provides coaching tools so managers can review calls and give feedback. - Connects with major CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot to keep records aligned. - Offers AI-based suggestions for improving outreach timing and messaging tone. ###### **User sentiment:** - Reviewers praise its cadence management and analytics tools, while others say it has a learning curve and occasional bugs.G2 rating: 4.5/5Capterra rating: 4.3/5 - G2 rating: 4.5/5 - Capterra rating: 4.3/5 ###### **Pricing:** Salesloft does not list public pricing and requires you to speak with sales for a custom quote. ##### Outreach Outreach is a sales engagement platform built to manage high-volume outbound activity with workflow automation and tracking. It gives reps a roadmap — who to reach, when and how — and surfaces data to help you optimize sequences. But it leans heavily into outreach rather than full conversational AI or omnichannel messaging. ###### **Best for:** Sales teams that run structured outbound across email, calls and social. ###### **Key features:** - Outreach lets you build multi-step cadences combining emails, calls and social touches so your team maintains momentum. - The platform tracks opens, clicks and replies, giving visibility into which messages drive engagement. - Its conversation intelligence tools record and summarize calls, flag action items and highlight coaching opportunities. - Outreach integrates with your CRM so tasks, replies and contact data stay in sync. - It offers AI-based insights to suggest optimal messaging or next steps based on engagement signals. ###### **User sentiment:** - Sales teams like its sequencing and reporting features, but some mention the platform feels heavy and overpriced.G2 rating: 4.3/5Capterra rating: 4.4/5 - G2 rating: 4.3/5 - Capterra rating: 4.4/5 ###### **Pricing:** Outreach does not list public pricing. It uses per-user pricing with custom quotes, so you must contact sales to get a plan, and costs typically scale based on features and team size. ##### Regie.ai Regie.ai positions itself as a next-generation prospecting engine. Rather than making you glue together separate tools, it blends AI agents, outreach, data enrichment, intent signals and dialing in one pipeline. The idea: AI helps with the heavy setup, warm-up and messaging and your reps jump in where human touch still matters. ###### **Best for:** Mid-to-large sales teams wanting a unified AI agent + engagement platform. ###### **Key features:** - The AI agents handle prospect research, message drafting and lead prioritization based on behavioral signals and firmographic data. - It supports a multi-channel outreach flow that includes email, social and calls. - Parallel dialing lets the system warm leads and queue the best ones for human reps to call, delivering better efficiency. - Built-in data enrichment and intent monitoring keep your lists fresh and focused without needing a separate data tool. - You can automate task generation, follow-ups and routing so reps don’t lose momentum chasing leads. ###### **User sentiment:** - Users enjoy its AI-generated sales content and research tools, although some say the messaging can sound robotic.G2 rating: 4.4/5Capterra rating: 4.0/5 - G2 rating: 4.4/5 - Capterra rating: 4.0/5 ###### **Pricing:** Regie.ai doesn’t publish detailed pricing breakdowns, but their plans start at around $35,000 USD per year for AI outreach agents, with additional features like the AI Dialer available at similar starting levels. ### What is the best AI sales tool in the market? There are many AI sales tools, but most focus on just one piece of the process. Some help find leads, some automate outreach and others only forecast deals. The problem is that you still end up switching between tools to get work done. Before revealing the best solution, here’s a recap of the above: | Tool | Category | Pros | Cons | Best for | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Respond.io | Omnichannel messaging and AI agents | Omnichannel inbox for chat + voice, strong workflows, powerful AI agents, transparent pricing, stable platform | Requires setup to get full value, best results with CRM integration | Teams that want powerful AI agents, omnichannel messaging + calling in one place | | Zoko | Omnichannel messaging and AI agents | Shopify integration, cart recovery automation, shared inbox for teams | Limited channels, no in-depth analytics, Shopify-centric | Shopify-focused brands running sales and support on WhatsApp | | Sleekflow | Omnichannel messaging and AI agents | Omnichannel inbox (WhatsApp, IG, Messenger), neat UI, no-code automation builder | Higher entry pricing, extra fees for WhatsApp hosting and messages, inconsistent platform stability | Businesses managing multi-channel messaging and automation in one workspace | | Kommo | Omnichannel messaging and AI agents | CRM and chat in one place, visual pipelines, no-code Salesbot | Basic UI, fewer advanced AI features, limited scalability | Smaller businesses that sell and support customers directly through messaging apps | | ZoomInfo | Lead sourcing and sales intelligence | Huge B2B database, strong intent data, deep company insights | Expensive, locked behind sales calls, no messaging or automation | Large B2B teams that prioritize data quality | | Cognism | Lead sourcing and sales intelligence | Compliant global contact data, phone-verified leads, intent signals | No outreach features, pricing hidden, costly for small teams | GDPR-focused teams sourcing global data | | Apollo.io | Lead sourcing and sales intelligence | Affordable all-in-one prospecting + outreach, easy to start | Email-centric, weaker CRM sync, limited omnichannel | Startups and lean teams wanting low-cost outbound | | Salesloft | Outbound engagement and sales sequences | Good for organized follow-ups, cadence automation, coaching tools | Manual setup, average AI capabilities, unclear pricing | Teams focused on structured outbound workflows | | Outreach | Outbound engagement and sales sequences | Powerful sequencing, workflow automation, call intelligence | Can feel heavy, setup time needed, pricing behind sales calls | Scaling teams running high-volume outbound | | Regie.ai | Outbound engagement and sales sequences | AI agents for prospecting, workflows + enrichment + dialer in one, strong personalization | High entry price, complex for small teams, quote-based pricing | Mid-large sales orgs replacing legacy outreach tools with AI | Respond.io is the best because it gives your team a single platform where AI agents act like real teammates that manage conversations, update records, trigger workflows and loop in humans at the right moment. That means less tool switching, faster resolutions and more time spent helping customers and leads instead of chasing details. Here’s what makes respond.io stand out: - Omnichannel AI agents that handle real customer requests like checking orders, sending booking links or updating information directly in a chat or call. - Outbound campaigns that reach customers across all popular channels, right from the same inbox. - VoIP and WhatsApp API calling support so your team can jump from chat to voice without losing context. - Lifecycle tracking that automatically qualifies prospects, follows up and prioritizes the right leads. - Detailed reporting and analytics that show resolution rates, customer satisfaction and team performance at a glance. - Always-on reliability so every message, call or task gets handled promptly, no matter the time zone. [Respond.io](http://Respond.io) is the best AI sales tool because it does more than automate replies. It unifies every part of the customer journey, from chat to call to reporting, into one workspace that keeps your sales engine running. ### Further Reading If you found our article helpful, you should check out the following: - 7 Best AI Chatbots for Customer Service in 2025 for Businesses - Best AI Agents for Customer Support in 2025: Pros, Cons & Pricing - 7 Best WhatsApp Marketing Software in 2025 for Businesses ## [10 Best Kommo Alternatives and Competitors in 2025](https:/respond.io/blog/kommo-alternative) Looking for a Kommo alternative? Top picks in 2025 include respond.io, Delightchat, Zoko, Chatfuel, Interakt, Chatwoot, Wati, Rasayel, Landbot, Chatbase. Looking for a CRM + messaging platform that goes beyond Kommo’s limitations? You’re not alone. Small, sales-focused businesses often start with Kommo as a budget-friendly option, but look for alternatives when they need more advanced features and aim to scale. If your growing team needs voice capabilities, mature, versatile AI features and transparent pricing, the tools below are worth considering. ### Why do businesses look for a Kommo alternative? While every business’s needs are different, these are the five most common reasons you might need to look for a Kommo alternative. #### Need for advanced WhatsApp features like calling WhatsApp’s new [Business Calling API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-calling-api) lets businesses make and receive calls directly in WhatsApp. This makes it easy for agents to move from a chat to a call while having full context of the customer and previous conversations. It’s also great for businesses with international customers as it cuts down on the costs of international calls. However, Kommo does not support this feature. #### Lack of transparency in pricing Kommo’s costs initially look low as they’re on a per-user basis. This may be a good option for very small teams, but costs quickly add up as businesses grow and need to add users. Additionally, Kommo’s plans require a minimum commitment of 6 months; there’s no option to pay on a month-to-month basis. #### Aiming to scale Kommo works well for small businesses, but as mentioned above, its per-user costs are high for larger teams. On top of that, each user has a limited number of active leads and stored contacts, which causes problems for businesses sending high volumes of messages. #### More sophisticated AI automation and integrations While Kommo has some AI capabilities, it can’t fully handle the customer journey with AI and intuitively hand off conversations to a human when needed. It can be used as a CRM on its own but doesn’t integrate with popular CRMs like [HubSpot](https://respond.io/blog/hubspot-integration) and [Salesforce](https://respond.io/blog/salesforce-integration). #### Platform performance issues Kommo does not offer an official uptime guarantee, and its status page frequently reports issues, raising concerns about long-term reliability. Users frequently report bugs and slow customer support. Downtime and glitches mean potential lost sales, a risk businesses can’t afford to take. ### 10 Kommo alternatives: pros, cons and pricing Whether you’re using Kommo and looking for alternatives or are just trying out a conversation management platform for the first time, here are 10 options to consider. Each summary includes strengths, trade-offs and mid-range plan pricing so you can shortlist fast. #### Respond.io Built for growing teams that run sales, marketing and support on WhatsApp and other channels. Respond.io combines a multichannel inbox, WhatsApp calling, AI agents, workflows and analytics in one place. ##### Pros - Supports all popular channels and custom channels, including WhatsApp, TikTok, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, WeChat, LINE, Viber, Telegram, SMS, webchat and email - Offers VoIP as one of just a few WhatsApp Business Solution Providers that enablesWhatsApp Business Calling API; VoIP for all other calling is also now available through our partner, Telnyx. Human agents can also transfer WhatsApp calls mid-conversation while customers stay on the same line - Supports high volumes of WhatsApp broadcasts without lagging, integrates with WhatsApp catalog - AI agents with specific roles with templates for receptionist, sales agent and support agentTrain agents with your knowledge base and website to equip them to provide accurate answersAI agents can update your CRM, read images and files, and route conversations to an appropriate human agent or to another AI agentRespond.io's AI is very efficient, delivering quick and accurate replies while reducing extra workloadHumans can take over instantly, with the AI stepping aside right away for a seamless handoff - Train agents with your knowledge base and website to equip them to provide accurate answers - AI agents can update your CRM, read images and files, and route conversations to an appropriate human agent or to another AI agent - Respond.io's AI is very efficient, delivering quick and accurate replies while reducing extra workload - Humans can take over instantly, with the AI stepping aside right away for a seamless handoff - Native CRM integrations with HubSpot and Salesforce, and integrates with other CRMs and software via Make and Zapier - Track and manage customers through the entire lifecycle, to easily prioritize and target leads and customers and recognize causes of lost leads and how to improve conversions - Enterprise-grade security for speed and stability, with 99.999% platform uptime under high message volumes - Excellent customer support with 24/5 live support via chat or call, and 24/7 AI agent support available on every plan ##### Cons - All the channels and features available may seem overwhelming, but our customer success team is ready to assist with onboarding ##### Pricing Respond.io’s mid-tier Growth plan starts at $159 and allows 10 users. It includes unlimited automation, unlimited use of AI Agent and advanced reporting. It includes 1,000 Monthly Active Contacts (MACs), which refers to contacts you actually speak to in a month. There’s no limit to the number of stored contacts you can have. #### Delightchat Delightchat is designed for small, support-focused businesses operating over multiple chat channels. It supports WhatsApp broadcasts and marketing features but not WhatsApp calling. It offers a native Shopify integration and support analytics. ##### Pros - Supports WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, email and webchat in a single inbox - Comprehensive native Shopify integration - Support analytics and WhatsApp Marketing ROI analytics ##### Cons - No WhatsApp Calling - No CRM integration - Limited automation - AI Assistant only helps compose and edit messages; it cannot answer independently - Poor customer support ##### Pricing The mid-range Scale plan is $99 per month and includes 20 users. AI Assistant incurs additional costs. #### Zoko Zoko is a WhatsApp-first platform for Shopify-oriented businesses. It supports WhatsApp, with add-ons for Instagram and Facebook Messenger, plus basic automation, tagging and assignment. It’s quick to set up and easy to learn. Analytics exist (e.g., agent reports), but the scope is narrower than full omnichannel suites. ##### Pros - Focused heavily on WhatsApp and includes Instagram and Facebook Messenger - Easy to use and set up - Includes basic automation and tagging ##### Cons - Channels limited to WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger (no email/SMS/Telegram) - Limited automation and reporting - No WhatsApp Calling - No AI agents - Limited integrations ##### Pricing The plus plan is $64.99/month and includes WhatsApp messaging, automation rules and basic team assignment tools. #### Chatfuel [Chatfuel](https://respond.io/blog/manychat-vs-chatfuel) is a no-code chatbot builder made for small businesses and solo entrepreneurs who want to automate simple conversations on popular channels like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. It’s easy to use and works well for answering FAQs, sending reminders and running basic campaigns. That said, once your messaging needs grow more complex or span more channels, it can start to feel a little boxed in. ##### Pros - Easy-to-use with intuitive drag-and-drop builder for Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp - Supports click-to-chat ads, QR codes and basic website widgets - Integrations with tools like HubSpot and Google Sheets via third-party platforms ##### Cons - No support for channels beyond Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp - No in-depth analytics - Automation is basic, with no advanced features like smart triggers or lifecycle tracking - Customer support can be inconsistent ##### Pricing Chatfuel prices Facebook and Instagram separately from WhatsApp. The Business plan for Facebook and Instagram starts at $23.99/month, while the WhatsApp Business plan starts at $41/month for 1,000 conversations (plus Meta fees). #### Interakt Interakt is a messaging tool built for small businesses that sell, support or market through chat. It’s popular in India and other WhatsApp-first markets, with features to manage customer conversations, send broadcasts and set up basic automations. If your entire messaging strategy lives on WhatsApp and Instagram, Interakt is a simple way to get started. ##### Pros - Built specifically for WhatsApp and Instagram - Shared inbox, catalog sharing and bulk messaging is included - Supports click-to-chat ads and automated replies - Integrations are possible with popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce and CRMs and payment gateways (e.g., Zoho, Razorpay) ##### Cons - Limited channel support - Doesn’t offer advanced workflow automation - UI tends to feel overly basic and limited once your needs grow - Customer support has mixed reviews, with some reports of slow or unhelpful responses - New AI agents come at an additional cost ##### Pricing The Growth plan is $49/month and includes support for both WhatsApp and Instagram, access to broadcast campaigns, basic automation like greetings, FAQs and chatbot flows and up to 5 custom events for conversion tracking. You’ll also get unlimited agents, unlimited conversations and contacts, but Meta’s standard per-message charges apply. #### Chatwoot Chatwoot is an open-source, low-cost, omnichannel helpdesk with basic automation features and integration with Shopify, HubSpot, Slack and more. It also offers a low-cost, self-hosted option for developers. ##### Pros - Supports WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Line, X and email, plus custom channels via API - Self-hosted option for developers - Basic automation - Wide range of integrations ##### Cons - No WhatsApp calling - No AI agents - Channels are limited for non-technical users - Focused on support, not ideal for marketing and sales - Can be challenging for non-technical users - Customer support is limited ##### Pricing $39/per user per month for Business plan which includes all channels and automation features for an unlimited number of conversations. The Premium self-hosted plan is $19/user per month (using WhatsApp Cloud API from Meta and building custom integrations for any other channels). #### Wati [Wati](https://respond.io/blog/wati-alternative) was built specifically for the [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) and is a basic, low-cost option for businesses with small teams primarily using WhatsApp for marketing, sales and support. It also now supports Instagram as a channel with limited features available for it. ##### Pros - Integrate WhatsApp API with WhatsApp Catalogs to easily share products - WhatsApp Broadcasts to send high volumes of messages without downtime - Chat automation workflows - Low cost ##### Cons - No WhatsApp Business Calling API - Only supports WhatsApp and Instagram - Limited AI features - Limited automation and integration - Poor customer support from an AI bot, difficult to reach a human ##### Pricing The price for Wati’s mid-tier plan is $79 for five users, making it one of the cheaper options for businesses on a tight budget. However, there’s a 20% markup fee on WhatsApp messaging costs and AI credits are also an add-on. #### Rasayel Rasayel is a business messaging platform designed to help B2B businesses manage communications over WhatsApp. It's often used by sales and marketing teams to automate workflows, and collaborate more efficiently. ##### Pros - Native CRM integration with HubSpot and Pipedrive or integrate with other CRMs via Zapier - AI agent built for sales takes inquiries instantly and passes leads to a human agent to close the deal. - Automates sales workflows - automate responses and assignments for faster replies and better internal collaboration ##### Cons - Limited to WhatsApp - No WhatsApp Business Calling API - Does not support WhatsApp catalogs - Limited analytics ##### Pricing Rasayel’s mid-tier pricing is $360 a month for up to 10 users, unlimited automation and a limit of up to 25,000 messages. #### Landbot Landbot positions itself as a no-code chatbot platform focused on creating conversational experiences for web and WhatsApp. It emphasizes ease of design, allowing businesses to build interactive lead capture and customer engagement flows without technical expertise. ##### Pros - Simple to set up - You can train the Landbot AI with documents and website content - AI Agents can capture lead personal details and route chats to agents - Integrations with HubSpot, Mailchimp and Google Sheets ##### Cons - WhatsApp and webchat only - No WhatsApp calling - AI Agents are still in Beta - Primarily a chatbot platform rather than a full conversation management platform or CRM - Expert bot development and support only available on their premium plan - Poor customer support ##### Pricing Landbot offers two mid-tier plans: Pro and WhatsApp Pro. The WhatsApp Pro plan, which includes access to the WhatsApp Business API, costs $220 per month and provides 2,500 web and Messenger chats, 500 AI chats, 10,000 WhatsApp messages and three seats. Potential extra costs include $0.10/AI chat and $25 per month per seat. While this covers basic usage, the fixed chat, message and seat limits make the plan less flexible. Businesses with growing teams or higher messaging volumes may quickly find themselves constrained, making it difficult to scale without added costs. #### Chatbase Chatbase is positioned as a chatbot builder that lets businesses create AI bots trained on their own data. It focuses on helping teams deploy FAQ-style assistants quickly, with a straightforward setup aimed at businesses that want to experiment with AI-driven conversations. ##### Pros - Easy to use - AI is trainable with documents, Notion sources and your website - AI agents can route chats and update lead properties automatically - You can experiment with different LLM models to get the best results ##### Cons - Only supports the following messaging channels: WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and website - A bit too niche for businesses looking for a more holistic solution beyond AI agents - Pricing relies on multiple add-ons that end up inflating the final cost - The mid-tier plan includes only basic analytics ##### Pricing The Chatbase Standard Plan costs about $150/month and includes up to 12,000 message credits, 2 AI Agents and 3 user seats. However, costs can rise if you exceed message credits, need more chatbots or want extras like custom domains or removal of Chatbase branding. This makes pricing less predictable for businesses with growing usage. ### Which is the best platform for your business needs? For e-commerce businesses using Shopify and primarily using chat for support, Zoko or Delightchat may be the right fit. Tech-savvy businesses who prefer to build their own integrations may want to consider Chatwoot. Budget conscious businesses who require basic automation and bots may choose Chatfuel, Landbot, or Chatbase. However, the best Kommo alternative for medium to large teams that need robust CRM integration, advanced AI agents, and a true omnichannel inbox that’s built to scale high volumes of messages is respond.io. Its AI Agent manages both chat and voice interactions, follows up on conversations, understands voice messages, greets callers, answers basic questions, closes politely and generates call transcripts. The typing indicator keeps responses feeling natural while AI Assist helps agents reply faster, translate messages and maintain tone. Whether your business is focused on WhatsApp or multiple channels, respond.io automates the entire customer journey in one place. Track the customer lifecycle with mature reporting features so you can optimize campaigns and conversions and provide better support. ### Try respond.io as the ideal Kommo alternative for growing businesses If you’re ready to make the switch from Kommo or you’re trying out a few solutions, consider a [free trial of respond.io](https://app.respond.io/user/register) to see for yourself how it can boost your business. Or if you have further questions about whether respond.io is right for you and need a demo, [contact us for a free consultation](https://respond.io/demo). ### Further reading If you've found this article helpful, consider these others to learn more about choosing the best conversation management platform. - 7 Best AI Chatbots for Customer Service - 5 Best WhatsApp Business Service Providers - VoIP CRM Integration: A Guide to Full-Context Conversations ## [10 Best Manychat Alternatives and Competitors in 2025](https:/respond.io/blog/manychat-alternative) Top 10 Manychat alternatives: Respond.io, Sleekflow, Wati, Trengo, Rasayel, Kommo, Chatfuel, Interakt, Bird, Podium. Choose the best one for your business. Are you looking for a [Manychat alternative](https://respond.io/alternatives/manychat) for your growing business? Manychat allows creators and businesses to connect their conversations from Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, SMS and email in a single inbox. It’s easy to use and offers basic automation features designed with creators and small teams in mind. However, businesses with larger teams that require more advanced automation and need features like [WhatsApp calling](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-calling-api), VoIP and [AI agents](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) may require an alternative. We’ve compiled the top ten Manychat alternatives to help make your decision easier. We’ll look at a few typical reasons businesses like yours need to consider an alternative and then get into the details of the solutions available. ### Why Do Businesses Look for Manychat Alternatives? While every business’s needs are different, here are a few of the most common reasons to look for another option. Whether you’re thinking of switching from Manychat or are considering subscribing to a conversation management platform for the first time, keep these in mind. #### Limited Channel Options Manychat supports WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, SMS and email. While this covers the most popular channels, businesses that frequently chat with customers on other channels like [WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-business) and [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business) or require VoIP services or integration of custom channels will need another solution. #### Limited Number of Users Manychat is designed for solo creators or small teams, with the Pro Plan only allowing three users. Add-on fees for more users pile up quickly for businesses with growing teams. Larger businesses would benefit from choosing a solution that includes more users in each monthly plan. #### Lack of Advanced Automation Manychat offers basic automation features that are quick to set up, which makes it an attractive option to businesses just getting started with a conversation management platform. While Manychat promotes the ability to fully automate conversations, the types of chats it can handle are limited. Advanced features like AI agents and [complex routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) aren’t available, so as business needs expand, it’s necessary to look elsewhere. #### Poor Customer Support Many users have expressed frustration with Manychat’s limited support, which is only available via email and often leaves them without timely answers. ### 10 Manychat Alternatives: Pros, Cons and Pricing Now that we’ve covered the reasons to look into a Manychat alternative, let’s dive into the available options. Each have their pros and cons, so the best choice will depend upon your unique business needs. We’re including pricing for the most popular, mid-tier option for each although all products have limited entry plan and more advanced options. #### Respond.io Respond.io is an AI-powered, [omnichannel conversation management platform](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) designed to help B2C businesses capture, convert and retain customers over chat, call and email. It offers advanced automation to manage leads and customers throughout their entire journey. ##### Pros of respond.io - Supports all popular channels and custom channels - supported channels include WhatsApp, TikTok, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, WeChat, LINE, Viber, Telegram, SMS, webchat and email. - WhatsApp features - supports high volumes of broadcasts without lagging, integrates with WhatsApp catalog and enables calling - Offers VoIP - respond.io is one of just a few WhatsApp Business Solution Providers that enablesWhatsApp Business Calling API; VoIP for all other calling is also now available through our partner, Telnyx. - AI Agent and AI Assist - use AI agent that learns from your entire company knowledge sources to provide instant replies, qualify leads, answer FAQ and route customers to a human agent when needed. AI Assist helps agents give quicker, more accurate, on-brand replies with prompts, proofreading, translation and more. - CRM integration - respond.io offers native integrations with HubSpot and Salesforce, and integrates with other CRMs and software via Make and Zapier. - Customer lifecycle management - track and manage customers through the entire lifecycle, to easily prioritize and target leads and customers and recognize causes of lost leads and how to improve conversions. - Excellent customer support - 24/5 live support via chat or call, and 24/7 AI agent support is available on every plan. ##### Cons of respond.io Learning curve - all the channels and features available may seem overwhelming, but our customer success team is ready to assist with onboarding ##### Respond.io Pricing Respond.io’s mid-tier Growth plan starts at $159 and allows 10 users. It includes unlimited automation, unlimited use of AI Agent and advanced reporting. There’s no limit to the number of stored contacts on respond.io’s Monthly Active Contact (MAC) pricing model. That means you only pay for the contacts you actually speak to in a month. The Growth plan includes 1,000 MACs. #### Sleekflow [Sleekflow](https://respond.io/blog/sleekflow-alternative) is a conversation management platform that’s best for small businesses with five or fewer users. It enables businesses to connect popular messaging channels to a single inbox and automate chats and processes. However, costs can be high and the platform has been known to have performance issues. ##### Pros of Sleekflow - Supports most popular channels - Sleekflow supports WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, WeChat, LINE, Telegram, Viber and SMS. - CRM integrations - it has native integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce and Shopify and integrates with other software and CRMs via Zapier and Make. - AI Agent and AI Assist - Train an AI agent based on PDF uploads and web sources to answer inquiries and qualify leads. Use AI to assist with composing messages and maintaining brand tone. ##### Cons of Sleekflow - Performance issues - frequently lags under high volumes of messages. - No VoIP - WhatsApp Business Calling API and other VoIP services are not supported by Sleekflow. - Does not support TikTok - If you’ve been using TikTok with Manychat, this may be a dealbreaker. - Poor customer support - Sleekflow mainly provides support via email, with limited chat support available for higher-tier plans. ##### Sleekflow Pricing Sleekflow charges $349 per month for the mid-tier plan which only includes five users. WhatsApp Business Accounts cost $15/per month per number. Businesses are charged for the number of stored contacts rather than the number of contacts they speak to. #### Wati [Wati](https://respond.io/blog/wati-alternative) was built specifically for the [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) and is a basic, low-cost option for businesses with small teams primarily using WhatsApp for marketing, sales and support. It also now supports Instagram as a channel with limited features available for it. ##### Pros of Wati - WhatsApp Catalog - Integrate WhatsApp API with WhatsApp Catalogs to easily share products - WhatsApp Broadcasts - Send high volumes of messages over WhatsApp without downtime - Chat automation workflows - Wati enables basic automation for conversations and can send instant replies to click to chat ads - Low cost - Wati is the cheapest option on our list, which makes it ideal for small businesses on a limited budget. However, growing businesses will find the mark-ups and add-on fees pile up fast. ##### Cons of Wati - No WhatsApp Business Calling API - while Wati has many WhatsApp API features, it does not support WhatsApp Calling, so you can’t jump into a quick call with customers when you need to. - Only supports WhatsApp and Instagram - if your business uses popular channels like TikTok and Facebook Messenger, it can be a challenge to keep up with messages in siloed channels. - Limited AI features - While Wati does offer an AI agent, it is only for support rather than sales and offers no option to route to a human agent. ##### Wati Pricing The price for Wati’s mid-tier plan is $79 for five users, making it one of the cheaper options for businesses on a tight budget. However, there’s a 20% markup fee on WhatsApp messaging costs and AI credits are also an add-on. #### Trengo [Trengo](https://respond.io/blog/trengo-alternative) is a subscription-based platform that connects popular communication channels including WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger to a single inbox. It’s best for small businesses with 5 or fewer agents sending low volumes of messages for sales and support over chat. As Trengo was designed for support, its new marketing and sales features lack maturity, and add-on fees can be steep. ##### Pros of Trengo - Supports custom channels and VoIP - Few platforms support calling, so Trengo’s VoIP options make it an attractive choice for businesses that require this feature. It also supports integration of custom channels for enterprises. - Analytics focused on support metrics - Trengo was built for support and offers advanced analytics around metrics related to this use case. - CRM integration - Trengo integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce, Shopify and Magento for additional fees. ##### Cons of Trengo - Poor customer support - as the Trengo support team is only available during Central European office hours, getting in touch with support can be a challenge. - No WhatsApp Business Calling API - while Trengo supports VoIP, it does not support WhatsApp calling, so if you need to jump into a call with customers, you can’t do it directly from WhatsApp. - AI agent is only in beta - while Trengo offers an AI agent, the feature is in beta, so it may not be the best choice for businesses needing a reliable AI solution - Limited automation - workflow automations come with additional fees and cannot support complex business processes. ##### Trengo Pricing Trengo’s mid-tier pricing begins at $579 per month for twenty users, but essential features such as broadcast messaging come at an additional cost. This plan includes a cap of 18,000 conversations annually, with extra charges applying if you exceed that limit or use AI-powered conversations. #### Rasayel Rasayel is a business messaging platform designed to help B2B businesses manage communications over WhatsApp. It's often used by sales and marketing teams to automate workflows, and collaborate more efficiently. ##### Pros of Rasayel - CRM integration - get native integrations with HubSpot and Pipedrive or integrate with other CRMs via Zapier. - AI chatbot with smooth transition to human agent - An AI agent built for sales takes inquiries instantly and passes leads to a human agent to close the deal. - Automates sales workflows - automate responses and assignments for faster replies and better internal collaboration ##### Cons of Rasayel - Limited to WhatsApp - WhatsApp is the only channel supported, so this solution won’t work for businesses requiring omnichannel communication - Does not support WhatsApp Business Calling API - while Rasayel supports many WhatsApp features, it does not support WhatsApp Calling, so you can’t jump into a quick call with customers when you need to. - Limited analytics - the reporting features are basic so it’s not possible to track the entire customer lifecycle. ##### Rasayel Pricing Rasayel’s mid-tier pricing is $360 a month for up to 10 users, unlimited automation and a limit of up to 25,000 messages. #### Kommo [Kommo](https://respond.io/blog/kommo-vs-manychat) is a messaging-first CRM built for small to mid-sized businesses that sell over chat. It connects all popular channels, including WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, email and more into one inbox, with tools to manage conversations, track deals and follow up automatically. If your team chats with leads daily and wants a simple sales pipeline that lives alongside those chats, Kommo might be worth a look. ##### Pros of Kommo - Unified channels - You can connect WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, email and more, all in one unified inbox - Basic automation - Kommo provides basic no-code automation to help teams handle repetitive tasks and follow-ups - Easy setup - Simple onboarding and interface make it easy to get started without too much technical help - Affordable - Kommo tends to be reasonably priced for smaller teams ##### Cons of Kommo - Outdated look - The Interface can feel outdated and clunky compared to other solutions - Reporting limits - Limited reporting and analytics compared to larger CRMs - No calling - No built-in VoIP support for voice calling - Laggy performance – Users have reported bugs and occasional slowness, especially when multitasking or handling high volumes of chats - Support hours - Customer support is only available during business hours; response times may be delayed ##### Kommo Pricing Kommo’s Advanced plan costs $25 per user per month, billed every 6 months. It includes features like Salesbot (for building no-code chatbots), automations and broadcast messaging. Each user can manage up to 5,000 active leads and store up to 25,000 contacts and companies. #### Chatfuel [Chatfuel](https://respond.io/blog/manychat-vs-chatfuel) is a no-code chatbot builder made for small businesses and solo entrepreneurs who want to automate simple conversations on popular channels like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. It’s easy to use and works well for answering FAQs, sending reminders and running basic campaigns. That said, once your messaging needs grow more complex or span more channels, it can start to feel a little boxed in. ##### Pros of Chatfuel - Easy-to-use - Intuitive drag-and-drop builder for Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp - Entry points - Supports click-to-chat ads, QR codes and basic website widgets - Basic integrations - Integrates with tools like HubSpot and Google Sheets via third-party platforms ##### Cons of Chatfuel - Channel limits - No support for channels beyond Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp - Missing key features - Lacks contact merge and omnichannel inbox features - Analytics gap - Broadcasts are limited to WhatsApp and are missing in-depth analytics - Automation ceiling - Automation is basic, with no advanced features like smart triggers or lifecycle tracking ##### Chatfuel Pricing Chatfuel prices Facebook and Instagram separately from WhatsApp. The Business plan for Facebook and Instagram starts at $23.99/month, while the WhatsApp Business plan starts at $41/month for 1,000 conversations (plus Meta fees). #### Interakt Interakt is a messaging tool built for small businesses that sell, support or market through chat. It’s popular in India and other WhatsApp-first markets, with features to manage customer conversations, send broadcasts and set up basic automations. If your entire messaging strategy lives on WhatsApp and Instagram, Interakt is a simple way to get started. ##### Pros of Interakt - WhatsApp and Instagram first - It’s a dedicated tool built specifically for WhatsApp and Instagram - Inbox tools - Shared inbox, catalog sharing and bulk messaging is included - Ad support - Click-to-chat ads and automated replies are available features - Budget-friendly - Affordable pricing suitable for small teams and SMBs - Integration support - Integrations are possible with popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce and CRMs and payment gateways (e.g., Zoho, Razorpay) ##### Cons of Interakt - Limited channel support - Primarily supports WhatsApp and Instagram only - Simple flows - Doesn’t offer advanced workflow automation - Basic UI - UI tends to feel overly basic and limited once your needs grow - Support quality - Customer support has mixed reviews, with some reports of slow or unhelpful responses ##### Interakt Pricing **T**he Growth plan is $49/month and includes support for both WhatsApp and Instagram, access to broadcast campaigns, basic automation like greetings, FAQs and chatbot flows and up to 5 custom events for conversion tracking. You’ll also get unlimited agents, unlimited conversations and contacts, but Meta’s standard per-message charges apply. #### Bird [Bird](https://respond.io/blog/alternatives-messagebird) (formerly MessageBird) is a customer communication platform that offers SMS, Email, and WhatsApp messaging under one roof. It’s designed for businesses that want to run campaigns across multiple channels without getting too technical. While Bird covers the basics, its pricing structure isn’t very transparent and tends to be on the higher side. ##### Pros of Bird - Multi-channel support - Supports SMS, email and WhatsApp from a single platform - Transparent rates - No extra markup on WhatsApp or SMS messages - Built-in CRM - Comes with a contact database to help you organize and segment your audience. - Automation-ready - Includes tools to create journeys and run multichannel campaigns. ##### Cons of Bird - Limited channel support - Lacks support for other popular channels like Messenger, Instagram, Telegram and more - Lacking key features - No built-in tools for merging duplicate contacts - Steep learning curve - The Interface can feel a bit technical for smaller teams - Confusing pricing – Requires annual billing to access base rates, with additional fees for messaging, phone numbers and inbox seats that aren’t obvious upfront - Support cost - Customer support is not offered by default and requires a $500/month add-on payment ##### Bird Pricing Bird uses a pay-as-you-go model starting at $45/month for up to 3,000 contacts. This includes access to all core features like email, SMS, WhatsApp marketing and automation. You’ll pay separately for WhatsApp and SMS messages charged by third-party providers, phone numbers and additional seats for Bird’s Inbox. For businesses with more than 50,000 contacts, custom pricing is available and you’ll need to contact their Sales team. #### Podium Podium is a communications platform that’s a bit of a Swiss knife. It helps businesses manage messaging, reputation management and payments all from one place. With tools to collect reviews, send messages across multiple channels (including SMS) and accept payments, it’s built to improve how businesses connect with their customers. ##### Pros of Podium - Inbox hub - Manage customer conversations across multiple channels from one inbox - Reputation lift - Easily request and respond to customer reviews from sites like Google and Facebook, all within the Podium platform to enhance your online reputation - Promotional reach - Send promotional messages and updates directly to customers’ phones - Payment flow - Securely accept payments from customers through text messages - Outreach tools - Automate follow-ups, SMS and email campaigns ##### Cons of Podium - Premium pricing - Podium can be quite expensive, especially for smaller businesses - No public rates - Pricing is not transparent; you need to contact their team directly for a quote - Inconsistent help - Customer support is reportedly inconsistent in terms of responsiveness and quality - Poor retrieval - Searching old conversations is inconvenient, requiring users to remember specific details like contact names ##### Podium Pricing The Pro tier is Podium’s most popular plan, adding advanced features on top of the basics. It includes tools like AI Instant Answers, automatic lead routing, lead capture forms, advanced automations and customer segmentation. Businesses can also utilize text-based messaging with images and GIFs, create surveys and benefit from lower payment processing fees. That said, as with all Podium plans, pricing isn’t listed online, so you’ll need to contact their team directly to get a quote. ### Which is the Best Platform for Your Business Needs? Businesses on a tight budget that only require a few users may choose Wati, Chatfuel, Interakt or Kommo. Rasayel is the only option designed specifically for B2B businesses. All the options offer a range of automation features, but the best all-around that supports the most channels with reliable, advanced AI while automating your customer journey is respond.io. Respond.io supports all popular channels and includes WhatsApp Business Calling API, VoIP and custom channels. Get native integration with HubSpot and Salesforce and integrate with other software via Zapier, Make or APIs. While other platforms include AI, Respond.io's AI was designed with the customer journey in mind and [learns from your entire website and business documentation](https://respond.io/help/convert-leads/how-to-choose-the-best-knowledge-sources-for-ai-agents) to provide fast, accurate answers. Unlike other platforms that only use AI as a chatbot, respond.io enables workflows to automate the sales process, performing complex routing tasks. Moreover, respond.io's AI Agent can handle both chats and calls. It understands voice messages, follows up on conversations and shows a typing indicator for a more natural experience. During calls, it can greet customers, answer basic questions, close politely and generate call transcripts for recordkeeping. Meanwhile, human agents can transfer WhatsApp calls mid-conversation, keeping customers on the same line with a brief waiting tune before the call resumes. Together, these updates make respond.io a complete solution for scaling customer engagement across chat and voice. Other platforms offer limited support, but respond.io ensures your onboarding experience sets your business up for success, and our support team is available live 24/5 via chat and call and via AI agent 24/7 to assist with any inquiries. Plus, our 99.999% platform uptime guarantees you’ll never lose a customer due to lagging or downtime. ### Try Respond.io to Grow Your Business Over Chat We recommend respond.io as the best Manychat alternative for growing businesses. If you need to chat with and call customers on multiple channels, manage the full customer lifecycle with advanced automation and ever-expanding features, [try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register) or [contact us for a consultation](https://respond.io/demo) to discuss how we can meet your business needs. ### Further Reading If you’ve found this article helpful, check out these other blogs for more detailed comparisons. - Kommo vs Manychat vs Respond.io - Manychat vs Chatfuel vs Respond.io - 4 Respond.io Alternatives to Consider ## [10 Best Omnichannel CRM Platforms: Features & Pricing Compared](https:/respond.io/blog/best-omnichannel-crm) The 10 best omnichannel CRM platforms: respond.io, Kustomer, Kommo, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, Intercom, Zoho CRM, Zendesk and Freshdesk. Businesses use customer relationship management (CRM) systems to centralize customer data — from contact details to interaction history — in one place. These tools help streamline sales, marketing and customer service processes across the organization. But as customers now engage across multiple touchpoints — from email and chat to social media and phone — traditional CRMs often struggle to keep up. In this definitive guide, we’ll cover: - What an omnichannel CRM is (and how it differs from other CRMs) - The must-have features that define a true omnichannel CRM - The three categories of omnichannel CRMModern Omnichannel CRMs for B2C & High-Volume MessagingB2B Sales-Led CRMs with Omnichannel Add-OnsTraditional Omnichannel Support Platforms - Modern Omnichannel CRMs for B2C & High-Volume Messaging - B2B Sales-Led CRMs with Omnichannel Add-Ons - Traditional Omnichannel Support Platforms - The top CRM solutions for omnichannel engagement - Real-life examples of omnichannel CRM usage ### What is an omnichannel CRM? An omnichannel CRM (or [omnichannel platform](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication)) connects every customer touchpoint across several messaging channels into one unified system so teams always have full context and never lose track of a conversation or customer interaction. Traditionally, CRMs were designed around a few core channels like email and phone. But with the rise of e-commerce and business messaging, customer behavior changed. - They chat with businesses through multiple messaging apps and channels. - They expect faster replies. To address fragmented communication, omnichannel platforms emerged as systems that consolidate customer data from chat, social, voice, and email into a single place. Traditional CRM systems simultaneously evolved to adopt this unified approach. ### Omnichannel vs. multichannel CRMs Omnichannel is not to be mistaken for multichannel. Let’s explain how these two concepts are different and why it matters to you. | Aspect | Multichannel CRM | Omnichannel CRM | | --- | --- | --- | | Channel logic | Channels operate in separate bubbles | Channels are connected and unified | | Data view | Data is fragmented across separate places | Data forms a single customer record | | Agent experience | Agents switch systems to piece together context | Agents work from one inbox with complete context | | Customer journey | Customers must repeat themselves when switching channels | Conversations are seamless; customers switch naturally | | Automation | Siloed — automation rules stay in one channel | Unified and powerful; triggers based on any interaction | | Scalability | Hard to scale | Scales easily as one connected system | #### 1\. Channel integration & data - Multichannel: Channels exist in separate bubbles and do not talk to each other. Data is fragmented and sits in separate places. - Omnichannel: Channels are connected and flow into a single, unified timeline and a single customer record. #### 2\. Agent experience - Multichannel: Agents switch between channels to piece together the interaction history. - Omnichannel: Agents work from one inbox with complete context, allowing them to respond faster. #### 3\. Customer experience - Multichannel: Customers often have to repeat themselves when moving to a new channel. - Omnichannel: Customers can switch channels naturally without having to restart their story. #### 4\. Automation & scalability - Multichannel: Automation is siloed (rules stay within one channel) and cannot see the full customer journey. It is hard to scale. - Omnichannel: Automation is exponentially more powerful because workflows trigger based on any interaction from any channel. It runs as one connected system that scales seamlessly. ### Benefits of omnichannel CRMs We’ve explained the main value of having an omnichannel CRM, but there are more benefits. Here’s why an omnichannel CRM is a must-have for your business. - Complete context at a glance: Provides agents with a single platform to manage all customer interactions, giving them complete context. - Faster resolutions: Without having to switch tools or look for context in different places, teams can respond, resolve issues and close sales way faster. - Consistent customer experience: This is guaranteed by establishing a single source of truth for all customer data and interaction rules across every touchpoint. - Lower operational costs: Because manual effort and handling times are lower, team productivity increases as a consequence. In turn, operational costs are reduced too. ### How to choose the best omnichannel CRM Here are the eight most important things to look for when choosing an omnichannel CRM. #### 1\. True omnichannel support across all communication channels A great omnichannel CRM brings all customer conversations into one unified inbox — WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, email, SMS and even voice calls. Most importantly, the platform you choose should let you [merge contact conversations](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) from multiple channels into a single customer story so agents have complete, non-fragmented context and customers never have to repeat themselves. #### 2\. Integration with your existing tech stack If your new omnichannel CRM doesn't talk to your existing tech stacks, it will be useless. That’s why a CRM should integrate with popular business tools like Google Sheets or even other CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot. #### 3\. Customer lifecycle tracking & management Choose a solution that allows you to score, prioritize and segment leads based on intent, engagement and funnel stage. This helps sales teams focus on prospects most likely to convert, reducing manual follow-up work and ensuring no opportunity slips through the cracks. #### 4\. In-depth analytics & insights Real-time dashboards and reporting let teams measure performance across all channels. You can track AI effectiveness, monitor agent productivity, ad attribution and performance and optimize sales strategies. Also, an omnichannel CRM benefits from the Meta Conversions API (CAPI) because it helps your ads work better. It sends solid proof of sales and leads from chat apps (like WhatsApp) directly to Meta, fixing tracking problems caused by browser settings. This means your ads reach the right people, and your money is spent more effectively. #### 5\. Autonomous AI agents The best omnichannel CRMs embrace AI to manage customer data and communication. Beyond simple chatbots, it’s a good idea to choose an omnichannel CRM capable of more advanced AI-driven tasks. For example, qualify leads, send payment or booking links and update customer details. #### 6\. AI training features Choose a CRM whose AI can learn from your own business data — like documents, websites, FAQs and knowledge bases. This ensures the AI provides accurate, on-brand responses that reflect your company’s tone, expertise and policies across every channel. #### 7\. Advanced workflow automation The best CRMs include a visual automation builder for smarter, context-aware automation to scale efficiently. From auto-assigning chats and triggering follow-ups to lifecycle updates and survey requests, automation keeps workflows consistent and frees agents from repetitive tasks. #### 8\. Customer support quality and platform reliability Even the most advanced CRM is only as good as its reliability. Look for proven uptime, strong performance and responsive, multilingual customer support. Reliable platforms ensure conversations, data syncs and automations run smoothly so your business never misses a lead or sale. ### Top 10 best omnichannel CRMs Selecting the ideal omnichannel CRM can be difficult—the market offers a sea of different options tailored for highly specific business goals. To simplify your decision, we analyze the most popular plans of the top 10 omnichannel CRMs. | Category | Primary Focus & Core Workflows | Platforms | Recommended Choice | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Modern Omnichannel CRMs for B2C & High-Volume Messaging | Focus on messaging, calls, & customer lifecycle in a unified way. These modern platforms are suitable for B2C and high volumes of communication. | Respond.io, Kommo, Trengo, Intercom | Respond.io | | B2B Sales-Led CRMs with Omnichannel Add-Ons | Primarily B2B and sales-led. Workflows built around pipelines, accounts, and traditional sales cycles. | Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho CRM | Salesforce | | Traditional Omnichannel Support Platforms | Primarily focused on classic omnichannel support and service desk functions. | Zendesk, Freshdesk, Kustomer | Zendesk | We’ll analyze important points like channels supported, CRM capabilities and more. We’ll also discuss specific pros, cons and pricing to help you choose the best one for your needs. #### Category 1: Modern Omnichannel CRMs for B2C & High-Volume Messaging Modern omnichannel CRMs excel when they enable high-volume messaging, multichannel calls, and end-to-end customer lifecycle management. The best platforms combine advanced automation, AI capabilities, and analytics to help teams scale engagement efficiently. **We recommend respond.io** for its scalability, support for all the important chat and call channels and AI capabilities. ##### Respond.io - The best to scale your business with AI agents, chat and calls ###### Best for: - Scaling B2C brands looking for omnichannel messaging and calls with advanced AI, automation and analytics. ###### Customer sentiment and platform rating - Customers praise respond.io for its intuitive interface, omnichannel integration, strong automation features and excellent support. However, drawbacks cited by users include pricing and limitations in certain advanced features.G2 rating: 4.8/5Capterra rating: 4.6/5 - G2 rating: 4.8/5 - Capterra rating: 4.6/5 ###### Features - Channels: Supports channels like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Viber, Telegram, TikTok, WeChat, SMS, email, and calls via WhatsApp, Telnyx and n8. - Integrations: Sync data across Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier, Make, Google Sheets and more. - Dashboards and reports: Measure team efficiency, AI impact and ad campaign performance to find areas of improvement and optimize operations. - Lifecycle: Track and manage leads in the sales funnel. - AI capabilities: AI agents can handle chats, send payment links, update contact details, summarize conversations, reply to voice messages, read images and PDFs and more. - Workflow automation: Use the automation builder to capture leads, send follow-ups, route messages and assign tasks. ###### Pros - It supports more messaging and voice channels than most omnichannel CRMs. - Integrate with HubSpot and Salesforce natively. - Integrate with other CRMs and thousands of other tools through Zapier and Make. - AI agents are very advanced compared to other options in the list.Use prebuilt AI roles or train custom agents on your own data from PDFs, websites or internal resources.Seamlessly route conversations to a human agent or allow human agents to take over at any time. - Use prebuilt AI roles or train custom agents on your own data from PDFs, websites or internal resources. - Seamlessly route conversations to a human agent or allow human agents to take over at any time. - Enterprise features include multiple workspaces, webhooks and SSO for advanced control. - The combination of 24/5 multilingual human support and 24/7 AI assistance ensures there’s always a layer of coverage for critical issues, regardless of time zone or problem complexity. - The 99.999% uptime means respond.io is extremely stable, ensuring you won't upset customers or lose sales to platform downtime. ###### Cons - The initial setup and customization may take time and require some technical expertise. - The performance of AI-driven features depends on the quality of training data and requires ongoing monitoring to ensure accuracy. ###### Pricing - The Growth plan begins at $159 per month for 10 users. It includes unlimited workflows, unlimited AI credits, advanced reporting and onboarding assistance via chat or call. ##### Omnichannel platform 2: Kommo - CRM-first conversational sales ###### Best for: - Small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and sales teams who need a CRM-first solution that is highly specialized in visual pipeline management and automating lead capture/nurturing over messaging apps. ###### Customer sentiment and platform rating - Kommo is consistently praised for being an affordable and user-friendly platform, with reviewers highlighting its intuitive design, strong lead management features and good customer support. However, sentiment indicates functional limitations: the platform receives lower marks for customization (and the built-in reporting can be basic), as well as concerns about mobile user support.G2 rating: 3.8/5Capterra rating: 4.3/5 - G2 rating: 3.8/5 - Capterra rating: 4.3/5 ###### Features - Channels: Major messaging apps (WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, etc.), Email and Telephony/SMS (via Twilio/RingCentral). - Integrations: Connects with Zapier, Make, Shopify, Zendesk, and Stripe; does not natively integrate with major CRMs like Salesforce/HubSpot. - Dashboards & Reports: Customizable dashboards with real-time widgets to track KPIs, lead distribution, message volume, and median reply time. - AI Capabilities: AI Agent handles engagement, qualification, FAQs (using uploaded data), and product recommendations. AI Copilot tools adjust tone, summarize, and suggest replies. - Workflow Automation: Visual builder (Salesbot) creates complex bots for greetings, data gathering, appointments, and payments. Digital Pipeline automates actions based on lead stage. ###### Pros - Its no-code Salesbot and Digital Pipeline effectively automate lead qualification and nurturing via chat. - The platform is often cited as affordable and a strong value for money, especially for small businesses. - The simple, visual interface makes the platform easy to learn and encourages fast team use. - It structures the sales funnel well, helping teams track leads and prevent contacts from being lost. ###### Cons - Lack of deep customization for reports and custom plugins. - It lacks native integrations with major enterprise CRMs like Salesforce or HubSpot. - Email communication can be kept separate from instant messenger chats, potentially fragmenting the full customer history. - The interface is not as modern as newer, purely chat-focused platforms. - Customer support is primarily available only during business hours, which can affect global sales teams. ###### Pricing - The Kommo Advanced Plan costs US $25 per user/month, but requires a minimum six-month contract billed upfront totaling $150. There are no monthly billing options available. Potential extra costs are typically limited to third-party service fees, such as the actual conversation charges Meta applies when using the WhatsApp Business API. ##### Omnichannel CRM 3: Trengo - All-in-one conversational support hub ###### Best for: - Mid-market businesses that need to unify support communications (including email, chat, and voice) into a single team inbox. ###### Customer sentiment and platform rating - Trengo is highly praised for its ease of use, customer support and its core strength in centralizing all communications (including email and voice) into a unified team inbox. However, frequent criticisms point to the platform being expensive compared to alternatives, concerns about inbox sync issues, limitations in advanced features/analytics and drawbacks related to the mobile app and minimum user requirements.G2 rating: 4.3/5Capterra rating: 4.1/5 - G2 rating: 4.3/5 - Capterra rating: 4.1/5 ###### Features - Channels: Unifies all channels, including WhatsApp, Email, Live Chat, Voice/Telephony, SMS, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram. - Integrations: Integrates with major external tools like Shopify, Zendesk, Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier to sync data and enable actions. - Dashboards and Reports: Customizable dashboards for monitoring KPIs. Includes detailed reports on team performance, conversation volume and customer interactions. - AI Capabilities: AI Agent (HelpMate) provides automated responses and suggested replies to speed up agents. AI Journeys automate conversations and workflows across multiple channels. AI Actions allow the AI Agent to trigger external APIs (GET, POST, etc.) for tasks like checking order status. - Workflow Automation: Uses Rules and Automation for handling basic repetitive tasks (e.g., auto-replies, conversation routing) and advanced AI Journeys for complex, multi-step, multi-channel workflows. ###### Pros - Strong team collaboration features like internal comments and assignments facilitate easy and effective team coordination on customer issues. - Powerful automation base includes Auto Replies, Quick Replies and rules to handle basic, time-consuming workflows. - Consistently praised for helpful, friendly and efficient customer support. - Flexibility in billing offers both monthly and discounted annual billing options. ###### Cons - Pricing model is often cited as expensive compared to rivals with more advanced features/capabilities. - High minimum user requirements (typically starting at 10 or more users). - Pricing is based on a fixed conversation allowance; exceeding this limit incurs additional per-conversation fees, which can lead to unpredictable monthly costs. - AI/Chatbot features and some integrations are often restricted to the higher-tier Pro and Enterprise plans. - Users have reported issues with inbox sync and stability in the mobile app. ###### Pricing - The Trengo Pro plan is a bundle starting at approximately $695 per month (monthly billed, USD equivalent), which includes 20 user seats and a set conversation allowance (typically 1,500/month). Extra agents cost an additional per-user fee (around $30-$50/month each). The most significant variable cost is the overage fee applied when you exceed the conversation limit, plus potential charges for premium AI features (like advanced AI Actions). ##### Omnichannel CRM 4. Intercom — Conversational omnichannel CRM ###### Best for: - SaaS and digital-first customer engagement. ###### Customer sentiment and platform rating - Intercom is highly valued for its intuitive chat interface, strong engagement tools, seamless web/app integration and real-time user tracking with effective automation flows. However, customers frequently cite significant drawbacks related to cost and capability gaps, including high costs and pricing complexity when scaling, weaker analytics and less robust ticket-management features.G2 rating: 4.5/5Capterra rating: 4.5/5 - G2 rating: 4.5/5 - Capterra rating: 4.5/5 ###### Features - Channels: Intercom supports in-app chat, web chat, email, mobile push and messaging via connectors for social/IM apps such as WhatsApp and SMS. - Integrations: Intercom offers an app store with hundreds of apps and integrations, and connects with major systems such as CRMs, BI tools and Slack. - Dashboards and reports: The platform provides analytics and reporting features, including conversation analytics, user behavior tracking, team productivity dashboards and custom charting. - AI capabilities: Its “Fin” AI agent and other AI-driven features enable automated responses, conversation triage/triaging, agent assist, and workflow automation based on behavior and context. - Workflow automation: Intercom includes a visual workflow builder with triggers and rules (e.g., "user does X → send message/route to agent"), routing logic, bots + automation of routine tasks. ###### Pros - Very strong at enabling real-time conversation and engagement across web/app for SaaS-centric businesses. - Deep automation and AI features (chatbots, routing, behavioural triggers) help scale support and engagement. - Rich integrations ecosystem enabling linking chats to CRM, product metrics and marketing platforms. - Clean, modern UI and intuitive experience for end-users and agents in many cases. ###### Cons - Pricing and usage model are complex: many users report unexpected cost spikes, particularly with AI-agent resolutions or messaging overages. - Traditional ticketing/work-order features (e.g., union of chat + ticket) and advanced analytics are weaker compared with dedicated service platforms. - Implementation and ROI vary: although UI is friendly, getting full value often requires considerable setup and configuration. - For smaller businesses or high-volume support use-cases the per-seat + usage model may become cost-prohibitive. ###### Pricing - For Intercom, the most popular plan is the Advanced tier, which costs around US $99 per seat per month when billed monthly. - The platform charges US $0.99 per resolution for its AI “Fin” agent, which handles automated responses and triaging. - “Proactive Support Plus” starts at approximately US $99 per month for up to 500 proactive messages. Additional usage-based fees can apply for channels like SMS, WhatsApp, and phone calls, meaning total costs can increase depending on team size and messaging volume. #### B2B Sales-Led CRMs with Omnichannel Add-Ons B2B sales-led CRMs shine when they offer strong pipeline management, deep customization, and tight alignment across sales, service and operations. The best tools provide omnichannel add-ons that sit on top of a robust CRM backbone, enabling teams to manage conversations without losing sales context. **We recommend Salesforce** because it offers the most complete enterprise backbone for teams that rely heavily on large datasets, deep customization and cross-department alignment. ##### Omnichannel platform 5: Salesforce — Enterprise omnichannel backbone ###### Best for: - Complex sales-focused organizations using the Salesforce ecosystem. ###### Customer sentiment and platform rating - Salesforce is highly valued for its unified service console, powerful workflows, reliability, and scalability for large teams. However, users commonly criticize the platform's steep learning curve, high implementation cost, complexity/organizational overhead and performance issues in large deployments.G2 rating: 4.4/5Capterra rating: 4.4/5 - G2 rating: 4.4/5 - Capterra rating: 4.4/5 ###### Features - Channels: Supports email, phone/telephony (voice), chat/live messaging, SMS, social media and other digital channels with omnichannel routing and unified case intake. - Integrations: Deep native integrations within the Salesforce ecosystem plus APIs, CTI (computer telephony integration), third‑party apps (e.g., Outlook/Gmail, Slack) and app exchange components. - Dashboards and reports: Provides robust reporting and analytics capabilities—including custom dashboards, real‑time metrics on case resolution, agent productivity and swarming metrics. - AI capabilities: Embedded AI features (e.g., Salesforce Einstein, Agentforce) for things like automated replies, knowledge article recommendations, predictive routing, and conversational assistance. - Workflow automation: Advanced workflow tools including case assignment rules, escalation rules, flows, workflow builder and macros for automating routine tasks and routing. ###### Pros - Highly customizable with the ability to tailor objects, fields, reports and apps to meet specific business needs. - Robust CRM features, including lead/opportunity management, pipeline tracking and sales workflow automation. - Excellent scalability and suitable for enterprise‑scale operations and large organizations. - Strong integration capabilities with many systems and compatibility with a wide array of third‑party software. ###### Cons - High cost and licensing model can be expensive, especially for smaller businesses or less complex needs. - Steep learning curve and complexity in setup/configuration; non‑technical teams often struggle. - Performance and user experience issues reported, including slow load times and interface complexity in heavily used setups. - Customer support and service can be inconsistent, especially at standard support levels without premium plans. - According to Salesforce’s own FAQ, most editions must be purchased under an annual contract. ###### Pricing - The Salesforce Pro CRM edition is listed at about US $100 per user/month, but it requires an annual contract. - Salesforce is known for having a high TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). The $\$100$/user/month is for a functional but restrictive product; the need for customization and integration drives users to spend significantly more on add-ons or higher-tier licenses. ##### Omnichannel platform 6: HubSpot Service Hub — All-in-one for SMBs ###### Best for: - Small and mid‑sized businesses looking for a unified customer service CRM. ###### Customer sentiment and platform rating - HubSpot Service Hub is valued for its seamless integration with the HubSpot CRM and for unifying all customer communications for better tracking. However, users frequently cite steep and quickly rising pricing, a large feature jump between product tiers, and less mature reporting capabilities as key drawbacks.G2 rating: 4.4/5Capterra rating: 4.4/5 - G2 rating: 4.4/5 - Capterra rating: 4.4/5 ###### Features - Channels: Supports email, live chat, website chatbots, and integrates support channels into one shared inbox across marketing, sales and service. - Integrations: Built directly on the HubSpot CRM so data flows across marketing, sales and service; integrates with tools like Jira, Slack, and 1,900+ apps. - Dashboards and reports: Offers custom dashboards, reporting for ticket resolution, CSAT/NPS feedback and team performance analytics. - AI capabilities: Includes AI-powered ticket classification, routing, conversation summaries and knowledge base automation (HubSpot’s Breeze AI Agents). - Workflow automation: Robust automation features: ticket routing, follow-ups, status changes, cross-team notifications, automated feedback surveys. ###### Pros - Easy to get started and integrate with HubSpot CRM. - Centralised view of customer interactions across channels. - Strong for SMBs needing both service and CRM capabilities in one platform. - A generous free tier to start with and scale up. ###### Cons - Feature‑set is limited in lower tiers; many advanced capabilities require higher plans. - Pricing jumps significantly between tiers, making scaling costly for smaller businesses. - Reporting and analytics aren’t as deep as some dedicated service platforms. - Some users report a learning curve when customising workflows and routing. ###### Pricing - For the HubSpot Service Hub, the most popular mid‑tier plan (Professional) is priced at US $100 per seat/month when billed monthly. - The Professional tier in some markets requires an onboarding fee (around US $1,500. - Add‑ons for increased usage/limits: for example, you may have to pay extra for additional minutes of calling, or to increase limits on SMS/WhatsApp messages. - Third‑party integrations or apps may have separate costs outside HubSpot’s base subscription, depending on the tools you use. ##### Omnichannel platform 7: Zoho CRM — Affordable omnichannel CRM for SMBs ###### Best for: - SMB needing cost-effective multichannel management. ###### Customer sentiment and platform rating - Zoho CRM is highly regarded for its affordability and strong value for money, offering powerful features and excellent integration with the broader Zoho ecosystem. However, customers frequently note challenges related to complexity and limitations: these include a steep learning curve, UI complexity, performance issues when handling large data sets, the lack of advanced features in lower-tier plans and inconsistent support as key drawbacks.G2 rating: 4.1/5Capterra rating: 4.3/5 - G2 rating: 4.1/5 - Capterra rating: 4.3/5 ###### Features - Channels: Email, telephony, social media (Facebook, Twitter), web forms, live chat, and integrations for WhatsApp and SMS. - Integrations: Full Zoho ecosystem (Books, Campaigns, Analytics, Projects) plus third-party apps such as Google Workspace, Office 365, Mailchimp, Zapier, and hundreds more via Zoho Marketplace. - Dashboards and reports: Custom dashboards, sales and pipeline analytics, lead and deal tracking, trend reports, and advanced reporting through Zoho Analytics. - AI capabilities: Zia AI provides lead scoring, anomaly detection, workflow suggestions, and predictive analytics in higher-tier plans. - Workflow automation: Process blueprints, assignment rules, triggers, macros, and custom functions to automate repetitive tasks and routing. ###### Pros - Very competitive pricing compared to many enterprise CRM solutions. - Strong customisation capabilities (fields, modules, workflows) enabling tailoring to business‑specific processes. - Excellent integration within the Zoho ecosystem and many add‑on apps, making it easy for SMBs to scale. - Good automation tools and AI features in higher plans help reduce manual work. ###### Cons - Entry‑level plans have limited advanced features; businesses often need to upgrade to get full value. - Interface can feel cluttered or less modern, with a learning curve for non‑technical teams. - Performance concerns reported when managing very large datasets or complex automations. - Support response times and quality vary, especially in lower‑tier support levels. ###### Pricing - For Zoho CRM the “most popular” plan is the Enterprise edition. When billed on a monthly basis (no annual contract), it is priced at US $ 50 per user/month. - Potential add-on costs include extra file or data storage (e.g., 5 GB for around US $4/ 4/month), additional team or portal user licenses, premium 24/7 support, and extensions to increase feature limits, such as higher API or automation capacities. #### Traditional Omnichannel Support Platforms Traditional omnichannel support platforms excel when they deliver strong ticketing, unified multichannel workflows, and scalable service operations. The best ones offer mature automation, reporting and SLA management, plus deep integrations for complex support environments. Among these, **Zendesk stands out as our recommended option** because of its enterprise readiness, robust ticketing foundation and extensive ecosystem. ##### Omnichannel platform 8: Zendesk — Trusted multichannel CRM evolving into omnichannel ###### Best for: - Established support teams modernizing operations. ###### Customer sentiment and platform rating - Zendesk is highly regarded for its strong omnichannel ticketing system, its powerful integrations, and its scalability. However, common concerns include the complexity of setup, steep and rapidly escalating pricing, data export issues and inconsistent support responsiveness.G2 rating: 4.3 out of 5Capterra rating: 4.4 out of 5 - G2 rating: 4.3 out of 5 - Capterra rating: 4.4 out of 5 ###### Features - Channels: Offers omnichannel support across email, chat, social messaging, voice/phone and unified agent workspace for all interactions. - Integrations: Extensive integration ecosystem with thousands of pre-built apps and APIs, allowing connection with CRMs, productivity tools and custom systems. - Dashboards and reports: Provides real-time dashboards, custom reports, trend analysis, team performance metrics and unified insights across channels. - AI capabilities: AI-powered routing, agent assistance, chatbots, predictive insights and generative replies to speed resolutions. - Workflow automation: Automations such as ticket routing, SLA monitoring, macros/triggers, and workflow builder reduce manual work and streamline support operations. ###### Pros - Strong omnichannel support that consolidates customer interactions from many channels into one platform. - Scalable architecture suitable for high-volume support operations and enterprise needs. - Extensive third-party integrations and app ecosystem for customization. - Advanced automation features including routing, workflows and macros that boost agent efficiency. ###### Cons - Pricing for the full feature set is high, and per-agent cost can escalate quickly as teams grow. - Implementation and configuration are complex; steep learning curve for setup and advanced workflows. - Some users report issues with data export, inflexibility in contract or downgrade options, and inconsistent customer support. - The simplest tiers may lack key features, pushing organizations to upgrade sooner than expected. ###### Pricing - The mid‑tier “Suite Professional” plan is listed at approximately US $149 per agent/month when billed monthly. - Businesses often pay around US $50 per agent/month for advanced AI add-ons, US $25–50 per agent/month for Workforce Management or Quality Assurance tools, and another US $50 per agent/month for Advanced Data Privacy & Protection features such as HIPAA compliance. - There can also be usage-based charges for high API call volumes, automated resolution credits, or data storage overages, which vary depending on usage and region. ##### Omnichannel platform 9: Freshdesk by Freshworks — Lightweight omnichannel service CRM ###### Best for: - Mid-market companies and startups with a focus on customer support. ###### Customer sentiment and platform rating - Freshdesk is widely praised for its intuitive setup, strong ticketing and automation features, ease of use and fast time-to-value. However, common criticisms center on scaling and depth: users caution that advanced features and add-ons become pricey as you scale, and note limitations in deep customization, reporting maturity and support responsiveness in lower tiers.G2 rating: 4.5/5Capterra rating: 4.4/5 - G2 rating: 4.5/5 - Capterra rating: 4.4/5 ###### Features - Channels: Supports email, shared inboxes, chat, phone/voice and social ticketing in a unified interface. - Integrations: Connects with 150+ integrations and apps; part of the Freshworks ecosystem for service, sales, IT and more. - Dashboards and reports: Pre‑built dashboards for ticket metrics, SLA tracking, team performance; advanced reporting features available in higher tiers. - AI capabilities: Includes Freddy AI functionalities (e.g., agent assistance, chatbots) in higher‑tier plans for improved automation and resolution times. - Workflow automation: Enables automations such as ticket assignment, SLA enforcement, canned responses, escalation workflows—even in lower/mid tiers. - Customer support: Freshdesk offers support via email/chat and knowledge base; higher tiers include premium support options. Some users note that lower‑tier support can be slower. - Stability: Built for mid‑market scale with cloud infrastructure and global usage; however, some users report performance issues when pushing into enterprise scale with customizations. ###### Pros - Quick and easy to deploy, with minimal setup for small teams. - Cost‑effective for mid‑market support functions and growing service teams. - Strong shared inbox and ticketing workflows streamline collaboration. - Good automation features even in mid‑tier plans, which boost agent productivity. ###### Cons - Advanced features (e.g., detailed analytics, full customization) are locked behind higher‑tier plans, increasing cost. - Reporting depth and export/customization options are less mature than some enterprise competitors. - Support quality and responsiveness may vary in lower tiers. - Pricing can rise significantly when scaling agents, adding channels or upgrading. ###### Pricing - The mid-tier plan starts at around US $59 per agent/month when billed monthly. - AI add-ons like “Freddy AI Copilot” cost around US $35 per agent/month, with usage-based fees starting at US $100 per 1,000 sessions. - Telephony/voice integrations incur additional per-agent or per-minute charges. - High automation, extra storage, or multiple portals may require further add-ons or upgrading to the Enterprise tier. ##### Omnichannel platform 10: Kustomer — Data-first omnichannel CRM ###### Best for: - Enterprises needing a customer service platform with a true 360° customer view. ###### Customer sentiment and platform rating - Customers frequently praise Kustomer for its unified customer timeline and ability to consolidate communications across all channels. However, common criticisms include a steep learning curve and a UI that takes time to master, occasional performance lags, and the potential for the platform to be seen as expensive or over-featured for smaller teams.G2 rating: 4.5/5Capterra rating: 4.6/5 - G2 rating: 4.5/5 - Capterra rating: 4.6/5 ###### Features - Channels: Supports omnichannel communication across email, voice, chat, SMS and social messaging (e.g., Facebook Messenger, “social”/messenger apps) with a unified customer timeline. - Integrations: Connects with a wide range of third‑party apps (CRMs, telephony/voice systems, ecommerce, billing) via open APIs and prebuilt integrations. - Dashboards and reports: Includes reporting and analytics for team performance, customer journey visibility and service operations. - AI capabilities: Offers AI‑Agents (for customers and for reps), conversational assistance, smart routing and co‑pilot style intelligence across channels. - Workflow automation: Provides workflow tools to automate routing, escalate tasks, change states, trigger actions based on events and rules. ###### Pros - Powerful search and filtering module to find specific customer records, metrics and more. - Extensive automation and AI features. - Traditional channel support (voice/email). - Omnichannel messaging focus. - Large app ecosystem and integrations. ###### Cons - Steep learning curve. - The complexity of modules means higher training costs and a longer time for new agents to become productive. - Too many features in Settings make it confusing for novice users. - Technical automation limitations — for example, it does not guarantee the run order or speed of multiple, parallel automations. - Pricing is paid annually. ###### Pricing - Kustomer’s most popular plan costs $89 per seat/month (Enterprise), with higher-tier Ultimate at $139/seat/month. Pricing per user is in consideration of at least 8 seats. - Additional costs may include AI agents, pay‑as‑you-go messaging channels (WhatsApp, SMS, Voice), HIPAA compliance and implementation fees. ### How businesses win with omnichannel CRMs #### How SchuVar tours boosted sales and efficiency with respond.io [SchuVar Tours](https://respond.io/customers/schuvar-tours-shortens-sales-cycle), a travel agency with eight branches in Nicaragua, used respond.io to unify conversations from WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, email and webchat into a single inbox. With team inbox collaboration, automated workflows and lead auto-assignment, agents were able to respond faster, track leads throughout the sales funnel, and prioritize high-intent prospects. This omnichannel approach shortened the sales cycle by 60%, improved follow-up rates to nearly 100%, and allowed the business to scale Meta click-to-chat ads, tripling ad-driven leads in three months. Respond.io’s unified platform turned a fragmented, manual process into a scalable, efficient sales operation. #### How Yoho improved customer support with respond.io [Yoho](https://respond.io/customers/how-yoho-centralized-6-support-channels-to-improve-chat-response-times-by-84), a leading e-commerce platform in Hong Kong, centralized six support channels—including WhatsApp API, WeChat, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, email and web chat—into a single respond.io inbox. By creating separate Workspaces for key inquiry categories and automating responses in multiple languages, the team reduced first response times by 84% and resolution times by 32%. Respond.io enabled Yoho to systematically manage inquiries, recover sales opportunities and gain granular performance insights, improving both customer satisfaction and operational efficiency across all channels. ### Boost your sales with the best omnichannel CRM Respond.io supports the messaging and voice channels your customers use every day, including WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp calls and VoIP. All of this while letting you track customers on the sales funnel with a unified view of their customer lifecycle. To top it off, it integrates with other popular CRMs like Salesforce and Hubspot. [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register?lang=en&_gl=1*11q3r3n*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3NjM0NzA3MTguQ2p3S0NBaUF6X0RJQmhCSkVpd0FWSDJYd0NybkxRZWxsLU9vRDRhVWZYSXFaTjJqUHAzQVhYUENzUnVsMDFNcExBU0lrY0NUdDZuUlp4b0NFUlVRQXZEX0J3RQ..*_gcl_au*MzYxMjYwNjg4LjE3NjI4NzUyNTU.). ### Further Reading If you found our article helpful, you should check out the following: - 4 Respond.io Alternatives to Consider - 5 Best WhatsApp Business Solution Provider: Pros, Cons & Pricing Compared - Top 10 WhatsApp Chatbots in 2025: Pros, Cons & Pricing Compared ## [10 Best WhatsApp API Providers in 2025: Features & Pricing](https:/respond.io/blog/best-whatsapp-api-providers) The top 10 WhatsApp API Providers: 1. Respond.io, 2. Chatfuel, 3. Wati, 4. Trengo, 5. Rasayel, 6. Interakt, 7. Kommo, 8. Podium, 9. Manychat, 10. Sleekflow Looking to switch from the WhatsApp Business App to a WhatsApp API platform? Choosing the best [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) provider is critical for any business looking to automate, scale and personalize customer conversations over WhatsApp. Whether you’re a startup, growing mid-sized business, or large enterprise, finding a provider that matches your needs, from channel coverage and CRM integration to automation, analytics and support, is key to success. We’ve selected the top 10 options to help you decide. But first, let’s take a quick look at what features the best WhatsApp API platforms have. ### What makes a WhatsApp API provider one of the best? The best WhatsApp API providers are equipped with advanced AI and automation to meet the needs of growing businesses, offering a multichannel inbox that integrates with popular CRMs. While every business has unique requirements, these are some of the key features to look for in a WhatsApp API platform. #### Advanced AI and automation A key factor that sets WhatsApp API apart from the WhatsApp Business App is advanced features like AI agents and [complex routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio). If you need more than the Business App's basic automation like greeting and away messages and simple multiple choice options, look for a WhatsApp API provider that can help you automate chats and business processes. Choose a WhatsApp provider that integrates with [click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads) and effortlessly automates replies, no coding required. Some providers only offer simple chatbot builders, which is enough for smaller businesses, but the best providers offer [AI agents](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ai-agent#toc-4) to manage WhatsApp conversations and seamlessly hand off chats to a human when needed. #### Accommodates a growing team and customer base For teams ready to scale, WhatsApp API enables [multiple agents to use WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) on their phones, connected to a single inbox. It also enables businesses to send high volumes of [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) whereas the Business App limits broadcasts to 256 contacts per broadcast. However, WhatsApp API providers have different user and contact limits and costs, so it's important to choose one that grows with your business, without any surprise fees. #### Multichannel inbox For most businesses, WhatsApp is not the only communication channel. Switching between platforms is a hassle and can lead to missed messages. If you chat with customers on other popular channels like Facebook Messenger, Instagram and TikTok, you’ll need a WhatsApp API provider that brings messages from WhatsApp and all these channels into a single inbox. #### Analytics and CRM integration With the WhatsApp Business App, it’s not possible to integrate with a CRM, and analytics are limited. The best WhatsApp API platforms enable [CRM integration](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) so businesses get full context on customers directly in WhatsApp. It can also help track the full customer journey and provide analytics on click-to-chat ads. ### 10 best WhatsApp API providers: Features, pros, cons and pricing Now that we’ve covered what to look into a WhatsApp API provider, let’s dive into the available options. Each have their pros and cons, so the best choice will depend upon your unique business needs. We’re including pricing for the most popular, mid-tier option for each although all products have limited entry plans and more advanced options. #### 1\. Respond.io Respond.io is an AI-powered, [omnichannel conversation management platform](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) designed to help B2C businesses capture, convert and retain customers over chat, call and email. It offers advanced automation to manage leads and customers throughout their entire journey. ##### Pros: - AI Agent that learns from your entire company's knowledge sources to provide instant replies (even to audio messages), qualify leads, restart conversations, answer FAQ and route customers to a human agent when needed - Enhanced AI responsiveness that delivers quicker, more reliable answers with lower effort. - Instant agent takeover with the AI pausing immediately, ensuring a clear and seamless shift to a human. - Supports high volumes of WhatsApp broadcasts without lagging - Integrates with WhatsApp catalog and click to chat ads - Offers human and AI agent calls via WhatsApp Business Calling API and Tenlyx integration - CRM integration - respond.io offers native integrations with HubSpot and Salesforce, and integrates with other CRMs and software via Make and Zapier - Omnichannel platform that supports WhatsApp, TikTok, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, WeChat, LINE, Viber, Telegram, SMS, webchat and email - Supports WhatsApp Coexistence, which means you can keep your WhatsApp Business App and number and use WhatsApp API - Excellent customer support - 24/5 live support and 24/7 AI agent support is available on every plan; rated 4.8 stars on G2 ##### Cons: - Slight learning curve due to breadth of platform features ##### Pricing: Respond.io’s mid-tier Growth plan starts at $159 and allows 10 users. It includes unlimited automation, unlimited use of AI Agent and advanced reporting, with no additional WhatsApp connection or per-number fees. #### 2\. Chatfuel [Chatfuel](https://respond.io/blog/manychat-vs-chatfuel) is a no-code chatbot builder with basic WhatsApp API capabilities, best for simple automation needs. ##### Pros: - Easy drag-and-drop interface - Supports WhatsApp Coexistence - Entry points like ads, QR codes, website widgets - Simple third-party integrations ##### Cons: - Limited to WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram - No omnichannel inbox or contact merge - Broadcast analytics are minimal - Automation not suitable for complex workflows ##### Pricing: $41/month for WhatsApp API access (1,000 conversations). Facebook & Instagram are priced separately. #### 3\. Wati [Wati](https://respond.io/blog/wati-alternative) is a lightweight WhatsApp API platform tailored for small businesses. It’s a good entry-level option but lacks advanced features as teams grow. ##### Pros: - Built specifically for WhatsApp API - WhatsApp Catalog and high-volume broadcast support - Automation for click-to-chat ads and basic workflows - Budget-friendly entry pricing ##### Cons: - No WhatsApp Business Calling API - No WhatsApp Coexistence - Only supports WhatsApp and Instagram - 20% markup fee on WhatsApp messaging costs - Poor customer support ##### Pricing: The price for Wati’s mid-tier plan is $79 for five users, making it one of the cheaper options for businesses on a tight budget, but beware of messaging markups and additional fees. #### 4\. Trengo [Trengo](https://respond.io/blog/trengo-alternative) provides access to the WhatsApp Business API via a shared inbox that integrates channels like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. It’s ideal for small teams with low messaging volumes, especially for support use cases. However, its sales and marketing features are still developing, and add-on costs can be high. ##### Pros: - Supports WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, SMS and email - VoIP and custom channel integrations - Support-focused analytics - CRM integrations with HubSpot and Salesforce ##### Cons: - Support team only available in European business hours - WhatsApp Calling API not supported - WhatsApp Coexistence not supported - AI agent still in beta - Limited automation with additional fees ##### Pricing: $264/month for 5 users. Broadcasts, automation and AI require add-ons. #### 5\. Rasayel Rasayel is a WhatsApp-only messaging solution built for B2B sales teams and pipeline collaboration. ##### Pros: - Built-in CRM integrations (HubSpot, Pipedrive) - Sales-focused AI chatbot with smooth human handoff - Good internal collaboration tools ##### Cons: - Only supports WhatsApp - No WhatsApp Calling API - Basic reporting ##### Pricing: $360/month for 10 users with unlimited automation and 25,000 messages. #### 6\. Kommo [Kommo](https://respond.io/blog/kommo-vs-manychat) is a messaging-focused CRM with WhatsApp API support and an emphasis on sales tracking, built for small to mid-sized businesses that sell over chat. ##### Pros: - Connects WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, email and more - Supports WhatsApp Coexistence - Basic chat automation tools - Simple UI and easy onboarding - Affordable pricing for SMBs ##### Cons: - No WhatsApp Business Calling API - Outdated UI and sluggish performance - Limited reporting - Support has mixed reviews ##### Pricing: $25/user/month (billed semi-annually), e.g., businesses with 5 users pay $125/month. Includes no-code Salesbot builder and automation tools. #### 7\. Interakt Interakt is a budget WhatsApp API provider popular among Indian SMBs. It covers the basics but isn’t ideal for scaling or multichannel expansion. ##### Pros: - Designed for WhatsApp and Instagram - Built-in catalog, click-to-chat ad support and automation - Supports WhatsApp Coexistence - Affordable and supports unlimited agents - Integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, Zoho and Razorpay ##### Cons: - No support for channels beyond WhatsApp and Instagram - No WhatsApp Business Calling API - Basic UI and limited automation flows - Mixed reviews on support quality ##### Pricing: $49/month Growth plan includes unlimited agents, broadcasts, chatbot flows and basic automation. #### 8\. Podium Podium is a multi-purpose business platform offering messaging, payments and reputation management with WhatsApp capabilities via API integration. ##### Pros: - Multi-channel inbox including WhatsApp - Collect reviews and manage online reputation - Send payment links via SMS - Automate follow-ups and campaigns ##### Cons: - Premium pricing and no public rates - No WhatsApp Coexistence - No WhatsApp Business Calling API - Customer support quality varies - No native tools for searching past conversations easily ##### Pricing: Custom quotes only. The Pro plan includes AI routing, lead forms, segmentation and automated campaigns. #### 9\. Manychat [Manychat](https://respond.io/blog/manychat-alternative) allows creators and businesses to connect their conversations from WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, SMS and email in a single inbox. It’s budget-friendly, easy to use and offers basic automation features designed with creators and small teams in mind. ##### Pros: - Supports WhatsApp Coexistence - Works well with click-to-chat ads, QR codes and buttons to initiate WhatsApp chats - Multichannel support including WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, SMS and email - Template library of WhatsApp flows and automation templates for quick setup ##### Cons: - No WhatsApp Business Calling API - Focus on social media rather than WhatsApp - Limited automation that struggles with sales or support journeys that require CRM data, team routing or cross-channel visibility - Poor reporting - Analytics are simple and campaign-focused, not lifecycle-driven ##### Pricing: $15/month for three users and 500 contacts. Automation features are limited on lower-tier plans. Additional costs apply for higher usage and premium features. #### 10\. Sleekflow [Sleekflow](https://respond.io/blog/sleekflow-alternative) is a messaging automation platform designed for teams with basic automation needs. It enables businesses to connect WhatsApp API and other popular messaging channels to a single inbox and automate chats and processes. However, costs can be high and the platform has been known to have performance issues. ##### Pros: - Omnichannel platform that supports WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, WeChat, LINE, Telegram, Viber and SMS - CRM integrations: HubSpot and Salesforce - AI chat capabilities for lead qualification and message assistance ##### Cons: - Performance issues under high message volumes - No WhatsApp Business Calling API - No WhatsApp Coexistence - Charges additional fees per WhatsApp number - Limited support options; email-only for lower-tier plans ##### Pricing: Sleekflow charges $349 per month for the mid-tier plan which only includes five users. Businesses are charged for the number of stored contacts rather than the number of contacts they speak to. ### Which WhatsApp API platform is right for your business? For budget-conscious businesses with small teams, tools like Wati, Chatfuel, Interakt and Manychat are decent entry points for WhatsApp API but they don’t offer full potential to scale. Respond.io stands out as the best all-around WhatsApp API platform, especially for growing teams that want multichannel support, automation, CRM integration, and scalable AI features. With advanced WhatsApp features including Calling API, best-in-class automation, and omnichannel messaging, respond.io is ideal for businesses that want to capture, convert and retain customers across the full lifecycle. And since it supports WhatsApp Coexistence, allowing you to use both WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp API together, you can try it out with no risk of losing your WhatsApp Business contacts and conversations. ### Successful businesses who chose respond.io as a WhatsApp API provider With so many options, it can be a challenge to choose the best platform. One of our customers, [GETUTOR, initially used Sleekflow as a WhatsApp API provider](https://respond.io/customers/sleekflow-alternative-review-by-getutor) but switched to respond.io after Sleekflow failed to meet expectations. After implementing WhatsApp API with respond.io, the business saw a 24% increase in sales and now handles 50% more leads per day. Another of our customers tested out Manychat before deciding on respond.io. JU Productions was impressed with Manychat's social media features, but found its keyword-based automation to be too basic and its reporting features limiting. The business chose respond.io as the best WhatsApp API provider to scale its marketing efforts, and rapidly saw a [718% increase in WhatsApp sales](https://respond.io/customers/ju-productions-chose-respond-io-over-manychat). ### Start using the best WhatsApp API platform today Respond.io helps businesses of all sizes accelerate sales, personalize support and automate growth over WhatsApp and beyond. With AI-powered tools, an intuitive interface, and powerful integrations, it’s built for businesses ready to scale. [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register) or [contact us for a consultation](https://respond.io/demo) to see how we can help your business grow. ### Further reading If you've found this article helpful, consider these other guides to help you get started with WhatsApp API. - How to Get WhatsApp API - WhatsApp Broadcast in 3 Steps - WhatsApp CRM Integration in 3 Steps ## [10 Best WhatsApp Marketing Campaign Examples for Business](https:/respond.io/blog/best-whatsapp-marketing-campaign) Learn what makes a WhatsApp marketing campaign successful with real examples and tips to drive conversions, re-engagement and personalized outreach. Traditional marketing relied heavily on email addresses and form submissions. But today, most emails go unopened or get flagged as spam. With customers spending more of their time on instant messaging apps, WhatsApp has become a powerful alternative for building direct and meaningful connections. In this blog, we’ll explore what makes WhatsApp marketing campaigns successful, walk you through real-world examples, and show you how to launch one effectively, without spamming your audience. ### What is a WhatsApp marketing campaign? A WhatsApp marketing campaign is a chat-based initiative that uses WhatsApp to promote products, engage leads, or drive conversions, typically through targeted messaging to users who have already expressed interest or interacted with the business. While routine automations, such as order confirmations or cart reminders, can support the customer journey, our focus here is on strategic, time-bound campaigns — whether that’s for lead generation, product promotion, or brand awareness. Unlike traditional channels like email or SMS, WhatsApp marketing must follow strict opt-in rules. Users must message your business first or explicitly consent before you can reach out to them. This reduces the risk of your messages being seen as intrusive or spammy. #### How WhatsApp campaigns get users to opt in WhatsApp campaigns are built on consent. Meta requires users to opt in or message your business first — violating this policy can lead to restrictions or bans. This means businesses must create compelling reasons for customers to initiate the conversation or agree to receive marketing messages. Here are some common ways to do that: - Click-to-WhatsApp ads – Meta ads that open directly into a WhatsApp chat - CTAs on your website – Buttons, widgets, or live chat entry points that lead to WhatsApp - Promos on other channels – Emails or SMS with WhatsApp links - Lead forms and landing pages – With WhatsApp opt-in checkboxes - QR codes in physical spaces – Printed on packaging, posters, or signage that leads to a WhatsApp chat with your business These entry points don’t just make it easy and natural for customers to start a conversation — they also act as lead generation tools. Once a user messages in, they become a lead you can engage through personalized messaging. And that first message is the foundation of every successful WhatsApp campaign. #### Why is WhatsApp marketing so effective? WhatsApp combines speed, intimacy and reach, making it an ideal channel for marketing campaigns that aim to spark real-time engagement and meaningful conversations. **WhatsApp’s channel strengths** - Unmatched open rates: Up to 98%, compared to 20–30% for email - Real-time interaction: Two-way conversations, not static messages - Rich message formats: Include images, video, quick reply and CTA buttons - Customer trust: Users are already familiar with WhatsApp and verified business profiles help reinforce that trust ### What types of WhatsApp marketing campaigns can you run? Since WhatsApp requires users to opt in before receiving marketing messages, campaigns typically target users who’ve already expressed interest or existing customers, making goals like re-engagement, promotion and product education more relevant than cold outreach. #### Campaign types: - Brand awareness campaigns – Deliver helpful or interesting content to keep your brand top-of-mind - Promotional campaigns – Announce discounts, loyalty perks, flash sales - Product launches – Teasers, announcements, pre-orders - Re-engagement campaigns – Return promotions, personalized messages to dormant contacts ### What does a WhatsApp campaign typically involve? Now that we’ve defined what a WhatsApp marketing campaign is, let’s break down what actually goes into one. Here are the key components of a WhatsApp campaign: - A specific audience - A clear goal (e.g. promote a product, retarget ad traffic, drive purchases) - A user-initiated entry point (e.g. ad click, website button, opt-in form) - Structured message flow — pre-planned, automated, or partially manual - Clear measurement criteria — CTR, reply rate, conversions, etc. ### 10 of the best WhatsApp marketing campaigns To understand what makes a WhatsApp marketing campaign effective, it is helpful to examine real-world examples. These campaigns demonstrate how different brands creatively used the channel to engage their audience, generate leads, or drive action. #### AUTOMAX: Broadcast campaign converts leads into luxury car sales [AUTOMAX](https://automaxgroup.me/), a new car dealership in the MENA region, ran a series of WhatsApp broadcast campaigns to re-engage leads and promote limited-time offers. With hundreds of new leads generated daily from Click-to-Chat ads, it was challenging for agents to follow up manually. To stay top of mind with potential buyers, the team utilized WhatsApp broadcasts. By investing in targeted WhatsApp broadcasts alone, AUTOMAX achieved an average ROI of 42.5X, demonstrating the channel’s impact on driving high-ticket car sales. #### Clarins: Personalized WhatsApp campaign outperforms email [Clarins](https://www.facebook.com/business/success/clarins-france-bm-success-story), a French luxury skincare and cosmetics brand, ran a WhatsApp campaign to celebrate National Lipstick Day with opted-in customers in France. Shoppers received a message inviting them to choose their preferred lipstick type, followed by a personalized video and a link to tailored product advice on the Clarins website. Results: The campaign achieved a 90% open rate, delivering 4.5X higher opens and 7X higher conversion than a comparable email campaign. #### Tatil Tur: Click-to-WhatsApp campaign drives bookings [Tatil Tur](https://www.facebook.com/business/success/tatil-tur-bm-success-story), a Turkish travel company, launched a campaign using Click-to-WhatsApp ads that opened a chat with a live travel agent. Agents could immediately answer questions about the offer and guide potential customers through the booking process. Leads who submitted their contact details via lead ads received an automated message on WhatsApp or Instagram, followed by a marketing message 24 hours later to continue the conversation. The results? Tatil Tur saw 2.9X higher sales from Click-to-WhatsApp ads, while reducing cost per click by 36% and cost per lead by 39% — directly boosting both booking performance and lead conversion. #### FliQi Education: Click-to-WhatsApp campaign for rural lead generation [FliQi Education](https://www.facebook.com/business/success/fliqi-education) ran a 3.5-month Click-to-WhatsApp campaign to attract qualified leads for its online courses targeting RAS exam aspirants. Ads were targeted to users interested in RAS content and directed them to WhatsApp, where potential students could express interest and purchase study products. This campaign helped FliQi reach more qualified leads in rural Rajasthan — a key target area — and improved lead quality from the start. After purchase, students received updates and practice materials through both the FliQi app and WhatsApp. Results? The campaign achieved an 85% lead-to-conversion rate, a 70–80% quarter-over-quarter revenue increase, and attracted 80% of customers from rural areas. Click-to-WhatsApp ads accounted for 60% of the total business during the campaign. #### Telkomsel: Hyper-targeted offers via WhatsApp [Telkomsel](https://www.facebook.com/business/success/2-telkomsel-bm-success-story), an Indonesian mobile provider, launched a WhatsApp campaign that delivers geo-targeted rewards, such as coffee or juice vouchers, to subscribers entering specific areas. Partner brands could customize offers based on location, age, or online behavior, and users could redeem rewards or take actions, such as booking test drives, directly in the chat using workflows. Compared to an identical SMS campaign, WhatsApp delivered 6X higher read rates, demonstrating its effectiveness for timely, personalized engagement. #### Styli: Re-engagement campaign with WhatsApp [Styli](https://www.facebook.com/business/success/styli-bm-success-story), a fashion e-commerce brand, ran a 3-month campaign to win back inactive customers who hadn’t purchased in over 180 days. They sent personalized WhatsApp messages with gender- and language-specific offers, often paired with urgency-driven copy. Recipients who tapped on the offer were directed to Styli’s app, where a countdown timer encouraged them to complete checkout. WhatsApp reminders were sent within 24 hours if the user didn’t complete their purchase. Compared to email and push notifications sent during the same period, WhatsApp messages delivered a 67% higher conversion rate than push, 50% higher than email, a 17X higher click-through rate than email and a 6X higher return on ad spend than push notifications. #### UA Finance: WhatsApp loan campaign [UA Finance](https://www.facebook.com/business/success/ua-finance-bm-success-story) ran a WhatsApp campaign targeting inactive customers with personalized loan offers — a shift from their usual SMS and MMS outreach. Messages included a customized loan amount and an Apply Now button that launched an automated loan application process. The results: 1.5X more conversions, 6.6X more responses and 3X more same-day disbursements compared to previous SMS/MMS campaigns — all while reducing the resources needed for lead qualification. #### Arabian Automobiles Company: Click-to-WhatsApp Ramadan campaign [Arabian Automobiles Company](https://www.facebook.com/business/success/arabian-automobiles-company-bm-case-study) launched a Ramadan campaign using Click-to-WhatsApp ads to drive test drive bookings. They A/B tested ads that linked to WhatsApp only, website only and both — and found that giving users both options delivered the best performance. When users clicked the ad, they were prompted to send a pre-filled WhatsApp message. AAC used automated replies to qualify leads and offered test drive bookings through WhatsApp workflows. The result: 2X more leads and 56% lower cost per lead compared to single-destination ads, along with a 4% lower cost per click. #### Max Fashion: Targeted campaigns across key seasons [Max Fashion](https://www.facebook.com/business/success/3-max-fashion), a major fashion retailer in the UAE, used WhatsApp to deliver personalized, multilingual marketing messages across the Middle East. Campaigns were built using CRM data and tailored by language, purchase history and nationality, with rich formats like carousel images to showcase offers. Key campaigns included a Ramadan influencer collaboration, a White Wednesday urgency campaign and a first-purchase journey for new customers. The result? A 30% year-over-year increase in Ramadan sales, 5X higher revenue from WhatsApp vs. SMS during White Wednesday and 40% higher engagement for the new customer campaign compared to other channels. #### VIP Leather Craft: Optimizing WhatsApp ads for purchases, not just conversations [VIP Leather Craft](https://www.facebook.com/business/success/vip-leather-craft), an Indonesian premium leather goods ecommerce retailer, tested a new approach by optimizing its Click-to-WhatsApp ads for purchases instead of conversations. The customer journey remained the same — users clicked from Meta video ads to WhatsApp chats, where the sales team handled questions and completed orders. By targeting Indonesian adults more likely to buy, the campaign outperformed previous efforts focused on engagement. Results: Purchase-optimized ads delivered 28% more sales and a 21% lower cost per purchase compared to the brand’s usual approach of optimizing for conversations. ### What do successful WhatsApp campaigns have in common? The best WhatsApp campaigns feel less like marketing and more like a helpful conversation. Here’s what sets them apart: - They’re timely — Messages are sent at the right moment, often tied to key seasons or user behavior. - They speak to the right people — Campaigns are segmented by language, interest, or location, so messages feel personal and targeted. - They make it easy to start — Clear entry points like ads or lead forms help users opt in without friction. - They use automation wisely — Bots handle the basics, while humans jump in for high-value leads or complex questions. - They drive action — Strong CTAs like “Book now” or “Chat on WhatsApp” help move people forward. - They don’t stop at one message — a well-timed follow-up, often delivered through drip campaigns, nudges people to complete the action they started ### Best practices for WhatsApp marketing To maximize the effectiveness of WhatsApp as a marketing channel, it’s essential to respect [the platform’s conversational nature and user expectations](https://business.whatsapp.com/policy). Here are some proven practices to help you stay effective, compliant and customer-friendly. **Always secure opt-in before messaging** WhatsApp requires users to explicitly opt in to receive messages from your business. Make the opt-in process clear and valuable — whether through website forms, ad clicks, or in-store prompts. This not only keeps you compliant with Meta’s policies but ensures you’re speaking to people who *want* to hear from you. **Don’t copy-paste email tactics — WhatsApp is conversational** WhatsApp is not another email inbox. Avoid blasting long, one-way messages. Instead, keep it short, personalized and interactive. The goal is to have a conversation, not to push a monologue. **Use rich messaging formats when they add value** Enhance your messages with media that improves clarity or appeal, like product images, how-to videos, or carousel formats. Quick replies and buttons can also guide users through actions without typing, like choosing options or confirming attendance. **Avoid spamming: message only when it’s relevant and expected** Even if users opt in, messaging too often — or without context — can lead to opt-outs or blocks. Timing matters. Consider: Would *you* appreciate receiving this message at this moment? **Automate the basics, but let humans take over when needed** Automate repetitive tasks, such as greeting messages, FAQs, or lead capture flows. However, for complex inquiries or sensitive conversations, ensure users can quickly reach a human. That flexibility builds trust and improves experience. ### What metrics should you track for campaign success? Running a campaign is only half the work — measuring its performance is what helps you improve the next one. These are the key metrics to track to understand whether your WhatsApp marketing campaign achieved its goals: - Click-through rate (CTR) – The percentage of users who tapped a link in your message. This indicates how effective your message and CTA were in prompting action. - Response rate – The proportion of recipients who replied to your message. A high response rate indicates strong engagement and relevance. - Conversion rate – How many recipients completed your intended action, such as making a purchase, booking a demo, or filling out a form. This is the clearest indicator of ROI. - Return on ad spend (ROAS) – For campaigns driven by paid ads (like Click-to-WhatsApp), this shows how much revenue you earned compared to what you spent. - Opt-out/block rate – How many users unsubscribed or blocked your number after receiving a message. A spike here may indicate poor timing, irrelevant content, or message fatigue. ### Which platform can help you scale your WhatsApp campaigns? At some point, you’ll need more than just a phone and WhatsApp Business App to manage conversations at scale. Whether it’s sending broadcasts, automating replies, or tracking campaign performance, choosing the right platform makes all the difference. #### Why B2C businesses use WhatsApp Business API As your marketing needs grow, the limitations of WhatsApp Business App become more apparent. With more contacts and higher message volumes, relying on a small team to reply manually quickly becomes unsustainable. That’s where WhatsApp Business API comes in — offering the automation, scalability and integration capabilities needed to run campaigns efficiently. - WhatsApp Business App = manual, limited, single-user - WhatsApp API = automation, multi-user, analytics and integrations Unlike WhatsApp Business App, WhatsApp API doesn’t come with its own interface, so you’ll need a platform to use it effectively. One such option is respond.io, which helps businesses plan, launch and track WhatsApp marketing campaigns at scale. #### WhatsApp Marketing on respond.io Respond.io gives marketers everything they need to run WhatsApp campaigns from start to finish — without coding or juggling multiple tools. From building message flows to tracking performance, respond.io helps teams turn conversations into conversions at scale. - Broadcast messaging tools to send personalized WhatsApp messages to thousands, fast, at scale and with opt-in compliance - Broadcast analytics to track delivery, read rates, and engagement by audience segment - No-code workflow builder for automating campaigns and follow-ups - Advanced chatbots to qualify leads and route conversations instantly - Entry point tracking from ads, web chat and lead forms - Performance analytics to monitor conversations and customer journeys - CRM integrations to personalize messages using customer data - Unlimited users and a shared inbox for coordinating replies during live campaigns ### What’s best for you? The best WhatsApp marketing campaign isn’t just one that follows best practices — it’s one that aligns with your goals, audience and resources. - Just starting out? Focus on building opt-in entry points through ads, forms, or landing pages. - Want to promote a product or sale? Plan a short, focused campaign with clear CTAs and timing. - Looking to re-engage existing contacts? Personalize your message flow and segment your audience. - Running multiple campaigns or managing a growing team? You’ll need a platform that helps you scale while keeping things organized. Wherever you are in your journey, WhatsApp can be a powerful channel — and with the right setup, you can turn conversations into conversions. Try WhatsApp API on respond.io for free today! ### FAQs about WhatsApp marketing campaigns ### Further reading Curious about how to get more out of WhatsApp for marketing? Check out these helpful reads: - WhatsApp Marketing in 5 Steps: A Detailed Guide (+Examples) - WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business for Sales and Marketing - 7 Best WhatsApp Marketing Software in 2025 for Businesses ## [12 Ways Companies Are Using Facebook Messenger for Business](https:/respond.io/blog/how-companies-do-messenger-marketing-and-support) If you're reading this you're probably curious about building your own Facebook Messenger marketing campaign. We've got several great examples for you to emulate. If you're reading this you're probably curious about building your own Facebook Messenger marketing campaign. We've got several great examples for you to emulate, but **to fully understand what you see below we recommend you to read our** [Ultimate Guide to Facebook Messenger for Business](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-facebook-messenger-for-business-guide-2018). The guide will explain the eccentricities of running a Facebook Messenger marketing campaign as well as the strategies and tools you have available. ### 1\. The Uber Messenger Marketing Campaign Yes. What you heard is true. One tap and you can hail an Uber. We're not kidding. Partnering with Facebook Messenger, now Uber allows millions of users to request a ride with just a simple text on Messenger. You don't even need to download the Uber app itself or leave the Facebook Messenger tab. It's all done for you in one clean flow. Ride status updates or ride receipts are all sent to you through your private conversation on Messenger, making it easier for you to manage it all in one central location. In order to request an Uber on your Facebook Messenger, make sure you have the latest version of Facebook Messenger installed on your phone so you can use the service on the platform. There are different ways Uber allows you to order a ride on the app. You can tap on the address being sent to you on the map and put it on the request for an Uber; or, you can start a conversation with the Uber, then tap the car button on the menu section, and select the "More" icon. And, that doesn't only work in your private inbox, but also in group chat. (Yep, shocker) Now, Uber introduced the new Share ETA feature where you can share your map location that you're currently at right now and let your friends hail an Uber to get there. So, for all of us who text our friends to say we're "on my way" when you're still watching Netflix in bed, Uber still got your back. Your friends can't possibly track where you are unless you share that information with them. (Pheww, almost destroyed a friendship.) Uber is not only looking at the car-hailing service industry, but it's also aiming at the bigger picture - becoming the "all-in-one" app that users need. They want to involve in every aspect in user's daily lives to optimize the lifetime value of a customer - starting from getting movie tickets, booking hotel rooms to getting a plane ticket. They're trying to keep the users inside the app so as to reduce the customer's churn as much as possible. ### 2\. The SnapTravel Messenger Marketing Campaign Let's be real in here: we're all tired going from one hotel website to another finding the best deal you get on the table. The online travel startup delivers hotel-booking service over Facebook Messenger or SMS. Whatever requests you want from the hotel - free Wifi, free breakfast, or any other service, all you need to do is to type it out on the chatbot and the bot can automatically suggest a bunch of recommendations for you like those on your Netflix watchlist. There's absolutely no need to calling the receptionist and have it "hold please" and "let me transfer to another line" ten times until you get what you want. It made the traveling experience easy for all the users out there. And the bot doesn't just end there. It goes from searching for the right hotel, purchasing the hotel rooms, and post-checkout, making your traveling experience absolutely hassle-free. Since they're acquiring the users through a conversational channel like Facebook Messenger, its' users are more likely to be engaged throughout the entire journey. Users are being advertised through the in-app Sponsored Messages. If users didn't complete the entire transaction process, they reabsorb these batch of potential users by retargeting them on their messaging inbox directly. This tactic successfully received a booming 30% increase in user acquisition, making Facebook Messenger one of the most effective channels to grow your users substantially. ### 3\. The HealthTap Messenger Marketing Campaign I think we've all been to the same place: we have a really bad migraine, then we go to look up symptoms online and suspecting you have some rare diseases. Well, maybe it's smarter to consult a real doctor. HealthTap is the first medical platform on Facebook Messenger. It offers a range of health tech tools, online healthy educational content, and services for customers to choose whether they want to do it in the self-help way or by a specialized doctor. Users can submit medical questions by typing out their symptoms and conditions on the chatbot. On the platform, there are 100,000 physicians across 141 specialties that help users to answer their medical queries. At a channel of the customers choosing - be it video visits, chat, or audio visits, paying customers can have unlimited medical advice or live consultation from doctors on either their mobile device or website browser. Since the Healthtap Facebook Messenger is using a chatbot that runs 24 hours a day 7 days a week, medical questions can be asked at any time of day. This makes it so that users can receive answers to simple questions instantly and complex questions can be answered by doctors at their convenience, making it flexible and convenient for both sides. HealthTap was quite a huge success and was able to acquire a large user base simply by using send to messenger ads. ### 4\. The Whole Foods Messenger Marketing Campaign Just like any other app that we've mentioned earlier, you can keep texting your friends plus ordering food and groceries at the same time without the trouble of swapping between apps. Instead, you can now do it all on Facebook Messenger. In 2016 MobileBeat, Whole Foods' launched a Whole Foods Messenger bot, allowing users to look up for recipes, ingredients, and inspiration all within the Messenger app itself. If you're unsure about the amount of ingredients you need to make a 4-person serving of casserole, that's okay too. There's a recipe database connected to the Whole Foods chatbot on Messenger. Users can tap into that database conversationally and search for any culinary information that they may need. This is perfect if you want to save the trouble or flipping through web pages. You can converse with the AI-powered chef directly by typing in the queries or even emojis in the chat box and within 3 seconds, you'll get your answers, making cooking easier than ever. Since Facebook is pushing Facebook Messenger by making Send to Messenger ads cheaper, Whole Foods used this opportunity to acquire users and engage with them in a fun way. ### 5\. Golden State Warriors Engagement & Notifications Campaign If you’re a die-hard basketball fan, the Golden State Warriors have a Facebook Messenger campaign for you. In 2017, the Golden State Warriors rolled out a messenger bot AI-powered virtual assistant that makes it easier for fans to keep up with the team, even if they are not watching. With the campaign, the Golden State Warriors is giving fans a way to interact with the brand in a new way. If you’ve been using Siri or Alexa and you enjoy it, you'll probably enjoy this too. The bot allows fans to check the stats for current and past games, keep up with player stats and helps you to purchase your favorite Golden State Warriors merchandise. #### How Does The Golden State Warriors Facebook Messenger Campaign Work? We weren't able to find the exact ad used by the Golden State Warriors to attract people to the chat. But based on the ad history associated with their Facebook page we are fairly confident that they used a Send to Messenger Facebook ad to acquire people in the chat. With this type of ad, once the user clicks the call to action it sends them directly to the Messenger.com on the desktop or to the Messenger app if they are on mobile. Then all users have to do is press get started and the campaign has acquired the user. As soon as you click get started, the chatbot welcomes you to the chat and prompts you to choose which types of notifications you would like to receive. You can choose to receive updates about the current live score when the game is on, video highlights of the games, reminders for upcoming games and even directions to the arena itself. There is also a game called, What Will The Dubs Do. If you select to receive this notification the Warriors assistant will occasionally quiz you with questions that allow you to win prizes. Once you're all set up with your notification preferences you'll be shown the main menu. In the main menu, you'll be able to request information about the next game, previous games, the live score, player stats, and available merchandise. Although you cannot buy merchandise directly through messenger you can browse for the item you like and a link will take you directly to that page on the Warriors website. We did notice that the Warriors assistant may no longer be being updated. As the player stats function is currently no longer working. **¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯** #### Was Golden State Warriors Facebook Messenger Campaign A Success? Although the app isn’t directly bringing profits to the Golden State Warriors per se, it is still important to the client experience and ads another element to brand building. As with many brand campaigns, especially experimental ones, it's hard to definitively say if the campaign was a success or not. We do have two indicators though. The Golden State Warriors are still using the Warriors assistant for their Messenger channel. If it was really a flop we assume they would have taken it down. Yet, the player stats function is not working so we presume they have reduced the amount of resources that have placed into the campaign. ### 6\. The Sephora Facebook Messenger Marketing Campaign Great news to all the girls out there -- Sephora is here to make your shopping experience. In 2016, Sephora launched a messenger bot Sephora Assistant by partnering with Assi.st and Facebook. The assistant is primarily designed to allow you to shop in a conversational way. You can also use it to book an appointment in any Sephora store in the United States. The assistant even understands natural language queries so you can just type what you’re looking for - makeup, makeover or tips and it will automatically show you all the relevant and available options. #### How Did The Sephora Facebook Messenger Campaign Work? To acquire users for its new Messenger assistant Sephora used posts on it’s Facebook page as well as click to messenger ads. This meant that users would be pushed directly into Facebook Messenger once they chose to interact with the ad. Once you click on Get Started, the Sephora Assistant welcomes you and gives you a series of options to choose from - you can try on looks, book a makeup and skincare service and give store feedback. If the chat goes to a place where the assistant is at a loss you can always type chat with an agent to talk to a human. When you’re shopping for makeup, you’ll want to know what it looks like on your face. So Sephora created a function that allows you to scan a face with in order to let you view that product on yourself before you choose to buy. Once you click Buy Now you are automatically redirected to the product page on the Sephora website. If you’re looking to book an appointment you can select the location, time and date all from within Facebook Messenger, no need to go to an outside website. #### Was Sephora Facebook Messenger Campaign A Success? > *“Upon the bot going live in 2016, it has brought a big 11% increase in terms of booking rates compare to other digital channels. The average spending of users who book the appointments through the messenger bot is over $50.”* It’s safe to say that the Facebook Messenger marketing campaign is a huge success for Sephora. It does not only drive substantial traffic to the stores, but it also makes the customer experience faster and more convenient. ### 7\. The Wall Street Journal Facebook Messenger Marketing Campaign We've discussed how [news agencies in countries with slow internet use WhatsApp marketing](https://rocketbots.io/blog/how-companies-do-whatsapp-marketing-and-support/) in order to proliferate the news. Now let's discuss how one of the worlds most well known newspapers uses messenger marketing to re-activate their users. Because The Wall Street Journal is such a well-known brand and because we were not able to find any [Send to Messenger Ads](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-facebook-messenger-for-business-guide/) that are being served on Facebook by WSJ we are going to assume that WSJ is not using their messenger marketing for lead generation. So what are they using it for? Based on the functionality it seems that they're using it to reactivate their users. #### How Does The WSJ Messenger Marketing Campaign Work? The WSJ chatbot is not very chatty. We tried various phrases, and we encountered three scenarios: 1. Sends the onboarding message to us again 2. Tries to look up stock information 3. Let's us know a series of possible commands Now that may sound bad, but compared to our experience with other messenger marketing campaigns we think this one works quite well. Although it's functionality is limited, that functionality works quite well. After you've joined the messenger channel you'll find the key functions to be: - Breaking News Alerts - Daily News Digest - Company News Alerts - Portfolio Alerts - Links to Subscribe to WSJ Podcasts Breaking news alerts arrive a couple of times per day. The daily news digest comes once per day. Company news & portfolio alerts arrive as necessary, but we have never been notified more than four times per day. In all these scenarios WSJ encourages you to either share the article with your friends or get on the WSJ website to read the full story. Adding a company to your news alerts and portfolio is not that easy as you will need to know the company stock ticker symbol to look it up. However, we suppose that is not so difficult for WSJ readers. Once you've followed some companies, it's quite easy to review your portfolio in a carousel. You'll be able to unfollow them or look for more news quite quickly too. #### Is The WSJ Messenger Marketing Campaign a Success? It's difficult to say as we have no way to estimate how much traffic The Wall Street Journal is generating back to their site. We weren't able to find any commentary from their staff regarding this service. We can say that for a messenger marketing campaign, the performance is quite smooth and bug-free. ### 8\. Nike's Jordan Facebook Messenger Marketing Campaign In 2018, Nike's Jordan brand thrilled the messenger marketing community with the Nike Air Jordan Facebook Messenger bot. This isn't Nike's first foray in messenger marketing, and it's not even the first for Air Jordan. Their first messenger marketing campaign, [Jordan Breakfast Club](https://news.nike.com/news/jordan-brand-breakfast-club) encouraged users to keep up with Michael Jordan's workout regime. Dan Harbison, the global senior director for digital at Air Jordan believes messenger bots to be a massive opportunity because "*people will connect with people much more than they will with a large entity*." #### How Does Nike's Jordan Marketing Campaign Work? The Air Jordan Messenger marketing campaign is designed to appeal to the hardcore fans of Jumpman. Having such a large following already means that Air Jordan doesn't need to drive traffic to its campaign using ads. With over 9 million followers on its Facebook page this messenger marketing campaign has set the chat window on the [Air Jordan Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/jumpman23/) page to open automatically whenever a user accesses it. While researching this story, we hit Get Started and left it for a while. To our surprise, the Facebook bot sent us another message in about 10 minutes asking us to opt-in to weekly notifications. We could tell this campaign was all about chat marketing because we got to choose to receive our notifications based on the time of day and we even got to pick the exact hour as well. Once we choose our notification settings, we were able to see all the latest limited edition Jordans. What else? This is a campaign for hardcore sneakerheads after all. #### Was Nikes Jordan Facebook Messenger Marketing Campaign a Success? One of the messenger marketing campaigns where we can give a resounding yes! After the campaign was launched Nike came out and announced that their messenger marketing campaign is generating an 87% open rate. This is extremely favorable as it is about 4x better than what Nike typically sees from its email marketing campaigns. If you'd like to generate open rates like that for your company, don't forget to check out our article that explains [how we achieved a 92% open rate on our email newsletter](https://rocketbots.io/blog/open-rates-facebook-messenger/). ### 9\. Boundary Brighton's Facebook Messenger Marketing Campaign Boundary Bright is a festival that has been held in the United Kingdom for the last four years. For 2019 SuperCharged, the events company that runs the festival decided to use messenger marketing to accelerate ticket sales ahead of the event. #### How Does Boundary Brighton's Messenger Marketing Campaign Work? Since the Boundary Brighton festival has already existed for four years, the first step was to convert the Facebook page audience into a messenger audience. Boundary Brighton achieved this by announcing a pre-sales sign up with very cheap ticket prices. To gain access to those you had to sign up to their Facebook Messenger channel. Then SuperCharged proceeded to send information through the Facebook Messenger channel. Along with announcements about how many tickets were available the company also used the direct messaging channel to announce headliners and additional to the line up throughout the campaign. When entering the channel for the first time, everything is quite simple. You're sent three messages, one to let you know where to buy tickets, one with this groovy picture above and a place where you can sign up to win tickets. That's it, a straightforward messenger marketing campaign. Now, how well did it work? #### Was Boundary Brighton's Facebook Messenger Marketing Campaign a Success? [According to Luke Ralph](https://www.iq-mag.net/2019/04/message-boundary-brighton-festival/), the head of SuperCharged, the first direct message he sent to the messenger marketing audience had a 96% open rate. With 70% of those users converting into a purchase within the first 24 hours. This allowed 1,500+ ticket sales on the first day of tickets landing for purchase. With 500 tickets selling within 3 minutes. If you'd like to try something like this with Rocketbots, this post will show you how. ### 10\. The Lego Gift Bot Facebook Messenger Marketing Campaign Lego has been around for 100 years or more, and they're not exactly known for reinventing the wheel. They've been using the same style of brick for eternity. So what are they doing launching a messenger marketing campaign? We see so many messenger marketing campaigns at our office, and almost all have the same flaw - too complicated! It's obvious that the team has used a chat automation tool and gone crazy with it. They want to try every style of button, every feature that it has available. This campaign hasn't made any of those mistakes. It's simple, elegant & successful. It has only one goal in mind, to choose a lego gift for a child. #### How Does Lego's Messenger Marketing Campaign Work? [This Lego messenger marketing campaign is refreshingly simple](https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news/2019/october/lego-gift-bot?locale=en-us). It's designed to help you buy a gift for a child. All Ralph, the Lego gift bot, does is ask you the questions he needs to help recommend a gift. Ralph asks questions about your country, your desired spend and info about the person who will receive the gift. It seems this campaign is currently only available in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada as those are the only countries to choose from. We like how Lego used flags, instead of country names. Next Lego asks you about the age of the person who will receive the gift and the price point of your purchase. Again, friendly and straightforward and a fantastic way for Lego to extract the critical data needed to build a buyer profile for this Facebook Messenger user. Later this information can be used to send targeted marketing messages that push for sales around Christmas time. Once you've received the recommendations, Lego gives you the options to easily change your choices. They only give the option to change the price range and category directly, because who is going to change their country or age of their child. And the ability to start again. Good job Lego! #### Was Lego's Facebook Messenger Marketing Campaign a Success? This messenger marketing campaign was an incredible success. The goal of the campaign was to increase the number of online sales Lego was able to generate. As a result of the campaign, Lego saw a 3.4x higher return on Click to Messenger ads compared to regular Facebook ads, a 71% lower cost per purchase & increased the value of purchased made 1.9x. If you ask me, this campaign was a resounding success. ### 11\. The HiSmile Facebook Messenger Marketing Campaign If you're looking to generate dentist leads or market dental lead generation services to your clients, this is a unique & powerful campaign to emulate. In this campaign, HiSmile used Facebook sponsored messages to re-engage users who had already interacted with them on Facebook in some way and encourage them to try HiSmile Products. HiSmile makes teeth whitening products that can be used at home to make teeth whiter by using it just 10 minutes a day. To re-engage their 1.7 million fans on Facebook, HiSmile used Facebook sponsored messages to drive engagement and loyalty, especially with their younger audience. #### How Did The HiSmile Messenger Marketing Campaign Work? The HiSmile messenger marketing effort was a series of campaigns that ran in September and October 2017. Sponsored messages were used to retarget users that had already like or been on the HiSmile Facebook. This gave HiSmile a vast audience to work with. To ensure the messenger marketing campaign was a success, HiSmile created messages that were personalized with the customer's names, with beautiful images and a limited time discount code to create a sense of urgency. The messages were sent in batched around critical shopping times like the weekend or near special events. HiSmile also sent a reminder message just before the discount code expired. #### Was The HiSmile Messenger Marketing Campaign A Success? HiSmile's Nik Mirkovic and Alex Tomic are no stranger to using next-generation marketing methods and experiments to move products. Nik Mirkovic decided to use sponsored messages because, "it put us at the forefront of our customers' attention with an ad that you couldn't simply scroll past, as it would notify you of the message." The reason we recommend those involved in dentist lead generation and those involved in getting dental leads for clients is because of the fantastic ROI reported for this campaign. As dental lead generation is quite a crowded field, using a relatively new product like sponsored messages enabled this campaign to attain: - an 11x lower cost per purchase compared to other channels - a 9.92x return on ad spend - a 21x higher Click Through Rate compared to other platforms If you're looking to implement this type of campaign for yourself or for your customers, be use to [shoot us a message](https://www.messenger.com/t/rocketbots?ref=contact). ### 12\. The Pizza Hut Facebook Messenger Pizza Bot Following in the steps of companies like [1-800 Flowers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHVMMnPsk0c), Pizza Hut Australia has created a Pizza Bot that allows you to order Pizza in a few easy steps. If you'd like to try it for yourself, you can do so on the [Pizza Hut Au Instant Ordering Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/PizzaHutAuInstantOrdering/). This isn't even the worlds first Pizza Bot. [Dominoes has a wide array of Pizza Bots available across several platforms](https://www.chatbotguide.org/dominospizza-bot). However, this is the first Pizza Bot in Australia, and it works pretty well to boot. #### How Does The Pizza Hut Bot Work? The ordering process is super streamlined. When you first join that chat, you're asked to choose between placing a new order or reviewing older orders. Once you hit order now, you're only a few steps away from a hot and fresh Pizza Hut pizza. First, you'll need to choose between delivery or pick up, then let Pizza Hut know your location. If you're ordering a pizza for pick up like we did, it will list the stores closest to you, for you to choose from. One of the great things about this Facebook Messenger campaign is even though you think you'll need to leave the Facebook Messenger app for some parts of ordering you don't need to. When it comes time to chose your location, a map will pop up in Facebook Messenger web view, so you never leave the app. After finalizing the location, you'll need to choose the items you'd like to order. The Instant Ordering Facebook Messenger channel makes it relatively easy to browse around different categories of items by using carousels and quick replies. Once you've added everything to your cart you'll need to agree to the terms and conditions, give your phone number & your email. If you choose cash as the payment method as we did, you're done. We were surprised that there was not final confirmation button and we ordered a Pizza by accident. At least it was a happy accident. #### Is the Pizza Hut Pizza Bot A Success? You might think this isn't really a Facebook Messenger marketing campaign and doubt the value that Pizza Hut receives from this effort. All they're getting is a few extra Pizza orders, right? Wrong. Things have changed. People don't just call up their local pizza place anymore and order a pizza, they log in to Deliveroo, UberEats or MenyLog and check out the options they have available. This put's brands in a position where they don't have direct access to their customer. Creating a Facebook Messenger bot like this can help brands fix that issue. Even though you'll still need to use Facebook Messenger to order, you'll be sending messages directly to Pizza Hut. This allows Pizza Hut to contact you back through Facebook Messenger sometime in the future. ### Further Reading If you're looking to generate similar results for your company, don't hesitate to check out our [Ultimate Guide to Facebook Messenger for Business](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat/). We'll keep updating this article with even more Facebook Messenger campaigns, make sure to [subscribe](http://m.me/rocketbots?ref=blogupdates) so you don't miss out. ## [14 Benefits of WhatsApp Business Account + 3 Case Studies](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-account-benefits) WhatsApp can be a powerful tool for businesses. From customer support to sales, find out how a WhatsApp Business account benefits you. With more than 2 billion people using WhatsApp, there’s a lot of potential for businesses interested in [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing). Anyone can use WhatsApp Business, but is it right for you? Is it worth using a WhatsApp Business account if you’re on other platforms? In this blog, we’ll answer that and more. Learn what it is, what the WhatsApp Business account benefits are and how to get started. ### WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business Account The WhatsApp App was designed for personal use with standard messaging features for chatting and staying in touch with people, especially friends and family. On the other hand, WhatsApp Business is a suite of WhatsApp products that enable businesses to communicate with their customers on the channel. They have tools specifically designed for customer interaction. For example, these tools can help you [send broadcast messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast), [schedule WhatsApp messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message), set [auto replies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply), send [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message), have [multiple users reply to customers](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) and more. Today, more than [50 million businesses around the world](https://bloggingwizard.com/whatsapp-statistics/) use WhatsApp Business to communicate with customers. Now that we've taken a look at what a WhatsApp Business account is, let's explore its benefits. #### Why Businesses Choose WhatsApp Business Over WhatsApp It has been established that a WhatsApp Business Account is different from a personal account. The significant differences between them account for why businesses choose the former over the latter. Below are a few reasons for this decision. 1. Provides professional features: The business account comes packed with many professional features that support business growth. These features include the ability to create a business profile, catalogs, automated messaging, broadcast lists and more. 2. Improves communication: It enables businesses to be more responsive to customers and prospect queries without keeping them waiting. 3. Serves as a cost-effective marketing channel: It provides businesses with an affordable avenue for promoting their product and services. If you are a business owner still using a personal WhatsApp account, here are 14 advantages of switching to a WhatsApp Business Account. ### Top 14 Benefits of WhatsApp Business Account Using a WhatsApp business account has a ton of benefits to businesses looking to sell, grow and expand. Here are 14 reasons why you should have one: #### 1\. Expand Your Reach WhatsApp is a globally recognized communication channel with [2.96 billion unique users](https://www.statista.com/topics/2018/whatsapp/) and the second most downloaded messaging app. These records are powerful, making it a gold mine of opportunities for business owners. Not to mention that it is a product of Meta, one of the leading technology conglomerates in the world. With billions of users across the globe using WhatsApp, it has made it a lot easier for businesses to reach more prospects irrespective of location. #### 2\. Cater to Various Business Sizes As mentioned earlier, the WhatsApp Business Account caters to businesses of different sizes since it provides features that aim to help them connect with their customers, manage communication effectively and promote their products and services. Small-scale businesses can leverage the basic features of WhatsApp Business Account like catalogs, automated messaging, professional profile setup and more to scale their businesses. While medium to large-scale businesses looking to do a lot more with WhatsApp Business, can upgrade to [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) to leverage its features. Keep in mind that the API does not have a front-end interface and must be connected to a messaging platform to send and receive messages. #### 3\. Easy to Set Up An Account WhatsApp Business App is quite easy to set up. All you have to do is download the app from the Play Store or Apple App Store and fill out vital information. If you want to upgrade to WhatsApp API, then you need to partner with a [Business Service Provider](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) like respond.io to access the API and software that manages your conversations and workflow. Thankfully, the [process of getting WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api#toc-mobile-4) is also straightforward. #### 4\. Allows You to Create A Professional Business Profile Using a WhatsApp Business Account allows you to set up a professional profile for your business. This feature provides you the opportunity to display your business’s unique selling point. You can set your business name, choose your business's category, specify your location, add a website, add a business email address, write a description for your business and display your open hours and days. When new leads interact with you on WhatsApp, your profile gives them a quick insight into your business and what to expect. It also eliminates the need to ask certain questions like open hours, business location and more. #### 5\. Build Trust and Credibility With a Verified Business Badge One of the major factors that sets a business account apart from a personal account is the ability to get a verification badge, also known as the [WhatsApp Blue Tick](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-blue-tick). This badge shows authenticity and serves as proof that you are a real business. When customers see your verified badge, it tells them that they can trust your account, since WhatsApp conducts proper background checks before granting an account a verified badge. #### 6\. Provides Access to Multiple Users and Devices Whatsapp Business App allows you to manage one account from up to 5 devices. That is 1 phone and 4 desktops. Whereas WhatsApp API makes your account accessible to more devices and users at the same time. This feature is helpful if you own a large-scale business and have a team of agents handling conversations from one phone number. This way, you can respond to customers' queries and take orders faster, leading to a boost in your business growth. #### 7\. Secured Messaging Privacy is crucial in business, especially for online businesses. Your customers want to know that their conversation and personal details like home address, email address and phone number are safe in your inbox. WhatsApp provides a secure communication line between you and your customers. It uses an encryption protocol to protect messages as they move from the sender to the receiver. #### 8\. Lets You Set Up a Product Catalog WhatsApp Business allows you to create catalogs of your products and services. Showing what you have to offer upfront lets customers browse your products and services regardless of your availability, enabling them to make quicker decisions about what to purchase. Basically, a product catalog addresses common concerns like pricing, size, color of available items and more, eliminating unnecessary back-and-forth. #### 9\. Supports Automated Replies As a business owner, it is almost impossible to be available at all times to quickly respond to your all messages. Not to mention that sending repetitive text over and over can be tiring. This is where automated replies come in. WhatsApp Business App allows you to set automated messages such as welcome and away messages. On the other hand, using WhatsApp Business API can take this feature a step forward by enabling you to set automated replies to any type of customer message like product-related questions, FAQs and more. #### 10\. Enables Workflow Automation Since the WhatsApp API allows you to choose a powerful messaging platform of your choice, you can create a workflow for your WhatsApp conversations using the platform you have chosen. Creating a workflow simplifies the steps and processes of handling prospects from the inquiry stage to becoming paying customers. Thankfully, respond.io provides an [automation builder](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflows-overview) called Workflows for automating conversations and tasks of any complexity. For example, you can automate answering FAQ inquiries, allowing your agents to focus on more important tasks. #### 11\. Cost-Effective Marketing Channel The WhatsApp Business Account provides more than just a messaging platform but an avenue for businesses to scale without breaking the bank. The global reach WhatsApp enjoys stands as a great advantage. You can leverage [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) capabilities to [run ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads#) promoting your products and services without spending too much. Unlike conventional advertising which costs an arm and a leg. WhatsApp business account is a great first touch point for leads that come from ads. #### 12\. Improve Customers Retention and Retargeting The [WhatsApp Broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) enables you to send personalized bulk messages. It’s an effective tool at your fingertips for retargeting prospects who have already shown interest in your business and retaining existing customers. Keep in mind of the [limitations for sending broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#toc-mobile-8) on the WhatsApp Business App. Also note that on WhatsApp API, you’ll need to [get a customer’s opt-in](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in) before sending them [template messages](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/whatsapp-message-templates). #### 13\. Analyze Customer Behavior [WhatsApp analytics](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-metrics) provides valuable metrics such as the number of conversations started, catalog views, status views, messages read, messages delivered and more. These metrics give you an insight into your business performance. Armed with accurate information, you can make better choices and decisions for your business going forward. #### 14\. Improves Customer Experience We have already mentioned how a business account enables you to streamline order processing, automate workflow, provide swift and secured messaging, display vital details about your business that inform your customers upfront and so on. A combination of these benefits can help improve customers' experience with your business. Ensuring that your customers are satisfied can improve your revenue generation. A study suggests that [61% of customers](https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2023/06/26/100-customer-experience-stats-for-2023/) are willing to spend 5% more if they know they will get a good customer experience. Still not convinced about the potential of a WhatsApp business account? Then take a look at how 3 businesses achieved success with one. ### 3 Big Wins With WhatsApp Business: Case Studies Now that you know the benefits a WhatsApp Business Account brings, let's look at how businesses are using it to improve lead generation and qualification as well as conversions. #### 1\. How Sharwa Achieved a 40% Conversion Rate on WhatsApp [Sharwa](https://respond.io/customers/how-sharwa-designed-a-communication-strategy-that-achieved-85-in-csat-scores), an Egyptian social commerce platform launched in 2022, aimed to expand nationwide while improving communication with customers, suppliers, and drivers. The company needed a scalable solution to streamline interactions across its growing team and prevent missed messages, ensuring seamless operations and exceptional customer experiences. To solve this, it connected a WhatsApp business account to respond.io. Automation features enabled efficient routing, order management, and re-engagement campaigns. These efforts **reduced response times by 60%**, **sped up issue resolution by 40%**, and **improved customer satisfaction from 70% to 85%**. Additionally, WhatsApp retargeting campaigns boosted conversion rates by 40%, turning many customers into loyal shoppers. #### 2\. How 800 Storage Achieved 30% More Conversion over WhatsApp [800 Storage](https://respond.io/customers/how-800-storage-achieved-30-more-conversions-over-whatsapp), a Dubai-based storage company managing 15,000 square feet of storage space for customers, faced challenges in handling a growing volume of messages from inquiries and quotations as the business expanded. To maintain efficiency and provide better customer experiences, it needed a enhance their WhatsApp messaging capabilities By upgrading to the WhatsApp Business API and integrating it with respond.io, 800 Storage **reduced first response times by 30%** and **resolution times by 60%**, **boosting conversions by 30%**. Impressed by the results, CEO Malek Barghout extended the solution to another business, Colour My Plate, underscoring its impact on operational success. #### 3\. How Sleek Gained 3x More Qualified Leads Using WhatsApp [Sleek](https://respond.io/customers/how-sleek-gained-3x-more-qualified-leads-over-whatsapp), a Singapore-based platform offering administrative services for startups and SMEs, faced challenges with a confusing web chat interface and poor lead generation, particularly as it expanded to Australia, Hong Kong, and the UK. To improve engagement and capture more qualified leads, it needed a more efficient communication solution. By transitioning sales conversations to a WhatsApp business account and leveraging a respond.io, Sleek set up market-specific workspaces, automated inquiry routing, and added WhatsApp links and QR codes to its website. These efforts boosted efficiency and lead generation, resulting in a **3.5x increase in sales inquiries** and **3x more qualified leads** in Singapore and Hong Kong. Agents responded within 2–3 minutes, improving customer satisfaction and **raising Sleek’s NPS to 68%**. ### Supercharge Your Productivity on WhatsApp with respond.io With 15 amazing benefits, it’s clear why businesses around the world are turning to WhatsApp Business. Whether you want to automate replies, showcase products, or organize conversations, WhatsApp Business App has the features you need to grow. However, some of these feature have limited capabilities. This is why you need respond.io, a leading WhatsApp API provider. With respond.io on your side, you can streamline communication, automate workflows, route customers to dedicated agents, track business performance and so much more. Get started with a [free respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) today! ### Further Reading Are you interested in learning how WhatsApp can benefit your business? Read these articles to find out: - WhatsApp Broadcast: How to Broadcast WhatsApp Messages - How to Get WhatsApp API: WhatsApp API Integration - WhatsApp Automation: A WhatsApp Business Automation Guide ## [20 Best Instagram Quick Reply Examples ](https:/respond.io/blog/quick-reply-instagram-examples) Want to reply to Instagram DMs in an effective, time-efficient way? Here are the 20 best quick reply Instagram examples for your Instagram Business account. In its early years, Instagram was a casual social network for sharing images. Its highly engaging visual content appealed to users and businesses alike, and the platform now has multiple business-oriented features such as Instagram quick replies. In this article, you’ll learn what they are and how to create them. In addition, you’ll find a list of 20 quick reply Instagram examples that you can use for more efficient communication with your customers. ### A Brief Introduction Instagram Quick Replies are text shortcuts that allow users to respond to [Instagram DMs](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#toc-mobile-7) with pre-saved templates. Users can either create them from scratch or pick a frequent response to use as a saved reply. While every customer is different, certain questions will be asked more often than others. After identifying those questions, Instagram Business account users can save quick replies accordingly. This comes with three important benefits. First, faster replies save both users and customers time. Second, it ensures consistent information and brand voice. And last but not least, users can handle numerous DMs at a time with ease. This Instagram quick reply feature is only available for [Instagram Business accounts](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#toc-mobile-3). Users can access it from iPhone and Android phone devices, as well as from their desktop. ### How to Quick Reply on Instagram Now you might be wondering how to make quick replies on Instagram. Open your Instagram Business app and follow these steps: 1. Tap the menu button on your profile and select Settings 2. Select Business 3. Select Saved replies 4. Tap the plus button to add a new quick reply 5. Enter a shortcut and a message, and tap the check mark to save Creating a quick reply message for Instagram is that simple. In need of some inspiration? Let’s take a look at some Instagram quick reply examples you can use. ### Quick Reply Instagram Examples The most popular use for Instagram quick reply is probably greeting new followers. But there are many more things you can achieve with them. Below, you can find four popular Quick Reply categories. On a side note: Regardless of the type of quick reply, Instagram likes it short, clear, and friendly. Keep this in mind when you compose your own quick replies. #### Quick Reply Instagram Examples: Greetings and Goodbyes Businesses that provide support via Instagram will greet and say goodbye to customers very often. Hence, having a list of texts to open and close conversations makes this daily chore less time-consuming. ##### Standard greeting 👋 Hello \[customer name\], I am \[agent name\], what can I do for you? ##### Delayed response 👋 Hi! We have been very busy and can't reply to your message as quickly as we'd like. Sorry for the wait! ##### Offline 👋 Hi! We received your message while we were offline, so we couldn’t answer you right away. Sorry for the wait! ##### Further inquiries Thanks for reaching out to us. Is there anything else I can do for you? ##### Close conversation + rating request Thanks for contacting us. Do you have a minute to leave a review of your experience with \[Company name\]? 🙂 We’d like to know your opinion: \[Link\] #### Quick Reply Instagram Examples: FAQ Most businesses have a list of questions they are frequently asked. In this case, having quick replies that contain basic information about your company is always a good idea. ##### Business hours 📆 Our operation hours are Mondays to Fridays, from 10:00 a.m. to 18:00 p.m. ##### Address 📍 You can find us at \[Address\] ##### Appointment We are happy to set an appointment with you! Please select your preferred date here: \[Link\] ##### Careers We are always on the lookout for passionate people to join us on this journey. ⛵️ If you are one of them please do not hesitate to send your resume to \[email address\]. We can’t wait to hear from you! ##### Product-specific Respond.io supports integrations with multiple platforms. You can check the full list here: \[link\] #### Quick Reply Instagram Examples: Sales When there is money involved, customers always want clear information. Having a well-prepared answer to a sales inquiry can make a difference between a satisfied customer and a discontented one. ##### Pricing We have different monthly packages designed to scale with your business: Starter, Pro, Business, and Enterprise. You can check them out here: \[Link\]. ##### New customer Hey, \[contact name\]. Thanks for reaching out. We’d like to know a little more about you to help you better. Please leave your phone number so our agent can chat with you. ##### Cancellation ✅ You can cancel your plan anytime, without additional charges. Simply get in touch with us and let us know. ##### Return policies ✅ You can return your item to us and get a full refund. No questions asked. Simply send it back, and we’ll cover all the costs. For more information, check our Return Policy here: \[Link\] #### Quick Reply Instagram Examples: Updates The following replies are mainly useful for services or online stores. Customers appreciate when businesses are communicative with them, rather than leaving them in the dark. ##### Platform maintenance ⚠️ Important notice: Our platform will be down for maintenance on Monday, 02/05/2022. We’ll try to be as quick as possible. Sorry for the inconvenience caused! ##### Product back in stock Hey there! We thought you’d be happy to hear this: 🎉 \[product name\] is back in stock! You can purchase it now at our online store: \[link\] ##### New release Here’s some exciting news: We’ll be releasing an update next Friday at 08:00 a.m., with plenty of new features 🙌 . If you have subscribed to our newsletter, you’ll receive more info soon. If not, you can subscribe here: \[Link\] ##### Technical difficulties 💥 Oops! it seems we are having some technical difficulties. We are already working on it, and we will try to solve it as soon as possible. Sorry for the inconvenience! ##### Problem fixed Update: 🔧 The technical issue has been fixed. You can keep using our platform as usual. Thanks for your patience, and have a nice day! These 20 quick reply Instagram examples answer many of the questions that businesses get asked via Instagram DM. Feel free to copy them or write your own, since they can greatly improve the quality of your Instagram conversations with customers. But perhaps you are growing so rapidly that even quick replies can't address all Instagram DMs in time. If you are looking to use an Instagram DM inbox with multiple users access, here’s the solution: respond.io has integration with Instagram DM API. Want to know more? Find all the details [here](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-3). ### Further Reading If you enjoyed this article and you would like to learn more about Instagram for business, check out these articles: - Instagram Messaging for Business: The Ultimate Guide - The Practical Guide to Click to Instagram Direct Ads - Instagram Business Multiple Users: A How-To Guide ## [4 Respond.io Alternatives to Consider](https:/respond.io/blog/respondio-alternatives) Looking for a respond.io alternative? This respond.io alternative blog compares the best customer conversation management software with its alternatives. You’re probably on this blog because you’re looking for a powerful and reliable software like respond.io to manage customer conversations. This respond.io alternative blog post will first give you an overview of respond.io to help you understand its capabilities. Then, we’ll explore some respond.io alternatives you can consider and help you decide which platform is the best for your business. ### Respond.io Alternative: What is Respond.io? Respond.io is a customer conversation management platform designed for growing businesses and enterprises that want to capture, convert and retain customers over chat and voice calls. Built for speed, scale, and flexibility, respond.io supports use cases across industries—from marketing and sales to customer support and transactional messaging. Now that you have an idea of what this platform offers, let’s explore how it can unlock efficiency and impact for businesses with complex operations. ### Respond.io Overview: What Are Its Features and Benefits? Respond.io is a versatile software that has brought significant benefits to its [global customers](https://respond.io/customers). From [streamlining communication across channels](https://respond.io/customers/how-yoho-centralized-6-support-channels-to-improve-chat-response-times-by-84) to [improving sales numbers](https://respond.io/customers/how-lamarsa-coffee-used-chat-commerce-to-boost-sales-across-6-countries-by-50), respond.io has provided a great return on investment (ROI) for businesses worldwide. These are some of the things you can do with respond.io. #### Centralize All Messaging Channels for a True Omnichannel Experience [Respond.io](http://Respond.io) allows you to connect all the communication channels your customers use. You can connect traditional channels like email, webchat and [SMS](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms) along with instant messaging channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) and [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business). With the new [VoIP-CRM integrations](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration), businesses now have a voice channel through Telnyx, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger to close sales quickly and assist customers more effectively. You can also manage multiple channel accounts like individual WhatsApp accounts or numbers for each branch or outlet. Plus, it lets you connect custom channels, like your business' own messaging apps or e-commerce platform native chat inboxes like Lazada chat. By centralizing all channels, you can reply to messages from a single omnichannel inbox on a desktop or mobile app. Now that all the channels are centralized, let’s look at a convenient tool to identify returning contacts across these channels. #### Merge Conversations from WhatsApp and Other Channels in a Single Thread When your business is active on multiple messaging channels, it's normal for the same person to contact you through more than one of them. This often leads to fragmented conversations, making it hard to deliver a true [omnichannel experience](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-2). Respond.io helps solve this by recognizing returning customers across all channels. You can easily spot duplicate contacts and [merge conversations from different channels](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contacts-overview#merge_contacts) into one unified thread. For example, if a customer first reaches out via WhatsApp and later messages you on Instagram, you can easily merge the chats to get the full picture. This not only gives you context, but also helps you spot patterns and make smarter decisions when supporting them. Up next, let’s explore how [respond.io](http://respond.io) supports your sales and marketing efforts. #### Sell and Market on Multiple Channels Respond.io helps businesses grow by making it easy to market and sell on the messaging channels their customers use most. Whether you're running ads, sending promotions or responding to inquiries, respond.io gives you the tools to manage it all from a single platform—so you can turn more conversations into conversions. ##### Manage Ad-Driven Conversations If click-to-WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook ads are part of your marketing strategy, respond.io makes it easy to handle all incoming conversations from these channels in one place. The platform automatically identifies which ad prompted a lead’s message, giving your team the context needed to reply with relevance and speed. ##### Broadcast Messages Across Channels Once you've engaged leads through ads, continue the conversation at scale with targeted broadcasts. Respond.io supports [broadcast messaging](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) across channels like [SMS](https://respond.io/blog/sms-marketing-sms-broadcast), [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-broadcast), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-broadcast), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-broadcast), and [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message). You can even send messages on the last channel a customer used, making each touchpoint feel timely and personal. Businesses can [segment audiences by channel](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview), customize messages to suit platform behavior, and analyze campaign performance with built-in broadcast analytics. In addition, trigger promotional messages based on customer activity from e-commerce platforms like [Shopify](https://help.respond.io/zapier/e-commerce-integration-shopify). For instance, send [abandoned cart messages](https://help.respond.io/zapier/e-commerce-integration-shopify) offering discounts or incentives to re-engage shoppers who didn't complete their purchase. #### Track and Manage Every Customer Touchpoint [Respond.io’s Lifecycle](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) feature lets you map out and manage every stage of the customer journey—from first contact to conversion and beyond. This makes it easy to see where each customer stands and what actions your team needs to take next. Whether you're nurturing new leads, following up with interested prospects or handling post-sale support, Lifecycle stages keep your team aligned and organized. You can customize each stage to match your sales or support process, ensuring no one slips through the cracks. Lifecycle works hand-in-hand with automation. You can automatically update a contact’s stage based on their actions—like replying to a message, booking a demo or making a purchase. This gives your team real-time visibility and ensures smooth handovers between marketing, sales and support. Better yet, Lifecycle helps you prioritize high-value conversations. For example, your sales team can instantly filter contacts in the “Interested” or “Qualified” stages and focus on closing those deals—while support teams can concentrate on customers needing urgent help. And since all your interactions happen in one place, you’ll have the full context for every conversation—no matter which channel they came from. With each customer clearly mapped in your pipeline, your team can focus on delivering fast, accurate and personalized responses. And that’s where AI steps in. Next, let’s look at how respond.io’s AI tools help your team respond quickly and spot-on. #### Streamline Processes in One Visual AI-Powered Automation Builder [Respond.io’s Workflows](https://respond.io) allow you to automate complex and repetitive business processes in a visual automation builder. You can plan, design and implement a Workflow with any amount of complexity from scratch or via templates. For instance, you can design specific automation journeys for customers depending on their messages or responses in pre-chat surveys. Then automatically route and assign them to the right team and agent quickly. Best of all, you can train and add an [AI Agent](https://respond.io) (respond.io’s AI-powered chatbot) to your Workflow and configure it to: - Answer customer questions and collect lead information before passing the conversation to a human agent. - Handle voice calls with a customizable AI voice for a consistent brand experience. - Understand and respond to audio messages, automatically transcribing them and maintaining conversation context. - Send context-aware follow-ups to re-engage customers naturally without sounding robotic. - Transfer live calls to the right human agent while keeping full conversation history and transcripts intact. - Simulate human behavior with typing indicators and natural response delays to make interactions feel authentic. - Deliver faster, more reliable responses through a multi-agent system that reduces errors and unnecessary processing. - Allow instant human takeover, with the AI stopping immediately to ensure smooth, controlled handoffs across modules. By combining Workflows and AI Agents, you can deliver faster, more personalized customer experiences while reducing manual work and ensuring every interaction—voice or chat—flows seamlessly from automation to human support. #### Respond Quickly, Accurately and Professionally with AI With respond.io, agents can leverage AI capabilities to answer inquiries promptly and efficiently. [Respond AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai) allow agents to refine their messages, ensuring clarity and precision in communication. They can also translate messages into different languages, reducing potential language barriers. [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist), on the other hand, is a game-changer for providing agents with quick replies based on customer context. This rapid access to information allows agents to respond quickly and accurately to customer inquiries, enhancing response times and contributing to a more [satisfying customer experience](https://respond.io/blog/ai-customer-experience). #### Use Salesforce & HubSpot Inside Respond.io to Work Faster [Respond.io](http://Respond.io) connects directly with Salesforce and HubSpot, so you can see and update customer information while chatting—no need to switch between tools. Your team can check contact details, deal status, and notes all in one place to give better, faster replies. You can also set up workflows to automatically create or update records in your CRM based on how conversations go. This saves time and keeps your data up to date without extra effort. By syncing everything in real time, your team always knows what’s going on with each customer—making it easier to stay organized and work as a team. #### Gain Actionable Insights with Respond.io Reports Respond.io's Reports module gives your team a clear view of performance across messaging channels, helping you understand what’s working—and what’s not. With nine reporting tabs covering everything from conversations and response times to agent performance and message volume, sales teams can easily track KPIs that matter. For sales, this means visibility into lead response times, conversation outcomes, and broadcast performance. Managers can identify top performers, spot drop-offs in the sales funnel, and optimize workflows for better conversion rates. Plus, with filters and export options, it's easy to create custom reports to share with leadership or adapt strategy on the fly. With a comprehensive understanding of respond.io's capabilities, it's time to explore the most important qualities platforms like respond.io should have – robust platform reliability and stability. #### Reliable Platform and Customer Support Reliable services and excellent customer support from solution providers like respond.io are crucial as businesses rely heavily on the platform to manage their business operations and communicate with customers. Respond.io offers a [dependable platform](https://respond.io/customers/how-golden-luxe-enjoys-a-20x-more-stable-messaging-experience-with-respondio) that is designed to handle high volumes of messages without interruption. It gives businesses the ability to maintain consistent operations and focus on chatting with customers. In addition to maintaining a stable platform, providing responsive and efficient customer support is crucial. [Respond.io](http://Respond.io)’s [support team](https://respond.io/contact) is available 24/5, from Monday to Friday, offering assistance in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic. You can contact it via live chat or call. It is accessible across multiple channels, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, LINE, and others. For after-hours support, AI assistance is also available. Now that you know what respond.io has to offer, let's look at some of its alternatives. ### What Are 4 Respond.io Alternatives to Consider? In this section, we’ll explore four popular respond.io alternatives — WATI, Trengo, SleekFlow, and MessageBird. To help you make an informed decision, we’ll compare these platforms based on the following key factors: - Omnichannel capabilities - Contact identification and merging across channels - Broadcast features - Lead tracking and management - Automation tools - AI capabilities - CRM integrations - Reporting and analytics - Platform and customer support reliability Let’s dive into the details. This includes the number of channels they support, the ability to identify returning contacts across channels to prevent siloed conversations, ease of setting up automation, promotional messaging capabilities, platform reliability and customer support availability. Let’s dive into the details below. #### Respond.io Alternatives: Is WATI A Good Alternative? [WATI](https://respond.io/blog/wati-alternative) (short for WhatsApp Team Inbox) is a customer engagement platform built specifically for the [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), although it doesn’t support WhatsApp calls. It allows you to use [WhatsApp with multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) while enjoying all the features available for WhatsApp API, like broadcasts and [interactive messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-interactive-message). Recently, Wati recognized that restricting users to a single channel was holding them back. As a result, they’ve introduced an integration with Instagram DMs, though it comes with some limitations. Wati might work for businesses that only use WhatsApp and Instagram to talk to customers. However, relying on just two messaging channels can quickly become limiting. Plus, Wati adds extra fees to WhatsApp messages you send, a practice that goes unnoticed by some businesses. **WATI Advantages and Limitations** | Pros | Cons | | --- | --- | | Use WhatsApp with multiple teams | Platform limited to WhatsApp and Instagram | | Supports many of WhatsApp's features | No WhatsApp calls | | Set up automation without any coding | Extra charges per WhatsApp message | | Native integrations with Hubspot and Salesforce | No way to track lead progress and status | | | Limited customer support availability | Wati allows you to set up automation without any coding to automate WhatsApp conversations and agents’ tasks. Its automation builder gets you covered if you’re looking to automate usual business tasks like data collection or appointment booking, but it is not particularly feature-rich. Wati, unfortunately, does not come with a way to track and manage leads through the funnel. But if you’re simply looking to integrate your CRMs into Wati for convenient customer management, know that it does have native integration with Hubspot and Salesforce. Wati’s reporting and analytics features are relatively basic. The platform offers standard dashboards that track message volume, operator performance, and ticket resolution times. Users can export reports on demand and schedule weekly summaries for the Team Inbox. Wati’s customer support is only available Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm IST (GMT +5:30), and you can only reach them by email or WhatsApp. The WhatsApp support can be frustrating because the chatbot makes it hard to talk to a real person. Lastly, pricing starts at $39 a month for 3 users. But your bill can rack up quickly if you have a lot of users or as your team grows. For medium to large businesses, respond.io is a better [alternative to Wati](https://respond.io/wati-alternative). #### Respond.io Alternatives: Is Trengo A Good Alternative? [Trengo](https://respond.io/blog/trengo-alternative) is a platform that helps businesses manage customer interactions across multiple channels. It is designed for small businesses with simple business processes. It supports multiple channels, including voice calls, SMS, email, WhatsApp (but not WhatsApp calls), Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, WeChat and custom channels. Plus, it allows businesses to merge conversations from the same channel. Businesses can send broadcasts via SMS and WhatsApp. Automation is powered by AI HelpMate for instant replies and AI Journeys for building no-code workflows. This setup lets teams automate FAQs, route chats and more without writing code. While Trengo supports several popular channels, it does not support LINE, TikTok and Viber. If your business is located in [regions where these apps are popular](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps), you cannot create a total omnichannel experience on this platform. With Trengo, you can label conversations, but there isn’t a tool to track and manage leads like [respond.io](http://respond.io)’s Lifecycle. **Trengo Advantages and Limitations** | Pros | Cons | | --- | --- | | Supports various channels, including custom channels | Does not support LINE, TikTok and Viber | | Allows broadcast on SMS and WhatsApp | Does not support broadcast on other popular channels | | Allows conversation automation | Automation set-up is spread across different features, which can be confusing | | Native integration with Salesforce and Hubspot | Platform often crashes when it receives high volumes of messages | | | Limited customer support availability | | | No WhatsApp calls | | | No way to track and manage leads | | | Reports and analytics are a bit lacking | Unlike [respond.io](http://respond.io), Trengo doesn’t allow merging conversations from two different channels. It only allows conversation merges from the same channel. When setting up automation, businesses have to work on multiple modules, which can lead to confusion or redundancy. If you set up similar automation in both spaces, it may be difficult to determine which is responsible for a particular action or event when something goes wrong. The good news is that Trengo offers native integrations with both Salesforce and HubSpot, allowing you to seamlessly sync and streamline customer data across platforms. Trengo offers analytics on conversation statuses, resolution metrics, and number of replies to resolution. It also includes a Live Dashboard for real-time tracking of tickets, agent status, and performance. Reports can be filtered by teams, channels, and labels, but customization options are limited compared to advanced platforms. Trengo’s most affordable plan starts at $170 per month for five users but doesn’t include chat support. With this plan, customer service is only available Monday to Friday, from 9 AM to 5:30 PM Central European Time (CET, GMT+1). To access live chat or phone support, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro or Enterprise plan. This isn’t ideal as the platform often crashes whenever it receives high volumes of messages, so it is not the best option for scaling businesses. [Learn more about Trengo vs respond.io here](https://respond.io/trengo-alternative). #### Respond.io Alternatives: Is Sleekflow A Good Alternative? [SleekFlow](https://respond.io/blog/sleekflow-alternative) is an omnichannel communication platform that helps brands manage multiple channels from a single platform. Similar to Trengo, it is built for small companies with simple business processes. Businesses can connect SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, LINE, Telegram, WeChat, and Viber to their platform to receive messages in one place. It allows broadcasts on SMS, WhatsApp, WeChat and LINE and offers broadcast analytics. Businesses can use Sleekflow’s rule-based automation, available in Sleekflow 1.0 or its Flow Builder, available in Sleekflow 2.0, to automate conversations from these channels. But if you’re looking for a tool to track and manage leads like respond.io’s Lifecycle, you’re out of luck. **Sleekflow Advantages and Limitations** | Pros | Cons | | --- | --- | | Supports most of the popular messaging channels | Does not support email, TikTok and custom channels | | Supports broadcast on SMS, WhatsApp, WeChat and LINE | Does not support broadcast on Facebook Messenger, Telegram and Viber | | Provides automation builder | Cannot handle high volumes of messages | | Native integration with Salesforce and Hubspot | Limited customer support availability | | | No WhatsApp calls | | | Does not have a tool to track and manage leads | Although Sleekflow is an omnichannel platform, it does not support WhatsApp calls, email, TikTok and custom channels. Additionally, it does not support merging duplicate contacts across channels, which is a must-have feature for businesses that want to provide a complete omnichannel experience. SleekFlow offers native integrations with both Salesforce and HubSpot, allowing users to access CRM data directly within the messaging platform. However, it does not come with a tool to track and manage leads through the funnel. On the flip side, Sleekflow does come with a proper analytics module to get insights into agent performance, customize metrics to fit your goals, and evaluate conversion funnels. Similar to Trengo, it also cannot support high volumes of messages, as it tends to slow down and crash when processing them. Its customer support is also only reachable from Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm Hong Kong Time, GMT +8. So, if there are critical issues outside these hours, businesses cannot contact them. The cheapest Sleekflow plan costs $149 and it’s limited to 3 users, 5 messaging channels and 5,000 broadcasts. However, Sleekflow charges an additional $15 per month per hosted number. If your business is growing and needs a platform with advanced capabilities, respond.io is a more scalable solution than Sleekflow. [Learn more about Sleekflow vs respond.io here](https://respond.io/sleekflow-alternative). #### Respond.io Alternatives: Is MessageBird A Good Alternative? [MessageBird](https://respond.io/blog/alternatives-messagebird) was initially developed for SMS, so it is often used for SMS messaging. It also supports many popular communication channels while providing omnichannel features like contact merging. But there are some important downsides. It does not support TikTok, WhatsApp calls and custom channels, which can impact businesses that have their own messaging channels or apps, or those looking to integrate additional channels with the platform. Unlike respond.io, which prompts businesses to merge duplicate contacts, businesses have to manually search for the contacts they want to merge, and these can’t be undone. On Messagebird, businesses can also send SMS and WhatsApp broadcasts and create automation to automate tasks and conversations. Unfortunately, MessageBird does not have any tool to track and manage the leads’ progress throughout the funnel. **MessageBird Advantages and Limitations** | Pros | Cons | | --- | --- | | Supports most of the popular communication channels | Does not support TikTok and custom channels | | Supports contact merge | Must manually search for contacts you wish to merge and merges can't be undone | | Supports broadcast messaging on WhatsApp and SMS | Limited broadcast channel support | | Flexible automation | No AI features yet | | | Frequent platform downtime | | | Limited customer support availability | | | No mobile app | | | Pricing can be confusing | | | No WhatsApp calls | | | No tool to track and manage leads | Despite supporting most popular channels, it only supports broadcasts via SMS and WhatsApp. Plus, setting up WhatsApp broadcasts requires technical knowledge as it is not a native feature. This makes it clear that it cannot fully support instant messaging channel capabilities. MessageBird offers reporting tools, including a Reporting API and Insights Dashboard for SMS, Voice, and Conversations data. Its Inbox Reporting provides real-time team performance metrics like response times, ticket status and popular tags. It also comes with its own automation builder to create workflows, but surprisingly, it does not have AI features yet. The platform also experiences downtime 2-3 times a month, disrupting the ability to send and receive messages for several hours. Additionally, its customer support is only reachable from Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm via email with an estimated first response time of 12 hours for critical issues. For better support, you need to subscribe to a dedicated support plan, which ranges from $500 to $ 5,000 per month. Unlike other options mentioned in this blog, MessageBird’s pricing is not easy to understand. Its capabilities are divided into three categories (Marketing, Inbox and Reach), each one with its own costs. Thus, calculating the total costs you will incur becomes more complicated. [Learn more about Messagebird vs respond.io here](https://respond.io/blog/alternatives-messagebird). ### Respond.io Alternative: Which Alternative is the Best for Your Business? As you can see, some of the alternatives were designed for small businesses with basic needs, while others were tailored to specific channels. Although it may seem like a good idea to use any of their platforms based on your current needs and channels, this will be a problem once you start to grow. For instance, shifting to a new platform requires a lot of work like data migration, staff training and process reconfiguration. It can disrupt your operations and lead to a temporary decrease in productivity. Therefore, it’s best to select a scalable solution from the start or one with superior customer support to help you with the process. **Benefits of Respond.io for Large Businesses** | Channels | SMS, email, webchat, WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, LINE, WeChat, Viber and custom channel | | --- | --- | | Contact Merge | Automatically identify duplicate contacts across channels and prompts businesses to merge contacts | | Lifecycle | Track and manage every customer touchpoint | | Automation and AI | One visual Workflow builder for flexible and advanced automation. AI Agent: Automatically replies to common questions AI Prompts: Suggests quick replies for agents AI Assist: Edits messages to improve clarity | | Broadcast Channels | SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, LINE and Viber | | Reports and analytics | Highly customizable filters, visual dashboards and exportable data | | Native Integration with Salesforce and HubSpot | View Salesforce and Hubspot customer details while chatting with them on respond.io | | Reliability | 99.999% uptime, designed to handle high message volumes, and backed by 24/7 customer support | Respond.io is one of the most versatile customer conversation management software in the market. It allows you to capture, convert and retain leads with unique features that other alternatives just don’t have. Respond.io is also one of the few omnichannel solutions that support WhatsApp calls and TikTok. This also applies to its broadcast capabilities, as you’ll be able to send bulk messages not only on WhatsApp but also on many other popular channels, such as Facebook Messenger or Viber. Its contact merge feature is more sophisticated than the others mentioned in this blog, as it creates automatic merge suggestions across channels. Unlike other solutions on this list, respond.io offers a tool to track and manage leads throughout the funnel. When it comes to automation, respond.io’s Workflows module enables advanced automated journeys for the most specific business needs. In the AI department, it delivers a trainable AI agent and other practical AI tools to make agents’ work easier. If your business relies on CRMs like Salesforce and Hubspot, respond.io has got you covered with native integrations for both. If you are using another CRM, you can still integrate it with respond.io through Zapier or Make. Respond.io’s Reports Module provides in-depth analytics on messaging performance, agent productivity, and customer behavior. It includes visual dashboards, exportable data and customizable filters for actionable insights. Best of all, compared to its alternatives, respond.io has very high platform uptime and customer support availability to ensure your business operations run smoothly, and you can get assistance whenever you need it. Ready to experience the power of respond.io? [Sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and witness its benefits firsthand. ### Further Reading Want to explore respond.io further? Here are some readings that might interest you. - Inbound Conversation Workflows: A How-To Guide - Chat Routing: Contact Routing with the respond.io Workflows Module - Auto Assignment: Automatic Assignment with respond.io ## [4 TikTok Myths Busted (Plus TikTok Secrets to Boost Business) ](https:/respond.io/blog/tiktok-myths-busted-plus-tiktok-secrets) Have these TikTok myths put you off TikTok marketing? We break down four TikTok myths and share TikTok secrets you can't miss! TikTok myths abound—it’s only for younger generations, it’s all about viral entertainment and more. It’s common to have doubts about whether TikTok marketing is worth it. We’re here to dispel those TikTok myths and share TikTok secrets to help you get revenue from new audiences. ### Dispelling TikTok Myths Many businesses don’t take TikTok seriously as a marketing opportunity, believing the TikTok myth that it’s just about viral trends. But in fact, it’s so much more that, and if you’re not trying it, you’re missing out. With [respond.io](http://respond.io/)’s [Conversation-Led Growth framework](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth), the first step is capturing prospective customers into a chat. TikTok provides opportunities to do that. Its [advertising costs are low](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads?utm_campaign=2024%2009-Sep%20Conversation-Led-Growth-34&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social#toc-mobile-3), and with its massive viewership, you also have the chance for organic growth. You might wonder if people really want to start a conversation on TikTok or are even interested in shopping on the platform. We’ll cover four TikTok myths and show you TikTok secrets to capture leads into your inboxes. ### TikTok Myth #1: No One Over 25 Uses TikTok TikTok became popular among Gen Z with its viral dance move videos, and since then, its stereotypical users are seen to be teens or young adults. It’s easy to understand this belief as the stereotypes are partially true. Yet, while it remains widely used among the younger generation and is a great way to reach out to them, its user base comprises a large portion of older users as well. A recent study found that [36% of TikTok users](https://www.marketingcharts.com/digital/social-media-117353) are actually between the ages of 35 and 54. And as TikTok has over a [billion monthly active users](https://backlinko.com/tiktok-users) worldwide, that’s an immense audience in all age ranges. #### TikTok Secret: It’s a Massive Opportunity to Reach Buyers of Any Age Whether you’re targeting young adults with professional courses, promoting anti-aging skin care products or selling retail items to people of any age, it’s likely a good number of them will be on TikTok. Take advantage of this wide audience to [generate more TikTok leads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-lead-generation#toc-mobile-1). ### TikTok Myth #2: TikTok Gets Less Engagement Than Other Channels Another concern that business have about TikTok marketing is the amount of TikTok engagement they can get. They often think that users spend time mindlessly scrolling through short videos without interacting or remembering what they see. Other social channels such as Facebook and Instagram are seen as a safer choice for getting customers to absorb and engage with content. However, TikTok actually has a higher engagement rate at an [average of 5.69% per post](https://www.marketingdive.com/news/tiktok-engagement-rate-instagram-facebook-2022/643417/)! Engagement was defined as any measurable interaction such as likes, comments and shares. #### TikTok Secret: Leverage Influencers and Make Ads Look Like TikToks to Boost Engagement Of course, the amount of interaction you can expect depends on what you post. [Leveraging influencers and making ads that look like TikToks](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads?utm_campaign=2024%2009-Sep%20Conversation-Led-Growth-34&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social#toc-mobile-10) will be more effective than using the same content that you use on other social channels. ### TikTok Myth #3: People Use TikTok for Entertainment, Not Shopping We all know about TikTok dances and viral trends from crazy food combinations to animal antics. This gives the impression that user are on the app for fun and wouldn’t be serious prospects looking to buy. While the majority of users are browsing TikTok for entertainment, that doesn’t mean they won’t be influenced to shop. A [study of US consumers](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-advertising?utm_campaign=2024%2009-Sep%20Conversation-Led-Growth-34&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social#toc-mobile-4) showed 56% have purchased products they discovered on TikTok and 37% have made purchases directly through the app on TikTok Shop. Influencers have a major impact just by using products in their videos. Additionally, ads appear seamlessly and capture attention in the midst of a steady stream of videos. #### TikTok Secret: Use TikTok Shop to Maximize Sales If you want to gain customers directly through TikTok, set up a TikTok Shop if you’re in an eligible country. TikTok Shops generated over [$11 billion in revenue in 2023](https://fitsmallbusiness.com/tiktok-shop-statistics/). Learn all about how to [set up a TikTok Shop in this article](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-open-a-tiktok-shop). ### TikTok Myth #4: It’s Difficult for Customers to Contact Me Through TikTok When you think about having conversations with customers, TikTok is most likely not your first thought. It appears to be more for passive consumption rather than communication and while it has an inbox, chatting isn’t as common as other social channels. If you want customers to contact you over TikTok, [TikTok Instant Messaging ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads?utm_campaign=2024%2009-Sep%20Conversation-Led-Growth-34&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social#toc-mobile-6) are the easiest way to get them into a conversation on other messaging channels like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. If they’re interested in what they see, they can contact your business with one click. #### TikTok Secret: Use a Messaging Link in Bio as a Free Way to Generate Leads Another way to get prospects to message you is with a link in your TikTok bio. This can be a WhatsApp link or a Linktree that includes buttons to contact you on any channel they prefer to chat on. A link like this makes it convenient for customers to contact you any way they choose, and if you’re using a conversation management platform like [respond.io](https://respond.io/?utm_campaign=2024%2009-Sep%20Conversation-Led-Growth-34&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social), you can get messages from all channels in a single inbox. ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results Respond.io is among the first few badged TikTok Marketing Technology Partners globally. The badge is awarded for expertise in end-to-end TikTok sales and marketing solutions, including sales workflow automation and tools to optimize TikTok ad performance. As a badged partner, respond.io gives you access to the latest innovations in TikTok Business Messaging. From capturing leads to closing sales, you’ll have the tools to attract, convert and grow customers — all from a single platform. 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ### Further Reading If you’ve decided to give TikTok marketing a try, check out these other articles: - The Ultimate Guide to TikTok for Business - 6 Eye-Catching TikTok Ad Examples Every Business Should Learn From - Supercharge TikTok Messaging Ads on Respond.io ## [5 Best WhatsApp Business Solution Provider: Pros, Cons & Pricing Compared](https:/respond.io/blog/best-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) These are the 5 best WhatsApp Business Solution Provider based on features and pricing: 1. Respond.io, 2. WATI, 3. Trengo, 4. Sleekflow, 5. Bird. There are numerous WhatsApp Business Solution Providers (BSPs) on the market, making it hard to choose the right one. Without the right information, you might end up with a provider that doesn’t fit your business needs — or worse, pay unnecessary costs. If you're new to BSPs, we recommend starting with [**WhatsApp BSP: Everything You Need to Know**](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) for a quick introduction. But if you're ready to compare options and make an informed decision, we’ll walk you through 5 popular WhatsApp Business Solution Providers and how to choose the best one for your business. ### How to Choose the Best WhatsApp Business Solution Provider We asked the COO of respond.io, [Iaroslav Kudritskiy](https://www.linkedin.com/in/iaroslav-kudritskiy-18102724/?originalSubdomain=my), what the main things are to look for when choosing a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider. In his experience, these are the three points that matter the most. | Factor | Why It Matters | What to Check | | --- | --- | --- | | 1. Reliability | You need fast, stable, always-on messaging and calls | - High platform uptime - High-quality support | | 2. Usability | A good platform makes messaging easy to manage and scale | - CRM integration - AI & automation - Broadcast tools - Reports | | 3. Pricing | High costs or rigid plans hurt growth | - No hidden markups - Value-based pricing | #### 1\. **Reliability & Stability** When customer calls and messages are core to your business, reliability is non-negotiable. You need a BSP that offers high uptime, fast message delivery and minimal disruptions — especially during peak traffic or critical moments. Look for providers with a proven track record of 99.9% or higher uptime, as specified in their Service Level Agreement (SLA). True reliability also depends on a responsive support team that’s available when you need it most. Support via live chat and call tends to be more effective than via e-mail. #### 2\. **Tooling & Usability** A good WhatsApp BSP should give you extra tools to help you get the most out of the WhatsApp API. Most platforms offer a messaging inbox. Other than that, some offer features like CRM integrations, automation builders, AI features and broadcast capabilities. For long-term success, ensure your BSP also includes analytics and reporting, as well as a way to view and manage the customer lifecycle (the stage of the sales funnel they are in). #### 3\. **Pricing & Flexibility** Choosing a BSP with transparent, flexible pricing is crucial if you want to make the most of your budget. Look for providers that offer pass-through pricing on WhatsApp per-message charges, meaning you only pay what Meta charges, with no hidden markups. Ideally, the BSP should give you room to grow with value-based pricing plans. Avoid rigid pricing models that force you into paying for features you don’t need or restrict your ability to scale. With these three points in mind, we’ll help you decide between 5 of the most popular WhatsApp BSPs in the market. ### What is the Best WhatsApp Business Solution Provider? Respond.io, WATI, Trengo, SleekFlow and Bird are among the most well-known BSPs. We’ll compare their features, reliability, and overall value to help you choose the best option for your business. #### Respond.io Respond.io is a preferred Meta Business Partner built for medium to large businesses. It excels in omnichannel communication with advanced automation, AI agents and enterprise-grade realiability and security. ##### Pros - Supports all major channels, including WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, Messenger, VoIP and custom channels. - Compatible with the WhatsApp Business App (WhatsApp coexistence) - Supports WhatsApp Business Calling API - Broadcast on WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger and more - Run Meta ads with Meta Conversions API to optimize campaigns - Native CRM integrations with Salesforce and HubSpot - Recognize returning customers across any channel - Highly advanced and flexible AI and automation tools - Fully autonomous AI agents: Handle complex conversations, collect lead information, trigger workflow actions, escalate chats to human agents, update contact fields and Lifecycle stages, close conversations and generate conversation summaries. - Includes a mobile app for on-the-go messaging - High platform reliability with 99.9% uptime - 24/5 multilingual human support via chat and call, 24/7 multilingual customer support ##### Cons - There is a learning curve - Not ideal for small businesses that don't seek to scale ##### Pricing Respond.io’s mid-tier Growth plan is priced at $159/month and supports up to 10 users. It includes unlimited automation, unrestricted use of the AI Agent, advanced reporting and more — all without extra charges for WhatsApp API account setup, hosting, or markups to Meta message fees. #### Wati WATI (WhatsApp Team Inbox) is built for small and medium-sized businesses that focus mostly on the WhatsApp Business API. It focuses on team collaboration and simple automation for customer conversations on WhatsApp. ##### Pros - Supports WhatsApp Business App integration (coexistence) - Offers no-code automation tools and an AI support agent - CRM integrations with Salesforce and HubSpot - Integration with WhatsApp click to chat ads - Includes a mobile app for on-the-go messaging ##### Cons - Automation setup can feel fragmented across separate modules - Broadcasts only on WhatsApp - No WhatsApp calls - The platform may slow down under high message volumes - Wati’s support experience is inconsistent, with only email support for the Growth plan - WhatsApp messages include markup charges beyond Meta’s official rates ##### Pricing The mid-tier WATI plan costs $79 for five users, making it a budget-friendly choice for small teams, but keep in mind the extra messaging markups and other unexpected fees. For instance, Shopify integration and 1,000 AI support responses are paid add-ons. #### Trengo Trengo is an omnichannel platform tailored for small businesses managing customer communication across multiple channels. It combines WhatsApp with email, SMS, Instagram, and more, offering a unified inbox and automation tools. ##### Pros - Supports multiple channels, including email, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and custom channels - Offers rule-based automation for routing and tagging - CRM integrations with Salesforce and HubSpot - It has AI agents and other AI features, though in beta - Mobile app available for basic messaging tasks ##### Cons - No support for LINE or Viber - Broadcast is not available for Messenger, Telegram, or other channels - May experience performance issues under heavy message loads - Customer support is limited in availability and responsiveness ##### Pricing Trengo starts at $579/month for twenty users, but key features like broadcast are paid add-ons. The number of conversations for this plan is limited to 18,000/year. For more, you’ll have to pay extra fees. The same happens with conversations with an AI surcharge. #### Sleekflow Sleekflow is aimed at small to mid-sized businesses that want a multichannel communication tool with a focus on WhatsApp automation. ##### Pros - Supports major messaging channels including WhatsApp, LINE, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and SMS - It has AI agents and other AI features - CRM integrations with HubSpot and Salesforce - Offers rule-based automation - Provides a mobile app for managing conversations on the go ##### Cons - Does not support TikTok, email or custom channel integrations - No broadcast support for Messenger, Telegram, or Viber - No WhatsApp calls - May experience slowdowns with high message volumes - Customer support is limited in availability and responsiveness - $15 for each hosted number per month ##### Pricing SleekFlow’s mid-tier plan costs $349/month and includes only 5 users. Pricing is based on the total number of stored contacts, not just the ones you actively engage with. By default, Sleekflow has several usage limits. For example, all Sleekflow users receive 500 credits for AI Agent usage. There are 3 types of AI Agents to choose from: Basic Support uses one credit per message, while Sales Growth and Custom use two credits per message. Last, you’ll also need to pay for flow enrolment credits to trigger automation workflows. #### Bird Bird is best suited for enterprises that need to manage SMS, WhatsApp, and other channels at scale. Originally focused on SMS, Bird also supports other messaging apps with advanced routing and contact tools. ##### Pros - Supports major communication channels, including WhatsApp, SMS, Email, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and more - Offers WhatsApp Business Calling API for voice call integration - CRM integrations with Salesforce and HubSpot - Allows contact merging to unify customer profiles across channels - Provides flexible automation options through flows and APIs ##### Cons - Does not support custom-built channels outside its predefined list - WhatsApp broadcast setup requires technical configuration via Flow Builder - Automation tools are spread across different modules, making set up less intuitive - Platform performance can worsen under heavy message volume - Customer support is limited in availability and lacks clear SLAs ##### Pricing Bird’s pricing model is modular, requiring businesses to pay separately for platform access, messaging and certain features, making it less transparent than bundled alternatives. The standard plan starts at $45/month for up to 3,000 contacts, with scalable tiers based on contact volume. It includes two user seats, while additional seats are only available through custom enterprise agreements. Each BSP has its strengths depending on your business size, messaging needs, and technical capacity. But choosing the right provider isn’t just about fit today — it’s about finding a platform that grows with you. ### The Best WhatsApp Business Solution Provider: Side by Side Comparison | BSP | Channels supported | WhatsApp Calling API | AI & Automation | Integration with Hubspot and Salesforce | Reliability | Pricing | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Respond.io | WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram DM, Facebook Messenger, custom channels and more | ✅ | ✅ Omnichannel AI + advanced automation | ✅ | ✅ 99.9% uptime + 24/5 chat and call support, 24/7 AI support | $159/month for 10 users. No extra charges for features | | WATI | WhatsApp and Instagram DM | ❌ | ⚠️ Basic no-code tools + WhatsApp-only AI agent | ✅ | ⚠️ Slows at volume + limited support | $79/month for 5 users. Markups & hidden fees apply | | Trengo | WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger and more (no TikTok) | ❌ | ✅ Rule-based automation + basic AI | ✅ | ⚠️ Unstable under load + limited support | $569/month for 5 users. Add-ons required for features | | SleekFlow | WhatsApp, Faceobook Messenger, Instagram DM and more (no TikTok) | ❌ | ✅ AI agents + rule-based automation | ✅ | ⚠️ Slows at scale + limited support | $349/month for 5 users. Pricing based on contact count | | Bird | WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger and more (no TikTok) | ✅ | ⚠️ Strong tools but split across modules | ✅ | ⚠️ Slows at scale + unclear SLAs | $45/month for 3,000 contacts. Modular & opaque pricing | Many platforms are designed with small businesses in mind, but as your company grows, limitations in messaging channels, automation capabilities and platform stability can quickly become roadblocks. Migrating to a new platform later often means dealing with data transfer, team retraining and potential service disruptions. WATI offers a good starting point for small teams using the WhatsApp Business API, but its lack of supported channels restricts customer entry points and engagement opportunities. Trengo and SleekFlow provide more flexibility with multichannel support and basic AI tools, yet they still fall short when it comes to scalability and feature depth. Bird, meanwhile, can be complex due to fragmented tools and unclear pricing, making it difficult to evaluate and use effectively. Respond.io stands out as being feature-rich with unique offerings like WhatsApp coexistence and WhatsApp Business calling API. While not one of the cheapest options, pricing is transparent and value-based. Last, none of these solutions guarantees top stability with high chat volumes like respond.io. Also, respond.io’s support is [regarded by G2 users](https://www.g2.com/products/respond-io/reviews?utf8=%E2%9C%93&filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1757024#:~:text=respond.io%20Pros%20and%20Cons) as one of its biggest strengths. ### Which WhatsApp Business Solution Provider Should I Choose? | BSP | Best for | | --- | --- | | Respond.io | Startups to enterprises needing scalable omnichannel communication, advanced AI & automation, and CRM integration. Ideal for growing teams, medium and large size businesses and enterprises. | | WATI | Small to mid-sized businesses focused mostly on WhatsApp and Instagram. | | Trengo | Small to medium-size B2C businesses that require basic integrations and automation for doing support over chat. | | SleekFlow | Businesses with low chat volumes and limited automation and support needs. | | Bird | Mid to large businesses needing SMS + WhatsApp at scale, with flexible automation and API control. Best for technical teams. | With advanced WhatsApp capabilities, seamless CRM integrations, full omnichannel coverage, enterprise-grade stability and transparent pricing, respond.io is the ideal long-term solution for business growth. Experience it yourself — [start your free respond.io trial today](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business). ## [5 Game-Changing Reasons Businesses Need TikTok Advertising ](https:/respond.io/blog/tiktok-advertising) Unlock new opportunities with TikTok advertising! Discover why it's a crucial platform for businesses looking to enhance their sales and marketing impact. TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in the world, bar none. And the [numbers don’t lie](https://www.statista.com/chart/28412/social-media-users-by-network-amo/). To the consumer, TikTok represents a hub of entertainment. But to businesses like yours, this only means one thing— TikTok advertising is a treasure trove for marketing opportunities. But making the leap into a new channel can be daunting. Maybe you’re not entirely onboard or need some convincing as to why TikTok should play an integral part in your sales and marketing strategy. If this resonates with you, read on as we'll dive into why TikTok ads are a must-have. ### What is TikTok Advertising? TikTok ads are straightforward on paper. They’re promoted content, typically short, snappy in-feed videos, that capture attention and engage with viewers. In practice, however, advertising on TikTok is complex, requiring businesses to constantly keep their fingers on the pulse of what’s trending and vibing with viewers. TikTok offers a smorgasbord of ad formats for businesses to connect with their target audiences, ranging from in-feed videos to branded hashtag challenges. But to dig deep into the nitty gritty of TikTok messaging ads and how to get them up and running, check out our other article [here](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads). ### 5 Reasons You Need to Use TikTok Advertising This article isn’t about the *whats* and *hows* of TikTok advertising. Instead, it focuses on the *whys*—specifically, why you should use ads for your TikTok sales and marketing efforts. So let’s get into it: #### TikTok Benefit #1: Massive User Base and Engagement TikTok has firmly established itself as a staple social media platform, not a passing fad, thanks to its massive user base. As of 2024, TikTok is projected to reach [1.8 billion](https://www.businessofapps.com/data/tik-tok-statistics/) monthly active users (MAUs) and has been downloaded [4.7 billion times](https://www.demandsage.com/tiktok-user-statistics/), while the countries with the largest audiences are [Indonesia, the U.S. and Brazil](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1299807/number-of-monthly-unique-tiktok-users/). There is a huge opportunity here for businesses to connect with a diverse, global audience. Beyond audience metrics, TikTok users are actively engaging with content, with [625 million videos viewed per minute](https://localiq.com/blog/what-happens-in-an-internet-minute/) and the average user spending [52 minutes per day](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1359403/us-time-spent-per-day-netflix-tiktok-youtube/) on TikTok. This level of engagement means your TikTok ads have a better chance of being seen and making a lasting impression on the platform. What’s also interesting is that TikTok's core demographic is [18 to 24-year-olds](https://whatsthebigdata.com/tiktok-statistics/)—a group known to be difficult to reach through traditional marketing. This demographic, known for setting trends and being trailblazers, presents a unique avenue for businesses looking to connect with younger audiences. #### TikTok Benefit #2: High Advertising Reach and Effectiveness TikTok’s advertising reach isn’t just wide, it’s effective. With ads on TikTok reportedly reaching [21.3% of internet users over the age of 18](https://www.demandsage.com/tiktok-user-statistics/) (equating to over 1 billion users), TikTok is an obvious heavyweight. However, it’s not just about the reach. It's about the punch each ad packs. TikTok’s engaging ad formats allow businesses to make a big impact with minimal time. Even ads viewed for less than six seconds can be [more influential](https://www.tiktok.com/business/en-US/blog/mediascience-study-brands-memorable-tiktok) than similar ads on other leading social media platforms. The most distinctive feature when it comes to TikTok advertising is their users’ surprising openness to ads. Unlike the case on other platforms where ads are seen as annoying interruptions, TikTok users are [far more receptive](https://www.statista.com/chart/29589/sentiment-towards-data-protection-and-online-advertising/). For marketers, this means engaging with audiences is easier thanks to the lack of resistance. #### TikTok Benefit #3: Proven Impact on Consumer Behavior But what’s the point of reaching people if it doesn’t lead to action? This is where TikTok shines. [56% of U.S. consumers](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1361955/tiktok-product-purchase-consumer-attitudes-us/) have bought products they discovered on TikTok while [37% of TikTok users in the U.S](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1416784/tiktok-buyer-share-us/). have made purchases either through links on the app or directly within it. TikTok isn’t just for window shopping. It’s where browsers turn into buyers, making TikTok the place to be for businesses looking to amp up their sales. The platform's ability to turn viewers into buyers is also especially evident when it comes to [impulse purchases](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1430246/leading-social-media-platforms-for-impulse-purchases-usa/). Whether it's grabbing a deal after watching a TikTok LIVE session—something [50% of users have done](https://www.thedrum.com/profile/honcho/article/is-tiktok-live-shopping-on-the-rise-and-could-your-brand-benefit-from-it)—TikTok integrates entertainment and shopping. This blend builds a sense of trust and connection with users as after seeing a TikTok ad, [41% of viewers feel they can trust the brand more, and 31% are more likely to stay loyal](https://www.tiktok.com/business/en/trends-whats-next). #### TikTok Benefit #4: Rapid Adoption Among Marketers Given TikTok’s impressive stats so far, it’s unsurprising that marketers everywhere are jumping on the bandwagon, with [43% of marketers](https://www.statista.com/statistics/258974/future-use-of-social-media-among-marketers-worldwide-by-platform/) planning to ramp up their use of TikTok ads in the near future. TikTok is being recognized by businesses everywhere and the way things are heading, this trend is only growing stronger. If your competitors aren't already using TikTok, they probably will be soon. Staying competitive means getting on board with TikTok before you get left behind, as according to marketers, TikTok has the [third highest engagement rate](https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/tiktok-stats) among social media platforms, ahead of Facebook and even YouTube. Even in the B2B space, TikTok is TikTok is making strides with [16% of B2B marketers](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1284858/social-media-platforms-highest-b2b-return-on-investment/) reporting that TikTok delivers the highest ROI among social media platforms. Beyond dancing and memes, TikTok is rapidly proving itself invaluable across different sectors. #### TikTok Benefit #5: Cost-Effectiveness and Return on Investment (ROI) Last but not least, let’s not forget about budgets. Marketing isn’t cheap but TikTok doesn’t break the bank. With nearly [80% of small businesses reporting a positive ROI](https://www.capterra.com/resources/tiktok-marketing/) from their TikTok campaigns, it's clear that this platform is affordable for most. In addition, the [average cost-per-click on TikTok is $0.22](https://metricool.com/tiktok-statistics/), making it accessible even for businesses with constricting marketing budgets. But it's not just about being budget-friendly. It's about getting a solid return on investment (ROI). TikTok advertisers often see an impressive [return of $2 for every $1 spent](https://www.tiktok.com/business/en-CA/blog/tiktok-works-canada-meta-analysis). Numbers like this paint the picture that this kind of ROI is potentially game-changing for businesses looking to maximize every dollar spent on advertising. ### TikTok for Marketing: Advertising Success Stories Now, let's bring the numbers to life with real-world examples. Here are some success stories of businesses that successfully incorporated TikTok advertising: #### Hyundai [Hyundai](https://www.tiktok.com/business/en-US/inspiration/hyundai-1118) took the TikTok route for its IONIQ 5 launch and nailed it. They transformed their traditional TV ad into a TikTok "react" campaign, using features like Duet and Green Screen. This fun twist not only captivated viewers but also led to 242 million impressions and an 18% increase in 6-second view-through rates. Hyundai's campaign involved collaborating with creators who reacted to the ad, adding humor and relatability, which significantly boosted brand awareness by three times the norm. #### Prinics (KODAK Photo Printer) [Prinics](https://www.tiktok.com/business/en/inspiration/prinics-kodak) showed off the KODAK Photo Printer in a flashy way, using TikTok’s video shopping ads and creative challenges. The result? A staggering 1.8 million impressions and an eye-popping 611% return on ad spend. They engaged users by launching a challenge that encouraged them to showcase their creative printing projects. This hands-on approach not only drove a 2.65% click-through rate but also highlighted the product's versatility and appeal. #### Simply Sing [Simply Sing](https://www.tiktok.com/business/en/inspiration/simplysing-scale-with-tiktok), known for making creative hobbies like singing and playing instruments fun and accessible, found the perfect stage on TikTok. They wanted to grow their global audience and keep costs low. They used a Test-and-Learn approach, running split tests on different ad elements like bidding strategies and creative content. This paid off in the end, boosting conversions by 75% and cutting their cost per acquisition by 39%. ### Anatomy of Effective TikTok Advertising Though we’ve tried to impress upon you the importance of TikTok advertising, there’s a caveat: TikTok is not a magic bullet. Effectively using TikTok for marketing requires time, effort and know-how to fully harness. Behind every good TikTok ad, you can expect to find the following elements: #### TikTok for Marketing Tip 1: Avoid Traditional Ad Formats [According to research](https://www.tiktok.com/business/en-US/blog/mediascience-study-brands-memorable-tiktok) conducted by TikTok themselves, high-performing ads on TikTok shouldn’t feel like an ad. Instead, it should blend in natively with what users typically expect to see on their feeds. Don't use polished, overly produced, sales-y content that screams "advertisement." Instead, aim for a more casual, organic feel that aligns with the platform's nature. In TikTok’s own words, they strongly advise: “[Don’t make ads. Make TikToks.](https://www.tiktok.com/business/en-US/blog/what-we-mean-when-we-say-dont-make-ads)” #### TikTok for Marketing Tip 2: Be Authentic Authenticity is key on TikTok. Users value genuine content that resonates with their experiences and emotions. Be real, be relatable and try to showcase some of your brand’s personality. Authenticity builds trust and when done right, keeps viewers coming back for more. Sometimes, an honest behind-the-scenes moment can do more good than a polished, well-researched advertisement. #### TikTok for Marketing Tip 3: Know Your Audience Effective ads require you to do your homework. Understand what makes your audiences tick, what they love and what they find funny (and *not* funny). Speak their language, use the trends they're into and don’t be afraid to hop on the train of the latest memes. The more you understand your target audience, the better you can create ads that inspire them to take the action you desire. ### Enhance Your TikTok Marketing with respond.io Although TikTok offers fundamental business tools, it may not fully meet the needs of businesses that engage with customers via chat across various channels and require advanced features like automation, analytics, security, and effective communication. As a badged TikTok Marketing Partner, respond.io addresses these limitations and provides a robust solution designed to facilitate smooth, high-impact conversations. #### Unlock the Power of TikTok Business Messaging Struggling to manage TikTok messages from potential customers? We’ve got you covered! As an early adopter of TikTok Business Messaging integration, respond.io helps businesses streamline TikTok conversations and turn engagement into sales. Whether responding to comments on organic videos or handling inquiries from TikTok Messaging Ads, you can maximize TikTok’s massive reach and high conversion potential. With TikTok Business Messaging integrated into respond.io’s omnichannel suite, businesses can manage TikTok chats alongside WhatsApp, Instagram, and more—all from one centralized inbox. Automate responses, qualify leads instantly, and nurture them with AI-powered workflows to drive more conversions while keeping engagement seamless. Measure the success of your TikTok marketing strategy with powerful analytics, tracking chat performance, audience interactions, and campaign effectiveness. Currently in Beta, TikTok Business Messaging is available in most regions except the U.S., EEA, Switzerland, and the U.K. If your TikTok Business Account is eligible, connect it to respond.io today and start turning engagement into revenue! ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ### Further Reading If you enjoyed reading our article, you might want to check these out: - Ultimate Guide to TikTok for Business [July 2024] - TikTok Ads: Harness TikTok Messaging Ads to Boost Sales - Click to Chat Ads for Lead Generation: The Ultimate Guide ## [6 Best WhatsApp CRMs in 2025: Compare Pros, Cons & Prices](https:/respond.io/blog/best-whatsapp-crm) Discover the best WhatsApp CRMs in 2025. Compare features, pricing and use cases to find the best platform for your business needs. WhatsApp may be where your customers are but are your WhatsApp CRM tools keeping up? Most businesses use WhatsApp to talk to customers, but for many, it’s a mess. Conversations get lost in personal inboxes, follow-ups slip through the cracks and there’s no way to see the big picture. A [WhatsApp CRM](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) fixes that. It gives you one place to [track chats](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-metrics), manage customers and keep your team on the same page. Whether you’re [selling](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales), [supporting](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-support) or [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing), the right WhatsApp CRM will help you turn messages into revenue. Below, we’ll look at what makes a good WhatsApp CRM, how to choose one, popular use cases and which solutions are worth your time in 2025. ### Why Does Your Business Need a WhatsApp CRM? [Customers are already on WhatsApp](https://backlinko.com/whatsapp-users). It’s where they book haircuts, confirm deliveries, ask about products and share pictures of what they want. The problem? Most businesses still treat it like a personal chat app, with customer messages scattered across multiple phones and no easy way to track what’s been said. That’s fine if you have five customers a week. It’s chaos if you have five hundred. A good WhatsApp CRM brings order to the chaos by: - Keeping conversation history and context visible— so anyone on your team can jump into a customer conversation without asking “What’s going on here?” - Giving you control— by auto-assigning customers and setting up processes so nothing slips through the cracks - Tracking conversations— through showing you which conversations are leading to sales, and which ones are going nowhere - Centralizing customer history— so every message, call or file is stored in one centralized inbox, no matter who handled it or when - Making follow-ups consistent— with reminders and automation that ensure customers never feel ignored or forgotten In other words, without a WhatsApp CRM tool, you’re relying on memory and goodwill. ### How Do I Pick the Right WhatsApp CRM? Choosing a WhatsApp CRM is less about ticking boxes on a feature list and more about finding the one that actually fits the way your team works. Pick the wrong tool and you’ll end up paying for features no one uses or wrestling with a system that slows you down. So before you start trialing every solution you’ve heard of, ask yourself these key questions: #### Do you need shared access? If customers message you at all hours, someone needs to pick up the conversation without asking, “Who’s handling this one?” Shared access means every agent sees the same inbox, the same history and can jump in when needed. #### Do you just want a clean inbox or a whole lot more? A neat shared inbox is nice. But if you also want to automatically assign customers, send reminders or reply outside office hours, you’ll need [automation that actually works](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation). #### Does it support AI Agents? A modern WhatsApp CRM should do more than store chats or offer basic automation. With [AI Agents,](https://respond.io/ai-agents) you can qualify leads, update customer details and even close conversations automatically — freeing your team to focus on high-value interactions. #### How much does reporting matter to you? If you care about campaign performance, agent response times or customer trends, make sure [reporting](https://respond.io/help/reporting-and-analytics) isn’t buried under three menus or locked behind a premium tier. #### Does it keep you in WhatsApp’s good books? Breaking WhatsApp’s rules isn’t just a slap on the wrist. It can get your [business number banned](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-banned)! Pick a CRM that enforces the 24-hour messaging window, manages template approvals and makes opt-in tracking effortless. #### Will it scale with your business? What works for ten customers a day might collapse under a hundred. Make sure your CRM can handle more customers, more channels and more team members without forcing a full migration later. ### What Are Popular WhatsApp CRM Use Cases? A WhatsApp CRM gives every team a single place to manage customer conversations from first contact to follow-up. No matter who’s replying, the history, context and next steps are always clear. Here’s how different teams put it to work: - Sales teams— Turn new chats into paying customers with AI Agents that qualify leads, capture customer detailsand update lifecycle stages automatically. The entire conversation history stays in one place for smooth handoffs when a human rep is needed. - Support agents— Use AI Agents to answer FAQs, resolve routine queries, and close conversations with summaries — while seamlessly escalating complex issues to the right teammate when human judgment is required. - Marketing teams— Run Click-to-WhatsApp ads and drop customers directly into segmented campaigns, sending personalized offers and tracking what actually drives conversions. - Operations teams— Send appointment reminders, document requests or delivery updates over WhatsApp while keeping every interaction logged for easy reference. ### What Are the Best WhatsApp CRM Tools in 2025? There’s no shortage of WhatsApp CRM tools that promise to make WhatsApp work better for your business, but they don’t all deliver in the same way. Some are built for small teams that just need a shared inbox, others for large operations running multi-channel campaigns with automation and analytics. To help you decide which best fits your needs, here’s a side-by-side look at some of the most popular WhatsApp CRM tools in 2025: | WhatsApp CRM Tool | Best For | Omnichannel Capabilities | Mid-tier Pricing | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Respond.io | Omnichannel messaging with advanced AI, automation and analytics | ✅ TikTok, WhatsApp, Whatsapp API Cals, Messenger, Instagram, LINE, WeChat, VoIP, Viber, emails and more | $159/month (Growth) | | Zoko | Simple setup for small teams | ✅ WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger | $64.99/month (Plus) | | Freshchat | Teams using the Freshworks suite | ✅ via Freshworks Suite | $23/agent/month (Growth) | | Wati | Smaller to mid-sized teams | ✅ WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook only | $79/month (Pro) | | Trengo | Teams an omnichannel inbox with collaboration tools | ✅ WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, SMS, email | $579/month (Boost) | | Interakt | Budget-friendly WhatsApp-first businesses | ✅ WhatsApp, Instagram | $49/month (Starter) | #### 1\. Respond.io **Best for:** Businesses that want all their omnichannel messaging, not just WhatsApp, in one place, with advanced AI capabilities, extensive automation and reporting baked in. [Respond.io](http://Respond.io) is designed for teams that rely heavily on messaging. It unites WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram and more in one inbox. On top of that, it adds CRM tools, [AI Agents](https://respond.io/blog/how-respondio-ai-agents-work), [broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast), [voice calling](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-whatsapp-business-calling-api) and analytics. You can connect directly to the WhatsApp API without an external BSP, and even make WhatsApp voice calls from the platform. **Pros** - Extensive omnichannel inbox - Direct WhatsApp API access as an official BSP - WhatsApp voice calling is included - Autonomous AI Agents to manage routine conversations end-to-end and escalate to humans when needed - Strong analytics and reporting - Extremely reliable with 99.999% uptime - Native CRM integration with HubSpot, Salesforce and more - Excellent customer reviews on sites like G2 **Cons** - Some features may be more than small WhatsApp-only teams need - Requires some setup time for advanced workflows **Pricing** The mid-tier plan, known as the Growth plan, is priced at $159. It allows for up to 10 users and includes access to all messaging channels, advanced automation workflows, reporting and analytics and more. #### 2\. Zoko **Best for:** Small teams that primarily need WhatsApp, with light use of Instagram and Facebook Messenger. Zoko is a WhatsApp-first platform for Shopify-oriented businesses. It supports WhatsApp, with add-ons for Instagram and Facebook Messenger, plus basic automation, tagging and assignment. It’s quick to set up and easy to learn. Analytics exist (e.g., agent reports), but the scope is narrower than full omnichannel suites. **Pros** - Focused heavily on WhatsApp - Easy to use and set up - Budget-friendly - Includes basic automation and tagging **Cons** - Channels limited to WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger (no email/SMS/Telegram) - Limited automation and reporting - Not built for larger teams or advanced needs **Pricing** The plus plan is $64.99/month and includes WhatsApp messaging, automation rules and basic team assignment tools. #### 3\. Freshchat **Best for:** Teams already using the Freshworks suite. Freshchat brings WhatsApp messaging into the Freshworks suite, combining it with CRM, chat and ticketing. It works well for teams already who want everything tied into one platform without switching tools, but WhatsApp remains more of an add-on than a core feature. Setup is smooth if you’re already using Freshworks, and the interface is friendly overall. **Pros** - Combines CRM, chat and ticketing - Fits neatly with other Freshworks tools - Reasonable automation features like auto-assignment and basic workflows - User-friendly interface for mixed-role teams **Cons** - WhatsApp functions within a broader suite (not a WhatsApp-specialist tool) - Less depth for messaging-specific workflows - Requires the Freshworks ecosystem to experience full value **Pricing** $23 per agent per month (Growth plan), with WhatsApp integration included. #### 4\. Wati **Best for:** Small to mid-sized businesses that want official WhatsApp API access with straightforward campaigns, chatbots and team inbox. Wati offers WhatsApp and Instagram messaging through a clean, easy-to-use interface. Built on Twilio’s API, it supports tags, broadcast templates and simple automation. It’s a good choice for teams that need a straightforward WhatsApp CRM without heavy setup, but it lacks advanced analytics and deeper automation capabilities for scaling operations. **Pros** - Official WhatsApp API setup with help for verification - Simple to use for team inbox, broadcasts and templates - Supports WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook - Basic chatbots and workflow automation included **Cons** - Limited analytics and reporting - Overly basic CRM functionality with minimal customization and tracking options - Add-on and per-message costs can add up at scale - Not designed for complex workflows or large teams **Pricing** Wati’s Pro plan costs $79/month for 5 users with access to WhatsApp and Instagram messaging, templates and basic automation. #### 5\. Trengo **Best for:** Teams looking for omnichannel support with strong collaboration tools Trengo offers a shared inbox for WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, email and more, with basic automation and integrations for CRMs like HubSpot. It’s especially useful for teams handling large message volumes, but automation depth is limited compared to alternatives like respond.io. **Pros** - Solid multi-channel inbox - Integrates with CRMs like HubSpot - Simple automation - Clean, straightforward interface - Pricing can be relatively expensive for what you get **Cons** - Automation is limited compared to top platforms - Reporting depth is limited - The price may be high for smaller teams - Critical features like WhatsApp broadcasts are add-ons **Pricing** Trengo’s Boost plan starts at $579/month, offering 20 user seats and 18,000 conversations per year. #### 6\. Interakt **Best for:** Budget-conscious teams in WhatsApp-first markets that want campaigns, a simple CRM and a shared inbox. Interakt focuses on WhatsApp and Instagram messaging, offering ready-to-use templates, broadcasts and basic automation. It’s popular in WhatsApp-first regions due to its competitive pricing, but it’s not intended for complex workflows or advanced reporting. **Pros** - Relatively low cost compared to pricer alternatives like Trengo - Ready-to-use templates and broadcasts - Shared inbox for WhatsApp, with auto replies and basic FAQs - Easy onboarding and simple setup - Unlimited free conversations **Cons** - Onboarding is entirely self-serve - Limited reporting relative to higher-end tools - Chatbot builder is basic in terms of the features offered - Only 5 agents supported, and $10/agent to include more **Pricing** The Starter plan is $49/month. Includes broadcasts and template-based messaging. ### What Is the Best WhatsApp CRM for Businesses? Most WhatsApp CRMs make you choose between strong messaging tools and proper CRM functions. [Respond.io](http://respond.io/) bridges that gap. It provides your team with a single platform where conversations across channels, customer data, and automation all work together. That means less switching between tools, fewer missed opportunities and more time spent talking to the people who matter: - A shared inbox that keeps all conversations in one place. - True omnichannel messaging that brings WhatsApp, TikTok, Messenger, Telegram, email and more into one platform. - A Lifecycle view that tracks customers through every stage from first message to first sale. - Autonomous AI Agents that qualify leads, update customer details, close conversations with summaries, and escalate to humans when needed. - Advanced automation with an easy-to-use, no-code builder that goes far beyond basic workflows. - Detailed reporting and analytics that break down response times, customer interactions, team performance and more. - Voice calls with context, letting you handle WhatsApp and VoIP calls with ease. ### Frequently Asked Questions about WhatsApp CRM ### Further Reading If you found our article helpful, you might enjoy the following reads: - 7 Best WhatsApp Marketing Software in 2025 for Businesses - WhatsApp Business Alternative: 6 Best WhatsApp Alternatives for Business - 10 Best WhatsApp Marketing Campaign Examples for Business ## [6 Eye-Catching TikTok Ad Examples Every Business Should Learn From ](https:/respond.io/blog/tiktok-ad-examples) Create TikTok ads that resonate: explore popular formats and winning TikTok ad examples. Get insights, avoid missteps and make your ad dollars count. TikTok ads work, *period*. And we aren’t making this up. There’s plenty of [data out there that proves this.](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-advertising) But what if we told you that just because it works, it doesn’t mean it’ll automatically work for you? After all, simply owning a loaded gun doesn’t make you a trained hunter. Crafting the perfect TikTok ad takes years of practice, but here’s the good news: you don’t have to start from scratch. Why reinvent the wheel? In our blog, we’ll break down the top TikTok ad formats and highlight some great examples of TikTok ads to inspire you. ### Most Popular TikTok Ad Formats The first time you opened TikTok, you probably felt overwhelmed by the sheer variety of content—dance challenges, cooking hacks, life tips and even live pet streams. TikTok’s ad formats can feel just as varied, each bringing its own set of quirks. A look at six top TikTok ad formats brands use to engage audiences and boost results But don’t worry. Sticking with the most popular formats is a solid choice. Here are six of the most widely used. #### TikTok Ad Formats #1: In-Feed Ads This is the bread and butter of TikTok Ads and is the one most are familiar with. They blend into users’ [For You Pages](https://support.tiktok.com/en/getting-started/for-you) (FYPs). These ads can also be liked, shared and commented on and are great for engaging with audiences. However, because they blend in with organic content, they can be easy to scroll past if they don’t stand out in some way. #### TikTok Ad Formats #2: TopView Ads [TopView](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/about-topview?lang=en) ads pop up as the first thing users see when they open TikTok, capturing attention spans for up to a full minute. They offer unmatchable visibility amongst all the formats as users really can't miss them, making them great for instant attention-grabbing. That said, given their premium price tag, they may only be feasible for businesses with generous ad budgets. #### TikTok Ad Formats #3: Branded Hashtag Challenges [Branded Hashtag Challenges](https://www.tiktok.com/business/en/blog/branded-hashtag-challenge-harness-the-power-of-participation) capitalize on getting the community to engage directly with you by encouraging users to create and share their own videos with a designated hashtag. However, the challenge must be designed carefully because if the hashtag doesn’t catch on, engagement might be lower than expected. #### TikTok Ad Formats #4: Branded Effects Commonly used together with Branded Hashtag Challenges, [Branded Effects](https://www.tiktok.com/business/en/blog/branded-effect-place-your-brand-center-stage) lets brands create custom animations, stickers and filters for users to use and add to their content. It's great for engaging younger audiences and boosting brand awareness but can be a little more resource-intensive and isn’t guaranteed to be a hit. #### TikTok Ad Formats #5: Brand Takeover Ads [Brand Takeover Ads](https://www.tiktok.com/discover/brand-takeovers) appear when users open the app, filling the screen for an unskippable few seconds before leading to an In-Feed ad or landing page. They’re definitely bold, but they’re limited to one brand per day, and their cost makes them best for bigger campaigns with large budgets. Also, note that they don’t allow for comments and likes, so it’s more identifiable as an ad. #### TikTok Ad Formats #6: Spark Ads [Spark Ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/spark-ads) lets brands transform organic TikTok posts into paid ads, keeping the content looking natural and mingling into users’ feeds. They’re ideal for amplifying content that already works with audiences, adding an authentic touch, but because they’re based on existing posts, brands have less control over visuals and messaging. ### 6 Best TikTok Ad Examples to Inspire You Brands across the globe are using TikTok ads to reach millions. These six TikTok ad examples show how top brands captured attention and achieved their goals with TikTok. #### TikTok Ad Examples #1: Kérastase [Kérastase](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en/inspiration/Loreal-Kerastase-Social-commerce?ab_version=control) used TikTok’s in-feed ads along with lead gen tools to turn views into qualified leads for their premium haircare line in Chile. Using in-feed ads featuring influencers, they captured attention with content that spoke to their target audience, directing users to TikTok’s native lead form. This led to over 24,000 new leads and a 6.5x return on ad spend (ROAS). By offering a “Gift with Your Purchase” incentive, Kérastase encouraged users to visit their site, which became a powerful generator for brand growth and data collection. #### TikTok Ad Examples #2: Cetaphil [Cetaphil](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en-CA/inspiration/face-of-cetaphil?ab_version=control) launched the #FaceofCetaphil campaign on TikTok to boost brand awareness and encourage user-generated content. (UGC). By partnering with 223 creators, Cetaphil gathered 426 content submissions that showcased beauty routines using their skincare products, reaching over 29 million views. Cetaphil invited winners to attend New York Fashion Week, creating buzz and encouraging participation. The Brand Lift Study showed impressive results: an 11.2% lift in ad recall and a 3.4% increase in brand association, reflecting a successful boost in brand visibility and recall. #### TikTok Ad Examples #3: Ristorante Pizza by Dr. Oetker [Dr. Oetker’s Ristorante Pizza](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en-CA/inspiration/ristorante-pizza?ab_version=control) took to TikTok to make their brand unforgettable for young Canadians by using Branded Effects and TikTok’s Branded Mission. They encouraged creators to share their “Ristorante Pizza Aura” using branded effects, sparking engagement and creating memorable pizza moments. Collaborating with food and lifestyle creators, the campaign amassed 78 million video views and an 8.6% increase in ad recall. #### TikTok Ad Examples #4: Coke Studio [Coke Studio](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en/inspiration/coke-studio-local-music-magic?ab_version=control) brought Pakistani music to TikTok. Using TopView ads to kick things off, they reached over 41 million users in Pakistan, sparking massive awareness in just one day. Each week, they dropped teasers and full song promos, building a steady buzz among music lovers and keeping engagement high. From this, 64 million video views and a 15-second view-through rate that beat industry benchmarks by 14.5% followed. Plus, a cost per thousand (CPM) that was 9.3% lower than average made the campaign even more efficient, racking up over 5.7 million likes, comments and shares. #### TikTok Ad Examples #5: Bellamianta For Black Friday, [Bellamianta](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en/inspiration/bellamianta-tiktok-smb-success-stories?ab_version=control) tapped into TikTok’s Spark Ads and Video Shopping Ads to ramp up sales through TikTok Shop. Their campaign reached over 458,000 users, achieving a 14x boost in ROAS. With creator partnerships and in-house content riding TikTok trends, Bellamianta kept users engaged and returning for more. By retargeting past visitors and analyzing user data, they stayed top of mind during the shopping season. #### TikTok Ad Examples #6: Guess [Guess](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en-US/inspiration/guess-7?ab_version=experiment_2&agp_template_id=7400238737994547218) launched its #InMyDenim campaign using TikTok’s Brand Takeover ad format as part of its efforts to promote its Fall ‘18 Denim Fit Collection. The campaign challenged users to transform their style “from mess to best-dressed” in Guess denim, with Bebe Rexha’s “I’m a Mess” as the soundtrack. Guess’s ad took over the splash screen, inspiring thousands to join in. Over six days, the campaign led to 5,500+ user videos, 10.5 million views, a 14.3% engagement rate and 12,000 new followers. ### Common Mistakes to Avoid in TikTok Ads Unlike the TikTok ad examples we’ve covered, it’s also important to see the other side. Not every ad on TikTok finds success, and many brands find themselves falling prey to common traps that end up making their ads ineffective and wasting their budgets. #### Don’t Ignore Trends According to TikTok, trends are the lifeblood of the platform. Brands that ignore trends risk making their ads look out of touch or irrelevant. Instead of scrambling to jump on every new viral moment, TikTok suggests focusing on “Trend Signals”—the broader, longer-lasting themes that keep your brand in the loop without feeling forced. TikTok’s Creative Center and Explore page are great tools for spotting these signals, helping brands keep their ads feeling fresh, relevant and perfectly in sync with what users love to see. For more on how to stay on-trend, check out TikTok’s [Trends Digest](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en/blog/tiktok-trends-digest?ab_version=control). #### Don’t Be Overly Promotional Never forget TikTok’s main purpose from the user’s perspective: it’s first and foremost a platform that entertains, not a megaphone for brands to yell, “BUY MY PRODUCTS!” We’re not saying you can’t promote your brand, but do it in a way that blends with the atmosphere. Use humor, take advantage of trends and be as subtle as possible. Above all, avoid crossing the line between creativity and infomercial territory. #### Don’t Neglect Your Audience Have you ever heard the adage that *when you speak to everyone, you speak to no one?* While the app hosts every genre of content under the sun, that doesn’t mean you can blast out one-size-fits-all ads. You still need to tailor the language, style, messaging and vibe to your target audience. Take the time to understand what makes your audience tick and craft your message to their interests. They’ll thank you with their attention. #### Don’t Post Infrequently Posting frequently is key to building momentum. TikTok’s algorithm [rewards accounts that post regularly](https://www.socialchamp.io/blog/how-often-should-you-post-on-tiktok), so aim to keep a steady rhythm. It’s not about overwhelming your audience but about staying relevant and giving the algorithm a reason to keep showing your content. Plan a content schedule you can maintain long-term and make your presence known consistently to stay in viewers’ minds. #### Don’t Create Low-Quality Videos Frequent posting matters, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of quality. You don’t need Hollywood-level production, but clear visuals, good lighting and crisp audio show that you care about your brand’s image. These little details not only make your videos look more polished but also help build trust with your audience by showing that your brand is putting in the effort. Remember, quality over quantity goes a long way on TikTok. ### Turn TikTok Ad Engagement into Sales with Respond.io TikTok Ads drive traffic, but converting interested users into customers requires real-time interaction. When potential buyers click on an ad, they often have questions before making a purchase. While TikTok offers basic messaging tools, businesses running ad campaigns need advanced automation, analytics, and efficient lead management. As a badged TikTok Marketing Partner, respond.io helps brands capture, engage, and convert ad-driven leads seamlessly. #### Use TikTok Business Messaging to Enhance Ad Performance Rather than letting ad clicks go to waste, TikTok Business Messaging allows businesses to turn inquiries into meaningful conversations. Automate responses, qualify leads instantly and guide them through the buying journey without delays. Whether customers reach out through TikTok Messaging Ads or organic content, respond.io centralizes all interactions for faster response times and improved conversions. With TikTok Business Messaging integrated into respond.io’s omnichannel platform, brands can manage TikTok chats alongside WhatsApp, Instagram, and other messaging channels—all from a single dashboard. Currently in Beta and available in most regions except the U.S., EEA, Switzerland, and the U.K., this feature helps businesses maximize their TikTok Ad investment by converting engagement into revenue. ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ### Further Reading If you liked this article, you might want to check out the following reads: - 5 Game-Changing Reasons Businesses Need TikTok Advertising - TikTok Ads Cost Breakdown: How to Achieve High ROI - Ultimate Guide to TikTok for Business [July 2024] ## [6 Ways Companies Use WeChat for Business](https:/respond.io/blog/how-companies-do-wechat-advertising) Have you been struggling to unlock the mysteries of WeChat Official Accounts & WeChat advertising. Why not copy someone who is already doing it right? It's likely that you stumbled upon this post because you are looking for WeChat Advertising strategies. In this post, we're going to discuss how companies took advantage of instant messaging and other features on WeChat. Before you keep reading, we do recommend that you read our [Ultimate Guide to WeChat for Business](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account) because it explains how WeChat Official Accounts work and how WeChat can be used for Business. ### 1\. Burberry WeChat Marketing Campaign With 40 million followers on WeChat and a large part of the companies sales come from the Chinese market, Burberry puts in a lot of work to leverage its WeChat Official Account in order to convert followers into sales. #### How Does The Burberry WeChat Official Account Work? Burberry's WeChat Public Account is primarily focused on helping users find their stores, helping discover Burberry clothing and other luxury items as well as promoting Burberry's events and other marketing initiatives. When you first follow the Burberry Official WeChat Account you will be taken directly to the messaging screen. Then you receive an automated welcome message right away. The message gives a short explanation of what users can expect from the account, lets users know that they can seek customer support over WeChat and how long that should take. Rather than promoting users to chat directly with a Burberry representative the company has added a Chat Menu to its account. The chat menu is composed of three areas. The first button takes the user to a store finder. The second button opens a submenu that allows users to choose between Mens, Womens, and Children's fashion. Clicking any of these takes users to Burberry's official web store in China. The third button takes users to Burberry's Mini Programs. Although this area is generally for apps, Burberry is using it more like mini-sites. The options available are always rotating, but we did see that Burberry is using this space to show replays of past fashion shows, let users know about upcoming events and ask them to subscribe to notifications. Last but certainly not least, Burberry frequently posts articles about their upcoming shows, updates to fashion shows and collaborations using WeChat Articles. #### Has Burberry Done Any WeChat Advertising Campaigns? Burberry often uses WeChat Advertising Campaigns to turn its followers into online shoppers or even encourage them to go directly to the store. For its WeChat Advertising strategy has created both typical fashion marketing techniques and campaigns specifically designed for WeChat. One of the simple WeChat advertising campaigns Burberry has done is the Limited Edition T-shirt. A great way to reward its most loyal fans, Burberry created a t-shirt with the exclusive *ThomasBurberry* logo, it was only available for sale for 24 hours. All Burberry did on WeChat was post an article explaining the limited time offer and linked users to the page where they can buy. Simple but effective. But Burberry has also created complex WeChat advertising campaigns. For the Spring Festival in 2016, Burberry used WeChat in a clever way that drove traffic to its stores. This Burberry WeChat advertising campaigns allowed users to create a Burberry branded cashmere scarf to give to their loved ones. This was done by creating a WeChat Mini App that enabled people to customize the note and send it to others over WeChat. Burberry also used this opportunity to drive traffic to its stores by enabling users to pick up a real scarf with the same message in their local Burberry location. ### 2\. Durex WeChat Advertising Campaign Durex is always going to be a little different compared to other brands and its the same on WeChat. Rather than focusing on driving foot traffic or sales, the Durex WeChat Official Account is all about education. #### How Does The Durex Official WeChat Account Work? Once you Follow the Durex WeChat Public Account you will receive an automated welcome message. The message describes the purpose of the account but does not encourage users to message back as it displays a chat menu instead. The chat menu of the Durex account focuses purely on education. The three chat menu buttons correspond to three categories of products: condoms, lubricant & sex toys. Clicking on any of these three opens a submenu with actual products. Clicking on any of these products takes you to a page that describes the product. Durex is not trying to sell these products directly, but rather by educating the marketplace with the importance of safe sex they believe this will drive downstream sales in retail locations. #### Has Durex Done Any WeChat Advertising Campaigns? In line with their goals to educate their audience, Durex is not using their Official Account as WeChat advertising per se. There are more so looking to create increased engagement with their audience to drive awareness of the brand. Durex Go is a partnership between Durex and Tencent to create a game that is very similar to Pokemon Go. Rather than catching Pokemon, the game encourages users to catch Magpies. After catching many of them the user is able to evolve their Magpies and event win prizes like a coupon for a hotel or a set of Durex stickers to use in conversations. ### 3\. YOOX WeChat Advertising Campaign YOOX is a company that is no stranger to messaging app marketing, we've covered the [YOOX WhatsApp marketing campaign](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) already. So it is no surprise that they are also present on WeChat. #### How Does The YOOX WeChat Official Account Work? The YOOX WeChat Official Account is focused on two goals: getting users to download their app and facilitating eCommerce on the YOOX website. When you first follow the YOOX official WeChat account you will receive an automated welcome message in the form of an image. The image provides a QR Code to help you download the YOOX app. As with other Official Accounts we've discussed, YOOX does not promote you to send a message but utilizes the WeChat Chat Menu instead. As usual, this is broken down into three buttons with submenus. The first button has different options related to current sales of new fashion lines. Clicking these buttons takes you directly to the YOOX eCommerce site. The middle set of buttons are for customer service. One option takes you to the YOOX website where you can check the status of your order. Pressing the other sends an automated message that lets you know the customer service phone number for YOOX as well as the hours of operation. Interestingly, you cannot just message YOOX and request customer service, you must call. The last button takes you to a page that contains a blog roll of all the YOOX most recent events and special sales. ### 4\. Diana Pet Food WeChat Advertising Campaign Surprisingly, this pet food company has one of the most interesting WeChat Official Accounts that we have seen yet. #### How Does The Diana Pet Food WeChat Official Account Work? The Diana Pet Food Official WeChat account is focused on promoting the brand of the company with options to explore their products, blogs, and general pet health information. When you first enter the Diana Pet Food WeChat Official Account you will be greeted with a welcome message that is in two languages, Chinese and English. They have three buttons across the bottom to help customers explore their products, educational articles, and their blogs. The first submenu takes you to different product pages, while the second button brings up articles from the companies account. These articles concern the latest research on pet health and how to best take care of various types of pets. The last buttons take users to a blog name Appet!zer. Although it does not carry the same name as the brand, this is a lifestyle blog concerning pet ownership. Somewhat surprisingly it is in English. #### Has Diana Pet Food Done Any WeChat Advertising Campaigns? The primary goal of Diana Pet Food of using WeChat is to get leads for its newly released products when holding product launch events and increasing the number of followers for its WeChat Official Account at the same time. In this case, when Diana Pet Food launched its new pet food called, “福味多 (fú wèi duō)" or New Pet Food Enhancer for the Chinese market, it sent the invitation to around 200 attendees. In addition to the invitations, the company also sent a test package with two pet-food flavor enhancers: the existing product and the newly released one. The main objective of this particular campaign was to showcase the innovative characteristics of this product compared to the existing one. To implement this idea, a Diana Pet Food prepared a 2-sided printed invitation and sent to prospective attendees. Each invitation featured two different QR codes linked to WeChat chatbot. One side of the invitation, the customers would see a YES option with a Happy pet face and a QR code, whilst on the other side of the invitation, there would be a NO option with a “Sad” pet face and a QR code. Scanning the QR codes will take the customers to follow Diana Pet Food's official WeChat account. In addition, the chatbot will initiate a conversation will start with a video as well as some questions for customers to attend the product release event. ### 5\. British Airways WeChat Marketing Campaign In 2016 British Airways decided to target Chinese students who were studying abroad as well as their parents with this smartly done WeChat marketing campaign. The campaign plays on the idea that parents whose children are overseas may not be comfortable coming to see them because they're not familiar with flying or not familiar with the local language. #### How Does The British Airways WeChat Official Account Work? The British Airways Official WeChat Account is a pretty standard affair. Once you follow the account, you will receive a standard message that explains what kinds of text commands you can send to the account and how you can contact customer service by phone. If you send text messages outside those available commands, there is no reply. The most important command is about discounts, what else. The response to this command is a WeChat Article. The British Airways WeChat Official Account uses articles to discuss it's latest discounts and product offers. There are also plenty of HTML5 pages for you to explore. British Airways has written articles about its product, including the different classes of travel as well as the amenities offered at its new terminal in Heathrow. There is no flight booking option on the app. If you click the booking link, it will take you directly to the British Airways booking page. Now without further ado, let's check out the campaign. #### How Did The British Airways WeChat Marketing Campaign Work? This British Airways WeChat marketing campaign seems to have been targeted to new flyers. We're not sure if British Airways used any WeChat Advertising to drive traffic to the campaign, but the main way to enter it was by scanning a QR code. This means that there could have been print and other digital media used to drive people to the campaign. One of the main ways to enter this was through their video which had a QR Code at the end. Once scanned the QR code takes users to an HTML5 side explicitly designed for parents who are traveling to see their children for the first time. The HTML5 site included useful information for people flying to the United Kingdom for the first time. It included a detailed guide to the types of items you are allowed or forbidden to take onboard the aircraft, a guide to interacting with immigration officials upon landing and a guide to filling out a landing card. The exciting part of the page was you could fill out the landing card. Then by long pressing, you could save it as a photo to use as a reference later. ### 6\. Boehringer Ingelheim WeChat Marketing Campaign 2019 has been a surprising year. We're finding more and more western companies doing WeChat marketing to improve their position in the Chinese market place. Today we found out that Boehringer Ingelheim, a German pharmaceutical company that has been around for more than 100 years, has created a WeChat Official Account to continue educating the Chinese market about Parkinsons and treatment options. Pharmaceutical companies are now becoming more and more creative with their marketing campaigns. The Boehringer Ingelheim WeChat Marketing Campaign includes more than its WeChat Official Account. They have also created a website where Chinese users can browse through much of the same information that is available in the WeChat OA. #### How Does The Boehringer Ingelheim WeChat WeChat Official Account Work? The Boehringer Ingelheim WeChat WeChat Official account is just a website inside WeChat. There are two major ways users can interact, read & like articles or search for their nearest Parkinsons outpatient clinic using the interactive map. The articles available on the WeChat account fall into the following categories: - Patient Experiences - Campaigns for Public Awareness - Parkinsons Symptoms - Chicken Soup for Parkisons - Advice from Doctors - Advice from Therapists Chicken Soup for Parkinsons articles are articles that help sufferers and their families get through their situation with soothing articles that describe the best ways to get through it all. There is an area of the account that is explicitly dedicated to service. When you navigate to it, you are taken directly to a chat. We were surprised to see that the welcome message in the chat used our names, this is somewhat uncommon in WeChat OAs at least in our experience. However, when we attempted to respond to this message in either English or Chinese we were only able to receive a broken HTML string in return. #### Was The Boehringer Ingelheim WeChat Marketing Campaign a Success? As this is more of an awareness campaign, it's tough to gauge whether this entire effort was a success. Although we tried to reach out to their website for comment, we weren't able to receive any response. According to newrank.cn, this WeChat Official Account has about 14,000 active followers. Newrank.cn also indicates that their WeChat articles receive anywhere from 300 to 3000 reads. ### Further Reading We updates this blog post regularly with additional campaigns. If you like, you can [be notified when updates happen](https://www.messenger.com/login.php?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.messenger.com%2Ft%2F). ## [7 Best AI Chatbots for Customer Service in 2025 for Businesses](https:/respond.io/blog/best-ai-chatbot-for-customer-service) Discover the 7 best AI chatbots for customer service in 2025. Compare respond.io, Freshchat, Intercom, Zendesk & more to boost your customer service. This isn’t 2015 anymore. AI chatbots have grown up. They’re no longer the clunky FAQ machines we used to roll our eyes at. The best AI chatbots in 2025 feel like actual teammates. They understand intent, tackle tricky problems, update records on the fly and know just when to bring in a human agent. But why does this matter? Because customer service is under more pressure than ever. [80% of customers](https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/customer-expectations) say their experience with a company is as important as its products or services, and by 2025, [89% of businesses](https://surveysparrow.com/blog/customer-experience-benefits) will compete on customer experience over price or product alone. Customers expect instant help across channels, and they won’t tolerate long waits or fragmented experiences. If you’re looking for the best [AI chatbots](https://respond.io/ai-agents) to power your [customer service](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-improve-customer-service), you’re in the right place. We’ll walk you through what to look for, then break down the top platforms so you can pick the one that fits your business best. ### What do AI chatbots offer for customer service? Before we dive into picking tools, let’s clear the air on what customer service actually means. Customer service is about helping people before, during and after they buy: from answering questions and guiding choices to making sure they leave happy and come back again. Think of it as relationship-building. That’s different from customer support, which usually kicks in when something breaks. Support is fixing the glitchy login or refunding the order that went sideways. Service is making sure customers never feel like just another ticket in the queue. AI chatbots fit neatly into this picture. They’re not just spitting out canned replies, they’re handling real conversations, smoothing out the customer journey and t[aking pressure off your team](https://respond.io/blog/customer-service-automation). Here’s what they actually do in practice: #### 1\. Understand intent AI chatbots in the past needed the exact keyword or they’d crumble. AI chatbots today can easily read between the lines, figure out what the customer’s really asking and respond in plain language. It feels more like chatting with a person than shouting at a search bar. #### 2\. Resolve everyday requests instantly Want to check an order status, update a delivery address or get the return policy? A chatbot can handle that in seconds. Customers get quick wins, and your human team is freed up to tackle the gnarlier, higher-value conversations. #### 3\. Keep conversations connected across channels A customer might start on [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing), switch to [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-customer-service) and follow up by email. Instead of scattering those chats into different silos, the chatbot keeps it all linked as one conversation. To the customer, it feels seamless. To your team, it’s less chaos. #### 4\. Hand off to humans When things get too complex, a good chatbot doesn’t panic or stall. Instead, it routes the chat to the right human agent with a tidy summary of what’s already been said. No one likes repeating themselves, and this makes sure they don’t have to. ### What to look for in an AI chatbot for customer service? Now that we’ve nailed down what these bots actually do, let’s talk about how to spot a good one. Not every platform that slaps “AI” on the label is worth your time. Here’s what separates the real deal from the rest: #### Depth of service A good AI chatbot should handle everyday service tasks, not just spit out answers. Think [booking appointments](https://respond.io/book-a-meeting), checking order status, updating delivery details or nudging a customer to the right next step. These are the routine requests that make or break a customer’s impression of your brand. #### Ability to close conversations Great service means resolution, not loose ends. Look for chatbots that can summarize a chat, mark why it ended and trigger a follow-up task or survey. This keeps inboxes tidy, helps with reporting and reassures customers that their request was actually taken care of. #### CRM integrations In customer service, nothing kills trust faster than having to repeat yourself. A strong chatbot should pull customer history from your CRM and push updates back in as it chats. That way, if someone asks about their last order today and comes back with a new question tomorrow, your team already has the full picture. #### Omnichannel coverage Your customers will message you wherever it’s easiest for them, not where it’s easiest for you. A strong service chatbot doesn’t just appear on multiple channels, it makes the experience consistent, so tone, data and context stay aligned whether the chat happens on [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat), [VoIP](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration), [TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business) and [beyond](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication). #### Flexibility Customer service looks different before and after a purchase. Sometimes you need a friendly receptionist to greet new inquiries, sometimes a product guide to answer pre-sale questions, and sometimes an aftercare agent to handle returns or warranty checks. The best platforms let you create flexible AI chatbots that can fit any role, so customers get the right kind of help at the right time. ### The 7 best AI chatbots for customer service in 2025 There’s no shortage of “AI chatbots” out there, but not all of them are built for customer service. Some are campaign tools, some are helpdesk add-ons and a few are genuinely strong service platforms. To save you the trouble of sifting through the noise, here’s a quick snapshot of the seven standouts worth your attention: | Platform | Channels supported | AI chatbot features | Pricing (mid-tier) | Suited for | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Respond.io | WhatsApp, WhatsApp Calls, VoIP, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok, email and more | Role-based AI agents, AI agent voice call, AI agent follow up, smart routing, Lifecycle view, enterprise safeguards, Test AI Agent, reporting and analytics | Growth plan starts at $159/mo for 10 users and offers unlimited automation and AI Agent usage | Mid to large B2C companies needing omnichannel automation | | Freshchat | WhatsApp, Instagram, Email, SMS, LINE and Google Business Messages | Freddy AI for intent detection, replies, summaries | Growth plan starts at $23/mo (includes 500 AI sessions; $100 per 1,000 extras) | Teams already using Freshdesk or Freshsales | | Intercom | In-app messenger, email, WhatsApp, Messenger | Fin AI answers from help docs, proactive tours | Advanced plan starts at $99/seat/mo; Fin AI billed at $0.99/resolution | SaaS teams with in-app service needs | | Zendesk | WhatsApp, LINE, Facebook, X, email and more | AI bots for FAQs, summaries | Suite Professional plan at $149/agent/mo | Enterprise teams already standardized on Zendesk | | Kommunicate | WhatsApp, Messenger, SMS and more | No-code FAQ bot, multilingual, human handoff | Professional plan at $200/mo (2 AI agents, 2,000 conversations) | SMBs that want affordable simplicity | | Chatfuel | Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp | Templates & flows for FAQs, DM automation | Business plan starts at $39/mo (WhatsApp & IG) or $23.99/mo (Facebook) | Small businesses focused on IG/Messenger DMs | | Lindy | Email, Slack and voice | integrations)No-code agent builder, workflow templates | Pro plan starts at $29.99/mo | Small–mid teams wanting flexible setup | This table gives you the quick lay of the land. Next, let’s break each one down. #### #1 Respond.io **Best for:** Mid to large B2C companies that need reliable automation across multiple channels Respond.io pulls WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, TikTok, email and voice into one inbox. Its AI Agents can act as receptionists, sales or support, or be customized for specific workflows. They handle FAQs, qualify leads, send links, update CRM fields and escalate complex issues with full context, backed by GDPR compliance, ISO 27001 certification and 99.999% uptime. **Key Features** - Shared omnichannel inbox across WhatsApp, VoIP, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok, email and more - Smart routing to the right human agent with full conversation context - No-code automation for routing, auto replies, reminders and handoffs - Test AI Agent feature that lets you run trial chats before launching - Smarter, more efficient AI that responds faster and avoids unnecessary processing or errors. - Seamless human takeover — the AI stops instantly, ensuring smooth handoffs in every module. - Lifecycle view to qualify leads, track funnel stages and prioritize follow-ups - Native CRM integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce and more - AI assist for suggested replies and handling routine questions - Transparent pricing with no hidden broadcast markups - Reliable 24/7 always-on customer support with live calls, chats and guided onboarding - Enterprise-grade safeguards with GDPR, ISO 27001 and 99.999% uptime **Pricing** The Growth plan starts at $159/month for 10 users, with unlimited AI agent use and advanced automation. #### #2 Freshchat **Best for:** teams already using Freshdesk or Freshsales who want quick AI wins Freshchat blends live chat with Freddy AI across web, WhatsApp, Instagram and other channels. Its real strength is how smoothly it plugs into the rest of Freshworks. If you already use Freshdesk for tickets or Freshsales for CRM, adding Freshchat feels less like a new tool and more like flipping on an extra feature. **Key Features** - Freddy AI detects intent and suggests service replies - Summarizes chats for smoother agent pickup - Answers simple FAQs across WhatsApp, Instagram and web - Routes conversations directly into Freshdesk or Freshsales - Supports multilingual chats for global service teams **Pricing** Freshchat’s Growth plan starts at $23/month and includes access to the Freddy AI Agent with 500 free sessions. Additional sessions are billed at $100 per 1,000. #### #3 Intercom **Best for:** SaaS teams that want in-app service plus proactive guidance Intercom is known for its in-app messenger and Fin AI agent, which answers routine questions by pulling from your help docs. It also offers proactive messages and product tours, making it practical if most of your service happens inside your product rather than on external channels. **Key Features** - Fin AI answers questions from your help center and docs - Provides service directly inside your app’s messenger - Uses product tours and proactive prompts to cut down on questions - Flags complex issues and summarizes them for human agents - Strong fit for SaaS teams where most service happens in-app **Pricing** Intercom’s Advanced plan starts at $99/seat/month and includes full access to the Fin AI Agent, which is billed at $0.99 per resolution. #### #4 Zendesk **Best for:** Large teams already standardized on Zendesk Zendesk is the enterprise classic. Its ticketing backbone is battle-tested, and the AI layer now adds answer suggestions, conversation summaries and intent detection. For companies already running on Zendesk, enabling AI is less about learning a new product and more about upgrading what you already know. It’s serious, structured and built for scale. **Key Features** - AI bots deflect simple service requests before they hit agents - Summarizes chats and suggests replies to speed up work - Escalates to human agents with tickets and full history - Runs across email, chat and voice for consistent service - Ideal for high-volume enterprise teams already on Zendesk **Pricing** Zendesk’s Suite Professional plan is $149/agent/month and includes AI agents, generative replies and customizable reporting. #### #5 Kommunicate **Best for:** SMBs that want a low-cost bot Kommunicate focuses on practicality. It gives you a no-code bot, smooth handoff to human agents, and integrations with WhatsApp, web and mobile apps. It’s not overloaded with features, but it’s affordable, easy to use and helps small teams save time on repetitive queries while still keeping the human touch. **Key Features** - No-code AI bot for FAQ-level service requests - Smooth handoff to human agents mid-conversation - Supports WhatsApp, Messenger, SMS and more - Multilingual responses for small global teams **Pricing** Kommunicate’s Professional plan is $200/month and includes 2 AI agents and 2,000 conversations. Additional agents can be added for $30/month. #### #6 Chatfuel **Best for:** Smaller businesses handling customer service in WhatsApp, Instagram or Messenger Chatfuel lives where your customers most likely scroll: WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram. It lets you build bots with visual flows, automate replies to comments and messages, and use templates to get started fast. It’s not for complex, enterprise-level service, but if most of your customer interactions happen in social DMs, Chatfuel is a simple and affordable way to stay responsive. **Key Features** - Automates replies in WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger - Templates for FAQs, product inquiries and promotions - Comment-to-DM and story reply flows for quick engagement - Escalates to human agents when chats go beyond the bot **Pricing** Chatfuel’s Business plan starts at $39/month for WhatsApp and Instagram, and $23.99/month for Messenger. Both include chatbots, auto-replies, a shared inbox and live chat. #### #7 Lindy **Best for:** Teams that want flexible AI workflows without too many technical barriers Lindy pitches itself as the no-code agent builder for modern teams. You can spin up a chatbot by describing what you want it to do, then connect it to your apps and data. It’s not as deep as enterprise tools, but for small to mid-sized teams that want automation without engineering headaches, it’s a clever way to get started. **Key Features** - No-code builder for designing custom service agents - Handles tasks like scheduling, triage and record updates - Template library for quick start with common service flows - Multilingual prompts to handle international customers **Pricing** Lindy’s Pro plan starts at $29.99/month. It includes up to 20 million characters in the knowledge base and the ability to invite team members. ### What is the Best AI Chatbot for customer service? Most tools that call themselves “AI chatbots” still act like glorified FAQ machines. They can answer one or two questions, but fall apart when a customer needs something more. [Respond.io](http://respond.io/) stands out because its AI Agents behave like real teammates instead of simple chatbots. You can deploy them as receptionists, sales reps or support agents or even build a custom agent specific to your industry. They greet customers, qualify leads, answer FAQs, even read images as well as PDFs and send payment or booking links. When an issue gets complex, they escalate with full context so no one repeats themselves. But even beyond providing the best AI chatbots for customer service, [respond.io](http://respond.io) also provides: - A Lifecycle view to track customers across every stage of the funnel, from first touch to repeat purchase - Full support for VoIP and WhatsApp calling, so your team can jump from chat to voice without losing context - Detailed reporting and analytics to monitor response times, resolution rates and team performance - True omnichannel messaging that unifies WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok, email and more in one inbox - Seamless CRM integrations and no-code automation that keep data synced and service workflows running smoothly But don't take just our word for it. Businesses from [noonmar](https://respond.io/customers/noonmar-increases-new-customers) to [Automax®](https://respond.io/customers/automax-boosts-roi-from-whatsapp-broadcasts), [Praga Medica](https://respond.io/customers/praga-medica-recovers-70-percent-more-leads) and [Yoho](https://respond.io/customers/how-yoho-centralized-6-support-channels-to-improve-chat-response-times-by-84) are already scaling rapidly with respond.io—growing customers, boosting ROI and cutting response times to deliver the best possible customer service experience. ### FAQs about the best AI chatbots for customer service ### Further reading If you enjoyed our article, you should check these out: - Top 10 WhatsApp Chatbots in 2025: Pros, Cons & Pricing Compared - Best AI Lead Generation Tools & How to Choose One - How to Create a WhatsApp Chatbot: 3 Use Cases (+Examples) ## [7 Best WhatsApp Marketing Software in 2025 for Businesses](https:/respond.io/blog/best-whatsapp-marketing-software) The best WhatsApp marketing software picks for businesses include respond.io, Wati, Brevo, AiSensy, Gupshup, Insider, and NovoChat. Read on to learn more! As of 2025, WhatsApp is far from the simple chat app it started as. It’s now a global marketing engine, powering lead generation, sales and customer engagement for over [2.5 billion users.](https://backlinko.com/whatsapp-users) With [open rates close to 100%](https://m.aisensy.com/blog/whatsapp-statistics-for-businesses/), messages are seen almost instantly. Every day, 175 million people message a business. That’s a lot of pressure when chats pile up and customers want personalized responses! The right [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) software helps you manage the chaos, keep conversations organized yet personalized and scale campaigns without losing the human touch. In this guide, we’ll cover the best WhatsApp marketing software as of 2025 to help you pick the right one. ### Why Businesses Are Turning to WhatsApp in 2025 More companies are making WhatsApp their go-to communication channel, and it’s not hard to see why. Customers live on chat; they expect speed, and WhatsApp absolutely delivers. #### 1\. From slow to instant Email open rates average around [40% in recent years](https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/average-email-open-rate-benchmark), while WhatsApp messages are read almost immediately. That kind of visibility means your message does not just sit in an inbox. It gets in front of customers when their attention is still fresh. #### 2\. Real-time is the new normal A “we’ll get back to you in 24 hours” reply is enough to lose a lead. WhatsApp allows teams to respond in minutes, if not seconds, keeping conversations alive and closing deals faster. #### 3\. Meta is investing heavily Meta is putting serious resources into WhatsApp. [Click-to-WhatsApp ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads) make it easy for customers to start conversations with one tap. Moreover, [in-chat payment](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-pay-everything-about-whatsapp-payment) trials and new commerce features are aimed at keeping transactions inside the app. Even the WhatsApp Business Platform is gaining [voice, video and call capabilities](https://about.fb.com/news/2025/07/centralized-campaigns-ai-support-businesses-whatsapp/?utm_source=chatgpt.com). #### 4\. One channel for chat and calls Businesses can start with a quick text, jump into a [WhatsApp API voice call](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-voice-call) if needed, and keep all context in one thread. Nothing gets lost, and no time is wasted switching platforms. ### What Is WhatsApp Marketing Software? When we talk about WhatsApp marketing software, we’re not talking about shady [bulk senders](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) that blast thousands of people until their number gets banned. Good WhatsApp marketing software is built for genuine conversations, stronger relationships and [campaigns you can actually measure](https://respond.io/blog/messaging-strategy). #### It’s A Campaign Tool, Not a Spam Button Good WhatsApp marketing software lets you send real campaigns, handle replies in a shared inbox, and learn from results. You can segment audiences, [personalize templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message), and [schedule](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) by time zone. You also track delivery, replies, clicks, and conversions. Bonus points if it pulls Click to WhatsApp ad traffic straight into your inbox. #### It’s Built for Business, Not Blasting WhatsApp marketing software is a platform that enables businesses to run measurable, opt-in campaigns on WhatsApp, from sending targeted messages and handling replies in a shared inbox to tracking clicks and conversions. Unlike shady bulk senders that spam until they’re banned, it’s built for genuine conversations, better relationships and growth you can actually measure. #### It’s API-Powered The best WhatsApp marketing software runs on the [official Business API](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api)— built for automation, integrations, and large-scale messaging. It keeps you compliant, protects your number, and provides advanced features such as auto-assigning chats, sending reminders, syncing with your CRM, and tracking results. ### Top WhatsApp Marketing Software of 2025 The WhatsApp marketing space is crowded, and not all platforms are built the same. Some focus on the basics, while others pile on features that look impressive but are clunky in practice, and a few truly deliver a smooth and scalable experience. Below is a clear-eyed look at the top tools this year, so you can see which actually fit your needs before committing: | Platform | Omnichannel support | Automation | Analytics | Free Trial | Pricing | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | respond.io | ✅ (WhatsApp, WhatsApp API Calls, VoIP, Instagram, TikTok Messenger, Telegram, email and more) | Advanced workflows, routing, campaigns | In-depth analytics for conversation resolutions, broadcast performance, agent performance and more | ✅ | $159/mo (Growth) | | Wati | ✅ (WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook only) | Rules, templates, simple flows | Chat volume, delivery and response reports | ✅ | $98/mo (Pro) | | Brevo | ✅ (email, SMS, WhatsApp only) | Basic sends and replies | Read rates, click rates, light WhatsApp stats | ✅ | $16.17/month + credit system (Business) | | AiSensy | ❌ (WhatsApp only) | Broadcasts, basic sequences | Broadcast reach, click-through, and response stats | ✅ | $99/month (Pro) | | Gupshup | ✅ (WhatsApp, SMS, voice onlt) | Advanced but requires developer setup | Campaign and delivery metrics | ❌ | $0.001/msg platform fee + Meta fees | | Insider | ✅ (WhatsApp, SMS, email only) | Personalized customer journeys and automation | Customer journey analytics, segmentation insights | ❌ | Custom pricing | | Novochat | ✅ (WhatsApp, Messenger, LINE, Telegram only) | Broadcasts, simple routing | Message delivery, read receipts | ✅ | $150/month (Pro) | #### 1\. Respond.io For running WhatsApp campaigns at scale, Respond.io is one of the strongest platforms on the market. It connects directly to the official WhatsApp Business Platform and gives marketers everything they need to plan broadcasts, personalize replies and track results without juggling multiple tools. ##### Key Features - Shared inbox across WhatsApp, WhatsApp Calls API, VoIP, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok, email and more - Official WhatsApp API access through Respond.io as a verified Business Solution Provider, with built-in template submission and approval - Lifecycle view to qualify WhatsApp leads, track funnel stages, and prioritize follow-ups - No-code automation workflows for routing, auto-replies, reminders, handoffs and more - WhatsApp broadcasts and campaigns with template management, scheduling, personalization and audience targeting — no extra broadcast fees beyond Meta’s per-message charges - CRM integrations like HubSpot and Salesforce - AI assist to suggest replies and handle routine questions - Centralized contact lists shared across all messaging channels for easier targeting and segmentation - Advanced reports and dashboards to monitor WhatsApp campaign performance - WhatsApp API calling inside the same inbox as chats - Migration tools to smoothly import contacts and conversations if moving from another WhatsApp provider ##### Pricing [Respond.io](http://Respond.io)’s Growth plan at $159 per month for 10 users, with automation, campaigns and analytics included. WhatsApp per-message fees from Meta apply separately. #### 2\. Wati A friendly option for small businesses launching WhatsApp marketing. Wati suits teams that want a clean WhatsApp setup with broadcasts and a simple bot. It is straightforward to run, gives you a shared inbox, and keeps you on the right side of WhatsApp policies. If you are testing the waters, this is an easy on-ramp. ##### Key Features - Official WhatsApp API onboarding and shared inbox - WhatsApp template messaging and broadcasts with basic segmentation - Simple WhatsApp chatbot flows for FAQs and handoffs - Tags, quick replies, and light routing rules - Basic reports to track volume and responsiveness of WhatsApp campaigns ##### Pricing Wati's pro plan starts at $98 per month and supports up to 5 users. #### 3\. Brevo Brevo is an email-first platform but supports WhatsApp so marketers can run multi-channel campaigns. Instead of fixed monthly message limits, WhatsApp campaigns use prepaid credits that you top up as needed. This pay-as-you-go model works well if your team sends messages seasonally or mainly during product launches. And if you already build email campaigns in Brevo, creating WhatsApp templates and scheduling broadcasts will feel familiar. ##### Key Features - WhatsApp campaigns alongside email and SMS - Template sending with personalization and scheduling - Contact lists shared across channels - Basic delivery and engagement stats - Simple UI that suits non-technical teams - Contact import and segmentation using existing Brevo lists - Pay-as-you-go WhatsApp credits that do not expire ##### Pricing Brevo's Business plan starts at $16.17 per month for its Core plan, though WhatsApp runs on a pay-as-you-go credit system. #### 4\. AiSensy Popular in India for businesses looking to execute budget-friendly WhatsApp campaigns. AiSensy lets you send promotional blasts, event reminders, and seasonal offers, with simple automation for follow-ups. You also get delivery and read tracking so you can see how your campaigns perform. Ideal for local businesses running frequent marketing pushes. ##### Key Features - Official WhatsApp API connection with template approval - Campaign scheduler for broadcasts and drip sequences - Visual flow builder for FAQs and simple routing - Basic CRM fields with tags and custom attributes - Integrations via webhooks, plus common connectors ##### Pricing AISensy's pro plan is priced at $99 per month, though chatbots are an add-on. #### 5\. Gupshup Best for technical teams that want custom-built WhatsApp marketing journeys. With its APIs, you can trigger personalized campaigns from your CRM or e-commerce site—think abandoned cart reminders, loyalty offers, or post-purchase surveys. The flexibility is huge, but setup needs more dev resources than plug-and-play tools. ##### Key Features - Official BSP access - Multi-channel options like SMS - Webhooks for real-time triggers and data sync - Clear self-serve billing so you can forecast spend per message - Campaign manager for broadcasts, templates, and consent management ##### Pricing Self-serve platform fee from $0.001 per API message plus Meta per-message fees. Enterprise packages available. #### 6\. Insider Insider is an enterprise-grade choice, best for companies that view WhatsApp as part of a much bigger multichannel marketing strategy. Insider uses behavioral data to send hyper-personalized offers on WhatsApp, often as part of a sequence involving email, push notifications, and in-app messages. It’s powerful but requires a serious investment in setup and strategy. ##### Key Features - Omnichannel journey builder with WhatsApp included - Template creation, approval and segmentation in one interface. - Centralized opt-in capture and audience management - Reporting for campaign performance and message stats. - Migration tools if you move from another provider ##### Pricing Public pricing information is not available. It is tailored to specific businesses. #### 7\. NovoChat Built with e-commerce in mind, NovoChat is a lightweight solution that helps smaller online stores and e-commerce businesses run targeted WhatsApp campaigns like cart recovery, flash sale alerts, and post-purchase engagement. It integrates with Shopify and centralizes customer chats, making it easy for marketing and support to work together. ##### Key Features - WhatsApp broadcasts with simple audience filters - Shared inbox with multi-agent access - Quick reply buttons and menus for FAQs - Shopify integration for cart recovery and order alerts - Basic automation and scheduling ##### Pricing NovoChat's Pro plan starts at $150/month and includes up to 3 users. ### What Should I Look For in WhatsApp Marketing Software? With so many platforms promising to “do WhatsApp marketing,” it can be hard to tell which ones actually deliver. The right tool should help you reach the right audience, send the right message at the right time and give your team everything they need to turn chats into customers, without risking your account or wasting money. #### Official API Access Choose a platform that connects you to the official WhatsApp Business API. It keeps you compliant, protects your number, and unlocks the good stuff — reliable delivery, automation, CRM sync, and better analytics. With an official BSP like [respond.io](http://respond.io/), you get API access included in your plan without extra provider fees, so you can scale campaigns without worrying about hidden costs. #### Personalization and Campaigns The right WhatsApp marketing software should help you run targeted, trackable campaigns from one place. Look for audience segmentation, personalized templates with names or custom fields, and the ability to schedule messages by time zone. It should manage templates, bring Click to WhatsApp ad leads straight into your inbox and connect with your CRM so every message can be linked to sales results. #### Shared Inbox A shared inbox gives every agent full visibility into customer conversations, so no one works in the dark. Teammates can see the same chat history, add tags, and assign conversations, making collaboration smoother and preventing duplicate or missed replies. #### CRM integrations, Automation & Analytics The best tools link directly with your CRM, [trigger workflows automatically](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio), and provide analytics that go beyond basic delivery and read receipts. Look for metrics tied to business outcomes, such as clicks, conversions, and revenue per campaign. #### Transparent Pricing Avoid tools that tack on hidden charges for templates, agents or “premium” features. Good WhatsApp marketing software shows you exactly how pricing scales, so you can budget with confidence as your messaging volume grows. ### What Is the Best WhatsApp Marketing Software? | WhatsApp Marketing Software | Best For | Key Strengths | When You’ll Outgrow It | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | respond.io | Best overall | Built-in API (direct WhatsApp), unified inbox, transparent pricing, voice + omnichannel, deep automation, customer tracking | Built to scale | | Wati | Quick setup for small teams | Fast onboarding, WhatsApp workflows, simple automations | Need multi-agent ops, compliance and deeper reporting | | AiSensy | Fast WhatsApp-first rollout | Template management, basic broadcasts, easy setup | Need wider channels and richer analytics | | Brevo | Teams already on Brevo email | Suite add-on, email + WhatsApp, simple reporting | Need expanded channels and advanced analytics | | Gupshup | Developer-led builds | Flexible APIs, custom logic, strong docs | Want a unified inbox and cross-team operations | | Insider | Enterprise personalization | Advanced journeys, targeting, segmentation | Need shared inbox workflows across teams | | NovoChat | Lean e-commerce teams | Lightweight broadcasts, basic automations, quick start | Scaling to multi-team, CRM sync and more in-depth reporting | ### Frequently Asked Questions About WhatsApp Marketing Software ### Further Reading If you enjoyed reading this article, you might enjoy the following: - Top 10 WhatsApp Chatbots in 2025: Pros, Cons & Pricing Compared - WhatsApp Business Alternative: 6 Best WhatsApp Alternatives for Business - 10 Best WhatsApp Marketing Campaign Examples for Business ## [A How-to Guide to Telegram Marketing: Improved Lead Generation, Engagement and Results](https:/respond.io/blog/telegram-marketing) Discover the effectiveness of Telegram Marketing in this quick guide. Learn how Telegram's features can enhance your marketing strategy and how tools like respond.io amplify these efforts. We'll also explore the benefits and strategies of Telegram marketing, tailored to today's digital landscape. Looking to boost your marketing strategy over Telegram? With approximately [700 million monthly active users](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1343525/telegram-reach-worldwide/) and wide usage in Asia, Europe, and Latin America, Telegram has established itself as a major player in the global digital landscape. In this article, we’ll delve into what Telegram marketing is and the benefits it offers. We'll also explore how an AI-powered customer conversation management software like respond.io can boost your Telegram marketing strategy and spotlight businesses that have effectively done this. ### What is Telegram Marketing? Marketing your brand, products or services over Telegram involves utilizing features like [Telegram Groups](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-groups), [Channels](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-channels), and [bots](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-10) to share news, engage with customers and build a brand-resonant community. So, what sets it apart from traditional marketing? Its speed, personalization and interactivity. Telegram marketing stands out from traditional methods like email, TV ads and SMS campaigns by enabling two-way interactive conversations. This approach offers a more personalized and engaging buyer experience by providing real-time interaction with instant delivery of messages – a stark contrast to the longer lead times and indirect feedback typical of traditional marketing strategy. Personalization is a key feature of Telegram marketing. It allows for targeted messaging and content tailored to specific audience segments – a level of customization that is limited in traditional marketing, which often targets a broader audience. In terms of cost, Telegram marketing is more affordable, especially for smaller businesses, as opposed to the often high expenses associated with traditional marketing methods. In addition, Telegram offers detailed analytics for tracking campaigns in real time, providing insights that are not as quick or readily available in traditional marketing. It also supports a variety of content formats, from text to multimedia, for greater creative flexibility. Now that we understand the differences between Telegram marketing and traditional marketing, let's explore its benefits. ### Benefits of Telegram Marketing Instant messaging channels like Telegram are highly effective for marketing teams. Here are some of its benefits: **Security and Privacy**: Telegram is known for its strong focus on security and privacy. It features server-client encryption and secure cloud storage, making it a safe platform for sharing sensitive marketing information. **Real-Time Synchronization**: Telegram offers real-time synchronization of chats across both desktop and mobile devices. This feature is particularly beneficial for small marketing teams. It allows for seamless communication and imposes no restrictions on the number of simultaneous connections. **Cost-effectiveness**: Telegram's main features are free and provide a low-cost marketing platform. However, costs may be incurred if you integrate third-party tools or provide resources for content creation and platform management. **Marketing Tools:** Telegram offers powerful tools for businesses, including mass messaging for targeted communication, direct links to drive traffic, and QR codes for instant engagement, revolutionizing the way you connect with and grow your audience. Here are three ways businesses can capitalize on Telegram for marketing: - Telegram Broadcast: Leverage Telegram's mass messaging capability to deliver targeted and interactive promotions directly to your subscribers, ensuring efficient and personalized communication that resonates with your customer base. - Telegram Link: Direct link to your channel or group that can be shared on other platforms to drive traffic to your Telegram presence. - QR Code: Linked to your Telegram channel or group, these codes facilitate easy joining by potential customers when displayed on various platforms. Despite its benefits, Telegram's lack of a central messaging inbox can pose a challenge for campaign monitoring and customer relationship management. However, this can be addressed by integrating with third-party platforms with centralized messaging software. Here’s how some of Telegram’s features work together with a messaging software like respond.io to streamline your marketing efforts. ### Telegram for Marketing on Respond.io: Quick Wins Now that you know the basics of how to use Telegram for marketing, here are five ways you can incorporate Telegram into your marketing strategy with respond.io. #### Telegram for Marketing on Respond.io: Streamline Lead Generation Telegram, designed as an anti-spam messenger, prioritizes user privacy and control. To initiate a conversation with your business on Telegram, you need [customers to message you first](https://help.respond.io/telegram/telegram-overview#capturing_conversation). Here are some effective strategies to motivate customers to start a chat on Telegram, especially by using the capabilities of respond.io. You can easily generate a Telegram [QR code](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you#generate_a_scannable_qr_code_or_shareable_chat_link) on respond.io to display on your website or in your physical store. When attached to promotional campaigns or messaging, customers can just scan the code to start a conversation with your sales team immediately. There is also a [Telegram click-to-chat link](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you) that businesses can embed anywhere on their website or share on social media platforms, inviting potential leads to engage directly on the channel. Alternatively, businesses may incorporate a [Telegram widget](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets) on their website to give potential customers the opportunity to contact you directly on Telegram. #### Increase Reach with Telegram Broadcast There are two ways businesses can use Telegram to broadcast, either with Telegram Broadcast or with [Telegram bots](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-5). Using [Telegram Channels](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-channels) is a great way to reach a wide audience with important marketing messages, such as promotional announcements, special offers or updates on new products. However, for more nuanced and interactive broadcasting, Telegram bots combined with respond.io offer a richer experience. [Connecting respond.io with Telegram](https://docs.respond.io/messaging-channels/telegram#connecting-telegram) transforms Telegram into an advanced tool for targeted marketing broadcasts. With respond.io's [Broadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview), businesses can improve their marketing strategy with [precise audience targeting](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contacts-overview#assign_tags_to_multiple_contacts) based on specific fields, tags or conditions. This level of customization ensures that your broadcasts are sent to an audience that finds your content relevant, maximizing the impact of your marketing efforts. Once your message is sent out, be prepared for a wave of customer conversations. This is where respond.io [workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) come into play, allowing you to manage incoming responses efficiently. Or lean on respond.io’s [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/automate-conversations/maximize-customer-service-potential-with-ai-agent) – an AI tool that can handle broadcast responses instantly and take customer engagement to the next level. #### Gain Traction with Telegram Push Notifications Push notifications are an effective marketing tool that provides a direct way to engage customers through pop-up messages on their phone screens. [Telegram push notifications](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-push-notifications) are concise and focus on prompting action, making them a practical choice for engaging your audience in a less intrusive way. For marketing teams, Telegram offers significant advantages for broadcasting push notifications. Its acceptance of commercial content and lack of fee or recipient limits make it an ideal platform, particularly if your customer base includes Telegram users. By using respond.io's Broadcast Module, marketers gain an advantage in creating, fine-tuning, previewing and scheduling Telegram broadcasts. In addition, the module enables precise audience segmentation and ensures your messages are tailored and relevant to maximize the impact of your Telegram marketing efforts. #### Automate Lead Qualification with Telegram Auto Reply Businesses using Telegram for marketing can utilize [Telegram Auto Reply](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-auto-reply) to automate their lead generation processes. However, the Telegram app doesn't include a native auto reply feature. To gain this feature, you'd need to create a Telegram bot to send an auto reply message and connect it to a messaging platform like respond.io. Then, here are some ways you can use Telegram Auto Reply for marketing. Integrating [pre-chat surveys](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) with Telegram Auto Reply is an effective strategy for capturing important customer data such as names, email addresses and interests. This data is crucial for lead generation and customizing marketing strategies, allowing companies to create more targeted and effective campaigns. The use of Telegram Auto Reply for [lead qualification](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/inbound-sales-enrich-contact-data-and-qualify-leads) is equally beneficial. By including specific questions in the auto replies, businesses can identify the interests of potential customers at the first interaction. This process helps to categorize and prioritize leads and focus efforts on the most promising prospects for better conversion rates. However, it's important to note that Telegram's auto replies are only for initial customer messages. For continuous follow-up on subsequent messages, consider using [conversational AI](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai) to handle customer inquiries comprehensively, from start to end. #### Enhance Customer Conversion with Telegram Drip Campaigns Customizing and automating Telegram drip campaigns is an important strategy for Telegram marketing. Most prospects need time to consider a product and you can nudge them periodically to remind them of its value. With respond.io, businesses can set triggers to send a series of messages as a way to get buyers interested in their brand or products, spurring them to take action by evoking excitement or urgency. This keeps the business at the forefront of the buyer’s mind, encouraging ongoing engagement. Creating Telegram promotional messages for specific trigger events mirror the process of setting up push notifications. On respond.io, setting up a Telegram drip campaign is easy. Use the [Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations) Module to create a sequence of messages that span a specific time to ensure consistent engagement with your audience. Now, let's explore a real-world example of how businesses can successfully use Telegram for marketing. ### Finding Success with Telegram Marketing In this section, we'll look at how a Malaysian retailer leverages Telegram for marketing. #### Watson’s Malaysia [Watson’s Malaysia](https://www.watsons.com.my/), a leading retailer of health and beauty products in Malaysia, uses Telegram effectively for its marketing by running a [Telegram channel](https://t.me/watsonsmalaysia). This channel is a hub for sharing promotional offers, festive greetings and even memes. With a strong subscriber base of more than 39,000 members, the company uses this channel not only as an announcement board but also as a lively platform for marketing. It showcases special offers and packages, such as the 'Kaw Kaw Deals', and engages customers with entertaining visuals. This multi-faceted approach plays a crucial role in the company’s marketing strategy. It uses both informative and engaging content to keep the audience interested and promote its products. We hope this guide has given you a clear understanding of how to use Telegram marketing. Are you ready to take the leap into Telegram marketing? [Sign up with respond.io](https://app.respond.io/user/register?_gl=1*r9e4b9*_ga*MTE4NzQwODA3OC4xNzAwNzEyMjQy*_ga_0EZ318H868*MTcwNTg4NjI3Mi41Mi4xLjE3MDU4ODc4NTQuNTAuMC4w) today to fully utilize the power of Telegram marketing and manage the large volume of results you’ll receive. ### Further Reading Did you find this article useful? If so, here are some other quick reads that might interest you: - Telegram CRM: Integrating a CRM with Telegram on respond.io - Telegram Business: The Ultimate Telegram for Business Guide - How to Sell on Telegram: The Telegram Sales Guide ## [A Robust MessageBird Alternative that Fully Supports All Instant Messaging Channels](https:/respond.io/blog/alternatives-messagebird) Alternatives to MessageBird: Looking for MessageBird alternatives that support instant messaging channel capabilities? Explore how respond.io enhances customer communication through messaging. You’re probably here because you’re looking for alternatives to MessageBird (now known as Bird) or MessageBird alternatives that support the full potential of instant messaging channels. Although MessageBird has been around for more than a decade, it might not be the best fit for all businesses. This article will introduce you to respond.io, a powerful MessageBird alternative built to help businesses enhance customer communication through messaging. ### Alternatives MessageBird: Respond.io vs MessageBird MessageBird and Respond.io are platforms that businesses use to streamline their communication channels and engage with customers. They offer similar features, including [omnichannel chat widgets](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget), chat automation and more. Although both platforms were developed for large businesses and have powerful features to cater to their needs, their primary focus differs. MessageBird was initially developed for SMS, so it excels in that area and is often used for SMS messaging. Respond.io, on the other hand, was specifically created for instant messaging channels, so its capabilities are tailored to that focus. Now that you have an idea of their strengths, let's explore how respond.io could be a better MessageBird alternative for your business. ### Alternatives MessageBird: Is Respond.io a Better Solution for Your Business? Respond.io is a customer conversation management software designed to enhance the customer experience to build brand loyalty and increase business revenue. It has enabled businesses worldwide to [send notifications to a regional audience](https://respond.io/customers/how-trs-ink-used-viber-to-reach-132k-citizens-in-covid-19-response), [gain more qualified leads](https://respond.io/blog/how-sleek-gained-3x-more-qualified-leads-over-whatsapp), [improve sales conversions](https://respond.io/blog/how-lamarsa-coffee-used-chat-commerce-to-boost-sales-across-6-countries-by-50) and [achieve high levels of customer satisfaction](https://respond.io/blog/how-sharwa-designed-a-communication-strategy-that-achieved-85-in-csat-scores). Let's take a closer look at how businesses are achieving success on respond.io. #### Centralize All Messaging Channels for Seamless Customer Interactions Centralizing all key communication channels is essential, especially for businesses that use multiple messaging channels to connect with customers. It allows businesses to reply to customers on any channel from one place without juggling multiple messaging platforms. In short, convenience is a major advantage. That said, MessageBird doesn’t have a mobile app or support custom channel integrations that most large businesses need. We’ll explain why this matters in the next few sections. ##### Connect WhatsApp, SMS, Telegram and More in One Place Respond.io is an official [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) offering fast and secure WhatsApp API access. With respond.io, businesses can connect with customers across all popular messaging channels. This includes traditional channels like email and [SMS](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms) along with messaging channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) (including Messenger calls), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business) and [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business). It also allows you to connect multiple channel accounts or numbers, like individual WhatsApp accounts for each branch or outlet, and reply to customers from one place. Unlike MessageBird, which doesn’t support sending and receiving voice messages, respond.io supports all of the channels’ native features, like sending emojis, voice messages and more. This enables agents to engage in more casual and genuine conversations and provides customers with an authentic messaging experience unique to each channel. #### Switch from Messaging to Voice Calls at Any Time Respond.io goes beyond traditional chat by offering voice call capabilities. As one of the few WhatsApp Partners with access to the [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-voice-call), it lets businesses make voice calls directly through WhatsApp—a feature once limited to the Business App. This allows for stronger, more personal customer interactions. It also supports [VoIP integration](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration), so you can connect your existing phone system and handle all conversations—whether by message or call—within a single platform. Agents can also transfer calls mid-conversation, keeping customers on the same line. After every call, transcripts are automatically generated for reference, coaching and quality assurance. ##### Integrate Custom Channels like In-app Chat, Chats from E-commerce Platforms and more If your company has its own messaging app or uses an e-commerce platform’s native inbox like Lazada chat inbox, you can connect them to respond.io. With respond.io’s [custom channels](https://help.respond.io/channels/custom-channel) integration, you can connect any channel with an open API to the platform. This allows you to centralize both popular and business-specific messaging channels, providing the convenience of managing all your messages from a single shared inbox. ##### Reply to Customers Anywhere with the Mobile App for Agents on the Go With all messages directed to a single inbox, a mobile app can be [handy for agents on the go](https://respond.io/customers/how-pinnacle-contact-center-recruits-112-candidates-every-day-over-whatsapp). Agents can receive notifications when they are assigned new conversations, respond to messages at their convenience and manage their workload from anywhere. Additionally, supervisors can monitor agents' work and performance and assist them as needed from any location. While a mobile app is a standard feature of most omnichannel platforms, MessageBird does not have one. ##### Get Notified when Duplicate Contacts are Created and Merge them Seamlessly Customers want a seamless [omnichannel experience](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-2) that allows them to chat with agents effortlessly without having to re-identify themselves or repeat background information. With respond.io, businesses can get a unified customer profile by [merging conversations from different channels](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contacts-overview#merge_contacts) in a single thread. If a customer previously emailed you but decides to message you on WhatsApp next, you can merge the conversations to get context easily. This allows you to identify returning customers, spot recurring issues and make informed decisions while assisting them. Although MessageBird has a similar feature, businesses must manually search for contacts they wish to merge. Respond.io, however, automatically detects duplicate contacts and prompts businesses to merge their contact information. Additionally, contact merges can’t be undone on MessageBird but are possible on respond.io. This way, you don’t have to delete wrongly merged contacts, lose their conversation histories and recreate new contact profiles. Next, we’ll cover how you can utilize respond.io to send promotional messages and initiate conversations with your customers. #### Send Promotional Messages on Multiple Channels Broadcasting promotional messages on multiple channels gives businesses opportunities to increase their reach and engage with customers through various touchpoints. This eventually leads to increased sales and revenue. While the ability to support broadcasts on every channel is a feature businesses would expect, MessageBird only supports SMS and WhatsApp broadcasts. Its WhatsApp broadcast is not a native feature so setting it up requires technical knowledge and you cannot schedule and analyze the broadcasts. This makes it clear that its platform was initially built for SMS, not instant messaging channels. Now, let's look at how to increase customer engagement via promotional messages on respond.io. ##### **Generate Leads through Click to WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger Ads** Social media users spend a lot of time on the app, presenting a valuable opportunity for targeted advertising through click-to-chat ads. These ads enable businesses to encourage leads to start a conversation directly and engage with them when their interest is at its peak. When a lead messages you through click-to-chat ads, respond.io shows you which ad a customer clicked on when they message you, giving agents useful context to [respond intelligently](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth#toc-mobile-5). You can also automate these conversations to [gain lead information](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/step-respond-with-ai#collect_information_objective) and qualify them automatically. ##### Broadcast on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, LINE and More Respond.io gives businesses the ability to engage with customers on their preferred platforms via broadcast messages. It supports [broadcasts](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) on multiple channels, including [SMS](https://respond.io/blog/sms-marketing-sms-broadcast), [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-broadcast), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-broadcast), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-broadcast) and [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message). Unlike MessageBird, respond.io allows you to send broadcasts in a few clicks. Businesses can personalize messages based on each channel's unique features, schedule and send broadcast messages to target audiences and create a more integrated and cohesive marketing strategy. ##### Get Marketing Performance Insights with Broadcast Analytics Analyzing past broadcast campaign performance is crucial as it gives important insights for businesses to improve their next campaign's strategy. It allows managers to identify successful campaigns and get insights into the behavior and preferences of their audience. Then, they can optimize their messaging, targeting and channels for future campaigns based on their findings. ##### Trigger Promotional Messages from Customer Actions on External Platforms With respond.io, businesses can trigger promotional messages based on customer actions on external platforms like [Shopify](https://help.respond.io/zapier/e-commerce-integration-shopify), [WooCommerce](https://help.respond.io/zapier/ecommerce-integration-woocommerce), [Magento](https://help.respond.io/zapier/ecommerce-integration-magento) and [more](https://help.respond.io/integrations). For instance, you can trigger an [abandoned cart message](https://help.respond.io/zapier/e-commerce-integration-shopify#send_abandoned_cart_messages_to_prompt_customers_to_complete_their_shopify_purchase_using_zapier) on customers’ preferred channel if they leave items in their cart. The message can include discounts or other incentives to encourage the customer to complete the purchase. Customers can select predetermined reply buttons or send a response and be automatically connected to an agent. This gives customers what they want, enhancing the customer experience and satisfaction. Now that you know how to send promotional messages on respond.io, let's explore how you can use its advanced AI and Automation capabilities. #### Manage Conversations and Tasks Effectively with Advanced AI and Automation Capabilities Automating conversations is crucial, especially when businesses receive high volumes of messages from various messaging channels or accounts. However, customers still prefer human agents to handle complex issues. As a solution, businesses need to determine which conversations are better automated, which require a human touch and ways to improve conversational efficiency both for customer satisfaction and agent efficiency. Because automation and AI play a huge role in ensuring these processes work smoothly, businesses need a platform with powerful automation capabilities. Let’s look at what respond.io has to offer. ##### Streamline Processes in One Visual Workflow Automation Builder MessageBird has two automation setups, which can lead to confusion or redundancy when building automation or identifying automation errors. In contrast, respond.io’s [Workflows Module](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) allows you to automate complex business processes in one visual Workflow. You can plan, design and implement your workflow from A to Z with any amount of complexity in one space. This includes automating [FAQs](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations), [chat routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio), [case escalations](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) and creating [deals or tickets](https://help.respond.io/zapier/pipedrive#add_comments_to_conversations_in_respond_io_when_new_pipedrive_deals_are_updated) in CRMs. You can also build an [AI Agent for sales](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent) to answer customer questions on its own before passing the conversation to a human agent. You can do all this from scratch or use ready-made [templates](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#creating_a_new_workflow_from_a_selected_template). Trained on your website and knowledge sources, it can answer FAQs, qualify leads, route chats and summarize interactions. It understands both text and voice messages, follows up on conversations naturally and shows a typing indicator to create a more human exchange. Managers can also create Workflows for complicated tasks like [shift transfer](https://help.respond.io/convert-leads/route-contacts-by-shifts), [case escalation](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management), syncing data in external CRMs and [getting customer feedback](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score), then allow agents to launch them [with a click](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0) while talking to customers. Now that you know how respond.io’s automation works, it's important to highlight one of the critical components of improving customer satisfaction: [Auto assigning conversations](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to agents quickly. ##### **Auto Assign Conversations Based on Team Function and Customer Needs** There are two ways for businesses to automatically assign new conversations on respond.io: Round-robin for equal workload distribution or assign them to agents with the least conversations open. Round-robin assignments ensure each sales agent has an equal opportunity to convert leads and earn their commissions. Assigning agents with the least conversations lets businesses provide a better customer experience. This is because it connects customers with available agents quickly and reduces wait times and resolution times. As for new conversations, businesses can assign them to a new agent and route returning customers with a history of interactions to the [same agent who handled their case before](https://respond.io/blog/august-2021-release-the-new-contact-import-dont-unassign-when-conversation-is-closed-and-platform-localization-in-spanish#toc-mobile-5). This approach gives agents the context to address recurring or related issues and build long-term customer relationships. Consequently, customers can receive a more personalized and efficient support experience. To prioritize high-value customers who contribute substantially to revenue, businesses usually provide them with a dedicated agent as a primary point of contact for all their needs. These agents will work closely with customers to understand their goals or desires. Then, provide guidance and support to help them achieve their desired outcomes. Since high-value customers are crucial to the success of any business, it is important that companies minimize any difficulties or inconveniences they may face while interacting with their brand. ##### Respond Quickly, Accurately and Professionally with AI With respond.io, agents can leverage AI capabilities to answer inquiries promptly and efficiently. Respond.io's [AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai) allow agents to refine their messages, ensuring clarity and precision in communication. They can also translate messages into different languages, reducing potential language barriers. Moreover, tools like [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) can be a game-changer for providing agents with quick replies based on customer context. This rapid access to information allows agents to respond quickly and accurately to customer inquiries, enhancing response times and contributing to a more [satisfying customer experience](https://respond.io/blog/ai-customer-experience). Combined with the respond.io's AI Agent’s ability to handle voice messages, follow up on conversations and summarize conversations, teams can respond faster and more accurately without losing the personal touch customers expect. Having seen how respond.io can improve customer communication, let's now explore the benefits of using a reliable platform. #### Achieve Great Success with a Reliable Platform and Customer Support Businesses that use MessageBird and respond.io rely heavily on these platforms to manage their business operations and communicate with customers. Therefore, reliable services and excellent customer support from these solution providers are crucial. However, MessageBird’s customer support is only reachable from Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm via email. Plus, its estimated first response time is 12 hours to 48 hours. If there are critical issues outside these hours, businesses cannot contact MessageBird unless they subscribe to a dedicated support plan. Note that the cheapest plan is $500 with operation hours limited to 7 am to 7 pm, Monday to Friday, and a first response time of between 8 hours to 24 hours. The platform also experiences downtime 2-3 times per month, disrupting the ability to send and receive messages for several hours. If platform uptime and customer support availability are important to you, let’s see how respond.io is a better choice. ##### Robust Platform Stability for Consistent Operations Platform reliability is essential for smooth operations, as any downtime can negatively impact customer satisfaction and harm a brand’s reputation. Unlike MessageBird, respond.io offers a [dependable platform](https://respond.io/customers/how-golden-luxe-enjoys-a-20x-more-stable-messaging-experience-with-respondio) that is designed to handle high volumes of messages without interruption. It gives businesses the ability to maintain consistent operations and focus on chatting with customers. ##### Get Speedy Assistance with 24/5 Conversational Support In addition to maintaining a stable platform, providing responsive and efficient customer support is crucial. Respond.io’s support team is available 24/5 from Monday to Friday via live chat or call, and can assist you in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic. You can also reach them on multiple channels, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, LINE and more. On top of that, there's 24/7 AI customer support. In contrast to MessageBird, respond.io provides free, high-quality and speedy assistance to resolve any issues you encounter. This enables you to focus on expanding your business and providing top-notch customer experiences. ##### Get Dedicated Support from a Customer Success Manager Having a dedicated customer success manager can be a game-changer for enterprises with complex requirements. Our experts specialize in providing personalized support for planning and setting up Workflows, integrating with third-party tools, and more. With a customer success manager by your side, you can unlock the full potential of the platform and attain success like [many of our satisfied customers](https://respond.io/customers). Now that you’ve learned what respond.io has to offer, let's explore the pricing plans to determine which solution provides the most value. #### The Best Solution for Maximum Value When evaluating a messaging platform, pricing is just as important as features because you don’t want to pay extra every time you add a user, send a message, or use a basic function. Here, we’ll look at the mid-tier plans (recommended for growing businesses) and see how respond.io and MessageBird compare. ##### Respond.io: Clear, Predictable Pricing The Growth Plan starts at $159/month and is designed for fast-growing teams that need scale without surprise costs. It includes: - All major messaging channels (WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, LINE, Viber, SMS, email) - 10 user seats - Unlimited automation and workflows - AI Agents and AI Assist for lead qualification and faster replies - Broadcasts with scheduling and analytics across multiple channels - Advanced reporting & lifecycle tracking - 24/5 live chat and call support, plus 24/7 AI support Respond.io uses a Monthly Active Contact (MAC) model. This means that you only pay for contacts you actually talk to, not your entire stored contacts. ##### MessageBird — Variable, Pay-as-You-Go Costs Bird’s pricing looks flexible at first, but gets expensive as you scale: - SMS: ~$0.008 per outbound message (varies by country). - Messaging apps: Free up to 1,000 messages, then ~$5 per 1,000 messages and ~$8 per 1,000 SMS. - Automation (Flow Builder): First 1,000 triggers free, then billed per trigger. - User seats: Extra costs per seat beyond the free minimum. - Support: Paid add-on only, from ~$500/month up to $5,000/month depending on SLA speed. ##### Why Respond.io Delivers More Value At the mid-plan level, Messagebird Bird can easily run into thousands per month once you add users, scale messaging, and need reliable support. Respond.io’s $159 Growth Plan covers all of that in one predictable monthly fee — no hidden charges, no per-message billing, no automation limits. For growing businesses, this means you can scale without worrying about unpredictable costs. ### Alternatives MessageBird: Why Respond.io? Respond.io is one of the most versatile customer conversation management software in the market. Unlike MessageBird, which only fully supports SMS channel features, respond.io supports all the capabilities of each messaging channel, including SMS. Its advanced AI and automation capabilities enable businesses to streamline their processes in one place, helping them achieve results quickly with significantly less effort. Most importantly, respond.io has high uptime, making it suitable for larger businesses that receive high volumes of messages. It's free, high-quality support is available 24/5 to help customers whenever they need assistance, while Enterprise plan users get a dedicated customer success manager. Armed with these, businesses can create superior customer experiences and build customer loyalty, ultimately increasing their revenue. If you’re considering migrating from MessageBird to respond.io, [contact our support team](https://respond.io/contact). You can transfer all your channels to respond.io, including WhatsApp API accounts, while keeping the same WhatsApp API number. Ready to experience the power of respond.io? [Sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and witness its benefits firsthand. ### Further Reading Want to explore respond.io further? Here are some readings that might interest you. - Inbound Conversation Workflows: A How-To Guide - Chat Routing: Contact Routing with the respond.io - Auto Assignment: Automatic Assignment with respond.io ## [Add Facebook Messenger to Website: A Messenger Widget Guide ](https:/respond.io/blog/add-messenger-to-website) Want a Messenger Widget on your website? Use the Facebook Chat Plugin to add Facebook Messenger to website and start chatting with customers on one of their favorite platforms. Looking for the ultimate chat widget? If your web visitors are avid Messenger users, add a Facebook Messenger widget to your website. In this blog post, we’ll show you how to add Facebook Messenger to a website, as well as where to add it on website builders like WordPress, Wix and Shopify. ### What is a Facebook Messenger Widget? The [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) widget is a website plugin that allows site visitors to chat with your Facebook Page via Messenger. As one of the [world](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-2)’[s top messaging channels](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-2), many customers are naturally inclined to chat over Messenger. When website visitors send an inquiry via the widget, you can reply through the [Meta Business Suite Inbox](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/294426838452244?id=765488040896522). This is sufficient for businesses that receive low to medium volumes of messages and rely on Facebook Messenger for customer communication. > Do not mistake the Facebook Messenger widget with the Facebook Chat Plugin. While similar in some aspects, the Facebook Chat Plugin is no longer available from May 9, 2024. Businesses that handle high volumes of conversations or chat with customers across multiple channels should use an omnichannel messaging inbox like respond.io. In addition to streamlining all conversations in a single inbox, it offers additional benefits such as [advanced automation](https://respond.io/blog/november-2021-release-workflows-module-and-send-message-templates-via-messages-api#toc-mobile-0) and [analytics](https://docs.respond.io/reports). #### Why Use Facebook Messenger Widget If you’re leveraging Facebook Messenger to [provide customer support](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-for-customer-service) or [push sales](https://respond.io/blog/messenger-sales), you know how effective the platform is. Among the key reasons to consider using Facebook web chat is its ability to create persistent conversations and build a contact list. ##### Create Persistent, Consistent Engagement With traditional website chats, you'll lose users forever once they leave your website. Your only hope of continuing the conversation is for them to return to your site. This is no longer the case once you add Messenger to your website. Firstly, the Messenger widget is the fastest tool for your clients to reach you and get their questions resolved. It ensures customers can address you instantly and effortlessly on a familiar and comfortable messenger. It also enables personal communication directly on your website to offer technical support, product consultation, order or booking assistance and more. Customers can reach you while interest is high to drive sales conversions. When you add Facebook chat to website, a contact’s chat history is saved in Meta Business Suite’s inbox. This means you can resume a conversation with a user who chatted with you on Messenger even after they’ve left your website. Along with the conversation, you also get to see some of their basic profile information including their name, profile picture, birthday and location. This will help you serve the customer better than any live chat could and build a relationship with them over time. ##### Build a Facebook Messenger Contact List Now that people can message you easily through Facebook using Facebook Customer Chat, they'll be added to your contact list forever. You can think of a Facebook Messenger subscriber list the same way you do an email subscriber list. Use this as a new communication channel with your audience or even use it to send [Messenger broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-11), which have a staggering 92 percent open rate. The Messenger widget is just one way to build a Facebook Messenger subscriber list. There are [several ways to grow your Messenger contacts](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-8), including [Facebook Comment Auto Reply](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-comment-auto-reply) or [private replies](https://respond.io/blog/messenger-sales#toc-mobile-7), [Click to Messenger ads](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads#toc-mobile-4) or [links](https://respond.io/blog/messenger-link) and [Facebook QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-code#toc-mobile-6). Lastly, remember customers have to be signed in to their Facebook accounts to be added to your contact list. With this in mind, let’s move on to the next section, where you’ll learn how to add Messenger to website. ### How to Create a Widget Code First, let’s talk about the Messenger widget setup process. To add Facebook Messenger to a website, you need to do these two steps in sequence: - Create a Facebook Messenger widget code - Add the Messenger widget code to your website If you are a B2B business that needs to have Guest Mode on, we recommend setting up your Facebook Messenger widget via respond.io. Not only can you automate [greetings](https://respond.io/blog/welcome-messsage-for-facebook-page) or [away messages](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business) and processes like [chat routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) or [contact assignment](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio), respond.io lets you [add a reference code](https://docs.respond.io/messaging-channels/facebook-messenger/facebook-chat-plugin#add-reference-code) to a Facebook Messenger widget to identify where contacts come from. Large businesses should consider this option. #### Generate a Widget Code on Respond.io The process for setting up a Facebook Messenger widget is simple and can be done quickly by [following these steps](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/growth-widgets#creating_widget). To get started, navigate to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets*. Then, click *Add Widget* and choose *Facebook Widget* before clicking *Create Widget*. After that, enter the website(s) where you want to add the chat widget and select the account you want to create a widget for. You can add a pre-filled text or customize the widget’s appearance by clicking on the *Advanced Settings* buttons. Finally, click *Generate Widget*, copy the generated script and install it on your website. If you want to connect with customers across multiple channels, an [omnichannel widget](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) can help. You can also opt to [add a website chat widget to your website](https://help.respond.io/l/en/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview). Now that you've successfully set up your Messenger widget, the next step is to install the generated code onto your website. We’ll guide you through the installation process next. ### How to Add Facebook Messenger to Website Navigating your CMS to add a chat widget can be confusing. Below, you’ll find the instructions to install the Messenger widget code on popular site builders like WordPress, Wix, Shopify and Squarespace. #### How to Add Messenger to Website: WordPress You can now install a Messenger plugin by Meta directly from the Plugins tab in the sidebar. While the plugin itself is free, installation is only available to Business plan subscribers or Pro plan users, for those on legacy plans. To add Facebook Messenger to website on WordPress, follow these instructions: 1. Search for the Facebook Messenger widget and select it. 2. Click Install now. 3. Click Activate. 4. Look for the tab that says Customer chat. Navigate to the Getting started section and click Edit chat plugin. 5. Customize your chat plugin and complete your setup. Alternatively, integrate Messenger into a WordPress site by using the Messenger widget code. This also requires going through the paywall. There are a few ways you could add a Messenger widget code to WordPress, including installing a header and footer plugin. **1\. Add** the header and footer plugin of your choice from the Plugins page. **2\. Navigate** to Headers and Footers. **3\. Add** the Facebook Messenger widget script to the footer. You have now added Facebook Messenger Live Chat to your WordPress website. #### How to Add Messenger to Website: Wix What if you would like to add live chat to a Wix website? Once you’ve generated a Facebook Messenger widget script, follow the steps below to add it to your Wix website. Do note that you’ll require a paid subscription to access this feature. **1\. Navigate** to *Settings > Advanced Settings* ***>*** *Custom Code.* **2\. Paste** the Facebook Messenger widget code and select the pages where you want the code to apply. Make sure you place the code in *Body - end*. You have now added the Facebook Chat Widget to your Wix website. #### How to Add Messenger to Website: Shopify Once you have the Facebook Chat widget script, follow these steps to you need to integrate Facebook Messenger into a Shopify website. **1\. Navigate** to Online Store and edit code. **2\. Open** the footer.liquid section and paste the Facebook Messenger Widget script. You have now added the Facebook Chat widget on your Shopify website. #### How to Add Messenger to Website: Squarespace Once you have the Facebook Chat widget script, it’s time to embed Messenger in a Squarespace website. **1\. Log in** to Squarespace, select your site and open *Settings*. **2\. Navigate** to *Advanced Settings*. **3\. Navigate** to *Code Injection*. **4\. Paste** the Facebook Messenger Widget script. You have now added Facebook Messenger live chat to your website. We’ve shown you how to create your Facebook chat widget code and install Facebook Chat widget on some of the most popular site builders. Want to chat with customers on Messenger widget and other channels, as well as access their contact details and chat history in a centralized inbox? [Register for a respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) now. ### Further Reading And that’s how you get a Messenger widget to add Facebook Messenger to your website. If you enjoyed reading about how to grow your business with the ultimate chat widget, learn more about instant messaging for business with these blog posts: - How to Use WhatsApp Integration with Website - The Ultimate Guide to Telegram Business - The Ultimate Guide to Viber for Business ## [AI Agents that don’t crack under pressure: How respond.io’s AI agents work reliably at scale](https:/respond.io/blog/how-respondio-ai-agents-work) A peek under the hood: AI Agents engineered for high-volume B2C conversations. Built on 99.999% uptime, platform-level grounding, strict guardrails and a modular architecture for accurate and consistent responses to drive revenue at scale. Every month brings shiny new AI features and bold promises, with vendors racing to release the next big thing. But when you’re running high-volume conversations across WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and TikTok, the real question isn’t who’s first, but who lasts. At respond.io, we build for endurance, not theatrics. Our [AI Agents](https://respond.io/ai-agents) lead the innovation curve without sacrificing what matters most: Uptime, compliance and customer trust. For 8 years, we’ve delivered new channels, APIs and automations at a pace few can match, all while helping over 10,000 B2C brands manage customer chats and calls at scale. That same dynamism and discipline now fuel your AI Agents. ### Why trust respond.io’s AI Agents vs other customer conversation platforms? Businesses that depend on conversations to drive revenue need AI Agents they can rely on too. While most platforms layer AI onto their solutions, respond.io integrates it at the platform level where context, customer data and compliance already live. - Built on a proven platform: The same infrastructure that powers billions of chats with 99.999% uptime now supports AI Agents, built on modular, event-driven architecture that easily integrates with new AI models and capabilities. - Rapid but never reckless: Respond.io’s track record shows fast, stable and secure feature rollouts with AI Agent capabilities leading the roadmap. - True omnichannel intelligence: AI Agents work in a unified inbox with your chats, calls, campaigns and CRM data for full context to respond and act. - Multimodal and multilingual: AI Agents interpret emojis, images, PDFs with tables, even audio in multiple languages, and reply contextually. - Secure and compliant: ISO 27001 certified and GDPR-ready. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest, with role-based access, SSO and audit logs for full control and traceability. Your data is never used to train AI models. - Partnership at every step: Guided onboarding, 24/7 support, on-demand success calls and more help you accelerate results and sustain growth. You’re building on a highly-rated platform designed to scale revenue generation and customer loyalty, with AI Agents that embody that mission. ### How AI Agents reply and act consistently: 5 core principles Respond.io ensures accurate and consistent AI Agent behavior by enforcing 5 principles: task specialization, grounding answers in verified business truth, actionability, quality control, and continuous refinement. Powerful AI Agents are easy to demonstrate but much harder to govern at scale. The difference between a good demo and a reliable system is whether AI Agents behave predictably in high-volume B2C environments, where every answer influences revenue. Here's how we do it. #### 1\. Specialization: Agents designed with purpose AI Agents perform best when they have a clearly defined role. Shape each agent around a specific function — like reception, [sales](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent) or [support](https://respond.io/blog/best-ai-agents-for-customer-support) — so it can operate with focus and discipline. This role-based approach reduces ambiguity, strengthens accuracy and mirrors how high-performing teams work in the real world. #### 2\. Grounding: Answers based on verified truth Every reply is anchored in your business truth through retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). The AI Agent retrieves verified information from your approved [knowledge sources](https://respond.io/help/convert-leads/how-to-write-effective-ai-knowledge-sources) before responding, ensuring accuracy, traceability and compliance. This protects your brand tone and prevents the guesswork that leads to hallucinations or misinformation. #### 3\. Actionability: AI that moves conversations forward Your AI Agents don’t just answer — they act. Because they operate inside a unified inbox with chats, campaigns and CRM data, they can take meaningful steps within a conversation: qualifying leads, updating context, routing customers or applying lifecycle logic. This turns AI into an operational teammate that advances outcomes, not just replies. #### 4\. Quality Control: Guardrails that protect customer trust AI Agents operate within strict guardrails that define what they can say, do and access. These controls ensure the agent stays on-brand, respects compliance requirements and escalates sensitive scenarios to humans when needed. You [decide the boundaries](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/how-to-write-effective-ai-agent-prompts); the system enforces them with consistency. The result is automation you can trust, even in high-stakes customer moments. #### 5\. Refinement: A system designed to get better with use AI performance improves through continuous learning loops. You can review behavior, identify gaps and strengthen your knowledge sources over time. As your content, policies and products evolve, your AI Agents evolve with them, keeping performance aligned with your standards and business goals. These principles define how your AI Agents think and act. But behind that intelligence lies the engineering that makes it all possible and guarantees reliability at any volume. ### The tech stack: Inside the scalable architecture powering AI Agents Respond.io’s AI Agents operate on a modular, event-driven stack powered by AWS Lambda for compute, Amazon OpenSearch Serverless for vector knowledge, and a multi-model engine (OpenAI, Gemini, Mistral) for specialized reasoning. Its modular architecture allows each AI component to be upgraded independently so it can integrate with newer AI models and micro-agent capabilities seamlessly. Here is how the system maintains consistency, stability, and speed at scale. #### Engineered for long-term durability and architectural stability AI Agents run on a **modular, event-driven architecture** built on **AWS Lambda** to stay responsive even during the heaviest traffic spikes. At the core is an **AI Orchestrator** that coordinates a network of specialized micro-agents, each handling a focused task such as knowledge retrieval or conversation assignment. This separation of responsibilities keeps performance predictable, isolates faults and prevents cascading failures when volumes surge. #### Grounded in an always-current, enterprise-grade knowledge layer Accurate responses start with accurate data. Your AI Agents draw from a **secure vector database** on **Amazon OpenSearch Serverless**, which stays continuously up to date through a dual-pipeline ingestion system. An **Apify web crawler** keeps your website and public content refreshed, while an **OCR engine** turns PDFs, images and tables into clean, structured information. As this knowledge layer maintains itself, AI Agents always respond with verified, current truth. #### Intelligence powered by a multi-model strategy Rather than depend on a single model, the platform uses a multi-model approach. - OpenAI handles advanced reasoning - Google Gemini powers high-quality semantic search embeddings - Mistral and ElevenLabs support nuanced multimodal tasks such as image and audio inputs Each request is handled by the model best suited for the task, ensuring your AI Agents respond accurately and naturally across use cases. This stack is continuously updated to ensure the latest AI models are used. #### Designed for reliability during peak seasons and sudden volume spikes High-volume B2C businesses need systems that don’t buckle under pressure. Respond.io uses **Redis** as a high-speed in-memory datastore to queue and manage AI workloads with minimal latency. A robust rate-limiting framework ensures fair, predictable processing even when thousands of customers reply at once. This protects business continuity during your highest-earning moments, such as major campaigns or flash sales. #### Continuously monitored for consistency, compliance and improvement Every AI interaction is tracked and evaluated using tools like **Langsmith** and **Ragas** to measure accuracy, relevance and faithfulness. This creates a full audit trail for compliance and a feedback loop that strengthens the system over time. The result is an AI you can trust to operate with discipline today and improve with every conversation tomorrow. ### Customer stories: More qualified leads and higher ROI with AI Agents It’s easy to make AI Agent demos that look flashy and impressive, but measurable outcomes tell the real story. Customers who implement AI Agents on respond.io see results within weeks. - AI Agents manage over 70% of iMotorbike’s chats, freeing the team to focus on more complex scenarios. The online motorbike marketplace now handles 2× more leads daily and slashed response times by 67%. - Education consultancy GetTUTOR increased leads by 50% and saw a 24% uplift in sales within 2 months of using AI Agents on respond.io after trying to achieve the same on Sleekflow. - Luxury car dealership Automax’s AI Agent handles responses to over 80,000 WhatsApp broadcasts monthly, assigning only qualified buyers to humans and driving 42.5x more ROI. - Photography and digital services agency JU Productions qualifies leads and filters out spam with AI Agents for a 718% increase in sales. These results aren’t one-offs or vanity metrics. They’re proof of significant ROI and growth when AI Agents are engineered for real business outcomes. #### Start driving revenue at scale with AI Agents Businesses across industries like healthcare, automotive, beauty, travel and education are scaling faster than ever with AI Agents on respond.io. Your next stage of growth doesn’t need more headcount, it needs AI Agents built to scale with you. But don’t just take our word for it. [Create your AI Agent, free today](https://app.respond.io/user/register). ## [AI Sales Agent Tips to Enhance CX and Convert Faster](https:/respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent) These AI sales agent tips show you how to use AI not just as a chatbot, but to automate your entire sales funnel from lead qualification to bookings. Wondering how an AI sales agent can help boost your business? AI sales agents are more than just a trend, with [more than half of businesses exploring the use of AI agents and 37% actively using them](https://kpmg.com/kpmg-us/content/dam/kpmg/corporate-communications/pdf/2025/q4-pulse-deck.pdf). It’s important to remember that not all AI sales agents are created equal. We’ll show you the benefits, pitfalls to avoid, how to choose the best one to meet your needs, and how to use them to increase sales and create great customer experiences. ### What is an AI Sales Agent? AI sales agents are often equated with chatbots, but they can do so much more. It’s an autonomous system that can qualify leads, schedule meetings, answer FAQs, share product information, update customer records and manage complex routing and assignment tasks. It saves hours of routine effort so human agents have time to focus on the conversations that require a human touch. These can be stand-alone software products or built into a conversation management platform like respond.io. A conversation management platform powered by AI is the best choice for businesses that handle most of their customer conversations via instant messaging. ### 4 Benefits of Using an AI Sales Agent An AI sales agent incorporated in a conversation management platform streamlines the entire sales process, enabling your business to convert leads to customers faster and provide prompt support to retain them. Here are five benefits to expect from an AI sales agent solution. - No more missed opportunities due to slow replies- respond instantly to inquiries on any channel. - Give human agents time to focus on quality leads - an AI agent can automate routine tasks like qualifying leads, identifying spam, routing customers to the right agent and scheduling meetings, so sales agents can focus on the ones who are ready to buy. - Increase revenue by converting faster - with a faster sales process, you’ll close deals faster and boost your bottom line. - Scale your business efficiently - an AI agent and automation help you scale fast without needing to hire additional team members Now that you know the benefits, it’s important to think about the kind of experience you want customers to have. AI Agents can manage many conversations autonomously, but some situations still call for human judgment. The key is choosing a solution that balances automation with seamless handoffs to human agents when needed. ### Good vs Poor AI Sales Agent Experiences Some businesses may be reluctant to use an AI sales agent because, let’s face it, we’ve all had a bad experience with AI as a customer. You know the frustration of going through endless loops with a bot who can’t give you a straight answer, doesn’t understand your question and won’t let you chat with a human, so you wouldn’t want to put your customers through this. For example, we tested out an experience with [Wati](https://respond.io/wati-alternative)’s AI agent, which does not provide any option to route to a human. First of all, it took us in a confusing loop asking whether we had an account. The correct answer was apparently “no,” as trial accounts don’t count. Then, it provided a list of topics that were not relevant to the query. Finally, it said it would take us to “chat support.” But this “support” was in fact, yet another AI agent, who lacked the knowledge to answer the question and concluded the conversation with no option to speak to anyone. To be fair, we were having this conversation for experimental purposes, but a genuine potential customer facing this experience would be turned off and may not return. On the other hand, a well-trained AI agent can actually improve the customer experience by providing faster answers to common inquiries and prioritizing access to a human agent for more urgent or high-value requests. One of our customers uses respond.io’s AI Agent to collect information about tuition course interests. It passes on the data gathered to a human agent who can then easily match the customer with a tutor. That means a customer gets an instant response when they start a chat, expectations for speaking to a human are managed, and there’s no need for them to repeat information to the sales agent. Here’s a recap of what a good and poor AI sales agent experience looks like. | Poor Experience | Good Experience | | --- | --- | | Takes customers in circles | Leads the customer on a journey | | Limited answer options | Flexibility in responses | | Limited knowledge | Full company and product knowledge | | No option to speak to a human agent | Provides option to speak to a human agent | How do you choose and implement an AI agent that’s capable of providing a good experience to leads and customers? Here’s what you need to know. ### What to Look for in an AI Sales Agent Platform If you’re considering an AI sales agent to help manage leads and customers over instant messaging, these are the most important features to think about. #### Learns from Company Knowledge Sources Remember that any AI agent needs to be trained; to be most effective, it should learn from your own company knowledge sources. An AI agent relying on general information from the internet will not give your customers accurate answers. Some platforms, like [Sleekflow](https://respond.io/sleekflow-alternative), only allow businesses to upload PDF documents. While this provides basic information and may be enough for an AI agent to answer FAQ, it’s still limiting. Choose a platform that enables an AI agent to crawl your entire website and help center, ensuring it has full, up-to-date knowledge of your business. #### Allows AI to Fully Handle Conversations While some conversations still require a human touch, others can be fully handled by AI. Select an AI agent that has this capability, essentially giving you a 24/7 sales and support team. Now this doesn’t mean AI should replace your sales and support agents. Even the best trained AI occasionally falls short when it comes to complex problems. What AI can do well is answer routine questions and follow up with unresponsive customers when humans aren’t around. It can also identify whether a lead is genuine prospect or spam. For simple purchases, AI may even be able to close a sale over chat or voice call, guiding a customer through the payment process. #### Escalates to a Human Agent When Needed For high value purchases or more complex issues, it’s important to make a human agent accessible. Select a platform that offers a seamless [handover process from AI agent to human agent](https://respond.io/help/convert-leads/how-to-route-contacts-to-preferred-ai-objective-step). For example, respond.io AI Agents do much more than chatting, allowing you to route conversations to humans. Track Record of Success Nearly every platform claims to have some form of AI capability, but that doesn’t mean it functions properly. Choose a platform that’s mature and has proven success for businesses like yours. Respond.io has been in the business for eight years and we’re continuously improving the platform to meet the needs of our customers. Our customers have a high satisfaction rate with AI agent, with 91.5% of those who try it out continuing to use it. ### How to Use an AI Sales Agent Throughout the Funnel An AI sales agent can be used in any stage of your sales funnel, from responding to initial inquiries from leads, to qualifying them, to making a sale, to retaining customers with quick support. #### Provide Instant Replies When someone contacts your business, they expect a reply right away. If they don’t get it, they’ll likely go to a competitor. But keeping up with a large number of inquiries on multiple channels is a challenge for human sales teams. An AI agent can autonomously greet customers and manage expectations for leads. Respond.io’s improved AI system replies faster because it avoids processing unnecessary information. It focuses only on the exact task needed, which reduces lag and makes responses more reliable even during peak hours. “Handling high volumes of conversations can be challenging for businesses, and they don’t want to sacrifice service quality. This is where conversational AI adds value by providing prompt, high-quality responses at a much larger scale and lower cost,” said Gerardo Salandra, the co-founder and CEO of respond.io, also chairman of The Artificial Intelligence Society of Hong Kong. #### Streamline Lead Qualification Businesses who are running click to chat ads often struggle to qualify leads manually when a large number of responses are coming in. An AI agent can ask qualifying questions and then take a desired action. Qualified leads may be guided by AI to make a simple purchase or [assigned to an appropriate salesperson](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) if needed. Here’s an example of how to [qualify leads based on budget](https://respond.io/help/convert-leads/how-to-automatically-qualify-contacts-based-on-budget-using-ai-agent) using respond.io. Respond.io provides customizable workflow templates for common goals, so it’s easy to set up. #### Answer Frequently Asked Questions Another task that takes up hours of sales agents’ time is answering FAQ. [An AI agent can easily answer common questions](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents#support-agent-template) based on its knowledge of your business. Unlike an FAQ menu, AI allows flexibility and feels more like a conversation. As long as the information is in your knowledge base, the AI agent should be able to answer. #### Manage Booking and Payment Processes For some bookings and purchases, you can automate the entire conversation all the way to a conversion. For instance, you can configure your AI Agents to send calendar or payment links. When a payment or booking is made, a human agent will then be notified. #### Route to a Human Agent to Close Deals or Handle Complex Issues However, depending on the type of business, customers may need to speak to a human before making a decision. For high-value products or more personalized services like beauty treatments or educational courses, a human salesperson will need to step in. The AI agent can seamlessly hand off the conversation to an available agent. Respond.io’s User Takeover feature ensures a smooth handoff: the moment a human agent steps in, the AI stops responding instantly. This prevents confusion, mixed messages, or delays — something many competing platforms still struggle to handle cleanly. That's not all. When a conversation requires more back and forth, it is common for customers to take their time, even forgetting about it. AI Agents can also be configured to follow up with stalled conversations and prevent drop-offs. If there's still a need for clarification, either agents or AI agents can jump into a call. ### Examples of AI Sales Agents in Action Now that you know how to use an AI sales agent with a conversation management platform like respond.io, let’s look at some examples of an AI sales agent in action. #### Respond.io Qualifies Leads with AI Agent We use our own AI agent for support when a human agent is unavailable. However, our support contact button is also sometimes the first point of contact for leads. When an unknown contact comes in, it can be difficult to know if it’s someone with a genuine inquiry or if it’s spam. Responding to spam inquiries wastes agents’ time, while ignoring unrecognized contacts may lead to missed opportunities. Customer Support Lead [Nabila Hishamuddin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nabilahisham/) explains, “We tried using respond.io’s AI agent as the first point of contact for certain types of conversations; for example, if the person didn’t provide their email address when asked or if they were a first-time contact who didn’t make it clear what they wanted.” As expected, the majority of conversations were indeed spam or irrelevant, but an astounding 41% of conversations that would have dropped off and gone unanswered were from real people with real questions. The AI agent successfully handled 54% of these high-value conversations and passed 8.9% of them on to a human agent when asked. While AI isn’t perfect, it’s a valuable tool for providing fast answers while allowing salespeople time to prioritize clearly qualified leads. #### GETUTOR Closes Deals Faster with an AI Sales Agent to Collect Information One of our customers, [GETUTOR](https://respond.io/customers/sleekflow-alternative-review-by-getutor), an educational consultancy in Hong Kong, needed an AI-powered solution to streamline message management over WhatsApp. First, the business subscribed to Sleekflow but was disappointed. GETUTOR CEO Jedi Hui says, “I initially had high expectations about Sleekflow’s AI features, but their performance didn’t align with our needs.” So he turned to respond.io for an AI tool that delivered as promised. With respond.io’s Workflows automation, GETUTOR implemented an [AI agent](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-ai-agent) to manage initial inquiries and gather student information and preferences. Then, the AI agent compiles the information and automatically assigns the lead to an available human agent. Since implementing this method, **the number of leads the business handles per day has increased by 50%**. #### How iMotorbike Doubled Lead Volume with AI-Powered Automation iMotorbike, a leading online marketplace for pre-owned motorbikes in Malaysia and Vietnam, turned to respond.io’s AI Agents to overcome operational challenges caused by high message volumes and fragmented customer journeys. By customizing AI Agent templates for buyers, sellers, and service-related inquiries, the company created tailored conversational flows that defined context, assigned chats to the right teams, and tracked customer lifecycle stages automatically. Trained on iMotorbike’s own knowledge sources, the AI Agents now manage complex, multilingual interactions across WhatsApp, Messenger, TikTok, Instagram, and web chat — resolving most inquiries without human intervention. The results were immediate and measurable. Within the first month, **AI Agents handled over 70% of all conversations**, allowing the team to focus only on qualified leads. **Response times improved by 67%**, while the company managed **twice as many leads daily** compared to before implementation. This combination of automation, instant replies, and precise lead routing not only improved customer satisfaction but also drove higher sales conversions, setting iMotorbike up for scalable growth across multiple markets. ### Choose Respond.io's AI Sales Agent If you’ve decided your business needs an AI sales agent, respond.io offers a proven solution to manage chats on any channel with AI. Choose respond.io so you can: - Answer FAQs with information from all company knowledge sources - Create a unique AI persona tailored to your brand voice and business needs - Qualify leads by collecting lead details - Promptly route leads and customers to the right agent - Automate bookings and payments And more! If you’re ready to get started, [sign up](https://app.respond.io/user/register) for a free trial or [contact us for a consultation](https://respond.io/demo) today. ### Further Reading If you’ve found this article helpful, check out our other content on how AI can benefit your business. - Conversational AI for Sales: Close Deals in the AI Era - Respond.io AI: A Gateway to Conversational Excellence - Conversational AI Platform: Securing Success with AI Chat ## [Alibaba Awards Rocketbots’ CEO Gerardo Salandra MVP in Global Awards Announcement](https:/respond.io/blog/press-alibaba-awards-rocketbots-ceo-gerardo-salandra-mvp-in-global-awards-announcement) The Alibaba Cloud MVP Award puts Rocketbots at the forefront of Alibaba’s technology ecosystem Rocketbots’ CEO Gerardo Salandra has been awarded [Most Valuable Professional](https://mvp.alibabacloud.com/) (MVP) by Alibaba in recognition of his capability to leverage Alibaba Cloud’s suite of technologies, especially in the case of the Rocketbots’ Artificial Intelligence technology platform. In an interview, Mr. Salandra expressed the crucial nature of Alibaba Cloud, > *“In my experience building Artificial Intelligence applications, having the right cloud infrastructure is as essential as the code itself. That is why I believe a good understanding of cloud computing will rapidly become one of the main competitive advantages of startups in the digital economy.”* ***\-Gerardo Salandra, Rocketbots’ CEO*** The Alibaba Cloud MVP Award puts Rocketbots at the forefront of Alibaba’s technology ecosystem. Allowing the startup to get access to products not yet released to the public and provide guidance to Alibaba Cloud engineers on the further development of the platform. Gerardo will also be joining the Alibaba MVP summit, where he will have the chance to share his experience developing Artificial Intelligence products. Rocketbots has moved from Amazon Web Services (AWS) to Alibaba Cloud for a server suite that is more scalable & suitable for its self-learning customer conversation platform. The move comes after Rocketbots joined forces with Alibaba Cloud International to pioneer Deep Learning development on their cloud infrastructure in early 2018. Since making the switch to [Alibaba Cloud](https://www.alibabacloud.com/?utm_content=g_1000040932), Rocketbots has seen a 65% reduction in server costs, freeing up additional funds for the optimization of its neural network. The switch has also helped generate a 25% increase in performance which is crucial in supporting the ever-increasing number of messages being sent each day on the platform. **About Alibaba Cloud** Alibaba Cloud is the largest [Cloud Computing](https://www.alibabacloud.com/knowledge/what-is-cloud-computing?utm_content=g_1000040933) provider in Asia. It provides cloud computing services to online businesses and Alibaba Group’s own e-commerce ecosystem. Alibaba Cloud’s international operations are registered and headquartered in Singapore, and the company has regional headquarters in Dubai, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London, New York, Paris, San Mateo, Seoul, Africa, Sydney, and Tokyo. ## [All You Need to Know about Secure Messaging ](https:/respond.io/blog/secure-messaging) Protect yourself and your customers with a proactive security approach. Learn about data security, best practices, and choosing a secure messaging platform. Data breaches are all too common in today’s secure messaging landscape. From [Telegram](https://cisomag.com/telegram-data-breach/) and [Facebook Messenger](https://firewalltimes.com/facebook-data-breach-timeline/) to [Slack](https://www.wired.com/2015/03/slack-admits-hacked-enables-2-factor-authentication/), no enterprise is safe from incidents. Even in 2023 alone, we’ve seen a staggering [8 billion](https://www.itgovernance.co.uk/blog/list-of-data-breaches-and-cyber-attacks-in-2023) data breaches and cyber-attacks. But these statistics aren’t really about the numbers — it’s a wake-up call for businesses like yours to take data security and secure messaging seriously. While it’s impossible to guarantee complete protection against breaches, you can minimize the risk by adopting a proactive security approach to better protect your organization and, more importantly, your customers. ### What is Data Security? At its core, data security is about protecting your [digital information](https://nordvpn.com/cybersecurity/glossary/digital-information). Much like keeping your valuables safe in a bank, data security keeps your data safe from both malicious (e.g., phishing) and unmalicious (e.g., human error) incidents through a variety of methods such as access control, encryption, [Two-Factor Authentication](https://respond.io/blog/december-2023-updates-two-factor-authentication-improved-platform-onboarding-dark-mode-for-respondio-inbox) and security audits. The level of diligence your organization needs to place on data security will differ widely across sectors. For instance, consider a financial institution or hospital handling sensitive personal data. The potential consequences of a security breach are significantly higher for them, given the need to comply with specific regulations, such as HIPAA and GDPR, compared to a family-run business selling used electronics through Facebook Marketplace. That said, regardless of your size or industry, data security must be made a priority as the credibility of your entire business hinges on it. ### Secure Instant Messaging to Emails: Why Data Security Matters Getting data security right is non-negotiable. The global average cost of a breach in 2023 was [USD 4.45 million](https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach). Moreover, a study by McKinsey found that [87% of customers](https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Business%20Functions/Risk/Our%20Insights/The%20consumer%20data%20opportunity%20and%20the%20privacy%20imperative/The-consumer-data-opportunity-and-the-privacy-imperative.pdf) claimed they would not do business with a company if they had concerns over its security practices. These two statistics mean one thing: there is no room for error as the stakes are high. Security isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a necessity as the consequences for getting it wrong include: #### Financial Costs Breaches aren't cheap, and the associated financial costs can make even conglomerates wince. Beyond legal and regulatory penalties, expect to spend substantial resources on incident response, compensating your customers, crisis management and developing more up-to-date security infrastructure. Worse yet, if your organization is publicly listed, a breach will almost always impact your share price, bringing your market value down. #### Legal Repercussions Businesses have a legal obligation to take clear steps in protecting their customers' data, and regardless of whether a breach was intentional or accidental, they will bear the full brunt of penalties. Though penalties vary greatly based on specific jurisdiction and industry, businesses can expect a combination of fines, regulatory sanctions, public notice requirements and even individual lawsuits from customers themselves. #### Reputational Damage The lifeblood of any organization lies in its customers as without them, there would be nobody to sell products and services to. A breach of security is also a breach of your customers' trust. No one wants their personal information, be it addresses or credit card details, to fall into the wrong hands. Customers also talk. So, beyond them taking their business elsewhere, don't be surprised if they start sharing their experiences with friends and family, as well as through negative online reviews and social media posts. ### Best Data Security Practices for Business Messaging [23 billion instant messages](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/06/the-past-present-and-future-of-messaging/?sh=115c388f9f17) are sent in a day along with [361.6 billion emails](https://www.statista.com/statistics/456500/daily-number-of-e-mails-worldwide/), which should impress upon you the monumental task that is ensuring the security of your business messaging. This can feel daunting since your organization and solution are only as good as the security that supports them, so taking things one step at a time is advisable. It’s impossible to ensure everything sent and received is airtight but so long as you maintain these key practices, you’ll be able to significantly streamline your security processes: #### #1 Educate Your Employees and Users The human element is often the [weakest link](https://www.alertlogic.com/blog/why-humans-weakest-link-cybersecurity/) in breaches, with both employees and customers being equally vulnerable. To mitigate this, consider implementing comprehensive and frequent training sessions on best data security and secure messaging practices. These sessions could include workshops on security policies, phishing awareness and even preventative measures. Utilizing a mix of webinars, newsletters and interactive e-learning platforms also helps ensure your content is accessible and engaging for as broad an audience as possible. #### #2 Create an Incident Response Plan In the event of a security breach, every minute counts in controlling the damage and preventing the situation from worsening. [Incident response plans](https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/feature/5-critical-steps-to-creating-an-effective-incident-response-plan) are worth their weight in gold here as they provide a clear roadmap that outlines what actions need to be done and which stakeholders should be contacted during a breach. From incident identification to recovery to addressing PR issues, these plans keep an otherwise chaotic affair systematic. #### #3 Conduct Regular Audits Businesses must always strive to achieve two objectives: continuously improve their security practices and minimize complacency. One tried-and-tested method for accomplishing this is through internal security audits, which help keep teams vigilant. Security audits assess whether your established security standards are being upheld and identify any potential vulnerabilities and gaps that need to be addressed before they can be exploited, ultimately helping you avoid hefty costs in the future. #### #4 Have a Clear Data Security Policy Having a clear, well-defined data security policy does more than outline how you comply with laws and regulations, handle data usage and collection and define who has access. It signals to customers that you are fully committed to securing their data and are being transparent about it, ultimately strengthening your reputation as a responsible organization. That said, a policy is only effective if it's actually being read. Remember your audience: chances are, they're not all lawyers, so avoid technical jargon and ensure your policy is written in simple language. ### What to Look for in a Secure Messaging and CRM Platform You could follow the above best practices to the tee, but if the platform you’re using is inherently vulnerable, it would be for nothing. The platform you choose to use to interact with your customers is just as important as the practices you implement. To help you select the most secure messaging platform, ask the following questions about your choice: #### Does it have end-to-end encryption? Having end-to-end encryption is a must-have to protect your data not just from malicious entities, but from governments and even large corporations. This encryption ensures that messages are fully secured from the moment they are sent until they are successfully delivered to the intended recipient, a feature particularly important for communication. #### Does it use secure cloud-based storage? Storing data in the cloud is convenient and widespread, and though it can offer considerable data protection note that the level of security depends entirely on the provider. For instance, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are known to be some of the most reputable and safest providers. #### Is it transparent about its data security practices? A truly secure messaging platform will be transparent about its security practices. This means going beyond merely stating their procedures; they should also openly discuss how they handle breaches, the security protocols they use and their future plans for enhancing security. #### How much metadata does it store? Metadata, including locations, names, phone numbers, internet histories and more, can reveal a shockingly large amount of information when pieced together. It's crucial to understand exactly how much and what kind of data your platform stores. Consider how comfortable you are with the data being collected before choosing a secure CRM or platform. #### Does it have a proven track record? A good messaging platform is more than features advertised on a page. It should have a history of being tested, actively used and approved by actual customers. When researching a potential platform, make sure you visit review sites like G2 and Capterra to understand how secure and reliable it is. ### Exploring Respond.io's Security Measures Respond.io has always prioritized [security](https://respond.io/security) with a meticulous and proactive approach, constantly ensuring all measures taken satisfy the demands of secure instant messaging, both now and in the future. Let’s now take a closer look at some of the key security measures implemented over the past year: #### ISO 27001:2022 Certification The ISO 27001:2022 certification, awarded by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), is a globally recognized standard that focuses on establishing, maintaining and continually improving a systematic data security risk management system. Achieving ISO 27001:2022 certification is no small feat. It underscores a sophisticated, systematic approach to securing sensitive information. In August 2023, respond.io achieved a key milestone by [obtaining the ISO 27001:2022 certification](https://respond.io/blog/iso-certification), solidifying its unwavering commitment to safeguarding its customers’ data from all kinds of threats. For current respond.io users, this certification translates to more than just peace of mind. It means greater confidence in the platform's capabilities to protect sensitive data with the most stringent security protocols and risk management frameworks, significantly reducing the potential for unauthorized data access and data breaches. #### GDPR Alignment Respond.io is fully aligned with the [General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)](https://gdpr.eu/what-is-gdpr/). This means we’ve implemented the processes and safeguards required to meet the strict standards set by the GDPR to handle customer data with care and transparency. While GDPR compliance is an ongoing effort, this shows our commitment to doing things right—protecting both your business and your customers from unnecessary risk. #### Single Sign-On In a move to improve existing security measures while enhancing the user experience, respond.io introduced the Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) [Single Sign-On (SSO)](https://respond.io/blog/november-2023-updates-respond-ai-agent-saml-single-sign-on-sso-improved-mobile-app-messaging-experience-and-more) feature. This greatly streamlines the login experience across different online services and departments within a single organization by requiring the use of a single set of credentials. But beyond convenience, SSO eliminates the need to rely on multiple passwords, cutting down on the risk of password-related breaches and delivering a more seamless yet safer experience for all users. #### Two-Factor Authentication Adding to its list of robust security measures, respond.io incorporated [Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)](https://help.respond.io/l/en/organization-settings/organization-settings-security#what_is_two_factor_authentication_2fa), further strengthening security by addressing the vulnerabilities of password-only protection. The idea behind 2FA is simple yet effective. It requires users, upon inputting their password, to enter a code provided by an external authenticator app on their mobile devices. Though this may sound like a hassle, it provides another layer of defense when passwords fall into the wrong hands. In essence, this two-step verification process reduces the likelihood of unauthorized access, bolstering user confidence in the security of their data. #### Phone Number and Email Masking Being able to conceal your phone number and email addresses is a sure way to ward off potential threats, from phishing attempts to social engineering attacks to plain old spam. This is known as masking and is a feature recently introduced by respond.io. But beyond the average user, masking is particularly invaluable for those who manage personal sensitive data. In today’s digital world, where data breaches are increasingly common, the ability to mask contact details is not just a convenience; it's a necessity that makes it harder for unauthorized entities to exploit your users. Are you in the market for a leading customer conversation management software that takes security as seriously as its functionalities? Sign up for a [free respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register?_gl=1%2ar9e4b9%2a_ga%2aMTE4NzQwODA3OC4xNzAwNzEyMjQy%2a_ga_0EZ318H868%2aMTcwNTg4NjI3Mi41Mi4xLjE3MDU4ODc4NTQuNTAuMC4w) to experience how our advanced security measures seamlessly integrate with our suite of features. ### Further Reading If you found our insights on data security interesting, we invite you to check out the following: - Excellence Recognized: Respond.io Earns ISO Certification - December 2023 Updates: Two-Factor Authentication, Improved Platform Onboarding and Dark Mode for respond.io - Inbox - November 2023 Updates: Respond AI Agent, SAML Single Sign-on (SSO), Improved Mobile App Messaging Experience and More ## [All-in-One Messengers You Should Start Using Today](https:/respond.io/blog/5-best-all-in-one-messengers) Before all-in-one messengers came along, we are all doing it the same way: go for Whatsapp, Skype and Telegram to check personal texts from family and friends; then head to Gtalk, Facebook Messenger, HipChat and a bunch... Before all-in-one messengers came along, we are all doing it the same way: go for Whatsapp, Skype, and Telegram to check personal texts from family and friends; then head to Gtalk, Facebook Messenger, HipChat and a bunch of other apps to check for work updates. Let’s admit it: we are just tired of switching from places to places. It’s not only a mess, but it’s also slowing us down to handle other more urgent businesses on your work agenda – **it’s just hurting your business**. Sometimes, we just wonder: can we possibly connect them all and just do it in one place? Well, good news for you: we can save all the hassle with all-in-one messenger apps. All-in-one messengers can centralize all your personal and work messages in ONE location, so you can save the efforts and finally focus your energy on your business and family. ### **First of All, What are All-in-One Messengers?** If you have always use Pidgin for your business, then the phrase “all-in-one messengers” would probably be no stranger for you. Put simply, all-in-one messenger is when different communication media being merged together into one single online portal, so you can access it on various devices. What’s good about it is that it unifies your experience. So instead of having to see all those messages popping here and there, you can now streamline and manage them all in one clean flow. And, that’s not it – you can also merge them on all devices: desktop, laptop, and mobile, whatever you like, making it all the better. ### **All-in-One Messengers Vs Instant Messengers** If you get confused between all-in-one messengers and instant messengers, don’t lose your grip yet, cause plenty of us do too. The easiest way to distinguish between the two is this: basically all-in-one messenger is the unified app that integrates all the separate instant messengers that you own like Whatsapp, GChat, Hangouts and etc, and to manage them all in one single app. Now you may want to ask: wouldn’t this get more complicated if you add more apps on your device? No, it doesn’t. What’s best about it is that it actually automatically put all your apps into one app to macro manage it all on one platform. So, now you can avoid having all those notifications bombarding your device and can now finally focus on your work. **You may also want to read:** [Instant Messaging for Business: Your 10 Best Options](https://rocketbots.io/blog/top-10-instant-messengers-for-business/) ### **I’m Using Rambox All Along. Why Should I Change it?** Yes, I know. You’ve been using Rambox the entire time. It’s free, it’s customizable and you’ve already gotten used to it: why would I bother switching to another app and waste all those time starting all over? Before you bounce back to another article, ask yourself this: Is it good enough for you? Your competitors are using better software to win out the race, are you sure you want to tap out? Definitely no. And here’s the best 8 all-in-one messengers alternatives that you should start using for your company that provides more streamlined notifications, more organized messages, and better user experience. ### **1\. GroupMe** You might not know this, but [GroupMe](https://groupme.com/en-GB/) is a high-speed discussion forum under the Skype family. The user-friendly interface can better streamline all the trivial agenda into one structured flow, allowing better communication at work. #### **Take It Anywhere With You** And here’s the catch: whether you are grabbing a coffee with your phone, working in your office or using your laptop on your couch, you can still use the app on all sorts of devices. Besides, the synchronization allows you to work via SMS, so you can save the trouble of installing 20 different apps on your phone. Now, you can add anyone from your contacts and send direct messages by starting a new chat room in an instant, making it so much easier. #### **Save It For Your Pocket** If your company is on a tight budget, stress no more: the app doesn’t require any charges nor message limits, so fire as many messages as you want and you don’t have to worry about going over the limit and having the haunting bill at your back at the end of the month. #### **Goof It Up** You can also add a little bit more fun to the conversation and spice up the tedious working emails by adding GIFs and emojis, spice it all up for your hyper-energetic millennials. The system also makes photo-sharing so much easier – snap a photo and you can share it in a blink of an eye. #### **The Foursquare Integration** The Foursquare integration that they’ve recently introduced allows you to check on venues and see where your friends are. (Personally, I wouldn’t use this rat-you-out feature if you’re the type of person who’s always either – late to the night out with friends or work.) ### **2.  Disa** The unified messaging hub has open source API that integrates multiple messaging services including Telegram, Facebook Messenger, and SMS/MMS. The plugins-driven feature provides additional services at your command. You can do it either two-ways: downloading links with third-party plugins on the Google+ community, or you can develop it your own. Either way, you can create your very own device that fits your needs like a sock. #### **Customize Your Personalized Interface** With the bot support in [Disa](http://disa.im/), you can get custom notifications. Also, you can customize your own display and interface like font style, message bubble background, ringtones and LED lights, which is pretty much anything you want, designing the interface style that only you love. If you think all the messages are way too clumsy to look at, you can always merge them all into one column, building a clean and easy-to-use interface that works in your favor while keeping your device clutter-free. #### **Keep Track Of Your Conversation In Two Taps** Disa lets you easily organize your contacts and conversation only within two taps. You also don’t have to worry about losing conversation history – you can manually reload them when you create a new group chat or contact. What’s more, they are light on battery so it wouldn’t eat up all your battery juice, which is another for the win. #### **Things You Should Look Out For** With all those great things about Disa, you would’ve thought they are the one for you; but don’t go all in yet. They’ve still got a few pitfalls that bug the users a lot – the system is particularly easy to crash and you can expect there would have quite a few errors that often pop up on your screen, which could be kind of a headache for you. If you’re an active WhatsApp user, here’s a bad news for you: your favorite app wouldn’t get supported by IM+. if you’re a Telegram or Facebook Messenger user, do not consider you’re safe either: you will be asked to repeatedly authenticate your account and require multiple background process runs every time you start up the device, which could be something really annoying to deal with. ### **3.  Franz** Similar to other all-in-one messengers mentioned above, [Franz](https://meetfranz.com/) supports a selection of chat and messaging services like Telegram, Slack, Whatsapp, WeChat, HipChat, Messenger, Google Hangouts, Skype, Zendesk and many more. You can use it for free on any device you want, no matter you are using Mac or Windows, it can still work. #### **Synchronize All Your Accounts** The open-source software has its own built-in synchronization. Franz is able to manage unlimited accounts, both business and private accounts. You can use five different Facebook Messenger accounts all at the same time, so you wouldn’t have to log in and out of accounts all the time. Just sign into Franz account and you’re good to go anywhere. I know what you’re probably thinking: Is security going to be an issue? Rest assured – your username and password wouldn’t be synchronized, so you’ve got nothing to stress about. #### **Keep Your Data Safe** Whenever we’re using any technology-related apps, there’s always a strand of fear creeping at the back of your head worrying if your data is gonna get stolen. But you don’t have to worry about it anymore. Franz won’t track any of your interaction with any messaging apps.No personal data will be transmitted to Google Analytics either, so you can send your texts at peace. #### **Something You Should Worry About** Franz doesn’t support services APIs, so it makes you use the direct web interface, which is quite troublesome. It barely stores anything except typical browser cache like Chrome. Also, it doesn’t support video or phone calls, so all you can do is just send and receive messages, and nothing more than that. ### **4.  IM+** [IM+](https://plus.im/) is more commonly known as the top messaging apps from the Shape Services. If you are a person who needs to constantly keep in touch with your financial clients, this is the app for you: you can chat on Telegram, Google Talk and Messenger while checking your Coinbase exchange rates, lets you manage your messaging, social networking, and crypto services all in one app. Besides, it also supports Slack, Telegram, and Whatsapp, so you can log into multiple accounts all at once and save the trouble of logging in and out of a bundle of accounts all the time. #### **Manage Your Messaging And Crypto Apps All At Once** One thing that would probably excite all the financial people out there is that IM+ supports P2P encrypted messaging. Besides from checking both of your personal and work messages, you can also check Bitcoin, Either and other coin exchange rates all in one single app. There’s also no disturbing push in your web browser, so you can check your updates only if you want to. #### **Pump Up Your Security** IM+ has recently introduced a new feature “Off-the-Record Messaging” that is designed exclusively for the IM+ users to have a secret, encrypted conversation with each other. It uses the authentication mechanism, which is to ask security question to their users to double secure the accounts’ accessibility. Their messages are only available within that OTR session. The sender can encrypt the message and only the receiver can decrypt the very same messages, making extensive customer support even more holistic. ### **5.  Snowball** After getting an overhaul with the introduction of Snowball 2.0, it has now become the best customer support center in the market now. A list of your most used instant messengers like Whatsapp, Snapchat, SMS, Hangouts, Twitter, Line, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Slack, and Instagram are all supported by [Snowball](http://www.trysnowball.com/), and binding all those scattering messaging apps together and truly unifies your experiences. #### **Forget About Swiping Here And There** Instead of having a fixed window where you have to open and close it a million times and swapping between apps, Snowball designed a floating window where you can do smart actions like type in a quick reply without all the extra hassles. The built-in feature that Snowball have gives you an all-new notification experience. It automatically detects all your messaging apps on your phone so users can prioritize their mobile notifications by putting it on the top. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, it does: with one swipe, you can hide all the annoying notifications. In this way, you can truly streamline your messages, and make it so much easier to read and manage. #### **It’s Not As Perfect As You Thought It Is** As convenient as Snowball sounds appears to be, it could be quite cumbersome to handle in the beginning: you have to install some original apps for it to work. It would also affect resource usage as the app uses RAM on itself, which could eat up quite a bit of your memory space. Still can’t pick an all-in-one messenger that suits your need? Click [here](http://rocketbots.io/) for more All-in-One Messengers. ### **A 2018 Must-Have For Your Business** It goes without saying that all-in-one messengers are one of the must-have tools for all businesses out there this year. Managing dozens of instant messaging apps is just way too time-consuming for your business and not an economically-wise solution for your company. Integrating all the notifications into one app can help you streamline everything on your work agenda into one smooth flow, so you can focus your efforts and truly let your business grow. ## [April 2023 Updates: Respond.io is a WhatsApp BSP, Phone Number and Email Address Format Standardization and more](https:/respond.io/blog/april-2023-updates-respond-io-is-a-whatsapp-partner-phone-number-and-email-address-format-standardization-and-more) The April 2023 newsletter covers exciting news: Respond.io is now a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider! We also walk you through the new email and phone number format standardization on the platform. We took a little longer to release the April newsletter because we were sitting on some exciting news: Respond.io is now a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider! We’ve joined the exclusive group of WhatsApp BSPs worldwide to provide [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) access directly from Meta. 🚀 That’s not all — we also standardized phone number and email formats on respond.io and will be deprecating our legacy Automatically Unassign Agents feature. Scroll down to learn more. ### Respond.io is an Official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider We are proud to announce that respond.io is now a verified WhatsApp BSP! 🎉 Respond.io uses WhatsApp Cloud API, the cloud-hosted version of WhatsApp Business API. Our partnership with Meta allows you to integrate WhatsApp API directly via respond.io for faster WhatsApp updates and message delivery times at no extra fees or costs. It’s also quick and easy to get started as you’ll no longer need a Facebook Developer Account to set up WhatsApp Cloud API. Managing your WhatsApp channels on our platform will also be easier than ever and the impact it’ll have on your [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) efforts is limitless. The respond.io WhatsApp Business API will also enable you to: - Get the WhatsApp quality rating and verified status for your business number - Sync and submit WhatsApp template messages - Sync and update your WhatsApp Business Profile - Automate processes with respond.io’s Workflows automation - Obtain the WhatsApp green tick badge There’s another benefit to acquiring WhatsApp API access via respond.io: Managing your WhatsApp conversation charges easily. Read on for the details. #### New Module - WhatsApp Fees Once you’ve connected the respond.io WhatsApp Business API (the respond.io WA BSP), a new module will appear in your respond.io account. The WhatsApp Fees Module will allow you to manage your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) balance directly from respond.io. The WABA balance is used to pay for WhatsApp conversation charges. Check the charges incurred in *Usage History* to determine if you have sufficient balance in your account for uninterrupted operations. In the WhatsApp Fees Module, you can top up your WABA balance manually or configure an auto-recharge for automatic top-ups when it falls below a specified threshold. Alternatively, configure a balance alert to notify you when your balance is running low. The WhatsApp Fees Module can be found under Settings **\>** *Organization Settings* on respond.io. Switch to the respond.io WhatsApp Business API today for stable and reliable WABA service and to truly centralize your business messaging and WABA management on one platform. Learn more about the respond.io WhatsApp Business API and how to connect it [here](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start). ### Phone Numbers and Email Addresses are Now Standardized on Respond.io You wanted better phone number and email address handling, and we delivered. 💪 We’ve enhanced phone number validation, error handling and formatting capabilities for phone numbers used across the platform, including in contact imports, API, Workflows, Dialogflow, Zapier and more. This will reduce contact duplication and keep your contact databases clean. 🥳 #### A New Standard for Phone Number Formats Respond.io now formats and stores all phone numbers according to the E.164 international phone number standard. This format comprises the (+) sign, country code and subscriber number. You can input phone numbers in any format, including with spaces or the (-) sign. As long as the country code is provided, the phone number will be accepted, formatted according to the E.164 standard and stored on the platform. This update will sanitize all existing phone numbers in your respond.io contact database. Special characters will be removed and the (+) sign will be added to the start of all phone numbers. However, existing phone numbers without a country code are deemed invalid. To address this, update your contact list with phone numbers in the correct format through Zapier, APIs or Contact Import. If you opt to bulk update your contacts via Contact Import, do not use phone numbers as an identifier as invalid phone number formats will not be recognized and the update will fail. Instead, use email or Contact ID as identifiers to update your contacts’ phone numbers. This will give you a clean contact database moving forward. #### Email Addresses are Now Case Insensitive Previously, email addresses were case-sensitive. If the same email address with different capitalizations (eg abcde@respond.io versus Abcde@respond.io) was imported or added via API, the email address was not recognized. Each version was considered unique and a new contact would be created for each email address. Now, email addresses are case insensitive, so the same email address will be recognized no matter how it’s formatted during contact imports or API updates. Email address formats have been standardized for consistency and will be stored in lowercase on respond.io. #### Reduced Contact Duplication As a result of these updates, contact duplication occurrences will be reduced. Contact profiles with the same phone number in different formats (eg one with a “+” sign and one without) will be identified as a single contact. Your contact database might have duplicate contacts with the same phone number in different formats. Fret not; you will start seeing merge suggestions for these contacts. Do review these suggestions and merge the contacts to unify their profiles for a clean database. This release also features a bug fix related to phone number identifiers. The bug that duplicates contacts when a contact replies on WhatsApp Cloud API has been fixed. Contacts will be recognized regardless of whether their phone number has a (+) sign. ### Deprecation of the Automatically Unassign when Conversation is Closed Feature The Automatically Unassign when the Conversation is Closed legacy feature will be deprecated on **23 May 2023.** This feature was available in Workspaces that were created before 17th August 2022. Since then, we’ve [improved our conversation assignment logic](https://respond.io/blog/august-2021-release-the-new-contact-import-dont-unassign-when-conversation-is-closed-and-platform-localization-in-spanish?utm_campaign=august2022&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebookcom&utm_content=socialnewsletter#toc-mobile-5) so agents remain assigned to contacts by default when a conversation is closed. With the deprecation of the legacy feature, this default behavior will apply. If you would prefer to unassign agents after every conversation, use the *Assignment: Unassign After Conversation Closes* Workflow template to maintain the current behavior. This should be implemented **before 23rd May** for uninterrupted operations. Please don’t hesitate to [contact us](https://respond.io/contact) if you need help. ## [April 2024 Updates: New Meta Product Catalog Integration, Block Contact Feature and Respond AI Improvements](https:/respond.io/blog/april-2024-platform-release-new-meta-product-catalog-integration-block-contact-feature-and-respond-ai-improvements) 🚀 Explore respond.io's April 2024 update, where WhatsApp commerce, spam prevention and smart chats let you boost sales and improve customer engagement. This month’s update introduces the new Meta Product Catalog integration to enable WhatsApp commerce, the [highly requested](https://respond.canny.io/feature-request/p/block-ban-contacts-feature) Block Contact feature to prevent spam and multiple AI improvements for enhanced chat efficiency on respond.io. Let’s get into the details of these updates. ### Drive WhatsApp Commerce Conversions with the New Meta Product Catalog Integration We're introducing the Meta Product Catalog on respond.io, a powerful feature designed for businesses to effectively promote and showcase their products through an interactive product catalog. With the WhatsApp API now supporting product messages, we've seized this opportunity to provide this valuable feature so you can drive sales over chat effortlessly. Let’s look at what this update has in store for you. #### Connect your Meta Product Catalog to Respond.io By connecting your [Meta Product Catalog](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/meta-product-catalog#using_meta_product_catalog_across_modules_and_features) to respond.io, customers can discover products, ask questions, and place orders all in one continuous WhatsApp conversation without having to navigate away to a separate website or app for more product info. Below, we’ll look at how you can send product messages on respond.io. #### Enhance Engagement with Product Messages Across Various Modules Drive customer engagement by sending the entire catalog, as well as single and multiple Product Messages in the Inbox Module. Simply click on the Meta Product Catalog icon, select the appropriate product(s) based on the conversation context and send them directly to your customers. You can also send catalogs as WhatsApp product message templates through the Inbox, Workflows and Broadcasts Modules, as well as Make and Zapier Integrations. #### Integrate your Catalog with Webhooks Create webhook integrations for incoming and outgoing product messages between respond.io and Zapier or Make. This way, you can customize your Contacts shopping experience, identify top-selling products and more. ### Improved Spam Control Through Contact Blocking Empower your sales team to manage high-volume spam effectively with respond.io's Block Contact feature. By filtering out irrelevant messages, sales professionals can concentrate on building meaningful customer relationships and driving conversions. Agents can easily block a Contact from the Inbox Module, while Owners and Managers can also block Contacts from the Contacts Module. Once a Contact is blocked, the conversation will be moved to the Blocked Contacts Inbox, while the Contact will be moved to the Blocked Contact Segment in the Contacts module. If you’ve mistakenly blocked a Contact, you can [reverse the action](https://help.respond.io/automate-conversations/managing-spam#unblock_a_contact) by using the same method you used to block them. For more about this feature and the implications of blocking Contacts, read [this guide](https://help.respond.io/automate-conversations/managing-spam). ### Improve Customers’ Chatbot Experience with Respond AI's Latest Upgrades We’ve made multiple improvements to the AI Agent Workflow and Knowledge Sources to ensure smoother operational efficiency. Let’s explore the updates. #### New Exit Conditions for AI Agent Two [new AI Agent Branches](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai) have been added to ensure a smooth customer journey when the AI Agent cannot handle the conversation. The two Branches are *Failure: Speak to the Human,* and *Failure: AI is Unable to Answer*. To allow customers to speak to a human agent, toggle on *Contact Ask to Speak to a Human Agent* in the AI Agent Step. This will direct customers to the *Failure: Speak to the Human* Branch, where you can assign them to a human agent. Turn on the *Failure: AI Unable to Answer* toggle in the AI Agent Step to ensure seamless conversation handover when customers ask questions that exceed the [Knowledge Sources](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai#knowledge_sources) available to the AI Agent. You can then assign a human agent when customers fall into this Branch. #### Showing AI Agent Instructions Users can now quickly know what tasks an AI Agent is set to perform. Previously, one of the challenges of using an AI Agent in a Workflow was understanding its behavior once the Workflow is saved or published. The [Show AI Instructions](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#saving_a_workflow) button has now been added to show you a summary of the AI Agent’s behavior. #### Idle Branch Wait Time Increased for AI Agent Workflow AI Agent Workflow idle duration now has a maximum of 1 hour instead of only 15 minutes, giving your contacts more time to respond before the conversation is automatically closed. Note that you can alter the time limit when required. #### Knowledge Sources: Scheduling Website Sync You can now perform [more actions](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai#knowledge_sources) on existing Knowledge Sources. Apart from viewing the website's log information, such as the links crawled within the website, you can also schedule to recrawl the website periodically using Resync under the Actions menu. Doing so will update the current data with the most recent content on your website, keeping the Knowledge Source up to date. Other improvements this month include: - The support for text files apart from PDF files as Knowledge Sources. - AI Agent will now prioritize seeking clarification or getting more context before sending the fallback message: "I cannot find the answer in the provided context." This fallback message will only be used after the AI Agent has attempted to clarify the Contact's inquiries and if it cannot find an answer. - Error messages such as “I cannot find the answer in the provided context” are now sent in the same language as the conversation. If you’re not a respond.io user and want to experience these features and enhancements firsthand, [sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and explore our platform’s full capabilities. ## [Ask a Question: A How-To Guide ](https:/respond.io/blog/question-bot) Looking to use a question bot to collect customers’ information? Ask them open-ended or specific questions with Workflows! Looking to use a question bot to collect customers’ information? Ask them a question with Workflows! In this article, we will discuss how to ask customers open-ended or specific questions. We will also show you how to set up automated data capture by saving the responses as Contact Fields or Variables. Plus, you will learn how to use the Validation and Timeout Branches to handle invalid responses by customers. ### Ask a Question: An Introduction to Question Bot Ask a Question is a [Workflow](https://respond.io/blog/november-2021-release-workflows-module-and-send-message-templates-via-messages-api#toc-mobile-0) Step that lets you collect information from customers using a question bot. Based on the information collected, you can [route Contacts to someone who can solve their problem](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) through [Branches](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_branch). To manage customers’ expectations, you should make it obvious that they are chatting with a question bot. A simple way to do so is by adding a robot emoji at the start of every question. ### How to Ask Customers a Question In Workflows, you can ask open-ended questions or specific questions which require customers to enter their answers in a certain format. Specific question types include Phone Number, Email, Website, and Multiple Choice Questions. #### Ask Customers an Open-Ended Question Open-Ended Questions allow for a longer response and therefore are useful for collecting qualitative data and understanding customers’ issues. They provide detailed insight into the business problems customers are facing, empowering businesses to deliver better customer service. We recommend [saving the answer to an open-ended question as a Variable](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables#workflows). Subsequently, the Variable can be added to an internal [Comment](https://docs.respond.io/workflows/steps#step-add-comment) for Managers, appended to a [Google Sheet](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_add_google_sheets_row) for analysis or sent to an external CRM via an [HTTP Request](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_http_request). Remember, if customers reply to a question with multiple messages, only the first response will be recorded by the question bot. To ensure that the full response is recorded, encourage customers to limit their answers to one sentence. #### Phone Number Question Bot: Ask for a Phone Number Phone Number Questions are designed to collect phone numbers from customers. An acceptable phone number would contain the country and area codes. You should save the phone number received in the [Phone Number field](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/contact-fields#viewing-contact-fields). If you have a phone number-enabled channel like WhatsApp or SMS connected to the platform, you can reach out to your customers right away by sending them the first message from the [Channels tab](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-channels#channels). #### Email Question Bot: Ask for an Email Address Email Questions are perfect for collecting customers’ email addresses. The Email Question bot only accepts a valid email address. An example of a valid email address would be *user@email.com.* Once you have gotten your customer’s emails, send an HTTP Request to reach out to your CRM and retrieve the rest of the contact profile. If you have [connected your email account to the platform](https://help.respond.io/email/gmail#connecting_gmail), you would be able to reach out to customers via email from the [Channels tab](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-channels#channels). #### Website Question Bot: Ask for a Website In sales, websites are a useful resource for qualifying leads. A Website Question bot is useful for requesting customers’ websites. It requires customers to provide a valid URL, with or without the *http://* prefix. To save the website provided for future reference, you’ll need to create a [custom Contact Field](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/contact-fields). For lead qualification purposes, use [HTTP Request](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step-http-request) to call a data enrichment service like Clearbit. #### Ask Customers a Multiple Choice Question Multiple Choice Questions are a handy way to limit responses to a predetermined list of options. In Multiple Choice Questions, customers are required to respond with one of the options. You can create up to 10 options in a Multiple Choice Question. Each option is limited to 20 characters, which is the maximum length allowed on Channels like [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat). What’s next after customers respond? It depends on the purpose of your Multiple Choice Question bot. If your question helps to complete the Contact Profile, store the response in a Contact Field. If you are looking to understand customers' interests with your question, save the answers as [Tags](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-details#tags) and use them for sending targeted broadcasts. Want to ask further questions or [route customers to the correct agent](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) based on their response? Simply save the selected option as a [Variable](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables). Now that you know how to use a question bot, let’s discuss the ways to handle invalid or missing responses. ### Handling Invalid or Missing Responses In a real-life situation, Contacts may not provide the response you were looking for. Some of them may not respond at all. There are two ways to handle invalid or missing responses- use the Validation branch or the Timeout branch. #### Use the Validation Branch The Validation Branch helps you assist Contacts who provide an invalid response. When customers provide an answer that does not fit the necessary response type, they will arrive at the branch. In the Validation Branch, you can let Contacts know how to correct their answer and [ask the question again](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_ask_a_question). If you are looking to generate sales or support high-value customers, [assign the Contact who provided the invalid response to a live agent](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_assign_to). However, if you view customer support as a cost center, simply [close the Conversation](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_close_conversation) with the Contact. #### Use the Timeout Branch The Timeout Branch is ideal for dealing with customers who don’t respond to your question. Contacts will enter the branch if no response is received within the specified timeframe. If customer support is a competitive advantage of your company, encourage your Contacts to respond quickly, say, within 5 minutes. Then, ask the question again. Companies that treat customer support as a cost center should close the Conversation with someone who failed to respond. And that’s everything you need to know about the Ask a Question Step. Respond.io’s Workflows help you request customer data effortlessly with a question bot. You can then store the responses through automated data capture and use them to make better decisions. ### Further Reading If you would like to learn more about Workflows, check out these articles: - Automatic Assignment with respond.io - Contact Routing with respond.io - How to Send an Away Message for Business ## [August 2021 Release 2: Enterprise Plan & Limit Changes, WhatsApp API Feature Support Improvements and Messages Data Export](https:/respond.io/blog/august-2021-release-2-enterprise-plan-and-limit-changes-whatsapp-api-feature-support-improvements-and-messages-data-export) In this update, we’ll reveal a new pricing plan and some platform limit changes. Plus we’ve also made some major WhatsApp API feature support upgrades, especially for 360dialog and Vonage Accounts. That’s not all, we’ve also improved our mobile notifications, enabled the reply-to function for incoming messages & made data export for messages possible! > We've deprecated support for MessageBird (Bird), Vonage, Twilio and 360dialog WhatsApp APIs to focus on our WhatsApp Business Platform (API) as part of our commitment to providing customers with valuable, innovative and reliable messaging solutions to drive business results. To continue engaging with your Contacts, [migrate to our WhatsApp Business Platform (API)](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/phone-number-migration-to-respond-whatsapp-business-api). A second platform release in a month? Yes, that’s right! Things are moving fast and we can’t wait to share these new improvements with you. In this update, we’ll announce a new pricing plan and we’ve also addressed several highly requested features! 🎉 Without further ado, we introduce you to: - New Enterprise Plan & Existing Plan Adjustments - WhatsApp API Feature Support Improvements - Messages Data Export - Bits & Bobs ### New Enterprise Plan & Existing Plan Adjustments As time goes on, our customers have evolved and so has our platform. It’s time to optimize plans to cater to businesses of different sizes. On top of the Free, Pro and Business Plans, we're introducing a new Enterprise Plan on **30th August 2021.** While the pricing remains the same for our Pro and Business Plans, there are new limitations for these plans. However, **all Organizations currently subscribed to Pro and Business are still entitled to unlimited Users & Spaces.** If you cancel or change plans, you will move to the new Pro & Business Plans with additional limitations. These limitations are 10 Users plus 1 Space for Pro, and 25 Users plus 3 Spaces for Business. The Reports Module is also limited to Business Plan or higher. The new Enterprise Plan starts at 40,000 Contacts for $399, with plans available all the way up to 300,000 Contacts. Feel free to reach out to our sales team if you need even more. We’ve also reserved some Enterprise features for Enterprise Plan customers. These features include: - Unlimited Users - Unlimited Spaces with Advanced Space Management - A Dedicated Success Manager - Data Export for Contacts, Conversations & Messages For any further concerns or inquiries regarding the limit changes or for those interested in the Enterprise Plan, feel free to reach out to our [Sales and/or Customer Support](https://respond.io/contact) team. ### WhatsApp API Feature Support Improvements Over the last few months, we have made numerous improvements to our WhatsApp API Template Message functionality. Today we will take the time to explain them in detail. Here is a summary of improvements we have made: - WhatsApp API Message Template Submission & Syncing (New for Vonage) - WhatsApp API Message Template Broadcast Improvements - WhatsApp API Reply-To Function (New This Release) - WhatsApp API Interactive Session Messages #### WhatsApp API Template Message Submission & Syncing To support Multimedia & Interactive Message Templates, we have implemented Message Template syncing. Those using 360dialog are now able to Submit or Sync their Multimedia & Interactive Message Templates and send them from respond.io. Vonage WhatsApp API Users will be able to sync starting August 30th. For now, Twilio & Messagebird Users will still need to use the old method of adding their templates before sending. However, there are feature requests for [Twilio](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request/p/twilio-whatsapp-api-sync-templates-create-templates-for-approval-from-respondio) & [Messagebird](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request/p/messagebird-whatsapp-api-sync-templates-create-templates-for-approval-from-respo) support here. Plus, these Message Templates are no longer limited to just text. With the syncing functionality, you can now create Media Message Templates with images, videos and documents. They also come with a Call-to-Action and Quick Reply button. When you’re done creating and ready to submit your Message Templates, fill in the sample values to help WhatsApp understand the purpose and context of your message. Any submission with no sample values will be rejected. After submission, you’ll be able to see the status for each of these templates: - If it’s Submitted, it’s still under review and pending approval. - If it's Approved, it can now be used to message Contacts. - If it's Rejected, you can't use it. In this update, the Rejection Reason is shown to help you understand why the templates got rejected. Want to check if the template has been approved? Just sync your templates to get the latest status! For more tips crafting Message Templates, feel free to reach out to our [Customer Support](https://respond.io/contact) team or read our [WhatsApp Message Template](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) guide. #### WhatsApp API Message Template Broadcast Improvements We’ve made it possible to send templates via both the Messages module and the Broadcast module. Two improvements requested by our Users were: - A Preview of the Broadcast - Allow Dynamic Variables in Buttons. We’ve added both! Custom Field Values can be used in buttons using Dynamic Variable and text, image, video, document with CTA buttons can be previewed before sending. Reducing the risk of any mistakes. #### WhatsApp API Reply To Function for Incoming Messages One of the biggest frustrations of using WhatsApp API for our customers has been Contacts replying to specific messages by saying *this*. This function will be released for 360dialog WhatsApp API Users for incoming messages on August 3oth. If you’d like to see this implemented for [Twilio,](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request/p/twilio-whatsapp-api-showing-reply-context-for-incoming-messages) [Messagebird](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request/p/messagebird-whatsapp-api-showing-reply-context-for-incoming-messages) or [Vonage](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request/p/vonage-whatsapp-api-showing-reply-context-for-incoming-messages) please vote! We’d also like to implement this [feature for outgoing messages](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request/p/allow-user-to-reply-to-a-specific-message-from-a-contact), but there are currently no channels that support this yet. #### WhatsApp API Interactive Session Messages Last but not least, WhatsApp Interactive Session Messages in the form of Reply Buttons and List Messages are now available to 360dialog and Vonage Users. The Reply Buttons feature up to 3 options, while List Messages feature up to 10 options. This new interactive way of messaging replaces messages with text-based number options. From Facebook’s testing with chatbots, they found that messages sent with interactive features achieved significantly higher response and conversion rates! There are 2 ways to send Interactive Messages from respond.io: Survey & Quick Replies. 360dialog & Vonage Users can send these messages as a Survey, but only 360dialog Users can send interactive Quick Replies via the Facebook Response Template in Dialogflow. For our [Twilio](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request?search=twilio) and [Messagebird](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request?search=messagebird) WhatsApp Users, we hear you too. To speed things up, you can [upvote the feature requests](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request) and keep track of the progress on our [Roadmap](https://roadmap.respond.io/). ### Bits and Bobs This wouldn’t be a respond.io release without Bits and Bobs. This month we've got Messages Data Export, Reply-to Function for Incoming Messages and Mobile Notification Improvements. #### Messages Data Export Need deeper insights into your messaging history to help you with important decision-making processes? We’ve got you. Starting this release, all Enterprise, Reseller & Custom Plan accounts will be able to export messages in CSV format from our platform. 🎉 #### Reply-To Function for Incoming Messages We've briefly mentioned supporting reply-to functions for incoming messages as part of our WhatsApp improvements. Besides 360dialog WhatsApp, the reply-to function is also applicable to other messaging apps like Instagram, Facebook, and Telegram. For businesses that use the Channels mentioned to communicate with their Contacts, this new improvement maintains conversation context with a Contact whenever they reply to a particular message. If you're looking to having the reply-to function for outgoing messages as well, please [upvote your request here](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request/p/allow-user-to-reply-to-a-specific-message-from-a-contact). #### Mobile Notification Improvements Currently, mobile notifications are only sent to those who are Offline and have opted in to receive the notifications. We understand this has caused some confusion to our Users with how the notification behaviour was designed. To fix this, Users will now receive mobile notifications for New Messages & New Contacts Assigned by default - whether they’re Online, Busy or Offline. If you prefer the old notification behaviour, simply check *Only send mobile notifications when I am Offline.* #### Adjustments to RB\_NOTIFY Dialogflow Parameter The RB\_NOTIFY Dialogflow Parameter will no longer send an email to all users on the platform. However, Mobile & Web Notifications will still be sent. The notification will also still appear in the Notification Centre. ## [August 2023 Updates: Respond AI, Workflow Improvements, Quick Access to Resources and More](https:/respond.io/blog/august-2023-updates-respond-ai-workflow-improvements-quick-access-to-resources-and-more) We released a slew of updates this August, from the new Respond AI for improved conversations to Workflow enhancements that give you more control over your automation We have a ton of announcements and new releases this month, but first things first: G2 has [awarded respond.io](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/respondio_respondio-businessmessaging-customersupport-activity-7110148404785152000-s5tE?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop) with the Leader badge in customer communication management, an honor given only to top-rated software! To give you an idea of how we earned that distinction, check out updates ranging from the new Respond AI to our mobile app improvements, as well as respond.io’s green CSR campaign with Tree-nation. 🥳 Let’s dive in. ### Upgrade Your Messaging Game with Respond AI The promise of artificial intelligence continues to shape all industries, including the way businesses engage with customers. We’ve developed Respond AI to provide you with the best customer experiences possible over conversations. #### Improve Your Messages with Respond AI Prompts AI Prompts help agents communicate with customers clearly and effectively. After composing a message in the Messages Module, click the [magic wand button](https://rspd.link/HOC3) in the navigation below the message composer. By default, [four prompt options](https://rspd.link/HOC3) will appear: - Make Response Clearer: Ensure your messages are easy to read and coherent. - Adjust Response Tone: Modify the tone of your messages based on customer mood and type of inquiry. For example, if a customer is facing issues, change your message to have an empathetic tone. - Remove Writing Errors: Ensure professional communication by eliminating spelling and grammatical mistakes. - Translate Response: Overcome language barriers by instantly translating your messages to languages such as Arabic and Spanish. Select your desired prompt and Respond AI will revise and improve the message in the Messages Composer accordingly. #### Add and Prioritize Custom Prompts You’re not limited to the default prompt options. Create and add unique prompts that fit your needs using the [Respond AI Setting](https://rspd.link/HOCD). To add prompts, click + Add Custom Prompt, name your prompt and specify what you want it to do. Keep in mind that while you can delete any added prompts, you can’t delete the default ones. However, you can toggle them off to prioritize your custom prompts. #### Respond AI Credits Respond AI operates with an [Organization-wide credit system](https://rspd.link/HOCH). What does this mean? Each Organization has a fixed number of monthly Respond AI Credits shared among all its Workspaces. The number of credits depends on your respond.io plan. We’re continuously improving Respond AI, with more releases due in the coming weeks. Keep an eye out for updates. ### New Workflow Improvements Change the way you work with additions we’ve made to our web platform. Using respond.io has never been easier or more powerful. #### Test Your Workflow Before Publishing You can now [test new Workflows](https://rspd.link/HOCV) to ensure they work as intended before publishing them. 🥳 When a Workflow is ready, click the *Test* button and follow the instructions that appear in the dialog box. You’ll be able to experience the automation as customers would. If your Workflow includes trigger variables, these can be tested too to ensure values are stored and used as intended. Once you’re done testing the Workflow, click the *End Testing* button in the dialog box. #### New Branch Category: Last Outgoing Message & Last Outgoing Message Source The *Last Outgoing Message Branch* category scans your most recent outbound message for specific keywords or content. If the last outbound message contains keywords that match the values set in the Branch condition, the Contact will go down a specified Workflow journey. A possible use case is incorporating this into a Workflow to follow up on broadcasts. This Branch category lets you determine if the conversation was initiated in response to a particular broadcast, enabling you to design a tailored Workflow journey for this Contact. The *Last Outgoing Message Source* can identify if the source of your most recent outbound message was a User, Workflow, Broadcast, bot, or other source. This is useful for creating an automated response Workflow for all replies to broadcasts. ### Access Respond.io Resources at a Click The new [Resource Center](https://rspd.link/HOCg) button is your central hub for information. The button, or question mark widget, can be found on the bottom right of the web app. Accessing respond.io's resources, like the Help Center, Business Academy and customer support has never been more convenient. If you find the Resource Center button distracting or annoying, you can [disable it](https://rspd.link/HOCj) by clicking on the *Help* menu button in the side navigation bar and toggling off the Resource Center button. ### Ensure Only Relevant Events Open Conversations We’ve revamped and standardized the behavior of events that open conversations for all channels. This update ensures that only supported conversational messages and ad events will open a conversation. Supported events include: - Facebook Chat menu button clicks - Adding a friend on Line, WeChat, and Viber - Get Started actions on Facebook, Telegram, and Webchat. As a result, unsupported messages, story reactions, non-ad referral events and postback events will no longer open conversations, saving your agents’ time. #### Legacy Channel Behavior To ensure minimal disruptions to your existing Workflows and operations, we have included a toggle in Settings to enable legacy channel behavior in this update. For existing Workspaces, the toggle is switched on by default to maintain the current channel behavior in your existing Workflows automation. However, note that this legacy behavior will be deprecated in the near future. Turn off the toggle if you want to experience the new standardized behavior and allow only supported conversational messages and ad events to open a conversation. ### Welcome Your Customers on Messenger We have introduced a new toggle in your [Facebook Messenger configuration](https://rspd.link/HOCK). When toggled on, your customers will see a welcome screen when they land on your business's Facebook Messenger chat. The welcome screen includes the name and responsiveness of your business, the profile picture and cover photo from your Facebook Page, an optional greeting message, and the *Get Started* button for customers to start chatting with you easily. ### Improved Conversations on the Respond.io — Inbox App We’ve added several new updates to respond.io - Inbox app for an improved user experience on mobile. Check out the highlights below. #### Send Multiple Files Simultaneously Previously, you were limited to selecting only one media file per message. That meant if you had five files, you would have to upload and send five separate messages to customers. With the new update, you can select multiple media files and preview them before sending them to your customer, all in the same message. #### WhatsApp Template Filters When selecting a WhatsApp Message Template, you no longer have to scroll through or manually search for a particular template within the list. Now, you can categorize and filter templates by Categories, Languages and Labels. You can also readily view your most recently used templates, so templates you use frequently are easily accessible. #### Improved Email Channel Composer Previously, you couldn’t reply to specific emails in the message composer. Now, the email message subject line is now always visible and displayed upfront with the email body, providing better visibility on which email you’re responding to for context. To do this, just press *Reply* on the message you want to respond to. Compose your email and hit send. It’s as easy as that. You can also start a new email thread by editing the Subject line. #### Other Noteworthy Improvements To create a more consistent messaging experience between the respond.io platform and mobile app, mentions in the comment section and dynamic variables in the messaging console will now be highlighted when typed. Furthermore, a notification badge will appear on your Respond.io - Inbox app icon when you receive a new mobile notification. This alerts you to unread messages, comment mentions or other notifications you might have missed. ### Respond.io’s Plant to Stop Poverty CSR Campaign To celebrate the launch of the Respond.io Business Academy, we have collaborated with tree-nation to make a difference in the world. For every person who signs up on the [Respond.io Business Academy](https://academy.respond.io/) before 12 October 2023, one tree will be planted in their name in Tanzania. Our program focuses on: - Planting trees in rural and nature reserve areas. - Preserving endangered species and preventing deforestation. - Restoring topsoil, preventing erosion, and safeguarding water sources. - Boosting local income and food sources through fruits, buts and fodder products. [Sign up](https://app.respond.io/user/register) for the Respond.io Business Academy today and leave your green legacy while you learn. ## [Auto-Reply Message for Business: Enhance the Customer Experience](https:/respond.io/blog/auto-reply-message-for-business) Respond to customers quickly with auto reply message for business. Keep up with large volume of messages while improving effiency and productivity. Today's businesses need to respond to customers quickly or they’ll get left behind. Instantaneous communication has become the norm because of the rapid advancement in technology. As such, businesses need to be ready to respond to queries and concerns in real-time. Enter auto-reply messages for businesses. In this article, we’ll learn what is an auto-reply message or an automated reply, why use it, auto-reply message sample for business and where you can use auto-replies. ### What is an Auto-Reply Message for Business? An auto-reply message, or an automated reply, refers to an automated response that is triggered by a specific event or action, like receiving a message on an instant messaging app. It is used to inform the sender that their message has been received. Not only can auto-replies be set up on channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply), [Messenger](https://respond.io/search?query=auto+reply#:~:text=Facebook%20Messenger%20Auto%20Reply%3A%20A%20How%2DTo%20Guide%20%5BAugust%202023%5D), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-auto-reply), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-auto-reply), [WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-auto-reply) and [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-auto-reply), but also on [Facebook comments](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-comment-auto-reply). But why should businesses use an automated reply to respond to customers? ### 5 Reasons Why You Need An Automated Reply Businesses with a large customer base receive a large volume of messages. These can overwhelm agents, especially when they are expected to reply to these messages quickly. An auto-reply message comes in handy because it bridges the time gap between a customer's query and an agent’s response. However, that’s not all an automated reply can do for your business. Here are 5 reasons why you should use auto-reply messages for your business. #### Automated Reply: Promptly Reply to Customer Inquiries First impressions matter. An instant acknowledgment of a customer’s message via an auto-reply can make all the difference. Knowing that their query has been received can enhance their overall experience. It also sets the tone of the conversation moving forward. A prompt response communicates a sense of professionalism and attentiveness. #### Automated Reply: Save Agents’ Time With the sheer volume of queries businesses receive daily, it's impossible to address each one instantly. Auto-replies free up agents’ time as they eliminate the need to manually compose greetings or introduction messages. Basically, auto-replies act as a buffer against incoming messages. This time-saving aspect allows your team to engage with more customers effectively and efficiently. #### Automated Reply: Ensure Consistency in Communication Auto-replies guarantee that every customer receives a standardized, polished response even when agents are handling a heavy workload. Sending the same message helps your team deliver consistent information about your business. This consistency builds trust and reliability and enhances the overall customer experience #### Automated Reply: Maintain Brand Reputation Every point of communication is an opportunity to reinforce your brand's image. Well-crafted auto-replies can reflect your brand's personality, whether it's professional, playful, or empathetic, ensuring you leave a positive impression every time. Furthermore, a prompt reply can show a customer that their time and concerns are valued. This gives customers a better perception of your business and brand. #### Automated Reply: Set Up Auto-Replies for Various Situations The beauty of auto-reply messages lies in their versatility. Whether it's an out-of-office note, a festive greeting or an FAQ menu, these messages can be tailored for different situations and channels. In the next section, we’ll look at the types of auto-replies you can send and provide examples you can use. ### Auto-Reply Message Samples for Your Business Now that you know the benefits of using an automated reply for your business, it’s time to draft them. If you don’t know how to, no worries. Here are 12 auto-reply message samples that you can use for your business. #### Auto-Reply Message Samples for Your Business: Away Messages You can send [away messages](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business) for all kinds of situations, whether it’s due to general unavailability, like during weekends or during specific events like holidays. 1. "Hey there! We’re currently out of the office but will be back on [date]. Hang tight, and We'll get back to you then." 2. "HI [Customer Name]. We're currently celebrating [Holiday/Event], but don't worry. We'll get back to you on [Date]. Cheers! 🥳" And remember, always make sure that you let your customers know when you’ll be back. #### Auto-Reply Message Samples for Your Business: Greeting Messages Welcoming customers, especially new ones, is crucial for a good first impression. Just as a warm handshake or a welcoming smile sets a positive tone in face-to-face interactions, greeting messages play the same role on instant messaging apps. 1. "Hey there! Thanks for stopping by. How can I make your day awesome? 😊" 2. "Hello [Customer Name], thanks for reaching out. What can we do for you today? " This helps you to establish rapport as soon as the customer messages you. #### Auto-Reply Message Samples for Your Business: Temporary Unavailability Messages Sometimes, the number of inquiries will temporarily outstrip the availability of agents and agents are unable to reply readily. 1. Whoa! We're swamped with messages right now, but hang tight. You are important to us!" 2. “We are currently experiencing a high volume of incoming messages. We will get to you as soon as we can." This category of auto-replies is a reassuring hand on the customer's shoulder, assuring them of the business's commitment and their attention. #### Auto-Reply Message Samples for Your Business: Emergency and Update Notices Every system has its off days or bugs. But the way businesses handle these hiccups can make or break their reputation. 1. "Uh-oh! We're having some tech hiccups right now. Hang tight while we get things sorted. 🛠️" 2. "Our apologies if you’re facing any issues. Our system is under maintenance. In the meantime, we are here to assist you with whatever you need." Emergency and update auto-replies set expectations with your customers and keep them in the loop when things don’t go as planned. #### Auto-Reply Message Samples for Your Business: FAQ Link Proactive problem-solving can drastically enhance the user experience. FAQs auto-replies act as a guide, pointing customers to resources that can address their queries directly and enhancing efficiency. 1. "Hey there [Customer Name]. If you have a question, please check out our FAQs [FAQ link]. If you still need assistance, type in “Yes”, and someone will be with you soon" 2. “Got questions?🤔 Our crew's on the way to you. You can also tap here [FAQ link] for our FAQ section. Your answer might be just a click away!” Thus, in this situation, an FAQ link or menu can resolve commonly asked issues that the customer is facing. #### Auto-Reply Message Samples for Your Business: Feedback Collection Actively seeking out customers’ opinions on their brand experience can highlight weaknesses in your agents, processes or systems. Obtain valuable insights from your customers so that you can improve customer conversations. 1. "Hey, [Customer Name]. How well did we serve you today? Let us know on a scale of 1 - 10, from very bad to excellent. Thanks in advance for your response." 2. "We loved chatting with you! Did you like talking to us? Let us know by giving us a 👍 or 👎" For best results, you should tweak these samples so that they fit your business and your customers. But if you want to create an automated reply from scratch, take a look at these best practices when drafting one. ### Best Practices for Setting Up Auto-Reply Messages When crafted with care, an automated reply doesn't just enhance operational efficiency. It also improves the user experience as customers are being attended to immediately, even if there aren’t any agents available at that moment. Here are 5 best practices to keep in mind when drafting an auto-reply message for your business. #### Keep It Clear and Concise Your auto-reply should efficiently convey information. Avoid writing lengthy sentences if possible. Use direct, concise messaging to avoid overwhelming your customers. Remember, you might not know who your customers are. They might not be familiar with industry or technical terms. So opt for simple, jargon-free language. This ensures everyone understands your message right away, saving your agents time in the long run. #### Set Expectations Upfront When sending an automated reply, make sure that your customer has the relevant information. This can include your out-of-office hours, system crashes, collecting customer feedback, and others. This manages your customers’ expectations and fosters patience. #### Add a Personal Touch While a message may be automated, it shouldn't feel robotic. Tailor your replies based on your target audience's expectations. For a younger, informal audience, a casual tone might work better. Meanwhile, corporate clients might expect a formal response. Personalization, like using a customer's first name, can make the message sound more genuine. It can feel like you’re talking to customers rather than talking at them. #### Time Your Replies Appropriately Remember, the relevance of auto-replies is often tied to specific time frames. It's essential to turn off certain types, like out-of-office or holiday messages, once they are no longer applicable. This prevents confusion and ensures your communication remains current. Incorporating these best practices ensures that your auto-replies not only fulfill their primary function but also serve as an extension of your brand's voice and values. They're a subtle yet powerful tool to nurture trust, showcase professionalism, and solidify customer relations. Now that you’ve got the tools to craft engaging auto-reply messages let’s look at the mediums where you can implement them. ### Where Can You Implement an Automated Reply? You can use auto-reply messages on various messaging apps like [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply), [WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-auto-reply) and [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-auto-reply). However, using auto-replies on these apps has limits. For example, on the WhatsApp Business App, you’re limited to setting up one automated reply for an away message and a greeting message each. This may be sufficient if you’re running a small business. But as your business grows, you’ll need more flexibility in the auto-reply messages you can use. By connecting these messaging channels to a customer conversation management software like respond.io, you automate reply messages, [contact routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio), [agent assignments](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) and more. #### Auto-Reply for Business Wins on Respond.io Businesses in various industries like [real estate](https://respond.io/industry/real-estate), [hospitality](https://respond.io/industry/hospitality), [e-commerce](https://respond.io/industry/ecommerce) and more can take advantage of respond.io’s powerful features to create and send auto-replies. For example, a real estate agent could set up an auto-reply message that asks the customer the time, date and property they would like to view, whereas an e-commerce site could send a post-purchase message that asks a customer to join a loyalty program. You can do all this through the automation builder in the [Workflows Module](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview), businesses can automate responses based on customers’ inquiries. You can also capture contact information by asking for their [email or phone number](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/identify-contacts-by-email-and-phone-number#ask_for_a_phone_number_or_email_using_workflows) to identify if they are an existing customer. This context helps agents provide better support to customers, increasing customer engagement and satisfaction. You can send [greeting and away messages](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/automated-welcome-and-away-messages) and set up [FAQ menus](https://help.respond.io/inbound-conversations/create-automated-chat-menus), [feedback collection messages](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/send-csat-and-save-data#set_up_your_google_sheet_crm_or_data_warehouse_to_receive_survey_data), and more. You can also create personalized auto-replies by using [dynamic variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables). And that’s it. That’s what you need to know about auto-reply messages for business. Use the samples provided to get started and modify them to suit your needs best. ### Further Reading Did you find this article useful? Check out these other blogs that will help you manage customer conversations: - Spam Management: Clear Your Inbox Clutter - Chat Routing: How to Build a Chat Route to the Right Team - Turbocharge Your Conversation Management with Auto Assignment ## [Best 6 Twilio Alternatives: Comparing Features and Pricing](https:/respond.io/blog/twilio-alternative) Compare the best 6 Twilio alternatives and learn their features, pricing, limitations, and ratings and reviews Twilio is a cloud-based communication platform that enables developers to integrate voice, messaging, and video capabilities into applications through APIs. However, if you find that Twilio is inadequate for your use, you should consider using a Twilio alternative. Read on to find out why you should consider alternatives to Twilio, what the qualities are to look for, and what platforms you should pick. ### Why Should You Consider a Twilio Alternative? If you need workarounds to make Twilio work for your business, then it’s time to consider using an alternative to Twilio. Here are the reasons why Twilio might not be the platform for your business. #### Twilio Is Costly for Smaller Businesses Twilio can be expensive. Each service that Twilio offers needs to be paid for. Outbound SMS, inbound SMS, marketing campaigns, routing conversations, and automation are just some examples of features that need to be paid for. And to make the most out of Twilio, you’ll need to use several services at once. This makes it too expensive for smaller businesses to make full use of Twllio unless they have the scale. #### Missing Features You Require While Twilio has many features, the features you need might not be available. From reporting and analytics to automation, every feature missing can lead to lost time or missed opportunities. For example, [merging duplicate contacts](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) or [AI Agents](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-ai-agent) could be features that are crucial for your business. Even the number of channels like [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business), [Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) and [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business), or other third-party software integrations such as [Hubspot](https://help.respond.io/zapier/hubspot), [Salesforce](https://help.respond.io/zapier/salesforce), [Pipedrive](https://help.respond.io/zapier/pipedrive), [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/zapier) or [Make](https://help.respond.io/integrations/make). #### Complex Platform to Use Twilio is mainly built for developers. Its tools require users to have coding expertise and a deep understanding of APIs to fully utilize. Setting up workflows, integrating multiple communication channels, or customizing automation often involves writing code or working with technical documentation that can overwhelm non-technical users. Without dedicated technical teams, it’s difficult to integrate Twilio into business processes seamlessly. #### Limited Customer Support The default customer support that Twilio provides is very limited. On the default plan, Twilio users are only allowed access to web support with no guaranteed response time. If you need guaranteed support times and live chat support, you’ll need to pay at least $250.00 per month. For smaller businesses, they need to accept slow response times, even when they are facing major technical issues. This itself could be a deal breaker for many companies. So, you heard of the issues that businesses might have about Twilio. What are factors you need to consider when looking for an alternative to Twilio? ### 6 Key Qualities to Look for in Twilio Alternatives When searching for a Twilio alternative, focus on platforms that cater to your business needs while addressing most, if not all, of Twilio's limitations. Whether your focus is [omnichannel communication](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication), reliability, scalability, or automation, the best Twilio alternatives should meet these core criteria By prioritizing these features, you can ensure your business has a communication solution that meets needs and supports your growth. Here are the key capabilities to prioritize in your search and why they matter for your communication strategy. #### 1\. Omnichannel Capabilities The best Twilio alternatives have an omnichannel inbox, consolidating all channels into a single platform. This allows businesses to manage conversations from one interface instead of juggling between tools, ensuring a consistent customer experience. An omnichannel inbox has additional features like [merging duplicate contacts](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-7) from multiple channels and the ability to [monitor agent performance](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-9) through analytics. A true omnichannel platform should also support voice call channels like [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-voice-call) or [VoIP](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration). #### 2\. Stable and Reliable Platform Reliability is paramount when it comes to customer communication. A platform with high uptime ensures your business stays connected with minimal interruptions. This is particularly crucial for industries like healthcare, finance, and e-commerce, where even brief downtimes can lead to significant customer dissatisfaction and revenue loss. Also consider stability of a platform whenever a new feature is released. Features like [TikTok Messaging Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-messaging-ads) should work reliably when used. #### 3\. Built for Scale Adding on from the previous section, as a business expands, their communication needs become more complex. A strong alternative to Twilio should be capable of handling high volumes of messages without sacrificing performance. Scalability is especially important for businesses that experience seasonal spikes or rapid growth. #### 4\. Advanced Automation Capabilities Businesses that use Twilio tend to send and receive messages at fairly large scales. Therefore, a good Twilio alternative should have advanced automation capabilities to send [auto reply messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply), [route inbound messages](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio), [qualify leads](https://help.respond.io/convert-leads/how-to-automatically-qualify-contacts-based-on-budget-using-ai-agent), and more. Ideally, these capabilities should be present in a no-code automation builder that allows non-technical users to build. #### 5\. Ease of Use Software that requires a steep learning curve or technical expertise can hinder business operations. A great Twilio alternative should prioritize ease of use, featuring an intuitive interface and straightforward setup processes. Businesses should be able to deploy the platform and train teams quickly, without needing to rely on technical specialists. A good Twilio alternative should be intuitive. Businesses shouldn’t require dedicated technical teams to set up and use the software. #### 6\. Excellent Customer Support Team Access to reliable customer support can make or break your experience with a communication platform. As business messaging tools are long term investments, it’s crucial you get adequate support to improve their overall success. A good support team should minimize downtime and disruptions, guidance for complex integrations, onboarding and proactive problem resolution, Look for providers with comprehensive and responsive assistance, ensuring issues are addressed promptly. Now that you know what to look for in Twilio alternatives, let’s check out the top 6 options for you. ### 6 Best Twilio Alternatives In this section, we’ll go over the best alternatives to Twilio, highlighting some of the best options available. We’ll go through the features, limitations, pricing, and ratings and review. #### #1 Twilio Alternative: Respond.io Respond.io stands out as a robust solution for businesses looking to unify their messaging efforts. It offers a centralized platform for managing multiple messaging channels with advanced automation tools, making it an ideal choice for businesses that need to scale efficiently. ##### Respond.io Best Features - Scale conversations with stability and reliability: Respond.io supports high volumes of incoming and outgoing messages without taking a performance penalty. - Excellent customer support: Human agents are available via chat or call 24/5 and in multiple languages including English, Chinese, Arabic and Spanish. Additionally, there's 24/7 AI support. - Comprehensive channel and software integration: Seamlessly connects with CRMs, e-commerce platforms, and other business tools through Zapier and Make - Advanced reports and analytics: Get an overview of how your team and campaigns are performing from closed conversations to the number of broadcasts sent. - AI Agent: Respond.io’s AI Agent is a built-in assistant that automates chats and calls. It can do multiple tasksAnswers FAQsQualifies leadsUnderstands voice messagesFollows up on conversations, greets callersAnswers basic questionsCloses chats politelyGenerates call transcripts - Answers FAQs - Qualifies leads - Understands voice messages - Follows up on conversations, greets callers - Answers basic questions - Closes chats politely - Generates call transcripts Unlike traditional single-model bots, Respond.io’s upgraded AI processes only the steps needed for each task, making responses faster, more accurate and more cost-efficient. And when a human steps in, User Takeover ensures the AI stops instantly, keeping every handoff clean and controlled across all modules. - AI Assist: supports human agents with reply drafting, translation and tone consistency. - Full chat and voice coverage: As an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider, respond.io supports WhatsApp Business Calling API and even VoIP, allowing businesses to manage calls and messages in one platform. - Ease of use: Respond.io is built to be as user friendly as possible even to non-technical teams. ##### Respond.io Limitations - Not built for developers: Respond.io doesn’t offer granular level of control of the platform. That being said, it has an API to enable developers to integrate messaging capabilities into their existing platforms or applications. - Learning curve: Users unfamiliar with automation builders might have some trouble setting up Workflows of complex operations on the first try. ##### Respond.io Pricing It has [4 pricing](https://respond.io/pricing) tiers: - Starter from $79 per month - Growth from $159 per month - Advanced from $ 279 per month - Enterprise which has a custom pricing plan ##### Respond.io Ratings and Reviews Respond.io has very positive reviews from [G2](https://www.g2.com/products/respond-io/reviews) with 4.8 out of 5 starts with 253 reviews and [Capterra](https://www.capterra.com/p/179311/Rocketbots/) with 4.2/5 stars with 12 reviews. #### #2 Twilio Alternative: Wati If your business primarily relies on WhatsApp for customer communication, Wati offers a focused and intuitive solution. Designed for SMEs, Wati is easy to set up and comes with basic automation features. ##### Wati Best Features - WhatsApp API specialist: Tailored solutions for WhatsApp Business API. - Shared inbox: Facilitates team collaboration on customer inquiries. - Quick setup: Wati is an intuitive platform that’s mainly focused on SMEs. ##### Wati Limitations - Limited channel support: Primarily focuses on WhatsApp, with minimal support for other platforms. - Basic analytics: Analytics tools are not as advanced as other platforms. ##### Wati Pricing It has 3 pricing tiers: - Growth from $49 per month - Pro from $ 99 per month - Business from $ 299 per month ##### Wati Ratings and Reviews Wati has positive reviews with 4.6 out of 5 starts from [G2](https://www.g2.com/products/wati/reviews) and 4.7 out of 5 starts from [Capterra](https://www.capterra.com/p/204314/WATI/). #### #3 Twilio Alternative: Telnyx Telnyx is a developer-friendly platform offering APIs for messaging and voice. Its affordability and global reach make it a strong contender for businesses seeking cost-effective Twilio alternatives. ##### Telnyx Best Features - Programmable APIs: Offers flexibility for custom voice and messaging solutions. - Global reach: Facilitates international communication with competitive rates. - Advanced security: Focuses on secure communications with encryption options. ##### Telnyx Limitations - Steep learning curve: API integrations can be challenging for non-technical users. - Unintuitive UI: The interface may not be as user-friendly as competitors. ##### Telnyx Pricing SMS starts at $0.0025 per message, with custom pricing for voice services based on usage ##### Telnyx Ratings and Reviews It has 4.7 out 5 stars on both [G2](https://www.g2.com/products/telnyx-cpaas/reviews) and [Capterra](https://www.capterra.com/p/173804/Telnyx/) with 291 and 122 reviews respectively. #### #4 Twilio Alternative: Sinch Sinch supports a variety of communication channels, including SMS, email, and voice, making it a versatile option for businesses looking for omnichannel capabilities. ##### Sinch Best Features - Omnichannel messaging: Supports popular messaging channels like SMS, MMS, RCS, email, Facebook and Instagram. - Voice and video APIs: Enables seamless in-app communication. - User verification: Offers solutions for multi-channel verification. - Global coverage: Operates in over 60 countries. - Developer tools: Extensive documentation and SDKs for integration. ##### Sinch Limitations - Limited integrations: Fewer native integrations with third-party tools. - Variable support response: Users report inconsistent support response times. ##### Sinch Pricing SMS starts at $0.0078 per message, with custom pricing available upon request. ##### Sinch Ratings and Reviews Users on [G2](https://www.g2.com/products/sinch/reviews) rates Sinch at 3.9 out of 5 stars with 29 reviews. #### #5 Twilio Alternative: Bandwidth Bandwidth is a U.S.-centric platform offering reliable voice and SMS services. Its focus on compliance and carrier-grade solutions makes it ideal for businesses with regulatory requirements. ##### Bandwidth Best Features - Carrier-grade network: Ensures reliable voice, messaging, and emergency services APIs. - Compliance tools: Supports regulatory compliance for telecom services. - High Uptime: Designed for consistent and reliable communication. ##### Bandwidth Limitations - US-centric: Primarily serves the U.S. market; limited international coverage. - Complex pricing: Requires consultation for detailed pricing information. ##### Bandwidth Pricing Businesses need to contact Bandwidth for tailored pricing. However, charges are only for outbound messages ##### Bandwidth Ratings and Reviews Users rated Sinch 4.5 out of 5 stars on [G2](https://www.g2.com/products/bandwidth-bandwidth/reviews) and 4.6 out of 5 stars on [Capterra](https://www.capterra.com/p/167939/Bandwidth/). #### #6 Twilio Alternative: Bird MessageBird, or Bird, supports multiple communication channels and offers advanced automation through its Flow Builder, making it a popular choice for businesses looking to streamline communication. ##### Bird Best Features - Reports: Users can gain analytics on the inbox, agent performance and team performance. Metrics include response time, resolution time and customer satisfaction. - Supports in-chat payments: Businesses can send customers one-click payments within conversations. - AI chatbot and analytics: Bird has AI chatbots that offers intelligent answers while it’s AI analytics can intelligently segment your customers on a granular level. - Omnichannel communication: Bird supports a variety of channels including SMS, voice, email, Facebook and Instagram. ##### Bird Limitations ##### Bird Pricing SMS starts at $0.006 per message, with customizable plans available. There are also no message markups on Bird. ##### Bird Ratings and Reviews Bird has 4.1 out of 5 stars on [G2](https://www.g2.com/products/messagebird-bird/reviews) and 4.5 out of 5 stars on [Capterra](https://www.capterra.com/p/160795/Bird/). Now that you’re familiar with the best Twilio alternatives, which should you choose? ### Why Choose Respond.io as a Twilio Alternative? If you’re seeking a platform that combines omnichannel capabilities, advanced automation, and robust customer support, respond.io is the best choice for businesses. | Supported Channels | Stability at Scale | Advanced Automation Capabilities | Ease of Use | Reliable Customer Support | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | All popular messaging channels and custom channels | ✅ Stable high volume messaging | ✅ No-code automation builder with integrated AI capabilities | ✅ User-friendly and intuitive | ✅ 24/5 support in 5 languages | Respond.io has the total package when it comes to managing customer conversations. Its AI Agent unifies chat and voice experiences by managing both written and spoken interactions, while agents can seamlessly transfer live WhatsApp calls without interrupting the customer experience. If you’re convinced about moving to respond.io from Twilio, why not sign up for a [free respond.io trial today](https://app.respond.io/user/register)? ### Further Reading If you want to have a further dive into business messaging platforms, here are some articles to read: - An Advanced Sleekflow Alternative for Large Businesses - Trengo Alternative: A Powerful Alternative for Large Enterprises - Unlock Growth Potential with a Wati Alternative for Businesses Using Multiple Channels ## [Best AI Agents for Customer Support in 2025: Pros, Cons & Pricing](https:/respond.io/blog/best-ai-agents-for-customer-support) Explore the best AI agents for customer support in 2025. Compare pros, cons and pricing of top platforms like respond.io and Intercom. Customer support has always been a balancing act. Customers want instant help, but businesses have limited capacity and human agents to handle it. Enter [AI agents](https://respond.io/ai-agents): not just chatbots that spit out canned replies, but digital teammates that actually get work done. Think of them less like an FAQ answering machine and more like a helpful support rep who never sleeps, never forgets and doesn’t ask for a raise. In our post below, we’ll break down what customer support AI agents are, why they matter, the features that separate the best from the rest and our pick of the top contenders for customer support in 2025! ### What are AI agents for customer support? First, let’s clear up some language. Customer service and customer support often get mixed up. Service is broad: handling inquiries, building relationships, guiding purchases. Support is narrower: helping customers fix problems, navigate issues or get unstuck. In this context, an AI agent is more than an [AI chatbot](https://respond.io/blog/best-ai-chatbot-for-customer-service). Instead of just replying with prewritten lines, it behaves like a real teammate. It can manage conversations end-to-end, update customer records, trigger follow-up tasks and know the right time to bring in a human. This is why AI agents aren’t just chatbots. Chatbots live on scripts and decision trees, which makes them inflexible. AI agents, on the other hand, understand natural language, pull from customer data and adapt in real time. They can resolve issues on their own, and when they can’t, they hand the conversation to a human without making the customer repeat everything. ### What are the benefits of using AI agents for customer support AI agents bring a lot more to the table than quick replies. They lighten the load for your team, keep customers happy and cut out the repetitive grind that makes support a slog. Here’s what they actually deliver: #### Speed without burnout [Customers want answers fast](https://www.forbes.com/sites/shephyken/2023/01/08/todays-customer-has-a-need-for-speed/). AI agents can jump on routine requests immediately, cutting wait times from hours to seconds. Your human agents stop drowning in repetitive “where’s my order” questions and focus on cases that actually need judgment. That means happier customers, fewer backlogs and a team that can focus on more pressing tasks. #### Consistency across the board Humans vary in tone and accuracy. AI agents deliver the same level of service 24/7, whether it’s 2pm or 2am. That consistency builds trust. It also helps shape your brand voice, since customers experience the same tone and clarity every time. #### Lower costs without lowering quality Hiring and training a big team is expensive. AI agents scale easily, so you can support more customers without ballooning payroll. The additional savings can be reinvested into training your human agents for complex work where they add the most value. #### Smarter decisions with better data AI agents don’t just chat aimlessly. They can be [trained on your knowledge base](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents), FAQs and past conversations so they pull answers from the same sources your human team uses. Instead of copy-pasting generic replies, they reference your actual policies and product details. The result is sharper, more reliable answers that stay up to date as your knowledge base grows. #### Multilingual support made simple Need to support Spanish speakers in Madrid, Malay speakers in KL and French speakers in Montreal? Many AI agents can handle multilingual support out of the box. That’s global scale without hiring a mini-UN. It also signals to customers that you respect their language and culture, which builds loyalty faster than a discount code. ### Key features behind the best AI Agents for customer support When it comes to something as high-tech as AI Agents, it’s easy to get distracted by buzzwords and flashy demos. But you need to see the forest through the trees: the real litmus test is simply "will this make my team's life easier? So when evaluating the best possible AI Agent for your business, keep an eye out for the following features: - Takes action automatically: Strong AI agents don’t just reply, they act. They can qualify a lead, send a booking link, update contact details or trigger a follow-up automatically. - Knowledge-driven answers: The most reliable AI agents are trained on your own knowledge base, help center articles or uploaded documents. This keeps answers accurate and tailored to your business, instead of relying on guesswork. - Unified multichannel inbox: Customers don’t limit themselves to one app. The best AI agents handle conversations from WhatsApp, Messenger, TikTok, email and even voice calls in a single inbox, with context from past interactions intact. - Smart escalation: No AI agent can solve every problem. What matters is a smooth handoff, where the agent passes the full conversation and history to a human so the customer doesn’t have to start over. - Audio, image and file understanding: Advanced agents can even interpret audio, screenshots, PDFs, invoices and other various attachments to speed up troubleshooting and cut down on back-and-forth. - Guardrails for safety and compliance: Good AI agents put limits in place to reduce errors, follow business rules and protect sensitive data. This ensures AI Agents can be trusted in real customer conversations. - Always-on reliability: Customers expect 24/7 help. The best AI agents deliver consistent uptime and performance, so support doesn’t stop when your team signs off. ### 6 Best AI Agents for Customer Support in 2025 The market is crowded with tools that all promise smarter, faster support. Some really do the job, others, not quite. To save you the trouble of wading through endless vendor pages, here’s a closer look at six platforms that actually stand out in 2025. | Platform | Channels supported | AI Agent features | Pricing (mid-tier) | Best for | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Respond.io | WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, Instagram, LINE, email, VoIP and more | Role-based AI agents, AI agent voice calls, AI agent follow up, smart routing, Lifecycle view, Test AI Agent, workflow automation, CRM integrations, enterprise safeguards | Growth plan from $159/month for 10 users with unlimited AI agent usage and advanced automation | Brands juggling high chat volume across multiple apps who need reliable, omnichannel coverage | | Intercom | In-app messenger, email, WhatsApp, Messenger | Fin AI answers from help docs, multilingual support, screenshot reading, proactive messaging, seamless escalation | Advanced plan starts at $99 per seat/month; Fin billed separately at $0.99 per resolution | SaaS companies already invested in Intercom’s ecosystem wanting a polished AI layer | | Zendesk | WhatsApp, LINE, Facebook, X, email | AI agents and copilot for ticketing, Answer Bot, generative replies, routing & prioritization | Suite Professional plan costs $149 per agent/month | Enterprise teams structured around tickets and complex workflows | | Kommunicate | WhatsApp, Messenger, SMS | No-code FAQ bot, NLP integrations (e.g., Dialogflow), templates, multilingual support, human handoff | Professional plan at $200/month (includes 2 AI agents and 2,000 conversations). Extra agents $30/month | Budget-conscious startups and midsize teams that want a quick setup with customization potential | | Ada | Web, app integrations, messaging channels (varies by deployment) | No-code flow builder, multilingual support, transactional query handling, scalable automation | Custom usage-based pricing is provided on request after consultation | High-volume industries like travel and retail where fast, repetitive support dominates | | Chatbase | WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, SMS, Email and more | Trains on your content, runs API actions, multilingual, analytics, human handoff | Standard plan costs $150/month with 12k messages, 2 agents, 10 actions each, 3 seats | Teams wanting a flexible AI agent built on their own data | #### Respond.io **Best for:** Companies that want powerful AI agents with guardrails, workflows and omnichannel coverage in one place. [Respond.io](http://Respond.io) is built for teams that want AI agents to feel like real teammates. Instead of just chatting and answering simple questions, these agents can act on workflows, read customer attachments, pull from your FAQs or PDFs and pass issues to a human when needed. Everything runs inside a shared inbox across all the channels customers use, from TikTok to VoIP to WhatsApp. **Pros** - Omnichannel inbox that unifies WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, email, VoIP and more - Handle WhatsApp and Telnyx voice calls with human or AI agents. - Drag-and-drop automation builder for auto replies, reminders, surveys and escalations - AI Agents that can qualify leads, resolve questions, understand files and escalate to humans - Test AI Agent feature so teams can trial conversations before going live - Fast and accurate AI performance thanks to a streamlined, step-based reasoning system. - Instant human takeover with the AI stopping immediately, ensuring clean handoffs across all modules. - Extensive integrations with CRMs like HubSpot, Salesforce and others - AI-powered reply suggestions to speed up routine responses - Clear pricing with no hidden fees or add-ons - Always-available support team with live chat, onboarding assistance and calls when needed - GDPR and ISO 27001 certified, backed by 99.999% availability **Cons** - Broad feature set means there’s a learning curve before teams unlock full value **Pricing** [Respond.io](http://respond.io/)'s growth plan is priced at $159 per month. It offers seats for 10 users along with unlimited AI agent usage and access to advanced automation. #### Intercom **Best for:** Companies already on Intercom that want a no-frills AI agent added in Intercom has long been known for its clean chat interface and proactive messaging. Its AI agent, Fin, is designed to answer questions using your help center, with support for multiple languages and even screenshots. It is polished and fits neatly into Intercom’s broader suite of tools. **Pros** - Pulls answers from multiple knowledge sources through a central hub - Multilingual support with auto detection and translation - Easy handoff to human agents inside the same chat window - Clear usage-based pricing per resolution **Cons** - It can get expensive with high-resolution volume - Answer quality depends heavily on how good your knowledge is **Pricing** Intercom’s Advanced plan begins at $99 per seat each month, with the Fin AI Agent charged separately at $0.99 per resolved conversation. #### Zendesk **Best for:** Large teams that live in ticketing systems and need AI layered into existing workflows. Zendesk has been around for years as the ticketing giant of customer support. Its AI features now include autonomous agents, an AI copilot and quality tools that sit on top of its existing ticketing and messaging system. It is trusted by enterprises and comes with a wide marketplace of integrations. **Pros** - AI agents and copilot built into core ticketing and messaging - Intelligent routing and prioritization for large teams - Answer Bot deflects repetitive tickets with knowledge base articles - Chat summaries and AI-assisted responses **Cons** - AI features often sit in higher tiers or as add-ons - The setup and interface can feel heavy for smaller teams - Costs rise quickly if you want the full AI suite **Pricing** At $149 per agent each month, Zendesk’s Suite Professional plan provides access to AI agents, generative responses and flexible reporting tools. #### Kommunicate **Best for:** Startups or midsize teams that want affordable chatbots with room to customize. Kommunicate blends live chat with AI bots and gives you the option to use its builder or bring your own NLP like Dialogflow. It is priced to be accessible for startups and midsize businesses. With templates for quick deployment and human handoff built in, it makes automation approachable without feeling overwhelming. **Pros** - Connects with external NLP like Dialogflow - No-code builder and templates for fast setup - Can train on articles, PDFs and webpages - WhatsApp, Messenger, SMS support - Smooth AI agent-to-human handoff **Cons** - Analytics are basic compared to enterprise tools - Advanced customization may need technical input - Integration library is smaller than more established platforms like respond.io or Intercom **Pricing** Kommunicate’s Professional plan is $200 per month, covering 2 AI agents and 2,000 conversations. Extra agents can be added for $30 each per month. #### Ada **Best for:** High-volume businesses that want to roll out AI quickly without engineers. Ada is a no-code AI platform built for speed. It is popular with high-volume industries like travel and retail where customers ask the same questions again and again. Non-technical teams can set up flows quickly, deflecting routine queries and freeing agents for more complex cases. **Pros** - Simple no-code builder for fast deployment - Strong multilingual support out of the box - Handles repetitive and transactional queries well - Designed to scale in industries with massive customer volumes **Cons** - Less flexible for complex workflows or custom logic - Pricing is not public and are typically sales negotiated - Performance depends on the quality of your knowledge sources - Lighter on broader contact center features compared to larger suites **Pricing** Ada uses a custom, usage-based pricing model that scales with your customer contact volume rather than fixed tiers. Exact costs aren’t public and are typically provided only after a sales consultation. #### Chatbase **Best for:** Businesses that want a customizable AI support agent trained on their own data Chatbase lets you build and deploy AI agents for channels like Instagram, Slack and WhatsApp, trained on your knowledge base, documents,and APIs. Unlike basic chatbots, it supports “Custom Actions,” so your agent can do things like fetch invoices, update records, or trigger workflows. It’s flexible, no-code friendly, and works across multiple support channels. **Pros** - Train agents on your own docs, URLs, or uploads for domain-specific answers - Custom Actions let agents complete tasks through APIs, not just reply - Integrates with CRMs and ticketing systems, plus supports human handoff - Provides analytics and feedback to improve performance - Transparent add-on pricing for credits, bots, and branding **Cons** - Credit-based usage can make costs unpredictable at high volume - White labeling and custom domains cost extra - Limited number of agents per plan without paying for extra upgrades - Complex industries may require engineering beyond built-in features **Pricing** Chatbase's Standard plan costs $150/month and includes 12,000 message credits, 2 AI agents, 10 AI Actions per agent, and 3 team seats. ### Which is the best AI agent for customer support? Most AI agents force you to compromise. Some are great at holding conversations but weak at actually doing things. Others automate workflows but lack the customer context that makes support feel personal. [Respond.io](http://Respond.io) bridges that gap. It gives your team a single platform where AI agents act like real teammates, managing conversations, updating records, triggering workflows and looping in humans at the right moment. That means less tool switching, faster resolutions and more time spent helping customers instead of chasing details. Here’s what makes [respond.io](http://respond.io) stand out: - Omnichannel AI agents that resolve issues by checking orders, sending booking links or updating customer info directly in chat - VoIP and WhatsApp API calling support, so your team can switch from chat to voice while keeping the full conversation context. - Lifecycle tracking to qualify prospects, follow up and prioritize high-value leads - Detailed reporting that breaks down resolution rates, customer satisfaction and team performance - Always-on reliability so customers get timely support in any channel and time zone [Respond.io](http://Respond.io) is the best AI agent for customer support because it does more than talk. It solves problems and keeps your team focused on what matters most. ### FAQs about AI agents for customer support ### Further reading If you found our article helpful, you should check out the following reads: - 7 Best AI Chatbots for Customer Service in 2025 for Businesses - Best AI Lead Generation Tools & How to Choose One - Top 10 WhatsApp Chatbots in 2025: Pros, Cons & Pricing Compared ## [Best AI Chatbots for Website: Top Platforms Compared](https:/respond.io/blog/best-ai-chatbots-for-website) Discover the best AI chatbots for websites in 2025: Respond.io, Intercom, Zendesk AI, Tidio, Chatbase, Drift, HubSpot Chatbot, ManyChat, Landbot ### What is an AI Chatbot for Website? When visitors land on your website, they’re usually potential leads exploring your business. But without instant engagement, many of them leave without converting. This is where AI chatbots for websites come in. An AI chatbot for a website is an automated conversational tool that uses artificial intelligence to interact with users. For example, businesses set AI chatbots to greet visitors 24/7, answer questions, qualify leads and guide them toward booking a demo, making a purchase or speaking with sales. They have become an important part of the sales funnel with proven results. In fact, [websites with chatbots resolve tickets 18% faster](https://lp.glassix.com/hubfs/Glassix%20AI%20Chatbots%20Study.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com) than those without them. In this guide, we’ll show you how to choose the right AI chatbot for your website, review the 9 best options in the market, and share tips on selecting the one that maximizes conversions. ### How to Choose the Best Chatbot for Website **Comprehensive features:** The chatbot should do more than answer basic questions. Look for AI that can understand intent, qualify leads, route conversations, schedule meetings, and more. **Ease of use:** A chatbot that’s hard to set up or requires extensive coding can slow down adoption. Prioritize platforms with intuitive interfaces, templates and guided onboarding. Even advanced AI tools should make it easy to customize chat flows for your website without deep technical knowledge. **Reliable customer support:** Your chatbot provider should back you with reliable support. Strong support is especially important if your chatbot handles high-intent leads, where delays or errors could cost conversions. **Transparent, scalable pricing:** While [website chatbots reduce your operational costs](https://www.makebot.ai/blog-en/10-benefits-of-ai-chatbots-for-business-and-customers?utm_source=chatgpt.com#:~:text=On%20average%2C%20customer%20service%20chatbot%20interactions%20cost%20only%20%240.50%20to%20%240.70%20per%20session%2C%20while%20human%20agents%20typically%20cost%20%2419.50%20per%20hour.%C2%A0), it is a pity to overpay for them. Compare subscription tiers based on features, AI usage limits and add-ons. Some chatbots charge extra for advanced AI features or additional website traffic. Make sure the plan aligns with your website’s visitor volume and expected lead generation outcomes. ### Top 9 Best AI Chatbots for Website | Platform | Pros | Cons | Best For | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Respond.io | Omnichannel AI Agents; AI workflows; advanced reporting; deep integrations; highly customizable. | Steep learning curve due to rich feature set. | Businesses needing omnichannel sales and marketing across chat and calls. | | Intercom | Strong SaaS focus; large app ecosystem; AI-powered inbox. | Pricing escalates quickly with add-ons and AI usage; limited chat widget customization. | SaaS companies needing scalable support and onboarding. | | Zendesk AI | Robust ticketing + AI workflows; strong analytics; enterprise-grade reliability. | Expensive ($149/agent); advanced AI locked behind add-ons; setup takes time. | Enterprises wanting full-suite support with AI-enhanced ticketing. | | Tidio | Affordable ($59/month); AI Copilot + chatbots; good analytics; easy setup for SMBs. | Strict AI and automation limits; one-time Lyro AI allowance; limited scalability. | Small to mid-sized e-commerce teams needing live chat + light AI. | | Chatbase | Simple to use; fast FAQ bot setup; supports training on docs and websites. | Limited channels; add-ons inflate costs; analytics are basic. | Businesses wanting quick, FAQ-style bots trained on their own data. | | Drift | Real-time AI for lead qualification; visitor de-anonymization; deep CRM integrations. | Very expensive (~$2,500+); steep learning curve; features locked to higher tiers. | B2B companies prioritizing website lead gen and sales pipeline. | | HubSpot | Native CRM integration; modular AI agents; strong analytics; cross-channel messaging. | Advanced AI only in Pro/Enterprise; setup complexity; onboarding fee (~$3,000). | Teams needing CRM-driven AI workflows for sales and marketing. | | ManyChat | Budget-friendly; strong for social platforms; template flows for WhatsApp & IG. | Limited automation depth; poor reporting; weak support. | Creators and micro-businesses focused on social media messaging. | | Landbot | No-code flow builder; quick setup; AI trainable on docs; 50+ templates. | AI still in Beta; limited to WhatsApp & web; scaling adds costs quickly. | Companies wanting simple, no-code chatbot workflows for lead capture. | #### 1\. Respond.io Respond.io is an omnichannel business conversation software that centralizes communication from multiple channels — including website chat, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, phone calls, and more — into one unified inbox. It contains advanced features for all businesses, from small to enterprise. ##### Best for Growing businesses and enterprises in need of omnichannel messaging and AI chatbots to sell and market. ##### G2 rating 4.8/5 (360 reviews) ##### Capterra rating 4.6/5 (38 reviews) ##### Key features - AI-powered agents - Unified omnichannel inbox - Workflow automation builder - Voice calls: WhatsApp, Tenlyx and n8n - Customer funnel management with Lifecycle - Broadcasts - Performance dashboards and reporting - Native integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier, Make, APIs) - Multi-workspace support, webhooks, and SSO on higher tiers ##### Pros - AI Agents that do far more than FAQsAssign conversations to agentsSend links for payments or bookingsUpdate contact detailsGenerate chat summariesHandle voice callsFollow up with unresponsive customersOptimized AI performance for quicker, cleaner responses without unnecessary processingInstant switch to a human agent with no AI interruption for smooth and controlled handoffs - Assign conversations to agents - Send links for payments or bookings - Update contact details - Generate chat summaries - Handle voice calls - Follow up with unresponsive customers - Optimized AI performance for quicker, cleaner responses without unnecessary processing - Instant switch to a human agent with no AI interruption for smooth and controlled handoffs - Start quickly with role-based AI templates like receptionist, support, sales agents, or design custom ones - Embed AI Agents into workflows for tailored customer journeys - Train the AI using company resources such as PDFs or website content - AI Agents work across all channels, not just web chat - Evaluate performance with detailed analytics - 24/5 call and chat human support, 34/7 AI support ##### Cons - Feature-rich platform can be overwhelming for new users ##### Monthly pricing The Growth plan begins at $159 per month for 10 users. It includes unlimited workflows, unlimited AI credits, advanced reporting and onboarding assistance via chat or call. #### 2\. Intercom Intercom is a messaging platform created with SaaS companies in mind, combining live chat, chatbots, product onboarding, ticketing, and in-app communication. ##### Best for Large-scale organizations seeking a customer engagement platform tailored to SaaS workflows. ##### G2 rating 4.5/5 (3.592 reviews) ##### Capterra rating 4.5/5 (1,131 reviews) ##### Key features - In-app chat, messenger, and live chat - Bot automation and Fin AI agent - Shared inbox and ticketing - Automated workflows - Product tours and onboarding sequences - Help center and knowledge base - Over 450 integrations with CRMs and apps ##### Pros - Wide integration ecosystem - Strong help center and knowledge base features - AI-powered inbox for greater agent efficiency ##### Cons - Pricing can increase sharply with add-ons and usage - Limited customization options for website chat ##### Monthly pricing The Advanced plan is $99 per seat, billed monthly, with 20 free Lite seats included. AI usage is billed separately at $0.99 per Fin AI resolution, making costs harder to predict at scale. #### 3\. Zendesk AI Zendesk provides a full customer service platform with ticketing, messaging, live chat, and built-in AI tools to automate and optimize support. ##### Best for Growing companies needing a full suite of customer support solutions. ##### G2 rating 4.3/5 (7,447 reviews) ##### Capterra rating 4.7/5 (Zendesk AI: 3 reviews) ##### Key features - Messaging and ticketing across channels - AI-driven chatbots and workflow automation - Smart routing and escalations - Robust reporting and analytics - Extensive app and CRM integrations ##### Pros - No-code bot builder makes automation accessible - Persistent conversations across devices - AI tools designed to improve agent productivity ##### Cons - Onboarding can be time-consuming - Some advanced AI tools require additional purchases ##### Monthly pricing The Suite Professional plan costs $149 per agent per month. It includes the “Essential” AI package, with more advanced AI features locked behind higher plans or add-ons. #### 4\. Tidio Tidio is a live chat and chatbot platform tailored to SMBs, especially e-commerce. It merges real-time chat with AI automation, visitor tracking, and multi-channel messaging. ##### Best for Small and mid-sized e-commerce businesses seeking to boost sales and customer engagement. ##### G2 rating 4.7/5 (1,805 reviews) ##### Capterra rating 4.7/5 (570 reviews) ##### Key features - Live chat with Lyro AI Agent - Email fallback and visitor tracking - Multi-channel messaging (Instagram, Messenger, email) - Workflow automations and triggers - Analytics dashboards ##### Pros - Pre-built chatbot templates for faster setup - Combines live chat with built-in email marketing - Hybrid of AI-powered and rule-based bots - Analytics provide insight into agent and customer behavior ##### Cons - Lyro AI Agent and is charged separately based on number of conversations - Restricted AI usage for some industries (no healthcare, gambling, or finance) ##### Monthly pricing The Growth plan costs $59/month. It includes 10 user seats, AI Copilot, Lyro AI conversations, and advanced analytics, but comes with strict caps: Only 100 billable conversations, 50 Lyro AI conversations one-time and 100 flow visitors. #### 5\. Chatbase Chatbase is a chatbot builder that allows companies to train AI bots on their own data, focusing on simple FAQ-style assistants. ##### Best for Teams that want quick-to-deploy FAQ bots with minimal setup. ##### G2 rating 4.7/5 (1,805 reviews) ##### Capterra rating 4.3/5 (73 reviews) ##### Key features - FAQ/Q&A chatbots - Easy-to-use interface - Basic logs and analytics ##### Pros - Straightforward and fast to implement - Can be trained on company documents and websites - Bots can handle routing and lead updates - Flexibility to test multiple LLM models ##### Cons - Limited to WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and website - Too narrow for businesses needing broader CX solutions - Relies heavily on add-ons, raising costs - Basic analytics in mid-tier plan ##### Monthly pricing The Standard plan is $150/month for 12,000 messages, 2 AI Agents, and 3 users. Costs rise with more messages, bots, or premium features like branding removal. #### 6\. Drift Drift, part of Salesloft, is a conversational marketing platform aimed at capturing and qualifying website leads in real time with AI. ##### Best for B2B companies that prioritize conversational marketing and lead generation. ##### G2 rating 4.4/5 (1,252 reviews) ##### Capterra rating 4.3/5 (73 reviews) ##### Key features - Conversational landing pages and playbooks - Bot-to-human handoff - AI lead qualification and scoring - Visitor identification and intent detection - CRM and marketing integrations ##### Pros - Real-time lead capture and qualification - Strong CRM integrations and routing - Visitor de-anonymization and scoring - Personalized follow-up workflows ##### Cons - Setup complexity - Customization is often tied to contracts - Very high cost - Most advanced tools on enterprise tiers ##### Monthly pricing Not publicly listed; plans generally start at ~$2,500/month. #### 7\. HubSpot Chatbot HubSpot offers an AI-driven chatbot through its CRM platform, with tools for customer service, sales, and marketing automation. ##### Best for Businesses wanting CRM-driven automation and AI workflows for sales and support. ##### G2 rating 4.4/5 (33,729 reviews) ##### Capterra rating 4.5/5 (4,417 reviews) ##### Key features - CRM-integrated chat flows - Automated lead qualification and routing - Meeting booking and workflow automation - Multi-channel chat + email - Modular AI agents and assistants ##### Pros - Works seamlessly with HubSpot CRM, Sales, and Marketing - AI agents for lead qualification, service, and data enrichment - AI assistant gives contextual recommendations - Modular AI marketplace for customization - Strong analytics for marketing and sales ##### Cons - Advanced AI is locked in Pro/Enterprise tiers - Setup complexity and onboarding fees - Limited flexibility outside HubSpot ecosystem ##### Monthly pricing Marketing Hub Professional is $890/month for 3 seats with 3,000 AI credits included. A one-time ~$3,000 onboarding fee applies. #### 8\. ManyChat ManyChat helps small businesses and creators automate messaging across popular social channels, with a focus on affordability and ease of use. ##### Best for Creators and micro-businesses who rely heavily on social platforms. ##### G2 rating 4.6/5 (155 reviews) ##### Capterra rating 4.6/5 (72 reviews) ##### Key features - Bots for WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, SMS, and email - Visual flow builder - Commerce and payments support - Audience segmentation and broadcast tools - Website chat embed ##### Pros - Library of templates for quick WhatsApp and Instagram flows - Multi-platform support - AI automation for full conversations - Works with click-to-chat ads and QR codes ##### Cons - Limited user capacity - Basic AI with little flexibility - Weak analytics (campaign-level only) - Email-only customer support ##### Monthly pricing Mid-tier plan costs $15/month for 3 users and 500 contacts. Advanced automation requires higher tiers. #### 9\. Landbot Landbot is a no-code chatbot platform designed for building interactive flows on websites and WhatsApp. ##### Best for Companies seeking an easy way to build chatbot-led lead capture without coding. ##### G2 rating 4.7/5 (328 reviews) ##### Capterra rating 4.4/5 (70 reviews) ##### Key features - Drag-and-drop flow builder - Conditional logic and branching - API and CRM integrations - Website and WhatsApp bots - Pre-built templates ##### Pros - Easy to use with a visual editor. - AI can be trained on website or document content. - Bots can collect leads and assign chats. - 50+ templates for faster launch. ##### Cons - AI agents still in Beta. - Limited to WhatsApp and web chat. - Advanced support only in premium plans. - WhatsApp AI not on lower tiers. ##### Monthly pricing The WhatsApp Pro plan is $220/month for 2,500 web/Messenger chats, 500 AI chats, 10,000 WhatsApp messages, and 3 seats. Extra usage costs $0.10 per AI chat and $25 per additional seat. ### Is Respond.io the Best AI Chatbot for Website? When choosing an AI chatbot platform, businesses face a trade-off: some tools excel at live chat, others specialize in ticketing, and a few focus on lead generation. If you’re a growing business or an enterprise, you need a scalable solution that lets you build AI agents for your website. Most importantly, you need a platform to manage all customer sales and marketing conversations across messaging and voice channels, no matter your business size. Respond.io unifies all conversations into a single inbox, powered by enterprise-grade AI agents that automate replies, qualify leads, route chats and secure repeated conversions. And with a proven track record serving over 10,000 businesses worldwide, it’s a platform built to scale with you. [**Try respond.io for free**](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and experience the future of AI-driven customer conversations. ### Further Reading If you've found this article helpful, consider these others to learn more about chatbots in business. - AI Sales Agent Tips to Enhance CX and Convert Faster - How to Create a WhatsApp Chatbot: 3 Use Cases (+Examples) - Top 10 WhatsApp Chatbots in 2025: Pros, Cons & Pricing Compared ## [Best AI Lead Generation Tools & How to Choose One](https:/respond.io/blog/best-ai-lead-generation-tool) These are the top 10 AI Lead Generation Tools: Respond.io, Landbot, Chatbase, Apollo, Customers.ai, Clay, Saleshandy, Zoominfo, Hubspot and Drift. ### What is AI Lead Generation? AI lead generation is the use of artificial intelligence to find, qualify, and nurture leads (potential customers). Instead of manually searching for prospects or relying only on basic forms and ads, AI helps automate and improve the lead generation process. Here’s a practical example to help you understand this concept: Imagine running ads on Facebook or Instagram that link to WhatsApp. A potential customer clicks the ad and sends a message to your business. 1. Instead of waiting for an agent, an AI-powered chatbot identifies the lead intent, greets the customer and asks a few qualifying questions (e.g., budget range, product interest, timeline). 2. Based on the lead’s answers, the AI scores the lead in real time — high-value prospects are routed directly to a sales agent, while casual browsers get automated nurturing (FAQs, product catalogs, or drip campaigns). 3. At the same time, AI helps filter out spam or low-quality contacts so your sales team only spends time on real opportunities. With this setup, businesses can automatically capture, qualify, and route leads at scale, even outside working hours. But this was just a specific example. Let’s now explore how you can use AI for lead generation. ### How to Use AI for Lead Generation AI helps businesses find, qualify, and convert leads faster and more efficiently. Here’s how it supports each stage of the lead generation process. - Prospecting: Identify potential leads automatically, based on behavior, intent signals or company profile. - Qualification: Score leads in real time and route high-value prospects to sales agents while nurturing lower-priority leads. - Outreach: Send personalized messages, follow-ups, or drip campaigns automatically across WhatsApp and other messaging channels. - Analysis: Track lead engagement, campaign performance and customer interactions to optimize sales strategies and conversion rates. #### How Praga Medica Uses AI for Lead Generation [Praga Medica](https://respond.io/customers/praga-medica-recovers-70-percent-more-leads), a Prague-based medical tourism facilitator, transformed its lead management and engagement by combining WhatsApp with respond.io. Previously reliant on email and ineffective webchat, the team struggled with missed leads, high spam and slow response times. ##### How AI Made the Difference - Spam filtering: Respond.io’s AI Agent automatically collects lead information and filters out 97% of spam, ensuring consultants focus only on qualified prospects. - Faster engagement: AI workflows deliver instant replies—even outside working hours—reducing first response times by 50%. - Better lead capture: The WhatsApp API, integrated with respond.io, automatically captures phone numbers and syncs them with the CRM. ##### The Results - 70% more lead contact data captured - Consultants spend time on high-quality leads, not spam - Faster, more reliable engagement boosts conversions #### How Getutor Uses AI for Lead Generation [GETUTOR](https://respond.io/customers/sleekflow-alternative-review-by-getutor), a leading educational consultancy in Hong Kong, transformed its sales process by [switching from Sleekflow to respond.io](https://respond.io/blog/sleekflow-alternative). Previously, missed inquiries and slow booking processes led to lost potential sales, and Sleekflow’s promised AI and automation features fell short. ##### How AI Made the Difference: - AI-powered lead triage: Respond.io’s AI Agent manages initial inquiries, gathers student information and assigns leads to the right agent automatically. - Faster responses: Unanswered leads are prioritized in the team inbox, reducing the chance of missed sales. - Improved analytics: AI-assisted reporting and exported conversations provide insights to refine the tutor matching process and optimize conversions. ##### The Results - 24% increase in sales - No leads lost due to inbox overload - Streamlined course booking with minimal manual effort This success story highlights how AI-driven lead generation can transform workflows, reduce missed opportunities and improve overall sales efficiency — benefits that any business can leverage. ### Benefits of AI Lead Generation - Efficiency: Automate outreach, follow-ups and data enrichment so teams spend less time on repetitive tasks. - Accuracy: Use predictive analytics and lead scoring to qualify and prioritize the right prospects. - Performance: Optimize outreach timing, personalize engagement and boost conversion rates across campaigns. - Scalability: Grow with automation setups that deliver quick wins now and long-term business impact Understanding these benefits makes it clear why choosing the right AI lead generation tool is critical — the right platform ensures you can automate efficiently, target accurately and scale without adding complexity. ### Top 10 Best AI Lead Generation Tools These are the top 10 AI Lead Generation Tools: Respond.io, Landbot, Chatbase, Apollo, Customers.ai, Clay, Saleshandy, Zoominfo, Hubspot and Drift. #### Respond.io Respond.io is an omnichannel conversation management software with advanced AI features. It’s designed for businesses that capture leads, convert them and retarget them through instant messaging channels and voice calls. ##### Pros - Autonomous AI Agents go beyond answering FAQs: Route chats to agents, send payment and appointment links, update contact properties, summarize chats, automatically generate transcripts and recordings, and more - Use templates for AI agent roles, including receptionist, sales and support or create your own roles - Integrate AI Agents into your automation Workflows for customized customer journeys - Train the respond.io AI with your knowledge sources, including your website and PDFs - Analyze your AI Agent’s performance with advanced reports and analytics - AI Agents are omnichannel, meaning that you can deploy them on WhatsApp, website chat and many other messaging channels - Typing indicator lets customers see when the AI is responding, improving conversational flow - AI Agents can receive calls and understand audio messages in real time and even follow up on conversations - Improved AI efficiency that provides faster, more precise replies with minimal overhead. - Immediate handover to human agents with the AI stepping back instantly for a smooth transition. - Guaranteed 99,999% platform stability - Excellent customer support rated 4.8 stars on G2 ##### Cons - Rich feature set means a steep learning curve for new users ##### Pricing - Respond.io’s mid-tier Growth plan starts at $159 and allows 10 users. It includes unlimited automation, unlimited use of AI Agent, advanced reporting and online onboarding support via chat or call ##### Best for - Businesses needing advanced, customizable AI across multiple channels #### Hubspot HubSpot is a leading all-in-one CRM platform with tools for marketing, sales, customer service, and operations. It includes AI-powered features for tasks like lead qualification, customer support and data enrichment, making it easier to streamline processes and improve conversion rates across multiple channels such as email, chat and social messaging. ##### Pros - Works natively with HubSpot CRM, Sales Hub, Marketing Hub, and Service Hub for unified workflows - AI Agents support tasks such as lead qualification, customer service, prospecting, data enrichment, and call management - AI Assistant provides contextual recommendations and guidance across the HubSpot platform - Access to a marketplace of modular AI agents that can be tailored to business-specific workflows - Interact across email, live chat, chatbots and instant messaging channels supported by HubSpot - Actionable analytics and insights for sales and marketing teams ##### Cons - Advanced AI capabilities require Professional or Enterprise-tier subscriptions - Initial setup and learning curve may be challenging for teams new to AI tools - The platform is fully dependent on HubSpot, which limits cross-platform flexibility - The mid-tier plan has a one-time onboarding fee of ~$3,000 ##### Pricing The Marketing Hub Professional (mid-tier plan) costs $890/month and includes advanced AI tools for lead qualification, such as predictive lead scoring, AI-powered email automation, smart lead segmentation and workflow automation. The plan includes 3,000 HubSpot Credits for AI features, with additional credits available for purchase and the one-time onboarding fee. ##### Best for - Teams wanting full CRM integration with AI-driven lead qualification and marketing automation. #### Drift by Salesloft Drift, part of the Salesloft family, is a real-time conversational marketing and sales platform designed to help businesses capture, qualify, and convert website visitors. Its AI-powered chatbots de-anonymize high-intent visitors, score engagement in real time and route qualified leads into workflows. ##### Pros - Real-time AI chat and chatbots for instant lead qualification - Advanced routing and CRM integrations - Visitor de-anonymization with account data and engagement scoring - Routes qualified leads into workflow actions for personalized follow-up ##### Cons - Steep learning curve for setup - Advanced customization often requires long-term contracts - High enterprise pricing - Key features locked behind higher-tier plans ##### Pricing - Not publicly listed; advanced plans start around $2,500/month and require contacting sales. ##### Best for - Companies prioritizing live website lead capture and conversational marketing. #### Saleshandy Saleshandy's AI Sequence Copilot is a feature that assists users in creating personalized cold email sequences. This helps streamline the process of email outreach, making it more efficient and tailored to the target audience and business goals. ##### Pros - Creates highly relevant sequences tailored to your audience - Maintains consistent tone and messaging - Easy to use for non-technical users - A score of 4.6/5 on G2 ##### Cons - Focused mainly on email sequences, limited for other channels - Still in beta, so features may change - Total costs are very difficult to figure out, as they are distributed among many tools ##### Pricing Pricing for the mid-tier Outreach Pro plan is $99 per month. Additional costs can apply for email verification, data enrichment, advanced warm-up services, and extra lead credits, which can make the total cost higher depending on usage. ##### Best for Teams focused on email outreach automation for cold leads. #### Zoominfo Copilot ZoomInfo Copilot is an AI-powered sales intelligence platform that helps B2B teams identify high-value prospects, get real-time insights and automate email outreach. It uses AI to generate personalized email sequences, provide alerts for key events and integrates with CRMs and collaboration tools. ##### Pros - Combines extensive B2B data with AI-driven insights to identify high-value accounts quickly - Real-time buying signals help engage prospects at the right moment - Generative AI creates hyper-personalized emails and talking points, saving time and improving engagement - Summarizes deal histories, meetings, and account data for smarter, faster decisions ##### Cons - Complex setup and learning curve for maximizing AI features - Large volume of data and insights can be overwhelming without proper focus - Primarily email-focused for outreach; other channels may require additional tools - Pricing is hidden behind a Contact Us form - It is known to have costs too high for smaller teams ##### Pricing While there’s no official information about Zoominfo’s pricing, some users claim [a mid-tier plan costs between $24,995 and $30,000 per year](https://www.smarte.pro/blog/zoominfo-copilot?utm_source=chatgpt.com#:~:text=and%20plan%20level.-,Estimated%20ZoomInfo%20Copilot%20Cost,official.%20They%20are%20based%20on%20available%20information%20and%20user%20feedback,-.)). It offers AI-driven insights, workflow automation, enhanced data credits and additional functionalities like buyer intent signals and organizational charts. ##### Best for B2B teams needing deep account data and hyper-personalized outreach. #### Landbot Landbot positions itself as a no-code chatbot platform focused on creating conversational experiences for web and WhatsApp. It emphasizes ease of design, allowing businesses to build interactive lead capture and customer engagement flows without technical expertise. ##### Pros - Simple to set up - You can train the Landbot AI with documents and website content - AI Agents can capture lead personal details and route chats to agents - 50+ AI Agent templates to get started quickly ##### Cons - AI Agents are still in Beta - Channel-limited — AI Agents only available for website chat and WhatsApp - Expert bot development and support only available on their premium plan - WhatsApp AI Agents are not available on the two cheaper plans ##### Pricing Landbot offers two mid-tier plans: Pro and WhatsApp Pro. The WhatsApp Pro plan, which includes access to the WhatsApp Business API, costs $220 per month and provides 2,500 web and Messenger chats, 500 AI chats, 10,000 WhatsApp messages and three seats. Potential extra costs include $0.10/AI chat and $25 per month per seat. While this covers basic usage, the fixed chat, message and seat limits make the plan less flexible. Businesses with growing teams or higher messaging volumes may quickly find themselves constrained, making it difficult to scale without added costs. ##### Best for Companies wanting easy chatbot-led lead gen. #### Chatbase Chatbase is positioned as a chatbot builder that lets businesses create AI bots trained on their own data. It focuses on helping teams deploy FAQ-style assistants quickly, with a straightforward setup aimed at businesses that want to experiment with AI-driven conversations. ##### Pros - Easy to use - AI is trainable with documents, Notion sources and your website - AI agents can route chats and update lead properties automatically - You can experiment with different LLM models to get the best results ##### Cons - Only supports the following messaging channels: WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and website - A bit too niche for businesses looking for a more holistic solution beyond AI agents - Pricing relies on multiple add-ons that end up inflating the final cost - The mid-tier plan includes only basic analytics ##### Pricing The Chatbase Standard Plan costs about $150/month and includes up to 12,000 message credits, 2 AI Agents and 3 user seats. However, costs can rise if you exceed message credits, need more chatbots or want extras like custom domains or removal of Chatbase branding. This makes pricing less predictable for businesses with growing usage. ##### Best for Businesses needing FAQ-style AI bots quickly trained on their own data. #### Apollo Apollo is a sales engagement platform designed to streamline lead generation and qualification for B2B teams. Leveraging a massive database of contacts and AI-driven insights, it helps businesses identify high-potential prospects, automate outreach across email, phone, and LinkedIn and prioritize follow-ups. ##### Pros - With a vast database of over 265 million contacts, Apollo AI looks for the best prospects for your business; for example, your buyer persona or companies researching your category - It automates phone outreach by scheduling calls, logging outcomes, and syncing call activity with your CRM - It helps you write professional outreach emails - Incorporates AI into Apollo outreach flows (automation journeys) - Apollo AI analyzes calls, emails and transcripts, while delivering pre-meeting insights so you can focus on closing deals ##### Cons - Built with B2B in mind - Lacks support for real-time conversational AI through instant messaging channels like WhatsApp - You can’t train the Apollo AI, as it operates on prospect data ##### Pricing The Apollo Professional Plan costs $99 per user per month, billed monthly and includes 4,000 credits per user. It offers multi-touch outreach, AI-assisted workflows, and automation across email, phone, and CRM integrations. Additional features include AI research intelligence, call recordings with insights, pre-built reports, unlimited sequences and advanced filters. Add-ons are available for extra credits if usage exceeds the included 4,000 per month. ##### Best for B2B teams needing data-driven lead generation and outreach automation. #### Customers.ai Customers.ai is an AI-powered lead generation platform that turns anonymous website visitors into identifiable, high-intent leads. Unlike many tools, it uses a website tracking pixel to identify visitors in real time, enrich their data and automate outreach across email, SMS and direct messaging while integrating with CRMs and ad platforms. ##### Pros - Identifies and captures high-intent leads from website traffic to improve marketing and sales efficiency - Automates lead nurturing through email, SMS campaigns, abandoned cart recovery, and direct messaging - Provides AI-driven insights to prioritize leads and improve targeting - Offers pre-built dashboards and reporting to monitor campaign performance ##### Cons - Pricing can be higher compared to simpler lead generation tools - No real-time conversational AI across messaging platforms - Limited omnichannel support compared to respond.io - May have scalability limitations for high-volume interactions ##### Pricing The Grow Plan costs $900 per month and includes up to 5,000 identity resolutions, with additional resolutions billed at $0.18 each. It provides full access to automation features, CRM integrations, lead enrichment and pre-built dashboards. ##### Best for Businesses wanting to capture and convert website traffic into qualified leads. #### Clay Clay is a B2B data enrichment and lead automation platform built like a super-powered spreadsheet + AI. It stands out by letting teams pull data from dozens of sources, run workflows in tables (Claygents) and craft personalized outreach based on enriched insights — all while treating “credits” as its usage currency. ##### Pros - Accesses 50+ data providers for lead enrichment and firmographic, technographic, and intent data in one place. - Offers waterfall enrichment (querying multiple providers in sequence) so you stop once you find a valid result — saving credit waste. - It lets you build custom workflows, use AI to clean, enrich, or generate outreach data (e.g., writing, personalizing cold emails) based on lead research. ##### Cons - It can get expensive quickly once credit usage or enrichment needs scale. - Steeper learning curve, especially for non-technical users who need to set up workflows, understand data sources, and optimize credit usage. - No built-in outreach sending for some tiers — you often pair Clay with separate tools to actually send emails, etc. ##### Pricing Clay’s Explorer Plan (mid-tier plan)costs $349 per month. Depending on your tier, it includes 10,000, 14,000 or 20,000 credits each month, with unused credits rolling over up to twice your monthly limit. The plan also provides access to HTTP API, webhooks as data sources, integrations with email sequencing tools, exporting, and unlimited users. ##### Best for B2B teams needing advanced lead enrichment and AI-driven personalization. ### Best AI Lead Generation Tools: Top Options Compared | Platform | Highlights | Best for | | --- | --- | --- | | Respond.io | Omnichannel AI Agents trainable with PDFs & websites. Go beyond FAQs with routing, contact updates, chat summaries, workflow integration, analytics, and advanced reporting. Channels: WhatsApp, web chat, custom channels, voice calls and more. | Businesses needing advanced, customizable AI across multiple channels. | | HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional | AI for lead scoring, email automation, smart segmentation, workflow automation, and CRM integration. Omnichannel support for email, chat, and social messaging. Customizable AI agents via HubSpot Marketplace. | Teams wanting full CRM integration with AI-driven lead qualification and marketing automation. | | Drift | Real-time AI chatbots for website visitor qualification. De-anonymizes visitors, scores engagement, and routes leads into workflows. CRM integrations and advanced routing. | Companies prioritizing live website lead capture and conversational marketing. | | Saleshandy | AI Sequence Copilot for personalized cold email sequences. Maintains consistent messaging and streamlines outreach. | Teams focused on email outreach automation for cold leads. | | ZoomInfo Copilot | AI-driven B2B sales intelligence. Generates personalized email sequences, provides account insights, buyer intent signals, and real-time alerts. | B2B teams needing deep account data and hyper-personalized outreach. | | Landbot | No-code chatbot builder for WhatsApp & web. AI trained with docs & websites. 50+ templates for lead capture and routing. | Companies wanting easy chatbot-led lead gen. | | Chatbase | AI bots trained on documents, Notion & websites. Bots handle FAQs, route chats, update lead properties. Channels: WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger & web. | Businesses needing FAQ-style AI bots quickly trained on their own data. | | Apollo | B2B sales engagement with a huge contact database. AI assists prospecting, outreach, emails, call analysis, and multi-step workflows. Channels: email, phone, LinkedIn. | B2B teams needing data-driven lead generation and outreach automation. | | Customers.ai | Converts anonymous website visitors into leads using a tracking pixel. Automates outreach via email, SMS, ads. Pre-built dashboards for AI-driven lead prioritization. | Businesses wanting to capture and convert website traffic into qualified leads. | | Clay | Data enrichment + automation with 50+ data providers. AI personalizes outreach based on enriched insights. Explorer plan includes API, webhooks, workflow automation, and credit rollover. | B2B teams needing advanced lead enrichment and AI-driven personalization. | ### What is the Best AI Lead Generation Tool? The answer isn’t straightforward, as it varies based on your business requirements. Below, we’ll provide recommendations tailored to different types of businesses. ##### If you’re a business looking for an advanced omnichannel AI platform that scales with you Choose respond.io for trainable AI, workflow integration across WhatsApp, Instagram, and web chat, and strong analytics. Learning curve can be steep for small teams. ##### If your business wants a no-code chatbot builder for WhatsApp & website Landbot offers quick setup and templates, but AI is in beta, channels are limited, and extra usage adds cost. ##### If you want to build chatbots on different LLMs Chatbase lets you build AI chatbots on multiple LLMs trained on your documents or websites. Channels are limited, pricing grows with add-ons, and mid-tier analytics are basic. ##### If you want B2B sales-focused outreach automation Apollo automates B2B outreach via email, phone, and LinkedIn with AI insights. It doesn’t support live chat and AI can’t be trained. ##### If you want to turn website visitors into high-intent leads Customers.ai identifies anonymous visitors, prioritizes leads with AI, and automates outreach, but it’s pricey, lacks live chat, and is less omnichannel. ##### If you want B2B data enrichment and AI-powered lead research Clay enriches data and automates lead workflows with AI. It’s expensive, has a learning curve, and some tiers lack built-in outreach. ##### If you want full CRM integration with AI-driven lead qualification HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional adds AI lead scoring, segmentation, and workflow automation integrated with CRM. Advanced features require a higher tier and onboarding costs are significant. ##### If you want real-time website visitor qualification and conversational marketing Drift provides AI chatbots for real-time visitor qualification and routing, but pricing is high, setup is complex, and key features need enterprise plans. ##### If you want AI-assisted cold email sequences Saleshandy generates personalized AI email sequences with consistent tone, but it focuses only on email and beta features may change. ##### If you want AI-powered B2B sales intelligence ZoomInfo Copilot offers AI insights, account targeting, and personalized outreach. Setup is complex, it’s email-focused, and expensive for small teams. If you want to turn every conversation into a potential sale and scale your lead generation with confidence, now is the time to experience it firsthand. Start your free trial with respond.io today. ## [Best AI Sales Automation Software: Top 10 Options Compared](https:/respond.io/blog/best-ai-sales-automation-software) These are the top 10 best AI sales automation software: Respond.io, Kommo, SleekFlow, Apollo, Reply.io, Regie.ai, Braze, Dialpad Sell, Trellus and Momentum. ### What is AI sales automation software? An AI sales automation software uses artificial intelligence to automate repetitive tasks, analyze data, and streamline workflows to boost sales efficiency. Common functions include: - Lead generation and qualification - Answering product questions - Recommending products - Updating contact records - Routing or assigning contacts and handing off to humans - Lead prospecting - AI-driven lead research - Intent detection Unlike other traditional automation tools, AI systems learn from data and outcomes, helping sales teams predict customer behavior, personalize outreach and close deals faster. ### Benefits of AI sales automation software AI-powered sales automation tools give businesses a major edge. These are some of the benefits of using them. - Reduce the manual work of time-consuming tasks such as asking qualifying questions, updating CRM records, logging call notes and scheduling follow-ups. Instead of juggling multiple tools or doing administrative work, sales reps can spend their time nurturing relationships and closing deals. - Increase productivity not only by freeing sales reps from repetitive tasks but also by amplifying their impact in innovative ways. For instance, AI can suggest the optimal responses and generate context-aware outreach or follow-up messages. This keeps the sales pipeline moving efficiently while letting reps focus on high-value interactions. - Improve conversion rates with data-backed personalization and predictive lead scoring. By analyzing customer intent, engagement history and behavioral patterns, AI helps sales teams with relevant responses, more meetings booked and higher conversion rates. ### What makes a good AI sales automation software The ideal AI sales automation should have strong integration with your existing tech stack to ensure correct data flow across CRM, marketing and communication tools. It should also automate repetitive work and provide actionable insights that help your team close more deals efficiently. Here’s what to look for: #### 1\. Autonomous AI agents Modern [AI agents](https://respond.io/blog/how-respondio-ai-agents-work) go far beyond traditional chatbots. Instead of just answering FAQs, they can take actions like sending payments or booking links, updating CRMs, or qualifying leads automatically. These autonomous agents act as full-fledged digital sales assistants, guiding customers through the funnel and ensuring conversations translate into conversions. #### 2\. AI training features The best AI platforms let you train models on your own business data, such as documents, FAQs, websites, and internal playbooks. This allows the AI to deliver brand-aligned, contextually accurate answers while preserving your company’s tone and expertise. #### 3\. AI-powered message composition AI can help craft and personalize messages at scale. From drafting contextual responses to suggesting the most effective message tone or content for a specific lead, these features ensure every communication feels human and relevant. #### 4\. AI-assisted lead management AI-driven platforms can automatically categorize and prioritize leads based on engagement, behavior and funnel stage. This helps your sales team know who to follow up with, when and how, so that no opportunity slips through the cracks. It’s the difference between reacting to leads and managing them strategically. #### 5\. In-depth analytics & insights Real-time dashboards empower your team to make smarter decisions. Track AI performance metrics, forecast sales and identify at-risk deals before they stall. With AI-driven insights, you can optimize your sales strategy continuously rather than relying on hindsight. #### 6\. Advanced automation A robust automation builder lets you create workflows to automate routine business processes quickly and consistently without relying on agents. Some platforms let you integrate AI in automated workflows under your preferred conditions. This allows your AI agent to step in at the right moment and take the wheel. #### 7\. Integrations with tech stack To be effective, AI sales platforms should integrate seamlessly with your sales CRM like Salesforce and HubSpot. These integrations enable a single source of truth across departments and ensure your team always has the right context to close deals. #### 8\. Omnichannel capability Customers today move seamlessly between WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, email and even phone calls. A great platform should bring all those conversations together in one place — so your team can deliver consistent, timely responses across every channel. The more channels you cover, the more opportunities you have to connect and convert. #### 9\. Support and platform reliability None of these features matter if the platform isn’t reliable. Reliability includes high uptime, fast performance and responsive support to keep your workflows running smoothly. Look for providers with proven uptime records, multilingual support, and clear SLAs — because when sales stop, revenue does too. ### Top 10 AI sales automation software Now, we’ll look at the top 10 AI sales automation platforms—their core features, pros, cons, ratings, and more. For a quick overview, here’s the list of categories and the software that fall under each, so you can jump straight to the ones most relevant to your needs. | Type of Software | Description | Linked Use Cases | Overall winner | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Omnichannel Messaging & AI Sales Automation e.g. Respond.io, Kommo, SleekFlow | Unifies conversations from multiple channels and uses AI to automate lead qualification, routing, and workflows. | - Multi-channel outreach - AI-powered conversations and virtual agents - Scheduling and appointment management - Broadcasts and campaign management - Workflow automation & CRM integration - Lead management tools - Analytics, reporting and sales intelligence | Respond.io | | B2B Sales Engagement & Outreach Automation e.g. Apollo, Reply.io, Regie.ai, Braze | Automates multi-touch outbound outreach via email, LinkedIn, and phone, helping teams prioritize leads and track performance. | - Email automation and cold outreach - Multi-channel outreach - Workflow automation & CRM integration - Broadcasts and campaign management - Analytics, reporting and sales intelligence | Regie.ai | | AI Sales Calls & Enterprise Engagement e.g. Dialpad Sell, Trellus, Momentum | Focuses on voice calls, AI coaching, and enterprise-level engagement, including automation and analytics. | - Real-time sales coaching and call assistance - AI-powered conversations and virtual agents - Broadcasts and campaign management - Workflow automation & CRM integration - Analytics, reporting and sales intelligence | Dialpad Sell | #### 1\. Respond.io – Best omnichannel messaging & AI sales automation software - Best for: Scaling B2C brands looking for advanced AI features to grow their revenue in weeks through conversational sales. - G2 rating: 4.8/5 - G2 customer sentiment: Users praise respond.io for its intuitive interface, multi‑channel integration, and excellent support, while noting pricing and some feature gaps as drawbacks. - Capterra rating: 4.6/5 - Capterra customer sentiment: Reviewers highlight ease of use, automation, and productivity gains, but point out occasional performance issues and limitations in certain functionalities. - How it works: Respond.io is an omnichannel business customer conversation management software that centralizes communication from multiple channels — including website chat, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, phone calls and more — into one unified inbox. It contains advanced features for all businesses looking to scale. - FeaturesChannels: Supports channels like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Viber, Telegram, TikTok, WeChat, SMS, email, and calls via WhatsApp, Telnyx and n8n.Workflow automation: Use the automation builder to capture leads, send follow-ups, route messages and assign tasks.AI capabilities: Use AI Agents to automate conversations, qualify leads and support team members in real time.Broadcasts: Send targeted mass messages and campaigns using the Broadcasts module.Dashboards and reports: Measure team efficiency, AI impact and campaign performance.Integrations: Sync data across Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier, Make and other connected tools.Customer support: 24/5 live support and 24/7 AI assistance.Stability: 99,999% uptime. - Channels: Supports channels like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Viber, Telegram, TikTok, WeChat, SMS, email, and calls via WhatsApp, Telnyx and n8n. - Workflow automation: Use the automation builder to capture leads, send follow-ups, route messages and assign tasks. - AI capabilities: Use AI Agents to automate conversations, qualify leads and support team members in real time. - Broadcasts: Send targeted mass messages and campaigns using the Broadcasts module. - Dashboards and reports: Measure team efficiency, AI impact and campaign performance. - Integrations: Sync data across Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier, Make and other connected tools. - Customer support: 24/5 live support and 24/7 AI assistance. - Stability: 99,999% uptime. - ProsManage all messaging and call channels with AI across supported platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and VoIP.Deploy AI agents that handle chats, send payment links, update contact details and summarize conversations.Use prebuilt AI roles or train custom agents on your own data from PDFs, websites or internal resources..Access built-in analytics to monitor team performance and AI effectiveness.Tracks leads and conversion progress with Lifecycle.Integrate with sales CRMs and tools such as Hubspot, Salesforce, Zapier and Make.Scale confidently with enterprise-grade reliability and uptime.Enterprise features include multi-workspace support, webhooks and SSO for advanced control.Highly rated customer support. - Manage all messaging and call channels with AI across supported platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and VoIP. - Deploy AI agents that handle chats, send payment links, update contact details and summarize conversations.Use prebuilt AI roles or train custom agents on your own data from PDFs, websites or internal resources.. - Use prebuilt AI roles or train custom agents on your own data from PDFs, websites or internal resources.. - Access built-in analytics to monitor team performance and AI effectiveness. - Tracks leads and conversion progress with Lifecycle. - Integrate with sales CRMs and tools such as Hubspot, Salesforce, Zapier and Make. - Scale confidently with enterprise-grade reliability and uptime. - Enterprise features include multi-workspace support, webhooks and SSO for advanced control. - Highly rated customer support. - ConsThe initial setup and customization may take time and require some technical expertise.The performance of AI-driven features depends on the quality of training data and requires ongoing monitoring to ensure accuracy. - The initial setup and customization may take time and require some technical expertise. - The performance of AI-driven features depends on the quality of training data and requires ongoing monitoring to ensure accuracy. - Monthly pricingThe Growth plan begins at $159 per month for 10 users. It includes unlimited workflows, unlimited AI credits, advanced reporting and onboarding assistance via chat or call. - The Growth plan begins at $159 per month for 10 users. It includes unlimited workflows, unlimited AI credits, advanced reporting and onboarding assistance via chat or call. #### 2\. Kommo – AI-powered sales CRM - Best for: Small to medium-sized businesses seeking a CRM with integrated messaging capabilities. - G2 rating: 3.8/5 - G2 customer sentiment: Users appreciate Kommo for its robust integrations, lead‑management automation, and clean multichannel CRM interface, while citing price concerns and limited reporting/customization options. - Capterra rating: 4.3/5 - Capterra customer sentiment: Reviewers value Kommo’s ease‑of‑use, well‑designed workflows and chat‑based CRM capabilities, though some note the mobile app lacks full feature parity and certain features need clearer documentation. - How it works: Kommo centralizes customer interactions from various messaging platforms into a unified inbox, enabling businesses to manage leads, automate workflows, and track sales pipelines efficiently. - Key featuresChannels: Supports WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Viber, Telegram, Skype, WeChat, Apple Chat, SMS and email.Workflow Automation: Automates repetitive tasks such as lead assignment, follow-ups, and notifications.AI Capabilities: Offers code-free chatbot builders for 24/7 customer support.Broadcasts: Facilitates sending messages to multiple contacts simultaneously across various channels.Reports: Provides advanced analytics and reporting tools to track sales performance and team productivity.Integrations: Integrates with various third-party applications, enhancing its functionality.Customer Support: Offers free setup assistance and multichannel support during business hours.Stability: Provides a reliable platform with consistent performance. - Channels: Supports WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Viber, Telegram, Skype, WeChat, Apple Chat, SMS and email. - Workflow Automation: Automates repetitive tasks such as lead assignment, follow-ups, and notifications. - AI Capabilities: Offers code-free chatbot builders for 24/7 customer support. - Broadcasts: Facilitates sending messages to multiple contacts simultaneously across various channels. - Reports: Provides advanced analytics and reporting tools to track sales performance and team productivity. - Integrations: Integrates with various third-party applications, enhancing its functionality. - Customer Support: Offers free setup assistance and multichannel support during business hours. - Stability: Provides a reliable platform with consistent performance. - ProsUser-friendly interface for small to medium teams.Comprehensive messaging channel coverage.Workflow automation tools for lead management.Basic AI for chatbots.Responsive support for setup. - User-friendly interface for small to medium teams. - Comprehensive messaging channel coverage. - Workflow automation tools for lead management. - Basic AI for chatbots. - Responsive support for setup. - Cons:Lacks advanced AI for full customer journey management.No WhatsApp calling feature.Pricing goes up quickly for businesses with larger teams.Pricing requires a minimum 6-month commitment, limiting flexibility. - Lacks advanced AI for full customer journey management. - No WhatsApp calling feature. - Pricing goes up quickly for businesses with larger teams. - Pricing requires a minimum 6-month commitment, limiting flexibility. - Monthly PricingAdvanced Plan: $25 per user/month, which includes features like no-code Salesbot, pipeline automation, and triggered SMS & emails. - Advanced Plan: $25 per user/month, which includes features like no-code Salesbot, pipeline automation, and triggered SMS & emails. #### 3\. Sleekflow - Multichannel messaging hub for small teams - Best for: Small businesses or teams looking for a multichannel messaging platform (especially WhatsApp-centric) with basic automation and customer-communication capabilities. - G2 rating: 4.6/5 - G2 customer sentiment: Users say SleekFlow excels at simplifying omnichannel messaging—integrating WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, etc., in one inbox with smart automation and intuitive design—but some criticize its pricing, limited analytics, and occasional UI bugs or slow load times. - Capterra rating: 4.5/5 - Capterra customer sentiment: Reviewers appreciate SleekFlow for its unified platform and ease of setup, especially for social‑commerce workflows, though they point out that advanced features are locked behind higher tiers and deeper customization or email support may be lacking. - How it works: SleekFlow unifies customer conversations from WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger and other channels into one shared inbox. It helps small teams reply faster, send broadcasts, and automate basic workflows for sales and support. - Key FeaturesChannels: WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, Viber, SMS and email.Workflow Automation: Rule-based automation for routing, tagging and follow-ups.AI Capabilities: Basic chatbot builder and message suggestions.Broadcasts: Send bulk messages or campaigns to segmented contact lists.Reports: Basic analytics for messages, team performance and response time.Integrations: Connects with Shopify, WooCommerce and other e-commerce tools..Customer Support: Email and chat support during business hoursStability: Performs well for small-scale operations but may lag under heavy use. - Channels: WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, Viber, SMS and email. - Workflow Automation: Rule-based automation for routing, tagging and follow-ups. - AI Capabilities: Basic chatbot builder and message suggestions. - Broadcasts: Send bulk messages or campaigns to segmented contact lists. - Reports: Basic analytics for messages, team performance and response time. - Integrations: Connects with Shopify, WooCommerce and other e-commerce tools.. - Customer Support: Email and chat support during business hours - Stability: Performs well for small-scale operations but may lag under heavy use. - ProsIntuitive shared inbox and multichannel setup.Strong WhatsApp and e-commerce integrations.Affordable for small teams with simple automation needs. - Intuitive shared inbox and multichannel setup. - Strong WhatsApp and e-commerce integrations. - Affordable for small teams with simple automation needs. - ConsLimited AI, workflow complexity and scalability.Customer support can be slow for complex requests.Costs rise with message volume and user expansion. - Limited AI, workflow complexity and scalability. - Customer support can be slow for complex requests. - Costs rise with message volume and user expansion. - Monthly PricingThere's a free plan for small businesses that can't incur big costs yet.Pro Plan: Starts at US $199/month with 5 users and up to 2,000 monthly active contacts. Includes WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram integration, automation workflows, and broadcast capabilities.Additional Costs: Add-ons include extra user seats (US $19/month each) and contact packs (US $49/month per 2,000 contacts). WhatsApp Business API fees also apply separately (e.g., monthly hosting + per-message charges). - There's a free plan for small businesses that can't incur big costs yet. - Pro Plan: Starts at US $199/month with 5 users and up to 2,000 monthly active contacts. Includes WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram integration, automation workflows, and broadcast capabilities. - Additional Costs: Add-ons include extra user seats (US $19/month each) and contact packs (US $49/month per 2,000 contacts). WhatsApp Business API fees also apply separately (e.g., monthly hosting + per-message charges). #### 4\. Apollo – B2B sales engagement platform - Best for: B2B teams needing data-driven lead generation and outreach automation. - G2 rating: 4.4/5 - G2 customer sentiment: Users highly rate Apollo.io for its robust prospecting tools, intuitive interface, and seamless CRM integration, though many still express concerns over data accuracy and a steep learning curve. - Capterra rating: 4.3/5 - Capterra customer sentiment: Reviewers commend Apollo.io’s ease of use, strong automation features, and ability to save time on outreach, while noting limitations in data quality and feature depth for enterprise needs. - How it works: Apollo leverages a database of 265+ million contacts and AI-driven insights to identify high-potential prospects, automate multi-channel outreach (email, phone, LinkedIn), and prioritize follow-ups. AI analyzes interactions to deliver pre-meeting insights and optimize sales engagement. - Key FeaturesChannels: Email, phone, LinkedIn.Workflow automation: Multi-touch sequences, call logging, CRM syncing.AI Capabilities: Call/email analysis, pre-meeting insights, AI-assisted workflow suggestions.Broadcasts: Limited to outreach sequences, no mass messaging like WhatsApp.Reports: Pre-built and customizable for outreach performance.Integrations: CRM and productivity tools.Customer Support: Standard ticketing and knowledge base.Stability: Reliable for B2B teams. - Channels: Email, phone, LinkedIn. - Workflow automation: Multi-touch sequences, call logging, CRM syncing. - AI Capabilities: Call/email analysis, pre-meeting insights, AI-assisted workflow suggestions. - Broadcasts: Limited to outreach sequences, no mass messaging like WhatsApp. - Reports: Pre-built and customizable for outreach performance. - Integrations: CRM and productivity tools. - Customer Support: Standard ticketing and knowledge base. - Stability: Reliable for B2B teams. - ProsAccess to a massive contact database for lead generationAutomates outreach across multiple channelsAI-driven insights to prioritize high-value prospectsStreamlines logging, call tracking and CRM updates - Access to a massive contact database for lead generation - Automates outreach across multiple channels - AI-driven insights to prioritize high-value prospects - Streamlines logging, call tracking and CRM updates - ConsPrimarily designed for B2B; limited applicability for B2C or real-time messaging.No support for instant messaging channels like WhatsApp.AI cannot be trained on company-specific resources or custom workflows. - Primarily designed for B2B; limited applicability for B2C or real-time messaging. - No support for instant messaging channels like WhatsApp. - AI cannot be trained on company-specific resources or custom workflows. - Monthly pricingProfessional Plan at $99/user/month, includes 4,000 credits per user and multi-touch AI-assisted outreach; add-ons available for additional credits. - Professional Plan at $99/user/month, includes 4,000 credits per user and multi-touch AI-assisted outreach; add-ons available for additional credits. #### 5\. Reply.io – Automating cold outreach - Best for: Sales teams seeking AI-driven multichannel outreach, including email, LinkedIn, SMS and voice calls. - G2 rating: 4.7/5 - G2 customer sentiment: Users rate Reply.io at 4.6 / 5, praising its intuitive interface, excellent customer support, and robust automation for multichannel outbound outreach; common complaints include gaps in Outlook integration and a steeper learning curve. - Capterra rating: 4.6/5 - Capterra customer sentiment: Reviewers highlight Reply.io’s ease of use in automating outreach and booking meetings, but some point to occasional bugs, pricing concerns, and missing advanced features as drawbacks. - How it works: Reply.io automates B2B sales outreach through AI-powered sequences across multiple channels, including email, LinkedIn, SMS and voice calls. It offers tools for lead generation, follow-ups and analytics, aiming to streamline the sales process and improve engagement. - Key featuresChannels: Email, LinkedIn, SMS, voice calls.Automation: AI-driven sequence creation, multichannel follow-ups.AI Capabilities: Icebreaker generation, reply categorization, personalization.Broadcasts: No dedicated mass messaging, sequence-based outreach.Reports: Email, LinkedIn, call and team performance analytics.Integrations: CRM and productivity tool integrations.Customer Support: Live chat and onboarding with CSM.Stability: Scalable for high-volume outreach. - Channels: Email, LinkedIn, SMS, voice calls. - Automation: AI-driven sequence creation, multichannel follow-ups. - AI Capabilities: Icebreaker generation, reply categorization, personalization. - Broadcasts: No dedicated mass messaging, sequence-based outreach. - Reports: Email, LinkedIn, call and team performance analytics. - Integrations: CRM and productivity tool integrations. - Customer Support: Live chat and onboarding with CSM. - Stability: Scalable for high-volume outreach. - ProsComprehensive multichannel outreach capabilities.AI-driven personalization and automation features.Detailed analytics and reporting tools.Strong customer support with dedicated onboarding.Scalable infrastructure suitable for growing teams. - Comprehensive multichannel outreach capabilities. - AI-driven personalization and automation features. - Detailed analytics and reporting tools. - Strong customer support with dedicated onboarding. - Scalable infrastructure suitable for growing teams. - ConsNo support for instant messaging channels like WhatsApp.Pricing may be considered high for small teams or startups.Additional costs for certain features like LinkedIn automation and dialer.Some users report unexpected charges and difficulties in canceling subscriptions. - No support for instant messaging channels like WhatsApp. - Pricing may be considered high for small teams or startups. - Additional costs for certain features like LinkedIn automation and dialer. - Some users report unexpected charges and difficulties in canceling subscriptions. - Monthly pricingMultichannel plan at $99/user/month, offering unlimited emails, AI email assistant and 50 live data credits per month. - Multichannel plan at $99/user/month, offering unlimited emails, AI email assistant and 50 live data credits per month. #### 6\. Regie.ai – AI-written sales copy - Best for: Enterprise sales teams seeking an AI-native platform for autonomous prospecting and multi-channel outreach. - G2 rating: 4.4/5 - G2 customer sentiment: Users praise its ability to personalize outreach, accelerate campaign creation and boost productivity — while some note that generated content can require significant editing, pricing is high, and integrations are still evolving. - Capterra rating: 4/5 - Capterra customer sentiment: Reviewers appreciate the tool’s ease of use and time‑savings for message creation, but point out limitations in channel diversification, sequence transfer, and value for money. - How it works: Regie.ai offers an AI-powered prospecting platform that combines AI agents and a parallel dialer to automate lead generation, content creation and outreach across multiple channels. - Key featuresChannels: Email, voice calls, social media.Automation: Lead discovery, content creation, outreach sequences, task execution.AI Capabilities: Personalized outreach, intent-based lead scoring, adaptive engagement.Broadcasts: Sequence-driven but no platform-wide broadcast.Reports: Campaign analytics, engagement metrics, pipeline insights.Integrations: Limited third-party CRM integrations.Customer Support: Knowledge base and service channels.Stability: Enterprise-ready infrastructure. - Channels: Email, voice calls, social media. - Automation: Lead discovery, content creation, outreach sequences, task execution. - AI Capabilities: Personalized outreach, intent-based lead scoring, adaptive engagement. - Broadcasts: Sequence-driven but no platform-wide broadcast. - Reports: Campaign analytics, engagement metrics, pipeline insights. - Integrations: Limited third-party CRM integrations. - Customer Support: Knowledge base and service channels. - Stability: Enterprise-ready infrastructure. - ProsComprehensive AI-driven automation for sales prospecting.Multi-channel outreach capabilities.Generative AI for personalized content creation.Advanced analytics and reporting features.Scalable infrastructure suitable for enterprise teams. - Comprehensive AI-driven automation for sales prospecting. - Multi-channel outreach capabilities. - Generative AI for personalized content creation. - Advanced analytics and reporting features. - Scalable infrastructure suitable for enterprise teams. - ConsNo support for instant messaging channels like WhatsApp.Pricing may be considered high for small teams or startups.Complex setup process requiring extensive configuration.Limited integrations with third-party CRM systems. - No support for instant messaging channels like WhatsApp. - Pricing may be considered high for small teams or startups. - Complex setup process requiring extensive configuration. - Limited integrations with third-party CRM systems. - Monthly pricingEnterprise plan at $35,000/year, offering AI agents, AI dialer and multi-channel outreach capabilities. - Enterprise plan at $35,000/year, offering AI agents, AI dialer and multi-channel outreach capabilities. #### 7\. Braze – AI-driven customer engagement at scale - Best for: Mid-to-large enterprises seeking robust, AI-powered customer engagement across multiple channels, including email, push notifications, SMS and in-app messaging. - G2 rating: 4.5/5 - G2 sentiment analysis: Users commonly praise Braze for its intuitive interface, strong multichannel campaign capabilities (especially email, push, and mobile notifications), and effective AI-driven personalization and automation. At the same time, customers frequently point out a relatively steep learning curve, higher cost, and slower onboarding or support responsiveness. - Capterra rating: 4.6/5 - Capterra sentiment analysis: On Capterra, reviewers highlight Braze’s robustness and flexibility in delivering cross-channel engagement at scale, especially for marketing teams, while noting that setup can be complex, some advanced features require developer input, and the cost may be high for smaller players. - How It Works: Braze enables brands to deliver personalized, real-time messaging through a unified platform. It integrates with various data sources to create comprehensive customer profiles, allowing for targeted campaigns and automated journeys. **Key Features** - Channels: Email, push, SMS, in-app, WhatsApp; 150+ partner integrations. - Automation: Journey orchestration, automated messaging, real-time triggers. - AI Capabilities: Send-time optimization, behavior prediction, content personalization with BrazeAI. - Broadcasts: Supports bulk and targeted campaigns across channels. - Reports: Comprehensive analytics dashboards for campaigns, engagement, retention. - Integrations: Extensive partner ecosystem and API connections. - Customer Support: 24/7 live chat/email. - Stability: Enterprise-grade uptime and scalable infrastructure. **Pros** - Comprehensive channel support lets brands reach customers through multiple channels from a single platform. - Advanced AI features leverage artificial intelligence to optimize messaging and predict customer behavior, improving personalization. - Extensive integrations provide a wide range of connections with technology partners, enabling seamless data flow and campaign execution. - Scalable infrastructure is designed to handle the needs of large enterprises with high-volume messaging requirements. **Cons** - Pricing may be considered premium compared to some competitors and could be a barrier for smaller businesses. - The platform's extensive features can create a learning curve for new users to fully utilize its capabilities. - The effectiveness of AI-driven features depends heavily on the quality and completeness of the integrated data. **Monthly pricing** - Standard Plan: Pricing is customized based on the specific needs and scale of the business. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Braze directly for a personalized quote. - Depending on the chosen plan and usage, there may be extra costs for premium features, additional channels, or advanced analytics. #### 8\. Momentum – Pipeline insights and deal intelligence - Best for: Revenue teams seeking AI-powered orchestration across the entire sales cycle, from deal execution to customer retention. - G2 rating: 4.6/5 - G2 customer sentiment: Users praise Momentum for its AI-driven call summaries, automated CRM updates, and seamless Slack/CRM integrations. Common drawbacks include a learning curve, limited customization and occasional quirks with non-English languages. - Capterra rating: 4.7/5 - Capterra customer rating: Reviewers highlight fast support and strong integration capabilities, though they note the app can be resource-heavy and performance may drop when toggling between screens during calls. - How it works: Momentum serves as an AI-powered orchestration layer that integrates with existing CRM and sales tools to automate workflows, capture buyer intent signals and provide real-time insights. It aims to streamline sales processes and enhance team productivity. - Key FeaturesChannels: Email, Slack, Salesforce, other CRM platforms.Automation: Workflow automation for follow-ups, task assignment, data entry.AI Capabilities: Call summaries, action items, executive briefs, intent detection.Broadcasts: Supports notifications and updates via integrated channels.Reports: Analytics on sales performance, deal progression, team activities.Integrations: Deep CRM and collaboration tool integrations.Customer Support: Slack-based support with premium options.Stability: Reliable integration with existing tech stacks. - Channels: Email, Slack, Salesforce, other CRM platforms. - Automation: Workflow automation for follow-ups, task assignment, data entry. - AI Capabilities: Call summaries, action items, executive briefs, intent detection. - Broadcasts: Supports notifications and updates via integrated channels. - Reports: Analytics on sales performance, deal progression, team activities. - Integrations: Deep CRM and collaboration tool integrations. - Customer Support: Slack-based support with premium options. - Stability: Reliable integration with existing tech stacks. - ProsComprehensive AI-driven sales orchestration.Seamless integration with existing CRM and sales tools.Real-time insights and alerts.Customizable workflows to fit specific sales processes.Scalable solution suitable for teams of various sizes. - Comprehensive AI-driven sales orchestration. - Seamless integration with existing CRM and sales tools. - Real-time insights and alerts. - Customizable workflows to fit specific sales processes. - Scalable solution suitable for teams of various sizes. - ConsRequires initial setup and customization.Pricing may be considered high for small teams or startups.Limited omnichannel support; primarily focuses on email and CRM platforms. - Requires initial setup and customization. - Pricing may be considered high for small teams or startups. - Limited omnichannel support; primarily focuses on email and CRM platforms. - Monthly pricingBusiness plan at $99/user/month, offering AI-driven sales orchestration and integration with existing tools. - Business plan at $99/user/month, offering AI-driven sales orchestration and integration with existing tools. #### 9\. Dialpad Sell – AI sales calls and coaching - Best for: Sales teams that rely on voice calls and want real-time AI assistance for coaching, objection handling and conversation insights. - G2 rating: 4.4/5 - G2 customer sentiment: Users appreciate Dialpad Sell for its unified platform with voice and messaging, AI‑powered call transcription and strong mobile/desktop experience; however, many raise concerns about inconsistent CRM integrations, occasional call quality issues and support responsiveness. - Capterra rating: 4.5/5 - Capterra customer sentiment: Reviewers highlight Dialpad’s ease of use, flexible calling tools, and AI features as significant advantages, while pointing to limitations in setup complexity, advanced reporting and slower support for large or complex deployments. - How It Works: Provides AI-powered voice and video calling with real-time transcription, sentiment analysis, and live coaching prompts. Automatically generates call summaries and updates CRM data to streamline post-call tasks. **Key Features** - Channels: Voice, SMS, MMS, email. - Automation: Real-time assist prompts, voicemail drops, call summaries, smart routing. - AI Capabilities: NLP transcription, sentiment analysis, objection handling, coaching cards, post-call insights. - Broadcasts: Not applicable; call-focused. - Reports: Call analytics, sentiment dashboards, team performance. - Integrations: CRM and productivity tool integrations. - Customer Support: 24/5 chat & email, 24/7 on higher plans. - Stability: Enterprise-grade infrastructure, 99.9% uptime SLA. **Pros** - Excellent real-time voice intelligence and live coaching. - Strong reporting and analytics for call quality and performance. - Reliable platform performance for enterprise teams. - Seamless CRM integrations and automated post-call actions. **Cons** - Limited coverage of non-voice channels like WhatsApp or social media. - AI features and advanced analytics available only on higher plans. - Add-ons (extra numbers, call recording) can increase costs. - Requires onboarding to fully leverage AI tools. **Monthly pricing** - Pro Plan: ~$95–110 per user/month (billed monthly). Includes AI call transcription, live coaching, voicemail drop, CRM sync and analytics. - Additional costs may apply for premium AI features, local presence dialing or extra phone numbers. #### 10\. Trellus – Backend sales ops AI agents - Best for: Sales teams seeking real-time AI coaching during calls, automated dialing, and seamless CRM integration. - G2 rating: 4.5/5 - G2 customer sentiment: Users commend Trellus for its simplicity of onboarding, responsive support, and noticeable impact on increasing call-engagement rates, while some mention that it still lacks certain features. - Capterra rating: Not available. - Capterra customer sentiment: Direct insights are limited due to minimal review data, making it difficult to draw a clear sentiment profile at this time. - How it works: Trellus.ai integrates with existing sales platforms like Salesloft, Outreach, and HubSpot, providing real-time AI coaching, automated dialing, and performance analytics to enhance sales productivity. **Key Features** - Channels: Voice calls; integrates with CRM and sales engagement platforms. - Automation: Auto dialing, voicemail drops, CRM updates. - AI Capabilities: Real-time call feedback, objection handling, performance insights. - Broadcasts: Not applicable; call-focused. - Reports: Call analytics, objection tracking, sales metrics dashboards. - Integrations: Salesloft, Outreach, HubSpot. - Customer Support: 24/7 live chat/email. - Stability: Reliable integration with major sales platforms. **Pros** - Real-time AI coaching enhances sales call effectiveness. - Seamless integration with popular sales engagement platforms. - Reduces manual tasks through automation, increasing productivity. - Provides actionable insights through performance analytics. **Cons** - Primarily focused on voice calls; limited support for other communication channels. - Requires integration with existing sales platforms, which may involve setup time. - Advanced features may require higher-tier plans. **Monthly pricing** - Power Plan: Priced at $39.99 per user per month, offering unlimited dialing, voicemail drops on select platforms, and access to past transcripts. ### How businesses use AI sales automation software #### JU Productions enhances lead quality with AI-driven spam filtering JU Productions, a digital marketing agency in Singapore, improved lead quality by using [respond.io’s AI agents](https://respond.io/customers/ju-productions-chose-respond-io-over-manychat?utm_source=chatgpt.com) to automatically filter spam and low-intent messages. The AI agents reviewed flagged conversations daily before blocking them, ensuring that only high-value leads reached the sales team. As a result, JU Productions reduced spam messages by 92% and increased qualified lead conversion by 38%, saving hours of manual filtering each week and letting the sales team focus on closing deals. #### Automax achieves 42.5x ROI with AI-powered WhatsApp broadcasts Automax, a leading automotive retailer, enhanced their WhatsApp marketing by integrating [respond.io’s AI-powered workflows](https://respond.io/customers?utm_source=chatgpt.com) for lead qualification and multilingual routing. The AI agent managed thousands of incoming inquiries efficiently, improving response times and engagement. By combining automated lead filtering with targeted WhatsApp broadcasts, Automax achieved a 42.5x return on investment, increased lead-to-sale conversion by 57%, and reduced manual follow-up efforts by 65%, demonstrating the measurable impact of AI on both efficiency and revenue. ### Further Reading If you've found this article interesting, have a look at: - Best WhatsApp Automation Tool: 9 Top Options Compared - Top 7 Conversational AI Platforms of 2025 and How to Choose One - Best AI Agents for Customer Support in 2025: Pros, Cons & Pricing ## [Best Bulk WhatsApp Marketing Software in 2025: Comparison, Guide & Insights](https:/respond.io/blog/best-bulk-whatsapp-marketing-software) Compare the best WhatsApp bulk messaging software in 2025. See features, pros, cons & pricing of top tools like respond.io, Brevo, WATI, Twilio & more Bulk messaging has long been a key communication strategy, traditionally through SMS and email. Over time, however, those channels have become saturated with spam, leading customers to ignore them. While WhatsApp also faced spam issues in its early days, Meta has since introduced strict rules and safeguards that have significantly reduced the problem. As a result, customers are [more likely to open and engage with WhatsApp messages](https://business.whatsapp.com/blog/use-whatsapp-business-goals), making it a preferred channel for business communication. This shift has raised the bar for message quality. In 2025, bulk messaging isn’t about blasting the same text to everyone — it’s about sending relevant, personalized messages that prompt action and build lasting relationships. In this guide, we’ve tested and compared today’s leading bulk WhatsApp messaging tools. We’ll examine how they handle the essentials — such as creating and sending broadcasts — and the extra features that can make a big difference, including automation, segmentation, inbox workflows, analytics, onboarding and pricing clarity. Whether you’re starting fresh or upgrading your current setup, you’ll come away with a clear understanding of what’s available and which platform best fits your needs. ### What is WhatsApp marketing software? WhatsApp marketing software is a tool that helps businesses send messages at scale on WhatsApp in a compliant, organized and measurable way. Unlike WhatsApp Business App, these platforms are built to handle bulk messaging, manage replies, personalize campaigns and track results. They connect to the official WhatsApp Business API (WhatsApp Business Platform) through verified providers, ensuring stability and compliance with Meta’s rules. These are the different kinds of options businesses typically use for bulk messaging: **1\. WhatsApp Business App** Free and easy to use, but limited to sending messages to 256 contacts at a time. Fine for small businesses, but it lacks automation, advanced analytics and efficient reply management. As message volume grows, the manual workload becomes unsustainable. **2\. Unofficial bulk senders** Third-party tools that log into your WhatsApp account via unofficial methods. While cheap or free, they violate WhatsApp’s terms, carry high ban risks and often lack reliable features for handling replies. **3\. WhatsApp API** [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), also known as WhatsApp Business Platform, is Meta’s official solution for sending messages at scale. Meta does not provide a built-in interface for WhatsApp API, so applying directly means you would need developers to build and maintain your own tools to use it. Most companies instead work with an official [Business Solution Provider (BSP)](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider), which simplifies setup and provides ready-made features for sending broadcasts, managing replies and contacts. Compared to the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app), WhatsApp API is more powerful but comes with [per-message costs](https://respond.io/whatsapp-pricing-calculator) and opt-in requirements. In return, it ensures reliability and unlocks advanced features like automation, personalization and integrations. For small businesses just starting out, the WhatsApp Business App is usually sufficient. As your audience and messaging needs grow, upgrading to WhatsApp API becomes worthwhile. Unofficial bulk senders may look appealing for their low cost, but they can carry serious risks — from account bans to compromised data. We won’t be covering or recommending them. For peace of mind, stick to platforms that work with WhatsApp API. ### How to choose a bulk WhatsApp messaging software Choosing bulk WhatsApp marketing software isn’t just about sending messages — it’s about finding a platform that fits your budget, scales with your business and gives you the features you need to manage replies, automation and reporting. While API access itself is free, these platforms typically charge for usage on top of Meta’s per-message fees and some add extra markups. Even if a subscription looks cheap or free, keep in mind that broadcasts are often restricted in trials because Meta charges per template message and most providers avoid covering those costs. Some let you send test messages to yourself or a small internal list, while others require a wallet top-up or paid plan before you can send real broadcasts. With that in mind, choosing the right platform isn’t just about whether it can send messages. The real difference lies in the features, usability, and pricing that shape how effective and scalable your campaigns will be. Here are the main things to compare when reviewing tools: - Official API access and compliance — Using an official Business Solution Provider (BSP) ensures messages are sent through Meta’s verified channels, keeps your account safe and allows direct template approvals. BSPs can also help escalate issues like rejected templates, account quality drops or bans. - Ease of use — Look for a simple WhatsApp message template builder, smooth contact import and flexible scheduling. Clear onboarding helps you launch campaigns quickly. - Personalization and segmentation — Dynamic fields (like name or purchase history) and CRM integrations let you send relevant, targeted messages at scale. - Automation and AI agents — Broadcasts generate replies; AI, automation, chatbots and flow builders help manage them without overwhelming your team. - Analytics and reporting — Track sent, delivered, read, and failed messages, plus reply and opt-out rates. Breakdowns by channel, sender, or segment highlight what’s working. - Pricing transparency — Understand whether the platform passes Meta’s fees directly or adds extra markups, and whether pricing scales predictably as volumes grow. - Support and reliability — Responsive support and stable infrastructure reduce downtime and setup headaches. ### Best bulk WhatsApp marketing software comparison | Features | Respond.io | Brevo | AiSensy | WATI | SendWo | Twilio | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Setup & Onboarding (embedded signup, activation, guides) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Broadcast creation (templates, scheduling, personalization) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Upload contacts (CSV/integrations) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Segment contacts for broadcast | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Delivery & reporting dashboard | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Automation & flow builder | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Drip sequences | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ Only via 3rd-party integrations | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Retarget non-responders | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Inbox & 2-way chat (multi-agent, roles, conversation history) | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ Notes unsupported | ✅ | ⚠️ Notes unsupported | ❌ | | CRM integrations | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ Only via 3rd-party integrations | ✅ | ⚠️ Only via 3rd-party integrations | ✅ | | Campaign metrics (open, reply, opt-out) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Minimal | Partial | | Compliance (template use, opt-outs) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Quality rating monitoring | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | | Ease of use & stability (UI, performance) | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ Dated UI, unintuitive | ✅ | ❌ Unintuitive UI, inconsistent behavior | ❌ Depends on user implementation | | Mobile app available | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Meta message markup | ✅ No markup | ❌ Markup | ❌ Markup | ❌ Markup | ✅ No markup | ❌ Markup | | Low-volume testing | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ Single recipient test | ✅ | ✅ Single recipient test | | Support & resources (chat/email, docs, onboarding) | ✅ | ⚠️ Ticketing only | ✅ | ⚠️ Live chat only on Pro/Business plan | ⚠️ Live chat only on Pro/Enterprise plan | ⚠️ Live chat only for paid support plans, email for everyone | ### Bulk WhatsApp marketing software: pros, cons and pricing Every platform reviewed here can send compliant WhatsApp broadcasts. The real differences show up in how they handle broadcasts at scale — from reply management and automation to analytics, integrations, and pricing. Below, we break down the pros, cons, and costs so you can choose the best fit for your business. #### Respond.io Respond.io is a marketing platform that goes beyond bulk messaging, covering multiple user access, reply management, automation and reporting. It integrates with CRMs and can act as a CRM for customer management. With omnichannel support across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, VoIP and more, it’s well-suited for businesses seeking scalable messaging and automation across multiple channels. **Pros:** - Handles high-volume broadcasts without lag - Advanced automation and analytics - Autonomous AI agents that qualify leads, answer FAQs, route chats and more - Unified inbox for managing inbound conversations across multiple channels - Deep CRM integrations **Cons:** - More advanced features may be overkill for very small teams **Pricing:** - Transparent pricing, no markup fees - No forever free plan **Best For:** Businesses ready to scale WhatsApp marketing with AI and automation, data-driven targeting, integrated workflows and companies that need a reliable omnichannel messaging solution. #### Brevo Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is an email and SMS marketing platform that includes WhatsApp Business API functionality. In addition to being an official WhatsApp BSP, Brevo features no-code campaign creation, automation workflows, CRM contact management and rich media campaign support within a unified interface. **Pros:** - Combines Email, SMS and WhatsApp in one platform - Built-in CRM and marketing automation **Cons:** - WhatsApp features are less advanced than email/SMS tools - No live chat support **Pricing:** - Free plan available - Has markup charges on top of Meta’s messaging fees **Best For:** Businesses seeking a budget-friendly solution to run email and SMS campaigns but also need official WhatsApp support in the same platform. #### AiSensy AiSensy is a WhatsApp‑focused marketing platform aimed at SMBs. It offers embedded signup, fast onboarding, a campaign builder with personalization/segmentation and a visual flow builder for basic automations. However, a number of functions will require third‑party integrations. While AiSensy has a free tier, it doesn’t support bulk messaging. **Pros:** - Can create and run ads directly from the platform - Supports in-app payments on WhatsApp **Cons:** - Dated, unintuitive UI - Free tier doesn’t support bulk messaging - Relies on third‑party tools for many integrations - No internal notes in inbox **Pricing:** - Affordable entry pricing - Has markup charges on top of Meta’s messaging fees **Best For:** SMBs that want a low-cost, WhatsApp-first platform with quick setup. Particularly suited for businesses running Click-to-WhatsApp ads or looking to enable in-chat payments, but who don’t need advanced analytics or deep native integrations. #### WATI WATI (WhatsApp Team Inbox) is a WhatsApp-first customer engagement platform built for SMBs. It’s an official WhatsApp BSP with simple onboarding and a visual chatbot builder for automating responses. WATI’s interface is designed for teams that want to manage both marketing broadcasts and customer service from the same place. **Pros:** - Sleek, modern-looking UI - Built-in chatbot builder - Easy onboarding and setup **Cons:** - Live chat support is only available for Pro and Business plan users - Limited analytics depth - Has performance issues **Pricing:** - SMB-friendly pricing - Has markup charges on top of Meta’s messaging fees **Best For:** SMBs and agencies that need an easy-to-use WhatsApp marketing and support tool with strong automation and team collaboration features. A solid choice for businesses that want to combine broadcasts, chatbots, and shared inbox workflows in one platform, but may not require advanced analytics or enterprise-level customization. #### SendWo SendWo is a lightweight WhatsApp marketing tool built for straightforward, compliant bulk messaging without extra costs. It offers the core broadcast features you need in a simple, no-frills package, but its limited onboarding support and clunky interface can make it harder to get started. **Pros:** - Supports in-chat payments **Cons:** - Unintuitive UI with inconsistent behavior - Minimal analytics and reporting features - Limited automation and AI capabilities - Few integrations compared to other platforms - Poor documentation/help center **Pricing:** - Free plan available - No markup fees on top of Meta’s rates **Best For:** Budget-conscious businesses that only need basic, compliant WhatsApp broadcasts at the lowest possible cost, and can work without advanced features or deep integrations. #### Twilio Twilio is a developer-centric communications platform that offers the WhatsApp Business API as part of its messaging suite. It’s an official WhatsApp BSP, but unlike plug-and-play tools, Twilio does not provide a built-in interface for sending bulk messages. Instead, you’ll need to build your own frontend or connect Twilio to a third-party tool to run campaigns. **Pros:** - Highly flexible API for custom workflows and integrations - Extensive developer documentation and SDKs - Scalable infrastructure for high-volume messaging - Supports multi-channel communication (SMS, voice, WhatsApp, and more) **Cons:** - No native campaign builder or shared inbox — requires custom development or third-party software - Steeper learning curve for non-technical teams - Setup can be time-consuming compared to plug-and-play solutions **Pricing:** - API pricing plus potential extra costs from third-party frontends **Best For:** Businesses with in-house developers or technical teams who want maximum control and customization over WhatsApp messaging, or enterprises integrating WhatsApp into broader multi-channel systems. ### Which is the best bulk WhatsApp marketing software your business needs? Choosing the right platform depends on your business size, technical resources, and whether you need more than just sending broadcasts. - Brevo — Best for teams running multi-channel campaigns that combine email, SMS and WhatsApp in one platform. - AiSensy or WATI — Strong fits for SMBs that want quick setup, affordability and simple chatbot tools without enterprise-level complexity. - Twilio — Suited for developer-led teams that need full control, scalability and custom integrations rather than plug-and-play tools. - SendWo — The most budget-friendly option if all you need is compliant WhatsApp broadcasts at the lowest possible cost. - Respond.io — The best all-rounder for businesses that treat WhatsApp as a core revenue channel while also needing to manage other channels. It combines compliant bulk messaging with automation, segmentation, shared inbox workflows, transparent pricing, and omnichannel support—making it the platform to scale with. ### How can the right WhatsApp marketing tool grow your business? Bulk WhatsApp messaging in 2025 isn’t about blasting the same text to everyone. It’s about sending relevant, timely messages at scale—with consent, compliance and a plan for the replies you’ll receive. While every platform we reviewed can send compliant bulk messages, the real difference lies in what happens beyond “send.” The right tool should help you turn campaigns into conversations that convert, with automation, segmentation, shared inbox workflows, analytics, and transparent pricing to back it up. That’s where respond.io stands out. It’s built for businesses that treat WhatsApp as a serious revenue channel and not just a broadcast tool. - Automation and drip campaigns to engage customers without manual follow-ups - Manage responses with AI - use AI agents to reply instantly, then hand off conversations to humans or allow human agents to take over when ready - Shared inbox + roles/notes so teams can resolve conversations faster - Segmentation + CRM integration to write messages people actually want to read - No extra fees on top of Meta so you can scale predictably If you’re ready to go beyond basic sending and run campaigns that actually drive results, respond.io is the platform to grow with. Sign up with respond.io and launch your first compliant, segmented WhatsApp campaign this week! ### FAQs about WhatsApp bulk marketing ### Further reading We hope you found this guide helpful! If you want to learn more about bulk messaging over WhatsApp API, check out these articles: - WhatsApp Broadcast in 3 Steps: Everything You Need to Know - How to Send Bulk Messages on WhatsApp: A Step-by-Step Guide - WhatsApp Broadcast Message Sample: 24 Templates for Your Business ## [Best Messaging Apps For Business [February 2024]](https:/respond.io/blog/best-messaging-apps) With over 3 billion messaging app users worldwide, Business Messaging has become an inevitable trend - customers increasingly turn to messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp to contact businesses. We’ll explain the benefits of using instant messaging apps for business, the best ways to use messaging apps for marketing, remarketing, sales, support and notifications, and reveal the best messaging apps for each use case. With over 3 billion messaging app users worldwide, business messaging has become an inevitable trend – customers increasingly turn to messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp to contact businesses. We’ll explain the benefits of using instant messaging apps for business and the best ways to use messaging apps for different use cases, including marketing, remarketing, sales, support and notifications. Then, we’ll reveal the best messaging apps for each use case. ### Most Popular Messaging Apps for Business When it comes to chatting with friends and family, we’ve moved away from calls and SMS and embraced instant messaging. Similarly, more people are turning to messaging apps to communicate with businesses. Customers will most likely engage with you on a messaging app they are already using. When choosing a messaging app for business, always go for the most popular one in your country. Here’s a cheat sheet to get you started. Popular messaging apps allow you to connect with more customers as you can reach users where they already spend a significant amount of time. Mainstream apps like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) and [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) will work most of the time, but niche apps like [Telegram,](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business), [WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account) and [KakaoTalk](https://respond.io/blog/kakao-for-business) have an edge for certain use cases in some regions. Other than connecting with more customers, there are several other reasons you should use chat apps for business. Let’s take a closer look at them. ### Why Use Instant Messaging Apps For Business Messaging apps make it easier to start a conversation and control conversation tone and speed. Moreover, they help reduce operational costs. This section will explain how messaging apps help you achieve these goals. #### It's Easier to Start Conversations On Messaging Apps Getting customers to chat with your business [creates opportunities](https://respond.io/blog/customer-conversation-management) for you to engage with them, delight them and increase the chances of conversion. On messaging apps, it’s easy to get customers to start chatting with you through [QR codes](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you), [website widgets and chat links](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets). These methods are much simpler than drafting an email or navigating an interactive voice response (IVR). Another way to start a conversation is to reach out to customers proactively. Unlike email and phone, some messaging apps do not allow businesses to send the first message. However, messaging apps that let you reach out have a distinct advantage over email and phone. Customers are more likely to respond to your business on messaging apps because they create hard-to-ignore push notifications. As people spend a significant amount of time on messaging apps, they will likely come across your message when accessing the app, even if they initially ignore the notification. For instance, messaging apps like WhatsApp let you use [message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) to initiate customer conversations. They are a real godsend because customers are almost guaranteed to reply. #### Conversations on Messaging Apps Are More Effective With more customers messaging you, it's time to involve your sales and support team. Phone calls have been the gold standard for sales and support because agents can control the tone and speed of a conversation. But messaging apps also offer the same benefits. Conversations on messaging apps have a casual tone, starkly contrasting with emails, where conversations are formal. Using abbreviations and emojis creates a more approachable atmosphere, transforming an adversarial relationship into a partnership. Messaging apps also promote faster interactions. With messages flying back and forth on messaging apps, you can solve tickets as fast as you would on web chat. Plus, salespeople can control the emotion levels in conversations, which is impossible over email. Put simply, you can expect equal or superior sales and support quality on messaging apps compared to traditional channels like phones. Additionally, messaging apps offer a more cost-effective solution when compared to traditional channels. Let's delve into the reasons why. #### Using Messaging Apps For Business Is Less Expensive For businesses, reducing operational costs is just as important as keeping your sales and support team effective. While phone is the only channel that comes close to messaging apps when it comes to sales and support quality, it can be expensive since agents are dedicated to one customer at a time. As your business expands, you'll need to hire more agents to accommodate the increasing demand, making it a less scalable and cost-efficient option compared to the broader and more flexible capabilities offered by messaging apps. Plus, it can cost a lot to set up and maintain the necessary infrastructure for traditional phone systems. In contrast, many business messaging apps, like Facebook Messenger, offer free access for businesses to chat with customers. Some apps may have associated costs after an initial free period. Although other apps, like [Viber](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/15247629658525), have [fees for initiating conversations](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/15247629658525-Bot-Commercial-Model#rate-card), they remain more cost-effective and scalable compared to traditional phone-based systems. One factor contributing to the cost-effectiveness of messaging apps is that they let you have conversations with more customers without increasing your sales and support team headcount. This is because messaging app conversations don't require both sender and recipient to be present simultaneously. While handling multiple conversations at the same time is nothing new compared to SMS and email, it is a huge upgrade from phone calls, which require agents to be fully engaged in one conversation. As you can see, switching to messaging apps is the best decision you can make for your business, as it comes with multiple benefits. You can keep operational costs low while messaging more customers and improving the quality of interactions. It's important to note that messaging apps operate differently based on each use case. We’ll dive into this topic further below. ### Best Messaging Apps for Business By Use Case Messaging apps can benefit any use case. They help [capture more leads](https://respond.io/blog/customer-conversation-management#toc-mobile-5), reactivate more customers, close more sales, provide more personalized customer support and reduce notification costs. Here, we’ll discuss the best messaging apps for each use case. #### Best Messaging App for Business: Marketing Whether you are a B2B or B2C business, it all starts with attracting leads through marketing. Before we reveal the best messaging apps for marketing, let's find out how messaging apps help you start a conversation with more leads through click-to-chat ads. Here’s how a typical B2B business advertises: First, you show ads to target buyers. When clicked, the ad will take them to a contact form. If they provide their email address or phone number, you can connect with them via email or phone. However, customer drop-off is usually high in conventional advertising because many are unmotivated to fill out a long contact form or have privacy concerns. Messaging apps let you skip the contact form, taking leads right to the conversation with click-to-chat ads. Once leads send the first message, you can message the person back even without their contact details. Moreover, messaging app interactions are fast, and you'll get instant replies most of the time. This means you can move leads down the funnel faster on messaging apps compared to emails, where it usually takes days to get a reply. Messaging apps are clear winners when it comes to marketing, but there's a caveat: you need to have [an effective strategy to answer inbound conversations](https://respond.io/blog/customer-conversation-management#toc-mobile-6). Therefore, we recommend using messaging apps to promote high-value or complex products where customers usually inquire more before making a purchase. Messaging apps are the best option for marketing because they help capture more leads and move leads down the funnel faster, but which messaging apps should you get? Here are the factors to consider: - Click-to-chat ads: Some messaging apps don't support click-to-chat ads, while others require you to contact the company to place an ad. Ideally, you should get a messaging app that lets you set up ads easily. - Messaging window: Some messaging apps only let you reply to customers within a specific period of time. This restriction is known as a messaging window. Get an app with no messaging window so you can chat with leads anytime and avoid missed opportunities. - Third-party CRM: Not all messaging apps have a built-in messaging inbox for business messaging at scale. Make sure your messaging app can be integrated into an AI-powered customer conversation management software like respond.io or a CRM, which allows you to manage conversations effectively. In this respect, the best messaging apps for marketing are [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) and [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat). You can easily create WhatsApp and Messenger ads without contacting Meta. Plus, both WhatsApp and Messenger can be connected to a third-party software. | | Messenger | WhatsApp | | --- | --- | --- | | Click-to-chat ads | Available | Available | | Messaging window | Yes | Yes | | 3rd party CRM support | Available | Available | | Global popularity | High | High | While WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger have a Messaging Window, it's not a dealbreaker. By connecting them to respond.io, you can use WhatsApp [message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) or Facebook [message tags](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag) to reopen the messaging window. One thing to consider if you have a tight budget is that message tags are free, while message templates are not. Messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger can help you attract more leads with click-to-chat ads and push leads down the funnel. But do you know they work equally well for remarketing? #### Best Messaging App for Business: Remarketing Remarketing connects you with people who previously interacted with your business, like those who added items to the cart but did not complete the purchase. If you use emails for remarketing, consider switching to messaging apps because they help you reactivate more customers. We’ll compare remarketing works on both channels to uncover the reasons behind this. Email remarketing normally works by sending email blasts enclosed with a discount to customers who abandoned their carts in the hope they complete the purchase. This strategy is good in theory but not in practice, as emails have low open rates because people don't check their inbox all the time. Compared to emails, instant messages are more likely to be read because they trigger push notifications that are hard to ignore. Messaging apps also help build brand trust by making customer support more accessible to your shoppers. Shoppers can simply reply to a broadcast message to get in touch with your support team. While sending broadcasts over messaging apps is a great way to reactivate a shopper, there are two caveats. You need someone to be there to answer messages, and customers may mark your broadcasts as spam if they haven’t [opted in](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in). Despite these caveats, messaging apps are your best choice for remarketing because they help you reach more shoppers and build brand trust. But which messaging app should you use? Here's what to look for: - Content restriction: Messaging apps have different rules for sending promotional broadcasts. Find out the rules on what you can and cannot send before committing to a messaging app. - Broadcasting fee: Some messaging apps offer free broadcasting, while others may charge you a fee. Carefully compare the broadcasting fees when selecting a messaging app for remarketing. - Third-party CRM: Choose a CRM or an AI-powered customer conversation management software like respond.io, which offers an easy-to-use broadcasting console, supports targeted broadcasts, measures broadcast results and lets you use AI to handle customer replies from broadcasts. At first glance, Viber and Telegram seem like the best chat apps for remarketing. Both are free messaging apps with no broadcast content restrictions and they support third-party software integration. | | Viber | Telegram | Messenger | WhatsApp | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Content Restriction | No | No | Yes | Yes | | Broadcasting Fees | Free | Free | Free | Charges apply | | 3rd Party CRM Support | Available | Available | Available | Available | | Global Popularity | Limited | Limited | High | High | However, Viber and Telegram are far less popular than WhatsApp and Messenger. Unless you are targeting niche markets where Viber and Telegram are popular, we recommend using WhatsApp and Messenger for your remarketing campaigns. WhatsApp and Messenger may have content restrictions for broadcasts, but they aren’t dealbreakers. [WhatsApp allows promotional message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#8ic0j), and you can always send promotional broadcasts with [sponsored messages](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#ejr78) on Facebook Messenger. We've seen how messaging apps transform the remarketing process, helping you reactivate more customers and build brand trust. But do you know they work equally well for sales? #### Best Messaging App for Business: Sales After laying the groundwork with marketing, it's time to close the deal. In this section, we’ll show you how you can close more sales by integrating messaging apps into your workflow. Every sale starts with a lead, and it hinges on how fast you can respond. You need to be there to pick up phone calls or answer web chat messages. As for contact forms, you want to email the prospects back before you lose them. With messaging apps, salespeople don't need to be available that very second because prospects can't leave the conversation. Plus, notifications will get them back into the conversation as soon as the salesperson responds. Messaging apps make qualifying easier too. Fast interactions on messaging apps let sales reps gather lead information faster and decide sooner if the lead matches their buyer profile. In contrast, qualifying leads using email can be slow as it involves a lot of back-and-forths. Once leads are qualified, the next step is to build rapport with them. Building rapport through emails is challenging because they often sound cold. Fortunately, it's easier to build a partner-like relationship over messaging apps as the interactions are more casual by comparison. Building a relationship with leads is half the battle, but to convert leads on traditional channels, salespeople need to be constantly available to take calls or reply to web chats. On messaging apps, sales reps can follow up later without fearing they can’t restart the conversation. Leveraging the power of emotions when closing deals is important. However, driving enthusiasm with email is challenging due to its inherent formality. On the contrary, messaging apps enable salespeople to use the cadence of conversation, emojis and gifs to build excitement before closing the deal. There are many reasons to use messaging apps for sales. Messaging apps make things easier for sales reps and empower them to succeed. Remember, not all messaging apps are created equal - here are the things to look for: - Messaging Window: Go for a messaging app without a messaging window so that you can follow up with prospects anytime you like. - Third-Party CRM: Get a messaging app that can be connected to a third-party business software. Respond.io has features like multi-user functionality, which improves the productivity of your sales team and AI tools to manage lead conversations automatically and help agents reply to customers more effectively. So, what are the best messaging apps for sales? The best messaging apps for sales are LINE and Viber because they have no messaging window and can be integrated into a third-party software. That said, you should always consider whether your customers actually use LINE and Viber. Being niche messaging apps, LINE and Viber are only popular in select regions like Japan and Eastern Europe. | | Viber | LINE | Messenger | WhatsApp | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Messaging Window | No | No | Yes | Yes | | 3rd Party CRM Support | Available | Available | Available | Available | | Global Popularity | Limited | Limited | High | High | Outside these regions, your safest bet is to use a mainstream messaging app like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. We recommend connecting these apps to respond.io so you can message them again to follow up even after the messaging window has closed. We’ve shown you how messaging apps can empower your sales team to be more productive. Now, let’s find out how messaging apps fit into your support process. #### Best Messaging App for Business: Customer Support After-sales support plays an important role in customer satisfaction and helps cultivate customer loyalty. By adopting messaging apps to your support workflow, you can resolve issues faster and have more satisfied customers. The support process starts with a customer finding a way to contact you. Messaging apps make it simple for customers to reach you. On certain apps, they can search for your business in-app and start a chat right away. You’ll save customers the hassle of finding an email address or phone number buried in the Contact Us webpage. Once they start a chat, customers can continue the conversation immediately without having to wait in a queue because agents can handle several conversations simultaneously. With phone and web chat, customers have to wait for an agent to become available. To provide effective solutions to customer problems, agents must understand customer context through past conversations or behaviors. But this is easier said than done, especially on web chat, where visitors are usually anonymous. Thankfully, most messaging apps give you a name or phone number, allowing you to identify the person, gain context from past interactions and personalize the solution. Keeping resolution time low is just as important as offering a quality solution. Messaging apps reduce the resolution time thanks to their fast-paced interactions. Email interactions are slower by comparison, so it takes a longer time to resolve a case. Support doesn't end with a case resolution. Managers need to review the conversation for quality assurance, like listening to the entire phone call recording. With messaging apps, managers can just glance over the text conversation to look for red flags. In summary, messaging apps make it easier for customers to find you, reduce wait times, enable personalized solutions, reduce resolution time and allow for speedy managerial reviews. It's clear why you should use messaging apps for support, but which one suits your company best? Here are the factors to consider: - In-app searches: To make customer support more accessible, choose a messaging app that lets customers search your business in-app. - Messaging fees: The messaging fees can add up if your support team deals with a large number of cases every day. You should carefully compare messaging prices across different apps. - Messaging window: Sometimes, it takes days to resolve a complex case. So, you should get a messaging app with no messaging window or at least one with a reasonably long messaging window. Respond.io is one of the few customer conversation management software that offers an extended Messaging Window of 7 days on Messenger. - Third-Party CRM: Similar to the sales use case, select a third-party software that supports multiuser functionality, offers AI tools to manage lead conversations automatically, reply to customers more effectively and more. The best messaging apps for customer support that check all the boxes are Facebook Messenger, Telegram and WeChat. They support in-app searches, offer free messaging, have no messaging window or have an extended one, and they can be integrated into a CRM or third-party software. | | Telegram | WeChat | Messenger | WhatsApp | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | In-app Searches | Available | Available | Available | Available | | Messaging Fess | Free | Free | Free | Charges apply | | Messaging Window | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | | 3rd Party CRM Support | Available | Available | Available | Available | | Global Popularity | Limited | Limited | High | High | Keep in mind that Telegram and WeChat are only popular in niche markets such as Eastern Europe and China. In other regions, globally popular messaging apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp can fulfill almost all the criteria we discussed above. If you connect WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger to respond.io, you can [message customers outside the messaging window](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag). Remember, messaging outside the messaging window will incur extra costs on WhatsApp, but it’s free on Facebook Messenger. Messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger improve support quality, reduce operational costs and more. Next, we’ll explore how messaging apps enhance the transactional notifications process. #### Best Messaging App for Business: Transactional Notifications Notifications have diverse uses in business, from notifying customers of shipment updates to announcing scheduled maintenance. Before we go over the best messaging apps for transactional notifications, let's review how they work. An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is a central database that lies at the heart of every notification workflow. It detects all new events that occur on your website, like new orders. Once the ERP system detects an event, it will generate a notification using a template and personalize it with customer information. With order confirmations, for instance, the notification will include the customer's name and order number. The notification will then be relayed to your channel provider, such as an SMS provider, and ultimately, your customer. While you may be accustomed to using SMS or emails for Notifications, messaging apps are a better option because they are more affordable than SMS and have a higher open rate than email. Messaging apps can reduce operational costs because many of them let you send notifications for free. By contrast, SMS providers charge a per-message fee, which can add up if you send many notifications. Plus, messaging apps have a higher open rate because people are constantly on messaging apps. Even if people miss the notification, they’ll see it when they go into the app. By contrast, email notifications often go unread because we don't check our inbox as often, and many of us turn off push notifications for emails. Clearly, messaging apps are a great way to send notifications. However, try not to bombard customers with too many notifications, as it can lead to them blocking you. And it’s good practice to ask your customers which app they prefer to receive notifications on. Other than customer preference, here are the things you should consider when choosing a messaging app for Notifications: - Personal account ID: In cases where security is important, such as sending an OTP, you may prefer sending notifications with a messaging app that uses a phone number as the Personal account ID. - Outreach capability: Ideally, you should choose a messaging app that allows sending the first message. Otherwise, you’ll have to request your customers to message you first. - Third-party CRM: Go for a messaging app that supports third-party software integration. Respond.io enables you to send notifications on multiple messaging channels while providing flexible integrations with ERP systems. Remember, the software of your choice needs to be used in conjunction with your ERP system to send targeted notifications. The best chat app that ticks all the boxes is WhatsApp. It uses phone numbers as the Personal account ID and can be integrated into a CRM or customer conversation management software. Plus, WhatsApp allows sending the first message to customers who have opted in to receive notifications. | Personal Account ID | Outreach Capability | 3rd Party CRM Support | Global Popularity | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Phone number | Limited | Available | High | Remember, WhatsApp only allows sending the first message with message templates. To start [sending message templates](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-message-templates#sending_message_templates), [get a WhatsApp API account from respond.io](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api) and start messaging customers on the world's most popular messaging App! ### Further Reading If you’re interested in exploring more about business messaging, check out these articles: - What is Business Messaging? - What is WhatsApp Business? - WhatsApp API Pricing: How To Choose a WhatsApp Partner ## [Best WhatsApp Automation Tool: 9 Top Options Compared](https:/respond.io/blog/best-whatsapp-automation-tool) These are the 9 best WhatsApp automation tools: Respond.io, Chatfuel, Wati, Manychat, Kommo, Trengo, Sleekflow, Rasayel and Gupshup. WhatsApp is one of the most widely used messaging apps in the world — and it’s helped countless businesses grow by enabling fast, direct communication with their customers. But as message volume increases, managing every conversation manually becomes harder — and eventually, unmanageable. That’s where WhatsApp automation comes in. It helps businesses stay efficient and responsive as they scale. But with so much information out there, it can be difficult to determine what actually matters for your business use cases. That’s why, if you're new to WhatsApp automation, we recommend starting with our [WhatsApp Automation Guide](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation). Already know the basics and looking to **choose the right automation tool?** Then you’re in the right place. We’ll show you what to look for in a WhatsApp automation platform. We’ll also compare the top tools available, so you can make the best choice for your business. ### What is a WhatsApp Automation Tool? A WhatsApp automation tool is a piece of software that helps you automatically handle conversations and other business processes on WhatsApp. It helps businesses manage a large number of messages quickly and easily, with several benefits. - Streamline operations: Automate repetitive tasks, such as routing, FAQs, and form-filling with consistency. - Improve response times: Respond instantly to customer inquiries, even outside business hours. - Free up your team: Reduce manual workload so your team can focus on complex or high-value interactions. WhatsApp automation tools can vary in complexity and functionality, but for clarity, we can group them into two main types. #### 1\. Logic-Based Automation These tools use predefined logic to guide the conversation. Once set up, they follow a consistent path based on user inputs — like a decision tree. For example, when a customer starts a chat, they may interact with quick-reply buttons or menus that route them to the right department or agent based on their selections. #### 2\. Conversational AI / Chatbots While some debate whether AI chatbots fall strictly under “automation,” we include them here because they serve a similar purpose: handling WhatsApp conversations at scale. These tools are powered by large language models that can understand natural language, simulate human-like dialogue, and respond with fast, accurate and contextual answers. ### How to Choose the Best WhatsApp Automation Tool? Before choosing a WhatsApp automation tool, it's important to understand which WhatsApp product fits your business: the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) or the more powerful [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). | Feature | WhatsApp Business App | WhatsApp Business API | | --- | --- | --- | | Automation Level | Basic (Greeting & Away messages) | Advanced (Workflows, Triggers, AI) | | Conversational AI | Not supported | Supported | | Interactive Menus | Not available | Available | | Workflow Automation | Not available | Supported | | Scalability | Low | High | | Ideal For | Small businesses | Growing & enterprise-level businesses | #### Option 1: WhatsApp Business App for Small Businesses The WhatsApp Business App is a free tool designed for small businesses with low message volumes. It offers very basic automation features. - Greeting Messages: Send a customizable welcome message to customers who initiate a chat with you. - Away Messages: Send an automated reply outside of business hours to manage expectations for response times. You can schedule availability and customize your message. These features are quick to set up and ideal for very small teams or solo business owners, but there are **three important downsides**. - No interactive menus - No automation builder - No conversational AI This can be quite limiting if you’re a bigger business or if you’re scaling. But don’t worry, there’s a better option for you. #### Option 2: WhatsApp Business API for Medium, Large or Scaling Businesses The WhatsApp Business API is designed for businesses that need more control, flexibility and automation at scale. You can access the WhatsApp Business API in two ways: - Directly through Meta: Sometimes preferred by businesses with in-house development teams. - Through a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP): Best for businesses that want a ready-to-use platform, faster setup and added support. This is hands down the most popular choice. WhatsApp Business API opens up a new world of API features for your business, but regarding automation, these are some of the things you can do. - Interactive menus and reply buttons - Logic-based workflows and conversation routing - Integration with chatbots and AI There’s one important caveat: The WhatsApp API doesn’t come with a user interface. To access its features and manage conversations, you’ll need a WhatsApp automation tool that integrates with the API. There are plenty of tools available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. In the next section, we’ll walk you through some of the most popular options to help you choose the right one. ### 9 Best WhatsApp Automation Tools Ahmed Nassar, Technical Product Lead at respond.io, sums up what matters when choosing the best WhatsApp automation tool: “Choose a tool that grows with your business.” He also shares four criteria that make a great WhatsApp automation tool: - Easy to use: No coding needed, with drag-and-drop builder, templates and guides. - Flexible: Create all kinds of WhatsApp workflows—from lead capture to support—with multiple and flexible triggers and actions. - Reliable: Handles high message volumes smoothly, even when busy. - Integrations: Connects with your CRM, Meta Ads, TikTok ads, all channels, and other tools to fit your strategy. With this in mind, let’s see what these solutions have to offer. #### 1\. Respond.io Respond.io is an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) built for medium to large-sized businesses looking to grow sales and marketing over chats, calls and emails. ##### Pros - An omnichannel visual automation builder for WhatsApp, Messenger, TikTok, voice calls and more. - Autonomous AI Agents that go beyond chatting.Handle images and PDFs.Update contact fields and Lifecycle.Route, close and summarize chats.Transfer voice calls.Handle voice calls.Follow up with unresponsive customers.Understand audio messages to craft responses. - Handle images and PDFs. - Update contact fields and Lifecycle. - Route, close and summarize chats. - Transfer voice calls. - Handle voice calls. - Follow up with unresponsive customers. - Understand audio messages to craft responses. - Use AI Prompts and AI Assist for AI goodness with a human-in-the-loop approach. - Train the AI using document uploads, URLs and snippets. - Visual automation Workflows builder (no code). - Workflows support a broad range of automation triggers — including conversation events, CRM data changes, webhooks, ad replies, and scheduled actions. - Native integrations with Hubspot, Salesforce, Google Sheets and more. - Run Meta ads with Meta Conversions API to optimize campaigns automatically. - Enterprise‑grade reliability with 99.999% uptime and 24/7 support. - Transparent, flexible pricing based on Monthly Active Contacts, so you only pay for customers you’re talking to. ##### Cons - Respond.io’s automation and AI come with a learning curve. - Not ideal for small businesses that don’t expect to scale. ##### Pricing Respond.io’s Growth plan, priced at $159/month, supports up to 10 users. It offers unlimited automation, full access to the [AI Agent](https://respond.io/ai-agents), advanced reporting features, and more. No added fees for WhatsApp API setup, hosting or message markups. #### 2\. Chatfuel Chatfuel is a WhatsApp automation platform that offers a beginner-friendly experience with AI-powered replies and basic automation flows. It does the trick for small teams or businesses exploring messaging automation for the first time. ##### Pros - User-friendly drag-and-drop chatbot builder. - Built-in AI can answer FAQs, qualify leads, handle bookings, and route chats based on user input. - No limit on how many AI chats you can have. - You can create rule-based automations with keywords to guide users or sort conversations. - Easy to add entry points like ads, QR codes, and website widgets. - Basic third-party integrations are available. - Reliable performance with 99.99% uptime. ##### Cons - Only works with WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and web widget — no full omnichannel inbox or contact merging. - Doesn’t support advanced triggers like CRM events or behavior tracking. - AI can't use your company’s internal documents or FAQ pages to give better answers. - Lacks deeper integrations with CRMs and tools for routing chats or managing teams. - Customer support is often rated poorly. ##### Pricing Starts at $49.49/month for only WhatsApp, but the price can go up fast if you need more channels or features. For example, Facebook Messenger and Instagram are under a different plan that costs $23.99/month. Also, the WhatsApp plan includes only 1,000 free monthly conversations. Each additional conversation costs $0.02. #### 3\. Wati Wati is a WhatsApp-focused customer communication platform that also supports Instagram and Facebook Messenger. Its automation capabilities revolve around a built-in chatbot builder and a basic AI assistant. It is a common choice for businesses that operate primarily on WhatsApp. ##### Pros - No-code WhatsApp chatbot builder makes it easy to automate FAQs, lead capture, and appointment bookings without technical skills. - Instant response tools help automate common marketing and sales interactions. - Wati’s AI agent can handle questions using information from uploaded PDFs or your website. - Offers useful integrations with CRMs and Google Sheets. - Supports conditional logic and allows for building custom chatbot flows. ##### Cons - AI features are still basic, and reporting tools are limited. - Limited to WhatsApp and Instagram — no true multichannel support. - Astra AI, an AI agent for website chat by Wati, is a separate platform with its own pricing . - Wati’s AI agent works separately from the main chatbot builder, which can make setup more complex. - Lacks native triggers from CRMs or user behavior — only supports basic triggers like user replies or time delays. - Platform may lag during high message volumes. - Customer support is often rated poorly. ##### Pricing WATI’s mid-tier plan is priced at $79 for five users, making it an affordable option for small teams. However, be aware of additional costs like messaging markups and extra fees for features such as Shopify integration and automation triggers. These costs are not included in the base price. #### 4\. Trengo Trengo is a customer communication platform that provides WhatsApp API access through a shared inbox. It specializes in support across channels like WhatsApp, email and live chat. ##### Pros - Easy-to-use chatbot builder with prebuilt templates to help you get started quickly. - AI bots can answer FAQs, gather customer data, and route conversations to the right team. - Integrates with popular CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce. - Supports a wide range of channels, including WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, SMS and email. ##### Cons - Automation setup is spread across different tools, which can be confusing. - AI features are still in beta and may not always work as expected. - True omnichannel workflows aren’t supported. - Customer support is only available during Central European business hours. ##### Pricing Trengo costs $579/month for twenty users, but essential features like broadcasts come at an additional cost. The plan includes a yearly limit of 18,000 conversations, with extra charges applying if you exceed that. Conversations involving AI also incur a separate surcharge. #### 5\. Rasayel Rasayel is a WhatsApp messaging platform built for B2B teams looking to automate conversations, connect with CRMs, and track performance through analytics. ##### Pros - No-code automation Workflows - Native integrations with Hubspot, Zoho, Salesforce and Zapier. - You can train its AI using your website, PDFs, or public help docs to give smarter replies. - It comes with chatbot analytics. ##### Cons - Only for WhatsApp. - No click-to-WhatsApp ads automation trigger. - Reports are lacking in customization and depth of team performance metrics - Paid add ons for additional connected phone numbers, Salesforce integration and additional monthly messages. - Advanced integrations and analytics are not available until Enterprise plan. ##### Pricing - Rasayel’s mid-tier pricing plan starts at $180/month for 5 users and gets pricier with more features. For instance, Salesforce integration is $300/month and $20/month per additional phone number connected. #### 6\. Kommo Kommo is a CRM-first platform with built-in WhatsApp automation and AI tools for businesses that want messaging tightly integrated with their sales process. ##### Pros - No-code Salesbot builder lets you automate WhatsApp chats by dragging and dropping. - It supports automation on other popular channels like Telegram, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Viber or WeChat. - Supports CRM workflows like auto-tagging, task creation and pipeline updates triggered by WhatsApp conversations. - Many native integrations - The trial plan has all the available features. ##### Cons - The interface feels outdated compared to modern messaging platforms. - Advanced AI features like Salesbot training and lead scoring are only available on the Enterprise plan. - Kommo does not currently offer AI that can be trained with PDFs, URLs, or other custom knowledge sources. - Kommo’s status page frequently reports issues. - Per-user pricing is not so competitive for larger teams with many agents. ##### Pricing Kommo’s mid-tier plan costs $20.84 \*\*\*\*per user/month, and it comes with some limitations: Extra charges include 5,000 active leads per user and 25,000 contacts per user. #### 7\. Gupshup Gupshup is a WhatsApp-first automation platform built for large enterprises needing scalable, AI-powered messaging solutions. It is best suited for companies with engineering resources and high-volume communication needs. ##### Pros - Bot Studio offers a low-code environment for building advanced, rule-based bots. - Developers have full control, with support for API calls, dynamic routing, and custom logic. - A single automation setup can run across 30+ channels — not just WhatsApp. - Automations can be triggered by external systems or backend events. - AI bots can be trained using your own PDFs and website links. ##### Cons - Not beginner-friendly — setup is complex and geared toward enterprise teams. - AI features are only available under enterprise plans and require developer setup. - No free trial available. - Support response can be slow. - Some users have reported performance issues with the dashboard. ##### Pricing Custom quotes only. #### 8\. Manychat Manychat is a no-code automation tool designed for creators, e-commerce, social media marketers and agencies. It's easy to set up and includes some AI features. ##### Pros - Easy drag-and-drop flow builder makes setup simple for all users. - Supports multiple channels including WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, SMS and email. - Helpful AI tools like Text Improver and Flow Builder Assistant speed up message creation and automation building. - Automation can be triggered by user actions such as keywords or booking appointments. - Offers a library of templates for WhatsApp flows and automations to get started quickly. - Works well with click-to-chat ads, QR codes, and buttons to start WhatsApp chats. ##### Cons - AI agents aren’t flexible enough for complex conversations. - Missing important features like CRM triggers, chat routing, and team collaboration. - The free plan doesn’t include WhatsApp. - Reporting is very simple and focused on campaigns, not the full customer lifecycle. - The platform can have bugs and sometimes be unstable. - Support is only available via email. - Pricing starts low but increases as your contact list grows. ##### Pricing The plan starts at $15 per month, covering three users and up to 500 stored contacts. Basic automation is included, but lower-tier plans have limited capabilities. Extra fees apply for increased usage and access to advanced features. #### 9\. Sleekflow SleekFlow is a messaging platform designed for small to mid-sized businesses using WhatsApp for customer engagement and sales. It is suitable for teams that need straightforward chat workflows without heavy development. ##### Pros - Visual no-code automation builder. - Automation triggers include inbound messages, contact updates, scheduled messages and webhook-based events. - AI-powered agents via AgentFlow can be trained on PDFs, URLs and website content. - Seamless AI-to-human escalation: AI agents know when to hand over conversations based on flow logic. ##### Cons - Sleekflow tends to lag under high conversation volumes. - Bug reports are quite common. - Pricing tiers are rigid, with strict usage limits and auto-scaling that can lead to unexpected charges. - While not basic per se, Sleekflow automation lacks the flexibility of other tools. ##### Pricing SleekFlow’s mid-level plan is priced at $349/month and supports just 5 users. Its pricing structure is based on your total contact list, not only the contacts you interact with. Plus, the platform comes with the following usage limits. Each account gets 500 AI Agent credits by default. There are three types of AI Agents: Basic Support consumes one credit per message, while Sales Growth and Custom Agents use two credits each. Additionally, triggering automation workflows requires separate flow enrollment credits, which are also billed separately. ### What is the Best WhatsApp Automation Tool? A Comparison | Tool | Main Uses | Best For | | --- | --- | --- | | Respond.io | Full WhatsApp + omnichannel automation, advanced AI Agents, CRM integrations | Medium to large businesses looking to scale marketing, sales and support conversations and tasks on a reliable platform | | Chatfuel | Simple WhatsApp chatbot and FAQ automation, lead qualification, basic rule-based flows. | Small teams or businesses new to messaging automation. | | Wati | WhatsApp-focused chatbot, FAQ automation, lead capture, appointment booking with basic AI. | Small to medium businesses mostly on WhatsApp. | | Trengo | Multi-channel customer support with chatbot FAQ and routing. | Support teams needing shared inbox across many channels. | | Rasayel | WhatsApp B2B team messaging, basic AI automation, CRM integrations. | B2B teams focused on WhatsApp conversations and analytics. | | Kommo | CRM-first WhatsApp automation, sales pipeline automation. | Sales-driven teams who only need WhatsApp-CRM integration | | Gupshup | Enterprise-grade multi-channel bots with developer tools and advanced AI. | Large enterprises with developer resources and complex needs. | | Manychat | Multi-channel no-code automation with AI helpers and template flows. | Creators, e-commerce, and marketers with basic automation needs | | Sleekflow | Visual WhatsApp flow builder, AI agents, webhook triggers. | Small to mid-sized businesses needing simple WhatsApp workflows. | ### How to Choose the Best WhatsApp Automation Tool #### If you’re a business looking for an omnichannel automation tool that scales with you **Choose:** Respond.io **Best when:** You're growing chats or calls across WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and more — and need enterprise-grade automation, AI Agents and integrations. **Strengths:** Powerful automation builder, multichannel inbox, advanced AI features, extensive integrations, 24/7 customer support. **Limitations:** May be too much for micro businesses and small entrepreneurs. #### If your business just needs a simple solution **Choose:** Chatfuel, Wati, ManyChat or Kommo **Best when:** You want to build basic chatbots or automate simple workflows without technical expertise. **Strengths:** Easy to get started with them. **Limitations:** Not built for omnichannel messaging, complex workflows or deep integrations. #### If you need a more specific solution for customer support **Choose:** Trengo or Sleekflow **Best when:** You want a shared inbox and simple automation for customer support on WhatsApp. **Strengths:** Easy-to-use interface, collaboration tools, and basic routing features. **Limitations:** Less suitable for marketing, sales or advanced automation. #### If you're a B2B team focused solely on WhatsApp messaging **Choose:** Rasayel **Best when:** Your team uses WhatsApp for B2B conversations, with CRM integrations and basic AI. **Strengths:** Clean interface, WhatsApp-focused features. **Limitations:** Lacks multichannel support and broader automation capabilities. #### If you're a large enterprise with technical resources and want to build custom solutions **Choose:** Gupshup **Best when:** You have in-house developers building complex workflows or system integrations from scratch. **Strengths:** Highly customizable, robust API access. **Limitations:** Requires technical resources; not user-friendly out of the box. Respond.io is a WhatsApp automation tool that combines smart automation, flexible AI and real omnichannel support in one easy platform. It offers advanced triggers, custom workflows, AI trained on your own data, plus reliable performance and transparent pricing. Ready to get started with the best WhatsApp automation tool? [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register?lang=en). ### Further Reading - How to Use Automation to Enhance Customer Service Efficiency - How to Create a WhatsApp Chatbot: 3 Use Cases (+Examples) - TikTok Automation: 4 Benefits, How to Use It & Best Practices ## [Business Messaging: A Guide to Messaging for Business ](https:/respond.io/blog/business-messaging) Instant messaging is the dominant way people communicate with each other. Businesses have begun to use instant messaging to reach out to their customers. Businesses are jumping on the business messaging trend by reaching out to customers on apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, LINE, Viber and more. Today, it is a critical part of many businesses around the world. But how does it work? In this article, you’ll learn what business messaging is, how it benefits your business and how the right business messaging software can enhance this practice. ### Messaging in an Ever-Connected World More than [3 billion people](https://www.statista.com/statistics/483255/number-of-mobile-messaging-users-worldwide/#:~:text=Global%20number%20of%20mobile%20messaging%20users%202018%2D2025&text=In%202021%2C%20an%20estimate%20of,3.51%20billion%20users%20in%202025.) around the world use messaging apps to communicate with one another. It’s now the dominant way people communicate online, from having casual conversations to planning family events. The past several years have seen businesses use messaging apps to reach their customers better. Businesses have even made significant investments to make this a reality. #### Customer Communication Will Never Be the Same Again Today, most of our online conversations occur over instant messaging apps. Calls, texts and emails have fallen out of favor. There are several reasons for this. First, instant messaging apps happen to be free, which is a big factor in their high adoption rate. Furthermore, they have many features that improve the communication experience. Read receipts let you know when the recipient has read your message. Emojis, gifs and stickers give you more options to express yourself. All these great features produced side effects. Customers expect speedy responses, especially when messages have been read. Your customers might view it as poor service if you don't reply to their messages quickly. Long blocks of text are also not well received. If you don’t use emojis and stickers, it can give the impression that you’re too serious. In some cases, your messages can come across as cold or unfriendly, even if that’s not your intention. All this is in stark contrast to communication via email, which is formal and slow. Despite that, many businesses still use email as their primary means of communication. Even though our personal communication has changed, should businesses do the same? In the next section, let’s look at how businesses can use instant messaging to their advantage. ### Business Messages are the Way to Go Business messaging has “democratized” commerce by giving businesses of all sizes the means to market their products directly and effectively to customers. Traditional channels like email and phone calls can’t offer the same versatility and results. In this section, we’ll focus on how you win when adopting business messaging with regard to customer relationships and revenue generation. #### Messaging for Business: Build Closer Ties with Your Customers Business messaging fills the gap in the customer experience in a way traditional channels can’t. Unlike traditional channels, there’s no pressure to have the shortest possible calls or to cram a ton of information into a single SMS. [Conversations on instant messaging apps](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-support) feel more casual than formal. This helps prevent a sense of distance from your customers and establish closer ties with them. It’s the closest thing to meeting and talking to them in person without actually being there. This rapport is further built upon with the use of chat history. It provides the agent with the necessary context before answering any inquiry. This avoids customers having to repeat themselves and helps resolve queries as soon as possible. Furthermore, agents can attend to multiple conversations at a time over instant messaging. This means that your customers never have to wait that long before receiving a reply, giving them a sense of being prioritized. #### Messaging for Business: Message Your Way to Higher Sales [Conversational commerce](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-commerce#toc-mobile) is a way to create a customer-centric experience when it comes to shopping by merging e-commerce with business messaging apps. It’s a gateway for customers to reach you directly. As such, it has advantages over traditional means of conducting sales. Sales-related messages have a [5X higher open rate](https://www.inventiva.co.in/trends/top-10-best-whatsapp-marketing-2/) compared to email. This allows sales agents to engage prospects and encourage subsequent responses quickly. The personalized nature of business messaging and improved customer engagement can increase sales conversions. Sales agents can provide quick assistance to the customer with the information they need to close sales. Despite the many benefits business messaging has to offer, there are challenges they face when using it. ### The Challenges with Messaging for Business Before adopting instant messaging for customer communications, you will need to overcome some challenges. Here are a few of the hurdles that businesses face when trying to incorporate business messaging as a part of their operations. #### Lack of Oversight By using personal messaging apps, managers can’t oversee what agents are saying to customers. Without a centralized system or shared inbox, ensuring consistent messaging and quality customer service becomes difficult. This limited visibility makes it challenging to identify areas for improvement or provide timely feedback to agents, as saying the wrong thing can potentially damage customer relationships and negatively impact the business's reputation. Furthermore, personal messaging apps like WhatsApp Business App don't provide any built-in mechanism to measure agent performance. Without key performance indicators or metrics to track, managers struggle to evaluate [agent productivity](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-leaderboard), [response times](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-responses) or [customer satisfaction levels](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score). #### Lack of Customer Context There are times when a customer may contact you through more than one messaging app. This results in customer conversations being scattered across different platforms. Without the right context, agents may struggle to provide accurate and timely responses. They may not be aware of previous conversations or have access to the complete customer profile, resulting in a disjointed and inefficient customer service experience. Agents may duplicate efforts, provide redundant information or ask repetitive questions due to the lack of visibility into the customer's previous interactions. This can lead to frustration and dissatisfaction on the customer's end, as they expect a seamless and coherent [omnichannel experience](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) when engaging with a business across different messaging channels. #### Limited Automation Capabilities The lack of automation features in messaging apps poses additional challenges for businesses. Some apps like [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation#toc-mobile-2) do offer basic automation features such as auto-reply. However, their capabilities are often restricted and insufficient for complex tasks, especially for large businesses. This limitation becomes apparent in two critical areas: Inbound conversation management and overall efficiency in addressing customer inquiries. For instance, contact [routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assignment](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) play a crucial role in reducing response times, ensuring contacts are sent to the right agents and providing a seamless customer experience. Businesses that rely on manual processes increase the risk of misrouted conversations or delayed responses. #### No Third-Party Software Integration For companies that rely on third-party software like [Hubspot](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/hubspot), [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/integrations/zapier) and [Salesforce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/salesforce), the inability to integrate messaging apps with these platforms disrupts workflow efficiency and data management. Information gathered through messaging interactions won’t seamlessly flow into the established software, creating silos of data and hindering comprehensive customer insights. This can lead to data fragmentation, which can cause further inefficiencies as agents navigate multiple platforms to access customer information and provide personalized support. How can businesses address all these challenges when adopting instant messaging? There is a way to serve your audience better, keep the benefits of instant messaging and overcome these challenges. ### Respond.io: A Revolution in Business Messaging Respond.io was developed to tackle the obstacles businesses face when adopting instant messaging. It is a customer conversation management software that is packed with features that make business messaging easier and more powerful. Connect to popular messaging channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) and [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) and host them all in [one omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication). Keep track of customer conversations across different channels in one thread by [merging contacts](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts), [set up broadcasts](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast) for multiple channels from a single broadcast builder and [automate complex tasks](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) like [routing chats](https://help.respond.io/inbound-conversations/route-new-and-returning-contacts) and [assigning contacts](https://help.respond.io/messages/assignment-and-closing-a-conversation) to agents. You can also [integrate existing CRM and e-commerce platforms](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/integrations) and analyze the performance of [agents](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-leaderboard) and [broadcasts](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-broadcasts). Business messaging will only grow and businesses that aren’t on these channels risk losing a significant customer base. Don’t want to get left behind? [Sign up for a free trial with respond.io](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and start using business messaging to chat with your customers today. ### Further Reading Want to learn more about business messaging to better serve your audience? Read the articles below to learn more: - Instant Messaging for Business: Your Best Options [June 2023] - WeChat Official Account: The WeChat Business Ultimate Guide - WhatsApp Business API: The Ultimate Guide to WhatsApp API ## [Business SMS: The Ultimate Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/business-sms) Looking to use SMS for business to either message your existing customers or attract new ones? You’re probably wondering how to set up a text messaging service for your business. In this article, we’ll demystify business SMS and explain how to get an SMS number, how to messages your existing customers as well as how to find new ones. Looking to use SMS for business to either message your existing customers or attract new ones? You’re probably wondering how to set up a text messaging service for your business. In this article, we’ll demystify business SMS, explain how to get an SMS number, how to messages your existing customers as well as how to find new ones. ### What is SMS? Is there anyone out there who hasn’t used SMS? It’s possibly the most prevalent form of communication. With over 65% of the world’s population using SMS, the technology is going strong 28 years after its invention. Although the concept of SMS dates back to 1984, the first text was sent in 1992. SMS hasn’t evolved much technologically since then. An SMS travels via cellular network to a nearby cell tower, then to a carrier’s SMS Center. The carrier resends that message to the cell tower closest to the recipient and finally to the recipient’s phone. If the phone is switched off, the carrier will store the SMS and forward it when the recipient becomes available. SMS is quite old technologically and has several limitations that make it somewhat unideal in today's world. These limitations include the infamous 160-character limit, the lack of support for rich content, and the inability to send a WiFi internet connection. #### MMS To solve some of these issues MMS came as an update with a richer messaging experience. It allows you to send multimedia content, instead of just text. MMS is commonly used to send pictures, but also able to send audio and video files. The world's first full-scale MMS service was launched in 2002 by Westel. Not only was this a major milestone for the telecom industry, but it opened up a wide range of additional marketing opportunities for businesses. MMS campaigns are more engaging and have a higher opt-in rate than SMS. MMS content is also 8 times more likely to be shared by customers. Best of all, each MMS allows 1,600 characters. That's ten times the number of characters allowed for SMS! While MMS has overcome some major drawbacks of SMS, it still lacks the core features of modern messaging apps like read receipts, typing indicators, stickers and location sharing. #### RCS Messaging and iMessage To compete with feature-rich messaging apps, carriers have become incentivized to improve SMS in the form of [Rich Communication Services (RCS)](https://respond.io/blog/what-is-rcs-messaging). Although the idea of RCS came from various carriers in 2007, Google took charge of its rollout in 2019**.** Sadly, RCS is a next-generation texting protocol for Android and isn’t compatible with iOS. Although it does have the features expected from modern messaging apps, except encryption. Google's interest and in RCS likely stemmed from the success of iMessage. iMessage was launched in 2011 on all iOS devices, with the same features as modern messaging apps including end-to-end encryption. iMessage for business, known as [Apple Business Chat](https://respond.io/blog/apple-business-chat) even allows users to make purchases directly in iMessage. However, neither RCS nor iMessage work across both operating systems. This is perhaps why business use of iMessage and RCS may never achieve the ubiquity of Business SMS. #### Is SMS Still Popular? Yes, unbelievably so. Anyone in the world with a mobile phone can receive an SMS. And today’s 5 billion SMS users are predicted to grow to 5.9 billion by 2025. China and India have the most SMS users with 1.1 billion and 730 million respectively. Last but certainly not least SMS has an unbeatable open rate of 98% with an astonishing click-through rate of 40%, dwarfing emails paltry 2% click-through rate. This level of reach and open rates make SMS an amazing communication tool for businesses. ### SMS Business: Numbers & Providers If you’re a company considering using SMS for business the two biggest decisions you’ll need to make are the type of number you want for your business and the company which will provide SMS sending capabilities. #### SMS Business: Numbers There are four main types of numbers alphanumeric ID, long code, short code and toll-free numbers. The best number for your business will largely depend on your use case. Picking the wrong type of number for your company may result in suspension or even termination. Below we’ll discuss each SMS number option in terms of format, use case, and price. We’ll also show you how to apply for a business SMS number. ##### **Alphanumeric ID** Alphanumeric IDs are perfect for governments or businesses looking to send 1-way notifications from a highly recognizable number. The downside is Alphanumeric IDs cannot receive direct replies. This makes Alphanumeric IDs perfect for sending broadcast messages like mass alerts, verifications, and notifications. Keep in mind, carriers generally don’t allow messages with gambling or adult content. Alphanumeric IDs contain up to 11 letters or numbers. At least one letter is mandatory, while special characters are not allowed. SMS providers in most countries activate this number type instantly, some countries require additional business documents to apply. In most cases, Alphanumeric IDs don’t have any additional charges aside from SMS messaging fees. However, some countries do charge an extra fee monthly, per-SMS usage fee or setup fee to use an Alphanumeric ID. ##### **Short Codes** Short Codes are 5 to 6 digit numbers are shared or dedicated to your company. Short Code applications go through a rigorous vetting process making them least subject to filtering by carriers. Short Codes have the highest deliverability among numbers. Shared Short Codes are suitable for companies sending outbound SMS. Whereas a dedicated Short Code is needed for 2-way messaging. With their high deliverability, Short Codes are ideal for sending marketing, notification, alerts, one-time passwords (OTPs), and two-factor authentication messages. Or generally any critical communication between companies and customers. Although Short Codes cannot be purchased, they can be leased quarterly or annually. Generally, you’ll need to submit an application and pay upfront for the number on top of regular SMS fees. The approval process usually takes 8 to 12 weeks. Having the highest delivery rate, Short Codes are the most expensive type of number. In the US, businesses need to pay a one-time setup fee of $650, a quarterly lease payment ranging from $1,500 to $4,500, and a per-message usage fee of $0.0075. ##### **Long Codes** Long Codes are standard 10-digit phone numbers that are usually also voice capable. This makes long codes ideal for customer service over business SMS. Allowing companies to have one point of contact. Long codes cannot be used for broadcasting because messages are filtered by carriers. Filtering works like email filtering systems. It looks at the content and volume of messages to ensure compliance with local regulations and carriers’ policies. Long codes are the cheapest option out of the four numbers. There are two price determinants for long codes, including a monthly lease payment of $1.00 and a usage fee of $0.0075 per message. ##### Toll-free Numbers Like Long Codes, Toll-free numbers have 10-digits but start a 1-800 prefix. Because they are much cheaper than long codes, they are a great option for businesses that need broadcasts. The number can also be customized to spell a name like *1-800-FLOWERS*. Toll-free numbers are the most versatile type of number. They work well for both broadcast and 1:1 communications. Its use cases include account alerts, notifications, OTPs, verification codes as well as customer support and sales. In some countries, toll-free numbers are not allowed to send marketing SMS. Sending promotional SMS from a toll-free number may result in carrier filtering and delivery failure. Toll-free numbers are slightly pricier than Long Codes, but relatively affordable compared to Short Codes. The total price includes a monthly rental fee of around $2.00 and a usage fee of $0.0075 per message. #### SMS Accounts: SMS Providers Since SMS infrastructure is decentralized among carriers across the world, creating in house SMS capabilities would require various carrier partnerships and be time-consuming to build. SMS providers remove this hassle and make it easy to get started. There are tons of SMS providers to choose from, two popular ones are Vonage and Twilio. They provide phone numbers and sending capabilities in many countries. Allowing businesses to send and receive SMS messages via API. There are many SMS providers out there to choose from. You should evaluate partners based on their pricing, phone number availability, and geographic reach. Generally, if you are looking for a cheaper partner you may want to explore local alternatives. One of the easiest SMS Partners to get started with is Twilio. They have phone numbers available for many countries, with reach around the world. Their per message billing system makes it inexpensive to text if SMS is right for your business. #### How to Get a Twilio SMS Account To start creating a free trial Twilio SMS Account, head to [this Twilio page](https://www.twilio.com/try-twilio). **1\. Fill up the form.** Enter your name, email and create a password. **2\. Verify your details.** Click the confirmation link in the email. Then, enter your phone number and verification code. **3\. Press the** ***Get a Trial Number*** **button on Twilio dashboard**. Twilio will recommend a phone number based on your location. If you’re not picky about your Twilio phone number, let Twilio pick your first one. **4\. Choose another phone number.** If you don't like the number Twilio selects for you, choose another phone number that best suits your company's needs. You may select a number from any country available on Twilio. You will not be charged for any Twilio numbers purchased during the free trial, although you may see charges on the Project Usage page. This is just to give you a feel for Twilio's pricing. **5\. Connect your Twilio account to a CRM.** After you create a Twilio account and a number, you may use a CRM for business text messaging. To connect Twilio to an API, you need Twilio Account SID and Auth Token, which can be found in Settings. Twilio doesn’t have a messaging console. To start messaging, [create a free respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and [connect your Twilio account](https://help.respond.io/sms/twilio-sms#connecting_twilio_sms). But you are not ready for SMS business messaging until you read our guide on SMS best practices below. ### SMS Business: Best Practices Using SMS for the first time can be daunting. Since SMS interactions are regulated by governments, carriers, and SMS Partners themselves. It can be difficult to know what is allowed and what is not. So we’ve put together some simple best practices. We’ve divided our best practices into two sections. First, we’ll discuss SMS Contact Opt-in & Opt-out strategies. Then we’ll discuss SMS messaging practices and limitations. #### SMS Business: SMS Contact Opt-in & Opt Out Buzzwords like opt-in and opt-out may sound daunting, but the idea is simple. Only send communications to users who want to receive them. SMS Contacts let you know they want to receive messages by opting in and stop receiving by opting out. Although in some countries there are legal implications for not handling these correctly. The best reason for paying attention to how you handle opt-ins and opt-outs is to avoid annoying your actual customers. Not everyone wants to communicate via SMS. ##### SMS Business: Contact Opt-in Opt-in means Contacts need to explicitly consent to receive SMS messages. Just because you have their phone number doesn’t mean they have opted-in. Opt-in requires the Contact to understand the messaging they will receive and agree to it. SMS opt-ins can be done via SMS chat or through some other medium. The simplest type is handset opt-in, where Contacts send a business an SMS message first. However, this is not generally the case with SMS conversations. Businesses usually collect opt-ins through web forms, automated phone systems or at a point-of-sale (POS). POS opt-ins often happens after customers completed their purchases and are asked for their personal information. To remain compliant, businesses may go the extra mile and establish a double opt-in. Once a customer has opted in, ask them to confirm their consent. This can be as simple as replying with a *YES.* Ultimately opt-ins are always required, double or not. Sending unsolicited SMS messages may result in the suspension of number. Ideally, the first message to the Contact should include clear information on how to opt-out. ##### **SMS Business: Contact Opt-out** Once a Contact opts out you’ll need to have a way to stop messaging them. Some SMS providers will have a way to automatically Opt a Contact out of a list when they send keywords like STOP, END, or CANCEL. Opt-out can extend to other reply languages apart from English. Some SMS providers allow you to send a customized reply based on the language of the opt-out keyword. After opting out, users can always opt back in by replying *START*, *YES* or *UNSTOP.* Aside from keyword reply, businesses should honor all opt-out requests made via any reasonable means. This includes but not limited to emails, phone calls, web forms or social media channels. #### SMS Business: Messaging Customers via SMS Messaging your customers over SMS is relatively straight forward. Once you’ve got their number you can send a customer the first message to start the conversation. However, the medium of SMS does have a few limitations you should keep in mind. ##### SMS Business: Character Limit SMS messages have a 160 character limit. Businesses can exceed the character limit when they include certain punctuation marks or non-Latin characters. These special characters use more standard characters, reducing the character limit from 160 to 70. Exceeding the character limit will cause your message to be segmented into two. Businesses will have to pay double the price, which can be significant when sending a large number of SMS. ##### Business SMS: Rate Limit Restrictions Long Codes are the most restrictive type of numbers when it comes to volume. They cannot be used to send SMS broadcasts because it has a limit of 1 outbound SMS per second. More importantly, SMS sent from a Long Code can be heavily filtered. Delivery may fail when carriers detect broadcasts being sent from a long code. It's not known how many SMS you can send before hitting the filter because the way filtering works is ambiguous. ##### Business SMS: Frequency and Timing When it comes to SMS business messaging, less is more. Your customers are more likely to opt-out if they are bombarded with promotional SMS every day. We recommend limiting the frequency of SMS broadcasts to once or twice a week. The timing of SMS business messaging is just as important. Sending SMS at odd hours will not only annoy your customers, but you may also face legal actions. Some countries only allow businesses to send promotional messages at certain hours or days. Even in countries without these regulations, the best practice is to send broadcast SMS at appropriate times. Not only it reduces the chance of being blocked, but your customers are also more likely to respond to SMS sent at the right time. If you have customers in different time zones, you should also take that into consideration. You wouldn’t want to send SMS to customers at the wee hours of the night! #### Business SMS: Geographical Restrictions SMS business messaging is even more complicated when you have international subscribers. There are cross-border restrictions for certain numbers like Short Codes, and 2-way messaging is not always possible. A Short Code is only able to send messages to local phone numbers. For instance, US Short Codes can only send SMS to US phone numbers. To send SMS internationally, you need to buy a Short Code in the destination country. International 2-way messaging cannot always be guaranteed. In some countries like India, carriers may change the displayed number on the recipient’s phone. This means replies from recipients will not be routed back to your number. ### Business SMS: Infographic ### Further Reading If you’re interested in more how-to content about using business messaging apps, we recommend the following articles: - The Ultimate Guide to Messaging Apps for Business - How To Use The Facebook Comment Auto Reply - How to Add Facebook Messenger to Your Website ## [Chat Automation: How To Get Started](https:/respond.io/blog/chat-automation) Have you been thinking about automating your customer chats but don't know where to start. Here is a 5 step strategy that will get you where you need to go. Whether you are looking for Facebook Chat Automation, to Automate WhatsApp Messaging, to automate canned responses or automate chats of any kind the tenets of message automation are always the same. If you over automate a conversation, your customer service will suffer, if you under automate it's going to cost you a lot. This guide helps get message automation just right. As with any endeavor that has high potential cost savings, the process of message automation is not one that you can just flick on and off like a light switch. It is a process of trial, error, and optimization. It is essential to go through this process because it is easy to disappoint a user or a customer in the real-time messaging environment. We've developed five necessary steps to follow. To follow these five steps you'll need: - A Respond.io Account - A connected messaging app channel - Customers or users who'll chat with you in the messaging app channel ### 1\. Chat Automation: Evaluate Conversations The first step to message automation is understanding the chats your customer service representatives and salespeople are having with your customers or users. The goal of this step is to get a vague idea of the potential pay off you can achieve by automating some conversations. For the initial research, ask the business development team, sales department, and customer representatives for anecdotal data. You'll be surprised how bothered employees can be about repetitive messaging. Record the answers employee's give to these questions: - What are the most common first messages or questions they receive in the chat? We'll call these onboarding messages. - What are the most common problems your customer support team responds to for customers or users that your company has already chatted with? We'll call these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). - How often are the responses given for either onboarding messages or FAQs exactly the same? At this stage, you'll have a pretty good idea of which topics you should conduct more research about by looking at past chat conversations. Past conversations will help you understand where automated onboarding and automated canned responses can be of use. ### 2\. Chat Automation: Identify Opportunities The second step to practical chat automation involves finding parts of conversations that you can automate using chat automation rules (for Onboarding Messages) or AI (for FAQs). To do so, find sample chats of onboarding messages & FAQs that you learned about from your team in Step 1. The best way to find samples of onboarding messages and FAQs is to look directly at chats. You may try to go through emails to find this information, but email conversations will not be useful because the way people write in a real-time chat is vastly different from email. If you've got live chat set up on your website, checking those conversations is an excellent place to start. If you have messaging app business accounts set up already, you'll be able to find records of your chats in the following places: - Facebook: all conversations are recorded in Facebook Inbox - WhatsApp: all conversations are recorded on the WhatsApp Business App - WeChat: all conversations are recorded on the WeChat Official Accounts Platform - Line: all conversations are recorded in the Line@ 1 to 1 chat app Once you've got about 10 to 20 examples of chat conversations for each onboarding message & FAQ you'd like to automate you're ready for the next step. ### 3\. Chat Automation: Onboarding Flows For most businesses, we see a few questions or topics that are so prevalent that it's best to preempt it for all new contacts (subscribers). An onboarding automation helps to welcome new contacts into the conversation. It can be a message to educate a contact about an issue or a question that the contact can answer that lets you help them faster. When choosing what kind of message to send or question to ask with your first onboarding automation consider the chat automation matrix below. Make sure to start automating messages where you have a high probability of being right and a low cost of being wrong. Our first experiment was just one simple question. What language do you prefer to chat in English, Spanish or Chinese? It's very easy to make a simple onboarding automation like this for your own company. **1\. Navigate to Settings > Add Field** and create a field with the contacts preferred language. **2\. Navigate to Surveys > Add Survey** and create a survey to ask a contact their preferred language. **3\. Navigate to Automation > Add Rule** and Create a Rule that sends the survey to the contact when they start the conversation. **4\. Navigate to Automation > Add Rule** and create a rule that assigns the contact to one of your Respond.io platform users depending on the language they choose. That's it. You've created your first automation. A word of caution, we tried our first experiments with onboarding automations in a closed environment that didn't include our real users. However, we quickly learned this method wasted our teams time (they were the testers) and usually didn't reflect on what actually happened in the real world. Experiment with very light automation first, like the one we described above and test it on your real contacts. If you're ready for something more complex, we've created also created [a guide to complex onboarding automations](https://rocketbots.io/blog/onboarding-chat-subscribers/). Now that you've done something to automation contact onboarding, let's created some canned responses and automate to canned responses. ### 4\. Chat Automation: Automating FAQ Once you've gone through your chat logs and have a good idea of your frequently asked questions, time to make canned responses. This is a test to see if your responses can be automated. If your agents find your canned responses sufficient, then they work. In our case, the most common questions are about connecting channels. People will ask, how can I connect WhatsApp to your platform? How can I connect Line to your platform? The answers we give to these questions are simple, we point them to the documentation. The best way for you to get started with testing out your canned responses is to create Snippets on the Respond.io platform. Snippets is our name for canned responses, Snippets you create can be used by agents to answer questions. **To create a Snippet** navigate to *Snippets* > *Add Snippets*. Snippets have a name, a message, and a topic. The name is used to bring up the Snippet using the "/" command in the messaging module. The message is the text that is sent to the contact. The topic is optional but helps keep things organized once you have many Snippets. **To use the Snippet command** navigate to *the Messages Module > type "/" > select the Snippet by typing the name or using the up & down arrows > press Enter.* Using Snippets is just as easy as using canned responses on any other platform. Once you’ve created 10 to 20 Snippets you think will work, time to let your agents give them a try. This is an important step before you embark on FAQ automation. ### 5\. Chat Automation: Adding Dialogflow Once you’ve got 10 to 20 Snippets working well with agents this means you’re ready to add FAQ automation into the mix. This is where a Natural Language Processor (NLP) like Dialogflow comes into play. Don’t worry about the fancy name. NLP is software that uses a little AI to determine how close one phrase is to another one. Every time someone asks a question, it will compare it to the questions you’ve added for that canned response. If you’re interested in learning more about using Dialogflow for some FAQ automation with respond.io please check out [our post on using the platform together with Dialogflow](https://respond.io/blog/dialogflow-crm-dialogflow-human-handoff). There are lots of tips and tricks to try out. ### 6\. Analyze, Optimize & Implement More Message Automation Nobody expects you to get it right the first time. Chat automation is a trial and error process that requires organizations to test better variants of their answers repeatedly and analyze consumer feedback to automated chats to improve their design. You'll want to optimize your onboarding and improve how you group information in Snippets to truly automate canned responses. The key to a successful chat automation system is the ability of the organization to record, evaluate, and improve, based on their findings. ### Further Reading Want to learn more about chat automation? Read these articles for practical advice and examples. - WhatsApp Automation: 2 Ways to Do It, Use Cases, and 6 Examples - Customer Service Automation: An Automated Customer Service Guide - Turbocharge Your Conversation Management with Auto Assignment ## [Chat Routing: How to Build a Chat Route to the Right Team ](https:/respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) Are you using the correct chat route to handle customer conversations? In this blog, you'll learn the chat routing fundamentals and best strategies for an unparalleled customer experience. For companies with several customer-facing teams, building a chat route can be challenging. However, companies that implement routing correctly see an improvement in the speed and quality of their conversations. This article will explain all you need to know about chat routing, including how to plan and execute chat routing strategies using the respond.io Workflows Module as a chat router. ### What is Chat Routing? Routing is the process that determines which team within a company will be responsible for handling a conversation. This will depend not only on the contacts’ needs but also on the way a company organizes its teams. Dealing with instant messages and emails isn’t the same. When it comes to instant messaging, the speed at which routing needs to occur must be in near real-time to keep the customer satisfied. #### Chat Routing vs Ticket Routing Traditionally, businesses have been approaching routing via email with ticketing systems. But ticket systems have downsides when compared to chat routing, like the potential for delayed response times. With ticket routing, customers need to submit a form or email and then wait for an agent to pick up the ticket. This waiting period can be frustrating for customers who require immediate assistance. On the same note, ticket routing lacks real-time communication. Unlike chat routing, which enables quick back-and-forth exchanges through instant messaging channels, ticket-based systems may not offer the immediacy required to address complex or urgent issues. | | Chat Routing | Ticket Routing | | --- | --- | --- | | Response time | Real-time responses | Potential for delayed responses | | Customer reach | Comprehensive support across multiple platforms | Lack of integrations with social media and messaging platforms | | Efficiency | Swift resolution of simple inquiries | Unnecessary steps hinder the resolution of simple inquiries | Additionally, ticket routing often happens via email and seldom offers the same level of multichannel support as chat routing does. Because many ticketing systems were built for traditional channels like email, they might not integrate seamlessly with social media or instant messaging platforms, limiting the ways customers can reach out. While some do support those integrations, they generally can’t support the native channel features. Since email interactions are slow and not conversational, ticket routing via email is not the best approach for simple inquiries that should be addressed swiftly. In fact, it can potentially slow down the overall issue-resolution process. Routing instant messaging conversations and emails isn’t the same. When it comes to instant messaging, the speed at which routing needs to occur must be in near real-time to keep the customer satisfied. Let’s see how this can be achieved. #### How Chat Routing Works When customers encounter a query or need assistance, they can easily initiate a chat conversation through the company's website, app or instant messaging channel. This is often as simple as clicking on a [chat widget](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) or a [chat link](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-start-a-conversation-on-whatsapp#toc-mobile-2). The process is designed to be user-friendly, ensuring that customers can quickly reach out for help without unnecessary hurdles. Some routing systems request basic information from customers before routing them to a team via automated questions. Details such as the customer's name, email address or order number play a vital role in personalizing the conversation and most importantly, successful routing. When dealing with returning customers, this information can be retrieved automatically from the business’ data bank, saving agents and customers time. Once contacts are identified, the business’ routing logic comes into play. Some businesses will automatically route customers based on the provided data, while others will let customers choose their journey through interactive menus. Next, we’ll explore some of the benefits of using chat routing to handle [inbound conversations](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations). ### Chat Routing Benefits Chat routing for businesses offers a range of benefits. First, it optimizes team utilization, making customer-facing operations more cost-effective by efficiently managing human resources. Chat routing is easily scalable as a business grows, meaning that large companies can customize their own routing strategies for multiple specialized teams. This way, businesses can ensure conversations are routed to teams of experts in their field — for example, a technical support team. Additionally, chat routing ensures a personalized customer experience, as returning or VIP customers can be directed to specialized teams, fostering stronger relationships with loyal clients. One of the most significant advantages of chat routing is the reduction in conversation resolution time. By quickly directing customers to the right team and [agent](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio), issues are addressed promptly, resulting in higher first-contact resolution rates and improved customer satisfaction. Overall, when the routing logic is correctly applied, chat routing significantly improves the customer experience. Faster and more relevant interactions play a crucial role in increasing customer satisfaction by promptly and efficiently addressing their needs. Now that you are familiar with chat routing and its benefits, we’ll explain some of the most popular chat routing methods. ### Chat Routing Methods The following are some common ways companies use routing strategies to meet their business needs. They are just examples. Because every company functions differently, you should also find the routing strategy that best suits your company teams. Before deciding on a routing method, there are two things you should do. First, list the customer-facing teams that will be involved. Second, define when to route conversations to one team versus another. #### Chat Route Based on Team Function Companies that choose this method handle customers from similar locations who speak the same language(s). Since language and time zone constraints are minimal, work is organized based on agent functions. There are two ways to [route conversations based on team functions](https://help.respond.io/inbound-conversations/route-contacts-by-team-functions). You can use a [chat menu](https://help.respond.io/inbound-conversations/create-automated-chat-menus) to ask the contacts in the conversation thread what team they want to talk to. This is best achieved with a multiple-choice question. Alternatively, agents can ask contacts for their email and determine which team should attend to them by querying their customer data bank. In both cases, the contact will proceed along the branch of the desired function. #### Chat Route Based on Contact Language Contacts like to get support in their preferred language. That’s why this method is applied by companies with international audiences or operating in regions where people speak multiple languages. Similar to function-based routing, you can get a contact’s preferred language by asking a question. If there have been previous interactions with the contact, you should save the contact language as a data value to avoid repetitive questions. The number of branches should align with the number of languages that your company supports. Once the contact language is identified, they can proceed along the branch of the desired language to be routed to a team. #### Chat Route Based on Team Shifts Some companies receive messages at different times of the day, so they need to have customer-facing teams available for extended periods, if not round-the-clock. [Shift-based routing](https://help.respond.io/inbound-conversations/route-contacts-by-shifts) is intended to work around a company’s business hours, rather than contact data values. Branches are made based on team shifts, allowing businesses to route contacts to the current working team. Thus, depending on the time of the day they start a conversation, contacts are routed to customer-facing teams with different operation hours. Companies that use this routing method often have international audiences. To execute effective chat routing strategies, you’ll need an advanced, user-friendly automation builder. [Respond.io’s Workflow Builder](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflows-overview) is designed to simplify business operations like chat routing. ### Chat Routing with Respond.io: The Basics All respond.io users have access to the Workflows Module regardless of their plan. While Workflows can be created from scratch, this Module includes a list of [Workflow Templates](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#list_of_workflow_templates) to help newcomers with respond.io automation. On the respond.io app, navigate to the Workflows Module and click *Add Workflow.* Then, select *Multi Team Routing: Multiple Choice by Contact.* This is the Workflow Template we’ll use to guide you through the respond.io chat router basics. A simple chat routing strategy usually has three steps: 1. Ask a question 2. Save the answer 3. Build branches Let’s see what happens in each one of these steps and why they are important for a successful chat routing strategy. #### Chat Route Step 1: Ask a Question The [Ask a Question](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_ask_a_question) [Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_ask_a_question) allows you to ask Contacts for relevant information. There are many different question formats you can use. Depending on your choice, the list of acceptable answers will change. Multiple-choice questions are a popular way to get Contact information through discrete values. To make things simple, we’ve already built an *Ask a Question* Step with two discrete values: Talk to sales or support. When Contacts get to this Step, they’ll have to make a choice. This will determine which team they’ll be routed to. Most importantly, the answers need to be saved to build subsequent Workflow Steps. #### Chat Route Step 2: Save the Answer When it comes to saving answers, there are two main possibilities. When one single value can be used in future conversations, the answer should be saved as [Contact Field](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/contact-fields). If you request Contact emails before routing them, you can save their email address for future identification. When Contacts choose between sales and support, their choice will only be useful for the current conversation. In scenarios like this, answers should be saved as [dynamic variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/how-to-use-dynamic-variables#workflows). Dynamic variables store information just for the time the Contact is traveling through the Workflow. Once the Contact leaves the chat router Workflow all data collected in variables can’t be used any longer. Now that we have collected the Contact answers, we can start building branches. #### Chat Route Step 3: Build a Branch How many [Branch](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_branch) [Steps](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_branch) should you add to a Workflow? The answer is simple. As many as the number of customer-facing teams you want to involve in your chat routing strategy. Because we are routing based on two team functions, this Workflow template comes with two pre-built branches by default. To create a chat route, configure the specific conditions for each branch using the previously saved dynamic variables. Then, apply your [agent assignment strategy](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) at the end of each branch to assign Contacts to available agents. To sum up, Contacts who start a conversation with your business will trigger the automated question. Then, their response will be saved as a variable. And based on that variable, they will be routed to the right team. This section lays the foundations for using the respond.io Workflows Module as a chat router. But there is much more that can be done with it. We’ll discuss more routing possibilities in the following section. ### Additional Chat Routing Techniques Now you have some basic chat routing steps in place, which can be applied to route Contacts to Teams based on a single condition. However, companies that need more complex chat routing must do some extra setup. Perhaps they have to handle customers using various conditions, route new and returning customers or effectively manage routing failure. Here are some ways you can make your chat router even more refined. #### Multi-condition Branching Chat Route As your business grows, so will the number and size of your company teams. Thus, you’ll probably need to fine-tune your routing strategy to handle more inquiries and coordinate teams with efficiency. You can implement a multi-condition routing strategy by building branches with two or more conditions. This will allow you to execute more complex routing, such as routing a Contact to an English-speaking sales Team or a Spanish-speaking support Team. Setting up multi-condition routing Workflows takes some extra amount of dedication. But because you can have up to four branches per *Branch* Step, you can build routes for multiple scenarios. #### Chat Router for New and Returning Customers Some businesses [handle new and returning customers differently](https://help.respond.io/inbound-conversations/route-new-and-returning-contacts). With new customers, the focus often lies in enriching their profiles in a data bank for future identification and converting them into loyal customers. Because existing customers have already provided their relevant data in previous interactions, they are quickly identified. The goal switches to routing these customers quickly and efficiently to the best Team and Agent to foster customer satisfaction and loyalty. To implement this routing technique, use the respond.io Workflow Template named *Routing: New & Returning Contacts.* This Workflow is already designed to route new and returning Contacts through two different branches. However, feel free to edit it to adjust it to your customer-facing teams and routing logic. Don’t forget to use *Send a Message* Steps to communicate with customers as they are being routed to create a good impression and manage waiting time expectations. ##### Chat Router for High-value Customers By prioritizing VIP Contacts, businesses can offer a more personalized and expedited service. Allocating a [separate route for VIP Contacts](https://help.respond.io/inbound-conversations/route-vip-contacts) enables efficient resource allocation, ensuring that highly skilled agents cater to their unique needs. This approach not only enhances the overall customer experience but also fosters stronger relationships with loyal clients. To implement this routing technique, use the respond.io Workflow Template named *Routing: VIP Contacts.* This Workflow allows you to identify VIP Contacts when they start a conversation with your business. Contacts are qualified on your data bank through an [HTTP Request](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_http_request) [Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_http_request). Then, VIP and regular Contacts are split into two different branches, which you can further develop with additional Steps. #### Handling Chat Router Failure Contacts that don’t fulfill the conditions of any of the routing branches are routed to the *Else* branch. This branch was designed to give businesses the option to circumvent routing failure. However, Contacts will automatically exit the Workflow if this branch has no steps built into it. Here’s one easy way to prevent it: Use the *Else* branch to assign Contacts to a supervisor and instruct him to complete the routing process with an internal comment. Although supervisors will become occupied with these routing failures and exceptions, no Contacts will fall through the cracks. What’s more, you can learn from common routing incidents to improve the chat router Workflow further. In conclusion, chat routing saves you money, time and resources while keeping customers satisfied with prompt and effective service. For that reason, make sure to use an advanced automation builder designed for scalability. Respond.io features a full-fledged Workflows Module and many other features to take business messaging to the next level. To get started with chat routing, [try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register)! ### Further Reading If you’ve found this article useful, here are some additional readings that might interest you. - WhatsApp Automation: A WhatsApp Business Automation Guide - How to Use Automation to Enhance Customer Service Efficiency - What is CSAT? The Customer Satisfaction Process Guide ## [Chatbot for Education: Benefits, Challenges and Opportunities ](https:/respond.io/blog/chatbot-for-education) Learn how a chatbot for education can streamline lead management and improve the student enrollment process in our practical guide. Much more than a customer service add-on, chatbots in education are revolutionizing communication channels, streamlining inquiries and personalizing the learning experience for users. For institutions already familiar with the conversational sales and support landscapes, harnessing the potential of chatbots could catapult their educational services to the next level. Here, you’ll find the benefits, use cases, design principles and best practices for chatbots in the education sector, predominantly for institutions or services focused on B2C interaction. Whether you are just beginning to consider a chatbot for education or are looking to optimize an existing one, this article is for you. ### Chatbot for Education: An Introduction A chatbot for education is a specialized type of artificial intelligence (AI) software designed to simulate conversation with users, providing them with automated responses to their inquiries. In the context of the education sector, these chatbots are tailored to meet the specific needs of students, educators, and administrative staff. Let’s see why chatbots are becoming so popular in the education industry. ### Benefits of Using a Chatbot for Education Understanding why chatbots are critical in an educational context is the first step in realizing their value proposition. Here are some key benefits. ##### Real-Time Support In the fast-paced educational environment, providing instant assistance is crucial. Chatbots excel at offering immediate support on a 24/7 basis, helping students with queries, and directing them to the appropriate resources. ##### Lead Nurturing For education services looking to expand their reach and enrollments, chatbots are effective lead generators. By handling inquiries and routing promising leads to human reps, chatbots streamline the admissions process and boost conversion rates. ##### Data Collection and Analysis Chatbots are exceptional data gatherers. By analyzing conversation data, educational institutions can gain insights into user preferences, pain points, and popular inquiries, informing decision-making and strategy. ##### Cost-Effectiveness Deploying a chatbot significantly reduces the cost associated with customer support and lead generation. It ensures a substantial return on investment, especially for institutions with growing online demands. ### Chatbot for Education: Use Cases The versatility of chatbots allows for a range of applications in educational services. Adeel Akram, Senior Account Executive for respond.io, highlights the prominent use cases he encountered in the education field. "Chatbots serve a dual purpose in education: supporting student inquiries on topics like accommodation changes, enrollment, or financial aid and converting leads in a competitive landscape.” “With many institutions offering similar programs, such as the numerous universities in Malaysia presenting executive MBAs (Master of Business Administration), acquiring customers becomes a challenge. Chatbots emerge as crucial tools for efficiently managing inquiries and standing out in the competitive field", he added. #### Admissions and Enrolment By answering prospective students’ queries on courses, admissions, and the application process, chatbots simplify and speed up the enrolment process. #### Student Services Chatbots can assist enrolled students with a variety of services, including academic support, campus information, and extracurricular activities, enhancing the overall educational experience. #### Career Guidance Chatbots specializing in career services can serve as personalized career counselors and help students identify their strengths, explore career options, and search for job opportunities. ### How to Build a Chatbot for Education Services Start by picking a chatbot-building platform. We recommend using respond.io, an AI-powered customer conversation management software. You can [start with a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register?_gl=1*1ia22it*_ga*MTczNDcxNDEyLjE3MDg0ODY1Mjk.*_ga_0EZ318H868*MTcwOTg5MTQ5OC43NTAuMS4xNzA5ODkxNDk5LjU5LjAuMA..) and later upgrade to the plan that best suits your business needs. Respond.io’s chatbot is called [AI Agent](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent). It is a superfast virtual agent that can accurately reply to customer inquiries. To ensure this, you only need to make sure you train it with your knowledge sources, such as course catalogs and syllabi, policies and procedures. Once you are happy with your respond AI Agent, use it in a [Workflow](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview). Depending on your goal, you will design the Workflow differently. We have extensive information on chatbot-related topics, such as [how to automate contact information collection](https://help.respond.io/automate-conversations/how-to-automate-contact-information-collection-with-ai) and [how to maximize customer service potential](https://help.respond.io/automate-conversations/maximize-customer-service-potential-with-ai-agent). Before publishing your first chatbot, there are some tips and tricks that you should be aware of. #### Building a Chatbot for Education: Tips and Tricks Developing a chatbot for educational services is as much about the frontend design as it is about the backend logic. Here’s how to ensure your chatbot is user-friendly and effective. ##### Understand Your Audience Before you start designing your chatbot, you need to have a clear understanding of your audience. What are their typical questions? What tone of voice resonates with them? Understanding your users is vital to designing a chatbot that they will engage with. ##### Keep Your Chatbot for Education Simple The educational system's complexity can overwhelm students. Your chatbot’s design should reflect simplicity. Use structured conversation flows with clear options and avoid jargon that might confuse the user. ##### Implement Visual Cues Visual cues such as progress bars, checkmarks, or typing indicators can help users understand where they are in the conversation and what to expect next. These cues add an element of interactivity and user guidance. ##### Test and Iterate your Chatbot for Education Design is an iterative process. Regular testing with real users and incorporating their feedback is critical to the success of your chatbot. Each iteration should aim to improve the user experience and streamline communication further. #### Overcoming Challenges in Building Chatbots in Education While the benefits of chatbots in education are significant, there are challenges to consider. ##### Information Overload Educational institutions have a wealth of information to offer. A strategic plan is essential to organize and present this data through the chatbot without overwhelming the user. ##### Maintaining Accuracy Chatbots must be constantly updated with the latest information. Educational services change regularly, and inaccuracies could lead to issues with students or potential learners. ##### Balancing Automation with Human Touch While chatbots can handle most queries, there will be times when a human touch is necessary. Ensuring that the handover from bot to human is seamless is a challenge that requires careful design. ##### Privacy and Security Protecting student data is paramount. Chatbots must be designed with strict privacy and security controls to safeguard sensitive information. If you are ready to explore chatbots' potential in the education sector, consider trying respond.io, a platform that revolutionizes customer communication. Education businesses like [E4CC](https://respond.io/customers/how-e4cc-consolidated-22-siloed-regional-offices-on-one-platform), [Qobolak](https://respond.io/customers/how-qobolak-used-broadcasts-to-double-student-lead-conversions) and [CUHK](https://respond.io/customers/how-cuhk-handles-98-of-mba-inquiries-with-natural-language-processing) have already seen success with respond.io. [Sign up for a free respond.io trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register?_gl=1*1ia22it*_ga*MTczNDcxNDEyLjE3MDg0ODY1Mjk.*_ga_0EZ318H868*MTcwOTg5MTQ5OC43NTAuMS4xNzA5ODkxNDk5LjU5LjAuMA..). ### Further Reading If you enjoyed this reading, then check out these articles: - Lead Capture to Boost Your Opportunities for Conversion - WhatsApp Lead Generation: How to Use WhatsApp to Get More Leads - WhatsApp for Education: Enhanced Engagement for Maximum Results ## [ChatGPT for Business: A Customer Communication Game Changer ](https:/respond.io/blog/chat-gpt-for-business) Enhance your customer communication with ChatGPT for business: Engage customers, foster innovation and maximize efficiency for a competitive edge. The adoption of cutting-edge technologies has become a necessity for companies striving to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences and drive growth. And within this exciting AI landscape, one star shines particularly bright: ChatGPT. This AI-powered agent isn't just a tool; it's a dynamic force transforming how companies operate across industries. In this article, we're about to embark on a journey to discover how to use ChatGPT for business. Get ready to unveil its boundless potential and how it can supercharge your business. ### ChatGPT for Business: What is It? At its core, ChatGPT is an advanced generative AI software extensively trained on a massive dataset of human language. This training equips ChatGPT with the ability to understand and generate text that closely resembles how humans communicate. It's like having a virtual assistant that excels in comprehending and producing human-like responses. So, how does ChatGPT fit into the realm of business? Its versatility is the key. ChatGPT can be seamlessly integrated into many business applications, making it a valuable asset across industries. Now, let’s explore the benefits you can expect from using ChatGPT for business. #### ChatGPT for Business: Your Secret Weapon for Success Some businesses might doubt using ChatGPT in their strategy, as they worry that this conversational AI might not be advanced enough to offer a human-like touch and effectively assist customers, which could leave customers unsatisfied. However, by embracing ChatGPT’s capabilities for [conversational sales](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-commerce) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-support), these businesses unlock the following benefits. Maintaining a consistent brand voice and delivering accurate information across all customer touchpoints is crucial for brand integrity. ChatGPT ensures that responses are aligned with the brand's tone and style, reducing the risk of miscommunication. This consistency not only strengthens brand identity but also fosters trust and credibility among customers. As businesses expand and customer interactions multiply, managing conversations at scale becomes a significant challenge. When integrated into your software stack, ChatGPT helps by seamlessly handling numerous conversations simultaneously. There’s more. ChatGPT's ability to comprehend and generate human-like text empowers businesses to provide complex and detailed answers to customer inquiries. It can explain intricate product features, troubleshoot technical issues and offer in-depth explanations of services, thereby enhancing customer understanding and satisfaction. Lastly, whether assisting visitors on a website chat, responding to messages on social media or engaging in chat-based customer support, ChatGPT ensures that customers receive timely and helpful responses, regardless of the platform they choose. Any business can use ChatGPT, as OpenAI has made it [available for everyone](https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt). But now a new question arises: What ChatGPT version suits your business? ### Using ChatGPT for Business: Which Version is for You? When it comes to integrating AI into your business, selecting the right version of ChatGPT will ensure you don’t waste money or fall short on features. Focusing on ChatGPT-3, ChatGPT-4 and ChatGPT Enterprise, each offers unique capabilities tailored to different business needs. ChatGPT-3 is known for its advanced language understanding and generation. It can handle sophisticated customer service interactions, detailed content creation and comprehensive data analysis. It's perfect for businesses that need advanced functionality but also want a user-friendly experience. ChatGPT-4 is the most advanced version, taking AI capabilities to new heights. It provides even more nuanced and context-aware interactions than ChatGPT-3. Ideal for businesses dealing with highly complex queries and requiring detailed, nuanced communication. This version excels in deep problem-solving, intricate content generation and in-depth customer support. A notable addition to ChatGPT-4 is the ability for businesses to create their own GPT models. This feature allows for bespoke customization, enabling businesses to tailor the AI to specific industry needs, jargon and operational contexts, offering a highly personalized AI experience. Lastly, ChatGPT Enterprise is designed for businesses seeking highly customized AI solutions with bespoke modifications and integrations. This version is adaptable to specific business environments, whether it's integrating with certain business systems, complying with unique regulatory requirements or scaling for high volumes of interactions. When it comes to ChatGPT for business use, you’ll get the best results by integrating it into your tech stack. This way, you can harness its full potential, customize its behavior to align with your specific business needs and seamlessly blend AI-powered interactions with your existing processes. ### Using ChatGPT for Business: Applications How to use ChatGPT for your business? Most businesses looking to get started with ChatGPT will be interested in using it for one or more of the following use cases: - Customer support - Sales - Marketing - Internal operations Next, we will delve into ChatGPT use cases for business in detail, providing insights into how you can leverage this tool to achieve specific business objectives. Remember that some of these objectives require integrating your stack with ChatGPT. #### Using ChatGPT for Business: Customer Support ChatGPT emerges as a formidable ally for customer support, enhancing efficiency and customer satisfaction. Here are some ChatGPT uses for business to revolutionize your customer support operations. ##### How to Use ChatGPT for Business: Answer Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ChatGPT is your 24/7 FAQ wizard. It can instantly respond to the most common customer inquiries, whether they're seeking product details, pricing information and shipping or return procedures. Using prompts or tapping into a repository of uploaded documents and links, ChatGPT generates insightful replies, ensuring that customers receive accurate and prompt assistance. Moreover, it excels at deflecting low-complexity conversations, freeing up human agents for more complex tasks. ##### How to Use ChatGPT for Business: Appointment Scheduling Imagine a world where scheduling is a breeze, where customers effortlessly check availability, book appointments and manage their reservations. You can do all of this with the guidance of ChatGPT. Whether securing that vital medical appointment or ensuring your service call fits into your busy day, ChatGPT can transform the entire process into a seamless and stress-free experience. ##### How to Use ChatGPT for Business: Handle Complaints Dealing with customer complaints is sometimes tricky, but ChatGPT is a master at it. It can gather essential information from customers, assess the nature of the complaint and provide resolutions where possible. In cases requiring human intervention, smoothly escalate the issue to the appropriate human agents. This ensures customer grievances are addressed promptly and effectively, bolstering customer satisfaction. ##### How to Use ChatGPT for Business: Make Conversation Summaries Beyond immediate support, ChatGPT can also serve as your trusty note-taker. It excels at creating summaries of customer conversations, helping you maintain records and gain valuable insights. These summaries can be invaluable for training purposes, quality assurance and future reference, allowing your support team to continually improve their service. With ChatGPT at your side, customer support becomes a well-oiled machine, delivering swift, accurate, and personalized assistance while freeing up human agents to focus on the most challenging and nuanced customer interactions. #### Using ChatGPT for Business: Sales In the world of sales, where forging strong customer relationships and driving revenue is paramount, ChatGPT proves to be an invaluable ally. Here are several ChatGPT use cases for business to empower your sales efforts. ##### How to Use ChatGPT for Business: **Lead Enrichment** ChatGPT is great at collecting information and qualifying leads. By engaging potential customers in meaningful conversations, your AI agent can gather valuable data. It can ask pertinent questions and offer compelling content, all in exchange for essential contact details. This not only helps you understand your leads better but also sets the stage for more personalized interactions down the line. ##### How to Use ChatGPT for Business: **Assist with the Purchase Process** Navigating the purchase process can sometimes be overwhelming for customers. Here's where ChatGPT comes to the rescue. With its guidance, customers can seamlessly move from product selection to the final checkout. It can answer queries, resolve concerns and even assist with technical hiccups during the purchase process, ensuring a smooth purchasing experience that leaves customers satisfied. ##### How to Use ChatGPT for Business: **Product Recommendations** One of ChatGPT's superpowers lies in its ability to analyze customer preferences and past interactions. By harnessing this capability, you can train your AI agent to provide tailor-made product recommendations. Whether suggesting complementary items or highlighting exclusive deals, ChatGPT ensures that your customers feel seen and valued. ##### How to Use ChatGPT for Business: **Handle Objections** Objections are a natural part of the sales process, and ChatGPT can be your trusty companion in overcoming them. Equipped with persuasive responses, your AI agent can address common objections that customers may raise. From concerns about pricing to inquiries, ChatGPT can provide compelling answers that instill confidence and remove barriers to purchase. Incorporating ChatGPT into your sales strategy isn't just about automating tasks; it's about elevating your customer interactions. By leveraging its capabilities, you can enhance lead generation, streamline the buying process, and deliver personalized recommendations. ChatGPT becomes your 24/7 sales assistant, helping you build stronger customer relationships and drive revenue growth. #### Using ChatGPT for Business: Marketing The marketing realm is dynamic and ever-evolving, and ChatGPT is here to be your marketing partner in this exciting journey. With its exceptional language capabilities, ChatGPT can take your marketing efforts to new heights. Let’s go through some ChatGPT use cases for business that will revolutionize your marketing strategy. ##### How to Use ChatGPT for Business: **Brainstorm Marketing Strategies** Innovation is at the heart of successful marketing, and ChatGPT is an excellent idea generator. Collaborate with ChatGPT to brainstorm marketing strategies, campaign concepts and creative angles that resonate with your target audience. Its ability to process vast amounts of data and trends ensures that your strategies are rooted in up-to-the-minute insights. ##### How to Use ChatGPT for Business: **Generate Long-Form Content** Content is the cornerstone of effective digital marketing. ChatGPT can assist in generating long-form content such as blog posts, whitepapers, and reports. Simply provide the topic, and ChatGPT can produce well-researched and structured content that informs and engages your audience. ##### How to Use ChatGPT for Business: Generate Compelling **Copy** Crafting compelling and persuasive copy is essential for advertisements, social media posts and email campaigns. ChatGPT can assist in generating attention-grabbing headlines, persuasive ad copy and engaging social media posts. Whether it's a product launch, a seasonal sale or a newsletter, ChatGPT can provide the language that captures your audience's attention. ##### How to Use ChatGPT for Business: **Keyword Research** Search engine optimization (SEO) is a critical component of online visibility. ChatGPT can assist with keyword research, helping you identify the most relevant and high-impact keywords for your content. ChatGPT is your creative collaborator, content creator and SEO strategist all rolled into one. With its assistance, your marketing efforts can reach new heights of innovation, engagement and effectiveness, ensuring your brand stays ahead of the competition. #### Using ChatGPT for Business**:** Internal Operations Efficiency and productivity are the lifeblood of any successful organization. ChatGPT is not just a tool for external interactions; it's also a potent ally in enhancing internal operations. Let’s explore some ChatGPT use cases for business that you can apply to improve the efficiency of your internal operations. ##### How to Use ChatGPT for Business: **Streamline Meeting Management** Meetings are a crucial part of business operations, but managing them can be time-consuming. When integrated with your stack, ChatGPT can take charge of scheduling, sending out invites and even setting reminders for important meetings. ##### How to Use ChatGPT for Business: **Handle Administrative Tasks** Administrative tasks can be laborious and prone to human error. GPT-4 can help with some of them, like entering data into spreadsheets based on predefined rules, or drafting emails. To effectively use GPT-4 for these purposes, integration with existing business systems and workflows is often necessary. ##### How to Use ChatGPT for Business: **Assist with Employee Onboarding** Welcoming new employees to your organization is a crucial process, and ChatGPT can play a pivotal role. A custom GPT bot can be trained to answer initial questions, provide essential information and guide new hires through the onboarding procedures. This ensures a smooth and efficient onboarding experience, setting the stage for a positive and productive tenure. ##### How to Use ChatGPT for Business: **Coding and Web Management** Web management and coding are integral to many businesses. ChatGPT can assist in coding tasks, web development and maintenance. Whether it's troubleshooting website issues, implementing updates, or assisting developers with code-related queries, ChatGPT can be your go-to resource. From streamlining meetings to managing administrative tasks, facilitating onboarding, and even aiding in coding and web management, ChatGPT is your trusted partner for optimizing internal processes. Its versatility and accuracy can help your organization achieve operational excellence, leaving your team more time to focus on strategic objectives. The vast possibilities ChatGPT offers have caused a revolution in the world of [conversational AI platforms](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform). In the next section, we’ll share with you which one is your best choice and why. ### Unleash the Power of Generative AI Technology with Respond.io Respond.io is a feature-rich AI messaging platform featuring a generative AI tool called [respond AI](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai#getting_here). With it, respond.io users can improve their customer communication in the platform with little effort on their side. To achieve that, respond.io has introduced a [list of prompts](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai#default_prompts) to the [Messaging Console](https://help.respond.io/messages/messages-overview#messaging_console) that you can select to automatically redefine your message using the power of AI. And that’s not all — you can even [create up to four custom](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai#custom_prompts) prompts! For a start, the *Change tone* prompt allows agents to rephrase and adjust the message tone in one click. This comes in handy in many scenarios. For example, by changing the message tone to *Empathetic*, agents can show customers that they are being heard and their issues have been acknowledged. With the *Translate* prompt agents can translate their messages into more than 90 languages. This helps circumvent the language barrier between customers and respond.io users and reduces the need for additional agents specialized in other languages. Proofreading messages before sending them is time-consuming and prone to mistakes when done by humans. However, properly composed messages are key to making a good impression on customers. The *Fix spelling & grammar* prompt enables agents to message customers with perfect spelling and grammar. Respond.io also provides a way to explain complex issues to Contacts, be it a return policy or troubleshooting instructions. With the *Simplify language* prompt, now respond.io users can transform complicated messages into simple ones. Most importantly, you can now create your own [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/automate-conversations/maximize-customer-service-potential-with-ai-agent) to reply to common customer inquiries before passing the conversation to an agent. What’s better, AI Agent can be trained with your knowledge sources. Then, it will generate consistent responses from the dataset. To wrap it up, let’s go through some of the ChatGPT best practices you should know before starting to use this incredible tool. ### Best Practices for Chat Automation Excellence When implementing generative AI for your business, following best practices is key to maximizing its benefits while ensuring a positive user experience. Here are some essential guidelines to consider. ##### Set Clear User Expectations Clearly communicate to users that they are interacting with an AI agent. Set expectations regarding the AI agent’s capabilities and limitations. This prevents misunderstandings and helps users know what to expect from their interactions. ##### Enable a Seamless Handover to Human Agents While ChatGPT is incredibly capable, there will be instances when it encounters complex queries or situations beyond its scope. Develop a well-defined escalation process that allows the AI agent to hand over conversations seamlessly. This human-AI collaboration ensures customers receive the best possible assistance. ##### Monitor and Refine Interactions Ensure the continuous improvement of your AI agent interactions with a robust monitoring system. Create a feedback loop that not only collects user input but also rigorously evaluates the AI agent’s performance. This ongoing refinement, achieved through regular testing and iteration, is essential for elevating the AI agent’s capabilities over time. ##### Ensure Data Privacy and Security If your AI agent handles sensitive information, prioritize data privacy and security. Implement robust measures to safeguard user data and adhere to relevant data protection regulations. Demonstrate a commitment to data security by using [ISO-certified software like respond.io](https://respond.io/blog/iso-certification) and build trust with your customers. ##### Integrate with Other Systems Enhance the AI agent’s capabilities by using software that supports [flexible integrations](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/integrations). By connecting it to your CRM, ticketing system, or knowledge bases, you can provide more comprehensive and personalized responses. Incorporating these best practices into your ChatGPT implementation ensures that your AI agent serves as a valuable asset, enhancing customer interactions, streamlining operations and upholding the reputation of your business. Ready to tap into the power of conversational AI? Get started with the leading AI-powered customer conversation management platform. [Start your free trial today](https://app.respond.io/user/register) — no credit card needed! ### Further Reading Did you find this article useful? If so, here are other articles that you might find interesting: - The WhatsApp Business Automation Guide - Selecting the Best Customer Messaging Platform: Top 6 Criteria to Consider - Everything You Need to Know about Omnichannel Chat Widgets ## [Click to Chat Ads for Lead Generation: The Ultimate Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads) The Ultimate Guide to Click to Chat Ads: Learn everything you need to know to generate leads using the most powerful digital advertising tool. Click to Chat ads allow your brand to engage with prospective customers in a conversation-based format that's quick and personal, just the way people like to communicate in today's digital age. Here, we’re unraveling the intricacies of deploying click-to-chat ads in your marketing strategy. We'll start with the basics – what are click to Chat ads, and how do they stack up against traditional ad formats? Then, we'll deep-dive into the varied uses across different industries, so you can see how they're revolutionizing lead generation. And after explaining how to set them up, we'll share best practices for making your click-to-chat ads phenomenal. ### What Are Click to Chat Ads? Click-to-chat ads, also known as Meta Click to Message ads, are essentially your gateway to engaging directly with your audience on social media. Specifically to WhatsApp, [Messenger](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4nVNt08xmY) and [Instagram](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VT2AIZ31fk). Imagine them as creating a bridge between you and potential customers, enabling a conversation with just a click. These ads go beyond mere visibility; they're about sparking meaningful interactions and capturing leads where they are most impactful. Interestingly, [61% of consumers engaged in social media](https://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_ie/www/PDF/state-of-connected-customer-fifth-ed-comp.pdf) shopping anticipate increasing their activity over the next three years. This highlights a critical aspect of marketing: being in the right place at the right time. Click to Chat ads excel in this, appearing on key Meta platforms like Instagram and Facebook. This strategic placement ensures that your message is right there where your potential customers are actively engaged, ready to start a conversation. It's a smart move for any professional looking to make a genuine connection in the digital sphere. You’ll find them in places like: - Facebook Stories - Facebook News Feed - Facebook Marketplace - Facebook Video Feeds - Facebook Right Column - Messenger Inbox - Instagram Feed - Instagram Stories When clicked, they open a messaging window in [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) or [Instagram DM](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat), and voilà – you’ve got a new lead and the conversation begins. These ads are excellent at engaging with leads at various stages of the purchasing process, spanning from initial brand introduction to fostering repeat purchases among loyal clientele. Leveraging Meta's targeting capabilities enables you to tailor ads to individuals at different stages, maximizing the efficacy of your advertising budget. ### How Your Business Vertical Can Leverage This Advertising Tool Meta Click to Message ads are versatile and customizable, suitable for almost any industry. Here are just a few ways different sectors are leveraging this medium's power. #### Education Education businesses and services capture contact information and inquiries from interested students via Click to Chat ads. Then, they follow up with these leads to provide further information and nurture them through enrollment. #### Healthcare Healthcare businesses use Meta Click to Message ads to facilitate conversations with customers. Agents share general healthcare information, such as services offered, accepted insurances, location details and specialties. This helps potential patients make informed decisions, bolstering their confidence to convert. #### Beauty Businesses in the beauty industry commonly use click-to-chat ads to share exclusive promotions, discounts, and special offers with customers. This is not only a great way to capture leads but can also incentivize purchases and encourage repeat business. #### Travel Click-to-chat ads can facilitate booking by guiding leads through the steps required to make a reservation. Plus, having a chat thread open with a travel specialist can turn instant interest into a booked ticket right from the smartphone screen. #### Real Estate The purchase or rental of property often involves numerous questions and concerns. Click to Chat ads can guide potential buyers or renters through the process, providing quick and personalized answers that a traditional ad cannot match. #### Automotive With Meta Click to Message ads, car dealerships can handle inquiries, schedule test drives, and even kick off the financing process, turning user interest into a concrete sales pipeline with minimal effort from the user's side. ### Click to Chat Ads Benefits These ads are simple in their approach but immensely powerful. They pivot on creating immediate, personal communication that can help nurture leads and drive conversions at a speed that’s hard to match in traditional advertising strategies. Transitioning to specific benefits, Click to Chat ads offer numerous advantages for businesses, such as: - Great potential for high-quality lead generation - Accelerated lead conversion process - Reduced drop-off rates - Better lead information accuracy Let's delve deeper into these advantages. Your customers spend time daily on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Messenger. This highlights the immense potential of these platforms as marketing channels. Moreover, Meta Click to Message ads offer extensive customization options, allowing businesses to tailor their placement, content, and target audience to suit their marketing strategies. This enables businesses to attract and nurture quality leads effectively. Contrary to traditional ad campaigns, which often result in delayed email responses spanning several days, Click to Chat ads expedite the lead conversion process by facilitating quick interactions on instant messaging channels. Replies from leads happen faster, enhancing the efficiency of communication. Conventional marketing methods also face challenges with higher abandonment rates, attributed to slow response times and lengthy forms. Click to Chat ads mitigate these issues by providing faster, more convenient communication channels, reducing the likelihood of lead abandonment. Additionally, concerns over privacy and the risk of providing incorrect contact information on traditional contact forms pose obstacles to lead generation. However, the conversational nature of instant messaging reduces the need for unpractical contact forms. In summary, Click to Chat ads offer businesses a powerful tool for lead generation, with the ability to accelerate conversions, minimize drop-off rates, and ensure the accuracy of lead information, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of marketing efforts. Having introduced you to this powerful advertising tool, we're now ready to walk you through the setup process for Click to Chat ads. ### How to Use Click to Chat Ads To set up Click to Chat ads, go to [Meta Ads Manager](https://www.facebook.com/micro_site/url/?click_creative_path%5B0%5D=link&click_from_context_menu=true&country=MY&destination=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbusiness%2Furl%2F%3Fhref%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.facebook.com%252Fadsmanager%252F%26cmsid%3D187166392659374%26creative%3Dlink%26creative_detail%3Dadvertiser-help-center%26create_type%26destination_cms_id%26orig_http_referrer%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.google.com%252F%26search_session_id&event_type=click&last_nav_impression_id=0cyEF3qBS3XhdQkLd&max_percent_page_viewed=50&max_viewport_height_px=706&max_viewport_width_px=1440&orig_http_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&orig_request_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbusiness%2Fhelp%2F200000840044554&primary_cmsid=200000840044554&primary_content_locale=en_US®ion=apac&scrolled=true&session_id=2YARdIMyfRv6l3lcB&site=fb4b&extra_data%5Bview_type%5D=v3_initial_view&extra_data%5Bsite_section%5D=help&extra_data%5Bplacement%5D=%2Fbusiness%2Fhelp%2F200000840044554&extra_data%5Bcreative_detail%5D=advertiser-help-center) and follow these steps. **1\. Click** *Create.* **2\. Select** a campaign objective. > If you are planning to build respond.io Workflows for Click to Chat ads, make sure to choose the engagement goal. This goal is optimized to get more conversations, making it ideal for lead qualification too. **3\. Edit** the ad campaign name and details. **4\. Fill in** your ad set. Choose *Click to Message* as the ad type and select your preferred messaging apps. Then, adjust the budget, schedule, target audience ad placements, optimization and delivery settings. **5\. Fill in** your Click to Chat ad. Normally, businesses have one or two preferred messaging channels when it comes to Click to Chat ads. That’s why we have dedicated articles explaining how to set up [Click to WhatsApp ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads), [Click to Messenger ads](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads) and [Click to Instagram DM ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-instagram-direct-ads). ### Integrate your Meta Click to Message Ads to Respond.io To manage all the new inbound leads at scale, you’ll need a conversation management software designed for large businesses. [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register?_gl=1*dhbk1l*_ga*MTQ1NDY4NTc5NC4xNjc2OTQ0NTYw*_ga_0EZ318H868*MTcwODMzMTIzMC43MTkuMS4xNzA4MzMxMjU5LjMxLjAuMA..) to leverage benefits like the following ones. #### Automate Appointment Booking For businesses heavily reliant on appointment scheduling, automating the booking process can be a game-changer, saving valuable time for agents. Leveraging [respond.io Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview), you can seamlessly integrate your Click to Chat channels with your sales team's calendar app. Moreover, respond.io offers native integration with [Make](https://help.respond.io/integrations/make) and [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/integrations/zapier), empowering you to create automation across thousands of apps without requiring coding skills. #### Collect Lead Information and Provide Immediate Responses Responding to leads quickly significantly boosts conversion rates, yet many companies struggle to manage high conversation volumes. This is where automation and AI technology come into play. Create and train [respond.io's AI agent](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai) to help you with this issue without increasing your company's headcount. There are many things an AI Agent can do for you, such as handling inquiries, qualifying leads and sending calendar or payment links. #### Converse Intelligently With respond.io, agents can streamline lead responses by utilizing [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist), which automatically generates context-relevant replies based on the provided knowledge sources. The AI crafts responses tailored to each inquiry by simply clicking a button, maintaining relevance and context. Additionally, [AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai) enable effortless message translation into over 90 languages, facilitating effective cross-border communication. Agents can further enhance communication precision by adjusting message tone and correcting errors, ultimately improving conversion rates by delivering exceptional experiences. #### Reengage with Leads When Needed After capturing leads and adding them to your contact list, you’ll want to re-engage with them with remarketing efforts. For [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) users, this re-engagement can be achieved using [message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message), while businesses utilizing Facebook Messenger can leverage [Message Tags](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag) for continuous interaction. As a WhatsApp partner, respond.io streamlines this process, offering a seamless way to craft, submit and oversee your message templates. Moreover, it stands out as one of the platforms that support the use of Facebook Message Tags. For a more conversational and organic approach, your AI Agent can follow up with stalled conversations. #### Track WhatsApp Ad Conversions with Paid Ads Attribution Running Click-to-Chat Ads is just the first step—knowing which ads actually convert is what drives growth. With respond.io, you can now go beyond basic click tracking and gain full visibility into which ads bring in high-quality leads and how those leads move through your sales funnel. Use the Reports module to view Paid Ads attribution data in both Contacts and Lifecycle reports. You’ll be able to: - Filter and group leads by Ad Campaign, Ad Group, or specific Ad - Track lead progress from first contact to Paying Customer - Spot which campaigns generate the best return on ad spend (ROAS) No more guesswork or spreadsheets—just clear, actionable insights to optimize your ad performance and drive better results. To wrap it up, we’ll share with you some best practices you should follow when developing your Click to Chat ads strategy. #### Go Further with Meta Conversions API Paid Ads Attribution shows which Click to Chat Ads generate conversations and customers. To take this further, the Meta Conversions API (CAPI) gives Meta stronger signals about those outcomes. Through respond.io, you can send events like a new lead created or a purchase completed directly to Meta. It benefits your business by giving: - Better attribution: Understand which ads truly drive revenue. - Smarter optimization: Meta uses these signals to prioritize the ads most likely to convert. With respond.io and CAPI, you’re not just tracking results, you’re feeding data back to Meta to make your ads perform better. ### Meta Click to Message Ads Best Practices Incorporating best practices ensures that your C2C ads are more effective and resonate well with your target audience. #### Personalize Your Approach Tailor conversations based on past user interactions and data. This level of personalization can pave the way for a more meaningful customer-business relationship. Lai Zong You, Growth Manager for respond.io, highlights the importance of keeping the [AIDA model](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDA_(marketing)) (attention, interest, desire and action) present when personalizing Click to Chat ads. He also mentions how critical it is to catch the leads’ attention during the first three seconds of a video ad to drastically increase the chances of capturing them. #### Optimize for Mobile Given the widespread use of mobile devices, ensure that your Click to Chat ads and chat sessions are optimized for a seamless mobile experience. There is more you can do to ensure a great mobile experience. Keep the ad content concise and to the point. Mobile users are likely to skim through content, so make your value proposition clear and compelling within a few words. #### Measure and Analyze Monitor the performance of your click-to-chat ads regularly. Pay attention to the number of interactions, conversion rates, and customer feedback to continuously refine your approach. [Meta Ads Reporting](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/318580098318734?id=369013183583436&content_id=dxUiZ9w4kGfonja&ref=sem_smb&utm_term=dsa-1720753162766&gclid=CjwKCAjw_LOwBhBFEiwAmSEQAT7qKsdDEQNs6jIXgkUL5XxwJXsfclYz-wvWWY91Fni0SJJYhsEE1BoCxzUQAvD_BwE&gad_source=1) can help you with this. Lai Zong You offers a strategic insight into transforming business challenges into opportunities by leveraging metrics: “Engage directly with individuals who have paused their journey midway through the sales funnel. By providing them with something of value, such as a discount, you can encourage them to progress further down the funnel.” #### Keep Response Times Short Ensure that the same level of conversation quality is maintained in Click to Chat ads as in any other customer interaction. This consistency reflects positively on your brand. Remember that responding to leads promptly increases the likelihood of converting them. Whether you're a marketing manager aiming to revamp your lead generation strategy or a sales executive looking to enhance customer engagement, the adoption of Click to Chat ads stands to offer business growth. This is all you need to know to get started with Click to Chat ads. To handle all your new leads, make sure you’re using the best customer conversation management software. [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register?_gl=1*dhbk1l*_ga*MTQ1NDY4NTc5NC4xNjc2OTQ0NTYw*_ga_0EZ318H868*MTcwODMzMTIzMC43MTkuMS4xNzA4MzMxMjU5LjMxLjAuMA..)! ### Further Reading Did you find this article helpful? If so, these readings might interest you. - WhatsApp Drip Campaign: Crush Your Conversion Goals - Proving the ROI of Your Messaging Strategy: Quantify and Showcase Value - Sales Closing Techniques: How to Close a Sale in 3 Conversations ## [Click to Message Ads: 4 Best Practices to Maximize Leads](https:/respond.io/blog/click-to-message-ads) Boost your click to message ads performance with these trusted tactics. Learn how to make the right optimizations to get high-quality leads to chat. Are your click to message ads getting the results you want? While they’re an effective way to capture leads, it’s essential to optimize them to bring in the most quality conversations and keep prospects engaged. Accurately targeting and engaging your audience, discovering what resonates with them and having a plan to manage inquiries efficiently will help you reach your goals. Remember that your first attempt at click to message ads may not have the desired effects. It’s a process of experimentation to understand which tactics work best for your business and implement best practices. We’ll share what we’ve learned from our customers and our own experience to take out some of the guesswork for you. ### 4 Proven Strategies for Optimizing Click to Message Ads Optimizing your ads takes time so you can understand what works and what doesn’t. Every business’s needs and goals will be slightly different. Implementing these best practices helps. #### 1\. Use Targeting to Maximize High-Quality Leads Ensure your target audience matches the profile of the customers you aim to reach. It might seem obvious, but we’ve seen many cases where businesses lack clear objectives for their ads. Those with a large budget may target everyone and see what sticks, but it’s not efficient in the long run. Targeting an audience that’s too broad results in low-quality leads and wasted ad spend. Determine your ideal target audience and direct your ads to the correct category. Campaign and creative-level goals in Meta also affect the types of leads you’ll get. Growth Manager Loh Yi Xuan recommends setting your [campaign on Meta](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads#toc-mobile-3) to “maximize conversions” rather than “maximize conversations.” With our own click to message ads, changing the setting to “maximize conversions” resulted in higher quality leads and more sales qualified leads. #### 2\. Give Prospects a Reason to Chat with You To capture leads, it’s not enough to simply [add a chat button to an ad](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-add-whatsapp-button-on-facebook-page) for your product. The images, the copy and the CTA must drive prospects to start a conversation. For example, ask people to inquire about limited time promotions or choosing the right package or plan. Lai Zong You, Growth Manager for respond.io, highlights the importance of keeping the [AIDA model](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDA_(marketing)) (attention, interest, desire and action) present when personalizing click to message ads. He also mentions how critical it is to catch the leads’ attention during the first three seconds of a video ad to drastically increase the chances of capturing them. Intrigue viewers with an image or caption that gets to the heart of their problem or tugs at their emotions. Get leads into a chat through [captivating, original campaigns](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/capture-more-customers-creative-instant-messaging-campaigns-8s1dc/?trackingId=fg1dEmc%2BTIKbxyrhWHGn9w%3D%3D) inviting them to interact. Use a persona, leverage trends or even gamify your ads. #### 3\. Reply Promptly from a Single Inbox When prospects click into an ad to chat, they expect a [prompt reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-experience-engagement#toc-mobile-5). If they don’t get it, they lose interest and the opportunity may pass. Many businesses are running campaigns on several channels, so messages may be overlooked if agents need to check every channel manually. Using an [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-ecommerce#toc-mobile-8) with a conversation management platform like respond.io ensures your agents will never miss a message. Automatically assign leads to available agents as soon as they come in. If leads message you outside of working hours, you can also [automate the conversation](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation#toc-mobile-6) to answer common questions and manage expectations as to when an agent will be in touch. #### 4\. Adapt from Experience We recommend an [omnichannel approach](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-2), but you’ll likely find certain channels perform better than others. With Meta’s click to message ads, you can choose where to send audiences and determine which way prospects prefer to contact you. Monitor the performance of your click to message ads regularly. Pay attention to the number of interactions, conversion rates, and customer feedback to continuously refine your approach. [Meta Ads Reporting](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/318580098318734?id=369013183583436&content_id=dxUiZ9w4kGfonja&ref=sem_smb&utm_term=dsa-1720753162766&gclid=CjwKCAjw_LOwBhBFEiwAmSEQAT7qKsdDEQNs6jIXgkUL5XxwJXsfclYz-wvWWY91Fni0SJJYhsEE1BoCxzUQAvD_BwE&gad_source=1) can help you with this. For example, one of our customers in the healthcare industry runs click to message ad campaigns for WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram. They’ve found that for their region, click to WhatsApp ads are the most effective in getting quality leads. Their main goal is to get people to ask questions about their services and book an appointment. They’ve seen success with that through clear CTAs and adjusting their creatives to optimize for what resonates with their audience. ### Create Click to Message Ads that Convert with Respond.io With continuous optimization, you can consistently capture quality leads into conversations and set them on the path to conversion. A conversation management platform like respond.io enables you to automate click to message ads so you get leads into a single inbox and reply instantly. And respond.io not only integrates with Facebook and Instagram click to message ads, but also with [TikTok Messaging Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads). Take advantage of the opportunities every channel offers to capture high quality leads, measure where they’re engaging and convert them faster. See what [respond.io](http://respond.io/) can do for your business today with a free trial or contact us for a [customized demo](https://respond.io/demo). ### Further Reading Want to learn more about doing click to message ads? These articles will show you all you need to know to get started. - Click to Chat Ads for Lead Generation: The Ultimate Guide - Generate Leads and Boost Sales with WhatsApp Ads: A Practical Guide to WhatsApp Advertising - TikTok Ads: Harness TikTok Messaging Ads to Boost Sales ## [Conversation-Led Growth™: Where Conversations Drive Business Results](https:/respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth) Explore respond.io's conversation-led growth framework and how it can help you capture, convert and retain customers across multiple messaging and voice channels. Are you receiving high volumes of conversations from leads? Do you want to leverage these conversations to drive business growth? After years of helping over 10,000 brands turn conversations into tangible business outcomes, respond.io developed and trademarked the Conversation-Led Growth™ framework, designed to help businesses effectively implement a conversational growth strategy. Here, we’ll dive into the importance of a conversational growth strategy and the common challenges businesses encounter when managing conversations. Finally, we’ll show you how the Conversation-Led Growth™ framework addresses them. ### What is Conversation-Led Growth™? Conversation-Led Growth™ (CLG) is a framework designed to help businesses maximize lead capture and sales chat conversions. It operates on the principle that every conversation is an opportunity for businesses to engage, delight and convert customers. Whether it’s a chat initiated by a curious first-time visitor or a query from a long-standing customer, each conversation is a chance to grow your business. #### Conversational Growth Strategy: Why do you need it? Every conversation businesses have is a valuable opportunity for them to achieve tangible business results. Therefore, the more conversations you have, the more opportunities you’ll have to convert leads into customers and keep existing customers coming back for more. However, many businesses hesitate to drive conversations as they lack cost-effective methods for managing conversations at scale. This is especially true if they rely on traditional communication channels. ### How You’re Likely Managing Conversations and How You Should Manage Them Instead Engaging with leads and customers through traditional channels like email and webchat demands significant manpower and fails to provide agents with the context they need to effectively assist customers. For instance, emails often lead to extended response times and phone calls confine agents to managing one conversation at a time. Website chats can be interrupted when contacts leave the site or experience internet glitches, forcing them to restart conversations and repeat themselves. Due to these challenges, businesses often divert conversations to self-service resources like FAQ pages or help centers, assuming these resources are sufficient. In more extreme cases, some businesses even discourage leads and customers from reaching out entirely by making it difficult for them to initiate contact or by not providing clear means for them to get in touch. Businesses operate under the assumption that this approach is easier and more cost-effective. However, they overlook how each conversation provides opportunities for business growth by pushing leads further along the customer journey. Let’s see how conversations achieve this. #### Leverage Conversations to Move Leads Along The Customer Journey Every day, businesses unknowingly miss out on valuable opportunities that can lead to business growth. While it may seem like potential leads are actively engaging with your brand through likes and comments on social media posts, opportunities often go unnoticed. The customer journey starts when potential leads discover your brand. During this stage, they typically seek information on your website. If they stumble upon a product they're interested in but can't find answers to questions related to it, they may stop exploring your products and services altogether. As leads move towards making a purchase, online reviews greatly influence their decision. Positive reviews often lead to sales. However, obstacles like broken "Buy Now" links can cause missed opportunities and abandoned sales. When issues arise post-purchase, like product defects or dissatisfaction, customers turn to you for assistance, whether it's to file a complaint, request a replacement or seek a refund. If they cannot reach your business easily, face unanswered calls and emails or are directed to your FAQ page or help center, this subpar support can lead to customer dissatisfaction and harm your business's reputation. As businesses want to turn customers into repeat buyers for a steady stream of income, it's important to recognize how initial experiences impact the likelihood of their return. If customers have a negative impression, they may disregard your brand or explore your competitors. This leads to loyalty challenges where you stand to lose customers. In short, each failed attempt to get information, take action or contact you creates a gap in the customer journey. To successfully bridge these gaps, you need to make it easy for customers to chat with you and vice versa. To begin, include instant messaging channels in your customer communication strategy if you haven't already. #### Use Instant Messaging Channels to Drive Conversations Starting a conversation on instant messaging channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) and [TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business) is quick and straightforward. Leads can send messages anytime and receive faster replies compared to traditional communication channels like email or phone calls. This real-time interaction aligns with modern expectations for immediate communication but poses challenges for businesses that are understaffed, receive high volumes of messages or have a presence on multiple instant messaging channels that need to be managed individually. These scenarios can strain resources and slow down response times, affecting lead engagement and satisfaction. | Pros | Cons | | --- | --- | | Combines structure and immediacy | Potential conversation overload | | Real-time responses | Expectation of immediate replies | | Convenient history access | | Instant messaging channels offer a valuable feature by providing a chat history, allowing both leads and agents to reference previous conversations for context. However, if a business operates across multiple messaging channels, maintaining a centralized history of customer interactions becomes challenging. This centralized history is vital for ensuring a consistent experience across all channels as [90% of customers expect](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-2) seamless interaction continuity across all contact channels. This is when a robust customer conversation management platform like respond.io and its conversation-led growth strategy comes into play. ### Understanding the Respond.io Conversation-Led Growth™ Framework The Conversation-Led Growth™ framework consists of 3 Stages: Capture, Convert and Retain, each created to achieve the CLG goal of maximizing lead capture and optimizing sales chat conversions. Note that these stages do not strictly follow a linear or cyclical progression, as they can be adapted to meet various business needs. Now, let’s take a closer look at each stage below. #### Capture: The Digital Net for Business Opportunities The first stage, Capture, is for businesses aiming to generate and collect leads by having conversations with them. This stage is all about widening the top of the funnel. You want to attract people who are hearing about your business for the first time. Strategies might include [website widgets and chat links](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets) on your website, social media capture through click-to-chat ads on [Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-instagram-direct-ads) or [TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-messaging-ads) or even using [QR codes](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you) strategically placed in brick-and-mortar stores. The conversations you manage to "capture" here become the leads that enter the next stages of your cycle. #### Convert: The Conversation Engine that Drives Sales The next stage, Convert, is for businesses aiming to turn leads into paying customers efficiently. To convert leads faster through chat, you need to know when to use [AI agents](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent) and automation, when to [route conversations to human agents](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and how to handle these conversations skillfully. Not all conversations require manpower to resolve satisfactorily or get the results you want. In fact, an AI agent can sometimes deliver better experiences or get better results. For instance, you can let AI handle routine tasks like automatically qualifying leads, responding to FAQs, automating meeting bookings and routing conversations to sales agents. While sales agents usually manage multiple conversations at once, a robust sales inbox can help them do it efficiently. For instance, it can provide a complete view of customers, allowing sales agents to better understand their needs and provide tailored product recommendations. In some cases, agents may need to talk to customers for a more human touch. The new [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api) enables businesses and customers to talk to each other through the WhatsApp API. Additionally, advanced features like [AI Assist](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-assist) empower agents to offer quick and accurate answers, enhancing the overall customer experience. When in doubt, agents can leverage internal expertise within their teams through [internal chats](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity#comments), [escalate conversations](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) when the issue is out of their expertise and more to ensure that leads receive the best possible service. By implementing these strategies, businesses can push leads down the funnel faster and turn them into paying customers. However, converting leads is just one part of the equation. To ensure consistent revenue, businesses must also focus on turning these customers into repeat buyers. #### Retain: Keep Customers Coming Back for More The final stage, Retain, is crucial for businesses aiming to drive repeat business and maintain long-term customer relationships. The goal here is simply to keep customers coming back for your product or service. Some strategies include sending promotions and newsletters, and renewal reminders. For example, a monthly newsletter featuring personalized product recommendations and exclusive discounts can keep customers engaged and encourage repeat purchases. Additionally, timely renewal reminders for subscription services ensure customers stay on track, reducing churn rates and reinforcing their commitment to your brand. By implementing these strategies, businesses can foster strong relationships, drive repeat purchases, and ensure long-term growth. Next, let’s look at how respond.io can help you apply the conversation-led growth framework in your current business processes. ### Conversational Growth Strategy: Managing Sales Conversations Using Conversation-Led Growth™ on Respond.io When it comes to effective customer conversation management, respond.io emerges as a dedicated platform offering a comprehensive suite of solutions to streamline and optimize conversations. This platform brings key advantages that align with the conversation-led growth framework. **Centralized channel management**: Respond.io unifies your traditional and instant messaging channels into a single platform. This ensures that your team has a unified hub to monitor and respond to inquiries across various channels, fostering consistency and efficiency in customer interactions. **Manage and track leads**: With the [Lifecycle Module](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle), businesses can track and manage Contacts throughout every stage of your sales process, from the first interaction to conversion. Gain valuable insights into your sales funnel to ultimately convert more leads into customers. **Seamless conversation capture**: Respond.io offers seamless methods for capturing conversations through QR codes, chat links and click-to-chat ads. These tools effectively attract potential customers, ensuring that every conversation finds its way into a unified inbox without being missed. **Powerful automation**: One of the platform's strengths lies in its capacity to automate processes, from basic tasks to complicated workflows. Respond.io's [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) automation provides the flexibility you need to automate processes of any complexity. **AI agents that can handle entire conversations or assist human agents**: Respond.io's AI agent can answer product or service enquiries, qualify customers, send payment or appointment booking links, and route only ready buyers to your team for faster conversions and shorter sales cycles Respond.io also harnesses AI to provide valuable assistance to human agents. With [AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai), agents can improve and translate messages, ensuring that every interaction is personalized, professional and polished. Additionally, [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) helps agents answer questions promptly by analyzing queries and providing responses based on message context. **Enhanced conversations**: Respond.io's features are designed to facilitate highly effective conversations. The platform provides flexible [integrations](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/integrations) to gain valuable customer context, aiding in tailored responses that ensure each interaction is meaningful and valuable. Collaborative features further enable your team to work seamlessly, streamlining communication and providing comprehensive support. Next, let’s look at a real-life example that depicts the power of great conversations. #### How Managing Conversations Well Boosted Conversions, Revenue and Customer Loyalty for H&H Skincare [H&H Skincare](https://respond.io/customers/how-hh-skincare-boosted-its-customer-loyalty-to-60-percent), a renowned skincare retailer, gained recognition for its 24/7 customer consultation and support. However, expanding its communication channels led to a critical challenge – a customer service bottleneck. Respond.io emerged as the solution. It unifies its communication channels and allows H&H to scale its teams easily with tools to assist in context-gathering and collaboration. Combined with powerful automation capabilities, H&H was able to respond promptly to inquiries and provide personalized responses and solutions. The outcome was remarkable. A 300% increase in the number of customers it chatted with daily, a 160% surge in sales over just six months and a strong 60% rate of returning customers. Respond.io's partnership revolutionized H&H Skincare's customer service, boosting engagement, loyalty and tangible business growth. Now that we’ve explored the Conversation-Led Growth™ framework, let’s put this knowledge into action. [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and unlock a world of efficient and customer-centric communication. ### Further Reading If you enjoyed this article, here are some more readings to help you kickstart your conversational growth strategy. - Inbound Conversation Workflows: A How-To Guide - Chat Routing with respond.io Workflows - How to Elevate Conversations with ChatGPT for Business ## [Conversational AI for Sales: Close Deals in the AI Era ](https:/respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-for-sales) Discover the impact of conversational AI for sales! Uncover its potential to optimize human resources, tailor customer experiences and skyrocket revenue. Ready to dive in and revolutionize your sales strategy? Get ready to supercharge your sales game with conversational AI. This article is your how-to guide, unveiling the remarkable benefits, sharing best practices and helping you discover the perfect AI platform for conversational sales. ### Conversational AI for Sales Team: An Introduction Beyond a mere buzzword, conversational AI signifies a pivotal evolution in sales, reshaping customer engagement and enhancing sales dynamics. To understand the importance of conversational AI for sales, first, you must be familiar with the concept of conversational AI. #### What is Conversational AI? Conversational AI is the simulation of human-like conversations through AI. It does this by using two components: - Natural Language Processing (NLP): NLP is a sophisticated technology that enables AI to comprehend and interpret user messages. It analyzes the context, decipher its meaning and formulate appropriate responses. - Machine Learning (ML): With ML, conversational AI continuously refines and enhances its performance over time. Just as humans learn from experience, AI processes and adapts based on the wealth of interactions it engages in. The more conversational AI interacts with users, the more adept it becomes at understanding nuances, contexts and user preferences. It ultimately improves the overall quality of its responses. In the real world, the conversational AI market is projected to experience a remarkable [CAGR of 17.3%](https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/conversational-ai-market) from 2023 to 2033. That is a surge from US$ 9.6 billion in 2023 to US$ 47.6 billion in 2033. > Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) measures an investment's annual growth rate over a specified period As the conversational AI market grows, businesses adopting this technology gain a competitive edge. With substantial growth projected, the technology is [swiftly being adopted](https://respond.io/blog/chat-gpt-for-business#toc-mobile-2) across various business areas such as [customer support](https://respond.io/blog/ai-customer-service), with a strong focus on integrating it into sales processes. #### What is Conversational AI for Sales? Conversational AI for sales is the use of AI, primarily in the form of chatbots and virtual assistants, to automate and enhance the sales process. This technology is designed to simulate human-like conversations, enabling businesses to interact with potential customers in a more personalized and efficient manner. These tools enable instant responses to queries, provide product information and guide users seamlessly through the sales journey. Sales agents often use chat apps for their interactive nature. Industries like e-commerce, retail, travel, hospitality, and tech have been quick to adopt conversational AI for its efficiency with customer interactions and repetitive questions. Now that the concept of conversational AI for sales is clear, let's delve into its benefits. ### Conversational AI for Sales Team: Benefits Businesses can directly boost their bottom line with conversational AI, achieving higher sales figures and increasing revenue as a result. In fact, when conversational AI is involved, sales can go [up to 67%](https://arabianreseller.com/2023/11/06/conversational-ai-how-genai-and-llm-are-redefining-the-landscape-of-global-business-conversations/). Furthermore, by [leveraging user data ethically and securely](https://respond.io/blog/iso-certification), conversational AI can personalize interactions based on individual preferences and behaviors. This way, businesses create a more engaging and relevant sales experience, contributing to stronger customer relationships. Conversational AI can handle time-consuming or lower-value tasks such as lead qualification, nurturing and data capture. These tasks would traditionally require significant time and effort from sales agents. Even beyond this, it can operate autonomously by assigning conversations to the right team, re-engaging or closing opportunities when needed, freeing agents to focus on persuasion and closing. When AI takes on these responsibilities, it reduces staff hiring and training costs while enabling 24/7 customer engagement, ensuring no opportunity is missed. However, conversational AI also has limitations, which we’ll discuss next. ### Conversational AI for Sales Team: Challenges and Limitations Although efficient, an AI agent may not possess the nuanced persuasive skills of a trained human sales agent. It is especially clear when booking a meeting with customers, where understanding subtle cues and specific contextual nuances is crucial. On top of that, conversational AI may struggle to interpret and reply appropriately to customers' emotional nuances, potentially impacting customer interactions in emotionally charged situations. To safeguard customer experience, businesses should set confidence thresholds so AI Agents, for instance, only act when it’s certain, and fall back to a human agent when it isn’t. Respond.io also supports seamless handoff rules, ensuring conversations are routed to a human immediately whenever a customer requests it or when the AI is unsure. It also enables human agents to take over the conversation from the AI agent at any time. In addition, the effectiveness of conversational AI is contingent on the accuracy and relevance of the underlying data. Inaccurate or outdated information may lead to [incorrect responses](https://www.ibm.com/topics/ai-hallucinations#:~:text=AI%20hallucination%20is%20a%20phenomenon,are%20nonsensical%20or%20altogether%20inaccurate), affecting the overall reliability of the AI in sales interactions. Lastly, businesses may unfortunately encounter challenges during the initial implementation phase of conversational AI for sales, including integration, customization and training. Overcoming these challenges often requires careful planning and time investment. Now, let's explore various applications of conversational AI for sales. ### Conversational AI for Sales Team: How to Use it Conversational AI can be trained to ask qualifying questions. By extracting relevant information from interactions, conversational AI can identify and qualify new leads before passing them to your sales team. As a result, conversational AI enhances the overall quality of its leads, contributing to more effective sales efforts. In addition, AI agents or chatbots can empower leads to book appointments or demos at their convenience, reducing friction in their journey. Conversational AI can efficiently handle inquiries over chat or voice, understand availability and guide users through the scheduling process, ensuring a user-friendly experience. When properly trained, conversational AI can be used to suggest relevant products or services based on user preferences, enriching the customer experience and increasing the likelihood of successful conversions. It can even upsell or cross-sell complementary products. Finally, conversational AI transforms sales training by providing real-time assistance, personalized learning paths and help with onboarding. It can reinforce product knowledge or even simulate interactive role-playing scenarios for skill development. Leveraging conversational AI for sales often entails deploying it across the entire sales funnel. From nurturing leads to strategically advancing prospects through the sales cycle, it culminates in successfully closing deals. But for a successful implementation, you should have a look at the following conversational AI best practices for sales teams. ### Conversational AI for Sales Team: Best Practices First, define clear sales objectives you aim to achieve with conversational AI. When AI has a clear and narrow focus, like lead generation or conversion optimization, it performs within intended behavior. Then, tailor your natural language processing and machine learning models to align with your brand's voice, sales team messaging and customer journey. This will ensure the AI agent resonates with your audience. Continuously refine your conversational AI responses based on real-world interactions. Gather feedback from your sales teams and the individuals interacting with the AI. Regular monitoring and adjustment ensure your AI aligns with evolving customer expectations and business needs. Last, while Conversational AI enhances efficiency, be aware of [scenarios where human touch is essential](https://respond.io/blog/customer-conversation-management#toc-mobile-7). Implement a hand-off process to ensure a smooth transition to human agents when a conversation demands personalized attention. By following these strategic steps, you will harness the capabilities of conversational AI and ensure that it aligns with your sales goals. To let conversational AI perform sales duty, you’ll need a full-fledged [conversational AI platform](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform#toc-mobile), like respond.io. ### Conversational AI for Sales Team: Use the Best AI Messaging Platform Gerardo Salandra, CEO of respond.io and Chairman of The Artificial Intelligence Society of Hong Kong, explains what makes respond.io an outstanding conversational AI platform. "AI is one of the biggest buzzwords in the business world, but while everyone claims to be an AI company, we have a clear differentiator: We combine years of R&D in business messaging with the latest stack of generative AI technologies.” He’s also shared his insights on the importance of a robust messaging platform as a solid foundation for AI: “The seven years we spent building this core platform also ensure the AI integrates neatly with your business processes, workflows and existing tech stack, as well as all the messaging channels customers are spending time on. The value of AI is exponential, but it needs a solid base like respond.io for a substantial and reliable impact.” With this in mind, here are some of the features that make respond.io the ultimate AI solution for conversational sales. #### The Art of Rapid Response: Turn Queries into Opportunities with AI Agents Respond.io's full AI potential is realized when [trained with your business knowledge sources](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai#ai_assist_knowledge_sources), expanding its capabilities and broadening the range of responses it can provide. Respond.io users have access to three AI tools: Prompts, Assist and the powerful, versatile AI Agents. Let's delve into each of them. ##### Make Every Message Matter with AI Prompts [AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai#prompt_details) optimize sales agents’ time by letting AI adjust and improve their messages before sending them in the [Messages Module](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/responding-to-messages). So far, there are four default Respond AI Prompts serving various use cases: - Translate: Enables message translation into multiple languages - Fix Spelling & Grammar: Ensures error-free communication - Change Tone: Allows agents to adjust the tone of their message - Simplify Language: Converts complex messages into simpler ones This feature opens a new world of possibilities for conversational sales. For example, the *Translate* Prompt gives agents the power to reply in an extensive list of languages, reducing the need for teams of trained multilingual agents. Here’s another scenario: Agents that need to deliver complex information about a product or service can rely on the *Simplify Language* Prompt to make it more accessible to customers. That’s not all. Respond.io users can create up to four additional custom Prompts to add a personalized touch to their replies or to match the brand’s tone and voice. ##### AI Assist, A Sweet Spot Between AI and Human Agent [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) is the perfect choice for businesses who are not yet comfortable with automation taking the wheel but are still looking for an efficient way to deliver high-quality answers. At the click of a button above the message composer, AI Assist generates answers based on the latest interactions with the Contact. However, the sales agent will need to review the prompt, make any changes if necessary and send the message. Because AI Assist can generate answers from your [Snippets](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/snippets) (saved canned replies to common questions), this tool is handy when replying to routine inquiries about products or services. This eliminates the need for agents to search through an endless list of canned responses. ##### AI Agents, Your 24/7 Ally To experience the full power of conversational AI, implement respond.io's [AI Agents](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents), which can be built from templates and customized using your own prompts and knowledge sources. Create agents for specific roles, like receptionist, sales and support. Respond.io's AI Sales Agent does more than reply to questions. It can also qualify leads on its own, reply with context from [Knowledge Sources](https://respond.io/help/convert-leads/how-to-choose-the-best-knowledge-sources-for-ai-objective-step), update customer [Lifecycle](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) stages, tag intent, assign conversations to relevant users or teams and create summaries automatically based on recent messages. To visualize this, picture a shopper asking about product availability after hours. The AI confirms stock, tags the chat as *Ready to Buy*, assigns it to the sales team and offers a link to complete checkout. If the shopper doesn’t respond within a predefined time, the AI agent sends a follow-up; if there's still no reply within 24 hours, it closes the conversation with a summary for review. The effectiveness of AI Agents lies in their integration with knowledge sources. To provide accurate and prompt responses, businesses can configure it to compose replies using Knowledge Sources, Snippets or both. An AI agent can also be set up to reply outside of Knowledge sources for more response flexibility. AI sales agents serve as a 24/7 sales team, handling routine inquiries without relying on human agents, even understanding and answering voice messages. Its efficient management of high conversation volumes allows sales agents to focus on more complex tasks, reducing the workload on human agents. Given that Sales CRMs play a crucial role in the day-to-day operations of sales teams, choosing a messaging platform that seamlessly integrates with them is essential. #### Integrate Your Sales Software with Respond.io for Seamless Selling When it comes to conversational AI for sales, respond.io stands out by seamlessly integrating with major sales CRMs like [Salesforce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/salesforce) and [HubSpot](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/hubspot). Additionally, it offers the flexibility to integrate virtually any sales CRMs through [Webhooks](https://help.respond.io/integrations/webhooks). Respond.io takes it a step further with native support for [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/integrations/zapier) and [Make](https://help.respond.io/integrations/make-formerly-integromat), the two most popular and versatile automation platforms. This eliminates the need to switch between respond.io and other useful apps for sales, such as calendars or prospecting platforms. This extensive range of integration possibilities ensures smooth data transfer between respond.io and various software applications, from creating deals on sales CRMs to facilitating appointment bookings. Integrating respond.io with sales CRMs not only streamlines data management but also complements the advanced AI capabilities. Together, they create a dynamic synergy that enhances the customer experience, marked by personalized interactions and streamlined data flow, contributing significantly to elevated sales success. Last, respond.io features an advanced automation builder to simplify daily sales operations. #### Flexible Automation for Human Agent Hand-offs & More [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) automation builder plays a crucial role for respond.io users. It enables the automation of repetitive tasks and providing sales teams more time to focus on essential responsibilities. Their flexibility and customization possibilities make them invaluable for multiple tasks like [routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assigning Contacts](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to the appropriate sales representatives. Unlock the potential of conversational AI for sales with an AI-powered customer conversation management software. [Start your free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) with respond.io and transform the way you connect with customers. ### Further Reading Did you find this article helpful? If so, here are some other quick reads that might interest you: - Conversational Commerce: A Guide to Conversational Commerce Platform - AI Customer Experience: A Personal Touch At Every Point - Conversational AI Platform: Securing Success with AI Chat ## [Conversational AI Platform: Securing Success with AI Chat](https:/respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) Unleash the future of customer engagement with a conversational AI platform software to elevate user experiences and unlock seamless interactions. In the ever-evolving landscape of customer engagement and business communication, the rise of conversational artificial intelligence (AI) platforms has been nothing short of transformative. In this article, we'll introduce you to the benefits of a conversational AI platform software, and discuss the criteria to choose the best one. Let’s dive in. ### Conversational AI Platform: An Introduction Before describing what a Conversational AI platform is, let’s take a step back and explain the concept of conversational AI. Conversational AI combines natural language processing (NLP) with machine learning. NLP processes interpret and generate human language, while machine learning enables the system to learn from data, improve over time, and make better decisions or predictions. In short, NLP processes flow into a constant feedback loop with machine learning processes to continuously improve the AI algorithms. #### The Buzzword Every Business Should Know Conversational AI has become the buzzword in business circles due to its remarkable ability to process, comprehend and produce responses that mimic human written speech. This capability makes interactions more natural and engaging for customers. A Salesforce study from 2022 revealed that a whopping 83% of customers now anticipate immediate interaction when reaching out to a company. Conversational AI steps in as a solution to meet this demand. The study also shows the perception of AI is evolving among customers, with 84% acknowledging its potential impact as either a force for good or bad, depending on its application. This dual nature prompts businesses to carefully navigate the ethical use of AI, ensuring it adds value to customer experiences. Moreover, 69% of customers express openness to AI implementation if it enhances their overall experience. This positive inclination creates opportunities for businesses to leverage conversational AI for [improved customer satisfaction and loyalty](https://respond.io/blog/customer-conversation-management#toc-mobile-0). With the frequent [introduction of new advancements](https://openai.com/blog/new-models-and-developer-products-announced-at-devday), conversational AI remains in a state of continuous enhancement. Consequently, conversational AI platforms have witnessed significant improvements in recent times. #### What is Conversational AI Platform Software? A conversational AI platform is a sophisticated software solution that facilitates automated, natural language conversations between businesses and customers. These platforms utilize AI to create virtual assistants and other interactive AI-driven systems that can engage with users in a human-like manner. Conversational AI platforms are used for various purposes, including marketing, sales, customer support and information retrieval. Let’s discuss why you should consider using a conversational AI platform for your business. ### Benefits of Conversational AI Platforms Conversational AI platforms excel at enhancing customer interactions with their ability to generate rapid and accurate responses, resulting in a more satisfying customer experience. This translates to quicker issue resolution and a more streamlined workflow, ultimately improving operational efficiency. [Automating routine conversational tasks](https://respond.io/blog/customer-conversation-management#toc-mobile-6) also brings about significant cost savings for businesses, particularly labor costs. This, in turn, frees up human agents to dedicate their expertise to handling complex inquiries, further enhancing efficiency. Conversational AI platforms are designed to accommodate a fast-growing customer base and expanding teams. It allows businesses to effectively manage surges in demand while maintaining a high and consistent standard of service. Lastly, conversational AI solutions help businesses achieve round-the-clock availability, accommodating customers in different time zones. Businesses can foster a robust global presence by offering personalized support to their diverse customer base. Choosing a conversational AI platform can be daunting for those unfamiliar with the software options. Next, we’ll review the most important things to look for in a conversational AI platform. ### Criteria for Evaluating a Conversational AI Platform Software When considering a conversational AI platform for your business, it's crucial to evaluate various factors that determine its effectiveness and suitability. Some factors to keep in mind when choosing a conversational AI platform include: - Advanced conversational AI features - Advanced automation - Stability and scalability - Omnichannel capability, including voice - Integration with sales and support CRMs Next, we’ll explain the importance of each of these elements. ##### Innovative Conversational AI Features that Redefine Customer Messaging For a start, the first thing to look out for in conversational AI platforms is, unsurprisingly, advanced conversational AI features. Your platform of choice should be capable of NLP and generating personalized sentiment-based responses. NLP is at the forefront of advanced conversational AI. A platform's ability to understand, interpret, and generate human-like responses is vital. Look for NLP capabilities beyond basic language recognition, encompassing contextual understanding and nuanced interpretation. A robust conversational AI platform should not only understand the words but also the emotions behind them. Your platform of choice should be able to generate responses tailored to the user's sentiment for more meaningful and empathetic interactions. ##### Advanced Automation with Human Handover The best conversational AI platforms not only help you automate conversations, but also processes like assignment to the correct team or agent. While conversational AI is sophisticated, it still comes with some limitations, so it's important that your [AI agent](https://respond.io/blog/how-respondio-ai-agents-work) can [route an inbound Contact](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) to the right team and then [to an available human agent](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) when the need arises. Human agent takeover is also important. Respond.io allows a human agent to take over the conversation from an AI agent at any time. ##### Seamless Integration with Sales and Support CRMs Integrations enable a seamless data flow between conversational AI platforms and customer relationship management (CRM) systems. This ensures that critical customer information, interactions and insights are shared between the two, creating a unified view of the customer journey. Integrating your CRM gives you a 360-degree view of your customer. When paired with a robust conversational AI platform, agents can elevate the customer experience without compromising efficiency. ##### Platform Stability and Scalability for a Robust Foundation A conversational AI platform is often used by companies that receive high volumes of messages. Therefore, you’ll need a platform that can handle high conversation volumes. Stable and scalable conversational AI platforms provide a consistent user experience, regardless of the number of concurrent users or incoming messages. Users can be sure of reliable service, essential for customer satisfaction and trust. Platforms not purpose-built to manage high conversation volumes may display irregular performance or high downtime. Consequently, your agents will face a backlog of conversations, necessitating businesses to duplicate efforts and troubleshoot issues. This can result in inefficiencies, wasting valuable time and resources, as well as frustrating customers. ##### Omnichannel Capability to Transform Touchpoints into Experiences [Omnichannel capabilities](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) have become the new standard when it comes to business communication. This all-in-one approach is precious in a global landscape where customers chat on different messaging platforms. Voice capabilities like [WhatsApp Calling](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-calling-api) and voice are also increasingly important. An omnichannel strategy ensures that your business can reach and engage with customers regardless of their messaging channel of choice. Choose a conversational AI platform that works across channels for both chat and call, answering calls and understanding voice messages. Embracing an omnichannel strategy introduces novel challenges, like ensuring a consistent brand voice and real-time responses across multiple channels. Luckily, these can be effectively addressed with conversational AI. But how do you know if your conversational AI platform is effective? Let's look at some ways to measure this. ### How to Evaluate the Success of Using a Conversational AI Platform Software The success of a conversational AI platform hinges on several key metrics that collectively reflect its efficacy. For one, a substantial [increase in the volume of conversations](https://respond.io/blog/customer-conversation-management) demonstrates the platform's effectiveness in engaging users and fostering meaningful interactions, ultimately contributing to enhanced user satisfaction and retention. [Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) scores](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) are pivotal, offering insights into user perception and overall experience. Consistently high CSAT scores signify a positive user interaction. Finally, lower error rates in your AI responses indicate improved accuracy and a more seamless user experience over time. For businesses seeking a reliable conversational AI platform, consider the capabilities of respond.io, which align with the metrics crucial for sustained success. ### Best Conversational AI Platform Software: Respond.io Quick Wins While the proliferation of conversational AI platforms is high, not all software is created equal. "In our industry, a common use case is teaching it a business knowledge base to immediately provide customers with accurate responses. That’s the part most AI-backed business chatbots can already do," says Gerardo Salandra, CEO of respond.io and chairman of The Artificial Intelligence Society of Hong Kong. "What makes software like respond.io stand out in a saturated market is the core solutions they built first. New AI-powered solutions depend wholly on the AI's capabilities and have no fallback or supporting infrastructure. Meanwhile, companies like us that have long invested in setting up solid core solutions amplify our value with AI. For instance, we have a robust data infrastructure in place to leverage historical data for more contextual interactions and the ability to integrate AI into automated workflows that enable seamless handoffs to human agents when necessary." And the effectiveness of such solutions is being recognized by the market, with respond.io picking up awards like the [Best Business Messaging Platform Vendor for 2023](https://respond.io/blog/best-business-messaging-platform). Let's explore some of the immediate benefits that businesses experience with respond.io. #### Leverage the Power of Respond.io's AI Agents Respond.io users on the Growth plan have access to three powerful AI tools: [AI Agents](https://respond.io/ai-agents), [AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai) and [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist). The AI Agents can be customized from templates to take on specific roles like answering FAQs and qualifying leads, freeing up your human agents to concentrate on more complex or high-value interactions. AI Prompts allow human agents to adjust response tone, translate them into the customer's native language, correct typos and simplify the language used. You also have the creative freedom to craft custom AI prompts to create a uniquely personalized touch. On the other hand, AI Assist provides suggested answers based on the content of recent customer inquiries. Let’s dive into these features and learn how to use them to improve customer communication. ##### Conversational AI Platform Software: Build and Train Your Chatbot Struggling with high volumes of conversations? Respond.io's AI agent is here to help. This AI chatbot automatically handles customer inquiries and FAQs before they reach human agents, reducing their workload. It's easy to create an AI Agent that responds in a human-like manner, providing quick, accurate answers. It can take on roles including receptionist, sales and support to handle most scenarios independently. Ensure your AI agent has access to knowledge sources for accurate responses. Easily integrate the AI agent into new or existing workflows, managing queries and routing conversations as needed. Set it to automatically follow up if a customer is slow to respond. ##### Conversational AI Platform Software: Translate Messages into Multiple Languages Medium-sized businesses and enterprises often seek to operate in various countries, but offering assistance in multiple languages is sometimes complicated. Training agents in multiple languages is not feasible for some businesses. This could be due to factors such as the high cost of human resources or the challenge of rapidly preparing agents as company demands grow. You can circumvent this issue with the*Translate* [Prompt](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai). As the name suggests, this Prompt allows you to translate your message into any language from an extensive list. A team of multilingual agents that can easily be scaled is ideal but unrealistic for many companies. This Prompt aims to level the field for those companies seeking to communicate with customers who don’t speak the same language. Addressing language barriers is just one aspect of how respond.io's AI enhances customer interactions. Additionally, we understand that clear and accurate communication is equally essential, and this is where the next feature comes into play. ##### Conversational AI Platform Software: Correct Errors in Your Messages Error-free communication is crucial to ensure that your message is easily understood. On top of that, a properly written response helps maintain professionalism, brand image and credibility. However, it can be challenging for agents to maintain such grammar standards when chatting with customers, who appreciate quick responses above all. The AI Prompt named *Fix Spelling & Grammar* has been introduced to tackle this issue. Agents no longer need to spend valuable time proofreading messages — which also comes with the risk of human error. This Prompt fixes errors in your response, such as spelling mistakes, grammatical errors or incorrect punctuation, ensuring the professionalism and accuracy of your responses. Now, let’s jump into our next quick win. ##### Conversational AI Platform Software: Adjust the Tone of Your Replies Keeping an appropriate tone with customers is crucial to ensure a positive outcome in a conversation. It is also a fundamental skill to prevent complex cases from escalating to the worst. Training human agents to consistently maintain a specific tone in their interactions can be time-consuming and costly. With the *Change Tone* Prompt, agents can modify their communication tone to match the emotional context of the customer's messages. This ensures that interactions with customers are more empathetic, considerate and responsive to their emotional state, ultimately leading to a better customer experience. Fine-tune the tone of responses to match your brand's style and ensure a consistent and engaging customer experience. We've seen how adjusting the tone can make an impact on customers. Now, let's explore another equally important Prompt. ##### Conversational AI Platform Software: Simplify Complex Messages Agents often need to explain complex concepts to customers, requiring simple language. Rephrasing a message from complex to simple can be challenging and time-consuming. Also, part of the meaning you want to convey may be lost in the process. When left in the hands of conversational AI, this task becomes a breeze. The Respond AI Prompt named *Simplify Language* will help you make your message concise and clear with a simple click. To wrap it up, let’s go through the last AI Prompt. ##### Conversational AI Platform Software: Intelligent Responses at a Click Much of an agent’s time is spent replying to frequently asked questions (FAQ). While you can always create an [interactive FAQ menu](https://help.respond.io/inbound-conversations/create-automated-chat-menus) to handle them, these are mainly used at the beginning of a conversation to identify customer intent and resolve simple inquiries. After a conversation with an agent starts, using FAQ menus can be perceived as lazy or uninterested. Respond.io's AI Assist excels in scenarios like this. At the click of a button, agents can leverage the power of conversational AI to bring in accurate, auto-generated responses to the [Messaging Console](https://help.respond.io/messages/messages-overview#messaging_console). But here’s the magic: You can upload your knowledge sources to respond AI to train it. Once done, the AI assist button will generate responses based on the educational materials fed. These can be files as well as URLs. After revising the suggested response, agents simply have to click the *Send* button. This brings the best of both worlds: Customers are not entirely left in automation’s hands, and agents can deliver excellent customer service with little effort. #### Conversational AI Platform Software: Best-in-class Vendor Support Vendor support is crucial for the seamless implementation, ongoing maintenance and optimal performance of a Conversational AI platform. The respond.io multilingual support team is accessible 24 hours a day, five days a week, ensuring timely assistance for users globally. For enterprise-level plans, respond.io offers a customer success manager. This individual is assigned to assist enterprise clients by providing personalized support and guidance to optimize their use of the conversational AI platform. Instead of taking our word for it, check out the [recognition we've received](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/respondio_respondio-earns-3-new-g2-badges-over-activity-7076800846071549952-evNv/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop) from the premier B2B software and services review platform G2. Interested in trying out respond.io for yourself? [Start a free respond.io trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and get hands-on with AI Agents! ### Further Reading Did you find this article helpful? If so, here are other articles that you might find interesting: - Chat GPT for Business: A Customer Communication Game Changer - Why Use an Omnichannel Support Platform - Conversational Commerce: A Guide to Conversational Commerce Platform ## [Conversational AI Trends and Their Impact on Customer Conversations](https:/respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-trend) Explore the key Conversational AI trends. Gain insights into the future of Conversational AI in customer interactions and its impact. Conversational AI is reshaping the landscape of customer conversation management, offering innovative solutions to traditional communication challenges. With the global conversational AI market size projected to grow exponentially from USD 5.78 billion in 2020 to USD 32.62 billion by 2030, it is clear that this technology is not just a passing trend but a fundamental shift in how businesses interact with their customers. This article will explore the future of conversational AI by highlighting seven key conversational AI trends, along with insights into their impact. ### Understanding Conversational AI in Customer Conversations Conversational artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the use of AI technologies to simulate human-like conversations. It uses large volumes of data and a [combination of technologies](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai#toc-mobile-1) to understand and respond to human language intelligently. The best part is that the AI learns and enhances its replies from every interaction, much like a human does. Some rudimentary [conversational AI](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai) examples you may be familiar with are chatbots and virtual agents. Now, many might wonder, what makes conversational AI so special? To answer this, we need to look back at the past. #### The Popularization of Conversational AI in Customer Conversations For the longest time, rule-based automated chat systems, infamous for their limitations, have been the initial face of automated customer conversations. While technically a rudimentary form of conversational AI, these systems operate on strict, predefined rules. They lack the adaptability and understanding necessary for nuanced conversations. For instance, rule-based automation systems often frustrate customers due to their inability to deviate from preset responses. This results in unsatisfactory experiences, leading to a general perception that automated customer conversations are frustrating and ineffective. However, they represented an early and necessary step in the evolution towards today's advanced conversational AI tools. The emergence of generative AI platforms like [OpenAI's ChatGPT](https://respond.io/blog/chat-gpt-for-business), which can be used as conversational AI, has been a catalyst in making businesses realize the true potential of AI in customer interactions. ChatGPT, known for its ability to understand context, generate human-like conversations and provide insights across fields, has showcased AI's proficiency in engaging in meaningful and coherent conversations. Its impact goes beyond technical capabilities. It has played an important role in transforming user perceptions and expectations regarding AI interactions. Today, users tend to trust and rely on AI for various services across different sectors. A [McKinsey Global Survey on AI in 2023](https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai-in-2023-generative-AIs-breakout-year) confirms this, with one-third of respondents saying their organizations regularly use generative AI in at least one business function and 40% planning to increase their investment in AI. The shift from the initial skepticism surrounding earlier systems signifies growing confidence in advanced AI's ability to provide valuable and reliable ways to manage customer conversations. This evolving landscape sets the stage for examining the top trends shaping conversational AI's future. ### The Future of Conversational AI: 7 Key Conversational AI Trends In this section, we’ll dive into seven key conversational AI trends. Each of them plays a crucial role in conversational AI's ongoing development and widespread adoption. #### Conversational AI is Becoming A Standard in Business Solutions Conversational AI is transitioning from a novel technology to a standard in business solutions. Its ability to streamline interactions, provide instant responses and handle high volumes of queries makes it an asset across various business sectors. This trend is underlined by the fact that approximately [77% of businesses](https://www.ibm.com/downloads/cas/GVAGA3JP) are currently involved with artificial intelligence. Of these, 35% have already harnessed AI to enhance efficiency, productivity and accuracy. Meanwhile, 42% are actively exploring ways to integrate AI into their operational strategies. While the adoption of conversational AI is becoming widespread in businesses, let’s look at the underlying technologies driving this trend. #### Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning Hybrid Models are Revolutionizing AI Interactions The fusion of technologies like Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML) in hybrid models is revolutionizing conversational AI. These models enable AI to understand human language better, thereby making interactions more fluid, natural and contextually relevant. The combination of NLP and ML means AI systems can learn and adapt continuously, improving their responses and capabilities. This ongoing evolution makes conversational AI a more powerful tool in the ever-evolving business landscape. Next, let's explore how these technologies enable AI systems to cater to a global audience through multilingual and multimodal capabilities. #### Multilingual and Multimodal AI Systems Cater to a Global Audience Conversational AI is evolving rapidly, with advancements in multilingual capabilities allowing businesses to serve a global audience. This adaptation is vital in our diverse world to overcome customer language barriers. Moreover, AI systems now transcend traditional text and voice interactions by embracing multimodal communication. This involves incorporating visual and auditory interactions to cater to a wider range of customer preferences. Supporting this trend, companies in different sectors [are increasingly adopting multimodal AI tools](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/10/03/2753774/0/en/Multimodal-AI-Growth-Opportunities-in-Enterprise-Applications-2023-Market-Research-Report-Increasing-Use-Cases-in-Diverse-Industries-Enable-Stakeholders-to-Better-Monetize-Data.html#:~:text=In%20today%27s%20AI,AI%20has%20been%20significantly%20supported) to foster growth, streamline operations and deliver personalized services, ultimately enhancing the overall customer experience. With AI breaking language barriers and adopting multimodal forms, its role in enhancing customer support has also evolved significantly. #### AI-powered Customer Support is Transforming Service Efficiency Conversational AI's role in [customer support](https://respond.io/blog/ai-customer-service) has become indispensable. Businesses leveraging AI-enhanced customer support offer prompt and efficient 24/7 service while significantly reducing the need for human intervention and lightening their workload. A study found that AI can handle up to [87% of routine customer interactions](https://www.8x8.com/blog/15-fascinating-conversational-ai-statistics-to-guide-your-contact-center-innovation) while maintaining response quality equivalent to human interactions. This allows customer support representatives to save up to [2.5 billion hours annually](https://marketsplash.com/ai-customer-service-statistics) and focus on more complex and valuable tasks. Consequently, [94% of contact center and IT leaders](https://www.8x8.com/blog/15-fascinating-conversational-ai-statistics-to-guide-your-contact-center-innovation) have observed a significant increase in agent productivity and 92% noted quicker resolution of customer issues. This reduced workload due to implementing AI not only streamlines operations but also significantly boosts customer satisfaction. In addition to transforming service efficiency, AI's role extends to personalizing interactions for enhanced customer engagement. #### Advanced Predictive Personalization is Redefining Customer Engagement Personalized experiences are crucial for modern customer engagement, and conversational AI's advanced predictive personalization capabilities play a pivotal role in elevating this process. AI systems are now more adept at making predictions and tailoring interactions based on individual customer data, behavior and preferences. They enable the level of personalization customers expect and that humans can't possibly deliver on their own. For instance, in [sales](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-for-sales), AI can analyze customer purchase history and browsing behavior to suggest relevant complementary products. This is not just about showing related items but offering suggestions based on customer profiles and past interactions. In customer support, AI's predictive capabilities can foresee potential issues based on a customer's past interactions and behavior. This allows for proactive problem-solving even before the customer is aware of an issue. While there is a concern for AI ethics and privacy, most customers [understand that companies depend on data](https://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/documents/research/State-of-the-Connected-Customer.pdf) for personalized engagement, and they anticipate a more tailored experience in return for their data. Having explored AI’s predictive personalization capabilities, let’s look at how industry-specific AI applications provide customized solutions for different sectors. #### Industry-Specific AI Applications Tailor Solutions to Unique Challenges Conversational AI is making strides in industry-specific applications by offering tailored AI solutions designed to meet the unique challenges and requirements of different sectors. For example, [in e-commerce and retail](https://respond.io/blog/ai-customer-service#toc-mobile-0), conversational AI ensures prompt and accurate responses to inquiries about order statuses, detailed product information, returns processes and shipping details. In the travel and hospitality sector, it provides booking assistance, up-to-date travel advisories and comprehensive customer service throughout the entire travel journey. Similarly, conversational AI plays a pivotal role in the technology and software industry by handling frequently asked questions, managing account details, providing updates on service changes and offering tutorials and product updates to keep customers informed and engaged. These examples highlight how industry-specific conversational AI solutions are tailored to meet the unique needs of each sector, ultimately enhancing customer experiences and improving operational efficiency Having explored AI's diverse applications, we must look at a critical aspect that underpins all these advancements: the ethics and privacy considerations in AI technology. #### Focusing on AI Ethics and Data Privacy Builds Trust in Technology The focus on ethics and data privacy intensifies as AI becomes more integrated into business operations. In fact, [68% of customers](https://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/documents/research/State-of-the-Connected-Customer.pdf) say advances in AI make it more important for companies to be trustworthy. So, companies must be more aware of the importance of using AI responsibly, ensuring that it respects user privacy and is unbiased. This focus is crucial in maintaining customer trust, especially as AI systems handle increasingly sensitive information. Adhering to data protection laws and ethical guidelines is not just a legal imperative but also a moral one, underscoring businesses' responsibility in this new AI-driven era. With the ethical and privacy aspects in mind, it becomes clear that choosing the right AI platform is critical. The next section will guide you through the considerations for selecting a conversational AI platform that aligns with these principles and all the key trends discussed above. ### Choosing the Right Conversational AI Platform for Customer Conversations Selecting the right [conversational AI platform](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) for managing customer conversations demands careful consideration, as your business will rely heavily on it for all your messaging needs. However, choosing one with the increasing number of AI solution providers will be challenging. Recognizing this, Gerardo Salandra, CEO of respond.io and Chairman of The Artificial Intelligence Society of Hong Kong, said, “As conversational AI gains popularity, AI solution providers will start to saturate the market. However, some of them might not really know how business messaging works. This is important because knowing how to handle business communication well is key for these AI solutions to be truly useful in real-world business settings. For conversations that generate results, you need to provide the best possible customer experience through a combination of workflows, business processes, AI, context from CRMs and a robust reporting module. Crafting a customizable yet scalable experience like this is incredibly difficult. While there will be many imitators, they won’t be successful without a strong foundation in business messaging." That’s why selecting the right conversational AI platform from conversational AI leaders for customer conversation management is crucial. If you need help selecting the best conversational AI platform for your business, our [detailed article](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) will provide the insights you need. However, if you're ready to enhance customer conversations with AI, start your journey with respond.io – [try it for free today](https://app.respond.io/user/register)! ### Further Reading Now that you know the future of conversational AI, you might be interested in exploring this topic in more depth. Here are some articles on conversational AI for customer conversations. - Redefining Customer Conversations: A Complete Guide to Conversational AI - Conversational AI Platform: Securing Success with AI Chat - Conversational AI for Sales: Close Deals in the AI Era ## [Conversational Commerce: A Guide to Conversational Commerce Platform](https:/respond.io/blog/conversational-commerce) Discover how businesses are leveraging conversational commerce to enhance customer engagement, drive sales, and provide better support to their customers. Learn about real-life examples and tips for choosing the right messaging platform, and explore how respond.io can help businesses take advantage of the power of conversational commerce. Want to know what conversational commerce is and how it can enhance engagement and the customer experience? In this article, we’ll explain what conversational commerce is and explore its benefits and challenges. Additionally, we’ll delve into how businesses are leveraging it, including their process for choosing the right channels. Furthermore, we will explore how to enhance customer engagement with the help of a conversational commerce platform like respond.io. ### What is Conversational Commerce? Conversational commerce is a way for businesses to create a smooth and hassle-free shopping experience for customers by merging e-commerce with messaging apps. Here, customers can engage in conversational and personalized interactions with businesses in real time. They can make product inquiries, get customized recommendations and complete their orders. #### Benefits of Using a Conversational Commerce Platform Conversational commerce offers various benefits for businesses in any industry. Let’s go through them here. - Personalization: Conversational commerce can be tailored to individual customer needs and preferences, providing a more personalized shopping experience. - Improve customer engagement: Businesses can leverage popular messaging channels to connect and build rapport with customers. This makes customers feel valued, resulting in a positive experience that encourages repeat business and referrals. - Provide 24/7 support: It can provide faster and more efficient customer support as compared to traditional channels like email. - Data collection: Conversational commerce can provide businesses with valuable data about customer preferences, behaviors and buying habits, which can be used to improve marketing and product development. - Increase sales conversions: Understanding customers and providing personalized recommendations and quick assistance can increase sales conversions and revenue. After examining the key benefits, it's important to also consider its limitations, which we will explore next. #### Challenges of Conversational Commerce Despite its advantages, conversational commerce also has some limitations that businesses should consider. These potential drawbacks include: - Juggling multiple messaging platforms: Businesses may have to manage conversations on different platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, live chat and more. This can be challenging for small businesses as the lack of manpower may result in inconsistent service or delayed response times. - Lack of multiuser access: Some messaging platforms, such as WhatsApp Business App, limit the number of users so businesses struggle to handle a high volume of inquiries and respond promptly. - Messaging windows: Channels like WhatsApp API and Facebook Messenger impose 24-hour messaging windows and businesses might not be able to respond within the allotted time. - Manual effort required: If agents are chatting with customers on multiple platforms, manually routing inquiries to the right team can be time-consuming. This can lead to delays in response time and frustrated customers. - Lack of quality control: Businesses often struggle to monitor the quality of conversations and agent performance when they’re using multiple platforms or personal apps. With the right strategies and tools, businesses can overcome these challenges and make the most out of conversational commerce. Next, we'll explore how the respond.io platform can help businesses streamline their conversational commerce efforts. ### How 3 Businesses are Winning at Conversational Commerce Here, we’ll share some real-life examples of how businesses are leveraging conversational commerce to enhance customer engagement, drive sales and provide better support to their customers. #### Crew Clothing [Crew Clothing](https://www.crewclothing.co.uk/) used Facebook Messenger to automate Christmas recommendations for their customers. Almost 50% of the conversations triggered by ads resulted in purchases, and the campaign delivered a 5X return on ad spend. #### Maggi [Maggi created a WhatsApp campaign](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing#toc-mobile-10) in which a digital assistant answered users' cooking-related questions and provided personalized advice. The campaign sent 200,000 messages in the first eight weeks. It also delivered a 4.2-point upturn in standard ad recall and a 3-point lift in campaign awareness. #### Lamarsa Coffee [Lamarsa Coffee](https://respond.io/customers/how-lamarsa-coffee-used-chat-commerce-to-boost-sales-across-6-countries-by-50) was struggling to manage a flood of sales, orders and after-sales inquiries over multiple messaging channels. It used respond.io to centralize [omnichannel communication](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) and [assigned customers to the right agent](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) with [tailored routing strategies](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio). Lamarsa Coffee improved response times by 38%, leading to a 50% increase in sales in less than a year. It’s clear that businesses are reaping the benefits. However, in order to fully capitalize on this, they have to choose the right platform for their business needs. Let’s find out how in the next section. ### How to Choose the Right Conversational Commerce Platform When choosing a conversational commerce platform businesses should consider a few factors. To get started, you first need to identify which messaging apps are [popular among your target audience or region of business](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-6). Channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) and [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), used by billions worldwide, are great choices to reach a wider market. In addition to that, you should consider the channel's features and verify if the platform supports your messaging strategy. For instance, not all platforms support [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-broadcast) and [Viber broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message) in their plans. You should also opt for a platform that can easily integrate with the systems that you’re already using, such as your CRMs, to ensure that you can streamline data sharing and provide a cohesive customer experience. Then, you should look at the platform’s scalability. If your business is growing, you need a platform that can support a high number of agents and [handle high volumes of conversations](https://respond.io/customers/how-golden-luxe-enjoys-a-20x-more-stable-messaging-experience-with-respondio) without any downtime so you don’t miss any potential sales opportunities. For larger companies, having access to technical support, resources and dedicated managers is vital to maintaining smooth operations and ensuring a seamless customer experience. The platform’s analytics and reporting module is crucial for optimizing your strategy. With good visibility into team performance and customer conversations, businesses can make informed decisions for improvement. By evaluating the aforementioned points, businesses can choose the platform that best meets their needs and enables them to provide the best customer experience. Next, we’ll explore five ways that businesses can use conversational commerce with respond.io. #### Conversational Commerce with Respond.io: 5 Quick Wins In the following section, we will learn how respond.io can be used by businesses to enhance customer engagement. A key benefit that respond.io offers is its [omnichannel capability](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication). Businesses can connect [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-business), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) and even [custom channels](https://help.respond.io/l/en/channels/custom-channel). This centralizes all channels so agents can manage all conversations from one place. Respond.io’s [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) feature gives businesses a holistic view of their customers. This helps businesses to identify returning customers, even if they message from different channels, so they can better understand their needs and preferences. Integration with e-commerce platforms like [Shopify](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify) and [WooCommerce](https://help.respond.io/zapier/ecommerce-integration-woocommerce) is also possible. This enables businesses to leverage conversational commerce to increase sales and conversions. Moreover, respond.io allows businesses to reopen messaging windows on channels like WhatsApp or Facebook with [Template Messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) and [Message Tags](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag) respectively, which makes it easier to proactively message or re-engage with customers and drive sales. Respond.io’s [Human Agent Tag](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-customer-service#toc-mobile-7) for Facebook Messenger and Instagram also allows businesses to extend messaging windows to 7 days, providing more time to connect with customers and resolve complex issues. Businesses can automate [pre-chat surveys](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) using [Workflows automation](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflows-overview). Using customers’ answers, they can apply customizable [routing logic](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio#toc-2), such as prioritizing VIP customers or routing by location or language, then [assigning them to the right agent](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio). This helps to improve response times and in turn, customer satisfaction. In conclusion, conversational commerce is a powerful tool that allows businesses to engage with their customers. By leveraging different messaging apps, businesses can provide personalized customer experience. Looking for a conversational commerce platform to take your business to the next level? [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register?_gl=1*1eq675e*_ga*ODg2MTk3OTg4LjE2NjA2MTY5Nzc.*_ga_0EZ318H868*MTY3ODE4MDQ0Mi4yNDEuMS4xNjc4MTgxMjQwLjU1LjAuMA..)! ### Further Reading Want to learn more about how businesses are using conversational commerce? Check out our success stories: - Find out how Color My Plate Revamped Customer Conversations for 45% More Conversions - How Sleek Gained 3X More Qualified Leads over WhatsApp - How Kleta Used respond.io to Achieve 100% Subscriber Growth in Just Two Months ## [Conversational Sales: A Quick Guide to Conversational Selling](https:/respond.io/blog/conversational-sales) This article explores the transformative impact of conversational sales, its benefits, challenges, and showcases success stories of companies that have effectively adopted this approach. Discover how platforms like respond.io offer innovative solutions to enhance conversational selling strategies. In the dynamic realm of customer engagement, conversational sales are a game-changer, blending real-time communication with personalized customer experiences. This article explores the transformative impact of conversational selling versus traditional sales, examining its benefits, challenges, and the range of messaging apps available for conversational sales. It also showcases success stories of companies that have effectively adopted this approach. Additionally, the article highlights how platforms like respond.io offer innovative solutions to augment conversational sales strategies. ### Conversational Sales: What is it? The main difference between conversational and traditional sales methods lies in the type and direction of communication. Conversational selling is a modern sales approach that focuses on dialog with the customer and a personal approach. In contrast to traditional sales methods, which are often based on one-way communication (cold calling), conversational sales is based on two-way conversations. This approach uses direct digital communication, usually digital channels such as messaging apps or social media platforms, to build a more intimate and responsive relationship with customers. However, traditional sales methods tend to be linear and scripted, focusing on pushing a sales agenda. **Conversational Sales vs Traditional Sales** | | Conversational Sales | Traditional Sales | | --- | --- | --- | | Communication Style | Interactive and two-way | One-directional | | Personalization | High level of personalization based on customer interactions | Limited personalization | | Customer Engagement | Immediate responses and interactions | Responses might be delayed or scripted and less interactive | | Technology Use | Reliant on AI, CRM systems and messaging channels | Less reliant on real-time communication technology | | Relationship Building | Focused on long-term relationships and building trust | Primarily transaction-focused | | Benefits | Improved customer satisfaction, engagement and loyalty | Structured process | Conversational sales, with its focus on personalized and customer-driven interactions, uses [conversational AI](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-for-sales) to enhance customer relationships and sales performance. By tailoring conversations to customers' preferences and behavior, businesses provide more engaging and relevant experiences, strengthening customer relationships. Choosing the right messaging channels is critical to maximize the benefits of conversational selling. Your messaging channels of choice enable real-time, personalized interactions that are critical to the effectiveness of this modern sales approach. Next, we'll look at the key factors in selecting the right messaging apps. ### Choosing the Right Messaging Channels Choosing the right messaging channels is important for conversational sales as sales agents will engage into real-time interactions with customers. The right messaging apps not only facilitates conversations, but also significantly improves the overall sales strategy. Here are what some key considerations when choosing the right messaging channels: - Global popularity and reach: Identify messaging apps that are popular among your target audience or region of business. - Features and functionalities: Choose messaging channels that offer features for a dynamic conversational sales approach such as multimedia messaging and CRM integration which are important for a dynamic, conversational sales environment. - Reliability and security: Prioritize messaging channels known for their reliability and robust security measures to protect sensitive customer data. - User experience: A seamless and intuitive user experience for both the sales team and customers can have a significant impact on the success of sales conversations. - Voice communication: One of the best ways to sell is by talking to customers. Consider adopting voice communication channels or features like the WhatsApp Business Calling API to improve your agent's closing rate. Next, we'll explore how adopting conversational selling can benefit businesses. ### Benefits of Conversational Sales Conversational sales offers various benefits for businesses in any industry. Let’s go through them here. #### Conversational Sales: Personalized Customer Experience Conversational sales enable businesses to tailor their communication to customer preferences, previous interactions and purchase history of each customer. This personalized approach goes beyond generic sales pitches and allows sales reps to offer solutions and products that are tailored to the customer's individual needs. This level of personalization not only makes customers feel valued and understood, but it also increases the relevance and effectiveness of the sales interaction. #### Conversational Sales: Improved Customer Engagement Real-time two-way communication in conversational sales significantly increases customer loyalty. Customers can have their queries addressed promptly and have a meaningful conversation instead of just receiving information. This continuous interaction keeps customers engaged and invested in the conversation, strengthening their relationship with the brand. #### Conversational Sales: Higher Sales Conversion Rates Customers are more likely to make a purchase when they receive quick and personalized solutions to their queries, as opposed to generic responses or delayed communication common with traditional sales methods. By focusing on understanding the customer's needs and providing immediate, relevant responses, conversational sales can lead to higher conversion rates. #### Enhanced Customer Loyalty The personalized and responsive nature of conversational sales helps builds trust and credibility with customers. When customers feel that they are heard and valued, they are more likely to develop a sense of loyalty to the brand. This loyalty leads to repeat business, longer customer retention and often, customers become advocates for the brand, sharing their positive experiences with others. #### Efficient Lead Qualification Conversational sales enhanced with [AI and machine learning](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-for-sales) greatly streamline lead qualification. Automation can process initial inquiries, collect important information and assess lead potential. This allows sales reps to focus on high-potential leads and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the sales process. These advantages underscore the effectiveness of conversational sales in today's digital and customer-centric market. Building on these benefits, we'll delve into common challenges businesses face when adopting conversational sales strategies. ### Challenges in Conversational Sales Although conversational sales brings significant benefits, businesses need to be aware of the challenges involved. Here are some of the most common challenges that businesses face when adopting conversational sales. #### Juggling Multiple Messaging Channels Businesses may find it challenging to deliver quick and consistent responses across multiple channels such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and live chat, which can lead to inconsistent service or delayed responses due to juggling multiple messaging channels. #### Lack of Multiuser Access Some channels, such as the WhatsApp Business app, support a limited number of users per account, making it difficult for businesses to handle a large number of requests efficiently and respond in a timely manner. #### Short Messaging Windows Certain channels such as WhatsApp API and Facebook Messenger enforce a 24-hour message window, making it challenging for businesses to respond within the given timeframe especially during busy periods or during non-operating hours. #### Manual Routing When businesses are dealing with customers across multiple platforms, manually routing to the appropriate team becomes time-consuming. This leads to delayed responses and potential customer frustration. #### Quality Control Issue Businesses often struggle to monitor conversation quality and agent performance when juggling multiple platforms or when sales agents utilize their personal phone devices to chat with customers. While these challenges in conversational sales highlight the complexity that businesses face, they also pave the way for innovative solutions and success stories. ### How Two Businesses Found Success in Adopting Conversational Sales Let's explore real-life examples of how businesses harness conversational sales to increase customer engagement and boost sales. #### Sport Center Los Naranjos [Sport Center Los Naranjos](https://respond.io/customers/how-sport-center-los-naranjos-gains-20-more-conversions-from-sales-inquiries) was handling customer inquiries on multiple channels, like the WhatsApp Business app. However, due to limited multi-user access to the app, only a few agents were able to chat with customers at the same time, resulting in a delay in responses. To streamline inquiry processing and supervision, the center sought to integrate its wellness management software with a business messaging solution, centralizing customer conversations and data while enabling multi-user access. The center upgraded from WhatsApp Business App to WhatsApp API and connected it with Facebook Messenger and Instagram to respond.io. This integration allowed agents to efficiently handle omnichannel inquiries from a single platform, streamlining communication and improving response efficiency. Sport Center Los Naranjos used respond.io's Workflows to automate frequently asked questions (FAQs) and responses, as most of their queries were predictable or revolved around similar topics. In addition, Workflows helped route complex inquiries to the sales team and assign them to an available agent. The center also uses these conversations as an opportunity to add customers to a sales funnel. As a result, the sports center was able to reduce first response time from 20 to 5 minutes, turnaround time from 5 to 1 minute, and convert 20% more subscribers from inquiries. #### Lamarsa Coffee As the business grew, [Lamarsa Coffee](https://respond.io/customers/how-lamarsa-coffee-used-chat-commerce-to-boost-sales-across-6-countries-by-50) struggled to handle the flood of sales, orders and after-sales inquiries through WhatsApp. It wanted to process requests efficiently and automate tasks. Lamarsa Coffee was looking for a business messaging solution provider capable of streamlining customer communication and shortening the sales cycle through automation. It used respond.io to centralize omnichannel communication and assign customers to the right sales agents with tailored routing strategies. As a result, Lamarsa Coffee improved response time by 38%, leading to a 50% increase in sales in less than a year. Businesses are undoubtedly benefiting from conversational sales, but in order to take full advantage of it, choosing the right conversational sales platform tailored to their specific needs is crucial. Let's explore how in the following section. ### Leverage Conversational Sales With Respond.io In this section, we will look at how businesses can use customer conversation management software, such as [respond.io](http://respond.io/), to initiate their conversational sales approach. #### Multiuser Access on a Unified Omnichannel Dashboard Businesses frequently face the challenge of connecting with customers across numerous instant messaging channels. The difficulty lies in managing and juggling different channels simultaneously, which leads to a high risk of missing messages from customers or not responding in time. Respond.io solves these problems by supporting all popular instant messaging channels such as [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) and [custom channels](https://help.respond.io/channels/custom-channel), allowing businesses to [consolidate conversations](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contacts-overview#merge_contacts) into a unified [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-6). This streamlines communication for conversation sales and enables seamless responses to customers without juggling multiple platforms. With respond.io's [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) feature, businesses can unify customer profiles from different channels into one. This helps sales reps recognize returning customers and ensure customers’ details are up-to-date. By minimizing clutter and giving sales reps a comprehensive view of customer interactions, businesses are empowered to make more informed customer care decisions and personalize their interactions more effectively. The result is a seamless customer experience that ensures consistency across all communication channels used by the customer. #### Reopen and Extend Messaging Windows As mentioned earlier, short [messaging windows](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users#toc-mobile-9) are one of the common challenges in conversational selling. Due to this limitation, sales reps cannot communicate with customers unless customers reopen the messaging windows with a new message. Respond.io provides businesses with solutions to resume conversations with customers across diverse messaging channels. With respond.io, businesses can create, validate and save [WhatsApp API message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) to re-open the WhatsApp API messaging window. For the messaging window on Facebook Messenger, businesses can utilize [Facebook Message Tag](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag), which allows sales reps to e-engage with the customer for confirmed event and, post-purchase notifications as well as account updates. In addition, respond.io is one of the few platforms that support the [Human Tag Agent](https://help.respond.io/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview), which extends Facebook Messenger's window from 24 hours to 7 days. Using these solutions to extend messaging windows and navigate conversation restrictions significantly improves ongoing customer engagement and sales interactions. #### Automate Sales Process In conversational sales, certain tasks can be repetitive and tedious for sales teams, diverting attention from more important sales activities. By automating these processes, sales reps can be more productive and focus on high-value interactions. Respond.io's [chat routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [auto-assignment](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) Workflows are designed to manage large volumes of [inbound conversations](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations). For example, businesses can implement multiple-choice questions to route conversations according to their sales-related goals. Tags can also be used to categorize and route specific customer segments, such as VIP or corporate customers. Once conversations are correctly routed, they [can be assigned](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to either an available sales representative or a specific agent based on pre-defined assignment criteria. This ensures that each customer interaction is handled by the most suitable team member, improving the sales process. Automation streamlines sales process, enabling sales reps to quickly focus on understanding the needs of potential customers, significantly increasing the chances of a successful sale. #### Seamless Integration With External Platforms Businesses face major challenges with disjointed sales tools, especially the inconvenience of alternating between messaging platforms and CRM systems, leading to disrupted workflows and potential data inaccuracies. With respond.io, businesses can integrate external CRM platforms such as [HubSpot](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/hubspot) and [Salesforce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/salesforce), enabling direct creation and update of customer records and deals without leaving respond.io platform. This integration streamlines conversational selling processes and ensures consistent, up-to-date customer data. By integrating respond.io with Zapier and Make.com, businesses can connect to various applications, enabling the automation of a variety of tasks beyond CRM. One notable example is the integration with Bigcommerce. This provides real-time updates of customer data between respond.io and BigCommerce and the ability to send messages to customers about their orders and abandoned cart messages to prompt purchases. #### Improve Visibility of Sales Team Activities In conversational selling, a common challenge is for businesses to store sales conversation records when their sales reps use personal devices to communicate with customers. This also disrupt the conversation’s continuity with customers when agents change or are absent. Furthermore, the use of multiple phone numbers by sales teams can lead to confusion for customers as it lacks a unified point of contact, resulting in fragmented communication and potentially impacting the customer experience. The lack of a shared inbox adversely affects brand image and customer experience and highlights the disadvantages of using personal phone numbers for sales. The [Messages Module](https://help.respond.io/converse-with-customers/optimize-agents-productivity#:~:text=Business%20Goal%3A%20To%20optimize%20productivity,conversations%20seamlessly%20and%20boost%20productivity) provides a single point of contact for sales reps to monitor and respond to inquiries across multiple channels. This gives businesses more visibility of sales agents’ conversations and activities and allows managers to monitor live conversations in real time. The [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) provides insights into the sales team's performance insights enabling businesses to make data-driven decisions on sales strategies In conclusion, conversational sales represent a potent strategy for businesses seeking deeper engagement with customers. By utilizing platforms like respond.io, businesses can transform their sales approach, fostering stronger customer relationships and driving enhanced sales outcomes. Looking for a conversational sales platform to take your business to the next level? [Try respond.io for free!](https://app.respond.io/user/register?_gl=1%2a1eq675e%2a_ga%2aODg2MTk3OTg4LjE2NjA2MTY5Nzc.%2a_ga_0EZ318H868%2aMTY3ODE4MDQ0Mi4yNDEuMS4xNjc4MTgxMjQwLjU1LjAuMA..) ### Further Reading Did you find this article useful? If so, here are some other quick reads that might interest you: - Conversational AI for Sales: Close Deals in the AI Era - Conversational Commerce: A Guide to Conversational Commerce Platform - Conversational Support: How it Improves Customer Experience ## [Conversational Support: How it Improves Customer Experience ](https:/respond.io/blog/conversational-support) Is your business providing conversational customer support? Discover here the benefits of conversational support and how it improves customer experience. Customer support is essential to the success of any business. In the past, customer support was often transactional, meaning customers would contact the business when they had an issue and the business would respond with a solution. However, with the rise of messaging apps, customer support has shifted to a more conversational approach. In this article, we'll discuss what conversational customer support is, as well as its benefits, challenges and how to implement a conversational customer service approach with respond.io. ### What is Conversational Customer Service? Traditionally, companies had a transactional approach to support, with a focus on addressing specific customer issues or problems. As the name suggests, this approach is more transactional in nature, meaning that the goal was resolving the customer's issue as quickly and efficiently as possible. Transactional customer service often involves assigning a customer a ticket or number and providing specific information, troubleshooting steps or a resolution to the customer's problem. The communication style used by transactional support agents is formal and professional. Conversational customer service refers to using live chat agents and technology such as conversational support software to create an experience that mimics human-to-human conversations rather than a series of disjointed interactions. It involves engaging in natural language conversations with customers to understand their needs, answer their questions and solve their problems. Because of their conversational nature, companies provide conversational customer service mostly over instant messaging channels. It makes sense for conversational support teams to embrace the omnichannel support approach if they have a presence on multiple channels. This way, customers who interact with them get a consistent experience on every channel. Let’s see what benefits a business should expect from conversational customer service. #### Conversational Customer Support Benefits First and foremost, conversational support allows for a more personalized customer experience. By using conversation automation, businesses can respond to inquiries in a way that feels tailored to the customer's specific needs. This approach can help build stronger relationships with customers, which is crucial for establishing customer loyalty and retention. Another benefit of conversational support is that it allows for faster response times. Thanks to automation, customers can receive quick answers to their questions. And when agents are unavailable, away messages can be used to manage response time expectations. This helps improve customer satisfaction, which is essential for maintaining positive relationships with customers. In addition, conversational support can also help reduce costs for companies. By automating certain aspects of customer service, companies can reduce reliance on human customer service representatives, or use manpower on higher-value tasks. Overall, conversational support offers a range of benefits for both companies and customers alike. With a more personalized experience, faster response times and cost savings. Next, we’ll guide you through E4CC’s story and how it used respond.io to improve its conversational support approach. ### How E4CC Successfully Implemented Conversational Support [E4CC](https://respond.io/customers/how-e4cc-consolidated-22-siloed-regional-offices-on-one-platform), an English language training provider for Latin Americans seeking jobs in call centers, enhanced its conversational customer service approach using respond.io. In the past, agents were in charge of guiding contacts through the sales funnel. On respond.io, E4CC agents used [Workflows automation](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) to streamline its chat routing process. Agents can also classify contacts using [Tags](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-details#tags) and reduce manual intervention in the sales and support process with automated messages and [chat routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio). This enabled customers to choose a sales or support function and be instantly connected to a suitable agent. These improvements helped E4CC achieve 3x faster chat routing. The company also noticed an immediate improvement in operation efficiency, contact management and communication speed and quality. The implementation of routing logic decreased first response times by 80%. At first, omnichannel support may seem daunting. In fact, there are some common hurdles that businesses may experience when changing their support approach from transactional to conversational. ### Conversational Customer Service: Common Challenges Conversational customer support comes with its own set of challenges such as managing multiple messaging channels to answer inquiries. With customers reaching out through different channels such as WhatsApp, [calls](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api) or SMS, it can be difficult to manage all these platforms simultaneously. Many channels not supporting multiuser access, leading to inefficient communication among the support team and delayed response times. Generally, businesses need a scalable solution that allows the incorporation of as many agents as needed without restrictions. Additionally, most messaging channels enforce messaging windows. While these protect customers from spam, they put restrictions on when support agents can message customers. Failure to respond on time could potentially lead to disjointed conversations and dissatisfied customers. Another common challenge is manually determining the nature of inquiries and passing them on to the relevant teams. This can be time-consuming and can lead to errors in assigning inquiries to the appropriate team, causing delays in resolution. Finally, monitoring the quality of conversations and agent performance can be a challenge. Without the proper solution, it is difficult to ensure agents are providing consistent, high-quality support to customers. This makes identifying areas for improvement a complicated task. Using the right solution will attenuate or even eliminate the aforementioned issues. In the next section, we’ll explain how respond.io can help. ### Conversational Support: How to Successfully Implement it with Respond.io Respond.io is a customer conversation management software designed with conversational customer interactions in mind. Here’s how respond.io makes conversational support easy for your customer team. #### Conversational Support: Enable Multiuser Acces to an Omnichannel Dashboard As an [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication), respond.io allows team members to collaborate on customer support across multiple channels from one place. Regardless of the messaging channel customers use, businesses can provide them with a seamless support experience. Respond.io's [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) feature helps you consolidate multiple customer profiles across different messaging channels into a single profile. This enables you to recognize returning customers on any channel and ensures that all customer information is up-to-date and accurate, reducing Contact clutter and giving agents a holistic view of their customers. #### Conversational Support: Extend or Reopen Messaging Windows Whenever Required As mentioned, messaging windows are one of the main handicaps when providing conversational customer service. Without a proper solution, support agents must rely on customers to re-open the messaging window with a new message, which is less than ideal. Respond.io offers businesses a few methods to resume conversations with customers on different messaging channels. For example, you can use respond.io to create, validate and save [WhatsApp API message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) and initiate customer conversations. If you are concerned about Facebook Messenger’s messaging window, there is a solution too. Respond.io supports [Message Tags](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag), which allow support agents to circumvent the window for a number of use cases. Most importantly, respond.io is one of the selected platforms supporting the Human Agent Tag, which extends Facebook Messenger’s messaging window from 24 hours to 7 days. #### Conversational Support: Integrate Customer Service CRMs and Automate Support Processes Certain support tasks are time-consuming and add unnecessary workload on customer-facing teams. When automated, these processes become more efficient and consistent, allowing agents to focus on other important tasks. Respond.io's [chat routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [auto-assignment](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) Workflows help businesses manage large volumes of incoming messages with little to no human input. Businesses may ask multiple-choice questions to route conversations based on their purpose. Alternatively, use Tags to classify and route existing customers, such as VIP or corporate clients, to dedicated teams. Once conversations are routed to the right support team, they [can be assigned](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to an available agent or a specific agent, depending on your assignment logic. In addition, respond.io integrates with your support CRM. This can streamline your support workflows. By enabling you to automate tasks such as ticket creation, assignment, and follow-ups, saving your team time and reducing the risk of errors. #### Conversational Support: Monitor Live Conversations to Find Trends and Spot Issues To ensure the success of your conversational customer support strategy, it’s important for managers to supervise all support conversations in a central omnichannel dashboard. Respond.io allows you to monitor live conversations in real time, providing valuable insights into customer interactions. From the [respond.io Dashboard](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/dashboard), managers can identify trends, track customer sentiment and make informed decisions about support strategy. #### Conversational Support: Gauge Support Effectiveness with CSAT Surveys Because conversational support agents strive for long-lasting relationships with customers, it is critical to assess the degree of satisfaction customers experience when chatting with agents. [CSAT surveys](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) are one of the most popular methods of gauging customer satisfaction and can be set up with respond.io Workflows. Some businesses choose to automatically send CSAT surveys every time a conversation is closed to acquire more data. However, to avoid disturbing recurring or long-time customers, businesses can also choose to [trigger them manually](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0). To sum up, companies nowadays are realizing the benefits conversational customer service has to offer as opposed to transactional support. Although implementing a conversational support strategy comes with its own set of challenges, these are negligible with the help of a customer conversation management software like respond.io. Do you want to get your customer team started on conversational support? [Try respond.io for free today](https://app.respond.io/user/register)! ### Further Reading If you’ve found this article interesting, here are some additional reads you may like: - Everything You Need to Know about Omnichannel Chat Widget - Escalation Management: A Guide to Customer Escalation - Conversational Commerce: A Guide to Conversational Commerce Platform ## [Customer Satisfaction Surveys: Get Quality Feedback with These 12 Customer Satisfaction Survey Questions](https:/respond.io/blog/customer-satisfaction-survey) Interested in learning how to create an improved customer satisfaction survey to gather valuable insights for your business? Keep reading to discover how. Want to know what a customer satisfaction survey is? In this article, we’ll explain what customer satisfaction surveys are and the benefits of sending them to your customers. We’ll also share some customer satisfaction examples for you to use. Furthermore, we’ll show you how to send the surveys via respond.io. Finally, we’ll provide best practices for sending customer satisfaction surveys to maximize their effectiveness. ### What are Customer Satisfaction Surveys? Customer satisfaction surveys are used by businesses to collect feedback and assess customer satisfaction levels. They include questions about product quality, service, support and overall satisfaction. The primary goal of customer satisfaction surveys is to gather valuable insights directly from customers to understand their needs, preferences and expectations. This feedback helps businesses identify areas of improvement, make informed decisions and enhance their products or services to better meet customer requirements. There are several types of customer satisfaction surveys businesses can use to gain insights into customer satisfaction and loyalty. They are: - Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT): CSAT is the most widely-used customer satisfaction metric. It directly measures satisfaction by asking customers to rate their satisfaction with specific products or services. - Net Promoter Score (NPS): It measures customer loyalty by asking customers to rate their likelihood of recommending a product or service to others. - Customer Effort Score (CES): It focuses on assessing the ease or difficulty of customer interactions. This can involve how easy or difficult it is to use your product or service, as well as the effort required to solve any problems or concerns you may have. Now that you’ve learned the basics of customer satisfaction surveys, let’s learn how to benefit from them. #### Benefits of Customer Satisfaction Surveys A customer satisfaction survey offers businesses a wealth of advantages. Here, we highlight the key reasons you should use them to improve customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction surveys provide businesses with quantifiable insights to track changes over time, gauge performance and identify areas for improvement. By collecting feedback on various aspects of the customer experience, businesses can pinpoint strengths to build upon and address weaknesses for enhanced satisfaction. These surveys provide valuable data and analytics for evidence-based decision-making. By collecting and analyzing survey responses, businesses gain insights into customer preferences, satisfaction levels and trends. This information informs decisions regarding customer service, marketing campaigns and overall business operations. Customer feedback obtained through surveys also helps businesses identify opportunities for innovation and improvement. By analyzing customer responses, businesses can identify areas where their products or services may fall short or where new features can be introduced to better meet customer needs and expectations. Lastly, as businesses actively listen to customers’ feedback and take steps to address their needs and concerns, they can effectively improve customer satisfaction levels and increase the likelihood of fostering customer loyalty. In the next section, we’ll provide some customer satisfaction survey examples that you can adapt and apply to your business. ### Customer Satisfaction Survey Examples When building your customer satisfaction survey questions, the type of questions you ask can directly impact the insights you receive and your ability to improve the experience. Here, we’ll show you some sample customer satisfaction survey questions to help you get the answers you’re looking for. #### Product Usage Questions One easy way to assess customer satisfaction is by asking for their feedback. Their answers allow your business better understand how customers use and interact with your products or services. 1\. “How often do you use our product? Would you say it's frequent, not that frequent, sometimes, occasionally or never?” 2\. “Would you recommend our service to a friend?” 3\. “How can we improve our product offerings?” #### Quantitative Customer Feedback Questions While it’s crucial to have qualitative responses, some feedback is easier to measure with numbers. These customer satisfaction survey questions can help you validate, confirm or disprove problems and make decisions based on the data you received. 1\. “On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate our customer service?” 2\. “How satisfied are you with your interaction with the support agent?” 3\. “Please give your customer service representative a rating out of five stars.” #### Follow-Up Questions Make sure you cover all bases by asking customers follow-up questions on how they feel about their recent interactions with your business. For instance, you can send follow-up questions after a buyer has finalized a purchased or contacted customer support. 1\. “Thanks for reaching out to our customer service team. How can we improve our support offerings?” 2\. “Would you buy \[this product\] again based on your experience? Please explain why or why not.” 3\. “You recently purchased a \[product\] from us. Please take a moment to share your thoughts and opinions on the \[product\], as they will assist us in improving our offerings and ensuring your utmost satisfaction.” #### Open-Ended and Long-Form Questions Asking open-ended questions allows customers to voice their experiences and opinions in detail. Their descriptive responses can help you build better products, provide ideas for your knowledge base and pinpoint areas for improvement. 1\. “Which of our software features isn’t working for you and why?” 2\. “How can we improve your product experience with our brand?” 3\. “Could you kindly provide us with a detailed description of your experience with our customer service team?” Now that you have a good selection of customer satisfaction survey questions, let’s learn how to create your own survey. ### Sending Customer Satisfaction Surveys Before getting into the step-by-step process, here are some handy tips you can use when sending customer satisfaction surveys. #### Best Practices for Sending Customer Satisfaction Survey Questions When sending customer satisfaction surveys, it’s crucial to design them in a way that doesn’t take much effort for them to answer your questions. One easy way is to keep your survey concise and focused on key aspects of the customer experience. Avoid overwhelming customers with lengthy surveys by asking only the most important and relevant questions. This ensures customers can provide feedback without confusion. Timing is crucial when sending customer satisfaction surveys. Send the survey immediately after the interaction or transaction to capture customers’ feedback while the experience is still fresh in their minds. This ensures a higher response rate and more accurate feedback. You can also conduct A/B testing with different questions to optimize your survey for better response rates and more meaningful insights. Test different wording, question formats or scales to identify the most effective and understandable survey structure. Finally, don’t forget to express gratitude to customers for taking the time to provide feedback by including a personalized thank-you message at the end of the survey. Let customers know that their opinions are valued and that their feedback will be considered for improving the customer experience. This simple gesture can enhance customer goodwill and encourage future participation. With these tips in mind, let us guide you through creating a customer satisfaction survey on respond.io. #### How to Send Customer Satisfaction Survey Questions with Respond.io Respond.io is a customer conversation management software that supports an [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication), [automation builder](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview), [flexible integrations](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/integrations) and a [comprehensive reports and analytics module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview). With respond.io, you can [build](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-7) [a customer satisfaction survey](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-7) [Workflo](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-7)[w](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-7). Since CSAT is the most popular customer satisfaction survey type, we’ll show you how to build one using respond.io. To create a CSAT survey, you can use the existing Workflow Templates that we’ve prepared. There are two options for you to choose from. You can either build a CSAT to [send the data to a data warehouse or Google Sheets](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/send-csat-and-save-data). Alternatively, you can build your own CSAT Workflow from scratch on respond.io When building a survey, you can use [Conversation Closed](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-triggers#trigger_conversation_closed) as a Trigger to automatically send a survey after closing the conversation or trigger the survey manually using the [Shortcut Button](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-triggers#trigger_shortcut). Note that you can also use the same method to build NPS and CES surveys. Remember to tweak the questions and answers to align with your goals. In conclusion, customer satisfaction surveys serve as a valuable tool for businesses to gather feedback and assess the satisfaction levels of their customers. Want to start sending customer satisfaction surveys to your customers? [Sign up for a respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) today. ### Further Reading Interested to find out more about how to use customer satisfaction surveys? Here are some articles that you may find useful. - What is CSAT? The Customer Satisfaction Process Guide - Conversational Support: How it Improves Customer Experience - How to Use Automation to Enhance Customer Service Efficiency ## [Customer Service Response Templates: How to Use Customer Service Templates](https:/respond.io/blog/customer-service-response-templates) All you need to know about customer service response templates. Learn how to write and send customer service templates to improve your business! Customer service response templates can help streamline customer service operations by providing standard responses. These customer service templates can be used for a variety of purposes and scenarios, including welcoming customers, responding to inquiries, closing a conversation, asking for a review and more. Read on to find out how templates for customer service can improve the way your business communicates with customers. ### What are Customer Service Response Templates A customer service response template is a pre-written message that can be used to quickly and efficiently respond to common customer inquiries. Typing the same answers repeatedly wastes time, while copying and pasting can be tedious as you require multiple windows or references open, which is even more troublesome on mobile. Templates allow agents to spend less time with greeting customers and responding to generic inquiries or FAQs. They can then use the time saved to tackle more difficult issues or handle multiple customers simultaneously. Customer service response templates ensure consistent information and brand voice since messages can be vetted beforehand. This gives customers a uniform experience with your business regardless of which agent they are assigned or platform they use to contact you. Depending on the goal, customer service templates can be used in a variety of ways. For example, send welcome messages to customers who contact your business through an ad and use away messages to let customers know when agents are not available. You can also use templates to close conversations, ask for reviews, provide FAQs, and more. Now that you know what customer service templates can be used for, which messaging apps are best for sending them? #### Best Messaging Apps for Sending Customer Service Response Templates While there are [many different instant messengers](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps) available around the world, it’s quite easy to pick the best one for your business to use. Your choices are narrowed down to channels there are popular among your target demographic and where your business operates. Be it [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) or [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), the [best messaging app](https://respond.io/blog/best-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-9) to send customer service templates is the one that your customers use most. The goal is to communicate with your customers, and you won’t be able to do so unless you’re on the same channels. If your customers use many different apps to communicate, consider sending your templates from customer conversation management software that supports [multiple channels](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication), like respond.io. Each channel supports different messaging abilities, such as embedding videos, links, buttons and more. But since the bulk of template messages consist of text, which is something all channels support, this blog will focus on them. Let’s go over some of the best practices for writing customer service response templates. ### Best Practices for Creating Customer Service Response Templates There are no hard and fast rules for setting up customer service response templates, but here are some things to consider. Since customers will be receiving these messages on instant messaging apps, take advantage of that and use a conversational tone. Don’t write instant messages like they’re emails. Keep your messages polite, short and to the point. Create easy-to-customize templates because they will be sent to different people. This way, you can easily include customers’ names or other relevant details to make the messages feel more personal. Avoid using jargon that your customers might not know. If your messages are clear and easy to understand, you won’t have to spend extra time explaining them to your customers. Test and refine your messages for the best results. If you find that certain messages aren’t answering inquiries or getting the point across, tweak them until they do. Make sure to include a call-to-action (CTA) where appropriate. If you want your customers to take action after reading your messages, make it clear. In the next section, we’ll share some examples of customer service response templates. ### 20 Examples of Customer Service Response Templates Here are some examples of customer service templates for you to copy or use as inspiration for your own messages. Feel free to tweak or modify them to make them suitable for your business. #### Customer Service Response Templates: Greet Your Customers Templates for customer service reduce the amount of time you spend greeting and saying goodbye to customers, letting you spend more time on actual conversations instead. Here are some greetings you can use: 1\. “👋 Hi! Thanks for reaching out to \[business name\]. I am \[agent name\], how can I help you?” 2\. “👋 Good \[morning/afternoon/evening\], how can I assist you today?” #### Delayed Response Message Use these messages if you can’t reply to your customers immediately. 1\. “Hi, \[customer name\], thank you for your message. We are currently away for the holidays until \[date\]. We will be in touch once we get back.” 2\. “👋 Thank you for your message. We are currently away for the long weekend. We’ll get back to you as soon as we return on Monday.” #### Inform Customers of Your Business Hours These templates are handy for quickly informing your customers about your business hours or alternate communication channels for urgent matters. 1\. “📆 We are open from Monday to Saturday (including public holidays), 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.” 2\. “Thank you for your message. Unfortunately, we are closed today. Our offices are open from Sunday to Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. If you have urgent inquiries, please get in touch with our 🚨 emergency hotline at: \[number\]” #### Customer Service Templates: Answer Frequently Asked Questions Customer service response templates are perfect for answering frequently asked questions. Your agents will be able to use these canned messages to quickly reply to those questions. You can provide complete answers to the FAQs in the quick reply itself or link customers to external sources for additional details. 1\. “📍 Our headquarters is located at \[address\]” 2\. “Respond.io supports multiple channels like WhatsApp, Telegram and Facebook Messenger. Check out the full list of supported channels here: \[link\]” #### Schedule Appointments Customer service response templates can also be used to schedule appointments with your customers. 1\. “🗓️ We are happy to set an appointment with you! Please reply with your preferred date and time or select it from our calendar: \[link\]” 2\. “Hi, \[contact name\], thank you for reaching out. We would like to speak to you over the phone to discuss the issue further. Please reply with your preferred date and time and our agent will be in touch.” #### Send Order Tracking Messages A template message where you can quickly input the order tracking link is also handy for customers who want to know where their orders are. 1\. “Your order can be tracked here: \[link\]. If you have any issues regarding the delivery, please call our 24-hour hotline at: \[number\]” 2\. “Your order is on its way! If you’d like to track its location in real time, please visit: \[link\]” #### Return and Refund Policies Ensure that all your customers get the same message about your return policies to avoid any potential headaches from miscommunication. 1\. “✅ You can cancel your plan at any time, without additional charges. Simply get in touch with us and let us know you wish to do so.” 2\. “We have a no questions asked, full-refund policy ✅ Ship it back to us in the original packaging within 14 days of delivery and you’ll get your money back. For more information, check out our return policy here: \[link\]” #### Templates for Customer Service: Address Technical Issues Nobody likes being left in the dark regarding urgent or inconvenient matters. Use customer service response templates to keep customers updated on any technical issues you might be facing. Here are some examples of quick reply messages for technical issue updates: 1\. “⚠️ Our platform is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance and will be operational by 8:00 a.m on Tuesday, 07/02/2023. We apologize for any inconvenience caused 🙇” 2\. “💥 Oops! Our servers are currently facing some technical difficulties. We are already working on the issue and hope to be up and running in the next 12 hours. We apologize for any inconvenience caused!” #### Product Stock Update Customer service response templates are also great for updating customers about product stock. 1\. “Thank you for reaching out. \[Product name\] will be back in stock next week. To reserve a unit, visit our online store: \[link\].” 2\. “Hi \[customer name\], \[product name\] is currently in stock. Would you like to place an order?” #### Ask Satisfied Customers for a Review One way to learn if your customers are happy with your service is to remind them to leave your business a review after you’ve handled their inquiries. 1\. “🙏  We hope all your issues have been resolved! If you have any comments about your customer experience, please leave us a review at \[link\]. We look forward to serving you again.” 2\. “Thank you for contacting \[business name\]. If you have a minute, please leave a review of your experience with us at \[link\]. We appreciate and go through all feedback submitted 🙂” Customer service response templates improve and speed up the process of answering your customers, but if your business is having trouble keeping up with the volume of incoming messages, consider using customer conversation management software like respond.io Repond.io allows you to save dozens of [customer service quick responses](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/snippets) or even automate responses in its powerful [Workflows module](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview). This frees up your agents' time, allowing them to focus on unusual or complex inquiries. Respond.io also supports [multiple channels](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-6), so you’ll be able to message all your customers on different apps without switching messaging platforms. Reuse the same templates across all channels without rewriting them. Interested? [Sign up for a free trial today](https://app.respond.io/user/register)! ### Further Reading If you found this article informative, here are some other posts that might be useful to you: - How to Send an Away Message for Business - What is CSAT? The Customer Satisfaction Process Guide - Chat Automation: How To Get Started ## [December 2023 Updates: Two-Factor Authentication, Improved Platform Onboarding and Dark Mode for Respond.io - Inbox](https:/respond.io/blog/december-2023-updates-two-factor-authentication-improved-platform-onboarding-dark-mode-for-respondio-inbox) The December 2023 newsletter covers exciting news: Two-Factor Authentication, Improved Platform Onboarding & Dark Mode for respond.io - Inbox. Learn more inside. Happy New Year from respond.io! 🎉 We’re psyched about 2024, especially since we’re riding on the momentum of a feature-packed 2023. Take a look at the image below for a recap of our headlining [features released](https://respond.canny.io/changelog) last year. This year is off to a great start with a whopping [30 new badges](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:ugcPost:7150011008638435330/) we’ve earned from G2! 🥳 We also launched our new [LinkedIn newsletter, Conversation-Led Growth](https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/conversation-led-growth-7135901854428774400/). Subscribe now for trend reports, strategies and insights on getting business results over instant messaging. On the features front, we’ve enhanced platform security with two-factor authentication, made our onboarding process more user-friendly and launched a stylish dark mode for the respond.io mobile app. Let’s dive in. 🎉 ### Boost your Data Protection with Two-Factor Authentication **🛡️** Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a security process that requires two distinct forms of identification to access an account, providing an additional barrier against unauthorized access. Once 2FA is enabled on respond.io, users will need the following to log in to the platform: - Email and password or Magic Link (on the respond.io - Inbox app) - A verification code generated from an authenticator app like Google Authenticator or Authy #### How to enable 2FA on Your Account 1. Navigate to Settings > Profile. 2. Toggle on Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). 3. Use an authenticator app to scan the displayed QR code and link it to your account. Alternatively, if you encounter any issues with the QR code, you can manually enter the alphanumeric code provided into your authenticator app. 4. Enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app into the designated field on respond.io. Once these steps are completed, your account will have an added level of security. Remember, you'll need to enter the authentication code each time you log in. #### Implementing Mandatory 2FA for Your Organization To further enhance security, [Organization and User Admins](https://help.respond.io/organization-settings/organization-users#organization_access) can enforce 2FA for all Users within an Organization. This requirement ensures that every member of your team has an additional security measure in place. To enforce 2FA across your organization: 1. Navigate to Organization Settings > Security. 2. Toggle on Enforce Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on all users. 3. A pop-up window will appear. Click Enforce. After this, Users who haven’t enabled 2FA will be prompted to set it up. They will also have all Modules hidden, except Personal Settings. Admins will retain access to the Security Module, depending on their access level. Users with 2FA already enabled will not experience any interruption. > If you are using Google sign-in and Single Sign-On (SSO), then your account’s 2FA will be bypassed. We recommend you set up and use 2FA on your Google account or SSO Identity Provider (IDP). ### A Smoother Start with Enhanced Onboarding 💡 Acknowledging the challenges faced by new respond.io users, we’ve simplified the onboarding process for owners and managers so they can set up the platform and initiate operations quickly. The new onboarding experience comprises a step-by-step checklist that appears when creating new Workspaces and covers the most important areas of our platform. Let’s run through them. #### Understand How Messaging and Inbox Work on Respond.io First, you’ll learn the core of respond.io - sending, receiving and managing messages. To get you started, we’ve added a mock chat window so you can simulate how customer messages are received on the platform. Simply send your message by using the chat window. Then click on the *Use Inbox* button to see what that message looks like in your Inbox. You can even reply to that mock message to test out the messaging module on respond.io. #### Connect New Channels Next, let’s dive into another fundamental respond.io capability - connecting channels. You will be shown your preferred and suggested channels, as well as the estimated time it takes to connect them. Select the channel you want to connect to and follow the setup instructions. Once you’re done, you can connect more channels or start chatting with customers. #### Add Your Team Members to Respond.io At this point, you can add Owners, Managers or Agents. You can also set restrictions for Managers and Agents. Note that only invited Owners and Managers can see this onboarding process. Progress on the onboarding checklist is shared among all Owners and Managers. That means that new Owners and Managers won’t have to go through the entire onboarding process from the start, but can access the completed items in the checklist if necessary. #### Diving into Workflows and Broadcasts Based on your organization’s purpose for using respond.io, which you select during the sign-up process, you will be presented with the checklist for [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) and/or [Broadcast](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview). The Workflows checklist introduces the concept of an automation builder. During this onboarding process, you’ll learn how to create your own automation using a Workflow template. Under Broadcasts, you can connect additional channels that support broadcasts. Click *Discover Broadcast* and follow the setup instructions to create a new broadcast. #### Explore Other Respond.io Features The onboarding checklist is just the beginning. We’ve placed links on the onboarding page so you can explore other features like [Respond AI](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai), [Reports](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview), [Contacts](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contacts-overview) and [third-party software integration](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/integrations). Upon completing the checklist, Owners can dismiss the onboarding process module from their Workspace. Note that the checklist will not be available again in your Workspace once dismissed. ### Easier on Your Eyes: Dark Mode Available on Respond.io - Inbox 🌘 We're excited to announce that dark mode has finally arrived on the [Respond.io - Inbox mobile app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io&hl). This much-anticipated feature allows you to switch the app's theme to dark mode or to automatically enable your preferred mode following your device’s system settings. How cool is that? Mobile apps with light-themed interfaces can be straining to the eyes in low-light environments or during prolonged use, potentially leading to discomfort and visual fatigue. And that’s not all; for devices with OLED screens, a dark theme can reduce power consumption and extend battery life. Dark mode is currently exclusive to the mobile app. We will work to bring this feature to the web app soon as well, and we appreciate your patience while we make this happen. 🙏 #### How to Change the Respond.io - Inbox Theme By default, the app will follow your device's system settings. So, if your device is already using a dark theme, respond.io - Inbox will automatically adopt a dark theme as well. However, you can also select your preferred app theme manually. To set up Dark Mode: 1. Open the Settings menu in your mobile app 2. Find the Change appearance option 3. Select your preferred appearance and confirm by clicking Change I hope you like the new look of respond.io - Inbox. Stay cool and enjoy the dark side! 🌚✨ Haven't downloaded our new app yet? Scan the QR code above or search “respond.io - Inbox” in the [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) or [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io&pli=1). Keep your app updated to enjoy the latest features and an enhanced mobile experience. For optimal performance, ensure your device is running the latest software version (Android 10 or higher, iOS 16 or higher). We're excited about what 2024 has in store – expect more updates and improvements as we keep working to make respond.io better and better. Thanks for joining us on this journey, and stay tuned for what's next! ## [Enhance Customer Experience with an Omnichannel Communication Platform ](https:/respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) Curious about what omnichannel communication is? Then this blog is for you! We’ll explain everything you need to know about omnichannel communication and how a platform like respond.io can help your business. Curious about what omnichannel communication is or what an omnichannel communication platform does? Then this blog is for you! We’ll explain everything you need to know about omnichannel communication and how a platform like respond.io can help your business. ### What is Omnichannel Communication? Omnichannel communication is a strategy where a business uses different channels to connect with customers while offering a consistent customer experience across every touchpoint. This strategy can be executed across offline channels like physical stores and online channels like web chat, messaging channels and more. Here’s an example of what omnichannel communication might look like. A customer looking for a Wonder Woman costume finds your website via Google search. They chat with an agent over web chat to book a fitting appointment and then purchase the costume in-store, where they’re asked to follow your Instagram page for a discount. When they realize there's a costume defect, they message the business on Instagram where they’re prompted to provide their personal details and the issue they’re facing. The agent gets the customer’s context and assists them with their problem. From the example, you’ll see that the customer moves naturally between online and offline channels. While the omnichannel communication concept is relatively new in the industry, many confuse it with multichannel communication. To help you understand the differences, we’ll explore both strategies in the next section. #### Differences Between Omnichannel Communication and Multichannel Communication Omnichannel communication and multichannel communication have different goals and benefits in mind. A **multichannel communication** strategy simply means that a business is using multiple communication channels. Its primary focus is to have a presence wherever customers are. The channels involved function individually and are disconnected. For that reason, customers cannot continue a conversation or move from one channel to the next easily. | Feature | Omnichannel Communication | Multichannel Communication | | --- | --- | --- | | Objective | To deliver consistent customer experience across channels (Customer-centric) | To have a presence wherever customers are (Channel-centric) | | Strategy | Focuses on customer experience | Focuses on channel engagement | | Characteristics | • Involves multiple channels that customers use • Customer touchpoints and data are centralized | • Involves multiple channels that customers use • Touchpoints and data are disconnected from each other | An **omnichannel communication** strategy, on the other hand, means that you have multiple communication channels that are connected. This approach is more customer-centric as it focuses on delivering a consistent customer experience at every touchpoint. A successful omnichannel communication strategy involves a profound understanding of customers’ needs paired with a platform to help businesses access customers’ contexts and more. We’ll discuss more on this later. To summarize, both strategies provide multiple touchpoints to customers. But the omnichannel communication strategy connects all the channels and eliminates communication gaps that come with a multichannel strategy. ### Why is Omnichannel Communication Important for Businesses? Today’s consumers [use multiple channels](https://hbr.org/2017/01/a-study-of-46000-shoppers-shows-that-omnichannel-retailing-works) throughout their lifecycles. They might browse your products on [Facebook Shop](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-pay#toc-mobile-4), follow you on [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) for updates and prefer to [chat](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) or [calls](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api) over WhatsApp. While it's easy to be available on multiple channels, [90% of customers want an omnichannel service](https://www.cxtoday.com/contact-centre/delivering-an-excellent-omni-channel-experience/). It is also proven that companies with effective omnichannel strategies [retain 89% of their customers](https://www.invespcro.com/blog/state-of-omnichannel-shopping/) compared to the 33% retention rate for companies with weak omnichannel customer engagement. Understanding this, the number of companies investing in the omnichannel experience [has grown by 60% from 2012 to 2020](https://www.business2community.com/customer-experience/16-statistics-on-why-omnichannel-is-the-future-of-your-contact-center-and-the-foundation-for-a-top-notch-competitive-customer-experience-02326116). Now let’s look at how omnichannel communication benefits businesses that use multiple channels. #### A Single Source of Truth for Customer Information Customers want a united front of company representatives that are equipped with the same context and information. In fact, [65% of customers](https://c1.sfdcstatic.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/documents/research/salesforce-state-of-the-connected-customer-4th-ed.pdf) expect all company representatives to have the same information about them. This is especially true because customers dislike [re-identifying themselves and repeating their concerns](https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/live-chat-go-to-market-flaw) on each channel. Hence, businesses need a complete view of their customer's journey to have a successful omnichannel communication strategy. You need to consolidate customers’ information like personal data and conversation history into a single platform to provide a smooth, consistent experience. This is where an omnichannel communication platform comes in. An omnichannel communication platform provides businesses with a single source of truth for customer information by streamlining various channels into a single platform. This provides valuable insights into your customer journey for a consistent experience. #### Provide Consistent Customer Experience with Ease To maintain a consistent customer experience, all customer-facing teams must communicate according to their brand’s values and tone. While businesses can create messaging guides and templates to reflect these, personalizing them manually can be tiresome. Fortunately, with the help of an omnichannel communication platform, you can standardize your messages across channels using canned responses that are accessible with one click. These responses are automatically personalized. Not just that, but because all the channels are connected to one platform, you can execute your strategy simultaneously on each channel. As a result, you can provide a consistent customer experience while helping agents work more efficiently to provide high-quality assistance. At its most basic, an omnichannel communication system should allow you to: - Integrate multiple channels while supporting all of the channels’ features - Respond to customers regardless of the channel from a single platform - Automate simple tasks like quick replies that work across channels If you’re looking for an omnichannel communication platform that supports all the features above and more, we suggest you give respond.io a shot. ### Using Respond.io Omnichannel Communication Platform: Quick Wins Now that you know everything about omnichannel communication, let's look at how respond.io can help with your omnichannel communication strategy. #### Connect Any Channel to Respond.io Respond.io is an omnichannel communication platform that allows you to streamline business communication across instant messaging apps along with traditional channels like email and webchat. It supports all popular messaging apps, including [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account) and [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business), and has an omnichannel chat widget for them all. It also has a QR code generator to bring customers and leads from physical stores into your messaging inbox. Businesses can even connect [custom channels](https://help.respond.io/channels/custom-channel) and their CRMs with respond.io. This will allow them to exchange information between any messaging channels with their CRMs or custom channels. For instance, you can update customer data in CRMs and on respond.io simultaneously, and [create deals](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/using-respond-io-to-create-deals-in-a-crm) or [support tickets](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/create-tickets) while chatting with customers to record these events on both platforms as part of a consistent customer story. #### One Conversation Thread for One Contact As mentioned earlier, customers will try to contact businesses over multiple channels, and they expect businesses to know their previous conversation history no matter which channels their past chats took place on. To help you get a comprehensive view of a customer, respond.io allows you to [merge all Contact details](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts#toc-mobile-0) and conversation history across channels into a unified profile. This way, a customer’s conversation will be in one thread, preventing siloed conversations. It also allows customers to continue a conversation from one channel to another without having to repeat background information. This will help agents understand customers’ contexts immediately and select the most effective way to help them. #### Supports Multiple Use Cases Respond.io has all the tools you need to conduct marketing, sales and support on various channels. For marketing, businesses can use the respond.io [broadcast tool](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast) which allows you to segment Contacts into different audiences to send targeted broadcast messages. You can send broadcasts on channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-broadcast) and [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message) with different types of content like images, videos and more. Respond.io also enables you to standardize 1:1 messaging across all channels with canned responses. Besides that, businesses can automate repetitive sales and support tasks with [Workflow Templates](https://respond.io/blog/september-2022-updates-whatsapp-cloud-api-and-new-features-on-workflows#toc-mobile-2) or build Workflows from scratch. This includes automation for [lead qualifying,](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) [answering FAQs](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations), [routing](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/route-customers) and [assigning](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/auto-assign-customers) customers and more. In addition, businesses can measure the success and quality of customer support by sending a [customer satisfaction (CSAT) survey](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-8) or by tracking individual or team performance. #### Monitor Performance with Reports and Analytics Businesses can use respond.io’s [Reports and Analytics](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/reporting-for-support#analyze_support_trends_and_track_team_and_agent_performance_in_the_reports_module) to keep track of agent workload and productivity, conversation progress and resolution time. The [supervisor dashboard](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/supervising-your-agents) allows managers to identify conversations that have been on hold or unresolved for too long and monitor agents in real time. Managers can see their teams’ efficiency, analyze the areas they are lacking in and work towards improving their performance. Lastly, they can carry out all their tasks anywhere with the respond.io mobile app. It is available on [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io) for Android and [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) for iOS. ### Further Reading Need inspiration to kickstart your omnichannel communication journey? Have a look at our customer success stories! - Sports Center Los Naranjos Gained 20% More Conversions from Sales Inquiries - Kleta Achieved 100% Growth with High-Quality Customer Service - Colour My Plate Revamped Customer Conversations for 45% More Conversions ## [Escalation Management: A Guide to Customer Escalation](https:/respond.io/blog/escalation-management) Efficient support escalation helps boost customer satisfaction. In this article, we'll walk you through the steps of designing an escalation management framework. Efficient support escalation helps reduce resolution time and boost customer satisfaction. In this article, we’ll cover the basics of customer escalation, including what is escalation in customer service and how to handle client escalation with different methods. Plus, we’ll walk you through the steps of designing an escalation management framework. You’ll also find a list of escalation management best practices. ### Customer Escalation Management: The Basics Customer escalation or support escalation happens when a customer's support request is raised to another person or department. It most commonly occurs when first-level agents fail to solve a customer's issue to satisfaction. Customer escalation is also warranted when an issue cannot be resolved within the timeframe indicated in the service-level agreement (SLA). An SLA is a contract between an end-user and a company that outlines the minimum expected service requirements. Support escalation should be carefully managed regardless of the reason behind it. #### Why Customer Escalation Management Matters There are many benefits to having effective customer escalation management. For starters, it reduces resolution time. In a well-planned escalation, a query will be promptly transferred to the person who is best equipped to answer it. Plus, effective support escalation management boosts [customer satisfaction](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) [(CSAT)](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) scores. An efficient escalation process will restore customers' confidence in your brand when things go awry. Not all companies need support escalation management, such as businesses that treat [customer support as a cost center](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-6). However, escalation management is essential to any company that views [customer support as a competitive advantage](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-7). Before delving into escalation management, let’s learn about the different types of customer escalation. #### Types of Customer Escalation There are two types of customer escalation — functional and hierarchical. Functional escalation involves transferring a query to another department with the expertise to handle the issue. For instance, the payment support team is best positioned to handle a refund-related issue. By contrast, hierarchical escalation takes place when a query is transferred to another agent within the department who has more experience in handling the issue. Hierarchical escalation spans from Level 0 (L0) to Level 3 (L3) — the higher the escalation, the more complex the issue addressed. Now that you’ve learned how functional and hierarchical escalations work, let’s take a look at the different approaches to handling escalations. #### Shared Inbox Escalation: A Better Alternative to Traditional Escalation To escalate a support email, agents usually forward it to another person. However, there is no visibility into the status of a case once it has been handed off and agents can't check on the resolution progress as a result. Moreover, the traditional escalation method lacks advanced features like automation. For instance, it's not possible to send real-time updates to your customers through automated messages. A shared inbox solution like respond.io helps you overcome these challenges. Resolution progress can be tracked from a single place throughout the escalation process and agents can collaborate seamlessly by tagging another team member with [internal comments](https://docs.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity#comments). To keep customers in the loop, you should [send real-time updates](https://docs.respond.io/workflows) to customers as your team works towards a resolution. This can be achieved using the [automation functionality](https://respond.io/blog/november-2021-release-workflows-module-and-send-message-templates-via-messages-api#toc-mobile-0) within respond.io's shared inbox. Next, we’ll walk you through the process of developing a customer escalation management framework on respond.io. ### How to Design a Customer Escalation Management Framework on Respond.io Here, we’ll walk you through the process of planning customer escalation management on respond.io. Before you start planning, define the conditions in which agents should escalate a case. For example, SLA violations should always be escalated. **1\.** [Set up teams](https://docs.respond.io/workspace-settings/teams#adding-a-team) that handle different levels or functional divisions of customer escalation. Having multiple teams with specialized roles will help resolve issues faster and increase the efficiency of your customer service escalation process. **2\. Create** a [Shortcuts](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0) button that triggers the escalation process. When clicked on, agents can choose the appropriate department to escalate the case to. Then, they will be prompted to add a summary to help their teammates understand the context of the issue. If you are currently handling tickets on Zendesk or Jira Service Desk, you can integrate the CRM with respond.io and create a Shortcuts button that generates new tickets on those platforms. [Learn more about Shortcuts here.](https://docs.respond.io/workflows/triggers#trigger-shortcut) Need help designing an escalation management framework on respond.io? [Our support team is ready to help](https://respond.io/contact). Read on for tips and tricks to make the most of your escalation process. ### Customer Escalation Management: Best Practices Managing customer escalation is not an easy feat. Thankfully, we have put together a list of best practices to help you manage customer escalation successfully. #### Get Everyone in Your Company on the Same Page To ensure smooth customer escalation, encourage everyone in your company to familiarize themselves with the escalation management plan. Your team should know their roles in the escalation process and to whom to escalate a query. #### Train Support Agents to be More Empathetic It’s good practice to equip your agents with soft skills like empathy. By putting yourself in the customer’s shoes, they’ll feel that you genuinely care for them and understand their concerns. #### Consider a Customer’s Value Before Offering Compensation Customers may seek compensation after an escalation. Before extending a compensation offer to a customer, review their spending history to assess their value to your company. Generally, high-value customers are more valuable to retain and compensation should be considered. #### Adopt an Omnichannel Solution for Effortless Escalation Management Managing escalations on multiple platforms can be a real hassle. An omnichannel solution like respond.io allows [handling customer escalations from different channels on one unified platform](https://respond.io/integrations). #### Close Each Support Escalation Within 30 Days Escalations involving complex issues usually take longer to resolve. That said, escalations that take too long will feel like a real hassle to your customer. Ideally, you should complete an escalation within a maximum of 30 days. #### Minimize the Number of Transfers in an Escalation Too many transfers can lead to a disjointed customer experience. You should aim to resolve things at the early stage. Provide further training for low-level agents to empower them to resolve common inquiries without relying on escalation. #### Collect Customer Feedback After Support Escalation is Complete To gauge the effectiveness of your escalation process, [ask your customers](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) how satisfied they are with the way their issue was handled. The feedback can be used to improve your customer escalation management plan. ### Further Reading Support escalation is an integral part of the customer service experience and should be carefully planned for. We hope this article has given you some insight into support escalation management. If you are interested in using messaging apps for customer support, check out these articles: - What is Business Messaging - How to Use WhatsApp for Support - Best Messaging Apps for Business ## [Everything You Need to Know About WhatsApp Voice Call](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-voice-call) Learn how WhatsApp Voice Call works, its key benefits, use cases and how businesses can leverage it for better communication and customer engagement. WhatsApp voice calls have made customer communication more seamless, enabling businesses and customers to connect in real-time from anywhere in the world. But how can businesses make the most of this feature? This blog breaks down everything you need to know about WhatsApp voice calls, its benefits, key use cases and how to access the new WhatsApp Business Calling API. ### What Is a WhatsApp Voice Call? WhatsApp voice call is a feature that allows customers and businesses to make high-quality audio calls over WhatsApp, eliminating traditional phone call charges. Unlike regular phone calls, WhatsApp voice calls rely on an internet connection, offering flexibility, cost efficiency and more. WhatsApp Calling delivers voice over the internet like [traditional VoIP,](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration) but it works directly inside WhatsApp where conversations already happen. There is no complex setup, no switching between tools and no cost for inbound calls. ### Everything You Need to Know About WhatsApp Voice Calls In this section, we’ll detail everything you need to know about making calls on both the Business App and API. #### On the WhatsApp Business App Making calls using the WhatsApp Business App is straightforward. You can call any number in your contact list without any costs. All you need is an internet connection and you’re good to go. For businesses using the WhatsApp Business App to communicate with customers, making a voice call is easy. All you have to do is click on the call icon at the top right corner of the chat inbox to call customers and customers can do the same on their WhatsApp App. There are no restrictions or limitations involved, unlike the API. #### On WhatsApp Business API Businesses can have access to this feature only through a few selected WhatsApp Business Solution Providers like respond.io. To make calls using the WhatsApp API, there are 3 main things you should know: The type of calls, the availability of WhatsApp business calling API in your region and how calls are charged. Let’s dive into each of them. ##### WhatsApp Business Calling API: Types of Calls The WhatsApp business calling API supports two types of calls: - Outbound Calls (Business-Initiated): Calls initiated by the business, which require user permission beforehand. - Inbound Calls (User-Initiated): Calls initiated by the customers to a business. Now, let’s look at how these calls work. ###### **How WhatsApp Voice Calls Work: Business-Initiated Calls** To initiate a call, businesses must send a permission request during an active Marketing, Utility, Authentication, Service or Free Entry Point conversation. - A business can send up to one permission request within 24 hours and two permission requests over seven days. - These limits reset once a call between the business and the customer is successfully connected. - After the contact grants permission, the business must make the call within 72 hours. ###### **How WhatsApp Voice Calls Work: User-Initiated Calls** User-initiated calls are straightforward. Customers can start a call by clicking the call button in their WhatsApp app, through deep links embedded on business websites, apps or QR codes or via [interactive messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-interactive-message) with a click-to-call action. Businesses can choose to accept or decline these calls. ##### Who can use WhatsApp Business Calling API? Starting from July 15, WhatsApp Business Calling API is globally available. Businesses already using WhatsApp messaging with at least one verified sender/number can now enhance their communication capabilities by adding voice calls. To leverage this feature effectively, businesses should have clear inbound and outbound calling use cases, such as: - Resolving customer service escalations - Conducting complex sales or marketing calls - Utility calls for last-mile communication, such as customers calling delivery drivers to confirm or adjust orders. ##### WhatsApp Business Calling API Pricing Calls via the API are charged based on various factors. Here’s a breakdown: - Call Type: The charges vary based on the type of call, business-initiated or user-initiated. User-initiated calls are free, whereas business-initiated calls aren't. - Region: Costs vary depending on the country code of the customer calling or being called. - Usage-Based Rates: Rates are time-based and calculated per second. Now that you know everything about WhatsApp voice calls, let’s explore how respond.io WhatsApp Business API Calling can benefit your business. ### 4 Benefits of WhatsApp Voice Calls WhatsApp voice calls on respond.io offer several advantages that enhance business communication, improve customer engagement and streamline operations. Here’s how businesses can benefit: #### 1\. Built-in voice calling without the learning curve Let customers call from WhatsApp—the app they already trust—while your team answers from respond.io's inbox. No extra tools, training, or context switching needed. It’s just a natural extension of the conversation. #### 2\. No-cost voice calls for inbound calls Customer-initiated calls are 100% free for your business—no per-minute fees or call charges. Save budget while staying reachable to more customers. #### 3\. The fastest way to talk to a business Customers can call you with one tap, straight from the chat. No app switching, no copy-pasting numbers. Your team picks up the call in the same interface from which they message. #### 4\. Global availability, instant access The WhatsApp Business Calling API is now available globally, except in countries under sanctions or with government restrictions (like Saudi Arabia). If WhatsApp works in your country, so does calling—no delays, no telecom barriers. Customers around the world can call you instantly and for free, making it ideal for global brands and remote teams. Next, let's explore how you can use WhatsApp voice calls. ### WhatsApp Voice Call Use Cases WhatsApp voice calls can be used in various scenarios to enhance business operations and customer interactions. Below are some of the key ways businesses can use WhatsApp calls effectively. #### Lead Generation and Nurturing WhatsApp voice calls enable businesses to connect with potential customers when their interest is at its peak. When a prospect reaches out or shows curiosity about a product or service, a quick call can help businesses capture their attention, clarify questions and establish trust. This immediate engagement ensures leads don't lose interest or move on to competitors. If a lead needs more time to decide, businesses can schedule follow-up calls to provide additional guidance, build trust and nurture the relationship through the sales funnel. As a result, businesses can enhance lead confidence and increase the likelihood of conversion. #### Sales and Consultations For businesses offering products or services that require personalized consultations, WhatsApp voice calls enable seamless one-on-one engagement. Sales teams can provide tailored product recommendations, address specific customer needs and resolve objections in real time. This immediacy accelerates the decision-making process, allowing leads to move confidently toward conversion. At the same time, businesses can foster trust and rapport, creating stronger relationships and driving higher success rates in closing deals. #### After-Sales Service Enhancing customer loyalty goes beyond the point of sale. With WhatsApp voice calls, businesses can offer seamless after-sales support, such as troubleshooting, maintenance scheduling or feedback collection. This level of service strengthens customer relationships and encourages repeat business and positive word-of-mouth referrals. ### How to Get Started with WhatsApp Business Calling API Respond.io is one of the few WhatsApp Business Solution Providers (BSP) that grants access to WhatsApp Business Calling API. To get started, [try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register?lang=en&_gl=1*nfpnna*_gcl_au*NjQxOTEzMDQxLjE3NDQ2MzQ0MzM.) or [reach out to our sales team](https://respond.io/demo) for a plan that best suits your business needs. ### Further Reading If you found our article helpful, you should check out the following: - How to Upgrade to WhatsApp API Without Losing Voice Calling - What is WhatsApp Business Calling API: The Ultimate Business Guide - How To Set Up WhatsApp Business Calling API Call in 3 Easy Steps ## [Excellence Recognized: Respond.io Earns ISO Certification](https:/respond.io/blog/iso-certification) Discover how respond.io has obtained the ISO ISO 27001:2022 certification, elevating security, reliability and operational excellence. In an increasingly competitive business landscape, maintaining high standards of quality, security and efficiency is paramount. The interconnected nature of the global economy demands that organizations maintain meticulous standards in various facets of their operations. In this context, the triad of quality, security and efficiency has emerged as the cornerstone of success. This is where ISO certifications come into play. ### What does ISO Stand for? Respond.io has recently achieved the ISO 27001:2022 certification. 🥳 ISO, which stands for the International Standards Organization, is an independent, non-governmental international organization. This organization develops and publishes a range of standards to ensure that products, services, and processes are safe, reliable, and of high quality. There are multiple types of ISO certifications available, and they provide businesses with a globally recognized framework to demonstrate their commitment to excellence in various aspects of their operations. #### Respond.io Attains ISO 27001:2022 Certification ISO 27001:2022 is a comprehensive standard that guides organizations across various sizes and industries on how to establish, implement, maintain and enhance a systematic data security risk management system. By adhering to this standard, respond.io demonstrates its dedication to adopting the most effective practices and principles in the field. Amidst the rising prevalence of cybercrime, effectively managing customer data may seem daunting. ISO 27001 guides organizations in cultivating risk awareness, preemptively addressing vulnerabilities, and implementing a comprehensive strategy that involves individuals, policies and technology. By embracing ISO 27001:2022, respond.io not only bolsters its defenses against cyber threats but also achieves high standards of operational excellence. Now, we will dive into how respond.io aligns itself with these standards to ensure compliance. ### How Respond.io Complies with ISO 27001:2022 Standards Respond.io rigorously evaluates the practices of each department against ISO certification compliance guidelines. For example, the HR department enforces background checks during the hiring process, while on the technological front, we place a premium on encrypting employee devices when they're at rest. Nonetheless, respond.io’s successful compliance can be attributed to two primary pillars. #### Development and Implementation of New Security Processes Respond.io’s tech team has invested heavily in developing and implementing end-to-end processes that meet compliance guidelines, from encrypting data at rest to implementing alerts on infrastructure resources with the goal of tackling security vulnerabilities within the respond.io codebase. In addition, a peer review process was implemented to prevent deploying flawed code and to handle merging pull requests, while vulnerabilities are promptly addressed in line with Service Level Agreement (SLA) stipulations. #### Leveraging Technology for Sustained Compliance To continuously ensure ISO certification compliance, we rely on a robust cybersecurity system that diligently monitors various elements including employee devices, AWS infrastructure and more. In the event of any discrepancies, the software promptly notifies the responsible parties so non-compliant issues are resolved within our agreed SLA timeframe. Next, we will explore the advantages of partnering with an ISO-compliant platform like respond.io. ### The Importance of Working with an ISO-compliant Platform Respond.io’s ISO 27001:2022 certificate is great news for businesses using our service and their respective customers. We explain why in the following sections. #### ISO Certification: Why it Matters for You As an organization using our platform, here's how respond.io’s newly acquired ISO certification directly impacts you: **Advanced Data Security:** By implementing a strong Information Security Management System (ISMS), an ISO-certified organization fortifies its defenses against unauthorized access and data breaches, ensuring your sensitive information remains safeguarded. **Risk Management Framework:** An ISO-certified platform provides a structured framework for risk management. This equips respond.io with the tools needed to identify, assess and address potential threats effectively. **Operational Excellence:** The adoption of ISO 27001:2022 principles enhances the overall operational efficiency of the platform. This, in turn, positively impacts your workflow, reduces disruptions and enhances customer experiences. #### ISO Certification: Why it Matters for Your Customers Shifting our focus to the customer perspective, let's explore the ways ISO certification resonates with them: **Enhanced Data Protection:** ISO compliance assures customers that their sensitive information is carefully protected. This commitment to data security fosters an environment of trust and confidence in your services. **Uninterrupted Operations:** The emphasis on improved risk management within ISO compliance guarantees the continuity of critical services. This proactive approach minimizes disruptions and downtime, ensuring customers can rely on consistent and seamless experiences. **Transparent Practices:** ISO compliance is maintained through transparent and well-defined practices. This transparency empowers your customers with a clear understanding of how their data is managed, processed and protected. By obtaining this certification, respond.io showcases its dedication to maintaining exceptional quality, security and efficiency in its services. And now, you can witness our commitment to responsible data management through the recently launched respond.io Trust Center. ### The Respond.io Trust Center is Now Live Many players in the industry hesitate to offer in-depth insights into their security policies and measures. With complete confidence in our security infrastructure, we make the deliberate choice to be transparent about it. The respond.io Trust Center is a dynamic repository that remains up to date with the latest security measures, policies and improvements. By subscribing to it, you gain access to the forefront of respond.io’s security information. Is your business abiding by specific security rules? The respond.io Trust Center provides comprehensive details based on your data or security compliance needs. To learn more about respond.io’s compliance with ISO 27001:2022 and other privacy and security information, [visit the respond.io Trust Center.](https://trust.respond.io/) Do you want to sell, market and support with the leading customer conversation management software? [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register). ## [Facebook App Approval Process for Bots & How to Skip it](https:/respond.io/blog/skip-facebook-bot-verification) The Facebook App Approval process for chatbots is a daunting task. We’ll describe how you can navigate the review process. The Facebook App Approval process for chatbots is a daunting task. Although it seems to be a simple step-by-step process, every bot is different and explaining the purpose and functions of your bot to the approval team isn’t always easy. In addition, ever since the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the review process has become more strict and in many regions, Facebook doesn’t have enough staff to ensure the process is timely. Users have been reporting that the app review process took anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months and they didn’t get approved the first time around. Facebook Bot Verification is a tricky, sensitive matter and takes a fair bit of planning before you can confidently send it. Below we’ll describe how you can navigate the review process. Alternatively, we’ll show you how you can connect your Dialogflow agent to Rocketbots and connect it to a Facebook page while completely skipping the Facebook review process. ### What is Facebook App Approval for Bots? The Facebook App Approval process for bots is a set of forms you fill out which allows your bot to be tested and approved by a human approval team on Facebook. This process is designed to ensure that you follow Facebook’s guidelines when it comes to bots on the Messenger platform as well as ensuring your bot is up to Facebook’s user experience standards. Just because you think you’ve adhered to Facebook policy and experience requirements doesn’t mean that you’re out of the woods yet. Users have reported that they followed Facebook’s guidelines to the letter and were still denied for issues like poor user on-boarding and poor documentation of sign-up processes. Overall it seems that Facebook’s new internal approval guidelines are much more conservative and this has [confused developers](https://venturebeat.com/2018/07/31/developers-report-facebooks-revised-app-review-is-slow-and-confusing/). Traditionally, the Facebook App Approval process for bots consists of gaining access to two app-level permissions which allows your bot to interact with Facebook Messenger users. These permissions are: - pages_messaging: allows the bot to respond to a user within a 24-hour period - pages_messaging_subscriptions: allows a bot to respond outside of the 24-hour period in specific use cases. This is in line with the Facebook Messenger Bot 24 + 1 policy which states that you may respond to a users message within 24 hours plus sending 1 message outside of the 24-hour window using only the pages\_messaging permission. The pages\_messaging\_subscriptions permission allows you to send messages to users outside of those parameters for use cases which Facebook specifies. Recently, there has been a change to Facebook’s approval process. This change means that the subscription permission has moved from app level to page level. All existing bots with subscription messaging will have to be [reapproved for the page level subscription permission by December 31, 2018](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/policy/app-to-page-subscriptions/). ### The Submission Process The Facebook App Approval process for bots has transformed quite a bit since it first started. In the early years of 2016 one only needed a short description and a screencast. Back then bots were easily approved in a few business days, even ones that weren’t finished yet. A lot of things have changed since then. Nowadays not only will Facebook want a functioning bot with an excellent user experience but they will also ask you to adhere to a far more strict [Facebook Community Guidelines](https://www.facebook.com/communitystandards/) document updated in 2018. To get started with creating an App on Facebook’s Developer Console by navigating to developers.facebook.com. Click on your profile icon at the top-right corner and select “Create App”. You’ll be asked to choose the app type, choose “Messenger”. Once you’re in the App Review section you’ll need to select a Facebook Page from which the Facebook approval team will need to test your app. Remember to let users message your Facebook page if you haven’t done so already. This requires you to go to the settings of your Facebook page: 1. Go to Page Settings > General 2. Click edit in the messages row 3. Check: Allow people to contact my Page privately by showing the Message button 4. Don’t forget to save you changes. Alright now that you’ve done the above make sure your app is set to development mode. You can do this immediately by just flipping the switch on the top right of the app review menu, below the developer console menu. Next you will need to request your app permissions. This has been simplified since Facebook has moved pages\_messaging\_subscriptions to page level. You’ll need to select pages\_messaging and add some explanations before you submit. Explanations are simply the reason your bot requires this to function in it’s duty and it’s expected use case. Like this: The last thing before you submit or approval is to get your Business approved. This first portion is relatively simple, you’ll need to provide: - A URL to your privacy policy - An icon for your bot - Select a bot category - A description of the bots purpose. It goes without saying that your privacy policy cannot violate Facebook’s privacy policy. Now you can submit your bot for approval and Facebook will test your bot for responsiveness, functionality, and policy adherence. Once you submit you’ll even be able to see employees from Facebook talking to your bot once in a while. Now that you’re waiting for review, keep your eye on Facebook notifications. This is where you will get your results from. Some of the alerts will ask you for a response or an action, so make sure you get to them within 24 hours. Once your bot has been approved, Facebook will continue with Business Approval, this will require you to submit: - Business Name - Address - Phone Number - Business License - Articles of Incorporation - Utility Bill Business verification may take up to 4 weeks depending on which region you are located in. ##### Why Would Facebook Reject Me and How Can I Avoid It? Since the review process is run by a human team, there is some variability in how long the process takes and the reasons for rejection. Here are some reasons why Facebook might deny you, according to our own experience and other people [experience](https://chatbotsmagazine.com/tell-all-how-we-got-through-facebook-app-review-b4394840759a): - Facebook rejected my bot because of a use-case mismatch. - Facebook rejected my bot because it doesn’t respond to non-tester profiles. - Facebook rejected my bot because on boarding was too complicated. - Facebook rejected my bot because it wasn’t personal. In short, there are dozens of reasons why the review team may reject your Facebook Messenger bot. The important thing is to keep cool and work with the review team to solve the issues which they identify. They are the gatekeepers after all. To increase your chances of approval make sure your bot has a clear objective and all conversation dialog can lead to a goal or set of goals. Make sure all users can talk with your bot, that means turning on Facebook Page Messaging so users can send messages to your Facebook Page. Make sure your bot has a clear greeting and it is easy for users to understand what to do next. Personalize conversations using Facebook’s User Profile API or native personalization strings that you find in NLPs like Dialogflow. With Dialogflow you already have many useful tools at your disposal to tackle these issues. Dialogflow includes Facebook APIs into the backend so you can easily introduce Facebook features without having to leave the NLP, like buttons and menus. You’re not going to be able to draw on all the APIs Facebook has to offer, but Dialogflow entities will enable you to achieve a level of personalization that is satisfactory for the approval team. ### Here’s How to Skip Approval (If You’re Using Dialogflow) The truth is, the most likely reason you are reading this article is that you are looking for ways to skip the Facebook Messenger bot approval process. That is something we can help you with at Rocketbots. We’re able to do this because the Rocketbots app has been approved with this specific use case in mind. In addition, our platform can connect easily with both Facebook and Dialogflow. This means that you can connect your Rocketbots space to your Facebook Page and then connect your Dialogflow agent to your Rocketbots space. For a limited time, we will even be able to help you to skip the pages\_messaging\_subricption permission. However, this will change after December 31st, 2018. From then on you will have to seek approval directly from your Facebook page. You can give it a try by first signing up for a Rocketbots account and follow our guide by adding your Facebook Page to Rocketbots. Navigate yourself to the Bot menu item and you’ll be able to select your Facebook Channel and add your API tokens from Dialogflow. Once you’ve completed this easy step, you’d done it. That’s all it takes, and your bot is now available on your Facebook Page. You’ve just skipped all those redundantly painful steps to verify your bot on your own, and with all the time saved, we think you should spend the time exploring our platform for a bit. Aside from helping you to get your bot up and running for a much faster pace, Rocketbots has a few useful features that a Dialogflow developer may want to give to their clients. This includes multi-channel integration to many messaging apps, a CRM with tagging and also a survey maker. You can also use Rocketbots to create much easier to use embed code for the [Facebook Customer Chat plugin](https://rocketbots.io/knowledge/customer-chat-plugin/) to bring bots to your website. ### Further Reading If you found this blog useful, here are some other blogs you might find interesting: - Facebook Messenger for Business: The Ultimate Guide - 12 Ways Companies Are Using Facebook Messenger for Business - How To Set Up Facebook Comment Auto Reply ## [Facebook Business Verification: How To Verify Business on Facebook ](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-business-verification) Facebook Business verification is a must for businesses wanting to increase their WhatsApp Business API messaging limits. Read on to learn more about Facebook Business verification. Do you need to verify your business on Facebook? Well, it’s good news, we have all the answers for you! This article will explain the Facebook Business verification process for WhatsApp Business API. ### What is Facebook Business Verification Previously, Meta renamed Facebook Business Manager to Meta Business Manager. Now, it is known as Meta Business Portfolio. To keep things clear, we'll still call it Facebook Business Manager. This verification checks if your Facebook Business Manager account is for a real company. Your business should be legally registered and have a proper phone number and address. You might be reading this because Facebook needs you to [verify your business](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2058515294227817?id=180505742745347). This is to [send more messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-6) through WhatsApp Business API. If you've verified your business before, like for Facebook Ads, you don't need to do it again. > Do not mistake verifying your Facebook Business Manager account verification with the [Meta Verified business subscription](https://web.facebook.com/business/help/248456111431653?id=579726174359330&_rdc=1&_rdr). The latter is a paid monthly subscription by Meta with features to help with discovery, impersonation protection, account support and more. In the next section, we will briefly talk about the [new WhatsApp Business API process](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api#toc-mobile-1) and why you need to verify your business for WhatsApp Business API. #### Facebook Business Verification for WhatsApp Business API Starting 2 May 2022, businesses applying for WhatsApp Business API will go through a simpler process. They no longer need Facebook Business verification, display name reviews, or commerce policy checks. At first, all businesses are categorized as [unverified](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-6), automatically triggering a compliance check with [WhatsApp Platform Policies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business#toc-mobile-3). Then, after [signing up for WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api#toc-mobile-5), businesses can begin engaging with customers. However, there are initial limitations: - Send business-initiated conversations (message template) to up to 250 unique contacts - Respond to unlimited user-initiated conversations or service conversations To be an [Official Business Account (OBA)](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick), you will have to verify your business in Facebook Business Manager. Next, let's look at what you need to prepare for the Facebook Business verification process. ### Facebook Business Manager Verification Requirements Before starting the process, you need to fill out the Business Info section of your Facebook Business Manager. Here, you have to provide details such as business legal name, address, phone number, email address and website. Make sure the information you provide aligns with the details registered with local authorities. As long as Facebook can verify your business from the info given, there is no need to provide supporting documents for verification. If Facebook cannot identify your business, you need to provide evidence of the following legal details with the right documents: - Business legal name: Business license, Certificate of Incorporation or tax or VAT registration certificate - Business address and phone number: Utility bill, bank statement or business license with your address and phone number on it After you submit the documents, you need to go through two-factor authentication to prove that you have access to your company’s phone or email. You may also need to provide your personal details to verify your business [in some cases](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-verification#toc-mobile-5). > Do not provide false information, verify businesses you are not authorized to represent or circumvent the verification review system. These actions will result in Facebook rejecting your verification request and even taking further action against your account. Now that you know the verification requirements, we will go through the steps to do so. ### How to Verify Your Business: WhatsApp Business API Now that you have your business information filled and supporting documents ready, let's start the business verification process. **1\. Go** to [Facebook Business Settings](https://www.facebook.com/micro_site/url/?click_from_context_menu=true&country=MY&destination=https%3A%2F%2Fbusiness.facebook.com%2Fsettings&event_type=click&last_nav_impression_id=06fpzEOmxF1EWp9V0&max_percent_page_viewed=40&max_viewport_height_px=720&max_viewport_width_px=1440&orig_request_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbusiness%2Fhelp%2F1181250022022158%3Fid%3D180505742745347&primary_cmsid=1181250022022158&primary_content_locale=en_GB®ion=apac&scrolled=true&session_id=1gdJOWUIY01za5KLT&site=fb4b&extra_data[view_type]=v3_initial_view&extra_data[site_section]=help&extra_data[placement]=%2Fbusiness%2Fhelp%2F1181250022022158) and navigate to Security Centre. You can see the business verification option once you’ve [signed up for WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api#toc-mobile-1). Click on the *Start Verification*. If you’re unable to see the business verification option, please [contact us](https://respond.io/contact). **2\. Add** your organization’s details. If you’ve filled in your company details in the Business Info section, this section will be auto-filled. Double-check the information to ensure that they are accurate. **3\. Add** supporting documents to prove your business' legal details and submit. **4\. Select** your preferred contact method to receive a confirmation code to confirm your connection to the business. If you have a website, you can submit your application right away, without having to receive a confirmation code. **5\. Enter** and confirm your phone number and click *Text Me Now* to get a confirmation code. This step depends on the contact method you’ve selected in the previous step. **6\. Input** the confirmation code and click *Next*. If you did not receive a verification code, click on *Resend Code.* You can also change your preferred contact method if your chosen method isn't working. #### How Long Does Business Verification Take After completing the verification, you'll get an email and a notification in your Facebook Business Manager and Page within 1-3 days. You can also check your status in the Business Info or Security Centre sections. If Facebook doesn't verify your business, you can appeal by sending more documents. Facebook may ask for your [Government ID](https://www.facebook.com/help/159096464162185/) and two other documents. When submitting your ID, show all its information and corners. Place it on a dark, flat surface for the photo. Facebook won't accept digitally altered images. If you have problems with verification, it might be because your application is incomplete, documents are unclear, or the details don't match. If you need more help, visit the [Meta Business Help Centre](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2342133782492969?id=180505742745347) or [contact us](https://respond.io/contact) about verifying your ID and business details. ### Display Name Review After you finish verifying your business, Facebook will review the [display names](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-name) for all your phone numbers. The display name is what customers see as your business name on WhatsApp. Make sure your display names are clearly linked to your business, follow [Meta’s guidelines](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/757569725593362), and don’t break WhatsApp’s rules for [Commerce](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatsapp.com%2Flegal%2Fcommerce-policy%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR18CbdCVq89fPh0naMLuf6qvICP2x0FZPSPUk2oZ_lUNf-qKgbo2hUZmHY&h=AT2x_MPsecfqz88b06yftNlzwSxsCAWQRI0WI9KsUKIjybXHuBkvA_MPQqkde5mYv_SoX2v3PzjikOUwydHJsGEpjJoBOIZayzK3sCvbQcrR9jeYVPe9zqp9kUVHNKbk2cxuIT2C6kGtLI3KrDITzsNlouo) and [Business](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-policy/?fbclid=IwAR0r5k_N1rCYnfK8yyCWUP3D88tVCR814x9UX-w5EIcu8ai8b8is8ilrAQY). Once your business is verified and your display names are approved, you can send more messages and use more phone numbers Getting your business verified on Facebook is key to growing your reach on WhatsApp. With verification, you'll be able to send more messages and use more phone numbers, which means better engagement with your customers. Once you’ve verified your business, you can take your messaging game to new heights with an AI-powered customer conversation management platform and badged Meta Business Partner with respond.io. ### Further Reading Did you find this article helpful? If so, here are some readings that might interest you. - How to get WhatsApp API - WhatsApp Business API Ultimate Guide - How to get WhatsApp Business Account Verified ## [Facebook Messenger CRM: How to Connect A CRM with Facebook Messenger on Respond.io ](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-crm) Looking for a Facebook Messenger CRM? This blog is for you! We'll cover everything you should know about a CRM Facebook Messenger integration before you invest in one. Want to integrate Facebook Messenger with your CRM? This blog post is for you! In this first-hand guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about getting a Facebook Messenger CRM integration. We will also explain why you need an AI-powered customer conversation management software like respond.io and how you can use it for Facebook Messenger marketing, sales and support. ### What is Facebook Messenger CRM? Facebook Messenger CRM is the integration between Facebook Messenger and a CRM. Given Facebook Messenger's popularity, businesses want integrations to manage customer messages in their CRM. However, because CRMs were originally built for email, only a few support native Facebook Messenger integration and most of them rely on third-party integrations. Before investing in a Facebook Messenger integration, here are a few things you should know. ### Getting a CRM for Facebook Messenger: What You Should Know To integrate Facebook Messenger with a CRM, businesses need to understand its business use and the integration that CRMs provide. #### Facebook Messenger for Business Businesses with a Facebook Page will automatically have a [Meta Business Suite](http://business.facebook.com/) inbox created for the Page. Meta Business Suite is designed for businesses that receive low to mid volumes of messages. It has tools to manage and organize their conversations, such as automated [welcome and away messages](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-auto-reply), labels and notes. **Types of Facebook Messenger Inboxes** | | Meta Business Suite | Facebook Messenger API | | --- | --- | --- | | Best For | Small to Medium Businesses | Medium to Large Businesses | | Message Volume | Low to Mid | High | | Supports Integrations | No | Yes | To integrate Facebook Messenger with a CRM, you'll need a Facebook Messenger API, suitable for large and scaling businesses. However, the Facebook Messenger API is just an API, so it does not have an interface. To send and receive messages, the API must link to a CRM or an AI-powered customer conversation management software like respond.io. Note that the capabilities of a Facebook Messenger API integration vary based on the connected software. That said, let's look at the types of Facebook Messenger integration supported by CRMs. #### Integrating Facebook Messenger with a CRM Most CRMs that support native integrations can't support Facebook Messenger features like videos and voice messages because they were not built for messaging. Therefore, this interferes with the messaging experience that Facebook Messenger provides. For instance, Hubspot native integration does not support the preview of videos, voice notes and locations sent by customers. Agents have to download them to know the content. Below is a table showing the features and limitations of some native Facebook Messenger CRM integrations. Note that the information below only highlights important features and limitations. **Respond.io vs Native CRM Integrations** | CRM | Features | Limitations | | --- | --- | --- | | Salesforce. | • Team inbox • Create queue • Chat routing | • Need third-party integration to automate conversations • Does not support high volumes of messages | | HubSpot | • Team inbox | • Does not support voice notes, videos, and location preview • Need to purchase an add-on to route chats | | Zendesk | • Team inbox • Message triggers • Chat routing | • Does not support voice notes, videos, and location preview • 2000 character limit for each message | | Respond.io | • Team Inbox • Advanced automation to route and assign chats • Designed to support large volumes of messages • Supports all of Facebook Messenger Messaging Features (Files, images, videos, voice messages, GIFs, emojis, stickers & locations) • Supports Facebook Messenger Broadcasts | - | Besides that, the native integration provided by CRMs limits the Facebook Messenger integration to a single CRM. A business with multiple CRMs will be unable to integrate Facebook Messenger with them. Thankfully, most CRMs offer flexibility in using Facebook Messenger by providing third-party integration options. This allows you to use an inbox like respond.io, designed specifically for business messaging. Respond.io enables you to streamline business communication across instant messaging apps along with traditional channels like email and webchat. It lets you use Facebook Messenger to its full potential and integrate multiple CRMs with it. It offers full Facebook Messenger features and advanced tools for businesses, including broadcasting, conversation automation, routing, workload tracking and more. We’ll cover more of this later. Now, let's look at how to integrate any CRM with respond.io to use Facebook Messenger. #### How to Integrate Your CRM with Respond.io to Use Facebook Messenger First, you need to [connect your Facebook Messenger to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview#connecting_facebook_messenger). Then, create a new [Workflow](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) automation and add the [HTTP Request Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step-http-request) in it to connect Facebook Messenger on respond.io with any CRM. This will allow you to exchange information with your existing CRM while messaging customers on respond.io. You can qualify sales leads, update contact profiles and manage deals and tickets on external CRMs directly, avoiding toggling between your CRM and the respond.io inbox for Facebook Messenger replies. Next, we’ll show how you can use respond.io for Facebook Messenger marketing, sales and support. ### How to Use Respond.io for Marketing, Sales and Support Respond.io allows businesses to send [Facebook Messenger Broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-broadcast) outside the [24-hour messaging window](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-10) using [Message Tags](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-10). With the [Human Agent tag](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-for-customer-service#toc-mobile-7), businesses will get a 7-day messaging widow by default instead of 24 hours. Now with more time for customer chats, let's explore using respond.io for marketing, sales and support. #### Facebook Messenger Integration for Marketing Meta does not allow businesses to message customers first to prevent spam. However, businesses can funnel inbound chats using [chat links](https://respond.io/blog/messenger-link), [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-code), [Facebook Messenger chat widget](https://respond.io/blog/add-messenger-to-website) and [click to Messenger ads](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads), all configurable on respond.io. [Click to Messenger ads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4nVNt08xmY) help marketers quickly move prospects through the funnel by directing them to their inbox instead of a contact form. A contact form gets prospects to provide their contact details, state their needs and wait for a salesperson's response. With Click to Messenger ads, contacts open a conversation directly with you. Once a conversation opens, use respond.io to send a [pre-chat survey](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey#toc-mobile-2) to identify if the lead is new or existing. If they're an existing contact who previously messaged on another channel, [merge their contact information](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) for a comprehensive view of their interactions with your business. Additionally, you can retrieve and update their contact information on your CRM. By getting a complete view of a lead, you’ll be able to grasp the context of their past interactions, understand their interest in your products and continue to target them with [Sponsored Messages](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-11) based on insights gained from the conversation. In addition, businesses can use [respond.io’s Facebook comment auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-comment-auto-reply#toc-mobile-3) feature to reply to Facebook promotional post comments via Messenger. This way, you can engage with potential customers and turn commenters into contacts. Next, we’ll show you how to use Facebook Messenger for sales on repond.io. #### Facebook Messenger Integration for Sales Integrating your sales CRM with respond.io enables data exchange between both platforms, allowing for easy lead qualification and deal creation [with a click](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0). Agents can carry out sales-related tasks while talking to customers without switching between platforms. Businesses can automatically collect lead information and qualify them with the [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai). It can also serve as the initial responder to handle routine lead inquiries. Respond.io's customizable Workflows enable managers to route leads based on criteria like priority access, deal size or region. Agents can use [AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai) to enhance message clarity, translate to bridge language gaps, ensuring effective communication with diverse customers. Additionally, the auto-assignment logic ensures fair lead distribution among the sales team and automatically assigns existing customers to their dedicated sales agent. Now, let's look at how you can use respond.io for Facebook Messenger customer support. #### Facebook Messenger Integration for Customer Support The customer support team is often overloaded with simple inquiries from customers. Instead of assigning and answering every inquiry manually, businesses can use respond.io to minimize support agents' workload. They can automate FAQs and send [multiple-choice questions](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) to help customers communicate what they want clearly. Then, [route](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) them to the right team and [assign](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) them to the right agent. Businesses can leverage AI, similar to the AI Agent's abilities in sales, to manage routine inquiries and escalate complex or sensitive issues to human agents. This way, agents can focus their time and resources on critical issues and provide quality support. Tools like AI Assist can further reduce agents' workload by offering quick access to relevant information from knowledge bases and existing resources. This enables faster, more accurate responses to customer inquiries, improving response times and enhancing the customer experience. Plus, with the [Human Agent Tag](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-for-customer-service#toc-mobile-7), agents will get 7 days to solve complex issues. Suppose an agent cannot resolve an issue. They can seek manager assistance through internal comments or [escalate the case](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) to external CRM platforms with one click while chatting with customers. To measure the success and quality of a company’s customer support, businesses can send a [CSAT survey](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-8) or track individual or team performance via the advanced [Reports and Analytics Module](https://respond.io/blog/may-2021-release-new-dashboard-reports-and-data-export#toc-mobile-1). Finally, you can carry out all your tasks anywhere with the [respond.io mobile app](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-for-customer-service#toc-mobile-13). We hope you found our first-hand guide helpful. Are you ready to use Facebook Messenger to its full potential? [Sign up for our free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and grow your customer relationships today! ### Further Reading We hope you enjoyed this article. Check out these articles for more information on Facebook Messenger use cases. - A Guide to Facebook Messenger Marketing - Facebook Messenger Sales: A how-to Guide - How to Use Facebook Messenger for Customer Service ## [Facebook Messenger Ecommerce: A Guide to Facebook Ecommerce](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ecommerce) Learn how businesses use Facebook Messenger ecommerce to connect with customers and increase sales. Explore the benefits, how-to's, and more in this article. Facebook Messenger ecommerce is the use of Facebook's messaging channel, Messenger, for buying and selling products or services. By integrating Messenger with an ecommerce platform, businesses can leverage the channel’s robust messaging capabilities to provide customers with a more personalized and conversational shopping experience. If you’re thinking of carrying out ecommerce on Facebook Messenger, read on to learn more! ### What is Facebook Messenger Ecommerce Though websites and emails have traditionally been used to sell products and services, they come with certain limitations. Websites can be difficult to navigate and customers may abandon their carts due to a complicated checkout process. Likewise, promotional or sales emails tend to end up in spam folders or go unnoticed in overflowing inboxes. To overcome these drawbacks, businesses have turned to alternative channels like social media platforms and instant messengers for ecommerce. [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) is one of many channels that have become increasingly popular as more consumers turn to messaging apps to communicate with businesses, while businesses look for ways to differentiate themselves in a crowded online marketplace. With [Messenger ecommerce](https://respond.io/blog/messenger-sales), businesses can reach customers where they are, offer real-time customer service and support. It also streamlines the buying process by enabling customers to complete purchases directly within the Messenger app. Now, let's examine why businesses use this channel to connect with customers and increase sales. ### Why Use Facebook E-commerce There are several reasons why a business would use Facebook Messenger for e-commerce. Messenger has a huge reach of [931 million monthly active users](https://datareportal.com/essential-facebook-messenger-stats), offering businesses a large audience to connect with. It’s likely that your present and future customers are [on the channel](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-2). Facebook Messenger reduces purchasing barriers by allowing customers to browse products, ask questions, and complete transactions all within Facebook Messenger. They can complete purchases without having to leave the app or visit a separate website. This streamlined experience can help reduce cart abandonment rates, which improves sales for businesses. Compared to emails, Facebook Messenger also provides customers with a more efficient and convenient experience when purchasing from your business. Customers can message your business at any time, from anywhere and receive a quick and personalized response. Since customers check their instant messages [more frequently than emails](https://respond.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business#toc-mobile-2), these faster-paced conversations can result in a better customer experience. In turn, it can lead to more sales and satisfied customers. By interacting with customers in Messenger, businesses can build stronger relationships and increase customer loyalty. Let’s have a look at some of the businesses that have benefited from incorporating Facebook Messenger ecommerce. ### Two Brands That Are Winning with Facebook Ecommerce Now that you know everything about Facebook Messenger ecommerce, it’s easy to see why many big brands utilize it. Here are some of the big brands that have benefited from Facebook Messenger ecommerce. #### Hyundai [Hyundai](https://developers.facebook.com/success-stories/hyundai/) set up a Messenger-powered digital assistant to facilitate faster conversations and gather customer leads. For two weeks, it tested this new system against its existing phone and email systems and discovered very favorable results. The automaker experienced a 4X higher sales rate, 3.5X higher conversion rate and a 13% decrease in cost per lead with its Messenger system compared to following up with leads via email and phone. #### Qmomo To increase sales, [Qmomo](https://www.qmomo.com.my/?srsltid=AfmBOooooXOo-5oZWhj-d-MK3Gh9wxg8c0-kDr2LCSCX4Jl_eZ4wt9g7) created a month-long campaign that offered discount coupons to people who clicked its ads and started conversations. Compared to its regular Facebook ads that invited customers to visit its physical showrooms, these Messenger ads showed significantly higher engagement**.** The lingerie brand saw a 56% lower cost per online conversion lift, 45% lower cost per new messaging connection and 45% lower cost per messaging conversation, versus its existing campaign. Feeling inspired? In the following section, we’ll go over how businesses can leverage Facebook Messenger for ecommerce. ### Different Ways to Use Facebook Ecommerce Despite being mostly known as an instant messenger, there are a few ways businesses can use Facebook Messenger for ecommerce. Here are some of the ways businesses can boost sales and enhance the customer experience with Facebook Messenger ecommerce. #### Messenger Commerce Tools One of the most popular ways is to use [Messenger's commerce tools](https://developers.facebook.com/products/messenger/commerce/), such as [Facebook Shop](https://www.facebook.com/business/shops), [Catalog](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/890714097648074?id=725943027795860), [Meta Pay](https://pay.facebook.com/) and [Messenger click-to-chat ads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4nVNt08xmY). With these tools, businesses can create a mobile-first online store, showcase their products within Messenger, and enable customers to complete transactions within Messenger using Facebook Pay. Facebook Shop is great for smaller businesses that are starting out since it is easy to set up and use. However, it is limited when it comes to customizing the store’s appearance or the products on offer. The same can also be said for Catalog. Large businesses with a large number of services and products are likely to have their offerings on dedicated ecommerce platforms. Fortunately, Messenger works well with third-party platforms. #### Messenger Integrated with Ecommerce Platforms Facebook Messenger can also be integrated with ecommerce platforms like [Shopify](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify) and [WooCommerce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/ecommerce-integration-woocommerce), enabling customers to chat with businesses from the Messenger app. This also allows businesses to send ecommerce platform-related messages such as abandoned cart notices or shipping updates to customers through Messenger. Finally, businesses can give customers a better sales experience through Facebook Messenger by connecting their channel to customer conversation management software like respond.io. #### Facebook Messenger Connected to Respond.io Respond.io is a business messaging platform that unlocks the full potential of Facebook Messenger ecommerce, especially for businesses with a high volume of customers or large teams of agents. Let’s go over some of its features. Respond.io offers a [flexible automation builder](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) that enables businesses to automatically reply to customers, [route](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assign customers](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to appropriate teams or agents and handle frequently asked questions (FAQs). This, along with features such as [canned responses](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/snippets), allows businesses with a large number of incoming conversations to answer their customers more efficiently. Businesses can initiate conversations with customers through the use of Message Tags. Instead of being limited to a 24-hour messaging window, respond.io's Human Agent Tag [extends the window to 7 days](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/send-outbound-messages#send_outbound_messages). And if a business needs to blast promotions, the [Broadcast module](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-broadcast) makes it a breeze. Respond.io can also be [integrated](https://help.respond.io/integrations) with ecommerce platforms to automatically trigger abandoned cart messages and send order confirmation or shipping updates. It can also connect to tools like Clearbit to qualify customers or CRMs like Hubspot or Salesforce to generate sales deals [at a click](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-triggers#trigger_shortcut) while chatting with customers. For businesses with customers on multiple channels such as [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) or [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business), respond.io’s omnichannel capabilities allow them to sell and speak to their customers from a single platform. Agents have access to every customer’s chat history across all the connected messaging channels [in one thread](https://help.respond.io/contacts/merge-suggestions). Businesses can also monitor agent performance through the platform, giving businesses real-time data and insights on how their agents are performing in Messenger conversations, including metrics like response time, resolution rate, and customer satisfaction. There are many Messenger success stories out there and your business can be one of them. Sign up for Facebook Messenger and [connect it to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview) today! [Start your respond.io free trial](https://try.respond.io/whatsapp-business-api) to take your Facebook Messenger ecommerce to the next level. ### Further Reading If you found this article helpful, here are some other posts you might find useful: - Facebook Messenger CRM: How to Connect A CRM with Facebook Messenger on respond.io - Facebook Messenger Auto Reply: A How-To Guide - Facebook Messenger for Business: The Ultimate Guide ## [Facebook Messenger for Business: The Ultimate Guide ](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) Considering using messaging apps for your business? Facebook business chat should be first on your list. This article will cover where is Facebook Messenger popular, how to get Messenger for a Facebook business page, as well as best practices for getting your customers as contacts and messaging them. Considering using messaging apps for your business? Facebook business chat should be first on your list. This article will answer questions like, where is Facebook Messenger popular? How to get Messenger for Facebook business Page? And most importantly, how to use Facebook Messenger for business Page? Let’s dive in! *Already have a Facebook Page and want to start messaging customers? Check out our documentation for* [connecting your Facebook page to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/l/en/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview) ### What is Facebook Messenger? Facebook Messenger is the messaging part of Facebook, launched in 2011 and separated from the main app in 2014. By 2017, it was one of the most popular chat apps, boasting a record userbase with more than 1.3 billion Monthly Active Users (MAUs) worldwide. In 2020, Facebook Messenger was redesigned and brought back in line with its core role as a messaging app. With the Discover panel and associated features completely removed, the app now has two sections, Chats and People. Chats is what you would expect, containing all your conversations with Facebook Friends and Pages. Occasionally you’ll also see ads here, enabling Facebook Ads customers to target you on Facebook or on Facebook Messenger. People contains two sections, Active and Stories. Active is where users find their most-used contacts and make video calls, whereas Stories shows friends’ and Pages’ Facebook Stories. Now, let’s discuss the worldwide popularity of this messaging app. #### Where is Facebook Messenger Popular? Messenger has a colossal audience. From 2014 to 2017, the number of Messenger MAUs rose from 500 million to 1.3 billion people. It’s growing fast in 214 countries, including the US where it takes the first spot on Google Play and App Store charts. Other chat apps like WhatsApp have struggled to reach equivalent heights in the US. The success of Messenger in the States is likely due to its ability to send SMS, historically the most popular form of text-based communication in the region. Integrating SMS into the app allows users to connect with Facebook friends and SMS users who are not on Facebook. The capability of sending and receiving SMS likely played a part in the quick rise in popularity of Facebook Messenger. Outside the US, Facebook Messenger is growing the fastest in Southeast Asian countries, including Myanmar, the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam. In these countries 1 to 1 and group messaging are the social networks. This explains why Asian consumers tend to live on chat apps like Messenger. If you want to connect with your customers in Southeast Asia, the US, or other countries where Messenger is popular, then Messenger for Facebook Business Page is for you. ### Facebook Business Chat: Accounts To start chatting with customers over Facebook Messenger all you need is a Facebook Page. Once set up, Facebook Page visitors will be able to privately message your page over Facebook Messenger, and you can message them back too. #### How To Get Messenger For A Facebook Business Page You’re probably wondering how to get Messenger for a Facebook business page. All you need to do is create a Facebook page and then turn on messaging. The easiest way to do this is to go to the Facebook for Business website and press on Create a Page. **1\. Create** and configure a Facebook Page**.** Enter a Page name, category, and description. Choose your Page name wisely because it’s painful to change. Name change requests are subject to review and may take several days to process. **2\. Toggle** messages on**.** Although messages are on by default it doesn’t hurt to check by navigating to Page Settings > General and checking. 3\. **Done.** You’ve created Facebook Messenger for business. Before moving forward, you should probably create a username for your page. This will be useful later when you create chat links so customers can find and message your page more easily. #### Creating a Username for a Facebook Page Page usernames show underneath Page names, they are also used in the URL and m.me link. A unique username helps people identify your business, making it easier for customers to find and navigate to your page. Creating a Page username is simple. Click on *Create @Username*, or go to Page Settings > Page Info and enter your username. If you’ve recently created several new Pages, you may not be able to immediately create a username for a new Page. Now that you’re all set up, let’s review some Messenger for business best practices. ### Facebook Business Chat: Best Practices Communicating with customers over messaging apps is different from using email, phone and SMS. In this section, we’ll discuss the best practices for finding your customers on Facebook Messenger and the rules for messaging them. #### Facebook Business Chat: Finding Your Customers It would be nice if you could simply send all your Facebook page followers a private message, but Facebook does not allow this to avoid spam. Like most messaging apps, Facebook requires users to send the first message for businesses to start conversations. Luckily Facebook has several features to help you encourage your current and future customers to send a private message to your Facebook Page. If you already have a lot of traffic coming to your website Chat Links & Scan Codes are a good place to start. ##### Facebook Messenger for Business: Chat Links and QR Codes To make it easier for users to message you, Facebook has created a shortened URL that directs users to your Business Page in Messenger. These m.me URLs can be used on your website or inside newsletters to help direct visitors to chat with you. Your Facebook Page m.me link can be found in Page Settings. You can also add references to an m.me link by adding *?ref=* at the end of the URL. By adding references to m.me links you can track which is generating the most chat traffic for your account. By generating QR codes with an m.me link, you can drive offline visitors to message you. If you’re looking to generate a QR code for your Facebook page, you can [create a free account on respond.io](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and [connect your Facebook page](https://help.respond.io/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview#connecting_facebook_messenger), then [generate a QR Code](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you). ##### Facebook Messenger for Business: Customer Chat Widget Using the Customer Chat Widget, website visitors can chat with your Facebook page directly on your website. It works like live chat, except Facebook users need to log in to send a message, so you can message them back later through Facebook Messenger. Although this may slightly limit who you can message you, there are good [reasons why this solution is a whole lot better](https://respond.io/blog/add-messenger-to-website#toc-mobile-1) than live chat. Especially if you cannot be available 24 hours a day to make sure you answer a live chat message before the person leaves your website. You can [create and customize your Facebook Messenger chat widget](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you) on respond.io. ##### Facebook Messenger for Business: Facebook Search and In-App Search If you have the type of business that gets more Facebook Page visits than website visits, add a *Send Message* button to encourage Page visitors to chat in Messenger. Adding the button is simple; just navigate to Home and tap *Add a Button.* Your Facebook Page is also searchable through Messenger in-app search. So Facebook Messenger power users can message you directly without landing on your Facebook Page. But for those that do, there are some optimizations you can make. ##### Facebook Messenger for Business: Page Chat Window What if Page visitors miss the Send Message button? You can prompt visitors to message you instead. When activated, the setting will prompt Facebook users to send a message with a pop-up chat window on the bottom right. To enable the chat window, turn on *Prompt people to send messages* in Settings. You’ll be able to message Page visitors back once they’ve messaged you. Please note that your Page needs a *responsive to messages* badge to see this option. ##### Facebook Messenger for Business: Comment Private Replies and Auto Reply Even if users don’t message your page, sometimes you can still send them a private message. Users may leave a comment on your post asking for additional explanation, businesses can you this opportunity to respond privately through Messenger. Businesses can send Private Replies to users by pressing the Message button on Facebook. Or [Set up Facebook Comment Auto Reply](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-comment-auto-reply) on the respond.io platform and automatically send a message to each user than comments on their posts. ##### Facebook Messenger for Business: Click-to-Messenger Ads Once you’ve converted all your existing customers to Facebook Messenger Contacts, you’ll want to reach out to new audiences. Using Click-to-Messenger Ads, you can direct Facebook users directly to a conversation with your business. Consider your current funnel, it’s probably a Facebook ad that directs a user to a landing page with a form, then you sent them an email. By skipping these steps and going directly to a Facebook conversation, you can increase your conversion rate by 10x. Click-to-Messenger ads can be placed in Facebook news feeds, Messenger Inbox and even on Instagram. Learn [how to set up Click-to-Messenger ads](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads) and [how we generated over 4,000 Messenger contacts with a Click-to-Messenger campaign](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-leads). ##### Facebook Messenger for Business: Customer Matching We’ve discussed all the best options above, but there is one additional one worth mentioning. Facebook Customer Matching. With Customer Matching, you can upload your customer's phone numbers to Facebook and start messaging right away. So why did we leave this amazing feature for last? It’s currently in Beta and only available to US customers. So, unfortunately, we haven’t had the chance to test it out or explore if Facebook will ever expand this Beta program. #### Messaging Customers Using Facebook Business Chat Now that you know how to find your customers on Facebook Messenger, it is time to send a message from your Facebook Business Page. There are two ways to respond to customers on Facebook Messenger for business: via a third-party CRM platform or via Page Inbox. Page Inbox makes it relatively easy to use Facebook Messenger for business. It allows Page owners to respond to messages received through Messenger and Instagram Direct. Plus, Page Inbox provides advanced organizational features like labels and notes. While Page Inbox is relatively feature-rich, it’s not suitable for large businesses with many Messenger contacts. If a Page sends too many messages in a short time period, it will lose access to Page Inbox and have to manage messages through APIs. As with other messaging apps business accounts, Facebook Business Chat has certain limitations that will affect messaging with customers. We’ll describe these features in terms of 1:1 Messaging, Broadcast Messaging, Notifications & Group Messaging. ##### Facebook Business Chat: 1-to-1 Messaging Facebook has a few rules and features that you’ll need to understand to message customers successfully. The most important one is the [Facebook Messaging Window](https://help.respond.io/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview#messaging_window). While Read Receipts and Personas are not as essential they are nice to have tools. Managing heaps of daily 1:1 conversations while keeping customer satisfaction high is challenging. For that reason, we recommend integrating Facebook Messenger with an AI-powered customer conversation management software. If you choose respond.io, you’ll be able to reduce costs, response times and agent load with the [Respond AI](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai) features: [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/automate-conversations/maximize-customer-service-potential-with-ai-agent), [AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai) and [AI Assist.](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) #### Facebook Messaging Window & Facebook Message Tags Being able to respond to Facebook users makes conversations with customers a lot easier than email. To prevent companies from spamming users after this initial conversation Facebook has implemented a 24-hour Messaging Window. After 24 hours, businesses can still respond to those customers, but they will have to send their message with a Facebook Message Tag. [Facebook has enabled four message tags](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag): Confirmed Event Update, Post-Purchase Update, Account Update, and Human Agent. Each of the first two tags enables companies to update customers after certain customer actions. Confirmed Event Update tags allow event reminders and Post-Purchase Update tags allow shipping status updates. Account Update Tags enabled companies to notify users of account changes like terms and conditions or issues like fraud alerts but cannot be used to send recurring content like monthly statements. The Human Agent tag is designed to enable customer service by enabling agents to respond to issues within seven days rather than 24 hours. The Human Agent tag is currently in Beta and is only available to some CRMs like respond.io. Keep in mind Facebook may restrict your Page if you use message tags outside their intended purposes. In our experience, Facebook will provide a warning first and then start restricting page usage for a day, then two days, etc. ##### Send/Read Receipts & Personas Chatting with customers over Facebook is awesome, but Facebook provides a few extra features to make it even easier. When connected to a Messaging CRM, Facebook will pass read receipts to the platform, so you know when the customer has read your message. Facebook is helping to handle something unusual for customers who know the brand they are talking to but do not know the name of the rep or agent. Now, Facebook can display the name of the agent responding to the customer. Businesses can create a persona with a new icon and name in the Messenger conversation to add a personal touch. However, this feature is only available when connected to a Business Messaging platform via API. #### Facebook Business Chat: Broadcast Messaging One-to-one messages are great for customer service, but for marketing and other use cases, you might want to use broadcasts. There are two ways to send Facebook Messenger broadcasts: [Sponsored Messages](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-marketing#toc-mobile-10) and Message Tags. For a marketing use case, you’ll need to use Facebook Sponsored Messages. Using Sponsored Messages, you’ll be able to reach out to your current Facebook Messenger Contacts with a promotion or some other Marketing message. Of course, Facebook will charge you for this privilege. Although Sponsored Messages can be sent outside of the Messaging Window, you still shouldn't spam your customers, as it may limit your page usage if the block rate goes above a certain percentage. For other use cases like notifications, you can use Facebook Message Tags for broadcasts. Although Facebook doesn’t encourage this, it doesn’t restrict this practice either. So you’ll need to use your own judgment to stay out of hot water. Sending a concert cancellation notification broadcast using the Event Update message tag is a perfectly valid use case. However, it is likely easy to get in trouble if a lot of users start blocking your page and Facebook does provide one other way to send notifications. #### Facebook Business Chat: Notification Messages While it seems redundant, Facebook offers another way to send notifications called One-Time Notifications. Businesses can ask users to opt-in to a one-time notification for a specific reason. This system cannot be used for recurring notifications. Once the user has opted in, the Page will receive a token, which is equivalent to permission to send a single message to the user. The token can only be used once and will expire within one year of creation. #### Facebook Business Chat: Group Messaging Group messaging has become important for some business use cases like sales. And you’ll be pleased to learn that Facebook Messenger bots can be added to group chats. Once group chat support is enabled, your Messenger Bot will show up in the *Add people* dialog in an existing group chat thread. ### Facebook Business Chat: Infographic You’ve made it to the end! Now that you have learned everything you need to know about Facebook Messenger for business, get ready to apply your newfound knowledge and take your messaging to the next level. To message customers with the leading AI-powered customer conversation management software, [try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register). ### Further Reading If you're getting started with using Facebook Business Chat we recommend you read these three articles. - 12 Ways Companies Are Using Facebook Messenger for Business - How We Generated 4,240 Facebook Messenger Leads for $400USD + 3 Surprises - How To Set Up Facebook Comment Auto Reply ## [Facebook Messenger Push Notifications: A How-To Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-push-notifications) Would you like to send Facebook Messenger notifications with high deliverability? Read this article to learn about Facebook Messenger push notifications. Free notifications with high deliverability rates and high engagement are always great news for businesses. If you are still using SMS to send notifications to customers, this blog is for you. Here, you’ll learn what Facebook Messenger push notifications are and the benefits of using Facebook push notifications for customer communication. We’ll also show you how you can use respond.io to send Facebook Messenger notifications. ### Facebook Messenger Push Notifications: An Introduction Let’s start from the beginning. What are push notifications, and why do many businesses worldwide choose Facebook Messenger for push notifications? #### What are Push Notifications on Facebook? Push notifications are messages sent by companies that open as a pop-up on the home screen or the top section of customers’ phones. Because of that, push notifications have higher visibility than other message types and are harder to ignore. Companies use push notifications to deliver short messages to customers and notify them about something important or urgent. Here are some ways companies use push notifications: - Remind customers of an event they have registered for - Provide them with shipping information after their purchase - Update them on the status of their account - Notify them of limited-time deals Traditionally, businesses have been relying on SMS services to send notifications. But in the last decade, companies are increasingly switching over to instant messaging channels. For example, [Facebook Messenger is a popular messaging channel choice](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-2) due to its worldwide success as a communication app. If your customers are Facebook Messenger users, you should consider using Facebook Messenger to send them push notifications. ### Facebook Messenger Push Notifications vs SMS Next, we’ll compare SMS and Facebook Messenger in the context of push notifications to determine which one is the best fit for companies like yours. #### SMS Notifications for Business Messaging SMS messaging can be quite expensive, with prices varying for the different [types of numbers](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-5) and [SMS providers](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-6). Short code numbers are popular because of their high deliverability rate, but businesses must pay set up and lease fees on top of message fees. SMS messaging is also limiting, as it doesn’t support files or media. While emojis are supported, they aren’t SMS-native and need to be decoded. Thus, [using a single emoji can reduce the character limit](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-0) of a standard SMS from 160 to 70. People should be able to opt out of your notifications easily. Otherwise, they might block your number. Unfortunately, customers must send an SMS to stop receiving messages from the business in question, with costs involved. In addition, SMS notifications are subject to [carrier filtering](https://respond.io/blog/sms-marketing-sms-broadcast#toc-mobile-7). Because of that, some may not arrive at their destination. Let’s see how Facebook Messenger notifications fare against SMS messaging. #### Facebook Messenger Push Notifications for Business Messaging For a start, Facebook Messenger messaging is free. This is great news for businesses that need to send plenty of push notifications. Facebook Messenger messages support files, media and emojis, which make push notifications more engaging. And engaged customers are more likely to take action after reading a notification. | | SMS | Facebook Messenger Push Notifications | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | Variable | Free | | Supports Multimedia | No | Yes | | Opt-out Method | Send an SMS to the business | Request directly in the 1:1 chat | | Deliverability Rates | Low to High | High | Opting out of Facebook Messenger notifications is as easy as sending a 1:1 message on Facebook Messenger indicating that you don’t want to receive notifications any more. Unlike SMS, this is cost-free. Lastly, Facebook Messenger push notifications have very high deliverability rates as these don’t undergo a filtering process like SMS. Next, we’ll run you through the most important points to consider about using Facebook push notifications. ### What You Need to Know Before Using Facebook Messenger Push Notifications When it comes to Facebook Messenger messaging inboxes, these are the two main options: You can either use the [Meta Business Suite](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-2) or connect your Facebook Page to a messaging inbox. The Meta Business Suite includes some messaging and organizational tools suitable for some small and medium small businesses, such as basic automation, labels and filters. However, it lacks broadcast functionality for Facebook Messenger and [it’s not omnichannel, but multichannel](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-1). If you are looking for advanced messaging and organizational tools to send Facebook Messenger push notifications at scale, [connect your Facebook Page](https://help.respond.io/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview) to an omnichannel messaging inbox like respond.io. To prevent spam, Meta has implemented some messaging rules for businesses using the [Facebook Messenger API](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/reference/?locale=en_US). The first rule is you can’t import Contacts. Instead, they must send you the first message before you can message them back. Luckily, Meta offers different ways for customers to [start conversations with businesses.](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-8) The second rule is, businesses have a [24-hour messaging window](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-10) for conversations initiated by customers. Within that window, businesses are allowed to send messages without restrictions. If you want to send Facebook push notifications outside the messaging window, you can do it with [Facebook Message Tags](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag). Just keep in mind that Message Tags may not be used for promotional content. Now that you are familiar with the basics of Facebook Messenger, you are ready for the next step. Here‘s how to send Facebook Messenger push notifications using respond.io as a messaging inbox. ### How to Send Facebook Messenger Notifications with Respond.io Your company’s teams don’t have the same objectives when it comes to customer communication, and that reflects in their messaging practices. Facebook push notifications from a support agent are not the same as the ones sent by a marketer. In this section, we’ll show you three push notification strategies for support, sales, marketing and transactional messages. #### Facebook Messenger Notifications with Respond.io: 1:1 Messaging Support and sales agents tend to send 1:1 push notifications to a single customer rather than blasting messages to an audience. From the [respond.io Messages Module](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/responding-to-messages), agents can manually type and send Facebook Messenger push notifications or trigger them [at the click of a button](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0). With respond.io, it’s possible to send text, images, audio and files in these notifications. Support agents will generally use the Post-Purchase Update and Account Update Message Tags to keep customers informed outside the messaging window. On the other hand, sales agents can use the Confirmed Event Update Message Tag to send a booking confirmation or remind customers of a payment update, for instance. But there’s more. Meta is testing a [Human Agent Tag](https://help.respond.io/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview) to extend the messaging window from 24 hours to seven days. This feature is still in beta, and only available to some platforms like respond.io. This messaging window extension is especially useful for support and sales, as their communication with customers tends to be more conversational. The Human Agent Tag gives them enough time to attend to potential customer inquiries in response to Facebook Messenger push notifications. #### Facebook Messenger Notifications with Respond.io: Broadcast Marketing teams usually broadcast push notifications to large audiences for promotional purposes. There are two ways to do it with Facebook Messenger. First, you can broadcast Facebook Messenger push notifications. Note that you’ll have to abide by Meta's rules and use Message Tags only for their intended use cases, so shape your push notifications content carefully. Otherwise, you might face a [broadcast ban](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag#toc-mobile-4). Facebook Messenger broadcasts can be easily scheduled from respond.io’s Broadcast Module. For more details, check out our [Facebook Messenger broadcast guide.](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-broadcast) [Sponsored Messages](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-11) are Meta’s solution for businesses who want to broadcast push notifications with promotional intent. Unfortunately, these are not free. As a free alternative, you can consider [Telegram broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-broadcast#toc-mobile-1). Facebook Messenger notifications can also be automatically sent via API without involving customer-facing teams. Keep reading to know more. #### Facebook Messenger Notifications with Respond.io: Messages API Transactional notifications are automated messages that serve a necessary purpose in the customer journey. They are automatically triggered in response to specific customer actions and often include sensitive information. For example, customers may receive transactional notifications when making an online payment, or after applying for a new password on a website. [Respond.io’s Messages API](https://developers.respond.io/) is the most reliable way to send transactional push notifications containing text, attachments and [text with quick replies](https://developers.respond.io/#send-text-with-quick-replies-request). Since it’s an API, it has no interface and has to be connected to a business software. This is how Messages API works: 1. A customer triggers an event in your business software. 2. The business software generates a Facebook Messenger notification in response. 3. The Facebook Messenger notification is passed on to Messages API and subsequently respond.io. 4. The customer receives a Facebook Messenger push notification. Broadcast, 1:1 messaging and Messages API should cover most of your push notifications needs. However, we’d like to show you an additional way to send automated push notifications to customers who interact with your Facebook page. ### How to Send Facebook Push Notifications to Facebook Page Visitors with Respond.io [Facebook Private Replies](https://help.respond.io/facebook-messenger/private-replies) is a Facebook feature designed to send private automated push notifications to users who comment on your Facebook Page posts. It’s a practical tool that can help you convert page visitors into respond.io Contacts. A Facebook Private Reply can be a generic reply for all your Facebook Page posts or a specific reply for each of your posts. To use this feature, you’ll need to connect Facebook Messenger to respond.io. Sales teams may use this feature to collect leads. As for support teams, it’s a practical way to systematically take discussions with customers out of the public eye. In short, this is how Facebook Private Replies work: 1. A page visitor leaves a comment on your post 2. A Facebook Messenger push notification is triggered and is sent to the visitor’s phone 3. The page visitor replies to the notification, becoming a respond.io Contact Remember that respond.io Contacts are people who have interacted with the messaging channels connected to the platform. Therefore, Page visitors will only become Contacts if they reply to the push notification. As shown, using respond.io for Facebook Messenger push notifications opens up a whole world of possibilities. Let’s see some extra features that make respond.io a great choice for Facebook Messenger push notifications. ### Facebook Messenger Notifications with Respond.io: Quick Wins Respond.io is not only useful for Facebook Messenger push notifications — it’s a platform designed for the entire customer lifecycle. It contains everything medium and large businesses need to market, sell and support across multiple channels. In the final section, we’ll briefly introduce you to four quick wins that businesses experience when using respond.io as a messaging inbox for Facebook Messenger push notifications. #### Unify All Your Channels in an Omnichannel Inbox Meta Business Suite users can only send push notifications via Facebook Messenger. But it’s likely that your customers use other messaging apps to communicate with you. For that reason, you’ll need an omnichannel inbox that works with other popular messaging channels such as [Instagram DM](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api), [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) or [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account), as well as your [custom channels](https://respond.io/blog/february-2022-release-new-workflows-steps-new-navigation-and-messaging-module-design-custom-channel-integration-and-bits-and-bobs#toc-mobile-6). Respond.io lets you unify all your channels in a single inbox, simplifying communication with your customers and preventing scattered conversations across different channels. #### Execute Your Ideal Chat Routing and Agent Assignment Strategies Push notifications sent by customer-facing teams often get responses and the interaction between agents and customers tends to be more conversational. With [respond.io’s Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/november-2021-release-workflows-module-and-send-message-templates-via-messages-api#toc-mobile-0), you can automate how these responses are handled. This tool helps provide quick and efficient assistance while reducing agent load. Start by creating your ideal chat routing strategy in the [Workflow builder](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview). You could route conversations by [team function](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio#toc-mobile-4), [Contact language](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio#toc-mobile-5) or [shifts](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio#toc-mobile-6), to name some examples. Then, use your preferred [auto-assignment strategy](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-8) to deliver the conversation to the right agent in the team. #### Track Conversations and Agent Performance with Advanced Tools Respond.io has the tools required to supervise push notifications sent by agents, and how responses are handled. In the [Messages Module](https://help.respond.io/messages/messages-overview), managers have a general view of each Contact. Use the [Messaging Console](https://help.respond.io/messages/messages-overview) to get a detailed overview of every interaction, and the [Contact Activity tab](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity) for a summary of the conversation events in chronological order. For a granular view of an individual agent or team performance, use the [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview). You can use filters (date, categories, teams and users) to sift through data to find new insights and areas of improvement. Here you can find out who is leaving push notification responses on hold for too long, or who has too few conversations assigned. #### Notify Customers on the Go with the Respond.io Mobile App Imagine the following scenario: One of your VIP clients needs assistance, but the account manager is not at his desk. You don’t want to cause a bad impression by delaying a push notification until the manager returns. Because problems may appear when you least expect them, make sure you choose a cross-device messaging inbox. Respond.io is available on multiple devices, allowing agents to send Facebook Messenger push notifications from their desktop as well as their cellphones. Download the respond.io app from [Google Play Store](https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news/2019/october/lego-gift-bot?locale=en-us) for Android and [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) for iOS. Do you want to send Facebook Messenger push notifications with the leading customer messaging platform? [Sign up for a respond.io account here.](https://app.respond.io/user/register) ### Further Reading If you’ve found this article interesting, here are some additional readings for you: - Facebook Messenger for Customer Service: A How-To Guide - Facebook Messenger for Sales: A How-To Guide - Facebook Messenger for Marketing: A How-To Guide ## [Facebook Page Welcome Message: A How-To Guide ](https:/respond.io/blog/welcome-messsage-for-facebook-page) Read this article to learn how to create your Welcome Message for Facebook Page. You'll also find some useful Facebook Messenger welcome message examples! Understanding the crucial role of first impressions in business Facebook has introduced the Facebook Page Welcome Message feature, which allows businesses to engage with customers through initial greetings. In this guide, you'll learn first-hand how to write a compelling welcome message for your Facebook Page, how it works and find examples of Facebook Messenger welcome messages tailored to different occasions. ### What is the Facebook Page Greeting Feature? A Facebook Messenger welcome message is an automated customized greeting that Facebook users can create for their Facebook Pages. On the visitor’s side, these notifications are found in Facebook messages and in the [Messenger app](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat). Facebook welcome messages have certain restrictions. For instance, Facebook Page admins can only create a single welcome message. And Facebook Page visitors can only see it the first time they visit a Business Page before any message is sent. Last but not least, the welcome message body is limited to 160 characters. However, having a welcome message for your Facebook Page comes with important benefits: - Makes a good first impression - Invites customers to start a conversation with your business - Helps to collect leads - Provides visitors with valuable information We’ve covered what this feature is and why it is useful. Now that you are familiar with it, we’ll run through some Facebook Messenger welcome message examples you can use on your Facebook Page. ### Facebook Messenger Welcome Message Examples There are several ways to write a welcome message for a Facebook Page. While you can’t go wrong with a regular welcome, injecting some creativity into your greeting message will better help you meet your business goals. We have identified five types of Facebook Messenger greeting examples to help businesses engage with customers and drive their desired actions. #### Facebook Welcome Message Examples: General Greetings This type of Facebook welcome message is intended to show attentiveness to Facebook Page visitors and invite them to share their inquiries. Standard greetings like the ones below are the default choice for many companies. 1. “👋 Hey there, [First Name]. How can we help you today?” 2. “Welcome to [Business Name]! 😃 What can we do for you?” 3. “Hi [First Name of Recipient], it’s good to hear from you. Drop us a question if you have any!” #### Facebook Page Welcome Message Examples: Customer Support Some companies route Facebook conversations to their support teams. Greeting messages like the ones below set expectations for page visitors in terms of agent availability or response time when seeking customer service. 1. “Do you have an inquiry? 🤔 Drop it here and we’ll get back to you in the next 30 minutes!” 2. “Hello [Customer First Name]. Need help with anything? Share your question with us and you’ll get a rapid response from one of our agents.” 3. “Thanks for visiting [Business name]’s page! Our support agents are available Monday-Friday from 08:00 a.m. to 18:00 p.m. (GMT+8). Please leave your question here and we will reply as soon as we can.” #### Facebook Page Welcome Message Examples: Special Offers People usually use social media during their leisure time, which makes them more likely to perform actions that require some time and consideration, such as purchases. This creates a great opportunity for businesses to announce promotions in their Facebook welcome messages. 1. “🗣It’s CLEARANCE TIME! If you’ve been thinking about buying [Product category], now you can find them at a 50% discount here: [Business Website]” 2. “Hello [Customer First Name], want to know a secret? Get a $10 coupon with any purchase above $149 in our online store until September 21. Don’t tell anyone, ok? 🤫 [Business Website]” 3. “First time visitor? Then we have a little gift for you. Enter this code [Code number] on our website and get a welcome present from us!” #### Facebook Page Welcome Message Examples: Lead Capture Some Page visitors are willing to be contacted by your company, which makes your Facebook Business Page a good place to collect customer data. This can be done with a lead collection message like the ones below. 1. “Hi, you’ve reached [Business Name]. To get a quotation, please leave your phone number and an agent will get back to you very soon.” 2. “Glad to see you, [Customer First Name]. If you are interested in our [Product/service], please leave your email address. We’ll guide you through the whole journey.” 3. “Hello there! If you want quicker, more efficient responses, please share your phone number and we will call you within 1 hour.” #### Facebook Page Welcome Message Examples: Seasonal Messages Adding a bit of seasonal flavor to your welcome message makes your company look more humane and likable. Plus, some business activities are affected by seasonal events, so it’s always a good idea to keep customers updated. 1. “🎇It’s that time of the year again, and the Team [Business name] wants to wish you and your loved ones all the best! Need a quick gift? Remember that we deliver any item in less than 24 hours! [Business Website]” 2. “Hello, [First Name of Recipient]. Christmas is coming, and we all wish to spend some time with our families. Because of that, our replies may take longer than usual. Thanks for understanding, and Merry Christmas!🎅🏻’ 3. “Nothing says I love you, Mom like [Product name]. So we have prepared a curated collection, only for Mother’s Day. Available now on our website: [Business Website]” Now you have a good selection of Facebook Messenger welcome message examples. Let’s jump to the next section, where you’ll learn how to create your own. ### Sending a Welcome Message for Facebook Page Before getting into the step-by-step process, there are certain tips you’ll find quite handy when creating a Facebook Messenger welcome message. #### Best Practices for Facebook Page Greetings While email messaging is usually formal, instant messaging channels such as Facebook Messenger require a simpler, more direct tone. Here are four tips on how to write effective welcome messages for a Facebook page. - Provide a clear value proposition: Immediately convey the value of your Facebook Page and what the visitor can expect by following or interacting with your page. Whether it’s exclusive content, special deals, or insightful posts, make sure it’s clear. - Prompt an action: Include a clear call-to-action (CTA) in your welcome message. Encourage new visitors to like your page, check out your products, sign up for a newsletter, or any other action that is valuable to your business goals. - Manage expectations: Customers like to know how long they have to wait for an answer. Less than 24 hours will give a better impression than just soon. - Be conversational: Customers don’t appreciate talking to robots. Make sure your welcome message sounds natural and is straight to the point. With these tips in mind, let us guide you through the process of creating a welcome message for Facebook Business Page. #### How to Write a Welcome Message for Facebook Business Page In order to set up a Facebook Messenger welcome message, you’ll need to be an admin of the Facebook Page. If you meet this condition, then follow these steps: **1\. Go** to your Facebook Business Page. **2\. Click** Settings from the menu on the left of your Page. **3\. Select** Messaging in the left column. **4\. Switch** on the toggle bar next to *Show a greeting*. **5\. Click** Change, edit the greeting, then click Save. The image above illustrates some of the customization options supported by Facebook greetings, such as including the recipient’s name or a Facebook Page link. For those looking for more advanced customization in their welcome messages, we recommend using an automation builder like the one powered by respond.io. #### Facebook Page Welcome Message with Respond.io Respond.io Workflows revolutionize Facebook Messenger welcome messages. To begin, [link your Facebook Page to your respond.io account](https://help.respond.io/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview). Remember, Facebook sends welcome messages to first-time page visitors. However, [Meta Handover Protocol](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/handover-protocol) limits you to one primary app, either Facebook Page Inbox or an AI-powered customer conversation management software like respond.io. Choosing your Facebook Page as the primary has a downside - you’ll only be able to reply to Facebook Messenger conversations with respond.io 24 hours after the welcome message is sent. However, choosing respond.io as your primary app allows immediate responses and more advanced automation without a 24-hour wait. To leverage these capabilities fully, let's delve into automating your Facebook Page Welcome Message with respond.io #### Automate Messages with Respond.io With respond.io, businesses can automate their Facebook Page Welcome Message to efficiently engage with new Facebook Messenger contacts. This seamless integration enhances customer engagement from the first interaction. In the Workflow Builder, easily create an automated message for each new conversation start. Select 'Conversation Open' as the trigger, followed by a 'Send a Message' step. Then, choose your Facebook Messenger channel to personalize your welcome message with various content options such as text, files, images or even [Facebook Message Tags](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag#toc-mobile). Do note if you choose Facebook Message Tags, be mindful that these should only be used for very specific use cases. The customization options don’t end there. If you want highly engaging messages that address Facebook Messenger Contacts personally, make sure to include [Dynamic Variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) in the message body. After the welcome message, there are multiple ways in which you could develop your Workflow. #### Chat Routing with Respond.io In developing your Workflow, an effective strategy is to route conversations to the appropriate team. Chat routing offers substantial benefits for businesses, notably in improving team efficiency and cost-effectiveness by optimizing resource allocation in customer-facing operations. This approach scales seamlessly with business growth, enabling customized routing strategies for various specialized teams, such as technical support. Such targeted routing not only guarantees conversations are handled by experts but also enhances the customer experience. Personalized attention to returning or VIP customers fosters stronger client relationships. For detailed instructions on implementing this, refer to our [How-To Guide on routing Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio). Once Conversations are routed, it’s important that they reach the right Agent. There are several ways to [auto-assign Conversations to Agents](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio). Take your agent's availability into consideration when designing your assignment strategy. #### Extend Messaging Window with Respond.io By default, Facebook messages have a [24-hour messaging window](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-8:~:text=Facebook%20Business%20Chat%3A%201%2Dto%2D1%20Messaging). However, respond.io users can extend it to 7 days by using a Human Agent tag. This tag is useful for Agents who are away for some time, or who need additional time to answer complex inquiries. If you want to want to follow up with customers after they respond to the welcome message, you can use [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai). This [Conversational AI](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai) will automate responses to customer inquiries and qualify leads before passing conversations to human agents. To sum up, Facebook welcome messages are easy to set up, and they have the potential to make a memorable impression on Facebook Page visitors. Use them in combination with AI-powered customer conversation management software like respond.io and the Workflows automation builder for a superior customer experience. ### Further Reading You have reached the end of this article. Did you find it useful? If so, here are other quick reads that might interest you: - Facebook Messenger For Business: The Ultimate Guide - How To Add Facebook Messenger To Your Website - 6 Ways To Use WhatsApp Greeting Message ## [Facebook Payment: How Does Facebook Pay Work? ](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-pay) Facebook payment is Meta's solution to process transactions on Facebook, Messenger and Instagram. But, how does Facebook Pay Work? Read this article to find out. Not too long ago, Meta released its own digital payment method called Facebook Pay. But how does Facebook Pay work? In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know to get started with Facebook Payment: Availability, how payments work and, most importantly, how to receive money on Facebook Pay. ### What is Facebook Pay? Facebook Pay is an e-payment tool that powers digital transactions over all the Meta products: [Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/best-messaging-apps). It can be used for peer-to-peer or business transactions. #### Facebook Pay: A Brief Introduction Following the success of digital payment methods, Facebook — now rebranded to Meta— launched Facebook Pay in 2019. To align with the rebrand, Facebook Pay is also now called Meta Pay. Facebook Pay doesn’t store money; it acts more like an intermediary. For that reason, users must link a payment method such as a debit card, credit card or PayPal to send and receive money. While [this feature is available in over 100 countries](https://pay.facebook.com/availability/), its scope of use and the Meta channels it supports differ in every country. As a digital payment method, it has a number of benefits for businesses, which we will explain next. #### Why Use Facebook Pay [Meta already has a massive set of users](https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/) across all its platforms — a total of 3.71 billion monthly active users worldwide, meaning that you’ll open the door to more potential customers. And with [the increasing popularity of digital payments](https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/personal-finance/articles/digital-wallets-are-now-the-most-popular-payment-method-in-the-world/), Facebook Pay is an attractive option for tech-savvy customers. Unlike other digital payment methods, Facebook Pay reduces the number of steps customers need to take to make a purchase when using any Meta product. Customers initiate purchases on Facebook or Instagram without being redirected to external sites. Plus, they can use their stored credentials to speed up the checkout process. User-friendly payment methods like this one help businesses boost conversion rates and [often make impulse purchases easier](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/13/facebook-pay-brings-impulse-shopping-to-billions-on-social-media.html). Is Facebook Pay safe? [Meta uses anti-fraud technology](https://pay.facebook.com/security-and-protection/#:~:text=Meta%20Pay%20is%20protected%20with,Meta%20Pay%20detects%20unusual%20activity.)) to detect suspicious activities and will notify you of anything unusual. Plus, Meta encrypts payment card and bank account information and gives the option to use PIN and biometrics to authorize payments. Lastly, this feature is free to set up and use for businesses and consumers. However, you may incur [fees from PayPal](https://www.paypal.com/my/webapps/mpp/paypal-fees) (if that’s your linked payment method) and from the [Meta Commerce Manager](https://www.facebook.com/business/tools/commerce-manager). We’ll get into more details later in this article. Despite all the benefits, businesses should know that cross-border transactions are not supported at the moment. Besides, some of the most important Facebook Payment applications are available in just a few countries. We’ll discuss that in the next section. ### Where to Use Facebook Pay Facebook Pay interacts with all the Meta messaging channels and social networks: Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. | Facebook Pay Feature | In-app Checkout on Meta Shop | 1:1 Transactions | Fundraisers | Facebook in-app purchases | WhatsApp Pay | Integration with Shopify | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Availability | US | US, Thailand | Varies by country | Varies by country | Brazil, India | Us | | Channels | Facebook, Instagram | Facebook Messenger | Facebook, Instagram | Facebook | WhatsApp | Facebook, Instagram | | Description | Buy directly from Facebook and Instagram Shops | Quick transactions on Facebook Messenger 1:1 chats | Donate to causes on Facebook and Instagram | Pay for entertainment on Facebook | Quick transactions on WhatsApp 1:1 chats | Use Facebook Pay as a checkout method on a Shopify site | In this section, we’ll guide you through all the multiple possibilities that Facebook Pay has to offer. #### Facebook Payment: In-app Checkout on Facebook Shop and Instagram Shop If you have a Facebook or Instagram Shop, customers can make purchases directly in the app using Facebook Payment. Note that this is only available in the US. Of course, you’ll need to first set up a Facebook or Instagram Shop on the Meta Commerce Manager. Be aware that [Meta charges Commerce Manager users a selling fee](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2509359009104717?id=533228987210412&locale=en_GB) for every checkout on Facebook or Instagram Shops. For every sale above $8, there is a 5% fee. For sales below $8, there is a $0.40 fee. #### Facebook Payment: Messenger Transactions In the US and Thailand, Facebook Messenger users can easily transfer money to their contacts or request payments from them. Sending or requesting money is similar to sharing images or videos and can be initiated in a conversation thread. While this feature was designed with peer-to-peer transactions in mind, it can also be used by businesses that don’t handle a high volume of daily purchases. On Facebook Messenger, the Facebook Pay limit per month for total transactions is $9,999. This includes sending and receiving money. For instance, this is a handy tool for hospitality businesses that require reservation deposits or upfront payments, as customers can transfer the money after asking about availability. Businesses can also view the receipt in the conversation thread, creating a record for both parties. Once again, this is only possible if both the business and the customer reside in the same country and have access to the feature in the Facebook Messenger app. Later in this article, we’ll show you step-by-step how to request payments from your customers via Facebook Messenger. #### Facebook Payment: Donate to Fundraisers Meta gives Facebook and Instagram users tools to [raise funds for non-profit organizations](https://socialimpact.facebook.com/get-started/fundraise-with-facebook/) via Facebook Payment in [supported countries.](https://www.facebook.com/help/252443996270739) Across the Facebook or Instagram apps, there are several ways to pay through Facebook to donate to Meta Fundraisers: Facebook Pages with Donate button, Facebook Live with Donate button, Instagram Stories with a Donation sticker, Instagram Fundraiser in Reels, etc. Meta doesn’t charge any fees per transaction, meaning that the organizations will receive the full amount that users donate. #### Facebook Payment: In-app Purchases Facebook Payment is also a way to pay for various entertainment on Facebook, including games, in-game purchases, and exclusive content on [Facebook Watch](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/299111170863908?id=214359809769375). [Depending on users’ location](https://pay.facebook.com/availability/), the availability of the entertainment options will vary. Following other successful live stream platforms like Twitch or Youtube, Facebook has also created a system of subscriptions and donations via Facebook Payment to support content creators. #### Facebook Payment: WhatsApp Pay Transactions In recent years, Meta has been testing [WhatsApp Pay, an in-app payment system](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-pay-everything-about-whatsapp-payment) for WhatsApp users in Brazil and India. Due to WhatsApp’s popularity in those countries, Meta wants to give WhatsApp users a way to send and receive money directly without leaving the app. WhatsApp Pay is enabled by Facebook Pay and designed to work in conjunction with other WhatsApp e-shopping tools such as the [Business Directory](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-yellow-pages#toc-mobile-0), [Catalogs](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog) and [Shopping Cart](https://faq.whatsapp.com/3321286237969420/?cms_platform=android&locale=en_US). #### Facebook Payment: Integration with Shopify Business owners can add a button in their Shopify stores to give visitors the option to check out using Facebook Payment. This option is only available to online stores located in the US. You may be surprised to learn that businesses [don't need to have a Facebook account](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/accelerated-checkouts/facebook-pay#requirements-for-merchants-to-add-meta-pay) to add a Meta Pay button to their Shopify store. Now you are familiar with the different uses of Facebook Payment. In the next section, we’ll guide you through everything you need to do to use this feature as a payment method for your business. ### How To Use Facebook Pay To use this feature for business, there are three things you should be familiar with: - How to set up Facebook Pay - How to remove a payment method from Facebook Pay - How to initiate or request a Facebook Payment Let’s start by explaining how to set up Facebook Pay step by step. #### How to Set Up Facebook Pay Setting up Facebook Payment is easy, although the process varies across Facebook, [Instagram](https://help.instagram.com/357872324807367/?helpref=related_articles) and [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-pay-everything-about-whatsapp-payment#toc-mobile-3). In this section, we’ll show you how to set it up on [the Facebook mobile app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.katana&hl=en_US&gl=US&pli=1) to give you an idea of what the process looks like. 1. Tap your profile icon in the top right corner. 2. Go to Settings. 3. Select Facebook Pay. 4. Add a payment method and choose between Debit/credit card or PayPal. 5. Enter your debit/credit or PayPal details and save them. Once your payment method is linked, it will be ready to use on your next transaction. But what if a business wants to link more than a single payment method? #### How to Remove a Facebook Payment Method Meta allows businesses to add more than one payment method and remove existing payment methods. This is how to edit your payment methods on the Meta Commerce Manager. 1. Tap your profile icon in the top right corner. 2. Go to Settings. 3. Select Facebook Pay. 4. Register an additional payment method by clicking on Add payment method. 5. Remove a payment method by tapping on it and selecting Remove Card or Remove Account accordingly. Once you register an additional card or PayPal account, it will be added to your list of payment methods. You can select from the list your default payment method. There’s one important question left — how can customers initiate payments using Facebook Payment? The answer is not that simple, but we’ll break it down for you in the following section. #### How to Request or Initiate a Facebook Payment Businesses have four options when it comes to Facebook Pay transactions. - Request or initiate a Facebook payment via WhatsApp - Request or initiate a Facebook payment via Facebook Messenger - Enable seamless payments on Facebook or Instagram Shop - Use Facebook Pay as a checkout method in a Shopify store ##### Request or Initiate a Facebook Payment via WhatsApp If you are in Brazil or India and your WhatsApp app is updated to the latest version, you’ll probably have access to WhatsApp 1:1 transactions. In our detailed guide, we explain [how to set up WhatsApp Pay](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-pay-everything-about-whatsapp-payment#toc-mobile-3) and [how to initiate a transaction](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-pay-everything-about-whatsapp-payment#toc-mobile-7). ##### Request or Initiate a Facebook Payment via Facebook Messenger If you don’t have checkout enabled on Facebook or Instagram, this is how to accept Facebook Pay transactions over Facebook Messenger. 1. Open your Messenger app > Start a chat with a contact you want to request money from. 2. Tap $ from the menu > Enter the amount and tap Request. This process doesn't change much for customers who want to initiate a payment. As a customer, this is how to pay someone on Facebook Messenger: 1. Open your Messenger app > Start a chat with a business you want to send money to. 2. Tap $ from the menu > Enter the amount and tap Pay. Once you confirm the payment, the transaction will be recorded in the conversation thread. ##### Enable Payments on Facebook Shop or Instagram Shop First of all, ensure you have read the [checkout methods and eligibility requirements for Shops on Facebook and Instagram](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/449169642911614). If your business is eligible, enable direct checkouts on Facebook and Instagram Shops by following these steps. 1. Go to the Facebook Commerce Manager and select your shop. 2. Click Settings > Checkout method. 3. Find the checkout method you want to update and click the settings icon. 4. Choose Facebook Pay and click Change in the top-right. 5. Follow the steps to complete your change. If you’re changing your checkout method to Checkout on Facebook and Instagram, provide your shipping, customer service and payout preferences information. Once done, your customers will be able to find you on Facebook and Instagram Shops and buy your products without leaving the platform. ##### Use Facebook Pay as a Checkout Method in your Shopify Store With a Facebook Payment button, customers who buy from your Shopify store have an accelerated checkout method. To include this button on your Shopify website, you’ll need to enable [Shopify Payments](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments) and your store needs to be located in the US. On their end, your customers need to use an IP address based in the US, and one of the following browsers: Safari or Chrome for desktop, Safari for iOS or Chrome for Android. To enable the Facebook Payment button, open your [Shopify admin](https://accounts.shopify.com/lookup?rid=870147b7-52ac-44ad-8f42-2acbb7721799) on your desktop and follow these steps. **1\. Click** *Settings* > *Payments* > *Manage*. **2\. Select** *Meta Pay* in the *Wallets* section and click *Save*. We’ve covered all the foundations and how-tos. But if you’re still wondering whether Facebook Payment is for you, the section below can help you make up your mind. ### Should You Use Facebook Pay? At the moment, only businesses in the US have full access to what Facebook Pay has to offer. If your business is located there, you should give it a try, as [Facebook is extremely popular in the country](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-9). Otherwise, you should probably wait until Meta rolls out in-app payments for Facebook and Instagram in your country, as that’s the main appeal of using this feature for business. Facebook Pay is also still in its relative infancy, compared to more established and popular payment methods like [WeChat Pay](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-1) in China and [LINE Pay](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-1) in Japan. Only time will tell if it will become a widely popular digital payment method. If you frequently do business over Facebook Messenger and other messaging apps, consider using respond.io. [Get started for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and [connect Facebook Messenger](https://help.respond.io/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview#connecting_facebook_messenger) to [market](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-marketing), [sell](https://respond.io/blog/messenger-sales) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-for-customer-service) with the leading AI-powered conversation management software! ### Further Reading Did you find this reading interesting? Then check out the following articles: - Welcome Message for Facebook Page: A How-To Guide - Facebook Messenger Push Notifications: A How-To Guide - Facebook Messenger Ads: A How-To Guide ## [Facebook Shop: How to Use Facebook Shops to Sell Online](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-shop) Do you want to sell on Facebook? In this article, you'll learn how to set up your Facebook Shop and how businesses use Facebook Shops to drive sales. Is there a better platform to showcase your products and connect with customers than Facebook? With its powerful e-shopping feature called Facebook Shops, you can create a seamless shopping experience for your audience, boost your online sales and take your business to new heights. In this blog post, we'll dive into the Facebook Shop benefits, features and how you can create it. Whether you're a seasoned e-commerce entrepreneur or just starting your online venture, get ready to discover the incredible opportunities that await you on Facebook Shop! ### What is a Facebook Shop? Facebook Shop is a [social commerce](https://respond.io/blog/social-commerce) feature provided by Meta. It serves as a digital storefront where businesses can showcase and sell their products directly on Facebook. They can create a visually appealing and organized display of their products, complete with product descriptions, pricing and images. Once in the shop, customers can browse their products, find what they want and make purchases easily. Facebook Shop also provides various features to enhance the shopping experience. For example, product tagging in photos and videos posted on your Facebook Page, search functionality for easy product discovery and customer reviews. Lastly, products, collections and promotions can be added, removed and arranged according to your needs. If you’ve never come across a Facebook Shop, we’ll explain where you can find them next. #### Where to Find Facebook Shops Customers can find Facebook Shops on a business’s Facebook Page, Instagram profile, [Instagram ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-instagram-direct-ads) with product tags, or shoppable content in their Feed, Stories and Reels. Once in a Facebook Shop, they can easily explore different product categories, view product details, add items to their cart and proceed with the checkout process. On top of Facebook Shops, Meta has also launched Instagram Shops, which can be discovered on [Instagram Explore](https://help.instagram.com/321958406152282/?helpref=hc_fnav). Both Instagram and Facebook Shops are managed under [Meta Commerce Manager](https://www.facebook.com/business/tools/commerce-manager). So if you have Shops on both Facebook and Instagram, your products can be visible on both platforms. While in the past it was possible to display Meta Shops (Facebook and Instagram) on the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app), the default WhatsApp social commerce tool is now [WhatsApp Catalogue](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog), a mobile storefront that you can manage in the WhatsApp Business App. Now, you might be wondering how customers can complete a purchase in Facebook Shops. You’ll find the answer in the following section. #### Facebook Shop: Checkout Methods When it comes to checkout methods for your Facebook Shop, you’ll encounter three possible options: Website checkout, Messenger checkout and in-app checkout. With website checkout, customers are redirected to the business's external website to complete the purchase. When a customer selects a product and proceeds to checkout, they are taken to the business's website to finalize the transaction. Meta Pay allows customers to transfer money directly within the Messenger app in the US and Thailand. Customers can initiate the purchase process, select products and complete the transaction seamlessly within the Messenger conversation. Finally, businesses in the US have access to the in-app checkout feature, which enables customers to complete their purchases without leaving the Facebook app. The entire transaction, including payment, can be conducted within the Facebook Shop interface, providing a seamless and convenient shopping experience. Is Facebook Shop free? While creating one doesn’t cost money, you’ll incur certain fees, which we’ll explain next. #### Facebook Shop: Costs Involved Businesses will be charged a processing fee for every order. The exact amount of the fee will vary depending on how the business onboarded to Facebook Shops and the transaction type. If you have onboarded to Shops [via the Facebook and Instagram app on Shopify](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-sales-channels/facebook-instagram-by-meta/setup), Shopify will directly charge you the processing fee for any orders made through Meta. This applies to Shopify merchants who use Shopify Payments for their online store. The amount charged by Shopify will be the same as what you are charged for orders made on your online shop. However, using Shop Pay for [third-party gateways](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/third-party-providers) via Shopify will not impact your website's processor or web order fees. | Transaction Type | Sellers that onboard to Shops via the Facebook and Instagram app on Shopify | Sellers that onboard to Shops via Commerce Manager (expressed as % of total transaction value) | | --- | --- | --- | | Card | A payment processing fee will be charged by Shopify directly. | 2.9% | | PayPal branded checkout | A payment processing fee will be charged by Shopify directly. | 3.49% | | Shop Pay | A payment processing fee will be charged by Shopify directly. | 2.9% | Things work differently for businesses that onboard to Shops via Commerce Manager. When you make a sale, a processing fee is automatically deducted from your payout. This amount varies based on the transaction type, as seen in the image. This processing fee covers Meta's service costs, and you’ll keep the rest of your earnings. Now that you know how Facebook Shops work, we’ll discuss the benefits of using a Facebook Shop. ### Why Set Up a Shop on Facebook There are a few reasons why both businesses and customers benefit from using Facebook Shops. Facebook is a widely used social media platform with billions of active users. By setting up a Facebook Shop, businesses can reach a large audience, enhance their online presence and increase brand visibility. With the majority of Facebook users [accessing the platform through mobile devices](https://www.statista.com/statistics/377808/distribution-of-facebook-users-by-device/), having a Facebook Shop ensures that your products or services are easily accessible to mobile users. It allows for a smooth shopping experience within the Facebook app, increasing convenience for potential customers. Facebook Shop allows businesses to sell products directly through the platform. Customers can browse, select and purchase items without leaving Facebook, simplifying the buying process and potentially boosting conversions. This messaging functionality is integrated into the shopping experience, allowing customers to seek assistance, ask questions or clarify product details before purchasing. Because of the mentioned benefits, many businesses do not hesitate to use Facebook Shops to sell online. If you’re looking for inspiration, we’ll run you through some real-life examples. ### Businesses Using Facebook Shops with Great Results In this section, we’ll introduce you to Zimba and Pink Tag Boutique, two companies that have seen success using Facebook Shop to boost sales. #### How Zimba Boosts Sales with Facebook Shop Zimba, a teeth-whitening brand, eagerly embraced Facebook Shops to expand its distribution channels and connect with customers on Facebook and Instagram. With an existing presence on these platforms and a [Facebook catalog](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/1275400645914358?id=725943027795860), setting up the Shop was straightforward for Zimba. Customers can easily discover Zimba's Shop through various channels such as their Facebook Page, Instagram profile, Stories, and ads. The shopping experience was seamless, allowing users to browse, add products to their cart and complete orders within the app itself. Additionally, customers had the convenience of messaging Zimba for support through [Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) or [Instagram DM](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat). Shortly after implementing Facebook Shops, Zimba noticed a significant increase in incremental purchase orders, highlighting the value of this feature. During the evaluation period of July 1 to August 31, 2020, Zimba assessed the impact of Facebook Shops using data from Commerce Manager and Facebook Ads Manager. The analysis revealed that Zimba received 1,200 additional orders through Shops. Moreover, customers who made purchases through Shops had an average order value that was 6.7% higher compared to those who bought products directly from the website. #### How Pink Tag Boutique Boosts Sales with Facebook Shop Fashion brand Pink Tag Boutique collaborated with a digital ad agency to optimize its Facebook presence. It set up a Facebook Shop with checkout functionality, allowing customers to make purchases directly on the platform. It used photo ads and product tagging to enhance product discovery and browsing. Additionally, It introduced Facebook Live Shopping, enabling viewers to buy featured items during and after live broadcasts. The first live shopping event served as a successful product launch, attracting purchases both during and after the broadcast. Analyzing the results from October 1, 2020, to February 20, 2021, Pink Tag Boutique achieved $44,448 in incremental sales from Facebook Shops. It received 804 additional orders through the platform, and buyers on Facebook Shops had a significantly higher average order value of $65.79 compared to $39.65 for website purchases. These outcomes highlight the positive impact of implementing Facebook Shops for Pink Tag Boutique's business. Now that you understand how Facebook Shops operate and how businesses use them to sell, it’s time to learn how to set up your own Facebook Shop. ### How to Create a Facebook Shop To create a Facebook Shop, you’ll need a Meta Business Account (now renamed Meta Business Portfolio), Facebook Page and a Facebook Catalog. If you don't have the last two items yet, don’t worry, as you can create both during your Shop setup. You’ll also need full control of the Meta Business Account that owns your Facebook Page and Catalogue. So make sure you can [Manage permissions](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/299504287548592) for both the Page and Catalogue. To make your shop visible on Instagram, you'll need an Instagram Business account, which must be connected to your Meta Business Manager or Facebook page. To start with the creation of your Facebook Shop, open Commerce Manager. 1\. **Click** *Get Started.* 2\. **Select** *Create a Shop.* 3\. **Click** *Next.* 4\. **Choose** a checkout method. If you are in the US, enabling in-app checkout is an option. Because this is not possible in any other country, we’ll cover how to set up checkout on an external website. 5\. **Select** a Facebook Page or create a new one. 6\. **Connect** a business account or create a new one. 7\. **Select** or create a catalogue. 8\. **Add** countries you deliver to. 9\. **Review** all the information and click *Finish setup*. The Facebook Shop approval process can take up to 48 hours. In the meantime, you can manage your catalog items in the Meta Business Manager. Or you could get started with a business messaging platform like respond.io to take customer communication to the next level. ### Shop on Facebook with Respond.io Now that you've listed your products and services on your Facebook Shop, you can anticipate more sales and inquiries from customers. If you're a large business that needs advanced messaging features to handle high volumes of messages, then you'll need to [connect Facebook Messenger to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview). Let’s discuss how respond.io benefits businesses with Facebook Shops. #### Facebook Shops: Extend the Messaging Window with the Human Agent Tag Facebook Messenger’s 24-hour messaging window is sometimes limiting. For example, if a customer contacts your support team on Friday and your business closes on weekends, the messaging window will likely end before the problem is solved. Other issues are simply more complex and take longer to be identified and solved in only 24 hours. Respond.io is one of the selected platforms that enable the [Human Agent Tag](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag#toc-mobile-1), which extends the messaging window from 24 hours to seven days. You’ll have access to it once you connect Facebook Messenger to respond.io. #### Facebook Shops: Connect All Your Messaging Channels to a Single Inbox Your customers probably message you from other popular messaging channels besides Facebook Messenger. For example, if you also have an Instagram Shop, you’ll receive customer messages through Instagram DM too. Therefore, you’ll need an [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) to consolidate all messaging channels in a single platform for efficiency. When using several channels for customer communication, it is common to end up with siloed conversations across different channels. [Respond.io’s Contact Merge tool](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) has been purposely designed to tackle this issue. By merging duplicated customer profiles, you’ll be able to create a single customer story and message history. #### Facebook Shops: Market Your Facebook Shop with Click to Chat Ads Using click to chat ads from Facebook or Instagram is a great way to help potential customers discover your shop and get them into a conversation. Respond.io’s click to chat workflow template enables you to automate these ads. Maximize sales with targeted ads that draw leads in with a click. Capture their contact details, start a conversation and direct them to your shop. #### Facebook Shops: Automate Daily Operations with Workflows To ensure the best shopping experience, it is important to give customers prompt attention when they reach out to you. While handling low volumes of conversations manually is not a problem, it is hard to guarantee efficient and consistent support when the number of inquiries increases. In these cases, an automation builder like [respond.io’s Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) can reduce agent load and systematize all business operations. For example, you can build [chat routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) Workflows to route customer conversations from your Facebook Shop to specific teams according to your routing logic. Similarly, build [automatic assignment Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to pass the Contact to available agents following your automatic assignment logic. #### Facebook Shops: Integrate Seamlessly with Other Software Respond.io allows you to integrate your messaging inbox with various tools such as CRMs, databases, and email marketing platforms for enhanced convenience and efficiency. The platform is designed to seamlessly integrate with your existing software stack to reduce agent load, keep your customer data updated and provide a great customer experience. [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/integrations/zapier) and Make.com have native integrations with respond.io, meaning you can connect to thousands of apps without coding. If you don’t use the aforementioned services, use [respond.io Webhooks](https://help.respond.io/integrations/webhooks) to integrate with other apps and automate actions in response to events occurring in respond.io. #### Facebook Shops: Keep Track of Key Metrics with the Reports Module To track the quality of your Facebook Messenger conversations and the performance of your customer-facing agents, respond.io comes with a full-fledged [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview). Use it to track key metrics such as response and assignment times. By making use of the different tabs and filters, managers can identify areas for improvement and find insights to keep improving their customer communication. In conclusion, Facebook Shop offers an incredible platform for businesses to showcase their products and connect with customers. By using Facebook Shop for sales management services, you can anticipate more sales and inquiries from customers. If you are looking for the best customer conversation management software, [try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register). ### Further Reading Did you find this article useful? Here are some articles that may interest you: - A Guide to Facebook Messenger E-commerce - How to Verify a Business on Facebook - How to Find Facebook Business Manager ID ## [Facebook Support: How to Contact Facebook for Help](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-support) Need help from Facebook? Read this article to learn more about Facebook Support. In this blog post, we’ll be answering questions like why you need Facebook Support, and how to contact Facebook Support team. Plus, you will learn the dos and don’ts when contacting Facebook Support. Banned from using Message Tags or billed for a rejected ad? You should contact Facebook Support for help. In this blog post, we’ll be answering questions like why you need assistance from Facebook and how to contact the Facebook Help team. Plus, you will learn the dos and don’ts when contacting them. ### Why You Need Facebook Support If you are using [Facebook Messenger for business](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), you will likely find yourself in a situation where Facebook Help is needed. Below is a list of situations where you might need to contact Facebook: - You have been banned from using Facebook Message Tags - Your Facebook Ads have been rejected or not delivered properly - Your Facebook Page has been disabled without warning - Your Facebook Business verification has failed - You experience technical issues on Facebook Here's the bad news - getting help from Facebook is not as straightforward as you think. Some Facebook Support contact options are not available to everyone and the Account menu hides the contact form. ### How to Contact Facebook Support How does one reach out to Facebook for assistance? There are a few ways to get in touch with Facebook customer support: - The support forms in Facebook Business Help Center - Live chat support in Facebook Business Help Center - The Something Went Wrong contact form - Email Facebook Support - Message Official Facebook Pages Sadly, the support forms and Facebook chat support are only available for certain users or ad accounts, while the live chat might only be available during business hours. Fortunately, Facebook has a number of specialized forms for common issues or questions that can be accessed by anybody. Such forms include [payments support](https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/1937556639801443) for any issues with paying for ads, [copyright report](https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/1758255661104383) to report content that violates or infringes on your copyright, and [trademark report](https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/1057530390957243) to report alleged infringements on your trademarks. For issues not covered in the forms above, there’s a more generic form you can use. #### Something Went Wrong Contact Form For most users, the only way to get in touch with Facebook Help Team is through the Something Went Wrong contact form. To access Facebook support, you can follow these steps: **1\. Log in** to your Facebook account. **2\.** On your Facebook Page, **click** on the account dropdown menu on the top right corner of your screen. **3\. Select** Help and Support. **4\. Select** Report a Problem. **5\. Choose** Something went wrong. **6\. Complete & submit** the contact form. You can view Facebook’s response in the Page Support Inbox. To access your inbox, go to Page Settings > Page Support Inbox. #### Email Facebook Support If you’re not getting a response after submitting contact forms, you can try reaching out to Facebook via email. There’s no guarantee you’ll get a reply but if you want to maximize the chances of Facebook responding, it’s one more method to consider. Reach out to the following email addresses to tackle the corresponding issues: - disabled@fb.com - For recovering disabled or hacked accounts, resetting passwords and accessing locked Pages - appeals@fb.com - For help regarding suspended accounts or to appeal blocked or removed content - platformcs@support.facebook.com - For financial queries or concerns related to your accounts - records@facebook.com or legal@fb.com - For reaching out to the Facebook Law Enforcement Support Team - datarequests@fb.com - For questions and issues concerning your data - advertise@fb.com - For general issues about Facebook Ads - ip@fb.com - For matters related to intellectual property #### Message Official Facebook Pages Lastly, Facebook also has a number of official Pages that can be messaged for support purposes. Head over to the [Official Facebook Page](https://www.facebook.com/facebook) for general support and the [Meta for Business Page](https://www.facebook.com/MetaforBusiness) for business-related queries. Next, we’ll go over how you can improve your chances of receiving help from Facebook Support. ### Best Practices When Contacting Facebook Support Want to get better and faster help from Facebook? We’ve put together a list of best practices when contacting Facebook Help Center. #### Check Out Facebook Business Help Center Beforehand As we know, [Facebook isn't exactly responsive to support requests](https://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/facebook-customer-service-hack/). Before reaching out to them for assistance, try looking for a solution in the [Facebook Business Help Center](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/), which covers a comprehensive list of support topics. Unless you are dealing with a complex issue, chances are you will find a solution in the Help Center without contacting Facebook Support. However, if you need help from a real person, read on to find out how you can expedite the process. #### Choose the Right Area & Topic Choosing the right Area and Topic in the contact form helps Facebook pass your inquiry to the right department. For instance, if you are charged for an undelivered Ad, select Ad as the Area, Billing and Payments as the Topic, and Billed for a rejected ad as Topic Details. #### Be Descriptive With Your Response To help the agent understand your issue, provide as much information as possible when describing your issue or sending an appeal. If you are banned from using Message Tags due to policy violations, respond with a detailed explanation of why the mistake occurred. For example, the new agent was not familiar with the [Message Tag rules](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-10). Then justify why the ban should be lifted. While you want to give all the details, get straight to the point and don’t ramble on. Don’t include any irrelevant information or worse, going on and on about the losses your business has suffered due to the ban. Complaining will get you nowhere! #### Open Another Ticket If Yours Gets Closed Sometimes, Facebook may close your support ticket when the issue is not fully resolved. Remember, just because Facebook closed your support request doesn't mean it’s over. You can just open a new one using the Something Went Wrong contact form. #### Be Patient Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to Facebook Support. Even if you have given a detailed account of your problem, you may have to repeatedly explain it to different support agents who send you canned responses. ### Further Reading If you're getting started with using Facebook Business Chat we recommend you read these three articles. - Everything You Need to Know About Facebook Messenger for Business - How We Generated 4,240 Facebook Messenger Leads for $400USD + 3 Surprises - How To Set Up Facebook Comment Auto Reply ## [Generate Leads and Boost Sales with WhatsApp Ads: A Practical Guide to WhatsApp Advertising ](https:/respond.io/blog/click-to-whatsapp-ads) Looking to generate more leads using WhatsApp ads?Learn how to create WhatsApp ads and how to manage conversations at scale using advanced features like AI and automation. Looking to generate more leads using WhatsApp ads to take your [WhatsApp marketing efforts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing)? This first-hand guide explains WhatsApp ads, why they are useful for lead generation and WhatsApp advertising benefits by industry. We’ll also walk you through setting it up using the WhatsApp Business App and Meta Ads Manager and how to manage WhatsApp ad conversations intelligently using respond.io. ### What Are WhatsApp Ads? WhatsApp ads are advertisements on Facebook and Instagram with a *Send message* button that directs potential customers to chat with a business on WhatsApp. Note that they are not ads on WhatsApp, as Meta has not allowed advertising on WhatsApp. Ads that click to WhatsApp ads can be shown in various places on Facebook and Instagram, including Facebook Stories, News Feed, Marketplace, Video Feeds, Right Column, Messenger Inbox, Instagram Feed and Instagram Stories. Let’s look at how they work below. #### WhatsApp Ad: How Does it Work? When leads click on the ad on their phone, they are taken directly to their WhatsApp app inbox to start a conversation with your business. Conversations initiated through a WhatsApp ad come with a pre-filled message stating, *I saw this on Facebook*, which can be edited or removed, along with a link to the ad. Leads may also opt to send a custom message instead. Most importantly, these conversations become visible to businesses only after leads have sent a message, indicating their consent and interest– also known as [opt-in](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in). Once leads have opted in, you can message them back with qualifying questions. Since the lead has taken the first step to message you and is at the peak of interest, replying immediately maximizes the opportunity for conversion. For businesses unable to have someone available at all times, connecting WhatsApp to an [AI-powered customer conversation management software](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) offers a solution by enabling automatic lead capture and qualification. More on this later. Despite the need for having agents ready to engage, Ads that click to WhatsApp offer significant benefits over traditional lead-generation efforts. Read on to find out why you should use WhatsApp Ads for lead generation. #### WhatsApp Ad: Why Use WhatsApp Ads? WhatsApp is the world’s [most popular messaging app](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business#toc-mobile-1). Although WhatsApp Ads are not placed directly on WhatsApp, they leverage the extensive reach of Facebook and Instagram, offering leads a flexible way to initiate chats with businesses on their preferred app. This approach is a significant shift from traditional B2B advertising, which often relies on ads that funnel leads to a contact form to gather emails or phone numbers. This method is prone to high drop-off rates due to lengthy forms and privacy concerns, not to mention the risk of inaccurate contact details leading to lost follow-up opportunities. WhatsApp Ads address these challenges by eliminating the need for a contact form, thereby enhancing lead capture accuracy and reducing drop-off rates. Conversations start directly in WhatsApp, creating a more engaging, fast-paced communication environment. This immediacy is critical when chatting with leads ready to make decisions, as it gives businesses a direct influence on their choices at critical moments. Furthermore, the instant nature of messaging on apps like WhatsApp leads to quick replies, enhancing the lead progression through the sales funnel. This is significantly faster compared to the slow response times often seen in traditional email-based campaigns. Now that you know why you should leverage WhatsApp ads, we’ll show you how to set up a WhatsApp ad. ### WhatsApp Advertising: Setting Up a WhatsApp Ad You can create click to WhatsApp ads in one of two ways: through the WhatsApp Business App or Meta Ads Manager. Before setting up a click to WhatsApp ad, you need to: - Make sure you have a WhatsApp Business Account, preferably WhatsApp API for advanced capabilities - Connect your WhatsApp account to your Facebook Page - Make sure you’re an admin of the Facebook Page Then, follow the instructions below to set up your ad. First, we’ll show you how to create ads on the WhatsApp Business App, then Meta Ads Manager. #### How to Create a WhatsApp Ad on The WhatsApp Business App If you’re using an Android phone in select regions, you can create [WhatsApp ads without a Facebook Page](https://faq.whatsapp.com/512723604104492) using your email address. Similar to creating ads with a Facebook account, these ads will appear on Facebook and Instagram. To create an ad on the WhatsApp Business app with a Facebook account, follow the steps below. **1\. Tap** *Advertise* in the Settings tab of your WhatsApp Business App **2\. Select** a photo from your gallery or phone, catalog item or status to advertise. Note that while you can advertise multiple photos and catalog items at a time, the items you want to advertise must be approved. **3\. Tap** *Continue to Facebook.* **4\. Insert** Ad text and set your audience, ad placement, daily budget and duration. **5\. Add** payment method and information. Then complete payment for the ad. **6\. Review** the Ad and tap *Create Ad.* Once approved, your ad will be placed on the channel you’ve selected. Now that you know how to set up WhatsApp ads on WhatsApp Business App, we’ll show you how to create ads on Meta Ads Manager. #### How to Set Up a WhatsApp Ad on Meta Ads Manager To create ads that click to WhatsApp from Meta Ads Manager, go to [Ad creation](https://business.facebook.com/ads/manage/powereditor/creation) within the Ads Manager. **1\. Choose** *Engagement* as your WhatsApp advertising campaign objective. **2\. Edit** the campaign name and select a category in the [Special Ad](https://en-gb.facebook.com/business/help/298000447747885#:~:text=Special%20Ad%20Categories%20apply%20to,social%20issues%2C%20elections%20or%20politics) categories to declare if your ads are related to credit, employment or housing or about social issues like elections or politics. You may also set up an A/B test to understand which ad strategies give you the best long-term results. This will save you money, as you’ll avoid spending your budget on low-performance ads. Then, click *Next.* **3.** **Choose** *Messaging apps* as your conversion location. This will drive traffic to Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. **4\. Select** a Facebook Page you want to create the ad for. Then, choose the channel you want to direct chats to. Note that you can select multiple messaging channels for each ad. **5\. Set** the ad budget, schedule, audience and placements. Then, click *Next*. **6\. Select** the *Create Ad* option under Ad setup to create a new advertisement. Then, choose the ad format to structure your ad. You can opt for a single image or video. Alternatively, create a carousel ad with 2 or more scrollable images. **7\. Add** images or video for your ad. The media you add will be automatically cropped but you can manually edit them. Note that visuals play a crucial role in digital advertising. They should grab viewers' attention [within the first three seconds](https://www.kingstarmedia.com/our-blog/why-first-three-seconds-digital-video-ads-are-most-important#:~:text=catch%20consumer%20attention.-,The%20Three%2DSecond%20Rule,you%20risk%20losing%20them%20completely.) to ensure your ad doesn't get overlooked. **8\. Insert** the primary text, write a short headline and add an optional description to tell your audience what the ad is about. **9\. Create** a message template based on your goals. To greet customers with a welcome message and display a list of FAQs, use the *Start Conversation* template. To collect information for lead qualification, appointment booking and more, use the *Automated chat* template. **10\. Add** a reference to track where your leads are coming from. Use the format ref=*yourreference*. You should use a unique reference for each campaign. Once you're satisfied with the ad content and setup, click Publish to launch the ad. ##### Meta Advertisement Review Process According to Ahmed Nassar, respond.io’s Technical Product Manager, Meta's advertisement review process involves rigorous evaluation to ensure they adhere to [Meta's guidelines](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/488043719226449?id=434838534925385). Advertisers should avoid promoting items prohibited under these policies, as non-compliance will lead to the discontinuation of the ad. Now that you have your ad in place, make sure you’re using the right solution to handle all the new leads. To manage conversations at scale and generate revenue with WhatsApp, [get a WhatsApp API account](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api) and connect it to a robust software like respond.io. Before that, let’s look at how WhatsApp Ads can benefit certain industries. ### WhatsApp Advertising: Industry-Specific Benefits Companies across various sectors have seen advantages from using click to WhatsApp ads. Below, we’ll look at some ways four industries can benefit from WhatsApp Ads. #### Click to WhatsApp Ads for Education Facebook and Instagram, popular across age groups, enable educational institutions to reach a broad audience effectively. Leveraging WhatsApp ad audience segmentation capabilities, institutions can connect their diverse offerings with the right demographic. For example, universities can target young adults for undergraduate programs. #### Click to WhatsApp Ads for Healthcare and Beauty WhatsApp advertising empowers healthcare and beauty businesses to boost lead conversion by streamlining service promotion and enabling instant consultations and appointment bookings directly through WhatsApp. This approach allows businesses to capture and convert leads faster by facilitating immediate actions with minimal human intervention, thus streamlining the customer journey from the first point of contact to booking. #### Click to WhatsApp Ads for Real Estate Real estate agents can use WhatsApp ads to advertise their latest properties and quickly connect with interested parties. They can use WhatsApp to respond promptly to inquiries, offer virtual property tours or schedule in-person visits. This reduces the time from initial interest to action, helping agents convert leads into appointments and, ultimately, sales more effectively. #### Click to WhatsApp Ads for Automotive Automotive enterprises can leverage WhatsApp ads for various strategic purposes. Once potential customers initiate contact, dealerships can provide comprehensive details regarding vehicle models, their availability, pricing and financing alternatives. For businesses looking to leverage WhatsApp ads, Ahmed Nassar, a Technical Product Manager at respond.io, emphasizes a crucial strategy that can be applied across all industries: "It's essential to start with a clear business objective and craft a tailored workflow to reach that goal. This workflow might need adjustments based on specific factors like your target audience or geographical location. However, with the precision of A/B testing, it’s possible to refine your approach and secure campaign success." ### Taking WhatsApp Ad to the Next Level with Respond.io Respond.io is an AI-powered customer conversation management software provider that aims to help businesses generate leads and enable sales conversions through conversations. It has successfully helped businesses worldwide [gain more qualified leads](https://respond.io/blog/how-sleek-gained-3x-more-qualified-leads-over-whatsapp), [improve sales conversions](https://respond.io/blog/how-lamarsa-coffee-used-chat-commerce-to-boost-sales-across-6-countries-by-50) and [achieve a high degree of customer satisfaction](https://respond.io/blog/how-sharwa-designed-a-communication-strategy-that-achieved-85-in-csat-scores). Below, we’ll explore five quick wins of using WhatsApp Ads with respond.io. Moreover, unlike other BSPs such as [SleekFlow](https://respond.io/sleekflow-alternative), respond.io includes a native lead management feature called [Lifecycle](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle), which helps you easily track where each customer is in the sales funnel. This gives teams better visibility and control over lead progression without relying on external CRM tools or manual tracking. You can mark them as New Lead, Hot Lead, Payment or Customer and see exactly how far your ad leads get. #### Capture Leads through Click to Chat Ads Facebook and Instagram are excellent platforms for promoting your business and engaging with your audience. Given that your customers spend time daily on these platforms, they offer many opportunities to market your brand and generate leads. Now, imagine not only reaching out on these platforms but also seamlessly continuing the conversation on WhatsApp—the most convenient chat app for both you and your customers. This is the essence of [WhatsApp click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads). To maximize your ROI, incorporate your WhatsApp click-to-chat ads with respond.io. This will allow you to craft personalized customer journeys for leads that engage with your ads. #### Track WhatsApp Ad Conversions with Paid Ads Attribution Running WhatsApp Click-to-Chat Ads is just the first step—knowing which ads actually convert is what drives growth. With respond.io, you can now go beyond basic click tracking and gain full visibility into which ads bring in high-quality leads and how those leads move through your sales funnel. Use the Reports module to view Paid Ads attribution data in both Contacts and Lifecycle reports, so you can see which WhatsApp ad campaigns bring in leads that actually move from New Lead to Paying Customer. You’ll be able to: - Filter and group leads by Ad Campaign, Ad Group, or specific Ad - Track lead progress from first contact to Paying Customer - Spot which campaigns generate the best return on ad spend (ROAS) No more guesswork or spreadsheets—just clear, actionable insights to optimize your WhatsApp ad performance and drive better results. #### Go Further with Meta Conversions API Paid Ads Attribution shows you which WhatsApp Ads lead to conversations and customers. To take it further, the [Meta Conversions API (CAPI)](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-send-conversions-api-event) gives Meta even stronger signals about what happens after someone clicks your ad and starts chatting. For example, if a contact starts a chat from Campaign A and later moves to the Customer stage in Lifecycle, respond.io can send that purchase event back to Meta. Meta then learns that Campaign A tends to produce paying customers, not just cheap clicks. Through respond.io, you can send events like a new lead created or a purchase made directly to Meta. This allows: - Better attribution: Tie your campaigns to real results, not just conversations. - Smarter optimization: Meta uses the data to prioritize the ads most likely to convert. With respond.io and CAPI, you’re not just tracking what happened — you’re actively improving how Meta delivers your ads to maximize ROI. In fact, real customers are actively reaping the benefits and are seeing meaningful lifts. JU Productions cut its [cost per qualified lead by 47.2%](https://respond.io/customers/ju-productions-chose-respond-io-over-manychat), and Automax® recorded a [10% increase in conversions after enabling CAPI](https://respond.io/customers/automax-boosts-roi-from-whatsapp-broadcasts). #### Automate Appointment Booking Businesses reliant on appointment scheduling can significantly save agents time by automating the booking process. You can use respond.io Workflows to [integrate WhatsApp with the calendar app](https://help.respond.io/capture-conversations/streamline-meeting-scheduling-via-ctc-ads) your sales team uses. #### Collect Lead Information and Answer Questions with AI Agent When someone taps your WhatsApp ad, you have a very short window to qualify them before they move on. Responding to leads promptly increases your chance of converting them into sales. However, most companies don’t have the resources to handle high volumes of conversation. This is where automation and AI come in. With Respond.io [AI Agents](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai), businesses get much more than simple chatbots. From the moment a lead comes in from a WhatsApp ad, the AI Agent can greet them, ask qualifying questions and guide them to the next step. These AI Agents are fully autonomous — they handle complex conversations, draw from your knowledge sources, [collect structured lead details](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai) (like names, emails, preferences, or intent) and [trigger actions in Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai). They can also update Lifecycle stages in real time, so your sales and marketing teams always know where a lead stands. When conversations go beyond the AI Agent’s scope, or when a customer specifically requests human help, they automatically escalate to the right agent — ensuring smooth handovers without frustrating the customer. Once an issue is resolved, AI Agents can close the conversation to prevent inbox clutter, and they generate concise conversation summaries so human agents have full context for follow-ups. You can even test AI Agents before launching them. With the built-in Test AI Agent side panel, you can chat with the agent, reset threads, view or edit contact fields, and simulate key actions like assigning to users or teams, updating lifecycle stages, or closing conversations. This makes go-live safer and faster by helping you validate prompts, refine behavior and catch misconfigurations early. #### Converse Intelligently with AI Assist and AI Prompts With respond.io, agents don’t have to put in too much effort or spend too much time replying to leads, as they can use [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) to generate responses to customer messages automatically. With just a click, the AI crafts replies based on the [knowledge sources](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai#knowledge_sources) you provide, ensuring each response is relevant and contextually appropriate. Additionally, with [AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai), agents can effortlessly translate messages into over 90 languages, ensuring effective communication across borders. They can also make messages more precise by adjusting the tone and correcting spelling and grammar mistakes. By using these tools to create great experiences, you increase the likelihood of conversions. #### Reengage Leads Anytime with Message Templates So you’ve captured a lead and added them to your WhatsApp contact list. What’s next? Instead of waiting for contacts to message you, you can proactively engage them. WhatsApp allows WhatsApp API users to initiate conversations with contacts, but these can only be done with a [message template](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message). Message templates have to be pre-approved by WhatsApp before they can be used. As a WhatsApp partner, respond.io allows you to [create](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-message-templates#setting_up_whats_app_message_template) and [submit your message templates for approval](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start#submitting_message_templates), and manage all your WhatsApp message templates on the platform. Respond.io maximizes the potential of WhatsApp ads, helping you generate leads and quickly move them down your sales funnel. By capturing leads while their interest is high, you increase the chances of converting them into customers. With respond.io you can also take advantage of other helpful features, such as [WhatsApp broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast), [WhatsApp schedule message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) and even [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply). Once they become customers, you can provide exceptional service to foster customer loyalty and drive business growth. Interested? Sign up for a [free respond.io trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and [get access to the official WhatsApp API](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) in just minutes. ### Further Reading Did you find this article helpful? If so, here are some readings on WhatsApp for Business. - Everything You Need to Know About WhatsApp API Pricing - Using WhatsApp Business for Multiple Users - How to Use Respond.io with a WhatsApp Integration: WhatsApp CRM ## [Google Business Messages: The Ultimate Guide ](https:/respond.io/blog/google-business-messages) Google Business Messages is a unique messaging channel that allows you to chat with customers who find your Google Business Profile on Google. We tell you everything in this article. > On **July 31, 2024**, [Google will deprecate Google Business Messages (GBM)](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/business-messages/resources/release-notes/update-on-gbm), ending the ability to send or receive messages. At [respond.io](http://respond.io/), we’re committed to keeping you connected with your customers. With GBM being phased out, now is the perfect time to transition to alternative channels like the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) to keep your customer conversations going. Learn more about making the switch [here](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). Did you know Google has its own business communication service for Google Business Profile? Whether you’re a small business owner or a large corporation, Google Business Messages is a valuable tool to enhance your online presence and improve customer engagement. In this ultimate guide, we’ll dive into the benefits of using Google Business Messages, how it works, and best practices to follow. ### What is Google Business Messages? Google Business Messages is a free online messaging service used by businesses to chat with customers who contact them from a variety of Google entry points. It allows customers to start a chat with you just by searching for your business on Google. What’s more, customers don’t need to know your business name to discover and message you. They could search for your product or service category and find you in their search results, which helps widen your audience. Because starting a conversation is so easy, Google Business Messages can increase customer satisfaction, as new and existing customers can reach your business without hassle. Google Business Messages was released in 2017 under the name Google My Business Messaging. This was the messaging service of Google My Business, a tool for businesses to manage their presence on Google. This changed in March 2019. SMS messaging was removed and two new products were released: Google My Business mobile app for small businesses and [Google My Business Message API](https://www.blog.google/products/maps/now-sending-business-messages-google-maps-and-search/) for large companies that want to integrate the channel into their tech stack. In early 2022, Google My Business was replaced by Google Business Profile — the equivalent of a Google Business account. Thus, the [Google My Business app was deprecated](https://support.google.com/business/answer/11402083?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid) together with the [Google My Business APIs](https://developers.google.com/my-business/content/sunset-dates). The messaging service was renamed Google Business Messages, accessible on desktop and mobile. In addition, the [Google Business Profile API](https://developers.google.com/my-business) was released to integrate the feature with third-party software. Next, we’ll discuss Google Business Messages’ popularity. #### Google Business Messages: Key Markets Today, Google owns more than [90% of the world's search engine market share](https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share), making it the [top web browser in most countries](https://www.similarweb.com/browsers/). This isn’t an emerging trend — it has been this way for roughly two decades. Only a select few countries don’t have access to Google, China being one of them. And although Safari is the preferred choice in the US and Japan, Google is a close second in both countries. Google’s massive reach is definitely its best asset. Because of this, a [high-ranking Google Business Profile](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en) can potentially receive plenty of monthly customer inquiries via Google Business Messages. As you can see, Google Business Messages has the upper hand compared to other messaging channels that simply can’t compete with the visibility Google offers. If you believe in the potential of a messaging channel powered by the world’s #1 search engine, keep reading. We’ll explain some points to keep in mind before you start using Google Business Messages. ### Google Business Messages: Account Overview As you may know, Google Business Messages is not a standalone app like WhatsApp or Telegram. It’s a messaging service for businesses with a Business Profile on Google. As with most business messaging accounts, Google has a set of rules to prevent businesses from spamming customers. In this section, you’ll get to know these rules, as well as which inbox you should use to send and receive messages with Google Business Messages. #### What You Should Know For starters, Google encourages businesses to [reply in less than 24 hours](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9114771?visit_id=638088438240959794-3757773868&p=messaging_desktop&rd=1#zippy=%2Cfind-your-messages-in-search%2Cwhat-happens-when-chat-is-enabled%2Chow-do-i-keep-the-chat-button-active-on-google%2Care-there-any-limitations-when-setting-up-the-faqs-messages%2Care-there-any-messages-not-used-to-calculate-response-time-and-rate%2Chow-do-i-reactivate-my-chat%2Chow-is-response-rate-calculated%2Chow-is-response-time-calculated). Failing to do so will get your Message button disabled, although you can manually enable it again from your Google Business Profile dashboard. In the next section, we’ll discuss the different messaging inbox options available to manage conversations with customers. #### Google Business Messages Inbox versus a Third-Party Inbox Businesses can use one of the following Google Business Messages inboxes to read and respond to messages: The Google Business Profile inbox or a third-party inbox connected to the [Google Business Messages API](https://developers.google.com/my-business/content/overview). The Google Business Profile inbox is located in your Google Business Profile dashboard. It’s free to use and accessible on desktop and Android and iOS phones. This inbox supports [multiple owners and managers](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3403100) who can chat with customers via Google Business Messages. Google Business Profile owners are the ones in charge of adding and removing owners and managers. Despite having multi-agent support, this inbox is surprisingly simplistic. It lacks basic organizational tools like tags or labels for segmentation, and its automation possibilities are limited to [welcome messages](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9114771?hl=en&ref_topic=11498412#zippy=:~:text=Welcome%20messages%20in%20Search) and [FAQ menus](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9114771?hl=en&ref_topic=11498412#zippy=:~:text=Set%20up%20Frequently%20Asked%20Questions%20(FAQ)). For example, businesses won’t be able to build chat routing and automatic assignment strategies with it. Instead, agents have to manually pick conversations as they pop up. These features are sufficient for managing low conversation volumes, making this inbox suitable only for small businesses. SMEs and enterprises need a scalable solution to handle large conversation volumes systematically. Ideally, they should use the Google Business Messages API. As it’s just an API and doesn’t have an interface, businesses must [connect it](https://help.respond.io/channels/google-business-messages#preparing_to_connect_google_business_messages) to customer conversation management software like respond.io to send and receive messages. Regardless of your inbox choice, you’ll first have to set up Google Business Messages. We’ll show you how in the next section. ### How to Set Up Google Business Messages If you own a Google Business Profile, you might have already set up Google Business Messages, as this can be done during the [Google Business Profile application process](https://www.google.com/intl/en_my/business/). If don’t have access to the service yet, don’t fret. In this section, we’ll show you how to set up Google Business Messages during the aforementioned application process as well as from the Google Business Profile dashboard. #### Set up Google Business Messages During the Google Business Profile Application To create a Google Business Profile, you need a personal account. Assuming you already own one, follow these steps to create a Google Business Profile. **1\. Go** to the [Google Business application website](https://business.google.com/create?omec=EP-3lBcYASIBATIBAUABShMImbSI7s_x_AIVJAIZAB1mMgo4). **3\. Verify** your Google Business Profile. You can get your verification code via SMS or automated voice call. **4\. Add** messaging. Simply leave the *Accept Messages* toggle bar on to have access to Google Business messaging after the application process. Then, you’ll be asked to provide some optional secondary business information such as a business description, business hours and images of your business. You should consider filling this in to give your brand credibility and make it more appealing to customers. After completing these steps, you’ll be redirected to your Google Business Profile dashboard, where you can further customize your business information or start replying to Google Business Messages. Do you own a Google Business Profile but still don’t have access to Google Business Messages? Continue reading to learn how to fix that. #### Set Up Google Business Messages From the Google Business Profile Dashboard Businesses can set up Google Business Messages from the Google Business Profile dashboard too. [Access your Google Business Profile](https://support.google.com/business/answer/145585?hl=en) by searching for the phrase “my business” or your business name on Google Search or Google Maps. Google Business Profiles are accessible on phones and desktops, so we’ll show you how to check Google Business Messager from both devices. From a phone: 1. Access your Google Business Profile. 2. Tap Customers. 3. Tap Messages. 4. Select Turn on chat. From a desktop: **1\. Access** your Google Business Profile. **2\. Click** *Messages.* **3\. Select** *Turn on chat.* Now that you’ve successfully enabled Google Business messaging, you can choose to stick with the free native inbox and start chatting immediately or [connect the Google Business Messages API](https://help.respond.io/channels/google-business-messages) to a customer conversation management software like respond.io. Next, we’ve outlined some best practices for starting a chat and replying to messages. ### Google Business Messages Best Practices To use Google Business Messages to its full extent, you should be familiar with how customers can start a chat with your business, and how you can read and reply to customer messages. #### Help Customers Find You: Google Business Messages Entry Points Entry points are touchpoints that customers can use to start conversations with your business through Google Business Messages. There are multiple entry points for different stages of the customer journey. For instance, the Maps entry point is for customers looking for any relevant business in their vicinity, whereas a Google Business Messages chat widget is for customers who are already on a business’ website. Customers can only access entry points through iPhone or Android devices. In addition, customers must have the Google Maps app installed to unlock the *Chat* button on any entry point and chat with businesses. Next, we’ll explain location-based, non-local and brand-managed entry points. ##### Location-based Entry Points Location-based entry points rely on locations. They are beneficial for businesses to help new customers in the area discover them. Customers will find a *Chat* button when their search displays multiple businesses in a certain area (Local Pack), when they find your business listing on Google Maps or when they find your location via Google Search. They just need to press the *Chat* button to automatically open a conversation with you. Respond.io supports location-based entry points. Make sure you have [enabled them](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/business-messages/guides/concepts/entry-point#location) before integrating them with respond.io or any other third-party application. ##### **Non-local Entry Points** Unlike Google Business Messages’ location entry points, non-local entry points aren’t location-reliant. They are used by customers who use Google Search to find your business. Customers may use this type of entry point when they discover you through Search ads, site links or featured snippets about the business in Google Search. Upon searching for your business, a chat button will be available for users to instantly chat with you. Here’s [how to enable non-local entry points.](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/business-messages/guides/concepts/entry-point#non-local) At the moment, respond.io does not integrate with non-local entry points. If that’s something you’d like to see in the future, [request this feature here](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request/p/google-business-messages-support-launching-agent-with-non-local-entry-point-grou). ##### **Brand-managed Entry Points** Businesses can enable brand-managed entry points for Google Business Messages on digital properties that they manage or own. Brand-managed entry points enable conversations from embedded URLs, links or websites, as well as chat widgets that you integrate with a website. They are used by customers who message a business directly on its website. Once you’ve [enabled brand-managed entry points](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/business-messages/guides/concepts/entry-point#brand), you can [create a Google Business Messages chat widget](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets) with respond.io and add it to your site. As you can see, there’s a lot to say when it comes to setting up Google Business Messages entry points. However, replying to customer messages is quite straightforward. #### How to Message Customers Anytime a customer messages you, you’ll receive a notification on your Google Business Profile inbox and a push notification on your phone. We’ll show you how to reply to customers next. The easiest way to reply to a customer’s message is by tapping the push notification, as you’ll be redirected to the chat. If you wish to visit the inbox any other time, you can get there in several ways. Start by opening your Google Business Profile dashboard. From a desktop, click *View Profile* > *Messages*. From a phone, tap on your business name > *Customers* > *Messages*. Alternatively, open Google Maps and enter your business name and city in the search bar. From a desktop, click on *Manage your Business Profile*. Then, click on *Messages*. From a phone, tap on your Google Business Profile. Then, select *Customers* > *Messages*. If you’ve followed any of the steps above, you’ll now have access to the Google Business Profile inbox. In addition to text messages, both businesses and customers can send photos from their cameras or image galleries. ##### Google Business Messages: 1:1 Messaging Fortunately, Google Business messaging supports read receipts for both customers and businesses to indicate if a message has been read after being delivered. Here are some tips to make the most of this one-on-one communication. Firstly, respond promptly to inquiries. Google Business Profile provides average first response times for customers to see how long you take to reply. Keeping a good average first response time can help promote trust and engagement. Next, consider creating [automated welcome messages](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9114771?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid#zippy=%2Cwelcome-messages-in-google-maps) and [FAQ menus](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9114771?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid#zippy=%2Cset-up-frequently-asked-questions-faq) so customers feel heard and can get answers to common questions quickly for a great customer experience. ##### Google Business Messages: Broadcast & Group Messaging At the moment, Google Business Messages doesn’t support group messaging. It’s not an optimal messaging channel for broadcasts either, as the 30-day messaging window can’t be overcome. For that reason, targeting segmented audiences with bulk messages is not always possible on this channel. If you’re unsure whether this service is for you, the final section will help you decide. ### Should You Use Google Business Messages? This messaging service has great potential due to strategic customer entry points like Google Search and Google Maps. Not to mention, Google has an enormous global user base. As the preferred search engine worldwide, it offers unmatched visibility. Stores with a physical location should definitely apply for a Google Business Profile and enable Google Business Messages. It’s an additional messaging channel that can be useful to help new customers in the area discover you. Businesses without physical locations can’t enable location-based entry points. However, non-local and brand-managed entry points can still bring value to some businesses. Unfortunately, the Google Business Messages inbox doesn’t seem like a tool designed for medium and large-sized businesses. You can overcome this inbox’s limitations by connecting Google Business Messages to an omnichannel messaging customer conversation software like respond.io, along with other messaging channels such as [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) or [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business). Embracing an omnichannel strategy can significantly increase your message volume from various platforms. To manage these conversations efficiently and maintain consistent information delivery, consider utilizing respond.io's [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/automate-conversations/ai-agent-integration-round-the-clock-engagement-efficiency). This tool is adept at handling low-value interactions, thereby reducing the workload on your agents and streamlining your communication process. On top of messaging, businesses use respond.io to [build complex automation](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview), [monitor agent performance](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview), [integrate their CRMs](https://help.respond.io/integrations/developer-api) and more. To get started, [sign up for a respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and connect [Google Business Messages API](https://help.respond.io/channels/google-business-messages#preparing_to_connect_google_business_messages). ### Further Reading If you’ve found this article interesting, here are some additional readings you may like: - Best Messaging Apps for Business - Everything You Need to Know About Omnichannel Widget - WhatsApp Business API Pricing: The Ultimate Guide ## [Google My Business WhatsApp Contact Link: A How-To Guide [Feb 2025]](https:/respond.io/blog/google-my-business-whatsapp) Want to increase engagement on your business profile? A Google My Business WhatsApp contact link helps you do that! Read on to learn how to add WhatsApp in Google My Business. A Google Business Profile is a great way to promote your local business and engage customers. Are you taking full advantage of it? If you have a [Google My Business](https://respond.io/blog/what-is-google-my-business) listing and your customers frequently use WhatsApp, we’ll show you how to add a WhatsApp link to Google My Business and drive more conversations. To start, let’s look at how customers can communicate with businesses through Google My Business, what types of businesses should connect WhatsApp to Google My Business and the benefits of adding a WhatsApp contact link. ### Connecting WhatsApp to Google My Business: An Introduction WhatsApp is among the [top messaging apps in the world](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-1) with over 2 billion users, so it’s likely the majority of your customers are using it. It’s becoming increasingly common for businesses to [use instant messaging to connect with customers](https://respond.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business#toc-mobile-9). And since many customers find businesses through Google Search, it makes sense to add a contact link there. It’s easy to do this by activating online booking or appointments in the Home section of Google My Business. Then you just need to create and insert your WhatsApp link. We’ll explain how to do this step-by-step later. ### Three Methods for Customers to Connect on Google My Business There are several methods to get customers to engage with your business—via phone calls, Google My Business Messaging and booking or appointment links (this is where you can add your WhatsApp link). Let’s look at how these work and which options might be best for your business. #### 1\. Click-to-Call Link Google My Business allows you to include click-to-call links in the form of a call button at the top of the profile, and a clickable listed phone number. However, most people [prefer messaging to calling](https://respond.io/blog/business-messaging#toc-mobile-1), so you’re missing out if you don’t provide a messaging option. #### 2\. Chat Through SMS and WhatsApp Click-to-chat Link Google now allows businesses to chat with customers on [SMS or a WhatsApp click-to-chat link](https://support.google.com/business/answer/15013580?hl=en#zippy=%2Ccan-i-add-the-same-whatsapp-url-to-multiple-business-profiles). Now potential customers that come across your Google My Business page can directly contact you. #### 3\. Booking/Appointment Links This is the method that we’ll cover in detail. Business owners can add a custom link (including a [WhatsApp link](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link)) so customers can reach them. The link may appear in different places on the Google My Business page, depending on your business type. To increase engagement, it’s ideal to set up all three—call, Google My Business Messaging and a WhatsApp link. The one that works best for you will be the one your customers use most, and that varies from business to business. ### Which Businesses Should Connect WhatsApp to Google My Business? So is a WhatsApp link helpful for your business? It’s best for local businesses as Google My Business pages appear in results when customers nearby are searching for a related business. If customers are finding you through Google My Business, it’s worth adding a WhatsApp link as an additional method of contact. You can capture high intent audience and convert them through chats. It can also be used in a support use case. [As the most popular messaging app](https://www.statista.com/statistics/258749/most-popular-global-mobile-messenger-apps/) in the world, WhatsApp offers businesses a direct way to engage with customers. In regions like Latin America, the USA, Malaysia, and Singapore, businesses across industries including retail, education, healthcare, automotive should connect WhatsApp to Google My Business. This integration streamlines communication, making it easier for customers to reach out and businesses to provide timely responses, boosting customer satisfaction and business growth #### Benefits of Adding a WhatsApp Contact Link to Google My Business Here are a few reasons why you should add a WhatsApp link to your Google My Business Page. ##### Familiarity Allows customers to use a channel they’re familiar with. If your customers’ primary method of communication is WhatsApp, they’ll be more likely to message you if you provide this option. ##### Boosts Ranking It can help boost your [business page’s ranking on Google](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en#zippy=%2Center-complete-data%2Cprominence). The more complete your business information is and the more people engage with your profile, the more likely it is to rank highly. ##### Engagement It provides further opportunities to directly engage with customers. Just like with Google My Business Messaging, you’ll have 24 hours to respond to messages. However, WhatsApp requires you to ask customers to [opt-in to receive updates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-15) outside the 24-hour window. ##### Direct Inbox If you have [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), connect it to a central messaging platform like respond.io. You can unlock a host of [advanced messaging features](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm#toc-mobile-4) including [multiple-agent access](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users#toc-mobile-7) and [automated Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/november-2021-release-workflows-module-and-send-message-templates-via-messages-api#toc-mobile-0). ### How to Add WhatsApp in Google My Business In this section, we’ll take you step-by-step through the process of setting up a WhatsApp link in Google My Business. It’s simple and straightforward, requiring just a few minutes of your time. Here’s what to do to get customers to contact you. 1\. **Get** a [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) link or a [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) link. If your customers frequently contact you via WhatsApp, you probably already have this. If not, you can get it with this [free link generator](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link). 2\. **Go** to your Google My Business Home page and select Appointments. Depending on the nature of your business, this might also appear as Schedule, Booking or Place an Order. The option won’t be in the same place on every Google My Business Profile, so we’ve included a few examples. 3\. **Insert** your WhatsApp link here. You’re done! Now customers can message you directly on WhatsApp when they click on the appointment, booking or order link. #### Bonus Step: Add a WhatsApp Click-to-chat Link In your Google My Business page, select edit profile, then the *Contact* tab. From here you can add your WhatsApp link. #### Common Issues When Adding a WhatsApp Link to Google My Business While the steps are fairly simple, there are still a few issues you might run into. ##### Not Seeing a Link to Appointments Some business profiles may not automatically have the option to set appointments. You may need to change your primary business category. Try a few to see which one gives you the option. Choose a category that matches the general nature of your business and still allows you to add a link. One example that we tried was the bakery category, which wouldn’t allow a link. Changing the primary category to *restaurant* and leaving *bakery* as a secondary category solves the issue. ##### Adding More Than One Link What if you want to add more than one contact option in the booking or appointments section such as through WhatsApp and a scheduling app? You can do this; Google My Business allows you to add multiple URLs under the same section. ##### Unable to See WhatsApp Click-to-Chat Link If you're on desktop, you won't be able to see the WhatsApp chat option. Currently, it seems that you can only [view it on mobile](https://support.google.com/business/thread/301118894?hl=en&msgid=323149812). Now that you know how to add a WhatsApp Link to Google My Business, we’ll show you a few ways you can use it to better engage with your customers. ### Google My Business WhatsApp Link for Customer Engagement and Support Now that you’ve set up a WhatsApp link on your Google My Business profile, how can you have valuable conversations with your new contacts? If you’re using WhatsApp API, link it to respond.io, so the messages you receive can be viewed by and assigned to relevant teams. #### How to Use It for Marketing [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) campaigns can be built to track engagement with the WhatsApp link on your Google My Business Profile to see how prospects most often contact you. It can also be used to get leads if you ask [prospects for contact information](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-generator-whatsapp-widget) or to opt in to receive regular communication in your [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) [welcome message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message). When they opt in, message them first using a [WhatsApp message template](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message). #### How to Use It for Sales Sales teams can respond directly to product or service inquiries through [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) or [bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) to speed up the [sales process](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales). An informal messaging conversation fosters a personal connection, builds trust and allays concerns so contacts are more willing to make a purchase. Alternatively, sales teams can set [WhatsApp schedule messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) to send appointment reminders to contacts to reduce no-shows and boost revenue. Using the Workflows automation builder on respond.io, you can create a Workflow that [routes customers directly to the sales team](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assigns them to the right salesperson](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) for their inquiry. #### How to Use It for Support When contacts have a question about your product or service, they can send a message through the WhatsApp link. With WhatsApp API and respond.io, the request can be routed to the most relevant person so [customers receive prompt and efficient service](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service). You can also create a Workflow to send out [customer satisfaction](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) surveys at the end of the conversation so you can gauge and improve your overall customer service quality. #### Bonus Tip: Next-Level Engagement Through Respond AI If you maximize your entry points with Google My Business WhatsApp Link and others, you can expect an increase in the number of inbound conversations in your inbox. [Respond AI](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai) will allow your agents to handle all these conversations easily without compromising customer satisfaction. For a start, train your [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/automate-conversations/maximize-customer-service-potential-with-ai-agent) with knowledge sources and [add it to your Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai). This virtual assistant can handle low-value conversations, liberating your agents for more important tasks. To have more control over responses, agents can use [Respond AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai) and [Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) in the [Messages Module](https://help.respond.io/messages/messages-overview). Get a free trial of respond.io today to improve your conversations with your WhatsApp and Google My Business contacts. ### Further Reading To learn more about how to further engage with your prospects and customers using Google My Business and WhatsApp messaging, check out the following: - What Is Google My Business? - Google My Business Messaging: The Ultimate Guide - Ultimate Guide to Instant Messaging for Business ## [Hangouts vs Messenger – How should you be Communicating?](https:/respond.io/blog/hangouts-vs-messenger-how-should-you-be-communicating) Facebook Messenger and Google Hangout are both taking over how we communicate, but as with anything in life, choosing which platform is right for you is never going to take a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach! Facebook Messenger and Google Hangout are both taking over how we communicate, but as with anything in life, choosing which platform is right for you is never going to take a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach! We live in a world where being able to contact others around the clock and from anywhere in the world is increasingly crucial.  It’s therefore unsurprising that people are constantly looking for new ways to streamline and increase the efficiency of how they talk to others in both their personal and professional lives.  A mere messaging platform is no longer acceptable.  People want to be able to do everything from video chats to creating calendar events all in one medium, and Facebook and Google have strived to meet this demand. So what should you use? It’s time for Hangouts vs Messenger! ### Internal Communications #### Messenger Messenger is set up on the phones of [1.3 billion](https://www.statista.com/statistics/417295/facebook-messenger-monthly-active-users/) people worldwide, and for those who have it, it’s likely they’re using it every day, throughout the day, keeping in contact with friends and family.  The frequency with which people use it, combined with its connection to the Facebook social media platform leads to Messenger being perceived as an informal, while comprehensive way to stay in touch.  Somewhat surprisingly, this impression of informality can in some instances be very beneficial for companies using the application for internal communication.  ##### Why it works Employees are far more likely to respond to messages on Messenger out of hours than they would on another format such as email – they’re already on Messenger talking to friends so it is perceived as low effort to quickly send a colleague a response.  You can see if a connection is active, and if they’re not at that time you can see how long it’s been since they last were.  This acts as an incentive for people to respond quickly – no one wants their co-worker (or worse, their boss!) to deem them rude for blatantly ignoring their message. What’s more, because people are so used to using Messenger for their social interactions, the responses they give via the platform are likely to be more candid; it seems far more official to send an email with any issues you may have than to send a quick message.  People are generally comfortable using Messenger, it’s a familiar and easy form of communication.  Messenger is widely used by smaller, non-desk, service-based businesses such as restaurants and shops.  Many of these businesses use part-time workers, who would potentially not check a company email very regularly.  Quite often, workers may need to work ad hoc, coming in at the last minute to help out with a busy shift or for illness cover.  Messenger makes sense for this kind of situation – it’s usual to always have your phone within reach and a notification will be shown for any messages, allowing for a quick response.  Many businesses are restructuring and becoming more collaborative and welcoming of dialogue across all departments and levels; if you want this kind of increased engagement, the format of Messenger is perfect.  With only a few clicks you can create a group conversation with up to 250 other users! The groups are visually friendly and there are read receipts so you can keep track of which members have seen your message and who hasn’t.  For discussing anything from the location of the office Christmas party to when shipments are expected it’s an effective way to keep everyone updated and allow people to have their say.  There are even features enabling you to create polls, create events which people can click attending or not attending on and the option to send files and documents.  In addition, following high demand, Facebook has just introduced a group admin feature – if they choose to an admin can turn on ‘approvals’ which would enable them to individually accept or deny anyone new who is added to the chat.  An admin can also remove people from a chat if needed giving managers that necessary added level of control. ##### Which Companies Won’t It Work For? As previously mentioned, the informal nature of the platform is a plus for companies of certain structures and corporate cultures.  However, depending on the company, informality may not always be appropriate. Messenger is generally best used to communicate with people you have already met, and as such may not be applicable to larger corporations which may consist of many hundreds of employees.  You would need to ‘add’ your colleagues to your contacts which some would argue blurs the lines too much between your work and personal life.  Whilst you could counter that by creating a work only Messenger account, that would reduce the early stated advantages of the anecdotal evidence of people responding out of hours.  It’s also worth considering that using Messenger has the potential to distort the boundaries between people of different levels of authority.  A manager may be considered ‘too nice’ or ‘too approachable’ if you can contact them how you would contact your friends.  Someone can’t effectively lead a team if they’re not taken completely seriously. Whilst the instant messaging component of Messenger is good, the video and voice call features are arguably mediocre.  Calls can consist of up to 50 people, though if you’ve done a video call on Messenger then you’ll know that the image quality is pretty low and often very pixelated.  There is a lag of approximately half a second on both video and voice calls, which isn’t awful but at the same time isn’t super impressive. What’s more, there is often dropouts and connectivity issues. All in all, the feature has potential but there are kinks that need straightening out, and until that time, if you need to make voice and video calls I don’t think that it would be at all realistic to have Messenger as your sole communication app – companies would have to use other platforms to fulfil their need for those services. #### Hangouts Hangouts is already being taken advantage of by a number of businesses, particularly those which are bigger in size.  The platform is an established and respected business tool, which is helpful if you’re trying to enforce a tone of professionalism between co-workers.  Additionally, it isn’t overly common to use Hangouts outside of a business setting so it is good for those wanting to keep their work and personal lives separate. There are two versions of the platform, the free version, and the full version.  The full version of Hangouts is a part of Google Suite which starts at $5.  The free and extended versions have many of the same features, though unsurprisingly many of those features are enhanced on the full version. Really it depends on the size of your company and your communication needs as to whether you need the complete version or not – companies which don’t have large groups in their video conferences, for example, will likely not make adequate use of the enhanced features for it to be worth paying. ##### Why it Works Chats on hangout have a clear, easy to use interface.   You can create chats of up to 100 other users and there are read receipts that show who has read your message and who hasn’t.  It’s great if you want to collaborate and form group decisions.  The chat is also a great option for sending a direct message for one other person – it's quick and easy and many would consider it a less formal, less intense alternative to an email. Hangouts can show you the status of other users, including what device they are using at that moment.  This is great as it means you can be sure you’re not going to annoy someone by disturbing them in the middle of a phone call.  Though of course, if you don’t want people to see what you’re doing, it’s also possible to turn status sharing off! Arguably the most impressive thing about Hangouts is the video conferencing function.  This feature makes it a must-have for any company which has workers in different locations with whom they need to discuss and deliberate. Often with video conferencing, there are problems with people talking over one another and needing high amounts of bandwidth for a call with multiple people.  Hangouts detects who’s talking at any one time and switches the video feed to that person.  Everyone listening then gets transferred down to the thumbnail position until someone new begins to talk.  The result from this is a high-quality feed with low drop-out rates.  Honestly, in the business world of today, you can’t afford to downgrade your video conferencing software if it’s something you regularly use – nothing is going to annoy both employees and clients alike more than constant buffering and having to keep repeating what they say!   For the free service, you can create a conference of up to 10 people, and if you buy the full package you can create one of up to 25.  During a meeting, you and your colleagues can even draw or write on a picture or blank canvas in real-time. Another feature that makes Hangouts ideal for companies with international offices is their voice calls. [Google Voice](https://voice.google.com/u/0/about) is integrated into the platform and enables people to use Hangouts instead of their mobiles to make calls. The rates for Hangouts are actually very reasonable, (potentially better than the rates of your phone network).  It is free for the vast majority of calls to the US and Canada and to other Hangouts users.  Calls to some mobile networks may incur charges and international call rates vary according to country. ##### What Companies Won’t It Work For? Hangouts may not be an appropriate option for certain types of businesses.  Businesses that have more casual and part-time workers, or where workers aren’t doing the typical ‘desk job’ and as such don’t have constant access to a computer, may not check Hangouts as regularly as they would the other mediums which they use to communicate with their friends.  This could be a massive issue, leading to workers being out the loop and missing out on important information about thing such as shift changes. ### Communicating with Customers #### Messenger Messenger is already used by so many companies for customer service. [63% of consumers](https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/facebook-messenger-business-examples) say that their messaging with companies has increased over the past 2 years and that number is expected to carry on growing!  People can go on a company Facebook page and send a message quickly and easily, and as Messenger is a familiar platform for most people and enables people to maintain a distance from the interaction, it is often considered lower effort than to contact a company by another medium such as by phone.  Companies often also incorporate chatbots into their messenger services.  Chatbots are programmed with answers to commonly asked queries and as such a lot of the time are able to help customers instantaneously and out of normal working hours. Chatbots can even pop up in a message the second someone goes on a company Facebook page, asking them if they need any assistance, therefore instantly engaging the customer and starting to build rapport. Messenger can be useful for any consumer-led business no matter what the size. Although obviously, not everyone has the platform, the majority of people do, and users make up pretty much every target demographic or market that you can think of.  For some smaller companies, especially those which purely use social media for marketing, Messenger is the only way of getting in contact if you have a query.  Relying completely on Messenger to address your customer service needs isn’t ideal though; as mentioned before not everyone has it downloaded and as such you may be alienating potential customers. If you’re providing a more ‘professional’ service then unless you have an established personal relationship with a client already, communicating via Messenger is not appropriate. Can you imagine, for example, how uncomfortable you would feel if you hired a lawyer and they communicated with you about your case over Messenger? You would instantly question their legitimacy.  On the other hand, a personal trainer could definitely get away with carrying out all their client communication on Messenger.  It’s in the job title. Personal.  If the service you’re providing is more familiar in nature then Messenger is ideal. #### Hangouts Companies are starting to utilize Hangouts to engage with consumers and promote their brand.  The fashion designer, Diane von Furstenberg is an example which demonstrates just how successful this approach can be.  Furstenberg made history by being the first brand to do a shoppable Google Hangout.  The clothes featured in the video Hangout could be purchased via links along the side which would open up a new window.  Impressively, the promotional trailer which was released only one week before attracted 2.3 million views on YouTube.  Even more impressive is that the Hangout generated an incredible 150 million social media impressions and 65 million press impressions which in turn drove massive amounts of traffic to the designer’s website resulting in an influx in sales.  Engaging with customers via Hangouts in this manner is still not overly common; as such when Hangouts are done and promoted in the right way they garner high amounts of interest.  A Hangout is refreshing and new and advantageous if done well. For companies providing a service such as a consultancy to another mid or large sized company, communicating with clients through Hangouts is positive. This is a slightly superficial point, but Hangouts is an established tool for businesses, and as such, it sets the correct tone of professionalism which you’d want to convey.   It also makes sense logistically, as there is a strong chance that the client will already have a Google account which they can use.  Additionally, as stated before, the conference and call features on Hangouts are second to none making it the ideal tool for meetings with clients in distant locations.  On the other hand, other service providing businesses, particularly those whose clients are members of the public, should probably not use Hangouts to communicate with customers.  Wouldn’t you find it so weird if your beautician sent you a message on Hangouts to schedule your next appointment?  The formality of the platform would seem out of place in the interaction, it just wouldn’t work Companies selling to the mass market aren’t really using Hangouts for customer service which honestly isn’t surprising. Hangouts is generally considered a business tool so it wouldn’t make sense for a company such as ASOS to use it to talk with their customers as it would diminish the ‘coolness’ of their brand.  Furthermore, some groups such as students or the retired may not be familiar with the Hangouts platform – if a company was to introduce Hangouts as a primary way of connecting with customer service there is a potential of alienating these groups which is ultimately bad business. ### Privacy #### Messenger It seems like there’s constantly new stories emerging every week depicting companies mismanaging their customers’ data, so it’s understandable that people are going to be concerned about who their personal details are being shared with. The Cambridge Analytica Scandal is still fresh in people’s minds. [81%](http://uk.businessinsider.com/consumers-dont-trust-facebook-at-all-new-survey-data-2018-4?r=US&IR=T) of people have little or no trust in Facebook to correctly manage their data!  In context, that’s 24% higher than the average consumer distrust of other social platforms like Snapchat and LinkedIn. Being owned by Facebook obviously means that everything you send in a Messenger chat is subject to [scans according to company guidelines](http://www.newsweek.com/messenger-privacy-facebook-scanning-all-your-personal-chats-heres-why-874596).  Every time you send a photo, automated systems scan it using photo-matching technology to detect known child exploitation imagery and when you send a link it’s scanned for malware. Obviously, these scans can never be 100% which means that even if your sending completely innocent content there is a chance that it may still be flagged and a Facebook moderator will check over your message. Facebook does note, however, that this is purely to prevent abusive behaviour and that the content of your messages will never be used to affect what advertising you’re shown.  If privacy is a major concern for you then you can start a ‘secret’ conversation.  This allows you to start conversations with the messages totally encrypted on both sides, allowing complete privacy – no one, not even Facebook or the government can read a secret message so if you have concerns about privacy or are discussing sensitive information this is a great option for you!  You can set a timer if you want to which makes your message destruct after it’s been open for your chosen amount of time.  This feature makes Facebook Messenger a very viable option for businesses that need that additional level of data privacy. #### Hangouts Although Google’s business model revolves around collecting and selling consumer data, the company is widely perceived to handle the data of their consumers with more care than Facebook.  Google Hangouts is encrypted and therefore enables users a level of security.  However, the company has admitted that the [encryption isn’t end to end](https://9to5google.com/2015/05/12/google-hangouts-security/), and as such conversations can be accessed by the company, as in cases such as police investigations.  While that may be considered a drawback, unless you expect Google will have a need to access your records, Hangouts is very secure and very private.  Though if you’re in an industry that receives above normal scrutinies, such as gambling for example, then the lack of end to end encryption may be cause for concern. ### A Summary #### Messenger - Amazing if your business has an informal corporate culture - Group chats make collaboration really easy - Can negatively impact the professionalism of a conversation - Blurs lines between personal and work lives - Video and voice call feature not good enough for business - Great for customer service - Chatbots can be incorporated to make customer service quicker and more efficient - Chatbots can be incorporated to make customer service quicker and more efficient service providing businesses, unless there’s a personal relationship established, shouldn’t use to communicate with clients - Messages subject to Facebook scans - If you’re concerned about privacy, you can send a ‘secret’ messages #### Hangouts - Established business tool – gives the conversation a tone of professionalism - Group chats a great for enabling collaboration - Status sharing means you can avoid the awkwardness of calling someone at a bad time - Likely wouldn’t work for companies with many part-time/casual workers - Really strong for video conferencing and voice calling - Wouldn’t work for customer service - If done well, Hangout ‘events’ can be used to engage customers - Good for service providing companies whose clients are other businesses. Inappropriate for businesses who provide services to members of the public - Encrypted, but not end to end ### Further Reading If you've found this article helpful, consider these other blogs on how Facebook Messenger can boost your business. - Messenger Group Chat: How to Create Group Chat in Messenger - Messenger Marketing: A How-to Guide to Facebook Messenger Marketing - 12 Ways Companies are Using Facebook Messenger for Business ## [Hong Kong startup Rocketbots selected among hundreds for Rise](https:/respond.io/blog/press-hong-kong-startup-rocketbots-selected-among-hundreds-for-rise) Rocketbots was selected to pitch to its peers about it’s new SaaS freemium model in hopes of taking top spot at the annual 2017 Rise competition. Among 600 attending startups from around the world, Rocketbots was selected to pitch to its peers about its new SaaS freemium model in hopes of taking the top spot at the annual 2017 Rise competition. Though not this year’s winner, Rocketbots made a splash among its counterparts by being disruptive in the AI industry. Rocketbots CEO Gerardo Salandra leaves this big tip to any and all would-be future Rise attendees: > *“Think about doing something completely unexpected. Your goal is to stand out from the crowd and playing by the rules won’t get you there. Be controversial but fun, find a way to grab people’s attention so at the afterparty they talk about you. Don’t be afraid to disrupt the disruptors!”.* With over 75 Chatbots under its belt and a SaaS platform that aims to fill in the gaps that Natural Language Processors leave behind, Rocketbots now has the momentum and experience necessary to be disruptive in its field, capturing the attention of its counterparts at Rise this year. Rocketbots’s potential to be a thought leader in an industry that’s in its infancy shows that even startups can make waves even if they don’t take the top prize at Rise. ## [How To Add Facebook Web Chat With GTM](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-customer-chat-gtm) Here's a great tutorial on how to get Facebook Customer Chat to work on Google Tag Manager The Facebook Customer Chat Plugin is an incredible free live chat plugin that put's Facebook Messenger directly on your website. Like traditional live chat vendors, Facebook provides a back end called [Facebook Inbox where your support staff can chat with visitors, users, and customers](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-9). Unlike other live chats though, Facebook lets you message your contacts back, even after they have left your website, they will receive your messages in the Facebook Messenger app. The trouble is you can't install the Facebook Web Chat with Google Tag Manager, or can you? ### Why Facebooks Web Chat Code Doesn't Work With GTM If you want to manage your embed codes using Google Tag Manager or via a Wordpress addon, you’ll find this isn't possible with the Facebook Customer Chat Plugin Code provided by Facebook. The code provided is an HTML snippet, a
that must be pasted on every site page individually. This is a problem if you have 100 pages. The obvious option is add to the Facebook Customer Chat script to Google Tag Manager (GTM). Because the Facebook Customer Chat code requires you to paste the Facebook SDK and the customer chat code, there is no real way to install the Facebook Web Chat with Google Tag Manager (GTM). As the Facebook Customer Chat SDK can not work with Google Tag Manger (GTM). You'll need is a way to transform this embed code into a script that can be used with google tag manager. ### How To Install Facebook Web Chat With Google Tag Manager To install the Facebook Customers Chat Plugin on Google Tag Manager (GTM), you'll need the following things: - A Facebook page - A Rocketbots Account - Access to Google Tag Manager for your webpage **1 Log in to the Rocketbots platform** and create a space. You will need a space to connect your Facebook page(s). **2 Select Facebook Messenger**, press next then choose the Facebook Page you would like to connect. **3 Fill in your channel details** and check add Facebook's Customer Chat Widget to your website? **4\. White List Your Domains, Choose a Color** and fill in your advanced settings. The reference code allows you to start a [unique onboarding automation](https://rocketbots.io/blog/onboarding-chat-subscribers/), if the contact comes from the Facebook Customer Chat Plugin. **5\. Copy the Script.** **6\. Insert the script to GTM as a custom HTML Tag.** **7\. Click Done on Rocketbots and check your pages**. Well, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Using the Rocketbots platform you’ll find it much easier, and far more painless to generate a new Facebook Customer Chat code that actually works with GTM and Wordpress add-ons as a Script. Along with the Facebook Customer Chat Plugin, you’ll find that it’s also easier to manage your contacts on the Rocketbots platform. With Rocketbots AI learns from your conversations over Facebook Customer Chat, and the more it learns, the more and more it’ll deliver helpful smart replies, one-click replies that are based on your past answers to similar questions. Let it continue learning and soon the AI can actually start automating your responses. ### Further Reading Getting started with generating leads on Facebook Messenger? Here are some blogs you might find useful: - Facebook Messenger for Business: The Ultimate Guide - How to Generate Leads on Facebook: Explained with Examples - Add Facebook Messenger to Website: A Messenger Widget Guide ## [How to Add Telegram to Website: A How-To Guide ](https:/respond.io/blog/add-telegram-to-website) A Telegram widget for website is a great way to improve the communication with your customers. In this guide, we'll show you how to add Telegram to website step by step. When it comes to customer communication, the first rule is to identify and use your audience’s messaging channel(s) of preference. With a Telegram widget for website, your Telegram contacts will be able to contact you directly from your website at all times. In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to Telegram widgets and show you how to add Telegram to website. ### Introduction [Telegram is a popular messaging app](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-5) in multiple countries, and it keeps growing its monthly active users (MAUs) every year. Hence, there is a chance your audience is already using Telegram to chat or to engage with [Telegram Channels](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-channels) and [Telegram Bots](https://respond.io/blog/best-telegram-bots-list). #### What is a Telegram Widget for Website? Telegram offers customers multiple ways to start a conversation with you. Aside from [in-app search, QR codes and click-to-chat links](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-8), you can also integrate a Telegram widget into your website for visitors to reach out to you. But, what is a Telegram widget and why should you use one? With a Telegram widget, website visitors can conveniently start a conversation with you and find answers to their inquiries in just a few clicks. With respond.io, it’s as simple as clicking on the website chat icon on the bottom right corner of the website and selecting Telegram on the widget header. Aside from desktops, you can also access the widget while using your phone. Talk about convenience! #### Telegram Widget for Website: Benefits With a Telegram widget, it’s easy for Telegram users to reach out to you and continue chatting even after they exit your website. This is not the case for website chat, which requires visitors to remain on the page to send and receive messages. A Telegram widget also provides an additional way to capture leads. A number of your website visitors are considering your product or service, so don’t miss the chance and offer them a way to immediately chat with you over Telegram. Lastly, you’ll improve the quality of your support with real-time conversations. For companies without agents available 24/7, we advise using [Telegram automated replies](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-auto-reply) to manage response time expectations and request essential data for agent follow-up. Now you should be familiar with the pros of having a Telegram chat widget on your website. In the next section, we’ll show you how to set up your Telegram widget using respond.io. ### How to Integrate Telegram on Your Website with Respond.io The process for setting up a Telegram widget is simple and can be done quickly by [following these steps](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets#creating_widget). To get started, navigate to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets*. Then, click *Add Widget* and choose Telegram before clicking *Create Widget*. After that, enter the website(s) where you want to add the chat widget and select the account you want to create a widget for. You can add a pre-filled text or customize the widget’s appearance by clicking on the *Advanced Settings* buttons. Finally, click *Generate Widget*, copy the generated script and install it on your website. If you want to connect with customers across multiple channels, an [omnichannel widget](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) can help. You can also opt to [add a website chat widget to your website](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview). ### What’s next? For businesses with more than one messaging channel, respond.io unifies website chat and messaging channels in a single widget. Hence, visitors can choose between asking their questions via website chat or a messaging channel on the widget header. This is all you need to know about Telegram widget for website. But the possibilities don’t end there. [Respond.io offers](https://help.respond.io/) [multiple solutions](https://help.respond.io/) for seamless customer experience and team management. Do you want to [market](https://respond.io/send-promotions-and-newsletters), [sell](https://respond.io/convert-leads) and [support](https://respond.io/conversational-support) on Telegram with the leading messaging platform? Sign up for a respond.io account today! ### Further Reading Did you find this reading interesting? If so, we suggest you check out the following Telegram articles. - What are Telegram Groups? - What are Telegram Channels? - Telegram Auto Reply: A How-To Guide ## [How to Add WhatsApp Button on Facebook Page ](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-add-whatsapp-button-on-facebook-page) Want to know how to add WhatsApp button to Facebook page? Check out this article where we’ll share the steps to do it. Want to learn how to add a WhatsApp button to your Facebook Page? You’ve come to the right place. In this article, we will outline the benefits of incorporating a WhatsApp button on your Facebook Page, as well as provide step-by-step instructions on how to do this. ### What is a WhatsApp Button? A WhatsApp button is a Facebook Page feature that allows customers to quickly engage businesses through [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), directly from their Facebook Page. When clicked, it opens a new conversation with the business on [WhatsApp Web](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-web) if customers are using their desktop and [WhatsApp App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) on mobile. Adding a WhatsApp button to your Facebook Page makes it effortless for customers to contact your business and potentially take a desired action, such as making a purchase. In the following sections, we'll explore this and other benefits. #### Why Add a WhatsApp Button to Facebook? As [WhatsApp is the most widely used messaging app in the world](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-1), it’s likely that your customers are already using it and may prefer it for quick, real-time communication. Providing an easy and immediate way for customers to reach out and communicate their needs encourages interaction with businesses, which can boost sales and improve customer satisfaction. Connecting your WhatsApp Business account to your Facebook Page also allows you to streamline communication on WhatsApp. This eliminates the need to switch between Facebook and WhatsApp to chat with customers, so your team can respond to and resolve queries in record time. Faster and more responsive interactions improve the overall customer experience, which then encourages customer loyalty and repeat business. In addition, when customers message you on WhatsApp, you’ll get their contact number which can be used to reach out to them in the future via [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#toc-mobile-21) for [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing). WhatsApp’s [24-hour messaging window](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing#toc-mobile-2) is extended to 72 hours when customers message you through a WhatsApp button on Facebook Page. Conversations won’t be charged when users message businesses using this entry point. In addition, all messages exchanged during this 72-hour messaging window are free, including [WhatsApp template messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message). Keep in mind that the conversation that initiates from the ad is free, but not the ad itself. Now that you’ve learned the benefits, find out how you can enable the “Send WhatsApp Message” button on your Facebook Page. ### How to Add WhatsApp Button on Facebook Page Before you can add a WhatsApp button to a Facebook Page, you need to connect your WhatsApp Business account to Facebook. In this section, we’ll show you how to link your [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) or [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) account to your Facebook Page. But before we get started, let’s take a look at the requirements. #### What You Need to Add WhatsApp Business to Facebook Page Here, learn what prerequisites are needed before connecting your WhatsApp Business account to your Facebook Page. Here’s what you need: - A WhatsApp Business account linked to your business phone number - A Facebook Page for your business - The latest versions of Facebook and WhatsApp Business App on your device, if you’re using the WhatsApp app instead of the API Once everything is ready, you can connect WhatsApp to Facebook. We’ll show you how next. #### How to Add WhatsApp Business Account to Facebook Page Connecting your WhatsApp Business account to your Facebook Page is a straightforward process, regardless of whether you’re using the WhatsApp Business App or WhatsApp API. Follow this guide to learn how to easily connect WhatsApp to your Facebook Page. 1\. **Click** *Settings* on your Facebook Page. 2\. **Click** *Linked accounts*. 3\. **Select** *WhatsApp* on the left panel and enter the phone number used for your WhatsApp Business account. Then click *Send WhatsApp Code* to verify your number. You will receive a code on WhatsApp. Enter the code and click *Confirm*. 4\. **Click** *Add Button* to add a WhatsApp button to your Facebook Page for customers to start conversations with you immediately. And that’s everything you need to know on about adding a WhatsApp button on your Facebook Page. Interested in using WhatsApp for your business? [Sign up for a free trial of respond.io](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and [connect your WhatsApp API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-cloud-api#connecting_whats_app_cloud_api) to get started. ### Further Reading Want to know what else WhatsApp can do for your business? Check out these articles: - How to Send Bulk Messages on WhatsApp: A Step-by-Step Guide - WhatsApp CRM Ultimate Guide: Integration, Use Cases and Best Practices - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business ## [How to Add WhatsApp Chat Button on a Website](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-chat-button) Want to know how to use a WhatsApp chat button for your business? This feature provides a quick and easy way for customers to connect with businesses directly through WhatsApp. By using a WhatsApp chat button, businesses can address customer inquiries in real-time, resulting in higher customer satisfaction rates and increased sales. Are you looking to add a WhatsApp chat button to your website? You’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll share what a WhatsApp chat button is and its benefits for businesses. Finally, we’ll share how to leverage the chat button and provide instructions on how to set it up using respond.io. ### What is WhatsApp Chat Button? A WhatsApp chat button is a clickable button that appears on a website, allowing customers to start a conversation with a business on WhatsApp. When a customer clicks on the button, it opens a chat window on their WhatsApp app if they’re using their phones or [WhatsApp Web](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-web) on a desktop, enabling them to send messages to the business. It can be placed anywhere on a website. The button is also easy to install and use, requiring little to no technical knowledge. Next, we’ll share why it’s beneficial for businesses to add one to their websites. #### Benefits of Adding a WhatsApp Chat Button on a Website Today, it’s crucial for businesses to be easily reachable by consumers. Adding a WhatsApp chat button can enhance accessibility, especially in [areas where WhatsApp is widely used](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-1). Here are a few reasons to use a WhatsApp chat buttons to enhance your business communication: - Popular messaging app: WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in the world, with 2.24 billion users worldwide. Your customers likely already using the app, providing you with a ready audience. - Convenient channels for customers: The chat button provides a fast and convenient way for customers to get in touch. This can help improve customer satisfaction, as customers can get the help they need quickly and easily. - Boost brand credibility: By creating a WhatsApp business profile, businesses can increase brand trust and credibility by identifying themselves as legitimate businesses. Now that we’ve learned about some of the key benefits of a WhatsApp chat buttons, we’ll take a look at how businesses can use it for sales and support next. ### 7 Ways to Use a Chat Button with Respond.io Businesses can use WhatsApp chat buttons for [sales](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service) to improve customer engagement, drive sales and provide efficient customer support. Furthermore, it also makes communication easier and improves response times for customer inquiries. Let’s look at some ways you can use a WhatsApp chat button with respond.io to grow your business or build brand loyalty through great customer experiences. #### Engage with Customers in Real Time Firstly, the WhatsApp chat button makes it easy for customers to engage with businesses. With just a click, customers can start a conversation with a business representative in real time, increasing customer satisfaction and building long-lasting relationships. #### Generate Leads Easily WhatsApp is more effective than live chat for lead generation. By obtaining customers' WhatsApp display names and phone numbers, businesses can save the information for remarketing and retargeting, unlike live chat where visitors can remain anonymous. #### Increase Conversions With the chat button, customers can quickly and easily access information about products or services they are interested in. This reduces the time it takes to make a purchase decision, which increases conversion rates and sales. #### Resolve Issues Efficiently Efficient and convenient issue resolution is another benefit. Unlike live chat, customers don't have to remain online to keep the chat going, making WhatsApp a suitable channel for resolving complex problems and improving customer satisfaction. #### Send Multimedia Messages In addition, businesses can leverage the WhatsApp chat button to share multimedia files with customers, such as images and videos. This provides more interactive product and service showcases and helps troubleshoot and resolve issues more effectively. #### Analyze Customer Conversations Subsequently, using WhatsApp with respond.io enables businesses to access customer conversation history for tracking and analysis[.](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dialogflow/dialogflow-parameters#tagging) This helps them build comprehensive customer profiles and [segment](https://help.respond.io/contacts/segments) customers appropriately for [targeted broadcasts](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview). #### Build Trust and Loyalty Great customer experiences are essential for building trust and loyalty with customers. It allows businesses to offer quick and personalized responses. This increases the likelihood of repeat customers and referrals, leading to a growing customer base. Now that we’ve looked at the benefits of a WhatsApp chat buttons for different use cases, let’s find out how to set it up using respond.io. ### How to Set Up WhatsApp Chat Button Using Respond.io Using the [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) connected to respond.io can be a game-changer for businesses looking to handle high volumes of conversations or [scale their teams](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users). Respond.io’s [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) can automate sales and support processes, such as [pre-chat surveys](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey), [lead qualifications](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales#toc-mobile-8) and [support escalations](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management), saving your team valuable time and resources. [Integrating WhatsApp with CRMs](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) or other existing software in your tech stack can further optimize your business operations. Additionally, businesses can take advantage of the ability to [send WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast), making it easy to reach a large audience with targeted messages quickly. Setting up a WhatsApp chat button with respond.io is straightforward. First, [connect your WhatsApp API to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-cloud-api#connecting_whats_app_cloud_api), then [follow the steps](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets): 1\. **Go** to *Settings*. 2\. **Choose** *Growth Widgets*. 3\. **Click** *Add Widget* and select *WhatsApp Widget*. 4\. **Add** your website domains and select which WhatsApp channel you’d like to create a widget for. 5\. **Click** *Generate Widget*. Finally, install the script in your website(s). You will be able to start receiving WhatsApp conversations from the chat button immediately. In conclusion, whether you’re looking to improve customer support, drive sales growth or enhance customer engagement, the chat button, combined with respond.io’s [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-team-inbox), can take your business to the next level. To get started with a WhatsApp chat button, [sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and [connect to WhatsApp API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-cloud-api#connecting_whats_app_cloud_api) now. ### Further Reading Want to learn more about how to use WhatsApp to level up your business? Check out these articles. - A Guide to WhatsApp Business Automation - WhatsApp Business Multiple Users: 5 Steps Guide (+Examples) - How to Get Started with WhatsApp Team Inbox ## [How To Build a Chatbot with Dialogflow - Dialogflow Tutorial](https:/respond.io/blog/dialogflow-tutorial) Ever thought about building a chatbot for your small business but thought it was too hard? This Dialogflow Tutorial will give you what you need to know. Follow along this video 3-part series and watch how a fictional small business owner learn how to build a Dialogflow agent, deploy it, and add features you can't get on Dialogflow alone. This Dialogflow Tutorial will help you get started on your journey. If you prefer a written text over videos please check out our article about [Using Rocketbots as a Dialogflow CRM](https://rocketbots.io/blog/dialogflow-crm-dialogflow-human-handoff/). ### Takeaways By the end of this 15 minutes tutorial, you will be able to: ##### Part 1: - Understand how Dialogflow (and other NLP engines) work - Properly create and modify intents - Identify your most urgent questions - Connect Dialogflow to many messaging channels at once ##### Part 2: - Create a Welcome Intent & Fallback Intent - Identify the queries that your bot can't answer - Pass (handoff) the conversation to a human if the Dialogflow fails - Send Email notification when the Dialogflow agent fails #### Part 3: - Hot to train and improve your DF agent - How to send broadcast and updates to your DF users - Build an automatic tag capturing agent ### Dialogflow Tutorial Part 1: Building a Basic Dialogflow Agent #### **What’s a Chatbot?** A chatbot is an Artificial Intelligence powered program that can answer questions automatically. Some of the popular messaging apps that you might already know include Facebook Messenger and WeChat. The main purpose is to engage customers and collect valuable information. ##### **Wait, Why Do I Need a Chatbot?** Most customer inquiries that you receive are essentially asking about the same kind of questions: do you open on the weekends, what sort of products do you sell, and etc. They are mostly questions that can be easily answered, but the repetitiveness and volume of these questions still mean it’s time out of your (or your staff’s) day to address them. Follow the Rocketbots Chatbot Academy and we’ll show you how you can automate responses and more. ##### **Planning the Purpose of Chatbot** **1** **Collect inquiries and FAQs**: Collect the most frequently asked questions. The questions are also called expressions in chatbot development. Basically, expressions represent a user’s desire or aim. **2 Group the intentions**: Group the questions into their corresponding intentions. This is to group the expressions by the aim the user has so as to get a more clean and organized set of categories to handle. Sort them by the most common intents, such as opening hours, products, and location for the chatbot to tackle. **3 Provide responses**: Provide a response that satisfies each intent. #### **Building Chatbot on DialogFlow** **1.** **Create an Account**: Go to a free chatbot building tool like DialogFlow and make an account. **2.** **Create an agent**: Go to the dashboard, and click “Add Agent” at the top left. Give the agent a name and make sure the agent is in the right language and time zone. Then click “Create”. **3.** **Create intentions**: Create the first intention by clicking “create intent” at the top right, and give it the name “Opening Hours”. Proceed by clicking “Add Training Phrases” and input the expressions you’ve seen customers ask before, and any other expressions you think a user might say to get the same answer. It’s best practice to use a minimum of 20 expressions. **4.** **Create responses**: Click “add response” by scrolling down the page. Then add the store business hours or other corresponding response to your intent. Save the intent at the top right, and repeat the process for each of the other 2 intents. Now the chatbot is at its most basic level, and ready for deployment on Facebook. #### **Deploying Chatbot on Facebook Messenger** **1.** **Connect a Channel** to Rocketbots: Go to the Rocketbots Platform settings. Click on the "Add Channel" button under Channel Settings, and add Facebook as a Channel. **2\. Connect Dialogflow** to Rocketbots: Go to Rocketbots Platform settings. Under Integrations you will see Dialogflow as one of the option. Follow the instructions shown there. ### Dialogflow Tutorial Part 2: Adding **Human-Handoff and Notifications to your Chatbot** #### **Default Welcome Intent** You may already notice whenever you use a chatbot, there’s always a greeting like “Hello” pops up right on the second you click on the chat box. But, this is actually the default welcome intent that naturally comes with the agents itself that you don’t have to input yourself. Facebook automatically adds the “Get Started” button to any chatbot that gets deployed on Messenger. As there’s no need for one when the bot is greeting the user for the first time, there are no training phrases inside the default welcome intent. #### **Guiding Your Users** **1.** **Delete these default responses:** Replace them with 3 of our own such as the example as shown below.  **2.** **Set the first response:** as “Hello!”,  followed by “I am a chatbot to help answer questions about xxx” and finally “I’m still learning, so try to keep things simple for me!” This can also let the user know what the purpose of the chatbot is, it’s less likely the user will ask it topics that it doesn’t know. When the bot is being asked questions that it doesn’t know how to answer, then it will automatically revert it back to back to the Default Fallback Intent. And here’s how you can adjust the fallback intent response.  #### **Setting the Bot to Allow Human Handover** **1.** **Edit the response:** Editing the response module of the Default Fallback Intent. **2.** **Change your expression:** Change it to “I’m sorry, I haven’t learned how to answer your question. Would you like me to get the human agent to come to help you?”  This would give users a chance to contact the human agent.  **3.** **Input your expressions:** Input at least 20 expressions in the training phrases module that the user might say to let the bot know they’re interested in having the human agents to cut in and help. #### **Adding in the Notification** **1.** **Add the parameters to the intent:** Add a code that marks the chatbot as “not done” on the Rocketbots platform, which would allow the human agent to know when users are pending for assistance on the platform. **2.** **Input the values:** Type: RB\_MARKDONE and set the value as false.  **3.  Enter the code:** Input another code that’s going to allow the Rocketbots Platform to notify the human agent when she/he’s been requested to help a user. Type: RB\_NOTIFY, and set the value as @user.name needs your help #### **Checking Your Bot** **1.** **Delete the conversation;** Delete the chatbot conversation from Facebook Messenger, and start over again. **2.** **Check the default welcome intent:** Now see if the new default welcome intent is working or not by asking the bot a question that it doesn’t know how to answer. **3.** **Getting the request:** A request with the option to contact the human agent will pop up on the screen. Click on it. Then, it would send the human agent a notification on the platform, and via email that we’re looking for help. Check on your side to see if that’s the case. Now you can have an improved chatbot that would lessen the number of errors it can encounter, and a backup strategy that lets the human agents jump in when the bot can no longer answer questions. Congratulations! Now you know how to switch your bot for human agent takeover. ### Dialogflow Tutorial Part 3: **Improving your Chatbot and Broadcasting messages** In this final section, you’ll get to learn how to train the chatbot and broadcast through it. The chatbot that you’ve built in the last two tutorials might can get you to answer customers’ inquiries fast; but there’s one problem – you still haven’t give it the ability to deal with the bot when it comes across questions that it doesn’t know how to answer at all or when the bot give out the wrong response. And the following will show you how to deal with situations like that. #### **How To Train Your Chatbot** **1.** **Click on the training option to the left:** In this menu, there are rows of data. Each row is a single conversation. **2.** **Click a conversation.** You’ll be brought to the sessions window. This is where you’ll train your chatbot. Each line you see here is a single request and the corresponding intent that it triggered. **3.** **Mismatches**: If you see a request that matches the correct intent, don’t do anything. If a request is assigned to the incorrect intent, click the intent below, and search for the right one to assign. If the request was not assigned to any intents, you can click “click to assign” below, and assign it to the correct intent. **4.** **Double check your corrections before you click approve.** As assigning a request to the wrong intent, or approving a mismatched request can cause your chatbot to learn how to make that mistake more often.   **5.** **Click Approve.** Give the chatbot agent some time to learn how to train. #### **Create A New Intent To Solve Another Customer Inquiry** **1.** **Start by creating an intent**. Use the same best practices as before. **2.  Create at least 20 requests asking about the topic of Fruit Delivery.** Set the response as “We get fresh fruit delivered at sporadic times from different orchards and farms in the region, so we’ll let you know when there’s a delivery coming as soon as we know ourselves!” **3.** **Add a parameter to this intent.** This can tag users who inquire about fruit deliveries. Click on Add Parameter, and type “RB\_ADDTAGS”, and set the value as Fruit Delivery. Remember to save the intent. From now on, when a user asks the chatbot about fruit deliveries, they will be tagged in the Rocketbots Platform with the tag “Fruit Delivery”. You can now use the Broadcast feature on the Rocketbots Platform to update her curious users with updates on deliveries as soon as she knows. #### **Broadcasting the Updates** **1.  Click on Broadcasts** to the left on the Rocketbots Platform. **2.** **Select New Broadcast at the top right.** Here you’ll be able to write your broadcast message **3.** **Select your channel or channels you’d like to broadcast to.** Choose the tag you want to target in your broadcast. **4.** **Write your delivery update** Select Facebook as our channel, and then select the Fruit Delivery tag to target any users who have inquired about delivery updates. Congratulations! Now you have officially completed the Rocketbots Academy Build a Basic Chatbot course. There’s much more to building chatbots, so continue on to more advanced lessons, or stay tuned for more courses to come. Your Dialogflow Tutorial is finished, happy chatbotting. ### Further Reading If your interested in using Dialogflow together with Rocketbots you'll want to check out the following: - Using Rocketbots as a Dialogflow CRM - Rocketbots Dialogflow Documentation ## [How to Capture Retail Leads & Drive Sales via Retail Marketing](https:/respond.io/blog/retail-leads) Looking to boost your retail leads and convert them faster? Engage prospects in a chat to keep interest high and get them into stores. Struggling to get retail leads to make a purchase or come in to your store? If your product or service requires considerable investment, prospects aren’t likely to make an impulsive decision. Building a relationship with them over a series of conversations helps prompt them into action. We approach this retail lead nurturing process with the [conversation-led growth framework](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth#toc-mobile-5), which consists of three stages, Capture, Convert, Retain. All stages involve interacting with leads and customers through conversations using a range of tactics and channels. The capture stage, which we’ll focus on in this blog post, involves getting leads into a chat through ads, chat links and QR codes, your website or social media as they browse your products. Selling higher-value retail products requires engaging with customers across several touchpoints. Learn how other businesses like yours capture retail leads and kick off a series of conversations that close the deal. ### Capture Retail Leads Through Click to Chat Ads Ads are often the first place prospects encounter a brand. They’re essential for expanding your reach and boosting demand among new audiences. A [creative ad](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/capture-more-customers-creative-instant-messaging-campaigns-8s1dc/?trackingId=vaSuAYluQli0hR2ieRTOuA%3D%3D) helps a product stand out among all the others so viewers remember it. We recommend using [click to chat ads](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/increase-leads-optimizing-click-to-chat-ads-respondio-o1uif/?trackingId=9Y54pEjHQWiFj2JbSVrDtQ%3D%3D) to draw leads into conversations. This will allow you to capture their contact details so you can continue targeting them with promotions if they’re not ready to buy, or you can direct them to a physical location to check out the product in person. Our customers in retail frequently run ads on Facebook and Instagram that click to WhatsApp. For example, one company selling electronics attracts thousands of retail leads with click to chat ads featuring incredible offers. Leads are given the option to choose the location nearest to them and are directed to a sales representative in that branch to discuss products. The sales agent answers any questions the prospect has and directs them to visit the branch. The business does this using respond.io’s [Workflows automation](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio). The platform has helped them connect all their sales agents to reply to leads faster and get them to stores to make a purchase. A single conversation with the right incentive can be enough to influence a prospect to buy online or visit your store. But if it’s not, be ready to continue engaging through other channels. ### 3 Ways to Engage Retail Leads Through Social Media or Your Website Some retail leads prefer to browse products on social media or your website before getting into a chat. An active social media presence and easy-to-navigate website give you more opportunities to capture leads. Here are three ways to attract new leads to your retail business and encourage them to start a conversation. #### 1 | Chat Buttons on Your Website and Social Media Prospects who find your products by coming across your website or scrolling on social media often have questions before they make a purchase. Whether they have a customization request or an inquiry about discounts or promotions, it should be simple to contact you. Consider an [omnichannel chat widget](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-retail#toc-mobile-2) on your website so visitors can contact you on their preferred channel. Encourage followers to chat with you on your social pages as well. Remember there’s value to be gained from every interaction. Making chat options more prominent on your website is a simple step, and implementing this can increase your leads. #### 2 | Get Retail Leads from Live Shopping Events For retail products, Facebook Live Shopping is a great way to build excitement about limited-time promotions and get leads to send you a message. This works well for businesses who have already established a large following. One of our customers, a jewelry business, regularly hosts live shopping events to showcase the latest deals. The events last about an hour and attract over 2000 viewers and dozens of comments and messages from leads. For lower cost items for this business, customers can order online via bank transfer, while for larger purchases, they’re encouraged to visit a physical location. The company has seen success drawing customers in with promotional offers, gaining continuous engagement. Use Live Shopping to give your customers an introduction to what you have to offer and increase interaction. Respond.io Customer Success Manager Joshua Loo recommends including a unique promo code in live events both as an incentive and to use to track where leads are coming from. #### 3 | Leverage Influencers in Instagram Stories to Start Conversations Seeing celebrities or figures they admire using a product builds positive associations among retail leads. In fact, a study shows that [40% of consumers made a purchase](https://trustmary.com/social-proof/social-proof-statistics-that-may-surprise-you/) after seeing an influencer post about using the product. It’s clearly worth investing in influencers, especially for high-value, aspirational products. And using them in Instagram stories can also help you get leads into conversations quickly. You can do this with story replies. Whenever someone comments on a story or reacts with anything other than a ❤️, you’ll get their contact information into a chat. One of our customers who sells beauty products leverages influencers in Instagram stories and encourages viewers to reply. Seeing influencers using the product not only boosts demand as prospects imagine themselves using it but also brings in leads that can be further targeted. ### Stay Top of Mind with Targeted Broadcasts Once you’ve gotten retail leads in, target them with promotions tailored to their interests to push them to make a purchase or visit a store. Depending on the nature of your business, you may want to direct them to speak to a salesperson first. Sending promotions to those who have shown interest in your products or purchased in the past creates a sense of urgency and keeps customers engaged. For example, one of our customers who sells perfume sends broadcasts to past customers and those who have contacted them on WhatsApp through their website. They inform them of the chance to get a special discount that won’t last long. The business has seen success through this method. Another business who sells beauty products segments contacts into those who have purchased before and those who have yet to make a purchase. While they send similar promotions to both groups, they take a slightly different angle for each so the message is more personalized. ### Boost Your Retail Marketing With Online Conversations Whether you’re selling your products primarily online or offline in a physical store, online conversations will help you convert customers faster. Interacting with your brand puts it top of mind once a prospect is ready to purchase. Deciding whether to make that splurge on a luxury item or invest in high-quality electronic or home goods often requires a few interactions. Consistent engagement and being available via chat may be what it takes to drive a purchase decision. When you’re capturing leads across channels, it’s best to use a conversation management platform to reply to them in a timely manner and get them through the funnel faster. Consider [respond.io](http://respond.io/) for your growing business to manage leads and sales across channels with advanced automation and AI features. ### Further Reading Excited to learn more about growing your retail business over chat? Check out these articles for more tips and advice. - Omnichannel Retail Strategy: A How-To Guide - Transforming Retail Operations with WhatsApp - Social Commerce Platform: A Guide for Businesses ## [How to Change WhatsApp to Business Account In 8 Steps ](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-change-whatsapp-to-business-account) Have you been using personal WhatsApp for your business? Now is the time to make the switch to WhatsApp Business. We'll be sharing how to change WhatsApp to Business account. What started as a messaging tool to connect with friends and family has now transformed into a powerful platform for businesses to flourish. WhatsApp has come a long way since its inception and it’s now an integral part of business operations. In this article, we’ll introduce the different WhatsApp products and show you how to change WhatsApp to business account, as well as how to convert WhatsApp Business App to Business API account. ### The Difference Between WhatsApp And WhatsApp Business With over 2 billion monthly active users, WhatsApp has become one of the [most popular messaging apps in the world](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-1) thanks to the advent of [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing). Currently, it has three products available in the market: WhatsApp Messenger, [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) and [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). Before we do a deep dive into the technicalities of how to turn WhatsApp into a business account, let’s first understand the different products WhatsApp offers. #### WhatsApp Messenger Launched in 2009, WhatsApp Messenger is a free messaging app to send and receive messages, images, audio, videos and file documents. Originally targeted at individual users, the popularity of the app also attracted solopreneurs and micro businesses. Seeing the demand for a business-oriented solution, WhatsApp introduced the WhatsApp Business App in 2018 to support business communications. #### WhatsApp Business App With the introduction of WhatsApp Business App, it has opened up a slew of opportunities for businesses to engage with customers. This free-to-download app comes with [a set of business tools](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business#toc-mobile-7) targeted at small businesses. WhatsApp Business App can help small businesses thrive, but it has certain limitations. One of the biggest downsides is you can only use the app on [one phone and up to four devices](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users#toc-mobile-4). For businesses with more than five users, WhatsApp Business App will no longer be a viable option. In that case, we’d recommend switching to WhatsApp Business API. #### WhatsApp Business API Finally, we have WhatsApp Business API. It’s designed for medium to large companies wanting to use WhatsApp Business with [multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users#toc-mobile-7). Unlike WhatsApp Messenger and the business app, the API does not have an app or a front-end interface and needs to be integrated into business software to send and receive messages (e.g., sending [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message)). WhatsApp Business API offers advanced tools to scale businesses and help with [conversational sales](https://respond.io/convert-leads), [conversational support](https://respond.io/conversational-support) and [promotional messaging](https://respond.io/send-promotions-and-newsletters). Compared to the other two WhatsApp products, WhatsApp Business API brings a whole host of benefits to businesses. These include: - Allows multiple logins - Verifies businesses with a WhatsApp green tick - Integrates with tools like CRM, analytics and other third-party apps - Allows WhatsApp broadcast messages to be sent to more than 256 contacts at a time - Offers advanced analytics and reports to track agent performance We hope this helps you get a better understanding of the different products WhatsApp offers, and in turn, make the right decision for your business. Next, we’ll show you how to change from a personal WhatsApp account to the WhatsApp Business App account. ### 3 Benefits of Switching to WhatsApp Business For businesses, a personal WhatsApp account isn’t enough for their needs. From customer perception to messaging at scale, there are many benefits of switching to a WhatsApp business account. Here are three benefits you stand to gain when you switch account types: - Professional branding: You can get a WhatsApp Blue Tick (formerly known as WhatsApp Green Tick) for your business, improving your credibility among contacts and customers. - Advanced messaging tools: WhatsApp business enables you to send quick replies and away messages, as well as gain data and analytics from messages. - Better organization: WhatsApp Business Profiles provide key info at a glance, while labels organize chats based on priority, stage, or contact type. If you’re convinced by the benefits of a WhatsApp business account, make sure you take note of a few things before making the switch. ### Things to Keep in Mind Before Switching Moving from a personal to a business WhatsApp account is easy, but you should take note of a few things before you do. If you don’t check for these things, migrating to a business account might be difficult or even be impossible. #### 1\. Backup Your WhatsApp Data Before switching to WhatsApp Business, make sure to back up all your chat history and media files. This ensures that you don't lose any important data during the migration process. #### 2\. Compatibility Check Verify that your device meets the requirements for the WhatsApp Business app, including the right operating system version. It's essential to check compatibility to avoid any disruptions. #### 3\. Get a Fresh WhatsApp Number To set up a WhatsApp Business account, remember that each phone number can only be linked to one type WhatsApp account. You can convert your existing WhatsApp Messenger number to a business account. If you do this, you will lose access to that personal WhatsApp account. Alternatively, you can register your business account with a fresh number, allowing you to maintain both accounts on different numbers. First, let’s see how you can switch from a personal WhatsApp account to a business one. ### 8 Steps to Change WhatsApp to WhatsApp Business Account #### Step 1: Backup Your Chat History **On Android**: Tap **⋮** > Settings > *Chat* > *Chat backup* \> *Back Up* **On iPhone**: Open WhatsApp and go to *Settings* > *Chats* > *Chat Backup*. #### Step 2: Download and Install WhatsApp Business **On Android**: Go to the Google Play Store > Search for *WhatsApp Business > T*ap on *Install*. **On iPhone**: Go to the Apple App Store > Search for *WhatsApp Business* > Tap on *Get*. #### Step 3: Verify Your Phone Number Open the WhatsApp Business app and agree to to the terms and conditions. Then, enter the phone number you used for your personal WhatsApp account. You'll receive a verification code via SMS or call; enter this code to verify your number. #### Step 4: Restore Your Chat Backup After verification, WhatsApp Business will prompt you to restore your chat history. Select the backup you created earlier and follow the on-screen instructions to restore your chats. #### Step 5: Set Up Your Business Profile Enter your business name and select the appropriate category. Upload your business logo as the profile picture. You can also provide additional details such as your business address, description, email, and website. #### Step 6: Set Up Business Features You can start using all the available features like creating catalogs, organizing chats with labels, and automating replies with [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply). #### Step 7: Start Using WhatsApp Business Your WhatsApp Business account is now set up and ready to use. #### Step 8: Set Up WhatsApp Business API (Optional) If you need advanced features like automated messaging or integration with third-party software like CRMs or e-commerce platforms, you should apply for the WhatsApp Business API. If you want to use a fresh number to set up a WhatsApp business account, then follow the steps below. ### 6 Steps to Create WhatsApp Business Account with A New Number #### Step 1: Download and Install WhatsApp Business **On Android**: Go to the Google Play Store > Search for *WhatsApp Business* > Tap on *Install*. **On iPhone**: Go to the Apple App Store > Search for *WhatsApp Business* > Tap on *Get*. #### Step 2: Verify Your Phone Number Open the WhatsApp Business app and agree to to the terms and conditions. Then, enter the phone number you used for your personal WhatsApp account. You'll receive a verification code via SMS or call; enter this code to verify your number. #### Step 3: Set Up Your Business Profile Enter your business name and select the appropriate category. Upload your business logo as the profile picture. You can also provide additional details such as your business address, description, email, and website. #### Step 4: Set Up Business Features You can start using all the available features like [creating catalogs](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog), organizing chats with labels, and automating replies with [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply). #### Step 5: Start Using WhatsApp Business Your WhatsApp Business account is now set up and ready to use. #### Step 6: Set Up WhatsApp Business API (Optional) If you need advanced features like automated messaging or integration with third-party software like CRMs or e-commerce platforms, you should apply for the WhatsApp Business API. That’s what we’ll be taking a look at next. ### Maximize Your WhatsApp Business with WhatsApp API WhatsApp API, also known as [WhatsApp Business Platform](https://business.whatsapp.com/products/business-platform), is designed for medium to large companies that want to message on WhatsApp at scale. It can support advanced features, such as automating conversations and appointment booking, AI tools, sending broadcasts, and more to create personalized customer journeys. If WhatsApp API sounds like the perfect fit for your business, read the next section to get WhatsApp API. ### Want to Upgrade to WhatsApp Business API? There are now **two ways to get started with WhatsApp Business API**, depending on your business needs and preferences. #### Option 1: Traditional WhatsApp API Onboarding To use WhatsApp API the traditional way, businesses will need a phone number that’s not tied to any existing WhatsApp account or sign up for a free virtual number. You’ll also need to set up a Meta Business Portfolio. Then, you’ll choose a **WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP)** to help you set up your WhatsApp API account. BSPs like respond.io offer the infrastructure and tools to send messages at scale, manage customer interactions and integrate with other business systems. #### Option 2: WhatsApp Coexistence If you’re currently using the WhatsApp Business App and want to keep things familiar, WhatsApp coexistence allows you to use the same phone number for both the app and the API. With this setup: - You can keep your WhatsApp Business App active. - Your chat history stays intact on the app. - You’ll gain access to WhatsApp API features through platforms like respond.io, such as multiple users, automation, AI, CRM integrations and more. This option minimizes onboarding friction and is ideal for businesses that want to explore WhatsApp API capabilities while maintaining access to the app. No matter which path you choose, respond.io can help you onboard and make the most of WhatsApp API. [Create a free account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) to get started. ### Further Reading Interested to learn more about how WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp Business API benefit your business? Take a look at some of these articles below: - The Ultimate Guide to WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp Business API - How to Choose the Right WhatsApp Partner - How to Turn Website Visitors into WhatsApp Contacts with WhatsApp WebChat ## [How to Create A TikTok Marketing Strategy in 9 Ways - With Examples](https:/respond.io/blog/tiktok-marketing-strategy) Learn the best practices and strategies to create a successful TikTok marketing strategy Want to learn how to market on TikTok effectively? This blog is just for you. We’ll learn what TikTok marketing is, its benefits, how to develop a TikTok strategy and businesses that have found success with TikTok ### What is TikTok Marketing? TikTok marketing involves leveraging the platform's short-form video content to promote your brand, products, or services. Unlike traditional marketing channels, TikTok emphasizes authenticity, creativity and community engagement. Brands that successfully utilize TikTok can increase brand awareness, build engaged communities, and drive sales. ### What Are the Benefits of Marketing on TikTok? TikTok’s massive user base globally is reason enough to use it for marketing purposes. But that’s not all. - Viral potential: TikTok's algorithm favors content discovery, allowing even new accounts to go viral with the right content. - Engaged user base: 39% of TikTok users purchase products or services they discovered on TikTok by navigating to separate websites. - Creative freedom: The platform encourages innovative content, enabling brands to showcase their personality and connect with audiences. If you’re convinced about the TikTok marketing benefits, let’s see how you can create a business account to get started. ### How to Create a TikTok Business Account Follow these 4 easy steps to create a TikTok Business Account: 1. Install TikTok from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. 2. Register using your email, phone number, or an existing TikTok account. 3. Then, you need to switch to a Business Account.Navigate to your profile > Tap the three-line icon in the top right corner > Settings and Privacy > Manage Account > Tap Switch to Business Account and follow the prompts to select the category that best fits your business. 4. Upload your brand logo and fill in your bio. Now that you know how to create an account, it’s time to create an effective strategy. ### How to Create an Effective TikTok Marketing Strategy Creating a successful TikTok marketing strategy involves a mix of research, content creation, community engagement and analytics. To maximize the potential of TikTok for your brand, you need to use a mix of strategies that fit your business best. #### 1\. Identify Your Audience and Competitors Before creating content, you must understand who your audience is and how they engage with TikTok. Research the age range, interests, and behaviors of your ideal customers. Use TikTok’s analytics and audience insights to determine what type of content they consume the most. Additionally, analyze your competitors to see what they are doing well and where they are falling short. Look at their most popular videos, the engagement they receive, and how they interact with their audience. This information will help you craft a content strategy that stands out. #### 2\. Use TikTok Ads and Organic Posts A well-balanced strategy includes both organic content and paid ads. Organic posts allow you to create a natural connection with your audience by sharing behind-the-scenes content, product tutorials, and engaging challenges. On the other hand, [TikTok Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads) can help you target an audience that resonates with a particular message. Types of TikTok Ads include In-Feed ads, branded hashtags and TikTok Messaging Ads. Together, you can continue growing your brand while getting more people interested in your products or services. #### 3\. Schedule Posts for Maximum Views TikTok’s algorithm rewards consistency. Posting regularly ensures that your content reaches a larger audience over time. However, it’s not just about frequency—it’s also about timing. Analyze your TikTok metrics, such as impressions, likes and comments, to determine when your followers are most active. A good practice is to start with 3–5 posts per week to determine peak engagement hours. Additionally, repurposing existing high-performing content and experimenting with different formats will help sustain visibility. #### 4\. Collect and Share User-Generated Content (UGC) User-generated content (UGC) is one of the most powerful tools for engagement on TikTok. Encouraging your audience to create content featuring your brand not only increases reach but also builds trust and community. Feature customer reviews and reactions to create a sense of authenticity and excitement around their products. To leverage UGC for your brand: - Create challenges or prompts that encourage customers to share their experiences. - Feature user content on your profile to strengthen brand loyalty. - Reward active participants with shoutouts or giveaways. The more people see others enjoying your product, the more likely they are to engage with your brand. #### 5\. Use Influencer Marketing Influencers play a crucial role in TikTok marketing. Partnering with the right influencers can introduce your brand to a broader audience and amplify your message. Instead of simply sponsoring a post, allow influencers to create authentic content that resonates with their followers. When selecting influencers, consider their audience demographics and whether they align with your brand, engagement rate and previous brand collaborations. Most importantly, influencer partnerships should feel natural and not overly promotional. The best collaborations integrate products seamlessly into content that aligns with the influencer’s usual style. #### 6\. Leverage Upcoming Trends TikTok thrives on trends, whether they are viral sounds, challenges, or themes. To stay relevant, keep an eye on what’s trending and find creative ways to incorporate those trends into your content. For example, using a trending sound or participating in a viral challenge can give your content a significant boost. However, the key is to ensure that the trend aligns with your brand’s identity. Jumping on trends without relevance can feel forced and may not resonate with your audience. > Keep in mind that businesses have [limited access to TikTok’s sound library](https://support.tiktok.com/en/business-and-creator/creator-and-business-accounts/commercial-use-of-music-on-tiktok). #### 7\. Reply to Comments With Another TikTok Video One of the best ways to foster a community is by replying to comments with video responses. This not only keeps the conversation going but also allows you to create additional content effortlessly. For instance, if someone asks a question about your product, respond with a short video explaining the answer. If a comment sparks humor or curiosity, leverage it to create more entertaining content. This strategy increases engagement and makes your audience feel heard. The end result is an audience base that is more likely to buy from you because of high trust and likeability. #### 8\. Monitor and Analyze Key Metrics To optimize your TikTok strategy, you must track and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs). TikTok’s built-in analytics provide insights into: - Video views and watch time - Engagement rates (likes, shares, and comments) - Follower growth and audience demographics - Conversion rates for paid ads By reviewing these metrics regularly, you can refine your content strategy, adjust posting times, and improve engagement tactics. #### 9\. Optimize Your Content Finally, optimize your content. It’s a non-stop process but is necessary as TikTok trends change rapidly. What works today may not work tomorrow. Brands should constantly experiment with new formats, adjust their approach based on analytics, and listen to audience feedback. Some best practices for content optimization include: - Testing different video lengths to see what works best for your audience. - A/B testing different hooks and captions. - Refining visuals, music choices, and storytelling techniques based on engagement data. The key to long-term success on TikTok is adaptability. Stay creative, stay data-driven, and continuously refine your approach to ensure maximum impact. Now that you know the various strategies to market on TikTok, let’s look at the 3 common mistakes businesses make and how to resolve them. ### 6 Best Practices to Create a Great TikTok Marketing Strategy To truly make TikTok work effectively with your marketing strategy, you know to avoid common mistakes and follow best practices. Here are six tips to improve your TikTok marketing strategy. #### TikTok Isn’t Only for Gen Z While it’s true that Gen Z is [more likely to use TikTok](https://metricool.com/tiktok-statistics/#:~:text=17 at 20.7%25.-,TikTok Usage Statistics,funny'%20content%20on%20the%20app) compared to other demographics, you shouldn’t abandon them. Other age groups still make up a large part of TikTok’s user base and represent a huge opportunity to increase sales. So, if you target Millenials, Gen Z and other age groups, TikTok is another platform for you to market your products and services. #### Consider Creating Polished TikToks [TikTok is known for its unpolished videos](https://colibridigitalmarketing.com/tiktok-videos-and-marketing/#:~:text=TikTok%20videos%20have%20created%20a%20demand%20for%20unpolished%20authenticity) that seem like they’re unedited or lo-fi. But that isn’t the only style of video that works. There are [businesses that use professionally edited footage](https://beyondfifteen.com/crumbl-cookies-key-ingredients-for-viral-marketing-success/) in their TikTok posts. That’s not to say you should only post highly edited videos. Ideally, you should have a good mix of edited and unpolished videos. #### Connect TikTok Efforts to Business Outcomes TikTok can be a fun platform to engage with audiences, but it doesn’t have to stop there. TikTok isn’t an isolated platform. It’s another channel to drive marketing campaigns and increase revenue. It’s a great place to turn a highly engaged audience into paying customers. For example, you can use TikTok Messaging Ads to funnel people from TikTok into instant messaging platforms like WhatsApp or Messenger. This allows you to engage with customers on one platform rather than spreading agents thin on various platforms. #### Utilize TikTok’s Full Range of Features TikTok offers a variety of interactive features that businesses can leverage to engage their audience and drive conversions. Polls and Q&A sessions allow businesses to interact directly with followers, gather insights, and create a more personalized experience. Live streams provide real-time engagement opportunities where brands can showcase products, answer customer questions instantly, and drive immediate purchases through TikTok Shopping. Additionally, TikTok’s native e-commerce features, such as product links and in-app checkout, make it easier than ever for businesses to convert viewers into buyers without leaving the platform. By utilizing these features strategically, businesses can build stronger relationships with their audience and maximize their marketing efforts. #### Use the Right Tools In addition to native TikTok’s tools, leveraging third-party tools can improve the execution of your TikTok marketing strategy and drive better results. For example, if you message customers a lot across various platforms, including TikTok, then you should consider using a customer conversation management platform like respond.io. With respond.io, you can connect various other CRMs and e-commerce platforms like [Salesforce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/salesforce), [Hubspot](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/hubspot), [WooCommerce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/ecommerce-integration-woocommerce) and [Shopify](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify). You can also use the [Workflows no-code automation builder](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) to manage high-volume incoming inquiries, [automatically qualify leads](https://help.respond.io/convert-leads/how-to-automatically-qualify-contacts-based-on-budget-using-ai-agent) and [assign them to the right agents](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-assign-to). And with [Paid Ads attribution reports](https://respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-lifecycle#using-lifecycle-reports-with-paid-ads), you can track which TikTok ads bring in leads that actually convert. #### Stay Consistent and Data-driven Success on TikTok requires consistency in content creation and a data-driven approach to optimization. Use video views, engagement rates and conversion data, to refine your content strategy. TikTok’s analytics dashboard provides valuable insights into audience behavior, allowing businesses to identify what types of content resonate most. By continuously testing different formats, styles, and posting times, brands can optimize their approach to drive better engagement and conversions. You’ll end up with maximum value out of every dollar put into advertising or the creation of organic content. Now that you know the best practices of creating and implementing a TikTok marketing strategy, let’s look at the businesses that put that into practice. ### 3 Examples of Banger TikTok Marketing Strategies A TikTok marketing strategy shouldn’t just work in theory, but it should work in practice. Here are three companies that have amazing TikTok strategies that boost their sales. #### Crumbl Cookies [Crumbl Cookies](https://beyondfifteen.com/crumbl-cookies-key-ingredients-for-viral-marketing-success/) is [America’s fastest-growing dessert chain](https://www.sltrib.com/news/nation-world/2023/04/19/zero-750-stores-six-years-story/) with over [1,000 stores](https://crumblcookies.com/press). They are well known for their presence on TikTok showcasing their weekly flavor releases. They produce professionally edited TikToks, unlike most content produced on the platform. This helps them stand out amongst the competition. But that’s not all. They use influencer campaigns to boost sales during slow sales periods. To get views from the most number of people, they selected a diversity of creators to reach mass market appeal. #### Wisp [Wisp](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en-US/inspiration/wisp-tiktok-smart-plus-web-conversion?)) is a women’s wellness telehealth service in America. They used [Spark Ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/spark-ads) and [Display Cards](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-create-display-card-ads) alongside [Smart+ Web Campaigns](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/about-smart-plus-web-campaigns) to drive more sales to its site. As a result, Wisp increased its **return on advertisement spending by 34%**. #### AppQuantum [AppQuantum](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en/inspiration/appquantum-idle-outpost?acq_banner_version=73412989) is a global mobile free-to-play game publisher. They used TikTok LiveOps, a program that helps mobile game publishers sustain engagement and retention through customized support for post-launch activities. They also used TikTok’s advanced measurement capabilities to make real-time adjustments to their campaign. As a result, they saw **3X more installs** of their game and increased **install rate to 35**% ### Start Your TikTok Marketing Strategy with Respond.io Respond.io helps businesses streamline TikTok communication, integrate leads into CRM systems, and automate engagement. Bring leads into TikTok and convert them on respond.io. Start today by [signing up for a free respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) today. ### Further Reading If you enjoyed reading this blog, here are more articles on TikTok Business Messaging: - Ultimate Guide to TikTok for Business - TikTok Integration: A How-to Guide - Turn Views Into Revenue: How to Use TikTok for Marketing More Effectively ## [How to Create a WhatsApp Chatbot: 3 Use Cases (+Examples)](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-chatbot) Learn how to create a WhatsApp chatbot to answer inquiries at any time, qualify leads, route to human agents and more using flow-based chatbots or AI chatbots. Struggling to keep up with an increasing number of WhatsApp conversations? You’re not alone. As your business expands, managing high volumes of chats can be overwhelming. In this blog, we’ll explore how a WhatsApp chatbot can transform the way you engage with customers. ### What is a WhatsApp chatbot? A WhatsApp chatbot, or WhatsApp bot, is an automated software designed to engage with customers on WhatsApp using either Artificial Intelligence (AI) or pre-programmed rules. It can help businesses handle large volumes of conversations, answer frequently asked questions, collect information and qualify leads without the help of a human agent. #### Flow-based chatbots vs. AI chatbots Here's a look at the differences between a rule-based (or flow-based) chatbot and an AI chatbot. A rule-based chatbot typically follows a workflow, for example, a customer starts a conversation, the chatbot sends a greeting and presents options or a question for the customer. The next steps are based on the customer's answers. While this method extensively automates conversations, there are still limitations, and interactions are less personalized. A well-trained AI chatbot, on the other hand, can answer more than a standard list of FAQs and have more complex conversations with the customer. The [best AI chatbots](https://respond.io/blog/best-whatsapp-chatbots#toc-3) — also known as AI agents — can take on specific roles, manage entire conversations end-to-end, and act almost like a human agent would. However, it's important to choose your WhatsApp business AI chatbot carefully to ensure it performs the tasks that you need without going off the rails. Let's explore why businesses using WhatsApp need chatbots and how they can benefit from them. ### Why do businesses need a whatsApp chatbot? [Every conversation your business has is an opportunity for growth](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth). As leads expect quick responses, meeting those expectations is crucial to keeping them engaged and preventing lost sales opportunities. Imagine it’s the middle of the night, you're off the clock, but your business is still engaging with customers across the globe, regardless of time zones, holidays or business hours. That’s the beauty of having a [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) chatbot in place. It’s like having a team that never stops, ensuring your leads and customers get timely responses, no matter when they reach out. Not only does this make your business accessible round-the-clock, but it also maintains the quality of conversations by using approved messaging in your business voice and tone. You could even use an AI agent to process and respond to audio messages, follow up on stalled conversations, or even respond to customer calls with natural and professional tone. By helping customers with routine queries, chatbots also free up your team, allowing agents to focus on more complex and high-value conversations that require a personal touch to help you reach your conversion goals faster. Now that you understand the value chatbots bring to businesses, let’s look at some businesses that have benefited from chatbot automation. #### How Various Industries Benefit from WhatsApp AI Chatbots To see how different industries use WhatsApp chatbots and AI agents to streamline operations, enhance customer engagement, and boost growth, let’s take a closer look at how they’ve integrated chatbots into their processes. - Education: GETUTOR uses respond.io's AI agent to respond to inquiries quickly and gather student information and preferences for more efficient tutor matching. - Retail: In the same way H&H Skincare increased repeat business by up to 60%, chatbots can improve business results by providing immediate responses to retail queries, helping customers book appointments and performing other tailored automated interactions. - Cosmetology: Bella Piel uses chatbots to provide 24/7 customer service, offer personalized product recommendations and deliver WhatsApp marketing messages when relevant to enhance the overall customer experience and boost sales. Now that you know the benefits of incorporating a WhatsApp chatbot into your business processes, here’s what you need to build one. ### 2 Requirements for Building a WhatsApp Chatbot To build a WhatsApp chatbot, you need a [WhatsApp API account](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) and messaging software like respond.io, as the API lacks a front-end for managing messages — unlike the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app). Once you can access both, create a WhatsApp chatbot using respond.io. ### How to Create a WhatsApp Chatbot for 3 Different Use Cases With respond.io, you can create a WhatsApp chatbot using ready-made Workflow templates or by [creating an AI agent using templates](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents#step-2-select-an-ai-agent-template) for receptionist, sales agent or support agent. These templates save time and effort as they are pre-tested and ready to work seamlessly. #### 1\. WhatsApp Chatbot for Seamless Appointment Scheduling Respond.io’s [Click to Chat Ads: Appointment Scheduling](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#list_of_workflow_templates) workflow template lets you automate appointment scheduling, so leads can independently book appointments with you. When they click on your business’s ad, they are instantly connected to a booking system such as Calendly, where they can instantly select a convenient time slot. This automation provides a seamless experience for your leads but while freeing up your agents to focus on higher-value tasks by eliminating the back-and-forth of manual scheduling. Additionally, you can sync contacts who book an appointment by integrating with a [WhatsApp CRM](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm#toc-mobile-12). #### 2\. WhatsApp Chatbots for Answering Customer FAQs A common and valuable use case for a chatbot is handling common inquiries. A WhatsApp chatbot for this can be set up in two ways: Menu-based or AI-based. A menu-based chatbot works well for simple processes or if you want to bring customers through a specific pre-defined path. The [Simple Chat Menu template](https://help.respond.io/l/en/automate-conversations/create-automated-chat-menus#select_the_chat_menu_workflow_template_and_set_up_menu_options) helps businesses greet leads with a welcome message and a menu of their products/services. Leads can select the desired product or service instantly and be taken through a relevant workflow. For more complex conversations, an AI-based chatbot is the best choice due to its ability to leverage a knowledge base, learn from past interactions, and adapt to diverse queries. Respond.io's AI support agent provides detailed, human-like answers based on its knowledge of your business. Because respond.io’s AI runs tasks in smaller, focused steps, answers are generated faster and with higher accuracy—particularly for long or multi-step queries. Beyond answering questions, AI Agents can also update contact fields, adjust [Lifecycle stages](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle), apply tags or categories and even close conversations with an auto-summary when an interaction is resolved. If needed, the bot can still hand the conversation over to a human agent, but in many cases it now operates fully autonomously. Both approaches cater to different business needs, and you can even combine them to provide a comprehensive customer service experience. #### 3\. WhatsApp Chatbots for Lead Qualification and Chat Assignment Not every lead is high-value, so it’s essential to qualify them efficiently to ensure that high-value customers get the attention they need while agents avoid wasting time on unqualified leads. There are several ways to qualify leads depending on your business needs. For instance, the [Click-to-Chat Ads: Share Product Info + Route to Sales template](https://help.respond.io/l/en/convert-leads/automated-product-info-sharing-in-conversations-initiated-via-ctc-ads) shares key product information, like composition and price, before asking the lead if it is interested in purchasing the product. Interested leads can speak to an agent to complete the purchase, while uninterested leads can simply drop off—ensuring your sales team only engages with qualified leads. ### Best Practices for Optimizing Your WhatsApp Chatbots Regularly monitoring your chatbot’s performance through user feedback and analytics is key to spot areas for improvement. [Enhancing the bot](https://help.respond.io/l/en/converse-with-customers/how-to-write-an-optimal-ai-persona-best-practices), [updating its knowledge sources](https://help.respond.io/l/en/converse-with-customers/how-to-choose-the-best-knowledge-sources-for-ai-agents) and adding fallback responses for unrecognized queries ensures a smoother experience for leads. A seamless handoff to human agents helps resolve issues effectively, leaving no customer frustrated. Frequent testing further ensures your chatbot remains efficient and adaptable to evolving customer needs. For AI Agents, define clear rules so they know when to act autonomously — updating records, adjusting stages or closing chats — and when to escalate to a human for more complex or sensitive cases. With respond.io’s instant human takeover, these escalations feel seamless, as the AI stops responding the moment an agent joins the conversation. ### Ready to Create a WhatsApp Business AI Chatbot? With WhatsApp's broad reach and user-friendly interface, implementing a WhatsApp chatbot for your WhatsApp Business Platform API is a smart move toward better customer communication and growth. Following the steps outlined in this article, you can create a highly effective chatbot tailored to your business needs. Are you ready to try out a WhatsApp business AI agent for your business? Sign up for [respond.io for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and create a WhatsApp chatbot! ### Further Reading Want to learn more about WhatsApp and automation on respond.io? Check out these articles: - How to Send Bulk Messages on WhatsApp: A Step-by-Step Guide - WhatsApp Business Multiple Users: 5 Steps Guide (+Examples) - Generate Leads and Boost Sales with WhatsApp Ads: A Practical Guide to WhatsApp Advertising ## [How to Find Facebook Business Manager ID [May 2022]](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-business-manager-id) Facebook Business Manager ID is important when you want to give BSPs access to your Facebook Business Manager. Read more to find out how to find Facebook Business ID. Facebook Business Manager ID is important especially when you want to give business service providers (BSPs) access to your Facebook Business Manager — also known as Meta Business Portfolio. Regardless of why you need it, we’ll show you how to find your Facebook Business Manager ID in under 2 minutes. But first, let's take a look at what Facebook Business Manager ID is. ### What is Facebook Business Manager ID Facebook Business Manager ID is a unique 15-digit identifier that corresponds to your Facebook Business Manager account. It is used to differentiate and identify each Business Manager account on Facebook. Note that Facebook Business Manager ID is not the same as [Facebook Page ID](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2814101678867149) or [Facebook Ad ID](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2534657046763437). Each of these Facebook Business IDs has its own function and you can find all of them in your Facebook Business Manager. If you’re signing up for WhatsApp Business API through the [classic sign-up method](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api#toc-mobile-6), you’ll need to connect your WhatsApp Business API account to your Facebook Business Manager. To do this, you need your Facebook Business Manager ID. The ID will allow WhatsApp to identify your Facebook Business Manager account and associate your phone numbers with it. Once your WhatsApp Business API is connected, you can start the [Facebook Business verification](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-verification) process. Having that said, businesses are only required to [verify their Facebook Business Manager account](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-verification) to prove the legitimacy of their organization when they want to increase their WhatsApp Business API messaging limits. > Do not mistake verifying your Facebook Business Manager account verification with the [Meta Verified business subscription](https://web.facebook.com/business/help/248456111431653?id=579726174359330&_rdc=1&_rdr). The latter is a paid monthly subscription by Meta with features to help with discovery, impersonation protection, account support and more. Now, let’s take a look at how to find Facebook Business Manager ID. We’ll show you where to find your Facebook Business Manager ID on Meta Business Suite and on your browser address bar. ### How to Find Facebook Business ID: Meta Business Suite **1\. Open** [Meta Business Suite](https://business.facebook.com/) and navigate to Settings. **2\. Click** on *Business Info.* You will see your Facebook Business Manager ID under your Business Name. Next, we’ll show you how to find your Facebook Business Manager ID on your browser address bar. ### How to Find Facebook Business ID: Browser Address Bar Open [Meta Business Suite](https://business.facebook.com/) and look at the URL in your browser address bar. Your business ID is the string of numbers after business\_id= in the URL. Copy that number and not the one after asset\_id= as that refers to your Facebook Business Page ID. Now that you know where to find your Facebook Business Manager ID, you can start [creating your WhatsApp Business API Account](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api#toc-mobile-6) and verify your [Facebook Business Manager](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-verification#toc-mobile-3). ### Further Reading We hope this article was helpful. Here are some reading suggestions for you. - How to get WhatsApp API - How to Verify Facebook Business Manager Account - How to verify WhatsApp Business Account ## [How to Follow Up with Customers on WhatsApp and Close More Deals](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-follow-up) Are your WhatsApp leads going cold? We’ll show you how to follow up with customers on WhatsApp so your business stays top of mind. Are you getting leads into chats only to see them go cold and never turn into customers? It often takes more than one conversation to prompt someone to make a purchase. So how do you follow up with customers on WhatsApp to keep the relationship going after the first conversation? We’ll show you how to use [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) to engage leads who have previously reached out to you and guide them along their journey to make a purchase. ### Why Use WhatsApp to Follow Up with Customers We’re all familiar with lead nurturing over email. After you download a lead magnet or make an inquiry from a company, you’ll get a series of emails on related topics designed to pique your interest and prompt a purchase. It’s also common to be added to an email list after you’ve made a purchase. Following up with leads and customers over WhatsApp and other conversational channels is just as important as over traditional channels. With WhatsApp, you can use broadcast features to set up nurturing campaigns to stay top of mind and reengage prospects in conversations. We’ve seen the advantage of using these tactics firsthand, both from our own experience and those of our customers. Let’s dive in to how to follow up with customers by WhatsApp and look at some examples. ### How to Keep Prospects Engaged with WhatsApp Follow-Ups When a prospect initiates a conversation with you by making an inquiry or responding to an ad, they need time for consideration before purchasing, especially if they’re considering a high-value product or service. It’s important to follow up over WhatsApp so they stay engaged. Like most messaging apps, WhatsApp has a messaging window, so you can’t just pick up the chat where you left off if the contact hasn’t responded in more than 24 hours. However, you can still continue communicating with them through promotional [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) and drip campaigns. You can also use this tactic to retarget or upsell to previous or existing customers. Here are some best practices for following up with customers on WhatsApp with [template messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast-message-sample). #### Create Urgency with Timely Reminders ##### Upcoming Deadlines Letting customers know the offer won’t be there long creates a sense of urgency. For [educational service providers](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-increase-student-enrollment), upcoming course registration deadlines are a good reason to send a message. Upcoming exams are another prompt to sign up for a prep course quickly. ##### Deals that Won’t Last Long The end of a special deal on a product or package encourages prospects to make a purchase so they don’t miss out. For example, if you’re having holiday sales, send prospects reminders about it and make sure they know when it’s ending. ##### Latest News about Your Products or Business Other relevant news such as a new product launch or the opening of a new branch can also be included in broadcasts. One of our customers has many branches and aims to get prospects to visit a physical store. By sending WhatsApp messages about the branch nearest the customer or the opening of a new branch, they’ve seen an increase in sales. #### Guide Prospects through their Journey with a Drip Campaign A [WhatsApp drip campaign](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-drip-campaign) aims to engage leads and customers with a set of WhatsApp notifications designed to move the recipient through the customer journey. More than simple reminders, these follow a schedule to engage leads and aim for faster conversion. If someone has signed up for a trial, they may get a notification one week before the trial is ending, three days before, and when it expires. If they let the trial expire, a promotion may be just what they need to push them to a decision. We’ve conducted our own WhatsApp drip campaigns targeting leads who missed a call from a sales representative. By retargeting these leads with scheduled messages, we’ve seen an 8.6% increase in SQL in one month. Loh Yi Xuan, Growth Manager for respond.io, shares, “WhatsApp is an excellent channel for drip campaigns. By increasing touchpoints, businesses can effectively remain top-of-mind for customers and enhance engagement.” #### Upsell to or Retarget Existing or Previous Customers After a customer has made a purchase once, it’s important to stay in touch with them. If they’ve had a positive experience with your product or services, they’re more likely to make another purchase. Customer Success Manager Khausalya Balakrishnan explains that using broadcasts for retargeting and personalizing them based on past purchases is a popular practice among our customers that has seen excellent results. ##### Example: Automotive Business Does Long-Term Follow-ups over WhatsApp For example, one business in the automotive industry retargets those who made a purchase five years ago. This is an effective long-term strategy for businesses selling high-value products. Most people won’t be in the market for a car every year. However, by keeping their contact info and retargeting them at the right time, this business stays top-of-mind. #### Engage with Prospects or Customers Who Want to Hear From You To maximize the impact of promotional broadcasts, ensure messages are relevant and well-timed. Sending too many or irrelevant messages can lead to spam reports and hurt engagement. Plus, starting March 2025, WhatsApp will refine how marketing messages are delivered based on user engagement. Users who rarely interact with these messages will receive fewer over time. This update helps businesses by improving engagement rates and ensuring marketing budgets are spent on users who are more likely to respond. ##### Example: Set Follow-up Segments Based on Membership or Past Purchases Khausalya recommends segmenting your audience, for example, into leads and those who have already made a purchase. One of our customers, a skin care business, divides recipients into members and non-members and sends a similar offer with different messaging. Another Customer Success Manager, Asher Phillips, explains how one business retargets customers based on the categories of purchases they’ve made in the past to ensure they receive offers they’re interested in. ##### Make Opt-Outs Easy Our Customer Success Managers also stress the importance of giving recipients the [choice to opt out](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-banned#toc-mobile-9). With a conversation management platform like respond.io, you can set this up with automation, including an “opt out” button with every message. If customers can’t opt out, they’ll simply block your business or report you as spam, which affects your reputation. When you respect their right to opt out, they’ll still have a positive impression of your brand and may come back in the future. ### Start Following Up with Customers on WhatsApp and Boost Your Sales Keeping meaningful conversations going is key to building customer relationships. When prospects or customers receive valuable messages, they’ll keep your business at the top of their list for consideration. To effectively follow up with customers over WhatsApp, it’s best to use [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) with a conversation management platform like respond.io. That way, you can easily send targeted broadcasts, [automate your replies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation#toc-mobile-6) and [integrate with a CRM](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) to track and follow up with customers throughout their journey. However, with [respond.io's WhatsApp Coexistence](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-coexistence), you can use both on the same number. This means you can keep your existing WhatsApp Business app number and still connect it to the WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) via respond.io — without losing access to your app or needing a new number. To see how respond.io can help your growing business, try it for free today or contact us for a [customized demo](https://respond.io/demo). ### Further Reading For more insights on doing marketing and sales over instant messaging, check out the following articles. - WhatsApp Broadcast Template Sample: 24 Examples for Your Business - WhatsApp Advertising Messages Sample: A One-Stop Guide - WhatsApp Marketing in 5 Steps: A Detailed Guide (+Examples) ## [How to Generate Leads on Facebook: Explained with Examples](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-generate-leads-facebook) Want to know how to generate leads on Facebook? Use these Facebook marketing tactics to get leads into your inbox faster and start quality chats. If you struggle with how to generate leads on Facebook, you’re not alone. A solid Facebook presence is essential for any B2C business, but with so much competition, it doesn’t guarantee success. We’ll show you four proven tactics for how to generate leads on Facebook so you can capture quality prospects and start chatting with them. ### How to Generate Leads on Facebook and Start Chatting: 4 Examples As the most popular social media platform globally with [2.9 billion monthly active users](https://www.statista.com/statistics/268136/top-15-countries-based-on-number-of-facebook-users/), Facebook is an ideal place to reach a wide audience. With Facebook ads, it’s easy to target potential customers. Organic posts can also be effective once you’ve grown your following. However, views and follows don’t guarantee leads. So how do you generate leads on Facebook? You must encourage prospects to start a conversation with you so you’ll have their details and can continue marketing to them. There are several methods, both paid and organic, that you can use to capture leads on Facebook. We’ll show you the best ways our customers have used to get leads in via Facebook and start chatting with them. Experiment with these methods to discover which works best for your business. #### 1\. Leverage Chat Links and Buttons One of the simplest ways for how to generate leads on Facebook is via [chat links](https://respond.io/blog/messenger-link#toc-mobile-1) and buttons. Chat links are easily shared and can be used anywhere, including in your posts and on your website. You can also add a chat button to any post to encourage viewers to contact you. Choose whether the [chat button goes to Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-add-whatsapp-button-on-facebook-page). Many of our customers have found that leads prefer to contact them over WhatsApp. Directing the chat button to WhatsApp gives you the added benefit of collecting the contact’s phone number. The option you choose will depend on which channel is most popular in your region. Our customers have found that adding CTAs that take prospects to either Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp have greatly increased their leads. For example, a coding school with over 500,000 Facebook followers has prominent chat buttons on its Facebook page. They’ve seen significant gains in leads by making it easy for followers to start a conversation. This has ultimately led to more sign-ups for courses. #### 2\. Target and Capture Leads with Click to Chat Ads Many businesses run Facebook ads with promoted feed posts, but these may not be precisely targeted and are easy to scroll past. If you want to know how to generate leads on Facebook and get the full value of Facebook marketing, consider [click to chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads#toc-mobile-0). Click to chat ads bring prospects into a conversation with your business, either on Facebook Messenger or on WhatsApp. We recommend [creating ads with the](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads#toc-mobile-9) [Engagement](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads#toc-mobile-9) [objective](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads#toc-mobile-9) to attract people who are most likely to send a message. One of our customers in the retail electronics field saw the value of these ads early on and uses them in high volumes, getting equally high volumes of leads. To attract leads to visit one of their many branches, they offer amazing deals. When leads inquire, they’re directed to visit the nearest store. Additionally, the business runs contests in the ads to get prospects to send in their details. #### 3\. Start a Conversation with Comment Replies Reading through comments on Facebook posts and choosing which to reply to can be a lengthy, manual process. However, comments present an opportunity to generate new leads on Facebook. While replying to comments publicly boosts engagement with the post, replying via direct message gets you into a conversation. A Facebook user who comments on your Facebook post is not something you want to waste. If they show interest in your product or service, replying to them directly means you’ll have them in your contact list for further targeting. And if you’re using a conversation management platform like respond.io, you don’t have to do it manually. You can set auto-replies to comments to be sent as direct messages. That way, any person who comments will receive a message in their inbox inviting them to chat further. *Learn more about Facebook comment* [auto-replies in this blog](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-comment-auto-reply#toc-mobile-3)*.* #### 4\. Engage Followers with Facebook Live Shopping Facebook Live Shopping offers a unique opportunity to engage with viewers in real-time while showcasing your products. This feature allows you to conduct live product demonstrations and answer questions live, creating a dynamic shopping experience. By providing exclusive deals during these sessions, you can convert live viewers into leads. Leads interact with the event by commenting or sending a private message. Respond.io Customer Success Manager Joshua Loo recommends frequently reminding viewers to send you a direct message during the event. One of our customers, a jewelry business, has seen success with this method for how to generate leads on Facebook. They regularly host live shopping sessions and capture contacts through comments and Facebook Messenger. This generates some sales on the spot and gets prospects into their list for retargeting. The business builds excitement for the event as viewers know they can only see it for a limited time. Their Live Shopping events get over two thousand views and considerable engagement from comments and messages. ### Start Quality Conversations with Facebook Lead Generation We’ve shown you four key tactics for how to generate leads on Facebook. Prompting followers and ad viewers to start a conversation is the first step to getting more sales. Every conversation is an opportunity for you to qualify a lead, learn more about them and continue targeting or send to sales. When you start getting high volumes of leads in, you may want to consider a conversation management platform like [respond.io](http://respond.io/) so you can keep all your leads in one place and set up advanced automation. ### Further Reading If you’re interested in learning more about how to generate leads on Facebook and engage over Facebook Messenger, check out these articles: - Facebook Messenger for Business: The Ultimate Guide - The Practical Guide to Facebook Messenger Ads - Messenger Link: How to Get Facebook Messenger Link ## [How to Get Verified on Instagram: Instagram Blue Tick](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-get-verified-on-instagram) Want to know how to get verified on Instagram? Discover the benefits of the Instagram blue tick and apply for Instagram verification for your business. Want to know how to get verified on Instagram? Curious about the Instagram blue tick? You’ve come to the right place! From the requirements for Instagram verification to the best practices to follow, here’s everything you need to know about getting a blue tick Instagram account. Read on to find out more. ### What are Verified Instagram Accounts There are many fake accounts impersonating celebrities and businesses across all social media channels, and Instagram is no exception. These imposters create convincing Instagram accounts with notable usernames to mislead the unwary public into following them. Imposters can damage brands by posting false information, running phishing scams on followers and more. Like [other channels](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick), Instagram introduced its own verification system to minimize the harm that imposters can potentially cause. Verified Instagram accounts have a badge that resembles a blue medal with a white tick. These badges indicate that Instagram has confirmed that the named individual, business or brand operates the account. #### Instagram Blue Tick: Why Verify Your Business on Instagram Even though verification won’t get rid of imposter accounts, it makes verified accounts easier to find since they will rise to the top of search results when Instagram users search for an individual or business on Instagram. Being verified can also help you stand out from your competitors. Due to Instagram’s stringent standards, not every account will pass the approval process. Consequently, verified Instagram accounts are also perceived to be more trustworthy and reliable. There are no downsides to having a verified Instagram account. Unlike some channels, Instagram doesn’t charge any fees for verification of your account. Next, we’ll run through the requirements for a verified Instagram account and then the process of applying for verification. ### Instagram Blue Tick: How to Get Verified on Instagram To get your account verified on Instagram, there are some [requirements](https://help.instagram.com/312685272613322) you need to meet and steps to follow. #### How to Get Verified on Instagram: Instagram Verification Requirements Firstly, the Instagram account needs to represent a real person, registered business or entity. You will need to submit identification such as a government-issued photo ID or official business documents to Instagram to verify your identity. The account also needs to belong to a well-known and highly searched-for person, brand or entity featured in the news. Instagram doesn’t consider paid or sponsored media content as eligible sources when reviewing applications. Although nothing is stopping small businesses from applying for verification, their applications are often denied. Secondly, the Instagram account needs to be unique. Individuals and companies can only have one verified account each, though there are exceptions for [language or geographic-specific accounts](https://help.instagram.com/854227311295302). Instagram won’t verify general interest accounts like @puppymemes. Your account also needs to be what Instagram considers complete. This means you must have a profile photo and your bio filled out. The account also needs to be set to public so that Instagram users can see your posts without following you. Lastly, if your [account was previously deactivated](https://help.instagram.com/728869160569983), you’ll need to reactivate it if you want to apply for verification. If you meet the above criteria, continue to the next section for instructions on how to apply for verification. #### How to Get Verified on Instagram: Applying for Verification Follow these steps to request for verification of your Instagram account: **1\. Log** **in** to the Instagram account for which you’re requesting account verification and go to your profile by tapping your profile picture at the bottom right of the screen. Tap the options menu (3 lines) then tap *Settings.* **2\. Tap** *Account* then *Request Verification****.*** **3\. Fill** **in** the details and provide the required form of identification or official business documents. Ensure all the provided information is correct before you tap *Submit*. You’re set! All you have to do is wait for an update from Instagram in your *Notifications* tab. Instagram will get back to you within 30 days of your application to let you know if your account was verified or not. While there’s no way to guarantee verification for your Instagram account, there are methods to improve your chances. In the next section, we’ll go over some best practices for verifying your Instagram account. ### Instagram Blue Tick: Best Practices for Instagram Verification Make sure the details you submit for your account verification are accurate and up to date. If you do get verified by providing false information, Instagram can take your verification badge away and may even disable your account if they uncover the truth. Being [verified on Facebook](https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fhelp%2F1288173394636262&e=AT2psV2KjAGs5xTj5bU4c75Vs8RaM0NUThQSzcrdK8Vy_V7LEi4i6Zo4ZCotT8LI8PX79df4Mi8hI4xwZcgs8oL1LS27hi9ERkP54e5BgHfr3iWXoHRpTvm8gxA_hRwqQ93I-P5FkwsvAYlbT9YI5OtSbXU) doesn’t guarantee verification on Instagram, despite both channels being owned by Meta. You’ll still need to get verified separately on each channel. Once you have your account verified, be sure to secure it with [two-factor authentication](https://help.instagram.com/566810106808145?helpref=faq_content) to prevent others from hijacking your Instagram account. Note that applying for a verified badge multiple times before receiving a decision will cancel your application. If your request has been denied, you can submit a new application after 30 days. If you don’t obtain Instagram verification, you can still use your account as usual. To make sure customers reach your authentic Instagram account, link it to official places like your website or Facebook Page. Alternatively, or in addition to Instagram’s blue tick, [Meta Verified](https://about.meta.com/technologies/meta-verified/) provides a paid monthly subscription service that adds an additional layer of authenticity, including enhanced security, direct customer support, and impersonation protection. Businesses seeking verification often find they need capabilities beyond what the Instagram app or Meta Business Suite offers to chat with large volumes of customers. Using a business messaging platform like respond.io improves how you can communicate with them. You unlock the power of [automation](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview), [extended messaging windows](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-12), [CRM integration](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-crm), [metrics tracking](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview), [multi-channel support](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication), [AI-assisted replies](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist), [automated agents](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai) and more. Since you’re looking to verify your Instagram account, why not upgrade the way you communicate with a [Conversational AI Platform](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) like respond.io? [Sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register). ### Further Reading If you found this article useful, here are some related posts about Instagram business: - Instagram Business Chat: The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Business Messaging - How to Sell on Instagram DM: Selling on Instagram - Instagram Business Account Multiple Users: A How-To Guide ## [How to Get WhatsApp API: A Complete Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api) Learn how to get WhatsApp API and start messaging customers in minutes. Unlock the full potential of WhatsApp API for marketing and sales. Wondering how to get WhatsApp Business API? You're in the right place. Even though jumping into a WhatsApp API integration can feel daunting, it’s actually easy if you follow the proper guidelines. In this blog post, we’ll show you how to get WhatsApp API for your business quickly and hassle-free. Plus, we’ll help you figure out the next steps after getting a WhatsApp Business API integration. ### WhatsApp API Integration: An Introduction [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) – also known as WhatsApp Business Platform – is designed for businesses that need [multiple-user access](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) to the platform and advanced messaging capabilities at scale. It is the practical next step for companies outgrowing the free WhatsApp Business App. Upgrading to WhatsApp Business API comes with certain costs, including. - A phone number - WhatsApp’s per message-based pricing charges - A third-party messaging inbox to receive and send messages That last part is key because Meta doesn’t provide a built-in interface for WhatsApp Business API. To actually use it, you’ll need a messaging inbox like respond.io to manage your conversations and customer interactions. For businesses looking to scale, these costs are far outweighed by the benefits. Integrating WhatsApp API with a messaging inbox, customer conversation software, or [WhatsApp CRM](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) allows you to centralize customer data and conversations while leveraging advanced automation for maximum efficiency. So, can just any business get WhatsApp API? Not quite. Before application, businesses must ensure they are eligible under the [WhatsApp Commerce Policy](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business#toc-mobile-3). For instance, WhatsApp doesn’t allow medical and healthcare products to be sold on the platform. Now that you’re aware of the requirements, how do you get started with WhatsApp API? ### How Do You Choose the Best BSP for WhatsApp API Access? A BSP (Business Solution Provider) is an official WhatsApp partner that connects businesses to the WhatsApp Business API and provides the infrastructure, tools and support needed to use it. There are plenty of BSPs available, including respond.io, an official Meta partner that makes setup easy. With respond.io, you can get started with the WhatsApp API in under 10 minutes. #### Why Choose Respond.io as Your WhatsApp Business API Inbox When selecting a BSP for WhatsApp API, it’s important to remember they’re not all created equal. Getting WhatsApp Business API through respond.io comes with several key advantages, including: - No extra charges for setup, hosting, or messages: You only pay Meta’s per-message fees on top of respond.io’s monthly plan. Use our pricing calculator to estimate your costs. - WhatsApp Business account management: Manage your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) effortlessly on respond.io. For instance, you can create and submit message templates for approval and oversee your WABA balance through the specialized WhatsApp Fees Module. - Badged Meta Business Partner recognition: Respond.io has undergone Meta's assessment for proficiency in Meta products like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram DM. - Enhanced support: As a Meta Business Partner, respond.io receives enhanced support from Meta. This contributes to an elevated level of service for respond.io users. - Supports Voice Calling: Respond.io is among the first to support WhatsApp Business Calling API, VoIP Calling and Messenger, allowing you to make, receive and transfer voice calls directly in the same inbox you use for chats. Ready to get started? Here’s how to set up WhatsApp API with respond.io. ### WhatsApp API Integration the Easy Way: How to Get WhatsApp API Account with Respond.io To get started, sign up for a respond.io account. You can [**try respond.io for free**](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and later subscribe to a plan that suits your business needs. To make things easier, we have compiled all useful information in this blog to help you get your WhatsApp API. There are four steps in getting a WhatsApp API Account. #### Step 1: Port or Buy a Phone Number OR Connect Your Existing WhatsApp Business Account You need a phone number to set up your WhatsApp Business API account. You may port an existing number if it can receive calls or SMS—just make sure it’s not linked to any WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business App, or WhatsApp API accounts. Alternatively, you can [get a free virtual number](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/embedded-signup/?content_id=XrlUSVgv8GesfxY#555-business-phone-numbers) from Meta for your WhatsApp API setup. Now, businesses can also choose to connect an existing WhatsApp Business Account with [WhatsApp Coexistence](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-coexistence), so you can keep the same phone number and your conversation history (in the app only). > Note: Coexistence is not allowed by Meta in the EU, European Economic Area, UK, South Africa, Russia, South Korea, Australia, Japan, Nigeria, Philippines or Turkey. Businesses in these areas will need to first delete their existing WhatsApp Business Account to use the same phone number. > Using a phone number tied to an existing WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business App account will result in a permanent loss of existing contacts and messages. #### Step 2: Connect Your Facebook Account Once you have a phone number and a respond.io account, it’s time to set up respond.io WhatsApp API integration. [Click this link](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and select *Create and connect a NEW WhatsApp Business Platform (API) account.* Then, click Get Started. Go through the eligibility checks and click the *Connect with Facebook* button as you’ll need to log into your Facebook account to proceed. Click *Get Started* to connect your WhatsApp Business API account to respond.io. Doing so will give respond.io permission to manage your WhatsApp Business account and handle billing. This also means you agree to the [WhatsApp Business Terms of Service](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-terms) and the [Meta Terms of Service](https://developers.facebook.com/terms/dfc_platform_terms/). #### Step 3: Connect Your WhatsApp Business API Account to Respond.io Select your verified Meta Business account — now renamed Meta Business Portfolio. If you don’t have one yet, choose *Create a business account* and follow the instructions. > Note: If you are [porting a WhatsApp number](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/business-management-api/guides/migrate-phone-to-different-waba) from one WhatsApp Business Account to another, select an existing business account. Once done, choose *Create a new WhatsApp Business profile* and click *Next.* To create it, first provide all the necessary details about your business: A name for your WhatsApp Business account, a display name, a business category and your timezone. Business description and website are optional. You are almost there! Now, all that's left is to verify your WhatsApp Business phone number. It’s pretty simple if you follow the instructions below. #### Step 4: Verify your WhatsApp Business Phone Number Add your WhatsApp Business phone number and choose a verification method. You can verify your phone number via text message or phone call, so ensure you have access to the number you used. Once you receive the verification code, enter it on the blank boxes and click *Next*. Once your phone number is verified, click *Finish*. Finally, select the phone number you want to connect to and click Complete to finish the setup. And that’s it, you have successfully completed the signup process! After completing your WhatsApp Business API integration, your business will get the [unverified status](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick). During this time, the WhatsApp Commerce Policy check will be automatically conducted in the background. WhatsApp immediately blocks accounts that don’t comply with its policies. You can appeal this by submitting a support ticket to your WhatsApp BSP (Business Solution Provider). If you need more help during the process, consult [respond.io’s Help Center](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-api-quick-start#how_to_sign_up_for_whats_app_business_api). > Meta has rolled out new WhatsApp Setup Guidance directly inside your Meta Business Portfolio. This new hub provides step-by-step instructions to simplify your API setup and manage message eligibility. You can now launch campaigns faster with pre-approved templates and instantly check your template review and appeals status. ### What Comes After Getting WhatsApp API? As an unverified business, your account starts on the Limited Access Tier, which allows 250 [business-initiated conversations](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing#toc-1) in a rolling 24-hour period. This can be restrictive for companies that need to send a large number of business-initiated messages. To reach a wider audience, you must [**verify your business**](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-blue-tick). Once verified, you'll be able to send **2,000 business-initiated conversations with unique customers**. #### How to Increase Phone Number Messaging Limits Using WhatsApp API After hitting this milestone, you will unlock progressively higher messaging limits: **10,000, 100,000, and finally, unlimited messages.** To advance to the next tier each time, you must consistently meet the following criteria: - You are sending high-quality messages across all of your business phone numbers and templates. - In the last 7 days, your business has utilized at least half of your current messaging limit. If these criteria are met, Meta will increase your portfolio’s limit by one level within 6 hours. > Important: A *single shared limit* is applied to the entire Business Portfolio. All phone numbers under the same Busines Portfolio share the same messaging limit. With the setup complete and messaging limits in place, you’re ready to start broadcasting messages, running campaigns, and managing customer conversations efficiently. This is where a platform like respond.io can help you scale and automate your WhatsApp marketing effectively. ### Quick Wins with WhatsApp API on Respond.io Respond.io sets itself apart from other Business Solution Providers by being fundamentally designed for efficient communication across all channels. From [calling](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api) or texting over WhatsApp, to chatting over Instagram DMs or SMS, respond.io does it all. As an official Meta partner, we stay up to date with the latest WhatsApp features—along with all the powerful tools available across our platform. Here’s a look at what you can achieve with WhatsApp API on respond.io. #### One Omnichannel Inbox for Every Customer, Every Channel Respond.io understands that businesses rely on more than just WhatsApp to communicate, which is why we offer an [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) that brings together all the popular messaging channels like TikTok, Messenger and Instagram all in one place. Beyond a fully customizable inbox, you can also merge contacts to prevent duplicates and maintain complete conversation history across every channel. #### Say the Right Thing, Every Time with AI [Respond.io’s AI Agents](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents) help you stay responsive around the clock—instantly answering FAQs, routing chats to the right team, updating lifecycle stages and contact fields, and even summarizing conversations when they end. They're always on, handling routine tasks so your team can focus on what matters most. AI Agent follow-up ensures no lead or conversation is left idle by automatically sending reminders or completing actions when chats go quiet. And if human agents need to take over, AI can seamlessly pass the conversation off to them. Additionally, if a human agent is available and decides to join the conversation, they can takeover from the AI agent without delay or disruption. For more complex interactions, Respond AI gives your agents real-time support inside every chat. With [**Prompts and Assist**](https://respond.io/response-automation), they can rephrase messages, translate replies instantly, and get help answering tricky questions—faster, clearer, and more confidently than ever. #### Your CRM, Right Inside Respond.io Respond.io doesn’t just unify your messaging channels. It also integrates with popular CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce, giving you direct access to your source of truth without leaving the platform. This ensures you always have the right customer information on hand during every conversation. No more switching tabs, manual data entry, or worrying about outdated information. Just seamless, accurate context for every chat, call and follow-up. This means your team can focus on what matters most: building stronger relationships and closing more deals. #### From First Touch to Repeat Business with Lifecycle To drive conversions, it’s essential to engage customers at the right stage of their journey. That’s why respond.io offers [Lifecycle](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle), a feature that helps businesses identify and track customers as they move through the pipeline. With the ability to view and update a customer’s status in just a few clicks, businesses can manage conversations more effectively and keep opportunities moving forward. #### Reports and Analytics: Measure, Manage, Optimize The respond.io [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) provides a wealth of graphical representations, charts and leaderboards. Supervisors can utilize these tools to identify trends and areas for improvement, enhancing management and decision-making. The results speak for themselves, and who better to tell the story than respond.io's customers? After switching to respond.io, [Sleek gained 3x more qualified leads over WhatsApp](https://respond.io/customers/how-sleek-gained-3x-more-qualified-leads-over-whatsapp). Sharwa, on its side, [increased conversion rates on WhatsApp by 40%](https://respond.io/customers/how-sharwa-designed-a-communication-strategy-that-achieved-85-in-csat-scores). ### New: Use WhatsApp Business App and API at the Same Time Until recently, businesses had to choose between using the WhatsApp Business App or the WhatsApp API. Now, with WhatsApp Coexistence, you can use both on the same number. This means you can keep your existing WhatsApp Business app number and still connect it to the WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) via respond.io — without losing access to your app or needing a new number. #### Why It Matters for Teams Coexistence gives your team the flexibility to: - Use advanced API features like multiple users, automation, AI routing and CRM integrations via respond.io. - Keep using the WhatsApp Business app for simple 1:1 conversations or business tools like catalogs and quick replies. - Maintain your existing number, customer chat history and app access—even after connecting to the API. This setup is ideal for growing teams that want the power of the WhatsApp API without sacrificing the convenience of the app they’re accustomed to. > ⚠️ Note: Some WhatsApp Business app features like group chats, broadcast lists and disappearing messages won't work on the API side. Also, if you enable coexistence, you’ll temporarily lose the green checkmark (you can reapply after setup). ### Further Reading Did you find this article helpful? If so, here are some readings that might interest you. - WhatsApp Opt In: Getting Customers to Opt In WhatsApp - WhatsApp Business Name: A How-To Guide to WhatsApp Display Name - The Practical Guide to WhatsApp Ads ## [How to Improve Customer Service: 5 Practical Strategies to Improve Customer Service](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-improve-customer-service) In a world where customer expectations are ever-increasing, exceptional customer service has become a necessity. Businesses that prioritize and continually improve customer service not only survive but thrive, building lasting relationships with customers. Learn how you can enhance and improve your customer service to gain a competitive advantage. In a world where customer expectations are soaring, delivering exceptional customer service is an absolute necessity. Businesses that continuously seek and prioritize how to improve customer service will not only survive but thrive by building lasting relationships with their clientele. In this article, we'll explore the importance of improving customer service and practical strategies on how to improve customer service for your business. ### The Benefits of Improving Customer Service In a constantly evolving business landscape, customers have become increasingly discerning, setting higher expectations for unparalleled service. They expect prompt responses, personalized attention and efficient resolution of their concerns. In fact, [73% of customers](https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/library/consumer-intelligence-series/future-of-customer-experience.html#:~:text=Among%20all%20customers%2C%2073%25%20point) are willing to spend more with businesses offering excellent customer service. Additionally, [58% will sever ties](https://info.microsoft.com/ww-landing-global-state-of-customer-service.html) after poor service encounters. Recognizing this, businesses are compelled to prioritize and consider how to improve customer service to gain a competitive advantage. Here are five significant reasons why enhancing customer service is paramount for your business. #### Boost Customer Satisfaction Better customer service has a direct impact on [customer satisfaction](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score). When customers experience fast, customized and effective support, their overall satisfaction with your business increases. Higher customer satisfaction often translates to excellent reviews and an increase in repeat business, demonstrating the direct link between exceptional service and a satisfied customer base. #### Enhance Customer Retention Excellent customer service is the basis for retaining customers. Retaining existing customers is more cost-effective than constantly acquiring new ones. If you improve customer service by providing a positive and valued experience, they are more likely to remain loyal to your brand. This loyalty fosters stable, lasting relationships and creates a consistent revenue stream that is critical to the long-term sustainability of your business. #### Foster Customer Loyalty Exceptional customer service goes beyond merely satisfying your customers; it's about creating brand advocates. When you consistently improve customer service by implementing strategies on how to improve customer service, your customers not only keep coming back for more but also enthusiastically refer your business to others. This makes customer loyalty one of the most powerful marketing assets at your disposal, driving organic growth while simultaneously lowering customer acquisition costs. #### Strengthen Brand Reputation Your brand's reputation stands as its most valuable asset. A robust brand reputation not only fosters trust and customer loyalty but also distinguishes you from competitors, directly influencing your financial performance and overall business outcomes. This means that when businesses improve customer service, it will enhance the overall brand image and reputation. When your customers consistently have positive interactions and support experiences, it builds trust and credibility for your company. A strong reputation attracts new customers, retains existing ones and fortifies your position in the market. #### Gain Competitive Advantage In a crowded marketplace, providing exceptional customer service sets your business apart from competitors. When you implement strategies on how to improve customer service, you will offer a unique value proposition that can attract and retain customers, even in the face of similar offerings. It is a key differentiator that can give you a substantial edge, helping you win market share and thrive in a competitive environment. Now that you know how excellent customer service can affect your business, let's look at ways how to improve customer service with a customer conversation management software like respond.io. ### How to Improve Customer Service To meet the demands of today's fast-paced digital landscape, businesses are expected to be where their customers are, which often requires a presence on a variety of instant messaging channels. While that is easy to create, delivering a consistent quality of customer service across all channels is no small feat. The demand for seamless engagement, quick responses and personalized interactions can be overwhelming. Here's where respond.io, an innovative customer conversation management software, steps in to improve customer service across various instant messaging channels. Let's explore how to improve customer service for your business. #### How to Improve Customer Service: Enhance the Accessibility of Customer Communication Businesses often struggle to reach their customers effectively as there are many instant messaging channels. The challenge is to juggle numerous platforms at the same time, so there is a high probability that businesses will miss or not reply to messages from customers. Respond.io effectively addresses these challenges by supporting all popular instant messaging channels including [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) and others. It also consolidates conversations into one unified [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-support#toc-mobile-6), streamlining communication for businesses. This allows businesses to respond seamlessly to their customers without having to manage and juggle multiple platforms. Now that you have a presence on the right messaging channels, you need to ensure customers can easily reach you. You can do this by creating convenient chat entry points. These chat entry points include QR code that businesses can place in stores or on their websites. And if the website is highly frequented, businesses can place website chat widgets such as [WhatsApp widget](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-widget) and [Facebook Messenger widget.](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) In addition, businesses can strategically place clickable buttons with [chat links](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/grow-your-whatsapp-audience-by-maximizing-entry-points#chat_link_and_qr_code_on_respond_io_platform) on their website and social media profiles so that customers can easily contact your support team. Since WhatsApp is the [most widely used messaging channel worldwide](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-is-now-a-whatsapp-business-solution-provider#toc-mobile-1), it is likely that customers are using it and prefer chatting with businesses on it. If your business has a large following on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, you can include chat entry points to WhatsApp via a [WhatsApp button on your Facebook Page](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-add-whatsapp-button-on-facebook-page#toc-mobile-0) and [Instagram profile](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-for-instagram) or by including [WhatsApp chat link](https://respond.io/whatsapp-link-generator) on these platforms. With respond.io, you can create an [omnichannel chat widget](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) that will feature all your connected channels and create chat links and [QR code](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you#generate_a_scannable_qr_code_or_shareable_chat_link) that serve as convenient entry points to streamline how customers engage with your business. #### Unify Customer Experience Across Channels With your business accessible across multiple channels, it's common for the same customers to reach out through different messaging platforms, resulting in [siloed conversations](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts#toc-mobile-0) across channels. This, in turn, leads to agents asking customers to repeat their information and issues for context, causing frustration and reduced satisfaction. With respond.io's [Contact Merge](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contacts-overview#merge_contacts) feature, you can [merge conversations from different channels](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contacts-overview#merge_contacts) in a single thread for a unified customer profile. This allows you to identify recurring customers, recognize recurring problems and make informed customer care decisions. The result is a cohesive customer experience that ensures consistency across all contact channels the customer uses. #### Streamline Customer Service with Automation Increasing customer expectations for quick responses poses a challenge, especially when businesses reach their limits in handling a sudden influx of incoming conversations due to resource constraints. This is where businesses can leverage automation to enhance response times and streamline operational efficiency. With respond.io’s [Workflows automation builder](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview), businesses have the flexibility to build automation of any complexity. For example, you can send automated [welcome messages](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/automated-welcome-and-away-messages) to greet customers or send [away messages](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/automated-welcome-and-away-messages) when they message you outside of business hours. This way, you can set clear expectations and avoid leaving customers waiting aimlessly. Another effective method is to establish an automated [FAQ menu](https://respond.io/blog/customer-service-automation#toc-mobile-7). This gives customers quick answers to commonly asked questions without the need for human intervention. When automated responses cannot provide the answers customers need, it connects customers with the right agent without delays or multiple transfers. To do this, build automation to [route customers](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio#toc-mobile-0) to the right team and [assign them](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-0) to the right agents based on their needs. #### Respond to Customers’ Inquiries Efficiently Now that you've streamlined customer service through automation, the next step stage is to empower your customer service agents to respond to inquiries effectively. With [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) powered by Respond AI, businesses ensure accurate responses by leveraging existing content like knowledge bases or self-help materials. This tool acts as a co-pilot for agents, creating accurate responses to customer queries. AI Assist uses your documentation and self-help materials to formulate relevant responses. It also customizes the tone of voice to tailor responses to your brand identity. Before you send your responses to customers, take advantage of [AI Prompts](https://respond.io/blog/august-2023-updates-respond-ai-workflow-improvements-quick-access-to-resources-and-more#toc-mobile-0) to enhance your message. With the help of AI Prompts, you can easily adjust tone of voice, translate, correct spelling and grammar, and simplify language. This ensures that your messages to customers are not only clear and coherent. In addition, you can use these prompts to correct spelling and grammatical errors and facilitate the translation of messages, making communication more effective and comprehensive. #### Monitor and Analyze Customer Service Agents’ Performance Effectively tracking a customer service agent’s productivity, checking the quality of conversations and measuring response and resolution times are critical for businesses that want to provide optimal customer service. Without a comprehensive solution, it can be challenging to identify trends and address customer issues, which affects the quality of customer support. Respond.io's [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) allows managers to gain insights into performance and dive into individual customer conversations to [intervene in real time.](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity?_ga=2.228577880.417049847.1666333100-363328488.1646196266#comments) This tool also allows tracking of key metrics such as first response and resolution times using [analytics components](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/reporting-for-support?_ga=2.223386206.417049847.1666333100-363328488.1646196266), which is helpful both in supporting agents and the development of customer interaction guidelines. ### Measure Customer Service Improvement To ensure your customer service is on the right track and continuously improving, it's essential to have a system in place to measure the effectiveness of your customer service strategies. Here's how you can effectively measure your progress and continually enhance your customer service. #### Monitor Response and Resolution Time Measuring response time and resolution time is critical to understanding and improving customer service. Response time, the duration between a customer making contact and receiving the first response, is an important indicator of customer service efficiency. Fast response times show that a company cares about its customers' concerns, which can significantly increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. In today's fast-paced world, customers expect quick interactions, and a delayed response can lead to frustration and a negative perception of the brand. Equally important is resolution time, which indicates how long it takes to fully resolve a customer's issue. This metric reflects the effectiveness of a customer service team in resolving issues. A shorter resolution time indicates a more efficient process and competent support staff, resulting in higher customer satisfaction. It is a direct measure of a support team's ability to understand and resolve customer issues and ensures that the customer is not inconvenienced for long. With respond.io’s Reports Module, businesses can identify and track the average response and resolution time as well as identify potential anomalies in resolved or outbound conversations. Indian video sharing service Moj needed an effective solution to manage communication with 200,000 multilingual creators as part of its [Moj for Creators](https://respond.io/customers/how-moj-for-creators-supports-200k-creators-in-15-languages) training program. With respond.io, it was able to reduce resolution times by 94% while maintaining human interaction for complex cases. #### Track Customer Satisfaction [CSAT](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-1) scores, short for Customer Satisfaction scores, are a powerful tool for understanding the happiness of your customers. They provide you with a snapshot of how content your customers are with your service. With respond.io, you can [build a CSAT survey](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-7) and export the data to Excel or a data warehouse like Clearbit. Armed with this data, you can take proactive steps to address issues or areas where customers have expressed dissatisfaction. Whether it is refining your response times, improving your product or service offerings, or enhancing the overall customer experience, CSAT scores provide a compass for your improvement efforts. [Jagoan Hosting](https://respond.io/customers/how-jagoan-hosting-raised-productivity-by-52-percent) an Indonesian web hosting provider, has automated some of its processes and made strategic decisions based on data and insights. As a result, service wait times were reduced by 20%. It also used respond.io's workflows to send CSAT surveys to its customers. #### Assess Net Promoter Score [Net Promoter Score (NPS)](https://respond.io/blog/customer-satisfaction-survey#toc-mobile-0) is a metric specifically designed to measure customer loyalty. It goes beyond mere satisfaction and delves into whether your customers are not just content but also loyal advocates of your brand. Similar to CSAT surveys, respond.io allows businesses to create an NSP survey using its Workflow feature. Once you have a clear picture of your NPS, you can strategically adjust your business practices. If the NPS indicates a need for improvement, you can tailor your strategies to address the areas potentially hindering customer loyalty. With the insights gained from these surveys, businesses can make more informed decisions that increase both customer satisfaction and loyalty in the long run. #### Track Customer Loyalty Customer loyalty is crucial for businesses. It reflects the consistent preference for a brand over the competition. It comes from positive experiences, satisfaction and perceived brand value, which lowers acquisition costs and encourages word of mouth. Key metrics such as Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) and Net Promoter Score (NPS) measure this loyalty. Evaluating improvements in customer service depends on understanding loyalty, as satisfied customers who tend to make repeat purchases and make recommendations are an indicator of effective service. Monitoring loyalty levels helps to measure the success of customer service strategies and identify areas for improvement. Renowned skincare retailer [H&H Skincare](https://respond.io/customers/how-hh-skincare-boosted-its-customer-loyalty-to-60-percent) solved customer service challenges with respond.io's unified channels and automation, resulting in a 300% increase in daily interactions and 160% revenue growth in six months. With 60% of messages coming from returning customers, the strategy underlines strong customer retention and loyalty, which is significantly driving the company's growth. As you can see, improving customer service is a journey that requires dedication and the right tools. By recognizing the importance of improving your customer service with respond.io, you can ensure customer loyalty, increase satisfaction and promote an excellent reputation for your brand. Take the first step toward excellence today—[try respond.io for free today](https://app.respond.io/user/register?_gl=1%2a1gkbp0e%2a_ga%2aNDAwMDQyNjYxLjE2OTY5MDkwNzI.%2a_ga_0EZ318H868%2aMTY5ODY1MzI3Ni4zMy4xLjE2OTg2NTYyMDQuNDUuMC4w). ### Further Reading Did you find this article useful? If so, here are some other quick reads that might interest you: - How to Use Automation to Enhance Customer Service Efficiency - Why Use an Omnichannel Support Platform - Escalation Management: A Guide to Customer Escalation ## [How to Improve WhatsApp Customer Experience and Engagement](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-experience-engagement) Want to stand out from competitors? Your WhatsApp customer experience may make all the difference! Learn how to improve customer engagement on WhatsApp. Want to improve WhatsApp customer experience and boost customer engagement on WhatsApp? Put yourself in the customer’s shoes! Think about the last time you had a conversation with a business over WhatsApp. Did you easily accomplish your goal or did it end in frustration, possibly leading you to look for a different service? These are questions you should think about when [communicating with your customers over WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) to understand their perspective. ### The Importance of WhatsApp Customer Experience A WhatsApp customer experience is often the first engagement a prospect or customer has with your business, so it’s crucial to make it a positive one. This will encourage them to complete a purchase and do repeat business. Customer engagement on [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) can play a key role in every stage of the customer journey. Here’s a quick overview of what the process looks like. Respond.io’s [Conversation-led Growth® framework](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth) is based on three stages, Capture, Convert and Retain. Capture is how you kick off customer engagement on WhatsApp. After that, convert prospects into paying customers with timely replies and retain them by sending relevant promotions through [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) or [bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) to provide continuous value. The moment a prospect begins a conversation is your chance to make an impression that starts the customer relationship. Respond.io COO [Iaroslav Kudritskiy](https://www.linkedin.com/in/iaroslav-kudritskiy-18102724/) shares insights on how conversations over WhatsApp shape the customer experience and how to deliver an amazing one. Let’s dive right in with real examples from the customer perspective as to what makes or breaks an interaction. ### Poor vs Outstanding WhatsApp Customer Experiences We all interact with businesses over WhatsApp. It’s often the most convenient way to inquire about a product or service or book an appointment. Ideally, a customer engagement on WhatsApp will provide the right answers and help you accomplish what you wanted to do. #### How a Poor Experiences Drive Customers Away Of course, this doesn’t always happen. Iaroslav Kudritskiy shares a major reason why businesses fail to close deals on WhatsApp: “They’re actually becoming the blocker of the person who wants to buy. Because after a person messages you and you don’t answer for 3-4 hours and then you send them this block message, it actually puts them off.” No one likes to be kept waiting, and if you send them a long impersonal paragraph that doesn’t directly answer their question, their opinion of your business will drop further. With so many options out there, you can’t afford to offer a less than satisfying experience. Another type of response from businesses that turns prospects off is long forms. At a recent event, [Ashley Ong](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyong/), founder of martech consultancy [Superanium](https://superanium.com/), shared a personal example. When looking to make a dental appointment, her first choice sent her a link to a form. She looked for other options and found a nearby clinic where she could click directly to chat on WhatsApp and made an appointment right away. That’s how important it is to be accessible to your customers. #### What an Outstanding WhatsApp Customer Experience Looks Like As in the example above, being able to make an appointment or get an answer to an inquiry without waiting or unnecessary effort is often what closes a deal. Prospects who message you over WhatsApp often know what they want. All you need to do is provide that to them, and you’re already ahead of your competitors. A positive experience not only helps you close deals faster, but also leads to securing repeat customers. Iaroslav Kudritsky gives this example of a conversation with his hairdresser. He schedules appointments ahead of time and the hairdresser sends him reminders before the appointment. One time, he wanted to reschedule, and the hairdresser quickly suggested three times that might work. He chose a time and it was settled in less than five minutes. Short, personalized conversations can make all the difference to a customer’s experience. ### 2 Keys to Improve Every Customer Engagement on WhatsApp All businesses want to ensure prospects and customers have meaningful interactions that keep them coming back, but this can be a challenge for growing companies with high volumes of messages. #### Use Automation to Answer Fast Salespeople may struggle to reply in a timely manner simply because they’re overwhelmed, despite having [multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users). In addition, newer salespeople may not be aware of all the answers. When used properly, tools like [automation](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation) to send [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply), [scheduled messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) and AI can be a benefit. However, Iaroslav notes, “All these things are just tools. Features are not going to help you solve the problem. Automation is not going help you solve the problem. Those are not answers to the problem. What you really need to do over WhatsApp is answer fast with great answers.” With automation, you can reply instantly so customers aren’t kept waiting, but remember to put yourself in the customer’s shoes when setting responses. Using WhatsApp with a conversation management platform like respond.io allows you to [give customers a menu of FAQs](https://respond.io/blog/auto-reply-message-for-business#toc-mobile-12) to choose from. #### Give Great Answers to Ensure an Outstanding WhatsApp Customer Experience Deliver fast, accurate WhatsApp support while keeping human help accessible. Combining AI Agents and voice calls in a single thread provides **faster resolutions and better context**. - Human backup: Always offer an option to speak with a salesperson for complex queries. - AI handling: Let AI answer common questions, send context-aware follow-ups, and complete some sales independently. - Voice capabilities: AI can understand audio messages, transfer live calls, and provide call transcripts for reference. - Typing indicator: Shows customers when the AI is composing a reply for a human-like experience. - Knowledge support: AI delivers precise information when needed, helping new agents reply confidently and freeing your team for high-value interactions. Using AI offers the opportunity to answer a wider range of questions. [AI agents may be able to complete a sale](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-for-sales) without human intervention, but as with FAQs, access to a human if necessary is key. Iaroslav recommends equipping your AI with your business knowledge and letting salespeople use it as a tool: "The beauty of AI is it can hold the entire knowledge of your business and deliver it only as the conversation requires." Newer sales agents can use AI to help compose answers on policies they have not yet been trained on. That way, they can give expert replies to prospects and customers faster. ### Stand Out From Competitors with Your WhatsApp Customer Experience When you put prospects and customers first in every conversation, they’ll get what they’re looking for and you’ll close the deal. It’s a simple concept, but as we all know, it’s not often what you get when contacting a business. Growing businesses can benefit from using a conversation management platform like respond.io to create that positive experience more efficiently. As Iaroslav says, “Don’t forget the end goal. It’s about creating amazing customer experiences over WhatsApp. If you’re able to create that amazing experience, you will get all the customers from your competitors. As long as you can create that experience and your competitors can’t, you’re going to be in a winning position.” ### Further Reading If you’ve enjoyed the insights in this article, check out these other blogs: - Enhance Customer Experience with an Omnichannel Communication Platform - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business - WhatsApp Marketing in 5 Steps: A Detailed Guide (+Examples) - WhatsApp CRM Ultimate Guide: Integration, Use Cases & Best Practices ## [How to Increase Student Enrollment with Powerful Online Conversations](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-increase-student-enrollment) Want to know how to increase student enrollment? Provide fast, accurate responses, a consistent experience and trusted advice. We'll show you how. Struggling with how to increase student enrollment? Education recruitment is a competitive market with so many options available for students to choose from. When a student is considering a course, they expect to get answers to their inquiries quickly. Education service providers who reply promptly are more likely to get students enrolled. Among a survey of institutions, engaging prospects in conversation via WhatsApp or live chat [increased prospective student conversions by 350%](https://blog.uni-quest.co.uk/news-insights/live-chat-to-boost-student-recruitment). After students have started a conversation, you can continue the relationship by sending them valuable information and offering personal assistance via chat. We’ll show you how to increase student enrollment with four methods to keep prospects engaged along their journey. ### How to Increase Student Enrollment: 4 Tips Getting prospects into conversations is the first step in a relationship that should ultimately lead to enrollment. After the conversations get started, it’s crucial to keep them moving to guide students to conversion. Students often collect information from multiple schools or service providers before they’re ready to make a decision. Following up with a conversation at the right time is key to how to increase student enrollment. #### How to Increase Student Enrollment: Manage Large Volumes of Inquiries with Automation Tactics like [click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-lead-generation#toc-mobile-4) and [web chat widgets](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget#toc-mobile-1) help you get leads in quickly, but the volume can be overwhelming for agents to respond to manually. When students don’t receive a reply to their inquiries, they look elsewhere. With [automated replies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation#toc-mobile-13), you can send basic course information instantly and answer common questions. These answers may be enough to tell students whether the course is right for them so they can make a decision or add it to their shortlist. If students have more specific questions, automation can also be used to inform prospects about agents’ availability and send them to the most appropriate agent. With the basic questions answered, agents have more time to respond to those prospects who require personal attention. #### How to Increase Student Enrollment: Give Students the Information They Need and Prompt a Decision with Targeted Broadcasts Once prospects receive information on a course, they often need time to think about it and weigh their options. If you’ve connected with them over chat, you can send them [targeted broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) so you’ll stay top of mind. Segment students into groups based on course interests, stage in the application process, or location. For example, if you travel to education fairs, send broadcasts to students when you’re coming to a fair in their area. Send deadline reminders and offer limited-time promotions to encourage students to complete their application. Remember to include a clear CTA for prospects to reply to the broadcast so you can continue chatting with them. One of our customers, an education placement service, saw a [95% increase in lead conversions](https://respond.io/customers/how-qobolak-used-broadcasts-to-double-student-lead-conversions) in eight months after using targeted WhatsApp broadcasts. #### How to Increase Student Enrollment: Ensure Quality Conversations by Monitoring in Real-Time For prospects who are serious about enrolling, conversations with recruitment agents or enrollment advisors are vital to a decision, so it’s important to monitor for quality and to ensure agents are following up in time. With a conversation management platform like respond.io, managers have a full view of the conversations happening and the time it’s taking to respond. If a student asked about a trial class more than 24 hours ago, a manager may want to step in and remind the agent to reply. Additionally, if the agent is struggling to answer certain questions, for example, on complex visa issues or handling special learning needs, managers can offer advice to agents in [private comments](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/step-add-comment) or agents can request help. #### How to Increase Student Enrollment: Keep Conversations Consistent across Channels Prospects often message a business from more than one channel across the course of their customer journey. For example, a student sees a [click-to-WhatsApp ad](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads#toc-mobile-7) on Facebook and starts a conversation. They take some time considering options and then go back to your Facebook page. This time, they send a message through Facebook Messenger. It’s important to recognize this as the same person to provide them a consistent experience. You’ll want to know what information they’ve received already and what they’re interested in. If they’ve had a conversation with a human agent before, they may want to speak with the same person. The best way to do this is with an [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-2). That way, no matter what channel a message comes in on, it will go to a single place so the entire conversation can be seen in context. Any agent will be able to see it and continue, or it can be assigned to the same agent who handled it before. Assigning students to same agent for the whole process will strengthen your relationship with them and may encourage them to make a decision. Prospective students appreciate personalized advice from an agent who understands their requirements. ### Start Building Relationships with Prospective Students Now Make your business stand out in the education recruitment process by continuous engagement with students. When prospects get the information they need, timely follow-ups and advisors who care, student enrollment will increase. To engage with high volumes of messages instantly, follow up consistently and maintain high quality messaging, it’s best to use a conversation management platform like respond.io. Our customers have [doubled student enrollment](https://respond.io/customers/dalilk-academy-doubles-student-intake) by using these tactics. See the benefits for yourself by signing up for a free trial of [respond.io](http://respond.io/) or contact us for a [customized demo](https://respond.io/demo) today. ### Further Reading For more tips on how to boost your education business with conversational marketing and sales, check out these other articles. - Chatbot for Education: Benefits, Challenges and Opportunities - WhatsApp for Education: Enhanced Engagement for Maximum Results - WhatsApp Appointment Booking: Make Bookings a Breeze ## [How to Manage Whatsapp API Call, Chat and CRM in One Platform](https:/respond.io/blog/manage-whatsapp-api-call-chat-and-crm-in-one-platform) Learn how to manage WhatsApp API calls, chats and CRMs in one platform for improved workflows and more a cohesive approach to customer interactions. Businesses today rely on [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) more than ever to connect with leads and customers. But juggling calls, chats and CRMs can be chaotic and time-consuming. You might be wondering, *what’s the fix*, and *how can I manage WhatsApp API calls, chats and CRMs in one platform?* The answer is simple: you need a way to bring them all together. Curious as to how? Keep reading. Below, we’ll dive into why managing these channels separately holds you back, how a unified platform benefits your workflow and why [respond.io](https://respond.io/) is the solution you need. ### Challenges When You Manage WhatsApp Call, Chat and CRM Separately We all know that trying to manage different communication tools in silos is a recipe for disaster, but let’s take a closer look at why this is the case: #### Fragmented Communications Cohesive communication is the backbone of all [WhatsApp sales](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales) and marketing activities. So imagine then if you had to juggle between WhatsApp calls, chats and customer relationship management (CRM) tools all on separate platforms. It’d make for a confusing, potentially disruptive experience. For instance, if a lead moves from a WhatsApp chat to a call, a lack of context across different platforms can lead to errors and missed opportunities. #### Inefficient Workflows Switching between platforms isn’t just annoying. It’s wholly inefficient, and when it comes to sales and marketing, inefficiency means time wasted. [Speed matters in sales](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/need-speed-sales-ais-edge-whatsapp-era-respondio-nlxjc/), so slowing down response times means adding more [friction to your sales funnels](https://respond.io/blog/frictionless-customer-experience). This can lead to your leads falling through the cracks and your customers waiting longer and feeling more dissatisfied. And in the worst case, choosing to leave you and opting to go for a competitor. #### Limited Scalability As your business continues to grow, so too will your list of leads and customers. While you could get away without having a [centralized system](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) to manage your calls, chats and CRM early on, this will quickly prove to be a fatal mistake down the line. It’ll soon feel like solving a puzzle without ever seeing the full picture. Without a clear system, your teams will struggle not just with keeping up with leads, but also with improving campaigns, understanding what works and cutting out the flab. ### Benefits of Managing WhatsApp API Call, Chat and CRM in One Platform The solution to the above is simple: you need a single, unified communication platform that manages calls, chats and CRMs. When all your communication channels live under one roof, here’s how this benefits you: #### Centralized Customer Data Bringing everything together provides your teams with a full view of the customer journey. This means the moment a message or call comes in, it appears in a [shared inbox](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-team-inbox), allowing your teams to quickly get the context they need to handle their conversations. No more hunting around for the latest conversation details or checking three different apps just to confirm a past purchase or issue! #### Enhanced Efficiency and Productivity A consolidated platform cuts the time needed to update records, record calls, answer chats and [assign leads](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio). Teams can hop from one task to the next without copying and pasting information across different platforms, making workflows all the more productive. #### Cost Savings Paying for multiple tools is a waste of money, especially when you don’t need to. Each subscription adds up, and so do the administrative costs of managing different billing cycles and licenses. By merging calls, chats and CRMs into one platform, you’ll quickly realize what you can cut and save more. #### Improved Collaboration Keeping conversations easily accessible makes it easier for everyone, from sales to support to marketing and beyond, to collaborate. If marketing wants to see how leads are responding after a new campaign, they can look at the messaging history. If sales need quick input on a lead’s query, they can spot the relevant chat and add notes directly. ### Respond.io: The All-in-One Platform for WhatsApp Calls, Chat and CRM So you know you need an all-in-one solution, but how do you put that into action? Simple. You turn to solutions like respond.io that wraps calls, chats and CRM capabilities into a single, user-friendly package. In fact, respond.io [integrates natively WhatsApp calls, Messenger calls and Telnyx](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration) with popular CRMs. #### Unified Dashboard for Communication Respond.io gives you a [centralized dashboard](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting) for all WhatsApp interactions. The second a new message or call comes in, it appears in a shared inbox. Teams can sort conversations by priority, tag them and assign them to the right person. This means fewer tasks slip through the cracks, and your team can handle multiple conversations more effectively. Better still, the seamless transition between conversations and calls means you don’t have to switch tools if a text-based conversation suddenly requires a voice call—everything happens under one roof! #### CRM Integration Another major perk is how respond.io handles your CRM needs. You get centralized customer data for personalized interactions—all the context you need to tailor each conversation. Plus, by [automating customer workflows](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation), lead tracking becomes easier. You can automatically assign leads to specific reps, send follow-up reminders and move prospects through your pipeline based on how they engage with your WhatsApp messages. #### Advanced Features for Efficiency Respond.io also comes packed with AI-powered tools for chat automation, so [chatbots](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-chatbot) can handle routine questions 24/7. If something more complex arises, the bot seamlessly hands off to a human agent, with all the context intact. Meanwhile, reporting and analytics for performance improvement let you track metrics like average response times and conversion rates. This data shows you where your team excels and where you might want to tweak your approach. ### How to Get Started with WhatsApp API Calls Setting up WhatsApp Business API calling isn’t rocket science. In fact, it’s actually far simpler than you might expect. The first step is to sign up for WhatsApp API Voice through one of the [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSPs)](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-is-now-a-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) that support it. As one of the first providers to offer the WhatsApp Calling API, respond.io gives you the opportunity to unify your calls, chats and CRM in one platform. This allows you to streamline communications and stay ahead of the competition. Once you’re enrolled, **ensure your WhatsApp Business Account is verified** and ready for API integration. Then, [integrate the API with respond.io](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api) to begin managing calls and chats from a single platform. Your BSP will guide you through this process. After that, you can start taking full advantage of respond.io’s powerful features when managing WhatsApp API calls, chats and CRMs in one place. Ready to get started with WhatsApp calls? [Get started with respond.io now](https://app.respond.io/user/register?lang=en&_gl=1*nfpnna*_gcl_au*NjQxOTEzMDQxLjE3NDQ2MzQ0MzM.)! ### Further Reading If you liked our article, we invite you to check out the following reads: - WhatsApp Sales: How to Sell on WhatsApp [Nov 2023] - WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business for Sales and Marketing - WhatsApp API Explained: Features, Benefits & Pricing ## [How to Merge Contacts: A Complete Guide ](https:/respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) Struggling to handle duplicate Contacts? Here's all you need to know about Contact Merge, a handy tool that consolidates Contacts and their Conversations across Channels. Seeing double Contacts where only one should exist? It’s not your vision that’s the issue — you just have a case of duplicate Contacts. Avoid unnecessary trips to the optometrist with Contact Merge. We’ll show you how to merge Contacts and their Conversations for a holistic view of customers in your Workspace. We will also explain how duplicate Contacts occur and best practices to adopt when merging them. ### Contact Merge: Addressing Duplicate Contacts First, let’s talk about Contact duplication. To understand the value of the Contact Merge tool, you need to know how duplicate profiles are created and noticed on respond.io, as well as why companies should merge Contacts. #### A Common Cause of Contact Duplication A major competitive advantage of respond.io is that it connects businesses with customers on any Channel. Each first incoming message from a Channel — be it email, web chat or messaging app — creates a new Contact as a practical way to build a Contact list. There are a few reasons why Contacts would reach out on different Channels. For one, impatient Contacts will message a business on a few Channels at the same time, hoping that one has quicker responses. They could also initiate conversations on different Channels over time according to convenience. Perhaps they prefer using WhatsApp when on mobile and web chat when on desktop. This would result in separate Contact profiles. #### Duplicate Contacts Detected by Repeat Email Address or Phone Number Use So, how does respond.io recognize Contact duplication? The platform treats phone numbers and email addresses as unique. Repeat use of either alerts the platform of overlapping key properties between two profiles. Let’s say a Contact reaches out to a business on WhatsApp and Telegram. If both Channels are registered to the same phone number, respond.io will detect the coinciding Contact properties. #### The Trouble with Duplicate Contacts This brings us to the next question: Why should you merge duplicate Contacts? There are a couple of reasons why you may not want Contact duplication to go unchecked. Firstly, interacting with duplicate Contacts is an inefficient use of resources. Let’s say a customer enquires about a sales promotion on both WhatsApp and Telegram. Addressing the same customer afresh on each Channel would cost you time and manpower. If the profiles were merged, you would immediately notice they had asked the same question twice. Letting them know you received both messages and replying them just once indicates a high level of attention to customer handling. Another potential downside of duplicate Contacts is the increased risk of inadvertently spamming them. For instance, sending the same broadcast to a Contact multiple times could get you reported for spam, which lowers your [quality rating](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-14) on Channels like WhatsApp. ### Elegant Contact Merge Solutions with Respond.io Contact management is a valuable piece of the operations jigsaw for most businesses. While many platforms allow users to merge contacts, the unique way respond.io approaches Contact merging has several advantages. Let’s briefly explore some of these merits. #### Contact Merge: Prompts Suggestions to Merge Contacts Most platforms require users to manually search for or discover duplicate contacts themselves. In contrast, respond.io does the heavy lifting by alerting platform users about duplicate Contacts and prompting merges. #### Contact Merge: Merges Conversations Across Channels Contact Merge not only merges duplicate Contacts and their properties but also consolidates all Channels, Messages, Events and Comments associated with both in a single profile. Conversations across Channels are then displayed in chronological order on a seamless, scrollable interface in the messaging console. This creates a comprehensive overview of the Contact and all their interactions with a business. #### Contact Merge: Retains Contact Data After Merging Instead of only saving a single property per field and automatically deleting other data, respond.io retains the properties and Channel connections for both Contact profiles when merging. You can choose which Channel to message Contacts on from the Channel Selector in the message composer. Now that you’re up to speed on why you should merge duplicate Contacts, here is a rundown on the various methods to merge Contacts on the platform. ### How to Merge Contacts on Respond.io Contact merging can be done in certain modules by Users with the relevant [access levels](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/users#managing_user_roles_and_access). You can merge multiple Contacts together, but only two profiles at a time. Read on to learn how to merge Contacts in the different modules. #### Agents: Merge Contacts in the Messages Module Agents are typically the first in line to attend to Contacts who reach out. If duplicated Contact properties are detected during an [inbound conversation](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations), the platform will prompt Agents about a merge opportunity. A merge suggestion will be indicated in the Channels tab of the Contact’s profile in the Messages Module. Agents can examine the validity of the merge suggestion and proceed with the merge if the Contacts are indeed duplicates. ##### 1\. **Navigate to Merge Suggestions** In the Channels tab, scroll down to the bottom of the connected Channels list until you come to the Merge Suggestions section. ##### 2\. **Verify the duplicate profiles** Click on the suggested profile and ensure this is a duplicated Contact. If both profiles belong to the same Contact, initiate the merge by clicking on the Merge icon next to the duplicate profile. ##### 3\. **Select key Contact properties** Click on the relevant buttons to affirm which key properties you would like to save as the default if they differ in both profiles. For instance, if each profile has a different email address, choose which would be the main email for the Contact. ##### 4\. **Click on Merge Contact** Confirm the merge by clicking on the Merge Contact button. #### Owners or Managers: Merge Contacts at the Dashboard Not all businesses want Agents taking on the responsibility of merging Contacts. Workspace Owners or Managers who prefer to handle merges themselves can do so any time at the Dashboard. ##### 1\. **Navigate to Merge Suggestions** Scroll down the Dashboard to the Merge Suggestions section to see if there are any prompted merges. ##### 2\. **Verify the duplicate profiles** Click on the suggested profiles and ensure these are duplicate Contacts. If both profiles belong to the same Contact, initiate the merge by clicking on the Merge icon next to the duplicate profiles. ##### 3\. **Select key Contact properties** Click on the relevant buttons to affirm which key properties you would like to save as the default if they differ in both profiles. For instance, if each profile has a different email address, choose the main email for the Contact. ##### 4\. **Click on Merge Contact** Confirm the merge by clicking on the Merge Contact button. #### Owners or Managers: Merge Contacts via the Contacts Module In certain situations, Owners or Managers may know of duplicate profiles that don’t share any key identifiers. This could occur if a Contact alternates between their work and personal phone numbers or email addresses while chatting with a business over time, for example. As there will not be any prompts for a Contact merge in this instance, you would have to seek out these duplicate Contacts yourself. Verify beyond doubt that they are indeed the same person. Only then should you proceed with the merge. ##### 1\. **Select the profiles you would like to merge** Click on the checkboxes next to the two profiles in the Contacts row. If the Contact has a third duplicate profile, it can be attended to after performing the first merge. ##### 2\. **Click on Merge** The Merge button will appear at the top of the column header. Click on it to initiate the merge. ##### 3\. **Select key Contact properties** Click on the relevant buttons to affirm which key properties you would like to save as the default if they differ in both profiles. For instance, if each profile has a different email address, choose the main email for the Contact. ##### 4\. **Click on Merge Contact** Confirm the merge by clicking on the Merge Contact button. As you can see, these are straightforward processes to merge Contacts. That said, there are some good habits Users can practice. ### Best Practices to Merge Contacts Efficiently This set of best practices comprises two main components. The first tackles how to build comprehensive Contact profiles to prompt merge suggestions if a duplicate Contact is detected and the second ensures accuracy when merging Contacts. Let’s look at the proactive collection of Contact details and how it contributes to effective Contact management. #### Collect Contact Properties Upfront Not all messaging channels are tied to a phone number or email address as [different channels require different forms of identification](https://respond.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business#toc-mobile-10). Without these key identifiers, the platform cannot detect duplicate Contacts. Obtaining these details upfront allows businesses to build complete Contact profiles and chat with Contacts after messaging windows have closed. For instance, only Contacts can reopen conversations on WeChat while WhatsApp charges [new conversation fees](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing) for messages sent outside the [24-hour window](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-10). To continue conversations without these restrictions, you need an alternative Channel such as email. The first way to collect these properties is with a pre-chat form on your web chat widget. Before Contacts start chatting with you on web chat, have them fill out a pre-chat form with mandatory contact fields. Decide which fields, such as phone numbers or emails, are best suited for data capturing. This depends on your use cases or the [preferred messaging apps in your country](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps). Another way to obtain key Contact properties is through the [Ask a Question step in Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot). Set up an Ask a Question step that requires a phone number or email address input as part of your [data enrichment](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations#toc-mobile-4) exercise during inbound conversations. #### Verify Contact Identities Before merging duplicate Contacts, vet their details thoroughly to make sure that they are indeed two profiles of the same person. To decide if you need to merge the Contacts, do the below: - Double-check the Contact name - Check other identifiers, such as email addresses, phone numbers and identities in connected Channels - Check conversation history in the Messages Module, including interactions on other connected Channels to determine from their issues or tone if they are the same person Should there be are any inconsistencies in a duplicate Contact’s profile, add a comment to check their identity the next time they get in touch. Then verify their details and obtain a preferred email or phone number to be used as the platform default. If there is sufficient evidence that both profiles belong to the same Contact, proceed with the merge. Do not merge Contacts if you have any doubts about their identities. In case two different Contacts are wrongly merged, we’ve got you covered. ### Contact Merge: Unmerging a Contact Mistakes happen to the best of us, and we’re prepared for such a scenario. Fret not if you accidentally merged two different Contact profiles. #### How to Unmerge Contacts First, make sure you have an unavoidable reason for unmerging, such as the merged profile comprises two different Contacts. ##### 1\. Identify the Contact Find the profile you wish to unmerge in the Contacts Module. ##### 2\. Initiate Contact unmerge At the far end of the Contact’s row, click on the three dots to open the Actions Menu and select Unmerge Contact. ##### 3\. Unmerge the Contact A dialog box will open to display the two merged Contact profiles with their names, IDs and connected channels. Select the profile to be unmerged and click the Unmerge button at the bottom. The profiles will immediately be unmerged. Unmerging has to be done by Owners or Managers as only they have access to the Contacts Module. Also, do note that any Conversations that took place while the profiles were merged will be retained in the conversation history of just one profile. Efficient Contact management is a point of pride on respond.io, reflected in the way it alerts Users about duplicate Contacts, prompts merges and offers flexibility in deciding who can merge Contacts. Keep an eye out for more improvements to the Contact Merge tool. ### Further Reading Interested in learning how else respond.io can solve your business problems? Check out these articles: - Most Popular Messaging Apps: Top Messaging Apps 2021 - Slack Notification: Creating a Slack Incoming Webhook - Ask a Question: A How-To Guide ## [How To Migrate A LINE@ Account To A LINE Official Account](https:/respond.io/blog/migrate-from-line-at-to-line-official-account) If you're like us, you recently starting getting a notification in your LINE@ manager asking you to migrate to a LINE Official Account (LINE OA). At first, we were puzzled by this as in the past LINE Official Accounts were only for large corporations, and they were expensive. If you're like us, you recently starting getting a notification in your [LINE@ manager](https://manager.line.biz/) asking you to migrate to a LINE Official Account (LINE OA). At first, we were puzzled by this as in the past LINE Official Accounts were only for large corporations, and they were expensive. We've done some research on this and LINE is trying to move everyone to a single platform. To allow this they've created a Free plan on LINE Official Accounts just like they had on LINE@ accounts. The notice states that all LINE@ accounts will automatically be migrated on August 19th, 2019. But if you're interested in migrating sooner this guide will show you how. ### What Changes When I Migrate To A LINE Official Account? It seems like everything is pretty much staying the same, you'll get a better interface with your new LINE Official Account that has a little more capability, a few features were deprecated, new features were added and the pricing has changed a little. #### LINE Official Account Pricing The pricing for LINE OA, as LINE calls it, has changed a little bit from the LINE@ pricing. **The Free Plan** has no monthly fee, includes unlimited timeline posts, but only allows 500 broadcast messages to be sent. This is somewhat of a downgrade because the LINE@ free plan allowed you to send 1,000 broadcast messages. The free plan does not allow you to add any additional broadcast messages, for that you'll need to upgrade. **The Light Plan** costs $50 USD per month, includes 15,000 broadcast messages and allows you to pay for additional broadcast messages for 5¢, **The Standard Plan** costs $150 USD per month, includes 45,000 broadcast messages and charges 3¢ for everything additional broadcast message you send. #### LINE Official Account Plan Availability By Country For the past few years, LINE has been [focused on growing market share and developing features for its key markets in Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia & Thailand.](https://rocketbots.io/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-line-for-business/) This has created some difference in the plans that are available to you and how they work, depending on the country you're located in. In the European Union, the United States & Singapore only the free LINE OA plan is available. In all other countries, both free and paid plans are available. If you're located in Japan, Taiwan, or Indonesia, you will be billed in your local currency. Otherwise, you'll be charged in USD. #### Features Removed When Migrating To A LINE Official Account LINE has announced they will remove the following features in the new platform: - Statistics in Home - Draft message send by uploaded csv file - Default sticker - Lottery written in Old CMS (written, sent) - Rich menu - link settings: keyword deletion - 1:1 talk search menu - 1:1 talk history - Push notification setting when added as a friend - Research Page - will re-open after the summer of this year ### Steps to Migrate a LINE@ Account To a LINE OA Once you press the notice to migrate in the LINE@ Content Manager you'll be issued some additional information about the migration and prompted to press the *Select a new plan* button. Once you press select a new plan, you'll be presented with another notice regarding the migration terms. You'll need to accept the terms of service for a LINE OA and you'll be informed that the migration cannot be cancelled or reverted back to a LINE@ account. Once, you've pressed migrate the migration will begin. And you'll receive a notification in the LINE app explaining your account has been migrated successfully. Then you'll be prompted to download the LINE Official Account app. ### Further Reading If you liked this post and want to learn more about using LINE for Business don't hesitate to read our [Ultimate Guide To LINE Official Accounts for Business](https://rocketbots.io/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-line-for-business/). ## [How to Open a TikTok Shop in 5 Easy Steps ](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-open-a-tiktok-shop) Learn how you can open a TikTok Shop in 5 easy steps to maximize your potential sales. Want to know how to open a TikTok Shop and maximize your sales opportunities? You’ve come to the right place. In this blog, we’ll cover what a TikTok Shop is, why itshould sell on it, how to set up one and best practices. We’ll also show you thesuccesses businesses have had with TikTok Shop. ### What is TikTok Shop? TikTok Shop is a built-in shopping feature that allows brands and sellers to showcase their products directly on the TikTok platform. This feature integrates seamlessly with the user’s content consumption, allowing viewers to discover, browse, and purchase products without leaving the app. ### Why Sell on TikTok Shop? TikTok is a global sensation with over a billion active users, [especially popular among younger demographics](https://ojs.upsi.edu.my/index.php/MRJ/article/view/8785). TikTok Shop taps into the rising trend of social commerce, which is reshaping how people shop online. Traditional e-commerce methods are being disrupted by this new approach, where users are inspired to purchase based on viral trends, influencer endorsements and authentic content. It’s a huge opportunity to meet consumers where they already spend most of their time. With social commerce expected to [grow by over 30% annually](https://www.intelligentreach.com/news/ecommerce-news/social-commerce-set-to-grow-at-31-6-per-year-to-2030/), platforms like TikTok are becoming pivotal in shaping the future of online shopping. TikTok Shop is one of the leading forces behind this trend, giving brands the tools to combine entertainment with commerce and drive impulse buying directly through engaging content. #### Access to TikTok’s Large User Base TikTok has an enormous, highly engaged user base, with [Gen Z dominating its user base](https://www.emarketer.com/content/gen-z-leads-pack-on-snapchat-tiktok). This group is known for their affinity for discovering new products through social media and are more likely to make impulse purchases based on trends or influencer endorsements. This gives sellers on TikTok Shop direct access to millions of potential customers who are already primed to shop based on content they enjoy. #### Real-Time Interactions Through Livestream Shopping TikTok Shop enables businesses to host live shopping events, where sellers can engage directly with viewers in real-time. Livestream shopping combines entertainment and commerce, where brands can demonstrate products, answer questions, and offer limited-time promotions during the stream. This direct interaction helps encourages immediate purchasing decisions. #### Potential for Viral Sales TikTok’s algorithm gives businesses the chance to have the potential to reach massive audiences if their [content gains traction](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/05/business/media/tiktok-algorithm.html). Products showcased in engaging, creative ways can quickly go viral, driving exponential growth in sales. #### Market Trends Favoring TikTok Recent studies show that users are [spending more time on TikTok](https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-deep-dive-the-time-we-spend-on-social-media) than any other social platform. With more eyes expected to be on the platform, businesses need to take advantage of this trend and solidify themselves as a solid choice in the market. If you’re still not convinced, here are [more reasons to use TikTok Shop](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-advertising). Next, let’s learn how to open and start a TikTok Shop. ### How to Open a TikTok Shop? There are a few things you need to know before setting up a TikTok Shop account. Sellers need to provide proof of their business registration, including company licenses and tax identification numbers. TikTok also requires sellers to have a verified business bank account, as this is where sales revenues will be deposited. Additionally, sellers must confirm that their products comply with TikTok’s selling policies, particularly regarding product categories and safety standards. #### How to Set Up a TikTok Shop Now, let’s learn how to open a TikTok Shop in 5 easy steps. **Step 1:** Sign in to your [local TikTok Seller Center](https://seller.tiktok.com/). **Step 2:** Select the Business Type, Shop Name and Product Category **Step 3:** Fill in and verify your personal information. You may need to submit identification, depending on the requirements for your region or country. **Step 4:** Fill in your business info including address, contact person name, postcode, phone number and return address. **Step 5:** Check the Terms and Conditions box and click *Start Your Business*. That’s it. You’re done. Once your business documents have been verified, you will need to link a bank account to your shop so you can get paid for purchases and process returns. Now that you know how to open a TikTok Shop, you can create your product listing and start selling. Next, let’s look at how you can make the most out of your shop. ### TikTok Shop Best Practices to Boost Sales If you’re setting up a shop, you want to make money. But setting up a shop isn’t enough. You need the right tactics to help you get started. In this section, we’ll explore simple tips you can easily implement to boost sales. Here are 3 best practices to get your sales growing. #### Create Engaging Product Listings Craft your [product listings](https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=7073362639816491&default_language=en) around video content instead of relying on static images or text descriptions. It’s the format that resonates most with users. Focus on creating short, impactful videos that showcase the value of your products. This could include product demonstrations, user testimonials, or behind-the-scenes content that humanizes the brand. To further boost product appeal, jump on popular TikTok trends or challenges. > Lastly, remember to abide by [TikTok’s listing restrictions](https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=7073362639816491&default_language=en) when creating a listing. Failure to do so might get your listing blocked or removed. #### Monitor Competition and Algorithm Changes TikTok’s algorithm constantly evolves, and sellers need to stay aware of changes that might affect product visibility. Regularly reviewing competitors' content can provide insights into what strategies are working, while keeping up-to-date with TikTok’s algorithm ensures that sellers are optimizing their content for maximum reach. #### Use Paid TikTok Ads to Boost Visibility TikTok’s advertising platform allows you to target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors, ensuring that your ads are shown to users most likely to buy your products. Retargeting is a powerful way to re-engage users who have viewed your videos or interacted with your product listings but haven’t made a purchase. TikTok Ads Manager lets you run retargeting campaigns to bring these users back to your TikTok Shop. If you’re still not sold on the value of TikTok Shop, let’s look at a brand that made it big. ### What Can Sellers Learn From Successful Brands on TikTok Shop? [Queen Cosmetics](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en-US/inspiration/Queen-Cosmetics-drives-sales-with-TikTok-Shop?ab_version=control) used TikTok Shop to significantly increase its return on ad spend (ROAS) by combining organic content with paid ads. It also used [TikTok Shop Ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-set-up-tiktok-shopping-ads-in-seller-center) and [Spark Ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/spark-ads) featuring high-performing videos to reach a larger audience and increase conversions. Their campaign achieved a **ROAS of 7.4x**, well above their initial target. With TikTok’s video shopping ads and optimized targeting, Queen Cosmetics saw an **84% reduction in cost per acquisition (CPA)**, increased video views and boosted sales. ### Supercharge Your TikTok Shop Sales with Business Messaging Setting up a TikTok Shop is just the beginning—turning viewers into buyers requires seamless customer engagement. While TikTok provides basic business tools, brands selling through chat across multiple platforms need advanced automation, analytics, security, and streamlined communication. As a trusted TikTok partner, respond.io equips businesses with the tools to manage inquiries efficiently and maximize conversions. #### Why TikTok Business Messaging is Essential for Your Shop Managing a high volume of messages from potential buyers? Respond.io simplifies TikTok conversations, helping businesses respond faster and convert interest into sales. Whether answering questions about products in your TikTok Shop or handling leads from TikTok Messaging Ads, businesses can engage customers at the right moment to drive more purchases. With TikTok Business Messaging integrated into respond.io’s omnichannel suite, you can manage TikTok chats alongside WhatsApp, Instagram, and more—all from a single, unified inbox. Currently in Beta and available in most regions except the U.S., EEA, Switzerland, and the U.K., TikTok Business Messaging enables brands to turn inquiries into transactions effortlessly. ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ### Further Reading If you enjoyed reading these TikTok blogs and want to learn more, check out these articles: - 6 Eye-Catching TikTok Ad Examples Every Business Should Learn From - TikTok Ads: Harness TikTok Messaging Ads to Boost Sales - How to Sell on TikTok: Turn Scrolls into Sales with TikTok Shop and Beyond ## [How to Schedule WhatsApp Messages: Easy Step-by-Step Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) Learn how you can schedule a WhatsApp message to improve touchpoints and conversions across the customer journey. Can you schedule a WhatsApp message? If you’re looking to improve customer engagement, scheduling WhatsApp messages can be a game-changer. Learn what a WhatsApp scheduled message is, why use it, and how to send one. We’ll also show you businesses that have benefited from scheduling WhatsApp messages. ### What is a WhatsApp Schedule Message? A WhatsApp scheduled message is a message that is set up to be sent automatically at a future date and time. The idea is to compose a message and choose a specific time for its delivery, making it convenient for sending greetings, reminders or information at the most appropriate time without needing to be active on WhatsApp at that moment. ### The Benefits of Sending a WhatsApp Schedule Message Scheduling WhatsApp messages lets businesses execute marketing campaigns easily and reduces human error. By scheduling promotional messages, businesses can ensure: - Promotional messages to go live at the perfect moment, maximizing engagement and conversions. - Reduce no-shows through automated appointment reminders to keep customers informed about consultations or bookings. - Maintain consistent interaction throughout the customer journey with well-timed follow-up messages. > **Note**: Starting March 2025, WhatsApp is updating the way they send marketing messages to users, based on their engagement rates of previous marketing messages. Furthermore, Starting July 1, 2025, WhatsApp will charge per message for marketing and utility template messages instead of per conversation. Utility message templates sent during the 24-hour customer service window are free. Next, let’s look at how to schedule messages on WhatsApp. ### How to Schedule WhatsApp Messages on iPhone On iPhone, you need to use the Shortcuts application to schedule a WhatsApp message. 1. Open the Shortcuts app and select Automation. 2. Press the Create personal automation button by tapping + in the top right corner. 3. Select a time and date and then press Next. 4. Tap Add Action. In the search bar, type Text and select Text. 5. Fill in the text field with your message. 6. Select the +. In the pop-search-up box, enter WhatsApp. 7. Choose Send Message Through WhatsApp from the dropdown menu. 8. Select the contact you want to send the message to. Then, click Next > Done. ### How to Schedule WhatsApp Messages on Android There’s no native way on Android to schedule a WhatsApp message, so you’ll need to download a third-party app. In this example, we’re using SKEDit: Auto Message Scheduler app. 1. Enable the toggle for the app under Settings > Accessibility > Services to gain full accessibility. 2. Launch the SKEDit app and tap +. 3. Select a group or contact on WhatsApp. Next, choose the time and date. 4. Type the message you need to schedule now. 5. Click the "Create" button to finish scheduling a WhatsApp message. ### How to Schedule WhatsApp Messages on WhatsApp Web To schedule WhatsApp messages on WhatsApp Web, you will have to download the Blueticks extension from the Chrome Web Store. 1. Open a contact, a chat, or a group you want to send your message to. 2. Click the scheduling icon near the message box. 3. Compose your message. 4. Set the delivery time and date. 5. Click Schedule Send. ### How to Schedule WhatsApp Messages on WhatsApp Business App You can only schedule auto-reply away messages on the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app). Here’s how you can do it. 1. **Open** the WhatsApp Business app on your Android or iPhone mobile device. 2. **Tap** on ”Away Message” and turn the toggle on ”Send away message”. Here, select the pencil icon next to “Away Message”. 3. **Type** in the WhatsApp message in the text field. Once done, click “ok”. 4. Choose how you’d like to schedule the message and tap ”Schedule”. You can pick a custom schedule based on the working hours of your business. That’s how you schedule a WhatsApp Business App message. Now, let’s see how you can do the same on WhatsApp API. ### How to Schedule WhatsApp Messages on WhatsApp API [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app), or WhatsApp Business Platform, is designed for medium and large businesses. However, unlike WhatsApp API, there isn’t a built-in user interface. You’ll need to use software like respond.io to [send scheduled broadcast messages](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview). Let’s take a look at how you can do that on respond.io, a leading customer conversation management software. 1\. **Select** the Broadcast Module. 2\. **Click** on *\+ Add Broadcast.* 3\. **Fill** in the name of your broadcast. Add a label here if you want. 4\. **Select** the Segment of your audience, your WhatsApp API channel and Message Template. If you don’t have a message template ready, you need to create one and wait for it to be approved before you can send your message. Then click *Next*. 5\. **Configure** your broadcast schedule by selecting the date, time and timezone. Once you’re done, click on *Schedule Broadcast*. However, before sending a broadcast, you need to be aware of a few things. Asher Phillips, a Customer Success Manager in respond.io says that businesses must receive [customers’ opt-in](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in) before sending them broadcasts. This is to avoid having your messages reported as spam by your recipients. “I’ve worked with customers who have gotten their WhatsApp numbers banned because they didn’t seek customer opt-in before sending broadcasts. In some cases, these customers were unable to reverse this ban. So always ensure to get customer opt-in, or include an opt-out in your broadcasts to avoid the hassle altogether”, said Asher Phillips. If you run [click to chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads), you can [schedule appointments via click to chat ads](https://help.respond.io/capture-conversations/streamline-meeting-scheduling-via-ctc-ads) with the [Workflows automation builder](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview). It’s a powerful tool that helps you automate various parts of the customer journey. Now that you know how to set up WhatsApp scheduled messages for, let’s take a look at the best practices you need to follow for the best results. ### 6 Best Practices for Scheduling WhatsApp Messages In this section, we’ll go through 6 quick and easy tips to follow when scheduling WhatsApp messages. - Schedule during optimal times: Plan your messages to be sent when recipients are most likely to engage, considering their time zones and peak activity periods. - Use clear and concise language: Ensure your scheduled messages are clear, concise, and relevant to maintain recipient interest and engagement. - Provide value in your messages: Ensure your messages have a point. Whether it’s providing important updates, reminders, or personalized content, make sure it’s valuable to your audience. - Segment your audience: Customize messages for different audience segments to ensure relevance and personalization, increasing the likelihood of business goals like converting leads. - Comply with WhatsApp policies: Make sure you adhere to WhatsApp’s terms of service and policies, especially if you’re using WhatsApp API, to avoid account suspension. - Avoid over-scheduling: Be mindful not to send too many scheduled messages. If you do, recipients might flag your messages as spam, resulting in a banned account. Next, let’s take a look at the use cases to make the most out of WhatsApp schedule messages. ### 3 Use Cases to Maximise WhatsApp Message Scheduling Whether you’re looking to launch a [drip campaign](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-drip-campaign), [promote your latest offerings](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-promotional-messages) or even [remind customers about their appointments](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-appointment-booking), WhatsApp schedule messages are a great way to automate these. Here’s how you stand to benefit from sending a scheduled WhatsApp message. #### 1\. Nurture and Nourish Leads With Drip Campaigns [Drip campaigns](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-drip-campaign) work by segmenting and engaging leads based on their engagement levels, allowing for targeted communication. This approach ensures highly engaged leads receive the necessary information to push towards a conversion, while those less engaged are gradually nurtured to increase their interest. This can effectively focus efforts during peak periods to convert advanced leads and gather new ones, and maintain visibility during off-peak times. #### 2\. Retarget Existing Customers Through Promotions and Newsletters Businesses can effectively retarget their existing customer base using scheduled promotions and newsletters via [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) or [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message). Through this use case, businesses can distribute offers and updates at predetermined times, helping businesses nurture and re-engage their customers on a continuous basis. This is worthwhile doing as [targeting existing customers yield better returns](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/12/12/customer-retention-versus-customer-acquisition/?sh=59aa598d1c7d) compared to targeting new customers. Thus, ensure that your customers are always aware of your brand and offerings. #### 3\. Prevent Losses With Appointment Reminders Scheduled messages for appointment reminders are a crucial tool for reducing no-shows. Automating reminders regularly informs clients about their upcoming appointments, which encourages attendance and helps maintain a smooth operational schedule. This ensures that time slots are efficiently utilized and minimizes potential revenue losses. For all three use cases, ensure that you connect to a [WhatsApp CRM](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) so that managers and agents will always have the necessary context when messaging customers. Now that you know how to send a scheduled WhatsApp message, let’s look at how businesses have found success using it on respond.io. ### Practical Examples of WhatsApp Message Scheduling Using broadcasts aren’t just good in theory, they actually work. In this section, we’ll explore the successes our customers have had with broadcasts to schedule WhatsApp messages. #### 1\. Qobolak Doubled Student Lead Conversions With Broadcasts [Qobolak](https://respond.io/customers/how-qobolak-used-broadcasts-to-double-student-lead-conversions), an education placement company, used broadcasts draw students to education fairs. They used it to deliver announcements and updates to a [wide student audience](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-whatsapp) efficiently. This approach has led to significant improvements in event visibility and attendance. Compared to previous approaches, Qobolak has reached a larger audience more effectively, increasing attendance and overall student engagement to enhance its outreach. They increased student conversions by 95% thanks to the improved reach. #### 2\. Colour My Plate Improved Conversion by 45% Respond.io made it easier for [Colour My Plate](https://respond.io/customers/how-colour-my-plate-revamped-its-sales-operations-for-45-more-conversions) to deliver scheduled broadcast messages to [specific customer segments](https://help.respond.io/contacts/segments). Thus they were able to target informing active subscribers about plans or promotions, these re-engage inactive customers. Scheduled WhatsApp messages can a powerful ally in to improve customer engagement, loyalty and sales conversions. Whether you're setting up reminders for a VIP sale or starting a drip campaign, WhatsApp schedule messages has got you covered. ### Consider Respond.io as your WhatsApp Business Solution Provider Ready to level up your messaging game? Then get started with respond.io, a WhatsApp Business Solutions Provider. [Sign up for your free account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and [connect your WhatsApp API account](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start#connecting_whats_app_business_api). ### Further Reading If you want to do more with the WhatsApp Business Platform, then check out these articles - The Ultimate Guide to WhatsApp API for Businesses: Everything You Need to Start Messaging Fast - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business - WhatsApp Marketing: Guide to a Successful WhatsApp Campaign - WhatsApp Business Multiple Users: 5 Steps Guide (+Examples) ## [How to Sell on Instagram DM: Selling on Instagram ](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-instagram-dm) Everything you need to know about Instagram Sales and how to sell on Instagram DM. Increase your business sales by selling on Instagram with respond.io. Want to know how to sell on Instagram DM? You’re in the right place. If you’re not utilizing Instagram for sales, you’re missing out on thousands of potential customers. Fortunately, we’re here to help you learn about Instagram sales over direct messages. Instagram has become a hotbed for companies to market their offerings thanks to its sheer number of users, specialized features and official accounts for businesses. Read on to learn how to leverage the channel to grow your profits and speed up the sales cycle! ### Instagram Direct Messaging Sales vs Traditional Methods Businesses carried out remote sales over phone calls and emails before the advent of instant messaging. Over the years, businesses recognized the drawbacks and limitations of those channels for sales and started incorporating chat apps in their operations. Phone calls require a lot of effort to happen. Both parties have to be in conducive environments and available at the same time to participate in a conversation. Discussion points are often forgotten or misinterpreted due to a lack of recordings. | Channel | Disadvantages | | --- | --- | | Phone | - No records of conversations - Both parties need to be available at the same time - Can’t send files | | Email | - Gets sent to junk/spam folders - Slow responses between parties - Scattered conversations | Email has its own issues. Spam filters block many legitimate emails, causing contacts to miss them. Users also check their email far less often than instant messengers for new messages. Emails tend to be more formal, making it hard to build relationships quickly. Users who don’t hit reply all or reply to the latest message cause threads to disperse. And if contacts send emails from different addresses, it can lead to businesses having trouble identifying who they are. Instant messengers solve the problems of phone calls and email while introducing benefits of their own. This is why businesses have started using channels like Instagram to improve their sales process. ### Benefits of Using Instagram Direct Messaging for Sales What makes Instagram the right choice for your business among the many instant messengers available to choose from? There are a few factors to help you make your decision, but here is what’s great about the channel. Since its launch in 2010, Instagram has risen to the top of global app charts and boasts more than a billion monthly active users and over 200 million business accounts. With over 90% of users following at least one business, your next client could be one of them. Unlike phone numbers or email addresses, which users can’t subscribe to, Instagram users can follow your account to stay updated about your business. Anybody who follows or interacts with you can be a potential customer. Profile links, [ig.me links](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-instagram-direct-ads#toc-mobile-2), QR codes and click-to-chat ads make it easy for customers to go straight to your [Instagram Business Account](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api) on the channel to message you. They can even look up your Instagram username or business name to find you. Finally, like personal Instagram accounts, business accounts can reply to direct messages from anyone for free. This will be the main way we’ll carry out sales on the channel. #### The Power of Instagram Direct Messages Direct messages are better for conversations with customers than commenting back and forth below a post. Compared to direct messages that go right to an inbox, comments are hard to follow and not ideal for sharing confidential information. Your messages can contain text, videos, images, voice clips and links. Use them to craft content that captures your audience’s attention. For example, a video tour of a home or office can increase a prospective buyer’s interest in purchasing the property. You can also send customers links to posts and Stories about your products or services they can check from Instagram itself. Since customers don’t have to switch apps, it minimizes the chance of them forgetting to reply. By using polls or questions in your Stories, you can get followers to initiate conversations with your business account. This presents you with additional opportunities to engage with potential customers. Recently, Meta enables businesses to set up [Instagram click to chat ads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VT2AIZ31fk&feature=youtu.be) to promote your products on Instagram and direct leads directly to your DMs. ### How to Use Instagram Direct Messaging for Sales? There are three ways you can use Instagram for direct messaging sales – the [official app or website](https://www.instagram.com/), [Facebook Creator Studio](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#:~:text=Instagram%20Business%20Account%20Multiple%20Users%3A%20Connect%20Instagram%20Business%20Account%20to%20Facebook) and the [Instagram DM API](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#toc-mobile-10). Each method is viable for direct message selling, but its suitability depends on your needs. Here’s a quick rundown of which one you should use. #### Official Website for Instagram or Instagram App If you run a micro business that has only one person handling customer communication, the official website for Instagram or Instagram app. You’ll be able to respond to messages and comments from your customers, just like a personal account. #### Facebook Creator Studio For small to medium-sized businesses, [link your Instagram Business Account](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api) to the [Facebook Creator Studio](https://www.facebook.com/creators/tools/creator-studio). This lets you assign multiple users to manage your inbox messages and comments, access business insights and schedule Official Account posts. #### Instagram DM API Large businesses with agents in the tens or more will want to utilize the [Instagram DM API](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#toc-mobile-10) to carry out sales conversations. By connecting the Instagram DM API to a platform like respond.io, you unlock the full potential of Instagram as a sales channel. Next up, we’ll cover what can be accomplished with the Instagram DM API. #### Benefits of Using Instagram DM API with Respond.io for Sales Connecting Instagram DM API to respond.io enables a number of features that aren’t available otherwise. The platform was designed to make communication-centric tasks like sales easier for large businesses to handle. Let’s see what Workflows and performance tracking bring to the table. ##### Selling on Instagram: Automate Tasks Using Workflows One of respond.io’s most powerful features, [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) allow you to automate some of the more repetitive tasks your agents face, letting them spend their time doing the actual selling. Since customers who communicate with businesses on instant messengers expect fast replies, they move on if they don’t hear back from you quickly. Manage their expectations with auto-replies to greet them or [inform them when you’re away](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business#toc-mobile-4). Workflows aren’t limited to simple tasks and can be set up to determine which sales funnel or route a contact falls into by [automating lead qualification](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot#toc-mobile-5), [routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assigning customers](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to the right salespeople. ##### Selling on Instagram: Performance Tracking If you have a large team of salespeople, you’ll want to know how efficient your agents are at responding to customer conversations. Using respond.io’s comprehensive Reports Module, you’ll be able to track and measure such metrics. Before you start using the Instagram DM API, there are a couple of things you need to know. ### Instagram DM API: What You Should Know Instagram is pretty strict regarding the response time of a business account. When a contact sends your business a message, it starts a 24-hour messaging window. You’ll need to respond to the contact within this window or you won’t be able to reply anymore. This can be a problem if customers contact you during your off-hours such as on weekends or public holidays. Fortunately, you can extend this message window to [7 days on respond.io](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#:~:text=within%20the%20next-,7%20days,-.) using a [Human Agent Tag](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-12). Now we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s look at how respond.io with the Instagram DM API can shorten your sales cycle and increase profits. ### Instagram DM API with Respond.io: Quick Wins In addition to performance tracking and Workflows, here’s how you can use the Instagram DM API on respond.io to enhance your sales process. #### Integrate Instagram DM API Inbox with Your Sales CRM Workflows allow you to [integrate respond.io with your existing sales CRM](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/integrations), facilitating information exchange between them. With that in mind, here are some useful integrations you can take advantage of. - Qualify Contacts with data enrichment tools like Clearbit - Calculate the price quotations for a custom plan during client consultations - Launch the necessary Workflow from the Messages Module using the Shortcut Button so you don’t have to switch between platforms while chatting with a Contact - Generate sales deals by integrating a CRM such as Hubspot or Salesforce There’s so much more you can accomplish with respond.io integrations. Check out our [list of supported integrations](https://respond.io/integrations) for additional information. #### Get a Complete Overview of Customers with Contact Merge and Tagging Most of your customers have more than one messaging app on their phones and may have contacted you through different channels. Normally, these conversations would be isolated from each other, but it doesn’t have to be the case thanks to [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts). As its name suggests, Contact Merge lets you combine all the details and conversation history of your Contacts across multiple channels. This means you can identify and message them, regardless of the channel they reach out from. This is useful for occasions when you can’t contact them on one channel and want to reach out via another. For example, if a messaging window on Instagram has closed, you’ll be able to chat with them on WhatsApp or Telegram instead. Using [Tags](https://help.respond.io/dialogflow/dialogflow-parameters#tagging), you can segment your customers based on their needs or tiers so your agents know who they’re dealing with and can immediately recommend the product or service they are looking for. #### Mobile App for Agents on the Go Resond.io has a [mobile app](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-for-customer-service#toc-mobile-13) that allows agents to answer customer inquiries and follow up on leads from Instagram direct messages and other connected channels on their mobile phones. The app has all the features available on the desktop such as Dashboard, Contacts and Messages to give agents an effortless messaging experience and the convenience of answering messages on the go, wherever they are. Agents will receive a push notification every time they receive a new message or when they are assigned new Contacts, ensuring they stay updated and avoid missing messages. To get the respond.io app, download it from [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io&hl=en) for Android and [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) for iOS. Now you have an idea of what you can accomplish using Instagram direct messages for sales, why not put into practice what you learned? Don’t have a respond.io account yet? [Sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register). ### Further Reading If you found this helpful, here are some additional articles to prepare you for your sales journey on Instagram: - Instagram Messaging for Business: The Ultimate Guide (June 2021) - Instagram Business Account Multiple Users: A How-To Guide - Instagram Widget for Website: A Guide to Using Instagram Web Chat for Business ## [How to Sell on Telegram: The Telegram Sales Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-telegram) Wondering how to sell on Telegram but don't know how? Here you'll find all you need to know about Telegram sales using respond.io as a messaging inbox. Are your customers Telegram users? If so, you’re probably interested in learning how to sell on Telegram. This blog post will introduce you to the benefits of using Telegram as a sales channel. What’s more, we’ll guide you through some key respond.io features that will shorten your Telegram sales cycle. ### Telegram Sales vs Selling Over Traditional Channels [Conversational sales](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-sales) are quickly taking over traditional sales channels such as email, website chat or phone calls. The reason behind this? Traditional sales channels present two severe limitations. First, none of the aforementioned channels supports chat history overview. And second, it’s very easy to end up with scattered conversations. These limitations are critical for salespeople, who need to identify customers and their needs to handle them correctly. Website chat conversations are untraceable once page visitors leave the website, so sales agents may lose valuable leads. As for sales phone calls, many customers consider them pushy and intrusive, as they are often urged to take action immediately. Email is not an ideal choice either, as it is too formal and slow at collecting customer information. Besides, it isn't very secure with limited or no encryption, exposing users to data leaks or security threats. #### Benefits of Telegram Sales Instant messaging channels such as Telegram are better for sales agents since the conversation history is always clearly and chronologically displayed. But Telegram has more to offer. From the beginning, Telegram branded itself as a secure, privacy-conscious messaging app. Telegram conversations are server-client/client-server encrypted and are stored within the Telegram cloud for the secure exchange of confidential information. This encryption model comes with an important advantage: Your Telegram chats across desktop and mobile are synced in real-time. What’s better, the app doesn’t impose a limit on the number of devices you can simultaneously connect. The Telegram app is a good choice for small businesses. However, it is not connected to a central messaging inbox, which may cause issues for managers in terms of supervising conversations and losing clients to agents who leave the company. [Telegram auto-reply](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-auto-reply) is not available in the app either. To get rid of these limitations, you should [connect Telegram to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/telegram#connecting_telegram). But first, let us guide you through some native Telegram features that help sales agents shorten their sales cycle. ### Telegram Sales: What You Should Know To sell on Telegram, sales agents need to be familiar with how the platform works. Although [Telegram has plenty of interesting features](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-0), we will introduce you to the ones that we deem important for sales: - Telegram bots - Telegram bot payments - Telegram 1:1 conversations Small businesses might get along using the Telegram app. But, what about medium to large-sized businesses? Is there any option with more advanced features similar to [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) or [Facebook Messenger for business](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat)? The answer is yes, kind of. #### How to Sell on Telegram: Telegram Bots In short, Telegram bots can function as [Telegram Business accounts](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business). However, you’ll be surprised that your sales team can’t message customers with only a Telegram Bot account. To answer and send Telegram messages, businesses need to [connect their Telegram Bot account to a messaging platform like respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/telegram#connecting_telegram). In addition, this will allow them to manage and track conversations, integrate with external CRMs for sales, and more. As shown above, [Telegram Bots have other applications](https://respond.io/blog/best-telegram-bots-list#toc-mobile-4) beyond business accounts. Since the Telegram Bot API is accessible to everyone, Telegram users have created thousands of bots with multiple purposes over the years. Some Telegram bots have been made specifically for sales. We’ll tell you more about this in the next section. #### How to Sell on Telegram: Telegram Bot Payments Telegram supports in-app payments via [Bot Payments](https://core.telegram.org/bots/payments), allowing businesses to integrate payments in any chat without requesting approval from Telegram. With Telegram Bot Payments, salespeople can send invoices with a product photo, description, price and a *Pay* button. Then, customers choose a third-party payment provider from a list before checking out. There’s even an option to leave a tip! Lastly, the Telegram Payment Bot sends the customers a receipt after the purchase is complete. Telegram doesn’t charge any commission and payment information is only shared between customer and merchant. Telegram Bot Payments are an alternative for businesses that don’t have an e-commerce website and prefer to process payments from the Telegram app itself. #### How to Sell on Telegram: Telegram 1:1 Conversations Businesses that use messaging apps for conversational sales spend a big part of their time nurturing leads, so they need to choose a messaging app with good 1:1 messaging capabilities. Let’s see what Telegram has to offer in terms of personal messaging. Similar to using [Facebook Messenger for sales](https://respond.io/blog/messenger-sales), contacts are required to send you the first message on Telegram to have a conversation with them. To reduce spam, Telegram has taken the following measure: Only the username passes through the Telegram Bot API to your messaging CRM — no phone number and no ID. Because of this, exporting contact lists via CSV files is not an option. This means creating complete contact lists from the beginning is impossible. While this may be a limitation, we have outlined several recommendations on [how to get customers to message you first.](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-9) Here’s the good news. **Telegram doesn't have a messaging window**, which offers salespeople flexibility in communicating with customers as they don’t have to worry about being restricted by [message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) or [Message Tags](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag) to reopen a conversation. If you want to use Telegram for sales, remember to connect your Telegram Bot account to a messaging inbox. Let us explain why respond.io is the right choice for you. ### How to Sell on Telegram with Respond.io: Quick Wins Now that you know the basics, we’ll give you five reasons to sell on Telegram using respond.io as a messaging inbox. #### How to Sell on Telegram with Respond.io: Automate Your Sales Cycle with Workflows [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) is respond.io’s Workflow builder for task automation. Companies use it to automate [support](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-support), [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-broadcast) and sales processes. Here is a simple example of how to use this feature in your sales cycle. Build a Workflow that [qualifies leads by asking questions](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) to determine the sales funnel they fall into. Then, implement routing logic that [routes leads](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) by priority access, deal size, region or more, and [auto-assign them](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to a sales agent accordingly. This is just a suggestion on how to build a basic sales qualification Workflow, but the possibilities are endless. Workflows are highly customizable, allowing companies to automate their sales cycles and save their sales agents valuable time. #### How to Sell on Telegram with Respond.io: Get a Holistic View of Your Contacts The same customer might contact you via different messaging channels like WhatsApp or Messenger if you are in a [country where these chat apps are popular](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps). As a result, you’ll end up with siloed conversations across channels. To address this, [merge two or more Contact profiles](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) for an accurate overview of a Contact and their interaction history to create a single customer story. Sales agents can view past interests or purchase inquiries to better understand the customer's needs. #### How to Sell on Telegram with Respond.io: Funnel Leads to Your Inbox As mentioned, businesses aren’t allowed to send the first message to customers, but Telegram makes it easy for customers to contact you. Respond.io gives you access to these features in the [Settings Module](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/settings-general). Click on your Telegram Channel and select *Scan Code* to generate a QR code. Paste it on your website or your physical store to drive conversations with your sales teams. You’ll also find a Telegram click-to-chat link, which you can embed anywhere on your website or share across your social media platforms to encourage inbound conversations on the channel. Alternatively, [add a Telegram widget](https://respond.io/blog/add-telegram-to-website) to your website to give page visitors a way to contact you via Telegram. #### How to Sell on Telegram with Respond.io: Integrate Your Existing Sales CRM Medium to large-sized businesses should use a Telegram inbox that can be integrated with their sales CRM like Hubspot or Salesforce. Respond.io works in conjunction with your sales CRM, allowing you to seamlessly exchange information between both platforms. Build Workflows to create deals in a sales CRM or qualify leads on data activation platforms like Clearbit. Then, launch them with just a click of the Shortcuts button in the Messaging Console. Thanks to this convenient feature, sales agents can carry out sales-related tasks while chatting with a customer, eliminating the hassle of going back and forth between respond.io and third-party platforms. #### How to Sell on Telegram with Respond.io: Mobile App for Agents on the Go Sometimes sales agents are required to attend to important customers, even when they are not at their desks. Fortunately, respond.io is cross-platform, meaning that it’s available on PC and phone devices. In sales, time is a valuable asset. With the respond.io app, sales agents can ensure customers always receive quick responses. To get the respond.io app, download it from [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io) for Android and [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) for iOS. Telegram offers some unique benefits for conversational sales, which make it an interesting alternative to WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. If you’re ready to use Telegram for sales, [sign up for a respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and [connect your Telegram business account today](https://help.respond.io/channels/telegram#connecting_telegram)! ### Further Reading Want to learn more about conversational sales on messaging apps? Here are a few articles for you to check out. - What is Business Messaging? - WhatsApp Sales: How to Sell on WhatsApp - Facebook Messenger Sales: How to Sell on Facebook Messenger ## [How to Sell on TikTok: Turn Scrolls into Sales with TikTok Shop and Beyond [Jan 2025] ](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-tiktok) Are you ready to sell on TikTok? Explore powerful methods from TikTok Shop to live streaming that can skyrocket your sales and elevate your brand's reach. TikTok is the best thing for businesses since sliced bread. Whether you're a small business owner or a multinational brand, learning how to sell on TikTok is essential. With [over a billion users](https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/1-billion-people-on-tiktok) scrolling through TikTok, it's undeniable that it’s a gold mine for sales and marketing opportunities. But how can businesses even begin to tap into TikTok? With a variety of options from TikTok Shop to TikTok ads, it can feel overwhelming to get started. If you relate to this and want to learn how to sell on TikTok, read on! ### TikTok Shopping: Benefits of Selling on TikTok Selling on TikTok is a way to tap into one of the most rapidly growing platforms in the world. If your primary intention is to boost sales for your brand, here’s how you can specifically benefit from knowing how to sell on TikTok: #### Large TikTok Shopping User Base With billions of active users on TikTok, the platform provides a powerful opportunity for businesses to reach practically any target audience and demographic under the sun. Even beyond just selling, there’s an avenue here to significantly boost the visibility of your brand if done right. #### Cheaper Than Traditional Solutions Selling and advertising on TikTok doesn’t have to break the bank. TikTok advertising, for instance, generally costs lower than other similar social media platforms with the average cost-per-click being just [$0.22](https://metricool.com/tiktok-statistics/). #### Integrated TikTok Shopping Experience From the buyer’s perspective, TikTok offers an incredibly smooth, seamless shopping experience with [30% of daily users](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1449256/frequency-tiktok-use-tiktok-shop-usage-united-states/) having used TikTok Shop before. From discovering and purchasing products whether from videos or even live streams, with just a few clicks, views can be turned into sales with minimal friction. #### Community Engagement TikTok is more than just a sales platform—it’s a community and this is in part thanks to TikTok having the [highest engagement rate amongst social media apps](https://www.socialinsider.io/blog/social-media-benchmarks/). Through interactive features like comments, duets and live streams, you can build a loyal following and foster deeper connections with your audience. ### How to Start Selling on TikTok Shop For businesses like yours, the good news is that TikTok makes it easy to set up a TikTok Shop, assuming you’re eligible to become a TikTok seller. Here’s how you can do this in four easy steps: #### Step 1: Create a TikTok Business Account To begin, you'll need to have a TikTok Business Account. If you’re currently using a personal account, you can easily switch to a business profile. This will give you access to TikTok’s business tools, including the option to set up a TikTok Shop. #### Step 2: Apply for TikTok Shop Access Next, visit the TikTok Shop Seller Center to apply for access. You’ll need to provide details, such as your business name, contact information and other necessary verification documents. Once your application is reviewed and approved, you’ll be granted access to start listing your products in the TikTok Shop. #### Step 3: List Your Products Now for the fun part. Once verified, you’re officially a TikTok merchant! From the Seller Center, you’ll now be able to manage all aspects of your shop, from listing your products to working with your inventories, orders, promotions and more. #### Step 4: Promote Your TikTok Shop But just because you’ve set up your shop and listed your products doesn’t mean your journey has come to an end. In fact, it’s just the beginning. If you want to become a top TikTok seller, now is the time to start getting creative and taking full advantage of the platform to get your product and brand out there. ### Best Practices When Selling on TikTok Knowing about the benefits and how-tos behind setting up a shop on TikTok is only one part of the equation. You still need to know how to sell on TikTok effectively. To make sure you get the most out of selling on TikTok, always keep the following best practices in mind: #### Tip 1: Know Your Target Audience This point may seem obvious on paper but it’s worth emphasizing a hundred times over: Know. Your. Audience. Knowing your audience is more than just demographics, however. Stay on top of trends, see which influencers are resonating with your audience and pay attention to hashtags that are gaining traction. The more you align your content with what your audience is already engaging with, the more effective you’ll be. #### Tip 2: Don’t be Overly Promotional TikTok users are digital natives. They’ll smell an advertisement from a mile away. Sure, they’re pretty receptive and open to advertising but nobody appreciates being bombarded with a flurry of overt ads. Instead, be fun and creative— create content that educates and entertains, even if your primary goal is sales. #### Tip 3: Leverage User-generated Content User-generated content (UGC) is your secret ally. Leveraging UGC is not only an effective way to encourage customers to practically create content featuring your products for you, providing you with a steady stream of content, but it can also create a sense of community amongst your audiences. #### Tip 4: Familiarize yourself with TikTok’s Guidelines TikTok may be home to a staggering range of content that fits about every niche out there but it isn’t the wild west. Their community guidelines are there for a reason so make sure you know them by heart and stick to them, *especially* when using advertising, otherwise you risk getting your account banned. #### Tip 5: Engage with Followers TikTok sales shouldn’t be a one-way street. Emphasize the *social* in social media by actively engaging with your followers. Ask questions in your videos, respond to comments and consider duets with your followers. Engaging directly with your audience fosters a sense of loyalty and can turn casual viewers into paying customers. #### Tip 6: Prioritize Quality over Quantity It’s tempting to churn out content to stay in the feed, but quality must trump quantity. One well-crafted, engaging video will do more for your brand than ten rushed, mediocre ones. TikTok’s algorithm favors content that keeps viewers watching, so focus on creating videos that are not only high-quality but also compelling. When your content is good, your audience will be more likely to engage, share and ultimately, buy. ### Different Methods for Selling on TikTok Selling on TikTok is so much more than posting random clickbaity videos and hoping for the best. Moreover, when businesses think about selling their products and services on TikTok, the first thing that usually comes to mind is TikTok Shop. While it’s a powerful tool, it’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to selling on TikTok. Let’s break down the different ways you can sell on TikTok—beyond the shop: #### How to Sell on TikTok Using TikTok Shop TikTok Shop offers your business the opportunity to set up a digital storefront right on TikTok's doorstep. This allows you to present an integrated shopping experience all within the app, making it easier than ever for scrolling users to discover and purchase your products without needing to exit the app. Though this sounds enticing, know that effective selling requires more than just setting up a shop. It requires you to view your shop as the destination and should be paired with engaging content and TiktOK advertising to create a journey that leads viewers there. #### How to Sell on TikTok with Influencer Marketing Never underestimate the potential impact that influencers wield. Partnering with them gives you access to their followers, helping you reach a much wider audience. When you choose to work with influencers who genuinely align with your brand and whose followers match your target audience, this can work to your benefit. Their content showcasing your product can be seen as an endorsement by their followers, leading to direct sales from an audience who trust their recommendations. #### How to Sell on TikTok Via Live Streaming [TikTok LIVE](https://support.tiktok.com/en/live-gifts-wallet/tiktok-live/what-is-tiktok-live) is another powerful method in your arsenal when learning how to sell on TikTok. It's a unique experience that lets you connect with your audience and interact with them in real time—answering questions, addressing concerns and providing experiences that are both instant and personal. Best of all, audiences can be converted into buyers on the spot, as TikTok Live allows viewers to purchase directly from streams! #### How to Sell on TikTok through TikTok Advertising [TikTok ads are powerful tools](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads) that let you reach your target audience precisely when you want. From branded hashtag challenges to in-feed videos, TikTok advertising is an excellent way to tap into TikTok’s massive user base and get your product noticed. That said, it's essential to be mindful of audience preferences and make your ads feel like a natural part of the TikTok experience—engaging, entertaining and subtly salesy without coming across as an overt promotion. ### Boost Your TikTok Sales with respond.io Respond.io is among the first few badged TikTok Marketing Technology Partners globally. The badge is awarded for expertise in end-to-end TikTok sales and marketing solutions, including sales workflow automation and tools to optimize TikTok ad performance. What does this mean for your business? As a badged partner, respond.io gives you access to the latest innovations in TikTok Business Messaging. From capturing leads to closing sales, you’ll have the tools to attract, convert and grow customers — all from a single platform. By adding TikTok Business Messaging to respond.io’s omnichannel suite, businesses can manage TikTok chats alongside WhatsApp, Instagram, and more—all from a single inbox. Available in most regions (except the U.S., EEA, Switzerland, and the U.K.) and currently in Beta, TikTok Business Messaging helps you convert engagement into sales. ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ### Further Reading If you found our article insightful, we invite you to check out the following reads: - TikTok Ads: Harness TikTok Messaging Ads to Boost Sales - Ultimate Guide to TikTok for Business [July 2024] - 5 Game-Changing Reasons Businesses Need TikTok Advertising ## [How to Sell on WeChat: Using WeChat Sales to Close More Deals](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-wechat) All you need to know about how to sell on WeChat. Learn the benefits of selling on WeChat and using respond.io to improve your WeChat sales. If you want to know how to sell on WeChat instead of using email and phone calls, you’re in the right place. In this article, learn all about selling on WeChat and using respond.io to shorten your WeChat sales cycle! ### WeChat for Sales vs Traditional Methods For years, phone calls and emails have been the main methods for carrying out sales, but in recent times businesses have been adopting instant messaging as well. These are some of the limitations of phone and email sales: For a phone call to take place, both parties need to be available at the same time and in a conducive environment to participate in a conversation. Since voice calls aren’t normally recorded, details can be forgotten or misinterpreted. Phone calls can be costly, especially if they are international. In addition, people prefer [texting these days instead of making calls](https://respond.io/blog/business-messaging#toc-mobile-1:~:text=64%25%20of%20customers%20said%20they%20prefer%20instant%20messaging%20a%20company%20than%20calling). | Channel | Disadvantages | | --- | --- | | Phone | - No conversation records - Both parties need to be available at the same time - Inability to send files | | Email | - Gets sent to junk/spam folders - Slow responses between parties - Scattered conversations | Emails tend to be missed because spam filters often send sales-related emails to the junk folder. People open their [email far less frequently than messaging apps](https://respond.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business#:~:text=2018%20%7C%20Source%3A%20Statista-,Messaging%20App%20Engagement%20Rates,-It%20feels%20like) to check for new messages. Threads become dispersed when users don’t reply to everyone in the conversation or the latest emails, leading to confusion and missed messages. People might also send emails from different addresses, leading to problems with contact identification. As you can see, phone calls and emails have many limitations. Fortunately, there’s a better option to conduct remote sales: instant messaging. #### Why Use Instant Messaging for Sales Instant messaging improves conversational sales by combining the most useful aspects of email and phone calls. Instant messenger conversations can happen in real-time or asynchronously and people can respond to messages anywhere and at any time. When it’s inconvenient to type urgent messages, users can send voice recordings to recipients instead. The ability to share files and documents makes instant messaging the most versatile communication channel out there. Instant messaging conversations also tend to be more casual, making it easier to build relationships quickly, especially since contacts will be more responsive to your messages. Messages are easily traceable, as they are stored in chronological order and involve no messy threads. Each interaction you have with a contact will be contained within its chat window on the channel, making it easy to search or go through for relevant info. Next, let’s go over why you should use WeChat Official Accounts for sales. ### How to Sell on WeChat: Benefits of Selling on WeChat There are many instant messengers available out there; what makes WeChat stand out from the rest? Firstly, WeChat has 1.2 billion monthly active users, making it one of the [most popular messaging apps in the world](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-3), [especially in China](https://respond.io/blog/the-top-3-chinese-chat-apps). If WeChat is the dominant messaging app in the regions that your clients are in, there’s a high chance that a significant number of potential customers will be on the channel. Since they already spend a lot of time using WeChat, it’ll be easy for them to reach you. WeChat also has Official Accounts that millions of businesses use to communicate with and sell to their customers. These accounts provide access to special tools like newsletters, analytics, polls and more to get the job done. Any WeChat user who follows your Official Account can [send you a message](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-9), opening the doors for a potential sale. The conversational nature of instant messaging is great for building partner-like relationships and making your customers feel special. WeChat also supports third-party inbox services like respond.io, unlocking even more benefits for businesses with large teams of salespeople. However, before you start selling on WeChat, you should be aware of its limitations. ### How to Sell on WeChat: What You Should Know About Selling on WeChat Although anyone can create a [WeChat Official Account for business](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-4), accounts need to be [verified by WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-7) in order to access the tools mentioned above. This is a process that cannot be avoided, as unverified WeChat Official Accounts will be canceled after 30 days. To verify a WeChat Official Account, you must submit your business registration information, an official application letter and a mobile phone statement. There is also an [annual verification fee](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-7) of USD99 or RMB300, depending on your business location. WeChat is also particular about [when Official Accounts can contact WeChat users](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-11). Official Accounts can’t send WeChat users the first message, which means conversations need to be initiated by customers. Official Accounts must abide by the 48-hour messaging window. You can’t send direct messages to personal WeChat accounts after the window has closed. However, if WeChat users don’t resume a conversation, you can reach out to them [via other channels](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-wechat#toc-mobile-7). Lastly, WeChat Official Accounts [can’t be added to groups](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-11). This means you won’t be able to message multiple customers in a single chat. Now that the restrictions are clear, let’s see what we can gain by connecting WeChat to an omnichannel inbox. ### How to Sell on WeChat Using respond.io: Quick Wins While the operation of WeChat Official Accounts can be handled through the [Official Accounts Platform](https://mp.weixin.qq.com/cgi-bin/loginpage?t=wxm2-login&lang=en_US), it is only suitable for smaller businesses. For larger businesses with teams of sales agents, a third-party inbox like respond.io is more suitable. Here are some of the things you can do when you connect your WeChat Official Account to respond.io: #### Shorten Your Sales Cycle with Automation Respond.io has a number of powerful tools to speed up the sales process. By automating repetitive tasks, you can allocate the workforce and time elsewhere. Customers communicating with businesses on messaging apps like WeChat [expect to receive fast replies](https://respond.io/blog/business-messaging#toc-mobile-1). If customers don’t hear back from you quickly, they move on. With respond.io, manage customers’ expectations by setting up [auto-replies](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-auto-reply) to let customers know [when you’re away or to welcome them](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/automated-welcome-and-away-messages). Automated Workflows determine the sales funnel or route a contact falls into by [automating lead qualification](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/inbound-sales-enrich-contact-data-and-qualify-leads), [routing to the right team](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assigning customers](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to appropriate salespeople. #### Integrate WeChat Official Account with Your Sales CRM Workflows allow you to [integrate respond.io with your existing sales CRM](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-crm) to allow for info exchange between them. - Qualify Contacts with data enrichment tools such as Clearbit - Calculate price quotations for a custom plan during client consultations - Launch the necessary Workflow from the Messages Module so you don’t have to switch between platforms to execute tasks while chatting with a Contact - Generate sales deals in a CRM such as Hubspot or Salesforce With [integrations](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/integrations), you eliminate any potential errors that may arise when reentering data in another app or platform. Use them to improve the efficiency of your salespeople and save their time! #### Get an Overview of Customers’ Chat History with Contact Merge and Tagging Most messaging app users have more than one messaging app on their phones. They may have used other messaging channels to reach you previously, which leads to siloed conversations. Fortunately, respond.io’s [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) feature solves this issue. With Contact Merge, you can combine the Contacts who have reached out to you in the past regardless of which channel they used. The Channels, Messages, Events and Comments associated with the Contact will be merged into a single profile. Conversations with the merged Contacts across Channels are also displayed in chronological order on a seamless, scrollable interface in the messaging console, so you’ll never miss a message from them, no matter which channel they reach out on. If a messaging window with a Contact has closed on WeChat, resume the conversation on another [connected Channel](https://help.respond.io/channels/channels-overview#channels_summary) without a messaging window, like SMS or email. You’ll be able to pick up the conversation where you left off, without having to switch platforms. [Tags](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-details#tags) let you build complete profiles of your customers to understand them better. For example, use Tags to segment customers by interest, subscription tiers or language among others, so you know which sales teams should be handling their conversations. #### Mobile App for Agents on the Go Respond.io has a mobile app that allows agents to answer customer inquiries and follow up on leads from WeChat on their mobile phones. The app has all the features available on the desktop such as [Dashboard](https://help.respond.io/search/dashboard), [Contacts](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contacts-overview) and [Messaging](https://help.respond.io/messages/messages-overview) to give agents an effortless messaging experience and the convenience of answering messages on the go, wherever they are. Agents will receive a push notification every time they receive a new message or when they are assigned new Contacts, allowing them to stay updated and avoid missing messages. To get the respond.io app, download it from [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io&hl=en) for Android and [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) for iOS. Now you know how to use WeChat to better your sales operations, it’s time to put this knowledge to good use. [Connect your WeChat Official Account to respond.io](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and reach new customers! ### Further Reading Found this guide helpful? Here are some other articles that will help you sell more effectively on WeChat: - Ultimate Guide to WeChat Business - WeChat CRM: Integrating WeChat with a CRM on respond.io - 6 Ways Companies Use WeChat for Business ## [How to Send a WhatsApp Business Notification](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-notification) Still sending SMS notifications? It's time to switch to WhatsApp Business Notification. Learn how to send a WhatsApp Push Notification using respond.io. Still sending SMS notifications to your customers? It's time to switch to WhatsApp Business notifications. WhatsApp Business notifications (also known as WhatsApp notification or WhatsApp push notifications) has a high deliverability rate and is easy to set up. Plus, it’s affordable and supports two-way messaging! In this article, you’ll learn the different ways to send a WhatsApp push notification using respond.io. ### Why WhatsApp Business Notification is Better than SMS Notification For years, businesses have relied on SMS services to send notifications. But as [WhatsApp has increased in popularity compared to SMS](https://respond.io/blog/sms-vs-whatsapp) for various reasons, companies increasingly prefer sending a WhatsApp business notification over an SMS notification. #### WhatsApp Business Notification vs SMS Notification: Deliverability Deliverability measures the percentage of notifications that reach the intended recipient. Due to the nature of some channels, some notifications may never make it to the recipients. WhatsApp is among the most reliable channels for sending notifications, with a high deliverability rate of close to 100 percent. Customers will receive your WhatsApp push notification wherever they are, as long as they have an internet connection. SMS notifications have lower deliverability than WhatsApp notifications, even though they work without an internet connection. This is because SMS notifications undergo a process called carrier filtering. Designed to protect mobile subscribers from spam and fraud, SMS carriers remove messages they consider inappropriate. All SMS notifications are subject to [carrier filtering](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-4). If filtered, SMS notifications will not be forwarded to the recipient. It’s not always possible to know for certain when an SMS notification has been filtered. Moreover, SMS notifications may not be delivered to your customers overseas with [cross-border restrictions](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-11) in place. [SMS numbers](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-5) like Short Code only let you send notifications locally. When it comes to deliverability, WhatsApp Business notification is an obvious winner. In the next section, you’ll learn about the setup requirements and time for both a WhatsApp notification and an SMS notification. #### WhatsApp Business Notification vs SMS Notification: Setup Requirements & Time Before you can send a WhatsApp Business notification or SMS notification, you need to set up an account or a number through a channel provider. Here, we'll take a look at the setup requirements and the time it takes to complete the setup. To set up WhatsApp Business notification, you have to [apply for a WhatsApp API account](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api#toc-mobile-5) with a [WhatsApp partner like respond.io.](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider#toc-mobile-0) The application process only takes 10 minutes — all you need to do is provide basic information like email and company name. The optional [business verification](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2058515294227817?id=180505742745347) can take 5-20 working days. By comparison, setting up SMS notifications is much more complex and time-consuming. You need to [apply for a Short Code](https://www.twilio.com/shortcode) by answering pages of questions about your company and use case. The processing time ranges between 8 and 12 weeks, and approval is not guaranteed. If you are looking for a hassle-free notification service that requires minimal setup, opt for WhatsApp Business notification. Now that you’ve learned the setup requirements of WhatsApp push notification and SMS notification, let’s discuss their pricing. #### WhatsApp Business Notification vs SMS Notification: Pricing Depending on the channel and channel provider, the total cost of notifications may include a per-message usage fee, a setup fee and a recurring service fee. The pricing of WhatsApp notifications is determined by your WhatsApp partner. While some partners charge [setup, service and per-message fees](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing#toc-mobile-1) in addition to the mandatory [WhatsApp per-message charges](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing#toc-mobile-2), respond.io doesn’t impose any such markups. This means you only pay for your WhatsApp template messages. SMS notification pricing varies depending on the type of SMS number and SMS provider. To send SMS notifications using a [Short Code](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-5), businesses would need to pay a setup fee and a [hefty quarterly or annual lease payment](https://support.twilio.com/hc/en-us/articles/226460288-How-much-does-a-Short-Code-cost-). Additionally, you’ll be charged a usage fee for each message. With the right WhatsApp partner, WhatsApp Business notification is likely cheaper than SMS notification. Next, we’ll discuss whether WhatsApp notification and SMS notification support two-way communication. #### WhatsApp Business Notification vs SMS Notification: Two-way Communication With two-way communication, businesses will be able to receive replies to notifications. Now, let’s find out if WhatsApp and SMS notifications support two-way communication. WhatsApp Business notification supports two-way messaging, which is useful in many situations. Recipients can reply to an appointment reminder to reschedule it or respond to an emergency notification to request rescue. Two-way communication always works on WhatsApp regardless of geographical location. By contrast, SMS notification doesn’t always support two-way communication. Many SMS numbers like [Alphanumeric Codes](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-5) and Shared Short Codes lack two-way messaging functionality. Others only support two-way messaging for notifications sent locally, which means you won’t receive replies from international customers. If you are looking for two-way communication with your customers, your best bet would be WhatsApp notification. Next, let’s recap the differences between WhatsApp Business Notification and SMS notification. #### WhatsApp Business Notification vs SMS Notification: Comparison At a Glance WhatsApp notification outperforms SMS notification in every aspect - it has a higher deliverability rate and it’s easy and quick to set up. Plus, WhatsApp notification is affordable and supports two-way communication. Looking to switch to WhatsApp Business notification? The first step to sending a WhatsApp push Notification is to get a [WhatsApp API account](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). Read on to learn more. ### WhatsApp Notifications: What You Need to Know You need a WhatsApp API account in order to send WhatsApp notifications. Before we delve into WhatsApp Business notifications, let's learn the basics of WhatsApp API and what message templates are. #### WhatsApp API Account: The Basics WhatsApp API is [designed for medium to large businesses](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) that require multiuser functionality. Businesses can [apply for a WhatsApp API account themselves](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-cloud-api#toc-mobile-8), which tends to be a tedious process, or acquire one through an official [WhatsApp partner](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider#toc-mobile-0). As WhatsApp API has no front-end interface, it needs to be connected to a messaging inbox to send and receive messages. Not all WhatsApp partners provide an inbox, so businesses can expect to pay a higher fee for this. Respond.io offers access to the official WhatsApp API at no extra fees or markups and comes with an omnichannel inbox. You can [create a WhatsApp API account](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start) within minutes on respond.io and instantly start chatting with customers, integrating your [CRMs](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) or [e-commerce platforms](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations) and automating various business processes. But to send WhatsApp notifications, you first need to learn about WhatsApp message templates. #### WhatsApp Message Templates Unlike many other messaging channels, WhatsApp allows you to initiate conversations with customers. However, you can only do so via [message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) that have been pre-approved by WhatsApp. You can [create and submit your templates for approval](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-message-templates#creating_and_submitting_message_templates) on respond.io. The three categories approved by WhatsApp are: - Utility conversations: They provide detailed information about a current transaction, account, subscription, or interaction, including feedback surveys, account alerts, updates and order management. - Marketing conversations: These comprise awareness of products or brands, sales promotions, retargeting campaigns, app promotions and personalized customer engagement. - Authentication conversations: Enables businesses to authenticate users with one-time passcodes (OTPs). Before sending message templates, you are required to [collect opt-ins from your contacts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in). Once they have opted in, you are ready to send them a WhatsApp Business notification. Read on to find out how to send WhatsApp notifications using respond.io. ### 3 Ways to Send WhatsApp Business Notifications There are three ways to send WhatsApp transactional notifications using respond.io: - Send a 1:1 WhatsApp push notification - Use the Broadcast Module to send a WhatsApp push notification - Trigger a WhatsApp push notification via API The first method works best for smaller companies dealing with a low volume of notifications, while the second and third approaches are ideal for larger businesses that send a high volume of WhatsApp notifications. Below, we'll show you how to send a WhatsApp push notification using each of these methods. #### Sending a 1-on-1 WhatsApp Push Notification Smaller businesses can send personalized 1-on-1 WhatsApp push notifications to their customers. For instance, hair salon owners may send WhatsApp push notifications with appointment details to their customers one by one. Once your message templates are approved and have [been synced](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start#syncing_message_templates) on respond.io, you are ready to [send a WhatsApp push notification](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-message-templates#sending_a_whats_app_message_template). To start, go to the Messages module on respond.io and select the Contact you wish to message. Click on the *Send Message Template* button or the *Message Template* icon below the message composer. Then select the message template you’d like to use. Fill in the [Placeholders](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-0) for the template. Consider using [Dynamic Variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) to add a personal touch to your WhatsApp push notification. Finally, press *Send* when you're ready. And that's how you send a 1-on-1 WhatsApp notification to a Contact. If you need to send WhatsApp Notifications en masse, we recommend using the Broadcast Module. #### Sending a WhatsApp Notification via Broadcast on Respond.io With respond.io’s [Broadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview), you can improve the targeting and flexibility of [WhatsApp bulk messaging](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) with several features. First, you create [Contact Segments](https://help.respond.io/contacts/segments) or precise target audiences based on criteria set in Contact Fields, Tags or predefined conditions. Customers who fulfill the criteria will automatically enter a Segment while those who no longer meet the criteria will exit a Segment, ensuring your list is always up-to-date with no manual effort from your team. In addition to selecting specific or multiple channels for a [WhatsApp broadcast,](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) you can also improve reach by broadcasting to your [Contacts' last interacted channel](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#sending_a_broadcast_to_contacts_last_interacted_channel) to increase visibility and engagement rates. It’s also possible to save broadcasts as drafts if they aren’t ready for dissemination. This allows you to edit or reschedule them before they go live. If your plan supports it, you can [customize the rate](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#schedule_broadcast_and_customize_send_rates) at which your broadcast is delivered. If you are looking to automate WhatsApp notifications instead, you can set them up via API. We’ll delve into the details next. #### Automating a WhatsApp Push Notification Want to send automated WhatsApp notifications in real time? You can trigger them when Contacts perform certain actions on external platforms, such as creating a new account, abandoning a cart or completing a purchase. When the business software detects these actions or events, it generates a WhatsApp notification using a template and personalizes it with customer information like name and order number. Customers will receive this notification on WhatsApp via respond.io. A [Zapier integration](https://help.respond.io/integrations/zapier) unlocks the ability to build comprehensive automation with over 5,000 applications, including CRMs such as [Hubspot](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/hubspot), [Salesforce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/salesforce) and [Pipedrive](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/pipedrive) or e-commerce platforms like [Shopify](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify) and [Magento](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/ecommerce-integration-magento). Use the [pre-built templates](https://help.respond.io/integrations/zapier#create_a_zap_from_template) available to get started or [create a Zap from scratch](https://help.respond.io/integrations/zapier#create_a_zap_from_scratch). As you can see, respond.io has all the tools you need to send WhatsApp notifications in various ways. Test these out for yourself by [signing up for a free respond.io trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and [getting access to WhatsApp API](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) today! ### Further Reading And that’s everything you need to know about WhatsApp Business Notification. If you are interested in more information about WhatsApp for Business, check out the following articles: - Everything You Need to Know About WhatsApp API Pricing - WhatsApp Business Pricing: Comparing App, Premium & API - Using WhatsApp Business for Multiple Users ## [How to Send an Away Message for Business](https:/respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business) While it's not always possible to give your customers a quick response, you can always send them an Away Message using respond.io's Workflows. For customers, nothing is more frustrating than having their messages ignored. You may even lose customers if you leave them hanging. While it's not always possible to give customers a quick response, you can always send them an Away Message. Here, you'll learn the basics of Away Message for business and how to set up Away Messages using respond.io. ### Away Message for Business: The Basics Customers who message your business expect to hear back from you quickly. But no matter how committed you are to your customers, you won’t be available 24 hours a day to answer messages. This is where Away Messages come in. #### What Is An Away Message for Business An Away Message for business is the automated, predefined response sent to customers when you can’t attend to them right away. It serves as an acknowledgment that you have received your customer’s message. The content of an Away Message for business varies depending on the situation, but it typically contains two pieces of information - why you can't attend to the inquiry now and when customers can expect a response. #### Why Use Away Messages for Business There are many reasons why you should set up an Away Message for business. For starters, Away Messages provide reassurance that you'll eventually respond. Without an Away Message, customers will be left wondering if you deliberately ignored them. Plus, an Away Message offers transparency by providing a reason for not being able to respond quickly. Being transparent with clients is important for building trust. An auto Away Message also sets the correct expectations by giving customers an estimated response time. It helps avoid situations where customers look forward to their problem being solved in a day, but instead wait a week to get a response. Lastly, Away Messages build a positive brand experience. Sending an Away Message shows that you care, which helps cultivate a positive image of your brand. Now that you know the importance of Away Messages, let’s learn the best practices for writing one. #### Best Practices for Writing an Away Message for Business When writing an Away Message for business, it's good practice to give some indications that the message is automatically generated. A simple sentence like “This is an auto reply” would suffice. Or you could just include a robot emoji like 🤖 at the beginning of the message. Furthermore, you should offer an apology for not responding promptly. An apology goes a long way - when done right, it can mitigate a client’s frustration and anger. The best apologies are empathetic and specific. Avoid overused phrases like “Sorry for the inconvenience”. Last but not least, you should encourage the customer to leave relevant details in response to Away Messages. This could be an account number, order number or any other info that would lead to faster resolution. The rules apply to all types of Away Message, whether it’s a WhatsApp Away Message or a Facebook Away Message. Now that you’ve learned how to write an effective business Away Message, we’ll walk you through how to send an Away Message on respond.io. ### 4 Ways to Set Up an Away Message for Business You can always set up an Away Message natively on any messaging app you are using. For instance, you may [create an Away Message on WhatsApp Business](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app#toc-mobile-9). However, heavy messaging app users might benefit from managing their channels and messages from respond.io. Respond.io’s Workflows offer numerous possibilities for sending an Away Message. Workflows are advanced automation triggered when a Contact starts a new Conversation with you. Below, we'll walk you through how to send Away Messages through different Workflows. #### Send a Simple On/Off Away Message for Business Micro companies run by solopreneurs can send an Away Message through an On/Off Workflow. With no fixed time to answer messages, solopreneurs need the flexibility to turn on or off the Away Message depending on how the day goes. When this Workflow is turned on, any Contact who starts a Conversation will receive the Away Message. Once you are ready to reply, just turn off the Workflow to stop sending Away Messages. An On/Off Workflow is fast and easy to build - all you need to do is to select the Conversation Open trigger and compose an Away Message. You can enable and disable the Away Message on demand. It’s the most flexible option if you don’t have a schedule. Keep in mind, you need to have to turn the Workflow on and off manually several times a day, which can be quite a hassle. Read on to learn how to set up an always-on Away Message Workflow. #### Send Away Messages When Agents are Offline On respond.io, you can build a Workflow to send Away Messages when no agents are online. This approach is ideal for companies with multiple agents, or businesses where agents have flexible working hours. With this Workflow, [only online agents will be assigned to a Contact](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-7). This excludes off-duty agents who have logged off or [set themselves to Busy](https://help.respond.io/user-account/user-activity-status#busy-mode). If there's no agent online after a certain amount of time, an Away Message will be sent. The Workflow saves you the hassle of turning the Away Message on and off manually. Another great thing about the Workflow is that it will work reliably even when agents don't have fixed times to appear online. But without a fixed schedule, it's hard to give an accurate estimate of response time. If you are looking to send Away Messages at scheduled times, consider the Workflow below. #### Send An Away Message Outside of Business Hours Respond.io lets you build a [Workflow that sends Away Messages outside of business hours](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-10). This approach works great if your company has a team of agents with fixed work hours, or when customers message your business outside of operating hours. Contacts will receive the Away Message when they message you after hours. You’ll need to update the business hours if you decide to change them, or when there's an upcoming public holiday. Not everyone is familiar with your business hours. Sending an Away Message outside of business hours helps remind Contacts of your operating hours. At the same time, it sets a clear expectation of a response time for customers. But there are two downsides to this approach. Firstly, Contacts will receive Away Messages even when flextime agents continue to work after hours. Secondly, if an agent goes on leave unexpectedly, an Away Message won't be sent and contacts will be expecting a response. Managers can temporarily remove the agent so that he won’t be assigned new Conversations. #### Send Away Messages When a Dedicated Agent is Unavailable You can send an Away Message to Contacts when their dedicated agent is unavailable. This method is designed for companies that offer dedicated support for specific clients, such as high-value customers on the top-tier subscription plan through [Chat Routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio#toc-mobile-4). When customers message their dedicated agent outside of office hours, they’ll receive an Away Message. Then, customers will be able to choose between talking to a support agent who’s on shift or leaving a message for their dedicated agent. This Workflow allows you to respond promptly to high-value customers, even when dedicated agents are unavailable. It also sets the right expectations for customers by telling them when the agent will be available again. However, building the Workflow is time-consuming as you need to create different Branches for each agent. Respond.io offers numerous possibilities for setting up an Away Message for business. Apart from the examples above, you can also create a customized Workflow that best suits your business needs. ### Further Reading And that’s everything you need to know about Away Message for business. If you enjoyed this article and would like to learn more about Workflows, check out our articles on: - Contact Routing with respond.io - Automatic Assignment with respond.io ## [How to Send Bulk Messages on WhatsApp: A Step-by-Step Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) Looking to send a WhatsApp bulk message to customers? Learn how to send bulk messages on WhatsApp API with respond.io. Looking to send promotions, newsletters, updates and announcements to your customers with a WhatsApp bulk message? This blog is for you. In this guide, we will discuss why you should use [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) for bulk messaging. We will also show you how to create a WhatsApp bulk message list and how to send bulk messages on WhatsApp API using respond.io’s WhatsApp bulk message sender. Finally, you’ll learn the rules that govern WhatsApp bulk messaging as well as the best practices for sending WhatsApp bulk messages. ### What is a WhatsApp Bulk Message? Simply put, WhatsApp bulk messages are messages sent simultaneously to multiple recipients on WhatsApp. Businesses can reach a large number of customers effortlessly, making it one of the best [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) and [remarketing](https://respond.io/blog/best-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-7) tools. ### 4 Benefits of WhatsApp Bulk Message WhatsApp bulk messages provide numerous advantages that make them an attractive option for businesses to interact with their target audience. #### Save Time on Customer Outreach Using WhatsApp bulk messaging significantly cuts down on the time required to individually message customers. Businesses can quickly reach large segments of their audience with personalized messages, freeing up valuable resources. #### Exceptional Engagement Rates WhatsApp messages boast exceptionally [high engagement rates of up to 98%](https://medium.com/@sourabhagarwal32/whatsapp-marketing-vs-e-mail-marketing-whats-best-for-your-business-5b838007050f#:~:text=Exceptionally%20high%20open%20rates%3A%20WhatsApp%20messages%20boast%20an%20impressive%2099%25%20open%20rate%2C), significantly outperforming traditional SMS or email campaigns. This increases the likelihood of customer interaction and ensures that your message doesn't get lost among the clutter. #### Reduce Missed Appointments and Cancellations Automated bulk messaging can drastically reduce appointment no-shows and cancellations by sending timely reminders and confirmations directly to customer devices, enhancing operational efficiency and profitability. #### Scalability with Business Portfolio Messaging Limits WhatsApp API is built for scale. The Business Portfolio-level messaging limits consolidate message quotas across all numbers under a single account: - All numbers share the same limit—no need for multiple numbers to increase capacity. - Tier upgrades (2K → 10K → 100K → Unlimited) happen every 6 hours, giving new numbers faster access. - Existing accounts adopt the highest phone-level limit as the business-level limit. > Note: From October 2025, backward compatibility will be maintained until February 2026. After that, updating to the new fields is required. Before you can start sending WhatsApp bulk messages, you need to know a couple of things first. ### How to Send a WhatsApp Bulk Message Before you can effectively send WhatsApp bulk messages at scale, you need to get 3 things first. 1. Sign up for a Facebook Business Account. 2. Get a phone number that isn’t connected to any existing WhatsApp Account. 3. Select a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) like respond.io. Once that’s done, you can set up your WhatsApp API Account. #### First of All: Set Up WhatsApp Business API in 4 Steps To get started, sign up for a respond.io account. You can [try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and later subscribe to a plan that suits your business needs. To make things easier, we have compiled all the useful information in one guide to help you [get your WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api). There are 4 steps in getting a WhatsApp API Account. ##### Step 1: Port or Buy a Phone Number or Sign Up for a Virtual Number You need a phone number to set up your WhatsApp Business API account. You may port an existing phone number as long as you can receive calls or SMS. Just make sure that it is not connected to any WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business App or WhatsApp API accounts. You can also sign up for a [free virtual number from WhatsApp](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/embedded-signup/?content_id=XrlUSVgv8GesfxY#555-business-phone-numbers) when you create your API account. This number will have a US country code and the area code (555). To use a phone number tied to an existing WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business App account, you’ll first have to delete that account. > Using a phone number tied to an existing WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business App account will result in a permanent loss of existing contacts and messages. ##### Step 2: Connect Your Facebook Account To set up the respond.io WhatsApp API integration, start by creating and connecting a new WhatsApp Business Platform (API) account. Complete the eligibility checks, then log in with your Facebook account to connect your WhatsApp Business API to respond.io. This will grant respond.io permission to manage your WhatsApp Business account, including handling billing. You also need to agree to the [WhatsApp Business Terms of Service](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-terms) and the [Meta Terms of Service](https://developers.facebook.com/terms/dfc_platform_terms/). ##### Step 3: Connect Your WhatsApp Business API Account to Respond.io Select your verified Meta Business Portfolio. If you don't have one, create a new account. If you're [porting a WhatsApp number](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/business-management-api/guides/migrate-phone-to-different-waba), select an existing business account. Then, create a new WhatsApp Business profile by providing key details such as the account name, display name, business category, and timezone. A business description and website are optional. ##### Step 4: Verify Your WhatsApp Business Phone Number After adding and verifying your WhatsApp Business phone number via text or call, finalize the setup by selecting the number to connect. Once complete, your business will initially be unverified while WhatsApp conducts a Commerce Policy check. (Note that verification is not required for virtual numbers). If blocked for non-compliance, you can appeal through your BSP's support. For further guidance, [visit respond.io’s Help Center](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-api-quick-start#how_to_sign_up_for_whats_app_business_api). Once, you’ve connected a WhatsApp API account to respond.io, you’re ready to send bulk messages. #### How to Send Bulk Messages with WhatsApp API in 4 Steps In this section, we’ll take a look at how you can send WhatsApp bulk messages with WhatsApp API. ##### Step 1: Open the Broadcast Module Navigate to the Broadcast Module on respond.io. Click on the Add Broadcast button located at the top. Then, enter a name for your broadcast and click *Create*. Optionally, you can add a label to categorize your broadcast for easier reference in the future. ##### Step 2: Select Your Audience Choose a Segment from the drop-down list, then pick Specific Channel under Channel Type. > Segments can be created or edited in the Contacts Module using filters. Under Channel, select the WhatsApp API channel from which you want to send the broadcast. ##### Step 3: Customize the Message Template Choose the relevant message template for your bulk message and fill in the details, such as contact name and date. You can do this by using variables. We recommend you test the bulk message by sending it to yourself or a specific Contact. ##### Step 4: Send Your Bulk Message Send your bulk message now or schedule it for a specific date and time. Remember: Not all messages will arrive at the exact same time when messaging a large WhatsApp broadcast list. Broadcasts are delivered according to country codes in sequence, with lower numbers going first. > Meta has rolled out new WhatsApp Setup Guidance directly inside your Meta Business Portfolio. This new hub provides step-by-step instructions to simplify your API setup and manage message eligibility. You can now launch campaigns faster with pre-approved templates and instantly check your template review and appeals status. Now you’re on your way to send a ton of promotional messages to prospects with bulk messages. Be careful, as you could get your WhatsApp API account banned if your messages are marked as spam. Here are a few tips to avoid that. ### 4 Best Practices for WhatsApp Bulk Messaging Follow these best practices to get leads and customers to engage. This is more important than ever as Meta plans to deliver fewer marketing messages to recipients who don't engage as of March 2025. That means if someone doesn't engage with one message, they may not receive the next one. > Additional note: As of April 2025, WhatsApp will temporarily pause delivery of all marketing template messages to WhatsApp users who have a United States phone number (a number composed of a +1 dialing code and a US area code). #### Segment Your Audience for Better Targeting Segmenting your contacts allows you to deliver personalized and highly relevant messages to specific audience groups. By categorizing your audience based on interests, past interactions, purchase history, or demographics, you can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your bulk messages. This targeted approach improves engagement rates and also decreases the chances of your messages being flagged as irrelevant to contacts. #### Use Concise and Clear Message Templates Craft concise and clear message templates to ensure your key points are immediately understood by recipients. Short, straightforward messages improve readability and help your audience quickly grasp the intended action or offer. You can also enhance engagement by personalizing templates and including clear, compelling call-to-actions (CTAs). Effective personalization combined with a strong CTA can boost response rates to increase the chances of conversion or strengthen customer relationships. #### Analyze the Performance of Your Message Campaign Regularly assess your campaign outcomes to optimize future performance: - Review key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversions. - Identify trends to better understand customer preferences. - Segment results to pinpoint which audience segments respond best. - Compare different bulk WhatsApp sender campaigns to replicate successful strategies across future initiatives. #### Get Contact Opt-in Before Messaging Them When sending bulk messages, always obtain explicit opt-in consent from your contacts. Clearly inform recipients about the type and frequency of messages they will receive and ensure they have an easy opt-out option. Adhering strictly to WhatsApp’s Business Messaging Policy helps maintain trust, protect privacy, and prevent being flagged as spam. Ensure every message sent is relevant and valuable, and respects recipients' preferences, avoiding excessive or generic communication. This means that bulk messaging isn't suitable for reaching cold audiences. To do that, you need to consider using [WhatsApp click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads). Let's look at that next. ### Can I Use WhatsApp Bulk Message for Cold Leads? While broadcasts engage existing contacts, Click to WhatsApp Ads excel in lead generation. When a user sees your ad on [Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) or [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) and clicks on it, a live WhatsApp chat opens instantly. They send a message, initiating a conversation right away. This allows you to qualify and convert them instantly while their interest is high, driving high-quality leads efficiently. To maximize ad impact, follow these best practices: - Use automation to filter and prioritize real prospects, helping you avoid spam leads. - Lower your cost per lead with precise targeting and Meta’s Conversions API (CAPI). - Maximize ROI by tracking conversions and continuously optimizing your campaigns. #### WhatsApp Bulk Message vs Click-to-Chat Ads: What to Choose? Here's a summary of the use cases for WhatsApp bulk message and click-to-chat ads: | Feature | WhatsApp Ads | WhatsApp Broadcasts | | --- | --- | --- | | Purpose | Lead generation | Re-engagement & retention | | Audience | New leads (cold audiences) | Existing, opted-in contacts | | Messaging | Flexible messaging | Only pre-approved templates | | Targeting | Advanced targeting on Facebook and Instagram | Segment contacts by traits like membership status, location, language and more | However, you don't have to choose either feature. Use them both for maximum impact. By using both features, you can capture, convert and retain customers on WhatsApp. Next, let’s look at the businesses that used WhatsApp bulk messages with great success. ### Businesses That Won Big by Sending WhatsApp Bulk Messages If you’ve set up your message templates with the above best practices in mind, they can deliver a real impact on your business. Here are two businesses that have been using WhatsApp bulk messages to meet their business goals. #### Qobolak [Qobolak](https://respond.io/customers/how-qobolak-used-broadcasts-to-double-student-lead-conversions) is an education placement company that plays a pivotal role in linking students in the Gulf Coast Countries, with universities in the UK, USA, Europe and Australia. They doubled student lead conversions by using respond.io to centralize communication via WhatsApp bulk messages. They used bulk messages to significantly increase student attendance at educational events, enhancing overall engagement and resulting in **95% higher conversions**. #### Dalilk Academy [Dalilk Academy](https://respond.io/customers/dalilk-academy-doubles-student-intake) (also known as Innov821 DMCC) is an established online English training and exam preparation center. By using WhatsApp bulk messages on respond.io, they’ve **increased the conversion rate by 73.2**%, resulting in a **100% increase in student intake**. We’ve covered everything you need to know about WhatsApp bulk messages. Interested? Get started with WhatsApp bulk messaging with an official WhatsApp BSP today and [sign up for a respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) or [connect your WhatsApp API account](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/whatsapp-api-quick-start#how_to_sign_up_for_whats_app_business_api) now. ### Further Reading We hope you found this guide helpful. If you want to learn more about WhatsApp API, check out these articles: - WhatsApp Marketing: Guide to a Successful WhatsApp Campaign - How to Get a WhatsApp API Account - How to Use respond.io as a WhatsApp CRM ## [How To Set Up Facebook Comment Auto Reply ](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-comment-auto-reply) If you're reading this post, you probably get tons of Facebook Comments on your page. This post is going to explain why and how you should set up a Facebook Comment Auto Reply. If you're reading this post, you probably get tons of Facebook Comments on your page. This post is going to explain why and how you should set up an Auto Reply Comment Facebook. Using respond.io, which works a little like Facebook Comment Plugin, you will learn how to set up Facebook Auto Reply Comment that sends a private message to the commenter over Facebook Messenger. ### Why Pay Attention To Your Facebook Comments? It's true answering Facebook comments can be a pain, especially when so often Facebook comments can be spam. However, in so many other cases, Facebook comments are a valuable source of customer feedback or even sales leads. A study found that in an average 30 day period, a typical Facebook user only makes four comments. Only 4! The relatively low number of Facebook comments compared to post likes and ad clicks mean the user is highly engaged with your content. A Facebook Comment may indicate that a user is: - interested in your industry, business, or product. - looking for a solution for a particular need. - seeking assistance with your product. - a customer looking to engage with your company to provide feedback. - a dissatisfied customer. The common thread in all of these cases is that a Facebook comment indicates that for one reason or another, the user is looking to build a relationship with your company. A Facebook user who comments on your Facebook post is not something you want to waste. Ideally, you want to convert this user into a [Facebook Messenger Contact](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat). ### Why Move The Convo to Facebook Messenger? These Facebook users are already commenting on your Facebook post, why should you move the conversation to Facebook Messenger? The simple answer is, once they have messaged your Facebook page, you can message them back at any time. Facebook posts and Facebook Messenger each have their strengths and weaknesses. Responding to a Facebook Comments thread can boost the post, and we recommend you keep on doing that. With the right implementation, your business can benefit from both posts and private messaging over Facebook. Here are some reasons why you might want to take a conversation that starts in Facebook comments private: - Selling to a potential customer: if your user asks for a discount, you may want to offer one that is not visible in Facebook comments. - Personalized assistance: some users are in a specific situation, best to provide direct feedback so as not to confuse other users. - Addressing negative comments: resolving the issue in Facebook comments may open a Pandora's box you are not ready for. Addressing negative comments is a critical aspect of a business's online presence as you are not only attending to one person but rather everyone who sees it. Proper execution will benefit your business as it shows that your business wants to make it right, legitimate, and responsive. When responding, reply to a comment stating your business's intent to address the issue and continue the conversation on Messenger. Follow up professionally, sympathetically, in-line with your business' tone, and do not delete negative comments. Addressing negative comments is a critical aspect of a business' online presence as you are not only attending to one person but rather everyone who sees it. Proper execution will benefit your business as it shows that your business wants to make it right, legitimate, and responsive. When responding, reply to comment stating your business's intent to address the issue and continue the conversation on Messenger. Follow up professionally, sympathetically, in-line with your business' tone, and do not delete negative comments. Facebook allows you to respond to these messages privately already. This works on a small scale. However, imagine if you could respond instantly & privately to all comments. ### Why Use Facebook Comment Auto Reply Facebook comments are valuable due to the weight of the user's interest; thus, it is crucial to follow up most comments. The benefit of having a human answer comments is their ability to personalize as it is done by a person on a case by case basis. However, having a human attend to every user is not always practical. This is especially true because, responding to a comment by private message does not allow you to message the user until they respond to your message. The respond.io Facebook Comments Autoresponder works kind of like Facebook Comments Plugin. Facebook Post Autoresponder will allow your business to allocate your time and effort on those who have responded to your private message. In addition, since this feature sends a private message instantly, the user is more likely to respond. This is great if your Facebook comments are leads. A study by Harvard Business Review, HBR, shows that an important determinant of lead generation is response time. This is where automation and operator work together to create the best customer experience. HBR shows that by responding to a customer within the first hour, you can increase lead conversion by 7 times! Aside from timeliness and responsiveness, moving the conversation to Facebook Messenger using respond.io feature similar to Facebook comments plugin will allow your business to build a list of contacts which can be used for [broadcasting and marketing purposes](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-11) in the future. Apart from Facebook page auto comment, there are several other ways to obtain Messenger contacts like [using Messenger Codes](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-code) and [adding Facebook Messenger to your Website](https://respond.io/blog/add-messenger-to-website). ### How To Set Up A Facebook Comment Auto Reply To set up the Facebook Auto Comment reply, you will need: - A Facebook Page - A Facebook Post - A Respond.io Account Once you have them ready, you can set up your Facebook Comment Autoresponder. **1\. Navigate** to Settings > Channel > Facebook Messenger > Comments. **2\. Select** Track Comments Under ANY Post to use the same autoresponse for all posts. Then, write an Autoreply message. Use [Dynamic Variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) to add a personal touch to Auto Replies. Click Save when done. Alternatively, you can set up unique Auto Replies for specific Facebook posts. **3\. Select** Track Comment Under a SPECIFIC Post to set up a unique autoresponse for each post. **4\. Sign in** to your Facebook account when prompted. **5\. Select** the post from the dropdown list for which you want to create an Auto Reply. Then, write an Autoreply Message. When you’re done, press Save. You may be prompted to sign in again to complete the setup. That's it! Now your Facebook Comment Autoreply is in use. Facebook users that comment on your page will receive an Auto Reply as below. ### Facebook Comment Auto Reply Best Practices A question businesses have when using a feature similar to Facebook comments plugin, or Facebook comment autoresponder is whether they should create a more generic message or a more specific message. In this case, the trigger or target, ANY or SPECIFIC. Fundamentally this determines which post will trigger the message to be sent and which message to be sent. When choosing ANY, a preset message is sent to everyone who comments on any of your page’s post. On the other hand, SPECIFIC will send a preset message to those who comment on the preselected post. Note that this feature does not message users who commented before using this feature and when using SPECIFIC, the preset message sent is tied to and depends on the post commented. The benefit of using ANY is the ability to create one blanket message for every comment received. This is a good thing as you will not forget to set-up the message for every post you published. The downfall of this is your message may sound too generic, which could be a turn off for some user, but it is still better to reach out rather than not. Using SPECIFIC, on the other hand, will allow you to tailor the message based on the post. Respond.io generally recommend using ANY. Using SPECIFIC may be one step up due to additional personalization, but in reality, it is not going to be as personalized as an operator, and it takes more time and effort with limited return. This may not be the case for some Facebook pages as posts may be structured or created differently. Being creative with ANY will allow you to engage the user enough to start a conversation with an operator. Most businesses that choose to be engaged on social media will have a dedicated team attending to comments and messages; thus, they are not the ones primarily using this feature. ### Further Reading If you're interested in knowing more about using [Instant Messaging for Business](https://respond.io/blog/instant-messaging-for-business), you'll want to check out: - Everything You Need to Know About WhatsApp Business - The Ultimate Guide to Using Telegram Business - The Ultimate Guide Using Viber for Business ## [How To Set Up WhatsApp Business Calling API Call in 3 Easy Steps](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-whatsapp-business-calling-api) Learn how to set up the WhatsApp Business Calling API, its benefits, use cases for businesses, and frequently asked questions Are you messaging customers on WhatsApp API but need better customer engagement or conversion rates? Then you should consider using WhatsApp Business Calling API. In this blog, we’ll go through what it is, its benefits, how it works and the use cases of WhatsApp Business Calling API. ### What Is WhatsApp API Call? WhatsApp API Call, also known as WhatsApp Business Calling API, is a new feature of the WhatsApp API that allows businesses to make and receive voice calls through WhatsApp. Unlike standard WhatsApp calls, WhatsApp API Call has been designed for businesses expecting a large volume of calls with a stable connection. But why should businesses consider calling customers over WhatsApp? ### 4 Benefits of WhatsApp API Call WhatsApp API Call offers a ton of benefits to businesses. It combines the familiarity of WhatsApp with the immediacy of voice communication. It offers a versatile way to address customer needs. Whether it’s resolving concerns, guiding purchases, or enhancing support, WhatsApp API Calls help bridge the gap between convenience and connection. Let’s take a look at these benefits of WhatsApp API Calls. #### 1\. Built-in voice calling without the learning curve Let customers call from WhatsApp—the app they already trust—while your team answers from respond.io. Without extra tools, training or context switching needed, it’s just a natural extension of the conversation. #### 2\. No-Cost voice calls (for inbound from customers) [Customer-initiated calls are 100% free for your business](https://respond.io/whatsapp-api-calling-pricing)—no per-minute fees or call charges. Save budget while staying reachable to more customers. #### 3\. The fastest way to talk to a business Customers can call you with one tap, straight from the chat. No app switching, no copy-pasting numbers — your team picks up the call in the same interface they message from. #### 4\. Global availability, instant access Available wherever WhatsApp works—no setup delays or telco restrictions. Customers worldwide can reach you instantly, for free, making it perfect for global brands and distributed teams. Now that you know the benefits of WhatsApp API Calls, let’s look at how they work. ### How Does WhatsApp API Calling Work? Unlike traditional landlines or VOIP, businesses aren’t allowed to make calls to contacts whenever they want. This is to ensure the privacy of contacts is respected. So, how can businesses and contacts call each other? #### Business-initiated Calls (Outbound) You’ll need to send a permission request when an existing Marketing, Utility, Authentication, Service, or Free Entry Point conversation is open. A business can send a maximum of 1 permission request in 24 hours and two permission requests in seven days. This limit resets when a connected call takes place between the business and the contact. When a contact grants permission, you need to call the user within 72 hours. Here’s an example: - Day 1 (Monday): The business sends the first permission request at 10:00 AM. - Day 2 (Tuesday): The business wants to send another permission request but must wait until 10:00 AM, 24 hours after the first request. The business cannot send another request until Day 8 (Monday). #### User-initiated Calls (Inbound) Customers can initiate calls by clicking a WhatsApp deep link or call button provided by the business. Businesses can embed deep links directly on their website, apps or QR Codes to provide more entry points for user-initiated calls. Fortunately, user-initiated calls are free. Now that you know how they work, let’s take a look at how to set up WhatsApp API Call. ### How to Set Up WhatsApp API Call Get started with WhatsApp API calls in these three easy steps. #### Step 1: Set Up WhatsApp API Get a WhatsApp Business API access. [Sign up with a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) (BSP) like respond.io. Then, set up phone numbers and link them to the WhatsApp API account. #### Step 2: Enable WhatsApp Calls in Settings Access the settings menu within your WhatsApp Business API dashboard. After that, toggle the voice calling feature on and customize permissions as required. #### Step 3: Send a Request to Your Desired Contact Send a permission request to your contacts. Once they accept your request, you can call them within the 72-hour call window. Now that you’ve set up WhatsApp API call, what can you use it for? We’ll look at that next. ### WhatsApp API Call Use Cases There are three broad use cases for WhatsApp API Call - sales, marketing and support. As mentioned earlier, calls are better for complex explanations or urgent situations. Let’s see how agents can use WhatsApp API Call for their daily tasks. #### Enable Greater Sales and Revenue Sales agents can use WhatsApp API Calls to follow up with leads immediately after receiving an inquiry, ensuring prospects stay engaged and reducing the chances of losing them to competitors. For example, an agent might call a potential customer to clarify questions about a product or service, guiding them through the purchase process. Personalized sales pitches delivered over a call allow agents to better address specific needs, making it easier to close deals. Additionally, voice calls can be used to upsell or cross-sell products during follow-ups, creating opportunities to boost revenue. #### Enhance Your Marketing Campaigns Marketing teams can integrate WhatsApp API Calls into their campaigns to connect directly with high-value leads or VIP customers. For example, after running a promotional campaign, agents can call select participants to provide exclusive offers or detailed explanations of the promotion. This direct approach creates an opportunity to improve conversion rates or customer retention. #### Provide Engaging and Comprehensive Customer Support Support agents can use WhatsApp API Calls to resolve complex issues faster and more effectively than text-based communication. For example, when a customer has trouble setting up a product, an agent can guide them step-by-step over a call, ensuring clarity and understanding. Furthermore, calls add a human touch that is often lost in text. It assures customers that they are valued and that their issues are being resolved promptly. ### Start Using WhatsApp API Calls With Respond.io Respond.io is one of the few WhatsApp Business Solution Providers with [access to WhatsApp calls, as well as Messenger calls and Telnyx](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration). To experience instant conversations and faster responses via WhatsApp calls, [sign up for a respond.io account.](https://app.respond.io/user/register) ### Further Reading If you want to learn more about WhatsApp API and WhatsApp Business Calling API, then check out these articles: - How to Upgrade to WhatsApp API Without Losing Voice Calling - How to Manage Whatsapp API Call, Chat and CRM in One Platform - WhatsApp API Explained: Features, Benefits & Pricing ## [How to Start a Conversation on WhatsApp: 4 Ways to Get Customers to Message You ](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-start-a-conversation-on-whatsapp) Due to the strict opt-in policy, it's not always possible to send the first WhatsApp message to your customers. Thankfully, you always have the option to get them to message you first. Here's how to do it with WhatsApp Link, WhatsApp Chat Widget, WhatsApp Button and Click to WhatsApp ad. Want to know how to start a conversation on WhatsApp? Welcome! You might have noticed that WhatsApp API prioritizes the privacy and experience of customers by implementing a strict opt-in policy that prevents businesses from spamming customers. This means initiating the first message to customers on WhatsApp may not always be possible. However, an excellent way to connect with your customers on WhatsApp is to encourage them to initiate the conversation, ensuring a positive and engaging interaction for both parties. In this article, you’ll learn how to get your customers to start a WhatsApp conversation with WhatsApp link generator, WhatsApp chat widget, WhatsApp button on your Facebook Page and click to WhatsApp ads. ### WhatsApp Business At A Glance In case you didn’t know, [WhatsApp has two types of business accounts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) \- the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) and [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). The former is designed for small businesses while the latter is made for bigger companies. With a WhatsApp Business API account, you can also obtain the [WhatsApp green tick](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick), a verified badge that signals trust and authenticity to customers, making them more likely to engage with your business. One of the biggest differences between the Business App and Business API is their messaging restrictions. WhatsApp Business App has no messaging restrictions, which means you can send the first message to customers as long as you have their number. To prevent businesses from spamming customers, WhatsApp has a more restrictive messaging policy for Business API accounts. Firstly, businesses cannot message customers anytime they like and can only initiate conversations with pre-approved [Message Templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-13). But before they can send Messages Templates, businesses need to [collect opt-ins from customers](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in). Opt-ins are acknowledgments of consent from customers to receive your WhatsApp messages. They can be obtained in [many ways](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in#toc-mobile-3), via WhatsApp or other channels such as website contact forms. Getting opt-ins can be complex depending on your use case. Thankfully, you have the option to encourage customers to message you first instead. Once they’ve done so, you can [continue the conversation for 24 hours](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-10) even if they haven’t opted in. In this article, we'll cover the best ways to encourage customers to start a WhatsApp conversation with you. Regardless of whether your WhatsApp Business account allows sending the first message, these methods will be useful to attract new WhatsApp contacts. ### How to Start a Conversation on Whatsapp: Get Customers To Send the First WhatsApp Message There are four methods to getting customers to message your business first. You can create a [WhatsApp click to chat link](https://respond.io/whatsapp-link-generator) or [QR code](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code), add a [WhatsApp chat widget](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets) to your website, add a WhatsApp button on your Facebook Page or Instagram profile, or run a [click to WhatsApp ad](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads#toc-mobile-1). Let’s go through them in detail. #### How to Start a Conversation on Whatsapp: Use a WhatsApp Link A WhatsApp link (WhatsApp URL) lets you begin a chat with someone without having their phone number saved in your phone's address book. A WhatsApp link always begins with *wa.me/* followed by your WhatsApp number. WhatsApp link is the simplest way to get your customers to send the first message. All your customers have to do is click on it, and they’ll be [taken to a pre-filled WhatsApp chat where they can message your business quickly](https://respond.io/whatsapp-link-generator). There are two methods for using a WhatsApp link for your business. You can create a WhatsApp link and add it to a website, or you can generate a QR code for WhatsApp link and display it in your store. ##### WhatsApp Link: Create a WhatsApp Link for Your Website or Emails WhatsApp links are clickable images or text embedded with a WhatsApp link. It’s a great way to encourage online visitors or customers to initiate a conversation, especially for businesses with a lot of website traffic or email subscribers. Wondering how to create a WhatsApp link? The [WhatsApp Business App has a built-in WhatsApp link generator](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app#toc-mobile-9), so you can get your WhatsApp URL from the app itself. Simply navigate to *Settings* > *Business Tools* > *Short Links*. If you are using WhatsApp Business API, you need a third-party WhatsApp link generator to create WhatsApp links. [Create an official WhatsApp API account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) with respond.io or [connect your WhatsApp business account to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp). Then, create a link [using the respond.io native chat link generator](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-overview#chat_links_and_qr_codes). From the platform’s dashboard, navigate to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets > QR Code > Create Widget*. Select your WhatsApp API channel from the dropdown menu. Then, you can fill in the pre-filled text if desired so a predetermined message will be automatically sent to you when they click the link or scan the code. Finally, copy the chat link. For an even simpler method, use the [respond.io WhatsApp Link Generator](https://respond.io/whatsapp-link-generator). The WhatsApp link is great for converting online visitors into WhatsApp contacts. However, it can’t drive offline visitors to message you. You’ll need a WhatsApp QR code to do that. ##### WhatsApp Link: Create a WhatsApp QR code WhatsApp QR codes help convert offline traffic like foot traffic at physical stores to WhatsApp contacts. Customers can simply scan a QR code to begin a WhatsApp conversation, no typing needed. You can place WhatsApp QR codes anywhere. We recommend displaying your QR codes on physical surfaces like product packaging, banners, flyers or receipts, as well as on digital locations like emails. The steps for creating a WhatsApp QR code differ depending on the type of business account you’re using. WhatsApp Business App users can find their [account’s QR code](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app#toc-mobile-9) by going to *Business Tools* > *Short Link* > *QR Code*. WhatsApp Business API users can [generate a WhatsApp QR code with respond.io’s code generator](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you). The steps are similar to those for getting a chat link. Go to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets > QR Code > Create Widget*. Select your WhatsApp channel from the dropdown. You can fill in the pre-filled text if desired. Once you’re ready, download the QR code. Now that you’ve learned about WhatsApp links, let’s move on to the next method to get your customers to message you — a WhatsApp chat widget. #### How to Start a Conversation on Whatsapp: Add a WhatsApp Chat Widget to Website Using a [WhatsApp chat widget](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-widget) is fairly straightforward. When clicked, it will take website visitors to [WhatsApp Web](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-web) or the app to start a conversation with your business. Unlike a website chat that ends after a visitor closes their browser, these chats persist since they are regular WhatsApp conversations. Businesses can choose to use respond.io’s single-channel widget for WhatsApp chats or a multichannel widget that supports multiple channels. The latter comes in handy when you want to give customers the option of which channel to contact your business on. Before [adding a WhatsApp chat widget to your website](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview), you need a WhatsApp API account connected to respond.io. Then, follow [these instructions](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets) to create a WhatsApp chat widget. From the respond.io dashboard, go to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets.* Select WhatsApp and click *Generate Widget.* Set up your widget accordingly and click *Generate Widget* when you’re done. Install the generated script in the code of the webpage where you want the widget to appear and you’re set. If you prefer to convert your social media traffic instead of website visitors into customers, you can make use of the handy WhatsApp button. #### Turn Facebook and Instagram Followers into WhatsApp Contacts with a WhatsApp Button Businesses with Facebook Pages or Instagram profiles can make it easier for customers to contact them over WhatsApp. Because these channels are all owned by Meta, it’s a straightforward process to add the WhatsApp button to a Facebook Page or Instagram profile. [Enabling the WhatsApp button on a Facebook Page](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-add-whatsapp-button-on-facebook-page) will display a WhatsApp button below the cover image. Customers who tap on this button will launch a WhatsApp conversation with the business’ phone number. Similarly, [on Instagram, the WhatsApp button](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-for-instagram#toc-mobile-4) will be displayed under the Instagram profile’s details. Tapping on this button will directly open a WhatsApp conversation with the business’ phone number. Next, let’s look at how you can leverage click to WhatsApp ads to draw customers into WhatsApp conversations with you. #### How to Start a Conversation on Whatsapp Using a Click to WhatsApp Ad A click to WhatsApp ad is a Facebook or Instagram ad that takes users directly into a WhatsApp conversation with a business. Click to WhatsApp ads work almost exactly like [click to Messenger ads](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads), but clicking on them will open a WhatsApp conversation instead of a Messenger chat. Another difference between click to WhatsApp and click to Messenger ads is their tracking abilities. Unlike [click to Messenger ads, which come with advanced tracking features](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-leads#toc-mobile-4), click to WhatsApp ads don’t allow you to track how many customers clicked on the ad. There are two ways to create a click to WhatsApp Ad: By boosting a Facebook post or creating click to WhatsApp ads directly in the Ads Manager. We recommend the latter as it has more customization features. Here’s how to do it. ##### Set up Click to WhatsApp Ad from Ad Manager You can run a click to WhatsApp ad with a WhatsApp Business App or Business API account. Before setting up a Facebook click to WhatsApp ad, you need to: - Connect your WhatsApp account to your Facebook Page - Make sure you’re an admin of the Page Then, simply follow the steps below to create your ad. **1\. Click** *Create Ad* in [Meta Business Suite](https://business.facebook.com/). Select *Get More Messages* as the goal for the ad. **2\. Add** a caption for your ad in the description box and click *Select Media* to pick an image you want to use. You can also edit the headline for the ad here. The preview box on the right will show you changes to the ad in real time. Adjust the copy until you are satisfied. **3\. Select** *WhatsApp* in the messaging apps section. Make sure that it is a WhatsApp Business number and not a personal one. You will be prompted to verify the phone number you use. **4\. Select** the target audience, schedule and duration for the ad. **5\. Select** a daily budget for the ad and where you want the ads to run, then select the payment method for the ad. **6\. Click** *Promote Now* once you’ve finalized all the details of the ad. Once the payment for the ad is complete, the ad will run as scheduled. And that’s how you create a click to WhatsApp ad. If you use Facebook Messenger, you can also learn [how to set up a click to Messenger ad](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-leads#toc-mobile-5). Now you know how to start a conversation on Whatsapp, [empower your teams](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) to handle high volumes of inbound conversations with tools like [WhatsApp bulk message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message), [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply), and [WhatsApp schedule message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message)! [Sign up for a respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and [connect WhatsApp API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start) at a click! We have a 14-day free trial waiting for you. ### Further Reading If you're interested in using WhatsApp for Business or for your [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) needs, you'll want to check out these blog posts: - How to Choose a WhatsApp Partner: WhatsApp Business API Pricing - How to Use WhatsApp For Multiple Users - How to Use Respond.io with a WhatsApp Integration: WhatsApp CRM ## [How to Switch to Business Account on Instagram](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-switch-to-business-account-on-instagram) Want to know how to switch to business account on Instagram? You’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll show you the steps to switching Instagram account to business. Are you thinking about switching your Instagram Personal Account to a Business Account? You’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll first introduce the different types of Instagram accounts, then explain the benefits of using a Business Account. Finally, we’ll demonstrate how to switch to Business Account on Instagram. ### How to Switch to Business Account on Instagram: An Introduction [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) started as a photo-sharing app and has since grown into one of the most popular social apps with [2 billion monthly active users worldwide in 2022](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-2). Thanks to its popularity, Instagram started introducing different account types for different users. #### Types of Instagram Accounts Before we show you the steps to switching your Instagram to a Business Account, let’s first understand the types of Instagram accounts available: Personal Account, Creator Account and Business Account. The Personal Account is for people who want to share content on Feed, Stories and Reels with friends and family without monetizing it. Users have the option to set their accounts to public or private and can follow people, public figures and businesses. The Professional Accounts consist of Creator and Business Accounts. The Creator Account is designed for influencers and public figures whereas the latter is catered to businesses. The only difference is that all Business Accounts can access [Instagram Direct Message API](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-9) to chat with multiple customers at scale. Only [Creator Accounts with fewer than 500k followers](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/instagram/) can access the API. If they have more, they have to switch to a Business Account to keep using the API. That said, many small businesses are still using their Personal Account to promote their products. While there’s nothing wrong with that, they can benefit from converting their accounts into Business Accounts. We’ll show you why next. #### Benefits of Switching to an Instagram Business Account Are you using Instagram for [sales](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-instagram-dm) or [support](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-customer-service)? If so, let us share some advantages of using an Instagram Business Account to level up your business. Instagram's [Insights](https://help.instagram.com/788388387972460) feature provides businesses with all the essential data they need to know about their accounts and how their posts perform. With this information, you can evaluate what content works and what doesn't, and strategize accordingly. You can add a contact button for customers to email you, call you or view your store location. It’s also possible to add an [Action Button](https://help.instagram.com/122793804938499) to your business account to allow customers to make reservations, place orders or book appointments. Want to promote your business and advertise on the platform? You can [create Instagram ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-instagram-direct-ads) and use [Instagram Shop](https://business.instagram.com/shopping) to promote your products. Customers can browse, place orders and [check out without leaving the platform](https://help.instagram.com/182488783606558). Customers in the US can even use [Meta Pay](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-pay) for in-app payments. Now that you know what an Instagram Business Account entails, let’s find out how to make the switch. ### How to Switch to Business Account on Instagram You can seamlessly switch from a Personal Account to a Business Account on both the Instagram app and desktop. We’ll show you the steps below. #### How to Switch to Business Account on Instagram App Switching to a Business Account on the Instagram mobile app is a straightforward process. Once you’ve signed up for an Instagram account, follow the steps below to convert your account. 1\. **Click** the three horizontal lines on the top right corner of your profile page and click *Settings*. 2\. **Click** *Account* and click *Switch to professional account*. 3\. **Select** the relevant business category and click *Done*. 4\. **Click** *Business* and click *Next*. 5\. **Review** the contact information and click *Next*. 6\. **Click** X in the top-right corner of the account setup page to return to your profile and you’re done! If you have a Facebook Page associated with your business, [connect your business account to Facebook](https://help.instagram.com/570895513091465). By connecting both accounts, you can create posts, analyze and advertise on both Facebook and Instagram accounts from your [Meta Business Manager](https://www.facebook.com/business/tools/business-manager). Next, we’ll guide you on how to switch to a Business Account on your desktop. #### How to Switch from Instagram Personal Account to Business Account on a Desktop In this section, we’ll show you step-by-step how to convert to an Instagram Business Account on your desktop. 1\. **Go** to *Settings* and click *Switch to Professional Account*. 2\. **Choose** *Business* and click *Next*. 3\. **Select** the relevant business category and click *Done*. 4\. **Review** the information and click *Save*. 5\. **Click** *Done*. Now that you’ve set up your Instagram Business Account, we’ll show you the benefits of connecting your Business Account to an API and how to do it. ### Connect Instagram Direct Message API to Respond.io While Instagram Business Account is equipped with all the tools and features to help your business thrive, it’s essentially designed for small businesses and SMEs. If you’re looking for more sophisticated tools like [CRM integration](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-crm) and [chat automation](https://respond.io/blog/chat-automation), then you should consider Instagram Direct Message API where you can manage large volumes of messages seamlessly. All you need to do is [connect your Instagram Direct Message API to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/instagram#connecting_instagram). Here, you can use [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) to set up advanced automation like [support escalation](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management), [auto-assignment](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) and centralize communications on an omnichannel platform to connect with customers on other popular channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business) and more. Another benefit is integrating Instagram click to chat ads so you can instantly get leads into a chat, save their contact details and respond automatically. You can also utilize [Conversational AI](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai) features like [AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai), [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) and [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai) to improve your responses, deliver quick and accurate replies and automatically answer customer inquiries. And that’s everything you need to know about how to switch to a Business Account on Instagram. We hope this article provides all the information you need to consider before converting your account. Once you’ve decided to do so, sign up for a [free respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and connect your Instagram Business Account. / ### Further Reading Interested to learn more about how Instagram benefits your business? Take a look at some of these articles below: - How to Sell on Instagram - A Guide to Customer Service on Instagram - How to Use Instagram Auto Reply ## [How to Upgrade to WhatsApp API Without Losing Voice Calling](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-upgrade-to-whatsapp-api-without-losing-voice-calling) Learn how to upgrade to WhatsApp API without losing voice calling. Combine messaging and voice to build trust, resolve complex issues and stand out. Using messaging for sales and marketing is powerful. It provides a direct line to leads and customers through instant communication on channels like WhatsApp. But what about voice calling? It’s been a reliable cornerstone for decades, offering a personal touch that messages alone can’t quite replicate. If your business is already using [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) and wants to find out how to upgrade to WhatsApp API without losing voice calling, this article is for you! ### Upgrade to WhatsApp API Without Losing Voice Calling: Why Voice Is a Necessity Messaging has never been more prevalent than it is today. With emojis, memes, GIFs and endless texts, it might seem like voice calling is fading from relevance. But nothing could be further from the truth. Here’s why voice calling is still holding its ground: #### Builds Trust and Adds Personalization You just can’t beat an authentic human voice when establishing rapport with a lead or customer. It’s reassuring and adds a personal touch to the conversation, making the listener understand that they’re actually talking to a real person, not another faceless [chatbot](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai). Just think about it. If you were a customer or lead, would you rather resolve complex issues or share your sensitive information (e.g., bank details) via a chat or over a phone call? We’re not saying voice is better than chat, but when used together, it can bridge the gap between impersonal messaging and genuine human interaction. #### Reduces Miscommunication Text-based messages are a breeding ground for miscommunication. How many times have you sent a genuine smiley face only for it to be interpreted sarcastically? With voice calling, you can cut through the ambiguity. Tone, inflections and instant back-and-forths all come together to provide clarity that texts lack. While chat works well for quick updates or simple questions, voice calling provides the nuance needed for complex scenarios and is something especially important if you operate in mission-critical sectors like healthcare, finance or law. #### Resolves Complex Issues Quickly Time is money, therefore wasted time is wasted money. Imagine trying to explain the full value of an intricate product or service to a potential customer over chat. Tricky, right? Now, we’re not saying you can’t do this over chat, but when it comes to sales, voice calling can just about give you that edge for complex issues. Voice calls let you explain the finer details, tackle objections in real time and build trust with a human connection. #### Helps You Stand Out So many businesses nowadays seem to be doubling down on chat, chatbots and [automated responses,](https://respond.io/blog/auto-reply-message-for-business) so it’s probably a good idea for you to do so, too. But then, when everyone seems to be doing the same thing, how do you differentiate yourself? Simple. You use voice calling. When combined with chat, your messaging strategy becomes all the more versatile and can appeal to a much wider audience, letting you tap into that previously untapped segment of the market. ### Difficulties When Upgrading WhatsApp API Without Losing Voice Calling Now that you know the *whys* behind using voice calling, you might be wondering about the *hows*. Unfortunately, when upgrading the WhatsApp API, integrating voice capabilities isn’t so easy. Here’s why it’s a tricky process: #### Limited Voice Support in API Transitions [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api) upgrades often focus on improving messaging capabilities, overlooking voice features. This oversight can potentially create temporary service gaps that disrupt workflows, frustrate businesses and diminish the reliability customers expect from your communication channels. #### Technical Complexity of Combining Voice and Messaging In WhatsApp's architecture, voice and messaging services run on separate systems, and combining them when upgrading to WhatsApp Business API requires careful coordination. WhatsApp uses WebRTC for real-time communication, but challenges like minimizing latency and [integrating with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration) can crop up along the way. #### Regulatory and Compliance Hurdles WhatsApp [strictly mandates user permissions](https://faq.whatsapp.com/361005896189245) for business-initiated sales calls, and every API update requires meticulous compliance checks, including adherence to relevant regulations such as the GDPR. Miss something, and you’re staring at potential legal troubles! ### The Solution to Upgrade to WhatsApp API Without Losing Voice Calling: WhatsApp Business Calling API So you’re left with two questions. One, how do you resolve all those issues and two, how to upgrade to WhatsApp API without losing voice calling? Enter: *WhatsApp Business Calling API.* #### What Is WhatsApp Business Calling API? In a nutshell, WhatsApp Business Calling API merges messaging and voice calling into a single WhatsApp thread, so your team isn’t juggling external [Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) tools](https://www.fcc.gov/general/voice-over-internet-protocol-voip) and flipping between platforms. And what about the headaches we’ve just mentioned that come with API upgrades? Well, the API effectively eliminates them. By combining voice and messaging into one platform, you no longer have to worry about compatibility issues or juggling separate systems. With WhatsApp API calls, you can keep your workflows intact when upgrading to WhatsApp API. #### How WhatsApp Business Calling API Works Let’s now take a look at how it works and its key features: - User- and Business-Initiated Calls: Whether a customer calls you (which is free) or you reach out with their permission, the API makes it easy. No more missed opportunities! - Interactive Templates: Control the flow of communication with templates that align with your business hours or specific use cases. - Deep Links: Make connecting with your business as easy as a single tap. Embed call links on your website, in your app, or even on QR codes for maximum accessibility. - WebRTC Technology: Say goodbye to third-party VoIP tools. WhatsApp’s WebRTC integration delivers high-quality, real-time audio that you can rely on. - Permission Flow: Build trust by keeping everything transparent. Customers must explicitly consent to business-initiated calls, ensuring they’re always in control. ### Respond.io: Provider of WhatsApp Business Calling API WhatsApp Business Calling API is now globally available to businesses, excluding sanctioned countries or those with government restrictions (e.g. Saudi Arabia). If you’re excited about the WhatsApp Business Calling API but wondering how to access it, here’s the catch: just like WhatsApp API, the feature isn’t directly accessible without a [Business Solution Provider (BSP)](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-is-now-a-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) like respond.io. As one of WhatsApp's approved partners, here's why you should use respond.io: #### WhatsApp API Calls: Unifies Chat and Voice Respond.io brings all your customer interactions— both chat and voice—under one roof. Not only does this include multiple channels beyond WhatsApp, but this means your team can [manage conversations more effectively](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-sales), offering a smooth experience for teams and your leads and customers. #### WhatsApp API Calls: Easy Configuration Setting up the WhatsApp Business Calling API with respond.io is straightforward. With their 24/5 hands-on customer support and wealth of [in-depth guides](https://respond.io/blog), you can get started calling quickly without unnecessary complications. #### WhatsApp API Calls: Early Access As one of the few providers of WhatsApp calling API, respond.io gives you the unique opportunity to start voice calling. This means you can stay ahead of your competition and start refining your approach while others play catch-up. ### New: Use WhatsApp Business App and API at the Same Time Until recently, businesses had to choose between using the WhatsApp Business App or the WhatsApp API. Now, with WhatsApp Coexistence, you can use both on the same number. This means you can keep your existing WhatsApp Business app number and still connect it to the WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) via respond.io — without losing access to your app or needing a new number. #### Why It Matters for Teams Coexistence gives your team the flexibility to: - Use advanced API features like multiple users, automation, AI routing and CRM integrations via respond.io. - Keep using the WhatsApp Business app for simple 1:1 conversations or business tools like catalogs and quick replies. - Maintain your existing number, customer chat history and app access—even after connecting to the API. This setup is ideal for growing teams that want the power of the WhatsApp API without sacrificing the convenience of the app they’re accustomed to. > ⚠️ Note: Some WhatsApp Business app features like group chats, broadcast lists and disappearing messages won't work on the API side. Also, if you enable coexistence, you’ll temporarily lose the green checkmark (you can reapply after setup). ### Further Reading If you found our article helpful, you should check out the following: - Conversational Sales: A Quick Guide to Conversational Selling - WhatsApp Sales: How to Sell on WhatsApp [Nov 2023] - WhatsApp API Explained: Features, Benefits & Pricing ## [How to Use an Omnichannel Retail Strategy to Drive Engagement and Sales ](https:/respond.io/blog/omnichannel-retail) Discover how omnichannel retail can enhance customer experience and drive sales by providing a seamless shopping experience across all channels. Are you interested in incorporating omnichannel retail into your business strategy, but not quite sure where to start? Look no further! This blog post will guide you through the basics of omnichannel retail and how it differs from single-channel and multichannel approaches. We'll also explore the numerous advantages of adopting an omnichannel approach. Additionally, we'll examine three real-world examples of businesses that have successfully leveraged omnichannel retail to their advantage. Lastly, we'll explain how businesses can optimize their omnichannel retail strategy with respond.io. ### What is Omnichannel Retail? Omnichannel retail is a strategy that offers a seamless customer experience across all physical and digital retail. Customers can contact a retailer through a physical store, a website, a mobile app, social media or over instant messaging. The goal of omnichannel retail is to create a convenient, cohesive shopping experience for customers, regardless of how they choose to engage with a retailer. Adopting this approach can enhance the customer experience, drive sales and foster customer loyalty. For example, customers can have a consultation over messaging apps like [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) or [WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account). They can then complete a transaction in-store or through click-and-collect. Customers can shop on their terms online or in-store, creating a seamless shopping experience across multiple channels. To showcase the key characteristics of omnichannel retail, we'll compare it to single-channel and multichannel strategies next. #### The Differences Between Single-Channel, Multichannel and Omnichannel Retail In this section, we'll examine the different strategies that businesses can use to enhance customer engagement, including single-channel, multichannel and omnichannel approaches, to help you determine the best fit for your business. Single-channel retail involves selling products through only one channel, such as a physical store or a website. This approach can limit the retailer’s reach and may not allow customers to interact through different channels. **Single-Channel vs. Multichannel vs. Omnichannel Retail** | Retail Strategy | Advantages | Disadvantages | | --- | --- | --- | | Single-Channel | Simple and easy to manage | Limited reach and customer engagement | | Multichannel | Offers customers more options for engagement | Inconsistent customer experience due to disconnected channels | | Omnichannel | Wide audience reach. Offers a personalized and consistent customer experience | Requires tech investment to integrate all channels and customer data | In contrast, multichannel retail engages customers through various channels. However, these channels are not integrated, leading to a fragmented customer experience. A retailer with disconnected channels can create a disjointed experience. For example, a customer makes an appointment over WhatsApp to pick up an item in-store but discovers at the store that the appointment doesn’t exist. Omnichannel retail is the most advanced approach, integrating all channels to offer a seamless and unified customer experience. This requires retailers to invest in technology and processes to integrate data and deliver personalized customer experiences. However, it’s a worthwhile effort. Let's delve into the benefits of adopting an omnichannel strategy for retailers. #### Benefits of Omnichannel Retail Adopting an omnichannel retail approach provides retailers with numerous benefits. Reaching customers on their preferred channels can boost customer engagement and loyalty, leading to repeat business and higher sales. Businesses can also offer a personalized shopping experience for customers, tailoring product recommendations and promotions based on their preferences and behavior. Omnichannel retail offers customers more opportunities to engage and purchase both online and offline. This not only provides businesses with more sales channels but also allows them to reach a wider audience. This approach also enables businesses to collect data from multiple channels, gaining insights into customer behavior and preferences, enabling data-driven decisions to optimize product offerings and improve the customer experience. Next, we’ll examine three businesses that successfully implemented omnichannel strategies to enhance the customer experience, boost sales and stay competitive in today's market. ### Omnichannel Retail Examples: How 3 Businesses are Winning at Omnichannel Retail Here are some real-life examples of businesses leveraging omnichannel retail to enhance customer engagement, drive sales and offer better support to their customers. #### Bella Piel Bella Piel [created an omnichannel experience](https://respond.io/customers/how-bella-piel-slashed-messaging-costs-by-95-percent) for their customers with respond.io. Centralizing all messaging channels allowed the skincare company easily train agents in offering personalized consultations remotely over instant messaging, recreating the in-store experience. It also consolidated regional social media channels to create a single brand voice, resulting in a cohesive customer experience for all channels and regions. This successful omnichannel communication strategy earned the company a regional award for outstanding customer experience. #### Sephora Sephora's omnichannel retail strategy offers personalized shopping experiences through online and in-store options, complemented by its Beauty Insider Rewards program. The program helps customers to access their digital shopping cart known as Beauty Bag on their phone or desktop, providing the convenience of shopping, viewing favorite items, checking purchase history and monitoring reward points. In addition, in-store customers can scan physical products to view other available options online and watch makeup tutorial videos, creating a seamless shopping experience across all channels. #### Crate & Barrel Crate & Barrel recognized that many consumers switch between devices when contemplating a purchase. To offer a seamless shopping experience on all devices, the company implemented an omnichannel approach. The Crate & Barrel app saves a consumer's shopping cart and browsing data when they are logged in. This enables customers to access this information across multiple devices so they can resume where they left off shopping, regardless of the device used. Crate & Barrel's improved mobile and web stores resulted in a 10% revenue increase. In addition, the company continued to innovate and released its 3D Room Designer feature, allowing consumers to virtually place items into their homes before making a purchase. Next, we’ll look at how using omnichannel retail via a messaging platform like respond.io can benefit your business. ### Omnichannel Retail with Respond.io: 6 Quick Wins Here, we will learn how businesses can benefit from using respond.io to optimize their communication channels and enhance customer support. #### Omnichannel Retail Strategy: Centralize All Popular Channels in One Place Respond.io supports popular messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-business) and [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business). This makes it easy for retailers to manage all their customer inquiries in one place, regardless of the channel used. Moreover, its [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) function helps retailers to recognize returning customers on any channel to track their interactions and provide a seamless and cohesive omnichannel experience. #### Omnichannel Retail: Integrate Custom Channels like In-app Chat, Chats from E-commerce Platforms and more Respond.io's [custom channels integration](https://help.respond.io/channels/custom-channel) offers businesses the flexibility to connect any custom channel with an open API. This includes their own messaging app or an e-commerce platform’s native inbox, such as the Lazadda chat inbox. Businesses can then manage customer conversations on every single channel from a single platform, resulting in a more efficient customer experience. Respond.io can also integrate with CRMs and other tools like [Hubspot](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/hubspot), [Salesforce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/salesforce), [Pipedrive](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/pipedrive) and more. This makes it easier to create deals or tickets, or exchange and update customer data while chatting with customers. #### Omnichannel for Retail: Streamline Customer Support with an Omnichannel Chat Widget In addition, respond.io offers an [omnichannel chat widget](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) that can display all connected channels in a [single collapsible widget](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets). It can be embedded on a retailer's website, making it easy for customers to make inquiries on their preferred channels. Messaging apps offer a more reliable means of collecting customer contact information compared to web chat, where visitors can remain anonymous or use fake details. This enables businesses to provide personalized services and add them to contact lists for future marketing initiatives. #### Omnichannel Retail Solution: Use Chat Buttons, Links and QR Codes to Drive Engagement Respond.io facilitates cross-channel communication for customers to reach out through various touchpoints. This includes [adding WhatsApp chat buttons on Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-add-whatsapp-button-on-facebook-page) or [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-for-instagram) to turn social media followers into WhatsApp contacts effortlessly. Retailers can share chat links in digital spaces or place QR codes around their stores to encourage customers to message, providing a seamless shopping experience that bridges the gap between physical and digital channels. #### Omnichannel Retail Strategy: Send Promotional Messages on Multiple Channels Respond.io's [Broadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) supports multiple channels, allowing businesses to send or [schedule personalized broadcast messages](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#schedule_broadcast_and_customize_send_rates). Additionally, integrations with popular e-commerce platforms like [Shopify](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify), [WooCommerce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/ecommerce-integration-woocommerce) and [Magento](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/ecommerce-integration-magento) enable businesses to set up event-triggered messaging. Common event-triggered messages include [drip campaigns](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-promotional-messages#toc-mobile-6), [abandoned cart messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-promotional-messages#toc-mobile-5), order confirmations and delivery updates. With these integrations, businesses can streamline customer communication and offer a better overall customer experience. #### Omnichannel Retail Solutions: Boost Retail Sales with Reporting Insights Respond.io's [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) provides valuable insights into sales conversations and agent performance. Retailers can identify knowledge gaps, optimize their messaging strategies and drive growth through this capability. Omnichannel retail has become an essential strategy for businesses. It helps them deliver a seamless and consistent shopping experience across all channels. If you're looking to take your business to the next level, [sign up for our free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) today! ### Further Reading Interested to learn more about how you can use an omnichannel communication platform to elevate your business? We recommend checking out the following additional readings. - Omnichannel Communication: Using an Omnichannel Communication Platform - Omnichannel Widget: Everything You Need to Know about Omnichannel Chat Widget - Why Use an Omnichannel Support Platform ## [How to Use Automation to Enhance Customer Service Efficiency](https:/respond.io/blog/customer-service-automation) Wonder what customer service automation is and how to automate customer service? Read on to discover how automated customer service works. Are you looking to automate customer service processes? If so, this blog post is for you. In this article, we’ll explain what customer service automation is and how it can benefit your business. Then, we’ll show you real-life examples of businesses winning with automated customer service and how to achieve the same results on respond.io. ### What is Customer Service Automation? Customer service automation is the integration between customer service agents and automation technologies like chatbots, workflow automation systems and more. The main objective of this integration is to optimize and streamline support processes to improve customer satisfaction. That said, let’s look at the benefits your business can gain from implementing customer support automation. #### Customer Service Automation: Advantages of Automated Customer Service Managing high volumes of inquiries without automation presents numerous challenges for support teams to provide efficient support. Support agents must handle repetitive manual tasks like replying to simple inquiries, performing contact data entry and transferring conversations to the right department or agent. Concurrently, they must manage critical issues requiring immediate attention. This overwhelming workload often restricts agents from providing high-quality support and prompt responses to critical issues. As a result, customers may experience frustration and dissatisfaction when their expectations are not met and their concerns remain unresolved for extended periods. Thankfully, automation offers a solution to these challenges while providing numerous benefits for both agents and customers. As agents are frequently flooded with commonly asked questions from customers, businesses can set up an automated FAQ menu to answer these questions. This gives customers immediate answers and reduces the need for agents to respond to repetitive inquiries. As a result, agents can prioritize important issues and focus on delivering efficient support to enhance the overall customer experience. To increase operational efficiency, businesses can set up automation to guide customers through a predefined path from the time they send the first message until they are connected to an agent. For instance, businesses can send automated [pre-chat surveys](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) to collect customers’ contact information and gather contextual details on their issues. Then use the information to automatically connect them with the best agent to resolve their problem. Now that you know how automation can benefit you, let’s explore how businesses are succeeding with automated customer support. ### Automated Customer Service Examples: Case Studies of Successful Businesses While implementing automation for the first time may sound daunting, the best way to help your decision-making is to look at examples of businesses using automated customer service. Here, we’ll show how two businesses have transformed customer support. #### Automated Customer Service Case Study: Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) [Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)](https://respond.io/customers/how-cuhk-handles-98-of-mba-inquiries-with-natural-language-processing) is a research university in Hong Kong. The majority of applicants for CUHK’s full-time and part-time MBA programs come from Hong Kong, Mainland China, India and other ASEAN countries. Considering that most applicants are situated in regions where instant messaging platforms are highly popular, the MBA Programs Office at CUHK recognized the need for three key solutions to enhance its processes. Firstly, it wanted to shift inquiries from email to channels that prospects commonly use, such as [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-3). It also wanted to set up web chat on its website. Most importantly, it wanted to handle common inquiries automatically. To achieve these objectives, the MBA Programs Office decided to use respond.io. Incorporating chat messaging over Facebook Messenger and web chat into its communication strategy made it easier for prospects to initiate contact with CUHK’s MBA Programs Office. As a result, it saw a 50% increase in inquiries compared to email alone. Because 98% of prospects’ inquiries are now automatically handled by Dialogflow’s chatbot, the admin team was able to focus on important matters. CUHK also saw a remarkable 99% improvement in first response times, with the average time reducing from 36 hours to a matter of minutes. Next, we’ll explore how Speedhome achieved success with customer support automation. #### Customer Service Automation Case Study: Speedhome [Speedhome](https://respond.io/customers/how-speedhome-doubled-its-monthly-new-customers) is a property rental platform in Malaysia that connects landlords and tenants. It offers a cost-free listing service for landlords and allows tenants to rent homes without upfront deposits, making the moving process more affordable. Speedhome faced the challenge of measuring and improving the performance of its multiple teams of agents in handling inquiries and resolving conversations efficiently. So, it wanted a solution that could effectively track agent performance and accommodate a large number of agents. In addition, it needed a platform that could support its diverse communication channels. This includes popular messaging app like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) or [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) and even [custom channels](https://help.respond.io/channels/custom-channel). After experimenting with various software options, Speedhome decided on respond.io. Since adopting respond.io as its customer conversation management software, it experienced significant improvements in customer engagement and loyalty. The number of monthly returning customers skyrocketed by 56% and the influx of new monthly customers surged by an impressive 122% compared to previous figures. Furthermore, it conducted a CSAT survey, which resulted in a whopping 71% score of very satisfied customers. With respond.io, Speedhome was able to establish more effective connections with its customers and foster long-lasting relationships. Now, let’s look at some of the ways these businesses have used respond.io to automate customer service. ### Customer Service Automation to Simplify Processes: The Respond.io Way Respond.io has a variety of tools to help you streamline support processes with automation. Let’s explore some customer service automation examples below. #### Send Greeting and Away Messages Customers usually expect fast replies from businesses. However, this isn't easy to achieve, especially if your business is not operating 24/7. Therefore, it is important to manage their expectations when they contact you outside of business hours. Respond.io allows businesses to send [welcome](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message) and [away](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business) messages to customers in such scenarios. These messages can inform customers about the estimated response time, letting them know when to expect a reply. By proactively managing customer expectations, businesses can demonstrate their commitment to providing excellent service, even during off-hours. #### Automate Customer Service: Set Up An FAQ Menu One effective way to streamline customer support and provide quick solutions is by setting up an automated FAQ menu. Businesses can compile and organize answers to commonly asked questions and implement them in their Workflow. By doing so, customers can easily access information and find answers to their queries without the need for agent intervention. If customers can’t find the solution they need, you can include the option for them to ask open-ended questions or provide an agent escalation pathway. #### Send Pre-Chat Surveys to Gain Customer Information and Context Collecting customer information is crucial for providing effective customer support as it enables agents to access important background details about the customer. With respond.io, you can send [pre-chat surveys](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) to collect valuable contact information and gain context for an issue. These surveys can be designed to capture essential details like name, email address, phone number or any other relevant information. With all essential information in hand, agents can accurately identify and address the specific needs and preferences of each customer. This enables them to offer personalized solutions, resolve issues efficiently and provide exceptional support. #### Automatically Route and Assign Conversations To ensure customers receive the assistance they need, it is crucial to connect them with the appropriate agent for their issues. Respond.io’s [Workflow automation](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) enables you to achieve this goal by [routing customers to the right team](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio#toc-mobile-4) and [assigning them to the right agent](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio). You can customize your routing options to suit your specific needs, including language and shift-based routing, among others. Additionally, you can automatically assign conversations based on your assignment logic, like round-robin, distributing conversations equally among support team members or assigning VIP customers to dedicated agents. By leveraging the power of automation, businesses can ensure that customer inquiries are efficiently directed, eliminating the need for manual assignment by managers and ensuring agents do not pick conversations without proper supervision. #### Execute Customer Support Tasks With A Click Managers can build Workflows to [automate complicated tasks](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) like [shift transfers](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/route-customers#route_based_on_business_hours_and_shifts) and [case escalation](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management). Then enable agents to launch them at a click with the [Shortcut Trigger](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0) button while chatting with customers. For instance, if an agent’s shift is ending and they have several unresolved conversations, they can click on the Shortcut Trigger button, fill in a short form for context and let automation transfer the conversations to the next shift. You can also use this feature to [escalate cases](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) to external platforms like Slack and exchange information between CRMs and respond.io to retrieve [updated contact profiles](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/enrich-customer-data) or create deals and tickets. This way, agents can seamlessly execute tasks based on specific times and customer requests without the hassle of switching between multiple platforms. #### Send CSAT or Customer Satisfaction Surveys Customer satisfaction plays a vital role in measuring the success and quality of your company’s customer support. With respond.io, you can effortlessly create and send [customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveys](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-8). These surveys can be automatically triggered after closing a conversation with a customer or manually initiated through the Shortcut Trigger button. To save the survey answers, use the [Add Google Sheets Row Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_add_google_sheets_row) to save the data in your Google Sheets or the [HTTP Request Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_http_request) to save the survey answers to your CRM or data warehouse. #### Measure Agent Performance with Advanced Analytics [Respond.io’s Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/dashboard) allows businesses to monitor agents’ performance through advanced analytics. Businesses can use it to track response times, resolution times and other key performance indicators. Managers can use the [Leaderboard tab in the Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-leaderboard) to view several leaderboards and use filters to get granular insights into the performance of teams and users. By leveraging the Reports Module, supervisors can identify any gaps or inefficiencies in their processes. Then, use their findings to improve team performance and optimize business operations. Are you ready to start automating your customer support? [Sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and experience powerful automation like no other platform! ### Further Reading Want to learn how to use customer service automation for specific messaging channels? Here are some readings of popular messaging channels that might interest you. - WhatsApp for Customer Support - Facebook Messenger for Customer Service - Telegram for Customer Service ## [How To Use Facebook Message Tags ](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag) Facebook doesn’t allow you to send messages any time you want - you can only contact customers using a Message tag after 24 hours. In this article, we’ll discuss the different types of Message Tags and their use cases. We’ve prepared a step-by-step guide on how to use Message Tag. Plus, you’ll learn Facebook’s Message Tag rules, as well as the best practices when using Message Tag. Facebook doesn’t allow businesses to send messages at any time. When a customer sends a message, you have to reply within 24 hours. To message them after that, you need to use a Message tag. In this article, we’ll discuss the different types of Message Tags and their rules and how you can extend the 24-hour window to 7 days with respond.io. Then, we’ll show you a step-by-step guide on how to use a Message Tag as well as the best practices when using it. ### Message Tag: An Introduction You can’t send Facebook messages to your customers anytime you want. To prevent businesses from spamming users after the initial conversation and encourage prompt response, Facebook only allows businesses to reply to customers within 24 hours. However, there are many instances where businesses need to message their customers outside the 24-hour Messaging Window. For instance, following up on a complex inquiry or answering a backlog of messages accumulated over the weekend. Here’s the good news: businesses can still contact customers after 24 hours by appending a Message Tag to the message. However, Message Tags are only allowed for a limited set of use cases. ### Message Tag: Types & Use Cases Facebook Message Tags come in four different types: - Confirmed Event Update - Post-Purchase Update - Account Update - Human Agent Here are the use cases for each type of Message Tag: Use the Confirmed Event Update Tag to send reminders or updates for events customers have registered for. For example, appointment reminders or booking confirmation. Post-Purchase Update Tag is designed to notify customers of an update on their recent purchase. You can use it to send invoices, receipts, or shipment updates. Account Update Tag is great for notifying customers of a non-recurring change to their application or account. This includes application status updates and fraud alerts. Human Agent tag extends the Messaging Window from 24 hours to 7 days, giving you additional time to respond to complex inquiries or if you're away. The tag is currently in Beta and only available to selected CRMs like respond.io. Now that you know what each type of Facebook Messenger Tags is used for, it's time to learn how to use a Message Tag. ### How to Use Message Tags To start using Message Tags, you need to [connect Messenger to a CRM like respond.io](https://help.respond.io/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview#connecting-facebook-messenger). Here's the step-by-step guide on how to send a Tagged Message: **1\. Press** Send Tagged Message in the Input Bar. Please note that the button will only appear 7 days after receiving a Facebook message. You don’t need to manually attach a Message Tag within the first 7 days because a Human Agent tag will be automatically added to your message. **2\. Select** an appropriate Message Tag based on the message content. **3\. Add** a message or a [Snippet](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/snippets) by typing / in the field. **4\. Press** the Send button and you're done. You can see the type of Message Tag used next to the message bubble. Facebook has stringent rules on how you can use Message Tags. Before you start using Message Tags, be sure to review the Message Tag rules in the following section. ### Message Tag: Know the Rules Message Tag is a great way to connect with customers outside the Messaging Window. However there are two caveats: you can't use Message Tags to send promotional content, and you can't use them outside their intended purposes. Facebook doesn't allow sending promotional content with a Message Tag. What constitutes promotional content? According to Facebook, promotional content includes but not limited to deals, offers, coupons, and discounts. To send promotional messages outside the Messaging Window, you should use [Sponsored Messages](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#ejr78) instead. Sponsored Messages is a paid service designed for a marketing use case. Each Message Tag is designed for a specific use case. It’s against Facebook Messenger Policy to use Message Tags for other unintended purposes. For instance, Account Update Tag cannot be used for recurring content such as card statement is ready. Keep in mind Facebook enforces these rules strictly. A violation can result in a temporary or even a permanent ban on Message Tag usage. ### What Happens If You Violate Message Tag Rules Facebook may restrict your ability to use Message Tag if you send promotional content, or use Message Tags outside their intended purposes. In our experience, Facebook will provide a warning first before restricting Message Tag usage. As far as we know, there are five levels of sanctions imposed by Facebook: - 1-day ban - 3-day ban - 7-day ban - 365-day ban - Permanent ban The sanction will likely be based on the severity of the violation, rather than how many times you break the rules, For instance, you may get a 7-day ban for sending promotional Tagged Messages to 100 customers, even if it's only your second offense. If your Page is banned from using Message Tag, you'll receive a notification in the Page Support Inbox. To access the Page Support Inbox, go to your Facebook Page and select Settings on the left sidebar. Then, click Page Support Inbox. ### What You Can Do After a Message Tag Ban It depends on the penalty you received. If the ban is temporary, wait it out. Facebook doesn't give specific reasons as to why you get banned. So you should look for the offending content in your Tagged Messages to avoid making the same mistake. Facebook rarely bans someone permanently from using Message Tags, except in cases of serious violations. But if it happens, you can appeal by clicking on the link in the notification. [Click here for tips on how to write an effective appeal.](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-support#toc-mobile-5) There's no guarantee that your appeal will be successful. This means you could be permanently banned from using Message Tags. Our advice? Stay compliant with Messenger Platform Policy to avoid getting banned in the first place. ### Message Tag: Best Practises To help you stay compliant, we've put together a list of the dos and don'ts when using Message Tags. #### Review the Approved Use Cases When using Message Tags for the first time, familiarize yourself with the allowed use cases for each Message Tag. The examples in the [Facebook documentation](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/send-messages/message-tags) will give you an idea of what's allowed and not allowed. #### Don't Send Several Tagged Messages In One Go Sending a few Tagged Messages in a row can look like spamming & trigger a ban. In fact, we've seen customers getting banned for sending three consecutive Tagged Messages. Send everything in one Tagged Message instead of splitting it. #### Push the Envelope Slowly Sometimes it’s hard to tell if your message content is against Facebook Messenger Platform Policy. Experiment with your Tagged Message by sending it to a small number of customers. If it doesn't trigger a ban, you can send the Tagged Message to more users. #### When In Doubt, Use SMS, Email or WhatsApp API If a message doesn’t match any of the Tags, don’t risk it. Use an alternative Channel like SMS, email or [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) to contact your customers. ### Further Reading And that’s everything you need to know about Facebook Tag in Messenger. If you're getting started with using Facebook Business Chat we recommend you read these three articles. - Everything You Need to Know About Facebook Messenger for Business - How We Generated 4,240 Facebook Messenger Leads for $400USD + 3 Surprises - How To Set Up Facebook Comment Auto Reply ## [How to Use Facebook Messenger for Customer Service ](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-for-customer-service) Facebook Messenger enables businesses to improve the quality of their customer service. Read on to learn more about Facebook Messenger customer service. Want to use Facebook Messenger for customer service? This article covers the benefits of Facebook Messenger for customer service and everything you need to know to get started. We’ll also show you how to use Facebook Messenger for customer service on respond.io and examples of businesses using the Facebook Messenger customer service platform. ### Facebook Messenger for Customer Service vs Traditional Methods The rise of messaging apps like [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) has proven to be beneficial to businesses while highlighting the limitations of traditional channels like email, webchat and phone calls. On traditional channels, conversation threads are usually scattered and untraceable, making it impossible for support agents to track customers’ conversation history. Traditional channels are also infamous for transferring support cases between teams without providing details like how long customers should wait, how many more people are in the queue or the progress and status of their inquiry. As a result, customers are forced to repeat their problems multiple times to every support agent which prolongs the case resolution time. Compared to traditional customer service channels, Facebook Messenger allows businesses to trace customers’ conversation history in a message inbox, providing support agents with context to customers’ issues. In addition, it also gives customers the flexibility to leave a conversation and return without having to start all over again as they would have to on webchat, allowing businesses to resolve customers’ issues faster. Customers expect fast replies from businesses because messaging apps are fast-paced in nature. Luckily, Facebook Messenger has [automation features](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-auto-reply) like instant replies and away messages to help businesses manage customers’ expectations. Businesses in [regions dominated by Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-3) in particular, benefit from using Facebook Messenger for customer service as their customers can simply scan a QR code or click a button to contact them. Next, we’ll take a look at what you should know before using Facebook Messenger for customer service. ### Facebook Messenger for Customer Service: What You Should Know Before deciding to use Messenger as your main channel for customer service, there are a few things you need to know about Facebook Messenger, such as: - Facebook Messenger customer service platforms - Replying to Facebook Comments via Facebook Messenger - Business responsiveness visibility - 24-hour messaging window restriction #### Facebook Messenger Customer Service Platforms You’re probably on this blog because you’re currently using the Messenger app or Facebook Page Inbox to connect with your customers, or you’re considering whether you should use Facebook Messenger for customer service. The Messenger app is sufficient for micro-businesses and solopreneurs with its basic ability to chat with customers in a conversational setting, whereas Facebook Page Inbox has all the necessary tools for small businesses to manage their conversations with customers. However, both lack advanced automation and the ability to support a large number of contacts and receive high-volume messages that larger companies or those wanting to scale their conversations are looking for. If a Facebook Page sends too many messages in a short time period, it will [lose access to the Page Inbox](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/send-messages/high-mps/) and will have to manage messages through an API. This is when you’ll need to [connect your Facebook Messenger to a third-party CRM like respond.io](https://help.respond.io/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview#connecting_facebook_messenger). #### Facebook Messenger for Customer Service: Reply to Facebook Comments via Facebook Messenger Customers leave comments on businesses’ Facebook posts for many reasons, including seeking assistance with a product, being dissatisfied with your product and [more](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-comment-auto-reply#toc-mobile-0). For product-related issues, it is highly likely that there will be an exchange of confidential information. Hence, it is best for businesses to move the conversation from the comments to the customer's Facebook Messenger Inbox for privacy. Replying to customers’ comments privately in their inbox demonstrates that your business proactively assists customers in need, on top of just allowing them to message you for help. #### Facebook Messenger for Customer Service: Business Responsiveness Visibility A business’s responsiveness is crucial to customers who need a prompt response. And Facebook Messenger has made it easy for them to identify a responsive business by displaying a response rate badge on a business’ Facebook Page. The highest rank, the [very responsive to messages badge](https://www.facebook.com/help/475643069256244), shows people which Pages respond quickly and consistently to private messages. To get the badge, a Page must achieve both a response rate of 90% or more and a response time of under 15 minutes. Fortunately, if your Page doesn’t have the badge, customers won’t be able to see your Page’s responsiveness. To improve your responsiveness and get the badge, set your goals according to the requirements and understand how a [Page response rate and time](http://facebook.com/help/1625715647696553?helpref=faq_content) are defined. #### Facebook Messenger for Customer Service: 24-hour Messaging Window Restriction Facebook has implemented a 24-hour messaging window to prevent businesses from spamming customers after their initial conversation. However, businesses can still message customers outside the messaging window by using [Message Tags](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-10). There are four types of message tags a business can use: Confirmed Event Update, Post-Purchase Update, Account Update, and Human Agent. Keep in mind that Facebook may [restrict your Page](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag#toc-mobile-4) if you use message tags outside their intended purposes. ### Using Facebook Messenger for Customer Service on Respond.io: Quick Wins Now, let’s take a look at how you can use respond.io. to enhance your customer service on Facebook Messenger. #### Use The Human Agent Tag to Follow Up on Complex Enquiries The Human Agent tag is only available to businesses accepted under Facebook’s Beta Program. And respond.io is one of them! With respond.io, businesses can get a 7-day messaging window with the Human Agent tag instead of 24 hours by default. This allows agents to resolve complex issues with more time and follow up with customers on the next business day if an inquiry comes in during the weekend. #### Use Advanced Automation to Answer FAQs, Route Customers and Escalate Cases Businesses can use advanced automation to set up an FAQ menu providing answers to commonly asked questions. This way, customers can get the answer they want quickly without businesses having to use a support agent in the process. However, as a rule of thumb, businesses must provide a seamless human agent integration when creating their Workflow to assist customers who cannot find a solution to their issues. Depending on the types of issues a customer is facing, businesses can use respond.io to [route customers to the right team](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) like routing them according to business hour shifts, languages or departments. If the agent cannot resolve the issue, they can use the [Shortcuts](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0) button to escalate support cases or create support tickets on external CRM platforms like Zendesk and Zoho. #### Send CSAT or Customer Satisfaction Surveys Customer satisfaction plays an important role in measuring the success and quality of your company’s customer support. With respond.io, businesses can create a [customer satisfaction (CSAT) survey](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-8) to be sent automatically after a conversation with a customer ends or manually using the Shortcuts button. To save the survey answers, use the [Add Google Sheets Row Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_add_google_sheets_row) to save the data in your Google Sheets or the [HTTP Request Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_http_request) to save the survey answers to your CRM or data warehouse. For more information on how to send a CSAT survey on respond.io, read our [Customer Satisfaction Process Guide](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score). #### Set Up Auto Replies for Comments Responding to customers’ comments on your posts can be a lot to deal with, especially when you receive numerous comments per post or when most of them are spam comments. To save you the effort of replying privately to each and every comment, respond.io’s [Facebook Comment Autoresponder](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-comment-auto-reply#toc-mobile-3) allows your business to focus on those who respond to your follow-up message. Once a customer leaves a comment on your post, an automatic reply will be sent to their inbox immediately. If they reply to your direct message, you can add them to your contacts list for [broadcasting and marketing purposes](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-11) in the future. #### Get an Overview of Customers’ Chat History with Contact Merge There is a high possibility that your Contacts are using other messaging apps apart from Facebook Messenger. And they may have used other messaging channels to reach you previously, leading to siloed conversations across channels. With respond.io, you can merge all Contact details and conversation history across messaging channels into a unified profile for an overall view of a customer. This will help agents to understand the customers’ context and make an informed decision about the best way to help them. #### Gain Access to Advanced Reports and Analytics The respond.io platform is great for customer support as it has advanced reporting on agent productivity and workload tracking, conversation tracking, resolution time measurement and the Comments feature for internal collaboration. The supervisor dashboard enables managers to identify conversations that have been on hold or unresolved for too long, and monitor agents’ performance and workload in real-time. #### Mobile App for Agents on the Go Respond.io has a mobile app that allows agents to answer customer inquiries from their mobile phones. The app has all the features available on the desktop, such as Dashboard, Contacts and Messaging to give agents an effortless messaging experience and the convenience of answering messages wherever they are. Agents will receive a push notification every time they receive a new message or when they are assigned new Contacts, allowing them to stay updated and avoid missing messages. To get the respond.io app, download it from [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io) for Android and [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) for iOS. ### How Businesses are Using Facebook Messenger Customer Service Now that you know how you can use Facebook Messenger for customer service, let’s take a look at how businesses are putting this into practice. ### KLM Royal Dutch Airline KLM is the world’s oldest airline still operating under its original name and is the first airline to offer customers the option of receiving travel documentation and flight status updates via WhatsApp, Messenger and more. KLM’s goal was to enhance its customer experience by making it easier for people to talk to its agents via social media without compromising customers’ privacy. They used Messenger to share flight information such as booking confirmations, check-in notifications, boarding passes and flight status updates. Once customers have gotten the information they need, an automated customer satisfaction survey will be sent. According to Facebook, KLM has achieved a 40% increase in customer interactions on Messenger and 15% of online boarding passes are sent via Messenger. ### Sarenza Sarenza is a Paris-based online shop selling a variety of shoe brands catering to all genders and ages. It started using automated messages due to the sudden increase in customer queries during the Covid-19 pandemic. Sarenza implements auto replies for FAQs like order placements, shipment tracking and more. The best part is that customers can connect to an agent on the first step itself if what they’re looking for is not in the options provided. Since it started using Facebook Messenger for customer service, Sarenza has reported that 20% of all questions and inquiries were answered automatically. It also witnessed a 6x rise in customers using Messenger as a communication tool and their message sharing increased from 5% to 25% in 2020. You’ve made it to the end! Want to use Facebook Messenger for customer service? Sign up for respond.io and connect Facebook Messenger to elevate your customer service. ### Further Reading Want to learn more about Facebook Messenger? Here are a few articles for you to check out. - The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Messenger for Business - How to set up Facebook Messenger Auto Reply - How To Use Facebook Message Tags ## [How to Use Telegram for Customer Support ](https:/respond.io/blog/telegram-support) Want to use Telegram for customer support? This blog covers the benefits of Telegram customer support and ways to enhance your Telegram support with respond.io. If you want to use Telegram for customer support, we have got you covered. We’ll start by discussing the benefits of providing Telegram support and what you need to know to get started. Then, we’ll show you how an [AI-powered](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) customer conversation management software like respond.io can assist you in offering top-notch Telegram customer support. ### Telegram Support: Why Use Telegram for Customer Support vs Traditional Methods Telegram is popular for its speed and security, with [700 million monthly active users](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-14). It stands out from other messaging apps because it is privately owned and built with users’ privacy in mind. Every type of message exchanged on Telegram, including text, media and files, is encrypted. Therefore, Telegram is an excellent messaging channel for privacy-conscious users. #### Benefits of Telegram for Customer Service Security is one of the most fundamental qualities that traditional customer support channels like email lack. Sending confidential files via email has been the norm over the past decades. But this approach is not as secure as believed because emails are unencrypted by default or have limited encryption. As a result, customers are susceptible to data leaks and security threats. Telegram, however, uses client-server encryption and files are stored encrypted in the Telegram Cloud. Security skeptics can even delete their files after sending them to leave zero traces of the files on the server. Having an overall view of a customer’s chat history is almost unattainable on traditional support channels like email and webchat. This is because email conversation threads are usually dispersed and webchat chats end when users leave the website. On Telegram, businesses will be able to get access to a customer’s chat history in a message inbox. If a customer has a recurring issue, support agents will be able to get context from the chat history and make informed decisions based on their situation. The best part about Telegram is that you can use one account simultaneously on multiple devices. Not just that, your messages will also sync seamlessly across all your devices. Small businesses can use the Telegram app on multiple devices at the same time, while larger businesses can get Telegram for multiple agents by [connecting their Telegram bot to a messaging platform like respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/telegram) for a slew of additional features, which we will discuss below. ### Telegram Support: What You Should Know [Unlike other messaging apps](https://respond.io/blog/best-messaging-apps), Telegram provides users with a free yet feature-rich platform with few restrictions. Although Telegram has recently announced its paid plan, [Telegram Premium](https://telegram.org/blog/700-million-and-premium), everything that was previously free remains free. The premium plan was introduced to meet the demands of Telegram users who are willing to pay to send heavy resources. With Telegram Premium, users can upload files up to 4GB and enjoy faster downloads, exclusive stickers and [more](https://telegram.org/blog/700-million-and-premium). You only need Telegram Premium if you regularly send files larger than 2GB. Otherwise, your business should be able to get by quite well on the free version. There are three ways a business can use Telegram for customer support chat, namely Telegram Groups, Telegram Channels and Telegram Bots. Let's take a look at each of them in the section below. #### Telegram Customer Support Chat: Telegram Groups [Telegram Group](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-groups) is a space that supports two-way interactions between a business and its customers, with up to 200,000 members in a group. It can be used by businesses to get feedback or have discussions with their customers. To provide group support, create groups based on different customer segments such as products purchased, language and more. Then, use the group [video call and screen sharing](https://telegram.org/blog/video-1000) tool to provide assistance for common customer issues. However, this comes with a few drawbacks. Support agents won't be able to track conversations or know if an issue has been resolved and businesses cannot keep track of agents’ productivity. While you can provide support in groups, we recommend that you avoid it. #### Telegram Customer Support Chat: Telegram Channels [Telegram Channel](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-channels), on the other hand, can have unlimited members and is designed as a one-way communication tool. Businesses can broadcast updates or important announcements to their customers and track the view count of their messages. Telegram Channel is the least suitable for customer support as it is made for one-way communication. Businesses can still offer two-way communication by linking their Telegram Channel to Telegram Group to auto-post broadcasts in the group and follow up with inquiries. However, by doing so, they will experience the same issues as providing support in groups. #### Telegram Customer Support Chat: Telegram Bot Due to the fact that group support has a lot of drawbacks, businesses must be able to provide 1:1 Telegram support. Small businesses can provide 1:1 support using the Telegram app inbox on multiple devices while larger businesses can use the [Telegram bot](https://respond.io/blog/best-telegram-bots-list#toc-mobile-0), which involves a messaging inbox or messaging platform like respond.io. Large businesses that receive high volumes of messages need advanced features to check agents' workload or performance, ensure all Contacts have been attended to and identify which agent sent or responded to a message. [Contable.app, a Chilean bookkeeping company](https://respond.io/customers/how-contableapp-achieved-30-percent-higher-customer-retention-by-switching-to-shared-omnichannel-inbox), faced challenges in responding to customer queries. Upgrading to a Telegram Bot and integrating it with respond.io's omnichannel inbox, they centralized their communication channels. This change resulted in 40% faster response times and a 30% increase in customer satisfaction and retention, showcasing the effectiveness of such an integration in improving customer support. To get those features and advanced automation for processes like [support escalation](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management), [auto assignment](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) and [auto routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio), you’ll have to [create a Telegram bot](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-6) and [connect it to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/telegram#connecting_telegram). ### Telegram Support on Respond.io: Quick Wins Now that you have all the information you need to use Telegram as a customer support channel, let’s dive into how respond.io can help improve your customer support. #### Use AI to Improve and Automate Responses With [Respond AI](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai), agents can cut down on mistakes and time when handling frequently asked questions with these features: - Prompts: Agents can change the tone, fix spelling and grammar and even translate messages - AI Assist: This feature helps agents reply to customer messages with a click of a button - AI Agent: Automate customer inquiries before assigning a customer to an agent Next up, let’s explore respond.io’s automation builder. #### Offer 24/7 Support with Automated Messages, Auto Assignment and Support Escalation Customers communicating with businesses on messaging apps like Telegram expect to receive fast replies. With respond.io, you can manage customers’ expectations by sending [automated welcome and away messages](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-auto-reply). For agents to provide quality support, they will need customer context. One way to do this is to send [pre-chat surveys](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) to collect customers' information and use multiple-choice questions to help customers communicate what they want clearly. For more advanced automation, businesses can use respond.io to [route customers to the right team](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio), according to business hours, shifts, languages or departments. Agents can also collaborate on the platform for [support escalation](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) by adding a comment to describe the case or provide background information to another agent. #### Send CSAT or Customer Satisfaction Surveys You’ll never know how effective your customer support is without getting feedback from your customers. Hence, CSAT or customer satisfaction surveys are critical in measuring the success and quality of your company’s customer support. With respond.io's Workflows automation, businesses can create a [CSAT survey Workflow](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-8). It can be set up to send a CSAT survey automatically after a conversation with a customer ends or manually using the [Shortcut button](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0). To save the survey answers, use the [Add Google Sheets Row Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_add_google_sheets_row) to save the data in Google Sheets. To save the survey answers to your CRM or data warehouse, create a webhook between its API and respond.io by adding an [HTTP Request Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_http_request). #### Get an Overview of Customers’ Chat History with Contact Merge Most messaging app users have multiple messaging apps on their phones. They may have reached out to you on them, creating [siloed conversations across the different channels](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts#toc-mobile-0). Respond.io allows you to merge all Contact details and conversation history into a unified profile for a comprehensive view of a customer. This will help agents understand customers’ contexts and select the most effective way to help them. #### Gain Access to Advanced Reports and Analytics The respond.io platform is excellent for customer support as it has advanced reporting on agent productivity and workload tracking, conversation tracking and resolution time measurement. The supervisor dashboard allows managers to identify conversations that have been on hold or unresolved for too long, and monitor agents’ performance and workload in real-time. This way, businesses can see the efficiency of their support team, analyze the areas they are lacking and work towards improving their KPIs. #### Mobile App for Agents on the Go Respond.io has a mobile app that allows agents to answer customer inquiries from Telegram on their mobile phones. The app has all the features available on the desktop such as Dashboard, Contacts and Messaging to give agents an effortless messaging experience and the convenience of answering messages on the go, wherever they are. Agents will receive a push notification every time they receive a new message or when they are assigned new Contacts, allowing them to stay updated and avoid missing messages. To get the respond.io app, download it from [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io) for Android and [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) for iOS. Telegram is a great messaging channel for businesses to provide quality customer support in a secure environment. We hope you found this first-hand guide on how to use Telegram for Customer Support helpful. If you’re ready to use Telegram for customer support, [sign up for a free respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and [connect your Telegram business account](https://help.respond.io/channels/telegram#connecting_telegram) now! ### Further Reading Did you find this article useful? If so, here are some readings that might be of interest to you. - The Ultimate Guide to Telegram Business - Telegram Auto Reply: A How-To Guide - Facebook Messenger for Customer Service ## [How to Use the Respond.io Facebook Messenger Code Generator](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-code) What is a Messenger Code? It is really just a Facebook Messenger QR code that you can use to drive traffic to your Facebook Page. This article will explain Facebook codes and show you how to use a Facebook Messenger Code Generator. What is a Messenger Code? Or should I say what was a Messenger Code? It was a QR code but with a nice design specific to Facebook Messenger. It was similar to a regular QR code in that it is just helping users follow a link without having to type it in. The difference is that Facebook Messenger Codes would take you directly into a Facebook Messenger Chat. This article will explain what Facebook Messenger Codes were and how they transformed back into regular QR codes. ### What is a Facebook Messenger Code? What exactly is a Messenger Code? Messenger Codes are an extension of [m.me links](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/discovery/m-me-links/), which are URLs that send Facebook users directly into a Facebook Messenger chat with a Facebook Page. When using an m.me link, you're sent directly to messenger.com on desktop or to the Facebook Messenger app on mobile. Once loaded at chat with the business that owns the Facebook page is open directly. Thus the Facebook Messenger Scan Code was only unique in that it had a nice design. Above you can see that using the Facebook Scan code was much nicer than adding a generic QR Code. However, the Facebook Messenger Scan Code had its problems. The most obvious one is that the special design could only be scanned with the Facebook Messenger app. So users had to know what they were looking at to use it, but they didn't. In fact, it was so difficult to use, we had to print instructions on the back of the business card. Even then, only the techiest of the tech nerds actually succeeded in using it. So in a way, the Facebook Messenger Code was a flop. ### Does the Facebook Messenger Code Still Exist? In short no. In 2019, Facebook was on a feature killing spree for the Facebook Messenger app. It was designed to make the Facebook Messenger app smaller, faster and easier to use. In the process, [they deprecated Messenger Codes](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/discovery/messenger-codes/). However in spirit, they continue to exist. Because you can still make Facebook Messenger QR codes. All you need to do is find the m.me link for your Facebook Page and make a QR code with it. If you don't want to do that yourself, we have a tool that makes Facebook Messenger QR Codes. [We've described it near the bottom of the page](#using-the-facebook-messenger-code-generator-on-respondio). ### Why Use A Facebook Messenger Code Simple, you have a bunch of offline users, and you would like to turn them into an online audience. Here are some amazing use cases where Messenger QR Codes are incredibly handy. #### Using A Messenger Code At A Hotel Hotels are one of the places where convenience is key. How awesome would it be if instead of calling down to for room service or with a question? Your hotel guest would simply message your Facebook page. That way you would have time to respond and a single concierge could handle multiple conversations at once. After they scanned that Facebook QR Code, your guest could always continue chatting with you for more advice through their own phone. #### Using A Messenger Code At A Mall Malls are some of the most notoriously difficult places to find your way in. Even though malls have adopted big boards with maps and even made their own apps. I would still prefer to just ask someone where the store I am looking for is. One problem with that, is first I have to find the concierge desk. And for me, that is a struggle. Oh how I wish there was a Messenger QR code you could scan and simply ask the concierge where the store is. Who knows, maybe in 2020? ### How To Scan A Facebook Messenger Code It used to be that scanning a messenger code was pretty difficult. To scan a Messenger Code, you need to: 1. Open the Messenger App. 2. Find the tiny camera button in the top right corner. 3. Then hold the phone precisely over the Messenger Code. It didn't always work the first time. Things are a lot more straightforward these days. Almost every camera app supports regular QR Codes. That means all you have to do is open up your camera, scan the Messenger QR Code and the Messenger app will open directly to the conversation. ### Using the Facebook Messenger Code Generator on Respond.io Ready to generate your very own Messenger QR Code? The easiest way to generate a Messenger QR Code is to do it on respond.io, our [AI-powered](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) platform. To do so you'll need: - A Free respond.io Account - A Facebook Page Connected to Your Space Once you have both of those ready, follow the following steps to generate a Messenger QR Code for Facebook. Generating a Messenger QR code from respond.io is a [straightforward process](https://help.respond.io/l/en/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you) with minimal steps involved. To get started, navigate to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets*. Then, select *QR Code* and click *Create Widget*. Under QR code type, select the channel which you would like to generate the QR code for, in this case, Facebook Messenger. Then, select the account you’d like to use. This is a handy feature if you have multiple Facebook Messenger accounts connected to respond.io. A Facebook Messenger QR code will be displayed. Finally, click the *Generate Widget* button at the top right to create your QR code. Other than creating a Facebook QR Code, respond.io allows businesses to [set up Facebook Comment Auto Reply](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-comment-auto-reply), [add Facebook Messenger to their Website](https://respond.io/blog/add-messenger-to-website) and even [automate chats](https://respond.io/blog/chat-automation)! #### What is a Messenger Code Reference? Imagine you have a chain of pizza restaurants and you'd like to post Messenger QR Codes at every location. At some point, you may get curious about which locations your new Facebook Messenger audience is coming from. This is when a reference can be useful. Remember, the Messenger Code is just a scannable m.me link. By adding the reference to the Messenger QR Code, you'll be able to distinguish who scanned which code to become a part of your audience. ### Further Reading If you're interested in knowing more about using [Instant Messaging for Business](https://respond.io/blog/instant-messaging-for-business), you should check out these blog posts. - Everything You Need to Know About WhatsApp Business - The Ultimate Guide to Using Telegram Business - The Ultimate Guide Using Viber for Business ## [How to Use the Respond.io WhatsApp Inbox for Messaging at Scale ](https:/respond.io/blog/respondio-whatsapp) Discover the respond.io WhatsApp Inbox, built for businesses that want to use WhatsApp for messaging at scale. Learn all about respond.io WhatsApp API now! Are you looking for a WhatsApp inbox for business messaging? If so, this blog post is for you! First, we'll discuss the benefits of a WhatsApp inbox for your business. Then, we’ll take a close look at the respond.io WhatsApp inbox features and how to sign up for respond.io WhatsApp API. Lastly, we’ll explore how respond.io can enhance your overall customer communication experience. ### Why You Need the Respond.io WhatsApp Inbox Using the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app), you may have faced problems like siloed conversations from agents using personal numbers to chat with customers. Managing conversations also becomes difficult when multiple agents [share a single WhatsApp Business App account](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users#toc-mobile-6). As your business grows, these challenges will become even more significant as they directly impact your business’ sales, customer satisfaction and overall revenue. To use WhatsApp for business messaging at scale, WhatsApp offers the [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). However, it does not have a user interface for sending and receiving messages. That’s why you need a messaging inbox like respond.io. > Are you hesitating about letting go of the WhatsApp Business app? WhatsApp Coexistence allows you to connect your WhatsApp Business App to respond.io via the WhatsApp API using the same phone number. You can continue using the WhatsApp Business App while unlocking automation, CRM syncing, reporting, and other features on respond.io. With respond.io, you can sign up for a WhatsApp API account easily and fully manage your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA). Before showing you how to achieve this and more, let's look at how you can use respond.io as a WhatsApp inbox. #### Centralize Messages From All Messaging Channels in One Omnichannel Inbox Medium to large businesses usually manage multiple WhatsApp accounts for different branches or outlets. They also have to maintain a presence on popular messaging channels like [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) and [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat). While handling messages from multiple channels is challenging, you can connect all the channels your customers use in one [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication). This allows you to manage all your conversations in one centralized location, eliminating the need to juggle multiple channels or platforms to engage with customers. By centralizing all channels, you can consolidate customers’ data from these channels in one place, making it easier to provide a true omnichannel experience. Let's explore a valuable tool that further facilitates this process by ensuring unified customer profiles. #### Break Down Silos and Understand Customer Context with Contact Merge Having a presence on multiple channels increases the likelihood of the same customer contacting you through different channels. This can lead to situations like customers having to reidentify themselves and repeat their issues when communicating with agents. With respond.io, businesses can [merge conversations from different channels](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contacts-overview#merge_contacts) in a single thread for a unified customer profile. For example, if a customer has previously contacted you on Instagram but decided to message you on WhatsApp next, you can merge the conversations to get context easily. With this feature, you can identify returning customers, spot recurring issues and make informed decisions when assisting customers. Now that you know how to provide an omnichannel experience, let's look at how to manage high volumes of messages effectively. #### Enhance Conversation Traceability with Auto Assignment Unlike the WhatsApp Business App where agents can manually pick conversations without supervision, managers can ensure fair conversation distribution among agents with respond.io’s [Workflow builder](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-whatsapp#toc-mobile-8). They can build automation based on their [assignment logic](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) like distributing conversations equally among agents and assigning conversations to agents with the least conversations open. With automation handling all agent assignments, managers can easily monitor and identify the agents accountable for each interaction. To prioritize high-value customers, businesses can automatically assign them to dedicated agents. If you want to monitor their interactions, you can create [Custom Inboxes](https://help.respond.io/l/en/messages/custom-inbox) to set these conversations apart from regular conversations. This allows managers to closely track and supervise conversations with high-value customers and ensure that they receive the best possible assistance. Now that you know how respond.io facilitates WhatsApp messaging, let’s look at how to connect WhatsApp with respond.io. ### How to Connect WhatsApp with Respond.io WhatsApp Inbox Respond.io is a [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) and a customer conversation management software. This means that you can [sign up for the respond.io WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api) and start messaging customers quickly. To start, you need to [sign up for respond.io](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and prepare a phone number that is not connected to any WhatsApp account. Once ready, [click on this link](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and follow the steps to set up respond.io WhatsApp API integration. This is a [quick sign-up process](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/whatsapp-api-quick-start). In only a few minutes you can start enjoying the full range of respond.io's features. That said, let’s take a closer look at its features in the next section. ### Respond.io WhatsApp Inbox: Quick Wins Respond.io has brought significant benefits to [businesses across the globe](https://respond.io/customers) by helping them [gain more qualified leads](https://respond.io/blog/how-sleek-gained-3x-more-qualified-leads-over-whatsapp), [improve sales conversions](https://respond.io/blog/how-lamarsa-coffee-used-chat-commerce-to-boost-sales-across-6-countries-by-50) and [achieve a high degree of customer satisfaction](https://respond.io/blog/how-sharwa-designed-a-communication-strategy-that-achieved-85-in-csat-scores). Here’s how you can achieve the same success with respond.io. #### Fully Manage WhatsApp Business Account with Respond.io With respond.io, you can fully manage your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) easily. This includes managing your WABA balance in respond.io’s [WhatsApp Fees Module](https://help.respond.io/organization-settings/whatsapp-fees) and creating and submitting [message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) for approval. You can also view your [phone number quality rating](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-messaging-limits#phone_number_quality_rating) and [manage your WhatsApp Business Profile](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whats-app-business-api-channel-configuration) in the Settings Module. If you have a WhatsApp Business Account and want to benefit from the capabilities mentioned, you can seamlessly [migrate it to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/phone-number-migration-to-respond-whatsapp-business-api) without experiencing any downtime. Next, let’s look at how you can use message templates to send WhatsApp notifications. #### Send Notifications with WhatsApp Broadcast [WhatsApp notifications](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-notification) have a high likelihood of being read since they trigger push notifications that are difficult to ignore. With respond.io, you can schedule and send [broadcast notifications](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) like promotional messages, important customer updates and more to [segmented audiences](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#configuring_a_broadcast). You can even get insights into your broadcast campaign with [broadcast analytics](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-broadcasts) and use the data you’ve gathered to plan future broadcasts. Note that WhatsApp requires businesses to [obtain opt-in](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in) from customers before sending notifications. Spamming customers with unwanted messages can lead to them blocking you, impacting your [phone number quality rating](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-6:~:text=non%2Dflagged%20status.-,Phone%20Number%20Quality%20Rating%20and%20Status,-Phone%20number%20quality) and overall customer experience. > *Starting April 1, 2025*, WhatsApp will temporarily pause delivery of all marketing template messages to WhatsApp users who have a United States phone number (a number composed of a +1 dialing code and a US area code). Next, let's dive into how you can set up automation to streamline business processes. #### Automate Any Processes with Advanced Automation Incorporating automation into business processes can be highly beneficial, especially when you need to manage high volumes of messages. With respond.io, you can leverage [advanced Workflow automation](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) to streamline any business processes. Whether you're creating Workflows from scratch or using [templates](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#creating_a_new_workflow_from_a_selected_template), respond.io's visual automation builder allows you to automate conversations and tasks with any level of complexity. For instance, you can design specific automation journeys for customers depending on their messages or responses in [pre-chat surveys](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey#toc-mobile-4). Then automatically [route](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/route-customers) and [assign](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/auto-assign-customers) them to the right team and agent quickly. This frees up agents' time from having to ask customers the same questions manually to get context. Another way to ease agents’ workload is to automate complicated tasks and enable agents to execute them easily. Let's take a closer look at it in the next section. #### Automate and Execute Complicated Manual Tasks Managers can [automate complicated tasks](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) like [customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveys](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score), [shift transfers](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/route-customers#route_based_on_business_hours_and_shifts) and [case escalation](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management). Then enable agents to launch them at a click with the [Shortcut Trigger](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0) button while chatting with customers. This feature eliminates the need for agents to manually perform complex tasks, minimizes human errors and eliminates the hassle of switching between multiple platforms. As a result, they can focus their effort on chatting with customers and delivering high-quality assistance. For example, if a case is too complicated for a Level 1 support agent, the agent can escalate the case to a Level 2 support agent easily. They can click the Shortcut Trigger button, fill in a short form for context and let the automation escalate the case. Agents can also use this feature to escalate cases to external platforms like Slack and exchange information between CRMs and respond.io to retrieve [updated contact profiles](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/enrich-customer-data) or create deals and tickets. In addition to integrating your internal communication platform and CRMs for task automation, respond.io enables you to automate processes by integrating your existing software stack. #### Integrate Respond.io with External Platforms Businesses can integrate any type of software with respond.io such as data enrichment platforms like Clearbit and a range of applications that supports [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/integrations/zapier) and Make.com integrations. You can also use [Webhooks](https://help.respond.io/integrations/webhooks#webhooks) to trigger messages based on customer actions on external platforms like [Shopify](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify), [WooCommerce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/ecommerce-integration-woocommerce), [Magento](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/ecommerce-integration-magento) and [more](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations). This includes [abandoned cart messages](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify#send_abandoned_cart_messages_to_prompt_customers_to_complete_their_shopify_purchase_using_zapier), shipping updates, order confirmations, product recommendations and other relevant notifications. With respond.io’s flexible integration capability, businesses can seamlessly share data between respond.io and other platforms, ensuring smooth information flow, streamlined operations and cohesive customer experiences. Next, we’ll look at the most important feature to measure outcomes and performance: Reports and Analytics. #### Gain Access to Advanced Reports and Analytics Respond.io’s advanced [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/search/reports) allows supervisors to easily track agent productivity, monitor conversation progress and measure resolution times among many others. By leveraging the Reports Module, supervisors can identify any gaps or inefficiencies in their processes. Then, they can use their findings to drive continuous improvement in team performance and optimize business operations. And that’s all you need to know about using respond.io. Want to start using respond.io as a WhatsApp inbox? [Sign up for the respond.io WhatsApp API account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and start messaging customers in minutes. ### Further Reading Want to learn more about respond.io? Here are some readings that might interest you. - WhatsApp Business Multiple Users: 5 Steps Guide (+Examples) - Chat Routing: Contact Routing with the respond.io Workflows Module - Auto Assignment: Automatic Assignment with respond.io ## [How to Use TikTok for Business and Boost Conversions: 6 Pro Tips](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-use-tiktok-for-business) Learn how to use TikTok for business to boost engagement, drive sales, and grow your audience with proven strategies, TikTok Ads, and optimization tips. Wondering how to use TikTok for business and get results? With over a billion active users, TikTok has become a powerful platform for businesses looking to reach new audiences, drive engagement, and boost sales. But as always, using a new channel for business comes with challenges. Creating videos that resonate with TikTok audiences requires adaptation from how you create content for Facebook or Instagram. Engaging leads in conversations on a channel not primarily used for chat, mastering TikTok ads and measuring performance is a learning process. We’re here to demystify these challenges and demonstrate how to use TikTok for Business solutions successfully in any customer-facing industry. Let’s get started! ### Why Use TikTok for Business Here are some of the reasons why you should use TikTok for business if you’re not already on it. #### Increase Brand Awareness TikTok’s large and engaged user base offers businesses a unique platform to enhance their brand visibility through creative and viral content. #### Grow Your Audience Organically The TikTok algorithm promotes organic growth, allowing brands to reach new audiences without needing a substantial ad budget. #### Drive Traffic and Sales Businesses can utilize [TikTok Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads) to target specific demographics and drive traffic to their websites, ultimately increasing sales. With a variety of ad formats, you can capture user interest and drive conversions. #### Track Ad Performance TikTok provides comprehensive metrics to help businesses analyze the performance of their ads and optimize their campaigns for better results. Businesses can track impressions, clicks, engagement rates and conversion data to measure the effectiveness of their advertising efforts. To take full advantage of these benefits, you’ll need to set up your account correctly, optimize for your audience and [connect to a conversation management platform](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-messaging-ads#toc-1). ### How to Use TikTok for Business From setting up your account to defining your goals, these steps will help you build a strong foundation. We’ll also share some common pitfalls to avoid. #### Get Your TikTok Account Ready for Business We’ll give you a brief overview if you haven’t already set up your account. For more detailed steps, check out our [ultimate guide to TikTok for business](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business#toc-mobile-3). ##### Set Up a TikTok Business Account To get started, [switch to a TikTok Business Account](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business#toc-mobile-10) by navigating to your profile settings. A Business Account gives you access to TikTok’s analytics, advertising features, and e-commerce integrations. ##### Get TikTok Verified Verification builds credibility and boosts visibility as verified accounts are more likely to appear in searches and recommended content. Apply for [verification through TikTok’s settings](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/about-business-verification?redirected=2) by meeting engagement and authenticity requirements. ##### (Optional) Connect TikTok to respond.io Respond.io is among the first few badged TikTok Marketing Technology Partners globally. The badge is awarded for expertise in end-to-end TikTok sales and marketing solutions, including sales workflow automation and tools to optimize TikTok ad performance. What does this mean for your business? As a badged partner, respond.io gives you access to the latest innovations in TikTok Business Messaging. From capturing leads to closing sales, you’ll have the tools to attract, convert and grow customers — all from a single platform. > TikTok Business Messaging is in Beta and currently unavailable on respond.io for organizations registered in the United States. Business Accounts in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom cannot use the API to manage or send direct messages. Connecting TikTok to respond.io streamlines your communications so you can [automate replies](https://respond.io/blog/customer-service-automation#toc-1), [receive messages from all channels](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication), and [integrate with CRM systems and third-party tools](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-crm-how-to-set-it-up-in-4-steps-use-cases-included) to convert leads faster and keep them engaged. #### 3 Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Using TikTok for Business When you’re setting up your account, it’s important to be aware of these common mistakes to steer clear of. **Using a Personal (Creator) Account Instead of a Business Account** Some businesses may try sticking with a [creator account](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-business-vs-personal-account#toc-3) to take advantage of trending music and sounds and for the possibility of more organic reach. But as a business, you absolutely need the ads and analytics if you plan to sell. **Posting the Same Content on All Channels** Another typical mistake is using TikTok in exactly the same way that you would use social media channels. TikTok is a short form video platform, not a social media platform, and viewers visit TikTok for different purposes than they would for social media. While some videos that you post on Facebook and Instagram can be repurposed for TikTok, you won’t get the best results if you post the same content on all three channels. Pay attention to TikTok’s style and trends to ensure your content resonates with your audience. **One-Sided Communication** However, the goal shouldn’t be solely to entertain, but to encourage action. While TikTok doesn’t lend itself to conversations as naturally as other channels, it’s crucial to aim for engagement. Use [TikTok Messaging Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads) to get viewers to chat with you on WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger where they’re accustomed to chatting. Include CTAs to invite viewers to start a chat, visit your website or check out your [TikTok Shop](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-open-a-tiktok-shop) if you have one. Next, we’ll get into the details of the strategies you need get business results on TikTok. ### 6 Pro Tips to Grow Your Business on TikTok Here are six expert tips that will help you grow your business, enhance engagement, and boost conversions on the platform. #### 1 | Follow Trends that are Popular Among Your Audience Understanding TikTok trends that resonate with your audience can significantly enhance your content’s reach. Research the types of accounts your audience follows and see what’s performing well. The [TikTok Creative Center](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/creativecenter/pc/en) makes it easy to do this. First of all, check out **Trends** to see popular hashtags, songs and creators, filtering by your industry. This gives a broad view of what viewers want to see. To see what your competitors are doing and get ideas for ads that sell, go to the **Inspiration** tab and select **Top Ads**. Gain inspiration from high-performing ads related to your general topic or search top competitor brands to see all the ads they’re running, if any. With Top Ads, you can even see general analytics for each TikTok to learn what works and what doesn’t. While experimentation is necessary, having this knowledge before planning content gives your business a head start. #### 2| Understand TikTok SEO Optimize your content for TikTok's search algorithm by using relevant keywords in your captions, hashtags, and even within the video’s text. This boosts discoverability and helps attract the right audience. The **Inspiration** section of the Creator Center helps with this as well. Simply select **Keyword Insights** from the menu and search for keywords with high volume. Filter by location, industry, objective, keyword type and time so you can choose those that meet your goals. Check keywords frequently to keep up with changes as what’s in one week may be out the next. Whether you’re selling fashion, tech gadgets, beauty treatments or tourist packages, audience search interests change rapidly. #### 3 | Leverage TikTok Ads to Start Conversations While optimized organic content can drive conversions, ads expand your reach faster and [generate leads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-lead-generation) when you’re getting started on TikTok. For lead generation, you can use lead forms, TikTok [Direct Messaging Ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-set-up-tiktok-direct-messaging-ads?lang=en) or [TikTok Instant Messaging Ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-set-up-tiktok-instant-messaging-ads?lang=en). We recommend instant messaging ads as they direct viewers to Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, the channels they use most commonly for chat. When you connect TikTok to respond.io, you can qualify leads and respond to them automatically. #### 4 | Set Up a TikTok Shop Utilize TikTok’s in-app shopping features to showcase and sell your products directly. A well-curated TikTok Shop can drive impulse purchases and simplify the buying journey for users. With [**56% of US consumers having made a purchase**](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-advertising#toc-mobile-4) through the app, it’s clear viewers on TikTok are ready to buy. A shop just makes it even easier for them. Learn all about [how to set up a TikTok Shop in this article](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-set-up-tiktok-instant-messaging-ads?lang=en). #### 5 | Optimize TikToks for Lead Generation Incorporate clear CTAs, links, and engaging visuals to encourage viewers to take action. Use storytelling techniques to build trust and make your offers compelling. For example, an TikTok creator doing a review video may offer a discount code to those who contact your business. A TikTok showcasing a new item or service may offer a promotion to anyone who sends you a message first. This helps measure effectiveness because you’ll know whether customers found your business on TikTok even if you have a physical store. #### 6 | Learn from TikTok Performance Analytics Regularly review TikTok Analytics and respond.io to monitor the performance of your content. TikTok metrics like views, likes, shares and demographics on organic posts along with [**ad analytics based on a website pixel**](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/page-events?lang=en) will help you understand what works and where to improve. However, when viewers send you a message, TikTok’s native analytics don’t show which post or ad the message is coming from. That makes it a challenge to measure conversions you get from messaging. With respond.io, you’ll see which TikTok campaign a message came from as soon as you receive it. Respond.io’s features also enable you to dig deeper into campaign performance, [**tracking the customer lifecycle**](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle), discovering which ads and posts generated the most conversations and more so you can refine your strategy and optimize future content for better results. ### How to Use TikTok for Business: 5 Industry Examples To give you a clearer picture of TikTok’s potential, here are five real-world examples of how different industries are leveraging the platform to achieve their business goals. #### How Education Businesses Use TikTok to Drive Student Signups Educational institutions and online course providers create bite-sized, informative videos to showcase their offerings. By sharing success stories and quick learning tips, they attract prospective students. For example, Cygnus Education created a TikTok ad campaign for a large university that seamlessly fit in prospective students’ feeds while including a call to action. With a single campaign, [**Cygnus enrolled 488 new students**](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en/inspiration/cygnus-education-tiktok) by driving prospects to a lead generation form. The ads were relatable, created in collaboration with influencers who knew what would resonate with the audience. #### How Travel Agencies Use TikTok to Promote Tourism Travel agencies leverage TikTok’s visual platform to highlight exotic destinations, travel tips, and customer testimonials. Whether it’s with an authentic influencer review of a luxury hotel or a whirlwind tour of a featured destination, TikTok drives bookings. Vee Sightseeing offers a range of travel experiences in Spain and showcases them on TikTok with creative content designed mainly in-house. Videos ranging from stunning landscapes to relatable memes have [increased conversions at a low cost](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en/inspiration/vee-sightseeing-tiktok-smb-success-stories). #### How Health and Beauty Businesses Use TikTok How-Tos For Sales and Retention As beauty/skincare is one of the most popular TikTok categories, a TikTok presence is a must for businesses in this industry. Health and beauty brands use tutorial videos, product demonstrations, and user-generated content to build trust and encourage repeat purchases. For example, [M.A.C. Cosmetics](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en/inspiration/mac-cosmetics?acq_banner_version=73412989) leveraged TikTok’s Creator Exchange to create authentic content highlighting the brand’s makeup consultation services. Viewers were encouraged to book their own consultations, and as a result of the videos, appointment bookings increased 2.5X. #### How Retail Shops Use TikTok to Turn Viewers Into Shoppers Retailers showcase their products through creative unboxings, new product releases and behind-the-scenes content, turning casual viewers into loyal customers. This works for both online and physical stores. For example, [Komputronix, a consumer electronics retailer in Poland](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en/inspiration/komputronik-ad-awards-case-study?acq_banner_version=73412989), showcases its products in organic-looking videos featuring influencers. Viewers are drawn in by the entertaining content and then end up making a purchase. Thanks to the ads, Komputronix’s sales increased 759%. #### How Automotive Businesses Attract Young Audiences Car dealerships and automotive brands use TikTok to feature new models, share maintenance tips, and participate in trends that appeal to younger audiences. The automotive industry has commonly relied on TV ads, but younger audiences no longer watch television. [Hyundai](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en/inspiration/hyundai-tiktok) branched out into TikTok and created a TikTok-first campaign along with a TV campaign featuring well-known celebrities. But it didn’t stop with celebrities; it also included TikTok creators for a series of authentic, relatable videos that increased brand awareness by 3.5%. ### Respond.io + TikTok for Business: The Formula for TikTok Business Success Pairing TikTok with respond.io can supercharge your efforts. Here’s how you can seamlessly integrate both platforms to streamline processes and achieve faster results. #### Incorporate TikTok into Your Overall Marketing Strategy Seamlessly [Integrate TikTok into your broader marketing efforts](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-use-tiktok-for-marketing#toc-3) by enabling customers to contact you on any channel. With respond.io, you can add TikTok Business Messaging as a channel and get messages from TikTok, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram and more in a single omnichannel inbox. Run click to chat marketing campaigns on all channels and manage leads from one platform so agents can focus on converting without switching between channels. #### Automate Lead Engagement & Get Faster Conversions Use respond.io to automate customer interactions from TikTok, ensuring prompt responses and higher conversion rates. By connecting respond.io to TikTok Business Messaging, set up Workflows to [**answer FAQs**](https://respond.io/blog/customer-service-automation#toc-mobile-7), [**qualify leads**](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-instagram-direct-ads#toc-mobile-8) or [**route them to an available agent to chat quickly**](https://help.respond.io/l/en/convert-leads/route-contacts-by-shifts). #### Integrate TikTok with CRMs and Other 3rd Party Software [Connect TikTok with your CRM](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-crm-how-to-set-it-up-in-4-steps-use-cases-included) and other tools to streamline lead management, convert leads faster and retain them as customers. We now offer a direct integration with [HubSpot](https://help.respond.io/l/en/integrations/hub-spot) available in beta to all customers. You can also integrate respond.io with [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/zapier/zapier) and [Make](https://help.respond.io/l/en/integrations/make) to connect with thousands of other tools to meet your business needs. ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ### Further Reading If you've found this article helpful, here are some more to help you grow your business with TikTok and respond.io. - Turn Views into Revenue: How to Use TikTok for Marketing More Effectively - TikTok Chatbot: How to Set It Up in 5 Steps and Use Cases - 5 Game-Changing Reasons Businesses Need TikTok Advertising ## [How to Use Viber Community for Business](https:/respond.io/blog/viber-community) Want to use Viber Community for your business? This article has everything you need to know about Viber Communities and ways you can use Viber Community for your business. Want to know how to use Viber Community for your business? This article will explain everything you need to know about Viber Communities, including Viber Community features and how to create and grow your Community. ### What is Viber Community Viber Community, formerly known as Viber Public Chat, is a huge chatroom consisting of people with a common interest. It is normally used by celebrities to connect with their fans and by businesses to gather prospects and share updates, promotions and more. Compared to Viber Groups, Viber Communities support more members, have more advanced features and are ideal for privacy-conscious users. We’ll explore these features in the next section. ### Viber Community Features The most remarkable aspect of Viber Community is its ability to have an unlimited number of members. As a result, Viber has introduced tiered management roles to assist businesses in managing and moderating their Communities. Here’s a simple summary of Viber Community’s tiered management roles. For more detailed information, read the [Viber Communities knowledge base article](https://help.viber.com/hc/articles/9193878650653-Everything-you-need-to-know-about-Viber-Out-call-rates). - Superadmin or the Community’s creator has full control over the Community - Admins are appointed by superadmins and play a vital role in moderating and creating Community content - Members are Viber users who join the Community and must abide by the Community guidelines To grow a Community, superadmins can share the Community’s link on their website and social media or allow members to invite their contacts through an invite link. Those who want to join the Community must have the Viber app installed on their phones. When a new member joins the Community, they will get full access to the chat history to view conversations, insights and updates shared prior to their membership. Most importantly, Viber is protective of its users' privacy so no one, including superadmins and admins, can see members’ phone numbers. Besides that, members who enable private messages can contact each other while keeping their numbers hidden. Now that you're acquainted with Viber Community's basic features, let's move on to the advanced features: message features and moderation capabilities. #### Viber Communities: Message Features Viber provides numerous messaging features to help superadmins, admins and members communicate easily. To express opinions and communicate clearly, Viber Community members can react to messages, respond directly or mention a member. Superadmins and admins can pin a message to the top of the chat to initiate a discussion or highlight an important topic. For example, they can send the Community guidelines and pin the message so it is visible to all community members. They can also use the polling and quizzing tool to create a fun Community engagement session. Next, we will talk about Viber Community’s moderation capabilities which will help superadmins and admins to control their Community. #### Viber Communities: Moderation Capabilities Moderating a Community is crucial as it is the only way to ensure members follow the Community guidelines. If a member violates the guidelines, superadmins and admins can delete the offending message or all their messages, and warn them privately. If the member still refuses to adhere to the Community guidelines after a private warning, superadmins and admins can remove them from the Community or ban them so that they won’t be able to rejoin the Community. Superadmins and admins can unban these members. However, they will not be automatically added to the Community and will need to rejoin via an invite link or be added by another member or admin. ### Why Use Viber Communities for Business Being in the same chatroom as prospects propels businesses ahead of their competitors as it allows them to convert prospects into customers on a platform where members anticipate updates from businesses. If you're in an area where [Viber is popular](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-3), create a Community to enhance your visibility. In the Philippines, for example, many large businesses create Viber Communities because Viber is one of the most popular messaging apps there. There are many reasons why businesses should use Viber Community. This section will discuss how Viber Community can increase business visibility, create a positive user experience and create highly engaging activities. #### Increase Business Visibility Community messages appear alongside private messages in the Viber inbox, granting them high visibility. You can even get creative by creating a promotional sticker pack that will automatically add users to your Community when they download them. Promoting your sticker pack on the sticker market is an excellent way to enhance Community's exposure as Viber no longer allows Communities to be discoverable through the search bar. If you want to be discoverable, [contact Viber](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=5377663333917) to turn your Community into a channel. #### Create a Positive User Experience Viber’s moderation features allow superadmins to choose whether their Community should be a two-way communication platform or a one-way communication platform to share updates and promotions by regulating members’ writing privileges. However, even with restricted writing privileges, members can still react to messages sent by admins and superadmins to express themselves. On top of that, Viber also allows them to mute or snooze a Community for 30 days and leave the Community anytime. To provide a positive user experience and avoid members from muting or leaving a Community, businesses should always ensure that their content is spam free, interesting and relevant to Community members. #### Engage Members with Fun Activities Superadmins and admins can utilize tools like polls and quizzes to engage with audiences and get to know them better while emphasizing the importance of their audience's opinion. For instance, restaurants can use the polling tool to get members’ opinions on a new pizza flavor or use the quiz tool to create seasonal giveaways and gift lucky winners special vouchers or products. In addition, superadmins will be able to understand members better, determine the most engaging type of content and plan them accordingly to meet their audiences' demands with the Community insights feature. ### How to Create Viber Community First, you need to set Community goals and guidelines to moderate your Community. Then, you can create your Viber Community by following the steps below. Keep in mind that you can only create a Community on your phone. 1\. **Tap** the compose icon on the Chats panel of your Viber app and click on *New Group.* 2\. **Select** the contacts you would like to form a Community with and click *next*. Any contacts that you add at this stage will become admins. After that, you will be directed to the *Choose group type* page where you can choose to create a Group or a Community. 3\. **Select** *Community* and fill in your Community details. Then, click on the checkmark at the top right corner. You have successfully created your Community and the contacts you’ve selected earlier will be notified. ### How to Grow Viber Communities Viber allows you to grow your Community by sharing Community invite links. Superadmins have complete control over the accessibility of the link and can disable the existing link anytime. Follow the steps below to send an invite. 1\. **Select** a Community on the Chats panel of your Viber app. Once you’ve opened a Community chat, click on the three vertical dots and click on *Community info.* *2\.* **Tap** on *Invite* and select who you would like to send an invite to on any messaging app. For superadmins, follow the steps below to share the Community link. 1\. **Select** a Community on the Chats panel of your Viber app. Once you’ve opened a Community chat, click on the three vertical dots and click on *Community info.* *2\.* **Tap** on *Share Community link.* You’ll be able to choose how you’d like to share the link. On the same page, you can choose to *Allow all members to share* the link or *Disable the existing link.* ### How Your Business Can Use Viber Community There are many great businesses using Viber Community to its full potential. In this section, we will show you how they are doing this — and how you can too. #### Create Promotional Viber Sticker Packs to Grow Communities [A promotional sticker pack](https://www.viber.com/en/blog/tag/stickers/) is one of Viber’s advertising tools to attract users to join a Community. You can create free branded promotional stickers, which can be downloaded from the sticker market to convert Viber users to your Community members. Communities like Barcelona FC and WHO create sticker packs for Viber users to download for free. In return, users will be added to the Community and will receive various updates, including new stickers which they can download and use for free. #### Use Viber Community to Share Updates and Promotions Many businesses use Viber Community to share updates and promotions with their Community. However, most businesses with this goal in mind do not allow Community members to participate in the conversation by restricting their writing privileges. Allowing members to reply in a huge Community will make it difficult for superadmins and admins to track conversations and reply to messages in a timely manner. This is when a [Viber Bot Account](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-11) comes into play. #### Connect Viber Bot to Viber Community Businesses that restrict members’ writing privileges have to connect their Viber Bot to their Viber Community to provide a medium for customers to message them if they have any inquiries or complaints. On the other hand, businesses using Viber as a two-way communication platform can either direct members to chat with them via click to chat links or start a chat with a connected Viber Bot in the Community. Above all, Viber Bot is a must-have for businesses wanting to track and manage a high volume of messages on Viber. [Contact Viber](https://help.viber.com/) to connect your Chatbot to Viber Community. Want to have one-on-one conversations with your customers on Viber? Read on to learn how Viber Bot can help you. ### Viber Bot for 1:1 Conversation and Bulk Messaging Do you need Viber for [one-on-one messaging](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-11) and [bulk messaging](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message)? [Create your Viber Bot Account](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-7) for free and connect to respond.io to start sending and receiving messages! Viber Bot is an essential tool for businesses using Viber as the main messaging app to connect with their customers as it enables businesses to track and manage messages effortlessly. Learn more about Viber on our [Ultimate Guide to Viber for Business blog](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business). ### Further Readings We hope you found this article useful. Here are a few readings that might be of interest to you. - Ultimate Guide to Viber for Business - Viber Bulk Message: A How-To Guide - Ultimate Guide to WhatsApp Business API ## [How to Use WhatsApp Business App and API at the Same Time](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-use-whatsapp-business-app-and-api-at-the-same-time) Use WhatsApp Business App and API on the same number—no migration needed. Learn how WhatsApp coexistence works, its benefits, and how to set it up step by step. Gone are the days when setting up the WhatsApp API (also known as WhatsApp Business Platform) meant giving up your WhatsApp Business App and porting your existing phone number. It also meant losing access to your chat history and contacts, which could be a real headache if you needed to reference past conversations or information. Now, with WhatsApp coexistence, you can use your **WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API on the same phone number simultaneously**. And you don’t have to worry about any disruptions: no migration or need to uninstall anything. ### Can you use WhatsApp Business App and API at the same time? Let’s clear this up right away: It depends on the Business Service Provider (BSP; more on that later) you use for the WhatsApp API. If your BSP supports WhatsApp coexistence, then yes, you can use both simultaneously. If you’re unsure whether the WhatsApp API is right for your business, using it alongside the WhatsApp Business App allows you to test its capabilities before committing to it. If it works well, you can continue using both or fully migrate to WhatsApp API. ### Benefits of using WhatsApp Business App and API on the same number With WhatsApp coexistence, you gain access to advanced features not available in the Business App, such as: - AI chatbots to handle FAQs or respond automatically - AI-powered tools to enhance agent replies - Automation to route conversations to AI or human agents - Lifecycle management and CRM integration for better syncing of customer data - Reporting & analytics to track team performance - Increased user limit– bypass the 5-user restriction of the Business App *Note: Feature availability depends on the platform you use to connect to WhatsApp API.* Using WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API simultaneously also offers key operational benefits. Because you can send and receive messages using the same phone number through either WhatsApp Business App or WhatsApp API, it enables: - Flexible team usage as agents can work from either WhatsApp Business App or WhatsApp API - No disruption to existing workflows - Gradual transition to adopt the API at your own pace Not ready to make the switch? You can disconnect the WhatsApp API and return to the Business App at any time, without any downsides. ### Can you continue using WhatsApp Business App after switching to API? Previously, using a number for the WhatsApp API meant unlinking it from the WhatsApp Business App, making the app unusable for that number. Now, with WhatsApp coexistence, the Business App can remain active on the same number connected to the API. However, some features on the Business App will be disabled while coexistence is active. These **restrictions are imposed by Meta** and will be in effect, regardless of which BSP (including respond.io) you use. This table compares feature availability between WhatsApp coexistence (Business App + API) and WhatsApp API alone: | Feature / Functionality | WhatsApp Business App + WhatsApp API (WhatsApp coexistence) | WhatsApp API | | --- | --- | --- | | Use WhatsApp Business App | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | | Keep the same phone number | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | | Access to chat history | 🟡 Only visible on WhatsApp Business App | ❌ Only new conversations are visible | | Ability to test WhatsApp API without disconnecting Business App | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | | Broadcasts | 🟡 Disabled on WhatsApp Business App. Send to unlimited recipients via WhatsApp API. | ✅ Yes, to unlimited recipients | | Group chats | 🟡 Only visible on WhatsApp Business App | ❌ Not visible | | Edit/delete messages in WhatsApp Business App | ❌ Not supported | ❌ Not supported | | View once, disappearing, live location messages | ❌ Not supported | ❌ Not supported | | WhatsApp Calls | 🟡 Calls are only possible in the WhatsApp Business App | ✅ Supported | | Advanced automation (via respond.io) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | | Team inbox & integrations (via respond.io) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | For the latest details, check out [Meta’s official documentation](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/embedded-signup/custom-flows/onboarding-business-app-users#feature-comparison). As long as the limitations mentioned above don’t impact your operations, using coexistence should be smooth and hassle-free. ### What happens when you use WhatsApp Business App and API on the same phone number? Messages sent from the WhatsApp Business App will appear on WhatsApp API as [echo messages](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-coexistence#echo-messages). Echo messages enable agents to communicate with customers from either interface without losing context of the conversation. They also provide visibility into team conversations, making it easier to track and follow up on chats. If a message is sent in the WhatsApp Business App to a number that doesn’t yet exist as a contact in respond.io, a new contact on WhatsApp API will be automatically created using that number. However, echo messages: - Do not trigger automations - Do not open service windows - Do not start new conversations They keep your team in sync on customer conversations, without affecting workflows or triggering actions in respond.io. ### How to set up WhatsApp Business App and API on the same phone number To use the same number for WhatsApp Business App and API, you'll need the help of a [WhatsApp BSP](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) that supports this feature, such as respond.io. You can [try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register) before choosing a suitable plan for your business. Before you begin, please ensure that you meet [these conditions](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-coexistence#requirements): - You must be actively using the WhatsApp Business App - You need to have WhatsApp Business App version 2.24.17 or later - You need to add your phone number to Meta Business Manager - Your business must be registered in a country that can access WhatsApp API Setting it up is simple: 1. On respond.io, go to Workspace settings, Channels and Add Channel 2. Select WhatsApp Business Platform (API), then choose Connect WhatsApp Business App 3. Follow the onscreen instructions to Connect your Facebook account That’s it! No changes needed on your WhatsApp Business App or phone number. You can use WhatsApp API and Business App simultaneously from now on. ### When or why would you use WhatsApp Business App and API at the same time? Using both WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API on the same number opens up flexible ways to scale, test, or streamline your operations. Here are a few practical examples: #### Testing WhatsApp API without full commitment A small business wants to explore WhatsApp API features like automation and a shared team inbox, but isn’t ready to give up the familiar WhatsApp Business App. With coexistence, the business owner can continue using the app while testing API-only features on respond.io. Since both share the same phone number, all incoming and outgoing messages are visible on both platforms, ensuring uninterrupted communication. #### Hybrid team operations A sales team manages leads at scale using the WhatsApp API via respond.io, while on-the-ground staff or field agents continue to use the WhatsApp Business App for real-time customer interaction. Everyone stays on the same number, and no conversations are lost. When new team members are onboarded, those already using the Business App can keep their current workflow, while new agents can operate using WhatsApp API. #### Smooth migration over time A growing business wants to transition from the WhatsApp Business App to the API, but prefers a gradual approach. Coexistence allows them to train their team, set up automations, and integrate their CRM while continuing to use the app. When ready, they can fully migrate to WhatsApp API without changing their phone number or losing access to existing chats and contacts. ### Getting started with respond.io [Respond.io](http://respond.io/) lets you use the WhatsApp Business App and API on the same number. No disruption or difficult setup process. It’s the easiest way to try the API without losing access to your existing chats and contacts. Ready to explore the WhatsApp API without making a complete switch? [Sign up to respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and try WhatsApp coexistence today! ### FAQs about how to use WhatsApp Business App and API at the same time ### Further Reading Want to know more about WhatsApp Business Platform (API) and how it can help your business? Check out these articles: - WhatsApp API Ultimate Guide: Features, Benefits & Pricing - WhatsApp Business Multiple Users: The Ultimate Guide - WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business for Sales and Marketing ## [How We Generated 4,240 Facebook Messenger Leads for $400USD + 3 Surprises](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-leads) We never tried Facebook Click to Messenger ads before, we had a few days and a small budget. The costs of Facebook Messenger Leads astonished everyone... Lately tons of brands have been complaining about the increasing costs of online advertising. A study by eMarketer found this to be an overall trend. But does it have to be true for you? Not if we have anything to say about it. Let's start with the bad news. It's true. Online marketing is getting more expensive. Here's the good news. You'll get a high return on your campaign if you get creative. Let me tell you a story about how we generated 4240 Facebook Messenger Leads for about $400 USD in ad spend. ### Why Create a Facebook Click to Messenger Marketing Campaign? There's a simple answer to this question. Along your road to online marketing success, try every possible method to create interest and generate leads about your product or service. One thing we've found on our startup journey is - no matter how logical or deliberate our actions, the internet is a mysterious place. It surprises us every day. If you're lucky, you'll have more good surprises than bad surprises. So roll up those sleeves and give it a try. We created a Facebook Click to Messenger marketing campaign for one simple reason. We were looking for 50 people to participate in a closed beta for our WhatsApp integration. Although we already had plenty of users to pull from to create a pool of closed beta users, we also wanted to get feedback from users who had never used Rocketbots before but were in need of chat automation for WhatsApp. Let me be clear, we had never tried using a Facebook Click to Messenger ad before, we only had a few days and a limited budget to pull it off. The amount of Facebook Messenger leads we generated astonished everyone... ### Surprise #1: Our Click To Messenger Ad Generated 4240 Facebook Messenger Leads I'll be honest; we were genuinely surprised at the cost per result. We've heard Click to Messenger ads were still cheap because they were seldom used. However, the cost per lead was a big surprise. Before we get to the numbers, keep in mind that we converted all our costs to US dollars, but our ad account bills in Hong Kong dollars, so our images reflect that. The results speak for themselves, we generated 4240 Facebook Messenger leads for our WhatsApp closed beta over three days, and we spent about $400 USD to do it. Overall, our cost per lead ended up being around $0.10 USD. Professional lead generators out there are probably saying these results are 100% impossible. To a certain extent, they're right. You probably won't be able to generate leads for 10¢ a pop if you're exclusively targeting the US. We targeted our ad to run globally. We did exclude some countries where historically we've seen bot-like behavior, and our return on investment in previous campaigns meant we weren't going to target there again. Overall, we did hit every continent except Antarctica. ### Surprise #2: Our Click to Messenger Ad Generated at least 120 Sign Ups This was perhaps the happiest surprise. We don't have the highest budgets for generating user sign-ups, and we thought that running this messenger campaign to generate leads for our WhatsApp closed beta would result in a reduction in the number of total sign-ups we got that week. Thank god we were wrong. We do admit that the cost per sign up was a tad bit higher than we see with our best-optimized campaigns. However, considering we did not optimize this ad at all with a little tweaking, Facebook Click to Messenger marketing campaigns may become the bread and butter of our paid sign-up campaigns. I hope you noticed that we mentioned that this generated at least 120 sign-ups. That is because we are not done working with these leads. First, we're going to use them to choose 50 users for our closed beta program. But at the end of the day, they're now contacts in the Rocketbots CRM. This means we have 4,000 more people to send our Facebook Messenger blog & platform updates to. And we have 4,000 potential customers to reactivate once we've released our WhatsApp integration publicly. With our Facebook Messenger open rates hovering at around 92% we're sure this is going to result in at least a couple hundred sign-ups somewhere down the line. ### Surprise #3: Our Facebook Page Responsiveness Skyrocketed You may ask why this is important. Every person that comes to your Facebook Page sees how responsive you are to messages on average. The more responsive you are, the more people are going to click and chat with you, which means more Facebook Messenger leads. Unfortunately, we're not a global company, yet. However, we do have customers all around the globe who use Facebook Messenger to chat with us for support. People who are on the other side of the planet and message us first thing in the morning must often wait a few hours before we can give them a detailed response, dragging our average response time down. One of the surprising results of this Facebook Click to Messenger marketing campaign was that it raised our averages way up. Unlike customer support, which in our case involves some very complicated questions, we qualified all these leads using automation on the Rocketbots platform. With virtually no time between question and answer, we got this pleasant surprise, and it's not even our birthday! ### How To Set Up a Facebook Messenger Marketing Campaign for Lead Generation Below, we're going to go over how we set up our Facebook Click to Messenger marketing campaign. To copy what we did, you're going to need a: - A Facebook Page - A Facebook Ad Account - A Rocketbots Account - Sign Up Free Here ### How We Set Up Our Click to Messenger Ad Although we're going to be generating Facebook Messenger leads, we're not going to be doing this using Facebook Messenger lead ads. This is because we want these leads to message us and enter the Rocketbots CRM. Once that's done we'll be able to converse with them and reengage them over Facebook Messenger in the future. **1\. Create a campaign with a message objective.** To generate Facebook Messenger leads, you'll need to select the message's objective. Choosing this objective will mean your call to action will become Send Message. **2\. Set your message destination to Click to Messenger.** At the ad set level, choose the Click to Messenger destination. **3\. Choose your audience.** We're not going to share our audience for this campaign, but it wasn't anything special. We used a few interests provided by Facebook and excluded some geographies to create our audience. **4\. Choose your ad placement.** We used automatic ad placement. **5\. Select your budget and schedule.** We used a lifetime budget over 3 days and we scheduled our ad to run only during business hours from the users perspective. **6\. Choose your format.** Our ad was a simple image so we chose image. **7\. Enter a text & headline for your ad.** Unfortunately, Facebook does not allow dynamic text & headlines for these type of ads. We do recommend that for the best performance you test out text and headline messaging using a dynamic image ad before you run this campaign. **8\. Set up a tracking reference.** You'll need to set up a tracking reference for your Click to Messenger campaign. Use the format ref=YOURREFERENCE. The reference will be used to trigger a rule on the Rocketbots platform, so this step cannot be skipped. **10\. Create a custom welcome message.** Facebook Messenger users must send at least one message to you in order for you to receive the lead. The best way to achieve this is to set up a custom welcome message specifically for this campaign. We created this custom welcome template. **11\. Publish.** Just make sure your campaign doesn't start right away because you'll need to do a little setup on the Rocketbots platform. ### How We Qualified 4240 Click to Messenger Leads Automatically We had no choice but to qualify these leads automatically because we don't have the staff to handle 4000 Facebook Messenger leads over 3 days. Especially the ones that come in overnight. To qualify these leads automatically we had to do the following: - Create a qualification survey - Create an automation rule #### How We Created The Qualification Survey Because our WhatsApp closed beta is targeted toward businesses who are already using WhatsApp, we decided on 3 simple questions to ask: 1. Do you answer customers using the WhatsApp Business App or Personal App? 2. How many messages do you send & receive per day? (Roughly) 3. Do you use Broadcasts to send messages to your contacts in the WhatsApp Business App? These questions were designed to give us an indication of the quality of the Facebook Messenger leads that we generated. **1\. Create a new survey.** Go to the surveys module. Press Add Survey. We added a name as well as survey success and survey failure messages to our survey. **2\. Add your questions.** We used multiple choice responses for our 1st & 3rd questions and number only responses for our 2nd question. Repeat step 2 for as many questions as you have, and press done once you've finished creating your survey. Now you'll need to create a rule to trigger this survey every time a new contact enters from the Facebook Send to Messenger ad. #### How We Triggered The Qualification Survey For Every Contact From Our Messenger Marketing Campaign To ensure that every Facebook Messenger lead that we generated received the qualification survey, we created a rule in the Automation module. **1\. Add a new rule & set up your trigger.** Remember, in step 8 of our Facebook Click to Messenger ad creation, we created the tracking reference: whatsappclosedbeta. Now, we've created a rule that is triggered by that reference. **2\. Set up your actions.** We wanted to send our Facebook Messenger leads an explainer message and then receive the first question of our survey. So we created two actions. One is to send a message, and another is to send the survey. We also created an additional action at the end of the rule so that we could segment contacts added to the Rocketbots CRM via this messenger marketing campaign. This action added the tag WhatsApp Closed Beta to all the contacts. Now press done to create the rule and you're ready to go. ### Final Thoughts Make sure you test the final experience of the users who receive the ad and go through the qualification survey. To do so, go to the Ads tab of your Facebook Ad Manager, select the ad, click Preview, then select Ad Preview, then press Send Notification to Facebook. Good luck with your Facebook Click to Messenger marketing campaigns. We wish you many Facebook Messenger leads to come. ### Further Reading If you enjoyed this article, here are some readings that may interest you. - The Practical Guide to Facebook Messenger Ads - Facebook Messenger Push Notifications: A How-To Guide - WhatsApp Lead Generation: How to Use WhatsApp to Get More Leads ## [HubSpot Integration: Unlocking Seamless Customer Engagement with Respond.io](https:/respond.io/blog/hubspot-integration) Get expert tips on how to use HubSpot integration to access customer data instantly, personalize interactions and speed up response times. If you’re using HubSpot as a CRM, HubSpot integrations are often a must-have when considering a conversation management platform. You’ll want to make sure you have the same information in both platforms for a full understanding of your customers. While CRMs like HubSpot are built to be compatible with email communication, getting data from instant messaging apps like [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) can be a time-consuming chore. HubSpot integration bridges the gap between customer data and real-time messaging, saving time on manual data entry and helping agents give leads and customers a personalized experience and close deals faster. Keep reading to learn all about HubSpot integration, its benefits and how to integrate respond.io with HubSpot. ### What is HubSpot Integration? A HubSpot integration connects HubSpot’s data with third-party platforms so all agents have a centralized, up-to-date view of customer interactions including what stage of the buying journey a contact is in. Businesses can integrate HubSpot with a wide range of software from content management systems to analytics platforms to conversation management platforms like respond.io. Many businesses see HubSpot as a single source of truth for customer data and when they’re working in multiple platforms, it’s often a hassle to refer back to HubSpot to get the answers they need. Let’s take a look at the benefits of HubSpot integration for a conversation management platform. ### Benefits of HubSpot Integration Integrating HubSpot with a conversation management platform like respond.io brings several advantages to help your business streamline customer interactions and data and boost overall efficiency. #### No Need to Switch Platforms A Harvard Business Review study showed that digital workers spend an average of [four hours per week switching between applications](https://hbr.org/2022/08/how-much-time-and-energy-do-we-waste-toggling-between-applications)! Viewing HubSpot data without having to go to HubSpot saves time that could be better spent focusing on customers. #### Unified Customer View With HubSpot integration, businesses gain a big picture view of the customer journey by consolidating conversations, CRM data, and engagement history in one place. This ensures every interaction is informed and context-driven. #### Faster Response Times [82% of customers expect an immediate response](https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/live-chat-go-to-market-flaw?__hstc=238111519.d1c54862716fee1b893893469ce5549f.1740629221009.1740629221009.1740629221009.1&__hssc=238111519.1.1740629221009&__hsfp=1617199578) to a marketing or sales question and if they don’t get it, they’ll go elsewhere. In the time it takes for an agent to go to HubSpot and look for any available information about a contact, the contact may drop off. With an integration, the data from HubSpot is instantly available to the agent during the chat, so leads get quick replies and agents close deals faster. #### Personalized Experiences Consumers have high expectations, with [66% saying they expect businesses to understand](https://c1.sfdcstatic.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/documents/research/salesforce-state-of-the-connected-customer-4th-ed.pdf) their unique needs. Access to customer data within HubSpot enables agents to personalize conversations to individual contacts. This enhances customer trust and increases engagement, leading to more sales and higher retention rates. So how do you integrate HubSpot with a conversation management platform? There are a few ways to do it. ### 3 Types of HubSpot Integration These are the three most common ways to integrate HubSpot with external platforms. Which one you’ll choose to use depends on the platform you need to integrate. #### 1\. Native HubSpot Integrations Native integrations are built directly into HubSpot, so there’s no need for additional software or configurations. For example, [HubSpot integrates directly with email](https://www.hubspot.com/products/email-integration) as it was primarily made for email. For applications that aren’t natively supported by HubSpot, you’ll need to use different methods. #### 2\. Middleware Integrations Middleware platforms like Zapier or Make act as bridges between HubSpot and thousands of other applications. Without advanced technical knowledge, businesses can sync information between HubSpot and almost any software. These integrations offer greater flexibility than those that are built in to HubSpot or third party platforms. Simply select the action you want to perform on each side and set it to run based on triggers. The only disadvantage is that these platforms can be costly, especially if you’re dealing with large amounts of data or interactions. Respond.io offers integration with [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/l/en/zapier/zapier) and [Make](https://help.respond.io/l/en/integrations/make), and in the past, this was the best way to integrate HubSpot with respond.io. #### 3\. Third-party Integrations Third-party integrations are developed by external providers and can be found in [HubSpot’s App Marketplace](https://ecosystem.hubspot.com/marketplace/apps/respond-io-whatsapp). These solutions extend HubSpot’s capabilities and enable businesses to connect with various tools to optimize their workflows. It’s easier than connecting with middleware and there’s no additional fee. And now, respond.io offers an [integration with HubSpo](https://help.respond.io/l/en/integrations/hub-spot)t so you can instantly view your HubSpot contact information in the respond.io platform for a streamlined experience. ### Meet Respond.io’s New HubSpot Integration Respond.io’s new HubSpot integration makes it simple for you to refer to HubSpot data within the respond.io platform while you’re chatting with leads and customers on any channel, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, TikTok and more. Here’s how you can use it. #### Get Customer Data from HubSpot into Respond.io with One Click Once you [install the HubSpot integration in respond.io](https://help.respond.io/l/en/integrations/hub-spot), all you have to do is click to get any information available about a contact in HubSpot sent to respond. There’s no need to switch between platforms and manually add contact data. #### Gain a Complete View of the Customer Story By integrating HubSpot with respond.io, agents can access a unified customer history that [combines CRM data with messaging interactions](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm#toc-2). This comprehensive view provides context so agents can deliver more personalized responses. For example, if a lead has contacted your business before, they’re more likely to be ready to purchase. Returning customers won’t need to hear a repetition of basic information about your product or services and will appreciate being remembered. ### How Respond.io + HubSpot Integration Works The respond.io HubSpot integration is simple to set up with a few clicks. Here’s how to connect your respond.io account and start getting data from HubSpot. #### 4 Steps to Set Up the Respond.io HubSpot Integration Setting up the Respond.io HubSpot integration is a straightforward process that involves a few key steps: 1\. In the respond.io platform, go to **Workspace Settings > Integrations** and select **HubSpot.** 2\. Click **Connect HubSpot**. 3\. Login to your HubSpot account and authorize respond.io access. That’s it! Your account is connected to HubSpot. 4\. To view the latest HubSpot data on a contact at anytime, just click on the HubSpot button in your inbox while you’re chatting with the lead or customer. ### Bonus Tips for Using HubSpot Integration with Respond.io We interviewed respond.io [Senior Technical Product Manager Lee Zheng Yang](https://www.linkedin.com/in/zheng-yang-lee/) to bring you these expert tips on making the most of the HubSpot integration. #### Collect Contacts’ Email or Phone Number Zheng Yang emphasizes that a crucial factor to using the integration is having the contact’s email or phone number. HubSpot uses email or phone number as an identifier, so if you check HubSpot for a respond.io contact and you don’t have their email or phone number, the contact won’t be found. With some channels like WhatsApp, you’ll get the contact’s phone number in respond.io automatically, but for others including Facebook Messenger, Instagram and TikTok, it’s essential to ask for the phone number or email. We recommend using respond.io’s [automation to ask leads for these details](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot#toc-mobile-1) as soon as they engage with a click to chat ad or send you a message. #### Track the Customer Journey with Respond.io’s Lifecycle Feature When you view HubSpot data in respond.io, you’ll be able to see the contact’s lifecycle stage and deal status. You can label these contacts using respond.io’s [Lifecycle feature](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) so all team members recognize where the contact is in their journey. This helps agents prioritize and move leads through the funnel more quickly. For example, if a contact is labelled as an “open deal” in HubSpot, this means they’ve already expressed interest in making a purchase. You can then add the Hot Lead label so it’s clear this contact is a priority. ### Integrate HubSpot with Respond.io to Supercharge Your Communications Ready to try a conversation management platform that integrates with HubSpot? Respond.io enables you to: - Chat with leads and customers on any channel in a single inbox - Automate conversations with AI Agents - Create automated customer journeys - Manage click to chat ads - Get detailed reports on channels, agents and ad performance - Track the entire customer lifecycle and much more! Now, with the addition of the HubSpot integration, understanding and managing leads and customers is even easier. Speed up response times so agents can focus on closing deals, not on digging through CRM data. Take advantage of this powerful integration today and transform the way you connect with your customers. [Contact us for a free consultation](https://respond.io/demo) or [start your free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) today. ### Further Reading If you’ve found this article helpful, check out the following for more tips on integrations and taking advantage of a CRM with respond.io. - WhatsApp CRM Integration in 3 Steps: Your Ultimate Guide - TikTok Integration: A How-To Guide - Instagram CRM: How to Use it to Engage with Customers ## [HubSpot WhatsApp Integration Made Easy: A 5-Step Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/hubspot-whatsapp-integration) Integrate WhatsApp with HubSpot the smart way! Boost response times, personalize chats and scale with respond.io—no more scattered conversations. Keeping WhatsApp conversations outside your CRM slows response times, scatters valuable customer data and makes it harder to personalize interactions. Without HubSpot WhatsApp integration, your team is stuck jumping between platforms, losing context, and missing chances to engage customers properly. Connecting WhatsApp to HubSpot fixes this by keeping everything in one place. But not all integrations are equal. Below, we’ll break down what HubSpot WhatsApp integration actually means, the options available and why [respond.io](http://respond.io/) is the best way to do it ### What is HubSpot WhatsApp Integration? HubSpot’s native WhatsApp integration syncs your WhatsApp conversations directly into HubSpot, ensuring every customer interaction becomes actionable data. Instead of scattered chats, messages, conversation histories and customer profiles are all logged in one place. This makes it easier for teams to respond faster, track engagement and personalize interactions. With WhatsApp inside HubSpot, teams can do more than just chat. They can nurture leads, manage customer relationships and create personalized experiences at scale without switching between platforms. ### Types of HubSpot WhatsApp Integration Businesses looking to integrate WhatsApp with HubSpot usually take one of two approaches: HubSpot’s native integration or third-party customer messaging software like respond.io. #### #1 Using HubSpot’s Native WhatsApp Integration HubSpot offers a built-in WhatsApp integration for Professional and Enterprise plans. This lets businesses link their WhatsApp Business accounts directly to the HubSpot inbox, making it easier to manage conversations inside the CRM. The biggest advantage of this HubSpot WhatsApp integration is convenience. Messages appear inside HubSpot, so teams don’t have to switch between platforms. That said, note that HubSpot isn’t a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP), meaning businesses still need to get WhatsApp Business API access through an official provider and complete Meta Business verification before connecting WhatsApp to HubSpot. #### #2 With Third-Party Customer Messaging Software Alternatively, many businesses choose third-party messaging software like respond.io instead of relying on HubSpot’s built-in integration. Rather than just pulling WhatsApp chats into HubSpot, respond.io gives teams full control over conversations with advanced [automation](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation), deep [analytics](https://help.respond.io/l/en/reporting-and-analytics) and [multi-agent collaboration](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-multi-agent). It also supports other messaging channels like [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-instagram-dm), [TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business) and even [WhatsApp voice calls](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api). Instead of being locked into HubSpot’s inbox, businesses can manage WhatsApp alongside other messaging channels, automate conversations, route messages intelligently and scale customer engagement—all from one place. ### Benefits of HubSpot WhatsApp Integration But how exactly does integrating WhatsApp with HubSpot help your team drive more conversions and improve customer relationships? #### WhatsApp HubSpot Integration Benefit 1: Improve Team Collaboration and Productivity When multiple team members handle WhatsApp conversations, things can get messy. While HubSpot’s native integration centralizes messages, managing a high volume of chats efficiently requires more advanced collaboration tools. Certain integrations allow businesses to organize WhatsApp interactions more effectively—whether through shared inboxes, automated chat assignments, or performance tracking—helping teams work together better. #### WhatsApp HubSpot Integration Benefit 2: Use Automation to Save Time You know what doesn’t scale well? Manually responding to each and every single WhatsApp message. [Automation](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation) is your secret ally here and with the right setup you can: - Send instant replies based on triggers (like a customer filling out a form). - Qualify leads automatically without human intervention. - Save your team from drowning in messages. #### WhatsApp HubSpot Integration Benefit 3: Rich Analytics to Optimize Messaging Strategies A good WhatsApp integration doesn’t just bring messages into HubSpot. It helps you track response times, measure agent performance and analyze conversation trends to improve customer engagement. HubSpot’s built-in integration logs WhatsApp messages, but some integrations take it further with deeper analytics, advanced reporting and insights that actually help you refine your messaging strategy. The right setup gives you more than just message history. It helps you see what’s working, what’s not and where you can improve. ### Limitations of Native HubSpot WhatsApp Integration Now while HubSpot’s native WhatsApp integration is a step in the right direction, it comes with serious limitations. #### Native HubSpot WhatsApp Integration Limitation #1: Basic Messaging and Automation HubSpot’s official integration supports basic messaging but lacks in-depth automation. You can trigger simple automated WhatsApp messages through HubSpot workflows, but the automation isn't flexible enough for more complex conversational flows. Multi-step chatbot-like interactions, such as handling FAQs with an [AI Agent,](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/step-ai-agent) aren't natively supported. This means you can't easily set up rich, automated conversations using HubSpot alone. #### Native HubSpot WhatsApp Integration Limitation #2: Managing Multiple Agents in HubSpot is a Pain Using WhatsApp with a team gets tricky with the native integration. Once a WhatsApp number connects to HubSpot, you lose access to WhatsApp’s native mobile and web apps, as [all messages only appear within HubSpot](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/inbox/connect-whatsapp-to-the-conversations-inbox). This means your entire team must work exclusively from HubSpot’s inbox interface, which isn't specialized for high-volume messaging. There's no built-in sophisticated [agent routing](https://help.respond.io/l/en/convert-leads/ai-agent-integration-round-the-clock-engagement-efficiency) or in-depth performance tracking, creating friction as your team tries to scale. #### Native HubSpot WhatsApp Integration Limitation #3: No Extensive Omnichannel Support HubSpot is, first and foremost, a CRM—not a dedicated messaging software. Its WhatsApp integration is limited solely to WhatsApp. If your customers message your business on other channels, these conversations won't appear in HubSpot. This siloed approach might suffice if WhatsApp is your only messaging channel. However, for businesses juggling multiple messaging platforms, HubSpot’s native solution won't unify your communications effectively. ### How to Integrate HubSpot with WhatsApp with Respond.io We've covered native HubSpot WhatsApp integration's limitations and how third-party solutions like respond.io offer more flexibility. Now, let's go step by step on how to set up WhatsApp with HubSpot the right way—using respond.io. #### Step 1: Get WhatsApp API To start, you'll need access to the WhatsApp Business API. Unlike the standard WhatsApp Business App, the API provides advanced features suitable for medium to large businesses. You can obtain access through a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) like [respond.io](http://respond.io). #### Step 2: Set Up Your Respond.io Account Once you have your WhatsApp Business API credentials, [create an account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) on respond.io. This platform will serve as the bridge between WhatsApp and HubSpot. After signing up, you'll access the dashboard where you can manage integrations and messaging channels. #### Step 3: Connect WhatsApp Business API with Respond.io Once done, open Settings, go to Channels and click "Add Channel." Choose WhatsApp Business API and enter your credentials. Once done, WhatsApp messages will appear inside respond.io. #### Step 4: Integrate Respond.io with HubSpot With WhatsApp in respond.io, the next step is linking it to HubSpot. Go to Settings, select Integrations and choose HubSpot. Click "Connect HubSpot". Then, enter your login credentials when prompted. Once connected, WhatsApp conversations will sync with HubSpot, letting you manage customer interactions within respond.io. #### Step 5: Verify Contact Sync Between HubSpot and Respond.io After integrating HubSpot with WhatsApp in respond.io, HubSpot contact properties should appear in both the Inbox and Contacts modules. Check a few WhatsApp conversations to confirm that contact details sync correctly. A quick check now prevents issues later. ### Take Your HubSpot WhatsApp Integration to the Next Level with Respond.io Now that you’ve connected WhatsApp to HubSpot with respond.io, it’s time to make the most of it. This integration doesn’t just bring WhatsApp into HubSpot. It entirely transforms how your business handles customer conversations. Here’s what respond.io adds on top of your HubSpot WhatsApp integration setup: - Advanced automation that features an intuitive, no-code builder that goes beyond simple workflows. - Omnichannel messaging keeps WhatsApp, email, Messenger, Telegram and other popular messaging channels under one roof. - Comprehensive reporting and analytics that provide insights into response times, customer interactions and overall team performance. - WhatsApp call support so teams can handle voice communication within the platform, giving customers another way to connect. - A shared inbox for multiple users that keeps all WhatsApp conversations in one place, enabling smooth collaboration across departments. - A lifecycle feature to follow leads and customers through every stage, from first contact to conversion. By now, you’ve seen it all: why the HubSpot WhatsApp integration matters, what HubSpot offers and how respond.io takes it to the next level. If you’re ready for smarter messaging, deeper insights and a setup that just works, respond.io has you covered! ### Further Reading If you enjoyed our HubSpot WhatsApp integration article, you should check out the following: - WhatsApp CRM Integration in 3 Steps: Your Ultimate Guide - WhatsApp Sales: How to Sell on WhatsApp [Nov 2023] - How to Get WhatsApp API: A Guide to WhatsApp API Integration [Mar 2024] ## [Inbound Conversations: Convert Chats into Business Results ](https:/respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations) An Inbound Conversation Workflow helps you handle inbound messages efficiently. Learn how to set up an Inbound Conversation Workflow on respond.io. In this blog, we'll guide you through the essentials of Inbound Conversations. We'll explore why they're key in an inbound strategy, the reasons customers initiate conversations and how to effectively set up an Inbound Conversation Workflow using respond.io. You'll also discover how these Workflows operate and the function of each component in managing inbound messages efficiently. Let’s dive in! ### The Fundamentals of Inbound Conversations Most messaging apps require Contacts to [send you the first message](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you) before you can chat with them. Many of your business conversations are inbound in nature, which means they are started by customers. There are various reasons why customers might begin a conversation with your business. #### Why Customers Start Inbound Conversations with Businesses To design effective Inbound Conversation strategies that address customer needs, first, you need to understand why customers start conversations. Customers may reach out to your business for various reasons. They may want to request additional information about your company or product or perform actions like making a purchase or asking for a refund. #### What is an Inbound Conversation on Respond.io On respond.io, a Conversation refers to any interaction between your business and a Contact from the time a chat is opened until it is closed. Keep in mind that a Contact can only have a single ongoing Conversation at a time. A Conversation will open only if it meets two criteria - a Contact sends a message and the Contact has no existing Conversation open. When a new Conversation opens, the platform will create a Conversation Opened by Contact event. This serves as a [Trigger](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-triggers) for an Inbound Conversation [Workflow](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview). Read on to learn how to set up the Trigger using the Conversation Opened by Contact event. #### How to Set Up the Trigger of an Inbound Conversation Workflow Triggers are events that initiate advanced automation called Workflows. You can set up the Trigger for Inbound Conversation Workflows in the respond.io Workflow Builder. To access it, navigate to the Workflows Module. Then, click on *Add Workflow*. Next, name the Workflow and add an optional description. Click on Create when done, and you’ll be redirected to the Workflow Builder. Now, you are ready to configure the Trigger for the Inbound Conversation Workflow. In the Workflow Builder, select Conversation Opened as the Trigger so that the Workflow runs every time a Conversation opens. Next, set the Workflow to run only when the Conversation is inbound. To do so, simply select the Trigger Condition as Source is Equal to Contact. Now that you have created a Trigger that starts the Workflow for every inbound Conversation, let's explore other parts of an Inbound Conversation Workflow. ### Handling Inbound Conversations on Respond.io Inbound Conversation Workflows help you handle a high volume of inbound messages effortlessly. Here, you'll learn how an Inbound Conversation Workflow collects more data about Contacts, uses that data to route Conversations to the right team and assigns them to an available agent. #### How Does an Inbound Conversation Workflow Work An Inbound Conversation Workflow automatically processes Contacts from the moment they send the first message until they are assigned to an available agent to continue the Conversation. An Inbound Conversation Workflow typically consists of three components, which play different roles in handling inbound messages. Here’s what you need to know about each component: - Data Enrichment consists of obtaining data about a Contact or Conversation to discover the purpose of the Conversation. - Routing determines which Team will be responsible for handling the Conversation. - Auto Assignment means passing the Conversation to an available agent without human input. You can configure it based on the needs and priorities of a specific team. The Workflow ends when an agent is assigned to the Contact, but the conversation will continue on the platform with the agent and Contact chatting in the [Messages module](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/responding-to-messages). > Agents have to close a Conversation once it's resolved so that a new cycle of the Workflow can start when the Contact sends a new message. Remember, a new Conversation will only open if there’s no existing Conversation. When you create an Inbound Conversation Workflow, you need to decide the best auto-assignment strategy based on your use case. [Learn the different ways to configure Auto Assignment for Inbound Conversations.](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) ### Master Inbound Conversations with Respond.io To get the best business results from inbound conversations, you’ll need a reliable customer conversation management software. As the leading AI messaging platform, respond.io has everything you need. Equipped with an [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication), respond.io allows businesses to handle inbound conversations on any messaging channel. And there’s much more. For example, [use conversational AI](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai) to delight customers while saving resources or get detailed conversation insights in the [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview). Ready to get started? [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register)! ### Further Reading And that’s everything you need to know about Inbound Conversation Workflows. If you would like to learn more about Workflows, check out these articles: - Contact Routing with respond.io - Automatic Assignment with respond.io - How to Send an Away Message for Business ## [Instagram Auto Reply: A How-To Guide ](https:/respond.io/blog/instagram-auto-reply) This how-to guide contains everything you need to know about Instagram auto reply, ways you can use Instagram auto reply and how to set them up. Want to know how to send Instagram auto reply messages? We've got you covered! This article will explain why you need an Instagram auto responder and the different ways you can set it up on Instagram. ### What is Instagram Auto Reply Instagram auto reply are automated responses sent when customers message you on Instagram. Welcome and away messages are two of the most common auto replies businesses use to improve customers’ experience. Compared to traditional messaging channels like email, customers have quick response time expectations on apps like Instagram. However, businesses are not always able to respond immediately due to a lack of staff, limited hours of operation and more. Auto replies solve these issues by: - Managing customers’ expectations: Let customers know when to expect a reply - Making a good first impression: Give customers a timely and friendly response - Collecting customer information: Send a pre-chat survey to collect customer details so that agents can understand the situation before conversing with them However, if you want more advanced automated replies, you should use [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/l/en/automate-conversations/maximize-customer-service-potential-with-ai-agent). It can provide quick responses to low-level conversations like basic product information and troubleshooting steps. Now that you understand the basics, let's look at the different ways you can set up Instagram auto reply. ### How to Set Up Auto Reply on Instagram Businesses can use one of three methods to set up prompt responses to customers who message them on Instagram. These are: - Instagram App Direct Message Inbox - Meta Business Suite Inbox - Respond.io’s Omnichannel Messaging Inbox In the next section, we’ll explain the functions of each option and how to set them up so you can start using Instagram auto reply right away. #### How to Set Up Instagram Quick Reply: Instagram DM Inbox There’s no Instagram DM auto reply feature on the app itself. Therefore, businesses communicating with clients solely through the app can send ready-made responses to common customer queries using [Instagram Quick Replies](https://respond.io/blog/quick-reply-instagram-examples#toc-mobile-0). Follow these steps to set up frequently asked questions on Instagram direct. 1\. From Instagram home, tap the Messenger icon on the top right of the screen. 2\. Under Set Up Automated Responses, tap *Get Started***.** 3\. Tap the toggle next to Show Questions to enable automated responses. 4\. Under Questions, tap *Add Question***.** For each question, you’ll be prompted to enter a Question and optional Automated Response. 5\. Tap *Save* once you’re done. To use this feature, you must first make sure that your [Instagram account is a business account](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api). Note that you can only set up Quick Replies on the Instagram phone app settings. For step-by-step setup instructions, read our [guide to Instagram Quick Replies](https://respond.io/blog/quick-reply-instagram-examples#toc-mobile-1). Next, we’ll show you how to set up Instagram auto reply and the types of auto replies available on Meta Business Suite. #### How To Set Up Automatic Replies on Instagram: Meta Business Suite Inbox Businesses can send Instagram auto replies via Meta Business Suite. However, the automated messaging features on Meta Business Suite are limited to instant replies and away messages. To set up auto reply on Instagram, you must first [connect your Instagram Business account to Meta Business Suite](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#toc-mobile-5). Once they are connected, you can set instant reply and away messages. ##### **Auto Reply Instagram: Instant Reply** **1\. Open** [Meta Business Suite Inbox](https://business.facebook.com/latest/inbox) and click on *Automations*. **2\. Navigate** to *Instant Reply* and turn on the toggle. **3\. Select** Instagram by checking the box. **4\. Compose** your auto reply message and click on the *Sparkles* icon if you want to personalize your Instagram instant reply. **5\. Click** on *Save Changes t*o publish your auto reply. If you want to test the message before saving it, click on *Preview in Messenger.* Next, we’ll show you how to set up an away message on Meta Business Suite. ##### **Auto Reply Instagram: Away Message** **1\. Open** [Meta Business Suite Inbox](https://business.facebook.com/latest/inbox) and click on *Automations*. **2\. Navigate** to *Away Message*, select Instagram by checking the box and click on *+Add Time* to schedule your away time. **3\. Set** your away hours. **4\. Compose** your away message and click on *+Add Customer’s Name* if you want to personalize it. **5\. Click** *Save.* Your away message will be sent when customers message you outside of your business hours. Want more advanced automation with messaging compared to what Meta Business Suite can provide? You'll need a business messaging platform like respond.io. > Warning! Following Meta's latest changes to its Handover Protocol, you can now only have one primary app: either Meta Business Suite Inbox or a third-party inbox like respond.io. Note that only the primary app will receive incoming messages. Next, we'll show you how to set up Instagram auto reply messages on respond.io. However, before you can use respond.io as a third-party Instagram inbox, you must disable Meta Business Suite Inbox and [make respond.io the primary app](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/handover-protocol#assigning-primary-receiver-role) instead. #### How to Set Up Instagram Auto Responder on respond.io Respond.io gives you two powerful ways to automate replies to Instagram comments. Let’s explore how each option works and what makes them different. ##### Set Up Instagram Auto Private Replies If your business runs an Instagram Business Account, you’ll likely receive messages through comments on posts, ads, reels, or live videos. Many of these comments come from people interested in your products or services. However, without a way to reply promptly, valuable business opportunities could slip away. Respond.io helps you stay on top with [Instagram Auto Private Replies](https://respond.io/help/instagram/instagram-auto-private-replies). This feature lets you automatically send private messages in response to comments on your content, so you can proactively engage potential leads and nurture relationships right from the start. You can choose between a generic reply to all posts, reels and stories or specific replies for selected posts and reels. But what about Instagram DMs? No worries—we’ll show you next how to set up automated replies for those, too. ##### Set Up an Instagram Auto Responder Workflow If you’re searching for an auto-reply solution for [Instagram DMs](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-instagram-dm), respond.io has you covered. With advanced automation, you can capture customer information and send [personalized, automated messages](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps) tailored to different customer segments—such as location, products purchased, subscription tiers, and more. Plus, setting up advanced automated messages is easy with respond.io’s Workflows. You can even configure your Workflow to [route contacts](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) to the right team and [assign them to an available agent](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) once your auto replies are sent. Follow the steps below to get started. **1\. Navigate** to the Workflows Module and click on *Add Workflow.* **2\. Set** the Workflow Trigger to *Conversation Opened*. **3\. Add** the [Date & Time Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_date_time) to set your business hours. This will determine when an away message or welcome message should be sent. **4\. Add** the Send a Message Step. Make sure to set the Channel to Instagram in the configuration drawer when you compose your welcome and away messages. If you wish to obtain customer information, add the [Ask a Question Step](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot). The responses can be saved as Variables or Contact Fields to be used in other parts of the Workflow. Once you’ve set up your Workflow, save and publish it. And that’s everything you need to know about setting up Instagram auto reply. Next, we’ll give you a few auto reply message examples, so you can start engaging with leads and customers quickly. ### Instagram Auto Reply Message Examples Here are a few examples to spark your creativity. For more Instagram welcome message ideas, [check out our detailed blog post](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-welcome-message-examples). - Thank you for getting in touch! Our team is available from 10am-3pm CT. We'll get back to you within those hours! - Hey there—thanks for reaching out! Your message is important to us. Someone on our team will get back to you within the next 12 hours. - Sorry we missed you! Our team is currently unavailable, but we'll be back around 8am GMT. Want to start sending Instagram auto replies with respond.io? [Create a free account](https://app.respond.io/user/register?_gl=1%2a13zt93o%2a_ga%2aNDczMzQ0NjA5LjE2NDczMTc2ODk.%2a_ga_CVVNV8KDRF%2aMTY1MTEyNTQwMi45Mi4xLjE2NTExMjcxNzUuMA..&_ga=2.8155255.479185282.1651053693-473344609.1647317689) and connect your Instagram with an AI-powered customer conversation management platform and badged Meta Business Partner to boost your customer experience game. ### Further Reading Did you find this article useful? If so, here are some readings on Instagram that might interest you. - The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Business Messaging - 20 Best Instagram Quick Reply Examples - Instagram Business Account Multiple Users ## [Instagram Business Account Multiple Users: A How-To Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users) Want to have multiple users on one Instagram account? We’ll explain how you can solve the Instagram Business Account Multiple Users problems with respond.io. ### TL;DR The WhatsApp Business App has limited capabilities for growing conversations or users. WhatsApp API empowers scaling through automation, team inbox and more. - Limitations of WhatsApp Business App: Connects a maximum of 5 devices with limited broadcast reach and automation. - How WhatsApp API helps: Supports unlimited users and features like auto-replies, AI qualification and routing to teams to handle high chat volumes. - Why use respond.io: Respond.io is an AI-powered WhatsApp Business solution for chats, calls and Meta campaigns. It supports WhatsApp Business App and API on the same phone number. --- Wonder how to have multiple users on one Instagram account? For larger businesses, the only option is to use Instagram Direct Message (DM) API connected to an Instagram CRM. Many Instagram CRMs on the market have limited messaging functionality, presenting a challenge to companies looking to use Instagram Business Account with Multiple Users. In this article, we’ll explain how you can solve the Instagram Business Account Multiple Users problems with respond.io for different use cases. Plus, we'll discuss how to use respond.io with Instagram DM API integration for Sales and Support. You'll also learn how to use respond.io to run Click to Instagram Direct Ads and improve Team performance. ### Instagram Messaging for Different Business Sizes There are three options to respond to Instagram messages - the Instagram Message Inbox, Facebook Business Suite Inbox and Instagram Direct Message API. Each of them comes with different messaging capabilities and features. Ultimately, there's no one-size-fits-all Instagram Inbox. You should opt for the Instagram DM Inbox that suits your business needs. Below, we’ll cover the features of each inbox, the business size it caters to and how it meets their needs. #### Instagram Message Inbox Instagram Message Inbox is ideal for sole proprietors or micro-businesses dealing with a low volume of messages daily. It's free to use and available on both the Instagram mobile app and [Instagram Web](https://www.instagram.com). With a minimal interface, the Instagram Message Inbox lacks organizational tools such as the Mark Done button, Tags or Contact assignment. The closest things to an organizational feature are the Primary and General folders [for Professional Accounts](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#toc-mobile-3). The Primary tab is where all Instagram messages appear by default. To organise the Instagram Message Inbox, you can use the General folder to store resolved messages or messages you'd like to get back to later. With limited organizational features, it's challenging to manage a large number of Instagram DMs on Instagram Message Inbox. This is where Facebook Business Suite comes in. #### Facebook Business Suite Inbox Facebook Business Suite Inbox is designed for small-medium businesses that receive a higher volume of DMs. Like Instagram Message Inbox, Facebook Business Suite Inbox is free to use but involves a more complex setup process. The Facebook Business Suite Inbox comes with [additional management tools such as manual Contact Assignment, Labels, and Notes](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/669299346877371). Additionally, you can mark Instagram messages as Done or Follow Up for a more organized inbox. Facebook Business Suite Inbox also shows basic contact information such as Instagram username and bio. You can choose to add additional information such as phone, email, birthday and address when it becomes available. While it has more features than Instagram Message Inbox, Facebook Business Suite Inbox lacks advanced features like auto Contact assignment and Agent performance analytics, making it unsuitable for enterprises with a large team of Agents attending to DMs. Looking for a sophisticated Instagram Inbox? We recommend Instagram DM API. #### Instagram DM API Instagram DM API is intended for large businesses that need to manage their Instagram DMs and Teams at scale. [It’s offered free](#instagram-dm-api-pricing) and best of all, [all Instagram Business Accounts are eligible with no minimum followers required](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#toc-mobile-10). Keep in mind, Instagram DM API is just that - an API. It doesn't come with a messaging interface. Instagram DM API is designed to work in conjunction with a third party CRM or Instagram messaging inbox. Choosing the right inbox ensures you get the most out of the Instagram DM API. Many Instagram CRMs on the market only have basic messaging functionality. To unlock the full power of Instagram DM API, [connect it to respond.io](https://app.respond.io/user/register). Respond.io is a full-fledged Instagram DM Inbox complete with advanced features like third-party integrations, automatic Contact assignment and performance monitoring, all of which are designed to take your business to the next level. #### Instagram Business Account Multiple Users: Instagram Message Inbox, Facebook Business Suite Inbox or Instagram DM API? Need help choosing the right Instagram DM inbox? We've created a flow chart as a guide to help you visualize and give you a better idea of which Instagram DM Inbox works best for your business. In the following sections, we'll take a closer look at each Instagram DM inbox. Plus, we’ll walk you through the setup process. ### Instagram Business Account Multiple Users: Sole Proprietors & Micro Businesses If you are a sole proprietor or micro-small business owner, Instagram Message Inbox would be sufficient to deal with a low volume of Instagram DMs. Here, you’ll learn how to enable multiple users on one Instagram business account using Instagram Message Inbox. #### Enabling Multiple Users on One Instagram Account: Instagram Message Inbox There's no special setup required to access the Instagram Message Inbox. All Instagram accounts come with a native Message Inbox. To access Instagram Message Inbox, click the Messenger icon on Instagram Web, or navigate to Home > Messenger button on the mobile app. [Depending on your privacy settings](https://help.instagram.com/585369912141614), you may need to accept message requests from non-followers in the Message Requests folder on the app before their DMs appear on the Chats list. How to have multiple users for Instagram? Simply share the account login credentials with your Agents. Agents can log into the Instagram Message Inbox on multiple devices, including desktop and mobile devices at the same time. Sharing your Instagram login details seems like the easiest way to use one Instagram Business Account with Multiple Users, but it's also potentially problematic. The more people you share your login credential with, the more likely your Instagram account will get compromised. Furthermore, if Instagram detects several different IPs logging in, it may block Agents from signing in or ask for additional verification. Moreover, Instagram App Inbox doesn't come with specialized tools to assign users and organize conversations. If you are a small business or SME looking for an Instagram DM Inbox with extra functionality, consider the Facebook Business Suite Inbox. ### Instagram Business Account Multiple Users: Small Businesses & SMEs Facebook Business Suite Inbox comes with basic organizational tools to help you manage a higher volume of Instagram DMs. Below, we'll discuss how to enable multiple users on one Instagram account using Facebook Business Suite Inbox. #### Enabling Multiple Users on One Instagram Account Using Facebook Business Suite Inbox First things first, let’s go over the requirements for using Facebook Business Suite Inbox: - You must own an Instagram Business account. Learn about the different types of Instagram Accounts here. - You must connect your Instagram Business Account to your Facebook Business Page. If you meet the requirements, you are ready to use Instagram with Multiple Users on Facebook Business Suite Inbox. Wonder how to add users to Instagram business account? To start, go to the [Facebook Business Settings](https://business.facebook.com/settings/) page. **1\. Add** a new Agent to Facebook Business Suite Inbox by navigating to Users > People > Add. **2\. Enter** the work email address of the Agent. You can choose to grant either [Employee access or Admin access.](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2169003770027706?id=2190812977867143) Click Next when done. **3\. Assign** the level of access of the Agent. Be sure to turn on the Send Messages toggle so that your Agents can respond to DMs as the Instagram Business Account. Once done, click Invite to send the invitation to the Agent. On the next page, press Done to complete the invitation process. After accepting the invitation, your Agents will be able to use Facebook Business Suite Inbox simultaneously. With its basic organizational tools, Facebook Business Suite Inbox may serve small-medium businesses well. But if your business has more sophisticated needs, Facebook Business Inbox won't cut it. You should consider Instagram DM API instead. ### Instagram Business Account Multiple Users: SMEs and Large Organizations Designed with SMEs and large businesses in mind, Instagram DM API makes it possible to manage customer communications on Instagram at scale. #### Enabling Multiple Users on One Instagram Account Via Instagram DM API Before we discuss how to use Instagram with Multiple Users via Instagram DM API, here are a few things you need to know about Instagram DM API: - It has a 24-hour Messaging Window. - Instagram DM API is free, but many Instagram CRMs and inboxes are not. - You need to Allow Access to Messages from the Instagram app before you can use Instagram DM API. ##### Instagram DM API Messaging Window To encourage prompt responses, Instagram doesn't let businesses reply to Instagram DMs anytime they like. A 24-hour timer starts every time a Contact sends you a DM and you must reply within the Messaging Window. Businesses can’t reply to Instagram DMs once the Messaging Window has closed. Thankfully, the [Human Agent Tag](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#adt5m) allows you to continue messaging the contact within the next 7 days. When you connect the Instagram DM API to respond.io, a Human Agent Tag will be automatically appended to every Instagram message, giving you more time to answer your customers’ enquires. ##### Instagram DM API: Pricing Instagram DM API is offered free. However, many third-party Instagram Inboxes on the market require payments. Remember, Instagram DM API cannot be used alone since it has no messaging interface. If you are looking for a feature-rich Instagram Inbox that’s free, we recommend [giving respond.io a try.](https://app.respond.io/user/register) ##### How to Get Instagram DM API Before you can enable Instagram DM API, there are two requirements you need to fulfil: - You must own an Instagram Business account. If you are currently using a personal Instagram account for your business, change it to a Business Account. - You need to connect your Instagram account to your Facebook Page by following this guide. To get Instagram DM API, click the hamburger button at the top right corner of your Instagram Business profile. Then, navigate to Settings > Privacy **\>** Messages and toggle on Allow Access to Messages under Connected Tools. And you’ve successfully enabled Instagram DM API. With the toggle on, third-party apps like respond.io are able to view or manage your Instagram DMs. Alternatively, you may turn on the Allow Access to Messages toggle in [Facebook Business Suite](https://business.facebook.com/) by going to Settings > Instagram Connection. Once you have your Instagram DM API ready, [connect to respond.io](https://docs.respond.io/messaging-channels/instagram#connecting-instagram) to start messaging your customers. Then, [add new Users](https://docs.respond.io/settings/users#adding-new-users) to the platform to start using Instagram Business Account with Multiple Users. And that’s how you enable multiple users on one Instagram account via Instagram DM API. Read on to learn how to use respond.io with Instagram DM API integration for sales, support and marketing. ### Supported Use Cases with Respond.io Here, we’ll teach you how to use respond.io with Instagram DM API integration for different use cases like sales, support, and marketing with Click to Instagram Direct Ads. #### Instagram Business Account Multiple Users: Sales and Support Using Instagram for both Sales and Support at the same time is difficult when you don't have any idea what the Contact needs. Thanks to our customizable workflows, inbound messages will be routed to the right team based on the customers’ profile, the purpose of their conversation and customer life cycle. With the workflows for inbound Instagram DMs set up, you can prioritize important customers first and assign them to the most relevant or readily available Agent on your team. This ensures no customers are left unattended. #### Instagram Business Account Multiple Users: Click to Instagram Direct Ads Qualifying leads and handling a large volume of DMs leads from Click to Instagram Direct Ads can be time-consuming. Moreover, once the messaging window with leads closes, you can't reopen the conversation until they message you back. Respond.io helps you [qualify leads faster through automated surveys](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-instagram-direct-ads#toc-mobile-6) and reply to them promptly, increasing your chance of converting them into sales. Now that you've solved the Instagram Business Account Multiple Users problem, it's time to learn how to improve your Team’s performance. ### Instagram Business Account Multiple Users: Improve Team Performance Respond.io has a range of features designed to improve team productivity and efficiency. This includes Reports, Comments, Contact Merge, and mobile app. The [Reports module](https://respond.io/blog/july-2021-release-instagram-messaging-api-reports-v2#toc-mobile-1) gives you valuable insights into Agent's and Team's performance. It allows you to compare Users and Team performance based on Conversations, Contacts, messages, response time and resolution time. Furthermore, respond.io has special tools designed to facilitate collaboration among Agents. For instance, [Comments](https://docs.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity?_ga=2.50178785.678899791.1632973526-319544489.1616554159#comments) help Agents communicate better and work together to resolve an issue. The [Contact Merge feature](https://respond.io/blog/360dialog-whatsapp-integration#toc-mobile-4) provides a comprehensive view of your customers. With easy access to customers' historical information, Agents can reply to them faster from one centralized dashboard. Last but not least, the [respond.io mobile app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io&hl=en) helps you stay connected to your customers when on the go - you’ll never miss a Conversation again. Plus, you'll [get notified](https://respond.io/blog/august-2021-release-2-enterprise-plan-and-limit-changes-whatsapp-api-feature-support-improvements-and-messages-data-export#toc-mobile-9) every time you receive a new message or when someone assigns you a new Contact. ### Further Reading If you enjoyed this article and you'd like to learn more about Instagram Business, check out our articles on: - The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Messaging for Business - The Practical Guide to Click to Instagram Direct Ads - Best Messaging Apps For Business ## [Instagram Business Chat: The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Business Messaging ](https:/respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) Want to use Instagram Business Chat? Here's everything you should know about Instagram Business Account, its features and the types of Instagram inboxes. Are you looking to use Instagram business chat? This article is for you! We’ll start by discussing Instagram's features and the types of business accounts available. Then, we’ll talk about the types of Instagram inboxes, their features and limitations, as well as how you can drive conversations with Instagram Direct Messaging. ### What is Instagram for Business? Instagram was launched in 2010 as a photo-sharing app. After it popularized hashtags and hit the 50 million users milestone, Meta (formerly Facebook) decided to [acquire Instagram in 2012](https://techcrunch.com/2012/04/09/facebook-to-acquire-instagram-for-1-billion/). The app quickly grew into [one of the most popular social apps](https://www.businessofapps.com/data/instagram-statistics/) behind [Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), YouTube and [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), and now has features like Reels, Stories, Instagram direct messaging, [Instagram Shop](https://business.instagram.com/shopping) and more. Its unique nature as a visual-first platform and its ability to build a strong brand presence attracted businesses to use the platform to engage with customers. Realizing the value Instagram has for business use, Meta started exploring the business market in 2014 by [letting companies advertise on the app](https://techcrunch.com/2014/08/21/instagram-woos-advertisers-brands-with-new-suite-of-business-tools/). After seeing success, it introduced the [Instagram Professional Account in 2016](https://techcrunch.com/2016/05/31/instagram-officially-announces-its-new-business-tools/) and has continued to improve its offerings. #### Instagram App Overview There are 5 main tabs at the bottom of the page on the Instagram App. The home tab, also known as Instagram Feed is where you can see posts from the Instagram profiles you follow. Sponsored posts or other public account posts will also appear on the Feed. If you only want to see the content posted by the accounts you follow, click on the Instagram logo in the top left corner of the screen, and select ***Following.*** The icons in the top right of the page allow you to add a new post, look at Instagram notifications and message Instagram users. The Explore tab is where you can discover posts by Instagram public accounts that you don’t follow. The search bar allows you to look for specific Instagram accounts, hashtags, audio and places, and displays a list of related search results. The third tab is for Reels, also known as short videos. This is followed by the Instagram Shop tab for Instagram businesses to promote their products and the Profile tab for you to view your profile and manage profile settings. As more features and tools were added, Instagram’s popularity grew. #### Where is Instagram Popular? With over [2 billion monthly active users](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/14/instagram-surpasses-2-billion-monthly-users.html) worldwide, the app became highly valuable to businesses located where Instagram is popular. The biggest contributor to the number is India with over [300 million users](https://www.businessofapps.com/data/instagram-statistics/#:~:text=Sources%3A), [followed by the US](https://www.statista.com/statistics/578364/countries-with-most-instagram-users/) with 159.75 million users and Brazil with 119.45 million users. The number of Instagram monthly active users has continued to grow at a steady pace and is on track to reach [2.5 billion by 2023](https://www.businessofapps.com/data/instagram-statistics/#:~:text=Sources%3A%20Bloomberg%2C%20Facebook-,Instagram%20users,reach%202.5%20billion%20by%202023.)). Today, [90% of Instagram users](https://business.instagram.com/) follow at least one of [more than 200 million Instagram Business Accounts](https://earthweb.com/how-many-instagram-business-accounts-are-there/#How_Many_Instagram_Business_Accounts_Are_There_in_2022). Its potential to reach so many people, paired with the features and tools designed specifically for business, makes Instagram an excellent platform for brand building. ### Instagram for Business: The Basics In this section, we’ll explain everything you need to know about Instagram for business, including the types of Instagram accounts and Instagram Business Account features. #### Types of Instagram Accounts There are two types of Instagram accounts: **Personal** and **Professional**. The Personal Account is for regular Instagram users to upload content either privately or publicly without monetizing it. It is also used to follow other users, influencers, public figures and businesses that interest them. The Professional Account consists of the Business Account for businesses and the Creator Account for influencers and public figures. The Instagram Business Account and Creator Account have similar features. For instance, both accounts give insights into followers’ demographics and browsing habits and have additional features like setting up Instagram Shop, FAQs, Ads and more. However, since they were created for different groups with unique needs, there are some differences between them. For instance, all Business Accounts can get access to the [Instagram Direct Message API](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-9), while only [Creator Accounts with fewer than 500k followers](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/instagram/) can access the API. If a Creator Account has more than 500k followers, it must switch to a Business Account to get access to the API. Note that all Instagram accounts must abide by Instagram's [Terms of Use](https://help.instagram.com/581066165581870) and [Community Guidelines](https://help.instagram.com/477434105621119). Now that you understand the types of Instagram accounts, let’s look at the account you’re most interested in: The Instagram Business Account. #### Instagram Business Account Features Instagram has all the tools businesses need to bring their audience through the entire customer journey, from awareness to conversion. To increase brand awareness, businesses can [set up Instagram Ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-instagram-direct-ads). Each Instagram Ad account comes with a professional dashboard that provides valuable insights into your marketing performance. This can help you plan your marketing strategies and target the right audience for your Instagram campaigns. To [sell on the app](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-instagram-dm), businesses can use [Instagram Shop](https://business.instagram.com/shopping). It is similar to [WhatsApp Catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business#b87v2), which allows businesses to list their products with descriptions and prices. Businesses can enable [checkouts on their websites](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/449169642911614?helpref=faq_content) or allow checkout on Instagram via [Facebook Pay](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-pay) (available only in the US). Instagram Shop is suitable for brands with a shorter sales cycle as sales agents don’t need to be involved. However, businesses that deal with high-value items and need more time to convert leads into sales can use Instagram Direct Messaging to follow up with prospects. There are three types of Instagram DM inboxes with distinct features that are suitable for different business sizes. We’ll explain each of them in the next section. ### Instagram Business Chat: Instagram DM Inboxes When a business account chats with an Instagram user, users will see gray text in the conversation that tells them when they're in a business chat. In the *Message Requests* folder, they can choose which business chat message requests you accept. **Types of Instagram DM Inboxes** | Feature | Instagram App Inbox | Facebook Business Suite | Instagram DM API | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Best For | Solopreneurs & Micro-businesses | Small to Medium Businesses | Medium to Large Businesses | | Message Volume | Low Volume | Low to Mid Volume | High Volume | | Supports Integration | No | No | Yes | | Automation | Up to 4 FAQs | - Welcome & Away Message - Simple Chat Automation | Advanced Automation | Businesses can use one of three inboxes to communicate with customers. This includes [Instagram App Inbox](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#2rjc0), [Meta Business Suite](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-2) and a third-party inbox for [Instagram DM API](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-3). Here, we’ll explain the most suitable inbox for each business size and the rules, requirements, messaging features and limitations of each inbox. #### Instagram App Inbox The [Instagram App Inbox](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-1) is sufficient for solopreneurs and micro-businesses that receive low volumes of messages daily. To use the Instagram App Inbox, businesses simply need to [create a Business Account](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-11). Now let’s look at the rules and features of the Instagram App Inbox. ##### Instagram App Inbox: Messaging Rules and Features There are minimal rules for the Instagram App Inbox. Businesses can reply to messages anytime and start a new conversation with any public account. However, they need to follow private accounts first to send the first message. With the Instagram App Inbox, businesses can [set up four FAQs](https://respond.io/blog/quick-reply-instagram-examples#toc-mobile-0) to help customers find the answers to their questions without getting an agent involved and [Quick Replies](https://respond.io/blog/quick-reply-instagram-examples#toc-mobile-0) to send canned responses to customers quickly. These are the only messaging features you can get from the Instagram App Inbox. For more features, use the Meta Business Suite Inbox. #### Meta Business Suite Inbox Small to medium businesses or businesses receiving low to mid-volume messages daily can use the [Meta Business Suite](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-2). All you need to access this inbox is to [connect your Instagram Business Account to Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-12). Once connected, you will receive your Instagram DM messages in the Meta Business Suite. ##### Meta Business Suite Inbox: Messaging Rules and Features Similar to Instagram App Inbox, businesses can reply to followers who message them anytime on Meta Business Suite. However, they cannot start a new conversation with anyone on Meta Business Suite. The only way to start a new conversation is by using the Instagram App. Once you’ve messaged an Instagram user using the app, it will be reflected in your Meta Business Suite and you can continue the conversation from there. Meta Business Suite comes with [additional tools](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/669299346877371) such as labels and agent assignments to organize contacts and conversations. Similar to the Instagram Message Inbox, businesses can set up up to four automated FAQs on the Meta Business Suite. Businesses can also set up simple [Instagram auto replies](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-auto-reply) like welcome and away messages, choose [ready-made auto reply templates](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/395965998733706) or [build simple custom automation based on keywords](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/318238182723007?id=916550222172854). If the features that Meta Business Suite provides are not adequate for your messaging needs, you’ll need the Instagram Direct Message API. #### Instagram Direct Message API SMEs and enterprises that receive high volumes of messages and need advanced automation can use the [Instagram Direct Message API](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-3). However, because it is just an API, it does not have an interface and must be connected to a business messaging inbox like respond.io. What you can do with the API depends heavily on the software you choose to connect it with. With respond.io, you can [automate conversations](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-customer-service#toc-mobile-8), [monitor agent performance](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-customer-service#toc-mobile-11), [integrate your CRMs](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-crm) and more. ##### Instagram Direct Message API Messaging Rules and Features To encourage fast replies, Meta imposes a 24-hour messaging window that requires businesses to reply to customers within that time. While this rule is great for customers, it can be inconvenient for businesses that are closed during the weekends as messages can go unnoticed. Fortunately, with respond.io, businesses can get a 7-day messaging window with the [Human Agent Tag](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-10) instead of 24 hours by default. Unlike [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-10), there are no other Tags available to restart a conversation via 1:1 chats or broadcasts with the API. Besides that, Meta requires businesses to provide an [escalation path to a human agent](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-12). Some acceptable methods include enabling human agent handoff, leaving a phone number, following up via emails and prompting in-store visits. The Instagram DM API has [features](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/instagram/features/) like receiving Instagram Story mentions, replying privately to Instagram post comments, getting customers to message you via ig.me link and more. We’ll explain more about this [later](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-16). Now that you understand everything about the types of messaging inboxes, we’ll show you how to create a Business Account and connect it to a messaging inbox. ### Instagram for Business: How to Create an Account If you've decided that Instagram is for you, it's quite easy to get started. In this section, we’ll show you step-by-step how to create an Instagram Business Account and how to connect it to Facebook and respond.io. #### How to Create an Instagram Business Account First, you need to [create an Instagram account](https://help.instagram.com/155940534568753) through the Instagram App or via [instagram.com](http://instagram.com/) on a desktop. Click the *Sign-Up* button on the main page. Then, follow the steps below. 1\. **Fill in** your email address, full name, desired username and password. **2\. Enter** a birthdate. This is to ensure no underage users are registering for an account. The date will not be shown on your public profile. **3\. Enter** the confirmation code sent to your registered email address; now you have an Instagram account. By default, the account created will be a Personal Account. You’ll need to change it to a Business Account. **4\. Go** to Settings and click *Switch to Professional Account*. **5\. Choose** Business and click *Next*. **6\. Select** the relevant business category and click *Done*. **7\. Review** the contact information and click *Save*. **8\. Click** *Done***.** And just like that, your Instagram Business Account is ready. If you’re using a Personal Account for business, convert it to a Business Account by following the same steps from Step 4 onwards. To get full access to Instagram Business features, businesses are recommended to [connect their Instagram to Meta Business Suite](https://help.instagram.com/402748553849926). We’ll show you how below. #### Connect Instagram Business Account to Facebook To connect your Instagram Business Account to your business’s Facebook Page, you must ensure that you are an admin of the Facebook Page. First, go to the [Facebook Page Settings](https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=linked_instagram) > Linked Accounts > Instagram and click *Connect Instagram****.*** Then, follow the rest of the instructions on-screen. Make sure to *allow access to Instagram messages* when choosing your Instagram message settings to connect your Instagram account to Meta Business Suite automatically. Now that your Instagram Business Account is linked to its relevant Facebook Page and Meta Business Suite, let’s look at how to connect Instagram to respond.io to use Instagram DM API. #### Connect Instagram Direct Message API to Respond.io First, you need to ensure that your account meets the following requirements: - Your account is an Instagram Business Account or Creator Account. - The Instagram Business Account is connected to a Facebook Page and Meta Business Suite. - You have enabled Allow Access to Messages in the account settings. Once the requirements are met, you can [connect your Instagram DM API to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/instagram#connecting_instagram) and use [Instagram with multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users) for [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-instagram-direct-ads), [sales](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-instagram-dm) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-customer-service). Now, let’s take a look at some best practices that you can benefit from when using Instagram. ### Instagram for Business: Best Practices There are many ways for businesses to use Instagram effectively. Here, we’ll talk about getting an Instagram Verified Badge, how to help customers find you and how to start an Instagram business chat. #### Instagram Verified Badge A Verified Badge helps Instagram users find authentic accounts of public figures, celebrities and brands. This can be beneficial to large businesses, popular brands or public figures who are susceptible to having their accounts forged or duplicated. [To qualify for the Verified Badge,](https://help.instagram.com/312685272613322/?helpref=related_articles) the brand needs to be authentic, notable, unique, complete and public. While the account must represent a well-known, highly searched-for person, brand or entity, there is no specified number of followers or posts to qualify for verification. Note that requesting verification does not guarantee that your account will be given the Verified Badge. That said, let’s look at how to apply for it. ##### How to Get Verified on Instagram The application for a verified account can only be done via the Instagram App. Simply go to Settings > Account > Request Verification. Enter your full name and provide the required form of identification such as a government-issued photo ID or official business documents. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. However, getting a verified badge on Instagram this way isn't the only option. You could also consider [Meta Verified](https://www.facebook.com/business/tools/meta-verified-for-business), a monthly subscription plan that provides a verified badge, account support, enhanced security and more and comes in multiple pricing tiers. Next, we'll look at the different ways customers can find you on Instagram. #### Instagram Business Chat: Help Customers Find You Instagram offers several ways to help customers find you on the app. This includes paid methods like click-to-chat ads and free methods like in-app search, profile link and QR code, chat link and social posts. We’ll discuss how you can use each of these methods effectively below. ##### Instagram In-App Search The simplest free method for customers to find and reach your business on Instagram is through the in-app search. Customers can easily search for your Instagram Business Account using your username or profile name. Searching for a username is more reliable compared to a profile name because all accounts have a unique username. To help people find your business easily, choose a username that is similar to your business's actual name. ##### Instagram Profile Link, QR Code, Chat Link and Click-to-chat Ads To help new users find your account, you can share your [Instagram profile link and QR code](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/channels#generating_scannable_code) to direct them to your profile. Share the link online and place the QR code in both digital spaces and physical locations with high foot traffic. To direct prospects to your inbox, you can use the ig.me [chat link](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/instagram/features/ig-me-links/). While this feature is fairly new, the only way to get an ig.me link is by using the *https://ig.me/m/USERNAME* format. If your Instagram username is *grub\_n\_go\_delivery*, your ig.me link will be *https://ig.me/m/grub\_n\_go\_delivery*. You can also [set up ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-instagram-direct-ads), including [Instagram click-to-chat ads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VT2AIZ31fk&feature=youtu.be) to direct people to your Instagram inbox. While this is a paid method, it is more reliable than Instagram posts that rely on Instagram's algorithm as you can build your target audience based on their demographics, location and interests. ##### Instagram Posts Increasing customer engagement through social posts is free and effective as you can reach both followers and non-followers. To reach non-followers, use strategies that will land your posts on the Explore page or suggested posts on Instagram users’ Feeds. For instance, you can use hashtags to describe your posts, use popular music for your Instagram Reels, create fun effects and more. For your followers, publish content that resonates with them on your Instagram Feed, Stories and Reels regularly. This way, you can connect with your audience, showcase your product and services in a unique way and encourage them to engage with you. Once engage by leaving a comment or mentioning you in their Story, you can immediately start a conversation with them. #### Instagram Business Chat: 1:1 Messaging Instagram provides a few ways for businesses to communicate 1:1 with customers. For example, if an Instagram user leaves a comment on your Instagram posts, you can [respond to their comments via direct message](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/instagram/features/private-replies/) to start a conversation. In cases where followers repost your Stories and tag you or mention you in their Stories, you can drop a follow-up message privately as Story mentions automatically reflect in your inbox. You can also message Instagram users who have viewed your Story. In addition, when you publish a post, Instagram users can click on the paper plane icon to share your post or send a message directly to your inbox. If they use this feature to message you, you’ll know the exact post or content that piqued their interest. You’ve made it to the end! By now, you should have an idea of which Instagram direct message inbox is best for your business for [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-instagram-direct-ads), [sales](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-instagram-dm) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-customer-service). To summarize, if you’re a small business, you’ll want to use the Instagram App Inbox; if you’re a mid-sized business, use Meta Business Suite; and finally, large businesses can use the Instagram DM API connected to respond.io. Unsure which solution is for you? [Contact our support team](https://respond.io/contact). ### Further Reading We hope this article was beneficial to you. Here are some more articles to help you use Instagram DM for business. - The Practical Guide to Click to Instagram Direct Ads - A Guide to Customer Service for Instagram - How to Sell on Instagram DM ## [Instagram CRM: A How-to Guide to CRM for Instagram](https:/respond.io/blog/instagram-crm) Looking for an Instagram CRM or a CRM for Instagram? This blog is for you! We'll explain everything you need to know to start using a CRM Instagram. With an estimated one billion active users on Instagram, you are probably here to find out more about a CRM with Instagram integration or to integrate Instagram with your existing CRM. In this first-hand guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about getting an Instagram CRM is and what you need to know before getting an Instagram CRM integration. We will also explain why you need an AI-powered customer conversation management software like respond.io and how you can use it for Instagram CRM for marketing, sales and support. ### What is Instagram CRM? Instagram CRM is the integration between an [Instagram Direct Message API](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-3) and a CRM. Businesses usually look for an Instagram CRM because they want to receive and respond to Instagram messages within their CRM. While it is possible, not all CRMs support native Instagram integrations and most of them rely on third-party integrations. This is because CRMs were originally built with email as the main communication channel in mind instead of instant messaging. Next, Let’s find out how Instagram CRM might benefit your business. ### Benefits of Using Instagram CRMs A good Instagram CRM like respond.io unlocks the full potential of your Instagram Business Account. With an Instagram CRM, you can: - Use Instagram Business Account with multiple users - Send Instagram broadcasts - Get leads from Instagram click-to-chat ads - Qualify leads automatically - Route and assign chats to the right agent automatically - Track important metrics and get valuable insights into the performance your agents - Better customer service as businesses can provide personalized responses and swiftly addressing customers issues And that’s not all -- a business messaging inbox like [respond.io. can help you achieve so much more](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-alternatives#toc-mobile-1). Before you get Instagram CRM integration, here are a few things you should know. ### Getting an Instagram CRM: What You Need to Know Before integrating Instagram to your CRM, you need to understand the Instagram Business account and the types of integrations CRMs support. #### Instagram Business Accounts [Instagram only has one business account](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat). With this account, businesses can chat with customers via [Instagram Message Inbox](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-1), [Facebook Business Suite](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-2) and [Instagram DM API](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-3). The [Instagram Message Inbox](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-1) is sufficient for solopreneurs and micro-businesses and [Facebook Business Suite](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-2) for small to medium businesses receiving low to mid-volume messages daily. Instagram DM API was designed for SMEs and enterprises that need to receive, reply to and keep track of high volumes of messages, automate conversations, monitor agent performance and more. | | Instagram Message Inbox | Facebook Business Suite | Instagram DM API | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Best For | Solopreneurs & Micro-businesses | Small to Medium Businesses | Medium to Large Businesses | | Message Volume | Low Volume | Low to Mid Volume | High Volume | | Supports Integration | No | No | Yes | If you want to integrate Instagram with a CRM, you’ll need Instagram DM API. The integration only works with a business account, not with a personal or creator account. Note that the Instagram DM API is just an API, so it does not have an interface. To use it, you need to connect your Instagram DM API to a CRM or business messaging inbox like respond.io. #### Integrating Instagram with a CRM How you choose to integrate your CRM with Instagram depends entirely on your business needs and your current CRM. Most CRMs provide Instagram integration either natively or through third-party integrations. While some CRMs have native integration, they fail to use Instagram DM API to its full potential. They only provide basic functionalities to send and receive Instagram messages with limited chat features, like auto reply and quick reply. These features might be sufficient for some businesses. However, with messaging being fast-paced in nature, businesses that receive high volumes of messages need advanced automation, like chat routing, auto-assignment and more. This can only be acquired from a business messaging inbox built for messaging, not a CRM that provides Instagram integration as an afterthought. Besides that, the native integration provided by CRMs limits the Instagram DM API integration to a single CRM. If a business has multiple CRMs and wants to integrate Instagram DM API with them, it will be unable to do so. Fortunately, most CRMs, even those with native Instagram integration, allow third-party integrations. ##### CRM Apps Integrated with Instagram Here’s a list of CRMs that allow third-party integrations with Instagram DM API: - Respond.io - Trengo - Sleekflow - MessageBird If you looking to use Instagram DM API to its full potential and integrate multiple CRMs with it, you’ll need a central business messaging inbox built specifically for messaging like respond.io. Specially designed for messaging, respond.io is a versatile [AI-powered customer conversation management software](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform). It has the best platform reliability and customer service availability among all Instagram CRMs on the market. This ensures uninterrupted business operations and access to excellent support whenever you need it. Respond.io also supports omnichannel messaging, allowing you to use [popular messaging apps](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps) like Instagram along with traditional channels like email and webchat. Plus, respond.io supports Instagram features like setting up automated FAQs, [Instagram Story replies](https://respond.io/blog/july-2021-release-instagram-messaging-api-reports-v2#toc-mobile-0), rich media content and read receipt status. Plus, it integrates seamlessly with almost any type of CRM. Let’s look at how to integrate any CRM with respond.io to use Instagram. #### Integrate your CRM with Respond.io to use Instagram Before integrating your CRM with Instagram on respond.io, you need to: - Enable Allow Access to Messages in the Instagram account settings. - Connect Instagram to Facebook Business Page. - Connect your Instagram to respond.io. After connecting your Instagram to respond.io, create a new [Workflow](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview). Then, [add the HTTP Request Step](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflow-steps#add_a_step) in your Workflow to connect any CRM with Instagram on respond.io. By doing so, you can exchange information with your existing CRM while messaging customers on respond.io. You can qualify sales leads, retrieve updated contact profiles or create deals and tickets on external CRMs without having to go back and forth between your CRM and the respond.io inbox to reply to Instagram messages. Let's look at how you can use respond.io for Instagram for marketing, sales and support. ### Using Respond.io for Marketing, Sales & Support Now that you have all the information you need, here’s how respond.io can benefit your marketing, sales and support. #### Instagram DM CRM for Marketing: Direct Prospects to Your Instagram Profile and Inbox Businesses are not allowed to initiate conversations with customers on Instagram. However, you can encourage inbound conversations with an Instagram [chat link](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/instagram/features/ig-me-links/), [profile link and QR code](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you) and [click to Instagram Direct Ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-instagram-direct-ads). Businesses can paste their Instagram profile QR code on their website or physical store and embed the chat link and profile link on a range of digital mediums. Instead of directing prospects who click on your ads to fill up a contact form, direct them to your Instagram inbox while their interest in your product ads is still at its peak. Similar to a contact form, you can use respond.io to [collect basic customer information by sending a pre-chat survey](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey#toc-mobile-2). This will help you identify if this is a new or existing lead. If they are an existing contact and have previously messaged you on another channel, you can [merge their contact information](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) to get a comprehensive view of their interactions with your business. Additionally, you can exchange and update their contact information on your CRM. While setting up ads has its costs, businesses can encourage inbound conversations in a budget-friendly way. They can post promo deals on their Instagram Story and get prospects to reply to the story. If you want to post the promotion on your feed, add a CTA in your caption and share the post on your Instagram Story to get followers to message you directly. #### Instagram DM CRM for Sales: Shorten Sales Cycle Integrating a sales CRM with respond.io enables you to seamlessly exchange data between both platforms. You can qualify leads on data activation platforms like Clearbit and [create deals in a sales CRM like Salesforce or Hubspot in just one click.](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey#toc-mobile-2) This way, agents are saved from the trouble of switching back and forth between respond.io and other platforms to carry out sales-related tasks while conversing with a customer. Automating a sales cycle allows businesses to eliminate manual sales tasks like lead qualifying and task assignments. For instance, you can use respond.io Workflows to send [qualifying questions](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) when leads message you to determine the sales funnel a lead fall into and [route qualified leads](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) to the right sales team. Additionally, they can even have an [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai) to serve as the initial responder to handle routine lead inquiries. Managers are free to implement their [auto assignment logic](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-5) like distributing leads equally among the sales team or to a salesperson with the least amount of active conversations. They can also assign existing customers to their dedicated salesperson automatically. As agents will have to communicate with customers from different backgrounds, they can use [AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai) to refine messages for clarity, translate them to overcome language barriers and more so their message is communicated effectively. You can also use this feature for Instagram customer support. #### Instagram DM CRM for Support: Improve Customer Support Quality Respond.io’s [Workflow automation](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations) saves agents’ time from performing repetitive tasks like answering FAQ or asking customers the same questions to get the context of their issue and more. The automation will handle tasks like providing answers to FAQs, [sending multiple-choice questions](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot#toc-mobile-6) to help customers communicate what they want clearly and sending [pre-chat surveys](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) to [route](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assign customers](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) accurately. Similar to the AI Agent’s capabilities mentioned in the sales use case above, businesses can use AI to handle routine inquiries and escalate complex or sensitive issues to human agents. This way, only critical issues will be passed to agents, who can utilize their time and resources to provide quality support. This way, agents can direct their time and resources to critical issues to provide quality support. To ease agents' workload further, tools like [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) provide agents with quick access to relevant information from knowledge bases or existing resources. This allows them to respond quickly and accurately to customer inquiries, enhancing response times and contributing to a more satisfying customer experience. If an agent cannot solve an issue, they can collaborate on the respond.io platform for [support escalation](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) by adding a comment to describe the case or providing background information to another agent. Agents can also create support tickets on external CRM platforms like Zendesk and Zoho while chatting with customers, with just a click of a button. To measure the success and quality of a company’s customer support, businesses can [send a customer satisfaction (CSAT) survey](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-8). #### Instagram DM CRM for Managers: Track Team Performance Through respond.io’s advanced [Reports and Analytics Module](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/reporting-for-support), managers can monitor individual or team performance effortlessly. Additionally, managers can review conversations with high-value customers using a [custom inbox](https://help.respond.io/messages/custom-inbox). This ensures excellent customer experience and helps cultivate customer loyalty. #### Instagram DM CRM for Teams: Simplify Team Collaboration With respond.io’s team inbox, collaborating with colleagues is a breeze. Using [internal comments](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity#comments), agents can leave notes about a Contact for follow-ups. Agents may also tag their teammates or [escalate complex cases](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management). And that's how you can use respond.io for different use cases. The best part is that you can carry out all your tasks anywhere with the [respond.io mobile app](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-customer-service#toc-mobile-12). We hope you found this first-hand guide to Instagram CRM helpful. Sounds interesting? [Sign up for our free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and boost your customer relationships across messaging channels! ### Further Reading We hope this article was beneficial to you. Here are some articles to help you kickstart your Instagram marketing, sales and support journey with respond.io - The Practical Guide to Click to Instagram Direct Ads - A Guide to Customer Service for Instagram - How to Sell on Instagram DM ## [Instagram Customer Service: A Guide to Customer Service for Instagram](https:/respond.io/blog/instagram-customer-service) Customer service for Instagram is easy when you have the right tools. Learn how to give first-class support with our Instagram customer service guide. Are your customers Instagram users? If the answer is yes, why not use the platform to help them with their inquiries? In this article, you’ll learn all you need to know to deliver excellent customer service for Instagram audiences. We’ll also introduce you to some respond.io features that will elevate your Instagram customer service to the next level. ### Instagram Customer Service vs Traditional Channels Over the years, companies have been doing customer support via traditional channels like email, web chat or phone calls. Unfortunately, these channels come with important limitations, which we will discuss below. #### Limitations of Traditional Channels With traditional support channels, conversation traceability is not possible, as these don’t give agents a general view of customers’ chat history. For instance, phone calls don’t leave a transcript that agents can refer to later. When it comes to web chat support, agents can’t trace customers once they abandon the website. Because of that, customer identification becomes a problem, causing support agents to ask for the same information when the same customer reaches out again. Support over email tends to result in scattered conversations caused by simple mishaps — customers sending inquiries from different emails, or an agent forgetting to CC another decision-maker. The result: longer resolution times. In addition, traditional support channels usually fail to manage customers’ response time expectations by not communicating the status of their case or the availability of the agents. Long waits over the phone or emails that never seem to arrive frustrate customers. Dissatisfied customers are likely to give up and simply look for an alternative in one of your competitors. Knowing all these shortcomings, is there a better alternative for customer support? Keep reading to find out. #### Benefits of Instagram Customer Service Instagram is a highly popular social media channel among Gen Zs and Millenials. While it started as a platform to share visual content, [businesses also use Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api) to engage with their customers. But, what are the benefits of using Instagram direct message as a support channel? Firstly, Instagram DM gives support agents access to conversation history in a messaging inbox. Thanks to this, they are able to get insights into past or recurring issues, make informed decisions and give better attention to customers. For the same reason, they don’t need to request the same information multiple times, which results in faster resolution times. Instagram DM gives support agents and customers the flexibility to leave a conversation and return to it without losing contact data or conversation history. Plus, businesses can use [Instagram auto replies](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-auto-reply) to manage customers’ response time expectations. This prevents customers from feeling ignored and getting a bad impression of your customer service if agents are unavailable. Next, we’ll go through two important points that businesses must know before they start providing customer support on Instagram. ### Instagram Customer Service: What You Should Know To start on the right foot, we recommend you and your support teams get familiar with the following concepts: - Types of Instagram DM inboxes - Instagram DM API messaging rules Let’s start by exploring the different types of Instagram DM inboxes and determining which one is the best fit for you. #### Types of Instagram DM Inboxes The Instagram app inbox is the go-to option for micro and small businesses that receive low volumes of conversations and don’t have a dedicated support team. Its main advantages: It is free, easy to use and [accessible from multiple devices simultaneously.](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-6) However, [it lacks contact and conversation organizational tools](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#toc-mobile-9) that are essential for medium-sized businesses. For those, the Meta Business Suite Inbox is a better choice, as it comes with some basic management tools such as manual contact assignment, labels and notes. To use this inbox, you must [connect your Instagram account to your Facebook Page](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-8) first. This inbox allows for multiple users — just remember to give your support team access to it. The [Meta Business Suite also allows you to build customer profiles](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/294426838452244?id=765488040896522), which you can enrich with details like phone numbers and email. **Types of Instagram DM Inboxes** | | Price | Organizational Tools | Automation | Business Size | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Instagram App Inbox | Free | No | Basic | Micro and small businesses | | Meta Business Suite Inbox | Free | Limited | Basic | Small and medium-sized businesses | | Instagram DM API + respond.io | Not free | Extensive | Advanced | Medium to large size businesses | Additionally, support agents can mark Instagram messages as Done, Follow Up or Important for a more organized inbox. However, as your business grows, so does the number of conversations your support teams have. Instagram DM API is the preferred option for medium to large businesses that want to use [Instagram with multiple users seamlessly](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-9). This option comes with native messaging features such as [generic and product templates.](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#toc-mobile-11) Since this is an API, it has no front end, so you must connect it to a messaging inbox like respond.io. That will give you access to organizational and messaging tools you won’t find on the Instagram app or the Meta Business Suite Inbox. We’ll introduce them later. If you think Instagram DM API is what your company needs, there are some messaging rules you should be familiar with first. #### Instagram DM API Messaging Rules Businesses that use Instagram DM API for customer service must [offer some sort of human escalation pathway](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/instagram/features/human-agent-escalation). This means that businesses shouldn't solely rely on automation to [handle inbound conversations](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations). Bots have their applications, but sometimes they can’t help customers with specific problems. Avoid frustrating your Instagram audience with your customer service by always giving them the option to talk to a real person. To prevent businesses from spamming their customers, Instagram has implemented a 24-hour messaging window for Instagram DM API. This window starts when a customer messages a business. Within this window, both businesses and customers can freely exchange messages. When the 24-hour session expires, the business can’t message the customer anymore unless the customer reopens the messaging window by sending a message. Now that you’re familiar with the messaging rules, let’s take a look at how you can use Instagram DM API with respond.io. to enhance your customer service on Instagram. ### Instagram Customer Service on respond.io: Quick Wins To use Instagram DM API with respond.io, make sure you meet the following requirements: - Your Instagram account is a business account. - Your Instagram business account is connected to a Facebook Page. - You have allowed access to messages in the account settings. Then, follow our documentation to [connect Instagram DM API to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/instagram#connecting_instagram). Now your customer support teams have access to features that will improve the efficiency and quality of their service. #### Customer Service for Instagram: Use the Human Agent Tag to Follow Up on Complex Enquiries The Instagram DM messaging window is quite limiting for customer support. Luckily, Meta is testing a [Human Agent Tag](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag#toc-mobile-1) with a few messaging platforms, including respond.io. This feature is automatically granted to all respond.io users, allowing them to **extend the 24-hour messaging window to 7 days**. Thanks to the Human Agent Tag, support agents have more time to resolve complex issues. What’s more, they can follow up with customers on the next business day if an inquiry comes in during the weekend. #### Customer Service for Instagram: Use Advanced Automation to Answer FAQs, Route Customers and Escalate Cases [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) are respond.io’s flagship feature and companies use them to automate processes for any of their teams, including customer service. Workflows are highly customizable, offering endless possibilities. Here are some ways in which you can use them for customer support on Instagram: - Set up automated greetings and replies to give customers a good experience while reducing agent workload. - Create an FAQ menu to provide automated answers to common questions. You can add up to 10 answers, more than the 4 offered by Instagram’s native auto-reply feature. - Create a routing Workflow that leads customers to the right support team for their needs. Build branches with the customer data provided and/or the routing logic of your support teams i.e: By language or region. Then, use your preferred Contact distribution logic to auto-assign them to an available agent. - Use the Shortcut button to manually trigger Workflows from the messaging console while chatting with customers. Use this feature for case escalation or to create support tickets on external CRM platforms like Zendesk or Zoho without leaving the platform. #### Customer Service for Instagram: Get Customer Feedback with CSAT Surveys [CSAT surveys](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-7) are one of the best ways for support teams to collect customer feedback. They are easy to create with respond.io Workflows — simply add an Ask a Question Step and select Rating. Afterward, use an [Add Google Sheets Row Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_add_google_sheets_row) to save the answers in Google Sheets or an [HTTP Request Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_http_request) to save them in a CRM or data warehouse of your choice. We suggest support agents trigger CSAT surveys manually using the Shortcut button to have full control over when to ask for customer feedback. Alternatively, use Conversation Closed as a Trigger to automatically send them after closing the conversation. #### Customer Service for Instagram: Get an Overview of Customers’ Chat History with Contact Merge The same customer might contact you via different messaging channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) or [Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) if you are in a [country where these chat apps are popular](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-6). As a result, you’ll end up with siloed conversations across channels. The [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) tool joins two or more customer profiles to create a single customer story. Thus, customer support agents get a better insight into the Contact’s data and chat history, to better understand their cases and provide assistance. #### Customer Service for Instagram: Gain Access to Advanced Reports and Analytics In the [respond.io Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview), you’ll find advanced reporting on agent productivity, agent workload tracking, conversation tracking and resolution time measurement. This module has everything you need to identify long-view trends or pinpoint specific cases. The Reports Module also includes different filters that managers can use to get more accurate insights into their support teams’ performance. Having access to this information allows managers to determine in which areas they can improve their customer service and ensure that their support agents meet their KPIs. #### Customer Service for Instagram: Mobile App for Agents on the Go With the respond.io app, support agents are able to respond to inbound conversations wherever they are. The respond.io app comes with all the features that you find in the desktop version. To get the respond.io app, download it from the [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io&hl=en) for Android and the [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) for iOS. Businesses like yours have been using Instagram DM for customer support with great success. Check out how they’re doing it in the following section. ### How Shein is Using Instagram DM for Customer Support Shein is a fashion brand with a strong presence on Instagram, where it showcases products to its audience using models. Interested customers can tap on the tagged products and view them on its [Instagram Shop.](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#toc-mobile-2) Due to its sheer amount of followers, it’s only natural that Shein decided to use Instagram DM API for customer service. With the help of an AI-based solution, Shein now handles customer inquiries using multiple-choice questions, while also offering a human escalation pathway as requested by Instagram. Since it started using Instagram DM API, Shein reduced response time by 73%. and the number of support agents replying within an hour increased by 50%, achieving an 18% improvement in the service level agreement for comment and ticket responses. You’ve made it to the end of the blog. Do you want to message your customers on Instagram with the leading customer communication platform? [Sign up for a respond.io account today](https://app.respond.io/user/register)! ### Further Reading Want to learn more about conversational support on other messaging channels? Here are a few articles for you to check out. - How to Use Telegram for Customer Support - How to Use WhatsApp for Customer Support - How to Use Viber for Customer Support ## [Instagram Direct Message Link: A How-to Guide to ig.me Link](https:/respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-link) Instagram direct message link is the way for your customers to connect with you directly. Use ig.me links and boost your customers' experience. Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. This large volume of users makes it an excellent avenue for businesses to market their products and services. The Instagram direct message link, or ig.me link, is an essential feature for businesses to connect with customers. In this blog post, learn what Instagram direct message links are, their benefits, how they work, their potential limitations and how to create them. ### What is an Instagram Direct Message Link? An [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) direct message link, also known as an Instagram DM link or Instagram chat link, is a link that enables Instagram users to initiate a 1-on-1 conversation with another user on the platform. Unlike regular Instagram links that direct users to an Instagram profile, ig.me links enable users to start a private conversation with another user. Officially, Meta states that ig.me links [aren’t supported on Instagram Web](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/instagram/features/ig-me-links/#limitations), but when tested, they work just fine. It may or may not work for you. Now that you know what an ig.me link is, how does it affect you? How can you use it to boost your business? Let’s look at that next. ### Instagram Direct Message Link: 4 Reasons to Use It ig.me link An Instagram DM link can open up the untapped potential of your business. Aside from its large active user base, there are other benefits to using it. Here are 4 benefits of an Instagram DM link that businesses small or large can take advantage of. #### Instagram Direct Message Link: Increase Engagement ig.me link Instagram has a massive user base, with [2 billion active users](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-26/meta-s-instagram-users-reach-2-billion-closing-in-on-facebook). The Instagram DM link feature provides an easy and direct way for users to reach out and connect with the business they want to chat with. This ease of access means that people are more likely to engage with the content they come across on Instagram. By including this link in your posts, stories or bio, you make it easier for people to start a conversation with you. Connect with your audience in real time and address their concerns or questions immediately. This engagement is also a great way to generate leads. #### Instagram Direct Message Link: Generate Leads An Instagram DM link is an excellent lead-generation tool that can help businesses identify potential customers and build their contact list. By directing people to your Instagram DM inbox, you can learn more about their needs and interests. This information can be used to create targeted marketing campaigns that resonate with your audience and drive sales. #### Instagram Direct Message Link: Close Sales When customers are in your Instagram DM inbox, you have an excellent opportunity to [close sales](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-instagram-dm). You can answer their questions and provide them with the information they need to make a purchase decision. For example, customers can directly message you about any inquiries they have about your products or services before making a purchase. By providing excellent customer service and addressing their concerns, you increase the likelihood of closing the sale and generating revenue for your business. #### Instagram Direct Message Link: Provide Support You can also [offer customer support](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-customer-service) with an Instagram DM link. Even after closing a sale, your customers could have inquiries about their purchases. They might want to know about tracking details, claim warranties or even make a complaint. As you’ll have access to chat history, your response can be personalized while providing fast resolution times. Improve your customer support game with an Instagram direct message link. ### How to Create an ig.me Link There are thred ways to generate an ig.me link: Manually, through Instagram or using a tool such as respond.io's Instagram link generator. #### Generate ig.me Link Manually Generating an ig.me link manually might sound like a hassle, but it’s really simple. Here’s how you can generate one. Type `https://[ig.me]()/m/`, where `` is your Instagram handle. For example, if your handle is @grubngodelivery, then the link is `https://ig.me/m/grubngodelivery`. That’s it! It’s as easy as that. But if you run multiple Instagram accounts, want to avoid making mistakes or prefer to get an Instagram QR code and chat link in one go, use respond.io’s Instagram link generator. #### Generate a Direct Message Link on Instagram To generate a link for a direct message on Instagram, navigate to the desired chat, click on the "i" icon or the three dots to access more options, and choose "Share Link." #### Generate Instagram ig.me Link Through Respond.io It’s easy to generate an ig.me link with respond.io. Once you’ve [connected your Instagram direct message inbox](https://help.respond.io/channels/instagram#connecting_instagram) to respond.io, just follow these steps: 1\. **Click** on the *Settings* icon in the side navigation menu. Under *Workspace Settings* click *Growth Widgets*, then *Add Widgets*. 2\. **Scroll** down and select *QR Code*, then click on the *Create Widget* button. 3\. **Select** *Instagram* as your QR Code type. 4\. Your ig.me link will be at the bottom right of the page, under the QR code and *Download* button. Wasn’t that simple? But respond.io can do so much more than generate ig.me links. It can improve the way you use Instagram DMs and more. ### Harness the Power of Instagram DM API with Respond.io Respond.io has a broad feature set that can help you utilize Instagram direct message links to their fullest. To use Instagram DM with respond.io, you’ll need to get [Instagram DM API](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-9) access first and then connect it to respond.io. But once that’s done, you’re ready to take Instagram chats to the next level. #### Connect Other Channels to One Inbox With respond.io’s [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication), you can manage conversations from multiple messaging channels, including [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat), [Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business) and more, all from a single interface. This streamlines your communication processes and makes it easier to keep track of all your customer interactions in one place. Beyond instant messaging apps, you can also integrate third-party platforms like CRMs and e-commerce platforms with respond.io. #### Integrate Instagram DM with Your CRM Platforms and E-commerce Platforms Through respond.io, you can [integrate your Instagram DM API account](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-crm) with over 5,000 applications, including CRMs like [HubSpot](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/hubspot), [Salesforce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/salesforce) and [Pipedrive](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/pipedrive), as well as e-commerce platforms like [Shopify](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify) and [WooCommerce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/ecommerce-integration-woocommerce). This allows you to retrieve and update contact data, create deals and tickets while chatting with customers, and automate account updates, abandoned cart messages or post-purchase notifications. You can further leverage these integrations with respond.io’s powerful automation tools. #### Automate Sales and Support Tasks on Instagram Respond.io also has a powerful [Workflows Module](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) that allows you to automate and streamline your conversations and business processes. This includes [routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) messages to teams and [assigning](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) them to agents, providing a [standard greeting or away message](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/automated-welcome-and-away-messages) and [gauging customer satisfaction](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) with a survey. This can help you save time and improve your response times while ensuring that your team is able to resolve more complex customer inquiries with ease. If you aren’t getting the results you want, you can track and monitor customer conversations to implement improvements. #### Monitor Agent Performance Respond.io has built-in [analytics and reporting tools](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/reporting-for-support) to easily track key metrics like response times, conversation volume and distribution of conversations throughout the day. This allows you to identify areas where your team is excelling and areas where they may need additional training or support. Take advantage of the power an Instagram direct message link can give you today. If you’re a large business and want to get the most out of Instagram, [sign up for a free respond.io trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) today. Even beyond Instagram, take advantage of the [omnichannel](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) inbox that supports [VoIP calls](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration), [TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business) and so much more. ### Further Reading Want to learn more about Instagram DM to boost your business? Here are a few articles to help you out: - Instagram Business Chat: The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Business Messaging - How to Sell on Instagram DM: Selling on Instagram - Instagram CRM: How to Integrate Instagram with a CRM on respond.io ## [Instagram DM Sales Script: Convert Followers into Customers](https:/respond.io/blog/instagram-dm-sales-script) Turn your followers into customers with Instagram DM sales scripts. Look at host of examples and learn best practices to craft the script that wins sales. Do you find it difficult to establish rapport with customers and close sales on Instagram DM? Then you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits, Instagram DM sales script examples and best practices to craft a winning script. We’ll also look at how you can deliver these messages effectively with respond.io. ### What is Instagram DM Sales Script? [Instagram Direct Message (DM) sales](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-instagram-dm) scripts are tailored communication templates used by businesses to engage with customers directly on [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat). It helps them initiate conversations, convey product or service information, address customer needs and guide the interaction toward a potential sale. The interactions with an Instagram DM sales pitch allow agents to have extended conversations with customers without needing to dump a lot of information on them, like with email. With people being more receptive to DMs, businesses can leverage this opportunity to build relationships, address customer needs and ultimately close sales. But if you or your agents are good at connecting with people or closing deals, why do you need a sales script? Read more about it in the section below. ### 5 Reasons You Should Use a Sales Script A sales script is a time-tested tool that has been used by many businesses to secure sales. While telemarketers have traditionally used it to cold-call customers, it can also be applied in the context of Instagram DMs. Still not convinced? Here are 5 reasons why you should use a sales script for your Instagram DMs. #### Save Agents’ Time Preparing a well-crafted sales script provides sales teams with ready-made message templates they can use during their interactions with customers on Instagram DM. Instead of spending valuable time composing repetitive opening lines and messages, your team can use a template and focus on personalizing the script to each customer and addressing their needs. This time-saving aspect allows your team to engage with more customers effectively and efficiently. #### Avoid Inconsistent Brand and Product Messaging Consistency in messaging is crucial for maintaining a strong brand image and delivering a seamless customer experience. Sales scripts ensure that your team adheres to a standardized approach when engaging with customers on Instagram DM. Following the same script helps your team deliver consistent information about your products or services, key value propositions and other important details. This consistency builds trust and reliability, reinforcing your brand's reputation and enhancing the overall customer experience. #### Build a Close Relationship with Customers In order to close sales effectively, it is essential to establish a strong connection with customers. A well-crafted sales script can help establish rapport by addressing their needs and providing relevant information. It should be written in a style that allows your team to speak your customers' language, making them feel valued and more likely to engage in further discussions. #### Make Sales Pitch More Effective With a carefully structured message, you can ensure that you deliver key points with precision and clarity. It helps you articulate your value proposition in a way that resonates with your prospects. A good sales script also helps to anticipate and address common objections, positioning yourself as a reliable problem solver. Addressing these objections proactively can lead to higher conversion rates. #### Generate More Leads Effective sales scripts can play a significant role in driving lead generation on Instagram DM. Capture the interest of potential customers through compelling messages and guide them toward a desired action, like requesting more information, scheduling an appointment or participating in surveys. The script should be designed to pique curiosity, highlight the unique value of your products or services and provide a clear call to action. With a persuasive script, you can nurture leads and convert them to loyal customers. If these reasons convinced you to use an Instagram DM sales script, let’s learn how to draft one. ### Instagram DM Sales Script Examples Sometimes, we all need a bit of help. With these sales script examples, you have a guide to draft a sales script that works for you. #### Introduce Your Business Introductions are crucial. First impressions play a role in shaping the tone and direction of conversations. This opening sets the stage for building rapport and fostering a productive dialogue about your product or service. 1. Hey [Customer's Name]! 👋 We have an amazing product that you might be interested in. It's our new [Product Name], designed to [highlight key feature or benefit]. 🌟 if you’d like to know more, let’s have a quick chat or you can look through our catalog. 2. Hey there, [Customer's Name]. Thank you for following us. As a token of our appreciation, we’re giving you a 10% discount on your first purchase. 🛍️ Just type in [Discount Code] when you check out! #### Limited Time Offer Creating a sense of urgency and exclusivity can be highly effective in motivating customers to take action. A limited-time offer grabs their attention and instills a fear of missing out on a great opportunity. 1. Hey [Customer's Name]! 🙌 We're currently running a limited-time promotion on [Product Name]. For the next [specific time period], you can enjoy an exclusive [mention benefit]. Don’t wait too long, or you’ll miss out on this special offer! 2. For a limited time only, we’re running a buy 1 free 1 promotion on all blouses. Reply to this message to learn more. #### Early Access Offering early access to a new feature or product gives customers a feeling of being valued and privileged. This approach helps you create a sense of anticipation and excitement, driving engagement and generating early adopters. 1. Hey there, [Customer's Name]! As a loyal customer, we're giving you exclusive early access to our [Product Name]. Reply to this message to receive a special discount on your purchase. 🚀 2. Hello [Customer's Name]. We're offering you a sneak peek into the future. Get an exclusive preview of our upcoming [Feature Name] before anyone else! Just reply with "I'm in!" and let's embark on this exciting journey together! 🌟 #### Free Trial or Demo A free trial or demo allows customers to experience the benefits and capabilities of your product or service firsthand. It provides a risk-free way for customers to assess its suitability for their needs. 1. Hey [Customer's Name]! We're offering a free trial of our [Service Name] for a limited time. It's a fantastic opportunity to try it out and experience its benefits firsthand. If you're interested, just let me know, and I'll send you a link to get started. 2. Hi [Customer's Name], fancy taking [Product Name] for a spin? We’ll be at [Location] for [Duration]. Let me know if you’re interested in securing your spot for a demo. #### Follow-up on Abandoned Carts Remind customers to purchase the items they left in their shopping cart. Abandoned cart messages give businesses a chance to remind customers about the products they were interested in, encouraging them to return and complete the purchase, recovering lost revenue. 1. Hi [Customer's Name], I noticed you added items to your cart but didn't complete the purchase. Is there anything I can assist you with or any questions I can answer? 2. Hey [Customer's Name], I saw you were interested in [Product Category]. They’re still in stock. Need any help with picking the right product for you? Feel free to use and alter these examples when messaging your customers. But if you want to write a script from scratch, the next section covers best practices for writing a sales script. ### Best Practices to Write a Winning Sales Script If you want to draft a winning sales script, you’ll need to avoid making your script robotic and impersonal. Using images, gifs, emojis and other fun features can help address this, but they alone aren’t enough. Overcome the pitfalls of a sales script by applying these best practices when drafting one. #### Instagram DM Sales Script: Research Your Customers Before engaging with customers on Instagram DM, it's essential to conduct thorough research. Take the time to understand your target audience, their preferences, pain points and interests. This includes drafting a script that’s concise and easy to read on phones. This knowledge allows you to personalize your script and speak directly to their needs. By adapting your tone and language to align with their preferences, you create a connection and increase the likelihood of a positive response. Note that messaging people who don’t follow you will elicit a negative response instead. #### Instagram DM Sales Script: Define the Purpose of the Message Clearly defining the purpose of your message is crucial when drafting a sales script for Instagram DM. Are you aiming to promote a specific product or service, generate leads or close a sale? Having a clear objective helps you draft a focused script that guides the conversation toward a desired outcome. Each script should have a specific goal and provide a clear path for achieving it, ensuring your efforts are purposeful and effective. #### Instagram DM Sales Script: Anticipate Frequently Asked Questions Putting yourself in the shoes of your customers helps you to anticipate the questions and concerns they may have. Proactively addressing these in your sales script saves time during the conversation and demonstrates your expertise. By providing answers to common queries, you show that you understand their needs and instill confidence in your business. This approach streamlines the conversation and positions you as a reliable resource. #### Instagram DM Sales Script: Don’t Hard Sell Do you remember a time when an extremely persistent salesperson approached you? How did you feel? Chances are, it wasn’t positive. This is hard selling and it can put off your customers. Instagram DM conversations should prioritize relationship-building over aggressive sales tactics. Understand their needs and offer solutions instead of pushing for an immediate sale. Be helpful and informative to create a positive customer experience to encourage trust and increase the chance of closing a sale. #### Instagram DM Sales Script: Include Clear Calls-to-Actions To guide your prospects towards a desired action, incorporate clear calls-to-actions or CTAs in your script. Whether directing them to your website, requesting a demo or encouraging them to make a purchase, ensure your CTAs are explicit and compelling. By providing a clear next step, you make it easier for customers to understand what you want them to do and increase the chances of conversions. #### Instagram DM Sales Script: Experiment and Revise Your Script Sales scripts should not be static. Experimenting with different script styles and approaches is essential to find what works best for your target audience. Monitor customer engagement, conversion rates and feedback to assess the effectiveness of your script. Based on these insights, make revisions and improvements to refine your script continuously. You should also stay tuned to social trends that are relevant to your business and consider integrating them into your messaging to keep your script fresh and engaging. You have the tools to write a winning sales script for Instagram DM, but typing out scripts tens of times every day can be a hassle. Learn how you can message your customers effectively with respond.io. ### Deliver Instagram DM Sales Scripts Effectively on Respond.io With respond.io, you have access to tools that make sending sales scripts easy. You can store and send sales-related messages to your customers with [canned responses](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/snippets). Choose from a list of stored scripts that fit your need in just a few keystrokes. Alternatively, you can automate sending sales scripts with the [Workflows automation builder](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview)[.](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) For example, you can create an auto-reply Workflow that sends an introductory offer script whenever new customers message you. [Prewritten responses](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/snippets) allow you to send a message with a couple of keystrokes instead of typing out the entire message or copy-pasting it from a document. Respond.io can also automate sales processes with the Workflows module and [integrate e-commerce platforms or sales CRMs](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/integrations) in your tech stack. With all these tools at your disposal, you’re ready to create sales scripts that can win over your customers. [Sign up for a free trial with respond.io](https://app.respond.io/user/register) to start selling on Instagram DM. ### Further Reading Do you want to learn how you can use Instagram to boost your business profile and sales? Take a look at these articles: - How to Sell on Instagram DM: Selling on Instagram - Instagram Business Chat: The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Business Messaging - Instagram Customer Service: A Guide to Customer Service for Instagram ## [Instagram DM Template: 21 Instagram DM Examples for Your Business](https:/respond.io/blog/instagram-dm-examples) Whether you’re looking to reach out to customers or strengthen relationships with existing ones, sending the right Instagram direct message can help make the process easier and more efficient. Here are some examples of Instagram DM templates that you can use in different business situations. Instagram Direct is a valuable tool for businesses looking to connect with their customers and drive sales or offer customer service. This article will explore the benefits of using Instagram Direct for business. We will also provide a list of Instagram DM examples, where you can find the best Instagram dm template for your use case. ### What is Instagram Direct Message? [Instagram Direct](https://about.instagram.com/features/direct) is a messaging feature introduced by [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) that allows users to send private messages to a user or a group of people. You can send photos, videos and text messages through private chats, rather than posting them publicly on your profile. Let’s explore the advantages of using Instagram Direct Message. #### Benefits of Using Instagram Direct Messages Using Instagram Direct can help businesses establish a connection with their customers. We’ll take you through some of the benefits of this. Private messaging is highly effective as it allows businesses to tailor their message to the specific needs and interests of the customer. Personalized communication can also help build trust and strengthen the relationship between businesses and customers. By [promoting products and special offers through Instagram Direct](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-instagram-dm), businesses can drive sales and increase revenue. This can be particularly effective for businesses that have a strong following on Instagram and want to direct traffic to their website or store. Instagram Direct can also be used as a [customer service tool](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-customer-service) to resolve complaints or issues in a timely and efficient manner. When used well, it can improve the overall customer experience and reduce the likelihood of negative reviews or complaints. Instagram Direct on [Meta Business Suite](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-8) provides businesses with [insights](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/700570830721044?id=765488040896522) [into](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/700570830721044?id=765488040896522) [message](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/700570830721044?id=765488040896522) [performance](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/700570830721044?id=765488040896522), including the number of views and replies. This helps businesses understand their communication effectiveness and make informed decisions about their strategy. Using Instagram Direct for business can be a powerful tool for establishing stronger connections with customers, pushing sales and improving customer satisfaction. Need some ideas on how to do this? We'll give you some Instagram DM templates to use. ### Instagram DM Examples Below, we’ve provided a few ready-to-use Instagram DM templates for different use cases. But before we begin, let’s review some guidelines to compose effective direct messages on Instagram. #### Best Practices for Instagram Direct Messages Before you start crafting your message, consider the purpose of the message and make sure to convey it clearly and directly. Then, use the following best practices to fine-tune the message. - Keep your messages short and concise - Use a friendly, approachable tone that aligns with your brand’s voice - Personalize your message to make customers feel seen and heard - Include a call-to-action (CTA) so customers know what to do next - Monitor and respond to customer messages in a timely manner Now that you’ve learned how to fine-tune your message, we’ll show you some Instagram DM templates in the following section. #### Instagram DM Examples: Promotional Messages Running a promotion for your business? Aside from advertising on your Instagram page, you can also slide into your followers’ DMs to get them to check out your promotions. 1\. “Hello there 👋 We’re excited to announce our latest promotion for our jewelry collection. Don’t miss out on this limited-time offer. Just use \[promo code\] at checkout to redeem 10% off any new pieces. Follow the link in our bio to shop now!” 2\. “Hi \[Name\]! Thank you for following us. As a token of appreciation, here’s a 20% discount voucher for your first purchase. Type \[promo code\] at the checkout.” 3\. “Exciting news 💎 We’re offering a 50% discount on all items for a limited time. Use code \[promo code\] at checkout to redeem. Explore our shop and take advantage of this amazing deal today!” #### Instagram DM Templates: Appointment Reminder When sending an appointment reminder, you should always include the time of the appointment, as well as a reminder to arrive early to complete any necessary paperwork. Here are some examples you can refer to. 1\. "Hello, this is a reminder about your appointment with us tomorrow at 2:00 PM ⏰. We look forward to seeing you then. If you need to reschedule or cancel, please let us know as soon as possible." 2\. "Hi \[Customer Name\], just a quick reminder that you have an appointment with us on Thursday at 3:00 PM. Please arrive a few minutes early to allow time for check-in. If you need to make any changes to your appointment, please don't hesitate to contact us 😊" 3\. "Hi, we just wanted to remind you about your upcoming appointment with us on Friday at 1:00 PM. Please bring your identity card for registration purposes. See you then!" #### Instagram Direct Message Examples: Replying to Feedback Received feedback on your product on Instagram? Be sure to respond in a timely and professional manner, even if the feedback was negative. Check out some examples here. 1\. “Dear \[Customer Name\], thank you for your feedback. I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed \[product name\] and found it helpful 🥰 We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again in the future.” 2\. "Thank you for your feedback. We apologize for your dissatisfaction with \[Product Name\]. We would like to offer you a refund as a gesture of goodwill 🙇‍♀️ Please let us know if this is acceptable to you and we will make the necessary arrangements.” 3\. "Thank you for the positive review, \[Customer Name\]. We're glad to hear that you had a great experience with our services. Your satisfaction is important to us. We hope to see you again soon!” #### Instagram DM Templates: Questions About Order Fulfillment When answering questions about ongoing orders, make sure to provide an estimated delivery time and reassure them that their order is being processed. By responding promptly and professionally, businesses can help build trust and improve customer satisfaction. 1\. "Thank you for your message. Your order is currently in the process of being fulfilled and is expected to ship within the next 2 days. We will keep you updated on the status of your order and let you know as soon as it has been shipped. [🚚](https://emojipedia.org/delivery-truck/)" 2\. "I apologize for the delay in fulfilling your order. We are experiencing some delays due to the festive season. We expect your order to ship within the next 3 days and will keep you updated on its progress. Thank you for your patience 🙏" 3\. “We apologize for the inconvenience but \[Product Name\] is currently out of stock. Please let us know if you would prefer to wait for a restock or receive a full refund. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.” #### Instagram Direct Message Examples: Questions About Shipping Options It’s important to provide a brief overview of the available shipping options and estimated time of delivery so you can help customers make informed choices when choosing a delivery option. 1\. “Hello there 👋 thank you for your message. We offer standard shipping, which takes approximately 3-5 business days, as well as expedited shipping, which takes 1-2 business days. Which option would you prefer?” 2\. "We offer both domestic and international shipping. For domestic orders, we have standard and express options. For international orders, we have a variety of options depending on the destination country. Can you let me know where you would like the order shipped?" 3\. "We offer free standard shipping on all orders over $50. For orders under $50, we have a flat rate shipping fee of $5. If you need faster delivery, we also offer expedited shipping for an additional fee. Which option would you like to choose? 😊" #### Instagram Direct Message Examples: Return and Refund Policy When you receive an inquiry about returns and refunds, make sure to include a brief overview of your business's return and refund policy, including the time frame and any requirements for returning the item. Let’s look at some examples below. 1\. "We offer a 30-day return policy for most items. If you are not satisfied with your purchase, you can return it for a full refund within 30 days of receiving the item. Some exclusions apply, so please check our refund policy on our website for more details.” 2\. "We accept returns on non-sale items within 60 days of purchase. To initiate a return, please email our customer service team at \[email address\] and they will assist you with the process. A refund will be issued once we receive the returned item and confirm that it meets the conditions of our return policy." 3\. "Hello 👋 We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are not happy with your purchase, you can return it for a full refund within 14 days of receiving the item. Please note that the item must be in its original condition and packaging to be eligible for a refund." #### Instagram DM Templates: Influencer Collaboration Looking to collaborate with an influencer for your brand? You have to first introduce your business and provide some background information before you express your reason for reaching out to them. By providing a clear, professional pitch, businesses can communicate their goals and values to potential influencer partners and establish a strong foundation for a successful collaboration. 1\. "Hi there! I love your content on Instagram. I work for \[Business Name\] and we're looking for influencers to collaborate with on a new campaign. We think your style and audience would be a great fit 🥰 Are you interested in discussing a potential collaboration? Let me know!” 2\. "Hi \[Influencer Name\]! I'm the social media manager for \[Business Name\] and I've been following your content. We're looking for talented content creators to work with our brand. Let me know if you're available for a call to discuss this further. Thank you!” 3\. "Hi \[Influencer Name\], we at \[Business Name\] are interested in a long-term collaboration. By partnering with us, you’d have the opportunity to reach a wider audience through our marketing efforts and we’d love to discuss it further with you." Next, we will demonstrate the various methods for sending Instagram Direct Messages. ### How to Send Instagram Direct Message Now we’ll go through the steps for sending an Instagram Direct Message via the Instagram app inbox, the Meta Business Suite Inbox and a third-party business messaging platform like respond.io. #### How to Send Instagram DM on Instagram Message App Inbox First, let’s go through the steps for sending an Instagram DM via your Instagram app inbox. On your Instagram home feed, click the paper plane icon in the top right corner to access your direct messages. In the direct message page, click the *New Message* button in the top right corner and select the recipient for your message. Type your message in the text field and click *Send* to send the message. You can also add photos or videos by clicking the camera icon. Alternatively, you can send a direct message to someone by clicking the *Send Message* button on their Instagram profile. Next, we’ll take a look at the steps to send an Instagram Direct Message from your Meta Business Suite Inbox. #### How to Send Instagram DM on Meta Business Suite Inbox To send Instagram direct messages through Meta Business Suite Inbox, keep in mind that you will need to [connect your Instagram account to Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-12). Once connected, follow the steps below. 1\. **Click** *Inbox* on the left panel of the page. 2\. **Click** *Instagram Direct* in the top panel of the page. 3\. **Search** for the Instagram user to whom you want to send a Direct Message. Businesses can respond to messages from followers at any time but they can only send messages to Instagram users whom they have interacted with in the past. 4\. **Type** your message in the text field and click *Send* to send the message. You can also attach photos, videos or files to your message by clicking the file icon. As convenient as both the Instagram app inbox and Meta Business Suite Inbox are, they’re only sufficient if you’re running a small business. As your business grows, you’ll find yourself looking for a messaging platform that offers advanced features like chat automation. For this, you’ll need the [Instagram Direct Message API,](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-3) which we’ll explore next. #### How to Send Instagram DM on Respond.io With Messenger API for Instagram, you can [automate responses to inquiries](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-auto-reply), capture customers’ information and [automate sales](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-instagram-dm#toc-mobile-9) and [customer support](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-customer-service#toc-mobile-6), which in turn increases customer engagement and satisfaction. Before you begin, you need to first [connect your Instagram API to a third-party messaging platform like respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/instagram#connecting_instagram) as it doesn’t come with a front-end interface. One thing to note though, Instagram does impose a 24-hour messaging window for the API account. Thankfully, respond.io’s [Human Agent Tag](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-10) opens a 7-day messaging window, allowing agents more time to solve complex inquiries. 1\. **Select** *Messages* on the side navigation menu of the respond.io platform. 2\. **Search** for the Instagram user to whom you want to send a message and make sure the messaging window is not closed. 3\. **Type** your message in the text field and click *Send*. You can add emojis, photos, videos, files or voice messages to your message by clicking the file icon. Alternatively, use the [Snippets](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/snippets) feature to create and save canned responses to reply to frequently asked questions with a couple of keystrokes. Using respond.io allows you to contact the customer on another [connected channel](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/connecting-channels) if the Instagram messaging window has closed. However, the customer must have previously chatted with you on the alternate channel and some conditions may apply, such as using [Message Tags for Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag) or [template messages for WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message). Sending a Direct Message on Instagram is a quick and easy way to communicate with your customers and build stronger relationships with them. Want to get started? [Sign up for a free trial with respond.io](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and start using Instagram to chat with your customers today. ### Further Reading If you found this helpful, here are some additional articles on Instagram to level up your business: - How to Sell on Instagram - Instagram Business Account Multiple Users: A How-To Guide - A Guide to Using Instagram Web Chat for Business ## [Instagram Welcome Message Examples: 15 Instagram Welcome Messages for Your Business](https:/respond.io/blog/instagram-welcome-message-examples) Looking for Instagram welcome message examples? We’ve got you. Here we’ve listed some ready-to-use examples for your business. Looking for Instagram welcome message examples that you can use for your business? In this article, we'll cover the basics and benefits of a welcome message, provide examples and sample templates of messages to use on Instagram and guide you through the process of setting up Instagram welcome messages. ### What is Instagram Welcome Message? [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) is [one of the most popular social apps in the world](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-2) and it’s no wonder more and more businesses are using it to engage with customers and convert leads. One easy way businesses can use Instagram to build customer relationships is by sending welcome messages. An Instagram welcome message is an automated message that is sent to customers when they start a new conversation with you on Instagram Direct. Next, we’ll take a look at why it’s a good idea to set up welcome messages for businesses. #### Benefits of Welcome Messages Welcome messages are a crucial element in creating a positive customer experience. They serve as an introduction to your brand and provide guidance to customers as they navigate their journey with you. By providing clear, helpful and personalized information in the welcome message, businesses can effectively engage and assist customers, resulting in more satisfying and successful interactions. Here are some of the benefits: - Improve customer satisfaction: A personalized welcome message can make customers feel valued and appreciated. This can help create a positive first impression, which can lead to increased customer satisfaction. - Set expectations: Manage customers’ expectations by clearly communicating when they can expect a reply and include a call-to-action (CTA) to prompt them on what steps to take next. Now that we’ve learned everything about Instagram welcome messages, we’ll share some ready-to-use examples. ### Instagram Welcome Message Examples In this section, we’ll take you through the best practices for crafting effective welcome messages and share a list of samples for various use cases. #### Best Practices for Welcome Messages When creating a welcome message, it is essential to keep in mind the key principles of effective messaging. The following guidelines will help you compose a message that communicates your purpose and connects with customers. Here are some recommended best practices to consider: - Keep your messages short and straight to the point - Use a friendly and approachable tone that aligns with your brand's voice - Personalize your message to make customers feel seen and heard. Include their names and other relevant details if possible. - Add a CTA to guide customers and let them know what they should do next - Make sure to monitor and respond to customer messages in a timely manner to ensure a positive customer experience Now let’s go through the various types of welcome messages you can use for different scenarios. #### Instagram Welcome Message Examples: General Welcome General welcome messages demonstrate attentiveness to customers and encourage them to make their inquiries confidently. Many businesses use standard greetings like the ones below as a default. 1. "Hello! We're glad you reached out. How can we help you?" 2. "Hi! We appreciate you taking the time to contact us. How can we assist you today? 😊” 3. "Thank you for stopping by [Business Name]'s page! Our support agents are available Monday-Friday from 10 AM to 6 PM 😊. Please leave your question here and we'll get back to you during business hours. #### Instagram Welcome Message Examples: Special Offers Businesses can use this opportunity to promote their products or services in their Instagram welcome messages. Let’s check out some examples below. 1. "Hello! We've received your message and will respond to you as soon as possible. We'd like to let you know that we have a treat for all followers. Use the code [Code] at checkout to receive 20% off your next purchase. 🎉" 2. “Thank you for reaching out, we will reply within the next 3 hours. Also, it’s our 3rd anniversary! We’d like to thank you for your support with 10% off the Signature collection. Just use the discount code [Code] at checkout before [Date].” 3. “Hi [Name], thank you for dropping by! Our team will get back to you within an hour 🙏🏻 Did you know that we’re offering 20% off all skincare products? Use [Code] at checkout to enjoy this limited-time offer!” #### Instagram Welcome Message Examples: Lead Capture You can also use Instagram Direct Message to collect customer information. Customers who follow your Instagram account are already interested in your products or services and are more open to being contacted on other channels by your company. You may refer to these samples. 1. "Hi, we’ve received your message and will be right with you. In the meantime, if you want to be the first to know about our promotions, DM us your email address and we'll add you to our email list." 2. "Hello and welcome to [Business Name]. If you'd like to know more about our services, please leave your email address and an agent will send our catalog over. We appreciate your interest and look forward to assisting you 🙏🏻” 3. "Hey there, [Name]! We're glad you're interested in our photo printing services 📸 For urgent matters, please share your phone number and we'll call you within the next hour.” #### Instagram Welcome Message Examples: Customer Support Some businesses use Instagram to provide customer support. Welcome messages like the ones below can help set expectations for visitors in terms of response time or the availability of support agents when seeking assistance. 1. "Hello and thank you for your message! We're here to help you with any questions or issues you may have. Please send us a message with your concerns and one of our friendly agents will get back to you shortly.” 2. "Have a question? 🤔 Don't hesitate to leave it here and we'll do our best to respond quickly. Our team is dedicated to providing timely and helpful support.” 3. “Hi [Name], thank you for reaching out! We’ll get back to you within an hour. For general inquiries, you can also check out our FAQ page at [link].” #### Instagram Greeting Message Examples: Seasonal Messages Incorporating seasonal elements in your welcome message can improve customers’ perception of your business. Some businesses may have special discounts or items for certain festive seasons and this is the perfect place to mention them. 1. "Merry Christmas! Thank you for visiting us. We apologize for the delay in responding as we are currently busy preparing and shipping Christmas orders. Please check out our page for special deals while you wait for our reply. 🎁” 2. "Happy Valentine's Day 💓! We're currently busy and we will respond to you as soon as possible. If you're looking for a last-minute gift, we're happy to inform you that we offer 24-hour delivery on all our items.” 3. "Thank you for reaching out! We will get back to you soon. As Mother's Day is coming up, we have a curated collection of jewelry that would make the perfect gift to spoil your mom. Don't forget to check it out. 🥰” #### A Compilation of Great Welcome Message Examples Here are a few examples of great welcome messages: 1. Welcome to our company! 🥳 We’re so excited to have you as part of our team. 2. We’re glad you’ve chosen us, and we want to show our appreciation by giving you a special incentive. 🎉 3. We’re delighted to have you as our customer. We know you won’t be disappointed with your purchase. 😊 4. Thank you for joining us! We’re looking forward to a long and prosperous relationship. 🤝 Next, we will show you the different methods for creating Instagram welcome messages next. ### How to Set Up Instagram Welcome Message In this section, we’ll walk you through the process of sending an Instagram welcome message via the [in-app inbox on Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-7) and then through [Instagram Direct Message API](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-9) connected to a customer conversation management software such as respond.io. #### How to Set Up Welcome Message on Instagram Message App Inbox Creating a welcome message via your Instagram app inbox can be done in just a few steps. To set up a welcome message via your Instagram app inbox, follow the instructions below: 1\. **Click** on the three horizontal lines located in the top right-hand corner of your Instagram profile page. 2\. **Click** on *Settings*, then *Business*, and finally *Welcome message*. 3\. **Turn** on the toggle to *Show welcome message*. 4\. **Type** in your desired message in the text field and click *Save*. Your welcome message will be sent the next time a customer starts a conversation. Do note that the ability to set up a welcome message on Instagram is only available on the Instagram app for Android phones. This feature is not available for iPhone users. If you’re an iPhone user, you can find an alternative method in the next section. #### How to Set Up Welcome Message on Respond.io Businesses can [connect their Instagram Direct Message API to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/instagram#connecting_instagram) to [set up and automate welcome messages](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/automated-welcome-and-away-messages) for their Instagram business accounts. The steps shown in the above link include an option to set business hours and apply welcome messages for all connected channels on respond.io, such as Instagram, [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) and more. By default, Instagram imposes a 24-hour messaging window for API accounts. However, respond.io's [Human Agent Tag](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-10) feature extends this window to 7 days, providing your agents with more time to effectively handle complex inquiries. Now that we’ve demonstrated how to set up welcome messages on Instagram, you can start sending them today. [Sign up for a respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) to get started. ### Further Reading If you found this helpful, here are some additional articles on Instagram to level up your business: - A Guide to Using Instagram for Customer Service - How to Add WhatsApp to Instagram - 21 Instagram DM Examples for Your Business ## [Instagram Widget for Website: A Guide to Using Instagram Web Chat for Business](https:/respond.io/blog/instagram-widget) Want to add Instagram widget on your website? Here, we'll show you what an Instagram widget is, how to set it up, its benefits and finally, how to incorporate automation into your Instagram webchat with respond.io. Are you using Instagram to grow your business? Then you’ve come to the right place. Here, we will explain what the Instagram widget for website is, how to set it up and how Instagram web chat benefits businesses. Plus, we’ll also show you how to automate responses with respond.io. ### Instagram Widget: An Introduction Today, there are more than [2 billion active users and more than 200 million business accounts](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-2) on Instagram. It’s no wonder [businesses are leveraging Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api) to promote their brands, drive sales and provide support to customers. To allow customers to communicate directly with you, businesses can add an Instagram widget (or Instagram web chat) to their websites. Customers who click on the widget will land on your Instagram profile, where they can slide into your Direct Messages (DM). Businesses can respond via one of these three methods: [Instagram App Inbox](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-7), [Meta Business Suite Inbox](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-8) and [Instagram Direct Message API](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-9). The first two options are for micro to small businesses with low volumes of messages. If you’re looking for a more advanced solution, opt for Instagram DM API and [connect it to a messaging inbox like respond.io](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#toc-mobile-13) to manage all the incoming messages. For this article, we’ll be focusing solely on Instagram DM API. Let’s move on to the next section where we’ll show you how to integrate Instagram widget with your website. #### How to Set Up Instagram Widget for Website The process for setting up an Instagram widget is simple and can be done quickly by [following these steps](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets#creating_widget). To get started, navigate to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets*. Then, click *Add Widget* and choose *Instagram Widget* before clicking *Create Widget*. After that, enter the website(s) where you want to add the chat widget and select the account you want to create a widget for. You can add a pre-filled text or customize the widget’s appearance by clicking on the *Advanced Settings* buttons. Finally, click *Generate Widget*, copy the generated script and install it on your website. If you want to connect with customers across multiple channels, an [omnichannel widget](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) can help. You can also opt to [add a website chat widget to your website](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview). Now that you've successfully set up your Instagram widget, we’ll show you how businesses can leverage it to maximize its potential next. ### How to Use Instagram Widget for Your Business Here, we’ll share examples of how businesses can use the Instagram widget for sales and support. #### Instagram Widget for Sales Through the widget, customers can visit your profile, browse your shop, send inquiries and check out purchases without leaving the app. You can also enjoy messaging features like read receipts and [generic templates](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/instagram/features/generic-template/) to highlight your products to customers. The [Human Agent Tag](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag#toc-mobile-1) – available to selected businesses (like respond.io) under Facebook’s Beta Program – extends messaging window to 7 days, giving salespeople additional time to reach out to prospects after the [24-hour messaging window](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-6:~:text=Instagram%20Direct%20Message%20API%20Messaging%20Rules%20and%20Features). Next, we’ll look at how businesses can use Instagram widgets to handle customer support. #### Instagram Widget for Customer Service One advantage of using Instagram widgets is its ability to help businesses provide real-time support. For returning customers, support agents can identify them by their Instagram handles and access the conversation history in a messaging inbox like respond.io, thus providing agents with context to customize support for each of them. Additionally, support agents can take advantage of the Human Agent Tag to follow up on complex inquiries at a later time. We’ll share details on how to automate responses with respond.io next. ### Handle Instagram Conversations Easily with Respond.io In this section, we’ll go over the different ways to create Instagram-related [chat automation](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations) on respond.io’s Workflows. #### Instagram Web Chat: Automate Responses to FAQs Imagine the number of people asking the same question in a day. Instead of replying to them one by one, you can automate responses to frequently asked questions (FAQ) on the Instagram widget. Questions like “What are your operating hours” can be automatically answered without any human intervention. This will greatly reduce agents’ workload and allows them to focus on important matters. Businesses can set up FAQs natively on the app, but Instagram only allows [a maximum of four questions and responses](https://help.instagram.com/4153704678000867?helpref=related). By contrast, you can set up to 10 FAQs and responses via the [Multiple Choice Questions Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_ask_a_question) with respond.io’s Workflows. #### Instagram Web Chat: Set Up Away Messages As much as businesses want to be there 24/7 for their customers, it’s simply not possible. However, you can set up [Away Message](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-auto-reply)[s](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-auto-reply) to automatically respond to customers outside business hours and let them know when to expect a reply. Respond.io’s Workflows also allows you to capture customer information by adding the [Ask A Question](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) Step. You can save the responses as [Variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) to customize your replies. For instance, you can ask customers if they want to view the menu or leave a message for the support team. If they choose support, you can route them to the support team. Check out some examples of [away messages](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business#toc-mobile-4) [on Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business#toc-mobile-4) that you can use. #### Instagram Web Chat: Route and Assign Customers Effortlessly When customers start a new conversation, it’s important to identify which team within the company will be responsible for handling the conversation. Chat routing reduces the conversation resolution time by identifying the customers’ inquiries and assigning them to the right team. A reduction in conversation resolution time will lead to higher customer satisfaction. To further reduce response time, you can create a [pre-chat survey](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) to collect contact information. You can use the information to customize Workflows and implement [auto assignment logic](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to connect customers to agents efficiently. Whether you’re using it to market your product or provide customer support, integrating Instagram widgets into your website can benefit your business. Want to get started with Instagram widget? [Connect your Instagram account](https://help.respond.io/channels/instagram#connecting_instagram) to respond.io now. ### Further Reading Want to learn more about how to use Instagram to grow your business? Check out these articles: - How to Use Auto Reply on Instagram - A Guide to Using Instagram Business for Multiple Users - How to Use Click to Instagram Direct Ads ## [Instant Messaging For Business: Your Best Options](https:/respond.io/blog/instant-messaging-for-business) Instant messaging for business is more important than ever. We've compiled a list of the best instant messengers for internal communication and customer interaction. Billions of people around the world use instant messaging apps, platforms and software to communicate with each other every day. It’s a great opportunity to better reach your customers or communicate with colleagues and clients. But what is the best instant messenger platform for business? In this article, you’ll learn about instant messaging for business, both for your customers and your team. ### What is Instant Messaging for Business? If you’ve used instant messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messenger or Microsoft Teams, you’re already familiar with instant messaging. Not only are they useful for communicating with friends and family, but you can also use them for business operations. From sales and support to internal communication, there are many benefits to business messaging. But how does it compare to traditional channels like phone calls and emails? #### Instant Messaging vs Traditional Channels Traditional channels like email and phone calls are the official means of communication between businesses. But because they are slow and cumbersome, they’ve fallen out of favor with many people. Instant messaging offers real-time communication that is mobile-centric. It’s a convenient and effective way to message one another without the hassle that traditional channels bring. Next, let's look at the best instant messaging software you can use to communicate with customers. ### Instant Messaging Platforms: The 8 Best Apps to Message Customers [Conversational sales](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-commerce) and [conversational support](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-support) are on the rise and there is a slew of instant messaging software for your business to connect with customers. But not all these apps are created equal. Despite a shared core function, these apps have many differences that you should be aware of. So which is the best instant messaging app for your business? Here are some instant messaging platform examples for your consideration. #### Instant Messenger For Business: WhatsApp Business [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) is one of the most popular messaging platforms in the world, with 2.4 billion users globally. It’s obvious why many businesses are on this channel. If you want to take advantage of this huge audience, then you should use a WhatsApp Business product. There are two WhatsApp Business products that allow businesses of all sizes to reach out to WhatsApp’s massive user base, and even from other Meta channels like Facebook and Instagram. The [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) is free to use and suitable for small businesses. But for larger businesses that send and receive a high number of messages, the [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) is the better choice. Use cases for WhatsApp Business include [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing), [sales](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service), which are the core of many businesses. But it can do so much more. If you use WhatsApp API, you can integrate your tech stack and connect it to your existing [CRMs](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) and e-commerce platforms. #### Instant Messenger For Business: Messenger [Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) shares many similarities with WhatsApp, other than being owned by Meta. It too has over [2 billion monthly active users](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/meta-reports-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2022-results-301736645.html) and has products for both small and large businesses. It also has a [global reach](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-6), especially in North America and Europe. You can leverage Facebook’s features to reach out to more customers. Businesses can engage with customers through [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-code#toc-mobile-6), [chat links](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads#toc-mobile-1), [chat widgets](https://respond.io/blog/add-messenger-to-website), [comments](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-for-customer-service#toc-mobile-3) and [ads](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads). These are all means to draw customers into a conversation with you to provide [sales assistance](https://respond.io/blog/messenger-sales) or [support](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-for-customer-service), or even [market your products or services](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-marketing). #### Instant Messenger For Business: Instagram Business Chat [Instagram Business Chat](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) is a powerful instant messaging app for a business looking to engage with their customers on Instagram. It has features like Reels, Stories, and Instagram Direct Messaging, with over [2 billion monthly active users worldwide](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-26/meta-s-instagram-users-reach-2-billion-closing-in-on-facebook). Instagram Business Accounts also provide businesses with the tools they need to increase brand awareness and sell their products or services on the platform. It supports insights into followers' demographics, highlights products in Stories with [Instagram Shop](https://business.instagram.com/shopping) and [runs ads on Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-instagram-direct-ads). You can choose an appropriate Instagram inbox for your needs depending on the number of messages you send and receive. In ascending order of message volumes, businesses can use the Instagram App Inbox, Meta Business Suite or Instagram Message API connected to a messaging inbox. #### Instant Messenger For Business: WeChat Official Account If your customer base is in China, then there’s one clear choice for you: [WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account). It holds a dominant position there with [80% of its population being active users](https://www.statista.com/topics/9085/wechat/#editorsPicks). And unlike other apps in this list, WeChat is more than just a messenger. It is also a social media, [payment](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-2) and even [ride-hailing](https://www.techinasia.com/wechat-21-million-taxi-rides-booked) platform. It has mini-programs that further add features and services when using the app. Basically, WeChat can be used anywhere in China for just about anything. Because of the app’s versatility, you can expand your business and create an e-commerce store to perform [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-crm#toc-mobile-6), [sales](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-wechat), payment and [support](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-customer-service) tasks all in one place. This makes it very convenient for your customers to do business with you. #### Instant Messenger For Business: Telegram [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-2) is known for its focus on privacy and security. It offers a secure instant messaging experience with end-to-end encryption for a business to communicate with customers. Unlike some of the other channels in this article, Telegram doesn’t have a dedicated business app. Instead, businesses can use a [Telegram bot](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-4) to create a branded Telegram account. However, the Telegram bot lacks an interface and needs to be connected to a messaging inbox like respond.io to send and receive messages, just like WhatsApp API and [Messenger API for Instagram](https://developers.facebook.com/products/messenger/messenger-api-instagram/). Businesses can host the entire customer journey with Telegram. It can [promote products with broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-broadcast), [qualify sales leads](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-crm#toc-mobile-7), [sell products](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-telegram), and even [collect payments](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-telegram#toc-mobile-4). #### Instant Messaging Platforms: LINE If you’re looking to create a presence in countries like Japan, Taiwan or Thailand, consider using a [LINE Business Account](https://respond.io/blog/line-business) to reach your customers. In these key markets, LINE is more than just an instant messaging app. It also has a [digital payment system](https://pay.line.me/portal/jp/main), a [ride-hailing service](https://linetaxi.com.tw/), a [cryptocurrency trader](https://www.bitmax.me/), an [advertising platform](https://www.linebiz.com/jp/service/line-ads/) and more. LINE’s versatility allows businesses to do [promotions](https://respond.io/blog/line-broadcast), [sell products and services](https://respond.io/blog/line-sales), [make payments](https://respond.io/blog/line-sales) on the app and [provide customer support](https://respond.io/blog/line-customer-service). #### Instant Messaging Platforms: Viber [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business) has over a billion users worldwide, with a strong presence in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Businesses can leverage this huge user base with either Viber Business Messages or Viber Chatbots to send transactional, promotional and conversational messages to customers. If you’re a large business that sends and receives a high volume of messages, [Viber Business Messages](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-4) is the way to go. A unique feature of the service is that SMS is used as a fallback when there isn’t an internet connection, so sent messages are almost guaranteed to be delivered. For small to medium-sized businesses, [Viber Chatbot](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-5) is the better choice. You get up to 10,000 free chatbot-initiated messages per month, but you’ll need to connect it to a messaging inbox as it doesn’t have a user interface. Keep in mind that using Viber Business Messages or the chatbot may [incur charges](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-6). New [chatbots created](https://help.respond.io/l/en/viber/viber#getting_a_viber_bot) after 05/02/2024 will need to pay for every chatbot-initiated message and a maintenance fee of EUR 100.00, per Viber’s updated [Chatbot Commercial Model](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/15247629658525). #### Respond.io: The All-In-One Instant Messaging Software Respond.io is a customer conversation management software that supports all the instant messaging channels listed above and more for your business. Its [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-ecommerce) allows businesses to manage all these channels in one place. It also offers features to improve performance and the customer experience. Examples of these features include [merging contacts](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) to create a single customer story across channels, [setting up broadcasts](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast) for multiple channels from a single broadcast builder, [automating tasks](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) like [routing](https://help.respond.io/inbound-conversations/route-new-and-returning-contacts) and [assigning contacts](https://help.respond.io/messages/assignment-and-closing-a-conversation) to agents, analyzing the performance of [agents](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-leaderboard) and [broadcasts](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-broadcasts) and more. Integrate channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm), [Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-crm), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-integration), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-crm) and others with [third-party software](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/integrations) like CRMs and e-commerce platforms. Businesses have access to popular software like [Salesforce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/salesforce), [Hubspot](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/hubspot), [Shopify](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify) and [Magento](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/ecommerce-integration-magento) among others. Respond.io can do all of this and more. It has the potential to improve the way your business interacts with customers and build brand loyalty in the long term. Now that you’re familiar with instant messaging platforms for customer communication let’s look at instant messaging apps for internal communication and collaboration. ### Instant Messaging Platforms: The 7 Best Apps for Internal Business Messaging Instant messengers aren’t just for communicating with customers; they are also crucial tools for communicating with colleagues. These instant messaging software also have other features that improve productivity and collaboration. Which is the best instant messaging app for your business? Here are the top 7 instant messaging platforms for internal communication. #### Slack [Slack](https://slack.com/about) is an instant messaging platform that enables real-time messaging, file sharing, and integrations with various business tools. It offers channels, private groups, and direct messaging for effective internal collaboration. There is a learning curve for new users, but once you get used to it, you can take advantage of features like a workflow builder and app integrations to boost your productivity. Best of all, it can be [integrated with respond.io](https://respond.io/blog/slack-notification-incoming-webhook) to consolidate internal and external communication. #### Microsoft Teams [Microsoft Teams](https://teams.microsoft.com/edustart) is a comprehensive collaboration platform integrated with the Microsoft 365 suite. It combines chat, video conferencing, file sharing and project management tools into one interface. Even external parties that work with your organization can join internal channels and groups to collaborate. As powerful of an instant messaging app Microsoft Teams can be for your business, it can be buggy and unreliable at times. In fact, there are so many issues that there’s a [list of common problems](https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/microsoft-teams-problems-how-fix-them/) and solutions to fix them. #### WeCom [WeCom](https://work.weixin.qq.com/) is the enterprise version of WeChat, offering secure communication for businesses. It has features like video calls, file sharing and integration with third-party apps. If you already use WeChat, you’ll feel right at home when using WeCom. What makes WeCom special is that it has office automation tools like attendance and approvals. Unfortunately, some WeCom features are not available in some languages or regions. So, to make full use of it, you need to be in mainland China and set the language to Simplified Chinese. #### Google Chats [Google Chat](https://chat.google.com/), previously called Hangouts Chat, is a communication service by Google. It offers group chats, Google Workspace integration and Spaces where tasks can be assigned and files can be shared. It can be accessed through their website, app or Gmail. However, there is a concern that Google might not maintain Google Chat for the long term. This is because Google has been known to [halt support](https://killedbygoogle.com/) for many of its products. #### Workplace from Meta [Workplace from Meta](https://www.workplace.com/), formerly known as Facebook Workplace, is very similar to an ordinary Facebook account but with additional features that are built for businesses, like video calls, group chats and integration with third-party apps. It also has unique features, like a Knowledge Library that stores key information all in one place, just like a company intranet. Unlike Meta’s other products, your data is not sold to advertisers. In fact, no ads are shown in Workplace. #### ProofHub [ProofHub](https://www.proofhub.com/) is an all-in-one project management and collaboration tool. You can draw up project plans, manage tasks and files, communicate with stakeholders and do so much more. It also has a simple pricing plan, charging you a flat fee regardless of the number of users you have. If your business relies on third-party apps, ProofHub might not support integration for the apps you use. If you do choose ProofHub, you should expect a steep learning curve before mastering it. #### Mattermost For technical teams that want a highly bespoke platform, look no further than [Mattermost](https://mattermost.com/). Open source by design, your team can tinker around with the source code to customize this instant messaging software in a way that no other app on this list can offer. There is a free plan for smaller teams, but this must be self-hosted, meaning you need to bear the costs of setting up and maintaining a server. Mattermost also offers cloud plans, but you’ll need to pay at least $10 per user per month. ### Which Should You Choose? Selecting the right instant messaging app for your business depends on your specific requirements, target audience and geographical focus. Whether it's for customer communication or team collaboration, the apps listed above offer a range of features and capabilities to suit various business needs. Assess your goals, consider the pros and cons and choose the instant messenger that aligns best with your organization's communication strategy. Ideally, the app you choose should be powerful and flexible enough to support both customer messaging and internal communication, like respond.io. This will consolidate your communication efforts and simplify things for you and your organization. ### Further Reading If you want to read more insightful articles like this, click on the links below: - WhatsApp Business API: The Ultimate Guide to WhatsApp API - WeChat Official Account: The WeChat Business Ultimate Guide - Telegram Business: The Ultimate Telegram for Business Guide ## [Interakt Review (2025): Key Features, Pricing & Best Alternatives](https:/respond.io/blog/interakt-review) Interakt is an affordable WhatsApp + Instagram Business CRM with AI Agents. It's great for SMBs, but it's limited in terms of automation, SLAs and scalability. Interakt started as a WhatsApp Business CRM for B2C businesses, but it recently expanded its range in 2025 to include Instagram and AI Agents via Haptik’s “AI for All” initiative.  It remains an attractive choice for small and medium businesses due to its affordability and quick setup. But growth-oriented B2C companies should closely evaluate its AI depth, automation limits and enterprise reliability before they commit to using Interakt. If you’re looking to scale, you’ll need a more robust solution. That’s where respond.io stands out. [Respond.io](http://respond.io) remains the more robust alternative for businesses wanting to scale, especially when you need more omnichannel support, enterprise SLAs and advanced automation. ### What is Interakt? Interakt calls itself a “WhatsApp full stack platform” Sales CRM, with emphasis on Instagram and AI Agents, designed to help businesses sell and support customers at scale. Its no-code chatbots, click-to-WhatsApp ads and broadcasts make it easy to automate outreach and drive conversions, while the shared inbox supports collaboration across teams. Other Interakt features include integrations with e-commerce platforms and CRMs and basic workflows and analytics. Interakt also claims “unlimited conversations” with no markup and supports large-scale notifications (e.g., “5M+ notifications in a single day”). For Shopify sellers, features like abandoned cart reminders and WhatsApp order confirmations help recover lost sales and improve customer retention. In short: Interakt positions itself as a low-barrier CRM platform for WhatsApp and Instagram, enhanced with chat automation and catalog commerce. ### Interakt review, at a glance | Category | Details | | --- | --- | | Verdict | 6.5/10 | | Best for | Small to medium businesses, early B2C businesses | | Interakt pricing | Affordable, with tiered plans available (Ranging from USD12 - 69 per month) | | Core Strength | Fast setup, supports WhatsApp and Instagram, offers AI Agent (via Haptik) and simple automations | | Primary Weaknesses | Lacks published SLAs, limited workflow automation depth and unclear AI maturity | | Best Interakt alternative: Respond.io | More suited for medium to large B2C businesses requiring scale, reliability and true omnichannel reach | ### Interakt review in average customer ratings & user feedback - G2:4.5/5 stars (63 reviews) - Capterra: 4.4/5 stars (12 reviews) - Trustpilot: 2.3/5 stars (6 reviews) #### Overall positive themes - Many users praise Interakt for its cost-effectiveness and ease of use of the platform. - The shared inbox and basic automation are commonly praised to be useful for small teams. #### Overall critical observations - The latest feedback dates back to 2024, with most feedback dating from 2022-2023 and no recent reviews found. - Some feedback points to limitations in analytics depth and advanced routing logic. - Some buyers express concern over complicated platform and automation setups, poor customer support, slowness and delays of messages and lack of transparency on uptime. Because Interakt is relatively new in its AI and Instagram expansion, detailed user reviews on those features are not available yet. #### Who is Interakt best for? - Small and medium businesses and startups that want to launch WhatsApp and Instagram messaging with minimal friction, based in India and emerging markets - Single or small-agent teams with light to moderate message volumes. - Founders or lean teams who want to utilize conversational engagement affordably. If your team expects to scale, manage multiple channels, or handle high messaging load, Interakt may only serve as a stepping stone. ### Interakt cost Interakt’s pricing is divided into two types of tiered plans, each offering three billing cycles: Monthly, Quarterly and Yearly. The Marketing & Support Hub is designed for teams that focus on customer engagement and support. It includes three plans (Starter, Growth and Advanced), with an Enterprise option available upon request. These plans are marketed with “unlimited agents”. Meanwhile, the Sales CRM is built for teams that prioritize lead tracking and sales pipeline management. It currently offers only a single Starter plan, making it more suitable for small sales teams or early-stage businesses. #### 1) Marketing & Support Hub | Plan | Price (monthly) | Interakt Key Features | | --- | --- | --- | | Starter | USD12 | Shared team inbox (Choose between WhatsApp or Instagram), Unlimited free conversations (within Meta limits), send bulk campaigns, Click to WhatsApp Ads, simple notifications and reminders | | Growth | USD55 | Includes everything in Starter plan, plus: Advanced campaigns, analytics tracking, basic chatbot builder, catalogs, integrations, webhooks and APIs | | Advanced | USD69 | Includes everything in Growth plan, plus: Advanced chatbot flows with branching, conditions and API calls and advanced webhooks | | Enterprise | On request | Includes everything in Advanced plan, plus: Unlimited custom fields, tags and events, personalised support, high rate limits and speeds, unlimited templates with no markup charges | #### 2) Sales CRM We can also note: - AI Agents (via Haptik) are a premium add-on, starting in a range of ₹10,000 (which is roughly around USD115) - Meta conversation fees (WhatsApp Business API charges) remain separate and applicable. Because overcharges, feature caps, or hidden constraints are common among WhatsApp CRM platforms, users should clarify with sales before deeper commitment. Additionally, if a business wants to use Interakt for both marketing and sales purposes, they’ll need to subscribe to both plans separately, which can increase costs over time. In contrast, respond.io combines all capabilities into a single plan, covering the full customer journey, from marketing and sales to support, without requiring multiple subscriptions. [Respond.io](http://respond.io)’s pricing starts at USD 99/month (Starter**)**, with higher tiers (Growth, Advanced, Enterprise) built around Monthly Active Contacts and user seats. Respond.io’s pricing model also focuses on usage, which becomes more predictable for scaling teams.   ### Interakt pros and cons #### Pros of Interakt features - Low barrier to entry & fast setup You can set up WhatsApp + Instagram messaging quickly, without heavy technical setup. - Shared team inbox & assignment Agents can handle messages collaboratively, with labels, filters and quick replies. - AI Agents via Haptik The integration with Haptik's AI Agent promises conversational automation, FAQ bots and lead funnel capabilities (still emerging). - WhatsApp sales CRM and commerce-friendly features Qualify leads with no code chatbots, sales pipeline management, shop and pay via chat, order reminders and notifications are part of the offering. #### Cons of Interakt features - Lack of channel coverage Interakt has expanded beyond WhatsApp to support Instagram messaging (including DMs and comments), but without broader channel coverage, growing teams may struggle to unify customer conversations across platforms. - Lack of public SLAs / uptime guarantees Unlike enterprise platforms, Interakt does not prominently publish reliability metrics or SLA commitments. - Limited workflow branching & flexibility For a more complex workflow branching, such as multi-step decision logic or conditional data-based triggers, Interakt’s workflow may not suffice. They also lack analytical depth. - AI maturity is early While AI Agents are a strong differentiator, Interakt AI Agents are still new. Their performance, fallback behavior and error handling are not yet tested at enterprise scale, so the uncertainty in depth and robustness is higher. - Scalability is unknown Handling very high concurrency, massive message and broadcast volumes, or data-intensive workflows may stress underlying infrastructure. ### How to use Interakt Interakt offers a free 14-day trial. Here’s a simplified flow to get started: 1. Connect your WhatsApp and Instagram Business accounts (via Meta API). 2. Import contacts or integrate your CRM (CSV or via connector). 3. Set up message templates, auto-replies and basic chat flows. 4. Set up and activate Interakt AI Agents (if applicable). 5. Invite your team agents. For lean teams with simple WhatsApp Business CRM needs, the whole setup is quick to put together. However, for more complex mid-market scenarios, you may have limited flexibility and may need a developer to fine-tune integrations and logic. While it’s easier for basic use cases, you may run into constraints when customizing behavior for more branches, high concurrency, or scaling your WhatsApp CRM. #### Interakt's scalability & limitations As usage grows, here’s where you want to validate for scaling your WhatsApp CRM: - Concurrency & message volume: You’ll need to stress-test if Interakt can scale when hundreds of agents and thousands of chats run in parallel. - Reliability & downtime guarantees not transparent: Without published SLAs, you’ll unlikely be able to tolerate risk or failure. - Workflow complexity ceilings: If your logic needs deeper conditional branching or multi-step flows, you may reach the limits sooner. - API and integration throughput: At scale, API latency and rate limits may surface. In short: Interakt is excellent as a cost-effective entry-level tool. However, due diligence is required when scaling teams. These dimensions should be thoroughly tested before committing to riskier projects. #### Quick-start features Interakt supports prebuilt WhatsApp message templates for promotions, reminders, order confirmations and more. They also offer basic workflow templates to get started quickly, such as lead generation and appointment bookings. While these templates are excellent for fast launch, the ability to deeply personalize or dynamically branch may be limited compared to enterprise-enabling platforms such as [respond.io](http://respond.io). ### Verdict If your business roadmap includes cross-channel engagement, higher concurrency, deeper automation and minimal downtime risk, respond.io is the natural next step**.** It offers omnichannel reach, mature AI, integration depth and enterprise-grade infrastructure. In short, start with Interakt if you’re small and budget-conscious, but plan for respond.io once your automation, volume and customer engagement needs expand.  ### Best Interakt alternatives (2025) If you’re a growing business evaluating beyond Interakt, here are the leading Interakt competitors you can consider: 1) [**Respond.io**](http://respond.io): Ideal for fast-growing businesses ready to scale. Unlike Interakt’s limited channel scope and entry-level automation, respond.io delivers a full omnichannel suite, enterprise SLAs and mature AI workflows that can handle large-scale customer engagement. - Connect across multiple channels: Reach customers seamlessly on WhatsApp, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, VOIP and more — all from a single unified platform. - Automate your conversations with customers using mature AI Agents that understand context, reference your business’s knowledge sources and respond naturally across channels. - Track and manage Contacts throughout every stage of your sales process with the Lifecycle feature on the shared inbox - Track conversation trends, agent performance and customer’s lifecycle journey to generate insights for management and improve team efficiency in the comprehensive Reports Module. 2) **Zoko**: Strong choice for WhatsApp commerce and Shopify integration, but lacks SLA transparency and can become costly as usage scales. Best suited for small Shopify-led businesses, not for enterprises. 3) **Sleekflow**: A regional platform with strong presence in Asia and solid stability for small businesses. However, its AI and automation capabilities are still developing, making it less suitable for teams looking to scale complex operations. When comparing Interakt alternatives, always question if the platform matches your needs in reach, reliability and automation. And when they don’t, in the Interakt vs [respond.io](http://respond.io) battle, it’s where respond.io “wins by default.” ### Interakt vs respond.io (2025 comparison table) | Category | Interakt (2025) | Respond.io | Takeaway | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Ideal Use Case | Small to medium businesses focused on WhatsApp and/or Instagram | Enterprise & growth B2C brands needing omnichannel reach B2Cs and enterprises that need a scalable customer conversations platform to manage high chat and call volumes with AI, deep automation, reporting, analytics and integrations. | Use Interakt if you’re a small business and Respond.io if you’re looking to scale | | Channels | WhatsApp + Instagram | Omnichannel (WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business Calling, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, email, Telegram, WeChat, VoIP, SMS and more) | Respond.io gives you future-proof flexibility | | AI & Automation | Haptik AI Agents + basic workflows | Mature AI Agent suite + advanced workflow logic | Respond.io is more robust and scalable | | Reliability / SLA | No public SLA | 99.999% uptime, enterprise-grade infrastructure | Lower operational risk with respond.io | | Integrations | 20+ native and API-powered integrations such as Shopify, WooCommerce and other CRMs | 40+ native & custom integrations including Zapier, Make, Hubspot, Salesforce and webhooks | Better flexibility with respond.io | | Support & Onboarding | Limited information, but only Growth and above plans offer assisted support | 24/5 live chat support and 24/7 AI chat. Onboarding is an add-on, along with scheduled customer calls | Stronger partner support for growth teams with respond.io | | Pricing | Attractive entry pricing, choose between two plan options with different subscription fees: 1) Marketing and Support Hub, or 2) Sales CRM | Predictable model based on usage tiers and MACs (Monthly Active Contacts) | Respond.io has better long-term value for scaling teams | Overall, [respond.io](http://respond.io) offers a better solution when scaling teams, including the main differentiators: true omnichannel inbox, AI Agent depth, 99.999% uptime, enterprise infrastructure, 24/5 live support and 24/7 AI support. ### Interakt review takeaways Interakt is an excellent start for small to medium businesses that want a reliable, low-cost entry into conversational CRM on WhatsApp and Instagram. Its strengths lie in cheaper pricing, quick setup, shared inbox and emerging AI, which makes it a smart choice for smaller teams. However, as your operations scale, especially for medium to large B2C businesses, its limitations become more visible. From the lack of published uptime SLAs to restricted workflow flexibility and limited scalability, these are areas that can impact long-term reliability and growth. For growing businesses that value long-term reliability and ROI, respond.io offers a stronger foundation to future-proof your conversational strategy. ### Further reading If you’ve found this article helpful, here are some more for you to check out: - Sleekflow vs Respond.io: 6 Key Features Compared - Which is Better? - Respond.io Alternative: 4 Respond.io Alternatives to Consider - Wati vs Respond.io: 6 Features Growing Businesses Need ## [Introducing Respond 3.0: A User-Centric, Beautiful Leap Forward](https:/respond.io/blog/respond-30) The best just got better. Respond 3.0 is on the way and it promises to make your experience of using respond.io better than ever. Since our inception in 2017, respond.io has been at the forefront of driving conversations between you and your customers. Now, we’ve taken the next step. We’re thrilled to announce Respond 3.0—a massive revamp and redesign of the platform. Learn why we updated respond.io, what’s new and how it benefits you. ### Why Are We Redesigning Respond.io? For the last six years, we have focused on one mission: Revolutionize how businesses communicate with customers to turn every conversation into an opportunity for lasting growth. We are inspired by a vision of a world where every business is just a message away and no conversation goes unanswered. To a great extent, we’ve succeeded. Respond.io now serves over 10,000 brands in 86 countries in multiple languages, powering customer conversations that drive revenue, customer satisfaction and business growth. We’ve done this through three promises we make to customers: Our technology leadership, uncompromising stability and collaboration with our customers to help them grow. We believe the best way to create a platform is to ensure it delivers the results you want. To do this, we work with you to solve real problems and needs through channels such as our feature request board, our customer success managers and more. Respond 3.0 was born from the conversations we’ve had and feedback we’ve gathered from you. Despite the reliability and rich features of the platform, we acknowledge the hurdles you face in using it. First, we wanted to make our platform easier than ever to use. We already created the most powerful platform possible, and now we’re making it easy to use. Second, we’re upgrading the platform's aesthetics so that it’s even better to look at and use. With these insights in mind, we're excited to unveil what's new in Respond 3.0. ### Respond 3.0 Kicks Off With a Gorgeous User Interface Respond 3.0 introduces a fresh look and feel that makes respond.io a pleasure to use even during long hours. Every component in this redesign is meticulously rethought to enhance your experience and efficiency. Overall, the new look and feel present a visually appealing interface. With a modern, welcoming design, it’s a joy to use. ### Inbox Module: Transforming the Way You Chat The Inbox Module, previously known as the Messages Module, has undergone significant enhancements designed to streamline your workflow and improve the efficiency of managing customer interactions. These updates are being rolled out in three stages, with each stage focusing on different aspects of the module. In the first update, we focused on making conversation management more intuitive. A Quick Actions menu now appears when you hover over a conversation card, allowing you to manage conversations without needing to open them. This feature reduces the number of clicks required to close, snooze, trigger Workflow shortcuts, or assign conversations, making your tasks faster and more efficient. We’ve also enhanced the visibility of closed and snoozed labels, allowing you to easily identify the status of your conversations at a glance. The search experience has been improved with persistent search categories, making it easier to refine your search and find the conversations you need. As part of our efforts to enhance your interaction speed, we’ve separated the Message and Comment Composers, ensuring clarity in communication. You can now easily distinguish between messaging a customer and leaving a comment. Additionally, we’ve reorganized the Taskbar to enhance visual clarity, with key features like the contact name now more prominently displayed. In the final stage of the update, we focused on simplifying contact management. The Contact Details Drawer has been improved with integrated tabs for Merge Suggestions and Channels, providing a more streamlined view. You can now manage duplicates more efficiently, with detailed information provided during the merge process. Channels are also better organized, and a new Copy button next to all contact fields enhances quick information sharing. ### Enjoy a Great User Experience with Respond 3.0 These updates are designed to provide a smoother, more intuitive experience, enabling quicker decisions and enhancing overall productivity. Shoutout to the customers who worked closely with us and provided valuable feedback, allowing us to design a great platform for real-world use. With Respond 3.0 now fully up and running, we’re excited about what’s next! Be among the first to hear how we’re accelerating marketing and revenue generation opportunities over chat by following us on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/respondio), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/respond.io) or [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/getrespondio/). ## [Is WhatsApp Secure? 4 Easy Ways to Protect Customer Data](https:/respond.io/blog/is-whatsapp-secure) Is WhatsApp secure? While the app itself is secure, we recommend following these best practices to keep customer data safe. If you’re doing business over WhatsApp, you may wonder, “Is WhatsApp secure?” Leaking personal information from leads and customers can do irreparable damage to your business’s reputation, so it’s vital to keep WhatsApp customer data secure. While WhatsApp itself is relatively secure for sending private information thanks to its end-to-end encryption, businesses must be vigilant in educating agents and limiting the data they have access to. We’ll show you four ways to do this. ### Keep Your WhatsApp Lead Data Secure: 4 Steps to Take Who has access to your lead data? When you’re doing sales over chat, it can be a challenge to keep this data secure on WhatsApp. Even if the chats are encrypted to outsiders, sales agents often have full access to leads’ names and phone numbers. There’s a risk they may use that information inappropriately. Personal identifiable information (PII) protection laws vary across countries, so you don’t want to take any risks. Leads and customers need confidence that any details shared with your business won’t be passed on to other parties. If you’re using WhatsApp, businesses can only send messages to [customers who consent to receive messages from them](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in). When a customer consents, they trust their contact details to remain with your company. How can you make sure their WhatsApp data remains secure? Follow these four best practices. #### 1\. Don’t Allow Sales Agents to Use Personal WhatsApp Accounts Is WhatsApp secure? Yes, WhatsApp conversations are [end-to-end encrypted](https://faq.whatsapp.com/820124435853543), so you don’t need to worry about someone hacking into chats with customers. However, information can be leaked in other ways. Many businesses allow salespeople to use personal WhatsApp accounts to do business. Salespeople get leads into their personal phones, so the company cannot control over what they do with that lead data. They may be spamming people or pursuing their own competing interests, and if they leave the company, they’ll take the lead data with them. Customer Success Manager Asher Phillips notes the risks of this: “Data privacy and security concerns would also arise from this, as there is next to no control over the spread of customer data - this would result in potential customers losing trust in the business and moving on to competitors.” #### 2\. Store Data in a Secure WhatsApp Platform So how do you keep WhatsApp secure in a single account rather than using personal WhatsApp accounts? We recommend using WhatsApp API with a conversation management platform that’s also [a WhatsApp BSP](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider#toc-mobile-1). This ensures that lead data stays within the company as all contacts come in through a single platform. However, when you’re using a third-party platform, you’ll also want to make sure that’s safe from hackers. When you’re [choosing a platform](https://respond.io/blog/secure-messaging#toc-mobile-10), check what cloud storage provider it uses and what security certification it has, if any. Storing data in the cloud offers considerable data protection. Note that the level of security depends entirely on the provider. For instance, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are some of the most reputable and safest providers. ISO certification demonstrates a platform’s commitment to security. The [ISO 27001:2022 certification](https://respond.io/blog/iso-certification), awarded by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), is a globally recognized standard that focuses on establishing, maintaining and continually improving a systematic data security risk management system. #### 3\. Use 2-Factor Authentication or Single Sign-On While having a shared inbox is more secure than using multiple WhatsApp accounts, human error also opens up your WhatsApp lead data to risks. It’s common for data breaches to occur because of easily-guessed passwords or sharing passwords. With 2-factor authentication, agents verify their identity with phone number or email so you can be sure only authorized persons have access to your lead data. Adding [single sign-on](https://respond.io/blog/november-2023-updates-respond-ai-agent-saml-single-sign-on-sso-improved-mobile-app-messaging-experience-and-more#toc-mobile-4) is an even more convenient and secure way to authenticate your agents. With this method, they can log in once with personal information like a one-time password, and then their device will be recognized so they can log in with just a click after that. That way, salespeople won’t need to worry about forgetting passwords. When they want to chat with a customer, all they need to do to log in is click, so you can be sure your business’s WhatsApp is secure. #### 4\. Protect Personally Identifiable Information with Masking However, no matter how secure your WhatsApp platform is and how strong your log-in authentication is, if many salespeople have access to customer information, there’s still a risk of leaks. With a conversation management platform, all agents have access to conversations. While this is a benefit for manager visibility and so that an available agent can quickly respond to any lead who comes in, it also opens up privacy concerns. When all agents can see contacts’ emails and phone numbers, they may potentially violate privacy and consent. Data misuse and legal concerns may arise, especially when agents are working remotely, so you’ll have doubts as to whether WhatsApp is secure. There may be similar issues to using personal WhatsApp as sales agents can steal lead data when they leave the company or use it for personal gain on the side. The solution to this? Use [email and phone number masking](https://respond.canny.io/changelog/enhanced-privacy-feature-for-enterprise-users) so that only certain individuals can see leads’ emails and phone numbers. All agents can see the messages in the inbox and respond to them, but they won’t have access to this sensitive information. With respond.io, enterprises have access to this feature, and it’s ideal for businesses with stringent privacy regulations. ### Ensure Customer Confidence by Securing Your WhatsApp Sales Data So, is your WhatsApp secure? Think about how many people in your company have access to WhatsApp lead information. Do you promise customers that their data will be secure? How do you guarantee this? Protect sales data by using a secure platform like [respond.io](http://respond.io/) to manage conversations and data from leads and limit the information salespeople have access to. While you may trust your agents, the fewer people who have access to sensitive information, the safer the information will be. ### Further Reading If you’re interested in learning more about keeping your WhatsApp conversations secure and compliant, check out the following articles: - How to Reverse and Avoid a WhatsApp Business Banned Account - All You Need to Know About Secure Messaging - WhatsApp Opt In: Getting Customers to Opt In WhatsApp ## [January 2023 Updates: Google Business Messages, Webhook Events and New Workflow Templates](https:/respond.io/blog/january-2023-updates-google-business-messages-webhook-events-and-new-workflow-templates) Prominent releases this month include Google Business Messages as a new channel on respond.io, webhook events and new Workflow templates > On **July 31, 2024**, [Google will deprecate Google Business Messages (GBM)](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/business-messages/resources/release-notes/update-on-gbm), ending the ability to send or receive messages. At [respond.io](http://respond.io/), we’re committed to keeping you connected with your customers. With GBM being phased out, now is the perfect time to transition to alternative channels like the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) to keep your customer conversations going. Learn more about making the switch [here](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). *Gong xi fa cai!* 🎆 Respond.io leaps into the Year of the Rabbit with three phenomenal releases. Check out the new Google Business Messages channel, webhook events for real-time information about respond.io events and 5 new Workflow templates as a shortcut to building automation. ### Enable Seamless Chats with Google Business Messages Google Business Messages is now a supported messaging channel on respond.io. 🥳 As Google Search is the most popular search engine in the world, its native business messaging feature is an important channel for customer communication. Previously, customers who looked up your business on Google Search had to take a few steps to start chatting with you. They had to click on your website and fill out an inquiry form or open your Facebook or Instagram Page to send you a message. Google Business Messages removes this friction so customers can reach you seamlessly through entry points like Google Search, Google Ads and Google Maps. Now, they can chat with you directly from the Google touchpoints they land on to inquire about product availability, check opening hours, make reservations and more. 💪 To get started, [create a Google Business Profile](https://support.google.com/business/answer/10514137?hl=en&ref_topic=10507023#zippy=%2Ccreate-a-business-profile-on-google). Then, [connect](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/connecting-channels) your Google Business Profile to respond.io to start receiving and responding to messages in your respond.io inbox. You can even add Google Business Messages as a standalone widget or as a channel in the [multichannel widget](https://respond.canny.io/changelog#:~:text=Grow%20Your%20Leads%20with%20Website%20Widgets) on your website through respond.io. Other supported functionalities for Google Business Messages include Workflows automation, Dialogflow, Zapier and API 2.0 to automate messages, streamline business processes and integrate with external applications. Feel free to [contact our support team](https://respond.io/contact) if you have questions about using Google Business Messages on respond.io. ### Stay Up to Date with Webhook Events Get real-time information on critical events happening on respond.io with the new webhook events feature. This allows you to use webhooks to trigger notifications or share information about specified events with other applications. The list of supported events includes: - New incoming or outgoing message - Conversation opened or closed - New Contact is added - Existing Contact is updated - Contact tag is updated - Contact assignee is updated - New comment is added for a Contact For instance, you can sync all messages on respond.io with your internal database by setting up webhooks to send all incoming and outgoing messages on respond.io to a desired destination. To get started, go to *Settings > Integration > Webhooks* and configure your webhooks. You'll be able to specify which events you'd like to receive notifications for and provide the URL (endpoint) where you'd like to receive these notifications. Learn more about webhooks and how to use them [here](https://help.respond.io/integrations/webhooks). The new Webhook feature is only available for **Business Plan** users and above. If you have any questions, please [contact our support team](https://respond.io/contact). ### Build Automation Quickly with New Workflow Templates Respond.io’s Workflows Module is designed for flexible no-code automation. Now, 5 new [Workflow templates](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#creating_a_new_workflow_from_a_selected_template) make building automation easier than ever. The new templates comprise: - Chat Menu - Shift Transfer - Issue Escalation - Send CSAT and save data to Google Sheets - Send CSAT and save data to Data Warehouse This way, you can quickly automate and implement crucial business processes. Keep an eye out for more templates to come that will support an even wider variety of use cases. ## [July 2023 Updates: New Message Search, WhatsApp BSP Improvements, Make Integration and More](https:/respond.io/blog/july-2023-updates-enhanced-messaging-search-whatsapp-bsp-improvements-make-integration-and-more) July 2023 was packed with new updates across our platform. Explore the improved search capabilities in the Messages Module, WhatsApp BSP improvements, the new Make integration and more! July 2023 was packed with a plethora of new updates and enhancements across our platform, from highly-requested search capabilities to improvements across the platform, all while working on getting our [ISO 27001:2022 certification](https://respond.io/blog/iso-certification). 🥳 Let's dive in and explore the exciting changes we have in store for you! ### Improved Search Capabilities in the Messages Module By popular demand, we’ve enhanced the Messages Module with three new features and a minor improvement that will help customer-facing agents work more efficiently. Let’s take a closer look at these updates. #### Search Messages and Comments in Your Contact List This [highly requested](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request/p/search-search-in-messages-module) feature, search for messages and comments, is here! With our new intuitive filters, agents can effortlessly find relevant messages and comments from the Messages Module. By just remembering one or a few keywords mentioned during a conversation with a Contact, agents can search for and locate them easily. #### Search Messages in a Conversation Previously, agents had to scroll through the entire conversation history with a customer to find past messages. To simplify this process, we've added a search bar to the Conversation Actions menu, making it faster and easier for agents to locate specific messages. #### New Inbox Filter: All Status Up until now, Conversations in the respond.io inbox could only be filtered by Open, Closed or Snoozed statuses. This made it difficult for agents to efficiently search for messages, comments or contacts as they had to search for a message within each status individually. To provide more flexibility, we've introduced an All Status filter. This filter allows you to view all conversations in your Contact List, regardless of Conversation status. This handy filter is now set as the default option for your convenience. #### Collapsible View of Contact Events Conversation Events provide respond.io Users with information about the activities that are happening in a Conversation with a Contact. However, an influx of Conversation Events can sometimes clutter the chat interface. To address this, we've implemented a collapsible toggle list to group seven or more events triggered in sequence. This ensures a cleaner view while retaining essential information. ### WhatsApp BSP Improvements Since becoming a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP), we’ve been releasing new features that add value to respond.io WhatsApp Business API. Our recent updates focus on refining WhatsApp Message Template functionalities, with a few extra surprises thrown in. #### Location-based Message Template The new Location-based Message Template is here! With this, businesses can now share location information with customers via a Message Template easily. For example, healthcare companies can use it to direct a customer to the nearest center, while shipping companies can use it to confirm a delivery location. Note that this feature is supported for the following WhatsApp BSPs: Respond.io and Vonage, as well as WhatsApp Cloud API. #### Message Template Labels and Label Search Filter Previously, you could not label your Message Templates to categorize them for your convenience. Now, you have the ability to add one or more labels to both new and existing Message Templates. This new update allows you to easily filter and search for templates based on specific labels. #### Message Template Status Auto Sync Previously, you couldn’t view the updated status of your Message Template in real time. For instance, when you submitted a Message Template to Meta for approval, you had to manually click on the *Sync Templates* button to get the latest approval status. This action was overlooked at times, resulting in users having outdated information about their Message Template status. This will no longer be an issue for respond.io WhatsApp Business API users as their Message Templates are now automatically synced and the latest status will be reflected on the platform. #### Edit and Delete Message Templates Previously, Users couldn’t edit and delete Message Templates directly on respond.io. If they wanted to edit an existing template, they had to delete the template from Meta Business Manager (now known as the Meta Business Portfolio) and create a new one from scratch. For convenience, you can now edit the content of approved, rejected or paused Message Templates directly on respond.io. Once edited, they can be resubmitted to Meta for approval. Additionally, you can also delete Message Templates easily on the platform. Note that these features are only available for respond.io WhatsApp Business API and WhatsApp Cloud API users. #### View Message Template Quality While in the past businesses needed to visit Meta Business Manager to check their Message Template quality, it is now possible to view it in respond.io’s Message Template manager. This way, you can view the quality rating of each Message Template and improve Message Templates of medium or low quality. #### Quick Access to Recently Used Message Templates To streamline your messaging experience and save you time, we have introduced a list of recently utilized Message Templates within the Messages Modules. Click on the Send Message Template button in the Message Composer to view the last 10 templates used. This enhancement simplifies your search process and ensures quick access to frequently used templates. #### New WABA Profile Field: About Respond.io WhatsApp Business API and Cloud API users can now update the About section of their WhatsApp Business Account profile on respond.io. This section should be a clear and concise description of your business. Customers will see the About section under your profile image, phone number and contact buttons. #### Auto Sync WABA Phone Number and Name We have added an improvement to ensure that your Contacts see your most up-to-date WhatsApp phone number and name. Once you update these items in Meta WhatsApp Manager and they are approved, they will automatically sync with respond.io. ### New Make Integration The new native [Make](http://make.com/) (formerly Integromat) integration is now available on respond.io! 🥳  Here’s your ticket to building more comprehensive automation with over 1,300 apps on Make and any other app with an open API. Check out the changes below. #### New Triggers Previously, the Make integration with respond.io did not support any triggers. These are the respond.io triggers you can now use: - New incoming or outgoing message - Conversation opened or closed - New contact is added - Existing contact is updated - Contact tag is updated - Contact assignee is updated - New comment is added for a Contact These triggers allow for a variety of use cases. For example, *New contact is added* can be used to upload new respond.io contacts to a CRM. Similarly, you could automatically transfer comments from respond.io to your sales CRM with the trigger *New Comment is added for a Contact.* #### New Actions The previous Make integration also had a limited number of actions that could be performed. The new integration supports a host of new actions to choose from, including: - Find a contact - Update assignee - Delete a contact - Add a comment - Open or close conversation - Get all the closing notes And many more! To explore all the available triggers and actions, check out the respond.io and Make [integration page](https://www.make.com/en/integrations/respond-io). #### New Templates To help you get started with popular applications such as HubSpot, Shopify, WooCommerce and Pipedrive, we have created a list of readymade Make and respond.io templates[.](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/integrations) Here are some examples: - Send a customer a message via respond.io for new Shopify orders - Add a tag to a contact if they are added to a specified list in HubSpot - Add a note to the contact in Pipedrive when their respond.io conversation is closed These are just a few of the things you can now do. Explore the Make integration to experience the full benefits of this update. ### Minor Feature Improvements Now that we’ve explored all the major improvements, let's look at some minor updates that will take your experience on our platform to new heights. #### New Workflow Question Type: Location Now, businesses can request a customer’s location with the *Ask a Question* Workflow Step, enabling customers to effortlessly share their location in a few clicks. If you have channels like email and SMS that do not support the sending of location messages, customers will need to provide their location in longitude and latitude format. #### Clone Button for Branch Conditions in Workflows To streamline your Workflow creation, you can now use the new *Clone* button for Branch conditions. This allows you to create Workflows even faster by duplicating existing Branch conditions, saving you time and effort. #### Visual Error Display When Deleting a Branch Containing Jump Step When you need to delete a Branch that contains a Jump Step, a blinking indicator will precisely point out the Jump Step that is preventing the deletion. With this visual indicator, you can quickly identify any conflict when building your Workflow and take appropriate action to resolve it. #### Broadcast Details Drawer and Webhook Payload Improvements To enhance transparency and provide valuable insights into your broadcasts, we've made improvements to the [Broadcast Details Drawer](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/managing-broadcasts). Now, you can easily access information about your broadcasts through helpful tooltips. Simply hover over the tooltips to gain information on the [type of contacts targeted](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#whats_app_sms_and_custom_channel), broadcast recipients and the total number of broadcast messages. Furthermore, we've also introduced the "eventType" field in our Webhooks payloads to provide better classification and organization of Webhook data. Learn more about this update [here](https://developers.respond.io/docs/webhooks/lwocem4sq812x-overview). ### Mobile App Improvements Since the release of our new mobile app a few months ago, we've received positive responses and couldn't be more grateful for your support. Building on that success, we've made improvements to enhance your mobile app experience further. #### Enhanced Accessibility with Keyboard Shortcuts Previously, agents had to manually tap on the [Snippets](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/snippets), [Dynamic Variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) and [Mentions](https://help.respond.io/mobile-app/managing-notifications-on-your-mobile#viewing_comments_that_you_have_been_mentioned) icons to initiate their respective actions. We’ve now introduced intuitive keyboard shortcuts to make accessing them more convenient. You can use the same shortcuts you would use on the platform. Once you input the shortcut symbols, a list of Snippets, Dynamic Variables and Users will be shown directly above the Message Composer. This allows you to effortlessly access and use them while engaging with customers. #### Send Location-based WhatsApp Message Template to Customers Following the [WhatsApp BSP improvements](https://respond.canny.io/changelog/latest-additions-to-whatsapp-message-templates-more) we mentioned earlier, you can now share location information with customers using the Location-based Message Template on the respond.io mobile app. Simply select the Location Template from the list of approved Message Templates and enter your location details, including coordinates. It’s as easy as that! Note that you have to first create a Message Template with a location header and get it approved on the respond.io desktop app or browser. ### Simplified Technical Issue Reporting To make reporting bugs easier and more efficient, we've introduced a *Report a Bug* button to our web app. This button can be easily accessed from the Help Center located on the side navigation menu of our web application. Whenever you encounter any issues while using respond.io, click on the button and provide essential details about the bug. Then, our system will automatically capture pertinent information to expedite the resolution process. ## [June 2023 Updates: The New Respond.io Mobile App, Improved Email Experience, New Workflow Templates and More](https:/respond.io/blog/the-new-respondio-mobile-app-improved-email-experience-new-workflow-templates-and-more) The June 2023 newsletter is packed with updates, from the new respond.io — Inbox mobile app to revamped experiences for email and Workflow Templates. Get the full scoop here! As always, it’s been an action-packed month for the respond.io team. We were awarded [three new badges](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/respondio_respondio-earns-3-new-g2-badges-over-activity-7076800846071549952-evNv?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop) on B2B software platform G2, including Best Estimated ROI in Customer Communication Management. 🏆 Plus, we’re now on [Threads](https://www.threads.net/@respond.io)! Give us a follow for quality memes and insightful articles on business messaging. And now, let’s show you what we’ve been up to, from the new respond.io mobile app to redesigned experiences for email and Workflow Templates. ### Chat on the Go with Respond.io's New Mobile App At long last, respond.io has a new mobile app! 🥳 Get ready for a great messaging experience that lets you connect with customers anytime and anywhere. This initial release is centered on the agents who rely on respond.io to read and respond to messages on every channel. Let’s run through the features that make the new app reliable, efficient and easy to navigate. #### Connect with Customers Anytime and Anywhere The Messages Module is still our top priority. The app opens directly to this module and displays your Contact list, which changes according to your selected inbox. You can create a new Contact, switch between Team, Custom and Shared inboxes via the sidebar, as well as filter, search by Contacts or sort messages to find a Contact or conversation. The same messaging flexibility and convenience you enjoy on desktop are available on the app so you can chat, collaborate and launch automation easily. Among others, the app allows you to: - Assign Contacts to an agent - Send Snippets, voice notes or files such as invoices, catalogs or guides - Tag colleagues in Comments - Start a Workflow via Shortcuts - Personalize messages with Dynamic Variables - Snooze or close conversations with closing notes - Enable or disable a Dialogflow Bot - View or edit a Contact’s details In other words, you can deliver the same customer experience on the go as you could on desktop. #### Configure Your Notifications and Settings for a Tailored Mobile Experience Create the respond.io experience you want. The Settings menu for the initial release focuses on personal settings, allowing you to edit your user profile and status, switch Workspaces, change your password, or update your mobile notification preferences. While the notification setting in the Settings menu allows you to adjust your alerts and push notifications, the type of notifications you receive are configured in the Notification Center. Here, your notifications are organized into New, Archived and All Notifications. This essentially allows you to treat the center as a task list: Archive notifications that don’t require action, so you only see items you need to follow up on. Get the full details about the mobile app in the respond.io [Help Center](https://help.respond.io/mobile-app). More features will be launched soon and you can help us prioritize your needs by [requesting or upvoting new features](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request?search=mobile%2520app). For access to additional features in the meantime, use respond.io via the web browser on your phone or desktop. Ready to make your respond.io experience mobile? Download the new app now by searching for “respond.io - Inbox” in the [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) or [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io). To create a new account, sign up for a respond.io account on the desktop to get started. Update your device software to the latest version (Android 10 and above, iOS 16 and above) for an optimal user experience. Please report any issues you encounter while using the in-app bug report button or [contact our support team](https://respond.io/contact) with any inquiries. ### Improved Email Experience on Respond.io You wanted a better email experience, and we delivered. Respond.io is now optimized for email, giving you the same experience of sending emails as your native email channel. Check out some of the improvements below. #### Better Email Management and Formatting Previously, achieving the same formatting as native email channels was not possible on respond.io. For instance, emails received on respond.io’s Messages Module didn't include the email subject, which made it challenging for agents to identify which email they were replying to. Additionally, on the customer's side, replies were not organized in the same thread within their inbox and instead appeared as new emails. Now, you can: - See email subjects in your Messages Module to reply to specific emails. - Use the Email Composer to compose and format emails according to your preference, just like in your native email channel. - Ensure your emails retain the formatting you apply, allowing contacts to view them exactly as you intended. - CC and BCC stakeholders in all emails or on an ad hoc basis How’s that for a more natural email experience? #### Improved Brand Recognition and Credibility Here’s another pressing issue we solved. Before, customers couldn’t instantly recognize emails from your business as the sender’s email address was displayed in the customer’s inbox instead of the sender’s name and organization. This often led to customers doubting the legitimacy of the email, resulting in them ignoring you or marking your emails as spam. To avoid this, you can now specify the sender’s and your company’s name in Settings so customers can immediately identify you in their inbox or email notifications. You can also add a custom signature with your company details to enhance brand presence and establish credibility. #### Compose and Send Emails Automatically with Workflows Previously, there was no option to include an email subject when sending emails using the Workflows Module. Now that respond.io mirrors your native email channel experience, you can apply similar formatting when automating emails using Workflows. To maintain consistency across all emails sent from respond.io, you can compose and format your email using the [Send a Message Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_send_a_message) in the Workflows Module and ensure the sender’s name & email signature are included in all emails sent using Workflows. ### All About Workflow Templates Firstly, the Workflow Templates page has undergone a complete revamp! 🏗️ We’ve replaced the previous icon-based templates with visually representative images that indicate the purpose of each template so you can identify and locate your desired template at a glance. Need a template that aligns with your specific business processes? We've got you covered! You can now submit your template request. Just scroll to the bottom of the Workflow Templates page and fill in your request. Now, let’s take a look at what’s new in terms of templates. #### New Workflow Template Preview Page Previously, the only way to understand a Workflow Template was to go through its setup in the Workflow builder and not only understand how it worked but also imagine how this could be applied to your specific use case. Now, we've added a new Workflow Template preview page tp provide insights into the Workflow’s functionality and its benefits. Best of all, you can get a full preview of the Workflow before creating it. To use a template, click the "Use Template" button at the top of the preview page. #### Expanded Workflow Templates Collection In addition to the enhancements mentioned above, we're excited to introduce new Workflow Templates. 🥳 Check out the four new templates we’ve added to our collection: - Request Consent: Privacy: Obtain privacy consent from contacts to ensure compliance and mitigate potential conflicts. - Routing: VIP Contacts: Identify VIP contacts from your data warehouse and create personalized customer journeys for them. - Routing: New & Returning Contacts: Distinguish between new and returning Contacts when they start a conversation to send them on different customer journeys. - Mark Contact as Spam: This Shortcut-triggered template labels fake or inauthentic Contacts as Spam and closes the conversation Ready to automate more business processes? Give the new template browser and selections a try. 💪 ### More Flexibility and Precision with These Workflow Improvements Templates aren’t the only Workflow elements to get an upgrade. We’ve also improved niggling issues and added new functionalities for greater flexibility and precision when using Workflows. #### Message Failure Branch for Send a Message and Ask a Question Steps In the past, when a message failed to send during the Workflow's *Send a Message* or *Ask a Question* Steps, the Contact would exit the Workflow. To prevent this, we have introduced a new Failure Branch for the *Send a Message* and *Ask a Question* Steps. To activate the Failure Branch, navigate to the Advanced Settings section of your *Send a Message* or *Ask a Question* Step and toggle on the option *Add Message Failure Branch*. Now you can tailor your Workflow to handle scenarios in which messages are unable to be sent. This ensures Contacts receive the necessary attention, instead of having them exit the Workflow and wonder why you’re not responding. #### Date & Time Step Improvements Previously, when configuring business hours in the *Date & Time* Step, the maximum allowed end time was 23:59. This resulted in a one-minute gap between 23:59 and 00:00. For businesses that operate until midnight or overnight, this caused a one-minute Workflow disruption when transitioning to the next day. Now, you can select 00:00 as the end time while also choosing 00:00 as the start time for the following day. As a result, Workflows can run uninterrupted throughout operating hours. #### New Workflow Trigger Variables We have added 19 additional Trigger variables to enhance the *Conversation Opened* and *Conversation Closed* Workflow Triggers, providing you with plenty of new possibilities for your Workflows. The new Trigger variables include $conversation.category, $conversation.summary, $conversation.assignee\_team, $conversation.first\_assignee and more. To view all the available Trigger variables, [visit our Help Center](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables#workflow_trigger_variables). ### New Search Functions for Segments and Inboxes Check out these two highly-requested updates: New search functions to make searching for Segments and Inboxes easier than ever. Searching for a specific Segment in the Contacts Module can be a hassle, especially when there are numerous Segments to go through. To address this, we’ve added a search function to the Segment list. Just enter a keyword or Segment name in the new search bar and it should pop up. Finding the Inbox you want in a crowded Inbox sidebar is also time-consuming. No more scrolling through the entire sidebar: The new Inbox search function enables you to locate any Team or Custom Inbox quickly. Simply enter the Inbox name, and voila! These updates should make day-to-day tasks that much quicker, giving you more time to focus on the work that truly matters. ### New Indicator for Images and Files that are Converted to Links When you send images or files that exceed a Channel’s size limits, they will be converted into links and sent to the Contact. Previously, these images and files were displayed in their full form in the Messages Module, but were converted to links on the customer’s end. This resulted in a discrepancy between what agents and customers see. To align this behavior so agents can see the exact message a contact receives, images and files that exceed a Channel’s size limits will now be displayed as links in the Messages Module. ## [Kommo vs Manychat vs Respond.io: Which is the Best Messaging Platform?](https:/respond.io/blog/kommo-vs-manychat) Kommo vs Manychat vs Respond.io: Compare features, pricing, and support to find the best messaging platform for your business needs. Choosing the right customer conversation management platform can be overwhelming. How do you know which one is right for your business? Kommo vs Manychat vs respond.io, which one works for you out of the box and offers reliable support when needed? If you're here, you're likely seeking clarity on your options. Free trials help, but evaluating multiple platforms thoroughly takes time and rarely reveals the full picture. The right platform helps you avoid wasting time and money on the wrong solution. Fortunately for you, we’ve tested all three platforms and put together a comprehensive comparison to help you make an informed decision. Without further ado, let’s dive right in! ### Quick Comparison: Kommo vs Manychat vs Respond.io All three platforms might seem similar on the surface, but have different specialties. Kommo (formerly known as amoCRM) is a customer relationship manager (CRM) with messaging capabilities. [Manychat](https://respond.io/blog/manychat-alternative) focuses on social media and automation, with a strong emphasis on Instagram and TikTok. Respond.io sits in the middle as a customer conversation platform with CRM-like features for managing relationships. Here’s a quick TL;DR for those of you needing a quick answer: **Kommo:** Best for businesses seeking a CRM-first solution with messaging capabilities. CRM users will find its leads-focused experience familiar, but the interface feels outdated next to modern chat platforms. **Manychat:** Ideal for small businesses focused on conversational marketing over social media. It’s easy to set up, specializes in Instagram and TikTok and offers a free plan suited for solo entrepreneurs and small online businesses. Best for those prioritizing full chat automation, as it lacks features to assist agents with live customer interactions. **Respond.io:** The go-to omnichannel platform for businesses utilizing chat-driven sales, with support for major channels like WhatsApp, Messenger and TikTok. With features like WhatsApp Business Calling API and VoIP, click-to-chat ads support, automation, AI agents and customer journey tracking, it’s an all-in-one platform for businesses to capture leads, convert and retain customers over conversations. **Kommo vs Manychat vs Respond.io: Table of Comparison** | | Kommo | Manychat | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Channels Supported | WhatsApp, Instagram, Apple Messages, Facebook Messenger, Viber, Skype, Telegram, WeChat | WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, TikTok, SMS, Email | WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, Viber, WeChat, SMS, Email, LINE, Webchat, VoIP, Custom | | Automation & AI | No-code automation, automatic responses, AI suggestions and assistance, AI training | No-code automation, automatic responses, helpful AI tools | Advanced no-code automation, advanced automatic responses, AI agents and AI-assisted features | | Integrations | Ecommerce platforms, live chat and other messengers, online forms, VoIP, online automation tools, payment gateways, | Third-party platforms including ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, and Google Sheets | CRMs (Salesforce, HubSpot), online automation tools (Zapier, Make), Google Sheets, webhooks, Custom APIs | | Multichannel Broadcast | WhatsApp, Instagram, Apple Messages, Facebook Messenger, Viber, Skype, Telegram, WeChat | WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, SMS, Email | WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, LINE, Viber, Telegram, SMS | | Reporting | Win-Loss analysis, consolidated lead reports, activity log, call, goal reports | Basic analytics for automations, customer interactions, limited agent performance metrics | In-depth analytics for conversation resolutions, broadcast performance, agent performance | | Platform Stability | No public data | No public data | 99.9996% uptime | | Customer Support | Only during office hours over webchat, WhatsApp, Facebook, SMS, contact form, email and phone | Only during office hours, ticketing system and forums. Email support for higher tiers | 24/5 multilingual live support, 24/7 AI chat support, scheduled success calls | | Free Plan | 14-day free trial | Available with limited features | 7-day free trial | | Starting Price | $15/month | $15/month | $79/month | While the table provides a quick overview, choosing the right platform requires careful consideration. Let’s dive into a detailed comparison. ### A detailed comparison: Kommo vs Manychat vs Respond.io for Marketing and Sales Every business has different needs when it comes to managing marketing and sales conversations. The right platform depends on your workflows, existing tech stack and whether you prioritize simplicity or advanced features. In this section, we’ll compare how each platform supports these areas to help you find the best fit. #### Omnichannel Messaging When choosing a platform, it’s important to ensure it supports the messaging channels your business relies on –whether that's WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Email, LINE, or others. The ideal channels will vary based on your business and where your customers are. Managing conversations across multiple platforms can quickly become messy. With chats and contacts spread out, it’s easy to lose track of conversations, create inefficiencies, or worse – send the wrong information to the wrong person. A unified platform brings all your chats together, giving agents full context and conversation history across channels. This not only streamlines operations but also creates a smoother, more consistent experience for your customers. Here’s how the different platforms compare: | | Kommo | Manychat | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Channels | WhatsApp, Instagram, Apple Messages, Facebook Messenger, Viber, Skype, Telegram, WeChat | WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, TikTok, SMS, Email | WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, Viber, WeChat, SMS, Email, LINE, Webchat, VoIP, Custom | | Custom Channels | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | | Contact Merge | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | **Kommo** supports popular channels like WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, Instagram, and more. It also offers contact merge to combine conversations and remove duplicates. However, it keeps email separate from instant messaging chats, creating a clear distinction between the two channels. **Manychat** supports Instagram, TikTok, Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS and email. However, it lacks support for less common channels like LINE or Viber. It's a good fit for businesses focused on these core channels but may feel limiting if you plan to expand your reach. **Respond.io** offers true omnichannel messaging, supporting [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [Messenger](https://help.respond.io/l/en/facebook-messenger), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-business), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business), [SMS](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms), [TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-business-messaging-now-on-respondio), [email](https://help.respond.io/l/en/email/email-overview) and more. With [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts), it consolidates customer profiles and conversations across channels to provide full context in every interaction. Respond.io also gets early access to revolutionary features like [VoIP-CRM integrations](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration) for Telnyx, WhatsApp calls and Messenger calls. Calls can be transcribed so your business has a full view of customer conversations over voice as well as chat. With omnichannel support covered, let’s see how these platforms help your business grow. #### Capturing Leads Before you can chat with customers, you need effective ways to capture their information. Whether through offline methods, click-to-chat ads, or website chat widgets, each platform offers different tools to help. Here’s how they compare: | | Kommo | Manychat | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Click to Chat Ads | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | QR Codes | ✅ (WhatsApp) | ✅ | ✅ | | Website Widgets | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Fully Customizable Widgets | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Omnichannel Widgets | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Lead Tracking | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | **Kommo** supports Meta click-to-chat ads to bring new leads into your pipeline, but its outreach features lean more traditional, relying on forms, SMS and phone calls. **ManyChat** offers click-to-chat ads and QR codes to spark conversations and capture leads. It also provides website widgets, though customization options are limited, which may be restrictive if you need more control over the user experience. **Respond.io** stands out with fully customizable [omnichannel website widgets](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget), allowing you to capture and engage leads directly from your website, regardless of the channel they come from. Combined with [click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads), QR codes and broad multichannel support, respond.io offers a powerful solution for lead capture across every touchpoint. Plus, its Lifecycle feature ensures every lead is properly tracked and nurtured with the right messages at the right time. Now, let’s look at how the three platforms automate and utilize AI. #### Converting Leads with Automation, AI and Chatbot Solutions Automation and Artificial Intelligence is all the rage right now and for a very good reason. These tools enable all businesses to improve their customer experience in ways that weren’t possible many years ago. From automatically answering FAQs to workload delegation and offering round-the-clock customer support (with a smaller workforce), they have changed the face of businesses forever. Let’s have a look at each platform’s automation and AI capabilities. | | Kommo | Manychat | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | No-Code Automation | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | AI Agent | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | AI Assisted Messaging | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Knowledge Training | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Automated Smart Triggers | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | **Kommo** offers a straightforward no-code automation builder powered by its Salesbot, along with AI-assisted tools like auto-replies and custom knowledge training. Its workflow builder is basic, making it sufficient for simple processes, but businesses with more complex automation needs may find it limiting. **Manychat** provides a no-code automation builder for simple workflows, complemented by AI tools like AI Text Improver for message tweaking and translation. The AI Flow Builder Assistant simplifies automation setup with guided questions, while triggers enable actions based on user events like appointment reminders. Manychat’s AI lacks custom knowledge training, meaning you’ll need to rely on third-party chatbots to provide more relevant responses to your customers. **Respond.io**’s [AI Agent](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents) handles customer conversations automatically, replying instantly by both chat and voice 24/7 and routing chats to the right team. It also updates contact fields and lifecycle stages on its own, while pulling accurate answers from your knowledge sources. You can [create agents for multiple roles](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents#step-3-review-and-customize-your-ai-agent-optional) like receptionist, sales or support from templates. The AI agents can handle these specialized tasks and assign conversations to a human agent or another AI agent as needed. [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/l/en/inbox/using-ai-assist) generates editable responses based on chat history, while [AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/l/en/inbox/using-ai-assist) help translate messages, adjust tone, fix typos and simplify text. At the same time, your [sales AI Agent](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent) automatically handle routine inquiries and provide instant replies. Respond.io’s knowledge training feature further enhances accuracy by incorporating FAQs, PDFs, and other documents. Respond.io takes automation to the next level with a no-code drag-and-drop builder built for complex workflows across multiple channels. It easily manages advanced tasks like chat routing, case escalations, and shift management. Meanwhile, [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflow-triggers) enable personalized messaging triggered by customer actions on platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, powered through integrations with Zapier, Make, or webhooks. While automation and AI are great for efficiency, what about integrations? #### Integrations and CRM System Compatibility Integrations are a key part of any customer conversation management platform since messaging alone rarely covers all your operational needs. If you already have a tech stack in place, your platform should integrate seamlessly with minimal disruption. While third-party tools like Zapier and Make can bridge gaps, native integrations with your most-used tools offer better stability, faster performance, stronger security, cost savings, easier setup and deeper functionality. | | Kommo | Manychat | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | CRMs | Zendesk, Pyrus | HubSpot | HubSpot, Salesforce | | Webhooks | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Google Sheets | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Online Automation Tools | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | **Kommo** doesn’t offer many native integrations with other CRMs – understandably, since it functions as a CRM itself. However, this limitation can be overcome with automation tools like Make, Zapier, and Pabbly. Beyond that, Kommo provides a wide range of native integrations with other apps, including payment services, ecommerce platforms and more. **Manychat** offers a limited selection of native integrations, complemented by its integration marketplace for connecting with popular third-party tools. When additional functionality is needed, automation platforms like Zapier and Make can help bridge the gaps. While sufficient for basic needs, businesses with more complex workflows may find the options somewhat restrictive. **Respond.io** integrates with Salesforce and Hubspot CRMs natively while others can be integrated through online automation tools, allowing you to manage all customer interactions in one place while ensuring your CRM data stays up to date. With integrations covered, let’s dive into how these platforms deal with broadcasts. #### Retain Customers with Broadcast It’s well known that [retaining existing customers is more cost-effective than acquiring new ones](https://hbr.org/2014/10/the-value-of-keeping-the-right-customers). Keeping your audience engaged with timely, relevant promotional messages is key to maintaining strong customer relationships and driving repeat business. With features like multichannel support, triggered broadcasts, and detailed analytics, these platforms help ensure your messages reach the right audience at the right time, building loyalty and long-term engagement. | | Kommo | Manychat | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Broadcast Channels | WhatsApp, Instagram, Apple Messages, Facebook Messenger, Viber, Skype, Telegram, WeChat | WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, SMS, Email | WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, LINE, Viber, Telegram, SMS | | Broadcast Analytics | ✅ (Sent) | ✅ (Sent, Delivered, Opened, Clicked) | ✅ (Delivery, Reads, Failures, Channel-specific Filters) | | Triggered Broadcast | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | **Kommo** supports broadcasting across popular channels, with the option to automate messages based on specific triggers. However, its broadcast analytics are fairly basic and may not provide the full insights needed to evaluate campaign performance. **Manychat** supports broadcasts across WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, SMS and email, offering broad channel coverage for businesses. However, its analytics are limited to basic metrics like Sent, Delivered, and Clicked. While this may be sufficient for smaller campaigns, it could be restrictive for businesses that need deeper insights into audience behavior. **Respond.io** steps things up by enabling businesses to broadcast across a wide range of channels, including WhatsApp, Messenger, Viber, LINE and SMS thanks to its [**Broadcast Module**](https://help.respond.io/l/en/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview). You can also [**segment audiences**](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts/segments) to deliver targeted messages, ensuring each broadcast reaches the right group. To complement this, the [**Reports Module**](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) provides detailed analytics, allowing you to track message delivery, reads, and failures across all channels, with filters for date ranges and channel-specific performance to identify what’s working and what isn’t. Next, let’s take a look at the analytics behind the conversations. #### Reports & Analytics Making data-driven decisions is essential – without clear insights, it’s impossible to know whether to scale your efforts or change direction. That’s why access to reliable analytics is crucial. Let’s see how each platform helps you track performance. | | Kommo | Manychat | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Conversion Tracking | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Agent Performance Analytics | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Custom Reports and Dashboards | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Data Export | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | **Kommo** offers a comprehensive suite of reports, including win-loss analysis, consolidated lead reports, activity logs and call and goal tracking to give you a clearer view of your operations. It also has a handy dashboard that’s fully customizable to show you the widgets you need. **Manychat** provides four key analytics tools: workflow performance tracking, conversion monitoring, agent activity analysis, and an insights dashboard. It also tracks message delivery, opens, and clicks, with the option to set up custom conversion events to measure chatbot performance. To enhance marketing analytics, Manychat Pixel (similar to [Facebook Pixel](https://www.facebook.com/government-nonprofits/blog/the-facebook-pixel#:~:text=The%20Facebook%20pixel%20is%20a,people%20take%20on%20your%20website.)) tracks conversions from chatbot interactions on your website. However, agent analytics are only available with the Inbox Pro plan, which may limit insights for some businesses. **Respond.io’s** [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) delivers clear insights into team performance, customer interactions, and engagement. It includes reports on [Conversations](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting/reports-conversations), [Resolutions](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting/reports-resolutions), [Agent Leaderboards](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting/reports-leaderboard) and [Lifecycle](https://respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-lifecycle), allowing businesses to track customer journeys, monitor chat resolution efficiency, team effectiveness and more. For managers, the [Dashboard](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting/dashboard) provides real-time insights to monitor team activity and support data-driven decisions. With filtering options, CSV exports and historical data views, it’s a powerful tool for optimizing workflows and driving continuous improvement, making it an ideal choice for businesses that rely on actionable analytics. Now that we’ve covered the features, how do these platforms compare when it comes to user experience? ### Kommo vs Manychat vs Respond.io: Ease of Use While features are important, they’re only part of the equation. Just as critical is how easy those features are to set up, access and use in daily operations. Let’s see how Kommo, Manychat and respond.io compare when it comes to onboarding, usability, and mobile functionality. | | Kommo | Manychat | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Help Center & Support | ✅ Comprehensive help center with articles | ✅ Comprehensive help center with articles | ✅ Comprehensive help center with articles | | Onboarding Process | Easy to get started, but some tools are hidden in menus, CRM-focused experience | Easy sign-up, intuitive and modern chat-first interface | Easy sign-up, intuitive and modern chat-first interface | | Quickstart Guide | Checklist to connect channels, set up templates, workflows, pipelines and invite teammates | No on-platform welcome sequence, but there are many tutorial videos and resources available | Onboarding tutorial for messaging, channel connection, workflows, broadcasts and team setup | | Mobile App | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Mobile Functionality | Allows users to manage CRM, messages and sales pipeline | Manage conversations, contact data, tags, sequences and custom field values | Full chat management, message and call handling, and workflow execution | **Kommo** is simple enough to sign up and get started, but its UI/UX feels outdated and unintuitive. Many features are buried in menus and its traditional CRM feel may be a drawback for users who prefer a modern, chat-centric experience. **Manychat** is easy to sign up for with an Instagram or Facebook account, but setting up with Telegram and email requires a few extra steps. There’s no built-in quickstart or welcome guide, though plenty of third-party tutorials are available online. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy to navigate and explore, even without formal onboarding. **Respond.io** offers a straightforward sign-up process with a modern, intuitive design. Its helpful onboarding guides you through setup quickly, while the extensive help center provides answers to any questions that come up along the way. Of course, a great user experience only matters if the platform is reliable and help is available when you need it. Let’s see how Kommo, Manychat, and respond.io compare in terms of stability and customer support. ### Kommo vs Manychat vs Respond.io: Platform Stability and Customer Support No matter how feature-rich or affordable a platform is, it won’t deliver value if it’s unreliable or support isn’t there when you need it. Consistent performance and responsive customer service are essential to keeping your business running without disruption. #### Kommo vs Manychat vs Respond.io**:** Platform Stability When customer conversations are nonstop, your platform needs to perform reliably – even during peak traffic and high-demand moments, without slowing down or crashing. | | Kommo | Manychat | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Performance During High Traffic | ⚠️ (No uptime guarantee) | ⚠️ (No uptime guarantee) | ✅ | | Uptime Guarantee | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (99.9996% uptime) | **Kommo** does not offer an official uptime guarantee, and its status page frequently reports issues, raising concerns about long-term reliability. While users often report bugs and slow customer support, stability is rarely mentioned as a major issue in reviews. **Manychat** performs well for day-to-day use and is a reliable option for small-sized businesses. It handles regular traffic without issue, but it has no formal uptime guarantee or publicly available performance data. Additionally, online reports suggest that users occasionally encounter bugs and platform instability. **Respond.io** stands out with its impressive [99.9996% uptime](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/respondio_probability-of-rare-events-activity-7211637359765831681-h4Cw?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop), delivering reliable performance whether you're managing daily conversations or running high-traffic campaigns. With this level of stability, you can focus on growing customer relationships and your business—without worrying about technical disruptions. With stability checked off, the next question is whether help is available when you need it. Let’s compare their customer support. #### Kommo vs Manychat vs Respond.io: Customer Support Strong customer support is essential to keeping your business running smoothly. When problems arise, having fast, reliable assistance can make all the difference - keeping your team productive and your customers satisfied. | | Kommo | Manychat | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Priority Support | ✅ (All plans treated equally) | ⚠️ (Only for higher plans) | ✅ (All plans treated equally) | | Customer Success Managers | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Multilingual Support | ✅ | ❌ (Only English) | ✅ | | Live Chat Support | ⚠️ (Only during business hours) | ⚠️ (Only during business hours and for higher plans) | ✅ (24/5 Live Chat and Call Support, 24/7 AI support) | **Kommo** offers live chat support during office hours, which may be inconvenient if you're in a different time zone. However, all users receive equal support regardless of their plan. Additional assistance is available through email, contact forms, and instant messaging for asynchronous communication. **Manychat** offers 24/7 ticket support with priority for higher plans, though response times aren’t guaranteed. This may work for small businesses, but the email system can feel slow and impersonal for urgent issues. Support quality has been reported as mixed, but higher-tier plans include Customer Success Managers for more personalized assistance. **Respond.io** provides 24/5 live chat and call support to all plans in multiple languages (English, Arabic, Chinese, and Spanish), with AI support available on weekends. For businesses seeking more hands-on guidance, higher-tier plans include dedicated Customer Success Managers to resolve issues and help teams succeed. Finally, one of the most critical factors to consider is pricing. Let’s explore how each platform scales with your business and whether the costs align with the value they provide. ### Kommo vs Manychat vs Respond.io: Pricing Cost is always a key consideration when choosing software, especially for growing businesses. You need a pricing model that’s clear, predictable and free of surprise fees. The right platform should scale with your business, providing the features you need without straining your budget. #### Kommo vs Manychat vs Respond.io**:** Entry-level Plans For small businesses or teams of fewer than 10, an affordable, feature-rich plan is essential. Entry-level pricing should cover the core tools needed to manage messaging operations without added complexity or hidden costs. While each platform offers different features, flexibility, and channel support at the base level, which one delivers the best value? | | Kommo (Base Plan) | Manychat (Pro Plan) | Respond.io (Starter Plan) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Free Plan | Comprehensive 14-day trial | Yes | Comprehensive 7-day trial | | Starting Price | $15/month | $15/month | $79/month | | Channels Supported | WhatsApp, Instagram, Apple Messages, Facebook Messenger, Viber, Skype, Telegram, WeChat | WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, TikTok, SMS, Email | WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, Viber, WeChat, SMS, Email, LINE, Webchat, VoIP | | Seats Included | 1 Seat | 3 Seats | 5 Seats | **Kommo** offers a 14-day trial to explore its full range of features. After that, pricing starts at $15/month per user. While this is manageable for small teams, costs can add up quickly as your team grows. However, Kommo does allow you to add free users with limited functionality, which can help manage fees. **Manychat** offers a free plan that's ideal for businesses just getting started, with support for WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram. However, it’s limited to 1,000 contacts and 3 users. To unlock more advanced features, you'll need to upgrade to the Pro plan, which starts at $15/month and scales based on your contact list size. **Respond.io** starts at $79/month with its Starter plan, which includes 5 user seats and unlimited monthly active contacts. It’s a solid choice for businesses that don’t require advanced tools like Workflows and AI Agents from the start. While there’s no free plan, the 7-day trial provides full access to its core features, so you can test the platform before committing. #### Kommo vs Manychat vs Respond.io**:** Higher-Tier Plans Once you’re ready to scale, the right pricing plan should grow with your business without overcomplicating things. These plans come packed with features and tools designed for larger operations. | | Kommo (Advanced Plan) | Kommo (Enterprise Plan) | Manychat (Elite Plan) | Respond.io (Growth Plan) | Respond.io (Advanced Plan) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Pricing | $25/month | $45/month | Contact for pricing | $159/month | $279/month | | Advanced Automation | Advanced workflows | Advanced workflows, AI-driven automation | Advanced automations but requires additional fees for additional tools | Advanced workflows, AI-driven automation | Advanced workflows, AI-driven automation | | Broadcast Channels | WhatsApp, Instagram, Apple Messages, Facebook Messenger, Viber, Skype, Telegram, WeChat | WhatsApp, Instagram, Apple Messages, Facebook Messenger, Viber, Skype, Telegram, WeChat | WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, SMS, Email | WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, LINE, Viber, Telegram, SMS | WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, LINE, Viber, Telegram, SMS | | Customer Support | Multilingual live chat support only during business hours | Multilingual live chat support only during business hours | Only during business hours and for higher plans | 24/5 multilingual support across all plans and customer success manager, 24/7 AI chat support | 24/5 multilingual support across all plans and customer success manager, 24/7 AI chat support | | Seats Included | 1 Seat | 1 Seat | Unlimited | 10 Seats | 10 Seats | | Additional Seats | $25/month per User | $45/month per User | N/A | Additional Users at $20/month | Additional Users at $24/month | **Kommo’s** Advanced and Enterprise plans are designed for larger businesses needing advanced workflows and AI capabilities. However, its per-user pricing of $25 or $45/month can quickly add up—reaching $250 or $450/month for a 10-user team, compared to respond.io’s $159/month. If budget is a concern, consider whether your team can operate efficiently with a mix of paid and free users. **Manychat’s** Elite Plan offers advanced automation and customization, but you’ll need to contact sales to get pricing. This makes it tricky to gauge whether it fits your budget. You get unlimited user seats, which is a plus for growing teams, but expect higher costs as your contact base expands. **Respond.io’s** Growth and Advanced Plans offer straightforward, transparent pricing. The Growth plan comes in at $159/month, while the Advanced plan sits at $279/month. Both include advanced workflows, [**AI Agents**](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/step-ai-agent), multiple workspaces, single sign-on (SSO) and [**webhooks**](https://developers.respond.io/docs/webhooks/lwocem4sq812x-overview). You also get 10 seats included, with the option to add more users, making it ideal for teams looking for a scalable, feature-rich solution. ### Kommo vs Manychat vs Respond.io: Which One is for You? Now that you know how the platforms compare, which one is the best fit for your business? **Kommo**: Ideal if you want a CRM-first experience with a wide range of native integrations. Just be mindful of how costs can add up with additional paid users and consider whether a mix of paid and free seats works for your team. **Manychat**: A strong choice for small businesses focused on chat-based sales and social media marketing, particularly on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Its free and entry-level plans make it a great option for getting started. **Respond.io**: Best suited for businesses seeking a chat-first platform with CRM-like capabilities. With features like WhatsApp Business Calling API, native integrations with HubSpot and Salesforce and robust lead tracking with [Lifecycle](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle), it’s a flexible solution built for growth. While all three platforms offer value, **respond.io** stands out for businesses needing transparent pricing, advanced AI and automation and true omnichannel support to keep conversations flowing, no matter where they start. It’s designed for teams of any size, with the flexibility to scale as your business grows. With clear pricing, multilingual support, and no hidden fees, you can focus on what matters most—turning prospects into loyal customers and keeping your existing ones engaged. But what truly sets respond.io apart is its vision. More than just another tool, it’s a complete [framework](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth) designed to help you capture more leads and drive long-term sales through meaningful conversations. Ready to take your communication strategy to the next level? Discover how respond.io can reshape your operations today by [signing up](https://app.respond.io/user/register) for a free trial. ### Further Reading If you found this post helpful, you might also enjoy these related articles: - Respond.io Alternative: 4 Respond.io Alternatives to Consider - An Advanced Sleekflow Alternative for Large Businesses - Manychat vs Chatfuel vs Respond.io: Which One Wins? - Conversation-Led Growth: Where Conversations Drive Business Results ## [Lead Capture to Boost Your Opportunities for Conversion [July 2024]](https:/respond.io/blog/lead-capture) Increase your lead generating capabilities through conversations to boost your opportunities for conversion Are you finding it hard to capture leads? Do you want to attract more customers? You’ve come to the right place. By using our Conversation-Led Growth Framework, you’ll attract more customers via conversations to drive conversions. In this blog, we’ll cover what it means to capture conversations to generate leads, its benefits and how to lead capture. ### What is Conversation-Led Growth? After years of helping more than 10,000 brands, we’ve developed the [Conversation-Led Growth Framework](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth). The idea is that every conversation is an opportunity for businesses to engage, delight and convert customers. Whether it’s a chat initiated by a curious first-time visitor or a query from a long-standing customer, each conversation is a chance to grow your business. It aims to address major pain points that businesses face. Among these pain points is that businesses find it difficult to effectively respond to, resolve and generate business results from all conversations. To address this issue, we’ve developed a Conversation Cycle to maximize conversational opportunities and efficiently turn each conversation into a business result. It touches on three stages: - Capture: How can we capture and generate leads by attracting conversations? - Automate: How can we automate parts of the conversation or conversation process? - Converse: How can human agents be empowered during conversations? When taken as a whole, it will be easier to manage and leverage conversations to generate tangible business outcomes. In this blog, we’ll focus on the first stage. ### What is Lead Capture? Lead capture refers to the process of gathering information about prospects that show interest in a product, service or brand. This is a crucial step in the sales and marketing funnel, as it marks the beginning of a relationship between a business and its prospects. Capturing leads involves collecting contact details and other relevant information through various methods and touchpoints, including [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-business), [WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account) and more. This enables businesses to engage with customers. ### Why Should You Capture Leads? Capturing leads is a pivotal step in the bridge between initial customer interest and eventual sales success. It’s a fundamental component of a successful sales and marketing strategy. According to Jaroslav Kudritsky, COO of respond.io, by effectively capturing leads, businesses lay the groundwork for a structured engagement strategy, transforming casual interest into concrete sales opportunities. This process enables businesses to build a database of prospects that can be nurtured through the sales funnel toward conversion. Here are the key benefits of capturing leads. #### Lead Capture: Find Your Target Audience Captured lead data provides a solid foundation for making informed decisions. Businesses gain valuable information about potential customers, including their preferences, needs, and behavior. This data leads to more effective and focused marketing campaigns, ensuring the right message reaches the right audience. Ultimately, segmenting your audience will increase the likelihood of conversion. The results from each campaign will guide future marketing strategies and sales approaches to: - better target potential customers - refine campaign messaging - optimize resource allocation - improve overall conversion rates The effect of segmenting your target audience can lead to an increase in the number of sales. Let’s look at that next. #### Lead Capture: Boost Your Revenue “The more leads you capture, the more opportunities you have to converse and convert them to close sales,” said Jaroslav. This is especially true with customers who express a high intent to purchase, which presents immediate sales opportunities. By identifying and acting upon hot leads, businesses can directly increase sales in a shorter span of time. So, are you ready to reap these benefits? Then, let’s see how you can capture leads. ### How Can You Get More Leads? Diversifying your lead capture strategies across various channels is essential to effectively broadening your customer base and driving business growth. This means not limiting your efforts to just one platform. Attract leads through conversations on your website and social media. This even bridges the gap between offline and online interactions. By tapping into these different areas, you position your business to capture the attention of potential customers wherever they may be, catering to their preferences and behaviors in a manner that's both engaging and convenient for them. Let’s take a look at these channels. #### How to Capture Leads On Your Website As the digital storefront for your business, your website is often the first point of contact for potential customers. Customers who land on your website are interested in your brand or offerings. Here are the ways you can capture leads from websites: **Chat Widgets**: [Widgets](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) appear on every page of your site to provide an immediate way for customers to ask questions or get help, mirroring the discussed focus on meeting customers where their interest is piqued. **Chat links and buttons**: Similar to chat widgets, [chat links and buttons](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales#toc-mobile-7) direct customers to your preferred messaging channel. The difference is that they can be configured to deliver a pre-written message to inform the sales agent of the customer’s interest without further inquiries. It’s an easy way to get quality lead capture. **Lead magnets**: They address specific questions, challenges or interests your customers may have. Examples of [lead magnets](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast-vs-group#toc-mobile-7) are discounts, membership offers and ebooks. “Keep in mind not every customer who lands on your site will want to talk to you. It really depends on the type of business and website you run,” said Jaroslav. For example, a customer who lands in an e-commerce store just wants to buy something. On the other hand, someone who lands on a tailor’s website would like to talk to an agent for consultation and booking. #### How to Capture Leads On Social Media Social media platforms are where your customers spend a significant portion of their time. Engaging them here is not just beneficial but necessary for capturing conversations in their natural digital habitats. **Click-to-chat ads**: These [ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-lead-generation#toc-mobile-4) appear on social media feeds, directly initiating chats from [social media ads](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads) to WhatsApp, [Messenger](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4nVNt08xmY) or [Instagram](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VT2AIZ31fk). You can target ads to a specific target audience to maximize the number of customers who start conversations with you. **Social profile chat links and buttons**: By incorporating [chat links or buttons](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-lead-generation#toc-mobile-5) on social profiles, businesses make it easier for customers to reach out to them. Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow you to place a WhatsApp button to make it easier for customers to reach out to you. #### How to Capture Leads From Offline to Online “If your business relies on foot traffic, you can still capture leads through conversations. Businesses that regularly attend trade shows or exhibitions stand to gain a lot,” said Jaroslav. By placing [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-lead-generation#toc-mobile-5) around your booths and the event, you offer customers a way to reach you via messaging apps quickly while their interest is high. You can even capture leads at tradeshows by attracting them using lead magnets to capture and start a conversation with them. So, you know about the what, why and how of capturing leads through conversations. But if you’re not convinced, read on to learn how businesses have benefited from this through respond.io. ### Businesses Win Big When Using Respond.io Respond.io is a leading AI-powered customer conversation management software designed to maximize lead capture. Many of our customers have used our platform with great results. Let’s see how respond.io has helped them. #### Sleek Increased Lead Capture by 3X [Sleek](https://respond.io/customers/how-sleek-gained-3x-more-qualified-leads-over-whatsapp) added [WhatsApp chat links](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-for-instagram) and [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code) to its website to drive inquiries. Prospects who click or scan these enter a WhatsApp chat with Sleek’s agents. Driving web traffic to WhatsApp enabled automatic and high-quality lead capturing. This is because WhatsApp enables businesses to capture contacts’ WhatsApp profile names and authentic phone numbers. The result of using chat links and QR codes netted Sleek a three times increase in leads generated. #### Jagoan Grew Its Customer Base As prospective customers browse through [Jagoan Hosting’s](https://respond.io/customers/how-jagoan-hosting-raised-productivity-by-52-percent) website to see if it meets their needs, it uses web chat to address inquiries they might have. The addition of a [web chat widget](https://help.respond.io/l/en/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview) on their landing pages and respond.io’s efficiency allowed agents to handle a higher volume of conversations than before, thanks to the improved lead capture. This allowed the brand to focus on growing its customer base and providing exceptional service to members. There’s so much that businesses can accomplish to capture leads through conversations with respond.io. This is just a small preview of what our platform can do. If you want to boost your lead generation capabilities, sign up for a [free respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) today. ### Further Reading If you want to learn more about Conversation-Led Growth or marketing-related blogs, check these articles out: - Conversation-Led Growth: Where Conversations Drive Business Results - WhatsApp Marketing: Guide to a Successful WhatsApp Campaign - WhatsApp Lead Generation: How to Use WhatsApp to Get More Leads ## [LINE Auto Reply: How to Set Up Auto Reply LINE](https:/respond.io/blog/line-auto-reply) Want to learn how to set up LINE auto reply for your business? Here, we’ll explain what auto reply LINE is, its benefits, how to set one up and sample messages that you can use. Interested in learning how to set up LINE auto reply for your business? In this article, we’ll explain what auto reply on LINE is, the benefits of using a LINE chat auto reply and finally, how to set one up for your business. ### What is LINE Auto Reply? LINE auto reply is a feature that allows you to send automated responses when customers message you on LINE. This feature enables you to answer your customers 24/7 even if you’re not available at that moment. The auto-reply feature is not available with a regular LINE account. Instead, you need a [LINE Official Account](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account) app to send auto-response messages. There are two common types of auto-reply messages: - Greeting messages: Automated messages sent to your customers when they first message you - Away messages: Automated responses sent to customers when you can't attend to them right away In the next section, we’ll share the benefits of using auto replies for your businesses. ### Why Use Auto Reply on LINE When you’re using an [instant messaging app](https://respond.io/blog/instant-messaging-for-business) like LINE to communicate with customers, they [expect immediate replies](https://respond.io/blog/business-messaging#toc-mobile-1). Unfortunately, most businesses don’t operate around the clock due to a lack of manpower and limited hours of operation. To solve this issue, LINE has rolled out the auto-reply feature to help businesses manage their customers’ expectations. Now, businesses can inform customers of their availability by including operating hours and expected response time in the message. The drop in response time can have a [positive impact on customers’ satisfaction](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) as customers value businesses that deliver prompt responses. It reassures them that their messages have been received. You can make a strong first impression by automating welcome messages. If a customer is contacting you for the first time, they’ll be greeted with a timely and friendly response. Add a [pre-chat survey](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) right after the welcome or away message to collect customers’ information to give agents context about the inquiries before responding. Now that you understand what an auto reply is, let’s take a look at how to set up LINE auto replies. ### How to Set Up LINE Chat Auto Reply There are three methods businesses can use to set up automated responses to customers who send them a message on LINE. - LINE Official Account App - LINE Official Account Manager - Respond.io’s omnichannel messaging inbox Let’s take a look at all the different methods below. #### How to Set Up Auto Reply on LINE Official Account App Unlike [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) where you can only send text-based auto-reply messages, LINE allows you to choose [other types of messaging mediums](https://lineforbusiness.com/th-en/service/line-oa-features): Text, sticker, photo, coupon, rich message, rich video message, video, voice message, surveys and card-based messages. You have the freedom to choose other messaging mediums like video to welcome customers. Another benefit of using the auto-reply feature on the LINE Official Account app is that you can add up to five messages within a single auto reply. This means, in addition to your video, you can complement it by adding a sticker, a coupon, a welcome text and a survey in your auto reply. Here’s the step-by-step to set it up: On your LINE Official Account app homepage, tap *Auto-response messages*. Then, tap the *\+ Add* button and select the types of messages you want to create on the Auto-response messages page. Here, you have the option to craft your message, upload a photo or video, send a voice message, draft up a survey or create a coupon. The possibilities are endless! To add another message, simply tap the *\+ Add* button again. Once you’re done, tap Next. Next, give your auto-reply message a title. The titles are only for your reference, so name them according to how you want them. For example, if it’s a greeting message, you can simply name it Welcome Message. Turn the toggle button on for *Scheduling*. Choose the timezone that you’re in. Then, select either *Dates* or *Time* to schedule your message. Do note that if you select *Dates*, you won’t be able to schedule the time for your auto-reply messages and vice versa. The LINE Official Account’s auto-reply feature also allows you to have the option to add keywords for your auto-reply message. Enabling keywords allows your message to be sent automatically when a customer sends a message containing a 100% match. For example, if you've set *menu* as a keyword for your auto reply and a customer’s message contains the word *menu*, the auto-response message will be sent to the customer Do note that each keyword can only be 30 characters or less and you can add as many keywords as you want, as long as they’re related to the auto-reply. Once you’re done, tap Save to publish your auto reply. Next, we’ll take a look at how to set up auto reply on the LINE Official Account Manager. #### How to Set Up LINE Auto Reply on LINE Official Account Manager Similar to the LINE Official Account app, you can mix and match the different types of mediums when you create an auto-response message on the LINE Official Account Manager, and you can create up to 5 messages too. Follow the instructions below: 1\. **Click** *Automatic-response messages* on the left panel of your LINE Official Account Manager homepage. 2\. **Click** *New message* to create your LINE chat auto reply. 3\. **Give** your auto-reply message a title. 4\. **Check** ***S****cheduling* to set either the dates or times of your scheduling. Don’t forget to select the correct time zone. 5\. **Check** *Use keywords* and enter your keywords in the box below. 6\. **Select** the types of message formats and begin crafting your messages. Finally, click *Save changes* and you’re done. On the LINE Official Account Manager, you have the option to turn your auto-response message on and off. If you want to turn off your auto-reply, head to the *Auto-response message* page, find the status column and turn the toggle off. In the next section, we’ll show you the steps to set up LINE auto-reply messages on respond.io. #### How to Set Up LINE Auto Reply on Respond.io While both the LINE Official Account Manager and app give you the freedom to choose the type of formats that you desire, they’re limited to automating greeting and away messages. If you’re looking for more advanced automation, then you need a messaging platform like respond.io. Here, you can customize and automate responses based on customers’ inquiries, [route](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assign](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) customers to the right team or agent, and use [HTTP requests](https://respond.io/blog/february-2022-release-new-workflows-steps-new-navigation-and-messaging-module-design-custom-channel-integration-and-bits-and-bobs#toc-mobile-4) to exchange contact information with your CRM. Once you’ve [connected your LINE Official Account to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/line#connecting_a_line_official_account), follow the instructions below to set up both welcome and away messages for your business using [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/automated-welcome-and-away-messages). 1\. **Click** Workflows on the side navigation menu and click on *Add Workflow*. 2\. **Set** the Workflow Trigger to Conversation Opened. 3\. **Add** the [Date & Time](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_date_time) [Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_date_time) to set your business hours. Messages sent during business hours will fall into the Success Branch, while messages sent after business hours will go into Failure Branch. 4\. **Click** on the + button under the Success and Failure Branches to add a *Send A Message* Step. Make sure you select LINE as your channel. 5\. **Draft** your greeting message in the text field for the Success Branch and your away message in the Failure Branch. 6\. **Add** the [Ask a Question](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_ask_a_question) [Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_ask_a_question) to get customers’ information so you can contact them when you’re back online. The responses can be saved as [Variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables), [Contact Fields](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/contact-fields) or [Tags](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-details#tags) to be used in other parts of the Workflow. Once you’re done, save and publish it. And those are the steps to setting up LINE auto reply for your business. In the next section, we’ll go through some auto-reply message examples businesses can use for different scenarios. ### LINE Chat Auto Reply Message Samples Businesses can use LINE auto reply for various scenarios – general welcome messages, away messages, holiday greeting messages, business update messages and lead capture messages. Each has its way of engaging with customers and driving their desired actions. Check out some of these LINE auto-reply message samples that you can use to reply to your customers. #### General Welcome Want to make a strong first impression with your customers? Welcome messages help you build rapport with prospects, ease them into your brand and win trust. Here are some welcome message templates to help you craft your message effectively. 1\. “Greetings from \[business name\]. How may I help you today?” 2\. “Hi! Thank you for your message. Sit tight and let us process your inquiry. We’ll be in touch with you soon.” 3\. “Hello! Thank you for becoming a part of \[business name\]! We’re so happy to have you here.” #### Away Messages Away messages are a convenient way to reply to customers’ messages after business hours. Here’s a list of away messages you can use to inform customers that you’re unavailable: 1\. “Hello there 👋 thank you for your message. We’re currently unavailable but we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.” 2\. “Dear customer, our business hours are \[time\] to \[time\]. Please expect a response within that time frame.” 3\. “Thank you for contacting \[business name\], we’re away for a company trip from \[date\] to \[date\]. We will get back to you when we’re back on the \[date\].” #### Holiday Greetings Closed for the holidays? Set an auto-reply message to inform customers about your availability and don’t forget to assure them that you’ll reply to their messages when you’re back. Here are some LINE holiday greeting messages for your reference below: 1\. “Wishing you a holly, jolly Christmas🎄 Thank you for your message, but we’re away on holiday from \[date\] to \[date\]. We’ll get back to you when we’re back on \[date\]. Cheers!” 2\. “Happy New Year from \[business name\] 🎊 How may we help you today?” 3\. “Happy Valentine’s Day! We’re busy packing bouquets at the moment, but we’ll get back to you within xx hours. Kind regards, \[business name\].” #### Business Updates Businesses can also use LINE auto-reply messages to update customers on unusual events or developments, such as service interruptions or delayed responses during peak periods. Below are some message samples: 1\. “Thank you for your message. We apologize for the service outage and for any inconvenience caused to you. Our team is working hard to fix the issue ASAP. Thank you for your patience 🙏” 2\. “Hi there. We’re experiencing a high volume of messages and are doing our best to reply as soon as possible. We’ll be in touch with you within 24 hours.” 3\. “Hello! Thank you for writing in. Our services are currently down. We're working on quickly resolving this issue. Meanwhile, check our status page for the latest updates: \[link\].” #### Lead Capture Elevate your auto-reply message by requesting customers’ contact details. This is a great opportunity for you to turn prospective customers into LINE contacts. Here are some examples you can use for your business: 1\. “Hello! Thank you for your message, but we are currently unavailable. Please leave your name and email address, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.” 2\. “Hi! We are currently out of the office. Please share your full name and email address below. We will get back to you soon.” 3\. “Thank you for getting in touch! Can we get your name and email address before we proceed?” Now you know the benefits of using LINE auto reply to elevate your business communications and the steps to set it up, it’s time to [connect your LINE account to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/line) to get started. ### Further Reading Want to know more about how LINE can benefit your business? We’ve compiled a list of articles for you to read here: - How to Generate LINE QR code - How to Send LINE Push Notifications - Your Guide to Sending Broadcast LINE Messages ## [LINE Broadcast: How to Broadcast LINE Messages](https:/respond.io/blog/line-broadcast) Everything you need to know about LINE Broadcast and how to send a LINE broadcast message. Reach your customers with LINE Official Account. Planning to use LINE broadcast messages to reach thousands of customers? You’ve come to the right place. Today, we’ll explore broadcasting, the benefits of using a [LINE Official Account](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account) and sending a broadcast message with LINE Official Account Manager and respond.io! ### What is Broadcast Messaging? Broadcast messaging or bulk messaging is a method of delivering information to many recipients simultaneously. Businesses use broadcast messages to keep their contacts updated about store closures, unexpected delays, upcoming promotions and more. Broadcasting was primarily carried out on channels like email and SMS but these days, bulk messaging via [instant messaging](https://respond.io/blog/instant-messaging-for-business) is becoming more popular. SMS messages have limited characters, no rich media and [geographical restrictions](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-11), while emails tend to be ignored or sent to spam. Instant messaging channels like LINE Official Account, [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-broadcast) or [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message) solve these issues and provide added benefits. Messaging apps on everyone’s phones and push notifications mean businesses get their contacts’ attention immediately. With video and image support making messages more engaging, it’s easy to see why their open rates are a [600% improvement over emails!](https://respond.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business#:~:text=2018%20%7C%20Source%3A%20Statista-,Messaging%20App%20Engagement%20Rates,-It%20feels%20like) Next, we’ll go over the reasons why we would use LINE Official Accounts over other channels for broadcasting. #### LINE Broadcast Message: Why Use LINE Official Account? With so many instant messaging channels in the market to choose from, what makes LINE Official Account stand out? Here are the benefits of using a LINE Official Account to broadcast: - With over 182 million monthly active users globally, LINE has high usage in certain regions such as Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia. If your audience uses LINE as their primary messenger, it would be the wisest choice. - LINE lets businesses of any size create LINE Official Accounts to communicate with their contacts - You can send broadcast messages at any time to contacts who have added you as a friend on your LINE Official Account - Broadcast messages can have different types of content such as images, videos and more. Interesting content is better at capturing your audience’s attention while increasing the chances of them responding or taking action. Next up, let’s go over some things you should know about the channel before you start using it to send broadcasts. #### What You Should Know About LINE Broadcast Message Like other business messaging channels, you won’t be able to import existing contacts to your LINE Official Account. You will need to build up your contact list by getting contacts to add you as a friend and send you the first message. Fortunately, LINE has [tools and features](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-10) like chat links, QR codes, website buttons, in-app search and LINE ads to make getting new contacts easier. QR codes are great for physical locations like retail stores, while chat links can be used on online platforms. When a contact scans your QR code or clicks on a chat link with their phone, they are brought to your LINE Official Account inside the LINE app. On desktop, chat links send them to a page with a QR code which they can scan with the LINE app on their phone. Likewise, website buttons work exactly like chat links, with the added benefit of the familiar LINE green branding. In-app search allows customers to find you from within the app, and LINE ads put you on the feeds of your target audiences. While it’s free to create a LINE Official Account, the accounts have [different limits based on the region they are created in](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-6). Each account has a set amount of free messages that are renewed monthly. | Region | Japan | Taiwan | Thailand | Global | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Monthly Fee (Free) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | Monthly Fee (Light) | ¥5k | NT$800 | ฿1,2k | US$50 | | Monthly Fee (Standard) | ¥15k | NT$4k | ฿1,5k | US$150 | | Included Messages (Free) | 1k | 500 | 1k | 500 | | Included Messages (Light) | 15k | 4k | 15k | 15k | | Included Messages (Standard) | 45k | 25k | 35k | 45k | | Additional Message Fee (Free) | X | X | X | X | | Additional Message Fee (Light) | ¥5 | NT$0.2 | ฿0.08 | US$0.05 | | Additional Message Fee (Standard) | ¥3 | NT$0.15 | ฿0.04 | US$0.03 | Free plan accounts have to strictly adhere to this messaging limit since they don’t have the option of paying for additional messages without upgrading to a higher tier. Paid plan accounts can exceed their limits with fees imposed for each extra message sent. ### Different Ways to Send a LINE Broadcast Message There are two ways for businesses to send a LINE broadcast — through the LINE Official Account Manager or by connecting their LINE Official Account Messaging API to a central inboxing service like respond.io. Here’s a quick table showing the differences between the two. We’ll elaborate further below: | Feature | LINE Official Account Manager | LINE Official Account Messaging API | | --- | --- | --- | | Automation | Limited auto-replies, no automation | Advanced automation | | Multi-user Support | Limited multi-user support | Advanced multi-user support | | Broadcast | Broadcast on LINE | Broadcast on LINE and other connected channels | | Media Content | Rich media content | Rich media content | | Fees | LINE fees, if applicable | Platform fees (after a free 14-day trial) and LINE fees, if applicable | | Broadcast Targeting | Limited to specific regions (ID/JP/TW/TH) | Granular targeting for broadcasts for all regions | There are pros and cons to using either method, depending on your business and use cases. However, using one doesn’t prevent you from using the other, so you can use either method based on your needs. #### Sending LINE Broadcasts with LINE Official Account Manager LINE Official Account Manager is the most straightforward way to send broadcasts and it is suitable for small businesses that don’t have large teams or need advanced automation for everyday processes. It allows you to send all LINE-supported content as a broadcast message, including coupons, stickers, card messages, rich messages and surveys, in addition to the standard text, video, image and sound. LINE also provides read receipts inside the LINE Official Account Chat Console, so you know when your customers have opened and read your messages. Additionally, it is free to use, excluding the fees you pay for your upgraded LINE Official Account plan. #### Sending LINE Broadcasts with LINE Official Account Messaging API on Respond.io LINE Official Account Messaging API on respond.io is the best way to send broadcasts for bigger businesses with large teams. Respond.io provides you with additional tools beyond the typical permissions settings found in the LINE Official Account Manager. First, the [Broadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) improves the targeting and flexibility of bulk messaging with several features. The [Contact Segment](https://help.respond.io/contacts/segments) feature allows users to create precise target audiences by using Contact Fields, Tags or predefined conditions. Customers with the right Contact Fields, Tags or conditions will automatically enter a Segment while those who no longer meet the criteria will exit a Segment, ensuring your list is always up-to-date with no manual effort from your team. In addition to selecting multiple channels for a broadcast, you can also improve visibility and engagement rates by broadcasting to your [Contacts' last interacted channel](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast). It’s also possible to save [broadcasts as drafts](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast) if they aren’t ready for dissemination, and edit or reschedule them before they go live. If your plan supports it, you can [customize the rate](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast) at which your broadcast is delivered. If contacts respond to your broadcasts, you can [route](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) them to the right team and [assign them](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to an agent. During times when agent responsiveness is crucial, like right after an important update, agent performance can be tracked to show how fast chats are responded to and resolved. Respond.io also has [versatile Workflow support](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) to help free up manpower and resources for your business. Repetitive and menial tasks such as greeting customers or displaying menus for them to select how to proceed can be accomplished automatically. A killer feature, however, is its multi-channel support. In countries where your contacts are spread across different instant messaging apps, broadcast to them on one or more channels from a single platform. Now, let’s check out two methods for sending LINE broadcasts. ### How to Send Broadcasts with a LINE Official Account Since we know the uses and limitations of broadcasting from the Official Account Manager and the Messaging API with the respond.io platform, let’s learn how to send broadcast messages. #### How to Send a LINE Broadcast Message with LINE Official Account Manager The LINE Official Account Manager is the platform you want to use when you need to send LINE-exclusive content like stickers and coupons. While you have limited options when it comes to automation and multi-user support, it’s straightforward to use. First, [log in to your LINE Official Account](https://manager.line.biz/). Once you’ve logged in, choose the account you want to broadcast from. **1\. Click** Home, then New broadcast. **2\. Select** your recipients. Take note [this feature](https://help2.line.me/official_account/android/categoryId/20006330/pc?lang=en#:~:text=Sending%20messages-,Targeted%20broadcasts,-toggle) is only available to accounts from Japan, Thailand, Taiwan or Indonesia with over 100 followers. **3\. Select** the Send now option or input the date and time if you want to schedule your broadcast. **4\. Select** publish to LINE VOOM (a timeline for your official account), set the maximum broadcast volume (if you don’t want to [hit your message limit](https://www.linebiz.com/jp-en/other/#:~:text=LINE%20Official%20Account%0ASubscription%20Plans)) or use A/B testing (to figure out which type of message will do better) if you wish. **5\. Insert** up to three types of content into your message. Choose from text, sticker, photo, coupon, rich message, rich video message, video, voice message, surveys or card-based message. **6\. Inspect** the preview on the bottom right to see how the message will appear on your audience’s devices. **7\. Save** the message as a draft, send it as a test message, or send the broadcast. If you choose the scheduling option in Step 3, the button text changes to Schedule broadcast. Clicking the button will add the message to the Broadcast list, where it will be sent out at the scheduled date or time. You can also delete or unschedule messages here. #### How to Send a LINE Broadcast Message with Line Official Account Messaging API on Respond.io Broadcasting on respond.io is a straightforward process with plenty of flexibility offered in creating content, targeting audiences and scheduling or sending broadcasts. To get started, navigate to the Broadcast Module in the side navigation menu and click the *Add Broadcast* button. Then name your broadcast and click *Create*. You also have the option to label (categorize) it for easier referencing in the future. Proceed to set up your broadcast by selecting your Segment. Select the *Specific Channel* option and in the channel drop-down list, select your LINE channel to send the message from. Then, create your content. For more information, check out [this guide](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast) on how to set up and manage broadcasts on respond.io. Now that we’ve gone through LINE Official Account’s broadcasting capabilities on respond.io, you can disseminate bulk messages to your contacts with ease. If you haven’t signed up for a respond.io account yet, we have [a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) for you to start off with. Respond.io also supports handling multiple channels from the same platform, so if you want to broadcast on other instant messengers, check out our [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-broadcast), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message) and [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) broadcast guides! ### Further reading Finally, if this article was useful to you and you’d like to learn more about the LINE Official Account, here are some additional resources: - LINE Official Account: The Ultimate Guide - Inbound Conversation Workflows: A How-To Guide - Business Messaging: The Future of Customer Communication ## [LINE Business: The Ultimate Guide to LINE Official Account ](https:/respond.io/blog/line-business) If you’re looking to create a business presence in countries like Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, you can use LINE for business to message your customers. This article will explain LINE Business Accounts pricing, how to create a LINE Official Account, as well as best practices for getting your customers as contacts and messaging them. Looking to create a presence in countries like Japan, Taiwan or Thailand? Consider using a LINE Business Account to reach your customers. In this article, learn everything you need to know about using LINE for business. Discover the ins and outs of the LINE Official Account, its special features, the costs involved, how to gain customers and the registration process. Keen to find out more? Read on! ### LINE Business: What is LINE LINE is a free instant messenger app that is available for smartphones and desktops. Like most messaging apps, LINE can send texts, images, videos and audio, and facilitate voice and video calls. NHN Japan developed LINE in 2011 after the Tohoku Earthquake damaged the country’s networks for phone lines and SMS networks. With WiFi and 3G networks still usable in the country then, LINE allowed users to communicate via smartphones and computers. At launch, LINE had to compete against another popular instant messenger, [KakaoTalk](https://respond.io/blog/kakao-for-business). But thanks to NHN’s knowledge of what Japanese users wanted, it didn’t take long for it to surpass KakaoTalk. LINE quickly became Japan’s most popular instant messenger. #### LINE Business: Key Markets As of today, LINE is used by approximately [70% of Japan’s entire population](https://www.linebiz.com/sites/default/files/media/jp/download/EN_LINE%20Business%20Guide_202201-06_summary.pdf). Despite its Japanese-centric origins, the app’s popularity has successfully grown in other parts of the world. LINE has [over 182 million Monthly Active Users globally](https://www.linebiz.com/jp-en/other/). Based on figures from 2020, 90% of LINE’s MAUs were in four key markets: Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia. These days Indonesia no longer seems to be a key market as users there have [switched to other messaging apps](https://www.similarweb.com/apps/top/google/store-rank/id/communication/top-free/). Consequently, LINE removed features like LINE Official Account verification, IDR pricing and LINE Ads from Indonesia. LINE is still the top messaging app in Japan, Taiwan and Thailand. We also think it’s worth mentioning that LINE is gaining traction in Laos. As of June 2020, LINE was the 3rd most popular messaging app on their Play Store. Given its proximity to Thailand, Laotians mainly use LINE for business dealings with the Thais. In 2021, LINE was also reported to have [more downloads than WhatsApp in Cambodia](https://ips-cambodia.com/cambodias-popular-messaging-apps/), showing the growth of the channel in that region. Next, let’s go through the features of the LINE app that make it stand out from the crowd. #### Special Features of LINE In LINE’s key markets, the app functions as more than just a messenger. Its fully-fledged ecosystem of products makes it [a digital payment system](https://pay.line.me/portal/jp/main), [a ride-hailing service](https://linetaxi.com.tw/), [a cryptocurrency trader](https://www.bitmax.me/), [an advertising platform](https://www.linebiz.com/jp/service/line-ads/) and more. However, for most of the world, it boils down to the following features. ##### LINE Pay [LINE Pay](https://pay.line.me/portal/global/main?isFooterConventionChanged=true) is a mobile payment service that turns your smartphone into a digital wallet. In addition to paying for goods or services online and in person, LINE Pay users can transfer money to other users conveniently. LINE Pay is [only supported on iOS and Android devices](https://help.line.me/webstore/web/?contentId=148) and works in any country except mainland China, Indonesia, Korea and Singapore. ##### LINE Friends, Stickers and Points In 2015, LINE introduced [LINE Friends](https://www.linefriends.com/) as a response to KakaoTalk’s Kakao Friends. These cute, colorful characters starred in LINE’s official merchandise, games, animated movies and Stickers and made the company millions of dollars. These Stickers are expressive alternatives to regular emojis and are one of the main reasons behind the app’s popularity. LINE users purchase Stickers from the [LINE Store](https://store.line.me/home/en) by spending money, LINE Coins or [LINE Points](https://lineforbusiness.com/th-en/service/linepoints). LINE Points are earned when users purchase products with LINE Pay, sign up for memberships or download apps. Big brands have offered free Stickers as rewards to users who add their accounts as friends. Since businesses can’t add total strangers to their contact lists, giving away free Stickers circumvents this limitation by encouraging customers to reach out first. Customers gain new LINE Stickers and businesses increase their pool of potential clients – it’s a win-win situation! To increase their presence in LINE’s key markets or drive revenue, big brands have collaborated with LINE on various campaigns. These include [LINE Sticker](https://store.line.me/home/en) tie-ins, such as [Burberry x LINE](https://www.vogue.com/article/burberry-line-animation-for-fall-2015-collection) and limited edition merchandise [with Starbucks](https://hypebae.com/2021/12/line-friends-starbucks-collaboration-christmas-holiday-tumblers-mugs-release-info). Now you know how big brands use LINE’s special features, let’s learn more about LINE business accounts. ### What is a LINE Official Account Like other instant messengers, LINE has separate account types for personal and business users on its channel. [LINE Official Accounts](https://www.linebiz.com/jp-en/other/) are the business accounts of LINE. LINE used to have another business account type called LINE@, but since 2019, that has been [merged with the LINE Official Account](https://respond.io/blog/migrate-from-line-at-to-line-official-account). Businesses use LINE Official Accounts to connect with their customers for marketing, [sales](https://respond.io/blog/line-sales) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/line-customer-service) purposes. Although personal LINE accounts are capable of conducting business on the channel, their limited features are insufficient for businesses with large clientele. In addition to [being verifiable](https://respond.io/blog/line-business#toc-mobile-9), LINE Official Accounts can send [broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/line-broadcast) and access [the Messaging API](https://developers.line.biz/en/docs/messaging-api/overview/) that allows it to connect to external software like respond.io, an [AI-powered customer conversation management software](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) to handle high volumes of conversations. If the LINE Official Account sounds ideal for your business, there are some things you need to know first. #### What You Should Know About LINE Official Accounts LINE Official Accounts have restrictions that prevent companies from spamming LINE users. Unlike email or SMS, you won’t be able to import existing contacts to your Official Account contact list. This rule applies even if you have the customer’s phone number, email or LINE ID. You’ll need to build up your contact list from scratch. To gain contacts, you’ll need to get them to send your Official Account the first message. As we mentioned earlier, big brands use Stickers to attract new contacts, but there are [other ways to accomplish this](https://respond.io/blog/line-business#toc-mobile-10). LINE does not have a messaging window restriction. This means that once customers send you the first message, you can message them at any time. Next, we’ll go over how much it costs to maintain a LINE Official Account. #### LINE Official Account Subscription Plans LINE Official Accounts are free to create but have different message limits and additional message fees based on [subscription plans](https://www.linebiz.com/jp-en/other/). When you run out of free monthly messages, each additional message will incur extra costs based on your subscription plan. The free plan, also known as the Communication plan, allows up to 500 messages per month. However, this plan doesn't permit sending messages beyond the messaging limit. **LINE Official Account Subscription Plans** | | Free Plan | Light Plan | Standard Plan | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Monthly Fee | Free | 50 USD | 150 USD | | Free Messages Per Month | Up to 500 | Up to 10,000 | Up to 40,000 | | Additional Message Fee | - | - | 0.05 USD | There are two types of Paid plans: Light and Standard. The Light plan, costing USD 50, offers free messages of up to 10,000 monthly. Similar to the Communication plan, it does not allow sending messages beyond this limit. The Standard Plan, priced at USD 150, provides businesses with up to 40,000 free messages per month. Under this plan, businesses can exceed the free message quota, but each additional message will incur fees. Note that Light and Standard plans are not available in the EU, USA, Indonesia and Singapore. Once you’ve settled on a plan, the next step is to decide which platform to use for your LINE Official Account. #### LINE Official Account Console vs. Third-Party Inbox There are two ways you can message customers on LINE Official Account: Through the [LINE Official Account Manager](https://manager.line.biz/) chat console or a business messaging platform connected to the account via Messaging API. The LINE Official Account Manager chat console is the platform to use for sending LINE-exclusive content like Stickers and coupons. Though it is sufficient for smaller businesses, it is limited when handling large-scale sales or support operations. **LINE Official Account Inboxes** | Platform | When to Use | | --- | --- | | LINE Official Account Manager | For smaller businesses and sending LINE-exclusive content | | Messaging API connected to respond.io | For larger businesses that require automation and analytics | For larger businesses with teams of many sales or support agents, connecting your LINE Official Account Messaging API to a business messaging platform like respond.io unlocks the full potential of the channel. You’ll gain improved multi-user support and access to advanced features like [AI tools](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai) and [advanced automation](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflows-overview) for [routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio), [assignment](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio), [support escalation](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) and [more](https://respond.io/blog/september-2022-updates-whatsapp-cloud-api-and-new-features-on-workflows#toc-mobile-2). You can also [integrate your CRMs](https://respond.io/blog/line-crm) and other software and [monitor agent and team performance](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview). Nevertheless, you can easily switch between the LINE Official Account Manager and third-party inbox to use their respective tools and features when necessary. You’re not locked to either platform. Next, we’ll show you how to create a LINE Official Account. ### LINE Business: How to Create a LINE Official Account Before you can start using LINE for business, you’ll need a LINE Official Account. Follow the instructions below to sign up for one. **1\. Head** to the [LINE Business ID page](https://manager.line.biz/) and click *Create an account*. **2\. Choose** the right instruction for you: **a.** If you already have a LINE account, click *Sign up with a LINE account* and follow the prompts to log in to the LINE Official Account Manager. **b.** If you don’t have a LINE account, click *Sign up with email* to fill in your email address and receive a signup link. Then, create an account and log in to the LINE Official Account Manager. **3\. Click** *Create LINE official account* once you’ve logged into the LINE Official Account Manager. Fill in the required details of your company in the text boxes. **4\. Click** *Continue*. Double-check the details on the next page and click *Submit.* **5\. Click** *Go to LINE Official Account Manager* to start using your LINE Official Account. Once you have a LINE Official Account set up, it’s easy to [connect it to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/l/en/channels/line). Next, we’ll run through the best practices for operating a LINE Official Account. ### LINE Official Account: Best Practices Signing up for a LINE Official Account is just the first step. For your business to thrive on LINE, you’ll need to know about account verification, getting customers to find you and messaging customers. In this section, we’ll be examining the best practices to follow. #### Verify Your LINE Official Account [LINE Official Account](https://www.linebiz.com/jp-en/service/line-official-account/account-type/) types are distinguished by the color of their badge: Unverified (grey), Verified (blue) and Premium (green). These badges also signify if the named individual or organization owns or operates the LINE Official Account. Besides disclosing a LINE Official Account’s credibility, the main purpose of verification is to make the account easier to find in LINE. An Unverified LINE Official Account is only searchable by its Basic ID – a unique string of random numbers and letters assigned to it. This ID is hard for contacts to remember since it is unrelated to the account’s name. However, [Premium IDs](https://respond.io/blog/line-business#:~:text=the%20mentioned%20tools.-,Premium%20ID,-One%20thing%20you) solve this problem. Most LINE Official Accounts will be Unverified because Verified LINE Official Accounts are currently only available in LINE’s key markets — Japan, Thailand and Taiwan. Verified LINE Official Accounts are [searchable by display name or ID](https://help2.line.me/official_account/android/categoryId/20006329/pc?lang=en#:~:text=Unverified%20accounts%20(those%20for%20businesses,setting%20may%20be%20turned%20OFF.), making them easier to find on LINE. They also gain expanded [payment and other selected features](https://www.linebiz.com/jp-en/service/line-official-account/account-type/). If your LINE Official Account is based in LINE’s key markets, consider [verifying it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIjFF4qSP3k). Fortunately, you don’t need verification to access LINE Official Account’s essential features if your business is based outside LINE’s key markets. **How Searchable are LINE Official Accounts** | | Display Name | Business ID | | --- | --- | --- | | Unverified Account | ❌ | ✅ | | Verified Account | ✅ | ✅ | | Premium Account | ✅ | ✅ | Premium Account badges seem to be reserved for the largest and biggest brands out there. Unsurprisingly, [LINE does not disclose](https://terms.line.me/line_OAGuidelines?lang=en#:~:text=However%2C%20the%20Company%20has%20no%20responsibility%20to%20disclose%20the%20criteria%20for%20making%20an%20account%20into%20a%20Premium%20Account.) how it awards accounts that status. Users need to follow Premium LINE Official Accounts in order to chat with them. This helps those accounts gain followers and increase brand awareness since their posts will show up in their followers’ LINE feeds. Once you have your LINE Official Account set up, the next step is getting customers into your contact list. #### LINE Official Account: Help Customers Find You In addition to searching for your basic ID in the app, LINE has provided some tools to help Contacts find your LINE Official Account easily. In this section, we’ll unpack the mentioned tools. ##### Premium ID One thing you might want to consider is [signing up for a Premium ID](https://help2.line.me/official_account/web/?contentId=20013997) which allows you to customize the ID that customers use to search for your Official Account. Premium IDs have a maximum of 18 characters and can only include lowercase letters, numbers, periods (.), hyphens (-) and underscores (\_). For example, we’ll use the *Grub N Go Food Delivery* LINE Official Account. Its assigned Basic ID is *@403plelw* and with Premium ID, we can change it to *@grubngo-delivery*. Contacts will find the Premium ID easier to remember and search for in the LINE app. [Premium IDs cost $12 a year](https://terms2.line.me/official_account_premiumid_terms_oth) to maintain and you can obtain one at any time. Unfortunately, Premium IDs are not available in the US, Singapore, Indonesia and Europe. If you’d like to purchase a Premium ID for your LINE Official Account, [head here](https://help2.line.me/official_account/web/?contentId=20013997). ##### QR Codes [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/line-qr-code) allow users to quickly start a chat with your LINE Official Account by scanning the code with the LINE mobile app. Since these codes are printable, you can place them on business cards, posters and other physical locations in addition to digital spaces. Use the LINE Official Account Manager platform or respond.io to [generate LINE QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/line-qr-code#toc-mobile-2). ##### Click-to-Chat Links and Website Button [LINE links](https://respond.io/blog/line-link) enable customers to add and message you conveniently. These links accessed on mobile send users directly to your LINE Official Account profile or a chat window with your Official Account inside the LINE app. LINE links accessed on a desktop device send users to a page where they can scan a QR code with the LINE mobile app. Use the LINE Official Account Manager or respond.io to [generate LINE links](https://respond.io/blog/line-link#toc-mobile-3). Website buttons function like LINE links but are graphical instead of just text. The LINE Official Account Manager platform can generate them. Once you’ve generated your links and buttons, share them on blogs, social media posts, emails and any medium that supports URLs. ##### LINE Ads If your account is based in Japan, Taiwan or Thailand, you can use [LINE Ads](https://admanager.line.biz/) to gain new customers. Run campaigns for your products or services and get LINE users to add your Official Account and message you for more information or to make an order. First, you’ll need to [apply for an advertising account](https://admanager.line.biz/) with LINE. Take note that LINE [has a comprehensive list of guidelines](https://www.linebiz.com/jp/service/line-ads/guideline/) when it comes to advertising on its channel. LINE can reject ad account applications and advertisements at its own discretion. Once you apply for a LINE Ads account, the review process takes about [five working days](https://faq.linebiz.com/help/s/article/000001650?language=ja) before you can start submitting ads for approval. Now that you’ve built up a contact list, there is only one thing left to do - send contacts a message! #### LINE for Business: How to Message Customers As mentioned, there are two methods you can use to message customers: The Line Official Account Manager chat console or [a third-party inbox connected via API](https://app.respond.io/user/register). Let's look at how you can use these for 1:1 messaging, broadcasts and group messaging. ##### LINE for Business: 1:1 Messaging The LINE Official Account Manager makes it relatively easy to start using LINE for Business. The chat console displays all your conversations. The console even has features like labeling, notes and the option to mark chats as *to-follow-up* or *resolved*. While the chat console is relatively feature-rich, a customer conversation management software like respond.io allows you to set up automated FAQs or use [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai) to respond to inquiries automatically, so only important inquiries are routed to agents. Accurate read receipts are only available in the LINE Official Account chat console. When contacts send a message to a LINE Official Account that’s using a third-party platform, the message will be marked as read immediately, even though it hasn’t been read yet. You will need to [apply for permission](https://developers.line.biz/en/docs/partner-docs/mark-as-read/) to use the Mark–as-Read API to get accurate read receipts with a third-party platform. ##### LINE for Business: Broadcasting It’s surprisingly easy to [send broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/line-broadcast) from the LINE Official Account Manager, unlike other channels, which usually require the use of a chatbot to do so. The LINE Official Account Manager allows you to send all LINE-supported content as a broadcast message, including coupons, stickers, card messages, rich messages and surveys, in addition to the standard text, video, image and audio files. The LINE Official Account Manager is pretty limited when it comes to targeted broadcasts. Connecting the Messaging API to respond.io will allow you to [segment contacts](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts/contacts-overview#assign_tags_to_multiple_contacts), giving you more control over who receives your broadcasts. You’ll also gain automated features like the ability to [automatically reply to Contacts](https://respond.io/blog/line-auto-reply) who respond to your broadcast messages. Send them away messages or greet and assign them to available agents to handle any inquiries. ##### LINE for Business: Group Messaging LINE Official Accounts have the option of joining group chats, which is useful if you want to chat with multiple people in the same chatroom. Since everyone in the group chat receives the same messages, you save time and message quota by not having to repeat yourself to different individuals. However, group chats are limited to having [only one LINE Official Account as a member at a time](https://developers.line.biz/en/docs/messaging-api/group-chats/#group-chat-types) and they need to be accessed via the Manager chat console. If you’d like respond.io to implement LINE Official Account group chats [upvote the feature request](https://respond.canny.io/feature-request/p/support-for-line-group-chats). To wrap things up, LINE Official Accounts are a channel you should consider using for marketing, [sales](https://respond.io/blog/line-sales) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/line-customer-service), especially if your business has an audience in Japan, Taiwan or Thailand. The [LINE Official Account Manager](https://manager.line.biz/) should be sufficient for your messaging needs if you have a small business, but for enterprises or SMEs, use an AI-powered customer conversation management software [like respond.io](https://app.respond.io/user/register) instead. ### Further Reading Want to know even more about LINE for business? These articles might come in handy: - How to Sell on LINE to Improve Your Sales - The LINE Customer Support Guide - How to Integrate LINE with a CRM on respond.io ## [LINE CRM: How to Integrate LINE with a CRM on respond.io ](https:/respond.io/blog/line-crm) Looking for a LINE CRM? This blog is for you! We'll cover everything you should know about getting a CRM LINE integration before investing in one. Are you looking for a LINE CRM integration? This blog post is for you! In this first-hand guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about getting a CRM LINE integration. Next, we'll delve into using respond.io, an AI-powered customer conversation management software, for LINE marketing, sales and support. ### What is LINE CRM? A LINE CRM is the integration between a LINE Messaging API and a CRM. Businesses aim to integrate popular messaging channels like LINE with their CRM for efficient communication management. However, most CRMs do not have native LINE integration and have to rely on third-party integrations. This is because they were originally built with email as the main communication channel in mind. Before investing in a LINE CRM integration, here are a few things you should know. ### Getting a LINE CRM: What You Should Know Before integrating a LINE CRM, businesses must know how to use LINE for business and what integration options CRMs provide. #### LINE for Business Businesses have two choices for using LINE: either the LINE Official Account Manager or the LINE Official Account Messaging API. The LINE Official Account Manager is designed for businesses receiving low to mid volumes of messages. This option includes basic features such as marking chat statuses as Follow Up or Resolved, adding tags and comments, and sending auto replies and broadcasts. This can be sufficient for many businesses; however, it lacks advanced automation to route and assign conversations automatically. Plus, it cannot be integrated with external software like a CRM or an omnichannel messaging inbox. | | Line Official Account Manager | Line Official Account Messaging API | | --- | --- | --- | | Best for | Small to medium businesses | Medium to large businesses | | Message Volume | Low to mid | Mid to high | | Supports Integration | No | Yes | For CRM integration with LINE and advanced automation in managing conversations, the LINE Official Account Messaging API is necessary. However, it does not have an interface because it is just an API. To send and receive LINE messages, you'll need to connect it to either an AI-powered customer conversation management software like respond.io or a CRM. Note that what you can do with the API depends heavily on the software you choose to connect it to. To choose the best integration, you need to know the types of LINE integration that CRMs support. #### Integrating LINE with a CRM To provide information in this section, we’ve studied three prominent CRMs, namely Salesforce, HubSpot and Zendesk. Out of the three, only Zendesk provides native LINE integration, while the rest rely on third-party integrations. However, Zendesk doesn’t fully support videos, voice messages and locations. For instance, agents cannot view videos and listen to voice messages in their inboxes. They have to download them to know what customers have sent. This slows down agents as they have to switch between Zendesk and their downloads folder while managing multiple customers simultaneously. Furthermore, agents might inadvertently open the wrong file, leading to extended case resolution times as they must either re-download the correct content or search for it in their downloads. In addition, the native integration limits the LINE API to a single CRM. If you have multiple CRMs and aim to integrate LINE with all of them, you'll encounter limitations that prevent this. Fortunately, most CRMs, even those with native LINE integration, allow third-party integrations. This enables you to use LINE with a business messaging inbox built specifically for messaging like respond.io. With respond.io, you can streamline business communication across instant messaging apps along with traditional channels like email and webchat. Plus, it lets you use LINE to its full potential and integrate multiple CRMs with it. It supports LINE messaging features like sending rich media content, locations and more. Businesses can use advanced tools for tasks like sending broadcasts, automating conversations, routing contacts, and monitoring agent workloads. Before diving deeper into respond.io’s features, we’ll show you how to integrate any CRM with respond.io to use LINE. #### Integrating LINE with a CRM on Respond.io First, [create and set up your LINE Official Account](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-7) and [connect it to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/line#connecting_a_line_official_account). Then, create a new [Workflow](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) automation and add the [HTTP Request Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_http_request) to connect LINE on respond.io with any CRM. This will allow you to exchange information with your existing CRM while messaging customers on respond.io. You can qualify sales leads, update contact profiles and create deals and tickets in external CRMs without the need to switch between your CRM and the respond.io inbox when responding to LINE messages. ### How to Use Respond.io for Marketing, Sales and Support With all the necessary information at your disposal, here's how you can utilize respond.io for LINE marketing, sales and support. #### LINE Integration for Marketing Similar to most messaging channels' anti-spam policies, LINE does not allow businesses to import contacts. Therefore, customers must start a conversation with a business to become Contacts. To gain Contacts, Businesses can encourage inbound conversations with [LINE QR Codes](https://respond.io/blog/line-qr-code), [Click to Chat links](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-11) and [LINE Widget](https://respond.io/blog/line-web-chat). Upon a lead initiating a conversation, gather their contact information to distinguish between new and existing contacts who may have messaged you on another channel. If they are an existing contact, consolidate their contact details and conversation history into a unified profile to provide a comprehensive view of the contact. You can also exchange and retrieve their contact information on your CRM. If a lead is new, you will automatically capture their details and add them as a Contact. You can [segment](https://help.respond.io/contacts/segments) them into different audiences to send targeted [broadcast messages](https://respond.io/blog/line-broadcast). Businesses can send [broadcast messages at any time](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-12) with different types of content like images, videos and more. #### LINE Integration for Sales Integrating a sales CRM with respond.io enables you to exchange information between both platforms. Once connected, you can qualify leads and create deals in your sales CRM from respond.io [in one click](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0). This way, agents are saved from the trouble of switching back and forth between the respond.io inbox and a CRM, allowing them to carry out sales-related tasks while conversing with a customer. Businesses can also automate sales tasks like [lead qualifying,](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) [routing leads to the right team](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/routing-leads) and [auto-assigning them](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/auto-assign-leads-to-sales-agents) to the right agent based on the funnel a lead falls into. They can even have an [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai) to serve as the initial responder to handle routine lead inquiries. The highly customizable nature of respond.io Workflows enables managers to implement their own [routing logic](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio#toc-mobile-3). This includes routing leads by priority access, region, deal size and more. As agents will have to communicate with customers from different backgrounds, they can use [AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai) to refine messages for clarity, translate them to overcome language barriers and more so their message is communicated effectively. You can also use this feature for LINE customer support. Plus, they can ensure equal lead distribution among the sales team and assign existing customers to their dedicated salesperson automatically. #### LINE Integration for Support Respond.io’s Workflow automation saves agents from performing repetitive tasks like answering FAQs, asking the same questions to get the context of customers’ issues and more. Businesses can automate [FAQs](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations), send [multiple-choice questions](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) to help customers communicate what they want clearly and then [route](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/route-customers) and [assign](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/auto-assign-customers) customers according to their needs. Similar to the AI Agent’s capabilities mentioned in the sales use case above, businesses can use AI to handle routine inquiries and escalate complex or sensitive issues to human agents. This way, agents can direct their time and resources to critical issues to provide quality support. To ease agents' workload further, tools like [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) provide agents with quick access to relevant information from knowledge bases or existing resources. This allows them to respond quickly and accurately to customer inquiries, enhancing response times and contributing to a more satisfying customer experience. If an agent cannot solve an issue, they can request their manager’s help by describing the case or providing background information through [internal comments](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity#comments). Agents can also [escalate the case](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) to external CRM platforms with the click of a button while chatting with customers. After a conversation ends, businesses can send a [customer satisfaction (CSAT) survey](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-8) to measure the success and quality of their customer support. They can also track individual or team performance via the advanced [Reports and Analytics Module](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/reporting-for-support). We hope you found our first-hand guide to LINE CRM integration useful. Best of all, they can conduct all their tasks on the go with the [respond.io mobile app](https://respond.io/blog/line-customer-service#toc-mobile-13). Are you ready to integrate LINE with your CRM? [Sign up for our free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and kickstart your LINE journey with us! ### Further Reading Did you find this article helpful? If so, here’s some additional reading that might be of interest to you. - LINE Broadcast: How to Broadcast LINE Messages - How to Sell on LINE to Improve Your Sales - Using LINE for Customer Support ## [LINE Customer Service: The LINE Customer Support Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/line-customer-service) If your customers are LINE users, you can give them a lot of value by providing LINE customer service. Check our LINE customer support guide to learn how. Are your customers LINE users? If so, you probably want to use LINE for customer service. In this article, you’ll learn all you need to know about using LINE as a support channel. We’ll also introduce you to some respond.io features that will elevate your LINE customer support to the next level. ### Traditional Customer Service Channels vs LINE Customer Service Traditionally, companies have been doing customer support over email, website chat and phone calls. Unfortunately, these channels come with some limitations, which we will discuss below. #### Limitations of Traditional Customer Service Channels Agents need contact data and context to provide a good service, but traditional support channels don’t offer them a way to overview key information like conversation history. For example, phone calls don’t leave a transcript when the conversation ends. Website chat isn’t better, since agents can’t trace customers once they exit the website. Hence, support agents who use website chat and phone calls often need to ask the same questions repeatedly if a customer gets in touch again or the case is escalated. Email is not an ideal channel for support: It is slow, formal and prone to scattered conversations. This is often caused by simple mistakes like customers sending inquiries from different emails or an agent forgetting to CC another decision-maker. But there’s more. Have you ever waited for an email update for ages, hoping for a solution to your problem? What about never-ending waits over the phone? Traditional support channels are infamous for not setting response time expectations with customers, as they generally don’t provide information on how many people are ahead in the queue or the status of their inquiry, which frustrate customers. As you might expect, email, website chat and phone calls are not the best way to go for businesses that prioritize quick resolution times. For responsive and efficient customer support, we recommend using an instant messaging channel like LINE. #### LINE Customer Service Benefits [LINE is a regional messaging app in Asia](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account) with 182 million monthly active users. Its main markets are [Japan, Thailand, Taiwan and Indonesia](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-3). As a customer service channel, it has some clear advantages over the traditional channels. For a start, LINE gives support agents access to contacts’ conversation history in a messaging inbox. Thanks to this, they avoid repetitive questions, can make informed decisions and achieve quicker resolution times. Messaging inboxes let agents and customers leave the conversation and return whenever they want without losing contact or conversation data. This allows for quick interactions with an added benefit **—** both sides can communicate at their desired pace. Lastly, businesses can manage response time expectations by setting up automated replies when there aren’t agents available. You shouldn’t use a regular LINE account for LINE customer support, as it is not designed for businesses with multiple support teams. Instead, we recommend a [LINE Official Account](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-4), which is LINE’s business solution for customer communication. ### LINE Customer Service: What You Need to Know LINE Official Accounts are fairly different from LINE user accounts as they involve different features, messaging rules and monetization. For that reason, it’s important to get familiar with the four concepts explained in this section. #### LINE Official Account Premium ID The last thing you want is to make it hard for customers to find you in the LINE app when they need assistance. But by default, LINE Official Accounts are only searchable in the app via user ID, which is a random string of numbers and characters. To fix this, you should either [verify your business](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-5) or pay 12 USD / year to use a LINE Premium ID, like your company name. Therefore, your business will be easily searchable in the LINE app so customers can reach out whenever they have inquiries. #### LINE Official Account Subscription Plans Since your support team will be sending and receiving multiple LINE messages, you should know what the [LINE Official Account subscription plans](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-6) are to determine which one suits your needs and budget. After creating your LINE Official Account, you’ll be put in the Free subscription plan with a monthly messaging limit of 500 messages. This may be enough for small businesses that don’t handle many monthly support inquiries. Here are the LINE subscription rates. | Region | Japan | Taiwan | Thailand | Global | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Monthly Fee (Free) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | Monthly Fee (Light) | ¥5k | NT$800 | ฿1,2k | US$50 | | Monthly Fee (Standard) | ¥15k | NT$4k | ฿1,5k | US$150 | | Included Messages (Free) | 1k | 500 | 1k | 500 | | Included Messages (Light) | 15k | 4k | 15k | 15k | | Included Messages (Standard) | 45k | 25k | 35k | 45k | | Additional Message Fee (Free) | X | X | X | X | | Additional Message Fee (Light) | ¥5 | NT$0.2 | ฿0.08 | US$0.05 | | Additional Message Fee (Standard) | ¥3 | NT$0.15 | ฿0.04 | US$0.03 | Yet, businesses can’t buy additional messages while on the free plan. To circumvent this limitation, medium to large-size businesses should consider the Light or Standard subscription plans which allow you to exceed your monthly limit at additional costs. #### LINE Official Account 1:1 Messaging LINE doesn’t allow businesses to import contact lists to LINE Official Accounts. Instead, contacts must add you as a friend and send you the first message. Luckily, LINE has several tools to [help Contacts start chats with businesses](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-10). As long as your business is on your contacts’ friend list, you’ll be able to [exchange messages with them freely](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-12). #### LINE Customer Service: Messaging Inboxes LINE customer support teams need an inbox that offers messaging and contact management features according to their size. Let’s have a look at two options: the LINE Official Account Manager and a third-party inbox. The LINE Official Account Manager has a messaging inbox with basic organizational features. Agents can mark chats as Follow Up or Resolved, or pin them for higher priority. Adding tags and comments to each customer’s profile is also possible. In addition, it comes with an auto-reply feature that supports message formats like images, videos or coupons. You can choose the Scheduling option to trigger the message outside of business hours, or use keywords to trigger an auto-reply when a customer sends a message containing a 100% keyword match. For example, the term *Business Hours* could trigger an automated reply with your business hours. Since your customers won’t know the keywords, help them by sharing the list of keywords in the chat thread when they reach out. The LINE Official Manager supports up to 100 admins per account. Although that’s a quite generous figure, it’s not the most suitable messaging inbox for medium to large-size businesses as you can’t assign conversations to agents. Plus, as the number of inbound conversations increases, you’ll probably need to automate more complex processes or create tickets on a third-party platform, to name some examples. To access advanced messaging and organizational features, you must connect the LINE Messaging API to a third-party messaging inbox like respond.io. This is a great option if you plan to use LINE alongside other messaging channels. Let’s go through some of the benefits of using respond.io as a messaging inbox for LINE customer service. ### LINE Customer Service with respond.io: Quick Wins To start using LINE with respond.io as a messaging inbox, follow the next steps: 1. Create a Line Official Account 2. Sign up for a respond.io account 3. Connect your LINE Official Account to respond.io Then, [give your support teams access to your Workspace.](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/users) By doing so, they’ll be able to use multiple features that will improve the effectiveness and quality of their work. Let’s go through some of them. #### LINE Customer Support: Answer FAQs, Route Customers and Escalate Cases [Respond.io’s Workflows Module](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) is a visual workflow builder that companies use to automate repetitive support tasks while reducing agent workload. Here are some ways to use them for LINE customer service. Create an FAQ menu that answers common support questions. The LINE Official Account Manager doesn’t come with a multiple choice question feature, but you can easily build it on Workflows with the [Multiple Choice Question](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step-ask-a-question) Step. [Create a routing Workflow](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) that starts with a pre-chat survey to determine customers’ needs and pass them to the right team based on your routing logic i.e: By language or region. Then, use your Contact distribution logic to [auto-assign them to an agent](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio). The [Shortcut Button](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0) allows agents to manually trigger Workflows from the messaging console while chatting with customers. With the press of a button, they can carry out recurrent support tasks, such as: - Escalate complex cases to a higher ranking agent or pass leads to the sales department - Create support tickets on external CRM platforms like Zendesk or Zoho without leaving the platform Workflows offer endless customization possibilities. The examples above are just that, examples. We encourage you to build automation that best fits your support teams’ needs. #### LINE Customer Support: Get Customer Feedback with CSAT Surveys CSAT surveys measure customers’ level of satisfaction with specific interactions with your company. You can use them to determine how happy your customers are with the LINE customer service your company provides. To [create a CSAT survey](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-7), simply build an Ask a Question Step and select Rating. Survey answers can be saved on [Google Sheets or a data warehouse of your choice](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/send-csat-and-save-data). We suggest triggering CSAT surveys manually using the Shortcut Button to have full control over when to ask for customer feedback. Alternatively, use Conversation Closed as a Trigger to automatically send a survey after closing the conversation. #### LINE Customer Support: Get an Overview of Customers’ Chat History with Contact Merge Your business probably receives inbound conversations through other messaging channels. As a result, you’ll end up with siloed conversations across those channels. This is less than optimal for support agents, who need to have a single, holistic view of customers’ profiles and conversation history. The [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) tool joins two or more customer profiles to create a single customer story. As a result, agents don’t waste time and resources working with duplicated contacts. They can also determine if a customer has reported a recurring issue from a different channel. #### LINE Customer Support: Gain Access to Advanced Reports and Analytics The [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) has everything managers need to supervise the effectiveness of their support team, making sure they are meeting their KPIs. This module features the following Tabs: Conversations, Users, Contacts, Messages and Logs. With a glance, managers get insights into important metrics such as agent productivity, conversation resolution time or the number of outgoing messages. Reports can be filtered by date range, category, team and user, so identifying long-term trends is as easy as spotting specific issues. #### LINE Customer Support: Mobile App for Agents on the Go The respond.io app comes with all the features that you find in the desktop version. It’s a pocket-size solution that allows support agents to reply to conversations wherever they are or ensure that a VIP customer gets prompt responses. To get the respond.io app, download it from the [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io&hl=en) for Android and the [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) for iOS. You’ve made it to the end of the blog. Do you want to message your customers on LINE with the leading customer communication platform? [Sign up for a respond.io account today](https://app.respond.io/user/register)! ### Further Reading If you’d like to learn more about customer support with other messaging channels, have a look at the following articles. - Instagram Customer Service: A How-to Guide - WhatsApp Customer Service: A How-to Guide - Facebook Customer Service: A How-to Guide ## [LINE Group Chat: Use LINE Groups to Chat with Multiple Customers at Once ](https:/respond.io/blog/line-group) All you need to know about LINE Group Chat. How your business can use LINE Groups to message multiple customers at once with a LINE Official Account. A LINE group chat is an efficient way for businesses to keep customers updated about their products or services. When used effectively, LINE groups can be excellent places for businesses to quickly foster relationships with multiple customers at the same time. Curious to learn more? Read on! ### What is a LINE Group A LINE group is a chatroom that allows LINE users to chat with multiple contacts simultaneously. It’s typically used by people who know each other to plan events, hold discussions, share updates among themselves and more. Businesses can also utilize groups as a way to communicate with their customers since [LINE Official Accounts](https://respond.io/blog/line-business) can participate in group chats. It’s an easy way to update customers about products or events. All members can read messages sent in the group, so you don't need to send the same message multiple times. Let’s go over the advantages of using a LINE group chat for your business. #### Why Use LINE Groups LINE groups enable convenient communication with your customers, especially if [LINE is popular in your region](https://respond.io/blog/line-business#toc-mobile-1) or the majority of your customers are already on the channel. They don’t need to download an additional app to speak to you. Though you can use broadcasts on channels like [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-broadcast) or [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) to mass message your customers, they are meant for one-way conversations. Groups allow members to talk amongst themselves, which is great for community bonding in social activities like dance and language classes. Members can share their own knowledge, making the group more useful than just a promotional outlet for businesses. Group chats also allow you to answer common questions with a single message instead of having to repeat yourself. A LINE group chat gives you all the benefits of instant messaging. This includes better capturing your audience’s attention since users [check messages 600% more times than email](https://respond.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business#toc-mobile-2). Instant messaging’s conversational nature makes it easier to foster trust and relationships between you and your recipients. Casual conversations also encourage quicker feedback and responses. Messages are searchable and automatically archived, unlike voice calls. If the need arises, you can still make voice or video calls in a LINE group. LINE groups can also be used for temporary purposes, such as informing students about a workshop that only runs for a weekend. Once the event is over, the group can be deleted if there is no further need for it. Furthermore, if you’re using a LINE Official Account, communicating through group chats can reduce the number of messages you send every month. This comes in handy when you have a [limited messaging subscription](https://respond.io/blog/line-business#toc-mobile-5). Although personal LINE accounts can participate in and create groups freely, businesses using [Official Accounts](https://respond.io/blog/line-business) will face some restrictions when it comes to LINE groups. ### LINE Official Accounts: What You Should Know About LINE Groups LINE Official Accounts [can’t create groups](https://help2.line.me/official_account/ios/pc?lang=en&contentId=20011711) and can only be added to groups by participants. Businesses will need to use a personal LINE account to create a group and invite their Official Account to join it. Each LINE group chat can only have one Official Account as a member. If a group already includes an Official Account, a new one can be added only after the current one is removed. LINE groups can contain a maximum of 500 members. Everybody except Official Accounts can manage a group chat and its members. There are no admin roles for LINE group chats. This means that any trolls in the chat can simply remove users, including its creator, from the group, so be wary about who you invite. New members don’t get access to previously sent messages in the group chat, so they will need to be brought up to speed if anything important was sent before they joined. Unlike personal LINE accounts, LINE Official Accounts can’t see read receipts in group chats, so you won’t know if a recipient has seen a message that you’ve sent. LINE is rather strict regarding [content that is shared](https://linecorp.com/en/safety/contributionStandard) on its platform. Content violations may be reported by group members and consequently, will result in the suspension of the offending account. Now that you’re well-versed in LINE groups, how do you create one? ### How to Create, Share, Join and Manage LINE Groups LINE groups are free to create and can be accessed using the LINE and LINE Official Account app or website. In this section, we’ll go through the steps required to create and use a LINE group. #### How to Create a LINE Group You need to use a personal LINE account to create a LINE group. You can accomplish the steps below using the LINE app on mobile or desktop. **1\. Tap** on *Create* (speech bubble with a plus sign) in the top right of the *Chats* screen, followed by *Group*. **2\. Select** the members you’d like to add to the group, then tap *Next*. **3\. Input** a name for the group chat and change the display picture if you wish. You can also choose whether members join automatically or if they need to accept an invitation before they can join the group chat. **4\. Click** *Create* when you’re done customizing your group. You’ll be able to modify these details or settings later. Add members so you can start chatting. #### How to Add Members to a LINE Group Once you’ve created a group, you’ll want to add your LINE Official Account and your customers. LINE provides a number of tools to make inviting your customers more convenient. ##### Direct Invite Through LINE App The quickest way to add someone to your LINE group is through your LINE contact list. **1\. Open** the relevant group chat and tap *More options* (three horizontal lines or the hamburger menu). **2\. Tap** on the *Invite* icon. Scroll through your contact list or type the name of the contact you’re looking for and select it. **3\. Tap** *Invite*. Depending on the group’s auto-join settings, the selected contact will be added to the chat immediately or receive an in-app invitation to join the group. ##### LINE Groups: LINE Link or QR Code Invitation [LINE links](https://respond.io/blog/line-link) and [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/line-qr-code) are a great way to invite people who are not in your contact list to your LINE group. QR codes also have the option of being printable so you can use them in physical locations like on business cards or receipts. Follow these steps to invite new members to your group with a link or QR code. **1\. Open** the group chat you want to share and tap *More options* (three horizontal lines or the hamburger menu). Then, tap *Invite*. **2\. Tap** *QR code* or *Invite link*. You can tap *Share* to choose a messaging channel to share the link and QR code immediately or *Save* to download the QR code and share it later. If you tap *Copy link,* the LINE link will be copied to your clipboard where you can paste it wherever you wish to share the invitation. For example, this can be in a text message, or social media post. ##### LINE Group: Email or Text Message Invitation These methods automatically generate a message containing a link to your LINE group. **1\. Open** the group chat you want to share and tap *More options* (three horizontal lines/hamburger menu). Then, tap *Invite*. **2\. Tap** *Email* or *Text message*. If you tap *Email*, select your email app from the list and an automatically generated message will be inserted in a new email along with the QR code attached as an image. Send this email to those you wish to invite to the group. If you tap *Text message*, select your SMS app from the list and an automatically generated message will be inserted in a new text message. Send this text message to those you wish to invite to the group. Once you’ve created a LINE group, and invited members, the next step is for your LINE Official Account to join the group. #### How to Join a LINE Group Joining a LINE group is as easy as tapping on an invitation link in a message or website on your phone – doing so will open the group chat in the LINE app and you will be a member of the chat. The other method is by scanning a QR code. Tap the *Chats* icon followed by the *Scan* icon. Then scan a LINE group QR code with your phone’s camera. This will also launch the group chat in the LINE app and make you a member. #### How to Manage LINE Groups All the tools for managing a LINE group can be found in the *More options* menu of the group in the LINE app. **1\. Open** the group chat you’d like to manage and tap *More options* (three horizontal lines/hamburger menu). **2\. Tap** *Other settings*. From here you can change the group’s display picture, cover picture, chat wallpaper, group name, auto-join settings and notification settings. You can also enable or disable QR code sharing for the group, which determines if group members can use QR codes to invite other people to the group. Tapping *Members* will list the participants of the group and allow you to remove anyone you choose. You can also invite other people from this screen. There’s also the option to [export chat history](https://help.line.me/line/android/sp?lang=en&contentId=20007388), [delete data](https://help.line.me/line/android/sp?lang=en&contentId=20010180), create a shortcut to the chat on your device’s home screen, [report the group](https://help.line.me/line/android/categoryId/20007849/sp?lang=en) or [leave the group](https://help.line.me/line/android/sp?lang=en&contentId=20000420). Find out more about managing LINE groups from the [official LINE Help Center](https://help.line.me/line/android/sp?lang=en&contentId=20000424). #### LINE Group: Removing Members There will be times when participants of a group chat will be disruptive and you have no choice but to remove them. **1\. Open** the group chat you’d like to manage and tap *More options* (three horizontal lines/hamburger menu). Then, tap *Members* followed by *Edit*. **2\. Look** through the list for the member you’d like to remove from the chat and tap *Delete*. **3\. Tap** *OK* to confirm and the selected member will be removed from the group chat. In the next section, we’ll go over some of the ways businesses can take advantage of LINE groups. ### How Your Business Can Use LINE Groups LINE groups are suitable for marketing, [sales](https://respond.io/blog/line-sales) or [support](https://respond.io/blog/line-customer-service) functions. For example, businesses can offer exclusive benefits such as discounts and promo codes to participants in their LINE groups. Members can also be the first to hear about new products and services announced in a LINE group. For instance, a property developer for a particular project might update interested buyers in a group chat about unit launches or open houses for tours. Use group chats to organize preorders for limited-run goods like custom furniture or mechanical keyboards. In these groups, businesses can also offer support to the same audience, by providing order and delivery updates. Small businesses will find LINE groups handy for keeping in touch with their customers but large enterprises with multiple agents or teams might prefer for more structured communication. If you belong to the latter, connect your LINE Official Account to [a business messaging inbox like respond.io](https://help.line.me/line/android/sp?lang=en&contentId=20000424). You’ll gain access to features like [CRM integration](https://respond.io/blog/line-crm), [automatic chat routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assignment](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio), [automated message](https://respond.io/blog/line-auto-reply)[s](https://respond.io/blog/line-auto-reply), [broadcasts](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) and more. Sign up for a [free trial today](https://app.respond.io/user/register)! We are actively considering adding LINE groups to respond.io in the future - [vote for the feature request](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request/p/support-for-line-group-chats) to help us prioritize it. ### Further Reading If you found this article helpful, be sure to check out our other articles on using LINE for business: - LINE Broadcast: How to Broadcast LINE Messages - LINE Sales: How to Sell on LINE to Improve Your Sales - LINE Customer Service: The LINE Customer Support Guide ## [LINE Link: Using LINE Links to Connect with Customers ](https:/respond.io/blog/line-link) All you need to know about the LINE link, generating LINE links and using the LINE chat link. Learn how to connect LINE Official Account to respond.io. If you’re looking for ways to get more customers to chat with you on LINE, a LINE link is one of the fastest ways to achieve that. With one click, LINE links connect customers to your LINE Official Account. Read on to learn about LINE chat links and how to use them well! ### What is a LINE Link A LINE link is designed to direct the contact to connect with the business — by adding the business as a friend and starting a one-on-one chat with them. Using LINE links for your business enables customers to add and message you conveniently. Since these links can be easily shared, it is also one of the fastest ways to get into your customers’ contact lists. Now that we know what a LINE link is, let’s run through the benefits of using one. ### Benefits of a LINE Link To prevent spam, LINE Official Accounts can only send messages to customers that have messaged them previously. Customers can only send messages to Official Accounts that they have added as a friend. If your [LINE Official Account is unverified](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-5), customers need to manually search for your LINE Official Account ID, a randomly generated string, to find you inside the app. This isn’t feasible because customers usually wouldn't know what the random string is. For example, the ID assigned to Grub N Go Meal Delivery’s LINE Official Account is @265rssgn. There’s no relation between the ID and the Official Account name, which makes it difficult to remember and enter correctly in a search on LINE. Alternatively, you can verify your business to make it searchable by name, but this isn’t reliable as only important and notable businesses get verified. The remaining option is to purchase a premium ID, which costs money. Fortunately, LINE links make the process of finding and messaging your business more reliable. These links can be shared in text messages, emails, websites or social media, enabling customers to quickly find your Official Account to chat with you on LINE. Once a user has added your account as a friend on LINE, you can send them a message at any time. Do keep in mind the [messaging fees](https://respond.io/blog/line-sales#toc-mobile-4) of your LINE Official Account subscription. LINE links are also easy to obtain since you can generate them with the Official Account Manager or a third-party service like respond.io. However, there are some things you need to know about LINE links before using them. ### Limitations of LINE Links Because LINE was built with a mobile-first experience in mind, these links are sorely lacking when it comes to the desktop experience. LINE links work best on mobile devices that have the LINE app installed. LINE links aren’t very useful if users open them on a desktop. When users click on LINE links on their desktop, it will either open the official LINE website or pull up a page with a QR code for mobile devices to scan. The links do not interact with the LINE desktop app even if it is installed. And unlike [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-link-generator) or [Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/messenger-link), there is no web version of LINE that you can use to chat on the channel. When accessing LINE links on a mobile device with LINE installed, they load up the Official Account profile on the app or directly open a chat window with the Official Account. The best way for your customers to use LINE links will be with a mobile device that has the LINE app installed. It’s most effective in regions [where LINE is popular](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-8) since customers would already have it installed on their phones. ### How to Get a LINE Link There are three ways to get your LINE link, using the LINE Official Account Manager app or website, or with respond.io’s LINE link generator. Depending on the platform you manage your LINE Official Account from, use the method most convenient for you. #### LINE Official Account App The LINE Official Account app on mobile devices generates a LINE link to lead users to your Official Account profile. **1\. Tap** the Home icon. **2\. Tap** *Gain friends > Link.* **3\. Select** *Copy link.* Use this link in messages, websites, social media and customer touch points. #### LINE Official Account Manager If you’re on your computer and manage your LINE Official Account from a web browser, you can use this method to generate your LINE link. **1\. Click** *Home.* **2\. Click** *Gain friends > “Add friend” tools.* **3\. Click** *Create a URL.* **4\. Click** *Copy.* Use this link in messages, websites, social media and customer touch points to lead your customers to your Official Account profile in LINE. Next, let’s go over how to get a LINE link using respond.io. #### Respond.io’s LINE Link Generator Generating a LINE link from respond.io is a [straightforward process](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you) with minimal steps involved. To get started, navigate to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets*. Then, select *QR Code* and click *Create Widget*. Under QR code type, select the channel which you would like to generate the link for, in this case LINE. Then, select the account you’d like to use. This is especially useful if you have multiple LINE accounts connected to respond.io. A LINE link will be displayed under the generated QR code. Click the copy icon next to the URL to store it in your clipboard. Paste this link wherever you wish to share it. While respond.io is useful for creating LINE links, it can do so much more once you’ve connected your Official Account to the platform. In the next section, we’ll explore these features. ### Using LINE with Respond.io In addition to being able to generate LINE links, respond.io offers many features to elevate your sales and support experience on LINE, especially if you have a large business and teams of agents to handle customer messages. Let’s go over the features you gain when your LINE account is connected to respond.io. #### Multichannel Communication If customers in your business region are also on other popular channels such as [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) or [Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), or traditional channels like email and [webchat](https://respond.io/blog/line-web-chat), you can reply to all of them from one platform. With [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts), your customer details and chat history can be consolidated, ensuring you don’t miss any key information from your conversations, even if they take place across different channels. If you don’t want to exceed your LINE message quota for the month, you can contact customers on another channel like Telegram, if you have their contact details. #### Automation, Workflows and API Integrations Workflows can be used to automate repetitive tasks such as [routing to the right team](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assigning your customers](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to available agents. Use [respond.io API Integrations](https://respond.io/integrations) with other apps and platforms to exchange information, therefore giving users a better sales or support experience. - Qualify contacts with data enrichment tools such as Clearbit - Calculate price quotations for a custom plan during client consultations - Generate sales deals in a CRM such as Hubspot and Salesforce or support tickets on Zendesk - Set up a customer escalation process - Measure CSAT scores using workflows Reduce the number of errors that can be introduced when reentering data and improve your agents’ efficiency since there’s no need to leave respond.io to utilize other tools. #### Observation and Reporting Tools Monitor your agents’ performance and answer queries with the [Comments feature](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity#comments) to step in when necessary. Using the [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview), you can track agent performance to see how fast they are responding to and resolving customer conversations. ### Conclusion Now you know all about LINE links and how to get one, it’s time to put it out there for your customers to get in touch with you. If you don’t have a respond.io account yet, be sure to [sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register)! ### Further Reading If you found this article helpful, here are other articles on LINE that you might find useful: - Ultimate Guide to LINE for Business - LINE QR Code: How to Generate QR Code on LINE - LINE Broadcast: How to Broadcast LINE Messages ## [LINE Notification: How to Send LINE Push Notifications](https:/respond.io/blog/line-notification) LINE push notifications are cost-efficient and have high deliverability rates. Read this article to know how to send this type of LINE Notification. Looking for an affordable and effective way to message customers? You should give LINE push notifications a try. Businesses that use this type of LINE notification enjoy high deliverability rates without incurring high costs. Read this article to learn how to send LINE notifications to your audience using respond.io. ### LINE Notification: An Introduction Let’s start by explaining what push notifications are and why companies use them to communicate with customers. #### What is a Push Notification? Push notifications are messages sent by companies that open as a pop-up on the home screen of customers’ phones. Because of that, push notifications have higher visibility than other types of messages and are difficult to ignore. They are one of the best ways to deliver a short message to your customers and notify them about something. Companies commonly use push notifications for different purposes, such as promotions, account updates or payment confirmations. However, you’ve surely received coupons, news or even abandoned cart push notifications too. The first rule when sending push notifications is to use the channel that is most popular with your audience. If your customers are in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia or Taiwan, you should consider using LINE to communicate with them. Let’s see why LINE can be an effective channel for push notifications compared to a traditional notification channel like SMS. #### LINE Push Notifications vs SMS: Pros and Cons Companies that use SMS to send notifications face high costs. While short code numbers are a popular choice due to their high deliverability rate, businesses must pay set up and lease fees, and outbound and inbound message fees. SMS doesn’t support rich media such as images, videos or files, making it hard to send engaging messages. In addition, [using a single emoji can reduce the character limit](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-0) of a standard SMS from 160 to 70. In the event that you want to use MMS to send media, you’ll incur even higher costs. Businesses should offer customers the option to opt out of their notifications to avoid being blocked. SMS opt-outs are not very convenient, as customers have to reply with an SMS or call to stop receiving messages. LINE push notifications have clear advantages over SMS. For a start, LINE messaging is generally cheaper. Businesses can start with a free plan and upgrade to a paid plan only if necessary. What’s more, LINE won’t charge you for inbound messages, unlike some SMS providers. With LINE, businesses can add rich media to their push notifications. [LINE emojis don't take up a lot of characters](https://developers.line.biz/en/docs/messaging-api/text-character-count/) from your message, so you can add as many as you need without worrying about reducing the character limit excessively. Customers are more likely to open a visually striking notification than a dull one. That’s why LINE push notifications have higher open rates that SMS. Finally, it’s easier for LINE users to opt out of push notifications by simply sending a LINE message. Before you get started with LINE push notifications, first you should be familiar with how LINE for businesses works. #### What You Need to Know Before Using Line Push Notifications To send push notifications at scale, you should use a LINE business account. [LINE Official Accounts](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-4) were created for businesses that manage large amounts of messages and access more advanced features. To message customers, LINE Official Accounts users must choose between one of the three [LINE monthly subscription plans](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-6). Businesses on the Free plan do not need to pay for messages but have a strict messaging limit. **LINE Official Account Subscription Plans** | | Monthly Fee | Included Messages | Additional Message Fee | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Japan | Free: - Light: ¥5k Standard: ¥15k | Free: 1k Light: 15k Standard: 45k | Free: ❌ Light: ¥5 Standard: ¥3 | | Taiwan | Free: - Light: NT$800 Standard: NT$4k | Free: 500 Light: 4k Standard: 25k | Free: ❌ Light: NT$0.2 Standard: NT$0.15 | | Thailand | Free: - Light: ฿1,2k Standard: ฿1,5k | Free: 1k Light: 15k Standard: 35k | Free: ❌ Light: ฿0.08 Standard: ฿0.04 | | Global | Free: - Light: US$50 Stadard: US$150 | Free: 500 Light: 15k Standard: 45k | Free: ❌ Light: US$0.05 Stadard: US$0.03 | [Unlike WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message#toc-mobile-2), LINE doesn’t allow businesses to import contact lists. LINE users can only contact your business via chat links, QR Codes, LINE ads and [in-app search](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-5). If you intend to send your customers push notifications, they’ll have to add you as a friend first. Once they do so, you’ll be able to send them push notifications whenever required. To send LINE push notifications, you should have an inbox suitable for your messaging needs. The [LINE Official Manager Account](https://respond.io/blog/line-customer-service#toc-mobile-5) is a valid choice for small businesses. However, we recommend medium to large-size businesses connect their LINE Official Account to a messaging inbox with advanced messaging tools like respond.io. ### How to Send LINE Push Notifications with respond.io Not all teams in your company have the same messaging habits. While support teams may have long 1:1 conversations with clients, marketing teams send bulk messages to segmented audiences. In this section, we’ll guide you through three ways to send LINE push notifications depending on the use case: 1:1 messaging, broadcasts or automated notifications via messages API. #### How to send a 1:1 LINE Notification Conversational support and sales aim to build long-lasting relationships with customers through genuine one-on-one conversations. Normally, they need to send 1:1 notifications to individual contacts rather than to a large audience. Support push notifications are commonly used to update customers about a solved issue, an account problem or a feedback request, to mention some examples. On the other hand, sales push notifications are used to follow up with prospects or confirm a deal. From the [respond.io Messages Module](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/responding-to-messages), agents can type LINE push notifications manually, use a [Snippet](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/snippets) or even trigger them using the [Shortcut Button](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0). #### How to Broadcast LINE Notifications Marketers need to send promotional LINE push notifications in bulk to segmented audiences. Marketing teams will find the tools they need for mass messaging in the [Broadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview). Check out our [LINE Broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/line-broadcast) guide for a detailed explanation of how to broadcast with LINE. LINE messaging rules apply to LINE broadcasts too. This means you’ll only be able to broadcast to contacts who have added you as a friend. While LINE doesn’t have a broadcast limit per se, broadcasts are subject to your monthly plan messaging limits. To make sure you’re targeting the right audience, respond.io allows you to separate and target your audience via [Segments](https://help.respond.io/contacts/segments). This will ensure that your LINE broadcast is only sent to interested recipients. #### How to use Messages API to automate LINE Notifications Companies use [respond.io’s Messages API](https://developers.respond.io/) to send text, attachments and text with quick replies to respond.io contacts. Designed to work in conjunction with business software, Messages API is one of the best ways to send transactional push notifications. Transactional notifications are (generally) automated messages sent in response to specific customer actions, like a payment confirmation or a password reset. They serve a necessary purpose and are usually expected or needed by customers, as they include important and/or sensitive customer information. This is how Messages API works: 1. A customer triggers an event in your business software 2. The business software detects the event and generates a LINE notification 3. The LINE notification is passed on to Messages API and subsequently respond.io 4. The customer receives a LINE push notification If you find the LINE messaging rules too stringent, don’t miss the next section. We’ll share an additional way to send LINE push notifications not many people know about. ### LINE Push Notifications with LINE Notification Messages One of the main cons of using LINE for push notifications is that contacts must message you first. This applies if you want to send messages from your [LINE Official Account Manager](https://respond.io/blog/line-customer-service#toc-mobile-7) or a messaging inbox like respond.io. However, LINE has a “hidden feature” that bypasses this limitation. LINE Notification Messages allow businesses to message customers first by having only their phone numbers. Recipients don’t need to add the business as a friend to receive the notification. LINE indicates in its [Notification Messages UX Guidelines](https://www.linebiz.com/sites/default/files/media/jp/download/LINE%E9%80%9A%E7%9F%A5%E3%83%A1%E3%83%83%E3%82%BB%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B7%E3%82%99UX%E3%82%AB%E3%82%99%E3%82%A4%E3%83%88%E3%82%99%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3.pdf) what types of content are permitted. For example, shipping or payment updates. Unfortunately, commercial content is not allowed. > Do not confuse LINE Notification Messages with LINE Notify. The former is intended for customer messaging, whereas the latter was designed to receive notifications from web services like GitHub or IFTTT. For more information, consult the [LINE notification messages API documentation](https://developers.line.biz/ja/reference/partner-docs/#line-notification-messages-api). In the final section of this article, you’ll find four additional benefits of using respond.io for LINE push notifications. ### LINE Push Notifications with respond.io: Quick Wins Respond.io is not only useful for LINE push notifications — it’s a platform for messaging during the entire customer lifecycle. To use respond.io as your LINE messaging inbox, follow these steps: 1. Create a LINE Official Account 2. Sign up for a respond.io account 3. Connect your LINE Official Account to respond.io Next, we’ll show you in which ways you’ll benefit from using respond.io as a LINE messaging inbox for push notifications. #### LINE Notification: Unify All Your Channels in an Omnichannel Inbox [Respond.io is an omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/integrations) that allows you to connect not only LINE, but also plenty of popular messaging channels, and even custom channels. Obviously, using an omnichannel inbox for push notifications offers more versatility than using a LINE-only messaging inbox like the LINE Official Account Manager. As a medium or large size business, you probably use different customer communication channels. For this reason, you’ll need an inbox that supports multiple channels such as [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) or [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) to send push notifications to Contacts that aren’t LINE users. #### LINE Notification: Execute Your Ideal Chat Routing and Agent Assignment Strategies LINE push notifications often get responses from customers. Once agents receive responses in their inbox, they must handle them as quickly and efficiently as possible. Use [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) to set up a chat routing strategy that suits your company teams. For instance, you could [route conversations by shift](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio#toc-mobile-14) if you have teams working at different times of the day. After routing the conversation to the right team, LINE contacts must be assigned to the right agent. We have a dedicated blog that explains some [common auto-assignment strategies](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-4) for sales and support teams. To manage response time expectations when there aren’t agents available, we suggest you [set up an automated away message](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-10) and an [overcapacity assignment strategy](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-11). #### LINE Notification: Track Conversation and Agent Performance with Advanced Tools In the [Messages Module](https://help.respond.io/messages/messages-overview), managers can supervise the LINE push notifications sent by agents and how they handle customer responses. While the Messaging Console shows a detailed overview, the Activity tab displays Contact interactions in chronological order. Conversational sales and support go far beyond sending LINE push notifications. Agents must handle customer responses and close conversations in a timely manner. The [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) gives supervisors insight into conversation resolution times, first response times and other valuable metrics. With the help of filters, supervisors can identify both long-term trends and specific issues. For instance, they can spot agents that keep conversations open for too long. #### LINE Notification: Notify Customers from Anywhere with the respond.io Mobile App Certain things can’t wait. For example, sending a LINE push notification with an update to a VIP client who faced technical issues. But, what if the responsible agent is not at his desktop? Sometimes, having a messaging inbox that isn’t cross-device is a problem. Respond.io is available on multiple devices, allowing agents to send LINE push notifications from their desktop as well as their cellphones. To get the respond.io app, download it from [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io&hl=en) for Android and [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) for iOS. Do you want to send LINE push notifications with the leading customer messaging platform? [Sign up for a respond.io account here.](https://app.respond.io/user/register) ### Further Reading If you’ve enjoyed this article, here are some more LINE readings you might find interesting. - LINE for Customer Service: A How-To Guide - LINE for Sales: A How-To Guide - LINE Webchat: A Guide to LINE Widget for Website ## [LINE QR Code: How to Generate QR Code on LINE](https:/respond.io/blog/line-qr-code) In this article, we'll demonstrate how LINE QR codes work. LINE QR code allows you to add contacts with ease. Find out what QR code on LINE is, how to generate one and where to display the QR code. Are you using LINE Official Accounts for your business? Then check out this article about LINE QR codes. We’ll explain what a LINE QR code is, how to create one with respond.io’s code generator and where to display it effectively. ### What is LINE QR Code? LINE QR code is a machine-readable code that stores alphanumerical information like phone numbers, URLs and more. You can use a QR scanner or a smartphone camera to read and decode the information. Some common uses include logging in to [LINE for PC](https://help.line.me/line/?contentId=20000111) and [LINE Official Account Manager](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-7), directing users to websites and facilitating digital transactions via [LINE Pay](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-1). You can also share your LINE contact via QR codes to invite customers to start a private chat with you or join a group chat. Next, we’ll take a look at how LINE QR codes can benefit your business. #### LINE QR Code Generator: Why You Should Use One To prevent customers from getting spammed, LINE prohibits businesses from importing contacts to the [LINE Official Account](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account), even if you have the customers’ phone numbers, emails or LINE IDs. Instead, customers have to start a conversation with a LINE Official Account to be added as LINE contacts. Worry not, as there’s an easy method to [get customers to send you the first message](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-10) and that is through LINE QR codes. Instead of keying in your contact details manually, customers can scan your QR code and start chatting with you instantly. Another benefit is that it can be placed anywhere. Just display them in prominent areas where customers can find them easily. After learning all you need to know about LINE QR codes, we’ll show you how to generate them next. ### How to Generate LINE QR Codes Depending on the platform you’re using, there are three methods to generate LINE QR codes: Directly on the LINE app, via LINE Official Account Manager or on a messaging platform like respond.io. In addition to that, we’ll also show you how to create QR codes for your [LINE group cha](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#:~:text=LINE%20for%20Business%3A%20Group%20Messaging)[t](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#:~:text=LINE%20for%20Business%3A%20Group%20Messaging). Let’s go through all the different methods below. #### QR Code on LINE: How to Generate It on LINE App LINE allows its users to generate QR codes easily on the app. Follow the steps below to share your QR codes with your customers. 1. **Tap** *Add Friend* on your LINE home screen. 2. **Tap** the QR icon on the top panel. 3. **Tap** *My QR code* to show your QR code. There are three options for you to share your QR codes. You can copy the link (use this as a hyperlink to enable chats with your LINE Official Account inside the LINE app), share the QR code with your customers immediately or save it to your device for later use. #### How to Create QR Code on LINE Official Account Manager Apart from the app, you can also generate your QR code from the LINE Official Account Manager. 1\. **Click** *Gain friends* on the left panel of your LINE Official Account Manager homepage. 2. **Open** the dropdown menu and click the *“Add friend” tools*. 3\. **Select** *Create a QR code* to generate your QR code. 4\. **Download** the QR code to share it with your customers. Let’s move on to the next section to find out how to generate one on respond.io. #### How to Create QR Codes on Respond.io If you’re using respond.io to send and receive a high volume of messages on your LINE Official Account, then check out the step-by-step guide below to learn how to obtain your QR code on the platform. Generating a LINE QR code from respond.io is a [straightforward process](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you) with minimal steps involved. To get started, navigate to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets*. Then, select *QR Code* and click *Create Widget*. Under QR code type, select the channel which you would like to generate the QR code for, in this case, LINE. Then, select the account you’d like to use. This is a handy feature if you have multiple LINE accounts connected to respond.io. A LINE QR code will be displayed. Finally, click the *Generate Widget* button at the top right to create your QR code. And that’s how to generate a LINE QR code on respond.io. Next, we’ll show you how to invite customers to join a group chat with a LINE QR code. #### How to Create QR Code for Group Chat on LINE App Do you have a LINE group chat for certain customer segments or events? Invite customers to the chat group easily with your QR code. 1\. **Tap** Groups on the homepage of your LINE app. 2. **Open** the group chat you want to share. 3. **Tap** the three horizontal lines at the top right corner. 4. **Tap** *Invite* and then tap on the QR code icon. Here, you can also choose to copy the link, share the QR code or save it to your phone. Now that you’ve learned how to generate LINE QR codes, let’s find out the best places to display the QR codes. ### Where to Display Your QR Codes The great thing about LINE QR codes is their versatility. You can place them anywhere – digitally or physically – in highly visible locations. To convert offline traffic to LINE contacts, print the QR codes on marketing collaterals like posters and signages, and display them at your physical store for passersby to scan and contact you. Having QR codes on business cards also make it easier for people to add you as a contact. They can also be printed on receipts or product packaging to collect customer feedback. QR codes are not limited to physical placements. They can also be displayed digitally, such as on websites, social media posts and e-catalogs. For websites, consider adding a [LINE website chat widget](https://respond.io/blog/line-web-chat) to convert website visitors to contacts. With respond.io’s omnichannel widget, you can also connect your web chat to other messaging channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) and [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business). All in all, LINE QR codes have several benefits that can level up your business communication. Interested to learn more about using LINE Official Account for your business? [Sign up for a free trial now](https://app.respond.io/user/register). ### Further Reading Want to learn more about using LINE for business? Check out these articles below: - How to Broadcast LINE Messages - Your Guide to Using LINE Customer Service - How to Send LINE Push Notification ## [LINE Sales: How to Sell on LINE to Improve Your Sales](https:/respond.io/blog/line-sales) Everything you need to know about LINE Sales and how to sell on LINE. Increase your business sales by selling on LINE with respond.io. If selling goods and services over the phone or email isn’t cutting it anymore and you want to try a new approach using LINE Sales, welcome! In this post, you’ll learn about traditional commerce methods, LINE for sales and how to sell on LINE with respond.io to shorten your sales cycle. ### Instant Messaging vs Traditional Methods for Sales Phone calls and emails have been used in sales for decades but recently, businesses have started using instant messaging as well. Instant messaging solves the downsides of calling and emailing while introducing its own benefits. Firstly, phone calls require a lot of effort to take place. Both parties have to be in conducive environments and available at the same time to communicate. Voice calls aren’t normally recorded, leaving room for things to be forgotten or misinterpreted. Phone calls can also be costly, especially if they are international and these days, [people prefer texting over calling](https://respond.io/blog/business-messaging#toc-mobile-1:~:text=64%25%20of%20customers%20said%20they%20prefer%20instant%20messaging%20a%20company%20than%20calling). Emails solve the issues above but have downsides of their own. For example, spam filters often misplace emails, causing people to miss them. | Channel | Disadvantages | | --- | --- | | Phone | No records of conversationsBoth parties need to be available at the same timeCan't send files | | Email | Gets sent to junk or spam foldersSlow responses between partiesScattered conversations | People open their email far less frequently than instant messengers to check for new messages. Additionally, emails tend to be more formal, making it harder to foster trust and relationships between both parties quickly. Furthermore, email threads have a tendency to disperse. When clients forget to reply all or reply to the latest email, it leads to confusion and missed messages. Customers sending emails from different addresses also create issues with contact identification. Let’s not forget the difficulty of locating information because of repeated text in drawn-out email conversations! It’s no surprise that [their open rates are 600% lower than instant messages](https://respond.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business#:~:text=2018%20%7C%20Source%3A%20Statista-,Messaging%20App%20Engagement%20Rates,-It%20feels%20like). This brings us to instant messaging. Why should businesses use instant messaging channels like LINE to improve the results of their sales? ### Why Use LINE Official Account for Sales With over 182 million monthly active users globally, [LINE is one of the most popular instant messengers in the world](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account), especially in [Japan, Taiwan, Thailand or Indonesia](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-8). If your customers are based there, LINE would be the best way to reach them. Chatting with customers through an app they are active on increases their responsiveness and, in turn, moves the sales process along faster. The conversational nature of instant messaging also makes it great for building partner-like relationships. To distinguish personal accounts from business ones, LINE has [Official Accounts](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account) for businesses to use. This way, regular customers know they are chatting with a recognized business, which builds your credibility and earns you their trust. #### LINE Sales: LINE Official Accounts LINE Official Accounts function similarly to personal accounts but with extra features. You can use them to [send broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/line-broadcast), rich messages and coupons, in addition to regular content like text, images, videos and audio. Since engaging messages are better at capturing your audience’s attention, it increases the odds of them responding favorably. For example, if you’re selling a home, sharing a video tour of the property with prospective buyers heightens their interest. Speaking of messaging, one of the main benefits LINE Official Accounts has over other channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales) is that when a contact has added you as a friend, you can reach them anytime. There are no message type limits or [messaging windows](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-12) to act upon. Lastly, if you’re in a region like Thailand, Official Accounts have access to services such as [LINE SHOPPING](https://lineshoppingseller.com/) which lets you set up an online store for customers to access within the LINE app. Let’s go over the different ways to manage your LINE Official Account. #### LINE Sales: LINE Official Account Messaging API on Respond.io Your LINE Official Account can be operated through the [LINE Official Account Manager](https://manager.line.biz/) or by connecting the LINE Official Account Messaging API to a central messaging inbox like respond.io. LINE Official Account Manager is straightforward to use and suitable for small businesses that don’t require advanced automation. However, its features are limited when it comes to handling large-scale sales operations. For those with larger businesses and many salespeople, connecting your LINE Official Account Messaging API to respond.io unlocks its full potential. You gain access to advanced automation features like [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) and [Reports](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) to monitor your agents’ efficiency. With respond.io, all your business' contacts and conversations are stored in a central database. This allows salespeople to easily identify customers, trace chat history and resume conversations where they left off, regardless of the device they use. Another benefit of a central database is that your business retains customer contact info and conversation history even when an agent resigns. Managers can also monitor the conversations of agents in case they need to intervene. However, before we start using LINE Official Account for sales, there are some things you should know about the channel. ### How to Sell on LINE: What You Should Know? To reduce spam, LINE requires customers to send the first message to open a conversation with a LINE Official Account. You won’t be able to import existing contacts to your Official Account. This means you’ll need to build up a contact list from scratch. Luckily, LINE provides [useful tools and features to make getting new contacts easier](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-10). Place these with your promotional content for customers to get in touch with you: - Chat links - QR codes - Website buttons - In-app search - LINE ads Once you get a contact list going, you can start sending messages to contacts. Keep in mind that the cost of your messages depends on the region and your subscription plan. Each account can send a set amount of free messages monthly, with each additional message costing extra. Do note that free accounts won’t be able to exceed this limit, so make sure you’re on a Light or Standard plan if you plan to send a lot of messages. Now let’s see how we can take advantage of respond.io with the LINE Official Account Messaging API to elevate your sales operation. ### How to Sell on LINE Using Respond.io: Quick Wins Respond.io has a number of powerful tools to improve how your business carries out sales on your LINE Official Account. Let’s run through some examples of how you can achieve that. #### Shorten Your Sales Cycle with Automation With Workflows, you can automate repetitive processes, freeing up manpower and resources that can be better spent on critical tasks. Since customers communicating with businesses on instant messengers expect fast replies, they move on if they don’t hear back from you quickly. You can manage their expectations with up auto-replies to greet them or inform them when [you’re away](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business#toc-mobile-4). Automated Workflows can be used to determine which sales funnel or route a contact falls into by [automating lead qualification](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot#toc-mobile-5), [routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assigning customers](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to the right salespeople. #### Integrate LINE Official Account Inbox With Your Sales CRM Another use for Workflows is [integrating respond.io with your existing sales CRM](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/integrations) to facilitate information exchange between them. Doing so allows you to: - Qualify contacts with data enrichment tools such as Clearbit - Calculate the price quotations for a custom plan during client consultations - Generate sales deals in a CRM such as Hubspot or Salesforce Respond.io’s integrations let you can carry out the functions of other apps without leaving the platform. This reduces the number of errors that could be introduced when reentering data, removes redundancy and improves the efficiency of your agents. #### Get a Complete Overview of Customers with Contact Merge and Tags Most messaging app users have more than one messaging app on their phones. They may have used other messaging channels to reach you previously, which leads to siloed conversations. Merging contact details and conversation history across multiple channels allows recognizing an existing customer, regardless of the channel used to approach you. You can also use [Tags](https://help.respond.io/dialogflow/dialogflow-parameters#tagging) to build complete profiles of your customers to better understand them. For example, you can tag your customers according to their preferences, budget or company size so salespeople immediately know the best way to approach them. #### Mobile App for Agents on the Go Respond.io’s app allows agents to answer customer inquiries and follow up on leads from LINE on their mobile phones. The app has all the features available on the desktop, such as Dashboard, Contacts and Messaging. Agents will receive a push notification whenever they receive a new message or are assigned new Contacts. With the respond.io app, agents have the convenience of answering messages on the go, wherever they are. To get the respond.io app, download it from [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io&hl=en) for Android and [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) for iOS. Now that you know how to use LINE Official Account to improve your sales process go out there and close some deals! Don’t have a respond.io account yet? [Sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register). ### Further Reading If you found this helpful, here are some additional articles to prepare you for your sales journey on LINE: - The Ultimate Guide to LINE For Business - LINE Broadcast: How to Broadcast LINE Messages - Inbound Conversation Workflows: A How-To Guide ## [LINE Web Chat: A Guide to Setting Up LINE Widget for Website ](https:/respond.io/blog/line-web-chat) Want to learn more about how to use LINE web chat for your business? We've listed down all the details here, from the benefit of using LINE widget to automating responses with respond.io's Workflows. Want to expand your business or reach out to more audiences in Japan, Taiwan or Thailand? Then you should consider using LINE. One easy way to increase your LINE contacts and provide support to customers is to install a LINE web chat widget on your website. Here, you’ll learn everything about LINE widget, how to integrate the web chat widget into your website and how it benefits your business in terms of sales, marketing and support. To top it off, we’ll also show you how to incorporate chat automation into your LINE web chat with respond.io. ### LINE Web Chat: An Introduction LINE is one of the most popular apps in Japan, Taiwan and Thailand and has [over 182 million monthly active users as of Q1 2020](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-3). This is why many businesses in those regions are using [LINE Official](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account) [Accounts](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account) to engage with customers. Like [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-9), the LINE Official Account doesn’t allow businesses to import contacts. To grow your LINE contact list, you need to [get customers to send you the first message](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-10). And what better way to do it than the LINE web chat widget, which takes customers into a LINE conversation with you from your website? Unlike live chat where customers’ identities are anonymous, once someone messages you on LINE, they become a contact on respond.io. This way, you can trace contacts and send them a message even after they leave the website. There are two methods for visitors to start a conversation with you via the widget: - Click on LINE icon: The LINE icon contains a URI link that directs users to the app. Visitors who click on it will land on the app to start chatting with you. However, this only applies to those with LINE installed on desktop or mobile. - Scan QR Codes: Visitors with the mobile app can scan the QR code. Once scanned, they can initiate a conversation with you upon landing on the app. #### How to Set Up LINE Web Chat for Website The process for setting up a LINE web chat is simple and can be done quickly by [following these steps](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets#creating_widget). To get started, navigate to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets*. Then, click *Add Widget* and choose *LINE Widget* before clicking *Create Widget*. After that, enter the website(s) where you want to add the chat widget and select the account you want to create a web chat for. You can add a pre-filled text or customize the widget’s appearance by clicking on the *Advanced Settings* buttons. Finally, click *Generate Widget*, copy the generated script and install it on your website. If you want to connect with customers across multiple channels, an [omnichannel widget](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) can help. You can also opt to [add a website chat widget to your website](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview). Now that you've successfully set up your LINE web chat, we’ll show you how businesses can leverage it to maximize its potential next. ### How to use LINE Web Chat for Business In this section, we’ll share why LINE web chat fares better than traditional methods like email, live chat and phone calls. Plus, we’ll show you how businesses can use it for marketing, sales and support. #### LINE Widget for Marketing With the LINE widget, interested customers can reach out to you easily in response to the products, services or promotions on your site. This helps to shorten the lead acquisition process. Having a widget on your website encourages visitors to start a LINE conversation with you. Because they’ll automatically become a contact after messaging you, it’s easy to share updates via [broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/line-broadcast) to keep customers in the loop with your latest offerings. Next, we’ll look at how your business can use LINE web chat for sales. #### LINE Widget for Sales On live chat, it’s hard for salespeople to get the accurate contact information they need to build relationships with prospects. Some prospects might fill in the wrong information out of privacy concerns or make mistakes when filling up the form. On the contrary, when you integrate the LINE inbox with a sales CRM like Hubspot or Salesforce, you can use Workflows to make an [HTTP Request](https://respond.io/blog/february-2022-release-new-workflows-steps-new-navigation-and-messaging-module-design-custom-channel-integration-and-bits-and-bobs#toc-mobile-4) to retrieve updated contact data and create sales deals after customers send you a message from the LINE widget. Since you can save the customers as LINE contacts on respond.io once they message you, your sales team can reach out to them anytime as they’re [not restricted by](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-12) [a](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-12) [messaging window](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-12). Want to learn more? Check out our [comprehensive guide on how to use LINE for sales](https://respond.io/blog/line-sales) here. #### LINE Widget for Customer Service Unlike emails and phone calls that require customers to wait endlessly for replies, you can manage response time expectations by setting up auto-replies on your LINE web chat to improve customer satisfaction and promote a positive brand experience. Another advantage the LINE widget has is traceable conversation history. Support agents can identify returning customers by their user ID and access their chat history in a messaging inbox like respond.io. This way, customers don’t have to repeat their information and support issues if cases are [escalated to another team or agent](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management). In addition to that, support agents can even personalize solutions based on their needs. If you want to measure how satisfied customers are with your customer service, send them a [CSAT survey](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) to find out what you’re doing right and what can be improved. Now that you’ve learned how the LINE widget can support your business, let’s take a look at how you can unlock the full potential of your LINE web chat with respond.io’s chat automation. ### Handle Line Web Chat Conversations Effortlessly with Respond.io Here, we’ll show you how to create automation to level up your LINE web chat with [respond](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview)[.io](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview)[’s](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview). #### Answer Commonly Asked Questions with Chat Automation Customers today demand quick replies, especially on messaging apps. To cater to this, businesses can automate frequently asked questions and answers to reduce agents’ workloads while providing clear and prompt replies to customers. To get started, create a [LINE multiple-choice menu on Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps). You can create up to 10 FAQs and responses. FAQs answer general questions like business hours, pricing or contact information. You can also use [Snippe](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/snippets)[t](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/snippets)[s](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/snippets), which works like a quick reply, to create canned responses. Snippets can’t be triggered by Workflows and require an agent to select predesignated replies. It’s typically used for more detailed explanations like return policies. #### Set Up Away Messages for LINE Widget As a business, communication is key to maintaining a successful relationship with customers. However, businesses can’t be there 24/7 for their customers, whether due to a lack of manpower, limited hours of operation or timezone differences. To solve that, businesses can set up [Away Messages](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business) to manage customers’ expectations. You can [build a Workflow](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business#toc-mobile-4) to automatically respond to customers outside of business hours and let them know when to expect a reply from you. If you’re not sure what to include in an away message, check out our [best practices on how to write an away message](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business#toc-mobile-3). #### Route Customers to the Right Team [Connecting customers to the right team](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) within the organization is crucial as it leads to faster resolution time. To take it up a notch, you can create a [pre-chat survey](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) to determine their needs and [apply auto assignment logic](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) and assign them to an agent. In conclusion, adding a LINE web chat widget to your website can bring you and your business many benefits. [Connect your LINE account to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/line#connecting_a_line_official_account) to get started today. ### Further Reading If you want to learn more about the benefit of using LINE for your business, you can check out some of these articles below: - A Comprehensive Guide to Broadcasting LINE Messages - The Ultimate Guide to LINE for Business - How to Use LINE for Customer Support ## [Live Chat Greeting Examples: 15 Live Chat Welcome Message Examples](https:/respond.io/blog/live-chat-greeting-examples) Discover how a personalized live chat greeting message can be used to enhance customer experience and improve online communication on your website. Learn how to craft effective greetings to build trust and create a positive first impression. Creating a positive first impression is crucial when engaging with customers, and one way to achieve this is through the use of greeting messages in your live chat. This article will explore the concept of a live chat greeting message, its benefits and how to create a personalized one for your business. Plus, we'll provide live chat greeting message examples for various situations. ### What is a Live Chat Greeting Message? A live chat greeting message is a message that is automatically sent to a customer or website visitor when they initiate a live chat session. The message is typically intended to welcome the customer and set expectations for the conversation. Let’s explore the advantages of using a live chat greeting message next. #### Benefits of Setting Up a Live Chat Greeting Message A live chat greeting message can greatly enhance a business’s ability to connect and engage with customers. We’ll take you through the benefits. - Shorten response time: A predefined message streamlines the first response to customer inquiries for a quick response, which in turn helps businesses build trust and create positive relationships with their customers. - Increase engagement: A personalized greeting message can make customers feel more welcome and valued, increasing their engagement with your business. - Generate leads: Businesses can use greeting messages to gather contact information from customers, which they can then use to expand their contact list and enhance marketing and sales efforts through retargeting. - Manage customer expectations: Greeting messages can help manage customer expectations by providing information on support availability so customers know when to expect a response. - Improve customer experience: A customized greeting message makes customers feel acknowledged. This positive experience can establish a good first impression and result in higher levels of customer satisfaction. Additionally, live chat messages can improve your sales performance by using an AI Agent. It customizes responses to optimize for a sales response, helping to move customers through the sales funnel more quickly. As you can see, using live chat greeting messages can help businesses build stronger connections with customers. Below, we’ll provide some examples of live chat greeting messages for businesses to use to achieve these goals. ### Best Live Chat Welcome Messages Before diving into live chat greeting examples, it’s important to understand the best practices for composing effective greeting messages. Below, we’ve outlined some guidelines to keep in mind when crafting your messages. #### Best Practices for Live Chat Welcome Messages This section will provide a list of best practices for creating live chat greeting messages. Follow these guidelines to ensure that your welcome messages will be engaging, welcoming and professional. - Keep it concise and to the point - Use a warm and friendly tone. A chat is usually informal, so saying "hey" or something friendlier or casual like "yo" or "what's up" works too. - Personalize the message with the customer’s name or details - Respond to customers in a timely manner or set response time expectations - Include a call-to-action (CTA) to prompt customers to take a specific action or guide them in what to do next Let’s explore the different types of live chat greeting messages you can use in various scenarios. #### Live Chat Greeting Message Examples: General Welcome Want to make a strong first impression with your customers? Welcome messages build rapport with prospects, ease them into your brand and win trust. Here are some general greeting message templates. 1\. "Welcome to our live chat service 👋 My name is \[Name\]. How can I help you today?" 2\. "Hello, thanks for reaching out to us! My name is \[Name\], and I'm here to assist you." 3\. "Greetings! I'm \[Name\], and I'll be your live chat representative today. Please let me know what you need and I'll do my best to help you." #### Live Chat Greeting Examples: Special Offers Running a promotion for your business? Use greeting messages as opportunities to promote special offers or deals. Here are some examples you can use. 1\. "Hello! My name is \[Name\], and I'm here to assist you 😊. By the way, we currently have a special offer on our scented candles for a limited time only. Let me know if you’d like to learn more!" 2\. "Welcome to \[Business Name\]! My name is \[Name\]. Looking to hydrate your skin this winter? We're currently offering 50% off on all skin care products. Let me know if you're interested in learning more. Now, how can I help you today?” 3\. "Hello there! I'm \[Name\]. Just to let you know, we’re having a 20% off 🎉 sale on selected items at the moment; let me know if you’d like to know more! How can I assist you?” #### Live Chat Greeting Messages: Lead Capture You can also use live chat to convert visitors to prospective customers. One easy way to do this is to ask for their contact information in the welcome message for use in later marketing or sales initiatives. 1\. "Welcome to our live chat service! My name is \[Name\], and I'll be happy to assist you with any questions. Before we begin, may I please have your email address? 😊" 2\. "Hello, thank you for your message. Our business hours are from 8am to 4pm. Please leave your name and phone number and we’ll get in touch during business hours." 3\. "Greetings, \[Name\]! Interested in our holiday packages 🏖? If you'd like to learn more, please provide your email address and we’ll send you our seasonal catalogs. In the meantime, please let me know how I can assist you today.” #### Live Chat Welcome Messages: Customer Support Businesses can use greeting messages like the examples below to set expectations for page visitors in terms of agent availability or response time when seeking customer service. 1\. “Thanks for reaching out to us! My name is \[Name\] and I'm here to help you with any support issues you may have. What can I help you with today?” 2\. "Welcome, \[Name\], we’ve received your message. We’re currently attending to a high volume of customers but we’ll be with you shortly!" 3\. "Hello, thank you for reaching out to us for support. Before we begin, please provide your account number or the order number so that we can better assist you. 🙇‍♀️" #### Live Chat Greeting Examples: Seasonal Messages Closing the office for the holidays? Releasing a new collection for the new year? Now’s the time to inform your customers about your availability or your holiday promotions. Here are some seasonal greeting messages for your reference. 1\. “Merry Christmas! 🎄 I'm here to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have. How can I help you today?” 2\. "Happy New Year! Thank you for your message, we’ll get back to you in an hour's time. In the meantime, we have some special deals to kick off 2023 🎊 Just click on this link \[Link\] to find out more." 3\. "Happy Chinese New Year!🧧 I'm \[Name\], your live chat representative. We're currently offering 50% off on our gift baskets. Let me know if you have any questions about the promotion or what I can assist you with today.” Now you have a good selection of welcome message examples, let’s jump to the next section, where you’ll learn how to create your own. ### How to Set Up Greeting Messages with Respond.io Here we’ll show you how to create a live chat greeting message via a customer conversation management software like respond.io. To get started, you’ll need to [link your website chat widget to your respond.io account](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview), then [follow these steps](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/automated-welcome-and-away-messages) to set up and automate greeting messages for your live chat. Aside from that, respond.io also allows you to set up advanced automation like [support escalation](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) and [auto-assignment](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) and centralize communications on an [omnichannel platform](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) to connect with customers on other popular channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) and more. Setting up a live chat greeting message is a quick and easy way to build relationships with customers. Want to get started? [Sign up for a free trial with respond.io](https://app.respond.io/user/register) to start chatting with your customers today. ### Further Reading If you found this helpful, here are some additional articles on live chat messaging to level up your business: - Omnichannel Communication: Using an Omnichannel Communication Platform - Most Popular Messaging Apps: Top Messaging Apps for Businesses - Everything You Need to Know about Omnichannel Chat Widget ## [Manychat vs Chatfuel vs Respond.io: Which One Wins?](https:/respond.io/blog/manychat-vs-chatfuel) Trying to decide between Manychat vs Chatfuel vs respond.io? Our article breaks down each platform’s ins and outs to help you find the best fit! Automation, chatbots and omnichannel platforms aren’t just buzzwords anymore. They’re staples for anyone looking to get the most out of their sales and marketing efforts. What was once cutting-edge is now the standard, helping businesses everywhere boost efficiency and customer engagement. With so many options, how do you choose something that best fits your requirements? Let’s break it down and see which platform can give your business the edge it needs. ### Overview: Manychat vs Chatfuel vs Respond.io [Manychat](https://respond.io/blog/manychat-alternative), Chatfuel and respond.io may seem different at first glance, but they all share the same goal: *simplifying customer conversations*. However, each platform takes a unique approach, meaning what works for one business might not be the right fit for another. Here’s our TL;DR: - Manychat: Ideal for small and medium businesses jumping into conversational marketing. It’s quick to set up and handles Messenger, WhatsApp and more—great for straightforward customer engagement with minimal fuss. - Chatfuel: Best for simple automation needs on WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram, especially for micro and small businesses without a customer relationship management (CRM) tool. It’s an easy entry point that provides essential tools but may feel limited as you grow. - Respond.io: The go-to for businesses scaling up chat-driven sales. It equips growing businesses with advanced automation and true omnichannel support, designed to amplify reach and drive conversions for businesses of all sizes. | | Manychat | Chatfuel | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Channels Supported | WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, SMS, Telegram, Email | WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram | WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, SMS, Email, Telegram, Viber, LINE and more | | Multichannel Broadcast | WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, SMS, Email | WhatsApp | WhatsApp, Messenger, LINE, Viber, Telegram, SMS | | External Integrations | Third-party platforms including ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, and Google Sheets | Third-party platforms including ActiveCampaign and HubSpot | Custom APIs, webhooks, CRMs, third-party platforms like Zapier and Make | | Automation & AI | No-code automation, automatic responses, helpful AI tools | Simple automation, no advanced automatic responses | Advanced no-code automation, AI Agents, AI suggestions and assistance, AI training | | Customer Support | 24/7 ticketing system and forums | Automated chat and 24/5 agent support | 24/5 multilingual chat support | | Platform Stability | No public data | No public data | 99.9996% uptime | | Reporting | Basic analytics for automations, customer interactions, limited agent performance metrics | Basic analytics for delivery rates, open rates, unanswered messages | In-depth analytics for conversation resolutions, broadcast performance, agent performance | | Free Plan | Available with limited features | No free plan, trial available | 7-day free trial | | Starting Price | $15/month | $69.39/month ($19.90/month for FB & IG + $49.49/month for WhatsApp) | $79/month | For a deeper dive, keep reading! We’ll unpack how each platform stacks up so you can see which one’s the right fit for your business. ### Manychat vs Chatfuel vs Respond.io: A Detailed Comparison Choosing the right platform can be overwhelming, especially when every solution makes similar promises. From ease of use to customer support, each platform has its own strengths and trade-offs. So, how do you know which one will truly deliver for your business? Let’s look into some of the most important elements of a messaging platform. #### Centralize All Conversations with Omnichannel Messaging Imagine connecting with customers on WhatsApp, Instagram, SMS, calls and more—all in one place. A [true omnichannel solution](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) unifies all conversations with features like contact merge, which lets you merge contact details and conversations, consolidating interactions into one profile, no matter the channel. Likewise, if you manage many contacts, you likely use a CRM and integrating it ensures your data stays synced. This way, you can manage chats across all channels seamlessly, staying reachable and never missing a conversation. | | Manychat | Chatfuel | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Channels | WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, SMS, Telegram, Email | WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram | WhatsApp, WhatsApp Calling API, VoIP, Messenger, Instagram, SMS, Email, Telegram, Viber, LINE and more | | CRM Integrations | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Custom Channels | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | | Contact Merge | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | **Manychat** supports Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, SMS and email. It also offers contact merge and can integrate with CRMs using Zapier. However, it doesn’t support less common channels like LINE or Viber. Manychat is ideal for businesses focused on supported channels, but it may feel limiting if you ever plan on diversifying your marketing strategy with more channels. **Chatfuel** only supports Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. Unfortunately, CRM integration and adding other channels is not possible. Likewise, it doesn’t offer custom channel support, making it less flexible for managing a diverse range of communication channels. It's solid for simple setups but not ideal for businesses looking for an omnichannel experience. **Respond.io** offers true omnichannel capabilities, supporting [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [VoIP](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration), [Messenger](https://help.respond.io/l/en/facebook-messenger), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business), [TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-business), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business), [SMS](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms) and more. It integrates custom channels via open API and provides seamless CRM syncing with Zapier, allowing you to manage all customer interactions in one place while ensuring your CRM data stays up to date. Respond.io also supports [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) in addition to providing automatic merge suggestions, consolidating customer profiles and interactions for full context, and ensuring you never lose track of a conversation. With omnichannel support covered, let’s dive into how these platforms provide growth tools. #### Capture More Leads with Growth Tools Capturing leads and driving traffic to your chat funnels is key to growing your business. More leads mean more conversations, which means more selling opportunities. This can be done with features like QR codes, click-to-chat ads and widgets that usher leads into your funnel. | | Manychat | Chatfuel | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Click to Chat Ads | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | QR Codes | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Website Widgets | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Fully Customizable Widgets | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | | Omnichannel Widgets | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | **Manychat** offers click to chat ads and QR codes to engage customers and spark conversations. It also provides website widgets, but their limited customization may be restrictive if you want more flexibility in tailoring the user experience. **Chatfuel** supports click to chat ads from Facebook and Instagram, allowing users to start conversations by clicking the ad. It includes website widgets, making it easier to initiate chats, but these are not fully customizable. **Respond.io** stands out with fully customizable [omnichannel website widgets](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget), a feature missing in both Manychat and Chatfuel. This means your business can capture and engage leads directly from your website, no matter where they come from. This, coupled with the ability to connect [click to chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads), QR codes and its multichannel reach, respond.io provides a powerful solution for capturing leads across various channels. Now, let’s look at how the three platforms handle automation and AI. #### Convert Leads More Efficiently with Automation and AI Nobody has time to handle every message manually. Automation helps you scale interactions without the need for manual work. Features like [AI agent for sales](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent) and workflow triggers—automatic actions based on customer behavior—make it easier to respond quickly and ensure you convert more leads faster. | | Manychat | Chatfuel | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | No-Code Automation | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | AI Agents | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | AI Assist | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Knowledge Training | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | | Automated Smart Triggers | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | **Manychat** offers a no-code automation builder that’s perfect for straightforward workflows. It also features AI tools like AI Agents and AI Text Improver that can tweak or translate messages. The AI Flow Builder Assistant simplifies creating automation flows through guided questions, and its triggers feature supports automation based on specific user events, like appointment reminders. While perfect for small to medium businesses, Manychat isn’t suited for complex automation needs due to the lack of more advanced features like AI Agents. **Chatfuel** also provides a no-code builder with deeper AI capabilities, including a ChatGPT-powered bot that responds based on keywords, user attributes and schedules. You can also automate sales or customer support roles. However, its lack of advanced triggers makes it better suited for simpler automation tactics, limiting its use for enterprise-level needs. **Respond.io**’s AI capabilities are one of its main strengths. [AI Agent](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents) handles customer conversations automatically, replying instantly 24/7 and routing chats to the right team. It also updates contact fields and lifecycle stages on its own, while pulling accurate answers from your knowledge sources. [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/l/en/inbox/using-ai-assist) generates editable responses based on chat history, while [AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/l/en/inbox/using-ai-assist) help translate messages, adjust tone, fix typos and simplify text. Respond.io’s knowledge training feature further improves the accuracy of your AI Agents, Assist and Prompts by incorporating FAQs, PDFs, and other documents. Additionally, respond.io takes automation to the next level with a no-code drag-and-drop builder designed for complex workflows across multiple channels. It handles advanced tasks like agent routing, case escalations and shift management with ease. At the same time, respond.io’s [workflows](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflow-triggers) send personalized messages based on customer actions across platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce via Zapier, Make or even webhooks. While automation and AI are great for efficiency, what about engaging broadcasts? #### Retain Customers with Broadcasting Capabilities It’s more [expensive to acquire new customers than to retain existing ones](https://hbr.org/2014/10/the-value-of-keeping-the-right-customers), and timely, relevant promotional messages can help keep them engaged. Features like multichannel support, triggered broadcasts and broadcast analytics ensure your messages hit the mark, driving loyalty and long-term engagement. | | Manychat | Chatfuel | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Broadcast Channels | WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, SMS, Email | WhatsApp | WhatsApp, Messenger, LINE, Viber, Telegram, SMS | | Broadcast Analytics | ✅ (Sent, Delivered, Opened, Clicked) | ✅ (Open Rates, User Interactions) | ✅ (Delivery, Reads, Failures, Channel-specific Filters) | | Triggered Broadcast | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | **Manychat** supports broadcasts across WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, SMS and email, providing businesses with wide coverage. However, its analytics allows you to track basic metrics like Sent, Delivered and Clicked. This might be enough for smaller campaigns but could feel limiting for businesses looking to dig deeper into audience behavior. **Chatfuel** lets you send broadcasts on only WhatsApp. Its analytics offer the basics—open rates and user interactions (e.g., button clicks, responses)—but don’t provide the advanced detail or flexibility larger campaigns might require. **Respond.io** steps things up by enabling businesses to broadcast across a wide range of channels, including Viber, LINE and SMS, in addition to WhatsApp and Messenger, thanks to its [Broadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview). You can also [segment audiences](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts/segments) for more targeted messaging, ensuring each broadcast reaches the right group. Its [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) complements this further by providing in-depth analytics, allowing you to track message delivery, reads and failures across all channels, with filters for date ranges and channel-specific performance of what’s working or not. But what about the numbers beyond just broadcasts? #### Unlock Messaging Insights with Reports & Analytics Data is king, but only if you know how to use it. Reports and analytics give you the power to fine-tune your messaging strategy by understanding what works and doesn’t. Conversion tracking, custom reports and dashboards all help businesses achieve this. Without analytics, it's like shooting in the dark—you're making decisions without knowing if they hit the mark or miss. | | Manychat | Chatfuel | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Conversion Tracking | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Agent Performance Analytics | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Custom Reports and Dashboards | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | | Data Export | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Unanswered Questions | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | **Manychat** provides four main analytics tools: tracking how workflows perform, monitoring conversions, analyzing agent activity and an insights dashboard. You can track message delivery, opens and clicks and set up custom conversion events to measure chatbot performance. Manychat Pixel (similar to [Facebook Pixel](https://www.facebook.com/government-nonprofits/blog/the-facebook-pixel#:~:text=The%20Facebook%20pixel%20is%20a,people%20take%20on%20your%20website.)) lets you track conversions on your website from chatbot interactions, adding depth to its marketing analytics. While this is great for conversion tracking, agent analytics are only available with the Inbox Pro plan. **Chatfuel** offers analytics on workflow performance, user activity, and unanswered questions, which are questions for which the chatbot failed to provide an adequate answer. However, it doesn’t explain why those questions went unanswered, limiting deeper insights into chatbot performance. Beyond this, Chatfuel tracks users, message delivery, open rates and clicks, giving you an overview of your chatbot’s performance. But when it comes to advanced insights—like detailed agent performance data—Chatfuel falls short. The reporting interface is user-friendly, but its lack of customization can be frustrating, making it less ideal for businesses needing tailored analytics. **Respond.io’s** [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) provides comprehensive analytics that goes the extra mile. It enables businesses to precisely track team performance and customer interactions through [Conversations](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting/reports-conversations), [Resolutions](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting/reports-resolutions) and [Agent Leaderboards](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting/reports-leaderboard). These provide insights into customer engagement levels, effectiveness in closing chats and agent performance based on key metrics. Even for managers, the [Dashboard](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting/dashboard) offers real-time performance insights, helping track team activities and make informed decisions. The module also allows for filtering by key metrics, exporting data in formats like CSV and viewing historical data, making it a powerful tool for optimizing workflows. It is the go-to choice for businesses needing detailed, actionable insights. ### Manychat vs Chatfuel vs Respond.io: Platform Stability and Customer Support It doesn’t matter how feature-packed or affordable a platform is. If it’s unreliable or you can’t get help when you need it, what’s the point? Smooth performance and great support are essential to help your business run without a hitch. #### Platform Stability Even Under Pressure You need a platform that won’t crumble when traffic spikes or campaigns ramp up. Stability means peace of mind so you can focus on your business while your platform handles the heavy lifting. | | Manychat | Chatfuel | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Performance During High Traffic | ⚠️ (No uptime guarantee) | ⚠️ (No uptime guarantee) | ✅ | | Uptime Guarantee | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (99.9996% uptime) | **Manychat** holds up well for day-to-day use and is solid for smaller to medium-sized businesses. It handles regular traffic just fine, but when the volume picks up—like during big marketing pushes or busy seasons-you might notice a few hiccups as they don’t provide any formal uptime guarantees or statistics. **Chatfuel’s** stability is reliable for the most part, according to online reviews, with some improvements being made over the years. That said, like Manychat, without any uptime promises, it’s best for businesses that don’t expect frequent spikes in activity but need consistent performance day-to-day. **Respond.io** stands out with its impressive [99.9996% uptime](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/respondio_probability-of-rare-events-activity-7211637359765831681-h4Cw?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop). Whether you’re handling daily customer interactions or pushing through high-traffic campaigns, the platform stays dependable. It's the kind of stability that lets you fully focus on building customer relationships and growing your business instead of wasting time worrying about technical hiccups. Now that we’ve got stability down let’s see how they stack up on customer support. #### Responsive Customer Support Good customer support is the backbone of any successful business. When issues arise, fast and reliable support can make all the difference, ensuring your team stays productive and your customers are well-served. | | Manychat | Chatfuel | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Priority Support | ✅ (Higher Plans) | ✅ (Higher Plans) | ✅ (All plans treated equally) | | Customer Success Managers | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Multilingual Support | ❌ (Limited Support) | ❌ (Limited Support) | ✅ | | 24/5 Live Chat Support | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | **Manychat** offers customer support via a 24/7 basic ticketing system, with priority support available for higher plans, though response times are not guaranteed. For smaller businesses, this may suffice, but for those needing quick responses, the email-based system can feel slow and impersonal. There have also been reports of mixed support quality. For those on higher plans, dedicated Customer Success Managers offer more personalized guidance. **Chatfuel’s** customer support is not all equal. Users on all plans can contact support via email or chat with an automated bot, but the knowledge base is limited, and many users are directed to a WhatsApp group for help. Priority support, dedicated success managers and live chat operating on typical business hours are only reserved for higher tiers, so if you’re looking for personalized support, Chatfuel may not be right for you. **Respond.io** offers 24/5 live chat and call support in languages like English, Arabic, Chinese and Spanish, providing basic and technical help. Should you need help on weekends, there's also 24/7 AI support. For businesses needing more hands-on help, higher-tier plans include expert, dedicated Customer Success Managers who don’t just solve problems but also equip customers with the know-how they need to succeed. That said, regardless of plan, businesses can count on the expert team for personalized assistance for troubleshooting or managing complex integrations. Finally, we can’t forget one of the most important factors: pricing. Let’s see how each platform’s pricing holds up as your business grows. ### Manychat vs Chatfuel vs Respond.io: Pricing Cost is always a factor when choosing software, especially for growing businesses. You need a pricing model that makes sense, one that doesn’t leave you guessing or hit you with surprise fees. The right platform should scale with you, offering features that match your needs without breaking the bank. #### Entry-level Pricing: Manychat, Chatfuel and Respond.io For small businesses or teams under 10 people, starting with an affordable, feature-rich plan is key. Entry-level pricing should provide the essential tools to run your messaging operations without unnecessary complexity or costs. Each platform's entry-level plan offers varying functionality, flexibility and channel support, but the question remains: Which gives you the most value? | | Manychat (Pro Plan) | Chatfuel (Business Plan) | Respond.io (Starter Plan) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Free Plan | Yes | Basic, free 7-day trial | Comprehensive 7-day trial | | Starting Price | $15/month | $69.39/month ($19.90/month for FB/IG + $49.49/month for WhatsApp) | $79/month | | Channels Supported | WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, SMS, Telegram, Email | Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp | All popular messaging channels | | Seats Included | 3 Seat | Unlimited | 5 Seat | **Manychat** offers a free plan, ideal for businesses just starting out, covering WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram, but it caps you at 1,000 contacts and 3 users. If you need more powerful tools, you'll need to upgrade to their Pro plan starting at $15/month, which adjusts depending on the size of your contact list. **Chatfuel** skips the permanent free plan but gives you a 7-day free trial. After that, pricing starts at $19.90/month for Facebook and Instagram or $49.49/month for WhatsApp. You might find the costs add up quickly if you need more channels or features, making it less ideal for those seeking longer-term flexibility. **Respond.io** starts at $79/month with its Starter plan, giving you 5 user seats and unlimited monthly active contacts. It’s a stronger choice for those who want more tools out of the gate, like AI summary, AI Assist and AI Prompt. Though it lacks a free plan, the 7-day trial gives you a full preview of the core features. #### Higher-Tier Plans for Growing Businesses Once you’re ready to scale, the right pricing plan should grow with your business without overcomplicating things. These plans come packed with features and tools designed to streamline larger operations. | | Manychat (Elite Plan) | Chatfuel (Enterprise Plan) | Respond.io (Growth Plan) | Respond.io (Advanced Plan) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Pricing | Contact for pricing | $300/month | $159/month | $279/month | | Advanced Automation | Advanced automations but requires additional fee for additional tools | Basic automations, some advanced capabilities | Advanced workflows, AI-driven automation | Advanced workflows, AI-driven automation | | Broadcast Channels | WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, SMS, Telegram, Email | Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram | All popular messaging channels | All popular messaging channels | | Customer Support | Priority email ticketing, standard live chat and success manager | Standard live chat support and success manager | 24/5 multilingual support via live chat and call across all plans, 24/7 AI supportCustomer success manager | 24/5 multilingual support via live chat and call across all plans, 24/7 AI support Customer success manager | | Seats Included | Unlimited | Unlimited | 10 Seats | 10 Seats | | Additional Seats | N/A | N/A | Additional Users at $20/month | Additional Users at $24/month | **Manychat’s** Elite Plan is tailored for businesses that need more customization and advanced automation, but pricing is only available through contacting sales. This makes it tricky to gauge whether it fits your budget. You do get access to unlimited user seats, which is a plus for growing teams, but expect higher costs as your contact base expands. **Chatfuel’s** Enterprise Plan offers solutions for larger-scale operations, but, again, pricing varies based on the channels you’re using and the complexity of your needs. If you’re looking for something with straightforward advanced automation, Chatfuel’s offerings might feel a bit more limited without detailed insight into their pricing and features. **Respond.io’s** Growth and Advanced Plans offer straightforward, transparent pricing. The Growth plan comes in at $159/month, while the Advanced plan sits at $279/month. Both include advanced workflows, AI Agents, multiple workspaces, single sign-on (SSO) and [webhooks](https://developers.respond.io/docs/webhooks/lwocem4sq812x-overview). You also get 10 seats included, with the option to add more users, making it ideal for teams looking for a scalable, feature-rich solution without hidden pricing surprises. ### Manychat and Chatfuel Alternative: Why Respond.io is the Best Of the three, though all are great solutions, for businesses looking for transparent pricing, advanced automation and comprehensive multichannel support, respond.io is the go-to platform for keeping customer conversations flowing smoothly, no matter where they start. It’s designed for teams of any size, with the flexibility to scale as your business grows, ensuring you’re always in touch with your audience without missing a beat. It also integrates effortlessly with the tools you rely on, from CRMs to custom channels, giving you the freedom to shape your communication system the way you need, without unnecessary hurdles or technical roadblocks. At the same time, it is continuously releasing new features like [lead management](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) and [VoIP-CRM integrations](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration) to provide additional value to businesses. Moreover, with refreshingly straightforward pricing—no hidden fees or surprises—and round-the-clock, multilingual support, you can focus more on what truly matters: turning prospects into loyal clients and retaining your existing customer base. But what truly sets respond.io apart is its vision. It’s not just about offering another tool; it's about creating an entire [framework](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth) that enables your team to better capture leads and increase sales in the long and short run. Respond.io doesn’t just keep your operations running smoothly. It helps you build lasting connections with your customers, all while staying one step ahead. Ready to take your communication strategy to the next level? Discover how respond.io can reshape your operations today by [signing up](https://app.respond.io/user/register) for a free trial. ### Further Reading Did you find our article helpful? If so, you might also enjoy the following reads: - Respond.io Alternative: 4 Respond.io Alternatives to Consider [March 2024] - An Advanced Sleekflow Alternative for Large Businesses [March 2023] - Conversation-Led Growth: Where Conversations Drive Business Results ## [March 2022 Release: New Shortcuts Feature and Website Chat Logged-in User ID and More](https:/respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id) In this release, we've upgraded the Workflows Module with the new Shortcuts Feature. Plus, we've updated Vonage WhatsApp API to the new version and made improvements to Website Chat. As the saying goes, there is no shortcut to success. But with the new Shortcut feature, initiating automated processes successfully is just a click away. Save time and resources on repetitive menial tasks and focus on what matters most — your business. Plus, with the new Website Chat upgrade, you can now identify live chat Contacts easily when chatting from your customer portal. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what we have this release. Ready to see what else is in store? Let’s dive in. 🚀 ### Workflows Improvement: New Shortcuts Feature Although we’re deprecating the old Surveys Module, it’s not goodbye. Using Shortcuts, you can send advanced surveys built in the Workflows Module and [record answers in a Google Sheet](https://respond.io/blog/february-2022-release-new-workflows-steps-new-navigation-and-messaging-module-design-custom-channel-integration-and-bits-and-bobs#toc-mobile-5). Plus, there is so much more you can do with Shortcuts. Shortcuts is actually a feature with several elements: - Shortcut Trigger: Workflows created with this trigger can be started using the Shortcuts Button. - Shortcut Button: Each Workflow using the Shortcuts Trigger has a corresponding button in the Messages Module. - Shortcut Form: An optional form Agents can fill to create variables to be used in a Workflow. - Shortcut Permissions: An option to restrict Agent access to the Shortcut Button. Here is just a list of examples of how Shortcuts can be used: - Support Escalation: Create a button that gets a Conversation summary from the Agent, adds the Contact to the Level 2 support queue and adds a comment for the new Agent. - New Ticket: Create a button that generates new support tickets on platforms like Zendesk, ServiceNow and Jira Service Desk. - New Deal: Create a button that gets the deal value and close date from the sales Agent and creates a deal in a CRM like Hubspot or Salesforce. - Opportunity Notification: Alert a salesperson by passing on the Contact data like name, role and company directly into a Slack notification. We’ve designed the Shortcut feature to be highly customizable so no matter your industry or vertical, it’s possible to design a Workflow that meets your business’ needs with precision. Plus, we’ve also made it user-friendly to search through your Shortcut options. Upon clicking the button, a pop-up menu with a list of available Shortcuts and their descriptions will appear. If you’re a Business or Enterprise plan User, this feature is readily available in the Messages Module. As for Free and Pro plan Users, [upgrade now](https://respond.io/pricing) to experience the new Shortcut button.⚡️ ### Website Chat Logged-in User ID For businesses with customer portals like insurance companies, airline services and e-commerce websites, Website Chat is one of the main channels for customer communication. However, with our current Website Chat, customers have to provide their ID repeatedly every time they start a new live chat — which is both cumbersome and prone to user mistakes. But that’s about to change with this new release. We’ve upgraded the Website Chat feature to identify Contacts who are logged in to your customer portal. This means businesses can: - Improve customer experience: Contacts who have messaged the business before via live chat are not required to key in their identification details again, saving them the hassle of giving the same information repeatedly. - Identify a Contact accurately: Sometimes Contacts do not provide the same information as they did previously. Now that the Website Chat recognizes logged-in Contacts, businesses are able to identify Contacts more accurately. - Merge Duplicate Contacts with confidence: Once the Contacts are identified correctly, businesses can then merge Contacts with certainty — providing them with a complete and holistic view of the Contact. The next time a Contact messages your business again via live chat, simply resume the conversation with them in the Messages Module from where they left off. With their conversation history there, it’s as though they’ve never left your chat at all. For more information on how to implement this, check out our [documentation](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview) or reach out to our friendly [customer support team](https://respond.io/contact) for assistance. ### Bits & Bobs This wouldn’t be a respond.io release without Bits & Bobs. This month we’ve got: - Vonage API Upgrade - New Workflows Branch Condition: Assignee Status - New Workflows Branch Condition: Time Since Last Outgoing Message - Trigger Variables for Conversation Closed Trigger - New Assignee Variable: $assignee.team #### Vonage WhatsApp API Upgrade to v1.0 Good news for Vonage WhatsApp API Users! After months of waiting, Vonage has finally released the version of WhatsApp API. All Vonage WABAs on the platform will now have access to the following features: - Support for Interactive Messages - Reply-To Function for incoming messages - Contact name storage after Contact creation There’s no action needed on your side. The upgrade will happen automatically without any message loss or downtime. #### New Workflows Branch Condition: Assignee Status We’ve added Assignee Status as a new Workflows Branch Condition. For companies without a set shift or that have dedicated Agents, this branch condition allows you to set up Workflows based on your Agents’ status: Online, Offline or Busy. #### New Workflows Branch Condition: Time Since Last Outgoing Message Monitoring whether your Agent has replied to a Contact after the automatic assignment is now easier with the new *Time Since Last Outgoing Message* Branch Condition. If there’s no reply after a certain time, you can send the Contact another notification or reassign them to another Agent. #### Trigger Variables for Conversation Closed Trigger We’ve added new trigger variables for the Conversation Closed trigger. When you close the Conversation, the [list of new variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) is available for you to use in your Conversation Closed Workflow. These variables are useful in combination with the [HTTP Request Step](https://respond.io/blog/february-2022-release-new-workflows-steps-new-navigation-and-messaging-module-design-custom-channel-integration-and-bits-and-bobs#toc-mobile-4) to send relevant information about the conversation to your data warehouse, especially for CSAT purposes. #### New Assignee Variable: $assignee.team Are you using the Conversation Variables for Conversation reporting? We’ve added the new $assignee.team variable to make it simpler to filter your reports by Teams. 🎉 ## [March 2024 Updates: Respond 3.0 Phase One, Improved Growth Widgets, Click-to-Chat Ads Workflow, Mobile Experience and More](https:/respond.io/blog/march-2024-updates-respond-30-phase-one-improved-growth-widget-click-to-chat-ads-workflow-mobile-experience-and-more) Explore respond.io's March 2024 updates, including Respond 3.0 Phase One, Improved Growth Widget, Click to Chat Ads Workflow, Mobile Experience and More. March 2024 has brought exciting enhancements to our platform. This month’s release features major upgrades, including a redesigned respond.io platform, enhanced Growth Widgets to identify customer sources, added features to the Click-to-Chat Ad Workflows and improved mobile experience, among other improvements. Curious about the forces driving these advances? Watch our founders share their vision and see how it influences the features you use today. Now, let’s explore this month’s developments in detail. ### Respond 3.0 Phase One: Where Modern Design Meets Improved User Experience We have given the respond.io platform a fresh look and feel to help you work smarter. Its visual complexity is reduced, so you can see relevant information and features better at a glance. With better color, contrast, spacing and more, the platform is now more intuitive. This empowers you to onboard agents faster and reduce the number of mistakes made on the platform. Rest assured, your processes will continue to run seamlessly. [Respond 3.0](https://respond.io/blog/respond-30) is just getting started! We’re rolling out even more exciting enhancements in phases, each designed to enhance your experience further. Stay tuned for more improvements. ### Growth Widget now Identifies Customer Sources Our enhanced Growth Widget for WhatsApp, Viber and Email Channels now allows you to identify the webpage customers are viewing when they message you. This enables you to know where your customers are from, allowing you to see where your Growth Widgets are most effective. With this information, you can refine your marketing strategies and equip your agents with the context they need to respond to queries more effectively. To [use this feature](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets#advanced_settings), simply select *Include current page URL in the pre-filled text* when configuring your website widgets. ### Click-to-Chat Ads Workflow Enhancements We've made two significant improvements to enhance your experience with Click-to-Chat (CTC) ads in the Workflows Module. #### New Contact Event for Leads Ad We've introduced a new Contact Event, *Click-to-Chat Ad: Leads Ad*. When a user fills out a form on a CTC Ad that leads to a Messenger or Instagram channel connected to respond.io, you'll be able to view the contact's responses to the form directly within respond.io. From there, you can easily follow up on these leads by initiating contextually relevant conversations, informed by the details they've provided. This allows you to engage when their interest is at its peak, guide them through the sales funnel smoothly and improve your chances for conversion. #### Click to Chat Ads Workflow Trigger from Multiple Destinations You can now select CTC ads that have multiple destinations, such as Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram, as a Workflow Trigger. This upgrade from single-destination to multi-destination CTC ads increases your flexibility in managing conversations from the same advertisement. ### Focused View on Ongoing Workflows in the Messages Module To streamline the navigation and management of Workflows in the Messages Module, we've updated the view for the Workflows Tab. Previously, clicking the tab displayed all available Workflows; now, it only shows ongoing Workflows for a specific contact. This change makes it easier for agents to manage and [stop certain Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#stopping_a_workflow_for_a_contact) as needed, keeping things straightforward and less overwhelming. ### Improved Mobile Experience with AI and More We’ve made improvements to the respond.io - Inbox mobile app to enhance your mobile experience. #### Translate Messages On the Go with Respond AI Translate incoming messages instantly from the mobile app so you can understand customer needs in your preferred language. Simply tap the action menu button on the message you want to translate, then tap *Translate with Respond AI*. Next, select your desired language, and the message will be instantly translated. You can also view the message in its original language after translating it by clicking on *View Original*. #### Reply to Specific Messages with AI Assist You can now draft smarter replies to specific messages with AI Assist on the go. Simply double-tap or long-press on the message you want to reply to, then tap *Reply with AI Assist*. #### One Tap Return to the Top of Notification and Messages Lists When scrolling through notifications on the Notification Center tab, a single tap on the bell icon will now bring you to the top of the notification list of the same status. Similarly, tapping the chat icon on the Messages tab will bring you to the top of the conversation list of the same status. Haven't downloaded our new app yet? Scan the QR code above or search “respond.io - Inbox” in the [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) or [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io&pli=1). Remember to keep your app updated to enjoy the latest features and enhancements. For optimal performance, ensure your device is running the latest software version (Android 10 or higher, iOS 16 or higher). Other updates this month include: - Fully utilize the respond.io in your preferred language, as field names now support non-alphanumeric characters, including emojis. - Receipts for WhatsApp balance top-ups now include essential business information such as the User's company name, address and email - The Enterprise plan has doubled its capacity, now allowing the creation of up to 200 teams. If you’re not a respond.io user and want to experience these features and enhancements firsthand, [sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and explore our platform’s full capabilities. ## [May 2023 Updates: WhatsApp Business Migration, New Reports with Broadcast Analytics and More](https:/respond.io/blog/may-2023-updates-whatsapp-business-migration-new-reports-with-broadcast-analytics-and-more) Respond.io rolled out a series of powerful updates in May 2023, including WhatsApp phone number migration to respond.io and a brand-new Reports Module with the long-awaited broadcast analytics. Get the scoop here! Like a code snippet executing at lightning speed, time is flying by for the respond.io team. We just took stock of the updates and features released in May 2023 and are delighted at how much ground we covered in just a month. 🔥 For one, we enabled WhatsApp phone number migration so you can now consolidate your WhatsApp account management and conversations on respond.io. 🥳 We also released an all-new Reports Module that offers more flexibility and insights than ever, including broadcast analytics! Scroll down to learn more about these features and other updates across the platform. ### Migrate Your WhatsApp Phone Number to Respond.io Now that we’re a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP), you can seamlessly migrate your WhatsApp account from other BSPs to respond.io’s WhatsApp Business API. This will give you enhanced reliability, cost savings and the latest features by Meta — all with zero downtime. Let’s look at what this means for you. #### Benefits of Migrating Your WhatsApp Phone Number to Respond.io As a WhatsApp BSP, we provide direct access to Meta’s cloud-hosted WhatsApp API. This means you get instant access to new features, security updates and more by Meta, as well as fast and reliable message delivery. 💪 Some BSPs, such as 360dialog, only provide the WhatsApp API without a messaging inbox and charge you a monthly license fee for the WhatsApp API. On the other hand, respond.io provides users with an omnichannel inbox and doesn’t impose any fees for WhatsApp API, so you only pay your WhatsApp conversation charges. These charges can be managed in respond.io’s WhatsApp Fees Module for transparency and convenience. In fact, migrating your WhatsApp account to respond.io allows you to manage your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) and all conversations from a single platform. 🎉 This includes creating and submitting Message Templates for approval and assistance in applying for a WhatsApp green tick. Furthermore, the migration process is seamless and won't disrupt your existing Workflows or broadcasts, so you can experience the full benefits of respond.io without any hassle. If you’re interested in migrating your WhatsApp account to respond.io, check out these [prerequisites](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/phone-number-migration-to-respond-whatsapp-business-api#pre_migration_requirements_what_to_prepare_for_your_migration_setup) and [step-by-step instructions](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/phone-number-migration-to-respond-whatsapp-business-api#steps_to_migrate_to_respond_io_whats_app_business_api). #### WhatsApp Account Details that will be Migrated from Your BSP Upon successful migration to respond.io, the following will be transferred from any other WhatsApp BSP account to your respond.io WhatsApp API account: - Display name - Phone number quality rating - Messaging limits - Official Business Account status - All previously approved high-quality message templates Please note that low-quality, rejected, or pending message templates will not be migrated. If you need assistance in migrating your WhatsApp API account to respond.io, our [support team](https://respond.io/contact) is ready to help. ### The All-new Reports Module with Broadcast Analytics We’ve updated the Reports Module with new and important metrics and features to help you gain deeper insights into your Workspace. Let’s dive into the changes. #### More Detailed Insights at Glance Most of our clients are large and complex companies, and we understand you have unique ways of measuring performance. To reflect this, the Reports Module has been upgraded to offer more customization opportunities and comprehensive data. 📊 To provide companies with more insightful and tailored metrics, we have enhanced data precision with additional tabs and filters, and improved charts and tables to convey complex data effectively. You can now perform in-depth analyses of the following: - Conversation volume and traffic - Response and resolution times - Messages sent and received - Contact assignment - Contact addition, connection, deletion and merge - Broadcast performance We are confident that these will empower you to make more informed decisions and optimize your Workspace for better results. #### Measure Performance Based On Assignment Time Previously, the Reports Module measured response and resolution times according to how long agents took to respond to customer messages. However, for businesses that don’t operate 24/7, messages received outside business hours skewed these metrics. ⏰ We're excited to introduce new metrics that allow you to measure performance based on first or last assignment time. Look out for the following graphs in the Responses and Resolutions tabs: **Average First Assignment to First Response Time***:* This metric excludes the time the Contact assignment took, counting only the average time agents take to send the first response once they’ve been assigned. **Average First Assignment to Close Time:** This metric excludes the time the Contact assignment took, counting only the average time agents take to resolve a conversation once they’ve been assigned. **Average Last Assignment to Response Time:** This metric measures how long the last agent assigned took to send a first response to the conversation that had been escalated or rerouted. **Average Last Assignment to Close Time:** This metric is useful to measure how long the last agent took to resolve a conversation that had been escalated or rerouted. The Breakdown tables on the right side of each Report page can be used to identify trends in assignment, response and resolution times to fulfill Service Level Agreements and spot areas for improvement. #### Enjoy Improved User Performance Reports While it was previously possible to gauge user performance by metrics such as closed conversations and average response or resolution times, we wanted to provide you with more tools to track better and optimize efficiency. Loaded with multiple intuitive graphs, the Leaderboard tab and Users tab now offer a detailed view of individual and team performance. You can even compare performance among team members or teams to identify top or weak performers. 📈 #### Use Advanced Filtering Options Each reporting tab in the Reports Module features new and improved filtering options for more in-depth analyses of your Workspace. These filters will help you segment data based on specific criteria such as channels, teams, conversation categories, agent assignments and more. Spotting trends and issues in your operations has never been this easy. #### Analyze Your Broadcast Campaigns By popular demand, you can now analyze broadcast performance! The all-new Broadcasts reporting tab gives you the tools you need to measure the performance and impact of your campaigns effectively. 📣 Here you can find out the total number of recipients for each broadcast, as well as its read rates. You can also view the number of and failed broadcasts, total messages sent and the delivery status of your broadcast messages. Breaking down broadcast analytics from a campaign level to a message level is also possible. In the Messages tab, click on *Add Filter* and search for the Broadcast Name. This shows you the Contacts who have received or failed to receive your message in the selected broadcasts, as well as the message delivery status (sent, delivered, read and failed) for each Contact. Do note that certain graphs and tables only present data collected from the launch date onwards. This module is only available for Business plan users and above. [Upgrade now](https://respond.io/pricing) to start using the new Reports Module, or learn more about it in our [Help Center](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview). ### New Updates for an Improved User Experience We’re continuously upgrading our user experience to provide greater flexibility for unique business needs and convenience for higher productivity. Let’s run through some of this month’s updates across the platform. #### Create and Edit Segments in the Broadcast Builder Managing Segments is now easier than ever. Before, you could only create and edit Segments from the Contacts Module. Now, you can effortlessly do both directly within the Broadcast Builder so you no longer have to go back and forth between the two Modules. 🥳 This also means that it’s now possible to edit Segments on the fly while building a broadcast, saving you valuable time. Additionally, the new Contact count at the top right of the Segment filter drawer displays the number of Contacts included in each segment. These improvements will enhance your ability to create and customize Segments for more efficient targeted messaging. #### Make Shortcut Form Fields Mandatory Previously, users were able to initiate a Shortcut without filling out any fields in the Shortcut Form. This led to the submission of incomplete data, which created disruptions when escalating cases or transferring Contact data to other software as crucial information was missing. To address this, we've introduced the ability to mark specific fields in your Shortcut Forms as mandatory or required. 📄 Now, you can ensure that users have to fill out all necessary information before proceeding with the Shortcut. Say goodbye to incomplete Shortcut initiations and the headache of chasing for missing data. #### Improved Find a Contact Search Action in Zapier Our commitment to seamless integration with Zapier continues with an exciting update. Previously, you might have encountered a frustrating 404 error when your Zap couldn’t find a Contact. 👤 Not anymore! We've made significant improvements to our Find a Contact Search Action in Zapier. Now, instead of a *contact not found* error, you will receive a response indicating *zap-search-was-found-status:false*. This empowers you to automatically handle scenarios where contacts might be missing from your system, rather than having your automation end with a 404 error message. No more roadblocks, just smooth automation at your fingertips. #### New Notification Preferences We’ve made enhancements to the notification preferences feature. You can access it by going to *Settings > Notification Preference* and selecting which notifications you’d like to receive. This new functionality is now available for both desktop and mobile push notifications, allowing you to receive notifications for assigned contacts, unassigned contacts or mentions as you like. ### A More Personalized Onboarding Experience We're excited to introduce the latest update to our onboarding experience, designed to provide a more personalized journey from the moment you join respond.io. New users who sign up will be able to see businesses in their region that are already benefiting from respond.io. Read their testimonials and draw inspiration from the possibilities that can be achieved with the right software. This improved onboarding also gives you a more relevant channel guide based on your needs. You can quickly connect your desired channels to start messaging customers or making the most of our features. To check out this experience, [sign up](https://app.respond.io/user/register) for a new respond.io account. ### Respond.io Free Trial Now Upgraded to Business Plan We are thrilled to announce the upgrade of our free trial from the Team plan to the Business plan! Now, you can enjoy a host of premium features and unleash respond.io’s full potential from the get-go to understand how it can address your specific business needs. Here are some of the benefits you’ll receive: - Amplified User, MAC, Workflow limits and more: Add more users to the platform, engage with more contacts and expand your automation capabilities, among others. - Expanded feature set, including webhooks, Developer API and custom channels: Get access to a variety of advanced features to streamline operations, enhance productivity and deliver exceptional customer experiences. - Advanced insights for workload and conversation tracking: Gain in-depth reports and analytics to understand your customer base better, measure agent and campaign performances, and make data-driven decisions to drive your business forward. To take advantage of the Business plan free trial, simply [sign up](https://app.respond.io/user/register) for a new respond.io account. For inquiries or assistance, feel free to [contact our support team](https://respond.io/contact). ## [Messenger Auto Reply: How to Set It Up in 3 Steps ](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-auto-reply) Facebook Messenger auto reply message is an effective way to level up your customer experience. Find out how to create Facebook automated responses through respond.io. Facebook Messenger auto reply messages are an effective way to elevate your customer experience. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of setting up Facebook automated responses and the different methods of creating them. Plus, we’ve compiled the most popular auto reply messages for your business. ### Facebook Messenger Auto Reply: The Basics In this section, you’ll learn what are Facebook Messenger auto reply messages and how your business may benefit from them. #### What is Facebook Messenger Auto Reply? Facebook Messenger auto reply messages refer to automated responses to incoming [Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) chats. Common types of auto reply messages include [Welcome Messages](https://respond.io/blog/welcome-messsage-for-facebook-page) and [Away Messages](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business). #### Why Should You Use Facebook Messenger Auto Reply? There are many reasons why Facebook Messenger auto reply messages matter. Firstly, when you acknowledge new customers with a Welcome Message, it helps you make a good first impression on them. Away Messages also set the right expectations about response time when you can’t respond to customers right away. Plus, businesses can take advantage of Welcome and Away messages by greeting customers and asking for their details at the same time. Auto reply messages also allow you to send quick and consistent messages, making it easier to earn the [Very responsive to messages](https://www.facebook.com/help/475643069256244) [badge](https://www.facebook.com/help/475643069256244). However, their functionality is limited to this initial interaction and doesn't extend to following up on customer messages. To manage conversations effectively and provide timely follow-ups, you need to use [conversational AI](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai) tools like [AI Agent](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent). They can intelligently converse with customers, enhancing the overall [customer experience](https://respond.io/blog/ai-customer-experience). Now that you’ve learned the basics of Facebook automated responses and their limitations, let’s dive into the setup process. ### How to Set Up Facebook Messenger Auto Reply There are two ways to set up Facebook Messenger auto reply messages — through Facebook Page Inbox and respond.io. The former is intended for small companies that only use Messenger, while the latter is ideal for large companies that also use other Meta products like [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) and [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api) for messaging. Plus, the [advanced automation](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations) on respond.io allows you to capture customer details and [send auto reply messages with context](https://respond.io/blog/auto-reply-message-for-business) based on customer categories. #### How to Set Up Facebook Automated Responses in Facebook Page Inbox To create Facebook Messenger automated responses such as instant replies and away messages, you need to be a [Page admin, editor or moderator](https://www.facebook.com/help/289207354498410?helpref=faq_content). Start by going into the Manage Page settings of your Facebook Page. ##### How to Set Up an Auto Reply on Facebook Messenger **Step 1: Go** to Inbox. **Step 2: Click** on *Automations*. **Step 3: Toggle on** *Instant Reply* at the top. **Step 4: Select** Messenger as the platform. **Step 5: Write** your auto reply message and click *Save Changes*. Here, you can choose to personalize the auto reply with the contact’s name. You may also test the auto reply by sending it to your mobile device. Finally, click on *Save Changes* to publish the auto reply message. > Facebook auto replies are limited to 500 characters! If your [Page is set to Away](https://www.facebook.com/help/800788243369168?helpref=faq_content), instant replies won’t be sent. These messages also don’t count toward your Page’s [response rate or response time](https://www.facebook.com/help/1625715647696553?helpref=faq_content). Next, we’ll show you how you can set up an away message through the Facebook Page Inbox. ##### How to Set Up an Away Message in Facebook Page Inbox **1\. Navigate** to Away Message in Automations. Then, check the Messenger box. **2\. Set** your away hours in the *Timing* section. **3\. Draft** your message, preview it and save. You may preview your message on Facebook Messenger. Lastly, click on *Save Changes*. And your away message is now live! > Following Meta’s latest Handover Protocol updates, you can only use one main app—either Facebook Page Inbox or a third-party inbox like respond.io. Only the main app will receive messages. Next, we'll walk you through setting up Facebook Messenger auto replies on respond.io. Before you begin, make sure to disable Facebook Page Inbox and set respond.io as your [primary app](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/handover-protocol#primary-receiver). #### How to Set Up Facebook Automated Responses on Respond.io Thanks to [Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations), creating Facebook automated responses is quick and easy on [respond.io](http://respond.io). To get started, sign up for a [respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and go to the Workflows module. **1\. Set** the Workflow Trigger to Conversation Opened. **2\. Add** a [Date & Time Step](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflow-steps) to define your business hours if you only want auto replies sent at certain times. **3\. Add** one or more [Send a Message Steps.](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/step-send-a-message) You can create different types of auto reply messages in a single Workflow. In the configuration drawer, set the Channel to Facebook Messenger, and Message Type to text. Then, compose the auto reply message(s). To collect customer information, add an [Ask a Question](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) step after your welcome message. Their answers will be stored as [Variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) that you can use elsewhere in the Workflow. Next, we’ll share some Facebook Messenger auto reply examples designed for different situations. ### 9 Facebook Messenger Auto Reply Examples Here are some popular Facebook Messenger auto replies for business, broken down into welcome, away and lead capture messages. #### Welcome Messages Make a good first impression with a warm, friendly greeting. 1. “Thanks for reaching out to [business name]. How can we help you?” 2. “Hi! 👋 We are so excited to hear from you! Let us know how we can assist you.” 3. “Hi there! Welcome to [business name]. What can we do for you today?” #### Away Messages Set expectations when you're not available and let customers know when to expect a response. 1. “Hello! We’re closed right now, but we’ll get back to you around [time]. If you have any urgent questions, check out our FAQ section here: [URL].” 2. “Hey! Just wanted to let you know that we have received your message and will be in touch by [time].” 3. “Thanks for your message! We’re currently out of the office, but we’ll get back to you first thing in the morning.” #### Lead Capture Messages Capture customer details and show customers that you value their interest with a Facebook auto reply message. 1. “Thank you for contacting [business name] on Messenger. In order to assist you, please provide your email address.” 2. “Thanks for your message! May we have your name and phone number?” 3. “Hello, please leave your name and email address below and we will be in touch shortly.” In summary, start and maintain good customer relations with the use of auto replies. Improve your customers’ experience today with Facebook automated responses. Start automating replies and more with an AI-powered customer conversation management software and a badged Meta Business Partner. Create a free respond.io account and [connect Facebook Messenger to the platform](https://help.respond.io/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview). ### Do More with Messenger on Respond.io Messenger auto replies are a solid start, but they’re not built for scale. If your inbox is getting busier, the basic tools on Facebook won’t cut it. That’s where respond.io comes in. It gives you the flexibility, automation and visibility you need to stay on top of conversations and grow, minus the chaos. - Omnichannel Inbox: Manage conversations from Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, TikTok and more in one place. - Smart Inbox Capabilities: Assign chats, tag teammates, leave internal notes, start WhatsApp calls and use AI Assist & Prompts to reply faster and more clearly. - CRM Integrations: Sync data and automate actions across HubSpot, Salesforce, Zapier, Make and other popular tools. - Lifecycle Tracking: Track every contact from first message to follow-up to make sure no one falls through the cracks. - Analytics and Reporting: Monitor response times, ad conversions and agent activity across your whole team. Whether you're scaling support, qualifying leads or running campaigns, respond.io helps you do more with Messenger, and every other channel your customers love. ### Further Reading If you enjoyed reading this article, check out more articles below: - The Practical Guide to Facebook Messenger Ads - The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Messenger for Business - How To Add Facebook Messenger To Your Website - A How-to Guide to Facebook Messenger Welcome Message ### Further Reading If you enjoyed reading this article, check out more articles below: - The Practical Guide to Facebook Messenger Ads - The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Messenger for Business - How To Add Facebook Messenger To Your Website - A How-to Guide to Facebook Messenger Welcome Message ## [Messenger Broadcast: How to Send a Facebook Messenger Broadcast ](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-broadcast) Want to send broadcast messages to your customers? We’ll show you the benefits and best practices of using Facebook Messenger broadcast and how to set it up with respond.io. Want to learn more about how you can use Facebook Messenger to send bulk messages? In this article, we’ll detail what a Facebook Messenger broadcast is, how it benefits businesses and the best way to use it. Lastly, we’ll also go through how to set up Messenger broadcasts with respond.io. ### Facebook Messenger Broadcast vs Email Marketing: Which is Better? Order notifications. Shipping updates. Product launches. Businesses have been relying on traditional channels like email to broadcast messages for these purposes. Even though they’re the go-to method for sending mass messages, that doesn’t mean they’re effective in reaching or building a relationship with customers. With email broadcasting, there’s a high chance that some contacts in your mailing list are not receiving your broadcasts as most major email providers filter out certain emails to the *Junk* or *Spam* folders. Email also has a problem with a [low open rate](https://respond.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business#:~:text=2018%20%7C%20Source%3A%20Statista-,Messaging%20App%20Engagement%20Rates,-It%20feels%20like) [of only 15%](https://respond.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business#:~:text=2018%20%7C%20Source%3A%20Statista-,Messaging%20App%20Engagement%20Rates,-It%20feels%20like). Irrelevant content, too frequent emails or spam, outdated email lists, time of delivery and content not optimized for mobile are some of the reasons that affect the open rate. Emails threads are often scattered, making it difficult to track conversation history for context. Oftentimes, customers forget to reply to all recipients, neglect to CC someone in the thread, or might not reply to the same email. For example, if a customer sends a new email asking to follow up on a broadcast reply, the agent would need to go through multiple emails to find said conversation before responding. So what can businesses do to improve this? They can pivot to instant messaging apps like [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) to reach customers quickly and effectively. In the next section, we’ll introduce Facebook Messenger Broadcast and its benefits. #### Why use Facebook Messenger Broadcast? Launched in 2011, Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular chat apps with 1.3 billion monthly active users worldwide. This messaging channel is especially [popular in the United States](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-3) due to its ability to integrate SMS into the app. This allows users to access both Messenger and text messages in one place, helping them to stay on top of their conversations. Here are some benefits of using Facebook Messenger Broadcast with a messaging inbox like respond.io: - High open rate: Facebook Messenger broadcasts have an average open rate of 80% as people spend more time checking messages on Messenger than on email - Bite-sized message: Offers short, easy-to-digest messages to get customers interested and engaged - Immediate response: Provides real-time replies and supports automation features like instant replies so customers are never left hanging - Follow-up: Allows you to trace conversation history and have an overview of the contact’s profile so that you can follow up easily on customers’ queries In the section below, we’ll give you the lowdown on everything you should know about Facebook Messenger broadcasts. ### Broadcast Facebook Messenger: What You Should Know Interested to know more about Facebook Messenger broadcast but don’t know if it’s suitable for your business? We’ll detail everything you need to know to help you decide. Unlike other messaging channels like [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message) and [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast), Facebook Page Inbox does not support broadcasts. Businesses need a messaging inbox like respond.io to send broadcast messages. Facebook Messenger Broadcasts can only be sent to customers who have become your contacts on Facebook, not contacts from an imported list. To grow your Facebook contacts, [get customers to send you the first message](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-8). [Click to Messenger ads](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads#toc-mobile-2) and the *Send Message* call-to-action button on your Facebook Page both allow customers to start a conversation with you on Messenger with just a click. Once they’ve sent you the first message, they are now your Contacts and you can start sending them broadcast messages using [Message Tags](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag). We’ll discuss Message Tags more in the next section. #### Sending Broadcasts with Message Tags To prevent businesses from spamming customers and to encourage prompt replies, Facebook implemented a 24-hour messaging window restriction. Once the messaging window closes, you can’t send the Contact any messages. However, businesses can use Message Tags to send non-promotional messages to customers outside the 24-hour messaging window. There are four types of Facebook Message Tags: - Confirmed Event Update - Post-Purchase Update - Account Update - Human Agent With the Human Agent tag, you get to enjoy a 7-day messaging window instead of 24 hours, giving you additional time to respond to customers. The Human Agent tag is currently in Beta and is only available to selected businesses like respond.io. The tag is especially useful for businesses with a longer sales cycle as salespeople would need more time to build a relationship, follow up with customers and answer their queries before [closing the deal](https://respond.io/blog/messenger-sales). The [support team](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-for-customer-service) can also benefit from this. A longer messaging window means they have more time to follow up on complex queries that could take days to solve. While the Message Tag function is convenient for businesses, you also have to adhere to the [Message Tag Rules](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag#toc-mobile-3), put in place to prevent customers from being spammed with unwanted messages. Violations may result in a broadcast ban by Facebook. Now that you know how Message Tags work, let’s take a look at the dos and don’ts of sending Facebook Messenger broadcasts. #### Best Practices for Sending Broadcasts Here are a few best practices to help you get maximum engagement and results from your Messenger broadcast. Want to capture customers’ attention? Keep your messages short and straightforward to prevent customers from losing interest. If your customers feel like they’re talking to a machine, they might leave the conversation. Make sure to [personalize your messages](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) to capture their interest. When sending out a broadcast, remember to only target interested or relevant customers as spamming could result in a Facebook ban. Customers may also block you, delete your message or leave them unopened, reducing your open rate. One easy way to prevent this is to segment your audience. You can add tags based on their interests, purchase history and more to their contact profiles. This way, you can send targeted broadcast messages to them. Now that we’ve listed down everything you need to know about Messenger Broadcast, let’s find out how to set it up using respond.io next. ### Broadcast on Facebook Messenger with Respond.io Broadcasting on respond.io is a straightforward process with plenty of flexibility offered in creating content, targeting audiences and scheduling or sending broadcasts. Let’s explore these features in more detail. #### Why You Should Use Respond.io to Broadcast on Facebook Messenger Respond.io’s [B](https://help.respond.io/l/en/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview)[roadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) dramatically improves the targeting and flexibility of bulk messaging. First, the [Contact Segment](https://help.respond.io/contacts/segments) feature allows users to create precise target audiences based on Contact Fields, Tags or predefined conditions. Customers who fulfill these conditions will automatically enter a Segment while those who no longer meet the criteria will exit a Segment, ensuring your list is always up-to-date with no manual effort from your team. In addition to selecting multiple channels for a broadcast, you can also improve reach by broadcasting to your [Contacts' last interacted channel](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#sending_a_broadcast_to_contacts_last_interacted_channel) to increase visibility and engagement rates. It’s also possible to save broadcasts as drafts if they aren’t ready for dissemination. This allows you to edit or reschedule them before they go live. If your plan supports it, you can [customize the rate](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#schedule_broadcast_and_customize_send_rates) at which your broadcast is delivered. #### How to Broadcast on Facebook Messenger with Respond.io Now that you understand the benefits, let's learn how to set up your broadcast using respond.io. First, you need to [connect your Facebook P](https://help.respond.io/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview)[age to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview). To get started, navigate to the Broadcast Module in the side navigation menu and click the *Add Broadcast* button. Then name your broadcast and click *Create*. You also have the option to label (categorize) it for easier referencing in the future. Proceed to set up your broadcast by selecting your Segment. Select the *Specific Channel* option. In the channel drop-down list, select your Facebook Messenger channel to send the message from. Then, select which Message Tag applies to this broadcast. You can then create and schedule or send your content. For more details, you can [check out this guide](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#creating_a_new_broadcast) to set up your Messenger broadcast. We’ve covered everything you need to know about broadcasting a message with Facebook Messenger. With this information, you will be able to send your first Messenger Broadcast in no time. ### Further Reading Interested to learn more about how Facebook Messenger can benefit your business? Check out these articles below: - Facebook Messenger for Customer Service: A Guide - How to Verify Business on Facebook - Facebook Messenger Auto-Reply: How to use ## [Messenger Group Chat: How to Create Group Chat in Messenger ](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-group-chat) Want to create Facebook Messenger group chat for your business? Here, we’ll show you how to create group chat in messenger and the benefit of having one. Want to create a Messenger group chat to connect with your clients or customers? In this article, we’ll cover what a Facebook Messenger group chat is, the benefits of using one and finally, how to create a group chat in Messenger. ### What is Facebook Messenger Group Chat? A Facebook Messenger group is a Facebook feature that allows you to have private conversations with up to 250 members. These group chats are primarily used to connect with friends and family, hold discussions and plan events. Meta Business Portfolios, formerly known as [Facebook Business accounts](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), are not allowed not create or join any group chat. However, small business owners who use their personal Facebook accounts for business purposes can utilize group chats for [sales](https://respond.io/blog/messenger-sales) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-for-customer-service). Let’s take a look at the advantages of a group chat. #### Benefits of Using Messenger Group Chat for Business Facebook Messenger has [almost a million active users in 2022](https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/). It dominates the market in [North America, Australia, parts of Europe and Southeast Asia](https://www.similarweb.com/corp/blog/research/market-research/worldwide-messaging-apps/). Since most customers are active on Messenger, businesses can gather them in a group to share information. One advantage group chats have over email is real-time communication. People don’t often check their email and [email threads can be scattered](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-for-customer-service#toc-mobile-0). With Messenger, you can exchange information, resolve issues and get responses faster. Messenger group chat supports messaging features like text messages, images, voice messages, polls and more to increase engagement. All contents are also searchable, including files and images. [End-to-end encryption](https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/786613221989782) is also possible. Enabling it prevents anyone, including Meta, from reading the content of your chat. However, these encrypted conversations are only available when setting up the group chat on mobile and iPad. Now that you know the benefits, we’ll show you the steps to creating a group chat. ### How to Create Group Chat in Messenger In this section, we’ll show you how to create a chat group in the Messenger app, [Facebook Messenger desktop app](https://www.messenger.com/desktop) and [Facebook Messenger browser](https://www.messenger.com/). Do note that by default, your group name is a list of all its members. Consider changing it to reflect the group chat’s purpose. Now, let’s go through the three methods for creating a group chat. #### How to Create a Group Chat in the Messenger Mobile App Creating a group chat on your mobile app is a straightforward process. Just follow the steps below to start your first group chat. **1\. Open** Facebook Messenger **2\. Click** the *New Message* icon in the top right-hand corner of your screen. **3\. Click** *Create a new group*. Turn on the toggle in the top right corner if you want end-to-end encryption for the chat. **4\. Name** your group chat and select the people you want to invite. You can now start chatting with the group members in your newly created group. #### How to Create a Chat Group in Messenger Desktop App In addition to the mobile app, you can also create a group chat on your Messenger desktop app. Here’s how to do it: 1\. **Click** on the *Compose Message* icon in the top right corner of the left panel of the *Chats* home screen. 2\. **Type** the names of the people you want to invite to the group chat and you’re done! To change the group name, click on the three horizontal dots in the top right corner and click on the edit button. Type the name of your group chat and click *Save*. #### How to Create Group Chat in Messenger Browser It’s also possible to create a group chat in the browser. Let’s look at the steps. 1\. **Click** on the *Compose Message* icon in the top right corner of the left panel. 2\. **Type** the names of the people you want to invite. Want to change your group name? Click *Name*, give your group a name and click *Save*. Out of the three methods we’ve tested, creating a group chat on your Messenger mobile app is the fastest and the easiest as you just need to select the name of the people you want to invite. We’d recommend using the mobile app to create your chat group. Next, we’ll show you key information for managing your group chat. ### How to Manage Messenger Group Chat The group’s creator is the default admin and is responsible for managing the group chat. They can add or remove group members or other admins in the group chat. We’ll show you how below. #### How to Invite People Whether you’re a group chat admin or a member, you can invite your Facebook friends to join the chat. Let’s go through the steps below. 1\. **Open** the group conversation. 2\. **Click** *Add.* *3\.* **Select** the people you want to invite. All new members have access to all previous messages so they can have some context of what’s been discussed in the past. ##### How to Generate Invitation Link Alternatively, you can generate an invitation link to invite people to the group chat. This feature isn't available on a computer, but it is available on the Messenger app for Android and iPhone. If the group chat admin turns on link sharing for your group conversation, you can share the link with others for them to join. 1\. **Open** the group conversation. 2\. **Click** on the name of your group chat. 3\. **Click** the invitation link. 4\. **Turn** the toggle on. The invitation link can be shared via *Copy*, *Send in Messenger* and *Share*. For the first option, you can copy the link and paste it where customers can access it. You can also send the link to Facebook friends via Messenger in a private chat. And finally, the last option allows you to share the link via other messaging channels, email, SMS or on social media. ##### How to Turn On Admin Approval If you're an admin of a group, you can choose to approve who joins your group. To turn on admin approval: 1\. **Open** the group conversation. 2\. **Click** on the name of your group chat. 3\. **Click** *Member requests*. 4\. **Turn** the toggle on for *Admin approval*. We’ve demonstrated how to invite members and control who gets to join the chat. Next, we’ll show the process of removing group members. #### How to Remove Members Invited someone by accident? Is the group chat getting too crowded with members who are no longer related to the topic being discussed? We’ll show you how to remove a member from the group chat. 1\. **Open** the group conversation. 2\. **Click** *Members*. 3\. **Select** the member you want to remove. 4\. **Click** *Remove From Group*. Next, we’ll cover appointing and removing admins in your group. #### How to Add or Remove Admins Sometimes it helps to appoint additional admins to look after the group when you’re busy. You can also remove them if they no longer want to be an admin. Here’s how to do it. 1\. **Open** the group conversation. 2\. **Click** *Members*. 3\. **Select** the member you want to add or remove as an admin. 4\. **Click** *Make Admin* or *Remove as Admin*. It’s as simple as that. Messenger group chat is an excellent way for small business owners to foster relationships with customers and engage with them. We hope this article provides everything you need to know about Facebook Messenger group chat. If you’re an SME or enterprise, you’ll need a different method to communicate with customers at scale. Want to get started with Facebook Messenger for business? [Sign up for a respond.io account today](https://app.respond.io/user/register?_gl=1*ujplls*_ga*ODg2MTk3OTg4LjE2NjA2MTY5Nzc.*_ga_0EZ318H868*MTY2ODE0ODU0NC4xMjEuMS4xNjY4MTUwNDU1LjUxLjAuMA..&_ga=2.39332131.1624036016.1668044337-886197988.1660616977). ### Further Reading Did you find this reading interesting? If so, check out the following articles on Facebook Messenger. - How to Get Facebook Messenger Link - Here’s Your Guide to Sending a Facebook Messenger Broadcast - A How-To Guide to Facebook Messenger Marketing ## [Messenger Link: How To Get Facebook Messenger Link](https:/respond.io/blog/messenger-link) Here's all you need to know about Facebook messenger link. Plus, we'll show you how to get messenger link with respond.io link generator. The Facebook Messenger link is one of the easiest ways to get customers to chat with your business. With just one click on their mobile device or computer, any Facebook user can initiate a Messenger chat with your company. Although the Facebook Messenger link is a typical URL, it has plenty of useful applications, which we’ll go over in this article. In this article, we will guide you through how to get a Messenger link, its benefits and the advantages of connecting your Facebook account to an [AI-powered customer conversation management software](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) like respond.io. ### What Is a Facebook Messenger Link Essentially an m.me/ before your username, the Facebook Messenger link is the shortest possible Messenger URL you can get without using a third-party link shortener. When users click on this link, it launches a chat window with your business or Page. Facebook Messenger links are not to be confused with [Messenger group chat links](https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/180936194209193/?helpref=related_articles&_se_imp=0tUXneeHv4KRZ8w1F), which are used to invite people to group chats instead. Now that we understand what Facebook Messenger links are, let’s go over why businesses should adopt them. ### Benefits of the Facebook Messenger Link The Messenger link offers multiple advantages for businesses, significantly enhancing sales processes. It's a versatile URL that can be embedded in various platforms, including websites, PDFs, and social media posts, enabling seamless lead generation. You can also share it through email or SMS for more direct communication, guiding contacts to Facebook for quicker, informal interactions that can accelerate sales. On Facebook, conversations can be managed via multiple channels such as Facebook itself, Facebook Messenger, Meta Business Suite or a centralized messaging inbox like respond.io. [A shared inbox is the best solution](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-team-inbox) for large teams to carry out sales or support conversations. Additionally, this link can be transformed into a [QR code](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-code) for use in physical marketing materials like posters and flyers. This bypasses the confusion of searching for a Page on Facebook, especially when business names are common or mismatched with Facebook usernames. Ultimately, this allows leads to quickly find and engage with your business. Importantly, the link supports [referral parameters](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/discovery/m-me-links/#parameters) for tracking, allowing you to analyze the effectiveness of different mediums like blogs, videos, or ads. This insight aids in refining strategies, identifying successful content, and adjusting underperforming campaigns, ultimately driving more sales. Next, we'll guide you on how to obtain a Messenger link for your business. ### How to Generate Facebook Messenger Links There are two methods to get a Facebook Messenger link: Manually on Facebook and if you’re handling your instant messaging channels from respond.io, use our nifty link generator! #### How to Get Messenger Link Manually This method can be used to obtain a Messenger link for any Facebook account with a username. **1.** **Ensure** that you have a [username for your Facebook Page](https://www.facebook.com/help/121237621291199). **2.** **Copy** and paste or type your Page username after *https://m.me/.* For example *https://m.me/grubngomealdelivery*. **3.** **Use** this link anywhere you want your contacts to reach out to you. If your Messenger account is linked to respond.io, you can use the following method instead. #### How to Get Messenger Link with Respond.io Generating a Messenger link from respond.io is a [straightforward process](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you) with minimal steps involved. To get started, navigate to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets*. Then, select *QR Code* and click *Create Widget*. Under the QR code type, select the channel which you would like to generate the link for, in this case, Facebook Messenger. Then, select the account you’d like to use. This feature is handy if you have multiple Facebook Messenger accounts connected to respond.io. A Facebook Messenger link will be displayed under the generated QR code. Click the copy icon next to the URL to store it in your clipboard. Paste this link wherever you wish to share it. Respond.io’s Messenger link generator uses your Page ID instead of its username to create an URL. Since the Page ID remains the same even when the username is changed, for example, after a rebrand or acquisition, there’s no need to update published links. Since your Facebook Messenger account is connected to respond.io, let’s explore the other things that can be accomplished with the platform. ### Using Facebook Messenger with Respond.io Although the Facebook app, website and Meta Business Suite are sufficient for smaller businesses to use when it comes to messaging contacts, larger teams will benefit from a specialized messaging platform like respond.io. Respond.io offers a wide range of tools that help manage conversations effectively and enhance the overall [customer experience](https://respond.io/blog/ai-customer-experience). For instance, [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai) takes over routine conversations, allowing businesses to engage with customers instantly and freeing up human agents for more complex conversations. With features like Workflows, Contact Merge and Reports, respond.io makes it easier to manage large teams and communicate with Contacts on multiple channels, including Facebook. Here’s a quick rundown of the above features. #### Contact Merge: Your Contacts Consolidated [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) consolidates customer details and conversation history, eliminating duplication and redundancy. This means if you chat with a Contact on different channels connected to the platform, all their chats with you are visible in the same conversation. And since their chat histories are combined in chronological order, you won’t miss a thing! #### Workflows and API Integration: Reduce the Tedium If your business receives a high amount of inquiries daily, you’ll need to rely on automated messages to greet customers or let them know [if you’re away](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business). Respond.io allows you to do that and more using our [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview). Workflows automate the repetitive tasks that Agents face, letting them focus on actual conversations. Contacts looking to speak to customer support or the sales department? Automatically route them to the right team and assign them to an available Agent. If needed, these Workflows can be [launched manually](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-triggers) at any point in a conversation. Respond.io also allows API integrations with other apps and platforms to exchange information, giving users a better sales or support experience. Here are some of the things that can be accomplished: - Qualify contacts with data enrichment tools such as Clearbit - Calculate the price quotations for a custom plan during client consultations - Generate sales deals in a CRM such as Hubspot or Salesforce - Set up a customer escalation process By utilizing integrations, you reduce the number of errors that are introduced when reentering data. You also improve the efficiency of your Agents since there’s no need to leave the platform. #### Reports: Monitor Agent Performance Ensuring your sales or support team is performing up to par is essential to running a tight ship and one of the best ways to accomplish this is to monitor their performance. Fortunately, respond.io has the tools for the job. In addition to [calculating CSAT scores with Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score), you can use the Reports Module to evaluate your Agents’ efficiency by tracking stats like resolution and first response time. You can also monitor the conversations of your Agents and [step in](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity) at any time. Now you know the benefits of using a Facebook Messenger link and powering your business communications with respond.io, it’s time to get contacts talking to you! Don’t have a respond.io account yet? [Sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register). ### Further Reading If you found this helpful, these additional articles on Facebook Messenger might be of use: - Messenger Sales: A How-to Guide to Sales Messenger - How to Use Facebook Messenger for Customer Service - Facebook Messenger Auto Reply: A How-To Guide ## [Messenger Marketing: A How-To Guide to Facebook Messenger Marketing ](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-marketing) Do you want to reach more prospects with Messenger Marketing? Read on to find out how Facebook Messenger Marketing can help you gain leads and engage with them. Does your business struggle to get engagement with marketing campaigns? Social media marketing is a popular alternative to traditional email marketing, but your reach may be limited if you rely on feed posts alone. Facebook Messenger marketing allows you to start conversations and proactively reach out to your target audience. Read on to find out how you can use Messenger marketing to generate and qualify leads and push them through the marketing funnel. We’ll show you what you can do with Facebook’s native features and how to optimize your Facebook marketing strategy by connecting to a messaging platform. ### Marketing on Facebook Messenger vs. Traditional Methods Traditionally, marketing starts with ads. While ads remain essential, where they send prospects is changing. In the past, they would be used in lead generation campaigns to collect email addresses or would go to a product page on a website. When prospects enter their email address, they enter a nurturing flow where they’ll receive information designed to lead them toward a purchase. If they go to a product page, they’re prompted to make a purchase decision right away. #### Limitations of Email Marketing and Direct Product Ads There are problems with both of these methods. While email allows businesses to stay in contact with potential customers, there’s no guarantee these prospects will actually read the email. In fact, according to [typical open rates, less than 15% of them will](https://respond.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business#:~:text=2018%20%7C%20Source%3A%20Statista-,Messaging%20App%20Engagement%20Rates,-It%20feels%20like). Ads that go to a product page often turn prospects off if they’re not ready to buy. The average buyer needs to see an ad several times before they’re ready to make a purchase. However, having a chance to discuss the product speeds up the process. Businesses relying on traditional methods will miss out on opportunities to engage and convert. Messenger marketing provides a more [responsive channel](https://respond.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business#toc-mobile-0) to generate leads and further target prospects, with an average 80% open rate. Which messaging app is best for reaching out to prospects varies depending on [where you are](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-2). One of the most popular messaging apps is Facebook Messenger, with nearly a billion users worldwide. Facebook Messenger is by far the most popular messaging app in the United States and is widely used globally. If a good portion of your target country uses it, it’s worth adding as a marketing channel. #### Benefits of Facebook Messenger for Marketing Many businesses run Facebook ads with promoted feed posts, but these may not be precisely targeted and are easy to scroll past. To get the full value of marketing on Facebook, don’t overlook Messenger ads, which get more engagement and [have a higher ROI than feed ads](https://customers.ai/blog/facebook-messenger-ads#:~:text=Facebook%20ad%20campaigns.-,Facebook%20Messenger%20Ad%20Benefit%20%235%3A%20They%E2%80%99ve%20Been%20Shown%20to%20Outperform%20Other%20Ads%202X%2D10X,-At%20the%20end). Once you start getting contacts from these ads, you can either respond with Meta Business Suite (formerly Facebook Business Inbox) or connect to a platform like respond.io to automate and expand your messaging capabilities. We’ll discuss these options later. First, consider these reasons to add Messenger to your social media marketing strategy. ##### Gain Contacts You need people to contact you before you can message them, so the first step to getting contacts is [click to Messenger ads](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads#toc-mobile-2) or [sponsored messages](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/discovery/sponsored-messages/). When someone contacts you through Facebook Messenger, you’ll gain limited contact information, including their name and profile. What you learn from your profile will help you better define your audience for further targeting. ##### Move Prospects through the Marketing Funnel Faster Email communication is slow and prospects most likely won’t pay attention to every email in a drip campaign. Ads often have a *spray and pray* approach; businesses just hope the right audience will see them enough times to take an interest. With Messenger marketing, you can gauge prospects’ interests and answer any questions instantly. If prospects aren’t ready to purchase, you can continue to target them with sponsored messages based on insights gained from the conversation. ##### Increase Brand Awareness and Loyalty with a Personal Connection Successful Facebook Messenger campaigns make a personal connection. Although the conversations are often automated, businesses can humanize the experience with a realistic persona. Campaigns that encourage prospects and customers to chat show that a business cares about what its customers have to say. Using Messenger to [respond to comments on your Page’s posts](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-comment-auto-reply#toc-mobile-1) is another way to build that connection. ### Marketing on Facebook Messenger: What You Should Know Now that you know the benefits of Facebook Messenger marketing, let’s look at what you need to do to get started. There are two options to consider depending on your business needs. #### Meta Business Suite vs. Facebook Messenger Platform with respond.io Facebook Messenger for business is a standard part of Meta Business Suite. Businesses that require additional functionality should upgrade to [Facebook Messenger Platform](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/send-messages/) and [connect it to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview#connecting_facebook_messenger). Here are the features and limitations of both. ##### Meta Business Suite Inbox To start using Facebook Messenger for marketing, all you need is a [Facebook business page](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-4), which gives you access to Meta Business Suite’s inbox. It’s completely free to sign up for a Meta Business Portfolio, previously known as a Facebook business account, and there are no charges for sending messages. However, click to Messenger ads carry the usual Facebook advertising costs. Anyone who visits your Page can send you messages and you can reply; even if you’re not doing any active marketing, people can search for your business and contact you, and you can respond at any time. Meta Business Suite has many built-in features that are useful for marketing: you can set [basic automated responses](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/395965998733706) like away messages and FAQs, keep all your contacts’ conversations in one place and organize contact information for future targeting. For smaller businesses, these features are usually enough, but large businesses will run into challenges. If you [send or receive more than 40 messages per second](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/overview), messages will stop going to your inbox. Another limitation for businesses using the basic Meta Business Suite Inbox is that you can’t [send broadcast messages](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-broadcast). ##### Facebook Messenger Platform Connected to respond.io Larger businesses that send high numbers of messages and want advanced automation features will benefit by connecting Facebook to a messaging platform like respond.io. This allows you to send and receive a high volume of messages. You can also save your Contacts and organize them with tags. One limitation of Facebook’s API platform is that once a customer makes contact, businesses have a 24-hour messaging window to reply. After the window expires, businesses can only continue the conversation by sending a message with a [Facebook Message Tag](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag). The four tags are Confirmed Event Update, Post-Purchase Update, Account Update and Human Agent. However, the latter is only available for certain platforms, including respond.io. The Human Agent tag has flexible uses, which we’ll go into later. Using these tags, businesses are allowed to send [broadcast messages](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-broadcast#toc-mobile-3). However, it’s important to [use them with discretion](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag#toc-mobile-7) to avoid a ban. You cannot send anything that falls outside of the tag’s category. Tags allow you to stay in touch with your contacts and customers, providing them valuable updates. For example, use the Account Update tag to let contacts know about new features added to their account. ### Facebook Messenger Marketing Quick Wins with Respond.io Now let’s look at how you can use your Facebook Messenger Platform connected to respond.io to enhance your marketing capabilities. #### Track Messenger Ad Conversions with Paid Ads Attribution Click-to-Chat Ads on Messenger are a powerful way to start conversations—but what happens after the click matters most. With respond.io, you can now track which Messenger ads actually convert and follow leads all the way through your sales funnel. In the Reports module, [Paid Ads attribution](https://respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-lifecycle#using-lifecycle-reports-with-paid-ads) is available in both Contacts and Lifecycle reports. This lets you: - Filter and group leads by Ad Campaign, Ad Group, or specific Messenger Ad - Monitor lead progression from New Lead to Paying Customer - Understand which campaigns generate quality leads that move forward, not just click With clear attribution data and lifecycle visibility, you can confidently optimize your Messenger ad strategy and maximize ROI—without relying on manual tracking or external tools. #### Generate and Qualify Leads with respond.io’s Message Automation Every time someone makes contact by replying to an ad or commenting on a post, you have the opportunity to message them. Respond.io helps you automatically organize your new contacts and reply to them instantly. Set up [automated messages](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-auto-reply#toc-mobile-3) using Workflows to provide information and ask questions. Automated conversations can also distinguish marketing qualified leads. For example, ask Contacts what their level of interest is and what their price range is. If they select a certain reply which indicates a desire to purchase, the Workflow can [automatically assign them to a salesperson](https://respond.io/blog/messenger-sales#toc-mobile-6). #### Engage Contacts by Using respond.io to Reply to Comments via Messenger Another way to get contacts is by encouraging comments on your posts and responding to them via Messenger. Use respond.io to [track comments and set auto-replies](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-comment-auto-reply#toc-mobile-3) to them. For example, ask people to leave a heart emoji in the comments to indicate agreement or a need for more information. Using respond.io, select the Comments Tracking option and automatically reply to encourage prospects to take the desired next steps. This not only engages potential customers, but also turns commenters into contacts, extending your opportunity to target them. #### Send Broadcast Messages with respond.io’s Human Agent Tag An advantage to using respond.io is that you have the [Human Agent tag](https://respond.io/blog/messenger-sales#toc-mobile-6) which extends your reply window to seven days. This tag can be used for various types of messages as long as they’re expected and not overtly promotional in nature. For example, you could run a contest where people send in submissions and the judging or lucky draw takes place later. The terms of the contest may promise a discount code to all entrants. You can send this group of people the discount using the tag. #### Send Regular Promotional Messages or Updates to Contacts who Opt In [Recurring Notifications](https://developers.facebook.com/blog/post/2022/05/19/introducing-recurring-notifications-automated-messages/) is a new feature that allows Messenger Platform users to send promotional messages provided that Contacts opt in. Opt-in requests are only allowed during the 24-hour messaging window, and Contacts can choose daily, weekly or monthly notifications. This is a great way to send newsletters, tips, or updates about products your Contacts are interested in. You can also use these notifications to encourage Contacts to send you a message. Note that the notifications need to be set up in the [Facebook Developers Platform](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/send-messages/recurring-notifications/) and can’t be directly sent from respond.io. However, Contacts’ responses to the notifications will go to your respond.io inbox. ### Get Inspiration from these Facebook Messenger Marketing Campaigns Many brands have had success with Facebook Messenger marketing campaigns. Here are a couple of them. #### Facebook Messenger Campaign: Kisuhi Clothing Vietnamese women’s clothing brand Kisuhi recognized Facebook Messenger as an important marketing channel as it’s one of the top messaging apps in the country. It regularly used a combination of Facebook post ads and sponsored message ads. ##### **How they did it:** It wanted to see which type of ads were more successful, so it ran an A/B split campaign. One set of ads was optimized for messages and the other for post engagement, targeted at the same audience. For both ads, people would click to shop directly in Messenger. While both campaigns were leading viewers to the same place, Kisuhi found that the sponsored message ads had much better results. People were more likely to engage with content received via Messenger. ##### **The results:** For the message ad, the conversion rate was 3.2X higher than for post ads. There was an 86% lower cost to the business to get a purchase, and overall, there was a 10X savings on ad spend! ### Facebook Messenger Campaign: FWD Insurance Group FWD Group, an insurance provider in Thailand, regularly marketed with Facebook ads that led to its website and saw mediocre results. When it switched to ads that clicked to Messenger and improved its conversational flow, there was a massive increase in sales. ##### **How they did it:** It ran a click to Messenger campaign that allowed people to ask questions about the insurance company’s services and receive quotes. The automated chat helped prospects qualify themselves, and they could then go to the website to make a purchase. ##### **The results:** Compared to the standard click-to-website Facebook ads, the Messenger ads had 5.4X higher conversion rates, and the ad spend was 5.6X lower. Adding the personal touch of being able to chat with someone alleviated prospects’ concerns and was enough to push them into making a purchase decision. Are you ready to try Facebook Messenger marketing like these companies? [Sign up for respond.io](https://app.respond.io/user/register) to take full advantage of your Facebook marketing opportunities and manage the large volume of results you’ll get. ### Further Reading Consider reading these to learn more about using Facebook Messenger. - Facebook Messenger for Business: The Ultimate Guide [Aug 2020] - Messenger Broadcast: How to Send a Facebook Messenger Broadcast - 12 Ways Companies Are Using Facebook Messenger for Business ## [Messenger Sales: A How-to Guide to Sales Messenger ](https:/respond.io/blog/messenger-sales) If your customers are on Facebook Messenger, it's your lucky day. In this blog post, we'll show you how to elevate your Messenger sales to the next level. When it comes to sales, Facebook Messenger is the channel preferred by many businesses of all sizes. Are you selling over Facebook Messenger too? Then you’ve come to the right place. This blog post will introduce you to the benefits of using Messenger as a sales channel. We’ll also guide you through key respond.io features that will take your Facebook Messenger sales to the next level. ### Facebook Messenger Sales vs Traditional Sales Despite their popularity in the past, traditional sales channels such as website chat, phone calls and email have major flaws when compared to Facebook Messenger. Website chat conversations are anonymous, which makes contact identification difficult. Besides, page visitors are untraceable once they leave the website. Phone calls are more personal, although some people find them intrusive and/or annoying. Email sales have several drawbacks too: Collecting customer information is quite slow, and emails may end up lost between other emails or in the spam folder. Besides, this messaging channel is too formal to establish partner-like relationships with customers. Furthermore, email users are prone to have scattered conversations. There are multiple reasons why this happens. For instance, a sales agent may forget to cc someone, or a customer may email the business with a different email address. All traditional messaging channels share the same issue: They lack contact and conversation overview features. This means that sales agents aren’t able to get a holistic view of their customer profiles and their interactions with the business from day one. With Facebook Messenger, contact profiles and conversations are easily traced in the Facebook Page Inbox or a third-party messaging inbox. Thus, sales agents identify customers and resume conversations anytime to share updates or follow up on them. Due to its conversational nature, Messenger makes it easy to collect information and build trust. In fact, salespeople can integrate automation like Facebook Page [welcome messages](https://respond.io/blog/welcome-messsage-for-facebook-page) or [auto-replies](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-auto-reply) into Messenger for a smoother customer journey. Now that you are familiar with the benefits of Facebook Messenger sales, let’s go through some key information that you should know before using the app as one of your sales channels. ### Facebook Messenger Sales: What You Should Know Before deciding to use Facebook Messenger as your main channel for sales, there are a few things you need to know, such as: - Group messaging - CTA button - Facebook Messenger best practices #### Facebook Messenger Sales: Group Messaging Like any conventional messaging app, Facebook Messenger lets users and Page admins create and join [group chats](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-13). These group chats have some applications for small companies as an alternative to pricier or more complex team communication tools. For example, some sales agents create Facebook Messenger group chats with important clients to provide them with personalized assistance. This has several pros: Salespeople can reply quickly, and everyone in the group can stay updated. Replies are visible to the whole group chat and may include media files, which make them a better option than a traditional phone call. #### Facebook Messenger Sales: Use the Right CTA Button Facebook allows you to choose a call-to-action button from a long list, depending on your Facebook Page goals. CTAs such as *Call Now* or *Get Quote* are popular for lead generation. However, *Send Message* also allows those who are considering a purchase to find out more. After clicking on it, a Messenger chat window will open in the bottom right corner for customers to start a conversation with the business. When using this CTA for lead generation purposes, a salesperson must have access to the Facebook Page Inbox to handle inbound messages. #### Facebook Messenger Sales: Best Practices To prevent spamming, Facebook does not allow businesses to send the first message to customers. Luckily, those who are interested in your product are likely to message you first, saving you time and effort from reaching out to them cold. Once a customer sends the first message, businesses have a 24-hour messaging window to send a reply. After the window expires, businesses can only continue the conversation by sending a message with a [Facebook Message Tag](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag). There are four Message Tags for different use cases: Confirmed Event Update, Post-Purchase Update, Account Update, and Human Agent. The latter is only available for certain platforms like respond.io. We’ll discuss it in a bit. We recommend using Message Tags responsibly. Otherwise, Facebook could ban your page for a number of days or even permanently, depending on the gravity of the violation. But don’t fret — we’ll show you [how to use these Message Tags correctly](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag#toc-mobile-3). We have covered all the preliminary information that you should know if you plan to sell over Facebook Messenger. In the next section, we’ll show you how to get some quick wins by using Facebook Messenger and respond.io for sales. ### Facebook Messenger Sales: Quick Wins Now, let’s take a look at how to use respond.io. to enhance your sales process on Facebook Messenger. #### Follow Up with Prospects with the Human Agent Tag Some salespeople work for businesses with longer sales cycles. For example, in low-volume, high-margin businesses, it’s normal for customers to go through many touchpoints and take extra time to consider a purchase. Therefore, the 24-hour messaging window may not be enough for some salespeople to close a deal. Luckily, Facebook is testing a Human Agent tag with a few messaging platforms to **extend the 24-hour messaging window to seven days**. Respond.io is one of those platforms. With the Human Agent tag, respond.io users circumvent a major messaging limitation, giving their agents extra time to close Facebook Messenger sales. #### Grow Your List of Contacts with Facebook Private Replies A [Facebook Private Reply](https://help.respond.io/facebook-messenger/private-replies) is an automated private message sent automatically from your Facebook Page to any Facebook user who comments on one of your Facebook Page Posts. Sales agents could use this feature to collect leads from a promotional Facebook post, for example. When interested customers leave a comment on the post, a private reply asking for further details is triggered. Customers become respond.io Contacts after replying to your Facebook Private Reply. Once that happens, a sales agent can continue the lead nurturing process from respond.io. #### Automate Any Task with Workflows [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) are respond.io’s flagship feature. It is highly customizable automation that saves users time and resources and can be used for Facebook Messenger sales. For instance, companies can create their own [chat routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [agent assignment](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) logic. The possibilities are endless! Workflows can also be manually triggered using the [Shortcut button](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-triggers#trigger-shortcut) in the Messages Module. Here are three ways in which sales agents can use the Shortcut Button: - Generate sales deals in a CRM such as Hubspot or Salesforce - Qualify contacts on customer success platforms such as Vitally, based on the particulars provided like website, company size or number of employees - Calculate the price quotation for a custom plan during a consultation with a client #### Funnel Inbound Leads to Your Inbox Use [Chat links and QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-8) to redirect customers to chat with your business on Facebook Messenger. Chat links can be embedded anywhere in your website, while QR codes can be printed and displayed in physical locations. Similarly, respond.io’s [website chat widget](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview) serves the purpose of inviting page visitors to start Messenger conversations with you. If the visitor has any conversation history on your Facebook Page, it will show on the widget. Because the conversation takes place in Facebook Messenger, salespeople are able to keep on chatting with leads even after they leave your website. If you want to offer your customers alternative ways to contact you, know that [respond.io’s website chat widget is omnichannel](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget), allowing you to [add other channels to the header](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview#header-elements). #### Use Click to Chat Ads to Get New Contacts Quickly Click to chat ads are ads displayed on Facebook or Instagram that encourage viewers to start a conversation. Configure these ads to reach your target audience so you get new leads into your inbox faster. In respond.io, you can set up automation for click to chat ads to reply instantly and save contact details. Track which ads leads are coming from to measure ad success and plan for retargeting. #### Get a Holistic View of Your Contacts with Contact Merge Even if your business uses Facebook Messenger as its primary customer communication tool, you are likely to receive customer messages through other messaging channels. The result: You will end up with siloed conversations across different channels. Addressing the same customer on multiple profiles is a waste of time and resources, and salespeople could be at risk of spamming customers inadvertently. With [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts), you can consolidate the Channels, Messages, Events and Comments associated with two or more duplicate Contacts in a single profile. This will benefit your sales team(s), as they will get an accurate overview of their Contacts. #### Mobile App for Agents on the Go Respond.io’s mobile app allows sales agents to keep in touch with their accounts when they are not sitting at their desks. The app has all the features available on the desktop, such as Dashboard, Contacts and Messaging. To get the respond.io app, download it from [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io) for Android and [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) for iOS. These are some of the things that your sales team(s) can do by connecting Facebook Messenger to respond.io. In the next section, you’ll find a success story that tells how a company is effectively using Facebook Messenger for sales. ### Case Study: How Araya Is Doing Facebook Messenger Sales Araya is a Thailand-based company offering intimate care products for women. It was already using Facebook Messenger for customer communication but wanted to give its customers a great shopping experience with conversational sales. Araya allocated roughly 90% of its ad budget to campaigns on Facebook Messenger. When customers responded to an ad, the sales team provided 1:1 assistance and shared their product knowledge over Messenger with the help of a business solution provider. This method proved to be very effective in tracking customer behavior, allowing Araya to improve its Facebook Messenger sales process day by day. The result: Araya experienced a 3X increase in return on ad spend on Facebook Messenger. Facebook Messenger isn’t just a massively popular messaging app. It comes with a number of features for sales teams. When connected to respond.io, sales agents are able to collect and nurture leads efficiently while delivering a great customer experience. Do you want to sell on Facebook Messenger the leading messaging platform? [Sign up for a respond.io account today](https://app.respond.io/user/register)! ### Further Reading If you’ve enjoyed this article, here are some more readings that might interest you: - WhatsApp Sales: How to Sell on WhatsApp - How to Use Facebook Messenger for Customer Service - Best Messaging Apps for Business ## [Most Popular Messaging Apps: Top Messaging Apps 2021](https:/respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps) In this article, you'll find out everything about the Most Popular Messaging Apps in 2021 by Monthly Active Users, geographical preferences and other main trends you should be aware of. Messaging apps are changing the way we communicate with each other. Every year, more and more people have access to the best messaging apps. They are certainly an important part of our personal and business relations. We have done our yearly research on the most popular messaging apps in the world to offer answers to some common questions: What are the most popular messaging apps in 2021? Which ones are my customers using? You’ll learn everything about the top messaging apps in this article. ### Most Popular Messaging Apps by Monthly Active Users Monthly Active Users (MAU) refers to the number of people who use a platform per month. It is a good indicator of a messaging app's health and relevance. Here are the top five messaging apps ranked by their MAU in July 2021: 1. Top Messaging Apps: WhatsApp 2. Top Messaging Apps: Facebook Messenger 3. Top Messaging Apps: WeChat 4. Top Messaging Apps: QQ 5. Top Messaging Apps: Telegram Surprised to see Telegram in the Top 5? As we will explain later on, this text app has been one of the protagonists in 2021. In fact, Telegram has recently reached the 1 billion downloads milestone. #### 1\. Top Messaging Apps: WhatsApp So, what is the most used messaging app in the world? It's WhatsApp, with overwhelming popularity in Europe, Asia, America, Africa, and Oceania. Moreover, it remains the top popular messaging app in countries such as India, Brazil, and Pakistan. WhatsApp is consistently in the top 3 communication apps in every country except for South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, China, and Myanmar. With over 2b MAU, WhatsApp is far ahead of the rest of the competitors. Speaking about competitors, there is another close competitor belonging to the same umbrella company. This means Facebook owns the two most popular messaging apps in terms of MAU. #### 2\. Top Messaging Apps: Facebook Messenger Facebook Messenger takes the second spot on the ranking. In January 2021, 1.3b people used Facebook Messenger or Messenger Lite regularly every month. For both the US and Canada, it has become the most popular iOS messaging app in the App Store. In both countries, Facebook Messenger is the second most popular app for Android users after WhatsApp. To put it simply, North American iOS users prefer Facebook Messenger. And WhatsApp seems to be a preferred choice among Android users. The US is one of the main Facebook Messenger markets. In fact, 9 out of 10 citizens choose it as their primary messaging app. In Canada, half of the entire population uses Facebook Messenger. That makes a total of 18,490,000 users. However, Facebook Messenger is seldom the most popular app in the rest of the world. Only the US, Canada, Hungary, Mongolia, Madagascar, and Vietnam use it as their primary chat app. What comes next? Unsurprisingly, the two most popular instant messengers in China make it into the global ranking once again. Let's jump straight to the China market. #### 3\. Top Messaging Apps: WeChat When it comes to messaging apps, China has always been a special case. Popular text apps like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [Line](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), or [Vibe](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business)[r](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business) are banned in the country. Tencent's [WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account) is the most popular Chinese app. It accounts for 1242 million Monthly Active users around the world. Not only it is used to communicate with your contacts -the app has more to offer. WeChat Pay is now a common digital payment method in China, which also features many popular mini-programs. These are apps within WeChat that include e-commerce, games, rentals, and many more. WeChat is by far the most efficient way of online communication in the country. Although it is not always the go-to option for the young Chinese. Other messaging apps like QQ or DuoShan are becoming more appealing to them. #### 4\. Top Messaging Apps: QQ [QQ](https://respond.io/blog/the-top-3-chinese-chat-apps) is still very successful in China. And Chinese youngsters are their main target market since QQ users don’t need a phone number to sign up. With 606 million MAU, it is the fourth most-used messenger app in the global ranking. Before the release of WeChat, QQ was the main messaging app in China. Nowadays, people use it mainly as a communication tool for offices. It is used as a common desktop messenger which allows transfers of heavy files. It's time to talk about the last spot on the list. Despite its position, it is the fastest-growing app of them all. Telegram's MAU keep increasing consistently. And it has already surpassed some of the most popular chat apps such as Viber or Line. #### 5\. Top Messaging Apps: Telegram Unlike Line or [Kakao](https://respond.io/blog/kakao-for-business), Telegram is not a regional phenomenon. In fact, it has become a strong contender in multiple geographical areas. In 2020, it was the messaging app of choice for 14 countries. One year after, that number has increased to 25. Currently, the app has 550 million Monthly Active Users. We have also observed that Telegram has been growing its userbase 25% year after year since 2018. It is expected to reach 1b MAU by 2022. We have dealt with the global numbers. But now it is time to take a closer look at the different geographical areas. It's here where we discover new trends and find out the best markets for every messaging app. ### Most Popular Messaging Apps by Country We have visited the Play Store and the App Store of 230 countries and territories to find out which messaging apps for Android and iOS are featured at the top of the communication category. This helped us discover the most popular messaging app in every country. The ranking algorithms are not fully disclosed. Nevertheless, it's known that factors such as downloads, engagement, rating, and reviews influence an app's rank. And here are our findings on the top mobile messaging apps by country this year. #### Top Chat Apps in Europe WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in West Europe. But for the first time, Telegram has taken the second spot from Messenger. Signal has been this year's surprise. It has quickly become the third favorite for Android users in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In Central Europe, WhatsApp is also at the head of the list. But in this case, Messenger is still the second preferred option, leaving Telegram in the third position. Viber is also a popular choice for some central European countries such as Greece or Serbia. Telegram has become one of the most popular instant messaging apps in East Europe. In 2021, both Russia and Ukraine choose it as their primary messaging app, followed by WhatsApp and Viber. #### Top Chat Apps in Asia In South Asia, WhatsApp is at the head of the list. It is followed by Telegram and Facebook Messenger. India is WhatsApp's biggest market with 390.1 MAU, but the app is very successful in countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan too. The same happens in Southeast Asia, where these three are the top messaging apps. This region has other competitive options that vary by country. MiChat is trendy in Indonesia, as Line is in Thailand. In Vietnam, Viber and Zalo are two popular options too. In the Middle East, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Telegram are the most popular messengers. However, in countries such as Saudi Arabia or Yemen, IMO is a common choice. As mentioned, WeChat is the most popular app in China, and also the third most popular messaging app in the world. Similarly, QQ is the second preferred option for Chinese users and the fourth most popular text app in the world. Japanese users stick to Line as their main messaging app. It’s followed by Kakao Talk and [Google Messages](https://respond.io/blog/google-my-business-messaging). In Japan, Line grows progressively every year. However, the number of global Line users had no significant growth in the last five years. When it comes to South Korean messaging apps, Kakao Talk takes the first spot in its home country, followed by Telegram and Line. #### Top Chat Apps in America What are the most popular messaging apps in USA 2021? Facebook Messenger is one the most popular messengers in USA for iOS, which accounts for 53% of the Operative System market share. It’s closely followed by WhatsApp and to a lesser extent, Telegram. Interestingly, WhatsApp is the preferred option by Android users, accounting for 46% of the mobile OS market in North America. In 2020 Messenger was the most popular messaging app 2021 among USA Android users, but not among Canadian Android users. In most Central and South American countries, WhatsApp still reigns as the top messaging app. This includes highly populated countries like Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. Meanwhile, Telegram takes the second spot in many of these countries. Messenger is still an important contender and the third in the ranking. The powerful app trio has very little competition in this region. #### Top Chat Apps in Africa Like in the previous year, the top three messaging apps for Africa are WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram. It is one of the few regions where Messenger hasn't been displaced by Telegram's boom. It is worth mentioning that other messenger apps like Gem4Me or Ayoba are very popular in certain African countries. Their user base is growing consistently. However, they are still far from making it to the top three in the African continent. #### Top Chat Apps in Oceania Messenger used to be the chat app of choice for Australians and New Zealanders. In 2021 this is no longer the case. Recently WhatsApp has taken the first position in both the Play Store and the App Store. In Papua New Guinea, BiP is the most popular messaging app, but internet penetration still remains low in the country. For that reason, the total amount of users are not enough to include it in the top 3. As you can see, different countries show a preference for different apps. Asia shows a wide diversity of messaging apps, whereas WhatsApp, Telegram, and Messenger are rarely disputed in Central and South America. Now it's time to move on to the final section, where we discuss the main trends we have noticed this year. ### Most Popular Messaging Apps Trends in 2021 Since our last Messaging App Research in July 2020, some important things have happened. We have talked about MAU and regional preferences. But, what key points can we make from this year's results? #### Best Messaging Apps: WhatsApp Stays on Top Is WhatsApp the most used app? Our Top App by Country research for 2021 shows that WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in 188 countries/territories out of 230. If we ignore WeChat and QQ which are most relevant in China, and Facebook Messenger, which also belongs to Facebook, WhatsApp's next big competitor would be Telegram. At this point, Telegram has four times fewer users than WhatsApp. But, why do people use WhatsApp? Well, there are various reasons: It is the most popular app in the world, so your contacts are probably already using it. It was right there when the smartphone fever started almost a decade ago, and it benefited from that too. It's also easy to use since WhatsApp users are identified via phone numbers. This makes adding new Contacts quite simple compared to other methods like usernames. Users can text their contacts on WhatsApp just by having their phone number -assuming that both sides have WhatsApp installed. This is not the only app experiencing a sweet moment. 2021 has been particularly positive for Telegram and Signal. Despite having a smaller base of users, they are quickly becoming more and more relevant in the instant messaging game. #### Best Messaging Apps: Telegram and Signal on the Rise Telegram is the second most popular messaging app in the Google PlayStore for more than a hundred countries. In the App Store, it’s only for 25 countries. The app's success is due to its innovative features and people's growing concern over internet privacy. In fact, in early 2021 both Telegram and Signal saw a huge increase in their downloads at 98% and 1192%, respectively. This was caused by WhatsApp's new policy which involved sharing users' data with Facebook. But there was one more thing that prompted Signal to skyrocket in such a short time span: In January of this year, Elon Musk tweeted "Use Signal" to his 42 million followers. Signal peaked at 51M downloads in the same month, becoming one of the most popular messengers 2021 in certain European countries. The first month of the year was prosperous for Telegram too. The app got 64M new downloads and became the most downloaded app of January worldwide. **Telegram and Signal in 2021** | | Telegram | Signal | | --- | --- | --- | | Monthly Active Users | 550 Million | 40 Million | | Downloads (January - April 2021) | 162 Million | 65 Million | | Downloads increase (January - April 2021) | 1.98x More | 23.84x More | Is Telegram vs WhatsApp already a thing? Well, that's not likely, at least for the time being. But Telegram has become one of the most popular messaging apps 2021. Time will tell if this is just temporary or a new trend. #### Messenger pushed down by Telegram In our 2021 research, we have noticed an interesting pattern: In many geographical areas, Telegram is substituting Messenger as the second most popular messaging app. This phenomenon is often seen among Android users, but not among iOS Users. In almost a hundred countries, Telegram has replaced Messenger as the second top messaging app in the Play Store, while the latter falls to third place. This suggests that Telegram has finally turned the tables, becoming a serious competitor for Messenger. This raises an important question: Why is Messenger and not WhatsApp paying for Telegram's success? The truth is, Telegram is still far from WhatsApp’s figures. Yet it is expanding quickly enough to challenge Messenger in multiple countries. **Messenger vs Telegram** | | Messenger | Telegram | | --- | --- | --- | | Monthly Active Users 2021 | 1.3 Billion | 500 Million | | Expected Monthly Active Users 2022 | 2 Billion | 1 Billion | | Top 3 Android Messaging App | In 191 Countries | In 190 Countries | | Top 3 iOS Messaging App | In 121 Countries | In 105 Countries | Nonetheless, Messenger still remains very relevant in 8 of the 10 most populated countries on earth. But if Telegram keeps growing at this pace, it could become the second non-Chinese app in terms of MAU in only a few years. ### Further Reading Interested to know more about the best messaging apps? Then we recommend you to read the following three articles: - Instant Messaging for Business: Your 10 Best Options - All-in-One Messengers You Should Start Using Today - Telegram vs WhatsApp: 9 Differences & Which App Is the Best? ## [Multichannel Communication: 6 Platforms Compared & How To Choose One](https:/respond.io/blog/multichannel-communication) These are the best platforms for multichannel communication: Respond.io, Trengo, WATI, SleekFlow, Zenvia and Manychat ### What is Multichannel Communication? Multichannel messaging is a communication strategy that enables businesses to engage with customers across multiple messaging platforms—such as WhatsApp, TikTok, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, email, calls and more, using a single platform. Rather than relying on just one channel, multichannel messaging meets customers where they are most active, giving them the flexibility to choose how they want to communicate. This is big, since customer purhcase journeys tend to [start in one device and end in another](https://worldmetrics.org/multichannel-marketing-statistics/?utm_source=chatgpt.com#:~:text=single%2Dchannel%20campaigns-,89%25%20of%20consumers%20start%20their%20buying%20journey%20on%20one%20device%20and%20finish%20on%20another%2C%20highlighting%20the%20importance%20of%20multichannel%20marketing,-Businesses%20that%20effectively). Here’s an **example of a business using multichannel communication**: A travel agency runs a targeted Instagram ad promoting a tropical vacation package, follows up with an email campaign highlighting exclusive discounts, and sends personalized WhatsApp messages to answer questions and assist with bookings. Clients can reply directly via WhatsApp messages or even request a WhatsApp call for personalized travel advice. Each channel works together to nurture leads and convert interest into confirmed trips. ### Examples of Channels for Multichannel Messaging - Voice/Phone: Personal and real-time for urgent or complex issues, but hard to scale. - Email: Reliable for detailed communication and records, though slower to engage. - Social Media: Meets customers where they are; boosts visibility but lacks privacy to talk to customers. - Live Chat: Great for support and conversions, but requires leads to visit your website first. - SMS/Text Messaging: Direct and effective with high open rates, ideal for alerts and reminders. However, impractical and potentially expensive for conversations. - Messaging Apps: Direct and effective with high open rates. Ideal for multiple use cases beyond alert and reminders. Unlike SMS, they work much better for conversational sales and support. Each channel has its strengths and limitations. The key is to adopt a multichannel strategy that aligns with your use cases — or better yet, move toward an omnichannel approach. Not sure about the difference? We’ll break it down in the next section. ### Multichannel Messaging Platform vs Omnichannel Messaging Platform | Feature | Multichannel | Omnichannel | | --- | --- | --- | | Channel availability | ✅ Multiple channels | ✅ Multiple channels | | Unified inbox | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | | Shared conversation history | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | | Agent efficiency | ⬇️ Low | ⬆️ High | | Customer experience | Fragmented | Seamless | **Multichannel:** Multiple messaging platforms are used separately, like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and email, each with its own inbox. Agents switch between different apps to respond. With separate platforms, conversations feel fragmented for both sides due to the lack of a unified view. **Omnichannel:** All channels are connected into a single inbox, allowing agents to see the complete chat history regardless of origin. This speeds up replies and provides a full understanding of the customer’s journey. Connecting everything into one stream offers a smoother, more organized experience. A better customer experience has an impact in business growth. In fact, companies that embrace omnichannel have [significantly higher customer retention](https://www.uniformmarket.com/statistics/omnichannel-shopping-statistics?utm_source=chatgpt.com#:~:text=Companies%20with%20omnichannel%20engagement%20strategies%20manage%20to%20retain%2089%25%20of%20their%20customers.) than the ones that don't. In short, multichannel and omnichannel messaging platforms let you chat with customers on multiple channels. But in multichannel, each channel is isolated. That means messages are not connected, and agents have to switch between apps. ### Why Multichannel Messaging is Important | Benefit | Multichannel | Omnichannel | | --- | --- | --- | | Increase Audience Reach | ✅ | ✅ | | Supports Different Use Cases | ✅ | ✅ | | Data Collection | ✅ | ✅ | | Improves Customer Experience | ✅ | ✅ | | Manage Channel Silos | ❌ | ✅ | | Create a Cohesive Experience | ❌ | ✅ | - Increase Audience Reach: Different customers prefer different platforms — some are active on WhatsApp, others check email or follow you on Instagram. Multichannel messaging helps you reach a wider audience by meeting them where they already are. - Supports Different Use Cases: Each channel serves a unique purpose. Use WhatsApp to nurture sales via chat, email for detailed itineraries or updates, and SMS for time-sensitive alerts. This flexibility allows you to tailor communications to the context. - Data Collection: Engaging customers across channels provides more touchpoints to collect valuable data — such as preferences, behavior, and purchase intent — which can be used to refine targeting and personalize future interactions. - Improves Customer Experience: Offering multiple communication options gives customers the freedom to choose how they interact with your business, which improves convenience and satisfaction. Omnichannel takes it a step further with **two additional benefits**. - Manage Channel Silos: Instead of juggling multiple inboxes, omnichannel platforms unify conversations across channels into a single thread. This prevents message duplication, missed inquiries, and fragmented communication. - Create a Cohesive Experience: 40% of consumers abandon a purchase if the experience is not seamless across channels. With an omnichannel stack, customers can switch between channels — for example, starting a conversation on Instagram and continuing it on WhatsApp — without repeating themselves. Your team has full context at every stage, enabling smooth, consistent service. ### Top Multichannel Communication Platforms #### Respond.io Respond.io unifies all popular chat and voice channels into a single inbox. With robust WhatsApp automation tools, [AI Agents](https://respond.io/ai-agents), customer lifecycle tracking, CRM integration and more, you can manage your entire customer journey from first contact to sale to retention. ##### Pros - Omnichannel inbox for WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, SMS, LINE, Viber, WeChat, website chat and custom channels - Voice channels: WhatsApp Business Calling API, Facebook Messenger calls and VoIP - Broadcast on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram and more - Omnichannel website chat widget - WhatsApp Business App + API coexistence - Omnichannel automation - Autonomous AI Agents that can be trained with your knowledge sources to chat, update contact fields and Lifecycle, route conversations and more. - Identify and merge duplicated contacts from different channels - Guaranteed 99.999% platform stability - 24/5 customer support via chat and call, 24/7 AI customer support ##### Cons - May be too advanced for micro businesses or entrepreneurs who only need one channel ##### Pricing Respond.io’s mid-tier Growth plan is priced at $199/month and supports up to 10 users. It includes unlimited automation, unrestricted use of the AI Agent, advanced reporting and more — all without extra charges for WhatsApp API account setup, hosting or markups to Meta message fees. #### Trengo Trengo is a multichannel communication platform designed primarily for customer support, helping teams manage inquiries efficiently across multiple channels. ##### Pros - Omnichannel inbox for WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, SMS, email, website chat, VoIP and custom channels - Omnichannel website chat widget ##### Cons - No WhatsApp Business Calling API - No WhatsApp Business App + API coexistence - Automation is not omnichannel and must be created separately on each channel - VoIP at additional cost - Broadcast only on WhatsApp and SMS at additional fees ##### Pricing Trengo costs $701/month for twenty users, but essential features like broadcasts come at an additional cost. The plan includes a yearly limit of 18,000 conversations, with extra charges applying if you exceed that. Conversations involving AI also incur a separate surcharge. #### Wati WATI (WhatsApp Team Inbox) is built for small and medium-sized businesses that focus mostly on the WhatsApp Business API. It focuses on team collaboration and simple automation for customer conversations on WhatsApp. ##### Pros - Omnichannel inbox for WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram - WhatsApp Business app + API coexistence ##### Cons - Only supports three channels - Broadcast only for WhatsApp - No WhatsApp Business Calling API - No merge of duplicate contacts - Difficult to get support from human agents ##### Pricing WATI’s mid-tier plan is priced at $149 for five users, making it an affordable option for small teams. However, be aware of additional costs like messaging markups and extra fees for features such as Shopify integration and 1,000 AI support responses. These costs are not included in the base price. #### Sleekflow Sleekflow is a multichannel platform for businesses with low chat volumes. It also offers automation and AI for businesses wanting to simplify some simple business processes. ##### Pros - It supports WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, Viber, WeChat, SMS, LINE and website chat ##### Cons - Automation is mostly supported on WhatsApp - No WhatsApp Business Calling API - No WhatsApp Business app + API coexistence - No merging of duplicate contacts - Some users report frequent platform downtime ##### Pricing SleekFlow’s mid-level plan is priced at $399/month and supports just 5 users. Its pricing structure is based on your total contact list, not only the contacts you interact with. Plus, the platform comes with the following usage limits. Each account gets 500 AI Agent credits by default. There are three types of AI Agents: Basic Support consumes one credit per message, while Sales Growth and Custom Agents use two credits each. Additionally, triggering automation workflows requires separate flow enrollment credits, which are also billed separately. #### Zenvia Zenvia is a Brazilian multichannel communication platform with a focus on Brazil and other Latin American countries. It focuses on medium to large B2C businesses that primarily operate on WhatsApp, email and SMS. ##### Pros - WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, WeChat, SMS, email - Omnichannel website chat widget ##### Cons - No WhatsApp Business Calling API - No WhatsApp Business app + API coexistence - No merging of duplicate contacts - No customer support for the starter plan ##### Pricing Zenvia’s mid-tier plan, called Specialist, costs $130 per month and includes 10 users, 500 conversations, and 5 flow chatbots. The price includes a mandatory $20+ message pack, which allows sending up to 1,088 SMS, 431 WhatsApp messages, or 23,750 emails. Zenvia also charges $137 for setup fees in the Specialist plan. Message fees are $0.05 per outbound WhatsApp message, $0.02 per inbound WhatsApp message, $0.02 per SMS, and $0.04 per 50 emails. #### Manychat Manychat stands out on this list for its strong focus on e-commerce businesses and marketing agencies. It supports multiple channels and tools tailored for sales, promotions and customer engagement. ##### Pros - It supports WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, TikTok, SMS and email - WhatsApp Business app + API coexistence - Broadcast on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, SMS and email ##### Cons - No omnichannel webchat widget - No WhatsApp API calling - No formal uptime guarantee or publicly available performance data - Limited customer support for the starter plan, only email support for Pro and above ##### Pricing The ManyChat mid-tier plan is called Pro and it starts from $15 per month for 500 contacts, but the cost will go up if you need more. It includes three users and allows unlimited custom flows. For add-ons, each additional user costs $39 per month. If you exceed the Pro plan’s email limit, there is an extra charge of $3.00 for every 1,000 additional emails. You can also add ManyChat AI for $29 per month. ### Multichannel Messaging Platforms: A Comparison | | Respond.io | Trengo | WATI | SleekFlow | Zenvia | ManyChat | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | WhatsApp | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Instagram | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | TikTok | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | | Messenger | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Telegram | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | SMS | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | LINE | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | | Viber | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | | WeChat | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Website Chat | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Email | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Custom Channels | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | | Omnichannel Widget | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | | WhatsApp Business Calling API | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | | Messenger Calls | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | | VoIP | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ### How to Choose a Multichannel Messaging Platform Not all businesses have the same communication needs—so the right multichannel platform depends on your size, channels, and goals. Here's how to decide: - Trengo is a solid pick for mid-to-large teams that need a unified inbox with messaging, email, and VoIP—minus the complexity of omnichannel automation. - WATI works well for small teams centered around WhatsApp, with some support for Messenger and Instagram. - SleekFlow suits businesses that rely heavily on WhatsApp but still want access to a few other messaging channels—without needing deep automation features. - Zenvia is ideal for Brazil-based businesses that want a regional solution with WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, SMS, and email under one roof. - ManyChat shines for e-commerce and marketing teams running broadcast campaigns across multiple channels with minimal setup. - Respond.io is your best bet if you're looking for a true omnichannel powerhouse with the most popular voice and messaging channels all in one inbox. Businesses like My Dream Travel and Tours are growing with chat and calls in the #1 omnichannel platform. Are you ready to streamline your communications? [Try respond.io for free](https://respond.io?utm_source=chatgpt.com). ### Further Reading - Enhance Customer Experience with an Omnichannel Communication Platform - Omnichannel Widget: Everything You Need to Know about - A Guide to Omnichannel Eommerce ## [Not All Chatbots Are Banned: WhatsApp’s 2026 AI Policy Explained](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-general-purpose-chatbots-ban) WhatsApp’s 2026 AI policy update bans general-purpose chatbots effective 15 Jan 2026. See how respond.io keeps your WhatsApp AI agents policy-safe. Starting January 15, 2026, Meta will ban general-purpose AI chatbots from the WhatsApp Business Platform (API). What does this mean? Basically, “general-purpose” refers to AI providers who sell or offer general AI services in the WhatsApp Business Platform. Meta made this change because such bots generated massive message traffic without producing revenue through the WhatsApp Business Platform. In essence, WhatsApp is reinforcing AI’s role as a tool to enhance business messaging, without it becoming the main offering. Businesses can still use AI for customer service workflows—such as FAQs, bookings, order tracking, and support—so respond.io users remain fully compliant under the new policy. ### WhatsApp API 2026 chatbot policy: key dates & who’s affected The rollout happens in two phases. - On October 15, 2025, all new WhatsApp Business API users began operating under the new terms. - On January 15, 2026, the update will be rolled out to all existing users. The impact of this policy depends on what kind of chatbot you operate. - Affected: AI model providers that use WhatsApp as a distribution channel for their assistant, such as ChatGPT on WhatsApp or Perplexity’s conversational bot. These services allow users to ask anything, from “What’s the weather?” to “Summarize this PDF,” making them fall squarely under Meta’s new restrictions. - Not affected: Brands and service providers using WhatsApp to help customers — for example, a travel company managing bookings, a restaurant confirming reservations or a retailer sending order updates. These are exactly the kind of use cases WhatsApp intends to preserve. For respond.io users, this distinction is crystal clear. Some of respond.io's recommended use cases for AI — support messaging, order tracking, delivery updates, authentication prompts and notifications — all sit firmly within WhatsApp’s intended scope. In other words, your automations are already compliant with the new framework. ### What is banned and allowed with the WhatsApp API 2026 chatbot policy To understand this update, it’s important to know how Meta defines “AI Providers.” These are companies that build or operate AI systems—such as chatbots, large language models or generative AI tools—where the AI is the core product rather than a supporting feature. Under the new policy, these providers are *strictly prohibited* from using the WhatsApp Business Solution for that purpose. In practical terms, this means public-facing AI chatbots that function as open-domain assistants are no longer permitted. That includes bots capable of answering arbitrary questions, generating content, or serving as general conversation companions. However, business-focused chatbots remain welcome. Automations that handle structured tasks — such as confirming orders, triaging support tickets, sending appointment reminders or authenticating logins — are explicitly permitted. The key is that the chatbot’s role must be ancillary to a legitimate business service, not the centerpiece of the interaction. Respond.io’s automation framework was built with this philosophy in mind. Every feature, from message templates to escalation rules, reinforces WhatsApp’s compliance requirements. Our tools ensure that businesses communicate efficiently without crossing into prohibited territory. ### Why Meta is banning general-purpose chatbots WhatsApp’s Business API was designed for business-to-customer communication, not to serve as an AI distribution platform. Meta made the change for two main reasons. 1. Infrastructure load: Open-ended AI assistants generated massive message volumes, straining WhatsApp’s systems. 2. Monetization: WhatsApp’s revenue model relies on template-based billing (marketing, utility, authentication, support). AI bots didn’t fit these categories, meaning Meta couldn’t monetize the traffic. In short, Meta wants to protect the API’s intended design and ensure that usage aligns with business communication, not consumer-facing chatbot products. ### How respond.io keeps you compliant with WhatsApp’s 2026 AI policy **1\. AI is used as a complementary tool.** Respond.io’s AI features like AI Agent, AI Prompts and AI Assist are designed to: - Automate repetitive tasks (e.g., FAQs, routing, lead qualification) - Help agents reply faster with suggestions or translations - Support customers This aligns perfectly with Meta’s intent: AI in a supporting role, not as the main service. **2\. AI stays within WhatsApp’s approved use cases.** Respond.io AI features are used for specific use cases such as: - Bookings and sales - Notifications and updates - Order tracking - Customer service These are approved business functions under WhatsApp’s API policy, so you stay fully compliant. **3\. You remain in control of the customer relationship.** Respond.io connects your AI and agents under your verified business number — meaning conversations are always business-led, transparent and compliant with WhatsApp’s Business Messaging Policy. ### Quick checklist for customers to ensure compliance **Stick to permitted use cases** Make sure your AI Agent serves specific business functions (e.g., FAQs, lead capture, bookings, order updates) — not general chat or entertainment. **Confirm escalation paths** Include clear handoff options to a human agent or alternative channel (email, phone, web form) when AI can’t resolve a request. **Review existing AI Agents** If you’ve built experimental or general-purpose AI assistants, you will need to rework the prompts for compliant, business-focused flows. ### Clarifying grey areas about the WhatsApp 2026 AI policy #### “Concierge” AI assistants To stay compliant, make sure your bot’s functions are oriented towards support or transactional queries, and can quickly escalate conversations to a human agent when needed. #### Other AI applications: AI summaries, suggested replies These are safe. They operate internally within your helpdesk and don’t distribute an AI assistant through WhatsApp. Respond.io’s AI features, apart from AI Agents, fall into this category. Keep your WhatsApp workflows policy-compliant, effective and automation-ready. 👉 [**Sign up for respond.io**](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and stay ahead of WhatsApp’s 2026 compliance updates. ### Further Reading If you've foud this article useful, here are some additional readings for you. - How to Create a WhatsApp Chatbot: 3 Use Cases (+Examples) - Top 10 WhatsApp Chatbots in 2025: Pros, Cons & Pricing Compared - Best AI Chatbots for Website: Top Platforms Compared ## [November 2021 Release: Workflows Module and Send WhatsApp Message Templates via Messages API](https:/respond.io/blog/november-2021-release-workflows-module-and-send-message-templates-via-messages-api) Learn how to build and automate complex processes with our new Workflows Module and send WhatsApp Message Templates via Messages API with respond.io. It’s nearly the end of 2021! It’s that time of the year where things are gradually slowing down and many are going away for the holidays. Meanwhile, businesses are still expected to run optimally with fewer resources. The solution? Automate processes with the new Workflows Module. Raise your automation game to the next level and meet even more business needs with less effort. Plus, you can now send WhatsApp Message Templates via Messages API. Ready to meet Workflows? Let’s dive in. 🚀 ### The Workflows Module is Here! You voted, you provided extremely valuable feedback and we delivered. Finally, the brand new [Workflows Module](https://docs.respond.io/workflows) is here! As our customers' needs become increasingly sophisticated, we needed to enable automation that's more flexible and powerful. We couldn't really do this with the existing rules-based automation system, so we created a drag and drop [Workflows Builder](https://docs.respond.io/workflows#the-workflow-builder). Now, you can use [Triggers](https://docs.respond.io/workflows/triggers) and [Steps](https://docs.respond.io/workflows/steps#workflow-step) to achieve branching multi-step workflows. Keep in mind this is just the first release related to Workflows and more are coming. Although it enables many uses, from sending automated messages to managing Contact Details - this release is focused on enabling Inbound Conversation Workflows. Before we go deep into Inbound Conversation Workflows, this [module does have some limits](https://respond.io/pricing). Your organization will be limited to 1, 3 & 15 Workflows for the Free, Pro & Business Plans, respectively. While Enterprise plans have unlimited Workflows. #### Introducing Inbound Conversation Workflows Often companies switch to respond.io because they simply cannot handle the number of inbound chats they are getting with their current tools. And since we’ve started, our customers have grown from handling hundreds of chats daily to thousands. This first version of Workflows comes with the essential set of Triggers and Steps required to build Workflows. However, we’ve focused deeply on inbound conversation handling. When a Contact starts a conversation with you with Workflows, you can: - Perform Chat Onboarding: welcome the Contact, ask questions & collect answers - Route Conversations: use those answers and other Contact Details to route the Contact to the right team based on the purpose of their conversation - Team Assignment: automatically assign Contacts to users in teams using assignment logic configured based on that team's function - Send Away Messages: notify Contacts when a company, a team, or a user is away based on business hours and other circumstances Linked above are detailed blogs outlining methods and best practices for achieving each goal. And don’t hesitate to engage your CSM to put together a customized Workflow for your needs. Now let’s take a look at the Workflows Module itself. #### Intro to the Workflows Module The Workflows Module provides an overview of the Workflows in your Space. From here, you can perform a few key actions like: - Creating a new Workflow - Publishing a Workflow - Stopping a Workflow - & more Once you’ve pressed **ADD WORKFLOW** you’ll enter the Workflow Builder. This is where you can configure your Trigger and add the Steps. For a detailed overview of these, check out our documentation for [Triggers](https://docs.respond.io/workflows/steps) and [Steps](https://docs.respond.io/workflows/triggers). Once you have completed setting up the Workflow, click Publish to run. To edit the Workflow, you will need to stop it before you can make changes. Please note that all Contacts currently in the Workflow will be ejected when the Workflow is stopped. Alternatively, you can make changes to an existing Workflow by cloning it. Edit as needed and then publish the new version. We know this method of editing is a little bit of a hassle, so this is something we will be working on very soon. #### What’s Next with Workflows? We’ve already got a ton of ideas on improving Workflows, here are some big ones. [Workflows Versioning](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request/p/worfklows-ability-to-edit-workflows-without-stopping-them) allows you to edit Workflows without stopping them. While [Workflows Analytics](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request/p/workflow-ability-to-analyze-the-performance-of-workflow) provides you with a log of Steps performed and enables you to find your most popular Workflow Branches. We’re also going to be adding a bunch of Steps and Triggers, including the [WhatsApp Ads Trigger](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request/p/enable-whatsapp-ads-to-trigger-an-ad-specific-workflow), [Google Sheet Row Step](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request/p/workflow-step-add-google-sheet-row), and [HTTP Request Step](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request/p/add-webhook-as-an-automation-action). The way we make our way through these features and others depends on your votes. So get voting! We also have a plan to deprecate some of the existing Modules and functions Workflows are replacing. Here is what we are thinking: - Automation: In December, new rules cannot be created and existing rules will become uneditable. The Automations Module will be removed in March. - Surveys: In December, new Surveys cannot be created and existing surveys will become uneditable. The Surveys module will be removed in March. - Away Message from Settings: Away Message from Settings is being replaced by the Away Message Workflow. In January, Away Message from Settings will be removed. - Automatic Assignment from Settings: Automatic Assignment from Settings is being replaced by Automatic Assignment Workflow. In January, Automatic Assignment from Settings will be removed. Need help moving to Workflows? Talk to your CSM today! Feel free to [leave us your feedback](https://respond.io/contact) and don't forget to drop us suggestions for further improvements on our [Feature Request Board](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request). ### Send WhatsApp Message Templates via Messages API In this new release, businesses can now send [WhatsApp Message Templates via Messages API](https://docs.respond.io/developer-api/messages-api/message-template-api) for all WhatsApp API users on respond.io. Previously our clients had to send messages directly to WhatsApp API. When you [use Messages API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-notification#toc-mobile-13) instead of the WhatsApp API directly, agents will be able to see the notifications you send. All types of WhatsApp Message Templates are supported across all WhatsApp API Partners, including interactive and multimedia templates. Twilio WhatsApp & Messagebird WhatsApp are limited in that headers and footers are not supported. To know more about the setup prerequisites and how to send a Message Template to a Contact using Messages API via respond.io, check out the [full details in our documentation.](https://docs.respond.io/developer-api/messages-api/message-template-api#requests) #### What Can You Expect to Come Next? We’ll continue making improvements to this feature in Messages API 2.0 like enabling [sending Facebook Tagged Messages over Messages API](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request/p/messages-api-20). In the meantime, do let us know if you have any feedback or feel free to upvote further feature requests [here](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request). ## [November 2022 Updates: Redesigned Contact Drawer and 15 New Platform Languages](https:/respond.io/blog/november-2022-updates-redesigned-contact-drawer-and-15-new-platform-languages) Respond.io is becoming more accessible than ever. This update covers a more intuitive Contact Drawer and 15 new platform languages, including Arabic, Japanese, Hebrew, Korean and more. Bonjour, konnichiwa and merhaba! 🙏 As respond.io continues to expand its international user base, we’re adding more languages to the platform — 15 of them in November, in fact. Before we go into detail about that, check out the total revamp we’ve done for the Contact Drawer. ### The Redesigned Contact Drawer We’ve redesigned the Contact Drawer to optimize your view and increase efficiency in accessing Contact information. 🎉 Here’s a rundown of the changes. #### New Vertical Sidebar for the Contact Drawer Originally, Contact Details, Activity and Channels were displayed as tabs within a permanent panel. For easier navigation, the tabs are now repositioned in a persistent vertical sidebar to the right of the Messages Module. Clicking on any of the tabs will open the Contact Drawer for a wider display of the relevant contact information. Additionally, the Contact Drawer is now collapsible! Hover over the drawer and click on the arrow button to collapse it. This will expand the Messaging Console and allow you to focus on conversations. To reopen the Contact Drawer, simply click on any of the tabs in the Vertical Sidebar. #### New Merge Suggestions Tab Merge Suggestions was previously positioned at the bottom of the Channels section. There were no details provided about the Contact(s) with overlapping identifiers that prompted the merge suggestion. For improved Contact management, Merge Suggestions now has its own tab in the Vertical Sidebar. It provides key information like overlapping identifiers about potential duplicate Contacts when clicked on. This allows you to compare the details at a glance and decide if the merge suggestion is valid. #### New Persistent Tags Field If you have numerous Contact Fields, you previously had to scroll all the way to the bottom of the Contact Details panel to view the Tags. The Tags field has been updated as a persistent section in the Contact Drawer so it will be pinned in position and is always visible for easy reference. #### Customizable Contact Details View You can now customize your Contact Details view by reconfiguring the order and adjusting the visibility of the Contact Fields. This tailors the Contact Details to your specific use so the most relevant information is easily accessible and all secondary information or noise is concealed. In *Settings > Workspace Settings > Contact Fields,* click the Customize View button. Now you can reorder the fields or edit their visibility. To reorder the fields in the Contact Details Drawer, drag and move them in the dialog to your desired order. Click the Save button when you’re done. The new arrangement will be reflected in the Contact Details Drawer for all Workspace users immediately. To display only relevant Contact Fields, you can manage the visibility of individual fields. There are 3 options for Contact Fields visibility: 1. Always show: When this option is selected, the Contact Field will be displayed in the Contact Details Drawer. 2. Always hide: When this option is selected, the Contact Field will be hidden in the Contact Details Drawer. 3. Hide when empty: When this option is selected, the Contact Field will be hidden if its value is empty. Once the changes are saved, the new visibility configuration will be reflected in the Contact Details Drawer for all Workspace users. To view all hidden Contact Fields, click the *Show all fields* toggle in the drawer. You can hide them again by clicking on the *Hide fields* toggle. #### Description Tooltip for Contact Fields You can now create tooltips for Contact Field descriptions in the Contact Details Drawer. This provides users such as new agents information on the use and intended value types for this field when they hover over it. To create a description tooltip, go to *Settings > Workspace Settings > Contact Fields* and add a description to the relevant field. Click Update when done. The description tooltip will be shown in the Contact Details Drawer for all Workspace Users immediately. Now, let’s go through the new platform languages. ### Multiple languages now available on Respond.io Start your workday with your preferred greeting, whether it’s *สวัสดี, 你好, bonjour* or *привет* among others! The respond.io platform is now available in these languages: - Arabic (اللغة العربية) 🇸🇦 - Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ) 🇲🇲 - Simplified Chinese (简体中文) 🇨🇳 - Traditional Chinese (繁體中文) 🇹🇼 - French (Français) 🇫🇷 - German (Deutsch) 🇩🇪 - Hebrew (עברית) 🇮🇱 - Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) 🇮🇩 - Italian (Italiano) 🇮🇹 - Japanese (日本語) 🇯🇵 - Korean (한국어) 🇰🇷 - Russian (Русский) 🇷🇺 - Thai (ภาษาไทย) 🇹🇭 - Turkish (Türkçe) 🇹🇷 - Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) 🇻🇳 You can easily switch your platform language to any of these languages by going to *Settings > Personal Settings > Profile > Language.* New users can select their preferred language on the sign-up page before creating a respond.io account. Choosing Arabic or Hebrew as your platform language will switch all platform interfaces to a Right-to-Left (RTL) view. This provides a more personalized and familiar view for Arabic and Hebrew-speaking users. Arabic language users will also see all platform-related emails such as Monthly Active Contact (MAC) limit alerts and email invitations to new Workspace users in Arabic. For all other languages, the language change is limited to platform use and won’t apply to emails yet. If you want to see these added soon, post a feature request [here](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request?search=language). ## [November 2023 Updates: Respond AI Agent, SAML Single Sign-on (SSO), Improved Mobile App Messaging Experience and More](https:/respond.io/blog/november-2023-updates-respond-ai-agent-saml-single-sign-on-sso-improved-mobile-app-messaging-experience-and-more) Explore respond.io's November 2023 updates: Respond AI Agent, SAML single sign-on (SSO), AI Assist and direct replies for mobile and our SME100 Award win. We’re approaching the end of 2023 and what a year it’s been! Respond.io released over 35 new features and updates over the last 12 months and won a string of awards, including our recent trophy from Malaysia’s prestigious SME100 Awards for Fast Moving Companies. We also became a [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-is-now-a-whatsapp-business-solution-provider), integrated [Google Business Messages](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-officially-joins-googles-business-messages), gained [ISO 27001:2022 certification](https://respond.io/blog/iso-certification) and moved into our new office in downtown Kuala Lumpur. > On **July 31, 2024**, [Google will deprecate Google Business Messages (GBM)](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/business-messages/resources/release-notes/update-on-gbm), ending the ability to send or receive messages. At respond.io, we’re committed to keeping you connected with your customers. With GBM being phased out, now is the perfect time to transition to alternative channels like the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) to keep your customer conversations going. Learn more about making the switch [here](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). These milestones wouldn’t have been possible without your support and we’re excited to continue serving you well in 2024. On that note, let’s run through November’s releases. Top on the list are Respond AI Agent for smart automatic conversation handling and SAML single sign-on (SSO) for smoother and more secure logins. Our mobile app is also now supercharged with AI Assist and the ability to reply directly to specific messages. Let’s dive in. ### Meet Respond AI Agent: Your Gateway to Smarter Automated Chats 🤖 Facing high volumes of conversations? Wave goodbye to an overloaded inbox and welcome the efficiency of AI Agent powered by Respond AI. AI Agent is an AI chatbot that automatically answers customer inquiries and FAQs, stepping in before a human agent is assigned to the conversation. Let’s explore what you need to know about this groundbreaking update. #### Create your AI Agent With the New AI Agent Workflow Step The new [AI Agent Workflow Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai) lets you create an AI Agent to respond to customer conversations in a human-like manner. It is designed to provide quick and accurate responses, enhancing the customer experience while reducing agents’ workload. As part of our first release to launch objective-driven AI, where we design AI capabilities specifically for targeted business goals, we’ve introduced an AI Agent to [answer questions from Contacts](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai#configuration). We're actively working on expanding its capabilities to include a broader range of Objectives, such as getting customer information automatically. If you have specific needs, feel free to suggest new AI Objectives tailored to your business requirements in our [feature request board](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request). ##### Train AI Agent to Provide Accurate Responses by Adding Knowledge Sources As the goal of an AI Agent is to respond to inquiries promptly and accurately, businesses [must provide knowledge sources](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai#ai_agent) for the AI Agent to get its answers from. Leverage your existing documentation and self-help materials by simply uploading these resources or adding webpage links to Respond AI’s [Knowledge Sources](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai#knowledge_sources). When [configuring the AI Agent Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai#configuration), it is mandatory to choose at least one of the following options: Select Knowledge Sources or enable the *Use Snippets as a Knowledge Source* toggle. Businesses also have the option to select both simultaneously. Once one or both of these options are selected, businesses can use the *Reply outside of added Knowledge Sources* toggle, allowing for more flexibility in AI Agent’s responses. #### Use the AI Agent Workflow Step in New and Existing Workflows When a Contact reaches out, the AI will handle their queries. Once it has addressed the Contact's questions, the Contact will then continue down the Success Branch of the Workflow. Additionally, you can design specific journeys for Contacts who haven't replied to the AI within a set time frame, as well as distinct paths for Contacts in scenarios of failures like exhaustion of Respond AI credits, deletion of the channel and other issues. Keep in mind that every AI Agent response costs one [Respond AI Credit](https://help.respond.io/organization-settings/billing-usage#respond_ai_credits). #### Start Using AI Agent Instantly with New Workflow Templates We've added two new [Workflow Templates](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#list_of_workflow_templates) to our library, allowing you to harness the potential of AI Agent swiftly. The *Assignment: AI Agent* Template allows you to assign a Contact to an AI as soon as a conversation begins and transfer the conversation to human agents when needed. Meanwhile, the *Assignment: Sales and Support AI Agents* allows Contacts to choose between sales or support AI agents and route the conversation accordingly to a human agent whenever necessary. ### Secure Logins are Now Easier With SAML Single Sign-On (SSO) We are excited to introduce the Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) single sign-on (SSO) feature, a significant enhancement to improve and simplify security access for Enterprise customers. Single sign-on is an authentication method that allows users to log in to multiple applications or systems with a single set of login credentials. It eliminates the need for users to remember and enter separate usernames and passwords for each application while enhancing convenience and security. #### Set Up and Configure SAML SSO for Your Organization To set up SAML SSO for your organization, [configure it](https://help.respond.io/organization-settings/organization-settings-security#configuring_sso_settings) in the new Security page in the Settings Module. Configuration access is limited to Organization Admin and User Admin, with Billing Admins having view-only access. Users with Member access roles can’t see the Settings Module. Admins can enable SAML SSO by connecting to their preferred Identity Provider (IDP). After entering the configuration details and verifying them, admins can toggle on *Enable Login with single sign-on (SSO)* to enforce the feature across the organization, streamlining the login process. #### Logins Have Never Been Easier After successfully configuring and enabling SAML SSO, all Users, including Admins, will be logged out automatically. Then, all Users can log in using their approved email associated with the IDP and are not required to enter a password. This applies to both web and mobile app login, ensuring a unified and secure user experience. However, if Admins disable single sign-on, all Users will be logged out and must log in with a password. Users without a password must create one by clicking *Forget Password.* Additionally, when Users switch from an SSO-protected organization to one that is not, they will be logged out and prompted to log in using their credentials. #### How Can You Access the SAML SSO Feature? To enable SAML SSO for your organization, you need to be subscribed to our Enterprise plan. This feature is available as an add-on to your plan. If you’re an existing Team or Business plan customer, upgrade to the Enterprise plan to access this feature. To learn more about this, [contact our sales team](https://rspd.link/DXMZ). #### Additional Improvements We have also made a minor adjustment to our sign-up page. The Last Name field is now non-mandatory, standardizing the behavior with email and Google sign-up. Additionally, we have relocated the [Permissions settings](https://help.respond.io/organization-settings/organization-settings-security#granting_the_platform_support_permission) for granting respond.io customer support access to your account to the Security page. This enhancement ensures you can manage access permissions and receive support seamlessly, all in one place. ### Elevate Your Messaging Game: AI Assist and Direct Replies is Now on Mobile We're excited to announce that we’ve added new AI Assist and direct replies in the [respond.io - Inbox mobile app](https://help.respond.io/mobile-app/installing-respondio-mobile-app) for a smoother messaging experience. Let’s check out the details. #### Use AI Assist on the Respond.io - Inbox Mobile App 🥳 Following the recent [release of Respond AI Assist](https://roadmap.respond.io/changelog/say-hello-to-ai-assist-powered-by-respond-ai) on the web app, we’ve now made this feature available on the mobile app. Now, agents can generate responses to customers' messages on the go with the press of a button, saving time while ensuring consistent information. To generate a response with AI Assist, click the AI reply icon on the right side of the Message Composer. If you are satisfied with the response, click the *Insert* button to place the response in the Message Composer, edit it and then send the message. If you are not, you can regenerate the response by pressing the thumbs-down icon. #### Reply to Specific Messages on WhatsApp and Telegram Handling conversations with different contexts in a single chat thread can be challenging. But no worries, we've got you covered! This feature lets you [pinpoint the exact messages](https://rspd.link/I9eR) you want to respond to, just like on the desktop app. You can reply to a message sent either by your customer or yourself. To reply to a specific message, swipe right on the message. Alternatively, double-tap or long-press on the message and click *Reply*. The selected message will be displayed in the Message Composer. Once you send your message, the message you’re replying to will be included in the response. Note that this feature is only available for the respond.io WhatsApp Business Platform (API) and WhatsApp Cloud API. Users of Vonage, Twilio or 360dialog APIs must [migrate to respond.io WhatsApp Business Platform](https://rspd.link/IGO5) to access it. Remember to update your respond.io - Inbox mobile app to receive new updates like these. If you haven’t downloaded our new mobile app, scan the QR code above or search for “respond.io - Inbox” in the [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) or [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io&pli=1). For the best user experience, ensure your device's software is updated to the latest version (Android 10 or higher, iOS 16 or higher). ### Respond.io Secures Prestigious SME100 Award for Fast Moving Companies Respond.io was recently honored with Malaysia’s [SME100 Award for Fast Moving Companies](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-earn-recognition-for-fast-moving-companies-sme100-2023). This underscores its remarkable performance and growth as a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) in the highly competitive IT industry and highlights its resilience and innovative progress in a rapidly evolving market. Since 2009, the SME100 Awards Program has been a hallmark of trust and reliability in the business community. This independently verified and data-driven accolade assures partners, investors and customers of a business's extraordinary success. ## [October 2023 Updates: Stop Workflow for Contact, Trigger Another Workflow & More](https:/respond.io/blog/october-2023-updates-stop-workflow-for-contact-trigger-another-workflow-more) Respond.io unveils long-awaited features like stop Workflow for a specific Contact and trigger a Workflow within another Workflow. Plus, the company is proud to share its most recent accolades! October brought a flurry of long-awaited features! First, we're thrilled to share two highly anticipated Workflow improvements: Respond.io users can now stop a Workflow for a specific Contact and start a Workflow within another Workflow. Updates also extend to the [respond.io - Inbox mobile app](https://help.respond.io/mobile-app/installing-respondio-mobile-app?creative=&device=c&placement=&gclid=CjwKCAiAx_GqBhBQEiwAlDNAZjGmpXQxj2_Ls2gTggMmIpdwU_-8uJsyNpra-T9MXFgVhRKJoeqVWBoC3NEQAvD_BwE&utm_term=&utm_campaign=20752879802&utm_source=google-ads&utm_medium=paidsearch&utm_content=&hsa_acc=3980053060&hsa_cam=20752879802&hsa_grp=&hsa_ad=&hsa_src=x&hsa_tgt=&hsa_kw=&hsa_mt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1), which now feature Magic Link and Respond AI Prompts. But the excitement doesn't stop there. Customers are the heartbeat of respond.io's success, and it's with immense pride that the company shares its latest achievements: Winning the esteemed titles of [Best Messaging Platform Vendor](https://app.storychief.io/rocketbots/stories/601964/edit#p7lk) and [Malaysia's Leading Omnichannel Marketing Award](https://app.storychief.io/rocketbots/stories/601964/edit#snl7). 🏆 Thank you for being a part of respond.io’s journey! 🚀 Let’s get into the details. ### Fine-Tune Your Conversations: Stop Workflow for a Specific Contact Workflows stand out as a cornerstone feature of respond.io, empowering thousands of enterprises to automate routine tasks seamlessly. However, there are scenarios where agents may find it essential to halt a Workflow while engaging with a customer. Imagine an automated follow-up message scheduled 24 hours after a Contact reaches out. If such a follow-up becomes unnecessary for that specific Contact, it could lead to miscommunication and confusion. Until now, the only recourse was to stop the Workflow for all Contacts. Not anymore! We are delighted to introduce the capability to halt a Workflow for a specific Contact. This update will ensure a smoother transition when you or your agents step in to take control of an automated conversation. Among other benefits, now you can prevent Contacts from navigating through a cluttered chat experience, with the ongoing Workflow responses and manual interactions overlapping. #### Enable Workflow Settings to Stop Workflow for Contact To enable stopping a Workflow for a Contact, navigate to the [Workflows Module](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#workflows_module). The new settings to stop a Workflow for a Contact can be opened in two places. **Option 1**: Workflows Overview > Action Menu > *Workflow Settings* **Option 2**: Workflow Builder > Settings icon Within the *Workflow Settings*, you’ll be able to choose between two methods to stop a Workflow for a designated Contact: 1. Stop Workflow for a Contact manually in the Messages Module 2. Stop Workflow for a Contact based on an automatic exit condition Let's delve into both options, exploring their distinctions and suitable applications. #### Option 1: Stop Workflow for a Contact Manually in the Messages Module As a manager, if you aim to empower your agents with greater autonomy to intervene and independently halt Workflows, this setup proves ideal for your team. On the *Workflow Settings* menu, enable the toggle that reads *Allow users to stop this Workflow for a Contact.* To stop the Workflow from the Messages Module, navigate to the Workflows icon on the [Conversation Actions menu](https://help.respond.io/messages/messages-overview#conversation_actions). Only agents with the necessary [user permission](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/users#step_5_check_any_restrictions_that_apply) can view and use this icon. Then, click the Ongoing Workflows tab and stop the selected Workflow. #### Option 2: Stop Workflow for a Contact Based on an Automatic Exit Condition As a manager, this setup is ideal for your team if there's a concern about potential errors, mitigating the risk of allowing agents to stop Workflows manually. It also comes in handy when agents have restricted access to the Workflow icon on the Conversation Actions menu. In the *Workflow Settings* menu, enable the toggle that reads *Set exit conditions to stop this Workflow for Contact*s. Then, select one or more automatic exit conditions for your Workflow. The Workflow will be stopped for the Contact when one of the specified conditions is met. Whichever exit condition is triggered first will stop the Workflow. Three types of exit conditions can be used: 1. Outgoing messages: This condition is met when you send a message to the Contact 2. Incoming messages: This condition is met when you receive a message from the Contact 3. Manual assignment: This condition is met when you are manually assigned to the Contact For example, when the *Incoming Message* condition is set up, if a Contact sends a message, the Workflow will automatically stop for them. This allows the Agent to continue the conversation free from interruptions caused by the ongoing Workflow. ### Trigger a Workflow Within Another Workflow In the past, starting a Workflow within another Workflow was not possible. As a workaround, respond.io users had to create complex, multi-step Workflows to achieve the desired customer journey, hindering the user experience. Let’s see how this has changed now. #### New Workflow Step: Trigger Another Workflow The *Trigger Another Workflow* Step empowers you to kickstart a fresh Workflow from within an existing one. This feature lets you create more robust automation and simplifies transitioning your Contacts between different Workflows effortlessly. Now, you can divide extensive Workflows into more manageable, scalable ones. This opens new exciting possibilities. For example, create a chat menu to manage both leads and customers and direct them to different Workflows based on their responses or even the language used — this used to involve a plethora of Steps when done with a single Workflow. #### New Workflow Trigger: Manual Trigger We have released a new Trigger designed to operate in conjunction with the *Trigger Another Workflow* Step. The [Manual Trigger](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-triggers#trigger_manual_trigger) operates quite differently from other Triggers. It can only be used with the *Trigger Another Workflow* Step. To connect a secondary Workflow to the main one, your Workflows must meet two conditions: 1. The main Workflow has a Trigger Another Workflow Step built into it 2. The secondary Workflow starts with a Manual Trigger With this setup, whenever the Trigger Another Workflow Step is activated in the main Workflow, the secondary Workflow will run. #### New Workflow Template: Multi-Level Chat Menu The new *Multi-Level Chat Menu* [Workflow Template](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#list_of_workflow_templates) will help you quickly grasp the capabilities of the newly introduced *Trigger Another Workflow* Step. This Workflow Template for inbound conversations features an interactive menu with sub-menus containing one Workflow each. Since this is a template, these options can be edited to suit your use case. The Workflow starts when the Contact initiates a conversation by sending a message. Then, the business responds with an interactive menu with several default options for the contact to choose from: *Product*, *Service*, *About us* and *Talk to Sales*. When the Contact selects one of the options based on their inquiry or area of interest, they enter the corresponding Workflow to continue their customer journey. The Contact can choose to return to the main menu at any moment. ### Respond.io Mobile App Improvements We're excited to announce that we’ve enhanced the [respond.io - Inbox mobile app](https://help.respond.io/mobile-app/installing-respondio-mobile-app?creative=&device=c&placement=&gclid=CjwKCAiAx_GqBhBQEiwAlDNAZjGmpXQxj2_Ls2gTggMmIpdwU_-8uJsyNpra-T9MXFgVhRKJoeqVWBoC3NEQAvD_BwE&utm_term=&utm_campaign=20752879802&utm_source=google-ads&utm_medium=paidsearch&utm_content=&hsa_acc=3980053060&hsa_cam=20752879802&hsa_grp=&hsa_ad=&hsa_src=x&hsa_tgt=&hsa_kw=&hsa_mt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1) to improve your experience. Now, you can enjoy easy sign-ins with Magic Link and improve customer interactions with the Respond AI Prompts feature. #### Sign in Without a Password Using Magic Link Experience hassle-free access to the respond.io - Inbox mobile app with Magic Link, a sign-in method tailored for your convenience. Gone are the days of password hassles and forgotten credentials; now, you only need your email. Open the mobile app, choose *Sign In with Magic Link* as your sign-in method, enter your associated email and request the Magic Link. Check your email for the unique magic link and click on it to sign in without inputting your password. #### AI Prompts Now Available on the Mobile App Following the recent [release of Respond AI Prompts](https://respond.canny.io/changelog/respond-ai-beta-is-here), we’ve made this feature available on the mobile app! To access it, tap the + icon in the messaging console to display all the messaging tools. Compose your message and tap on the magic wand icon 🪄 to access all your available AI prompts and use them to enhance your message. Remember to update your mobile app to unlock new updates for a more enhanced mobile experience! If you haven’t downloaded our new mobile app, search for respond.io - Inbox in the [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) or [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io&pli=1). For the best user experience, ensure your device's software is updated to the latest version (Android 10 or higher, iOS 16 or higher). ### Honors Galore: Respond.io in the Spotlight Exciting things have been happening! Respond.io is stoked to share the fantastic awards recently bagged. These aren't just shiny trophies; they're high-fives for our dedication to making innovative conversational solutions. #### Respond.io Clinches Best Messaging Platform Vendor At [GITEX Global 2023](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-unveils-ai-powered-solutions-at-gitex-global-2023), the leading global technology conference in Dubai, respond.io secured the esteemed title of [Best Business Messaging Platform Vendor](https://respond.io/blog/best-business-messaging-platform). This prestigious award reflects respond.io's dedication to excellence and innovation in advancing digital business growth in the Middle East. Recognition alongside industry giants such as Lenovo, Cisco and Fortinet further establishes respond.io as a leader, skillfully navigating the dynamic landscape of conversational AI and business messaging. #### Respond.io Claims Malaysia's Leading Omnichannel Marketing Award Respond.io secured the prestigious [Malaysia's Leading AI-Driven Omnichannel Marketing award](https://respond.io/blog/leading-ai-driven-omnichannel-marketing) at the Malaysia Digital Expo 2023 Awards Night. This recognition underscores the company’s leadership in leveraging AI for elevating customer experiences. In total, 37 tech-related awards were presented to acknowledge outstanding contributions to Malaysia's digital economy. Respond.io joined the ranks of Carsome, DHL, AirAsia and Sony as award recipients for the night. ## [Offer a Frictionless Customer Experience and Increase Sales Up To 50%](https:/respond.io/blog/frictionless-customer-experience) Are you driving potential customers away because they can’t reach your business? Create a frictionless customer experience so you never miss out on a sale. Do you provide a frictionless customer experience to everyone who contacts your business? If not, you might be driving prospects away! Customer friction is a major cause of lost sales, with [50% of consumers saying they would switch to a different vendor](https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2023/03/29/fighting-the-friction-that-foils-e-commerce-revenues-profit-and-loyalty/) because of friction in the buying experience. It’s essential to identify what’s standing in the way of customers making a purchase so you can make their journey as smooth as possible. We’ll show you typical reasons potential buyers have a poor experience contacting a business and give you tips on how to ensure a frictionless customer experience. ### 3 Obstacles to a Frictionless Customer Experience Every obstacle or frustration a prospect encounters makes them less likely to follow through with a purchase. Here are three of the most common causes of customer friction. #### Relying on Traditional Channels We’ve all had poor experiences trying to purchase something online. You have a question about a product and have to fill out a long Contact Us form and wait for an email. If the company takes several days to get back to you, will you wait or go to a competitor? #### Directing Customers to Self-Service Portals Then there are self-service portals. In theory, they sound good. After all, [67% of customers prefer to make a purchase](https://www.tidio.com/blog/self-service-statistics/) without even talking to a salesperson. But the problem is that these portals are often difficult to navigate and don’t provide the necessary information. #### Making it Difficult for Customers to Contact Your Business Finally, when prospects do need to speak to someone before making a decision, businesses [make it hard for them to reach out](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth#toc-mobile-2): chatbots that offer no option to speak to a human agent, needing to login to a customer account to talk to someone, contact details buried in another part of the website. With so many other options out there, why bother to jump through hoops to reach a company? A recent study showed that [77% of consumers who had a negative experience](https://www.accesswire.com/743531/spectrm-state-of-social-conversational-commerce-2023-report-finds-consumers-spend-more-with-brands-that-communicate-on-messaging-apps) trying to contact a company decided not to purchase. We’ll share four ways to make sure you aren’t putting your potential customers through experiences like this. ### 4 Ways to Offer a Frictionless Customer Experience Here’s how to give your prospects a frictionless customer experience when they visit your website or social pages or search for you online. The smoother their journey, the more likely they are to make a purchase. #### 1\. Make Information Easy to Find When prospects are considering a product, they don’t want to search all over a website to get basic information like pricing and features. The key details about your product must be clearly available. As soon as someone visits your website, they should understand what your product does and how it can benefit them. To provide further pre-purchase information, set up FAQ in a prominent place. It’s often quicker for prospects to get answers to these FAQ from an automated chat. Consider setting up a [website chat widget](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget#toc-mobile-1) to answer FAQ automatically. When people message a business, they expect fast replies and automation gives them that. One survey showed that [74% of customers prefer chatbots](https://www.dashly.io/blog/chatbot-statistics/) for finding quick answers to simple questions. Even if they have a question that can’t be answered, [an auto-reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply-message-sample) can help manage their expectations of when they can hear from a human agent. #### 2\. Optimize Your Chatbots and Train Your AI There’s nothing more frustrating than a chatbot that doesn’t understand what you’re asking. When used correctly, chatbots save time and provide customers the information they need faster. But a chatbot that keeps going in circles will drive prospects away, and they’ll likely never come back. Developments in conversational AI allow for greater flexibility with questions or answers, but AI requires training. For example, [Respond AI](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai) encourages users to add knowledge sources so that AI is equipped with full knowledge of your company and product. You can also train it to recognize cues that the customer requires human intervention, such as asking to speak to a real person. It should then assign the conversation to a human agent and let the customer know when an agent will be available to assist them. #### 3\. Enable a Range of Ways to Contact You If prospects need to contact a human to answer questions or a conversation with a salesperson is required before making a purchase, it should be immediately obvious how to contact you. A web chat widget as mentioned above is a great way to provide options for them to contact you on their preferred channel. Chat options on your social pages also allow people to get in touch easily when they’re not on your website. To make it easy for people to contact you when they search for you online, add a [WhatsApp link to your Google Business Profile](https://respond.io/blog/google-my-business-whatsapp). Many customers prefer to contact businesses over instant messaging, with [82% making a purchase](https://www.accesswire.com/743531/spectrm-state-of-social-conversational-commerce-2023-report-finds-consumers-spend-more-with-brands-that-communicate-on-messaging-apps) after communicating with a brand via Facebook Messenger, Instagram, or WhatsApp. Recently, WhatsApp announced the [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api) for an additional means for customers to contact businesses, especially for complex situations that's best handled by a human agent. An [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-7) on a conversation management platform like respond.io allows customers to contact you across channels while all messages go to a central inbox so you won’t miss anything. #### 4\. Shorten or Eliminate Contact Forms Having to fill out a long contact form puts leads off. For a frictionless customer experience, ask for only the most essential details, or better yet, [eliminate contact forms altogether](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bring-leads-faster-contact-us-form-alternatives-respondio-skoec/?trackingId=yX0sl6fwSCmH3PfTaFvU2w%3D%3D). Rather than using a contact form, if prospects contact you through an instant messaging channel, you’ll receive their contact details, for example, their WhatsApp phone number, as soon as they send you a message. With a platform like respond.io, you can also [integrate with a CRM](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm#toc-mobile-10), so the contact details coming in through instant messaging will be synced directly with your CRM. Your business receives the necessary contact details and leads don’t need to spend time filling out forms. ### Give Your Customers a Smooth Journey at Every Step Ready to create a frictionless customer experience? For best results with most of these suggestions, you’ll need a conversation management platform like respond.io. That way, prospects can contact you on any channel, and you’ll never miss a message. Our own customers have seen a [20% increase in conversions](https://respond.io/customers/how-ferreteria-epa-ca-increased-sales-conversions-by-20) after implementing an omnichannel inbox and automating replies to inquiries. Automation and AI make it easy to reply instantly and answer most common inquiries so some prospects may become customers without even needing to converse with a human. To see how [respond.io](http://respond.io/) can help take friction out of the customer journey, try it for free now or contact us for a [customized demo](https://respond.io/demo). ### Further Reading If you’ve found this article helpful, consider these other blogs to help streamline your marketing and sales over chat. - How to Improve WhatsApp Customer Experience and Engagement - Conversation Led Growth: Where Conversations Drive Business Results - Conversational Sales: A Quick Guide to Conversational Selling ## [Omnichannel Ecommerce: A Guide to Omnichannel Commerce ](https:/respond.io/blog/omnichannel-ecommerce) Want to learn more about omnichannel ecommerce? In this article, we’ll discuss the advantages and how your business can benefit from using one. Looking to incorporate omnichannel ecommerce into your business strategy, but not quite sure where to start? We’ve got you covered. This blog post will guide you through the basics of omnichannel commerce and how it differs from a multichannel approach. We'll also explore the numerous benefits of utilizing an omnichannel approach and examine some real-world examples of businesses that have successfully leveraged it to their advantage. Finally, we'll discuss how businesses can optimize their omnichannel ecommerce strategy with the respond.io platform. ### What is Omnichannel Ecommerce? Omnichannel ecommerce aims to create a holistic shopping experience for customers across multiple platforms, both online and offline. Customers can interact with a brand through various touchpoints, such as a website, messaging apps and physical stores, and receive a consistent and personalized experience at every step. For example, a customer may seek product consultation or support over [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) or [WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account), and then complete the purchase on a desktop or website. To better understand omnichannel in ecommerce, let’s compare it to a multichannel strategy. #### Omnichannel vs Multichannel Ecommerce: The Differences In this section, we'll compare multichannel and [omnichannel communication](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) approaches to help businesses decide which is best for their customer engagement. Multichannel ecommerce involves selling through multiple channels, both online and offline, which offers several benefits to businesses. The ability to diversify sales across various channels is one of the key advantages of this strategy. It reduces dependence on any single channel and potentially increases revenue streams. Additionally, multichannel ecommerce can increase brand exposure and sales opportunities while offering customers flexibility. However, since these channels are not integrated, they can lead to a fragmented customer experience. | Retail Strategy | Advantages | Disadvantages | | --- | --- | --- | | Multichannel | Offers customers more options for engagement | Inconsistent customer experience due to disconnected channels | | Omnichannel | Wide audience reach Offers a personalized and consistent customer experience | Requires tech investment to integrate all channels and customer data | For instance, if a customer schedules a repair appointment for an item via Instagram but the store is unaware of the arrangement, it can result in frustration and a poor customer experience. Omnichannel ecommerce, on the other hand, integrates all channels to offer a seamless and unified customer experience. This requires ecommerce businesses to invest in technology and processes to integrate data and deliver personalized customer services. However, the effort is worth it. Let's explore the advantages of implementing an omnichannel strategy for ecommerce and retail businesses. #### Benefits of Omnichannel Commerce Retailers can reap multiple benefits by adopting an omnichannel ecommerce approach. Engaging with customers on their preferred channels can boost customer engagement and satisfaction. This can result in increased customer retention and higher sales. Omnichannel ecommerce also provides a seamless and consistent shopping experience across all channels, building customer trust and increasing customer satisfaction and retention. It can help businesses reach a wider audience and improve conversion rates, leading to increased sales and revenue. Offering convenient and personalized customer experiences also helps them stand out in a competitive landscape. Integrating data from multiple channels provides a holistic view of customer behavior and preferences for data-driven decisions. This can be used to improve the customer journey and drive business growth. Next, we’ll share three businesses that successfully implemented omnichannel strategies to enhance the customer experience, boost sales and stay competitive in today's market. ### Omnichannel Ecommerce Examples: How 3 Businesses are Winning the Game Here are three real-life examples of businesses using omnichannel ecommerce to improve customer engagement, increase sales and offer better customer support. #### Yoho Hong Kong’s largest e-commerce platform, Yoho, was struggling to provide efficient and personalized customer support. It needed a solution to [manage customer inquiries on multiple messaging channels and automate some of its customer service tasks](https://respond.io/customers/how-yoho-centralized-6-support-channels-to-improve-chat-response-times-by-84). Respond.io consolidated Yoho’s customer channels into one platform, simplifying the process for its support team to respond to inquiries across multiple channels. It also automated certain customer service tasks for Yoho, including sending out order updates and following up on queries. As a result, Yoho’s response times are now 84% faster than they used to be. Using automated FAQs has also shortened their average resolution time, leading to a 9% growth in members over four months. #### Best Buy By utilizing omnichannel ecommerce, Best Buy has been able to maintain its competitiveness with other online retailers. Its services include in-store pickups for online purchases, same-day delivery in certain areas and a price-matching assurance across all channels. Additionally, its mobile app offers in-app purchases, live chat, price comparisons, personalized recommendations and an overall smooth shopping experience. #### Nike Nike fully embraces the omnichannel approach with seamless shopping options, including online ordering with in-store pickup and a mobile app for browsing and reserving products. The NikePlus loyalty program even offers exclusive benefits to members and shoppers can access the program via the website or their four different apps: Nike Run Club, Nike Training Club, SNKRS, or the Nike app. In the next section, we'll discuss how using customer conversation management software like respond.io can help you improve your omnichannel ecommerce strategies. ### Omnichannel Ecommerce with Respond.io: 6 Quick Wins As mentioned, leveraging omnichannel ecommerce can bring significant advantages to your business. But if you’re looking for a way to bring your business up another level, respond.io can help. Here, discover how businesses can benefit from using respond.io to improve their communication channels and customer support. #### Omnichannel Commerce: Centralize All Popular Channels in One Place Respond.io is an omnichannel inbox for channels like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) and [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business). It lets ecommerce businesses handle all inquiries in one place, no matter which channels customers use. This saves time and resources while also making sure that customers receive fast and effective communication. Moreover, respond.io allows you to [recognize returning customers](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) on any channel, enabling ecommerce businesses to track interactions across channels and offer personalized service. This enhances the omnichannel experience, increasing customer satisfaction and retention. #### Omnichannel Ecommerce Platform: Integrate Custom Channels like In-app Chat, Chats from Ecommerce Platforms and More Respond.io offers flexible integration with over 5,000 applications, including popular e-commerce platforms like [Shopify](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify), [Magento](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/ecommerce-integration-magento), [BigCommerce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/big-commerce), and [WooCommerce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/ecommerce-integration-woocommerce). Businesses can manage all customer conversations and data on a single platform, as well as automate messages and more. Additionally, respond.io integrates with CRMs and other tools like [Hubspot](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/hubspot) and [Salesforce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/salesforce), allowing for the [creation of deals and tickets](https://help.respond.io/inbound-conversations) or retrieving and updating data while chatting with customers. Furthermore, its [custom channel integration](https://help.respond.io/channels/custom-channel) allows e-commerce businesses to connect any custom channel with an open API to the platform. This includes proprietary messaging apps or an e-commerce platform's native inbox, such as Lazada's chat inbox. #### Omnichannel Commerce: Offer Customers Flexibility with an Omnichannel Chat Widget Respond.io’s [omnichannel chat widget](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) presents all connected channels in a single [collapsible widget](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets), enabling customers to contact businesses through their preferred channels easily. Messaging apps provide more reliable customer contact information than web chat, as website visitors can be anonymous or provide fake data. Businesses can save these contacts in their lists to identify them in future interactions or target them in promotional messages. #### Omnichannel Ecommerce Platform: Use Chat Buttons, Links and QR Codes to Drive Engagement Respond.io helps businesses facilitate cross-channel communication so customers can reach them through various touchpoints. For instance, businesses can effortlessly turn social media followers into WhatsApp contacts by [adding WhatsApp chat buttons on Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-add-whatsapp-button-on-facebook-page) or [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-for-instagram). In addition, businesses can encourage engagement by sharing chat links in digital spaces or displaying QR codes on their website or physical stores. This unified shopping experience bridges physical and digital channels, letting customers talk to businesses on their preferred channels. #### Omnichannel Commerce: Send Promotional Messages on Multiple Channels With respond.io's [Broadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview), businesses can easily send or [schedule targeted broadcast messages](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#schedule_broadcast_and_customize_send_rates) across multiple channels. Moreover, integrations with platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento allow businesses to trigger automated messages in response to events or customer actions. This includes sending timely messages such as [drip campaigns](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-promotional-messages#toc-mobile-6), [abandoned cart messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-promotional-messages#toc-mobile-5), order confirmations, delivery updates and more. #### Omnichannel Ecommerce: Boost Retail Sales with Reporting Insights The [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) on respond.io offers insights into conversations and agent performance. It helps businesses identify areas for improvement, such as knowledge gaps or messaging inefficiencies, and develop strategies to optimize their customer interactions and drive growth. Omnichannel ecommerce has become an essential strategy for online retailers. By integrating all channels, businesses can provide a seamless and consistent shopping experience across all touchpoints. If you're looking to take your business to the next level, [sign up for our free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) today! ### Further Reading Interested to learn more about how your business can benefit from an omnichannel approach? You may find these articles helpful: - Everything You Need to Know about Omnichannel Chat Widget - Why Use an Omnichannel Support Platform - Enhance Customer Experience with an Omnichannel Communication Platform ## [Omnichannel Widget: Everything You Need to Know about Omnichannel Chat Widget ](https:/respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) Wonder what an omnichannel widget is? This blog post will help you understand the omnichannel chat widget, its advantages and how to set it up. Wonder what an omnichannel widget is? This blog post will answer your questions. We’ll start by understanding the omnichannel chat widget and its advantages compared to a conventional live chat widget. Then, we’ll look at how sales and support teams can benefit from an omnichannel chat widget. Lastly, we’ll go over the steps to set one up. ### What is an Omnichannel Chat Widget? An omnichannel chat widget is one of an [omnichannel communication platform’s](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) features. It allows website visitors to communicate on a range of channels, such as [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) and [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business). Instead of displaying each channel’s widget individually, an omnichannel chat widget contains all the widgets in a [single collapsible widget](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets). This lets businesses have a clutter-free website while allowing visitors to access all channels with ease. While it may sound like a simple feature, there are a lot of benefits that come with it. #### Advantages of an Omnichannel Chat Widget Before the omnichannel chat widget was introduced, businesses were using live chat widgets on their website. Although it is easier to reach a business via live chat compared to other traditional channels like email and phone calls, it presented two main weaknesses. First, businesses cannot generate leads and build consistent relationships with customers due to the anonymity of website chat. While some businesses try to overcome this by including a contact form, contacts often fill in fake details. In addition, conversation history can be scattered if customers switch browsers to message businesses. This forces customers to describe their problems repeatedly to get the assistance they need. Thankfully, an omnichannel chat widget solves these problems. Once a website visitor starts a conversation, businesses can gain certain contact information based on the channel they use. For instance, if they message you via a WhatsApp widget, you can get their phone number and add them to your contact list. Plus, the conversation history will also be reflected in the channel’s app, giving them the flexibility to continue the conversation in-app or on the chat widget. As a result, businesses can generate more leads, build positive relationships with customers and give customers peace of mind knowing that they don’t have to repeat background information on their issues whenever they contact a business for support. This also helps businesses achieve their [omnichannel platform objective](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-0), which is to offer a consistent customer experience across every touchpoint. Next, we’ll look at how using an omnichannel chat widget via a messaging platform like respond.io can benefit your business. ### Respond.io Omnichannel Chat Widget: 4 Quick Wins Multiple use cases are possible with respond.io. However, an omnichannel chat widget benefits customer-facing teams like sales and support the most. This section will show you how your teams can benefit from the respond.io omnichannel platform. #### Manage Conversations Across Channels Respond.io is an omnichannel customer conversation management software that supports [popular messaging channels around the world](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps) like WhatsApp, [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account) and [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business). It also has an omnichannel chat widget for all the channels. With respond.io, businesses can manage conversations across multiple channels from a [central inbox](https://help.respond.io/messages/messages-overview). This, alongside features like [canned responses](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/snippets), helps to improve response times and in turn boosts customer satisfaction. While it can be overwhelming for sales and support representatives to handle high volumes of inbound messages, respond.io has all the features businesses need to ease their workload. Let’s take a look at some of them below. #### Get a Holistic View of Customers Customers [expect businesses to be equipped with their information and conversation histories](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-2) regardless of which channel their past chats occurred on. With respond.io, you can prevent siloed conversations across channels with the [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts#toc-mobile-4) feature. First, [collect basic information](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey#toc-mobile-2) when website visitor starts a conversation to determine if they are a new lead or an existing Contact that has previously messaged you on another channel. If a lead is new, you will automatically capture their details and add them as a Contact on respond.io. If they are an existing Contact, you will be prompted to merge their contact details and conversation history into a unified profile for a comprehensive view of their interactions with your business. This allows customers to move their conversation from one channel to another without having to repeat background information. Agents can also get customers’ contexts immediately and make informed decisions on the most effective way to help them. #### Automate Repetitive Sales and Support Tasks Businesses can automate repetitive sales and support tasks with the respond.io [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) automation builder. You can either build the Workflows from scratch or by using [Workflow Templates](https://respond.io/blog/september-2022-updates-whatsapp-cloud-api-and-new-features-on-workflows#toc-mobile-2). Design automation to enroll customers into sales campaigns based on [interest tags](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-details#tags), [answer FAQs,](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations) [route](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/route-customers) and [assign](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/auto-assign-customers) customers, [escalate support issues](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) and more. You can also exchange data between CRMs and respond.io to [qualify leads](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) and [create deals or support tickets](https://help.respond.io/inbound-conversations) with a [click of a button](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0). Automation reduces sales and support agents' workload, so they can focus on important issues and work efficiently to create positive customer experiences. Businesses can also send [customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveys](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-8) to measure the quality and success of their customer support. #### Monitor Performance with Reports and Analytics Another way to track individual or team performance is with the [Reports and Analytics](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/reporting-for-support#analyze_support_trends_and_track_team_and_agent_performance_in_the_reports_module) feature. It helps businesses keep track of agent workload and productivity, conversation progress and case resolution time. The [supervisor dashboard](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/supervising-your-agents) allows managers to identify conversations that have been on hold or unresolved for too long and monitor agents in real-time. They can evaluate the efficiency of their team, identify areas for improvement and take steps to improve productivity. For instance, managers can use this feature to analyze obstacles in closing deals and track first response and resolution times. Managers can also identify channels that are the most active or preferred by customers to guide decisions such as which channels to prioritize for marketing initiatives and more. Now that you know how the respond.io omnichannel chat widget can benefit you, let's look at how to set it up. ### How to Set Up an Omnichannel Chat Widget on Respond.io Setting up an omnichannel chat widget on respond.io is straightforward. You need to work on the respond.io platform and your website concurrently to complete the setup process. Follow the steps below to get started. **1\. Go** to Settings > Growth Widgets > Add Widget **2\. Click** on Multichannel Widget, then click Create Widget. **3\. Add** your company’s website domain and press Enter on your keyboard. Note that you can add more than one website domain. **4\. Click** on Add Channel to choose the channels you want the widget to show on your website. Keep in mind that you can only show the channels that are [connected](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/connecting-channels) to respond.io. **5\. Click** on Generate Widget once you’ve selected the channels. A pop-up will appear directing you to the next step **6\. Install** the script on your website. This step differs depending on which website service provider you use, such as [WordPress,](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/install-on-wordpress) [Shopify,](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/install-on-shopify) [Wix,](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/install-on-wix) [Squarespace](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/install-on-squarespace) and [Joomla](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/install-on-joomla). Once you’ve installed the script on your website, click *Done.* Just like that, you can start using your omnichannel chat widget immediately! Do you have a website and want to give the respond.io omnichannel chat widget a shot? [Sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and experience powerful messaging capabilities like no other platform. ### Further Reading We hope you found this blog post beneficial. Here are some other readings that might interest you. - Omnichannel Communication: Using an Omnichannel Communication Platform - Most Popular Messaging Apps: Top Messaging Apps for Businesses - WhatsApp CRM: Integrating WhatsApp with a CRM on respond.io ## [Pre Chat Survey: How to Create a Pre Chat Form](https:/respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) A pre chat form is one of the simplest ways to make support conversations more efficient. Learn how to create your own pre chat survey in this blog post. If you’ve ever chatted with a customer support agent, you might have filled out a short pre chat form before the conversation. But what is the use of these preliminary questions in the form? In this article, we’ll explain what pre chat surveys are and why companies use them. We’ll also show you how to create a pre chat survey for your respond.io web chat widget and any messaging channel supported by respond.io. ### What is a Pre Chat Survey? Pre chat surveys are forms that collect contact information before a chat with a customer support agent. Companies use them to provide their support agents with the necessary information to solve customer inquiries. Using a pre chat survey has several benefits. Because they are automatically sent, agents don’t need to manually ask introductory questions. The answers provided increase the agents' contextual understanding of the contact, which reduces their workload during the conversation. Some companies use pre chat surveys to determine the contact's needs and the right support agent for them to be assigned to. As a consequence, resolution time decreases and the support process becomes more efficient. Let’s see what kind of information companies request in their pre chat surveys. ### Pre Chat Survey: Types of Data Requests Pre chat surveys request information that can be used to improve the customer experience with personalized messages and give support agents insight into the customer’s profile. Acquiring more contact information upfront also helps agents meet customer-based service-level agreements by identifying clients with special clauses in their contracts. Thus, companies are able to meet required performance standards and avoid penalties for breaching their warranties. This information includes client IDs, inquiry types and in some cases, a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) consent form. Let's explore some of these data requests in detail #### Pre Chat Form: Basic Contact Information One of the keys to good customer support is giving personalized service, avoiding soulless and generic small talk, and communicating with customers in a natural and conversational way. Knowing the contact’s name doesn’t just help support agents identify who they are talking to, but also allows them to greet visitors by name. This helps build a positive relationship founded on mutual respect from the beginning. Email addresses and phone numbers are also used to verify contacts’ identities. But more importantly, they give support agents a way to follow up with customers who ask a question but leave the conversation before getting a reply. #### Pre Chat Form: Account/Client Number and Order ID Some companies identify customers by assigning them account or client numbers, while companies that offer post-sale services might ask for an order ID before answering any inquiry. In that scenario, the customer’s order ID is usually the most important piece of data, since it allows agents to quickly identify the issue and solve the inquiry efficiently. #### Pre Chat Form: Inquiry Type and Description Knowing the inquiry type makes it easier for the support team to pass the conversation to the right agents. This is particularly useful for companies that divide their teams by function and automate their routing strategies with automation tools like [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview). Additionally, pre chat surveys sometimes include a description field for contacts to briefly explain the issue. This helps clarify the nature of their inquiry, so agents have the information they need upfront for more precise and faster problem-solving. When agents are equipped to answer inquiries in their field of expertise, they can deliver more efficient customer service, avoiding unnecessary questions and redirections. #### Pre Chat Form: Country and Postcode Some larger companies might vary their products or services for different countries. In this scenario, asking contacts for their country or postcode allows them to be routed to a dedicated team for their geographical area. Alternatively, these companies might [route conversations by language](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio#toc-mobile-5). Hence, a contact's nationality could determine their primary language and the conversation could be assigned to the right agent. #### Pre Chat Form: GDPR Acceptance Since April 2016, companies that collect and process the personal data of European Union residents must include a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) consent form in pre chat surveys and other types of contact forms. By adding a GDPR acceptance field, you ensure that contacts are aware of your data protection policy and consent to providing their details for fair and responsible use by your company. ### Pre Chat Survey Best Practices When creating your own pre chat survey, you’ll have to decide how many fields you will add, and how many of them will be compulsory. The more fields your survey has, the more it discourages people from entering their data to chat. Similarly, too many compulsory fields may put off customers, especially if they request sensitive data such as annual salary or home addresses. Ideally, you should only ask for information that helps your support team identify customers and provide them with better service. Now that you are familiar with the types of information requested in pre-chat surveys, we’ll teach you how to use respond.io to create your own pre chat survey in a messaging channel of your choice. ### How to Create a Pre Chat Form with Respond.io When it comes to customer communication, respond.io offers numerous possibilities. Not only can you add a pre chat survey to your web chat widget, but you can also do the same in any messaging channel with the Workflows builder. In this section, we’ll explore both options to help you set up a pre chat survey on your preferred channel. #### Pre Chat Survey for Web Chat Widget First, you’ll need to [connect the respond.io chat widget](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview#connecting_website_chat_widget) and [install it on your website](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview#installing_the_chat_widget). Once done, open the respond.io Settings Module, select Channels and follow these steps to add a customizable pre chat form. **1\. Choose** your Web Chat Channel. **2\. Click** on Customize. **3\. Collapse** the Pre-Chat Form and enable it. Next, click on Add Field and select a field from the list. Because these fields are customizable, they can be renamed in other languages. For instance, if your customers are Spanish speakers, you could use *Nombre* instead of *Name.* Last, check the *Mandatory* box under the fields you don’t want Contacts to skip. This way, support agents will always be able to start a chat with sufficient information. After completing the pre chat form, Contacts must press the Get Started button to start a conversation with a support agent. This button is customizable too, so use your preferred call to action to invite customers to send their inquiries. Some respond.io Users don’t have a web chat widget and run their customer support over messaging channels instead. The next section will explain how to add a pre chat survey to any messaging channel supported by respond.io. #### Pre Chat Survey for Messaging Apps To create a pre chat survey for your messaging channel of choice, you must [connect the channel to your respond.io account first](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/channels). Unlike web chat, pre chat surveys for other channels must be built in the Workflows Module. 1. Create a new Workflow. 2. Select Conversation Opened as a Trigger. 3. Choose Source is Equal to Contact. 4. Add an Ask a Question Step. 5. Compose the Question Text and Pick a Question Type. 6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to ask additional questions. If most of your support conversations come from existing customers, make them feel special by greeting them personally. To do this, [set up an automated greeting](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-9) with the Dynamic Variable $contact.name before the pre chat form starts. Remember that survey answers like preferred language can be saved to a [c](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/contact-fields)[ustom field](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/contact-fields), which will be linked to the contact’s profile. This allows Users to view the collected information in the [Contacts Module](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contacts-overview) and send customized messages using Contact Fields. When Contacts reply with an invalid format, their responses will fail to be delivered. This causes the Workflow to end. To prevent that from happening, check out our recommendation on [what to do in these cases](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot#toc-mobile-7). If you plan to assign conversations to available agents based on the answers provided, we recommend saving the answers as [Dynamic Variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) to utilize them in the subsequent Workflow steps. For example, you could set up a Multiple Choice Question Step asking about the Conversation's purpose. Then, save the answers as variables and use them to assign Conversations to support agents who are acquainted with that particular subject. Lastly, include an [Assigned to Agent message](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-9) to your Workflow after the Agent assignment occurs to assure Contacts they will be attended to. If an agent is unavailable, add an [Away Message](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-10) or an [Overcapacity Message](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-11) to manage Contacts’ expectations. Ultimately, your auto-assignment Workflow will depend on the type of customer support your company provides. With respond.io, you can configure auto-assignment strategies differently for support that is a [competitive advantage](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-7), a [cost center](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-6) or anything in between. ### What’s next? Knowledge is power. Hence, having access to key customer data gives support agents the information to resolve inquiries quickly and efficiently. Respond.io offers advanced automation tools to create pre chat surveys and save the responses, simplifying the support team’s tasks and allowing them to focus on giving customers the assistance they need. If you are looking to create your own custom pre chat surveys, you can now do that and more with the leading business messaging platform. [Sign up for a respond.io account today!](https://app.respond.io/user/register) ### Further Reading Did you find this article useful? If so, here are some other quick reads that might interest you: - What is CSAT? The Customer Satisfaction Process - How To Merge Contacts: A Complete Guide - How To Add Facebook Web Chat With GTM ## [Proving the ROI of Your Messaging Strategy: Quantify and Showcase Value](https:/respond.io/blog/messaging-strategy) Unlock growth by understanding the ROI of your messaging strategy. Discover how to set the right framework, measure success and showcase value. Effective messaging can unlock significant business growth. Understanding and proving the return on investment (ROI) of your messaging strategy isn’t just beneficial—it’s essential. Why? Because it’s about knowing the real value behind every message sent and every conversation had. We’re not just talking numbers though. We’re exploring how to translate your messaging efforts into results. ### Understanding the Fundamentals of Messaging Strategy ROI ROI is more than just another industry term for [customer conversation management](https://respond.io/blog/customer-conversation-management). It’s a fundamental metric and the bedrock of your strategy. Imagine ROI as a scorecard, providing a breakdown of the performance and impact of your messaging initiatives. It’s an essential tool that can gauge the success of your efforts by linking the effectiveness of your messaging strategies to tangible outcomes like increased sales and improved customer loyalty. Results here are not coincidences. They’re the direct results of well-executed strategies. In this scenario, the key metrics serve to measure a variety of aspects, from customer engagement rates to conversion rates, helping paint a comprehensive picture to illustrate how each facet of your messaging strategies contributes to the overarching goal of business growth. ### Setting Up the Right Framework for Measuring Messaging Strategy ROI Like laying the foundation for a sturdy house, setting up the right framework for measuring the ROI of your messaging strategy is critical. Without it, you risk the stability and success of your entire strategy. To do this, here’s how: #### Ensure You Track the Right Metrics To [measure the ROI of your messaging initiatives](https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/053015/how-calculate-roi-marketing-campaign.asp), it’s crucial to start with a solid foundation. This means clearly defining which KPIs or metrics will be tracked such as revenue by campaign. Are you aiming to drive engagement for promotional campaigns, boost sales, or something else? These objectives are not just checkpoints but beacons that guide your business growth strategy. #### Choose the Best Tools for Measuring Messaging Campaign ROI Once your metrics are clear, selecting the right tools and platforms for tracking and analysis becomes an informed choice, not a shot in the dark. Opt for customer conversation software like respond.io which allows you to collect information on conversions, engagement with broadcasts, [Customer Satisfaction Scores (CSAT)](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) and provide [in-depth reports and analytics](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview). While it doesn't directly offer the ability to track ROI, its integrations with various software, from open APIs to Zapier, enable a comprehensive examination of your messaging’s effectiveness and its indirect impact on ROI. #### Design Your Messaging Strategy Carefully When designing a strategy, start by thoroughly understanding your clients, identifying what appeals to them and tailoring your messaging accordingly, including to the platforms they frequent. Careful planning follows, where campaigns must be meticulously structured, employing analytics to glean insights into consumer preferences, with a marketing funnel shaping the strategy and [A/B testing](https://hbr.org/2017/06/a-refresher-on-ab-testing) fine-tuning ad effectiveness. But don’t forget to break the campaign into smaller, manageable pieces. It makes everything more manageable and measurable. Adjusting and refining strategies is much easier when you’re working with bite-sized goals, instead of overly ambitious ones! Remember, a well-defined ROI framework isn’t just about measurements. It’s a strategic compass guiding your campaigns toward greater alignment with your business goals. ### Quantifying the Impact of Messaging Strategies A messaging strategy is the pillar of your company's overarching marketing and communication plan. It's all about conveying who you are and what you do to the world through various communication channels. Accordingly, calculating the ROI of your messaging strategy is crucial. It’s about connecting the dots between your efforts and their tangible results. Let’s take a look at how exactly you can put a price on proper messaging: #### Calculating ROI for Messaging Campaign ROI is all about the profit you earn for every dollar spent. To figure this out, you'll need to start by identifying two things: your campaign-attributable revenue and your campaign-specific marketing costs. Campaign-attributable revenue generated refers to the income you've earned thanks to your messaging efforts. To find this figure, you'll need to use a mix of methods—from landing pages and tracking codes to analytics and customer surveys—to quantify your campaign's financial impact. On the other hand, campaign-specific marketing costs include all the expenses related to your campaign. These could range from messaging platform fees and content creation costs (like images) to distribution expenses (e.g., if using SMS), although the specifics will vary from one campaign to another. With these in hand, your ROI can be calculated with the following formula: #### An Example of ROI Calculation Now, let's put this formula into practice with a hypothetical messaging campaign. Picture yourself as an online education business selling language courses. You’ve just kicked off a messaging campaign on WhatsApp to hype up the launch of a new course. Here's the breakdown of your campaign's figures: **Campaign-attributable revenue:** Thanks to your messaging campaign, you’ve enrolled 50 new students, bringing in a total of $87,000 in sales for your new language course. **Campaign-specific marketing costs:** The overall costs tied to this campaign, which include the subscription costs for the messaging platform and the creation of creative assets, is $25,750. With the above ROI formula, you’re ready to crunch the numbers and see the value your campaign brought in. `Return on Investment (ROI) = (87,000 - 25,750 / 25, 750) * 100` The ROI we calculated is 237.86%. This indicates for every dollar that was invested in your campaign, you netted $2.38 in profit, after accounting for the original campaign-specific marketing costs. ### Common Challenges in Quantifying the Impact of Messaging Strategies While the example we explored is relatively straightforward, in reality, things are rarely as clear-cut. Some of the most common challenges that complicate the ROI calculation include: #### Inaccurate Data The accuracy of your ROI calculations depends entirely on the quality of your data. Make sure to audit your data for accuracy and completeness regularly and consider investing in data analytics software before thinking about measuring the impact of your messaging strategy. #### Indirect Benefits Your messaging strategy may produce benefits beyond those captured in the ROI calculation which may not be straightforward to track and quantify (e.g., increased brand awareness). Beyond ROI, it's wise to include metrics to monitor brand search volume and even customer satisfaction scores to keep tabs on these aspects. #### External Factors Factors beyond your control, like competitor initiatives and market shifts, can affect your business, potentially complicating the accuracy of your ROI calculations. To account for this, ensure you closely monitor external trends and competitor activities and account for them as part of your calculations. ### Demonstrating the Value of Your Messaging Strategy to Stakeholders When it’s your moment to showcase the value of your campaigns to your stakeholders, it’s important to be engaging and informative. Imagine yourself as a guide leading them through a narrative journey. The main characters? The data and ROI from your messaging strategies. The plot? Demonstrating how your efforts don’t just tick boxes but actively fuel business growth. Your audience, whether they’re CEOs, shareholders, or team leaders, doesn’t want a barrage of numbers. They want a story that translates those figures into clear impacts on business objectives. Here’s where understanding your stakeholders comes into play. Each stakeholder has unique interests and preferences for receiving information. Use tools like [stakeholder maps](https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/map-the-stakeholders) or surveys to grasp what matters most to them. Then, frame your data presentation around these insights to ensure it resonates with and engages them. And above all, ensure you choose the right metrics. They should align with your organization’s strategic goals and stakeholder priorities. To help with this, ensure they are [SMART](https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/management/smart-goal/): - specific - measurable - achievable - relevant - time-bound #### How to Present Your Messaging Strategy ROI through a Strong Narrative Let’s now talk about storytelling. This is where you bring your data to life to fully showcase the impact of your messaging strategy. To best do this: 1. Structure your narrative with a clear beginning, middle and end. Start with setting the stage by framing the challenge your campaign was tackling, then explore what you did specifically to address it and end strong with clear results and impact. 2. Seek feedback from others before presenting. Spending the most time with your data may make the numbers clear to you but it may not be as transparent to others. To ensure clarity for all audiences, seek feedback to bridge any gaps in understanding. 3. Use data visualizations where possible. Charts, graphs and dashboards help convey complex information in an accessible way, allowing stakeholders to quickly grasp the value of your ROI. Ready to unlock the potential of your customer conversations? Discover how respond.io can revolutionize your messaging strategies with our [free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register)! ### Further Reading Did you find this helpful? Check out these related articles to learn more: - What is CSAT? The Customer Satisfaction Process Guide - WhatsApp Marketing: Guide to a Successful WhatsApp Campaign - WhatsApp Business Metrics: How to Track WhatsApp Analytics ## [Ramadan WhatsApp Messaging Campaign: Send WhatsApp Ramadan Greeting Messages and More](https:/respond.io/blog/ramadan-whatsapp-messaging-campaign) Run a successful Ramadan WhatsApp Messaging Campaign with these tips. Discover the benefits of using WhatsApp for promotion & connect with your audience. Looking to reach out to your customers with a Ramadan WhatsApp messaging campaign? With the rise of instant messaging apps, engaging and building relationships with customers has gotten more convenient over the years. In this article, we’ll explore how your business can run a Ramadan messaging campaign that goes beyond sending a standard WhatsApp Ramadan greeting. Utilize the full capabilities of WhatsApp to improve connections with your customers this season. ### Benefits of Running a Ramadan WhatsApp Messaging Campaign Running Ramadan promotions on WhatsApp lets businesses reach a wider audience as it's the [world's most popular messaging app](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-6) with 2.24 billion users. This means that a large number of WhatsApp users are likely Muslims observing the holy month. Acknowledging and celebrating the importance of Ramadan with Muslim consumers can also build brand loyalty and trust, as it demonstrates cultural sensitivity and inclusivity. This can be essential in building a positive brand image. Families and friends often come together during Ramadan, which typically involves gathering over meals or spending quality time together. By offering promotions and discounts or sharing engaging messages during this period, businesses can expand their customer reach. Moreover, personalized promotions and recommendations can go a long way in building customer loyalty and [91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands that pay attention to their preferences](https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/PDF-77/Accenture-Pulse-Survey.pdf). Using WhatsApp, businesses can create personalized messages for their customers, which can help to improve customer loyalty. Furthermore, businesses can provide a more convenient brand experience by enabling customers to message them. In fact, [53% of customers are likelier to shop with a business that they can message directly](https://www.facebook.com/business/news/let-your-conversations-deliver-brand-love), making WhatsApp an excellent platform to engage with customers during Ramadan. By leveraging these benefits, businesses can create a more engaging and personalized experience for their customers during the important season of Ramadan. Next, let’s explore how your business can utilize these features. ### Running a Ramadan WhatsApp Messaging Campaign WhatsApp has a range of features to help F&B services, supermarkets and other businesses run Ramadan promotions. With these features, businesses can create personalized messages, automate customer communication and improve engagement. Here are some of the ways businesses can use WhatsApp for their promotional messaging. #### WhatsApp Ramadan Greeting: Welcome Customers with Greeting and Away Messages Businesses can set up custom WhatsApp Ramadan [greeting and away messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) that are triggered when customers message them on WhatsApp. Welcome your customers with messages personalized to reflect the festive season. For example, a business could set up a WhatsApp Ramadan greeting saying, “Ramadan Mubarak! Our staff are busier than usual but rest assured, we’ll respond to every message. What can we do for you today?” Businesses with shorter hours during this period can set, “Hello! Our office hours are 9am - 4pm during this fasting season. We’ll get back to your message tomorrow morning, Ramadan Kareem.” as an away message. #### Answer FAQs for Ramadan Promotions Businesses can use WhatsApp's quick reply feature to answer common questions about Ramadan promotions. By creating a list of responses for frequently asked questions, such as "What are your Ramadan opening hours?" or "What promotions are available during Ramadan?", agents can quickly pick the correct response instead of spending time typing them out. #### Staying Top of Mind: Drip Campaigns for Ramadan Drip campaigns allow businesses to automate customer communication by sending a sequence of messages over a period of time. During Ramadan, businesses can use drip campaigns over WhatsApp to send a series of messages that highlight their special promotions or offers. For example, a business could send a series of three messages that say, "Ramadan Kareem! Get 10% off on all orders during Ramadan", "Hurry, offer ends in 3 days!" and "Last chance to save 10% on your order! Use code RAMADAN10 at checkout". #### Connect with Customers with Click to Chat Ads [Click to chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads) are clickable links that can be placed on a website and Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Businesses use these ads to drive traffic to their WhatsApp account since the ads make it easy for customers to start conversations with them. During Ramadan, businesses can promote special offers or messages that encourage customers to chat with them. Customers are directed to a WhatsApp chat with the business when they click on the ads. ### Ramadan WhatsApp Messaging Campaign Best Practices Businesses should follow some best practices when using WhatsApp messaging to maximize their Ramadan promotions. Personalization is key, as customers are more likely to engage with messages that are tailored to their preferences and interests. Addressing customers by their names, using their previous purchase history or location, or including elements related to their culture or tradition can make them feel appreciated and more likely to take advantage of the promotions. Businesses can show their support for the Ramadan season by offering exclusive deals and packages to customers. By doing this, they can give back to the community and help make the occasion more enjoyable for everyone. These limited-time offers can also encourage more people to explore what the business has to offer and discover new products and services. Giving special discounts to WhatsApp customers who make a purchase or reservation can be used to track a campaign’s performance. Businesses can determine the effectiveness of a seasonal promotion by monitoring the tracking link traffic or discount code redemption. Using emojis or other visuals can also make messages more engaging and increase their visibility. During Ramadan, businesses can use relevant visuals such as the crescent moon, dates or lanterns to make their messages more festive and attention-grabbing. Emojis also help convey emotions and create a friendly tone, which can be important for building relationships with customers. To avoid coming across as spammy, it is advisable to restrict the number of WhatsApp messages your business sends during this period. Targeted customers who have been [segmented](https://help.respond.io/contacts/segments) based on their preferences should receive no more than one or two messages each week. While small businesses will be content with the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) to handle their communication, the same can’t be said for companies with large teams of agents who handle thousands of customers a day. In order to effectively manage and streamline WhatsApp communication with [numerous agents or multiple teams](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users), businesses should consider using [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). We’ll show you the best way to do this next. ### Connect WhatsApp API to Respond.io WhatsApp Business API can be acquired through a WhatsApp partner, but as an API, it needs a customer conversation management software to send and receive messages. The most straightforward way to get both is by [signing up for an official WhatsApp API account with respond.io](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business). With respond.io, businesses gain time-saving features like [numerous agent and team support](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users), [automated replies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) and chat automation for [sales](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales) or [support](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service). Businesses can also spread any good news using [broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast). These tools enable businesses to free up time that would have otherwise been spent on repetitive tasks. Businesses can then focus on other aspects of their operations, such as tackling more important queries or improving their offerings. Additionally, by providing faster response times and more personalized communication, businesses can enhance the overall customer experience and satisfaction. This leads to increased customer loyalty and repeat business, contributing to a business’s long-term success. By following these best practices, your business can build stronger relationships with its customers and drive sales during this important festive season. If you don’t have a WhatsApp API account yet, sign up for a [free trial of respond.io](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and get an official Whatsapp API in minutes! ### Further Reading If this post was informative, you might find these articles helpful: - WhatsApp Business API: The Ultimate Guide to WhatsApp API - WhatsApp Marketing: Guide to a Successful WhatsApp Campaign - WhatsApp Broadcast: How to Broadcast WhatsApp Messages ## [Redefining Customer Conversations: A Complete Guide to Conversational AI ](https:/respond.io/blog/conversational-ai) Explore how Conversational AI redefines customer engagement with personalized, intuitive interactions, offering a significant edge in customer conversations. Conversational AI has entered the chat and is here to redefine customer conversations. Thanks to its advanced capabilities, automated conversations that used to be rule-based and scripted have become dynamic and intuitive. But what does this mean for businesses? This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about conversational AI for customer conversations. You'll learn what it is, how it works and its differences from conventional chatbots. Then, we’ll explore how it's redefining customer conversations, ways to implement it and best practices for using it effectively. ### What is Conversational AI? Conversational artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the use of AI technologies to simulate human-like conversations. It uses large volumes of data and a combination of technologies to understand and respond to human language intelligently. The best part is that the AI learns and enhances its replies from every interaction, much like a human does. Some [rudimentary conversational artificial intelligence](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-trend) examples you may be familiar with are chatbots and virtual agents. Before exploring how this technology has evolved, let’s look at how advanced conversational AI works. #### How does Conversational AI Work? Conversational AI combines technologies like natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) to help software systems mimic human interactions. NLP equips these systems with the ability to understand, interpret and generate human language. It translates the nuances of human conversations into a language that software can understand, enabling it to interact with humans more naturally. Meanwhile, ML empowers these systems to learn and improve from data and experiences. It analyzes conversation patterns and uses these insights to make informed predictions and decisions. As these systems process and analyze more data, their ability to make accurate predictions enhances over time. These two technologies feed into each other in a continuous cycle, constantly enhancing AI algorithms. Here’s an example of how it works for customer conversations. Let's say a customer inquires about your product on [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business). First, the AI reads the message, analyzes it and understands what the customer is really looking for. Then, it comes up with a reply based on its understanding. It's not just spitting out pre-written answers; it's crafting responses on the spot. While interacting with customers, it learns from their responses to enhance its accuracy over time. Now that you know how it works, we’ll answer a popular question: What makes conversational AI different from conventional chatbots? #### Conventional Chatbot vs Conversational AI To put it simply, today’s conversational AI technologies are a significant evolution from conventional chatbots. Traditional chatbots operate based on pre-defined rules and scripts, so their responses are limited to a narrow range of inputs. They can easily handle straightforward, predictable questions but struggle with complex or unexpected requests. Conversational AI, employing advanced technologies like ML and NLP, dynamically generates responses based on user input rather than being restricted to a set script. It draws answers from the AI's extensive knowledge base to handle a broader range of topics and adapt to ambiguous or context-heavy questions. **Conventional Chatbot vs Conversational AI** | Feature | Conventional Chatbot | Conversational AI | | --- | --- | --- | | Capability | Capable of addressing basic inquiries | Capable of addressing more complex questions | | Response Mechanism | Only responds to exact keywords | Generates responses based on user input | | Adaptability | Incapable of straying from predetermined chat paths | Adapts to unexpected queries using machine learning (ML) | | Knowledge Base | Relies on a database of preset questions and answers | Uses AI’s extensive knowledge | Additionally, AI systems are more adept at recognizing and adapting to various linguistic nuances, such as slang, idioms or regional dialects. This gives it the ability to have more human-like interactions. In summary, while conventional chatbots are rule-based and limited in scope, conversational AI systems offer a more flexible and adaptive approach, delivering a conversational experience similar to human interaction. So, do businesses need conversational AI for customer conversations? We’ll explore the answer in the next section. ### Why Conversational AI is Revolutionizing Customer Conversations Before jumping into the benefits of conversational AI, you must first understand its significance in customer communications. Today, customer conversations can occur across various channels, including phone calls, emails and messaging apps. With the growing preference for messaging apps over emails or calls, these channels have [presented opportunities](https://respond.io/blog/customer-conversation-management#toc-mobile-0) for businesses to engage, delight and convert. In fact, a study reveals that [75% of customers](https://www.yourbusinessnumber.com/en-US/blog/whatsapp-business-statistics) make a purchase after chatting on a messaging app, highlighting its effectiveness as a tool for conversion. “While messaging channels offer numerous opportunities, businesses often hesitate to use them as part of their customer strategy. This is because handling high volumes of conversations can be challenging, and they don’t want to sacrifice service quality. This is where conversational AI adds value by providing prompt, high-quality responses at a much larger scale and lower cost,” said Gerardo Salandra, the co-founder and CEO of respond.io, also chairman of The Artificial Intelligence Society of Hong Kong. With this understanding, let's explore in more detail how conversational AI can substantially benefit your business. #### Benefits of Conversational AI [Gartner](https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2022-08-31-gartner-predicts-conversational-ai-will-reduce-contac) predicts that by 2026, one in 10 agent interactions will be automated and conversational AI deployments within contact centers will reduce agent labor costs by $80 billion. Imagine a team of 10 agents dedicated to providing high-quality responses yet constrained to handling a handful of conversations simultaneously. Implementing conversational AI transforms this scenario dramatically. Unlike human agents, conversational AI operates round the clock, providing constant support to customers globally, irrespective of time zones. Plus, its ability to translate and respond in multiple languages extends its global reach, breaks down language barriers and broadens the customer base. Best of all, the AI does all these while maintaining high-quality responses on a much larger scale. It can handle hundreds of conversations simultaneously, more efficiently and at a reduced cost. Supporting this narrative, a [study reveals](https://www.8x8.com/blog/15-fascinating-conversational-ai-statistics-to-guide-your-contact-center-innovation) that half of 300 surveyed contact center and IT leaders reported conversational AI has helped decrease operational costs. As the AI manages up to 87% of routine customer interactions automatically, it significantly reduces the need for human intervention while maintaining quality on par with human interactions. This efficiency led to a surge in agent productivity and quicker resolution of customer issues. Evidently, this trend transcends cost reduction. It significantly enhances efficiency in managing high volumes of conversations and helps agents manage high-value conversations effectively. Additionally, combining AI and human agents ensures that customer interactions are empathetic and personalized. As customers receive swift and precise responses that meet their needs, businesses can improve customer satisfaction and boost conversion rates. This, in turn, gives businesses a competitive advantage, fostering growth and outpacing their competitors. Having discussed the benefits, let's explore challenges and limitations. #### Challenges and Limitations of Conversational AI Incorporating conversational AI into customer interactions presents several challenges despite its potential to streamline communication. A significant limitation is AI's difficulty grasping human communication nuances like sarcasm, cultural context and emotional tone. This becomes particularly evident in situations requiring high emotional intelligence, where human oversight is indispensable. Besides that, relying on extensive data sets raises customer privacy and security concerns. Adhering to regulations like GDPR and CCPA is essential, but so is meeting customers' expectations for ethical data use. Businesses must ensure that AI technologies are legally compliant, transparent and unbiased to maintain trust. Customer apprehension also poses a challenge, often from concerns about data privacy and AI’s ability to address complex queries. Mitigating this requires transparent communication about AI capabilities and robust data privacy measures to reassure customers. Now that you have all the essential information about conversational AI, it’s time to look at how to implement it into customer conversations and best practices for effectively utilizing it. ### How to Use Conversational AI for Customer Conversations Integrating conversational AI into customer interactions goes beyond simply choosing an appropriate platform — it also involves a range of other essential steps. The journey involves five key stages: 1. Identify business objectives 2. Research the capabilities you need 3. Ensure compatibility with your existing tech stack 4. Choose the right AI platform 5. Train AI to align with your objectives Let's explore how to navigate these stages for successful conversational AI implementation. #### Identify Your Objectives Start by clearly defining the specific business objectives you aim to accomplish with conversational AI. Pinpoint areas where it can add the most value, be it in marketing, [sales](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-for-sales) or [customer support](https://respond.io/blog/ai-customer-service). For instance, your goals can include managing high volumes of conversations automatically, enhancing customer interaction, efficient case resolution, personalizing purchase journeys, accurate information delivery and more. Your objectives will serve as a roadmap for selecting the right AI tools and tailoring them to your specific needs. With your goals clearly defined, the next step is to research the specific capabilities your conversational AI platform needs to possess. #### Research and Identify the Capabilities You Need Based on your objectives, consider whether conventional chatbots are sufficient or if your business requires advanced AI capabilities. Note that some providers might label traditional chatbots as “AI-powered” despite lacking technologies like NLP and ML. Some capabilities conversational AI brings include tailoring interactions with customer data, analyzing past purchases for recommendations, understanding voice recordings, [accessing your knowledge bases for accurate responses](https://respond.io/blog/september-2023-updates-respond-ai-assist-click-to-chat-ads-workflow-trigger-improved-messaging-experience-and-more#toc-mobile-0) and more. Once you clearly understand the features you need, one crucial factor to consider before choosing a conversational AI platform is its compatibility with your current software stack. #### Evaluate Compatibility with Existing Tech Stack When considering a conversational AI platform, ensure it can integrate seamlessly with your existing software, such as your [CRM or e-commerce platforms](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations). This ensures a smooth workflow and prevents integration issues. Once you clearly understand your needs and how they fit with your current systems, the next step is selecting the best platform for your business. #### Choose the Right Conversational AI Platform Selecting the right [conversational AI platform](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) is critical as your business will rely heavily on it for managing customer conversations. If your business is growing quickly, look for a solution that is scalable and adaptable to future needs and technological advancements. The right platform should offer all the features you need, ease of integration, robust support for high conversation volumes and flexibility to evolve with your business. Most importantly, the platform must adhere to [global data protection regulations](https://respond.io/blog/iso-certification) like GDPR and CCPA, ensuring robust data privacy and security. With the right platform chosen, the next step is to focus on training your AI. #### Train AI to Align with Your Business Objectives Depending on your chosen platform, you can train your [AI Agent](https://respond.io/blog/how-respondio-ai-agents-work) to mirror the efficiency of your best human agents. Build it to handle routine inquiries over chat or prepare it for other autonomous tasks, like routing conversations to agents and send payment links. Additionally, training your AI to provide accurate responses is crucial. This involves supplying it with up-to-date information, often sourced from existing resources like your knowledge base articles or FAQs. This ensures the AI remains relevant and effective in addressing customer inquiries, ultimately helping you achieve your business goals. Now that you know what you need to implement conversational AI into customer conversation, let’s look at some best practices. ### Best Practices for Using Conversational AI Incorporating conversational AI into your customer service strategy can significantly enhance efficiency and customer satisfaction. However, to get the most out of this technology, it's important to follow certain best practices. #### Match AI’s Personality to Your Brand’s Tone By [aligning the AI's personality with your brand's tone](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai#selecting_other_options), you enhance the customer experience, making conversations feel more personal and relatable. This approach not only reinforces your brand identity but also fosters a stronger connection with your audience. Having matched the AI’s personality to your brand’s tone, let’s now explore another crucial best practice: continuous evaluation and education. #### Continuously Evaluate and Educate Your AI The efficacy of conversational AI depends on its ability to learn and adapt. Continuously evaluate its performance to ensure it's achieving your objectives and keep it updated with new information. Regular updates to its knowledge ensure that the AI remains relevant and effective in handling diverse customer interactions. This ongoing evaluation and education process is critical, but it's also important to recognize situations where human intervention is more appropriate. #### Know When to Escalate to Human Agents Despite the sophistication of AI, certain complex or sensitive issues may require human intervention. Incorporate a [seamless escalation pathway to human agents](https://respond.io/blog/customer-conversation-management#toc-mobile-6) in such scenarios, ensuring that the transition is smooth and that the agents have quick access to the context of the interaction. There should be an option for the AI Agent to hand over the conversation or for an available human agent to take over without disrupting the flow for the customer. This leads to the next best practice – training human agents to leverage AI tools. #### Train Human Agents to Leverage AI Based on the features of your selected platform, you can provide agents with sophisticated AI tools to enhance their interactions with customers. Let’s take respond.io as an example. [Respond AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai) can help agents refine their messages, ensuring clarity and precision in communication. They can also translate messages into different languages, reducing potential language barriers. Moreover, tools like [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) can be a game-changer for providing agents quick access to relevant information. This rapid access to information allows agents to respond quickly and accurately to customer inquiries, enhancing response times and contributing to a more [satisfying customer experience](https://respond.io/blog/ai-customer-experience). ### Key Takeaways Conversational AI stands at the forefront of a new era in customer engagement, offering a revolutionary shift from traditional communication methods. As we've explored in this guide, integrating advanced conversational AI technologies empowers businesses to conduct more dynamic, intuitive and personalized customer interactions. Unlike conventional chatbots, they offer a depth of understanding and adaptability, allowing for conversations that truly resonate with customers. While this transformative technology is not without its own challenges, the trajectory of conversational AI is [undeniably upward](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-trend), continually evolving to overcome these limitations. “AI is finally at the stage where businesses can maintain service quality at a significantly larger scale and with reduced costs. Therefore, companies that adopt this first will have a massive advantage over their competitors,” said Gerardo Salandra. In a world where customer expectations constantly escalate, sticking to traditional methods could lag a business. Conversational AI is not just a tool for the present but an investment for a future where seamless, intelligent and empathetic customer interactions are the norm. ### Further Reading If you want to learn more about conversational artificial intelligence for customer conversations, here are some articles that might interest you. - Conversational Artificial Intelligence Platform: How to Choose One - AI Customer Service: The Next Age of Customer Support - Conversational Artificial Intelligence for Sales: A How-to Guide ## [Respond.io CEO Leads Panel at the World AI Show Singapore 2018](https:/respond.io/blog/press-respond-ceo-leads-panel-at-the-world-ai-show-singapore-2018) Gerardo was joined by a Hong Kong Science and Technology Park leader, and Singapore Startup Accelerator mentor to discuss AI and it’s role in a multitude of scenarios Respond.io (formerly Rocketbots) CEO and Chairman of the AI Society of Hong Kong, Gerardo Salandra, lead a panel on the topic of AI’s role in Government, Startups, and Society with 2 major figures in the AI scene at the World AI Show Singapore 2018. Gerardo was joined by a Hong Kong Science and Technology Park leader, and Singapore Startup Accelerator mentor to discuss AI and it’s role in a multitude of scenarios, where AI is going, and it’s place in different sectors. Crystal Fok, Associate Director of Robotics at HKSTP started off the panel with a brilliant insight into the Hong Kong government’s recent HK$50 billion investment into AI at the science park. HKSTP is a government-funded entity that will head the SAR’s efforts to improve technology throughout the government. Important topics were covered by Fok, like the concern of governments with data security and privacy, and it’s stalwart protection of resident data. Likely Hong Kong is not the only government with this concern, and so it should shed light on the actions most government around the world may take when it comes to data security and AI.  The SG Innovate representative spoke in length of the aspect that AI has to Society, it’s impact on Societal culture, and other aspect that AI has when concerning daily human interactions with technology.  However the topic that stole the panel’s attention was the topic of Governments and whether it should regulate artificial intelligence. Gerardo gave insights that the last world economic forum’s Industry 4.0 conference was the second least attended of the event. If governments are taking little care into the aspects of AI’s ability to take jobs, automate processes, and collect vast amounts of data, then there is quite a reason to be scared for the future of industries as a whole and the leaps they may take to leverage AI, and at what cost. ## [Respond.io Earns Recognition as Fast-Moving Company in the Prestigious SME100 Awards](https:/respond.io/blog/respondio-earn-recognition-for-fast-moving-companies-sme100-2023) Respond.io, a pioneering customer conversation management software, has been recognized as one of the recipients of the SME100 2023 Malaysia Awards for Fast Moving Companies. This prestigious award underscores their remarkable performance and growth in the highly competitive IT industry. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, December 12, 2023 — Respond.io, a pioneering customer conversation management software, has been recognized as one of the recipients of the SME100 2023 Malaysia Awards for Fast Moving Companies. This prestigious award underscores respond.io's remarkable performance and growth as a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) in the highly competitive IT industry and highlights the company's resilience and innovative progress in a rapidly evolving market. Since 2009, the SME100 Awards Program has been a hallmark of trust and reliability in the business community. This independently verified and data-driven accolade assures partners, investors and customers of a business's extraordinary success. "We are honored to receive this recognition among the other strong contenders in the market. This accolade serves as a testament to our team's unwavering dedication to innovation and the significant growth we have accomplished in our industry. “In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, respond.io's focus has always been on enabling businesses to communicate seamlessly with their customers. This recognition encourages us to continue delivering exceptional solutions and driving growth,” said Gerardo Salandra, CEO of respond.io. The awards ceremony was graced by the presence of several notable figures, including the Deputy Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, who presented the awards. Also in attendance were Datuk William Ng, the National President of the Small and Medium Enterprises Association; Zahid Ismail, the Director General of the Malaysia Productivity Corporation and Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai, the President of the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry. ### About respond.io Respond.io is an AI-powered customer conversation management software that enables teams of all sizes to respond to messages on any channel from a centralized dashboard. Its advanced chat automation, flexible integrations and comprehensive reporting facilitate efficient operations and great customer experiences at scale. The platform is trusted by over 10,000 brands across 86 countries, including British Airways, Toyota, Decathlon, Roche and Klook. In 2022, respond.io raised $7 million in Series A funding, led by Headline Asia, and achieved the prestigious status of a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) in April 2023. From its headquarters in Malaysia, respond.io continues to innovate and advance the future of customer conversations. ## [Respond.io Joins Forces with WhatsApp to Assist Enterprises in Driving Growth](https:/respond.io/blog/respondio-is-now-a-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) Leading message platform respond.io is now a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP). This significant milestone means that businesses can now take advantage of its advanced messaging features and capabilities to connect with their customers like never before. Leading message platform respond.io is now a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP). Businesses can now take advantage of its advanced messaging features and capabilities to connect with their customers like never before for their [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) efforts. ### What’s in it for Businesses Worldwide Businesses using respond.io can now seamlessly integrate the WhatsApp Business Platform directly from Meta’s cloud servers for increased efficiency and reliability. Meta's worldwide network of servers is tactically positioned to reduce latency, resulting in faster updates and improved message delivery times. By becoming a WhatsApp BSP, respond.io now has direct access to Meta's support team. This new development enables respond.io to provide its customers with exceptional support and assistance with common requests, including WhatsApp Business verification and [WhatsApp green tick](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick). As an omnichannel customer communication management software, respond.io adds value to [WhatsApp API's](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) capabilities. It enables multiuser access for WhatsApp so all agents and teams can respond to a high volume of messages from one WhatsApp number. Plus, respond.io offers businesses a suite of powerful tools including an advanced automation builder, detailed analytics on team and agent performance, and seamless integration with custom messaging channels and over 5,000 applications, including CRMs and e-commerce platforms such as Hubspot, Salesforce, Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento and more. Now, businesses will be able to manage all their conversations and WhatsApp Business Accounts on respond.io. This includes managing their WhatsApp business profile, message template creation and approval, and WhatsApp per-message charges, all from a single interface. Respond.io also enables businesses to comply with WhatsApp's policies and regulations, such as collecting customer consent to receive messages from a business. From offering multiple chat entry points, like ads that click to WhatsApp, QR codes and chat links, to obtaining opt-ins as part of an automated conversation, respond.io removes the friction in customer communication. ### A Commitment to Advanced Messaging Solutions Respond.io believes that instant messaging is the future of customer communication, and is committed to delivering the most advanced and effective messaging solutions to businesses across the globe. WhatsApp is a key channel for respond.io as it is one of the most widely used messaging apps in the world. With over 2 billion active users across 180 countries, it has become an essential channel for businesses to engage with customers. As of today, respond.io helps thousands of medium and enterprise customers worldwide unlock the power of instant messaging to deliver great customer experiences, build brand loyalty and drive growth and revenue. Among others, it empowered 200 agents at the [Indian social media platform Sharechat](https://respond.io/customers/how-sharechat-for-creators-supports-50k-creators-in-15-languages-on-whatsapp) to chat with 50,000 content creators using a single WhatsApp number and enabled [Yoho, Hong Kong’s leading e-commerce platform](https://respond.io/customers/how-yoho-centralized-6-support-channels-to-improve-chat-response-times-by-84), to grow its customer base by almost 10% in just four months by dramatically improving its sales and support experience. > "Empowering businesses to communicate seamlessly with their customers is our top priority as a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider. Our platform offers a personalized, conversational experience that fosters stronger relationships. By continuously expanding our capabilities, we enable businesses to achieve their goals and stay ahead of the curve. This collaboration with WhatsApp unlocks tremendous potential, allowing us to remain at the forefront of the latest trends to keep providing businesses worldwide with exceptional business messaging solutions." — *Gerardo Salandra, CEO of respond.io.* Its new status as a WhatsApp BSP will better equip respond.io to help businesses improve the efficiency of their messaging operations, as well as boost customer satisfaction and retention for steady business growth. Interested clients can try the messaging software for free and [get an account on the WhatsApp Business Platform](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) in minutes by [signing up on respond.io](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business). ## [Respond.io No Longer Supports Other BSPs — Here's Why](https:/respond.io/blog/respondio-no-longer-supports-other-bsps-heres-why) Respond.io has decided to stop supporting other WhatsApp BSPs to focus on its own WhatsApp solution. Learn how this new approach benefits your business. As a Badged Meta Business Partner, respond.io is committed to delivering the best WhatsApp Business Platform (API) experience to our customers. Hence, we have decided to stop supporting other WhatsApp Business Solution Providers (BSPs) and focus on our WhatsApp API solution. Effective **February 3, 2025**, we will deprecate support for **MessageBird (now known as Bird), Vonage, Twilio** and **360dialog** WhatsApp APIs. This decision comes from our allegiance to providing customers with valuable, innovative and reliable messaging solutions to drive business results. Let's discuss how this new approach benefits your business. ### A Simplified Integration for a Smoother WhatsApp Journey Each BSP has unique processes, making it difficult to ensure a consistent WhatsApp API integration and user experience for customers. By integrating directly with Meta, we are eliminating reliance on other WhatsApp BSPs, reducing potential points of failure. Respond.io's WhatsApp Business Platform (API) ensures a smoother, more cohesive experience from onboarding to daily usage. Setting up a WhatsApp API with respond.io is faster and more intuitive, with fewer steps and less potential for technical difficulties. ### Superior Customer Experience Our customers often encountered reliability issues with other WhatsApp BSPs such as inefficient support, which led to poor user experiences. Unfortunately, these problems were outside our control. This won’t be an issue anymore. By focusing solely on our solution, we can extend our high standards of performance, security, reliability and support to all our WhatsApp users for a consistent, high-quality experience. Plus, our direct access to Meta’s support team, combined with our exceptional customer service, ensures all problems are resolved quickly and effectively. ### Faster, Built-for-Purpose Feature Releases Other WhatsApp BSPs can be slow to release new features, and often, these features do not align with our goal of improving your marketing and sales performance. This goes against our priority: We want to ensure you receive early access to the latest, most advanced features to achieve faster and superior business results. To name some: - Click to WhatsApp ads - Reply-to messages - Meta Product Catalog - Organization Setting: WhatsApp Fees - Template Messages with buttons, files and video And there's more on the way! With WhatsApp at the heart of our product, you can look forward to more exciting releases designed to give you and your customers the best WhatsApp experience. ### Fair and Transparent Pricing Many WhatsApp BSPs impose unfair charges on customers, including markups, flat fees and per-message fees for WhatsApp usage. With the respond.io WhatsApp Business Platform (API), **you only pay the** [WhatsApp conversation fees](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing/#rates), ensuring transparent and fair pricing. We highly encourage you to [migrate to the respond.io WhatsApp Business Platform (API)](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/phone-number-migration-to-respond-whatsapp-business-api#steps_to_migrate_to_respond_io_whats_app_business_platform_api) before November 1, 2024 to avoid disruptions in your business operations. We understand that this change may pose some challenges, but we firmly believe this is an important step towards an even better WhatsApp experience. Rest assured, [our support team](https://respond.io/contact) is here to assist you at every step to ensure a smooth and successful transition. ## [Respond.io Officially Joins Google’s Business Messages, Raising the Bar for Exceptional Customer Messaging Experience](https:/respond.io/blog/respondio-officially-joins-googles-business-messages) Respond.io officially integrates with Google's Business Messages, helping businesses elevate customer experience and increase revenue growth. > On **July 31, 2024**, [Google will deprecate Google Business Messages (GBM)](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/business-messages/resources/release-notes/update-on-gbm), ending the ability to send or receive messages. At [respond.io](http://respond.io/), we’re committed to keeping you connected with your customers. With GBM being phased out, now is the perfect time to transition to alternative channels like the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) to keep your customer conversations going. Learn more about making the switch [here](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). We are thrilled to announce that respond.io is now an official provider of [Google's Business Messages](https://developers.google.com/business-communications/business-messages#:~:text=Business%20Messages%20is%20a%20rich,and%20the%20brand's%20own%20channels.), a powerful messaging service that enables businesses to connect with their customers and build relationships in their moments of need — straight from the Google surfaces people know and love. 🎉 Adding Business Messages to our service was based on two key factors: firstly, the [immense benefits](https://respond.io/blog/google-business-messages#toc-mobile-11) the integration offers for improving customer experiences. And secondly, our infrastructure's flexible integration capabilities allow us to adapt quickly to the market's needs. ### Google’s Business Messages Benefits for Brands With its massive user base and high accessibility, Google provides businesses worldwide with a streamlined messaging experience through Google’s Business Messages. Customers can easily connect with brands through various Google touchpoints like Search, Maps, brand-owned channels and more. With direct access to the chat option, customers can quickly and easily communicate with businesses, including using photos and carousels. Plus, businesses can also provide important information such as business hours, appointment scheduling, status order updates and more, aiding in the customers’ decision-making process. ### A Significant Step Forward Respond.io’s integration with Google's Business Messages is a major milestone reflecting our commitment to providing exceptional customer conversation solutions. It's also a significant step forward for companies wanting to take their businesses to the next height with the latest technology and messaging capabilities. Since Google’s Business Messages' inception, [major global brands worldwide have seen significant improvements](https://businessmessages.google/success-stories/) in customer satisfaction and sales. For instance, [Foot Locker](https://businessmessages.google/success-stories/foot-locker/) increased its average CSAT score by 10 points during its busiest season, while [Bajaj Auto](https://businessmessages.google/success-stories/bajajauto/) saw its lead conversions skyrocket by over 14x. ### What’s Next? Standing out in today’s fast-paced and competitive digital landscape is increasingly challenging. But with great customer experience through messaging, businesses can continue to bolster brand loyalty and ultimately increase revenue growth. Respond.io is committed to helping as many companies leverage the benefits of Google’s Business Messages by adopting and implementing the service into their existing workflows and processes. Want to know more about and use [Google’s Business Messages](https://respond.io/blog/google-business-messages) for your business? [Get in touch with us today](https://respond.io/contact)! ## [Respond.io Presented as Best Business Messaging Platform Vendor of 2023](https:/respond.io/blog/best-business-messaging-platform) Respond.io was awarded Best Business Messaging Platform Vendor of 2023 by CXO Insight Middle East during Expand North Star in Dubai. DUBAI UAE, October 30, 2023 - Respond.io, a pioneering customer conversation management software, was named Best Business Messaging Platform Vendor at the ICT Leadership Awards by CXO Insight Middle East. The ICT Leadership Awards highlights Information and Communications Technology (ICT) leaders and organizations that have fostered digital business excellence and expansion through innovation in the region. Respond.io joins the ranks of Lenovo, Cisco and Fortinet among the award recipients of the night “We have firmly established ourselves as one of the leading customer communication management software in the Middle East for various industries, including IT and SaaS, education, healthcare, e-commerce, and logistics. Our growth in the region underscores our steadfast commitment to delivering unparalleled customer experiences. We’ve done this by establishing a robust local presence and localized platform experience and support to better understand the needs of customers in the Middle East”, said Gerardo Salandra, CEO of respond.io. The award was presented on October 17th at Expand North Star in Dubai, one of the largest annual technology startup events. North Star showcases notable startups in front of tech industry professionals from more than 100 countries worldwide. Concurrently, respond.io participated in GITEX Global 2023, the world’s largest tech conference, which also took place in Dubai. Respond.io took this opportunity to introduce Respond AI, an advanced AI technology that efficiently manages tasks like adjusting message tones to reflect a brand’s voice and generating responses by using the client's knowledge base and the web. A team of experts demonstrated how seamlessly Respond AI works together with other respond.io capabilities, including state-of-the-art chat automation, flexible integrations and a comprehensive reporting module to fulfill all customer communication needs. #### About Respond.io Respond.io is an AI-powered customer conversation management software that enables teams of all sizes to respond to messages on any channel from a centralized dashboard. Its advanced chat automation, flexible integrations and comprehensive reporting facilitate efficient operations and great customer experiences at scale. The platform is trusted by over 10,000 brands across 86 countries, including British Airways, Toyota, Decathlon, Roche and Klook. In 2022, respond.io raised $7 million in Series A funding, led by Headline Asia, and achieved the prestigious status of a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) in April 2023. From its headquarters in Malaysia, respond.io continues to innovate and advance the future of customer conversations. ## [Respond.io Pricing: Flexible and Transparent for All Businesses](https:/respond.io/blog/respondio-pricing) Discover the true value of the respond.io pricing model – pay for what you use. Get all your questions answered about costs in our comprehensive guide. Since respond.io was launched in 2017, we’ve upgraded our infrastructure and introduced features that have greatly expanded the scope and utility of our platform. These advancements have made respond.io the top choice for conversational sales and marketing. However, for a product to be great, it must also be sensibly priced. That's why **we are now testing an experimental pricing model** based on the value you receive from respond.io. We'll clear up any questions you might have about this promising experiment, ensuring you have all the information you need to continue growing with us confidently. ### Pricing that Scales with Your Business Businesses often incur unnecessary expenses with their customer conversation management software due to limited customization and rigid upgrade paths. Consequently, they might pay for features they seldom use or let go of essential tools for their operations because the costs are prohibitive. In a market saturated with all-or-nothing solutions, respond.io stands out with a value-based pricing model. What sets our pricing apart? - Adaptive to business growth: You only pay for what you need, aligning costs directly with your actual business requirements. - Scale at your own pace: Scale your growth sustainably without sudden cost spikes. - Clear costs: Transparency aids in planning and budget management, helping your business scale smartly. - Fair for all sizes: No matter your business size, you can get the best out of respond.io. In addition to **three subscription plans**, we implement value-based pricing through two primary metrics: The **number of Monthly Active Contacts** and **the number of Users.** The sections below detail how this works. ### Respond.io Pricing: Three Subscription Plans for All Business Needs Respond.io offers four tailored subscription plans, each designed to support different stages of a business’ growth. Choose our monthly subscription or opt for an annual subscription to **benefit from a 20% discount**. - Starter plan: Perfect for small sales teams, this plan provides essential features to establish a strong foundation in business messaging. - Growth plan: Ideal for sales and marketing teams looking to boost their conversational efficiency with automation and conversational AI. - Advanced plan: Crafted for teams that require advanced features to maximize efficiency at every contact point. - Enterprise plan: Designed for marketing and sales teams requiring a custom solution for their enterprising needs. Let’s get into more detail about what these plans have to offer. #### Starter Plan: Master the Basics Designed for small sales teams determined to tackle the challenges of selling through chat, this plan offers a unified platform for converting leads from websites and social media, providing complete visibility into every conversation. It's ideal for teams aiming to streamline their operations, gradually increase their number of agents, and build a robust foundation using respond.io’s omnichannel capabilities. Additionally, it boasts the lowest price per user in the industry while ensuring access to the most reliable platform available. With this plan, you'll have full access to our **core features**, allowing for efficient management of customer conversations. Here's what you can expect. - Team & custom omnichannel inboxes - Respond.io - Inbox Mobile app - Contact import - Merge duplicate Contact profiles - Elemental conversational AI features (AI Prompts and AI Assist) - Supervisor dashboard - Data export - Basic reporting …and more! #### Growth Plan: Scale Up Efficiently Tailored for marketing and sales teams aiming to enhance lead flow and conversions, the Growth plan adds automation and conversational AI features to scale operations and ensure sales efficiency. This plan is perfect for businesses ready to expand their lead capture, automate processes and conversations, and boost sales effectively without a proportional increase in effort or team size. - Advanced conversational AI features - Advanced reporting - Broadcasts - Integrations with Zapier, Make.com, Dialogflow and CRM systems - API access - Data export - Workflows chat automation ...and more! #### Advanced Plan: The Comprehensive Solution Designed for experienced sales and marketing teams, the Advanced plan is respond.io’s premium offering, ideal for executing highly specific integrations. It provides access to **all existing respond.io features**. This plan is perfect for businesses needing complex integrations and specialized features like custom channel configurations and HTTP requests. It also facilitates the expansion of use cases by adding new Workspaces, allowing teams to scale their operations seamlessly. Most importantly, the Advanced plan includes top-tier security features to ensure your customers’ data remains secure and protected. - Workflow Step: HTTP Request - Create Incoming Webhooks - Connect Custom Channels - Build Webhook Events - Multiple Workspaces - Phone Number and Email Masking - Single Sign-On (SSO) ...and more! #### Enterprise Plan: Reach New Heights Designed for large organizations that require scalability, the Enterprise plan provides a higher level of customization and flexibility. It includes everything you can find in the Advanced Plan, plus: - Unlimited user seats - Custom monthly active contacts - Increased API rate limits - Even a higher number of Workspaces For more detailed information, [visit the official respond.io pricing page](https://respond.io/pricing). ### Increase or Decrease Monthly Active Contact Tiers as Needed Monthly Active Contacts are a key-value metric for our pricing plans. **Monthly Active Contacts are Contacts that have sent or received a message (excluding broadcasts) over the billing month**. We believe our pricing should correspond to the value we provide. Each chat with a contact is a potential sales opportunity, and our Monthly Active Contact pricing model ensures you only pay for the contacts you engage with. There are four reasons why this matters to your business. - You’re not restricted by the number of total Contacts you can have - You don’t have to pay for the Contacts you don’t speak to - Your pricing will scale with the number of Contacts you actually talk to in a month - You don’t have to delete Contacts and lose their conversation history Growth and Advanced plans include 1,000 Monthly Active Contacts by default and allow businesses to increase or decrease Monthly Active Contact limits without switching plans, providing the flexibility to start strong and scale within their chosen plan as their business grows. The reason behind this decision is simple: **If you only need more Monthly Active Contacts, why should you upgrade your plan and pay for features you won’t use?** On the other hand, Starter plans offer unlimited Monthly Active Contacts, ensuring new Users can build their contact base without constraints. ### Add or Remove User Seats as Needed Users are the last key-value metric in our pricing plans. **A respond.io User is someone granted access to an** [Organization’s Workspace](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/users). Recognizing that businesses of various sizes have different User requirements, we want to make it easy for you to scale them up at your own pace without incurring unnecessary costs. Each plan includes a default number of Users. Similar to our Monthly Active Contact tiers, you can add and remove Users individually as your needs grow without changing your subscription plan. > Manage your subscription plan directly from your respond.io Workspace. Simply navigate to *Settings* > *Billing & Usage* to add or remove Monthly Active Contacts/Users or change your subscription plan according to your needs. ## [Respond.io Raises $7 Million in Series A Funding](https:/respond.io/blog/respond-io-raises-7-million-in-series-a-funding) Respond.io will use its $7 million Series A funding to continue pioneering the way forward in the business messaging world Startups tend to raise capital early and often. That isn’t how we do it at respond.io. We’ve been focused on organic growth since our inception in 2017, prioritizing our product and content to solve the biggest problems in business messaging. If you’ve followed our journey from the start or found us through our blog, you’ll know this firsthand. #### We’ve taken the time to build respond.io properly Our approach to raising capital is fundstrapping, a mix of bootstrapping and fundraising. When decisions are dictated by money — or the lack of it — ideology or growth suffer. Combining both was a sweet spot for us. We started respond.io in a tiny office with few resources, but we fully believed in the vision of a product that would transition businesses from the email era to conduct marketing, sales and support at scale over instant messaging. Since we were focused on the product rather than profits, we could: - Be as disruptive as we wanted, experimenting with new ideas in an untapped market - Push efficiency and creativity to the limit; having less also forced us to make the most of available resources - Build our platform meticulously, going back to the drawing board as many times as necessary to get it right Our seed and pre-series A funding made it possible for us to make mistakes (lots of them!) and take the time to correct them. We have to thank our early customers for this. As a result, respond.io is now on solid ground with a deep understanding of customers’ real-world needs. #### We’ve been pushing the accelerator on innovation Most companies take their foot off the pedal when they reach a certain size and focus on retention, extracting more revenue from existing customers while slowing down on value generation. That’s not the respond.io way. We have empowered more than 10,000 businesses, including industry heavyweights like Abenson, Roche and ShareChat, to join the conversational commerce revolution and process over 140 million messages a month. And we’re still gunning for innovation to increase the value we provide every day. As a pioneer in the messaging landscape, we’re determined to keep our lead. All our decisions are data- and customer-driven. Respond.io has evolved from an omnichannel inbox to a full tech stack with third-party integration support, an automation engine and advanced analytics. Meanwhile, recent upgrades like our adoption of WhatsApp Cloud API, localization of our platform in Spanish and a Monthly Active Contacts pricing model (a first in our industry) are examples of how much your feedback matters to us. Thanks to this, we’ve grown our revenue 25X since our last round of funding. Our track record in product and content-led growth proves we know exactly where you need to go and how to get you there. In short, this rocket is ready for launch. ### We’re set to scale with Series A funding Our goal has always been to design a superlative product with scalable repeatable growth. To that end, we’re happy to announce that we’ve raised $7 million in Series A funding, led by [Headline Asia](https://headline.com/) with participation from [AltaIR Capital](https://www.altair-cap.com/), [Smart Partnership Capital](https://www.spc-vc.com/), [Sterling Oak Group](https://www.sterling-oak.com/) and [Calendula Ventures](https://calendula.vc/). It’s important to us that our investors are like-minded and support our focus on long-term value generation for all stakeholders, especially our customers. We were fortunate to find them this round and have charted an ambitious roadmap for the next chapter of our journey. #### We’re going to serve you better You have seen us produce tools like [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts), which intuitively creates a single customer story across channels, and grow Workflows into one of the most powerful and flexible automation builders in the market. Imagine what we can do with this injection of funds. Expect to see more highly sophisticated features and solutions, as well as continuous improvements to our infrastructure. #### We’re going to support you better By the end of 2022, we’d have tripled the size of our team to 100 Responders compared to the same time last year. Not only are we investing in hiring the best tech talents, but we’re also looking to grow our support team to create an exceptional customer experience for you. This includes more dedicated Customer Success Managers for Enterprise clients and more agents covering a wider range of shifts in multiple languages for our global clients. #### We’re going to be closer to you Speaking of global clients, we’re going to be expanding in the Middle East, Europe and Latin America; regions where messaging apps absolutely dominate the communication landscape but few business solutions exist. Right now, we’re one of the best-kept secrets in the business messaging world as most of our clients found us while looking for solutions to specific problems. In this next chapter, we're going to bring business messaging into the mainstream. While we are a product of our generation, born into and molded by the messaging world, it is a world that is rapidly evolving. This isn’t a challenge for us; it’s an opportunity. As we move out of our startup phase and into our growth phase, we thank you for crossing this milestone with us. Here’s to many more ahead. ## [Respond.io Shines at GITEX Global 2023 with New Innovative AI-Powered Solutions](https:/respond.io/blog/respondio-unveils-ai-powered-solutions-at-gitex-global-2023) Respond.io unveiled new AI-powered solutions at GITEX Global 2023, aiming to redefine customer communication and empower businesses in the Middle East. DUBAI, UAE - October 23, 2023 - Respond.io, a pioneering customer conversation management software provider, successfully concluded its debut at GITEX Global 2023. GITEX Global is one of the world's largest tech exhibitions, hosted at the Dubai World Trade Center from October 16th to 20th, attracting an estimated attendance of 180,000 participants over 5 days. In conjunction with the event, respond.io showcased Respond AI, which handles tasks ranging from adjusting messages to fit a brand’s tone to generating responses using information from a client's knowledge base. Respond AI works together with state-of-the-art chat automation, flexible integrations and a comprehensive reporting module to fulfill all customer communication needs. "GITEX Global 2023 marked a pivotal moment for respond.io as we shared the evolution of customer communication. We are heartened by the positive response from the Middle East market and remain committed to actively contributing to the region's growth through our innovative solutions, which empower businesses, elevate customer experiences, foster growth and enhance operational efficiency across diverse sectors," said respond.io CEO Gerardo Salandra. During the exhibition, Salandra delivered forward-looking insights in his discourse on *Conversational AI: How GenAI and LLM are Redefining the Landscape of Global Business Conversations*. He had also participated in a fireside chat titled *Navigating the Digital Frontier - Unleashing Emerging Tech Icons in the Global Digital Economy* alongside Juwai IQI co-founder Kashif Ansari and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation senior vice president Gopi Ganesalingam. Respond.io's success extended beyond the main venue of GITEX Global 2023 as the company was awarded the Best Business Messaging Platform Vendor of the Year at Expand North Star Dubai, the world’s largest tech startup event held in tandem with GITEX Global. Expand North Star Dubai is an annual technology conference and exhibition that serves as a platform for industry leaders, innovators and tech enthusiasts to explore the latest advancements and trends in information and communication technology (ICT). The ICT Leadership Award recognized respond.io's remarkable contributions to customer communication technology, underscoring the company's dedication to excellence and its continued commitment to the industry. ### About Respond.io Respond.io is a customer conversation management software that enables companies to respond to messages from any channel from one centralized dashboard by teams of all sizes, thus making communication with customers easier, faster and more satisfactory. Over 10,000 companies from 86 countries, including British Airways, Klook, Decathlon, Roche and Bigo use respond.io. The platform processes 120 million messages per month, beating three of its main competitors combined. In 2022, respond.io raised $7 million in Series A funding, led by Headline Asia with participation from AltaIR Capital, Smart Partnership Capital, Sterling Oak Group and Calendula Ventures. In April 2023, the company achieved the prestigious status of a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP). Respond.io is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ## [Respond.io Wins Malaysia’s Leading AI Driven Omnichannel Marketing Award](https:/respond.io/blog/leading-ai-driven-omnichannel-marketing) Respond.io bags another award, this time as Malaysia's Leading AI Driven Omnichannel Marketing Award, cementing its position as leader in the business messaging space. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 9 November 2023 — Respond.io, a pioneering customer conversation management software, won the Malaysia’s Leading AI Driven Omnichannel Marketing award during the Malaysian Digital Expo (MDX) 2023 Awards Night. This award reflects respond.io’s leadership in using artificial intelligence to deliver cutting-edge solutions that enhance customer experiences and drive omnichannel marketing results. Respond.io joins the ranks of Carsome, DHL, AirAsia, and Sony among award recipients of the night. This was one of 37 tech-related awards presented by the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) during the MDX Awards Night, recognizing industry leaders for their exceptional growth, innovation and contributions to Malaysia’s digital economy. “Respond.io has made great strides to further the Malaysian digital economy, especially in AI technologies, and push the boundaries of customer engagement. This award is a significant milestone in our pursuit of a future where every digital interaction is transformed into a meaningful conversation. It fuels our drive to continue pioneering AI in this category, serving as a catalyst for the company's future endeavors," remarked respond.io CEO Gerardo Salandra. MDX 2023, organized by MDEC, is a six-week-long series of technology events in Malaysia from September 25 to November 8, 2023. It is a platform to showcase the best and most innovative companies in Malaysia to the world. By highlighting the sophistication of the country’s tech ecosystem, the expo acts as the gateway for companies looking to place a foothold in or expand into Southeast Asia and beyond. The expo culminated in a three-day grand finale from November 6 to 8, 2023, comprising conferences, exhibitions and business matching sessions. It concluded with the MDX Awards Night and gala dinner, celebrating and advancing Malaysia's digital aspirations. The ceremony was attended by key figures from Malaysia’s tech industry and high-ranking government officials, including the Minister of Communications and Digital, Fahmi Fadzil, and the CEO of MDEC, Mahadhir Aziz. ### About Respond.io Respond.io is an AI-powered customer conversation management software that enables teams of all sizes to respond to messages on any channel from a centralized dashboard. Its advanced chat automation, flexible integrations and comprehensive reporting facilitate efficient operations and great customer experiences at scale. The platform is trusted by over 10,000 brands across 86 countries, including British Airways, Toyota, Decathlon, Roche and Klook. In 2022, respond.io raised $7 million in Series A funding, led by Headline Asia, and achieved the prestigious status of a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) in April 2023. From its headquarters in Malaysia, respond.io continues to innovate and advance the future of customer conversations. ## [Rocketbots CEO Speaks at the Innovation Summit by The Economist](https:/respond.io/blog/rocketbots-ceo-speaks-at-the-innovation-summit-by-the-economist) Rocketbots CEO Gerardo Salandra spoke at the Innovation Summit September 7th, hosted by The Economist Rocketbots CEO Gerardo Salandra spoke at the Innovation Summit on September 7th, hosted by [The Economist](https://www.economist.com/), to debate with Jobsdoh Founder Xania Wong about the topic of AI and the potential for job loss in the future. Salandra spoke in against the motion that jobs would be safe from Artificial Intelligence. Meanwhile, Wong spoke in favor of job safety in the face of AI. Pre-debate polls showed 70% of audience members on Wong’s side of the aisle. Post polls showed an audience on the fence with a 50/50 audience. Gerardo’s argues that AI will indeed bring jobs, but they won’t be the jobs that everyone is looking for. AI needs constant training to be pushed in the intended direction they’re supposed to be in. Therefore only mundane, boring, repetitive jobs will replace the potential jobs lost. As AI is indeed an automation solution, the automation is to replace jobs that are already mundane themselves, fighting mundane, with another type of mundane. Salandra also argues that perception of AI is all too positive, AI will not only eliminate current jobs, but it will stop future jobs from being created, automation is a scalable solution, which means the likelihood of new jobs being created by AI would be negative in numbers, not positive.  Further points Salandra made throughout the event centered around the topic of the opportunity cost of AI outweighing the jobs created by AI. Shifting the Audience's opinion of AI to be on the fence rather than in favor of job safety. ## [Rocketbots is Now Respond.io](https:/respond.io/blog/rocketbots-is-now-respond-io) Respond.io enables brands to respond to business messages quickly and efficiently, no matter the channel. We founded Rocketbots to help companies implement automated messaging. 33,000 users later, we’ve realized we’re changing the world on a more fundamental level by enabling businesses to make the leap from customer email to customer messaging. Over the last decade messaging has changed the world. Conversations with friends moved from Facebook posts to WhatsApp groups and endless office email chains turned into Slack threads. It's time to conquer the final frontier - business messaging. We all know the pain of contacting, waiting and communicating with customer support. Using IVRs, waiting on hold or sifting through autoresponse emails. What a horrible experience. But it doesn't have to be that way. Customers want to message brands, check read status on a message level and get notified when the brand replies. It's not rocket science - but the truth is, with so many different channels to worry about, it's not exactly easy for companies to make it happen. We're here to change that. Respond.io enables brands to respond to business messages quickly and efficiently, no matter the channel. As far as we've come already, we still have a long way to go. So we've raised a Pre-Series A round of funding to accelerate this effort. With the help of Beyond Ventures and KTB Network, we've raised $1.8 Million to fund the ongoing development and innovation of our Business Messaging Platform. To continue growing our delightful customer base in Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia we’ve opened a brand new headquarters in Kuala Lumpur and doubled our team size. This is just the beginning. As you read this we are working on a swath of exciting new improvements that will transform business messaging from just another channel to a core part of a business that enables companies to communicate, understand and generate value for customers faster than ever before. ## [Rocketbots partners with Hong Kong CityU to bring AI to university students](https:/respond.io/blog/press-rocketbots-partners-with-hong-kong-cityu-to-bring-ai-to-university-students) Rocketbots continues to host events just like this across Hong Kong every month after the release of the new Rocketbots Academy Rocketbots Co-founder Gerardo Salandra visited the City University of Hong Kong to present to students how to build a chatbot in hopes of getting young minds interested in the hottest topic to hit the globe this decade. Lasting just 2 hours, CityU students were exposed to every step in the chatbot making processes with all the tools necessary to their disposal. The event soon broke out into smaller groups where students could try their hands at building their very own chatbots with tutoring from the Rocketbots team. A post-event survey found that 94% of the attendees believed that this would be a useful skill in the future when AI chatbots become more prevalent on the web. Rocketbots continues to host events just like this across Hong Kong every month after the release of the new Rocketbots Academy, a program that seeks to create fervor among the entrepreneurial communities by teaching attendees how to create their own chatbots from step one to done. It’s Rocketbot’s hope to become the most relevant thought leader on the topic in Hong Kong by creating an open-source, free, and community-focused library of AI chatbot courses and tools that anyone can pick up. Follow Rocketbots on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/13240213/), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/rocketbots/), or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rocketbotsio) to see when the next event is coming up. ## [Rocketbots Raises Seed Round for 2018 to Kick Off Its New SaaS AI Chatbot Platform](https:/respond.io/blog/press-rocketbots-raises-seed-round-for-2018-to-kick-off-its-new-saas-ai-chatbot-platform) Rocketbots, a Hong Kong-based Artificial Intelligence Chatbot company has recently closed their Seed Round for an undisclosed amount to help kick off it’s newest products to a rapidly-growing market. Rocketbots, a Hong Kong-based Artificial Intelligence Chatbot company has recently closed their **Seed Round** for an undisclosed amount to help kick off its newest products to a rapidly-growing market. This round was led by [Global Technology Alliance](https://www.gta.global/), an angel investment group operated by two renowned serial entrepreneurs from Germany including the former CTO of Scout24 & the founder of Smartcast, and joined by the CEO of Sun Hing Printing. The global chatbot market was valued at **USD 190.8 million in 2016**, it is expected to continue to experience significant growth driven by increasing adoption in customer service to reduce operating costs. According to a recent report by Grand View Research, the global chatbot market is expected to reach **$1.23 billion by 2025**. Before launching the Rocketbots Platform, the company provided solution-oriented business-to-business (B2B) services – utilizing AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP) in chatbots for several large enterprises. > *“Over the past year we’ve built numerous chatbots across all sort of verticals – in doing so we’ve realized that the tools available are far from perfect, so we decided to make our* *own”* *said Gerardo Salandra CEO of Rocketbots and Chairman of the Artificial Intelligence Society of Hong Kong.* The [Rocketbots Platform](http://www.rocketbots.io/) enables chatbots to fit the specific operational protocols of modern-day customer service teams. **It brings together CRM, analytics, insights, and human-handoff, designed to bring bot-assisted service into the mainstream.** By tying together messaging channels and human hand-off, the platform allows organizations to decide what their customers discuss with bots or with human agents. The Platform is eliminating the barriers to widespread adoption and ushering in the era of hybrid customer support. The jump start achieved by Rocketbots is partly attributed to the opportunities available in Hong Kong. With its mature legal environment, central location in the world’s fastest-growing region, tight-knit business community, and penchant for networking, Hong Kong is a place which facilitates growth. Its’ institutions also play their part with a network of universities and research facilities that nurture talent as well as government agencies like [InvestHK](http://www.investhk.gov.hk/) which provided us customized support. > *“Considering that the latest technological revolution has birthed numerous businesses based on apps, we want to spearhead and empower the next wave of entrepreneurs to build the next big thing based on chatbots, we call them Botpreneurs”* *said Gerardo on a further note.* In addition to the platform, Rocketbots intends to launch the [Rocketbots Academy](https://my.rocketbots.io/academy), a series workshops, webinars and hackathons across South East Asia, the Academy seeks to democratize AI and empower a new wave of entrepreneurs for the post-app era. #### ***About Rocketbots*** Founded in 2016, [Rocketbots](http://www.rocketbots.io/) is an AI chat automation platform for enterprises to engage employees & customers. Launch on platforms like Facebook Messenger, website, SMS, Wechat mobile apps and more. #### ***About the Founders*** ##### ***Gerardo Salandra | Co-Founder & CEO*** Gerardo is a serial entrepreneur and public speaker in Hong Kong, a growth hacker at heart and founder of the [Artificial Intelligence Society of Hong Kong](https://www.aisociety.hk/), he aims to bring AI to the masses. An IBM & Google veteran, with deep expertise in growth hacking, machine learning, and chatbots. A graduate of the MBA program at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. ##### ***Iaroslav Kudritskiy | Co-Founder & COO*** Iaroslav is the driving force behind the conversational design at Rocketbots and the creator of the Rocketbots Academy courseware. His previous roles designing information management systems and horizontal knowledge transfer strategies at Kodak Alaris, Xaxis & Light Reaction.  A graduate of the MBA program at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. ##### ***Hassan Ahmed | Co-Founder & CTO*** Hassan oversees the technology development at Rocketbots. Having been in the tech development field for more than 14 years, he has seen its evolution from command lines to modern interfaces. Hassan founded and lead the development of Pakistan’s largest news aggregator until it’s acquisition. A Computer Science graduate with previous experience working at Center for Advanced Research in Engineering. #### ***About the Investors*** ##### ***Alexander Nowotny | Managing Partner GTA & former CTO Scout24*** As Former CTO of Scout24 and CDO of MX1, Alexander now acts as Global Technology Alliance’s Managing Partner in Hong Kong and engages in entrepreneurial tasks in the region. ##### ***Christian Brenner | Managing Partner GTA and Serial entrepreneur*** Former founder of SmartCast and other Businesses across Asia. SmartCast started their rapid SaaS-Solution expansion throughout Asia via Hong Kong in 2011. By the time SmartCast was bought and fully integrated by the world’s biggest Satellite Operator SES from Luxembourg in 2016, the company was operating local subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea and served Media giants like Fox, Turner and Disney.. ##### ***Kenneth Chan | CEO of Sun Hing Printing*** Sun Hing Printing is the leading one-stop printing service provider in Hong Kong. Kenneth Chan lead the company to an IPO in 2017. According to the Frost & Sullivan Report, Sun Hing is ranked fifth in terms of share of total industry revenue in Hong Kong for 2016. ##### ***Andy Ann | CEO NDN Group & Serial entrepreneur*** Incorporated in 2002 as a private company, NDN Group has evolved over the last decade from a single digital media business in one city, to a broad-based total solution corporation in multiple markets. ## [Rocketbots Recognized by FinancesOnline as Outstanding Customer Support Software](https:/respond.io/blog/press-rocketbots-recognized-by-financesonline-as-outstanding-customer-support-software) Rocketbots is disrupting the customer support software industry by introducing AI automation that requires no extra setup or cost Rocketbots was recently listed on the FinancesOnline business software review platform in a bid to stand toe-to-toe against customer chat giants. Rocketbots is disrupting the [customer support software](https://s.financesonline.com/uploads/2018/10/Top-10-Customer-Support-Software-2-copy.png) industry by introducing AI automation that requires no extra setup or cost. While some major help desk brands are no stranger to AI integrations, the Rocketbots platform has AI embedded natively into it’s messaging backend that learns from typical human-to-human conversations, thus training the AI. By hybridizing AI with human agents, the Rocketbots platform seeks to enhance agents with AI, rather than replace them. The AI’s purpose is to save time and money by making an agent’s replies automated more and more over time as the AI learns, while still keeping a human in touch with the audience at large. FinancesOnline is the first of many software review websites that Rocketbots is seeking to take a foothold and make waves in the changing perception of customer chats. Too much emphasis on chatbots being an end-all be-all solution to 24/7 live support has left larger companies with a bad taste in their mouth due to poor training methods, inevitable chatbot failures, and so on being the main culprits. Other pitfalls in customer satisfaction were also expounded in a [live chat software research](https://financesonline.com/live-chat-software-customer-support-satisfaction-report/). Tackling perceptions as well as tackling the giants in traditional senses, Rocketbots is looking shake things up with a new method of artificially intelligent customer chats, and a pricing model that encourages scaling support, and not staff. After a thorough [Rocketbots features](https://reviews.financesonline.com/p/rocketbots/) review, FinancesOnline’s experts commended the software’s smart AI-learning functionality for its capability to competently answer recurring questions. “From these lessons, the AI can provide answers to the most commonly asked questions, freeing you and your chat agents from the burden of responding to mundane queries so you can focus on other matters that are complex and require more specific expertise,” stated the review team. They also cited centralized conversation management and enhanced marketing efforts as one of the main benefits businesses can derive from Rocketbots. FinancesOnline’s long-tail curation process and handy account management is one of many reasons Rocketbots decided to list on their platform. With plentiful awards to be taken from the competition, high traffic, and newsletters, there are plenty of avenues for startups  to rise to prominence in the face of larger companies. This is why we are incredibly proud to receive two shiny awards from FinancesOnline: Great User Experience award for 2018 and Rising Star award for 2018. These awards recognize Rocketbots as an exceptionally designed software that is well-beloved by customers. This accomplishment is also supported by our user satisfaction rating, with Rocketbots recording a 100% score. ## [Rocketbots Winner at International Seedstars competition](https:/respond.io/blog/press-rocketbots-winner-at-international-seedstars-competition) Rocketbots was selected to one of the top 8 startups in Hong Kong to attend Seedstars Rocketbots was selected to be one of the top 8 startups in Hong Kong to attend Seedstars, the global seed-stage startup competition for emerging markets and fast-growing startup scene, which has brought its pre-selection rounds to an end. Rocketbots participated in the event pitching its new HR chatbot, which aims to solve the problem of communication breakdown between companies and front-line employees by providing an Artificial Intelligence powered chatbot so they can ask questions about the company, HR, guidelines, etc. The HR chatbot engages employees by conversing with them on their most-used channels, like Facebook Messenger, where company news, updates, and surveys can be delivered to them with ease. The AI chatbot aspect of this solution handles the frequent questions and answers that may happen between HR and the workforce, and tackling these questions frees up time for HR to focus on the topics that really matter. To support the chatbot, Rocketbots pitched its chatbot management platform that aims to be a SaaS freemium model that would ideally help companies manage their chatbots, gain insights into workers, and deliver company updates meaningfully and without being lost in a sea of emails that any one employee might receive in a day. After participating in 3 rounds, [Rocketbots proudly took the second spot as the most promising startup in all of Hong Kong](https://respond.io/blog/press-rocketbots-raises-seed-round-for-2018-to-kick-off-its-new-saas-ai-chatbot-platform). ## [Sales Closing Techniques: How to Close a Sale in 3 Conversations](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-close-a-sale) Build a personal relationship with customers to improve your sales in a short amount of time. Learn how to close more sales in 3 conversations. Looking to close sales leads faster? You’ve come to the right place. This blog covers how to close sales effectively. In this guide, you’ll learn what conversational sales is, why you should close a sale in 3 conversations, how to do it and best sales closing techniques. ### What is Conversational Sales? [Conversational sales](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-sales) is an approach that treats each interaction with a lead as part of a two-way exchange. It’s not about cold calls and scripted pitches; it's about building relationships through genuine conversations. Even in the digital age, the fundamental principles of sales remain the same—build rapport, understand your customer's needs, and demonstrate the value of your product. But the execution has evolved. Instead of face-to-face interaction, conversations are happening on platforms like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-business) and more With the right conversational approach, you can close sales leads faster. Transform your sales game from a numbers race to a value-focused exchange that delights customers and grows your business. Let’s examine the best approach to conversational sales. ### Why Close a Sale in Three Conversations? Timing is everything in sales. A deal that drags on for too long can lead to a drop in customer interest. Prospects lose their initial enthusiasm or become distracted by competitors’ offerings. This delay reduces the perceived value of the product or service. It also tells customers that your sales team is inefficient or lacks commitment. To prevent this, it’s crucial to keep the number of conversations for each customers low. Here’s why you should keep it to three conversations. - Optimizes Sales Efficiency: Limiting the core sales process to three conversations helps in managing time and resources efficiently, both for the salesperson and the customer. It prevents the sales cycle from dragging on unnecessarily, which can lead to lost interest or decision fatigue from the prospect. - Increases Closure Rates: By methodically addressing customer needs, building trust and presenting tailored solutions, this strategy can significantly increase the chances of closing a sale. It also helps in establishing a positive customer experience, which is vital for referrals and future business. In three conversations, you can build a convincing narrative that leads your prospect to a buying decision. Each interaction maintains their interest and when done well, it leads to a win for both you and your client. Let’s look at this three conversation narrative next. ### Sales Closing Techniques: How to Close a Sale in 3 Steps Streamlining the sales process into three distinct steps not only simplifies the sales journey but also ensures a focused and effective approach to converting prospects into loyal customers. This method emphasizes clarity, efficiency, and the power of building relationships. This ensures a smooth transition from initial contact to final agreement to close sales leads faster, all while maintaining a strong connection with your customer. Let's dive into the sales closing techniques, using the context of a tertiary education recruiter as an example. #### Step 1: Identify Customer Challenges and Opportunities The foundation of a successful sale lies in a deep understanding of the customer's problems and objectives. Adeel Akram, a seasoned Senior Account Executive at respond.io, demonstrates how to close sales effectively. He emphasizes the importance of showing the value or return on investment of the service offered. In the context of education recruitment, this could involve explaining how a particular course or institution provides a better ROI in terms of career opportunities and earnings potential compared to others. Agents should use concrete examples, such as alumni success stories or industry partnerships, to illustrate these points. Every conversation with a prospect should have a clear goal, nudging them further in their decision-making process. By making each interaction meaningful and focused, you build a strong foundation that paves the way for a successful sale. #### Step 2: Follow-Up With Customers The second step involves delving deeper into the specifics of your offer and addressing any questions or concerns the prospect may have. This is the time to provide detailed information that highlights your competitive advantage. For an education recruiter, this could mean personalized reports on course outcomes, comparison charts between institutions or a tour around the campus. The key here is to tailor your follow-up to the individual's specific needs and goals, emphasizing how your offerings directly benefit them. This not only keeps the prospect engaged but also reinforces the value of your services, making it clear how they stand out from the competition. #### Step 3: Close the Deal By the time you reach the third conversation, you should be in a position to close the deal. At this stage, it's crucial to confirm that your offering is the best solution for the customer's needs. For education recruiters, this means ensuring that the course or institution you're recommending not only meets the student's current educational and career objectives but also positions them for future success. Closing the deal involves painting a clear picture of how your solution addresses the prospect's needs in ways that alternatives do not. It's about showing the long-term benefits, such as career growth, network building and skill development. At this final hurdle to close sales leads faster, reinforcing the unique advantages of your offering can make all the difference, turning a prospect into a satisfied customer. Since this is the most crucial stage, businesses should consider calling customers through the [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api) to more effectively seal the deal. ### Leverage Respond.io: Best Practices to Boost Your Sales Conducting effective sales conversations requires preparation, timing and a dose of intuition. Here are some best practices to keep in mind: #### Sales Closing Techniques: Know Your Customer Preparation is where successful sales conversations are built. Before messaging a prospect, it's crucial to set clear objectives for the conversation. Understanding what your goals are helps steer the discussion in the right place. It ensures that you make the most of the opportunity. Objectives could range from uncovering a prospect's needs and addressing objections to securing a commitment for the next step. On respond.io, you can [qualify leads](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/inbound-sales-enrich-contact-data-and-qualify-leads#enrich_data_and_qualify_leads_by_asking_a_question_with_workflows) so that you’re better prepared before talking to customers. With the [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) automation builder, you can ask a set of pre-defined questions to get the information you need. Alternatively, you can also use our [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai) to ask questions in a natural, personalized way. #### Sales Closing Techniques: Build Momentum to Keep Customer Interest Momentum is key in keeping a prospect engaged and moving through the sales funnel. Follow up promptly after each conversation. Consistency and timeliness in your follow-ups demonstrate your commitment and can keep the prospect interested. Use tools like [broadcasts](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) to send messages to a large number of prospects in one go. This helps you connect #### Sales Closing Techniques: Maintaining Relationships for Future Opportunities Even if a deal didn’t close, maintain the relationship anyway. You never know when a prospect might be more ready to buy and you want to be top-of-mind when they are. This also applies to existing customers. It’s much easier to get sales from an existing customer than a new one. So, make sure you maintain a relationship to upsell, cross-sell or even offer them an entirely new product. Just like with building momentum, you can send [broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) to prospects and customers to remind them of your offerings. Do this as a part of your retargeting campaign. > To avoid customers flagging your messages as spam on WhatsApp, ensure that you have an option to opt-out of your broadcasts. Having too many broadcasts flagged as spam can lead to an [account ban](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-terms). #### Sales Closing Techniques: Things to Avoid While you should take every opportunity to close a sale, there are limits. We’ll briefly go over the don’ts when closing sales. - Hard selling: Avoid this at all costs. Pressuring potential customers will only force them to back out of the conversation. Convince them about what they stand to gain, rather than telling them they have to buy your offerings. - Not asking for the sale: While you shouldn’t hard sell, you should still ask your customer if they’re ready to make a deal. Asking customers to get back to you on making a deal will result in declining interest over time. In short, you’ll lose customers. - Closing only once: Consistently close throughout the conversation. Schedule the next conversation with them, invite them to your store or even arrange a meeting. Make sure that your customers are guided towards a goal so that you don’t lose them. Respond.io is at the forefront of conversational sales for every business. And with [Respond 3.0](https://respond.io/blog/respond-30) on the horizon, conversing with customers will be better than ever. To start closing deals with respond.io, sign up for a [free account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) today. ### Further Reading If you enjoyed reading this article and want to know more about conducting sales through conversations, read these blogs: - Conversational Sales: A Quick Guide to Conversational Selling - Conversational AI for Sales: Close Deals in the AI Era - WhatsApp Sales: How to Sell on WhatsApp ## [Salesforce Integration: What Businesses Need to Know](https:/respond.io/blog/salesforce-integration) In this article, we’ll cover some common Salesforce integrations, their benefits, and how to set up a Salesforce integration with respond.io. Over 150,000 companies worldwide trust Salesforce to help them manage their customer relationships, making it the most popular sales CRM in the world. However, many companies use multiple platforms for various functions like sales, support and marketing. Switching back and forth between these platforms to gather and update customer information can slow down response times and hinder sales efforts. That's where integrating Salesforce with these platforms unlocks operational advantages. In this article, we’ll cover some common Salesforce integrations, their benefits, and how to set up the Salesforce integration with respond.io. ### What is a Salesforce Integration? Many companies rely on Salesforce to gather lead data and study their sales analytics, but they also use other tools like communication platforms and many types of apps. The challenge comes when agents have to come back and forth between Salesforce and other platforms for their business activities. For example, if an agent is chatting with a lead on a customer communication platform, without a Salesforce integration, they would need to go back to Salesforce to look up the lead's information and context, then switch back to the chat. Not efficient at all! Salesforce integration means connecting Salesforce with other third-party platforms to eliminate reliance on manual processes. This reduces inconsistencies and saves time, optimizing business operations. Businesses integrate with Salesforce for different purposes, which we will cover next. ### How Businesses Use Salesforce Integration #### **1\. Sales Automation: Syncing Customer Data with CRM Tools** Connecting Salesforce with sales tools like lead management and sales automation systems helps keep customer data up-to-date in real-time, so there’s no need for manual updates. Sales teams can easily access accurate information, letting them focus on the best leads and work faster to close deals. #### **2\. Marketing Automation: Running Email and Social Media Campaigns** Connecting Salesforce with marketing tools helps businesses send automated emails and social media messages. Using customer data, marketing teams can reach the right people with the right message, making it easier to engage leads and turn them into customers. Salesforce integration gives marketing teams a complete view of customer interactions, helping them improve campaign strategies. #### **3\. Customer Support: Connecting Salesforce with Support Systems** Integrating Salesforce with support systems helps customer service teams get all relevant information quickly. This speeds up problem-solving and makes interactions more personal, so support teams can resolve issues faster with a complete view of the customer’s history. #### **4\. Team Communication: Using Messaging Tools to Collaborate** Integrating Salesforce with communication tools helps teams work together easily. Teams can get updates, share information and talk in real-time without switching platforms. This keeps everyone on the same page and helps make decisions faster. ### Top 5 Popular Salesforce Integrations for Business We’ve covered the basics of Salesforce integration. Now, let’s take a look at some of the most common Salesforce integrations for business, what makes them popular and some interesting alternatives. | | Purpose | Key Benefits | Alternative Options | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Slack | Team communication | Get Salesforce updates in Slack.Collaborate on deals and support cases in real time. | Microsoft TeamsGoogle Chat | | Hubspot | Lead management | View and manage Salesforce leads on Hubspot.Align marketing and sales teams. | MarketoPardot | | Zapier | Workflow automation | Automate tasks between Salesforce and other apps.Reduce manual work and errors. | WorkatoMake | | Mailchimp | Email marketing | Sync customer data for targeted campaigns.Track email performance in Salesforce. | Constant ContactActive Campaign | | Respond.io | Capture, convert and retain leads | View Salesforce contact info in respond.io.Reduce platform switching. | SleekflowWati | #### 1\. Slack – Salesforce Integration for Internal Communication Slack is a messaging app that helps company teams talk and work together in real time. Teams can communicate across different Slack channels while managers and supervisors get total visibility over the conversations. ##### How does Slack integrate with Salesforce? You can make Salesforce and Slack work together to: - Send Salesforce updates directly to Slack. - Let users find Salesforce data within Slack. - Make teams work on customer issues faster. ##### Benefits of the integration Using Slack with Salesforce makes team communication smoother, helps sales and support teams respond quickly, and keeps important customer information easy to find. ##### Alternatives to Slack - Salesforce integrations for internal communication If Slack isn’t the best fit for your team, Microsoft Teams and Google Chat are good alternatives. - Microsoft Teams-Salesforce Integration: This is great for businesses that already use Microsoft Office tools like Outlook and SharePoint. It connects well with those apps, making it easy to access Salesforce data while working. - Google Chat-Salesforce Integration: If your company uses Google Workspace (Gmail, Google Drive, Google Meet), this integration lets you access Salesforce data across Google apps, keeping everything connected in one place. #### 2\. HubSpot – **Salesforce Integration for** Lead Management HubSpot is a popular CRM and marketing tool that helps businesses manage leads, automate sales processes and improve customer relationships. ##### How does HubSpot integrate with Salesforce? These are a few things you can do with this integration. - Sync contact details and leads. - Track customer interactions. - Automate follow-ups and sales processes. ##### Benefits of the integration Using HubSpot with Salesforce helps businesses align marketing and sales efforts, gain better insights into customer behavior and increase sales efficiency by automating lead management. ##### Alternatives to Salesforce-HubSpot integrations for lead management If HubSpot isn’t the right fit, Marketo and Pardot are two strong alternatives. - Marketo-Salesforce Integration: Marketo is a better option for larger companies with complex marketing needs. It provides advanced lead nurturing and scoring, making it ideal for businesses with long sales cycles. - Pardot-Salesforce Integration: Pardot is Salesforce’s own marketing automation tool. It works best for B2B businesses that need detailed reporting and automated lead generation directly inside Salesforce. #### 3\. Zapier – **Salesforce Integration for** Workflow Automation Zapier is a tool used to make integrations between thousands of apps to choose from. With it, you can automate business tasks and most importantly, no coding knowledge is required. ##### How does Zapier integrate with Salesforce? This integrations offer plenty of possibilities depending on what you’re integrating with Salesforce. Here are some common use cases. - Automate data transfer between Salesforce and other apps. - Trigger automated sequences based on customer interactions. - Update Salesforce records in real time. ##### Benefits of the integration Zapier helps businesses save time by reducing repetitive tasks, preventing human errors and improving efficiency. ##### Alternatives to Zapier - Salesforce integrations for workflow automation If Zapier isn’t the best fit, Make and Workato are good alternatives. - Make-Salesforce Integration: Make is a powerful, cost-effective option for businesses looking for advanced automation capabilities without the high price tag of larger platforms. It offers flexibility and scalability, making it perfect for businesses that need more than just basic integrations. - Workato-Salesforce Integration: This is better for large businesses that need complex automations. It offers more advanced options than Zapier, making it ideal for companies with detailed workflows. #### 4\. Mailchimp – **Salesforce Integration for** Email Marketing Mailchimp is a tool that helps businesses send emails and run email marketing campaigns. Connecting it to Salesforce makes email marketing more effective. ##### How does Mailchimp integrate with Salesforce? These are some things you can achieve by integrating these two platforms. - Sync customer data between both platforms. - Automate email campaigns based on CRM insights - Track email performance in Salesforce. ##### Benefits of the integration By linking Mailchimp with Salesforce, businesses can improve email marketing efforts, boost customer engagement, and measure campaign success with real-time analytics. ##### Alternatives to Mailchimp - Salesforce integrations for email marketing If Mailchimp doesn’t suit your needs, Constant Contact and ActiveCampaign are strong alternatives. - Constant Contact-Salesforce Integration: Constant Contact is ideal for small businesses and nonprofits that want an easy-to-use email marketing platform. It provides user-friendly templates and basic automation tools without the complexity of Mailchimp. - ActiveCampaign-Salesforce Integration: ActiveCampaign is a great choice for businesses focused on advanced email automation and customer segmentation. It offers more powerful workflow automation than Mailchimp, making it suitable for companies that need highly personalized email marketing #### 5\. Respond.io – **Salesforce Integration for** Capture, Convert & Retain Leads Respond.io is a conversation management platform that helps businesses sell and market to customers through messaging apps like WhatsApp, TikTok and Instagram. Respond.io has a native integration with Salesforce, making it more convenient for businesses to use these two in conjunction. ##### How does Respond.io integrate with Salesforce? With this integration, businesses can view Salesforce contact fields like email, phone number, and lead source directly in respond.io. This reduces the need to switch between platforms, allowing agents to access customer data instantly while chatting. ##### Benefits of the integration The main win here is agents reduce time spent switching between platforms, potentially improving response times and conversion rates. Lee Zheng Yang, senior technical product manager for respond.io, explains that another advantage of integrating Salesforce natively with respond.io is cost savings compared to using tools like Zapier or Make. However, Zapier and Make free tiers remain an option for smaller businesses. If you’re interested, know that respond.io also [integrates natively with them](https://respond.io/integrations?channel=Integration). ##### Alternatives to Respond.io - Salesforce Integration for Capture, Convert and Retain Leads If respond.io isn’t the best fit, SleekFlow and Twilio offer other options for customer messaging. - SleekFlow-Salesforce Integration: SleekFlow is another option for small e-commerce businesses. It helps manage customer chats and sales in one place, making it sufficient for online stores that need automated messaging. - Wati-Salesforce Integration: Wati is a solid choice for small to mid-sized businesses focused on WhatsApp but lacks true omnichannel support. Its automation and CRM integrations are limited, making it less flexible for complex workflows. If you’re considering these options, here are two articles comparing [**SleekFlow vs respond.io**](https://respond.io/blog/sleekflow-vs-respondio) and [**Twilio vs respond.io**](https://respond.io/blog/twilio-alternative) to help you decide. However, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to Salesforce integrations — it really depends on what your business needs. While some solutions are very specific, others like respond.io check many boxes by providing flexibility, automation, and omnichannel capabilities. ### Respond.io-Salesforce Integration Benefits If you sell and market over chat, respond.io is the most complete solution you will find. In this section, you’ll find four reasons why. #### 1\. Centralized Omnichannel Messaging Being omnichannel gives businesses an edge over multichannel or single-channel businesses. In fact, [**73% of retail shoppers are omnichannel shoppers**](https://www.uniformmarket.com/statistics/omnichannel-shopping-statistics#:~:text=73%25%20of%20retail%20shoppers%20are%20omnichannel%20shoppers). Respond.io centralizes all customer interactions across multiple messaging platforms into an omnichannel inbox. This, together with the native Salesforce integration, grants agents most of the context they need to push leads down the funnel effectively, ensuring the best communication and decision making with customers and within their team. #### 2\. Automated Lead Management & Nurturing Update leads from Salesforce to respond.io in real-time, ensuring your lead data always stays updated. Once you’ve achieved that, you can take it one step further and use respond.io to [**track lead data**](https://help.respond.io/convert-leads/how-to-automate-lifecycle-tracking-in-google-sheets) and [**nurture them**](https://help.respond.io/convert-leads/how-to-guide-customers-seamlessly-from-product-exploration-to-purchase-with-engaging-menus) with little to no human input. #### 3\. Improved Response Times & Quality Did you know that responding in under one minute [**can lead to 391% more conversions**?](https://rep.ai/blog/lead-response#:~:text=3.%20A%201%2DMinute%20Response%20Time%20Can%20Lead%20to%20391%25%20More%20Conversions) Because the respond.io-Salesforce integration reduces the need to switch tools while ensuring contextual, smart responses. This way, personalized, high-quality service becomes quicker and easier to provide, which has a positive impact on sales. #### 4\. Data-Driven Insights for Better Decision-Making Knowledge is power, as they say. The better your agents understand your customers, the smarter their decisions will be. Viewing Salesforce data while chatting on respond.io gives agents real-time insights, helping them take the best course of action. Now that you know the benefits of integrating Salesforce with respond.io, let’s check the requirements. ### Requirements for Salesforce Integration with Respond.io This is what you’ll need to integrate Salesforce with respond.io - A Salesforce account with API access. - Admin permissions to install the integration. As you can see, these are not very difficult requirements to get. Let’s now see how to set up the Salesforce integration with respond.io natively. ### 4 Steps to Set Up Salesforce Integration with Respond.io To get started, log in to your respond.io workspace. Then, follow these steps. 1\. Go to Workspace settings > Integrations. 2\. Find Salesforce and select Manage. 3\. Click Connect Salesforce. 4\. A new tab will open—sign in to your Salesforce account and authorize respond.io. Once connected, you’ll see a confirmation message with your Salesforce account details. This means the integration is in place and your agents can benefit from it right away. Last, we’ll share some tips that you can apply after setting up this integration. ### Salesforce Integration Best Practices To make the most out of your Salesforce-respond.io integration, have a look at these best practices. #### Collect Contacts’ Email or Phone Number For successful Salesforce integration, it's important to collect key identifiers like the contact's phone number or email. In platforms like WhatsApp, respond.io will automatically retrieve the phone number, but for other channels like Facebook Messenger, Instagram, TikTok), you’ll need to ask for these details. You can set up respond.io automation to prompt leads for their contact information when they engage with your business. #### Use Respond.io’s Lifecycle to Track Salesforce Leads Respond.io’s [**Lifecycle**](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) is the ultimate tool to keep track of where leads are in the sales pipeline. Keeping the Lifecycle status of a lead is important cause it affects the way this lead should be approached. You can even update Lifecycle automatically via Workflows if you want a smoother lead funnel and less work for your agents. #### Tackle any Salesforce Use Case with Zapier, Make and HTTP Request You can also integrate respond.io with Salesforce through [**Zapier**](https://help.respond.io/zapier/zapier), [**Make**](https://help.respond.io/integrations/make), or an [**HTTP Request**](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-http-request). While these options require extra setup, they will allow you to cover a vast number of use cases. For instance, you could create a Salesforce record when there is a new contact in respond.io, or update a Salesforce lead when a respond.io Contact is updated. ### Integrate Salesforce with Respond.io to Boost Your Sales Ready to try a conversation management platform that integrates with Salesforce? Respond.io enables you to: - Chat, call & email leads and customers on any channel in a single inbox - Manage click to chat ads - Automate conversations with Workflows and AI - Track the entire customer lifecycle - Get detailed reports on channels, agents and ad performance and much more! Now, with the addition of the Salesforce integration, understanding and managing leads is even easier. Speed up response times so agents can focus on closing deals, not on digging through CRM data. Take advantage of this powerful integration today and transform the way you make sales. [**Contact us for a free consultation**](https://respond.io/demo) or [**start your free trial**](https://app.respond.io/user/register) today. ### Further Reading If you’ve found this article helpful, check out the following CRM-related guides. - WhatsApp CRM Integration in 3 Steps: Your Ultimate Guide - TikTok CRM: How to Set it Up in 4 Steps, Use Cases Included - Telegram CRM: Integrating a CRM with Telegram on respond.io ## [Salesforce WhatsApp Integration: Connect in 5 Easy Steps & Use Cases](https:/respond.io/blog/salesforce-whatsapp-integration) Learn how you can integrate WhatsApp into Salesforce natively or through a business messaging platform like respond.io Are you looking to integrate WhatsApp to Salesforce? Then you’re at the right place. In this blog, we’ll cover what Salesforce WhatsApp integration is, why integrate Salesforce with WhatsApp and its requirements. We’ll also look at how to integrate Salesforce with WhatsApp on respond.io and the use cases. ### What is Salesforce WhatsApp Integration? Salesforce WhatsApp integration is the process of connecting [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) (also known as the WhatsApp Business Platform) with [Salesforce](https://respond.io/integrations/salesforce). It allows businesses to message contacts while maintaining a centralized database for [sales](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales), [support](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service) and [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) activities, ensuring that all contact information is always kept up-to-date across platforms. Next, let’s look at the benefits of integrating Salesforce and WhatsApp. ### Why Integrate Salesforce with WhatsApp? “Integrating Salesforce with WhatsApp allows agents to access all customer information at the click of a button. Then, agents don’t have to constantly switch between platforms to retrieve and view this information,” said Zheng Yang, Senior Technical Product Manager at respond.io. A [Harvard Business Review study](https://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/product/H0777V-PDF-ENG) showed that workers spend four hours every week switching between platforms. By integrating both WhatsApp and Salesforce, this clears up a ton of time workers spend on unproductive tasks. Keeping all customer information available in one place also gives agents the proper context when messaging customers, making the experience seamless. This consolidated view can help agents give faster responses, which is crucial when [82% of customers expect an immediate response](https://smallbiztrends.com/real-time-response-to-customers/) to a marketing or sales question. Additionally, the integration can allow for advanced automation capabilities such as [lead qualification](https://respond.io/lead-qualification), [contact routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assignment](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio), and [AI Agents](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai). Respond.io AI Agents go beyond scripted chatbots. They can handle complex conversations, draw from your knowledge sources, collect structured lead information, trigger actions in Workflows, and even close conversations automatically. They also detect when a request is beyond their scope and escalate to a human agent smoothly. You can even test AI Agents before going live. With the built-in Test AI Agent side panel, you can chat with the agent, reset threads, view or edit contact fields, and simulate key actions like assigning to users or teams, updating lifecycle stages, or closing conversations. This ensures safer go-live, realistic outcomes using your own data, and smoother handoffs If you’re convinced with the benefits of integrating Salesforce and WhatsApp, let’s look at the requirements. ### Requirements for Integrating Salesforce with WhatsApp Take note of a few things before setting up Salesforce WhatsApp integration. 1. You need a WhatsApp API account. 2. Salesforce users should also have admin access to configure the necessary integrations. Businesses also have the option of connecting Salesforce and WhatsApp to a business messaging platform, such as respond.io, a [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP)](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-is-now-a-whatsapp-business-solution-provider). It acts as a bridge between Salesforce and WhatsApp, enabling [message routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio), [automation](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation), and seamless data retrieval. Before you can integrate Salesforce and WhatsApp, let’s look at the types of integrations available. ### Types of Salesforce WhatsApp Integration Businesses have two options to integrate WhatsApp and Salesforce. Each type of integration offers distinct advantages and limitations depending on a company’s needs, existing tools, and messaging goals. Here’s a detailed look at the two types of Salesforce WhatsApp integrations, including how they work, their pros and cons, and which option is best for different business use cases. #### Direct WhatsApp Integration in Salesforce This type of integration allows businesses to connect or create a WhatsApp Business Account directly within the Salesforce CRM. It involves setting up WhatsApp as a native communication channel in Salesforce, which means that agents can manage conversations directly from Salesforce without needing an external platform. Here’s the pros and cons of directly integrating WhatsApp in Salesforce. | Pros | Cons | | --- | --- | | Single platform for customer and CRM interactions | Limited messaging capabilities compared to dedicated messaging platforms | | Automation using Salesforce tools | Limited to WhatsApp, Facebook, SMS and voice call only | | Easy reporting and analytics of messages and customer information like lifecycle movement | Complex pricing structure that requires clarification from Salesforce sales representative | Direct integration is best for businesses that already rely heavily on Salesforce for CRM and customer communication or teams with existing Salesforce expertise who can manage and configure the integration. #### Integrating WhatsApp and Salesforce via a Third-Party Platform This type of integration involves using a third-party messaging platform (such as respond.io) that connects both Salesforce and WhatsApp. The third-party platform acts as an intermediary, synchronizing data between Salesforce and WhatsApp while providing additional messaging features. Here’s the pros and cons of directly integrating WhatsApp and Salesforce in a business messaging platform. | Pros | Cons | | --- | --- | | Advanced messaging capabilities including AI agents and no-code automation | Customer data could be potentially desynchronized | | Omnichannel messaging capabilities | Additional costs involved in subscribing to a messaging platform | | Designed to send and receive messages at scale | Potentially more complex setup | | Platforms are optimized and built around sending messages | | This type of integration is ideal for businesses that want to engage customers across multiple messaging platforms at scale. Next, let’s look at how to set up WhatsApp integration in Salesforce. ### Setting Up WhatsApp Integration in Salesforce In this section, we’ll cover how you can directly integrate WhatsApp in Salesforce. 1\. Go to *Setup* → *Messaging Settings* → Click *New Channel* → *Start* → Select *WhatsApp (Enhanced)* → *Next*.| 2\. Accept the terms and conditions → Click *Next* → *Connect to WhatsApp*. 3\. Enter your Facebook login credentials → Follow the prompts to create or select a Meta Business Account and WhatsApp Business Account. 4\. Verify your WhatsApp Business phone number by text or voice call. 5\. After setup confirmation, click **Finish.** If you’re using WhatsApp in another platform, you can also connect Salesforce to it. In the next section, we’ll see how you can integrate Salesforce and WhatsApp in respond.io, an AI-powered customer conversation management platform. ### Integrate Salesforce and WhatsApp in Respond.io in 5 Steps If you have existing Salesforce and WhatsApp accounts, you can integrate them into respond.io to manage all your conversations and view customer information. 1\. **Go** to *Workspace settings* > *Integrations*. 2\. **Find** Salesforce and select *Manage*. 3\. **Click** *Connect Salesforce*. 4\. A new tab will open. Sign in to your Salesforce account and authorize respond.io. 5\. Once connected, you’ll see a confirmation message with your Salesforce account details. If you don’t have an existing WhatsApp API account and want to integrate it into [respond.io](http://respond.io), [get in touch with our Sales Team](https://respond.io/contact) to get one. > To sync contact information from respond.io to Salesforce, you will need to use [Zapier or Make](https://help.respond.io/l/en/zapier/salesforce). So, now that you’ve connected Salesforce and WhatsApp API to [respond.io](http://respond.io), what can you use it for? We’ll look at that next. ### Use Cases: How Businesses Can Use Salesforce WhatsApp Integration on Respond.io Integrating a [CRM](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) like Salesforce into WhatsApp unlocks many opportunities for businesses. Broadly, businesses can focus on three use cases for this integration. Let’s explore them. #### Marketing and Lead Generation Marketing teams can utilize WhatsApp [click-to-chat (CTC) ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads) to run lead generation campaigns. When leads contact you, a [Workflow automation](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) can run to save this lead’s information. You can also [capture leads](https://respond.io/blog/lead-capture) through [WhatsApp QR codes](https://respond.io/whatsapp-qr-code-generator) in your physical store as well as [WhatsApp links](https://respond.io/whatsapp-link-generator) in your website and social media profiles. Additionally, [WhatsApp broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) can be used to retarget cold leads. On respond.io, you can schedule these broadcasts as a part of your marketing strategy and execution. #### Sales and Engagement Sales teams can use automated follow-ups to [nurture leads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-follow-up) or as [appointment booking reminders](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-appointment-booking). The information in Salesforce will give agents the right context when crafting personalized messages for these prospects. If your agents are using the [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-calling-api), now available on respond.io, to reach out to customers, the ability to pull up their information without switching platforms is very useful. Agents can stay focused on the call while getting the right context to close a sale. Furthermore, agents and their managers can also use the Contact Lifecycle, a [lead management](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) tool, to track where customers are along the customer lifecycle. When customers are moved to the next stage of the lifecycle, the information can be [updated in Salesforce automatically](https://help.respond.io/zapier/salesforce#update_a_contact_in_respond_io_when_a_salesforce_record_is_updated) using [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/zapier/zapier) or [Make](https://help.respond.io/integrations/make). The information retrieved from the Salesforce integration will allow agents to access their information quickly, while chatting with leads, address their inquiries, and guide them toward conversion using personalized responses and relevant offers. #### Customer Support By accessing a customer’s messaging history and other records like support tickets, agents can respond faster and resolve inquiries in a shorter time frame. This gives agents context to respond more accurately and avoid asking customers to repeat information. Furthermore, managers can use the Reports Module to gain additional insight into how effectively conversations are being handled by agents. They can review the first response and resolution times to gauge the overall quality of customer conversations. ### Get Started with Salesforce WhatsApp Integration on Respond.io Whether you want to market, sell or provide support to customers, respond.io has all the tools businesses need. Enhance your communication strategy can easily integrate Salesforce with WhatsApp using respond.io. To get started, [reach out](https://respond.io/demo) to us or [start a free trial today](https://app.respond.io/user/register). ### Further Reading Like what you’ve read? Then read these blogs on integrations and other advanced tools for your business: - Salesforce Integration: What Businesses Need to Know - HubSpot Integration: Unlocking Seamless Customer Engagement with Respond.io - WhatsApp API Explained: Features, Benefits & Pricing ## [Say Hello to Voice: WhatsApp Business Calling API Debuts on Respond.io 🎉](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-calling-api-debuts-on-respond-io) Combine chat and voice into one platform and transform customer interactions. Now available in select countries with wider rollouts on the way. 📞 *Ring ring.* It’s time to connect with customers like never before! Respond.io is thrilled to announce the Open Beta release of the WhatsApp Business Calling API. With this, your business can finally use its voice, adding a dynamic personal touch to every customer interaction Ready to explore the value of this highly anticipated feature? Let’s take a look at what's in store for you. ### Call and Chat on One Unified Platform With the WhatsApp Business Calling API, your business can combine voice and chat into one powerful platform for an enhanced communication experience with leads and customers. Here are some game-changing benefits you’ll unlock: - Transition between text and voice easily: Say goodbye to juggling multiple platforms or losing momentum at critical moments. - Gain full visibility into customer interactions: No more guessing if a customer has been contacted via a different method. - Provide exceptional customer experiences: Call when it matters, chat when it’s convenient—build trust and keep conversations flowing effortlessly. ### Drive Conversions with Better Conversations Now that WhatsApp Business Calling API is here, transforming customer interactions into results is easier than ever. As voice calls build trust and assurance, accelerate decision-making among customers when you: - Answer questions instantly when their interest is at its peak - Address unique needs for high-value deals - Handle objections in real time With this personal touch, every interaction becomes an opportunity to win over customers and drive tangible results. ### Start Using WhatsApp Business Calling API on Respond.io WhatsApp Business Calling API is currently available worldwide! Now’s the perfect opportunity to enhance your communication strategy. Existing users can [enable the WhatsApp Call setting](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api) easily. New to respond.io? See how WhatsApp chats and calls on our platform can grow your business— [book a customized demo](https://respond.io/demo) or [try respond.io today](https://app.respond.io/user/register)! ## [Scale Your Business With TikTok Lead Generation Ads [Jan 2025] ](https:/respond.io/blog/tiktok-lead-generation) Use TikTok lead generation ads to scale your business through TikTok's massive user base. Capture customers, convert them, and retain them for repeat business. If you want to improve your sales and scale your business, TikTok lead generation ads are a great way to do it. With millions of active users using the social media platform daily, many potential sales await. In this blog, we’ll cover what TikTok lead generation ads are, why you should care about them, and how businesses can generate leads through TikTok. Lastly, we’ll cover the best TikTok lead generation strategy to implement. ### What Are TikTok Lead Generation Ads? Lead generation attracts and converts potential customers on TikTok by capturing their interest and contact information through various marketing efforts, like a lead generation form. This typically involves offering incentives to encourage them to share their details, ultimately building a pipeline of leads that can be nurtured and converted into sales. On TikTok, tapping a lead ad's call to action button will direct you to one of three places. 1. Your website Direct prospects to contact forms where they can leave their information with you. 2. Instant form It is a native TikTok lead generation contact form, but it has several advantages, like fast loading speeds and the ability to pre-populate fields based on available information. 3. Direct messages and instant messaging apps Send prospects directly into your TikTok Inbox or instant messaging apps like WhatsApp or Messenger. But why should businesses care about using TikTok lead generation ads? #### Why Should You Care About TikTok Lead Generation Ads? TikTok is one of the largest social media platforms in the world with over [1.5 billion monthly active users](https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/). For marketers, TikTok represents a massive opportunity to increase the number of sales. [82% of TikTok users first discovered](https://www.tiktok.com/business/library/TikTok_AUNZ_Lead_Finders_Playbook_Final.pdf) an SME on TikTok, while [52% of those went on to make a purchase](https://www.tiktok.com/business/library/TikTok_AUNZ_Lead_Finders_Playbook_Final.pdf). With those amazing figures, you don’t want to miss out on another channel to increase your revenue. If you’re convinced that TikTok lead generation ads are a viable way to generate leads, let’s look at how you can set it up using TikTok Messaging Ads. ### 3 Easy Steps to Set Up TikTok Messaging Ads for Lead Generation Before setting up TikTok Messaging Ads, you should be aware that there are two types of ads - [TikTok Direct Messaging Ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-set-up-tiktok-direct-messaging-ads?lang=en) and [TikTok Instant Messaging Ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-set-up-tiktok-instant-messaging-ads?lang=en). This step-by-step guide applies to both types of ads. #### Step 1: Create a Campaign On your TikTok Ad Manager dashboard, click *Create Ad*, select Lead Generation and name your campaign. Then click on *Continue*. #### Step 2: Set Up the Ad Group Name the Ad group. Then define your target audience, set your budget and choose the placement for your ads. You can lead users to TikTok Direct Messages or redirect users to messaging apps like WhatsApp or Messenger. #### Step 3: Create the Ad Design your ad creative, keeping in mind TikTok’s preference for authentic and engaging content. You can select either a video or carousel image ad format. Use videos or images that resonate with your target audience and include a clear call to action. Review your ad settings and ensure that they comply with [TikTok’s policies](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/tiktok-messaging-ads-policies?lang=en). Once you’re done, you can submit your ad for review. Once approved, your ad will go live, and you can start engaging with your audience through direct messages. Now that you know how to set up a TikTok Messaging Ad campaign, let’s look at how you can make the most of it. ### 4 Tips for Successful TikTok Lead Generation Ads In this section, we’ll go through best practices when setting up your TikTok Messaging Ads for lead generation. Here are four tips that you can implement with ease. #### TikTok Lead Gen Ads: Combine Organic and Paid Strategies To maximize your TikTok lead generation efforts, combine organic and paid strategies. While high-quality content may appear polished, authentic and unfiltered videos often resonate more with TikTok's audience. Leveraging your organic content as part of a broader ad strategy allows you to create a genuine connection with your viewers. Then, you can promote organic content through paid ads, amplifying its reach. This approach is great for small and medium-sized businesses with limited advertising budgets. Instead of pouring resources into creating a brand-new campaign, brands can use their existing organic content as the backbone of their advertising efforts. When combined strategically, organic and paid content can effectively drive brand awareness, engagement, and ultimately, conversions. #### TikTok Lead Gen Ads: Experiment With Different Settings and Content Experimenting with different content combinations and targeting is key to identifying the most effective strategy for your TikTok lead generation campaign. Perform A/B testing to refine your strategy, reduce costs, and increase return on investment. Regularly analyze and tweak your settings, such as age, interests, and behaviors, and experiment with various ad formats to discover what works best for your brand. This approach enables you to identify what resonates best with your target demographics. Begin with a broad audience to gather insights, then refine your targeting based on performance data to focus on segments with the highest engagement. #### TikTok Lead Gen Ads: Optimize Your Contact Form A well-optimized contact form is crucial for effective lead generation on TikTok. Include visuals like customized logos and header images to create a cohesive and professional look. To maintain user engagement, limit your form to no more than six questions and use advanced settings, [such as conditional logic](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/about-instant-form-question-types-and-settings?lang=en#:~:text=for%20all%20users.-,Logic%20Settings,-By%20adding%20Logic), to make the experience more dynamic and personalized. This approach not only makes it easier for users to complete the form but also improves the quality of the leads you capture. > Always include a link to your privacy policy to build trust and ensure compliance with regulations. Adding a review screen allows users to verify their details, reducing errors and enhancing the experience. Conclude with a thank you message to leave a positive impression and reinforce your brand’s professionalism. #### TikTok Lead Gen Ads: Integrate Your CRMs Never miss opportunities in every part of your marketing funnel by [integrating a CRM into TikTok](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/available-crm-integrations-tiktok-lead-generation). By connecting TikTok Instant Forms with your CRM, you can automate the process of nurturing leads, ensuring they are promptly followed up. This integration allows you to manage leads more effectively by syncing them directly into your sales or marketing workflows, reducing manual data entry and speeding up the response time. Automation also enables personalized communication and follow-ups, improving lead conversion rates. With a seamless connection between TikTok and your CRM, you can gain deeper insights into campaign performance, monitor lead quality and make data-driven decisions to optimize your strategy further. Still not convinced that you can make lead generation work on TikTok? Then check out the businesses that won big with it. ### Businesses Win Big With TikTok Lead Generation Ads TikTok has helped many businesses boost their lead generation capabilities while maintaining or driving down costs. Here are two businesses that made the most out of TikTok lead generation ads. #### Onlyfy [Onlyfy](https://www.tiktok.com/business/en/inspiration/onlyfy-tiktok-success-stories?ab_version=control) aimed to promote e-book downloads among job seekers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland by debuting on TikTok. Lacking an organic presence, they used TikTok's Instant Forms to generate leads. It used TikTok’s automated ad targeting to reach relevant users in their target regions without manual intervention while partnering with creators and using 'Instant Forms' to capture lead information. The TikTok Creative Center guided their content strategy, tailoring ads to the platform's trends. As a result, it reduced their cost-per-lead by 84% and increased lead volume by eight times. The campaigns enhanced brand recognition, boosted positive brand association, and significantly increased e-book downloads and inquiries. #### Systemized Media and Topline Heating & Air [Systemized Media](https://www.tiktok.com/business/en/inspiration/sytstemized-media-topline-TTCC?ab_version=control) used TikTok’s Lead Generation tools to help Topline Heating & Air acquire over 6.6k high-quality leads. They leveraged the [TikTok Creative Challenge (TTCC)](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/creativecenter/quicktok/online/tiktok-creative-challenge-introduction/pc/en) to produce cost-effective, high-performance ads through vetted creators, while TikTok Ads Manager and Pixel tools enabled efficient tracking and targeting. This strategy maximized lead conversions, allowing the agency to expand its customer base while maintaining creative and operational efficiency. TikTok Messaging Ads are just one avenue to generate leads. By using our Conversation Led Growth Framework, you can learn how to increase the opportunities to generate leads, convert them and retain them as paying customers. [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register) to start your click-to-chat ad campaign journey. ### Supercharge Your TikTok Lead Generation with Respond.io While TikTok provides basic business tools, businesses focused on generating leads through chat across multiple channels may need more advanced features. From automation and analytics to enhanced security and customer communication, respond.io—trusted by TikTok—offers the comprehensive solution you need to elevate your lead generation efforts. #### Unlock the Full Potential of TikTok Lead Generation Ads TikTok Business Messaging lets you manage leads from both paid and organic sources in one powerful inbox. Whether replying to Lead Gen Ad submissions or viral content, respond.io helps you streamline conversations, nurture leads faster, and boost conversions. Now, you can track leads from TikTok Messaging Ads directly in the Reports module — no more spreadsheets or guesswork. Use Paid Ads attribution in Contacts and Lifecycle reports to: - Filter and group leads by Ad Campaign, Ad Group, or specific Ad - Monitor lead progress from New Lead to Paying Customer - Identify which ads drive real conversions Currently in Beta and available in most regions (except the U.S., EEA, Switzerland, and the U.K.), TikTok Lead Generation Ads are easier than ever to manage. If you have an eligible TikTok Business Account, connect it to respond.io and **start tracking which ads deliver paying customers.** ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results Respond.io is among the first few badged TikTok Marketing Technology Partners globally. The badge is awarded for expertise in end-to-end TikTok sales and marketing solutions, including sales workflow automation and tools to optimize TikTok ad performance. What does this mean for your business? As a badged partner, respond.io gives you access to the latest innovations in TikTok Business Messaging. From capturing leads to closing sales, you’ll have the tools to attract, convert and grow customers — all from a single platform. 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ### Further Reading Did you enjoy reading this blog? Check out our other blogs on TikTok and lead generation: - Ultimate Guide to TikTok for Business - TikTok Ads: Harness TikTok Messaging Ads to Boost Sales - Generate Leads and Boost Sales with WhatsApp Ads: A Practical Guide to WhatsApp Advertising ## [Selecting the Best Customer Messaging Platform: Top 6 Criteria to Consider](https:/respond.io/blog/customer-messaging-platform) Looking for a customer messaging platform? Learn what it is, how it works, and the benefits it offers. Find the right customer messaging software with respond.io. Are you looking for a customer messaging platform for your business? If so this blog post is for you. We’ll explore what customer messaging platforms are, how they work and the benefits of having one. Then, we’ll list down the criteria a good customer messaging software should have and how you can use respond.io as a customer messaging platform. ### What is a Customer Messaging Platform? A customer messaging platform or customer messaging software is a solution that allows businesses to communicate with customers through various messaging channels. It is designed to help businesses streamline and enhance customer communication with features like chatbots, automation tools and integration capabilities with other customer service systems. Now, let’s look at how it works as a platform for customer messaging. #### How Does a Customer Messaging Software Work? Customer messaging platforms typically focus on instant messaging channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) and [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat). However, they can also support traditional channels such as SMS and email. They work by consolidating all the messaging channels customers use, to help you manage customer conversations conveniently in one place. Businesses can view and respond to customer messages from different channels through a single interface, build automation to route and assign conversations to the right team and agent and track conversation progress and agent performance, among others. Note that not all customer messaging platforms offer these capabilities, as they are commonly found features only in advanced platforms. Now that you know how a customer messaging platform works, let’s explore the benefits they offer to businesses. ### Benefits of Using a Customer Messaging Platform A customer messaging platform offers significant benefits to businesses by effectively addressing common problems associated with customer messaging. Some of these issues include siloed conversations, difficulties in manually responding to high volumes of messages, tracking conversations from multiple channels and challenges in providing instant replies due to these blockers. A customer messaging platform’s ability to centralize all customer conversations into a unified interface eliminates the problem of siloed interactions. Agents can easily access and respond to messages from various channels in one place, ensuring a cohesive and seamless customer experience. As a customer messaging platform provides one place for all messaging channels, businesses can enhance their conversation tracking capabilities and identify the conversations that have and have not been answered in real time. With automation being one of a customer messaging platform's core features, businesses can use it to effectively handle routine inquiries and significantly reduce repetitive tasks. This frees up agents' time allowing them to provide prompt responses and focus on addressing complex customer issues. As a result, businesses can offer an enhanced customer experience and increased satisfaction. Having explored the benefits of a customer messaging software, let's now focus on the key factors to consider when selecting a customer messaging platform. ### Criteria to Look for in a Customer Messaging Platform Choosing the right software for customer communication is crucial to handle all your messaging needs. Here, we’ll explore the must-haves of a customer communication platform to help you choose the best solution for your business. #### Omnichannel Support for Seamless Customer Engagement A crucial criterion for a customer messaging platform is its ability to support multiple communication channels as most businesses interact with customers across various platforms, such as email, SMS and instant messaging apps like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) and [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat). An ideal customer service messaging platform should be able to integrate and manage these channels in a unified interface, so businesses can efficiently engage with customers on their preferred channels and provide a [seamless omnichannel experience](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-2). If you’re looking for an omnichannel messaging platform, then you should give respond.io a try. It supports all popular instant messaging channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) and [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) along with traditional channels like email, webchat and [SMS](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms). #### Cross-Channel Contact Recognition for Enhanced Omnichannel Experience The ability to identify and recognize returning contacts across different channels is vital to provide a true omnichannel experience. A robust customer messaging platform should offer tools to consolidate data from different channels to ensure a unified customer profile. With respond.io, businesses can [merge conversations from different channels](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts/contacts-overview#merge_contacts) into a single thread, creating a unified customer profile. If a customer has previously emailed you but decided to message you on WhatsApp next, you can merge the conversations to get context easily. This enables agents to have a comprehensive view of each customer's communication history, preferences and past inquiries, allowing for personalized and contextualized responses. As a result, you can identify returning customers, spot recurring issues and make informed decisions when assisting them. #### Advanced Automation to Streamline Processes Automation plays a pivotal role in streamlining and optimizing business processes. While many platforms offer basic rule-based automation, relying solely on this capability will not be enough as your business starts to grow. To future-proof your customer communication management, choose a platform with advanced automation capabilities that can seamlessly scale with your business growth. This will ensure robust and effective automation as your customer base expands. Plus, it will prevent the need to switch to another software in the future, avoiding potential disruptions in your operations. Respond.io’s [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) allow you to automate complex business processes in a visual automation builder. You can plan, design and implement a Workflow with any amount of complexity from scratch or via [templates](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#creating_a_new_workflow_from_a_selected_template). #### Flexible Integration with Existing Software Stack A customer messaging platform should seamlessly integrate with your existing software stacks, such as CRM systems and data warehouses. This feature is important as it enables businesses to seamlessly share data between their customer messaging platform and other softwares, ensuring smooth information flow, streamlined operations and cohesive customer experiences. Businesses can integrate any software with respond.io, including data enrichment platforms like Clearbit and a range of applications that supports [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/integrations/zapier) and [Make.com](https://help.respond.io/integrations/make-formerly-integromat) integrations. You can also use [Webhooks](https://help.respond.io/integrations/webhooks#webhooks) to trigger messages based on customer actions on external platforms like [Shopify](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify), [WooCommerce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/ecommerce-integration-woocommerce), [Magento](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/ecommerce-integration-magento) and [more](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations). This includes [abandoned cart messages](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify#send_abandoned_cart_messages_to_prompt_customers_to_complete_their_shopify_purchase_using_zapier), shipping updates, order confirmations, product recommendations and other relevant notifications. #### Multichannel Broadcast with Broadcast Analytics To efficiently communicate important updates or announcements and send promotional messages, businesses require a messaging platform capable of broadcasting messages across multiple channels simultaneously. This capability enables businesses to reach a broader audience and ensures consistent messaging across various communication channels. Broadcasting is particularly valuable for time-sensitive announcements, marketing campaigns or urgent notifications. With respond.io, businesses can send [broadcast messages](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) on multiple channels including [SMS](https://respond.io/blog/sms-marketing-sms-broadcast), [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-broadcast), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-broadcast), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-broadcast) and [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message). It also allows sending broadcasts on the [last channel a customer has interacted with](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#sending_a_broadcast_to_contacts_last_interacted_channel). Best of all, you can also [measure your broadcast campaign success](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-broadcasts) and get insights and data to help improve your next campaign. #### Robust Customer Messaging Platform Stability for Messaging at Scale A messaging platform's ability to handle high message volumes is critical, especially for businesses with a large customer base or businesses that usually experience a surge of inquiries during peak hours. A robust platform should be equipped to handle spikes in message traffic without compromising response times or performance. This is because any downtime or disruptions can negatively impact customer satisfaction and harm a brand’s reputation. With respond.io, you don’t have to worry about these issues. It is a [dependable platform](https://respond.io/customers/how-golden-luxe-enjoys-a-20x-more-stable-messaging-experience-with-respondio) built to handle high volumes of messages without interruption. Businesses can maintain consistent operations and focus on communicating with customers. Now that you know all the criteria a customer messaging platform should have and how respond.io checks all the boxes, let's explore some of the ways you can use respond.io. ### Customer Messaging Platform: Using Respond.io as a Customer Messaging Software Respond.io has a variety of tools to help you streamline support processes with automation. Here, we’ll show you some ways you can use respond.io for your business. #### Send Greeting and Away Messages Customers usually expect fast replies from businesses. However, this is difficult to achieve, especially if your business is not operating 24/7. Therefore, managing their expectations when they contact you outside of business hours is important. Respond.io allows businesses to send [welcome](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message) and [away](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business) messages to customers in such scenarios. These messages can inform customers about the estimated response time, letting them know when to expect a reply. By proactively managing customer expectations, businesses can demonstrate their commitment to providing excellent service, even during off-hours. #### Set Up An Automated FAQ Menu One effective way to streamline customer support and provide quick solutions is by setting up an automated FAQ menu. Businesses can compile and organize answers to commonly asked questions and implement them in their Workflow. By doing so, customers can easily access information and find answers to their queries without the need for agent intervention. To tackle more complicated support cases, you can include the option for them to ask open-ended questions or provide an agent escalation pathway. #### Send Pre-Chat Surveys to Collect Customer Information Collecting customer information is crucial for providing effective assistance as agents can gain important context to aid them in their interactions. For instance, they can use the information to identify VIP customers, access context from previous conversations and more. With respond.io, you can automate [pre-chat surveys](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) to collect valuable contact information and gain context for an issue. These surveys can be designed to capture essential details like name, email address, phone number or any other relevant information. With all essential information, agents can accurately identify and address each customer's specific needs and preferences. This enables them to offer personalized solutions, resolve issues efficiently and provide exceptional support. #### Automatically Route and Assign Conversations Correctly To ensure customers receive the assistance they need, it is crucial to connect them with the appropriate agent who can address their specific issues. Respond.io's [Workflow automation](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) offers an intuitive way to automatically [route conversations to the right team](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio#toc-mobile-4) and [assign them to the right agent](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio). You can customize your routing method to suit your specific needs, including language-based routing and shift-based routing, among others. Additionally, you can automatically assign conversations based on your assignment logic, like round-robin, distributing conversations equally among support team members or assigning VIP customers to dedicated agents. By leveraging the power of automation, businesses can ensure that customer inquiries are efficiently handled, eliminating the need for manual routing and assignment by managers. #### Execute Complex Manual Tasks With a Click Managers can build Workflows to [automate complicated tasks](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) like [shift transfers](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/route-customers#route_based_on_business_hours_and_shifts), [CSAT surveys](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) and [case escalation](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management). Then enable agents to launch them at a click with the [Shortcut Trigger](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0) button while chatting with customers. For instance, if an agent's shift is ending and they have several unresolved conversations, they can click on the Shortcut Trigger button, fill in a short form for context and let automation transfer the conversations to the next shift. You can also use this feature to [escalate cases](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) to external platforms like Slack. Additionally, you can exchange information between CRMs and respond.io to [retrieve updated contact profiles](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/enrich-customer-data) or create deals and tickets. This way, agents can seamlessly execute tasks based on specific times and customer requests without the hassle of switching between multiple platforms. #### Use Advanced Reporting to Monitor Agents and Conversations [Respond.io’s Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/dashboard) allows businesses to monitor agents' performance through advanced analytics. Businesses can use it to track response times, resolution times and other key performance indicators. Among many other possibilities, managers can use the [Leaderboard tab in the Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-leaderboard) to get granular insights into the team and user performance with the help of filters. By leveraging the Reports Module, supervisors can identify any gaps or inefficiencies in their processes. Then, use their findings to improve team performance and optimize business operations. Are you ready to start using a customer messaging platform to streamline business processes? [Sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and experience powerful automation like no other platform! ### Further Reading Want to explore respond.io further? Here are some readings that might interest you. - Inbound Conversation Workflows: A How-To Guide - Chat Routing: How to Route Chats to The Right Team Effectively - Auto Assignment: Automatic Assignment with respond.io ## [September 2023 Updates: Respond AI Assist, Click-to-Chat Ads Workflow Trigger, Improved Messaging Experience and More](https:/respond.io/blog/september-2023-updates-respond-ai-assist-click-to-chat-ads-workflow-trigger-improved-messaging-experience-and-more) September 2023 brought top-tier upgrades to respond.io including Respond AI Assist, Click-to-Chat Ads Workflow Trigger, improved messaging experience and more. Discover how these can benefit you. New month, new features! 🥳 September 2023 brought in game-changing updates to our platform. We introduced the Respond AI Assist, unveiled a new Click-to-Chat Ads Workflow Trigger and improved the respond.io messaging experience with features like the ability to reply directly to specific messages among other improvements. Let's dive into the details! ### Say Hello to AI Assist 🪄, Powered by Respond AI The new AI Assist is engineered to deliver reliable and precise answers, leveraging your existing content like knowledge base or self-help materials. It becomes an invaluable tool, acting as your agent's co-pilot for producing precise responses to customer queries. Let’s see how it works. #### Improved Answers from Multiple Resources Utilize your existing documentation and self-help materials to help AI Assist provide relevant responses to customer queries. Simply upload these materials or add webpage links to AI Assist Knowledge Sources and let AI do the rest. Your [Snippets](https://rspd.link/IGNr) are also used as a knowledge source by default. Additionally, you have the power to give AI Assist its own tone, ensuring that its responses reflect your brand through our AI Assist Persona feature. #### AI Assist: Get Accurate Answers with a Single Click With AI Assist now connected to your supporting content, a single click of the AI Assist button will instantly generate responses to your incoming customer messages right in the Message Composer. Note that every response costs one [Respond AI Credit](https://rspd.link/IGNs). Agents can even rate the AI Assist responses. If a response doesn't meet your requirements, give it a thumbs down 👎 and AI Assist will provide an alternative. Conversely, if it's spot-on, reward it with a thumbs up 👍. Your feedback is instrumental in refining this feature. #### No Supporting Content? AI Assist Can Still Assist You Even if you don't have any supporting sources, you can still harness the power of AI Assist. If enabled, it's ready to assist you by default, using ChatGPT's extensive knowledge to generate answers. ### New Click-to-Chat Ads Workflow Trigger and Improved Channel Events Get ready to manage conversations from Meta ads seamlessly with our new Click-to-Chat Ads Workflow Trigger. We've also improved our channel events to offer a more informative conversational experience for users across Meta channels, including WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram. Let's dive into the details! #### New Workflow Trigger: Click-to-Chat Ads With the new Click-to-Chat Ads [Workflow Trigger](https://rspd.link/IGOF), you can create a Workflow specifically for Meta ads that click to Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. Tailor your welcome messages and responses to match your individual ad campaigns, ensuring that Contacts get the most relevant information and answers. #### New Conversation Opened Source: Click-to-Chat Ads We've introduced a new source for Conversation Opened events called *Conversation Opened: Click-to-Chat Ads* which can be used for filtering conditions in Workflows, Reports and Integrations such as webhooks, Zapier and Make.com. This addition ensures that conversations from ads don't set off the Conversation Open Trigger Workflow and only Workflows intended for click-to-chat ads are activated. Additionally, it allows you to easily measure the effectiveness of your campaigns by pinpointing which ads generate the desired business results. #### More Informative Channel Events We’ve improved our Channel Events to provide more information to Users when customers message them through click-to-chat ads. If a conversation is opened through click-to-chat ads, the channel event will now clearly reflect the specific Ad that initiated the conversation. Additionally, every time a customer clicks on a click-to-chat ad that leads to a Meta-connected channel on respond.io, an Ad Summary Card will be shown containing relevant details about the ad as well as a link to take you to the ad on Facebook. #### New Click-to-Chat Ads Assignment Workflow Template We have added a new Workflow Template to our library that enables you to quickly grasp the power of the Click-to-Chat Ads Trigger. With this Workflow Template, you can select one or multiple Meta ads that will automatically send a welcome message to a Contact, assign them to a User in your Workspace and send an assignment confirmation message back to the Contact. ### Improved Respond.io Messaging Experience Engaging with customers is at the core of what you do with respond.io. To enhance your messaging experience further, we've introduced several key features. This includes the [highly requested](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request/p/channel-improvement-allow-user-to-reply-to-a-specific-message-from-a-contact-wha) ability to reply directly to specific messages, a handy message link preview and a tooltip for keyboard shortcuts. #### Reply to Specific Messages on WhatsApp and Telegram Handling conversations with different contexts in a single chat thread can be challenging. But guess what? We've got you covered! Now, you can [reply directly to a specific message](https://rspd.link/IGO1), whether it's from your customers or yourself. This feature is designed to make customer interactions smoother by pinpointing the exact messages you’re responding to. It's all about creating more meaningful and contextual communication with ease. Note that this feature is only available for the respond.io WhatsApp Business Platform (API) and WhatsApp Cloud API. Users of Vonage, Twilio or 360dialog APIs must [migrate to respond.io](https://rspd.link/IGO5) to access it. #### Preview Links in Your Messages Previously, sending or receiving links in the respond.io inbox only displayed the URL or hyperlink. Now, when a message contains a URL, an automatic site preview is generated, giving both customers and agents a sneak peek of the linked content. If you prefer not to send the link preview, it can be removed when composing your message. Note that only customers messaging you from [channels that support link previews](https://rspd.link/IJAt) will be able to see them. ##### Improved Keyboard Shortcuts Experience [Snippets](https://rspd.link/IGNr) and [Dynamic Variables](https://rspd.link/IGO8) are essential for sending quick replies and including customer-specific data like names and emails in conversations. Now, whenever you use a keyboard shortcut, a [tooltip](https://rspd.link/IGO7) will appear so that you can identify the shortcut you’re using. ### Manage Channels Better with A New Channel Connection Experience Respond.io is committed to simplifying every step of your channel connection process. We're excited to unveil a suite of improvements tailored to offer you a smoother, more intuitive experience when connecting and managing channels. #### New Channel Catalog Page Our previous channel displays used to only include the channel’s logo without additional information. With the introduction of the new [Channel Catalog](https://rspd.link/IGNv), each channel now features a brief description, making it easier for you to discover and learn about them. We've also added three [new email channels](https://rspd.link/IGNz): Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook. Instead of setting up all the SMTP server information, we've simplified the channel connection process so you only need to fill in your email address and password. #### Channel Management Overhaul We have also revamped the channel management page. Your connected channels are now presented as cards. If you want to configure your channels, click on *Manage* and you’ll be directed to each connected channel’s dedicated page. For [WhatsApp Business Platform](https://rspd.link/IGN_) users, we've added a shortcut to the WhatsApp Template Manager as they are frequently used. Additionally, from the Configurations page, you can easily navigate to the Growth Widget Settings to generate a QR code for your channel. #### Revamped Channel Connection Experience With this redesign, we've placed a significant emphasis on clarity and user-friendliness. If you ever need help connecting a channel, our new Additional Resources section on the left panel provides a wealth of information for every channel. Once you've successfully connected a channel, test it out by using the provided QR code or chat link and ensure everything is set up seamlessly on respond.io. #### Smoother WhatsApp Connection Journey Previously, connecting to the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) posed challenges as many businesses were unaware of its prerequisites. Now, with our new eligibility check process, you'll have all the information you need for a hassle-free connection to the WhatsApp API. If you want to learn the A-Z of using WhatsApp for business, check out our free [WhatsApp Course](https://academy.respond.io/course/whatsapp-course). ### New Languages on the Respond.io - Inbox Mobile App! 你好, hola, مرحبا and more! 👋 The respond.io - Inbox mobile app is now multilingual, ensuring you can navigate the app with ease even if English isn't your primary language. Below are the languages that are now supported: - Arabic (‏عربي) 🇸🇦 - Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ) 🇲🇲 - French (Français) 🇫🇷 - German (Deutsch) 🇩🇪 - Hebrew (עברית) 🇮🇱 - Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) 🇮🇩 - Italian (Italiano) 🇮🇹 - Japanese (日本語) 🇯🇵 - Korean (한국어) 🇰🇷 - Portuguese (Português) 🇵🇹 - Russian (Русский) 🇷🇺 - Spanish (Español) 🇪🇸 - Simplified Chinese (简体中文) 🇨🇳 - Traditional Chinese (繁體中文) 🇹🇼 - Turkish (Türkçe) 🇹🇷 - Thai (ภาษาไทย) 🇹🇭 - Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) 🇻🇳 Just like the web platform, you can switch to your preferred language. Choosing either Arabic or Hebrew will also switch the app interface to a Right-to-Left (RTL) view, providing a better experience for Arabic and Hebrew-speaking Users. ### New Respond.io Status Page Curious about respond.io's performance? We’ve got good news! You can now visit the [respond.io status](https://status.respond.io/) page to monitor our services and Module health status in real-time. For complete transparency, you can also view the history of past incidents and their resolution status. Want to get automatic updates? Visit the page and subscribe to stay up to date. ## [Slack Notification: Creating a Slack Incoming Webhook](https:/respond.io/blog/slack-notification-incoming-webhook) Many company tasks can be simplified with a Slack notification. Read this article to learn how to create a Slack Incoming Webhook from respond.io. Slack is a popular workplace communication platform for companies. On top of the usual messaging function, businesses have access to advanced features like the Workflow Builder to create webhooks. In this blog post, we’ll show you how to create an incoming webhook to send a Slack notification from respond.io using HTTP Request. ### How to send a Slack notification Team members want to receive immediate notifications when important events occur on other platforms. But these notifications don’t come very often. Therefore, having them on a platform that is used on daily basis like Slack is much more convenient. Receiving notifications on Slack channels helps teams be on the same page. They will have access to the same information and can better collaborate, coordinate and delegate tasks accordingly. These are some of the benefits of using automatic Slack notifications. Want to set up your own? Let’s go through all the steps needed to send an [HTTP Request](https://respond.io/blog/february-2022-release-new-workflows-steps-new-navigation-and-messaging-module-design-custom-channel-integration-and-bits-and-bobs#toc-mobile-4) from respond.io to Slack. #### Sending a Slack Notification via Respond.io Workflow This process involves using both respond.io and Slack workflows, so businesses will need an account on both platforms. In respond.io, the HTTP Request Step is available for [Business plan and above](https://respond.io/pricing). To use Slack workflows, businesses must also sign up for a Slack paid plan. Once ready, the next step is to generate a Slack request URL to be used in a respond.io HTTP Request Workflow. ##### 1\. Create a Slack workflow Let’s start by creating a new Slack workflow. First, you must choose a trigger, which is the workflow’s starting point. To exchange information between respond.io and Slack, select the Slack Incoming Webhook trigger. ##### 2\. Write the Slack notification We now have a trigger, which initiates the workflow when activated. Since we want to send a notification, choose the Send a Message Step. Click on Publish in the top right to generate an URL. Later, you’ll send an HTTP Post request to this URL from respond.io. ##### 3\. Set up a respond.io Workflow To send a notification to Slack from respond.io, we first need to set up a respond.io Workflow. Start by choosing [Contact Tag Updated](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-triggers) as a trigger. This will allow you to test the Slack notification by simply adding your Tag of choice to a Contact. ##### 4\. Create the connection with your Slack workflow Since we want to post data from respond.io to Slack, choose Method: POST from the drop-down list. Copy and paste the Slack URL from step 2 here. Now your HTTP request is ready to send data to Slack. Let’s publish it and test the result. ##### 5\. Test the notification To test the Slack notification, you need to activate the respond.io trigger. Add your tag to a respond.io Contact. Then, open your chosen Slack channel. If the Slack incoming webhook is set correctly, you will receive a new notification. In some scenarios, sending a simple message like this is all you’ll need. But what happens if, for example, a User wants to send a Slack notification that includes Contact details? #### Adding Contact Details to a Slack Notification [Dynamic variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) are key elements in respond.io Workflows, since they allow Users to operate with personalized Contact data. Let’s see how to add dynamic variables to the Slack message body to pass Contact information from respond.io to Slack. ##### 1\. Add Slack variables to the message body To send Contact data in a notification, we need to create the variables on Slack first, followed by respond.io. Once done, you'll need to use the HTTP body with Slack variables generated in the respond.io Workflow. ##### 2\. Add dynamic variables to the respond.io Workflow To customize your Slack notification with the Contact name, copy and paste the HTTP body from Slack to respond.io. Then choose the $contact.name dynamic variable from the drop-down. ##### 3\. Test the notification To test the notification, go to the respond.io [Messages Module](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/responding-to-messages#messages_module). Select a Contact, and assign him/her the tag. Then, open your chosen Slack channel. If everything is set correctly, you will receive a notification with the Contact name. Sometimes, using dynamic variables is not enough. Users will still need additional context like Contact details or Conversation history when going through their Slack notifications. The easiest way is to add a link to respond.io in the Slack notification. #### Making the Conversation Available via Slack By adding a hyperlink to the Slack notification, respond.io Users can check the Contact’s complete data and Conversation history on respond.io to get a better understanding of their case with just a click. ##### 1\. Add a link to the Slack notification To add a direct link to the respond.io Conversation, return to Slack and edit the Send a Message step. Then, add this URL: `https://apps.respond.io/message/{contactID}`. Once published, this will be your link to the respond.io Conversation. ##### 2\. Test the notification To test the notification, select a respond.io Contact, and assign him/her the tag. Open your chosen Slack channel. If everything is set correctly, you will find a new message with a hyperlink to respond.io. Click it to make sure it works. In conclusion, using dynamic variables and hyperlinks to respond.io takes Slack notifications to the next level, allowing Users to get better insight into each Contact. Hence, they can deal with [inbound conversations](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations) more effectively, which leads to a better customer experience. This is a simple way of using the [HTTP Request Step](https://respond.io/blog/february-2022-release-new-workflows-steps-new-navigation-and-messaging-module-design-custom-channel-integration-and-bits-and-bobs#toc-mobile-4) to make a Slack incoming webhook. But there are other practical ways too in which these can be implemented. We will soon update this article with more useful applications to serve different use cases. ### Further Reading And that’s everything you need to know about Slack notifications with respond.io. If you would like to learn about other interesting topics, check out these articles: - How to Send a WhatsApp Business Notification - WhatsApp CRM: Using respond.io as a CRM with WhatsApp Integration - How to Set Up Facebook Comment Auto Reply ## [Sleekflow Alternative: Choose the Best Solution for Enterprises](https:/respond.io/blog/sleekflow-alternative) Need a Sleekflow alternative for large businesses? Explore how respond.io omnichannel solution automates and streamlines marketing and sales processes at scale. If you're searching for Sleekflow alternatives that can handle complex business processes, you've landed in the perfect spot! In this article, we'll explore respond.io, a robust Sleekflow alternative designed to help businesses capture and manage leads at scale, close more sales and keep customers coming back. ### Sleekflow Alternative: Sleekflow vs Respond.io Sleekflow and respond.io are platforms that centralize all messaging channels in one place to help businesses facilitate customer conversations. They provide tools like AI automation, broadcasts and conversation analytics for businesses to drive customer engagement, streamline communication processes and make data-driven decisions. Although built for the same purpose, their capabilities in handling high volumes of messages and automating complex customer journeys differ. For instance, Sleekflow features like rule-based automation are adequate for small businesses or those with straightforward processes. In contrast, respond.io’s advanced AI-powered automation caters to large businesses with complex business processes. While this is just one example, their capabilities for different business sizes will become clearer as you read this blog. Now, let's look at how respond.io stacks up against Sleekflow so you can decide if respond.io is a better alternative. ### Sleekflow Alternative: Is Respond.io a Better Choice for Your Business? Respond.io is a customer conversation management software designed to enhance the customer experience to build brand loyalty and increase business revenue. It has been proven to enable businesses worldwide to [gain more qualified leads](https://respond.io/blog/how-sleek-gained-3x-more-qualified-leads-over-whatsapp), [improve sales conversions](https://respond.io/blog/how-lamarsa-coffee-used-chat-commerce-to-boost-sales-across-6-countries-by-50) and [achieve a high degree of customer satisfaction](https://respond.io/blog/how-sharwa-designed-a-communication-strategy-that-achieved-85-in-csat-scores). Below, we’ll explore how respond.io enables businesses to accomplish these objectives. ### Centralize All Messaging Channels In a Team Inbox Centralizing all key communication channels is great for businesses that use multiple messaging channels to engage with customers. While Sleekflow markets itself as an omnichannel platform, it does not support TikTok, email, VoIP or custom channels, which we’ll discuss later. Now, let’s look at respond.io’s omnichannel capabilities. #### Connect WhatsApp, TikTok and More in One Place Respond.io allows you to connect all the popular messaging channels while supporting native channel features like sending voice messages, emojis and more. Because respond.io is a [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider), you can get official [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) access. Businesses can also connect other messaging channels like [TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business), [Facebook Messenger,](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business)[,](https://respond.io/blog/google-business-messages) [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-business) and [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business) along with traditional channels like email and [SMS](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms) to receive and reply to messages in an omnichannel inbox. It also allows you to connect multiple channel accounts or numbers. For example, if you have individual WhatsApp or Messenger accounts for each branch or outlet, you can connect them all to respond.io and reply to messages in one place. #### Move from Chat to Call Effortlessly Respond.io offers more than just messaging—it supports voice calls too. As one of the select WhatsApp Partners with access to the [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-voice-call), it enables businesses to make calls directly through WhatsApp, a function that was once only available in the WhatsApp Business App. This helps companies connect with customers on a deeper, more personal level. [Respond.io also works with VoIP](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration) systems, letting businesses integrate their existing phone setup to manage all communication—chat and voice—in one place. And calls can all be automatically transcribed so businesses have a record of all conversations in respond.io. #### Integrate Custom Channels like In-app Chat, Chats from E-commerce Platforms and more Centralizing all popular messaging channels is important. However, connecting business-specific messaging channels in the same place is also essential to provide an [omnichannel experience](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication). This includes your company’s own messaging app or an e-commerce platform’s native inbox like Lazada chat inbox. With respond.io’s [custom channels](https://help.respond.io/channels/custom-channel) integration, you can connect any channel with an open API to the platform. This way, you can reply to customers who message you from both popular and business-specific messaging channels from a shared inbox. #### Merge Conversations from WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram and Other Channels in a Single Thread Businesses with a presence on multiple channels must provide an [omnichannel experience](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-2). One way to do this is by recognizing returning customers on any channel. With respond.io, businesses can [merge conversations from different channels](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contacts-overview#merge_contacts) in a single thread for a unified customer profile. If a customer has previously emailed you but decided to message you on WhatsApp next, you can merge the conversations to get context easily. As a result, you can identify returning customers, spot recurring issues and make informed decisions when assisting them. Next, we’ll look at how to send and handle promotional messages on multiple channels. ### Capture and Manage Leads on Multiple Channels By leveraging the ability to broadcast promotional messages on multiple channels, businesses can increase their reach and engage with customers through various touchpoints, leading to increased sales and revenue. Therefore, it is important that platforms like respond.io and Sleekflow support promotional messaging capabilities such as [click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads) and broadcasts for every available messaging channel. That said, let’s look at what respond.io has to offer. #### Generate Leads through Click to WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok Messaging Ads Social media channels like Instagram and Facebook present a valuable opportunity for targeted advertising through click-to-chat ads. These ads enable businesses to encourage leads to start a conversation directly and engage with them when their interest is at its peak. [TikTok Messaging Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads) offer an additional way to capture new audiences with video content that seamlessly blends into their feeds and entices them to send a message on WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. When a lead messages you through click-to-chat ads, respond.io shows you which ad a customer clicked on when they message you, giving agents useful context to [respond intelligently](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth#toc-mobile-5). You can also automate these conversations to [gain lead information](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/step-respond-with-ai#collect_information_objective) and qualify them automatically. #### Broadcast on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram and More Respond.io’s [Broadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) supports multiple channels including [SMS](https://respond.io/blog/sms-marketing-sms-broadcast), [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-broadcast), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-broadcast), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-broadcast) and [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message). This gives businesses the ability to engage with customers on their preferred channels. Businesses can personalize messages based on each channel's unique capabilities, schedule and send broadcast messages to target audiences and create a more integrated and cohesive marketing strategy. #### Trigger Promotional Messages from Customer Actions on External Platforms Respond.io enables businesses to trigger promotional messages based on customer actions on external platforms like [Shopify](https://help.respond.io/zapier/e-commerce-integration-shopify), [WooCommerce](https://help.respond.io/zapier/ecommerce-integration-woocommerce), [Magento](https://help.respond.io/zapier/ecommerce-integration-magento) and [more](https://help.respond.io/zapier). For instance, if a customer adds items to their cart but doesn't complete the purchase, businesses can trigger an [abandoned cart message](https://help.respond.io/zapier/e-commerce-integration-shopify#send_abandoned_cart_messages_to_prompt_customers_to_complete_their_shopify_purchase_using_zapier) on the customer’s preferred channel. The message can include discounts or other incentives to encourage the customer to complete the transaction. Customers can then select a predetermined reply button or send a response and be automatically connected to an agent. This way, customers can easily get what they want, enhancing the customer experience and satisfaction. Now that you know how to send promotional messages on respond.io, let's explore how you can use its advanced AI and Automation capabilities. ### Close Deals Faster with Advanced AI and Automation Capabilities Automating conversations is crucial, especially when businesses receive high volumes of messages from various messaging channels or accounts. A quick response can be the difference between losing a lead and closing a deal, so you can’t afford delays. AI Agents can qualify leads, handle basic inquiries, make product recommendations, settle appointment bookings and even answer calls. Conversations that require a human touch should then be automatically handed off to an agent who can answer complex inquiries or jump into a [quick call on Telnyx, WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration). #### Streamline Processes with Workflows and AI Agents Respond.io’s [Workflows Module](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) allows you to automate complex business processes in a visual automation builder. You can plan, design and implement your workflow from A to Z with any amount of complexity in one space. This includes automating [FAQs](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations), [chat routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio), [case escalations](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) and creating [deals or tickets](https://help.respond.io/zapier/pipedrive#add_comments_to_conversations_in_respond_io_when_new_pipedrive_deals_are_updated) in CRMs. Best of all, you can do all this from scratch or use ready-made [templates](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#creating_a_new_workflow_from_a_selected_template). You can also build a [sales AI Agent](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent) to answer customer questions on its own before passing the conversation to a human agent. Train the AI agent based on uploaded company resources or even allow it to crawl your website to provide high quality answers. Unlike traditional single-model bots, Respond.io’s AI runs tasks in smaller steps instead of overloading each request with unnecessary context. This reduces errors and speeds up replies — especially valuable when automating large volumes of conversations. And if an issue requires a human, the AI hands off cleanly with no lingering responses, ensuring perfect collaboration between automation and your team. Managers can also create Workflows for complicated tasks like [shift transfer](https://help.respond.io/convert-leads/route-contacts-by-shifts), [case escalation](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management), syncing data in external CRMs and [getting customer feedback](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score), then allow agents to launch them [with a click](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0) while talking to customers. > Note that automating and executing complicated manual tasks with a single click is not possible on Sleekflow. Now that you know how respond.io’s automation works, it's important to highlight one of the critical components of improving customer satisfaction: [Auto assigning conversations](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to agents quickly. > Note that Sleekflow only supports manual conversation assignments and automatic round-robin assignments. #### Auto Assign Conversations Based on Team Function and Customer Needs There are two ways for businesses to automatically assign new conversations on respond.io: Round-robin for equal workload distribution or assign them to agents with the least conversations open. Round-robin assignments ensure each sales agent has an equal opportunity to convert leads and earn their commissions. Assigning agents with the least conversations lets businesses provide a better customer experience. This is because it connects customers with available agents quickly and reduces wait times and resolution times. As for new conversations, businesses can assign them to a new agent and route returning customers with a history of interactions to the [same agent who handled their case before](https://respond.io/blog/august-2021-release-the-new-contact-import-dont-unassign-when-conversation-is-closed-and-platform-localization-in-spanish#toc-mobile-5). This approach gives agents the context to address recurring or related issues and build long-term customer relationships. Consequently, customers can receive a more personalized and efficient support experience. To prioritize high-value customers who contribute substantially to revenue, businesses usually provide them with a dedicated agent as a primary point of contact for all their needs. These agents will work closely with customers to understand their goals or desires. Then, provide guidance and support to help them achieve their desired outcomes. Since high-value customers are crucial to the success of any business, it is important that companies minimize any difficulties or inconveniences they may face while interacting with their brand. #### Respond Quickly, Accurately and Professionally with AI With respond.io, agents can leverage AI capabilities to answer inquiries promptly and efficiently. [Respond AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai) allow agents to refine their messages, ensuring clarity and precision in communication. They can also translate messages into different languages, reducing potential language barriers. Moreover, tools like [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) can be a game-changer for providing agents with quick replies based on customer context. This rapid access to information allows agents to respond quickly and accurately to customer inquiries, enhancing response times and contributing to a more [satisfying customer experience](https://respond.io/blog/ai-customer-experience). Automation helps sales agents close deals faster, but you’ll want to see the evidence and make any necessary improvements to your processes. Here’s how respond.io helps businesses measure success. ### Boost Business Results with Analytics and Lifecycle Tracking With any marketing and sales efforts, you need to track results to see what’s working and what’s not to continuously optimize tactics. Sleekflow’s analytics are limited and it’s not possible to track lead progress in stages. Respond.io offers advanced analytics, customer lifecycle tracking and CRM integrations to improve customer experience throughout the entire funnel. #### Get Marketing Performance Insights with Broadcast Analytics To gauge the success of marketing campaigns, businesses can get insights and data to help improve their next campaign's strategy and efficacy. By analyzing the performance of past campaigns, businesses can identify campaigns that resonated with their audience and gain a deeper understanding of their audience's behavior and preferences. Then, they can optimize their messaging, targeting and channels accordingly. #### Track the Customer Lifecycle Through the Full Funnel Additionally, respond.io’s [Lifecycle feature](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) enables you to label contacts with lead status so agents can instantly see which leads to prioritize. These labels can also be used for promotional targeting and to provide context on whether a contact a made a purchase before. To analyze what may have caused leads to drop off at any point in the sales process, use the Lost Stages feature to set labels like Cold Lead, Unqualified or Lost to Competitor. Lifecycle stages can not only be used in the inbox but are also visible in the dashboard so it’s easy to track how many leads are in each stage. #### Enrich Data with HubSpot, Salesforce and Other Integrations Large businesses often store customer data in a CRM like HubSpot or Salesforce, so integration with these is a must-have in a conversation management platform. CRMs are seen as a single source of truth and switching between platforms to gain more context on a customer is a hassle. Respond.io now offers [HubSpot](https://respond.io/blog/hubspot-integration) and [Salesforce integrations](https://respond.io/blog/salesforce-integration) to customers on all plans. With a single click, agents can access HubSpot or Salesforce data directly from a conversation to get full context on the customer they’re chatting with. To integrate with other software, use [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/l/en/zapier/zapier) or [Make](https://help.respond.io/l/en/integrations/make) for quick connection with thousands of other platforms. > While Sleekflow also offers HubSpot integration, it’s only available on the Premium plan and above. Now that we’ve shown how respond.io allows you to measure success throughout the funnel, let's explore the benefits of using a reliable platform. ### Achieve Success with a Reliable Platform and Customer Support Given that companies rely on platforms like Sleekflow and respond.io to manage their business operations and communicate with customers, it is critical that they offer reliable services and excellent customer support. That said, Sleekflow’s customer support is only reachable on Mondays to Fridays, 9 am to 6 pm Hong Kong Time (HKT). If there are critical issues outside these hours, businesses cannot contact them. Additionally, its platform cannot handle high volumes of messages. It fails to display incoming messages in real time and tends to slow down when it receives too many messages at the same time. Now, let's look at how respond.io is more reliable. #### Robust Platform Stability for Consistent Operations Platform reliability is essential for smooth operations, as any downtime or disruptions can negatively impact customer satisfaction and harm a brand’s reputation. Unlike Sleekflow, respond.io is a [dependable platform](https://respond.io/customers/how-golden-luxe-enjoys-a-20x-more-stable-messaging-experience-with-respondio) designed to handle high volumes of messages without interruption, guaranteeing 99.999% uptime With this, businesses can maintain consistent operations and focus on communicating with customers. #### Get Speedy Assistance with 24/5 Conversational Support Responsive and efficient customer support is as important as having a stable platform. That's why respond.io's support team is available 24 hours a day via chat or call, Monday to Friday, to assist you in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic. On weekends, chat with our AI agent anytime. You can get general assistance with navigating the platform, help with billing issues, troubleshooting bugs and more. Respond.io’s comprehensive support resolves any issues you encounter, giving you the peace of mind to focus on growing your business and providing exceptional customer experiences. #### Get Dedicated Support from a Customer Success Manager When your enterprise has complex needs, a dedicated customer success manager can make all the difference. Our experts specialize in providing personalized support for planning and setting up Workflows, integrating with third-party tools and more. With a customer success manager on your side, you can tap into the full potential of the platform and achieve success like [many of our satisfied customers](https://respond.io/customers). Now, let's compare respond.io and Sleekflow pricing plans to determine which one provides the most value. ### The Best Solution for Maximum Value When businesses consider using a product, one of the crucial aspects they examine is its plans and pricing. Sleekflow’s prices have recently gone up with little added value, so that may be a reason to consider a [Sleekflow alternative.](https://respond.io/sleekflow-alternative) This section compares entry and mid-level plans by Sleekflow and respond.io to help you determine which platform offers the most value. #### Entry-level plans: Respond.io vs Sleekflow Respond.io’s Starter plan is priced at $79 while Sleekflow’s Pro plan starts at $149. While respond.io allows 5 users on the Starter plan, Sleekflow’s Pro plan only provides 3 user seats. To add users, businesses need to pay $19 per user; respond.io only charges $12 for additional users. You’ll also need to pay a $15/month WhatsApp API fee with Sleekflow, while respond.io charges no additional fees for connecting to WhatsApp API. Considering Sleekflow is almost double the price of respond.io while allowing fewer users and features, it’s obvious which platform is the better value. **Respond.io vs Sleekflow Entry-Level Plans** | | Respond.io(Starter Plan) | Sleekflow (Pro Plan) | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | $79 | $149 | | Seats | 5$12 for additional seats per agent | 3$19 for additional seats per agent | | Integrations | -Hubspot -Salesforce -Meta and TikTok ads -Meta product catalog | -Shopify -Stripe -Facebook Lead ads | | Channels | -WhatsApp -TikTok -Facebook Messenger -Instagram -Telegram -LINE -WeChat -Viber -SMS -Email -Custom | -SMS -WhatsApp -Facebook Messenger -WeChat -LINE -Viber -SMS -Email | | AI &Automation | AI Assist and AI prompts | 3 automation rules | | Additional costs | - | WhatsApp API fee: $15 | #### Value-filled Plan for Fast-Growing Businesses Sleekflow’s capabilities are only enough for small businesses with low volumes of messages but its pricing does not match its minimal offerings, even for the Premium plan. Respond.io’s Growth Plan is again half the price of Sleekflow’s Premium plan and offers exponentially greater potential. With Sleekflow, businesses are only limited to 25 automation rules. Respond.io, on the other hand, gives you access to 100 steps per Workflow in its Growth plan. This means you have 4x more automation steps than you do on Sleekflow. **Respond.io vs Sleekflow for Fast-Growing Businesses** | | Respond.io(Growth Plan) | Sleekflow (Premium Plan) | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | $159 | $349 | | Seats | 10$20 for additional seats per agent | 5$39 for additional seats per agent | | Integrations | -Hubspot -Salesforce -Meta and TikTok ads -Meta product catalog -Zapier & Make -Developer API | -HubSpot -Shopify -Stripe -Facebook Lead ads | | Channels | -WhatsApp -TikTok -Facebook Messenger -Instagram -Telegram -LINE -WeChat -Viber -SMS -Email -Custom | -SMS -WhatsApp -Facebook Messenger -WeChat -LINE -Viber -SMS -Email | | AI &Automation | -AI Assist and AI prompts -AI Agent -100 Workflow Steps | 25 automation rules | | Additional costs | - | WhatsApp API fee: $15 | Sleekflow’s Premium plan is even more expensive than respond.io’s $279 Advanced plan, which offers all the respond.io features available for demanding business need — including Google Sheets integration, webhook events, SSO, Custom Channel integration and more. In summary, respond.io offers more comprehensive plans that are better suited for mid to large businesses or businesses looking to scale. Now that you understand what respond.io has to offer, let’s look at why respond.io is the right solution for you. ### Sleekflow Alternative: Why Respond.io? Respond.io is one of the most versatile customer conversation management software in the market. It supports the highest number of channels while preventing siloed conversations across channels. Its advanced AI and automation capabilities enable businesses to streamline their processes in one place, helping them achieve results quickly with significantly less effort. Most importantly, respond.io's high uptime can meet the demand of larger businesses that receive high volumes of messages. It provides free high-quality support 24/5 to help customers whenever they need it, while Enterprise users have a dedicated customer success manager. With all this in hand, businesses can create better customer experiences and build customer loyalty to increase their revenue. If you’re considering migrating from Sleekflow to respond.io, [**contact our support team**](https://respond.io/contact) for help. You’ll be able to effortlessly move all your channels, including your WhatsApp API accounts, while maintaining your existing WhatsApp API number. Ready to get started with respond.io? [**Sign up for a free trial**](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and experience powerful automation like no other platform! ### Further Reading If you're interested in learning more about respond.io, here are some readings that may pique your interest. - Inbound Conversation Workflows: A How-To Guide - Chat Routing: Contact Routing with the respond.io - Auto Assignment: Automatic Assignment with respond.io ## [Sleekflow vs Respond.io: 6 Key Features Compared - Which is Better?](https:/respond.io/blog/sleekflow-vs-respondio) Considering Sleekflow vs respond.io? Here's how they compare on WhatsApp capabilities, omnichannel capabilities, automation, AI , stability and customer support Deciding between Sleekflow vs respond.io to manage your instant messaging conversations and do marketing and sales over chat? On the surface, both platforms look similar, so knowing which to choose can be tough. We break down the key differences along with pros and cons so you can make the best decision for your business. ### Sleekflow vs Respond.io: A Side-by-Side Comparison When you’re choosing a conversation management platform, you’ll want to make sure it supports the channels your customers use most, offers AI-powered sales and marketing automation to help you scale, provides prompt support when needed and can be trusted for security and stability no matter how many messages you send and receive. First of all, let’s look at an overview of how Sleekflow vs. respond.io compare on the features that matter most. #### Sleekflow vs Respond.io: A Summary **WhatsApp Capabilities** | | Sleekflow | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | | WhatsApp BSP | ✅ | ✅ | | WhatsApp Catalog | ❌ | ✅ | | Broadcasts | ✅ | ✅ | | WhatsApp Business Calling API | ❌ | ✅ | **Omnichannel Capabilities** | Sleekflow | Respond.io | | --- | --- | | WhatsApp, SMS, Facebook Messenger, LINE, WeChat, Instagram, Telegram, Viber, Webchat | WhatsApp, TikTok, SMS, Facebook Messenger, LINE, WeChat, Instagram, Telegram, Viber, Webchat, email, VoIP, Custom Channel | **Marketing and Sales Automation** | | Sleekflow | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | | Chat Automation Workflows | ⚠️ (only for WhatsApp) | ✅ | | Click to Chat Automation Triggers | ✅ | ✅ | | Lead Lifecycle Tracking | ❌ | ✅ | | Reports | ⚠️ (limited) | ✅ | **AI Features** | | Sleekflow | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | | AI Agent | ✅ | ✅ | | AI Assisted Message Drafts | ✅ | ✅ | | AI Knowledge Sources | Document uploads and web resources | Document uploads and web resources | **Platform Stability and Security** | | Sleekflow | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | | ISO 27001 | ✅ | ✅ | | Supports High Message Volume without Lagging | ❌ | ✅ | **Customer Support** | | Sleekflow | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | | Onboarding Support | ⚠️ (limited) | ✅ | | Availability | ⚠️ (mainly via email, limited chat support for higher-tier plans) | ✅ (24/5 live chat, 24/7 AI agent) | To see a detailed breakdown of how Sleekflow vs respond.io compare in terms of pricing plans and value for your investment in a solution, check out our [Sleekflow Alternative article](https://respond.io/blog/sleekflow-alternative#toc-7). ### Sleekflow vs Respond.io: A Deep Dive Into 6 Features Now that you’ve seen an overview of the basic features, we’ll get into the details of the benefits and limitations of Sleekflow vs. respond.io for growing businesses like yours. #### Sleekflow vs Respond.io: WhatsApp API Capabilities As the most popular communication channel in many countries, WhatsApp is a must-have for doing marketing and sales over chat. Growing businesses benefit from using [WhatsApp API rather than WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) as it enables [multi-user access](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) along with robust broadcast and automation capabilities. As WhatsApp API doesn’t have a front-end interface, you’ll need to connect it to a messaging platform like Sleekflow or respond.io. The extent of the features you can use depends on your provider, so it’s important to make the right choice. ##### WhatsApp BSP Both Sleekflow and respond.io are [WhatsApp Business Service Providers](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider#toc-mobile-0), which means they have partnered with Meta to provide access to WhatsApp API. Meta charges [conversation fees for certain business-initiated messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing#toc-mobile-2) regardless of your provider. However, some providers also charge additional fees for WhatsApp numbers, so this is an important factor to consider when choosing a BSP. Sleekflow charges **US$15 per month for each WhatsApp Business phone number** you connect. Respond.io on the other hand, allows you to connect **any number of WhatsApp Business phone numbers at no additional charge**. The process is simple, and our customer service team is ready to guide you if you run into any issues. ##### Meta Catalog Integration Sending product photos via WhatsApp helps leads make a decision faster. [Meta Catalogs](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog) allow you to upload items and descriptions to Meta Business Manager to easily send them in a message or use in ads shown on Instagram or Facebook. However, not all conversation management platforms integrate with Meta Catalogs. Sleekflow does not integrate with Meta Catalogs but instead has its own catalog feature. Respond.io directly integrates with Meta Catalogs so you can instantly access catalog images from Meta Business Manager and send them in messages. ##### WhatsApp Broadcasts One factor many customers look for in a conversation management platform is the ability to send broadcasts or [bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message). The WhatsApp API is essential for this, as it allows you to send broadcasts to thousands of contacts, whereas the WhatsApp Business App only permits sending broadcasts to 256 contacts at a time. Both Sleekflow and respond.io have WhatsApp API broadcasting capabilities so you can send business-initiated [template messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) to segmented audiences. Select audiences for retargeting, promotions, reminders and more. ##### WhatsApp Business Calling API Want to [upgrade to WhatsApp API without losing voice calling](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-upgrade-to-whatsapp-api-without-losing-voice-calling)? The WhatsApp Business Calling API is now available in Beta to users in 24 countries, but Sleekflow doesn't support it. Respond.io, on the other hand, is part of a [select number of BSPs](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-calling-api-debuts-on-respond-io) that does. Easily move from chat to call for quick clarification with a customer and close deals faster. The platform also transcribes calls so you have full context of all your customer communications. #### Sleekflow vs Respond.io: Omnichannel Capabilities While WhatsApp is the most popular channel for many businesses, [omnichannel capabilities](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-2) remain important. An ideal conversation management platform allows you to manage messages and communicate on any channel, including email and custom channels, without limitations. ##### Channels Available Sleekflow allows users to connect to WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, Viber, WeChat, SMS, LINE and Webchat. While this covers most popular channels, if you’re using TikTok, email or require a custom channel, it may not be sufficient. Respond.io supports [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [Tiktok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat), [Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business), [WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account), [SMS](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms), [email](https://help.respond.io/email), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-business), Webchat, VoIP and custom channels. For [custom channels](https://help.respond.io/l/en/custom-channel/custom-channel-overview), use our developer API to connect respond.io to any channel. #### Sleekflow vs Respond.io: Marketing and Sales Automation To reach more leads and manage high volumes of inquiries coming in over chat, automation is essential. Here’s how Sleekflow vs respond.io compare in terms of automating marketing and sales. ##### Chat Automation Both Sleekflow and respond.io provide businesses with no-code automation builders known as Flows and Workflows, respectively. Sleekflow allows users to execute a limited number of automations per month; respond.io has no limits on the number of Workflows that can be executed. While both platforms enhance your marketing and sales capabilities like [instant responses, qualification questions, answering FAQs and appointment booking](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation#toc-mobile-6), **Sleekflow’s workflows only support WhatsApp**. Respond.io’s workflows allow you to use these advanced automations across channels. ##### Click to Chat Ads Want to get new leads into your inbox? [Click to chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads) are the fastest way to get a large, targeted audience to send you a message. With Meta, you can create ads displayed on Facebook and Instagram that click to WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. Both Sleekflow and respond.io have automation triggers that are compatible with click to chat ads. That means that you can set automatic replies, keep track of how many conversations are coming into the platform from ads and more. Respond.io also supports [TikTok Messaging Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-messaging-ads), allowing you to reach new audiences on TikTok and convert them through ads. ##### Lead Lifecycle Management To prioritize leads, retarget customers and recognize the cause of dropoffs to make improvements, it's important to understand the entire customer journey. Agents should have instant context when they enter a chat so they can tailor the conversation according to the lead's status. Sleekflow doesn't offer detailed lifecycle tracking, so important leads may be overlooked. It's also difficult to identify why leads drop off after they started a chat. With respond.io's [Lifecycle feature](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle), you can label leads according to status, including New Lead, Hot Lead, Customer, or any custom stage you create. Lost stages also help businesses categorize leads that have gone cold or were not qualified, to identify areas for improvement such as response times or to optimize ads to target higher quality leads. ##### Reports When you’re doing marketing and sales over chat, you’ll want to see the results of your efforts, for example, by tracking how quickly conversations are being responded to and which channels the most leads are coming in on. Sleekflow’s reporting and analytics capabilities are only available for the highest tier plans. These advanced plans allow you to track the number of conversations, new contacts, response time and messages sent and received. You can also add filters to do more detailed analytics. Respond.io, on the other hand, has [robust reporting capabilities](https://help.respond.io/l/en/reporting-and-analytics/reporting-for-sales) available for any plan so you can maximize efficiency and focus on channels that convert. Discover which channels are the most popular with your audience, manage workload, track agent and team performance and measure broadcast effectiveness. #### Sleekflow vs Respond.io: AI Features Since the advent of generative AI, the number of AI-powered platforms have exploded. Everyone wants to take advantage of the opportunities AI offers, but how can you best do that? Sleekflow boasts of its AI capabilities; how do they compare to respond.io? ##### AI Agent Sleekflow offers an AI Agent feature, but it lacks maturity; [according to previous Sleekflow customers](https://respond.io/customers/sleekflow-alternative-review-by-getutor), its claims don't match the reality of the feature. Respond.io offers an AI Agent that you can customize for different roles and train with your own knowledge sources, so you can reply to messages 24/7, even when human agents aren’t available. Use AI agent to answer common questions, make product recommendations or even complete a sale. The AI agents can also answer calls and understand voice recordings. It can close a conversation on its own with a summary to provide context, or if human intervention is needed, it will transfer the chat to an appropriate agent. ##### Assistance in Drafting Messages Both Sleekflow and respond.io include GPT-powered assistance in drafting messages, for faster, more accurate responses. Agents can ask AI to compose a reply and choose to send as is or edit it. They can also quickly draft a message and ask AI to polish the tone or grammar to keep responses consistent and professional. ##### Learns from Your Own Business Documentation AI responses are more accurate when based on your own business knowledge. Both respond.io and Sleekflow support uploading documents and have a [URL crawler](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai#step_1_providing_knowledge_sources) so the AI can learn from your entire website instantly. #### Sleekflow vs Respond.io: Security and Stability For Scaling Your Business When you’re scaling your business, [security and stability](https://respond.io/blog/secure-messaging#toc-mobile-10) are vital to any platform you choose. Data breaches and platform crashes can have a serious impact on your reputation. You want to ensure your customer data remains confidential and that messages keep coming through smoothly. ##### Security Features Both Sleekflow and respond.io are [ISO 27001 certified](https://respond.io/blog/iso-certification), offer 2FA and provide the option to mask sensitive customer information so you can rest assured all data is secure. ##### Ability to Handle High Volumes of Messages While Sleekflow supports low conversation volumes well, it tends to lag under pressure. Businesses receiving high volumes of messages prefer respond.io as its purpose-built infrastructure [processes millions of messages](https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/respond-io/) every day with no downtime. This also helps us guarantee 99.999% platform uptime and reliability, eschewing issues platforms like Sleekflow face such as severe outages, including a month of downtime for WhatsApp Cloud API, Messenger and Instagram in February 2024 #### Sleekflow vs Respond.io: Customer Support Getting started on a new platform is a learning process, so you’ll want to know that the one you choose can support you through onboarding and help optimize your experience for success. If you have any issues, you don’t want to leave your leads and customers hanging while you’re waiting for a response from support. Here’s how Sleekflow vs respond.io compare on support. ##### Onboarding Support When your enterprise has complex needs, a dedicated customer success manager can make all the difference. Sleekflow offers some onboarding support to yearly subscribers, but this only includes one hour of training on WhatsApp API. With respond.io, you’ll get personalized support for planning and setting up Workflows and AI Agents, connecting to WhatsApp API, integrating with third-party tools and more. ##### Availability Sleekflow only offers email support to customers on lower tier plans and limited chat support to those on higher tier plans. Respond.io offers 24/5 live chat support and 24/7 AI agent support to all customers, so if you need any assistance, you’ll be sure to get it fast. ### Sleekflow vs Respond.io: Make the Right Choice for Your Business Sleekflow and respond.io offer similar platforms in that both are focused on enhancing marketing and sales over chat. But when you dig deeper into the features, respond.io stands out as the better choice, especially if you require multichannel automation and dedicated support and are aiming to scale. Sleekflow lacks key features like WhatsApp Calling, TikTok integration, Meta Catalogs and multichannel automation. Their support is also limited, which means you’ll be kept waiting if you have an urgent inquiry. If you’re managing high volumes of messages, there’s also the risk of facing significant lag. Respond.io also supports the new [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api) to provide better value for businesses looking to enhance their sales and marketing efforts. For businesses aiming to scale, respond.io ensures every message is delivered on time. We offer automations and broadcasts on every channel and provide dedicated chat support to all customers at any time. If you're considering a conversation management platform for the first time or looking for a [Sleekflow alternative](https://respond.io/sleekflow-alternative), sign up for a free trial or contact us for a [customized demo](https://respond.io/demo ) today to get full experience of what respond.io can do for your business. ### Further Reading If you’ve found this article helpful, here are some more for you to check out: - An Advanced Sleekflow Alternative for Large Businesses - Respond.io Alternative: 4 Respond.io Alternatives to Consider - Business Messaging: A Guide to Messaging for Business ## [SMS Broadcast: A How-To Guide ](https:/respond.io/blog/sms-marketing-sms-broadcast) If you want to get started with SMS marketing, this guide is for you. We'll cover SMS marketing best practices, and teach you how to send SMS broadcast with SMS marketing software. With a 98% open rate, SMS is one of the best marketing tools for businesses. If you are new to SMS marketing, text messaging laws can be tricky to understand. In this article, we’ll discuss what to look out for when sending an SMS broadcast, as well as how to send an SMS broadcast with SMS marketing software. *Wondering how to set up SMS for your business?* [Learn how to choose an SMS Partner and how to get an SMS account here.](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms) ### Why SMS Marketing Is Hard #### What Is SMS Marketing SMS marketing is a promotional strategy where businesses send an SMS broadcast to their customers. This includes but not limited to coupons, sales alerts and product launch announcements. Although the idea of SMS marketing may seem straightforward, implementing it is not. SMS messages have a 160-character limit, which makes it difficult to fit all the information and links in one single message. But the real challenge of SMS marketing is figuring out the text messaging laws - SMS broadcast service is regulated by governments and carriers, which have not been very transparent with what’s allowed and what’s not for bulk SMS. Despite these challenges, SMS is one of the most popular marketing channels that many companies are using. Below are the reasons why SMS marketing is worth it. #### Why SMS Marketing Is Worth It There are many reasons why your company should implement SMS marketing. SMS is the most popular form of communication, and it has amazing read and click-through rates. SMS is ubiquitous - anyone in the world with a mobile phone can receive an SMS. [Instant messaging apps](https://respond.io/blog/instant-messaging-for-business) may not be installed on every phone, but SMS is. Today, there are over 5 billion SMS users worldwide. Unlike marketing emails that often end up in the junk folder, people actually read SMS messages. SMS has an unbeatable open rate of 98% - where 90% are read within 3 seconds! This makes SMS ideal for sending time-sensitive offers. Plus, SMS has an astonishing click-through rate of 40%. To put things into perspective, emails have a 2% click-through rate. If you are still not convinced that SMS is the best communication tool for your business, here's an SMS marketing success story. #### A Text Message Marketing Success Story: Carl's Jr SMS Marketing Campaign In 2013, Carl’s Jr launched one of the most successful SMS marketing campaigns we’ve ever seen. The fast-food chain sent out an SMS broadcast to its customers, offering a $6 burger-and-fries combo at $2.99 for a limited time. Carl's Jr SMS marketing recipe may be simple, but the results are impressive. Almost 20% of SMS recipients redeemed their offer. And the company earned $14 for every $1 spent on the SMS campaign! Want to create your own SMS marketing success story? [Learn everything about SMS here](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms), and be sure to go through the checklist below before sending an SMS broadcast. ### Checklist for Sending an SMS Broadcast There are 3 main compliance considerations when sending an SMS broadcast. You need to get your customers to opt-in, ensure they did not opt-out and choose the right SMS number. #### Have Your Customers Opted-In to Receive SMS Broadcast Opt-in means giving explicit consent to receive an SMS broadcast. Sending unwanted SMS is likely to irritate customers and potentially damage your brand. [In many countries, opt-in is legally required](https://www.twilio.com/guidelines/sms) before sending an SMS broadcast. The most common opt-in method is handset opt-in. Alternatively, opt-in can be collected through forms, automated phone systems (IVR), or at a point-of-sale (POS). Remember, having your customers’ numbers does not mean they have opted-in. Handset opt-in is done via SMS chat by sending a keyword to a number. To remain compliant, you may [set up double opt-in](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#62r6b) to confirm customers’ consent. This can be as simple as replying with a *YES.* Apart from that, businesses may obtain opt-ins through web or paper forms. You should always keep a copy of the form for your records. Customers may also opt-in through IVR by pressing a digit during the call, or at a POS after a purchase is made. While obtaining a clear opt-in from customers is key to a successful text marketing campaign, it is equally important to handle opt-out correctly. #### Did Your Contacts Opt-Out of SMS Broadcast List Opt-out means revoking the consent to receive an SMS message. Many countries have laws that govern SMS opt-out. Failure to honour opt-out will not only affect your customer’s experience but could also put your business at risk of legal action. Opt-out is commonly done by replying *STOP* to an SMS message. However, customers may also opt-out via other means of communication. You need to opt a customer out of the SMS broadcast list when they send keywords like *STOP, END, or CANCEL.* [Some SMS Providers will have a way to automatically opt a customer out](https://support.twilio.com/hc/en-us/articles/223134027-Twilio-support-for-opt-out-keywords-SMS-STOP-filtering-) of the list when they send these keywords. Less commonly, opt-out may happen via web forms, emails, phone calls, or social media channels. You should always honour opt-outs regardless of how they are done. You’ve got your customers’ opt-in and double-checked that they have not opted out - what’s left to do? It’s time to check if you’ve got the right number for SMS marketing. #### Do You Have the Right Number for SMS Broadcast Different countries have different rules on what number to use for SMS marketing. Generally, Short Codes are the best type of number to send an SMS broadcast while long codes cannot be used to send SMS broadcasts. Short Codes are 5 to 6 digit SMS numbers. They are less subject to [filtering by carriers](https://support.twilio.com/hc/en-us/articles/223181848-How-Does-Message-Filtering-Work-) and have higher deliverability than other numbers. Therefore they are ideal for sending bulk SMS. On the other hand, SMS sent from Long Codes is heavily filtered. Delivery may fail when carriers detect SMS broadcast being sent from a Long Code. As the way filtering works is ambiguous, it’s unknown how many SMS you can send before hitting the filter. You can [get an SMS number from SMS Providers](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#dpv65) like Twilio, Vonage (formerly Nexmo) & MessageBird. However, SMS Providers don't provide a messaging console to send bulk SMS. Doing so requires a text message marketing software like respond.io. ### SMS Marketing Software: Using SMS Integration to Send an SMS Broadcast An SMS marketing software like respond.io allows you to import an existing customer list with phone numbers and send targeted SMS broadcasts. To get started with SMS broadcast software, sign up for a [free respond.io account.](https://app.respond.io/user/register) #### How to Connect Twilio, Vonage or MessageBird Account to SMS Marketing Software If you don’t have an SMS account, you can [get one on Twilio](https://www.twilio.com/try-twilio), [Vonage](https://dashboard.nexmo.com/sign-up) or [MessageBird](https://dashboard.messagebird.com/en/sign-up). Many SMS providers offer free trials or free credits to help you decide which one works best for your company. We recommend reading this guide on [choosing an SMS Provider.](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#dpv65) If you already have a Twilio, Vonage or Messagebird SMS account, you can connect to respond.io using your API key or token. Check out our documentation for the [step-by-step guide to connect Twilio SMS](https://help.respond.io/l/en/sms/twilio-sms#connecting_twilio_sms), [Vonage SMS](https://help.respond.io/l/en/sms/vonage-sms#connecting_vonage) and [MessageBird SMS](https://help.respond.io/l/en/sms/messagebird-sms#connecting_message_bird) to the platform. #### How to Import Contact List into SMS Marketing Software Once connected to your Twilio, Vonage or Messagebird account to respond.io, you can [import SMS Contacts in bulk](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts/contact-import#importing_contacts). Before sending an SMS broadcast, you’ll need to send Contacts the first message to connect an SMS channel. To connect a Contact to an SMS channel, you need to either send them the first individual message or receive the first message from them. SMS is one of those channels that allow businesses to send the first message. To start a 1:1 conversation with your Contact, simply [head to the Messages module.](https://help.respond.io/l/en/messages/messages-overview) Once you’ve sent your Contact the first SMS message, you’re ready to send an SMS broadcast. Read on to find out how to send bulk SMS with respond.io. #### How to Set Up SMS Broadcast with Respond.io Before you begin, let’s find out how respond.io’s [B](https://help.respond.io/l/en/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview)[roadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/l/en/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) improves the targeting and flexibility of bulk messaging. The [Contact Segment](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts/segments) feature allows users to create precise target audiences based on Contact Fields, Tags or predefined conditions. Customers who fulfill these conditions will automatically enter a Segment while those who no longer meet the criteria will exit a Segment, ensuring your list is always up-to-date with no manual effort from your team. In addition to selecting multiple channels for a broadcast, you can also improve reach by broadcasting to your [Contacts' last interacted channel](https://help.respond.io/l/en/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#sending_a_broadcast_to_contacts_last_interacted_channel) to increase visibility and engagement rates. It’s also possible to save broadcasts as drafts if they aren’t ready for dissemination. This allows you to edit or reschedule them before they go live. If your plan supports it, you can [customize the rate](https://help.respond.io/l/en/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#schedule_broadcast_and_customize_send_rates) at which your broadcast is delivered. Now that you understand the benefits, let's learn how to set up your broadcast using respond.io. First, you need to [connect your Facebook Page to respond.io](https://docs.respond.io/messaging-channels/facebook-messenger?_ga=2.132296782.1715655650.1655687662-1249011949.1652406795). Then, [follow these steps](https://help.respond.io/l/en/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#creating_a_new_broadcast) to set up your Messenger broadcast. The Schedule Broadcast feature will come in handy for businesses with international clients. You wouldn’t want to send an SMS broadcast to customers at the wee hours of the night! [Learn more about SMS marketing best practices here.](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#euluo) ### SMS Broadcast: Infographic ### Further Reading Now you know how to send an SMS broadcast with SMS marketing software. If you’re interested in more how-to content about using business messaging apps, we recommend the following articles: - How To Use The Facebook Comment Auto Reply - How to Add Facebook Messenger to Your Website - How To Use Facebook Messenger Codes ## [SMS vs WhatsApp: A Comparison for Business ](https:/respond.io/blog/sms-vs-whatsapp) Learn which messaging app is right for you and your communication needs. Discover the pros and cons of SMS vs WhatsApp in our comprehensive guide. In today's fast-paced digital age, businesses have a wide range of messaging platforms to choose from when communicating with customers. Two of the most popular platforms are SMS and WhatsApp. It's important for businesses to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each so they can choose the best option for their needs. In this article, we'll explore the key differences between SMS and WhatsApp and help businesses determine which platform is most suitable. So, let's dive into the world of SMS vs WhatsApp! ### SMS vs WhatsApp for Business: An Overview [Short Message Service](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-0) or SMS is a text messaging service that allows users to send and receive short text messages on their mobile phones. SMS functionality is typically available on both Android and iOS devices. There are no specific prerequisites or requirements for using SMS, although users will need a mobile phone with a valid phone number and service plan to send and receive messages. SMS was first launched in the 1980s and has been widely used ever since, being a popular form of text message for cellphone users worldwide. However, it has since been replaced or supplemented by instant messaging apps like WhatsApp. [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) is a messaging application that allows users to send and receive text messages and voice messages, make voice and video calls, share media and documents, and much more. It was first launched in 2009 and has since become one of the [most widely used messaging apps](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-1) in the world, with over 2.24 billion active users as of 2023. WhatsApp is available in most countries worldwide, with a handful of exceptions. To use WhatsApp, users need a mobile phone with a valid phone number and internet connection. While the WhatsApp App is ideal for personal communication, there are specific products for businesses. [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) is a free, standalone app designed for small businesses to communicate with customers directly through the app. In contrast, [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) is a tool for larger businesses to integrate WhatsApp messaging into their existing software. Messaging through SMS and WhatsApp API has some similarities and plenty of differences, which we will discuss in the next section. ### SMS vs WhatsApp for Business: Main Differences We’ve previously explained the differences between [instant messaging and traditional messaging channels](https://respond.io/blog/business-messaging#toc-mobile-1)[.](https://respond.io/blog/business-messaging#toc-mobile-1) In this section, we’ll compare SMS and WhatsApp for business use for initiating or handling a high volume of conversations. Therefore, we’ll be referring specifically to WhatsApp API. #### SMS vs WhatsApp: Engagement Due to its conversational nature, WhatsApp tends to create better customer engagement than SMS. While SMS messaging is often one-way and involves limited interaction, WhatsApp’s conversational nature allows for less-formal, faster interactions. This has two important benefits. Firstly, WhatsApp’s interactive approach helps build trust and rapport between the customer and the business, leading to greater customer satisfaction and loyalty. Secondly, since both parties spend less time waiting for responses, conversation resolution times are shorter. As a consequence, agents are able to close conversations quickly, increasing their efficiency. Customers benefit from this too as they don’t like to wait a long time for responses. While engagement is important, your messaging channel of choice should include features to make customer communication easier. #### SMS vs WhatsApp: Messaging Features While SMS messages are limited to text, WhatsApp supports multimedia messages, including images, videos, audio and files, adding flexibility to the way businesses and customers communicate. This is also useful for bulk messaging, as businesses can [share a](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog) [catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog) or a promotional video to a segmented audience over WhatsApp, for example. For this reason, [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) or [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) offer a higher engagement rate compared to [SMS broadcasts.](https://respond.io/blog/sms-marketing-sms-broadcast) Some customers fall victim to scammers who message them impersonating a business. While this is harder to prevent for SMS users, WhatsApp API users can claim authenticity by acquiring the [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick#toc-mobile-1) [green tick](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick#toc-mobile-1) — provided that they [meet the requirements](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick#toc-mobile-3). Through WhatsApp API, businesses can also set up [interactive responses to customer-initiated messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-interactive-message#toc-mobile-1) and [interactive template messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-interactive-message#toc-mobile-3) to make customer communication more efficient, saving agents time. There is no way to know whether SMS recipients have read your messages or not. WhatsApp, on the other hand, provides received and read receipts to let agents know if they should re-engage with the customer or let things be. When it comes to security, WhatsApp provides end-to-end encryption, which means that messages are encrypted before being sent and can only be decrypted by the recipient. In addition, WhatsApp uses two-factor authentication to help protect user accounts from unauthorized access. Unfortunately, SMS messages are not encrypted, which means that anyone with access to the network can intercept and read the messages. In the business messaging world, there are always messaging restrictions to protect users from receiving unwanted messages. For that reason, be sure to choose a messaging channel that is not too stringent with its messaging rules. #### SMS vs WhatsApp: Limitations To begin with, SMS caps messages at 160 characters. That figure looks a bit disappointing when compared to WhatsApp's 65,536 character limit. That’s not all; [using a single emoji can reduce the character limit](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-0) of a standard SMS from 160 to 70. SMSes exceeding that limit will be broken down into separate messages with additional costs involved. Unlike WhatsApp, SMS does not support images or any rich content. You’d have to use MMS for that purpose, which is more expensive. Depending on the [SMS number](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-5) in question, you’ll face different restrictions, meaning that there is no clear winner for businesses. SMS notifications may also be subject to [carrier filtering](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-5:~:text=0.0075%20per%20message.-,Toll%2Dfree%20Numbers,-Like%20Long%20Codes), which stops them from being forwarded to the recipient. It is often difficult to determine with certainty whether an SMS notification has been filtered or not. Due to [cross-border restrictions](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-11), it is possible that SMS notifications may not reach overseas customers. What’s more, short code numbers only allow you to deliver notifications locally. [A](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-11:~:text=business%20SMS%20number.-,Alphanumeric%20ID,-Alphanumeric%20IDs%20are)[lphanumeric IDs](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-11:~:text=business%20SMS%20number.-,Alphanumeric%20ID,-Alphanumeric%20IDs%20are) can’t receive customer replies and long codes aren’t allowed to send marketing SMS in some countries. None of these restrictions apply to WhatsApp, which additionally, has a deliverability rate of [nearly 100 percent](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-notification#toc-mobile-1:~:text=WhatsApp%20is%20one%20of%20the%20most%20reliable%20channels%20for%20sending%20notifications%2C%20with%20a%20high%20deliverability%20rate%20of%20close%20to%20100%20percent.). In fact, WhatsApp messages will reach their recipients as long as you comply with the [WhatsApp Business and Commerce policies](https://faq.whatsapp.com/933578044281252). Finally, [WhatsApp opt-ins](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in) are more convenient compared to SMS opt-ins, as they don’t cost your customers money and can be [collected from different platforms](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in#toc-mobile-3). SMS opt-ins require customers to send a text message with a keyword or code, with costs involved for the customer. We’ve mentioned costs a few times so you might be wondering, is WhatsApp messaging more expensive than SMS? We answer this question in the next section. #### SMS vs WhatsApp: Pricing When it comes to pricing, SMS is generally more expensive than WhatsApp. To get started, businesses must acquire a number from an [SMS provider](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-6). Certain number types don’t involve set-up fees or monthly fees. Unfortunately, this is not the case for [short codes](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-5:~:text=an%20Alphanumeric%20ID.-,Short%20Codes,-Short%20Codes%20are), which are one of the preferred choices for businesses. In addition, SMS providers charge a fee per SMS or per bundle of messages. These fees tend to be higher for SMS numbers with [high deliverability rates.](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-notification#toc-mobile-1) What about WhatsApp Business API? To get access to it, businesses must face three different costs. - WhatsApp API access - Messaging inbox costs - WhatsApp's per-message charges To get WhatsApp API access, businesses must choose between two hosting options: [WhatsApp On-premises API](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api#toc-mobile-0) or [WhatsApp Cloud API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-cloud-api#toc-mobile-0). The former is only available via [WhatsApp partners](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider), often involving set up fees, hosting fees and markups per message. On the contrary, WhatsApp Cloud API can be obtained directly through Meta or through some WhatsApp partners like respond.io. It’s the preferred choice for businesses that want cost-efficient access to WhatsApp API and quicker updates on their WhatsApp Business Accounts. Additionally, [WhatsApp charges businesses per message delivered](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing#toc-1). Costs depend on the type of message and the customer’s country code. - User-initiated messages (Service Conversations): When a customer messages you, it opens a 24-hour customer service window. During this period, replies with free-form text or utility templates are free of charge. - Business-initiated messages (Template Messages): Once the service window closes, businesses must use a pre-approved template, billed per message. Templates fall into three categories: Utility, Authentication, and Marketing — with pricing varying by category and typically highest for marketing. Lastly, because WhatsApp API has no front end, you’ll also need a messaging inbox to receive and reply to customer messages. If you’re looking for a WhatsApp partner that offers a feature-rich messaging software, consider respond.io. We’ve compared SMS and WhatsApp in terms of engagement, messaging features, limitations and pricing. But which messaging channel should you use for each specific business use case? ### WhatsApp vs SMS for Notifications, Sales, Support and Marketing SMS has traditionally been used for notifications and marketing. WhatsApp, on the other hand, has slowly established itself as a strong option for all use cases in [countries where the app is popular](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business#toc-mobile-1). In this section, we’ll break down the usefulness of both channels for notifications, sales, support and marketing. #### Notifications WhatsApp is generally considered better than SMS for sending notifications such as one-time passwords (OTPs). This is because WhatsApp provides [end-to-end encryption](https://faq.whatsapp.com/820124435853543) for all messages, which ensures that they cannot be intercepted or read by anyone other than the intended recipient. To send OTPs via WhatsApp, businesses must use the [authentication message template](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-1). This template can be used for account verification, recovery and integrity challenges. SMS, on the other hand, is more vulnerable to interception and can be subject to SMS phishing attacks, where attackers try to trick users into providing their OTP or other sensitive information. Interactive automated messages are possible with WhatsApp, but not SMS. This type of notification opens a new world of possibilities. For example, businesses can send a notification as a [utility message](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/updates-to-pricing/new-template-guidelines/#utility-templates) with a menu of buttons to let customers choose between confirming a package delivery or rescheduling it. Deliverability is critical for notifications, as these often carry important information. A message that doesn’t arrive could result in a dissatisfied customer. With WhatsApp’s high delivery rate, you can rest assured your messages will reliably arrive at their destination. SMS notifications though, are subject to carrier filtering and cross-border restrictions, meaning that there is always a possibility that some customers won’t receive them. #### Sales SMS is not an optimal channel for sales, as it’s too impersonal and doesn’t allow for fluid conversations between a customer and a salesperson. Plus, using SMS to send messages back and forth can be costly for both parties. Using [WhatsApp for sales](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales) can offer several advantages over SMS, being a superior choice for both inbound and outbound sales. When it comes to outbound sales, agents can use [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) template messages for proactive sales as long as they abide by the WhatsApp [template messages content rules](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-3). For example, a real-estate agency could send property details to prospective buyers. But here’s the main differentiator: Sales agents can make use of WhatsApp’s 24-hour messaging window for template messages to freely chat with customers without incurring additional charges per message, unlike SMS. WhatsApp's rich media features help businesses showcase their products and services more effectively. This can make sales conversations more engaging and interactive, ultimately leading to [higher sales conversion rates](https://respond.io/customers/how-ferreteria-epa-ca-increased-sales-conversions-by-20). Thanks to WhatsApp’s conversational nature, responses tend to be quicker. As a consequence, agents can capture customers while interest is fresh. Regarding inbound sales, WhatsApp offers your customers several additional entry points to start a conversation with your business, including chat links, [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code) and [click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads#toc-mobile-2). Delivery and read receipts on WhatsApp can also help businesses monitor the effectiveness of their sales messages and track customer engagement. WhatsApp is also a better choice for customer support, as we’ll explain next. #### Support SMS is not a suitable channel for customer support, as conversations are too slow-paced and, generally, customers are charged per message. WhatsApp allows for real-time, two-way communication between customers and support agents, making it easier to resolve issues quickly and efficiently. Most importantly, the 24-hour customer service window allows agents to send as many messages as required to help customers in need without breaking the bank. Additionally, WhatsApp allows customers to send images and videos to provide context and clarify issues. This can help agents provide more accurate and effective assistance, ultimately leading to better customer experiences. Thanks to its automation possibilities, businesses can automate most things from auto replies to interactive WhatsApp messages to create a smooth customer journey and reduce agent load. Businesses can build very simple [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) messages and [WhatsApp schedule messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) to quickly address customers and set expectations FAQs are one of the most popular types of [WhatsApp automation](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation). They are often used to enable customer self-servicing. For example, a single [FAQ menu](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-for-customer-service#toc-mobile-8) can display a few buttons to answer common questions, redirect customers to a website or even [route them based on their needs](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio). Customers can also enable WhatsApp read receipts to see when their messages have been delivered and read, providing them with more transparency and assurance that their issue is being addressed. Let’s jump straight into the next use case. How does WhatsApp compare to SMS for marketing messages? #### Marketing & Remarketing [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) can provide several benefits over [SMS broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/sms-marketing-sms-broadcast) for businesses looking to reach their customers through targeted mass messaging. One of the primary advantages of WhatsApp broadcasts is the ability to send rich media content such as images, videos and audio messages to customers. This makes marketing messages more engaging and interactive, ultimately leading to better outcomes than text-only SMS broadcasts. WhatsApp broadcast also allows for better personalization and targeting. For example, businesses can send messages to specific audiences segmented by [Contact Fields](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/contact-fields), [Tags](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-details#tags) or specified conditions. In terms of marketing costs, there is no clear winner, as this depends on factors like SMS provider or WhatsApp Partner. However, [WhatsApp’s lead generation](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-lead-generation) is more cost-effective. With WhatsApp’s per-message pricing model, agents can reply to messages from customers who show interest without being charged for every single outbound message. Businesses can also save costs by generating leads via [free-entry poin](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/updates-to-pricing#:~:text=pricing%20in%202023-,Changes%20to%20free%20entry%20point%20conversations%3A%20Effective%20March%201%2C%202023,-Conversations%20are%20not)[ts](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/updates-to-pricing#:~:text=pricing%20in%202023-,Changes%20to%20free%20entry%20point%20conversations%3A%20Effective%20March%201%2C%202023,-Conversations%20are%20not) such as [WhatsApp buttons on Facebook Page](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-add-whatsapp-button-on-facebook-page) at zero cost. WhatsApp also comes with a number of tools for marketing that SMS lacks. For instance, businesses can advertise their products or services on Meta’s social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram and drive conversations to WhatsApp using [WhatsApp click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads#toc-mobile), another free-entry point. When customers message you via these ads, a free conversation window period is opened for [72 hours](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads#toc-mobile-2). Note that the ads themselves are not free, but simply the messages that are sent during the conversation window. If you want to send a message outside the free entry points, you can send marketing templates that raise awareness about your brand or products, sell your products, retarget existing customers and build customer relationships. As we reach the end of this article, there is one question left. Which one is the right choice for you? ### WhatsApp vs SMS: Which One is for You? There are still plenty of businesses using SMS. For companies that have been around for some time, it is a challenge to change from traditional communication channels to instant messaging channels like WhatsApp. Sometimes, they are not familiar with the benefits of integrating WhatsApp as one of their customer communication channels. However, WhatsApp is a better choice for businesses that operate in regions where WhatsApp is popular. As mentioned, it is superior in terms of pricing, engagement and messaging features, while having fewer restrictions. Plus, WhatsApp is conversational by nature, making it suitable not only for marketing and notifications but also sales and support. Connect to respond.io to [integrate your CRM](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) and use sales and support automation. To get started with WhatsApp for business, [try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and [get your WhatsApp API account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) in minutes. ### Further Reading If you’ve found this article interesting, here are some additional readings you may like: - WhatsApp Business Multiple Users: 5 Steps Guide (+Examples) - WhatsApp Business Metrics: How to Track WhatsApp Analytics - WhatsApp CRM: Integrating WhatsApp with a CRM on respond.io ## [Social Commerce Platform: A Guide for Businesses ](https:/respond.io/blog/social-commerce) Businesses are using social commerce platforms to boost online sales. How? Read this article to learn everything you need to get started with social commerce. In recent years, the concept of social media commerce has emerged as a powerful force. By combining the influence and reach of social media platforms with the convenience of online shopping, it is revolutionizing how businesses engage with their customers and sell products or services. In this article, we will talk about its benefits and how it differs from conventional e-commerce. We’ll also showcase businesses that have embraced social commerce platforms and discuss what makes respond.io a competitive social commerce platform. ### What is Social Commerce? Social commerce refers to the integration of social media and online shopping. It leverages the vast user base and engagement potential of social media platforms to facilitate the buying and selling of products or services directly within the social media environment. Rather than redirecting users to external e-commerce websites, social commerce platforms offer seamless shopping experiences, allowing consumers to browse, compare, purchase and share their purchases without leaving the social media platform. This term shouldn’t be mistaken for [e-commerce](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-ecommerce). In the next section, we’ll discuss the differences between both terms. #### Social Commerce vs E-commerce Traditional e-commerce often involves multiple steps, from discovering a product to navigating through various pages before completing a purchase. Unlike conventional e-commerce, which primarily relies on dedicated online stores or marketplaces, social commerce integrates shopping functionality directly into social media platforms. This integration blurs the lines between social interaction and commercial transactions. By eliminating the need for users to navigate to external websites, the purchasing process becomes quicker and more convenient. Some popular social commerce platforms include [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-business), and [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat). These platforms have recognized the potential to monetize their vast user base by offering integrated shopping experiences. For instance, [Instagram's Shop](https://business.instagram.com/shopping/?content_id=zILibDk0hFkzoPS&ref=sem_smb&utm_term=dsa-1876982531654&gclid=CjwKCAjwsvujBhAXEiwA_UXnAHaIA-49GIq0sq5otGeuAQYEI54M6VQ2LHkyJqYddq-xr34P2xOl-BoCJAQQAvD_BwE) feature enables businesses to showcase and sell products directly within the app, while WeChat's mini-programs allow users to browse and purchase items without leaving the messaging platform. In recent times, messaging channels have also jumped into the e-wallet trend, bridging the gap between social media platforms and online stores even more. Some examples are [Facebook Pay](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-pay) and [WhatsApp Pay](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-pay-everything-about-whatsapp-payment) by Meta. With this in mind, let's delve into the reasons why adopting a social commerce strategy has become increasingly beneficial for businesses and consumers alike ### Benefits of Social Commerce Here are three reasons why businesses are using it to elevate their online presence and drive more sales: 1. Enhanced user experience: Social commerce provides a seamless and personalized shopping experience within the familiar environment of social media. Users can discover products through recommendations, reviews, and influencers they trust, creating a sense of authenticity and fostering engagement. 2. Increased reach and engagement: Businesses can tap into the massive user base and high engagement levels of social media platforms. Social commerce allows for greater visibility, as users can easily share products or recommend them to their networks, amplifying brand exposure and generating organic growth. 3. Simplified conversion process: Social commerce streamlines the buying process, reducing friction and increasing the likelihood of conversion by allowing users to make purchases directly within the social media platform. Having explored the benefits, let's shift our focus to examine practical instances where businesses have leveraged this approach to drive their online presence and increase sales. ### Examples of Social Commerce Strategies While more and more businesses are gradually embracing this trend, we have selected two specific cases to showcase the transformative impact it can have on business growth and success. #### Social Commerce Instagram: How Glossier Does It Glossier is a cosmetics and skincare company that has gained significant popularity on its social commerce platforms, engaging customers and driving sales. Glossier's strategy revolves around creating a strong online community and producing user-generated content. It has built a highly engaged following on platforms like Instagram, where it showcases products and encourages customers to share their own experiences and photos using branded hashtags. Additionally, Glossier uses social commerce platforms as a direct sales channel. It has a seamless shopping experience integrated into their social media accounts, allowing users to browse and purchase products without leaving the platform. Glossier also implements influencer marketing strategies, collaborating with popular beauty influencers to promote their products and reach a wider audience. #### Social Commerce Instagram: How Fashion Nova Does it Fashion Nova's strategy centers around influencer marketing and user-generated content. It collaborates with a wide range of celebrities, fashion bloggers, and social media influencers who promote their products on platforms like Instagram. These celebrities often share photos and videos of themselves wearing Fashion Nova outfits, creating a desire among their followers to purchase the same items. Most importantly, Fashion Nova implements social media advertising and retargeting campaigns to reach their target audience. It also utilizes social commerce platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat to target users who have shown an interest in fashion and related topics. By displaying personalized ads and retargeting users who have engaged with their brand, Fashion Nova maximizes its chances of converting social media users into customers. If you’ve found these success stories inspiring, keep reading. We’ll share how you can use respond.io to implement a social commerce strategy for your own business and achieve similar results. ### Why Use Respond.io as a Social Commerce Platform By integrating your messaging channels with respond.io, you’ll transform your customer communication experience. Here are some best practices to optimize your strategy with respond.io. #### A Single Inbox for All Social Commerce Platforms Respond.io supports popular channels such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, LINE, and Instagram, all in one place. Businesses can answer customer inquiries from different messaging channels from an [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication). The convenience of managing multiple channels in one place simplifies customer communication and saves time. But when adopting an omnichannel approach, it is common to end up with siloed conversations across multiple channels. [Respond.io's Contact Merge feature](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) provides businesses with a holistic customer view by consolidating customer conversations into a single profile. This unified view enables businesses to understand customer preferences, history, and behavior, ensuring a personalized and consistent experience throughout the customer journey. #### Advanced Automation with Workflows The [Workflows Module](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) is respond.io’s automation builder, designed to streamline company tasks with little to no agent input. Businesses doing social commerce can use Workflow to automate many of their processes. To create the best first impression, build a [welcome message Workflow](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message#toc-mobile-12) to greet new customers that start a conversation with you. To manage response times expectations when there are no available agents, you can build an [away message Workflow](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business#toc-mobile-4). When done manually, conversation routing and agent assignment take valuable agent time and are not always consistent. Instead, try building a [Workflow to route conversations](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) to your customer-facing teams using your preferred routing logic. On a similar note, [create your own automatic assignment logic](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to distribute inbound conversations within teams with efficiency. Some businesses based on consultations or services benefit from collecting customer information before the conversation. For such cases, businesses can easily [create pre-chat surveys](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey#toc-mobile-10) with the *Ask a Question* Workflow Step. #### Agent Performance Monitoring with Advanced Analytics [Respond.io’s Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/dashboard) enables businesses to monitor agents' performance through advanced analytics. Businesses can use it to track response times, resolution times and other key performance indicators. Most importantly, the [Contacts tab in the Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-leaderboard) displays several leaderboards with a user-friendly interface. With the help of filters, you can get granular insights into your company teams and users. #### Link Generation for Seamless Redirection Respond.io allows businesses to [generate links](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you#generate_a_scannable_qr_code_or_shareable_chat_link) for different business messaging channels such as [Instagram DM](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-link), [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-for-instagram) or [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/messenger-link). Once created, these links can be shared across social media platforms. By leveraging link generation, businesses can prompt conversations and increase conversions from their social media effortlessly. #### Integration with External Platforms Respond.io features native integrations with [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/integrations/zapier) and Make.com — the two most popular software for app integrations, letting businesses integrate with a plethora of [e-commerce platforms and CRMs](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations). This integration capability allows businesses to seamlessly share data between respond.io and other platforms, ensuring smooth information flow, streamlined operations and cohesive customer experiences. In conclusion, social commerce has emerged as a game-changer in the business world, enabling companies to connect with customers, drive conversions, and foster brand loyalty like never before. With respond.io, you can unlock the full potential of this innovative trend and revolutionize your customer communication. Ready to get started? [Sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and witness respond.io’s benefits firsthand. ### Further Reading Want to know more about business messaging? Here are some readings that might interest you. - Conversational Commerce: A Guide to Conversational Commerce Platform - How to Use an Omnichannel Retail Strategy to Drive Engagement and Sales - Conversational Support: How it Improves Customer Experience ## [Social Media Lead Generation: Tactics and Examples](https:/respond.io/blog/social-media-lead-generation) Looking to do social media lead generation on a lower budget? Try these organic tactics to engage prospects in conversations. Do you want to boost social media lead generation while reducing ad spend? You’ve come to the right place! Our customers have used creative organic tactics to get leads into Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp and convert those leads into customers. We’ll show you how you can do it too. ### What is Social Media Lead Generation? When most people think of social media lead generation, the first thing that comes to mind is ads and boosted posts. While paid ads are essential for growing your business quickly, budgets are limited. In these tough economic times, [75% of marketing leaders report needing to do more with less](https://hbr.org/2023/06/marketing-when-budgets-are-down). One way to make the best use of your budget is by using new methods to draw leads into a chat organically. When you’re using chat for sales, getting prospects to start a conversation is how opportunities begin. That’s a key part of our [conversation-led growth framework](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth#toc-mobile-6), which begins with capturing leads. Many customers prefer to communicate on [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), but they typically discover a business through search or social media. One of the most effective methods for social media lead generation is through [click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads). However, you can capture leads through social media with organic methods as well. Building excitement with live events or interactive posts and stories along with clearly directing customers how to contact you boosts engagement. Here are three ways that our customers use organic marketing for social media lead generation to start conversations and maximize conversions. ### Social Media Lead Generation: Make It Easy for Prospects to Reach You Through Chat Buttons The most basic step for social media lead generation is to make it easy for prospects to reach you. Of course people can send you a private message when they visit your social pages, but often visitors need additional prompting. #### Add WhatsApp Chat Buttons With Facebook, you can add a chat button to any post and choose whether it goes to Messenger or to WhatsApp. Both Facebook and Instagram allow you to add a [contact button to your profile](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-for-instagram) so followers can message you via WhatsApp if that’s their preferred channel. We recommend using an [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-4) so no matter which channel prospects choose to contact you on, you’ll get all their messages in one place. Customers may use several different channels to contact you throughout their journey. For example, a prospect may ask a question via Facebook Messenger when they first visit your page. Then later, they might see a post and click on the WhatsApp button. The more ways there are for customers to reach you, the more convenient it is for them to have a conversation. You’ll want to make sure you can identify these prospects if they come in on a different channel to give them a consistent experience. A conversation management platform like respond.io enables you to keep all your contacts and messages in a single inbox so you don’t need to constantly monitor your social channels. ### Social Media Lead Generation: Engage with Facebook Live Shopping Another method for social media lead generation is through live events on social media. Facebook Live Shopping offers a unique opportunity to engage with viewers in real-time while showcasing your products. This feature allows you to conduct live product demonstrations and answer questions live, creating a dynamic shopping experience. By providing exclusive deals during these sessions, you can convert live viewers into leads. The interactive nature of live shopping encourages participation and increases the likelihood of viewers sharing the event with friends, broadening your reach organically. #### Example: Jewelry Business Reaches Thousands with Live Shopping One of our customers, a jewelry business, has seen success with this method. They regularly host live shopping sessions and capture contacts through comments and Facebook Messenger. This generates some sales on the spot and gets prospects into their list for retargeting. The business builds excitement for the event as viewers know they can only see it for a limited time. Their Live Shopping events get over two thousand views and considerable engagement from comments and messages. Customer Success Manager Joshua Loo recommends asking viewers to send a comment or private message using a code. The code is a discount code that also serves to identify how leads are coming in. The jewelry business has seen positive results with this social media lead generation method. Using respond.io, they set up a [chat automation Workflow](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations#toc-mobile-3) to direct prospects using the code to a specific sales agent. ### Social Media Lead Generation: Instagram Story Reply Another innovative way our customers do social media lead generation is through Instagram story replies. Instagram stories are often more visible than posts, and it’s easy for prospects to directly send you a message through them. When viewers send a message or even a reaction other than a ❤️, it will go to your inbox so you can continue the conversation. #### Example: Health and Beauty Business Leverages Influencers and Contests on Instagram One business in the health and beauty industry leverages influencers in their Instagram stories to get leads into conversations. Influencers attract more attention and boost demand for the product. They also use other creative methods to engage their followers including asking questions and hosting contests and giveaways. For example, they invited followers to participate in a lucky draw contest and announced the winners one by one in their stories. The chance to win something builds excitement and looking forward to the announcement of the winners keeps followers watching the stories daily. #### Example: Award-Winning Instagram Story Reply Campaign Here’s another example of a widely successful story reply campaign for social media lead generation. This award-winning initiative was used by Guinness to reach younger audiences on Instagram. Viewers were asked to reply to the story with emoji to create a unique recipe using Guinness. This generated thousands of replies, and the suggestions were turned into real recipes. Emoji replies are a fun way to get people to interact with different categories of products as well. ### Use Respond.io to Manage Your Social Media Lead Generation When you’re generating leads from social media into WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, it’s difficult to manage them if you have to constantly switch between channels. A conversation management platform like respond.io brings all your conversations into a unified inbox so you’ll never miss a lead. Automate your chats to respond instantly when leads come in whether through chat buttons and links, Facebook Live or Instagram story replies. Segment leads for further targeting and [send broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) to follow up. With a conversation management platform, you can also [integrate with a CRM](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) to manage your leads through the customer lifecycle. See for yourself how [respond.io](http://respond.io/) can help manage your social lead generation and convert leads into sales. Try it free today or contact us for a [customized demo](https://respond.io/demo). ### Further Reading If you’ve found this article helpful, check out these other blogs out to learn more. - How to Generate Leads on Facebook: Explained with Examples - WhatsApp Lead Generation: How to Use WhatsApp to Get More Leads - Click to Chat Ads for Lead Generation: The Ultimate Guide ## [Spam Management: Clear Your Inbox Clutter ](https:/respond.io/blog/spam-management) Dealing with spam can waste your time and prevent you from helping customers in a timely manner. Learn about the spam management strategies that can help you improve productivity. Are spam messages wasting your agents’ time and diverting them away from your customers? Spam management can help you clear the clutter so that you can focus on your customers. In this article, you’ll learn what spam is, how it affects businesses and the strategies for managing spam over instant messaging. ### What is Spam? Spam refers to unwanted messages that are sent through various communication channels. It is a common nuisance and can be found in different forms across several platforms, including instant messengers like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business) and [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business), email, social media, blogs and forums. These messages contain all kinds of content. They can come in the form of promoting products, services or scams. While spam is annoying, it also poses a serious problem for businesses that receive it. So, what happens when businesses don’t implement spam management strategies? ### What is the Impact of Spam on Businesses? Spam affects everyone. In fact, about [half of email traffic](https://www.statista.com/statistics/420400/spam-email-traffic-share-annual/) is spam. The high volume of messages alone is concerning, but the lack of spam management will have other effects that it has on businesses. It can impede productivity, lead to missed opportunities, disrupt operations and jeopardize data security. Let’s explore these issues in further detail. #### Spam Over Instant Messaging: Loss of Productivity One of the major issues with spam messages is that they waste valuable time and resources. Agents have to sift through unwanted messages to identify and address legitimate ones. This is time-consuming and it diverts their focus away from customer needs. Furthermore, agents may also have to dedicate extra time to report spam messages to their IT or security teams. While reporting spam is essential for improving filtering systems, it adds to the workload, further reducing overall productivity. #### Spam Over Instant Messaging: Financial Losses Spam messages can cause legitimate messages from clients, partners, or other stakeholders to easily get lost or overlooked. This can lead to a high risk of missed business opportunities or crucial information not being promptly addressed, potentially leading to lost sales, delayed projects or missed deadlines. For instance, a potential client's inquiry or a time-sensitive proposal from a partner may be mistakenly categorized as spam, causing the business to miss out on potential deals. Additionally, spam can adversely impact customer engagement and retention. If legitimate messages from customers get lost or overlooked, there might be delayed responses or even no response at all. This can lead to a loss in potential business. #### Spam Over Instant Messaging: Operational Losses Businesses risk operational slowdown if they receive too much spam. Messages with large attachments or images can consume a significant amount of bandwidth. As the volume of incoming messages increases, it strains the network, reducing available bandwidth for legitimate business communications. Moreover, a large volume of spam occupying server storage can reduce the available storage space for customer messages, requiring additional investments in storage infrastructure. #### Spam Over Instant Messaging: Security Breaches Spam messages that contain malicious links can pose significant security risks to businesses. These links can lead to various security breaches. Two common examples are phishing and the distribution of harmful software. Phishing is a technique where spammers send fraudulent messages that appear to be from trustworthy sources, such as well-known companies. If employees fall for these phishing attempts and unknowingly share sensitive information, it can lead to data breaches and unauthorized access to critical systems. Spam can also include links that lead to the download of malicious files, such as viruses, spyware, ransomware, or Trojans. Once installed on a computer, they can wreak havoc by stealing sensitive data, disrupting operations, or demanding ransom payments. Clearly, dealing with spam is crucial. It saves your agents valuable time by reducing the need to interact with spam messages. This allows them to improve their overall response rate as they have more time to focus on legitimate inquiries. Learn how you can implement spam management strategies in the next section. ### Managing Spam: 5 Strategies to Prevent Unwanted Messages Good spam management strategies help agents identify and handle spam, reducing its impact on their workflow. But to implement one, you need the right tools to help you, like respond.io. Respond.io is a customer conversation management software that is designed to handle a large volume of customer conversations. It combines communication channels like [email](https://help.respond.io/email/email-overview), [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) and more into [one omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication). This helps your agents handle spam across all channels in one place. Now, let’s take a look at the best spam management strategies with respond.io. #### Spam Management: Manually Flag Spam If a spammer messages you for the first time, you can manually flag them in [just a few clicks](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-triggers#trigger_shortcut) on respond.io. Setting this up is easy with the [Mark Contact as Spam](https://help.respond.io/inbound-conversations/managing-spam#workflow_setup) template in the Workflows automation module. Here’s a guide to creating this spam-flagging shortcut. 1\. **Select** the *Workflows* module. 2\. **Click** on + *Add Workflow.* 3\. **Select** *Mark Contact as Spam* Template. 4\. **Click** *Use Template.* 5\. Select ***Publish***. You’re done. Once you’ve tagged a contact as spam, it will close the conversation. #### Spam Management: Automatically Filter Spam You don’t always have to flag returning spam contacts manually. Once a contact has been identified as a spammer, you can include a [spam filter](https://help.respond.io/inbound-conversations/managing-spam#filter_returning_spam_contact) in any Workflows chat automation, freeing up agents’ time to engage with real customers instead. You can set up the automatic spam filter by [adding a branch step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_branch) to an existing or new inbound conversation Workflow. #### Spam Management: Educate Agents about Spam Tactics Help agents stay informed about common spam tactics to recognize and avoid potential spam messages. By providing agents with the necessary knowledge and awareness, businesses can minimize the risk of falling victim to spam-related security threats. Some examples of spammy or suspicious messages include bad spelling and grammar, promises of unrealistic opportunities and unsolicited attachments. #### Spam Management: Avoid Clicking on Suspicious Links Whether in emails, instant messages or other communication channels, agents need to be cautious about clicking on links from unknown or suspicious senders. This is to safeguard sensitive information and maintain the integrity of your device and network. These links may lead to websites or downloads that compromise security. Always exercise vigilance and verify the legitimacy of links before interacting with them. Agents should be cautious and proactive in notifying the team lead or relevant authorities about suspicious messages. #### Spam Management: Report Spam for Further Investigation Reporting spam for further investigation is crucial to detect and address a high number of spam conversations effectively. Agents should be encouraged to report spam by [tagging](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-details#tags) spam messages and providing a summary of the conversation with [Closing Notes](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/closing-notes), so managers can easily identify and track spam-related issues. They provide valuable insights into the nature of spam messages and patterns that might have evaded initial filtering. This information can be used to conduct further investigations to understand the tactics employed by spammers. With the know-how and tools to manage spam at your disposal, you can help free up your agents’ time to help customers, avoid losses and prevent potential security breaches. Ready to improve the way you handle conversations with your customers? Sign up for a [free respond.io trial today](https://app.respond.io/user/register). ### Further Reading If you enjoyed reading this article, check out our blogs on managing customer conversations below: - Chat Routing: How to Build a Chat Route to the Right Team - Escalation Management: A Guide to Customer Escalation - Conversational Support: How it Improves Customer Experience ## [Supercharge TikTok Messaging Ads on Respond.io ](https:/respond.io/blog/tiktok-messaging-ads) TikTok Messaging Ads and respond.io is a recipe for sales success. Maximize the potential behind this latest integration to capture customers, convert leads and retain business. When respond.io was founded in 2017, we never imagined partnering with some of the biggest names in tech one day. While we’ve now enjoyed significant success, no achievement is as rewarding as the trust and recognition given by our customers and industry giants like our partners. With that, we’re thrilled to announce respond.io's partnership with TikTok to support TikTok Messaging Ads, unlocking a new way for your business to attract, convert and retain customers like never before. If you’re interested in increasing sales exponentially, this is the breakthrough you’ve been waiting for. 🚀 ### Attract on TikTok, Convert on Respond.io TikTok’s massive user base is highly engaged, with 1 billion users spending more time on the platform than on Facebook and Instagram combined. It’s especially popular among Gen Z users but generations of audiences are on the app, intrigued by dance trends, viral challenges, and valuable influencer-driven content. Savvy businesses know how to make the most of the opportunities TikTok presents. They participate in the latest viral trends to promote new products or collaborate with influencers who share authentic customer reviews to boost brand credibility and reach via social proof. By leveraging TikTok Messaging Ads, your business can tap into this vibrant ecosystem to attract new customers. This is where respond.io comes in. Engaging TikTok content hooks curious customers, while respond.io reels them into your sales funnel. The omnichannel platform is purpose-built for sales on any popular messaging app, while our [Conversation-Led Growth™ framework](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth) empowers you to capture, convert and retain customers, turning casual interest into repeat purchases. #### Manage Large Volumes of Messages Easily and Customize Journeys for High-Quality Leads TikTok’s huge user base means lots of ad clicks. Our stable and robust platform is ready to handle the influx of chats from all your connected channels with no downtime or delays, and numerous tools for effective conversation management. Our Workflows chat automation builder and Respond AI Agent can automatically answer FAQs, qualify leads and assign only high-quality leads to human agents among others. This way, your customers get quick and relevant responses every time *and* you save manpower for where it's most impactful. You can even tailor specific customer journeys for leads who come from TikTok Messaging Ads. #### Track TikTok Conversions and Make Data-Driven Decisions When customers click on your TikTok Messaging Ads, they will be directed to your Messenger or WhatsApp channels to start a chat. Without the right software, this could cloud your ability to measure campaign effectiveness as you won’t know a customer’s first touch point. Respond.io identifies conversations that originated from TikTok ads to track ad campaign engagement accurately. If your ads lead to Messenger, you can even identify the exact ad the customer clicked on. This helps you determine the ads that resonate most with your audience to allocate your budget more effectively and maximize returns on ad investment. By leveraging actionable data found natively on TikTok and on respond.io, you can continuously optimize your marketing strategy to ensure your TikTok Messaging Ads always perform at their peak. #### Nurture Leads and Customers with Drip Campaigns on Their Favorite Messaging Channels Stay top-of-mind by sending educational or promotional messages via respond.io to nurture leads and keep customers informed about your products or services. Whether guiding a new user through onboarding or keeping existing customers engaged with special promotions, drip campaigns on Messenger and WhatsApp make it easy to nurture relationships and drive business results by providing valuable content at just the right time. Then, create tailored customer journeys based on individual actions or responses to your campaigns to enhance the customer experience and increase the likelihood of conversion. ### Transform TikTok Ad Interactions into Revenue with Business Messaging TikTok Ads can drive traffic to your business, but turning that traffic into sales requires efficient communication. When users click on an ad, they often have follow-up questions before making a purchase. While TikTok’s basic messaging features are useful, businesses running ads need more advanced tools for automation, analytics, and lead management. As an official TikTok partner, respond.io provides a solution to help businesses seamlessly convert ad interactions into sales. #### How TikTok Business Messaging Amplifies Your Ad Strategy TikTok Business Messaging ensures that ad clicks don’t just generate interest—they lead to actual conversations. Automate your responses, instantly qualify leads, and guide potential customers through the buying process without delays. Whether the interaction comes from TikTok Messaging Ads or organic content, respond.io centralizes all messages, improving response time and conversion rates. By integrating TikTok Business Messaging with respond.io’s omnichannel suite, you can manage TikTok chats alongside WhatsApp, Instagram, and other messaging platforms—all from one inbox. Available in most regions except the U.S., EEA, Switzerland, and the U.K., TikTok Business Messaging allows businesses to maximize ad performance and turn engagement into real sales. Connect your TikTok Business Account to respond.io today and start turning your TikTok Ad clicks into loyal customers! ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ## [Telegram Auto Reply: A How-To Guide ](https:/respond.io/blog/telegram-auto-reply) Wondering how to auto reply Telegram messages to your customers? You'll find everything you need to know in our Telegram Auto Reply How-To Guide. Telegram is one of the most popular messaging apps used by businesses around the globe. If your [business uses Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) to communicate with customers, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog post, we’ll teach you how to set auto reply Telegram bot and messages with respond.io Workflows automation. You’ll also find a list of useful Telegram auto reply examples! ### Why Use Telegram Auto Reply? Customers don’t like to wait or feel ignored when they message businesses. They expect quick and prompt replies, which is why most prefer to use a messaging channel like Telegram over email. Late responses leave a poor impression of the brand and cause businesses to lose valuable leads to competitors who reply on time. Furthermore, not all businesses can afford to have agents reply to customer inquiries readily 24/7. So, what is the best way to handle [inbound conversations](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations) for [Telegram Business](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) users? The answer is Telegram auto reply - an automated message triggered in response to an inbound Telegram notification. Here are some of the benefits of using auto reply on Telegram: #### 1\. Establish an excellent first impression Customers on messaging channels expect a quick response to their messages. Make a great first impression, even after business hours, by greeting your customers with a friendly and attentive tone. #### 2\. Manage response time expectations In scenarios where there aren’t agents available, a Telegram Auto Reply [helps set the correct expectations](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business) by giving customers an estimated response time. #### 3\. Collect customer data A [pre-chat survey](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) lets you easily collect customer data for contact identification or agent follow-up. This eliminates the need for agents to ask introductory questions, thereby reducing their workload during the conversation. As a result, Telegram automated answers help [improve customer satisfaction](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) since contacts feel they are being attended to. However, keep in mind that auto replies on telegram can only be used for the initial response to a customer’s message. If you want to follow up on subsequent messages, consider using [Conversational AI](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai) to answer customer inquiries from start to end. Now that you know the basics, we’ll guide you through the process of setting up a Telegram auto reply message on respond.io. ### How to Set Up an Auto Reply on Telegram There is one important thing that you should know: **The Telegram app doesn’t include an auto reply feature.** You’ll need to [create a Telegram Bot](https://respond.io/blog/best-telegram-bots-list) to send an auto reply message and [connect it to a messaging platform like respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/telegram#connecting_telegram). #### How to Set Up an Auto Reply on Telegram with Respond.io To set up an automatic reply on respond.io, we will use Workflows to build powerful and flexible automation. It all starts with [signing in to your respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/login). Once you’ve created a Telegram bot, it’s time to set up a Telegram auto reply. Here’s our guide to set it up on respond.io: 1. **Go** to the automation builder [Workflows Module](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview). Click on *+Add Workflow*. 2. **Select** *Conversation Opened* as the Workflow Trigger. Then, choose *Source is equal to Contact* as Trigger Conditions. 3\. **Decide** when the auto-reply should be triggered. To do so, add a [Date & Time](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/automated-welcome-and-away-messages#send_welcome_and_away_messages_based_on_business_hours) Step and define your business hours. You can send: - A welcome message during business hours - An away message outside of business hours 4\. **Add** *Send a Message* step at each branch. Then, select Telegram as the Channel. 5\. **Write** your auto reply welcome and [away messages](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-10). 6\. **Click** Publish. And you’re all set! To [collect information from your leads](https://help.respond.io/capture-leads/collect-contacts-emails-and-phone-numbers), you may add an [Ask a Question](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) Step to your Workflow. You can even qualify your leads automatically based on the information gained from the questions. Here's an interesting alternative. You can build and train an [AI agent for sales](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent) to reply to broadcasts without giving agents more workload. Now, there’s only one question left - what should you write in your Telegram auto reply? Let’s see some practical examples of auto reply messages that you can utilize. ### 15 Inspiring Telegram Auto Reply Examples When composing an auto reply for Telegram, a friendly and approachable greeting message does just fine most of the time. However, you can step up your game by setting up an away message or a lead collection message instead. Regardless of your preference, we’ve got you covered with these 15 Telegram auto reply examples you can use for business. ##### Welcome Messages Five Telegram auto reply messages to greet your customers: 1\. “👋 Welcome to \[business name\]. What can we do for you?” 2\. “Hi, it’s good to hear from you. How can we help you today?🙂” 3\. “Hello! Thanks for reaching out to \[business name\]. Please let us know how we can assist you.” 4\. “Hey there! Good to see you here. How can we be of assistance to you?” 5\. “Hi there! Thank you for contacting \[business name\]. We’re happy to assist you today.” ##### Away Messages Five Telegram auto reply messages to manage response time expectations: 6\. “Hey there! Unfortunately, there are no available agents at this moment. We have received your message and will be in touch with you by \[time\]. ⏱ ” 7\. “Thanks for contacting us! You will receive a reply within 24hr. In the meantime, you can check out our FAQ section here \[URL\].” 8\. “Hello there! We are closed at the moment, but we have received your message. An agent will be with you as soon as we are back. Thanks for your patience. 🙏” 9\. "Thank you for reaching out to us! We are away at the moment, but we promise to get back to you as soon as we can." *10\.* "Hi there! We’ve received your message. You can expect a response within \[time\]." ##### Lead Capture Messages Five Telegram auto reply messages to capture leads: 11\. “Hello there! We’ve received your message and we’ll be back to you soon. Could you please share your job title and company name?” 12\. “Thanks for contacting \[business name\]! Please leave your name and company name below. An agent will be with you 🔜.” 13\. “Welcome to \[business name\]. May we have your email address? 📧” 14\. “Thank you for your interest in \[business name\]! Could you share your email address with us please?” 15\. “Hi there! We are thrilled to receive your message. Please share your name, job title and company name. We’ll get back to you shortly!” Respond.io allows you to create the ultimate customer communication experience on a [Conversational AI platform](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) with tools such as [Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/ai-customer-experience#toc-mobile-19:~:text=Advanced%20Automation%20Builder), [customizable inboxes](https://help.respond.io/messages/custom-inbox) and [advanced analytics tools](https://respond.io/blog/customer-messaging-platform#toc-mobile-16). Give the leading messaging platform a try. [Sign up for a free account today](https://app.respond.io/user/register)! ### Further Reading Did you find this article useful? If so, these readings might interest you too: - Instagram Auto Reply: A How-To Guide - Facebook Messenger Auto Reply: A How-To Guide - Telegram Business: The Ultimate Guide ## [Telegram Broadcast: How to Use Telegram Bulk Message Sender](https:/respond.io/blog/telegram-broadcast) Everything you need to know about Telegram Broadcast and Telegram bulk message sender. Learn how to send Telegram bulk messages with respond.io. Looking to use Telegram broadcast to reach thousands of customers? You’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll explore what broadcasting is, the benefits of using Telegram bulk message sender to broadcast and how to send bulk messages. ### Broadcast Messaging: Traditional Channels vs Telegram Broadcasts Broadcast messaging or bulk messaging is a method of delivering information to many recipients simultaneously. Businesses use broadcast messages to keep their contacts updated about store closures, unexpected delays, upcoming promotions and more. Broadcasting used to be carried out on channels like email and SMS but these days, bulk messaging is accomplished via [instant messaging](https://respond.io/blog/instant-messaging-for-business) instead. Text messages have limited characters, no rich media and can be costly to send out while emails tend to be ignored, forgotten or sent to spam. Instant messaging channels like Telegram, Facebook or WhatsApp solve these problems while providing extra benefits. Messaging apps on everyone’s phones and push notifications mean businesses get their contacts’ attention immediately. With video and image support making messages more engaging, it’s easy to see why their open rates are a [600% improvement over emails!](https://respond.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business#:~:text=2018%20%7C%20Source%3A%20Statista-,Messaging%20App%20Engagement%20Rates,-It%20feels%20like) Next, we’ll go over the reasons why we would use Telegram over other channels when it comes to broadcasting. #### Why Use Telegram Broadcast? With so many instant messaging channels in the market to choose from, why would you pick Telegram over the rest? Every channel has its own advantages and disadvantages when it comes to broadcasting but we’ll focus on Telegram in this article. Here are the reasons why you would use Telegram as a bulk message sender: - Telegram has higher usage in regions such as Eastern Europe and is one of the most downloaded apps in the world, with over 700 million monthly users. If your target audience mainly uses Telegram, it would be the wisest choice. - Using the Telegram Bot is free and there are no subscription fees or message fees imposed on businesses. To send broadcasts, businesses will need to connect to a messaging platform like respond.io to start messaging. - Businesses on Telegram can reach out to any contact who has messaged them in the past and there are no restrictions like 24-hour windows or message templates - Compared to messaging channels like WhatsApp or Facebook, Telegram has fewer restrictions on the types of messages businesses can send, as long as they’re legal Since we’ve decided that Telegram is the best choice for your broadcasts, how do we go about sending them? ### Broadcasting on Telegram There are two ways a business can use Telegram to broadcast, either with [Telegram Channels](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-channels) or [bots](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#:~:text=it%E2%80%99s%20basically%20a-,Telegram%20Business%20account,-.%20Unlike%20WhatsApp%20Business). Using Telegram Channels involves launching the Telegram app, opening a channel and sending a message en masse to everyone in the channel. Telegram Channels are simple and straightforward to use but they have a few disadvantages. Messages tend to get ignored, especially on channels with a lot of activity, so your broadcasts are likelier to be missed. Businesses can’t send targeted broadcasts since contacts can’t be segmented and there is no way to test broadcasts before sending them. The alternative method to broadcasting on Telegram Channels is using a [Telegram Bot](https://core.telegram.org/bots). While it solves the issues that channels face, Telegram Bots require a third-party inbox platform such as respond.io in order to receive and send messages. #### Why Use Telegram Bot to Broadcast with Respond.io With Telegram Bot and respond.io, you can unlock the full potential of Telegram as a broadcasting tool. Telegram Bots let you broadcast messages directly to your contacts, allowing them to respond to you privately, which is great for support purposes. Respond.io’s [Broadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) improves the targeting and flexibility of bulk messaging with several features. The [Contact Segment](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contacts-overview#assign_tags_to_multiple_contacts) feature allows users to create precise target audiences based on Contact Fields, Tags or predefined conditions. Customers with the right Contact Fields, Tags or conditions will automatically enter a Segment while those who no longer meet the criteria will exit a Segment, ensuring your list is always up-to-date with no manual effort from your team. In addition to selecting multiple channels for a broadcast, you can also improve reach by broadcasting to your [Contacts' last interacted channel](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast) to increase visibility and engagement rates. It’s also possible to save [broadcasts as drafts](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast) if they aren’t ready for dissemination. This allows you to edit or reschedule them before they go live. If your plan supports it, you can [customize the rate](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast) at which your broadcast is delivered. A Telegram broadcast can be scheduled so they reach your contacts at optimal times and you can run tests before sending them to ensure your outgoing messages are flawless. #### What You Should Know About Telegram Bot Broadcasting Telegram Bots are a versatile and powerful tool but there are certain restrictions Telegram has in place. Since Telegram was designed as an anti-spam messenger, contacts cannot be imported directly into your contact list. You will need to build up your contact list by getting contacts to send you the first message. Fortunately, Telegram has a few ways of getting contacts to initiate conversations with businesses — [chat links, QR codes and the in-app search](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business). Once you receive the initial message from a contact, you’ll be able to reach out to them with no further restrictions. So make sure to not spam them or you’ll get blocked or reported! Now that we’ve learned about the limits of using a Telegram Bot for broadcasting, we’ll explain how to broadcast on Telegram through respond.io. ### Telegram Bulk Message Sender: How to Broadcast with a Telegram Bot on Respond.io Broadcasting on respond.io is a straightforward process with plenty of flexibility offered in creating content, targeting audiences and scheduling or sending broadcasts. To get started, navigate to the Broadcast Module in the side navigation menu and click the *Add Broadcast* button. Then name your broadcast and click *Create*. You also have the option to label (categorize) it for easier referencing in the future. Proceed to set up your broadcast by selecting your Segment. Select the *Specific Channel* option, and in the channel drop-down list, select the Telegram channel from which to send the message. Then, create your content. For more information, check out [this guide](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast) on how to set up and manage broadcasts on respond.io. After your broadcast successfully arrives at its recipients, you can expect an inbox full of customer replies. Build automation with [respond.io Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) to manage them efficiently, or even leave it to [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/automate-conversations/maximize-customer-service-potential-with-ai-agent), a conversational chatbot that learns and improves its responses with training. Now that we’ve gone through all of Telegram’s broadcasting capabilities on respond.io, you can disseminate bulk messages to your contacts with ease. If you haven’t signed up for a respond.io account yet, we have [a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) for you to start off with. Respond.io also supports handling multiple channels from the same platform, so if you want to broadcast on other instant messengers, check out our [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message) and [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) broadcast guides! ### Further Reading If you found this article helpful and would like to learn more, here are some useful resources: - Telegram Business Ultimate Guide - Telegram Auto reply guide - What Are Telegram Channels ## [Telegram CRM: Integrating a CRM with Telegram on respond.io](https:/respond.io/blog/telegram-crm) Looking for a Telegram CRM? This blog post is for you! We'll cover everything you need to know before investing in a CRM Telegram integration. You’re probably on this blog because you’re looking for a Telegram CRM or a CRM that supports Telegram integration. This blog post will help you make an informed decision when choosing the right Telegram CRM integration. In this first-hand guide, we'll explain everything you need to know about Telegram CRM integration and why an AI-powered customer conversation management software like respond.io is essential. Then, we’ll show you how respond.io can benefit your Telegram marketing, sales and support. ### What is Telegram CRM? Telegram CRM is the integration between Telegram and a CRM. Businesses look for a Telegram CRM integration to receive and respond to Telegram messages within their CRM. Because CRMs were originally built with email communication in mind, very few support native Telegram integration, and most rely on third-party integrations. Before integrating Telegram into your CRM, here are a few things you should know. ### Getting a Telegram CRM: What You Should Know To get a Telegram CRM integration, you need to understand how to use Telegram for business and the Telegram integrations that CRMs provide. #### Telegram for Business Businesses have two Telegram options to choose from: Telegram app or [Telegram bot](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-4), also known as Telegram Business API. Unlike WhatsApp, which has a [business app](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), Telegram does not have a dedicated app for businesses. However, with the Telegram app, businesses can use one account on multiple devices while having the chats sync seamlessly. They can [schedule messages](https://telegram.org/blog/scheduled-reminders-themes), [create groups](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-groups) and [Channels](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-channels) and more for free. Businesses can also subscribe to [Telegram Premium](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-8) if they want additional features like [huge file uploads, faster downloads, exclusive stickers and more](https://telegram.org/blog/700-million-and-premium). **Telegram App vs Telegram Bot** | | Telegram App | Telegram Bot | | --- | --- | --- | | Best For | Small to Medium Businesses | Medium to Large Businesses | | Message Volume | Low to Mid | High | | Supports Integrations | No | Yes | If you want to integrate Telegram with a CRM, you’ll need a Telegram bot. The Telegram bot is designed for businesses that receive high volumes of messages and need advanced automation to manage their conversations. However, a Telegram bot does not have a messaging interface. To send and receive messages, it must be connected to a CRM or an [AI-powered customer conversation management software](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) like respond.io. Because Telegram simply provides the API, CRM and business messaging inbox providers are free to design the inbox for end users. Therefore, what you can do with a Telegram bot integration will differ depending on the software you choose. Now, let's look at the types of Telegram integration supported by CRMs. #### Integrating Telegram with a CRM With [Telegram overtaking Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-15) as the second most popular messaging app in certain countries, it is surprising that popular CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot and Zendesk do not provide native Telegram integration. Instead, they all rely on third-party integrations. While there are many types of third-party integrations available, many of them limit the API to one CRM. This affects businesses that want to connect multiple CRMs with Telegram to exchange data between the platforms. If you want to connect Telegram with multiple CRMs and use its features to their maximum potential, then you’ll need a respond.io business messaging inbox built specifically for messaging. You can connect various messaging apps like Telegram as well as traditional channels like email and webchat to respond.io. In short, you can streamline all business communication in one feature-rich platform. Plus, you can use advanced tools to send Telegram broadcasts, automate conversations, route and assign conversations and more. We’ll explain more of the features later. Now, let’s look at how to integrate any CRM with respond.io to use Telegram. #### Integrating Telegram with a CRM on Respond.io First, you need to [set up your Telegram Business Account](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-9) and [connect it to respond.io](https://docs.respond.io/messaging-channels/telegram#connecting-telegram). Then, create a new [Workflow](https://docs.respond.io/workflows) and add the [HTTP Request Step](https://docs.respond.io/workflows/steps#step-http-request) to connect any CRM with Telegram on respond.io. By doing so, you can exchange information with your existing CRM while messaging customers on respond.io. Businesses can [qualify sales leads](https://help.respond.io/convert-leads/how-to-automatically-qualify-contacts-based-on-budget-using-ai-agent), retrieve [updated contact profiles](https://help.respond.io/l/en/support-use-case/enrich-customer-data) or [create deals and tickets](https://help.respond.io/zapier/hubspot) in external CRMs from the platform without having to go back and forth between their CRM and the respond.io inbox to reply to Telegram messages. Now, let's look at how you can use respond.io to market, sell and support over Telegram. ### How to Use Respond.io for Marketing, Sales and Support Unlike WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, Telegram does not have a messaging window. So, businesses can message customers freely, provided the [content is legal](https://telegram.org/faq#q-there-39s-illegal-content-on-telegram-how-do-i-take-it-down). They must also keep their messages relevant in order to prevent customers from blocking them. With respond.io, you can [integrate your CRM with voice call services](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration) like Telnyx, WhatsApp calls and Messenger calls. These alternative channels are very useful to speak directly to customers that use other channels besides Telegram. That said, let's look at how you can use Telegram for marketing, sales and support on respond.io. #### Telegram Integration for Marketing To reduce spam and protect users’ privacy, Telegram does not pass on Telegram users’ phone numbers or IDs to businesses. Therefore, businesses cannot import Telegram users’ contact information and must wait for them to start a conversation. Thankfully, businesses can encourage inbound conversations with [chat links, in-app search](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-13), [QR Codes](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-qr-code) and [Telegram widgets](https://respond.io/blog/add-telegram-to-website). Once a lead opens a conversation with you, you can [collect basic information](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey#toc-mobile-2) to identify whether the lead is new or an existing Contact that has previously messaged you on another channel. If they are an existing Contact, you can [merge their contact information](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) to get a comprehensive view of their interactions with your business. You can also exchange and retrieve their contact information on your CRM. If a lead is new, you will automatically capture their details and add them as a Contact. You can [segment](https://docs.respond.io/contacts/contact-details#tags) them into different audiences, which will help when sending targeted broadcast messages. Unlike [Telegram Channels](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-channels) which are designed as a one-way broadcast tool, [Telegram broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-broadcast) via respond.io permit two-way interactions, allowing Contacts to respond to promotional messages that interest them. Now that you know how to use respond.io for Telegram marketing, let's look at how to use it for sales. #### Telegram Integration for Sales By integrating a sales CRM with Telegram on respond.io, businesses can exchange data between both platforms while carrying out sales-related tasks like qualifying leads and creating deals with a [click of a button](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0). Respond.io's highly customizable Workflows enable businesses to automate sales tasks like [qualifying leads](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) and [routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) them to the right sales team based on the funnel they fall into. Additionally, businesses can utilize an [AI sales agent](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent) to serve as the first responder to handle routine lead inquiries. Managers can implement routing logic like routing leads by priority access, deal size, region or more. Plus, they can ensure equal lead distribution among the sales team and [assign customers to available agents](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio). Additionally, as agents will be communicating with customers from different backgrounds, they can leverage [AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai) to refine messages for clarity, translate them to overcome language barriers and more so their message is communicated effectively. Next, we’ll go over how you can use respond.io for Telegram customer support. #### Telegram Integration for Customer Support Instead of assigning and answering every single inquiry manually, businesses can automate FAQs and send [multiple-choice questions](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) to help customers communicate what they want clearly. The automation will [route](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assign](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) customers automatically based on their needs, saving agents from repetitive manual tasks. Similar to the AI Agent’s capabilities mentioned in the sales use case above, businesses can use AI to handle routine inquiries and escalate complex or sensitive issues to human agents. This helps agents focus their time on critical issues rather than performing repetitive tasks. To ease their workload further, tools like [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) provide agents with quick access to relevant information from knowledge bases or existing resources. This allows agents to respond quickly and accurately to customer inquiries, enhancing response times and contributing to a more satisfying customer experience. If an agent cannot resolve an issue, they can request a manager's help through [internal comments](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts/contact-activity#comments) or [escalate the case](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) to external CRM platforms in one click while chatting with customers. Besides that, businesses can measure the success and quality of a company’s customer support by sending a [CSAT survey](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-8) or by tracking individual or team performance via the advanced [Reports and Analytics Module](https://help.respond.io/l/en/support-use-case/reporting-for-support). We hope you found our first-hand guide to Telegram CRM integration insightful. Above all, you can carry out all your tasks anywhere with the [respond.io mobile app](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-support#toc-mobile-11). Sounds interesting? [Get started with our free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and elevate your business communications today! ### Further Reading Need more information on Telegram use cases? Here are some articles that might be of interest to you. - How to Send Telegram Broadcast - Telegram Sales: How to Sell on Telegram - How to Use Telegram for Customer Support ## [Telegram for Business: 5 Steps to Set Up, How to Use & Best Practices](https:/respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) Looking to use Telegram for Business? Here you'll learn how to set up a Telegram Business account and how to start messaging customers right away. Is Telegram popular with your customers? If it is, this guide will teach you how to use Telegram for business. Drawing from our direct experience in successfully setting up and managing Telegram business accounts, we’ll explain what a Telegram business account is, how to create a Telegram bot to chat with customers and best practices for making the most of your business account for Telegram. Let’s dive in! ### Is Telegram Suitable for Business Use? Absolutely! Telegram is a messaging app renowned for its privacy and security, support for every major operating system and ease of use as a mobile app. With over [900 million monthly active users](https://www.businessofapps.com/data/telegram-statistics/), it ranks among the top 5 most downloaded apps worldwide as of 2024 and is widely embraced by businesses globally. The privately-owned service also long held a not-for-profit stance. While Telegram has introduced a paid premium subscription, all existing features remain free. As its [popularity continues to grow](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-14), the channel is seeing an uptake among businesses. Let’s examine more reasons why Telegram is a key channel for businesses looking to amp up their sales and marketing efforts. Now, let’s see where businesses are actively using Telegram to communicate with customers. ### Regions that Use Telegram for Business In a few regions around the world, Telegram is [overtaking Facebook Messenger in popularity](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-15), though it’s still behind [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) globally. What spurred this development and where is this growth prominent? Telegram was the fastest-growing messenger in 20 countries and the top messaging app in 16 countries in 2020. That number has only risen since. The 2020 Telegram user growth map below shows its use in Eastern Europe and Asia, as well as in parts of South Africa, North America and South America. The trend continued in 2021 and 2022, with Europe, Asia and Africa recording steady downloads. Telegram’s largest user base is now in India, where the app has 120 million monthly active users as of September 2022 and comprises almost 20% of its total users. Telegram has already become part of an elite club of apps that have been [downloaded over 1 billion times](https://techcrunch.com/2021/08/30/telegram-tops-1-billion-downloads/#:~:text=Popular%20instant%20messaging%20app%20Telegram,globally%2C%20according%20to%20Sensor%20Tower.). If you’re in a region where customers are increasingly turning to the channel, consider using Telegram for business to reach out to them. ### Telegram Business Account Benefits An impressive 64% of customers [prefer communicating with businesses over instant messaging](https://respond.io/blog/business-messaging#toc-mobile-5) rather than traditional channels like phone calls or email. Given this preference for instant messaging, Telegram for business stands out, particularly due to its robust security measures. Telegram uses server-client encryption, and it stores and encrypts files in the Telegram cloud. Privacy-conscious users can opt for extra security with advanced end-to-end encrypted [messages](https://core.telegram.org/api/end-to-end) and [voice calls](https://core.telegram.org/api/end-to-end/voice-calls). However, customer communication is not limited to 1:1 chats and calls. Telegram also has social platforms businesses can leverage to interact with customers at scale, such as [Telegram Groups](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-groups) and [Channels](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-channels). Companies can [share promotional content](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-broadcast), special offers and marketing materials, reaching a wide audience effortlessly. Best of all, Telegram doesn’t limit the number of devices an account can be connected to or use simultaneously, and chats are synced in real time across all devices. Without any restrictions on content type or messaging windows, it’s a great channel for business. Furthermore, Telegram for Business stands out as a cost-effective solution. Its free Telegram Bot API opens doors for [integration with CRMs](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-crm) and customer conversation management software. This enables the use of [AI chatbots](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai) and [automation tools](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) for businesses that want to message at scale. ### Why You Need a Telegram Business Account A Telegram business account can enhance your operations and customer interactions significantly. Below are some examples of what you can achieve: - Share promotional content, special offers and other marketing materials in 1:1 messaging or via Telegram Groups and Channels. - Guide customers through the sales funnel easily as the platform enables secure and informal conversations that build rapport. - Provide customer support 24/7 and respond to customer inquiries, complaints and feedback in real-time. - Conduct surveys and gather feedback from customers or employees in a conversational format. - Integrate existing CRMs so they can access and update customer data and create deals or tickets while chatting with customers on Telegram. ### 5 Requirements to Set Up Telegram for Business So you now know the *whys* behind why you should be using Telegram for business. But now let’s cover the *whats*. Namely, what you’ll need to get started with Telegram. - Telegram Account: You'll need to download the Telegram app from your respective device's app store. The app is available on iOS, Windows, Android, macOS and Linux. - Phone Number: You should also have a dedicated phone number, as it’s required for the verification process. - Clear Objectives: Whether you want to use Telegram for marketing, sales or anything else, decide what you intend to use it for early on. - Trained Teams: Your teams should be properly trained to manage Telegram groups and channels and enforce guidelines. - Branding: When setting up your profile and creating groups and channels, use your business’s name and logo and create a description that reflects your business identity to establish credibility. ### How to Set Up Telegram for Business in 5 Steps Let’s now cover how you can get Telegram up and running for your business. The Telegram bot allows you to set up a branded Telegram account for business, which gives your account legitimacy and credibility. To create the bot, simply follow the following steps. #### Step 1: Chat with the BotFather To create a Telegram bot, start by chatting with the BotFather. Open Telegram, search for “BotFather,” and press **Start** to initiate the setup process. The BotFather is the official tool for creating and managing bots on Telegram. #### Step 2: Use the /newbot Command Type the **/newbot** command in the BotFather chat to begin creating your bot. You’ll be prompted to choose a display name and a unique username for your bot. While the display name can be changed later, the username must describe your business and end with "bot" (e.g., MyBusinessBot). #### Step 3: Receive Your API Token Once your bot is created, the BotFather will provide you with a unique API token. This token is crucial for connecting your Telegram bot to other platforms, such as messaging CRMs. Keep it safe, as it grants access to your bot! #### Step 4: Connect the Bot to respond.io Create a [respond.io](https://respond.io/) account if you don’t already have one, and use the token to connect your Telegram bot. Respond.io enhances your Telegram bot’s capabilities by integrating it into a broader customer communication platform. Once done, that’s it! Your account setup is complete, you can start using your Telegram bot immediately for your business. #### Step 5: Verify Your Business Account with the Telegram Badge This step is optional but want to assure contacts of your legitimacy with a Telegram-verified badge? You’ll need [verified accounts on at least 2 of these services](https://telegram.org/verify), including TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. Do note that verification is currently only available for channels, bots or public groups. Next, let’s look at how Telegram groups and channels compare. ### Telegram Groups vs Telegram Channels If you’re unsure whether to use a Telegram Group or Channel for your business or how to set them up, we’ll be going through that now. Let’s start with a quick comparison to help you decide which of the 2 better aligns with your goals. #### Telegram Groups and Channels: A Comparison Telegram groups are best for businesses that thrive on 2-way interaction, such as creating tight-knit communities, gathering feedback or providing support. With features like polls, media sharing and direct replies, Groups encourage meaningful conversations while admins maintain control over moderation and rules. | Feature | Telegram Groups | Telegram Channels | | --- | --- | --- | | Audience Limit | Up to 200,000 members | Unlimited subscribers | | Communication | Everyone can chat and interact | Primarily one-to-many | | Posting Rights | All members, unless restricted by admins | Only admins (or designated posters) | | Interaction | Direct replies, polls, media sharing, reactions | Usually read-only | | Moderation | Admins can remove messages, ban users, set rules | Admins control posts and channel settings | | Analytics | Basic stats (e.g., member count) | Detailed stats (e.g., views, growth, engagement) | | Typical Use Cases | Community discussions, support forums, interest groups | News feeds, brand announcements, official updates | Telegram channels are built for scale, enabling businesses to broadcast updates and announcements to unlimited subscribers. Channels are ideal for brands looking to deliver content efficiently without the noise of back-and-forth discussions. With analytics to measure reach and engagement, they’re a powerful tool for businesses focused on reaching the widest audience possible. You don’t need to choose between the 2. They’re best used in tandem! Use Groups to build connections and Channels to broadcast your message far and wide. #### How to Create a Telegram Group Creating a [Telegram group](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-groups) is simple and takes just a few steps: 1\. Open Telegram and **tap the Compose icon.** 2\. **Add members** by selecting contacts or sharing a group invite link. 3. **Name your group, set an optional profile picture**, and tap **Create**. #### How to Create a Telegram Channel Setting up a [Telegram channel](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-channels) is just as easy: 1**. Tap the menu icon** and select “New Channel.” 2\. **Add a name, description, and profile photo** to make your channel stand out. 3\. Choose **Public or Private** for your channel ### How to Use Telegram for Business Telegram provides a straightforward yet impactful experience for both businesses and customers alike. For example, businesses can invite customers to chat with them via [Telegram links](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-link-generator) or [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-qr-code). Let’s look into more native Telegram features or capabilities that are ideal for businesses. #### 1\. Interact with Customers on Telegram Groups [Telegram Groups](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-groups) work just like groups on other messaging apps. The key difference is that Telegram groups can have up to 200,000 members, are highly configurable, have granular controls for chat management and [can be private or public and searchable](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-groups#toc-mobile-1). Groups also support [topics](https://telegram.org/blog/topics-in-groups-collectible-usernames), which function as forum-style threads, making it easier to organize discussions within large communities. As Telegram Groups support 2-way interaction, they are invaluable for community building. Businesses can share their [Telegram links](https://telegram.org/blog/infinite-reactions-statuses#new-username-links) with customers to gather feedback, conduct polls or address topics of interest according to the group’s segmenting. #### 2\. Send Broadcasts via Telegram Channels [Telegram Channels](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-channels) have the same features as Groups, except communication is one-way — only admins can send messages. Unlike groups, channels have no user limits, making them perfect for broadcasting updates to a massive audience. Channels also allow comments on posts, enabling businesses to gather feedback or foster light interaction when necessary. For instance, [Health Ministries in Singapore, Malaysia, India and Israel](https://telegram.org/blog/coronavirus) have successfully used Telegram Channels to update the public on COVID-19 news. Users subscribe to channels through in-app searches on Telegram or by using [channel links](https://telegram.org/blog/infinite-reactions-statuses#new-username-links) posted on websites or other places. Interestingly, channels with over 1,000 subscribers can access channel and post analytics to measure their reach and impact. #### 3\. Share Identification Documents Securely with Telegram Passport If you’re in an industry that handles identity verification, then Telegram Passport is for you. It’s a platform that stores identification documents for use by [institutions or service providers that require them](https://telegram.org/blog/export-and-more#improved-telegram-passport) for Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures. The idea is to stop uploading these confidential documents to various places. Since Telegram [stores this data in its cloud with end-to-end encryption](https://telegram.org/blog/passport), only the intended recipients can access the data. #### 4\. Get Telegram Premium for Heavy Use of Telegram for Business Telegram’s co-founders were adamant that its private messaging would always be cost-free and ad-free. That promise is still intact, but the channel recently introduced [Telegram Premium](https://telegram.org/blog/700-million-and-premium) for users who are willing to pay for additional benefits. These include 4GB file uploads, faster downloads, exclusive stickers, [custom animated emojis](https://telegram.org/blog/custom-emoji) and [emoji statuses](https://telegram.org/blog/infinite-reactions-statuses), and advanced chat management and [privacy settings](https://telegram.org/blog/custom-emoji#privacy-settings-for-voice-messages). If you often send large files, subscribing to the Premium plan could be worth it. Otherwise, you can get by with the free version. #### 5\. Boost Sales and Marketing Efforts with Automation Taking advantage of automation using Telegram Bots can take the load off your sales team by automating repetitive tasks like lead qualification, answering common questions and sharing basic product information (e.g., [Telegram auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-auto-reply)). For instance, a bot can quickly capture customer inquiries, collect essential details, and even schedule meetings, allowing your sales team to focus on what truly matters: closing deals. By handling the low-hanging busy work, Telegram bots help your team work smarter and close sales faster. ### Telegram Business: Best Practices For conversations to happen on this channel, [you need customers to message you first](https://help.respond.io/telegram/telegram-overview#capturing_conversation). In this section, we’ll look at how to capture inbound conversations and send outbound messages on Telegram. #### Telegram Business: Get Contacts to Find You on Telegram Although users sign up for Telegram with a phone number, the primary identifier of each user is their Telegram ID. To protect your privacy and reduce spam, Telegram does not pass on your phone number or ID to your messaging CRM, just your name. This also means Telegram users cannot be imported via CSV file to a CRM as contacts. Luckily, there are tools that make it easy for customers to reach out to you. These tools are chat links, QR codes and in-app search. Let’s explore them in more detail. ##### Telegram for Business: Chat Links and QR Codes When a person clicks a chat link or scans a QR code, they will be taken directly into a chat with your brand. Every Telegram bot comes with a chat link using the t.me/username format, so it’s important that your bot username reflects your brand. Chat links work well on websites, social media profiles or even in emails sent to customers. They do have a limitation though: They only work well when the Telegram app is installed on the device. On mobile, users will be directed to download the Telegram app if they press the link. On desktop, users will be taken to a page where they can open [Telegram Web](https://web.telegram.org/#/login). However, this only works when users have visited the page previously. What about QR codes? Businesses commonly use them to drive traffic from both online or offline locations such as websites and storefronts. Similar to chat links, they will only work when the app is installed. Here’s a tip: To let customers know which app to use, add a Telegram logo above the QR code. Although Telegram doesn’t provide QR codes out of the box, businesses can make them with any QR code generator using the t.me link. Alternatively, they can [generate a QR code on respond.io](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you#generate_a_scannable_qr_code_or_shareable_chat_link). ##### Telegram for Business: In-App Search You don’t need a verified Telegram bot to be searchable in-app. Once you create a bot, any user should be able to search for it on Telegram and send it a message. Although in-app search may not drive the bulk of your traffic, this is the most likely way hardcore Telegram users will find your brand. Now that you know how to acquire customers as Telegram contacts, let’s explore how you can go about messaging them. #### Telegram Business: Messaging Customers Messaging customers on Telegram is relatively straightforward. Although other messaging app business accounts place limits on when and what you can send messages, Telegram for business doesn’t have such restrictions. ##### Telegram for Business: 1:1 Messaging Since Telegram doesn’t have a messaging window, you can send customers a message any time after they become a contact. How cool is that? But the key things to know about messaging customers on Telegram are the sent and read receipts. While Telegram provides sent, delivered and read statuses on personal accounts, a Telegram business account doesn’t have the same functionality. The Telegram Bot API does not provide status updates, even when connected to a business messaging platform Additionally, whenever a Telegram user messages your bot, their messages will automatically be marked as read. This could give some customers the impression that your business has read the message but hasn’t replied. Something to keep in mind. ##### Telegram for Business: Broadcast Messaging Like 1:1 messaging, Telegram doesn’t have any limitations for broadcasting. You can send rich media like pictures, videos, files and text to an unlimited number of Telegram contacts. However, contacts can block your bot if your content is irrelevant or they feel you are spamming them. If they do, you’ll receive a *Forbidden: bot was blocked by the user* notification when you message them. Keep your content relevant and broadcast carefully to avoid this. Just like with 1:1 messaging, you’ll need to connect your bot to a business messaging platform to send a broadcast. Make sure the business messaging platform you choose has [broadcast capabilities](https://docs.respond.io/broadcasts). ##### Telegram for Business: Group Messaging Group messaging is important for business use cases like sales or promotional messaging. You’ll be pleased to learn that Telegram bots can be added to group chats. By adding a Telegram bot to your group chat, you’ll be able to record group chat history in the messaging CRM your bot is connected to. While we haven’t enabled group chats on respond.io, you can help us do so by [upvoting the feature request](https://respond.canny.io/feature-request/p/telegram-support-group-chats). ### Real-Life Telegram Business Case Studies Telegram is clearly a boon for any business, regardless of industry. Let’s now take a look at a couple of inspiring examples of how brands are using Telegram to achieve success: #### 1\. TED Talks When it comes to [TED Talks](https://telegram.me/TED_Talks), one way they consistently retain their audience is by engaging them through popular videos, highlights, and other similar content shared via their dedicated Telegram channel, which serves as a direct line to their thousands of dedicated followers. While they take a remarkably simple approach, to date, it is undeniably effective in enabling TED Talks to foster a strong community while advancing their mission of spreading ideas that matter. #### 2\. Besser Academy [The Besser Academy](https://blog.invitemember.com/telegram-for-business-in-2023-the-besser-academy-success-case/) turned Telegram into the backbone of their subscription-based educational platform. They created channels and groups where members can access exclusive content, participate in discussions, and connect directly with instructors. This nifty setup not only made their communication channels all the more efficient but also built a loyal and engaged audience, driving significant revenue growth for the Academy. ### Merge and Manage Telegram Business with Other Messaging Apps via Respond.io We’ve clearly established that Telegram is a fantastic tool for your business’s sales and marketing needs, but why restrict yourself to a single channel? Today’s audiences don’t stick to just one app, after all. With respond.io, you can effortlessly integrate Telegram Business with other popular messaging apps like WhatsApp, [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business) and more! It consolidates all your conversations into [one unified platform](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication), equipped with powerful features like automated workflows and detailed reporting to take your business to the next level. ### Further Reading If this Telegram guide was useful and you’d like to learn more about how to use Telegram for business, check out these articles: - How to Sell on Telegram: The Telegram Sales Guide - How to Use Telegram for Customer Support - What are Telegram Groups ## [Telegram Link Generator: How to Get a t.me Link](https:/respond.io/blog/telegram-link-generator) All you need to know about the t.me link and how to generate Telegram link with respond.io's Telegram Link Generator. Generate a t.me link for your business Looking for ways to get new customers talking to you on Telegram? You’ve come to the right place. In this first-hand guide, we’ll show you how to generate a Telegram Link (also known as a t.me link) using our Telegram link generator and explore its benefits. In addition, we’ll go over some of the effective ways you can utilize Telegram links and why you should connect your Telegram account to an [AI-powered](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) customer conversation management software like respond.io. Ready? Read on! ### What is a Telegram Link? A Telegram Link is a short URL (like t.me/username) that lets people start a chat with your Telegram account, bot, group or channel without needing your phone number. Telegram links let people contact your business without knowing your phone number. It comprises your username and a t.me link. Like [Facebook Messenger links](https://respond.io/blog/messenger-link), a Telegram link is the shortest official URL you can get for your profile. t.me is the URL shortener used by Telegram to create links for channels and groups. These links are used to invite users to join a channel or group on Telegram. Simply add your Telegram username behind t.me (e.g. t.me/yourusername) to generate a Telegram Group Link. The links open a Telegram page with buttons to initiate a chat session with your business, depending on the user’s Telegram Web logged-in state. If the user is not logged into Telegram Web, the webpage will show a single Send Message button. Additionally, this button opens a chat window with your business in the Telegram app as long as it’s installed on their phone or computer. If the user is logged into Telegram Web, an additional Open In Web button will be present. This button opens a chat window with your business on Telegram Web. Either way, both buttons launch a chat window with your business for the user to message you. Do note that if Telegram is not installed on the user’s device, clicking the Send Message button will do nothing and if the user isn’t logged in to Telegram Web, the Open in Web won’t appear. Next, we’ll discuss the benefits of the Telegram link. ### What Are the Benefits of the Telegram Link? Telegram links offer a direct and immediate way for leads to [chat with businesses](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations). By clicking on a Telegram link and chatting in real-time, businesses have the opportunity to engage with leads when their interest is at its peak and push them down the sales funnel faster compared to other traditional channels like email. Unlike other business messaging channels such as [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) or [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), a Telegram Bot does not impose a messaging window. This means that you can reengage with leads anytime you want to share new promotions or nudge them to convert. Telegram is known for its strong encryption, which assures users of a [secure environment](https://respond.io/blog/secure-messaging) for communication. This security is especially important when exchanging sensitive lead information like payment details. Last, embed these Telegram links anywhere to [capture leads](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth) effectively! Since they’re regular URLs, you can place them on your website, messaging channels, blogs, PDFs and social media posts that support links. In the following section, we’ll explain how you can obtain a Telegram link. ### How Do You Create a Telegram Link? There are two ways for you to get a Telegram link, manually or by using respond.io's convenient Telegram link generator. #### How to Create Telegram Link Manually The first method requires you to manually add your Telegram bot’s username to the t.me address. **1\. Find** your [Telegram username](https://telegram.org/faq#usernames-and-t-me), which is in your profile settings, or your bot’s username by using the [BotFather](https://help.respond.io/channels/telegram#connecting_telegram). **2\. Copy** and paste the username of your profile or your bot after *https://t.me/*. For example *https://t.me/ContentTeamBot*. **3\. Display** this link in convenient locations. If you’re not a fan of the t.me/ URL, you can generate your Telegram link with [one of the following addresses](https://t.me/s/username). These links function identically with the only difference being the addresses themselves. Simply replace *username* with your own: - https://telegram.me/username - https://telegram.dog/username - https://username.t.me/ Next, we’ll go over respond.io’s convenient Telegram link generator. #### Telegram Link Generator by Respond.io Generating a Telegram link from respond.io is a [straightforward process](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you) with minimal steps involved. To get started, navigate to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets*. Then, select *QR Code* and click *Create Widget*. Under QR code type, select the channel which you would like to generate the link for, in this case Telegram. Then, select the account you’d like to use. This is especially useful if you have multiple Telegram accounts connected to respond.io. A Telegram link will be displayed under the generated QR code. Click the copy icon next to the URL to store it in your clipboard. Paste this link wherever you wish to share it. Like with the manually generated link, you can replace the link with one of the following addresses. These links function identically with the only difference being the addresses themselves. Simply replace *username* with your own: - https://t.me/username - https://telegram.dog/username - https://username.t.me/ In the following section, we’ll go over getting Telegram links for your Group or Channel. ### How Do You Create Telegram Group Link or Channel Link In addition to linking to your personal or bot Telegram account, Telegram links can point your contacts to any groups or channels you may have. Follow these instructions to get your [Telegram Group](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-groups) or [Channel](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-channels) links. In order to get a personalized Telegram link for your group, you need to change it to a public group. Since groups are private by default, use the following steps. How to get a Telegram Link? 1. Open Telegram and navigate to your group or channel 2. Tap on the name of your group or channel at the top 3. On the top right corner, click on the edit button (pencil icon) 4. Click on 'Group Type' and make your group or channel public Next, we’ll go over the benefits of connecting your Telegram bot to respond.io. ### Benefits of Using Telegram with Respond.io For growing businesses, there will be a point when you need to capture and manage more leads. And using the Telegram app or Web app will not be enough. To effectively handle the increasing volume of conversations, businesses will need to upgrade to more sophisticated systems that can handle teams of agents and support advanced features designed for larger operations. By using a [Telegram bot](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-10) and a customer conversation management software like [respond.io](http://respond.io), you can do the above and more. [Respond.io](http://Respond.io) is a platform designed for conversational sales, automation and more to increase the efficiency of your teams. Here’s a quick rundown of what you can accomplish. #### Respond AI: Reply to Leads Intelligently As you increase the number of touchpoints with features like Telegram link, the number of Telegram conversations will grow. When that happens, it only makes sense to rely on conversational AI to handle them without dramatically increasing your agent count or load. Configure your [AI Agent](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai#toc-mobile-3) using your business’s knowledge sources so it can collect customer information and answer common questions. This helps free up your agents from repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on more complex, high-value conversations. However, sales agents actively chatting with Telegram leads can also benefit from conversational AI. [AI Assist](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai#toc-mobile-5) generates replies at the click of a button based on the knowledge sources. On the other hand, [AI Prompts](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai#toc-mobile-4) are useful for instantly fixing your messages before they’re sent. #### Multi-Channel Support: Capture and Chat on All Connected Channels With [respond.io](http://respond.io)’s [multichannel support](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication), you can connect the instant messaging channels your customers prefer, such as [TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business), [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-calling-api) and [Facebook Messenge](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat)r, along with Telegram. Then, you can use these channels’ unique lead-capturing methods—like [WhatsApp Ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads)—to acquire more leads and respond to all conversations from one platform. Moreover, you can even call personal phone numbers using [VoIP integration](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration). With multichannel support, customers may reach out on more than one messaging app using different usernames or emails. This can clutter your contact list with duplicates and scattered chat histories. Using [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts), consolidate customer details and conversation history into a single profile so your team has all the context they need in one place. If your merged contacts have messaged you on Telegram before, you can message them anytime afterward since Telegram has no messaging window. This is handy when messaging windows for other channels have closed before a chat is resolved. Since you’ll have their combined chat histories in chronological order, you won’t miss any key information. #### AI Agents, Workflows and API Integration: Automate Your Interactions If you have a lot of contacts reaching out to your business on Telegram, take advantage of respond.io’s powerful Inbox automations. Use [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) to automate tasks like greetings, [routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio), and [agent assignment](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio)—all directly from the Telegram Inbox. You can also rely on [AI Agents](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai) to handle repetitive replies. It chats with Contacts in real time, resolving common queries instantly and reducing the load on your human agents. Are Contacts looking to chat with customer support or sales? Automatically send them to the right department before an Agent even steps in. This way, your Contacts are immediately connected to someone who can address their needs—no manual triage required. #### CRM & App Integrations: Expand What You Can Do [Respond.io](http://respond.io/) integrates with CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce, as well as automation platforms like Make and Zapier. These no-code tools make it easy to sync contact data, trigger actions in other apps or update CRM records without leaving the platform. For more advanced use cases—like quoting, deal creation or escalation flows—[HTTP Request](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8qDmp-A8PU) steps can be used within Workflows. While powerful, these require technical setup and are better suited for teams with developer support. By utilizing integrations, you reduce the number of errors introduced when reentering data. You also improve the efficiency of your Agents since they don’t need to leave the platform to use another tool. #### Reports: Track Performance That Matters It’s one thing to have all the tools at your disposal, but are they being used effectively? Respond.io’s [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) gives you a complete view of how well your team and campaigns are performing. Track key metrics like first response time, resolution time, broadcast performance and even ad performance, all from one place. These insights help you evaluate agent efficiency, measure campaign effectiveness and identify what needs attention. You can also monitor live conversations and step in when necessary to support your team. With visibility across both people and performance, you’ll never be in the dark. #### Lifecycle: Never Lose Track of a Lead The Lifecycle feature helps you keep tabs on where each contact stands, from new lead to closed deal. By assigning a stage to every contact, your team always knows who needs attention and what action to take next. You can also trigger Workflows based on Lifecycle stages. Automate follow-ups, re-engage cold leads or assign hot prospects to sales instantly. It's a simple way to stay organized and close more deals efficiently! To sum up, now that you know the benefits of Telegram links and connecting your Telegram account to [respond.io](http://respond.io), it’s time to take your conversations to the next level. Don’t have a [respond.io](http://respond.io) account yet? [Sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register). ### Further Reading To conclude, if this first-hand guide was helpful, here are additional articles on Telegram you might find of use to you and your business: - Telegram Broadcast: How to Use Telegram Bulk Message Sender - Telegram Business: The Ultimate Telegram for Business Guide - How to Sell on Telegram: The Telegram Sales Guide ## [Telegram Push Notifications: A Guide to Telegram Bot Push Notification](https:/respond.io/blog/telegram-push-notifications) Looking for the best way to send free Telegram bot notifications with high open rates? If so, do not miss our guide on Telegram push notifications. Are you looking for the best way to send Telegram bot notifications? If you’d like to get high open rates, try sending a Telegram bot push notification. In this guide, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about Telegram push notifications: what they are, why you should use them and how you can send them using an [AI-powered](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) customer conversation management software like respond.io as a Telegram messaging inbox. ### Telegram Push Notifications: An Introduction Everyone with a smartphone has received push notifications even if they aren't familiar with the term. Here’s a short introduction to the basics of push notifications. #### What are Push Notifications? Push notifications are messages that open as a pop-up on the home screen of customers’ phones. This makes them more effective at grabbing your customers’ attention compared to other messaging methods. For the sake of effectiveness, push notifications should be short and have a clear call to action. Businesses can use push notifications for multiple purposes: - Send customers an OTP code to retrieve a password - Share a limited-time deal with them - Follow up with leads who are considering a purchase or subscription - Ask for feedback with a CSAT survey To reach as many people as possible with push notifications, you'll want to use your customers' most preferred channel. While SMS has been popular in the past, companies are increasingly jumping on the messaging apps bandwagon to send push notifications. But why is this so? You’ll find the answer in the next section, where we’ll gauge the effectiveness of SMS for notifications versus one of the biggest messaging channels worldwide. #### Telegram Push Notifications vs SMS for Business Messaging If your customers are in regions [where Telegram is popular](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-6), you should use Telegram bot notifications. Let’s see what makes Telegram a more efficient channel for push notifications compared to a traditional notification channel like SMS. ##### Business Messaging with SMS Regardless of the [type of number](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-4) they choose, businesses that use SMS for notifications face charges by [SMS providers](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-6). Costs can easily skyrocket for companies with lots of monthly outbound notifications. While short code numbers are popular due to higher deliverability rates, they are one of the priciest number types. Businesses need to pay setup, quarterly lease and per-message fees. To protect recipients from spam, fraud and abuse, SMS messages are subject to [carrier filtering](https://respond.io/blog/sms-marketing-sms-broadcast#toc-mobile-7). Unfortunately, some SMS may be erroneously filtered and not reach customers. Another drawback is that SMS doesn’t support files or media. Although emojis are supported, these need to be decoded, as they aren’t SMS-native. Thus, [using a single emoji can reduce the character limit](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-0) of a standard SMS from 160 to 70. To avoid being blocked, businesses should offer customers an easy way to opt out of notifications. But SMS opt-outs are not so convenient. To stop receiving notifications, customers must send an SMS to the business in question, with costs involved. Price and deliverability rates are the two main cons of SMS messaging. But you can circumvent these issues by switching to Telegram push notifications. ##### Telegram Push Notifications for Business Messaging Unlike SMS, Telegram intends to keep messaging free for all users, forever. Plus, Telegram messages are not subject to carrier filtering. As a result, Telegram pop-up notifications boast higher deliverability rates than SMS. There’s more: Telegram’s character limit is 4096 Latin characters, which is way more than SMS’s 160. Plus, Telegram’s emojis are [encrypted in Unicode](https://home.unicode.org/emoji/about-emoji/), so each emoji only takes two characters. > Regardless of Telegram’s character limit, the actual text limit will depend on the software you use to send these push notifications. | | SMS | Telegram Push Notifications | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | Variable | Free | | Deliverability Rates | Low to High | High | | Supports Multimedia | No | Yes | | Opt-out Method | SMS the business with cost involved | Request directly in the 1:1 chat | The platform supports photos, videos and files, which gives businesses the opportunity to send more engaging push notifications and boost open rates. Last, opting out of Telegram push notifications is easy and cost-free. Customers only need to message the business via Telegram requesting to stop receiving notifications. Are you interested in using Telegram for push notifications? In the next section, we’ll guide you through some key points that you should be aware of before you start using this messaging channel. #### What You Need to Know Before Sending a Telegram Bot Push Notification To send push notifications at scale, you’ll need a Telegram bot. [Telegram bots](https://respond.io/blog/best-telegram-bots-list#toc-mobile-0) are like small programs that run inside Telegram and can essentially work as Telegram business accounts. However, Telegram bots are basically APIs and don’t have an interface. They must be connected to a messaging inbox like respond.io. Since businesses use Telegram bots to communicate and interact with customers, Telegram has implemented the following messaging rules to prevent spamming. Telegram doesn’t allow you to import contacts to a CRM, as phone numbers and contact IDs are not transferred. Instead, customers must message you first to become Contacts. Luckily, Telegram provides several tools to [encourage customers to chat with you](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-13). Unlike [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-9) or [Facebook Messenger for business](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-10), Telegram does not have any sort of messaging window. Once Contacts message you, you will be able to send them push notifications whenever needed. That covers all the basics of Telegram bot accounts for customer communication. In the next section, we’ll show you how to send Telegram bot notifications using respond.io as a messaging inbox. ### How to Send a Telegram Bot Push Notification with respond.io Businesses send Telegram push notifications for the following use cases: support, sales, marketing and transactional messages. Because these use cases don’t have the same goals, respond.io features several different modules to compose and send push notifications. Next, we’ll introduce you to three ways to send a Telegram push notification with respond.io through 1:1 messaging, broadcast and Messages API. #### Telegram Bot Push Notification with respond.io: 1:1 Messaging In conversational support and sales, agents tend to send 1:1 push notifications rather than blasting messages to an audience, as their goal is to give dedicated attention to each Contact and build long-term partnerships. Support agents send Telegram bot notifications to inform customers about a resolved issue or an account problem or to request feedback, for example. Conversely, salespeople often send push notifications to catch up with a customer or schedule a call. Telegram push notifications may also be used in sales sequences along with other messaging channels to nudge unresponsive Contacts. With respond.io, agents can send 1:1 Telegram bot notifications from the [Messages Module](https://docs.respond.io/messages#getting-here). These can be manually typed, saved as [canned responses](https://docs.respond.io/workspace-settings/snippets) or automatically [triggered at the click of a button](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0). #### Telegram Bot Push Notification with respond.io: Broadcast Support teams occasionally broadcast push notifications to inform customers about certain events such as platform maintenance. However, it’s marketers who are generally in charge of broadcasting promotional push notifications to segmented audiences. [Broadcasting push notifications with Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-broadcast) comes with some benefits: It’s free, commercial content is allowed and there are no limits to the number of recipients. This makes Telegram a good messaging choice for marketing teams, assuming their customer base is Telegram users. In respond.io’s dedicated [Broadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/l/en/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) you can create, edit, preview, schedule and test your Telegram broadcasts, as well as precisely [segment](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts/segments) your target audience. #### Telegram Bot Notifications with respond.io: Messages API We have dealt with Telegram push notifications for support, sales and marketing. But, what about transactional notifications? Transactional push notifications are in most cases automatically triggered in response to a customer interaction with a platform. These notifications include necessary and often sensitive information. You’ve probably received transactional notifications informing you about delivery status, confirming a payment or in the context of a password reset. To automate a Telegram push notification as a response to specific customer actions, you need to use [respond.io’s Messages API](https://docs.respond.io/developer-api/messages-api). Since it’s an API, it is designed to work in conjunction with a business software like a CRM. Messages API allows users to send text, attachments and [text with quick replies](https://docs.respond.io/developer-api/messages-api#send-text-with-quick-replies-request) to create multiple-choice questions. Now you know how to send Telegram bot notifications for sales, support, marketing and transactional messages. But respond.io has more to offer, as we’ll show you next. ### Telegram Bot Push Notification with respond.io: Quick Wins Respond.io isn’t just a messaging inbox for push notifications. Its modules are designed for the whole customer lifecycle. In this section, we’ll focus on some of the features you’ll find in the platform: omnichannel inbox, conversation and performance tracking, chat routing and agent assignment and cross-device functionality. #### Unify All Your Channels in an Omnichannel Inbox Medium to large businesses typically use more than one channel to communicate with customers. This requires an omnichannel inbox to send push notifications over other messaging channels like [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-notification) or [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-push-notifications). Respond.io is an omnichannel inbox that supports a long [list of messaging channels](https://respond.io/integrations) and even your own custom channels! With respond.io as a messaging inbox, you’ll be able to [unify a Contact’s messaging channels into a single profile](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts). As a result, you can take advantage of the most convenient channel to send push notifications for every situation. #### Execute Your Ideal Chat Routing and Agent Assignment Strategies Sending a relevant and timely Telegram push notification is important, but you should also ensure customer responses are handled quickly and efficiently by your customer-facing teams. [Respond.io’s Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/november-2021-release-workflows-module-and-send-message-templates-via-messages-api) is a visual automation builder designed to automate marketing, sales and support tasks systematically and reduce agent load. Among other things, you can use it to [route customer conversations](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) to the most suitable team. Start by [setting up a chat routing strategy](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio#toc-mobile-3) that suits your company teams. If you are not very familiar with this, here are some ideas: route conversations based on team function, Contact language or shift. Once notification responses get to the right team, they must be [assigned to an available agent](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio). Use your preferred [auto-assignment strategy](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-4) to distribute the workload among agents and speed up response times. To avoid causing customer frustration when there aren’t agents available, remember to [set up an automated away message](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-10) and an [overcapacity assignment strategy](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-11) too. Additionally, with the launch of [Respond AI](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai)'s chatbot, [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai), you can leverage it for 24/7 customer support. This tool is designed to handle routine inquiries without relying on human agents. These will help you manage response time expectations and improve customer satisfaction. #### Track Conversations and Agent Performance with Advanced Tools Once notification responses get to the right team, they must be handled accordingly. You’ll be able to do that from the [Messages Module](https://docs.respond.io/messages#navigating-around). From the [Messaging Console](https://docs.respond.io/messages#4.-messaging-console), managers can supervise ongoing conversations and step in if necessary. For a more general view, the [Activity Tab](https://docs.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity) gives access to all the summarized Contact interactions in chronological order. The [Reports Module](https://docs.respond.io/reports) is where you’ll find all the Contact and Conversation metrics, and where supervisors can track agent performance. With the help of [filters](https://docs.respond.io/reports#report-filters), they can easily monitor granular details of team performance, like conversation length and number of assigned conversations. #### Notify Customers from Anywhere with the respond.io Mobile App The respond.io app is a pocket-size solution that contains all the features available on the desktop version for agents that need to send urgent push notifications on the go and handle the responses. Because unexpected events shouldn’t get in the way of customer communication, make sure your messaging inbox is cross-device. To get the respond.io app, download it from [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io&hl=en) for Android and [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) for iOS. Do you want to send Telegram push notifications with the leading customer messaging platform? [Sign up for a respond.io account here.](https://app.respond.io/user/register) ### Further Reading If you’ve found this article interesting, here are some additional readings for you: - Telegram Sales: A How-To Guide - Telegram Support: A How-To Guide - How To Generate a Telegram QR Code ## [Telegram QR Code: How to Generate Telegram QR Code ](https:/respond.io/blog/telegram-qr-code) Interested to find out more about Telegram QR codes and how you can use them for your business? In this article, we’ll explain what Telegram QR is, how to generate them and where to use Telegram QR codes for your business. Interested to find out more about Telegram QR code and how you can use it for your business? In this article, we’ll explain what Telegram QR code is, how to generate Telegram QR code and where to display them for your business. ### What is Telegram QR Code Telegram QR code is a type of barcode that encodes alphanumerical information such as your phone number. It is designed to be scanned using a QR code scanner or your smartphone camera. You can scan a QR code to log in to [Telegram Web Version](https://web.telegram.org/#/login), a browser-based messaging tool that works like [WhatsApp Web](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-web), or Telegram app for desktop, an app you can download to your PC. A QR code also allows you to share your Telegram contact. One thing to note is that you need to have Telegram app installed on your phone or you’ll be directed to download the app upon scanning the code. Next, we’ll take a look at how Telegram QR codes benefit your businesses. ### Benefits of Telegram QR Codes for Your Business Like other messaging channels, Telegram doesn’t allow businesses to import contacts to prevent them from spamming customers. Instead, you need to [get customers to message you first](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-13). Luckily, there’s a quick and easy way to do this. Telegram QR codes can be shared on almost any medium. If you want customers to reach out to you, display your QR codes in places where customers can find them easily. When customers scan the QR code, they’ll be directed to the Telegram app where they can start chatting with you. They will also be automatically added to your contact list. Let’s see how it works. ### How a Telegram QR Code Works For a customer to start a conversation with your business over a Telegram QR code, two steps are neccesary. #### 1\. Creating a QR Code When businesses wish to share their Telegram details, they have the option to generate a QR code right within the Telegram app. To generate it and share it, you’ll need access to your profile #### 2\. Scanning the QR Code Customers looking to join a specific Telegram profile, group or channel can do so from their Telegram app. They will find an option to *Join a Group* or *Add a Contact* using a QR code. Utilizing the device's camera to scan the QR code provided by another user, they will be seamlessly guided to the desired profile, group, or channel on Telegram upon a successful scan. In the next section, we’ll show you two different ways to generate Telegram QR codes to share with your contacts. ### How to Generate Telegram QR Codes You can generate Telegram QR codes easily via one of these methods: Directly on the app or respond.io’s platform. Find the step-by-step guide below. #### How to Generate Telegram QR Code on Telegram App Generating a QR code is quick and easy. All you need to do is follow the steps below to share your QR codes with customers so they can connect to your business right away. Here are the steps to get a QR code on the Telegram app: 1. Tap Setting on the bottom panel of your Telegram app. 2. Tap the QR code icon on the top left corner. 3. Choose a background design that you like and tap the Share QR Code button to share it with your customers. And that’s how you do it. Now let’s look at how to create a QR code on respond.io. #### How to Generate Telegram QR Code on Respond.io A [Telegram bot (or Telegram API)](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) doesn’t come with an interface. If you want to send or receive messages via the bot, you need an [AI-powered](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) customer conversation management software like respond.io. On the platform, you can also generate QR codes to connect customers to your Telegram instantly. Generating a Telegram QR code from respond.io is a [straightforward process](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you) with minimal steps involved. To get started, navigate to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets*. Then, select *QR Code* and click *Create Widget*. Under QR code type, select the channel which you would like to generate the QR code for, in this case, Telegram. Then, select the account you’d like to use. This is a handy feature if you have multiple Telegram accounts connected to respond.io. A Telegram QR code will be displayed. Finally, click the *Generate Widget* button at the top right to create your QR code. Now that you’ve learned how to generate Telegram QR codes, we’ll show you the best places to display your QR codes next. ### Where to Use QR Codes The versatility of Telegram QR codes allows you to place them anywhere, whether in physical or digital form. Publish QR codes encoded with your contact information on your marketing collaterals like product brochures and posters to convert offline traffic to Telegram contacts. If you want a fuss-free way of connecting customers to your business or collecting customer feedback, print the QR codes on receipts and packaging to encourage customers to scan them. In addition to adding your QR codes in physical locations, you can also attach them to any digital locations like websites, social media posts or videos. Not to mention, [adding QR codes to your website web chat](https://respond.io/blog/add-telegram-to-website) encourages visitors to start a conversation with you. If your customers are reaching out to you on other messaging channels like [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account) and [WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account), connect them to the respond.io’s omnichannel widget to deliver seamless communication. In short, Telegram QR codes present an easier and faster way for customers to contact your business. This leads to a great sales or support experience, which increases the likelihood of them engaging with your business again. Are you interested in using Telegram for business after reading this guide? [Connect your Telegram account to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/telegram) today. ### Further Reading Interested to learn more about how Telegram can benefit your business? Take a look at some of the articles below: - How to Use Telegram to Send Broadcast Messages - Comprehensive Guide to Selling on Telegram - Top 5 Best Telegram Bots ## [Telegram vs WhatsApp: 9 Differences & Which App Is the Best?](https:/respond.io/blog/telegram-vs-whatsapp) Choosing between Telegram vs WhatsApp can be tough. Read on to discover their key differences to find the best platform for your business's needs. Messaging apps are a dime a dozen. That said, regardless of where you’re from, you’ve probably noticed 2 names constantly rising to the top: [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) vs [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app). Choosing between them isn’t as easy as picking your favorite color. It’s about finding the right solution to help you close deals faster and keep customers happy. Each app comes with its own strengths, weaknesses and a few surprises that can shape how your sales and marketing teams operate. ### Telegram vs WhatsApp: A Quick Glance On paper, Telegram and WhatsApp can seem deceptively similar: they’re both designed to connect people. That said, though their end goal is the same, how they achieve this couldn’t be more different. Here’s a rundown of their main differences: | | Telegram | WhatsApp | | --- | --- | --- | | User Base | 950 million users | 2 billion users | | Platform Availability | Mobile, desktop and web | Mobile, desktop and web | | Interface | Feature-rich but can overwhelm new users | Clean and simple; easy to adopt | | Groups | Supports up to 200,000 members | Supports up to 1,024 members | | Security & Privacy | End-to-end encryption only in Secret Chats | Default end-to-end encryption for all chats | | Integrations | Open APIs for custom bots and clients; no approval required | Business API integrates with CRMs; requires approval | | Multimedia Sharing | Files up to 2GB (4GB Premium); cloud storage | Files up to 2GB; no cloud storage | | Broadcasting | Unlimited subscribers via channels | Broadcast lists capped at 256; limits removed with tools likerespond.io | | Pricing | Free; Premium for $4.99/month | Free for personal use; Business API charges per message | Now that you have the big picture let’s take a closer look at how Telegram and WhatsApp compare in terms of their specific features. ### Telegram vs WhatsApp: 9 Key Differences Small details can lead to big results, and figuring out exactly how these 2 messaging giants differ can help you make a more informed decision. Let’s start by examining their user bases. #### #1 Telegram vs WhatsApp: User Base and Popularity When it comes to [business messaging](https://respond.io/blog/business-messaging), *size matters*. More users = more opportunities to connect with audiences. But beyond numbers alone, simply knowing where audiences are located will help you make smarter decisions. After all, the first rule of sales is to be where your customers are. - Telegram: With 950 million users, Telegram has been steadily climbing the charts over recent years. Its audience is concentrated in Asia (38%), Europe (27%), Latin America (21%) and the Middle East and North Africa (8%). If your audience skews younger or leans tech-forward, Telegram is for you. - WhatsApp: With 2 billion users spread globally, when it comes to sheer numbers, WhatsApp is king. Moreover, it’s the go-to app in regions like India, Latin America and parts of Europe, making it a no-brainer if you want massive reach. If your goal is maximum reach, WhatsApp takes the crown. However, if you’re targeting tech-oriented audiences or specific regions in Asia and Europe, Telegram’s rising popularity is hard to ignore. #### #2 Telegram vs WhatsApp: Platform Availability Everyone owns either a phone, laptop or tablet. This means sales teams need to be flexible. Whether pitching a deal with a laptop, responding to questions on a phone or following up with a customer on a tablet, you need a platform that works with, not against you. | | Telegram | WhatsApp | | --- | --- | --- | | Device Support | Mobile, desktop, tablet | Mobile, desktop, tablet | | Multi-device Functionality | Fully supported, independent of phone | Supported but initially reliant on phone | | Cloud-based | ✅ | ❌ | - Telegram: Fully cloud-based, it lets you log in on multiple devices simultaneously without tying you to your phone. Your chats sync across devices effortlessly, meaning you can switch from your desktop at work to your tablet or phone on the go. - WhatsApp: Although WhatsApp is available on mobile, desktop and web, it has historically required a connected phone for its web and desktop versions. Recent updates have introduced multi-device functionality, but the experience is still not as smooth as it could be. Telegram’s platform flexibility makes it the clear winner for teams who need cross-device functionality. WhatsApp technically gets the job done but with a bit more friction. #### #3 Telegram vs WhatsApp: Interface and User Experience A good user interface and user experience makes or breaks entire messaging platforms. Getting lost in a sea of confusing buttons and settings is a sure way to waste your team's time and potentially lose leads. | | Telegram | WhatsApp | | --- | --- | --- | | Ease of Use | Steeper learning curve | Simple and intuitive for all users | | Adoption Speed | Slower due to complexity | Quick onboarding | For simplicity and ease of onboarding, WhatsApp wins. If you’re looking for advanced tools and customizations, Telegram is worth the effort, but it takes time to master. #### #4 Telegram vs WhatsApp: Group Messaging Whether it’s a sales-oriented brainstorming session or a customer community group, the right group messaging features can make all the difference. | | Telegram | WhatsApp | | --- | --- | --- | | Group Size Limit | Steeper learning curve | Simple and intuitive for all users | | Admin Controls | Slower due to complexity | Quick onboarding | If you’re managing thousands of participants, Telegram takes the cake. WhatsApp’s group tools are simple and effective for smaller, focused interactions. #### #5 Telegram vs WhatsApp: Security and Privacy [Secure messaging](https://respond.io/blog/secure-messaging) is a non-negotiable. Customers and businesses alike need secure platforms that protect data. No one wants to feel like their conversations are vulnerable! | | Telegram | WhatsApp | | --- | --- | --- | | End-to-end Encryption | Secret Chats only | Enabled by default | | Data Storage | Cloud-stored | Local | | Metadata Collection | Minimal | Extensive | WhatsApp provides straightforward, reliable encryption for everyday use. Telegram offers more nuanced features but requires extra steps to achieve the same level of security. #### #6 Telegram vs WhatsApp: Integrations A messaging app is only as powerful as the tools it connects with. Integrations let you tie messaging into your CRM, automation workflows or even lead-generation tools, turning a simple chat platform into a centralized hub for your sales and marketing operations. | | Telegram | WhatsApp | | --- | --- | --- | | APIs | Free Bot API and Telegram API | Business API | | Flexibility | Open to all, no fees or approval needed | Requires approval for API use | Telegram is great for businesses prioritizing flexibility and customized workflows, while WhatsApp is better suited for polished, structured operations. #### #7 Telegram vs WhatsApp: Multimedia Sharing Pictures speak a thousand words. Infographics, sales decks, battlecards and videos all come together to help you connect better with leads and customers. For quick, more casual media sharing, WhatsApp holds its own. But if you’re in the business of big ideas and bigger files, Telegram’s multimedia capabilities might be more up your alley if you’re willing to pay a premium. #### #8 Telegram vs WhatsApp: Broadcasting Broadcasting, when done right, provides you with a direct line of communication to leads and customers through updates, promos and announcements. | | Telegram | WhatsApp | | --- | --- | --- | | Subscriber Limit | Unlimited | 256 recipients | | Requirements | None | Recipients must save your number | | Scalability | High | Limited but scalable with API tools | - Telegram: Telegram’s multimedia sharing is built for heavy lifting. With file size limits up to 2GB (4GB for premium users), you can send anything from feature-length videos to complete pitch decks. Plus, it’s all stored in the cloud, so recipients can access files anytime, anywhere. - WhatsApp: Sharing media on WhatsApp is intuitive but is more limited. WhatsApp permits the sharing of files up to 2GB, which is suitable for most standard media sharing needs. However, for exceptionally large files, users may need to consider alternative methods. For channel-based broadcasting needs, Telegram offers a great solution with its unlimited subscriber cap. In contrast, WhatsApp, when integrated with tools like respond.io, can be much more potentially effective for more personalized, targeted outreach. #### #9 Telegram vs WhatsApp: Pricing When choosing a messaging app, money matters. But it’s not just about the price tag but also the value you’re receiving in return. | | Telegram | WhatsApp | | --- | --- | --- | | Base Cost | Free | Free | | Premium Subscription | $4.99/month (4GB file uploads, faster downloads, exclusive stickers) | ❌ | - Telegram: Telegram's channels are designed to broadcast messages to an unlimited number of subscribers. Subscribers can join or leave channels at their discretion, providing users flexibility and control over the content they receive. - WhatsApp: Native WhatsApp broadcast lists are capped at 256 recipients and require that recipients save your number. However, when using WhatsApp Business API via tools like respond.io, these limits are removed. Businesses can send bulk messages without manual list management and access reports, like delivery and read rates, to track performance. Telegram is fantastic for businesses with tight budgets. However, though WhatsApp is free unless you need WhatsApp API, pairing it with respond.io can keep costs manageable as well. ### Telegram or WhatsApp: Which Is the Best Messaging App for You? Both platforms look fantastic on paper, so if you’re still on the fence, that’s understandable. They both have their pros and cons, but to help you decide on the best messaging app, ask yourself these 5 questions. #### #1 Telegram or WhatsApp: How important is data security to your business? Security isn’t something you should ever skimp on, regardless of whether you operate in a regulated industry or not. Customers want secure conversations and it’s your duty as a business to deliver on that end. While both platforms are secure, WhatsApp might take the edge for some since its default end-to-end encryption means you can have safer conversations without extra steps. #### #2 Telegram or WhatsApp: What is your budget? If you can’t afford the costs of a platform, then it’s probably not for you. Telegram is largely free, offering a wide range of features with no added cost, although it has a steeper learning curve. WhatsApp is free as well unless you’re considering using API, then extra fees come into play depending on your situation, though external platforms like respond.io can help you optimize these costs. #### #3 Telegram or WhatsApp: What are your messaging needs? Think about the features that are most important for your business communication. If you need a simple, user-friendly platform for straightforward messaging, WhatsApp's clean interface might be ideal. On the other hand, if you believe your business would benefit from advanced features like bots and large file-sharing features, Telegram might be better for you. #### #4 Telegram or WhatsApp: Who is your target audience? You need to align your sales and marketing efforts according to your audiences to ensure the right ears are hearing you. WhatsApp is widely used in regions like Southeast Asia and Latin America, while Telegram has a stronger presence in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, so choose accordingly! #### #5 Telegram or WhatsApp: Have you considered using both? Telegram and WhatsApp are fantastic solutions on their own, which is why picking between the 2 can be tough. But what if we said there’s a third option? Why not use *both* Telegram and WhatsApp? Sure, managing multiple channels can seem intimidating, but that's where respond.io comes into play by letting you easily manage all your conversations in one place so you can focus on what you do best: doing sales and keeping customers happy. ### Further Reading If you found our article insightful, you should check out the following reads: - How to Add Telegram to Website: A How-To Guide - WhatsApp Business Alternative: 6 WhatsApp Alternatives for Business - WhatsApp Widget for Website: A Guide to WhatsApp Chat Widget ## [The 11 Best Telegram Bots ](https:/respond.io/blog/best-telegram-bots-list) So you’ve entered the world of Telegram and learned about bots. Perhaps you’re curious how to use Bots on Telegram or how to create a Telegram Bot of your very own. In the post, we’ve got a list of the best very Telegram Bots. Want to find the best Telegram bot list? We’ve got you covered. In this article, we’ll share how to use Bots on Telegram, how to create your own Telegram Bot and a list of the best Telegram Bots out there. ### What is Telegram Bot List? Introduced in 2015, Telegram Bots are third-party chat apps made with the [Telegram Bot API](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-5). Telegram bots are essentially automated Telegram accounts you can chat with or add as friends to your chats, groups or channels. While other messaging apps like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business#toc-mobile-5) and [Kakao](https://respond.io/blog/kakao-for-business#toc-mobile-5) place strict limits on what users can create, Telegram allows their users to create Telegram Bots for pretty much anything. Today, you can easily create tons of useful Telegram bot list. Users can create bots that act to play music, send emails, organize tasks, schedule reminders, or even as a digital storefront. There are plenty of bots out there to fulfil almost every need you can think of. One common question is, are Telegram Bots safe? #### Are Telegram Bots safe? While Telegram is known for its end-to-end encryption using MTProto, researchers found that Telegram Bots rely on a less secure protocol called Transport Layer Security. Adding a Telegram Bot weakens the encryption, making it more susceptible to hackers. However, [Telegram has refuted claims](https://telegra.ph/Telegram-Bot-Keys-01-17) over its security issue stating that it’s another instance of *If I had your keys, I could get into your home* story. Considering both sides of the argument, are Telegram Bots truly safe? It’s best to use them at your own discretion. #### Telegram Bot List: How to Use Bots on Telegram While creating Telegram Bots require some coding skills, using a Telegram Bot is simple enough and anybody can do it. Simply follow the steps below to start using your first Telegram Bot. 1\. **Find** the bot’s username using the in-app search bar and select the bot from the list. Take note that you should be searching the Telegram bot’s username and not its display name. There can be multiple accounts with similar display names, but usernames cannot be duplicated. 2\. **Start** a conversation with the Bot and follow the commands. And you’re done! That’s pretty much it, although different bots have their own unique prompts and commands. If you’d like to have an idea of how these Telegram Bots work, don’t hesitate to check out our list of Telegram bots below. ### 5 Best Telegram Bot List It’s hard to define what best Telegram Bots mean. It really depends on the kind of functionality you are looking for. To create our best Telegram Bot list we picked out the best bots for Telegram with functionality that goes above and beyond most bots. #### 1\. Trello Bot (@trello\_bot) Trello is a kanban board for task and project management. If you get tired of using the interface to manage your project, try the [Trello Bot](https://t.me/trello_bot). Using the Telegram Trello Bot enables you to create cards and receive update notifications from your Trello board. Before using the Trello Bot, you will need to let the bot know which board you would like to connect to. Once connected you can add the bot to groups, create new Trello cards, and receive card notifications as well as user replies. #### 2\. Gmail Bot (@gmailbot) Want to use Gmail without leaving Telegram? Look no further, this is where the [official Gmail Bot](https://t.me/gmailbot) comes in. With the Gmail Bot, you can receive, send, and reply to emails within Telegram as instant messages. To start using Gmail Bot, simply search for @gmailbot in the search bar and click *Start* to chat. Follow the commands on the screen and authorize your account. After authorization, you’ll start receiving emails in your Telegram chat. #### 3\. Spotify Bot (@spotify\_to\_mp3\_bot) Didn’t think there were music bots on Telegram? Think Again. With [Spotify Bot](https://t.me/spotify_to_mp3_bot) you’ll never have to leave Telegram to play music. Linking your Spotify account to Spotify Bot allows you to search, listen to and download tracks from Spotify’s database. Once you’re connected, there’s a menu list for you to choose from. To start listening to your favorite tracks on Telegram, download a playlist or album. #### 4\. ManyBot (@manybot) Creating a Telegram bot from scratch may seem like a daunting task to many, but now there’s [ManyBot](https://telegram.me/manybot) to fix that. With ManyBot, you can create bots in Telegram without coding, such as broadcast messages, create custom commands and menus, auto post from RSS, Twitter or Youtube and add more admins to help you manage your groups. To start, follow the command on ManyBot by going to [BotFather](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-6) for a new bot name and an API token. Then, link your API token back to ManyBot and give it a short description. Now, follow the rest of the instructions on ManyBot and you’re done! While Telegram Bots can schedule and broadcast messages, bot owners will notice there’s nowhere to answer 1:1 messages sent to the bot. To do so, you can [create a respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and [connect your Telegram Bot List](https://help.respond.io/channels/telegram) to the platform. #### 5\. File Converter (@newfileconverterbot) Want to convert files or images from one format to another? Now you can do it easily with the [File Converter](https://telegram.me/FileConverterBot) bot. Just search for the name in the search bar and click start. To convert a file or an image, just send it to the bot. It will provide a list of formats that you can convert to. Pick the format that you want and finally, click on the name of the file to download the converted file. #### 6\. DropMail.me (@DropMailBot) For those who don’t want to share their email address in contact forms to avoid receiving spam mail, [DropMail](https://dropmail.me/en/) has a solution for you. This bot provides temporary email addresses and receives confirmation or activation emails to complete your sign-up process. Once you’ve connected DropMail.me. to your Telegram account, click start and you’ll receive a list of action prompts. To generate a new temporary email address, type /get. #### 7\. Zoom (@zoombot) Don’t want to install the Zoom app on your phone or computer? No worries. Just connect the [Zoom bot](https://t.me/zoombot) with your Telegram app. Here, you can create or join a meeting straight from Telegram. To get started, sign in to your existing Zoom account on the website or create a new one if you don’t have an account. Now you can create a new meeting or join one by clicking the three horizontal lines in the bottom left page of the chat. #### 8\. File to Bot (@filetobot) For those who worry about running out of storage on their phones or computers, consider adding [File to Bot](https://t.me/filetobot) to your Telegram. It acts as an external cloud for your files. Here, you can organize your saved images, documents, files and more. Just send your files to the bot and it will store them in the cloud. Uploaded files can be downloaded easily from the bot too! And the best thing is, there is no limitation on file size so you can upload as many as you want to. #### 9\. Babelgram (@BabelgramBot) Are you chatting with a customer who speaks another language? Save the hassle of copying and pasting the message and use [Babelgram](https://t.me/babelgrambot) to help you to translate right while you’re typing. First, you need to add Babelgram to your chat. Whenever you want to converse in another language, tag @BabelgramBot, followed by the code for the original language and the code for the translated language into the chat. Then, click on the translated text to send the message. #### 10\. Dr. Web (@drwebbot) There’s nothing scarier than receiving a file that contains viruses that could corrupt your devices. To ensure the safety of files and links transferred via Telegram, get a consultation from [Dr. Web](https://t.me/drwebbot). It’s the first anti-virus bot for checking links and files and it works on any device that has Telegram installed on it. To check whether a file is safe to open, just forward it to Dr. Web. The bot will scan it and let you know if there’s any threat detected. #### 11\. IFTTT Bot (@IFTTT) [IFTTT](http://t.me/ifttt), also known as *If This Then That* is a software platform that connects and syncs your favorite apps and devices using chains of conditional statements. The IFTTT Bot links Telegram to 360 other services, enabling you to [use it in groups, channels or as a personal assistant in various ways](https://ifttt.com/telegram). For the more adventurous, signing up with IFTTT also allows you to create and customize your own chain of conditional statements or *applets*. While uploading applets on IFTTT is a paid service, using the platform and integrating it with Telegram is free. Now that you know where to find the best Telegram bot list, it’s time to add them to your Telegram. [Connect your Telegram to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/telegram) today. ### Further Reading We’ll continue updating our Telegram bot list with new top Telegram Bots in the future. In the meantime, check out the other articles on Telegram. - Ultimate Guide to Telegram for Business - What are Telegram Groups - How to Send Telegram Broadcast ## [The August 2019 Release - Twilio SMS & WhatsApp Broadcasts + Contact Imports](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast-twilio-sms-broadcast-and-contact-imports) The August 2019 release is focused on enabling broadcasts over WhatsApp & Twilio SMS, importing contacts for Twilio SMS as well as other bits & bobs. It's the middle of August, and we're hoping that many of you are on vacation right now. However, I can assure you. We're not. Rocketbots is here year-round providing new features and improvements. The August 2019 release is focused on enabling broadcasts over WhatsApp & Twilio SMS, importing contacts for Twilio SMS as well as other bits & bobs. - WhatsApp Broadcast - Twilio SMS: Contact Imports & Broadcasts - Away Message - Dialogflow: Assignment & More - New User Role: Owner - UI Improvements ### WhatsApp Broadcast [WhatsApp Broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) or [WhatsApp bulk message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) is one of the upvoted items on our Feature Requests page so how could we not oblige? Many of you have had your WhatsApp connected to Rocketbots for a long time now. Those of you who have, know that broadcasts have not been supported for WhatsApp in the past. Well now, WhatsApp broadcasts is supported too. For the first few weeks or so we will be running WhatsApp broadcasts in beta mode. So if you have any questions on how to get the best out of your WhatsApp Broadcasts, you should [contact us](https://rocketbots.io/contact/). ### Twilio SMS: Contact Imports & Broadcasts Part of the mission of a Messaging App CRM is to build a solution that allows businesses to access their customer base over Chat apps easily but within terms of service set out by Messaging App companies. Twilio SMS Contact Imports and Broadcast enable companies to acquire their customers as Messaging App contacts with ease. We call it customer matching. You've dutifully collected your customers' mobile numbers and communicating over SMS for use cases like Two Factor Authentication. However, using SMS for customer support can get expensive. Wouldn't it be great if you could convert your list of customers to Messaging App contacts on Facebook, WhatsApp, WeChat & more? With Rocketbots it's easy. Upload your customer list to your Twilio SMS channel. Craft a fantastic broadcast message using Facebook m.me links, WhatsApp Click to Chat links and any other messaging app you wish to acquire your customers on. Then send an SMS broadcast to let your customers know you're available to chat over their Messaging App of choice. To learn more [check out our documentation on Importing SMS Contacts](https://help.respond.io/). ### Bits & Bobs This wouldn't be a Rocketbots release without a few bits & bobs. This month we've focused on creating an Away Message system, added a few nifty additions for our Dialogflow users, added a new user role and made a few small UI improvements to make using the platform just that bit easier. #### Away Message If you're a small but growing business like us, you can't be there to answer questions 24 hours a day although we try! The bottom line is even though you're not there, you still have to give some indication of when a customer can expect to get some support. We've created a straightforward Away Messaging function inside Settings. You can turn the Away Message on when you go to sleep for the night, turn the Away Message off when you're back and decide how long the delay will be before your Away Message is sent. [For more info about the Away Message, please check out our documentation](https://help.respond.io/). #### Dialogflow: Assignment & More For our Dialogflow users, we've added a brand new parameter to use in their agents. Dialogflow users can now assign contacts to a user based on the intent triggered. For more info, [check out our RB\_USER\_ASSIGN documentation](https://help.respond.io/). Aside from the new parameter, the Dialogflow community has also requested that we pass the original channel data on as part of the package delivered with each message. We have now enabled the *originalDetectIntentRequest* to pass directly through our platform to your Dialogflow Fulfilment service. #### New User Role: Owner Another month another User Role. We've been in conversation with several of our power users over the last few weeks, discussing how to optimize and improve our set of user roles. Due to the latest change, we've now grown to four user roles with different access levels. The newest addition to the bunch is Owner. Creators and other owners can invite new owners to the Space. Owners have access to all modules of the platform except for billing. With this change, managers will lose their privilege to access settings. For detailed descriptions of user roles, [check out our Access Levels documentation](https://help.respond.io/). #### UI Improvements If you haven't noticed, Rocketbots feature list has been growing and growing. To make it easier to know about and use these features, we make little UI changes here and there to make things a little smoother. This month we've added a locale flag to the Messaging module and added a Dynamic Variable Picker to all fields where Dynamic Variables can be used. Remember Dynamic Variable are not available in broadcasts. For more info, please check out our [Dynamic Variables documentation](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables). ## [The August 2021 Release: IMAP/SMTP Integration, Website Chat Improvements & Broadcast to Imported Contacts](https:/respond.io/blog/august-2021-release-imapsmtp-integration-website-chat-improvements-and-import-to-broadcast) In this release, we’ve resolved quite a number of issues and addressed several highly requested features. These improvements include IMAP/SMTP Integration, Website Chat Improvements and Broadcast to Imported Contacts. > We've deprecated support for MessageBird (Bird), Vonage, Twilio and 360dialog WhatsApp APIs to focus on our WhatsApp Business Platform (API) as part of our commitment to providing customers with valuable, innovative and reliable messaging solutions to drive business results. To continue engaging with your Contacts, [migrate to our WhatsApp Business Platform (API)](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/phone-number-migration-to-respond-whatsapp-business-api). We’ve recently released a couple of major features in our last update, and now we’re back with more! In this release, we’ve resolved quite a number of issues and addressed several highly requested features you’ve been waiting for. ### IMAP/SMTP Integration Sometime in November last year, we integrated Gmail as a new channel on our platform. Since then, we’ve received many requests to include other email providers so that more people can start using emails on respond.io with other messaging channels. \*Drum rolls\* Now with our new IMAP/SMTP integration, businesses can use any email provider of their choice to contact their customers. Yes, ANY! 🎉 If your Sales and Customer Support agents need to reach out to their Contacts after they’ve left the website or when a messaging window has closed, they can now do so with emails without switching platforms. Setting up and connecting to IMAP/SMTP requires just two main steps to start emailing. From the Channels module, the Gmail button is now replaced with a generic Email icon. Once clicked, there’s an option to choose between Gmail and Other emails. If you’re using an email provider other than Gmail, pick Other. Then, fill in the email address and password of the email inbox you want to connect, including the details for IMAP and SMTP settings. Lastly, set up an email forwarding rule in your inbox settings to forward all incoming emails to the email address provided by the email server so respond.io can receive the emails. Sending and receiving emails on respond.io works mostly like instant messaging. When you receive an email, the person from the From field will be created as Contact. You could also add them 1-by-1 or import them via a CSV file and then send them an email. When sending your first email, create a subject line as the email title and all subsequent emails will appear in the same thread in message bubbles. Simply click *Show Original Email* to view the email in full, including your signature and forwarded emails. Therefore, we recommend connecting a general customer communication email such as *info@company.com* instead of an individual email. This is to avoid breaking the conversation thread on the Contact’s side whenever a different agent replies. For now, only 1-on-1 conversations are supported and all participants from the CC field are removed upon reply. Allowing group conversations including enabling broadcasts, surveys and automation is something we may explore in the future. Don’t forget to check out our documentation for an [in-depth guide to connect this channel](https://docs.respond.io/messaging-channels/email/other-email). If there are any new email integration features you’d like to see in the future, simply submit or upvote a feature request on our [Feature Request Board](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request). ### Website Chat Improvements It’s been a while since we’ve done any major updates to our Web Chat. But as businesses evolve, it’s also time for us to improve and update our features to meet the needs of our customers. We’re kicking it off by optimizing our widget’s bundle size to become the smallest and fastest in the market. Your lightweight widget now loads faster than before, creating a seamless experience for anyone who uses your website chat! ⚡ Plus we’ve also renamed Web Chat to **Website Chat** to standardize the terms on our platform. Next, we worked on one of the most highly requested features for the chat widget - Website Chat Customization. Every business is unique, including website design, preferred language and the information they’d like to collect from website chats. In this release, it’s now possible to customize your website chat widget in greater granularity to suit your business needs. This includes allowing font selection and enabling right-to-left (RTL) scripts, customizing your preferred widget position, uploading website chat icons, adding custom links and QR codes for Channels like WeChat and Instagram. Apart from allowing users to personalize the widget design, we’ve also enabled more customization to our pre-chat form to improve its utility. This includes: - Adding and removing fields such as First Name, Last Name and Email - Selecting the custom fields that are mandatory or optional - Changing the custom field labels. This is useful for businesses wanting to customize the widget in their preferred language. We’ve also been getting frequent requests to separate and customize the Greeting and Popup Message. This is important for many businesses, so now you can edit the Greeting Message and Popup Message from the Settings Module. The Popup Message shows when the widget is minimized to ensure a friendly user experience for your website visitors. While the Greeting Message will only be sent to your Contacts when they initiate a conversation. Also, we’ve made it easier for businesses with multiple subdomains to whitelist their website by supporting wildcards in our Whitelisting field. Now you can simply add *\*.domain.com* without the need to input individual subdomains for your chat widget. This is what we have so far, but there are future plans to improve our website chat such as adding a privacy (GDPR) compliant option, improving offline behaviours, identifying logged-in users and improving our website chat page rules. If you're interested in any of these improvements, don't forget to upvote it on our [Feature Request Board](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request) and follow the progress on our [Roadmap](https://roadmap.respond.io/). ### Broadcast to Imported Contacts! 🎉 Good news for all WhatsApp and SMS Users! Looking for a major time-saving solution for your broadcasting needs? We’ve got the boxes checked. It’s now possible to import your Contacts and send them a broadcast right away without messaging them 1 on 1. All you need are your Contacts’ phone numbers and you can send them a broadcast even if it’s your first time chatting with them on respond.io. However, it’s your first time messaging a certain Contact make sure they have opted in externally and are expecting messages from you. This is to prevent anyone from reporting or blocking your number. In doubt, you may opt to just broadcast to people who have interacted with your business before by ticking the checkbox when selecting your Target Audience. For those who have migrated from another platform to respond.io, the same opt-in rules apply. You can proceed with import to broadcast as long as you've obtained the opt-ins while you were using the previous platform. That’s not all. As part of our Broadcast Improvements, we've also improved the broadcast speed for all Channels. We're going from sending 1 message per second to a [minimum of 10 messages per second](https://docs.respond.io/messaging-channels/channels-overview#rate-limits). That's at least ten times faster than before! We hope these improvements help to deliver broadcasts to your contacts in a timely manner. Let us know what you think of this feature or if there's anything we can do to improve in our future release by [leaving us a message](https://respond.io/contact) or upvote a [Feature Request](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request). ### Bits & Bobs This wouldn’t be a respond.io release without Bits & Bobs. This month we've got Broadcast with Chat API, WhatsApp Interactive Message for 360dialog, New Restrictions for Managers and Send WhatsApp Messages with Dialogflow Quick Replies. #### Broadcast with Chat API For our Chat API Users, you can now send broadcasts to your Contacts. To use this feature without any inconvenience, please be mindful to send broadcasts in an appropriate manner to avoid your WhatsApp account from getting banned. #### WhatsApp Interactive Message for 360dialog WhatsApp has finally released Interactive Messages which allows your Contacts to select an option from the menu using List Messages & Reply Buttons. This new interactive way of messaging replaces text-based number options, resulting in higher response rates! For now, this is only available to 360dialog Users. We'll be supporting Vonage users in the next round of updates. You can keep track of the progress on our [Roadmap](https://roadmap.respond.io/) and/or upvote the feature integration for [other WhatsApp Partners on our Request Board](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request?search=interactive+messages). #### Send WhatsApp Messages with Dialogflow Quick Replies Dialogflow Users can now use Quick Replies with their 360dialog WhatsApp Channel. The WhatsApp Reply & List type Interactive Messages will be sent when Quick Replies are used via the Facebook Response Template in Dialogflow. #### New Restrictions for Managers Following some feedback received, there will now be new restrictions for Managers. All Managers will no longer be able to add a new Channel but they can still make changes to an existing Channel. Also, we’ve added a new checkbox option to restrict Manager access to Integrations. When enabled, the Integrations Module on Settings will be hidden. ## [The February 2020 - Messages API & MessageBird WhatsApp](https:/respond.io/blog/the-february-2020-messages-api-messagebird-whatsapp) This release is all about Messages API & MessageBird WhatsApp Integration. But be sure to read the bits and bobs for upcoming deprecations. > We've deprecated support for MessageBird (Bird), Vonage, Twilio and 360dialog WhatsApp APIs to focus on our WhatsApp Business Platform (API) as part of our commitment to providing customers with valuable, innovative and reliable messaging solutions to drive business results. To continue engaging with your Contacts, [migrate to our WhatsApp Business Platform (API)](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/phone-number-migration-to-respond-whatsapp-business-api). We're a few days late, but we're still calling it the February Release. Why? We're planning on another one in March. Today, we're finishing off some improvements that have been in the works for a while. We're also making room for future improvements by deprecating some channels and features. So be sure to check out the details in bits & bobs. This is what the release is all about: - Messages API - New Channel: MessageBird WhatsApp - Bits & Bobs ### Messages API Messaging app companies expect all business messages to flow through one branded account, a Facebook Page, a WeChat Official Account, etc. This means sales, customer service, and notifications messages all flow through one pipe. The Rocketbots platform is here to make these interactions easier. We're announcing part of this effort is what we're announcing today - the Messages API. The Messages API creates one API to facilitate all the notifications for Rocketbots contacts. The Messages API allows one message per API call and allows quick replies on supported channels. When a channel limitation, like 24hr chat window, doesn't allow a message to be delivered, the error sent by the channel will be forwarded via API. For a detailed list of API characteristics, [check out the Messages API docs](https://docs.rocketbots.io/api-reference/messages-api). ### New Channel: MessageBird WhatsApp It's been a while since we've added a channel, this one has actually been in the pipeline for some time. With another WhatsApp API Partner to our growing list of WhatsApp Integrations, we're hoping to make it even easier for businesses to use WhatsApp. Once you have a MessageBird WhatsApp account approved, [review the MessageBird API docs to connect](https://docs.rocketbots.io/messaging-channels/messagebird-whatsapp). ### Bits & Bobs February's bits and bobs have a lot in store. There is one little feature improvement when it comes to Dialogflow languages, a channel deprecation and some announcements about deprecations that will happen soon. #### Dialogflow Languages Dialogflow supports agents with multiple languages. In previous versions of the platform, messages were sent to Dialogflow based on the Space language setting. Now the preferred agent language selected independently when connecting Dialogflow. #### Channel Deprecation: Kik Kik bots are no longer supported on our platform. Back when we introduced Kik bots, Kik was still a growing channel. Since none of our users really use this channel, we have now stopped supporting it. #### Upcoming Channel Deprecation: Skype Skype is still a popular channel for some users and we'll keep existing Skype connections running for 6 to 8 months. However, Microsoft has removed the ability to publish new Skype bots, so we will be removing the capability to connect Skype bots next release. #### Upcoming Feature Deprecation: Facebook, WhatsApp & WeChat Broadcasts Due to recent changes in Facebook policy as well as WhatsApp and WeChat channel limitations, the ability to send broadcasts on Facebook, WhatsApp and WeChat will be removed. They will be sorely missed, but unfortunately, there is nothing we can do. #### Upcoming Feature Deprecation: Smart Replies To be clear, Snippets will remain, but the ability to add training phrases and set Snippets to respond automatically will be removed. This was an experiment that lasted a little too long. It is getting in the way or releasing sorely needed features faster. In the future, you can expect improvements in how Snippets work as well as a host of other productivity-focused features. That's it for the February release, see you in a few short weeks :) ## [The July 2021 Release: Instagram Direct Message API & Reports 2.0](https:/respond.io/blog/july-2021-release-instagram-messaging-api-reports-v2) This release is all about Instagram Direct Message API and Reports 2.0 where we go into deeper detail with our platform analytics. We have also enabled syncing Message Templates and WABA Profiles from 360dialog Hub to respond.io. > We've deprecated support for MessageBird (Bird), Vonage, Twilio and 360dialog WhatsApp APIs to focus on our WhatsApp Business Platform (API) as part of our commitment to providing customers with valuable, innovative and reliable messaging solutions to drive business results. To continue engaging with your Contacts, [migrate to our WhatsApp Business Platform (API)](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/phone-number-migration-to-respond-whatsapp-business-api). We’re halfway through the year, and with many companies around the world still working remotely - we have to acknowledge how important messaging apps are in keeping us connected especially with our customers. To prevent any customers from falling through the cracks, companies need to ensure they have all the right Channels connected and their Teams are working efficiently to meet customers’ needs. This release is all about helping you reach those goals. Stay connected with your customers with one of the world’s top social media platforms, Instagram and monitor your organization’s performance in greater granularity with Reports 2.0. ### Instagram Integration is Finally Here! Instagram is currently the number one most upvoted feature request. So this came in handy when When Facebook finally opened Instagram DM API to the public. And now we present to you a brand new Channel on respond.io - Instagram. 🎉 As Facebook is now in Phase 2 of the global rollout for the Instagram DM API, all Instagram Business Accounts with 1K-100K followers are eligible. If you have less than 1K followers, Facebook is targeting Q3 2021 for you to be able to connect your accounts. To start, ensure you have an [Instagram Business Account](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#7sj8d). It will not work with a Personal Account or a Creator Account. Then, connect the account to your company’s [Facebook Business Page](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#e2h55). Finally, on respond.io go to Settings and Connect Channel. The Instagram DM API works like a regular messaging channel. But there are some extra features specific to this channel like [Instagram Stories and Instagram Click-to-Chat Ads](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#blfsc) that are useful for Sales, Marketing and Customer Support. Whenever a customer comments directly on a promotional Instagram Story or sends a message from a Click-to-Chat Ad, the message will appear in your Messages Module. From there, simply assign your Sales or Marketing team to take over the conversation. Or if someone sends a complaint and would require a follow-up, this is where your Support team comes in. An important note about time-sensitive conversations, Contacts can delete their message and there is a [7-Day Messaging Window](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#b20lp). If your Support team needs to respond to a conversation after 7 days, they can simply ask for the customer's phone number and send them a WhatsApp message to follow up. This is only viable for accounts with WhatsApp API connected as Channel on respond.io. Plus, this is a big win for all businesses that need the holy trifecta of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram messaging. With respond.io, now you can manage your conversations from any of these channels from one platform. For now, this is a basic Instagram integration. We will be looking for input to further improve this integration. Or if there are any Channels missing on our platform that you’d like to see, simply [add a new request or upvote an existing request](https://roadmap.respond.io). ### Reports 2.0 Previously we released [Reports 1.0](https://respond.io/blog/may-2021-release-new-dashboard-reports-and-data-export#2mrn4), which was all about building a solid Analytics infrastructure. Now it's time to introduce Reports 2.0 to provide even more valuable data about Contacts, Users and Conversations on our platform. In the upgraded Reports module, you'll find the **Conversations Tab**, **Users Tab**, **Contacts Tab**, **Messages Tab** and **Logs Tab**. Each tab has its own set of metrics, charts and graphs to provide deeper analytical insights to our users. Under the **Conversations Tab**, you’ll find new widgets such as Conversations Opened/Closed and Conversation List on top of the existing Conversations and Performance widget. We’ve also made filtering by Categories possible by building a new feature called Closing Notes. This feature allows agents to close conversations by adding a Conversation Category and a Summary. The Conversation Category informs managers of the conversation's purpose such as Sales, Payment Issue, Bug Report and so on. While filling in the Summary informs management about conversations topics and exceptions in use cases. Because every business is different, you can customize the Categories and change the descriptions according to your business needs. There’s also an option to set the Closing Notes Dialog and Summary to either optional and/or mandatory respectively. For a clearer insight into the number of conversations opened at a given time, we’ve upgraded [Conversations Opened by Contact Type](https://respond.io/blog/may-2021-release-new-dashboard-reports-and-data-export#2mrn4) to include filtering by Source and renamed the widget to Conversations Opened. Managers can filter the Conversations Opened data by Contact Type and Source. This informs businesses whether the conversation is started by a new or returning Contact. And it gives insights into who opened the conversation - Contact, User or Automation. That’s not all. We’ve also released a new widget called Conversations Closed which allows you to filter by Category and Source. This feature is useful for managers who want to know the types of conversations closed and who closes them in a given period. For managers wanting to analyze conversations from a specific User, Team or Closing Category, the Conversation List widget simplifies the process. Filter the data by date, categories, teams and users or search by Summary keywords to find the conversation. After finding the conversation, they can review the entire conversation thread by clicking the Contact's name. Doing so brings them to the Contact directly, making this a faster way to find specific conversations with just a few clicks. In this release, businesses can now filter User data by Date, Teams and Users under the **Users Tab**. Managers can now compare Users and Team performance based on the following metrics - conversations, contacts, messages, response time & resolution time. To better understand your Contacts, we’ve also added a brand new **Contacts Tab** to give you an overview of the number of Contacts added or deleted in a given period and how they were added or deleted. When viewed by Sources, it tells you where these contacts come from. It informs businesses whether it's added manually by users, through contact import, inbound contacts such as those who send you the first message or the developer's API and so on. For a deeper look into who has added or deleted the Contacts, the Contact Added/Deleted Log provides you with all the details you need to know, like the Activity Time, the Contact ID, Contact Name, Activity (Added/Deleted), Source and User. The **Messages Tab** is another new feature to help businesses better understand their Incoming Messages, Outgoing Messages and Failed Messages. For Incoming Messages, it informs businesses of the most popular Channels for every message received. While for Outgoing Messages, it answers the following questions most businesses will be keen to know: - Are Outgoing Messages sent by Users, Automation, API or Broadcast? - Which Users are sending the most messages? - Are messages being sent inside or outside the Messaging Window? If needed, you can go deeper and focus on specific metrics by filtering the data by date, Channels, Teams and Users for both Incoming and Outgoing Messages. Occasionally, message sending may fail or be blocked by the Channel Provider. For this purpose, we’ve provided logs for all Failed Messages. This log gives a list of all the error messages the Channel Providers have sent back regarding your failed messages. With the new Failed Message Log, we’ve made it easier for you to track these failed messages. Plus, it comes with essential details like date, sender, channel, message type, message content and reasons for the error. Last but not least, we’ve deprecated our Conversations Log from Reports 1.0 since we’ve moved all our Conversations-related metrics to the Conversations Tab. Now you’ll find the new Contact Assignment Log and Comment Log under the **Logs Tab**. Similar to the other Tabs, you can filter the Log data by date and users. This helps to give managers an overview of Contact Assignment that is done manually by Users and assignment that is done automatically by assignment logic. While the newly added Comment Log makes it easier to track Comments added to a Contact's conversation. For those who are interested in seeing the comment topics in aggregate, this is where you go for an overview of all the comments. Have more metrics you would like to see in your Reports module? Let us know by [upvoting a feature request or keep track of in-progress requests](https://roadmap.respond.io). ### Bits & Bobs This wouldn’t be a respond.io release without Bits & Bobs. This month we’ve got 360dialog Integration Improvements, Update 360dialog WABA Profile from Respond.io and Chatbase Deprecation. #### 360dialog WhatsApp Message Template Syncing Here’s good news for 360dialog Account Users! We have now enabled syncing 360dialog Message Templates from the Hub to respond.io, making it more convenient for you to sync, create and send Message Templates directly from our platform. This is just the base, we’ll keep improving this feature in our future release and extend this functionality to all our other WhatsApp Partners like [Vonage](https://respond.canny.io/feature-request/p/vonage-whatsapp-api-sync-templates-create-templates-for-approval-from-respondio), [Twilio](https://respond.canny.io/feature-request/p/twilio-whatsapp-api-sync-templates-create-templates-for-approval-from-respondio) & [Messagebird](https://respond.canny.io/feature-request/p/messagebird-whatsapp-api-sync-templates-create-templates-for-approval-from-respo) as well. Do upvote the feature request or keep track of the progress on our [Roadmap](https://roadmap.respond.io). For everyone else, we've also made some minor improvements when sending Message Templates on our platform. You can now see the Message Template language from the Messages Module and they are sorted in alphabetical order instead of creation date. #### Update 360dialog WABA Profile from Respond.io Apart from syncing Message Templates from the 360dialog Hub to respond.io, 360dialog Account Users can now access and update their WhatsApp Business API (WABA) profile directly from respond.io. For other WhatsApp Partner accounts, we hear you too. We'll extend this feature to [Vonage](https://respond.canny.io/feature-request/p/vonage-whatsapp-api-view-and-update-waba-profile), [Messagebird](https://respond.canny.io/feature-request/p/messagebird-whatsapp-api-view-and-update-waba-profile) and [Twilio](https://respond.canny.io/feature-request/p/twilio-whatsapp-api-view-and-update-waba-profile) in our future release. To speed things up, you can upvote the feature requests and keep track of the progress on our [Roadmap](https://roadmap.respond.io). #### Chatbase Deprecation Following an update from Google, Chatbase Analytics has reached its end of life and will be shut down on September 27, 2021. Meanwhile, we’ll deprecate this feature on our platform in July. All Chatbase Analytics features will be available directly in Dialogflow. If your virtual agents were built on Dialogflow, there are no changes in how you view your analytics data. ## [The June 2020 Release - Android & iOS Apps](https:/respond.io/blog/the-june-2020-release-android-ios-apps) Whoosh, this year is going by in a flash, it’s already June! Hard to believe half the year has gone by already. It’s summer and we’ll all be spending more time outside - even if it’s just in our local park, so we’re making it easier to answer messages on the go with Android & iOS apps. Whoosh, this year is going by in a flash, it’s already June! Hard to believe half the year has gone by already. It’s summer and we’ll all be spending more time outside - even if it’s just in our local park, so we’re making it easier to answer messages on the go. In this release, we’re announcing the release of our Android and iOS apps and some bits & bobs. ### Android & iOS Apps Yes, the Android & iOS apps are here. This was our most upvoted feature request ever and it took some time to complete. A big thank you to everyone who stuck with us and helped with testing. The apps are available on the [Apple App Store](https://swiy.io/appleApp) & [Google Play Store](https://swiy.io/androidApp) now. It’s important to remember these apps are designed to be companions to the respond.io platform. We’ve included the Dashboard, Contacts, Messages & Settings to make it possible to answer messages, add teammates & more all on the go. For now, New Message push notifications will work like emails. When inactive and a new message comes in, you’ll receive a new message notification. If you remain inactive, you’ll receive another notification after an hour, then one more after 24 hours. [Other notifications](https://docs.respond.io/notifications#notification-types) like Contact Assigned & Comment Mention are shown every time the event occurs. In the near future, we’ll update notifications across desktop and mobile. We’d love to see your upvotes and comments in the [Notifications Feature Request](https://respond.canny.io/feature-request/p/notification-improvements). ### Bits & Bobs Although we’ve been hard at work on getting the apps ready, we’ve still managed to make a few small improvements to the platform in this release. ##### Facebook Channel Seen Status Messages sent by contacts over Facebook Messenger were instantly marked as seen, even though no platform users had reviewed the message. The default behavior has been changed and messages will only be marked as seen once a response is sent. ##### Automatic Contact Assignment Failure We’ve noticed that Automatic Contact Assignment Failures are not transparent. Auto Assignment can fail when no users are online. We’ve added Contact Assignment Failure in Chat Events so it’s apparent when Auto Assignment has failed. For a concise version of our new features as well as technical improvements, [please review our changelog](https://respond.canny.io/changelog/v69-mobile-app-and-major-platform-improvements). ## [The Practical Guide to Click to Instagram Direct Ads](https:/respond.io/blog/click-to-instagram-direct-ads) This blog post explains what are Click to Instagram Direct Ads and why use them for lead generation. Plus, we’ll walk you through the process of setting up a Click to Instagram Direct Ad and taking your Instagram Ads to the next level using respond.io. This includes sending automated surveys to Instagram leads, managing Instagram messages at scale and extending the messaging window. Looking to generate more leads? Consider Click to Instagram Direct Ads, one of the most effective lead generation ads. This blog post explains what are Click to Instagram Direct Ads and why use them for lead generation. Plus, we’ll walk you through the process of setting up a Click to Instagram Direct Ad and taking your Instagram Ads to the next level using respond.io. This includes sending automated surveys to Instagram leads, managing Instagram messages at scale and extending the messaging window. *Want to make the most out of your Click to Instagram Direct Ads?* [Get a free respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register?_ga=2.267549006.1991268724.1627892036-319544489.1616554159&_gl=1*v7g44s*_ga*MzE5NTQ0NDg5LjE2MTY1NTQxNTk.*_ga_CVVNV8KDRF*MTYyODE0Njg3Ni4xMDEuMS4xNjI4MTQ3MDk4LjA.) *and* [connect your Instagram Business Account to respond.io](https://docs.respond.io/messaging-channels/instagram#connecting-instagram) *now.* ### Click to Instagram Direct Ads: An Introduction Instagram offers different ways for customers to connect with your business - customers can comment directly on your content or send a direct message (DM) to your inbox. Many businesses prefer to chat 1:1 with their customers as it's easier to track & manage conversations. Thankfully, Instagram has features that encourage your customers to send you a DM. This includes Instagram Profile Links and Click to Instagram Direct Ads. #### What Are Instagram Profile Links Instagram Profile Links bring people to your Instagram account. Once they are on your account, they’ll find the Message button conveniently placed at a highly visible location. Clicking on it will take visitors directly to your Instagram DM inbox. Instagram Profile Links are great for connecting with your customers. You can place them on your website or inside newsletters to direct people to chat with you. But if you want to eliminate the extra step of taking customers to your Instagram account, consider Click to Instagram Direct Ads instead. #### What Are ig.me Links Instagram has recently introduced a new type of link for customers to get in touch with you directly, [the ig.me link](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/instagram/features/ig-me-links/). When the ig.me link is clicked, it skips the profile page and opens a 1:1 chat window instead. This link will also be the shortest official Instagram link you can get without using a third-party service. To use an ig.me link, add your username to the end of *ig.me/m/*, for example, *ig.me/m/respond.io*. You can display or share this link wherever you want customers to contact you. #### What Are Click to Instagram Direct Ads Click to Instagram Direct Ads allow people to start a conversation with you in your Instagram DM inbox. They can be shown in Instagram Stories or Feeds. When swiped up or tapped, Click to Instagram Direct Ads open an input bar where leads can write you a custom message. Once they send the message, the new conversation will appear in your Instagram DM inbox. Conversations opened through an Instagram Ad will come with a thumbnail image of the ad. The thumbnail is accompanied by a disclaimer that says *you replied to their promotion.* Once leads start a conversation, you can message them back with qualifying questions. You need someone there to answer messages unless you connect to a third-party CRM that allows automatic lead qualification. More on that later. Despite the need to have agents on standby, Click to Instagram Direct Ads have a number of advantages over conventional lead generation campaigns. Read on to find out why you should run an Instagram Ad campaign for lead generation. #### Why Use Click to Instagram Direct Ads Click to Instagram Direct Ads help you start a conversation with more leads and allow faster interactions with leads, helping you to move them down the funnel faster. We'll look at how typical B2B businesses advertise to understand how Click to Instagram Direct Ads bring more leads. First, you show ads to target buyers. When clicked, the ad will take leads to a contact form. Once you get their email or phone number, you can start connecting with them. However, the drop-off rate is high in conventional advertising. Many are unmotivated to fill in a long contact form or have privacy concerns. Plus, leads may inadvertently provide the wrong contact details, in which case you can’t get back to them. Click to Instagram Direct Ads eliminate the need to fill in a contact form, thereby lowering the drop-off rate. Moreover, you don't have to worry about getting the wrong contact details. Click to Instagram Direct Ads also push leads down the funnel faster because the interactions on Instagram are faster. You'll get an instant reply from leads most of the time. By contrast, it takes days to get an email reply in a conventional ad campaign. Want to get started with Instagram advertising? We’ll guide you through the process in the following section. #### Instagram Click-to-Chat Ads Recently, Meta has launched [Instagram click-to-chat ads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VT2AIZ31fk&feature=youtu.be). It works by directing leads that click on your ads directly into your DMs. This allows businesses to engage with customers while their interest in your products or business is high, improving conversion rates. ### How to Set Up A Click to Instagram Direct Ad Click to Instagram Direct Ads are only supported on Instagram Business Accounts. If you’re using a Personal Account for business, [convert it to a Business Account](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#toc-mobile-4). Before setting up an ad, you’ll need to [connect your Instagram Business Account to your Facebook Page and Facebook Business Manager Account](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#toc-mobile-5) (now known as Meta Business Portfolio). Once you’re ready, go to [Facebook Ads Manager](https://www.facebook.com/micro_site/url/?click_creative_path%5B0%5D=link&click_from_context_menu=true&country=MY&destination=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbusiness%2Furl%2F%3Fhref%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.facebook.com%252Fadsmanager%252F%26cmsid%3D187166392659374%26creative%3Dlink%26creative_detail%3Dadvertiser-help-center%26create_type%26destination_cms_id%26orig_http_referrer%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.google.com%252F%26search_session_id&event_type=click&last_nav_impression_id=0cyEF3qBS3XhdQkLd&max_percent_page_viewed=50&max_viewport_height_px=706&max_viewport_width_px=1440&orig_http_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&orig_request_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbusiness%2Fhelp%2F200000840044554&primary_cmsid=200000840044554&primary_content_locale=en_US®ion=apac&scrolled=true&session_id=2YARdIMyfRv6l3lcB&site=fb4b&extra_data%5Bview_type%5D=v3_initial_view&extra_data%5Bsite_section%5D=help&extra_data%5Bplacement%5D=%2Fbusiness%2Fhelp%2F200000840044554&extra_data%5Bcreative_detail%5D=advertiser-help-center). **1\. Click** the green Create button. **2\. Create** a campaign with the Messages objective. **3\. Edit** the Campaign Name and Campaign Details. Where appropriate, declare your Instagram Ad as a Special Ad. You may also set up an A/B test to understand which ad strategies give you the best result. Click Next to continue. **4\. Select** Click to Message as the Ad Type and Instagram Direct as the Messaging App. **5\. Choose** the Facebook Page and Instagram account you want to create the ad for. Edit Budget, Schedule, Audience, Placements, Optimization and Delivery on the same page. Then, click Next. **6\. Choose** your ad format under Ad Setup. You can opt for a single image or video. Alternatively, create a carousel ad with 2 or more scrollable images. **7\. Add** media from Ad Creative. Images will be automatically cropped but you can manually edit them. **8\. Write** the Primary Text. The Call to Action will be Send Message by default. **9\. Click** the Create button under Message Template. **10\. Create** a Template. Write a Greeting Message and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). If you’ve created a Template, leads will see the Greeting Message and FAQs when they swipe up or tap your ad. Click Save and Finish when you’re done. Finally, click Publish to launch the Click to Instagram Direct Ad. And that's how you create an ad on Instagram. After your leads send you a custom message or FAQ, you can respond with qualifying questions to decide if you should pursue them. Want to qualify leads automatically? Create an automated survey on respond.io to qualify a large number of leads faster. [Connect your Instagram Business Account to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/instagram#connecting_instagram) to get started. ### Taking Click to Instagram Direct Ads to the Next Level with Respond.io Respond.io helps you qualify Instagram leads faster through the Workflows automation builder. Additionally, we make it possible to manage messages at scale and extend the 24-hour Messaging Window to 7 days. #### Send Automated Surveys to Instagram Leads Most companies don’t have the resources to qualify a large number of leads from Click to Instagram Direct Ads. This is where automated qualifying surveys come in. You can qualify leads automatically by creating a Workflow on respond.io. Just follow these steps to qualify your Instagram leads. 1\. **Click** on the *Workflows* Module by clicking on the left pane. 2\. **Click** on *\+ Add Workflow*, then select Click to Chat Ads on the left pane. 3\. **Select** *Click to Chat Ads: Assignment*. 4\. **Click** *Use Template* to start building the Workflow. 5\. **Connect** your Facebook account to receive Meta ad-related messages. 6\. **Set** **up** your Welcome Message on the right pane. To qualify leads, add questions in the Workflow. 7\. **Click** on the *+* button after Welcome Message and select *Ask a Question*. Then, draft your question in the *Question Text*. You can repeat this step as many times as you like to qualify your Instagram leads. We suggest you select the *Multiple Choice* Question Type and save responses as a tag to help agents identify the wants of the customer faster. 8\. **Assign** conversations to a specific agent or an agent in a team or workspace. If you select Assign to a user in a specific team, you must choose the team you want to route these conversations to. 9\. **Draft** your Assignment Message, and that’s it. After setting up lead qualification from your ads, it’s time to message your leads to turn them into customers. While Instagram offers native messaging tools like [Instagram Message Inbox & Facebook Business Suite Inbox](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#toc-mobile-3), they aren’t the best option for large businesses. If you are a large business, we recommend using Instagram Direct Message API connected to respond.io. #### Track Instagram Ad Conversions with Paid Ads Attribution Instagram Click-to-Chat Ads are great for sparking conversations—but with respond.io, you can take it further by tracking which ads actually lead to conversions. With Paid Ads attribution in the Reports module, you can view Instagram ad performance in both Contacts and Lifecycle reports. This allows you to: - Filter and group leads by Ad Campaign, Ad Group, or specific Instagram Ad - Follow each lead’s journey from first touch to paying customer - Identify high-performing campaigns that bring in leads who convert—not just click This end-to-end visibility helps you make smarter ad decisions and get the most out of your Instagram ad spend—no spreadsheets, no guesswork. #### Go Further with Meta Conversions API Paid Ads Attribution shows you which Instagram Ads generate leads and sales. To take things further, the Meta Conversions API (CAPI) strengthens how Meta measures and optimizes your campaigns. Through respond.io, you can send events like a new lead created or a purchase completed directly to Meta. It benefits your business with: - Better attribution: Understand which ads truly drive revenue. - Smarter optimization: Meta uses these signals to prioritize the ads most likely to convert. With respond.io and CAPI, you’re not just tracking conversions — you’re improving ad delivery and ROI. #### Manage Instagram Messages At Scale Instagram Message Inbox & Facebook Business Suite Inbox work fine for small and medium businesses dealing with a low volume of messages. But they lack advanced features like conversation auto-assignment and performance monitoring, making it challenging to manage a high volume of messages. Connecting the [Instagram Direct Message API](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#toc-mobile-7) to respond.io helps large businesses manage Instagram messages at scale. Respond.io offers specially designed features such as [Automatic Contact Assignment](https://help.respond.io/messages/assignment-and-closing-a-conversation) and [Performance Reports](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview)**,** which make managing messages a breeze. #### Respond to Messages With Extended Messaging Window To encourage prompt response, Instagram has implemented a [24-hour Messaging Window](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#toc-mobile-8) for Instagram Messaging API users. This can be problematic if your business is closed during the weekend and the message goes unnoticed. Fortunately, you can continue messaging your customers within the next 7 days by using a [Human Agent Tag](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#adt5m). Once you connect your Instagram Direct Message API to respond.io, you can use the Human Agent Tag by default. ### Ready to Unleash the Full Potential of Instagram Direct Ads? Respond.io gives businesses a great tool to maximize the results of their ad campaigns by ensuring every conversation is answered to increase business growth. [Sign up for a respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and manage your leads from your ad campaigns. ### Further Reading If you're interested in using Instagram for Business, check out these articles: - Everything You Need to Know About Instagram for Business - Best Messaging Apps for Marketing, Remarketing, Sales, Support & Notifications - What is Business Messaging ## [The Practical Guide to Facebook Messenger Ads ](https:/respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads) Want to generate more leads? Learn how to use Click to Messenger Ads with respond.io to increase the conversion rate of your Facebook Messenger Ads. Facebook Messenger ads are a game-changer for businesses aiming to capture leads. By facilitating direct conversations between companies and potential customers via Messenger, these ads offer a unique blend of immediacy and personalization. Whether you're looking to boost your digital marketing efforts or explore innovative engagement techniques, this guide is your go-to resource for leveraging Click to Messenger ads to their fullest. *Want to make the most out of your Facebook Messenger Ads?* [Get a free respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) *and* [connect your Facebook page to respond.io](https://docs.respond.io/messaging-channels/facebook-messenger) *now.* ### Advertising with Facebook Messenger: An Introduction To prevent spam, Facebook Messenger doesn’t allow businesses to start a chat with customers. Facebook users have to send the first message to your Facebook Page to start conversations. Fortunately, Meta has features that encourage Facebook Messenger users to send you a private message. For example, via [Messenger Click to Chat Links](https://respond.io/blog/messenger-link). Messenger Click to Chat Links are shortened m.me links that take users to Messenger conversations. They are great for connecting with your existing customers who frequent your website or have subscribed to your newsletter. While Click to Chat Links are free, their reach is somewhat limited — they’re only good at capturing conversations from customers who already know your business. That’s why, businesses that want to generate new Facebook Messenger leads use [Click to Messenger ads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4nVNt08xmY). #### What Are Click to Messenger Ads? Like Click to Chat links, Click to Messenger ads send people to a conversation with your business on Messenger. They can be shown in various places on Facebook and Instagram, including: - Facebook Stories - Facebook News Feed - Facebook Marketplace - Facebook Video Feeds - Facebook Right Column - Messenger Inbox - Instagram Feed - Instagram Stories When potential buyers click on the ad, they will be taken to a new conversation with you on Messenger. Messenger conversations opened through a Click to Messenger ad come with a declaration statement and a banner at the top. In the conversation, leads will see your customized Greeting Message and Quick Reply buttons. They also have the option to message you. To avoid spam, conversations are only visible to businesses after leads have opted in by clicking a Quick Reply button or sending a message. Once leads start a conversation, you can message them back. Something important to keep in mind: Click to Messenger ads are not free. Meta uses a bidding system where advertisers can set a budget and bid for their ads to be shown to their targeted audience. Pricing can vary based on the campaign objective, audience size, and engagement, typically charged per impression or interaction. However, Click to Messenger ads have a number of advantages over conventional lead generation campaigns. Read on to find out why you should use Click to Messenger ads for lead generation. #### Why Use Click to Messenger Ads Click to Messenger ads come with multiple business benefits. To name some: - High potential for quality lead generation - Faster lead conversion - Reduced drop-off rate - Accurate lead information Let’s explore these benefits in more detail. Recent studies reveal that the average user [spends 151 minutes per day on social media](https://www.statista.com/statistics/433871/daily-social-media-usage-worldwide/#:~:text=How%20much%20time%20do%20people,minutes%20in%20the%20previous%20year.)). This makes Facebook, Instagram and Messenger outstanding marketing channels, as your audience is probably using them daily. But there’s more. Click to Messenger ads are highly customizable in terms of placement, content, target audience, and much more. As a result, businesses with solid marketing strategies can generate quality leads. Conventional ad campaigns often result in delayed email responses, extending over several days. In contrast, click to Messenger ads speed up the lead conversion process due to the quicker interactions available on Messenger, where replies from leads are typically instantaneous. Moreover, traditional marketing methods face higher abandonment rates as customers dislike waiting, exacerbated by the sluggish pace of communication through these channels. What could be resolved in a brief two-minute conversation on Facebook Messenger might languish for days if conducted via email. Additionally, the reluctance to engage isn't solely due to slow response times. The prospect of filling out lengthy forms deters many potential leads, also compounded by concerns over privacy. Last, the risk of entering incorrect contact information on a contact form means you might lose the opportunity to reconnect with leads. This problem is nonexistent on Facebook Messenger — once a lead sends a message it will be added to your contact list. ### Click to Messenger Ads: Benefits by Industry Companies across various sectors have seen advantages from using click to Messenger ads. In this section, we'll explore how this advertising tool serves five of the most significant industries. #### Click to Messenger Ads for Education Social media like Facebook and Instagram are especially popular among teenagers and young adults, making them even more desirable marketing channels for educational institutions. With Facebook’s audience segmentation capabilities, these institutions can target only students within a certain age group to increase the success of their campaigns. #### Click to Messenger Ads for Healthcare Patients can effortlessly inquire about services and schedule appointments or consultations directly through messaging, thereby eliminating the need for phone calls and preventing the overload of phone lines. #### Click to Messenger Ads for Beauty Salons and beauty service providers can target nearby areas to increase their pool of local clients. Plus, they can streamline booking processes via Facebook Messenger for services like haircuts, spa treatments, or makeup sessions for operational efficiency. #### Click to Messenger Ads for Real Estate Real estate agents can use Click to Messenger ads to advertise their latest properties. Then, agents could use Facebook Messenger to quickly respond to inquiries, offer virtual tours of properties or schedule in-person visits, and speed up the decision-making process for potential buyers or renters. #### Click to Messenger Ads for Automotive Automotive enterprises can leverage Click to Messenger ads for a variety of strategic purposes. Once potential customers initiate contact, dealerships have the opportunity to furnish comprehensive details regarding vehicle models, their availability, pricing and financing alternatives. Ahmed Nassar, the Technical Product Manager at respond.io, illustrates the effectiveness of Click to Messenger ads through a case study within the automotive sector, highlighting how it encourages prospects to visit showrooms. To wrap up this section, Nassar emphasizes a crucial strategy applicable across all industries: "It's essential to start with a clear business objective and craft a tailored workflow to reach that goal. This workflow might need adjustments based on specific factors like your target audience or geographical location. However, with the precision of A-B testing, it’s possible to refine your approach and secure campaign triumph." Want to get started with Facebook Messenger Ads? We’ll guide you through the process in the following section. ### Facebook Messenger Ads: How to Set Up Click to Messenger Ads As an expert in [conversation-led growth](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth), respond.io has extensive experience creating successful Click to Messenger ad campaigns for lead generation. Before setting up Click to Messenger ads, make sure you have admin access to your Facebook Page. Then, go to [Meta Ads Manager](https://www.facebook.com/micro_site/url/?click_creative_path%5B0%5D=link&click_from_context_menu=true&country=MY&destination=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbusiness%2Furl%2F%3Fhref%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.facebook.com%252Fadsmanager%252F%26cmsid%3D187166392659374%26creative%3Dlink%26creative_detail%3Dadvertiser-help-center%26create_type%26destination_cms_id%26orig_http_referrer%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.google.com%252F%26search_session_id&event_type=click&last_nav_impression_id=0cyEF3qBS3XhdQkLd&max_percent_page_viewed=50&max_viewport_height_px=706&max_viewport_width_px=1440&orig_http_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&orig_request_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbusiness%2Fhelp%2F200000840044554&primary_cmsid=200000840044554&primary_content_locale=en_US®ion=apac&scrolled=true&session_id=2YARdIMyfRv6l3lcB&site=fb4b&extra_data%5Bview_type%5D=v3_initial_view&extra_data%5Bsite_section%5D=help&extra_data%5Bplacement%5D=%2Fbusiness%2Fhelp%2F200000840044554&extra_data%5Bcreative_detail%5D=advertiser-help-center) and follow these steps. **1\. Click** on the green *Create* button. **2\. Create** a campaign with the *Engagement* objective. **3\. Edit** the campaign name and campaign details. If applicable, declare your Click to Messenger ad as a [Special Ad](https://en-gb.facebook.com/business/help/298000447747885#:~:text=Special%20Ad%20Categories%20apply%20to,social%20issues%2C%20elections%20or%20politics). You may also set up an A/B test to understand which ad strategies give you the best result in the long term. This will save you costs, as you’ll avoid spending budget on low-performance ads. Click *Next* to continue. **4\. Select** *Click to Message* as the ad type and Messenger as the messaging app. If you are managing multiple Facebook Pages, choose the page you want to create the ad for. **5\. Edit** budget, schedule, audience, placements, optimization and delivery on the same page. Then, click *Next*. **6\. Choose** your ad format on Ad Setup. Since you want to create a new ad, select *Create ad.* **7\. Add** media from Ad Creative. Images will be automatically cropped but you can manually edit them. You can opt for a single image or video. Alternatively, create a carousel ad with 2 or more scrollable images. Keep in mind that visuals play a crucial role in digital advertising. Your goal should be to grab the viewer's attention [within the first three seconds](https://www.kingstarmedia.com/our-blog/why-first-three-seconds-digital-video-ads-are-most-important#:~:text=catch%20consumer%20attention.-,The%20Three%2DSecond%20Rule,you%20risk%20losing%20them%20completely.) to ensure your ad doesn't get overlooked. **8\. Write** the primary text and add an optional description. The headline will be *Chat in Messenger* by default, but you may edit it. **9\. Create** a Template. Create a welcome message to greet customers and manage response time expectations. Meta requires the inclusion of an automated greeting message for leads who interact with your advertisements. While adding customer actions is optional, they can be beneficial, especially for those not integrating automation via third-party software. To make the most of this feature, we suggest using the customer action for *Frequently asked questions*. This approach helps address common queries right at the start of the interaction, reducing the need for immediate human agent involvement. > There's a known issue where customer selections may not be accurately reflected in your third-party inbox, leading to potential miscommunications for agents. However, rest assured that the respond.io Inbox accurately captures and displays customer actions from Click to Messenger ads. **10\. Add** a reference to track where your leads are coming from. Use the format ref=*yourreference*. You should use a unique reference for each Click to Messenger campaign. When done, click Publish to launch the Click to Messenger ad. And that's it! Before jumping to the next section, here’s a word of caution. Ahmed Nassar, Technical Product Manager at respond.io, underscores the critical nature of Meta's review process for advertisements. He highlights that all ads are rigorously evaluated to ensure they adhere to [Meta's guidelines](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/488043719226449?id=434838534925385). He also stresses the importance for advertisers to avoid promoting items prohibited under these policies, as non-compliance will lead to the discontinuation of the ad. Now that you have your ad in place, make sure you’re using the right solution to handle all the new leads. While you have access to the [Meta Business Suite Inbox](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/294426838452244?id=765488040896522), it is very feature-limited, making them only suitable for small businesses. ### Taking Click to Messenger Ads to the Next Level With Respond.io To manage all the new inbound leads at scale, you’ll need a conversation management software designed for large businesses. [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register?_gl=1*dhbk1l*_ga*MTQ1NDY4NTc5NC4xNjc2OTQ0NTYw*_ga_0EZ318H868*MTcwODMzMTIzMC43MTkuMS4xNzA4MzMxMjU5LjMxLjAuMA..) and [connect Facebook Messenger](https://docs.respond.io/messaging-channels/facebook-messenger#connecting-facebook-messenger) to respond.io to get started. #### Track Messenger Ad Conversions with Paid Ads Attribution Click-to-Chat Ads on Messenger are a powerful way to start conversations, but what happens after the click matters most. With respond.io, you can now track which Messenger ads actually convert and follow leads all the way through your sales funnel. In the Reports module, Paid Ads attribution is available in both Contacts and Lifecycle reports. This lets you: - Filter and group leads by Ad Campaign, Ad Group, or specific Messenger Ad - Monitor lead progression from New Lead to Paying Customer - Understand which campaigns generate quality leads that move forward, not just click With clear attribution data and lifecycle visibility, you can confidently optimize your Messenger ad strategy and maximize ROI—without relying on manual tracking or external tools. #### Go Further with Meta Conversions API Paid Ads Attribution shows you which Messenger Ads generate leads and customers. To take things further, the Meta Conversions API (CAPI) strengthens how Meta measures and optimizes your campaigns. Through respond.io, you can send events like a new lead created or a purchase completed directly to Meta. It benefits your business with: - Better attribution: Understand which ads truly drive revenue. - Smarter optimization: Meta uses these signals to prioritize the ads most likely to convert. With respond.io and CAPI, you’re not just tracking conversions — you’re improving ad delivery and ROI. #### Send More Messages Without Rate Limits Page Inbox doesn’t allow sending too many messages in a short time period. If you exceed the rate limit, your Page Inbox will be disabled. The same issue exists on the Meta Business Suite. Large businesses that handle a high volume of conversations should connect to a platform like respond.io to manage messages through APIs. This way, you can send more messages to your leads. “So, can I message my Facebook Messenger leads anytime I want?”, you might be wondering. The answer is not that simple, but we’ll make it clear in the next section. #### Message Leads Anytime With Message Tags To prevent companies from spamming users, Facebook has implemented a [24-hour Messaging Window](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#adt5m). After the window expires, the only way to message leads is to use a [Facebook Message Tag](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag#c1pdp). Message Tags are only available in some customer conversation management softwares like respond.io. Meta doesn’t let businesses use Message Tags outside their intended purposes, so make sure to review the [Message Tag rules](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-message-tag#69ko0) before you start using Message Tags. The most important Message Tag you should know about is the Human Agent Tag, used by agents who need more time to converse with customers and help them with their inquiries. Respond.io automatically appends a Human Agent Tag to your messages, extending the Messaging Window from 24 hours to 7 days. #### Collect Customer Information Before Starting a Conversation After launching your Click to Messenger ad campaign, you can expect lots of [inbound messages](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations) from leads. To understand these leads and provide them with tailored attention, agents collect their data at the start of the conversation. When done manually, this task takes a lot of time and human resources. However, there are ways to accomplish this with respond.io’s automation and conversational AI features. Start by building an [automation Workflow](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) to handle leads coming from your Click to Chat ads. You can create one from scratch or edit one of the premade Workflow templates. Then, [set up your AI Agent to collect and verify customer information](https://help.respond.io/automate-conversations/how-to-automate-contact-information-collection-with-ai). When configured correctly, your AI Agent is capable of gathering, confirming and validating the information that the contact has provided to the business. Once customers answer the questions, you can automatically [save the answers on Google Sheets](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-add-google-sheets-row) for data analysis and visualization. Then, the conversation can be [assigned to a sales agent](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio), or directed to an automated booking system. #### Automate Appointment Booking Businesses that operate with appointments can save valuable agent time by automating the appointment booking process. Your sales team can use respond.io Workflows to [integrate Facebook Messenger with your calendar app](https://help.respond.io/capture-conversations/streamline-meeting-scheduling-via-ctc-ads) of choice. In addition, respond.io integrates natively with [Make](https://help.respond.io/integrations/make) and [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/integrations/zapier), allowing you to build automation with thousands of apps without coding. If you are already using these softwares, it is now possible to seamlessly integrate your apps with Facebook Messenger for the best customer experience. #### More Reasons to Connect Facebook Messenger to Respond.io After learning how respond.io can take your Facebook Messenger Ads to the next level, let's look at some respond.io features that will simplify the way your business handles leads. - Omnichannel Inbox: Centralize messages from your messaging channels, including Facebook Messenger, into one inbox. This feature is invaluable for businesses using Click to Messenger ads as it streamlines communication and facilitates manager supervision. - Merge Button: Allows businesses to consolidate duplicated lead profiles across different channels into a single one. This feature is crucial for maintaining context and continuity in customer interactions, providing personalized service, and reducing confusion or duplication in communications. - Integration with Sales CRMs: Seamlessly connects messaging platforms with sales Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. For businesses leveraging Click to Messenger ads, this means vital customer data and interaction histories are automatically synced, enabling more targeted, informed sales strategies and follow-ups. - Mobile App: Offers the flexibility to manage customer conversations on the go. This feature is particularly beneficial for businesses using Click to Messenger ads, as it allows for real-time engagement with potential leads, ensuring that opportunities for conversion are maximized by responding promptly to inquiries anytime, anywhere. Next up, we're bringing theory to life with a real-world success story. In the following section, we'll showcase a business that leveraged Click to Messenger ads along with respond.io, paving its way to remarkable success. ### How Sport Center Los Naranjos Uses Click to Messenger Ads and Respond.io Sport Center Los Naranjos, a wellness center in Caracas, utilized Click to Messenger ads to engage potential customers directly. To efficiently handle leads, the company wanted to integrate its wellness management software with a business messaging solution. After switching to respond.io, Los Naranjos built inbound conversation Workflows to process over 1,000 monthly inquiries. With its new strategy, common questions were addressed with FAQ menus, while complex issues were escalated to agents. This improvement, together with other respond.io solutions, reduced response times from 20 minutes to 5 minutes, and cut down resolution times significantly. Also, Sport Center Los Naranjos increased its subscriber conversions by 20%, showcasing the impactful combination of Click to Messenger ads and respond.io's in boosting customer engagement and operational efficiency. [Read the full story here](https://respond.io/customers/how-sport-center-los-naranjos-gains-20-more-conversions-from-sales-inquiries). ### Further Reading If you're getting started with Facebook Messenger for Business, we recommend you read these three articles. - WhatsApp Lead Generation: How to Use WhatsApp to Get More Leads - How to Add a WhatsApp Button to a Facebook Page - Facebook Messenger Push Notifications: A How-To Guide ## [The Top 3 Chinese Chat Apps](https:/respond.io/blog/the-top-3-chinese-chat-apps) Email, Facebook Messenger, and Whatsapp might be the primary forms of communication that we all use in the west. But in China, the Great Firewall has allowed the evolution of a distinct Chinese chat app. Although the Chinese Messenger marketplace has been dormant for a while. New competitors have been launched that might just change the Chinese messaging app landscape. In this article we will cover: Email, Facebook Messenger, and Whatsapp might be the primary forms of communication that we all use in the west. But in China, the Great Firewall has allowed the evolution of a distinct Chinese chat app. Although the Chinese Messenger marketplace has been dormant for a while. New competitors have been launched that might just change the Chinese messaging app landscape. In this article we will cover: ### Chinese Messaging App Landscape The Chinese Messenger App landscape began with the founder of Tencent, Pony Ma. In the late 90s, Pony Ma first encountered one of the internet’s earliest messaging apps, ICQ, created by an Israeli company way back in 1996. While popular around the world, the service had little to no Chinese chatting or presence in China. Ma and his Shenzhen based team quickly realized the potential in launching a Chinese chat app. In 1999 Pony Ma launched OICQ (Open ICQ). After a legal battle with AOL, the service would eventually go on to become Tencent QQ, the first Chinese Instant Messenger to go mainstream. This became the primary form of communication in China until the launch of WeChat in 2011. WeChat now dominates the Chinese messenger app space, with over a 90% penetration rate and over 1 billion monthly active users. WeChat has become a powerful force in China, being used for everything from business communications to hailing taxis. While challengers have appeared over the years few have been able to capture any significant market share from WeChat. While WeChat and Tencent QQ are staples in China, new Chinese Chatting Apps have appeared in the last year hoping to take just a sliver of market share from these two dominant platforms. In this article, I’ll cover these two dominant Chinese messaging apps as well as the challengers hoping to claim the #3 position in China. #### WeChat: The #1 Chinese Chat App What is the leading Chinese messenger app? I’m sure if you have even a passing interest in China, you’ve heard of WeChat. WeChat is often called “The Chinese Internet,” as almost anything you do on the web you can also do on WeChat. With the recent surge in popularity of WeChat Mini-Programs, apps that live within the WeChat ecosystem, WeChat is more than just a Chinese chat app. Users can book taxis, make hotel reservations, listen to music, read content, play games, send money, buy train tickets, book movie tickets, and even apply for a loan! Aside from all these features, WeChat is also the most popular Chinese instant messenger in the workplace. This is due to the incredibly low penetration rate of email in China, which was only clocked at 36.7% as of the last report in 2017. While E-mail does see some usage in the workplace, WeChat is an absolute necessity for conducting business in China. It’s common for both external and internal business communications to be conducted over WeChat. As the #1 social media platform as well as the #1 Chinese chat app, it’s also heavily used by marketers across the country. Unlike [WhatsApp Marketing](https://rocketbots.io/blog/how-companies-do-whatsapp-marketing-and-support/), which is still in its infancy, a whole marketing industry has sprung up around this Chinese texting app. WeChat is often called the [Chinese Facebook](https://blog.sinorbis.com/is-wechat-chinese-facebook) and WeChat marketing strategy has gone way past KOL (Influencer) product placements. This has resulted in the need for [WeChat CRMs](http://www.rocketbots.io) and Automation platforms to track conversations, optimize processes, and create personalized experiences for users on the platform. While all these features make WeChat the #1 Chinese chat app, there are some weaknesses for potential challengers to exploit. With WeChat being so ubiquitous in China, it can be hard to escape from it. Chinese workers have complained of supervisors monitoring their WeChat activity. Earlier this year, [one Chinese city tried to ban after-work hours WeChat communications to preserve work-life balance](https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3010023/zhuhai-district-government-proposes-ban-wechat-work-group-messages). In 2018, an employee reported that she had actually been terminated due to her failing to share content posted by the company’s [WeChat Official Account](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-wechat-official-account-for-business-guide/) on her own personal newsfeed. The second weakness is something that we’ve also seen happened to leading social media platforms in the West, a growing disinterest from younger users. Older users in China have begun to take over on WeChat and this has resulted in younger users being driven to more “hip” platforms like Douyin (Tik Tok). These weaknesses have led to the emergence of Chinese chat apps in early 2019. While these apps aim to target these weaknesses of WeChat it’s highly unlikely, they’ll be able to unseat WeChat as the #1 Chinese chat app. #### Tencent QQ: Former Chinese Chatting Champion Tencent’s QQ was the first Chinese chat app to go mainstream. It was the #1 Chinese messaging app prior to the launch of WeChat. While WeChat has taken over and become the market leader, QQ is still a popular messaging platform in China. This Chineses messaging app remains most popular with younger users, who feel safe from the prying eyes of their parents on the platform. One of the potential upsides of QQ is that you don't need a phone number to sign up. This makes it much easier for very young people to get started with their first Chinese messenger app even if they don't have a mobile phone plan yet. Noticing the popularity of the platform among younger users Tencent has added features aimed directly at this audience. Some of these features include its entertainment-focused newsfeed Kandian and its E-sports live-streaming service NOW Live. However, the largest audience for QQ is those using it as an internal office messenger. For desktop-based messaging in the workplace, QQ remains a popular tool. Every Chinese messaging app has its own quirks, for QQ it is a very powerful desktop messenger. While the desktop version of WeChat has taken some market share away from QQ in the workplace, many individuals in China still use it for workplace chatting and for transferring files. QQ allows users to transfer files with a size greater than 25 MB, which WeChat does not allow. However, the future of QQ remains in the hands of the younger generations. Tencent has recognized this and plans to continue adding features to increase the average time spent per user on the platform. As of 2018 60% of users on the platform were born after 1990 and 40% of users identify as students. ### The Three Challengers: Toilet, Bullet Messenger, and Duoshan In January 2019, 3 different companies launched their own Chinese messenger app with the hope of competing for market share in China’s Tencent-dominated messenger market. #### 马桶MT (Toilet) - The Privacy-Focused Chinese Messenger First off, is the comically named Toilet. The name toilet comes from a popular song by Andy Lau. The song states that a toilet is a thing every person has, that helps flush problems away making every toilet a friend. Toilet is a Chinese Messaging App that has a focus on privacy and claims to be the anti-WeChat. The app is completely anonymous, using dynamic IDs to preserve a user's anonymity. The app doesn't offer any over the top features that are worth mentioning, but it has become somewhat popular among users in China who value their privacy. Although it might be popular it doesn’t seem like this alternative to WeChat would be able to have a strong enough monetization model to challenge WeChat. The app has seen its user base increase but, it doesn’t seem to have any potential for monetization which will likely hamper its future growth. #### Duoshan (多闪) - The Douyin Chat App Next up is Duoshan (which translates to “Much Flash”), a messaging service created by China’s latest tech titan, Bytedance. The app is essentially an extension of Bytedance’s runaway success, Douyin or in English TikTok. The app focuses on allowing users of Douyin to network and communicate with each other. The app resembles Snapchat in many ways, allowing users to send videos to one another that delete themselves after a certain period. Described by a Toutiao insider as an app with a combination of "Snapchat’s framework with Instagram and messengers GIF functions plus the Apple Watch’s heartbeat.” This description doesn’t really make much sense to me, but as we’ve seen it most resembles Snapchat. With the support of Douyin and its growing popularity it could be a strong contender to become a player in the Chinese Messenger marketplace. Since it targets the same audience as QQ, it could have the potential to climb its way to the #2 messenger in China. #### Bullet Messenger: The Super Fast Chinese Messenger The final app was predicted to be a runaway success last year, however, it wasn’t able to live up to the hype. Created by Kuairu Technology, Bullet Messenger was able to acquire over 4 million users just 9 days after its launch. Its original popularity stemmed from its minimalistic interface and its speech to text function for messaging. While its launch was incredibly successful it wasn’t able to keep up the pace, with only 14% of users remaining on the platform a week after downloading it. The app relaunched in January 2019 as LiaoTianBao (Chat Treasure). The app clearly shifted its focus and now provides cash and virtual currency incentives for users who take certain actions on the platform. The app is clearly targeted towards the lower tier cities in China, even tying up with China’s most popular group buying platform PinDuoDuo. However, if you need to pay users to actually engage with your platform, it’s likely not something users really want. These cash incentives personally reek of desperation for me, meaning this is likely no longer a serious contender for the title of #1 Chinese Messaging App. ### Which Chinese Messenger Should I Use? There’s no question that WeChat is the Chinese instant messenger you’ll use. WeChat is so ingrained in daily life you’d be seriously inconvenienced by not using it when traveling in China or dealing with potential Chinese business partners. For nearly every situation aside from transferring large files, you’re going to be using WeChat in China so get used to it if you plan on doing business in the country. For marketers out there looking to incorporate messengers into your marketing strategy, which platform you choose will depend on your target audience. For most businesses, the answer will most likely be WeChat, however, if you want to target a younger demographic QQ and DuoShan could also offer results! ### Further Reading If you found this article interesting you may also enjoy our [Ultimate Guide to Using WeChat for Business](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-wechat-official-account-for-business-guide/). ## [TikTok Ads Cost Breakdown: How to Achieve High ROI ](https:/respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads-cost) More and more brands are using TikTok every day, but understanding the TikTok Ads cost is essential to guarantee a good ROI. Read this guide to know more. As TikTok continues to dominate the social media landscape, more businesses are turning to the platform for advertising opportunities via TikTok Ads. For this reason, understanding the TikTok Ads cost is crucial for planning and optimizing your marketing budget. In this blog, we'll break down the costs associated with TikTok Ads, the factors influencing the TikTok Ads price, and best practices to maximize your return on investment (ROI). ### Is the Cost of TikTok Ads Worth It? Currently there are more than one popular way for digital advertising. Many businesses choose [click to WhatsApp ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads) on [Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads) or [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-instagram-direct-ads) — two very established social platforms where customers spend time daily. The question here is, can TikTok compete against such powerful advertising solutions? Instead of giving a simple yes or no, let's let the numbers speak for themselves. - Nearly 50% of Gen Z users use the platform for social commerce. Millennials make up 36%. If you are a B2C brand that sells to these demographic groups, TikTok could be the social platform that gives you the best ROI. - TikTok is the most engaging social platform with an average engagement rate of 4.24% — significantly higher than Facebook’s (0.15%) and Instagram’s (0.60%). - 15% of product discoveries begin on TikTok, making it the fastest-growing channel for product discovery. - TikTok Ads outperform TV ads at Incremental Dollars Per 1000 Impressions and Return on Ad Spend. - 24% of marketers report that TikTok has the highest ROI among other social platforms. With such compelling numbers, it’s clear that TikTok has solidified its place as a powerful advertising platform. Next, we’ll cover the basics of TikTok Ads pricing to see what you can expect when promoting your products or services on this rapidly growing platform. ### TikTok Ads Price: The Basics Advertisers on TikTok have two options when it comes to promoting their products and services on the platform: Relying on influencers or leveraging [TikTok Messaging Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads). The costs involved vary depending on the choice. Let’s break this down. #### Cost of TikTok Influencer Marketing Consider partnering with TikTok influencers to amplify your campaign. Depending on their follower count, influencer posts can range from $5 to more than $2,000 per post. | No. of Followers | Average Price per Post | | --- | --- | | 1,000 - 10,000 | $5 - $25 | | 10,000 - 50,000 | $25 - $200 | | 50,000 - 150,000 | $100 - $1,000 | | 500,000 - 1,000,000 | $1,000 - $2,000 | | 1,000,000 + | $2,000 + | Collaborating with an influencer that resonates with your audience can drive significant engagement and help you make more sales. However, this option does not always offer the best ROI. It is also not the best choice for scalability, targeting precision and measuring results. Let’s check out a better alternative. #### Cost of TikTok Ads Similar to WhatsApp click to chat ads, TikTok Messaging Ads is TikTok’s solution for businesses seeking to capture conversations in the app, where users spend their daily time engaging with content. Then, customers can be converted via sales chat on TikTok DM ([TikTok Direct Messaging Ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-set-up-tiktok-direct-messaging-ads?lang=en)), WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger ([TikTok Instant Messaging Ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-set-up-tiktok-instant-messaging-ads?lang=en)). The TikTok Ads price operates on an auction-based system, where you set a budget and bid for how much you’re willing to pay to show your ad to TikTok users. Essentially, you decide how much to spend, and TikTok uses your bid to compete with others for ad space. The higher your bid, the more likely your ad will be shown. You can create your campaigns and ads in the [TikTok Ads Manager](https://getstarted.tiktok.com/my-brand?lang=en&attr_source=google&attr_medium=search-nb-ad&attr_adgroup_id=168663182347&attr_term=advertisement&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzva1BhD3ARIsADQuPnVCwh5s_3_THvbnV-ikZ5WlMbIlgJVTKVE8juvjtwV4dVcJc2jmbksaAhOtEALw_wcB). To get started, you need a minimum budget of **$50 per campaign**. At the ad group level, the minimum budget is **$20 per day**. In the TikTok Ads Manager - Campaign, you can also consult analytics to assess how much TikTok Messaging Ads are costing you. There are two important metrics to look out for: - Cost Per Click (CPC): The average CPC on TikTok is approximately $1. - Cost Per Mile (CPM): TikTok's average CPM rate starts at $10 per 1,000 views. There is one cost left to mention. When creating TikTok Ads, advertisers have two main options: using a design tool like Canva, or hiring a freelancer. Canva, which partnered with TikTok in 2021, offers user-friendly design capabilities with pricing plans ranging from $120/year to $360/year. Alternatively, hiring a freelancer for professional-grade video ads typically could start at $500 per project, with a production timeline of 2-3 weeks normally. While this has been a quick and comprehensive introduction to the TikTok ads cost, you probably want to know what factors affect the cost of your ads. Keep reading to find out. ### 7 Factors that Influence TikTok Ads Price Several factors influence the cost of advertising on TikTok. In this section, we’ll briefly run through these variables and how they affect the TikTok ads cost. ##### 1\. Ad Format and Placement The type of ad format and its placement within the app significantly affect cost. Ads that are prominently displayed or seamlessly integrated into the user experience typically command higher costs. - Spark Ads: These ads can start as low as $20 per ad, but the overall cost for a campaign can vary depending on the reach and engagement desired. A full campaign might range from $50 to $10,000 or more. - Hashtag Challenges and Branded Lenses: These interactive formats generally have a higher starting price due to their potential for viral engagement. A branded hashtag challenge can start at around $150,000 for a six-day challenge. Branded lenses (effects) may start around $80,000 to $120,000. - In-Feed Ads: Start from around a CPM of $10. The total cost per ad can vary widely, ranging from $50 to $120,000 for a full campaign, depending on factors like targeting, scale, and duration. - Top View Ads: These ads are shown to users as soon as they open the app for maximum attention. They capture user attention right from the start, leading to better engagement rates. Due to their visibility and impact, Top View Ads can cost between $50,000 to $100,000 per day. ##### 2\. Target Audience The TikTok Ads cost of reaching your desired audience varies based on demographic factors like age, gender, interests, and geographic location. Targeting high-demand demographics or specific regions can drive up the TikTok Ads price. ##### 3\. Campaign Objectives The goals of your campaign, such as driving brand awareness, increasing website traffic, or boosting sales conversions, impact pricing. Campaigns with more ambitious objectives often require larger budgets to achieve desired outcomes. ##### 4\. Ad Settings The settings you choose, including budget, campaign duration and bidding strategy, influence the overall cost. TikTok offers four bidding models for in-feed ads. 1. Cost per view (CPV): Pay per view when users watch your video for at least six seconds or interact with it. Ideal for increasing video views. 2. Cost per thousand impressions (CPM): Pay per thousand impressions when your video appears in users' feeds, whether they engage with it or not. Best for boosting brand awareness. 3. Optimized cost per thousand impressions (oCPM): Pay per thousand impressions targeted at users likely to convert. This is ideal for expanding reach and driving conversions. 4. Cost per click (CPC): Pay each time a user clicks on your ad. Suitable for increasing conversions. Higher daily budgets or more aggressive bidding strategies can result in better ad placement but at a higher cost. ##### 5\. Seasonality and Trends Ad costs on TikTok can fluctuate based on seasonality and trends. For example, during peak shopping seasons like Black Friday or significant cultural events, the TikTok Ads price tend to rise due to increased demand from advertisers. ##### 6\. Competition The level of competition for your target audience directly impacts TikTok Ads cost. High competition in your niche or audience segment leads to higher bids and, consequently, higher costs. ##### 7\. Ad Performance and Engagement TikTok may adjust pricing based on how well your ads perform. Ads that generate high engagement — such as likes, shares, and comments — can lead to lower costs per engagement or improved ad placement, maximizing your budget's efficiency. ### 4 TikTok Ads Best Practices to Maximize Your ROI A successful advertising campaign hinges on maximizing ROI. Simply knowing how to create TikTok ads isn't enough to ensure a strong return. To truly optimize your ad spend, you need to go beyond the basics. Here are four valuable tips to help you get the most out of your TikTok advertising budget. ##### Use High-Engagement Ad Formats Choose ad formats that are known for high engagement, such as In-Feed Ads or Spark Ads, which can generate more interaction at lower costs. ##### Test and Iterate Monitor ad performance and be ready to tweak your campaigns based on what works. A/B testing different creatives and formats can help you identify the most effective strategies. ##### Keep Content Authentic and Aligned with TikTok Culture Create ads that feel native to the platform by embracing TikTok’s unique style. Authentic, relatable content is more likely to engage users and drive conversions, leading to a higher ROI. ##### Monitor and Adjust Bidding Strategies Regularly review and adjust your bidding strategies to stay competitive without overspending. Consider setting automated bidding to optimize for cost-efficiency while achieving your desired results. ### Optimize Your TikTok Ad Spend with Smarter TikTok Messaging Investing in TikTok Ads can drive traffic and leads, but without an efficient way to manage conversations, you might not get the best return on investment. While TikTok offers basic business tools, it may not be enough for companies selling through chat across multiple channels. Businesses that need advanced automation, analytics, security, and seamless customer communication can rely on respond.io, a trusted TikTok partner, to bridge these gaps and maximize ad performance. #### Turn TikTok Ad Engagement into Sales with TikTok Business Messaging Running TikTok Ads but struggling to manage incoming messages? Respond.io, a badged TikTok Marketing Partner, solves this by integrating TikTok Business Messaging, allowing businesses to handle conversations efficiently and convert ad-generated leads into paying customers. Whether responding to inquiries from TikTok Messaging Ads or engaging with users from organic content, you can make the most of TikTok’s massive audience reach and high conversion potential. With TikTok Business Messaging now part of respond.io’s omnichannel suite, businesses can manage TikTok chats alongside WhatsApp, Instagram, and more—all from a single inbox. By centralizing conversations and using automation to qualify and nurture leads, you ensure that every dollar spent on TikTok Ads translates into real business results. TikTok Business Messaging is available in most regions except the U.S., EEA, Switzerland, and the U.K. If you have an eligible TikTok Business Account, connect it to respond.io today and start turning ad engagement into revenue! ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ### Further Reading Did you find this article useful? If so, have a look at the following ones: - Ultimate Guide to TikTok for Business - 5 Game-Changing Reasons Businesses Need TikTok Advertising - TikTok Ads: Harness TikTok Messaging Ads to Boost Sales ## [TikTok Ads vs Facebook Ads: Key Differences Every Marketer Should Know ](https:/respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads-vs-facebook-ads) TikTok Ads vs Facebook Ads: Which is right for your business? Discover the strengths, weaknesses, and key differences to make the best choice. Facebook Ads have long been a staple in digital marketing, but now there's a strong contender on the scene: TikTok Ads. This new option opens a world of possibilities for businesses, yet the question remains—how do TikTok ads stack up against Facebook ads? In this comparison, we’ll delve into the unique features and strengths of each platform to help you decide which might best support your sales and marketing goals. Let’s dive in! ### Intro to TikTok Ads vs Facebook Ads TikTok offers two distinct types of click-to-message ads, each catering to different channels for ongoing conversations after the initial interaction. First, we have [TikTok Direct Messaging ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-set-up-tiktok-direct-messaging-ads?lang=en). These allow users to initiate conversations directly within TikTok. On the other hand, [TikTok Instant Messaging ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-set-up-tiktok-instant-messaging-ads?lang=en) direct users to popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger—where your customers likely engage daily. Similarly, [Facebook click-to-chat ads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4nVNt08xmY) facilitate communication by directing leads from Facebook and Instagram straight into Messenger chats, encouraging direct interaction with your brand. You should know that Meta also provides alternatives to Facebook ads, such as [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads) or [Instagram Direct ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-instagram-direct-ads). These work similarly to Facebook Ads: You can advertise on Facebook or Instagram and capture conversations on WhatsApp and Instagram DM, respectively. ### How to Decide Between Facebook Ads vs TikTok Ads TikTok Ads thrive on short, engaging videos designed to capture attention swiftly, while Facebook Ads leverage a diverse range of formats paired with advanced targeting options to reach specific demographics. So, how do you determine the best platform for your business? #### TikTok Ads vs. Facebook Ads: Types of Content For TikTok, the most popular and cost-effective options include Spark Ads and In-Feed Ads. For businesses seeking greater visibility, premium placements like Top View Ads, Hashtag Challenges, and Branded Lenses are available. - Spark Ads: This format enables businesses to promote existing organic content or user-generated content, preserving authenticity while amplifying the reach of high-performing posts. - In-Feed Ads: These ads blend into TikTok users' feeds, capturing their attention without disrupting the user experience. Highly customizable, In-Feed Ads suit various marketing budgets. - Hashtag Challenges and Branded Lenses: These features encourage users to create and share content around specific themes, leveraging creativity and engagement for potentially viral campaigns. - Top View Ads: Positioned prominently when users open the TikTok app, these ads guarantee high visibility and engagement at a higher cost—ideal for brands aiming for a strong first impression. In contrast, this is what Facebook ads have to offer. - Facebook and Instagram Stories: These immersive, full-screen ads appear within Stories, ideal for time-sensitive content that grabs attention. - Facebook and Instagram News Feed: Ads here blend organically with user content to drive engagement. - Facebook Marketplace: Targeting active shoppers, these ads appear in a space dedicated to buying and selling, making them very relevant for e-commerce brands. - Facebook Video Feeds: Ads can appear in video content, enhancing storytelling through video ads. - Facebook Right Column: Smaller but visible on desktop, these ads are often used for retargeting campaigns. - Messenger Inbox: Designed for personalized engagement, these ads drive direct conversations through messaging. #### TikTok Ads vs Facebook Ads: Targeting Both platforms offer comprehensive targeting options, including: - Demographic targeting - Interest targeting - Behavior targeting - Device targeting However, Facebook provides more advanced targeting capabilities and a broader range of audience data. For example, the [Meta Pixel](https://www.datafeedwatch.com/blog/sell-on-facebook#facebook-pixel) allows for precise targeting based on user actions on your website, such as cart additions or purchases. While TikTok’s algorithm offers intuitive targeting, Facebook's mechanisms provide a more refined approach. #### TikTok Ads vs Facebook Ads: Ad Analytics When it comes to analytics, [Facebook’s Ad Manager](https://www.facebook.com/business/tools/ads-manager) delivers deep insights into campaign effectiveness, while the [TikTok Ad Manager](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en/solutions/ads-manager?ab_version=experiment_2) is somehow more basic. However, this is natural, too, as TikTok ads are a much newer feature, and we can expect more improvements in the future. Overall, Facebook has an edge in performance tracking. #### TikTok Ads vs Facebook Ads: Audience Data Facebook has a wealth of user data, allowing advertisers to gain insights into their target audience’s demographics, interests, behaviors and online activities. This data empowers businesses to create highly personalized and targeted ads. TikTok ads provide limited audience data, making it challenging for advertisers to gather detailed information about their audience segments. However, TikTok’s user base is known for being young and highly engaged, which can be beneficial for brands targeting that demographic. #### TikTok Ads vs. Facebook Ads: Policies Both Facebook and TikTok have strict advertising policies, and advertisers must familiarize themselves with these policies to ensure compliance and avoid ad disapprovals or account suspensions. Facebook offers a wide range of ad formats with detailed targeting capabilities but enforces strict guidelines around sensitive topics, political ads and data privacy. Political ads are allowed but require disclosure, while content like misinformation and discriminatory practices are prohibited. TikTok, however, focuses on protecting its younger audience by banning political ads and placing strong emphasis on community safety. TikTok ads must adhere to strict rules regarding harmful content, particularly around body image, and are designed to encourage creativity and user engagement. Both platforms require clear labeling for influencer marketing, but TikTok prioritizes authenticity and organic content. #### TikTok Ads vs. Facebook Ads: Industries Facebook serves a broad spectrum of industries, making it a staple for businesses across various sectors. In contrast, TikTok appeals particularly to brands targeting younger audiences, with industries like fashion, beauty, gaming and lifestyle thriving on the platform. #### TikTok Ads vs Facebook Ads: Data Collection Facebook's data collection is highly detailed and expansive, offering advertisers access to a wide range of user information. Facebook ads collect: - Demographic Data: Information such as age, gender, location and education level. - Behavioral Data: Insights from interaction history, app usage, purchase behavior and online activity. - Interest Data: Data on pages liked, content engagement and preferences based on browsing history. - Third-Party Data: Facebook partners with external data brokers to enhance targeting by incorporating offline behavior, including purchase histories and loyalty memberships. - Engagement Data: Metrics such as likes, shares, comments and overall content engagement. - Device Information: Details about the device type, operating system and browsing behavior. | | Facebook | TikTok | | --- | --- | --- | | Demographic Data | Yes (age, gender, location, education level) | Yes (age, gender, location) | | Behavioral Data | Yes (Interaction history, app usage, purchase behavior, online activity) | Limited (Focus on in-app engagement, not external browsing history) | | Interest Data | Yes (Pages liked, content engagement, browsing history preferences) | Yes (Inferred from engagement patterns with content) | | Third-party Data | Yes (Includes offline behavior, purchase history, loyalty memberships) | Limited (Incorporates some data from advertisers of partners) | | Engagement Data | Yes (Likes, shares, comments or overall content engagement) | Yes (Video likes, shares, comments, watch time) | | Device Information | Yes (Device time, operating system, browsing history) | Yes (Device type, operating system, browsing history) | | Audio & Visual Data | No (Does not focus on audio and visual data) | Yes (Analysis of uploaded videos, sounds and objects) | In contrast, TikTok focuses its data collection primarily on in-app behavior and content preferences. TikTok ads collect: - Demographic Data: Basic information such as age, gender and location. - Engagement Data: Metrics from video likes, shares, comments and watch time, which TikTok uses to refine its algorithm and recommend content. - Device Information: Information about device type, operating system and browsing history. - Audio and Visual Data: Analysis of uploaded videos, including sounds and detected objects, to better categorize and serve relevant ads. - Interest Data: Inferred from user engagement patterns with content. - Third-Party Data: Limited data incorporation from advertisers or partners. ### Facebook Ads vs. TikTok Ads: Cost and Performance Comparison Understanding key metrics such as **CPM (Cost per Mille)**, **CPC (Cost per Click)**, **CTR (Click-Through Rate)** and **CVR (Conversion Rate)** is essential for evaluating ad performance. Let’s dive into these metrics to understand which platform is more suitable for you. #### Cost Per Mille (CPM) CPM reflects the cost for every 1,000 impressions. - TikTok: The average CPM is around $10, with lower rates reported as low as $3.21, making it attractive for brands targeting younger audiences. - Facebook: Averaging about $7.19, Facebook offers competitive pricing, varying based on industry and targeting. #### Cost Per Click (CPC) CPC indicates the cost per click on an ad. - TikTok: With an average CPC of $1.00, TikTok’s engaging format makes this competitive, though it can fluctuate with targeting. - Facebook: Matching TikTok at about $1.00, Facebook’s extensive targeting capabilities offer flexibility to optimize CPC for specific sectors. #### Click-Through Rate (CTR) CTR measures ad engagement. - TikTok: Averaging 0.84%, TikTok’s CTR highlights its creative content appeal. - Facebook: With an average CTR of around 0.9%, Facebook’s ecosystem can yield even higher rates depending on the industry. #### Conversion Rate (CVR) CVR shows the percentage of users completing desired actions. - TikTok: With an average CVR of 0.46%, TikTok excels in engagement but may face challenges in driving conversions among younger audiences. - Facebook: Boasting a higher average CVR of 9.21%, Facebook’s robust targeting and retargeting options make it ideal for conversion-focused campaigns. | | Facebook | TikTok | | --- | --- | --- | | Cost per Mile (CPM) | $10, as low as $3.21 | $7.19 | | Cost per Click (CPC) | $1.00 | $1.00 | | Click-through Rate (CTR) | 0.84% | $0.9% | | Conversion Rate (CVR) | 0.46% | 9.21% | These metrics provide important insights into which platform aligns with your advertising goals. TikTok may be your budget-friendly option, while Facebook could deliver higher-quality clicks—finding the right balance is key. ### TikTok Ads vs Facebook Ads: Advantages and Disadvantages After comparing TikTok ads vs Facebook ads on different levels, let’s talk about their advantages and disadvantages. #### TikTok Ads Advantages - Youthful Audience: Perfect for brands targeting Gen Z and Millennials, TikTok is a hotspot for younger users. - Engaging Creativity: The platform’s short video format encourages storytelling and creativity, making ads entertaining and engaging. - Cost-Effective Reach: TikTok generally offers lower CPM and CPC rates, providing a cost-efficient advertising option. - Influencer Marketing: Collaborate with creators to generate authentic content that aligns with your brand. #### TikTok Ads Disadvantages - Limited Audience Diversity: Primarily appealing to a younger demographic, TikTok may not suit brands targeting older audiences. - Creativity Requirements: Success hinges on your ability to produce engaging and creative content. - Attribution Challenges: Shorter attribution windows can complicate measuring ad campaign impacts. - Ad Budget Requirements: Certain TikTok features may have steep minimum budget requirements. #### Facebook Ads Advantages - Extensive User Base: Facebook’s diverse audience spans multiple generations and demographics. - Advanced Targeting Options: Facebook’s targeting is precise, guiding your ads to the most relevant users. - Proven ROI: Many businesses see impressive returns on investment with Facebook Ads. - Conversion Tracking: Robust tools offer detailed insights into campaign performance, aiding optimization efforts. #### Facebook Ads Disadvantages - Increasing Costs: The growing popularity of Facebook Ads may result in rising costs. - Ad Fatigue: Users may become less responsive due to exposure to numerous ads. - Complex Ad Policies: Strict guidelines can lead to ad rejections or account issues if not adhered to. - Privacy Concerns and iOS 14 Impact: Recent privacy regulations have affected targeting and tracking capabilities. ### TikTok Ads vs Facebook Ads: Which One Should You Use? By now, you likely have a clearer idea of which platform might work best for your digital ads. If you're still unsure, don’t miss this section. Here, we’ll summarize the key insights from this blog and provide our recommendation on whether TikTok or Facebook is the best fit for your advertising goals. | | Facebook Ads | TikTok Ads | | --- | --- | --- | | Ideal for | Targeting a wider demographic (from Gen Z to to Baby Boomers) | Engaging a younger audience (Gen Zers and Millenials) with creative content | | Content Type | Diverse ad formats for various objectives | Short, engaging video ads that align with trending content | | Best for | Conversion-driven campaigns focusing on direct sales and lead generation | Brand awareness campaigns, influencer collaborations, visually-driven | | Advantages | Advanced targeting options, precise audience segmentation, robust conversion | Lower CPM and CPC rates, budget-friendly for larger audiences | #### When to Use TikTok Ads TikTok Ads are the ideal choice when your business aims to engage a younger audience (mainly Gen Z and Millennials) with highly creative and entertaining content. TikTok's video-driven platform thrives on short, engaging ads that align with trending content, making it perfect for brand awareness campaigns, influencer collaborations, and products that appeal to a visually-driven market. Additionally, lower CPM and CPC rates make it a budget-friendly option for businesses aiming to reach large audiences cost-effectively, especially in industries like fashion, beauty, and entertainment. #### When to Use Facebook Ads Facebook Ads are best suited for businesses targeting a wider demographic that spans multiple age groups, from Gen Z to Baby Boomers. With advanced targeting options and precise audience segmentation, Facebook is ideal for conversion-driven campaigns focusing on direct sales, lead generation or customer retention. Its robust conversion tracking tools make it easier to measure ROI and optimize performance campaigns. If your business requires detailed audience insights or retargeting capabilities, Facebook offers proven ROI and a wealth of analytics to help fine-tune your strategy. #### Combining Facebook & TikTok Ads for Success ##### Gather & Implement Insights Across Platforms If you want to grow your business in today’s environment, a cross-channel advertising strategy is a must. This means running ads on different channels like search and social, as well as on different platforms within these channels, like TikTok and Facebook within social. Running ad campaigns across multiple social media platforms enables you to collect more insights and apply more learnings. Be sure to analyze your campaign reports on both TikTok and Facebook frequently to identify these valuable cross-platform opportunities. ##### Strengthen Your Brand Identity Maintain a clear tone of voice across these platforms, use the same branding elements (colors, fonts, imagery, vibes), and regularly interact with your audience on both networks. Consistency is a great way to build trust among consumers, so use both Facebook and TikTok as a launchpad for your brand. ##### Expand your Campaign Reach Both TikTok and Facebook give you access to unique audiences and specific demographics, so take full advantage of this. Experiment with different target audiences to discover new prospects and ensure both platforms have sufficient budgets for scaling up. ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results Respond.io is among the first few badged TikTok Marketing Technology Partners globally. The badge is awarded for expertise in end-to-end TikTok sales and marketing solutions, including sales workflow automation and tools to optimize TikTok ad performance. What does this mean for your business? As a badged partner, respond.io gives you access to the latest innovations in TikTok Business Messaging. From capturing leads to closing sales, you’ll have the tools to attract, convert and grow customers — all from a single platform. 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ### Further Reading If you enjoyed reading this article, check out these other blogs: - How to Open a TikTok Shop in 5 Easy Steps - 6 Eye-Catching TikTok Ad Examples Every Business Should Learn From - TikTok Ads: Harness TikTok Messaging Ads to Boost Sales ## [TikTok Ads: Harness TikTok Messaging Ads to Boost Sales](https:/respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads) Create more opportunities with TikTok Messaging Ads to capture more leads and turn them into paying customers. Converse to gain more sales. If you’re not on TikTok, you’re losing out on massive opportunities to increase your sales. Businesses stand to win big through TikTok Messaging Ads, connecting to prospects on a personal level. In this blog, we’ll talk about what TikTok Messaging Ads are, how they benefit businesses, how to create a TikTok Messaging Ad and best practices to start your campaign. ### What are TikTok Messaging Ads? [TikTok Messaging Ads](https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-sg/tiktok-messaging-ads-now-available-in-asia-pacific) allow businesses to connect with their audience through TikTok Direct Messages or redirect users to instant messaging apps like WhatsApp and Messenger. It is another channel to [Capture](https://respond.io/blog/lead-capture) customers using our [Conversation-Led Growth](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth)[™](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth) [framework](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth). > Remember! You need to create TikTok for Business and Advertiser accounts before you can start using TikTok Messaging Ads. This feature helps brands engage directly with potential customers, creating additional opportunities for higher conversion rates through personalized communication. ### Benefits of Using TikTok Messaging Ads Leveraging TikTok Messaging Ads offers several advantages for businesses looking to enhance their marketing efforts. These benefits make it an attractive option for businesses aiming to reach a larger audience, engage with younger demographics, and maximize their advertising budget. #### TikTok Messaging Ad: Reach to a Large Global Audience TikTok boasts [1.58 billion monthly active users](https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/) worldwide, providing a vast audience for your messaging ads. This makes it a goldmine to generate views, leads, conversions and eventually sales. #### TikTok Messaging Ad: Advertise at a Low Cost TikTok’s ad platform offers competitive pricing, making it a cost-effective option for businesses of all sizes to reach a broad audience without breaking the bank. The average [cost per click (CPC)](https://influencermarketinghub.com/how-much-do-tiktok-ads-cost/#toc-2) and cost per thousand (CPM) on TikTok is $1.00 and $10.00 respectively. In fact, TikTok has a [lower CPC and CPM](https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/the-value-of-tiktok-advertising) compared to Meta. The affordability of TikTok ads allows businesses to allocate their budget efficiently while still achieving substantial reach and engagement. #### TikTok Messaging Ad: Target Young and Growing Audiences Gen Z makes up [almost half of TikTok users](https://influencermarketinghub.com/how-much-do-tiktok-ads-cost/#toc-1). With a significant portion of TikTok’s user base being Gen Z, businesses can effectively target a young and rapidly growing demographic. This demographic is known for its high engagement and willingness to interact with brands online. #### TikTok Messaging Ad: Start Easy With Low-Effort Content Unlike other platforms that may require highly polished content, TikTok is full of engaging, low-effort videos. If you are starting out on TikTok, or want to rapidly experiment, TikTok is the platform to be on. You can make content without needing to hire a video editor or agency, yet generate a good level of impact. Now that you’re aware of the benefits of TikTok Messaging Ad, let’s look at how you can create this ad. ### How to Create a TikTok Messaging Ad in 3 Easy Steps Before setting up TikTok Messaging Ads, you’ll need to create a [TikTok Ads Manager Account](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/create-tiktok-ads-manager-account) first. Next, you should be aware that there are two types of ads - [TikTok Direct Messaging Ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-set-up-tiktok-direct-messaging-ads?lang=en) and [TikTok Instant Messaging Ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-set-up-tiktok-instant-messaging-ads?lang=en). This step-by-step guide applies to both type of ads. #### Step 1: Create a Campaign On your dashboard, click on *Create Ad*, select Lead Generation and name your campaign. Then click on *Continue*. #### Step 2: Set Up the Ad Group Name the Ad group. Then define your target audience, set your budget and choose the placement for your ads. You can select TikTok Direct Messages or redirect users to messaging apps like WhatsApp or Messenger. #### Step 3: Create the Ad Design your ad creative, keeping in mind TikTok’s preference for authentic and engaging content. You can select either a video, or carousel images ad formats. Use videos or images that resonate with your target audience and include a clear call-to-action. Review your ad settings and ensure that they are in compliance with TikTok’s policies. Once you’re done, you can submit your ad for review. Once approved, your ad will go live, and you can start engaging with your audience through direct messages. Now that you know how to set up a TikTok Messaging Ad campaign, let’s take a look at how you can make the most of it. ### TikTok Messaging Ads: Best Practices Setting up TikTok Messaging Ads is just the first step. You also need to maximize the impact of your ads to increase sales through meaningful interactions. Here are 5 simple strategies to help you get the most out of your TikTok Messaging Ads. #### Create Engaging Content Creating content that captivates and engages your audience is key to the success of your TikTok Messaging Ads. You need to understand the types of content that resonate with TikTok users. Authenticity is highly valued on this platform, so focus on creating videos that feel genuine and relatable. Short, impactful videos that capture attention within the first few seconds are particularly effective. Use catchy music, trending challenges, and creative effects to make your content stand out. #### Collaborate With Influencers Collaborating with influencers can significantly boost the reach and effectiveness of your TikTok Messaging Ads. Identify influencers whose audience aligns with your target demographic to ensure that your message reaches the right people. These influencers can create content that feels genuine and relatable, increasing the likelihood of engagement from their followers. Authentic partnerships with influencers can enhance your brand’s credibility and visibility on the platform. #### Perform A/B Testing and Monitor Ad Performance By testing different variables such as ad formats, messages, and visuals, you can determine which combinations perform best with your audience. By monitoring the performance of each ad, you’ll gain insights into what resonates with your audience. Remember to track key metrics such as engagement, click-through, and conversion rates. These insights help you understand how your ads are performing and identify areas for improvement. Setting performance benchmarks and making data-driven adjustments is crucial for maintaining the effectiveness of your campaigns. As a result, you’ll be able to optimize the most successful ad to increase its impact. #### Follow TikTok’s Policies and Advertising Guidelines Ensure your ads comply with TikTok’s policies and guidelines to avoid any disruptions. This understanding will help you create ads that align with TikTok’s standards, ensuring a smooth approval process and a seamless user experience. ### Turn TikTok Ad Clicks into Conversations and Sales TikTok Ads help businesses reach the right audience, but turning engagement into revenue requires seamless communication. When users click on a TikTok Ad, they often have questions before making a purchase. While TikTok provides basic messaging tools, brands running ad campaigns need advanced automation, analytics, and lead management to respond effectively. As a badged TikTok Marketing Partner, respond.io ensures businesses can capture, engage, and convert ad-driven leads instantly. #### Why TikTok Business Messaging is a Game-Changer for Ads With TikTok Business Messaging, ad interactions don’t just stop at clicks—they turn into real conversations. Instead of losing potential customers due to delayed responses or scattered chats, businesses can automate replies, qualify leads, and guide them through the sales process in real time. Whether users are reaching out from TikTok Messaging Ads or organic content, respond.io centralizes all interactions for faster and more effective engagement. By integrating TikTok Business Messaging with respond.io’s omnichannel suite, brands can manage TikTok chats alongside WhatsApp, Instagram, and more—all from a single inbox. Currently in Beta and available in most regions except the U.S., EEA, Switzerland, and the U.K., TikTok Business Messaging helps businesses maximize ad spend by converting inquiries into sales. If you're running TikTok Ads, connect your TikTok Business Account to respond.io today and start turning ad engagement into revenue! ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ### Further Reading If you enjoyed reading this article, check out these other blogs: - 5 Reasons Your Business Needs TikTok Advertising - Ultimate Guide to TikTok for Business - Click to Chat Ads for Lead Generation: The Ultimate Guide ## [TikTok Automation: 4 Benefits, How to Use It & Best Practices ](https:/respond.io/blog/tiktok-automation) In this article, you will learn about TikTok Automation, how to implement it and the best practices for achieving superior business results. ### What is TikTok Automation? TikTok automation refers to using AI-driven tools and software to manage tasks such as responding to messages, qualifying leads and more. This minimizes manual work while maximizing engagement, making it an essential tool for businesses using TikTok for marketing and sales. You’ve probably experienced some sort of WhatsApp automation in the past. Perhaps you contacted a business on WhatsApp, got your questions answered, or booked an appointment on a calendar app. This experience is now possible on TikTok thanks to their strides in [business functionalities](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business). In fact, [92% of TikTok users](https://www.tiktok.com/business/en-GB/blog/tiktok-works-driving-business-impact) take some type of action after watching a video and 37% have purchased something they discovered through the app. ### 4 Benefits of TikTok Automation As businesses increasingly turn to automation for business messaging, it's essential to understand how these tools can optimize customer interactions. Now, let’s explore the key benefits that TikTok automation brings to your business. #### Reduce Agent Load By automating repetitive tasks such as answering FAQs and filtering inquiries, businesses can reduce the burden on their customer-facing teams and allow agents to focus on high-value conversations. #### Decrease Response Times Auto reply features ensure TikTok users receive instant responses, helping you engage potential customers quickly and reduce delays in communication. #### Increase Sales Conversions In sales, it is important to engage with leads when interest is high. Automating TikTok conversations allows businesses to engage potential customers at the right moment, guiding them through the buying process and increasing conversion rates. #### Increase Customer Satisfaction Automation’s capacity to speed up processes enhances the customer experience, builds trust and fosters brand loyalty. ### How to Use TikTok Automation TikTok automation goes beyond content—it helps you engage leads, qualify them, and move them down the funnel with minimal manual effort. Here’s how to get the most out of it. #### 1\. Automate Tasks with AI Agents Some customer conversation management softwares come with AI solutions to simplify your daily operations. For example, these are some of the things that respond.io's [AI Agents](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents) can do for you. - Answer questions 24/7 using your knowledge sources - Assign conversations to the right team or agent - Update Lifecycle stages and Contact Fields automatically - Close conversations and create summaries #### 2\. Create Lead Journeys Using tools like respond.io’s [Workflows Module](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview), you can set up automated journeys triggered by ad interactions. For example: send a follow-up message after a TikTok lead engages with your ad, qualify the lead, assign it to a sales rep, and sync the data with your CRM. #### 3\. Deliver Real-Time Notifications Keep customers updated with order confirmations, promo alerts, or back-in-stock notifications by integrating TikTok with messaging platforms. Automation ensures the right message reaches the right user at the right time #### 4\. Streamline Content Creation & Posting Automation tools simplify content production using AI templates, effects, and filters. You can also schedule and post videos automatically at peak times, ensuring consistent visibility without manual uploads. #### 5\. Run Smarter Ad Campaigns With automation, you can optimize ad budgets, schedule placements, and even run A/B tests with creative variations. Performance data flows in automatically, making it easy to adjust strategy on the fly. ### TikTok Automation: 4 Best Practices Implementing automation is one thing; doing it effectively is another. Businesses must follow best practices to truly maximize their potential. Here are some key strategies to ensure your automation efforts are effective and customer-friendly. #### Balance Automation with Authenticity Use automation to handle repetitive tasks, but maintain a human touch in key interactions to preserve brand personality and trust. To maintain engagement, personalize automated responses with the user’s name past interactions, or purchase history. #### Provide an Agent Escalation Pathway Automation should complement, not replace, human interaction. When human empathy and critical thinking are needed, ensure complex inquiries are seamlessly escalated to live agents. Offering an easy way to escalate—such as a “Talk to an Agent” button—improves customer satisfaction and prevents frustration. #### Monitor Performance & Iterate Track automation performance regularly using analytics to identify areas for improvement and refine messaging strategies. Identify weak points, such as high drop-off rates or ineffective responses, and adjust your automation strategy accordingly. #### Integrate with Your Tech Stack Seamlessly connect TikTok automation tools with CRM systems, marketing platforms and messaging solutions like respond.io for an efficient workflow. This allows businesses to centralize customer data, streamline communication, and provide a unified brand experience. For example, linking automation to a CRM enables personalized follow-ups, while connecting with marketing platforms helps trigger targeted campaigns based on user behavior. ### How to Set Up TikTok Automation: 2 Methods Once you’ve chosen the right tool for TikTok automation, you’ll need to know how to set it up effectively. Below, we break down two methods for getting started, depending on your platform of choice. #### Method 1: Set Up TikTok Automation on TikTok Ads Manager To automate responses and lead management on [TikTok Ads Manager](https://ads.tiktok.com/i18n/automated-rules-v2/management/manage?aadvid=7384763512561713168), follow these steps: **1\. Log into TikTok Ads Manager** – Navigate to the Ads Manager dashboard. **2\. Go to the 'Assets' tab** – Click on ‘Automated Rules’ under ‘Tools.’ **3\. Create a new rule** – Select ‘Create a Rule’ and define the conditions for automation, such as budget adjustments, bid strategies, or engagement-based responses. **4\. Set rule conditions** – Specify when automation should trigger, such as responding to high engagement levels or optimizing ad spending. **5\. Choose actions** – Define what the rule should do, such as pausing low-performing ads, increasing budgets for high-performing ads, or triggering auto-replies. #### Limitations of TikTok Automation on TikTok Ads Manager While TikTok Ads Manager offers automation for ad campaigns, it has some limitations you should consider before using it as your sole solution. Let’s take a look at them. ##### Limited messaging automation TikTok Ads Manager focuses on ad campaign management rather than full-scale customer communication. ##### No chatbot integration Businesses cannot create AI-driven chatbots for ongoing customer interactions. ##### Manual adjustments required Automated rules help optimize ad performance, but human intervention is still necessary for more complex scenarios. ##### Limited to ad-driven interactions Automation only works within TikTok Ads, restricting broader messaging automation across TikTok Business Messaging. #### Method 2: Set Up TikTok Automation on Respond.io If you want a more comprehensive TikTok automation solution, respond.io, a badged TikTok Marketing Partner, provides a robust platform for managing and automating your interactions across TikTok and other messaging channels. In [a recent press release](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/01/10/3007414/0/en/Respond-io-Unveils-AI-Powered-Solution-for-TikTok-Messaging-Ads-Aiming-to-Bridge-4-1-Trillion-SME-Financing-Gap.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com), Gerardo Salandra, CEO and co-founder of respond.io, highlighted the company's advancements in TikTok automation: > Managing TikTok customer inquiries has been limited by the number of available social managers. Through our integration with TikTok Messaging Ads and being among the first to bring all TikTok interactions, including direct messages, into a single platform, we’re helping businesses streamline operations. With Respond AI resolving 74% of conversations autonomously, this integration enables SMEs using TikTok to achieve faster responses, improved customer experiences, and ultimately, increased sales. These autonomous capabilities let AI Agents handle more of the heavy lifting while still escalating to a human whenever a case requires judgment or empathy. Here's how you can set up TikTok automation on respond.io. ##### 1\. Create a Respond.io account [Sign up on respond.io](https://app.respond.io/user/login) to create an account. This will give you access to the platform’s full suite of messaging tools. ##### 2\. Connect TikTok as a channel [Integrate your TikTok Business](https://help.respond.io/tiktok/tiktok-quick-start#connecting_tik_tok_to_respond_io) Account with respond.io. This allows you to send and receive messages directly from TikTok within the platform’s unified inbox. Respond.io provides step-by-step instructions to connect TikTok Business Messaging, ensuring your account is ready for use. ##### 3\. Create your AI Agent We recommend starting your journey into TikTok automation with AI Agents. These virtual assistants are not simply chatbots — they act as frontline helpers that identify user intent and respond with the best course of action based on their training. 1\. **Open** the AI Agent Module on the left column. Select an AI Agent template (recommended for first-timers) or create one from scratch. 2\. **Review** and customize your AI Agent's configuration, actions and knowledge sources. Note that AI Agents can update CRM fields, change [Lifecycle stages](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle), tag or categorize contacts, summarize entire conversations and even trigger Workflows when contact events occur. They also process files like images and PDFs, letting customers share documents directly in TikTok conversations. 3\. **Publish** your AI Agent. Respond.io offers another key automation feature beyond AI Agents — a highly customizable visual automation builder. It pairs effectively with AI Agents to create a complete TikTok automation setup with no gaps. ##### 4\. Optional - Build Automated Customer Journeys with Workflows In the [Workflows Module](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview), create custom workflows to automate lead nurturing, send personalized messages,and engage with customers in real time. With respond.io, you can set triggers, define actions, and design tailored engagement paths to maximize your TikTok interactions. For a seamless start with TikTok Workflows, we recommend trying one of our [TikTok Workflow templates](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#creating_a_new_workflow_from_a_selected_template) first. These templates are designed to streamline common Tiktok sales use cases for respond.io users. ### Get the Right Start on TikTok Automation TikTok is a powerful way to reach new audiences, but without automation, handling the volume of engagement can quickly overwhelm your team. Respond.io makes it easy to turn attention into action—automatically replying to leads, qualifying them, and continuing the conversation on TikTok, WhatsApp, Messenger, and beyond. 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ### Further Reading Want to explore TikTok further? Here are some readings that might interest you. - TikTok Ads Cost Breakdown: How to Achieve High ROI - 4 TikTok Myths Busted (Plus TikTok Secrets to Boost Business) - 5 Game-Changing Reasons Businesses Need TikTok Advertising ## [TikTok Business vs Personal Account: Which is Right for You? ](https:/respond.io/blog/tiktok-business-vs-personal-account) Learn the key differences between TikTok Business and Personal accounts, including features, advantages, disadvantages and which account best suits your goals. TikTok Business vs Personal Account; which one is right for you? In this guide, we’ll help you pick the best fit by showing you the key differences between these accounts. And if you already have a clear vision of what you aim to achieve on the platform, making a choice becomes much easier. ### TikTok Business Vs Personal Account at a Glance Before we dive into a detailed breakdown of the differences between these accounts, let’s take a peek at their key features. **Key Differences Between WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API** | Feature | TikTok Business Account | TikTok Personal (Creator) Account | | --- | --- | --- | | Best for | Brands, businesses, and organizations | Influencers, individual creators, and the general public | | Music and sound | Commercial sound and very limited public sounds | Full access to trending music and public sounds | | Monetization capabilities | No | Yes | | Analytics | Access to detailed analytics | Limited analytics | | Access to Ad Manager | Yes | No | | Access to e-commerce features | Yes | No | | TikTok Shop | Yes | Yes (Only for affiliates) | | Integrates with a third-party messaging app such as Respond.io | Yes | No | | Profile customization | Offers elaborate profile customization | Limited customization options | | Access to creative tools | TikTok Creative Hub for professional videos and ads | Basic creative tools for video content | | Access to development programs | No | Yes | | Access to privacy settings | No | Yes | #### What is a TikTok Personal Account (aka Creator Account)? A TikTok personal also known as a creator account, is the most widely used TikTok account. It is the default account you get when you first sign up for TikTok. This account was designed for people who want to post fun content online and grow their following on the platform. This makes it the perfect choice for public figures, content creators and other regular TikTok users. However, the TikTok personal account does not allow you to run paid Ads since TikTok Ad Manager is available only to business account users. In addition, as far as data analysis is concerned, this account type provides minimal information. #### What is a TikTok Business Account? As the name implies, a TikTok business account is designed to help brands and businesses sell their products and services on the platform. This type of account comes with marketing tools that allow businesses to create ads, run campaigns and track the performance of their promotional content in terms of reach, clicks, impressions, sales, revenue and more. With a business account, you can access TikTok Ads Manager, which gives you a clear insight into the performance of your video content and ad campaigns. You can also A/B several versions of your promotional content to determine what resonates with your target audience. ### Pros and Cons of TikTok Personal Account Knowing the pros and cons of a TikTok personal account can help you decide if it is the best fit for your needs. Here are some key advantages and disadvantages worthy of note. #### Advantages of TikTok Personal Account ##### 1\. Allows You to Use Trending Music and Sound Although TikTok is known to be the home of viral content and songs, only personal account users can enjoy full access to these trending sounds. You can use any song or content of your choice from the TikTok music library to create your own content without worrying about copyright infringement. This is particularly a significant advantage for personal accounts since using trending songs is an effective way of organically boosting visibility, a feature business account users can only dream of. ##### 2\. Can be Monetized TikTok provides monetization programs for personal account users, offering cash incentives to creators for their video content. Additionally, you can get [LIVE gifts](https://support.tiktok.com/en/live-gifts-wallet/tiktok-live/live-gifts-on-tiktok) and brand partnership gigs if you have a large following. ##### 3\. Privacy Settings TikTok personal offers more privacy settings. If you want to limit who can view or interact with your account, the personal account allows you to do just that. #### Disadvantages of TikTok Personal Account ##### 1\. No Access to Paid Ads You can’t run paid ad campaigns with a TikTok personal account. This means you can only grow your account or increase your visibility organically. Your best chance of growing your account is by creating higher quality content, connecting with other creators, encouraging your existing followers to like and share your content and more. All of which may take a long time to pay off. ##### 2\. Limited Analytics Another disadvantage of using a personal account is that you have limited access to data analysis. The analytics pages only show information such as the number of post views, likes, shares, profile views and comments. With limited information to work with, you may struggle with identifying specific aspects of your content that need improvement. ##### 3\. Cannot Integrate with Third-Party Apps Unlike business accounts, TikTok creator accounts can’t integrate with third-party social media management apps like Hootsuite and Buffer. Or messaging apps like respond.io. This means you have to manually handle everything on your page, which can be overwhelming. #### Who is TikTok Personal Account Best for? If you enjoy creating content or wish to become an influencer, the TikTok personal account is your best bet. Also, if you are someone who just wants to share fun content online, engage with your audience and grow your accounts, a personal account is all you need. ### Pros and Cons of TikTok Business Account Since we’ve seen the pros and cons of a TikTok personal account, let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages associated with a business account. #### Advantages of TikTok Business Account ##### 1\. Integration with E-commerce Platforms One of the biggest advantages of using a TikTok business is that it allows you to seamlessly integrate your account with e-commerce platforms like Shopify. This way, you can create a virtual shop on your TikTok called [TikTok Shop](https://business.tiktokshop.com/us/seller), which lets audiences buy your product or service directly within your profile without exiting the app. Having a TikTok shop can tremendously boost your sales rate as more than [70%](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1323243/tiktok-shopping-behavior/) of TikTok users say they buy something they come across in their feed. Learning [how TikTok Shop works](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-open-a-tiktok-shop) and [how to sell on TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-tiktok) can help increase your sales and revenue. ##### 2\. Access to TikTok Web Business Suite Another huge advantage of a business account is the [Web Business Suite](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/navigate-web-business-suite?lang=en) that it comes with. The suit gives you access to features such as; - Advanced Analytics: Eliminates guesswork by providing a well-detailed insight into the overall performance of your business, which helps you make better decisions. You can see details such as the number of video views, follower demographics (age, gender, location) and engagement metrics, including likes, comments and shares. In addition, TikTok analytics can help you identify the best time to post content and collaboration opportunities. - Workspace: Comes with Promote, an advertising tool that helps boost your video visibility, leading to an increase in traffic generation and followership. - Activity and Support: Discover creative ideas and information on how to optimize your business account. ##### **3\. Access to Ad Manager** The business account comes with a [TikTok Ad Manager](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en) for creating, running and managing paid advertising campaigns. In addition, you can target specific audiences for ads based on factors like location, age, gender and more. These are just the tip of the iceberg of what the advertising feature offers. There are several other [game-changing reasons why your business needs TikTok advertising.](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-advertising) ##### 4\. Auto-Messaging Manually responding to customers limits how much you can scale. It can easily overwhelm your agents and delay time to respond to prospects. 50% of customers are [less likely to buy from a business](https://www.forbes.com/sites/shephyken/2023/01/08/todays-customer-has-a-need-for-speed/) that responds too slowly. This is where the [auto-responder feature](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-set-up-auto-messages-for-business-accounts) comes in. TikTok business account allows you to set automatic messages that address your customers’ common concerns. If you use [TikTok Messaging Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-messaging-ads), you can integrate it into a customer conversation management software like respond.io to customize and create sophisticated automated responses. It’s Workflows automation builder and AI Agent offer better responses, improving the odds customers buying from you. ##### 5\. Advanced Profile Customization Abilities The TikTok business account offers exclusive customization features once you register your business on the business suite. These include app download links, link-in-bio, lead generation, business page and video geo-targeting. Customizing these options allows you to stand out from competitors. #### Disadvantages of TikTok Business Account ##### 1\. Can’t be Directly Monetized One of the disadvantages of a business account is that it can’t be directly monetized, unlike a personal account. While businesses can generate sales and revenue through the app, business accounts can’t participate in TikTok monetization programs like creator funds and live gifts. That said, your only hope of making money through the platform is by actively and aggressively promoting your product and services. ##### **2\. Doesn’t Allow the Use of Public Music** Another major drawback of this type of account is restricted access to public sound and music. We all know TikTok to be a haven of trending songs and content. However, only personal accounts can fully enjoy the free use of these materials. A business account, on the other hand, has to worry about licensing restrictions, therefore limiting its access to public music. This limitation can prevent you from jumping on trends that can benefit your business. With all of this in mind, which businesses should use TikTok Business account? #### Who is TikTok Bussiness Account Best for? While any business can start a TikTok Business Account, you should consider using it if you run ad campaigns. This is where you can scale your growth and reach many more customers. Here are a few success stories that showcase the impact a TikTok Business Account has. - Travel: Accor, a leading hotel group, became the first in its industry to globally launch Dynamic Travel Ads on TikTok, achieving a 2.3x increase in return on ad spend (ROAS). - E-commerce: PedidosYa, a Latin American food delivery platform, acquired new customers by 11% and in-app purchases by 7%. - Retail: Nectar Sleep, a mattress retailer, used TikTok ads to capitalize on a holiday peak shopping period. During this campaign, they reduced their cost per acquisition by 59% while increasing their ROAS by 172%! - Professional Services: Apartments.com, an online rental marketplace, has addressed every stage of the marketing funnel, from awareness to conversion. It Improved the click-through rate by 72% while reducing cost per impression by 16%. ### Final Verdict: TikTok Business Account vs Personal If all you want to do is share content and grow your followings on TikTok, a personal account can get you that. However, if you want to do a lot more than that, especially as a business owner, the business account is your best option. With features like Ad Manager, detailed analytics, auto-messaging and TikTok Shop, it can take your business to the next level. ### 5 Easy Steps to Switch from TikTok Personal to TikTok Business Account Switching to a TikTok business account is a straightforward process. Simply follow the steps below to switch your account. **1\. Log in** to your account and head over to your profile **2\. Tap** on the three lines in the top-right. **3\. Click** on Settings and Privacy **4. Select** Account from the list of options. **4\. Tap** Switch to Business Account Finally, follow the prompts you see on your screen to set up your business profile. ### How to Make the Most of your TikTok Business Account Choosing to use a TikTok business account is one thing, making the most of it is another. Here are a few tips that can help you grow your business using this account. #### Use TikTok Ads [TikTok Ads](https://getstarted.tiktok.com/ttam-partners?lang=en&irclickid=wS%3AwB4XpTxyNWDX3-fziy0xHUkCUfp2hv1M5ww0&irgwc=1&attr_source=impact&attr_medium=affiliate-ad&attr_ad_id=1424839&attr_adgroup_id=1310690&ad_group_name=Admitad+-+1310690&ab_version=control) is your best bet for reaching a larger audience and growing your account faster. The ad feature offers various ad options including ad placement. We recommend you explore Ad Manager to identify what is obtainable and how to best tailor your ads to achieve your desired results. Also, it is paramount that you understand [TikTok Ads costs](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads-cost) so you can maximize returns on investment (ROI). For example, [Gina Tricot](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en/inspiration/gina-tricot-nordics-boosting-performance?ab_version=control), a Swedish fashion ran a TikTok advertising campaign that generated a 28% boost in return on ad spend, as well as causing a 64% drop in cost per action. #### Create Quality and Engaging Content Content is the heart of TikTok. Therefore, to succeed, create videos that can easily capture the attention of your audience and encourage interaction. Storytelling can be an effective way to make it happen. Instead of just shooting plain videos that showcase your product, try creating a story around the product. This could be a story of how the product satisfied a customer's needs, or how to maintain the product in question. Most importantly, don’t forget to keep it short. Since the average attention span of humans has dropped to about [8.25 seconds](https://www.wyzowl.com/human-attention-span/), creating short videos increases your chances of success. Statistically speaking, videos that are less than 90 seconds retain a [50%](https://vidico.com/news/short-form-video-statistics/) viewership rate and can boost sales by up to [80%.](https://vidico.com/news/short-form-video-statistics/) #### Engage with Your Audience While you are trying to sell something on TikTok, remember that TikTok is a social platform. And like other social platforms, engaging with your audience helps you build a strong online presence and community around your brand. Respond to as many comments on your content as you can. Doing this will help create a connection and make your followers feel valued. In addition to that, responding promptly to direct messages in your inbox would also be a plus. If you have a large customer base, handling this manually can be overwhelming. This is where we come in. You can integrate respond.io into your app to improve your messaging capabilities and increase your lead conversion rate. Using respond.io, Qobolak had [95% more lead conversions](https://respond.io/customers/how-qobolak-used-broadcasts-to-double-student-lead-conversions) from their advertising efforts. ### Take TikTok Sales and Marketing to the Next Level While TikTok provides basic business tools, it may fall short for businesses that sell through chat across multiple channels and need advanced features for automation, analytics, security, and customer communication. Respond.io, a TikTok partner, checks these boxes and many more. #### Unlock the Power of TikTok Business Messaging Managing a high volume of TikTok messages? We’ve got the perfect solution! As an early adopter of TikTok Business Messaging integration, respond.io enables businesses to handle TikTok conversations efficiently and transform them into sales opportunities. Whether responding to comments on organic videos or engaging with leads from TikTok Messaging Ads, businesses can fully utilize the platform’s broad audience reach and strong conversion potential. By integrating TikTok Business Messaging with respond.io’s omnichannel suite, businesses can manage TikTok chats alongside WhatsApp, Instagram, and other platforms from a single inbox. Automate responses, qualify leads instantly, and nurture them through AI-powered workflows, allowing your team to focus on closing deals. Also, gain valuable insights into chat performance with analytics to refine your strategy and increase conversions. Currently in Beta, TikTok Business Messaging is available in most regions except the U.S., EEA, Switzerland, and the U.K. If you have a TikTok Business Account in an eligible location, connect it to respond.io today and start turning conversations into customers! ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results Respond.io is among the first few badged TikTok Marketing Technology Partners globally. The badge is awarded for expertise in end-to-end TikTok sales and marketing solutions, including sales workflow automation and tools to optimize TikTok ad performance. What does this mean for your business? As a badged partner, respond.io gives you access to the latest innovations in TikTok Business Messaging. From capturing leads to closing sales, you’ll have the tools to attract, convert and grow customers — all from a single platform. 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) #### Frequently Asked Questions ##### 1\. Can I switch from a TikTok personal to a business account? Yes, you can and the process is straightforward. We have covered the steps in [the guide above](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-business-vs-personal-account#toc-mobile-12). ##### 2\. How can I manage leads and close more sales on TikTok? You can do this by using a TikTok business account which allows you to integrate third-party messaging apps like [respond.io](https://respond.io/integrations/tiktok-messaging-ads) into your TikTok account. Using a dedicated messaging app helps boost your response time and increase your chances of successfully closing a deal. ##### 3\. Can I run ads on my TikTok personal account? No, you can’t. Only the TikTok Business account gives you access to this feature. ### Further Reading If you enjoyed reading this article, check out these other blogs: - Ultimate Guide to TikTok for Business - 5 Game-Changing Reasons Businesses Need TikTok Advertising - How to Sell on TikTok: Turn Scrolls into Sales with TikTok Shop and Beyond ## [TikTok Chatbot: How to Set it Up in 5 Steps and Use Cases ](https:/respond.io/blog/tiktok-chatbot) Learn how you can connect a chatbot to TikTok and and its benefits to take your business to the next level. TikTok is a powerful tool for businesses to engage with tons of customers, generate leads and drive sales. However, managing conversations at scale can be overwhelming. This is where TikTok chatbots come in. In this guide, we’ll explore what a TikTok chatbot is and how it works, the functions of a chatbot, how you can build one on respond.io and its use cases. ### What is a TikTok Chatbot? A TikTok chatbot is an automated messaging assistant that interacts with users on TikTok. It does this using artificial intelligence or pre-programmed rules connected with TikTok business chats via TikTok Business Messaging API. A chatbot can help businesses handle high volumes of messages for various use cases without human intervention. That’s what we’ll look at next. ### What Can TikTok Chatbots Do? TikTok chatbots serve a variety of business functions, making them essential tools for brands looking to streamline communication, boost engagement and drive conversions. Here are some of their key capabilities: #### Answer FAQs Customers often ask repetitive questions about pricing, product availability, store locations, shipping details and more. A chatbot can instantly provide these answers, ensuring quick response times while freeing up human agents for more complex tasks. #### Answer Complex Questions With AI For businesses leveraging AI-powered chatbots like [Respond.io's AI Agent](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai), it doesn’t just provide predefined responses—it can understand nuance, provide helpful context-aware replies, qualify leads, book appointments, collect and update customer information and even close conversations with a summary once resolved. For example, if a customer asks about product comparisons on your [TikTok Shop](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-tiktok), an AI chatbot can pull the right details, recommend the best option and collect the customer’s information so your sales team can follow up. #### Qualify Leads A chatbot can [filter potential leads](https://help.respond.io/convert-leads/how-to-automatically-qualify-contacts-based-on-budget-using-ai-agent) by asking a series of pre-determined questions. It can assess whether a customer is genuinely interested in purchasing and gather key details like budget, preferences and urgency before escalating hot leads to sales agents. #### Appointment Booking Service-based businesses, such as beauty salons, clinics and consultants, can use TikTok chatbots to schedule appointments. The chatbot can display available slots, confirm bookings and send reminders without requiring human intervention. #### Guide Purchases A chatbot can act as a virtual shopping assistant, helping users discover products. If you integrate a TikTok AI chatbot, you can provide personalized recommendations and guide customers through the checkout process. This can significantly increase conversion rates on TikTok. Before you can implement a TikTok chatbot to perform tasks, you’ll need two things before can do that. ### TikTok Chatbot Prerequisites Before you can set up a TikTok Chatbot, you need a few tools to get going. #### 1\. A TikTok Business Account Only TikTok Business Accounts can integrate chatbots. If you currently have a personal account, you’ll need to switch to a Business Account through your TikTok settings. This gives you access to features like TikTok Ads. #### 2\. A Connected Messaging Platform To enable chatbot functionality, you must connect your TikTok Business Account to a messaging platform like respond.io, an AI-powered customer conversation management software that is a badged TikTok Marketing Partner. This gives businesses additional functionality like automating processes and building a chatbot. Check out how you can connect TikTok to a respond.io, an AI-powered customer conversation management software: Once these two prerequisites are met, you’re ready to build your Tiktok chatbot. We’ll look at that next. ### How to Set Up a TikTok Chatbot on Respond.io in 5 Steps With respond.io, you can create an AI chatbot for your needs. To do this, you need to use the [Workflows automation builder](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) to configure your chatbot. You can do this in five steps. #### Step 1: Select the *Assignment: Sales and Support AI Agents* Template Navigate to the Workflows Module and select the *Sales and Support AI Agents* template. #### Step 2: Add a New Branch To specifically handle incoming messages from TikTok, you’ll need to add a new Branch. Select *Last Interacted Channel*, set the operator to *is equal to* and select your TikTok channel. #### Step 3: Configure the AI Agent Settings You can configure the [Respond.io AI Agen](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent)t by manually filling in the objective, persona and knowledge sources. Alternatively, you can use the AI Agent Builder where you can configure the AI Agent with a simple chat interface. That said, note that with the latest update, AI Agents do more than reply to messages. They can now update CRM fields and [Lifecycle stages](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle), apply tags, automatically summarize conversations and trigger Workflows based on contact events. They can even process images or PDFs sent by customers, broadening the range of queries that can be handled automatically. These autonomous actions reduce manual workload and keep your contact data accurate and up-to-date, while still handing off to a human agent whenever the AI is unsure or escalation is required. With these optimizations, the chatbot will provide personalized and context-aware responses rather than generic replies. #### Step 4: Add a *Send TikTok Lower Funnel Event* Step [TikTok provides Lower Funnel Events](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-send-tiktok-lower-funnel-event) to track interactions that lead to conversions. Adding this step ensures that customer actions—such as form submissions, purchases, or bookings—are recorded as measurable conversion events. This is crucial for businesses that want to track chatbot effectiveness and optimize their TikTok advertising strategy. #### Step 5: Test and Publish Your Workflow Before going live, run a test conversation to verify that the chatbot responds correctly. Test different user inputs to ensure that: - The chatbot recognizes common inquiries - AI responses are accurate and relevant - The chatbot routes conversations correctly when necessary Once testing is complete, publish your chatbot and start engaging with TikTok users automatically! And remember: AI Agents are not limited to answering questions — they can take autonomous actions that keep your CRM and customer data synchronized without manual effort. ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ### Further Reading If you enjoyed reading this article, then read these TikTok and chatbot blogs to learn more: - How to Automate Customer Conversations on TikTok - TikTok Ads Guide: Everything You Need to Know - Best Chatbot Strategies for Lead Generation ## [TikTok CRM: How to Set it Up in 4 Steps, Use Cases Included ](https:/respond.io/blog/tiktok-crm) Learn how to set up TikTok CRM in four steps and discover key use cases to improve marketing, sales and customer engagement. Integrate TikTok with your CRM to streamline lead management, automate responses and boost conversions. ### What is TikTok CRM? TikTok CRM refers to the integration of TikTok’s advertising and business messaging tools with a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system - but what does it mean for businesses? If your business markets or sells on TikTok and handles high volumes of customer interactions daily, a CRM helps track and centralize data. This is particularly useful for teams of agents managing the same contacts. Since TikTok is designed for social engagement rather than customer data management, integrating it with a CRM fills this gap. This allows businesses to streamline lead management, improve customer engagement, optimize campaigns and more from a centralized platform. In this post, we’ll explore TikTok CRM, its use cases and how to set it up for your business. ### Why Your Business Needs TikTok CRM Integration Managing lead interactions without a CRM is possible, but as customer volume grows, tracking conversations across multiple channels becomes difficult. More customers make it harder for agents to track interactions and needs, especially across different channels. For teams where customer chats are assigned based on agent availability or expertise, keeping everyone informed about a customer's journey and specific requirements can be challenging. While these issues can be addressed manually, scaling beyond a certain point becomes inefficient. Manually inputing and updating customer data is time-consuming and increases the risk of human error. By combining TikTok’s reach and engagement capabilities with a CRM, businesses gain the following benefits to create more efficient and personalized customer journeys: #### Centralized Customer Data A single source of truth ensures all agents stay updated on leads and customer needs while eliminating data redundancy and makes it easier to maintain. #### Improved Efficiency With centralized customer data, agents can access information without searching through multiple sources or relying on others, allowing them to focus on what matters: engaging with customers. #### Enhanced Customer Experience When agents have immediate access to accurate customer data, they can provide better service, respond more effectively and enhance the customer journey—leading to higher conversion rates and improved post-sales satisfaction. #### Better Collaboration Shared access to updated customer information enables agents to collaborate smoothly. When transferring a customer between agents, the new agent can continue the conversation without losing context. #### Data-Driven Decisions Centralized customer data simplifies analytics, helping businesses make informed decisions, refine marketing strategies and optimize campaigns based on performance insights. ### Things to Know about Integrating TikTok with CRM Now that we’ve covered the benefits of TikTok CRM, here are some key factors to consider before implementing it. #### Costs While [TikTok Business](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business) Messaging is free, most CRMs come with a cost. If your business is just starting out, evaluate whether the return on investment justifies the expense of additional tools. #### Compatibility Not all CRMs support TikTok integration. Some may require third-party tools like Zapier or Make to connect. Ensure your chosen software is compatible before proceeding. #### Data Privacy When using third-party integrations, consider platform security and privacy. Since data is shared across multiple systems, differences in compliance standards could be a concern, especially in regions with strict regulations like the EU. Now that you know what to consider before integrating TikTok with a CRM, let’s explore the types of integrations available. ### 2 Types of TikTok CRM Integration There are two types of TikTok CRM integrations: direct and third-party. The capabilities vary depending on the software and can change in the future but here’s what we know right now. #### Direct Integration Some CRMs, such as Salesforce and HubSpot, offer native TikTok integrations, but with limited functionality. Currently, these integrations only support TikTok Ads Lead Generation. This means if you're capturing customers organically through non-ad sources, their data won’t be automatically stored in your CRM. Another limitation is that, as CRMs primarily focus on data management rather than conversation handling, they lack advanced features for customer communication. If messaging customers is a critical aspect of your business, you may need a more comprehensive solution. #### Third-Party Platforms For businesses needing more than just a place to store customer data, third-party platforms like [respond.io](http://respond.io/) offer a more robust alternative. As a badged TikTok partner, respond.io gives you access to the latest innovations in TikTok Business Messaging. From capturing leads to closing sales, you’ll have the tools to attract, convert and grow customers — all from a single platform. Beyond advanced conversational tools, automation and AI, [respond.io](http://respond.io/) can function as a CRM or sync with popular CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce, offering the best of both worlds—a centralized customer database with powerful messaging capabilities. By using [respond.io](http://respond.io/) with TikTok Business Messaging, you can efficiently manage high message volumes while leveraging industry-leading tools to enhance customer conversations and engagement for your business. Want to know how to set it up? Keep reading! ### How to Set Up TikTok CRM for Your Business In this section we’ll go over how you can set up your TikTok CRM integration. #### Step 1: Set Up Your TikTok Business Account Firstly, you’ll need to turn your TikTok Account into a Business Account if you haven’t already. More detailed instructions are available [here](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business#toc-mobile-10). 1\. Create a TikTok account if you don’t already have one. 2. Go to your **Profile** page. 3. Tap **Menu** > **Settings and Privacy**. 4. Go to **Account**. 5. Tap **Switch to Business Account**. You’ll also need to enable direct messages from everyone to ensure everyone can reach you. 1\. Go to your **Profile** page. 2. Tap **Menu** > **Settings and Privacy**. 3. Go to **Account** > **Privacy**. 4. Tap **Direct messages**. 5. In **Allow direct messages from** select **Everyone**. #### Step 2: Choose a CRM Connecting your TikTok Business Account to a CRM is pretty straightforward, depending on your CRM, but the general steps are: 1\. Login to your TikTok Ads Manager account. 2. Click on **Tools** > **Leads.** 3\. Click **Connect CRM** on the top left. 4\. Follow the steps onscreen. More instructions can be found on the [official TikTok site](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/available-crm-integrations-tiktok-lead-generation?lang=en). If you’re connecting TikTok to a third-party solution like [respond.io](http://respond.io), continue to the next section. However, note that not all conversation management platforms support TikTok Business Messaging—for instance, [SleekFlow](https://respond.io/sleekflow-alternative) doesn’t—so be sure to choose one that does. #### Step 3: Connect TikTok Business to respond.io You’ll need a TikTok Business Account to connect it with respond.io. 1\. Login to respond.io. 2. Go to **Settings** \> **Channels**. 3. Click **Add Channel**. 4. Look for TikTok and click **Connect**. 5\. Click **Connect your TikTok Business Account**. 6\. Follow the prompts to complete the connection process. For more detailed instructions, visit our [Help Center](https://help.respond.io/l/en/tiktok/tiktok-quick-start). #### Step 4: Test the Integration Now, ensure your integration is working correctly. Use a separate TikTok account to send a message to the TikTok Business Account connected to [respond.io](http://respond.io). The conversation should appear on [respond.io](http://respond.io), allowing you to reply directly from the platform. Make sure to respond within 48 hours, as TikTok’s messaging window will prevent replies beyond that timeframe. Congratulations, your integration is now complete! From this point forward, all contacts who message you—whether organically or through ads—will be added to your contact database. If you use CRMs like [Hubspot](https://help.respond.io/l/en/integrations/hub-spot) or [Salesforce](https://help.respond.io/l/en/integrations/salesforce), to manage your customer data, you can also connect them to [respond.io](http://respond.io) to keep your customer data synced. Find out more in our [Help Center](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/integrations). ### Use Cases After Connecting TikTok to CRM #### Marketing Since TikTok Business doesn’t allow businesses to initiate conversations with customers, you’ll need to run ads or post content that encourages them to reach out first. Once they do, reply quickly to maintain engagement. [TikTok Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads) are a powerful way to attract new leads and customers. By running targeted ad campaigns, businesses can reach specific audiences based on interests, behaviors and demographics. TikTok Ads Lead Generation also allow users to submit their contact details without leaving TikTok, making it easier to capture potential customers. Use the [48-hour messaging window](https://help.respond.io/l/en/tiktok/tiktok-overview#messaging_window) to answer inquiries, send promotional offers and introduce your brand. Direct customers to official websites, encourage sign-ups for mailing lists or newsletters, and guide them into your sales funnel for long-term engagement. #### Sales Automate lead qualification and ensure that only qualified leads are sent to your sales agents. Utilize a multi-user inbox to allow your team to handle incoming inquiries efficiently. Convert leads into paying customers by providing timely and relevant responses that guide them through the sales process. #### Customer Engagement Keep customers engaged by regularly sharing content that encourages TikTok users to start conversations with your business. Ensure seamless support by making it easy for customers to reach your team whenever they need assistance. ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ### Further reading If you found this article helpful, you might also enjoy these related blogs: - Ultimate Guide to TikTok for Business - How to Sell on TikTok: Turn Scrolls into Sales with TikTok Shop and Beyond - Supercharge TikTok Messaging Ads on Respond.io ## [TikTok Integration: A How-to Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/tiktok-integration) Learn how to connect TikTok integrations to your tech stack in a few simple steps. Connect CRMs, e-commerce stores and customer conversation management software. Are you a business on TikTok but find it difficult to manage on the platform? Then, consider TikTok Integration to better manage everything from sales and marketing to support on TikTok. In this article, we’ll look at what TikTok integration is, its benefits, the types of integrations and how to integrate different software with TikTok. ### What is TikTok Integration? TikTok Integration refers to the process of connecting TikTok with other platforms, tools, or software to enhance functionality and streamline workflows. Depending on the integration, it can help businesses, marketers, and content creators improve their marketing efforts, customer engagement, and analytics. With access to [1.5 billion users](https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/), TikTok is a great opportunity for businesses to market and sell their products, and even offer support. To make the most out of this, you should integrate software into TikTok. Let’s take a look at why you should consider TikTok integration for your business. ### Benefits of TikTok Integration for Businesses In general, businesses on TikTok should integrate software to make the most out of every customer engagement. Here are four reasons why TikTok integration has great value for businesses. #### Enhanced Lead Generation TikTok offers interactive ad formats, including [Lead Generation Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-lead-generation) and [Messaging Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads), allowing businesses to capture customer details seamlessly. With CRM and marketing automation integration, businesses can: - Automatically store leads in CRM systems like HubSpot and Salesforce for follow-ups - Trigger personalized marketing campaigns via email, WhatsApp or SMS - Retarget high-intent users with relevant offers based on their engagement history #### Automate Tasks Managing high volumes of leads doesn't have to be a problem if you integrate TikTok with a customer conversation management software like respond.io. Respond.io lets businesses build [AI Agents](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents) to handle more conversations without increasing the human agent load. Here are some of the things you can do with them. - Answer frequently asked questions - Capture contact details to update your CRM, contact field or customer Lifecycle stage - Route and assign contacts to the most suitable agent - Close finished conversations and create summaries #### Better Customer Insights Instead of using the TikTok Ads Manager alone, integrating software like [Hootsuite](https://www.hootsuite.com/tiktok) enables businesses to track, measure, and optimize their marketing performance in real time. Track engagement patterns and identify high-performing campaigns to optimize ad spend. #### Sync Your Existing Product Catalog Integrating TikTok with e-commerce platforms like [Shopify](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/shopify-set-up-guide?lang=en) or [WooCommerce](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/tiktok-woocommerce-set-up-guide) allows businesses to seamlessly sync their product catalog for an optimized shopping experience. With catalog synchronization, businesses can automate product information like price, description and availability through multiple platforms, including TikTok. It also streamlines order fulfillment by integrating logistics and inventory management systems. Now that you know about the benefits of TikTok integration, let’s look at the types of integrations available with TikTok. ### 3 Types of TikTok Integrations There are several ways to integrate TikTok with business systems, depending on the tools and platforms a company uses. #### 1\. TikTok Custom API For businesses requiring more flexibility, TikTok provides custom API solutions that allow developers to create tailored integrations. Using webhooks, businesses can connect TikTok to their backend systems, automate lead capturing, and synchronize customer interactions across various channels. For example, [Wendy’s](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en-US/inspiration/wendy's-new-zealand-1120?attr_source=api_for_business&attr_medium=api_website&campaign_name=api_wendys&utm_source=api_for_business&utm_medium=api_website&utm_campaign=api_wendys&acq_banner_version=73350443) leveraged TikTok’s Campaign Management API and a third-party Weather API to create weather-triggered automated ad campaigns. The system monitored real-time weather data and adjusted TikTok In-Feed Ads accordingly. #### 2\. Website Builder Plugins E-commerce businesses and content creators can integrate TikTok with website builders like [Wix](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-set-up-tiktok-on-wix?lang=en) and [WordPress](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-install-the-tiktok-for-business-plugin-on-wordpress?lang=en) through dedicated plugins. These plugins help businesses embed TikTok videos, connect TikTok Shops, and track ad conversions directly on their websites. #### 3\. Third-Party Integrations There are a wide number of applications for third-party integrations, from messaging to process automation. You can connect to software like CRM and e-commerce platforms like [Hubspot](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/hubspot) and [Salesforce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/salesforce) For example, you can connect [TikTok Messaging](https://help.respond.io/tiktok/tiktok-overview) and [TikTok Messaging Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-messaging-ads) to respond.io, an AI-powered customer conversation management software. It has advanced features like a no-code automation builder, broadcast capabilities and an [AI agent](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents) to help you convert customers. You can also connect platforms like [Zapier](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/integrate-tiktok-lead-generation-zapier?lang=en) and [LeadsBridge,](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/integrate-tiktok-lead-generation-leadsbridge?redirected=1) enabling businesses to connect TikTok with thousands of apps without requiring coding. These third-party tools act as connectors, allowing companies to automate lead collection, sync customer data, and trigger actions based on TikTok interactions. #### Bonus Integration: TikTok Pixel TikTok Pixel is a piece of code that you can place on your website that allows you to share website events with TikTok. The Pixel can be used with any TikTok for Business tools to: - Measure traffic on your website - Measure ad campaign performance with TikTok Ads Manager - Optimize your campaigns and find new customers So, you know the types of TikTok integrations available to you, let’s look at how you can start. ### How to Integrate TikTok with Your Existing Business Tools Each type of TikTok integration has its own way of being connected. For TikTok Custom API and website plugins, you may require a developer due to their complexity. In this section, we’ll take a look at how you can integrate TikTok with your existing business tool from TikTok’s App Center. The TikTok App center is a marketplace built for advertisers, offering solutions for enhancing brand presence on TikTok. #### Step 1: Go to the App Center Access the TikTok Ads Center → Click the **☰** menu → App Center #### Step 2: Select Your Desired Software for Integration Search for the integration you need, select it and then click *Open*. #### Step 3: Install the Integration Once you’ve selected the software you want to integrate with, click *Install*. Each integration has its own instructions to complete the integration. You may also need to access the software you want to integrate with to grant the necessary permissions for TikTok to access data. For example, for the Shopify integration, you need to sign in to Shopify and continue the integration there. There’s still one more type of integration to consider: Third-party integration. In the next section, let’s look at how you can integrate TikTok with a messaging tool like respond.io. ### How to Integrate TikTok With Respond.io As a badged TikTok partner, respond.io gives you access to the latest innovations in TikTok Business Messaging. From capturing leads to closing sales, you’ll have the tools to attract, convert and grow customers — all from a single platform. There are two integrations with TikTok on respond.io. You can connect TikTok Messaging Ads and the TikTok Messaging Channel. #### Connect TikTok Messaging Ads TikTok Messaging Ads are a type of ad that leads users to the TikTok Messaging Channel or an instant messaging channel like WhatsApp. Before you can set it up, ensure that you've set up an account through the TikTok Ads Manager. Here’s how to integrate it on respond.io. **Step 1:** Go to Workspace Settings > Integrations > Search for *TikTok ads accounts* and click *Manage.* **Step 2:** Click *Add account*. **Step 3:** A new tab will be opened requesting you to sign in to your TikTok Ads Account. Click *Confirm* to sign in. **Step 4:** Select the TikTok Ads account from the dropdown. **Step 5:** Click the *+* icon to select Channels associated with your ads. You can use the search bar to find and select Channels. **Step 6:** Ensure the checkbox for sharing Contact details is checked. Click *Connect* to complete the setup. #### Connect the TikTok Messaging Channel Businesses can also integrate TikTok’s messaging channel on respond.io to use its advanced features to manage and convert customers. Note that only a TikTok Business Account can connect to respond.io. Step 1: Go to Workspace Settings > *Channels*. Step 2: Click *Add Channel* and select TikTok. Step 3: Click *Connect with TikTok*. Step 4: Log in using your TikTok Business Account credentials and authorize access. Step 5: Follow the prompts to complete the connection process. Once you’re done, you can [configure your channel](https://help.respond.io/tiktok/tiktok-quick-start#channel_configuration) to give it an internal identification and even generate a QR code to share with customers. And that’s it. You now have all you need to start integrating software to TikTok. ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ### Further Reading If you enjoyed reading this blog, learn more with these TikTok blogs to help grow and maximize your business potential: - TikTok Messages, Handled. Meet Respond.io’s Newest Channel: TikTok Business Messaging - TikTok Automation: 4 Benefits, How to Use It & Best Practices - Ultimate Guide to TikTok for Business ## [TikTok Messages, Handled. Meet Respond.io’s Newest Channel: TikTok Business Messaging 🎉 ](https:/respond.io/blog/tiktok-business-messaging-now-on-respondio) Say hello to respond.io's new channel: TikTok Business Messaging. Capture high-intent leads, manage organic and TikTok Messaging Ads conversations, streamline workflows and drive revenue growth—all from one platform. **Overwhelmed by TikTok messages? We’ve got you covered.** As one of TikTok’s first badged partners, respond.io is among the first platforms to offer a **TikTok Business Messaging** integration. This allows users to seamlessly manage TikTok conversations and convert them into revenue-generating opportunities—all from one place. The best part? You can fully leverage the wide reach and high conversion potential of the channel, from organic video responses to inquiries from [TikTok Messaging Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-messaging-ads). Let’s dive into how this game-changing integration can elevate your business. ### Omnichannel Just Got a Glow-Up with TikTok Business Messaging Looks like we took omnichannel too seriously. But thank goodness we did! With one of the broadest channel support in our industry, respond.io is already the go-to platform for unified customer communication. Now, we’re taking it a step further by adding TikTok Business Messaging to the mix so you can fully integrate it as part of your messaging strategy. Manage conversations from TikTok alongside WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and more, all in one centralized inbox. No more juggling multiple channels, missed messages or siloed conversations. 😮‍💨 ### Convert Leads Faster and Smarter With Less Effort Want to make every conversation count? Respond.io makes it easy to turn TikTok leads into customers. With automation and AI, you can handle high volumes of messages like a pro, engaging leads at their peak moment of interest and moving them seamlessly through the sales funnel. Whether it’s a lead messaging you through TikTok Messaging Ads or responding to a TikTok video, you can respond instantly, qualify them on the spot and nurture them effectively. Let automation handle repetitive tasks while your team focuses on critical conversations and high-value deals. 💰 ### Discover What Drives Results with TikTok Chat Insights More conversations mean more opportunities to connect, convert and grow. But how do you know if your strategy is working—or if those messages are from new leads or returning ones? The answer: **Analytics.** 🙌 By connecting TikTok to respond.io, you unlock comprehensive reports that reveal the performance of your TikTok conversations, like organic inquiries and ad responses, and the efficiency of the teams managing these conversations. Track chat trends, fine-tune workflows and refine your strategy to achieve better results with every message. Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now live in APAC and in Beta for LATAM! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ## [TikTok vs Instagram: 9 Key Differences and Which to Choose](https:/respond.io/blog/tiktok-vs-instagram) Learn about the key differences between TikTok and Instagram, including the pros and cons of each platform, demographics, user interface and cost of influencer marketing When it comes to social media channels, TikTok and Instagram go toe to toe with each other. They both have global recognition, over 1 billion users each, similar engagement features and are highly addictive. However, from a business perspective, they offer different opportunities based on each app's main features and functionalities. We’ll explore 9 key differences between TikTok vs Instagram to help you decide which to use for your business. ### What is TikTok? [TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business) is a social media platform for creating, sharing and discovering short videos. You can create, share and watch short videos, that are minimally edited and trendy. Features like [Duet](https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/creating-videos/duets), [Stories](https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/creating-videos/tiktok-stories), [For You Page](https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/exploring-videos/for-you), [Stitch](https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/creating-videos/stitch), Branded hashtags, in-app editing tools and filters attract and retain audience attention. Another key feature is [TikTok Shop](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-open-a-tiktok-shop), which promotes seamless buying and selling on the platform. #### TikTok Pros and Cons **Pros of Using TikTok for Businesses and Creators** TikTok is a highly engaging platform, especially among Gen Z, making it a great choice for brands targeting younger audiences. Its informal nature allows creators to post fun videos with minimal effort. The platform also offers fast growth and discoverability. Viral trends and hashtags allow businesses, especially new ones, to gain traction quickly and build brand awareness. Additionally, TikTok provides various monetization opportunities through features like Live gifts, creator funds, TikTok ads, and TikTok Shop, offering businesses multiple ways to drive revenue. **Cons of Using TikTok for Businesses and Creators** While TikTok excels with younger audiences, its predominantly Gen Z user base may not align with every brand’s target market. Furthermore, businesses [can’t use the general music library](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/commercial-music-library), though they can use the Commercial Music Library. Moreover, TikTok’s [unpredictable algorithm](https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3447535.3462512) makes consistent visibility difficult to achieve. There’s no clear pattern of the video reaching audiences, adding uncertainty to marketing efforts. ### What is Instagram? [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) is a media-driven social media platform that supports long and short videos, photos in various formats, live broadcasts and more. Like TikTok, Instagram offers a variety of interactive features, including Reels, Stories, Instagram Live, IGTV and the Explore page. These features captivate users by encouraging relaxation and discovery, while businesses leverage Instagram's high engagement rates to showcase products and promote services. #### Instagram Pros and Cons **Pros of Using Instagram for Businesses and Creators** Instagram excels as a platform for visual storytelling, offering various content formats like photos, videos, and reels. This flexibility allows businesses to creatively showcase their products or services while enabling creators to build and present their personal brands in unique ways. The platform also provides excellent monetization opportunities. Features like [click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads), the Instagram Shop, and shoppable posts help businesses turn engagement into sales. For creators, brand partnerships, affiliate marketing, and tools like badges on IG Live make monetization accessible. Instagram’s wide appeal across age groups ensures both businesses and creators can reach a diverse audience. **Cons of Using Instagram for Businesses and Creators** However, there are challenges for both groups. The platform’s emphasis on aesthetics requires significant effort in producing visually appealing content to stand out. For creators, this means consistent branding, while businesses must maintain a professional look and feel. Additionally, [Instagram’s algorithm](https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/shedding-more-light-on-how-instagram-works) shows posts that have high engagement or posts from people you follow. This makes organic growth tougher for new businesses and emerging creators. With high competition across industries and niches, standing out demands continuous innovation and adaptability. ### 9 Key Differences Between TikTok and Instagram Though TikTok and Instagram are similar in some ways, they remain quite different. Let's compare these platforms. #### 1\. TikTok vs Instagram: Demographics TikTok focuses on short, authentic, and engaging videos, appealing primarily to [younger audiences aged 18-34](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1299771/tiktok-global-user-age-distribution/), including Gen Zs and younger Millennials. It has a significant global reach, particularly in Indonesia, the U.S., and Brazil, where users enjoy its trend-driven content. Instagram, with a [broader demographic range of 18-65+,](https://backlinko.com/instagram-users) attracts Gen Zs, Millennials, and Gen X. Popular in India, the U.S., and Brazil, it is widely used worldwide and enjoys a nearly equal gender distribution. For businesses, TikTok is ideal for targeting younger audiences with relatable content, while Instagram suits those aiming to reach a wider and more diverse user base. #### 2\. TikTok vs Instagram: Content Style Both platforms have similar features for businesses and content creators. However, they have different requirements or work differently. Let’s look at that next. **Reels** TikTok focuses on short videos ranging from 15 seconds to 3 minutes or more. In contrast, Instagram Reels are capped at 90 seconds, with longer uploads automatically trimmed. Unlike TikTok’s exclusive focus on videos, Instagram offers additional formats like Feed videos and IGTV. **Live Streaming** TikTok Live requires users to have at least 1,000 followers and be 18 or older (19 in South Korea) to host or send gifts. Features include multiple guests, Live Gifts, and video replays. While Instagram Live has no follower or age restrictions, users still need to be [at least 13 years old](https://help.instagram.com/517920941588885) to access Instagram. Furthermore, sessions can be saved for later viewing, but comments and likes aren’t preserved. Both platforms enable real-time engagement for businesses. **Stories** [TikTok Stories](https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/exploring-videos/for-you) last 24 hours and can include text, images, or videos visible even on the “For You Page.” They behave like normal TikTok posts where you can’t pick and choose which Stories you want to see. They are all recommended. Instagram Stories, also temporary, are only visible to followers, requiring a larger audience for impact. Unlike TikTok, followers must click on a Story to see it. This is an opportunity for businesses to run promotions to encourage follower growth and interaction with you. #### 3\. TikTok vs Instagram: User Interface and Experience TikTok’s immersive interface stands out with its full-screen vertical feed, ensuring content captures the viewer’s complete attention. Its Discover tab is tailored for trending content and creative discovery, making it easy for users to explore beyond their usual interests. Features like duets and stitches allow businesses to foster direct audience interaction and co-creation. These tools, coupled with seamless built-in video editing, make TikTok a powerful platform for creating dynamic, customer-centric campaigns. Instagram offers businesses a different experience with its grid layout, allowing brands to curate a polished, cohesive visual identity that remains visible on their profile. The Shopping tab is another unique element, seamlessly integrating e-commerce into the platform and offering businesses a direct pathway to sales. Instagram’s multi-layered interface, with dedicated sections like Stories and Explore, provides more flexibility for long-form engagement and varied content formats, catering to businesses aiming to nurture deeper, multi-step interactions with their audience. #### 4\. TikTok vs Instagram: Algorithm TikTok’s algorithm focuses on the interest of the user. It studies your likes and types of content you spend a longer time watching. When you open the app, the For You Page shows you content that matches your interests, regardless of who posted them. This is why it is much easier for content to go viral on TikTok, even if it was posted from a new account. TikTok’s algorithm can favor businesses with less popularity and followers as long as they consistently share relevant and engaging content. Instagram’s algorithm looks at both content and relationships first before anything else. It tends to show posts from accounts you follow or interact with often. However, it can also suggest posts based on interests. Businesses that have built a reputation and a large following on the platform can count on the Instagram algorithm to work in their favor. #### 5\. TikTok vs Instagram: In-app Shopping and Commerce TikTok ranks as the [top platform for impulsive buying in 2022](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1430246/leading-social-media-platforms-for-impulse-purchases-usa/). It’s ideal for targeting impulsive buyers through captivating videos that direct users to your inbox or [TikTok Shop](https://business.tiktokshop.com/us/seller), an in-app store that streamlines the shopping experience. Instagram, with its established e-commerce presence, offers a more structured approach, appealing to a broader demographic. Its mix of photo and video content, advanced messaging, and tools like [Instagram Shopping](https://about.instagram.com/features/shopping) make it excellent for community-building and nurturing return customers. While both platforms support in-app purchases, Instagram is especially [good at helping brands build loyalty](https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/3/1657?utm_source=chatgpt.com) through long-term engagement. #### 6\. TikTok vs Instagram: Messaging Capabilities To use TikTok’s direct messages (DMs), both need users to follow each other first. Furthermore, users must be above 16 years old to access this feature. Users can share emojis, stickers, links, and, in some regions, photos and videos. [Group chats](https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/share-your-favorite-tiktok-moments-with-direct-messaging) are limited to 32 participants, only available in select countries, and require mutual following for participation. In contrast, Instagram offers advanced messaging features, allowing messages to be sent to both followers and non-followers. It supports group chats with up to 250 members and includes options like emoji reactions and vanishing messages. If you want to message at scale, then you’ll need a customer conversation management software like [respond.io](http://respond.io) to unlock additional messaging capabilities. You can integrate both [TikTok](https://help.respond.io/tiktok/tiktok-overview) and [Instagram DMs](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-13) in [respond.io](http://respond.io). #### 7\. TikTok vs Instagram: Advertising There are many types of [TikTok ad](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads) formats, including in-feed, TopView and branded hashtags. If you depend on messaging for sales and marketing, then you should consider using [TikTok Messaging Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads), a type of in-feed ad. When a user clicks on this ad, it sends them to your TikTok DM or an external messaging app like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) or [Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat). Instagram ads give you more creative freedom in terms of content type. You can create photo, video and carousel ads and choose any placement of your choice, such as Feeds, Stories and Explore page. Keep in mind that your ad placement will determine the timing and ratio length of your content. Furthermore, since Instagram is a part of the Meta family, you can use the Meta Ad manager to set up ads that will run on Instagram and Facebook, giving your ad better visibility on other channels. #### 8\. TikTok vs Instagram: Cost of Influencer Marketing TikTok and Instagram are both great platforms to pursue influencer marketing. However, the [cost to hire an influencer](https://a.storyblok.com/f/103674/x/a730660c8f/state-2022.pdf) greatly differs between them. Instagram influencers tend to be more expensive. This could be due to Instagram’s older, more affluent demographic. This means that there are more Instagram users who have more disposable income to spend on products sold on Instagram compared to TikTok. #### 9\. TikTok vs Instagram: Data Tracking and Analytics Both platforms track key metrics like impressions (views), likes, comments, click-through rate, shares and more. This tool helps you understand your business performance and make strategic decisions. Keep in mind that using a personal account on both platforms only provides limited data insight. So, make sure you’re using a creator or a business account to get more insights. Now that you know the differences between the platforms, let’s take a look at the businesses that won big with both platforms ### Case Studies of Successful Brands on TikTok and Instagram Both platforms have real-world benefits where businesses have already won big. Here are just two businesses that have tremendous success with TikTok and Instagram #### Crumbl (TikTok) Crumbl’s is a fast-growing cookie retail chain. In just 2024, it [added 294 new stores](https://www.forbes.com/sites/garystern/2024/10/24/crumbl-on-a-roll-and-growing-at-a-rapid-pace/). This explosive growth in recent years is due to its viral marketing campaigns on [TikTok](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en-US/inspiration/crumbl-521) and Instagram. On TikTok alone, their use of Sparks Ads **increased their follower count by 1,500%**! #### Savage X Fenty (Instagram) [Savage X Fenty](https://www.facebook.com/business/success/instagram/savage-x-fenty), the inclusive lingerie brand co-founded by Rihanna, wanted to increase brand awareness and reach new audiences on Instagram. To achieve this, they supplemented their direct response advertising with reach-optimized, brand-focused campaigns. By the end of the campaign, it increased purchase intent by 5.3 points, customer reach by 50% and decreased cost per thousand impressions by 28%. Lastly, let’s look at which platform is best for your business, especially when it comes to increasing revenue. ### Which Platform is Better for Getting New Customers and Sales? Now that you’re familiar with the features, differences and business successes on both platforms, which should you choose? In this section, we’ll look at how both platforms compare. #### TikTok for Getting New Customers and Sales The first thing to keep in mind if you want to use [TikTok for lead generation and sales](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-lead-generation) is the demographic, especially in terms of age. You need to make sure your target audience uses the app. That way, you have a better chance of achieving your goals. The next thing is the type of content prevalent on the platform. Be ready to jump on trends, create fun videos as often as possible, come up with challenges and stay highly active on the app. And feel free to mention what you offer at any given opportunity. Also, TikTok’s algorithm can work in your favor if you post relevant videos. Plus you can partner with creators and influencers in your niche to reach more people. However, all these only work towards getting you leads, converting them to paying customers should be the focus. #### Instagram for Getting New Customers and Sales You can leverage Instagram to find new customers and drive sales in your business. Since it is more of a visual platform, it would make sense for you to post professional photos and videos of your products. If you can’t afford a professional shoot, just make sure the content you post is clear, coordinated and easy to understand. Since Instagram has a wide range of users in terms of age and versatile features, it gives a better chance of reaching more people. However, you must be ready to put on your thinking cap to create unique content that will catch the eye of your target audience. Features like Stories, Reels, Explore pages, Live sessions, [Broadcast channels](https://creators.instagram.com/create/broadcast-channels?locale=en_US), group chats and so on can help you form a more personal connection with your potential customers, which can lead to higher engagement. ### Verdict TikTok is an excellent platform for reaching younger, trend-driven audiences, making it ideal for businesses targeting Gen Z and Millennials. Its algorithm and vibrant creator community offer significant potential for organic reach and lead generation. Instagram, on the other hand, offers a more versatile platform with a wider demographic reach and features designed for visual storytelling. It’s particularly effective for showcasing products professionally and building deeper connections through interactive tools like Stories, Reels, and Live sessions. Both platforms are great channels to attract more leads and customers. Using either one or both platforms depends on your brand tone and voice, target audience and business goals. ### TikTok vs. Instagram: Unlocking Sales Potential with Business Messaging While both TikTok and Instagram offer business tools, their effectiveness depends on how well you can manage customer conversations. Instagram is a well-established platform for sales and engagement, but TikTok’s rapid growth presents a unique opportunity to connect with a younger, highly engaged audience. Businesses that sell through chat across multiple channels need more than just basic tools—they require advanced automation, analytics, security, and seamless communication. As a trusted TikTok partner, respond.io provides the features necessary to optimize lead conversion and customer interactions on both platforms. #### How TikTok Business Messaging Gives You an Edge Engaging with potential customers on TikTok can be challenging without the right tools. While Instagram Direct Messaging is widely used, TikTok Business Messaging offers a fresh opportunity to connect with users in a more interactive and dynamic way. Respond.io’s integration with TikTok Business Messaging helps businesses streamline conversations, manage inquiries from organic posts and ads, and maximize conversion potential—all from a single platform that also supports Instagram, WhatsApp, and more. By leveraging TikTok Business Messaging alongside Instagram, businesses can create a powerful omnichannel strategy to engage audiences where they are most active. Currently in Beta and available in most regions except the U.S., EEA, Switzerland, and the U.K., TikTok Business Messaging allows businesses to centralize and automate customer interactions. If you have an eligible TikTok Business Account, connect it to respond.io today and start turning engagement into sales! ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ## [Top 10 WhatsApp Chatbots in 2025: Pros, Cons & Pricing Compared](https:/respond.io/blog/best-whatsapp-chatbots) Looking for the best WhatsApp chatbot? Learn pros, cons and pricing for respond.io, AIsensy, Tidio, Manychat, Chatfuel, Gupshup, Trengo, Interakt, Wati and Bird. Looking for a [WhatsApp chatbot](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-chatbot) to automate your WhatsApp conversations? Chatbots have become essential tools for businesses aiming to reply to customers faster, qualify leads, and provide fast, reliable support across the customer journey. Whether you're a small business or an enterprise, choosing the right WhatsApp chatbot can have a major impact on your response time, lead conversion rate, and overall efficiency. To get a WhatsApp chatbot, you’ll need to use a [WhatsApp API solution](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) as the WhatsApp Business App only enables simple [auto-replies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply). We’ve compiled some of the best WhatsApp chatbot solutions to give you all you need to know to make the right decision for your business. ### What are the Benefits of WhatsApp Chatbots? Studies show that [83% of customers expect an immediate reply](https://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_ie/www/PDF/state-of-connected-customer-fifth-ed-comp.pdf) when they message a business. If they don’t get it, they’ll go to a competitor, so if your business can’t keep up with WhatsApp chats, you’re losing customers. A WhatsApp chatbot enables businesses to provide the answers leads and customers expect, right away. #### Provide Immediate Replies 24/7 When you’re running ads and sending high volumes of broadcasts, interested leads may come in at any time. The number of messages may be overwhelming and Human agents typically aren’t available round the clock. A WhatsApp chatbot on the other hand, replies within seconds at any time of day, helping you manage customer expectations while reducing wait times. #### Answer FAQ Without chatbots, agents often spend a large portion of time answering repetitive questions. This causes frustration on both the agent and the customer sides as agents waste valuable effort speaking to contacts who may not even convert. Potential customers are kept waiting as response times slow down because there aren’t enough agents to handle inquiries. WhatsApp chatbots free up your team to focus on more complex inquiries while maintaining fast, consistent answers. #### Qualify Leads WhatsApp chatbots can engage new visitors with automated questions to determine their interest level and needs. That way, your sales team can focus on speaking to leads that are likely to convert. One of our customers, Praga Medica, [filters out 97% of spam](https://respond.io/customers/praga-medica-recovers-70-percent-more-leads) by using respond.io’s AI agent to qualify leads. In the past, Praga Medica’s sales team dreaded handling chats because of the volume of spam, but now, they’re free to focus on conversations that bring results. #### Automate Bookings and Quick Purchases Chatbots simplify [appointment scheduling](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-appointment-booking), confirmations, and even payment processing. For simple purchases, they can guide customers through product recommendations and enable quick checkout within the chat. It’s ideal if your WhatsApp chatbot is equipped with AI capabilities so it can transfer the conversation to a human agent as needed. That way, it can handle simple transactions but understand when a consultation with an agent would help close a more complex deal. ### How Do I Choose a WhatsApp Chatbot? We’ve covered the benefits but there are a few more things to consider when choosing a WhatsApp chatbot. Traditional rule-based chatbots can provide quick responses but their lack of flexibility may lead to customer frustration. Now, many chatbot providers claim to offer AI capabilities, but you’ll also need to consider the quality of the AI features as well as the amount of setup required. These are the must-haves for most businesses. #### Ease of Use For non-technical users, it’s important to be able to set up your chatbot quickly. Unless you have a developer on your team, look for no-code solutions that include drag-and-drop builders or pre-built templates and make it simple to train AI agents if they’re included. #### AI Capabilities While many WhatsApp chatbot platforms claim to be AI-powered, their capabilities vary widely. Choosing the wrong WhatsApp business AI chatbot could have serious consequences for your business, from [giving customers wrong information to causing them to drop off in frustration](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent#toc-2). The best AI chatbots are powered by LLMs and learn from your own business knowledge sources like your website and documentation. #### Automation A traditional chatbot just automates inquiries, which may be enough to meet the needs of small businesses, but growing businesses should look for a chatbot platform that fully automates processes, from ad replies to routing customers to a team or salesperson. #### CRM Integration When a conversation comes in, many businesses want to send the customer’s details to a CRM to ensure all necessary details are captured and agents who contact the customer later have full context. The best [WhatsApp chatbots will integrate with a CRM](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm). ### What Are the 10 Best WhatsApp Chatbots? Below is a quick overview of the 10 best WhatsApp chatbot platforms in 2025. These tools vary in pricing, ease of use, supported channels and AI capabilities. After that, we’ll get into the details of each platform. #### Quick Overview | Chatbot | Best For | Multichannel | AI Capabilities | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Respond.io | Mid to large B2C businesses with high volumes of messages requiring advanced automation | ✅ | AI Agent that learns from company knowledge base; handles sales and support inquiries and routing | | AiSensy | Small businesses focused on WhatsApp marketing | ❌ | Only available on enterprise plans | | Tidio | Ecommerce & support | ✅ | AI agent that learns from support documentation | | Manychat | Social media marketing | ✅ | AI agent that automates simple conversations and processes; no routing capabilities | | Chatfuel | Beginners & small businesses | ✅ | AI agent that automates simple conversations; no routing capabilities | | Gupshup | Developers, enterprises | ✅ | Custom-built AI chatbots on request | | Trengo | Multichannel support teams | ✅ | AI agent in beta that automates support conversations and routes to human agents | | Interakt | WhatsApp commerce | ❌ | AI agent that automates simple conversations; no routing capabilities | | Wati | Customer support teams | ⚠️ WhatsApp & Instagram | AI agent that automates simple conversations; no routing capabilities | | Bird | Large-scale automation | ✅ | Coming soon | #### 1\. Respond.io **Best for**: Mid to large-sized B2C businesses needing advanced automation and multichannel support Respond.io offers more than a simple chatbot, unifying WhatsApp and all popular channels into a single inbox. With robust [WhatsApp automation](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation) tools, [AI agents](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents), customer lifecycle tracking, CRM integration and more, you can manage your entire customer journey from first contact to sale to retention. It offers the flexibility to create AI chatbots that meet your business’ unique needs, allowing human agents to seamlessly step in when needed. ##### Pros - No-code chatbot builder - AI Agent that learns from company knowledge sources, automatically collects lead info, routes inquiries to the right agents, updates Lifecycle stages and contact fields, and generates conversation summaries. - More efficient AI that provides faster, dependable responses without unnecessary processing. - Immediate transitions to human agents, with the AI stopping instantly for a smooth handoff. - Test AI Agents before going live. - Multichannel inbox that supports WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, VoIP and more - Native CRM integration with HubSpot and Salesforce, and integrates with other CRMs and software via Make and Zapier - Excellent customer support to assist with onboarding; rated 4.8 stars on G2 ##### Cons - Learning curve due to the wide range of features ##### Pricing Respond.io’s mid-tier Growth plan starts at $159 and allows 10 users. It includes unlimited automation, unlimited use of AI Agent and advanced reporting. #### 2\. AiSensy **Best for**: Small, budget-conscious businesses focused on WhatsApp marketing AiSensy is a WhatsApp-only platform that offers a drag-and-drop chatbot builder that’s ideal for non-technical users. It supports basic flows for lead capture, order updates, FAQs and product browsing. However, despite the “AI” in the name, AiSensy is limited when it comes to AI - businesses requiring an AI WhatsApp Chatbot need the technical skills to build their own and sign up for the enterprise plan to connect it. ##### Pros - Beginner-friendly flow-builder interface - Fast setup with templates - Broadcasts and drip campaigns ##### Cons - Basic rule-based chatbot - Not suitable for multichannel use - Additional charges for chatbot flow builder - No AI capabilities except on the enterprise plan - Limited integrations - Mixed reviews for customer support ##### Pricing Mid-tier plan starts at $45/month. Chatbots are billed separately starting at $40 per month for five flows. #### 3\. Tidio **Best for**: Small e-commerce businesses Tidio is built for customer support and e-commerce, with a focus on webchat. Its visual chatbot builder and templates make it easy to create chatbots for specific tasks like answering support inquiries or completing sales in a Shopify store. It also offers a separate AI agent that learns from company knowledge sources to answer inquiries. ##### Pros - Templates for easy chatbot creation for different use cases - Integrates with Shopify & WooCommerce - AI agent that learns from support documentation ##### Cons - Webchat is the main focus of the platform, not WhatsApp - Limited multichannel options - High add-on costs for chatbot conversations and AI agent - AI agent responses are basic and lack flexibility - Support is only available via email for Starter and Growth plans ##### Pricing Growth plan starts at $49/month. Only up to 100 chatbot conversations and 50 AI conversations are included. Conversations above this limit incur additional fees. #### 4\. Manychat **Best for**: Social media marketers [Manychat](https://respond.io/blog/manychat-alternative) allows creators and micro-businesses to connect their conversations and reply via chatbot from WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, SMS and email in a single inbox. It’s budget-friendly, easy to use and offers basic automation features designed with creators and small teams in mind. ##### Pros - Template library of WhatsApp flows and automation templates for quick setup - Multichannel support including WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, SMS and email - AI agents that can automate entire conversations - Works well with click-to-chat ads, QR codes and buttons to initiate WhatsApp chats ##### Cons - Supports limited number of users - AI agent lacks flexibility - Limited automation that struggles with sales or support journeys that require CRM data, team routing or cross-channel visibility - Poor reporting - Analytics are simple and campaign-focused, not lifecycle-driven - Support is only available via email ##### Pricing $15/month for three users and 500 stored contacts. Automation features are limited on lower-tier plans. Additional costs apply for higher usage and premium features. #### 5\. Chatfuel **Best for**: Beginners and small businesses [Chatfuel](https://respond.io/blog/manychat-vs-chatfuel) is a no-code chatbot builder with basic WhatsApp API capabilities, best for simple automation needs. ##### Pros: - Easy drag-and-drop chatbot builder - New AI features to answer FAQs and make bookings - Entry points like ads, QR codes, website widgets - Simple third-party integrations ##### Cons: - Limited to WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram - No omnichannel inbox or contact merge - Limited AI features - Automation not suitable for complex workflows - Poor customer support ##### Pricing $34.49/month for WhatsApp API access (1,000 conversations). Facebook & Instagram are priced separately at $23.99/month. #### 6\. Gupshup **Best for**: Developers and enterprises with custom needs. Gupshup offers powerful APIs and tools for building WhatsApp chatbots at scale. It’s ideal for businesses with technical teams that require customization. Options include Bot Studio, which is a low-code, rule-based option to perform basic chatbot tasks and full AI agents to fulfill specific roles. ##### Pros - Low code Bot Studio to create rule-based chatbots - Full developer control - Ideal for large-scale, custom deployments ##### Cons - Not beginner-friendly - AI chatbots are only available as enterprise solutions - No trial option - Support can be slow ##### Pricing Custom quotes only. #### 7\. Trengo **Best for**: Support teams managing multiple channels. Trengo is a subscription-based platform that combines a team inbox with basic chatbot automation. Its basic chatbot flow builder can answer FAQs, qualify leads, and route to teams or agents. Additionally, it now offers AI agent features to collect information, answer inquiries and handle routing, although this is not fully developed and incurs additional fees. ##### Pros - Simple chatbot builder - CRM integration with HubSpot and Salesforce - Supports WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, SMS and email ##### Cons - Limited customization of chatbot flows - AI features are in beta - Expensive subscription fees - Not designed for complex automations - Support is only available during Central European Time office hours ##### Pricing Mid-tier plan starts at $579/month. #### 8\. Interakt **Best for:** Small businesses handling lead capture and reminders Interakt is a messaging tool built for small businesses that sell, support or market through chat. It’s popular in India and other WhatsApp-first markets, with features to manage customer conversations, send broadcasts and set up basic chatbot automations. If your entire messaging strategy lives on WhatsApp and Instagram, Interakt is a simple way to get started. ##### Pros - Affordable for small businesses - CRM integration - Simple templates to get started ##### Cons - WhatsApp and Instagram only - Limited AI capabilities - Doesn’t scale well for complex use cases - Customer support has mixed reviews, with some reports of slow or unhelpful responses ##### Pricing $49/month Growth plan includes unlimited agents, broadcasts, chatbot flows and basic automation. #### 9\. Wati **Best for**: WhatsApp focused SMBs wanting quick deployment. WATI comes with a visual chatbot builder focused on WhatsApp support and ticketing. You can automate FAQs, booking confirmations, and conduct CSAT surveys. Wati also offers the option to create AI chatbots ##### Pros - Integrates with CRMs and Google Sheets - Conditional logic and custom flows - Team collaboration features ##### Cons - WhatsApp and Instagram only - Limited AI features - Reporting is basic - Poor customer support ##### Pricing The price for Wati’s mid-tier plan is $79 for five users, making it one of the cheaper options for businesses on a tight budget, but beware of messaging markups and additional fees. #### 10\. Bird (formerly MessageBird) **Best for**: Enterprises building AI-powered bots [Bird](https://respond.io/blog/alternatives-messagebird) offers omnichannel APIs with support for WhatsApp, SMS, voice, and more. It’s designed for enterprise use with heavy automation and compliance needs. ##### Pros - No-code chatbot builder to automate responses - Chatbot is focused on handling FAQs and support inquiries - Built-in CRM to help you organize and segment your audience ##### Cons - Lacks support for other popular channels like Messenger, Instagram, Telegram and more - Complex and difficult to use without support or a developer on your team - No AI features (listed as “coming soon”) - Requires annual billing to access base rates, with additional fees for messaging, phone numbers and inbox seats that aren’t obvious upfront - Customer support is not offered by default and requires a $500/month add-on payment ##### Pricing Bird uses a pay-as-you-go model starting at $45/month for up to 3,000 contacts. This includes access to all core features like email, SMS, WhatsApp marketing and automation. You’ll pay separately for WhatsApp and SMS messages charged by third-party providers, phone numbers and additional seats for Bird’s Inbox. For businesses with more than 50,000 contacts, custom pricing is available and you’ll need to contact their Sales team. ### Which is the Best WhatsApp Chatbot for Your Business Needs? Businesses on a tight budget that only require a simple WhatsApp chatbot may choose Wati, Interakt or AiSensy. Support-focused businesses may find Tidio or Trengo a good fit, while enterprises looking for custom solutions may opt for Gupshup or Bird. However, the best all-around WhatsApp business AI chatbot solution that supports all popular channels, makes it easy to create a chatbot and automation that goes beyond answering questions, plus includes AI agent capabilities is respond.io. All the options offer a range of automation features, but the best all-around that supports the most channels with reliable, advanced AI while automating your customer journey is respond.io. While other platforms include AI, Respond AI was designed with the customer journey in mind and [learns from your entire website and business documentation](https://respond.io/help/convert-leads/how-to-choose-the-best-knowledge-sources-for-ai-agents) to provide fast, accurate answers. Unlike other platforms that only use AI as a chatbot, respond.io enables workflows to automate the sales process, performing complex routing tasks. If your business relies on multiple communication channels, respond.io is the most versatile option, supporting all popular channels. It also includes native integration with HubSpot and Salesforce CRMs and integrates with other software via Zapier, Make or APIs. Other chatbot platforms offer limited support, but respond.io ensures your onboarding experience sets your business up for success, and our support team is available live 24/5 and via AI agent 24/7 to assist with any inquiries. ### Try Respond.io to Grow Your Business Over Chat We recommend respond.io as the best WhatsApp AI chatbot for growing businesses. If you need to chat with customers on multiple channels and manage the full customer lifecycle with advanced AI automation and ever-expanding features, [try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register) or [contact us for a consultation](https://respond.io/demo) to discuss how we can meet your business needs. ### Further Reading Interested in learning more about what you can do with WhatsApp business AI chatbots and automation? Check out these other articles. - How to Create a WhatsApp Chatbot: 3 Use Cases + Examples - AI Sales Agent Tips to Enhance CX and Convert Faster - WhatsApp Automation: 2 Ways to Do It, Use Cases & 6 Examples ## [Top 7 Conversational AI Platforms of 2025 and How to Choose One](https:/respond.io/blog/top-conversational-ai-platforms) Learn about the top conversational AI platforms for customer engagement over chat, call and email: respond.io, Gushup, Gallabox, Wati, Ada, Manychat and Trengo. Conversational AI has shifted from simple keyword bots to agentic systems that understand intent, execute tasks and hand off conversations seamlessly. This is a game changer for businesses managing customers primarily over messaging channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat), [TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business) and more. The best conversational AI platforms for instant messaging don’t just reply; they automate processes like updating your CRM, booking appointments and routing to correct human agent. An ideal platform serves as an assistant throughout the customer lifecycle, from taking in lead details to closing simple sales to sending follow-ups and promotions to keep customers coming back. In this article, we’ll discuss what you need look for, then dive into the details of some of the best conversational AI platforms of 2025 so you can make the right decision for your business. First, let’s look at what businesses need to consider when selecting a conversational AI platform. ### What to look for in a conversational AI platform Here are the must-haves in a conversational AI platform when you’re primarily doing business over instant messaging channels. #### **1\. Agentic depth beyond chat** “Conversational AI” is a buzzword, and many platforms boast of AI capabilities when in reality they only offer simple chatbots. Make sure the platform has true agentic capabilities like completing actions across multiple steps, learning from company knowledge and escalating to humans. #### 2\. Ability to independently close and manage conversations Choose a platform that can handle the entire conversation when possible, update the status for reference, or escalate to a human if needed. For example, [respond.io’s AI agent](https://respond.io/blog/how-respondio-ai-agents-work) can wrap up a chat with a [clear summary, pick a closing reason, and trigger the next step](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/using-ai-agent-actions#chaining-actions-together)—like a follow-up task, survey, tag, or workflow. That means cleaner inboxes, accurate reports, and clear context. #### 3\. Integrates with CRM and helps track the customer journey Save time and manual effort with an AI platform that [integrates with your CRM](https://respond.io/blog/hubspot-integration) and helps track the customer lifecycle. Look for a platform that auto-updates contact fields, tags, and lifecycle stages, then fires the right workflows. Your data stays fresh and your pipeline moves without manual effort. #### 4\. Performs on all your channels Meet customers where they are—WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, web chat, email, voice and more. Use one agent for all channels in a single inbox. Look for a platform with AI agents that can handle voice calls and recordings in addition to chat. #### 5\. An agent for any role Many conversational AI platforms are built for a specific task, for example, either customer support or sales. Choose a platform where you can build multiple AI agents to take on any role, whether it’s [managing initial inquiries, closing deals or offering support](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents#step-2-select-an-ai-agent-template) after a purchase. ### The 7 best conversational AI platforms in 2025 Below is a quick overview of the seven best conversational AI platforms in 2025. These tools vary in pricing, ease of use, supported channels and AI capabilities. After that, we’ll get into the pros, cons and pricing of each platform. For pricing, we’re showing the cost for the mid-range plan unless otherwise noted. | Platform | Best For | Multichannel | AI Capabilities | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Respond.io | Mid to large B2C businesses with high message volume who require process automation and multiple AI agent roles | ✅ | Create agents with unique roles; Agent learns from knowledge base; handles conversations and processes; routes to human agents as needed | | Gupshup | Developers & enterprises needing APIs and custom AI agents at scale | ✅ | Custom-built AI agents that can handle conversations and tasks | | Gallabox | WhatsApp-first SMBs wanting basic AI chatbot flows | ❌ | Basic AI chatbot available on the highest tier plan | | Wati | WhatsApp/Instagram-centric support teams needing fast setup | ⚠️ WhatsApp & Instagram | Simple AI support agent that learns from your knowledge base | | Ada | WhatsApp-centric enterprises requiring an AI platform for data management and customer communication | ⚠️ WhatsApp, Viber & SMS | Strong virtual agent for enterprise-level conversations | | ManyChat | Creators & small teams focused on social messaging automation | ✅ | Template-driven chat flows; basic AI add-ons; campaign-oriented. | | Trengo | Businesses needing an omnichannel AI support platform | ✅ | Omnichannel inbox and multi-step AI automation | #### 1\. Respond.io — AI Agents that power your entire customer lifecycle **Best for:** Mid to large-sized B2C businesses needing advanced AI automation and multichannel support [Respond.io](http://Respond.io) goes beyond basic chatbots, unifying WhatsApp and popular channels (Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, TikTok, email, voice/VoIP and more) into a single inbox. Create AI agents for specific roles like receptionist, sales or support. It also automates the work around conversations, assigning, updating contact fields and lifecycles, and even closing chats with summaries and a suitable closing note. **Pros** - Use templates for AI agent roles including receptionist, sales and support or create your own roles - AI agent learns from your website and knowledge base - AI Agent capabilities include voice, automatic follow-ups when customer is unresponsive, conversation summaries with closing notes, and human handoff or human takeover - Multichannel inbox (WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, TikTok, voice email, custom channels and more) - CRM-friendly: native HubSpot and Salesforce integrations plus Zapier/Make - Excellent customer support to assist with onboarding; rated 4.8 stars on G2 **Cons** - Rich feature set means a steep learning curve for new users **Pricing** Respond.io’s mid-tier Growth plan starts at $159 and allows 10 users. It includes unlimited automation, unlimited use of AI Agent, advanced reporting and online onboarding support via chat or call. #### 2\. Gupshup — Enterprise-scale AI agents Best for: Developers and enterprises with custom needs Gupshup offers robust APIs and an enterprise conversational AI platform for building agents at scale on WhatsApp. It’s ideal for teams with technical skills that want full control and custom agent design. **Pros** - Powerful APIs - Autonomous AI agents that can handle processes and payments - Good fit for custom, large-scale deployments **Cons** - Not beginner-friendly; usually requires technical resources - Pricing and packaging can be complex (usage-based, varies by channel and country) - No native shared inbox/reporting; you’ll assemble parts - Support can be slow **Pricing** Custom quotes only. #### 3\. Gallabox — No-code WhatsApp AI for SMB commerce **Best for:** WhatsApp-first SMBs that require basic AI replies Gallabox focuses on WhatsApp automation with broadcasts, drip campaigns and an AI chatbot builder, plus add-ons like native payments and a shared inbox. However, while this conversation management platform is often considered a budget option, the only package that includes AI is more costly than most competitors’ offerings. **Pros** - Simple AI chatbot to answer inquiries - Easy WhatsApp broadcasts, templates and flows; drip campaigns and catalogs - Integrations with HubSpot, Zoho, Shopify and more **Cons** - WhatsApp-only - Not a full AI conversational platform; AI can only chat rather than manage processes - Limited analytics for complex funnels - Heavier reliance on manual setup/maintenance of flows - Add-ons/payment features may add cost & complexity **Pricing** $377/month for the Pro plan, the only plan that includes AI features. #### 4\. Wati — WhatsApp-First AI support agent **Best for:** WhatsApp-focused SMBs wanting fast deployment (with Instagram DM as a bonus) [Wati](https://respond.io/blog/wati-alternative) provides a visual flow builder, team inbox and marketing features for WhatsApp (and Instagram DM). It also offers an AI Support Agent that can answer from your knowledge base. **Pros** - Visual chatbot builder, broadcasts and Shopify/WooCommerce integrations - AI Support Agent with knowledge-base answers **Cons** - Primarily WhatsApp/Instagram; not a full multichannel hub - AI agent only has one objective, answering support inquiries - Pricing and add-ons can be complex - Poor customer support **Pricing** The price for Wati’s mid-tier plan is $79 for five users, making it one of the cheaper options for businesses on a tight budget, but beware of messaging markups and additional fees. #### 5\. Ada — Enterprise virtual agent for support **Best for:** Enterprises needing a powerful AI front door to handle FAQs and support inquiries **Pros** - Strong virtual agent for support - Automates processes and payments - Robust security/compliance posture for large organizations **Cons** - Only supports WhatsApp, Viber and SMS - Heavier implementation effort; typically needs solution engineering - Pricing skews enterprise; can be costly for mid-market - Limited built-in shared inbox/agent management **Pricing** Enterprise pricing (custom quotes). #### 6\. ManyChat — Creator-Friendly Automation with New AI Add-Ons **Best for:** Social media marketers and creators who need AI automation for basic conversations [ManyChat](https://respond.io/blog/manychat-alternative) lets you automate conversations on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS and email. It’s budget-friendly, template-driven and great for campaigns, DMs and quick AI automations. **Pros** - Multichannel (TikTok, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS, email) with a visual AI agent chatflow builder - Large template library; easy entry for non-technical users - Works well with click-to-chat ads, QR codes and growth tools **Cons** - AI and automation geared to simple journeys - Analytics/reporting are more campaign-focused than lifecycle-driven - Add-ons and usage growth can increase total cost - Limited customer support **Pricing** $15/month for three users and 500 stored contacts. Automation features are limited on lower-tier plans. Additional costs apply for higher usage and premium features. #### 7\. Trengo — O**mnichannel inbox** with AI Journeys **Best for:** Support teams that want an AI-powered inbox across WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, email, live chat, SMS and more [Trengo](https://respond.io/blog/trengo-alternative) centralizes customer conversations from multiple channels in one inbox. Its AI HelpMate can draft/send replies, and AI Journeys automate conversations and workflows across steps and channels. Higher-tier plans add third-party API actions for deeper integrations. **Pros** - Omnichannel inbox including email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, live chat and SMS - AI HelpMate for reply assistance; AI Journeys for multi-step automation - Reporting (including AI reporting) focused on support metrics **Cons** - Agentic depth centers on support automation; complex, cross-system actions often rely on API actions or integrations - Conversation-based and AI-surcharge pricing add up as you scale - Advanced API actions/permissions require higher plans - Poor customer support **Pricing** Mid-tier plan starts at $579/month for 20 users and 1500 conversations. Additional conversations are charged at $18/100 conversations plus a $0.29/conversation surcharge for AI. ### Which is the best conversational AI platform for your business needs? Support-focused businesses may choose Wati or Trengo. Developers and enterprises that need customization for specific needs often choose Gupshup or Ada, while smaller businesses with a heavy social media focus consider Manychat. However, if you want the most versatile, future-proof option with strong multichannel coverage and full agentic AI for chat and voice to automate the entire customer journey, choose respond.io. It enables you to create fully customized AI agents for any stage of the customer journey, route conversations to a human agent when needed and and update contact fields and lifecycle stages so your team always has full context. It’s built to scale from first contact to conversion to retention. ### Choose respond.io, the conversational AI platform that grows your business We recommend respond.io as the best all-around conversational AI platform for growing businesses. If you need to chat with customers on multiple channels and manage customer journeys with advanced AI automation, [try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register) or [contact us for a consultation](https://respond.io/demo). ### Further reading If you've found this article helpful, check out these other guides: - AI Sales Agent Tips to Enhance CX - Best WhatsApp Chatbots in 2025 - WhatsApp Automation ## [Transforming Retail Operations with WhatsApp ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-for-retail-industry) Looking to use WhatsApp for retail industry? Discover how WhatsApp can improve customer engagement, boost sales and enhance your retail customer support! Looking to use WhatsApp for the retail industry? You’ve come to the right place! In this blog post, we'll explore what WhatsApp for retail is and why it is beneficial for retailers. Then, we’ll show you how to use the WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API for retail. ### What is WhatsApp for Retail Industry? WhatsApp for retail is the use of WhatsApp as a communication tool for businesses in the retail industry. Retail can be broadly classified into two categories: Physical retail, where sales occur at brick-and-mortar stores, and digital retail, which includes e-commerce. Regardless of your retail methods, WhatsApp can help businesses improve customer engagement and boost marketing, sales and support. We'll show you how to achieve this later in the article. But for now, let's take a closer look at some of the benefits WhatsApp brings. #### Benefits of WhatsApp for Retail over Traditional Channels The downsides of traditional retail channels like webchat, phone, email and SMS are becoming clearer as messaging channels like WhatsApp gain popularity. Emails often get lost in crowded inboxes or spam folders, while customers ignore SMS messages due to reply charges. Website chat and phone support are infamous for long wait times and limited availability outside business hours. Plus, without a conversation history that all agents can refer to, customers must repeat personal information and issues every time they speak to new agents. WhatsApp removes all these obstacles. With [over 2.4 billion users worldwide](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business#toc-mobile-1), WhatsApp gives businesses a pre-existing pool of customers to engage with. It also has [open rates of up to 98%](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business#toc-mobile-1), making it more effective than email as customers are more likely to see and read messages sent on the app. WhatsApp also offers convenience and ease of use as customers can converse with businesses anytime without any costs. Additionally, businesses can access customers’ conversation history, saving customers the trouble of repeating personal information or issues. Now that you understand the benefits of using WhatsApp for retail, let’s look at how businesses are succeeding with it. ### How 3 Businesses are Winning with WhatsApp Retail Here, we’ll show you how three businesses in the retail industry achieve success with WhatsApp. #### noonmar Brings in 40% More New Customers by Optimizing Click to Chat Ads [noonmar](https://respond.io/customers/noonmar-increases-new-customers) is a a global e-commerce marketplace known for authentic Turkish goods, including sweets, health and beauty products, jewelry and accessories, and home décor. The business has an extensive social media following on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and it runs click to chat ads for lead generation. However, they struggled with optimizing ad performance until they started using WhatsApp API with respond.io. With respond.io, noonmar set up [Meta's conversion API (CAPI)](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-send-conversions-api-event) to send conversion events—such as add-to-cart or completed purchase—back to Meta. This helped Meta improve its ad targeting by learning which types of users were likely to convert, leading to higher-quality leads and better ad performance. By optimizing its click to chat Meta ads via CAPI, noonmar has seen a **40% increase in new customers**. Thanks to better targeting, the leads it attracts are more likely to buy. The number of leads has also **increased by 10%** as the business has a greater understand of which ads motivate conversations. #### Ferretería EPA Increases Monthly Conversations 80% with WhatsApp API [Ferretería EPA C.A.](https://respond.io/customers/how-ferreteria-epa-ca-increased-sales-conversions-by-20) is a Venezuelan hardware retail chain. It was using WhatsApp to attend to customer inquiries. However, agents were chatting with customers privately via their personal WhatsApp numbers, making it difficult to monitor conversations and collaborate as a team. The business needed a [multiuser WhatsApp solution](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) to help agents identify customers, collaborate, provide more effective customer service and potentially increase sales. So, it decided to switch to [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) and [connect it to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start). This resulted in multi-agent access under one WhatsApp number, increased customer satisfaction and more. Additionally, EPA increased its number of monthly conversations by 80% and saw a 20% growth in customer base and sales conversions. #### Lamarsa Coffee Sees 38% Faster Response Times with WhatsApp Automation [Lamarsa Coffee](https://respond.io/customers/how-lamarsa-coffee-used-chat-commerce-to-boost-sales-across-6-countries-by-50) is among Malaysia’s largest coffee equipment retailers. It was struggling to handle the high volume of sales, orders and inquiries through [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app). To efficiently resolve inquiries, automate tasks and target the right contacts for broadcasts, it migrated to WhatsApp API and connected it to respond.io. Since then, it has acquired 10x more leads per quarter from WhatsApp click-to-chat links on its website. It improved first response times by 38% and gained 50% more sales from quarter to quarter in less than a year. Want to achieve similar success? Let's explore some practical ways to use WhatsApp for retail. ### How to Use WhatsApp for Retail Industry To leverage WhatsApp's full potential, you must understand the differences between the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) and [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). While both can be used for use cases like sales and support, their features and capabilities differ. The WhatsApp Business App is designed for small businesses as its capabilities are limited. For example, it only allows businesses to connect up to 5 devices for free and limits automation to welcome and away messages among.. The WhatsApp Business API, on the other hand, was made for medium to large companies looking to use [WhatsApp with multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users), advanced automation to streamline business processes and more. Note that WhatsApp API does not have a user interface. It must be [connected to a messaging software like respond.io](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start) to send and receive messages. Below is a summary of the WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API features businesses can use for retail. **WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API Capabilities for Retail** | WhatsApp Business App | WhatsApp API | | --- | --- | | WhatsApp Chat Links and QR Codes | WhatsApp Chat Links and QR Codes | | WhatsApp Button on Facebook Page and Instagram | WhatsApp Button on Facebook Page and Instagram | | WhatsApp Ads | WhatsApp Ads | | WhatsApp Broadcast (limited to 256 contacts) | WhatsApp Broadcast | | WhatsApp Business Directory (limited availability) | WhatsApp Webchat | | WhatsApp Catalog | Automate Sales and Support | | WhatsApp Pay (limited availability) | Integration with E-commerce Platforms and CRMs | That said, let’s look at how businesses can use WhatsApp to boost visibility, drive conversations and enhance retail efficiency. #### Boost Business Visibility If you’re just starting to use WhatsApp for retail and want WhatsApp to be your main communication channel, you must find methods to increase your business visibility. To achieve this use the [WhatsApp Business directory](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-yellow-pages) and [WhatsApp click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads). WhatsApp Business directory, available on the WhatsApp Business App, allows users to easily search for registered WhatsApp businesses in their vicinity directly from within the app. It increases the chances of potential customers finding and engaging with you directly. WhatsApp click-to-chat ads enable users to initiate conversations with your business from social media channels like [Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) and [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat). This allows you to increase your exposure by targeting audiences based on specific demographics, locations and interests. While they are not free, these ads can be an effective way to reach relevant audiences and encourage them to start a conversation with your business. Plus, you can set up [CAPI to see which ads are converting](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-send-conversions-api-event) to optimize your ads and targeting. Next, we’ll look at the tools available to drive customer conversations. #### Drive Customer Conversations Businesses can use handy tools like WhatsApp [click-to-chat links](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-generator-whatsapp-widget#toc-mobile-2) and [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code) to encourage customers to message them. You can embed your chat link anywhere on various digital mediums like websites and social media and paste your WhatsApp QR code around your physical store and on vouchers. If you have significant traffic on your website, install a [WhatsApp webchat](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-webchat) to direct website visitors to WhatsApp. Note that this is only available for WhatsApp API users. Next, let's look at how you can use WhatsApp to increase efficiency. #### Enhance Retail Efficiency Customers expect fast replies from businesses, especially when contacting them through instant messaging channels like WhatsApp. To meet these expectations, businesses can send [automated messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation) to provide an estimated response time or inform customers when they are unavailable. Even better, they can use [AI Agents](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ai-agent) to answer FAQs, make product recommendations or even send payment links so customers can complete a purchase. Additionally, you can showcase your products on WhatsApp by creating a comprehensive [WhatsApp catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog) with detailed descriptions, pricing information and visuals, allowing customers to browse and make purchasing decisions at their convenience. For a more proactive approach, send [promotional broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) to relevant leads and customers or [trigger messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing#toc-mobile-7) based on their actions from e-commerce platforms like Shopify. Doing so allows you to effectively engage with your audience, increasing the chances of conversions. Now that you know the different methods you can leverage WhatsApp for retail, let's discover how respond.io can elevate your retail business. ### WhatsApp for Retail Industry: Quick Wins with Respond.io With the WhatsApp API connected to respond.io, you can unlock a multitude of advanced messaging capabilities for your unique business needs and goals. This includes using an omnichannel messaging inbox to reply to messages, advanced automation and integration to streamline any business processes, robust promotional messaging features and more. Let's look into the details below. #### Consolidate All Messaging Channels in One Place Respond.io is an omnichannel communication platform that allows you to streamline business communication across instant messaging apps like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) and [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account) along with traditional channels like email and webchat. It also allows you to connect multiple channel accounts or numbers. If you have individual WhatsApp accounts for each branch or outlet, you can connect them all to respond.io and reply to messages in one [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication). Now that you have messages flowing from multiple channels in a single inbox, let's look at how to manage them with advanced automation. #### Automate Any Processes with AI Agents Unlike the WhatsApp Business App which limits chat automation to [welcome](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message) and [away messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app#toc-mobile-10), respond.io offers advanced AI agents to enhance efficiency and allow human agents to focus on customers with more complex needs. Set up [AI Agents from templates](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents) to fulfill specific roles like receptionist, sales agent or support agent. Use them to [answer FAQs, recommend products and assign chats](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent#toc-4) to a human agent when needed, for example if there's a questions the AI Agent cannot answer or a human must be involved to process a sale. Next, we'll explore a crucial capability that will benefit most retailers: Integrating e-commerce platforms with WhatsApp. #### Integrate WhatsApp with E-commerce Platforms Triggering messages based on customers' actions on external platforms is a powerful way to drive engagement. With respond.io, you can send personalized messages based on customer actions on platforms like [Shopify](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify), [Magento](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/ecommerce-integration-magento), [WooCommerce](https://help.respond.io/zapier/ecommerce-integration-woocommerce) and [more](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations). From [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) to [WhatsApp schedule message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message), these are examples of features that can be used here if implemented properly. For example, you can send [abandoned cart recovery notifications](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify#send_abandoned_cart_messages_to_prompt_customers_to_complete_their_shopify_purchase_using_zapier) to customers who have added items to their cart but haven't completed their purchase. Additionally, you can send [customers purchase updates](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify#benefits_of_managing_orders_and_carts_with_respond_io_and_shopify) like order confirmation and delivery notifications. If you want to send promotional messages en masse, you can with the respond.io [Broadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast). #### Send Promotional Broadcast Messages Businesses can use [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) to send promotions or updates using [WhatsApp bulk message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) to customers. This includes [seasonal promotions](https://respond.io/blog/ramadan-whatsapp-messaging-campaign), limited-time offers, new product releases or exclusive discounts for loyal customers. With the WhatsApp Business App, businesses are limited to sending broadcasts to 256 contacts at a time. Additionally, the recipients of these broadcasts must have the business's number saved in their phones. With respond.io’s [Broadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview), businesses can send promotional notifications to a larger audience without the need for customers to save their numbers. You can import contacts, segment them for precise targeting, schedule broadcasts in advance and clone recurring broadcasts among others. Businesses can even get broadcast analytics for insights into the success of their broadcast campaigns. In conclusion, WhatsApp is a valuable tool that retailers can utilize to enhance customer engagement, boost sales and deliver superior customer service. If you're a retailer looking to leverage the power of WhatsApp API with an official WhatsApp partner, [create an account and get WhatsApp access in minutes](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business). You can [start with our free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and experience its benefits right away. ### Further Reading If you found this post helpful, you may also benefit from reading these related articles: - Using WhatsApp as a Customer Service Platform - WhatsApp Sales: How to Sell on WhatsApp - WhatsApp Marketing: Leading a Successful Campaign ## [Trengo Alternative: A Powerful Alternative for Large Enterprises ](https:/respond.io/blog/trengo-alternative) Are you looking for Trengo alternatives? Discover how respond.io offers true multichannel capabilities, full funnel lead management and advanced AI automation. Looking for Trengo alternatives with advanced AI and automation capabilities to automate complex business processes? While Trengo is well-known, it might not be the best fit for all businesses. In this blog post, we'll introduce you to respond.io, a powerful AI-powered Trengo alternative built to help businesses enhance customer communication. With detailed research into both platforms, we'll provide insights and highlight the unique aspects of respond.io to help you determine which solution aligns best with your business needs. ### **Trengo Alternative: Trengo vs respond.io** Trengo and respond.io are similar in many ways as they offer businesses tools to manage customer interactions across multiple channels. They allow you to centralize all your business communication channels into a single [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) and offer features like automation, internal collaboration tools and analytics to help you streamline communication processes and make data-driven decisions. However, they were built with different businesses in mind. Trengo is designed for small businesses with simple business processes, while respond.io is created for larger businesses with complex needs and processes. Since you may already know what Trengo has to offer, let's discover why respond.io better fits your business. ### Trengo Alternative: Is Respond.io a Better Fit for Your Business? Respond.io is a customer conversation management software designed to enhance the customer experience to build brand loyalty and increase business revenue. It has been proven to enable businesses worldwide to [gain more qualified leads](https://respond.io/blog/how-sleek-gained-3x-more-qualified-leads-over-whatsapp), [improve sales conversions](https://respond.io/blog/how-lamarsa-coffee-used-chat-commerce-to-boost-sales-across-6-countries-by-50) and [achieve a high degree of customer satisfaction](https://respond.io/blog/how-sharwa-designed-a-communication-strategy-that-achieved-85-in-csat-scores). Below, we’ll explore how respond.io enables businesses to accomplish these objectives. ### Centralize All Messaging Channels in a Team Inbox If you’re a medium to large business, you probably have a presence on more than one messaging channel. While this allows customers to contact you easily, managing conversations on each channel can be challenging. Therefore, connecting all key communication channels in one place can save you the trouble of juggling multiple platforms. While Trengo markets itself as an omnichannel platform, it does not support [TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business), or [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-business), which we’ll discuss later. Now, let’s look at respond.io’s omnichannel capabilities. #### Connect WhatsApp, TikTok and More in One Place Respond.io allows you to connect all the popular messaging channels your customers prefer. Gain official [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) access and connect to other messaging channels like TikTok, [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) and [SMS](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms). Besides instant messaging channels, businesses can also connect traditional channels like email and SMS. Best of all, respond.io fully supports all native channel features from voice messages and emojis in instant messaging to precise email formatting. Besides connecting multiple channels, businesses can also connect multiple channel accounts to respond.io. For instance, if you have individual WhatsApp accounts or numbers for each branch or outlet, you can connect them all and respond to these messages from one place. #### Switch from Chat to Call When Needed Unlike competitors like Trengo, respond.io offers built-in call support. As one of the few official WhatsApp Partners with access to the [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-voice-call), it allows businesses to make voice calls on WhatsApp — a feature previously limited to the WhatsApp Business App. This gives companies a more direct and personal way to engage with customers. Additionally, [respond.io supports VoIP integration](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration). By connecting your VoIP system, you can manage both calls and messages across all your channels in one unified platform. Plus, it allows you to automatically transcribe calls, so you'll have a full record of conversations whether via chat or call. #### Integrate Custom Channels like In-app Chat, Chats from E-commerce Platforms and more If your company has its own messaging app or uses an e-commerce platform’s native inbox like Lazada chat inbox to communicate with customers frequently, you can integrate them on respond.io. Respond.io’s [custom channels](https://help.respond.io/channels/custom-channel) integration allows you to connect any channel with an open API to the platform. This way you can have both popular and business-specific messaging channels in one place. #### Merge Conversations from Email, WhatsApp and Other Channels in a Single Thread Customers expect a [true omnichannel experience](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-2) from businesses. One way to meet these expectations is by recognizing returning customers on any channel. With respond.io, businesses can [merge conversations from different channels](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contacts-overview#merge_contacts) in a single thread for a unified customer profile. So how does it work? If a customer has previously emailed you but decided to message you on WhatsApp next, you can merge the conversations to get context easily. > Note that you can’t do this on Trengo as it only supports conversation merges from the same channels. Now that you understand respond.io’s capability to offer an omnichannel experience, let's look at how to capture leads on respond.io. ### Capture and Manage Leads on Multiple Channels Having the option to broadcast promotional messages on multiple channels allows businesses to engage with customers through various touchpoints, ultimately leading to higher sales and revenue. Therefore, it's important that platforms like respond.io and Trengo support promotional messaging capabilities such as [click to chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads) and broadcasts for every available messaging channel. However, Trengo only supports broadcasts on two channels, WhatsApp and SMS, and does not fully integrate with click to chat ads. That said, let's look at respond.io’s promotional messaging capabilities. #### Generate Leads through Click to WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok Messaging Ads Social media channels like Instagram and Facebook present a valuable opportunity for targeted advertising through click-to-chat ads. These ads enable businesses to encourage leads to start a conversation directly and engage with them when their interest is at its peak. [TikTok Messaging Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads) offer an additional way to capture new audiences with video content that seamlessly blends into their feeds and entices them to send a message on WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. When a lead messages you through click-to-chat ads, respond.io shows you which ad a customer clicked on when they message you, giving agents useful context to [respond intelligently](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth#toc-mobile-5). You can also automate these conversations to [gain lead information](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/step-respond-with-ai#collect_information_objective) and qualify them automatically. #### Broadcast on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, LINE and More Respond.io’s [Broadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) supports multiple channels, including [SMS](https://respond.io/blog/sms-marketing-sms-broadcast), [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-broadcast), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-broadcast), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-broadcast) and [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message). You can personalize, schedule and send broadcast messages to target audiences on the channels where customers are most active, tailor messages to each channel's unique features and audience, and create a more integrated and cohesive marketing strategy. #### Trigger Promotional Messages from Customer Actions on External Platforms Businesses can trigger promotional messages on respond.io based on customer actions on external platforms like [Shopify](https://help.respond.io/zapier/e-commerce-integration-shopify). For example, you can send a [targeted abandoned cart message](https://help.respond.io/zapier/e-commerce-integration-shopify#manage_orders_and_carts_with_respond_io_and_shopify) to a customer who has added items to their cart but failed to complete the purchase. The message can include a discount or other incentive to encourage customers to return to the site and complete their purchase. Customers can select pre-determined reply buttons or send a response and be connected to an agent automatically. This way, customers can easily get what they want, enhancing the customer experience and satisfaction. Next, we’ll explore ways to handle high volumes of conversations. ### Close Deals Faster with Advanced AI and Automation Capabilities Automating conversations is crucial, especially when businesses receive high volumes of messages from various messaging channels or accounts. A quick response can be the difference between losing a lead and closing a deal, so you can’t afford delays. AI agents can qualify leads, handle basic inquiries, make product recommendations, settle appointment bookings and even answer calls. Conversations that require a human touch should then be automatically handed off to an agent who can answer complex inquiries or jump into a quick call on [WhatsApp, Messenger or Telnyx](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration). #### Streamline Processes with Workflows and AI Agents Unlike Trengo, which has complicated automation setup processes, respond.io’s [Workflow automation builder](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) gives you one visual Workflow to automate complex business processes. You can plan, design and implement your workflow from A to Z with any amount of complexity in one space. This includes automating [FAQs](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations), [chat routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio), [case escalations](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) and creating [deals or tickets](https://help.respond.io/zapier/pipedrive#add_comments_to_conversations_in_respond_io_when_new_pipedrive_deals_are_updated) in CRMs. Best of all, you can do all this from scratch or use ready-made [templates](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#creating_a_new_workflow_from_a_selected_template). You can also build an [AI sales agent](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent) to answer customer questions on its own before passing the conversation to a human agent. Train the AI agent based on uploaded company resources or even allow it to crawl your website to provide high quality answers. Because respond.io’s AI focuses only on the steps needed for each task, it delivers faster and more reliable results with fewer errors — perfect for teams handling large volumes of conversations. And when a human needs to step in, User Takeover ensures the AI stops immediately, keeping every handoff clean and professional across Inbox, Workflows and Integrations. Managers can also create Workflows for complicated tasks like [shift transfer](https://help.respond.io/convert-leads/route-contacts-by-shifts), [case escalation](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management), syncing data in external CRMs and [getting customer feedback](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score), then allow agents to launch them [with a click](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0) while talking to customers. Now that you know how respond.io’s automation works, it's important to highlight one of the critical components of improving customer satisfaction: [Auto assigning conversations](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to agents quickly. Before that, note that Trengo only allows manual conversation assignment or round-robin auto-assignment. #### Auto Assign Conversations Based on Team Function and Customer Needs There are two ways for businesses to automatically assign new conversations on respond.io: Round-robin for equal workload distribution or assign them to agents with the least conversations open. Round-robin assignments ensure each sales agent has an equal opportunity to convert leads and earn their commissions. Assigning agents with the least conversations lets businesses provide a better customer experience. This is because it connects customers with available agents quickly and reduces wait times and resolution times. As for new conversations, businesses can assign them to a new agent and route returning customers with a history of interactions to the [same agent who handled their case before](https://respond.io/blog/august-2021-release-the-new-contact-import-dont-unassign-when-conversation-is-closed-and-platform-localization-in-spanish#toc-mobile-5). This approach gives agents the context to address recurring or related issues and build long-term relationships with customers. Consequently, customers can receive a more personalized and efficient support experience. To prioritize high-value customers who contribute substantially to revenue, businesses usually provide them with a dedicated agent as a primary point of contact for all their needs. These agents will work closely with the customer to understand their goals or desires. Then, provide guidance and support to help them achieve their desired outcomes. Since high-value customers are crucial to the success of any business, it is important that companies minimize any difficulties or inconveniences they may face while interacting with their brand. #### Respond Quickly, Accurately and Professionally with AI With respond.io, agents can leverage AI capabilities to answer inquiries promptly and efficiently. [Respond AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai) allow agents to refine their messages, ensuring clarity and precision in communication. They can also translate messages into different languages, reducing potential language barriers. Moreover, tools like [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) can be a game-changer for providing agents with quick replies based on customer context. This rapid access to information allows agents to respond quickly and accurately to customer inquiries, enhancing response times and contributing to a more [satisfying customer experience](https://respond.io/blog/ai-customer-experience). While Trengo now offers similar AI capabilities, they are less mature and incur add-on fees. Now that we’ve shown how respond.io improves customer conversations, let's explore the benefits of advanced analytics. ### Boost Business Results with Analytics and Lifecycle Tracking With any marketing and sales efforts, you need to track results to see what’s working and what’s not to continuously optimize tactics. Trengo’s analytics are limited and it’s not possible to track lead progress in stages. Respond.io offers advanced analytics, customer lifecycle tracking and CRM integrations to improve customer experience throughout the entire funnel. #### Get Marketing Performance Insights with Broadcast Analytics To gauge the success of marketing campaigns, businesses can get insights and data to help improve their next campaign's strategy and efficacy. By analyzing the performance of previous campaigns, businesses can identify what worked well and what didn't, understand their audience's behavior and preferences, and optimize their messaging, targeting and channels accordingly. #### Track the Customer Lifecycle Through the Full Funnel Additionally, respond.io’s [Lifecycle feature](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) enables you to label contacts with lead status so agents can instantly see which leads to prioritize. These labels can also be used for promotional targeting and to provide context on whether a contact a made a purchase before. To analyze what may have caused leads to drop off at any point in the sales process, use the Lost Stages feature to set labels like Cold Lead, Unqualified or Lost to Competitor. Lifecycle stages can not only be used in the inbox but are also visible in the dashboard so it’s easy to track how many leads are in each stage. #### Enrich Data with HubSpot, Salesforce and Other Integrations Large businesses often store customer data in a CRM like HubSpot or Salesforce, so integration with these is a must-have in a conversation management platform. CRMs are seen as a single source of truth and switching between platforms to gain more context on a customer is a hassle. Respond.io now offers [HubSpot](https://respond.io/blog/hubspot-integration) and [Salesforce integrations](https://respond.io/blog/salesforce-integration) to customers on all plans. With a single click, agents can access HubSpot or Salesforce data directly from a conversation to get full context on the customer they’re chatting with. To integrate with other software, use [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/l/en/zapier/zapier) or [Make](https://help.respond.io/l/en/integrations/make) for quick connection with thousands of other platforms. Now that we’ve shown how respond.io allows you to measure success throughout the funnel, let's explore the benefits of using a reliable platform. ### Achieve Success with a Reliable Platform and Customer Support Reliability and excellent customer support from solution providers like Trengo and respond.io are important because companies use these platforms to run their businesses and communicate with customers. Trengo's support is limited from Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5.30 pm Central European Time, so businesses cannot reach them when there are critical issues outside these hours. In contrast, respond.io provides superior reliability and support. Let's explore how. #### Robust Platform Stability for Consistent Operations Having a reliable platform is crucial for maintaining consistent operations especially when businesses rely on a platform for customer communication. Because respond.io is built to handle high volumes of messages without downtime, rest assured that your operations will remain uninterrupted. So, you can focus on making your customers happy by tending to customers’ queries and issues promptly. #### Get Speedy Assistance with 24/5 Conversational Support Get the customer support you need when you need it with respond.io. Our support team is available 24 hours Monday to Friday and offers support in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic. You can get general assistance with navigating the platform, as well as help with billing issues, troubleshooting bugs and more. Our comprehensive support efficiently resolves any issues you encounter, enabling you to focus on growing your business. ##### Get Dedicated Support from a Customer Success Manager Enterprises with complex needs can work with a customer success manager to get the most out of the platform. They specialize in providing personalized support for planning and setting up workflows, integrating your platform with third-party tools through webhooks and APIs, and more. With a dedicated customer success manager aboard, you’ll learn the true potential of the platform and leverage it to achieve success like [many of our customers](https://respond.io/customers). Now that you know what respond.io has to offer, let's compare which pricing plan gives you maximum value. ### The Best Solution for Maximum Value Plans and pricing are some of the most important factors businesses look at before deciding to use a product. This section will compare Trengo and respond.io’s plans to help you decide which platform provides the best value. #### Entry-Level Plans: Respond.io vs Trengo Although respond.io has more advanced features, it is more cost-effective compared to Trengo. Respond.io's $79 Starter plan is less than half the price of Trengo's $164 Boost Plan. In terms of channel availability, Trengo does not support TikTok, LINE and Viber. Plus, its broadcast capabilities are limited to SMS and WhatsApp and are only available as add-ons, while respond.io supports broadcasts on six channels. **Respond.io vs Trengo Entry-Level Plans** | | Respond.io (Starter Plan) | Trengo (Boost Plan) | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | $79 | $347 | | Seats | 5 | 10 | | Channels | -WhatsApp -TikTok -Facebook Messenger -Instagram -Telegram -LINE -WeChat -Viber -SMS -Email -Custom -WhatsApp Business Calling API -VoIP | -WhatsApp -Instagram -Facebook Messenger -Telegram -Webchat -SMS -VoIP -Custom | | Additional Fees | - | -Automation Flowbots -Conversation fees -Broadcast fees -AI Journeys | Additionally, its current pricing lacks transparency and leaves room for charging additional costs. For instance, its pricing for broadcast, Flowbot and voice channel is not specified on its pricing page. In comparison, respond.io’s pricing is straightforward, and all costs can be found on its pricing page. Businesses on Trengo’s $347 Boost plan have email-only access to customer support, unlike respond.io, which offers 24/5 live support across via chat and call all its plans and 24/7 AI agent support. #### Value-Filled Plan for Fast-Growing Businesses Trengo’s capabilities are only enough for small businesses with low volumes of messages but its pricing does not match its minimal offerings, even for the Premium plan. Respond.io’s Growth Plan is again a fraction of the price of Trengo’s Premium plan and offers exponentially greater potential. With Trengo, businesses need to pay extra for automating chats and processes on top of the already hefty subscription fee. Respond.io, on the other hand, gives you full access to Workflows that automate chats, assignment, integrations and more in its Growth plan. | | Respond.io (Growth Plan) | Trengo (Pro Plan) | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | $159 | $579 | | Seats | 10 | 20 | | Channels | -WhatsApp -TikTok -Facebook Messenger -Instagram -Telegram -LINE -WeChat -Viber -SMS -Email -Custom -WhatsApp Business Calling API -VoIP | -WhatsApp -Instagram -Facebook Messenger -Telegram -Webchat -SMS -VoIP -Custom | | Automation and AI Features | -Workflows automation for chats and processes -AI Agents with specific roles that learn from company knowledge sources and automate chats and processes | -Requires add-on fees | | Additional Fees | - | -Automation Flowbots -Conversation fees -Broadcast fees -AI Journeys | To summarize, respond.io offers comprehensive and transparent plans that include advanced features not found in Trengo, like highly valuable AI features. This makes it an ideal choice for large and fast-growing businesses that require scalable solutions to engage with their customers effectively. Now that you know how respond.io and Trengo pricing works, let's look at why respond.io is for you. ### Trengo Alternative: Why Respond.io? Trengo supports voice channels and has some similar features like conversation reports and internal collaboration tools like tagging colleagues and leaving comments for context. However, the platform is only sufficient for small businesses with simple business processes. Respond.io is one of the most versatile customer conversation management software in the market. Its [advanced AI](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent) and automation capabilities enable businesses to streamline their processes in one place, helping them achieve results quickly with significantly less effort. And with [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api), businesses who need voice channels now have one over WhatsApp API. Most importantly, respond.io's high uptime can meet the demands of larger businesses that receive high volumes of messages. It provides free high-quality support 24/5 to help customers whenever they need it, while Enterprise users have a dedicated customer success manager. With all this in hand, businesses can create better customer experiences and build customer loyalty to increase their revenue. If you’re considering migrating from Trengo to respond.io, [contact our support team](https://respond.io/contact) for the migration steps. You can migrate all your channels to respond.io including WhatsApp API while keeping the same WhatsApp API number. Are you ready to get started with respond.io? [Sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and experience powerful automation like no other platform! ### Further Reading Want to learn more about respond.io? Here are some readings that might interest you. - Inbound Conversation Workflows: A How-To Guide - Chat Routing: Contact Routing with the respond.io - Auto Assignment: Automatic Assignment with respond.io ## [Turbocharge Your Conversation Management with Auto Assignment](https:/respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) Are you tired of manually assigning conversations? Let's explore the power of automatic assignment and strategies to supercharge your business. Considering auto assignment for your business? You're in the right place! In this guide, we'll break down what automatic assignment is, compare it with manual assignment and share strategies to enhance team efficiency and customer communication. We'll also discuss the significance of a reliable software for auto assignment and introduce essential best practices for its setup. ### What is Automatic Assignment? Auto assignment is the process of automatically distributing [inbound conversations](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations) to the right agents within a team. This dynamic approach eliminates the need for manual intervention, allowing for a swift and efficient allocation of conversations based on predefined criteria. That said, let's look at the difference between manual assignment and auto-assignment. ### Automatic Assignment vs Manual Assignment There are two types of commonly encountered conversation assignment methods: manual and automatic assignment. Below, we’ll dive into when manual assignment is used and why you need to use automatic assignment. #### When to Use Manual Assignment Manual assignment is an assignment method where managers distribute conversations without established rules using human judgment. This includes assigning conversations based on their knowledge of the available resources, the skills and expertise of agents, the urgency of tasks and other relevant factors. Small companies that receive low volumes of inbound conversations or businesses in their early stages often adopt this assignment method. However, as the volume of conversations grows, businesses will face challenges like uneven conversation distribution among agents, inability to track which conversations have and have not been assigned and more. That’s why businesses looking to message at scale must start using automatic assignment. Let’s explore the advantages of using auto assignment. #### Benefits of Using Automatic Assignment Businesses that use auto-assignment rely on automation to distribute conversations based on predetermined rules or criteria. This method is particularly beneficial when businesses receive high volumes of messages and have multiple teams of agents. One of its advantages is its remarkable ability to reduce error rates. While manual assignment can be prone to oversights such as missing conversations or assigning conversations to the wrong agent, auto-assignment ensures heightened accuracy. Additionally, an automatic assignment process can be customized to ensure fairness and adherence to predefined rules, resulting in a more even and unbiased conversation distribution among agents. As conversations are assigned instantly, agents can fully focus on providing prompt and effective responses to customer inquiries and issues. Simultaneously, managers can dedicate their time to higher-value tasks such as reviewing conversations, refining workflows and training agents. Now that you know how you can benefit from using automatic assignments, let's explore the different strategies you can use based on your use case. ### Automatic Assignment Strategies for Different Use Cases In this section, we will discuss methods to optimize automatic assignment for the needs and priorities of a specific team or customer. If you have multiple teams, you’ll need to use [chat routing strategies](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) before jumping to auto assignment strategies. That said, let's look at the recommended auto assignment strategies based on team function and customer status. #### Auto Assignment Logic Based On Team Function Efficiently assigning conversations to the right agent within a team ensures that customers are conversing with the best agent for their case. Below, we’ll explore the auto assignment logic you can use based on team function. ##### Auto Assignment Logic for Sales Teams Sales teams view contacts as leads. As every conversation is an opportunity for sales agents to convert leads and earn commissions, even conversation distribution among team members is crucial. To achieve this balance, round-robin assignment is an excellent strategy. Many businesses also add a step before this: assigning new leads first to an AI Agent to qualify them automatically and capture key details. Once the AI Agent updates the record, the Workflow can route the lead to a salesperson via round-robin or least-open logic. ##### Auto Assignment Logic for High-Quality Support Teams Companies that view support teams as a competitive advantage aim to deliver exceptional support experiences. To connect customers with the right help quickly, businesses can route conversations in two steps: first to an AI Agent for FAQs or straightforward troubleshooting, then by least-open logic to a human agent if the inquiry is complex or confidence is low. This hybrid approach balances speed and accuracy, letting AI Agents cover repetitive tasks while agents handle high-value cases. This approach grants agents a manageable number of conversations to handle simultaneously, allowing them to focus intensively on each interaction. As a result, customers get quicker responses and resolutions, which elevates customer satisfaction. ##### Auto Assignment Logic for Low-Cost Support Teams For companies considering support teams as a cost center, cost reduction is a priority. In this scenario, support agents often deal with more conversations concurrently than those in high-quality support teams. This is why they are also encouraged to end conversations as quickly as possible. Given the overarching objective of cost savings, the optimal automatic assignment method is round-robin with a condition to assign conversations to online agents only. This approach ensures that conversations are assigned equally among available support agents. However, many businesses also use Workflows to assign conversations first to an AI Agent for lead qualification and data capture. Once the AI updates the contact record, the Workflow can route the conversation to a salesperson via round-robin or least-open logic. This hybrid model ensures every lead is engaged instantly while agents focus on closing. Now that you know some strategies for assigning conversations based on team function, let’s look at how you can assign conversations based on customer status. #### Auto Assignment Logic Based On Customer Status Some businesses can benefit from automatic assignment logic based on customer status as they provide a personalized support experience. Let's look at some of the assignment logic you can implement. ##### Auto Assignment Logic for New and Returning Customers When a customer contacts you, there are two potential scenarios. They could either be a new customer or a returning one. Based on this, businesses can assign new customers to new agents and assign returning customers who have an interaction history to the previous agent responsible for their case. This helps agents build a stronger relationship with existing customers and develop a deeper understanding of their needs and preferences. As a result, customers can get a more personalized and effective support experience. ##### Assignment Logic for High-Value Customers High-value customers are important as they contribute substantially to a business's revenue. Recognizing this, businesses that want to prioritize them can assign high-priority customers to a dedicated agent. With a dedicated agent auto assignment strategy, high-priority customers will have a primary point of contact for all their needs. The agent will work closely with the customer to understand their goals or desires and provide personalized guidance and support to help achieve them. This assignment logic can also be used to prioritize high-value leads. By now, you should know which strategy is the best for your business. However, to implement an automatic assignment strategy that perfectly caters to your business needs, it is essential to have a software with powerful automation capabilities. It should allow you to build auto assignment workflows with multiple strategies, no matter the complexity of your operations. On that note, let’s take a look at how respond.io can help you achieve your desired auto assignment strategy. ### Automatic Assignment: Robust Platform for Complex Operations Respond.io is a customer conversation management software that allows you to connect all the communication channels your customers use. This includes instant messaging channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) and [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) along with traditional channels like email, webchat and [SMS](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms). It allows you to provide a true [omnichannel experience](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-2) to your customers, send [broadcast messages](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) on multiple channels, track agent performance with [comprehensive reports](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) and most importantly build advanced automation. With respond.io’s [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview), you can build automation for complex business processes from scratch or via [templates](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#creating_a_new_workflow_from_a_selected_template). You can apply any of the strategies we’ve discussed earlier with [advanced settings](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-assign-to#advanced_settings) like only assigning conversations to online agents and setting maximum conversation limits per agent. Now that you know what respond.io can do, we’ll explore some of the best practices you can apply when building your automatic assignment workflow. ### Auto Assignment Best Practices to Manage Customer Expectations Establishing the right expectations can enhance customer satisfaction during waiting periods and minimize the negative impact of unmet expectations. Let's explore some best practices that will help you manage customer expectations effectively. #### Auto Assignment: Assigned to Agent Message Sometimes, agents may take a few additional minutes to respond after the conversation has been automatically assigned to them. However, due to the lack of context, customers might leave the conversation thinking no one is attending to them. This can be fixed by simply sending a message informing that the conversation has been assigned to an agent. The message can include the agent's name and the anticipated response time. By doing so, you offer a sense of reassurance to customers who are aware that they will soon engage in a conversation with a human agent. As a result, they become more inclined to patiently await a response. #### Auto Assignment: Business Hours Away Message Not all companies operate round the clock. While some regular customers might be aware of your business hours, others may not be. To address this, it's essential to notify customers you're unavailable when they reach out outside your business hours. Your message can include your business hours and the expected response time. This keeps customers informed and helps minimize potential frustration during wait times. Don't forget to inform customers that they will receive support from agents as soon as help is available. #### Auto Assignment: Overcapacity Message When agents are at maximum capacity, it will take longer than usual for conversations to be assigned to an agent. As a result, customers might prematurely exit the conversation under the assumption that they won't receive the necessary support. To address this issue, send an overcapacity message to inform them that you’re currently experiencing a high volume of inquiries. Your message can include an apology for the delay, an update on their position in the queue and an estimated response time. This assures customers that their concerns are acknowledged and not overlooked. By understanding the underlying reason for the wait, customers gain context, which often proves crucial in keeping customers from leaving the conversation too soon. Beyond these, when using AI Agents in auto assignment, it’s best practice to set clear objectives, confidence thresholds, and handoff rules. This ensures the AI only takes actions it’s suited for, escalates seamlessly when needed and provides a reliable experience for both customers and agents. As you can see, it is important to have the right strategy and implement best practices to automatically assign conversations effectively. Most importantly, you need software that allows you to build automation for complex business processes. If you need a robust customer conversation management software, then respond.io is for you. [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and experience powerful automation like no other platform! ### Further Reading If you enjoyed this article, here are some readings that might interest you. - Inbound Conversation Workflows: A How-To Guide - Chat Routing with respond.io Workflows - Escalation Management: A Guide to Customer Escalation ## [Turn Views Into Revenue: How to Use TikTok for Marketing More Effectively ](https:/respond.io/blog/how-to-use-tiktok-for-marketing) Want to know how to use TikTok for marketing more effectively? Learn how to optimize your account for TikTok marketing to generate and manage leads. Struggling with how to use TikTok for marketing more effectively? As one of the most popular short form video platforms, TikTok allows you to connect with a vast pool of potential customers who are eager to jump on the latest trends. But some marketers wonder if it’s worth it to add another marketing channel. When you’re already juggling Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, will one more make a difference? Are people even looking for products and services on TikTok? We’ll answer these questions and more. Getting into TikTok requires a new perspective, but when you have the right tools and strategies, it offers a wealth of opportunities to reach new audiences, generate leads and close sales faster. Ready to find out how? Let’s dive in. ### What is TikTok Marketing? TikTok marketing involves using compelling video content to promote your product or services directly or indirectly. Brands can market to viewers both organically and with [TikTok Messaging Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-messaging-ads), and considering TikTok’s audience of [1.8 billion users](https://www.businessofapps.com/data/tik-tok-statistics/), it’s worth investing in. First, take a look at four benefits of using TikTok for marketing. ### 4 Benefits of Using TikTok for Marketing If you’ve started using TikTok for marketing, you know it’s more than viral videos and challenges; people are excited to discover new brands and are actively looking for products on the platform. Here are just a few of the benefits you might have already experienced. We’ll show you how to take them to the next level. #### 1 | Boost Brand Awareness TikTok’s system is designed to show content to users based on their interests, making it an excellent tool for increasing brand visibility among your target audience. Whether through influencer campaigns or relatable, entertaining content, TikToks supercharge your brand’s reach. #### 2 | Convert People Who are Actively Looking for Products With the growing use of hashtags like #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, users are actively searching for product recommendations and reviews. In fact, [56% of US consumers have made a purchase](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-advertising#toc-mobile-4) through the app. People scrolling TikTok are ready to buy; all you need to do is get your product in front of them. Enabling them to start a conversation with your business makes it even easier to close sales. #### 3 | Multichannel Sharing Opportunities TikTok videos repurposed across platforms like Instagram and Facebook amplify your reach and provide a consistent message across multiple touchpoints. Connect all these channels to a conversation management platform like respond.io to get leads into a single inbox. #### 4 | Cost-effective Method Last but not least, let’s not forget about budgets. Marketing isn’t cheap but TikTok doesn’t break the bank. With nearly [80% of small businesses reporting a positive ROI](https://www.capterra.com/resources/tiktok-marketing/) from their TikTok campaigns, it's clear that this platform is affordable for most. In addition, the [average cost-per-click on TikTok is $0.22](https://metricool.com/tiktok-statistics/), making it accessible even for businesses with constricting marketing budgets. ### How to Set Up TikTok for Marketing Let’s get into the details of how to best use TikTok for marketing. While a respond.io account isn’t absolutely necessary, we recommend it so you can [manage leads efficiently](https://respond.io/blog/lead-capture#toc-mobile-9), [track performance](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting/reports-messages) and [connect with potential customers across multiple channels](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication). Respond.io is a badged TikTok Marketing Partner that connects to TikTok Business Messaging so you can easily manage leads from any channel in a single inbox, run TikTok Messaging Ads that allow prospects to send you a message with one click and reply instantly with automation. #### Step 1: Set Up a TikTok Business Account Heres’s how to get started with [a TikTok business account](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business#toc-mobile-10) if you don’t have one already. **Create an Account** Open a personal TikTok account and follow these steps to change it to a business account. 1. Open the TikTok app and tap Profile at the bottom of the screen. 2. Tap the Menu☰ button at the top, then select Settings and privacy. 3. Tap Account. 4. Select Switch to Business Account and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the switch. Once done, you can proceed with business verification. **How to Verify TikTok for Business Account** When you create an ad account on TikTok, you'll need to [**verify your business information**](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/business-verification-faqs?lang=en). This process ensures better security by authenticating your brand's identity. Providing official documents like your business license builds trust with TikTok and your audience. If your TikTok account is verified, you'll receive a verified badge. This badge signifies that TikTok has confirmed the account's authenticity, ensuring it genuinely represents the brand it claims to be. **Register your business** To use all of TikTok’s marketing features, you’ll need to register your business.Here are the features you get from having a registered TikTok Business Account: 1. Business Account Lead Generation: Utilize advanced lead generation services to capture potential customer information directly through your profile, videos, and live events. 2. Destination Links: Add external links to your videos or at the top of the comments section. This feature helps drive traffic to your website or specific product pages, boosting conversions. 3. App Download Links: Add a clickable App Download CTA button to your profile or Business Page. This makes it easier for users to download your app directly from TikTok, increasing app installs. 4. Video Settings: Access geo-targeting for your posts using the Video Setting functionality. This allows you to tailor your content to specific geographic audiences, ensuring relevance and increasing engagement. 5. Multi-user Login for Direct Message Management: Enable multi-user login functionality for managing direct messages. This is particularly useful for larger teams, allowing multiple users to handle customer inquiries efficiently. #### Step 2 (Optional): Create a Respond.io Account - TikTok Business Messaging is currently unavailable on respond.io for organizations registered in the United States. - Business Accounts in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom cannot use the API to manage or send direct messages. While connecting to a conversation management platform like respond.io is optional for TikTok marketing, it’s a challenge to handle high volumes of leads without it. [Sign up for a 7-day free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) to get started. #### Step 3 (Optional): Connect TikTok to Respond.io After you sign up, connect TikTok to respond.io. In the platform, go to Settings > Channels , click **Add channel** and select **TikTok**. Click **Connect with TikTok** and login with your TikTok business credentials to authorize access. For more details on how to use TikTok for marketing as a channel on respond.io, visit our [Help Center](https://help.respond.io/l/en/tiktok/tiktok-quick-start?wvideo=b2msm3xawj). In the next section, you’ll learn more about how to develop your TikTok marketing strategy and how using respond.io can help implement it. ### How to Use TikTok for Marketing: 7 Ways to Market More Effectively on TikTok To make the most of TikTok for marketing, you need the right strategy and tools. It’s not just about putting videos out there; the aim should be to capture the right audience and get them to contact your business so you can convert them. Follow these proven tips for success. #### 1 | Identify Exact Types of Videos that Resonate with Your Audience To boost potential for engagement, pay attention to what’s popular among your specific audience. Check out content from popular influencers, as well as what your competitors are doing if they’re on TikTok. Often, the best TikTok marketing doesn’t look like marketing; it [looks like a fun, engaging TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-tiktok#toc-mobile-12). Blend in, jump on the latest trends and memes while still remaining true to your brand. The important thing is capture attention rather than up-front selling. #### 2 | Share TikToks to Channels Like Instagram Creating high-quality videos takes time and budget. That’s why it’s great to repurpose them across channels. Share TikToks as Instagram reels or YouTube videos to make the most of them expand your reach. TikTok even has the option to automatically post to Instagram and YouTube. Cross-channel sharing can help grow your audience when you’re new to TikTok, but do be aware that video styles are different for Instagram and TikTok. It’s best to create some content specifically tailored to each. #### 3 | Engage with Influencers (TikTok Creators) Investing in influencers is a sure way to amplify your TikTok marketing efforts, and they don’t have to be celebrities. Studies show that even micro-influencers get [an engagement rate of 18%](https://thesocialshepherd.com/blog/tiktok-statistics). The most important factor is to ensure the influencers you select reflect your brand and align with your target viewers’ interests. Here are few ways to make use of influencer marketing: - Send free products for reviews - This works best with micro-influencers who often offer authentic reviews in exchange for free products or services. - Collaborations or sponsored posts - Similar to Instagram collaborations, influencers will feature your product and your business’s account will share it as well. - Feature influencers in ads - TikTok has a creator exchange program to help you find creators who fit your business niche and budget. They create authentic content for you to share on your channel and get a percentage of the profits from the video. #### 4 | Leverage TikTok Ad Campaigns to Capture Customers While TikTok can have viral organic reach, ads are essential when you’re getting started. TikTok ads effectively reach a wide audience and help you grow your brand. We recommend using [TikTok Messaging Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads#toc-mobile-0) which allow viewers to click to send a message to WhatsApp or Facebook where they chat most often. Create engaging ads that encourage viewers to start a conversation to kick off the customer journey. When they see a product or service, they’ll have questions; being able to chat directly builds trust. Once you’ve addressed their queries, they may be ready to make a purchase. If not, you’ll have their [contact details in respond.io](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-lead-generation#toc-mobile-9) and can continue marketing to them. #### 5 | Aim to Start Conversations that Convert As a video platform, TikTok isn’t commonly seen as a place to chat, and this leads to missed opportunities. Encourage questions or ask viewers to share their opinion or ideas via a message. [Having a conversation often converts faster](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth#toc-mobile-7) than simply directing prospects to a website. For example, a business selling beauty products with a how-to video could ask viewers to send questions or share whether the idea worked for them. This starts a conversation where the business can provide a consultation and personalized recommendations. For viewers ready to convert, a prompt to send a message to make an appointment or reservation [removes friction from the customer journey](https://respond.io/blog/frictionless-customer-experience) as there’s no need to leave the app. #### 6 | Track and Improve TikTok Marketing Performance Use TikTok Analytics and respond.io to monitor the performance of your content. TikTok metrics like views, likes, shares and demographics on organic posts along with [ad analytics based on a website pixel](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/page-events?lang=en) will help you understand what works and where to improve. However, when viewers send you a message, TikTok’s native analytics don’t show which post or ad the message is coming from. That makes it a challenge to measure conversions you get from messaging. With respond.io, you’ll see which TikTok campaign a message came from as soon as you receive it. Respond.io’s features also enable you to dig deeper into campaign performance, [tracking the customer lifecycle](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle), discovering which ads and posts generated the most conversations and more so you can invest in videos that get results. You can also integrate respond.io with a CRM for even more insights. #### 7 | Automate Replies to TikTok Messages and Ad Responses When leads come in via TikTok Business Messaging, it’s important to reply to them quickly so they don’t lose interest. With respond.io, you can set up Workflows to automatically do the following: - Answer FAQs - Qualify leads and direct them on a customized journey - Book appointments or reservations - Direct leads to an available agent to chat quickly Having a chat in real time may make all the difference between a prospect scrolling on past and committing to a purchase. ### Best Practices for TikTok Marketing Need more tips on how to use TikTok for marketing? Follow these best practices. - Experiment with different content types - Any marketing strategy requires experimentation. Try different video types including UGC, challenges, how-tos and more to see what resonates with your audience. - Optimize for the TikTok algorithm - Use trending songs and sounds, include keywords your audience searches for and make sure to hook viewers in quickly to ensure longer watch times - Include a call to action - Don’t forget the goal of your content, to capture new customers. Invite viewers to contact you, comment or share. Take a look at some practical examples of how businesses implement these strategies. ### 4 TikTok Marketing Examples to Inspire You Now that you know the basics of how to use TikTok, let’s look at how businesses like yours are using TikTok for marketing success. #### JVN Hair: Marketing Beauty Products with Humor and How-Tos [JVN Hair](https://www.tiktok.com/@jvnhair?lang=en) already had an edge being founded by celebrity Jonathan Van Ness of the popular TV show Queer Eye. But the brand didn’t just rely on celebrity influence; it grew a massive TikTok following by posting how-to videos, before and after transitions, funny videos, relatable skits, and much more, all featuring their products. With the tagline in the bio, “Love the hair you have,” it appeals to a diverse audience. The entertaining, practical content on everything from bad hair days to shopping in Sephora to the latest memes is instantly relatable while putting viewers in the frame of mind to shop for these hair products. #### Chipotle: Leveraging Hashtag Challenges For its most successful TikTok marketing campaign, food chain Chipotle ran a TikTok hashtag challenge to raise aware of its free delivery for online orders on Cinco de Mayo. The [#chipotlelidflip challenge](https://adage.com/creativity/work/chipotle-mexican-grill-lid-flip-challenge/2252301) generated 318 billion views. And of course, to take part in the challenge, viewers needed a Chipotle burrito bowl. Downloads of the Chipotle app skyrocketed in record numbers as viewers rushed to order their Chipotle bowl and join in the trend. #### Skoda: Raising Brand Awareness Among Younger Audiences Automotive brands struggle to reach younger audiences who rarely engage with traditional advertising. Swedish automotive maker Skoda aimed to change that with a [Christmas TikTok](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en/inspiration/skoda-raising-awareness-nordics?acq_banner_version=73350444) tailored to a youthful demographic. Their Christmas Conversion Choir video was short, to the point and brought smiles to millions of viewers faces. The message, for viewers to reconsider their choice of car brand, was clearly heard, with their cost per click decreasing 387% compared to average ad costs. More than 50% of viewers were in the business’s 18-24 target audience. #### Cygnus Education: Boosting Student Enrollment with TikTok TikToks are a great marketing option for education businesses targeting young adults for university courses, exam preparation or career training. Cygnus Education created a TikTok ad campaign that seamlessly fit in prospective students’ feeds while including a call to action. With a single campaign for a large online university, [Cygnus enrolled 488 new students](https://ads.tiktok.com/business/en/inspiration/cygnus-education-tiktok) by driving prospects to a lead generation form. The ads were relatable, created in collaboration with influencers who knew what would resonate with the audience. ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ### Further Reading If you've found this blog useful, check out these other articles about using TikTok for marketing and advertising. - TikTok Business vs Personal Account: Which is Right for You? - 6 Eye-Catching TikTok Ad Examples Every Business Should Learn From - Scale Your Business with TikTok Lead Generation Ads ## [Twilio vs MessageBird vs Respond.io: Which One Wins?](https:/respond.io/blog/twilio-vs-messagebird-vs-respondio) Twilio vs MessageBird vs respond.io, which one is the best messaging software? We unveil the key features, pricing, and value to help you decide. We get it – finding the right customer conversation management software can feel overwhelming with so many options out there. It’s tough to compare them when features aren't always clear and technical jargon complicates things further. That’s where we come in. In this article, we’ll break down Twilio vs MessageBird vs respond.io, three of the most popular messaging platforms. We’ll cover their key features, pricing, and value so you can make an informed choice for your business. Let’s dive in! ### Twilio vs MessageBird vs Respond.io At a Glance [Twilio](https://respond.io/blog/twilio-alternative), [MessageBird](https://respond.io/blog/alternatives-messagebird) (now known as Bird) and respond.io are built to manage customer conversations from instant messaging channels and SMS. However, the way these platforms deliver to users is very different. These platforms are ideal for different use cases. Check out the image below to get a quick summary. | | Twilio | MessageBird | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Channels Supported | SMS, WhatsApp, voice call | SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, LINE and Email | All popular channels, including WhatsApp, WhatsApp call, VoIP, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, SMS, Email, Telegram, Viber, LINE and custom channels | | Multichannel Broadcast | SMS only | SMS and WhatsApp only | WhatsApp, Messenger, LINE, Viber, Telegram, SMS | | External Integrations | Extensive integration support | Extensive integration support | Extensive support for custom APIs, webhooks CRM and popular third-party platforms like Zapier and Make. | | Automation Capabilities | Visual workflow builder | Visual workflow builder | Advanced visual Workflows builder | | AI Capabilities | AI Agent (developer preview only) | Agent Assistant, Content Assistant, FAQ Assistant | Autonomous AI Agents that manage chats and processes AI Prompt & AI Assist | | Customer Support | Free and paid support; 24/7 availability | Starting $500 for customer support; 12/5 availability | Support included; 24/5 live chat and call multilingual support, 24/7 AI support | | Platform Stability | No public uptime statistics available | No public uptime statistics available | 99.9996% uptime | | Reporting | Detailed analytics | Analytics on channels, campaign and subscribers only | Real-time, advanced reporting insights | | Free Plan | Free plan available with very limited features | No free plan, but offers a trial | No free plan, but offers a 7-day free trial | | Starting Price | N/A (pay-as-you-go model) | From 45/month | From $79/month | Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know: - Twilio: It’s a platform designed primarily for businesses that prioritize SMS communication. However, due to its technical complexity, implementing Twilio often requires developer expertise, making it less user-friendly for non-technical teams. - MessageBird: It positions itself as a CRM solution aimed at supporting marketing, service, and engineering teams. Its core strength lies in SMS communication, but it also offers integrations with other messaging channels like WhatsApp and Messenger. However, as its main focus is on SMS means, it’s not fully optimized for businesses looking for comprehensive omnichannel solutions. - Respond.io: A customer communication management software that excels in sales and marketing via the most popular messaging channels. It’s known for being feature-rich, its reliability and scalability, enabling businesses to efficiently handle high volumes of messages without disruptions, making it ideal for managing omnichannel customer interactions seamlessly. Want to learn more? Keep reading to see how which of these platforms are the right fit for your business. ### Feature Comparison: Twilio vs MessageBird vs Respond.io Twilio, MessageBird and respond.io have an extensive suite of features that enable businesses to connect to customers. In this section, we’ll break down the key features of each platform, comparing their strengths in messaging, automation, omnichannel support and scalability. #### Connecting All Your Channels In One Place With Omnichannel Messaging [Omnichannel messaging](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) allows businesses to engage customers across multiple channels, including SMS, social media, email, messaging apps or custom channels, in a seamless and consistent experience. This approach ensures businesses can connect with their audience on their preferred channels. Here are some key features to look out for: - A unified inbox, combining various channels like SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, VoIP and custom channels like e-commerce inboxes. - Integration with various CRMs. - The ability to merge duplicate contact details. Together, these features enable teams to manage all customer interactions efficiently from one platform. These capabilities save time, reduce errors, and ensure messages are personalized based on the customer's complete interaction history. | | Twilio | MessageBird | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Available Channels | SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger | SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, LINE, LinkedIn, Email and voice call | SMS, WhatsApp, WhatsApp call, VoIP, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, LINE, Viber, WeChat, Email, Web Chat and custom channels | | CRM Integration | Native integration with Salesforce; build-your-own integration with other CRMs or integrate through a Twilio CRM partner | CRM integrations through the Integrations marketplace | Connect to CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce, and 1000+ other integrations | | Merge Duplicate Contacts | No | Manual contact merge | Automatic contact merge suggestions | When it comes to omnichannel messaging, this is how our three challengers compare. - Twilio: It supports SMS, WhatsApp, and Messenger, but not custom channels. It also provides native integration with Salesforce. For large businesses with wide presence, this is usually not enough. If you use other CRMs, you’ll need to build your own integration or integrate your CRM through Twilio’s CRM partners. It also requires manual merging of duplicate contacts. - MessageBird: Offers a wider range of channels including SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, LINE, LinkedIn, Email, and voice call. However, it doesn’t support any custom channels. You can connect CRMs through its Integrations marketplace. However, it lacks a feature for merging duplicate contacts automatically, meaning you’ll need to resolve duplicate contacts directly in your CRM. - Respond.io: Stands out with the most extensive channel support, including SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, LINE, Telegram, Viber, WeChat, Email, Web Chat, and custom channels. What's more, it's one of the few BSPs offering both WhatsApp Business Calling API and VoIP. Respond.io also integrates with your CRM and other integrations via Zapier and Make. Plus, it has the added benefit of automatic contact merge suggestions, making contact management easier. #### Capture More Leads with Growth Tools [Lead-capturing](https://respond.io/blog/lead-capture) tools are crucial for businesses to increase the number of opportunities to convert prospects. These tools include click-to-chat ads, QR codes and widgets, all of which help streamline the process of engaging potential customers, collecting their contact information, and initiating conversations that can lead to conversions. | | Twilio | MessageBird | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Click to Chat Ads | Yes | No | Yes | | QR codes | Yes | No | Yes | | Widgets | Yes (limited to webchat only) | Yes | Yes | Regarding lead-capturing, this is what to expect from Twilio, Messagebird and respond.io. - Twilio: Requires you to set up event streams to integrate with click-to-chat ads. It also supports QR codes and provides widgets, though its chat widget support is limited to webchat — there are no other channel-specific chat widgets. - MessageBird: It does not support click-to-chat ads or QR codes, but it does offer widgets, allowing businesses to embed forms or chat interfaces on their websites for lead capture. - Respond.io: It provides a robust integration for click-to-chat ads, ensuring agents are aware when conversations originate from these ads. There is also full support for QR codes, and an omnichannel widget, making it an effective tool for capturing leads across various channels and touchpoints. #### Converting Prospects Efficiently with Automation and AI Larger businesses have many inbound messages to process every day. It’s not practical to hire dozens or even hundreds of human agents to do simple processes and tasks. This is where automation and AI come in. They have the ability to automate simple, repetitive tasks like sending greeting or away messages. And with AI, businesses can even automate entire processes like lead qualification and distribution to further lower effort on less important activities. This frees up the human agents’ time to perform more important tasks like closing sales. The key features to look out for include automation capabilities, AI Assistants, AI Agents and the ability to train your AI based on knowledge sources. | | Twilio | MessageBird | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | No-code Automation | Automation builder | Two different automation builders for messaging and processes | Advanced automation builder | | AI Assist | No | Agent Assistant, Content Assistant, FAQ Assistant | AI Assist AI Prompt | | AI Agent | Only available to developers | Yes | Yes | | AI Knowledge Training | Yes | Yes | Yes | Let’s see how Twilio, MessageBird and respond.io compare in terms of Automation and AI. - Twilio: It has an automation builder and AI capabilities. However, to utilize the Twilio AI Assistants, you’ll need to be a developer first and join a waitlist. Agents aren’t given text improvement or generation tools to speed up their responses. The good news is that all customer data is used as knowledge training for Twilio AI Assistants. - MessageBird: There are two kinds of automation tools, one for messaging and the other for business processes. To make things more confusing, there are three types of AI Assist tools that essentially improve the response of agent. To use the AI Agent, you’ll need to build a knowledge base first by uploading documents (like FAQs and product lists), set it up and then deploy it. - Respond.io: Respond.io's Workflows automation builder enables you to build no-code automation that can handle everything from assigning conversations to an agent to qualifying leads. Or you can simply use templates to create AI Agent with specific roles that learns from your knowledge base. AI agents can understand photos and voice messages, make personalized product recommendations and even answer calls. Human agents get tools like AI Prompt to improve their response or generate an entire message based on the flow of the conversation. Like with Twilio and MessageBird, you can upload knowledge sources to improve the AI agent's responses. #### Retaining Customers for Repeat Sales with Broadcasts Even though businesses convert leads into paying customers, still more opportunities abound. Through broadcasts or bulk messages, you can gain additional sales from the same customer. Broadcasting messages are an excellent way to promote your products. And with reporting and analytics, businesses can learn which campaigns work best to pour additional resources into it. | | Twilio | MessageBird | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Supported Broadcast Channels | SMS only | SMS and WhatsApp | WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, SMS, Telegram, Viber, LINE | | Broadcast Analytics | Delivery, Failure | Delivery, Reads, Breakdown by channels | Delivery, Reads, Failures, Channel-specific filters | If you’re looking for the best broadcast tool, respond.io won’t disappoint you. Here’s why. - Twilio: Unfortunately, Twilio only supports broadcast messages on SMS, limiting the number of opportunities you can generate from a campaign. While you can get information like delivery and failure rates, there are a series of highly technical steps to go through to view the reports. - MessageBird: It's limited to SMS and WhatsApp. MessageBird also has analytics that includes delivery rates, read rates and breakdown by channels, which you can further filter by date ranges. - Respond.io: You can broadcast on many channels, including WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Viber, Telegram, LINE, WeChat and SMS. Through the Reports Module, you can gain in-depth analytics like delivery, read and failure rates. You can also further filter the report by channel and date ranges. #### Messaging Insights with Reports & Analytics Messaging customers or launching campaigns alone aren’t enough for growing businesses. They need data to inform their future strategy and tactics for improvement. | | Twilio | MessageBird | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Conversion Tracking | No | No | Yes | | Agent Performance Analytics | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Custom Reports and Dashboards | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Data Export | Yes | Yes | Yes | Here’s how all three platforms stack up when it comes to reporting and analytics. - Twilio: There isn’t a way to track conversions on Twilio. However, agent performance analytics is available via Flex Insights, which provides granular data on individual conversations and agent performance. Twilio supports custom reports and dashboards, which can be tailored to specific KPIs through its Flex Insights dashboards. Additionally, data export is supported via Twilio’s BulkExport API, which allows for the export of historical data, like message records, in a compressed format for further analysis. - MessageBird: While there isn’t a way to track conversions, businesses can oversee individual agent metrics like first response time. MessageBird does offer custom reports and dashboards, allowing businesses to visualize key data points. Reports can also be downloaded as a CSV file. - Respond.io: It can track conversions sourced from websites through the Growth Widget along with tracking the entire customer lifecycle and providing in-depth lifecycle reports. Its agent performance analytics is highly detailed, offering metrics on response times, resolutions, and individual agent performance through customizable reports and dashboards. Additionally, respond.io allows for flexible data export, supporting various formats like CSV and real-time data transfer to external platforms, making it an optimal choice for businesses that require comprehensive, actionable insights. We've covered plenty of great features. However, features can only take customer conversations so far. A reliable, stable platform with quality support is just as important too. ### Platform Stability and Customer Support Imagine this: your business needs to handle thousands of messages every day, but then errors keep occurring. You need two things. 1. A platform that’s stable enough to handle your operations. 2. A great customer support team to assist with your issues. Let’s see how these platforms compare. #### Scalable Stable Platform Businesses should consider platform stability as important as feature set — great features mean very little if you’re not able to use your platform consistently for the vast majority of the time. | | Platform Stability | | --- | --- | | Twilio | N/A | | MessageBird | N/A | | Respond.io | 99.9996% Uptime | Here’s how Twilio, MessageBird and respond.io compare in terms of platform stability - Twilio: While there are no public uptime statistics, customers report Twilio to be scalable and reliable. - MessageBird: Again, there are no public uptime statistics. Unfortunately, MessageBird doesn’t provide a status page, which makes tracking incidents difficult. - Respond.io: Boasting an extremely stable and reliable platform, respond.io has a 99.9996% uptime. It enables businesses to scale without facing any performance limitations. #### Level of Customer Support Eventually, every business will face some issues with the services they are using. When this happens, they need exceptional customer support to get them through that difficult period. A great level of support can go a long way to mitigate any potential losses a business might go through during downtime. | | Support Hours | Multilingual Support | Support Included for Free? | Additional Fees | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Twilio | 24/7 (No guaranteed response time for free plan) | No | Yes | Starting from $250/month for priority, live chat and phone support | | MessageBird | 12/5 (Paid support only) | No | No | Starting from $500/month | | Respond.io | 24/5 live chat and call support, 24/7 AI support | Yes | Yes | No, all plans are treated equally | So, which solution offers the best customer support? We break it down for you. - Twilio: While it offers 24/7 support, under the free plan, you only have access to the AI Help Center assistant. For priority support and to get access to additional channels like live chat, phone support and more, you’ll need to pay at least $250 per month. - MessageBird: Unfortunately, it does not offer any customer support by default. Businesses need to pay at least $500 for customer support. - Respond.io: It’s available 24 hours a day via call and live chat at no additional cost, from Monday to Friday, covering English, Arabic, Chinese and Spanish support. Businesses on higher tier plans are also given a dedicated Customer Success Manager who will help you connect channels or set up Workflows for an even smoother experience. Next, let’s get to the most important part of any service: the value. ### Maximize Every Dollar You Spend All three platforms have very different pricing models, which makes them hard to compare. So, for this section, we’ll look at the base cost of using the platform and any additional costs businesses incur. | | Price per Month | Additional Fees | Support | Automation | Additional Seats per Month | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Twilio | - | SMS Fees: $0.0463 per message WhatsApp Fees: $0.005 per message sent and received | Included | 100 automation triggers /month free; $0.06/automation triggers | $15 | | MessageBird | From $45 | SMS Fees: $0.0288 per message WhatsApp Fees: $0.005 per message sent | From $500 | 1,000 free invocations per month; custom pricing per invocation | $30 (3-10); $27(11-25) | | Respond.io | From $79 | No | Included 24/5 live chat and call multilingual support, 24/7 AI support | Included in Growth, Advanced and Enterprise plans | From $12 | If you are looking for a brief summary, this is the value you’ll get from Twilio, Messagebird and respond.io. - Twilio: It offers a pay-as-you-go model, which sounds great if you have fluctuating needs. However, Twilio adds a markup to every SMS and WhatsApp message sent. While this is great if your customer base is small, it becomes very expensive to scale up. Adding users is also very expensive, with seats costing $30 per user. - MessageBird: While it appears as if it offers a very affordable plan, when factoring in the support and automation costs, the price quickly ramps up. A growing business or enterprise will find it hard to justify the massive costs involved. This is only made worse with the additional seats per user per month, which is the most expensive among the three platforms. - Respond.io: Provides transparent and competitive pricing with its Starter, Growth, and Enterprise plans, and, what’s better, no markup fees per message. Respond.io offers a comprehensive set of features even at the Starter plan at $79 per month. However, even if you upgrade your plan, the feature set and support available to businesses let you recoup your investment in no time. So, now that you know how all three platforms stack up, which should you choose? ### The Verdict: Why You Should Choose Respond.io Respond.io offers exceptional value for businesses seeking a versatile and scalable messaging platform. Its extensive omnichannel capabilities support all major messaging channels including voice, making it ideal for companies looking to enhance their sales and marketing efforts. With advanced automation tools, robust customer support, and powerful reporting and AI features, respond.io streamlines operations and elevates customer engagement across multiple platforms. While Twilio and MessageBird are strong options, they primarily focus on SMS and voice communications. With [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api) now available in multiple countries like Mexico, Singapore and the UK, respond.io also offers voice communications through the most popular social app along with VoIP via Telnyx. In summary, respond.io remains the superior choice for businesses that need a comprehensive, multichannel AI-powered messaging platform with competitive pricing. ### Further Reading Did you enjoy reading this article? Then check out these customer conversation management software comparisons: - Unlock Growth Potential with a Wati Alternative for Businesses Using Multiple Channels - A Robust MessageBird Alternative that Fully Supports All Instant Messaging Channels - An Advanced Sleekflow Alternative for Large Businesses ## [Ultimate Guide to Apple Business Chat](https:/respond.io/blog/apple-business-chat) Did you know there is a special chat support channel for Apple users? It's called Apple Business Chat. It allows iOS and macOS users to chat with your business over the Messages app. In this post, we're going to discuss how it works and how to use Apple Business Chat for your company. Did you know there is a special chat support channel for Apple users? It's called Apple Business Chat. It allows iOS and macOS users to chat with your business over the Messages app. In this post, we're going to discuss how it works and how to use Apple Business Chat for your company. *Rocketbots is not yet integrated with Apple Business Chat. If you would like us to add Apple Business Chat as a channel,* [please upvote this feature request](https://respond.canny.io/feature-request/p/new-channel-apple-business-chat)*.* ### What is Apple Business Chat? Apple Business Chat, known in shorthand as ABC, launched in 2018 as a part of Apple’s iOS 11.3 release. Apple Business Chat provides customers with a free, convenient way to communicate with participating businesses via the Messages app in iOS, macOS, watchOS, and iPadOS. Companies can offer customer support, share rich links, manage appointment bookings, and process Apple Pay payments, all within an Apple Business Chat conversation. A user can start a conversation through Apple Maps, Safari, Siri, and Search. A business can also prompt customers to contact them in Messages via their respective website, app or email by adding a chat link or chat button. In the Messages app, business messages have a grey background to distinguish them from regular messages, which are blue, and standard SMS messages which are green. #### Apple Business Chat Audience Although convenient for some, Apple Business Chat is only available for users with Apple products. This is an issue because Android accounts for 74.13% of mobile devices. However, iOS users are valuable with higher average incomes, higher spending on apps, and more brand loyalty than Android users. In 2018, Morgan Stanley reported 92% of surveyed iPhone owners as "somewhat or extremely likely" to upgrade their iOS device routinely and stick with the Apple brand when they do so. Companies wary that Apple Business Chat is limited to iOS users only should remember that this loyal customer group is likely to keep using iOS devices. Once iOS users start a chat with a company in Messages, they present a more captive, consistent audience than their Android counterparts. There are more reasons than that to choose Apple Business Chat though. #### Apple Pay on Apple Business Chat In recent years messaging platforms have moved to offer in-app payment options. [WeChat launched](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account) WeChat Pay in 2013, followed by another [popular messaging app, LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account), with LINE Pay in late 2014. One of the major benefits of Apple Pay in Apple Business Chat is convenience. Many iOS users have their credit card information saved on their device and can simply select the card they would like to pay with. This means a customer service representative could help a shopper to figure out their purchase and prompt them to pay right in the conversation. Making it less likely that the shopper forgets to check out later. To set up Apple Pay a company will need: - an account with a payment processor or gateway - an Apple Merchant ID - a Payment Processing Certificate - a Merchant Identity Certificate More information can be found in [Apple's official documentation](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/). Now that you know the benefits of Apple Business Chat. Let's get into the details. ### Apple Business Chat Basics The most important thing to know is only users can start a chat. There is no way for a company to send the first message A user can also end a conversation at any time by deleting the conversation or opting to stop receiving more messages. Customers can start a Business Chat by searching for a business in Maps, Search, Siri, and Safari or by using a link provided by the business. Depending on where they search a user may see a Business Card or a Place Card. #### Place Cards & Business Cards Business Cards are not linked to any specific location, they show when a user searches for a business in Search or Safari. Business cards display the global contact details of a business, with a logo, phone number, email, website URL, and a Business Chat button. Using the Message button users can begin a conversation in the Messages app. This process looks fairly similar with Place Cards. The only difference is Place Cards refer to a specific location. If a user searches for a business in Maps, a company place card shows up. It is linked to a specific location. In iOS search results, Place Cards also display a company's name and address. When a customer taps on a place card, the card expands to show a business's location in Maps, along with the address, hours of operation, phone number, and a Message button. Here users can begin a conversation in the Messages app. Now you know how your Apple Business listing will look, let's check out how users can find these cards via Maps, Search, Siri or Safari. #### Starting a Chat on Maps, Search, Siri & Safari An Apple Business Chat can be started by finding a business in Apple Maps, search, Siri or Safari. **Searching on Apple Maps** was easy. We selected the first result and tapped on the business listing. A full profile with directions, call-to-action(CTA) buttons, and basic company information came up. Not all companies that we searched for in Maps had the Apple Business Chat Message button available to click and begin a chat with, but with The Home Depot it worked perfectly. **Using iOS Search** had mixed results. We struggled to find any company where the search result would let us jump directly into the chat. Perhaps this is because we are outside of the USA. ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯ Interestingly, Search did help us to jump right back into the chat after we had a conversation already. **Using Siri** also had mixed results. We tried several ways of asking the question, but we could never get the business chat message button to come up. The best we could do was get a link to Apple Maps. **Searching in Safari** had inconsistent results. We searched for several companies on Safari but finding a business result with the Business Chat Message bubble icon was rare. Two examples that Safari search did work for were Apple and The Home Depot. Users can tap the Business Chat Message button to begin a conversation in the Messages app without having to even hit Go on their Safari search. Talk about efficiency. Even though your Business and Place Cards are a great way for your customers to start a conversation with you. They will not always know that they can find you this way. So make sure that if they are browsing your website. They can start a conversation there too. #### Adding a Chat Button to Your Website Apple provides a way for any business to add a Business Chat Message button to their website. These buttons can also be used inside your app or even at the end of an email. The two examples above show how a business can place their Apple Business Chat Message button on their website, app or email, with an optional message above or below the Message Bubble icon. Once you've got the chat started, Apple has several UI elements to make chatting easier. #### The Chat UI Aside from the amazing prompting for payments feature that we talked about earlier. Apple has placed a few UI elements in the chat for a smoother customer experience. One of these features is sending an app download link in the chat. I know where your saying, any chat allows you to send a link. However, the link Apple provides is special, because the user can install the app on their phone, without having to go to the app store and back. The Chat UI also offers card templates. The Home Depot, for example, uses cards to let customers view product details. They even offer an in-store map to show where a product is located in their stores. Apple Business Chat also offers pickers. One of the most difficult parts of a chat is getting a user to choose an option from a long list or choose a date. For these use cases, Apple offers list pickers and date pickers. The list picker prompts a customer to select one or more items, such as products or locations. Items can include text and images, and can also be organized into sections. These pickers offer quick options, which serve a similar efficient function to the lists of quick replies available on Facebook Messenger, optimizing an otherwise slower aspect of the conversation. A time picker prompts customers to choose an available time slot, such as to schedule a meeting. The time picker view can also show conflicts based on a users' Apple Calendar app. After picking a time, customers can revisit their choice in the conversation view to add the event to Calendar. When an event includes information such as an address, directions, or contact details, customers can view this information in the Calendar app. One really cool feature to note is that if users allows push notifications they can receive a Maps notification. This notification can alert them when to leave for an appointment, based on their current location and distance from the meeting location. ### Getting Started With Apple Business Chat There are differences in the process of getting an account on various messaging apps. [To get a verified WeChat Official Account, you'll need to go through approval](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account), while [setting up a Facebook page is easy](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat). For an Apple Business Chat business account, you'll need to go through verification. But, unlike Google My Business, you can create an account even without a physical location. In addition, you'll need to list your business hours and Apple will test if you have live customer service agents available at this time. #### Applying For An Apple Business Chat Account [To apply for an Apple Business Chat account](https://register.apple.com/business-chat) you'll need to register, add your brand info & collateral and verify a connection with an MSP. **1 Register an account** by: - selecting an account type - providing contact information **2 Fill in your brand info.** A brand information card includes: - a company's chosen brand name - messaging response time - phone number - website **3 Create your Brand Identity. I**t is time to upload a logo, you'll be asked for: Companies can choose a background and button hex-color, as well as review how each logo appears in both light and dark mode. **4 Verify an MSP connection.** The last step in setting up an Apple Business Chat account is verifying a messaging platform configuration connection. A Messaging Service Platform (MSP) is required to connect your business to the Business Chat service. There is an option to select a messaging platform from an Apple-approved drop-down list, use your own internal messaging platform, or a URL supplied by your Messaging Service Platform. As always with Apple, there is one additional step where Apple tests things out to ensure a great customer experience. The account will need to be verified. #### Getting Verified on Apple Business Chat Once you have everything set up you'll need to send the Apple Business Chat team a message. They will then conduct a User Experience Review where they will act exactly like regular customers and test out your support system. Once this process is complete, users will be able to see the Business Chat Message button in Business Cards or Place Cards and begin using the Business Chat buttons on your website. ### Further Reading You've done it! You've finished this introductory guide to Apple Business Chat. If you're interested in further reading we recommend the following articles on popular messaging platforms for business: - What is WhatsApp Business? - Ultimate Facebook Messenger for Business Guide - Ultimate Guide to LINE For Business ## [Ultimate Guide to Instant Messaging for Business](https:/respond.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business) Ever wanted to enable your users or customers to contact your business through instant messaging but don't know where to start? This is the guide for you. The idea of instant messaging for business has been brewing for some time. A wave of Facebook chatbots brought that idea into the western world but in China, WeChat had already become a communication method for brands and consumers. WhatsApp has done the same in other markets like India and Latin America. And with so many already using personal messaging accounts for business conversations we have to ask. Why and how can we use instant messaging for business in an efficient and scalable way? Recently, a wave of live chat companies changed how we interact with business. It's nice to chat with brands on their website, but there is a problem a visitor will leave your website. You can try to reengage over email, but email inboxes are overcrowded. Can messaging apps bridge the gap between live chat and email? In this article, we'll take you down the funnel of a messaging app user, compare how messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, WeChat & more stack up and get you started with adopting instant messaging for business. This article is about businesses having external conversations, so if you're looking for [a guide to internal messaging apps we have one here](https://rocketbots.io/blog/top-10-instant-messengers-for-business/). ### Why Use An Instant Messenger for Business? The value of using messaging apps like Messenger or WhatsApp to chat with customers is clear compared to email and live chat. Let's start with email, it's reliable and versatile. You trust that it will be delivered and you can format it to suit a purpose. On the other hand, receiving and reading an email can be cumbersome. You'll have to open it and skim through content until you find the info needed. Live chat provides a different experience, no large paragraphs, highly specific content in response to your question and no formatting to get in the way. Although live chats are quick and engaging, you never really know who you're talking to, when they will quit the conversation nor why they left. Messaging apps are the sweet spot in the middle. You're chatting to a registered account, you know you're talking to the same person and they can pick up or drop the conversation at any point just like email. Except the experience is super snappy and engaging just like a live chat. If you're convinced, go ahead to the [next section](#which-instant-messaging-apps-connect-business-customers). If not, here is more evidence that instant messaging for business works. #### Messaging App Audience Size We're in a messaging world and with over 3 billion messaging app users in total it's more likely than not that whoever your customers are they are going to be on one messaging app or another. In fact, it's likely that if your customers are very young this may be one of the only places where you'll be able to contact them reliably and directly. #### Messaging App Engagement Rates It feels like it's been over a decade now we've been taught the same growth strategies for our companies. Use lead magnets and other sweeteners to collect your website visitors emails and you'll have a large audience that you can engage with nearly free. | | Marketing Emails | Messenger Broadcasts | Improvement | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Open Rate | 15% | 92% | 613% | | Click Rate | 1.3% | 1% | 805% | Nothing is free, in fact we've been using email marketing for so long that email open rates and email click through rates have sunk to historic lows. This isn't going to change and it's only going to get harder. Switching to messaging apps gives us a new window to access that same audience and that window is glorious. [Sending our newsletter from Facebook Messenger instead of email allows us to increase or open rates by 613%.](https://rocketbots.io/blog/open-rates-facebook-messenger/) How would it affect your business to increase your open rates by 600 percent? #### Don't Miss Out On Dark Social Dark social is a term coined in [an article](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/10/dark-social-we-have-the-whole-history-of-the-web-wrong/263523/) published in the Atlantic. What does dark social mean? Simple, not all social sharing is done in a public space like Facebook. In fact, take a second and think about the last time you shared something highly engaging on Facebook. If you're anything like us, you share the best content directly with a friend or with a group of friends in a WhatsApp group. Think of all the direct traffic you get on Google Anlytics, a portion of those is coming from sharing inside messaging apps. And what better way to get people to share your links in private groups or messages than sending it to them in a private group in the first place. Hope that is enough to convince you to give instant messaging for business a try. ### Which Instant Messaging Apps Connect Business & Customers? There are probably hundreds of messaging apps out there that none of us have ever heard of, in this article we'll be comparing how the top 7 instant messaging apps perform when businesses are chatting with customers. ### Top Messaging Apps By Country With any new communication or marketing tool, it's important to understand the audiences accessible through it. When deciding on a messaging app consider geography, demographics, and industry. For a detailed overview of geography, we've compiled a list of the top three messaging apps in each country. It should help you to figure out the best instant messenger for business in your country. But for a quick overview you can review our top messaging apps by country below. #### The Top Three Messaging Apps Worldwide The following messaging apps cover about 3 billion of the world's population. We recommend getting started with one of these. **Facebook Messenger** is popular around the world. It's one of the top 3 most popular of almost every country, China and Iran are significant exceptions. That doesn't mean Facebook Messenger is always ideal to start with in your region. It's best to start with the most popular in your country. However here are the large markets where Facebook Messenger is the most popular: United States, Australia, Canada, Philippines, Thailand, New Zealand & Vietnam. Information about other smaller markets is [available here](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-facebook-messenger-for-business-guide-2018/?utm_source=Rocketbots Website&utm_medium=Blog Post&utm_campaign=Blog&utm_content=IMguideblog#f95an). **WhatsApp** is another huge contender, it's the most popular messaging app worldwide. You'll find WhatsApp is the [most popular app in most countries](https://rocketbots.io/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-whatsapp-business-app/) across Europe, Latin America and some parts of Africa. Some notable exceptions include Argentina, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Romania and Sweden where Facebook Messenger is more popular. **WeChat** is a messaging app where you should consider region and ethnicity. Not only is WeChat the most popular messaging app in China. [Chinese expatriates are also very highly engaged on WeChat](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-wechat-official-account-for-business-guide-2019/) even when they are abroad. If you are trying to connect with Chinese consumers, WeChat is going to be your best bet and your only bet because most other messaging apps are blocked in China. #### The Niche Contenders Although we highly recommend the 3 most popular described above, there are definitely unique companies out there that should consider the niche messaging apps described below. **Telegram** is another interesting case where it's about more than just region. Telegram is the most popular messaging app in Iran and Uzbekistan, two counties where the flow of information is tightly controlled by the government. In fact, telegram has a [history of being used as a tool to subvert the authorities](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-telegram-bots-for-business/). Telegram has also become the defacto messaging app in the cryptocurrency industry. **Line** is an app that got its start in Japan and also dominates Taiwan. Line is also very popular in Thailand and Indonesia. In fact, the Line itself has declared these markets to be their [focus markets going forward](https://rocketbots.io/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-line-for-business/). **Viber** is a messaging app you should be interested in if your audience is in Eastern Europe. The app got its start as a Skype clone but is rapidly [gaining traction in that region.](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-viber-bot-for-business/) **Kik** is a special case. Although it isn't the top messaging app in any country it is very [popular among the youngest generation in the United States](https://rocketbots.io/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-kik-bots-for-business/). If your brand is looking to create awareness among the next generation, this one should interest you. ### Instant Messaging Accounts for Business You've gotten this far, you're interested in using instant messaging for business, and you probably have an idea of which messaging app will work for you. The next step is creating the account. | | Account Type | Cost | Approval | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Messenger | Facebook Page | Free | - For contact details - For broadcast privileges | | WhatsApp | - WhatsApp Business App - WhatsApp Business API | - Free - WhatsApp and BSP cost | - None - Account approval by WhatsApp | | WeChat | - Official Account Subscription - Official Account Service | USD90 | Account approval by Tencent | | Telegram | Telegram Bot | Free | None | | LINE | - LINE@ Account - LINE Official Account | - Free - USD100,000 | - None - Account approval by LINE | | Viber | Viber Bot | Free | For bot store listing | | Kik | Kik Bot | Free | For bot store listing | Creating a business account for [Facebook Messenger](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-facebook-messenger-for-business-guide-2018/), [Telegram](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-telegram-bots-for-business/#7rscm), [Viber](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-viber-bot-for-business/#40vbi) or [Kik](https://rocketbots.io/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-kik-bots-for-business/#f8qin) is as easy as filling out a form. However, Facebook requires additional information about usage if you'd like contact data to be sent to another app via API or the rights to broadcast to your audience. Creating business accounts for WhatsApp and Line is when things get more complicated. Both have two tiers of business accounts, one for smaller companies and one for large brands. For smaller companies, WhatsApp has the WhatsApp Business App. [Getting started with WhatsApp Business App](https://rocketbots.io/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-whatsapp-business-app/#3lubd) requires an Android phone, sorry there is no iOS app, and a sim card as the account is tied to a phone number. The WhatsApp Business API is currently in an early access phase, it's accepting large brands and requires approval. Line has Line@ for smaller companies. [Getting started with Line@](https://rocketbots.io/blog/#fcr9q) is as simple as filling out a form. For large brand Line has the Line Official Account, which is more like a managed service from Line that a self-service account. Getting a [WeChat for Business](https://rocketbots.io/blog/wechat-official-account/) is the most challenging. All the account types ([WeChat Official Account](https://rocketbots.io/blog/wechat-official-account/), Subscription Account, and WeChat Service Account) need approval and you'll need to submit business registration documents as well as personal ids of the individuals who will be responsible for the account. It took us about four weeks to have our account approved. ### How To Benefit From Instant Messaging For Business You've got an account, time to use it. What are the practical steps necessary to benefit from allowing customers to chat with your business over messaging apps? First, it's important to understand the messaging app funnel so you can better integrate messaging apps with the other funnels in your business. The messaging app funnel is simple: 1. Acquire Contacts 2. Onboard & Segment Contacts 3. Reengage Contacts With Targeted Mass Messages This may sound familiar, but if it doesn't, we find it useful to think about it like email marketing. First, you collect the emails. Then you segment your contacts and send content that is relevant and reengaging. #### Generate Leads Using Instant Messengers for Business Call it whatever you like [lead generation](https://albacross.com/newsroom/what-is-lead-generation/), user acquisition, discovery. Before you can try any activity with your contacts like sales or marketing, you'll need to get contacts first. Why? Because unlike email marketing where you can scrape an email and use it, when using messaging app business accounts you'll need to convince the person to send you a message first. | Platform | User Account ID | Requirement To Start Chat | | --- | --- | --- | | Messenger | Facebook Name | The Facebook user must send the first message to your Facebook Page. | | WhatsApp | Phone Number | The user must send the first message to your WhatsApp Business Account.* | | WeChat | Phone Number | The user must follow your WeChat Official Account. | | Telegram | Phone Number | The user must send the first message to your Telegram bot. | | Line | Phone Number | The user must send the first message to your Line@ or Line Official Account. | | Viber | Phone Number | The user must send the first message to your Viber bot. | | Kik | Email | The user must send the first message to your Kik bot. | This may sound annoying, but we do agree that an explicit opt-in is needed when allowing a company the privilege to send messages directly to your messaging app accounts. There is a silver lining though. You'll notice that most messaging app user accounts require a phone number. Meaning you'll get access to the actual person rather than a dummy email account they made. So how do you get people to message you first? In general, there are three methods: search, links & advertising. ##### Instant Messaging Lead Generation Using Search Search is where you'll likely get the least traffic if you're a small business, but if you're a big brand, it's important to understand how it works. For messaging apps, in general, users can find you by either searching for your business account name or by searching a topic and seeing one of your posts. | Platform | Name Search | Post Search | | --- | --- | --- | | Messenger | Users can search for your Facebook Page; no extra permissions are required. | Search user or page posts. | | WhatsApp | No business account search function exists. | There is no post function on WhatsApp to search through. | | WeChat | Users can search for your Official Account Name or ID. | Search through articles or moments. | | Telegram | Users can search for your bot name. | Only the posts from subscribed accounts are searchable. | | Line | Only Line Official Accounts are searchable. | Only the posts from subscribed accounts are searchable. | | Viber | Viber bots are searchable in the Discover section, upon approval. | There is no post function on Viber to search through. | | Kik | Kik bots are searchable in the Discover section, upon approval. | There is no post function on Kik to search through. | The utility of search is highest with Facebook Messenger and [WeChat for Business](https://rocketbots.io/blog/wechat-official-account/) because they both allow users to search for business posts and user posts. You'll be able to increase your search traffic by publishing content that may interest your customers. Telegram allows users to search bot names directly but, unfortunately, doesn't allow users to search through public groups. Line, Viber, and Kik only allow searching for approved accounts which are rather tricky to get. They also either don't have posts, or you cannot search through them. WhatsApp has the lowest utility because you cannot search through business accounts. Users on WhatsApp will need to find their favorite businesses another way. ##### Instant Messaging Lead Generation Using Links & Scan Codes Direct links and scannable codes convert existing traffic into instant messaging contacts. Links work well for website traffic. They can be used as a way to contact customer service, ask for and receive a lead magnet, even a way for people to subscribe to your newsletter. They're easy to use, try it yourself by contacting us through [Facebook Messenger](https://m.me/rocketbots?ref=ultimatemessagingappguide), [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/85257228299?text=Thanks%20for%20making%20the%20Ultimate%20Messaging%20App%20Guide%20for%20Business.%20%F0%9F%91%8D), [Telegram](http://t.me/getRocketbot) or [Line](https://line.me/R/ti/p/%40mxh0441k). Scannable codes work like QR codes. Once a person recognizes the code, they'll open the relevant messaging app, and scan the code. The most popularly known example is [Facebook Messenger Scan Code](https://rocketbots.io/blog/how-to-create-and-use-a-facebook-messenger-code/). For countries like China where QR codes are popular this is a no brainer. In Japan, companies reward customers for scanning by offering to send coupons to those who do. Scannable codes are a great way to convert offline traffic like that in a store to an instant messaging contact for your business. Start trying with your [Messenger Code](https://rocketbots.io/blog/how-to-create-and-use-a-facebook-messenger-code/) and you will see how it works. | Platform | Scannable Code | URL Link | Reference | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Messenger | Messenger Codes are provided by Facebook. | m.melink provided by Facebook. | Can be added manually. | | WhatsApp | QR code can be generated manually using URL link. | Provided by WhatsApp Business App. | Provided by WhatsApp Business App. | | WeChat | Provided by WeChat Official Accounts Platform. | Not Possible. | Not Possible. | | Telegram | QR code can be generated manually using URL link. | Provided by the Telegram Bot Dashboard. | Not Possible. | | Line | Provided by Line@ Platform. | Provided by Line@ Platform. | Not Possible. | | Viber | Provided by the Viber Bot Dashboard. | Yes, but only works on phones with Viber app. | Not Possible. | | Kik | Kik Code can be generated via API. | Not Possible. | Can be generated via API for Kik Codes. | If you create a plethora of links all over your website and blog posts you're going to want to know where that traffic is coming from, which links are actually working for you. To track this Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp offer references. They work kind of like UTM Tracking, place a reference at the end of you're link and you'll be able to see which link they actually click on and if you connect a chat automation platform, you'll be able to respond instantly with a fit for purpose response as well. ##### Instant Messaging Lead Generation Using Advertising The most exciting, but least known advantage of instant messaging lead generation. Imagine a typical [lead generation](https://aeroleads.com/blog/lead-generation/) campaign on Facebook. Publish an ad, users click to a landing page and are asked to fill out a contact form. Every time it's filled in, you generate a lead. How many more leads could you get if you could skip the landing page? Using Facebooks Send to Messenger ads it's possible. Rather than clicking to a landing page, users are sent directly to a Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp chat. Using chat automation, ask the same questions as a contact for, and you have a lead. In our experience, we've seen landing page bounce rates anywhere from 20% to 80%. By eliminating the landing page, you'll see a 1.25x to a 5x increase in leads for the same price. If you're in a highly competitive [lead generation](https://aeroleads.com/blog/lead-generation/) space such as Real Estate, Car Dealerships, Fitness or Education, this is an advantage you can't pass up. But now that you've got all these leads being generated, how are you going to handle them all? #### Instant Messaging Chat Greeting & Contact Management You've adopted instant messaging for business, and leads are blowing up your messaging app business account. How do you deal will the volume? Do you need to hire more people? How do you keep things organized? There is one crucial success factor when connecting with customers over messaging apps, response time. We've had thousands of conversations with customers and even more with people curious about our product. I can't tell you how many times, even when a customer is just reporting a bug, the conversation has ended with thanks for the quick response. Sometimes they even send a smiley 😅. Responding quickly is a no brainer right? Let me let you in on a secret. It's hard. A consistently high response rate requires responding automatically when a contact first reaches out to you. Then to assist further conversation you'll need your contacts organized. Luckily various instant messengers for business have built-in tools to help. ##### Meet Response Time Expectations With Greeting & Away Messages Setting the correct expectations and meeting them is the priority when using instant messaging for business. After all, allowing users to contact your company via a messaging app isn't going to do you any favors if the first interaction results in disappointment. Ideally, you'd be able to start the conversation with a targeted message based on the path the user took to contact you. However, this won't be possible using just the tools provided by instant messenger business accounts, but you will be able to respond automatically to the first message and set response time expectations for later. | Platform | Greeting | Away | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Messenger | Yes | Yes | Away message is sent instead of greeting when your status is set to away in Facebook Inbox. | | WhatsApp | Yes | Yes | Away message is sent instead of greeting when outside of the business hours set. | | WeChat | No | No | WeChat Official Accounts platform only allows a generic auto reply, but allows the creation of a chat menu. | | Telegram | No | No | Does not provide any built-in tools. Function can be added via API. | | Line | Yes | Yes | Away message is sent instead of greeting when outside of the business hours set. | | Viber | No | No | Does not provide any built-in tools. Function can be added via API. | | Kik | No | No | Does not provide any built-in tools. Function can be added via API. | Ideally, response expectations should be set individually if you don't operate 24/7. Meaning your greeting messaging could say something like, *hello how can we help you today?* While your away message gives your regular hours of operation. The business account settings for Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp & Line have this capability built-in. For all the other messaging apps you'll need to connect a 3rd party tool via API like Rocketbots. Interestingly, the Line business account platform takes things a step further by allowing a greeting message to be a survey. Adding a survey to the greeting message is something we highly recommend because it eases the work of sales and support teams by clarifying a contact’s intentions and enriching contact profiles based on their answer. ##### Collect Data, Enrich Profiles & Build Segments As with your email CRM, it's important to enrich the profiles of contacts to analyze the successes and failures among different groups later. You'll also want this data to send mass messages that are more personalized and less spammy in the future. Ideally, much of this would happen automatically. At Rocketbots we use an onboarding survey to add tags and custom fields values to a person's profile based on the answers responses. Unfortunately, you won't be able to do so automatically by using the instant messaging business account platforms we're discussing. However, some do allow you to do so manually. | Platform | CRM | Tags | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Messenger | Yes | Yes | Facebook Inbox provides the ability to add labels & notes to each contact. | | WhatsApp | Yes | Yes | WhatsApp Business App allows tags to be added to contacts. | | WeChat | Yes | Yes | WeChat Official Accounts platform allows you to add tags and to build blacklists. | | Telegram | No | No | Does not provide any built-in tools. Functionality can be added via API. | | Line | Yes | No | No tagging functionality. CRM only accessible on mobile. | | Viber | No | No | Does not provide any built-in tools. Functionality can be added via API. | | Kik | No | No | Does not provide any built-in tools. Functionality can be added via API. | As we've seen in previous items of comparison some business account management platforms are more powerful than others. Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and [WeChat for Business](https://rocketbots.io/blog/wechat-official-account/) have a way to manage contacts in a CRM like way, with the ability to add tags and sometimes notes. However, even on these platforms, the functionality is relatively bare bones. Other messaging apps offer little to no CRM capability. Meaning their out of the box functions may be enough to help you answer a question or two, but they're not meant to help you build relationships. #### Reengage Contacts With Targeted Mass Messaging Now that you're a master of instant messaging lead generation techniques, you have thousands of contacts to reactivate. Again, it's useful to make a comparison with email marketing. You don't want to send too many emails to any one person because they may begin to dislike your company or even block you. The same is true with instant messaging broadcasts. Not all messaging app business account managers have the ability to send targeted broadcasts, but some do. | Platform | Broadcasts | Targeting | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Messenger | No* | No | This feature has been in very limited release since 2018. | | WhatsApp | Yes | Yes | WhatsApp Business App allows broadcasts based on tags. | | WeChat | Yes | Yes | WeChat Official Accounts platform allows broadcasts based on tag, gender & location. | | Telegram | Yes* | No | Telegram allows channel creation for broadcasts. User must find and subscribe to channel. | | Line | Yes | No | Line@ Manager allows broadcasts to be sent to all contacts only. | | Viber | No | No | Does not provide any built-in tools. Functionality can be added via API. | | Kik | No | No | Does not provide any built-in tools. Functionality can be added via API. | Of the tools we've evaluated, WhatsApp and WeChat have the most powerful broadcasting functionality. Both allow you to send broadcasts based on the tags you have added to contacts. Be aware that [WeChat for Business](https://rocketbots.io/blog/wechat-official-account/) only allows a few broadcasts each month. The Line@ manager allows broadcasts but they cannot be targeted. To create broadcasts in Facebook Messenger, Viber or Kik you'll need to connect a tool like Rocketbots via their API. Facebook has [been testing a tool](https://techcrunch.com/2018/03/01/facebooks-next-money-maker-messenger-broadcasts/) for this for over a year now, but it doesn't seem to be any closer to release. Telegram is an interesting case. You cannot send mass messages to contacts directly, but you can create a channel that your contacts can subscribe to where you can send broadcasts. #### Support Customers Using Instant Messengers for Business As we discussed previously, messaging apps are the sweet spot between email & live chat. That makes instant messaging a useful tool for customer support. In fact, enabling companies to provide support over messaging apps is the reason we started Rocketbots. When offering customer support through messaging apps, there is one crucial detail you'll need to remember. All the conversations you have with an individual are contained in the same thread. Now, this can be a blessing and a curse. Ever had different tools for email marketing and customer support only to struggle to get a full 360 view of communications between you and your customer? You'll never have that problem with messaging apps. However, that does mean you have to be careful when it comes to different departments working together. Imagine you're diligently helping a customer solve a technical issue, and someone decides to send a broadcast message about your latest products. Those are the kind of specific instant messaging specific problems that we created Rocketbots to avoid. Back to the question at hand, can you use instant messenger business accounts for customer support? Yes, but it's difficult with the tools provided by messaging app companies. If you're familiar with Live Chat tools, you'll expect a nice messaging interface, snippets to reuse answers, assignments to work in teams, tickets for productivity & some platforms even have keywords or AI replies. | Platform | Interface | Snippets | Assignment | Tickets | Auto-Replies | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Messenger | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | WhatsApp | Yes* | Yes | Yes | No | No | | WeChat | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | | Telegram | No | No | No | No | No | | Line | Yes* | No | No | No | No | | Viber | No | No | No | No | No | | Kik | No | No | No | No | No | *\* Only available on mobile app.* When you consider all those tools, Facebook Page Inbox, the interface for Facebook pages messaging is the only interface that really comes close. ### Further Reading You did it! You finished the guide. If you're interested in further reading we recommend you figure out the messaging app business account you'd like to use and continue with one of those guides: - Ultimate Guide to Facebook Messenger for Business - Ultimate Guide to WhatsApp for Business - Ultimate Guide to WeChat for Business - Ultimate Guide to Telegram for Business - Ultimate Guide to Line for Business - Ultimate Guide to Viber for Business ## [Ultimate Guide to Kakao for Business](https:/respond.io/blog/kakao-for-business) Are you a business looking to reach out to a Korean Audience? Consider a KakaoTalk Business Account. KakaoTalk is by far the most popular messaging app in South Korea. We’ll take you through the ins and out of using Kakao Talk for business, creating a KakaoTalk Channel, finding your customers, and messaging them. Are you a business looking to reach out to a Korean Audience? Consider a KakaoTalk Business Account. KakaoTalk is by far the most popular messaging app in South Korea. We’ll take you through the ins and out of using Kakao Talk for business, creating a KakaoTalk Channel, finding your customers, and messaging them. If you’re interested in connecting your KakaoTalk Business Channel to respond.io please help us speed up the integration process by [upvoting the feature request.](https://respond.canny.io/feature-request) ### What is KakaoTalk? KakaoTalk is a South Korean messaging app with similarities to other regional messaging apps. Kakao has a digital wallet service called Kakao Pay similar to [WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-2) and has featured characters called Kakao Friend similar to [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-business). The KakaoTalk app has four main panels called Friends, Chats, Find, and More. The Friends panel shows your friends and channels. While the Chats panel is normally where you would go to continue an existing conversation. In the Find panel, you can search for, add, or invite users as well as receive friend recommendations. This panel also has a list of public chat rooms on varying topics, with a special focus on K-Pop. Anyone can join, create, or participate in these public groups. The More panel features other Kakao apps, account settings, calendar as well as shop for emoticons and themes. Kako also has something you might not expect in a messaging app - a persistent music icon at the top of the app shown no matter where you navigate. #### Melon K-Pop is a [multi-billion dollar industry](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/bts-tops-billboard-100-list-how-k-pop-helped-korea-improve-its-economy/articleshow/65266543.cms?from=mdr) that has significantly transformed the South Korean economy. To honour this, KakaoTalk has a built-in music player. Pressing the music icon takes users to the Melon panel, reminiscent of Spotify and Apple Music. *Melody On* commonly known as Melody is a popular local music service for buying or streaming songs and albums. It’s currently the largest music service in South Korea and was acquired by Kakao in 2016 and integrated into the app shortly after. Although, users still need to create a Melon ID and subscribe to the service, once complete users can listen to music without ever leaving KakaoTalk. This integration makes it easy to play and share songs in chats, posts, and rooms. #### Kakao Public Chat Rooms K-Pop is ingrained in South Korean culture and a hot topic of conversation. Since KakaoTalk is the most popular messaging app in South Korea, a lot of the online discussion about K-Pop happens in KakaoTalk’s public chat rooms or open chats. Public chat rooms can hold up to 1500 people. Like [Telegram Groups](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-groups), users can join chat rooms anonymously. Chat rooms are easy to discover using direct links, QR codes, or specific hashtags and keywords by searching in the Find panel. #### Where is Kakao Popular? KakaoTalk is the most popular messaging app in South Korea. How popular is KakaoTalk? In Q4 of 2019, Kakao reported 51.4 million global monthly active users (MAU) and 44.8 million or 87% of them are domestic users. KakaoTalk is about as popular in South Korea as WhatsApp is in other countries. WhatsApp has 85.6% market penetration in the Netherlands, and 85.3% in Italy. While KakaoTalk has 87.5% market penetration in South Korea. Although [WhatsApp is the leading messaging app](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) in many countries, it hasn’t cracked the South Korean market yet. Reports show that only 7% of South Koreans use WhatsApp in 2019. KakaoTalk is the best messaging app for business in South Korea. ### Kakao for Business: Accounts To use Kakao for business, you need a Kakao business account. Previously Kakao had two types of business accounts, Plus Friend and Yellow ID. In 2017, Kakao simplified this system to just one business account - KakaoTalk Channel. #### KakaoTalk Channel vs Business KakaoTalk Channel When creating a KakaoTalk business account you can create a KakaoTalk Channel or Business Kakaotalk Channel. The type of account you want to create depends on the size of your business, smaller companies are better suited to the basic KakaoTalk Channel. The basic KakaoTalk channel has most of the features you need for business including a customizable user ID that’s searchable in-app, posts for user newsfeeds, messaging, channel performance analytics, and even promotion coupons you can send to customers. KakaoTalk Business has additional features that are suited to larger enterprises such as verified badges and search priority for brand protection, as well as recommended channel and KakaoTalk push notification (Biz Message) for increased engagement. Additional documentation is required for the KakaoTalk Business Channel but the good news is, both types of KakaoTalk Business Accounts are free for 1:1 messaging. Here’s how to create a KakaoTalk Channel and Upgrade to KakaoTalk Business Channel. #### How to Create KakaoTalk Channel **1\. Navigate** to the [Kakao for Business sign up page](https://accounts.kakao.com/login/kakaoforbusiness) to register. Keep in mind, you must have a personal KakaoTalk account before you can create a Channel. **2\. Fill in** the details for your Channel and create a unique search ID. Unlike [LINE’s Premium IDs](https://respond.io/blog/line-business), KakaoTalk Channel allows you to choose your accounts User ID. Choose wisely though as this user ID cannot be changed once it’s registered. **3\. Done.** You can start responding to customers who message you in the KakaoTalk channel manager. If you’re interested in getting access to the extra features that come with a Business KakaoTalk Channel, this is how you can upgrade. #### How to Upgrade to Business KakaoTalk Channel Switching to a Business KakaoTalk Channel is free. However, only businesses with a Korean business registration number and other local documents can upgrade. The exact requirements are laid out in the [KakaoTalk Channel Manager](https://center-pf.kakao.com/). **1\. Navigate** to the Business Channel Subscription page and press *Apply*. **2\. Fill in** the business registration number and upload all necessary documents. Ensure that the information displayed on your Channel matches your documents or it may be rejected. It takes about 3 to 5 working days for approval and details will be sent to your registered email. Now that your account is ready, let’s discuss some best practices. ### Using KakaoTalk Channel: Best Practices Kakao has its own rules which affect how businesses interact with their contacts that’s different from email or SMS. Hence, we’ve outlined the best practices for finding customers and messaging them over KakaoTalk. #### Kakao for Business: Finding Customers on Kakao Unlike email and SMS, you can’t just import your customer list to the KakaoTalk Channel Manager and start messaging. To reduce spam, KakaoTalk requires that the user starts the conversation with the Kakao Business Account first. Luckily there are several features companies can use to direct their customers to their Kakao Business Account including QR codes, direct links, website buttons, in-app search, and advertising. ##### Kakao for Business: Direct Links, QR codes and Website Buttons It’s easy to get your customers to message your KakaoTalk Business Account when they're already online by using direct links, QR codes, and website buttons. These features are found in the KakaoTalk Channel Manager. If you already have a lot of users visiting your website using a Website Button will help funnel customers to your chat. While Direct Links can be sent in newsletters to convert people from your customer list to KakaoTalk Contacts. Last but not least, QR codes can be used to direct people who are offline to KakaoTalk Contacts. Show a KakaoTalk Business QR Code in your place of business together with the KakaoTalk logo so KakaoTalk users can scan and start chatting with you. ##### Kakao for Business: In-App Search Hardcore KakaoTalk users probably won’t even need a link, they’ll search for your business in-app when they want to interact with your brand. Make sure that your KakaoTalk Business account is set to *Allow Search* - it’s off by default. You can do so by selecting Dashboard > Management > Detailed Settings. Keep in mind, it usually takes about 2 to 3 days for your channel to become searchable. #### Kakao for Business: Advertising on Kakao Moment Links and search will help onboard your existing customers to your KakaoTalk Channel, but what if you want to find new customers? Fortunately, Kakao offers robust advertising tools to convert your visitors or prospects into customers. To start advertising on Kakao, you need to register for a Kakao Moment account. You can access the platform via its [direct link](https://moment.kakao.com/adaccount/all) or head to your KakaoTalk Channel Dashboard > Top right-hand corner > Kakao Moment. There are three advertising accounts available Business, Personal, and Overseas. Once you’ve chosen the account that’s right for you, you can direct even more users to messages you. Let’s explore the best practices of responding to those users. #### Kakao for Business: Messaging Customers Once you’ve got a ton of KakaoTalk Contacts messaging your KakaoTalk Business Account, you can respond to them in the KakaoTalk Channel Manager or on a Business Messaging Platform connected via API. KakaoTalk has created a set of features in KakaoTalk Channel Manager specifically for messaging and has also placed some limitations on what you can send. We’ll explore these in terms of 1:1 Messaging, Broadcasting, and Group Messaging. ##### Kakao for Business: 1:1 Messaging One key item to remember is that KakaoTalk users are not necessarily forced to follow your Kakao Talk Channel before they message you. However, this function can be toggled on or off, or evening depending on the time of day. You can respond to your chats from the KakaoTalk Channel Manager. There you can organize contacts into groups, add labels, assign them to team members and manage the progress of the conversation. Kakao also provides a feature to help you handle messages. The KakaoTalk Channel Manager has response templates for frequently asked questions (FAQs). Respond templates can be created and send via Kakao Channel manager, but unfortunately, they cannot be used in the Kakao Channel Manager App. One omission from the KakaoTalk Channel Manager is read receipts. So you won’t be able to know if your Kakao Contact has read your message. However, users will be alerted once you have seen their message, so it’s better to respond quickly. ##### Kakao for Business: Broadcasting Although KakaoTalk Channel Manager has the broadcasting capability, Kakao will charge you for it. Each general message costs ₩15 (USD$ 0.012), whereas every targeted message will set you back ₩20 (USD$ 0.016). Targeted messages cost more as you can broadcast to a filtered group of audience. You can send rich messages but with strict advertising guidelines in place, any content with promotional elements has to be declared. For large organizations with more than 30,000 contacts, Kakao has an advanced broadcasting tool called Smart Messaging. It’s a step-up from manual targeting as it uses machine learning to target the most relevant audience. ### Kakao for Business: Infographic ### Further Reading If you’re interested in using messaging apps for business in Asia, you should check out our other articles: - The Ultimate Guide to WeChat for Business - The Ultimate Guide to LINE for Business ## [Ultimate Guide to TikTok for Business ](https:/respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business) In this ultimate guide, you'll learn how to leverage TikTok for business. Discover the benefits, features and best practices of a TikTok Business Account. What would happen if your brand became the next viral sensation on TikTok? Imagine the huge visibility and engagement your business could gain — and how this could translate into more sales! In this guide, you will learn which TikTok account you should choose, the benefits of TikTok for business and how to effectively use TikTok to boost your brand and drive growth. From setting up your account to creating engaging content and tracking your success, we've got you covered. Let’s dive in and discover the potential of TikTok for your business! ### What is TikTok for Business? TikTok is an attractive option for businesses looking to expand their reach and connect with potential customers in a fun and engaging way. TikTok is aware of this and, just like other popular messaging apps, has been capitalizing on features to make the platform more appealing for businesses. If you plan to start using TikTok for business, know that there are two types of TikTok accounts you can use. Let’s compare them and see which one works best for your business. #### TikTok Business vs. Personal Accounts [Creator Accounts](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-business-vs-personal-account#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20TikTok%20Personal%20Account%20(aka%20Creator%20Account)%3F) are designed for general TikTok users, content creators, and public figures. They offer flexibility with privacy settings, allowing accounts to be either public or private. Analytics are available in-app, providing insights into content performance, and they include access to the Promote feature for ads. This type of account is free and supports verified profiles. Business Accounts cater to brands and businesses of all sizes. These accounts are public-only, ensuring maximum reach and visibility. Business accounts have downloadable analytics, providing detailed data for strategic planning. Like Creator accounts, Business accounts have access to the Promote feature for running ads. They are free and support verified profiles, making them a strong tool for professional brand management on TikTok. In summary, Creator Accounts are best for individuals focusing on personal branding and creative content, while Business Accounts are tailored for brands aiming to leverage TikTok for business marketing and sales. One question still remains: Is TikTok for business free? The answer is yes. You can create your account and start using it without cost. But this is not the only reason to use a TikTok Business Account. Let’s talk about other benefits. ### Why Is TikTok Good for Business? TikTok's ascension to a social media staple makes it [a great platform for businesses](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-use-tiktok-for-business), providing a huge opportunity for enhanced brand visibility and subsequent growth. It is the social platform of choice for brands that want to engage with younger demographics, especially GenZers. In fact, as of April 2024, 17.3 percent of TikTok's global audience were [women between 18 and 24](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1299771/tiktok-global-user-age-distribution/), while male users of the same age made up approximately 18.9 percent of the platform's audience. TikTok does an impressive job of keeping its users engaged. In 2024, a user spends an average of [58 minutes on TikTok daily](https://whatsthebigdata.com/average-time-spent-on-tiktok/#:~:text=In%202024%2C%20a%20user%20spends%2058%20minutes%20and%2024%20seconds%20on%20average%20accessing%20TikTok). But what are the tangible benefits of using TikTok for business? Let’s dig deeper. #### 4 Benefits of TikTok for Business Here are some of the reasons why you should start using TikTok for business. ##### 1\. Increase Brand Awareness TikTok’s large and engaged user base offers businesses a unique platform to enhance their brand visibility through creative and viral content. ##### 2\. Grow Your Audience Organically The TikTok algorithm promotes organic growth, allowing brands to reach new audiences without needing a substantial ad budget. ##### 3\. Drive Traffic and Sales Businesses can utilize [TikTok Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads) to target specific demographics and drive traffic to their websites, ultimately increasing sales. With a variety of ad formats, you can capture user interest and drive conversions. ##### 4\. Track Ad Performance TikTok provides comprehensive metrics to help businesses analyze the performance of their ads and optimize their campaigns for better results. Businesses can track impressions, clicks, engagement rates and conversion data to measure the effectiveness of their advertising efforts. With the benefits made clear, let’s now go through the features you’ll unlock with a TikTok Business Account. ### TikTok Business Account Features By creating a TikTok Business Account, you gain access to the [TikTok Business Suite](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/navigate-web-business-suite), a centralized platform offering all the features and functions associated with a TikTok Business Account. Besides utilizing the Business Suite on the TikTok app, the Web Business Suite allows you to manage your business content and insights through a web browser. In this section, we discuss the features you’ll unlock with your Business account and the TikTok Business Suite. #### Conversion and Performance Tools - Lead generation: Easily gather leads using forms available on your profile, videos, and LIVE events. - Profile attributes: Highlight your business details and direct traffic to your website or app. - Analytics: Monitor growth, content performance, audience demographics and LIVE engagement through the Business Suite. #### Creative and Publishing Tools - Creative Hub: Discover content ideas and industry trends within the Business Suite. - Post Scheduler: Plan and schedule TikTok posts up to 10 days ahead. - Commercial Music Library: Access over 1 million songs and sounds for commercial use in the Creative Center. #### Interaction Management - Auto messaging suite: Set up automated greetings, FAQs and keyword-triggered messages. - Web comment and messaging interface: Manage interactions and create downloadable contact cards on TikTok for desktop. - Organic geo-targeting: Target specific geographic audiences by selecting a country under 'targeted audiences' before posting. Note: Available in select markets only. #### Account Enablement On your business profile, you can showcase essential business information and contact details while curating a photo gallery. And while these features may sound promising, TikTok for business has a learning curve and you should go one step at a time. More about this in the next section. ### How to Use TikTok for Business in 6 Steps In this section, we’ll guide you through 6 steps that will set you up for success with TikTok for business. #### Step 1: Create TikTok Account for Business To get started, you’ll need to have a Personal Account and switch it to a Business Account. To change your TikTok account type, follow these steps. 1. Open the TikTok app and tap Profile at the bottom of the screen. 2. Tap the Menu ☰ button at the top, then select Settings and privacy. 3. Tap Account. 4. Select Switch to Business Account and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the switch. Once done, you can proceed with business verification. #### Step 2: Verify your Business When you create an ad account on TikTok, you'll need to [verify your business information](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/business-verification-faqs?lang=en). This process ensures better security by authenticating your brand's identity. Providing official documents like your business license builds trust with TikTok and your audience. If your TikTok account is verified, you'll receive a verified badge. This badge signifies that TikTok has confirmed the account's authenticity, ensuring it genuinely represents the brand it claims to be. Take it one step further and register your TikTok Business Account. Why? We explain it in the next point. #### Step 3: Register your TikTok Business Account Registering your business account on TikTok unlocks powerful features designed to enhance your marketing efforts. 1. Business Account Lead Generation: Utilize advanced lead generation services to capture potential customer information directly through your profile, videos, and live events. 2. Destination Links: Add external links to your videos or at the top of the comments section. This feature helps drive traffic to your website or specific product pages, boosting conversions. 3. App Download Links: Add a clickable App Download CTA button to your profile or Business Page. This makes it easier for users to download your app directly from TikTok, increasing app installs. 4. Video Settings: Access geo-targeting for your posts using the Video Setting functionality. This allows you to tailor your content to specific geographic audiences, ensuring relevance and increasing engagement. 5. Multi-user Login for Direct Message Management: Enable multi-user login functionality for managing direct messages. This is particularly useful for larger teams, allowing multiple users to handle customer inquiries efficiently. #### Step 4: Optimize Your TikTok Profile Optimizing your TikTok profile will ensure your audience is able to identify you and get an appropriate first impression of your business. Consider adding the following elements to your TikTok profile. - Profile Picture: Upload a high-quality profile picture, preferably your brand logo. - Username: Choose a username that reflects your business name. - Bio: Write a concise and engaging bio that explains what your business does. Include relevant keywords and a call to action if applicable. - Website Link: Add your website URL to drive traffic to your site. - Contact Information: Include your business email or other contact methods for easy communication #### Step 5: Open a TikTok Shop [TikTok Shop for Business](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-open-a-tiktok-shop) lets businesses sell products directly on TikTok, allowing users to browse and buy without leaving the app. It provides access to TikTok's large audience, boosts product visibility through engaging content, and leverages viral trends to increase sales. Businesses can list products, tag them in videos, host live shopping events, and track performance with analytics. Special deals and discounts can also be offered. For users, the shopping experience is seamless and engaging, with easy product discovery, real-life demonstrations, and interactive live events, making shopping fun and straightforward. This approach helps businesses reach more people and grow their brand. #### Step 6: Generate Leads Here’s the best way to [generate organic leads on TikTok](http://respond.io/blog/tiktok-lead-generation): Focus on creating content that is informative, creative and solves problems. For example, if you own a fashion store, sharing genuine fashion tips and advice will likely attract more viewers than just highlighting how great your products are. TikTok users who resonate with your content are more likely to visit your TikTok Business profile. To leverage this opportunity, businesses can create an [Instant Form on their profile](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/set-up-lead-generation-from-business-account?lang=en), allowing potential customers to fill in pre-populated contact information. But here’s the kicker — you can [download your collected leads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/manage-and-download-collected-leads-from-lead-generation?lang=en) to re-target them later. Just keep in mind that leads expire after 90 days. > To qualify for a lead form, businesses must have a Business Account with either 1,000+ followers or a Registered Business Account. TikTok has also been capitalizing on [paid advertising features](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-advertising#toc-mobile-0). This allows businesses to reach a broad and engaged audience through various ad formats, such as: - In-Feed Ads: Appear in users’ feeds as they scroll, blending seamlessly with user-generated content. - TopView Ads: Premium placements that appear at the top of the feed when the app is opened. - Spark Ads: Boost organic content by turning existing TikTok posts into ads. To begin with TikTok paid advertising, you’ll need to set up a TikTok Ads Manager account. Then, you can start creating engaging ads and targeting your desired audience. Once you have some ad campaigns running, visit the Analytics module on your TikTok Business suite to track the effectiveness of your ad campaigns. ### Take TikTok Sales and Marketing to the Next Level While TikTok provides basic business tools, it may fall short for businesses that sell through chat across multiple channels and need advanced features for automation, analytics, security, and customer communication. Respond.io, a TikTok partner, checks these boxes and many more. #### Unlock the Power of TikTok Business Messaging Too many TikTok messages? We’ve got you covered! As one of the first platforms to offer a TikTok Business Messaging integration, respond.io helps businesses manage TikTok conversations effortlessly and turn them into revenue-driving opportunities. From organic video responses to TikTok Messaging Ads, you can fully leverage the platform’s wide reach and high conversion potential. With TikTok Business Messaging now part of respond.io’s omnichannel suite, you can manage TikTok chats alongside WhatsApp, Instagram, and more—all from one inbox. Currently in Beta, TikTok Business Messaging is available in most regions except the U.S., EEA, Switzerland, and the U.K. If you have an eligible TikTok Business Account, connect it to respond.io today and start turning conversations into customers. ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ### Further Reading Did you find this reading interesting? If so, these articles might be for you. - 6 Eye-Catching TikTok Ad Examples Every Business Should Learn From - TikTok Ads vs Facebook Ads: Key Differences Every Marketer Should Know - The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Business Messaging ## [Ultimate Guide to Viber for Business ](https:/respond.io/blog/viber-for-business) Wondering how to use Viber for business and what business account types are available? This article tells you everything you need to know about Viber Business. If Viber is popular with your customers, you've probably been wondering how to use Viber for business. Do you want to know how to get a Viber business account and how Viber business pricing works? What’s the difference between Viber Business Messages and Viber Chatbots? This guide will answer these questions and explain the best ways to use Viber for business. ### What is Viber? One of the first messaging apps, [Viber](https://help.respond.io/viber/viber) launched in 2010, even before [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account) and [Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat). It is free to use and focuses more on calling compared to other messaging apps with a VoIP feature called Viber Out (more on this later). There are three main tabs in the Viber app. The Chats tab contains conversations with contacts, Viber Business Accounts and Viber Communities. Ads will occasionally be shown in the chats list. The Calls tab shows contacts and recent calls. Here users can add new contacts or invite friends to Viber. Users can also use Viber Out here to call contacts. The More tab contains everything else like settings. It is also used to promote Viber Out and the [Sticker Market](https://www.viber.com/en/blog/2019-06-25/all-day-every-day-with-viber-stickers/). Although Viber’s Sticker Market is not as large as LINE’s, its sticker packs are rather expensive. #### Viber’s Unique Features Viber has a couple of unique features that set it apart from other messaging apps. These are Viber Communities, which are large interactive groups, and Viber Out, which allows voice chats. ##### Viber Communities Longtime users of Viber will be familiar with [Viber Communities](https://respond.io/blog/viber-community), outsized chatrooms commonly used as fan pages by celebrities and businesses. Users can follow Viber Communities and interact with businesses by asking questions in the public group chat or participating in polls. Viber Communities are not searchable by default. However, you may [reques](https://help.viber.com/hc/articles/9340728226077-Communities-knowledge-base-for-admins)[t to have your Viber Community added to the search list](https://help.viber.com/hc/articles/9340728226077-Communities-knowledge-base-for-admins). Keep in mind, Viber only indexes Communities with more than 1,000 participants. Once your Viber Community is on the search list, you may link it to a Viber Chatbot account, one of the Viber business account options. We’ll explain the Viber business account types in the Accounts section. Viber Communities appear in the main chat list, right next to all the private and group chats. In a way, it makes brands and public figures feel more reachable. Viber claims Communities are driving growth, but it seems like Viber Out is the feature making gains. ##### Viber Out The flagship VoIP feature, Viber Out, allows calls to mobile and landline numbers. It’s similar to Skype, where users [buy credits or monthly subscriptions for calls](https://help.viber.com/hc/articles/9193878650653-Everything-you-need-to-know-about-Viber-Out-call-rates). Viber’s user base continues to expand by attracting users that use Skype for calling. Skype is losing its market lead to Viber, which targets users calling places like the Philippines and Tajikistan with cheaper prices. A Viber monthly plan for the Philippines with 120 minutes costs only $9.99 per month, while a similar plan with Skype costs $15.59. The Viber Out feature is driving user growth in Eastern Europe and Asia. With over 2.3 million Filipinos abroad and over a million Tajiks using apps like Viber to call home, the company is just getting started in this user niche. #### Where Is Viber Popular? With over a billion users worldwide, Viber ranks among the top five messaging apps, mainly concentrated in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. To get a better look at Viber’s popularity, let’s take a look at Monthly Active Users (MAUs). As of 2021, Viber reported [820 million active users](https://99firms.com/blog/viber-statistics/#gref), a huge growth over the 260 million it reported two years earlier. During the pandemic, user numbers grew rapidly as people turned to online groups to socialize and share information. Viber pushed this growth with initiatives like Covid-19 chatbots and e-commerce support. App usage remains strong in its key markets. The most concentrated user group is in [Ukraine, with 97% of Android users having the app](https://99firms.com/blog/viber-statistics/#gref) on their phones as of September 2021. Viber is also extremely popular in the Philippines and Myanmar, growing faster than local competitors like WeChat and LINE. If your customers are in these areas where Viber is dominant, consider using Viber for business. ### Types of Viber Business Accounts The way Viber business accounts work has changed due to Viber’s new policies and pricing plans implemented in September 2022. There are now two business account options: [Viber Business Messages](https://www.forbusiness.viber.com/en/business-messages/) and [Viber Chatbots](https://www.forbusiness.viber.com/en/chatbots/). We’ll briefly explain Viber Business Messages and then discuss how you can use Viber Chatbots as a Viber business account. Both options are effective ways to send business messages of a transactional, promotional or conversational nature. #### Viber for Business: Viber Business Messages A Viber Business Messages account allows businesses to message customers using their phone numbers. It is usually used by large companies to send a high volume of transactional messages, like user authentications and status alerts. You’re not limited to transactional messages, however. It can also be used for promotional messages and conversational messages within a 24-hour [session window](https://www.forbusiness.viber.com/en/business-messages/). A great advantage of Viber Business Messages is they use SMS as a fallback when there’s no internet connection, so you can be sure your messages will be delivered. The drawbacks? Sending messages incurs fees, which vary per region. In addition, it requires a lengthy setup and verification process and you’ll need to subscribe to a Viber partner, which further adds to the costs. For small to medium-sized businesses, we suggest using Viber Chatbot. Keep reading to find out what it is and how to create one. #### Viber for Business: Viber Chatbot A [Viber Chatbot](https://www.forbusiness.viber.com/en/chatbots/) can be used as a business account customers can interact with. As the name implies, Viber Chatbot accounts can use automated messaging. However, they can also be connected to a messaging platform to message customers manually or via automated Workflows. Provided you don’t spam your customers, you can use your Chatbot account to send transactional, promotional and conversation messages. Viber Chatbots are relatively similar to other messaging app business accounts, but have one feature we haven’t seen anywhere else - a customizable keyboard! The in-app [developer tools allow you to customize the keyboard](https://developers.viber.com/docs/tools/keyboards/) a user sees when they interact with your bot. #### Viber Chatbot Pricing Making a chatbot on Viber is free. You don't have to pay anything to get started. However, there’s a maintenance fee of EUR 100 for each chatbot you have. With this monthly fee, you can send as many session messages as you want to people who chat with you. While there’s no extra cost for these messages, there are some messaging restrictions to keep in mind. As soon as someone messages your business, a 24-hour messaging window starts. Exchanging session messages with customers is free during the 24-hour window. However, when the session ends, you need to restart a conversation with chatbot-initiated messages. Chatbot-initiated messages are not free. How much each message costs depends on where the person receiving the message lives, based on their phone number’s country code. To see how much you’ll pay for these messages, check the [Chatbot-initiated message rate card](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/15247629658525#rate-card). One last important point: Viber Bots created before 05.02.2024 are subject to the [previous commercial model](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/8746671603485) until further notice. #### How to Create Viber Business Account To establish a Viber Business Account, you must [apply for a Viber Chatbot through Viber](https://share.hsforms.com/12pxGHMtAS3yq_3KcxQ6g1A4fpwx). After that, the Viber team will review your application and get back to you. > Note: Having a personal Viber account is required to apply for a Viber Chatbot Keep in mind that Viber prohibits the following businesses: Forex and crypto, adult entertainment, political content, alcohol and drug promotions, tobacco, weapons and more. Businesses related to gambling, gaming, loan and microcredit bots may require further documents and validation. You’ll notice there is no place to manage messages sent to your Viber bot because Viber does not have an interface to send or receive messages. To start chatting with customers, [create a respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and [connect your Viber Chatbot](https://help.respond.io/channels/viber#connecting_viber). ### Using Viber for Business: Best Practices You’re probably used to communicating with customers via email, phone or SMS. Chatting over [messaging apps is a bit different](https://respond.io/blog/business-messaging#toc-mobile-2). In this section, we’ll go over some best practices for using a Viber Chatbot to connect with your customers. #### Viber for Business: Finding Your Customers on Viber Although Viber [assigns User IDs based on phone numbers](https://developers.viber.com/docs/faq/#account-subscribers), you can’t just import contacts from a CRM. To get your customers as Viber Contacts, you’ll need to get them to message you first. This is a limitation created by Viber to avoid spam marketing. There are a few helpful tools to get customers to message you first. You can send chat links and QR codes, install a [Viber chat widget](https://respond.io/blog/viber-widget) on your website or attract new customers with Viber advertising. ##### Chat Links and QR Codes In the Viber Admin Panel, you can generate a QR code customers can scan to start a conversation with your Viber Chatbot. Keep in mind that you won’t be able to start chatting unless you actually connect your account to an inbox using the token. QR codes work like [Messenger Codes](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-code), converting offline traffic like foot traffic in a store to Viber contacts. You can also add the QR code to your website or emails. The QR code only works if users have the Viber app installed on their phones. It will not work on the desktop version of Viber because desktop computers cannot scan the code. You can also create a shareable click-to-chat link so contacts can reach you on either desktop or mobile. All chat links will only work if users install the Viber app. Users accessing the site via mobile will go directly to the app. On desktop, the link directs them to [Viber for Desktop](https://help.viber.com/hc/articles/9084593040285-Set-up-Rakuten-Viber-on-your-desktop), which they’ll need to install if they haven’t already. Viber allows you to create [URI links, not URLs](https://developers.viber.com/docs/tools/deep-links/). The URI goes to a part of your bot, either to open a conversation or to your profile info page, depending on how you configure it. Note that if the link is set to go to your profile info page, it will not work on desktop. ##### Viber Web Chat Widget Another way to get customers to message you when they visit your website either via mobile or desktop is to add a [Viber web chat widget](https://respond.io/blog/viber-widget). This is a pop-up box on your website that allows visitors to message you by clicking on the Viber icon or scanning a QR code. To set this up, you need to have [Viber Chatbot connected to respond.io](https://respond.io/blog/viber-widget#toc-mobile-1). As with general QR code links, the chat widget will only work for users with the Viber app installed. ##### Viber for Business: Advertising You can also promote your Viber Chatbot through Viber advertising. Ad formats include desktop ads, post-call ads, ad banners and promotional stickers. Each of these will take the user to your Viber business account profile. The most interesting format is Viber stickers. When users download branded sticker packs, they’ll be subscribed to the Viber Chatbot automatically. Viber advertising is intended for larger companies. To apply, fill in [this form](https://share.hsforms.com/15Naem5LdS3umDHmkGTZ9YA4fpwx). ### Messaging Customers Using a Viber Chatbot Once customers have initiated contact on Viber, you can start messaging them. In this section, we’ll discuss 1:1 messaging, broadcast messaging, and group messaging. #### Viber for Business: 1-to-1 Messaging Most messaging app business accounts block all replies after some time using a messaging window and don’t provide read receipts. Viber Chatbots are more business-friendly because they [allow a limited number of messages outside the window](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bot-pricing#toc-mobile-1) and provide read receipts. When you send a message, you expect to know whether it was delivered, right? Luckily, Viber sends message statuses through your connected business messaging platform so you can see if a message has been delivered, read, or failed to send. In addition, some messaging app business accounts will mark the messages sent by customers as read automatically, so they may be annoyed if you don’t respond right away. Messages from a Viber business account will be marked as delivered but not seen. #### Viber for Business: Broadcast Messaging Once you’ve got 1:1 messaging figured out, you can start exploring [mass messaging](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message) with Viber. Make sure that your connected business messaging platform has [broadcast functionality](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview). Remember that you can only message Viber contacts who have messaged you first. Viber doesn’t limit your broadcast content. However, you’ll be charged for messages that exceed your monthly limit. Remember to be careful with broadcasts, as Viber contacts can block you if they feel they are being spammed. If your Viber Chatbot gets blocked, you’ll see an error message like: *Failed to send the message. The user is not subscribed anymore.* #### Viber for Business: Group Messaging In addition to sending broadcasts, you may want to have interactive discussions with large groups of customers to share information and get feedback. Viber has three group messaging options: [Groups, Channels, and Communities](https://www.viber.com/blog/2019-11-04/communities-vs-group-chats-whats-best-for-you/). ##### Viber Groups Groups are limited to 250 members and Viber bots cannot join or host a group. However, you can start groups with a personal Viber account under your business name. These may be used by micro-businesses or to communicate with smaller groups of customers. ##### Viber Channels Channels are an option for one-way group communication from a business, and are not available in all countries. They can have an unlimited number of members. Only admins can post in the channel, but members can respond to polls or quizzes. When they reach a certain number of members, which Viber does not specify, Channels may become public Channels. This means they will be searchable on Google and people who are not members can view a preview of the channel. ##### Viber Communities [Communities](https://respond.io/blog/viber-community), which we’ve already mentioned above, are similar to Channels in that they have an unlimited number of members. Unlike Channels, they allow two-way communication, which boosts interaction but [requires moderation effort](https://respond.io/blog/viber-community#toc-mobile-3). ### How to Use Viber for Business for Marketing, Sales and Support Now that you know how to get contacts and message them, let’s briefly look at some of the applications for Viber Chatbots connected to respond.io. With Viber, you have many options for marketing, sales and support use cases. #### Viber Business for Marketing As Viber has fewer restrictions on promotional messages than other messaging apps, it’s easy to use it for marketing. Even with the new limitations on free messages, it’s still relatively low cost. With your Viber account connected to respond.io, you can broadcast promotional messages to Contacts to let them know about new products and the latest deals. You can also engage with members in Viber Communities by hosting [activities like contests or giveaways](https://respond.io/blog/viber-community#toc-mobile-7). Encourage community members to [share about your brand with promotional stickers](https://respond.io/blog/viber-community#toc-mobile-11). #### Viber Business for Sales Salespeople want to reach leads where they’re most likely to engage. If a large number of leads are on Viber, that’s the best place to reach out to them. A Viber Chatbot connected to respond.io allows you to set up [automation to shorten your sales cycle](https://respond.io/blog/viber-sales#toc-mobile-4) by quickly answering questions and qualifying leads. In addition, you can use respond.io to [integrate your Viber inbox with a CRM or data enrichment software](https://respond.io/blog/viber-sales#toc-mobile-5). #### Viber Business for Support Your Viber business account is a great way to provide customer support to those who frequently use the app. When someone has a support request, they’ll likely send the first message, so you’ll be able to reply to them free of charge within the messaging session. When you’re connected to respond.io, [you can provide faster support](https://respond.io/blog/viber-support#toc-mobile-6) with automated messages, get a full overview of customers’ chat history, send customer satisfaction surveys and more. Are you ready to get started with Viber for business? Sign up for a free trial with respond.io and connect your Viber Chatbot account today! ### Further Reading We’ve discussed all the most important issues in using Viber for business. Read these articles if you’re interested in using other messaging apps for business: - Everything You Need to Know About WhatsApp Business - The Ultimate Guide to Using Telegram Business - The Ultimate Guide Using Kakao for Business ## [Unlock Growth Potential with a Wati Alternative for Businesses Using Multiple Channels](https:/respond.io/blog/wati-alternative) Looking for Wati Alternatives? Explore how respond.io is the best Wati alternative with its omnichannel capabilities, advanced automation features and more! Looking for Wati alternatives that can manage complex business processes and support more messaging channels? You’ve come to the right place! In this blog post, we'll introduce you to respond.io, a powerful omnichannel Wati alternative built to enhance customer communication. ### Wati Alternative: Wati vs Respond.io Wati and respond.io are platforms that facilitate customer conversations for business. They have similarities like providing businesses tools to automate conversations, send broadcasts and get conversation reports. However, they were built with different purposes and businesses in mind. Respond.io was built for businesses looking to consolidate multiple messaging channels and accounts in one place. It provides tools for large businesses to manage and drive conversations from these channels for marketing, sales and support. Wati, conversely, was built specifically for the [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). While Wati has recently added Instagram as a channel, its Instagram features are not yet fully developed. Small businesses who mainly rely on WhatsApp and Instagram for customer communication may find Wati sufficient, but will miss out on opportunities for growth. If you're in a region where [WhatsApp is not the only popular messaging app](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-6), you won’t be maximizing your reach. Marketing on social channels like TikTok and Facebook also helps businesses expand and capture leads among new audiences. Now, let's explore how respond.io’s ability to support multiple channels and more can better suit your business needs. ### Wati Alternative: Is Respond.io a Better Choice for Your Business? [Respond.io](http://Respond.io) is a customer conversation management software designed to enhance the customer experience, build brand loyalty and increase business revenue. It has helped businesses globally [gain more qualified leads](https://respond.io/blog/how-sleek-gained-3x-more-qualified-leads-over-whatsapp), [improve sales conversions](https://respond.io/blog/how-lamarsa-coffee-used-chat-commerce-to-boost-sales-across-6-countries-by-50) and [achieve a high degree of customer satisfaction](https://respond.io/blog/how-sharwa-designed-a-communication-strategy-that-achieved-85-in-csat-scores). In the upcoming sections, we'll look at some of the ways you can achieve success on respond.io. ### Centralize All Messaging Channels and Integrate with CRMs Doing business on channels like Facebook and TikTok is challenging for companies using Wati since only WhatsApp and Instagram are supported. Agents constantly need to check different apps and messages may be overlooked as there’s no central inbox. If managing multiple channels sounds daunting, centralize them on respond.io to receive all messages in a single omnichannel inbox. #### Connect WhatsApp, TikTok, Facebook Messenger and More Respond.io allows you to connect all popular messaging channels that your customers prefer. This multi-channel approach increases the potential for capturing conversations and boosting conversion opportunities. Because it is a [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider), you can get official [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) access and use it along with messaging channels like [TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business), and [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat). It even supports traditional channels like email and [SMS](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms). Additionally, you can manage multiple channel accounts like individual WhatsApp accounts or numbers for each branch or outlet. Respond.io supports native channel capabilities like sending emojis, voice messages and more to make conversations with customers more authentic and casual. #### Switch from Chat to Call When Needed Respond.io stands out from competitors like Wati because it offers call support. It’s one of the few WhatsApp Partners with access to the [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-voice-call), which means businesses can now make calls on WhatsApp — something that was only possible with the WhatsApp Business App before. Human agents can even transfer WhatsApp calls mid-conversation while customers stay on the same line with a short waiting tune before the call resumes, ensuring smooth handoffs without interruptions. This makes it easier to connect with customers in a more personal way. On top of that, [respond.io also supports VoIP](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration). You can connect your VoIP system to the platform and manage all your communication channels from one place. #### Integrate Custom Channels like In-app Chat, Chats from E-commerce Platforms and more Another distinct advantage of respond.io is that if your company has its own messaging app or uses an e-commerce platform’s native inbox like Lazada chat inbox to communicate with customers frequently, you can integrate them on respond.io. Respond.io’s [custom channels](https://help.respond.io/channels/custom-channel) integration lets you connect any channels with an open API to the platform. Centralizing both popular and business-specific messaging channels allows you to respond to messages from multiple touchpoints in one [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication). #### Merge Conversations from WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Other Channels in a Single Thread Businesses that have a presence on multiple channels must provide an [omnichannel experience](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-2). One way to do this is by recognizing returning customers on any channel. With respond.io, businesses can unify customer profiles by [merging conversations with the same customer from different channels](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contacts-overview#merge_contacts) into a single thread. If a customer messaged you previously on WhatsApp but decides to message you on Telegram next, merge the conversations to get context effortlessly. While you can host multiple WhatsApp Business Accounts and phone numbers on Wati, it doesn’t have a tool to prevent siloed conversations across them. If a customer messages two different brand outlet WhatsApp accounts, Wati cannot recognize the customer as an existing contact. #### Enrich Data with HubSpot, Salesforce and Other Integrations Large businesses often store customer data in a CRM like HubSpot or Salesforce, so integration with these is a must-have in a conversation management platform. CRMs are seen as a single source of truth, and switching between platforms to gain more context on a customer is a hassle. Respond.io now offers [HubSpot](https://respond.io/blog/hubspot-integration) and [Salesforce integrations](https://respond.io/blog/salesforce-integration) to customers on all plans. With a single click, agents can access HubSpot or Salesforce data directly from a conversation to get full context on the customer they’re chatting with. To integrate with other software, use [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/l/en/zapier/zapier) or [Make](https://help.respond.io/l/en/integrations/make) for quick connection with thousands of other platforms. Next, we’ll cover how you can utilize respond.io to send promotional messages and initiate conversations with your customers. ### Capture and Manage Leads on Multiple Channels Limiting your business’s marketing channels can result in missed opportunities to expand its reach and generate more sales and revenue. This is especially true for businesses that generate customers mainly from websites, social media or other e-commerce platforms, as customers may have varying preferences for messaging channels. To overcome this, businesses must embrace a multi-channel marketing approach that allows them to interact with customers across different platforms. #### Generate Leads through Click to WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok Messaging Ads Social media channels like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook present a valuable opportunity for targeted advertising through click-to-chat ads. These ads enable businesses to encourage leads to start a conversation directly and engage with them when their interest is at its peak. [TikTok Messaging Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-ads) offer an additional way to capture new audiences with video content that seamlessly blends into their feeds and entices them to send a message on WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. When a lead messages you through click-to-chat ads, respond.io shows you which ad a customer clicked on when they message you, giving agents useful context to [respond intelligently](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth#toc-mobile-5). You can also automate these conversations to [gain lead information](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/step-respond-with-ai#collect_information_objective) and qualify them automatically. Wati does not support TikTok Messaging ads. While it supports click-to-WhatsApp ads, Wati merely shows that a conversation started from an ad, unlike respond.io, which allows direct identification of specific ads in your inbox. Extra steps are needed if agents want to pinpoint the exact ad the lead is inquiring about. Next, let’s look at using broadcast for marketing and remarketing. #### Broadcast on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram and More With respond.io, businesses can send [broadcast messages](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) on multiple channels, including [SMS](https://respond.io/blog/sms-marketing-sms-broadcast), [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-broadcast), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-broadcast), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-broadcast) and [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message). They also have the option to send broadcast messages on the last channel a customer has interacted with them on. Businesses can personalize, schedule and send broadcast messages to target audiences on the channels customers are most active on, tailor messages to each channel's unique features and audience, and [even confirm which channels their target audience is on](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview). #### Trigger Promotional Messages from Customer Actions on Platforms like Shopify With respond.io, you can trigger promotional messages based on customer actions on external platforms like [Shopify](https://help.respond.io/zapier/e-commerce-integration-shopify). For example, if a customer adds items to their cart but doesn't complete the purchase, you can send an [abandoned cart message](https://help.respond.io/zapier/e-commerce-integration-shopify#send_abandoned_cart_messages_to_prompt_customers_to_complete_their_shopify_purchase_using_zapier) on their preferred channel with a discount or other incentives. Customers can select pre-determined reply buttons or send a response and be connected to an agent automatically. This way, customers can easily get what they want, enhancing the customer experience and satisfaction. Now that you understand how respond.io offers an omnichannel experience, let's look at how to handle inbound conversations. ### Close Deals Faster with Advanced AI and Automation Capabilities Automating conversations is crucial, especially when businesses receive high volumes of messages from various messaging channels or accounts. A quick response can be the difference between losing a lead and closing a deal, so you can’t afford delays. Automated replies can qualify leads, handle basic inquiries and even settle appointment bookings. Conversations that require a human touch should then be automatically handed off to an agent who can answer complex inquiries or even jump into a [quick call on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or Tenlyx](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration). #### Streamline Processes in One Visual Workflow Automation Builder Unlike many other platforms, including Wati, which have confusing automation setup processes, respond.io’s [Workflow automation builder](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) gives you one visual Workflow to automate complex business processes. You can plan, design and implement your workflow from A to Z with any amount of complexity in one space. This includes automating [FAQs](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations), [chat routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio), [case escalations](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) and creating [deals or tickets](https://help.respond.io/zapier/pipedrive#add_comments_to_conversations_in_respond_io_when_new_pipedrive_deals_are_updated) in CRMs. Additionally, you can build a [sales AI Agent](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent) to answer customer questions on its own before passing the conversation to a human agent. You can do all this from scratch or use ready-made [templates](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#creating_a_new_workflow_from_a_selected_template). The AI Agent understands voice messages, follows up on chats, shows a typing indicator to keep conversations feeling natural, greets callers, answers basic questions, closes calls politely and generates even transcripts for review after. It also supports instant human takeover—once an agent joins, the AI stops immediately to ensure a clean handoff with no overlapping replies. And because the AI processes only the steps needed for each task, it delivers faster, more accurate and more cost-efficient responses, even under heavy workloads. Managers can also create Workflows for complicated tasks like [shift transfer](https://help.respond.io/convert-leads/route-contacts-by-shifts), [case escalation](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management), syncing data in external CRMs and [getting customer feedback](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score), then allow agents to launch them [with a click](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0) while talking to customers. Now that you know how respond.io’s automation works, it's important to highlight one of the critical components of improving customer satisfaction: [Auto assigning conversations](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to agents quickly. Note that Wati’s auto-assignment logic limits businesses to round-robin assignment, which is not natively integrated and requires technical expertise to set up. #### Auto Assign Conversations Based on Team Function and Customer Needs There are two ways for businesses to automatically assign new conversations on respond.io: Round-robin for equal workload distribution, or assign them to agents with the fewest conversations open. Round-robin assignments ensure each sales agent has an equal opportunity to convert leads and earn their commissions. Assigning agents with the fewest conversations lets businesses provide a better customer experience. This is because it connects customers with available agents quickly and reduces wait times and resolution times. As for new conversations, businesses can assign them to a new agent and route returning customers with a history of interactions to the [same agent who handled their case before](https://respond.io/blog/august-2021-release-the-new-contact-import-dont-unassign-when-conversation-is-closed-and-platform-localization-in-spanish#toc-mobile-5). This approach gives agents the context to address recurring or related issues and build long-term relationships with customers. Consequently, customers can receive a more personalized and efficient support experience. To prioritize high-value customers who contribute substantially to revenue, businesses usually provide them with a dedicated agent as a primary point of contact for all their needs. These agents will work closely with the customer to understand their goals or desires. Then, provide guidance and support to help them achieve their desired outcomes. Since high-value customers are crucial to the success of any business, it is important that companies minimize any difficulties or inconveniences they may face while interacting with their brand. For instance, respond.io instantly identifies and directs high-value customers to their dedicated agent without needing any keyword input. This eliminates the need for the customer to spend extra time typing out specific keywords, as they would have to when using Wati. #### Respond Quickly, Accurately and Professionally with AI With respond.io, agents can leverage AI capabilities to answer inquiries promptly and efficiently. [Respond AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai) allow agents to refine their messages, ensuring clarity and precision in communication. They can also translate messages into different languages, reducing potential language barriers. Moreover, tools like [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) can be a game-changer for providing agents with quick replies based on conversation context and company resources. This rapid access to information allows agents to respond quickly and accurately to customer inquiries, enhancing response times and contributing to a more [satisfying customer experience](https://respond.io/blog/ai-customer-experience). Now that we’ve shown how respond.io improves customer conversations, let's explore the benefits of advanced analytics. ### Boost Business Results with Analytics and Lifecycle Tracking With any marketing and sales efforts, you need to track results to see what’s working and what’s not to continuously optimize tactics. > Wati’s analytics are limited, and it’s not possible to track lead progress in stages. Respond.io offers advanced analytics, customer lifecycle tracking and CRM integrations to improve customer experience throughout the entire funnel. #### Get Insights into your Marketing Performance with Broadcast Analytics To measure your marketing campaign success, get insights and data to help improve your next campaign's strategy. By analyzing the performance of previous campaigns, businesses can identify the best marketing approach for their business, understand their audience's behavior and preferences, and optimize their messaging, targeting and channels accordingly. #### Track the Customer Lifecycle Through the Full Funnel Additionally, respond.io’s [Lifecycle feature](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) enables you to track contacts by lead status so agents can instantly see which leads to prioritize. Lead statuses can also be used for segmentation for promotional targeting and to provide context on whether a contact a made a purchase before. To analyze what may have caused leads to drop off at any point in the sales process, use the Lost Stages feature to set labels like Cold Lead, Unqualified or Lost to Competitor. Lifecycle stages can not only be used in the inbox but are also visible in the dashboard, so it’s easy to track how many leads are in each stage. Now that we’ve shown how respond.io allows you to measure success throughout the funnel, let's explore the benefits of using a reliable platform. ### Achieve Success with a Reliable Platform and Customer Support Companies rely on platforms such as Wati and respond.io to drive their business operations and customer communication. Hence, platform reliability and excellent customer support from these solution providers are crucial. In this context, it is worth exploring how respond.io's dependable customer support and high uptime can benefit businesses. #### Robust Platform Stability for Consistent Operations Having a reliable platform is crucial for maintaining consistent operations, especially when businesses depend heavily on a platform for customer communications. Unlike Wati, which famously tends to slow down when it receives high volumes of messages, respond.io can support them [without downtime](https://respond.io/customers/how-golden-luxe-enjoys-a-20x-more-stable-messaging-experience-with-respondio). This allows your operations to run smoothly, giving you time to promptly address customer queries and issues, increasing satisfaction. #### Get Speedy Assistance with 24/5 Conversational Support Respond.io provides human support round-the-clock from Monday to Friday via live chat and via call. Respond.io support team offers assistance in various languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic. On top of that, there's AI support 24/7. You can get comprehensive assistance that covers a range of issues, including platform navigation, billing queries, bug troubleshooting and more. With our efficient support, you can focus on growing your businesses with the confidence that any obstacles you face will be resolved quickly and competently. It is important to mention that Wati is known for its below-average customer support. It provides support via WhatsApp bot, email or chat, but response times tend to be slow. Not just that, its WhatsApp support doesn’t let you connect to an agent easily, which is frustrating when dealing with complicated issues. #### Get Dedicated Support from A Customer Success Manager If your business has complex needs, getting the respond.io Enterprise plan automatically gives you a dedicated customer success manager to help you maximize the platform's potential. These experts specialize in providing personalized support, including planning and setting up Workflows, integrating third-party tools through webhooks and APIs, and more. With a dedicated customer success manager aboard, you can achieve success like [many of our customers](https://respond.io/customers). Now that you're familiar with respond.io capabilities, let's explore how our pricing plans offer better value compared to Wati’s. ### The Best Solution for Maximum Value To assist you in determining which platform offers the greatest value, we will compare the most affordable plans by Wati and respond.io in this section. #### Entry-Level Plan: Respond.io vs Wati At first glance, Wati’s $39 plan may seem cheaper compared to respond.io’s $79 Starter plan; however, it only includes 3 seats in comparison to respond.io’s 5 seats. Additionally, businesses using Wati can only use WhatsApp and Instagram to chat with customers, while respond.io lets you connect up to 12 messaging channels. | | Respond.io (Starter Plan) | Wati (Growth Plan) | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | $79 | $39 | | Seats | 5 | 3 | | Channels | -WhatsApp -TikTok -Facebook Messenger -Instagram -Telegram -LINE -WeChat -Viber -SMS -Email -Webchat -Custom | -WhatsApp -Instagram | | Additional Fees | - | - 20% markup on WhatsApp's own pricing - AI credits | Lastly, Wati imposes around a 20% markup on WhatsApp’s own pricing. Next, we’ll look at how friendly the plans are for fast-growing businesses. #### Value-filled Plan for Fast-Growing Businesses For small businesses with few users communicating primarily on WhatsApp, Wati may be the best fit. But fast-growing businesses don’t just measure costs, they look at overall value. While Wati’s mid-tier plan costs $79, you’re only allowed 5 users, with additional users costing $24/each. Respond.io’s Growth plan is $159 for 10 users and includes advanced automation workflows and unlimited AI credits. If you require 10 users on Wati, the cost would be $199 including the additional user fees. Plus Wati’s automation is limited to basic chatbots and can’t handle complex processes like agent assignment. Wati’s AI features also incur additional fees. | | Respond.io (Starter Plan) | Wati (Growth Plan) | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | $159 | $79 | | Seats | 10 | 5 | | Channels | -WhatsApp -TikTok -Facebook Messenger -Instagram -Telegram -LINE -WeChat -Viber -SMS -Email -Webchat -Custom | -WhatsApp -Instagram | | Automation and AI | -Workflow automation for chats and processes -AI Agent that learns from company knowledge sources | -Basic chatbot automation -AI support agent that learns from company knowledge sources (only 250 AI responses included) | | Additional Fees | - | - 20% markup on WhatsApp's own pricing - $30 per 1,000 AI credits | To summarize, respond.io offers more comprehensive plans for mid to large businesses and fast-growing enterprises with more channels, advanced automation and more at a competitive price. Now that you know how Wati and respond.io pricing work, let's look at why you need respond.io. ### Wati Alternative: Why Respond.io? While Wati and respond.io have similar features at a glance, Wati’s capabilities revolve around two channels, WhatsApp and Instagram. Respond.io, on the other hand, is one of the most versatile customer conversation management software in the market. It supports the highest number of channels while preventing siloed conversations across channels. Its advanced AI and automation capabilities enable businesses to streamline their processes in one place, helping them achieve results quickly with significantly less effort. Respond.io is designed to help businesses track customers throughout their entire lifecycle, so it’s easier to prioritize high-quality leads, move them through the funnel faster and retarget them at the right time to boost repeat purchases and retention. All these enable businesses to convert leads faster, create better experiences, build customer loyalty and ultimately increase revenue. If you are thinking about migrating from Wati to respond.io, simply [contact our support team](https://respond.io/contact) for guidance on the migration process. You can migrate your WhatsApp API while retaining the same WhatsApp API number. You'll get access to more channels and features like [lead tracking](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) and [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api). Connect all your customers’ favorite channels and use powerful automation to drive conversations and improve business processes today. Ready to start with respond.io? [Sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) to test it out or [contact us for a free consultation](https://respond.io/demo) to discuss the best plan for your business. ### Further Reading Want to learn more about respond.io? Here are some readings that might interest you. - Inbound Conversation Workflows: A How-To Guide - Chat Routing: Contact Routing with the respond.io - Auto Assignment: Automatic Assignment with respond.io ## [Use WhatsApp QR Codes to Turn Offline Shoppers into Online Customers](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code-to-use-cases) Want to turn foot traffic into online traffic? Capture leads into chat with WhatsApp QR codes anywhere your potential customers are! Wondering how to use WhatsApp QR codes for your business? WhatsApp QR codes are an easy way to get leads instantly from anywhere. You can simply generate a WhatsApp QR code and put it on ads, promotional brochures and more. We’ll show you four ways to capture leads and customers with well-placed QR codes so you can build a relationship over chat that leads to conversions and repeat business. ### Why Your Business Needs WhatsApp QR Codes Do you know who visits your business or comes across your ads in physical locations? Getting your brand in front of people both online and offline is especially important for businesses with physical stores. However, offline leads can be hard to track and [follow up with](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-follow-up). So how can you stay in contact with prospects or customers who interact with you offline? WhatsApp QR codes are an easy way to get contact details from anywhere. It’s also a good way to capture WhatsApp contacts for further promotions as WhatsApp only allows you to message people who have agreed to hear from you. Capturing leads is the first stage of respond.io’s [Conversation-led Growth framework](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth), which consists of three stages, Capture, Convert and Retain. Using chat to engage prospects and customers throughout the funnel helps increase leads and ultimately sales. Our customers have seen success using [WhatsApp QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code#toc-mobile-1) to capture lead details in a range of locations with different methods. Consider what has worked for them and how you can apply it to your business. ### How to Use WhatsApp QR Codes Strategically The possibilities for WhatsApp QR codes are nearly endless as you can print and place them anywhere to boost your marketing. Here are some ideas that have seen the most success. *Note:* [*WhatsApp requires businesses to get opt-ins*](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/overview/getting-opt-in/?content_id=ty3qW9Vs6uuymmn) *for promotional messages. Ensure that contacts understand they’re signing up to hear from your business and consent, for example, by clicking yes on a menu option.* #### Get Quality Leads at Events If your business participates in events, exhibitions or industry fairs, well-placed WhatsApp QR codes bring leads in. Put QR codes on flyers, banners or brochures and encourage visitors to your booth to scan and send you a message to get updates. Entice people to sign up with contests and offers; for example, an electronics vendor might offer a chance to win an iPad by signing up. [Education providers](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-increase-student-enrollment) may offer early bird course discounts for people on their mailing list. Food, drink and supplement providers could give out free samples to those signing up via QR code. One of our customers who offers medical courses hands out flyers with QR codes at events with pre-filled text to indicate where the lead is coming from. Two weeks after they began doing this, they saw new leads coming in. #### Attract New Audiences in Public Advertising Spaces Advertising in public spaces such as on billboards, at bus stops or on public transportation puts your business in front of people who may never come across you online. To get leads from new audiences and understand how effective your advertising is, include QR codes. While people are waiting for a bus or train and seeing the advertisement every day, it stays top of mind and if they’re interested, they’ll scan the QR code for information. Creating unique QR codes informs you of where leads are coming from, so you can evaluate whether advertising in that place is worth continued investment. Respond.io Customer Success Manager [Joshua Loo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-loo-217b01204/) shares how one of our customers, a marketing agency in Hong Kong, advised its clients doing billboard advertising at MRT stations to use QR codes. With a unique pre-filled message for each station, advertisers could easily see where their leads were coming from and track the value of each placement. #### Capture Leads in Physical Stores to Continue Sending Promotions For [retail businesses](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-for-retail-industry) with physical locations, it’s common for people to walk into a store without ever interacting with the business online. After they walk away, whether they make a purchase or not, the business has no way to continue the relationship. QR codes in stores solve this problem by getting prospective and current customers into WhatsApp. Put QR codes on display and invite visitors to scan to get exclusive deals. Place QR codes at the checkout counter or on receipts, packaging or business cards so you can stay in touch with customers and encourage them to come back. One of our customers who sells secondhand electronics relies heavily on promotional messaging and social media. While they invest in online advertising, they also wanted to market to prospects who visit their physical stores. The business placed QR codes in each of its over 100 locations so that customers can sign up to get amazing offers. After signing up, they get updates and relevant promotions. Keeping customers engaged boosts repeat business. #### Get Bookings Via QR Code to Easily Save Contact Details For businesses who take bookings on location, for example, for recreational activities, having people sign up via QR code is a great way to save their contact details. With WhatsApp, you can use automated questions to get all the information you need. This not only saves time on manually filling out forms but also enables you to add these customers to a [WhatsApp broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) list so you can let them know the latest news and prompt them to leave a review or refer friends. One of our customers offers seasonal jet ski tours. While they receive many bookings online, they also have walk-in tourists who can make a booking on the spot. The business takes these bookings via QR code. Then, using respond.io’s Workflows automation, they guide customers through the registration. This saves customers and agents time as the process is automated and all bookings go into the same place whether they’re made in advance online or on location. This also makes it easy to see the number of jet skis and time slots available. [Automating booking](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-appointment-booking) with a conversation management platform like [respond.io](http://respond.io/) helps manage customers whether they come in online or in person. The streamlined process keeps customers happy so you’re more likely to get referrals and repeat business. ### Turn Foot Traffic into Consistent Online Leads If your business interacts with prospects and customers in person, capturing them into online conversations can boost leads and sales. If they’re considering a purchase in store but decide against it, you can continue marketing to them online. And for current customers, keep up the relationship so they’ll return, leave a review or make a referral. A conversation management platform like respond.io allows you to manage all your leads from any source in a single inbox so you can converse with them throughout the customer journey and even [integrate with a CRM](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm). Respond.io is a [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) provider so you can take advantage of advanced features like [WhatsApp automation](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation) to get opt-ins, answer FAQs and send promotions and notifications. Try it out for free today or contact us for a [customized demo](https://respond.io/demo). ### Further Reading If you’ve found this article helpful, consider these other articles on how to boost your marketing and sales over WhatsApp. - How to Send Bulk Messages on WhatsApp: A Step-by-Step Guide - WhatsApp Marketing in 5 Steps: A Detailed Guide (+Examples) - WhatsApp Ads: A Practical Guide to WhatsApp Advertising ## [Viber Auto Reply: How to Set Auto Reply in Viber ](https:/respond.io/blog/viber-auto-reply) Viber auto reply allows you to set up automated messages to communicate to your customers when you're not around. Here, we'll explain what Viber auto reply is and how to set it up. Plus, we've also compiled a list of auto reply message samples for you! Want to learn how to set up Viber auto reply for your business? We’ve got you. In this article, we’ll explain what a Viber auto reply is, the benefits of using auto reply and finally, how to set up auto reply for Viber bot. ### What is Viber Auto Reply Viber auto reply allows you to send automated messages to your customers even when you are not available to respond to their queries. This useful feature enables you to be there for your customers 24/7. There are two common types of auto reply messages: - Greeting messages: Welcome messages that businesses send when customers initiate a conversation - Away messages: Messages that automatically respond to customers outside of business hours In the next section, we’ll share how auto replies benefit your business. #### Why Use Auto Reply Viber Unlike traditional channels like email, customers expect immediate responses when they contact you via an [instant messaging app](https://respond.io/blog/instant-messaging-for-business) like [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business). However, that’s not always possible because most businesses don’t operate around the clock. One easy solution is to set up away messages to assure customers that you’ll attend to them when you return. You include your operation hours and expected response time in your message. Not only does this help manage customers’ expectations, but the drop in response time also [elevates customers’ satisfaction](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) as it reassures them that their messages have been received. You can also automate welcome messages to greet customers [the first time they message you on Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-9). These welcome messages help make a positive first impression by providing a timely and friendly response. To bring your auto reply message to the next level, you can even include a [pre-chat survey](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) in the message. This helps collect customers’ information and inquiry details to give agents some context before they reply. Now that you understand what an auto reply is, let’s take a look at how to set up Viber auto reply next. ### How to Set Up Viber Auto Reply Unlike [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) and [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api), you can’t set up auto-reply messages natively on the Viber app. Instead, you need to use a Viber bot. As Viber bots do not have a messaging interface, [con](https://help.respond.io/channels/viber)[nect yours](https://help.respond.io/channels/viber) [to a messaging inbox like respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/viber) to send and receive messages. Then, set up your auto replies on respond.io. Let’s head over to the next section to find out how. #### Setting Up Viber Auto Reply on Respond.io All automation on respond.io is set up on the platform’s flagship automation builder, the [Workflows Module](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations). Once you have connected your Viber bot to respond.io, follow the instructions below to set up welcome and away messages for your business. 1\. **Select** Workflows on the side navigation menu and click on *Add Workflow*. 2\. **Set** the Workflow Trigger to Conversation Opened. 3\. **Add** the [Date & Time](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_date_time) [Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_date_time) to set your business hours. Now, you can set up greeting messages in the Success Branch and away messages in the Failure Branch. 4\. **Click** on the + node under the Success and Failure Branches to add a *Send A Message* Step. Make sure you select Viber as your channel. 5\. **Draft** your greeting message in the text field for the Success Branch and your away message in the text field for the Failure Branch. 6\. **Add** the [Ask a Question](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_ask_a_question) [Ste](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_ask_a_question)[p](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_ask_a_question) beneath your away message to request customers’ information so you can contact them when you’re back online. The responses can be saved as [Variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables), [Contact Fields](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/contact-fields) or [Tags](https://help.respond.io/dialogflow/dialogflow-parameters#tagging) to be used in other parts of the Workflow. Once you’re done, save and publish it. And that’s how you set up Viber auto reply for your business. In the next section, we’ll go through a list of auto reply message examples businesses can use for different scenarios. ### Viber Auto Reply Message Samples There are several ways you can use Viber auto reply messages to engage with customers. These messages should provide them with suitable solutions or answers to their queries. We have identified five types of Viber auto reply messages to help businesses engage with customers and drive their desired actions. Check out some of these ready-to-use Viber auto reply message samples for your business. #### General Welcome Making a strong first impression will help you develop a meaningful relationship with potential customers. Welcome messages are a great way to ease customers into your brand, build brand loyalty and win trust. Below we share some welcome message templates and samples to help you craft your message effectively. 1\. “Hi, welcome to \[business name\]. How may we assist you today?” 2\. “Hello! We’re so excited to hear from you. We’ll be in touch with you shortly.” 3\. “Hello there! Thank you for your message, we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, you can check out our upcoming promos here: \[link\] 😊” ##### Away Messages One of the most common auto reply messages is away messages. Here’s a list of away messages you can use to inform customers that you’re unavailable. 1\. “Hi 👋 thanks for your message. We'd love to help, but this is outside of our business hours. We'll get back to you within 24 hours.” 2\. “Dear customer, we’re closed from \[date\] to \[date\]. There’ll be a delay in replies and we appreciate your understanding 🙏🏻 Cheers, \[business name\]” 3\. “Thank you for contacting \[business name\]. We’re currently closed, but will get back to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, check out our website for more information: \[link\].” #### Holiday Greetings Whether you are open or closed during the holidays, customers will send you messages all the same. Here are some Viber holiday greeting messages for your reference. 1\. “Merry Christmas🎄 Thank you for reaching out. We’re busy helping Santa deliver presents, but we’ll get back to you on Dec 27.” 2\. “Wishing you a very prosperous New Year 🎊 How can we help you today?” 3\. “Happy Easter! Thank you for your message. We’ll get back to you within \[number\] hours. Kind regards, \[business name\].” #### Business Updates Your Viber greeting message can also be used to inform customers of unusual events or developments, such as service interruptions or delayed responses during peak periods. Below are some examples that you can use. 1\. “Hi there. Thank you for getting in touch. Please be aware that our responses might be slower than usual. Thank you for your patience 🙏” 2\. “Hello from \[business name\]. We’ve received your message. We’re experiencing a high volume of messages at the moment and are doing our best to respond promptly. We’ll get back to you within 24 hours.” 3\. Hello! Thank you for getting in touch. We apologize for the service interruption on \[business name\]. Our team is working hard to resolve this as quickly as possible. In the meantime, please let us know how can we help you 🙏” #### Lead Capture While sending a generic welcome message to customers is fine, you can elevate it by requesting their contact details. This is a great opportunity for you to turn prospective customers into contacts. Here are some examples you can use for your business. 1\. “Hi! Sorry, we are currently unavailable. Please leave your name and email address, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.” 2\. “Thank you for your message. We are currently out of the office. Please share your full name and email address below, and our representative will be with you soon.” 3\. “Hello, thank you for your message! Can we get your email address before we proceed?” Now you know the benefits of using Viber auto reply to level up your business communications and the steps to set it up, it’s time to [connect your Viber account to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/viber#connecting_viber) to get started. ### Further Reading Interested to find out more about how Viber can benefit your business? We’ve compiled a list of articles for you to read here: - How to Use Viber As A Customer Support Channel - A Comprehensive Guide to Sales with Viber - How to Use Viber Web Chat for Business ## [Viber Bot Pricing: All You Need to Know about Viber Business Pricing ](https:/respond.io/blog/viber-bot-pricing) How will the new Viber bot pricing model affect your business? Read on to learn all you need to know about Viber business pricing. Viber Chatbot (Viber Bot) pricing has gone through major changes in recent times. If you currently use [Viber for business](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business) or are planning to, you’re probably wondering how these changes will affect your business. Read on to learn about Viber business pricing, terms and use cases. ### Viber Bot Pricing: How Does it Work? [Viber Chatbots](https://help.respond.io/viber/viber) are commonly used as Viber business accounts. Bots allow businesses to connect with subscribed customers for [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-15), [sales](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-16) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-17) purposes. In the past, businesses could send any number of messages for free. Unlike other messaging apps, Viber didn’t have a messaging window, so the lack of restrictions made it an attractive option for businesses. This is no longer the case. Let’s look at the new [Viber Chatbot Commercial Terms](https://help.viber.com/hc/articles/15247629658525-Bot-commercial-model). #### Viber Chatbot Commercial Terms [Creating a chatbot on Viber](https://help.respond.io/viber/viber#getting_a_viber_bot) comes at no cost, but each chatbot incurs a monthly maintenance charge of EUR 100. Chatbots created before February 5th, 2024, will continue to function under [the old Commercial Model](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/15247629658525#rate-card) until Viber announces any changes. Most importantly, the new Viber Commercial Terms fundamentally affect the way Viber conversations are priced. Next, we’ll share with you what costs to expect when chatting with customers on Viber. ##### How the Viber Chatbot Notification-Based Model Works Viber Chatbots operate under a notification-based model, separated into Welcome messages, Chatbot-session messages and Chatbot-initiated messages. Let’s go through them. **Welcome messages** can be sent to users as soon as they open the conversation before subscribing to the Bot. Businesses often use this message to introduce their Bot and encourage users to subscribe to it. Welcome messages are free. **Chatbot Session messages** are part of a customer-initiated conversation, and they are always free. Once a customer initiates a conversation, you can send unlimited replies for free within 24 hours of their first message. Messages sent after the 24-hour session are considered chatbot-initiated. **Chatbot-initiated messages** are messages sent from a chatbot to a subscriber that is not part of an active messaging session. Chatbot-initiated messages come with a fee that [varies according to the recipient's location](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/15247629658525#rate-card), which is determined by the country code of their phone number. Now that you know how the new Viber Chatbot pricing system works, let’s look at a few common use cases for Viber Chatbots and how the new pricing affects them. ### Viber Bot Pricing: Use Cases In this section, we’ll cover the following Viber use cases: Welcome messages, customer support messages and bulk promotional messages. #### Viber Bot Pricing: Welcome Messages [Welcome messages](https://developers.viber.com/docs/api/rest-bot-api/#sending-a-welcome-message) are a one-time, automatic greeting to new subscribers to your chatbot. These are completely free. You can use a welcome message for general greetings, to provide new subscriber offers or to [ask questions to qualify leads](https://respond.io/blog/viber-sales#toc-mobile-4). Since welcome messages are free, make the most of them to get a conversation going. [Encourage subscribers to message you](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-9) so they’ll start a messaging session. This will help keep your messaging costs down. #### Viber Bot Pricing: Customer Support Messages If your business mainly uses [Viber for customer support](https://respond.io/blog/viber-support), there’s a good chance that most of your messages will be inside a messaging session. If the customer initiates the conversation, your replies are free for the next 24 hours. This is a good incentive for support agents to respond to and resolve issues quickly. If an agent takes more than 24 hours to get back to the customer and the session expires, the next message will be Chatbot-initiated with costs involved. #### Viber Bot Pricing: Bulk Promotional Messages Large businesses that frequently [broadcast promotional messages](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message) to thousands of customers may be the most impacted by this pricing model, as promotional messages fall into the chatbot-initiated message category. That’s all you need to know about Viber pricing. If you want to message your customers using a Viber Bot account, make sure to have the best AI customer conversation management software. [Try respond.io for free today](https://app.respond.io/user/register)! ### Further Reading Interested in learning more about using Viber for Business? Read these articles. - Ultimate Guide to Viber for Business - How to Use Viber Community for Business - Viber Widget: How to Use Viber Webchat for Business ## [Viber Bulk Message: How To Send A Viber Broadcast ](https:/respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message) Looking to send a Viber bulk message to your customers, but don't know how? In this guide, you'll learn everything you need to know about Viber Broadcast. Looking to send a Viber bulk message to your customers? Look no further. This article is a deep dive into Viber Broadcast. Here you’ll learn what benefits to expect, how to send your own Viber bulk messages, and also the best Viber mass message practices. ### What is Viber Broadcast? [Viber](https://help.respond.io/viber/viber) focuses on instant messaging, as well as voice and video calls. Like [other popular messaging apps](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps), Viber also allows businesses to send bulk messages to their customers. There are two ways to bulk message Viber contacts: With the Viber app or a Viber Bot Account. Don’t know which one fits your company best? Don’t fret. We will explore both options in the next section. ### Viber Broadcast: Sending a Viber Bulk Message To make an educated decision between using the Viber app or a Viber Bot Account, you need to familiarize yourself with what they have to offer. Let’s start by discussing the broadcast functionality that you’ll find in the Viber app. #### Viber Broadcast with Viber App Sending a Viber blast with the app is easy. After downloading it, Viber users can broadcast directly from it. The app supports different types of content, such as text, images, videos, CTAs and location. Best of all, broadcasting with the Viber app is free. While it has a low entry barrier, the app has some limitations for businesses. Viber prevents spam by enforcing the following rule: To receive a Viber mass message, the sender’s phone number must be saved on the recipient’s contact list. Unfortunately, the app lacks contact organization and management tools, which makes it hard to track and manage broadcast lists. Therefore, creating several broadcasts can be a long, tiresome task. The Viber app also lacks some important features such as the ability to segment broadcast audiences and test or schedule broadcasts in advance. Plus, a Viber mass message with the app is limited to 50 contacts. For all the previously mentioned reasons, it isn’t a suitable option for companies with multiple employees in charge of sending broadcasts and replying to inquiries. For companies that need to send a Viber bulk message to huge contact lists, or require advanced broadcast features, we recommend a Viber Bot Account. #### Sending a Viber Mass Message with a Viber Bot Account: Requirements Similar to [Telegram Bot Accounts](https://respond.io/blog/best-telegram-bots-list), Viber Bot Accounts can be used for business messaging. Viber users must subscribe to a Viber Bot Account to exchange messages with it or to use the Bot Account’s custom keyboard. Viber Bot Accounts aren’t based on phone numbers like regular Viber accounts but on Viber-generated IDs. Creating a Viber Bot Account is free — you just need a personal Viber account. We show you how to get yours [here](https://help.respond.io/viber/viber#getting_a_viber_bot). Respond.io offers [integration with your Viber Bot](https://help.respond.io/channels/viber), which you can use for two-way communication with customers, including sending broadcasts. Next, we’ll introduce you to all the possibilities that Viber Broadcast has to offer when connected to respond.io. #### Sending a Viber Mass Message with a Viber Bot Account: Features and Benefits The main advantage of sending a Viber bulk message from a Viber Bot Account is that there is no limit on the number of broadcast recipients. However, Viber Bot Accounts don’t come with an inbox, so there is no interface to show received and sent messages. But when integrated with the respond.io messaging inbox, Users can receive and send 1:1 and bulk messages with advanced broadcast functionality. Here’s an important feature Users will appreciate when broadcasting with respond.io: In the Select Target Audience section, you have the option to narrow down the list of recipients to send targeted messages. Through segmentation and targeting, respond.io Users have control over their broadcast audiences. That way, customers will only receive information that is relevant to them, avoiding spammy messages. When it comes to content, a Viber mass message with respond.io can include images, videos, and other file types. You can even broadcast a Viber bulk message with a multiple choice question! Broadcasts can be sent right away or scheduled for a specific date and time. This feature grants Users flexibility with notifications, allowing them to inform customers of planned and unanticipated events. The best way to ensure that a Viber broadcast works and looks as it should is to test it with a single Contact. Respond.io Users will also find the Test Broadcast option in the Broadcast Module. If a Contact replies to a broadcast, Users can [route the conversation to the right Team](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assign them to an available Agent](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) via [Workflows Module](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview), a visual Workflow builder used to automate processes. Here's a pro tip: To reduce agent load, an [AI agent can be used](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent) to handle the replies. Now that we've examined the features and benefits of a Viber Bot Account, let's take a look at the costs involved. #### Sending a Viber Mass Message with a Viber Bot Account: Pricing Mass messaging with a Viber Bot is not free. Besides paying a monthly maintenance fee of EUR 100, businesses incur fees for Chatbot-initiated messages. The cost per message rate varies by the destination country. To learn more, read our [Viber Bot pricing article](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bot-pricing). To prevent spam, Viber doesn’t allow users to import contact lists. Companies need to get their customers to message them first before they can send them a broadcast. This can be done via [Viber chat links and Viber QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-10). This covers the main features and benefits of broadcasting with a Viber Bot Account linked to respond.io. There is only one question left unanswered: how hard is it to send a broadcast using this method? As you’ll see in the next section, it’s quite simple. #### How To Send a Viber Bulk Message with a Viber Bot Account If you’ve connected your Viber Bot Account to respond.io, you’ll find broadcasting extremely easy. Respond.io’s [Broadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) improves the targeting and flexibility of bulk messaging with several features. The [Contact Segment](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contacts-overview#assign_tags_to_multiple_contacts) feature allows users to create precise target audiences based on Contact Fields, Tags or predefined conditions. Customers with the right Contact Fields, Tags or conditions will automatically enter a Segment while those who no longer meet the criteria will exit a Segment, ensuring your list is always up-to-date with no manual effort from your team. In addition to selecting multiple channels for a broadcast, you can also improve reach by broadcasting to your [Contacts' last interacted channel](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast) to increase visibility and engagement rates. It’s also possible to save [broadcasts as drafts](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast) if they aren’t ready for dissemination. This allows you to edit or reschedule them before they go live. If your plan supports it, you can [customize the rate](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast) at which your broadcast is delivered. To get started, navigate to the Broadcast Module and click the *Add Broadcast* button. Name your broadcast and click *Create*. You also have the option to label (categorize) it for easier referencing in the future. Then, follow [these steps](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast) to set up and manage your Viber broadcasts on respond.io. Next, let’s go over the differences between the Viber App and Viber Bot Account. ### Viber Broadcast: App vs Bot Account Comparison We have extensively gone through the Viber App and Viber Bot Account broadcast features. To give you a clear overview of the differences between them, we have narrowed them down to a comparison chart. | Viber App | Viber Bot Account + Respond.io | | --- | --- | | Limited to 50 contacts per broadcast | Unlimited contacts per broadcast | | Basic broadcast features | Advanced broadcast features | | No contact management tools | Contact management tools | | No conversation tracking tools | Conversation tracking tools | | Small Businesses | Medium to Large Businesses | We are approaching this article’s final section. But first, have you decided on a Viber product for broadcasting? If the Viber bot account is the more suitable option for your business, [sign up for respond.io](https://app.respond.io/dashboard) and connect your Viber Bot! ### Viber Broadcast Best Practices A Viber mass message is a one-time opportunity to make customers carry out a specific action or to inform them about something. For this reason, when creating your Viber bulk message, stick to a single objective and keep it short. Keep in mind that you are mostly broadcasting to mobile users. This means that you should format your message accordingly for phones. For instance, highlight the important words in bold, use emojis if pertinent and add a clear, visible CTA. Also, if you are planning to Viber blast media content, beware of file size. Contacts may find heavy files annoying. In some cases, their limited phone memory won’t even allow them to open these files. Be cautious about the type of content you send. Viber has made clear in the [Viber Acceptable Use Policy](https://www.viber.com/en/terms/viber-public-content-policy/#:~:text=Do%20not%20use%20Viber%20to%20send%20bulk%20messages%20or%20auto,or%20private%20information%20of%20others.) what is and is not allowed on the platform. Before sending Viber bulk messages, we advise you to give it a read. ### Further Reading Did you find this article useful? If so, here are some other quick reads that might interest you: - Ultimate Guide to Viber for Business - WhatsApp Broadcast: A How-To Guide - WhatsApp Advertising Messages: A One-Stop Guide ## [Viber CRM: Integrating a CRM with Viber on respond.io](https:/respond.io/blog/viber-integration) Need a Viber integration for your CRM? This blog post will help you understand everything you need to know about Viber CRM integration. Are you looking for a Viber CRM integration? If so, this blog post is for you! In this first-hand guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about getting a Viber CRM integration. We'll also cover why AI-powered customer conversation management software like respond.io is essential for Viber marketing, sales and support. ### What is Viber CRM? A Viber CRM is the integration between a Viber API and a CRM. Most businesses want a Viber CRM integration to communicate with customers who message them on Viber within their CRM. Globally, the key messaging apps are [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) and [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat). However, Viber is [the dominant app](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-2) in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and some Southeast Asian countries. Despite that, many CRMs do not support native Viber integration because they were initially built for email, not messaging. Here are some things you should be aware of when choosing a Viber CRM integration. ### Getting a Viber CRM Integration: What You Should Know To integrate Viber with a CRM, businesses need to understand its business use and the integration that CRMs provide. Businesses can use Viber in one of two ways: through Viber App or [Viber chatbot](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-5). The Viber App is sufficient for solopreneurs and small businesses that receive low volumes of messages. Its features include sending [broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message) to up to 50 contacts, creating [Viber Communities](https://respond.io/blog/viber-community) and more. Although Viber works on multiple devices, chat history doesn't sync seamlessly across them. | | Viber App | Viber Chatbot | | --- | --- | --- | | Best for | Small to medium businesses | Medium to large businesses | | Message Volume | Low | Mid to high | | Supports Integration | No | Yes | To integrate Viber with a CRM for multiple users or teams, a Viber chatbot is needed. It's tailored for businesses with medium to high message volumes that require advanced automation for managing conversations. However, a Viber chatbot does not have an interface as it is just an API. To use Viber for messaging, connect it to AI-powered customer conversation management software like respond.io or a CRM. Note that the capabilities of Viber chatbot integration depend on the chosen, as Viber only offers API to these providers. Therefore, you must know what Viber integrations your CRM supports. #### Integrating a CRM with Viber Major CRMs like SalesForce, Hubspot, and Zendesk lack native Viber integration, necessitating third-party solutions for Viber use. While there are a variety of third-party integrations available, most of them restrict the Viber API to a single CRM. As a result, a business with multiple CRMs won’t be able to integrate them all with Viber. To connect Viber with multiple CRMs and send rich media messages or locations, you’ll need a respond.io inbox built specifically for messaging. Respond.io enables businesses to combine messaging apps like Viber, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger with channels like email and webchat. They can also use Viber with advanced tools to send broadcast messages, automate conversations, route and assign conversations and more. Before detailing what respond.io can do, we’ll show you how integrating any CRM with respond.io works. #### How to Integrate a CRM with Viber on Respond.io To begin, you must [create a Viber chatbot account](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-7) and [connect it to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/viber#connecting_viber). To connect Viber with any CRM using respond.io, create a new [Workflow](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) automation and add the [HTTP Request Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_http_request). This will enable you to exchange information with your existing CRM while messaging customers on Viber. Qualify leads, update contacts, and manage deals or tickets in external CRMs directly from the respond.io inbox Sound interesting? Read on to learn how to use respond.io for specific use cases. ### How to Use Respond.io for Viber Marketing, Sales and Support Next, we’ll show how you can use respond.io for Viber marketing, sales and support. #### Viber Integration for Marketing: Funnel Inbound Leads and Send Targeted Broadcasts To reduce spam and protect users' privacy, Viber does not allow businesses to import Viber users’ contact information. Customers must start a conversation with a business to become Contacts. Businesses can encourage inbound conversations with [Viber QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/viber-qr-code), [Click to Chat links](https://respond.io/blog/viber-link) and [Viber Widget](https://respond.io/blog/viber-widget). Businesses can display the QR code on flyers, business cards, or in-store, and embed the chat link across various digital platforms. When a lead starts a conversation, gather basic info to identify if they are a new lead or an existing contact who has previously interacted on a different channel. If a lead is new, you will automatically capture their details and add them as a Contact. You can then [segment](https://help.respond.io/contacts/segments) them into different audiences. This will help when sending targeted promotional [broadcast messages](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message) via the respond.io Broadcast Module. If they are an existing Contact, [merge their contact information](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) to get a complete view of their interactions with your business. You can also exchange and retrieve their contact information on your CRM. #### Viber Integration for Sales: Shorten Sales Cycle Integrating Viber with your sales CRM on respond.io enables you to conduct sales tasks like qualifying leads and creating external tickets in just one click. This way, you can complete sales tasks while chatting with customers without having to leave the respond.io inbox. To automate your sales cycle, you can use respond.io Workflows. For instance, you can send automated [qualifying questions](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) when a lead message you. Then use the information to [route](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/routing-leads) them to the right team and [assign](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/auto-assign-leads-to-sales-agents) them to the right agent. They can even have an [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai) to serve as the initial responder to handle routine lead inquiries. Respond.io's customizable Workflows enable managers to route leads based on criteria like priority access, deal size, or region. Agents can use [AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai) to enhance message clarity, translate to bridge language gaps, ensuring effective communication with diverse customers. You can also use this feature for WhatsApp customer support. #### Viber Integration for Support: Improve Customer Support Productivity Respond.io enables businesses to improve their customer support efficiency through automation. They can set up automated FAQs and send [multiple-choice questions](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) with pre-determined answers to help customers communicate what they want clearly. Based on what they’re looking for, the automation will [route](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/route-customers) and [assign](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/auto-assign-customers) them to the right team or agent. Similar to the AI Agent’s capabilities mentioned in the sales use case above, businesses can use AI to handle routine inquiries and escalate complex or sensitive issues to human agents. This way, agents are saved from performing repetitive tasks and can focus their time on critical issues. To ease agents' workload further, tools like [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) provide agents with quick access to relevant information from knowledge bases or existing resources. This allows them to respond quickly and accurately to customer inquiries, enhancing response times and contributing to a more satisfying customer experience. If an agent cannot resolve an issue, they can request a manager's help through [internal](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity#comments) [comments](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity#comments) or [escalate the case](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) to external CRM platforms in one click while chatting with customers. Businesses can also measure the success and quality of a company’s customer support by sending a [CSAT survey](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-8) or by tracking individual or team performance via the advanced [Reports and Analytics Module](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/reporting-for-support). We hope you found our first-hand guide to LINE CRM integration insightful. Lastly, you can carry out all your tasks anywhere with the [respond.io mobile app](https://respond.io/blog/viber-support#toc-mobile-11). Are you ready to integrate your CRM with Viber on respond.io? [Sign up for our free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and boost your customer relationship across messaging channels! ### Further Reading We hope you enjoyed this article. Here’s some additional reading to help you kickstart your Viber journey with respond.io. - The Ultimate Guide to Viber for Business - A Comprehensive Guide to Sales With Viber - How to Use Viber As a Customer Support Channel ## [Viber Group: Learn How to Create Viber Groups for Business ](https:/respond.io/blog/viber-group) All you need to know about Viber Groups. Learn how to create a Viber Group and how to elevate your business communication with Viber and respond.io! A Viber Group is a great way to simultaneously keep multiple people updated about your products or services, promote discussion and allow you to build relationships quickly. If you want to find out how to create Viber Groups, stick around and we’ll show you! ### What is Viber Group? When Viber [introduced Viber Groups in 2012](https://techcrunch.com/2012/07/24/viber-updates-iphone-android-apps-to-version-2-2-group-messaging-improved-ui-enhanced-hd-calling/) as a feature of its messaging app, Groups functioned like private chatrooms for multiple people. Initially, Viber Groups’ users primarily consisted of friends and families, but businesses caught on quickly. Businesses learned to use Viber Groups as a communication channel with their customers. Since Viber Group messages could be read by all participants, it was an efficient way to update customers or answer their questions simultaneously. This effective method of messaging customers makes Viber Group a useful tool to have in today’s fast-paced world. Let’s take a look at all the advantages of Viber Groups. ### Benefits of Viber Group Viber Group has all the benefits you get from instant messaging, but with multiple people instead of just an individual. Instant messages are more likely to capture your audience’s attention as people read them [600% more often than email](https://respond.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business#toc-mobile-2). And because instant messages tend to be more conversational than email, it becomes easier to build trust and relationships with recipients. Casual conversations also encourage quicker feedback or responses. Unlike phone calls, instant messages don’t require all parties to be present for a conversation. Instant messages are also searchable, which is useful when locating an old message. And if needed, you can still send voice messages or make calls in Viber Groups. As Viber Groups have no restrictions when it comes to content, you can create a group for any purpose. Viber Groups can also be created and accessed on both mobile and desktop app, making it convenient for anybody to use. While Viber Groups are suitable for long-term use, they are also great for temporary activities where members don’t need to stay in touch after the purpose of the group is over. For example, you can create groups to update your students or customers about a baking or yoga class, different sessions of a seminar and so on. But before you use Viber Groups for your business, there are some things that you need to know. ### Limitations of Viber Groups Because Viber Groups are only accessible using the Viber app, you won’t be able to [use Viber Chatbots](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-5) and third-party messaging platforms to chat on them. Viber Groups also don’t show previously sent messages to newly added members, meaning you’ll need to update them if they’re unaware of the conversation. There’s no support for member insights or message statistics, so you can’t track the performance of your messages if you need that information. Lastly, Viber Groups have a maximum of 250 members, which makes them unsuitable for businesses that need to communicate with large numbers of customers. Instead, you can use [Viber Communities](https://respond.io/blog/viber-community) or [Channels](https://help.viber.com/hc/articles/9340728226077-Communities-knowledge-base-for-admins) if you have a large audience to connect with. #### Viber Group, Community and Channel Differences If you need to accommodate more users and want stricter controls over the conversation, you’ll need to look beyond Viber Groups. Viber Communities are like Groups but larger, with more moderation tools and visible chat histories. On the other hand, Viber Channels are similar to Communities, except that communication is one-way. Only admins can send messages in Channels. This makes Channels more suitable for announcements than conversations. Viber Groups work best for businesses with smaller audiences that don’t require all the bells and whistles that come with Communities or Channels. Next, let’s explore how Viber Groups can improve the way your business communicates with its customers. ### Why Use Viber Groups Viber Groups are an efficient way of communicating with your customers if Viber is popular in your region or the majority of your customers are already on the channel. This allows you to reach out to customers where they spend most of their time. [Broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message) and groups allow you to mass message customers, with one main difference. Broadcasts are only meant for one-way conversations, while groups allow members to participate in discussions. This is great for community bonding among members because they can interact and chat with one another. This especially benefits companies in social-oriented verticals like fitness or education. Viber Groups enable you to answer commonly asked questions with a single message since everyone in the group can read your replies. For example, you can alert customers about new products and answer any questions they might have in the same group. Viber Groups are free to use along with the Viber app itself. There are also no costs for messaging either as you’ll be sending messages from a personal Viber account instead of a [business account](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business). This is helpful to know, especially when you’re a business that’s just starting out and don’t have a big budget to spend on messaging customers! Now you know the benefits of using a Viber Group, let’s learn how to create one. ### How to Create Viber Group Creating a Viber Group is a process that will be familiar to you if you’ve created groups on other chat apps in the past. **1\. Tap** the speech bubble icon. **2\. Select** New Group or Community. **3\. Select** the people to invite to your Group. **4\. Tap** the next arrow. **5\. Name** your group. **6\. Tap** the check mark. You can begin chatting with the group members in your newly created group. ### How to Invite People to Viber Groups Now that we’ve created our group, it’s time to populate it with members. Here’s what you need to do to invite your contacts. **1\. Tap** the menu button. **2\. Select** *Add participants*. **3\. Select** the contacts you want to add to the group or select *Share group link* to get a URL for sharing. **4\. Tap** the check mark. The contacts you select will be added to the Viber Group. If you used the *Share group link* option instead, send the generated link to people you would like to invite to your group. ### How to Manage Viber Groups Admins are the only ones with the privileges to manage a Viber Group, so they can add or remove members from the group, clear chat content and delete the group itself. As it can be difficult to manage a group alone, appoint admins to help you out. #### Adding Admins Appointing a group member as an admin is a quick and easy process, but choose wisely when providing this level of access. **1\. Tap** on the group name. **2\. Select** the contact you wish to make an admin. **3\. Select** *Add as admin*. It’s that simple; the next step will cover removing any appointed admins in your Viber Group. #### Removing Admins It’s wise to remove any ex-colleagues from a group to prevent unintended usage of the admin role. **1\. Tap** on the group name. **2\. Select** the admin you wish to remove. **3\. Select** *Remove as admin*. Lastly, we’ll cover how to clear chat content or delete a group. #### Clear Chat Content or Leave and Delete the Group If your Viber Group was created for a temporary occasion that has concluded, follow these steps to delete the group or its contents. **1\. Tap** on the group name. **2\. Tap** *Clear chat content* to erase the chat history of the group or *Leave and delete* to leave and delete the chat group. **3\. Tap** *Clear* or *Leave and Delete* in the pop-up menu to confirm your decision. Now you have the information required to run a Viber Group, let’s wrap things up. ### Conclusion Viber Groups are a great way to build customer relationships and stay in touch with them, provided that you or your agents reply to messages in a timely manner. However, if you’re dealing with a larger group of customers, consider using Viber Communities, which has chatbot support. With a chatbot, you can use a central messaging inbox like respond.io to handle your conversations. When your Viber chatbot is connected to respond.io, you’ll gain features like [automatically routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assigning contacts](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio), [sending automated messages](https://respond.io/blog/viber-auto-reply), [internal collaborations](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity) with multiple agents and more. Check out our blog post on [Viber Communities](https://respond.io/blog/viber-community) for more details. Once you’re ready to connect your chatbot to respond.io, [sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register)! ### Further Reading Finally, if you found this post helpful, here are some other articles you might be interested in. - Ultimate Guide to Viber for Business - Viber Sales: A Comprehensive Guide to Sales With Viber - Viber Support: Using Viber As a Customer Support Channel ## [Viber Link Generator: How to Get Viber Links for Your Business](https:/respond.io/blog/viber-link) All you need to know about the Viber links. Use respond.io's Viber link generator for your business and get a link for customers to contact you easily! Looking for ways to get customers to speak to you on Viber? The Viber links are the fastest way to accomplish this. All your contacts need to do is tap on a Viber link to launch the Viber app on their devices and initiate a conversation with your business. If you have no idea how to generate Viber links, read on! We’ll go over its use cases, benefits and how to use respond.io’s Viber link generator to create one of your own. ### What Are Viber Links Viber links are links that enable people to easily find and message your business account on Viber. Contacts who have the app installed on their devices can open a chat window with your business by clicking on a Viber link. It’s the fastest way to get contacts speaking to you on Viber since there’s no need for users to manually search or input your contact details before they start talking to you. Because it is a [deep link](https://developers.viber.com/docs/tools/deep-links/), it directs users to the Viber app, instead of a website. This means it will only work on devices that have the Viber app installed as Viber doesn’t have a web version. Unlike the links for other channels such as Telegram, WhatsApp and Facebook, which pull up a browser-based application, Viber links will not load a browser when accessed on a device that doesn’t have the app installed. Let’s run through the various ways you can use Viber links for higher customer engagement. ### Benefits of Viber Link A [Viber chatbot](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-5) and a messaging inbox that supports Viber, like respond.io, an [AI-powered](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) customer conversation management software, is [the best way to handle](https://respond.io/blog/business-messaging#toc-mobile-7) your support and sales conversations. This is especially true if you have a large number of inbound messages on Viber for your business. However, Viber chatbots are not searchable until you agree to their [commercial terms](https://help.viber.com/hc/articles/15247629658525-Bot-commercial-model), a time-consuming and expensive process. Otherwise, to get contacts to speak to your business, you’ll need to manually share your bot with them using Viber’s invite feature. Another method is to utilize Viber links, which will be much faster for both parties compared to a manual chatbot invitation. Once you have a Viber link, there are many ways you can use it to get customers to speak to you. Put it on your website, blogs, PDFs and social media posts that support links for customers to access. You can also share the link in text messages on other channels like email, SMS and WhatsApp. For example, by sending Viber links via email to a contact, you can move the conversation to Viber for faster or more informal interactions. Likewise, convert your Viber links into [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/viber-qr-code), which can be printed on posters, flyers and other physical media. Therefore, users can scan the QR code with their phone’s camera to reach your business. Now that we know the benefits of the Viber link, let’s learn how to obtain one. ### How to Get Viber Link? In this section, we’ll go over the Viber link that initiates a conversation with your [Viber Chatbot](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-5). This link is not to be confused with the Viber Channel, Group or [Community link](https://respond.io/blog/viber-community), which are obtained differently. There are two ways to get your Viber link, manually or as a QR code with respond.io’s Viber link generator. #### How to Get Viber Links Manually This method involves appending your chatbot username to the Viber deep link. **1\. Go** to More > Settings > My Bots > Select your Viber bot. **2\. Locate** the username of your bot under URI. **3\. Copy** and paste or type your username where it says *URI* in the following address: *viber://pa?chatURI=.* For example, if the bot’s name is grubngomealdelivery, it will be *viber://pa?chatURI=grubngomealdelivery.* **4\. Display** this link in websites or advertisements where customers you want to speak to are likely to see it. This link is also different from personal Viber links, which are used to share personal Viber accounts and not chatbots. Personal Viber links contain phone numbers instead of the bot URI, here’s an example: *viber://add?number=1234567890.* For the next method, we’ll use respond.io’s built-in generator. #### How to Get Viber Links with Respond.io's Viber Link Generator Due to Viber links not working on devices without Viber installed, the better alternative is to use QR codes, which are faster and less prone to error. People with Viber installed can easily scan these codes to start talking to you. That being said, we’ll still show you how you can get your Viber link from [our QR code generator](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you). To begin, make sure your Viber account is [connected to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/viber#connecting_viber). **1\. Click** on the Settings icon in the respond.io navigation menu and **2\. Select** *Growth Widgets*, followed by *Add Widget*. **3\. Select** *QR Code* and click *Create Widget*. **4\. Select** *Viber* as the QR code type. **5\. Select** the connected Viber channel that you want to create the QR code for. **6\. Type** your [greeting message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message) in the pre-filled text. This step is optional. The message will appear in your Contact’s message box when they scan the QR code. **7\. Click** *Generate Widget* button to create your QR code with the pre-filled text. **8\. Click** the *Copy* icon next to the text under QR Code to get your Viber link. Use this link in websites or advertisements where customers you want to speak to are likely to see it. For more information on Viber QR codes, [check out our complete guide](https://respond.io/blog/viber-qr-code). With your Viber chatbot connected to respond.io, let’s explore the platform’s features which elevate sales and support communication for you and your customers. ### Using Viber with Respond.io Respond.io is designed for businesses with large teams in mind. Therefore, if you have a large number of inbound messages, contacts on different channels, or require automation and agent-monitoring tools, the platform has what you need and more. By connecting your Viber chatbot to the platform, you can offer omnichannel support, set up automation and monitor agents. Let's go through these below. #### Offer Multi-channel Support Respond.io’s multi-channel support lets you reply to all your customers from one platform, regardless of the channel they’re on. With [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts), say goodbye to duplicated contact profiles for contacts with different usernames on multiple channels. Furthermore, by consolidating customer details and chat history, you’ll never miss out on key info from the previous conversations you’ve had across different channels. This comes in handy when reaching contacts on channels with [strict message windows](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-10) or [high fees](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-6) for messages outside the window. If a messaging window with a contact has closed on another channel, you can resume the chat on Viber if you have their Viber contact details. On the other hand, if a [messaging window](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-11) on Viber has closed, you can use a channel like Telegram to resume it for free. Additionally, if they prefer to chat on Viber, simply send them a Viber link to restart the chat! #### Automate Routine Tasks [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) can be used to automate repetitive tasks if you have a lot of contacts reaching out to you on Viber. Are your contacts looking to speak to customer support or the sales team? [Automatically route](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) them to the right team and [assign them](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to an available agent. Use [respond.io API Integrations](https://respond.io/integrations) with other apps and platforms to exchange information, therefore giving users a better sales or support experience. - Qualify contacts with data enrichment tools such as Clearbit - Calculate the price quotations for a custom plan during client consultations - Generate sales deals in a CRM such as Hubspot or Salesforce - Set up a customer escalation process - Measure CSAT scores using workflows Integrations reduce the number of errors that get introduced during the process of reentering data and improve your Agents’ efficiency since there’s no need to leave respond.io to use another tool. #### Observe and Report The [Comments feature](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity#comments) enables you to observe your agents’ conversations and activities on the platform. You can step in at any time to offer answers or suggestions when necessary. Lastly, the [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) lets you evaluate the efficiency of your agents by tracking their first response time, resolution time and more. Analyze and improve both individual and team performance! Respond.io can accomplish a lot more than what’s listed above but these suggestions should give you an idea of where to start. Now that you’re ready to get your own Viber link and communicate with your contacts using respond.io, [sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register)! ### Further Reading In conclusion, here are some additional resources you might find useful if you’re looking to improve your Viber communications for business: - Ultimate Guide to Viber for Business - Viber Bulk Message: How To Send A Viber Broadcast - Viber Sales: A Comprehensive Guide to Sales With Viber ## [Viber Marketing: Drive Growth Through Messaging](https:/respond.io/blog/viber-marketing) Learn how you can enhance your sales and growth with Viber Marketing by using QR codes, bulk messages and ads. Are you looking to enhance your marketing efforts through Viber? Well, look no further, we’ve got you covered. In this blog, you’ll learn what Viber marketing is, its benefits and how to use respond.io to further boost your marketing efforts. Then, we’ll show you success stories of businesses using Viber marketing. ### What is Viber Marketing? Viber marketing leverages the Viber messaging app to revolutionize customer engagement. It's not just a platform for sending messages; it's an entire ecosystem for interactive and targeted marketing. Viber marketing offers a more personal touch compared to traditional marketing avenues. It provides tools like chatbots, stickers and Viber Communities, transforming every interaction into an engaging experience. This platform isn't just about reaching customers; it's about resonating with them. #### How is Viber Marketing Different From Traditional Marketing? The landscape of marketing has evolved dramatically, and Viber advertising and marketing is at the forefront of this change. Unlike traditional marketing, which can feel like shouting into a void, Viber Marketing is akin to having a one-on-one conversation with your audience. This approach transforms the marketing experience from a monologue into a dialogue, creating a more meaningful connection with customers. This direct and personalized communication ensures relevance and engagement at every touchpoint Viber also supports a variety of formats – text, images, videos and voice messages – and caters to diverse content strategies, offering creative flexibility and enhancing customer interaction. #### Who Should Use Viber for Marketing or Advertising? Businesses using Viber should target Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. With its over [1.1 billion unique users](https://financesonline.com/viber-statistics/), Viber offers an expansive stage for companies to showcase their brand, products, and services to a vast, engaged audience. ### Benefits of Using Viber Marketing Engaging in Viber marketing and advertising campaigns can be a costly affair. Thankfully, Viber offers a cost-effective solution with a high return on investment. Its ability to target specific demographics minimizes wasted effort, ensuring that your marketing messages reach the right ears. Moreover, Viber’s immediate reach and digital analytics empower businesses with real-time insights, allowing for agile, informed marketing strategies. Now, let’s look at the benefits of Viber Marketing. #### Viber Ads: Cost Effective One of the most compelling advantages of Viber marketing and advertising is its cost-effectiveness. In comparison to more traditional marketing channels like print or television advertisements, Viber presents a more economical alternative. Viber has a low barrier to entry with a flexible pricing model that scales with your specific needs and usage. Unlike many other platforms, starting a marketing campaign on Viber usually does not require a large budget upfront, making it accessible for small and medium-sized businesses. This makes experimentation with different messaging easier and more affordable. #### Viber Ads: Targeted and Immediate Reach By focusing on relevant customers, businesses avoid the scattergun approach often associated with conventional marketing. This targeted strategy not only saves money but also boosts the return on investment. With fewer wasted impressions and more focused outreach, marketing campaigns become more efficient and yield better results. Additionally, unlike print, radio, or television ads, marketing campaigns on Viber allow customers to message businesses quickly. This immediacy reduces the time gap between customer interest and action, increasing the likelihood of conversion. #### Viber Ads: Higher Engagement Rates Viber has [exceptionally high engagement rates](https://financesonline.com/viber-statistics/). This should give every marketer a reason to at least try Viber as a part of their advertising efforts. Here are three statistics you need to know: - 90% of Viber messages are opened within 3 minutes. - 70 million number of interactions every hour. - 25% of Viber users tap on the buy button of the product ads they see. While there are many other benefits to using Viber for marketing, the ones listed here can’t be ignored. However, before you proceed with marketing on Viber, make sure you take note of some of its limitations. ### Limitations of Using Regular Viber App for Advertising The regular Viber app's limited automation capabilities present a challenge, especially when dealing with high volumes of customer inquiries. Without connecting your Viber account to platforms like respond.io, businesses miss out on automating responses, which is essential for handling high volumes of inquiries efficiently. Managing a large number of contacts and conversations is another challenge with the standard Viber app. As marketing activities scale up, the volume of interactions increases, potentially leading to missed messages or delayed responses. This limitation underscores the need for additional tools or platforms that can aid in more efficient contact management. Then, there’s the absence of advanced segmentation. The ability to segment audiences is crucial for tailoring messages to specific groups based on criteria like demographics or behavior. Without it, businesses may struggle to customize their marketing efforts effectively. Finally, Viber has updated its [Bot Commercial Model](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/15247629658525). Previously, Chatbot owners only had to pay per-message fees after exceeding the 10k free chatbot-initiated messages quota. From 05/02/2024, new chatbot owners will be charged: - A maintenance fee of EUR 100.00 per bot, per month. - For every bot-initiated message per Viber’s rate card. > Take note that Viber now explicitly prohibits businesses like forex and crypto, adult entertainment, political content, tobacco, weapons, etc. Viber also requires gambling, gaming, loan and microcredit businesses to provide further documentation to validate their legitimacy. Chatbot owners who [create a chatbot](https://help.respond.io/l/en/viber/viber#getting_a_viber_bot) before February 5, 2024, will not be affected by the updated Commercial Model. They will fall under the [legacy Commercial Model](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/8746671603485). ### Key Considerations for Effective Viber Marketing Before diving into the world of Viber Marketing, it's essential to understand some key aspects that can significantly impact the success of your campaigns. From pricing models to marketing tools and ads to best practices, here's what you need to know. #### Understanding the Viber Bot Pricing Model As of September 2022, Viber Chatbots operate on a [pricing model](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bot-pricing) that's based on notifications. While the initial setup of a Viber Chatbot is free, businesses can send up to 10,000 chatbot-initiated messages per month without incurring costs. However, beyond this threshold, [Viber's Commercial Terms](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bot-pricing#toc-mobile-3) come into play, and businesses are charged per message. > Importantly, these costs can vary depending on the destination country. This pricing model necessitates careful planning and budgeting, especially for businesses aiming to use chatbots extensively. #### Utilizing Viber's Diverse Marketing Tools Viber offers an array of tools to enhance your advertising strategies. Viber Broadcasts and QR codes are particularly noteworthy. Broadcast messages can be sent either through the Viber app, limited to 50 contacts, or via a Viber Bot Account. However, when integrated with platforms like respond.io, broadcasts can be sent to unlimited recipients. This is especially powerful when coupled with advanced targeting features like Segments in respond.io. #### Leveraging Viber Advertising and Push Notifications Viber Ads are a powerful feature for increasing visibility within the app, especially for reaching users who are not yet in your contact list. Additionally, Viber's push notifications offer a cost-effective alternative to traditional SMS. Businesses can deliver interactive messages to more people. This makes them ideal for a range of business communications, including marketing, sales and transactional updates. #### Complying with Viber’s Policies A crucial aspect of marketing on Viber is adhering to the platform's messaging rules. For example, you can’t import a contact list and then message customers. You need to get customers to message you first before you can interact with those contacts. These guidelines are designed to prevent spam and uphold good marketing practices. Now that you’re familiar with Viber marketing and advertising basics, let’s see how you can take it to the next level when you connect your Viber account to respond.io. ### Supercharge Viber With Respond.io Respond.io is an AI-powered customer conversation management platform that has powerful features to get your operations going. #### Generating Leads with Ease Although Viber [assigns User IDs based on phone numbers](https://developers.viber.com/docs/faq/#account-subscribers), you can’t just import contacts from a CRM. As we mentioned earlier, you need to get customers to message you first. This is a limitation created by Viber to avoid spam marketing. There are a few helpful tools to get customers to message you first. You can send [chat links,](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-9) place [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/viber-qr-code) in your physical store, install a [Viber chat widget](https://respond.io/blog/viber-widget) on your website or attract new customers with Viber advertising. All these tools are available on respond.io. #### Streamlined Lead Qualification Qualify leads efficiently with respond.io's by setting it up in the [Workflows advanced automation builder](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview). Alternatively, you can use respond.io’s AI capabilities, called Respond AI, to [automatically discern and qualify leads](https://help.respond.io/automate-conversations/ai-agent-integration-round-the-clock-engagement-efficiency), reducing the need for constant sales team intervention. This automation not only streamlines the process but also ensures that potential customers are engaged promptly and effectively. #### Targeted Promotions with Viber Broadcasts Once you qualify leads, you can segment your audience and send [bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message) using the [Broadcast module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview). > If you are using the Viber app, you are limited to sending a broadcast to 50 contacts. Imagine reaching out to hundreds or even thousands of customers with messages that resonate with their specific interests and interactions – all made possible with Viber Broadcasts. If you do have a huge influx of customers from your promotions, you can use Respond AI Agent to answer common questions and route contacts to the sales department for closing deals. #### Engaging Customers with Viber Drip Campaigns Drip campaigns are a powerful tool to nurture customer interest over time. Craft a series of engaging messages scheduled at optimal intervals. This strategy keeps your customers engaged and builds anticipation, ultimately leading to higher conversion rates. With respond.io, setting up a sequence of automated messages via Viber is straightforward. Once again, the Workflows is the star of the show. Each of these features is designed to make your customer engagement more effective and less time-consuming. By integrating Viber into your strategy through respond.io, you're engaging customers in meaningful and productive conversations. Finally, let’s look at the successes businesses have had using Viber marketing. ### Viber Marketing and Advertising Big Wins Viber Marketing has become a key strategy for businesses to reach and engage with customers effectively. Its ability to deliver personalized and interactive content makes it ideal for various industries. Let's dive into some success stories that showcase the transformative impact of Viber Marketing. #### TRS.INK: Navigating a Health Crisis with Effective Communication During the the Covid-19 pandemic, [TRS.INK](https://respond.io/customers/how-trs-ink-used-viber-to-reach-132k-citizens-in-covid-19-response) recognized the urgent need for swift and reliable communication with patients. Their strategic use of Viber's broadcasts and one-on-one messaging capabilities led to impressive outcomes: - Remarkably, they reached over 132,000 people, ensuring vital information was disseminated quickly and efficiently. - The campaign achieved a staggering 99.9% delivery rate, illustrating the power of Viber in reaching a wide audience with crucial health updates. #### Comfy: Boosting Retail Engagement and Sales [Comfy](https://www.forbusiness.viber.com/en/success-stories/story/comfy/) a leading retailer in Ukraine, faced the challenge of reducing shopping cart abandonment. By integrating Viber ads and promotions into their marketing strategy, they crafted a solution that combined immediate reach, rich media, and compelling call-to-actions (CTAs). This innovative approach led to: - An impressive 30% increase in conversions, significantly outperforming traditional SMS marketing. - A notable 10% boost in overall sales, demonstrating the effectiveness of Viber in enhancing customer engagement and driving retail success. #### WWF: Spreading Awareness for Tiger Conservation The [World Wildlife Fund (WWF)](https://www.forbusiness.viber.com/en/success-stories/story/wwf/) embarked on a mission to raise awareness about tiger conservation. Viber's unique features, like stickers and chatbots, became pivotal in their campaign, leading to exceptional engagement: - The campaign saw 1.7 million sticker packs downloaded, spreading the message of conservation far and wide. - A staggering 3.2 million users were exposed to WWF's message through these stickers. - The WWF chatbot generated over 21.5 million interactions, indicating a high level of engagement and interest in tiger conservation. These stories highlight the versatility of Viber advertising and marketing across industries and its effectiveness in achieving marketing goals. From healthcare communication during a global crisis to boosting retail sales and promoting wildlife conservation, Viber Marketing has proven to be a game-changer in the realm of digital engagement. Are you ready to transform your Viber marketing strategy? Sign up for a [free respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) today and discover the full potential of your marketing efforts. ### Further Reading If you enjoyed reading this article, here are more Viber blogs we think you’ll enjoy: - Ultimate Guide to Viber for Business - Viber Sales: A Comprehensive Guide to Sales With Viber - Viber CRM: Integrating a CRM with Viber on respond.io ## [Viber Push Notifications: How to Send a Viber Notification](https:/respond.io/blog/viber-push-notifications) If you don't want customers to miss your messages, try Viber push notification. This article will show all you need to know about Viber push notifications. Many businesses worldwide use Viber push notifications for customer communication. Would you like to learn how? This article will cover everything you need to know to send a Viber push notification to your customers — from the very basics to the different Viber notification types you can send using respond.io. ### Viber Push Notification: An Introduction Since smartphones started to take the world by storm, push notifications have been growing in popularity. So much so that everyone with a smartphone is receiving push notifications from apps. In this section, we’ll explain what push notifications are, how they compare with SMS messages, and what makes [Viber](https://help.respond.io/viber/viber) a suitable push notification channel for your business. #### What are Push Notifications? Push notifications are messages that pop up on the lock screen of customers’ phones. Because they are displayed in such a strategic location, they are very effective at grabbing the recipient’s attention. Generally, push notifications are short and compelling with a clear call to action. Companies use them for multiple purposes, for example: - Notify customers of limited-time offers - Remind them about an appointment - Inform them about scheduled platform maintenance - Confirm an order As you can see, push notifications are similar to SMS in some ways, as both are short messages with a clear objective. However, companies are increasingly switching to push notifications through messaging apps like Viber. But why? To answer this question, let’s compare SMS to Viber push notifications when it comes to customer communication. #### Viber Push Notification vs SMS for Business Messaging [SMS providers](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-6) charge businesses a per-message fee, so companies that need to send many monthly SMS notifications are at risk of incurring high costs. On top of that, some SMS providers charge businesses set-up and periodic lease fees. SMS has low deliverability rates compared to Viber. In an attempt to protect mobile users from spam and fraud, SMS carriers intercept some messages and stop them from reaching their recipients. This is known as [carrier filtering](https://respond.io/blog/sms-marketing-sms-broadcast#toc-mobile-7). Plus, certain number types like [short codes](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms#toc-mobile-5) can only be received by local numbers. Last, SMS messages are limiting when it comes to content, as they don’t support multimedia. Viber push notifications are a good alternative to SMS messaging, as we’ll explain next. | | SMS | Viber Push Notifications | | --- | --- | --- | | Costs | Variable | • Monthly Maintenance Fee of EUR 100 per Bot • Chatbot-initiated Messages | | Supports Multimedia | No | Yes | | Deliverability Rates | Low to High | High | Sending Viber push notifications is not free either. As a business, you’ll need a Viber Business account commonly known as [Viber Bot](https://help.respond.io/viber/viber#getting_a_viber_bot). Businesses must pay EUR 100 of monthly maintenance costs to Viber per Bot. In addition, push notifications are generally [chatbot-initiated](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bot-pricing#toc-mobile-1), with [costs involved](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/15247629658525#rate-card). Viber push notifications are not filtered by carriers, so they boast higher deliverability rates. Just make sure you abide by [Viber’s Acceptable Use Policy](https://www.viber.com/en/terms/viber-public-content-policy/) to avoid getting your account blocked or taken down. Finally, businesses can send multimedia content through a Viber push notification to make it more engaging. If the points above have convinced you to give Viber push notifications a try, don’t miss the next section. There’s some important information you should know before starting on this messaging channel. #### What You Need to Know Before Using Viber Push Notifications As a business, using the Viber app to send a Viber notification is not optimal. It is time-consuming, it’s not suitable for multiple users and it lacks advanced messaging tools. That’s why we recommend using a Viber Chatbot, which is free to create. Simply [fill out this form](https://share.hsforms.com/12pxGHMtAS3yq_3KcxQ6g1A4fpwx), and Viber will get back to you. > Viber prohibits the following businesses from their platform: Forex and crypto, adult entertainment, political content, alcohol and drug promotions, tobacco, weapons and more. Businesses related to gambling, gaming, loan and microcredit bots may require further documents and validation upon application. Viber Chatbots are, in essence, APIs that Viber users can interact with. Unfortunately, Viber Bots don’t have an interface to send push notifications and receive replies, so they must be connected to a messaging inbox like respond.io. This also gives access to advanced automation, bulk messaging and additional business communication tools. Viber has implemented some messaging rules for Viber Chatbots to prevent spam and encourage good messaging practices. First, Viber contacts can’t be imported from a CRM. Instead, you’ll need to get them to message you first. Although only verified accounts are searchable in the app, Viber offers [other features customers can use to find any Viber Chatbot](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-9), verified or not. A contact replying to your Viber push notification will activate the [24-hour messaging window](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bot-pricing#toc-mobile-2). Within this session, you can exchange unlimited free messages with the contact; after 24 hours, the session will end. If you plan to use respond.io as your Viber messaging inbox, the next section is for you, as we’ll explain how to send Viber push notifications with respond.io. ### How to Send a Viber Push Notification with Respond.io Businesses send Viber push notifications for support, sales, marketing and transactional messages. And these use cases don’t share the same goals or messaging practices. While support teams may have 1:1 conversations with clients to provide them with a smooth customer journey, marketing teams send bulk messages to segmented audiences to increase brand awareness or generate conversions. Respond.io features different modules to compose and send push notifications for your company’s teams. Next, we’ll guide you through three ways to send Viber push notifications: 1:1 messaging, broadcasts or automated notifications via [Messages API](https://developers.respond.io/). #### Sending a 1:1 Viber Push Notification 1:1 notifications are mostly used by sales and support agents. Their interactions with customers tend to be more conversational, giving each customer personal attention to form long-term relationships. [Sales agents](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/sending-outbound-sales-messages) commonly send 1:1 push notifications to follow up with leads or schedule a call with them. On the [support agents](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/send-outbound-messages)' side, they use 1:1 push notifications to notify customers about a solved issue or an account problem or to request feedback, for instance. Your sales and support teams can send a Viber push notification from the respond.io [Messages Module](https://help.respond.io/messages/messages-overview). Viber push notifications can be typed manually or triggered [at the push of a button](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-triggers#trigger_shortcut). #### Broadcasting a Viber Push Notification Support teams occasionally send push notifications to large audiences to inform contacts about platform maintenance or public holidays. But it’s marketing teams who generally use broadcasts for promotional notifications. Unlike [WhatsApp broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) or [Facebook Messenger broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-broadcast), [Viber broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message) does permit promotional content. Moreover, businesses can broadcast push notifications to unlimited recipients as long as they are willing to bear the extra messaging costs. In [respond.io’s Broadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview), you can create, edit, preview, schedule and test Viber Broadcasts. Plus, you’ll be able to [segment Contacts](https://help.respond.io/contacts/segments) easily for effective targeting. #### Using Messages API to Send a Viber Push Notification Unlike conversational and promotional notifications, transactional push notifications are in most cases automatically sent in response to customer interactions with a platform. They include necessary and personal information that customers need at some stage of their customer lifecycle, for example, to confirm a payment, reset a password or provide a delivery update. Because it’s an API and has no interface, you’ll need to connect [respond.io’s Messages API](https://developers.respond.io/) to a business software of your choice. With respond.io’s Messages API, you can send text, attachments and [text with quick replies](https://docs.respond.io/developer-api/messages-api#send-text-with-quick-replies-request), which is commonly used to create Viber push notifications with multiple choice questions. There is an additional Viber messaging tool that allows verified accounts to send different types of push notifications. Let’s discuss what this feature is about, and what costs you can expect from it. ### Viber Push Notifications with Viber Business Messages Viber has a feature called [Business Messages](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-4) that relies on a fallback to SMS mechanism for higher deliverability. The downside is that this feature is not free. Promotional and transactional messages are charged on a cost-per-delivered message basis, whereas conversational notifications are charged on a session time window. You’ll also have to verify your profile, which will involve fees from your Viber Business Partner and a minimum monthly charge that varies per destination country. Minimum monthly charges haven’t been disclosed by Viber, but it’s known that they don’t go below $100/month. And as expected, you'll be charged for every additional cost above the minimum spend. In the following section, we’ll run you through some of the benefits of using it as a messaging inbox for Viber push notifications. ### Viber Push Notifications with Respond.io: Quick Wins Respond.io is not only useful for Viber push notifications — it’s a platform for the entire customer lifecycle. To start using respond.io as your Viber messaging inbox, follow these steps: 1. Create a Viber Chatbot 2. Sign up for a respond.io account 3. Connect your Viber Chatbot to respond.io In this section, we’ll focus on some of the features you’ll find in the platform: an omnichannel inbox, conversation and performance tracking, chat routing and agent assignment and cross-device functionality. #### Unify All Your Channels in an Omnichannel Inbox Your customers probably use other messaging channels besides Viber to communicate with you. This happens when there are other popular messaging channels in the country where your business operates, or when your customers are located in different regions. Using more than one messaging channel for push notifications gives businesses more flexibility. For example, you can have [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-push-notifications) as a backup plan after running out of free Viber notifications. Contact duplication is a common thing on omnichannel platforms. While other platforms require users to search for duplicated contacts manually, respond.io’s Contact Merge feature suggests Contacts with duplicated profiles. At the press of a button, you’ll be able to [merge them into a single profile](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) to prevent siloed conversations across different messaging channels. #### Execute Your Ideal Chat Routing and Agent Assignment Strategies Your Viber push notifications will get responses, which must be handled accordingly. When done manually, this task is time-consuming and puts an unnecessary extra workload on team leaders. This shouldn’t be the case if you use [respond.io’s Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview). Workflows is respond.io’s visual automation builder. Simple yet flexible, it can automate many complex company tasks, including chat routing and agent assignment. There are many ways to [route conversations to the right team](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio). For a start, you could consider routing conversations by Contact language, team function or shift. Then, [implement your preferred auto-assignment strategy](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio). When the responses are properly routed and assigned, there is less need for repetitive questions coming from the agents, saving time and effort, lowering resolution times and improving customer experience. #### Track Conversations and Agent Performance with Advanced Tools From the [Messages Module](https://help.respond.io/messages/messages-overview), managers can supervise Viber push notifications sent by agents, and how responses are handled. A quick look at the [Messaging Console](https://help.respond.io/messages/messages-overview#messaging_console) is enough to see all conversation events in detail. This includes messages sent from both sides, triggered Workflows, and callbacks to other software. On the other hand, the [Contact Activity tab](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity) displays a summary of Contact interactions in chronological order. The [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) is the space where supervisors have access to insightful metrics such as resolution times or first response times. There are several filters supervisors can use to get accurate data, allowing them to identify long-term trends and specific issues. #### Notify Customers on the Go with the Respond.io Mobile App Because you don’t know when you are going to need it, a proper messaging inbox should be cross-device. Respond.io is available on multiple devices, allowing agents to send Viber push notifications from their desktop as well as their phones. The respond.io app is a pocket-size solution that includes all the features you find on the desktop version. To get the respond.io app, download it from [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io&hl=en) for Android and [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) for iOS. ### Further Reading If you’ve found this reading interesting, check out the following Viber articles. - How to Use Viber Community for Business - How to Use QR Code on Viber - How to Use Viber Web Chat for Business ## [Viber QR Code: How to Use QR code on Viber ](https:/respond.io/blog/viber-qr-code) Want to learn how to generate your own Viber QR code? In this article, you'll learn what Viber QR code is, how to generate it and how you can use it for your business effectively. Want to learn how to use Viber QR codes for business? You’ve come to the right place. Here we’ll show you what a Viber QR code is and how to create one with respond.io’s code generator and use it effectively for your business. ### What is a Viber QR Code A Viber Quick Response (QR) code is a type of barcode that contains alphanumerical information like contact details and is unique to every user. Viber QR codes can be easily scanned by smart devices. This is beneficial to businesses because all a customer has to do is scan the Viber QR code to start chatting with you instantly. Not to mention, the customer will also be added to your contact list. Some common uses include logging in to the [Viber for Desktop app](https://help.viber.com/hc/articles/9084593040285-Set-up-Rakuten-Viber-on-your-desktop) (you can only log in by scanning the QR code with your phone), directing users to websites and sharing Viber contacts. However, do note that the QR code only works if you have Viber app installed on your phone. If you scan the code without installing the Viber app, you’ll see an error message instead. Let’s head over to the next section where we’ll share the benefits of using Viber QR codes for your business. #### Benefits of Viber QR Code for Your Business To avoid spam marketing, Viber has set a rule [prohibiting businesses from importing contacts](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-9). If you want to increase Viber contacts, you need to [get customers to message you first](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-9). An easy way to get customers to send you the first message is through QR codes. QR codes make it easier and faster for customers to add you as a contact, as opposed to adding your number manually. All they need to do is scan the QR code and they’ll be brought to the app to start chatting with you! ### How to Generate Viber QR Code There are two methods to generate a Viber QR code: Directly on your Viber app or through respond.io's [AI-powered](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) customer conversation management software. #### QR Code on Viber: How to Generate on Viber App Generating a QR code on your Viber app takes only a few minutes. Just follow the steps below to share your QR codes with customers so they can connect to your business instantly. Here’s how to do it: **1\. Tap** the three horizontal dots on the bottom panel of your Viber app. **2\. Tap** the QR icon on the top right corner. **3\. Share** the QR code in person or screenshot it and share it with your customers. It’s as simple as that! Now, we move on to the next section where we’ll show a step-by-step guide on how to do it on respond.io. #### QR Code Viber: How to Generate on Respond.io If you’re using [Viber bot](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-4) (Viber Business Account), you need an AI-powered customer conversation management software like respond.io to send and receive messages. Respond.io also allows you to generate QR codes to share with your customers. To generate a QR code on respond.io, follow these steps: 1\. **Click** on the Settings icon in the respond.io navigation menu. 2\. **Select** *Growth Widgets*, followed by *Add Widget*. **3\. Select** *QR Code* and click *Create Widget*. **4\. Select** *Viber* as the QR code type. **5\. Select** the connected Viber channel that you want to create the QR code for. **6\. Type** your [greeting message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message) in the pre-filled text. This step is optional. The message will appear in your Contact’s message box when they scan the QR code. **7\. Click** the *Generate Widget* button at the top right to create your QR code with the pre-filled text. Now that you’ve obtained the QR code for your business, let’s move on to the next section to find out where to display your QR codes. ### Where to Use the QR Codes You can place Viber QR codes on anything your customers come in contact with. Print the codes on posters or brochures and display them at your physical store for passersby to contact you. This helps to convert offline traffic to Viber contacts instantaneously. Make sure to place the QR code somewhere prominent so people can find it easily. Another strategic placement we’ve seen is on business cards. It makes networking a breeze. Not to mention, this approach saves you from carrying around dozens of cards. Just whip out your business card for someone to scan and add you as a contact. QR codes can also be used to collect feedback from customers. Print in on receipts or packaging to encourage customers to scan and provide feedback on your products and services. If you have a website, you can consider [adding your Viber QR code to your website chat widget](https://respond.io/blog/viber-widget) to convert website visitors to contacts. Respond.io’s omnichannel web chat also allows you to add other channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-webchat), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-widget) and [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-web-chat). In conclusion, Viber QR codes have tons of benefits that your company can enjoy. Start utilizing Viber QR codes for your business today! ### Further Reading Want to know more about how to use Viber for your business? Check out these articles below: - A Comprehensive Guide to Sales with Viber - How to Use Viber as a Customer Support Channel - Here’s How to Send a Viber Broadcast ## [Viber Sales: A Comprehensive Guide to Sales With Viber ](https:/respond.io/blog/viber-sales) Everything you need to know about Viber Sales and sales for Viber. Learn how to use Viber Chatbot with respond.io to increase your sales. In this article, we’ll explore Viber sales and its advantages over traditional sales channels such as phone and email. If you plan to use Viber for sales, keep reading to discover how it can shorten your sales cycle, especially when connected with respond.io! ### Viber Sales: Why Use Viber for Sales vs Traditional Methods Salespeople have been using phones and email to carry out sales for the past few decades and while those methods get the job done, they are bound by many limitations. Ideally, phone calls need both parties to be in conducive environments and free at the same time. Sales calls usually aren’t recorded, leaving room for forgetting or misinterpreting things. Even if they were, it would be time-consuming and difficult to go through audio conversations for information. Likewise, transferring files over a phone call is impossible, requiring another channel to do so. Lastly, phone calls can be costly, especially if they are international. It’s easy to see why [people prefer to text instead of calling these days](https://respond.io/blog/business-messaging#toc-mobile-1:~:text=64%25%20of%20customers%20said%20they%20prefer%20instant%20messaging%20a%20company%20than%20calling). Emails have their own set of problems. They have a tendency to end up in the junk folder or go missing because of spam filters. People also check emails far less frequently than instant messages, meaning conversations take longer to progress. Conversation threads are often scattered or untraceable, making it difficult for agents to track customers’ conversation histories. For instance, businesses must CC all parties or reply to all recipients to retain a thread in one email. When customers don’t reply to the same thread with all parties CCed in, send new emails instead of replying, or use another email address, the messages might not reach the correct recipients or anyone at all — this miscommunication can lead to lost deals. And with emails' more formal writing style, it's harder to foster trust and build relationships between salespeople and customers. Unsurprisingly, [their open rates are 600% lower than instant messages!](https://respond.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business#:~:text=2018%20%7C%20Source%3A%20Statista-,Messaging%20App%20Engagement%20Rates,-It%20feels%20like) Since people are more responsive to instant messages, it becomes easier to communicate and build relationships over these channels. This brings us to our proposed solution for improving the sales process of your business: Viber. #### Benefits of Using Viber for Sales Viber has 260 million monthly active users and is one of the [most popular messaging apps](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps) in certain parts of the world, namely East Europe, South Europe and Southeast Asia. If your audience is there, Viber will be the most convenient channel for you to them. With a [Viber Chatbot](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business) aka Viber Business Account connected to a messaging platform like respond.io to carry out your sales conversations, you’ll gain access to useful features that speed up your business' sales pipeline. All contacts and chats are stored in a central database which allows salespeople to easily identify customers, trace their chat history and resume conversations where they left off. Your business also maintains this data when agents resign. Since your agents will be sharing the company’s official Viber account, they will use your business’ name when speaking to contacts, which is helpful for building confidence and trust. If the need arises, managers can step in to advise on or guide tricky conversations. [Read receipts are supported](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#:~:text=Viber%20Business%20Account%3A%201%2Dto%2D1%20Messaging) so you know when contacts have read your messages. If they don’t reply, this helps determine if they’ve lost interest or haven’t seen your messages. You won’t have to spend time reaching out to on unresponsive contacts again. But before we put Viber Chatbot on respond.io into use, there are some things you need to know. ### Viber Sales: What You Should Know As part of Viber’s anti-spam features, businesses can’t simply import existing contacts into their list. Viber’s Business Chatbots are [not searchable as well](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-9). To build your contact list, you need customers to send you the first message. Once contact has been established, relationships can be built over 1:1 chats or [Viber Communities](https://respond.io/blog/viber-community). When the need arises, you can send mass updates [using broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message). At the moment, all chatbot-initiated messages are free with no restrictions, however, this will change in the coming months. From [September 2022 onwards](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/15247629658525-Bot-commercial-model), there will be a 24-hour window for session messages. Furthermore, new [chatbots created](https://help.respond.io/l/en/viber/viber#getting_a_viber_bot) after 05/02/2024 will need to pay for every chatbot-initiated message and a maintenance fee of EUR 100.00, per Viber’s updated [Chatbot Commercial Model](https://help.viber.com/hc/articles/15247629658525). Now that we know what a Viber Chatbot is capable of, let’s explore how we can use its integration with respond.io to improve your sales process. ### Viber Sales on Respond.io: Quick Wins Respond.io is a powerful platform loaded with features to make life easier for various business use cases, especially when it comes to sales. Here are some examples of how you can take advantage of our Viber Chatbot connection. #### Shorten Your Sales Cycle with Automation [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) are a key feature of respond.io, and for a good reason. They allow you to automate repetitive tasks, which frees up your workforce to spend time on more important duties. For example, you can use automated Workflow to determine which sales funnel or route a contact falls into by [automating lead qualification](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot#toc-mobile-5), [routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assigning contacts](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to the right salespeople. Since customers communicating with businesses on instant messaging apps expect to receive fast replies, you can set up [auto-replies to let customers know when you’re away](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business#toc-mobile-4) or to welcome new customers. #### Integrate Viber Inbox with Your Sales CRM Workflows allow you to integrate respond.io with your existing sales CRM and other tools to exchange information. With this integration, you can accomplish the following: - Generate sales deals in a CRM like Hubspot or Salesforce - Qualify contacts with data enrichment tools such as Clearbit - Calculate price quotations for a custom plan during client consultations The possibilities of what you can accomplish are endless! #### Funnel Inbound Leads to Your Inbox Since customers need to [send businesses the first message](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-9) to become a contact, respond.io can generate QR codes for this purpose. QR codes are a useful way to get customers to message you on a channel they spend a lot of time on. These QR codes can be placed on websites and promotional messages or printed and displayed in physical locations. Because contacts take the initiative to reach out first, you can be sure they’re interested in your offerings. Use [respond.io’s web chat widget](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview) on your website to funnel contacts to your Viber inbox. When contacts click on the Viber icon, it launches the app if it is installed on their desktop or mobile device, or displays a QR code they can scan to start chatting with you. #### Get a Holistic View of Your Contacts with Contact Merge Most people have more than one messaging app on their phones and may have previously used other messaging channels to reach you. With respond.io’s [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts), combine your contacts' details and conversations from multiple channels into a single view. This ensures you’ll never miss a message from them, no matter which channel they reach out on. #### Mobile App for Agents on the Go Respond.io has a mobile app that allows agents to answer customer inquiries and follow up on leads from Viber on their cellphones. With all the same features as the desktop version, agents can effortlessly send and answer messages on the go, wherever they are. Agents will receive a push notification every time they receive a new message or are assigned new Contacts, allowing them to stay updated and avoid missing messages. To get the respond.io app, download it from [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io&hl=en) for Android and [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) for iOS. We hope you found this article handy and that it helps bring your Viber sales to the next level! Don’t have a respond.io account yet? [Sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register?_gl=1*v0vpy7*_ga*NDYxNjI3NzQxLjE2NTg0ODU2Nzg.*_ga_0EZ318H868*MTY1ODQ4NTY3OC4xLjEuMTY1ODQ4NjA2MS4w&_ga=2.235928834.2079118687.1658485678-461627741.1658485678). ### Further Reading If you found this helpful, here are some additional articles to prepare you for your Viber sales journey: - Ultimate Guide to Viber for Business. - Viber Bulk Message: How To Send A Viber Broadcast. - Viber Widget: How to Use Viber Web Chat for Business. ## [Viber Support: Using Viber As a Customer Support Channel ](https:/respond.io/blog/viber-support) Do you want to provide Viber support to your customers? You’ve come to the right place! This blog post will provide everything you need to know to get started on Viber. Do you have many customers on Viber? Do you want to provide Viber support to your customers? You’ve come to the right place! This blog post will present the benefits of Viber customer service and everything you need to know to get started. Then, we’ll show you how respond.io can help improve your customer support quality. For instance, sending a Viber customer survey after a conversation ends. ### Viber Support: Viber for Customer Support vs Traditional Methods Traditional channels like email, web chat and phone calls are still widely used for customer support. However, as [messaging apps gain popularity](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps) and customers spend a notable amount of time on them, it is clear they are the future of customer support. Additionally, messaging apps have also proven to be more effective for customer support as they solve several limitations of traditional channels. #### Traditional Channel Limitations Conversation threads on traditional channels are often scattered or untraceable, making it difficult for support agents to track customers’ conversation histories. For instance, businesses must CC all parties or reply to all recipients to retain a conversation thread in one email. Although businesses can set rules to maintain email threads, customers might send new emails or use a different email address when they are not receiving replies in a timely manner. Either way, businesses face the risk of having siloed conversations. Similarly, if phone calls or web chat conversations get disconnected, you cannot pick up where you left off as web chat history is not saved and phone calls have no transcripts. As a result, customers have to start the process all over again and repeat their case to each support agent, prolonging their resolution time. Although support agents can attend to a few customers at the same time on web chat, traditional channels like web chat and phone calls demand more staff and cost more because customers and agents have to be online simultaneously to converse. On these channels, when businesses are short-staffed or especially busy, customers wait in a queue without any details as to how long they have to wait for assistance or how many people are ahead of them. The same applies to email because customers have no visibility of how long they have to wait for a resolution or the status of their issue. #### Why Use Viber for Customer Service Compared to traditional channels, using [Viber](https://help.respond.io/viber/viber) for customer service requires a smaller workforce and has lower costs. This is because support agents can chat with multiple clients concurrently. Messaging apps like Viber also allow agents to get a customer’s context from their conversation history in the chat inbox. This enables support agents to identify if the customer is facing a recurring issue and assist them accordingly. Despite this being a real-time conversation, both customers and agents can leave the conversation and pick up where they left off without having to start all over again. This, in turn, provides them the flexibility to prioritize their conversations. For instance, support agents can focus on responsive customers or those with pressing issues, while customers can leave the app and reply at their convenience. Hence, businesses can decrease the overall case resolution time and [improve the quality of their customer support on Viber](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-1). ### Viber Support: What You Should Know Before getting started with Viber for customer service, there are a few things you need to know about Viber group messaging and Viber 1:1 messaging. #### Viber Support: Viber Customer Service via Group Messaging Businesses looking into group messaging could use [Viber Community](https://respond.io/blog/viber-community#toc-mobile-0). It supports an unlimited number of members in a chatroom and ensures privacy by concealing members' contact details. Businesses can use Viber Community for group support, collecting feedback or having discussions with their customers. To do this, they must set their Viber Community as a two-way communication channel for customers to share their opinions. Fortunately, Viber Community has features such as tiered management roles, moderation capabilities and [more](https://respond.io/blog/viber-community#toc-mobile-4) that businesses can use to ensure members follow the Community guidelines. Although group support can be beneficial, once a business starts receiving high volumes of messages, it will become difficult for support agents to track conversations and determine which issues have been resolved or are still open. In addition, businesses can’t keep track of agents’ workload and productivity on Viber Community using the app. This is a letdown because it is one of the most crucial features businesses need to measure their teams’ KPIs. Not just that, some customers will feel uncomfortable seeking support in a group setting because there’s a high chance they will need to reveal private information to solve their issues in the group. Due to the drawbacks mentioned above, businesses should [direct their Viber Community inquiries to 1:1 messaging](https://respond.io/blog/viber-community#toc-mobile-13) instead. In the next section, we'll show you how to provide 1:1 support on Viber. #### Viber Support: Viber Customer Service 1:1 Messaging The best way to provide customer support is through 1:1 messaging. It is more personal and customers will feel comfortable describing their issues and sharing confidential information. While small businesses can provide personal support using the Viber app inbox on multiple devices, keep in mind that the chat history will not sync seamlessly across all devices. This is important, especially for those using Viber on [tablets or iPads](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/8863456833053-Set-up-Rakuten-Viber-on-your-tablet-or-iPad#how-to-activate-viber-on-your-tablet). Larger businesses that need Viber for teams of users and receive high volumes of messages should use a [Viber bot](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-6) to provide 1:1 support. While Viber Bots are free to create, Viber charges a monthly EUR 100 maintenance fee. To create a Viber bot, you only need to [fill out this form](https://share.hsforms.com/12pxGHMtAS3yq_3KcxQ6g1A4fpwx) and submit it to Viber. Then, the Viber team will get in touch with you to discuss the next steps. ##### Viber Customer Service 1:1 Messaging with Viber Bot on Respond.io Viber Bots lack a user interface, so you’ll have to sign up to a messaging platform like respond.io to start receiving and replying to messages. With respond.io, businesses can use [advanced automation features](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflows-overview) to check agents' workload or performance, ensure all Contacts have been attended to and identify who is in charge of a Contact. They can also send out updates and notifications like shipment delays or downtime via [Viber broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bulk-message), [use AI tools to manage conversations](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai) and automate processes like [support escalation](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management), [conversation assignment](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) and [chat routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio). We’ll discuss more of this later. ##### Viber Customer Service 1:1 Messaging: Viber Bot Support Characteristics Just like most messaging apps, Viber Bots operate with a 24-hour messaging window. All session messages within this window are free. This makes Viber a very suitable support channel, as support teams mainly chat with customers using session messages in response to their inquiries. Once the window closes, you can start a new Chatbot-initiated message session if you want to continue the conversation with the Contact. However, [there are costs involved](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/15247629658525#rate-card). Find more information in our [Viber Pricing article](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bot-pricing#toc-mobile-2). On the bright side, [Viber Bot](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-6) imposes no limits to the number of outbound messages or contacts. And that’s not all: Businesses can also see the status of their message to know if a message has been delivered, read, or failed to send, which is one of the limitations of several messaging channels. ### Viber Support on Respond.io: Quick Wins Now that you have all the information you need to use Viber as a customer support channel, let’s dive into how respond.io can help improve your customer support. #### Offer 24/7 Support with Automated Messages and AI Agent Managing customers’ expectations is vital on messaging apps like Viber because customers expect instant replies. With respond.io, you can manage these expectations by sending automated messages using its [Workflows automation builder](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations) to inform customers when you’re away or when they can expect a reply from you. Businesses can even set up an [AI Agent within their Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai) to serve as an initial responder to handle routine inquiries. The AI will create replies based on the [knowledge sources](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai#knowledge_sources) you provide, ensuring each response is relevant and contextually appropriate. #### Assign Complex Conversations to Human Agents AI and automated processes can handle routine conversations, but they can’t understand human emotion. This is why you’ll need human agents to handle unique, complex inquiries. With respond.io, businesses can build Workflows to [route conversations](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) to the right team and [assign](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) them to the right agents automatically. Once conversations are assigned to agents, they can use [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) to generate instant replies based on customers' inqueries with a click. Additionally, agents can utilize [AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai) to refine messages, ensuring message clarity and precision, translate messages into different languages to reduce potential language barriers and more. If an agent needs to [escalate a support issue](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management), they can add an internal comment to describe the case or provide background information to another agent. #### Get an Overview of Customers’ Chat History with Contact Merge Most messaging app users have multiple messaging apps on their phones and they may have reached out to you on them previously. This creates [siloed conversations across different channels](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts#toc-mobile-0), similar to what happens on email. Respond.io allows you to merge all Contact details and conversation history into a [unified profile for a comprehensive view of a customer](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts#toc-mobile-4). This will help agents understand customers’ contexts and select the most effective way to help them. #### Send CSAT Survey or Viber Customer Survey Customer satisfaction plays a critical role in measuring the success and quality of your company’s customer support. Disseminating CSAT surveys also tells your customers that their opinions matter. With respond.io, businesses can create a [customer satisfaction (CSAT) survey](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-8) to be sent automatically after a conversation with a customer ends or manually using the [Shortcut button](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0) in the Messages Module. To save the survey answers, use the [Add Google Sheets Row Step](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflow-steps#step_add_google_sheets_row) to save the data in Google Sheets. To save the survey answers to your CRM or data warehouse, create a webhook between its API and respond.io by adding an [HTTP Request Step](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflow-steps#step_http_request). #### Gain Access to Advanced Reports and Analytics The respond.io platform is ideal for customer support as it has advanced reporting. Businesses can keep track of agent productivity and workload, conversation progress and resolution time. The supervisor dashboard allows managers to identify conversations that have been on hold or unresolved for too long and monitor agents in real time. This way, businesses can see the efficiency of their support team, analyze the areas they are lacking and work towards improving their KPIs. #### Mobile App for Agents on the Go Respond.io has a mobile app that allows agents to answer customer inquiries on their mobile phones. The app has all the features available on the desktop, such as Dashboard, Contacts and Messaging to give agents an effortless messaging experience and the convenience of answering messages on the go, wherever they are. Agents can get a push notification every time they receive a new message or are assigned new Contacts, allowing them to stay updated and avoid missing messages. To get the respond.io app, download it from [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io) for Android and [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) for iOS. ### How Raiffeisen Bank is Using Viber for Customer Support Raiffeisen Bank is one of the leading banks in Serbia. It wanted to expand its mobile presence, engage with both current and potential customers in Serbia and offer a seamless digital experience of its services. To start using Viber as one of its support channels, Raiffeisen Bank created a banking chatbot in the native Serbian language along with a free animated Viber sticker campaign to increase its brand awareness and exposure on the app. It implements quick replies for FAQs such as account or card balance checks, credit card installments and more. Since using Viber, it has had a huge success among Serbian Viber users, gaining more than 120K chatbot subscribers. Viber is a great channel for group and 1:1 support. It is especially beneficial for businesses based in [locations where Viber is popular](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-3). If you’re one of them, [create your Viber Bot](https://share.hsforms.com/12pxGHMtAS3yq_3KcxQ6g1A4fpwx) and [connect it to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/l/en/channels/viber#connecting_viber) today! ### Further Reading We hope this article has helped you gain beneficial information and clarity to kickstart your Viber support journey. Here are some related articles for you. - The Ultimate Guide to Viber for Business - How to Use Facebook Messenger for Customer Support - How to Use Telegram for Customer Support ## [Viber Widget: How to Use Viber Web Chat for Business ](https:/respond.io/blog/viber-widget) Adding a Viber widget to your website encourages customers to reach out to your business. Here, we'll take you through what Viber web chat is, how to set it up and the benefits of using it. Thinking about adding a Viber widget for your website? You’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll share what Viber web chat is, how to use it to grow your business and how to automate chat responses on your web chat with respond.io. ### Viber Widget: An Introduction A Viber widget (also known as Viber web chat) encourages website visitors to reach out and start a conversation over Viber. There are two options for visitors to start a conversation with you via the chat widget: - Click on the Viber icon: The Viber icon contains a URI link to the app. Visitors who click on it will be brought to the app where they can chat with you. However, this only applies to those with Viber installed on desktop or mobile. - Scan QR Codes: Visitors with the mobile app can scan the QR code on the widget. This will take them to the mobile app to start chatting with you. Since Viber doesn’t allow businesses to import contacts, the widget presents a great opportunity to expand your contact list by getting customers to message you first. Viber widget also allows you to identify contacts by their Viber display names. This means you can send them messages on Viber even after they exit the website – a feature that conventional live chat doesn’t support. #### How to Set Up Viber Web Chat for Website The process for setting up a Viber web chat is simple and can be done quickly by [following these steps](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets#creating_widget). To get started, navigate to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets*. Then, click *Add Widget* and choose *Viber Widget* before clicking *Create Widget*. After that, enter the website(s) where you want to add the chat widget and select the account you want to create a widget for. You can add a pre-filled text or customize the widget’s appearance by clicking on the *Advanced Settings* buttons. Finally, click *Generate Widget*, copy the generated script and install it on your website. If you want to connect with customers across multiple channels, an [omnichannel widget](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) can help. You can also opt to [add a website chat widget to your website](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview). Now that you've successfully set up your Viber widget, we’ll show you how businesses can leverage it to maximize its potential next. ### How to Use Viber Widget for Business Here, we’ll take a look at how businesses can use the Viber widget for marketing, sales and support. #### Viber Web Chat for Marketing Here, let’s take a look at how you can take advantage of Viber web chat to capture leads. Through lead capture, you can collect information from potential leads and convert them into contacts. This can be done easily via your Viber web chat as it encourages visitors to reach out and start a Viber conversation with you. Next, we’ll show you how to take advantage of Viber widget for sales. #### Viber Web Chat for Sales Due to the anonymity of live chat, it’s hard for salespeople to get accurate contact information from prospects to reach out and build rapport. By contrast, the Viber bot stores all contact information and chat history in a central database. Salespeople can access the data to distinguish between new and returning customers and address them accordingly. If it’s a returning customer, the salesperson can trace their conversation history and resume where they left off. [Viber also supports read receipt](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-11)[s](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-11), which makes it easy for salespeople to see if a message has been delivered, read or failed to send. This assures customers that their messages have been delivered, while prompting salespeople to respond quickly. On the other hand, if the message is marked as read but the contact didn’t reply, it’s likely that they’re not keen on your brand or products. In that case, salespeople can move on to the next customer instead of spending more time reaching them. Want to know more about how to use Viber for sales? Check out [this comprehensive guide](https://respond.io/blog/viber-sales) to discover how it can shorten your sales cycle. #### Viber Web Chat for Customer Service One huge disadvantage of using live chat is its inability to track conversation history. The moment conversations get disconnected, the support agent can’t pick up where they left off as chat history is not saved. The issue can be easily rectified with a Viber widget as it stores conversation history in a messaging inbox. This gives the agent-in-charge context about the customers, the issues they’re facing and whether or not it’s a recurring problem. With that, agents can help resolve issues faster and provide tailored solutions for their needs. After the interaction, agents can also send [CSAT surveys](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) to customers to measure their level of satisfaction with your customer service. Check out some of the [examples of how businesses can use Viber web chat](https://respond.io/blog/viber-support#toc-mobile-6) to improve customer service. In the next section, we’ll learn how to level up your Viber widget with respond.io’s chat automation. ### Handle Viber Widget with Ease with Respond.io Want to bring your Viber widget to the next level? Check out how to create Viber-related [chat automation](https://respond.io/blog/viber-support#toc-mobile-6) with respond.io’s [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) to improve customer experience. #### Answer Commonly Asked Questions with Chat Automation As a business, you’re likely to receive messages like “How much does it cost?” or “What is my order status?” daily. To speed things up and reduce agents’ workload, you can set up automated responses. To get started, create a [Viber multiple-choice menu](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps) with Workflows. The Multiple Choice Question Step allows you to create up to 10 answers. Besides that, you can even create and save canned responses to reply to frequently asked questions via [Snippets](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/snippets). #### Set Up Away Messages for Viber Widget One of the worst things that businesses can do is ignore customers’ messages. It’s a frustrating experience for customers because they expect real-time replies when chatting on messaging apps like Viber. Delivering prompt responses is key to customer satisfaction and retention. One easy way to be responsive is to set up [Away Messages](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business) to assure customers that you’ll attend to their messages when you return. Build a Workflow to send Away Messages outside of business hours. Remember to update the hours if you change them or are closed on public holidays. Here are some [best practices for crafting Away Messages](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business#toc-mobile-3) that you can consider. #### Route Customers to the Right Team To ensure fast and efficient communication, businesses can use Workflows to [route customers](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) from Viber to a specific team based on their needs. To do that, you can create a [pre-chat survey](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) to collect contact information. Then, use this information to build a Workflow to automatically route customers to the right team. Now that you’ve learned everything you need to know about Viber widget, it’s time to make headway with your business. Connect [Viber bot to respond.io today](https://help.respond.io/channels/viber) to get started. ### Further Reading Want to learn more about how to use Viber to elevate your business? Check out these articles: - How to Use Viber as a Customer Support Channel - A Comprehensive Guide to Using Viber for Sales - How to Use Viber Community for Business ## [VoIP CRM Integration: A Guide to Full-Context Conversations](https:/respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration) Discover why voice calling matters, how VoIP CRM integration gives every conversation full context and how respond.io helps you make it all happen. Full disclosure: We get it*.* “VoIP CRM integration” sounds alien. But it solves a painfully real problem. Customers today don’t just want to be seen. They want to be heard. In fact, a 2022 LivePerson study found that [87% of consumers prefer brands that connect voice and messaging into a single experience](https://pr.liveperson.com/2022-04-20-Hold-the-phone-87-of-consumers-worldwide-prefer-brands-that-connect-their-interactions-across-voice-and-messaging). When customers pick up the phone, they’re not always starting a new conversation. Most of the time, they’re continuing one. Maybe they asked a question on WhatsApp, followed up by email, and now they’re calling, feeling frustrated and are two seconds away from walking. Without the full backstory, your agents are playing catch-up. And every “Sorry, can you repeat that?” chips away at trust. With the right VoIP CRM integration, voice calls become more than just background noise. They carry weight. History. Context. And when you power them through a platform like respond.io, they don’t just sit beside your other channels. They inform. They trigger workflows. And they make your agents look like they’re always a step ahead. ### What is VoIP CRM Integration? A VoIP CRM integration means your calls don’t live in a vacuum. When someone calls your business, that voice call shows up right next to their previous messages, emails and chat history. Your agents don’t need to switch tabs, copy-paste notes or guess what the customer’s talking about. Everything’s right there, in context, ready to go. According to HubSpot, [69% of customers still prefer to use the phone](https://blog.hubspot.com/service/chat-vs-phone-support-data) when reaching out for urgent support. And a 2025 study by Forrester found that [86% of decision-makers](https://www-web.itiger.com/news/2520540921) see voice as the most important outbound channel for meeting customer needs and driving revenue. ### 5 Benefits of VoIP CRM Integration Voice calls are powerful. But without context, that power fades fast. When calls are disconnected from your CRM, agents miss important details like previous chats, purchase history and open tickets. Integrating VoIP with your CRM doesn't just save time. It turns every call into a chance to connect better, sell smarter and solve faster. Here's what that looks like. #### Centralized Customer Data Across Calls, Chat, Email A customer reaches out through your website. Then messages you on WhatsApp. Then asks for a call. That’s three different channels, but it’s still one person, one issue, one conversation. Without integration, those touchpoints live in silos, forcing your team to dig, switch tools and ask questions your customer has already answered. With VoIP CRM integration, every call is tied to the same profile as their chat history. One timeline. One view. One version of the truth. Your agents walk in knowing exactly who they’re talking to and why. #### Resolve Complex Issues Faster with Full Conversation History Simple problems can be solved in chat. The rest? Not quite. When someone picks up the phone, it's usually because the issue is urgent, emotional or complicated. VoIP gives your team something text can’t. Tone shifts, a sharp breath, a pause, the edge in someone’s voice. These cues help agents read the room and address things before they spiral. With conversation history on hand, they don’t waste time repeating questions or fumbling for context. They walk into the call knowing what’s been tried, what didn’t work and what the customer needs to hear next. That’s how you turn a bad mood into a solution and a complaint into a comeback. #### Build Trust Through Real Human Contact Customers don’t always remember what you said. They remember how you made them feel. And nothing makes someone feel more dismissed than being funneled through chatbots when all they want is a real answer from a real person. Voice calls bring that sense of presence. When customers hear a human voice, especially in high-stakes or sensitive moments, it reassures them that someone is accountable and working on their case. #### Higher Agent Productivity and Lower Tool Fatigue Switching tabs doesn’t sound like a big deal… until your team does it 300 times a day. The more disconnected your tools are, the more time gets burned on logistics instead of actual problem-solving. VoIP CRM integration keeps everything in one place: call controls, notes, contact info, message history. Agents stop jumping between systems and start giving customers their full attention. It’s not just about working faster. It’s about working efficiently and minimizing tool fatigue. #### Reach Leads Who Drop off from Messaging Apps No lead wants to chat forever. Some read your message and bounce. Others stop replying mid-conversation. But that doesn’t mean the opportunity’s dead. With VoIP built into your CRM, your team can call customers right after a chat, with all the context in front of them. Every message, email and call is tracked, so follow-ups feel smooth and natural. “Voice gives us a direct line to customers when speed and clarity matter most—especially when chat alone isn’t cutting it,” says Suhana, Technical Product Manager at respond.io. ### How to Integrate VoIP Calling Into CRM in 3 Ways Managing voice calls shouldn’t require a patchwork of apps and tab-switching. On respond.io, voice fits naturally into your inbox just like every other channel your team already uses, from [TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business) to [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). Respond.io functions **like a CRM built for conversations**. It brings together contact management, messaging, automation, voice calling and more, so you can handle everything from one place in real time. Moreover, even if you’re already using tools like [HubSpot](https://respond.io/help/integrations/hub-spot) or [Salesforce](https://respond.io/help/integrations/salesforce-integration), you can easily connect them to respond.io alongside [countless other native integrations](https://respond.io/integrations). Now, depending on how you connect with customers, there are three ways to add VoIP calling to your workflow. #### Option 1: WhatsApp Business Calling API The [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-calling-api) lets businesses make and receive voice calls through WhatsApp. It supports both inbound and outbound calls, helping businesses connect faster without needing traditional phone systems. Inbound calls are free for businesses, and outbound calls require prior customer permission under WhatsApp's privacy rules. Respond.io is among the first platforms with access to the WhatsApp Business Calling API. Once enabled, the Call button appears inside any WhatsApp conversation in the Inbox, allowing agents to make approved outbound calls or receive inbound calls from customers. **How to set it up:** To start using WhatsApp Business Calling API on respond.io, you need to follow these steps. 1. Make sure your WhatsApp Business API is already connected to respond.io. You’ll need this to proceed with the next steps. 2. Go to Workspace Settings > Channels, select your WhatsApp Channel, and click Manage. 3. In the sidebar, click WhatsApp Calls and toggle the feature ON. 4. Decide whether to allow Contacts to call you by enabling or disabling the toggle. 5. To make a business-initiated call, open the conversation with the Contact and click the phone icon in the message composer. 6. Click Request permission to call. This sends a consent prompt to the Contact. Once the Contact approves, you can call immediately or at any time within 7 days. You get up to 5 call attempts in the first 24 hours, and 1 per day after that. 7. To call the contact, click the phone icon in the conversation actions bar. 8. Then, simply click to call. When inbound calls are enabled, customers can reach you directly using deep links, chat buttons or QR codes. If a call is missed, it will be logged as a [Contact event](https://respond.io/help/contacts/activities#:~:text=conversation%20window%20includes%3A-,Contact%20Event%3A,-A%20notification%20that), so your team can follow up later. #### Option 2: VoIP Calling VoIP calling lets you make and receive phone calls, both mobile and landline, directly from respond.io. It’s a full VoIP solution built for teams that need more than just calls over messaging apps but full-scale global calling to mobiles and landlines, right from their workspaces. Once linked, your business numbers appear as voice channels on respond.io. Agents can make and receive calls directly from the Inbox, with all call activity logged in the same thread as messages. “This is the first time respond.io users can make and receive traditional phone calls, not just WhatsApp or Messenger calls, inside the platform,” remarks Suhana. **How to set it up:** 1. In respond.io, go to Workspace Settings > Channels and click Add Channel. Select Telnyx VoIP. Note that if you're on a trial workspace, the Connect button will be disabled — VoIP is only available for paid plans. 2. Click Add Channel, select Telnyx VoIP, press Connect and enter your business email address. 3. A Telnyx sub-account will be created for you automatically. Check your email for a password reset email from Telnyx. 4. Log in to telnyx.com and complete identity verification before adding a payment method. 5. Buy or port a phone number from your Telnyx dashboard. 6. (Optional) To enable outbound international calls, apply for Level 2 verification.Important: Inbound calls work globally right away, but outbound calls are limited to the US and Canada unless you complete Level 2 identity verification. 7. Go to Voice > Outbound Voice Profiles and whitelist the countries you want to call. 8. Back in respond.io, select your Telnyx number to complete the connection. 9. Assign the contact to an agent and test by making or receiving a call in the Inbox. #### Option 3: Messenger Business Calling [Messenger Business Calling](https://respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/messenger-call) lets you call customers using [Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-marketing) directly from respond.io. You don’t need phone numbers or extra apps. It’s a simple voice option built into the Messenger threads your team is already handling, with all call activity tracked in the same thread. > **Note:** Messenger Business Calling is currently in Open Beta and only available to selected respond.io users. Customers can call you straight from Messenger, and the call appears in your respond.io Inbox. To call customers, just request permission during an active chat. Once approved, you’ve got 7 days to make the call. Everything happens inside the thread, right where your agents are already working. **How to set it up:** 1. Connect your Facebook Channel on respond.io. If it's already connected, hit Reconnect to refresh the permissions. 2. In the Channel configuration page, toggle Messenger Business Calling ON. 3. Open the Meta Business Suite app on your phone. 4. Go to Tools > Settings > Calls, enable the Calls option and set your business call hours. 5. Make sure your Facebook Page is approved for Messenger Calling. If not, request access through respond.io. 6. Open a Messenger conversation, click the phone icon and select Request permission to call. Note that you get up to two permission requests per thread per day. 7. To start the call, click the Call button in the conversation actions bar. 8. With all this set up, now when a Contact calls you, the notification shows up in your Inbox and Incoming Calls tab. You can accept, decline or follow up later. ### Why Respond.io Is Your Best Option for VoIP CRM Integration Adding voice calling to your messaging mix is a fantastic first step, but why stop there? With respond.io by your side, you'll be able to do so much more, such as: - A shared inbox that keeps all conversations in one place, making collaboration across teams simple. - Omnichannel messaging that brings WhatsApp, TikTok, Messenger, Telegram, email and other major channels into one platform. - A lifecycle view that lets you track leads and customers through every stage — from first message to conversion. - Advanced automation with an easy-to-use, no-code builder that handles more than just basic workflows. - Detailed reporting and analytics that break down response times, customer interactions, team performance and more. With respond.io, you’re set up to handle calls with context, clarity and confidence, just like the rest of your messaging. So why not experience it for yourself today? ## [VoIP vs Landline vs WhatsApp Business Calling API](https:/respond.io/blog/voip-vs-landline-vs-whatsapp-business-calling-api) In this article, we'll compare VoIP vs Landline vs WhatsApp Business Calling API to help you decide which one is the best choice for your business. Voice calls remain a vital part of business communication, but with more options available than ever, choosing the right phone system can be a challenging task. Landlines offer reliability, while VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) brings flexibility and features. Modern solutions, such as WhatsApp VoIP, add convenience and reach. The best choice depends on your business needs, setup, and customer preferences This article breaks down the various types of phone systems, their features, pros and cons, and ideal use cases, allowing you to choose the right fit based on your business operations and customer expectations. ### What are Landlines? Landlines are traditional phone systems that transmit voice communication using physical wired connections. They use copper wires or fiber-optic cables that run underground or on telephone poles to connect homes and businesses to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Landlines support all the essentials expected of a phone system. However, because they are analog, advanced features like recording and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) are often difficult to set up and require special hardware. Landlines have been the bread and butter of phone systems for the past century. They still have a place in the world, but mobile phones and VoIP are overtaking their position. ### What is VoIP? VoIP is a system for transmitting voice over the Internet. Since VoIP solutions are digital, they can easily record calls, implement features like IVR and provide analytics for performance tracking. Their digital nature also enables [seamless integration with other software,](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration) such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, making updating customer records after conversations convenient. Moreover, if you opt for software solutions instead of hardware-based options like a dedicated VoIP phone, installation can be as simple as downloading an app on your smartphone or laptop—no need for new hardware. Many popular applications, like Zoom and Viber, now offer free VoIP services for calling other users on the same channel. One such app is WhatsApp, which we’ll cover next. ### What is WhatsApp Business Calling API? Although voice calls on the WhatsApp consumer app have been available for years, the ability to make calls through the WhatsApp API is a more recent development. WhatsApp Business Calling API enables VoIP-based voice calls over the internet, giving businesses a flexible and cost-effective way to connect with customers. While traditional VoIP calls rely on external apps or devices, WhatsApp VoIP allows you to place voice calls within the WhatsApp chat itself so the entire conversation, from message to call, happens in one familiar place. It also retains the core benefits of traditional VoIP, such as the ability to integrate with CRMs and automation tools to streamline workflows and improve performance tracking. Now that we’ve set the stage, how do these different phone systems stack up against each other? ### Key Differences Between Landlines, Traditional VoIP and WhatsApp Business Calling API #### Costs For most businesses, setting up a phone system involves some cost, whether you're building from scratch or upgrading an existing setup. Let’s go through anticipated costs. **Landlines:** Expect to pay more if you don’t have an existing system in place. There will be costs for setting up, installing lines, purchasing phones and more. Service charges are usually by the minute and are significantly costlier for international calls. **VoIP:** One of its biggest advantages is cost-effectiveness. As VoIP doesn’t rely on expensive telephone networks, it’s more affordable than landlines, especially if you make frequent international calls. Service charges vary, with options ranging from subscription-based plans to pay-as-you-go pricing. While some businesses invest in VoIP phones, most can simply install VoIP software on existing devices, further reducing costs. However, some countries require businesses to obtain licenses, register local addresses, or work with government-approved VoIP providers, which can add extra expenses and time. **WhatsApp Business Calling API:** While a WhatsApp Business Platform account is free, it requires a conversation management software like respond.io to communicate with customers. Meta charges per minute for outbond voice calls, with rates depending on the account region. However, **inbound voice calls are free**. Getting a phone number for WhatsApp Business Platform is also easy and inexpensive, as SIM cards or virtual numbers are highly affordable in most countries. #### Features These phone systems can make and receive calls, but they also have features that set them apart. **Landlines:** They offer all essential voice features, including caller ID and call forwarding. However, setting up advanced functions like automation or integration—where possible—can be complex and often requires additional hardware. **VoIP:** This includes all essential features but offers easier automation and integration. It also enables video calls and cost-effective international calling, especially through app-based solutions, which often allow free app-to-app calls. **WhatsApp Business Calling API:** The WhatsApp VoIP solution only allows businesses to make calls to opted-in WhatsApp numbers and receive calls exclusively from other WhatsApp users. However, if WhatsApp is the primary communication channel in your region, this becomes a strong advantage. You’ll be able to switch between texting and calling in the same chat, keeping all interactions in one place. Additionally, customers will be able to verify your authenticity if you have a [WhatsApp blue tick](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-blue-tick), speeding up the trust-building process! #### Scalability Scalability refers to the ease with which you can expand or adjust your phone system to meet the changing needs of your business as it grows or evolves. **Landlines:** Landlines depend on local infrastructure, making them difficult or even impossible to install in some areas. This means limited flexibility and without shared phones, each staff member handling calls will need a dedicated phone and line, which can be impractical for larger teams. In some countries, businesses may also require government approval or special permits to install landlines, adding regulatory hurdles that can limit expansion. **VoIP:** Scalability is simple and virtually unlimited. As long as employees have a laptop or smartphone, they can install VoIP software to handle calls. In noisy offices, headsets or microphones may be needed for better call quality, but these are easy to acquire. However, in some countries, VoIP expansion is restricted, requiring government approvals, special licenses or partnerships with local telecom providers. **WhatsApp Business Calling API:** WhatsApp VoIP is ideal for fast-scaling businesses, especially in emerging markets. Operating within the world’s most popular messaging app, it lets businesses add users, teams or regions without the physical infrastructure, local telco or regulatory hurdles associated with landlines or traditional VoIP. Scalability depends on the conversation management platform used with the API. For example, respond.io supports five users on the [Starter plan](https://respond.io/pricing), with add-ons and higher tiers for growing teams, making it easy to handle high chat and call volumes. #### Mobility If your agents are constantly on the go, mobility is an essential factor to consider. **Landlines:** These are an immobile solution. You can only make and receive calls from where you have your landline phones set up. **VoIP:** Much more flexible than landlines. All you need is a stable internet connection and a computer or smartphone. **WhatsApp Business Calling API:** Mobility depends on the conversation management platform you use for WhatsApp Business API. If the platform has a mobile app and supports the WhatsApp VoIP (not all providers do), your agents can take calls from anywhere with internet access. #### Reliability Picking the right phone system ensures consistent call quality, minimised dropped calls and business continuity across locations, devices and conditions. **Landlines:** Landlines are known for their stability and consistent call quality, especially for local or internal communication. Unlike internet-based systems, they aren’t affected by latency, jitter or packet loss, and are therefore reliable for voice clarity. They also continue working during power outages, thanks to off-grid power supplies. This makes them particularly useful in industries where communication cannot go down or in regions with frequent blackouts. However, their reliability is tied to physical infrastructure, which limits mobility and scalability in modern business settings. **VoIP:** While it is the most flexible option, it won’t work well without a good internet connection. If the internet is spotty in your area, you won’t be able to get a lot of calls done with VoIP. For offices with poor WiFi coverage, consider WiFi extenders or switching to 4G/LTE/5G networks for data to mitigate this risk. VoIP systems also tend to be susceptible to power outages since your network hardware won’t have any power to operate unless you make all your calls on devices with cellular connectivity. **WhatsApp Business API:** Like traditional VoIP, WhatsApp calling depends on a stable internet connection, but it’s more resilient in real-world use. Because WhatsApp is built for mobile, it works reliably on 4G/5G networks and even lower bandwidth connections, especially on smartphones. This gives WhatsApp calls an edge in regions where WiFi infrastructure is weak but mobile data coverage is strong. Agents can continue handling calls using mobile devices during power outages or ISP disruptions, as long as they have a data connection. ### Pros and Cons of Each System for B2C Businesses In summary, here are the pros and cons of each phone system | Phone system | Pros | Cons | | --- | --- | --- | | Landline | Reliable during power outages, familiar, has all the essential features. | Costly setup & maintenance, expensive international calls, limited features, difficult to scale, immobile, relies on existing infrastructure, regulatory and compliance challenges. | | VoIP | Affordable, scalable, feature-rich, integration with other software. | Requires stable internet and power, can be difficult or impossible to set up in certain regions or countries. | | WhatsApp Business Calling API | Builds instant customer trust, affordable, scalable, feature-rich, integration with other software, combines chat and voice in one platform, easy to get started, very few regulatory complexities. | Limited to WhatsApp users, requires user consent, requires stable internet and power, banned or restricted in certain regions or countries. | ### How to Select the Right Phone System for Your Business? Now that we’ve reviewed the different phone systems and their pros and cons, we’ll try to help you decide which one to use. | Phone System | Best For | Considerations | | --- | --- | --- | | Landlines | Businesses with fixed-location operations and low call complexity. | Cost-effective if already installed, but lacks mobility and scalability; not ideal for fast growth or international use. | | VoIP | Businesses that need scalable, flexible communication. | Great for remote or hybrid teams and international calls. May face regulatory or setup restrictions in some regions. | | WhatsApp Business Calling API | Growing businesses of all sizes in WhatsApp-heavy or mobile-first markets. | Strong cost-effective choice for teams already using WhatsApp for customer communication or in areas with strong mobile data networks but limited fixed infrastructure. Capabilities depend on API provider. | ### Get started with WhatsApp Business Calling API Choosing the right calling solution isn’t just about voice—it’s about managing conversations, performance and growth at scale. With WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) respond.io, you get more than just WhatsApp VoIP. You get a unified platform to: - Scale effortlessly across WhatsApp, TikTok, Messenger, Instagram and other channels - Manage calls, chats and CRM data from HubSpot, Salesforce, Google Sheets and more - Respond to calls and messages on the go with the respond.io mobile app - Automate processes such as customer lifecycle management, chat routing and more - Monitor conversation, agent and team performance with built-in reports and analytics Starting from July 15, 2025, WhatsApp Business Calling API is globally available to businesses. Enabling it on respond.io is as simple as switching on a toggle. [Book a demo](https://app.respond.io/user/register) to learn how respond.io helps you drive more conversations, close more deals and scale with confidence. ### Further Reading To learn more about WhatsApp Business Calling API, check out the following blogs: - Everything You Need to Know About WhatsApp Voice Call - How to Manage Whatsapp API Call, Chat and CRM in One Platform - WhatsApp Call Pricing: How Much is WhatsApp Business Voice Call and is it Cheaper than VoIP? ## [Wati vs Respond.io: 6 Features Growing Businesses Need](https:/respond.io/blog/wati-vs-respondio) Considering Wati vs respond.io to manage marketing and sales over chat? Here's what growing businesses need to know before making a decision. Weighing the pros and cons between Wati vs respond.io to manage your WhatsApp conversations and do marketing and sales over chat? Wati is an affordable option for small businesses primarily using WhatsApp for customer communication. For growing businesses using multiple channels and sending high volumes of messages, respond.io may be the better choice. We’ll break down the differences between the two so you can make an informed decision that best suits your business. ### Wati vs Respond.io: A Side-by-Side Comparison When you’re selecting a conversation management platform, you’ll want to ensure it supports the channels your customers use most, offers sales and marketing automation to help you scale, provides prompt support when needed and can be trusted to keep your customer data secure. First of all, let’s look at an overview of how Wati vs respond.io compare on these key features. | | Wati | Respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | | WhatsApp Capabilities WhatsApp BSP WhatsApp Catalog Broadcasts | ✅ ✅ ✅ | ✅ ✅ ✅ | | Omnichannel Capabilities | WhatsApp, Instagram | WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, Viber, WeChat, SMS, LINE, Webchat, custom channels | | Marketing and Sales Automation Chat Automation Workflows Click to Chat Ads Automation Triggers Reports | ✅ ❌ ✅ | ✅ ✅ ✅ | | AI Features AI Agent AI Assisted Message Drafts Learns from Resources | 🔶 (simple chatbot for FAQs) ❌ ✅ | ✅ ✅ ✅ | | Platform Security and Stability ISO 27001 Supports High Message Volume without Lagging | ❌ ✅ | ✅ ✅ | | Customer Support Onboarding Support Availability | ✅🔶 (only via email and bot) | ✅ ✅ | In the next section we'll take a deeper dive into Wati vs Respond.io. ### Wati vs Respond.io: Compare 6 Must-Have Features Now that you’ve seen an overview of the basic features, we’ll get into the details of the benefits and limitations of Wati vs. respond.io for growing businesses like yours. #### Wati vs Respond.io: WhatsApp API Capabilities As the most popular communication channel in many countries, WhatsApp is essential for doing marketing and sales over chat. Growing businesses benefit from using [WhatsApp API rather than WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) as it enables multi-user access along with robust broadcast and automation capabilities. As WhatsApp API doesn’t have a front-end interface, you’ll need to connect it to a messaging platform like Wati or respond.io. The extent of the features you can use depends on your provider, so it’s important to make the right choice. ##### WhatsApp BSP Both Wati and respond.io are [WhatsApp Business Service Providers](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider#toc-mobile-0) (BSPs) which means they have partnered with Meta to provide access to WhatsApp API. Meta charges [conversation fees for certain business-initiated messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing#toc-mobile-2) regardless of your provider. Both Wati and respond.io allow you to sign up for WhatsApp API at no additional monthly cost, unlike some other BSPs. However, not all Meta Business Manager features are available with Wati as Wati focuses on WhatsApp rather than on Facebook and Instagram. ##### WhatsApp Business Calling API Recently, WhatsApp announced the [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api), now available in 24 countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil and Kuwait. This enables businesses and customers to call each other through WhatsApp and transfer calls to other agents. Respond.io supports this new feature, enabling businesses new avenues to improve their sales and marketing operations. At the time of writing, Wati hasn't announced supporting WhatsApp Business Calling API. ##### Meta Catalog Integration Sending product photos via WhatsApp helps leads make a decision faster. [Meta Catalogs](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog) allow you to upload items and descriptions to Meta Business Manager to easily send them in a message or use in ads shown on Instagram or Facebook. Both Wati and respond.io directly integrates with Meta Catalogs so you can instantly access catalog images from Meta Business Manager and send them in messages. ##### WhatsApp Broadcasts One factor many businesses look for in a conversation management platform is the ability to send broadcasts or [bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message). WhatsApp API is essential for this as it allows you to broadcast to thousands of contacts whereas WhatsApp Business App only allows you to send broadcasts to 256 contacts at a time. Both Wati and respond.io have WhatsApp API broadcasting capabilities, enabling you to segment contacts for retargeting, send promotions, newsletters, reminders and more. [Create template messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) directly in the platform and get them approved by WhatsApp. Broadcasts can be sent immediately or scheduled for specific dates and times. #### Wati vs Respond.io: Omnichannel Capabilities While WhatsApp is the most popular channel for many businesses, it’s most likely not the only channel your customers are on. Growing businesses require [omnichannel capabilities](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-2) to widen their audience and reach full potential. An ideal conversation management platform allows you to manage messages and communicate on any channel. ##### Channels Available Wati was initially designed to be used solely with WhatsApp, but it enabled Instagram DM connection starting in October 2024. Businesses can send and reply to Instagram DMs in their team inbox, but the capabilities are limited compared to WhatsApp. No other channels are supported by Wati. Respond.io on the other hand, supports WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, Viber, WeChat, SMS, email, LINE, Webchat and custom channels. For [custom channels](https://help.respond.io/l/en/custom-channel/custom-channel-overview), use our developer API to connect respond.io to any channel. With respond.io, automation features are enabled for every channel, so no matter which channel your leads come from, you’ll have full potential to [capture, convert and retain](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth) customers. #### Wati vs Respond.io: Marketing and Sales Automation To reach more leads and manage high volumes of inquiries coming in over chat, automation is essential. Here’s how Wati vs respond.io compare in terms of [automating marketing and sales](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation). ##### Chat Automation Both Wati and respond.io provide businesses with no-code automation builders. Wati’s automation is referred to as a Chatbot Builder, focusing on responding to inquiries, while respond.io’s is called Workflows and has more comprehensive integrations. While both platforms enhance your marketing and sales capabilities like instant responses, qualification questions, answering FAQs and appointment booking, Wati’s workflows only support WhatsApp. Respond.io’s workflows allow you to use these advanced automations across channels. ##### Click to Chat Ads Want to get new leads into your inbox? [Click to chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads) are the fastest way to get a large, targeted audience to send you a message. With Meta, you can create ads displayed on Facebook and Instagram that click to WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. While you can run click to chat ads with Wati’s WhatsApp API, the ads can’t be used to trigger an automation. Wati does offer an ad conversion tracking tool available for higher tier plans to help measure the success of click to chat ads. Respond.io has automation triggers that are compatible with click to chat ads. That means that you can seamlessly send automatic replies, keep track of how many conversations are coming into the platform from ads and more. Respond.io also supports [TikTok Messaging Ads](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-messaging-ads), allowing you to reach new audiences on TikTok and convert them through ads. ##### Reports When you’re doing marketing and sales over chat, you’ll want to see the results of your efforts, for example, by tracking how quickly conversations are being responded to and which channels the most leads are coming in on. Wati and respond.io both offer reporting capabilities to help you maximize team efficiency and gauge agent performance. Respond.io also includes [reports on channels](https://help.respond.io/l/en/reporting-and-analytics/reporting-for-sales) to help you focus on channels that convert. #### Wati vs Respond.io: AI Features Since the advent of generative AI, the number of AI-powered platforms have exploded. Everyone wants to take advantage of the opportunities AI offers, but how can you best do that? Let’s look at Wati vs respond.io’s advanced AI features. ##### AI Agent Wati has an AI powered chatbot called KnowBot that can answer basic FAQs based on provided information. However, it is separate from chat automation and cannot route customers to a human agent. That means agents need to manually check the AI conversations to see if they need to intervene. Respond.io offers a more [advanced AI Agent](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai#toc-mobile-3) that you can train with your own knowledge sources to interact with customers 24/7, even when human agents aren’t available. This is not limited to answering FAQs — here are other valuable applications: - Voice AI Agent: Handles calls with a configurable voice, integrated with messaging in one thread. - Call Transfer & Transcripts: Transfers calls to the right agent while keeping full history and generating searchable transcripts. - Understands Audio: Processes voice notes and responds naturally. - Follow-Ups & Contextual Nudges: Sends smart, personalized follow-ups to unresolved conversations. - Typing Indicators: Mimics human typing for natural conversations. - Chat Routing: Directs customers to the right team or agent automatically. - Send Appointment & Payment Links: Simplifies transactions during conversations. - Close & Summarize Conversations: Automatically closes chats and generates summaries for follow-up. - Lead Data Collection & AI Assist: Captures customer info, suggests responses, translates messages, and ensures consistency. ##### Assistance in Drafting Messages Respond.io includes GPT-powered assistance in [drafting messages](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai#toc-mobile-4) for efficient, professional responses. Agents can ask AI to compose a reply and choose to send as is or edit it. They can also type a message and ask AI to polish the tone or check grammar. ##### Learns from Your Own Business Documentation AI features work best when trained directly with your business knowledge. Wati enables businesses to do this by uploading PDF documents to train the AI bot. Respond.io not only supports uploading documents but also has a [URL crawler](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai#step_1_providing_knowledge_sources) so the AI can learn from your entire website. #### Wati vs Respond.io: Platform Security and Stability For Scaling Your Business When you’re scaling your business, [security and stability](https://respond.io/blog/secure-messaging#toc-mobile-10) are vital to any platform you choose. Data breaches and platform downtime can have a serious impact on a business’s reputation. You want to ensure your customer data remains confidential and that messages keep coming through smoothly. ##### Security Features Wati helps businesses protect customer privacy with a phone number masking feature so numbers aren’t visible to agents. However, it does not have [ISO 27001 certification](https://respond.io/blog/iso-certification) which may be a concern for large businesses with compliance requirements. They also lack 2FA and SSO features, opening up further risks. Enterprises requiring tighter security standards should choose respond.io as it is ISO 27001 certified, offers 2FA and SSO and provides the option to mask sensitive customer information so you can rest assured all data is protected. ##### Ability to Handle High Volumes of Messages Both Wati and respond.io are able to handle high volumes of messages without lagging or crashing, so you can rest assured communication will flow smoothly as your business scales. But as we’ve covered above, Wati only supports WhatsApp and Instagram. If your growing business starts getting a large influx of chats on Facebook Messenger and other channels, it will be a challenge to handle manually. Respond.io is the better choice for businesses with any plans to expand to channels beyond WhatsApp. #### Wati vs Respond.io: Customer Support Getting started on a new platform is a learning process, so you’ll want to know that the one you choose can support you through onboarding and help optimize your experience for success. If you have any issues, you don’t want to leave your leads and customers hanging while you’re waiting for a response from support. Here’s how Wati vs respond.io compare on support. ##### Onboarding Support When your enterprise has complex needs, a dedicated customer success manager can make all the difference. Wati offers basic onboarding support to help customers get set up on WhatsApp API, but the assistance stops there. With respond.io, you’ll get personalized support for planning and setting up Workflows, connecting to WhatsApp API, integrating with third-party tools and more. ##### Availability Wati only offers email support to customers on lower tier plans and bot support to those on higher tier plans. That means if you want to contact a human, you’ll need to wait for them to reply to an email, possibly losing leads and deals in the meantime. Respond.io offers 24/5 live chat support and 24/7 AI agent support to all customers. If you need any assistance, you’ll be sure to get it fast and get back to chatting with your leads and customers. ### Wati vs Respond.io: Make the Right Choice for Your Business Wati and respond.io both help businesses enhancing marketing and sales over chat. But for medium to large businesses, respond.io stands out as the better choice, especially if you require multichannel automation and dedicated support and are aiming to scale. Wati lacks key features like multichannel automation, security certification and advanced AI. Their support is also limited, which means you’ll be kept waiting if you have an urgent inquiry. For businesses aiming to scale, respond.io streamlines and automates your sales and marketing efforts on every channel, not just WhatsApp. AI features enable you to provide fast, high-quality responses. With our dedicated support, we help you make the most of our tools so you can convert leads and close deals without delay. To get full experience of what respond.io can do for your business, sign up for a free trial or contact us for a [customized demo](https://respond.io/demo) today. ### Further Reading If you’re interested in more comparisons to help you choose a conversation management platform, consider the following articles: - Unlock Growth Potential with a Wati Alternative for Businesses Using Multiple Channels - Respond.io Alternatives: 4 Respond.io Alternatives to Consider - Best 6 Twilio Alternatives: Comparing Features and Pricing ## [WeChat Auto Reply: How to Set Auto Reply on WeChat ](https:/respond.io/blog/wechat-auto-reply) Interested to find out more about WeChat auto reply? Check out this article where we’ll share what a WeChat auto reply is, the benefit of using one and how to set auto reply on WeChat. Want to know how to activate WeChat auto reply? We have all the details here. We’ll explain what a WeChat auto reply is, why you need one and the different ways you can set up auto reply on WeChat. ### What is WeChat Auto Reply? WeChat auto reply allows you to send automated responses when customers message you on WeChat. With this feature, you can be there for your customers around the clock even if you’re not available at the moment. There are two common types of auto-reply messages: - Greeting messages: Automated messages sent to your customers when they first message you - Away messages: Automated responses sent to customers when you can't attend to them right away We’ll share the advantages of using auto replies for your business next. #### Why Use WeChat Auto Reply When you’re using an [instant messaging app](https://respond.io/blog/instant-messaging-for-business) like WeChat to communicate with customers, they [expect immediate replies](https://respond.io/blog/business-messaging#toc-mobile-1). However, most businesses don’t operate 24/7 due to a lack of manpower and limited business hours. To rectify that, [WeChat Official Accounts](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account) has rolled out the auto-response feature to help businesses manage their customers’ expectations. Businesses can now inform customers of their availability by including operating hours and expected response time. Customer contacting you for the first time? Greet them with an automated welcome message to make a positive first impression by providing a timely and friendly reply. Make the most out of your welcome message by including a [pre-chat survey](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) right after the message. It helps to collect customers’ information and inquiry details to give agents some context about the customers’ inquiries before replying to them. Now that you understand what an auto reply is, let’s take a look at how to set up WeChat auto reply. ### How to Set Auto Reply on WeChat There are a few methods businesses can use to set up auto-reply messages to customers who send them a message on WeChat. WeChat allows you to send text messages, images, videos and voice messages via its auto-reply feature on the WeChat Official Accounts. That means, you can use other message formats like images or videos to welcome customers to your business. There are three types of auto replies you can use on WeChat Official Accounts, and you can use them to send four types of message formats: - Keyword Auto Reply: Allows you to add keywords related to your auto-reply messages. Whenever a customer sends a message containing the keyword, the auto-reply message will be triggered and sent to the customer. - Message Received Auto Reply: Automated messages that customers receive when they contact you. However, if they send a message containing a specific keyword that you’ve set in your Keyword Auto Reply, they will receive the Keyword Auto Reply message instead. - Followed Message: Automated messages that customers will receive after subscribing to your account. Let’s take a look at the different methods to set up auto reply on WeChat. #### How to Set Up Keyword Auto Reply on WeChat Official Accounts On your [WeChat Official Accounts homepage](https://mp.weixin.qq.com/?lang=en_US), click *Auto Reply* on the left panel. Then, click *Keyword Auto Reply*. Turn on the toggle to enable your Auto-Reply. Then, click *Add Reply* to create auto-response messages. Click *Add Rules* and add the necessary details such as *Rule Name*, *Keywords*, *Auto-Reply Message* and *Reply Content*. A rule is a trigger that sends customers the auto reply based on the keyword. You can create up to 200 rules; each rule has a maximum of 10 keywords, while each keyword must be 30 characters or less. In the keyword dropdown menu, you can choose either *Partial Match* or *Full Match*. For *Full Match*, customers have to reply with the exact keyword to trigger the message. For instance, if the keyword is *Menu*, customers have to reply *Menu* to trigger the auto-reply message. If you select *Partial Match* and the keyword that you’ve set is *123*, the auto-reply will be triggered as long as *123* is in the reply. However, if customers only reply with *12*, the auto-reply will not be triggered and the message will not be sent. You can set up to five auto-reply messages in a single rule, and there are five message types you can set: article, text, audio, image and video. Under the Reply Method, there are two options to pick: *Send All Content* and *Randomly Select 1*. If you choose *Send All Content*, all auto-reply messages will be sent. If you pick *Randomly Select 1*, WeChat will randomly select a message and send it to your customers. This only works when you have different variations of the same message content. Finally, click *Save*. Now, whenever customers send a message containing the keyword, they will receive the Keyword Auto Reply message immediately. #### How to Set Up Message Received Auto Reply and Followed Message on WeChat Official Accounts The steps to setting up Message Received Auto Reply and Followed Message are slightly different than the former. Refer to the steps below to set them up. On your WeChat Official Accounts homepage, click *Auto-Reply* on the left panel under *Function*. Then, select either *Message Received Auto Reply* or *Followed Message*. Next, craft your auto-reply message. You can choose to send a text message, an image file, an audio message or a video. Finally, click save. For *Followed Message*, the message will be sent the moment customers follow you on WeChat. As for *Message Received Auto Reply*, whenever customers send a message, the auto reply that you’ve set will be automatically sent unless the message contains the specific keyword that you’ve set in your Keyword Auto Reply. If that’s the case, then the Keyword Auto Reply message will take precedence. Next, we’ll show you how to set up another WeChat auto reply method, using respond.io. #### How to Set Up WeChat Auto Reply on Respond.io While the auto-reply feature on WeChat Official Accounts allows you to automate specific replies, they’re limited to sending greeting messages and auto replies that are triggered by keywords. If you want more advanced automation, you need a messaging platform like respond.io. Automating messages aside, you can customize responses based on who Contacts are or where they’re at in the customer lifecycle, use [HTTP requests](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/enrich-customer-data) to exchange contact information with your CRM and [route customers to the right team](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) with [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview). Once you’ve [connected your WeChat Official Account to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/wechat), follow the instructions below to set up auto-reply messages for your business. 1\. **Click** Workflows on the side navigation menu and click on *Add Workflow*. 2\. **Set** the Workflow Trigger to Conversation Opened. 3\. **Add** the [Date & Time](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps?&_ga=2.23991038.515869905.1666315514-344512841.1662085116#step_date_time) [Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps?&_ga=2.23991038.515869905.1666315514-344512841.1662085116#step_date_time) to set your business hours. Messages that are sent during business hours will fall into the Success Branch, while messages that are sent after business hours will go into Failure Branch. 4\. **Click** on the + button under the Success and Failure Branches to add a [Send A Message](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_send_a_message) Step. Make sure you select WeChat as your channel. 5\. **Draft** your greeting and away messages in the text field. 6\. **Add** the [Ask a Question](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps?&_ga=2.63485675.515869905.1666315514-344512841.1662085116#step_ask_a_question) [Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps?&_ga=2.63485675.515869905.1666315514-344512841.1662085116#step_ask_a_question) to get hold of customers’ information so you can contact them when you’re back online. The responses can be saved as [Variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables?_ga=2.52472680.194773839.1665455044-886197988.1660616977), [Contact Fields](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/contact-fields?_ga=2.52472680.194773839.1665455044-886197988.1660616977) or [Tags](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-details?_ga=2.52472680.194773839.1665455044-886197988.1660616977#tags) to be used in other parts of the Workflow. Once you’re done, save and publish it. And that’s how you set up WeChat auto reply for your business. In the next section, we’ll go through a list of auto-reply message examples businesses can use for different scenarios. ### WeChat Auto Reply Message Samples There are a few scenarios where businesses can use WeChat auto reply: - General welcome messages - Away messages - Holiday greeting messages - Business update messages - Lead capture messages These auto replies assure customers that their messages have been received and you will attend to them as soon as possible. We’ve compiled a list of ready-to-use WeChat auto-reply message samples for your business. #### General Welcome Businesses must make a strong first impression as it helps to develop meaningful relationships with potential customers. One easy way to do so is through welcome messages. Here are some welcome message templates to help you craft your WeChat auto-reply messages effectively. 1\. “Welcome to \[business name\]. We’re glad to hear from you! How may we assist you today?” 2\. “Hello! Thank you for your message! Sit tight and a representative will contact you within 24 hours.” 3\. Hi! Thank you for choosing \[business name\]. Check out our services here: \[link\].” ##### Away Messages Away messages are great as they’re a convenient way to reply to customers’ messages after business hours. Check out the list of away messages businesses can use to inform customers about your availability. 1\. “Thank you for contacting us. Unfortunately, our business hours are from \[time\] to \[time\]. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible!” 2\. “Hi! We’ve received your message, but this is outside of our business hours. We’ll get back to you within 24 hours.” 3\. “Hello there, we’re currently closed for the long weekend, but we’ll get back to you when we’re back on the \[date\].” #### Holiday Greetings Are you closing your business for the holiday season? Then it’s important to set an auto-reply message to inform customers that you’ll be away. Here’s a list of WeChat auto-reply holiday greeting messages for your reference. 1\. “Happy New Year! Thank you for your message, but we’re away from \[date\] to \[date\]. Our team will get back to you when we’re back on the \[date\].” 2\. “Merry Christmas! We’ve received your message, but we’re busy at the moment. Please be assured that we’ll get back to you within \[hours\].” 3\. “Happy Mother’s Day! To celebrate this special occasion, we’re offering 10% off on selected items \[link\].” #### Business Updates WeChat auto replies can also be used to inform customers of service disruptions or delayed responses during peak periods. Refer to below for some examples your businesses can use. 1\. “Greetings from \[business name\]. Sorry for the service interruption, our team is working hard to get it resolved as soon as possible. In the meantime, please let us know how can we help you.” 2\. “Hello! We’re experiencing a high volume of messages at the moment, please be aware that our responses will be slower than usual. Thank you for your patience.” 3\. “Hi there. We apologize for the service outage and we’re working quickly to fix the issue. Do check out our status page for the latest updates on the issue \[link\]. Regards, \[business name\].” #### Lead Capture Want to turn prospective customers into Contacts? Level up auto-reply messages by requesting their contact details. Here are some examples you can use. 1\. “Sorry, we’re out of the office from \[date\] to \[date\]. Please leave your name and email address and our team will be with you when we’re back.” 2\. “Hello there, thank you for writing in. Can we get your name before we get started?” 3\. “Hello from \[business name\]. Please share your name and email address and a representative will be with you shortly.” That’s everything you need to know about using WeChat auto reply for your business communications. Interested to get started? [Connect your WeChat account to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/wechat) today. ### Further Reading Did you find this article useful? If so, here are some other articles on WeChat that might interest you. - How to Integrate WeChat with a CRM - Here’s Your Guide to Adding WeChat WebChat on Your Website - 6 Ways Companies Use WeChat for Business ## [WeChat CRM: Integrating WeChat with a CRM on respond.io](https:/respond.io/blog/wechat-crm) Need a WeChat CRM to market, sell and support? This blog post will cover everything you need to know about getting a WeChat Integration for your CRM. You’re probably on this blog because you want a WeChat CRM. Here, we’ll help you understand what a WeChat CRM is and what you need to know before getting a WeChat CRM integration. Sharing insights from our firsthand experience of testing WeChat integration across various popular CRMs, we’ll help you choose the right WeChat integration to conduct marketing, sales and support on WeChat. ### What is a WeChat CRM? A WeChat CRM is the integration between a WeChat Official Account API and a CRM. Most businesses want to integrate WeChat with their CRM because they have customers in [China or in countries where the app is popular](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-3). However, integrating WeChat into a CRM is not ideal because CRMs were originally built for email communication. In fact, most CRMs do not have native WeChat integration and have to rely on third-party integrations. To get the best WeChat CRM integration for your business, you need to be aware of a few things. ### Getting a WeChat CRM: What You Should Know Here, we’ll help you understand how to use WeChat for business and the types of integrations that CRMs support. #### WeChat for Business There are two ways for businesses to use WeChat: Through the [WeChat Official Account Platform or WeChat Official Account API](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-4). Each is designed for different business needs and sizes. For instance, the WeChat Official Account Platform has basic messaging features like receiving and replying to messages and [setting up auto replies based on a simple rule-based system](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-auto-reply). These features are sufficient for businesses receiving low volumes of messages. **WeChat Official Account Platform vs. WeChat Official Account API** | | WeChat Official Account Platform | WeChat Official Account API | | --- | --- | --- | | Best For | Small to Medium Businesses | Medium to Large Businesses | | Message Volume | Low | Mid to High | | Supports Integration | No | Yes | The WeChat Official Account API, on the other hand, is designed for businesses receiving medium to high volumes of messages that need advanced automation to manage their conversations. It is also the only way for businesses to connect WeChat with external software. Because the WeChat Official Account API is just an API, it does not have an interface. So, businesses must connect it to an [AI-powered customer conversation management software](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) like respond.io or a CRM to send and receive WeChat messages. Note that what you can do with the API will differ according to the software you’ve connected it to, so it’s important to know the types of WeChat integrations that your CRMs support. #### WeChat CRM Integrations The WeChat integration you choose depends heavily on your business needs and current CRMs. Depending on what your CRMs support, you'll either have the option to get WeChat through a native integration or a third-party integration. However, because CRMs were not built for messaging, CRMs with native integration like Zendesk, cannot fully support WeChat features like videos, locations and more. Plus, the native integration limits the WeChat Official Account API to a single CRM. This means that if you have multiple CRMs and want to integrate WeChat to exchange information with all of them, you won’t be able to do so. Thankfully, most CRMs support third-party integrations to let their customers choose the best way to use WeChat. This enables you to use the respond.io customer conversation management software, designed specifically for messaging. It lets you connect WeChat with multiple CRMs to exchange information between them and send rich media messages, locations and more to customers on WeChat. Respond.io provides an [omnichannel messaging inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) that allows you to use instant messaging apps along with traditional channels like email and webchat. It provides businesses with [advanced AI tools](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai) to manage conversations from these channels, automatically [route](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assign](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) conversations, [keep track of agents' performance](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) and more. We’ll cover more of this later. Now, let's look at how to integrate any CRM with respond.io to use WeChat. #### Integrating WeChat with a CRM on respond.io First, you need to [sign up for a WeChat Official Account](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-6) and [connect it to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/wechat#connecting_we_chat). Then, create a new [Workflow](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) and add the [HTTP Request Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_http_request) to connect any CRM with WeChat on respond.io. This will allow you to exchange information with your existing CRM while messaging customers on respond.io. Businesses can [qualify sales leads](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/inbound-sales-enrich-contact-data-and-qualify-leads), retrieve [updated contact profiles](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/enrich-customer-data) or [create deals](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/using-respond-io-to-create-deals-in-a-crm) and [tickets](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/create-tickets) in external CRMs from the platform. They don't have to go back and forth between their CRM and the respond.io inbox to reply to WeChat messages. Now, let's look at how you can use respond.io to market, sell and support over WeChat. ### How to Use respond.io for WeChat Marketing, Sales and Support Now that you have all the information you need, here’s how you can use respond.io for WeChat marketing, sales and support. #### WeChat Integration for Marketing To reduce spam and protect users’ privacy, WeChat does not allow businesses to import contacts. Customers must message a business first to become a contact. With respond.io, businesses can encourage inbound conversation with [QR Codes](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-10) and [WeChat Widgets](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-integration-with-website). They can also set up WeChat Ads that direct leads to their Official Account on the WeChat Official Account Platform. After landing on your Official Account, they are just one step away from following and messaging you. Once a lead contacts you, you can use Workflows to [collect basic information](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey#toc-mobile-10) to identify whether the lead is new or existing. Suppose they are an existing contact and have previously messaged you on another channel. You can [merge their contact information](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts#toc-mobile-4) to get a complete view of their interactions with your business. You can also exchange and retrieve their contact information on your CRM. If a lead is new, you will automatically capture their details and add them as contacts when your Workflow is configured correctly. #### WeChat Integration for Sales By integrating a sales CRM with WeChat on respond.io, businesses can exchange data between both platforms while carrying out sales-related tasks. They can qualify leads and create deals with a [click of a button](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0) while chatting with customers. With respond.io, businesses can automate their sales cycle to ensure that agents can focus on high-priority leads. For instance, businesses can have an [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai) to serve as the initial responder to handle routine lead inquiries or send automated [qualifying questions](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) when a lead contacts them. Based on the sales funnel leads fall into, businesses can [route](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/routing-leads) them to the right team and [assign](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/auto-assign-leads-to-sales-agents) them to the right agent. The highly customizable nature of respond.io’s Workflows gives managers the freedom to implement their routing logic, like routing leads by priority access, deal size, region or more. Plus, they can [ensure equal lead distribution](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-5) among the sales team and assign existing customers to their dedicated salesperson automatically. As Agents will have to communicate with customers from different backgrounds, they can use [AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai) to refine messages for clarity, translate them to overcome language barriers and more so their messages are communicated effectively. These features can also be used for WeChat customer support. #### WeChat Integration for Customer Support Businesses can improve their customer support efficiency by automating customer support. They can automate FAQs and send [multiple-choice questions](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) with pre-determined answers to help customers communicate what they want clearly. Similar to the AI Agent’s capabilities mentioned in the sales use case above, businesses can use AI to handle routine inquiries and escalate complex or sensitive issues to human agents. Businesses can use automation to [route](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/route-customers) leads to the right team and [assign](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/auto-assign-customers) them to the right agent according to their needs. As a result, agents are saved from performing repetitive tasks and can focus their resources on critical issues. To ease agents' workload further, tools like [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) provide agents with quick access to relevant information from knowledge bases or existing resources. This allows them to respond quickly and accurately to customer inquiries with just a click of a button, enhancing response times and contributing to a more satisfying customer experience. Suppose an agent cannot resolve an issue. They can request a manager's help through [internal comments](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity#comments) or [escalate the case](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) to external CRM platforms in one click while conversing with customers. To measure the success and quality of a company’s customer support, businesses can send a [CSAT survey](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-8) or track individual or team performance via the advanced [Reports and Analytics Module](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/reporting-for-support). The best part is, you can carry out all your tasks anywhere with the respond.io mobile app which is available on [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io&hl=en) and [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955). Ready to use WeChat on respond.io? [Sign up for our free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and enhance your business communications today! ### Further Reading We hope this article was useful. Here’s some additional reading that might interest you. - The Ultimate Guide to WeChat Business - How to Use WeChat Integration with Website - Escalation Management: A Guide to Customer Escalation ## [WeChat Customer Service: A WeChat Support Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/wechat-customer-service) Are your customer WeChat users? If so, you should make sure to provide the best WeChat customer service. Learn how to do it with our WeChat Support guide. In countries where WeChat is popular, businesses use it as a customer support channel. If your customers are WeChat users, look no further. In this guide, we’ll take you through everything you need to know to get started with WeChat customer service and show you the benefits of using respond.io as an inbox for WeChat support teams. ### WeChat Customer Service vs Traditional Support Methods Traditionally, companies do customer support over the phone, email and website chat. But these channels have major limitations. Let’s discuss what these limitations are and why WeChat could be a good fit for your customer support needs. #### Limitations of Traditional Support Methods For a start, conversations with customers are difficult to track on traditional messaging channels. This isn’t ideal for support agents, who need to examine past interactions with customers to understand their cases and provide the best solutions. Plus, companies using email as their main channel for customer communication are prone to have scattered conversations for the same contact, which makes building a single customer story complicated. This is often caused by agents forgetting to CC someone else, or a customer messaging the company using a different email address. When conversations are scattered and hard to track, customers need to repeat their case to support agents every time they need assistance. This is not only detrimental to customer satisfaction but also to case resolution times. Last, customer support over the phone or via website chat generally costs more. As contacts and support agents must be simultaneously connected to talk, companies need to hire more staff. There are several reasons why doing customer support over an instant messaging channel is a better choice. Let’s see what a popular messaging channel like WeChat has to offer compared to the ones mentioned above. #### WeChat Customer Service: Is it for You? With 1.29 billion monthly active users in 2022, [WeChat is highly popular in Mainland China](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-3), with certain overseas popularity in countries like the US, Indonesia, Taiwan and Vietnam, among others. But WeChat is not just a chat app. In fact, it has plenty of features that Chinese citizens use in their daily lives. For instance, [WeChat Pay](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-1) is one of China's most popular payment methods. In addition, millions of people use WeChat [Mini-programs](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-2) every day to shop, play games, get coupons and more. In short, if your customers are located in China, consider providing WeChat customer service. WeChat allows agents to trace conversations in the chat thread. Thanks to that, they can easily identify contacts, their past interactions with the company, and the best way to help them with their current issue without unnecessary questions. Instant messaging channels like WeChat are also versatile when it comes to communication pace. With WeChat connected to the right inbox solution, support agents can give priority to customers with pressing issues that need immediate help. On the other hand, customers can choose to respond to agents in due time, which is a more pleasant experience for them. Because agents have access to the conversation history, and there is only one thread per contact, they can do their job more effectively and shorten conversation resolution times. Before you start using WeChat for customer support, there are some points that you should be familiar with. ### WeChat Customer Service: What You Should Know Unless you are a micro or small business, you shouldn’t use the WeChat app for customer service as it’s not designed with businesses in mind— it doesn’t allow multiple users, has no automation builder and lacks contact management tools like tags or user fields. In addition, the WeChat app has no API, which is necessary to [integrate WeChat with business software or CRM](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-crm), so medium to large businesses should apply for a WeChat Business Account. Unfortunately, these are not that easy to understand. Don't fret, we’re here to break it down for you. In this section, we’ll explain the different types of WeChat business accounts, which messaging inbox to choose and what messaging rules your WeChat support team will encounter. #### WeChat Customer Service: Business Account Types When applying for a WeChat Business account at the [WeChat Official Accounts Platform](https://mp.weixin.qq.com/cgi-bin/loginpage?t=wxm2-login&lang=en_US), businesses will need to choose between the following account types: - Mini Program - WeChat Work - Subscription Account - Service Account For businesses doing customer support over WeChat, a Service Account is the way to go. As the name suggests, it’s designed for customer service and it offers more visibility and features than the other account types. WeChat Service Accounts are displayed on the customers’ chat feed just like regular contacts. Most importantly, WeChat Service Account users have access to the WeChat API, allowing businesses to integrate it with their CRM or messaging inbox. Creating a WeChat Service Account is free. However, WeChat gives businesses 30 days to apply for account verification. The [WeChat Service Account verification process](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-7) involves submitting documentation and a USD 99 yearly verification fee. Businesses that don’t apply for the verification process within 30 days from the account creation date will get their Service Accounts canceled. #### WeChat Customer Service: Messaging Rules WeChat has implemented a series of rules for Service Account users to deter businesses from spamming. For a start, contact lists can’t be imported. Customers have to message you first before you add them to your contact list. Upon receiving an inquiry, support agents have a 48-hour messaging window to exchange messages with the customer. After the 48-hour session expires, agents won’t be able to keep messaging, unless customers reopen the messaging window with a new message. Luckily, you have the option to reopen the conversation through other messaging channels including SMS and email with [respond.io’s omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/integrations). More on this in a later section. But how can customers contact your business on WeChat? They can search for your Service Account in the app by display name (which must be unique) and keywords in the description. You can also use a [WeChat QR code](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-integration-with-website#toc-mobile-0) on your website or in a physical store to encourage customers to chat with you. Last but not least, remember to follow [WeChat’s Acceptable Use Policy](https://www.wechat.com/en/acceptable_use_policy.html) to avoid getting your account canceled. For example, businesses are not allowed to use WeChat to advertise alcohol, tobacco and medical products that require licensing. WeChat also reserves the right to take action against your account if you are using fake personal information. #### WeChat Customer Service: Choosing a Messaging Inbox Your customer support team will need to have access to an inbox for multiple users to assign contacts, escalate cases and keep supervisors updated. As a WeChat Service Account user, these are the two main options. - Use the inbox provided by the WeChat Official Account platform - Connect WeChat API to a messaging inbox of your choice The WeChat Official Account inbox supports up to 100 users, which suffices for many companies. However, it lacks automatic contact routing and agent assignment, so supervisors have to manually assign the contacts or let agents pick them manually. As you can imagine, this can be very problematic — agents dodging cases that are difficult to solve, uneven workload distribution, etc. The WeChat Official Account inbox also includes an analytics dashboard with several widgets that managers can use to track different metrics. Unfortunately, there’s no way to filter metrics by agent or team. This inbox does not excel at contact management tools either. In fact, tags are the only available way to categorize contacts. And when it comes to automation, you’ll only find [three types of auto-replies](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-auto-reply). If your customers communicate with you through messaging channels other than WeChat, you should consider investing in an omnichannel inbox like respond.io. This will give you access to cutting-edge automation features, detailed reports and analytics, advanced contact management tools and more. ### WeChat Customer Service on Respond.io: Quick Wins Now you have all the information you need to use WeChat as a customer support channel. But to take your customer support game to the next level, [sign up for a respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and [connect WeChat as a channel](https://help.respond.io/channels/wechat#connecting_we_chat). By doing so, you’ll have access to multiple features that will improve the way your agents do customer support. Next, we’ll explore some of the benefits of using respond.io as a messaging inbox for WeChat support. #### WeChat Support: Convert Page Visitors into Contacts with a WeChat QR Code As mentioned, WeChat QR codes encourage customers to chat with your support team, and you can easily create them with respond.io. Plus, WeChat QR codes are a good way to grow your respond.io contact list from your website or physical store. To become respond.io Contacts, customers only need to send a message through WeChat or any other messaging channel. [Contacts can be easily identified](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts#toc-mobile-4) even if they had previously messaged your customer service team through another channel. Knowledge is power. As mentioned earlier, getting insight into an existing customer’s profile gives support agents context and helps them provide Contacts with a better solution. #### WeChat Support: Use Chat Automation to Answer FAQs, Route Customers and Escalate Cases The [Workflows Module](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) is respond.io’s visual automation builder. Companies use them to automate repetitive tasks, which helps reduce agent load. Here’s how you can use them to automate some common WeChat customer service processes. Answering frequently asked questions takes too much of your support agents’ time. To fix that, create a [Multiple Choice Question Workflow](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_ask_a_question) to answer common inquiries. Just make sure you give customers the option to talk to an agent for more complex issues. Traditionally, support agents manually pick conversations whenever they are available to handle new customers. However, this brings along problems like uneven conversation distribution or avoidance of difficult cases. Instead, we suggest you build a Workflow implementing your preferred [chat routing strategy](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) to pass inbound WeChat messages to the right support team. Then, customize your [automatic assignment strategy](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) so they reach an available agent. Respond.io makes support escalation easy too — literally at the click of a button. [Using Shortcut as a Trigger](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-triggers#trigger_shortcut) in your case escalation Workflow allows agents to pass conversations to the sales team or a higher rank agent. And this can be triggered from the [Messaging Console](https://help.respond.io/messages/messages-overview#messaging_console) itself. Last, support agents have the option to leave a comment explaining the reason for the case escalation. #### WeChat Support: Collect Customer Feedback with CSAT Surveys [CSAT surveys](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) are one of the most popular ways to measure the levels of customer satisfaction with a company’s support teams. CSAT surveys are built in the Workflows Module with a [Rating Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_ask_a_question), which belongs in the Ask a Question category. Some prefer to automatically trigger a CSAT survey at the end of every conversation by using the [Conversation Closed Trigger](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-triggers#trigger_conversation_closed). To have complete control over when to send them, use the Shortcut Trigger instead. When it comes to saving customer ratings, here are our suggested options. If your support teams operate with a data warehouse or CRM, use an [HTTP Request Step](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-8) to transfer the ratings to your software of choice. If that doesn’t work for your support team, set up an [Add to Google Sheets Step](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-9) to upload them to Google sheets. #### WeChat Support: Gain Access to Advanced Reports and Analytics The respond.io platform features a [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/reporting-for-support) where supervisors have access to detailed reports and analytics. These can be refined using filters to identify long-term trends or pinpoint specific issues. For example, having too many conversations open outside of business hours indicates that your business needs an additional support team to handle customers at that time of the day. The Reports Module is a tool to measure agent performance too. Inside the [Users tab](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-users), supervisors will find important metrics such as the average first response time or average resolution time of every agent. #### WeChat Support: Answer Messages Anywhere with the Mobile App For agents on the go, the respond.io app contains all the features you’ll find on the desktop version, pocket-sized. With it, support agents can chat with customers even if they’re away from their desks. Agents will receive a push notification every time they receive a new message or when they are assigned new Contacts. Thanks to that, they can stay updated and reduce response times. To get the respond.io app, download it from [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io&hl=en) for Android and [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) for iOS. ### Further Reading If you found this article interesting, have a look at the following customer service articles. - Escalation Management: A Guide to Support Escalation - Line Customer Service: A How-to Guide - WhatsApp Customer Service: A How-to Guide ## [WeChat Official Account: The WeChat Business Ultimate Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account) This is the guide for you if you're interested in the Chinese market. Companies all over are interested in creating a presence in China. One of the best ways of doing this is by using WeChat for Business. This guide is going to be a little more intricate than the others because WeChat is one of the more mysterious messaging apps. If you want to create a business presence in China, you’re probably wondering how to use WeChat Business. This article will cover the differences between a WeChat Subscription Account and WeChat Service Account, how to create WeChat Official Account and the WeChat Official Account verification process. ### What is WeChat? At first glance, WeChat looks a lot like WhatsApp. But WeChat is more than just a messaging app. It’s a do-everything app that lets you send money, read articles, and even apply for loans! Here’s a brief introduction before we get into the features. Developed by Chinese conglomerate Tencent, Weixin (微信) was launched in China in January 2011. By 2012, its number of users reached 100 million. In the same year, Weixin was renamed WeChat for the international market. Nowadays, the platform is available in 17 languages. WeChat has four main tabs. Chats and Contacts are what you would expect, containing your conversations and friends on WeChat. Interestingly, the Contacts tab has rather advanced organizational features including folders and tags. The Discover tab holds a selection of entertainment and activity options like games or Mini Programs. Last but not least, the Me tab is where users have access to personal items like their settings, stickers and profile. Next, we’ll introduce you to WeChat’s popularity around the globe. #### Where is WeChat Popular? WeChat is [the most popular chat app in China](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-8). Over the past few years, the app has seen tremendous growth in the number of global users. In 2012, WeChat had 50 million monthly active users; that number has skyrocketed to 1.31 billion in 2022. Around 79% of China's population uses WeChat and it hasn’t [had any competitors until](https://respond.io/blog/the-top-3-chinese-chat-apps) [recently](https://respond.io/blog/the-top-3-chinese-chat-apps). However, WeChat is unlikely to lose its crown because its features power the interactions of everyday life. Before, we mentioned how WeChat is a mega app with plenty of functionalities. Let’s dive into some of the most popular WeChat features, starting with WeChat’s digital wallet. #### WeChat Pay WeChat Pay is WeChat’s in-app digital wallet. When this feature was introduced in 2016, WeChat already had 430 million users, many of whom adopted it quickly as a payment method. Five years later, WeChat Pay has doubled this figure with 900 million users. Convenience is another reason behind WeChat Pay’s success. Upon registering their bank account details, users can easily make person-to-person transactions, pay bills and pay for purchases inside the app or at physical stores that support WeChat Pay. To enable in-store payments, customers scan or display their QR codes. The simplicity and cost-effectiveness for businesses to use QR codes rather than expensive payment terminals have made WeChat Pay wildly popular in physical stores and online. [WeChat Pay is one of the most common payment methods in China](https://www.focusfinance.org/post/dominance-of-wechat-pay-and-alipay-in-the-chinese-digital-payments-industry), but it’s also used overseas. In fact, it supports 13 different currencies in 25 countries and regions such as US, UK, Australia and Hong Kong. #### WeChat Mini-Programs Mini Programs are “mini-applications” built within the WeChat platform with endless functionalities: e-commerce, membership cards, games, bike rentals,etc. Businesses that run campaigns via Mini Programs can also issue coupons that users redeem to get discounts on purchases inside the app. [Businesses like yours use WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/how-companies-do-wechat-advertising) as a customer messaging channel. But first, you need to know which WeChat business account best suits your needs. ### WeChat Business Accounts If you’re looking for a WeChat Business Account, you have three WeChat Official Accounts to choose from WeChat Subscription Account, WeChat Service Account and WeChat Work. Similar to Slack or Google Chat, WeChat Work is used for internal company messaging. Meanwhile, WeChat Subscription Accounts and WeChat Service Accounts are used for customer communication. #### WeChat Business: Subscription and Service Accounts WeChat users who follow Subscription and Service Accounts can receive push notifications from them and engage in one-on-one conversations. But the similarities end there since these two account types are intended for different use cases. Let’s explore them in detail. ##### WeChat Business: WeChat Subscription Account Subscription Accounts are only available for companies registered in China and are designed for media, influencers and organizations. Because their focus is on information and brand communication, subscription accounts are allowed to send one WeChat push message per day to their followers. However, Subscription Accounts don’t support API access, which is limiting for businesses that handle high volumes of messages or want to connect customer communication channels with their CRMs or other third-party applications. To sum up, they are not the optimal choice for businesses looking to [market](https://respond.io/blog/how-companies-do-wechat-advertising), [sell](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-wechat) and [support on WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-customer-service). ##### WeChat Business: WeChat Service Account WeChat Service Accounts were designed with customer service in mind. Since they support API access, [businesses can connect them to a CRM](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-crm). But they are suitable for sales too— verified service account owners can [o](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-wechat)[pen a WeChat Store and enable WeChat Pay](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-wechat). The only downside is WeChat Service Account owners are only allowed to send four push notifications per month to their followers. Lastly, businesses can create a WeChat Official Account overseas and it will be visible to mainland China users. Now that you know which type of account is for you, we’ll help you choose a messaging inbox that fits your business needs. #### Types of WeChat Business Messaging Inboxes There are two ways you can message your customers on the channel: Through the [WeChat Official Account inbox](https://mp.weixin.qq.com/cgi-bin/loginpage?t=wxm2-login&lang=en_US) or a business messaging platform connected to the WeChat account via Messaging API. The WeChat Official Account inbox is free and supports up to 100 agents with customizable profiles. However, there are no tools to assign inbound conversations to agents, who must pick them manually as they come in. In terms of contact management tools, tags are all this inbox offers. And while you can set up three types of [WeChat auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-auto-reply), it lacks an advanced automation builder. The WeChat Official Account Inbox also features an analytics dashboard, but there isn’t a way to filter analytics by agent or team. As a medium or large size business that handles high volumes of conversations each month, you should connect your WeChat Service Account to a feature-rich messaging inbox like respond.io. You’ll gain improved multi-user support, [powerful automation](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview), [i](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/integrations)[ntegrations with CRMs](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/integrations) and other software, and both granular and long-term [performance analytics](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) to monitor and improve your individual agents' or teams’ efficiency. This doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to the WeChat Official Account inbox, as you’ll be able to switch between both inboxes freely. You don’t have a WeChat Service Account yet? No problem. In the next section, we’ll show you how you can apply for one. #### How to Create WeChat Official Account To create a WeChat Service Account, head to the [WeChat Official Account Platform](https://mp.weixin.qq.com/?lang=en_US&token=) on your desktop and click *Register now* at the top. We recommend doing it from a desktop since the website is not optimized for mobile use. **1\. Select** *Service Account*. The account type cannot be changed after creation. **2\. Create** a user account**.** Provide a secure email address as this will be used to access the admin panel. The email must not be linked to an existing WeChat Business Account. Enter the verification code sent to your email. **3\. Select** your country. The legal documents required are slightly different depending on the country where the company is registered. **4\. Submit** the identification information of the company and the account admin. This includes: - Your company’s officially-registered name and registration number - The account operator's name, mobile phone number, and passport ID number **5\. Choose** an account name and provide a description. Create the account name. Add a short description of the account, and you are good to go. That's it! You've created a WeChat Official Account. Once you're logged into the WeChat Official Accounts Platform, you’ll receive the following notification. Unverified accounts don’t have access to advanced features like sending push notifications, creating Mini-Programs or using WeChat Pay. More importantly, they’ll be canceled after 30 days. To use your account to the full extent, you’ll have to get it verified. In addition, you should understand how messaging works on WeChat business accounts to communicate with customers effectively and avoid getting banned. ### WeChat Official Account: Best Practices Now that you have a WeChat Official Account, here are some best practices to make the most of your account. For a start, we’ll guide you through the steps to get your WeChat Official Account verified. You’ll also find valuable info on how customers can find your WeChat Official Account and how you can message your customers with WeChat. #### WeChat Official Account Verification Setting up a WeChat Official Account is free, but official account verification costs money. Businesses also need to provide documentation. The process is rather cumbersome. Thankfully, we are here to guide you every step of the way. **1\. Input** additional company info. This includes the following: - Company registration number, office address and office phone number - Scope of business (description of business activities) - Bank name of company bank account - Bank account number - Names of the company’s legal representatives (company directors’ names) **2\. Validate** your personal information. The verification staff will contact you personally when going over the documents. Businesses will need to provide: - Contact’s full name - Mobile Phone number - Verify with SMS - Email address - Landline phone number - Passport number **3\. Upload** supporting documents. Provide supporting documentation for all the information you have submitted. Make sure to scan the documents in color before uploading them. The documents needed are: - Business License - An official application letter which can be downloaded from the system, but needs to be filled out, signed and stamped - Contact’s mobile phone statement with your name, phone number and payment history for the past 3 months - Contact’s ID/passport/driving license copies. Provide front and back copies if you choose to submit your contact ID or driving license. If you are submitting your passport instead, provide two copies of your passport’s information page. **4\. Reserve** your official account name. At this stage, businesses will need to decide their account display name. Account display names can only be changed by submitting a different name with the annual verification process. If the brand name is trademarked, select the trademark option and upload the relevant documentation. News agencies should use the media name option and upload their broadcast license. For other businesses, we recommend selecting the optional vocabulary option, which doesn’t involve additional documentation. **5\. Pay** the fee. Pay the WeChat Official Account fee of USD99 or RMB300 depending on the business location. You’ll have to incur this cost with every annual verification. The fee is not refundable even if the application is rejected. Once completed, you'll receive a call from a third-party agency in 5 to 10 business days. Our agency was located in Chengdu. Their English was good and they helped us to revise our application. Now that you have completed your WeChat Official Account setup, it's time to learn how to use it. #### WeChat Business: How Customers Find Your WeChat Official Account Most messaging apps require users to message businesses first in order to open conversations. WeChat accounts can’t import contacts and can only message contacts who have sent the first message. However, you can send push notifications en-masse to users who follow your WeChat official account. WeChat has two helpful features to get your customers to follow your Service Account and start a conversation: WeChat QR codes and in-app searches. ##### WeChat Business: QR Codes In addition to facilitating payments via WeChat Pay, QR codes can convert offline traffic like foot traffic in a store to WeChat Official Account followers. QR codes can also be used on a website or in emails you send to customers to offer them a way to chat with you. Since the QR code only works if users have the WeChat app installed on their phones, it’s recommended to put a WeChat logo somewhere next to the code. This will indicate that it’s an app-specific QR code. On the WeChat Official Account inbox, users can generate and download QR codes. If you have a respond.io account, you can [add a WeChat QR code to your website chat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-integration-with-website#toc-mobile-1) [widget.](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-integration-with-website#toc-mobile-1) While WeChat doesn’t support click-to-chat links the way messaging channels like [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-link-generator) or [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/messenger-link) do, users can look for your WeChat Official Account via the in-app search. ##### WeChat Business: In-app Search Most messaging apps like LINE require users to enter a business account name to find them in the app. However, WeChat users can also search for official accounts by a keyword in the business description in addition to the display name. Businesses with a Chinese display name can include their English name in the short description, increasing their chance of being discovered outside China. Now that you know how to find your customers on WeChat, it’s time to start messaging them. #### How to Message Customers Using a WeChat Official Account Messaging channels like WeChat generally have different messaging rules for business accounts and personal accounts. Hence, even if you’re used to chatting with family and friends on WeChat, you’ll need to play by a new set of rules when messaging customers with a WeChat Official Account. ##### WeChat Business: 1:1 Messaging When it comes to 1:1 messaging, businesses should look out for messaging windows and read receipts. WeChat Official Accounts have a messaging window and they don’t provide read receipts. Messaging windows are popular in business messaging. They limit the amount of time businesses have to chat with customers in order to prevent spamming. WeChat Official Accounts have a messaging window of 48 hours. ##### WeChat Business: Broadcast Messaging Once you’ve got 1:1 messaging figured out, you can start exploring broadcast messaging. WeChat broadcasts are not very conventional. In fact, WeChat refers to them as *push messages,* but they look more like newsletters. From the WeChat Official Account inbox, users can customize broadcasts including adding rich content, creating a broadcast with an HTML editor or even broadcasting Mini Programs. WeChat users can like, comment and share broadcasts on WeChat and other platforms. WeChat permits businesses to broadcast all types of content, as long as it complies with [WeChat’s Acceptabl](https://www.wechat.com/en/acceptable_use_policy.html)[e Use Policy](https://www.wechat.com/en/acceptable_use_policy.html). This includes promotional messaging like sales messages, coupons and discounts. Do note that contacts might unfollow or block you if they find your messages irrelevant or annoying. WeChat broadcasts can only be sent through the WeChat Official Account inbox. WeChat doesn’t place limitations on the number of recipients per broadcast, but you’ll need to get customers to follow you first before you can broadcast to them. With the WeChat Official Account platform, you can target users based on tag, gender or country. As you can only send four broadcasts per month, consider if targeted broadcasts are the right strategy as they reach fewer customers. Also, note that unused broadcasts will not be carried forward to the next month. ##### WeChat Business: Group **Messaging** Many companies are using messaging apps for sales by creating groups with salespeople and relevant customers. Although effective, these chats pose a problem for companies as there is no record of them in company CRMs. One way to deal with this would be to connect your CRM and group chat to a business messaging platform. We’ve tested this out, but unfortunately, WeChat Official Accounts cannot be added to group chats. ### Should You Use WeChat for Business? Businesses operating in any of WeChat’s key markets should definitely consider using [WeChat for sales](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-wechat) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-customer-service). If you are a small business that doesn't receive many daily inquiries or require advanced features, the WeChat Official Account inbox might be sufficient. If most of your customers are exclusively WeChat users, there’s no need for an omnichannel inbox. But if you are an enterprise or SME or are juggling chats on several channels, [connect your WeChat Official](https://help.respond.io/channels/wechat) [account](https://help.respond.io/channels/wechat) to respond.io for an omnichannel inbox rich in advanced features and tools for every stage of the customer journey. You can even [integrate WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-crm) with your CRMs on respond.io to qualify leads, create deals or tickets and more while chatting with customers. If you’re unsure about what to do, or if this article has raised new questions, [talk to our support team](https://respond.io/contact). ### Further Reading Did you enjoy this article? If so, you might find these readings interesting: - LINE Business: The Ultimate Guide to LINE Official Account - Instagram Business Chat: The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Business Messaging - Ultimate Guide to Viber for Business ## [WeChat Web Chat: How to Use WeChat Integration with Website ](https:/respond.io/blog/wechat-integration-with-website) Want to integrate WeChat web chat with your website? Check out our guide on what WeChat widget is, how to set it up and how your business can benefit from it. Planning to install a WeChat web chat widget on your website? In this article, we’ll explain what WeChat web chat is and how to use WeChat integration with website. Then, we’ll explore the benefits of using the web chat widget in terms of marketing, sales and support. Finally, we’ll show you how to incorporate chat automation into your WeChat widget with respond.io’s Workflows. ### WeChat Integration with Website: An Introduction [WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account) has over 1.2 billion monthly active users (MAU) and is a one-stop center for all your social needs. This is why businesses that want to enter or expand their business in China need to have a [WeChat Official Account](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-6). To prevent spam marketing, WeChat has set a rule that businesses cannot import contacts. Instead, customers must message you first before they become contacts. To encourage customers to send you the first message, you can add a WeChat widget to your website. However, unlike other channels, WeChat does not support the click-to-chat links feature on the WeChat Official Accounts Platforms. The only way customers can reach out on your web chat widget is through QR codes. Upon scanning the code, visitors will land on the app where they can start chatting with you. In the next section, we’ll show you how to set up WeChat widget on your website. #### How to Set Up WeChat Integration with Website on Respond.io To [handle WeChat conversations at scale](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-11), you need a customer conversation management software like respond.io. [Connect your WeChat Official Account to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/wechat#connecting_we_chat) to enable your whole team to manage all customer conversations in one platform. The process for setting up a WeChat web chat on respond.io is simple and can be done quickly by [following these steps](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets#creating_widget). First, [generate a QR code from your WeChat Official Account Page](https://help.respond.io/channels/wechat#how_can_i_create_a_qr_code_for_my_we_chat_account) and download the QR code as an image on your desktop. Then, use your smartphone camera to scan the QR code. A notification will appear. Tap on it to open the link associated with the QR code on your phone’s browser. Copy the URL in the browser’s address bar, you’ll need it later. On respond.io, navigate to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets*. Then, click *Add Widget* and choose *Multichannel Widget* before clicking *Create Widget*. After that, enter the website(s) where you want to add the chat widget. Under *Header Elements*, click *Add Channel* and select *Custom QR*. Paste the URL that you copied earlier in the text field under *Custom QR*. You can customize the widget’s appearance by clicking on the *Advanced Settings* buttons. Finally, click *Generate Widget*, copy the generated script and install it on your website. Your widget is then ready to be used. If you want to connect with customers across multiple channels, an [omnichannel widget](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) can help. You can also opt to [add a website chat widget to your website](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview). Now that you’ve set up the widget, let’s learn more about how to use WeChat web chat for your business. ### WeChat Integration with Website: How to use WeChat Web Chat for Business Here, we’ll take you through the benefits of WeChat integration for your website, especially for sales and customer service. #### WeChat Widget for Sales One of the biggest downsides of using a live chat for sales is that prospects’ identities are often anonymous. It’s hard for salespeople to get accurate information for contact identification and to build rapport. However, you can integrate your respond.io inbox with a sales Customer Relationship Management (CRM). After customers send you a message, you can make [HTTP](https://respond.io/blog/february-2022-release-new-workflows-steps-new-navigation-and-messaging-module-design-custom-channel-integration-and-bits-and-bobs#toc-mobile-4) [requests](https://respond.io/blog/february-2022-release-new-workflows-steps-new-navigation-and-messaging-module-design-custom-channel-integration-and-bits-and-bobs#toc-mobile-4) to collect contact information and create sales deals with [r](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview)[espond.io’s Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) without leaving the platform. Next up, we’ll look at how businesses can use WeChat integration for websites to handle customer support. #### WeChat Widget for Customer Service Another challenge with live chat is that there’s no saved conversation history and agents can’t follow up on inquiries at a later time. The moment contacts leave the website, all conversations, along with contact information, are gone for good. WeChat web chat on respond.io allows agents to identify returning customers, even if they had [messaged you from a different channel previously](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts). This gives agents contextual insights into recurring issues. If necessary, you can [escalate cases to another agent or team](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management). To prevent businesses from spamming customers, WeChat has implemented a [48-hour](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-11) [messaging window.](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-11) Not only does this encourage businesses to reply promptly, but it’s also likely to increase customer satisfaction with your brand. In the event that agents need to reach out to contact again after 48 hours, they can use other channels like SMS, email or WhatsApp on an omnichannel platform like respond.io to send the first message and continue the conversation. To gauge the level of customer satisfaction and know which areas you can improve in, send customers a [CSAT survey](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score). Let’s move on to the next section, where we’ll focus on creating WeChat-related automation. ### Handle WeChat Widget Conversations Effortlessly with Respond.io Here, we’ll show you how to create advanced chat automation to level up your WeChat web chat with Workflows. #### WeChat Integration with Website: Answer Commonly Asked Questions Instead of spending time answering frequently asked questions (FAQs), set up automated responses on your WeChat widget. This way, you can reduce agents’ workloads and allow them to focus on more important matters. To set up FAQs, create a [Multiple Choice Step on Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps) with up to 10 FAQs and responses. There’s also the [Snippets feature](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/snippets) (it works like quick replies) where you can create canned replies for common inquiries, such as refund policies. Unlike FAQs which are triggered by Workflows, support agents must manually select the relevant saved responses when chatting with customers. #### WeChat Web Chat: Set Up Away Messages No business can be available 24/7. But what’s possible is creating an [Away Message](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business) to manage customers’ expectations on response times. Now, contacts will receive an Away Message if they send a WeChat conversation outside of business hours. To take it up a notch, you can even add the [Ask A Question Step](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) to capture customers’ information. Then, save the responses as [Variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) to customize your replies according to their needs. You can also check out our [best practices on how to write an away message](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business#toc-mobile-3) for your business. #### WeChat Web Chat: Route WeChat Contacts to the Right Team Workflows allow you to [route contacts](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) on WeChat widget to the right team. To begin, create a [pre-chat survey](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) to collect customers’ information to determine their needs. Then, apply the routing logic to route customers to the relevant team. Then, create an assignment logic that identifies the purpose of the contacts’ inquiries or needs and assigns them to the right agent. Now that you’ve learned everything you need to know about WeChat integration with website. It’s time to [connect your WeChat account to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/channels/wechat) today. ### Further Reading Aside from WeChat, you can also use web chat with different messaging channels. Find out how to set them up here: - Complete Guide to Setting Up LINE Widget for Website - How to Use WhatsApp Integration with Website - A Guide to Using Instagram Web Chat for Business ## [What Are Telegram Channels?](https:/respond.io/blog/telegram-channels) Using Telegram for Business doesn't require any additional software thanks to the power of Telegram Channel. In this blog post, we’ll cover what are Telegram Channels & how Telegram Channel works. We've also put together a list of Top 5 Telegram Channels. Plus, you’ll learn how to get your customers to join Telegram Channel with a t.me Telegram Link. [Using Telegram for Business](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business/) doesn't require any additional software thanks to the power of Telegram Channel. In this blog post, we’ll cover what are Telegram Channels & how they work. Plus, we'll help you decide between Public Telegram Channels & Private Telegram Channels, explain how to get your customers to join a Channel with a *t.me* Telegram Link. ### Telegram Channels Basics What is a Telegram Channel? Telegram Channels allow you to send broadcasts. You create the channel, Telegram users can subscribe to the channel, then you can send messages to your subscribers. Do Telegram Channels have a subscriber limit? No, Telegram Channels can have an unlimited number of subscribers. Subscribers cannot see each other so they do not know who else subscribed to the channel. Few other channels offer this kind of capability. To accomplish this on [Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), you'll need to use an additional tool like respond.io to send a broadcast. And on [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app), [broadcasting is limited to 256 people](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#toc-mobile-1) at a time. Broadcasts are also possible on [WeChat](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-wechat-official-account-for-business-guide/#62r6b), [Line](https://rocketbots.io/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-line-for-business/#sh50) and [Kakao](https://respond.io/blog/kakao-for-business#toc-mobile-11) but they have additional limitations or paid tiers. Telegram is really the only app that allows very large broadcasts, with no limitations or fees. There is one subtle difference with Telegram Channels that allows broadcasts like these to make sense on their platform. You can't send a broadcast to your contacts like you can on other platforms - Telegram users have to subscribe to the Telegram Channel first. #### Private Telegram Channels vs Public Telegram Channels Telegram Channels can be set to private or public. The main difference between Telegram Private Channels and Public Telegram Channels is their in-app searchability. Private Telegram Channels are by invitation only. To gain access to a Private Telegram Channel, or to even find out about its existence, you'll need to be added by an admin or find an invitation link to the group somewhere. Like Public Telegram Groups, Telegram Public Channels are searchable. That means you can head into the Telegram app and search for Telegram channels based on topics you are interested in. #### What Are Telegram Channels Used For Because Telegram Channels are so unique, it's challenging to think of specific use cases. When you think about Telegram Channels, you can think of them as a short-form blog or as a live blog. If you're a [SaaS company](https://www.troopmessenger.com/blogs/saas-companies), you can run a Telegram Channel for power users. Telegram Channels are a lightweight way to provide the latest information about your most recent features, services like [selling ebooks](https://blog.sellfy.com/sell-ebook-on-your-website/) or even thoughts. Instead of [writing](https://bestwritingadvisor.com/blog/writing-the-winning-thesis-or-dissertation-things-to-think-about) a blog post, adding images, and publishing on your site, all you need to do is pick up your phone and shoot out a quick message explaining your latest update. It only takes a few seconds. Telegram Channels also work very well as a live blog. If an event is going on in your city and you want to document it with a few friends, set up a Public Telegram Channel to post quick thoughts, pictures, and videos about what is going on in real-time. Plus, Telegram has recently expanded its file size limit to 2GB allowing users to [send large videos](https://massive.io/how-to-send-large-videos/). #### Telegram Channel vs Group What is the difference between Telegram Channel and Telegram Group? Despite having a very similar feature set, Telegram Channels and Telegram Groups have been designed with different purposes in mind. Telegrams Groups are great for interacting with customers on a personal level, you can run a poll to ask the audience what they think. But if you are looking to disseminate information to a broad audience, you should go for Telegram Channels. ### Top 5 Telegram Channels Telegram Channels offer features that help you manage the message you want to deliver. For example, deleting messages that you’ve sent out previously. You can even enable the Comments feature to interact with your audience! When used properly, these tools can help you to communicate with a large group often and with little effort. Here are the 5 best Telegram Channels that do it right. #### 1\. Telegram Channel: International Geographic We may not be able to travel abroad anytime soon, but we can always travel vicariously through International Geographic Telegram Channel. On this Telegram Channel, you'll find stunning pictures and videos of the most beautiful places in the world, from Rhodes Island to Niagara Falls. [Join this Telegram Channel](http://t.me/internationalgeographic) today to fulfil your wanderlust! #### 2\. Telegram Channel: The New York Times With everything that’s been going on, it's more important than ever to read the news from a credible source. The New York Times is one of the largest news organizations to offer a Telegram Channel. [Join the New York Times Telegram Channel](http://t.me/nytimes) to stay updated on what's happening in the world. But be warned that the Telegram Channel posts over 100 times a day. You might want to use the sanity features to manage the notifications. More details to follow. #### 3\. Telegram Channel: Memes What's better way to lighten up than reading memes? Literally named Memes, this Telegram Channel curates the funniest memes on the internet and delivers them right to your phone. With over 103,000 subscribers, Memes is one of the most successful Telegram Channels we’ve seen! This just goes to show that the right content can help you build a large following on Telegram Channel. [Join Memes](http://t.me/bestmemes) to get your daily dose of memes. #### 4\. Telegram Channel: Bagaholicboy.com Fashionistas rejoice! Bagaholicboy.com Telegram Channel is here to deliver the latest fashion news, from fashion week coverage to the newest product drops. And did we mention that this Telegram Channel has giveaways from time to time? If you are into fashion and style, this is the Telegram Channel for you. Click here to join [Bagaholicboy.com Telegram Channel](https://t.me/bagaholicboy). #### 5\. Telegram Channel: Quote [Quote Telegram Channel](https://t.me/quote) gives you words of wisdom from famous people and authors, from Dalai Lama to Lao Tzu to Charles Dickens. This is a great Telegram Channel to join if you enjoy famous quotes. We’ll continue updating the Best Telegram Channels list with new top Telegram Channels in the future. Ready to create your own Telegram Channel? Read on to find out how. ### Getting Started with Telegram Channels In this section, we’ll explain how to create a Telegram Channel, invite Contacts to a Telegram Channel and generate a *t.me* Telegram Channel Invite Link to add Contacts into a Telegram Channel. #### How To Create Telegram Channels Telegram Channels are just as easy to create as Telegram Groups. To create a Telegram Channel, navigate to *Chats >* *Compose* *\> New Channel* and click on Create Channel, Then, write a Telegram Channel description and you are good to go. Wondering how to add subscribers to Telegram Channel? There are two main ways to add Telegram Channel members. You can invite your contacts or create a Telegram Channels link that takes people to the channel. #### Inviting Contacts to Telegram Channels The easiest way to add members to your Telegram Channel is to invite people from your contact list. They will likely form the core audience of your Telegram Channel. To add contacts to a Telegram Channel, simply navigate to *Info > Subscribers > Add Subscribers.* #### Getting a t.me Telegram Channel Link Whether you've got a Public Telegram Channel or a Private Telegram Channel, invite links make it easy to add members to your channel. All you need to do is create an invite link then post it in places where the prospective audience for your Telegram Channel will find it. For instance, you may add a Telegram Channel Link to your website or emails. To access your Telegram Link, navigate to *Info* *\> Edit > Channel Type > Copy Link.* Sharing Telegram Links is simple, just tap *Share Link*. Now that you know how to create links for Telegram Channel, it’s time to learn how to how to manage Telegram Channels. ### Managing Telegram Channels Managing Telegram Channels comes with its own set of challenges, especially with the possibility of unlimited users. Telegram has created many tools and features, including [Telegram Bots](https://respond.io/blog/best-telegram-bots-list) to help you manage a Telegram Channel. To make things easier to digest, we've separated these features into 3 categories - administration, organization, and sanity features. #### Telegram Channels Admin Features Since Telegram Channels can grow as large as you want, you'll need some tools to administer your channel. Luckily Telegram allows you to add/remove admins, create robust permissions, see a list of recent administrator actions, and find out how many people viewed your messages. ##### Adding Telegram Channels Admins & Managing Admin Permissions Adding admins to your Telegram Channel will allow you to manage your Telegram Channel as a team. Admins can: - Change group info - Post messages - Edit messages - Delete messages - Add subscribers - Add admins Like [WhatsApp Group admin privileges](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-group#toc-mobile-12), the best part about Telegram Channel admin permissions is you can give each admin their own individual permissions set. **To add an admin to Telegram channels,** navigate to *Info > Administrators > Add Admin.* You'll only be able to create admins from existing subscribers though. **To manage Telegram Channels admin permissions** navigate to *Info > Administrators > click on the Admin you want to adjust permissions for*. ##### Telegram Channels Admin Signatures Telegram Channels can be very corporate with all messages coming from the channel. Alternatively, you can add a human touch by allowing your admins to sign the messages they send with their name. Activating Admin signatures will allow your Telegram Channel subscribers to know which admin is sending messages in the group and differentiate between each distinct personality. To turn on Admin Signatures in your Telegram Channel, navigate to *Info > Edit > Sign Messages.* If you turn Admin Signatures on, previously sent messages will not be signed. ##### Telegram Channels Recent Actions Telegram Channels recent actions allow you to keep track of what other admins are doing in the Telegram Channel. The recent actions screen provides a changelog of Telegram Channel admins in the last 48 hours. To access Telegram Channels recent actions navigate to *Info > Administrators > Recent Actions.* ##### Telegram Channel Message Viewership Counter Although your subscriber count will give you a good idea of how popular your group is, you can gain additional insights to your Telegram Channel's success using the little eye next to the messages you send. The eye will let you know the number of people that have seen the message. It will give you an idea of how many subscribers are engaged with your Telegram Channel vs. how many have subscribed but never opened the channel again. #### Telegram Channel Organizational Features Your Telegram Channels should have a lot less chat history than your Telegram Groups because only a few people can actually send messages. Nonetheless, Telegram has provided several features to organize the channels and find old messages including search, shared media browsing, and pinned messages. ##### Telegram Channel Search Unlike Telegram Groups, Telegram Channels allow you to edit messages. If you're looking to scrub your channel history of something you mentioned, use search to find it and then delete it. Telegram makes it easy to navigate up and down the chat history whenever that text was mentioned. To search for a message in a Telegram Channel, click on the Channel Name. Then, click on the Magnifying Glass. ##### Telegram Channel Shared Media If you've been running your Telegram Channel for a long time, you'll have many messages to sift through, and it's going to be hard finding things using the search function. That is where the shared media panel comes in. Telegram Channel shared media shows media files like links, documents and audio shared in the channel. To access Telegram Channels shared media, navigate to *Info > Shared Media.* ##### Telegram Channel Pinned Messages Pinned messages allow you to give additional visibility to messages you deem are the most important for your Telegram Channel audience to see. Aside from the messages being pinned to the top of the channel, your audience will also receive a notification when a message has been pinned, even if they have muted the channel. To pin a message on your Telegram Channel, long-press the message you want to pin then press *Pin*. #### Telegram Channels Sanity Features If you've got a few admins in your Telegram Channel that are mostly taking care of everything, you probably don't want notifications every time a new message is posted. The Telegram Channel sanity features will help you take a break. ##### Muting Telegram Channels If you're a little bit frustrated about messages in your Telegram Channel, there is a quick way to hit the mute button. To mute Telegram Channel notifications, press the Channel name then press the bell icon. In newer versions of Telegram, you will be able to mute a Telegram Channel directly on the chat screen. ##### Managing Your Notifications Telegram Channels also allow you to mute your notifications for an hour or two days. This is probably a better solution if you need a break for the channel, but you don't want to mute it forever. To manage your Telegram Channel notifications navigate to *Info > Notifications.* ### Further Reading And that’s everything you need to know about Telegram Channels. If you found this post helpful, you'll be interested in reading the following articles. - How Does Telegram Work: The Ultimate to Using Telegram for Business - The 5 Best Telegram Bots ## [What Are Telegram Groups ](https:/respond.io/blog/telegram-groups) Using Telegram for Business doesn't require any additional software because of the power of Telegram Group. In this article, we'll cover what is Telegram Group and what are Telegram Groups used for. You’ll also learn how to create Telegram Groups, add new members to Telegram Groups using a Telegram Group invite link, and use Telegram Group features. Unlike other messaging apps, using Telegram for Business doesn't require any additional software because of the power of Telegram Groups. In this article, we’ll explain what are Telegram Groups, and how it stands in an era where global mobility and chatbots are important. We'll also help you decide between Public and Private Telegram Groups, and understand the differences between Telegram Group and Channel. You’ll learn how to create groups, add new members, and explore its features. ### What is a Telegram Group If you have used [WhatsApp groups](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-group) before, then you know the basic concept of Telegram Groups. You can invite other Telegram users into a single chat, where all members can contribute. Telegram Group Chat has one specific benefit over WhatsApp group though - the limit is 200,000 people. We've never participated in a group this size, but we imagine it is quite the experience. To help you moderate your group to the right size, Telegram offers both Public Telegram Groups and Private Telegram Groups. #### Private Telegram Groups vs Public Telegram Groups There are a few key differences and they revolve around how to find the group and who can invite people to the group. In private Telegram Groups, only the creator of the group or the admin can invite people to the group. They also come with [invite links that begin with](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-link-generator) [t.me](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-link-generator)*.* Only the creator or the admin has access to the t.me Telegram link. As you would expect, Telegram Private Groups cannot be found with an [in-app search](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#:~:text=Telegram%20for%20Business%3A%20In%2DApp%20Search). The group is private, after all. Public Telegram groups are the polar opposite. They make it as easy as possible to get more users in the groups so that you can use the 200,000 member limit fully. You can use Telegram’s in-app search. Plus, the invite link is available to all members of the group. That way any member of the group can share the *t.me* link somewhere on the internet to grow the group. Public Telegram Groups also can personalize their *t.me/joinchat* shortcode to make it more attractive to click and get even more members. More on this later. ##### How to Make Your Telegram Group Private To make your group private, tap the group's name and click Edit. Under the “Group Type” section, select “Private Group” to ensure that only the people you've added to the group can see and participate in the conversation. #### Benefits of Using a Telegram Group for Your Business With so many different options and configurations, businesses can use Telegram groups internally within an organization or externally with customers or clients. Internally, you can use Telegram groups for group projects, discussions and more. Or you can create a private or public group chat for a campaign that you’re working on with your clients. For example, you’re an educational institution and run workshops on how to write a good essay. The group chats are great for sharing information, holding discussions and organizing meetings. Communicating and capturing customers’ attention is easier with instant messages as compared to email. The open rate for messages is [613% higher than email](https://respond.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business#toc-mobile-2). Sending instant messages also tends to be more casual than email, making it easier for salespeople to build trust and relationships with prospects. Telegram groups are easy to create and can be accessed on both mobile and desktop. Aside from text, you can send images, files, location, contacts, voice messages, and video messages and create polls to engage with your customers. Messages are also searchable, including the ability to look for files, images and links. Next, we’ll learn the differences between a Group and Channel on Telegram. #### Telegram Group vs Telegram Channel Although Telegram Groups and [Telegram Channels](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-channels) have very similar features, they have been designed with different purposes in mind. Telegrams Channels let you disseminate information to a broad audience. But if you’re looking for interaction with your audience, you should go for Telegram Group. They let you run polls and straight-up ask the audience what they think. Your audience will give you feedback and maybe even transform that idea into something you never even considered! In some ways, the question of Telegram Groups or Telegram Channels is a false question because if you're using Telegram properly, you should be using both. And the best way to use both is to link Telegram Groups to Telegram Channels. ##### Linking Telegram Groups To Telegram Channels No matter who your audience is, you're going to have people that are just looking to receive information and those who actually want to participate in a discussion. Telegram allows you to facilitate both of these needs. When you link a Telegram group chat to your Telegram channel, all the messages you post in your channel will be auto-posted in the group. This means with a public Telegram Channel, you can send out updates to everyone who wants to hear them. Then, you can link a private group chat where you can invite the power users who wish to receive actual feedback from. That way, you'll have the best of both worlds, Telegram Groups and Telegram Channels. To create a discussion group for your channel, navigate to *Info > Edit > Discussion > Create New Group.* ### How to Create a Telegram Group Creating a Telegram Group is a straightforward process and we’ll show you how to do it below.How to Create a Telegram Group In *Chats*, click the compose button. Then, click New Group. Once you’ve chosen a name for your group, it’s time to add some new members. There are two main ways to add members. You can invite your contacts or create a link to invite them to the group. We’ll show you how to do both in the following sections. ### How to Manage a Telegram Group Now that you’ve created the group, it’s time to manage it. There are a ton of tools and features you can use as a group admin to invite people or appoint a member as admin. Let’s take a look at the steps below. #### Find and Join a Telegram Group as a User The easiest way to add members to your Telegram Group is to invite people from your contact list. If you're looking for a way to create a group with friends and family, this is your go-to choice. In Group Info, click Add Members and select the users you want to invite to the group. #### Generate a t.me Telegram Group Invite Link If you're looking to invite more than just your friends, you can use a t.me invite link. Telegram Links always start with *t.me/joinchat.* In *Group Info*, click *Add Members*, then click *Invite to Group via Link*. Telegram will generate a t.me link where you can share it with the people you want to invite. Once you've created an invite link you can post it on other groups, on social media, on your website and anywhere else you can think of. If you have a Telegram Public Group, you'll be able to customize the invite link. Here’s how to change the link. Navigate to Group Info and click Edit. Then, click Group Type and click on the t.me to change it. It’s possible for new group members to view chat history. To toggle between hidden and visible chat history, navigate to *Group* *Info > Edit > Chat* *History for New Members.* #### Add Group Admins and Manage Admin Permissions Since Telegram groups can have up to 200,000 members, Telegram supports tools that help maintain order and keep communication in large communities efficient. You can appoint admins with advanced tools to help these communities prosper in peace. The fantastic thing about group admins is you can restrict their permissions. You'll be able to choose if your admins can: - Change group info - Delete messages - Ban users - Invite users via links - Pin messages - Add new admins These settings can be set individually. So if you want to bring a new admin to go around banning users, you can do that. To add an admin navigate to *Info > Edit > Administrators > Add Admin.* To manage admin permissions navigate to *Info > Edit > Administrators > Select The Admin > Toggle Permissions.* #### Telegram Groups Admin Recent Actions With such granular permissions and the ability to add so many admins, you may worry that admins can take over your Telegram group chat and you'll have no idea what they're doing. Surprise, surprise Telegram has already thought about this. By checking Recent Actions, you'll be able to see a complete log of all the changes that admins have made on the Telegram Group. Recent Actions is a real-time Telegram Group changelog. To access recent actions go to *Info > Administrators > Recent Actions.* #### Telegram Groups Member Permissions Now I bet you think that Telegram group admin permissions are juicy, but that is just the tip of the iceberg because Telegram Groups also have granular member permissions. In a Telegram Group, you can choose if members have permission to: - Send messages - Embed links - Send media - Add members - Send stickers and gifs - Send polls - Pin messages - Change group info With all these options, there is no doubt you can get your Telegram Group running just the way you like it. It's incredible that like admins, you can add exceptions and give individual Telegram Group members more or fewer permissions than other members. To change member permissions navigate to *Info > Edit > Permissions.* To add or remove permission exceptions navigate to exceptions at the bottom of the permissions page. There you can choose individual members and change their permissions settings. ### Further Reading And that’s everything you need to know about Telegram Groups. If you found this post helpful, you'll be interested in reading the following articles. - What Are Telegram Channels - The Ultimate Guide to Using Telegram for Business - The 5 Best Telegram Bots ## [What Is A WhatsApp Group?](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-group) WhatsApp Group Chat is a popular WhatsApp feature that lets you connect with a group of people. In this article, we’ll cover what is a WhatsApp Group and what are WhatsApp Groups used for. Plus, you’ll learn how to create WhatsApp Group and how to join a WhatsApp Group. WhatsApp Group Chat is a popular WhatsApp feature that lets you connect with a group of people. In this article, we’ll cover what is a WhatsApp Group and what WhatsApp groups are used for. Plus, you’ll learn how to create a WhatsApp Group, how to edit WhatsApp Group Names as well as how to join WhatsApp Group with a WhatsApp Group Link and WhatsApp QR Code. We’ll also explain how WhatsApp Group Call works and how to delete WhatsApp groups. ### What is a WhatsApp Group? If you use WhatsApp, you're already familiar with a WhatsApp Group. It is a place where you can invite people, and everyone can chat. A WhatsApp Group is a great place to arrange events, plan a night out or have a discussion with colleagues. WhatsApp Groups do have a user limit though. You're only allowed to have up to 256 people in a WhatsApp Group Chat. ### When To Use WhatsApp Groups? The critical element that makes a WhatsApp Group special is that everybody can chat in the group. Therefore, the best time to use a WhatsApp Group is when you are looking to get input from everybody. In our experience, we've seen two situations when WhatsApp can be useful in business or if you have profitable online business ideas. When you're working with a client, and you need multiple team members to be involved in the chat. Alternatively, when you are working on a project internally that requires many conversations, you want to make sure everyone on the team is on the same page. #### Open a WhatsApp Group With An Important Client The beauty of a WhatsApp Group with a client is that it makes it easy to deliver timely and authentic conversations. It allows you to give your customers a super personalized level of support and builds the relationship. WhatsApp Groups tend to make communication quicker. It's easy to ignore an email that comes in at 8 pm, but chats are a lot easier to deal with. Sometimes a client is fighting a deadline and they need to know how to do something right away. Responding to a chat is the ideal solution. If you have too many WhatsApp Groups they can be challenging to manage. With a problematic client, sometimes even one WhatsApp Group can be challenging to manage. On the flip side, an excessive number of messages can harm your client rather than improve their experience. The most important thing about WhatsApp Groups is that you create them sparingly. Ideally, only for your most important clients. #### Create a WhatsApp Group Chat Marketing Campaign Agent Provocateur used WhatsApp Groups for marketing their The Ménage à Trois Campaign. The lingerie brand used WhatsApp Groups to help women decide which lingerie was best from their "Naughty or Nice" Christmas collection. Customers were encouraged to start a group chat with their partners, and an Agent Provocateur Agent to help them decide which items from their shop best matched their personality. In short, this [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) campaign was a massive success in the UK - 112 conversations took place in the app, 31% of the chats resulted in physical store visits, and 61% of the chats converted into substantial website traffic. If you'd like to learn more about WhatsApp Marketing check out our article about [WhatsApp Campaigns](https://rocketbots.io/blog/how-companies-do-whatsapp-marketing-and-support/). Also, while creating your marketing campaign you need to make sure it contains quality and original content to [avoid plagiarism](https://writemyessay.nyc/avoid-problems-with-using-source-material/). If you need help with writing, there are [writing services](https://www.essaysupply.com/blog/a-simple-guide-on-how-to-write-an-informative-essay) that will help you get a professional look at it. #### Use A WhatsApp Group For An Internal Team Last but not least, WhatsApp Groups can be used for internal teams. However, we do recommend this as a last-ditch effort. Slack, Google Chat & Microsoft Teams are so much better optimized to work internally. However, if you don't have any of those apps available at your company, try a WhatsApp Group if you need that extra level of collaboration to [increase productivity](https://www.hrcloud.com/blog/onboarding-best-practices-the-4-cs) among employees. Ready to create a WhatsApp Group? Read on to find out how. ### Setting Up WhatsApp Groups In this section, you'll learn how to create a WhatsApp Group and edit WhatsApp Group Names, how to change WhatsApp Group privacy settings, and how to join WhatsApp Group. #### How to Create a WhatsApp Group & Edit WhatsApp Group Names Creating a WhatsApp Group is simple. To begin, press the three dots in the top right corner. Then, select New Group and select the people you would like to add to the group. The next step is to add a WhatsApp Group Name, and you're done. Can you change WhatsApp Group Names? Yes, simply go to Settings and click on the pencil icon. Then, enter your new WhatsApp Group Name. At this stage, you can also add a profile picture for your business or simply use an online [logo maker](https://www.logogenie.net/logo-design) to create one if don’t have it yet. If you can’t add certain contacts to a WhatsApp Group, chances are they’ve turned on WhatsApp Group Privacy Controls. #### How to Change WhatsApp Group Privacy Settings WhatsApp has recently introduced new group privacy controls which let you limit who can add you to WhatsApp Groups. To access WhatsApp Group privacy settings, go to the Account options within the settings menu. Then, click on Privacy and select Groups. Here, you’ll be able to select who exactly can add you to a group. There are 3 options - Everyone, My Contacts and My Contacts Except. If your contacts have restricted who can add them to WhatsApp Groups and you are not in their address book, you can add them privately by sending a temporary a time-limited link. Remember, the invite link will expire after 3 days. Once the link has expired, you can still invite contacts by sharing a WhatsApp Group Link or WhatsApp QR Code. #### How to Join WhatsApp Group With a WhatsApp Group Link & WhatsApp QR Code Inviting users via link is a handy feature if you're using your WhatsApp Group for reporting something. You could post the link somewhere on your work’s internal website or share it in another group. With the invite link, anyone who uses it can join the group. Unlike the time-limited invite link, WhatsApp Group Link will not expire. If the group is no longer used, you'll be able to revoke the link later so no new contacts can join your WhatsApp Group. To create an invite link open the actions menu on the top right and enter the group info panel. Then scroll down to participants and click Invite via link button. In the invite link panel, you'll have a few options with how to share the link. You may also generate a [WhatsApp QR Code](https://blog.beaconstac.com/2020/08/whatsapp-qr-code/ ) for your WhatsApp Group. If you share this group QR Code with someone, they can join the WhatsApp Group by scanning it with their WhatsApp camera. ### Managing WhatsApp Groups There is a chance that your WhatsApp Group may get out of hand. Not to fear! WhatsApp has provided some tools you can use to manage your WhatsApp Group. #### WhatsApp Groups Organization Features In a WhatsApp Group, especially if you're dealing with a high volume of messages, it is critical to stay organized. WhatsApp Groups have three features that can help you with this. ##### WhatsApp Group: Group Description The Group Description will do its part to help you, and everyone else in the group stays on track. To see the group description, people will need to click on Group Info. To create a group description, you'll need to go to the action menu on the top right. Navigate to group info, then click on the description. As long as you have permission to edit the group info, you'll be able to do so here. ##### WhatsApp Group: Search Search helps to find information that was sent hundreds of messages ago. Once you press search, you'll be able to search for text. The beauty of WhatsApp search is that it will search in reverse chronological order, so you'll be able to start with chats that mention your search term recently and go back in time to older conversations that mention the same text. To search through your WhatsApp Group, you'll need to go the action menu on the top right and press search. Once you're in the search interface, you can type some text then press the search button on the bottom right to find. The up and down arrows on the top right will let you move up and down the conversation where your search term appears. ##### WhatsApp Group: Group Media Remember that pdf that someone sent you six months ago? You have no idea what the name of it was? Group media can help you with that. Group Media can be extremely useful in a chat that has lasted thousands of messages. It will separate documents or even those super hard to find links that someone shared with you ages ago and give them to you in a nice list. To check out your group media, open the action menu on the top right, and select group media. There, you can move between media, documents, and links. Here you'll find all the documents and links shared in the conversation. With links you can even go back to the part of the conversation where the link was sent. #### WhatsApp Groups Productivity Features: WhatsApp Group Call Some of the least known features about WhatsApp Groups are WhatsApp Group Call and WhatsApp Group Video Call. Sometimes, a group call is just what you need to figure things out. Did you know you can video call with up to 8 people in a WhatsApp Group? To start a call, press the phone + icon at the top of your WhatsApp Group. Once pressed, you can select your participants at the bottom of the screen and choose between a voice call or a video call. #### WhatsApp Groups Permissions Settings Sometimes it's not enough to have one person manage the group. Perhaps the person who created the group is not that active anymore and you need someone else to add and remove people from the group. To help achieve this WhatsApp has quite a few permissions settings. ##### How to Add and Remove WhatsApp Group Admin Edit Group Admins allows an admin to add and remove other WhatsApp Group Admins from the group. To access the admin settings you open the action menu on the top right and open group info. Once there, you can open group settings then edit group admins. Admins can enable or disable the abilities of regular group members to edit group info and send messages. ##### How to Edit WhatsApp Group Participant Privileges Edit Group Info allows you to take away privileges from regular group members. By default, everyone can edit the group info. This setting allows you to make it so that only admins can edit the group info. To access this setting open the action menu on the top right and open group info. Once there you can open group settings and then edit group info. Send messages allows you to take away the messages privileges from regular group members. In a way, this turns your WhatsApp Group into something akin to a telegram channel. Just a way for admins to share information to everyone in the group. To access this setting open the action menu on the top right and open group info. Once there you can open group settings then send messages. #### WhatsApp Groups Sanity Features: Delete & Mute WhatsApp Group We're calling these features the sanity features because they help you stay sane. For those that have had tons of WhatsApp Groups before, you know the pain of a group that has a new message every 10 seconds or so. ##### How to Leave WhatsApp Group If you have a WhatsApp Group that is blowing up, you have the option to leave the group. Simply press the three dots in the top right > More > Exit Group. Alternatively, tap on the WhatsApp Group Name. Then click Exit Group > Exit. You'll be removed from the group if you exit a group, but you can still see the group in your Chats tab & you can read the chat history. If you are the only WhatsApp Group Admin, a new admin will be chosen at random. ##### How to Delete WhatsApp Group You can delete a WhatsApp Group once you’ve left. Keep in mind, the chat history will be erased when you delete the group and the group will no longer show up in the Chats tab. To delete a WhatsApp Group, tap on the group name, tap Delete Group > Delete. If you want to delete the group media, check the Delete Media In This Chat box. ##### How to Mute WhatsApp Groups Mute Notifications allows you to take a break from a WhatsApp Group for a while but not leaving it for good. You can mute notifications for any WhatsApp Group for 8 hours, one day or forever. One unusual item though is that there is a checkbox where you can press show notifications. Why would you want to show notifications if you are muting notifications? When clicking that option, you'll be able to see that WhatsApp app icon in your top bar, when there is an unread message, but you will not see the popup notification of what the message is as usual. To mute notifications open the action menu on the top right, then press mute notifications. Then you'll be able to select how long you want to mute the notifications for. To unmute notifications, you can go back to the same menu. ##### How to Set Up WhatsApp Group Custom Notifications Custom Notifications are the exact opposite of muting notifications. Instead of muting the group, this setting will allow you to create a special notification so that you can easily separate which WhatsApp Group requires your attention. This can be useful when you have many conversations or groups in your WhatsApp, and you need to be able to give special attention to one WhatsApp Group or a few WhatsApp Groups. To create a custom notification, open the action menu in the top right, open group info, then select custom notifications. There you will be able to choose a custom ring tone, a long or short vibration pattern, and the color of your notification light. **Adding a Shortcut** to your home screen is another way of giving this WhatsApp Group priority over others. This is something you can do if your WhatsApp App is completely cluttered with conversations, and you'd like to get quick access to some groups. To create a shortcut to the WhatsApp Group open the action menu in the top right, press more, then select Add shortcut. Then you'll be asked where you would like to place the shortcut on your panel(s). And there you have it. Communicating with multiple participants at the same time is easy with WhatsApp groups, but it might not be the most effective strategy for marketing or announcements at scale. In that case, you’d want to check out [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) with [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). With the right tools for your use case, using WhatsApp can take your customer conversations to the next level. ### Further Reading If you enjoyed this article and are interested in learning more about WhatsApp for Business, check out these articles: - WhatsApp Business Multiple Users: 5 Steps Guide - WhatsApp CRM Ultimate Guide: Integration, Use Cases and Best Practices - How to Send Bulk Messages on WhatsApp: A Step-by-Step Guide ## [What Is Conversational Marketing? 3 Strategies & Examples](https:/respond.io/blog/what-is-conversational-marketing) Learn how conversational marketing helps accelerate the customer experience to turn conversations into conversions and business results. Wondering if conversational marketing is for you? Explore what it is and why it’s crucial for driving revenue in today’s competitive landscape. We’ll show you how chat-based experiences engage customers and accelerate sales in a way traditional marketing can’t. We also share best practices, potential challenges and actionable strategies for scaling conversations across channels like WhatsApp, Facebook, and web chat. Finally, we’ll showcase real-world examples of businesses boosting conversions and retention through effective conversational marketing. Ready to generate results over chat? Let’s dive in. ### What is Conversational Marketing? Conversational marketing refers to real-time marketing chats on [website widgets](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget#toc-mobile-1), social media and instant messaging channels. It creates revenue-generating opportunities by encouraging leads or customers to ask about your products or services, nurturing them towards first-time or repeat purchases through personalized, one-on-one interactions. ### Why is Conversational Marketing Important? Traditional sales funnels such as lead capture forms, emails and other one-way communication methods are no longer efficient in intensely competitive markets. For example, customers who receive a marketing email may want to know your delivery charges, or what sizes are in stock. Those who can't get immediate answers frequently become impatient and drop off. In contrast, we’re seeing significant results from two-way, personalized customer experiences. Customers feel their specific needs are being addressed, which increases buyer confidence. Chat over instant messaging or social apps is a huge part of this strategy. Consider the following [statistics](https://wifitalents.com/statistic/conversational-marketing/#:~:text=55%25%20of%20consumers%20are%20interested,uses%20chat%20instead%20of%20email): - 55% vote for messaging apps as the best way to interact with the brand. - 72% expect businesses to respond within 5 minutes of making contact. - 70% (of millennials) prefer a company that uses chat instead of email. A smooth customer experience repeated over time positively influences satisfaction and retention. This is great news for you because: - Replacing lost brand-loyal customers can cost five to seven times more than retaining them - A consistent brand experience builds trust, making customers 88% more likely to buy from you again - A staggering 62% of loyal customers rely exclusively on their trusted brands and are 3.8x more likely to spend more on them In short, great conversational marketing can create a robust pipeline of leads and returning customers, and [accelerate returns on investment (ROI)](https://respond.io/blog/messaging-strategy#toc-mobile-1). ### How Does Conversational Marketing Work, Especially for Medium to Large Businesses? Customers respond to a marketing campaign by reaching out to you via touch points such as your website, social media or messaging channels like WhatsApp. Alternatively, prompt engagement on your website with a pop-up asking, "Hello, how can I help you?" They then enter a real-time chat with you. The back-and-forth nature of the conversation ensures customers are instantly getting the information they need to make a decision, encouraging them to move to the next stage of the customer journey. However, conversational marketing at scale can place a heavy workload on businesses, especially if you can’t handle conversations 24/7 or are [present on multiple channels](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-retail#toc-mobile-8), such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and web chat. Common ways to relieve the load include: - Leveraging quick replies that accurately answer customer queries, guiding them smoothly from interest to purchase decision - Using chat automation and AI Agents to automate part of or most of the customer journey, from answering common inquiries to handling lead qualification, chat routing and more Dialogue-driven chatbot technology has become so sophisticated that many customers believe they’re interacting with a human. If interaction gets complicated, an intelligent workflow will allow a live agent to take over the conversation, creating a seamless customer experience. This efficiency captures leads while their interest is high and reduces friction that could prevent them from moving quickly to the next stage of the journey. ### 3 Conversational Marketing Strategies Conversational marketing transforms how brands engage with potential customers, but it doesn’t happen by chance. Below are some critical steps for an impactful and results-driven strategy. #### 1\. Maximize Your Lead Generation Pipeline **Your website is your digital storefront,** representing a vibrant platform for leads to connect with your brand. Consider using [chat widgets](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) on relevant site pages so visitors can easily ask questions and engage with your brand. Also use [chat links and buttons](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales#toc-mobile-7) that enter them directly into a chat on their preferred channel, with the added benefit of capturing customer information like their WhatsApp number or Instagram handle. **Customers continuously surf social media,** providing fertile ground to capture their attention in their favorite digital environment. Engaging campaigns and [click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-lead-generation#toc-mobile-4) on social media feeds are a powerful method to direct target audiences into a chat with you. Apart from [chat links and buttons](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-lead-generation#toc-mobile-5), you can direct leads from your [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-for-instagram) or [Facebook Page](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-add-whatsapp-button-on-facebook-page) into a WhatsApp, [Messenger](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4nVNt08xmY) or [Instagram chat](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VT2AIZ31fk). **Consider offline touch points** like physical stores or trade shows by placing [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-lead-generation#toc-mobile-5) in strategic locations like merchandise displays, brochures or booths. This turns a possible one-off encounter into a prolonged engagement by allowing them to chat with you at their convenience. #### 2\. Maintain a Robust Conversational Marketing Plan So you’ve got your marketing conversations up and running. To make sure they deliver the desired outcomes, implement a clear plan. Some steps include: - Set clear marketing goals, such as conversation volume per campaign or conversion rates over chat - Anticipate the most likely questions or pushbacks and train your human and AI agents to respond accordingly - Ensure your AI chatbots, automation and platform always function smoothly and don't emerge as pain points themselves - Create feedback channels such as surveys or rating systems to gauge customers’ experience These are just a few actions that ensure your conversational marketing initiatives are intentional and focused to better meet your goals. #### 3\. Measure Success with the Right KPIs Testing, analyzing, and fine-tuning your conversational marketing strategies are all part of the game. But to know what's working, you’ll need to rely on key performance indicators (KPIs) that quickly reflect success or areas to improve. Some valuable KPIs include: - Conversation volume to show campaign engagement - Preferred channels and times for engagement to optimize future campaigns - Customer satisfaction scores from feedback collected directly after chats - Results tied to optimized conversational efforts, such as revenue ### Challenges and Best Practices in Conversational Marketing Conversational marketing at scale can present challenges. High chat volumes can overwhelm your team and delay responses, while the inability to integrate [new chat tools with your existing CRM software](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) or tech stack may fragment data and reduce performance. Striking the right balance between automation and human interaction is also crucial. Generic responses that don’t address specific inquiries not only fail to resonate with customers but actively frustrate them. If you’re looking to generate significant results from conversational marketing, prioritize a solution that supports personalization, such as the ability to: - Identify various customer segments - Differentiate first-time or returning visitors and existing customers - Identify where customers are in their lifecycle to tailor communication - Use first names or other personal identifiers such as location where necessary For best results, combine automation and the human touch while leveraging customer data for meaningful, personalized interactions that drive engagement and build lasting customer relationships without compromising efficiency. ### 2 Conversational Marketing Examples and Case Studies What you’ve read so far might sound abstract or hard to picture. Here are two real-world success stories from our clients to show you what conversational marketing success can look like. #### Sport Center Los Naranjos This [wellness center](https://respond.io/customers/how-sport-center-los-naranjos-gains-20-more-conversions-from-sales-inquiries) in Caracas struggled to handle over 1,000 inquiries per month from WhatsApp and other channels, causing delayed responses and significant customer frustration. Internal collaboration was also inefficient as it involved manually referencing an external wellness management software (Fitco). Respond.io upgraded Sport Center Los Naranjos’ [WhatsApp account to API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) for multi-user WhatsApp access and connected all channels, Fitco and Google Sheets to centralize operations. The unified inbox allowed replies, omnichannel enquires and Click-to-Messenger Ad responses easily, with Workflows automation handling most FAQs and routing chats to appropriate agents. Managers also had unprecedented insights into customer conversations and could identify areas of improvement and track performance. The result? A whopping **75% reduction in response times and 20% increase in conversions**. #### H&H Skincare This [Indonesian skincare retailer](https://respond.io/customers/how-hh-skincare-boosted-its-customer-loyalty-to-60-percent) differentiated itself by offering expert consultations 24/7 via [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat), and [Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) and a 24-hour live stream on TikTok. However, escalating chat traffic created severe bottlenecks and although the business upgraded to WhatsApp API, it still couldn’t create its ideal customer experience. It connected all messaging channels to respond.io, unifying customers’ chat histories across channels to create comprehensive profiles that included data on skin types and problems. H&H Skincare then scaled its customer team and implemented automation across its sales process, from answering FAQs and sending surveys to booking appointments and making purchases. Personalized responses based on past behavior and broadcasts to finely targeted audiences also kept existing customers re-engaged. As a result, the retailer saw a **60% boost in customer retention and 160% more sales**. ### Ensure Great Conversational Marketing Results As you can see, conversational marketing success can only happen by design. It requires clear goals, a focused and actionable strategy, and a comprehensive reporting structure for tracking and optimization. If you’re doing this at scale, whether you have multiple colleagues or teams, are present on multiple channels or handle a massive customer base, your chosen software should not only support these initiatives but make it easy for you to achieve success. This includes features such as multichannel support, customer profiles and lifecycle management for tailored communication, integrations with your existing tech stack, and automation or AI that reduces repetitive work and can transfer complex queries or VIP customers seamlessly to human agents. Respond.io does all this and more, with comprehensive reports and analytics—including [Paid Ads attribution](https://respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-lifecycle#using-lifecycle-reports-with-paid-ads) to track which campaigns drive real conversions—and a record 99.999% platform uptime, allowing you to deliver consistently great customer experiences that foster trust and loyalty. Curious how your business can benefit from a solution like this? Sign up for a free trial or book a customized demo today to start tapping into the huge ROI potential of conversational marketing. ### Further Reading Interested in learning more about boosting your business through conversations? Check out these articles. - WhatsApp Marketing: A Comprehensive Guide - Conversation-Led Growth: Drive Business Results Through Conversations - Conversational AI Platform: Securing Success with AI Chats ## [What is CSAT? The Customer Satisfaction Process Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) What is CSAT? How do I calculate my Customer Satisfaction Score? Find your answers here, as we guide you through the whole Customer Satisfaction Process. What is CSAT? How do I calculate my Customer Satisfaction score? Medium to big-sized companies should be familiar with these terms. The following article is meant to teach you everything about the customer satisfaction process — from basic CSAT concepts to creating CSAT surveys and saving the responses with respond.io Workflows. ### What is CSAT? Customer satisfaction (CSAT) is a way of measuring the degree of contentment customers feel about a company as a whole, or about a specific segment or experience, such as pricing, services, support and more. #### The Customer Satisfaction Process: Why is CSAT Important? Customer satisfaction is linked to a company's success, as satisfied customers are likely to be loyal brand advocates. They help to build a strong brand reputation and keep your customer acquisition costs low. Retaining existing customers is cheaper than acquiring new ones as existing customers already trust the company. New or potential customers, however, require a business to invest in guiding them through the early and pricey stages of a customer lifecycle. The most common way to gauge customers satisfaction is using surveys. Traditionally, companies surveyed customers' satisfaction levels via email. But these days, we are seeing [companies switch business processes over to messaging apps increasingly.](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service#toc-mobile-0) | Email | Instant Messaging | | --- | --- | | Lower response rates | Higher response rates | | Different messaging channel | Same messaging channel | | Same filters | No spam filters | Emails can end up in the spam folder unnoticed. [This is not the case for instant messages](https://respond.io/blog/business-messaging#toc-mobile-5), which will reach the recipient and notify them directly unless the sender’s number has been blocked. But the main disadvantage of email surveys is that they take place on a different messaging channel. Someone who ends a conversation on a chat app is less willing to take the extra step to complete the email survey. It could also be the case that, by the time customers open their inboxes, they have already lost interest in the matter. In contrast, replying to in-app surveys is straightforward. Customers can do this in the same messaging channel after the conversation with the agent ends. Since the conversation is still fresh, they are more willing to take a simple survey on the spot. For the aforementioned reasons, surveys sent via instant messaging boast higher response rates than those sent via email. The higher response rates allow businesses to have a more accurate perspective on customer satisfaction. Measuring customer satisfaction score via instant messaging is, therefore, a better choice. But, what are the metrics business use to measure customer satisfaction? #### The Customer Satisfaction Process - CSAT Metrics There are three popular customer satisfaction metrics. They are used for different purposes since each of them provides a different perspective on the way customers value a given company. **NPS (Net Promoter Score)** is a metric that measures customer loyalty. A basic NPS survey will introduce a question along the lines of *How likely are you to recommend our business to a friend or colleague?*. Then, surveyees are asked to pick a score from 1 to 10. Based on the score, customers are classified into promoters (9 to 10), passives (7 to 8), and detractors (0 to 6). This metric focuses on building a good customer satisfaction process in the long term. By addressing the promoters and passives, businesses can create long-lasting relationships with their clients. **CES (Customer Effort Score)** indicates the effort a customer has to exert to accomplish a certain action. For instance, a purchase or cancellation. CES questions could look like this: *How much effort did it take to solve your issue today?* Customers typically choose a number from a numerical scale, though some surveys use colored buttons or emojis to indicate customer satisfaction. This metric is a good indicator of repeat customers and the likelihood of customer referrals. At the same time, it can reveal certain areas where the customer experience is not optimal. Similar to NPS, CES is a long-term value metric. Lastly, there is the customer satisfaction score (CSAT). This is the most popular customer satisfaction metric, and that is why we have a whole section dedicated section to it. Keep reading to find out more. ### Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) In the previous section, we saw how NPS and CES surveys are useful metrics to measure long-term value. Now let’s see what the CSAT score is and how it differs from the other two metrics. #### What is CSAT Score? Unlike CES and NPS, a CSAT score measures the degree of satisfaction a customer experiences after a specific interaction with a company. Thus, companies use CSAT surveys to analyze the experience at different steps of the customer satisfaction process. For example, CSAT is a popular metric used by support teams to determine how effective their problem-solving is. CSAT surveys ask questions along the lines of *How satisfied are you with this experience?* Of all the CSAT rating systems, the most popular ones use stars, emojis, or a numeric scale. In some cases, the survey has two or more questions. #### Benefits of CSAT Surveys Because numeric values are often used, CSAT survey data is easy to work with. When a specific interaction is getting a low customer satisfaction score, the company can target the issue and find ways to improve the customer experience. CSAT surveys are easy to answer, and it usually takes only one click. This encourages people to take them. For that reason, CSAT surveys get high response rates. Since this is the most popular scoring method, companies often share their customer satisfaction score on their websites to demonstrate to visitors that they have an excellent customer satisfaction process. These scores can be used as benchmarks by other companies that also use CSAT surveys to improve their own score. In the following section, we’ll explain how to calculate the CSAT score of a company. #### How To Calculate CSAT Score To calculate the customer satisfaction score, your company will first need to establish a benchmark for a good score. Then, divide the number of answers that meet or surpass that benchmark by the total number of answers submitted. What is a good CSAT score? In general, having a CSAT score of 75% or more is considered good. But this depends on the industry and the company’s own goals. We’ve covered both CSAT surveys and scores. In the next section, we’ll show you how to create your own CSAT survey using Workflows on respond.io. If you are not familiar with Workflows yet, we suggest you start [here](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations). ### CSAT Surveys with Respond.io Workflows With respond.io, Users can create CSAT survey Workflows that are triggered when a conversation with a Contact closes. Plus, choosing a Conversation Closed Trigger allows Users to implement Trigger Variables. In short, Trigger Variables belong to the Workflow Variables category. They only exist during the Workflow session. Find the full list of available Trigger variables for the Conversation Closed Trigger [here](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables). This type of variable allows for endless possibilities. But in the context of CSAT surveys, we suggest using Trigger Variables when sending CSAT data to a CRM using an HTTP Request Step. Now, using the Conversation Closed Trigger has a little downside. Contacts who have several conversations in a short period of time will be sent the same survey repeatedly. This could negatively affect the customer satisfaction process. For CSAT purposes, we generally recommend using a manual Trigger like Shortcut. This allows Users to manually send a CSAT survey by clicking on the Shortcut button in the [Messages Module](https://help.respond.io/messages/messages-overview). Once you've chosen your preferred Trigger, be it Conversation Closed or Shortcut, it's time to create the survey in Workflows. #### Creating a Client Satisfaction Survey with the Ask a Question Step To start a survey, you’ll need an [Ask a Question Step](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) right after the Trigger. As mentioned, the most common CSAT survey question is: *How satisfied are you with this experience?* Type your question in the Question Text field. The Ask a Question Step offers several Question Types to choose from. But for this purpose, you’ll want to choose Rating. The Rating Question Type is designed perfectly for this use case and allows Contacts to pick a rating between 1 and 5 stars. The answers collected in this Step will be used in subsequent Steps. This means that they need to be saved as variables. Enable Save Response As Variable and give the variable a name. For example, *rating*. The survey part is complete. But if answers are not saved, you won’t be able to calculate the customer satisfaction score. You can either save the answers to Google Sheets or to your data warehouse. We’ll look at the Google Sheets method first. #### Saving the Answers to Google Sheets To save the survey answers to Google Sheets, select the [Add Google Sheets Row Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_add_google_sheets_row). Then, click on the Connected Google Sheet button and select the Google Sheet to save your answers. In the Column Mapping field, name the columns with text, variables, or Google Sheets data. Remember the variable we named *$rating* before? Don’t forget to include it in one of the columns. Otherwise, your CSAT ratings won’t appear on the Google Sheet later. When the Workflow is triggered, the values defined in the Column Mapping field will be added to the selected Google Sheet and displayed in a new row at the bottom of the table. Some companies work with CRMs such as Zendesk, Salesforce, or Hubspot, and prefer to have their answers saved there. We've got them covered too. Let’s see how this works in our last section. #### Saving the Answers to a CRM or Data Warehouse To save the answers to a CRM or data warehouse, we’ll need to create a webhook between its API and respond.io. This can be done by adding an [HTTP Request Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_http_request) after the Ask a Question Step. To fill in the Method, URL, Body, and Headers correctly, consult the API documentation of the third-party CRM or data warehouse you are using to store CSAT data. Lastly, remember to include the variable saved in the Ask a Question Step (which we previously named *rating*) in the Request Body field. This variable holds the survey answers that you want to transfer to your software of choice. As you can see, respond.io makes the customer satisfaction process easy. But the possibilities don’t end there. Do you want to market, sell and support with the leading messaging platform? [Sign up for a respond.io account now!](https://app.respond.io/dashboard) ### Further Reading Did you find this article useful? If so, here are some other quick reads that might interest you: - Automatic Assignment with respond.io - Contact Routing with respond.io - How to Send an Away Message for Business ## [What is Dark Social & Dark Traffic?](https:/respond.io/blog/dark-social-dark-traffic) Google Analytics is supposed to speak the truth about website traffic. However, looking into you're traffic channels, you'll find 20% or 30% of traffic is coming in direct. The user used a URL to go directly to your page. Fair enough. But, how did they get the URL? And how can you increase that direct traffic? To answer those questions, we're diving into the world of Dark Social & Dark Traffic. Google Analytics is supposed to speak the truth about website traffic. However, looking into you're traffic channels, you'll find 20% or 30% of traffic is coming in direct. The user used a URL to go directly to your page. Fair enough. But, how did they get the URL? And how can you increase that direct traffic? To answer those questions, we're diving into the world of Dark Social & Dark Traffic. We're going to be using the terms Dark Social & Dark Traffic a lot in this post. Here is a quick explainer for both those terms. ### What Is Dark Traffic? You can think of dark traffic as traffic that is coming in from the dark. In other words, we don't know where it came from. We don't know the source. In Google Analytics, you'll see this listed as direct traffic. In simpler terms, this means the user came to a URL on your site directly, by typing it into the browser or they clicked a link somewhere, but Google is not able to track the source. Dark traffic can come from something as simple as copying and pasting a link from one place to another. For some, this is a nightmare. Tanya Cordrey, The Guardians Chief Digital Officer, claimed the newspaper was unable to track the source of about 25% of its traffic. A scary prospect for companies depending on advertising revenue. Where growing traffic can be the difference between life and death. Why can't Google track the source? Generally, because [the user came from a closed platform or a mobile channel](https://www.99signals.com/dark-social/). For example, when someone posts your link on Twitter or Facebook - Google Analytics is easily able to identify those platforms as the source when the user is browsing on desktop. When the user is browsing on mobile using the Facebook app, Google Analytics is often unable to know the source (unless a UTM is used) and classifies this as direct traffic instead. If you have a ton of traffic from mobile, you may not be calculating the ROI of your social efforts correctly. Another common source of direct traffic is messaging apps. If your audience shares your link over WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger or even email and their friends follow that link. Google Analytics won't be able to capture the source, and it will come in as direct traffic. This is one of the sources of Dark Social traffic. ### What is Dark Social? The term dark social describes social sharing which happens in places on the internet where it is difficult to track the referrer or the source. Some of the dark traffic you experience on your website is the result of dark social sharing. The idea of dark social and the term that came along with it [was first brought up by Alexis Madrigal](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/10/dark-social-we-have-the-whole-history-of-the-web-wrong/263523/) in an article on the Atlantic. Everything started with an anecdote from his youth. When browsing the internet in the early 2000s, most of his exploration of the web was the result of him and others sharing links in an early online messenger called ICQ. The trouble was that in the early 2010s, the prevailing idea was that the highest value traffic comes from two sources, search engine traffic, and social traffic. However, Alexis had a hunch that somewhere in all that web traffic analytics data there was a mystery source of traffic, traffic that came from online word of mouth sharing, inside closed platforms by people who were relatives, friends, or close to each other in some other way. He coined this term, dark social. Before posting the article, a team at the Atlantic looked into the analytics data for the Atlantic website and found that a stunning 56.5% of their traffic was likely as a result of dark social sharing. Now before we get into how you can estimate the amount of dark social traffic on your website, let's discuss why dark social traffic might be your best traffic. ### Why Care About Dark Social? Part of the reason to care about dark social is human behavior. What is the most powerful but difficult to master marketing strategy? Word of mouth marketing (WOMM). What's going to sell you a product faster than someone trustworthy recommending it? Dark social has more in common with WOMM than with social media. Social media is public and peer pressure amplifies the results. We've all seen the likes get out of hand for something that is less than amazing and people know to be slightly suspicious of something that is being heavily boosted in a public forum. Conversely, dark social is private and intimate. When a friend direct messages you or a group of friends there is less pressure and more openness. [48% of people aren't comfortable sharing some things in a public forum](https://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2019/03/the-rise-of-dark-social-networking.html). This makes dark social sharing highly targeted. When somebody shares some content with you over a WhatsApp message, it's because they think you'll engage with it on a personal level even if it's a bit risque. The preference for sharing in public channels has been backed up by data. Research conducted by RadiumOne has shown that the amount of sharing conducted over dark social channels had surpassed that on public spaces like Facebook all the way back in 2016. Although sharing in dark channels has been the preferred activity for years, only recently has this type of sharing become a higher source of traffic than Facebook referrals. In 2018, Get Social [analyzed traffic from their customers](https://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-analytics/dark-social-your-new-largest-traffic-source/) and learned the amount of dark traffic coming from dark social surpassed that from Facebook public posting. It's likely that dark traffic from dark traffic is already contributing to your website traffic. ### How To Estimate Dark Traffic From Dark Social To estimate the traffic received from dark social, you'll need some common sense and access to Google Analytics. As we mentioned, the traffic you receive from dark channels is going to be hidden amongst your direct traffic. To understand how much of your direct traffic is coming from dark social we're going to make an assumption. When direct traffic lands on site pages like the home page (rocketbots.io) we're going to assume that it's likely that the user typed that into their browser URL bar and chrome auto-completed it for them. However, when a user lands on a page that is deeper in your site like our [How To Automate Your Customer Chats](https://rocketbots.io/blog/how-to-get-started-with-chat-automation) blog post. It's highly unlikely they just typed out that URL, we're going to assume they clicked a link in a space where Google Analytics could not pick up the source. To estimate dark social traffic for your site, follow these steps in Google Analytics. **Step 1:** Analyze how much direct traffic sessions you have on your site in a single month. In this case, it's about 20,000 sessions or 21% of all sessions. You can think of this direct traffic as the amount of dark traffic you're receiving. (It's dark because you don't know the source.) **Step 2:** Create a filter that ignores traffic to sessions where the user lands on your home page. (Remember the assumption we made earlier.) In this case, it is about 11,000 sessions or 15% of all sessions. From this analysis, we can see that about 15% of sessions on the website are coming from dark social. Someone somewhere shared a link with someone else in dark space on the internet it resulted in 11,000 sessions on the website! ### How To Win At Dark Social To understand how to leverage your dark traffic and win at dark social, you'll need to provide content for your biggest fans or most significant power users to share in dark channels. To do that you'll want to know what these fans share most, where they share it & how you should share it with them so that they will share it with their relatives, friends & colleagues. #### What To Share On Dark Social A study conducted by Global Web Index in 2019 gives us a good idea of what people are willing to share over private messaging and other dark social channels. Of course, funny and highly targeted personal photos are the number one share. However, that doesn't mean you can't participate in the action. Entertaining photos & videos come in as a close second. So take some funny pictures at the office and private message them to the customers you're closest with. That is not something you can do every day though. Links to websites, deals & discounts and other types of links are all a good bet. It can be something as simple as collecting the most viewed blog posts from the previous week and sending them out to your messaging app contacts. It's something we do weekly with [our Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp & Telegram blog newsletters](https://rocketbots.io/blog/open-rates-facebook-messenger/). It's important to remember that 62% percent of clicks that come from dark social are done on mobile. Make sure the content you share the links where users would land are all mobile friendly. #### Where To Share On Dark Social Another part of the Global Web Index study was designed to understand what platforms are used for dark social sharing. After asking more than 3,000 internet users, they found that: - 82% share content on Facebook Messenger - 56% share content on WhatsApp - 34% share content through Instagram direct messaging - 32% share content through Snapchat messaging When sharing content, you'll want to share it directly into these channels, so your fans can easily share it with their friends by using share buttons within the app. ### How To Share On Dark Social When you decide that increasing sharing over dark social is important to your company you'll need to justify the expenses you take to do so by being able to understand the return on investment. To do this make sure you use UTM tracking on all the links you send out to your fans. Use the [Google URL Campaign Builder](https://ga-dev-tools.appspot.com/campaign-url-builder/) to add UTM parameters to your links. This will allow you to track everyone who clicks your links with Google Analytics. This will give you a better picture of how your messenger marketing efforts are performing compared to your other initiatives. Once you have the links ready you'll want to broadcast those links out to your messenger contacts, whether it is on Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, WeChat, Line, Viber, Kik or any other messaging app. We've explained how to do this in detail in our post about [sending newsletters over messaging apps](https://rocketbots.io/blog/open-rates-facebook-messenger/). Last but not least, make sure to add private messaging share buttons to your blog posts & articles. People are most likely to post links and articles, so make it easy for them. ### Further Reading If you liked this post and you want to master your dark traffic and win at dark social, we recommend that you [subscribe to our blog post updates](http://m.me/rocketbots?ref=blogupdates) and do some further reading. You can get started by understanding how businesses should be using messaging apps with our [Ultimate Guide To Instant Messaging for Business](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business/). Once you're done with that you can go directly into one of our app-specific posts to learn more: - The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Messenger for Business - The Ultimate Guide to WhatsApp for Business - The Ultimate Guide to WeChat for Business - The Ultimate Guide to Telegram for Business - The Ultimate Guide to Line for Business - The Ultimate Guide to Viber for Business - The Ultimate Guide to Kik for Business ## [What is Google My Business? ](https:/respond.io/blog/what-is-google-my-business) This article answers the need-to-know questions for Creating A Google My Business Profile. Learn how your Google My Business profile appears to customers on Google Search and Google Maps. We examine the benefits of having a Google My Business listing and the history of how Google My Business was developed. If your business listing appears in Google Search or on Google Maps, you can modify the information on that listing from Google My Business. This article examines the origins, use cases, and benefits of Google My Business. We'll show you how your Google My Business profile appears to customers on Google Search and Google Maps, how you can modify that data and how you can message potential customers directly through Google Maps or Google Search. ### What is Google My Business? Google My Business, known in shorthand as GMB, is a free online platform used by businesses to manage their Google Search and Google Maps listings. Google My Business is the product of over 10 years of development and consolidation of different Google platforms. Those early attempts to create a platform for business listing contributed a raft of valuable features that we know today as Google My Business. To understand what GMB is today, it's important to understand how you got there. #### The Evolution of Google My Business Once upon a time, Google Maps as we know it today didn't exist. Crazy right? What's even crazier is that there it started as two products Google Maps AND Google Local. Plus there were apps like Hotpot, Google Places, Google+, maybe you remember some of these? All of these apps evolved into what we know today as Google Maps & Google My Business. It all started in 2004, Google Local was released as a better version of Yellow Pages. It displayed the name, address, and phone number of businesses with their maps, directions, and webpages to users. In February 2005 maps were rolled out into their own product called Google Maps. But in Google's infinite wisdom it had merged maps back into Google Local by October 2005... Then changed the name back to Google Maps in 2006. ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯ By 2009 the elements of Google My Business started to take shape. Google Places Pages was introduced to allow businesses to manage their own listings. Seems like we're almost there, but Google managed to fit in at least a half dozen failed products like Hotpot, Google Places, Google Places Pages, Google+ Pages, and Google+ Local. All of which are barely worth mentioning. By June 2014, Google My Business was launched in the form we know today. A product that allows businesses to manage information in one place for all Google business listings. Today companies are able to manage their Google My Business profile on both desktop and mobile using both browsers and apps. Before we get into the features, let's see if GMB is right for you. ### Can Your Business Use Google My Business? The short answer is yes. Even if you don't create a Google My Business Profile, there is already user-sourced info about your business anyway. It includes reviews of your business, popular times to visit, photos taken by customers. Your Business Profile is updated when someone takes an action like leaving a review, asking a question or uploading a photo. Therefore, taking control of your Google My Business profile and curating the content that appears on your Google My Business listing is important for ensuring that the right information is being shared about your company online. #### Are You Eligible For Google My Business? Google My Business only lists businesses with a physical location that customers can visit. Any online-only businesses or forms of business that involve activity at an address they do not own are not eligible. This means that rental and for-sale properties, as well as classes and meetings held at locations your company doesn't own, cannot qualify you for a Google My Business listing. You probably shouldn't break the rules because trying to claim a listing that's not yours or using your GMB profile as a platform for fraudulent or illegal activities will lead to account suspension and removal from Google's search results. Yikes! Once you have control of your listing you can consider how your listing appears to customers on Google Search and Google Maps. ### How Your Business Appears To Customers Google My Business allows you to manage your presence on Google Search and Google Maps. It's important to know how your business listing looks because many of your customers will find you by searching for your business on one of these Google products. To show how your business appears on Google Search and Google Maps, we've used one of our favorite little places, Yellow Cup Cafe, as an example. #### How Your Google My Business Profile Appears On Google Search When you're business comes us on Google Search, users will see it displayed prominently on the right. Your top photos and the name will probably be the first thing people will notice. Directly beneath your business name, there are three call-to-action buttons; Website, Directions, and Save. Pressing save will add a special pin for your business in Google Maps for that user. Below that users will see your rating and reviews and your basic business details. In the *Reviews from the web* section, your ratings from other websites are shown. Facebook for example, provides a rating based on ratings on your Facebook page. If they keep scrolling users can see popular times, based on foot traffic to your location, which indicates peak hours of business. Below this is perhaps the most important section, reviews, where are a few of your top reviews are shown. Last but not least, there are links to your Social profiles. An opportunity for you to drive some traffic to your pages. Your business listing will look similar on Google Maps, with a few small differences. #### How Your Google My Business Profile Appears On Google Maps There are two types of people in this world, those who search for businesses in Google Search and those who are going to search directly in Google Maps. Instead of your top photos, the user will see your cover photo as well as, your company name, your rating and the number of reviews, and your business category. As on Google Search, there are some call to action buttons below. They are *Directions, Save, Nearby*, *Send to your phone,* and *Share*. Most of these are self-explanatory, except *Nearby,* which will show businesses nearby. When your business appears on Google Search and Google Maps, you'll want to make sure that all the information on your profile is correct. To do this you'll need to get control of your Google My Business listing. ### Managing Your Google My Business Profile Adding information and images to your business profile improves your discoverability online and helps your potential customers get the information they need. However, before you can customize your profile, you'll need to claim and verify ownership of your business. #### Claiming & Verifying Ownership Of Your Business When you create a new business profile through a Google account, you are claiming your business under the given name and address of your choice. You can select if you want your business location to appear on Google Maps or have it remain private. If your business already has a listing on Google Maps there is an option to *Claim this business*. Once you select a business category and provide a company phone number or website URL, you can proceed to the verification process and start managing your account. Google also requires you to verify your ownership of the business. You must submit a verification form with your business name. It can take up to a week for Google to review and process your request. After you have confirmed that you are the rightful owner of your business, you can manage your GMB profile and monitor any suggested changes from the public. Remember, anyone can suggest an edit to your listing, so log in to your GMB dashboard regularly. But before you can get started with monitoring your listing, you should probably make sure that all the key details about your business are correct. #### Google My Business Profile Details The basic profile information consists of business name, description (750 words max) and a business category. You can also edit your basic contact details including your business address, operating hours, website and phone number(s). Something that can make your business stand out is *Attributes.* Using attributes you can give customers additional information about your business, like if you provide free WiFi or wheelchair access. Now that your GMB profile has all your key information accurately, you can start with the fun part customizing the look of your profile with eye-catching and engaging media. #### Adding Media On Google My Business Having a good cover photo is key as it appears front and center on your listing. You can also select a profile photo that will appear when you respond to a review or message a customer. Ideally in the age of Instagram, you'll upload even more images to your profile. Google My Business even allows you to [add videos](https://offeo.com/learn/5-free-methods-to-promote-your-business-online/) to your profile. They must be 30 seconds or shorter, 100 MB or smaller, and 720p resolution or higher. [According to Google](https://support.google.com/business/answer/6335804?hl=en), businesses with images tend to get 42% more requests for driving directions to their location from users on Google and 35% more clicks through to their websites than businesses that don't have photos. Once customers are engaging with your multimedia profile how about adding a direct way for customers to message you? Google is working on a new messaging API feature and we've got that information coming up. ### Interacting with Customers On Google My Business There are four key ways you can manage customer engagement for your Google My Business profile. Customer reviews and the Questions and Answers feature are two forms of public customer feedback that appear on your GMB profile. Messaging is a private way to chat directly with customers and the Insights panel inside your GMB account dashboard provides private company data collected by Google. These insights show trends in how customers engage with and search for your listing. #### Messaging On Google My Business To get started with Messaging, log in to your GMB dashboard and click on the Messaging panel. Select the business number you want to verify. Once you turn on messaging, customers will see a Message button on your Google My Business listing, and be able to message you at any time. Messages will appear in the Google My Business app, and you’ll receive notifications for incoming messages. Google does require businesses to reply to messages within 24 hours and can deactivate messaging for your business if you don’t respond within the time frame. A helpful feature for this is a Business Welcome Message, a customized message you can create that customers will automatically receive when they first message you. If needed, you can turn off messaging and GMB app notifications at any time in your account settings. You can also block a conversation, or even delete a conversation from your device but note that it will not be deleted from the customer's device. You can manage and respond to messages directly through the GMB app on mobile. However, while messaging can offer private feedback for companies customer reviews are public. We explore how to manage your reviews next. #### Customer Reviews on Google My Business Since the launch of Google My Business, online reviews have emerged as one of the key signals for Google to raise your business ranking. In addition, reviews of your business create a great opportunity for word-of-mouth marketing online. Google My Business allows you to reply to reviews and show customers that you value their feedback. Positive feedback from others helps to convince prospective customers to trust your business and most of all to go there. Google uses a five-star rating scale to rank businesses based on performance, with a grade from one star (poor performance) to five stars (excellent service). All the reviews you receive are averaged to create this rating. #### Questions & Answers on Google My Business In 2018, Google added a Questions and Answers feature to Google Maps. This feature allows users to ask direct questions and get answers from you. It is visible on Google Search for on desktop and mobile devices as well as on Google Maps. Any questions asked will appear on your listing, so it is important to answers questions. You should even consider proactively filling out some frequently asked questions and answers when completing your GMB profile. When users answer questions about your company you will be notified, so you can answer with a correction if necessary. #### Analytics on Google My Business The Insights panel on your Google My Business dashboard provides data about the traffic and behavior of users interacting with your listing. This includes simple metrics like impressions or clicks on Google Search or Google Maps. The metrics also go deeper like the number of clicks for driving directions after finding you on Search or Maps. The three main sections of the insights panel are: - Visibility: the number of views that your profile, posts, and photos are getting. - Engagement: how your audience is interacting with your posts. - Audience: a demographic breakdown of users visiting your profile Aside from analytics, Google My Business has tons of benefits for your company. We've created a short summary of those benefits below. ### The Benefits of Using Google My Business With all the features that Google My Business offers for free, GMB is a logical choice for any eligible company. It increases your chances of being found on Google Search and Google Maps and can generate more targeted traffic to your website and most importantly to your physical location. Leveraging Google My Business will help you to be rewarded for your amazing service and attention to detail. A high rating and positive customer reviews will boost the company reputations and help you gain an edge over competitors. Answering questions and reviews will help you build a relationship with customers quickly. While messaging can be used to diffuse a difficult situation or a complex question. You can easily answer with Google My Business App too. The platform also provides valuable user data, such as the type of people visiting your profile. You'll receive alerts when customers leave reviews and you can respond instantly. Overall, between the above benefits and the fact that Google My Business is free, why not take charge of your Google My Business profile today? You can even share a link to your GMB listing in our comments section. We look forward to checking them out. ### Further Reading You've done it! You've finished this introductory article into the world of Google My Business. If you're interested in further reading we recommend the following articles: - Ultimate Guide to Instant Messaging for Business - What is RCS Messaging? - What is WhatsApp Business? ## [What is RCS Messaging](https:/respond.io/blog/what-is-rcs-messaging) RCS Messaging is one of the most confusing initiatives pushed by Google. What is RCS Messaging? Is RCS supposed to replace SMS? Does RCS Messaging even exist in the wild? This article explains the RCS Messaging Protocol in full. We discuss if RCS Messaging will be a major flop, or if it is the future of messaging. RCS Messaging is one of the most confusing initiatives pushed by Google. What is RCS Messaging? Is RCS supposed to replace SMS? Does RCS Messaging even exist in the wild? This article explains the RCS Messaging Protocol in full. We discuss if RCS Messaging will be a major flop, or if it is the future of messaging. To fully understand RCS Messaging you'll need to know a little bit about SMS and how it works. ### **What is SMS?** To fully understand RCS Messaging, it's helpful to be familiar with SMS and the tech behind it. The Short Messaging Service (SMS) has been around for over 30 years. Over its lifetime its notable accomplishments include introducing messaging over telephone systems and making it the first global standard for messaging. In 1982, SMS was proposed to the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), with the value proposition of being able to transmit text via telephone systems. It was brought to the market years to follow with the first SMS being - *Merry Christmas* - sent by Neil Papworth to Richard Jarvis, his colleague. Seeing SMS as a viable communication solution, companies all around the world got on the bandwagon to implement SMS, making it one of the most common forms of communication on mobile phones today. 97% of smartphone owners today send or receive text messages. Around 15 million SMS messages are sent per minute, adding up to 22 billion SMS per day. #### SMS Use by Businesses SMS’ value proposition for businesses is its simplicity and universality. These two factors entice companies to use SMS as a way to communicate with their customer. Businesses are now able to attend to customers, receive feedback, reward loyalty, and send promotions. This is a game-changer for businesses and customers as they do not have to set aside a specific date and time to communicate. Furthermore, communication is not bound by office hours. Even though the popularity of email has skyrocketed since SMS was introduced, it has not reduced SMS popularity. SMS continues to have certain advantages over email. Emails are only opened 20-30% of the time while on average SMS is opened 98% of the time, and 90% are opened within 3 seconds. For certain use cases like two-factor authentication (2FA) SMS is the standard and does not look like it is going away any time soon. One of the key reasons for this is that [unlike modern messaging apps, which require the consumer to send the first message to the business before a conversation can begin](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business/#t49), SMS allows companies to send messages to any person as long as they have the phone number available. ### The Limitations of SMS & Rise of Messaging Apps The same characteristics that have made SMS globally ubiquitous and universal have allowed the SMS protocol do become outdated compared to other forms of messaging. SMS is limited to 160 characters, so it is unable to send long messages not to mention media such as images, videos, and files. Although carriers have attempted to add this capability using Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) standard, these efforts have never achieved the ubiquity of SMS. Another major drawback is the end-users inability to receive SMS when they not on a cellular connection. With an ever more global world, messaging apps that can send and receive over wifi make the risks of SMS roaming fees even less desirable to the consumer. The weaknesses of SMS have led to the stupendous rise of messaging app services all around the world. [With Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp & WeChat becoming the top 3 most popular messaging apps globally](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business/#3o358) while [a set of smaller competitors continues to battle it out with the goliaths in their respective niches](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business/#f8vtq). Although all these messaging apps have features to differentiate themselves from each other and to fulfill the needs of their primary geographic audiences, they have a common set of features that SMS lacks. These include image sharing, video chat group chat, and stickers which SMS do not have. In an age where [even Mark Zuckerberg professes that sharing is moving from social media to private messaging](https://rocketbots.io/blog/facebook-f8-2019-business-messaging-messenger-marketing-chat-support/), competing in a messaging world makes having the ability to share dank memes with your friends a must-have rather than a nice to have. For businesses though, dank memes are secondary. The rise of messaging apps has created two critical issues for businesses, especially global ones. The first is a fragmented landscape, moving from an SMS a single protocol to several messaging apps is tricky. The second is opt-in, messaging app companies requires the end consumer to send the first message, meaning collecting emails and phone numbers at check out is no longer enough. ### **What is RCS Messaging?** Now that we've discussed the benefits and limits of SMS as compared to messaging apps. Let's see if RCS Messaging is going to be able to bridge the gap. #### Carriers Try To Replace SMS to RCS What is RCS Messaging? The idea of Rich Communication Services (RCS) was first launched in 2007 by a group of telecom industry representatives using the GSM Association to form a steering committee. It was intended as an upgrade to existing SMS infrastructure. Its value proposition was to enable to send rich messages like those found in messaging apps but still pass through an inter-carrier network, just like SMS. The backing of GSMA was supposed to be a big boost to the RCS Messaging effort. It is the association that represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide with 800 members and 300 associate members. On paper, this was the organization that was supposed to make RCS messaging take off. The main culprit for the slow development of the RCS messaging around this time was carrier politics. Although carriers were very much interested in the standard for the purposes of protecting carrier control of the messaging infrastructure, they were not interested in making the upfront investment necessary to support the standard, especially since when other competing networks hadn't done the same. #### **Google Backs RCS Messaging** In 2012, global SMS revenues hit a peak. At around the same time, [Google was fresh off a string of failures in messaging](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/06/google-ninth-attempt-at-a-messaging-service-will-be-based-on-rcs/). Google wanted to continue to push into messaging, especially because of the success of iMessage, but also wanted to keep both carriers and OEMs happy. So in 2016, Google joined in promoting RCS as the messaging standard of the future. Google decided to partake in the development as they want to take to their own hands the release of RCS messaging. Google’s involvement kickstarted a lot of RCS Messaging development and have reported that it is working with every major cell carrier to adopt the RCS messaging protocol. To make an RCS messaging brand for consumers, Google has confusingly branded the RCS messaging protocol as Chat. Chat includes the features that messaging apps have such as group chat, video and audio messages, high-resolution images, read receipts, typing indicator, money transfer, and location sharing making it closer to iMessage and other chat applications. #### **Google Enables Carriers To Switch To RCS Messaging** For the foolproof functioning of RCS Messaging, it needs to be enabled on the end-users phone and must be enabled on both the sending and receiving carriers network. Although there isn’t a dedicated RCS Messaging app, it is fully supported by Androids default messaging app messages. Currently, most Android OEMs ship with Messages as the default SMS app, with Samsung being a notable exception. Google started to deal with this issue in 2018 when it announced that it was working with Samsung to ensure Samsung messages could support RCS Messaging out of the box. RCS Messaging uses SMS as a backup to ensure RCS message delivery. As a sender starts typing a message, the Android device will ping the recipient to determine whether they have RCS messaging support. If the user does not have RCS messaging support, the message will be sent as an SMS. Another critical aspect of the success of the RCS Messaging protocol is to ensure that carriers support the protocol. Google has been working with 55 carriers to provide support for RCS Messaging. Although all 55 carriers support RCS Messaging in one form or another, the most significant remaining challenge is to make sure all carriers support the most updated standard of RCS Messaging called the Universal Profile. Instead of just letting carriers figure it out in their own, Google has created an infrastructure as a service company to support the rollout of the universal profile. Google has done this through [the acquisition of Jibe Mobile](https://techcrunch.com/2015/09/30/google-acquires-jibe-mobile-to-help-adopt-new-standard-for-carrier-messaging/); a cloud-based solution to the RCS Messaging than carriers can implement quickly. Currently, Google is testing RCS Messaging services in the UK and France. Customers can opt-in to RCS Messaging without waiting for carrier support. Once Google has successfully tested RCS Messaging in the UK and France, all Android phones around the world could get the same feature. The RCS Messaging protocol will need some time to mature and reach full proliferation, and this may take some time. Unlike the highly successful iMessage, the RCS Messaging protocol ties communication to a phone number and depends on the carriers to deliver the message. The RCS messaging protocol is designed so that no one company can control the whole system. This is also what hampers its worldwide rollout and growth in popularity. ### **Using RCS Messaging For Business** It may seem that RCS Messaging has a long road towards adoption, Google is accelerating the timeline by making RCS Messaging the perfect business chat solution. Google is providing businesses the same characteristics they expect with SMS messaging; broad reach and reliable deliverability. While delivering the same UI features, end users have grown to expect in messaging apps. #### RCS Messaging vs SMS: Better for Business? If you are looking for reachability and deliverability, SMS is the ultimate solution. It's simple, take your customer list, upload it to an SMS broadcasting tool and send out things like Two Factor Authentication and other notifications. Since every phone supports SMS, delivery is guaranteed. However, SMS functionality is missing a lot. Things like sending images and videos are essential features to an end-user but are not always possible with SMS. Part of the appeal of RCS Messaging to companies is that its rich UI satisfies the expectations of end-users. RCS Messaging is built from the ground up to allow businesses to send customers high-quality images and videos. Completely removing the fragmentation issues that SMS had when working with the carriers specific Multimedia Messaging Protocol. (MMS) RCS Messaging is better for delivering live chat style support too. Although SMS already had delivery receipts, RCS Messaging takes this to the next level with a typing indicator. Letting customer service staff know that there is more coming. An advantage Messaging Apps have over SMS is that they have enabled support for use case-based templates that deliver information in an optimized format. [Businesses have been able to use these templates to deliver information like boarding passes directly to customers WhatsApp accounts](https://rocketbots.io/blog/how-companies-do-whatsapp-marketing-and-support/#751dv). Thankfully RCS Messaging has also implemented use case-based UI templates that enable businesses to deliver information in a use case optimized format. Last but certainly not least, one of the best features of RCS Messaging for business is the ability to brand the chat. Unlike SMS, which can not display the brand's name unless you add them as a contact, RCS Messaging will display the company brand name by default. RCS Messaging even allows you to change the colors of the chat interface based on your brand colors. The Business Account branding feature takes RCS Messaging a step above what Messaging Apps can provide. Although Messaging Apps do allow companies to use their brand name in the chat, they do now allow businesses to change the colors of the chat UI, that is unique to RCS Messaging. #### RCS Messaging vs Messaging Apps: Better for Business? There are many benefits of using Messaging App business accounts over SMS. On Facebook Messenger, companies can use [click to chat ads](https://rocketbots.io/blog/facebook-messenger-leads/) or [convert website visitors into Facebook Page Messaging Connections](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-facebook-messenger-for-business-guide/#7mg5u). There are additional benefits as well. Since most Messaging Apps do not charge a fee to send messages back and forth to customers, they are cheaper use than SMS. However, like any business tool, there are drawbacks as well. Compared to SMS, the audience on Messaging Apps is fragmented. [There are about seven very popular messaging apps around the world, three of them have most of the market share.](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business/#e4hn3) This makes it hard for businesses to find all their customers in one place. Another issue with messaging apps is that businesses cannot generally send the first message. This is unlike SMS, where as long as you have the number, you can technically send the first message. Could RCS Messaging be the channel the blends both the reachability and deliverability of SMS while providing the rich UI users expect from Messaging Apps? In short, with Google's help, RCS Messaging can become a ubiquitous channel for business to consumer communications if Google can get all carriers onboard with an RCS Messaging Protocol of the same standard. With universal support, RCS Messaging would provide the benefits of SMS, meaning businesses would be able to send the first message and be confident that all their customers are available on the same platform. While at the same time, with the UI features available in RCS Messaging end users would have the features they have become accustomed to on Messaging Apps. ### **Companies Are Already Using RCS Messaging** As with any upcoming product, there are early adopters of the protocol. Companies like 1-800 Flowers who was an early adopter of Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp Business API has been one of the first to take the leap. #### Taking Orders Over RCS Messaging: 1-800-Flowers 1-800-Flowers, retails and distributes flowers and gourmet food, is one of the first business to integrate RCS Business Messaging. With the UI templates and elements available with the protocol, 1-800-Flowers built the same carrousels and booking dialogs they have already created in Facebook Messenger. This allows customers to browse products, select optional extras and check out, all without visiting a website or downloading a messaging app. #### Billing & Collections On RCS Messaging: Total Play Another business example comes from a Mexican telecom, Total Play; they offer subscription television, landline telephone, fiber optic internet connection, and cellular data. They started implementing RCS messaging as they have problems with collecting payment whether it is almost due or past due. Total Play normally would send a text message to each user reminding them of the balance and payment. They experienced that SMS has low engagement and without the read receipt there is no way of knowing whether their customer has received and read the message. They can send monthly reminders which include balances and due dates and customers can immediately act right there and then in the messaging app. RCS messaging has enabled Total Play customers to add debit/credit card for automatic payments, be redirected to the payment webpage, request account, and balance information, as well as reach a customer representative through phone or chat. This solution has been effective for Total Play as they can increase response and enhance customer support. Their response rate has increased by 78% and on-time bill payment increased by 65%. ### **The Future of RCS Messaging** RCS Messaging will only succeed if Google and carrier partners can implement the universal profile of RCS Messaging around the world and create one complete audience for companies to be able to reach out to. Before the protocol can achieve this mission, there are some issues to resolve. The protocol will have to deal with issues like end-to-end encryption, carrier support, business adoption, and user adoption. #### **Future of RCS: Encryption** End-to-end encryption is important to users and most major chat applications such as iMessage and WhatsApp do have end-to-end encryption. Google claims that they are working on private chat on RCS messaging protocol and said that they do not keep messages as they passes through their server and delete message that are queued. However, this is largely a moot point because RCS Messaging is not end to end encrypted. These messages that are sent and received move in an encrypted format until they are passed to the carriers servers. ##### **Future of RCS: Carrier Adoption** Another issue with carriers is adoption. Although many have adopted an RCS Messaging standard, not all have implemented the universal profile required to support modern day RCS. This means network depending a message may arrive as RCS or fallback to the SMS standard. This gets more complicated when carriers selectively support RCS messaging. T-mobile RCS Messaging supports most phones except for the Pixel 3A. Which is ironically a Google phone. ##### **Future of RCS: User Adoption** The biggest question with user adoption of RCS Messaging is why end-users would switch to RCS in the first place. The biggest factor for the success social platform whether it be open or closed is social interaction. For end-users to push for the adoption of RCS it would have to offer something that is currently not available on other platforms. With social platforms under increased scrutiny regarding security RCS doesn't seem to have an answer, with existing platforms like iMessage offering E2E encryption. Apple was able to maintain a privacy-first image and WhatsApp has too. It would be difficult to envision a world where users switch to RCS based on privacy concerns. Features could be a reason that switch, but if we look at the messaging app world, we can see it is very difficult to generate market share based on features alone. The most successful case is LINE. By focusing only on its primary markets of Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, and Japan, they have designed a chat application that fits local markets. Based on what we have seen so far, we think it is unlikely that users will drive the popularity of the RCS Messaging protocol. ##### **Future of RCS: Business Adoption** From our perspective, it seems like the success or failure of the RCS Messaging protocol will depend on business adoption. RCS Messaging is shaping up to become the ultimate messaging app for business. It has four critical characteristics that neither messaging apps or SMS can muster on their own. **Reachability.** Unlike messaging apps, with just a phone number businesses will be able to send the first message to their customers. **Fragmentation.** It is unlikely that you'll be able to reach out to all your customers on just a single messaging app. By using phone numbers and working in a similar way to SMS, RCS has the potential to enable a business to access any person in the world. **User Experience.** RCS provides the rich UI businesses need to deliver information in a compact easy to read format like lists, carousels, use case based templates and quick replies. **Business Account Branding.** No other option provides the level of business branding that RCS does. Allowing Businesses to use their colors and logos in the chat is sure to make CMOs everywhere smile. ### Further Reading If you enjoyed reading this article and would like to learn more about business messaging we recommend that you read our [Ultimate Guide to Messaging Apps for Business](https://rocketbots.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business). ## [What is WhatsApp Business Calling API: The Ultimate Business Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-calling-api) Discover how WhatsApp Business Calling API works, its benefits, key use cases and how to get started to enhance communication, boost conversions and more. Upgrading from the WhatsApp Business App to the API gives businesses access to valuable features like advanced automation, expanded broadcast contact limit and more. However, one feature that has been on the business's wishlist is the ability to make calls through the API. The good news? WhatsApp API calls are now available, meaning that you can [upgrade from WhatsApp Business App to the API without losing voice calling](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-upgrade-to-whatsapp-api-without-losing-voice-calling). In this article, we’ll learn what WhatsApp Business Calling API is, how it works, its benefits and how you can get started. ### What is a WhatsApp API Call? WhatsApp Business Calling API or WhatsApp API calls give businesses the ability to make and receive voice calls with their customers, enhancing real-time communication via [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). WhatsApp Calling works directly inside WhatsApp where conversations already happen. There is no complex setup, no switching between tools, and no cost for inbound calls. [It’s not a full replacement for VoIP](https://respond.io/blog/voip-vs-landline-vs-whatsapp-business-calling-api) but **for inbound, customer-initiated calls, it’s free and more immediate**. Customers don’t need permission to call, and businesses don’t pay to pick up. For businesses using WhatsApp to sell and market, WhatsApp Business Calling is a smarter and [more cost-effective version of VoIP](https://respond.io/whatsapp-api-calling-pricing), built into chat. So, how do the calls actually work? ### How Does WhatsApp Business Calling API Work WhatsApp API calls prioritize customer privacy by ensuring that businesses cannot initiate calls without prior consent. It includes two types of calls, business-initiated and user-initiated, which we’ll elaborate on below. #### Business-Initiated Calls To initiate a call, businesses must send a permission request during an active [Marketing, Utility, Authentication, Service or Free Entry Point conversation](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing#toc-1). - A business can send up to one permission request within 24 hours and two permission requests over seven days. - These limits reset once a call between the business and the customer is successfully connected. - After the contact grants permission, the business must make the call within 72 hours. #### User-Initiated Calls User-initiated calls are straightforward. Customers can start a call by clicking the call button in their WhatsApp app, through deep links embedded on business websites, apps or QR codes or via [interactive messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-interactive-message) with a click-to-call action. Businesses can choose to accept or decline these calls. Now that you know how they work, let’s take a look at how they can benefit your business. ### 4 Benefits of WhatsApp API Calls WhatsApp API calls have several benefits over texting messages and also VoIP. Let's cover some of them. #### 1\. Built-in voice calling without the learning curve Let customers call from WhatsApp—the app they already trust—while your team answers from respond.io. No extra tools, training or context switching needed. It’s just a natural extension of the conversation. #### 2\. No-Cost Voice Calls (for Inbound from Customers) [Customer-initiated calls are 100% free for your business](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-call-pricing)—no per-minute fees or call charges. Save budget while staying reachable to more customers. #### 3\. The fastest way to talk to a business Customers can call you with one tap, straight from the chat. No app switching, no copy-pasting numbers. Your team picks up the call in the same interface from which they message. #### 4\. Global availability, instant access Available wherever WhatsApp works—no setup delays or telco restrictions. Customers worldwide can reach you instantly, for free, making it perfect for global brands and distributed teams. ### Key Use Cases for WhatsApp API Calls WhatsApp API calls can be employed in various scenarios to enhance business operations and customer interactions. Below are some of the key ways businesses can use WhatsApp API calls effectively. #### Lead Generation and Nurturing WhatsApp API calls enable businesses to connect with potential customers when their interest is at its peak. When a prospect reaches out or shows curiosity about a product or service, a quick call can help businesses capture their attention, clarify questions and establish trust. This immediate engagement ensures leads don't lose interest or move on to competitors. If a lead needs more time to decide, businesses can schedule follow-up calls to provide additional guidance, build trust and nurture the relationship through the sales funnel. As a result, businesses can enhance lead confidence and increase the likelihood of conversion. #### Sales and Consultations For businesses offering products or services that require personalized consultations, WhatsApp API calls enable seamless one-on-one engagement. Sales teams can provide tailored product recommendations, address specific customer needs and resolve objections in real time. This immediacy accelerates the decision-making process, allowing leads to move confidently toward conversion. At the same time, businesses can foster trust and rapport, creating stronger relationships and driving higher success rates in closing deals. #### After Sales Service Enhancing customer loyalty goes beyond the point of sale. With WhatsApp API calls, businesses can offer seamless after-sales support, such as troubleshooting, maintenance scheduling or feedback collection. This level of service strengthens customer relationships and encourages repeat business and positive word-of-mouth referrals. ### Getting Started with WhatsApp API Calls Now that you have all the information you need, let's look at who can use WhatsApp API calls and how to get started. #### Who Can Use WhatsApp API Calls? If you're already using WhatsApp messaging with a verified sender or number, there's good news—voice calling is now available globally, giving your business even more ways to connect. To leverage this feature effectively, businesses should have a clear inbound and outbound calling use case, such as: - Resolving customer service escalations - Conducting complex sales or marketing calls - Utility calls for last-mile communication, such as customers calling delivery drivers to confirm or adjust orders. #### How to Get Started? To get started, reach out to a [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP)](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-is-now-a-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) like respond.io. As one of the few providers offering the WhatsApp Calling API, respond.io has early access to the calling feature, giving you the opportunity to unify your calls and chats in one platform. [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register?lang=en&_gl=1*nfpnna*_gcl_au*NjQxOTEzMDQxLjE3NDQ2MzQ0MzM.). ### Further Reading If you found our article helpful, you should check out the following: - How to Upgrade to WhatsApp API Without Losing Voice Calling - How To Set Up WhatsApp Business Calling API Call in 3 Easy Steps - How to Manage Whatsapp API Call, Chat and CRM in One Platform ## [WhatsApp Advertising Messages Sample: A One-Stop Guide ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-advertising-messages-sample) The only WhatsApp advertising messages guide you'll ever need. We've identified 8 common use cases and created a ready-to-use WhatsApp advertising messages sample for each. Got a new launch, flash sale, or members-only promotion coming up? Use WhatsApp to spread the word and entice customers. Give them a subtle nudge or an invitation they can’t refuse with a WhatsApp advertising messages sample from below. But first, we’ll brief you on why you should send WhatsApp advertising messages, as well as how to send one. We’ll then run through ready-to-use message examples for various situations and share a list of best practices when crafting your own. ### WhatsApp Advertising Messages: An Introduction Facebook might have scrapped plans to run ads on WhatsApp but [savvy advertisers continue to build a presence](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) there. The key is understanding how to advertise on WhatsApp without breaking any rules. The answer? You could [get started with WhatsApp ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads) on Facebook and Instagram, of course. But if you are not interested in running advertisements on other Meta products, consider sending WhatsApp advertising messages. We’ve written a compact guide about the power of these messages [here](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-promotional-messages). It also explains where they belong in your [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) strategy and how WhatsApp’s [Business](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-policy/?lang=en) and [Commerce](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/commerce-policy/?lang=en) policies are evolving to address the rapidly changing business environment. #### Why Send WhatsApp Advertising Messages Businesses are increasingly conducting [sales](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service) over WhatsApp as instant messaging becomes the [preferred communication medium](https://respond.io/blog/ultimate-guide-to-instant-messaging-for-business#toc-mobile-0) for customers globally. Adding marketing or advertising to the mix is a logical extension of this. The benefits of WhatsApp advertising messages include: - Allowing businesses to initiate conversations with customers - Maximizing marketing spend as they re-engage customers who have already shown interest in a brand or business - Compelling customers to take action with their personable tone and interactive features - Being able to adapt them to various use cases As you can see, WhatsApp advertising messages require minimal effort for major returns. Let’s look at how you go about sending one. ##### How to Send WhatsApp Advertising Messages The methods for sending WhatsApp advertising messages differ between [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) and [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). WhatsApp Business App users can use [WhatsApp Broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#toc-mobile-2) to blast promotions to interested Contacts. Meanwhile, WhatsApp API users can use a [WhatsApp CRM integration like respond.io](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm), an [AI-powered](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) customer conversation management software, to send promotional messages via [WhatsApp Broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message), or use Workflows to create [automated messages with triggers](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-promotional-messages#toc-mobile-5) or [WhatsApp drip campaigns](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-promotional-messages#toc-mobile-6). Now, let’s look at when you might use these strategies and examples of WhatsApp advertising messages for different business events. ### 8 Use Cases with Ready-to-Use WhatsApp Advertising Messages Sample There are several ways you can use WhatsApp advertising messages to engage with customers. Here are eight business events that commonly occur and a couple of WhatsApp marketing messages examples for each. #### Abandoned Cart Let’s say you own a jewelry brand with a successful online store, but notice there’s a high percentage of abandoned carts. Up to 60% of these could be recovered with a well-timed WhatsApp cart recovery message. Here are some WhatsApp cart recovery message samples you can use: 1. “Hi [customer name], you’ve been eyeing some of our finest items 💎 That’s a great selection in your cart! Would you like to make them yours immediately?” 2. “Wow, [customer name], you’ve got great taste 👍 We noticed you’ve put some of our best-sellers in your cart 🛒 Get them while they are still available!” #### New Launch Perhaps you’re a sportswear company that has run teasers on social media and hyped up customers about your new spring collection. It’s now go-time. Include WhatsApp as one of your marketing channels. Check out these WhatsApp new launch promotion messages you can copy: 1. “Hey [customer name] the wait 🕜 is finally over! We know you wanted you to be the first to hear about our spring collection 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏽‍♂️ Check it out here! [URL]” 2. “What’s hip, hot and sure to sell out fast? That’s right, [customer name], the [business name] spring collection is here 👚 👟 You wanted to be the first to hear about it, so update your workout wardrobe now at [URL]!” #### Restocked Items You own a popular gadget store and best-selling items such as specialty keyboards and headphones quickly sell out. When customers enquire about these, offer to inform them of restocks via WhatsApp. They are assured of priority service by a store they trust while you retain their business. Inform customers about restocks with these WhatsApp restock alert messages: 1. “Hi [customer name], the [item] you wanted is now back by popular demand 🥳 To thank you for waiting, we’re offering you free delivery for purchases of above [amount]. Grab it now at [URL]! 2. “As promised, [customer name], you’re the first to know that [item] is back in stock 🥳 Get it immediately at [URL] or visit any of our retail outlets 🏢 We’re located at: [list of outlets]. Let us know if we can reserve one in-store for you!” #### Sales or Promotion Alerts Let’s suppose you’re a nationwide home appliance retailer that runs monthly specials or promotions. To keep customers informed about them, create a sales or promotion alert template that you can disseminate as necessary. Here are some WhatsApp promotion alert samples you can use: 1. “New Promotion 🛎️ This month’s special offer is [offer]. We’re also offering loyal customers like you, [customer name], a 5% discount on orders above [amount]. Use the promo code DISCOUNT5. Order now at [URL].” 2. “Hi [customer name]! We’ve got a hot 🔥 tip for you: Grab this month’s special promotion of [offer] immediately. This is limited to the first [number of] customers, so be quick! Shop now 🛒 at [URL].” #### Loyalty Rewards Maybe you manage a premium leather goods label whose limited-edition releases are highly coveted. Reward high-value customers for their loyalty with exclusive discounts or priority access to new products. Adopt a friendly or confidential tone to make them feel special. Thank loyal customers with a WhatsApp advertising messages sample from below: 1. “Hi[customer name], our new product drop goes live at [time] tomorrow and we wanted you to have first access 🥳 The [product] is a limited release so let us know if you would like us to put one aside for you. Reserve yours quickly!” 2. “Dear [customer name], thank you for being a loyal member of [brand name] 🙏 Here’s an exclusive 10% off our new collection with the promo code 10TQ. There’s also a free gift 🎁 for orders above [amount] as a token of our appreciation. Shop now at [URL].” #### Feedback Request Perhaps you run a cleaning service and want to collect customer feedback. Craft a two-part WhatsApp message that not only does this but also offers them a discount in return. Use WhatsApp Business interactive features like Quick Reply or Call to Action buttons for response ease. Check out these WhatsApp feedback request examples: - Part 1: “Hi[customer name], thank you for using [business name] 🙏 What did you think of our service today?” Part 2: “Thank you for your feedback! To show our appreciation 🤝 enjoy 5% off your next cleaning service Use the promo code 5REWARD when you make your next booking at [URL]. Have a great day 🙂” - Part 1: “Dear [customer name], we hope you enjoyed using [business name] today 👍 How would you rate our service?” Part 2: “Thank you for taking the time to rate our service. We value your feedback and always strive to improve 💪 As a sincere thank you, use the code 10FEEDBACK for 10% off when you make your next reservation on our app.” #### Re-engagement Maybe you’re a wellness group that specializes in products and services that encourage holistic well-being. How frequently customers engage with you depends on their individual needs or preferences. Invite inactive customers to re-engage with your brand by using any of these messages: 1. “It’s been a while, [customer name] 👋 Since your last visit, we have expanded our products and services to provide the best wellness experience around. Why not drop by for a yoga 🧘 class or a matcha 🍵 tasting session? Reserve your workshop of choice at [URL]. We hope to see you!” 2. “Hi [customer name]! We miss you at [business name], so we’d like to offer you an exclusive 8% off storewide 🥳 Browse through our latest products at [URL] and apply the code YAY8OFF at check-out 🛒” #### Upcoming Events Say you own a chain of cafes famous for events such as celebrity guest shifts or cool collaborations. WhatsApp is a great way to tell customers what’s going down where and when, as well as to offer them exclusive experiences. Check out the WhatsApp advertising messages examples for new events below: 1. “Something’s going down in town [date], and we want you to be there 🤩 Come join us at [venue] between [time] for a few hours of good vibes and great coffee ☕ Reserve your spot now at [URL]. See you there!” 2. “Hiya [customer name]! We’re launching a limited series of handcrafted coffee cocktails 🍸 To kick things off, celebrity barista [name] will be shaking up a storm at [venue] on [date], from [time] till late. Drop by for a taste 🤩” #### WhatsApp Advertising Messages Sample: Best Practices Whether you want to edit a WhatsApp advertising messages sample from above or write your own from scratch, here are some best practices to keep in mind. First, segment customers according to interests. Use interest tags to target the right audience in your broadcast lists, or customers may block or report you for unwanted content or spam. You also want to keep your message short and conversational. Customers appreciate the informal nature of WhatsApp, so lean into the channel’s unique traits to turn a promotional message into an opportunity for relationship-building. On that note, engage with customers. Give them a reason to reply or have prompts for action. A great way to do this is through the interactive and mixed media features available on WhatsApp Business, such as Call-to-Action and Quick Reply buttons. So, we’ve set you up with a list of WhatsApp marketing message examples and tips on making the most of them. How about playing like the pros? If you want to use advanced automation to send WhatsApp advertising messages, use [AI](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai#ai_agent) to handle responses from your advertisements and enjoy multi-user access to a WhatsApp Inbox, [sign up for a respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and [connect to WhatsApp API today](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start#connecting_whats_app_business_api). ### Further Reading Enjoyed reading about WhatsApp advertising messages? Discover the different ways you can use WhatsApp for business with these articles: - The Practical Guide to WhatsApp Ads - 12 Ways Companies Do WhatsApp Marketing Campaigns - WhatsApp Bulk Message: How to Send Bulk Messages on WhatsApp ## [WhatsApp AI Agents: Reduce Response Time & Boost Team Productivity](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ai-agent) WhatsApp AI agents automate replies, qualify leads, and personalize chats at scale, helping businesses manage high-volume messaging efficiently and effectively. ### Why timely WhatsApp replies matter WhatsApp isn't just popular — it's the world's most widely used messaging app, with [over 2 billion users](https://www.whatsapp.com/about). In fact, studies show that 90% of customers [expect a response within 10 minutes](https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/live-chat-go-to-market-flaw) of reaching out. For many customers, it's the most natural and preferred way to communicate with businesses. In fast-moving industries like retail, travel, and healthcare, every second counts. When customers reach out on WhatsApp, they [expect quick replies](https://www.leadangel.com/blog/operations/speed-to-lead-statistics/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) — not hours of silence or generic autoresponders. A [fast response](https://fluentsupport.com/customer-support-statistics/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) doesn't just answer a question. It builds trust. It shows your business is attentive, reliable, and ready to help — which can directly influence buying decisions. In fact, studies show that [timely replies](https://capitalleads.com.au/the-impact-of-lead-response-time-on-conversion-rates/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) can increase conversion rates, improve customer satisfaction, and even reduce churn. ### The challenge of scaling conversations (without AI Agents) When WhatsApp is your primary channel for customer engagement, message volume can add up quickly, especially during promotions, product launches, or peak seasons. At first, adding more team members seems like the answer. However, human agents have limitations: they can only handle a certain number of conversations at once, and they clock out after working hours. As your business grows, even the best team can't keep up with the scale and complexity of modern messaging. Meanwhile, customers expect more than just fast replies — they want helpful answers, personalized guidance, and a smooth experience. And when messages go unanswered or conversations feel impersonal, frustration builds. In fact, bad experiences are one of the [top reasons customers leave a brand](https://www.zendesk.com/blog/customer-service-statistics/#bad-cx) — even if they've been loyal. Without AI agents in place, your team is stuck managing every repetitive task by hand: - Qualifying leads manually - Answering the same FAQs - Routing chats to the correct department High-value conversations — the ones that require empathy, nuance, or negotiation — risk slipping through the cracks. The result? Slower growth, lower satisfaction, and a team stretched to the limit. ### How WhatsApp automation evolved from rule-based chatbots to AI agents To manage growing WhatsApp volumes, many businesses started with rule-based chatbots. These early tools helped teams stay afloat by answering FAQs, routing chats, and qualifying leads — all based on pre-programmed decision trees. But as customer expectations evolved, so did the limitations of these chatbots: - They relied entirely on rigid scripts - They couldn’t handle unexpected questions or natural variations in language - Every potential path had to be hard-coded in advance — making them hard to scale and maintain The result? A frustrating, impersonal experience whenever a conversation went off-script. That’s where AI agents come in. ### What are WhatsApp AI agents? Powered by large language models (LLMs), WhatsApp AI agents are smarter, faster, and more flexible than chatbots of the past. Unlike scripted bots, they’re fully autonomous systems that can manage conversations from start to finish. For instance, they can: - Understand customer intent in real time - Respond naturally — without relying on static flows - Adapt to context and past interactions - Perform actions like bookings, lead qualification, and human routing This evolution — from static bots to adaptive agents — has redefined how businesses automate messaging. AI agents can handle the majority of customer conversations on WhatsApp, freeing your human team to focus on what really matters: complex and high-value interactions that drive loyalty and growth. ### What you can do with WhatsApp AI agents WhatsApp AI agents can take over routine tasks, personalize the customer experience, and help your business scale without hiring more staff. Here's what you can accomplish with them: #### Automate conversations at scale - Instantly reply to FAQs - Answer calls and respond to voice notes - Qualify leads through dynamic Q&A - Route conversations or hand off to human agents - Stay available after hours and during peak demand without extra hires #### Personalize conversations - Recommend products based on customer needs - Tailor responses using context and past interactions #### Manage Customer Journeys - Book appointments, collect order information and more directly in chat - Update contact information and lifecycle stages automatically - Close resolved conversations automatically and generate summaries for context #### Industry use cases - Retail: Product recommendations, order tracking, back-in-stock alerts - Travel & Hospitality: Booking confirmations, check-in reminders, itinerary help - Healthcare: Appointment scheduling, reminders, post-visit follow-ups - Education: Course inquiries, enrollment support, application guidance ### Why AI Needs a Human Touch While AI agents are fully autonomous and can manage conversations end-to-end, they're not a one-size-fits-all solution. Some situations still call for human judgment, especially complex, sensitive or emotionally charged cases. The most effective strategy for WhatsApp communication is hybrid: AI agents autonomously handle the majority of conversations end-to-end, while human agents step in for complex or sensitive cases. With seamless handoffs, customers get fast resolutions at scale without losing the empathy and trust only people can provide ### Why use WhatsApp API for AI agents If you’re planning to deploy AI agents on WhatsApp, there’s one important thing to know: they don’t work with the WhatsApp Business App. Since WhatsApp Business App is built for small businesses, it supports only a handful of users, offers minimal automation and lacks the integration capabilities required for advanced features. To deploy AI agents, you’ll need [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) (also known as WhatsApp Business Platform). It’s the enterprise-grade version of WhatsApp, built to support automation, large teams, and integration with AI systems and business tools. Here’s what WhatsApp API lets your business do with AI agents: - Respond to large numbers of customers automatically even during busy hours or after closing time - Handle repetitive tasks like collecting info, qualifying leads and answering FAQs - Help customers in a more natural and personalized way - Enable human-AI collaboration with seamless handoffs and shared inboxes > It’s important to note that Meta has updated its [WhatsApp Business API terms](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-solution-terms/preview?lang=en) to take effect on January 15, 2026, prohibiting "general‑purpose AI assistants" from using the API as their primary functionality. However, Meta explicitly clarified that businesses using AI within customer‑service, bookings, or support workflows are not affected. Since our AI agent solution is focused on business‑to‑customer use cases rather than general‑purpose chatbots, it remains compliant under the new terms. ### Respond.io: your platform for WhatsApp AI agents While Meta provides direct access to the WhatsApp API, setting it up yourself requires backend infrastructure, technical expertise and a solid understanding of Meta’s compliance rules. With respond.io, you don’t need a development team to deploy WhatsApp AI agents. The platform handles all the heavy lifting for you, delivering faster and more accurate AI responses by processing only the steps each task requires. And when a human agent needs to step in, the AI stops instantly, ensuring clean handoffs with no overlapping messages. As an official [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP)](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider), respond.io gives you a complete platform to deploy, manage, and scale WhatsApp AI agents — fast. #### What you get with respond.io - AI agent integration out of the box — no coding required - Multi-user inbox for collaborative team workflows - Omnichannel support: chat, calls, and email — all in one inbox - Customizable workflows for automation and conversation routing at scale - CRM and third-party integrations to personalize interactions - Broadcast and engagement tools for proactive messaging - Lifecycle to track and organize contacts by customer journey stage - Compliance-ready messaging, aligned with Meta's rules Whether you're answering FAQs, qualifying leads, or booking appointments, respond.io gives you the speed, control, and flexibility to do it all — without overwhelming your team. It's the easiest way to turn WhatsApp API into a powerful AI-driven channel for sales, support, and engagement. ### Why WhatsApp AI agents are the future of business messaging WhatsApp AI agents let you scale conversations without sacrificing the personal touch. They respond instantly, qualify leads, book appointments — and free up your human team to focus on the interactions that matter most. The results speak for themselves. Here's some of our customers who have seen major improvements since adopting AI agents: - iMotorbike doubled lead volume using AI agents on respond.io - JU Productions reduced spam and qualified more leads with AI agents - Automax used AI agents to qualify leads 24/7 and scale efficiently - GETUTOR simplified course bookings for customers with AI agents By combining smart automation with human empathy, you create a messaging experience that builds trust, drives growth, and keeps customers coming back. 👉 Ready to scale smarter? Start your free trial with respond.io and launch your WhatsApp AI agents today. ### FAQs about WhatsApp AI agents ### Further reading If you found this blog helpful, be sure to also read: - AI Sales Agent Tips to Enhance CX and Convert Faster - Conversational AI for Sales: Close Deals in the AI Era - Conversational AI Platform: Securing Success with AI Chat ## [WhatsApp API for Beauty Industry: 8 Use Cases & How to Get Started](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-api-for-beauty-industry) The 8 use cases for WhatsApp API in the beauty industry are FAQs, ads, product recommendations, calling, bookings, reminders, surveys and promotions In the beauty industry, success depends on relationships. From booking appointments to nurturing loyal clients, speed and personalization matter. But managing customer communication across ads, inquiries and follow-ups can be chaotic, especially when handled manually or across multiple devices. Most beauty businesses and salons start with the WhatsApp Business app since it enables Meta ads and basic automation like greeting and away messages. However, as volumes of messages grow, it’s often too much for associates and consultants to manage. That’s where the [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) comes in. It helps beauty businesses manage conversations at scale, automate responses and build stronger relationships that drive appointment bookings, product sales and repeat visits. ### Benefits of WhatsApp API for beauty businesses Beauty products and services face stiff competition, and what stands out to customers are quality services and a positive experience. [McKinsey’s Beauty Executive Survey 2025](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/state-of-beauty) found that 75% of beauty executives believe sales success comes from perceived quality and value, not price. An [outstanding customer experience, from first contact to purchase](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-experience-engagement), makes all the difference. WhatsApp API enables businesses to provide prompt service with a personal touch at scale from optimized ads that increase engagement to AI agents that reply instantly and assign to human consultants as needed. #### Manage and optimize ads With the WhatsApp Business App, businesses can run [click to chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads) on Facebook or Instagram so potential clients can message your salon or spa on WhatsApp instantly instead of filling out forms or visiting websites. But without optimization, ads may bring in spam or low quality leads, which wastes your team’s time. While your team is struggling to answer spam, real customers are kept waiting. With WhatsApp API, you can optimize ads with Meta’s conversion API (CAPI), plus get more advanced analytics through a [WhatsApp BSP like respond.io](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider). With more high quality leads coming in, you can then manage them with automation. #### Automation and AI for instant replies Clients expect instant answers about services, prices, and availability; if they don’t get them, they’ll go to a competitor. [WhatsApp API chatbots powered by AI](https://respond.io/blog/best-whatsapp-chatbots) can handle these FAQs 24/7, helping you respond instantly even during off hours. The best WhatsApp API providers enable AI to answer WhatsApp calls or understand voice recordings for a more human touch. Automation and AI can handle all common inquiries and qualify leads so your consultants can focus on customers who are ready to purchase or book a treatment session. With a good AI agent, conversations can be handed off seamlessly to human consultants when needed. #### Follow up for repeat business Retention is everything in the beauty industry. With WhatsApp API, you can automate follow-ups, send loyalty offers and collect feedback after appointments, keeping your brand top of mind and your calendar full. This is a great way to use [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast), which can only be sent to existing contacts who have [opted in](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in) to hear from you. ### 8 ways to use WhatsApp API for the beauty industry WhatsApp API supports every stage of the client journey at scale, from discovery and booking to after-care and re-engagement. It’s important to note that WhatsApp API’s capabilities will vary depending on the [WhatsApp BSP you choose](https://respond.io/blog/best-whatsapp-business-solution-provider). Here’s how top beauty businesses are putting it to work with WhatsApp API solutions like respond.io. #### 1\. Answer frequently asked questions Customers often ask the same questions — services, pricing, location, service hours, cancellation policies. Instead of replying manually to each one, beauty businesses can automate FAQs with WhatsApp API. Simple WhatsApp API automation would involve a menu of questions and a set of fixed answers like this: - “What’s your facial menu?” → Sends a carousel of facial packages. - “Do you have vegan products?” → Replies with product details. - “Where are you located?” → Shares your location pin automatically. To take it further, a WhatsApp API platform with [AI agents like respond.io can easily answer questions](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents#support-agent-template) based on its knowledge of your business. Unlike an FAQ menu, AI allows flexibility for answering specific questions. Here are some examples: - “What services do you offer for dry skin?” → Replies with services and asks further questions to make better recommendations. - “Are you open on Christmas?” → Replies with specific information about public holiday hours - “Do you offer packages for multiple services?” → Asks further questions about the services the customer is interested in and provides a list of packages or offers to connect the customer to a consultant for customized packages The result? Faster responses, less staff workload, and happier customers. #### 2\. Find out which click to chat ads bring you results Click-to-WhatsApp ads on Facebook and Instagram let potential clients start a chat directly from your post or story, but it can be challenging to know which ads are working and which aren’t. [Meta’s conversion API (CAPI)](https://respond.io/help/retain-customers/how-to-improve-lead-targeting-and-automatically-send-purchase-events-to-meta-when-a-customer-makes-a-payment) with a WhatsApp API provider like respond.io enables businesses to get clear insights so you can tell whether your customers want another how-to video or a before and after post. Here’s how it works: through respond.io, you can send events like a new lead created or a purchase completed directly to Meta. It benefits your business by giving: - Better attribution: Understand which ads truly drive revenue. - Smarter optimization: Meta uses these signals to prioritize the ads most likely to convert. With respond.io and CAPI, you’re not just tracking results, you’re feeding data back to Meta to make your ads perform better. #### 3\. Make product recommendations Personalized product advice drives loyalty and sales, and WhatsApp is the perfect channel for it. The problem is that beauty associates are often busy giving recommendations or treatment to customers in the salon or clinic and don’t have time for in-depth online conversations. Again, this is where AI agents come in. For example, respond.io’s AI agent can understand photos and PDFs so they can make accurate recommendations and ask the customer for more information to clarify. Here’s a sample conversation using respond.io’s AI Sales Agent template: The customer gets personalized advice, just as they would from a human consultant. If the AI agent is unsure of the details, it can offer to pass the conversation to a human. #### 4\. Give customers the option to call if needed For consultations on beauty treatments, some customers prefer to call. Some businesses were reluctant to switch from WhatsApp Business App to WhatsApp API because in the past, that meant losing the ability to make WhatsApp calls. But now, with [WhatsApp Calling API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-voice-call), you can still receive calls and make calls to customers who have opted in. #### 5\. Automate bookings and appointments Scheduling is one of the biggest pain points for salons and clinics. Clients want convenience; staff want fewer calls. With WhatsApp API, booking becomes frictionless. You can: - Connect WhatsApp to your scheduling software - Allow clients to select time slots directly via chatbot or AI agent - Send automatic confirmations and updates For example, a hair salon can use automation to confirm bookings instantly and trigger a calendar invite. The client can reschedule or cancel simply by replying “Change” or “Cancel,” reducing no-shows and admin time. #### 6\. Send appointment reminders Missed appointments cost beauty businesses time and money. WhatsApp reminders have [higher open rates](https://business.whatsapp.com/blog/use-whatsapp-business-goals) than email or SMS, making them the ideal channel for reducing no-shows. With WhatsApp API, reminders can be sent automatically: - 24 hours before the appointment - 2 hours before the appointment - Immediately after, with a thank-you message or feedback form For example, a lash studio could send: > “Hi Emily! You have a lash refill with Mia tomorrow at 3 PM. Please reply Confirm or Reschedule. 💕” This proactive communication keeps schedules full and clients informed. #### 7\. Follow up with CSAT surveys Feedback is vital in service-based industries. With WhatsApp API, you can automate short [Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) or Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys right after each visit. Example: > “Hi Sofia, how was your facial today? Please rate your experience from 1–5.” Responses can be tracked in your CRM and used to improve staff performance or trigger recovery workflows when clients leave low ratings. Unlike email surveys, WhatsApp feedback feels personal and immediate, resulting in higher response rates and actionable insights. #### 7\. Send personalized promotions Promotions are most effective when they’re relevant. Using customer data and WhatsApp API segmentation, you can send targeted offers that feel personal, not spammy. For example: - Send birthday discounts automatically. - Promote skincare bundles to clients who previously purchased facial products. - Offer seasonal deals to inactive customers. Since Meta requires message templates for outbound promotions, [respond.io helps you create and submit pre-approved templates easily](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-5), so you can send compliant campaigns at scale. ### 3 WhatsApp API success stories from beauty businesses Want to see real results from these use cases being applied by businesses today? Here’s how three beauty brands have seen measurable success with respond.io and WhatsApp API integration. #### H&H Skincare increases sales 160% in 6 months [H&H Skincare](https://respond.io/customers/how-hh-skincare-boosted-its-customer-loyalty-to-60-percent) is an Indonesian retailer selling high-quality skincare products in outlets around the country. The business faced challenges managing high message volumes from consultations and click to chat ads. Since connecting WhatsApp API to respond.io, H&H Skincare experienced significant improvements in customer engagement and loyalty. It sees 60% of monthly messages from returning customers and a 300% increase in daily new contacts. H&H Skincare also recognizes the importance of ensuring timely responses to incoming messages. The brand cut down its average first response time from 8 hours to 2.8 hours in a matter of months by implementing automation. Because 75% of H&H Skincare’s sales occur online and most of its customers communicate with them over WhatsApp, the company saw a 160% increase in sales in 6 months! #### EMAX Beauté gets 18x more appointments via chat [EMAX Beauté](https://respond.io/customers/how-emax-boosts-appointment-bookings) is a leading provider of beauty, skincare, haircare and body wellness services in Kuala Lumpur. With its wide social media presence and heavy investment in ads, it needed a faster way to handle appointment requests. It integrated WhatsApp API via respond.io and within a few months, response times reduced by 75% thanks to automation and a more even workload distribution. After implementing CAPI, the business reduced spam by 60%, so beauty consultants can focus on genuine conversations. The company has seen appointments booked via chat on respond.io increase by 18x. In-chat payment link capabilities also allow for seamless transactions where applicable, resulting in smoother operations and strong business results overall. #### Bella Piel reduces response time by 37% [Bella Piel](https://respond.io/customers/how-bella-piel-slashed-messaging-costs-by-95-percent), a leading skincare retailer in Colombia, was struggling with fragmented communication across multiple stores. It adopted WhatsApp API as a solution to centralize multiple branches and WhatsApp numbers, but initially the business chose a local API provider. The provider charged high markups and couldn’t meet Bella Piel’s needs. After switching to respond.io, the business reduced messaging costs by 95% since respond.io doesn’t charge markup fees. With WhatsApp API set up, Bella Piel centralized all client conversations and automated responses for common questions, reducing response time by 37%. Customers noticed the difference, and the brand received an award for the outstanding customer experience it provides. ### How to get started with WhatsApp API Are you ready to try WhatsApp API to start seeing the same result for your business? Getting started with WhatsApp API might sound technical, but it’s simpler than most beauty business owners expect, especially when you work with an official Meta partner like respond.io. Here’s how the process works. #### 1\. Verify your business with Meta To use WhatsApp API, your business must be [verified on Meta Business Manager](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2058515294227817?id=180505742745347). This involves confirming your company’s name, address, website, and ownership. Once approved, you’ll gain access to WhatsApp Business tools and the ability to send message templates. #### 2\. Choose a WhatsApp API provider You’ll need a Business Solution Provider (BSP) like respond.io to connect your number to the API. The BSP manages setup, hosting, and compliance, ensuring your number is connected securely and remains in good standing with Meta. Respond.io also supports [multiple numbers and teams](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users), making it perfect for beauty franchises or multi-location salons. #### 3\. Connect your WhatsApp API to a platform The API itself doesn’t have an interface; it must be connected to a platform like respond.io, where you can: - Manage all customer messages from one inbox - Automate workflows (bookings, reminders, surveys, etc.) - Assign conversations to the right agents or branches - Integrate with your CRM, booking, or e-commerce system From there, you’re ready to promote your WhatsApp number across ads, websites, and stores and start converting chats into loyal customers. ### Choose respond.io for WhatsApp API success in the beauty industry Beauty brands need more than a messaging tool; they need a platform that connects conversations, data, and automation. Respond.io turns WhatsApp API into a full-scale customer engagement engine that supports marketing, sales, and service. With respond.io, beauty businesses can: - Automate replies, bookings and reminders to save time and resources. - Implement AI Agents with specific roles like receptionist and sales - Integrate WhatsApp with booking systems, CRMs and e-commerce platforms. - Route messages to the right team or branch automatically. - Analyze ad and conversation data to measure ROI and performance. Respond.io is a Meta Business Partner, meaning your WhatsApp API setup is secure, verified, and optimized for long-term growth. Whether you run a salon chain, spa, or beauty retail brand, respond.io gives you the tools to scale efficiently while keeping every chat personal. ### Further reading Want to learn more about how you can use WhatsApp API to boost your business? Check out these other articles. - WhatsApp Lead Generation - How to Get WhatsApp API: A Complete Guide - WhatsApp Marketing in 5 Steps ## [WhatsApp API for the Automotive Industry: 4 Key Use Cases + Case Studies](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-api-for-automotive-industry) Respond.io helps automotive businesses market and sell more by using WhatsApp API to automate updates, organize chats, and scale conversations. When you’re selling cars or parts, getting communication right is just as important as the product itself. Customers expect fast replies, clear updates, and a smooth experience. Every message matters. But many automotive businesses still rely on slow, disconnected tools like email and phone calls. Leads go cold before anyone follows up. Sales and service teams use different apps, and no one has a full view of the conversation. As your business grows, these problems get worse — leading to lost sales, unhappy customers and confusion across teams. Since WhatsApp is the world’s most popular messaging channel, businesses have made the transition to WhatsApp, where their customers are. But if you’ve been using the WhatsApp Business App, you’re probably encountering its limitations. Although it’s good enough for small businesses that are starting out, when you’re scaling, you’re going to need a lot more. Growing dealerships and parts retailers need more control and visibility. That’s where WhatsApp Business API comes in. It helps you: - Respond to leads instantly - Keep conversations organized across teams - Automate updates like service reminders or order confirmations - Connect WhatsApp to your CRM or Dealer Management System This guide walks through how automotive businesses are using WhatsApp API, with real examples, practical use cases and what you need to get started. ### Benefits of WhatsApp API for automotive businesses Customers don’t just want good cars or the right parts, they want fast answers and a smooth experience from start to finish. Whether you’re running a dealership or selling vehicle parts, WhatsApp API helps your business deliver better service, faster replies, and more organized conversations. #### Meet customers where they start their journey - Most buyers begin their research online and many prefer messaging over phone calls - Customers research, compare and even schedule test drives through chat - With WhatsApp, you can start conversations as soon as they’re interested. Let them ask about pricing, availability, or product details — no forms or callbacks needed #### Get seen and get replies - WhatsApp messages get much higher open and response rates than emails or calls - Share product info, photos, videos, brochures and more — all in one conversation - Verified business profiles add trust for both car buyers and parts customers #### Keep time-sensitive conversations moving - Buyers often need quick answers about vehicles, pricing, service status, or part availability - WhatsApp enables fast, two-way messaging that feels natural and easy to use - Respond instantly, share updates as they happen and reduce delays that lead to lost sales - Messages are also asynchronous so customers can reply at their own pace without losing context #### Scale without losing the human touch - Make sure customers always speak to the right team: route messages by inquiry type or location - Use AI agents to answer FAQs or qualify leads, then hand off to a human when needed - Automate updates for new vehicles, parts, or repair status - Stay consistently in touch to reduce missed leads or no-shows - Keep all conversations organized, even as message volume grows ### WhatsApp API use cases for car dealerships and auto parts retailers Here’s how car dealerships and parts retailers are using WhatsApp API to engage leads, close sales, provide updates and retain customers. #### Use case 1: Lead generation & pre-sales - Capture leads using click-to-WhatsApp ads on vehicle listings or landing pages - Add chat links or QR codes across your website, online marketplaces or in-store displays - Respond instantly to questions about vehicle models, pricing or part availability - Share brochures, inventory lists, or product catalogs, including compatibility charts for parts - Use AI agents to qualify leads based on car preferences, budget, or location and route them to the right team Meet customers at the moment they’re most interested, keep them engaged through convenient conversations and qualify leads faster with minimal manual effort. #### Use case 2: Sales & conversion - Send real-time stock confirmations and price quotes for vehicles or parts - Schedule and confirm test drives directly in chat - Conduct trade-in evaluations by collecting photos and vehicle details from buyers - Share financing plans, payment instructions and required documentation - Keep buyers informed with delivery timelines or pickup status updates - Guide customers through the full sales process By making the buying process faster, clearer, and more convenient, you reduce friction and increase conversion rates. #### Use case 3: Service & after-sales - Send automated reminders for service appointments, oil changes or part replacements - Provide real-time repair status updates, including photos or video walkthroughs - Confirm service bookings or parts installation requests via chat - Answer follow-up questions, installation issues or return requests - Notify customers when vehicles or parts are ready for pickup - Offer roadside assistance or emergency support directly through WhatsApp Proactively keep customers informed throughout the service journey and reduce inbound calls with timely, helpful updates. #### Use case 4: Retention & loyalty - Segment your audience by car model, service history or past purchases - Send targeted promotions for services, trade-ins or seasonal accessories - Notify customers when frequently ordered parts are back in stock - Share exclusive previews of new vehicle models or product launches - Collect post-sale feedback or service reviews to improve future interactions - Promote referral programs, restock alerts or loyalty incentives via broadcast Staying top-of-mind with personalized, relevant messages encourages repeat business and gives customers a reason to re-engage, even after the sale. ### Success stories: Automotive industry + WhatsApp API Here’s how real-world dealerships and automotive businesses are using WhatsApp API with respond.io to simplify operations, speed up communication and drive results. [Srikandi Group](https://respond.io/customers/how-srikandi-streamlined-communication-for-47-branches-and-accelerated-revenue-growth), an authorized Mitsubishi Motors dealer in Indonesia with 47 dealership locations, needed a better way to manage customer communication across teams and branches. Before WhatsApp API, chats were scattered across phones and individual agents. With WhatsApp API connected to respond.io, they centralized messaging in one platform, routed conversations to the right team and ensured full visibility at every step of the buyer journey. This helped them reduce delays, stay consistent across locations and accelerate revenue growth. The result: Faster sales cycles, more organized communication and a better customer experience. [Automax](https://respond.io/customers/automax-boosts-roi-from-whatsapp-broadcasts), a luxury car dealership located in the United Arab Emirates, saw WhatsApp not just as a support tool, but a key driver of sales. They used WhatsApp API with respond.io to send broadcast messages like limited-time offers and stock updates to segmented customer lists. With built-in reports and conversation tagging, they tracked which messages led to replies, visits, and sales. Broadcasts became a reliable way to drive engagement, generate leads and increase ROI. The result: More sales opportunities from past leads, clearer visibility into what works and stronger returns on messaging. These are just two examples of how automotive businesses are using WhatsApp to reduce missed opportunities, speed up conversations and stay connected — across sales, service and loyalty. ### WhatsApp API for your automotive business through respond.io Before you start moving your automotive operations to WhatsApp API, there’s something you need to know: WhatsApp API doesn’t work on its own like WhatsApp Business App. It requires a conversation management platform to be usable. This is where respond.io comes in. In addition to handling your WhatsApp messages and calls, respond.io has many other features to improve the lives of car businesses. Here’s what you get using WhatsApp API with respond.io: #### Manage customer conversations across teams and channels - Centralize chats from WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and more — all in one shared inbox - Route inquiries automatically based on location, topic, or customer intent - Track and label customers based on their journey stage - Let multiple agents reply without losing context of the conversation #### Automate routine interactions with AI + workflows - AI agents that work alongside human agents to give customers the best chat experience - Use AI agents for FAQs, lead qualification, booking reminders, and order updates - Set up rules to trigger the right messages at the right time #### Integrate with your CRM or Dealer Management System - Sync messages, notes, and tags with tools you already use (CRMs, DMS, inventory or payment systems) - Personalize messages based on updates in stock, bookings, or customer profiles #### Support calling workflows - Let agents make and receive calls over WhatsApp or VoIP, all within respond.io - Combine messaging and calling for a smoother sales or service experience #### Monitor performance across teams and branches - Use built-in dashboards to track agent activity, customer satisfaction and response times - Tag conversations by team, campaign, or location for better reporting - Gain visibility at every level — whether you’re running one outlet or dozens #### Transparent, scalable pricing - No hidden fees or surprise usage charges — just transparent pricing that scales with your business - Built for growing teams that handle high messaging volume Whether you’re a used car dealership, a nationwide auto parts seller, or a multi-location service provider, respond.io gives you the tools to manage WhatsApp conversations without chaos. ### 6 best practices for automotive businesses using WhatsApp API Once you’ve set up WhatsApp API for your dealership or parts business, follow these best practices to get the most out of every conversation: #### 1\. Get clear opt-in Only message customers who have clearly agreed to hear from you. Use checkboxes on your website, QR codes in-store, or WhatsApp links with pre-filled opt-in text. This keeps you compliant with Meta’s policies and protects your business from restrictions or bans. #### 2\. Use approved message templates correctly WhatsApp requires pre-approved templates when sending the first message to a customer. These can be transactional (e.g. booking confirmations) or promotional (e.g. special offers). Always use the right type for the right purpose. Misuse can hurt your quality rating or get your account restricted. #### 3\. Personalize every message Include the customer’s name, vehicle model, service history, or purchase details when possible. Personalized messages feel more relevant and professional and they lead to better response rates. #### 4\. Keep it short, helpful and timely Don’t overload customers with too much information at once. Confirm a booking, send a reminder, or share a file and then follow up if needed. Your customers are busy and short, well-timed updates are more likely to be read and replied to. #### 5\. Automate routine messages but know when to hand off Use automation for FAQs, lead qualification, or service reminders. But when a conversation becomes complex or high-value, smoothly hand it off to a human. A poor transition is one of the top reasons customers get frustrated. #### 6\. Tag and track conversations Label contacts or chats by topic (sales, service, parts), lead stage, or urgency. This helps your team stay organized, respond faster and measure performance across teams, branches, or campaigns. ### Why automotive businesses need WhatsApp API to scale customer communication Today’s car buyers and parts customers don’t wait for callbacks. They expect fast replies, clear updates, and real-time support across every stage of their journey. From lead generation to post-sale service, WhatsApp API helps automotive businesses manage conversations faster, more efficiently, and at scale. With respond.io, you can connect WhatsApp to your existing systems, assign messages across teams, automate routine tasks, and maintain full visibility, all in one place. - Faster replies across teams - Seamless messaging and calling workflows - Personalized, automated customer experiences - Full integration with your CRM or DMS Whether you’re a dealership, parts distributor, or service center — if your business relies on messaging, it’s time to upgrade how you manage it. [Start with respond.io](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and turn conversations into conversions. ### FAQs about WhatsApp API for the Automotive Industry ### Further reading If you found this blog useful, here are more posts to help you explore WhatsApp API in greater depth: - WhatsApp API Ultimate Guide: Features, Benefits & Pricing - WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business for Sales and Marketing - Generate Leads and Boost Sales with WhatsApp Ads: A Practical Guide to WhatsApp Advertising ## [WhatsApp API for Travel Businesses](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-api-for-travel-businesses) respond.io helps travel businesses scale marketing and sales with WhatsApp API by automating replies, bookings, and guest communication. ### How WhatsApp transforms travel communication When it comes to time-sensitive communication, particularly when a booking or payment is involved, travelers don’t like to wait. Every delay erodes trust and adds unnecessary stress. Over time, travel businesses have adapted to this fast-paced environment, initially using channels like email and SMS to keep travelers informed and help businesses stay connected at every stage of the journey. But as those channels became crowded with spam and unreliable delivery, customers stopped paying attention to them. That’s why both businesses and travelers have moved to WhatsApp: a faster and more reliable way to communicate in real-time. WhatsApp is the world’s most-used messaging app and it’s no surprise that travelers use it: it’s fast, flexible and familiar. WhatsApp messages are more likely to be seen and responded to than email or phone calls, and businesses can instantly gain credibility with verified business profiles — it’s no surprise that businesses have also moved to it. While many companies start with the free WhatsApp Business App, it isn’t built for scale. Travel brands handling hundreds of conversations simultaneously need WhatsApp Business API (also known as WhatsApp Business Platform), a more advanced version of the channel built for business messaging at scale. In this post, we’ll explore how travel companies are using WhatsApp API to improve operations and customer experience and how respond.io helps make it happen. ### 7 benefits of WhatsApp API for travel businesses Travelers today expect instant, personalized communication — especially when they’re booking tours, making payments, or adjusting plans on the go. Here’s how WhatsApp API helps tourism businesses meet those expectations at scale: #### Automate repetitive tasks Send booking confirmations, itinerary updates, and check-in reminders for city tours automatically. Automating routine updates reduces response time, allowing your team to focus on more complex interactions. #### Scale customer conversations efficiently Whether you’re a travel agency, tour operator, or hotel concierge, WhatsApp API helps you manage hundreds of conversations across multiple agents and locations without losing context or speed. Assign messages based on tour type, language, or destination and never lose track of a lead or guest request again. #### Streamline operations with integrations Connect WhatsApp to your booking platform, CRM, or payment system to automatically sync guest details, tour preferences and payment confirmations. This reduces manual work and improves data accuracy. #### Drive revenue with personalization and upsells Use chat to suggest optional excursions, private tour upgrades, or last-minute activity add-ons based on a traveler’s preferences. For instance, offer a cooking class after a food tour or recommend a boat rental after a beach trip — all in a single, ongoing conversation. These tailored messages feel helpful, nonintrusive and can directly increase conversions. #### Enhance customer experience across the journey From answering pre-booking questions, such as visa requirements and weather conditions, to sending live updates during trips — like rescheduling due to rain — WhatsApp keeps your guests informed and supported at every step. You can even follow up post-tour with a thank-you message, exclusive return promos or collect customer feedback. #### Build loyalty through consistency and trust Having a verified WhatsApp business profile and reliable communications ensures guests know they’re speaking with a real, trusted company. Quick replies, proactive service, and helpful follow-ups leave a strong impression — increasing your chances of repeat bookings and word-of-mouth referrals. #### Reach travelers around the world Tourism is global, and so is WhatsApp. Support international guests in their native language using multilingual agents (human or AI). Whether your customer is in Madrid or Manila, you can offer a consistent, high-quality experience across time zones and borders while keeping everything organized in one platform. These benefits help travel businesses stay responsive, organized and efficient, while delivering the kind of service today’s travelers expect. Next, let’s examine how the WhatsApp API is utilized throughout the entire travel journey, from the initial click to the final thank-you. ### 14 WhatsApp API use cases in the travel industry Whether you’re a tour operator, travel agent, hotel concierge, or activity provider, WhatsApp API helps you deliver a better customer experience from the first click to the final thank-you. Here’s how travel businesses are using it across the entire customer journey. #### Pre-booking: inspire & convert - Capture leads via click-to-chat ads or website widgets, then respond instantly before they look elsewhere. Travelers often compare options across multiple sites — being the first to reply via WhatsApp increases your chance of closing the booking. - Answer questions about travel packages, itineraries, or availability. Provide real-time answers to common inquiries, such as destinations, pricing, and accommodation options. - Share brochures, destination guides, and curated content. Send images, PDFs, or videos to showcase seasonal packages and help travelers make confident decisions. - Send tailored quotes and itineraries. Personalize offers based on preferences like group size, trip duration, or activity type to boost conversions. #### Booking & confirmation: fast and frictionless - Confirm bookings instantly. Avoid delays and prevent drop-off by sending real-time confirmations when travelers complete a booking. - Deliver travel documents, such as e-tickets and hotel vouchers. Make essential documents easy to access and hard to lose — no more searching through inboxes or spam folders. - Offer optional upgrades. Follow up with relevant offers such as private transfers, extended stays, or travel insurance to drive upsells. #### During travel: real-time support - Send automated reminders for check-in, departure, and pickup times. Help guests stay on schedule with timely nudges, complete with maps or meeting point details. - Keep travelers informed about delays or rescheduling. Notify customers instantly when plans change to reduce confusion and frustration. - Allow last-minute changes. Support quick adjustments like changing pickup locations or adding a guest. Two-way messaging makes it easy to respond to evolving needs while on the go. - Provide urgent support without long wait times. Be available via chat or voice to resolve issues like missed connections, lost bookings, or other emergencies. #### Post-trip: build loyalty - Thank guests and ask for reviews. A simple follow-up message strengthens the relationship and encourages feedback or social proof. - Share loyalty rewards, rebooking offers, or referral codes. Keep customers engaged after their trip with perks that encourage them to book again or refer friends. - Send personalized follow-up suggestions. Recommend future destinations or experiences based on their last trip to stay top of mind for the next booking. ### Using WhatsApp API: what travel businesses should know You’ve seen how WhatsApp API can support every stage of the travel journey — from lead generation to post-trip follow-ups. But before you get started, there’s one key detail to understand: Unlike the free WhatsApp Business App, the API version doesn’t include a built-in interface. It’s designed for businesses that need to message at scale, and to use it, you’ll need a third-party platform to manage and respond to conversations. That’s where [respond.io](https://respond.io/) comes in. ### What makes respond.io the right platform for WhatsApp API Using WhatsApp API is a smart move for any travel business — but without the right platform to manage it, you risk creating more work instead of less. That’s why travel companies choose respond.io: it’s purpose-built for handling high message volumes, coordinating between teams, and delivering a great experience before, during, and after a trip. Here’s why respond.io is the perfect fit for the travel industry: #### One inbox for all channels, all locations Travelers don’t just message on WhatsApp — they might DM you on Instagram, send a Facebook message, or follow up via email. Respond.io consolidates all these messages into a single shared inbox, allowing your team to respond quickly and consistently, regardless of where the conversation originated. Example: A guest books a tour via WhatsApp, follows up with a question on Instagram, and then requests an airport transfer by email — your team can see the full conversation history in one place. #### Smarter conversations with AI agents Use AI Agents to instantly greet travelers, qualify leads, answer FAQs, or suggest relevant trips — without the wait. This ensures that guests receive fast, consistent responses, even during peak booking seasons or outside business hours. When human help is needed, agents can seamlessly jump in, picking up where the AI left off with full context. This combination enables you to serve more customers without compromising quality. #### Built-in calling for complex needs Some questions are too important to resolve over chat — like visa requirements, flight changes, or urgent rebookings. With built-in WhatsApp Business Calling API and VoIP support, your agents can jump on a call directly from the inbox without switching tools. This is especially useful for last-minute trip changes, language barriers, or handling guests who prefer to talk. #### Easy integrations with booking & CRM tools Connect respond.io to your CRM, booking system, or payment processor using no-code automation. You can sync guest details, trigger itinerary reminders, and log conversations — automatically. This keeps everything up to date without the need for manual copying and pasting or switching between systems. #### Route messages to the right team or office Running tours in multiple cities? Managing properties across different countries? Respond.io’s advanced routing features let you assign incoming messages based on location, language, or inquiry type — so guests always talk to someone who can actually help. Example: A guest asking about a Bali snorkeling tour gets routed to the Indonesia team, while a question about Swiss Alps skiing goes to your European agents — all automatically. #### Customize workflows around your operations Respond.io adapts to how your business works — not the other way around. You can build automations to trigger messages based on booking status, send arrival reminders based on check-in dates, or flag VIP guests for personal handling. Whether you’re running fixed tour dates, custom itineraries, or last-minute deals, the platform gives you total flexibility. #### Know what’s working and where to improve With reporting dashboards, internal notes, and Lifecycle tracking, you can monitor every stage of the customer journey — from first contact to post-trip follow-up. See which conversations lead to bookings, how efficiently your team is responding, and where improvements can be made. These insights help you optimize staffing during peak seasons, refine your messaging, and identify opportunities to upsell or re-engage customers. Next, you’ll see examples of travel businesses using respond.io to unlock the full power of WhatsApp API. ### Case studies: how travel businesses use respond.io + WhatsApp API Travel businesses around the world are already seeing the impact of using WhatsApp API — from faster response times to higher booking rates and better customer experiences. With respond.io, they manage all their chats, calls, and automations in one place while scaling operations across teams and destinations. Here are a few real-world examples of how travel companies are using respond.io to turn WhatsApp into a powerful tool for communication, service, and growth. [SchuVar Tours (Nicaragua, 8 branches)](https://respond.io/customers/schuvar-tours-shortens-sales-cycle) used respond.io to revamp its lead management and sales workflows across multiple branches. Without a centralized system, leads were often missed or left waiting, and agents were juggling unstructured communication. By connecting their channels such as WhatsApp API, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and email into a single team inbox, automating replies to collect lead information and auto-assigning chats in a round-robin system, they were able to speed up follow-ups and close deals faster. They also introduced lead status tracking to prioritize high‑intent leads, and optimized marketing by identifying which ads were driving quality leads. The result? A 60% shorter sales cycle, nearly 100% follow-up rate, and the ability to scale ad campaigns, tripling their lead volume. [My Dream Travel & Tours (Canada & India)](https://respond.io/customers/my-dream-travel-increases-leads-with-whatsapp-calls) used respond.io to unify chat and calling via the WhatsApp API, enabling customers to switch seamlessly between messages and voice calls without leaving the platform. They integrated WhatsApp Business Calling, enabling agents to continue chats while handling calls within a single interface. As a result, they doubled chat volume, saw a 30 % increase in new leads, and now about 10 % of bookings start with a WhatsApp call. Those success stories show what’s possible — now let’s walk through how you can get started using WhatsApp API with respond.io for your own travel business! ### How to start using WhatsApp API with respond.io Getting started with WhatsApp API might sound complex, but with the right partner, it’s a smooth process. For more detailed setup instructions, visit our [help center](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-api-quick-start). But basically, here’s a rundown of what you need to do: #### Prepare prerequisites - Respond.io Account — You’ll need an active respond.io workspace to begin. - Phone Number — Use a valid number that can receive an SMS or phone call for OTP. If it’s already linked to a WhatsApp app account, make sure you use coexistence. - Meta Business Manager (MBM) — You need a Meta Business Manager account. If you don’t have one, you can create it during setup. - Business Details & Website — Ensure your business site is valid and that your domain aligns with your business information. #### Connect WhatsApp API via respond.io - In your respond.io workspace, navigate to Channels → Add Channel → WhatsApp Business Platform (API) - Follow the “Connect with Facebook / Meta” flow, authorising your business profile, selecting the phone number, and setting up the WhatsApp Business profile - Once connected, respond.io links with the Mobile App (if using coexistence) or becomes your primary API channel #### Create & submit message templates (for travel use cases) - Template messages are required to initiate conversations with your contacts. - For travel businesses, you’ll want templates such as:“Your booking is confirmed: [Details]”“Reminder: your flight leaves in [hours] — check-in opens at [time]”“Your itinerary: [link or file]”“We’ve upgraded your room! Details: [info]” - “Your booking is confirmed: [Details]” - “Reminder: your flight leaves in [hours] — check-in opens at [time]” - “Your itinerary: [link or file]” - “We’ve upgraded your room! Details: [info]” - Submit these templates in respond.io (or via Meta) and wait for approval before using them in broadcasts or notifications. #### Build messaging workflows - Use respond.io’s workflow builder to automate common travel messaging paths, e.g.:Trigger welcome/greeting messages when a new lead landsAfter booking, send confirmation, itinerary, and pre-trip remindersMid-trip: delay alerts, itinerary changes, check-out remindersPost-trip: feedback request, loyalty offers - Trigger welcome/greeting messages when a new lead lands - After booking, send confirmation, itinerary, and pre-trip reminders - Mid-trip: delay alerts, itinerary changes, check-out reminders - Post-trip: feedback request, loyalty offers - Personalize these workflows using variables such as traveler name, booking date, destination, and other relevant details. #### Train AI agents - Configure how your AI should respond. Set the AI’s tone, role, and behavior through its “instructions” or persona settings. For example: “You’re a travel assistant that answers questions about tour schedules, guide services, and local policies.” - Add knowledge sources/documentation. Upload internal manuals, FAQs, or helpful guides (PDFs, URLs, text files) to serve as the AI’s reference. This helps it answer domain‑specific questions (e.g., “What is the cancellation policy?”). - Define fallback or handover conditions. Specify when the AI should hand over to a human — for example, if the customer explicitly asks for a human, or if the AI is unsure (no relevant answer found in knowledge sources). - Test & refine. Run sample conversations and test your AI agents to see how it responds. Look for errors, irrelevant or incomplete answers. Use those as feedback to improve or expand knowledge sources or tweak instructions. - Support collaboration with human agents. Human agents should be able to see what the AI has responded to, intervene smoothly, and continue the conversation with full context. This ensures that when a conversation escalates, the guest doesn’t feel they’re repeating themselves. - Monitor performance and update continuously. Use reporting tools or conversation tagging to identify where AI provides weak or incorrect answers, and update the knowledge sources or prompts accordingly. #### Launch, monitor, & improve - Go live and monitor your dashboard: response times, conversion rates, volume by destination or package - Tag conversations to uncover patterns (e.g., “flight delay”, “room upgrade request”) - Use insights to optimize workflows, staffing during peak seasons, and template messaging - Iterate — add new templates, refine automations, improve handovers ### Best practices for travel businesses using WhatsApp API Now that you know how to set up and run WhatsApp API with respond.io, here are some smart practices to get the most out of it. #### Always secure customer opt‑in before messaging - Ensure that travelers explicitly opt in to receive WhatsApp messages — for example, via a checkbox on your booking form, QR codes, or a website form. - This ensures compliance, avoids spam complaints, and preserves user trust. - Travel businesses often do this post-booking: “Would you like to get updates via WhatsApp?” #### Personalize based on traveler data - Use booking details (names, travel dates, destination, room type) to make messages feel relevant. - E.g. “Hi Alice, your check-in at Bali Beach Resort is in 2 days — here’s your itinerary.” - But avoid overpersonalization (too many variables) that increases error risk. #### Use approved templates for outbound messages only - Only template messages (pre‑approved by Meta) should be used for business‑initiated communication (e.g., confirmations, reminders). - Keep template text crisp and predictable: “Your booking is confirmed: [BookingID]” - Do not use templates to mass‑promote sales or offers without context or opt-in. #### Clear handover rules between AI & humans - Define when AI should escalate to a human agent — e.g., when the AI cannot answer a question or the customer explicitly requests assistance. - Ensure the human agent gets full context (chat history, metadata) so the traveler doesn’t repeat themselves. - Maintain continuity in tone and messaging in the handover. #### Reply quickly & stick to the 24-hour rule - According to WhatsApp's policy, once a user messages you or you initiate a conversation with a message template, you have a 24-hour conversation window to respond for free. After that, only templates are allowed. - Try to reply well within that window — fast replies increase trust and conversions. #### Keep messages short, clear & helpful - Travelers often read messages while on the move (at airports, on trains, etc.). - Keep content direct and actionable: dates, times, links. Avoid long blocks of text. - Use bullet points or line breaks for clarity. #### Segment & route based on language, destination, inquiry type - Route messages intelligently: e.g., inquiries about Europe are directed to European agents; Bali tours are routed to the Indonesia team. - Segment customers based on language or region so they get agents who understand them. - This reduces misunderstandings and service delays. #### Monitor & optimize with tags & dashboards - Use conversation tags (e.g., “flight change,” “room upgrade request”) to categorize and track common queries. - Leverage reporting dashboards to monitor response times, conversion rates, and volume by travel segment or location. - Utilize insights to optimize workflows, staffing, and template usage during peak travel seasons. #### Train AI agents & maintain knowledge base - Configure your AI’s instructions or persona — e.g., “You are a travel assistant for tour bookings and schedules.” - Feed it domain-specific knowledge (FAQs, policies, local info) so responses are accurate. - Periodically review AI’s responses, correct errors, and refine its knowledge sources. #### Support multilingual & multi-region travel experiences - Use multilingual templates or auto-translation where feasible for international travelers. - Agents should be staffed by language proficiency or have fallback support available. - Ensure content is culturally appropriate (time formats, expressions, etc.). ### Take control of the travel experience with WhatsApp API + respond.io The traveler’s journey doesn’t begin at check‑in, and it doesn’t end at check‑out — it starts from the first message and extends long after they return home. With WhatsApp API powered by respond.io, you gain the tools to own that entire experience: - Deliver timely, personalized communication at every step - Automate routine tasks and free your team for high-touch interactions - Respond faster across time zones with unified messaging and smart routing - Use insights and reporting to refine operations and drive better results Ready to make WhatsApp your travel business’s most powerful communication channel? [Start your free trial with respond.io](https://respond.io/) or [schedule a demo](https://respond.io/demo) to see it in action. ### FAQs about WhatsApp API for travel businesses ### Further reading Liked this guide? Here are more resources on WhatsApp API you might find useful: - WhatsApp API Ultimate Guide: Features, Benefits & Pricing - WhatsApp Hotel: A Guide to WhatsApp Business For Hotels - WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business for Sales and Marketing ## [WhatsApp API Pricing: The Ultimate Guide for 2025](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing) Understanding WhatsApp Business API pricing can be challenging. This Ultimate Guide will take you from the WhatsApp Business pricing basics to the best BSP for your use case. How much does WhatsApp Business cost? When it comes to WhatsApp API pricing, this can be difficult to calculate. To avoid running into unnecessary expenses, businesses should be familiar with this topic. In this blog post, we will explain the current WhatsApp Business API pricing model, the additional costs you will face and the cheapest WhatsApp API partner for your business. ### WhatsApp API Pricing in 2025: Is WhatsApp Business API Free? The [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) pricing model is simple - it’s free! But this is not the case for the WhatsApp Business Platform, also known as [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). In this section, we’ll help you understand the cost of WhatsApp API for messaging. #### WhatsApp Business Pricing in 2025: What Costs To Expect To understand the costs associated with the WhatsApp API, you need to know how the API works. Firstly, businesses need to obtain WhatsApp API access. The cost of this access varies based on the hosting type: WhatsApp On-premises API or [WhatsApp Cloud API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-cloud-api#toc-mobile-0). The WhatsApp On-premises API is typically hosted on a [Business Solution Provider’s (BSP)](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) server. This means that BSPs have complete control over the charges they impose on businesses. These charges vary based on factors like WhatsApp API access fees, hosting type, message fees and more. WhatsApp Cloud API, on the other hand, is hosted on Meta's cloud servers. Businesses can get WhatsApp Cloud API access through WhatsApp BSPs or directly from Meta. Because APIs do not have interfaces, businesses need to integrate them with a messaging software to send and receive messages. To summarize, the WhatsApp Business API has three costs associated with it: 1. BSP fees 2. Messaging software costs 3. WhatsApp per-message charges We’ll start by breaking down the WhatsApp per-message charges. ### WhatsApp Business API Pricing in 2025: What It Costs and How It Works As of **July 1, 2025**, WhatsApp Business Platform has adopted a **simpler, message-based pricing model** that replaces the previous conversation-based system. While the [24-hour customer service window](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-10) still plays an important role, the way businesses are charged has changed — and in many ways, it’s now more flexible and cost-efficient. Here’s everything you need to know about the **current WhatsApp pricing structure**. --- #### User-Initiated Messages (Service Conversations) When a customer messages you first, this opens a **24-hour customer service window** to reply freely without paying for every message — as long as you're using **free-form text** or **utility message templates**. ✅ **Good news:** Utility templates sent during this 24-hour window are **completely free,** but not marketing or authentication templates (more about this later). This makes it easier and cheaper to handle support and order updates without worrying about rising costs. --- #### Business-Initiated Messages (Template-Based Pricing) If you want to message a customer **after the 24-hour window ends**, you'll need to send a [**pre-approved template message**](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-1). There are three template categories: - Utility – for things like receipts, order confirmations, and reminders - Authentication – for one-time passcodes or verification - Marketing – for promotions, announcements, and special offers 📌 **Templates can include** text, media headers, personalized placeholders, Quick Reply buttons, and Call-to-Action buttons to encourage user interaction. #### How Template Category Affects Costs The type of template you use determines the charge. If you send multiple templates from **different categories** (e.g., one utility and one marketing message), you’ll be charged **separately for each**. However, sending **multiple messages from the same category** won’t incur extra charges for that category within the same conversation. Templates with unclear content or mixed purposes will be classified as **marketing**, which is typically the most expensive category. #### How Phone Country Code Affects Costs WhatsApp sets its rates based on the [**customer's phone number country code**](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing#rates). That means pricing will vary depending on the user’s location, so be sure to check the latest country-specific pricing for accurate cost estimates. #### Save Costs with Free Entry Points Conversations are free when customers initiate them via [click to WhatsApp ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads) or [Facebook Page call-to-action buttons](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-add-whatsapp-button-on-facebook-page). Additionally, [the 24-hour customer service window will be extended to 72 hours](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/updates-to-pricing#additional-changes-to-conversation-based-pricing-in-2023) when customers message you through these free entry points. During this messaging window, all messages sent are free, including [WhatsApp template messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message). #### Wait, There’s More: What’s the Pricing of WhatsApp Business Calls? WhatsApp Business Calling API allows businesses to make calls using WhatsApp API. Respond.io is one of the few selected BSPs with access to this game-changing feature. Here are the basics to get you started. ##### Pricing Details - Outgoing call rates are based on:Recipient’s country code.Call duration: Charged in 6-second increments, rounded up.Monthly volume: The more calls you make to a specific country, the lower your rate. Tiers reset every month. - Recipient’s country code. - Call duration: Charged in 6-second increments, rounded up. - Monthly volume: The more calls you make to a specific country, the lower your rate. Tiers reset every month. ##### Key Features and Limitations WhatsApp Business API supports both inbound (user-initiated) and outbound (business-initiated) calls. - Inbound Calls: These are initiated by users to the business and are cost-free. - Outbound Calls: These require prior user permission. You’re billed only when the customer answers the call — initiating a call, ringing and unanswered calls don’t incur any charges. - Customer Service Window: A 24-hour customer service window is opened or refreshed when a user messages, calls, or accepts a call from your business. During this period, you can send free-form messages and utility templates at no cost. You can [visit our WhatsApp Pricing Calculator](https://respond.io/whatsapp-api-calling-pricing) to explore messaging and calls costs and get your questions answered. With WhatsApp pricing made clear, it’s time to talk about the costs you will face from your BSP of choice. ### WhatsApp Business Pricing by Partner As mentioned earlier, the charges BSPs impose are dependent on the hosting type among other factors. BSPs that offer WhatsApp On-premises API have to pay WhatsApp API fees to WhatsApp and bear server setup and maintenance costs. To gain profit, BSPs will pass these costs to end-users. | WhatsApp On-Premises API | WhatsApp Cloud API | | --- | --- | | Setup charges | No server setup charges | | Hosting charges | No hosting charges | | WhatsApp conversation charges | WhatsApp conversation charges | | Some BSPs still charge per message sent in addition to conversation fees | | In contrast, BSPs that offer WhatsApp Cloud API impose little to no fees as Meta provides free WhatsApp API access and hosts WhatsApp on its servers. This eliminates any server-related expenses and results in lower costs for both BSPs and end-users. Regardless of the type of WhatsApp Business API BSPs offer, a majority of them impose additional fees on top of the WhatsApp conversation charges like markups per message or setup fees. While costs differ from one BSP to another, we’ll cover some of the main BSPs in the market and their pricing models in the next section. #### Sleekflow WhatsApp API Pricing: WhatsApp Account Some businesses need to operate multiple WhatsApp accounts—whether to support different branches worldwide, serve distinct teams, or work around the limitations of a single account. If that’s your case, keep in mind that some BSPs, like SleekFlow, charge extra for each connected WhatsApp number. Specifically, [SleekFlow charges US$15 per month](https://respond.io/sleekflow-alternative) per WhatsApp Business phone number. #### Wati WhatsApp API Pricing: Plan Limits Wati’s entry-level plan includes just three users, with no option to add more—an immediate limitation for businesses with growing support or sales teams. This low cap restricts your ability to scale on WhatsApp and will inevitably push you toward a more expensive plan very quickly. #### MessageBird WhatsApp API Pricing: Markup per Message Many BSPs impose markups on messages that you send and deliver on WhatsApp and [MessageBird](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/messagebird-whatsapp) is one of them. It offers WhatsApp API access while adding its own message fees on top of the WhatsApp conversation charges. While WhatsApp conversation charges vary by country, MessageBird adds a $0.005 markup per session message sent by the business. There is also a $0.005 markup per template message, on top of the WhatsApp charges. #### Twilio WhatsApp API Pricing: Per-Message [Twilio](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/twilio-whatsapp) kept the per-message pricing model after the WhatsApp Business pricing changes. In their own words, “Pay-as-you-go pricing makes sure you only pay for what you use”. On top of WhatsApp conversation charges, Twilio charges a $0.005 flat fee per message sent and also per message received. This markup applies to both business-initiated conversations and service conversations. #### 360dialog WhatsApp API Pricing: Monthly Plans [360dialog](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/360dialog-whatsapp) offers three monthly plans for WhatsApp API access that range from $53 to $218. Businesses must also pay a hosting fee, which starts at $20 per month. However, it doesn’t add any markup fee on messages sent or received. Since it only provides API access, you'll need to integrate your WhatsApp API with a messaging software like respond.io to actually send and receive messages. As a result, you’ll have to spend up to $73 per month just for WhatsApp API access. #### Respond.io WhatsApp Business API: Free WhatsApp API Access Respond.io is a recognized WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) and customer conversation management software. It allows you to get free WhatsApp API access, manage your WhatsApp Business Account and receive messages in an [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication). Because respond.io offers WhatsApp Cloud API, businesses only need to pay WhatsApp conversation charges that are made compulsory by WhatsApp. It does not impose any setup, per conversation fee or per message fees. If you’re looking for a BSP that is also a messaging software provider, respond.io is your best bet. Now that you understand the pricing plans offered by popular WhatsApp BSPs, we’ll look at the most common business use cases and how the current WhatsApp Business pricing model affects them. ### WhatsApp Business API Pricing by Use Case Companies often have different teams messaging customers via WhatsApp API and these teams have different messaging habits. In this section, we’ll discuss what costs to expect when using WhatsApp API for sales, support, marketing and engineering. #### WhatsApp Pricing for Sales Teams Sales Teams typically initiate conversations with leads, incurring higher costs. For sales teams with low sales volume but high profit margins per sale, choosing a MAC or monthly plan can be cost-effective, as they often engage in fewer but more profitable conversations. #### WhatsApp Pricing for Support Teams Support Teams primarily respond to inbound inquiries. WhatsApp only charges for one message in a service conversation if it's replied to within 24 hours, making it more cost-effective for support teams. However, extra charges apply for business messages extending beyond this window, and support teams must take care to avoid unnecessary charges for spam or irrelevant messages. #### WhatsApp Pricing for Marketing Teams For teams interested in [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) to send promotional messages, each counts as a business-initiated marketing message. This can be costly, especially if you send [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message), so it's advisable to select a BSP that doesn't charge a markup fee per message. It's important to adhere to WhatsApp's Business Policy to avoid misuse for spam. Also consider integrating a [WhatsApp CRM](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) to further enhance your sales and marketing operations with WhatsApp. #### WhatsApp Pricing for Engineers Operational technical implementors (engineering teams) send transactional notifications like payment confirmations or password resets, categorized as business-initiated messages. Choosing BSPs without additional message costs is recommended to minimize expenses. In general, transactional notifications are business-initiated, as they are not sent in response to a customer’s message. Business-initiated conversations are more expensive, so BSPs with additional message costs should be avoided. Now that you understand everything you need about WhatsApp API pricing and the costs associated with it, it’s time to choose the right BSP for your business needs. ### WhatsApp API Pricing: Choosing The Right BSP As a business, paying per-message charges to WhatsApp to chat with customers is inevitable. However, you can avoid additional fees imposed by some WhatsApp BSPs. Unlike other providers, respond.io does not charge any setup fees, hosting fees or markup per message or conversation. As you’d expect, respond.io supports all core WhatsApp API features like [broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) to large audiences and [interactive messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-interactive-message). But it also goes further with [AI Agents](https://respond.io/blog/how-respondio-ai-agents-work) — fully autonomous assistants that can qualify leads, update customer details, generate conversation summaries and seamlessly escalate to humans when needed. Plus, as a recognized Meta Business Partner, respond.io has undergone Meta's assessment for its proficiency in Meta products such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram DM. This affiliation comes with several advantages, including enhanced support from Meta, contributing to an elevated level of service for respond.io users. If you're looking for a WhatsApp BSP that also offers AI-powered conversation management software, [sign up for respond.io](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and get free WhatsApp API access. ### Further Reading That’s all you need to know about the WhatsApp API cost for businesses. If found this reading interesting, check out the following articles: - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business - WhatsApp Auto Reply in 4 Easy Steps: Full Guide (+18 Samples) - The Ultimate Guide to WhatsApp Business API - WhatsApp Broadcast: A How-To Guide ## [WhatsApp API Ultimate Guide: Features, Benefits & Pricing](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) Unlock the power of WhatsApp API for business. Learn how to set it up, how much it costs and how to use it to manage contacts and automate messaging at scale. If you're struggling to keep up with the flood of chats on the WhatsApp Business App, it might be time to level up with the WhatsApp Business API. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know—what the WhatsApp API is, how it compares to the app you're using now, what it costs, and how it can supercharge your marketing and sales game. ### What is WhatsApp Business API? [WhatsApp Business Platform](https://business.whatsapp.com/products/business-platform), commonly referred to as WhatsApp API, is designed for medium to large companies looking to use WhatsApp for messaging at scale. Unlike the WhatsApp Business App, the API doesn’t have a front-end interface. Instead, it connects to messaging software like respond.io to send, receive and manage conversations across teams and touchpoints. This flexibility lets you choose the tools that match your needs—whether that's automated workflows, AI-powered replies, bulk broadcasts, appointment booking or building personalized customer journeys. Not sure if the API is the right fit for you? Keep reading to compare it with the WhatsApp Business App. Already set on the API and ready to dive deeper? [Jump ahead](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-2). #### WhatsApp Business API vs WhatsApp Business App The [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) is intended for micro to small businesses, as it comes with limited multiuser, broadcast and automation capabilities. This makes it difficult to handle high volumes of messages and contacts. | | WhatsApp Business App | WhatsApp Business API | | --- | --- | --- | | Best for | Small businesses | Medium to large businesses | | Number of Devices | 5 | Unlimited | | Automation Capabilities | Limited | Advanced AI and automation | | Broadcast Limit | 256 contacts | Unlimited | | Supports Integration | No | Yes | The API, on the other hand, supports unlimited users and high volumes of broadcasts. When paired with the right WhatsApp API software, businesses can manage conversations with [advanced AI](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai) and [automation](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) and ensure smooth [contact synchronization](https://help.respond.io/capture-leads/enrich-customer-data) with e-commerce platforms and CRMs, among other advanced capabilities. Even though WhatsApp API allows “unlimited” broadcasts, actual sending is governed by messaging limits in your Business Manager Account. All phone numbers under the same Business Managers share the same messaging limit and new numbers immediately get the Business Manager’s current limit. [Limits](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-messaging-limits) start low for new accounts (e.g., 250 messages per day) and [increase automatically](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/messaging-limits/#automatic-scaling) over time as you verify your business and your account demonstrates good sending practices (e.g., 250 → 2,000 → 10,000 → etc.). All numbers under a WABA share the same messaging limit, so planning broadcasts, automation, and customer segmentation is crucial to avoid exceeding your daily capacity. Monitoring these limits ensures consistent message delivery and helps prevent throttling or account restrictions. Of course, along with the increased scale and features come costs. WhatsApp Business API incurs messaging fees as well as requiring a subscription to the messaging software of your choice. We’ll give you the breakdown so you’ll know what to expect. ### How Much Does WhatsApp Business API Cost? WhatsApp API fees are now based on the number and type of messages sent, rather than entire conversations. Pricing depends on message type, volume and region. To get an idea of the fees you’ll need to pay, you can use this [WhatsApp API pricing calculator](https://respond.io/whatsapp-pricing-calculator). Here’s how conversations are categorized. #### WhatsApp's Per-Message Pricing Previously, WhatsApp API used conversation-based pricing, with user-initiated (service) and business-initiated conversations billed differently. As of July 1, 2025, this model has been replaced by per-message billing. With the new per-message model, most support chats fall under user-initiated messages. When a customer contacts you, it opens a 24-hour service window where replies with free-form text or utility templates are free. If the chat starts through a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or Facebook Page CTA, the window extends to 72 hours. Plus, each WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) gets 1,000 free service conversations per month, shared across all numbers. If you need to follow up after the window closes, you must use a pre-approved template, billed per message. Pricing depends on the template category (Utility, Authentication, Marketing) and the customer’s country code. Utility templates are generally cheaper, while unclear or mixed-purpose templates default to marketing, the most expensive option. For voice support, the WhatsApp Business Calling API offers inbound (user-initiated) calls for free, while outbound calls are billed only if answered, based on destination and duration. Calls also refresh the 24-hour service window, letting you continue messaging at no extra cost. #### WhatsApp Business Solution Provider Costs You’ll need to choose a [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP)](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider), a third-party company that helps you get access to WhatsApp API. These are usually subscription based software platforms. To avoid additional costs on top of WhatsApp’s compulsory charges, choose your BSP wisely. For example, [SleekFlow charges $15 per phone number](https://respond.io/sleekflow-alternative) per month. On the other hand, [respond.io offers WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-whatsapp) without charging any markups or additional fees. Now that you know how much it costs, take a look at the features WhatsApp API offers when combined with a conversation management platform like respond.io. ### What Are Essential Features to Look for in a WhatsApp Business API Platform? With the right conversation management platform, you can use the WhatsApp API not just to chat with leads—but to convert them into loyal customers. While the API itself doesn’t include built-in features, your chosen platform should offer the tools you need to boost productivity and drive revenue. #### 1\. Allows Multiple Agent Access The WhatsApp API is designed to [accommodate a large number of agents](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users). This means you can manage conversations concurrently to handle high message volumes. It also allows various team members to work on incoming inquiries without delay. Each agent can view real-time updates, access previous conversations, and maintain continuity, ensuring that customers receive prompt, informed responses. With this multi-agent support, businesses can scale their customer service efforts, keeping up with demand and minimizing response times. #### 2\. Reply to Messages at Scale With Automation If your business faces a large number of inbound messages, your agents might not be able to reply to all of them. To free up their time, you can set up [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply#toc-mobile-20) to instantly respond to lead inquiries. Even better, if you choose a conversation management platform with AI capabilities, you can [use AI agents](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai) to provide fast, intelligent replies to almost any customer query. Train your AI agent to answer common questions, [automatically qualify leads](https://help.respond.io/automate-conversations/how-to-automatically-qualify-contacts-based-on-budget-using-ai-agent) and [route them](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) to the right team when they need to speak to a human. With the [latest GPT-5 upgrade](https://respond.canny.io/changelog/all-new-ai-agents-have-arrived) on respond.io, AI Agents can also update contact records, adjust lifecycle stages, route and close conversations with an autosummary once an interaction is complete. They can handle inputs like [images, PDFs, CSVs and more](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/managing-ai-knowledge-sources), allowing your AI agents to extract and act on information directly from files. Support for audio messages and the ability to understand and respond to voice notes is also coming soon. Plus, with AI Agent Follow-Up, conversations never go cold. When a chat goes idle, the AI automatically sends timely follow-ups or completes defined actions, keeping leads engaged and inboxes organized. What makes this even more powerful is respond.io’s upgraded AI system, which processes only the steps required for each task. This results in faster, more accurate responses and more efficient AI usage—even during high-volume spikes. And when a human agent needs to step in, instant takeover ensures the AI stops immediately, preventing overlapping replies and keeping handoffs smooth and professional. As a result, agents are free to perform more important tasks like closing sales or following up with prospects. #### 3\. Supercharge Conversations with AI and WhatsApp Calling And when agents need to have high value conversations, [AI features](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai#toc-1) can help them compose polished replies faster. For example, ask AI to draft a reply based on company knowledge sources and edit as needed. AI prompts instantly polish grammar, check for typos, adjust tone or translate a message into the contact’s native language. Additionally, it’s sometimes easier to [jump into a call](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration) using [VoIP](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration), WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger to clarify something with a lead or customer rather than texting. Soon, your AI Agent will also be able to join calls and handle voice conversations while preserving human resources for other high-value tasks. Call transfers will be added in the near future too, meaning that businesses will be able to move ongoing WhatsApp calls between agents without dropping the connection or losing context — helping teams resolve issues faster and improve customer experience. Respond.io is a provider of [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-upgrade-to-whatsapp-api-without-losing-voice-calling#toc-3), so you can take advantage of this revolutionary feature. #### 4\. Integrate with Third-Party Tools Like HubSpot and Salesforce WhatsApp API also allows for integration with third-party tools such as [CRMs](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) including [HubSpot](https://respond.io/blog/hubspot-whatsapp-integration) and [Salesforce](https://respond.io/blog/salesforce-whatsapp-integration), e-commerce platforms and automation software. These integrations can facilitate follow-ups and automate tasks like lead capture. Providing greater context on each interaction, integration fills in the gaps to make your sales and marketing efforts holistic, ensuring that no customer is overlooked. Additionally, it makes processes more efficient as there’s no need to switch between multiple apps. #### 5\. Track the Entire Customer Lifecycle When you use WhatsApp API with respond.io, you can create tailored journeys for leads and customers based on their status in the customer [lifecycle](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle). Any agent taking on a conversation will instantly be able to recognize high-intent leads from their lifecycle stage (e.g., Hot Lead) and prioritize them accordingly. This is also beneficial when managing contacts on multiple channels. For example, if a Hot Lead first came in via WhatsApp but then re-engages your business on Instagram, agents can identify their stage in the customer journey, skip redundant steps and nurture them efficiently to take action. Moreover, AI Agents can help automate this by moving contacts to the right stage or closing conversations with an autosummary, ensuring the pipeline stays accurate without manual work. #### 6\. Gain Enhanced Analytics and Insights Track metrics like message or broadcast delivery rates and read rates to provide a clear picture of customer engagement. These insights help optimize communication strategies, ensuring messages effectively reach and resonate with the target audience. Other key reports like response times and sales leaderboards enable you to identify underperforming agents or weak processes to improve them. This leads to higher customer satisfaction, better retention rates, and an overall improvement in brand reputation. #### 7\. Ensure Security and Compliance WhatsApp API is designed for large businesses whose customers trust them to keep their data safe. WhatsApp API is built with strict compliance and security standards, and end-to-end encryption is used on all messages. This ensures only the sender and recipient can read the content. Furthermore, WhatsApp complies with data privacy regulations such as [GDPR](https://business.whatsapp.com/trust-and-safety), helping businesses meet legal requirements for customer data protection. By maintaining high-security standards, businesses using the WhatsApp API can assure customers that their information is safe, building trust and enhancing the brand’s reputation for secure communication. Stability is also crucial to your business’ reputation. When you’re handling high volumes of conversations, you can’t afford downtime, lags or lost messages. Choose a platform that is stable and reliable specifically under high message and call volumes so your customers aren’t kept waiting. If you’re ready to get WhatsApp API and take advantage of these features, here’s what you need to apply for access. ### What Do I Need to Apply for WhatsApp Business API Access? It is compulsory for businesses to have a [Meta Business Portfolio](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/1710077379203657) (formerly known as Meta Business account) and a phone number. You can either use a [free virtual phone number](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/embedded-signup/?content_id=XrlUSVgv8GesfxY#555-business-phone-numbers) provided by Meta or purchase your own number. Do note that these virtual numbers are given by WhatsApp and are associated with a US country code. They also cannot be used for calling and texting beyond WhatsApp. If you have a current WhatsApp Business Account, you can still use this number with the new [WhatsApp Coexistence](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-coexistence) feature, if your business is in a supported country. If your business is in an [unsupported country](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/embedded-signup/custom-flows/onboarding-business-app-users#unsupported-countries), you cannot use a number connected to a current WhatsApp account. Once you have a phone number and a Meta Business Portfolio account, the next step is to choose a [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP)](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider). BSPs are approved by WhatsApp and often provide solutions to enable businesses to send messages, manage customer interactions and integrate with other business tools. So, what do you need to know to pick one? First, make sure your BSP enables all the must-have features discussed above. Another important factor is to choose a WhatsApp partner that doesn't apply markups on messaging. Respond.io fits these criteria and is the perfect choice as a WhatsApp BSP. It is also a badged Meta Business Partner, which means it is recognized by Meta for its expertise in business messaging. > Meta has rolled out new WhatsApp Setup Guidance directly inside your Meta Business Portfolio. This new hub provides step-by-step instructions to simplify your API setup and manage message eligibility. You can now launch campaigns faster with pre-approved templates and instantly check your template review and appeals status. Next, we’ll show you the simple steps to get a WhatsApp API account. ### 3 Simple Steps to Set Up WhatsApp Business API Account Now, it’s time to set up a WhatsApp API account. We’ll show you how easy it is to set it up on respond.io. #### 1\. Connect Your Facebook Account and WhatsApp API Account Start by linking your Facebook account to the WhatsApp API account. [Click this link](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and select *Create and connect a NEW WhatsApp Business Platform (API) account.* Then, click Get Started. #### 2\. Verify Your Number If you’re using a phone number with a SIM card, you'll need to verify your phone number via a phone call or text message. If you sign up for a virtual number, there’s no need for verification. #### 3\. Start Messaging Once verified, you can begin messaging and responding to customers using the WhatsApp API. If you need more guidance, explore our dedicated blog that explains [the application process step-by-step](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api). Once you’re set up, here are some practical ways to use WhatsApp to capture, convert and retain customers. ### 5 Proven Ways to Drive Revenue with WhatsApp Business API The features that WhatsApp API offers to businesses open up a ton of possibilities. Its versatility allows companies to integrate WhatsApp into their core operations, enhancing everything from sales and marketing to customer support. Let’s look at the five most common WhatsApp API use cases. #### 1\. Lead Generation and Sales Automation Use WhatsApp Business API to [generate leads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-lead-generation) and automate your sales processes. Gain more leads at the top of your funnel and then efficiently process them to ensure your agents talk to the most promising leads. WhatsApp can be leveraged to generate leads through tools like [chat widgets](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-widget), [click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads#toc-2), and [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code). These entry points make it easy for potential customers to connect with businesses, starting a conversation that can be guided toward conversion. Here’s an example of how to use WhatsApp API for click-to-chat ads: When a lead reaches you, [qualify them with AI](https://help.respond.io/automate-conversations/how-to-automatically-qualify-contacts-based-on-budget-using-ai-agent) or chatbots and then lead them via [chat routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) to your sales team. #### 2\. Appointment Booking and Reminders You can also nurture leads efficiently to reduce no-shows and increase the number of converted leads. By using [scheduled broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message), businesses can send [appointment reminders](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-appointment-booking) and follow-ups to customers. #### 3\. Marketing and Promotions With a [98% message open rate](https://www.inventiva.co.in/trends/top-10-best-whatsapp-marketing-2/), WhatsApp messages are an excellent way to market and promote your products. It’s almost certain that your messages will be seen and acted upon, making it a powerful tool for customer engagement and [marketing campaigns](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing). Businesses can achieve this by using [broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) to send targeted promotional messages to a wide audience. Messages can include rich media such as images, videos, and links, which enhance engagement and make the communication more dynamic and appealing. > Note: WhatsApp broadcast should be sent to customers who have opted-in to receive your marketing messages. Sending cold messages could [get your account banned](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-banned#toc-mobile-1). Common use cases include announcing product launches, events, or running time-sensitive campaigns. #### 4\. Improve Customer Support and Service WhatsApp Business API enables businesses to improve customer satisfaction by offering faster response times. [83% of customers](https://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_ie/www/PDF/state-of-connected-customer-fifth-ed-comp.pdf) expect to interact with someone immediately when they contact a company. Businesses can meet these expectations by leveraging WhatsApp API’s advanced capabilities like [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api). With features such as [message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message), [automation](https://help.respond.io/automate-conversations), and even [AI integration](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai), businesses can streamline processes and handle customer inquiries with greater efficiency. #### 5\. Send Surveys for Feedback, and Customer Insights Lastly, you can use WhatsApp API to collect customer feedback to drive continuous business improvement. The feedback collected can be analyzed to uncover actionable insights, helping businesses identify areas for improvement and align their offerings with customer expectations. This proactive approach fosters customer satisfaction and loyalty while supporting long-term growth. Businesses can collect feedback through surveys sent post-purchase or after customer support interactions. They can also send this data to a [CRM using integrations](https://respond.io/blog/hubspot-integration) so it’s easy to view in one place and make actionable decisions. With these powerful use cases, you can see why WhatsApp API is a must-have for medium to large businesses. Now that you’ve equipped yourself with everything that you need to know about WhatsApp API, let’s look at the businesses that won big with it. ### WhatsApp Business API Success Stories: Big Wins for Businesses Using WhatsApp API has tangible benefits for businesses, allowing them to achieve their business goals from increasing conversion rates to improving customer satisfaction. Find out how these businesses achieved their goals through WhatsApp API. #### Qobolak [Qobolak](https://respond.io/customers/how-qobolak-used-broadcasts-to-double-student-lead-conversions), an education placement company in Saudi Arabia, leveraged the WhatsApp Business API via respond.io to streamline communication and boost student lead conversions. A key factor in their success was the use of WhatsApp broadcasts to promote events and updates to a wide audience effectively. Over eight months, Qobolak achieved a remarkable **95% increase in lead conversions**. #### 800 Storage [800 Storage](https://respond.io/customers/how-800-storage-achieved-30-more-conversions-over-whatsapp), a Dubai-based self-storage company, enhanced its customer engagement and operational efficiency by using WhatsApp API . This integration enabled multi-user access, allowing sales and support teams to manage a high volume of inquiries effectively. By implementing automated conversation routing and assignment, 800 Storage ensured that customer messages were directed to the appropriate teams promptly, **increasing conversions by 30%**. #### EMAX Beauté [EMAX Beauté](https://respond.io/customers/how-emax-boosts-appointment-bookings), a leading provider of beauty, skincare, haircare and body wellness services in the greater Kuala Lumpur area, streamlined lead engagement with [respond.io](http://respond.io)’s WhatsApp API after switching from another WhatsApp API provider. The business used [respond.io](http://respond.io)’s lifecycle feature to track leads and customers throughout the funnel to improve targeting and overall customer experience. Additionally, with automation features like auto-assignment and canned responses, agents were able to respond to WhatsApp leads faster. With higher quality leads and faster responses, agents are able to engage leads while interest is high, which has led to an **18x increase in appointment bookings**. ### New: Can I Use WhatsApp Business App and API at the Same Time? Until recently, businesses had to choose between using the WhatsApp Business App or the WhatsApp API. Now, with [WhatsApp Coexistence](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-use-whatsapp-business-app-and-api-at-the-same-time), you can use both on the same number. This means you can keep your existing WhatsApp Business app number and still connect it to the WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) via respond.io — without losing access to your app or needing a new number. #### Why It Matters for Teams Coexistence gives your team the flexibility to: - Use advanced API features like multiple users, automation, AI routing and CRM integrations via respond.io. - Keep using the WhatsApp Business app for simple 1:1 conversations or business tools like catalogs and quick replies. - Maintain your existing number, customer chat history and app access—even after connecting to the API. This setup is ideal for growing teams that want the power of the WhatsApp API without sacrificing the convenience of the app they’re accustomed to. > ⚠️ Note: Some WhatsApp Business app features like calls, group chats, broadcast lists and disappearing messages won't work on the API side. Also, if you enable coexistence, you’ll temporarily lose the blue checkmark (you can reapply after setup). ### Getting Started with Respond.io Respond.io is an AI-powered customer conversation management software provider that aims to help businesses generate leads and enable sales conversions through conversations. It has enabled businesses worldwide to [gain more qualified leads](https://respond.io/blog/how-sleek-gained-3x-more-qualified-leads-over-whatsapp), [improve sales conversions](https://respond.io/blog/how-lamarsa-coffee-used-chat-commerce-to-boost-sales-across-6-countries-by-50) and [achieve a high degree of customer satisfaction](https://respond.io/blog/how-sharwa-designed-a-communication-strategy-that-achieved-85-in-csat-scores). It has also developed a [conversation-led growth framework](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth) to help businesses maximize business results through conversations. Below are some key highlights of how you can use WhatsApp API with respond.io: - Automate WhatsApp Ads lead qualification - Reengage with leads and customers with WhatsApp Broadcast - Automate conversations with an AI Chatbot - Converse promptly and effectively with AI Assist - Measure performance with advanced Reports Interested in experiencing these capabilities firsthand? [Try respond.io WhatsApp Business API for free](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and take your WhatsApp messaging to the next level or [contact us for a free consultation](https://respond.io/demo). ### Further Reading We hope you found this ultimate guide useful. Check out these articles if you want to learn more about business messaging. - Using WhatsApp Business for Multiple Users - How to Generate More WhatsApp Leads - Conversation-Led Growth: Where Conversations Drive Business Results ## [WhatsApp Appointment Booking: Make Bookings A Breeze](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-appointment-booking) Busy manually scheduling appointments? Streamline and automate your efforts with WhatsApp appointment booking. Does your business regularly schedule appointments? Learn how you can make it easier through a WhatsApp appointment booking. In this blog, learn what WhatsApp appointment bookings are, who they’re suitable for and their benefits. Also, discover how to set up appointments on WhatsApp, best practices and how you can win big through respond.io. ### What is WhatsApp Appointment Booking? WhatsApp appointment booking, or WhatsApp reservation system, allows customers to schedule appointments through WhatsApp conversations. It also allows customers to reschedule or cancel an appointment over WhatsApp. #### Who Should Use WhatsApp Appointment Booking? Any business that communicates with customers via WhatsApp can schedule appointments. In our view, the businesses in particular that will stand to benefit the most from WhatsApp appointment bookings are in the following sectors: - Education - Healthcare - Beauty - Real Estate - Food and Beverage Now that you know what and who WhatsApp appointment booking is for, let's check out what you can gain from it. ### Benefits of Booking Appointments via WhatsApp In today's fast-paced world, businesses constantly seek ways to enhance efficiency and improve customer engagement. WhatsApp Appointment Booking is another tool in your arsenal to achieve these gains. It brings a multitude of benefits to various businesses. With this in mind, we can delve into the benefits that this approach offers. #### WhatsApp Business Appointment Booking: Ease of Customer Access WhatsApp's vast popularity as a messaging app provides unparalleled global reach and convenience. This wide reach makes it an ideal platform for appointment booking across various sectors. Furthermore, the familiar interface of WhatsApp means that most customers require no additional training or adaptation period, making it straightforward to schedule, reschedule, or inquire about appointments. #### WhatsApp Business Appointment Booking: Offer a Better Customer Experience Allowing customers to make bookings over WhatsApp offers a more personalized experience. Unlike emails or automated phone systems, WhatsApp offers a direct and informal communication channel. This fosters a more personal connection, making customers feel valued and heard. Additionally, if a customer wants to modify or cancel their booking, they can do so easily. Customers would just need to message the business of the changes. #### WhatsApp Business Appointment Booking: Improve Efficiency For your team, the introduction of WhatsApp Appointment Booking is a game-changer. Automating the appointment scheduling process significantly reduces the manual workload. This automation frees up your staff to focus on more critical aspects of your business. This improves overall operational efficiency. Additionally, the real-time nature of WhatsApp ensures immediate updating and scheduling, minimizing the chances of errors and delays in the booking process. While WhatsApp doesn’t natively support appointment bookings, you can use the [Workflows automation builder](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) to set up automatic WhatsApp appointment bookings. If you would like to see this feature, upvote this [feature request](https://respond.canny.io/feature-request/p/business-problem-meetingappointment-booking) for native support. In the meantime, let’s explore how to set up appointment bookings using respond.io and its advanced automation builder. ### How to ask for Appointment Booking on WhatsApp We’ve designed this user-friendly and straightforward workaround to set up appointment bookings in WhatsApp. It simply requires you to send a Calendly, a platform that specializes in appointment scheduling, or a Google Calendar link to customers. You can send these links manually. > Before you automate this process, you’ll need a WhatsApp API account connected to a respond.io account. Here’s a basic sample of a Workflow to set up an appointment on WhatsApp. **1\. Click** the *Workflows* icon on the left panel. **2\. Select** *\+ Add Workflow*. **3\. Click** Auto Responder on the left and then click *Simple Chat Menu > Use Template*. **3a. Configure** the Channel from Last Interacted Channel to WhatsApp API channel. If you only use WhatsApp API, you can move on to the next step. Choose one of the branches to automate your appointment bookings. **4\.** Edit the text under Message Content and include your link here. You can configure the rest of the branches as needed. Once, you’re done, press *Publish* to start the Workflow. Alternatively, you can also select the [Click-to-Chat Ads: Assignment](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-triggers#trigger_click_to_chat_ads) if you want to [streamline the meeting booking process](https://help.respond.io/capture-conversations/streamline-meeting-scheduling-via-ctc-ads) for leads generated from Meta [click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads#toc-mobile-1). Now that you’re familiar with the setup process to schedule appointments on WhatsApp, let’s look at the best practices. ### WhatsApp Business Appointment Booking: Best Practices Automating your appointment booking process is great, but it’s not the be-all and end-all. You’ll also need to keep in mind of #### Send Appointment Reminders and Confirmations Utilizing WhatsApp to send appointment reminders and confirmations is an effective strategy to minimize no-show rates. By directly reaching out to customers on a platform they frequently use, businesses ensure that appointment details are conveniently accessible. This approach can be enhanced by including links to manage or modify appointments, thus simplifying the process for the customer. You should also consider using the [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api) for sending reminders. Regular reminders, like a day before and an hour before the appointment, can significantly reduce the likelihood of no-shows. #### Offer Quick and Easy Scheduling The goal is to make the scheduling process as effortless as possible for the customer. This can be achieved by implementing user-friendly interfaces for appointment booking, providing clear availability options and minimizing the steps required to confirm an appointment. If you want a more effortless option, configure your AI Agent or chatbot to send calendar links when the customer is ready to book. Streamlined scheduling not only enhances customer experience but also reduces the administrative burden on the business. #### Deliver Prompt Responses Quick response times to customer inquiries and requests for appointment changes are crucial in maintaining customer satisfaction and efficiency. By promptly addressing these needs, businesses demonstrate their commitment to customer service and adaptability. This can be facilitated by AI Agents for common inquiries and a dedicated support team for more complex issues. Agents can leverage the [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api) for lengthy or complex discussions, minimizing customer frustration and accelerating decision-making. #### Set Up Away Messages for Assistance For instances where live assistance is required for booking or rescheduling appointments, setting up informative away messages is vital. These messages can inform customers about operation hours and provide guidance on when they can expect a response. This approach helps manage customer expectations and maintains communication transparency. #### Integrate WhatsApp with CRM Automating the initial inquiry and booking processes through chatbots can significantly enhance efficiency. When WhatsApp is integrated with a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, it creates a seamless workflow for managing appointments and customer data. This integration enables businesses to track customer interactions, preferences and history, leading to personalized service and better appointment management. You can implement all these best practices by using respond.io, an AI-powered customer conversation management software. Let’s check that out next. ### Quick Wins with Respond.io We’ve talked about how you can use respond.io’s advanced features to enable a WhatsApp Business appointment booking. Now, let’s take a look at the other features on respond.io that businesses use in their daily operations. #### Reduce First Response Time and Maintain High-Traffic Ads [E4CC](https://respond.io/customers/how-e4cc-consolidated-22-siloed-regional-offices-on-one-platform), an English language training provider for Latin Americans, faced challenges in managing operations across different locations and needed to improve its conversational support methods due to high-resolution times. After implementing respond.io, E4CC consolidated its regional operations onto a single platform, leading to an 80% decrease in first response time and improved engagement and resolution efficiency through WhatsApp support. They also recognized the effectiveness of click-to-chat ad campaigns as the primary driver of new student sign-ups and have retained WhatsApp as the channel for sales use. #### Monitor Performance [Contable.app](https://respond.io/customers/how-contableapp-achieved-30-percent-higher-customer-retention-by-switching-to-shared-omnichannel-inbox), a Chilean bookkeeping company, faced challenges in managing customer communications. Initially, their accountants used personal WhatsApp accounts for client interactions, causing issues like a lack of oversight by managers. Since adopting respond.io, managers can oversee and guide accountants' customer interactions, ensuring clear communication. This system also helps manage and follow up on all customer conversations efficiently, addressing previously common issues of neglected chats. Of course, there’s a ton more for respond.io to offer like Respond AI, a conversational AI that improves your responses, gives quick replies and automatically answers customer inquiries. If you’d like to use this feature and schedule appointments over WhatsApp, sign up for a [free respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register). ### Further Reading If you liked this read and want to learn more about WhatsApp, here are more articles for you: - WhatsApp API: The Ultimate Guide to WhatsApp Business API - A How-to Guide on WhatsApp Template Messages - WhatsApp for Education: A Comprehensive Guide to WhatsApp Education ## [WhatsApp Auto Reply in 4 Easy Steps: Full Guide (+18 Samples)](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) Want to know how WhatsApp auto reply benefit your business? In this article, we'll detail what WhatsApp auto reply is, the benefit of using it and how to set it up on WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp Business API. Looking to set up WhatsApp auto reply for your business or for your [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) needs? You've come to the right place. In this article, we’ll explain what WhatsApp auto reply is, how to set it up on the WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp Business API, and provide you with sample WhatsApp auto reply messages. ### What is WhatsApp Auto Reply? Auto reply in WhatsApp is a feature that enables businesses to send automated messages when they are not available to respond to incoming WhatsApp messages. There are 2 common types of auto reply messages for WhatsApp: - Greeting messages: Welcome messages that businesses send when customers start a conversation for the first time or after 14 days - Away messages: Messages that respond to customers outside of business hours As a business owner, auto reply messages are a handy feature. In the next section, we’ll explain how it helps your business. ### 5 Benefits of WhatsApp Auto Reply People expect communication via [instant messaging](https://respond.io/blog/instant-messaging-for-business) to be immediate, no matter the time of day. However, this is not always possible due to limited operating hours, shortage of manpower, long waiting queues and more. WhatsApp has rolled out a solution in the form of auto replies. Businesses can enhance customer service by informing customers of their availability and also improve response times to [increase customer satisfaction](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score). There are many upsides to using auto replies for WhatsApp, but we’ll point out the 3 main ones. #### 1\. Manage Customer Expectations Set response time expectations by informing customers about your availability. #### 2\. Make a Positive First Impression First impressions matter. A quality, fast reply to a customer inquiry sets the tone for the rest of the customer’s journey with your business. It reduces the chances of your customer dropping off, reducing the chances of lost sales. #### 3\. Collect Customer Information Collect customer information with a [pre-chat survey](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) for agents to follow up on the conversation. But that’s not all. We have two bonus benefits that you stand to gain from using a WhatsApp auto reply. #### 4\. Increase Sales Opportunities By automating routine replies, like FAQ answers, businesses can ensure that they never miss a sales opportunity, even when your team is unavailable. Auto replies can help move a lead along the customer journey with minimal resources. #### 5\. Reduce Labor Cost By automating common responses, businesses can reduce the need for a large support team, saving on labor costs while maintaining efficient customer service. Additionally, auto-replies can handle increased inquiries seamlessly during promotions or seasonal spikes without requiring additional resources, ensuring consistent engagement even during high-demand periods. ### How to Set Up WhatsApp Auto Reply on WhatsApp Business App Businesses create auto-replies to assure customers that they’re not neglected in managing response time expectations and improving the customer experience. However, it is only available for [WhatsApp Business solutions](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business). Businesses can set up auto-replies for inbound messages on WhatsApp via: - WhatsApp Business App - WhatsApp Business API Let’s start with the WhatsApp Business app. In the WhatsApp Business app, there are 2 kinds of WhatsApp auto-reply messages you can create: Greeting messages and away messages. Open the WhatsApp Business app and follow the steps. #### Set Up a Greeting Message ##### **Step 1: Go** to *Business tools* ##### **Step 2: Enable** *Greeting Message* ##### **Step 3: Craft** your Message ##### **Step 4: Choose** Recipients #### Set Up an Away Message ##### Step 1: Go to *Business Tools >* Select *Away Message* ##### Step 2: Personalize your Message ##### Step 3: Set Your Schedule You can select the time your messages are sent out in three ways. 1. Always send: Use this if you’re available for an extended period. 2. On a custom schedule: This is for auto replies that should be sent at a particular time of day. 3. Outside your business hours: Set this when your business isn’t in operation. ##### Step 4: Choose Recipients This is sufficient if you’re running a small business. However, there are limitations if you want to scale or need more powerful automation features. ### 4 Limitations of WhatsApp Auto Reply with WhatsApp Business App Even though WhatsApp auto replies have much to offer businesses, they should be aware of their shortcomings as well. Let’s check that out next. #### Limited Personalization Options for Complex Scenarios Customization options are limited. While you can personalize messages, they can only go so far. Personalization options are limited to items like the customer name. At the end of the day, there’s only so much WhatsApp Business App can do. Its auto reply feature can only welcome a new customer and announce that your business is closed and when to expect a reply. #### No Follow-Up Messages or Advanced Features Auto replies only work as an initial response. They can’t follow up on customer inquiries. Ensure your customers know an agent will follow up with them in the auto reply message. #### Risk of Miscommunication While auto replies are designed to ensure quick responses, sending generic responses may not address the customer’s query accurately, leading to frustration or confusion. Auto replies on WhatsApp Business App are unable to adapt to changing contexts or clarify ambiguous customer messages, often requiring manual intervention. #### Limited Analytics and Insights There’s no way to track the performance of auto replies on the WhatsApp Business App. Metrics like number of messages sent or engagement rates aren’t available on the app So how can businesses overcome these limitations on the WhatsApp Business App? ### The Solution? Use WhatsApp API for Auto Replies Integrating [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) with a chatbot like respond.io’s AI Agent is the best option for medium and large businesses. Here are some reasons why. #### Advanced Customization Options WhatsApp API allows for advanced customization options, meaning you can tailor responses to specific customer needs and preferences, enhancing the user experience. Moreover, you can even configure [WhatsApp schedule messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) and [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) depending on your needs. #### Reduced Response Time Chatbots can provide instant responses to customer inquiries, improving the overall customer experience and preventing frustration from long waiting times. #### Improved Lead Nurturing and Engagement The WhatsApp API supports advanced automation features that enable businesses to nurture leads effectively and engage customers throughout their journey. Send timely messages to guide leads through the sales funnel or provide additional information. #### Integration with Other Tools for Seamless Workflows The WhatsApp API seamlessly integrates with various business tools, enabling efficient workflows and a unified customer experience. Integrate software like [CRMs and e-commerce platforms](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations) and even other automation software like [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/integrations/zapier) and [Make](https://help.respond.io/integrations/make), but don’t forget to ensure they’re a [WhatsApp CRM](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm)! #### Enhanced Automation with respond.io AI Agent For even more powerful automation, you can use respond.io’s **AI Agent**. Unlike simple chatbots or basic auto-replies, [AI Agents](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents) are fully autonomous—they handle complex conversations, draw from knowledge sources, collect information, and trigger actions within workflows. - Escalation to humans: AI Agents detect when a conversation requires human assistance and automatically escalate it to the right team member, ensuring smooth handovers. - Lead capture and updates: They collect lead information like names, emails, preferences, and intent, updating contact fields and Lifecycle stages in real time. - Automated follow-ups and nudges: AI Agents can send context-aware nudges and follow-ups, keeping conversations moving without manual intervention. - Conversation closure and summaries: They can close conversations automatically and generate concise summaries for follow-ups, keeping your inbox organized and providing your team with the context they need. This enables businesses to deliver **24/7 personalized support**, handle leads efficiently, and maintain engagement—far beyond what basic auto-replies can achieve. ### How to Set Up WhatsApp Auto Reply with WhatsApp API in 4 Steps In this section, we’ll show you how to set up auto replies on WhatsApp API on respond.io, an AI-powered customer conversation management software. #### Step 1: Connect Your WhatsApp Account to the API You’ll need to connect a [WhatsApp API Account to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start#connecting_whats_app_business_api). You don’t have a WhatsApp API account yet? Here’s [how to get one in minutes](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api#toc-mobile-5). #### Step 2: Create Auto-Reply Templates Once done, open respond.io and navigate to *Workflows* > *All Templates*. While you can build a Workflow from scratch, this Workflow template will set you up for an easy start with a WhatsApp auto-reply chatbot. #### Step 3: Add Auto-Replies to Workflow Automations Here you’ll be able to read the template description and view the Workflow draft. As you can see, this template comes with a welcome and an away message that will trigger depending on your business hours. You can customize virtually anything in your Workflow. Start by specifying your business hours in the [Date & Time](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-date-and-time) [Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-date-and-time). Then, edit the welcome and away messages. #### Step 4: Test and Optimize Your Auto Replies Lastly, you should review the performance of your auto replies. If customers reacted poorly to auto replies, then you should tweak the copy. Repeat this process until you get the desired outcome. > You can also use respond.io’s AI Agent to automatically reply to customer inquiries and route to the appropriate teams. With this, you’ve created a simple WhatsApp auto reply Workflow to handle inbound messages. ##### What if I Don't Want to Lose the WhatsApp Business App? To use WhatsApp API, businesses typically need a phone number that’s not linked to any existing WhatsApp account and a Meta Business Portfolio. Then, they’ll choose a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP), like respond.io, to get access to a WhatsApp API account. However, we understand that switching from the WhatsApp Business App to the API can feel like a big leap — especially if you’re used to the app and don’t want to risk losing your chat history or contact list. That’s why WhatsApp Coexistence is a game changer. It allows you to use the same phone number for both the WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API. You can keep your familiar interface, continue accessing chat history on the app, and still unlock the benefits of WhatsApp API on respond.io — including multiple users, automation, CRM integrations, AI-powered assistance, and more. So, if you're hesitant about going all in on the API, this new feature lets you try it with zero commitment. You can always switch back to just using the app if needed. Want to get started? [Sign up for a free respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and experience the best of both worlds. Now that you know how to set auto reply in WhatsApp, you’re ready to go right? Not until you look at the best practices when creating one. ### 5 Best Practices for WhatsApp Auto Reply It’s crucial to get every message right, even for auto-replies. Avoid impersonal or generic messages, as customers will expect a human-sounding interaction. Here are 5 practices you can follow to craft a simple yet effective auto-reply message: #### 1\. Acknowledge Receipt of Customer’s Message Use auto-reply messages to acknowledge the receipt of a customer's message, assuring them it's been received and will be addressed. #### 2\. Give a Clear Timeframe for Follow-up Let users know if they can expect a reply during working hours or if there is a delay. Specify this delay and avoid phrases like “We’ll get to you as soon as possible.” #### 3\. Keep Messages Clear and Concise Keep replies brief and to the point. Only include essential information that is presented in a clear, easy-to-understand manner. #### 4\. Personalize Every Message Make each message feel personal. Use your customer's name and other relevant details to send personalized messages. On respond.io, you can use placeholders called [dynamic variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) to include customer names, dates, order numbers, and more. #### 5\. Maintain Your Brand Tone and Voice Ensure your WhatsApp auto-reply messages reflect your brand's unique voice. Tailor the tone, language, and content to align with your brand's personality and values, enhancing customer recognition. With these best practices in mind, we’ve provided message samples that you can use for various situations. ### 18 Sample Messages for WhatsApp Auto Reply: A WhatsApp auto reply should be tailored to different situations or desired outcomes. Here are 18 WhatsApp auto-reply message samples that you should use. #### Welcome Messages 1. "Hello 👋! Thank you for reaching out to [business name]. How can we assist you today?" 2. "Hi there! Welcome to [business name]. We have all your IT needs under one roof. Let’s get started. 😃" 3. "Greetings from [business name]! We're here to help. Tell us more about what you're looking for." #### **After-Hours Messages** 1. “Hey there [name]! Thanks for reaching out to us. We’re currently out of the office. We’ll reach out to you as soon as we can.” 2. “You’ve reached us while we’re away. 😟 We’re available every day from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. We’ll be happy to assist you when we’re back.” 3. "Hi! Thanks for messaging. We’re currently away for the weekend. For any urgent matters, please contact [insert emergency contact details]." #### **Holiday Greetings** 1. “Merry Christmas!🎅🎄We’re away for the next few days and will return on [date]. We look forward to serving you when we’re back. 🙂” 2. “Season’s Greetings from all of us at [Your Business Name]! Wishing you joy, health, and happiness this holiday season. How can we help you today?” 3. Happy Holidays [name]! Type in [code] when you check out to claim your [discount] today!” #### **Lead Capture Messages** 1. “Looking to learn more about [Your Product/Service]? Leave your details, and we’ll send you everything you need to know!” 2. “Hey there! 👋 We’d love to share exclusive offers and updates with you. 🛍️ Just let us know the product you’re interested in to stay in the loop! 🔄” 3. “Want extra deals? Got questions or need more info? 🤓 Drop your details here, and we’ll get back to you in no time! ⏳” #### **Feedback Requests** 1. “We value your opinion! 🗣️ How was your experience with us? Let us know so we can serve you better. 👍” 2. “How did we do today? Let us know—it only takes a moment, and it helps us improve your future experiences!” 3. “We hope you enjoyed [specific product/service]! Tell us what you think—we’re always looking to improve.” #### Product or Service Updates 1. "Hey there! Thanks for contacting us. Check out our hot new product [insert product name and link]. Order now and receive 10% off your first purchase!" 2. “Exciting news! 🎉 We’ve just launched [New Product/Service]. Check it out and let us know what you think!” 3. “Big news! 🗞️ We’ve got something special for you: [Product/Service Update]. Ready to experience it? 🌟” Are these not enough? Don’t worry. We have an article that includes [even more WhatsApp auto reply message samples](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply-message-sample) you can use for inspiration. As you can see, setting up auto replies on WhatsApp is more than just a convenience. It's a strategic move to enhance customer interaction. With our samples and guidelines, you’re well-equipped to create auto replies that resonate with your customers and reflect your brand’s unique voice. So, what are you waiting for? Start sending WhatsApp auto reply messages on the leading [Conversational AI Platform](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) and badged Meta Business Partner. [Sign up for a free respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and [connect your WhatsApp API account](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start#connecting_whats_app_business_api) to get started today. ### Further Reading Do you want to find out more about how WhatsApp can benefit your business? Check out these articles below: - How to Use WhatsApp Interactive Message - A Guide to Setting Up WhatsApp QR Code for Your Business - How to Close Sales on WhatsApp ## [WhatsApp Auto Reply Message Sample for Business: A How-to Guide ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply-message-sample) Improve customer interactions with a WhatsApp auto reply message sample for your business. Learn how you can increase engagement, save time, and provide valuable information. Are customers dropping off because you’re taking too long to reply? Thankfully, you’ve landed in the right place. With people relying more and more on WhatsApp and other messaging apps to communicate, they expect instant replies from the businesses they engage with. However, agents might be unable to reply immediately due to high message volume or after business hours. This is where WhatsApp auto replies come in handy. This guide provides an overview of auto reply messages, including a WhatsApp auto reply message sample for different use cases and instructions for setting them up on the WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API. ### What is WhatsApp Auto Reply? [Auto reply in WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) is a feature that enables businesses to send automated replies to acknowledge customers' messages or set response time expectations if agents are unavailable to respond to incoming WhatsApp messages. This could be a [greeting](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message) or an away message for your business. In the next section, we’ll show you some WhatsApp auto reply message sample that you can use. ### WhatsApp Auto Reply Message Sample for Business Agents have to manage customers in all kinds of situations. With WhatsApp Business, you can create a wide range of auto reply messages that work best for you. Here are some of the best auto reply message samples for WhatsApp that can be applied to various use cases, from general replies to customer support. #### General Replies - “Hi [name]! Thanks for reaching out to us. We’ll be with you shortly.” - “We’re currently experiencing a high volume of chats and may not be able to respond immediately. We will get back to you as soon as we can.” - “Hey! We’ve received your message and will contact you within 2 hours.” - "Hello there! We wanted to let you know we got your message and will be in touch before we close at [time]." #### Out of Office or Non-business Hours - “Hey there [name]! Thanks for reaching out to us. We’re currently out of the office. We’ll reach out to you as soon as we can.” - “You’ve reached us while we’re away. 😟 We’re available every day from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. We’ll be happy to assist you when we’re back.” - “Merry Christmas!🎅🎄We’re away for the next few days and will return on [date]. We look forward to serving you when we’re back. 🙂” - "Hi! Thanks for messaging. We’re currently away for the weekend. For any urgent matters, please contact [insert emergency contact details]." - "Hey there! Thanks for your message. I'm on a getaway, but I'll get back to you soon after I’m fully recharged. Thanks for your patience!" #### Product or Service Inquiries - “Thank you for contacting our store! Our team will be happy to help you with your inquiry. We'll get back to you with more information shortly.” - “Hi [name]! Thank you for your interest. We’ll get back to you shortly with more information.” - “Thanks for messaging us! Our team will be with you within the hour. While you wait, please take a look at our product catalog here [link]. - "Hey there! Thanks for contacting us. Check out our hot new product [insert product name and link]. Order now and receive 10% off your first purchase!" #### Customer Support - “Thanks for reaching out! You can be assured that we’ll handle your request within an hour.” - “Hi there! Thank you for contacting our support team. We're on it and will get back to you ASAP. In the meantime, have a great day 🙌!” - “Hey [name]! Our support team is on the case and will respond to your message shortly. Thank you for your understanding!” Edit or tweak these samples as much as you want so that they fit your needs. Now that you’ve got an idea of what a WhatsApp auto reply message sample looks like, what’s next? ### Tips for Effective Auto Reply Messages If these samples don’t suit your needs, then here are a few tips you can use in any situation. Here are 3 tips to keep in mind when creating auto reply messages. 1. Keep it short and simple - Your auto reply message should be short, clear and to the point. 2. Set expectations - let your customers know when they can expect a response to reduce frustration if you are not able to respond immediately. 3. Add a personal touch - customers or prospectives appreciate when you make it sound like you’re talking to them. You now have a good idea for crafting auto reply messages, but how do you set them up? Let’s take a look at that next. ### How to Set Auto Reply in WhatsApp Setting up auto reply messages is simple, but first, you need to choose the right WhatsApp Business product. If you’re a sole proprietor or have a small team of 5 or fewer, then you should use the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app). But if there are more than 5 users, you need to use [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). Let's start by setting up auto reply on the WhatsApp Business App in just a few easy steps. #### Set Up Auto Reply on WhatsApp Business App Setting up an auto reply message on the WhatsApp Business App is a very simple process. Just follow these steps: 1. Open the WhatsApp Business App and tap on the three dots in the top right corner. 2. Tap on Settings, then on Business Tools, and then on Away Messages. 3. Turn on the toggle switch next to Send Away Message. 4. Tap on the pencil icon to create your custom auto reply message. Once the auto reply message has been created, it will be sent to anyone who messages you while you are away. At this point you can also [schedule this WhatsApp message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) to contacts so they only receive this message when you’re away. Next, let’s set up auto reply on the WhatsApp Business API. #### Set Up Auto Reply on WhatsApp Business API on respond.io As WhatsApp Business API doesn’t have a user interface, you’ll need to [connect it to a customer conversation management software](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start) like respond.io to send and receive messages. Here’s how you can [set up auto reply messages](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/automated-welcome-and-away-messages#send_welcome_and_away_messages_based_on_business_hours) on respond.io. 1\. **Select** *Workflow*s on the side navigation menu and click on the *Add Workflow* button. 2a. **Send** a welcome message by clicking on the *Welcome Message* Workflow Template then *Use Template*. 2b. **Send** an away message by clicking *Away Message* Workflow Template then *Use Template*. The Workflow template is set up with a [Trigger and the Send a Message step](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/automated-welcome-and-away-messages#send_a_basic_automated_reply_when_a_contact_opens_a_conversation). This sends an automated reply to Contacts when a conversation is opened. 3\. **Click** the *Welcome Message* or *Away Message* Step to edit the message. Select WhatsApp as the channel to set up welcome or away messages only on WhatsApp. Alternatively, leave the channel selection to the default *Last Interacted Channel* if you would like these messages to be sent on all connected channels. Ensure the Message Type is set to Text. Finally, click *Save* and *Publish* to activate the Workflow. As away messages let customers know that no one is currently available, turn this Workflow on when agents are all away and turn it off when they’re back online. If your business doesn’t operate 24/7, you should set up an automated away message based on your business hours. #### Set Up Away Message Based On Business Hours With respond.io, it’s easy to set up an automatic, comprehensive away message based on your operating hours. 1\. **Select** Workflows in the side navigation module then click on the *Add Workflow* button. 2\. **Click** *Away Message* with *Business Hours*, then click on the *Use Template* button. The Workflow template is set up with a Trigger, Date & Time Step and the Send a Message Step. This sends an automated reply to Contacts when a conversation is opened based on business hours. 3\. **Click** on *Business Hours* and set the Date and Time. 4\. **Click** the *Welcome Message* or *Away Message* step to edit the message content. Make sure you select WhatsApp as your channel. Finally, draft your greeting and away messages under *Text*. If a customer messages you during business hours, they'll get your greeting message (Success Branch), otherwise, they'll receive your away message (Failure Branch). Optional: Add an Ask a Question step to get hold of customers’ information so you can contact them at a later time or set response time expectations. And that’s it! You’re ready to set up and create your own auto reply messages in WhatsApp. Want more advanced automation with intuitive [AI Agents](https://respond.io/blog/how-respondio-ai-agents-work) that instantly provide personalized responses to FAQs or customer replies to [bulk WhatsApp messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) or [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast)? AI Agents can take on specific roles including receptionist, sales and support and are trained on your business knowledge. If the customer wants to speak to a human or the AI Agent cannot answer the question, the AI Agent will route the conversation to an appropriate agent. Human agents can also choose to take over the conversation from AI at any time. ### Ready to Get Started With Respond.io? Looking for a customer conversation management platform that offers official WhatsApp API access and is [designed for multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users)? [Sign up for respond.io](https://app.respond.io/user/login) now to get official WhatsApp API access. ### Further Reading Need to use WhatsApp to communicate to a bigger audience? Take a look at these articles below: - WhatsApp Marketing: Guide to a Successful WhatsApp Campaign - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business - 6 Ways to Use WhatsApp Greeting Message ## [WhatsApp Automation: 2 Ways to Do It, Use Cases & 6 Examples](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation) Do you want to save your company time, money and headaches? WhatsApp Automation is the answer. Read our WhatsApp Business Automation guide to learn more. One of the biggest advantages of using WhatsApp as a customer communication channel is the possibility of automating repetitive or time-consuming tasks through WhatsApp automation. But for beginners, the idea might sound a bit daunting. In this guide, we’ll explain WhatsApp Business automation benefits, automation options for different business sizes and how to build your own WhatsApp automation bot. ### What is WhatsApp Automation? In simple terms, WhatsApp automation is the automation of conversations on the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) or [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). Thanks to it, businesses can save time and resources, improve response times and increase customer satisfaction. Micro and small businesses can set up basic automation on the WhatsApp Business App from their phone or desktop. This includes welcome and away messages, for example. This gets trickier for medium and large companies looking to automate repetitive or complex business tasks like [chat routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [agent assignment](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio). In the past, this wasn’t possible due to the app’s limitations. But in 2018, WhatsApp API was launched, putting an end to this issue. ### Benefits of WhatsApp Automation Due to the increasing popularity of [conversational sales](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service), more and more companies are using automation to facilitate customer communication over WhatsApp. WhatsApp automation is on the rise. But why? Here are just a few of the benefits. - Decrease Response Times - WhatsApp auto replies like automated welcome and away messages improve response times and assure customers their message has been received. - Reduce Agent Load - Automation reduces workload by handling certain customer inquiries, such as providing automatic responses to common questions through an interactive FAQ menu. - Increase Sales Conversions - WhatsApp automation ensures that only qualified leads reach agents, saving time and allowing agents to concentrate on genuine sales opportunities. Newer automation options even let AI Agents keep the pipeline clean by qualifying leads, updating records and closing out routine conversations on their own. - Increase Customer Satisfaction - Automation helps route conversations to the right team faster by using pre-chat survey forms to collect customer data and determine conversation purposes. This prompt attention improves overall customer satisfaction. ### 4 Use Cases for WhatsApp Automation WhatsApp automation offers various methods for businesses to streamline their operations. As we’ll cover later, most of these methods require using WhatsApp API. Firstly, it’s important to understand the role of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) in WhatsApp automation. APIs enable businesses to integrate their software or systems with the WhatsApp platform, allowing developers to create custom solutions for automating WhatsApp interactions in several ways. Let’s explore some of the ways businesses can utilize WhatsApp automation. #### 1\. Chatbots These automated conversational agents can understand user commands and queries. By leveraging machine learning algorithms and Natural Language Processing (NLP), chatbots can instantly provide predefined or AI-generated responses to customers on WhatsApp. For businesses that need more advanced automation, solutions like respond.io offer [AI Agents](https://respond.io/ai-agents) that go beyond simple replies. They can qualify leads, pull information from your knowledge base, update contact records and route conversations automatically, all without manual intervention. #### 2\. Personalization By utilizing customer data and sales engagement tools, businesses can send tailored [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast), offering a more engaging and customized experience for their customers. Beyond simple name personalizations, companies can segment audiences by behavior, purchase history, [Lifecycle stage](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) or past interactions to deliver highly relevant messages. This level of personalization increases engagement, improves conversion rates and strengthens customer relationships — especially in industries where timing and context matter. #### 3\. Automated Workflows Businesses can set up workflows on WhatsApp to automate specific tasks and processes. This involves defining rules and triggers that initiate automated actions based on user interactions or other predetermined conditions. For example, an automated workflow can be created to send order confirmations or appointment reminders to customers automatically. #### 4\. Updates and Notifications Businesses can [schedule WhatsApp messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message#toc-mobile-6) to send updates and notifications to customers automatically. This includes critical alerts, event reminders, and order status updates, ensuring real-time communication with customers about important information. Now that you know the benefits and use cases, we’ll dive into how to do WhatsApp automation. ### 2 Methods to Do WhatsApp Automation Automating WhatsApp messages depends on the solution you are using, as the process is not the same for WhatsApp Business app and WhatsApp Business API. When deciding between the WhatsApp Business app and the WhatsApp API for automation, it’s crucial to understand the differences in features and capabilities of each platform. Next, we’ll provide a detailed comparison to help you make an informed decision. #### Method 1: Automate WhatsApp through WhatsApp Business App The simplest method to automate WhatsApp is with the [WhatsApp Business app](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app). This app is free to use and is best for small businesses with few users who require only basic automation. #### Method 2: Automate WhatsApp through WhatsApp Business API [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) offers the advanced automation options medium to larger businesses need. To use it, you’ll need to choose a [WhatsApp BSP](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) and subscribe to a conversation management platform. #### WhatsApp Business App vs WhatsApp Business API - 5 Differences | WhatsApp Business App | WhatsApp API | | --- | --- | | Basic Response Automation | Advanced Response Automation | | No Conversation Performance Tracking | Conversation Performance Tracking | | No Integration with Chatbots | Chatbot Integration | | No Interactive Menus | Customizable Interactive Menus | | No Automated Workflows | Supports Automated Workflows | ##### #1 Response Automation The WhatsApp Business app provides basic response automation, suitable for simple automated replies. In contrast, WhatsApp API offers advanced response automation, enabling more complex and sophisticated automated interactions. ##### #2 Conversation Performance Tracking The WhatsApp Business app does not offer features for tracking conversation performance, making it difficult to measure and analyze interaction effectiveness. WhatsApp API, however, includes conversation performance tracking, allowing businesses to monitor and optimize their customer interactions. ##### #3 Chatbot Integration The WhatsApp Business app lacks integration with chatbots, limiting its ability to handle automated customer support. Conversely, WhatsApp API supports chatbot integration, providing a more robust solution for automated customer service. ##### #4 Interactive Menus The WhatsApp Business app does not support interactive menus, reducing the potential for engaging customer interactions. On the other hand, WhatsApp API allows for customizable interactive menus, enhancing the user experience with more interactive and guided communication. ##### #5 Automated Workflows Although the WhatsApp Business app does not support automated workflows, the WhatsApp API does, enabling businesses to automate specific tasks and processes for improved efficiency. That said if you run Meta ads that drive WhatsApp conversations, respond.io can send Conversions API (CAPI) events to help Meta optimize delivery. Customers like [JU Productions](https://respond.io/customers/ju-productions-chose-respond-io-over-manychat) saw a 47.2% drop in cost per qualified lead, while [Automax®](https://respond.io/customers/automax-boosts-roi-from-whatsapp-broadcasts) recorded a 10% lift in conversions after enabling CAPI, a strong boost when paired with WhatsApp automation. With this understanding, let's explore how to create WhatsApp automation using the WhatsApp Business app. ### How to Set Up WhatsApp Automation with WhatsApp Business App The WhatsApp Business app has some basic automation features that are free to use: Greeting messages and away messages. Let’s see what they look like. #### 1\. Greeting Messages Greeting messages are one of the most basic features businesses use. Customers appreciate a warm welcome message, and there are several [business benefits to using WhatsApp greeting messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message#toc-mobile-1). When enabled, these greeting messages are sent to customers who message you for the first time or after 14 days of inactivity. Greeting messages are customizable, and you can select who receives them from your address book. [Setting up greeting messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app#toc-mobile-9) in the WhatsApp Business App is quite easy. You can [tailor your WhatsApp greeting message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message#toc-mobile-11) to suit specific purposes and apply [recommended best practices](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message#toc-mobile-10) to make the most of the message. #### 2\. Away Messages Unless your business can guarantee immediate responses to all inbound messages, you should have a way to manage wait time expectations. When enabled, [WhatsApp away messages](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business) are sent to customers who contact your business outside of office hours or when you’re unavailable. In the WhatsApp Business App, you can define your availability [by setting your schedule](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app#toc-mobile-10). ### Limitations of WhatsApp Automation with WhatsApp Business App With only 2 types of auto replies, the WhatsApp Business App is only suitable for small businesses. Let’s recall some of its other limitations. - Basic Response Automation - No Conversation Performance Tracking - No Integration with Chatbots - No Interactive Menus - No Automated Workflows Medium to large-size businesses will benefit from a more powerful WhatsApp automation tool like WhatsApp Business API. ### The Solution? Set up WhatsApp Business Automation with WhatsApp API Businesses looking to implement advanced WhatsApp API automation with respond.io need to fulfill 2 requirements: 1. Sign up for a respond.io account 2. Connect WhatsApp API to respond.io For respond.io users, the [Workflows Module](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) is the place to build a WhatsApp automation bot. This module is available in all the respond.io plans. First, you’ll first need to acquire some basic knowledge of [inbound conversation Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations). If you are already familiar with this, here are some of the WhatsApp automation you can build from the Workflows Module. #### 1\. Greeting Messages Greeting messages for WhatsApp can be created from scratch or [from a Workflow template](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#creating_a_new_workflow_from_a_selected_template) such as the *Welcome Message* or *Welcome Message & Ask for Email* templates*.* By choosing the latter, *c*ustomer email addresses are saved as [Contact Fields](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/contact-fields) for future reference. Email requests will only be sent to customers whose email addresses haven't been recorded previously to avoid asking repetitive questions and annoying them. To implement greeting messages exclusively for WhatsApp, replace the *Last Interacted Channel* in the [Send a Message Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_send_a_message) with your WhatsApp API channel. In addition, you can customize WhatsApp welcome messages using [Dynamic Variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables). For example, use the dynamic variable $contact.firstname to greet customers personally and create a friendly first impression. Greeting customers is important, but so is managing their expectations. Next, we’ll explain how to use Workflows to build a WhatsApp away message. #### 2\. Away Messages To create a WhatsApp away message with respond.io, [build one from scratch](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/automated-welcome-and-away-messages#send_welcome_and_away_messages_based_on_business_hours) or choose a [Workflow template](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#creating_a_new_workflow_from_a_selected_template). Choose the *Away Message* template to automatically send a notification every time a customer starts a conversation. The Workflow needs to be switched on and off manually, so it is suitable for businesses that offer 24/7 support and are seldom unavailable. Conversely, use the *Away Message with Business Hours* template to automatically send a WhatsApp away message outside of operating hours*.* You just need to enter your business hours in the [Date & Time Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_date_time) to define when away messages will be sent. So far, we’ve explained how to greet WhatsApp customers that open a conversation with you. Let’s take it one step further by creating a question bot to ask customers questions automatically. #### 3\. Ask a Question The simplest way to [build a question bot with respond.io Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot#toc-mobile-1) is through the [Ask a Question Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_ask_a_question). This Step has several subcategories to formulate different question types, such as those with multiple choice answers, text or ratings from 1-5 as responses. There are multiple reasons why a business might ask customers questions when they reach out over WhatsApp. Some businesses like to have a fallback contact method to reach customers after the conversation is closed, so they might ask for an email address. Although open-ended questions are difficult to categorize and tabulate, businesses may use them to collect qualitative data and insights into customer behavior. For example, a business may ask customers *What were the main reasons you chose our service?* To resolve recurring customer queries on the spot, businesses can build automated FAQs using the Multiple Choice question type. This can provide instant answers to common inquiries about pricing, terms and conditions or shipping costs. [CSAT surveys](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) are used to gauge the level of satisfaction a customer experiences after a specific interaction with a company. You can build a simple Workflow to [create CSAT surveys](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-8) and save the answers to [Google Sheets](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-9) or a [data warehouse](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-10). Lastly, an Ask a Question Step can be used to route customers to the right team and auto-assign them to available agents based on the responses provided. Let’s see how it’s done. #### 4\. Assign Chats to Agents Enterprises with many daily conversations using [WhatsApp business with multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) can’t simply rely on agents to [manually pick](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-1) and resolve them. They need a business solution to route conversations and assign them to agents automatically. With respond.io, you can build your own [routing Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) from scratch or [choose a Workflow template](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#creating_a_new_workflow_from_a_selected_template) like *Multi-team Routing: Shifts,* which is ideal for companies with [different teams working round the clock](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio#toc-mobile-6) that want to assign conversations by shift. *Multi-Team Routing: Multiple Choice by Contact* is a Workflow template made for businesses that prefer to [route customers based on team functions](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio#toc-mobile-4) such as sales inquiries or support requests. When it comes to automatic agent assignment, Workflow templates will help you get started with 2 [logics](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-4) to choose from: Round-robin to assign conversations equally among agents or by least open contacts for faster service by agents. #### 5\. Build an AI Agent If you want to take it one step further, you can train a [respond.io AI Agent](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent) and add it to your Workflow. Beyond replying to messages, AI Agents can also update contact records, adjust lifecycle stages, route conversations and even close conversations automatically with a summary once an interaction is finished. If you want to give your AI Agent even more autonomy, you'll be happy to know that it can follow up with customers when the conversation is stalled. AI Agents are also able to respond to calls with natural and professional language. There's very little they can't do when it comes to conversational sales and support. Respond.io’s upgraded AI engine makes these actions even more efficient by processing only the necessary steps for each task—resulting in faster, more accurate responses. And if a human needs to step in, instant takeover ensures the AI stops immediately, preventing message overlap and keeping every handoff smooth. Businesses use AI Agents for onboarding, lead qualification and 24/7 coverage, while Workflows ensure smooth handoff to human agents whenever the AI is uncertain or a customer requests it. #### 6\. Integrate with 3rd-Party Software With respond.io’s [HTTP Request Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_http_request) in Workflows, businesses can execute callbacks to third-party applications to transfer data between them and respond.io. These are some common use cases: - Connect a WhatsApp CRM to respond.io - Send automated Slack notifications - Qualify leads on data enrichment tools - Create deals in sales CRMs or tickets in support CRMs - Save CSAT results in a data warehouse or Google Sheets But there’s more: [Connecting respond.io to Zapier](https://help.respond.io/integrations/zapier) will give you access to more than 5,000 app integrations. Analytics tools, calendar apps, databases… you name it. And just like respond.io's Workflows, Zapier automation does not require code. ### 6 Examples of WhatsApp Automation Across Different Industries #### 1\. Healthcare [Healthcare businesses](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-for-healthcare#toc-mobile-5) can significantly enhance their operations with WhatsApp automation. Virtual waiting rooms keep patients informed and reduce physical overcrowding. Automating pre-consultation data collection ensures healthcare providers are well-prepared, improving efficiency. Simple cases can be resolved quickly, freeing up time for more complex issues. Complex cases can be escalated seamlessly to specialists, ensuring patients receive the best care. Additionally, automating patient routing and agent assignment allows for effective tracking and follow-ups, ensuring adherence to treatment plans and appointments. #### 2\. Education WhatsApp automation can greatly enhance the efficiency of educational institutions. Quickly responding to impatient leads during admissions season ensures no lead is lost due to delays. Using Respond AI, the leading chatbot for education, institutions can provide instant replies to inquiries and collect data 24/7 before a human agent steps in. Automation can also filter spam, allowing agents to focus on meaningful interactions. Simplifying processes from [event sign-ups to enrollment](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-increase-student-enrollment) is seamless with integration into student management systems, CRMs, and ERPs. Additionally, sending event details, reminders, and automated student satisfaction surveys ensures effective communication and continuous improvement. #### 3\. Retail Here’s how WhatsApp automation can significantly enhance retail operations. For a start, integrating your ERP or sales CRMs allows real-time data retrieval and deal generation during conversations. Automating the sales pipeline, from [lead qualification to abandoned cart recovery](https://respond.io/blog/retail-leads), boosts efficiency. For example, creating VIP routes provides dedicated service for high-value clients and enhances customer satisfaction. Also, offering 24/7 support through automated FAQs and human agent access ensures continuous assistance. Integrating your support CRM facilitates ticket creation during conversations. Additionally, automating processes like support escalation and sending NPS or CSAT surveys streamlines operations and improves the overall customer experience. #### 4\. Automotive Businesses in the automotive industry can use WhatsApp automation to respond instantly to sales inquiries. When customers are purchasing a car, they’re often making many inquiries. A quick, detailed response can make all the difference in their decision to come in and take a test drive. If a lead doesn’t need to speak to a salesperson and simply wants to come in to the showroom, you can also [automate appointment bookings](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-appointment-booking). Potential customers can book a time slot without needing to wait, and this also frees up sales agents’ time so they can focus on customers who are ready to buy. Targeted broadcasts for past customers also help keep your business top of mind. For example, one of our customers in the automotive industry retargets those who made a purchase 5 years ago. This is an effective long-term strategy as most people won’t be in the market for a car every year, but a personalized reminder may make your business their first choice. #### 5\. Professional Services A variety of professional services providers leverage WhatsApp to automate bookings. Whether it’s a cleaning job or a photoshoot, allowing customers to book over WhatsApp streamlines the scheduling process. Send automated reminders and segment customers based on past services they’ve used to retarget them with the latest promotions and gain repeat business. It’s also beneficial to send CSAT surveys after every completed service to identify areas for improvement to keep customers coming back. #### 6\. Travel Agency Travel agencies can use WhatsApp automation to answer FAQ about policies and packages so prospects get the immediate answers they need. When leads are ready to book a package or have more specific questions that the FAQ can’t answer, set up automation to assign them to an agent. For example, some businesses may send customers to the next available agent while others may assign to an agent specializing in certain destinations. Once a lead has become a customer, you can [schedule WhatsApp messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message#toc-mobile-8) to keep them updated with reminders and notifications about their travel plans. ### Boost Your Productivity through WhatsApp Automation with Respond.io Ready to set up WhatsApp automation? If you are a micro or small business using the WhatsApp Business App for customer communication, the free in-app automation features may suffice. However, for most of the use cases we’ve shown, medium to large businesses need to connect WhatsApp API to an [omnichannel messaging platform](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) with a powerful workflow builder to systematize time-consuming tasks and handle large numbers of messages efficiently. To start taking advantage of the benefits of WhatsApp automation, [try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) [o](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start#connecting_whats_app_business_api)r contact us for a [customized demo](https://respond.io/demo). ### Further Reading Did you find this reading interesting? If so, we suggest you have a look at the following articles. - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business - 6 WhatsApp Alternatives for Business - WhatsApp Marketing in 5 Steps: A Detailed Guide (+Examples) ## [WhatsApp Blast: 3 Easy Steps, Best Practices & Case Studies](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-blast) Take advantage of WhatsApp blast messages to maximize your reach to customers in a cost-effective way. Unlock the power of WhatsApp blast messages to reach your audience instantly. Discover how this tool can streamline your sales and marketing efforts with efficient, mass communication. Learn what a WhatsApp blast message is, how it works, and best practices to maximize your impact. ### What is a WhatsApp Blast? WhatsApp blast refer to the practice of sending a message to multiple recipients simultaneously. By using our Conversation-Led Growth Framework, you can retain customers by using blast messages. By [implementing drip campaigns](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-drip-campaign) or [sending promotional messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-promotional-messages), you can target existing users for [remarketing campaigns](https://respond.io/blog/best-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-7). So, why should businesses use WhatsApp for blasting messages instead of other channels? ### Benefits of Sending a WhatsApp Blast Businesses stand to gain 3 key benefits: 1\. High Engagement Rates: Messages sent via WhatsApp are more likely to be read promptly compared to emails or SMS. They have a [98% open rate](https://www.inventiva.co.in/trends/top-10-best-whatsapp-marketing-2/) and an immediate notification system, making it an effective channel for reaching customers. Plus, starting March 2025, WhatsApp is updating the way they send marketing messages to users, based on their engagement rates of previous marketing messages. This way, budgets for marketing messages will be used more efficiently and you will get a better ROI. 2\. Cost-Effective: Blasting WhatsApp messages are relatively [inexpensive when compared to SMS](https://respond.io/blog/sms-vs-whatsapp#toc-mobile-5). While SMS campaigns can incur significant costs, especially for international messages, WhatsApp messages use internet data, which is typically cheaper. 3\. Improved Lead Conversions: Companies like [Qobolak](https://respond.io/customers/how-qobolak-used-broadcasts-to-double-student-lead-conversions) have almost significantly increased their lead conversions since adopting using blast messages. So, now that you know the benefits of sending a WhatsApp blast message, let’s look at how you can send one. ### 2 Ways to Send a WhatsApp Blast Message If you want to send a WhatsApp blast message, you need to consider where you’re going to send it. There are 2 ways to send it: via the WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API. Let’s look at what they are and their advantages and disadvantages. #### Method 1: WhatsApp Business App The [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) is very similar to the personal WhatsApp app. It’s designed for small businesses designed for small businesses. You can send a blast message to up to 256 contacts in a [broadcast list](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast). This can be very limiting if you want to scale and send messages to even more contacts. In that case, you’ll need to use WhatsApp API. ##### Advantages - Free to use: The app is completely free, making it an accessible option for small businesses without a budget for messaging solutions. - Easy set up and use: No technical expertise is needed to set up or operate the app. Its user-friendly interface ensures quick adoption. - No approval needed for messaging: Unlike the WhatsApp API, the Business App doesn’t require pre-approval for sending messages, making it straightforward for immediate use. - Scalable Messaging Limits: WhatsApp API accounts use Business Portfolio-level messaging limits, which consolidate quotas across all phone numbers in your account.All numbers under a single Business Portfolio share the same messaging capacity.Tier upgrades (2K → 10K → 100K → Unlimited) happen every 6 hours, giving new numbers faster access to higher limits.Existing accounts automatically adopt the highest phone-level limit as the business-level limit. - All numbers under a single Business Portfolio share the same messaging capacity. - Tier upgrades (2K → 10K → 100K → Unlimited) happen every 6 hours, giving new numbers faster access to higher limits. - Existing accounts automatically adopt the highest phone-level limit as the business-level limit. > **Note:** Backward compatibility is maintained until February 2026. After that, updating to the new fields is required. ##### Disadvantages - Limited broadcast list capacity: The app limits broadcast lists to 256 contacts, making it unsuitable for businesses that need to reach a larger audience. - No integration with CRM or automation tools: The app does not support integration with third-party tools, limiting its ability to handle advanced workflows or analytics. - Lack of scalability: The app is not designed for businesses with large-scale messaging needs, making the transition to the WhatsApp API inevitable for growth. Next, let’s look at WhatsApp API. #### Method 2: WhatsApp API [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) or the WhatsApp Business Platform, was built for messaging at scale, catering to medium and large businesses. ##### Advantages - Reliable delivery at scale: Designed to handle high volumes of messages with consistent delivery and performance. - Integration with CRMs and automation tools: Supports integration with CRMs and marketing automation platforms, enabling advanced workflows, contact segmentation, and analytics. - Custom automation and workflows: Businesses can design custom workflows using automation to streamline processes like lead qualification, customer support, and sales. ##### Disadvantages - Cost: Unlike the free WhatsApp Business App, the API involves costs such as API fees, template messaging charges, and third-party provider fees. - Template approval process: Businesses must use pre-approved message templates for initiating conversations, which can limit flexibility in outreach. - Strict compliance: Businesses must adhere strictly to WhatsApp’s messaging policies, including obtaining customer opt-ins and using approved templates. > You can get a [WhatsApp API account from respond.io](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-api-quick-start), an official [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP)](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider). Now that you know the methods to send a WhatsApp blast message, let’s take a look at sending blast messages on respond.io. ### How to Send WhatsApp Blast on the WhatsApp Business App in 3 Steps Here’s a step-by-step guide on how can you send messages in bulk on WhatsApp Business App. 1\. Tap on the three-dot menu, and select *New Broadcast*. Select up to 256 contacts to the list. 2\. Draft your message. Make sure that it’s relevant to your contacts. 3\. Send your message. Keep in mind that you can only send bulk messages to contacts who have saved your number. ### How to Send WhatsApp Blasts with WhatsApp API with Respond.io Before sending WhatsApp blast messages on WhatsApp API, you’ll 2 things: - A WhatsApp API account - Software like respond.io to send and receive messages. Once you have that ready, you can send a WhatsApp blast message on respond.io in 4 simple steps. #### Step 1: Go to the Broadcast Module Navigate to the Broadcast Module and click on *\+ Create Broadcast.* #### Step 2: Name Your Broadcast Fill in the name of your broadcast, select a label (if you want) and then press *Create*. #### Step 3: Configure Your Message [Configure](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#configuring_a_broadcast) [the blast message](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#configuring_a_broadcast) by selecting your Segment, Channel and the Message Template you want to send. You can also [schedule blast messages](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#schedule_broadcast_and_customize_send_rates) for a later time and date before sending them. Remember, a [pre-approved Message Template](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-6) is required before you can send the WhatsApp blast. > Meta has rolled out new WhatsApp Setup Guidance directly inside your Meta Business Portfolio. This new hub provides step-by-step instructions to simplify your API setup and manage message eligibility. You can now launch campaigns faster with pre-approved templates and instantly check your template review and appeals status. To ensure your blast messages have the maximum impact, let’s explore the best practices for sending them effectively. ### Best Practices for Sending WhatsApp Blasts When sending blast messages, it's crucial to follow best practices to ensure your communications are effective and well-received. Customer Success Manager, Elva Tan recommends businesses follow these best practices. - Respect privacy and consent: Always ensure that you read the WhatsApp Business Business Messaging Policy and get contact opt-in, or your account might get banned. - Review performance and experiment: There’s always an opportunity to improve on the performance of your blast messages. Experiment with the content of the messages to maximize their performance. - Use visual content: Enhance your messages with images or videos to make them more engaging. Visual content can generate 650% higher engagement compared to text-only content. - Send personalized and concise messages: Even though WhatsApp blast messages are sent to multiple recipients, personalize them where possible. On respond.io, you can do this by using variables like the first name of every customer in your message, you can use the $contact.id variable. Lastly, let’s look at the big wins our customers have made from using WhatsApp blasting on respond.io. ### 3 Case Studies for WhatsApp Blasting: Real Results from Our Clients WhatsApp blast messages isn’t a nice to have feature. If you’re doing promotional messages, it’s a tool that can take your sales to the next level. Here are how our customers won big by using WhatsApp blast messages on respond.io. #### 1\. Speedhome [Speedhome](https://respond.io/customers/how-speedhome-doubled-its-monthly-new-customers) struggled to reach and engage potential customers through promotional messages. Their existing processes were inefficient for managing large-scale messaging campaigns, limiting their ability to attract and convert tenants and property owners. With respond.io, Speedhome streamlined their promotional messaging efforts, enabling them to send targeted campaigns at scale. This improved efficiency and engagement helped them successfully convert more leads, doubling their monthly new customer acquisitions. #### 2\. Sharwa [Sharwa](https://respond.io/customers/how-sharwa-designed-a-communication-strategy-that-achieved-85-in-csat-scores) faced challenges in maintaining effective communication with their customers across multiple channels. Their existing strategy lacked the structure needed to provide consistent and efficient support, resulting in customer dissatisfaction and inefficiencies in handling inquiries. By implementing respond.io, Sharwa designed a streamlined communication strategy that centralized their multi-channel interactions. This approach improved response times and consistency, leading to an impressive 85% CSAT score. The platform allowed them to manage customer conversations more effectively, enhancing overall satisfaction and operational efficiency. #### 3\. Lamarsa [Lamarsa Coffee](https://respond.io/customers/how-lamarsa-coffee-used-chat-commerce-to-boost-sales-across-6-countries-by-50) faced difficulties in scaling their sales operations across 6 countries. Their traditional sales methods were not optimized for managing customer interactions and transactions efficiently, limiting their ability to boost sales and expand their market presence. With respond.io, Lamarsa Coffee improved the ease of making transactions. This allowed them to engage customers more effectively and scale their operations, resulting in a 50% increase in sales across 6 countries. ### Reach More Customers with WhatsApp Blasts on Respond.io You now know everything about sending a WhatsApp blast message. It’s a powerful tool for businesses looking to market and promote your products with a large audience quickly and efficiently. If you want to start blasting WhatsApp messages [sign up for a respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) or [connect your WhatsApp API account](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/whatsapp-api-quick-start#how_to_sign_up_for_whats_app_business_api) now. ### Further Reading If you enjoyed reading this article, check out these WhatsApp-related blogs: - The Ultimate Guide to WhatsApp API for Businesses: Everything You Need to Start Messaging Fast - WhatsApp Drip Campaign: Crush Your Conversion Goals - How to Reverse and Avoid a Whatsapp Business Banned Account ## [WhatsApp Blue Tick: 5 Steps to Get the Badge for Your Business](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-blue-tick) Discover how the WhatsApp Blue Tick verifies your business as authentic, builds trust, and boosts engagement. Learn the benefits, eligibility criteria, and steps to become an Official Business Account today! Curious about how to get the prestigious WhatsApp Blue Tick for your business? This guide provides all the essential information you need to verify your WhatsApp Business Account. We’ll start by explaining what the WhatsApp Blue Tick represents and the advantages it offers businesses. Drawing on our extensive experience and insights from assisting numerous clients, we’ll give you the steps to become an Official Business Account and share best practices to help you maximize the benefits of your verification. ### What Is the WhatsApp Blue Tick? The WhatsApp Blue Tick is the latest verification badge replacing the older [Green Tick](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick), marking a business as authenticated by Meta. The Blue Tick confirms the legitimacy of a business account, boosting customer trust and confidence. It is visible in chats, business profiles, contact cards and context cards, providing customers with immediate verification cues. Businesses can obtain the WhatsApp Blue Tick without incurring costs, provided they meet the eligibility criteria. #### Why Meta Transitioned to the WhatsApp Blue Tick Meta implemented the Blue Tick for consistency across its ecosystem. This shift aligns WhatsApp with other Meta platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook, which already use blue badges for verified accounts. #### Difference Between Blue Tick and Previous Green Tick There is no real difference between the old and the new tick other than the visual change. However, the transition from Green to Blue Tick introduces greater inclusivity. Previously limited to API users, the Green Tick verification process was more restrictive. Now, the Blue Tick is available to both WhatsApp Business App users and API users, bridging the gap and offering enhanced opportunities for small and large businesses alike. > Meta plans to revise the process for obtaining a verified WhatsApp Blue Tick. Soon, businesses will have the option to subscribe to a monthly business plan that grants the WhatsApp blue tick alongside verified badges for Instagram and Facebook. These subscriptions will also come with additional features. #### What Happens If Your Business Is Already Verified with a Green Tick? For businesses with an existing Green Tick, the transition to the Blue Tick happens automatically. There is no need to reapply or update any documentation. Verified businesses can continue operating seamlessly under the new system. ### Why Is the WhatsApp Blue Tick Important for Businesses? Here’s why you should verify your WhatsApp account. #### Enhanced Trust and Credibility A verified badge establishes your business as legitimate and trustworthy, reducing doubts and skepticism among potential customers. #### Increased Customer Confidence Verified accounts often experience higher engagement rates, including improved open and response rates. Customers feel reassured interacting with verified businesses, leading to reduced spam concerns and better overall interaction quality. #### Consistent Branding Across Meta Platforms With verification unified across Meta platforms, businesses benefit from more consistent branding. Customers can easily identify verified accounts, leading to stronger recognition and better engagement across WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook. #### Better Performance in Messaging Ads Verified businesses tend to achieve better Meta ads performance, including higher click-through and engagement rates. This will give your [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) an added boost. The Blue Tick is a trust signal, encouraging users to interact with messaging ads. ### WhatsApp Blue Tick: Eligibility To qualify for the WhatsApp Blue Tick, businesses must meet specific criteria designed to ensure their legitimacy and enhance their credibility on the platform. These requirements include the following. #### Using a WhatsApp Business Account To qualify, your business must actively use the WhatsApp Business App or API and comply with WhatsApp’s business policies. Meeting these requirements ensures businesses are legitimate and capable of using the platform effectively. #### Verification via Meta Business Manager Businesses must verify their Meta Business Manager accounts by submitting valid documentation. This step is crucial for confirming the legitimacy of the brand. #### Enabling Two-Step Verification Activating two-step verification enhances the security of your WhatsApp Business account. This measure helps protect your account against unauthorized access. #### Demonstrating Notability Meta assesses notability based on factors like how frequently a business is searched. Submitting 3–5 credible media references from trusted news outlets or publications can significantly strengthen your application. However, promotional or paid content is not accepted. Verification also requires a verified Facebook Business Manager account and consistent branding across all channels. Proper documentation demonstrates your commitment to maintaining a credible business presence. Meta will request some documents during your application process. More about that in the next section. ### How to Get the WhatsApp Blue Tick There are two ways to get the WhatsApp Blue Tick: Self-service verification on the WhatsApp Business App and assisted verification with a [Business Solution Provider](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) (BSP) like respond.io #### For WhatsApp Business App Users: Apply via Meta Business Manager Small businesses using the WhatsApp Business App can independently verify their accounts on the Meta Business Manager. Here’s a step-by-step guide. #### 1\. Choose the Phone Number Access the **WhatsApp Manager** and select the phone number associated with your account under the **Overview** section. This is the number you will use to request verification. #### 2\. Enable Two-Step Verification Ensure **two-step verification** is turned on for the selected phone number. This security step must be completed before submitting your application. #### 3\. Submit the Request Fill in your business details within the WhatsApp Manager and click the **Submit Request** button. If your business does not meet Meta’s eligibility criteria, the button will remain inactive. #### 4\. Provide Supporting Information Submit additional details about your business, such as the reason for requesting verification and up to five credible links showcasing your business's notability (e.g., press coverage or reputable mentions). Also, include a short explanation of your business and its relevance in the market to strengthen your application. #### 5\. Wait for Meta’s Review Meta will review your application and respond within approximately three business days. Notifications will be sent via the contact method specified during the application process. If applying through a [Business Solution Provider (BSP)](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider), the steps may vary slightly depending on the provider’s process. Let’s dive in. ### For WhatsApp Business API Users: Get Your WhatsApp Blue Tick Badge with Respond.io [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) users have it easier, as they can apply through an official Business Solution Provider like respond.io. These providers streamline the application process by ensuring all requirements are met, including documentation and account verification. > Are you interested in WhatsApp API, but don't want to give up the WhatsApp Business app? Respond.io WhatsApp Coexistence allows you to connect your WhatsApp Business app to respond.io via the WhatsApp API using the same phone number. You can continue using the WhatsApp Business app while unlocking automation, CRM syncing, reporting and other features on respond.io. The exact steps for obtaining the WhatsApp Blue Tick can vary depending on the BSP you work with. To get accurate details on the application process and associated fees, it’s advisable to contact your BSP directly. Some providers may handle the application on your behalf, while others may guide you through their platform’s process. While most BSPs charge for this service, respond.io users can get assistance for free. #### Common Requirements for BSP-Assisted Applications Before beginning the application, we advise you prepare the following: - Verified Meta Business Manager Status (screenshot required) - Business Website URL - Facebook Page Link - Business Name (including any translations) - Facebook Business ID - WhatsApp Phone Number #### Timelines for BSP-Assisted Applications Depending on the BSP’s approach, they will either submit the Official Business Account application for you or provide step-by-step guidance. The timeline for completing the process can vary, typically ranging from **7 days to 3 weeks**, which includes: - Document Preparation and Submission: 2–3 days - Meta’s Review Period: 5–7 days - Profile Setup (including two-step verification): 1–2 days - Final Notification of Approval or Rejection: 1–3 days These durations may vary based on your specific BSP and how quickly your documentation is prepared and reviewed. ### Best Practices for Leveraging the WhatsApp Blue Tick Here are three tips to make the most of your WhatsApp Blue Tick. #### Promote Your Verified Status Use the Blue Tick in marketing materials to highlight your credibility. Customers are more likely to engage with verified businesses. #### Ensure High-Quality Interactions Maintain excellent customer service and adhere to platform policies. This helps preserve your verification status while building [strong customer relationships](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-experience-engagement). #### Integrate WhatsApp Into Your Customer Journey Leverage WhatsApp for support, sales, and engagement, making it a cornerstone of your customer journey. Use [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) so you don’t keep customers waiting, send targeted [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) to stay top of mind and send [scheduled messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) for timely reminders. ### Further Reading - WhatsApp CRM Ultimate Guide: Integration, Use Cases and Best Practices - WhatsApp Business Multiple Users: 5 Steps Guide (+Examples) - How to Send Bulk Messages on WhatsApp: A Step-by-Step Guide ## [WhatsApp Broadcast in 3 Steps: Everything You Need to Know](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) As a business, WhatsApp Broadcast should be one of your marketing tools of choice. Don't miss out! We teach you everything you need to know in this guide. If your customers are WhatsApp users, you should know how WhatsApp Broadcast works. In this article, you’ll learn how to create a WhatsApp broadcast list and how to send a broadcast message on WhatsApp. Whether you are using the WhatsApp Business App or WhatsApp API — also known as the WhatsApp Business Platform — you’ll learn how to use WhatsApp Broadcast to send [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) to your audience. Plus, we’ll discuss how to raise your WhatsApp account’s messaging limit to broadcast to a larger audience. ### What is Broadcast in WhatsApp? Over 1.5 billion people use WhatsApp globally, with an impressive [98% open rate](https://www.inventiva.co.in/trends/top-10-best-whatsapp-marketing-2/#:~:text=Amazing%20Message%20Open%20Rates%20and%20Click%2DThrough%20Rates%20%E2%80%93%20WhatsApp%20messages%20have%20a%2098%25), making it a powerful tool for businesses to connect with customers. WhatsApp broadcasts allow businesses to send a single message to multiple recipients simultaneously, ensuring privacy as recipients are unaware of others in the list. Unlike [WhatsApp Group Chat](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-group), broadcast messages are delivered individually to each user. Businesses can use this for marketing or remarketing via the **WhatsApp Business App** or the **WhatsApp API**. Next, let’s explore broadcasts on the WhatsApp Business App. ### WhatsApp Broadcast via WhatsApp Business App: 6 Things to Take Note Micro and small businesses have a small number of customers per month, so they don’t handle a large volume of messages. For this reason, broadcasting with WhatsApp Business App is a good choice for them. Here are the six key points that you should know if you want to broadcast with the WhatsApp Business App. #### 1\. Free Broadcasts Broadcasting with the WhatsApp Business App is free, allowing unlimited messages. However, avoid spamming to prevent being blocked or reported. #### 2\. Segment Audiences with Labels Labels help categorize contacts for targeted broadcasts, such as returning customers. Keep labels updated to save time, or tag contacts individually for new broadcasts. #### 3\. Send Multimedia and Catalogs You can send images, videos, documents, and product catalogs, making it easier to engage customers and showcase offerings. #### 4\. Enhanced Privacy and Engagement Messages sent via a broadcast list are received as individual messages by your clients. This means their responses come directly to you, not to the entire list, fostering a sense of privacy and personal engagement. #### 5\. Quick and Easy Broadcast List Setup Setting up a WhatsApp broadcast list is straightforward and user-friendly, making it accessible even for non-tech-savvy users. You simply select your contacts, organize them into a list and start sending messages! #### 6\. Compliance with WhatsApp Using the WhatsApp Business App for broadcasts ensures that you’re operating within WhatsApp’s terms of service by default. That said, you still need to deeply familiarize yourselves with their [terms of service](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-terms?locale=en_US&utm_source=chatgpt.com). However, broadcasting on the WhatsApp Business app is far from perfect. Let’s see why. ### Limitations of WhatsApp Broadcast via WhatsApp Business App Broadcasting with WhatsApp Business App has several limitations. For starters, **it’s not possible to import contact lists**. Instead, phone numbers must be manually added one by one. But there’s more. #### 1\. Contacts Must Save the Sender’s Number WhatsApp broadcasts are not always guaranteed to reach their recipients. The [WhatsApp Business Policy](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-policy/?lang=en) prohibits businesses from spamming, so contacts must save the sender’s number on their phones to receive broadcasts. Make sure all the contacts in the WhatsApp Broadcast list have saved your number in their address book. #### 2\. Limited Number of Contacts per Broadcast List While there is no limit to the number of Broadcast lists you can create, you can include up to 256 contacts in each broadcast list. As your business scales, you will need an easy way to reach more than 256 people at once without creating multiple broadcast lists. #### 3\. Limited Users You can use WhatsApp Business App on a maximum of 5 devices at the same time. However, only one of those devices can be a phone. #### 4\. Lack of Broadcast Analytics WhatsApp Business App doesn’t offer any analytics tools to measure the performance of WhatsApp broadcasts. You will not have insights into broadcast message delivery and other important metrics. #### 5\. Limited Message Types While the app supports text, images and videos, it doesn’t natively include advanced options like interactive buttons or templates for more engaging broadcasts. Next, we’ll show you how to send a broadcast on the WhatsApp Business App. ### How to Broadcast WhatsApp Messages with WhatsApp Business App in 3 Steps Wondering how to create a broadcast list on the WhatsApp Business App? It only takes three steps. 1. Go to New Broadcast 2. Create a broadcast list 3. Compose and send the WhatsApp Broadcast In this section, we will cover each point in further detail. #### Step 1: Go to New Broadcast To start a new broadcast on WhatsApp, tap the triple dot in the top right corner. Then, select *New broadcast.* #### Step 2: Create a Broadcast List A list of your contacts should now appear. Tap to select the contacts you wish to include in your broadcast list. But remember! Recipients must have your number saved in order to receive your broadcast messages. After selecting your contacts, you can assign a name to your broadcast list for future reference. This is particularly useful for managing multiple lists targeting different audience segments. #### Step 3: Send the WhatsApp Broadcast Once your broadcast list is set up, a chat window similar to a WhatsApp group chat will open. Compose and send the WhatsApp Broadcast — remember that you can add images, video files and even items from your WhatsApp Catalog. After composing, tap the send button. Each recipient will receive the message as an individual chat, maintaining privacy and personalization for all parties involved in the process. This WhatsApp broadcast list will remain in your Chat Inbox indefinitely. You can re-engage and interact with customers in this broadcast list as needed. However, be aware of the [WhatsApp Business Messaging policy](https://business.whatsapp.com/policy#overview) to ensure a good customer experience and avoid getting banned. ### Should Your Business Solely Rely on WhatsApp Business App? It depends on your business size and needs. Let’s consider a scenario: you are a small business owner with fewer than 200 customers. Most of them know you personally and have your WhatsApp Business number saved on their phones. In this case, the broadcast feature WhatsApp Business App would suffice. If you are an SME or enterprise with a high number of customers, a limit of 256 unique broadcasts per list would not be convenient for you. Plus, not being able to import contact lists is definitely an issue. Due to the high number of contacts, you would also need an advanced WhatsApp solution for multiple users. But all that said, WhatsApp Business App isn’t perfect. ### The Solution? Broadcast WhatsApp Messages with WhatsApp API The best solution for SMEs and enterprises is WhatsApp API. Whatsapp API is a WhatsApp solution designed for medium to large companies, and it comes with advanced [multiuser capability](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users). Unlike WhatsApp Business App, WhatsApp API has no app or front-end interface. WhatsApp Broadcast allows for non-transactional notifications, such as marketing announcements or account authentication. However, businesses must use pre-approved Message Templates. Businesses must also abide by WhatsApp [Business](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-policy/) and [Commerce](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/commerce-policy) Policies to broadcast on WhatsApp. Failure to do so may result in bans on business-initiated messages and responses to customer-initiated messages. Similarly, strict adherence to WhatsApp’s Message Template Category guidelines is crucial to avoid penalties. > Meta has rolled out new WhatsApp Setup Guidance directly inside your Meta Business Portfolio. This new hub provides step-by-step instructions to simplify your API setup and manage message eligibility. You can now launch campaigns faster with pre-approved templates and instantly check your template review and appeals status. #### 4 Benefits of Using WhatsApp Broadcast API Once you’ve set up your respond.io WhatsApp Business API account, you can leverage the many benefits of using respond.io WhatsApp API for broadcasts. | WhatsApp Business App | WhatsApp API | | --- | --- | | Broadcast limit of 256 contacts | Much higher contact limit depending on your Business Portfolio | | Limited personalization options | Advanced personalization options and scheduling | | No contact import | Import contacts and message them even if they don't have your number | | Challenges when handling many broadcast replies | Manage high volumes of contact replies with ease | ##### 1\. Get rid of the 256-contact broadcast limit Unlock the capability to broadcast to a significantly larger WhatsApp audience all at once. Or even [remove messaging limits](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#as3r) to seamlessly accommodate your ambitious messaging requirements. If you are a WhatsApp API user, perhaps you have the following question: How many contacts can be added to a WhatsApp broadcast list? This will depend on your WhatsApp account’s [messaging limit](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/messaging-limits/). **Business Manager Messaging Limits** WhatsApp API is designed for scale. With Business Portfolio-level messaging limits, all phone numbers under a single Business Portfolio share the same quota: - No need for multiple numbers to increase capacity. - Tier upgrades (2K → 10K → 100K → Unlimited) happen every 6 hours, giving new numbers faster access. - Existing accounts adopt the highest phone-level limit as the business-level limit. > **Note:** Backward compatibility is maintained until February 2026. After that, updating to the new fields is required. ##### 2\. Personalize your broadcasts for better engagement Create WhatsApp Catalogs or [interactive message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-interactive-message#toc-mobile-4) with call-to-action buttons or quick replies. Then, customize them with images, files and personalized customer data to hit home. Last, [schedule your WhatsApp broadcasts](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#schedule_broadcast_and_customize_send_rates) for a specific date and time to boost open rates. ##### 3\. Message customers even if you are not on their contact list. [Import Contacts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#7111e) to respond.io and message them all at once. As long as you have their WhatsApp number, they will receive your message. ##### 4\. Handle high volumes of broadcast replies effortlessly You can expect many replies after broadcasting to your WhatsApp audience, and that can be challenging to handle. With respond.io, you can [set up automated replies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) to manage customer expectations or, even better, leave the conversation in the hands of an [AI Agent](https://respond.io/ai-agents) to answer inquiries before assigning the conversation to a human agent. To effectively utilize the WhatsApp API for message broadcasting, businesses must have two essential components in place: a [WhatsApp API account](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) and a reliable business messaging software for seamless message exchange. Next, we explain how to get both things at once. ### How to Broadcast WhatsApp Messages with WhatsApp API in 3 Steps [Creating an API account](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api#toc-mobile-5) via respond.io is hassle-free and only involves 3 simple steps: 1. Buy a phone number, or port an existing number 2. Sign up for a respond.io account — you can start with a free trial 3. Complete the WhatsApp API application through respond.io Now that you know what you need to get WhatsApp API, we’ll go through the steps to set up your broadcast on respond.io. Setting up a WhatsApp broadcast on respond.io is simple, as it only takes three steps. 1. Import a Contact list to respond.io 2. Create a message template 3. Broadcast your message with WhatsApp API #### Step 1: Import a Contact List to Respond.io With respond.io, users can upload a contact list using a CSV file. They also can assign [Tags](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-details#tags) to contacts in the CSV file to categorize them. Later on, these Tags will appear on the platform once the Contact list is uploaded. Make sure the phone numbers are in the international format, with a country code and area code. To [import a contact list](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-import), open the [Contacts Module](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contacts-overview) and follow these steps: 1. Go to Add Contact and click on the 🔽 button. 2. Select Import Contacts. 3. Download the sample CSV file if you don’t have it yet. 4. Fill the file with Contact data. 5. Drop the file or click on Browse Files to upload it. When the import is complete, you’ll receive an email with the results. You can choose to download them if you wish. Once your WhatsApp broadcast list is ready, it’s time to create a [Message Template](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message). #### Step 2: Create a Message Template To initiate a conversation with a WhatsApp Message Template, your message has to fall within one of three conversation categories: [Utility, Authentication or Marketing conversations.](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-1) Additionally, starting July 2025, WhatsApp will switch from per-conversation to per-message pricing for marketing and utility messages. Utility messages sent within 24 hours remain free. All Message Templates must be approved by WhatsApp before they can be used. You can [create and submit Message Templates for approval directly from respond.io](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-5). Check the status of your Message Templates on respond.io by clicking the *Sync Templates* button to update the data. However, for respond.io WhatsApp Business API users, templates sync automatically. A Message Template’s status can be *Submitted*, *Approved* or *Rejected*. In case of [Message Template rejection](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-6), Users can edit and re-submit them for approval. Using High-Quality Message Templates matters. Being blocked by Contacts affects a Template’s Quality Rating, which can drop to a Medium or even a Low-Quality Rating. Low-Quality Message Templates will get a Flagged status. If their Quality Rating doesn’t improve in 7 days, the status will change to Disabled. Under this status, Messages Templates can’t be sent or edited. Users who broadcast respond.io WhatsApp Business API can create Media and Interactive Message Templates. What’s more, they can create a Message Template that combines both message types. [Interactive Message Templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-interactive-message) include *Call To Action* or *Quick Reply* buttons. On the other hand, Media Message Templates let Users add a customizable header. This header can be a text, an image, a video or a PDF file. But the customization possibilities don’t end there. When writing the message body, Users can customize the placeholders with variables. Once your Message Template is composed and approved, you can broadcast it using the respond.io Broadcast Module. #### Step 3: Broadcast WhatsApp Messages with WhatsApp API To start a WhatsApp API broadcast, click on the [Broadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/broadcasts-overview) and then on the *Add Broadcast* button at the top. Name your broadcast and click *Create*. You also have the option to label (categorize) it for easier referencing in the future. By default, a broadcast’s audience is set to *All*. If you’d like to limit your broadcast to a specific group of people, select a [Segment](https://help.respond.io/contacts/segments) from the drop-down list. Segments are editable and creatable within the [Contacts Module](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contacts-overview), providing users with the ability to categorize Contacts using filters. Select the *Specific Channel* option. In the channel drop-down list, select the WhatsApp API channel you’d like to use to send the broadcast message. Below, you’ll find a checkbox that reads: *Only send to contacts who interacted with this channel before*. The primary purpose of this tool is to exclude your recently imported Contact list from receiving the broadcast. Therefore, refrain from clicking on it this time. Next, select the relevant Message Template and fill in the details of your broadcast content. Once the WhatsApp broadcast is ready, schedule it for a specific date and time or test it by sending it to yourself or a Contact of your choice. Something to remember: Not all messages will arrive at the exact same time when messaging a large WhatsApp broadcast list. Broadcasts are delivered according to country codes in sequence, with lower numbers going first. In this article, we’ve covered everything you need to know to broadcast on WhatsApp. Now let’s look at what makes for a good WhatsApp broadcast. ### 4 Best Practices in Doing WhatsApp Broadcasts The goal of broadcasts isn’t just to blast out one-way messages. It’s to build connections with audiences. Broadcasts that feel generic, spammy and irrelevant can damage your brand, driving away potential leads and customers. But if you get it right, you’ll have a direct line to hundreds of customers and here’s how you can get started. To maximize engagement, WhatsApp will adjust how marketing messages are delivered starting March 2025. Messages will be prioritized for users who have interacted with past broadcasts, helping businesses reach the most responsive audience while reducing message fatigue. #### 1\. Make It Personalized Nobody wants to receive a boilerplate broadcast that lacks any personalization. Little things like using your audiences’ actual names and segmentation go a long way in helping your messaging reach the right audiences. For example, if you have a pet shop, you wouldn’t want to send the same promotions to cat and dog lovers. And don’t forget about timing! If your audiences receive a random broadcast at 2 AM, they’ll probably think, *Who sends this stuff at this hour?* A (bad) broadcast a day keeps customers away! #### 2\. Keep Messaging Clear and Concise Much like any good ad, broadcasts need to get straight to the point. Broadcasts are snappy; they aren’t novels. Focus on one clear message, one offer, one idea at a time instead of spreading yourself thin. Nothing impacts broadcasts for the worse than the dreaded wall of text. Don’t bombard them either! One well-written message is infinitely better than ten that might be flagged as spam. #### 3\. Create Strong Call-to-Actions You’ve sent out broadcasts and have your audiences’ attention wrapped around your finger, but now what? Don’t waste this opportunity and let them wonder. Be crystal clear about what specific action you want them to take next. Whether it’s clicking a link, visiting your store, or even signing up for an event, your CTA should be clear and stand out to spark action. Think more along the lines of *“Claim your 50% discount today”* and less *“Contact us maybe if you’re interested.”* #### 4\. Use an Effective Messaging Tool - Automate WhatsApp broadcasts: Managing and sending messages manually can be time-consuming; use a platform to handle repetitive tasks. - Organize and segment contacts: Tools like respond.io allow you to categorize your audience for tailored messaging. - Schedule broadcasts strategically: Send messages at optimal times to avoid overwhelming recipients. - Track performance: Gain insights into message engagement to refine your approach and improve results over time. - Leverage AI Agents:Automatically respond to broadcast replies.Qualify leads generated from your campaigns.Transfer qualified leads to human agents or handle calls directly. - Automatically respond to broadcast replies. - Qualify leads generated from your campaigns. - Transfer qualified leads to human agents or handle calls directly. ### 3 Ways to Increase Your WhatsApp Broadcast Messaging List You could have the best WhatsApp broadcast messaging in the world, but without a curated messaging list to send it to, it would all be for nothing. Here’s how you can nurture and grow your list: #### 1\. Encourage and Promote Opt-Ins You can’t expect your audience to read your mind. Do you want them on your broadcast list? Then ask them! [Add WhatsApp opt-in prompts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in) everywhere relevant. This could be on your blog, email newsletter, YouTube videos, social media, or even in your physical stores. #### 2\. Take Advantage of QR Codes QR codes are powerful. When done right, they practically create instant bridges between potential leads and your broadcast lists. Consider placing them in key locations, not just digitally but physically. Think receipts, packaging, emails or even posters. #### 3\. Prioritize Quality over Quantity Growing your list as fast as possible is tempting and may yield more immediate results in the short term, but in the long run, it’ll hurt you. Bloated lists won’t do you any favors if they're full of unengaged users and spammy broadcasts. ### Why You Should Consider Respond.io as Your WhatsApp Business Solution Provider There are many [WhatsApp Business Solution Providers](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) (BSP) in the market offering access to WhatsApp API. So, how does respond.io stand out among the rest? Respond.io has been recognized as one of the [leading AI-powered conversation management software](https://www.g2.com/products/respond-io/reviews) in the market for a number of reasons. 1. Badged Meta Business Partner: Respond.io has been vetted for its expertise in handling Meta products, making it a highly recommended choice for a customer conversation software platform. 2. Smooth Onboarding and Support: Start with a seamless onboarding experience. For any blockers in your way, benefit from respond.io’s access to Meta’s high-quality support. 3. Exclusive Access to Cutting-Edge WhatsApp Features: Stay ahead with exclusive access to advanced features like Meta Catalog broadcast and broadcast analytics. 4. No Setup and Hosting Fees: Get started without paying set-up and hosting fees or requiring a Facebook Developer Account. 5. Centralized Account and Fee Management: Manage all your WhatsApp accounts and fees effortlessly from one centralized platform. 6. WhatsApp Green Tick: Obtain and display a WhatsApp green tick for increased brand credibility. 7. Advanced AI agents: GPT-powered AI agents learn from knowledge sources, take on specific roles and respond intelligently to help handle high volumes of messages 8. Scheduled Messages: Use Whatsapp schedule messages to deliver updates, reminders and promotions at the right time. ### Broadcast Smarter, Not Harder – Try Respond.io Today! To segment customers easily, send WhatsApp broadcasts at scale and unlock features like advanced chat automation and analytics, [get the respond.io WhatsApp Business API](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business). Respond.io customers have already experienced the benefits in terms of [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing): Farmacia La Buena is now using respond.io WhatsApp API to [broadcast 8,000 monthly catalogs](https://respond.io/customers/how-farmacia-la-buena-cut-first-response-and-resolution-times-by-half) and promotions to its contact list, while Moj for Creators effectively leverages respond.io to broadcast [over 20,000 daily WhatsApp messages](https://respond.io/customers/how-moj-for-creators-supports-200k-creators-in-15-languages). If you already have a WhatsApp API account, [connect your API to respond.io](https://app.respond.io/create_organization) to start sending WhatsApp broadcasts. We are constantly updating our platform with new features to make communication with your customers easy and effective. ### Further Reading If you enjoyed this article and would like to learn more about WhatsApp API, check out the following articles: - WhatsApp Partners: What is a Business Solution Provider? - Using respond.io as a CRM with WhatsApp Integration - The Ultimate Guide to WhatsApp API ## [WhatsApp Broadcast Message Sample: 24 Templates for Your Business](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast-message-sample) Looking for an effective Whatsapp broadcast message sample? Check out these 24 templates to enhance your marketing strategy and engage your audience. Looking for a WhatsApp broadcast message sample? This article explains the concept of a WhatsApp broadcast message and its benefits, followed by best practices for writing a broadcast message. We then provide a list of WhatsApp broadcast message templates for various scenarios. Finally, we explore how to send WhatsApp broadcasts via WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API. ### What is WhatsApp Broadcast Message? A [WhatsApp broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) allows businesses to send a message to multiple WhatsApp contacts at once. It’s a one-to-many communication channel that appears like a personal chat. Recipients receive the message as a private WhatsApp message, allowing them to respond directly to the sender. This makes it easy for businesses to communicate with their customers en masse without creating a [group chat](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-group). Now, let's examine why businesses use WhatsApp broadcasts to reach out to their customers. #### Benefits of WhatsApp Broadcast Message By leveraging WhatsApp broadcast messages, businesses can reach out to a large number of customers simultaneously to provide updates, offers and other information that can drive sales or build customer trust and loyalty. Some of the benefits include: - Communicate with customers on WhatsApp, the most popular messaging app in the world with 2.24 billion users - Reach out to multiple contacts while personalizing the message for each recipient - Segment the audience and send targeted messages to maximize your WhatsApp marketing campaigns - Improve customer engagement and encourage direct responses through private messages - A cost-effective method for mass communication Using WhatsApp broadcast messages offers a multitude of advantages that can transform the way you communicate with your audience. Next, let's take a closer look at some sample messages to fully appreciate the power of this remarkable tool. ### WhatsApp Broadcast Message Sample This section will offer insights into some best practices for writing effective WhatsApp broadcast messages to your customers. Then, we’ll provide ready-to-use message samples for different use cases. #### Best Practices for WhatsApp Broadcast Message Preparing broadcast messages can be challenging if you don’t know where to start. Here, we’ll share some best practices for writing effective WhatsApp broadcast messages that will help you engage with your customers. Follow these guidelines to ensure that your messages will be engaging, welcoming and professional: - Target customers correctly according to relevant criteria such as interests, customer lifecycle stage, region, language or more. - Keep the message brief and to the point - Use a warm and friendly tone - Personalize the message with the customer’s name or details - Include a call-to-action (CTA) to prompt customers to take a specific action or guide them in what to do next - Connect a CRM to your WhatsApp API account - Set up a WhatsApp auto reply message to contacts that respond to your message - Obtain a WhatsApp green tick (now blue tick) to enhance your credibility and improve brand recognition In the following section, we will present you with samples of broadcast messages you can use in various scenarios. #### WhatsApp Broadcast Message Template: WhatsApp Newsletter Use a WhatsApp newsletter to inform your customers about your latest news and events. You can send this at any interval you like. To keep the message short, include just the highlights and link customers to your website or blog for more details. 1\. “Hi, \[Name\], your canvas design account has been updated with the following features in March: 🎨 10 new templates 🔥 More flexible drag-and-drop interface 📷 100 more stock images for Premium users Find out more on our website!” 2\. “Join us this month for a celebration of art and music! We'll be hosting the Harmony Heights Music Festival, Samantha Knight's solo art exhibition, and an album release party for River Reed's new album 'Echoes in the Wilderness'. Don't miss out on this exciting lineup of events! \[website link\]” 3\. “This month, the GA Orangutan Sanctuary celebrates the release of two orphaned orangutans back into the wild! Join us for a virtual chat on April 15th to hear about this mission or attend our Orangutan Nursery open day on April 25. Get the details on our site. \[website link\]” #### WhatsApp Broadcast Message Template: New Product Launch Generate excitement around your newly launched product by informing customers about it. Pique their interest on WhatsApp and invite them to the website to learn more. 1\. “Hey \[Name\]! Our new necklace collection is out today 💎. Check it out on our website or book a viewing appointment to try them on today! \[website link\]” 2\. “Attention all fashionistas! Our new collection has just launched and it's 🔥. Head to our website to see what's in store and get your hands on the last trends. \[website link\]” 3\. “Introducing Caramelized Haze, our latest specialty coffee! Get it now on our website and enjoy an early bird discount for a limited time only. \[website link\]” #### WhatsApp Broadcast Message Sample: Promotional Message Broadcasting sales or promotional announcements is an efficient way to notify customers about your upcoming sale and generate attention for your brand. Here are some examples for your reference: 1\. “Hey \[Name\], we have a special promotion for you. Get a free gift 🎁 with any purchase of $50 or more. Hurry, head over to our website to purchase while stocks last. \[website link\]” 2\. “Get ready for our Black Friday sale! Use the code \[code\] for 30% off all items.” 3\. “Hi \[Name\]! We're offering a limited-time promotion on our best-selling perfumes. Order now and get 30% off your purchase. Use code \[code\] at checkout to redeem.” #### WhatsApp Broadcast Message Sample: Back-in-Stock Alert A great way to encourage customers to make a purchase is to let them know when popular items are back in stock. This can be a great push toward conversion or show customers you pay attention to their interests or desires. 1\. “The Royal Blue Pleated Maxi Skirt you've been eyeing is finally back in stock! Don't wait too long, grab yours now before it sells out again \[website link\].” 2\. “🐾 Exciting news for all dog owners! The highly sought-after Furry Friend's Favorite Dog Treats are finally back in stock. Order now and get 10% off your purchase! 🎉 \[website link\].” 3\. "\[Name\], your wait is over. The Aurum Luxe necklace is back in stock. Hurry, visit our website to grab yours before they sell out \[website link\].” #### WhatsApp Broadcast Message Template: Reactivation Message A well-timed reactivation message can re-engage customers who may be interested in a seasonal or new purchase. It also helps strengthen your relationship with them and keeps your business top of mind. 1\. “Hey there! It's been a while since your last purchase with us. To welcome you back, we're offering a special discount on all our products. Use the code \[code\] at checkout to get 15% off your next order! 💻💰” 2\. “Time for a fresh manicure 💅 Treat yourself to a pampering session and enjoy 10% off your visit if you book within the next 5 days. Don't wait, schedule your appointment now!” 3\. “Time flies! It's been a year since your last check-up with us. We're here to remind you that it's important to stay on top of your health, so we're offering a free consultation to all our returning customers. Call us now to book your appointment! 🏥👨‍⚕️” #### WhatsApp Broadcast Message Samples: Service Disruption Keeping customers informed about any issues affecting their experience demonstrates transparency, accountability and commitment to high-quality service. It builds trust and can potentially turn a negative situation into a positive one. Here are some examples you can use: 1\. “🚨 Dear valued customers, we are experiencing a temporary service disruption on our app. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and will update you as soon as the issue is resolved. 🙏” 2\. “Attention all users, our website is currently experiencing technical difficulties that may impact your ability to access certain features. Our team is working on resolving the issue and we will keep you informed of any updates. 🛠️” 3\. “📢 Important announcement: We are currently experiencing a system outage that may affect our ability to process orders and respond to inquiries. We are working to fix the issue as quickly as possible and appreciate your patience during this time.” #### WhatsApp Broadcast Message Sample: Event Announcement WhatsApp broadcast makes it easy to announce events to a large audience. You can also add multimedia to make your message more engaging. 1\. “🎉 We're excited to announce our upcoming webinar on How to Start Your Investment Journey! Join us on 1 April at 3 pm to learn from industry experts and network with like-minded professionals. Register now to secure your spot! \[website link\]” 2\. “Attention all music lovers! We're thrilled to announce that The Velvet Echoes will perform live on 7 July at The Sapphire Arena. Get your tickets now before they sell out! 🎤 \[website link\]” 3\. “It's showtime! Join us for an unforgettable evening on 13 June at The Grand Stage Theatre. We'll be showcasing a critically acclaimed production of The Melancholy Symphony. Don't miss out on this must-see performance! 🎬 \[website link\]” #### Broadcast Message Samples: Transportation Update Traveling can often cause stress for commuters, who may have multiple concerns and responsibilities to manage. One effective way to alleviate their anxiety and instill confidence is by providing timely updates whenever there is a service disruption. 1\. “Dear valued passengers, please be advised that there is a delay of 15 minutes on our 10:00 am bus service due to unexpected traffic 🚦. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience. Thank you for choosing our services 🚌.” 2\. "Attention passengers! Our 8:00 am train has been canceled due to bad weather conditions ☔️. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and urge you to stay safe 🛡️. We will be in touch regarding a rescheduled departure time." 3\. "Dear passengers, we regret to inform you that Flight A296 from JFK to LHR has been delayed due to severe weather conditions. We apologize for the inconvenience and we’ll send updates on the new departure time soon.” Now you have a good selection of WhatsApp broadcast message templates, let’s jump to the next section, where you’ll learn how to send a broadcast. ### How to Send WhatsApp Broadcast Messages Here, we’ll show you how to create and send a broadcast message. There are two ways to send WhatsApp broadcast messages, including using the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) or [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). First, let's take a closer look at the WhatsApp Business App and how it can be used to effectively send bulk messages to a limited list of contacts. #### WhatsApp Business App If you run a micro or small business, the WhatsApp Business App can be an effective tool to send [bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) to a limited list of contacts. Broadcasting with the app is easy, and you can use this [step-by-step guide](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#toc-mobile-2) to help you get started. However, it's important to note that there are [limitations to broadcasting with WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#toc-mobile-1): - You cannot import contacts. Phone numbers must be manually added one by one - Broadcast messages can only be received by contacts who have saved your phone number on their device - You can broadcast to a maximum of 256 contacts at a time WhatsApp Business App is a useful tool for small businesses. Nonetheless, as a business grows and requires more advanced features and tools, they may need to consider using the WhatsApp Business API. #### WhatsApp Business API WhatsApp API was built for [multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) and to connect with customers at scale. However, as an API, it needs a third-party platform to be able to send and receive messages. Connecting [Whatsapp API to a customer conversation management software like respond.io](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-cloud-api#connecting_whats_app_cloud_api) lets you send a WhatsApp broadcast message to a large audience. Respond.io comes with features like [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api), [precise segmentation](https://help.respond.io/contacts/segments) and a visual broadcast builder to draft, preview and [schedule WhatsApp messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message). It also offers advanced [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) automation to handle broadcast responses and execute processes like [chat routing](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/route-customers), [auto-assignment](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/auto-assign-customers) and more. You can connect [multiple channels](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-6) on respond.io to send broadcasts on different channels simultaneously. To send broadcast messages with WhatsApp API, businesses need three things: - WhatsApp API connected to respond.io - Pre-approved Message Template - A segment of contacts who have opted in to receive your newsletters You can use the above samples to create your Message Templates and set placeholders for the details. Then, [follow](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#toc-mobile-3) [these steps](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#toc-mobile-3) to send broadcasts via WhatsApp Business API. 1. **Select** *Broadcast Module* from the side navigation menu. 2\. **Click** *Add Broadcast*. 3\. **Name** your broadcast and click *Create*. 4. **Select** a *Segment*, which would be the target audience you want to broadcast to*.* 5. **Select** *Specific Channel* as the *Channel Type* and then choose the WhatsApp account you want to broadcast from in *Channel*. 6\. **Choose** the relevant *Message Template* and fill in the details. 7\. **Click** *Send Broadcast* for immediate delivery or *Schedule Broadcast* for a later date and time. And there you have it! You can also [clone broadcasts](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/managing-broadcasts#cloning_a_broadcast) if you need to send a similar broadcast again, instead of rebuilding it from scratch. Ready to start sending your first WhatsApp broadcast message with respond.io? [Sign up for our free trial today](https://app.respond.io/user/register) to get started. ### Further Reading - WhatsApp Advertising Messages Sample: A One-Stop Guide - Live Chat Greeting Examples: 15 Live Chat Welcome Message Examples - Customer Service Response Templates: How to Use Customer Service Templates ## [WhatsApp Broadcast vs Group: A Comparison for Business](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast-vs-group) Want to send messages to a large group on WhatsApp? Check out which you should use: WhatsApp Broadcast vs Group. WhatsApp Broadcast and WhatsApp Groups are two powerful features that can greatly benefit businesses in their marketing and communication strategies. While both features have many similarities, there are notable differences. In this article, we’ll compare WhatsApp broadcast vs group including their advantages and use cases. ### What is WhatsApp Broadcast vs Group? [WhatsApp Broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) and [WhatsApp Group](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-group) are features within the WhatsApp Business Platform that let users reach out to multiple recipients simultaneously for announcements, promotions or building a customer base. However, both features do this in different ways. How do they work and what are they used for? Let’s take a look at that next. ### What is WhatsApp Broadcast? WhatsApp Broadcast allows businesses to send [bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) to multiple recipients. It functions as a one-to-many communication channel, where the sender's message is delivered individually to each recipient. Senders can send both text and media, like photos and videos, to recipients. You can [send notifications](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-notification) and announcements to customers using the WhatsApp Business App and the WhatsApp API. The features are similar across both WhatsApp products, but with a few notable differences. #### WhatsApp Broadcast on WhatsApp Business App If you’re a small business or if you receive and send low volumes of messages, then the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) is sufficient for your business. On the app, you are limited to 256 contacts per broadcast list. To add contacts to a broadcast list, businesses must manually add contacts to their address book. Furthermore, contacts will need to have saved your number to receive your broadcasts. This is to prevent spamming, per [WhatsApp’s Business Policy](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-policy). If you’re an enterprise that needs to broadcast to a larger number of contacts, you should use WhatsApp API instead. #### WhatsApp Broadcast on WhatsApp API Built for businesses to message at scale, [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) overcomes some of the limitations of the WhatsApp Business App when sending broadcasts. For example, contacts don’t have to save your number to receive your broadcast and you can bulk message a much larger audience. However, WhatsApp API doesn’t have an interface and you need to connect it to a messaging inbox like respond.io to send and receive messages. You can also only use [Message Templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) that have been approved by Meta for your broadcasts. ### What is WhatsApp Group? [WhatsApp Group](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-group) is only available on the WhatsApp Business App and is best for small businesses that send and receive low volumes of messages. It is a many-to-many communication channel where up to 1,024 members can be added to a group. They are great for building and fostering a close community of members that have common interests. Group members can interact with each other by sending messages, sharing media and engaging in discussions. They can even start and join group calls, making meetings possible. Now that you’re familiar with groups and broadcasts, how do they compare with each other? ### WhatsApp Broadcast vs WhatsApp Group: Which Should You Choose? Even though you’re aware of the differences between WhatsApp Broadcast and WhatsApp Group, you might not be sure which suits you best. To determine that, reflect on the goals of the interaction. In this section, let’s take a look at 3 things that will affect your decision. #### WhatsApp Broadcast vs Group: Scaling Your Reach As broadcasts work as a one-to-many form of communication and are used for notifications and updates, businesses typically don’t require or expect contacts to respond. Businesses that want discussions and to foster a community should use WhatsApp Group. However, doing this means reaching more customers will take longer. This is because businesses need to participate in the groups as well. #### WhatsApp Broadcast vs Group: Engaging with Your Audience for Different Use Cases As the way broadcasts and groups send and receive messages are different, the way you use them will differ as well. Here are 3 use cases for reaching out to your audience using WhatApp Broadcast and WhatsApp Group. **Marketing and promotions**: WhatsApp Broadcast shines when it comes to [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) and [promotions](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-promotional-messages). It allows businesses to set their targeted audience, [schedule messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) and broadcast announcements, offers, back-in-stock alerts and more. With WhatsApp Group, the group itself is your target audience. Unlike broadcasts, the interactive nature of groups allows for highly personalized marketing campaigns. For example, Agent Provocateur had a [creative campaign](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-group#toc-mobile-3) that yielded a high conversion rate. For example, real estate agents have multiple WhatsApp Groups for different properties and locations. This makes it easy for them keep track of the various development projects when connecting with investors or buyers. **Building a sales funnel**: When it comes to building a sales funnel, both WhatsApp Broadcast and WhatsApp Group can play significant roles. WhatsApp Broadcast is an effective tool for sending targeted messages that drive lead generation and conversion. By leveraging personalization tools like [dynamic variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) on respond.io, you can create compelling messages that resonate with your audience and guide them through the sales funnel. With a WhatsApp Group, businesses can build on their sales funnel by providing resources such as exclusive content that acts as a lead magnet. By continuing to engage with the audience, businesses can further nurture those leads until a sale is made. **Building rapport**: Both features play a role in building rapport with your audience, albeit in different ways. WhatsApp Broadcast can help update your customers on service disruptions, account updates and more. Regular communication through broadcasts, like [WhatsApp newsletters](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-newsletter), can establish a sense of reliability and trust with your audience. WhatsApp Groups, on the other hand, provide a more interactive space for building rapport. By creating customer support groups, businesses can gather feedback from discussions with their customers. This level of interaction fosters a deeper connection and builds rapport, as customers feel valued and supported. #### WhatsApp Broadcast vs Group: Moderating Messages Keep in mind that you will need to actively moderate your group to avoid spam and non-relevant content. If you don’t, then you run the risk of your group members ignoring messages, muting the group or even leaving it. With WhatsApp Broadcast, there’s no need to manage your audience since there's no communication among your contacts. All replies to your broadcasts are sent directly to you. Furthermore, with a customer conversation management software like respond.io, you can create chat automation to [route responses](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/route-customers) to the right team or [handle spam automatically](https://help.respond.io/inbound-conversations/managing-spam). Software like respond.io also provides insights into the [performance of your broadcasts](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-broadcasts). This includes information like successfully sent, failed and read messages to optimize future broadcasts. ### Making the Choice So, now that you’re aware of the differences between WhatsApp Broadcasts and WhatsApp Groups, which should you choose? If you’re a small business using the WhatsApp Business App and need direct communication, community and customer support for a relatively small audience, then a WhatsApp Group fits you best. But if you’re a medium or a large business and want to communicate on a much larger scale, you need WhatsApp API and broadcasts. Working with a [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) and messaging software like respond.io also allows you to handle a high volume of communication with advanced messaging features and [chat automation](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview), as well as [monitor multiple agents or teams](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-leaderboard). By carefully assessing your objectives and considering the unique benefits of each feature, you can strategically leverage either WhatsApp Broadcast or WhatsApp Groups to enhance your business' marketing efforts and establish stronger connections with your audience. ### Further Reading Did you find this article useful? We suggest you read these articles to learn more about WhatsApp. - WhatsApp Broadcast: How to Broadcast WhatsApp Messages - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business - WhatsApp Auto Reply in 4 Easy Steps ## [WhatsApp BSP: How It Works, Pricing & How to Choose One](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-solution-provider) A WhatsApp Business Solution Provider will help you in your journey with WhatsApp API. Read this guide to make sure you choose the right WhatsApp Partner. ### What is a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider? WhatsApp Business Solution Providers are third-party companies that help you get access to the WhatsApp API. They are approved by Meta and provide solutions to enable businesses to send messages, manage customer interactions and integrate with other business tools. WhatsApp BSPs are sometimes referred to as “WhatsApp Partners” or “WhatsApp Business Service Providers.” However, Meta officially calls them “WhatsApp Business Solution Providers.” It’s helpful to know this in case you encounter different terms online—they all refer to the same type of provider. ### Why Does WhatsApp Work with WhatsApp Partners? Before 2022, businesses could only apply for a WhatsApp API account through a WhatsApp BSP. WhatsApp's decision not to offer its API directly to most companies stems from two priorities. The first one was profitability. After Meta acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion, the company pledged never to have ads on WhatsApp, so it needed a different business model. The solution was the WhatsApp Business API. The second priority was to keep a low headcount. Despite being acquired for a high price, WhatsApp only had about 35 engineers back then. Outsourcing the process to partners is less resource-intensive and more cost-effective as it eliminates the need to hire additional employees. Next, we’ll give you a quick overview of the different types of integrations made available by WhatsApp Business Solution Providers. ### How Does a WhatsApp BSP Work? Today, businesses can access the [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) in two ways: - Directly through Meta: A straightforward path to access it. - Through a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP): A preferred option for many businesses. So, why choose a BSP? It's simple. The reason is simple: BSPs continue to provide value in different ways. Let’s explore what makes them still relevant. ### **Do BSPs Offer Any Real Advantage Over Native WhatsApp Business API?** Meta is building WhatsApp into the primary channel for business-customer communication, and Business Solution Providers (BSPs) are essential to that vision. These partners help businesses connect with customers more effectively by offering tailored solutions on the WhatsApp Business Platform. Choosing a BSP is the easiest way to get started with the WhatsApp Business API. Instead of managing everything yourself through the native setup, a BSP can guide you through the process, handle technical steps, and provide tools and support that save time and reduce complexity. Here’s what BSPs can help you with — and why partnering with the right one makes a big difference. #### Education and Support - Guide you through every step of the WhatsApp API setup, from onboarding to launch - Help you understand complex messaging rules, including business-initiated messaging limits - Keep you updated on evolving WhatsApp policies and pricing changes - Offer bundled messaging software, so you don’t need to integrate a separate inbox - Provide customer support to troubleshoot issues and optimize your setup #### Port Phone Numbers - Assist with porting your existing number — mobile, landline, or toll-free — into the WhatsApp API - Offer alternatives like using WhatsApp-provided virtual numbers, if preferred - Ensure minimal downtime during number migration so you don’t lose conversations or contacts #### Verify Accounts - Handle the WhatsApp Business API account verification process on your behalf - Help you obtain the WhatsApp Green Tick if eligible - Ensure your business profile is compliant and optimized for customer trust ### How Much Does a WhatsApp BSP Cost? Before choosing a BSP, don’t forget to review their pricing model. Some charge additional markups or platform fees, while others, like respond.io, offer transparent pricing with no message markups — you pay only what Meta charges. In other words, not all WhatsApp Business Solution Providers (BSPs) price their services the same way. Here’s what to watch for. #### Setup and Platform Fees Certain BSPs charge a one-time setup fee to get started. Many require you to use their platform, which may include a messaging inbox, automation, and reports. These platform features are helpful but often come with extra costs, and opting out usually isn’t an option. #### Hosting Fees Some BSPs charge a monthly hosting fee for each WhatsApp Business account (WABA) or phone number connected to the WhatsApp Business Platform. This fee covers the cost of maintaining your WhatsApp number on Meta’s servers via the BSP’s infrastructure. #### Message Markups Some BSPs add extra charges on top of WhatsApp’s official messaging fees. These markups vary, so check if you're paying more than necessary. #### How to Avoid Hidden Costs? - Look for BSPs with clear, transparent pricing listed on their website. - Avoid providers that hide fees or charge for features you don’t need. > Tip: Platforms like respond.io offer WhatsApp API access with no message markups — you pay only what Meta charges. #### Complex Onboarding Some providers ask for a lot of business information before granting access. This can delay setup or feel unnecessarily complicated. Next, we’ll look at usage limitations some BSPs may impose. ### What are Common WhatsApp Business Solution Provider Restrictions? While WhatsApp partners help businesses get API access, some may come with limitations that can affect flexibility and long-term scalability. #### Limited Feature Access Some BSPs use their own custom or on-premises version of the WhatsApp API. This can delay access to new WhatsApp features or make them completely unavailable. #### Custom Platform or CRM Many BSPs bundle the API with their own messaging platform or built-in CRM. In some cases, this can limit your ability to integrate with third-party CRMs like Salesforce or HubSpot. Your BSP shouldn’t restrict your freedom to integrate with your existing software. Plus, you may end up paying for features you don’t need if you're already using another system. #### Switching Providers Isn’t Always Simple Migrating your WhatsApp number to another BSP is possible but comes with conditions. For example, both BSPs must be under the same Facebook Business Manager ID. Sadly, some businesses only discover these restrictions after signing up, making it hard to switch. > Tip: Before committing, ensure the BSP supports the features, tools, and integrations your business actually needs. ### How to Choose a WhatsApp BSP? The key factors to consider when choosing a BSP are reliability, features and pricing — and getting them right from the start can save you time, money and future headaches. In our article Top 5 Best WhatsApp Business Service Providers, we break down these factors and compare the most popular BSPs side by side. While many platforms work well for small businesses at first, they often fall short as you grow — whether it's due to limited automation, lack of support for other channels, or unstable infrastructure. Migrating later can be costly and disruptive. That’s why choosing a scalable, full-featured platform like respond.io from day one is a smart move. Here are some of the benefits. - Robust WhatsApp API features - Powerful AI Agent and automation - Early access to new features like WhatsApp Business Calling API - Native integrations with CRMs like Hubspot and Salesforce - Transparent pricing - pay only what Meta charges you - and plans that scale with you - 24/5 live human support and AI support on weekends Start your journey with a [**free respond.io trial**](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and see the difference for yourself. ### Further Reading You’ve made it to the end! That’s everything you need to know about WhatsApp API costs. If you enjoyed this article and you'd like to learn more about WhatsApp Business, here are some additional readings... - The Ultimate Guide to WhatsApp Business API - How to Use WhatsApp Business Multiple Users - How to Use respond.io with a WhatsApp Integration ## [WhatsApp Business Alternative: 6 Best WhatsApp Alternatives for Business](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-alternative) Looking for WhatsApp Business alternative apps? We’ll share the different alternatives for WhatsApp, how they work and their respective benefits and limitations. As one of the most widely used communication tools in the world, WhatsApp connects over 2 billion users globally and offers a range of business messaging features. But despite its reach and capabilities, it might not be the right fit for every business. Whether you're running into limitations with the WhatsApp Business App or API, or you're ready to expand beyond a single channel, this guide will help you choose the best WhatsApp alternative to meet your business needs. ### Why Look Beyond WhatsApp Business API? WhatsApp for business is a powerful tool, but it comes with some limitations that may affect your ability to scale conversations and connect with your audience effectively. - Messaging Window: Businesses must respond within 24 hours. If they don’t, they can only use pre-approved templates to restart conversations. - Message Template Approval: Business-initiated messages require a message template, which must be approved by Meta. This approval process can delay communication and limit businesses from starting a new conversation freely. - Messaging Fees: WhatsApp charges per message based on message category. The more you chat, the more the cost adds up. - Audience Mismatch: Your customers may not use WhatsApp as their primary messaging app, especially in certain regions. If you're running into these roadblocks or want to expand your reach, it's time to explore alternative messaging channels. Here's a look at the best WhatsApp alternatives available for your business. ### TL;DR: Best WhatsApp Alternatives for Business | Platform | Messaging Window | Business- Initiated Messages | Messaging Fees | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Messenger | 24 hours (extendable with Human Agent Tag) | ❌ 1:1 messages not allowed ✅ Allowed via broadcasts | ❌ None | | Telegram | ❌ None | ✅ 1:1 messages allowed if user has previously messaged ✅ Allowed via broadcasts | ❌ None | | Viber | 24 hours | ✅ 1:1 messages allowed if user has previously messaged ✅ Allowed via broadcasts | ✅ Business-initiated message ✅ Monthly chatbot maintenance fee of EUR 100 | | Instagram | 24 hours (extendable with Human Agent Tag) | ❌ 1:1 messages not allowed ❌ Not allowed via broadcast | ❌ None | | LINE | 7 days | ✅ 1:1 messages allowed anytime if user adds business as a friend ✅ Allowed via broadcasts | ✅ Based on account plan | | WeChat | 48-hour session, max 5 messages per session allowed | ❌ 1:1 messages not allowed ✅ Allowed via broadcasts | ❌ None (but $99/year) | ### Best WhatsApp Alternative for Business: 6 Channels to Consider Now, let's take a look at some popular WhatsApp alternatives for your business along with their features, benefits and limitations. The list includes Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Viber, Instagram, LINE and WeChat. #### 1\. Facebook Messenger for Business [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-9) has [947 million monthly active users](https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/) in 2025. It’s especially popular in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Northern Europe and Latin America, with high reach in the Philippines, Vietnam, Mexico, Thailand and more [according to Statista](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1498799/messenger-user-reach-by-market/). **How it compares to WhatsApp**: - Has a 24-hour messaging window (but extendable with Human Agent Tags) - No template approvals needed unless using tags - Business-initiated messages allowed using message tags or broadcasts - No messaging fees Small businesses can chat via Meta Business Suite and access features like saved replies. Larger businesses can connect the Messenger API to a platform like respond.io and reach customers via [web chat](https://respond.io/blog/add-messenger-to-website), [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-code) and [more](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-8). Once a user starts the conversation, businesses can [send broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-broadcast) and view read receipts. | Pros | Cons | | --- | --- | | Supports broadcasts and read receipts | Can't import contacts | | Business-initiated messages supported via tags and broadcast | Group chat not supported | | | Messaging window applies | **Best for:** Businesses targeting Southeast Asia, Latin America or Europe that want cost-effective and flexible messaging. We’ve shown you what Facebook Messenger entails; if this channel is what your business is looking for, sign up for a Facebook account and [set up your Facebook Page](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat#toc-mobile-5) today. #### 2\. Telegram for Business [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) now boasts over [950 million monthly active users](https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/) as of 2025. It sees strong adoption across Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and MENA, especially in India, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil and Egypt. **How it compares to WhatsApp**: - No messaging window - No template approval required - Business-initiated messages are allowed for existing chats and through broadcasts - No messaging fees Unlike WhatsApp, Telegram doesn’t have a business app. You need to create a business account with a [Telegram bot](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-5) and connect it to a messaging inbox like respond.io as it doesn’t have an interface. While you can’t import contacts to message them first, users can start chats through links, [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-qr-code) or web chat. Telegram also supports auto replies and bulk messaging — ideal for sales and support workflows. | Pros | Cons | | --- | --- | | Unlimited messaging flexibility | No native interface — bot setup required | | No fees or approvals | Can’t import contacts | | No broadcast limit | No message status indicators | **Best for:** Companies needing flexible messaging and broadcasts across Asia, Eastern Europe and MENA without messaging limits or fees. Want to start using Telegram for business? [Create a Telegram bot](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-4) to get started. #### 3\. Viber Bot [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business) has over [820 million active users](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-2) and remains popular in Central & Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. **How it compares to WhatsApp**: - Has a 24-hour messaging window - No template approvals - Business-initiated messages are charged Businesses can use the Viber app for light messaging or connect the [Viber Chatbot](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-5) API to a platform like respond.io. While contact import isn’t supported, users can reach out through QR codes, links and Viber ads. | Pros | Cons | | --- | --- | | Broadcasts supported | Can’t import contacts | | User-initiated messages are free | Businesses are charged for initiating messages & chatbot maintenance fees | Viber bots are subject to a €100 monthly maintenance fee. Business-initiated messages are allowed and billed according to [Viber’s commercial messaging rates](https://respond.io/blog/viber-bot-pricing#toc-mobile-2). However, messages sent within 24 hours of a user message are free. **Best for:** Brands serving Central & Eastern Europe or Southeast Asia. Interested in using Viber to boost your business? Learn how to [create a Viber Chatbot account here](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#toc-mobile-7). #### 4\. Instagram Direct for Business Instagram has [2 billion monthly active users](https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/) in 2025, with its [largest audiences](https://www.statista.com/statistics/578364/countries-with-most-instagram-users/) in India, the US, Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey, Japan and the UK. It’s especially effective for businesses targeting customers across Asia-Pacific, the Americas, MENA and Western Europe. **How it compares to WhatsApp**: - Has a 24-hour messaging window (extendable to 7 days with Human Agent Tag) - No template approval process - Business-initiated messages via 1:1 chat & broadcast are not allowed - No messaging fees Businesses can send messages through the [Instagram Message Inbox](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-1), [Meta Business Suite](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-2) and [Instagram Direct Message API](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-account-multiple-users#toc-mobile-3) connected to a platform like respond.io. You can reply to DMs, view read receipts and set [auto replies](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-auto-reply) directly using the app, Meta Business Suite or the API. | | Instagram Message Inbox | Meta Business Suite | Instagram DM API | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Best for | Solopreneurs and micro-businesses | Small businesses | Medium to large businesses | | Message volume | Low volume | Low volume | High volume | | Supports integration | No | No | Yes | However, API users can’t send the first message and customers must initiate the conversation. To overcome this, you can [encourage users to message](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-16) you via click-to-chat ads, QR codes or web chat. Once the conversation starts, you can automate responses and manage inquiries efficiently using respond.io. While Instagram enforces a 24-hour messaging window, the Human Agent Tag allows you to extend it to 7 days for ongoing support. | Pros | Cons | | --- | --- | | Extendable messaging window | 24-hour messaging window applies | | Supports message status | Cannot import contacts | | | Business can’t initiate chats via 1:1 message or broadcast | **Best for:** Businesses with a strong visual brand targeting customers in Asia-Pacific, the Americas or MENA. And that’s everything you need to know about using Instagram Direct Messages for Business. Want to start using Instagram for your business? [Sign up for a business account today](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat#toc-mobile-11). #### 5\. LINE Official Accounts LINE dominates markets like [Japan, Thailand and Taiwan](https://respond.io/blog/line-business#toc-mobile-1), making it an essential messaging app for businesses targeting those regions. **How it compares to WhatsApp**: - 7-day messaging window, but replies are allowed anytime if added as a friend - No template approvals needed - Business-initiated 1:1 messages are only allowed if the customer has added the business as a friend, but broadcasts can be sent regardless - Charges are plan-based, not per message LINE has one type of business account and that is [LINE Official Account](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account). It’s free to create but comes with [several pricing plans](https://developers.line.biz/en/docs/messaging-api/pricing/). Businesses can chat with customers via the [LINE Official Account Manager chat console](https://account.line.biz/login?redirectUri=https%3A%2F%2Fmanager.line.biz%2F) or on a [messaging platform connected to the account via an API](https://help.respond.io/channels/line#connecting_the_line_official_account). | Pros | Cons | | --- | --- | | Businesses can initiate chats anytime if user add them as friends | 7-day reply limit if user hasn’t added business as a friend | | Broadcasts allowed | Charges are plan-based | | Supports message status | Cannot import contacts | Businesses can’t import contacts, but can [encourage customers to reach out](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-10) via QR codes, links and ads. You can also [verify your LINE Official Account](https://respond.io/blog/line-business#toc-mobile-9) so that customers can find your business via in-app search. Once customers message you, you can send [auto replies](https://respond.io/blog/line-auto-reply) and [broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/line-broadcast) for marketing, [sales](https://respond.io/blog/line-sales) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/line-customer-service) purposes. If a user does not add your business as a friend, LINE allows you to respond for up to 7 days from their last message. However, if they add your account as a friend, you can continue messaging them without time limits. Read receipts are supported on both platforms, but you need to apply for this feature if you’re using an API. **Best for:** Businesses targeting Japan, Thailand or Taiwan that want to combine flexible messaging, loyalty campaigns and broadcast marketing in one channel. Want to get started with a LINE Official Account? Here’s a [guide to help you with your account creation](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account#toc-mobile-7). #### 6\. WeChat Business [WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account) is [China’s most popular messaging app](https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/) with over [1.3 billion monthly active users](https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/) as of 2025. It’s the go-to platform for any business looking to operate in China or reach Chinese customers abroad. **How it compares to WhatsApp**: - 48-hour messaging window (max 5 messages per session) - No template approvals - No business-initiated 1:1 messages are allowed, but they can be sent via broadcasts. - No per-message fees, but $99/year verification required Businesses can choose between [Subscription Accounts](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-5:~:text=WeChat%20Business%3A%20WeChat%20Subscription%20Account) and [Service Accounts](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-5:~:text=WeChat%20Business%3A%20WeChat%20Service%20Account) and manage messaging [through the platform or via API integration](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-4). Signing up for a WeChat Official Account is free, but you have to [pay USD99 annually](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-9) for verification. The WeChat Official Account Platform is for small businesses and has basic messaging features. The API supports [third-party integration](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-crm) and advanced automation to handle a high volume of messages. | | WeChat Official Account Platform | WeChat Official Account API | | --- | --- | --- | | Best for | Small to medium businesses | Medium to large businesses | | Message Volume | Low | Mid to high | | Supports Integration | No | Yes | With the WeChat Official Account Platform, you get features like [WeChat Pay](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-2), [Mini Programs](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-3), [broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-11:~:text=WeChat%20Business%3A%20Broadcast%20Messaging) and [auto replies](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-auto-reply), but it doesn’t support read receipts, group chat and has a 48-hour messaging window. WeChat Official Account API doesn’t allow businesses to send the first message, but you can [prompt customers to reach out](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-10). Be sure to reply within 48 hours. Unfortunately, broadcasts are not supported here. | Pros | Cons | | --- | --- | | Can set up auto reply and broadcast natively | $99 annual verification fee | | Reach Chinese audiences directly | Can't import contacts | | | No message status | | | Business-initiated message not allowed | | | 48-hour messaging window | **Best for:** Businesses entering the Chinese market or targeting Chinese-speaking customers globally with messaging and commerce features. If you’re thinking of expanding your business to China, then you should [sign up for a WeChat Official Account](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-7). These six instant messaging channels are great alternatives to WhatsApp. But if you’re looking for a way to communicate with your customers across all the messaging channels they use, try omnichannel messaging. ### Consolidating All Apps in One Place with Respond.io With so many messaging channels to handle, it’s hard to keep track of all conversations. You need an [omnichannel messaging inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) like respond.io to integrate all your messaging channels into a centralized platform. From WhatsApp and Messenger to Telegram, LINE and more — respond.io lets you manage all customer conversations in one place. Once you've consolidated your channels, you can: - Capture potential customers by encouraging them to start a conversation via website widget, QR codes, ads and more. - Leverage AI to respond to high volumes of conversations quickly and intelligently and to qualify leads. - Automatically route conversations to human agents whenever needed. - Make calls via Whatsapp calls or VoIP to speed up the selling process. - Send promotional broadcasts to reengage with existing contacts. - Integrate CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce with your favorite messaging channels for seamless sales and support workflows. - Monitor team and conversation performance via reports and dashboards. With respond.io, you’ll have the flexibility to engage customers wherever they are and the tools to do it at scale. We hope this article gives you a better understanding of each WhatsApp Business alternative we’ve listed. Want to learn more about how these messaging apps can elevate your business? [Sign up for our free trial](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business). ## [WhatsApp Business App: The Ultimate Guide ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) Companies are using WhatsApp for lead generation, relationship management and customer service. Isn't it time we take these WhatsApp conversations out of our personal accounts and create WhatsApp Business App Accounts? This is your ultimate guide to WhatsApp Business App WhatsApp Business App is one of the most searched business messaging apps today. For countries with many WhatsApp monthly active users (MAUs), WhatsApp Business App is an indispensable tool for many local businesses when it comes to [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing). In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to use the app to reach more customers and connect with them. ### What is WhatsApp Business App? WhatsApp is the [most popular messaging app in the world](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-1), with especially high usage in India, Brazil and Pakistan. Due to the app’s popularity, companies were using [personal WhatsApp accounts for business](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales#6143k) before WhatsApp Business App was released in 2018. WhatsApp App allows for creating broadcast lists of up to 256 contacts and labeling them for easier management. In 2023, Meta made it possible to link up to four devices under one phone number. Still, it is not a suitable choice for business messaging. Conversely, WhatsApp Business App is a business messaging app for small businesses available on Android and iOS. Although it shares some similarities with the WhatsApp app, it offers several advantages. For example, it includes business tools like [greeting](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message) and [away messages](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business), [WhatsApp Catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog), [WhatsApp Pay](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-pay-everything-about-whatsapp-payment) and [quick replies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-quick-reply). If you are a small business seeking to use WhatsApp to communicate with customers, keep reading. In the next section, we’ll dig deeper into WhatsApp Business App. ### What You Should Know About WhatsApp Business App To set up a WhatsApp Business App account, you’ll need a phone and a phone number. You cannot use the same SIM card or phone number that you use for your personal WhatsApp account. To use WhatsApp App and WhatsApp Business App accounts on the same phone, you’ll need a dual SIM phone. It’s important to understand that WhatsApp Business App is limited to one user on one phone. However, you can connect your WhatsApp Business account to up to four other devices through the [web browser or the WhatsApp desktop app](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-web). If you anticipate needing to use WhatsApp with [multiple users or even multiple teams](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users), consider upgrading to [WhatsApp Business Premium](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app#toc-mobile-6) or [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). One important factor to take note of is that WhatsApp Business App allows you to initiate conversations with contacts freely while [WhatsApp API requires the use of template messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message). In the next section, we’ll run through the special features found on WhatsApp Business App. ### WhatsApp Business App Special Features WhatsApp Business App has some features not found in the regular WhatsApp App which help companies carry out business activities on the channel. These include business profiles, catalogs, ads and more. Let’s run through some of them. #### WhatsApp Business Profile All WhatsApp Business App accounts have a profile that displays information about the business. The WhatsApp Business profile showcases a preview of its product or service catalog, in addition to the usual details like the business’ name, description and location. Using the Catalog, customers can quickly see what you have on offer without having to leave the app. #### WhatsApp Business App: Catalog Many small businesses in Asia and South America [use WhatsApp as their digital storefront](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales#8kc86). To make this even easier, WhatsApp launched the [WhatsApp Business Catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog) to help businesses showcase their products and services. Compared to building an e-commerce website from scratch, the WhatsApp Business App Catalog is free and user-friendly. Using it is as simple as clicking on the Catalog feature in-app and listing your products. The WhatsApp Business Catalog allows product listings of up to 500 items. You can name the items, add a 5000-word description each, attach a link, organize by item code and add a price. The currency used is based on your phone number’s country code. Once your Catalog is ready, [spread the word](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog#toc-mobile-8)! You can send the Catalog or individual item link to your customers on WhatsApp or post the links on other sites and social media. ##### Catalog Collections If you have a large number of items available in your catalog, sorting them into collections makes it easier for customers to find what they want. To add items to a collection, go to Business tools > *Catalog* \> *Add new collection*. Enter a name for the collection, then select the items you wish to put into the collection. Like individual items, collections can also be shared via short links: Click on the collection and select *Share link.* ##### Advertise Your Catalog on Facebook WhatsApp Business App users can easily and quickly turn items from their catalog into advertisements on Facebook. If you have a budget, advertising on Facebook will be a great way to get the eyeballs of many customers. In your Catalog, tap the item you wish to advertise followed by *Advertise.* Click *Next* and input the text for your advertisement. Select your budget, advertisement duration and target audience. Select your payment method, or add one if you haven’t already, and tap *Create ad*. At the top of the page is a preview of what your Facebook ad will look like when it is published. #### WhatsApp Pay WhatsApp users in certain parts of the world have access to WhatsApp’s digital payment system, [WhatsApp Pay](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-pay-everything-about-whatsapp-payment#toc-mobile-1). This feature enables WhatsApp users to transfer money to other users or businesses without leaving the app. This convenient feature benefits both users and businesses since there’s no need to rely on third-party services for processing transactions. #### WhatsApp Business Premium Earlier this year, WhatsApp launched a [premium version of the WhatsApp Business App](https://faq.whatsapp.com/835833917556304/?cms_platform=android&helpref=search&query=whatsapp%20premium&search_session_id=8f52642ebfc29f1721453d5a15b925c2&sr=3) for selected regions. It is a slightly more customizable version of WhatsApp Business for businesses that need additional functionality from the app. With WhatsApp Business Premium, you gain a more detailed [WhatsApp web page](https://faq.whatsapp.com/3240917596147164?cms_platform=android&helpref=faq_content) compared to the standard WhatsApp Business web page and a customizable link. You also gain [multi-agent support for up to 10 devices and chat assignment](https://faq.whatsapp.com/395911122612120?cms_platform=android&helpref=faq_content), which makes the app more usable if you have a team of 5-10 agents handling communication. At the moment there aren’t that many features, but we can expect WhatsApp to release more tools in the future. If you’d like to test out WhatsApp Business Premium before subscribing, sign up for the [30-day free trial](https://faq.whatsapp.com/5466418600110636?cms_platform=android&helpref=faq_content). You’ll need to enter your payment info, but won’t be charged until the end of the trial period. Now you know about what WhatsApp Business App provides, let’s talk about how to create a WhatsApp Business App account. ### How to Create a WhatsApp Business App Account To start, download WhatsApp Business App from the [Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.whatsapp.w4b&hl=en&gl=US) or [Apple Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/whatsapp-business/id1386412985) and verify your number. Next, complete the Business Profile by uploading a profile picture and adding a business name, description, address, website, operating hours and more. Make your profile more eye-catching with the use of a cover photo. Your cover photo can also include additional information you can’t put on your profile, such as an alternative phone number or Twitter handle. When visitors click on your Business Profile, they’ll see a pop-up showing the account is unverified. Unfortunately, verifications are often [reserved for big brands that use WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick#toc-mobile-0). On the bright side, you don’t need verification to make the most of your WhatsApp Business account. In the next section, we’ll go over the best practices for getting customers and messaging them on WhatsApp. ### WhatsApp Business App: Best Practices Before you can chat with your customers, you’ll need to connect with them. Thankfully, WhatsApp Business App has a number of helpful features for this purpose. From short links to WhatsApp buttons on your social media pages, let’s go over these tools. #### Help Customers Find You: Social Media Traffic, Short Links and QR Codes In this section, we’ll walk you through some best practices for getting your existing customers to message you over WhatsApp and how to attract new ones too! If you have your customers' numbers handy, you might be wondering if you can import your Contacts. While you can't import directly into WhatsApp Business App, any contacts you have on your phone (e.g., from [Google contacts](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.contacts&hl=en)) can be messaged. Once you’ve imported your existing customers, you might be wondering how to chat with prospective customers. Here are some quick tips on linking your [Facebook Page](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) or [Instagram account](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) and using links on your website and QR codes in-store. ##### Turn Facebook and Instagram Traffic into WhatsApp Contacts As part of the Meta family, WhatsApp Business App can be linked to a Facebook Page or Instagram account to funnel traffic from these social media sites to WhatsApp. Use a [WhatsApp Send Message Button](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-add-whatsapp-button-on-facebook-page) on your Facebook Page and [Instagram profile](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-for-instagram), set up [WhatsApp Ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads) and [Facebook Ads](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads), or simply display your WhatsApp number in the about section of your Facebook page or Instagram account. Once added, the WhatsApp button will appear directly below your Facebook Page’s cover image. It will be next to the Facebook Messenger Send Message button if you have one. If connected to Instagram, there will be a WhatsApp button on your Instagram profile that users can tap to launch a WhatsApp conversation with you. ##### Direct Traffic to WhatsApp Business App with Short Links and QR Codes Short links or direct links are useful for businesses with a lot of website traffic. Adding a WhatsApp Business App link to a website creates an easy way for a website visitor to go directly into a WhatsApp conversation with your business. From the Business Tools page, tap More options (3 dots) followed by *Short link* and you’ll be able to create WhatsApp short links. In addition to the link, you can add a pre-filled message for users to start a conversation at a click. If you have a store with a lot of foot traffic, then placing a print-out of your [WhatsApp Business App QR code](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code) at your physical storefront is a great way for customers to add you on WhatsApp. To find your account’s QR code, tap *View QR Code* on the Short link page. All your customers have to do is scan the QR code and they’ll be directed to your WhatsApp account right away. Plus, your unique QR code won’t expire unless you reset it or delete your WhatsApp Business App account. #### Automate Chats With Greeting and Away Messages As a business, customer service response speed is key. With [automated greeting messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message) (e.g., [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply)) and away messages, your customers will not be left wondering whether you’re around to answer questions. When enabled, greeting messages are automatically sent to your visitors and customers who message you for the first time or after 14 days of inactivity. To set your greeting message, go to Business Tools, select *Greeting message*, edit and save the changes. There’s also an option to choose who to send the greeting message by including or excluding certain groups of people. The only drawback is you can’t customize greeting messages for each recipient group to make them more personal. Another equally important automated message is the away message. Similarly, the away message can be enabled or disabled. That said, we would recommend leaving it on in case someone messages you when you’re offline. The away message can be set to be sent all the time, on a custom schedule or outside your business hours. Sending an away message all the time is handy when you need time to reply and the other two options are useful if you know exactly when you’re unavailable. You can learn more about WhatsApp schedule message [here](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message). #### WhatsApp Business App: Messaging Features for 1:1, Broadcast and Group Messages Messaging on WhatsApp Business App is as simple and straightforward as messaging on the WhatsApp App. However, WhatsApp Business App does provide a few extra tools to help companies with their messaging productivity. Since WhatsApp Business App is only really intended to be used by limited users, it’s important to get the most you can out of these features. Here’s how you can do that. ##### Master 1:1 Messaging With Quick Replies If you’re messaging several WhatsApp Contacts at once, handling a busy inbox can be overwhelming. To reply to FAQs faster, you can customize up to 50 quick replies and use them in 1:1 chats with your customers. From Business Tools, click *Quick replies*, then the + button to add new quick replies. Edit your message and add a shortcut with up to 3 keywords with a maximum of 15 characters each. These keywords are useful in helping you locate and sort through multiple quick replies. Once you're in a chat, bring up your quick replies by typing '/'. You’ll see a saved list of answers where you can select the best response to the inquiry. These replies are editable in case you need to add or remove information before sending. While quick replies are useful for shortening the response window, it has to be done manually while the user is online. ##### Mass Message Customers With Broadcasts Moving on from 1:1 messaging, [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) allow users to [send bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) and rich media content for free. Businesses can use them to announce new product updates, changes in operating hours or store relocation and more. While this sounds handy, WhatsApp has put in certain limitations to prevent spamming. Only contacts with your number saved in their phonebook can receive your broadcast message and there’s a maximum of 256 recipients in each broadcast list. To broadcast to more than 256 contacts at once, you need to create another broadcast list. Each broadcast list can be labeled and organized into different categories such as new customers, new orders, pending payment and so forth. In terms of privacy, any broadcast message will appear in a private chat with the receiver. Much like how blind carbon copy (BCC) works in emails, nobody else in your broadcast list can see another person’s reply and contact details. The sole differentiating feature between a 1:1 message and broadcast message in a private chat is the loudspeaker icon. Only business accounts can see the loudspeaker icon next to a broadcasted message, while it appears as a regular message for the contact. ##### Collaborate With Customers Using Group Messaging Like broadcasting, businesses can also use [WhatsApp groups](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-group) to connect with a large audience. The key difference is that broadcasting is sent to private chats at scale while group messaging gathers contacts in a chat. You can invite up to 256 contacts in a group from your contact list. Some common use cases for business group chats include client or customer service groups, product/service beta testing groups for companies and [marketing campaign groups](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales). If you have several WhatsApp groups related to the same company or cause, consider creating a [WhatsApp Community](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-communities) to bring together these groups. Even though the WhatsApp Business App can’t create communities yet, WhatsApp groups with WhatsApp Business App accounts can be added to a community. Then, the business accounts can be appointed as community administrators. ### Use WhatsApp Business App and API with the Same Number Until recently, businesses had to choose between using the WhatsApp Business App or the WhatsApp API. Now, with WhatsApp Coexistence, you can use both on the same number. This means you can keep your existing WhatsApp Business app number and still connect it to the WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) via respond.io — without losing access to your app or needing a new number. #### Why It Matters for your Business Coexistence gives your team the flexibility to: - Maintain your existing number, customer chat history and app access—even after connecting to the API. - Use advanced API features like multiple users, automation, AI routing and CRM integrations via respond.io. - Keep using the WhatsApp Business app for simple 1:1 conversations or business tools like catalogs and quick replies. This setup is ideal for growing teams that want the power of the WhatsApp API without sacrificing the convenience of the app they’re accustomed to. Use both solutions simultaneously and fully switch to the API only when you're really prepared. > ⚠️ Note: Some WhatsApp Business app features like group chats, broadcast lists and disappearing messages won't work on the API side. Also, if you enable coexistence, you’ll temporarily lose the green checkmark (you can reapply after setup). Now you know the ins and outs of the WhatsApp Business App. If you have a small business looking to step up your communications game, get started today by downloading the app on [Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.whatsapp.w4b&hl=en&gl=US) or [iOS](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/whatsapp-business/id1386412985). Then, connect it to respond.io to experience the benefits of the WhatsApp API while still using the app. We’ve got [a free trial](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) waiting for you! ### Further Reading If you're getting started with using WhatsApp for Business App, we recommend you read these other articles: - What is WhatsApp Business? - WhatsApp Business Multiple Users: A How-To Guide - How Companies are Using WhatsApp for Marketing and Support ## [Whatsapp Business Banned Account: Reverse and Avoid It](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-banned) Getting your WhatsApp Business account banned can have severe consequences for your business. Learn how to reverse it and avoid bans in the first place. Before you start, you should learn how to avoid your WhatsApp Business account being banned. In this blog, we’ll cover how WhatsApp Business accounts get banned, why it matters, unblocking a banned WhatsApp account, **latest messaging policy updates**, and best practices to avoid a WhatsApp Business ban. ### Understanding the WhatsApp Business Policy To maintain trust and deliver a high-quality user experience, [WhatsApp enforces strict policies](https://business.whatsapp.com/policy) for businesses using both the WhatsApp Business App and the WhatsApp Business Platform (API). Understanding and following these rules is essential to keep your account in good standing and avoid being banned. These policies cover: - The type of content you’re allowed to send - How and when you can send messages - Rules around automation and template usage - Customer consent and data privacy - Industry-specific limitations #### Message Delivery Based on Engagement Starting March 2025, the delivery of your marketing messages is influenced by your engagement rates. If users regularly ignore, block, or report your messages, your message deliverability will be reduced — possibly resulting in lower broadcast reach or delivery failure. #### Billing Structure From July 1, 2025, WhatsApp uses a per-message pricing model for marketing and utility templates. This means: - Marketing and utility template messages will be charged per message, not per conversation. - Utility messages sent within the 24-hour customer service window will remain free. This change emphasizes the need for precision and value in every message you send. #### Industry Limitations Even if your business is licensed, WhatsApp restricts promotional messaging in certain industries. | Industry | ✅ Allowed | 🚫 Not Allowed | | --- | --- | --- | | Healthcare & Medical | Appointment reminders, wellness tips, health education — as long as they’re non-promotional and legally compliant | Promoting or selling medical products; sending health-related data if laws (e.g. HIPAA, GDPR) prohibit it | | Pharmaceuticals / OTC | Informational messages in approved countries — e.g. how/when to take a medication (non-branded) | Ads, sales content, or product catalogs — even for over-the-counter drugs | | Alcohol & Tobacco | Age-gated info in approved countries — e.g. store hours, product availability | Promotions, discounts, product recommendations, or catalog listings | | Online Gambling & Gaming | Messaging users in approved countries with Meta’s prior approval and a valid license | Any gambling-related messaging without approval; promotions in restricted countries | | Financial Services | Transaction alerts, account updates, service notifications | Loan promotions, cold outreach for debt collection, MLM/investment offers | | Government & Political Use | Government entities via Solution Providers | Political parties, campaigns, law enforcement, military and voting-related services | | Dating Services | None | All use prohibited | | Multi-Level Marketing | None | All use prohibited | If you operate in these sectors, you can only use WhatsApp Business in limited, compliant ways, and in some cases, not at all. #### WhatsApp Template Rules To start conversations outside the 24-hour reply window, you must use approved templates. Here’s what’s required: - Provide context (e.g., “Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} is confirmed” — not just “Order {{2}}”) - Use proper formatting and clear variable structures - Keep messages concise but purposeful - Avoid standalone links — always embed them with explanatory text Templates that don’t follow these guidelines will likely be rejected. #### Legal and Consent Compliance Legal compliance isn’t optional — WhatsApp requires businesses to collect, store, and use customer data responsibly. Violating these rules can result in account suspension, fines, or permanent bans, depending on your region and the severity of the breach. Here’s what compliance looks like on WhatsApp: ##### You must: - Publish a privacy policy and make sure it’s accessible to customers - Collect proper consent before messaging users — consent can be gathered on or off WhatsApp, such as:A checkbox on a website formA verbal agreement over the phoneA user replying “Yes” to an email - A checkbox on a website form - A verbal agreement over the phone - A user replying “Yes” to an email ##### You must not collect or share: - Card or account numbers - Government-issued ID numbers - Health data, unless you are legally compliant (e.g. HIPAA, GDPR) - Chat content between customers Following these guidelines helps you build trust, stay compliant with regional laws, and maintain long-term access to WhatsApp as a business communication channel. Obviously, if you fail to adhere to WhatsApp’s rules and policies, your WhatsApp Business account will be banned. Let’s look at how that happens. ### How WhatsApp Business Accounts Get Banned There are many reasons for a WhatsApp Business account to get banned. Whether blocked by a customer or by WhatsApp itself, the reasons are typically down to poor user experience or inadvertently breaking WhatsApp’s Business Policy. Here are some common reasons. #### Violating WhatsApp’s Commerce Policy WhatsApp has strict rules around what businesses can say, sell, and promote on the platform. These rules are defined in Meta’s [Commerce Policy](https://www.facebook.com/policies_center/commerce). Some common violations include: - Discriminatory or offensive content - Selling prohibited items (e.g., weapons, illegal substances) - Acting as an unregistered news publication - Misusing catalogs or payment features | Category | Prohibited Use | | --- | --- | | Criminal & terrorist activity | Use by individuals or groups engaged in terrorism, organized crime or activities that cause harm | | Illegal products or services | Promoting, buying or selling anything illegal under local or global law | | Restricted goods & services | Includes: firearms, drugs (prescription or recreational), body parts, hazardous materials, live animals (non-livestock), endangered species | | Exploitative or fraudulent models | Includes scams, misleading offers, pressure tactics and deceptive business models | | Adult content & services | Sexual services, nudity, pornography or sexually explicit material | | Real, virtual, or fake currency | Bitcoin, other cryptocurrencies, ICOs, fake money, binary options | | Gambling (unlicensed) | Gambling, raffles, or games of chance without prior Meta approval in permitted countries | | Discriminatory messaging | Content that discriminates based on personal characteristics (e.g., race, gender, religion, etc.) | | News organizations | Must register as a Facebook News Page to use WhatsApp Business | If your business uses [Catalogs](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog) or [Payment tools](http://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-pay-everything-about-whatsapp-payment), you take on additional responsibilities: - You must follow Meta’s Commerce Policy - You are fully responsible for sales terms, fulfillment, taxes, and customer service - WhatsApp is not involved in transactions — it simply provides the messaging infrastructure - You must not list or promote prohibited products under any circumstances #### Sending Unsolicited Promotional Messages One of the most common (and costly) mistakes is sending unsolicited promotional messages. While sending [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) messages is a major reason to use WhatsApp Business, messages must be sent to contacts who have already opted in to receive them. Sending messages to customers who have never interacted with you is risky. You don’t just annoy them. You might end up getting a lot of your messages reported as spam. While marketing is a valid use case for WhatsApp Business, it must be based on [opt-in consent](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in). Even if your intention is good, WhatsApp’s system and your audience won't tolerate unwanted messages. #### Sending Too Many Messages in A Short Time [Sending bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) is a great way to reach a wide audience and promote your offerings. WhatsApp monitors for unnatural spikes in volume, which could be seen as spammy behavior. Without proper throttling or message timing strategies, your account could be restricted or flagged for abuse. Sending too many messages or ignoring opt-ins can lead to: - High spam report rates - Blocked numbers - Message delivery issues - Ultimately, account bans Next, let's discuss the consequences of getting your WhatsApp Business account banned. ### The Impact of Getting Your WhatsApp Business Account Banned A WhatsApp Business account ban is more than just a nuisance. It disrupts your channel of communication with customers and can severely undermine your sales and marketing goals. Furthermore, fewer and fewer customers will trust your business, further affecting your sales and marketing efforts. This trust and safety element is not just a guideline. Users report spam or any service that they feel is not accountable, and WhatsApp takes these reports seriously. A ban can mark a significant setback in your brand's effort to grow. So, let’s say, despite your best efforts to avoid a ban, the inevitable happens. How can you reverse that ban? ### How to Reverse a Banned WhatsApp Business Account [According to Meta](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/overview/policy-enforcement), if a business believes it is actually compliant with WhatsApp Business policy, it can appeal the violation by requesting a review. When a business appeals to a violation, the WhatsApp team reviews the case against the appeal to decide if the violation needs to be reconsidered. This review may result in WhatsApp reversing the violation. To request for a review, follow these steps: 1. Sign into Business Manager. 2. Click the All tools icon (three horizontal lines) at the top of the page, then click Business Support Home. 3. Select the relevant WhatsApp Business Account. 4. Choose from the list of violations and click Request Review. 5. Enter supporting details and click Submit. The appeal review decision typically takes 24 to 48 hours. When Meta has come to a decision, the violation will be Reversed or Unchanged. As you can tell, reversing a ban is possible but quite a hassle. So, you should avoid getting a WhatsApp Business account ban in the first place. That’s what we’ll cover next. ### 5 Best Practices to Avoid a WhatsApp Ban It’s easier to avoid getting banned than to recover a banned account. Elva Tan, a Customer Success Manager at respond.io, has provided a list of best practices for avoiding getting your WhatsApp Account banned. #### 1\. Follow WhatsApp’s Business Policy This is an obvious example, but it’s crucial that you follow all of WhatsApp’s Business Policies and [Meta Commerce Policy](https://www.facebook.com/policies_center/commerce). Start by keeping your business profile accurate to avoid misleading users. #### 2\. Take Opt-ins and Opt-outs Seriously Ensure that messages sent to new customers include a [WhatsApp opt-in](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in). This allows your customers to explicitly grant you consent to receive your marketing messages. On the same note, honor customer opt-outs immediately. This will reduce the chances of customers reporting your messages as spam, preventing your account from being banned. #### 3\. Use Broadcasts for Retargeting, Not Advertising Sending a [WhatsApp broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) work well for retargeting existing customers since they have already interacted with you and have consented to receive messages from you. As such, avoid importing contacts for broadcasting purposes unless you have customer opt-ins. “From my experience, many businesses that get banned for using broadcasts are because they didn’t get opt-ins before messaging customers. There’s a high risk of customers reporting your messages as spam,” said Elva Tan. #### 4\. Update Your Broadcast Lists Sometimes, a customer wishes to opt-out of receiving your WhatsApp messages. They may either have told you or they have clicked on an opt-out button. Regardless of how they inform you, once you are aware of it, remove their name from your broadcast list. This will ensure that these customers don’t flag your messages as spam. #### 5\. Prioritize Quality Over Quantity Each message you send should be valuable and useful to your customers. It could be in the form of information, transaction fulfillment or simple value-added content. This is especially critical when sending a bulk [WhatsApp schedule message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) or a [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) as you might have multiple running at the same time. Being unaware of the content might get your account banned quickly. You can gain additional context from integrating a [WhatsApp CRM](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) to your account. Avoid unnecessary and repetitive messaging as they are warning signs to customers. Sending poor-quality messages would lead customers to perceive them as spam and report your business to WhatsApp. Incorporating these best practices into your day-to-day WhatsApp Business operations is a proactive stride towards sustained compliance and, most importantly, uninterrupted communication. If you’re ready to take the next step using WhatsApp Business, sign up with an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider. [Create a free respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and [connect your WhatsApp API today](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start#connecting_whats_app_business_api). You'll be able to take advantage of our [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) along with features like [VoIP calling](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration) and more! ### Further Reading If you enjoy reading this article, then read these articles on WhatsApp Business: - The Ultimate Guide to WhatsApp API for Businesses: Everything You Need to Start Messaging Fast - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business - WhatsApp Business Multiple Users: 5 Steps Guide (+Examples) ## [WhatsApp Business Description: Find the Best Description for WhatsApp [July 2024]](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-description-sample) Don’t know what to include in your WhatsApp Business description? In this article, we’ll share what a WhatsApp Business description is and show you some sample descriptions for WhatsApp Looking to add a WhatsApp business description to your business profile? You’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll explain what a WhatsApp Business description is, why you should include one, the best practices for crafting your description and finally, share a WhatsApp Business description sample for every use case. ### What is WhatsApp Business Description? A WhatsApp business description is essentially an overview of everything a customer needs to know about your business. It’s where you display details like your company’s profile and the type of products or services you offer. The description is [limited to 256 characters](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/on-premises/reference/settings/business-profile/) so you should keep it short, succinct and catchy. Emojis are allowed, so feel free to use them in the description to show off your brand’s personality. Just remember not to overuse them to maintain professionalism. Another thing to note is that it is available on both [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) and [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). You can add the description on both platforms upon account creation and edit or update it as necessary. Next, let’s take a look at why you should use a WhatsApp Business description. #### Benefits of Using a Description for WhatsApp Business Making a strong first impression builds credibility with customers. Your description serves as a reliable source of information as it quickly provides the details customers need to know about your business. Having a clear description also gives customers a better understanding of your brand. If your business description mentions the products and services they’re looking for, they’re likely to start a conversation. Now that we’ve covered everything you need to know about WhatsApp business description, let’s go through the steps to setting it up. ### How to Set Up Business Descriptions for WhatsApp As mentioned, there are two methods to set up a WhatsApp business description, depending on which WhatsApp Business account you’re using — WhatsApp Business App or [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-7). Let’s find out how below. #### How to Set Up a Description on WhatsApp Business App WhatsApp Business App provides the convenience of setting up the description natively on the app. We’ll show you how to add a description to your business profile on the app here. 1\. **Go** to *Settings* on your WhatsApp Business App. 2\. **Click** on your business profile. Scroll down to find *Business Description*. 3\. **Click** on it and start writing your business description. 4\. **Click** *Save* when you’re done. And that’s how you do it. If you’re using WhatsApp Business API to manage your messages, then head below to learn how to add a business description to your WhatsApp business profile. #### How to Set Up a Description on WhatsApp Business API If you have [connected WhatsApp API to a messaging inbox](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/connecting-channels), you can set up the description on the platform. Here’s a step-by-step on how to add your business description on respond.io. 1\. **Go** to *Settings* on the left navigation panel and click *Channel*. 2\. **Click** on your [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) account, depending on which you’ve connected. Then, click *Profile*. *3\.* **Add** a description to your business profile and click *Save Profile* once you’re done. Alternatively, if you’re connecting to WhatsApp Business API through a [Business Solution Provider (BSP)](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) like Twilio, then you’re able to add or edit the details of your business description directly on the BSP’s platform. > We've deprecated support for MessageBird (Bird), Vonage, Twilio and 360dialog WhatsApp APIs to focus on our WhatsApp Business Platform (API) as part of our commitment to providing customers with valuable, innovative and reliable messaging solutions to drive business results. To continue engaging with your Contacts, [migrate to our WhatsApp Business Platform (API)](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/phone-number-migration-to-respond-whatsapp-business-api). If you want your description to be effective, then head below to find the best practices for crafting a business description. ### Descriptions for WhatsApp Business: Best Practices Having an impactful description is crucial as it encourages customers to reach out. Here, we’ll share some best practices when it comes to crafting your business description. In your WhatsApp business profile, you’ll find two sections: Description and About. You can use both sections to talk about your business, but we recommend focusing on the description as it’s the first thing customers see when they visit your business profile. On the other hand, the About section is located at the bottom of your profile. Customers are not likely to scroll that far down. As customers often have limited time, it’s important to get straight to the point to catch their attention. You can also consider adding the unique selling points of your businesses to inform customers how your brand or products are superior compared to your competitors. For example, if you’re a skincare company that sells only handmade products, adding the keyword “handmade” will make your description stand out from the rest. Another important aspect to include in your description is a call to action. Customers who view your WhatsApp business profile are already interested in your business. All they need is a nudge in the right direction so invite them to connect with you. To help you craft your description, we’ve provided some ready-to-use examples below. ### WhatsApp Business Description Samples Writing a good description that showcases your business while encouraging your prospects to take action is no easy feat. Worry not as we’re here to help. We’ve prepared a list of WhatsApp business description samples that you can adapt for your business. #### WhatsApp Business Description Sample for General Use Sometimes all you need is just a general description to explain what your business entails. If that’s what you’re looking for, then take a look at the examples below: 1\. “Welcome to \[business name\]. We offer handmade vegan skincare that is soft on your skin and easy on the planet. Our business operates every day from \[time\] to \[time\].” 2\. “Find and order food from wherever you are 🥘 Pick your meal, confirm your selection and we’ll deliver it right to your doorstep. Order your next meal from over 300 restaurants.” 3\. “We’re here to empower your journey to a healthier body and mind 💪 We provide a door-to-door personal training service. Drop us a message to learn more about our personalized fitness program.” #### WhatsApp Business Profile Description Examples for Sales Take this opportunity to elevate your business description by adding a sales pitch to entice customers. Add a call to action right after the pitch to seal the deal. 1\. “We plan and coordinate your wedding from the day of your proposal to the day you say I Do 💕 Drop us a message to learn more about wedding planning services.” 2\. “Our candles are created using only the finest and purest soy waxes and hand-blended essential oils. Order your favorite scent by dropping a message here.” 3\. “The finest patisserie in town, with delectable desserts made from the highest quality ingredients. Contact us here to place your order.” #### WhatsApp Business Description Sample for Customer Service WhatsApp can also be a great channel to answer customers’ inquiries. Establish your WhatsApp channel as a customer service platform with these descriptions. 1\. “Customize your eyeglasses and sunglasses with our exclusive made-to-order service 😎 Skip the queue and make an appointment by dropping us a message.” 2\. “We provide high-quality leather handbags, designed and handcrafted in Italy 👜 Visit any of our stores or send us a message to book an in-store appointment for repair and maintenance.” 3\. “Looking for a curated collection of modern home decor and accessories? You’ve come to the right place. Reach out to learn more about our delivery and shipping services.” #### WhatsApp Business Profile Description Examples for Special Occasions Special occasions call for special business descriptions. If your business offers promotions or services during festive seasons, inform customers in the description. Check out some examples below. 1\. “The largest beauty retailer in the world. Shop top beauty brands and products from all around the world. Place your Christmas orders today.” 2\. “We offer same-day flower delivery services. Send fresh and gorgeous flower bouquets to loved ones today 💐 Valentine’s Day orders start now, contact us to pick your bouquet.” 3\. “Send curated gift boxes and hampers to your loved ones. We offer hand-crafted gift sets for him, for her, birthdays, anniversaries and more. Contact us to place an order.” A WhatsApp business description is one of the easiest ways to provide customers with an overview of your business while encouraging them to start a conversation with you. We hope this article gives you insight into what a business description is and how to craft one for your business. Want to elevate your business with WhatsApp? [Sign up for our free trial](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and [connect WhatsApp API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start#connecting_whats_app_business_api) at a click. ### Further Reading Want to learn more about WhatsApp Business API? Here are some articles you can read: - How to Send Broadcast Messages with WhatsApp - Here’s How to Share WhatsApp Group Links with Customers - Ultimate Guide to Using WhatsApp Business for Multiple Users ## [WhatsApp Business for Restaurants: A Guide ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-for-restaurants) Whether you're a small local eatery or a large chain, WhatsApp business for restaurants can help you streamline your operations and build stronger relationships with your customers. WhatsApp has become a go-to communication tool for many businesses in the food and beverages (F&B) industry. Thanks to its easy-to-use interface, this channel is a great option for connecting with customers and streamlining operations in the restaurant industry. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of using WhatsApp Business for restaurants. Then we’ll explain how integrating it with a platform like respond.io can improve efficiency. We will also share some helpful tips for using WhatsApp in the context of the F&B business. ### What is WhatsApp Business for Restaurants? [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) offers an easy-to-use interface and diverse functions. It is a great option for connecting with customers and streamlining operations. Restaurants can offer personalized customer support using WhatsApp's direct messaging channel, [increasing customer satisfaction](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) and loyalty. In the following section, we will explore the advantages of using WhatsApp for restaurants and how it can improve the overall dining experience for customers. #### Benefits of Using WhatsApp for Restaurants WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps worldwide, with over [2 billion active users](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-1). Using WhatsApp for restaurant communication means tapping into a platform that a large portion of the global population is on the app. WhatsApp enables personalized communication between restaurants and customers. This includes sending customized messages or offering recommendations based on customer preferences, leading to stronger customer relationships and ultimately more business for the restaurant. Unlike email, WhatsApp provides instant messaging capabilities, allowing immediate and direct communication between restaurants and customers. This empowers restaurants to effortlessly share promotions, menu updates and other information to boost sales. Additionally, the instant nature of messaging on WhatsApp also enables quick problem-solving, such as resolving order issues or addressing customer concerns that may arise. When using traditional channels like SMS, additional costs may incur for customers. However, messaging on WhatsApp is completely free for them. This cost advantage makes WhatsApp an even more attractive option for them to engage with your business. Next, we will examine a real-life example of an F&B business that employs WhatsApp to improve its communication with clients. ### How Color My Plate is Winning with WhatsApp Color My Plate, a Dubai-based weekly meal subscription service faced the challenge of [finding a scalable business messaging platform](https://respond.io/customers/how-colour-my-plate-revamped-its-sales-operations-for-45-more-conversions) that could accommodate a growing volume of chats and support the expansion of their sales and support teams. They also needed a solution to reduce resolution times for inquiries and issues. Color My Plate enhanced communication by connecting WhatsApp API, Facebook and Instagram to respond.io’s central inbox. They utilized respond.io’s Workflows automation to route and assign customers to the right agent. Meanwhile, managers gained real-time visibility and supervision capabilities for improved outcomes. The implementation of automated routing and assignment has significantly reduced the first response time from 3 minutes 15 seconds to 1 minute 56 seconds. Additionally, improved internal collaboration using respond.io’s tools has led to a remarkable 90% reduction in the resolution time. In the next section, we will take a look at some methods that restaurants can adopt as their top practices when using WhatsApp to engage with customers. ### How to Use WhatsApp for Restaurants To leverage WhatsApp for your F&B business, it's important to understand the distinction between [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) and [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). WhatsApp Business App is tailored for small restaurants, allowing you to connect up to 5 devices for free. Its automation is also limited to [welcome](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message) and [away messages](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business). For restaurant franchises and chains, these may not suffice. To enhance business processes and [cater to multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users), a WhatsApp API account is needed. However, do note that WhatsApp API does not provide a user interface and requires a messaging inbox to send and receive messages. To start using WhatsApp, [apply for a WhatsApp API account](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api) through a [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP)](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) and [connect it to a messaging inbox](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start#connecting_whats_app_business_api). Respond.io is both a WhatsApp BSP and an omnichannel customer conversation management software, enabling you to manage WhatsApp accounts and conversations in a single platform. Now, let's explore how WhatsApp enhances communication between your restaurant and potential or existing customers. #### WhatsApp Restaurant: Order Placement F&B businesses can use [WhatsApp Catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog) to showcase their items. This allows customers to browse the menu, add items to their WhatsApp cart and confirm orders by messaging your business. However, in most countries, businesses must direct customers to a third-party payment gateway like Stripe to complete the transaction, as the in-app [WhatsApp Pay](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-pay-everything-about-whatsapp-payment) is currently only available in limited countries, including India, Brazil and Singapore. Furthermore, WhatsApp enables effortless order placement for pickup or delivery. Customers can send orders and receive updates, enhancing the experience and satisfaction. #### WhatsApp for Restaurants: Table Reservation You can also send reservation reminders through [auto replies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) or [scheduled messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) to customers on your WhatsApp Business App. Customize the message to include the reservation date, time and location. Set up reminders to be sent a specific number of hours or days before the scheduled reservation. Or better yet, integrate your preferred reservation software on an open API with WhatsApp API on respond.io. With this integration, you can update customer data, create contacts and add reservation details, all while chatting with the customers. #### WhatsApp Business for Restaurants: Event Planning WhatsApp streamlines event planning by facilitating efficient communication between customers, event organizers and restaurants. Now, you can seamlessly coordinate with hosts, event planners and stakeholders, ensuring alignment on every aspect of the event. Moreover, the integration of WhatsApp API with third-party platforms enables seamless management of crucial tasks such as handling contracts, agreements and order fulfillment. This integration enhances the efficiency of event planning, offering a comprehensive solution tailored to the catering and events industry. Next, we’ll delve into how restaurants can use WhatsApp API connected respond.io to make the most out of WhatsApp’s capabilities. ### WhatsApp for Restaurants: Quick Wins with Respond.io To maximize the utilization of WhatsApp for restaurant chains or franchises, opting for WhatsApp API connected to respond.io unlocks advanced messaging capabilities. This section will explore how restaurants can use WhatsApp API to their advantage with respond.io. #### WhatsApp Business for Restaurants: Consolidate All Communication Channels in an Omnichannel Inbox Restaurants need a centralized inbox to handle all communication channels and avoid missing customer inquiries. Since restaurants may receive messages from different channels or multiple WhatsApp accounts for different branches, having a single inbox can help prevent missed messages. Respond.io’s [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) offers a solution for managing all customer inquiries across popular channels like [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) and more from one location. This guarantees a smooth customer experience while effectively managing restaurant inquiries. ##### Drive All Conversations to One Inbox Use [respond.io’s link generator](https://respond.io/whatsapp-link-generator) or [QR code generator](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code) to encourage customers to initiate conversations. Restaurants can also use a [WhatsApp widget](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-widget) or an [omnichannel widget](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) to convert website visitors to leads, ensuring all conversations flow into the centralized inbox. ##### Recognize Returning Contacts on Any Channel Restaurants need to keep track of communication history and preferences when dealing with customers who have multiple inquiries. On top of that, customers may contact different branches or use various messaging channels, making it hard to organize their information and identify the same contact. Respond.io provides a solution that can recognize returning customers, no matter which account or channel they use to message. It [merges customer profiles](https://help.respond.io/contacts/merge-suggestions) and conversation histories into a single thread, so restaurants can provide personalized service every single time. #### WhatsApp Restaurant: Automate Tasks with Advanced Automation Many of the processes performed by restaurants can be automated with WhatsApp API and respond.io, especially if you’ve integrated your existing CRMs or third-party systems. Here are some examples you can use. ##### Send Order Updates with WhatsApp Notifications Send automated updates whenever there’s a change in the order status, such as when the order’s confirmed, being prepared or out for delivery in real-time with [WhatsApp Business notifications](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-notification). Using integrations like [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/integrations/zapier) or Make.com, you can trigger these notifications based on events in your restaurant's order management system to ensure that customers are always up-to-date about their orders. Plus, you can update customer information like their names and order details. ##### Integrate a Reservation System with WhatsApp to Simplify Table Booking Through the Workflows automation builder, businesses can easily integrate their preferred software with WhatsApp API via [HTTP Request](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation#toc-mobile-10). By automating the reservation process, you can handle a surge of bookings with minimal agent input, making it one of the most effective methods for managing reservations. ##### Answer FAQ Questions with a WhatsApp Chat Menu Restaurants can also utilize a WhatsApp chat menu to address customer inquiries and enhance their dining experience. With the help of respond.io’s Workflows, restaurants can [automate responses](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) to commonly asked questions, such as operating hours, menu offerings and reservation options. With a chat menu, customers can select the information they need or be [routed](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/route-customers) or [assigned](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/auto-assign-customers) to the appropriate team or agent. This streamlines the customer support process, ensuring all customers are connected with the right person who can promptly address their needs and provide relevant assistance. ##### Gauge Customer Satisfaction via CSAT Surveys With [respond.io’s CSAT Workflow template](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/send-csat-and-save-data), restaurants can seamlessly send surveys to customers who have dined in, ordered takeout or booked the venue, enabling them to rate their experience and provide valuable feedback. Restaurants can leverage the Workflow to [store feedback in Google Sheets](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-9) or their [data warehouse](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-10). This allows for easy tracking and analysis, enabling continuous improvement in the quality of support services provided to customers. #### WhatsApp Business for Restaurants: Send Promotional Messages Finally, restaurant owners can build [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) campaigns by using pre-approved [message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) to send [broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) or [bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) to customers. This includes [seasonal promotions](https://respond.io/blog/ramadan-whatsapp-messaging-campaign), limited-time offers, new menus or exclusive discounts for regular or inactive customers. These Message Templates have to be submitted to WhatsApp via a WhatsApp partner like respond.io for approval. Having the right WhatsApp inbox simplifies the process and lets you [create and manage your Message Template natively](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-message-templates#setting_up_whats_app_message_template). Respond.io’s [Broadcasts Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module) also allows you to import contacts, segment audiences, schedule broadcasts, clone recurring broadcasts and gain valuable analytics and insights for campaigns to make sending promotional messages easier than ever. In summary, incorporating WhatsApp API into restaurants can enhance the communication process by catering to customers’ needs. Leveraging the capabilities of respond.io, restaurants can benefit from advanced automation and other valuable features, leading to a more efficient and seamless experience for all parties involved. Want to start enjoying these benefits? [Sign up for a free respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and [connect your WhatsApp API today](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start#connecting_whats_app_business_api). ### Further Reading Want to know what else WhatsApp can do for your business? Read the articles below to find out: - A Guide to WhatsApp Business for Hotels - WhatsApp for Real Estate: A Comprehensive Guide - WhatsApp CRM Ultimate Guide: Integration, Use Cases & Best Practices - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business ## [WhatsApp Business Metrics: How to Track WhatsApp Analytics](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-metrics) All about WhatsApp business metrics. Learn how to access your business’ WhatsApp analytics on the WhatsApp Business App and with WhatsApp API on respond.io. If you’re one of [over 5 million businesses on WhatsApp](https://my.oberlo.com/blog/whatsapp-statistics#9-whats-app-business-statistics) and are keen on using WhatsApp Business metrics to improve the way you communicate with customers, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll teach you how to access your business’ WhatsApp analytics, what those numbers mean and how to use that knowledge. ### Why Track WhatsApp Business Metrics In today’s fast-paced world, it has become increasingly important to respond to your customers reliably, especially on instant messengers like WhatsApp. The sales and support experience a business provides matters as much as its products or services. When customers reach out to businesses via instant messages, they expect to receive quick and informative replies. From sending customers a greeting to let them know they’ll be served soon to resolving a query they might have, speed is of the essence. Ignored and dissatisfied customers will react negatively and take their business elsewhere. They are also likely to leave bad reviews, which could damage your reputation. WhatsApp Business metrics are a collection of statistics that detail your business messaging activities on WhatsApp. By tracking metrics, you can solve problems when you notice downward trends in reports or a downturn in stats instead of waiting for negative feedback. #### Benefits of Tracking Metrics Tracking metrics allows you to pinpoint areas of improvement. You can identify agents with significantly longer average conversation resolution times compared to their teammates and look into their messages to see why they aren’t answering customers’ queries adequately. Monitoring customer behavior metrics also provide valuable insights. For example, you can identify the busiest times of the day so you know if you need to assign additional agents during those hours. By determining the rates of new versus returning customers contacting your business, you can also pinpoint opportunities for remarketing or gauge how well retargeting campaigns are going. With this knowledge, you can make informed decisions to improve customer experience. This can lead to potential new customers when you have satisfied clients leaving positive reviews. It isn’t too difficult to manually track the performance of your agents if you’re a small business or solopreneur. But when you have tens or hundreds of agents, it’s unfeasible to track everybody individually. The WhatsApp Business metrics you track depend on your business needs as well as the WhatsApp Business product you use. Let’s go over the types of metrics we can track. ### WhatsApp Business Metrics: WhatsApp Business App vs WhatsApp API Businesses using the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) have a limited selection of statistics to choose from, whereas those using [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) connected to a messaging platform like respond.io can access many more stats. Firstly, we’ll go through what you can track on WhatsApp Business App. #### WhatsApp Business App Statistics Small businesses run by a single person or a small team normally use WhatsApp Business App to communicate with customers. Here’s what you can track from the WhatsApp Business App: - Messages sent - the number of messages you have sent using WhatsApp Business - Messages delivered - the number of your messages that were delivered successfully to your contacts - Messages read - the number of messages from you that your contacts have read - Messages received - the number of messages that you’ve received from your contacts You can glean some useful information about your business through simple comparisons of these numbers. For example, the number of *messages received* versus *messages delivered* tells you if contacts are engaging with you on WhatsApp. *Messages read* versus *messages delivered* can tell you if customers are reading your messages. *Messages sent* will be more than *messages delivered* if customers are having trouble receiving your messages or are blocking you. The scope of these metrics is quite limited since WhatsApp Business App was designed for small businesses. The number of messages received or sent isn’t high enough to require dedicated analytics tools. With a [maximum of five people](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users#toc-mobile-1) handling messaging duties on the app, small businesses can track their performance by simply going through the chats individually. However, businesses with large teams require WhatsApp Business API connected to a third-party messaging platform, such as respond.io. These platforms usually offer a lot more metrics than WhatsApp Business App. #### WhatsApp API with Respond.io Reports Module Respond.io has a rich reporting module for WhatsApp [sales](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/reporting-for-sales) and [support](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/reporting-for-support) efforts. When businesses [connect their WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) to respond.io, they gain sophisticated [multi-user support](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) and are better equipped to handle large numbers of incoming messages. Accessing the [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/reporting-for-support) provides useful metrics for monitoring the performance of your agents within a Workspace. Furthermore, you’ll gain a better understanding of your customers’ behavior. Let’s examine the reports you can access and examples of how to deduce useful information from them. ##### Conversations Respond.io gives you [an overall picture](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-conversations) of your agents’ workload and whether the conversations were initiated by contacts, agents or automation. By tracking the number of conversations, you can determine when your agents will be most occupied and if you need more staff during peak hours. You’ll be able to tell what kind of conversations are happening frequently thanks to the category breakdown. For example, if there are a lot of conversations concerning payment issues, you can check your payment systems and set up FAQs or canned replies to address them. ##### User Performance The Users report is where you [measure the performance](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-users) of your agents based on the number of conversations assigned to them. You can also monitor the number of messages they sent and replied to, average resolution times and more. Consequently, you can tell if individual agents are able to cope with their assigned workload based on how long they take to first respond to Contacts and successfully resolve their queries. ##### Contacts On the Contacts report, you can see how many Contacts you’ve gained or deleted, and details like their name and ID. In the same way, you’ll be able to see how a Contact was added to your Contact list – if they sent you the first message, were manually added by a User or imported from a list. This information can explain the responsiveness of a Contact, as someone who seeks out your business is likelier to reply than one who was imported. ##### Messages The breakdown of messages sent or received by your business can be found in the Messages report. This page shows the number of messages received, messages that failed to be delivered, messages [sent during](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-10) or [outside the messaging window](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-13) and more. You’ll also be able to tell which Channels are most popular with your Contacts. This can help you decide which Channel you should be spending your budget on. And if you notice a lot of messages failing to be delivered on a particular Channel, you can look into it. ##### Logs Lastly, the Logs show which Contacts have been assigned to specific agents on the platform and any comments they have regarding their conversations with them. From here, you can quickly see which Contacts your agents are handling at the moment; if they require your attention, you will be tagged. Now you know how to use these metrics, we’ll explain how to access them. ### WhatsApp Analytics: How to Access WhatsApp Business Metrics In this section, we’ll show you how to access your analytics on WhatsApp Business App as well as WhatsApp API connected to respond.io. #### WhatsApp Analytics: Access Metrics with WhatsApp Business App This feature is only available on WhatsApp Business for Android at the moment. **1\. Tap** More (3 dots) on the Chats screen followed by Business tools. **2\. Tap** More (3 dots) followed by Statistics. You can now see the metrics that WhatsApp Business App tracks. #### WhatsApp Analytics: Access Metrics with WhatsApp API Connected to Respond.io Firstly, [connect your WhatsApp API to your respond.io account](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-cloud-api); if you don’t have a respond.io account, [sign up here](https://app.respond.io/user/register). Take note that the Reports Module is only available for the [Business plan](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-new-pricing-upgraded-plans-2022#toc-mobile-3) and above. Please upgrade or subscribe to the Business or Enterprise plan if you wish to use this feature. **1\. Click** the Reports Module button on the side navigation menu of the Dashboard. **2\. Select** the section you wish to generate a report for. More information on how to filter and interpret the data can be found in the [Help Center](https://help.respond.io/search/reports). You now know how to track your WhatsApp Business metrics and the importance of those figures. Use this knowledge to improve the way you communicate with your customers. If you’re a [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) user thinking of [making the switch](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) to [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api), be sure to [read our Ultimate Guide](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) to find out if this is the right move for you. ### Further Reading If you found this article helpful, here are some related blog posts to check out: - How to Verify WhatsApp Business Account - WhatsApp Business Multiple Users: A How-To Guide - How to Change WhatsApp to Business Account ## [WhatsApp Business Multiple Users: The Ultimate Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) The WhatsApp Business App allows a business number to be used on up to five devices. However, WhatsApp Business API allows unlimited users, making it ideal for business growth. Here’s a common scenario: Your business is scaling well, so you decide to hire more agents and add them to your WhatsApp account. Suddenly, you realize it is not that simple, and some questions arise. How to add more users to WhatsApp? What is the limit? Do I have to pay to add more users? In this WhatsApp Business multiple users guide, we will cover all you need to know to add as many WhatsApp users as you need for your business. ### WhatsApp Business Multiple Users for Micro and Small Businesses The [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) allows a business number to be used on **up to five devices**—one primary phone and four linked devices. This is ideal for small businesses that need multiple team members to respond to customer messages from anywhere. The app setup process is straightforward and businesses can use it for free. Plus, it includes business tools like [**greeting**](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message) and [**away messages**](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business), [**WhatsApp catalog**](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog), [**WhatsApp Pay**](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-pay-everything-about-whatsapp-payment) and [**quick replies**](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-quick-reply). For businesses that need to use WhatsApp on more than 5 devices, [Meta Verified](https://faq.whatsapp.com/3872729742954601) lets you connect up to 10 devices and [**assign chats to specific agents**](https://faq.whatsapp.com/395911122612120/?cms_platform=android). However, this plan is only available for users in certain countries. | | WhatsApp Business App | Meta Verified | | --- | --- | --- | | Number of connected devices | Up to 5 | Up to 10 | | Name your linked devices | ✅ | ✅ | | Assign chats to agents | ❌ | ✅ | | See which agent sent a message | ❌ | ✅ | Despite being a convenient and easy-to-use solution, the WhatsApp Business App is not always the best choice. Let’s see why. #### Limitations of WhatsApp Business App for Multiple Users Using WhatsApp Business App with multiple devices is convenient for small businesses, but this is only a temporary solution or feasible when your business is starting. As your business expands, you’ll soon encounter problems with using linked devices, such as: - Can’t ensure all customers have been answered - No way to organize chats, such as marking a chat as resolved - Can’t track agent workload or performance - Can’t connect to a CRM, as WhatsApp Business app doesn’t support any CRM integration - No user access controls and all the data can be accessed by every agent - Not able to implement advanced automation If your team size stays the same, having 5 to 10 devices connected to one WhatsApp number is sufficient. As your business grows, you’ll need a more sophisticated platform to handle more agents, contacts and messages. This is where WhatsApp API comes in. ### WhatsApp Business API for SMBs, Mid-size Companies and Enterprises [**WhatsApp API**](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) (also known as WhatsApp Business Platform) is designed for SMEs and large businesses that want to scale and manage their teams, messages and customers more effectively. Here’s the best thing: **WhatsApp API supports an unlimited number of users**. No matter how big your business is or how fast it grows — WhatsApp API won’t let you down. Still, there are some basic things to keep in mind about WhatsApp API. #### How Does WhatsApp API Work for Multiple Users? While WhatsApp API is the ultimate solution for WhatsApp Business multiple users, it is also more complex. Let’s start with the fundamentals. - It's not free - It has a 24-hour customer service window - You need to get WhatsApp API access from a BSP - You’ll need a messaging inbox for WhatsApp API, as it doesn’t have a user interface A WhatsApp BSP (Business Solution Provider) is a company authorized by Meta to give businesses access to WhatsApp API. BSPs like respond.io help businesses integrate WhatsApp into their workflows successfully and often provide additional features. [**Signing up for WhatsApp API with respond.io**](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) is quick and easy. The entire process takes only a few minutes – from linking your Facebook Business Account (now known as Meta Business Portfolio) to adding a phone number. > Meta has rolled out new WhatsApp Setup Guidance directly inside your Meta Business Portfolio. This new hub provides step-by-step instructions to simplify your API setup and manage message eligibility. You can now launch campaigns faster with pre-approved templates and instantly check your template review and appeals status. Because respond.io is also a customer conversation management software that comes with a sales inbox, you can start messaging customers right after creating your WhatsApp API account. That’s killing two birds with one stone! Once you get a basic command of WhatsApp API, you’ll experience its many benefits. #### Benefits of Using WhatsApp API for WhatsApp Business Multiple Users The WhatsApp Business App limitations don’t exist with WhatsApp Business API. These are some of the main improvements you’ll see after making the switch. - Never miss a customer inquiry – Every message can be answered with automation and team-wide visibility. - Stay organized with chat management – Mark conversations as resolved, assign chats, and keep track of ongoing interactions. - Monitor agent performance – Get insights into workload, response times, and agent efficiency. - Seamless CRM integration – Sync WhatsApp with your CRM to track customer interactions and sales. - Control user access – Restrict data access based on roles to keep customer information secure. - Advanced automation for efficiency – Automate replies, lead qualification, and customer follow-ups for faster service. While it’s not required to get started, growing businesses may want to get verified as an official account with [**WhatsApp green tick**](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick). Despite the many advantages of the WhatsApp API, some businesses hesitate to make the switch from the WhatsApp Business App. They’re comfortable with what they know and may be wary of stepping into unfamiliar territory. If that sounds like you, we’ve got good news. ### Do I Have to Choose Between WhatsApp Business App and API? Until recently, businesses had to choose between using the WhatsApp Business App or the WhatsApp API. Now, with WhatsApp Coexistence, you can use both on the same number. This means you can keep your existing WhatsApp Business app number and still connect it to the WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) via respond.io — without losing access to your app or needing a new number. #### Why WhatsApp Coexistence Matters for Teams Coexistence gives your team the flexibility to: - Use advanced API features like multiple users, automation, AI routing and CRM integrations via respond.io. - Keep using the WhatsApp Business app for simple 1:1 conversations or business tools like catalogs and quick replies. - Maintain your existing number, customer chat history and app access—even after connecting to the API. This setup is perfect for growing teams who want the power of WhatsApp API without giving up the convenience of the app they’re used to. > ⚠️ Note: Some WhatsApp Business app features like calls, group chats, broadcast lists and disappearing messages won't work on the API side. Also, if you enable coexistence, you’ll temporarily lose the green checkmark (you can reapply after setup). Next, let’s discuss setting up WhatsApp with multiple users on the WhatsApp Business app and WhatsApp API. ### How to Use WhatsApp Business App with Multiple Users Any business can use the WhatsApp Business App with multiple devices or users. To link a device, follow the steps below. 1. Go to your WhatsApp Business App. 2. Tap the More Options icon with three vertical dots. 3. Click Linked Devices. 4. Click LINK A DEVICE. 5. Scan the QR code. You can get the QR code on [**WhatsApp Business Web**](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-web) or [**WhatsApp Business Desktop App**](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-web#toc-mobile-2) on your companion devices. Log in to either, and a QR code will be displayed on your screen. The steps above work on Android devices. For iPhone users, go to *WhatsApp Settings* in Step 2 and follow the rest of the instructions above. Upon linking, your team can access WhatsApp Business on your additional devices without the need to keep your phone connected. Now, we’ll show you how you can use WhatsApp Business multiple users on WhatsApp API. ### How to use WhatsApp Business API with multiple users Managing multiple customer conversations with a large team can be tricky, but it doesn’t have to be. Especially if you start on the right track with your [**WhatsApp messaging inbox**.](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-whatsapp) While there are many on the market, here’s why you should choose respond.io. - It’s one of the few Badged Meta Partners - It’s top-rated on G2, one of the most popular peer-to-peer review platforms, for highest ROI - A transparent, flexible pricing so you only pay for the users you need - Built to generate leads & maximize conversions via WhatsApp chats & calls. If you’re curious about WhatsApp multiple users with respond.io, you can [**start with a free trial**](https://app.respond.io/user/register?lang=en) and then upgrade to the plan that suits you best. #### Step 1: Get a WhatsApp Business API Account To apply for one, you can watch the video or follow the steps listed in this section. [**Setting up WhatsApp Business API with respond.io**](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-api-quick-start) is a quick and easy process if you follow these steps. 1. **Start** by creating an account on the respond.io platform. 2. **Navigate** to Settings > Channels. Then, click Add Channel, select WhatsApp Business Platform (API), and press Connect. 3. **Click** Get Started to complete the eligibility checks, then click Connect With Facebook and log in to your Facebook account. Ensure you grant permissions for respond.io to manage your WhatsApp Business account and billing. 4. **Select** an existing Meta Business account or create a new one, then create a WhatsApp Business profile by entering your business details. 5. **Enter** your WhatsApp phone number, select a verification method (SMS or call) and input the 6-digit verification code received to complete the setup. #### Step 2: Add Users To [**add WhatsApp Business multiple users to respond.io**](https://help.respond.io/l/en/quick-start/inviting-users), follow these three simple steps. **1\. Navigate** to Settings > Workspace Settings > Users. **2\. Click** Add User to invite agents to the Workspace using their email address. When adding Users, you can give them an appropriate [**User Role**](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/users#managing_user_roles_and_access). This allows you to limit the level of access of each collaborator invited to the platform. You can choose between three User Roles: - Owner: Owners have access to all modules, and they can manage the Workspace settings. - Manager: Like Owners, Managers have access to all modules. However, they have restricted access to Workspace Settings. - Agent: Agents only have access to the Messages module. **3\. Create** [**Teams**](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/teams) to group your agents for better visibility after they accept your invitation. For detailed guidance on how to add and edit team members' profiles, invite new users, view team members and their roles, create new teams and manage them effectively, explore our comprehensive [**help center article**](https://help.respond.io/organization-settings). #### Step 3: Assign Chats to Team Members To either [**assign or unassign a conversation**](https://help.respond.io/inbox/assignment-and-closing-a-conversation), all you need to do is follow the steps below. 1. **Access** the Assignment dropdown in the top-right corner of the Inbox module. 2. **Use** the dropdown to assign or reassign an agent to a contact. 3. **Search** for an agent by name in the search box or select from the list of available agents with their avatars. #### Step 4: Collaborate on WhatsApp Chats with a Team Respond.io can help teams collaborate efficiently when handling WhatsApp Business conversations. 1. **Add** internal notes to provide context or updates visible only to team members, ensuring smooth handovers between agents. 2. **Use** [**tags**](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-tags) to organize conversations with labels like "Urgent" or "Follow-Up" to categorize and prioritize them for faster resolution. That's all. You're all set! Now let's look at how you can sell and market with WhatsApp Business API for multiple users. ### How to Market and Sell with WhatsApp Business Multiple Users Your agents already know how to sell — now give them the tools to do it faster and smarter with respond.io’s WhatsApp API. #### Qualify Leads Faster Capture leads organically through [WhatsApp entry points](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/grow-your-whatsapp-audience-by-maximizing-entry-points) or using [Click to WhatsApp Ads](https://respond.io/help/integrations/meta-business-accounts#using-meta-click-to-chat-ads-in-respondio). Then, use [Workflows](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview) to route leads to the right agent based on shift, expertise, or team. Need to move faster? Use an [AI Agent](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent) to qualify leads automatically before handing them off to human agents. #### Respond Quickly & Smartly Agents can use [AI Assist](https://respond.io/help/inbox/using-ai-assist) to generate replies instantly or refine tone, fix grammar, and translate messages with [AI Prompts](https://respond.io/help/inbox/interacting-with-respond-ai). Supervisors can monitor all inboxes, and agents can even initiate, receive and transfer voice calls using [VoIP](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration), [WhatsApp Calling API,](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-calling-api) and Messenger Call (Open Beta) on respond.io. #### Track and Manage Leads at Scale Stop switching platforms — integrate CRMs like [HubSpot](https://respond.io/blog/hubspot-whatsapp-integration) or [Salesforce](https://respond.io/blog/salesforce-whatsapp-integration) with respond.io to sync contact data in real time. Use [Lifecycle Stages](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) to track every contact’s journey and prioritize the hottest leads. #### Reach Large Audiences with WhatsApp Broadcasts Run [WhatsApp bulk campaigns](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) without the 256-recipient limit of the app. Send or schedule rich messages to opted-in contacts with buttons, media, and CTAs. > Note: Ensure your broadcasts are engaging as Meta will deliver fewer marketing messages to contacts who do not engage. Now that you know how to market and sell on respond.io, let’s have a look at some of this platform’s benefits. ### 4 Benefits of WhatsApp Multiple Users with Respond.io Making WhatsApp work for multiple users isn’t just practical. It's a necessity if you want to enhance your team's communication with customers. But when it comes to using the WhatsApp API with respond.io, know it introduces a whole new level of efficiency to your operations. #### 1\. Simplify Your Messaging Workflow Respond.io offers a unified inbox where your entire team can view and track all WhatsApp chats. This helps prevent confusion over who has responded to a customer and reduces the risk of missed messages, keeping your team on the same page at all times. #### 2\. Assign Roles That Suit Your Team Not every team member needs the keys to the city. You can designate specific roles, such as Agent, Manager or Owner, for team members, providing them with the appropriate level of access and ensuring everyone has exactly what they need without unnecessary permissions. #### 3\. Personalize Customer Conversations Respond.io integrates seamlessly with your CRM, so your team can see customer history and preferences at a glance. This means your replies aren't just quick. They can be informed and personalized, helping you engage in more meaningful conversations. #### 4\. A Tool That Scales It doesn’t matter whether you’re a small brand today or a global powerhouse tomorrow. Respond.io is fully capable of growing alongside your business. As you scale, you can easily add users, automate more workflows, handle higher message loads and more without ever losing your momentum. Now, let's look at how businesses are succeeding on respond.io with WhatsApp Business multiple users. ### How Respond.io Empowers Businesses with WhatsApp Multiple Users We have interviewed some respond.io customers to learn how they take their businesses to the next level with WhatsApp's multi-user functionality. Below, we’ve compiled a few success stories that will inspire you to kickstart your WhatsApp multiple users journey. #### How Lamarsa Coffee Improved Response Time [**Lamarsa Coffee**](https://respond.io/customers/how-lamarsa-coffee-used-chat-commerce-to-boost-sales-across-6-countries-by-50), a Malaysia-based coffee equipment retailer, was handling customer communication over WhatsApp Business App. As its business expanded, Lamarsa Coffee found it challenging to handle the high volume of conversations over WhatsApp. To solve the WhatsApp Business app multiple users problem, Lamarsa Coffee [**migrated to WhatsApp API**](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-number-migration) and connected it to respond.io for greater multiuser access. Through enhanced WhatsApp multi-user functionality and respond.io’s advanced [**Workflows**](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workflows/workflows-overview), Lamarsa Coffee has successfully improved first response times by a whopping 38%! #### How 800 Storage Handles a High Volume of Conversations Dubai-based self-storage company, [**800 Storage**](https://respond.io/customers/how-800-storage-achieved-30-more-conversions-over-whatsapp), had limited multiuser access to WhatsApp Business App. This resulted in slow response time, which in turn affected business growth. By upgrading to WhatsApp API and integrating it with respond.io, 800 Storage is now ready to handle a high volume of conversations through WhatsApp multi-team access. Thanks to multiuser access for WhatsApp, agent performance has significantly improved across the board, with first response times reduced by 30% to 1 minute and 56 seconds! ### How to Get Started with WhatsApp Business Multiple Users If you’re a smaller business, the WhatsApp Business App may be just enough for your needs in the short run. Download the app, link up to five devices and you’re good to go. It’s free, simple to set up, and even useful features to help you get started! However, if your business is growing (or plans to), then the WhatsApp API is your best bet. Designed with larger teams in mind, it offers unlimited users, powerful automation and integrates smoothly with your existing CRMs. All you need to do is sign up through a platform like respond.io. The setup is quick, and you’ll be managing messages in no time. Are you ready to use WhatsApp Business with multiple users? [Try respond.io WhatsApp Business API for free](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business)! ### Further Reading If you found this article interesting, here are other reads that might interest you. 1. How to Change WhatsApp to Business Account In 8 Steps 2. WhatsApp Blue Tick: 5 Steps to Get the Badge for Your Business 3. WhatsApp Opt In: Getting Customers to Opt In WhatsApp ## [WhatsApp Business Name: A How-To Guide to WhatsApp Display Name](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-name) Everything you need to know about the WhatsApp Business Name. How to get your WhatsApp Display Name approved. In this article, we’ll learn about the WhatsApp Business display name, its importance to businesses and the guidelines for getting it approved. If you intend to turn your default WhatsApp Business account into an official account, read on to find out how you can get your display name approved for the transition. ### What is a WhatsApp Business Display Name? The WhatsApp display name is the name of the business shown on the contact view screen. Display names allow contacts to identify business accounts without adding them to their contact list. Display names appear differently depending on the status of the account. Here are the differences between them. #### Official Business Account With an official business account, the WhatsApp Business display name will: - Be seen from the chat list, chat screen and WhatsApp notifications even if a contact hasn’t added the business account to their contact list - Have a green tick next to it when it’s displayed on top of the chat screen and on the contact view screen of the business account #### Default Business Account With a default WhatsApp Business Account, the WhatsApp Business display name will: - Only be shown on the contact view screen of the business account - Not have a green tick next to the display name on any screen Now that you know the purpose of a WhatsApp Business display name, here’s why you should care about getting one. ### Why Should Businesses Get Official WhatsApp Display Name? Since official WhatsApp display names are difficult to obtain, they give businesses more credibility. Official WhatsApp display names give contacts ease of mind as they know they are speaking with a verified business account, especially when sharing sensitive information. If you’re looking to pass your WhatsApp API account [business verification](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-verification) to increase your [messaging limits](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/messaging-limits/upcoming-changes) or to become an [Official WhatsApp Business Account](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-verify-whatsapp-business-account), you’ll need a suitable display name to pass the review process. ### How Do Businesses Get Their WhatsApp Business Name Approved? Meta is very specific regarding the types of names it approves for Official WhatsApp Business Accounts. Display names must represent businesses accurately and cannot be used to mislead their contacts. To get a display name approved, businesses must [follow these rules](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/display-name). **Official WhatsApp Business Display Name Guidelines: Grub N Go Food Delivery** | Allowed | Not Allowed | Not Allowed | | --- | --- | --- | | Grub N Go Food Delivery | Fresn and Fast, Never Slow | GrubNGoFoodDelivery.com | | Grub N Go Food Delivery Test | grub n go food delivery | Grub N Go Official Account | | Grub N Go Food Delivery Customer Support | Grub N Go: Food Delivery | Food Delivery | | Grub N Go Food Delivery Spain | GrubNGo Food Delivery | GNGFD | Since the display name review is such an important procedure, let’s run through each rule in the list. We’ll use our made-up business, *Grub N Go Food Delivery*, to help illustrate what will or won’t pass the display name review process. #### A WhatsApp Business Display Name Should Comply with WhatsApp Policies A display name should not violate WhatsApp’s [Commerce](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/commerce-policy/) and [Business](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-policy/) policies. For example: - Grub N Go Food Delivery - is allowed as it's a food delivery service and doesn’t violate any of WhatsApp’s policies - Grub N Go Drugs & Alcohol - is not allowed as it violates the Commerce policy #### A WhatsApp Business Display Name Should Accurately Represent Your Business A display name should represent a business or its service, product, or department; or be a test account or demo account and must maintain an association with the business. A display name should not be an individual's full name, a generic term (e.g., Fashion), a generic geographic location (e.g., New York), a slogan or a long description. An organization with a government affiliation needs the WhatsApp team's approval. For example: - Grub N Go Food Delivery Test - is allowed when used for a testing account - Grub N Go Food Delivery George - is not allowed since it doesn’t represent a service, product or department - George Wong - is not allowed because it is an individual’s full name - Food Delivery - is not allowed because it is a generic term - Fresh and Fast, Never Slow - is not allowed because it is a slogan #### A WhatsApp Business Display Name Should Be Consistent With External Branding A WhatsApp Business display name must have consistent branding with external sources, such as a company's website or [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing). For example: - Grub N Go Food Delivery - is allowed because it follows the company’s external branding - Grub N Go Delivery - is not allowed because “Food” was removed from the business name - GNG Food Delivery - is not allowed because it is an abbreviation of the company name inconsistent with external branding #### A WhatsApp Business Display Name Should Show Clear Relationship with Your Business A display name must have a clear relationship with your business — it must be referred to on the business's website or external media references. For example: - Grub N Go Food Delivery - is allowed because that’s the name of the company on the website and all marketing materials - GNGFD - is not allowed because the company is not referred to by its abbreviation If the relationship between your company and the brand is not obvious, indicate the relationship using “by \[company name\].” For example: - Instant Pizza by Grub N Go Food Delivery - is allowed because the name explains the relationship between the two names - Instant Pizza - is not allowed because it doesn’t explain its relationship to Grub N Go Food Delivery If the WhatsApp Business display name represents a business that the company is working with (i.e., if the business is an agency, distributor, partner, or parent company), then the relationship between the business represented in the display name and end-client business must be evident and clear in both parties’ business websites. For example: #### Capitalization and Grammar A display name may not be in all capitals, must have grammatically correct capitalization, and should match the capitalization used in your business name. For example: - Grub N Go Food Delivery - is allowed - grub n go food delivery - is not allowed because the business name uses proper capitalization - GRUB N GO FOOD DELIVERY - is not allowed because the business name uses proper capitalization #### Spacing Do not change the spacing from the spacing used in your business name. For example: - Grub N Go Food Delivery - is allowed - GrubNGo Food Delivery - is not allowed because it doesn’t follow the business name’s spacing - Grub N Go FoodDelivery - is not allowed because it doesn’t follow the business name’s spacing #### Punctuation Do not add any extra punctuation, emojis, or character symbols such as trademark designations. For example: - Grub N Go Food Delivery - is allowed because it follows the business name - Grub N Go: Food Delivery - is not allowed because it doesn’t follow the business name - Grub ‘N Go! Food Delivery - is not allowed because it doesn’t follow the business name #### Extra Words Do not add extra words to your company or brand name unless the words indicate country or region, department or function, or “Test” or “Demo” accounts. For example: - Grub N Go Food Delivery Spain - is allowed - Grub N Go Food Delivery Customer Support - is allowed - Grub N Go Official Account - is not allowed since ‘Official Account’ doesn’t indicate a country or region, department or function, or test or demo account #### Capitalization of Extra Words If you add permitted words, the first letter of the word must be capitalized. For example: - Grub N Go Food Delivery Spain - is allowed - Grub N Go Food Delivery Customer Support - is allowed - Grub N Go Food Delivery spain - is not allowed because Spain isn’t capitalized - Grub N Go Food Delivery customer support - is not allowed Customer Support isn’t capitalized #### A WhatsApp Business Display Name Should Have a Minimum of 3 Characters A WhatsApp Business display name must contain a minimum of three characters. For the following examples, we will use *GNG* as the official business name instead of *Grub N Go Food Delivery*: - GNG - would be allowed - GG - would not be allowed because it falls below the minimum of 3 characters and is also not the name of the company #### URL Format in Display Name A WhatsApp Business display name may not be in URL format unless it is the company's business name. For example: - Grub N Go Food Delivery - is allowed because it doesn’t contain a URL - respond.io - is allowed because that is the business name of the company and how it is normally referred to - GrubNGoFoodDelivery.com - is not allowed because it contains a URL Once your WhatsApp Business display name is ready, you’re one step closer to getting your account officially verified. Be sure to read our complete guide on [verifying your WhatsApp Business Account](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-verify-whatsapp-business-account) to find out what to do next! ### Further Reading If you found this article helpful, here are some additional articles on getting the most out of WhatsApp for your business: - How to Send Bulk Messages on WhatsApp: A Step-by-Step Guide - WhatsApp CRM Ultimate Guide: Integrations, Use Cases and Best Practices - WhatsApp Business Multiple Users: 5 Steps Guide (+Examples) ## [WhatsApp Business Pricing: Comparing App, Meta Verified & API](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-account-price) Discover WhatsApp Business account price options for the App, Meta Verified and API. Compare features and hidden fees to choose the best fit for your business! ### TL;DR WhatsApp Business comes in three flavors — and choosing the right one depends on your team size, needs and growth plans. - WhatsApp Business App is free and simple, but limited to one device and lacks automation. Great for testing the waters, not for scaling. - Meta Verified adds credibility and more devices, but no integrations or advanced features. Availability is still limited to select countries. - WhatsApp API is the most powerful and flexible option. It supports automation, CRMs, WhatsApp Calling and more — but requires a BSP and comes with setup, subscription and per-message costs. --- WhatsApp has changed the messaging game by offering businesses a direct line to leads and customers. But it isn’t a single product. With different tiers—[WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app), [Meta Verified](https://faq.whatsapp.com/3872729742954601/?helpref=hc_fnav) and [WhatsApp Business Platform (API)](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api)—understanding the different WhatsApp Business account price options can be tricky. Below, we’ll break down the ins and outs of all 3, ensuring you understand exactly what you’re paying for and help you find the best solution for your business. ### WhatsApp Business App vs Meta Verified vs WhatsApp Business Platform (API) Before we talk about money matters, we need to understand how all 3 tiers differ from each other broadly. #### What is WhatsApp Business App? The WhatsApp Business App provides a solid starter pack for businesses. It’s free, easy to set up and get going and provides a range of helpful features businesses of all sizes would appreciate: - You can add an address, website and operating hours. - Features include quick replies, automated greetings and away messages. - Use catalogs to display products and services in the app. That said, its limitations are apparent: - Restricted to a single device. - Lacks automation and scalability. #### What is Meta Verified? Meta Verified builds on the Business App, offering superior functionality for larger teams. It follows a [paid subscription model](https://www.facebook.com/business/tools/meta-verified-for-business) with four available plans. | | Business Standard | Business Plus | Business Premium | Business Max | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Verified badge | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Impersonation protection | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Protected business accounts | – | – | 10 | 50 | | Meta Verified support | In-app support | Prioritized in-app support | Prioritized in-app support | Prioritized in-app support | | Verified channels | 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 | | Business web page | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Linked devices | Up to 4 | Up to 6 | Up to 8 | Up to 10 | | Price (per month) | $14.99 | $44.99 | $119.99 | $349.99 | > Note: This pricing is valid for new subscribers during their first 12 months. After that, your subscription will automatically renew at the standard rate available at that time. Meta Verified also has some notable limitations. - No advanced automation capabilities. - Doesn’t offer integrations with external tools. - Only accessible in select countries — Meta is quite secretive about #### What is WhatsApp Business Platform (API)? And now for the big leagues. WhatsApp API is ideal for businesses of all sizes, from rapidly scaling startups to large enterprises. Unlike the app-based solutions, WhatsApp API enables you to - Integrate it with a staggering range of customer relationship management (CRM) tools. - Use chatbots and automated workflows to handle FAQs, order tracking and more. - Plus, onboarding is now easier with free, automatically verified virtual phone numbers. Businesses can claim up to two US-based numbers (+1 555) for WhatsApp use, though they can’t receive calls or SMS. But it’s not perfect and comes with some limitations: - It requires you to work with a Business Solution Provider (BSP) like respond.io to obtain access. - With setup fees, subscription costs and per-message charges, it’s a commitment. - While calling on the WhatsApp Business App is free, it incurs fees through the WhatsApp API. Check our [WhatsApp pricing calculator](https://respond.io/whatsapp-api-calling-pricing) to estimate messaging and call costs and get your pricing questions solved. ### WhatsApp Business Account Pricing: A Breakdown So we’ve covered the essentials of the 3 different solutions, and now it’s time to talk numbers. Let’s take a look at how pricing differs between the 3: | Solution | Cost | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | WhatsApp Business App | Free to download and use | Indirect costs may include limited scalability and single-device restrictions. | | Meta Verified | Varies by region* *Detailed pricing info has yet to be released by Meta | Includes multi-device support (up to 10 devices) and the Meta verified tick. | | WhatsApp Business Platform (API) | - Setup fees: Up to $1,000 (varies by provider). - Monthly subscription: $50–$500 - Per-message charges: Vary by template message types and region. - WhatsApp Business Calling API fees. | Contact a Business Solution Provider (BSP), like respond.io, for accurate pricing. | #### Cost & Pricing of WhatsApp Business App Starting with the most straightforwardly priced of the 3, if the allure of a *free* solution appeals to you, then the WhatsApp Business app is for you. But don’t be fooled by its lack of a price tag; it’s not *entirely* free of cost. Specifically, we're talking about its single-device use limitation. This limitation can force your teams to share a single device, making handling inquiries from leads and customers a headache as you scale. If you're a small business just starting out, this might be a good pick for you. But in the long run, this free solution will start charging you through lost time. #### Cost & Pricing of Meta Verified Meta Verified is a very easy way for WhatsApp Business App users to benefit from some business features like better multiuser access and the [Meta Verified tick](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-blue-tick). However, its biggest hidden cost is its limited availability. If it hasn’t been rolled out in your specific region, you’re essentially stuck waiting for now. It also doesn’t offer advanced automation and integrations, which may be restrictive once your business decides to implement more complex workflows and connect WhatsApp to customer relationship management (CRM) platforms. #### Cost & Pricing of WhatsApp Business Platform (API) WhatsApp API is where growing businesses of all sizes can take their messaging efforts to the next level. That is assuming you’re willing to invest resources into it. Setting it up for the first time may seem daunting, but [WhatsApp BSPs like respond.io](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-is-now-a-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) can make it an accessible experience. WhatsApp API setup fees also vary depending on the provider but can creep up to $1,000. Monthly subscription fees start at $50, though they can reach $500 depending on your specific BSP and usage. Then, there’s the pay-per-message model to account for, which charges you depending on your message type and region. Although the API is clearly the [most costly of the 3](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing), if you manage (or want to manage) thousands of conversations daily plus calls, the investment is worthwhile. The API’s ability to integrate with CRMs, perform advanced automation and handle high volumes of messages makes it a must-have for scaling businesses. ### WhatsApp Business App: Hidden Costs So you now know how the 3 differ in terms of pricing, but wait. That’s not enough information to make a *fully* informed decision. There are still hidden costs to note, so let’s examine them, starting with the free option: the WhatsApp Business App. #### 1\. Limited Devices The WhatsApp Business App is designed for single-device use. While suitable for small businesses, you'll quickly realize it's a bottleneck if you have a team of more than one handling sales and marketing, which can lead to delayed response times and affect your ability to convert and retain customers. #### 2\. Scalability Handling a growing volume of leads and inquiries can be challenging without advanced capabilities like integrations with CRMs and automation. What happens when a thousand customers decide to message you all at once? You might need to turn to external solutions to handle this, which essentially negates the app's free appeal. #### 3\. Data Privacy For industries like healthcare or finance, where customer data is sensitive and legally protected, the Business App just doesn’t cut it. Without advanced security measures, you’re exposing yourself to potential compliance issues. Tack on fines or reputational damage, and the "free" solution might cost more than you bargained for. ### WhatsApp Business Platform (API): Hidden Costs We’ve established that WhatsApp API is powerful, provided you work a great BSP, but it’s still not without hidden costs. #### 1\. Setup and Add-On Fees To get started with the API, you’ll likely work with a BSP, and their onboarding fees can reach figures up to $1,000. This usually covers integration into your existing systems and initial setup, but it’s a significant upfront investment. Additionally, some BSPs like [Sleekflow](https://respond.io/sleekflow-alternative) charge additional monthly fees per WhatsApp number. Be sure to clarify what’s included to avoid unexpected charges to avoid unwanted surprises. #### 2\. Monthly Subscription Costs Subscription fees in terms of WhatsApp API price range from $50 to $500, depending on your BSP and the services included. While this gives you access to advanced features, it’s important to evaluate if the added functionality aligns with your budget and, more importantly, existing business needs. #### 3\. Per-Message Charges WhatsApp now uses a [per-message pricing model](https://respond.io/whatsapp-pricing-calculator) for businesses on the WhatsApp Business Platform. Businesses are billed for each template message delivered to a user. For example, if you send one marketing template message and one utility template message, you'll be charged twice — once for each template message, based on their category. Charges only apply when a message is successfully delivered, making the model more fair and cost-efficient. Plus, there’s no charge when responding to a customer with free-form or utility messages within the 24-hour customer service window, which means you can handle customer support without incurring additional costs. Businesses also benefit from: - A 72-hour free messaging window when customers message you through Click-to-WhatsApp Ads or Facebook Page call-to-action buttons. - Volume-based discounts for utility and authentication messages — the more messages you send, the lower your rate per message. #### 4\. WhatsApp Business Calling API Costs The WhatsApp Business Calling API lets businesses make and receive voice calls on WhatsApp — and it’s only available through select BSPs like respond.io. Here's what you need to know about the costs. ##### Inbound & Outbound Calls - Inbound calls (customer-initiated) are completely free. - Outbound calls (business-initiated) require the customer’s consent and are charged only if the call is answered. There are no charges for initiating the call, ringing, or unanswered calls. ##### Pricing & Billing Calls are [billed per minute](https://respond.io/whatsapp-api-calling-pricing) and calculated in 6-second increments. Rates depend on: - The country of the person being called - The monthly call volume to that country (more calls = lower rates). Discount tiers reset at the beginning of each month. ##### 24-Hour Messaging Window When a customer calls you or answers your call, WhatsApp opens a 24-hour Customer Service Window. During this time, you can send free-form messages and utility templates at no cost. Marketing and authentication templates are still billed as usual. ##### Transparent Pricing with respond.io Many BSPs add hidden fees or markups, but respond.io does not.You get: - No setup or maintenance fees - No per-call markups - Pricing based entirely on Meta’s official rates You’ve seen how WhatsApp pricing works behind the scenes. Next, we'll show you how to maximize your budget with WhatsApp Business. ### 5 Ways to Maximize ROI With WhatsApp Business Regardless of which WhatsApp tier you select, if you’re going to invest money (or at least time) in the app, you need to make sure every cent and second spent is worth it. #### 1\. Use Free Entry Points Effectively WhatsApp offers free entry points like [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code) and [click-to-chat](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads) links that lead straight to your WhatsApp account. Use these to bring in leads without spending extra on paid channels. #### 2\. Automate Responses Don’t waste time answering the same question a hundred times. Set up automated replies for FAQs or use chatbots to handle common queries. This keeps your team free to focus more on what they do best: handling complex queries and closing deals. #### 3\. Monitor and Analyze Metrics Data is king. [Keep a close eye on metrics](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-metrics) like response times, customer satisfaction rates and conversation volumes. Using these insights, you can fine-tune your approach, improve efficiency and ultimately get more bang for your buck on WhatsApp. #### 4\. Train Your Teams WhatsApp is a tool that is only as good as its users. Train your team to master tone, personalize responses and maintain consistent response times. You can also benefit from teaching them how to utilize WhatsApp’s features, such as quick replies or labels. #### 5\. Leverage External Tools Sometimes, WhatsApp alone isn’t enough to handle a growing business’s needs. Platforms like respond.io can benefit your WhatsApp messaging efforts by offering integration with CRMs, automated workflows and deep analytics. ### How to Pick the Right Solution for Your Business? Now that you know all you need to know to make an informed decision, one last thing. When deciding on the best solution for your business, you should ask yourself the following before jumping in. #### 1\. Is it scalable for your current and future business needs? The Business App is a no-cost entry point, but as you scale, its single-device restriction and lack of automation can result in inefficiencies in the long run. Meta Verified and API options provide solutions for growth but come with incremental costs. Map out your projected customer base and messaging volume to anticipate how expenses will change as you scale. #### 2\. What value are you getting for the price? Each tier aligns with different business goals. The free Business App is great for testing the waters, while Meta Verified supports small teams with multi-device access. The API is best for enterprises that need high-volume messaging and advanced integrations. Evaluate each solution's benefits for your workflows and whether the ROI justifies the investment. #### 3\. Do you handle sensitive customer information? [Data security is non-negotiable](https://respond.io/blog/secure-messaging), and WhatsApp provides strong protections, including end-to-end encryption, to safeguard communications. That said, these alone are usually not enough to achieve full compliance with regulations like GDPR or HIPAA. You’ll need to implement additional measures such as secure hosting, masking and even monitoring. If your business relies on marketing messages to US customers, note that WhatsApp will pause all marketing template messages to US numbers starting April 2025. Attempting to send one after this date will result in an error. WhatsApp API technically offers the flexibility needed for industries like finance or healthcare to achieve this, but businesses must take responsibility for managing these safeguards. When adopting the API, consider not just its direct costs but also the potential savings from avoiding data breaches or compliance penalties. #### 4\. Are you looking to integrate WhatsApp with existing tools? While the WhatsApp Business App and Meta Verified keep the setup simple, the API demands a higher initial outlay for integration with CRMs or custom workflows. This can include setup fees ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Factor in these costs when planning for API adoption to ensure it fits within your budget for long-term ROI. #### 5\. Do you have the resources to manage a paid solution? WhatsApp API charges per template message, with rates varying based on region and message type. If your business has high message volumes, these costs can grow quickly. Analyze your average conversation volume to predict expenses accurately. For instance, you can use respond.io’s [WhatsApp Business API Pricing Calculator](https://respond.io/whatsapp-pricing-calculator) to help you plan for costs. ### New: Use WhatsApp Business App and API at the Same Time Until recently, businesses had to choose between using the WhatsApp Business App or the WhatsApp API. Now, with [WhatsApp Coexistence](https://respond.io/whatsapp-business-app-whatsapp-api-same-number), you can use both on the same number. This means you can keep your existing WhatsApp Business app number and still connect it to the WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) via respond.io — without losing access to your app or needing a new number. #### Why It Matters for Teams Coexistence gives your team the flexibility to: - Use advanced API features like multiple users, automation, AI routing and CRM integrations via respond.io. - Keep using the WhatsApp Business app for simple 1:1 conversations or business tools like catalogs and quick replies. - Maintain your existing number, customer chat history and app access—even after connecting to the API. This setup is ideal for growing teams that want the power of the WhatsApp API without sacrificing the convenience of the app they’re accustomed to. > ⚠️ Note: Some WhatsApp Business app features like calls, group chats, broadcast lists and disappearing messages won't work on the API side. Also, if you enable coexistence, you’ll temporarily lose the green checkmark (you can reapply after setup). ### Further Reading - WhatsApp Business App: The Ultimate Guide [July 2023] - WhatsApp API Explained: Features, Benefits & Pricing - Telegram vs WhatsApp: 9 Differences & Which App Is the Best? ## [WhatsApp Business: WhatsApp Business Accounts Overview ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) This article covers everything about Business WhatsApp including the types of WhatsApp Business Accounts, WhatsApp Business Features plus its limitations and pricing to help you get started. New to using WhatsApp for business? This all-in-one guide to WhatsApp Business will help you understand everything about WhatsApp Business products. We'll cover the types of WhatsApp Business accounts and sign-up methods, their pricing as well as the features and limitations of each account type. Finally, we’ll help you decide which WhatsApp product is most suitable for your business. ### What is WhatsApp Business? WhatsApp Business is a set of WhatsApp products that give businesses of all sizes a platform to communicate with customers on WhatsApp. It was [introduced in 2018](https://blog.whatsapp.com/introducing-the-whats-app-business-app) when WhatsApp realized that companies were using the personal app for business. Meta, previously known as Facebook, saw this as a great opportunity to monetize the free app. So, it created a set of WhatsApp business solutions. This would separate business and personal communication, help businesses create an official presence and provide businesses with a set of tools specifically for customer conversations. Today, over [50 million businesses use WhatsApp Business](https://bloggingwizard.com/whatsapp-statistics/) to reach customers in regions where WhatsApp is popular. ### Where is WhatsApp Popular? WhatsApp is the [most popular messaging app](https://www.statista.com/statistics/258749/most-popular-global-mobile-messenger-apps/) in the world with approximately [2.78 billion monthly active users](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1306022/whatsapp-global-unique-users/#:~:text=In%20April%202022%2C%20WhatsApp%20had,unique%20users%20in%20June%202022.)). It is the most dominant messaging app [in 188 countries and territories out of the 230 that use WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-13). [India has the highest number of WhatsApp users globally, followed by Brazil, Indonesia, the US, Russia and Mexico.](https://www.businessofapps.com/data/whatsapp-statistics/) Brazil has the largest market of WhatsApp users outside of Asia with more than [96 percent of the population being active WhatsApp users](https://www.statista.com/topics/7731/whatsapp-in-brazil/#topicHeader__wrapper). The heavy use of WhatsApp has led to [292 million downloads](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1276030/whatsapp-business-downloads-leading-countries/) of WhatsApp Business App on Android and IOS devices as of June 2022. With up to [100 billion messages exchanged per day](https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/29/whatsapp-is-now-delivering-roughly-100-billion-messages-a-day/), it is clear that WhatsApp is not only popular, but it also has a high engagement rate. Compared to traditional communication methods like email, WhatsApp messages recorded a whopping [98% message open rate](https://www.inventiva.co.in/trends/top-10-best-whatsapp-marketing-2/). Now that you know how important WhatsApp is, here’s what you should know about WhatsApp Business. ### WhatsApp Business Account: The Basics This section will discuss WhatsApp Business policies, types of WhatsApp Business accounts and the pricing for each account type. #### WhatsApp Business Policies WhatsApp aims to provide a high-quality experience for its users. To ensure that the platform remains spam-free, businesses must abide by WhatsApp’s [Business](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-policy/?lang=en) and [Commerce Policies](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/commerce-policy/?lang=en), which protect users’ privacy and ban the trade of illegal products and services. Businesses must also ensure that information like their website URL and customer support number on their business profile are accurate and up-to-date. They cannot impersonate other businesses or provide misleading information about the nature of their business. If businesses violate the policies, WhatsApp will limit or remove their access to WhatsApp Business products indefinitely. Now that you understand the policies, let's take a look at the types of WhatsApp Business accounts. #### Types of WhatsApp Business Accounts Here, we’ll lay out the types of WhatsApp Accounts that you can choose from based on your business size along with the sign-up method for each account. ##### WhatsApp Business App Account The [WhatsApp Business App account](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) is for small businesses that want to communicate with their customers over WhatsApp. Businesses can manage their conversations by setting up [Quick Replies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app#toc-mobile-8) and [automated welcome and away messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app#toc-mobile-9). Businesses can use the business app account on up to five devices, comprising one phone and four additional devices. To use it on up to 10 devices, they can subscribe to [WhatsApp Business Premium](https://faq.whatsapp.com/1121107608484746/?cms_platform=android). However, this plan is currently only available in certain countries. Remember, you can only install the WhatsApp Business App on a single phone and must use [WhatsApp Business Web](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-web) to connect additional devices. To [create an account](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app#toc-mobile-1), all you need is a sim card or e-sim and a phone. Simply install the WhatsApp Business App and connect your phone number to it. Just like that, you can start using the WhatsApp Business App. If you use the Meta Business Suite to communicate with customers through Facebook Messenger and Instagram, here’s another option for you. It is now possible to [add a WhatsApp Business account](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/353293243562513) to the Meta Business Suite inbox. Regardless of your choice, the phone number you use cannot be linked to any existing WhatsApp account. The same applies to the API accounts, which we’ll discuss in the next section. ##### WhatsApp Business API Account WhatsApp Business API was made for medium to large companies looking to [use the platform with multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) for [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing), [sales](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service). Because the API does not have a user interface, it must be [connected to a customer conversation management software like respond.io](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp) to send and receive messages. This enables businesses to use advanced automation to streamline [lead qualification](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/inbound-sales-enrich-contact-data-and-qualify-leads), [chat routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [auto-assignment](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio), along with AI to [automate responses](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai#toc-mobile-3), [improve messages before they are sent](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai#toc-mobile-4) and [assist agents](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai#toc-mobile-5) in replying to messages quickly. The WhatsApp Business API comes in two forms: WhatsApp On-premises API and [WhatsApp Cloud API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-cloud-api). [To get WhatsApp On-premises API](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api#toc-mobile-3), businesses must work with a [Business Solution Provider (BSP)](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-1), which acts as a middleman between your business and WhatsApp. The WhatsApp API will be hosted on BSP servers or individual business servers. | | WhatsApp On-premises API | WhatsApp Cloud API | | --- | --- | --- | | How to Get API Access | BSP | BSP or Meta | | Hosting | BSP Servers or Business Individual Servers | Meta Servers | On the other hand, businesses can get WhatsApp Cloud API access directly from Meta or through a BSP. Unlike On-premises API, the API is hosted on Meta's cloud servers. It's worth noting that [setting up a Cloud API account](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-cloud-api#toc-mobile-8) on your own requires technical expertise. If you want to simplify the process of getting WhatsApp Cloud API access, consider choosing a BSP like respond.io that provides free API access and [a hassle-free application process](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api#toc-mobile-5). Next, let's explore the costs of having a WhatsApp Business account. #### WhatsApp Business Pricing Now that you know the types of WhatsApp Business accounts available, let's look at the pricing for each. ##### WhatsApp for Business Pricing: Business App WhatsApp doesn't charge businesses for using the app, but there are some associated costs involved. For instance, you'll need a dedicated phone number because using the same number for personal and business WhatsApp is not allowed. If you have a dual SIM phone or a phone that supports e-sim, you can buy an additional SIM and assign that number to [the Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app). If not, you'll need to purchase a new phone to use the app. While businesses don’t need to spend much to use WhatsApp Business App, this is not the case for the APIs. ##### WhatsApp for Business Pricing: WhatsApp API WhatsApp API pricing depends on two key factors: the type of API (Cloud or On-Premises) and the Business Solution Provider (BSP) you choose. BSPs that offer the On-Premises API typically charge extra fees on top of WhatsApp’s base charges, which can vary widely. For example, SleekFlow charges $15 per phone number per month. In contrast, platforms like respond.io provide WhatsApp Cloud API with no markups or hidden fees, letting businesses pay only the direct charges from WhatsApp. | | WhatsApp On-Premises API | WhatsApp Cloud API | | --- | --- | --- | | Server setup | May include setup fees | No server setup required | | Hosting | Self-hosted | Hosted by Meta | | Pricing model | Per template message (via BSP, with possible markups) | Per template message (no markup via direct BSPs) | WhatsApp now charges businesses per template message delivered. This pricing applies across both Cloud and On-Premises APIs. Here are some extra key points Meta introduced in July 1, 2025: - You only pay for messages that are delivered to users. - WhatsApp charges separately for each template message, depending on the type: utility, authentication, or marketing. For example, sending one marketing message and one utility message results in two charges. - Free-form and utility messages sent within the 24-hour customer service window are not charged. - Volume-based discounts apply — the more utility or authentication messages you send, the lower your rate per message. In addition, all WhatsApp Business Accounts receive 1,000 free user-initiated service conversations per month, shared across all connected phone numbers. Conversations initiated via Click-to-WhatsApp ads or Facebook Page CTA buttons also unlock a 72-hour free messaging window, during which all replies — including template messages — are free. With these updates, businesses have better cost control and transparency, especially when using direct BSPs that pass WhatsApp’s charges without additional fees. Now that you know how WhatsApp API pricing works, let’s explore the messaging capabilities each type of account offers. ### WhatsApp Business: Messaging Customers on WhatsApp The WhatsApp Business App and APIs were designed with specific business sizes in mind; hence, the messaging features and limitations associated with the accounts reflect that. #### WhatsApp for Business: 1:1 Messaging This section will explain everything about 1:1 messaging on the Business App and API accounts. ##### 1:1 Messaging with The Business App Account The WhatsApp Business App account provides a lot of flexibility to small businesses using the platform. For instance, they can send an unlimited number of free messages in any format and send customers the first message if they have their number. However, businesses must still abide by WhatsApp's business and commerce policies to avoid spamming their customers. If many customers block or report a business account, WhatsApp will ban the account. Since larger businesses have more financial resources and customers, you’ll find that there are even more messaging rules for the API account in comparison with the Business App. ##### 1:1 Messaging with a WhatsApp Business API Account With the WhatsApp Business API account, businesses have to [gain consent from their contacts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-15) before messaging them and must respond within a 24-hour customer service window. These policies prevent businesses from spamming customers and encourage them to reply to customers quickly. There are two types of WhatsApp API conversations, [as mentioned earlier](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business#toc-mobile-5). [Service conversations](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-10) occur when businesses respond to user-initiated conversations within the 24-hour messaging window.  [Message Templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-14), on the other hand, are required when businesses initiate a conversation outside the messaging window. Message templates [have to be pre-approved by WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-0) before businesses can send them. While WhatsApp may [reject your message templates for several reasons](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-9), applying some [best practices](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-20) can improve the chance of approval. As for service conversations, businesses can send any type of content as long as they abide by WhatsApp’s policies. The best part is that both conversation types support interactive messages that help customers communicate their needs and reply to the business easily. > Meta has rolled out new WhatsApp Setup Guidance directly inside your Meta Business Portfolio. This new hub provides step-by-step instructions to simplify your API setup and manage message eligibility. You can now launch campaigns faster with pre-approved templates and instantly check your template review and appeals status. Now that you’re clear about 1:1 messaging on WhatsApp, let’s look at how broadcasting works on each account. #### WhatsApp for Business: Broadcast Messaging [Broadcast messaging](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) is a great way to reach large audiences at once. While this may sound intriguing, here’s what you need to know about broadcasting with the WhatsApp Business App and APIs. ##### Broadcast Messaging with the Business App Account Broadcasting over the WhatsApp Business App is simple and straightforward. Businesses are free to broadcast any form of content to 256 people per [Broadcast list](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#toc-mobile-0) at a time. They can [use the labels provided in the Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#toc-mobile-3) to organize contacts into groups. This will help them send compelling, targeted WhatsApp messages to the right audience. However, there are downsides to sending broadcast messages using the app. For instance, businesses must manually add contacts to their phone to send broadcasts, and only contacts who have saved their number can receive their broadcasts. While businesses won’t have these problems with the APIs, there are different broadcasting rules and capabilities for them. ##### Broadcast Messaging with the WhatsApp Business API Account The only way to send a broadcast with the WhatsApp API is by using pre-approved [message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-0). There are three message template categories, namely [marketing, utility and authentication conversations.](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/updates-to-pricing#four-new-conversation-categories-effective-june-1--2023) That said, note that from March 2025, WhatsApp will refine how marketing messages are sent by prioritizing users who engage more frequently. This ensures businesses can reach their most receptive audience while improving overall engagement rates. While the WhatsApp Business App has a [clear contact limit per broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message#toc-mobile-0), the number of contacts a business can broadcast to with the API depends on its [messaging limit](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/messaging-limits/). In addition, the broadcasting capabilities depend heavily on the software you’ve connected your WhatsApp API to. For instance, [respond.io’s Broadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) allows you to build message templates and submit them for approval, [schedule messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) and get broadcast analytics for all your campaigns. On top of this, businesses targeting US customers should be aware that starting April 2025, WhatsApp will temporarily pause marketing message delivery to US numbers as part of ongoing improvements to the platform. Besides using broadcasts to communicate with multiple WhatsApp users at once, businesses can also do this with group messaging. #### WhatsApp for Business: Group Messaging API accounts do not support [group messaging](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-group). The only way for businesses to create groups is through the App. Businesses can use WhatsApp Group messaging to connect with a large audience like they do when sending broadcasts. However, group messages are used for two-way communication between the parties involved in a WhatsApp Group. For instance, businesses can create a WhatsApp Group with important clients to discuss any issues, updates and more. Businesses can invite up to 1,024 participants in a group from their contact list, send any type of content and add multiple admins to moderate the group. Now that we’ve covered everything about messaging, here are some notable WhatsApp features for business. ### WhatsApp Business Special Features In this section, we’ll discuss special WhatsApp features like WhatsApp Catalog, WhatsApp Cart and WhatsApp Pay. These features are only available on the WhatsApp Business App. That said, let's take a closer look at the features. #### WhatsApp Catalog and WhatsApp Cart The [WhatsApp Catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog) is made for small businesses to showcase their products and services. [Setting up a Catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app#toc-mobile-2) is easy. Businesses just need to upload pictures of their products or services and add descriptions and prices for each of them. > WhatsApp Catalog is now available on WhatsApp API. Upload your products to your [Commerce Manager](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2371372636254534?id=533228987210412) and connect them to respond.io. The products uploaded in the Commerce Manager will sync on the respond.io platform. They can also promote the Catalog by [sharing the Catalog link or product links](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app#toc-mobile-2) in-app or on other websites and messaging channels. Once the Catalog is set up and approved by WhatsApp, customers can scroll through the listing, add items to their WhatsApp Cart and then message the business to confirm the deal. In most countries, businesses must direct customers to a third-party payment gateway to make the payment as WhatsApp Pay is not widely available. #### WhatsApp Pay [WhatsApp Pay](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-pay-everything-about-whatsapp-payment) is a feature that enables consumers to pay in-app. It is not available in most countries, mainly because setting up payment services in any country involves abiding by unique government legislation in each country. Currently, WhatsApp Pay is only available in Brazil and India and to selected users in the US. Because of that, only customers located in regions where WhatsApp Pay is available can use the feature. Now that we have covered everything about each account type, let's look at their differences in the next section. ### WhatsApp Business App vs WhatsApp Business API By now, you should have an idea of which WhatsApp product is most suitable for your business. To make that decision even easier, we’ll summarize and compare their features. #### Which WhatsApp Product Should You Use? The WhatsApp Business App is perfect for small businesses that receive low volumes of messages. Starting with the WhatsApp Business App is easy and cheap as businesses only need to download it and get a new phone number. They can also use an existing number that is not tied to a Whatsapp account. It supports broadcasts and simple automation like [quick replies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-quick-reply), [greeting and away messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply#toc-mobile-0). However, once you start receiving a higher volume of messages, you’ll realize the need for advanced features such as AI and automation to manage your conversations. This is when the WhatsApp Business API comes in. To recap, you can choose either WhatsApp On-premises API or WhatsApp Cloud API. | Category | WhatsApp Business App | WhatsApp On-premises API | WhatsApp Cloud API | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Ease of Implementation | Very easy | Varies among BSPs | Self Service: Requires technical knowledge BSP: Very easy | | Onboarding Speed | Very fast | Varies among BSPs | Fast | | Cost | Free | Varies among BSPs | Pay per conversation | | Users | 1 phone + 4 Additional devices | Unlimited users and devices | Unlimited users and devices | | Messaging Limitations | No messaging limitations | - A 24-hour customer service window applies - Message Templates need prior approval from WhatsApp | - A 24-hour customer service window applies - Message Templates need prior approval from WhatsApp | | Broadcast Features | Send broadcasts to up to 256 contacts | - Supports non-transactional notifications - Broadcast limit depends on businesses' messaging limit | - Supports non-transactional notifications - Broadcast limit depends on businesses' messaging limit | | Special Features | Supports WhatsApp Catalog, WhatsApp Cart and WhatsApp Payment | Supports connection to a messaging software and WhatsApp CRM | Supports connection to a messaging software and WhatsApp CRM | | Automation | Greeting Messages, Away Messages & Quick Replies | Advanced automation *depends on the software connected | Advanced automation *depends on the software connected | Because getting On-premises API access through a BSP [has some downsides](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-cloud-api#toc-mobile-5), businesses should consider getting WhatsApp Cloud API access from BSPs to avoid additional costs or markups. Furthermore, businesses get access to the latest features quickly like the [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api). Respond.io is an [AI-powered customer conversation management software](https://respond.io/blog/conversational-ai-platform) provider that provides free and instant WhatsApp Cloud API access. When you get API access from respond.io, you can connect it to an [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication), use AI and Automation features to manage conversations and more. Most importantly, it allows you to fully manage your WhatsApp API – from setting up a WhatsApp Business Account to managing your WhatsApp fees. #### New: Use WhatsApp Business App and API at the Same Time Until recently, businesses had to choose between using the WhatsApp Business App or the WhatsApp API. Now, with WhatsApp Coexistence, you can use both on the same number. This means you can keep your existing WhatsApp Business app number and still connect it to the WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) via respond.io — without losing access to your app or needing a new number. ##### Why It Matters for Teams Coexistence gives your team the flexibility to: - Use advanced API features like multiple users, automation, AI routing and CRM integrations via respond.io. - Keep using the WhatsApp Business app for simple 1:1 conversations or business tools like catalogs and quick replies. - Maintain your existing number, customer chat history and app access—even after connecting to the API. This setup is ideal for growing teams that want the power of the WhatsApp API without sacrificing the convenience of the app they’re accustomed to. > ⚠️ Note: Some WhatsApp Business app features like group chats, broadcast lists and disappearing messages won't work on the API side. Also, if you enable coexistence, you’ll temporarily lose the green checkmark (you can reapply after setup). Ready to leverage the power of the world's most popular messaging app? [Try respond.io and its WhatsApp Business API for free](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business)! ### Further Reading If you enjoyed this article and would like to learn more about WhatsApp Business, check out the articles below. - WhatsApp CRM: Using Respond.io with a WhatsApp Integration - How to Use WhatsApp Business for Multiple Users - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business ## [WhatsApp Call Pricing: How Much is WhatsApp Business Voice Call and is it Cheaper than VoIP?](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-call-pricing) Questions about WhatsApp call pricing? Learn all about WhatsApp Business Calling API pricing and how it compares to or complements other VoIP services. Curious about WhatsApp Call pricing? If you primarily chat with customers over WhatsApp, you might be considering WhatsApp Business Calling API. Whether it’s to make a quick call to clarify something for a customer on an online chat or enable international customers to call with inquiries, WhatsApp voice calls can simplify your business communications. We’ll give you an overview of how much WhatsApp Business Calling API costs, how it compares to and complements other VoIP services and how to choose the best WhatsApp Business voice call provider for your business. ### What is WhatsApp Voice Calling? WhatsApp Voice Calling allows users to make voice calls over the internet using the WhatsApp app. It enables real-time conversations without relying on traditional phone networks, working seamlessly within the app you already use for messaging. Frequent users of WhatsApp for personal use will be familiar with the calling feature. If you need to make a phone call rather than just texting, you can do it directly in the WhatsApp app. However, in the past, this feature was not available to businesses using [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). If they wanted to schedule a call with a customer, they would need to do it over a mobile network or provide a landline number. Now that’s changed with Meta’s new feature, which we’ll get into in more detail later. First, let’s look at the reasons businesses would want to use [WhatsApp voice calling](https://respond.io/blog/upgrade-to-whatsapp-api-without-losing-voice-calling#toc-mobile-0). ### Why Should Businesses Use WhatsApp Voice Calling? There are several benefits businesses can get from WhatsApp voice calling. It makes it easy to connect with customers around the globe, transition between chats and calls, be instantly accessible to customers and convert leads into customers faster. #### Cost-effective International Calling Calling overseas with a traditional phone line incurs significant costs. Unless your business has a toll-free number, which is also expensive for the company, international customers are likely to be discouraged from contacting you. Calls made over an internet connection via VoIP services are cheaper and more reliable. WhatsApp voice calling is based on VoIP technology so you can use it to chat with customers around the world. #### Seamlessly Move a Conversation from Chat to a Call WhatsApp makes it easy to escalate a chat conversation into a voice call when needed. If an issue becomes too complex to resolve via text, businesses can quickly switch to a call to provide a more personalized and efficient resolution, then send a follow-up message over chat again for confirmation. This flexibility [enhances the customer experience](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-experience-engagement) and allows for smoother communication. #### Make It Easy for Customers to Reach You WhatsApp voice calling ensures businesses are readily accessible to their customers by chat or call. If customers or prospects need to schedule a phone call or use another channel, they may drop off. When a lead or customer can call you on WhatsApp, it [removes friction from their journey](https://respond.io/blog/frictionless-customer-experience). With a simple tap, customers can call businesses without needing to leave the app. #### Convert Faster Having the option to speak directly with leads can speed up the decision-making process. Whether it’s addressing product inquiries, clarifying doubts, or finalizing purchases, WhatsApp voice calling helps businesses convert leads faster by providing real-time support and answers. While online chat can provide answers quickly, it’s not always enough. For businesses selling high value items like luxury cars or providing consultations on health or education, it’s often necessary to speak to the customer personally. A voice call offers a human connection and builds trust. ### How Much Does WhatsApp Call Cost? So how much will it cost to get all the benefits of WhatsApp voice calls? Is WhatsApp Business Calling API cheaper than traditional VoIP services? The answers depend on whether you’re using the free WhatsApp Business App or WhatsApp API along with several other factors. #### WhatsApp Personal and Business App Calls Voice calling is not a new feature for WhatsApp Personal or Business accounts, as any frequent WhatsApp user knows. For small businesses using the free WhatsApp Business App, voice calls are free. All that’s required is an active internet connection. Taking advantage of free calls to anywhere makes it an obvious choice for micro-small businesses who don’t need [multiple users on WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) at a time and manage a small number of calls and messages. However, challenges arise when your business grows large enough to need WhatsApp API. #### WhatsApp Business API Calls WhatsApp API offers advanced automation features and integrations that medium to large businesses need. But switching to WhatsApp API from WhatsApp business used to mean losing the call feature. Not anymore! Now, with select [WhatsApp Business Solution Providers](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) (BSPs), WhatsApp calls are available on WhatsApp API. It offers the same convenience of WhatsApp calling although it does incur fees. Here’s a breakdown of the costs to consider. **WhatsApp BSP Fees** To get WhatsApp API, businesses need to subscribe to a WhatsApp BSP. Respond.io is a WhatsApp BSP and charges subscribers to the conversation management platform no additional fees for signing up to WhatsApp API. Other BSPs charge monthly fees for each WhatsApp number, so choose your BSP carefully. **Inbound vs Outbound Calls** Inbound calls are free; customers can call the business over WhatsApp at no cost to themselves or the business. However, Meta charges WhatsApp API users for outbound calls. Note that outbound calls are only allowed if the contact has given consent to receive calls from your business. **Outbond Call Destinations** The cost of WhatsApp Voice Calls varies widely based on call destinations, similar to other VoIP services. You’ll need to check rates for the countries you intend to call. ***Contact us for the latest rates.*** ### Is WhatsApp Business Voice Calling Cheaper Than Traditional VoIP? If you’ve been using traditional VoIP services to call your customers, you may wonder how WhatsApp Business Calling API compares. WhatsApp Business Calling is a smarter and more cost-effective version of VoIP, built into chat. It uses the same technology as traditional VoIP services and can be used to complement traditional VoIP services or used on its own. Businesses that use a VoIP service as their primary phone, need to call customers who are not on WhatsApp, or require recording and transcription services will still need their VoIP service. However, if you’re already doing business primarily on WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business API calling can help you save on subscription fees and integration costs. Plus, it allows agents and customers to switch from chat to call with one tap. For businesses that require VoIP for other purposes, adding WhatsApp Business Calling API to call your customers who are on WhatsApp is a convenience that won’t significantly increase costs. Here’s how you can save with WhatsApp Business Calling API. #### Subscription Fees Traditional VoIP systems require monthly subscription fees. For WhatsApp Business Calling API, there’s no need for additional subscriptions if you’re already subscribed to a conversation management platform like respond.io. #### Integrations [Integrating VoIP systems with CRMs](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration) often requires paying for third-party tools or services. On the other hand, WhatsApp Business API with a conversation management platform offers [seamless integrations within a single platform](https://respond.io/blog/manage-whatsapp-api-call-chat-and-crm-in-one-platform), reducing complexity and costs. ### Why Choose Respond.io as Your WhatsApp API Calling Partner Ready to start using WhatsApp Business Calling API? You’ll need to choose a BSP that allows access to it. Here’s why respond.io is a smart choice. #### Be One of the First to Access WhatsApp API Calling Respond.io is one of the few WhatsApp Business Solution Providers offering WhatsApp API Calling, enabling businesses to stay ahead of the competition and maximize sales. **Note that WhatsApp API calling is now available worldwide** except for Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk. #### No Additional BSP Fees Unlike other providers, respond.io does not charge additional fees for using WhatsApp API. Businesses simply subscribe to a monthly platform package. #### Omnichannel Capabilities With respond.io, businesses can manage [customer communications across multiple channels](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication), including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, email and more, from a single platform. #### Easy Setup and Integration Respond.io makes it simple to set up WhatsApp Business Calling API; all you need to do is [enable it in your Workspace Settings](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api). You can also easily integrate WhatsApp with existing business systems via Workflows, Zapier and Make, so all communication and customer information is connected. ### Implement WhatsApp API Calling with Respond.io to Streamline Customer Conversations Ready to get started with WhatsApp API calling? Whether you’re already using WhatsApp API for chat or are looking to [upgrade to WhatsApp API without losing voice calling](https://respond.io/blog/upgrade-to-whatsapp-api-without-losing-voice-calling#toc-mobile-0), respond.io provides all you need for a smooth transition. Capture leads into a chat on WhatsApp with features like [click to chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads) and then convert them faster by allowing them to jump into a call without switching channels. Keep all agents aligned and informed and provide a seamless customer journey to boost sales and retention. [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register?lang=en&_gl=1*oalaur*_gcl_au*NjQxOTEzMDQxLjE3NDQ2MzQ0MzM.) or [contact us for a demo](https://respond.io/demo) tailored to your business needs. ### Further Reading If you'd like to learn more about WhatsApp Business Calling API, check out these other articles. - Everything You Need to Know About WhatsApp Voice Call - How to Set Up WhatsApp Business Calling API in 3 Easy Steps - How to Upgrade to WhatsApp API Without Losing Voice Calling ## [WhatsApp Catalog: How to Create Catalog in WhatsApp ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog) WhatsApp Catalog is the #1 tool for selling on WhatsApp. This guide will show you how to create Catalog in WhatsApp and how to share it to drive sales. WhatsApp Catalog helps businesses share their product inventory with customers in an effective and professional way. Looking to improve your WhatsApp Shop? In this article, you'll find everything you need to know about using WhatsApp Business Catalog on the WhatsApp Business App and on respond.io. Let’s dive in! ### What is a WhatsApp Shopping Catalog? Before WhatsApp Product Catalog, sharing product photos with clients via WhatsApp was a tiresome task. Businesses had to send photos one by one, typing down all the requested info. As you can imagine, this was very time-consuming. Things became easier after the release of WhatsApp Catalog. The WhatsApp Business Catalog is a comprehensive list of products or services your WhatsApp Business offers, allowing you to include all relevant information about them. What’s more, this feature allows businesses to share their products or services in the WhatsApp chat. The result is a better user experience and a faster, more effective way of communicating for businesses. When it launched in late 2019, the feature was only available in India, Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, Mexico, the UK, and the US. The list has expanded extensively since then. Although WhatsApp hasn't disclosed the country list, we know WhatsApp Catalog is now available in multiple [countries where WhatsApp is popular](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-6). WhatsApp Catalog is available on the WhatsApp Business App, and also for [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). Let’s cover them both. ### WhatsApp Catalog Features on the WhatsApp Business APP On the WhatsApp Business App, tap *Settings* > *Business Tools* > *Catalog*. There are 5 fields where you can add the details: - Name: You can choose a name for the product within WhatsApp Business Catalog. - Price: The currency will be determined from the SIM card country code. - Description: You can add a description of 5000 words max. - Link: This is particularly interesting since you have the option to lead customers to a website. Once there, they can proceed to checkout, or simply access more detailed information. - Product code: Lastly, you can code your products if you wish. Businesses can share the whole Catalog or only certain products in an individual chat, group chat, or on other social apps. But what is the WhatsApp Business Catalog limit? WhatsApp Catalog lets Businesses register up to 500 products. Each Catalog can include a maximum of 10 images. There is good news if you tend to run out of memory on your phone device. WhatsApp will save you some storage space by keeping the photos in the Catalog. This means they will remain there even if you delete them from your Gallery. The WhatsApp Catalog Manager also offers the possibility of hiding certain items. This is useful when a product or service is not available anymore. Once it's back in your shop, you have the option to re-include it in the Catalog. ### WhatsApp Catalog API: The Choice for Medium to Large-size Businesses For medium to large businesses, utilizing the WhatsApp Catalog API offers significant advantages over managing catalogs manually through the WhatsApp Business App. Here are four compelling reasons to consider using it: - Automation: Suggest products from your WhatsApp Catalog automatically to customers who inquire your business, without relying on human agents. - Integrations: Integrate with other systems (WhatsApp CRM, ERP, etc.), enabling a seamless flow of data and reducing manual data entry errors. - Scalability: Support larger operations that require robust management capabilities, including sharing catalogs with large segmented audiences. > WhatsApp has a Commerce Policy that makes you responsible for your terms and transactions. This policy also determines the things you can sell on the platform. We’ll cover how to use WhatsApp API Catalog in depth later. But first, let’s see how customers can view your WhatsApp Business Catalog when they are chatting with your business. ### How to View a WhatsApp Catalog To view a WhatsApp Shopping Catalog as a customer, you simply need to open a conversation with your business of choice. Then, tap on the Shopping button, which looks like a storefront. You will find the Catalog right under the business details. As a business, you can also share a WhatsApp catalog with customers in the chat threads. Imagine someone wants to buy a mouse for your computer. That customer contacts the shop via WhatsApp to get information. To make things easier on both ends, the business replies with the Catalog or a specific product. In the next section, we’ll cover how to create a WhatsApp Catalog in the WhatsApp Business App. We’ll also explain how to do it if you’re a WhatsApp Business API user. ### How to Make a WhatsApp Catalog [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app#toc-mobile-1) users can create a WhatsApp Business Catalog from their Android or iOS device, as well as from WhatsApp Web and Desktop. WhatsApp Business API users can create and manage Catalogs in the Meta Commerce Manager before sending them from a third-party messaging inbox. Let’s see how this is done. #### Create Catalog for Android 1. Open the WhatsApp Business App and tap on More Options (triple dot) in the action bar. For some devices, More Options is a physical button. 2. Tap Business Tools > Catalog. 3. Choose Add New Item. 4. Tap the Plus icon and then Add Images. 5. Select Gallery to upload stored images, or select Camera to take new pictures. You can choose a maximum of 10 images per product. 6. Enter product details and tap Save. #### Create Catalogs for iPhone 1. Open the WhatsApp Business App. 2. Tap Settings > Business Tools > Catalog. If you want to create a new Catalog, choose Add New Item. 3. Tap the Plus Icon or Add New Item and then tap Add Images. 4. Select Choose Photo to upload stored images, or select Camera to take new pictures. You can choose a maximum of 10 images. 5. Enter product details and tap Save. #### Create Catalogs for Web and Desktop 1. Click on More > Catalog on the top of your Contact List. 2. Select Add New Item. 3. Click Add Images to upload them from your files. Remember, 10 is the maximum amount. 4. Enter product details. 5. Add the product to the Catalog by clicking on Add To Catalog. After you create a new product entry, you'll find a little green clock on it. This means your product won't go live right away. WhatsApp must review it to ensure that it complies with all the policies. Normally, this process only takes a couple of minutes. Once the product gets accepted, the clock will disappear and it will finally be visible to your clients. #### WhatsApp API Catalog: Create Catalogs on Meta Commerce Manager To leverage this feature as a WhatsApp API user, you must sign up for a Meta Commerce account. After obtaining this account, you can create a catalog using Meta Commerce Manager. These are the steps to create your first Catalog on Meta Commerce Manager. 1\. **Click** Get Started. 2\. **Create** a catalog 3\. **Select** Catalog type depending on your business vertical 4\. **Configure** the Catalog settings 5\. **Complete** the Catalog creation process 6\. On the left menu, navigate to Catalog > Data Sources and select how you want to upload the items 7\. On the left menu, go to Catalog > Items and upload your product information And you’re all set! Now, the next step is integrating your WhatsApp Catalog API to your messaging inbox. If you’re a respond.io user, [here is how to connect it](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/meta-product-catalog#connecting_meta_product_catalog_to_your_workspace) to your Workspace in three easy steps. Also, learn how to configure your WhatsApp Product Catalog in your Workspace. After adding all the products to a Catalog, sharing them is the next step. Luckily, businesses can actively reach new customers by sharing Catalogs in and outside the app. In the next part, we will explain different ways to share Catalogs with clients. ### How to Share a WhatsApp Shopping Catalog Sharing Catalogs comes in handy for customers, but it's invaluable for businesses. Not only they can send it to Contacts and Chat Groups - but they can also share it as a link on different social apps. This is how you can share it on Android, iPhone, and Web/Desktop. #### Share a WhatsApp Business Catalog for Android **Share your Catalog with an Individual Chat or Group Chat on Android:** 1. Open a conversation in WhatsApp Business App. 2. Tap on the Paper Clip Icon by the Text Field. 3. Go to Catalog > Send Catalog. To send only certain products, select the product(s) by tapping on them. Then, tap Send. **Share your Catalog link through Catalog Manager on Android:** 1. Open the WhatsApp Business App. 2. Tap on Business Tools > Catalog. You are now in the Catalog Manager. 3. Tap the link icon at the top right and select Share. To share only a specific item, select it first. 4. Find your link on the screen. Below, there will be three options: - Send link via WhatsApp Business. - Copy link. - Share link via email or other social apps. #### Share a WhatsApp Business Catalog for iPhone **Share your Catalog with an individual Chat or Group Chat on iPhone:** 1. Open a conversation in WhatsApp Business App. 2. Tap on the Plus Icon by the Text Field. 3. Go to Catalog > Send. To send only certain products, select the product(s) by tapping on them. Then, tap Send. **Share your Catalog link through Catalog Manager on iPhone:** 1. Open the WhatsApp Business App. 2. Tap on Settings > Business Tools > Catalog. 3. Tap the three dots at the top right. If you only want to share only a specific item, select it first. 4. Find your link on the screen. Below, there will be two options: - Forward the link to other WhatsApp Contacts. - Share the link via email or other social apps. #### Share a WhatsApp Business Catalog for Web and Desktop **Share your Catalog with an Individual Chat or Group Chat on Web and Desktop:** 1. Open a conversation in the WhatsApp Business App. 2. Click on the Paper Clip Icon by the Text Field. Then, click the Business Icon. 3. Choose the products you wish to share. 4. Click the Send Icon. **Share your Catalog link :** 1. Open the WhatsApp Business App. 2. Click the Arrow icon above your conversation list and click on Catalog. 3. Click on the link icon above to share the entire Catalog. If you only want to share only a specific item, select it first. 4. Find your link on the screen. Click it, and select Contacts or groups to share it with. 5. Click the Send icon. #### Share a WhatsApp API Catalog Sharing a WhatsApp API Catalog will differ depending on your chosen conversation management software. In this section, we’ll explain how to do it on respond.io. With Meta Commerce Catalog integrated into your respond.io Workspace, you can share your [WhatsApp Catalogs across various Modules and features](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/meta-product-catalog#using_meta_product_catalog_across_modules_and_features), including: Messages, Workflows, Broadcasts, Mobile App, Zapier and Make. Sharing Catalogs WhatsApp is a rather useful way to introduce your business to your audience. But when it comes to checking out, things are not as straightforward. So, what if a customer wants to buy an item from my Catalog? ### How to Checkout in WhatsApp Shopping Catalog WhatsApp has already made significant advances in developing digital payments. In fact, they have been testing in-app payments in [Brazil, India and Singapore](https://faq.whatsapp.com/1293279751500598/?helpref=hc_fnav). Despite the fact that WhatsApp payments are not widely available, WhatsApp has made the checkout process a bit easier. WhatsApp Shopping Cart is a WhatsApp Business Catalog extension that allows people to select the products they want and send them to the Business to check out. In addition, it is also possible to indicate the product quantity for each item. To place an order on the WhatsApp Business app, clients only need to tap on their desired product from the Catalog. Then, they can choose between Add to Cart or Message Business, which allows them to inquire about the product in question. Ideally, businesses would charge customers in the app. But since [WhatsApp Pay is only available in Brazil](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-pay-everything-about-whatsapp-payment), they must look for alternative ways to charge customers, such as bank transfer or third party payment gateway. If you are a respond.io user, you can process customer orders too. Whenever a customer places an order through the Catalog, you'll receive an incoming message and can view the order details directly. In the future, we'll probably see how businesses use Catalogs to sell their products directly on the platform with WhatsApp Pay. But for the time being, both WhatsApp Business Catalog and WhatsApp Pay are moving slowly. Unlock the full potential of WhatsApp Commerce and [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) with respond.io! Integrate seamlessly with Meta Product Catalog to drive your conversions. Don't miss out—start optimizing your sales strategy now. [Try respond.io for free](https://respond.io/). ### Further Reading Want to know more about sales and marketing over instant messaging? Here are some readings that might interest you. - How to Use Facebook Shops to Sell Online - WhatsApp Business Description: Find the Best Description for WhatsApp - Social Commerce Platform: A Guide for Businesses ## [WhatsApp Cloud API: How to Get It, Features & Benefits](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-cloud-api) Considering WhatsApp Cloud API to expand your WhatsApp capabilities? Learn how to connect to a Cloud API solution to automate, integrate and scale. Has your business grown beyond the capabilities of the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app)? If so, you should consider a WhatsApp Cloud API solution. Learn everything you need to know about WhatsApp Cloud API and how it differs from the WhatsApp Business App. Then, we’ll detail the benefits of WhatsApp Cloud API and show you how to get access to it. ### What is WhatsApp Cloud API? WhatsApp Cloud API is the cloud-hosted version of the [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), also known as WhatsApp Business Platform. It enables [businesses with multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) to manage thousands of messages in a [team inbox](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-team-inbox), send [bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) and take advantage of advanced automation and integration. WhatsApp Cloud API is hosted on Meta’s cloud servers and can be accessed either directly through Meta or through a [Business Solutions Provider (BSP)](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) like respond.io. With the range of solutions and flexibility now available, we recommend that most businesses use a BSP as applying through Meta requires extensive technical knowledge. #### Sunset of WhatsApp On-Premises API In the past, the WhatsApp API was only available as an On-Premises API, which meant a business had to host the API on its own servers or rely on a BSP for hosting. It was a complex, expensive process. Additionally, API upgrades had to be manually downloaded and it took time for the updates to be reflected to end users. Meta realized the limitations of On-premises API, and in 2022, it launched WhatsApp Cloud API as a quicker and more cost-effective way to get WhatsApp API. Few BSPs offered the Cloud API at the time, so it was most common for businesses to get access directly from Meta. That’s all changed now as there’s a large number of BSPs to choose from, and WhatsApp Cloud API adoption is widespread. In January 2024, Meta began the process of the [WhatsApp API On-Premises Sunset](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/on-premises/sunset/). As of July 2024, no new users could apply for On-Premises API, and it will no longer be available to current users after October 2025. So, if you were wondering what the difference is between WhatsApp API and WhatsApp Cloud API, there’s essentially no difference anymore. If you get WhatsApp API, it will be the Cloud version. ### Why Should I Migrate to WhatsApp Cloud API? First of all, if you’re using On-Premises API and haven’t already [migrated to Cloud API](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/cloud-api/guides/migrating-from-onprem-to-cloud), it’s crucial to do so as soon as possible. With the high costs, complexity, and no feature updates since January 2024, there’s no reason to continue using an outdated product. But for most businesses, your decision will be between continuing to use the WhatsApp Business App and migrating to WhatsApp Cloud API. Here’s what you need to know about the differences. #### WhatsApp Business App vs WhatsApp Cloud API The WhatsApp Business App is intended for micro to small businesses, as it comes with limited multiuser, broadcast and automation capabilities. This makes it difficult to handle high volumes of messages and contacts. | | WhatsApp Business App | WhatsApp Cloud API | | --- | --- | --- | | Best for | Small businesses | Medium to large businesses | | Number of Devices | 5 | Unlimited | | Automation Capabilities | Limited | Advanced AI and automation | | Broadcast Limit | 256 contacts | Unlimited | | Supports Integration | No | Yes | The API, on the other hand, supports unlimited users and high volumes of broadcasts. When paired with the right WhatsApp API software, businesses can manage conversations with [advanced AI](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai) and [automation](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) and ensure smooth [contact synchronization](https://help.respond.io/capture-leads/enrich-customer-data) with e-commerce platforms and [CRMs](https://respond.io/blog/hubspot-whatsapp-integration), among other advanced capabilities. So, if you’re running a medium-to-large business in regions where WhatsApp is popular such as in Malaysia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mexico or the United Kingdom (UK), WhatsApp Cloud API enables you to reach customers at the scale required for business growth and success. Of course, along with the increased scale and features come costs. We’ll give you the breakdown so you’ll know what to expect. ### Is WhatsApp Cloud API Free? WhatsApp Cloud API always incurs fees — including [Meta's template message charges](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing#toc-mobile-2:~:text=WhatsApp%20conversation%20charges.-,WhatsApp%20Business%20API%20Pricing%20in%202025%3A%20WhatsApp%20Conversation%20Rates%20Explained,-WhatsApp%20implements%20a), the cost of a phone number, and any BSP fees depending on your provider. For example, [SleekFlow charges $15 per phone number](https://respond.io/sleekflow-alternative) per month, on top of WhatsApp’s template message fees. If you get WhatsApp Cloud API directly from Meta or from a BSP like respond.io that does not charge fees, you only have to pay WhatsApp's per-message charges for [template messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message), which are business-initiated messages sent outside the 24-hour messaging window. Template messages are divided into three categories - marketing, utility and authentication. It's free to respond to messages initiated by customers as long as it's within the 24-hour messaging window. You can also send utility template messages for free within this window. ### WhatsApp Cloud API Features To use the WhatsApp Cloud API features, you’ll need to [connect WhatsApp Cloud API to a customer conversation management software](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start) like respond.io. Once connected to respond.io, businesses can send [broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) and [interactive messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-interactive-message), apply for the [WhatsApp Green Tick](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick) (now known as [WhatsApp Blue Tick](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-blue-tick)) at no extra cost by verifying their WhatsApp Business Account and use [advanced automation](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm#toc-mobile-6) for marketing, sales and support. The features available will vary depending on which WhatsApp Cloud API solution you choose. Even if you apply for API access directly through Meta, you will need to subscribe to a conversation management platform to send and receive messages unless your business has developers building a custom solution. Here are a few reasons to select respond.io. #### **Why Choose Respond.io as Your Conversation Management Software and BSP** Respond.io allows you to [connect WhatsApp](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/whatsapp-cloud-api) to an [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-5), fully manage your WhatsApp Business accounts, use [WhatsApp with teams of users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) and get access to [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-voice-call). Unlike many BSPs, respond.io provides free WhatsApp Cloud API access and does not impose any markup on WhatsApp Charges. Because it comes with a messaging software, you don’t have to get API access and messaging software from separate providers. Additionally, choosing respond.io as your BSP is a wise decision, given that it is a [**badged Meta Business Partner**](https://www.facebook.com/business/marketing-partners/work-with-a-partner), vetted by Meta for its expertise in business messaging. Next, we’ll show you the two available options to obtain the WhatsApp Cloud API. ### How to Get WhatsApp Cloud API Businesses can get WhatsApp Cloud API access in one of two ways: Self-service or through a BSP like respond.io. > Respond.io Technical Product Lead Ahmed Nassar explains, “Certain users would prefer to get Cloud API from Meta in order to have full control over technical, webhooks and API configurations. There is no advantage in terms of features, so for most users, we would recommend using a BSP.” It’s worth noting that setting up WhatsApp Cloud API on your own requires technical knowledge. It involves a tedious process, which can be challenging for businesses without adequate technical resources that want to chat with customers quickly. Fortunately, respond.io simplifies the process, allowing you to get WhatsApp Cloud API access in just a few clicks. Let’s explore how to get WhatsApp Cloud API through respond.io and on your own using Meta for Developers. #### How to Get WhatsApp Cloud API: Sign Up through Respond.io **Advantages** - Ease of Integration - No Markups on Messaging Fees (unlike other BSPs) - Advanced Features **Disadvantages** - Platform Costs - Dependency on Platform-specific features Signing up for WhatsApp Cloud API with respond.io is quick and effortless. On the platform you’ll be guided through a seamless WhatsApp API sign-up process – from linking your Facebook Business Account (now known as Meta Business Portfolio) to adding a phone number. The entire process takes only a few minutes. Refer to our [WhatsApp API guide](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api) for step-by-step instructions. That’s the easy way! However, if your business needs strict control over the integration and you have the necessary technical skills, here’s how to get WhatsApp Cloud API directly through Meta. #### How to Get WhatsApp Cloud API: Sign Up Through Meta **Advantages** - Ease of Integration - No Markups on Messaging Fees (unlike other BSPs) - Advanced Features **Disadvantage** - Less control over technical and API configuration Signing up for WhatsApp Cloud API with respond.io is quick and effortless. On the platform, you’ll be guided through a seamless WhatsApp API sign-up process – from linking your Facebook Business Account (now known as Meta Business Portfolio) to adding a phone number. To get WhatsApp Cloud API directly from Meta, you need to set it up on your Facebook Developer Account. Follow the steps below or watch our WhatsApp Cloud API tutorial video. ##### Set up Your Facebook Developer Account **1\. Sign** up or log in to the [Facebook for Developers account](https://developers.facebook.com/) and click on *Create App*. **2\. Select** *Business* as your app type. **3\. Provide** basic information about your business. If you don’t have a Business Manager account, If you don’t have a Business Manager account, you’ll be prompted to create one later. Click *Create app.* You will be directed to your Meta dashboard. **4\. Scroll** down until you see WhatsApp and click *Set up.* **5\. Click** *Continue* to accept WhatsApp Cloud API’s terms and conditions. If you left your Business Manager account unselected in step 3, select or create one now. **6\. Send** a message with the test number generated by WhatsApp to your personal or business WhatsApp number to test if your integration is a success. Next, we’ll show you how to add your phone number to your WhatsApp Cloud API account ##### Connect Your Phone Number **1\. Click** *Add Phone Number* to connect a phone number to your WhatsApp Cloud API account. **2\. Fill** **in** your business information and click *Next.* **3\. Fill in** your WhatsApp business profile information and click *Next.* **4\. Add** a phone number for your WhatsApp Cloud API. Note that the number you add cannot be tied to an existing WhatsApp account. **5\. Verify** the phone number you’ve added. A 6-digit verification code will be sent to the number. Enter the verification code once you receive it. **6\. Look** at the *Send and receive messages* section. The number you’ve added will be shown. You have connected your phone number with your WhatsApp Cloud API account! Now that you've set up WhatsApp Cloud API on your Facebook Developer Account, you need to connect it to a messaging inbox like respond.io to start sending and receiving messages. ##### Connect WhatsApp Cloud API to Respond.io **1\. Click** on the *Settings* module, choose Channels and click on *Add Channel*. Then, click on the WhatsApp Cloud API. **2\. Click** *Connect With Facebook*. You’ll be prompted to choose the WhatsApp Cloud API Account and Business Manager account you want to use with respond.io. **3\. Select** the phone number you want to connect to respond.io and click *Next.* The phone number shown in the drop-down menu are the phone numbers connected to the WhatsApp Cloud API account you’ve selected in step 2. **4\. Copy** the Callback URL and Verify Token. You’ll need to add it to your WhatsApp Cloud API configuration page. Note that you need to complete the setup on your WhatsApp Cloud API configuration page before clicking *Complete.* **5\. Add** the Callback URL and Verify Token to your WhatsApp Cloud API configuration page. Click *Verify and Save.* **6\. Subscribe** to the Message Webhook event. **7\. Go** back to respond.io and click *Complete* Just like that, you’ve successfully connected your WhatsApp Cloud API to respond.io! **8\. View** the latest quality rating of your WhatsApp Business phone number by hovering over the icon at the bottom left of the channel panel.. Now that you have access to respond.io WhatsApp business API, you can start messaging customers. Let’s explore how messaging customers on WhatsApp works in the next section. ### WhatsApp Cloud API: Messaging Customers Once you’ve connected WhatsApp Cloud API to respond.io, you will fall under the [unverified business](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-6) category, where a compliance check of your WhatsApp Business account will be automatically triggered and conducted in the background to ensure compliance with the [WhatsApp Platform Policies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business#toc-mobile-3). During this period, businesses can: - Send business-initiated conversations (message template) to up to 250 unique contacts in a 7-day rolling period. - Respond to unlimited conversations initiated by customers If you have customers' phone numbers and want to message them right away, you can [import your contact lists](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#toc-mobile-4) to respond.io and send them [message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message). Keep in mind that you must [obtain user opt-ins](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-15) before messaging them. To [increase your messaging limits](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/messaging-limits/), you must [verify your Facebook Business Manager](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-verification#toc-mobile-3). By doing so, you can send business-initiated messages to 2,000 unique contacts in a rolling 6-hour period. ### New: Use WhatsApp Business App and API at the Same Time Until recently, businesses had to choose between using the WhatsApp Business App or the WhatsApp API. Now, with WhatsApp Coexistence, you can use both on the same number. This means you can keep your existing WhatsApp Business app number and still connect it to the WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) via respond.io — without losing access to your app or needing a new number. #### Why It Matters for Teams Coexistence gives your team the flexibility to: - Use advanced API features like multiple users, automation, AI routing and CRM integrations via respond.io. - Keep using the WhatsApp Business app for simple 1:1 conversations or business tools like catalogs and quick replies. - Maintain your existing number, customer chat history and app access—even after connecting to the API. This setup is ideal for growing teams that want the power of the WhatsApp API without sacrificing the convenience of the app they’re accustomed to. > ⚠️ Note: Some WhatsApp Business app features like calls, group chats, broadcast lists and disappearing messages won't work on the API side. Also, if you enable coexistence, you’ll temporarily lose the green checkmark (you can reapply after setup). Now that you know everything you need about WhatsApp Cloud API, you can start using your [WhatsApp with a CRM integration](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) or use WhatsApp for [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing), [sales](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service). [Try respond.io WhatsApp Business API for free today](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business)! ### Further Reading We hope you found this blog beneficial. Here are some reading suggestions that might be of interest to you. - WhatsApp Auto Reply - WhatsApp CRM: Integrating WhatsApp With a CRM on Respond.io - WhatsApp Business API Pricing ## [WhatsApp Communities: A Guide to Creating Communities on WhatsApp ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-communities) WhatsApp Communities is here to make large-scale communication simple for WhatsApp users. Check our article to discover how communities on WhatsApp work. If you open WhatsApp and pay close attention, you may realize there’s a new shortcut in the top left corner. This was added with the release of WhatsApp Communities, a new way to bring together groups of WhatsApp users and improve large-scale communication. In this article, we’ll teach you all about Communities on WhatsApp: What they are, what they have to offer and most importantly, how to create a WhatsApp Community. ### WhatsApp Launch Communities: What is a WhatsApp Community? Most Viber users are already familiar with [Viber Communities](https://respond.io/blog/viber-community), a feature for businesses seeking to communicate with their audiences. In like manner, WhatsApp has started rolling out WhatsApp Communities globally for free on Android, iOS and desktop. Communities on WhatsApp provide users with the ability to organize and bring related [WhatsApp groups](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-group) together under one umbrella. Community admins can reach members with important updates by sending announcements, and Community members can stay connected by exploring and chatting in groups that matter to them. In other words, it’s like a supergroup with dedicated spaces to discuss specific topics. Every Community on WhatsApp has a profile image, a description and a list of groups members can join upon request. WhatsApp Communities is free to all WhatsApp personal app users — it is not available for WhatsApp Business App or WhatsApp API at the moment. WhatsApp claims Communities will be “[available to everyone over the next few months](https://blog.whatsapp.com/communities-now-available#:~:text=To%20get%20started%2C%20tap%20on,scratch%20or%20add%20existing%20groups.)”, but the list of supported countries hasn’t been disclosed. In the next section, we’ll dive deeper into the WhatsApp Communities features. ### WhatsApp Communities: Features Interested in creating a WhatsApp Community? For a start, you should know that there are two types of users on WhatsApp Communities: - Admins are responsible for creating and managing Communities, while also having the power to moderate all the Community’s groups - Members are people who participate in the WhatsApp Community but have no management capabilities A Community can have up to 20 admins including the Community creator and 5,000 total members. Community admins can add up to 50 groups with up to 1,024 members each. Joining a community is not that easy as they are not searchable. The only way to join one is via an admin invitation. Both admins and members can leave communities silently anytime, as departures will not be announced in any group. Lastly, WhatsApp has been very open about the [privacy of WhatsApp Communities](https://faq.whatsapp.com/402582381704340/), sticking to their end-to-end encryption policy. WhatsApp Communities also come with some interesting message features, which we will explain next. #### WhatsApp Communities: Message Features By default, every WhatsApp Community has an announcement group with a capacity of 5,000 participants. The announcement group is pinned to the top of the Community menu, and it’s identified by the speaker icon. All individuals in the Community will be in this group, where admins can broadcast announcements and other relevant messages to all community members. Members can’t chat in the announcement group; they can only read messages sent by admins. Users are automatically added to the announcement group when they join a WhatsApp Community. Once in, they can request access to any of the listed groups to chat with others. Users who abandon the announcement group will leave the Community. WhatsApp has also rolled out some messaging features to make the most of the WhatsApp Communities’ release. - Emoji reactions to allow expressive responses and avoid cluttering the chat with messages - In-chat polls to get real-time opinions in individual WhatsApp groups - File sharing up to 2 gigabytes per file for all groups, announcement group inclusive - Larger voice calls for up to 32 people in the same group Message functionalities are important, but so is Community moderation. Let’s see what WhatsApp Communities offers in terms of moderation capabilities. #### WhatsApp Communities: Moderation Capabilities Admins have full control over their WhatsApp Communities since they are responsible for keeping them free of harmful content, spam and misbehavior. Here are some of the things they can do: - Manage Community information such as Community name, description and profile photo - Create new groups, add pre-existing groups or remove them from the Community. Note that all group members will become community members when an existing group is added. - Report and remove abusive members from groups or the Community - Make members admins in a Community - Downgrade admins to member status if they are not playing by the Community rules Community admins will be able to remove abusive, spammy or off-topic individual messages from any group chats at their own discretion. Community creators can't be dismissed from a Community and only they can deactivate an entire Community. So far, we have introduced WhatsApp Communities and gone through its features. Now you might be wondering “how useful are Communities for businesses?” ### Why Use a WhatsApp Community for Business If you’ve visited the WhatsApp Communities Learning Center, you’ll probably notice that they were [designed with some sectors in mind](https://www.whatsapp.com/communities/learning) (education, volunteer groups and health among others. Because Communities aren't searchable within the app and admissions are by invitation only, they can’t be used to increase business visibility. If that matters to you, consider [giving Viber Communities a try](https://respond.io/blog/viber-community#toc-mobile-4) if your customers are also on Viber. However, a WhatsApp Community still can bring some benefits to your business, especially when it comes to [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing). In this section, we will discuss how this feature increases audience engagement, supports customers and builds a community around your brand. #### WhatsApp Community: Increase Audience Engagement The new Polls feature is available for WhatsApp groups and of course, groups in a WhatsApp Community. It gives businesses a way to get insights into their audience’s preferences. For example, a food and beverage business could use WhatsApp Polls to ask a customer group about their favorite soda flavor. Similarly, an event organizer could use WhatsApp Polls to estimate how many people are attending a private party. Poll results are accessible to Community admins and group members alike, via the *View votes* button under the Poll. It’s a win-win solution: Customers love businesses that communicate openly, and businesses have access to customer feedback for free. #### WhatsApp Community: Build a Community Around Your Brand WhatsApp Communities present opportunities for boutique brands that have exclusive or VIP audience segments. Brands can send invitation links to customers with the right profile for them. Being part of a close-knit community with private access to select information or events gives members exclusivity, potentially increasing their brand loyalty. #### WhatsApp Community: Streamline Company Voice Companies that communicate at scale over WhatsApp now have it easier to keep everyone on the same page. With the announcement group, all announcements come from a single voice, decreasing the chances of miscommunication. Whether you're talking to customers or employees in your Community, everyone stays updated with the same information. In the next section, we’ll show you the steps to create a WhatsApp Community. ### How to Create WhatsApp Communities If WhatsApp Communities is already available in your country, you’ll have the option to create one from the WhatsApp app on your phone or desktop. To create a WhatsApp Community, open WhatsApp on your device of choice and follow these steps: **1\. Navigate** to the Community tab and press *New Community.* **2\. Enter** the Community name, description, and profile photo. Tap the green arrow when done. **3\. Tap** *Create New Group* or *Add Existing Groups.* - If you selected Create New Group, add a group icon, a short description and the group subject, which is the name of the group that all participants will see. - If you selected Add Existing Groups, select which groups to add, then tap the green arrow icon. Keep in mind that all existing groups you add will keep their original group admins, but they won’t become Community admins unless you promote them. **4\. Tap** the green check mark icon when finished, then *View Community*. And you’re set! The next step is to grow your WhatsApp Community by sending an invitation to your customers or collaborators. Let’s see how it’s done. ### How to Grow WhatsApp Communities As mentioned, an admin must share an invite link to bring members into a WhatsApp Community. Again, this is possible from the WhatsApp app on your phone or desktop: **1\. Open** WhatsApp Communities and click on the Community name. **2\. Select** *Invite members* if you are doing it from a phone. For desktop users, select *View members* and then *Invite to community via link.* **3\. Choose** how you’d like to share the Community invite link from the available options. Now, you are ready to create your own Community and add members to make it grow. But perhaps you’re unsure about how to use them for your use case. Don’t worry; we’ll share some ideas in the following section. ### How Your Business Can Use Communities on WhatsApp Since this feature is quite new and was originally designed [for collaboration among Community organizations](https://blog.whatsapp.com/communities-now-available), there isn’t a long record of companies using WhatsApp Communities for business. Regardless, we have found some interesting applications that fit most businesses that use [WhatsApp for marketing purposes](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) and internal communication. #### Use WhatsApp Communities to Share Updates and Promotions As mentioned, announcement groups have enormous member capacity and only admins can send messages. They can be a good way to share updates and promotions cost-free! Small businesses that used to juggle between different WhatsApp groups for different customer segments can now bring them all together into one Community for more organized customer communication and admin cooperation. #### Use WhatsApp Communities to Support Customers With WhatsApp Communities, members always have access to the assistance they need in group chats. This help would be provided not only by the community admins but also by other members with experience in the matter. What’s more, admins of large communities can create multiple groups with different scopes of interest. For example, a local gym could educate customers in different groups named *Nutrition*, *Weight Loss* and *Yoga*, among others. #### Use WhatsApp Communities for Internal Communication Some businesses already use WhatsApp for internal communication. While smaller companies may get by with a WhatsApp group, bigger companies could definitely use a feature like WhatsApp Communities to create groups for different teams. Before the release of Communities, companies had no choice but to keep all employees in a single group, or to make separate groups for every department. They had to choose between an unorganized chat or several disjointed chats. Now, the announcement group comes in handy for important information from the company’s director or human resources. Additionally, with the previously mentioned improvements to voice calls and high-volume files, WhatsApp is a little step closer to becoming a strong business communication tool like Slack. ### Is WhatsApp Communities for You? For micro and small businesses using the WhatsApp personal app, Communities is a good way to chat with customers and broadcast messages to members in the announcement group. While businesses using WhatsApp Business App can't access the Communities feature, they can initiate mass communication by sending [targeted broadcasts to up to 256 WhatsApp contacts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#toc-mobile-0) at a time. What’s more, contacts don’t have to join any group to receive your broadcasts. If you are an SME or enterprise with a large WhatsApp audience, your best choice is to [get a WhatsApp Business API account](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api). This will greatly [increase your broadcast limits](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message#toc-mobile-1), and you’ll be able to connect it to an inbox like respond.io for additional advanced features like [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply), [Whatsapp green tick verification](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick) and chat automation for [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing), [sales](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales) or [support](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service). After you increase your broadcast limits, you can expect an inbox full of replies to your broadcast. For effective management of your multi-channel conversations and to ensure uniformity in the information shared, explore the capabilities of respond.io's [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/automate-conversations/maximize-customer-service-potential-with-ai-agent). Do you need WhatsApp for [one-on-one messaging](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-9) and [bulk messaging](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message#toc-mobile-0)? [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and [connect your WhatsApp API account](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start) to get started. ### Further Reading Did you find this reading interesting? If so, we suggest you have a look at the following articles. - WhatsApp Pay: Everything about WhatsApp Payment - WhatsApp Business Description: Find the Best Description for WhatsApp - WhatsApp Yellow Pages: How to Use the New WhatsApp Business Directory ## [WhatsApp CRM Integration in 3 Steps: Your Ultimate Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) Need a WhatsApp CRM to send and reply to WhatsApp messages? Set up a CRM WhatsApp with respond.io to ensure WhatsApp messages get to the right team member. Do you need a CRM that connects with WhatsApp? Or do you want to add WhatsApp to your existing CRM? We’ve tested multiple WhatsApp CRM solutions to help you make the best possible decision. This guide covers what a WhatsApp CRM is, why your business needs it and how to integrate WhatsApp with a CRM in three simple steps. We’ll also break down key features, top considerations, best practices and highlight some real-world examples. ### What Is WhatsApp CRM? WhatsApp CRM is the integration between [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), also known as WhatsApp Business Platform, and a CRM. Businesses generally use it for one of two main purposes: - To integrate WhatsApp with an existing CRM. - To integrate WhatsApp with a messaging software that fully supports WhatsApp API features and allows CRM integration. Whichever approach you take, managing WhatsApp contacts is essential for businesses that rely on WhatsApp to communicate with leads and customers. ### Why Do Businesses Need WhatsApp CRM? With billions of people using WhatsApp, it's where your customers already are. A WhatsApp CRM helps you manage these conversations more efficiently by keeping everything organized, automating tasks and streamlining communications. Here’s how it can improve your operations: - Reengage cold leads with WhatsApp bulk messages, including product catalogs, for targeted promotions. - Automate lead qualification with AI—ask qualifying questions and prioritize high-quality leads with ease. - Instantly route and assign conversations using automated workflows to connect customers with the right agent at the right time. - Convert leads faster with AI-assisted replies, VoIP-CRM integrations (including WhatsApp calls) and even AI Agents. But to realize these benefits and more, you'll need to choose the WhatsApp CRM integration that best fits your business needs, such as respond.io. ### Which Type of WhatsApp CRM Integration is Best for You? Now that we understand what you stand to gain, the next question is: How should you integrate WhatsApp with your CRM? There are two main approaches: #### 1\. WhatsApp API Integration With an Existing CRM Businesses integrating WhatsApp with their CRM want to send and receive messages within their existing system. While some CRMs, like Salesforce, HubSpot and Zendesk, offer native WhatsApp integration, they often lack key messaging features since they were originally designed for email. For example, [HubSpot](https://respond.io/blog/hubspot-integration) and [Salesforce’s](https://respond.io/blog/salesforce-integration) integrations limit automation capabilities, making it harder to qualify leads and manage conversations efficiently. Similarly, Zendesk’s native WhatsApp integration doesn’t support video previews or voice note playback within the inbox—agents must download files to view them, disrupting workflows. Additionally, none of these integrations support WhatsApp calls natively, requiring agents to switch platforms. Beyond these, they also restrict WhatsApp API usage to a single CRM, preventing businesses from sharing WhatsApp data across platforms or using it alongside other tools. Fortunately, most CRMs support third-party integrations, allowing businesses to connect with software that fully supports WhatsApp, unlocking advanced messaging, automation and omnichannel capabilities. | | WhatsApp API + Existing CRM | WhatsApp API + Messaging Software | | --- | --- | --- | | Native WhatsApp Integration | Available but limited (Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk) | Built specifically for WhatsApp messaging | | Messaging Features | No WhatsApp calls, video previews or voice note playback | Fully supports WhatsApp features | | Automation | Limited automation | Advanced automation | | Media File Handling | Media files must be downloaded separately | Media playback in inbox | | CRM Flexibility | Restricted to a single CRM | Integrates with multiple CRMs | | Omnichannel Messaging | Limited | Supports Messenger, Instagram, TikTok, Telegram and more | #### 2\. WhatsApp API Integration With a Messaging Software Unlike traditional CRMs, customer conversation management platforms are built specifically for instant messaging, offering full support for WhatsApp’s features. While Salesforce, HubSpot and Zendesk provide native WhatsApp integrations, they lack key messaging functionalities such as WhatsApp calls and advanced automation. Platforms like respond.io can function as a WhatsApp CRM, providing essential CRM-like features—such as [contact management](https://help.respond.io/l/en/contacts), lead qualification and automation—while also integrating with existing CRMs like [Pipedrive](https://help.respond.io/l/en/zapier/pipedrive), [ActiveCampaign](https://help.respond.io/l/en/zapier/crm-integration-activecampaign) and more. This ensures businesses can manage WhatsApp conversations without API limitations or messaging restrictions. Beyond WhatsApp, solutions like respond.io support omnichannel messaging, allowing businesses to engage customers across [Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-sell-on-instagram-dm), [TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-for-business), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) and more, all from a unified [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication). Now that we’ve covered the two main approaches, let’s explore the key features that make a WhatsApp CRM or a platform like respond.io effective. ### What Are the 6 Must-Have Features in a WhatsApp CRM? Not all solutions are created equal. Whether you opt for an integration with your CRM or a messaging platform, make sure it offers the following features. #### 1\. WhatsApp API Access The CRM should provide seamless [WhatsApp API access](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api) so you can connect to WhatsApp without hassle. Using an official [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP)](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) ensures a faster and more secure setup. For instance, Salesforce and respond.io are official BSPs, directly providing WhatsApp API access for users. In contrast, HubSpot provides native WhatsApp integration but requires users to connect their existing WhatsApp Business accounts instead of acting as a BSP itself. #### 2\. Integration and Lead Management The ideal solution should integrate with e-commerce platforms, business tools and other messaging channels to centralize customer data. Beyond syncing contacts and conversations, it should track customer progression and help businesses manage leads efficiently. For instance, respond.io’s [Lifecycle feature](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) allows teams to organize contacts into different stages of the sales process, making it easier to tailor communication and convert leads into customers. This becomes way easier once you configure your [AI agent](https://respond.io/blog/how-respondio-ai-agents-work) to update Lifecycle status and contact fields automatically. More on AI later. #### 3\. WhatsApp Call Support For high-value interactions, complex inquiries and urgent support, voice communication is key. Respond.io supports [WhatsApp Business Calls](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api) so teams can handle calls directly from the platform, offering customers another way to connect without switching apps. #### 4\. Communication & Automation A WhatsApp CRM should support [calling](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api) (including call transfer, AI agent calls and call transcripts), automation, multimedia messages and analytics. Features like [auto-replies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) and [scheduled messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) ensure quick responses and better engagement. If multiple agents need access, the CRM should support [multi-user access for WhatsApp Business](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users). This allows teams to sync contacts, access conversations from different devices and collaborate efficiently. Moreover, on respond.io, automation extends beyond rules and workflows. [AI Agents](https://respond.io/ai-agents) are trained on your knowledge sources. They can nudge unresponsive customers, collect details, qualify leads and even hand off chats to humans seamlessly. This gives your team AI assistance that feels human, without extra headcount. #### 5\. Data Security and Compliance WhatsApp is inherently secure with [end-to-end encryption](https://faq.whatsapp.com/820124435853543). However, since it handles customer conversations, your chosen solution should also comply with [data protection regulations](https://respond.io/blog/secure-messaging) and safeguard customer data. #### 6\. Analytics and Performance Tracking A WhatsApp CRM should include reporting tools to [track important metrics](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-metrics#toc-mobile-7). Businesses can analyze customer acquisition sources, response times and engagement levels to optimize messaging strategies and improve conversions. Since not all solutions offer these features, businesses should look for one that does. This is where respond.io steps in, bringing everything together and providing a reliable way to integrate WhatsApp with your CRM. ### How to Integrate WhatsApp API with Your CRM Using Respond.io in 3 Steps Let’s get to the fun part. Integrating WhatsApp with your CRM might sound technical, but it can be broken down into a few clear steps. Here’s a simple roadmap. #### **Step 1:** Create a Respond.io WhatsApp Business API account Before anything else, you’ll need access to the WhatsApp Business API. This is because you cannot integrate the regular WhatsApp Business app with a CRM. As an official [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider), respond.io allows businesses set up their API quickly and securely. Learn how to [create a WhatsApp Business API account](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start) with respond.io. #### **Step 2:** Connect WhatsApp to Your CRM With **r**espond.io’s built-in integration capabilities, businesses can connect WhatsApp to their CRM using different methods: - Native Integration: Directly integrate CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce with respond.io to sync contacts, messages and workflows. - Third-Party Automation: Use Zapier or Make to connect respond.io with other CRM platforms. - Custom API Integration: Create a new Workflow and add the HTTP Request Step to integrate any CRM with respond.io. #### Step 3: Set Up Information to Sync Once connected, ensure data syncing works properly between WhatsApp and your CRM. Respond.io allows businesses to sync contacts, conversation history and lifecycle stages while automating lead assignments, chat routing and follow-ups. This ensures WhatsApp conversations are managed efficiently without switching between platforms. ### Best Practices to Get the Most Out of Your WhatsApp CRM Setting up the integration is only the beginning. To get the most out of your WhatsApp CRM, you should always keep these best practices close at heart. #### 1\. Collect Email and Phone Numbers For most CRMs, every lead or customer must have a unique identifier, like their email address or phone number. Luckily, when a lead contacts you on WhatsApp, you get their phone number automatically. If you need an email address as well, [set up an automation to ask for it](https://help.respond.io/l/en/convert-leads/how-to-automate-contact-information-collection-with-ai). Then, sync these important details in your respond.io contact list and your CRM. #### 2\. Merge Contacts to Avoid Duplicates Often, a lead may contact you on a different channel other than WhatsApp, such as Messenger or email, and you’ll want to quickly identify this. For example, respond.io recognizes duplicates automatically if you get contacts with the same email or phone number and you’ll be [prompted to merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts). When you integrate with a CRM, you can reflect these updates in your CRM as well. #### 3\. Segment Customers for WhatsApp Broadcasts Sending information from your CRM to WhatsApp helps you identify target audiences for [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message#toc-mobile-1). CRMs are often used to segment audiences for emails, but by integrating with WhatsApp, you can get valuable segmentation details to group contacts for broadcasts. ### Challenges and Solutions in Using WhatsApp CRM Even with the benefits of WhatsApp CRM and a solid understanding of best practices, there are still pitfalls to watch out for. After all, knowing how something works doesn’t automatically mean mastering it. Here are some challenges you might encounter. #### 1\. Privacy and Data Security Integrating WhatsApp with a CRM means moving customer data between systems, which can introduce security risks. Because of this, choosing a platform that [meets stringent security standards](https://respond.io/blog/secure-messaging#toc-mobile-10) is key. Businesses should also minimize human error by enabling [2FA or SSO](https://respond.io/blog/secure-messaging#toc-mobile-18) and using features like [masking emails and phone numbers](https://respond.io/blog/secure-messaging#toc-mobile-20) to protect customer information. #### 2\. Keeping Up with WhatsApp’s Policies and Features WhatsApp frequently updates its policies, pricing and features, which can impact how you use the platform. Failing to stay updated may result in unexpected restrictions or disruptions in communication. You should regularly check WhatsApp’s official announcements to avoid compliance issues or service disruptions, or work with a trusted WhatsApp Business Solution Provider like respond.io to stay aligned with the latest requirements. #### 3\. Message Template Limitations and Approval Process Businesses using the [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api) must use pre-approved templates to send outbound messages. WhatsApp has strict guidelines on what can be included, often rejecting templates that are too promotional or unclear. Generally, they must be: - Non-promotional - Pre-approved by WhatsApp - Clear and informative Additionally, the approval process can take time, delaying campaigns. To avoid disruptions, you should create clear, policy-compliant templates and submit them in advance. #### 4\. Marketing and Broadcast Restrictions Some businesses want to integrate WhatsApp with a CRM so they can import all their CRM contacts into WhatsApp and [send them promotional messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast). However, doing this is likely to result in a [WhatsApp ban](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-banned#toc-mobile-3) as WhatsApp prohibits unsolicited messages. We recommend [getting more contacts into WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in#toc-mobile-3) by using WhatsApp links, QR codes and click to chat ads, and ensure they [opt-in](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in#toc-mobile-2). #### 5\. Channel Dependence Relying solely on WhatsApp for customer communication is risky. If WhatsApp goes down or a segment of customers doesn’t use it, your business could be stuck. A multichannel strategy ensures businesses can engage with customers across different platforms. Using a CRM or messaging software with [multichannel capabilities](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-3) allows businesses to manage conversations from WhatsApp, Messenger, email and more in one place. ### Integrating WhatsApp with Your CRM: Why is Respond.io the Best Choice? Respond.io is an AI-powered customer conversation management platform and an official [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) and [Meta Business Partner](https://www.facebook.com/business/marketing-partners/work-with-a-partner) that connects WhatsApp with multiple CRMs. It makes it easy to sync conversations, automate workflows and manage customer interactions from one place. With [solid platform reliability and dedicated customer support](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-alternatives#toc-mobile-1), businesses can ensure smooth operations and uninterrupted messaging. Let’s explore how businesses use respond.io for [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing), [sales](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales), [customer service](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service), [team collaboration](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) and [performance tracking](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/reporting-for-support) to see why it’s the best solution. #### **Marketing: Capturing and Engaging Leads** Businesses can attract WhatsApp leads using [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code) on physical materials, [chat links](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-generator-whatsapp-widget#toc-mobile-2) in digital content or [chat widgets](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-webchat) on websites. For proactive lead generation, [click-to-WhatsApp ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads) on Facebook and Instagram help businesses reach targeted audiences and drive them toward conversion. Once a lead reaches out, respond.io automatically collects and syncs contact details into the CRM, allowing businesses to segment customers, send broadcasts and personalize follow-ups with tools like [WhatsApp catalogs](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog), interactive messages and push notifications. #### **Sales: Automating Lead Qualification and Sales Tasks** Respond.io natively integrates with CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce, enabling sales teams to qualify leads, track conversations and close deals—all from one platform. With [AI-powered automation](https://respond.io/ai-agents), businesses can filter out low-priority leads by automating qualifying questions and lead scoring. Many teams also enhance this setup with a respond.io [AI Agent](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents), which can automatically handle early-stage inquiries, recommend products and send payment or booking links. Once a lead is verified, respond.io can [route conversations](https://help.respond.io/l/en/convert-leads/route-contacts-by-team-functions) to the right sales agent based on priority, deal size or region. [AI-assisted replies](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist), [rich media messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-interactive-message) and WhatsApp Call Support enable faster engagement and conversions. #### Retention: Improve Customer Support Quality and Efficiency Businesses can [automate FAQs](https://respond.io/blog/auto-reply-message-for-business#toc-mobile-6) and guide customers through self-service options using [multiple-choice questions](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot#toc-mobile-6). For complex inquiries, the platform can automatically [route customers](https://help.respond.io/l/en/convert-leads/route-contacts-by-team-functions) to the right team. AI Assist provides agents with quick access to knowledge bases, improving response times and accuracy. When necessary, agents can easily escalate to voice conversations using the [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api), enabling direct communication within the same platform. Businesses can also send [CSAT surveys](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-8) post-conversation to measure customer satisfaction. #### Team Collaboration: Improving Internal Communication Respond.io makes it easy for team members to collaborate in a team inbox. Through [internal comments](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity#comments), agents can provide background information about a Contact for more follow-ups. Agents can also tag their teammates to discuss the best way to help a customer or [escalate complex cases](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) whenever necessary. Best of all, agents can easily collaborate, chat with customers and manage their tasks anywhere with the respond.io [mobile app](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service#toc-mobile-7). #### Performance Tracking: Gaining Insights for Improvement Managers can track real-time metrics using respond.io’s [analytics dashboard](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/reporting-for-support) to measure agent performance, customer engagement and response times. High-value conversations can be filtered and reviewed using a [custom inbox](https://help.respond.io/messages/custom-inbox) to optimize customer interactions and improve overall service quality. ### WhatsApp CRM: Key Takeaways The best way to connect WhatsApp with a CRM is by using WhatsApp API with a messaging-first platform like respond.io that integrates with your existing CRM. This allows businesses to manage WhatsApp conversations effectively while keeping customer data organized. Companies in [F&B](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-for-restaurants), [hospitality](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-for-restaurants), [healthcare](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-for-healthcare), [education](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-for-education), [real estate](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-for-real-estate) and [retail](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-for-retail-industry) have seen real results with this approach. Check out our [customer stories](https://respond.io/customers) to see how businesses are improving response times, automating workflows and handling more conversations without extra effort. Now it’s time to put this into practice. [Sign up for respond.io’s WhatsApp Business API](https://app.respond.io/user/login) and start managing WhatsApp conversations more effectively today! ### Further Reading Need a more in-depth article to kickstart your marketing, sales and support journey with respond.io? Here are some blogs that might help you. - WhatsApp Marketing: A Guide to a Successful Campaign - How To Use WhatsApp for Sales - WhatsApp Customer Service: Using WhatsApp for Support ## [WhatsApp Customer Service Platform: How to Use WhatsApp for Support ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service) The WhatsApp customer service platform empowers your team to deliver better support. Read the blog to learn how to successfully deliver customer support via WhatsApp. The WhatsApp customer service platform empowers your team to deliver better support. In this article, we’ll discuss the advantages of conversational support with WhatsApp API over traditional customer service channels. Plus, you’ll learn the basics of WhatsApp API and best practices to deliver customer support via WhatsApp. That’s not all — we’ll also show you some successful examples of how companies around the world are using WhatsApp for customer service. ### Why Choose WhatsApp Customer Service Platform Over Traditional Support Channels Traditionally, businesses use emails and webchat for customer service. However, email interactions are slow and people don’t check their inboxes frequently. Webchat visitors tend to be anonymous and it can be difficult for businesses to verify their identities. Conversation threads on both channels are also scattered, resulting in no overview of the contact’s conversation history. These limitations challenge what every business wants: to provide personalized solutions, reduce resolution time and improve quality assurance. By contrast, [WhatsApp interactions are fast-paced](https://respond.io/blog/best-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-3), allowing inquiries to be resolved sooner. Agents can also identify the contacts by their number and access the conversation history on the same thread, enabling customized support for each contact. To use WhatsApp as a customer service platform, you’ll need a WhatsApp Business account. WhatsApp offers two types of business accounts - [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) and [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). WhatsApp Business App is designed for small businesses and lacks [multi-user functionality](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) and [advanced automation](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations). For medium to large companies looking to use the WhatsApp customer service platform with a team of agents, go for the WhatsApp API. ### WhatsApp Customer Service Platform: What You Should Know WhatsApp API is more complex than the WhatsApp Business App. Before you start using WhatsApp for customer service, let’s learn the fundamentals of the WhatsApp API. #### 1) [WhatsApp BSP fees](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing#toc-mobile-3) — the fixed/variable layer you pay your provider These are separate from Meta’s charges and [vary by WhatsApp BSP](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing#toc-mobile-3). Common items: - Platform subscription (per seat/workspace) and number/WABA hosting - Setup/migration and SLA/premium support - Possible per-message markups (avoid these if you handle high volumes) - Add-ons (storage, advanced analytics, compliance, premium integrations) 💡 Cost control: pick a BSP with no per-message markup, transparent hosting, and inclusive support. *(Example: respond.io doesn’t charge setup, hosting, or per-message markups.)* #### 2) Messaging costs — [now billed per message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing#toc-1), not per conversation - User-initiated (common in customer support scenarios) messages open a 24-hour service window.Replies with free-form text or utility templates are free during the window. - Replies with free-form text or utility templates are free during the window. - Free entry points (Click-to-WhatsApp ads or Facebook Page CTA) extend the window to 72 hours and all replies stay free (including utility templates). - Outside the window, you must use a pre-approved template (billed per message) by category: Utility, Authentication, Marketing. Rates vary by recipient country code. 💡 Cost control: resolve cases within 24/72 hours, lean on utility templates, and use free entry points for inbound support flows. #### 3) Calling costs ([WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api)) - Inbound calls (user-initiated): free, and they open/refresh the 24-hour service window. - Outbound calls (business-initiated): billed only if answered, by country and duration (6-second increments). Consent required. 💡 Cost control: call only when it shortens resolution time; the answered-only billing keeps waste down. #### What this means for support teams - You can keep most support chats (user-initiated) free by staying inside the 24/72-hour window. - Your biggest levers are BSP fee structure (avoid markups) and free entry points.. - Templates and calls become targeted tools: Use utility templates for timely follow-ups and outbound calls only when they accelerate resolution. ### How to Use WhatsApp for Customer Support: 4 Quick Wins to Deliver Customer Service via WhatsApp on Respond.io Let's look at how using respond.io can improve your WhatsApp customer support delivery. #### Use Message Templates to Follow Up on Complex Enquiries A [Message Template](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) is able to reopen WhatsApp’s messaging window, enabling agents to follow up on customers’ inquiries outside the 24-hour window. Unlike other [WhatsApp Inbox](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm#toc-mobile-2) products, respond.io allows you to sync, create and send WhatsApp message templates for support directly from the platform without the need to move between your Partner's Hub and WhatsApp Inbox. #### Use Chat Automation to Answer FAQs, Route Customers and Escalate Cases With [WhatsApp automation](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-automation) on respond.io, you can set up a [WhatsApp multiple-choice menu](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot#toc-mobile-6) that provides [auto-replies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) to commonly asked questions. This frees up your customer support agents so they can focus on more pressing matters. With the right Workflows setup, [routing customers to the right team](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) becomes an automated process. Plus, the [Shortcuts](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0) button allows Agents to escalate support cases or create support tickets on external systems like Zendesk with just a click of a button. #### Answer Messages Anywhere with the Mobile App The respond.io mobile app allows agents to [answer customer inquiries through WhatsApp on multiple phones](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users#toc-mobile-7). The app has vital modules such as Dashboard, Contacts and Messaging for an effortless messaging experience. Agents will receive a push notification every time a new message comes in or when they are assigned new Contacts. This way, they won't miss any messages. The respond.io Android and iOS apps are available on [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io) and [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) respectively. #### Get a Holistic View of Customers with Contact Merge Apart from WhatsApp, your Contacts are likely to use other messaging channels to reach you. However, this results in siloed conversations and Contact duplication. Luckily, respond.io supports [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts#toc-mobile-6) so you can consolidate all Contact details and conversation history into a unified profile for a 360-degree view of the customer. Ultimately, this helps agents understand the customers’ context and make an informed decision about the best way to help them. Looking for ideas to use the WhatsApp customer service platform? Read on to find out how other companies deliver customer support via WhatsApp. ### Firsthand Report: 3 Companies using WhatsApp for Customer Service Now that we've got the theoretical part of using the WhatsApp customer service platform out of the way, let's take a look at some practical examples of how companies around the world use WhatsApp for customer service. #### 1\. How Alfa-Bank Uses the WhatsApp Customer Service Platform Alfa-Bank, one of the largest banks in Kazakhstan, has chosen [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) as its customer service platform. Account holders can now receive account information, payment reminders and operational support over WhatsApp. Many banks have started using messaging apps to answer simple banking inquiries through chatbots. However, Alfa-Bank goes one step further and offers live customer support on WhatsApp. ##### How does Alfa-Bank Offer Customer Service via WhatsApp? To speak to a human representative while using WhatsApp for customer service, just add Alfa-Bank's WhatsApp number to your contact list and send the first message. We tested Alfa-Bank’s WhatsApp Customer Service platform and were impressed by the response speed — we received a typed response within 2 minutes! What’s more, there was no generic greeting message or main menu in the chat. We were able to chat with an agent right away. ##### Is Alfa-Bank’s Whatsapp Customer Service Platform a Success? Alfa-Bank breaks away from the industry norm by putting their customers in touch with a live agent instead of using a [chatbot for their WhatsApp customer services](https://respond.io/blog/chat-automation). Let's hope more banks rethink their chatbot strategies and provide customers direct access to quality human support over WhatsApp. #### 2\. How Bupa Uses the WhatsApp Customer Service Platform? Wouldn’t it be nice to message your insurance company on WhatsApp? Bupa Australia has made that possible by launching WhatsApp Business customer support. Let's see what that looks like. ##### How Does Bupa offer Customer Service via WhatsApp? There are two ways to start the chat. During a call, you may be directed to WhatsApp by an automated voice, or you can start by using a [WhatsApp chat link on their website](https://www.bupa.com.au/contact-us). Gloriously, once you’ve sent a message you’ll be connected to a real person. A wide range of actions is possible on Bupa’s WhatsApp customer service platform, including signing up for insurance plans, getting a price quote or even making a claim. Here’s what happened when we tested the service — we inquired about health insurance plans and the agent asked a series of questions including the conditions we want to be covered for and how often we go to the doctor. Once we answered the questions, she linked us to a recommended plan on the Bupa website so we could examine the coverage details. Although we couldn’t get a price quote through WhatsApp, the agent made understanding the best plan for us easy. ##### Is Bupa’s Whatsapp Customer Service Platform a Success? We don’t know if it’s going to be a long term success but we certainly had a good experience. The agent always replies within a few minutes, plus we have a written record of the conversation. This is the type of customer service people want - we just wish it didn’t take Covid-19 to get there. #### 3\. How Yas Island Uses the WhatsApp Customer Service Platform Yas Island is a massive recreation facility situated in Abu Dhabi that comprises race tracks, theme parks, hotels and much more. To help visitors plan their vacation, Yas Island has rolled out the WhatsApp customer service platform. ##### How Does the Yas Island WhatsApp Customer Service Platform Work? Yas Island visitors have two ways to discover the channel. They can add the number listed on the Yas Island website and Facebook page, or they can use the WhatsApp Click to Chat link shown on the [Yas Island website contact page](https://www.yasisland.ae/en/support/contactus). To join the channel, start a chat by sending a message. An automated response will provide a menu with a list of commonly asked questions, ranging from directions to events. You can select an option by answering with the numbers 1 to 11. The automated response provides a mixture of long and short answers. For questions that require additional detail, you’ll be asked to choose from more options or directed to their website via a link. Although there's no indication, you can actually talk to a live agent. You’ll be given the option after typing a specific question or misspelling something like we did. It’s not instantaneous, but you’ll get an expected wait time for an agent's response. In our case, the wait time was about 1 minute, which is pretty amazing considering we thought this was going to be a fully automated experience. ##### Is Yas Island’s Whatsapp Customer Service Platform a Success? We certainly think so. Combining automated messaging with a live agent often results in a messy experience, so companies choose either a live agent or automated messaging, but not both. This solution by Yas Island is one of the best we’ve ever seen. At the end of the day, the goal of customer service is to give the customers the information they need while providing a pleasant experience. Has Yas Island met these goals? With both the instant automated responses and live agents, it’s a resounding *Yas*. Inspired to give customer service over WhatsApp a go? [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and get a [WhatsApp Business API](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) account in minutes! ### Further Reading If you're interested in more info on how to use WhatsApp, you'll want to check out these articles: - WhatsApp Marketing in 5 Steps - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business - How to Send Bulk Messages on WhatsApp ## [WhatsApp Drip Campaign: Crush Your Conversion Goals ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-drip-campaign) Build customer engagement and drive business growth with a WhatsApp drip campaign. This respond.io guide has everything you need to know to get started. When it comes to [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing), precision and personalization are the holy grails. Enter WhatsApp drip campaign—a powerful yet subtle method for nurturing leads and engaging customers. Through targeted messages delivered at just the right moment, these campaigns can significantly boost conversion rates and customer satisfaction. In this guide, we'll explore everything you need to know about WhatsApp drip marketing, from the basics to best practices. ### WhatsApp Drip Marketing: The Basics Let's kick things off from square one. In this section, you’ll learn what a WhatsApp drip campaign is, how it works and why you should include them in your marketing efforts. #### What is a WhatsApp Drip Campaign? A WhatsApp drip campaign is a communication strategy that aims to engage leads and customers with a set of WhatsApp notifications over time. Unlike a traditional blast campaign, drip campaigns are methodical, with messages tailored to move the recipient through the customer journey. Loh Yi Xuan, Growth Manager for respond.io, shares some insights on using WhatsApp as a messaging channel for drip campaigns. "Although WhatsApp is an excellent channel for many businesses, adopting an omnichannel approach offers a key advantage. By increasing touchpoints, businesses can effectively remain top-of-mind for customers and enhance engagement. While drip campaigns on WhatsApp alone yield promising results, embracing [omnichannel strategies](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-retail) represents the future of business growth." That being said, not every business is omnichannel. Some stick with WhatsApp because it's so [popular in many places](https://respond.io/blog/best-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-0), or they find it [hard to capture contacts](https://respond.io/blog/lead-capture#toc-mobile-5) on other messaging apps. If that sounds like your situation, don't worry. Using WhatsApp as your standalone messaging channel can still make your drip campaigns successful. Let's start by seeing how businesses use WhatsApp for growth. ##### WhatsApp Drip Campaign Use Cases You can employ WhatsApp drip campaigns to onboard new users or customers, introducing them to your product or service features and helping them get started with your offerings. Businesses also use drip campaigns to boost revenue by suggesting additional products or upgrades to current customers, considering their past purchases and preferences. Sometimes, they use them to re-engage dormant or inactive customers by sending targeted messages and offers. Most importantly, you can use WhatsApp drip marketing to develop sophisticated lead nurturing strategies. Focus on addressing pain points and gradually guide leads toward making informed purchase decisions. We’ve covered what WhatsApp drip campaigns are and how businesses use them. Next, we’ll help you understand how they work. #### WhatsApp Drip Marketing: How Does it Work? Imagine a digital water droplet falling on a leaf, each a touchpoint in the prospect or customer’s experience. In the context of WhatsApp, a drip campaign may start with a simple greeting message, followed by a series of messages spread across days or weeks, each designed to inform, engage or encourage the recipient in a specific way. The end goal is to lead the client to a successful conversion. Let’s use a practical example. This education business enrolls students in three steps, each corresponding to one message. The first message is triggered after a lead clicks on a click-to-chat ad: 1. Welcome and Course Introduction: Immediately after potential students show interest, they receive a welcoming message that introduces the institution and highlights unique course features. 2. Financial Aid Information: Two days later, a message is sent sharing information about financial aid, scholarships or payment plans to alleviate financial concerns, one of the main pain points for students and their parents. 3. Enrollment Deadline Reminder: Five days before the enrollment deadline, a final reminder is sent emphasizing the urgency of enrolling due to limited availability. It includes a direct link to the enrollment page or an offer of personal assistance with the process. A WhatsApp drip campaign offers unique benefits that sets it apart from other sales and marketing strategies. Let's take a closer look at what makes them stand out. #### Benefits of WhatsApp Drip Marketing WhatsApp's high user engagement rates make it an ideal platform for drip campaigns. [Messages are more likely to be opened and read](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-blast#toc-mobile-1) on WhatsApp compared to emails, ensuring that your content actually reaches your audience. In fact, WhatsApp users typically return to the app [around 22 times daily,](https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/conversational-marketing-platform-software/#:~:text=On%20average%2C%20an%20active%20user%20of%20WhatsApp%20returned%20to%20the%20app%2022%20times%20per%20day) spending an average of 59 minutes interacting with the content. When it comes to personalization at scale, WhatsApp is king. This makes communication more effective, as messages can be tailored based on individual customer behaviors, preferences and stages in the customer journey. You have the option to automate [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) in various content formats such as videos, text messages, webpage links and other formats supported by WhatsApp. Additionally, personalized texts can be sent to individuals based on their respective sales stages. However, if you're going to send marketing broadcasts, take note that from March 2025, WhatsApp is updating the way they send marketing messages to users, based on their engagement rates of previous marketing messages. For example, if a user hasn’t engaged with many marketing messages, they will receive fewer marketing messages. On the same note, automating content delivery ensures that the right message reaches the right person at the right time. Whether it's a welcome message, a follow-up, or a special offer, timing plays a crucial role in conversion rates. Lastly, by maintaining consistent and relevant communication with prospects and customers, WhatsApp drip campaigns can significantly boost conversion rates. The strategy keeps your brand top-of-mind, gently nudging leads down the sales funnel with information and offers aligned with their interests and needs. You are already familiar with the basics of a WhatsApp drip campaign. It is now time to unveil how to set up one on respond.io ### How to Set Up a WhatsApp Drip Campaign on Respond.io It is not possible to run a WhatsApp drip campaign efficiently on the WhatsApp App or the [WhatsApp Business app](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app). To run one, you’ll need the [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). And because [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) has no interface, you must connect it to a messaging inbox like respond.io’s to send and receive messages. Once you’ve set that up, there are two ways to get started: Via [WhatsApp broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) or with [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview), respond.io’s automation builder. Both methods have their pros and cons. Using the Broadcast Module for WhatsApp drip marketing is no-frills. [Create an audience](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#check_target_audience_for_a_broadcast) and [schedule messages](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#schedule_broadcast_and_customize_send_rates) to be sent to them at specific times. This is suitable for simple drip campaigns with a fixed schedule. However, some businesses want more flexibility in terms of customization and advanced automation. If that is your case, use Workflows instead. You can set up more sophisticated drip campaigns with conditional logic, [conversational AI](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-setting-respond-ai), personalized messages based on user behavior and much more. Despite the wonders of automation, human agents are unmatched when it comes to persuasion and critical thinking. If your agents ever need to personally handle a client, they’ll be able to [stop the WhatsApp drip campaign for a single contact](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#stopping_a_workflow_for_a_contact) without affecting the rest of the audience. Albeit more complex to set up, a WhatsApp drip campaign built on Workflows enables more targeted and tailored communication, leading to better engagement and results. ### WhatsApp Drip Campaign: Best Practices To conclude this article, we'll explore some best practices for ensuring the success of your WhatsApp drip campaign. #### Obtain Consent Always obtain explicit consent from users before adding them to a WhatsApp drip campaign to comply with privacy laws and [WhatsApp's terms of service](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/terms-of-service). #### Timing is Key Schedule your messages thoughtfully. For instance, you can use [WhatsApp schedule message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) for this. Consider the frequency and timing to avoid overwhelming your audience. Optimal times can also vary based on your audience's habits and time zones. #### Personalize Your Messages To make the messages feel more personal and relevant, use the recipient’s name and tailor the content based on their interests, previous interactions or behavior. #### Monitor and Respond to Replies Be ready to engage in real-time conversations. Automated messages (e.g., [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply)) can initiate the conversation, but personal interaction can drive it home. In wrapping up, we've uncovered the secret sauce behind effective WhatsApp drip campaigns: personalized, timely messaging to nurture leads and maximize conversions. But to run the most effective campaign, you’ll need a full-fledged customer conversation management software. Respond.io has been built to help businesses with their sales and marketing efforts throughout the entire customer journey. Ready to launch your first WhatsApp drip campaign? [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register)! ### Further Reading Did you find this article useful? If so, the following reads might interest you. - WhatsApp Sales: How to Sell on WhatsApp - WhatsApp Opt In: Getting Customers to Opt In WhatsApp - WhatsApp Lead Generation: How to Use WhatsApp to Get More Leads ## [WhatsApp Ecommerce: A Guide to WhatsApp API for Ecommerce](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ecommerce) Want to learn more about how to use WhatsApp for ecommerce? We’ll share the different ways to set up WhatsApp ecommerce and its benefits. Are you using WhatsApp to enhance your ecommerce business? In this blog post, we’ll explore what WhatsApp ecommerce is and its benefits. Next, we’ll show you the different ways to set up WhatsApp ecommerce. Finally, we’ll demonstrate the benefits of integrating WhatsApp API into your ecommerce platform. ### What is WhatsApp Ecommerce? WhatsApp ecommerce involves using [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) for online shopping. Businesses can leverage its large user base and accessibility to boost sales and provide customer service. Firstly, businesses can create product catalogs for customers to browse and make product inquiries, while orders can be conveniently placed through WhatsApp via messages or automated forms. Additionally, it serves as an effective platform for customer support by allowing agents to easily address inquiries, offer recommendations, resolve concerns and provide post-purchase assistance. Next, we’ll take a look at some of the benefits of using WhatsApp for your ecommerce business. #### Benefits of Using WhatsApp Ecommerce Store WhatsApp ecommerce offers numerous advantages for businesses looking to expand their online presence and boost sales. Firstly, WhatsApp’s massive user base of [over 2 billion active users worldwide](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-1) provides businesses with a vast pool of potential customers. As a widely used platform for instant messaging, WhatsApp offers a convenient and familiar channel for consumers to communicate with businesses. It also allows users to have real-time conversations with businesses. Unlike webchat and email, which often involve delays in responses, WhatsApp offers immediate interaction. This makes it ideal for time-sensitive queries, urgent support and quick decision-making while purchase intent is still high. Leveraging WhatsApp for ecommerce is a time- and cost-effective solution for small businesses compared to managing separate ecommerce and communication platforms. It offers an accessible and scalable platform without requiring significant investments. Meanwhile, medium and large enterprises can use it as a high-value messaging channel to support ecommerce activities. WhatsApp surpasses email by supporting multimedia content like images, videos, audio messages and documents. While webchat may support some multimedia messages, WhatsApp's ability to display a wide range of multimedia formats positions it as the superior choice for conveying information. With these advantages in mind, let’s explore how businesses can use WhatsApp to leverage the channel’s features next. ### How Sharwa is Succeeding with WhatsApp API for Ecommerce Here we’ll take a look at a real-life example of how an ecommerce business takes advantage of WhatsApp to improve its overall communication. Sharwa, an Egyptian social commerce platform, sought to [improve its communication strategy and boost its low customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores](https://respond.io/customers/how-sharwa-designed-a-communication-strategy-that-achieved-85-in-csat-scores). Its existing methods were inefficient and failed to meet customer expectations, leading to frustration and negative feedback. To overcome this, Sharwa connected WhatsApp API to respond.io, a customer conversation management software. Now, it leverages respond.io’s advanced automation capabilities (e.g. [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply)) and omnichannel support to improve response times and provide personalized assistance. As it began to effectively address customer concerns, build trust and foster long-term relationships, Sharwa secured an impressive 85% CSAT score and gets repeat business from 50% of its customers. Next, we’ll take a look at how ecommerce businesses can use WhatsApp to take their business to the next level. ### How to Use WhatsApp Ecommerce Store To harness the full potential of WhatsApp for your ecommerce business, it’s important to understand two Whatsapp products — [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) and [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) — and how they benefit your business. The WhatsApp Business App is catered for small businesses. It allows you to connect up to 10 devices if you use [WhatsApp Business Premium](https://faq.whatsapp.com/835833917556304/?cms_platform=android&helpref=search&query=whatsapp%20premium&search_session_id=8f52642ebfc29f1721453d5a15b925c2&sr=3), in which you can access available Premium tools like a detailed [WhatsApp web page](https://faq.whatsapp.com/3240917596147164?cms_platform=android&helpref=faq_content). On the other hand, the WhatsApp API is designed for medium to large businesses that aim to leverage WhatsApp with [multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users). However, you should note that WhatsApp API does not come with its own interface. Instead, it needs to be integrated with messaging software like respond.io to send and receive messages (e.g., when sending [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) beyond WhatsApp Business’s limits). Now, we’ll delve into how businesses can effectively use WhatsApp to optimize their online sales and provide exceptional customer service. #### WhatsApp Business Ecommerce: Boost Business Visibility To boost your small business’ exposure in today’s competitive landscape, strategically leverage features like the [WhatsApp Business Directory](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-yellow-pages). Optimize your profile with relevant information to increase visibility and showcase your offerings. #### WhatsApp API for Ecommerce: Showcase and Sell Products Effortlessly To enhance sales, use [WhatsApp Catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog) to display product or service descriptions, pricing and images. [WhatsApp Shopping Cart](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog#toc-mobile-12), an extension of the WhatsApp Catalog, enables customers to select products they want, set the quantities of each item they wish to purchase and check them out. #### WhatsApp for Ecommerce: Enhance Customer Engagement One easy way to boost customer engagement is by utilizing [Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-ads) and [Instagram click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-instagram-direct-ads), as well as [WhatsApp QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code). These tools can significantly enhance your business’s visibility, expand your reach to a broader audience, attract potential customers and maximize your brand’s presence in the market. Next, we’ll share how the respond.io customer conversation management software can level up your ecommerce business with its purpose-built solution and advanced messaging features. ### WhatsApp API for Ecommerce: Quick Wins with Respond.io In this section, we will delve into the numerous benefits of integrating the WhatsApp API with your ecommerce platform via respond.io to drive sales and enhance the customer experience. #### Create and Send Product Messages on Respond.io Creating engaging product messages is key to capturing customer interest and driving sales. On respond.io, you can create and send these product marketing messages: - Catalog message: Craft a template that showcases your entire catalog with a clickable link, making it easy for customers to browse and interact with your products. - Multi-product message: Select multiple products to feature in a single message, ideal for promotions or highlighting new arrivals. > Note: You need to upload the products to your [Commerce Manager](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2371372636254534?id=533228987210412) and connect it to respond.io. The products uploaded in the Commerce Manager will sync on the respond.io platform. You can send these messages through various modules in respond.io, such as the [Broadcast](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/meta-product-catalog#configure_your_broadcast_to_send_product_template_messages), [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/meta-product-catalog#send_product_template_messages_in_workflows), and [Messages](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/meta-product-catalog#using_meta_product_catalog_in_messages) modules. [Integration with platforms](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/meta-product-catalog#sending_meta_product_marketing_template_messages_with_integrations_in_respond_io) like Make.com and Zapier further enhances your ability to automate and tailor your marketing strategies. #### Consolidate All Communication Channels in an Omnichannel Inbox Having a [centralized inbox](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-team-inbox) that consolidates all communication channels is crucial. This is because ecommerce businesses often receive messages from multiple channels or accounts on the same platform. Using a single inbox can help to avoid missing any inquiries. Respond.io's [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) provides an efficient solution for managing customer inquiries from [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business), [Google Business Messages](https://respond.io/blog/google-business-messages) and custom or in-app messaging channels like Lazada chat. This enables businesses to streamline their communication processes, manage inquiries more efficiently, and respond promptly to customer queries, ultimately enhancing the overall customer experience. ##### Drive Engagement from Multiple Touchpoints In addition to creating WhatsApp chat links and QR codes on respond.io, leverage [WhatsApp widgets](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-widget) or [omnichannel widgets](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) to effectively convert website visitors into leads while ensuring that all interactions are directed to one inbox. #### Automate Tasks with Advanced Automation The WhatsApp API revolutionizes communication by enabling ecommerce businesses to save time and enhance efficiency in customer interactions. Here are several ways you can use respond.io’s advanced automation to achieve this. ##### Integrate Your Sales CRMs to Shorten Sales Cycle By integrating your ecommerce platform, such as one that supports [WhatsApp CRM](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm), with respond.io, you can seamlessly exchange data between both systems, empowering you to [qualify leads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales#toc-mobile-8) and [create deals with a click](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0). Your agents can effortlessly handle sales-related tasks while chatting with customers, eliminating the need to switch between platforms. In addition, businesses can automate various sales tasks such as lead qualification, based on specific funnel criteria. Leads are then automatically [routed to the appropriate sales team](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assigned to the most suitable or available sales agent](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio). You can also capture the attention of potential customers by triggering messages based on customer actions on external platforms. Respond.io allows you to send personalized promotional messages when you integrate it with popular ecommerce platforms like [Shopify](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify), [Magento](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/ecommerce-integration-magento), [WooCommerce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/ecommerce-integration-woocommerce) and more. With this integration, customers who have added products to their cart but have not completed their purchases can receive [abandoned cart recovery notifications](https://help.respond.io/zapier/e-commerce-integration-shopify#send_abandoned_cart_messages_to_prompt_customers_to_complete_their_shopify_purchase_using_zapier). You can also use the platform to [update customers’ contact details](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify#update_a_customer_s_information_in_shopify_when_it_is_updated_in_respond_io) and [send order confirmations](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify#send_customers_instant_messages_related_to_their_orders_using_zapier) and shipping updates. ##### Streamline Customer Support with an Automated WhatsApp Menu Ecommerce businesses can enhance customer support and address inquiries efficiently by implementing a WhatsApp menu. Using [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) on respond.io, businesses can [automate chat menu systems](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) to cater to commonly asked questions related to products, orders and customer service. This menu enables customers to navigate and find the information easily, with the option to connect with a support agent for assistance. This saves time for both businesses and customers, thus enhancing the brand experience. ##### Send Post-Purchase Surveys for Valuable Insights and Feedback Asking for feedback from customers is a valuable method to enhance customer support services and improve the overall shopping experience. Utilize respond.io's [CSAT Workflow template](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/send-csat-and-save-data) to send surveys to customers that allow them to rate their experience and provide feedback. You can [store feedback in Google Sheets](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-9) or your [data warehouse](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-10) via an HTTP request. This aids in tracking and improving support quality to ensure high customer satisfaction. #### Send Targeted WhatsApp Broadcasts to Maximize Engagement Ecommerce businesses can use [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) to send promotions or updates in bulk. This includes [seasonal promotions](https://respond.io/blog/ramadan-whatsapp-messaging-campaign), announcing new product releases or flash deals to loyal customers. With respond.io's [Broadcasts Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview), businesses can reach a wide audience across all connected messaging channels with a single broadcast. This streamlined approach ensures important updates and promotions are directly delivered to the intended recipients. It also enhances broadcast campaigns with features like contact import, precise segmentation, message personalization, advanced scheduling and the ability to clone recurring broadcasts. These capabilities enable tailored messages to be delivered at the right time to maximize engagement. To sum it up, WhatsApp has demonstrated its value as a tool for ecommerce businesses, enabling effective marketing, increased sales and enhanced customer support. Looking to leverage WhatsApp API with an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider? [Create a respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business?_gl=1*1ljl9li*_ga*ODg2MTk3OTg4LjE2NjA2MTY5Nzc.*_ga_0EZ318H868*MTY4NDM3OTMxNi4zMjkuMS4xNjg0Mzg0NDcyLjU4LjAuMA..) and [connect your WhatsApp API today](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start#connecting_whats_app_business_api). ### Further Reading Interested to know what else you can do to boost your ecommerce business? Check out some of these articles below: - Transforming Retail Operations with WhatsApp - A Guide to Using WhatsApp Business for Restaurants - A Guide to WhatsApp Business for Hotels ## [WhatsApp for Education: Benefits, Use Cases and Real Results](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-for-education) Explore how WhatsApp can revolutionize educational institutions by boosting student engagement, streamlining administrative processes and increasing lead generation to drive revenue growth. In the education sector, success hinges on delivering quality education and achieving sustainable business growth. WhatsApp, with over 2 billion users, offers a direct path to these objectives, presenting businesses with opportunities to enhance student engagement, streamline processes, and, importantly, generate more leads for increased revenue. This article breaks down what WhatsApp for education is, its benefits, how to use WhatsApp education and success stories. ### What is WhatsApp for Education? WhatsApp for Education refers to the use of [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business) by education businesses. It enables them to communicate with prospects and current students as well as other key stakeholders. These businesses can range from online or in-person schools and learning centers to universities and ed tech companies. Common uses of WhatsApp in education include marketing and lead generation, student service and support and classroom engagement. Now, you may be wondering why you should use WhatsApp for education. We’ll dive into the reasons below. #### Why Use WhatsApp for Education? As the world’s [most popular messaging app](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-1), WhatsApp offers an exceptional opportunity for educational institutions to connect globally. It aligns seamlessly with current communication preferences, as traditional channels like phone calls and email decline in popularity. This widespread adoption positions educational institutions to engage efficiently with a large audience of students and prospects in real-time. Thanks to its fast-paced nature, WhatsApp enables learning centers to quickly generate business results by responding promptly to prospects when their interest is at its peak and to students seeking help. WhatsApp’s support for multimedia messaging is also a significant advantage. By utilizing photos and videos, schools can showcase their courses, facilities and learning materials. This visual engagement captures the attention of prospects and students and enhances their understanding and interest in the institution’s offerings. When WhatsApp is used strategically, institutions can increase enrollment, create richer learning experiences, build stronger relationships, increase student satisfaction and grow their revenue. Now that we've explored the benefits of WhatsApp for education, let's dive into how education businesses can use WhatsApp strategically. ### Using WhatsApp for Education: Marketing and Lead Generation Companies in the education industry that want to reach wide audiences should use [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) as it offers the flexibility to choose their preferred messaging software with advanced features tailored to their specific goals and needs. While what you can do with the API heavily depends on the software of your choice; the right [WhatsApp API provider](https://respond.io/blog/best-whatsapp-api-providers) can unlock the possibilities for marketing and lead generation. Below, we’ll discuss how you can capture leads, qualify them and nurture them. #### Generate Leads Through WhatsApp Ads, QR Codes, WhatsApp Widgets and More The more leads you generate, the [greater your opportunities for conversion](https://respond.io/blog/conversation-led-growth). WhatsApp offers a variety of tools for institutions to acquire quality leads through paid and unpaid strategies. For instance, [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code) at educational fairs can encourage attendees to message you for inquiries, while integrating [WhatsApp widgets](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-widget) and chat links on your website allows interested visitors to connect with you instantly. For a more proactive and targeted approach, use [click to WhatsApp Ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads) on Facebook and Instagram to attract interested social media users. To optimize ad performance, use Meta Conversions API. With respond.io, you can trigger a [Conversions API](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-send-conversions-api-event) (CAPI) event, for example, when a student books a trial course, to share lead or purchase data directly with Meta. This helps improve ad targeting by showing Meta which interactions lead to real results, boosting lead quality and campaign performance. By being available across multiple touchpoints, you can broaden your reach and potentially increase conversion rates. #### Get Lead Information and Qualify Leads Once leads start messaging, gather important information to qualify them. To achieve this with minimal effort and maximal efficiency, leverage advanced automation and AI. For example, you can set automation to ask predetermined questions to understand prospects' interests and needs to sort and qualify them. While these pre-set questions are useful, they can also be rigid. Incorporating an [AI Agent](https://respond.io/ai-agents) can add flexibility to the conversation. Respond.io AI Agents are fully autonomous, going beyond basic chatbots. They can gather nuanced lead information, automatically update contact fields and [Lifecycle](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) stages, and even decide when a conversation should be routed to a human agent. Once a case is resolved, they close conversations automatically and generate conversation summaries—helping schools save time while keeping records accurate and accessible. Once leads are qualified, you can either use automation to push them down the sales funnel or assign high-quality leads to a human agent. For convenience, integrate your CRM with WhatsApp API to track leads better and automatically update their details. #### Nurture and Re-engage Leads using Broadcast The next step after qualifying leads is to nurture these relationships and re-engage leads who may have cooled off. Keeping leads interested and engaged increases the opportunity of converting them into enrolled students. To do so, [WhatsApp broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) serves as an ideal tool. > **Note**: Starting March 2025, WhatsApp is updating the way they send marketing messages to users, based on their engagement rates of previous marketing messages. Furthermore, Starting July 1, 2025, WhatsApp will charge per message for marketing and utility template messages instead of per conversation. Utility message templates sent during the 24-hour customer service window are free. Institutions can leverage it to send out targeted messages, updates and reminders to large groups of contacts. Regularly providing potential students with course information, success stories and relevant educational content can help strengthen your relationship with them. For leads who have shown initial interest but haven’t yet taken action, share news about new programs, imminent deadlines or special events to reignite their interest and gently nudge them toward enrollment. Now that you know how to capture, qualify, nurture and reengage with potential students, let’s explore how to manage conversations. ### Using WhatsApp for Education: Education Management Managing operational processes efficiently is vital for educational institutions as it directly impacts their ability to deliver quality education and maintain a smooth administrative workflow. In this section, we'll demonstrate how WhatsApp API can help institutions achieve efficiency in various aspects of education management. #### Streamline Application and Enrollment Processes With qualified leads in hand, ensuring a streamlined and efficient application and enrollment process is crucial. This is because friction often leads to prospective students dropping off before they reach the payment stage. To ensure the process is as smooth as possible, education businesses can use automation to guide applicants through the necessary steps, from form submission to enrollment. Here again, AI Agents make a difference: by resolving simple queries instantly, escalating complex ones to human staff, and ensuring no conversation gets stuck, they create a seamless experience for applicants from first contact through enrollment. #### Enhance Student Services and Support Once students are enrolled, delivering efficient support is essential for student retention and satisfaction. AI-driven chatbots can quickly address common queries related to courses, administrative details or academic guidelines. They can also assist in more complex tasks like [scheduling appointments](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-appointment-booking) with academic advisors or counselors. While AI excels in handling a range of queries, certain complex issues like counseling or specific academic advisement require a more personal touch. In these cases, institutions must offer options for students to chat with human representatives instead of relying solely on AI and automated systems. #### Broadcast Timely Updates and Announcements Effective communication in education keeps the entire educational community informed. And WhatsApp broadcast is a key tool for timely updates and announcements. This feature allows institutions to send important information, such as schedule changes, emergency alerts or event details, quickly to a wide targeted audience. Now that we've seen how WhatsApp can attract more students and meet their needs, let's explore some specific learning strategies using WhatsApp. ### WhatsApp for Schools: Teaching and Learning Here, we'll explore how WhatsApp can be effectively utilized in schools for teaching and learning purposes. Note that this section focuses on the use of the WhatsApp App as a dynamic tool for students and teachers to engage. Let’s look at the details below. #### Provide Access to Educational Materials One benefit of using WhatsApp in education is the ability to provide students with easy and immediate access to learning materials. Teachers can create a [WhatsApp community](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-communities) for each course and use the [Announcements feature](https://faq.whatsapp.com/582420703681043) to distribute documents, articles and other necessary resources. Additionally, within each course community, groups can be created to foster engagement and collaboration among students. This approach supports a more organized and efficient distribution of educational content and easily identifiable groups for contextually relevant interactions. #### Enhance Educational Interactions [WhatsApp groups](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-group) and communities are essential for fostering interactive learning environments. In these groups, students can participate in discussions, collaborate on group projects and stay updated with classroom announcements. Teachers and students can use [polls](https://faq.whatsapp.com/796470361614974/?cms_platform=web) for various purposes, such as voting on class-related decisions, gathering opinions or initiating thought-provoking discussions. This way, teachers can encourage students to share their thoughts and preferences and enhance their involvement in the educational process. Now that you know the different ways to use WhatsApp for education, let’s look at how educational institutions are generating business results through WhatsApp. ### How Businesses are Succeding in WhatsApp Education with Respond.io Here, we’ll show you how two educational institutions use WhatsApp with respond.io to achieve business goals. #### E4CC: Achieving More Sign-Ups and Operational Efficiency [E4CC](https://respond.io/customers/how-e4cc-consolidated-22-siloed-regional-offices-on-one-platform), an English language training provider, faced challenges with siloed operations and slow support response times. It was also primarily using Facebook for customer communication in a [region where WhatsApp dominates](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-9 ). Partnering with respond.io, E4CC strategically shifted its support to WhatsApp and increased reach through click-to-chat ad campaigns. This move, along with centralizing operations on a single platform, streamlined management, improved operational efficiency and enabled real-time performance tracking. > “Respond.io has revamped the way we operate at E4CC and the results speak for themselves. One of the things we really want to highlight is the support we receive from our Customer Success Manager at respond.io. Our journey with the team so far has not only been productive, but also a very pleasant one!” – Luis Castillo, E4CC These changes led to an 80% reduction in response times, optimized sales and support channels and increased student enrollment, significantly boosting E4CC's operational success. #### GETUTOR: Increasing Sales and Improving Customer Experience [GETUTOR](https://respond.io/customers/sleekflow-alternative-review-by-getutor), a leading educational consultancy in Hong Kong that matches thousands of students with private tutors, struggled to manage a high volume of WhatsApp messages, which led to missed sales opportunities. The business subscribed to Sleekflow as a WhatsApp API provider but found it couldn't meet its needs. GETUTOR chose respond.io as a [Sleekflow alternative](https://respond.io/sleekflow-alternative) and rapidly saw the desired results. With better inbox organization, it never overlooks a message. Respond.io's onboarding specialists helped the business set up automation to gather key information about students and then automatically assign them to an agent. As a result, GETUTOR is able to handle 50% more leads per day and in just two months, it saw a 24% increase in class bookings. It uses additional features to export WhatsApp conversations and analyze them to improve the tutor matching experience. > There’s a huge difference between Sleekflow and respond.io’s onboarding experience. With Sleekflow, we couldn’t even get started with WhatsApp template messages, but respond.io’s onboarding experts got us set up with advanced automation in no time. — Jedi Hui, CEO of GETUTOR #### Qobolak: Centralizing Conversations with Students with WhatsApp API [Qobolak](https://respond.io/customers/how-qobolak-used-broadcasts-to-double-student-lead-conversions), an education placement company serving students in the Gulf Coast Countries, transformed its student communication process by consolidating multiple WhatsApp accounts and social channels into one system. Previously, 20 agents relied on personal WhatsApp numbers, creating communication gaps, poor oversight, and inconsistent follow-ups with students applying to universities in the UK, USA, Europe, and Australia. By adopting the WhatsApp Business API with a centralized inbox, Qobolak unified all student conversations under a single number, improving professionalism and response tracking. Managers gained visibility into agent performance through detailed reports, enabling better accountability and service quality. The team also used WhatsApp broadcasts to promote education fairs and events, reaching thousands of students instantly and improving attendance. The results were significant: Qobolak increased lead conversions by 95%, boosted student engagement, and closed communication gaps in the placement journey. With nearly 50,000 WhatsApp messages sent in eight months, the company established a scalable, professional, and efficient communication framework, strengthening its role as a trusted bridge between students and international universities. > “We're thrilled with the transformation in our student engagement and lead conversions since implementing respond.io. It has been a game-changer, streamlining our communication and boosting our team's results so well.” — Waddaa Aboulatta, Head of IT, Qobolak #### Breakthrough Maths: Scaling Online Tutoring with WhatsApp [Breakthrough Maths](https://respond.io/customers/breakthrough-maths-boosts-sales-by-35-percent-by-halving-their-lead-response-times), an online tutoring company in Ireland and the UK, scaled its student engagement by moving from the WhatsApp app to the WhatsApp Business API. The shift allowed the company to manage high volumes of conversations, centralize communication, and use WhatsApp broadcasts to reach thousands of students and parents at once. Before the change, reliance on the WhatsApp app led to long response times and disorganized chats, averaging 54 minutes per reply. By adopting the API with a centralized inbox, Breakthrough Maths cut response times in half to 26 minutes, boosting sales by 35% and increasing lead conversion by 21%. Today, the business manages over 2,300 monthly WhatsApp messages and sends 12,800 bulk messages per month, keeping parents and students informed about lessons, promotions, and updates. The ability to handle up to 3,000 active contacts on WhatsApp ensures scalability, making the platform a vital tool for delivering accessible, personalized education at scale. As evident, WhatsApp provides businesses with opportunities to increase sales conversion and operational efficiency. To maximize these results, it's crucial to integrate WhatsApp API with advanced platforms like respond.io. ### WhatsApp Education: Maximizing Business Results With Respond.io Respond.io is an AI-powered customer conversation management software built to generate leads and enable sales through conversations. Its [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) streamlines conversation management for educational institutions by unifying traditional and instant messaging channels into a single platform. This ensures that you have a unified hub to monitor and respond to inquiries across various channels, fostering consistency and efficiency in interactions. The platform offers tools for seamless conversation capture, such as QR codes, chat links and click-to-chat ads, perfectly aligning with the needs of the education sector to attract potential students effectively. Plus, it has a robust [Broadcast Module](https://help.respond.io/l/en/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) for our nurturing and re-engagement efforts. Advanced AI and automation capabilities are at the heart of respond.io. Its [Workflows automation builder](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) provides the flexibility to automate tasks of varying complexity. Additionally, its objective-driven AI chatbot called [AI Agent](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai#toc-mobile-3) handles routine inquiries and collects lead information automatically, freeing up human agents for more complex tasks. Features like AI prompts let you improve and translate messages, ensuring that every interaction is personalized, professional and polished. Additionally, [AI Assist](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai#toc-mobile-5) helps agents respond promptly by analyzing queries and providing context-based responses, elevating the quality of student support. Respond.io's [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) lets you track and analyze interaction patterns, response times and engagement levels. It offers insights for educational institutions to improve their education management and conversation strategies. Additionally, its [broadcast analytics](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-broadcasts) provides detailed data on the reach and effectiveness of broadcast campaigns, enabling institutions to refine their broadcast strategies for maximum impact. Ready to start using WhatsApp for education? [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and kickstart your journey to a value-driven WhatsApp education journey. ### Further Reading Interested to learn about how WhatsApp elevates your business? Here are some additional readings you may like: - WhatsApp for Healthcare: A Comprehensive Guide - WhatsApp for Real Estate: A Comprehensive Guide - Enhance Customer Experience with an Omnichannel Communication Platform ## [WhatsApp for Healthcare: A Comprehensive Guide ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-for-healthcare) Looking to use WhatsApp for healthcare? Learn how to attract patients with click to chat ads, offer fast care with AI agents, & automate appointment booking. Considering using WhatsApp for healthcare? You're not alone. Many healthcare businesses are short-staffed and face increasingly high demands from patients. Today's patients want convenience along with high standards of care, and they shop around online for healthcare just as for any other business service. WhatsApp API for healthcare is a solution that enables medical professionals to deliver services in a way that minimizes overhead expenses and offers patients quick, secure and personalized support at any time. In this article, we’ll discuss everything you need to know to get started with WhatsApp Business for healthcare. ### What is WhatsApp for Healthcare? WhatsApp for healthcare refers to the use of WhatsApp as a tool to facilitate communication and collaboration between healthcare providers, patients, and other stakeholders in the healthcare industry. With the widespread use of smartphones, WhatsApp has become a [preferred mode of communication](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-1) for over 2 billion people. This presents healthcare professionals with an opportunity to communicate with patients in a channel they are comfortable with. And the use of WhatsApp in clinical settings is widespread, particularly in Asia and South America. [An NIH study found that 74% of physicians in Malaysia and 97% in Brazil regularly used WhatsApp](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8708459/) in their practices. Bet’s go through the reasons why WhatsApp is a great messaging channel for the healthcare industry. #### WhatsApp for Healthcare: Benefits over Traditional Messaging Channels WhatsApp has become ubiquitous, with people all over the world using it to communicate with friends and family. This means that healthcare providers can communicate with their patients using a platform that they are already familiar with. - Global popularity: No matter where a clinic or hospital is based, it's likely that their patients are already using WhatsApp, making it an accessible and convenient tool for healthcare communication. - End-to-end encryption protects patient data: Messages sent through WhatsApp are only visible to the sender and the recipient. Therefore, it’s a secure platform for sharing sensitive data such as medical information. - Easy media sharing: Compared to traditional communication channels like phone and email, WhatsApp offers several advantages for healthcare communication. For instance, WhatsApp allows healthcare providers to send files, images, videos and voice notes, making it easier to communicate complex medical information. - Patient record-keeping: WhatsApp messages can be saved, searched and accessed at any time, providing a record of the patient's medical history. Finally, WhatsApp's real-time communication enables healthcare providers to respond quickly to patient inquiries, reducing wait times and improving patient satisfaction. #### WhatsApp for Healthcare: Business and Commerce Policies Healthcare providers need to review WhatsApp’s [commerce policies](https://faq.whatsapp.com/933578044281252) and guidelines carefully to ensure that they are eligible to use WhatsApp. It's crucial to follow these rules and regulations to avoid any violations, which may result in account suspension or termination. ##### 1\. Obtain patients' consent to receive WhatsApp notifications. This can be done by [asking patients to opt-in](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in) to receive reminders through WhatsApp when they schedule their appointments. ##### 2\. No promotion of medication or medical devices. WhatsApp's commerce policy does not allow the promotion of prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs or medical devices. Healthcare businesses may not send [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) messages or [broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) about these products. ##### 3\. Keep patient data confidential. Healthcare providers must ensure that they only share information that is necessary and relevant to patient care, and that the information is transmitted securely through end-to-end encryption. Patient data must be protected and kept confidential in accordance with relevant laws and regulations like [GDPR](https://www.gdprregister.eu/gdpr/healthcare-sector-gdpr/) and [HIPAA](https://www.hipaajournal.com/whatsapp-hipaa-compliant/). Note that WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted, but if you're using WhatsApp API, you'll also need to make sure your provider is secure. Respond.io is [GDPR compliant and is ISO27001 certified](https://respond.io/blog/secure-messaging#toc-4). By following these policies, healthcare providers can ensure the safe and secure transmission of medical information through WhatsApp. Now, let’s go through some best practices healthcare businesses should know. ### WhatsApp for Healthcare: How to Use it Many healthcare businesses use the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) as a first point of contact for patients as it's more convenient than a phone call or email. WhatsApp has a range of use cases beyond that to help make your patients' journey easier. #### WhatsApp Link on Google Business Profile When patients are looking for a health care provider, they want to get in contact with them quickly. Imagine someone searches for "eye doctors near me." Will they want to make a phone call, go to a website and fill out a long form or click a single link to chat on WhatsApp? Most will choose to chat on WhatsApp, so having a link to WhatsApp on your Google Business Profile makes your business stand out. #### Click to Chat Ads As we've covered above, you can't promote medication or medical devices; however, you can still promote your healthcare business via ads, whether it's discounted exams or annual flu shot reminders. Run [click to chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads) on Facebook or Instagram that take potential patients directly into a chat on WhatsApp where they book an appointment. #### Appointment Reminders WhatsApp is also a great way to remind patients about their appointments. With the Business App, you'll need to send reminders manually, but with WhatsApp API, which we'll get into later, you can automatically send reminders to patients, for example, the day before their appointment. Clinics can also keep patients coming back for wellness visits with a reminder for their yearly exam. #### Reaching Global Patients Medical tourism has become popular as patients from certain countries can get procedures done abroad for a fraction of the cost that they would pay at home. With WhatsApp, there's no need to make international phone calls to discuss procedure details and travel arrangements as they can call directly from the app whether you're using the WhatsApp Business App or [WhatsApp Calling API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-voice-call). ### How 2 Healthcare Businesses Succeeded with WhatsApp API Here are some real life examples. We’ll discuss how two of our customers use WhatsApp Business API plus respond.io for healthcare to enhance their operations and patient communication. #### How Praga Medica Scaled Medical Tourism Leads with WhatsApp API [Praga Medica](https://respond.io/customers/praga-medica-recovers-70-percent-more-leads), a Prague-based medical tourism facilitator, needed a better way to capture leads, cut down on spam, and speed up responses to international patients seeking procedures. Email and webchat had proven inefficient—email was too slow, while webchat attracted spam and unqualified leads. Consultants deprioritized chat, leading to lost opportunities. By adopting the **WhatsApp Business API with respond.io**, Praga Medica transformed its process. Every WhatsApp chat now captures a phone number, giving consultants reliable contact data that syncs automatically to their CRM via HTTP requests and webhooks. An AI Agent filters out spam by qualifying inquiries before routing them to consultants, while also providing instant replies outside working hours to engage global leads quickly. The results were substantial: **70% more lead contact data captured, 97% of spam filtered out, and a 50% reduction in response times.** With consultants now focused on high-quality conversations, WhatsApp has become the company’s most effective channel for driving patient conversions and supporting long-term growth in medical tourism. #### How Homage Saves 50 Hours a Month with WhatsApp Automation [Homage](https://respond.io/customers/how-homage-achieved-a-9-percent-increase-in-care-visit-success-with-respondio-automation), a caregiving and health solution provider operating in Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia, needed a more efficient way to notify its network of healthcare professionals about urgent home visits. Previously, staff manually typed WhatsApp messages, which was time-consuming and difficult to track. By adopting the respond.io WhatsApp Business API, Homage automated its outreach process, integrated real-time data from its CRM, and gained granular insights into team performance through reporting and data export tools. The switch also provided a more cost-effective API solution with centralized account management. The results were significant: Homage **cut 50 hours per month from its outreach process and achieved a 9% increase in successful care visits.** With automation, better reporting, and strong customer support, Homage improved efficiency and strengthened its ability to deliver timely, quality care. ### WhatsApp API for Healthcare: Best Practices with Respond.io Companies often use the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) to communicate with clients because it's simple and free. However, it is designed only for small and micro businesses, and it lacks the advanced features and [multiuser capabilities](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) healthcare businesses need. In contrast, [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) is designed for large businesses and enterprises. As it is just an API, it has no front end, so it must be connected to a customer conversation management software like respond.io. With the [respond.io](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start#connecting_whats_app_business_api) [WhatsApp Business API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start#connecting_whats_app_business_api), healthcare providers can take advantage of advanced automation, multi-channel communication, and other features that make it easy to manage patient conversations and provide better care. Here’s how you can create great patient experiences on WhatsApp via respond.io. #### Relieve Your Team's Workload with AI Agents [Respond.io’s AI Agent](https://respond.io/ai-agents) helps healthcare providers scale patient acquisition, save human consultants time answering FAQ and offer round-the-clock support on WhatsApp. By learning from knowledge bases such as program details, pricing or enrollment requirements, the AI Agent can do much more than answer questions. ##### Create AI Receptionists and Dedicated Agents With AI agents, healthcare providers can manage different parts of the patient journey on WhatsApp. For example, an AI receptionist can greet patients the moment they message the clinic, answer FAQs about opening hours or services, and guide them to the right next step. Beyond basic reception tasks, healthcare providers can also set up a dedicated AI agent for more complex needs, such as handling product or service inquiries, collecting medical or personal details, and updating patient records in connected CRMs. Most importantly, these AI agents work around the clock, ensuring every inquiry is processed instantly and routed properly. ##### Qualify and Route Patients Beyond responding to queries, an AI Agent can qualify new leads and automatically route high-value conversations to the right team. This ensures that the right patients get to the right specialist quickly, improving overall patient experience and allowing staff to spend less time on administrative tasks. For example, after a few qualification questions, a critical medical query can be immediately flagged as high-priority and sent to a specialist. By delegating repetitive tasks to an AI Agent, every team member can focus on what they do best while patients enjoy a better experience. #### Message Through Any Channel with an Omnichannel Inbox [Respond.io's omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) allows healthcare providers to communicate with patients on multiple messaging apps, including [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-business), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business), and many others, so providers can reach patients on the messaging app of their choice to improve patient engagement and satisfaction. This omnichannel inbox provides a complete consultation history for each patient, consolidating conversations across different channels. This means that providers can quickly review a patient's previous messages for context. This includes any medical history or other relevant information before responding to their current message, ensuring patients receive personalized care that is tailored to their specific needs and circumstances. ##### Correctly Identify Contacts on Any Channel Respond.io's [Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) feature enables the merging of duplicate contact information into a single profile. Healthcare providers use the contact merge feature to consolidate patient data and conversation histories from different channels. This can streamline communication and reduce the risk of errors or confusion by ensuring that all relevant patient information is kept together in one place, which helps healthcare providers to provide better, more personalized care to their patients. #### Track the Entire Patient Journey with Lifecycle Respond.io's [Lifecycle feature](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) enables businesses to see where patients are in their journey from the first time they contact the clinic to repeat visits. This gives consultants context to understand when to follow-up or what treatments a patient may be interested in for the future. Additionally, "Lost Stages" in the lifecycle, which refer to contacts who have dropped off, help healthcare businesses identify reasons why customers decide not to book or return, for example, they may have gotten slow responses or no follow-up. #### Convenient Appointment Booking for Patients and Agents When connected to respond.io, WhatsApp API makes [appointment booking](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-appointment-booking) time-saving and efficient. Here are some ways in which you can achieve this. ##### Automated Appointment Bookings In healthcare, patients often want a quick way to [book appointments](https://respond.io/book-a-meeting) without long back-and-forth conversations. With respond.io’s AI Agent, clinics can automate this process by sending an appointment booking link directly in WhatsApp. When a patient asks to book a visit, the AI Agent replies instantly with a link to the clinic’s scheduling tool (e.g., Google Calendar, Calendly or another booking system). The patient taps the link, selects a suitable time, and confirms the appointment — all in just a few steps. This makes the booking process fast, simple and available 24/7, while ensuring patients can manage their healthcare visits through the app they already use every day. ##### Send Reminders for Doctor’s Appointments With [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/integrations/zapier), you can create a Zap that sends appointment reminders to patients on WhatApp via respond.io a certain number of hours or days before their scheduled appointment. Customize the message to include details like the date, time and location of the appointment. Set the frequency of the reminders. These are usually sent a few days before the appointment, as well as a few hours before the appointment. Similar to a [WhatsApp drip campaign](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-promotional-messages#toc-mobile-6), use the Workflows Module to set up a message sequence over a period of time. #### Integrate Existing CRMs [Integrating your CRMs](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm#toc-mobile) on respond.io allows you to centralize patient data, reduce errors, and improve collaboration between healthcare professionals. It enables easy access to patient profiles and their medical histories, as well as sharing relevant information with teams to enhance the quality of care delivered. This integration opens many new possibilities for healthcare businesses. For example, it can be used to conveniently retrieve data from your CRM to update [Contact Fields](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/contact-fields) on respond.io. #### Gauge Patient Satisfaction via CSAT Surveys [CSAT surveys](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) can provide valuable insights into patient satisfaction and areas for improvement. By analyzing the data collected from these surveys, healthcare providers can identify trends, areas of strengths and weaknesses, and make data-driven decisions to improve the patient experience. Most importantly, CSAT Surveys prove to patients that their opinions and feedback are valued. This can lead to increased patient satisfaction and loyalty over time. You can gauge customer satisfaction by integrating your survey software with respond.io. You can [save the answers in Google Sheets](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-9) or your [data warehouse](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-10). In conclusion, healthcare providers should consider integrating WhatsApp API as a patient communication channel. By connecting it to respond.io, they get access to advanced automation and other valuable features for the whole patient journey. To get started, [sign up for a free respond.io trial](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) or [connect WhatsApp API now](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-cloud-api#connecting_whats_app_cloud_api). ### Further Reading If you’ve found this article interesting, here are some additional readings you may like: - WhatsApp Multi Agent: Everything You Need to Know - SMS vs WhatsApp: A Comparison for Business - WhatsApp Automation: A WhatsApp Business Automation Guide - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business ## [WhatsApp for Real Estate: A Comprehensive Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-for-real-estate) Looking for an easy way to connect with your real estate clients? Streamline your communication with WhatsApp for real estate! Read this blog to learn more. WhatsApp has become one of the most popular communication tools in the world with over 2 billion active users. It is a simple and user-friendly app that can be used for instant messaging, voice and video calls and file sharing. The app's versatility has made it an ideal tool for businesses, including those in the real estate industry. This article will discuss the benefits of using WhatsApp for real estate, as well as why you should connect it to respond.io. Finally, we’ll share some best practices on how to use WhatsApp business for real estate. ### What is WhatsApp for Real Estate? WhatsApp for real estate refers to the use of WhatsApp as a tool to facilitate communication and collaboration between real estate agents, buyers, sellers, and other stakeholders in the real estate industry. Real estate agents can leverage WhatsApp to quickly respond to client inquiries and provide personalized service, ultimately leading to increased customer satisfaction and improved sales performance. #### Benefits over Traditional Channels One of the key reasons why WhatsApp is a popular choice for real estate professionals is its widespread popularity. With [over 2 billion active users worldwide](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-1), WhatsApp is the most widely used messaging app in the world. This means that real estate agents can connect with clients and prospects on a channel they are already familiar with, which can help to build trust and make communication easier. Overall, WhatsApp is a versatile and convenient tool for real estate professionals that offers several advantages over traditional messaging channels such as SMS or email. Let’s start with its instant messaging capabilities. Real estate agents can use WhatsApp. to quickly respond to client inquiries and provide timely updates on properties, which is especially important in the fast-paced world of real estate. It allows them to stay connected with clients and prospects in real time, which can help to speed up the sales process. WhatsApp also offers multimedia messaging capabilities so real estate agents can send photos and videos of properties to clients and prospects. This is a powerful way to showcase properties and give clients a better sense of what they are looking at to increase interest and ultimately lead to more sales. Lastly, using WhatsApp can help real estate agents establish a better rapport with potential clients, which can lead to better customer satisfaction. Now that you are familiar with the benefits, let’s go through how to use WhatsApp for Real Estate. ### WhatsApp for Real Estate: How to Use it For a start, real estate agents can use WhatsApp to receive property inquiries from potential buyers or tenants, fostering quick and direct communication. Tailored to client segments, [WhatsApp Groups](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-group) on the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) enable targeted communication and information sharing, making it effortless to connect with investors or buyers seeking properties in specific locations. With its secure platform, WhatsApp facilitates the seamless sharing of vital documents like contracts, agreements and property information sheets, ensuring privacy and efficient transactions. Leveraging the video call feature, agents conduct immersive virtual property tours, allowing clients to remotely explore properties in real time and inquire about details. Next, we’ll show how a successful real estate company uses WhatsApp for customer communication. #### Success Story: How Sotheby Uses WhatsApp for Real Estate Sotheby's International Realty, a renowned luxury real estate brokerage, has seamlessly incorporated WhatsApp into its communication strategy to enhance client engagement and facilitate real estate transactions. The company shares property listings and captivating details through WhatsApp, providing clients with visually rich experiences and the ability to explore properties remotely. Moreover, WhatsApp serves as a platform for virtual property tours, allowing clients to engage in immersive property viewings through live video or pre-recorded walkthroughs. This direct communication channel also facilitates efficient and personalized interactions between Sotheby's agents and clients, enabling real-time discussions, clarifications, and updates on property-related matters. Furthermore, WhatsApp proves instrumental in facilitating various aspects of real estate transactions, including document sharing, coordinating property viewings, scheduling meetings, and providing transaction updates. By integrating this channel into its communication strategy, Sotheby's International Realty aims to deliver a seamless and personalized experience for clients throughout the real estate buying or selling process. If you’re determined to use WhatsApp for your real estate business like Sotheby does, do not miss the next section. We’ll share some best practices to make the most out of WhatsApp’s capabilities. ### WhatsApp for Real Estate: Best Practices The WhatsApp Business App is designed with micro and small businesses in mind. Real estate businesses should use a [WhatsApp solution for multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) to manage conversations at scale. Their best choice is to [apply for a WhatsApp API account](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api). As [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) has no interface, it needs to be connected to a messaging inbox or software to send and receive messages. Respond.io is a customer conversation management software that allows businesses to manage all their messaging channels in one place. Whether you are a respond.io user or not, you’ll find this section useful. We will discuss some of the best practices you can adopt when using respond.io WhatsApp Business API for the real estate industry. #### Message Through Any Channel with an Omnichannel Inbox An [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) is more convenient than a WhatsApp inbox, as customers often contact real estate agencies from different messaging channels. Respond.io's omnichannel inbox allows businesses to manage all their customer inquiries from messaging channels like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) and [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) in one place. This centralization can help agents respond to inquiries more efficiently and reduce the likelihood of missing any inquiries. Realtors can improve customer satisfaction and loyalty by providing a seamless and consistent customer experience across all messaging channels. But occasionally, a Contact messages the business from different channels, which creates duplicated profiles. Let’s see how to quickly fix this issue. ##### Correctly Identify Contacts on Any Channel [Merging Contacts](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) allows businesses to identify and join duplicate customer profiles and consolidate all of a customer’s information in one place. This helps agents access all relevant information about a customer, including previous inquiries, preferences and history, leading to better customer service. With this feature, real estate agents can eliminate duplicate customer profiles and ensure that all customer data is accurate and up-to-date, so real estate businesses can avoid communication errors and improve overall customer data quality. Merging contacts also helps agents streamline customer communication, as they only need to manage one customer profile instead of multiple profiles. This can lead to more efficient communication and reduce the likelihood of missed messages. #### WhatsApp for Real Estate: Automate Common Processes Many of the common processes performed by real estate businesses can be streamlined when you connect WhatsApp API to respond.io. Here are some examples. ##### WhatsApp Business for Real Estate: Lead Collection WhatsApp offers a few chat entry points for customer conversations. For example, a real estate business can [generate a WhatsApp link](https://respond.io/whatsapp-link-generator) and embed it on its website to collect leads. In contrast, businesses seeking to collect leads from their physical location can do it with a [WhatsApp QR code](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code). A [WhatsApp widget](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-widget) is another effective way to convert website visitors into WhatsApp leads. Since [respond.io also has an omnichannel widget](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget), real estate businesses can add other popular messaging channels to provide customers with more options. Alternatively, you can run [WhatsApp click-to-chat](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads) ads to generate leads from Facebook and Instagram. For example, offer a free consultation or property evaluation for anyone who contacts you via WhatsApp. ##### WhatsApp Business for Real Estate: Answer FAQs with a WhatsApp Menu To answer common real estate questions with a FAQ menu, you can start by identifying the recurrent customer inquiries such as financing options, types of properties available, and the buying process. Then, build the FAQ menu using [Workflows, respond.io’s automation builder](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview). Once the menu is set up, customers can interact with it by selecting the question they want to know more about. Then, they should get the relevant information instantly or get directed to an agent who can answer their question in more detail. ##### WhatsApp Business for Real Estate: Automate House Viewing Appointments Develop an interactive Workflow that can guide leads through the process of scheduling an appointment for house viewing. The Workflow could ask a series of questions to gather information about their preferences and then suggest available dates and times for the viewing. If the house has a virtual tour available, integrate it into the WhatsApp Workflow so leads can view the house before scheduling an in-person appointment. This could help to save time and reduce the number of unnecessary appointments for agents. ##### WhatsApp Business for Real Estate: Send Follow-up Notifications Build a Workflow to send customers a message after a house-viewing appointment. For example, you could ask for feedback using the [Rating Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_ask_a_question) and an open-ended question to collect qualitative data. Finally, you can send a congratulatory message to the customer after selling the house. This can include a personalized message thanking them for their business and wishing them well in their new home. Real estate agents want to have control over when to send follow-up notifications. In cases like this, it’s recommended to build a Workflow using [Contact Tag Updated](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-triggers#trigger_contact_tag_updated), [Contact Field Updated](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-triggers#trigger_contact_field_updated) or [Shortcut](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-triggers#trigger_shortcut) as a Workflow Trigger. #### WhatsApp Business for Real Estate: Integrate your CRMs Some real estate businesses use [WhatsApp CRMs](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) to store customer details, manage sales processes and other purposes. Rather than juggling between respond.io and your CRM of choice when chatting with customers, [integrate them](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm#toc-mobile-4) to let your agents work efficiently. By doing so, you’ll be able to sync client information across both platforms. This comes with multiple benefits, the main one being the possibility to retrieve data from your CRM to enrich [respond.io Contact Fields](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/contact-fields). Here’s another application: Your CRM can detect when a prospect has shown interest in a property listing on your business site. Then, it can notify your sales team on respond.io so they follow up at the earliest. #### WhatsApp Business for Real Estate: Send Promotional Messages Real estate agents can create a [broadcast list in WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) to send messages to multiple clients at once. This list can include clients who have expressed interest in a particular area or property type, or who have previously worked with the agent. When a new properties becomes available, real estate agents can share a [WhatsApp Catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog) to their broadcast list, letting clients know about the new property. This can include details such as the property's features, location, and price, as well as any relevant photos or videos . In conclusion, real estate businesses should consider integrating WhatsApp API as one of their communication channels. By connecting it to respond.io, they get access to advanced automation and other valuable features for the whole customer journey. To get started, [sign up for a free respond.io trial](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) or [connect WhatsApp API to your respond.io account now](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-cloud-api#connecting_whats_app_cloud_api). ### Further Reading If you’ve found this article interesting, here are some additional readings you may like: - WhatsApp Business Metrics: How to Track WhatsApp Analytics - WhatsApp Marketing: Guide to a Successful WhatsApp Campaign - WhatsApp Communities: A Guide to Creating Communities on WhatsApp ## [WhatsApp Green Tick Explained: Steps & Tips](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick) Want to get the coveted WhatsApp green tick? Read this article to learn more about how to verify WhatsApp Business Account or how to get a green tick on WhatsApp. **Want to secure the coveted WhatsApp green tick (now known as the blue tick)?** In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about it. Drawing from our firsthand experience and insights from working with numerous clients, we’ll then walk you through the process of obtaining the WhatsApp green tick to become an **Official Business Account**. We'll also share the prerequisites and best practices to increase your chances of approval. Let’s dive in! ### What is a WhatsApp Green Tick? (or WhatsApp Verified Badge) WhatsApp green tick is a badge designed to help customers distinguish between an authentic brand account and a fake account. It indicates that the business account is verified by WhatsApp and that it belongs to the brand it claims to be. This badge is especially important for popular brands susceptible to getting their account impersonated. For this reason, WhatsApp is very particular about which businesses get this badge to protect users from spam and fake accounts. For clarification, Meta has recently changed the verified icon color from green to blue. If you see terms like "[WhatsApp blue checkmark](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-blue-tick)" or "blue tick," they refer to the WhatsApp verified icon. To avoid confusion, we will continue referring to it as the "green tick" throughout this blog. ### Regular WhatsApp Business Account vs Verified WhatsApp Business Account By default, all WhatsApp accounts using the [Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) and [API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) are WhatsApp Business accounts. Once the Business account is verified and gets the green tick, it will be an Official Business Account. In summary, **a WhatsApp official account is a WhatsApp account that has been verified**. There are at least 3 benefits associated with the WhatsApp Green Tick. ### What Are the Benefits of a WhatsApp Green Tick? There are 3 benefits of WhatsApp Green Tick we’ll cover in this section: Proof of authenticity, more credibility and higher brand recognition. #### Proof of Authenticity Having a WhatsApp Official Business Account with the green tick serves as proof of authenticity. It indicates that your business is verified by WhatsApp and recognized as notable. This helps customers trust that they are engaging with the actual business, not an impostor. #### More Credibility The green tick also adds a layer of credibility to your business. Customers see that your brand is established and reliable enough to earn the green tick. As a result, they are more likely to engage with [WhatsApp broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) messages and less likely to report or block your business. The green tick sets you apart from competitors who lack verification, giving you a credibility boost. #### Higher Brand Recognition With a WhatsApp Official Business Account, your business name will appear in chat headers, chat lists and business profiles—without requiring users to save your phone number. This ensures higher brand recognition and makes it clear to customers that they are interacting with the right business. The visibility and notability of the green tick help your brand stand out in a crowded marketplace. Plus, WhatsApp users don’t have to save your phone number to see your business name. This makes Official Business Accounts stand out from regular business accounts and lets customers know they are reaching the right business account. So, **is there any downside to verifying your WhatsApp Business account?** ### Are There Any Downsides to WhatsApp Green Tick? The green tick on the WhatsApp Business app comes with more downsides than on the WhatsApp API. The only way to obtain it is through [Meta Verified](https://faq.whatsapp.com/3872729742954601/?helpref=faq_content), a subscription plan not available in many countries. If you do have access to it, know that there are several paid plans with different benefits. However, paying a monthly subscription won't liberate you from Meta's eligibility requirements. Finally, if you are a [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) user and take on this journey alone, getting the WhatsApp Green tick can be tricky, and there is certainly a possibility of rejection. For this reason, you have to be familiar with the requirements. ### What Are the 3 Requirements for Getting the WhatsApp Green Tick? If you're considering Meta Verified for the WhatsApp Business App, you’ll need to follow [WhatsApp’s Business Messaging Policy](https://business.whatsapp.com/policy) and pay a monthly subscription fee. On the other hand, the green checkmark for the WhatsApp API is free, but to qualify, you must also comply with those same policies *plus* meet three additional requirements. #### 1\. You are a notable business Meta defines a [notable business](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/overview/business-accounts/#:~:text=the%20contacts%20view.-,How%20It%20Works,-WhatsApp%20has%20verified) as one that is well-known and frequently searched. To prove this, businesses are encouraged to submit 3-5 media coverage links from reputable news articles or magazines with their application. These links should feature your business and must match the business name used on WhatsApp and in Meta Business Suite. Note that Meta does not accept paid or promotional content as valid sources for review. To further increase your chances, it’s recommended to have a **Google Business Profile** to enhance your online presence, as Meta checks for brand mentions through Google searches. Additionally, having a substantial number of **Facebook followers** can also demonstrate the relevance and notability of your business. #### 2\. You have verified your business on Meta Business Manager Your business needs to be [verified through Meta Business Manager](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-verification#toc-mobile-3). This process involves submitting your business documentation to Meta for approval, ensuring that your brand is legitimate and ready for the next steps in obtaining the green tick. #### 3\. You have enabled 2-step verification To further secure your account, you should enable [2-step verification](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/on-premises/reference/settings/two-step-verification). This adds an extra layer of protection, making it harder for unauthorized users to gain access to your WhatsApp Business account. While meeting all the requirements sounds simple, there's no guarantee that your WhatsApp Business account will get verified. That said, your chances are way higher if you follow a reliable guide like this one. ### How Do You Apply for the WhatsApp Green Tick on the WhatsApp Business App? If Meta Verified is available in your area, you'll be able to get the green tick by following these steps. 1. Access Settings: Open the WhatsApp Business App, tap the three dots (menu), and navigate to Settings. 2. Select Meta Verified: Within Settings, tap on Meta Verified. 3. Choose a Subscription Plan: Review the available plans and select one that aligns with your business needs. Subscription options may vary by region. 4. Complete Payment: Enter your payment details and confirm the subscription. After subscribing, your business profile will be locked for 20 days, during which you cannot make any changes. Altering any profile details during this period may result in the loss of the verification badge, requiring you to re-subscribe. If you are a WhatsApp API user, there are two ways to verify your WhatsApp Business account, which we'll cover next. ### How Do You Apply for WhatsApp Green Tick through Meta Business Manager? Any businesses using [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) can verify their WhatsApp Business account by themselves on Meta Business Manager. Follow the steps below to start. #### 1\. Select Phone Number Go to WhatsApp Manager and select the phone number you want to request for an Official Business Account under the Overview section. #### 2\. Turn on 2-Step Verification Turn on 2-step verification for this phone number to apply for an Official Business Account if you haven’t enabled it before applying for the green tick. #### 3\. Submit Request 3\. Fill in your business details and click on the *Submit Request* button. Note that the *Submit Request* button will be grayed out if your business does not meet Meta’s green tick requirements. #### 4\. Provide the required information You have to provide information like the reason for requesting a green tick and up to 5 supporting links to show that the business is notable. When providing the reason for requesting the green tick, include a brief explanation of your company and its position in the market to justify your green tick application. Once you’ve provided all the required information, click Submit. That’s all you have to do if you apply through your WhatsApp Manager. Meta will review your application and provide an update within three business days. Once the review is complete, you’ll receive a notification through the verification method you selected. Let’s now look at how to apply through your WhatsApp BSP. ### How Do You Apply for WhatsApp Green Tick Through Your WhatsApp BSP? If you’re currently using WhatsApp Business API or On-premises API, you can [get help with the application from your BSPs](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider#toc-mobile-3). Keep in mind that some [BSPs](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-is-now-a-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) charge businesses for this. The WhatsApp Business verification process will differ depending on which WhatsApp Partner you sign up with, so it’s best if you contact your BSP directly to get details of the application process and possible application fees. Regardless, we’ve researched and compiled the most common things you need to do and prepare before getting help from your BSP. Here’s what you need: - Screenshot showing your verified Meta Business Manager status - Business website address - Facebook Page URL - Business name in languages other than English (if any) - Facebook ID - WhatsApp phone number Depending on your BSP, they’ll either apply for an Official Business Account on your behalf or guide you on how to do it yourself via their respective dashboards. In any case, let's discuss the timelines of the verification process. #### WhatsApp Green Tick Verification: Timelines Key stages in the WhatsApp Green Tick application include document preparation and submission (2–3 days), Meta’s review (5–7 days), profile setup with two-step verification (1–2 days), and final approval or rejection notification (1–3 days). These are just estimated timelines, and every business experiences different waiting times. Typically, the WhatsApp Green Tick verification process through a WhatsApp BSP takes **7 days to 3 weeks.** ### What to Do if Your WhatsApp Green Tick Application Gets Rejected? If your WhatsApp Green Tick application gets rejected, do not give up. Here is how you can fix this in three steps. #### 1\. Address the Reason for Rejection Meta always provides a reason for rejection. It could be that your business doesn’t qualify as notable, or perhaps it doesn’t comply with the Meta Business Commerce Policy. The first step is to identify this reason and plan for a solution before reapplying. #### 2\. Reapply After 30 Days If you apply for a green tick on your own, you will typically receive a response within 2-4 business days. However, if your application is rejected, you can reapply after 30 days. Meta encourages businesses to build their presence in news articles and online content before reapplying to increase their chances of approval. #### 3\. Get Help from a WhatsApp BSP If everything else fails, the best solution is to get assistance. Don’t hesitate to reach out to a reliable WhatsApp BSP if you want to verify your WhatsApp account in an easy way. These general steps should cover most situations. However, after years of helping businesses get the verified badge, we've identified the three most common reasons for rejection—and how to solve them. Read on to learn how to avoid these pitfalls or address them with precision. ### What Are 3 Common Rejection Scenarios and Solutions? Here are the three most common rejection scenarios and solutions. #### 1\. Incorrect or Incomplete Documentation Avoid submitting outdated business registration documents, mismatched information, or missing required proofs (e.g., no tax identification number or certificate of incorporation). **Solution**: Double-check all submitted documents for accuracy and ensure they meet WhatsApp’s requirements. Collaborate with your BSP to verify completeness before submission. Using an official document checklist from Meta can minimize errors. #### 2\. Inconsistencies in Brand Information Beware of mismatched names, logos or details between your business profile, website and Meta Business Manager account. **Solution**: Align branding across all platforms. Ensure the business name, logo, and contact details on Meta and WhatsApp are identical to your public-facing materials (e.g., website or social media). This builds trust and avoids rejection. #### 3\. Lack of Notability or Public Presence Meta rejects businesses that lack public recognition or press coverage, deeming them insufficiently notable for a green tick. **Solution**: Build notability through consistent branding, active social media engagement and securing media mentions. Highlight awards, partnerships or testimonials to reinforce credibility. If rejected, strengthen your online presence and reapply after 30 days. By addressing these common issues proactively, you will improve the chances of securing WhatsApp green tick verification. Still, there are some business verticals that are simply not eligible for the WhatsApp green tick. More about this in the next section. ### Businesses That Can’t Get the Green Tick on WhatsApp The Meta Business Commerce policy determines what businesses can buy or sell on the platform. It is likely that if your business belongs to one of Meta’s forbidden categories, you’ll get your WhatsApp Green Tick application rejected. Here are some of the prohibited commerce activities on WhatsApp: - Gambling - Medical and healthcare products - Prescription products, drugs and drug paraphernalia - Subscriptions and digital products - Tobacco products and related paraphernalia To know all of them, consult the [Meta Business Commerce Policy](https://www.facebook.com/policies_center/commerce). > Certain small or local businesses without significant public recognition, often assume eligibility for WhatsApp Green Tick but fail due to WhatsApp's requirements for formal business registration and notability. ### Is WhatsApp Green Tick Verification Worth It for Your Business? The WhatsApp Green Tick boosts business credibility by confirming authenticity and security, leading to better user engagement and fewer negative interactions like blocks. **While the verification process can be a bit cumbersome, obtaining the green tick is worthwhile**. That said, customer satisfaction is the key driver of engagement and brand perception. Many successful businesses on WhatsApp operate without a green tick. Still, we recommend applying for it, especially with a BSP like respond.io, which offers assistance with this at no extra cost. For WhatsApp API users, verification does not unlock additional features. However, Meta Verified accounts on the WhatsApp Business app do come with exclusive features, with pricing varying by country. If the WhatsApp green tick and added benefits align with your needs and budget, it’s worth considering. ### Get WhatsApp Green Tick Guidance for Free on Respond.io As a Meta Partner, respond.io is uniquely positioned to help you secure your WhatsApp green tick. With direct access to Meta’s customer support, no one is more qualified to guide you through the green tick verification process. Unlike other BSPs that offer limited support, we provide dedicated assistance for your WhatsApp Green Tick verification from start to finish. If you would like to upgrade to WhatsApp API to get help on your green tick application, [get the WhatsApp API from respond.io](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business). ### Further Reading If you're interested in more information about WhatsApp for Business, check out these articles: - WhatsApp Auto Reply in 4 Easy Steps: Full Guide (+18 Samples) - How to use WhatsApp Business Multiple Users - How to Schedule WhatsApp Messages: Easy Step-by-Step Guide ## [WhatsApp Greeting Message: 6 Ways to Use It](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message) Welcome customers with a WhatsApp greeting message. We'll show you why they matter, how to use them, and share a WhatsApp Business greeting message example for every occasion Ever walked into a ramen joint and heard the staff shout “Irasshaimase!”? Japanese for “Welcome, please come in,” this enthusiastic greeting is a signature part of the Japanese dining experience. Now, what if you could recreate such a brand experience virtually with a WhatsApp greeting message? We’ll show you how with a WhatsApp Business greeting message example for common situations. Just as you would acknowledge customers who enter your store, offer the same memorable welcome over WhatsApp. We'll run you through why WhatsApp greeting messages matter and how to use them. We’ll also include a WhatsApp Business greeting message example for various occasions and best practices when writing your own. ### WhatsApp Greeting Message for WhatsApp Business: The Basics First, let’s identify what WhatsApp greetings are. As the name suggests, they are [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) welcome messages that businesses send when customers initiate a conversation. On [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app), the greeting message is an app feature. It automatically sends a pre-crafted reply when customers message for the first time or after 14 days of inactivity. [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) users can set up these greetings with their [WhatsApp CRM](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) integration. On respond.io, for instance, a WhatsApp greeting message will be sent at the start of a new conversation. We’ll explain this in more detail later. A key trait of WhatsApp greeting messages is that they are automated. Businesses can customize greetings for everyday situations or specific use, and they are typically welcoming in nature. Before we go into detail about the different WhatsApp greeting message types, let’s explore why businesses should send one. #### Why Use a Greeting Message for WhatsApp Business WhatsApp is among the [top messaging apps in the world](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps) and is increasingly favored by customers for communicating with businesses. Its informality and response speed foster friendliness and trust, which are vital for building customer loyalty in the long term. Here are six reasons why businesses should welcome customers with a WhatsApp greeting message: - To make a good first impression - To assure frustrated customers of a follow-up - To set expectations about response times - To collect customer details for context and leads - To inform customers about unexpected developments - To acknowledge holidays and special occasions Below, we’ve compiled a list of common WhatsApp greeting types that fulfill these purposes. We also provided a WhatsApp Business greeting message example for each. ### 6 Ways to Use a WhatsApp Greeting Message Depending on the situation or desired action, there are numerous ways to write a welcome message for customers on WhatsApp Business. We’ve identified three core and three specific-use WhatsApp greeting message categories. Core greeting categories refer to everyday scenarios companies should prepare for, regardless of business or industry. They comprise: - General WhatsApp welcome messages - WhatsApp customer support greetings - WhatsApp away messages Let’s look at how you can write a WhatsApp welcome for each of these, with a WhatsApp Business greeting message example provided for reference. #### General Welcome Messages A general WhatsApp welcome message creates the first impression of your brand. It should mirror your values and set the tone for the interaction, whether the epitome of professionalism or relaxed and friendly. This is usually sent during business hours. Here are some examples of general WhatsApp business greeting messages: 1. “Hello! Good to see you. Please tell us how we can help you and we’ll get in touch shortly. Cheers, [business name].” 2. “Welcome to [business name]. What can we do for you today?” 3. “Hi 👋 We at [business name] are so excited to hear from you! How can we help you today?” #### Customer Support Greeting Messages Perhaps you have a dedicated customer support line or customers frequently reach out for assistance. A good support-oriented WhatsApp greeting message lets customers know they’re in the right place to ask for help, offers additional resources if necessary, and assures them of follow-up on their issues. Here’s how you can emphasize support in a greeting message for WhatsApp Business: 1. “Thank you for your message. Our customer care team will be right with you.” 2. “You have reached [business name]. Our support team will contact you within the next 2 hours. ⚠️ For immediate assistance, please call [phone number]. In the meantime, visit our FAQ section at [URL] to see if an answer to your query already exists. Thank you.” 3. “Welcome to [business name]! Our team of support superheroes 🦸‍♂️🦹🏼 is ready to assist you. Please explain your issue in detail so we can put the right agent on the case immediately 💪” #### Away Messages There are several types of WhatsApp away messages you could send to set expectations about your response time. The most common is the out-of-office or after-hours message. Other use cases include holiday hours and unexpected business closures. Here’s a WhatsApp Business greeting message example for each away message use case: 1. “Thank you for your message. We are currently away. Our operating hours are [business hours]. We will get back to you on the next business day. Cheers, [business name].” 2. “Hi! 👋 You have reached [business name]. We’re unable to respond right now. This festive season, our business hours 🕦 are [business hours]. You may expect a reply within the next 24 hours. Have a great day!” 3. “Dear customer, due to unforeseen circumstances, [business name] is temporarily closed. We tentatively expect operations to resume on [date]. We apologize for any inconvenience caused 🙏🏼” Now, let’s look at three types of WhatsApp greeting messages that fit specific use cases or occasions. They consist of: - WhatsApp lead capture - WhatsApp greetings with business updates - WhatsApp seasonal greetings #### Lead Capture Messages If you are already planning to greet customers with a WhatsApp welcome message, you could leverage this opportunity to capture leads. Turn prospective customers into Contacts by requesting their contact details and adding them to your customer list. Here are three WhatsApp greeting examples you could use to capture leads: 1. “Hi 👋 You’ve reached [business name]. Before we begin, may we have your full name and email address?” 2. “Hello! We’ve received your message. Please share your full name and email address below, and someone from our team will be with you shortly.” 3. “Thank you for contacting [business name]. We are unable to respond immediately. If you could leave your name and email address below, we will be in touch within the next 24 hours.” #### Business Updates A WhatsApp greeting message containing business updates proactively informs customers about unusual events or developments. This includes addressing service interruptions or warning of delayed responses during emergencies or peak periods. These WhatsApp welcome message examples address unusual business events upfront: 1. “Thank you for getting in touch. We apologize if you are experiencing a service interruption on [business service name] 🚨 Our team is working to resolve this as quickly as possible 🚧 For issues unrelated to the interruption, please leave your message below and we will respond within the next 24 hours.” 2. “Hello from [business name]. How may we help you? Please be aware that our response might be slightly slower than usual in these unprecedented times.” 3. “Hello! Your message has been received. We are experiencing a high volume of messages and are doing our best to respond promptly. Please expect a response delay of up to 2 hours. Thank you for your patience 🙏🏼 Regards, Team [business name].” #### Seasonal Greetings Whether it’s Christmas or World Chocolate Day, a WhatsApp seasonal greeting acknowledges the festivals celebrated by your diverse customer base or affirms your business’ association with certain holidays. It can also inform customers of delays due to busy periods. Draw inspiration from the WhatsApp holiday greeting examples below: 1. “Happy New Year! We hope you are ringing in 2023 with joy and good cheer 🥳 How may we help you today?” 2. “Ho ho ho! 🎄 We’re going through our Naughty and Nice lists with Santa at the moment 🧑‍🎄 Tell us how we can help and we’ll get back to you shortly — and add you to the Nice list, of course!” 3. “Happy Valentine’s Day 💕 Thank you for messaging [business name]. We’re picking the best blooms 💐 for your bouquets right now, but we’ll respond in the next hour.” Now that you’ve seen the different types of WhatsApp greetings, it’s time to learn how to send one. ### Sending a WhatsApp Greeting Message Before you create a WhatsApp greeting, familiarize yourself with some basic guidelines to compose the best greeting message for WhatsApp Business possible. #### Best Practices for WhatsApp Greetings To start, determine the purpose of your greeting and ensure your text communicates this clearly and directly. Then, fine-tune the message with the below tips to increase the impact of your welcome message for customers on WhatsApp Business. Best practices to apply when writing a WhatsApp greeting message: - Assure customers they are in the right place by providing context such as a business name, especially during urgent or important communication - Manage expectations by indicating how long customers will have to wait for a response - Align WhatsApp greetings with your brand voice by mirroring the tone and language used on your other platforms and communication material - While a general WhatsApp greeting would suffice in most cases, customizing it to reflect real-time circumstances indicates a high level of customer handling - Keep your WhatsApp welcome message short and sweet. Get to the point quickly while always sounding approachable. With these in mind, let’s tackle the final part of the WhatsApp greeting puzzle. #### How to Send a WhatsApp Greeting Message on WhatsApp Business App If you’re using WhatsApp Business App, you can set up greeting and away messages on the app itself. Note on the away messages you need to set a [schedule message on WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message). You can learn how to do so [here](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app#toc-mobile-9). WhatsApp treats greeting and away messages as separate features for easy switching between the two on the Business App. However, [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) users who integrate their accounts with a [WhatsApp CRM](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) like respond.io have far more flexibility. #### How to Send a WhatsApp Greeting Message on Respond.io To get started, you need a [WhatsApp API account](https://try.respond.io/whatsapp-business-api) and a [respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register). Creating a greeting message for WhatsApp Business is effortless on respond.io with the powerful automation enabled by [Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations). Set the Workflow trigger to Conversation Opened and use the [Send a Message Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_send_a_message). In the configuration drawer, set the Channel to WhatsApp, then fill in the text that will form your WhatsApp greeting. Further customization can be implemented for a more sophisticated Workflow. For instance, you could use the [Date & Time Step](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_date_time) to define business hours and send WhatsApp welcome or away messages accordingly. You could also add the [Ask a Question Step](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) to obtain customers’ details and capture leads. These can be saved as Variables or passed to any software using [HTTP Request](https://respond.io/blog/february-2022-release-new-workflows-steps-new-navigation-and-messaging-module-design-custom-channel-integration-and-bits-and-bobs#toc-mobile-4). Alternately, use Ask a Question to determine their conversation purpose and route them to the right team. Just like Workflows, a welcome message for customers on WhatsApp Business can be customized for your unique business needs. For example, you can add this contact to a segment to send a [WhatsApp broadcast message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) or [WhatsApp bulk message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) for [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) and remarketing purposes. Stay true to your brand voice and values in your WhatsApp greeting to draw customers into an authentic and immersive brand experience. ### Further Reading If you enjoyed reading about WhatsApp greeting messages, discover the different ways you can use WhatsApp for business with the below articles: - The Practical Guide to WhatsApp Ads - WhatsApp Promotional Messages: What You Need to Know - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business ## [WhatsApp Group Link: How to Share WhatsApp Group Link with Customers [April 2023]](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-group-link) Want to share WhatsApp group link to customers? In this article, we’ll share what a WhatsApp Business group link is and how to create a WhatsApp group link and how to share it to your customers Looking for ways to invite customers to your WhatsApp Group? Then you’ve come to the right place. We’ll show you what a WhatsApp group link is, the benefits of using one, and how to create a group link and share it with your contacts. ### What is a WhatsApp Group Link? A WhatsApp group link is a shareable invitation that allows customers to click on a link to join a WhatsApp group conversation. A [WhatsApp group](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-group) is essentially a place where you can invite people to a group conversation for a specific purpose, such as making plans or having a discussion. This helps eliminate any miscommunication that may occur when conversing with multiple parties. However, it can be a hassle to invite people manually on the app. Not to mention, you need customers’ contact details to invite them to a group chat. This is why WhatsApp has rolled out a feature to allow you to generate a link and share it with people you want to invite to the group chat. Now businesses can invite both contacts and non-contacts to a group chat by sending them the invite link. At present, WhatsApp groups (and by extension, WhatsApp group links) are only available on the WhatsApp app for personal use and [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business). Unfortunately, they are not supported by [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) (also known as the WhatsApp Business Platform). In the next section, we’ll share the benefits of creating and sharing WhatsApp group links. #### Benefits of Inviting Customers via a Link There are many benefits of using a link to invite customers to the group chat. Let’s go through them. One of the main benefits is how easy it is for businesses to invite customers or clients to join a group chat. All they need to do is click on the link. You can take this opportunity to add new customers to your contact list so you can initiate a [1:1 conversation](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business#toc-mobile-8) with them or send them [WhatsApp broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) or [WhatsApp bulk message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) at a later time. Do note that broadcasts are not always guaranteed to reach their recipients. To prevent businesses from spamming, [WhatsApp Business Policy](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-policy/?lang=en) states that contacts must save the sender’s number on their phones to receive the broadcast messages. For security reasons, only group admins can generate WhatsApp group links. WhatsApp also allows you to reset the group chat link in case it gets sent to the wrong people. This ensures only relevant people are in the group chat. Sending emails to multiple parties can be daunting. It’s easy for customers to forget to click *Reply All*, neglect to CC someone or they might not be aware of the email. Not to mention, it’s also hard to keep track of the conversation as email threads are often scattered. By contrast, WhatsApp groups make it convenient for you and your customers to have a discussion as it allows faster and more informal communications. With this link, you can now move any conversations to WhatsApp and start chatting. Now that you know the ins and outs of a WhatsApp group link’s benefits, let’s find out how to generate the link. ### How to Create a WhatsApp Group Link Though you can generate WhatsApp group links on WhatsApp both for personal use and for WhatsApp Business App, for the purpose of this article, we’ll focus only on creating an invitation link for WhatsApp Business App. #### How to Generate a Link for Your Group Chat Follow the step-by-step below to generate your WhatsApp Group Link on WhatsApp Business App. 1\. **Go** to the WhatsApp group chat that you want to generate an invite link for. 2\. **Tap** on the name of the WhatsApp group. 3\. **Click** *Invite to Group via Link* under *Participants*. This will generate the link. Now that you’ve learned how to generate a link for your group chat, we’ll show you how to share it with your customers. #### How to Share WhatsApp Group Link Once the link is generated, there are three methods for inviting people to a group chat: Share Link, Copy Link or QR Code. You can share the link on WhatsApp or via other messaging channels, email, SMS or on social media. Additionally, you could share this link via a [WhatsApp auto reply message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) to new contacts who message you or [schedule a WhatsApp message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) to reignite interest from cold leads to your business. With the Copy Link option, simply paste it where customers are most likely to access it, for example, in your WhatsApp conversation with them. The [QR code](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code) option generates a QR code that people scan with their phone, preferably with a WhatsApp camera, to join the group. For instance, you can place the QR code in physical locations where customers can scan and join the group chat immediately. You can use the QR code feature during physical meetings with clients. Instead of sending them the link to the group chat, just get them to scan the QR code and they’ll be brought to the group chat right away. Aside from that, you also have the option to reset the link on the link-sharing page. Once a new link has been generated, the old link is no longer valid. There you have it, all you need to know about how to create a WhatsApp group link and share it with your contacts. Now it’s time to put it out there for your customers to get in touch with you. Ready to get started? [Sign up for a respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and [connect WhatsApp API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start) at a click. ### Further Reading Interested in learning more about how to use WhatsApp to level up your business? Here are some helpful articles for you. - WhatsApp CRM Ultimate Guide: Integration, Use Cases & Best Practices - WhatsApp Business Multiple Users: 5 Steps Guide (+Examples) - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business - WhatsApp Marketing in 5 Steps: A Detailed Guide (+Examples) ## [WhatsApp Hotel: A Guide to WhatsApp Business For Hotels ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-hotel) Are you in the hospitality industry looking to improve communication with guests and other stakeholders? Read more to learn how you can use WhatsApp for hotels. Are you a hospitality establishment looking to expand your customer base and provide a seamless communication experience? Then, consider WhatsApp Business for hotels. By using WhatsApp, hotel communication with guests and other stakeholders becomes more versatile. This blog post will cover the benefits of using WhatsApp Business for hotels, how to use it and the advantages of integrating WhatsApp Business API with respond.io. ### What is WhatsApp Business for Hotels? WhatsApp Business for hotels refers to the use of WhatsApp as a communication tool that connects hotels, guests, vendors, and other groups. Using WhatsApp, a hotel can seamlessly and quickly connect with guests and other stakeholders while improving communication. But hotels already use channels like email and SMS or are on booking platforms to communicate with their stakeholders. Why should they adopt messaging services like WhatsApp Business? #### WhatsApp Business for Hotels: Benefits Over Traditional Channels With WhatsApp’s massive user base of [2 billion people](https://www.statista.com/statistics/258749/most-popular-global-mobile-messenger-apps/), there’s a good chance that your customers are already using WhatsApp, especially if you’re in one of the [188 countries or regions where WhatsApp is dominant](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-13). This reason alone convinces businesses all around the world to use WhatsApp Business. Unlike email or SMS, WhatsApp has an incredibly high 98% open rate. It’s the perfect channel to maximize engagement with guests and other stakeholders. WhatsApp is also built for conversational messaging. By supporting multimedia messages, including images, videos, audio and files, it makes interactions feel natural and lively. This helps build rapport and trust between the customer and the business, leading to greater customer satisfaction and loyalty. Traditional channels like SMS may also incur costs on the guest’s end, whereas messaging on WhatsApp is free for them. Furthermore, WhatsApp conversations, including any agreements, bookings or requests made over the messaging channel, are easily saved. While this is also possible on email and SMS, records are scattered, making them difficult to track. These benefits aren’t just theoretical. Hotels are already using WhatsApp Business to provide a better communication experience with their stakeholders, especially with their guests. ### How Hospitality Businesses are Winning with WhatsApp for Hotels Let’s take a look at two hotels that are taking advantage of WhatsApp to improve communication, create more memorable guest experiences and build brand loyalty. #### WhatsApp Hotel Wins: OYO Hotels & Homes OYO Hotels & Homes, the third-largest hotel chain in the world, uses WhatsApp as part of its guest service and relations. Guests can make inquiries, book rooms and check the details of their stay over WhatsApp. This helps remove the hassle of making reservations, improves the guest experience and enables OYO to better manage guests overall. And the results? More than 85,000 monthly conversions, 55,000 monthly unique users engaged and a 15% reduction in call center traffic. #### WhatsApp Hotel Wins: AccorHotels Since 2018, AccorHotels has trialed and implemented a virtual concierge and room service using WhatsApp. Guests can communicate directly with staff members over WhatsApp via a dedicated number assigned to each guest. This “portable concierge” has made guest relations more personal and meaningful. It’s no surprise, then, that the use of WhatsApp for room service at AccorHotels has exponentially increased over the past few years. It’s a channel that their guests feel very comfortable using. Convinced by the power of WhatsApp for hotels? Create your own wins to boost your hotel’s stakeholder experience. ### How to Use WhatsApp Business for Hotels The first thing to do is pick the right WhatsApp Business product to use. The [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) is for small businesses with low inbound and outbound message volume. On the other hand, [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) is best used for large businesses that have a high volume of messages. Choose the best product according to the size of your hotel. For example, a family-owned bed and breakfast might be best served with the WhatsApp Business App, whereas a hotel chain should choose the WhatsApp Business API. However, to use the WhatsApp Business API, you’ll need to get access from a [Business Solutions Provider (BSP)](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) and connect it to a messaging inbox to send and receive messages. With a customer conversation management software like respond.io, you can do both. With that out of the way, let’s look at the best WhatsApp Business practices for the various scenarios that hotels handle regularly. #### WhatsApp for Hotel: Serve Guests WhatsApp Business can help with the guest journey. There are multiple opportunities to make their experience as seamless as possible. **Pre-arrival**: An easy and smooth guest journey starts with a good first impression. Send a confirmation message on WhatsApp as soon as they make a booking. Before they arrive, send automated messages about your facilities and activities they can do. This builds anticipation and helps them plan their stay. **Check-in and stay**: With WhatsApp Business, your hotel can elevate the guest experience and provide unmatched convenience with virtual concierge and room services. For more urgent needs, hotels can go beyond chat with WhatsApp voice calls. Respond.io is one of the first to support [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-voice-call) along with [VoIP calling](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration), enabling guests to speak directly with staff from the same thread—a feature not widely available on other platforms, including popular options like [SleekFlow](https://respond.io/sleekflow-alternative). Use [broadcast messaging](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) to promote ongoing events or deals. Let guests browse through hotel spa treatments or room service on [WhatsApp Catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog) and pay for them with [WhatsApp Pay](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-pay-everything-about-whatsapp-payment). **Check-out**: You can even enhance the check-out experience for guests. Send them a personal ‘thank you’ message and a [guest satisfaction survey](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) to collect feedback and improve your services. By leveraging these tools, hotels can streamline their operations and enhance the guest experience by offering an easy and seamless way for guests to access additional services. With WhatsApp, your hotel can supplement or even replace traditional guest services. You can also increase the chances of guests returning by offering vouchers or discounts with [promotional messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-promotional-messages). Send these messages out periodically or even before the holiday season or on occasions like birthdays and anniversaries to make them more effective. Speaking of which, let’s look at how WhatsApp can be leveraged during hotel events like conferences and exhibitions. #### WhatsApp for Hotel: Organize Events and Exhibitions MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions), weddings and parties can generate huge revenue for hotels. Promote your hotel as a venue in physical or digital spaces such as brochures, at trade shows, on social media and more, and use WhatsApp [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code) and [chat links](https://respond.io/whatsapp-link-generator) to get interested customers in your inbox. These features act as a form of [lead-generation](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-lead-generation). WhatsApp allows you to save these contacts and their details in your contact list for future promotional messages. #### WhatsApp for Hotel: Liaise with Travel Agents Beyond targeting guests and other end users, hotels can also liaise with travel agents via WhatsApp and tap into their clients. Hotels can [connect WhatsApp with their CRMs](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm#toc-mobile-4) to keep track of agreements and contracts, guest lists and relevant transactions. Furthermore, hotels can also add agents to their [broadcast lists](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) to promote special events or offers. This will help hotels effectively reach a wider audience and increase their chances of attracting more customers. Overall, broadcasting promotions can lead to increased exposure for the hotel and potentially more bookings. But it doesn’t stop there. You can do so much more using [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) with respond.io. ### Supercharge WhatsApp API with Respond.io As repond.io is a WhatsApp partner, you can get access to WhatsApp API directly from the platform. Alternatively, connect WhatsApp API to respond.io and start using its many features to draw out WhatsApp API’s full potential. Here are 5 ways respond.io brings WhatsApp API to the next level. #### Get All Your Messages In One Inbox Other than WhatsApp, respond.io allows you to connect and manage conversations from all [other messaging apps](https://help.respond.io/channels/channels-overview) in one convenient location. You can [connect](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/connecting-channels) respond.io to [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business), [LINE](https://respond.io/blog/line-business), [TikTok](https://respond.io/blog/tiktok-integration) and more. While this gives stakeholders flexibility, they might reach out on multiple channels at a time. This makes it difficult to identify the same contact and keep their information organized. Respond.io resolves this issue by enabling you to [merge duplicate contacts](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contacts-overview#merge_contacts) and consolidate all their channels, messages, events, and comments into unified profiles. For example, if a guest first messages you on Facebook Messenger and later on WhatsApp, respond.io can recognize them as the same contact and merge their profiles and conversation histories into a single thread. #### Send Promotional Messages Hotels can use [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) to send promotions or updates in bulk to customers. This can include [seasonal promotions](https://respond.io/blog/ramadan-whatsapp-messaging-campaign), room packages and discounts for returning guests. With respond.io’s [Broadcasts Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview), you can import contacts, segment them for precise targeting, schedule broadcasts in advance and more. Other than broadcasts, hotels can also use external platforms to drive their promotions by setting up event-triggered messages. For example, you can send abandoned booking recovery notifications to guests who didn’t complete their reservation. Win back those indecisive guests and increase your revenue. #### Lighten Tasks with Advanced Automation Respond.io supports [powerful automation](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) that improves the use of WhatsApp for your hotel. You can [ask questions](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot) to collect information, [route chats](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) by language or shifts, [auto-assign corporate or VIP guests to dedicated agents](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) and more. When using respond.io’s automation features to their fullest, hotels spend less time worrying about unproductive tasks, like routing Contacts, while giving guests hyper-convenience from the comfort of their phones. #### Integrate Your CRMs and Reservation Platforms You can [integrate your WhatsApp API account](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations) with over 5,000 applications through respond.io. This includes CRMs like [Salesforce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/salesforce), [Pipedrive](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/pipedrive) and Revinate, as well as reservation platforms with open APIs like Pegasus CRS and Cloudbeds. You can retrieve and update contact data, create contracts or support tickets, as well as key in reservation details while chatting with guests or other stakeholders. #### Monitor Your Agent’s Performance The respond.io [Reports and Analytics](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) Module gives you an overview of your teams and insights into any actions you need to take. Identify unproductive agents, find out which channels your customers prefer, review broadcast analytics and more. This is a powerful tool that helps keep you on top of things. That’s it! You’re ready to get started on integrating WhatsApp Business for your hotel. If you want to use WhatsApp at a higher level, [sign up for a free respond.io trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and [get a WhatsApp API account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) in minutes. ### Further Reading Curious about how WhatsApp can benefit other industries? Read the articles below to learn more: - WhatsApp for Education: A Comprehensive Guide - WhatsApp for Real Estate: A Comprehensive Guide - Transforming Retail Operations with WhatsApp ## [WhatsApp Interactive Message: A How-To Guide ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-interactive-message) Want to know how to use WhatsApp Interactive Message for your business? Look no further! This blog post has everything you need to know about WhatsApp Interactive Messages. Want to know how to use WhatsApp interactive message for your business? Look no further! This blog post has everything you need to know about the different types of WhatsApp interactive messages, including WhatsApp interactive message for service conversation and WhatsApp interactive message template, their benefits and how to set them up. ### What is a WhatsApp Interactive Message? A WhatsApp interactive message is a type of message available through the [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) that includes clickable buttons. Instead of typing a reply, customers can simply tap an option to get the help they need. This keeps conversations focused, fast and easy for both businesses and customers. WhatsApp interactive messages are a type of [template message,](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-message-templates) which means they must be created in advance and submitted to Meta for approval. ### WhatsApp Interactive Message Template: Template Messages A WhatsApp interactive message template allows businesses to make the most out of a [standard message template](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) consisting of just text and media by including interactive WhatsApp buttons. These templates can include text, images, videos, documents or location, making them more versatile for sharing important information or prompting action. However, businesses must get [approval from WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-5) and [collect opt-ins from Contacts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-5) before sending message templates. #### Types of Interactive Message Template Interactive message templates support two types of buttons: **Call-to-action (CTA)** and **Quick Reply**. These buttons allow businesses to guide customer interactions in a structured, user-friendly way. ##### Call-To-Action Businesses can use CTA buttons to direct customers to call them or visit their website. This feature is limited to two buttons, one button to allow customers to call you and another to visit your website or a specific landing page. Keep in mind that you can only connect the call button to a landline or a mobile phone number that is different from your WhatsApp Business API number, as you cannot call a WhatsApp Business API number. ##### Quick Reply The quick reply feature consists of preset reply options that customers can click on to indicate what they want from your business. Businesses can add up to three buttons along with a text or media message. This feature is similar to the service conversation reply button, except that quick replies must be approved by WhatsApp before businesses can use them. ### Messaging Rules of WhatsApp Interactive Messages Each [interactive message template](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) must also be assigned a conversation category: Marketing, Utility or Authentication. This helps WhatsApp determine the purpose of the message and ensures proper billing and usage based on category. When creating your WhatsApp interactive message, you’ll need to select one of the following template categories. | Category | Purpose | Examples | Interactive Elements | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Utility Messages | Send updates for ongoing interactions. | - Order confirmations- Shipping updates- Reminders | - Quick replies (e.g., "Track Order")- CTA buttons to details | Triggered by user actions. No promos allowed. | | Marketing Messages | Promote products or drive engagement. | - Discounts- New arrivals- Event invites | - Buttons to offers or pages- Quick replies for RSVPs | Sent to opted-in users. Can start new chats. | | Authentication Messages | Verify identity or approve transactions. | - OTPs- Login codes- 2FA prompts | - Autofill OTPs- Security notes | Used for secure logins. Time-sensitive. | Utility messages are free when sent during the 24-hour customer service window. You can also use different types of interactive messages in the same service conversation to prompt customers to take the next step throughout a purchase cycle or to direct them to an agent for customer support. It is also important to note that customers can only select one button or option at a time when replying to interactive messages. They can also choose to return to the first step or the previous step if they change their mind or make a mistake. Next, we will discuss the different types of WhatsApp interactive messages for service conversations and how to use them. ### Types of WhatsApp Interactive Messages There are six types of WhatsApp interactive messages. These include: - Reply buttons - List messages - Single-product messages - Multi-product messages - Location request messages - Flow messages (not supported by respond.io yet) ##### WhatsApp Reply Buttons Reply buttons offer an easy way for customers to select what they want from a short list of options, consisting of buttons, when communicating with a business on WhatsApp. They can send a maximum of three options along with text or media messages. Businesses can use this feature for flight time changes, personal details amendments, choosing a payment method and more. If you need more than three buttons, use the list message feature. ##### WhatsApp List Messages List messages consist of a menu of up to 10 choices that customers can choose from to let you know what they want from your business. Businesses can use this feature for customer care or FAQ menus, a selection of take-out menus, store locations and more. ##### Single-product Message Single-product messages are messages with a single product item from the business’s inventory. Businesses can display a product that a customer has selected from the product menu to prompt them to proceed with their purchase. ##### Multi-product Message Multi-product messages are messages containing a selection of up to 30 items from a business’s inventory. This feature is best to show customers all the products you have under a category or [your whole catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog) if it has 30 or fewer items. ##### Location Request Messages Location request messages are messages that a business sends to request a customer’s location. This message contains a body text and a Send location button that users can tap to share their location. The next section will discuss the second type of WhatsApp interactive message – WhatsApp interactive message template and its functions. Now that you know the types of WhatsApp interactive messages and what they can do, let’s take a look at why businesses need to use WhatsApp interactive messages for WhatsApp Business API. ### Benefits of WhatsApp Interactive Messages Using WhatsApp interactive messages enables businesses to capture customers’ attention and keep them engaged throughout a conversation. It helps businesses create a seamless customer journey by providing an enhanced customer experience, minimizing human error and increasing response rates and conversions. Let’s explore each of the benefits in the section below. #### Enhanced Customer Experience WhatsApp interactive messages can be used to direct customers along a predefined path in the customer journey. Businesses can also customize the message according to customers’ situations to provide a personalized experience. For example, businesses can show a list of appointment time slots for booking or use reply buttons to show a customer’s previous delivery address. This allows customers to find what they're looking for from businesses easily and reply to them with a single click. #### Minimize Human Error Interactive messages provide a simpler and more consistent way for people to find and select what they want from a business. Since every single button is planned carefully, it leaves little to no room for human errors like mistyping or unclear messages. Without interactive messages, customers and businesses will have to type every single reply by themselves, which can leave room for error and lead to unclear communication. #### Increase Conversions Businesses can also use the CTA button to direct customers to contact them or visit their website when sending [promotional messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-promotional-messages) via [WhatsApp broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) to increase conversions. During testing, WhatsApp found that interactive messaging results in higher response and conversion rates compared to purely text-based messaging. This is due to its ability to guide customers throughout the conversation and allow them to reply quickly. ### How to Set Up a WhatsApp Interactive Message Template on Respond.io Setting up a WhatsApp interactive message template on respond.io is simple. You can even submit the template for WhatsApp’s approval directly from the platform. **1\. Navigate** to **Settings > Channels > WhatsApp Business > Templates** on the respond.io platform. Refer to the image below for an example of how this could look like. **2\. Click** *Add Template* and fill in the basic details such as template name, category and label. **3\. Add the Body**, then customize the **Header** and **Footer**: - Header is optional and can include text, image, video or a document. Use it to highlight key information. - Footer is also optional and typically contains short notes like disclaimers or reminders. **4\. Add Buttons** to make the message interactive. Choose from: - Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons to let users call a number or open a website. - Quick Reply buttons to let users tap a reply. **5\. For Quick Reply**, follow the same steps above then select *Quick Reply* as the button type and enter your reply options. To see what a quick reply template message looks like, look at the image below. **6\. Submit** the template for WhatsApp’s approval. You’ll get a notification once it’s approved and ready to use. Do note that WhatsApp templates must follow specific formatting rules, including how you use variables and media. For full details, check out our [WhatsApp message template blog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-5) or our [knowledge base guide](https://help.respond.io/l/en/whatsapp/whatsapp-message-templates). ### Power Up WhatsApp Interactive Messaging with Respond.io Once you've mastered WhatsApp interactive messages, the next step is using them effectively, and that's where respond.io makes a difference. Specifically, here’s how respond.io gives you more control and flexibility with WhatsApp interactive messages: - Omnichannel Inbox: Manage conversations from WhatsApp, TikTok, Messenger, Telegram, Instagram and more without switching tabs or platforms. - Smart Inbox Capabilities: Manage chats as a team with a shared inbox. Assign conversations, tag team members, start WhatsApp calls when needed and use AI Assist & Prompts to speed up replies and polish messages. - Workflow Builder: Automate conversations with a drag-and-drop builder—trigger interactive messages, route chats and personalize replies. With AI Agent, handle free-text beyond buttons and can take actions mid-chat. - WhatsApp Broadcasts: Send interactive messages in bulk to stay in touch with your audience or share updates. - CRM Integrations: Connect to HubSpot, Salesforce, Zapier, Make and more to sync contacts, trigger actions or update deals without leaving the platform. - Lifecycle Tracking: Monitor every lead and customer as they move from first contact to conversion. - Analytics and Reporting: Get insights on messaging outcomes, agent responsiveness, broadcast performance and ad conversions through powerful reporting capabilities. - Voice Calling: Start WhatsApp API calls or even VoIP calls directly from the inbox to resolve issues faster, provide a human touch or follow up when messaging isn’t enough. We hope this blog has given you a better understanding of how to set up WhatsApp interactive messages and how they can help your business elevate its customer communication on WhatsApp Business API. ### Further Reading Want to know more about WhatsApp Business API? Here are some readings that might interest you. - WhatsApp Message Template Practical Guide - Telegram vs WhatsApp: 9 Differences & Which App Is the Best? - How to send a WhatsApp Business Notification ## [WhatsApp Lead Generation: How to Use WhatsApp to Get More Leads ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-lead-generation) Maximize your lead generation efforts with WhatsApp. Learn how to generate high-quality WhatsApp leads and take your business to the next level. Looking to use WhatsApp for WhatsApp lead generation? You’ve come to the right place! In this blog post, we'll walk you through the basics of WhatsApp lead generation and its benefits. Then we’ll show you how to generate leads and manage them using WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API connected to a customer conversation management software. ### What is WhatsApp Lead Generation? WhatsApp lead generation is the process of using WhatsApp Business to generate leads— potential customers who have shown interest in a product or service. Businesses can generate leads on WhatsApp via the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) or [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). While using WhatsApp to generate leads may be a new method for some businesses, they can benefit from it in many ways. #### Benefits of Using WhatsApp for Lead Generation WhatsApp is a [highly engaging messaging channel](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-1) that businesses use to reach their target audience and build relationships through casual conversations. With billions of messages exchanged on the platform daily, WhatsApp allows businesses to reach a large customer base, especially in [regions where WhatsApp is popular](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business#toc-mobile-1). Compared to traditional channels like email and webchat, WhatsApp is a better platform for lead generation as it overcomes common problems faced by businesses using these channels. For instance, emails may end up in the spam folder, get lost in the sea of unopened emails and take longer to build relationships due to their formal tone. Traditional webchat increases the risk of losing leads because website visitors can be anonymous and both parties must be online at the same time to communicate. With WhatsApp, businesses can capture lead information like name and phone number when leads message via [WhatsApp webchat](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-webchat) or the WhatsApp App and get [higher visibility](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing#toc-mobile-0) as people are more likely to check WhatsApp than email. Additionally, advanced features like [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) and [WhatsApp schedule messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) make it easier for businesses to engage leads effectively and at the right time. It also gives both businesses and customers the flexibility to have conversations at convenient times. By removing the time and hassle of using formal language, businesses can move leads down the funnel faster and increase conversion rates. Best of all, thanks to WhatsApp being a part of the Meta family, businesses can link their [Facebook Page](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) and [Instagram accounts](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) to WhatsApp, enabling them to direct traffic from these social media sites to WhatsApp. Other WhatsApp tools, such as [chat links](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-generator-whatsapp-widget), [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code) and more, can also help businesses generate inbound leads and communicate with them efficiently. Before utilizing these WhatsApp lead generation tools, let's look into the WhatsApp Business App and API rules for lead generation. ### WhatsApp Lead Generation: What You Should Know Businesses can generate leads on WhatsApp via the WhatsApp Business App, which is designed for small businesses, or WhatsApp API, which is created for SMEs and enterprises. With the WhatsApp Business App, businesses can message leads and customers anytime; they simply need to abide by WhatsApp’s [Business](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-policy/?lang=en) and [Commerce Policies](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/commerce-policy/?lang=en). The app is also free to use and for For added trust, businesses can even apply for the [WhatsApp green tick](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick). WhatsApp API, on the other hand, has [a set of rules](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-9) in addition to the Business and Commerce Policies that protect users’ privacy, encourage fast replies and prevent businesses from spamming customers. For instance, starting from July 1, 2025, business messages are free when these are replies to customer messages within a 24-hour messaging window. Note that this only applies to free-form messaging and utility [WhatsApp message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-13). To start a conversation with leads or customers on WhatsApp, businesses must use pre-approved message templates. Most importantly, the API does not have a user interface, so it needs to be connected to third-party software like the respond.io customer conversation management software. Now that you understand the types of WhatsApp products that you can use to generate leads and their rules, we’ll show you how to use WhatsApp for lead generation. ### WhatsApp Lead Generation: How to Generate WhatsApp Leads WhatsApp has made it easy for WhatsApp Business users to generate leads with free and paid tools like click-to-chat ads, chat links and QR codes and webchat widgets. This section will show how to use these tools to generate WhatsApp Leads. #### Generate Marketing Leads with Click-to-Chat Ads Social media platforms are highly effective for marketing. With [more than half of the world's population](https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2023-global-overview-report) using them, it gives businesses a high potential for success to reach their desired target audience. If you have a Facebook account, connect it with your WhatsApp Business account and create [WhatsApp click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads) on [Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) and [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) to reach more leads. Keep in mind that WhatsApp ads are not free. You can advertise your [WhatsApp Catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app#toc-mobile-4) or a specific image from your phone gallery on Facebook and Instagram to a selected target market based on your budget. The ad will direct leads straight to your WhatsApp inbox, where they can start a conversation about a product or service that they are interested in. WhatsApp Business App users can easily [set up ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads#toc-mobile-4) using the app itself. Meanwhile, WhatsApp API users can [set up WhatsApp ads on Meta Business Suite](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads#toc-mobile-5) and connect their Meta account to respond.io to [manage Ad conversations efficiently](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-lead-generation#toc-mobile-9). Now, let's take a look at using WhatsApp chat links and QR codes for lead generation. #### Get Leads to Message You First with Chat Links and QR Codes Click-to-chat links and QR codes are the two most useful features to funnel inbound leads. You can embed your chat link anywhere on various digital mediums like websites and social media and paste your WhatsApp QR code into your physical store, pamphlets and more. To generate your click-to-chat link and QR code on the WhatsApp Business App, all you need is to go to your *WhatsApp settings* > *Business Tools* > *Short Link*. On this page, you can share your chat link and QR code and compose a message that pre-fills the lead’s greeting message when they are directed to the chat inbox. You can also use the respond.io [WhatsApp link generator](https://respond.io/whatsapp-link-generator) to generate a link, whether you’re using the WhatsApp Business App or WhatsApp API. If you’re using WhatsApp API connected to respond.io, [generate links and QR codes easily on respond.io](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-overview#chat_links_and_qr_codes). To start, go to Settings, click on *Growth Widgets* and press *Add Widget*. Choose *QR Code* and click *Create Widget*. Then choose *WhatsApp* from the dropdown menu of channels, select your WhatsApp Business Account, compose your pre-filled message and click *Generate Widget***.** Then, copy the chat link or share the QR code. Next, we’ll show you how to generate leads using the WhatsApp widget. #### Turn Website Visitors into WhatsApp Leads with Webchat Installing a [website chat](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-webchat) is a great way to turn website visitors into WhatsApp leads. However, only businesses using WhatsApp API can install a WhatsApp webchat on their website. To [set up a WhatsApp widget](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets) on respond.io, go to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets* > *Add Widget* > *WhatsApp* > *Create Widget*. Then, input the website domain and WhatsApp Business Account and click on *Generate Widget****.*** A pop-up will appear to prompt you to install a script on your website. This step differs depending on your website service provider, such as [WordPress,](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/install-on-wordpress) [Shopify,](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/install-on-shopify) [Wix,](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/install-on-wix) [Squarespace](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/install-on-squarespace) and [Joomla](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/install-on-joomla). Having understood the methods for generating leads through WhatsApp, let's proceed to the next step, which is managing leads effectively. ### Managing WhatsApp Leads: Best Practices Now that you have encouraged leads to message you, you need to manage them effectively and ensure that you have the resources to reply to high volumes of inbound conversations. This section will show you some best practices for managing conversations and communicating with WhatsApp leads. #### Managing Leads with the WhatsApp Business App The WhatsApp Business App has all the essential tools for small businesses to manage conversations on WhatsApp. For instance, when a new contact messages them, they can use [labels](https://faq.whatsapp.com/3398508707096369/?cms_platform=android) to segment the leads into different groups based on geography, priority, language and more. This enables them to target contacts with their promotional [broadcast messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast), resulting in more effective lead generation. As mentioned earlier, WhatsApp users usually expect fast replies from businesses. To help manage their expectations, businesses can send an automated [welcome message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply#toc-mobile-3) to greet new customers and an away message when leads message them outside of business operation hours. As it can be tiresome and time-consuming for sales representatives to answer the same questions repeatedly, businesses can set up pre-determined answers to commonly asked questions using the [quick reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-quick-reply) feature. The WhatsApp Business App is a good option for micro to small businesses that want to generate and manage leads on WhatsApp. However, as your team grows, you’ll notice that the app cannot handle medium to high volumes of messages, lacks advanced automation features, is unable to identify which agent is in charge of a certain conversation and more. This is when you need to upgrade to WhatsApp API and connect it to respond.io. Now, let’s look at how respond.io can help you manage conversations with WhatsApp leads. #### Manage Leads with WhatsApp API Connected to Respond.io The respond.io customer conversation management software allows you to streamline all your business communication channels into a single [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication). It enables you to use [WhatsApp Business with multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) and access tools to organize WhatsApp leads, automate sales conversations and collaborate with team members for assistance. Most importantly, it supports all of the WhatsApp API features like sending [product messages from WhatsApp catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog), [broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast), [push notifications](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-notification), setting up [interactive messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-interactive-message) and more. Respond.io also has a mobile app that’s useful for teams on the go to reply to messages anytime, anywhere. On top of this, while other platforms like [SleekFlow](https://respond.io/sleekflow-alternative) offer general messaging capabilities, respond.io goes further with built-in lead management tools. Features like [Lifecycle](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) let you visualize where each WhatsApp lead stands in your pipeline, so you can tailor your follow-ups, trigger automation and move deals forward. If you’re upgrading your account from the WhatsApp Business App to WhatsApp API, you can save your WhatsApp contacts in a CSV file and [import them to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-import). This way, you will not lose your existing contacts, which consist of potential leads. That said, let's take a look at how you can use respond.io to manage WhatsApp leads. #### Manage and Track WhatsApp Leads More Effectively with Paid Ads Attribution Click-to-Chat Ads on WhatsApp are a powerful way to bring in leads, but capturing interest is just the beginning. With respond.io, you can seamlessly manage, track, and qualify leads from WhatsApp ads all in one place. Thanks to Paid Ads attribution in the Contacts and Lifecycle reports, you’ll gain full visibility into: - Which Ad Campaigns, Ad Groups, or individual WhatsApp Ads bring in the most qualified leads - How those leads progress through your pipeline—from New Lead to Paying Customer - Where to focus your follow-ups and automation to improve conversion rates Combined with respond.io’s Lifecycle module, this makes lead management easier and more efficient—no more juggling spreadsheets or third-party tools. Now you can see where each lead came from, where they are in the funnel, and what to do next—all from your WhatsApp ad traffic. ##### Organize WhatsApp Leads When a lead messages you, [collect basic information](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey#toc-mobile-2) to determine if they are a new lead or an existing Contact who has previously messaged you on another channel. If they are an existing Contact, you will be prompted to [merge their contact details](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts#toc-mobile-4) and conversation history across channels into a unified profile for a comprehensive view of their interactions with your business. If a lead is new, you will automatically capture their details and add them as a Contact on respond.io. Every time you get new leads, make sure to [segment](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-details#tags) them into different audiences based on priority, interests, geography and more. This will help when sending targeted broadcast messages via the respond.io Broadcast Module. Now that you have the contact management part sorted, it’s time to automate chats to handle the high volume of inbound conversations. ##### Manage Lead Conversations with AI and Automation With respond.io’s [AI Agent](https://respond.io/ai-agents) and Workflows automation, businesses can - Automate lead qualification - Follow up when leads are unresponsive - Update customer details and lifecycle stages in real time - Close conversations with an auto-summary once resolved When needed, the AI Agent can handle calls or escalate leads to the right salesperson — ensuring no opportunity is lost. Salespeople also have the power to take over a conversation from AI at any time as needed, with no repetition or disruption for the customer. The highly customizable nature of respond.io’s AI Agents gives managers the freedom to train them on their [routing logic](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/routing-leads#methods_for_routing_leads), such as routing leads by priority access, deal size, region and more. Plus, they can [ensure equal lead distribution](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/auto-assign-leads-to-sales-agents#methods_for_automatic_assignment) among the sales team or assign existing customers to their dedicated salesperson automatically. Once conversations are assigned to agents, they can effectively manage them by using [AI Prompts](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai#toc-mobile-4) to communicate clearly and [AI Assist](https://respond.io/blog/respond-ai#toc-mobile-5) for quick and accurate responses. ##### Exchange Lead Information with Existing Software Stack If you have a CRM like Hubspot or a data enrichment platform like Clearbit, you can [connect them to respond.io](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm#toc-mobile-4) to exchange information, qualify leads and create deals automatically while messaging customers on respond.io. This allows you to exchange information with a [click of a button](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0), saving you the effort of going back and forth between your CRM and the respond.io inbox to reply to WhatsApp messages. Businesses can also enjoy the flexibility of integrating custom channels like their own apps or use [Zapier to connect over 5,000 applications](https://help.respond.io/integrations/zapier) with respond.io. ##### Improve Lead Generation with Collaboration Tools Respond.io offers various collaboration tools for agents to communicate internally whenever they need help with a lead. For instance, agents can tag teammates for assistance, leave [internal comments](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity#comments) for handovers, allow managers to monitor and guide live conversations and add [conversation summaries](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/closing-notes) for data gathering when closing a conversation. Besides that, the respond.io [Reports and Analytics](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) Module helps managers evaluate the efficiency of their lead-qualifying process, identify areas for improvement and help their team achieve better lead conversion. They can also keep track of agent workload and productivity, case resolution time and conversation progress in real-time. ### New: Use WhatsApp Business App and API at the Same Time Until recently, businesses had to choose between using the WhatsApp Business App or the WhatsApp API. Now, with WhatsApp Coexistence, you can use both on the same number. This means you can keep your existing WhatsApp Business app number and still connect it to the WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) via respond.io — without losing access to your app or needing a new number. #### Why It Matters for Teams Coexistence gives your team the flexibility to: - Use advanced API features like multiple users, automation, AI routing and CRM integrations via respond.io. - Keep using the WhatsApp Business app for simple 1:1 conversations or business tools like catalogs and quick replies. - Maintain your existing number, customer chat history and app access—even after connecting to the API. This setup is ideal for growing teams that want the power of the WhatsApp API without sacrificing the convenience of the app they’re accustomed to. > ⚠️ Note: Some WhatsApp Business app features like group chats, broadcast lists and disappearing messages won't work on the API side. Also, if you enable coexistence, you’ll temporarily lose the green checkmark (you can reapply after setup). In summary, if you are a small business receiving low messages, use WhatsApp Business App for lead generation. However, if you’re receiving high volumes of leads or foresee your business growing, then you need WhatsApp API connected to respond.io. Ready to get started? [Sign up for our free trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register) today! ### Further Reading If you enjoyed this article, here are some other readings that might interest you. - WhatsApp Business Multiple Users: A How-To Guide - WhatsApp Business API: The Ultimate Guide to WhatsApp API - Everything You Need to Know About Meta WhatsApp Cloud API ## [WhatsApp Link for Instagram: How to Add WhatsApp to Instagram [December 2023]](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-for-instagram) WhatsApp link for Instagram helps you direct Instagram conversations to WhatsApp. This article will cover how to add WhatsApp link to instagram. Looking to direct your Instagram conversations to WhatsApp? You should add WhatsApp to Instagram. In this article, we’ll cover the basics of WhatsApp links for Instagram and the reasons to use them. Plus, you’ll learn how to add a WhatsApp link to Instagram. We will also discuss how integrating WhatsApp and Instagram with respond.io can take your business to the next level. ### WhatsApp Link for Instagram at a Glance A WhatsApp link for Instagram directs your Instagram profile visitors to a WhatsApp conversation. It can take the form of an action button or a URL starting with *wa.me*. When clicked on, WhatsApp links for Instagram enter customers into a WhatsApp chat with you. Keep in mind, WhatsApp links for Instagram only work on devices with WhatsApp installed. #### Why Use a WhatsApp Link for Instagram There are many reasons you should use a WhatsApp link for Instagram in terms of [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing). For starters, it turns your Instagram traffic into WhatsApp contacts which can then be managed effectively using a [WhatsApp CRM.](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) This is especially beneficial to businesses with a large Instagram following. In addition to Instagram DM or [Instagram click-to-chat ads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VT2AIZ31fk&feature=youtu.be), the WhatsApp link for Instagram offers the flexibility for your customers to contact you on another [popular messaging app](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-1), WhatsApp. With features like [Whatsapp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) and [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) to handle inquiries, WhatsApp makes communication more efficient. Businesses with the [Whatsapp green tick](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick) also benefit from increased customer trust. To prevent businesses from spamming, WhatsApp requires businesses to [obtain opt-ins](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in) from their contacts before messaging them. Luckily, you can obtain opt-ins effortlessly with WhatsApp links for Instagram when the contacts message you first. Now that you’ve learned the basics of a WhatsApp link for Instagram, let’s find out how to add WhatsApp to Instagram. ### 3 Ways to Add WhatsApp to Instagram There are three ways to set up a WhatsApp link for Instagram: - Add a WhatsApp action button to the Instagram profile - Add a WhatsApp link to the Instagram bio - Add a WhatsApp link to an Instagram Stories highlight Below, we’ll walk you through the steps for each method. #### How to Add a WhatsApp Button to the Instagram Profile To add a WhatsApp button to your Instagram profile, you need an [Instagram Professional Account](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api) and a [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) account. Adding a WhatsApp button to Instagram is simple: 1. Go to your Instagram profile and tap Edit profile. 2. Tap Contact Options under Public Business Information. 3. Click WhatsApp Business Phone Number. 4. Select a WhatsApp Business number that you want to connect to or add a new WhatsApp Business number. 5. Tap Send Code to receive a verification code. Then, verify your WhatsApp Business account by entering the code sent to your mobile device. Once your number has been confirmed, WhatsApp should be displayed as an action button on your Instagram profile. Keep in mind, WhatsApp doesn’t allow [API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) users to add an action button. If you are a WhatsApp API user, we recommend adding a WhatsApp link to your Instagram bio instead. #### How to Add WhatsApp Link to Instagram Bio Before adding a WhatsApp link to the Instagram bio, you need to [create a WhatsApp Link](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link#toc-mobile-7) on respond.io. Here's what you need to do: 1. Copy your WhatsApp link. 2. Go to your Instagram account. 3. Find the Edit profile button and click it. 4. Paste your WhatsApp link to the Website field 5. Tap Done to save the changes. And you’re all set — you have added WhatsApp to your Instagram bio. Remember, you can only insert one URL in the website field. If you want to reserve it for your company’s website, add your WhatsApp link to an Instagram Stories highlight instead. Read on to find out how. #### How to Add a WhatsApp Link to a Stories Highlight Featured permanently on the Instagram profile, a [Stories highlight](https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/introducing-stories-highlights-and-stories-archive) is a great place to display your WhatsApp link. Here’s the step-by-step to adding a WhatsApp link to a Stories Highlight. 1. Create a new story. Upload a picture with the WhatsApp logo and insert your WhatsApp link within the story. Publish the story when done. 2. View the published story and click on Highlight to save the story as an Instagram highlight. 3. Name the highlight Chat on WA or something similar. Keep in mind that the name of the Highlight is limited to 15 characters. Once you have set up a WhatsApp link for Instagram, [connect both your WhatsApp and Instagram channels to respond.io](https://docs.respond.io/getting-started/connecting-a-channel). ### Manage WhatsApp and Instagram for Business Effortlessly with Respond.io Respond.io is an omnichannel messaging inbox that supports WhatsApp API and [Instagram DM API](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-direct-message-api#toc-mobile-10), [among others](https://docs.respond.io/messaging-channels/channels-overview). Let’s explore how integrating WhatsApp and Instagram with respond.io benefits your business. #### Respond to WhatsApp and Instagram Conversations in One Place Adopting multiple channels [makes it easier for customers to contact your business](https://respond.io/blog/360dialog-whatsapp-integration#toc-mobile-2) but increases the workload of agents and salespeople who have to juggle different platforms. By connecting WhatsApp and Instagram to respond.io, you can view and respond to WhatsApp and Instagram chats from one platform. #### Consolidate WhatsApp and Instagram Conversations for a 360-degree Customer View Customers who message you on different channels create separate conversation threads. Thankfully, respond.io lets you merge the conversations of a contact into a unified thread for a holistic customer view. Building a presence on your customers' favorite channels and consolidating their conversations allows you to connect with them easily and understand them more deeply. Ultimately, this empowers you to [deliver better support](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service). #### Enhance Customer Experiences with Respond AI When responding to customers, Respond AI is ready to help you out. [AI Prompts](https://help.respond.io/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai) improve your responses by simplifying messages, correcting grammar and spelling and translating your messages into another language. On the other hand, [AI Assist](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist) provides quick and accurate responses at the click of a button. It does this by using the documents and links you’ve provided to create a reply. It’s great for answering FAQs and technical inquiries. [AI Agent](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai) takes the [customer experience](https://respond.io/blog/ai-customer-experience) to a new level. [Answer customer inquiries or qualify leads automatically](https://help.respond.io/l/en/automate-conversations/ai-agent-integration-round-the-clock-engagement-efficiency) in a human-like manner. AI Agent ensures your customers are attended to while freeing up human agents’ time to perform complex tasks. Do you like what you’ve read? If you did, sign up for a [free respond.io trial](https://app.respond.io/user/register), a leading AI-powered customer conversation management platform. ### Further Reading If you want to learn more about Instagram for business, check out these articles: - Instagram Messaging for Business: The Ultimate Guide - The Practical Guide to Click to Instagram Direct Ads - Instagram Business Multiple Users: A How-To Guide ## [WhatsApp Marketing in 5 Steps: A Detailed Guide (+Examples)](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) Wondering how to do WhatsApp Marketing? Here's all you need to do to start running successful WhatsApp campaigns. Considering WhatsApp marketing to boost revenue? If your email marketing is falling flat, WhatsApp marketing may be just what you need. The fact is, people are using email less for communication in general; instant messaging is the way of the future. And where are most people messaging? WhatsApp! With [over 2 billion users around the world](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business#toc-mobile-1), WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app. We’ll share all you need to know to get started with WhatsApp marketing, along with a few examples of how businesses are successfully using WhatsApp for marketing. ### What is WhatsApp Marketing? WhatsApp marketing is a type of [instant messenger marketing](https://respond.io/blog/instant-messaging-for-business) that helps businesses reach a wider audience, make personal connections with customers and ultimately increase sales. A typical marketing strategy involves several touch points to engage prospects and ultimately convert them into customers. Traditionally, this starts with ads. Businesses then aim to get prospects’ contact information to continue marketing via email. WhatsApp marketing works in a similar way, but rather than filling in an email address, all prospects need to do is send the business a message on WhatsApp. The business can then further contact the prospect to nurture their interest and nudge them toward a purchase. ### 4 Benefits of Using WhatsApp Marketing Marketing over WhatsApp has many benefits for businesses of any size. If your customers use WhatsApp, you need to reach out to them there. Here are just a few of the reasons: #### Proactive Engagement WhatsApp marketing proactively reaches out to prospects where they spend most of their time. Unlike most messaging apps, WhatsApp allows you to start conversations with [contacts who opt-in to hear from you](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in). #### Cost-Effective Method It’s also cost-effective. [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) is free, so it’s great for small businesses on a limited budget. Larger businesses will need to use [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), which costs more but has great returns. We’ll discuss these options more later. #### Action-Oriented Results WhatsApp marketing spurs prospects into taking action with interactive [Reply Buttons or List Messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-interactive-message#toc-mobile-2). Automation can also be used to facilitate conversations with a realistic persona, as in the [example of Maggi’s Chef Kim](https://app.storychief.io/feb716dbc8b34893a6a3e24b4b0d68fe) campaign, which we’ll go into later. #### Versatile Applications Finally, WhatsApp has versatile applications through the full marketing funnel. Use a WhatsApp link in [click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads#toc-mobile-1) and lead generation campaigns to get contacts; then use it as a remarketing tool to inform prospects about promotions and encourage repeat purchases. ### How to Start WhatsApp Marketing: 3 Things to Consider Before you start using WhatsApp for marketing, you’ll need to know about the different account types and their features. #### 1\. WhatsApp Marketing Accounts There are two types of accounts you can use for WhatsApp marketing: [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) and [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). Each has its own features and limitations. For small businesses, WhatsApp Business App may be enough for your use cases. For medium to large businesses who want to use [WhatsApp Business with multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users), we recommend WhatsApp API. WhatsApp API allows you to connect to a business messaging platform like respond.io to set up [customized Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations), [assign contacts to agents](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio), and more. #### 2\. WhatsApp Business App Limitations WhatsApp Business App lacks advanced functions for marketing like the ability to set up drip campaigns and [promotional push notifications](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-notification#toc-mobile-13). These actions can only be done with WhatsApp API connected to respond.io. Another drawback to WhatsApp Business App is that for [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message#toc-mobile-9) you need to create broadcast lists, with a [maximum of 256 contacts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app#toc-mobile-8) per list. On the other hand, with WhatsApp API, you can send bulk messages to an [unlimited number of contacts depending on your tier level](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#toc-mobile-9). Even though WhatsApp API supports large-scale broadcasts, each WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) has daily messaging limits that start small for new accounts and increase over time based on messages sent and good sending practices. For example, a newly verified account starts at 2,000 daily business-initiated messages, then increases to 10,000, 100,000, and eventually unlimited. All numbers under the same WhatsApp Business Portfolio share the limit, making it easier to unlock new limits. #### 3\. Costs and Regulations WhatsApp Business App is completely free. WhatsApp API incurs costs, including the respond.io account fee, [Business Solutions Providers](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing#toc-mobile-2) (BSPs) fees, and [WhatsApp message template fees](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing). That said, the potential benefits of WhatsApp promotional messages far outweigh the costs. With both WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API, there are some regulations you need to follow. No one likes being spammed, and if you’re suspected of spamming, your account may be banned. Firstly, Contacts have to opt in to receive promotional messages. Contacts can opt in by sending you a message, filling out a form, scanning your [WhatsApp QR code](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code#toc-mobile-0) or through a click-to-chat ad. You also have to abide by the terms in WhatsApp’s [Business](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-policy/#:~:text=Keep%20all%20information%20accurate%20and,contacted%20by%20you%20over%20WhatsApp.)) and [Commerce](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/commerce-policy) Policies. This includes only using pre-approved [Message Templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) for promotional content. > Meta has rolled out new WhatsApp Setup Guidance directly inside your Meta Business Portfolio. This new hub provides step-by-step instructions to simplify your API setup and manage message eligibility. You can now launch campaigns faster with pre-approved templates and instantly check your template review and appeals status. ### How to Use WhatsApp for Marketing in 5 Steps Once you have your WhatsApp Business App or WhatsApp API account ready, it’s easy to start fitting WhatsApp into your marketing strategy. Get creative and use [respond.io](http://respond.io/) to streamline the process. The marketing process is best illustrated by a funnel. Your WhatsApp marketing strategy can be seen in the same way. We’ll show you step-by-step how to use WhatsApp to guide prospects down the funnel. #### 1\. Generate Leads with a WhatsApp Link or QR Code Since you need to get prospects to message you before sending promotions, find creative ways to do this. We’ll talk about a few examples later. Think about what appeals to your audience. Generate a WhatsApp link or [QR code](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you#generate_a_scannable_qr_code_or_shareable_chat_link) with respond.io to create ads or social media promotions. [Click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads#toc-mobile-2) make it easy for prospects to respond. All they have to do is click the WhatsApp link and you’ll get their phone number; there’s no need to fill out a form. You can set up a [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) so they get an instant response when they engage with the ad. #### 2\. Build and Segment Your Audience You can also work with your existing phone contact list. [Import it into respond.io](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-import#importing-contacts) to use with your WhatsApp campaigns. Add [Tags to segment your audience](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-details#tags). Tag them according to where they came from (e.g., WhatsApp ad, phone contacts) and what product or service they showed interest in. #### 3\. Send Promotional Broadcasts Once you’ve segmented your audience, you can start sending them relevant promotional messages. Tags come in handy here to ensure contacts get the type of messages they expect and won’t flag you as spam. For example, you can send a message with an offer as soon as the contact opts in and then send monthly messages about the latest specials, along with occasional messages about products they’ve expressed interest in. You can also [use WhatsApp for remarketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-advertising-messages-sample#toc-mobile-9) to suggest related products or upgrades to your existing customers. Consider offering a [loyalty discount](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-advertising-messages-sample#toc-mobile-7) to make the offer more enticing. > Starting April 1, 2025, WhatsApp will pause all marketing template messages to US phone numbers (+1). This aims to improve the user experience and business outcomes. Sending messages after this date will result in an error. #### 4\. Guide Prospects through the Funnel with Drip Campaigns Customize and automate your conversations further with WhatsApp drip campaigns. Most people won’t make a purchase the first time they hear about a product. They need to consider it over time and be reminded of its value. Set triggers to send automated messages, for example, if they have an abandoned cart or if their trial is about to expire. WhatsApp abandoned cart messages give you the opportunity to draw back as many as 60% of customers. Setting up WhatsApp promotional messages in response to specified trigger events involves a similar process as [WhatsApp push notifications](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-notification#toc-mobile-13). You’ll [soon be able to do this via Messages API through a Zapier integration.](https://roadmap.respond.io/feature-request/p/send-zaps-to-respondio?_ga=2.107708098.1936498100.1642989132-1620300066.1626926108) #### 5\. Conduct Customer Satisfaction Surveys and Encourage Referrals Happy customers will do marketing for you by referring their friends. Use respond.io to create an [automated customer satisfaction survey](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-7). Not only will you get valuable feedback from this, but you can also offer highly satisfied customers referral incentives. For example, create a Workflow where customers who gave 4-5 stars in a survey get a promo code to share. When the code is used, the customer gets a discount. Customers who gave 1-3 stars are given the option to chat with an agent about their issues. ### 3 Best Practices for WhatsApp Marketing #### 1\. Aim for Engagement The goal of WhatsApp marketing should be conversations that lead prospects to take action. Click to chat ads are a great way to get leads to provide information about their needs. When you send promotional broadcasts, it’s also important to encourage customers to reply rather than just informing them about a promotion. For example, include a CTA button like “Get discount,” “Shop now” or “RSVP.” The number of responses you receive helps gauge the effectiveness of your marketing. Additionally, it lets Meta know that recipients find your messages valuable. If recipients are not engaging with your promotional messages, there is a chance that [further Marketing template messages to these customers will not be delivered](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/cloud-api/guides/send-message-templates#per-user-marketing-template-message-limits). #### 2\. Limit Frequency of Promotional Broadcasts Promotional broadcasts are useful for retargeting customers with the latest news or special deals. Meta now limits businesses to sending [two marketing template per customer in a 24-hour period](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/cloud-api/guides/send-message-templates#how-this-applies-to-your-business). If the customer responds, you can send an additional template message. However, we recommend sending fewer than this for a better customer experience. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Nobody wants to receive a WhatsApp message from a business every day even if they’ve opted in to promotions. [Schedule your messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message#toc-mobile-8) wisely, for example, announce a promotion and then send another reminder when the promotion is about to end. #### 3\. Use Eye-Catching Visuals Whether in ads, social posts with chat links or promotional messages, visuals help capture attention. In ads or social media posts, pique curiosity with creative images or videos. In template messages, make sure your offer is immediately clear. For example, add a [WhatsApp catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog#toc-mobile-8) image to showcase an item that’s discounted. We share some examples of successful marketing campaigns in the next section to give you some inspiration. ### 3 WhatsApp Marketing Examples to Inspire You Marketing on WhatsApp is a great way to increase your engagement and ultimately convert leads into sales. Many companies have proved this with successful WhatsApp campaigns. Let’s have a look at a few of them. #### 1\. Maggi Germany Engages Customers with WhatsApp Cooking Classes Globally popular German food brand and cooking school Maggi wanted to encourage customers to cook at home with Maggi products. To do this, it developed a virtual cooking course conducted entirely over WhatsApp. Users message virtual assistant Kim who guides them step-by-step through simple recipes. Kim also provides users with a shopping list along with helpful tips and quizzes on nutrition and food safety. ##### How They Did It Maggi announced the WhatsApp campaign on its website, in newsletters, and in press releases. It also promoted it through click-to-chat ads on Facebook and Instagram. ##### The Results: In the first eight weeks after the launch, Kim had received over 200,000 messages. There was a major increase in brand awareness, and surveys conducted showed that ads for this WhatsApp campaign were more memorable, with a 4.2 increase in [ad recall lift](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/906621789539717?id=429023050853196&locale=en_GB) over other ads. Customers appreciated the personal connection through an app they use daily. While they may not have considered cooking courses in the past, their interactions with Kim showed them how easy it was to make cooking a part of their routine. #### 2\. Vyatta Boosts Sales with Click to Chat Ads Indonesian brand Vyatta produces a range of tech accessories, including headphones, smartwatches, speakers and chargers. It regularly used Facebook ads to send buyers to its online store. However, Vyatta wanted to see if chatting with a sales representative to get more information about the product would increase purchases, so it tried click-to-chat ads directing buyers to WhatsApp rather than to the store. ##### How They Did It To see which method was more successful, directing buyers to WhatsApp or to the store, Vyatta ran a split test over six weeks. It used both types of ads and then compared the results. ##### The Results The click-to-WhatsApp ads were a resounding success. Vyatta found that these ads resulted in 5X more purchases at 79% less cost per purchase. Prospects who interacted with WhatsApp also viewed 2X more product pages and completed 2X more add-to-cart actions than those who interacted with the other ads. #### 3\. Qobolak Doubles Lead Conversions with WhatsApp Broadcasts Qobolak, an education placement company, links students in the Gulf Coast Countries with universities in the UK, USA, Europe and Australia. It successfully generates most of its leads at education fairs yet faced challenges in effectively communicating its participation at these events to potential students. Sending [WhatsApp broadcasts via respond.io](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) served as a direct channel to deliver such announcements and updates to a [wide audience](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-whatsapp) efficiently. ##### How They Did It Qobolak sent 49,800 WhatsApp broadcast messages over eight months, keeping prospects informed about education fairs and promotions to enhance its outreach and impact in the educational placement sector. ##### The Results This new approach has led to significant improvements in event visibility and attendance. The use of WhatsApp broadcasts proved highly effective, [resulting in a 95% increase in lead conversions](https://respond.io/customers/how-qobolak-used-broadcasts-to-double-student-lead-conversions). This approach keeps Qobolak at the forefront of students' minds, boosting engagement and rapidly improving lead generation and conversion rates. ### Ready to Unleash the Full Potential of WhatsApp Marketing? Have these examples sparked ideas to apply to your own business? To get the complete benefits, it’s best to sign up for a WhatsApp API account, as we’ve explained. Run click to chat ads, segment and target customers, send promotional messages and more to maximize your leads and keep them engaged. Start implementing your own WhatsApp marketing strategy today. [Sign up for a respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) so you can [connect WhatsApp API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start) and seamlessly manage all the leads that come in from your campaigns. ### Further Reading To learn more about using WhatsApp for marketing, check out these articles: - WhatsApp CRM Ultimate Guide: Integration, Use Cases and Best Practices - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business - The Practical Guide to WhatsApp Ads ## [WhatsApp Message Template: A How-to Guide with 13 Examples](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) Businesses can't send WhatsApp messages after 24 hours unless they use WhatsApp Message Template. Learn how to format and send template messages plus examples. WhatsApp has become a valuable tool for businesses looking to communicate quickly and efficiently. With WhatsApp message templates, you can streamline your communication process and save time while providing personalized and engaging messages to your audience. In this blog, we'll share everything you need to know to create an effective WhatsApp message template to help your business connect with customers. ### What is a WhatsApp Message Template? A WhatsApp Message Template is a pre-approved message businesses use to reach customers outside the [24-hour customer service window](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-10). Since businesses can’t send free-form messages after this period, they must use templates—such as for order updates, reminders, or promotions—which need WhatsApp’s approval before sending. Businesses can personalize WhatsApp message templates with customizable placeholders, media headers and Quick Reply or Call-to-Action buttons. These features make WhatsApp template messages more engaging and interactive than other message formats like SMS or email. These message templates are not free to send. They are subject to [WhatsApp’s per-message pricing model](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing#toc-mobile-2), where rates depend on the [recipient’s country code](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/updates-to-pricing#rate-cards-for-utility--marketing--authentication--and-service-conversations--effective-june-1--2023:~:text=country%20or%20region.-,Rate%20cards%20for%20utility%2C%20marketing%2C%20authentication%2C%20and%20service%20conversations%3A%20Effective%20June%201%2C%202023,-USD%20Rate%20Card) and message template category. But what do we mean by the message template category? You’ll find the answer in the next section. ### WhatsApp Message Template Categories and How They Work To prevent businesses from spamming their contacts, Meta restricts the use of WhatsApp message templates to a limited number of use cases. Here are the approved use cases of message templates by category. - Utility: Transactional updates like order confirmations or shipping alerts - Authentication: Verification messages like OTP for account logins - Marketing: Promotions, product recommendations, back-in-stock alerts Here are the specifics on the categories along with how the pricing works. > Find a full list of example templates for each use case that you can copy and adapt for your business in the last section of this article. #### Utility WhatsApp Message Templates A user action or request usually triggers utility templates. These message templates should provide specific details regarding the current or ongoing transaction, account, subscription or interaction. For instance, an order confirmation template should incorporate the corresponding order number or a button linking to the order. #### Authentication WhatsApp Message Templates Authentication templates enable businesses to authenticate users with one-time passcodes, potentially at multiple steps in the login process, for example, when a user signs up or has forgotten their password. #### Marketing WhatsApp Message Templates Marketing templates are intended for [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) like promotional or informative updates, as well as invitations for customers to take action. Any conversation that does not fall under the utility or authentication categories will be a [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) conversation. ### WhatsApp Template Message Pricing On WhatsApp, [businesses are charged per template message sent](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing#toc-0). This means that every marketing or authentication template you deliver is billed individually, so it’s important to send only what’s necessary and valuable to the customer. Utility template messages are an exception—they’re free when sent during the 24-hour customer service window. This makes them ideal for transactional updates like order confirmations, appointment reminders, and shipping notifications. If you’re sending multiple templates of the same category, each one will still count as a separate charge—except for utility templates during that 24-hour window. However, messages must be approved templates, and each one should be categorized correctly as utility, marketing, or authentication. ### WhatsApp API Messaging Limits When using the WhatsApp Business API, your account has messaging limits that determine how many unique customers you can send template messages to within 24 hours. Starting October 7, 2025, these limits are calculated per business portfolio rather than per individual number, and all numbers in a portfolio share the same limit. | Tier | Messages per 24 hours | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | Starting | 250 | Default limit for new portfolios or newly registered numbers | | Tier 1 | 2,000 | First automatic upgrade after meeting quality and usage criteria | | Tier 2 | 10,000 | For portfolios with consistent high-quality messaging | | Tier 3 | 100,000 | For established portfolios maintaining excellent messaging standards | | Unlimited | Unlimited | Available for top-tier portfolios meeting strict Meta standards | Key points: - Limits apply to the entire portfolio, not individual numbers. - Only template messages count toward the limit; customer-initiated conversatinos within the 24-hour customer service window are excluded. - Automatic scaling upgrades happen within 6 hours after meeting eligibility criteria. - Flagged phone number quality states no longer exist — limits are not downgraded due to rating changes. - Maintain a high-quality rating and follow WhatsApp policies to unlock higher tiers. Planning campaigns with these limits in mind helps prevent delivery caps. Ensure templates are clear, relevant, and compliant to avoid rejection or being flagged as spam, maximizing the value of every message. ### WhatsApp Message Template Content Rules and Message Format You need to follow a format for template messages to ensure they’re approved. #### WhatsApp Message Template: Format Template messages must follow a fixed structure: - Header (optional): Text or media - Body (required): Main content of the message, limited to 1,024 characters including letters, numbers, special characters, and emojis - Placeholders (optional within body): A number in double curly brackets to include customized text like name or order number - Footer (optional): Additional info like disclaimers - Buttons (optional): Quick replies or CTAs Here’s an example: > `Header: Your Order is Confirmed ✅ Body: Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} has been confirmed and will be delivered by {{3}}. Footer: Thank you for shopping with us! Buttons: [Track Order]` Customers rarely appreciate unsolicited messages, and they could mark your message as spam and report your number. If they do so, it will affect its [quality rating](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/message-templates/guidelines/). If the quality rating reaches a Low state, your message template will get the Flagged status. Finally, if the status does not improve within 7 days, the message template status will switch to Disabled. To prevent this from happening, make sure you [collect customer opt-ins](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in) before sending message templates. Other than that, let’s look at the content rules to be mindful of. #### WhatsApp Message Template: Content Rules To protect its users from spam and harmful content, WhatsApp has come up with rules for content that businesses aren’t allowed to send using message templates: - Threatening content - Data collection - Prohibited services - Contests or quizzes WhatsApp message templates cannot contain threatening or abusive content. For example, message templates that threaten customers with legal action if they don't pay back their loans are not allowed. Moreover, businesses can't use WhatsApp message templates to collect customer data. For example, you can't request sensitive personal information such as credit card numbers through message templates. While polls are out of the question, [CSAT surveys](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) are an exception to the rule. Businesses can’t use WhatsApp message templates to offer [prohibited services](https://www.facebook.com/policies_center/commerce/services) to customers. Services that fall under this category include – alcohol, gambling, devices that facilitate illegal streaming, fake documents, hazardous goods and materials. Last but not least, message templates should not contain any content related to quizzes, contests, or anything that involves skills or chance. Now that you understand the message template rules, it's time to learn how to create a message template for WhatsApp. ### How to Create a WhatsApp Template Message To start creating and sending WhatsApp messages, you need two things: - A WhatsApp API account — You can get one instantly through respond.io. - A customer communication platform to connect to the WhatsApp API. For convenience, we recommend using an all-in-one solution like respond.io. It connects you to the WhatsApp API while also letting you build powerful automation and integrate with your CRM. > Meta has rolled out new WhatsApp Setup Guidance directly inside your Meta Business Portfolio. This new hub provides step-by-step instructions to simplify your API setup and manage message eligibility. You can now launch campaigns faster with pre-approved templates and instantly check your template review and appeals status. #### Creating WhatsApp Template Message on Respond.io Once you’re ready, open respond.io and follow the steps below to create your first WhatsApp message template. **1\. Go** to Settings > Channel > WhatsApp Business API and click the Templates icon. **2\. Click** *Submit Template* to create a new WhatsApp template. **3\. Fill** in your template name, category, language and template body. **5\. Include** a header in the form of text, image, video or document if needed and a text footer. **6\. Add** a call-to-action or quick reply button, then click *Submit*. **7\. Key** in the parameters for the template. Do note that you’ll need to include [Dynamic Variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) in the placeholders before submission; otherwise, WhatsApp will reject your message template. Click *Submit* once done. **8\. Lastly,** Sync Templates once you’ve submitted them for approval. > Respond.io integrates with Meta Catalog. You can synchronize your Commerce Manager Catalogs, [schedule messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) and send them with respond.io with the Messages Module, Workflows, [Broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) or via Make.com or Zapier. Once synced, you can see your message template status in the message template list after submission. There are three possible statuses: - Submitted: It’s still under review and pending approval. - Approved: It can now be used to message Contacts. - Rejected: It cannot be used. WhatsApp provides a reason for rejection to help you understand how the Message template violates WhatsApp’s rules. ### 8 Reasons Why WhatsApp Template Messages Get Rejected In this section, we’ll discuss some reasons why WhatsApp might reject your message template submission. #### 1\. Your Message Template Asks for Sensitive Information For instance, requesting complete payment card details, financial account numbers, national ID numbers or other sensitive identifiers. This also includes documents containing such information. However, it is acceptable to ask for partial identifiers, such as the last four digits of their Social Security number. #### 2\. Your Message Template Contains Potentially Threatening or Abusive Content This includes content such as threatening a customer with legal action or threatening to publicly shame them. #### 3\. Your Message Template Has Floating Placeholders For instance, WhatsApp will reject message templates containing lines with just Placeholders and no text because businesses can use them to spam customers. This can look like the following: > `Hi {{1}}, {{2}}. {{3}}.` #### 4\. Your Message Template Has Incorrect Variable Parameters Format Below are more examples of incorrect variable parameters formatting that will cause message template rejection: - Variable parameters are missing or have mismatched curly braces. The correct format is {{1}}. - Variable parameters contain special characters such as a #, $, or %. - Variable parameters are not sequential. For example, {{1}}, {{2}}, {{4}}, {{5}} are defined but {{3}} does not exist. #### 5\. You Chose the Wrong Message Template Category WhatsApp may reject your message template if the Category selected doesn’t match the content. A case in point is labeling a message template about a new feature as an Authentication Template. #### 6\. The Chosen Language Didn't Match the Content Your message template must match the language you’ve selected. For instance, if you select English as the language but the content is in Spanish, your message template will be rejected. #### 7\. Your Message Template Has Spelling or Grammatical Errors If your message template contains misspellings or grammatical errors, it may be deemed untrustworthy and get rejected. #### 8\. You've Exceeded the Number of Message Templates Allowed Each WhatsApp API account can only own a limited number of message templates. If you need more, open a support ticket with your [WhatsApp partner](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) stating your reason. WhatsApp may approve a higher limit at its discretion. Getting your message template right might seem difficult, but there are things you can do to stand a better chance of having your submission approved. ### WhatsApp Message Template Tips In this section, we've compiled a list of best practices for creating and using message templates. Plus, we’ve included some examples of what approved message templates look like. #### Select Meta Recommended Template Category Selecting the wrong template category is one of the main reasons for rejection. Always choose the [Meta recommended template category](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/updates-to-pricing/new-template-guidelines/) when submitting message templates to adhere to Meta's standards. #### Obtain Customer Opt-In Before Sending Message Templates Just because you have customers' numbers doesn't mean they have opted in. You should always [get active consent from customers](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in) before sending WhatsApp message templates. #### Double Check the Formatting and Content WhatsApp enforces the formatting rules of message templates strictly. Make sure you use the appropriate formatting. ##### 1\. Get the placeholders right Remember to use double curly brackets for placeholders and write the numbers in the placeholders in sequence. Floating Placeholders are a no-no, so surround them with information to make clear what type of content will be inserted. ##### 2\. Don't put URL shorteners in the message body WhatsApp doesn't recommend using a URL shortener such as bit.ly or tinyurl because they obscure the intended link destination. A workaround is to use URL shorteners in your Placeholder instead of the Message Body. ##### 3\. Proofread your message template WhatsApp will reject message templates that include even minor spelling or grammatical mistakes. Check for grammatical errors or misspellings before submitting your message template. #### Give your Message Template a Meaningful Name WhatsApp is more likely to approve a message template with a name that provides context around its purpose. > order\_delivery #### Remind your Customers Why They Received your Message In your message template, remind your customers that they’ve given you permission to send the messages. For example, make it clear that you are following up on a previous inquiry. #### Don't Spam Customers Avoid sending message templates too frequently or customers might opt out. Worse, they may mark your business as spam. Having your message templates marked as spam will affect your account’s quality rating, and your message template may be disabled. #### Get your Message Template Right the First Time You can't edit your message template once it's approved. Make sure you are happy with your message template before submitting it. #### Try Again if the Message Template Gets Rejected Sometimes it’s not even that clear why one message template is approved while the other gets rejected. It may take a few tries to get a WhatsApp message template approved. #### Contact your Partner When All Else Fails If resubmissions continue to be rejected, open a support ticket with your WhatsApp partner explaining the issue in detail. WhatsApp partners like respond.io can request WhatsApp to reconsider the rejected message template. That’s all you need to know about using and creating WhatsApp template messages. We’ve prepared some sample templates for you below that you can adapt for your business. ### 13 WhatsApp Template Message Examples Here are few examples for each category, along with some common use cases. #### Utility Template Samples These are some typical reasons to send utility messages. **Opt-in:** > `Hi {{1}}, thanks for subscribing to updates from {{2}}. You’ll now receive important notifications like order updates, appointment reminders, and service alerts via WhatsApp.` **Order confirmation:** > `Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} has been confirmed. You will receive a tracking link once it's shipped. Thank you for shopping with us!` **Shipping notification:** > `Good news, {{1}}! Your package {{2}} has been shipped and is expected to arrive by {{3}}. Track your order here: {{4}}.` **Appointment reminder** > `Hi {{1}}, this is a reminder for your appointment with {{2}} on {{3}} at {{4}}. Reply with 1 to confirm or 2 to reschedule.` **Service update** > `Hi {{1}}, the service request #{{2}} has been completed. If you need further help, reply to this message or contact us at {{3}}.` **Request for customer feedback** > `Hi {{1}}, thank you for your recent experience with {{2}}. We’d love to hear your thoughts! Please rate your experience by tapping below.` #### Authentication Template Samples There are only three main reasons to send an authentication message. **Account verification** > `Your {{1}} verification code is {{2}}. Enter this code in the app to complete your login. This code will expire in 10 minutes.` **Account recovery** > `You requested to recover your {{1}} account. Use this verification code: {{2}}. If this wasn’t you, please ignore this message.` **Account integrity challenges** > `We noticed a login attempt to your {{1}} account. To confirm it’s you, enter the code: {{2}}. If this wasn’t you, secure your account immediately.` #### Marketing Template Samples Marketing templates can be used in a variety of ways, to push prospects to make a purchase or to retain existing customers. **Business, products or services news** > `Hi, {{1}}, your canvas design account has been updated with the following features in March:` > `🎨 10 new templates` > `🔥 More flexible drag-and-drop interface` > `📷 100 more stock images for Premium users` > `Find out more on our website!` **Promotional offers** > `Hey {{1}}, we have a special promotion for you. Get a free gift 🎁 with any purchase of $50 or more. Hurry, head over to our website to purchase while stocks last.` **Retargeting** > `Time flies! It's been a year since your last check-up with us. We're here to remind you that it's important to stay on top of your health, so we're offering a free consultation to all our returning customers. Call us now to book your appointment! 🏥👨‍⚕️` **Building customer relationships** > `🎉 We're excited to announce our upcoming webinar on How to Start Your Investment Journey! Join us on 1 April at 3 pm to learn from industry experts and network with like-minded professionals. Register now to secure your spot!` ### Choose the Right WhatsApp Partner That’s all you need to know to get started with WhatsApp message templates. If you’re sending high volumes of WhatsApp template messages, it’s important to choose a WhatsApp provider that can keep up with them. With 99.999% uptime and no lagging, respond.io is a smart option for your business. With respond.io, you can also track customers through their [lifecycle](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) to segment and target them for conversion and retention. To take your business communication to the next level, [try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and [get a WhatsApp API account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) in minutes. ### Further Reading And that’s everything you need to know about WhatsApp message templates. If you're interested in more information about WhatsApp for Business, check out these articles: - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business - WhatsApp Automation: A WhatsApp Business Automation Guide - WhatsApp Auto Reply in 4 Easy Steps ## [WhatsApp Multi Agent: A Guide to Multi Agent WhatsApp](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-multi-agent) Want to use WhatsApp for multiple agents? Learn about the advantages and features of WhatsApp Multi Agent and how businesses can benefit from it. Want to learn more about WhatsApp multi agent? Look no further, as we address your questions about how to use WhatsApp for multiple agents, show you how to set it up and use it for sales, support and marketing on a platform like respond.io. ### WhatsApp Multi Agent: Different Business Sizes WhatsApp multi agent, also known as [WhatsApp Business multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users), refers to using WhatsApp on multiple devices. There are two types of WhatsApp Business products you can use with multiple agents or on multiple devices: [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) and [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). Each platform has its own method of adding additional agents and devices. What about the WhatsApp App? While it is now possible to link up to four devices under one phone number, it is not a suitable choice for business messaging. Although both the WhatsApp App and WhatsApp Business App allow creating broadcast lists of up to 256 contacts and labeling them for easier management, the WhatsApp Business App offers several advantages over the regular WhatsApp App. Let’s discuss them further. #### WhatsApp Business App WhatsApp Business App is tailor-made for small businesses and comes with many useful features, such as [greeting](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message) and [away messages](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business), [WhatsApp Catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog), [WhatsApp Pay](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-pay-everything-about-whatsapp-payment) and [quick replies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-quick-reply). Setting it up is simple, and it's free to use. With the WhatsApp Business App, you can even have multiple agents operating it. In fact, you can now link WhatsApp Business to up to five devices, including one phone + four additional devices for each number. [WhatsApp Business Premium](https://faq.whatsapp.com/1121107608484746/?cms_platform=android) is a paid feature WhatsApp released in 2022 that allows you to connect up to 10 devices, making it possible for your team to quickly respond to inquiries. You can even [assign chats to specific agents](https://faq.whatsapp.com/395911122612120/?cms_platform=android). At present, this plan is only for Android users and is available in certain countries. This feature is particularly useful for teams that need to collaborate on customer support, as it allows multiple agents to work together seamlessly to resolve customer issues. If you're a sole proprietor or running a small business, connecting five to 10 devices to one WhatsApp number should suffice. As your business grows, you'll need a more robust platform to handle an increasing number of agents, contacts, and messages, and that's where WhatsApp API comes in. #### WhatsApp API It's crucial for large businesses to handle a high volume of messages quickly while responding to all contacts promptly and keeping track of the team's workload and organizational performance. However, these additional features are only available to WhatsApp API accounts when [connected to a customer conversation management software](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) such as respond.io. #### WhatsApp Business App or WhatsApp API It can be helpful to have a visual guide to determine which WhatsApp product is best suited for your business. That's why we've created a flow chart so you can better understand which product is ideal for micro-small businesses, SMEs and larger enterprises. We'll explore each product's features, along with their associated pros and cons, in more detail next. ### WhatsApp Multi Agents: Micro Small Businesses For micro-small businesses, you may be considering using WhatsApp Business App. In this guide, we'll explain how you can use WhatsApp Business with multiple agents on the app. #### How to Use WhatsApp Multi Agents via the App To link multiple devices and agents to the WhatsApp Business App, follow the steps below. **1\. Go** to your WhatsApp Business App. **2\. Tap** the *More Options* icon with 3 vertical dots. **3\. Click** Linked Devices. **4\. Click** LINK A DEVICE. **5\. Scan** the QR code. The QR code can be obtained via [WhatsApp Business Web](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-web) or the [WhatsApp Business Desktop App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-web#toc-mobile-2) on your companion devices. It's important to note that the steps outlined above apply to Android devices. For iPhone users, go to *WhatsApp Settings* in Step 2 and follow the remaining instructions. Remember to update your WhatsApp Business App to the latest version before you start. Once linked, your agents will be able to access WhatsApp Business on multiple devices. #### Multi Agent WhatsApp: A Temporary Solution Using the App The WhatsApp Business App is a useful tool for small businesses that need to use multiple devices. However, this solution is only practical for the early stages of your business. As your business expands, using linked devices will present a number of challenges, including: - Can’t see who sent or replied to a message - Can’t track Agent workload or performance - Can’t ensure all Contacts have been answered For these reasons, it's recommended that you only use the WhatsApp Business App as a temporary solution before transitioning to WhatsApp API. ### WhatsApp Multi Agent: SMEs & Large Businesses If you’re running a large business, you’ll need a platform that offers advanced features to manage multiple agents on WhatsApp Business effectively. For that, we need to use [WhatsApp API connected to a messaging software](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business). > Do you want to experience WhatsApp API but are afraid of giving up the WhatsApp Business app? WhatsApp Coexistence allows you to connect your WhatsApp Business App to respond.io via the WhatsApp API using the same phone number. You can continue using the WhatsApp Business App while unlocking automation, CRM syncing, reporting, and other features on respond.io. To begin, let's discuss what WhatsApp API is and how to get started at the most affordable price point on the market. We'll also explain why using respond.io to manage WhatsApp Business on multiple devices is the best solution. #### WhatsApp Business on Multiple Devices: WhatsApp API Overview WhatsApp API caters to the needs of SMEs and large businesses that aim to enhance their efficiency in managing teams, messages and customers as they scale up. But before we move on, here are some basic things you need to know about WhatsApp API. - It has a 24-hour customer service window - It's not free - You need to apply for an account > Meta has rolled out new WhatsApp Setup Guidance directly inside your Meta Business Portfolio. This new hub provides step-by-step instructions to simplify your API setup and manage message eligibility. You can now launch campaigns faster with pre-approved templates and instantly check your template review and appeals status. We'll explain each point in detail in the following sections. #### WhatsApp Business on Multiple Devices: WhatsApp API Messaging Window WhatsApp API has a 24-hour customer service window that restarts every time a contact sends an inbound message. [Businesses can reply freely](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-13) within the messaging window. Once the 24-hour messaging window closes, businesses can only respond to customers using [message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message). These templates are customizable and can include [placeholders, media headers and quick reply and call-to-action buttons](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#toc-mobile-7). They are also useful for specific [use cases such as re-marketing through WhatsApp Broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users#toc-mobile-15) or [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message). #### WhatsApp Business on Multiple Devices: WhatsApp API Pricing [WhatsApp API Pricing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing) varies depending on the WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) you choose. They typically add a markup fee to [WhatsApp's per-message](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/updates-to-pricing) charges and charge a monthly WhatsApp API access fee on top of what WhatsApp charges them. Thankfully, this is not the case if you get WhatsApp Business API from respond.io. Unlike other BSPs, respond.io provides free WhatsApp API access and does not impose any markup fees, making it a cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes. Because Respond.io serves as both a WhatsApp BSP and a customer conversation management software, businesses can connect WhatsApp to an [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication), use WhatsApp with teams of users and fully manage their WhatsApp Business Accounts. It supports all of WhatsApp’s unique features like [broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) and [interactive messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-interactive-message) while offering [advanced automation](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) to streamline business processes like [WhatsApp schedule messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) and [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply). We’ll explore its capabilities more later. Additionally, because respond.io uses [WhatsApp Cloud API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-cloud-api), businesses can get faster WhatsApp API updates compared to other WhatsApp Partners. Next, we’ll show you how easy it is to get WhatsApp API access with respond.io. #### WhatsApp Business on Multiple Devices: How to Get a WhatsApp API Account Signing up for WhatsApp API with respond.io is quick and easy. Once you click on [this link](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business), you’ll be taken through a [seamless WhatsApp API sign-up process](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api#toc-mobile-5) – from linking your Facebook Business Account (now known as Meta Business Portfolio) to adding a phone number. The entire process takes only a few minutes. Because respond.io is also a messaging software, you can start messaging customers right after creating your WhatsApp API account. Let’s explore how you can start using respond.io to message customers on WhatsApp. ### WhatsApp Business Multiple Agents: Supported Use Cases with Respond.io Next, we will demonstrate how respond.io can help you leverage the potential of WhatsApp Business for [sales](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service), [customer service](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service), [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) using WhatsApp click-to-chat ads, and re-marketing via WhatsApp Broadcast while allowing multiple agents to operate at a time. #### WhatsApp Business Multiple Agents: WhatsApp Sales and WhatsApp Customer Support Our customizable [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview) enable you to use WhatsApp API for sales and support with multiple agents. Whenever an inbound message is received, the message will be routed to the appropriate team based on [customizable routing logic](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/auto-assign-customers) like the customer's profile, conversation purpose and customer life cycle. After configuring your inbound message Workflows, you can make sure that every customer is attended to by assigning them to the most relevant and/or available agent on your team. You can also prioritize important customers by handling them first. Calls are a great channel to break down complex inquiries with a more human touch. [Voice call integrations](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration) with VoIP, WhatsApp Calling and Facebook Messenger Calling are only available through a few WhatsApp Business Solution Providers, like respond.io. #### WhatsApp Business Multi Agents: WhatsApp Click to Chat Ads & Lead Management Are you having trouble managing a high volume of inbound messages and struggling with qualifying leads from [WhatsApp click to chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads)? With respond.io, you can [qualify leads faster with AI Agent](https://respond.io/blog/ai-sales-agent) and increase lead conversion by replying to them promptly with our dedicated multi-agent response platform. Respond.io’s [AI Agent](https://respond.io/blog/how-respondio-ai-agents-work) can work alongside your human agents to handle conversations autonomously. It can manage complex inquiries, gather lead information, update contact fields, and even trigger workflow actions without human intervention. When needed, it escalates chats to the right agent, ensuring smooth handovers. This means your team can focus on high-value tasks while AI Agents handle repetitive questions, initial lead qualification, and real-time updates—boosting efficiency, reducing response times, and improving customer satisfaction. While you get a 72-hour messaging window instead of a 24-hour messaging window when leads message you from WhatsApp Ads, you need a way to restart a conversation with them after the messaging window closes. To reconnect with leads in bulk, use message templates for [WhatsApp Broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) and send personalized templates to your contact lists #### WhatsApp Business Multi Agents: WhatsApp Broadcast Sending a broadcast to your [opted-in Contacts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-15) is a straightforward process on respond.io. Choose the Contacts you want to reach out to and [create your message's content](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-5) with media attachments to make it more interactive. When you're done, send it immediately or schedule it in advance. With the influx of messages from leads, it can be overwhelming to manage them all efficiently. However, with our platform, you can handle them with ease by assigning them to [teams of agents](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm#toc-mobile-5) who can reply to them simultaneously on different devices. ### Multi Agent WhatsApp: Improve Team Performance with Respond.io As we've tackled the issue of multiple agents for WhatsApp Business, it's also crucial for businesses to have a comprehensive understanding of their customers and ensure that their team is performing optimally. Through our [Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview ), you can gain insights on the assigned agent for a Contact, the current workload of each agent, and their efficiency in closing conversations based on response and resolution time. Respond.io offers specially designed collaboration tools to facilitate teamwork among agents. These handy features include adding [Comments](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity#comments) and tagging another colleague in a conversation to allow agents to work together, respond promptly and resolve conversations faster. Our [Contact Merge feature](https://respond.io/blog/360dialog-whatsapp-integration#toc-mobile-4) provides you with a 360-degree view of your customers in our [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication). This centralized dashboard helps your team reply more efficiently by making all the Contact information available. To ensure you're always connected to your customers, even when you're on the go, the [respond.io mobile app](https://play.google.com/store/search?q=respond.io&c=apps&hl=en) keeps you in the loop. With [notifications](https://help.respond.io/user-account/notifications#mobile_notification) each time a new message comes in or when you're assigned a new Contact, you'll never miss a conversation again. You’ve made it to the end! Are you ready to use WhatsApp with multiple agents? [Try respond.io and its WhatsApp Business API for free](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business)! ### Further Reading Enjoyed reading this article? Want to learn more about how to use WhatsApp for your business? Check out our articles on: - The Ultimate Guide to WhatsApp Business API - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business - WhatsApp API Pricing: The Ultimate Guide to WhatsApp Business API Pricing ## [WhatsApp Newsletter: A Guide to WhatsApp Business Newsletter ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-newsletter) Looking to engage with customers through WhatsApp Business newsletter? In this WhatsApp newsletter guide you'll learn all you need to know to get started. Are you interested in effectively reaching your audience through newsletters? If your customers are on WhatsApp, utilizing a WhatsApp business newsletter is the ideal solution. In this comprehensive article, we will explore the advantages of using a WhatsApp newsletter for customer communication. Additionally, we will guide you through the process of using a WhatsApp newsletter tool to send newsletters to your contact list effortlessly. To further assist you, we will provide a collection of valuable templates to inspire and help you in composing your own engaging WhatsApp newsletters. Let's delve in and unlock the full potential of WhatsApp newsletters to take your [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) to the next level. ### What is a WhatsApp Newsletter? WhatsApp newsletters are [mass messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) delivered to subscribers through WhatsApp. They provide a direct and effective way for businesses to engage with their audience and keep them informed about important events. WhatsApp newsletters can include various types of content, such as updates on new products or services, promotions, discounts, company news, tips, or any other information the business or organization wants to share with its subscribers. Let’s go through some of the benefits of using WhatsApp for newsletters. #### Why Send a WhatsApp Newsletter Sending a WhatsApp newsletter offers several advantages over traditional communication channels. Here are some key reasons why businesses should consider incorporating them into their customer communication strategies: 1. High open rates: WhatsApp messages have high open rates compared to email, as people tend to check their WhatsApp messages more frequently. This means that businesses can reach a larger audience with their messages. 2. Personalized messaging: WhatsApp newsletters can be customized, allowing businesses to tailor their messages to specific audiences and increasing the relevance and effectiveness of their messaging. 3. Multimedia and interactive content: WhatsApp supports various forms of multimedia, including images, videos, and documents. This enables businesses to create visually appealing and engaging newsletters that capture the attention of their subscribers. Additionally, WhatsApp allows for interactive elements such as buttons and quick replies, enabling businesses to gather feedback or prompt subscribers to take specific actions. Now that you are familiar with some of their benefits, we’ll explain the options available when it comes to sending a WhatsApp newsletter. ### How to Send a WhatsApp Business Newsletter Sending WhatsApp newsletters is a straightforward process that can be done using the [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) or the [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). Your WhatsApp newsletter tool of choice will depend on your requirements and the scale of your messaging. We’ll explore both options in this section, starting with the WhatsApp Business App. #### WhatsApp Newsletter Tool: WhatsApp Business App If you're a small business or a freelancer looking to send newsletters to a relatively small audience, the WhatsApp Business App provides a user-friendly solution. Here’s the step-by-step on how to send WhatsApp newsletters via the app. 1. Open the WhatsApp Business App. 2. Go to the Chat screen > Menu > New List. 3. Type the names of the contacts you want to send the message to or press the + button to select them directly from your contact list. 4. Press OK. 5. Press Create You’ve just created a new contact list. To send your newsletter to this custom audience, press the Menu button > *Labels* and select your contact list. Then, press the three dots in the top right corner and select *Message customers* from the menu. Compose your message and tap the send button when finished. The WhatsApp Business App has a [contact limit of 256 recipients](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#toc-mobile-1) for bulk messaging. This means that when sending messages to multiple recipients at once, you can include up to 256 contacts in your target audience for a single message or newsletter. If you have a significantly larger audience or require more advanced features, you should consider using the WhatsApp Business API, which provides [additional scalability](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) and flexibility for [sending messages to a much larger number of contacts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message#toc-mobile-1). #### WhatsApp Newsletter Tool: WhatsApp Business API on Respond.io When it comes to sending a WhatsApp API Newsletter, it's crucial to understand the key elements that ensure successful message delivery and compliance with WhatsApp’s [Business](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-policy) and [Commerce](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/commerce-policy) policies. ##### WhatsApp Business API Newsletter: What You Need to Know Firstly, [opt-ins are a critical element](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in) of sending WhatsApp API newsletters. All of your subscribers must have opted in to receive messages from you, as unsolicited messages can result in penalties or account suspensions. Also, ensure your WhatsApp newsletter adheres to [WhatsApp's guidelines](https://faq.whatsapp.com/361005896189245) to provide relevant information to your subscribers while avoiding spam. WhatsApp Business API requires the use of [pre-approved message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message) for mass messaging. In addition to WhatsApp newsletters, you can create templates for different types of messages, such as order confirmations or shipping updates. Lastly, it's essential for businesses to understand the [pricing structure of WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing). Costs can vary depending on message destination country and conversation type. In addition, some [WhatsApp Business Solution Providers](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) charge a markup per message sent. To start your first WhatsApp API newsletter, you’ll need a WhatsApp API account and a WhatsApp messaging inbox. You can [try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and [get a WhatsApp API account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) in minutes. All set? Then follow the next steps to use respond.io as a WhatsApp newsletter tool. ##### 1\. WhatsApp Business Newsletter: Create a Broadcast Segment Before sending a WhatsApp business newsletter, you’ll need to determine the audience that’s going to receive it. Start by [creating a segment](https://help.respond.io/contacts/segments) from your existing contact list using filters or [importing a contact list](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-import) to respond.io. Whatever your choice is, remember that you should only create audience segments with contacts that have opted in to receive notifications from your business. Otherwise, you’ll be at risk of [getting your account suspended](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in#toc-mobile-1). Once you create your broadcast segment, you can proceed to create a WhatsApp message template. ##### 2\. WhatsApp Business Newsletter: Create a Message Template Navigate to the [Settings Module](https://help.respond.io/organization-settings/general). From there, select *Channel* and select your WhatsApp API channel. Under this section, click on *Templates* to proceed. Within the Templates section, click on the *Submit Template* button to get started. In the template creation form, provide essential details such as the template name, category, language, and the body of your template. Give careful attention to the template category, as selecting the wrong one could be a potential reason for rejection. While newsletters typically belong to the Marketing category, reviewing the [WhatsApp Category Guidelines](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/updates-to-pricing/new-template-guidelines/#template-category-guidelines) before submitting your template to prevent rejection is advisable. To make your WhatsApp business newsletter visually appealing, consider including a header in the form of text, image, video or document. Additionally, you can add a text footer to provide further information or branding. These steps are optional but can enhance the overall design of your template. Also, consider adding a call-to-action button or a quick reply button to allow recipients to take specific actions directly from your newsletter. Next, include [dynamic variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) that will replace the placeholders in your newsletter to personalize it with details such as customers’ names. Once you've filled in all the required information, click the *Submit* button to submit your template for approval. After submission, it's essential to sync the templates to refresh their [status](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-14:~:text=rating%20and%20status.-,WhatsApp%20API%20Template%20Messaging%3A%20Message%20Template%20Quality%20Rating%20and%20Status,-Not%20to%20be). Once you get your message template approved, you can move on to the final step: Setting up a broadcast to send your WhatsApp newsletter to a segmented audience. ##### 3\. WhatsApp Business Newsletter: Send a WhatsApp Business Newsletter Navigate to the [Broadcasts Module](https://help.respond.io/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview). This is where you can manage and create your broadcasts. To create one, click on the *New Broadcast* button. This will open a new window where you can customize your broadcast. In the broadcast creation window, enter your broadcast name and labels and click *Create.* Next, you'll need to specify the target audience for your WhatsApp newsletter with your [Segments](https://help.respond.io/contacts/segments). Then, select your WhatsApp API channel and the message template you’ve created for this newsletter. Ensure that your WhatsApp newsletter is only delivered to Contacts who have messaged you before. This is the easiest way to comply with WhatsApp’s policies and prevent your number from getting reported. Do note that you can test your broadcast before sending it to your audience by clicking on *Test Broadcast*. When you’re ready, click *Next* and choose your delivery time and send rate. Lastly, click on *Send Broadcast* and you’re done. One of the advantages of using respond.io as a WhatsApp newsletter tool is the possibility to monitor newsletter performance through broadcast analytics. In the Reports Module, visit the [Broadcasts](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-broadcasts) and [Messages](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-messages#outgoing_messages) tabs to gain insights into your WhatsApp newsletters. If you want an easy start on WhatsApp newsletters, look no further. We’ll provide you with some templates for different use cases. ### WhatsApp Newsletter Template: Samples for Different Use Cases These WhatsApp business newsletter templates can help you engage with your subscribers and keep them informed. Feel free to customize them according to your specific needs and audience preferences. Remember to include your company branding and contact information for a professional touch. #### Account Updates Use the to keep your subscribers in the loop with important account updates or share the latest features, changes, or any relevant information that affects their user experience. For example, you can notify them about system enhancements, policy updates, or account security measures. #### Exclusive Offers Deliver exclusive offers and promotions directly to your subscribers' WhatsApp inboxes. You can create a sense of urgency and exclusivity by offering limited-time deals, discounts, or special perks. Broadcasting newsletters with irresistible offers help businesses drive conversions and boost customer loyalty. For a more personalized approach, consider tailoring offers based on subscribers' preferences or purchase history. #### Industry News Roundups Become a reliable source of industry news and trends for your subscribers. Compile the latest happenings, insights, and developments in your industry and share them through a concise and informative newsletter. Position your brand as an industry expert and foster engagement with analysis, expert opinions, or tips related to the news to provide additional value. #### Tips and Tricks Provide valuable tips, tricks, and hacks related to your product or service. Alternatively, help your subscribers maximize product usage, troubleshoot common issues, or discover new features. This type of newsletter is effective at keeping customers engaged and enhancing their overall experience with your brand. #### Upcoming Events Use this newsletter template to keep your subscribers informed about upcoming events, such as conferences, webinars, or product launches. Provide event details, schedules, and registration information. To generate excitement and encourage participation to create a sense of community around your brand, highlight any guest speakers, special sessions, or exclusive perks attendees can expect. In conclusion, WhatsApp newsletters provide businesses with a powerful means for engaging with their audience and keeping them informed. Using an advanced WhatsApp newsletter tool like respond.io enables businesses to streamline the creation, delivery, and analysis of their newsletters. This results in enhanced audience reach, improved communication efficiency, and measurable success metrics. By following this guide and utilizing the provided WhatsApp newsletter templates, businesses can effectively leverage WhatsApp as a platform for communication and marketing, fostering stronger connections with their audiences. Beyond this, you can even look into [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) and [WhatsApp schedule messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) to further benefit your newsletter efforts. You’ve made it to the end! This is all you need to know to get started with WhatsApp newsletters. To start sending WhatsApp newsletters to your customers, [try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and [get a WhatsApp API account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) in minutes. ### Further Reading Want to learn about other WhatsApp API-related topics? Here are a few articles to help you out: - WhatsApp Green Tick: How to Verify your WhatsApp Business Account - WhatsApp Business Multiple Users: A How-To Guide - WhatsApp Sales: How to Sell on WhatsApp ## [WhatsApp Number Migration: A How-to Guide](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-number-migration) Planning to start a WhatsApp number migration to a better BSP? In this article, we'll cover all you need to know about respond.io WhatsApp migration. If you're looking to seamlessly migrate your existing WhatsApp phone number to respond.io, you've come to the right place. In this article, we’ll explain the benefits of WhatsApp Business migration to respond.io, as well as the requirements. Finally, you’ll also find a summary of how to carry out the migration of your WhatsApp number. ### WhatsApp Number Migration to Respond.io: Benefits Businesses typically get WhatsApp API access from a [WhatsApp Business Solution Provider](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) (BSP). There are two types of BSP: Those that just provide access to the [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) — which doesn’t have an interface — and those that offer the WhatsApp API with a messaging inbox and a variety of features. When unsatisfied with their current WhatsApp BSP, [businesses often migrate their WhatsApp phone number to a new BSP.](https://respond.io/customers/sleekflow-alternative-review-by-getutor) Businesses migrate their WhatsApp phone number for a number of reasons, the most popular ones being reliability, pricing, and customer support quality. Sometimes, they are looking for a BSP with specific features like flexible integrations, an [automation builder](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview), or a [comprehensive reports module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview). For example, some BSPs, like [Sleekflow](https://respond.io/sleekflow-alternative), charge additional fees per WhatsApp Business phone number, which may not be ideal for businesses that require more than one WhatsApp account. Whether you are a [WhatsApp Cloud API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-cloud-api) user or you’re getting WhatsApp API access through a BSP, migrating your WhatsApp phone number to the respond.io WhatsApp Business Platform (API) is the right choice. We discuss why in this section. #### Higher Reliability To provide a satisfactory customer experience, it is essential to choose a BSP with high platform uptime. Because respond.io has been purpose-built to handle high conversation volumes, [platform uptime is famously high](https://respond.io/customers/how-golden-luxe-enjoys-a-20x-more-stable-messaging-experience-with-respondio) when compared to other BSPs. Uninterrupted service ensures that customer-facing agents can give customers get the attention they need. If your customer messaging platform is frequently down, it will have a negative impact on your customer conversations. For example, you won’t be able to reply to leads immediately, causing them to lose interest in your business. Additionally, not being able to send essential updates on time can be problematic for customers with pressing issues and can affect your customer retention. Respond.io WhatsApp Business API is hosted in Meta’s cloud servers. Thanks to that, new WhatsApp updates and features reflect instantly in respond.io and users also enjoy fast message delivery rates. Now that we have discussed reliability, let’s see how competitive respond.io is in terms of cost. #### High-value Proposition When migrating your WhatsApp phone number to another WhatsApp BSP, choose one that makes [the most of your budget.](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing#toc-mobile-0) For starters, keep in mind that you’ll also need a [WhatsApp API messaging inbox](https://respond.io/blog/respondio-whatsapp). Respond.io includes an [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-support) for convenience and great value. Beware of certain [WhatsApp BSP pricing practices](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider#toc-mobile-5). Some BSPs act as barely more than brokers, providing little value on top of WhatsApp API access while adding their own charges. Some of these charges include WhatsApp API setup, hosting or per-message fees. None of these charges apply to respond.io. Businesses will only incur [WhatsApp template message charges](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api-pricing#toc-mobile-2). While pricing is important, you might face blockers when migrating your WhatsApp phone number or using WhatsApp later on if your BSP does not provide proper customer support. #### Excellent Customer Support Understanding WhatsApp API to its fullest is challenging, and it's likely that your company’s teams may encounter situations where they need assistance. To make things smooth, select a WhatsApp BSP with high-quality customer support that can escalate issues directly to Meta on your behalf if necessary. Respond.io’s customer support is available 24 hours a day, Monday to Friday in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Arabic and simplified Chinese. The respond.io support team has direct access to Meta’s customer support, and can liaise with them on your behalf for more complex issues. Plus, the [Enterprise plan](https://respond.io/pricing) comes with a dedicated customer success manager to help you meet your business goals and ensure you have a smooth WhatsApp API experience. Migrating to another BSP does not have to disrupt your business operations. We explain why in the next point. #### WhatsApp Number Migration: Zero Impact on Your Conversations, Workflows and Broadcasts One of the reasons why businesses are reluctant to migrate their WhatsApp phone numbers is the potential loss of their ongoing conversations, Workflows automation and broadcasts for your [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) campaigns. This is not an issue for existing respond.io users who are merely switching their WhatsApp BSPs to respond.io. After migrating your phone number to the respond.io WhatsApp Business Platform (API), you can retain any open conversation windows. For instance, if you had an ongoing conversation with a contact while using WhatsApp 360dialog, the window will remain accessible when you transition to respond.io. Migrating your number will not reset the [24-hour customer service window](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business#toc-mobile-7:~:text=1%3A1%20Messaging%20with%20a%20WhatsApp%20Business%20API%20Account), so the remaining time will continue to apply. Similarly, the [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) (or [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message)) and automation previously configured for your former BSPs will be automatically reconfigured to function with your newly connected respond.io WhatsApp Channel. This applies to BSPs supported by respond.io and any other BSP. ### WhatsApp Migration: Advanced Features for WhatsApp Business API Among others, these are the main reasons why businesses migrate their WhatsApp phone number to respond.io: An omnichannel inbox, automation builder, Reports Module and flexible WhatsApp integrations. Let’s go through all of them and see how they benefit your business. #### Manage Leads from Every Chat App in One Platform While WhatsApp is widely used globally, your customers probably use other messaging channels such as [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business), [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) or traditional channels like [SMS](https://respond.io/blog/business-sms) and email. With respond.io’s [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) and its ability to [recognize returning contacts on any channel](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts), you can consolidate all customer interactions across Channels into a single profile and conversation thread. At the click of a button, agents can even jump quickly into a [WhatsApp call](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-voice-call) to close a deal or assist a customer facing a problem. Managing many leads from several channels sure can be difficult. That's why respond.io's [Lifecycle](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) exists. This feature helps businesses track and manage contacts at every stage of the customer journey, from first interaction to conversion. This way, businesses can close deals faster and enhance customer relationships. #### Simplify Operations with an Automation Builder One of the main advantages of using WhatsApp API is the possibility to build automation to reduce human input on business operations. However, you’ll need to rely on a third-party automation builder, as by default, WhatsApp API does not include one. With [respond.io’s Workflows](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview), you can build WhatsApp API automation to reduce agent load, increase efficiency and minimize human error. Respond.io Workflows are highly customizable and can be used for multiple purposes such as: - Routing inbound conversations to the right team and assigning them to the right agent based on your preferred logic - Handling spam messages automatically as they arrive in your inbox - Sending CSAT surveys to collect customer feedback - Sending WhatsApp auto reply and schedule messages And more! To get an easy start on respond.io Workflows, consider using [Workflow templates](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview#list_of_workflow_templates). #### Gain Valuable Insights with the Reports Module Analyzing conversational data is key to better understanding your business’s strengths and shortcomings. With the right analytics tool, you’ll be able to identify areas for improvement and design effective strategies to give customers the best assistance through WhatsApp. The [respond.io Reports Module](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) features nine tabs with metrics, tabs and listings displayed in a user-friendly way. That’s not all: Each tab has its own set of filters for in-depth analyses. Finally, you can [download reports as CSV files](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview#export_data_to_csv_and_customize_columns) for later reference. #### Integrate with Your Business Software To manage WhatsApp contacts and conversations at scale, you probably rely on [WhatsApp CRMs](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm), data banks and other [third-party software](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations) designed for medium and large companies. Respond.io facilitates the integration of WhatsApp API with your CRMs of choice. For a start, you'll find native integrations with [Salesforce](https://help.respond.io/integrations/salesforce) and [Hubspot](https://help.respond.io/integrations/hub-spot). If you’re a [Zapier](https://help.respond.io/integrations/zapier) or [Make](https://help.respond.io/integrations/make) user, know that respond.io also has native integration with both platforms. Use them to integrate respond.io with thousands of apps without coding. Now that you’re familiar with the benefits that respond.io brings as a BSP, let’s see how WhatsApp phone number migration works. ### WhatsApp Number Migration to respond.io: How Does it Work? In this section, we’ll cover three important topics to get you started with WhatsApp phone number migration. We’ll start by explaining what WhatsApp Business Account attributes will be migrated. Then, we’ll cover the migration requirements. Finally, we’ll give you a rundown of the migration process. #### WhatsApp Business Migration to Respond.io: What Will Be Migrated? Migrations don’t happen on a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) level, but a phone number level. If you have two phone numbers under your WhatsApp Business Account, you can migrate just one phone number to respond.io at a time. To manage all your WhatsApp conversations and accounts in one place, just migrate all phone numbers in your WABA to respond.io. Besides the WhatsApp phone number, there are some other WhatsApp [attributes you can transfer](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) from your current BSP to respond.io WhatsApp Business Platform (API). These attributes are [display name](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-name), [phone number quality rating](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-6:~:text=non%2Dflagged%20status.-,Phone%20Number%20Quality%20Rating%20and%20Status,-Phone%20number%20quality), [messaging limit](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/messaging-limits/upcoming-changes), [Official Business Account status](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick) and approved [high-quality message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-2). You won’t be able to migrate low-quality, [rejected or pending message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-6). The following section is especially important, as we’ll establish the groundwork for a successful migration process. #### WhatsApp Business Migration to Respond.io: Prerequisites To make the migration process as smooth as possible, be aware of the [WhatsApp and respond.io requirements](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/phone-number-migration-to-respond-whatsapp-business-api#pre_migration_requirements_what_to_prepare_for_your_migration_setup) before starting. - Meta Business Manager: You need admin access, a verified business, and an approved WABA and display name. - Two-Step Verification: Disable it in Meta Business Manager or request your BSP to do so. - Phone Number Slots: Ensure your respond.io WABA has enough slots or remove an existing number. - OTP Access: You must have access to the phone number to receive an OTP via SMS or call. - IVR Registration: If required, register the number through the IVR system. - Pop-Ups: Allow pop-ups on your browser (see the Chrome guide if needed). - Same Business Account: Use the same Meta Business Manager account linked to your BSP. You can migrate your phone number to respond.io WhatsApp Business Platform (API) from any other WhatsApp BSP, regardless of whether it is listed as a WhatsApp Channel on respond.io. While you also need a WhatsApp Business Account connected to respond.io, you’ll have the choice to create one during the migration process. If you don’t own one, just make sure you don’t skip that step to guarantee a successful migration. If you meet these requirements, you can migrate your WhatsApp phone number to respond.io WhatsApp Business API in minutes. ### WhatsApp Business Migration to Respond.io Step by Step #### Step 1: Start Migration Go to [**Workspace Settings**](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/managing-a-workspace) **> Channels > WhatsApp Business Platform (API) > Connect**. Choose to connect a new or existing WhatsApp API account, then click Get Started. Click Migrate With Facebook, log in, and grant permissions to manage your WhatsApp Business Account. #### Step 2: Connect Facebook & Select WABA Sign in to Facebook and link or create a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) under respond.io. Enter your business details (creating a new WABA is recommended to avoid issues). #### Step 3: Enter Your Phone Number Input your phone number in E164 format with the country code. Select SMS or call to receive the OTP for verification. If migrating from another BSP, a notice will appear before proceeding. #### Step 4: Verify Phone Number Enter the OTP received via SMS or call to verify ownership. Click **Next > Finish** to complete verification. #### Step 5: Finalize Migration Select the Phone Number to connect. Choose the previous provider/channel. Click Save to complete the process. For additional information, visit respond.io’s Help Center to get a detailed guide on [how to migrate your WhatsApp phone number](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/phone-number-migration-to-respond-whatsapp-business-api#steps_to_migrate_to_respond_io_whats_app_business_api). That’s all you need to know about WhatsApp phone number migration to respond.io. If you don’t have a WhatsApp API account yet, [try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and [get a WhatsApp API account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) in minutes. ### Further Reading Did you find this article useful? Here are some articles that may interest you: - WhatsApp Broadcast vs Group: A Comparison for Business - 4 respond.io Alternatives to Consider - Social Commerce Platform: A Guide for Businesses ## [WhatsApp Opt In: Getting Customers to Opt In WhatsApp](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in) All you need to know about WhatsApp opt in. Find out how to get customers to opt in WhatsApp, earn their consent and send them messages via WhatsApp API. In this article, we’ll explain what it means to opt in WhatsApp and why it’s important to businesses. We’ll also go over the ground rules and best practices for getting opt-ins and provide examples of some opt-in methods. With this information, you’ll be able to ensure you have your customers’ consent to send them messages, so you can make the most out of using WhatsApp API. Let’s get started! ### What is WhatsApp Opt In Businesses can contact individuals on WhatsApp if they have shared their mobile phone number and given explicit opt-in permission to receive messages or calls from a specific business. But what exactly is a WhatsApp opt-in? A WhatsApp opt-in refers to the process through which customers explicitly consent to receive message templates from a business via WhatsApp. This consent is essential due to [WhatsApp's strict messaging policies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-generator-whatsapp-widget#toc-mobile-0), which limit when businesses using the [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) can reach out to customers WhatsApp API has a 24-hour window to respond to customer-initiated messages or [session messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-10). Outside this window, businesses must use [message templates](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-message-templates) to initiate a conversation. > **Note**: Starting March 2025, WhatsApp is updating the way they send marketing messages to users, based on their engagement rates of previous marketing messages. For example, if a user hasn’t engaged with many marketing messages, they will receive fewer marketing messages. This is to ensure that users who are more receptive to marketing messages are more likely to receive them. Do note that opt-ins are only necessary for WhatsApp API users. [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) users can message customers at any time. An example of a WhatsApp opt in can look like this: Since almost all businesses on WhatsApp API will send message templates, getting customers to opt in is an important process. Let’s go over why else you would want to get your customers’ opt-ins. #### Why Collect WhatsApp Opt Ins In addition to ensuring your customers consent to receiving your message templates, there are other reasons to collect WhatsApp opt ins. Sending messages to customers who didn’t consent can lead to them blocking you or reporting your account for spam. Your business quality rating can be lowered by these reports, which may result in your account being rate limited or even suspended. In some regions, opt-ins are necessary for businesses to comply with privacy laws and regulations. For example in Europe, businesses have to follow the [General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)](https://gdpr-info.eu/) when it comes to communicating with customers. By obtaining opt-ins, you demonstrate to your customers that you respect their privacy and are committed to transparent, responsible and ethical communication practices. You also increase your business’ credibility and customer trust. Opt-in subscribers are more likely to engage with your business, as they have explicitly chosen to receive messages and are therefore more interested in the content you’ll share. This is especially true when sending [scheduled](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) [WhatsApp broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) or [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) for marketing purposes. Improving your return on investment (ROI) on your [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) campaigns by sending messages only to subscribers who have explicitly opted in, which ensures that you are using your marketing efforts effectively. Next, we’ll run through some best practices for obtaining WhatsApp opt-ins. ### Best Practices for Obtaining WhatsApp Opt Ins Make sure that your business complies with applicable law when it comes to opt-ins. Start by communicating the value of opting in to receive messages from your business on WhatsApp. Opt-ins need to be optional — for example, you can’t force customers to opt in to complete a purchase. In addition, you must clearly state your business name so customers know who they’re opting to receive messages from. Businesses must establish that a person is opting in to receive messages from the business only over WhatsApp. If a customer opts in for messages from you only via other channels, don’t send them messages over WhatsApp. Be clear about the various types of messages you'll send, such as order updates, relevant offers, newsletters and product recommendations. Give your customers a way to select what they want to opt in to via a list of message types or different prompts or messages. This way customers can decide which types of messages they want to receive. If a customer opts in to only receive order updates, you aren’t allowed to send them unrelated messages like new product notifications or promotions. Ensure opt-in and opt-out flows are clear and intuitive for users. Provide clear instructions for how people can opt out of receiving specific categories of messages, and honor these requests. Monitor your quality rating, especially when rolling out new opt-in methods. If your WhatsApp quality rating drops after a new opt-in method, it's possible customers didn't understand what they signed up for. Use that feedback to clarify opt-ins by rewriting the request or making tweaks like using simpler language, larger fonts and different colors. Lastly, opt-ins do not give you permission to spam your customers. WhatsApp takes spam seriously and can suspend your business for such activities. Next, let’s see how you can obtain opt-ins from your customers. ### How to Get WhatsApp Opt In As long as the opt-in method meets the above requirements, it will be [compliant with WhatsApp’s policies](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-policy/?lang=en). Get opt-ins from different platforms by knowing your target audience and the best channels to reach them. #### Collect Opt-Ins when Customers First Make Contact One of the best methods to get opt-ins is by asking the customers who reached out for inquiries or support over WhatsApp if they’d like to opt in for future messages. Since they initiated the chat, they would be more willing to receive additional messages from you. #### Convert Website Visitors to WhatsApp Contacts A lot of new customers will find out more about your business through official websites and social media pages. Why not leverage these platforms and gain opt-ins from there? Websites can display contact forms for customers to easily opt in to messages from your business. Simply create a form for customers to fill in with their details and opt-in choices. Use our handy [WhatsApp Link Generator](https://respond.io/whatsapp-link-generator) or [WhatsApp webchat widget](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-webchat) to get customers talking to your business so you can invite them to opt in to receive additional messages. #### Use Existing Conversations and Process Flows Customers are more likely to opt in during purchases when they can use WhatsApp for important notifications like order confirmations, boarding passes, and delivery notifications. For example, by adding optional checkboxes to indicate they want to receive these notifications during the checkout process, it becomes convenient for customers to opt in for updates from your business while they complete their transactions. #### Collect WhatsApp Opt-Ins from Other Channels During an SMS conversation with a customer, you can ask them if they would like to receive further messages from your business over WhatsApp. Opt-ins can also be collected over the phone using an interactive voice response (IVR) flow. Customers who call you can be asked if they would like to opt in to receive WhatsApp messages from your business. You can also get customers’ consent to WhatsApp messages in person or on paper. Simply get their signatures on a physical document for opting in to your WhatsApp messages. #### Use WhatsApp Tools like Click-to-Chat Ads, QR Codes and more You can also run [WhatsApp click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads) for customers to chat with your business. During or after the conversation, you’ll be able to ask them if they would like to opt in to receiving future messages from your business. If you’re at an event or have a physical retail location, these ads can even be in the form of [QR codes](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code) that customers can scan with their phones. You can add a message like “Want to stay in touch with us on WhatsApp? Scan this QR code.” to make it clear. In conclusion, the opt-in process is essential for businesses using WhatsApp API to ensure they are compliant with WhatsApp’s guidelines. We should make the opt-in process as easy as possible for customers, while still being clear and informative. Don’t have a [WhatsApp API account](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-overview) yet? [Try respond.io and its WhatsApp Business API for free](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and take your business messaging to the next level. Our customer conversation management software does more than just send message templates. In addition to benefits like [supporting numerous agents or teams](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) and [chatting on multiple channels or accounts](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-6) from a single platform, you’ll be able to [send automated replies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) and build chat automation for [WhatsApp sales](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service). If you like how respond.io can help your business, why not [sign up for a free trial today](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business)? ### Further Reading Found this article useful? Here are a few more that might interest you: - WhatsApp CRM Ultimate Guide: Integration, Use Cases & Best Practices - WhatsApp Business API: The Ultimate Guide to WhatsApp API - WhatsApp Marketing: Guide to a Successful WhatsApp Campaign - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business ## [WhatsApp Pay: Everything about WhatsApp Payment ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-pay-everything-about-whatsapp-payment) WhatsApp Pay allows businesses to send and receive transactions from their WhatsApp Business App Account. Want to know more? This article will explain everything you need to know about WhatsApp Pay. WhatsApp Pay is a digital payment service released by Facebook that lets Users transfer money to their Contacts. This new WhatsApp Payment feature also allows Brazilian businesses to receive transactions. It certainly seems like a big step forward for the social media giant but how does it work? What do we need to make a transaction? This article explains everything you need to know about WhatsApp Pay. ### WhatsApp Pay: A Brief History WhatsApp Payment is a new business model for Facebook which takes advantage of WhatsApp’s worldwide success. So far it has reached India and Brazil, the two biggest WhatsApp markets, but Facebook has plans to eventually expand it to other locations. Messaging apps like WeChat and Line have already developed their i9 Brazilian banks are facilitating digital payment services long ago, WeChat Pay and Line Pay. Both allow peer-to-peer transfers, but they have been successfully implemented for business transactions too. But what about WhatsApp Pay? Is it putting enough on the table to become an established payment method? ### WhatsApp Pay: What You Need to Know The new WhatsApp Payment option is available in the app for both regular and Business Accounts. Money transfers are not too different from sharing images or videos. But before using the new feature, here are the important things you should know. #### WhatsApp Payment: Free for Consumers, Not For Businesses Currently, peer-to-peer transactions are free in India and Brazil. However, it is still unclear if Payments will be available for business accounts in India. Therefore, we will be only referring to WhatsApp Pay Brazil where WhatsApp Pay for business is available. Only recently merchants have access to use WhatsApp Pay in their [WhatsApp Business Account](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business). While Users can send and request money to their Contacts without any additional charge, businesses must pay a 3.99% fee per received transaction. If you are going to use WhatsApp Payment for business, what comes next will be interesting to you: We will give insight into how transactions work. #### WhatsApp Payment: How Transactions Work WhatsApp Pay Brazil is enabled by Facebook Pay and it’s processed by Cielo, the largest payment system company in Latin America. Thus, money is directly transferred between two Brazilian bank accounts. Unfortunately, the Payment feature has some important limitations. Users can only send a maximum of R$1000 per transaction, 20 transactions per day, and send or receive R$5000 per month. It takes about two working days to get paid after initiating transfers. The transaction status such as Completed, In Process, or Failed is indicated in the chat. Users can also view their transaction records from Settings in the WhatsApp Business App. In case of a failed transaction, the money is retrieved in 24h. In the event you want to process a refund, it is possible via the Cielo dashboard. And for any issue that businesses may face, WhatsApp offers support 24h a day, 7 days a week. With this information in mind, let’s set up WhatsApp Pay in a Business Account. ### WhatsApp Payment: How to Set Up As mentioned, there are three ways to enable WhatsApp Pay: 1. Enable WhatsApp Payment yourself. 2. Do it through your bank. 3. Get it from a Contact. Before setting it up, make sure you own a Visa or MasterCard, a WhatsApp Business Account, and a supported bank account. Next, we'll show you how to enable it in three different ways so you can choose the one that suits you best. #### Enable WhatsApp Payment Yourself Firstly, update your WhatsApp Business App to the latest firmware. Your WhatsApp Account number should also be the same as your bank account phone number. If you meet the requisites, follow these steps to set up WhatsApp Pay for business. **1\. Go** to Payments on your WhatsApp Business App. **2\. Tap** the + button to add Facebook Pay. **3\. Check** *Get Paid for a Sale.* **4\. Accept** WhatsApp, Facebook, and Cielo’s terms and conditions. **5\. Set up** a new merchant account with Cielo. **6\. Enter** your business details as registered legally. **7\. Enter** your personal details. **8\. Key** in your bank details, make sure your information is correct. **9\. Verify** your account and done. Keep in mind that the verification process may take a while to complete. Once verified, you may have to wait up to 3 business days to be able to receive transactions. #### Enable WhatsApp Payment Through Your Bank If you can’t find the Payment option after updating the Business App, here’s a workaround. By visiting the official Bank app or contacting their customer service should guide Users through the whole process. Currently, 9 Brazilian banks are facilitating this new feature for their clients. You can check the list of accepted banks on [this site](https://faq.whatsapp.com/general/payments/learn-more-about-supported-banks-and-payment-partners-br-p2p-p2m). Some banks are issuing invitations in their own apps notifying clients about the novelty, whereas others encourage you to do it directly from WhatsApp. Once you have WhatsApp Payment activated, simply follow the steps from *Enable WhatsApp Payment Yourself*. #### Get WhatsApp Payment From A Contact Transfer Do you know someone who is already using WhatsApp Pay? Then this is your lucky day. When one of your Contacts sends you a payment or payment request, this is also an invitation to activate WhatsApp Pay on your phone. Let’s say a Contact wants to send you payment over WhatsApp Pay. Simply tap Accept Payment on the chat notification and go through the registration process. Similarly, tap Pay on the chat notification if a Contact requests you a transfer over WhatsApp Pay. Users must complete the registration to activate the feature before receiving or sending any amount. Then, accept the relevant terms & conditions and create a Facebook Pay pin. Lastly, enter your details as shown in Enable WhatsApp Payment Yourself. As you can see, there are two ways of activating this feature via Contact transfer. Have you decided on which method to use? In that case, let's move along to the next section. We'll discuss how to make payments to your Contacts. ### Initiating a WhatsApp Payment After your bank account and WhatsApp Account are linked, transactions are simple in-app processes. These are the steps to follow: **1\. Open** conversation with your Contact. **2\. Select** the paper clip icon on the message box and choose Payment. **3\. Type** the amount you want to transfer. There’s an option to add a note. **4\. Tap** Pay. **5\. Enter** your Facebook Pay pin. **6\. Check** and you will see the transfer status in the chat. Additionally, Users also have the option to request payments from their Contacts. After tapping on Payment, choose the option Request instead of Pay. To conclude, insert the desired amount and add a note for context if you wish. Hopefully, the information in this blog post has answered your questions related to WhatsApp Pay. While it seems like another good payment alternative for businesses, should they actually adopt it? ### WhatsApp Pay: To Use or Not to Use WhatsApp Pay is still unavailable in most countries and it's not expanding as quickly as it was expected due to regulatory issues. In fact, concerns over privacy and fair competition are holding it back. A recent survey by Akamai Technologies reveals that 60,36% of Brazilians don’t trust WhatsApp Pay as a payment method. Even so, there are 43,7% more WhatsApp Pay Users than last year in Brazil. It makes sense since WhatsApp is the most popular app in the country. All in all, the new WhatsApp Payment feature allows easy transfers, yet it still has a few limitations. Ultimately, it’s up to the Users to decide if WhatsApp Pay is for them considering the pros and cons. ### Further Reading If you found this blog useful, here are some other blogs that might interest you: - WhatsApp API Explained: Features, Benefits & Pricing - WhatsApp Business App: The Ultimate Guide - WhatsApp Ecommerce: A Guide to WhatsApp API for Ecommerce ## [WhatsApp QR Code: How to Get Customers To Talk To You](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-qr-code) Everything you need to know about the WhatsApp QR Code. How to generate WhatsApp QR codes for businesses. In this article, we’ll teach you all about the WhatsApp QR code, how to create them and use them effectively. Read on if you’ve been looking for an efficient way to share contact details with your customers. ### What Is a WhatsApp QR Code? A QR code (Quick Response code) is a type of barcode that can be easily scanned by smart devices to decipher its contents. Common uses for QR codes include sharing website URLs, linking to app download pages, and facilitating digital transactions. Let's look at how WhatsApp uses QR codes. When using [WhatsApp on the web](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-web) or desktop app, it needs to identify the account accessing the device. Since there’s no typical username and password for WhatsApp accounts, a QR code login system is used for authentication. WhatsApp QR codes also streamline the contact sharing and group chat invitation process down to pointing and scanning. This makes it the quickest way to start a conversation with businesses. ### Benefits of WhatsApp QR Codes for Your Business WhatsApp is one of the [most popular messaging apps in the world](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-1), which means you’re already halfway to getting customers to talk to you. With QR codes being sharable on almost any medium, it’s easy to get your business’ details out there. Higher visibility leads to more potential engagement. Getting customers to make the first step also allows you to collect their opt-in so you can send promotional messages via [WhatsApp broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) or [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) for your [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) campaigns. When customers are the ones making the first step to contact you, they’ll also be more responsive — don’t forget to reply to them! ### How to Generate WhatsApp QR Codes There are two kinds of shareable QR codes WhatsApp can generate — one for contact details and the other for group chat invitations. Here’s how you generate the different codes on the WhatsApp Business App. #### WhatsApp QR Code for Sharing WhatsApp Business Details To generate a QR code that you can easily share with your contacts, follow these instructions. **1\. Tap** the three vertical dots at the top right, go to *Business Tools*. **2\. Tap** *Short link* and *View QR code*. **3\. Share** this code in person, or tap the *Share Code* to share it through another app. With this QR code, customers can connect to your brand instantly. #### WhatsApp QR Code for Group Chat Invitations If you’ve got a group chat that you want your customers to join, you can quickly invite them without having to add them first. **1\. Open** the group chat you wish to share, then tap the three vertical dots at the top right. **2\. Tap** *Group info*, then *Invite via link* and *QR code*. **3\. Share** this code in person or tap the *Share* icon to share it through another app. Anybody will be able to join the group chat by scanning the QR code on WhatsApp. #### WhatsApp QR Code Generator on Respond.io There aren’t any out-of-the-box tools available to generate QR codes for those using [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives out there including respond.io’s WhatsApp QR code generator. Generating a WhatsApp QR code on respond.io is a [straightforward process](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you) with minimal steps involved. To get started, navigate to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets*. Then, select *QR Code* and click *Create Widget*. Under QR code type, select the channel which you would like to generate the QR code for, in this case, WhatsApp. Then, select the account you’d like to use. This is a handy feature if you have multiple WhatsApp accounts connected to respond.io. A WhatsApp QR code will be displayed. Finally, click the *Generate Widget* button at the top right to create your QR code. You can also click *Download* to save an image file of the QR code. Now that you’ve got a QR code for your business, read on for some tips on how to use them effectively. ### Where to Use WhatsApp Business QR Code Use the versatility of WhatsApp QR codes' placements to your advantage. Display them at your storefront for passersby to contact you at their leisure. Print the codes on receipts and packaging for customers to give feedback. QR code placements are not limited to physical products such as posters — they can also be used in your email signature, on digital signages and even on your website landing pages. QR codes on business cards also make networking a breeze. Make sure that you send a [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) or a [scheduled message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message) whenever customers message you using a QR code. All in all, WhatsApp QR codes are a powerful feature and provide many benefits. By easing communication, customers are likelier to engage with businesses. Now that you’ve learned how to create your own WhatsApp QR codes, go on and get your QR codes out there! ### Further Reading If you found this article useful, here are some additional articles on getting the most out of WhatsApp for your business: - 3 Ways to Get Customers To Message You Over WhatsApp - WhatsApp Business Multiple Users: 5 Steps Guide (+Examples) - WhatsApp CRM Ultimate Guide: Integration, Use Cases & Best Practices - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business ## [WhatsApp Quick Reply: How to Send Quick Reply WhatsApp Messages ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-quick-reply) Everything you need to know about WhatsApp quick reply, including examples! Learn how to set up and send quick reply WhatsApp messages using the WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API connected to respond.io. If you’re not answering frequently asked questions with a WhatsApp quick reply, you’re missing out on one of WhatsApp Business App’s most handy features. Since its release, millions of businesses have used quick reply WhatsApp messages to respond to their customers. Whether you run a small or large company, quick reply messages for WhatsApp Business can save you a lot of time. Read on to learn more about WhatsApp quick replies and how you can incorporate them into your operations. ### What is WhatsApp Quick Reply WhatsApp [quick replies](https://faq.whatsapp.com/1791149784551042/?helpref=uf_share) is a feature that allows businesses to quickly respond to common customer inquiries by sending pre-written messages. Customer service teams use quick replies to answer inquiries about product or service details, refund policies and more. #### Benefits of WhatsApp Quick Reply Typing the same answers repeatedly wastes time, while copying and pasting can be tedious as you require multiple windows or references open. This is even more troublesome on mobile. Quick replies ease the process of speaking to multiple customers simultaneously, letting your agents use their time more efficiently. The messages also ensure consistent information and brand voice since they can be approved by a supervisor beforehand. Keen on setting up WhatsApp quick replies for your business? Let’s go through the steps below. ### WhatsApp Quick Reply Messages on the WhatsApp Business App vs Respond.io You can set up quick replies on the official [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) or using [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api). Smaller businesses are likely to be on WhatsApp Business App while larger companies with teams of agents will be using [WhatsApp API with a third-party inbox like respond.io](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api). Although quick replies serve the same purpose and operate similarly on both the app and the API, each WhatsApp product supports different capabilities. WhatsApp Business App can store up to 50 quick replies and supports the use of images in quick reply messages. However, there is no method of sorting quick replies by category, which makes it hard to edit or delete a group of them simultaneously. | Feature | WhatsApp Business App | WhatsApp API on respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | | Quick Replies Storage | Store up to 50 quick replies | Store up to 5,000 quick replies | | Media Support | Supports images | Supports dynamic variables | | Platform Compatibility | Only works on WhatsApp | Works across multiple channels | | Categorization | Cannot be categorized | Can be categorized | On the other hand, WhatsApp API [connected to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/quick-start/connecting-channels) can store up to 5,000 quick replies and supports [dynamic variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) for added personalization. As respond.io is an [omnichannel customer conversation management software](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication), you can also reuse these quick replies across other channels like [Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) and sort them using custom categories. In the next section, we’ll run through how quick replies are set up on the WhatsApp Business App. Then, we'll show you how to do this for WhatsApp API on respond.io. ### Quick Replies on WhatsApp Business App Setting up quick replies on the WhatsApp Business App is a straightforward process; all you need is a business account on the app and you’re good to go. You can only add or edit quick replies using the WhatsApp Business App, not [WhatsApp Business Web](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-web). The following steps will teach you about creating quick replies on the WhatsApp Business App. ##### WhatsApp Business App: Set Up Quick Reply To set up a WhatsApp quick reply, launch WhatsApp Business App on your mobile device. 1\. In the WhatsApp Business App, tap ⠇ > **Business tools** > **Quick replies**. 2\. Tap **Add ⨁.** 3\. Tap **Message** to create your message. 4\. Tap **Shortcut** to set the keyboard shortcut for your quick reply. 4\. Tap **SAVE**. You can also edit previously saved quick replies; simply tap on a quick reply you wish to edit and the edit screen will appear. Remember to hit *Save* when you’re done. Next, we’ll show you how to send quick replies from the WhatsApp Business App. ##### WhatsApp Business App: Send Quick Reply To send quick reply messages for WhatsApp Business, open any conversation in WhatsApp Business App or WhatsApp Business Web. **1\. Tap** *Attach* (paperclip icon) and select *Quick Reply*. Alternatively, type */* in the text box. **2\. Scroll** through the list and select a quick reply to use. You can also type the shortcut of the quick reply message (e.g., *thanks1*) to search for it and select it. **3\. Edit** the message if needed and tap *Send* once you’re done. In the subsequent section, we’ll explore how to create and send quick replies through WhatsApp API on respond.io. ### Snippets on WhatsApp API Connected to Respond.io In order to send WhatsApp quick replies through respond.io, you’ll need to [connect your WhatsApp API to the platform](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-cloud-api). Take note that quick replies are called [Snippets](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/snippets) on respond.io. ##### WhatsApp API Connected to Respond.io: Set Up Snippets Follow these steps on the respond.io platform. **1\. Click** *Settings* (gear icon) followed by *Snippets*. **2\. Click** *Add Snippet* and input the name of the Snippet, followed by your message. You can also make your message feel more personal by inserting your contact’s name with [dynamic variables](https://help.respond.io/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables). **3\. Enter** a topic or select one from the list. This step is optional but it is useful when it comes to managing your Snippets in the future. Once you’re done, click *Create*. On this screen, you can also edit or delete previously saved Snippets; click the *Actions* (three dots) button next to the relevant Snippet and select *Edit* or *Delete.* Lastly, we’ll cover sending Snippets in your conversations. ##### WhatsApp API Connected to Respond.io: Send Snippets Using Snippets on respond.io is as simple as sending a quick reply on the WhatsApp Business App. **1\. Open** any WhatsApp conversation and click the Snippet icon (torn paper) at the bottom of the screen. Alternatively, you can type */* in the text box to pull up the Snippet list. **2\. Scroll** through the list and select a Snippet to use. If you clicked the Snippet icon in the Step 1, you can also click *Search* and type in a Snippet’s name or a word contained in the Snippet's message to locate it quickly. If you typed */* in Step 1, you can immediately start searching for a Snippet by entering its name or a word it contains. **3\. Edit** the message if needed and tap *Send* once you’re done. Snippets work on all channels you've connected to respond.io. There’s no need to repeat the setup process. Now that you know how to set up and send quick replies, the next step is figuring out what the messages should be. ### Examples of Quick Replies There are no hard and fast rules for quick reply messages, but you’ll want to write general messages that can be sent to anyone with little to no changes. Unless you're using dynamic variables for personalization, don’t include details that are specific to individual recipients. If you’re lost and need ideas for your quick reply messages, check out the below examples for some inspiration! You can copy or tweak the messages to make them suitable for your business. #### Quick Reply Examples: Greetings and Goodbyes Businesses spend a lot of time sending greetings and goodbyes to their customers on WhatsApp, but quick replies make this practice less time-consuming. In turn, this gives agents more time and energy to spend on actual conversations. These messages can range from standard greetings to delayed response notifications, conversation closers and rating requests. Here are some examples: 1\. “👋 Hi! Thanks for reaching out to \[business name\]. I am \[agent name\], how can I help you?” 2\. “👋 Hello! Thanks for reaching out to \[business name\]. Unfortunately, we’re very busy right now. Do note that we’ve received your message and will get back to you as soon as possible!” 3\. “👋 Thank you for your message, however, we are currently away. Our operating hours are \[business hours\]. We’ll get back to you as soon as we can!” 4\. “🙏 Thank you for reaching out to us, is there anything else I can help you with?” 5\. “Thank you for contacting \[business name\]. If you have a minute, please leave a review of your experience with us, we appreciate and go through all feedback submitted 🙂 \[Link\]” #### Quick Reply Examples: FAQs Most businesses will have a list of commonly asked questions. Quick replies are perfect for storing the answers to these questions since your agents will be able to quickly access and send them to customers. You can provide complete answers to the FAQs in the quick reply itself or link customers to external sources for additional details. Examples of these messages include your business hours and address, appointment confirmation and specifics of your products or services: 1\. “📆 We are open from Monday to Saturday (including public holidays), 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.” 2\. “📍 Our headquarters is located at \[Address\]” 3\. “🗓️ We are happy to set an appointment with you! Please reply with your preferred date and time or select it from our calendar: \[Link\]” 4\. “Respond.io supports multiple channels like WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger and more. You can check out the full list of supported channels here: \[link\]” 5\. “Your order can be tracked here: \[link\]. However, if you have any issues regarding the delivery, please call our 24-hour hotline at \[number\]” #### Quick Reply Examples: Sales and Support It’s important to have answers prepared for common sales and support inquiries, as any discrepancies in information such as prices can lead to unhappy customers. Quick replies are perfect for this as they eliminate the risk of mistakes when sending important details. Examples of quick replies for these use cases include messages about pricing, special deals and more. 1\. “We have different monthly plans designed to scale with your business: Starter, Pro, Business and Enterprise. You can get more information about the plans here: \[Link\]” 2\. “Hi, \[contact name\], thank you for reaching out. Please let us know what you’re having issues with and our agent will be in touch regarding your inquiry.” 3\. “For a limited time only, enjoy 20% off store wide. 🗣 Enter discount code DISCOUNT20 during checkout!” 4\. “✅ You can cancel your plan at any time without additional charges. Simply get in touch with us and let us know.” 5\. “We have a no questions asked, full-refund policy ✅ Simply ship it back to us in the original packaging within 14 days of delivery and you’ll get your money back. For more information, check out our return policy here: \[Link\]” #### Quick Reply Examples: Updates Nobody likes being left in the dark when it comes to urgent or inconvenient matters. Use quick replies to keep customers updated on the latest news about your business. Here are some examples of quick reply messages for status updates: 1\. “⚠️ Our platform is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance and will be operational by 8:00 a.m on Tuesday, 07/02/2023. We apologize for any inconvenience caused 🙇” 2\. “Thank you for reaching out. \[product name\] will be back in stock next week. To reserve yourself a unit, visit our online store: \[link\].” 3\. “The latest version of our platform will go live next Saturday, 28/01/2023 at 8.00 a.m. For more information about the update, visit the announcement page: \[link\]” 4\. “💥 Oops! Our servers are currently facing some technical difficulties. We are already working on the issue and hope to be up and running in the next 12 hours. We apologize for any inconvenience caused!” 5\. “🔧 The issue with our servers has been fixed. You can keep using our platform as usual. Try clearing your cache if connection issues persist but if you’re still facing issues, drop us a message with more details.” With quick replies, you can greatly improve the quality and speed of your WhatsApp conversations with customers. If your business is growing at a pace WhatsApp Business App can’t keep up with, consider switching to WhatsApp API with respond.io. In addition to benefits like [supporting numerous agents or teams](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) and [chatting on multiple channels or accounts](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-6) from a single platform, you’ll be able to [send automated replies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) and build chat automation for [WhatsApp sales](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service). Interested in gaining these benefits for your business? [Sign up for a respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) or [connect your WhatsApp API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start#connecting_whats_app_business_api) today. ### Further Reading - WhatsApp Business App: The Ultimate Guide - WhatsApp Business: WhatsApp Business Accounts Overview - How to Change WhatsApp to Business Account ## [WhatsApp Sales: How to Sell on WhatsApp ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales) Want to use WhatsApp for sales? Read the article to learn the fundamentals of WhatsApp sales, tips and best practices along with real business success stories. More and more businesses are using WhatsApp for sales, and it’s time for your company to follow suit. In this article, we’ll discuss why conversational sales with WhatsApp API are more effective than traditional sales. You’ll also learn the fundamentals of WhatsApp API and tips tosell on WhatsApp. Plus, we've put together a list of WhatsApp sales success stories. ### WhatsApp Sales: A Better Alternative to Traditional Sales Conversational sales is more than a buzzword. It helps businesses increase conversion rates, improve customer experience and even shorten the sales cycle. With [over two billion monthly active users](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-1), WhatsApp is the go-to platform for companies looking to adopt conversational sales. There are many benefits to using WhatsApp for conversational sales. For starters, WhatsApp allows salespeople to [gather lead information faster](https://respond.io/blog/best-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-8) than they would with email. Plus, it’s easy to build a partner-like relationship with leads through casual conversations over WhatsApp. In contrast to web chat, WhatsApp offers salespeople the flexibility to [follow up with leads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-follow-up) later without fear of losing them. Through the cadence of WhatsApp conversations, salespeople are able to build excitement before closing a deal. In addition, WhatsApp increases the productivity of your sales team. A salesperson may only take one phone call at a time, but can [handle multiple WhatsApp sales conversations at once](https://respond.io/blog/business-messaging#toc-mobile-5). To use WhatsApp for sales, you have to get a WhatsApp Business Account. WhatsApp offers [two types of WhatsApp Business Accounts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business#toc-mobile-12) - WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp Business API. Designed for small businesses, WhatsApp Business App lacks [multi-user functionality](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) and [advanced automation](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations). If you are a medium to large business with several salespeople doing WhatsApp sales, the best option would be WhatsApp Business API. Not only does [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) support advanced features like multi-user functionality and automation, but it also allows you to keep a centralized record of all sales conversations once connected to a WhatsApp Inbox. Read on to learn more. ### WhatsApp Sales: What You Should Know Without a WhatsApp API Account, salespeople have to resort to using their personal WhatsApp accounts or WhatsApp Business App for sales. This presents two problems: - There is no record of conversations with customers in the sales CRM. - Consequently, companies will lose customers if a salesperson leaves his job. WhatsApp API enables you to keep a record of all conversations in a [WhatsApp Inbox product](https://try.respond.io/whatsapp-business-api). In this section, we’ll discuss the fundamentals of WhatsApp API that you should know before using WhatsApp for sales. #### Group Messaging is Not Supported on WhatsApp API Yet Sometimes, salespeople need to use an email CC or a [WhatsApp Group](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-group) on the WhatsApp app to keep multiple decision-makers in the loop. Currently, WhatsApp API does not support group messaging. In cases where group messaging is absolutely necessary, salespeople need to stick with their personal WhatsApp accounts until WhatsApp API implements WhatsApp Groups. Alternatively, they can notify other stakeholders by using the [Comment feature on a WhatsApp Inbox](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity#comments). #### Salespeople Will Not Have Their Own Numbers Salespeople often interact with prospects using their own email handles and phone number. However, WhatsApp API does not allow for this to happen. Under WhatsApp’s [one-account-per-brand rule](https://respond.io/blog/business-messaging#toc-mobile-6), each company can only own one WhatsApp API account, which is tied to a [phone number](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-6). Even without their own numbers, salespeople can still operate like they used to. If they need to call their customers, they can now do so using the [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api). Simply connect your WhatsApp API to a platform that can [route the conversation to the right salesperson](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio). More on this later. #### 24-hour Customer Service Window Restrictions Email lets salespeople reengage with their prospects whenever they want. By contrast, WhatsApp API comes with a [24-hour customer service window](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-10) restriction. Users who message businesses through call-to-action buttons on [WhatsApp click-to-chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads) or [Facebook Page call-to-action buttons](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-add-whatsapp-button-on-facebook-page) can enjoy an extended messaging window of 72 hours, and the best part is that these conversations are free. If you reply to a prospect 24 hours after their last message or initiate a chat with someone who has not messaged you, you’ll need to use a [message template](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message). Before using message templates, these have to be submitted to WhatsApp via a [WhatsApp Partner](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider) like respond.io for approval. Having the right WhatsApp inbox simplifies the process and lets you [create a message template natively](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-message-templates#setting_up_whats_app_message_template). ### WhatsApp Sales: 5 Quick Wins to Sell on WhatsApp By overcoming the restrictions associated with WhatsApp API, respond.io helps unlock the full potential of your sales team. The platform also supports a range of advanced features that make WhatsApp sales a breeze. #### Use Message Templates for Follow Up and Outbound Conversations A message template reopens WhatsApp API’s customer service window, allowing you to follow up with a prospect after 24 hours. Alternatively, [import leads to a WhatsApp Inbox](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm#toc-mobile-6) and use [marketing message templates](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-1) to send them the first outbound message. You can send [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message) to spread awareness of your products, retarget existing customers and even promote your apps. Upon a successful sale, you can use utility templates to confirm an order or transaction with a customer using specific order or transaction details in the body of your message. Keep in mind that not all WhatsApp Inbox products support native message template functionality. When [choosing a WhatsApp Inbox](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm#toc-mobile-2), look for one that supports template messaging. #### Funnel Inbound Leads to WhatsApp Conversations with WhatsApp Click to Chat Links A [WhatsApp Click to Chat](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-generator-whatsapp-widget) link encourages your leads to start a WhatsApp conversation. When clicked, the WhatsApp Click to Chat link takes leads to a new WhatsApp conversation in the app. You can place a WhatsApp Click to Chat Link on a website or other digital spaces to convert online visitors to WhatsApp conversations. Alternatively, use a [WhatsApp QR code](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-generator-whatsapp-widget#toc-mobile-2) to turn offline traffic like foot traffic at a brick-and-mortar store into WhatsApp conversations. #### Use AI Agents to Automatically Qualify and Route Leads Respond.io’s [AI Agents](https://respond.io/ai-agents) can automatically reply to leads who message you and assign qualified leads to the right sales team. Here’s how it works: 1. First, create an AI agent with a customizable template. For example, choose Sales Agent and train it on your knowledge sources. 2. Get the AI agent to collect information about the lead like name, phone number, and budget. The AI sales agent can also answer questions about the product and make recommendations. 3. If the lead is not qualified, the AI Agent can end the conversation and provide a summary. 4. If the lead is qualified, the AI Agent will route the lead to an available salesperson, providing full context on the lead. #### Use a WhatsApp Inbox that Integrates with Your Existing Sales CRM It is likely that your current sales CRM does not support WhatsApp API, and building a custom integration that connects a sales CRM to WhatsApp can be costly. To get started quickly with WhatsApp sales, integrate your existing [CRM with a WhatsApp Inbox](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm#toc-mobile-12). A sales CRM integrated with a WhatsApp Inbox opens up many possibilities. For instance, it allows salespeople to instantly [create a deal record in a sales CRM like Salesforce](https://respond.io/blog/salesforce-whatsapp-integration). #### Send Product Catalogs to Your Customers Drive conversions through WhatsApp commerce with respond.io's Meta Product Catalog, also known as [WhatsApp catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog). This gives customers instant access to your product listings, increasing the chances of driving engagement. More engagement means more conversions. To use this feature, you need to upload the products to your [Commerce Manager](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2371372636254534?id=533228987210412) and connect them to respond.io. The products uploaded in the Commerce Manager will sync on the respond.io platform. Need a WhatsApp sales idea? Read on to find out how other companies have been using WhatsApp API to take their sales processes to the next level. ### WhatsApp Sales: 3 Ways Companies Sell on WhatsApp Many businesses across industries have found success with WhatsApp sales. In this section, we'll share some of our customers' success stories to inspire you to sell on WhatsApp. #### 1\. How Does SchuVar Tours Sell on WhatsApp? [SchuVar Tours](https://respond.io/customers/schuvar-tours-shortens-sales-cycle) runs click to chat ads on social media to generate leads. It has a clear call to action: *Message us on WhatsApp to book your trip.* Leads flow in steadily, curious travelers eager to discover their next getaway. ##### How Does SchuVar Tours' WhatsApp Sales Strategy Work? SchuVar Tours uses WhatsApp API with respond.io, which gives it the capacity to handle more leads. It ramped up its advertising, tripling the number of leads it receives via paid ads. Respond.io integrates with Meta [click to chat ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads) so all ad responses indicate which channel and ad the conversation came from, showing which ads are attracting quality leads. With reports and analytics, the business can measure ad performance to ensure all marketing investments translate into revenue impact. ##### Does SchuVar Tours’ WhatsApp Sales Strategy Deliver Results? As the business now has the capacity to manage higher volumes of ads, it’s been able to scale its click to chat ads and generate **40% of its leads from paid ads**, a 3x increase over three months. These improvements have transformed SchuVar Tours’ sales operations—turning what was once a fragmented, manual process into a high-performing, scalable engine for growth. #### 2\. How Does Automax Sell on WhatsApp? [Automax](https://respond.io/customers/automax-boosts-roi-from-whatsapp-broadcasts)® is a luxury car dealership located in the United Arab Emirates serving customers around the region, including Saudi Arabia. Its multilingual sales team caters to locals and expats alike, and the business has a large social media following, especially on Instagram and TikTok. However, while customers come in through social media, they prefer to contact the business over WhatsApp. The business relies on WhatsApp for sales conversations and retargeting. It uses WhatsApp API with respond.io to consolidate conversations in one inbox and send retargeting broadcasts. ##### How Does Automax’s WhatsApp Sales Strategy Work? Often, when leads click on an ad or engage on social media, they're not yet ready to buy. A timely WhatsApp message to interested prospects can be the difference in them choosing Automax over a competitor. Automax® now regularly sends over 80,000 [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) per month to specifically targeted customers. Broadcasts are segmented using respond.io’s Lifecycle tracking feature so leads receive timely follow-ups tailored to where they are in the customer journey. ##### Is Automax's WhatsApp Sales Strategy a Success? As Automax® reliably broadcasts targeted WhatsApp messages, it fuels consistent reengagement. These broadcasts achieved an impressive **42.5x ROI** in platform costs, showing that it pays to invest in a WhatsApp API solution for WhatsApp sales. #### 3\. How Does EMAX Beauté Sell on WhatsApp? [EMAX Beauté](https://respond.io/customers/how-emax-boosts-appointment-bookings) is a leading provider of beauty, skincare, haircare and body wellness services, operating under four brands with multiple branches around the greater Kuala Lumpur area, where WhatsApp is the most popular channel. It offers a diverse range of treatments and products that it promotes with its wide-reaching social media presence. The business encourages customers to [book an appointment via WhatsApp](https://respond.io/book-a-meeting). ##### How Does EMAX Beauté's WhatsApp Sales Strategy Work? Respond.io can automate the treatment booking process completely if businesses require it; however, EMAX prefers a human touch, so agents chat with each customer who’s interested in booking a treatment session. With higher quality leads and faster responses, agents are able to engage leads while interest is high, securing more appointments. To streamline the process, agents use [Snippets](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/snippets) for replies on availability and confirmations. They’re even able to collect payment for the treatment directly upon booking by sending a link to the payment platform; the lead then sends a screenshot of the receipt in the chat. The deal is closed in a single conversation! ##### Is EMAX Beauté's WhatsApp Sales Strategy a Success? Definitely! The company has seen **appointments booked via WhatsApp on respond.io increase by 18x**. In-chat payment link capabilities also allow for seamless transactions where applicable, resulting in smoother operations and strong business results overall. Inspired to start selling over WhatsApp? [Try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) or contact us for a free consultation today! ### Further Reading If you're interested in more information on how to use WhatsApp API for other use cases, check out these articles: - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business - WhatsApp Broadcast in 3 Steps: Everything You Need to Know - How to Schedule WhatsApp Messages: Easy Step-by-Step Guide ## [WhatsApp Shop: Shorten the Sales Cycle on WhatsApp](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-shop) WhatsApp Shop can revolutionize your ecommerce strategy. Read this article to learn how to maximize the benefits of WhatsApp Shop for your business. Imagine a world where your customers can browse, select, and purchase your products with just a few taps on their favorite messaging app. In a market where convenience is king, WhatsApp shopping offers businesses a unique opportunity to connect with customers like never before, right where they spend most of their time. In this blog, we'll show you how to harness the full potential of WhatsApp Shop to boost your sales and enhance customer loyalty. Let's get started! ### What is WhatsApp Shop? WhatsApp Shop is an innovative family of features for [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) that allows businesses to [create and manage an](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ecommerce) [e-commerce store](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ecommerce) directly within the [WhatsApp Business platform](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business). Here’s a look at the key WhatsApp e-commerce features that form WhatsApp Shop. #### 1\. WhatsApp Catalog Businesses can create a detailed [product catalog within WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog), allowing customers to browse items, view prices and read descriptions. This feature transforms WhatsApp into a virtual storefront, making it easy for customers to explore offerings without leaving the app. #### 2\. Shopping Cart Customers can add products to their shopping cart directly within WhatsApp. This streamlines the purchasing process, allowing users to review their selections and make changes before proceeding to checkout. #### 3\. In-App Payments [WhatsApp supports in-app payments](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-pay-everything-about-whatsapp-payment) in selected countries, enabling customers to complete transactions without having to switch to another platform. This feature named WhatsApp Pay simplifies the checkout process and enhances the overall shopping experience. #### 4\. Customer Outreach Using features like [Click to WhatsApp ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads), businesses can drive traffic to their WhatsApp Shop by promoting products through ads on Facebook and Instagram. These ads link directly to a WhatsApp chat with you, making it easy for customers to start a conversation and explore products. ### Benefits of WhatsApp Shop There are several reasons why you should consider WhatsApp shopping if your customer base are WhatsApp users. Here are some of them. #### WhatsApp Shop: Wide Reach and Accessibility Given WhatsApp’s staggering monthly active user base of [nearly 3 billion people](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1306022/whatsapp-global-unique-users/), with significant populations in India, Brazil, Indonesia, the US, Russia and Mexico, businesses have fertile ground to plant their personalized shopping experiences. #### WhatsApp Shop: Personalized Customer Engagement WhatsApp Shop personalizes customer experiences by using customer data for tailored product recommendations and targeted promotions, integrating interactive chatbots for personalized [auto replies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply), and providing multilingual support and rich media messaging. This enhances customer engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty, creating a seamless and customized shopping journey. #### WhatsApp Shop: Seamless Shopping Experience The integration of WhatsApp's business features, such as the Product Catalog in the Meta Catalog, enables customers to browse and inquire about products without leaving the chat. This reduces friction in the sales funnel, potentially increasing conversion rates. #### WhatsApp Shop: Cost-Effective Marketing Utilizing WhatsApp shopping can be a cost-effective way to market your products. Without the need for expensive advertising campaigns, you can leverage your existing customer base and word-of-mouth marketing to promote your offerings. Next, we’ll show you how to create a WhatsApp Shop in 3 steps. ### How to Create Your WhatsApp Shop in 3 Steps Setting up your WhatsApp Shop is straightforward. It begins with creating your WhatsApp Business account. It’s vital to choose the version that best suits your organization's size and needs, be it the WhatsApp Business App for small businesses or the [WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) for medium to large companies with [multiple WhatsApp users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users). Once you have made that decision, follow these steps. 1. Set Up Your WhatsApp Business Profile: Ensure your profile is complete with all necessary information about your business. 2. Make a WhatsApp Catalog: You can do this directly on the WhatsApp Business app. If you are a WhatsApp API user, you’ll need to create it in the Commerce Manager and then integrate it into a messaging platform like respond.io. 3. Configure Message Templates: For businesses opting to use the WhatsApp Business API, configuring message templates for product information and customer service inquiries is essential. This will enable automation and bulk messages and ensure efficient communication. > **Note about message templates**: WhatsApp has updated the way they send marketing messages to users, based on their engagement rates of previous marketing messages; if Meta sees a recipient as unlikely to engage, the message may not be sent. > WhatsApp charges per template message sent, rates vary depending upon country. If you are looking for inspiration for your shop, keep reading. We’ll share with you how a cosmetics business is using it for business success. ### How Businesses Use WhatsApp Shop Forever Liss leverages WhatsApp for direct customer outreach, promoting new hair products such as shampoos and conditioners using [Click to WhatsApp ads](https://respond.io/blog/click-to-chat-ads). Customers can interact with a chatbot to browse a product catalog, selecting items and adding them to their cart seamlessly. This approach offers a fully guided shopping experience, leading to a 5.52 per cent conversion rate, significantly higher than the previous 2 per cent. Thus, Forever Liss’ strategy provides immersive experiences and valuable insights into customer preferences. At this point, perhaps you are considering whether to use WhatsApp shopping in the WhatsApp Business app or WhatsApp Business API. Next, we’ll explain why the latter is probably your best choice. ### WhatsApp Shop Quick Wins with Respond.io Integrating your WhatsApp API Shop with respond.io will turbocharge your sales and customer engagement strategies. Here’s what’s in for you. #### 1\. Integrate your WhatsApp Shopping Catalog By [linking your Meta product catalog with respond.io](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/meta-product-catalog), you can manage and broadcast your products more efficiently, ensuring that your customers always have the latest information. #### 2\. Broadcast WhatsApp Shopping Products Take advantage of [WhatsApp's broadcasting capabilitie](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast)s to share your product launches or exclusive offers directly with your large customer base, ensuring they're always in the loop. #### 3\. Use FAQ Menus [Automated FAQ menus](https://help.respond.io/l/en/automate-conversations/how-to-guide-customers-seamlessly-from-product-exploration-to-purchase-with-engaging-menus) can handle common customer inquiries and assist sales, freeing up your team to focus on more complex queries and providing a richer customer service experience. #### 4\. Build WhatsApp Shopping Drip Campaigns Implement [WhatsApp drip campaigns](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-drip-campaign) to nurture leads and keep your audience engaged with your product catalog over time. Drip campaigns enable you to sequentially introduce new products, share customer testimonials and offer exclusive promotions. This structured communication helps maintain interest in your shop and encourages repeat visits. WhatsApp Shop is not just a new sales channel; it's a revolution in customer engagement and e-commerce. By personalizing the shopping experience, reducing friction in the sales process, and capitalizing on the extensive reach of WhatsApp, businesses can redefine their relationship with their customers. For marketing heads and sales directors of large enterprises, integrating WhatsApp shopping into your sales strategy could be the key to unlocking unprecedented sales growth and customer satisfaction. To unlock the ultimate e-commerce experience on WhatsApp, [sign up for a respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register). ### Further Reading Did you find this article interesting? If so, here are some additional readings you may like. - WhatsApp CRM Ultimate Guide: Integration, Use Cases and Best Practices - How to Schedule WhatsApp Messages: Easy Step-by-Step Guide - WhatsApp Ecommerce: A Guide to WhatsApp API for Ecommerce ## [WhatsApp Team: Get Started with WhatsApp Team Inbox ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-team-inbox) WhatsApp Team Inbox organizes all of your WhatsApp conversations, allowing agents to quickly prioritize and resolve issues. Find out more here. Looking for a collaborative messaging solution that will allow your team to respond to messages on WhatsApp? In this article, we’ll share what a WhatsApp team inbox is, the benefits of having one and how to use a team inbox on respond.io. ### What is a WhatsApp Team Inbox? As WhatsApp is the [most popular instant messaging channel](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps) in the world, [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) has become a useful tool for businesses to communicate with customers in real time. However, as your business grows, so does your team. While using WhatsApp Business App is sufficient for small businesses with few team members, it comes with several limitations, including: - Can’t be connected to more than 5 devices - No collaborative features - Inability to track individual or team workload - Inability to track which team member sent or replied to a message - No way to ensure all inquiries have been answered If you’re running a large business, you’ll need more sophisticated features to solve the issues stated above. This is where the WhatsApp team inbox comes in. A WhatsApp team inbox is a collaborative messaging inbox that organizes all of your WhatsApp conversations in one place for your team to handle. Let’s find out how your business can benefit from using a team inbox next. #### Benefits of Using a Shared Inbox You can create a WhatsApp team inbox through a messaging platform like respond.io. It allows all team members to respond to customers through a shared dashboard and grants managers visibility into all customer conversations. A shared inbox also provides a single point of contact with each customer for a record of all interactions. Since all messages are consolidated in a single inbox, this reduces the risk of overlooking inquiries, thus giving customers a better experience. To handle the high volume of conversations, businesses can set up chat automation to [route messages to the right team](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) and [assign them to the right agent](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio). It’s also easier for team members to collaborate in a shared inbox. Agents can leave internal comments for follow-ups, tag their colleagues or [escalate complex cases](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management). Another benefit is accessing detailed individual agent and team [performance data](https://help.respond.io/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview), such as response and resolution times. This information can help identify bottlenecks or weak points in conversation handling to improve customer service. [Omnichannel platforms](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication) like respond.io connect multiple messaging channels like WhatsApp, [Facebook](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat) and [Instagram](https://respond.io/blog/instagram-business-chat) to one inbox. Consolidating a contact’s information and chat history across channels into a single profile gives agents a full overview of the customer. Now that you’ve learned why you should get a WhatsApp team inbox, let’s find out how to set it up. ### How to Set Up WhatsApp Team Inbox The most efficient way to set up a WhatsApp team inbox is to create a WhatsApp API account directly via an official WhatsApp Business Solutions Provider (BSP). However, not all WhatsApp BSPs are created equal. Some, like Sleekflow, for example, have prohibitive prices for small teams and [tricky onboarding experiences](https://respond.io/customers/sleekflow-alternative-review-by-getutor). [Consider respond.io for its high value](https://respond.io/sleekflow-alternative), stability and top-rated support. As a WhatsApp team inbox is meant to facilitate teamwork, you need a [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) account for its [multiuser functionality](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users). As the API has no front-end interface to send and receive messages, it has to be connected to a customer conversation management software like respond.io. The most efficient way to set up a WhatsApp team inbox is to [create a WhatsApp API account](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start#connecting_whats_app_business_api) directly via respond.io as it's an [official WhatsApp Business Solutions Provider](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider). Then, you can add team members to your shared inbox and use features like advanced automation and flexible integrations to make teamwork easier than ever. Let’s look into how respond.io empowers teams to do more with WhatsApp. ### How to Use a WhatsApp Shared Inbox for Business on Respond.io Here, we’ll show you how to use WhatsApp team inbox on respond.io for different use cases, especially for sales and customer support. #### WhatsApp Team Inbox for Sales First, we’ll look at how your sales team can utilize the team inbox. You can easily drive sales conversations and increase the volume of leads by placing [WhatsApp click-to-chat links](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-ads) in prominent locations where customers can easily see them. A WhatsApp team inbox allows businesses to handle high volumes of conversations efficiently, improving the chances of making a sale. Quickly connecting with your customers prevents them from feeling ignored and checking out your competitors. One easy way to keep customers engaged is through automated replies. By setting up a [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply), you can [greet customers](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-greeting-message) when they send you the first message or inform them that you’re unavailable with an [away message.](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business) With respond.io’s customizable [Workflows automation](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflows-overview), you can apply [chat routing logic](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) to route conversations to the right team based on language, customer lifecycle stage, product or service inquiries, or any other criteria that are relevant to your business. Then, use your preferred [auto-assignment logic](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to assign customers to the sales agent best equipped for the task or to the agent with the least open conversations for faster service. Salespeople can use a [custom inbox](https://help.respond.io/messages/custom-inbox) to prioritize VIP customers. It allows managers to filter and view high-value conversations, ensuring the best possible customer experience. This helps build strong relationships and increase customer loyalty. By [connecting your WhatsApp sales CRM with respond.io](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm#toc-mobile-7), you can easily transfer data between the two platforms to create deals quickly. This enables agents to perform sales-related tasks while chatting with customers without having to switch between platforms. You can also send customers a [WhatsApp product catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog) to improve customer engagement with your products to improve conversion rates. You can manage your catalogs by uploading the products to your [Commerce Manager](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2371372636254534?id=533228987210412) and connecting them to respond.io. The products uploaded in the Commerce Manager will sync on the respond.io platform. Recently, WhatsApp has announced the [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api) which enables businesses to call customers over WhatsApp. This enables businesses to close more deals where a more human touch is required. Even beyond WhatsApp, you can reach personal numbers using respond.io's [VoIP integration](https://respond.io/blog/voip-crm-integration). As shown above, you can shorten your sales cycle when you use [WhatsApp for sales](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales). In the next section, we’ll show you how to improve customer service with a WhatsApp team inbox. #### WhatsApp Team Inbox for Customer Service Now, let’s take a look at how businesses can use a shared inbox to improve [customer service over WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service). The right chat automation in a WhatsApp team inbox helps businesses improve customer service by using [automated responses to handle FAQs](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply), freeing up agents to focus on complex issues. Inquiries that cannot be automatically handled can be [routed to the right team](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) using a chat menu. Then, [they can be assigned](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/auto-assign-leads-to-sales-agents#methods_for_automatic_assignment) round robin for equal workload distribution or to agents with the least open conversation for efficient customer service. You can also [integrate your existing CRM to respond.io](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/create-tickets) to allow support agents to create tickets while chatting with customers without leaving the conversation. The [Comments](https://help.respond.io/contacts/contact-activity#comments) feature in respond.io allows agents to collaborate and resolve inquiries more efficiently. Alternatively, you can implement an [escalation Workflow](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) to automatically escalate complex or high-priority inquiries to the right team or agent. Want a detailed report on how your agents are performing? Get the performance data from our [Reports Module](https://respond.io/blog/july-2021-release-instagram-messaging-api-reports-v2#toc-mobile-1). Now you know exactly how many contacts an agent is handling and how efficient they are at responding to customers and resolving inquiries. We hope this article provides everything you need to know about a WhatsApp team inbox and how to use one with your team. Interested in getting a WhatsApp inbox for your business? [Sign up for respond.io](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business), a badged Meta Business Partner, and [connect your WhatsApp Business API account](https://help.respond.io/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start#connecting_whats_app_business_api) to get started. ### Further Reading Looking for more articles on how WhatsApp benefits your business? Here are some blogs that might help you. - WhatsApp Marketing: A Guide to a Successful Campaign - How To Use WhatsApp for Sales - WhatsApp Customer Service: Using WhatsApp for Support ## [WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business for Sales and Marketing](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-vs-whatsapp-business) Struggling to decide between WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business for your sales and marketing efforts? We invite you to read on as we'll cover all that and more! Today, WhatsApp is among the most widely used messaging apps worldwide, with over [2 billion active users](https://www.statista.com/topics/2018/whatsapp/#:~:text=As%20of%202023%2C%20WhatsApp%20is,most%20popular%20social%20network%20worldwide.). But beyond personal communication, WhatsApp is increasingly used for sales and marketing purposes. Unfortunately, regular WhatsApp can be limiting for this which is why there are two options for businesses: [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) and [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), also known as WhatsApp Business API. In our WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business article, we’ll cover why you should consider moving to either WhatsApp Business App or WhatsApp API if you’re currently using regular WhatsApp for sales and marketing before comparing the two in detail. ### WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business: Why Regular WhatsApp for Sales and Marketing is Limiting Standard WhatsApp is a proven staple for communicating with friends and family, but it falls short for business operations. While it can technically be used by solopreneurs and very small businesses, its weaknesses become apparent as you scale WhatsApp sales and [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) efforts. #### Inability to Scale Regular WhatsApp was primarily designed for personal use. When your teams need to manage hundreds, if not thousands, of conversations daily, WhatsApp’s limit of allowing only 5 devices (including your primary device) per single account makes it virtually impossible to handle high volumes of interactions efficiently. #### Lack of Verification Between WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business, standard WhatsApp doesn't support the verification of accounts. This is a shame as [WhatsApp green tick](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick) verification helps establish trust and credibility with customers and prospects. Without this, it can be difficult to differentiate between legitimate businesses and scammers. #### Inefficiency for Sales Conversations Using WhatsApp for sales operations requires more than just a chat interface. Teams need to track conversations, have easy access to chat histories and collaborate with other team members by handing off conversations as needed. Unfortunately, standard WhatsApp does not offer these features, leading to potentially missed opportunities when selling on WhatsApp. ### Why Use WhatsApp Business App for Sales and Marketing? WhatsApp Business App is one of the two options businesses can opt for and was primarily designed for smaller businesses. Unlike WhatsApp API, WhatsApp Business App is entirely free to download and is available on both Android and iOS. Its familiar and accessible WhatsApp features, such as [quick replies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-quick-reply) and labeling, make it easy for teams to start using it. WhatsApp Business App is often the go-to solution for smaller business owners who manage low volumes of customer interactions, such as local stores and restaurants. It suits those with a simple catalog of goods or services to display and who need basic automation features like automated greeting and farewell messages and is ideal for those not ready to invest in alternatives like WhatsApp API. #### Pros of WhatsApp Business App WhatsApp Business App offers many advantages for smaller businesses compared to regular WhatsApp, though it also has some limitations. But before we go into that, here’s why it's so appealing: **User-Friendly Interface:** WhatsApp Business is straightforward to use, with a familiar interface and a low learning curve. This is ideal for users who may not be tech-savvy or have the time to learn more complicated tools. **Essential Features:** WhatsApp Business App provides the essential tools any small business needs to succeed, including a business profile, product catalog and [broadcast messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) (limited to a single message) along with offering simple [auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) messages. #### Cons of WhatsApp Business App While the WhatsApp Business App is fantastic for small businesses, offering most of what they need, it also has some drawbacks: **Lack of Integration:** Integrations with [Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm#toc-mobile-4) or other third-party software are not currently available. This restriction makes tracking and managing customer conversations more difficult. **Number of Users:** WhatsApp Business App only supports up to four users, which is a significant drawback for businesses with larger teams or smaller businesses looking to scale their sales and marketing operations with [multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users). ### Why Consider WhatsApp API for Sales and Marketing? For larger businesses looking for a more robust solution that can scale with their sales and marketing goals, WhatsApp API offers a powerful option, allowing businesses to manage, automate and monitor conversations. WhatsApp API is a fantastic solution for larger businesses because they often have more complex and extensive communication needs (and larger budgets). The ability to automate interactions, start and receive calls, send [bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message), integrate with business tools and customize workflows makes handling large-scale communication efforts a much smoother affair. WhatsApp is also refining how marketing messages are delivered. Since March 2025, message volume isn adjusted based on engagement, ensuring businesses reach the most responsive audiences. #### Pros of WhatsApp API While we’ve established that medium to larger businesses often opt for WhatsApp API, let’s take a closer look at some of its standout features: **Customizability:** WhatsApp API allows businesses to tailor the platform to their specific needs, enabling them to create custom workflows. However, do note that this does require technical experience to set up properly. However, businesses targeting US customers should note that since April 2025, WhatsApp will temporarily pause marketing messages to US numbers as part of ongoing platform improvements. **Verification:** WhatsApp API can provide you with the iconic Verified Green Tick, which can go a long way in promoting brand legitimacy and trust, especially with new customers. **Integration:** WhatsApp API offers the freedom and ability to [integrate](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api) with a wide variety of CRM systems or other relevant business tools. WhatsApp integration is especially for purposes such as monitoring, which promotes transparency in customer communications. **Scalability:** WhatsApp API essentially allows for unlimited users on a single number, meaning that regardless of team size, everyone who needs to be involved, can be involved. #### Cons of WhatsApp API Though WhatsApp API can *potentially* offer a lot more to businesses, it does not come without its own set of cons that include the following: **Lack of Interface:** Unlike the Business App, WhatsApp API does not come with any readily usable interface which means that businesses will need to connect it manually with an existing messaging software, such as [respond.io](http://respond.io/), to communicate with leads and customers. **Complexity:** While WhatsApp API offers flexibility and a greater degree of customization, it still requires technical expertise and knowledge to properly take advantage of. **Pricing:** While WhatsApp API isn't free, what it brings to your business can make it worth the investment. Businesses need to cover the costs for three things: their phone number, a messaging inbox and WhatsApp's per-message [pricing charges](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m_OdlgkwNE). ### WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API: A Comparison Now that we’ve covered why you should consider either solution along with their main pros and cons, let’s take a side-by-side look at how both solutions differ: **Key Differences Between WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API** | Feature | WhatsApp Business App | WhatsApp API | | --- | --- | --- | | Target User | Small business | Medium to large-sized business | | Pricing | Free | Usage-based | | Green Tick Verification | No | Yes | | Calls | Yes | Yes | | Automation | Yes (Basic) | Yes (Advanced) | | Business Profile | Yes | Yes | | Broadcasting | Yes (Up to 256 contacts) | Unlimited | | Team Inbox | No | Yes | | Product Catalog | Yes | Yes | | Automated Responses | Yes | Yes | | User Limit | 5 | Unlimited | | Integrations | No | Yes | | Setup Complexity | Easy | Moderate | ### Is WhatsApp API Better Than WhatsApp Business App? Time to answer the big question: *which is the better option?* This may seem like a cop-out, but the answer depends entirely on your unique business needs and future plans. Both are definite upgrades from using regular WhatsApp for sales and marketing purposes, however. WhatsApp Business App is ideal for small businesses, providing essential features without the need for technical expertise. It’s practical and cost-effective, making it perfect for businesses with a lower volume of customer interactions. On the other hand, the WhatsApp API, while more suitable for medium to large-sized businesses, can be seen as a long-term investment that grows and scales with your company. It offers advanced features like automation, detailed analytics and CRM integration. That said, transitioning early from the WhatsApp Business App to the API can make it easier for your teams to start adopting new processes and avoid the potential headaches caused by losing chat histories during migration, whenever that may be on your timeline. ### Want if I Don't Want to Lose the WhatsApp Business App? To use WhatsApp API, businesses typically need a phone number that’s not linked to any existing WhatsApp account and a Meta Business Portfolio. Then, they’ll choose a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP), like respond.io, to get access to a WhatsApp API account. However, we understand that switching from the WhatsApp Business App to the API can feel like a big leap — especially if you’re used to the app and don’t want to risk losing your chat history or contact list. That’s why WhatsApp Coexistence is a game changer. It allows you to use the same phone number for both the WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp API. You can keep your familiar interface, continue accessing chat history on the app, and still unlock the benefits of WhatsApp API on respond.io — including multiple users, automation, CRM integrations, AI-powered assistance, and more. So, if you're hesitant about going all in on the API, this new feature lets you try it with zero commitment. You can always switch back to just using the app if needed. Want to get started? [Sign up for a free respond.io account](https://app.respond.io/user/register) and experience the best of both worlds. ### Further Reading Did you enjoy our article about WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business and are interested in learning more? You might find these articles helpful: - WhatsApp Sales: How to Sell on WhatsApp - WhatsApp Schedule Message: Easy Step-by-Step Guide - WhatsApp API Pricing: The Ultimate Guide ## [WhatsApp Web: Chat with WhatsApp Contacts on PC ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-web) The only WhatsApp Business Web guide you'll ever need. Read the article to learn how to use WhatsApp Web Business and WhatsApp Business Desktop App on your PC. You’re probably on this blog because you have questions like can I connect WhatsApp Business App to WhatsApp Web? Or how do I use WhatsApp Business Web? After testing out WhatsApp Web ourselves, we’ve come up with this first-hand guide that will answer all your questions. The article will also cover the benefits of WhatsApp Web and explain how to use it on a browser and a desktop app. ### What is WhatsApp Web? WhatsApp Web is a great way to use WhatsApp on your PC. [Launched in January 2015](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_WhatsApp), it was designed to be a computer-based extension of your WhatsApp App or WhatsApp Business App on your phone. Messages are synced between your phone and computer, with your phone being the primary device for message storage and management. The popularity of WhatsApp Web is clear, with an impressive [2.5 billion unique monthly visits](https://whatsthebigdata.com/whatsapp-statistics/). Users typically spend around 21 minutes and 56 seconds per visit, indicating high engagement levels. Next, we'll explore the features that have contributed to its popularity. #### WhatsApp Web Features When WhatsApp Web was first launched, its functionalities were much more limited than the app. However, it has evolved over the last few years and now has almost all the features found on the app. Now you can: - Access all conversations - Send messages, images, gifs, audio recordings and documents - Reply, forward or delete a message - Update your profile information - Access account settings - Turn on the screen lock for enhanced security And the list doesn’t end here! You can even [make voice and video calls](https://faq.whatsapp.com/2092488194268012?cms_platform=web&helpref=faq_content) through WhatsApp Web. To make a call, simply open the individual chat with the contact you’d like to call. Then, click on the voice call or video call icons. While WhatsApp Web supports a wide range of features, there are some things that it can’t do. Let’s go over them below. #### WhatsApp Web Limitations While testing out WhatsApp Web, we noticed some limitations: - It doesn’t support group calling - It’s not possible to generate link previews - Only newer versions of Windows and macOS support voice and video calls Now that we’ve covered the limitations, let’s explore the benefits. #### WhatsApp Web Benefits Everyone can benefit from WhatsApp Web, whether you are a regular user or a small business. For individuals, it allows them to type comfortably on a physical keyboard and read messages on a larger screen. For small businesses that need more than one person to manage and deal with customers on their [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app), WhatsApp Web offers the flexibility to [use a single WhatsApp Business account on one phone plus four extra devices](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users#toc-mobile-1). The best part is that your phone doesn’t need to stay online to use WhatsApp Web after you link your devices. 🤯 If you work a lot on your PC, having WhatsApp Web for business gives you the convenience of communicating with your customers and using other work-related tools on your desktop at the same time. Keep in mind that WhatsApp Web only serves as a temporary solution for businesses looking to use WhatsApp with multiple users. When your business grows, you’ll encounter [issues with using linked devices](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users#toc-mobile-6). For instance, you can’t track agent performance or find out who sent or replied to a message. If you are a large company that wants to solve the WhatsApp Business multiple users problem, you need [WhatsApp API connected to an AI-powered customer conversation management software](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) like respond.io. More on this later. Now, let’s learn how to connect your WhatsApp Business Account to WhatsApp Web. All you need is a phone connected to WhatsApp Business App and a PC with a good internet connection. ### How to Use WhatsApp Web on a Browser You can use any browser to connect your WhatsApp Business Account to WhatsApp Web Business. We used Google Chrome to access WhatsApp Web, and it worked seamlessly. Follow these simple steps to start. 1\. **Go** to https://web.whatsapp.com/. A QR code will be displayed on the screen for you. 2\. **Open** the WhatsApp Business Application on your phone, go to *Linked Devices* and click on *Link a Device*. 3\. **Use** your phone to scan the QR code shown on your desktop screen, and you are all set! ### How to Use WhatsApp Desktop App for Windows If you prefer to have your browser and WhatsApp Business App separated, then use the WhatsApp Business Desktop App for Windows. Follow the steps below to download and install WhatsApp Business on your Desktop. #### How to Download and Install WhatsApp Desktop App for Windows 1\. **Go** to the [WhatsApp Desktop App download page on the Microsoft App Store](https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/whatsapp/9NKSQGP7F2NH). **2\. Download** the app by clicking Get in Store App. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. And you’re all set! Keep in mind that WhatsApp Desktop App for Windows is only supported on Windows 10.1 or later. If you are using an older operating system, you may use WhatsApp Web on your desktop. #### How to Get Started with WhatsApp Desktop App for Windows To get started with WhatsApp Business on your Desktop, follow the steps below. **1\. Open** the WhatsApp desktop app. You’ll see a QR code on your screen — it will look similar to the WhatsApp Business Web login. 2\. **Open** the WhatsApp Business Application on your phone, go to *Linked Devices* and click on *Link a Device*. 3\. **Use** your phone to scan the QR code displayed on your desktop screen. Once you connect your account, you’ll see the WhatsApp chat interface on your desktop app. This means you are ready to start using WhatsApp Business on the desktop app. WhatsApp Desktop App comes with the added benefits of better security and functionality. These are the two key differences between WhatsApp Business Web on a browser and WhatsApp Desktop App: 1. Security: WhatsApp Desktop App is more secure since it is a standalone application that utilizes end-to-end encryption. No one but you and the recipient can see the messages - third parties cannot read them. 2. Functionality: WhatsApp Desktop App has more features. For example, it supports voice calls and keyboard shortcuts that let you easily perform a range of actions. #### WhatsApp Web Shortcuts for Windows WhatsApp Business Desktop App supports a wide range of convenient keyboard shortcuts that let you perform certain actions faster. Below, we put together some commonly used keyboard shortcuts for the Windows desktop app: - Ctrl + Shift + U: Mark as read - Ctrl + N: Create a new chat - Ctrl + Shift + D: Delete a chat - Ctrl + Shift + P: Pin a chat - Ctrl + Shift + M: Mute a chat - Escape: Close a chat - Ctrl + Tab: Go to the next chat - Ctrl + Shift + Tab: Go to the previous chat - Ctrl + Shift + F: Search chat - Ctrl + Shift + N: Create a new group - Ctrl + ,: Settings - Ctrl E: Emoji panel Next, we’ll discuss how to use WhatsApp Business Desktop App for Mac. ### How to Use WhatsApp Business for PC: Mac Desktop App To download and install WhatsApp Desktop App for Mac, follow the simple steps below. #### How to Download and Install WhatsApp Desktop App for Mac **1\. Go** to the [WhatsApp download page](https://www.whatsapp.com/download) and click the Download button for Desktop for Mac. Then, open the installer in the .dmg format in your browser’s download history. A WhatsApp installer would appear. **2\. Drag** the WhatsApp icon to the Applications folder. And that’s all! The WhatsApp Web is now in the Application folder. Read on to find out how to get started with WhatsApp Business Desktop App for Mac. #### How to Get Started with WhatsApp Desktop App for Mac To get started with WhatsApp Business Desktop App for Mac, follow the steps below. 1\. **Go** to the App Store and download *WhatsApp Desktop*. Then, open the desktop app. A QR code will be shown on your screen. 2\. **Open** the WhatsApp Business Application on your phone, go to *Linked Devices* and click on *Link a Device*. 3\. **Use** your phone to scan the QR code displayed on your desktop screen. Once your account is connected, you can start using the WhatsApp Desktop App. #### WhatsApp Web Shortcuts for Mac Here, we compiled some frequently used keyboard shortcuts for the Mac desktop app. The shortcuts are similar to that of the Windows desktop app, however, the Cmd key is used in place of Ctrl: - Cmd + Shift + U: Mark as read - Cmd + N: Create a new chat - Cmd + Shift + D: Delete a chat - Cmd + Shift + P: Pin a chat - Cmd + Shift + M: Mute a chat - Escape: Close a chat - Cmd + Tab: Go to the next chat - Cmd + Shift + Tab: Go to the previous chat - Cmd + Shift + F: Search chat - Cmd + Shift + N: Create a new group - Cmd + ,: Settings - Cmd E: Emoji panel Need to log out from WhatsApp Web or WhatsApp Desktop App? We tell you how on the next section. ### How to Log Out from WhatsApp Web Based on what we observed, WhatsApp allows you to log out of all devices from your phone. Here’s a quick guide on how to do so: **1\. Open** WhatsApp on your phone. - If you are an Android user, navigate to More Options > Linked Devices. - If you are an iOS user, go to WhatsApp Settings > Linked Devices. **2\. Select** a device. **3\. Tap** Log Out. You’re now logged out. Alternatively, you can log out directly from WhatsApp Web or WhatsApp Desktop App. To do so, navigate to Menu > Log out on your device. ### Expand WhatsApp Business Multiuser Functionality with WhatsApp API As mentioned earlier, WhatsApp Business Web is great for small businesses where five devices are sufficient. However, the limit makes it challenging for larger teams to handle customer requests concurrently. Plus, to avoid being logged out automatically, you will need to keep your WhatsApp active on the phone regularly. As your business grows and you need more people to manage your WhatsApp Business Account, you'll have to [sign up for WhatsApp Business API](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business), a solution designed for medium to large businesses. Though you can send [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message), [WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) and set up [WhatsApp auto reply](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply) without WhatsApp API, having it grants you access to additional features, such as the [WhatsApp green tick](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-green-tick), and provides enhanced capabilities. When paired with the right customer conversation management software like respond.io, businesses can have access to more advanced features to benefit their [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing) efforts, like [using AI to manage conversations automatically](https://help.respond.io/workflows/step-respond-with-ai), [schedule WhatsApp messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-schedule-message), [automatically assigning conversations to agents](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio), allowing agents to [use AI to reply to customers effectively](https://help.respond.io/messages/using-ai-assist), [tracking agent performance](https://help.respond.io/l/en/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) and more. ### Further Reading We hope you found this first-hand guide to WhatsApp Web useful. Here are some readings on WhatsApp for Business that might interest you. - How to Use WhatsApp Business Multiple Users - WhatsApp Business API: The Ultimate Guide - Everything You Need to Know about WhatsApp Business App ## [WhatsApp Webchat: How to Use WhatsApp Integration with Website [Jan 2024]](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-webchat) WhatsApp webchat is a handy way to turn your website visitors into WhatsApp contacts. Learn how to use WhatsApp Integration with website for different use cases. A WhatsApp webchat widget is a handy way to turn your website visitors into WhatsApp contacts. In this article, you’ll learn what WhatsApp webchat and omnichannel webchat widgets are. We’ll also discuss how WhatsApp integration with website can take your marketing, sales and support strategies to the next level. Plus, we’ll show you how to incorporate automation into your WhatsApp webchat with respond.io. ### WhatsApp Webchat: Introduction WhatsApp webchat encourages website visitors to start a WhatsApp chat with you. When clicked on, it takes customers to the mobile or [desktop WhatsApp app](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-web) where they can send the first message. There are many reasons to adopt WhatsApp webchat. For a start, it turns website visitors who initiate WhatsApp webchat into WhatsApp contacts. This is particularly beneficial for companies with high website traffic. Contacts are often anonymous on live chat. By contrast, WhatsApp webchat lets you identify contacts by their phone numbers and names. Now that you know the contact's identity, you can chat with them again by [sending the first message](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-13) or following up with a [WhatsApp broadcast](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast#toc-mobile-21) even after they've left the website. Now that you’ve learned the benefits of WhatsApp webchat, let’s find out how to set up WhatsApp webchat on your website. #### Set Up WhatsApp Integration with Website The process for setting up a WhatsApp webchat is simple and can be done quickly by [following these steps](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets). To get started, navigate to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets*. Then, click *Add Widget* and choose WhatsApp Widget before clicking *Create Widget*. After that, enter the website(s) where you want to add the chat widget and select the account you want to create a widget for. You can add a pre-filled text or customize the widget’s appearance by clicking on the *Advanced Settings* buttons. Finally, click *Generate Widget*, copy the generated script and install it on your website. If you want to connect with customers across multiple channels, an [omnichannel widget](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) can help. You can also opt to [add a website chat widget to your website](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview). Now that you've successfully set up your WhatsApp web chat, we’ll show you how businesses can leverage it to maximize its potential next. ### WhatsApp Integration with Website: Use Cases In this section, we’ll discuss why WhatsApp webchat fares better than conventional live chat when it comes to marketing, sales and support. #### WhatsApp Webchat for Marketing Many companies use live chat to capture leads and collect their contact details manually. However, the drop-off rate is high because many contacts have privacy concerns. Others may inadvertently provide the wrong information. WhatsApp webchat eliminates the need for manual data collection, helping you to capture more leads for further [WhatsApp marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing). Once leads initiate a WhatsApp webchat, you’ll get their phone numbers and names automatically. Next, we'll take a look at how your business can use WhatsApp webchat for sales. #### WhatsApp Webchat for Sales Using live chat for sales has its fair share of disadvantages. For instance, the anonymity of live chat makes it harder for salespeople to get accurate contact information they need to build rapport with the prospects. Plus, salespeople need to be constantly available to reply to live chat. By contrast, WhatsApp webchat allows salespeople to identify prospects through their names and registered numbers. This makes it easier to build a personal relationship with them. Furthermore, your sales team can [reach out to prospects via WhatsApp anytime](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api#toc-mobile-13). Once leads have been converted into customers, you can use respond.io's shared inbox to answer webchat inquiries for support. #### WhatsApp Webchat for Support On live chat, support agents often struggle to deliver personalized solutions without knowing the identity of contacts. Live chat also doesn’t allow agents to follow up on complex inquiries at a later time — contacts are gone for good once they leave the website. WhatsApp webchat lets you easily identify returning customers, tailor solutions to their needs and reopen conversations when resolutions are ready. With respond.io’s shared inbox, the support team can even track sales conversations prior to conversion. We’ve looked at how WhatsApp webchat benefits different use cases. Now, let’s learn how to make the most out of WhatsApp webchat with respond.io’s chat automation. ### How to Automate WhatsApp Webchat with Respond.io: 3 Quick Wins Respond.io offers advanced chat automation that unlocks the full power of WhatsApp webchat. In this section, we’ll go over the different ways to create WhatsApp-related automation. #### Answer FAQs on WhatsApp Webchat with Chat Automation With chat automation, you can set up [WhatsApp auto replies](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply#toc-mobile-20) to commonly asked questions on WhatsApp webchat. This reduces agents’ workload and allows them to focus on important matters. To set up automated responses to FAQs, simply create a [WhatsApp multiple-choice menu](https://respond.io/blog/question-bot#toc-mobile-6). #### Set Up an Away Message for WhatsApp Webchat You may not be available 24/7 to attend to WhatsApp webchats, but you can create an [Away Message](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business) to set the right expectations for customers. Contacts will receive an Away Message if they start a WhatsApp webchat conversation outside of business hours. Ideally, the Away Message should include information like business hours and expected response times. #### Route WhatsApp Webchat Contacts to the Right Team On respond.io, you can create advanced [Workflows](https://respond.io/blog/inbound-conversations) that [route contacts](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio) on WhatsApp webchat to the right team. Alternatively, you can use [Shortcuts](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0) to escalate a WhatsApp webchat to another team or a manager. No matter your use case, WhatsApp webchat and respond.io’s shared inbox can take your business to next level. To get started with WhatsApp webchat, [try respond.io for free](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and [get a WhatsApp account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) in minutes. ### Further Reading If you're interested in using WhatsApp integration with website, check out these blog posts: - How to Use WhatsApp For Multiple Users - How to Get Customers To Message You Over WhatsApp - How to Use respond.io as a WhatsApp CRM ## [WhatsApp Widget for Website: A Guide to WhatsApp Chat Widget ](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-widget) Boost customer engagement on your website with a WhatsApp widget. Learn how to set up a WhatsApp chat widget to maximize sales and customer support. Are you looking to add a chat widget to your website? This article covers what a WhatsApp widget is to how to set it up. Additionally, we'll show you how integrating WhatsApp with your website can enhance your marketing, sales and support initiatives. Finally, we'll demonstrate how to incorporate automation into your widget with respond.io. ### What is WhatsApp Chat Widget? A WhatsApp widget is a chat widget embedded on a website that allows visitors to start a chat with you on WhatsApp. Once clicked, it takes customers to the mobile or [desktop WhatsApp app](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-web), where they can initiate a conversation with you. Let’s look at the benefits of having a WhatsApp chat widget on your website. #### Benefits of a WhatsApp Chat Widget The WhatsApp widget can benefit businesses in several ways, one of which is by converting website visitors into WhatsApp contacts. This is beneficial for businesses that experience high volumes of website traffic. Unlike live chat, which requires customers to input their details, the widget automatically obtains customers’ phone numbers and WhatsApp names. This lets you collect genuine leads and build your WhatsApp contact list. Finally, the widget also allows you to reconnect with customers after they leave your website, helping you build long-term relationships with them. Now that you’ve learned the key benefits, let’s explore how to set it up in the next section. #### How to Set Up WhatsApp Widget for Website If you’re using [WhatsApp API](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) to enable [multiple users](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-multiple-users) to chat with customers or handle conversations at scale, then you need a third-party platform that lets you send and receive messages. Respond.io is a customer conversation management software that supports multiple channels, including [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business), [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business), [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business) and more. Additionally, respond.io is a [WhatsApp partner](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-partners-whatsapp-business-solution-provider), so if you don’t have access to WhatsApp API yet, [you can get an account in minutes](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-get-whatsapp-api#toc-mobile-5). Once done, the process for setting up a WhatsApp widget on respond.io can be done quickly by [following these steps](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/growth-widgets#creating_widget). To get started, navigate to *Settings* > *Growth Widgets*. Then, click *Add Widget* and select *WhatsApp Widget* before clicking *Create Widget*. After that, enter the website(s) where you want to add the chat widget and select the WhatsApp account you want to create a widget for. Add pre-filled text or customize the widget’s appearance by clicking on the *Advanced Settings* buttons. Finally, click *Generate Widget*, copy the generated script and install it on your website. If you want to connect with customers across multiple channels, an [omnichannel widget](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) can help. You can also opt to add a [website chat widget](https://help.respond.io/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview) to your website. Now that you've successfully set up your widget, we’ll show you how businesses can leverage the chat widget to maximize its potential. ### WhatsApp Widget for Website: Use Cases In this section, we will highlight the benefits of using a WhatsApp chat widget for [marketing](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-marketing), [sales](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-sales) and [support](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-customer-service). #### WhatsApp Chat Widget for Marketing Many companies use live chat to collect leads and contact information, but this method can result in a high drop-off rate due to privacy concerns and incorrect contact information. Using a WhatsApp widget eliminates the need for manual data collection, which makes it easier to capture genuine leads. It automatically obtains customers' phone numbers and names. It can also be used for marketing and retargeting activities such as [promotional WhatsApp broadcasts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast) or [WhatsApp bulk messages](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-bulk-message). #### WhatsApp Widget for Sales The anonymity of live chat makes it harder for salespeople to get accurate contact information to build rapport with prospects. Plus, salespeople must be constantly available to reply to live chat or visitors may become impatient and exit the site. Using WhatsApp for sales makes it easier to build personal relationships with customers through its conversational nature and ability to engage with customers in the long term. This increases conversion chances by capturing customers’ purchase interest or addressing hesitations. #### WhatsApp Chat Widget for Customer Support Support agents often face challenges in providing personalized solutions on live chat due to the anonymity of contacts. Additionally, live chat doesn’t allow agents to follow up on complex inquiries after the contact has left the website. Conversely, a WhatsApp widget lets you identify returning customers and tailor solutions to their needs. You can also resume conversations with them when solutions are ready. Using respond.io’s [shared inbox](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-team-inbox), the support team can track customer interactions back to the sales stage for additional context. Having explored its benefits, it’s time to learn how to maximize its potential with respond.io’s chat automation. ### How to Automate WhatsApp Business Widget with Respond.io: 3 Quick Wins Here, we’ll discuss using respond.io’s chat automation to maximize the WhatsApp widget’s potential. #### Automate Responses to FAQs with Chat Automation Automating responses to frequently asked questions reduces the agents’ workloads, freeing them to attend to more pressing issues. One way to accomplish this is by creating a WhatsApp [multiple-choice menu](https://help.respond.io/workflows/workflow-steps#step_ask_a_question) to answer common inquiries immediately and avoid making customers wait for responses. #### Tailor Conversation Handling According to Your Business Hours Unavailable to attend to customers’ replies? Set an [Away Message](https://respond.io/blog/away-message-for-business) to manage customers’ expectations. When a contact initiates a conversation outside of business hours, they will receive an Away Message. If you have agents on shifts for extended hours or 24/7, you can automatically [route conversations by shift](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/route-customers#route_based_on_business_hours_and_shifts) and assign them to agents on duty according to the preferred [auto-assignment logic](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio). #### Integrate Your Existing CRMs and Business Software Integrating your sales [WhatsApp CRM](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-crm) and business software like [Hubspot](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/hubspot), [Salesforce](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/salesforce), [Pipedrive](https://help.respond.io/e-commerce-crm-integrations/pipedrive) and more allows agents to [create deals](https://help.respond.io/sales-use-case/using-respond-io-to-create-deals-in-a-crm), [tickets](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/create-tickets) and update customer data while communicating with customers. This eliminates [the need to switch between platforms](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0), making everyday tasks more efficient. We hope this article provides everything you need to know about a WhatsApp widget and how to maximize its potential for your business. Are you ready to get started with respond.io? [Sign up for a free trial](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business) and [get your WhatsApp API account](https://app.respond.io/settings/channels/connectChannel/whatsapp_business). ### Further Reading If you're interested in using WhatsApp to elevate your business, check out these blog posts: - WhatsApp Auto Reply in 4 Easy Steps: Full Guide (+18 Samples) - How to Schedule WhatsApp Messages: Easy Step-by-Step Guide - How to Get WhatsApp API: WhatsApp API Integration - WhatsApp Green Tick: A Guide to Verifying Your WhatsApp Business ## [WhatsApp Yellow Pages: How to Use the New WhatsApp Business Directory](https:/respond.io/blog/whatsapp-yellow-pages) Did you know WhatsApp is testing its own in-app WhatsApp Yellow Pages? We tell you everything about the new WhatsApp Business Directory in this article. Plenty of small businesses use WhatsApp to market and sell. So much so that WhatsApp is already testing its own WhatsApp Yellow Pages to help users find nearby businesses. In this article, we’ll introduce you to this new feature called WhatsApp business directory. We’ll also show you how to register your business and how customers use it to find your business on WhatsApp. ### WhatsApp Reinvents Yellow Pages: What is the WhatsApp Business Directory? Business directory is a WhatsApp feature that emulates the Yellow Pages, allowing users to search registered WhatsApp businesses near them directly from the app. Companies with [WhatsApp Business App](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-app) accounts can register on the directory from the app itself. This way, WhatsApp users within certain proximity are able to find their profiles, view their business information, and interact with them. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to this feature yet. The WhatsApp business directory is only available for verified businesses in Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia and the UK. Users can search for verified businesses by name or category. Once they find a relevant or suitable business, they can start chatting with them directly. In Mexico, Indonesia, and Colombia, the WhatsApp Business Search features a *Popular* section on the homepage. It showcases the top 25 businesses engaged with the most overall user messages in the last 7 days via the app. As a result, they enjoy enhanced visibility to potential customers. This feature comes with interesting benefits for businesses, which we'll explain in the next section. ### WhatsApp Yellow Pages: Why Use the WhatsApp Business Directory Here are some reasons why the WhatsApp business directory looks like a promising new addition for companies that use WhatsApp: - It’s free. Small businesses don’t always have the budget for advertising campaigns. The WhatsApp business directory is an easy way of promoting a business without spending money on ads. - It allows small businesses to compete. Small and large businesses have equal opportunities to attract customers' attention as currently there are no paid features large businesses can take advantage of. - Captures local customers, as these are essential for small businesses. In areas where WhatsApp is a popular messaging app, this feature has the potential to connect customers to businesses that would otherwise remain unnoticed. Now you might be wondering how to register your business on the WhatsApp business directory. We walk you through the requirements and the step-by-step process in the next section. ### WhatsApp Yellow Pages: How to Register on WhatsApp Business Directory To register on the WhatsApp business directory, you’ll need the following things: - A business incorporated in Brazil’s National Registry of Legal Entities - A WhatsApp Business account with a phone number starting with +55 11 (São Paulo prefix) - A phone device with Android OS If you meet the prerequisites, open WhatsApp Business App and follow these steps: **1\. Tap** on the triple dots and select *Business Tools.* **2\. Select** *Business Directory* at the bottom. **3\. Tap** *Get Started,* read the steps and tap *Next.* **4\. Edit** your business profile and tap *Next*. Remember to set the privacy setting to *Everyone* for your Profile Picture. WhatsApp has made all of the profile fields compulsory, and the information submitted will be visible to all WhatsApp users. **5\. Enter** a valid CNPJ (Brazilian Tax ID) and submit your application. After submitting your business info, you’ll receive a WhatsApp notification indicating that your application for the WhatsApp Yellow Pages is being reviewed. Once the assessment is complete, you’ll receive a notification informing you if the application has been successful, if more information is required, or if it has been rejected. If your application is successful, your business will be immediately indexed and made visible to customers. Businesses that violate [WhatsApp Business’ Terms of Service](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-terms) or the [WhatsApp Commerce Policy](https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/commerce-policy/?lang=en) will get their submissions rejected. WhatsApp reserves the right to [take action against these Business accounts](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business#toc-mobile-4) but users will have the option to file a dispute. But, what about the users? How can they find your business on WhatsApp? Next, we’ll share the process of searching for businesses nearby with the WhatsApp business directory. ### WhatsApp Yellow Pages: How Users Find a Business in the WhatsApp Business Directory On the user’s end, they can search for businesses nearby directly with the WhatsApp app. From the Chats menu, these are the steps they need to follow to find businesses in the directory. **1\. Tap** on the text chat button on the bottom right of the screen. **2.** **Select** *Businesses nearby.* ***3.*** **Decide** between the following options: - Share your current location. To protect the privacy of its users, WhatsApp claims that neither WhatsApp nor businesses in the directory will be able to know their locations. - Select a neighborhood. Picking a neighborhood from a list is the best choice for users who don’t want to share their location, as well as for users who aren’t looking for a business in their vicinity. **4.** **Choose** a business category. **5.** **Select** a business from the list. Businesses listed in the directory will display the following information: Profile image, availability (open/closed) based on business hours, estimated distance from the user’s location, business subcategory and address. To filter search results, users just have to scroll down to the *Refine Results* section located at the bottom of the Nearby Businesses list. There, they can choose a business subcategory and then tap on the X button to stop using it as a filter. We’ve covered most aspects of the WhatsApp business directory for both business owners and users alike. However, you probably want to know the following information to have the best experience using this WhatsApp feature. ### WhatsApp Yellow Pages: 3 Common Questions Answered In this section, we’ll give the answer to some common questions that may arise when using the WhatsApp business directory. #### How do I unregister my business from the WhatsApp Business Directory? To unregister your business from the WhatsApp business directory, simply open the WhatsApp Business App and navigate to *Business Directory* again. Then, tap *More Options* > *Remove from directory.* #### How do I change or stop using my location as a user? Please note that the users’ location won’t be tracked in real-time. Instead, the location data will be saved on their phones and updated every time the location is manually changed again. To change your location, you’ll need to reset it first. Tap the location on the *Businesses Nearby* screen. Then select *More options* > *Clear location* > *CLEAR*. Now you’ll be able to update your current phone location or select a neighborhood again. To stop sharing your location, open Settings on your phone device. Then, select *Location* > *App access to location* > *WhatsApp* > *Deny*. #### How can users interact with WhatsApp businesses listed in the directory? After selecting a business from the directory, WhatsApp users are able to access more in-detail business information or carry out the following actions. - Start a conversation. The business will receive a notification informing them that you have found them using the WhatsApp Business Nearby feature. - Call the business via WhatsApp Calls - View the business’ products and pricing through WhatsApp Catalog - Send the business profile to contacts in the user’s WhatsApp contact list That’s all you need to know to get started with this exciting WhatsApp feature. But there is still one question left to answer — what is the bigger plan behind the WhatsApp business directory? ### WhatsApp Yellow Pages: What’s Next? From the beginning, WhatsApp made clear that it wouldn’t profit from in-app advertising. For this reason, the company is looking for alternative ways to generate profit from its [massive userbase](https://respond.io/blog/top-messaging-apps#toc-mobile-1). The WhatsApp business directory is one of WhatsApp’s attempts to pivot towards e-shopping, as it was designed to work in conjunction with [WhatsApp Pay](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-pay-everything-about-whatsapp-payment), [WhatsApp Catalog](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog) and [WhatsApp Shopping Cart](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-catalog-whatsapp-shopping-catalog#toc-mobile-12) for a holistic in-app shopping experience. Messaging apps such as [WeChat](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account) or [Line](https://respond.io/blog/line-official-account) are already being used as payment methods, especially in Asian countries. Only time will tell if WhatsApp will be able to consolidate itself as a popular shopping and payment platform. ### Further Reading Want to know more about other WhatsApp features? Here are some readings that might interest you. - WhatsApp Interactive Message: A How-To Guide - How to Create WhatsApp Links: Free WhatsApp Link Generator - What Is a WhatsApp Group? ## [Why Use an Omnichannel Support Platform ](https:/respond.io/blog/omnichannel-support) What is omnichannel support? Read this article to find out, as we guide you through effective omnichannel customer support strategies for your business. In today's world, customers expect seamless experiences when interacting with businesses, regardless of the channel they use to communicate. This is where omnichannel support comes in. By offering omnichannel customer support, businesses can meet customer expectations and improve customer satisfaction. In this article, we'll explore its benefits and the reasons why you should use respond.io as an omnichannel support platform. ### Intro to Omnichannel Customer Support Traditional support teams often focus primarily on a single channel like phone, email or website chat support. However, this can be limiting for larger companies with many customers and agents to manage. A multichannel approach expands the reach of customer support. #### What is Multichannel Support? Multichannel support enables customers to contact a business through multiple channels such as email, phone, website chat or any instant messaging channel like [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api) or [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat). One of the main problems with using multichannel support is the potential for inconsistent information. Since each channel may have a separate team or process, customers may receive different answers or solutions from different representatives or channels. This is frustrating and confusing, leading to lower satisfaction and loyalty. Another issue with multichannel support is slow response times. If different channels or teams are not coordinated, it may take longer to resolve cases. Slow response times can lead to frustration and dissatisfaction, and may even result in lost business. Multichannel support lacks personalized attention. If customer data is not shared across channels, it may be more difficult to provide a personalized experience and anticipate customer needs. This often pushes agents to go for a one-size-fits-all approach. Agents who provide multichannel support don’t have easy access to the customer’s background. Therefore, it’s likely that they will miss the inquiry’s context, and will probably have to repeat the same questions every single time. Companies looking for a better alternative to this imperfect support system should instead adopt an omnichannel support approach. #### What is Omnichannel Support? Omnichannel support is a customer-centric strategy that involves providing customer support across many different channels and touchpoints seamlessly. Omnichannel support is fully integrated, as it enables customers to interact with a business through multiple channels while maintaining a consistent and personalized experience. In an omnichannel approach, customer interaction across all channels is recorded and tracked. This means that each customer's history and preferences can be used to inform future interactions. Next, we will discuss the benefits of omnichannel support. ### Omnichannel Support Benefits Omnichannel support can help businesses provide a more efficient, effective, and personalized support experience. Let’s dive deeper into everything this support approach has to offer. - Consistent customer experience: This leads to higher satisfaction, as customers feel recognized and valued across all channels, regardless of which channel they used to contact the business. - Faster issue resolution: by having a complete view of the customer's history and preferences, representatives can anticipate needs and provide relevant solutions more quickly no matter which channel the customer reaches out on. - Improved customer insights: by tracking customer interactions across channels, businesses can identify patterns and trends to inform decision-making. - Greater efficiency: omnichannel support helps businesses optimize resources and processes, as customer interactions are tracked and managed through a centralized system. This can lead to cost savings and improved productivity. **Omnichannel Support vs Multichannel Support** | | Omnichannel Support | Multichannel Support | | --- | --- | --- | | Objective | To deliver consistent customer experience across channels (Customer-centric) | To have a presence wherever customers are (Channel-centric) | | Strategy | Focuses on customer experience | Focuses on channel engagement | | Characteristics | • Involves multiple channels that customers use • Customer touchpoints and data are centralized | • Involves multiple channels that customers use • Touchpoints and data are disconnected from each other | Overall, while multichannel support provides customers with multiple ways to contact a business, omnichannel support offers a seamless, experience that can lead to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty. By leveraging customer data across channels, businesses can provide faster issue resolution and gain valuable insights to inform decision-making and improve the overall customer experience. But don’t take our word for it. Let’s see a real-life example. ### How Kleta Achieved 100% Growth with Efficient Omnichannel Support [Kleta](https://respond.io/customers/how-kleta-achieved-100-growth-with-high-quality-customer-service), a bicycle subscription service in Spain, achieved efficient and effective omnichannel support by using the respond.io platform. Respond.io helped Kleta centralize its four support channels on one platform, automate everyday processes such as [chat routing](https://respond.io/blog/chat-routing-contact-routing-workflows-module-respondio), [agent assignment](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) and [support escalation](https://respond.io/blog/escalation-management) and [integrating messaging channels](https://help.respond.io/workspace-settings/integrations) with a customer database. With the right mix of automation and human support, Kleta resolved most issues within 48 hours and received consistently high ratings in [customer satisfaction surveys.](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score) As a result, Kleta doubled its subscribers in two months and aims to triple them within a year. Just like Kleta, any medium to large-size business can use respond.io for omnichannel support. In the next section, we will explore some of the respond.io features to keep in mind. ### Revolutionize Your Omnichannel Customer Support with Respond.io Solutions Respond.io is an ideal platform for omnichannel customer support because it offers a range of features that make it easy to manage customer inquiries from multiple channels in one place. #### Use an Omnichannel Inbox Respond.io's [omnichannel inbox](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-communication#toc-mobile-6) is a powerful tool that centralizes all customer communication channels, such as email, WhatsApp and Instagram in a single platform, eliminating the need to switch between different channels. Businesses can even connect [custom channels](https://help.respond.io/channels/custom-channel) and integrate their existing CRMs with respond.io. This allows them to exchange information between any messaging channels and their CRMs or custom channels, as well as [update customer data in their CRM and on respond.io](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/enrich-customer-data) simultaneously. In addition, they can [create support tickets](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/create-tickets) while chatting with customers without leaving the respond.io platform. It’s easy to record any event on both platforms, creating a consistent customer story. Contact duplication is sometimes unavoidable and poses a threat to consistent customer stories. This is how you can fix it with respond.io. #### Recognize Returning Contacts on Any Channel [Respond.io's Contact Merge](https://respond.io/blog/merge-contacts) feature is a useful tool for omnichannel support that allows support agents to consolidate customer information across multiple channels into a single unified profile. For example, if a customer contacts a company via email and then later via WhatsApp, you’ll be informed that these two separate interactions are from the same customer and have the option to consolidate the customer's information into a single profile. This helps support agents provide more personalized and efficient customer service because they have a complete view of the customer's interactions and history with the company. It also ensures that the customer does not have to repeat information or context when they contact the company through different channels. Next, you should probably set up a respond.io omnichannel chat widget as part of your omnichannel support strategy. #### Set Up an Omnichannel Chat Widget An omnichannel chat widget allows website visitors to communicate with businesses via a range of messaging channels, keeping the conversation history in one place. In addition to that, it helps businesses to generate more website leads, build positive relationships with customers, and provide them with a consistent customer experience across every touchpoint. Respond.io’s [omnichannel chat widget](https://respond.io/blog/omnichannel-widget) supports plenty of popular support messaging channels such as [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-api), [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) and [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-business-chat). This omnichannel widget is customizable, meaning that it can be designed to match a business's branding and style. This helps create a consistent user experience for customers and promotes brand recognition. #### Automate Support Processes Messaging app users, like those on [Telegram](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business) or [Viber](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business), expect fast responses from businesses. Respond.io helps manage expectations by sending [automated welcome and away messages](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-auto-reply). To provide quality support, agents need context. [Pre-chat surveys](https://respond.io/blog/pre-chat-survey) can collect information and help customers communicate clearly. Respond.io enables 24/7 omnichannel support with advanced automation, including routing to the right team based on business hours, shifts, languages, and departments. CSAT surveys are critical in measuring customer support success. Respond.io's [Workflows](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/send-csat-and-save-data) enable businesses to create and [send CSAT surveys automatically](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-8) or manually with the [Shortcut button](https://respond.io/blog/march-2022-release-new-shortcuts-feature-and-website-chat-logged-in-user-id#toc-mobile-0) and [save data to Google Sheets](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-9), a [CRM or data warehouse](https://respond.io/blog/csat-customer-satisfaction-score#toc-mobile-10). #### Monitor Agent Performance and Analytics Respond.io provides businesses with [Reports and Analytics](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/reporting-for-support#analyze_support_trends_and_track_team_and_agent_performance_in_the_reports_module) to monitor agent workload and productivity, track conversation progress and resolution time. The [supervisor dashboard](https://help.respond.io/support-use-case/supervising-your-agents) enables managers to identify unresolved conversations and monitor agents in real time. This allows managers to evaluate their teams' effectiveness, pinpoint areas for improvement, and work towards enhancing their performance. To wrap it up, let’s summarize the main points on omnichannel support that we have discussed. ### Omnichannel Support: Is it for You? While multichannel support provides customers with multiple ways to contact a business, it may result in inconsistent information, slow response times, and lack of personalization. In contrast, omnichannel support helps businesses provide a more efficient, effective, and personalized support experience, which ultimately leads to greater customer loyalty and retention. Omnichannel support may not always be required for micro and small businesses. However, larger companies looking to scale their support, or companies that juggle multiple accounts or messaging channels should embrace this approach. Respond.io is an ideal platform for omnichannel customer support, as it offers a range of features that make it easy to manage customer inquiries from multiple channels in one place. By leveraging the right mix of automation and human support, businesses can achieve efficient and effective customer support, as demonstrated by Kleta, one of respond.io’s clients. To get off on the right foot with omnichannel support, [sign up for a respond.io account today](https://app.respond.io/user/register). ### Further Reading If you’ve found this article interesting, here are some additional readings you may like: - WhatsApp Customer Service Platform: How to Use WhatsApp for Support - WeChat Customer Service: A WeChat Support Guide - Viber Support: Using Viber As a Customer Support Channel ## [Zoko Review (2025): Zoko Features, Pricing & Best Alternatives](https:/respond.io/blog/zoko-review) Zoko is a Shopify-centric WhatsApp CRM commerce that offers a shared inbox, flows & bots. It’s strong for SMBs, but scaling growth teams should compare with respond.io. Zoko positions itself as a WhatsApp platform purpose-built for Shopify stores that lets businesses turn chat into sales. It’s ideal for small to medium Shopify businesses wanting to drive sales via WhatsApp, but growth-stage B2C companies must carefully validate costs and enterprise readiness. This is because Zoko’s pricing scales with message volume and its infrastructure lacks public SLAs and advanced automation support. In this review, we’ll take a closer look at what Zoko offers: its features, pricing, strengths and weaknesses, and help you decide if it’s the right fit for your business. We’ll also compare it with an alternative product, such as respond.io, for growing businesses. ### What is Zoko? Zoko is a commerce-first WhatsApp CRM built around Shopify integration. It enables businesses to sync product catalog directly to WhatsApp, send order notification updates, recover abandoned carts and run broadcast campaigns. Zoko also provides a multi-agent shared WhatsApp inbox and markets basic ChatGPT-powered AI bot capabilities. Zoko’s positioning is clear: “WhatsApp built for Shopify stores”, which turns chat into a revenue channel rather than merely support. You can launch WhatsApp commerce quickly with Zoko, but if your future involves multiple channels or heavy workflow branching, you’ll need to evaluate accordingly. ### Zoko review, at a glance | Category | Details | | --- | --- | | Verdict | 7 / 10 | | Best for | Shopify-led small to medium businesses, early B2C businesses | | Zoko pricing | Affordable, with tiered plans available (Ranging from USD39.99 to USD404.99) | | Core Strength | Fast setup, deep Shopify alignment that supports WhatsApp features and AI bots | | Primary Weaknesses | Cost and scale concerns may emerge for Zoko. It also lacks published SLAs, limited omnichannel scope and enterprise-grade reliability | | Best Zoko alternative: Respond.io | More suited for medium to large B2C businesses requiring scale, reliability and true omnichannel reach | ### Ratings & user feedback - G2: 4.5 / 5 (5 reviews) - Shopify App Store: 4.8 / 5 (259 reviews) #### Overall positive themes - Users praise Zoko for its automation, seamless Shopify integration, chatbots and broadcasting. Many see a lot of improvement in their efficiency and sales, highlighting features such as cart recovery workflows via WhatsApp. - Their support team is also responsive and supportive. #### Overall negative themes - Critiques often mention onboarding friction, pricing escalations and the need to understand WhatsApp API complexities behind the scenes. #### Who is Zoko best for? Zoko is best suited for: - Shopify-native small to medium businesses selling online and using WhatsApp as a primary commerce and communication channel. - Businesses with moderate volume, focused on conversion via chat and cart recovery. - Businesses that want a WhatsApp-centric CRM without heavy multi-channel ambition. If your business expands to include channels beyond WhatsApp or heavy concurrency, Zoko may feel restrictive in the future. ### Zoko plans 2025 Zoko’s cost is structured as: 1. Base subscription or tiered plan fee 2. Zoko WhatsApp pricing: WhatsApp messaging (API) charges by Meta 3. Feature, fair-use and overcharge fees on Zoko platform | Zoko plans | Zoko pricing (monthly) | Fair use limit | Additional fee per conversation | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Starter | $39.99 | N/A | N/A | | Plus | $64.99 | 5k conversations per month | *$0.00199 per conversation | | Elite | $114.99 | 100k conversations per month | *$0.00099 per conversation | | Max | $404.99 | 5m conversations per month | *$0.00049 per conversation | The main differences between each Zoko pricing plan lie in their fair usage limits and the number of agents included. Each plan has a “fair use” number of agents. Extra agents are an extra cost per agent. - Plus: 5 agents; $15 per extra agent (monthly) - Elite: 10 agents; $12 per extra agent (monthly) - Max: 30 agents; contact Zoko for more agents Other notable details: - Zoko Flows: Prebuilt e-commerce flows are typically free, but custom flows may incur “per flow” charges at $5.99 per flow, per month. - Instagram is an additional add-on, priced $9.99/month. The entry cost is competitive, but as you scale, expenses may add up as your conversation volume increases or you require more advanced features. If you value clear, predictable pricing as you grow, you may want to consider respond.io. ### Zoko pros and cons #### Pros - Deep Shopify integration Zoko automatically syncs product catalog, order details, cart recovery and supports in-chat sales. - Multi-agent shared inbox Multiple agents can use the same WhatsApp number to use the shared inbox with team handovers, private notes and assignments. - Pre-built flows & automation tools for commerce Use abandoned cart recovery, order updates, broadcast campaigns and sequence flows built for Shopify use cases. - Bot or AI integration There’s also the option to use ChatGPT-powered bots or automated responses on top of conversation flows. Remember to add credits to your ChatGPT account for Zoko AI to work. #### Cons - Complex pricing Many users report that once scaling, flow steps, agent or fair-use charges can accumulate heavily. - Channel and integration scope limitation Zoko is heavily WhatsApp- and Shopify-centric, with some Meta surfaces, but other channels (email, TikTok, Telegram, WeChat, etc.) are not available. - SLAs & reliability transparency limited Zoko does not publish enterprise-grade uptime guarantees or service-level commitments. - Scalability complexity. As volume or flow complexity rises, performance, API latency or rate limits may become constraints. #### Notable capabilities - Flows & automation (Zoko Flow builder) You can build multi-step workflows (e.g., abandoned cart, order notifications, upsell prompts). Most are prebuilt and free, while you can also customize your own. - Broadcasts & segment campaigns Zoko supports segment-based campaigns and broadcasts to WhatsApp contacts. - Shared inbox & team collaboration Chat assignment, agent handover and private internal notes under the same WhatsApp number. - Bot integration (ChatGPT) Integrate AI conversational bots to handle queries and respond when agents are unavailable or for FAQs. Zoko is excellent for businesses centred on WhatsApp commerce within the Shopify ecosystem. However, if you anticipate high volume, complex routing or multi-channel growth, Zoko may impose hidden constraints. You’ll be safer looking at platforms like respond.io. ### How to use Zoko 1. Sign up and connect your WhatsApp Business API number via Zoko’s onboarding. 2. Connect your Shopify store to sync catalog, orders and customer data. 3. Enable the shared inbox, assign agents and define routing rules. 4. Create flows and broadcast campaigns. 5. Optional: Activate chatbots, custom flows or message templates. Setup is relatively intuitive for Shopify merchants, but advanced flow logic may require support or input from a developer. #### Zoko's scalability & limitations - Conversation volume: As message volume scales, exceeding fair-use caps can lead to extra fees. - Flow complexity: Deep branching or high-step flows may hit performance or step-cost limits. - Operational risks: Without published enterprise SLAs, downtime or performance issues could impact high-stakes projects. The risks could be higher. - Additional expenses: Hidden fees (flows, overages, agents) could decrease margins. In short, Zoko is great for small to medium-sized business Shopify stores and may support scaling up to a point. But mid-market and high-scale B2C brands should validate growth limits early on with a platform with proven enterprise reliability. #### Quick-start features Zoko provides several quick-start features: - Prebuilt flows: Recover abandoned carts, order notifications and more. - Pre-approved WhatsApp templates for broadcasting promotions, reactivation and more. - Quick replies: Create pre-composed messages for faster responses to customers. These provide a fast launch pad, though heavy personalization or custom branching may need additional customized work. ### Verdict Zoko is a solid choice for Shopify-centric businesses looking for a simple, ready-to-use WhatsApp commerce platform. Its Shopify alignment, catalog sync and shared inbox make it ideal for small to medium businesses focused on cart recovery, order confirmations and conversational selling. However, scaling B2C companies should take note of its pricing complexity, limited channel coverage and lack of enterprise-grade reliability. In short: Start with Zoko if you’re a small business. But if you’re scaling or plan to manage conversations across multiple channels with deeper automation and enterprise reliability, plan your upgrade path toward respond.io. ### Best Zoko alternatives If you're evaluating beyond Zoko, these are the best Zoko alternatives: **1)** [**Respond.io**](http://respond.io): Ideal for fast-growing businesses ready to scale. [Respond.io](http://respond.io) is an omnichannel platform with robust workflows and mature enterprise-ready AI. - Connect to a broad coverage of channels, comprising WhatsApp, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, VOIP and more. - Automate intelligently: Use advanced AI Agents that understand context, draw from your business knowledge and deliver natural replies across every channel. - Manage customer pipeline: Monitor and engage Contacts at every stage of the customer journey with the Lifecycle view built into the shared unified inbox. - Gain actionable insights: Use the Reports module to analyze trends, track agent productivity and understand customer journeys. These insights can then help teams make data-driven decisions and improve overall performance. **2) Interakt**: A low-cost WhatsApp and Instagram-focused CRM. It has basic AI and affordability, but is less robust at scale. **3) Sleekflow**: It’s also a regional omnichannel option, but lacks enterprise readiness. When comparing, always ask: Does the alternative match the needs of your company? If they don’t, that’s where respond.io wins in terms of scalability and reliability. ### Zoko vs respond.io (2025 comparison table) | Category | Zoko | Respond.io | Takeaway | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Core fit | Shopify small-medium businesses focused on WhatsApp CRM | Enterprise & growth B2C brands needing omnichannel reach. B2Cs and enterprises that need a scalable customer conversations platform to manage high chat and call volumes with AI, deep automation, reporting, analytics and integrations. | Zoko is niche; respond.io covers a broader market. Both cater to different audiences | | Channel Support | WhatsApp and Meta surfaces (Instagram, Facebook Messenger) | Omnichannel (WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, SMS, email, VoIP, TikTok and much more) | Respond.io future-proofs channel needs | | Automation & AI | Prebuilt flows with customizable options and basic ChatGPT bots | Advanced workflows and mature AI Agent | Respond.io is better for more complex operations | | Reliability | Small to medium business grade, but  no public enterprise SLA | 99.999% uptime, enterprise infrastructure | Respond.io is safer at scale and lower risk | | Support | Only general support via email | 24/5 live support and 24/7 AI weekends. Onboarding is an add-on, along with scheduled customer calls | Respond.io offers more reliable and partnership-driven support. | | Pricing | Attractive entry and good for e-commerce growth, but rising costs with overages | Predictable model based on usage tiers and MACs (Monthly Active Contacts) | Respond.io is easier for long-term planning | ### Zoko review takeaways Zoko serves as an excellent entry point for WhatsApp-driven Shopify commerce, offering simplicity and quick wins for smaller teams. But as your customer base expands and expectations rise, you’ll need a platform that can grow with you.  That’s where respond.io comes in, with its omnichannel reach, mature AI Agents and enterprise-grade infrastructure, it provides the flexibility and reliability needed for growth-focused B2C companies. So, if your long-term growth strategy includes managing multiple channels, building advanced automation and ensuring predictable ROI at scale, respond.io is the natural next step. Try Zoko as a WhatsApp + Shopify commerce starter if you’re a small business, but use [respond.io](http://respond.io) to future-proof your customer engagement for growing beyond WhatsApp. ### Further reading If you’ve found this article helpful, here are some more for you to check out: - Sleekflow vs Respond.io: 6 Key Features Compared - Which is Better? - Respond.io Alternative: 4 Respond.io Alternatives to Consider - Wati vs Respond.io: 6 Features Growing Businesses Need # Help ## [Accessing Help Center](https:/respond.io/help/help-menu/accessing-knowledge-base) Learn about how you can access the Help Center, search for items, view categories, and find required topics using the Search feature. ### Getting Here To access our documentation material, select the **Help** icon on the side navigation menu and select **Documentation** from the menu. > The documentation material can also be accessed from the Resource Center. The Help Center opens in your default browser. On the main page of the Help Center, you can: - Search for a particular topic by providing keywords. - Select a category from the ones listed and view related topics. ### Searching for a Topic You can provide keywords to search for a particular topic. For example, if you are looking for more information on the Inbox Module, enter “Inbox module” and press *Enter*. A list of related topics is displayed for you to choose from. The search feature works like this: - When you enter a word, the auto-complete feature suggests topics in a menu below the search bar. You can select the desired topic if it appears. - The search includes alpha-numeric characters. - The search does not include special characters, e.g. #, *, etc. - The search is not case-sensitive. ### Browsing the Help Center To view a complete list of topics related to a particular category, select the category from the main page and select a topic from the list of topics that display. ## [Accessing Video Guides](https:/respond.io/help/help-menu/accessing-the-business-academy) Learn how to access our Video Guides. ### Getting Here To explore our video guides and learn more about business messaging, [click here](https://respond.io/video-tutorials). You can also access them directly from the platform by navigating to the **Resource Center** \> **Video Guides**. ### Taking Courses Our Video Guides are designed to help you **retain customers, boost brand loyalty, and grow your revenue**. Simply select a course that interests you, follow it at your own pace, and earn a certification upon completion to recognize your achievement. ## [Account info (previously General)](https:/respond.io/help/organization-settings/general) Learn how to manage and edit Organization information. ### Getting Here > This setting is accessible by **Organization Admins**, **Billing Admins** and **User Admins** only! This setting can be accessed from the Settings navigation menu under the Organization Settings sub-menu item, Account info. ### Editing Organization Information > The Organization's information can only be edited by the Organization Admin. Billing Admins and User Admins can only view an Organization's information. **Step 1: Navigate to Organization Settings** Go to Settings from the side navigation menu. **Step 2: Make necessary changes** You can make changes to the following information: - Organization Name - Organization Phone Number - Website > Bear in mind that this information is used for internal reference only. ### **Granting View-Only Access to Our Team for Support** If you need help on our platform, you can turn on the toggle **Grant respond.io team to access account for support.** This gives our team view-only access to your account to provide technical assistance. They cannot modify, edit, or alter your data and you can revoke this access at any time. ## [Activities](https:/respond.io/help/contacts/activities) Learn more information on how to manage interactions with your Contacts. ### Getting Here In the vertical sidebar, click on the **Activities** tab. #### Comments Comments function as internal notes for you and your team. You may add a note regarding an issue for more context when reassigning a conversation to another member of your team. Comments are associated with the Contact and visible across the Workspace. Anyone who views the Contact details will be able to view the Comments too. As a mentioned User, you can hit Reply on the comment to reply to the User who tagged you. This feature adds the User's name to the comment for ease of use. #### Conversation Events Conversation events that are triggered for this Contact will be listed in Contact activity. Conversation events are sorted from newest to oldest. > Learn more about [Conversation events here](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview#conversation_events). ### Date Filter Filter Contact activities by date. There are several options to choose from: - All Time - Today - Yesterday - Last 7 Days - Last Month After selecting your desired date filter, click Done to apply it. #### Viewing Source Advertisement When a customer clicks an advertisement to chat (Click-to-Chat Ad), the contact conversation window includes: - Contact Event: A notification that the chat has been opened by the customer along with information about the platform the customer used, e.g., Facebook. Clicking a link takes you to the advertisement to help you gain perspective. - Ad Summary Card: Following the contact event notification, a contact card is also displayed. You can expand the card and either open the link to the advertisement or view a description of the advertisement (to avoid opening the link to view the advertisement). ## [Admin Settings (previously Users)](https:/respond.io/help/organization-settings/organization-users) Learn how to add Users and manage their access within the Organization. ### Getting Here > This setting is accessible by **Organization Admins**, **Billing Admins** and **User Admins** only! This setting can be accessed from the Organization Settings navigation menu under the menu item, Admin settings. From this setting, you can: - Add an Organization User - Edit an Organization User - Delete an Organization User ### Organization Access In an Organization, there are different roles that will allow for different restrictions and accessibility across organization settings. The table below summarises the available roles and their respective accessibilities. | Organization Role | Description | General Settings | Users Settings | Spaces Settings | Billing Settings | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Admin | Organization Admins have access to all spaces and they can manage organization settings, Users and billing. | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Billing Admin | Billing Admins are allowed to manage organization billing. | ✅* | ✅* | ✅* | ✅ | | User Admin | User Admins are allowed to manage Organization Users and Workspaces. | ✅* | ✅* | ✅ | - | | Member | Organization members are allowed to access Workspaces within an Organization when given permission to do so. | - | - | - | - | \* Limited Access #### Organization Admin An Organization Admin has the most comprehensive access to the Organization as he/she can manage everything within an Organization. As an Organization Admin, here's what you can or can't do: ✅ Access to all organization settings ✅ Manage the Organization's information ✅ Manage the Organization's billing information ✅ Manage all Organization Users ✅ Manage all Workspaces ✅ Manage the Organization's subscriptions ✅ Cancel Subscription ✅ Delete the Organization > Every organization requires at least one Organization Admin. However, we highly recommend having more than one Organization Admin to ensure smooth operation and avoid any potential delays if a single admin forgets their credentials or leaves the company. For enhanced security, explore the settings available on our platform [here](https://respond.io/help/organization-settings/organization-settings-security). #### Billing Admin The Billing Admin can manage the billing information, make changes to the subscription, edit payment details and view invoices. As a Billing Admin, here's what you can or can't do: ✅ Access to all organization settings ✅ View the Organization's information ✅ Manage the Organization's billing information ✅ View all Organization Users ✅ View all Workspaces ✅ Manage the Organization's subscription ❌ Cancel Subscription ❌ Delete the Organization #### User Admin User Admin can manage the Users and Workspaces within an Organization. As a User Admin, here's what you can or can't do: ❌ Access to all organization settings ✅ View the Organization's information ✅ View the Organization's billing information ✅ Manage all Organization Users with the following limitations: - Add Member role Users - Delete Member role Users - Edit assigned Workspaces of all Users ✅ Manage all Workspaces ❌ Manage the Organization's subscription ❌ Cancel Subscription ❌ Delete the Organization #### Member An organization member has no access to organization settings. Their access is only limited to the Workspaces they are granted access to. ### Users Overview Here, you will be able to see the list of existing Users in the Organization. If they have not accepted your invitation, their last active time will be shown as 'Pending' instead. #### User Profile The user profile consists of the User's profile avatar, display name, organization user role and email address. #### Last sign-in The time beside the Action button shows the User's last sign-in time on the platform. This is useful for monitoring purposes. #### Actions Actions that can be carried out here include: - Delete - Edit > **Tip**: Use the Search function at the top to quickly find the user that you are looking for. ### Managing Organization Users > The following features are only available to **Organization Admins** and **User Admins**! #### Adding an Organization User **Step 1: Navigate to Users Settings** Go to Organization Settings > Admin Settings. **Step 2: Press ADD USER** At the top bar, press the blue ADD USER button and the Add User dialog should open up. **Step 3: Fill in the email address** Enter the email address of the User that you wish to invite into the Email Address field. **Step 4: Select Organization Access** Select appropriate Organization access for this new User. > Learn more on [Organization Access](https://respond.io/help/organization-settings/organization-users#organization_access). > User **Admins** can only add Users with Member access to prevent misuse or unauthorized actions. **Step 5: Submit the details** Once you have filled out the fields, click the blue NEXT button on the bottom right. An email invitation will be sent to the User's email address that you entered. The new User will have to click on a link embedded in the email invitation to gain access to the Workspace. **Step 6: Assign this User to Workspace(s)** After the User is created, you can assign this User to the Workspaces within the Organization. Add the relevant Workspaces and press ASSIGN WORKSPACE when you are ready. You can skip this step if you wish to do it later by pressing SKIP. > You can only assign a User to 10 Workspaces at this point. If you wish to assign them to more Workspaces, please add the User from the respective Workspaces. #### Editing an Organization User **Step 1: Access Admin settings** Go to **Organization Settings > Admin Settings.** **Step 2: Search for User** Search for the User’s name and select **Edit**. **Step 3: Update and save details** Make the necessary changes and select **Save**. > **Note**: 1. Billing Admins can only view Users and cannot make changes. 2. User Admins cannot promote or demote members to prevent unauthorized actions. #### Deleting an Organization User Users cannot delete themselves; another authorized User must perform this action. **Step 1: Access Admin Settings** Go to **Organization Settings > Admin Settings** **Step 2: Search for User** Search for the User’s name and select **Delete**. User Admins can only delete Users with Member access to prevent misuse. **Step 3: Confirm deletion** Review the details and select **Delete** to continue. > What happens after deletion: - The User loses access to all Workspaces.- All their assigned Contacts in Workspaces will be unassigned. ## [AI Assist](https:/respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-assist) Learn how to set up and configure AI Assist. AI Assist lets you generate instant, context-aware replies to incoming customer messages by leveraging your own knowledge sources (PDFs, URLs, Snippets). It can also optionally base responses on general knowledge when no related content exists in your knowledge sources. #### Accessing AI Assist Go to **Workspace Settings > AI Assist**. > AI Assist used to previously be under “Respond AI” in Workspace Settings. To set up your AI Assist, you’ll have to add at least one knowledge source. #### Adding knowledge sources Knowledge sources are the primary data used by AI Assist to deliver accurate, helpful responses—and the system now reads data tables more accurately and supports multilingual content. To add knowledge sources: 1. Click Manage Knowledge Sources > Add AI Knowledge Sources 2. Upload PDFs, provide public URLs, or add Snippets that reflect your company’s documentation, FAQs, product guides, etc. > For best results, keep each knowledge source focused on a single topic (e.g., “Product B Support Guide” instead of a massive, all-in-one file). > Note: Deleted sources will no longer be used for answering queries. > Learn more about using knowledge sources [here](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/managing-ai-knowledge-sources). #### Configuring AI Assist Once you have one or more knowledge sources, you can choose to: 1. Enable “Reply outside the added knowledge source”When enabled, AI Assist will base responses on general knowledge if it can’t find an answer in your uploaded sources.If you turn it off, AI Assist will only reply when it finds something directly in your knowledge sources. 2. When enabled, AI Assist will base responses on general knowledge if it can’t find an answer in your uploaded sources. 3. If you turn it off, AI Assist will only reply when it finds something directly in your knowledge sources. 4. Enable “Snippets”When enabled, AI Assist treats your saved Snippets as mini–knowledge sources, so it can pull from those short text blocks when crafting replies.If you turn it off, AI Assist will ignore your Snippets and only use full knowledge sources. 5. When enabled, AI Assist treats your saved Snippets as mini–knowledge sources, so it can pull from those short text blocks when crafting replies. 6. If you turn it off, AI Assist will ignore your Snippets and only use full knowledge sources. 7. Define the AI Assist Persona (optional):Provide a few sentences describing the persona’s role, tone, and expertise.If you don’t specify anything, a professional, courteous default persona will be used.To revert back to the default persona, click Reset. 8. Provide a few sentences describing the persona’s role, tone, and expertise. 9. If you don’t specify anything, a professional, courteous default persona will be used. 10. To revert back to the default persona, click Reset. #### Testing AI Assist 1. Switch to the Test AI Assist tab. 2. In the Prompt field, type a sample customer question and click Send. 3. Review the generated reply in the Response pane. 4. Click Done when you’re satisfied.If the reply isn’t accurate, add more knowledge sources or refine your existing ones. 5. If the reply isn’t accurate, add more knowledge sources or refine your existing ones. #### **How AI Assist Works** - Understands Context: AI Assist reads the full conversation thread. If a customer asks multiple questions in one message, it groups them into a single answer. - Keeps Sources Focused: If your knowledge sources cover too many topics, AI Assist may take longer to respond. For best results, upload documents or URLs that focus on a single subject. - Handles Text Only: AI Assist works with plain text, email messages, and quick-reply options. It cannot interpret images. - Continues Where It Left Off: If a chat is closed and then reopened, AI Assist ignores past replies and only answers any new questions from that point on. #### **Additional Settings & Best Practices** **Reply Outside knowledge sources** - Enable this option to let AI Assist fall back to a general AI model (e.g., ChatGPT) when no match is found in your knowledge sources or Snippets. - If you leave it disabled, AI Assist will only reply if it finds relevant content in your uploaded sources. **Snippets** - Turn on the Snippets toggle to allow AI Assist to treat your saved Snippets as mini–knowledge sources. - When Snippets are enabled, the bot can pull from these short text blocks in addition to full documents or URLs. **Persona Definition** - Provide a concise description of the tone, role, and expertise you want AI Assist to use (for example: “A friendly support agent who provides step-by-step instructions”). - Use the Reset button at any time to revert to the default persona. **Troubleshooting** - If AI Assist returns irrelevant or confusing answers, it often means your knowledge sources are too broad or incomplete. - Narrow each knowledge source to a specific topic and remove any outdated PDFs or URLs that might mislead the model. ## [AI Credits](https:/respond.io/help/organization-settings/ai-credits) This article explains what AI Credits are, how limits work on respond.io plans, and how to get more if you need them. Features like **AI Agents**, **AI Prompts**, **AI Assist, AI Summary** and others use artificial intelligence models from AI service providers. Although they charge a substantial amount, respond.io plans have a very high AI usage limit. This limit is designed so that 99% of companies will never reach it. This limit is called the **AI Credit** **Limit**. The AI Credit Limit is a fair use limit, meaning everyone who uses the platform as intended will never reach it. AI Credits are simple, the more AI features you use the more AI Credits are consumed. The exact amount of AI Credits used depends on how you use each feature, and as we upgrade and update AI functionality, usage patterns may change. ### How many AI Credits does each plan have? A lot! And AI Credit Limits scale automatically with Monthly Active Contact (MAC) plans. Any self-service plan purchased from the Billing module has the following limits: - Growth Plan: 10× the MAC limit - Advanced Plan: 20× the MAC limit - Enterprise Plan: 40× the MAC limit For example, a Growth Plan with 5,000 MAC includes **50,000 AI Credits**. ### What if I reach my AI Credit Limit? If you do reach your limit, AI features will **pause temporarily** until credits **refresh with your next billing cycle**. ### How do I get more AI Credits? You will get more AI Credits automatically when you upgrade your plan: - Upgrade to the next MAC tier: Adding more MAC increases your AI credit limit.Example: If you upgrade from Growth with 1,000 MAC to Growth with 2,500 MAC, the AI Credit Limit will increase from 10,000 to 25,000. - Example: If you upgrade from Growth with 1,000 MAC to Growth with 2,500 MAC, the AI Credit Limit will increase from 10,000 to 25,000. - Upgrade to a higher Plan: Moving to Advanced or Enterprise raises your AI Credit Limit at the same MAC level.Example: If you upgrade from Growth with 1,000 MAC to Advanced with 1,000 MAC, the AI Credit Limit will increase from 10,000 to 20,000. - Example: If you upgrade from Growth with 1,000 MAC to Advanced with 1,000 MAC, the AI Credit Limit will increase from 10,000 to 20,000. **Trial Accounts** and **Legacy Plans** (Team, Business, and Legacy Enterprise) include enough credits to explore AI features. For extensive use, upgrade to one of our current paid plans. ### The future of AI on respond.io We are still in the early days of what’s possible with AI. We will continue to refine AI features to deliver maximum benefit to customers as quickly as possible. This means AI Credit usage and policies may evolve over time. ## [AI Prompts](https:/respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-prompts) Learn how to set up and configure AI Prompts. AI Prompts let you tweak how your replies are written. Out-of-the-box, AI Prompt comes with four built-in options; you can also create up to four custom prompts. Once enabled, these prompts are available directly in the Messaging Console in your Inbox. > At least one prompt must always remain enabled. ### Accessing AI Prompts 1. From Workspace Settings, click AI Prompts (under Inbox Settings).AI Prompts used to previously be under “Respond AI” in Workspace Settings. 2. You’ll see the Quick Prompts list. You can toggle each one ON/OFF to control availability in the Messaging Console. ### Default Prompts By default, these four built-in prompts are enabled and ready to use: - Change Tone – Make your text sound more professional, friendly, empathetic, or straightforward. - Translate – Automatically translate the text to your chosen language. - Fix Spelling & Grammar – Correct punctuation, spelling, and grammatical errors. - Simplify Language – Make the text clearer and more legible. ### Custom Prompts You can create up to four custom prompts with exactly the behavior you want: #### Creating a Custom Prompt 1. Click Add AI Prompt. 2. In the New Prompt dialog:Prompt Name: Enter a name (e.g., “Make Concise”).Prompt Action: Describe the transformation (e.g., “Make the sentence shorter and concise”). 3. Prompt Name: Enter a name (e.g., “Make Concise”). 4. Prompt Action: Describe the transformation (e.g., “Make the sentence shorter and concise”). 5. Click Save.If you already have four custom prompts, you must delete at least one to add a new one.Built-in (default) prompts cannot be deleted. 6. If you already have four custom prompts, you must delete at least one to add a new one. 7. Built-in (default) prompts cannot be deleted. #### Editing a Custom Prompt 1. Next to your custom prompt, click Edit. 2. Modify the Prompt Name and/or Prompt Action. 3. Click Save to apply changes. #### Deleting a Custom Prompt 1. Click Delete next to the custom prompt you no longer need. 2. Confirm deletion in the pop-up dialog.Deleting a prompt removes it permanently.If you only want to temporarily hide a prompt, toggle it OFF in the Quick Prompts list. 3. Deleting a prompt removes it permanently. 4. If you only want to temporarily hide a prompt, toggle it OFF in the Quick Prompts list. #### Enabling/Disabling Prompts - Enable: This allows AI Prompts to appear in the messaging console in the Inbox mobule. - Disable: This hides AI Prompts from Agents in the Inbox module. #### Using AI Prompts in the Inbox module Once you enable a prompt: 1. Open a conversation in the Inbox module. 2. Type your draft reply. 3. Select AI Prompts. 4. Choose one of your active prompts from the list (built-in or custom). 5. AI will immediately rewrite your draft according to that prompt’s instruction. 6. Send the revised message. #### Best Practices & Tips - Always keep at least one prompt enabled so Agents can quickly adjust tone or grammar. - Name custom prompts clearly (e.g., “Emphasize Features” or “Sound More Empathetic”) so Agents know exactly what to expect. - Regularly review your prompts: if your needs change (e.g., new branding or policy), update or delete old custom prompts. - Combine with Knowledge Sources: while AI Prompts only affect how text is worded, pairing them with AI Assist ensures accuracy plus stylistic consistency. ## [Assignment and Closing a Conversation](https:/respond.io/help/inbox/assignment-and-closing-a-conversation) Learn how to assign a conversation and close a conversation. ### Assigning an Agent to a Contact The Assignment dropdown list can be found at the top right corner of the Inbox module. It may be used to assign or reassign an Agent to a Contact. The dropdown list will list all the available Agents with their avatars. You can also search for a specific Agent via the search box. ### Unassigning an Agent from a Contact The Assignment dropdown list includes the Unassign option. This unassigns a User from a Contact and moves the Contact to the Unassigned Inbox. Unassigning can also be done from the Contacts Drawer in the Contacts Module. ### Closing a Conversation Next to the Assignment dropdown menu is the **Open** or **Close** button. When a Contact has an open conversation, the button will allow you to close the conversation. When a Contact has a closed conversation status, you can open a new conversation to initiate contact. > You cannot open or close a conversation for a blocked Contact. The **Open** and **Close** buttons will not be available for blocked Contacts. You can resume conversation with a blocked Contact by [unblocking them](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contacts-overview#actions) first. #### Adding a Summary Before Closing (Optional) Before closing a conversation, you can choose to add a **Closing Note** with a summary of the interaction. This is helpful for internal tracking, reporting, or handovers. To save time, use the **Summarize** feature to generate a clear, professional summary of the conversation with AI: 1. Click the Close button at the top of the conversation window. 2. Access the Closing Note:If your workspace has Closing Notes enabled and set to mandatory, the dialog will appear automatically.If Closing Notes are optional, click the arrow next to the Close button to open the dialog manually.If Closing Notes are disabled, the dialog will not be accessible at all. 3. If your workspace has Closing Notes enabled and set to mandatory, the dialog will appear automatically. 4. If Closing Notes are optional, click the arrow next to the Close button to open the dialog manually. 5. If Closing Notes are disabled, the dialog will not be accessible at all. 6. In the Closing Note composer, click the Summarize icon. 7. An AI summary will be generated based on the latest open conversation (up to 100 messages). You can review and edit it before posting. > You can summarize **up to 100 messages from the latest open conversation** with AI. ## [Assignment Strategy: How to Automate Contact Distribution & Load Balancing](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/assignment-strategy-automatic-contact-distribution-load-balancing) Learn how to automatically assign customers to agents based on your preferred load distribution strategy. > In this article, you’ll discover how to automate Contact assignments based on the preferred load distribution strategy. Respond.io’s default Contact Assignment behavior is the pick-and-assign system. As your company grows, this manual process can be time-consuming and raise a potential problem in ensuring a fair inbound conversation distribution among your sales or support agents. These issues can be easily avoided by setting up a Workflow with automatic assignment logic based on your business’ needs. ### Benefits of Auto-Assignment & Load Distribution Use contact distribution/load balancing to: - Save agents and managers time compared to manual assignment processes. - Improve response time as customers will be assigned to an agent quickly. - Distribute Contacts among agents fairly to ensure effective resource allocation. ### Workflow Setup To optimize your auto-assignment strategy, here are 2 load distribution logic to consider. | Business preferences | Auto-Assignment Strategy | | --- | --- | | - Resolve inquiries as quickly as possible - Focused on reducing sales and support costs | Low-Cost Load Distribution | | - Provide great service - Views excellent service as a competitive advantage | High-Quality Load Distribution | For Low-Cost Assignment Strategy, click **Assignment: Round Robin + Online Only** > **Use template** For High Quality Assignment Strategy, click **Assignment: Least Open Contacts** > **Use template** Both Workflows are triggered when a conversation is open by Contact and an auto-reply is sent with a Welcome Message. You can customize the Welcome Message as desired. > If you have multiple teams, use routing to route contacts to the right team first before applying an auto-assignment strategy. Then, edit the Assign To Step to set up auto-assignment based on your strategy preferences. ##### Low-Cost Auto-Assignment Strategy Configuration 1. Click the Assign To step to configure the assignment logic 2. Select a team in the Select Team dropdown logic 3. Assignment Logic should remain as “Assign to users round robin” to distribute Contacts equally among agents. 4. In Advanced Settings, the “Only assign to online users” toggle should remain turned on. 5. Finally, click Save and Publish to activate the Workflow. ##### High-Quality Auto-Assignment Strategy Configuration 1. Click the Assign To step to configure the assignment logic. 2. Select a team in the Select Team dropdown list. 3. Assignment Logic should remain as “Assign to the user with least open contacts” to allow agents to provide high quality support. 4. In Advanced Settings, turn on the “Only assign to online users” toggle. 5. Finally, click Save and Publish to activate the Workflow. ## [Assignment Strategy: How to Unassign Agents after Conversations Closed](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/unassign-agents-after-conversations-closed) Automatically unassign Contacts from agents when conversations are closed using Workflow Templates. > In this article, you’ll discover how to Unassign Contact from a user or agent whenever a conversation is closed. The platform by default keeps Contacts assigned to the same user or agent after a conversation is closed. While some companies may prefer maintaining continuity and build rapport with customers by keeping the same agent assigned, choosing to unassign after conversation is closed do have its own benefits and it can easily be implemented using Workflows. ### Benefits of Unassigning Agents after Conversations Closed Unassign agents after conversation closed to: - ensure that Contacts are never left unattended when the agent initially assigned is temporarily unavailable by promptly assigning them to other available agents. - allow flexibility in redistributing workload among agents based on expertise or availability to achieve a more balanced workload. ### Workflow Setup In the **Workflows** module, click **\+ Add Workflow** > Click **Assignment: Unassign After Conversation Closes** > Click **Use Template**. The Workflow template is set up with a [Trigger](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers) and [Assign To](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-assign-to) step. With this, the Contact will be unassigned from the assignee every time a conversation is closed. ## [Automated Welcome and Away Messages](https:/respond.io/help/quick-start/automated-welcome-and-away-messages) Set up automated welcome and away messages to respond to Contacts immediately using Workflow Templates. > **Business Goal:** Automatically welcome Contacts and let them know when they can expect a response. When someone messages your business, you’ll want to respond to them as soon as possible. Automated welcome and away messages allow an immediate response and can be used to manage Contacts’ expectations. ### Benefits of Welcome and Away Messages Use welcome and away messages to: - Provide a standard greeting and introduction to your business. - Respond to Contacts immediately. - Let Contacts know when they can expect a reply. ### Methods for Sending Welcome and Away Messages 1\. [Send a basic automated reply when a Contact opens a conversation](https://respond.io/help/quick-start/automated-welcome-and-away-messages#send_a_basic_automated_reply_when_a_contact_opens_a_conversation). 2\. [Send welcome and away messages based on business hours](https://respond.io/help/quick-start/automated-welcome-and-away-messages#send_welcome_and_away_messages_based_on_business_hours). #### Send a basic automated reply when a Contact opens a conversation > **Use this method** when you want to immediately send a greeting or an away message when a Contact messages you. **Method Objectives** - Set up the Workflow templates to send a welcome or away message. **Workflow Setup** There are Workflow templates set up by our team that you can use immediately. These templates can be edited to fit your business needs. > Learn more about [Workflow Templates here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview#creating_a_new_workflow_from_a_selected_template). ##### Set up the Workflow templates to send a welcome or away message On the respond.io platform menu, click **Workflows** > **\+ Add Workflow** and choose your templates. To send a welcome message, click **Welcome Message** > **Use Template** To send an away message, click Away Message > Use Template The Workflow template is set up with a Trigger and the Send a Message step. This sends an automated reply to Contacts when a conversation is opened. > Learn more about [Triggers](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers) and [Send a Message Step](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-steps#step_send_a_message). Edit the welcome and away messages to send an automated reply ##### Send a Message step configuration for Welcome Message Click the **Welcome Message** step to edit the Message Content. The Message Type should remain as Text. Finally, click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the Workflow. ##### Send a Message step configuration for Away Message Click the **Away Message** step to edit the Message Content. The Message Type should remain as Text. Finally, click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the Workflow.A basic Away Message lets Contacts know that no one is currently available. Turn this Workflow on when agents are all away and turn it off when they’re back online. #### Send welcome and away messages based on business hours > **Use this method** when you want to send a welcome message during business hours and an away message outside of these hours. **Method Objectives** - Set up the Workflow templates to send a welcome or away message based on business hours - Configure business hours to send an automated reply - Configure Welcome and Away message steps if needed **Workflow Setup** There are Workflow templates set up by our team that you can use immediately. You can edit the templates to fit your business needs. > Learn more about [Workflow Templates here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview#creating_a_new_workflow_from_a_selected_template). ##### Set up the Workflow templates to send a welcome or away message based on business hours On the respond.io platform menu, click **Workflows** > **\+ Add Workflow.** Then, Click **Away Message with Business Hours** > **Use Template**. To send an away message based on business hours, click **Away Message with Business Hours** > **Use Template** The Workflow template is set up with a Trigger, Date & Time step and the Send a Message step. This sends an automated reply to Contacts when a conversation is opened based on business hours. ##### Configure business hours to send an automated reply Use the **Date & Time Step** to set your business hours. > Learn more about [Date & Time Step](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-steps#step_date_time). ##### Configure Welcome and Away message steps if needed Use the **Send a Message Step** to send an automatic welcome or away message. Click the **Welcome Message** or **Away Message** step to edit the Message Content. The Message Type should remain as Text. Finally, click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the Workflow. > Learn how to [configure Welcome and Away messages](https://respond.io/help/quick-start/automated-welcome-and-away-messages#set_up_the_workflow_templates_to_send_a_welcome_or_away_message). ## [Billing & Usage](https:/respond.io/help/organization-settings/billing-usage) Get all the information you need to manage your Organization's subscription plan. ### Getting Here > This setting is accessible by **Organization Admins** and **Billing Admins** only! This setting can be accessed from the Organization Settings navigation menu under the menu item, Billing & Usage. In this module, you can make changes to your current subscription plan, update your billing information and payment method, view your invoice history and keep track of your subscription plan usage. ### Current Plan You can also view your current usage under “Your usage”. This section shows your current plan details with its subscription status: | Subscription Status | Definition | | --- | --- | | TRIAL | You are on a trial plan now. | | TRIAL ENDED | Your trial has expired. | | ACTIVE | You are currently subscribed to a plan. | | DOWNGRADING | Your subscription will be downgraded at the end of your billing cycle. | | CANCELING | Your subscription will be canceled at the end of your billing cycle. | | PENDING PAYMENT | You have an overdue payment that requires immediate payment to avoid having your account frozen. | | FROZEN | Your organization is frozen due to overdue payment, you are required to pay the invoice now to unfreeze your organization. | | CANCELED | Your subscription has been canceled. You do not have an active subscription. | ### Subscribing to a Plan If you are currently on a trial plan and can subscribe to a paid plan by clicking **Subscribe to plan**. You will be directed to the pricing page to select your desired plan. > You may refer to our [website](https://respond.io/pricing) for the plans comparison and more details. ### Changing Subscription Plans If you would like to change your subscription plan, click **Change plan**. You will be directed to the pricing page to select your desired plan. > You may also upgrade to an annual billing cycle to save up to 20% by clicking the **Switch to annual billing to save up to 20%** link. The **Select a Plan** page currently displays the old pricing plans. We now have new pricing plans that offer more flexibility to support your growth. View our new pricing plans [here](https://respond.io/pricing). Upon clicking **Change Plan**, a confirmation dialog will be shown with the new cost breakdown and any items that need to be resolved before the change can be done. Your plan may be upgraded or downgraded depending on your requirements. To change your plan, click the **Change plan** button. - Upgrading your plan - The changes to your plan will take effect immediately. - Downgrading your plan - The change to your plan will take effect in your next billing cycle. ### Changing number of Monthly Active Contacts (MAC) and Users Organizations subscribed to the new pricing plan can change the number of MAC and Users via the respective **Manage** links. These **Manage** links can be found in the Billing & Usage section of Organization Settings. ### Billing Information This section will show the next billing date of your subscription, which is the date you will be billed. You may check your invoice history by clicking See invoice history. > A new invoice for your subscription will be generated at the beginning of every billing cycle. Your chosen payment method will be automatically charged. If you need to download the invoice, you can do so by pressing the download icon. There are a few possible statuses for your invoice. Some may require you to take action: | Invoice Status | Description | | --- | --- | | Paid | This invoice has been paid, you may download the receipt. | | Refunded | This invoice has been refunded, you may download the receipt. | | Partial Refunded | This invoice has been partially refunded, you may download the receipt. | | Open | This is an overdue invoice, please click the PAY NOW button to make the payment. | | Uncollectible | This is an overdue invoice, please click the PAY NOW button to make the payment. | | Void | This invoice is void. | | Draft | This is an upcoming invoice. | If you need clarification about the statuses above, please do not hesitate to contact us. You may change billing information such as company name, billing email and billing address by clicking on Update billing information. ### Payment Method This section allows you to add or change your payment method. You may add your preferred payment method by clicking on Add payment method to fill in your payment details. Click Add card to fill in your credit card details. If you would like to change your payment method, please click the Change payment method to fill in your new payment details, and click Replace card. > Your payment details will be processed securely by our payment processor, Stripe. > If there is an error in making your payment or refreshing your plan, please take note of the error and [contact us](https://respond.io/contact/). *Note: A screenshot or screen recording will be helpful.* > If you have any questions on how billing works, you can take a look at our [Frequently Asked Questions page](https://rocketbots.io/pricing/#faq) or [contact us](https://rocketbots.io/contact/) directly. ### Usage Overview This section shows the Monthly Active Contacts (MAC) usage details. > MAC (Monthly Active Contacts) are Contacts who send or receive messages (excluding broadcasts) or make or receive calls during the billing month. The MAC count resets at the beginning of each billing cycle. Your monthly **MAC On-Demand usage** is also shown here. MAC On-Demand is a pay-per-block option that allows you to **continue messaging and calling Contacts** even when you reach your plan limit, without the need to upgrade your plan. You’ll be billed for every block of 100 additional MACs that you use. Organization Admins and Billing Admins will receive an email alert when their Organization reaches 90% and 100% of its MAC limit. If you are required to pay for additional MAC used for that month, the billing date and amount will be shown next to MAC On-Demand. ### MACs Breakdown Upon clicking on **Details**, you will be able to see the breakdown of **MACs (Contacts who have messaged or been messaged, or made/received calls)** used by each Workspace in your organization on a monthly basis. - If you want to view your previous month's MACs, click on the period dropdown menu and select the period you would like to see. - If you want to view the MAC of a certain Workspace, click on the Workspaces dropdown menu and select the Workspace you would like to see. > You may download the MAC graph by clicking on the Actions menu (the three dots). ### Cancellation > Canceling a subscription can only be performed by an **Organization Admin**. This section shows you how to cancel your subscription. > We are sorry you didn’t enjoy your respond.io experience. Before canceling your subscription, please [reach out](https://respond.io/contact/) to us and let us know how we can improve. To cancel a subscription, press the Cancel Subscription button at the bottom of the Billing & Usage page. This will prompt a confirmation dialog that will ask for a cancellation reason before you can unsubscribe from your plan. When an organization initiates a cancellation, the account will be canceled at the end of the current billing cycle. Accounts with an overdue invoice that is not resolved by the end of the billing cycle [will be Frozen](https://respond.io/help/organization-settings/billing-usage#why_did_my_subscription_status_change_to_frozen_and_what_do_i_need_to_do) state until payment is made. If payment is not made before the end of the next billing cycle the account status will be changed to Canceled. During the cancellation stage, a dialog will be displayed to all users, all Incoming messages will no longer be stored and Workflows won't be triggered. The organization will be flagged for deletion after 90 days. ## [Booking a Demo](https:/respond.io/help/help-menu/booking-a-demo) Learn how to book a demo with our experts ### Getting Here To book a demo, visit our [demo page](https://respond.io/demo) and fill out the form with your contact details. ### Booking a Demo Provide the following information on the page so that we can tailor our demo to your requirements: 1. Provide your email address in the Work email field. 2. Select your role in the Role field. 3. Select your job level in the Job Level field. 4. Enter your company name in the Company name field. 5. Provide an estimate on the number of people in your company by selecting an option from the Company size dropdown. 6. Select an option that best describes what you want to focus on in the demo from the How can our team help dropdown. 7. Let us know when you plan on beginning to use respond.io on the How soon would you like to implement respond.io? field. 8. Provide us with any additional thoughts you would like to share with us in the Is there anything else you would like to add? (Optional) field. 9. Select the language you want the demo in from the Preferred language dropdown. 10. Review your options and click Submit. Our team will reach out to you to find an appropriate time for the demo. ## [Broadcasts Overview](https:/respond.io/help/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview) Learn about the Broadcasts feature including fields, views and message limits. ### Getting Here > This module is accessible by **Owners** and **Managers** only! You can access this module by selecting Broadcasts from the side navigation menu. ### Broadcast Fields The Broadcast table below shows a general overview of each broadcast. The following is a description of what each column represents: | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | Status | Indicates the current Status of the broadcast | | Broadcast time | Indicates the date and time of when the broadcast is Sent or Scheduled to be sent. | | Name | Indicates the Name of the broadcast | | Labels | Indicates the Label of the broadcast | | Channel | Indicates which Channel the broadcast will be sent to | | Segment | Indicates the Segment (a set of Contacts) which has been selected to receive the broadcast | | Recipients | Indicate the total amount of recipients of the broadcast | | Total Messages | Indicates the total amount of broadcast messages | | Actions | Indicates the icon to open up the Action menu | ### Broadcast Status Broadcast statuses can be found on the left side. Clicking on each status will display broadcasts according to their status. Broadcasts may have different statuses based on their position in the process. The possible statuses for a broadcast are: | Status | Description | | --- | --- | | Draft | By default, a broadcast is created in draft status and remains in draft until it is scheduled or sent. | | Scheduled | This refers to broadcasts that have been scheduled to be sent at a future date. If the broadcast is canceled, it reverts back to Draft status. | | In Progress | Ongoing broadcast messages are being sent. | | Completed | The broadcast will be marked as completed if all messages have been sent. All broadcast messages have been attempted to be sent. It is possible some messages were not delivered due to limitations on the Channel side. | | Failed | The broadcast attempt has failed. | ### Broadcast View The default view is Table view. Click on the Calendar or Table icons to switch between Calendar view and Table view. #### Table View In the Table view, you can see all broadcasts, including past and scheduled ones. #### Calendar view In the Calendar view, you can see all broadcasts for the current month, including past broadcasts and scheduled broadcasts. Use the arrows next to the month to navigate to other months. If a broadcast is in Draft status without a delivery time set, it will be shown on its created date. #### Broadcasts 2.0 Details Drawer For both Table and Calendar views, clicking on a broadcast will open the Broadcast Details Drawer. This will display all relevant information about the created broadcast. **Table view Broadcast Details Drawer:** **Calendar view Broadcast Details Drawer:** | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | Broadcast Time | Date and time of the broadcast that has been sent or is scheduled to be sent. | | Segment | Target Segment (a set of Contacts) selected to receive the Broadcast | | Channel | Channels to which the broadcast will be sent. | | Recipients | The number of targeted Contacts. | | Total Messages | The total number of broadcast messages. | | Send Rate | The speed at which broadcasts are sent. If the send rate feature is not available, the default send rate will be as soon as possible. | | Sent By | Name of the User who sent the broadcast. | | Message Preview | Shows the message content. If the Last Interacted Channel option is selected, choose a channel to preview the message. | If a broadcast fails, the reason for the failure will be displayed in red text at the top of the Broadcast Details Drawer. Learn more about [failed broadcasts here](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/dealing-with-failed-broadcasts). ### Broadcast Message Limits > To increase the number of broadcasts allowed under your subscription plan, [upgrade to the Growth plan here](https://respond.io/pricing) or [contact us](https://respond.io/contact) for more information. There are monthly respond.io plan limitations to the number of broadcasts businesses can send. [Check Billing and Usage](https://respond.io/help/organization-settings/billing-usage) under Organization Settings to see the number of broadcasts your subscription allows. Broadcasts are counted by messages sent, not by number of contacts. *Example:* If a business has 2,000 contacts and sends a broadcast to all of them once a week, that’s 8,000 broadcast messages in a month. If you exceed the number of broadcast messages allowed, the entire broadcast will not be sent. *Example:* A company’s monthly limit is 200,000 broadcast messages. They have sent 190,000 broadcast messages in that month. When they try to send a broadcast of 12,000 messages, all 12,000 will not be allowed to be sent. ### Broadcasts Use Cases To learn how to send a simple broadcast as well as more ways of using the broadcast feature, click on the button below: - Broadcasts Use Cases ## [Calling From Your Mobile](https:/respond.io/help/mobile-app/calling-from-your-mobile) Learn how to manage calls on the Calls tab on your respond.io mobile app Stay connected with your customers even when you’re on the move. The respond.io mobile app now lets you **view, manage, and act on VoIP and WhatsApp calls — and see and manage your recent call activities, just like on the web app.** ### Getting here To access calling features, open the **respond.io mobile app** and tap the **Calls tab** — represented by a phone icon — located right after the Inbox tab at the bottom of the screen. > If the tab shows a green badge with a blinking animation, it means there are incoming calls waiting. In addition to active calls, the Calls tab now shows your recent call activity, including incoming, missed, ongoing, and completed calls. ### Receiving calls #### Calls tab - All incoming calls appear as cards in the Calls tab. - Each card includes:Contact’s name and numberAssigned agent avatarCurrent lifecycle stageTwo action buttons:✅ Accept – Answer the call❌ Decline – Reject the call - Contact’s name and number - Assigned agent avatar - Current lifecycle stage - Two action buttons:✅ Accept – Answer the call❌ Decline – Reject the call - ✅ Accept – Answer the call - ❌ Decline – Reject the call If there are no incoming calls, you’ll see an empty state with the message “No calls.” #### In-conversation incoming call cards If you’re viewing a conversation with a Contact who is calling, a card will appear directly within the conversation. - Only shows for that specific contact. - Accept/Decline buttons are visible unless you’re already in another call (in which case they’re disabled). ### Making calls You can make calls from two main screens in the mobile app. The available call options will depend on the Channel connected for the Contact — VoIP or WhatsApp. #### VoIP You can initiate VoIP calls from: **Conversation Screen** - Tap the Call button (phone icon) at the top of the screen. - Choose from the available VoIP numbers via the Call Menu. - If no VoIP channel is connected, the app will default to a local line call.A warning message appears: “Local line calls aren’t tracked in reports or history. To track this call, use VoIP instead.” - A warning message appears: “Local line calls aren’t tracked in reports or history. To track this call, use VoIP instead.” **Contact Details Screen** - Tap the Call button next to the Contact’s number. - Choose between VoIP or Local Line options via the Call Menu. - If the Contact has no phone number saved, a “+” icon appears to let you add one. #### WhatsApp WhatsApp calls are available if a WhatsApp Channel is connected and calling has been enabled for your workspace. Before placing a call, you must first **request permission** from the Contact. **Requesting call permission** - When you tap the WhatsApp Call option in the Call Menu, a bottom sheet appears. - You must send a permission request to the Contact before calling. - You can send one request per day, up to two per week. - Once the Contact accepts, the Call button becomes available and their permission is permanent unless they revoke it. - If permission is pending, the Call button remains disabled. - If the messaging window is closed, you must send a message template to reopen it before sending the request. - After sending a request, a confirmation toast appears:“Request sent! You’ll be notified when the Contact accepts, and then you can call.” You can access the WhatsApp Call option from: - Conversation screen: Tap the Call button (phone icon) at the top. - Contact details screen: Tap the Call button beside the Contact’s number. ### Call experience #### Ongoing call interface Once a call starts, a new screen appears showing: - Contact name, avatar, and call status (e.g., Calling… or 00:26) - Call actions:🎙️ Record button🔊 Speaker toggle🔇 Mute toggle❌ End Call button - 🎙️ Record button - 🔊 Speaker toggle - 🔇 Mute toggle - ❌ End Call button > If Call recording is enabled, you will see additional controls: - **Manual mode**: Record / Pause / Resume buttons - **Automatic mode**: A recording indicator appears when the call starts. #### Minimized call bar You can minimize the ongoing call into a **floating call bar** that remains visible as you navigate the app. - Displays contact name and call duration. - Tap the bar to return to the full call screen. - Call remains active even if the app is minimized or phone is locked (unless interrupted by OS or network issues). ### Call transfers WhatsApp and Telnyx calls support call transfers. This allows agents to transfer an active call to another available teammate in the Workspace. #### How to transfer calls 1. While in a call, tap Transfer 2. Select the agent you want to transfer the call to. 3. (Optional) Add a note to provide context before transferring. **Notes:** - Agents with restricted call capabilities won’t appear in the transfer list. - Agents who are already on a call cannot receive a transfer — the initiating agent will see a snackbar notification if the transfer fails. - If the receiving agent doesn’t answer within 30 seconds, the call automatically reverts to the initiating agent. ### Call notifications #### In-App - Calls from the same contact you’re viewing will trigger an in-app notification card. - The regular Call button is disabled during an incoming call. #### Push Notifications - Receive call alerts even when you’re outside the app. - On iOS: Grouped by contact. - On Android: Grouped by workspace, then contact. - Tapping a notification takes you to the Calls tab. ### Call Sound Settings From your **mobile app settings**, go to: **Settings > Update notifications** Here, you can configure **Call Sound Notification**: - Enabled by default. - Choose who triggers the ringtone:Contacts assigned to me and unassignedContacts assigned to me onlyAll Contacts - Contacts assigned to me and unassigned - Contacts assigned to me only - All Contacts ### Call Events in Conversation Call actions automatically generate **event logs** in the chat history: - Outgoing: started an outgoing call.Contact did not answer the call.Call ended. Duration: 01:20 - started an outgoing call. - Contact did not answer the call. - Call ended. Duration: 01:20 - Incoming: answered an incoming call.You missed a call from the Contact.Contact ended the call. Duration: 01:20 - answered an incoming call. - You missed a call from the Contact. - Contact ended the call. Duration: 01:20 - Additional eventsContact has accepted the 📞 WhatsApp call request. (WhatsApp call Channels only)Contact declined the 📞 WhatsApp call request. (WhatsApp call Channels only)Call has reached the xx-minute limit. (All call Channels) - Contact has accepted the 📞 WhatsApp call request. (WhatsApp call Channels only) - Contact declined the 📞 WhatsApp call request. (WhatsApp call Channels only) - Call has reached the xx-minute limit. (All call Channels) You can view call recordings directly from the Contact event. Each recording is attached to its corresponding event, for example: *Fahmy ended an outgoing VoIP call. Duration: 4:25 View recording.* #### Viewing call transcripts and AI call summary You can now view, copy, and share **transcripts and AI-generated call summaries** for recorded calls directly from the Mobile app, just like on the web. - Tap View call details on a recorded call event to open the call content. This shows the call recording, transcript, and an AI-generated summary of the call. - Each line in the transcript includes timestamps, speaker names, and transcribed text. - Tap a timestamp to jump to that point in the recording. On this screen, you can: - Copy the full transcript to your clipboard - Share the transcript → opens your device’s native share menu - Copy the AI Call Summary to your clipboard - Share the AI Call Summary → opens your device’s native share menu > AI Call Summary and transcripts are only available if **Call Recording** and **Call Transcripts & AI Call Summary** are enabled in your Workspace settings. Learn how to do this [here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/calls#workspace-call-settings). ### Call Activity & Call View With the new Mobile Call View, you can now see and manage your recent call activity on the go: - ✅ Incoming, missed, ongoing, and ended calls — all in one place. - 🔎 Filter by call status (e.g., Missed, No Answer, Ongoing, Ended). - 📅 Sort by newest or oldest to quickly find what you need. - 🔍 Search by Contact to review specific call interactions. The Calls tab also includes a dedicated Incoming Calls section at the top for active calls, while your full call activity appears below in the Recents section. ### Limitations & Permissions #### General - If your admin has disabled calling, you won’t be able to place or receive calls. The Calls tab will show an empty state: “Calling isn’t available. Please contact your manager for access.” - If phone number masking is enabled for your account, phone numbers will appear as: ******-1234. - If call recording is disabled at Workspace level, recording controls and playback options will not be shown on mobile. - If Call Transcripts are disabled in Workspace settings, transcript options will not appear in the Call Content view. #### VoIP - VoIP calls cannot be initiated with inactive Telnyx numbers. You’ll see an error message if attempted. - The VoIP calling feature is not supported on iOS devices in China due to restrictions on native call UI handling in China. This does not affect other regions. #### WhatsApp - WhatsApp calls cannot be made without the Contact’s permission. - Calls are not allowed if the messaging window is closed. - The Call button will be disabled if permission is pending. ### Helpful Tips - Local line calls use your device’s native dialer and are not tracked in reports. - To ensure proper tracking, use VoIP or WhatsApp Channels when making calls. - WhatsApp and VoIP calls support mute, speaker, and call minimization. ## [Calls](https:/respond.io/help/workspace-settings/calls) Learn how to manage call configurations for your connected Call Channels. ### Getting here Go to **Workspace setting** > **Inbox settings** > **Calls** ### Workspace Call Settings Manage all call-related settings and configurations for your Workspace. #### Enable call recording Turn on call recording to track and review call quality. Recordings appear in **Reports: Calls** and in the **Contact Drawer → Calls tab**. Choose your preferred mode: - Manual recording: Agents and Managers can start, pause, and stop recordings during calls. - Automatic recording: Calls are recorded automatically. Only Managers/Owners can pause or resume. Agents cannot stop recordings. > Please review your local call recording regulations before enabling this feature. #### Enable call transcript and AI call summary The **Call Transcript & AI Call Summary** option becomes available once **Call Recording** is enabled, and is turned on by default. When enabled: - A call transcript is automatically generated after each recorded call ends. - An AI call summary is also generated from the transcript. - You can view, copy, and download transcripts and summaries. If you disable this option later: - No new transcripts or summaries will be generated. - Previously generated transcripts remain accessible for up to 1 year for Telnyx calls (other Channels follow their provider’s storage policies). - Previously generated AI call summaries remain accessible. ### Connected Call Channels This section lists all connected Channels that support calling. From here, you can enable or disable calling for each Channel, and access individual Channel settings. - Manage: Opens the individual Channel’s settings page (Calls tab). - Enable calling: Turns on calling for a Channel that supports it. - + Connect new Call Channel: Opens the Channel Gallery (Calls tab) in a new tab, where you can connect a new call-capable Channel. ## [Change Your WhatsApp Business Display Name](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/change-your-whatsapp-business-display-name) Learn how to change your WhatsApp Business Display Name for your respond.io WhatsApp Business API Account. > This only applies only to respond.io WhatsApp Business API. ### Display Name Overview The display name on your WhatsApp Business profile is the name of your business. You can assign a display name to a phone number when you add it to your WhatsApp Business account in the Meta Business Manager. - Left: Official WhatsApp Business Name - Right: Default WhatsApp Business Name ### Steps to Change your WhatsApp Business Display Name > Your business can change the display names up to 10 times in a 30-day period. Once the 30-day period is up, a new 30-day period begins. If you exceed this limit, you need to contact [Facebook support](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/contact-support#contacting-support) to make any further changes. > If you have an official WhatsApp Business Account (Green Tick), Contact [Facebook's Direct Support](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/contact-support#contacting-support) and provide the following details to change the display name in your WhatsApp Business Account: - Question Topic: Request an Official Business Account - Request Type: Update OBA Display Name For **general verified business** and **non-official WhatsApp Business Account**, follow the steps below to update your display name. **Step 1**: Go to your [Business Manager](https://business.facebook.com/) and select your business, then click the Setting menu. Select WhatsApp Account in the side menu. **Step 2**: Select the account that you want to change the name and you can a**ccess your WhatsApp Manager by clicking on the button "WhatsApp Manager" below on the page** **Step 3**: Under the **Name column**, hover over your current display name and click the **pencil icon**. **Step 4**: In the **Edit Display Name** section, enter a new display name and click **Next**. > Display names should have a relationship with your business and use branding consistent with external sources (e.g. your website). > Learn more about the WhatsApp Business display name guidelines [here](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-business-name). Your display name will need to be approved by WhatsApp before an updated certificate becomes available. Once your new display name is approved, the name will be reflected automatically on your number. > It will take about 1-2 days for Facebook to approve the display name and you will get notified by email. You can check the status of the new display name in the certificate dialog. ## [Channels](https:/respond.io/help/workspace-settings/channels) Under the Channel workspace settings section, you can edit and manage Channels connected to your Workspace. ### Getting Here > This setting is accessible to Owners and Managers only. Go to **Workspace Settings** > Select **Channels** to view all Channels connected to your chosen Workspace. > Type the Channel name in the search bar to find it. On this page, you can: - Connect a Channel - Manage Channels - Delete a Channel ### Connect a Channel Only Owners can connect Channels. 1. On the Channels page, click Add Channels. 2. Select a Channel and click Connect. For details, visit the [Messaging Channels](https://respond.io/help/channels/channels-overview) page. ### Managing Channels To manage a Channel, click **Manage** on the Channel's thumbnail. Each Channel provides a different set of functions and the functions: #### Configure a Channel Edit settings such as the Channel name and other Channel-specific options. Click Save Changes to apply updates. ##### Deleting a Channel Click **Delete Channel** and follow the prompts. - Contacts remain but cannot be reached via the deleted Channel. - Deleting a Channel also removes all configurations permanently. For details on specific Channels: - Facebook Messenger - WhatsApp - Telegram Deleting a Facebook, WhatsApp, or Telegram Channel will not remove your Contacts or chat history. #### Acquiring Contacts from Facebook You can send private replies to users who comment on a post on your page to make them Contacts on respond.io. > **Tip:** Learn more about [acquiring Contacts from Facebook comments here](https://respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/private-replies). #### Creating a Chat Menu You can create a persistent chat menu on your facebook page. This menu is always visible and can include key business features like business hours, locations, and products in a Messenger conversation. When a user selects an item, you have 24 hours to respond via the messaging window. To add a chat menu, click **Add Button** and select an option from the menu that opens. | Option | Description | | --- | --- | | Payload | A payload option directly sends a message with the button name as the message text. On the respond.io platform, the specified payload value will be received instead. The payload value is useful for creating specific Triggers for Automations. | | URL | A URL option sends the contact to the specified URL field when pressed. The webpage will be opened in a new tab. | Provide the information in the fields that display and click **Save Menu** when you are done. > You can always rearrange buttons by clicking and dragging them around using the rearrange icon button on the left. To delete unwanted buttons, simply press the delete button 🗑. > Some Channels limit the number of buttons displayed. Once the limit is reached, you can't add more buttons. ##### Allowing User Input Some Channels have an option to disable user input. If you wish to restrict users to only using the chat menu options to interact with you, uncheck the **Allow User Input** option. Unchecking this option will remove the chat message bar and prevent your audience from composing and sending their own messages. > It is recommended that you keep the **Allow User Input** checkbox selected, as disabling it restricts interaction with your audience. #### Troubleshooting If you are having issues with Channels on the platform, e.g., no incoming messages even though Channel is connected, click the **Troubleshoot** link of the channel and follow the instructions provided. > Issues with Channels like Facebook and WeChat can be resolved quickly by just pressing **Refresh Permission** in the Channel Troubleshooting. Find out more information on messaging channels with the link below: - Messaging Channels ## [Closing Notes](https:/respond.io/help/workspace-settings/closing-notes) Learn how to add, edit and delete Closing Notes. These are optional after a conversation is closed. ### Getting Here > This setting is accessible by Owners and Managers only! This setting can be accessed from the **Settings** navigation menu under the Workspace Settings sub-menu item, **Closing Notes**. Closing Notes are conversation summaries that can be useful for Managers to better understand the conversations between Contacts and the platform without having to go through the details. A Closing Note consists of two parts, Conversation Category and Summary. A User can select a category from the dropdown and these categories can be configured in this setting. Summary is a free input text for Users to summarize conversations to provide context to their Managers. ### Closing Notes Setting Depending on the needs of an Organization, there are several options to configure this setting. **Closing Notes Dialog is Optional & Summary is Optional** Users can choose to close a conversation with or without a Closing Note. **Closing Notes Dialog is Mandatory & Summary is Optional** Users are required to close each conversation with a Closing Note. They have to select a Conversation Category. However, the Summary is optional. **Closing Notes Dialog is Mandatory & Summary is Mandatory** Users are required to close each conversation with a Closing Note. They are required to select a Conversation Category and input a conversation summary. **Closing Notes Dialog is disabled** Users can proceed to close a conversation without Closing Notes. Users will not have the option to close the conversation with a closing note. ### Conversation Categories #### Adding a Conversation Category **Step 1: Navigate to Closing Notes** From the side navigation menu, select **Settings** from the menu and select **Closing Notes**. **Step 2: Press ADD CATEGORY** At the top bar, press the blue **ADD CATEGORY** button and the **Add Conversation Category** dialog should open up. **Step 3: Fill in the required information** | Fields | Description | | --- | --- | | Category Name | The name of the Conversation Category | | Description | The description of the Conversation CategoryThis will be shown to the users in the Closing Note dialog. | **Step 4: Add Conversation Category** When you have filled in the fields, press the blue **ADD** button to create the conversation category. #### Editing a Conversation Category If you need to make a change to an existing category, you can do so by choosing **Edit** from the Actions menu. Bear in mind that you can only edit the description of a Conversation Category. > If you wish to rename the category, we suggest you delete the existing category and create a new category with your preferred name. #### Deleting a Conversation Category If a Conversation Category is no longer relevant or is a duplicate of another, it can be deleted from the workspace by choosing **Delete** from the Actions menu. > Be careful when you delete a category as it may be used by other Users in the Workspace. Bear in mind that the deletion cannot be undone. ### Creating summaries You can add a summary of the conversation before closing it to give teammates relevant context. With **AI Summary**, you can now generate this summary automatically, then review and edit it before posting. To generate an AI summary: 1. Open the Closing Notes dialog at the end of a conversation. 2. Click the Summarize button. 3. An AI summary will be generated based on the latest open conversation (up to 100 messages). 4. Review and edit it before posting. You can also enhance or refine the content using **AI Prompts**, which support both default and custom prompt options. ## [Configuring mobile app settings](https:/respond.io/help/mobile-app/configuring-mobile-app-settings) Learn how to configure your respond.io mobile app settings. ### Getting here In your mobile app, navigate to the **Settings** tab. ### Overview The **Settings** tab provides quick access to manage your profile, preferences, notifications, and other key app configurations, ensuring a seamless and personalized experience. ### Profile settings Configure your profile settings here such as profile details, picture, and language. #### Edit your profile details You can edit your first name, last name, and email as needed. #### Change your profile picture To change your profile picture, click on the **Change Profile Picture** button. Take a new picture from your camera or select a picture from your device gallery. > Tap **Change** on the top right of your screen to save the changes you made. #### Language preferences You can switch to your preferred language by tapping on the Language selection dropdown. > All languages except English are in beta. The available languages are: - English 🇬🇧 - Spanish (Español) 🇪🇸 - Portuguese (Português) 🇵🇹 - Arabic (عربي) 🇸🇦 - Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ) 🇲🇲 - Thai (ภาษาไทย) 🇹🇭 - Traditional Chinese (繁體中文) 🇹🇼 - Simplified Chinese (简体中文) 🇨🇳 - Italian (Italiano) 🇮🇹 - German (Deutsch) 🇩🇪 - Russian (Русский) 🇷🇺 - French (Français) 🇫🇷 - Japanese (日本語) 🇯🇵 - Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) 🇮🇩 - Turkish (Türkçe) 🇹🇷 - Korean (한국어) 🇰🇷 - Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) 🇻🇳 - Hebrew (עברית) 🇮🇱 ### General Configure the general settings of your app here such as activity status. #### Setting your activity status When you’re logged in, your default status is set to **Active.** - Set yourself as busy - Tap this option to indicate that you’re not available on mobile app. A yellow indicator will be displayed on your profile picture. - Set yourself as active - Tap this option to indicate that you’re available on mobile app. A green indicator will be displayed on your profile picture. > Your activity status may automatically change to **Offline** in certain circumstances. Read more about the [Offline status here](https://respond.io/help/user-account/user-activity-status#offline_mode). ### Account Configure your account here such as changing workspaces, notification settings and password management. #### Change workspace If you have multiple workspaces, you can switch between workspaces by tapping **Change Workspace** and selecting your preferred Workspace. #### Update notifications Configure sound and mobile push notifications by tapping **Update notifications**. ##### Sound Notifications When toggled on, a sound will be played when you receive an incoming message: - For Contacts assigned to me or unassigned contacts - A sound is played whenever someone assigns a Contact to you or unassigns a Contact from you. - For Contacts assigned to me only - A sound is played only when someone assigns a Contact to you. ##### Mobile Push Notifications When toggled on, a push notification is sent to your mobile device depending on the option selected: - For all contacts and mentions - A push notification is sent to you when a Contact is assign to or unassign from you, as well as when someone mentions you in a Comment. - For the contacts assigned to me and mentions - A push notification is sent to you when a Contact is assign to you and when someone mentions you in a Comment. - For mentions only - A push notification is sent to you only when someone mentions you in a Comment. ##### Only send mobile notifications when I am Offline Tick the check box to receive mobile notifications only when you’re offline. > Tap **Change** on the top right of your screen to save the changes you made. #### Change password To change your password, follow these steps: 1. Tap Change password 2. Enter your existing password > Enter a new password > Confirm the new password 3. Tap Change on the top right of your screen to save the changes you made. ### App Configure the look and feel of your app. #### Change appearance You can customize your app's appearance with this setting. - Use system setting (default): Automatically sync the app's appearance with your device's appearance (light or dark). - Light: Sets the app's appearance to light mode. - Dark: Sets the app's appearance to dark mode. > Tap **Change** on the top right of your screen to save the changes you made. #### Haptic feedback Enable this to experience subtle vibrations for actions like swiping, long pressing, or starting and stopping voice recordings. ### Help & feedback #### Reporting a bug Reach out to us if you're facing any issues while using the mobile app. To report a bug, follow these steps: 1. Select bug location (Notifications, Inbox, Settings, Other). 2. Fill in the description of your issue in the Bug summary section. 3. Upload a screenshot of the issue you are facing to provide better context for our support agents to assist you. #### Get Support Need help? Tap on Get Support, and you can contact us via WhatsApp chat or submit an inquiry through our website. ### Log out Tap **Log out** to log out from your account. > You will be automatically logged out of the mobile app after 30 days. ## [Connecting Channels](https:/respond.io/help/quick-start/connecting-channels) Learn how to connect a messaging Channel to start chatting with your Contacts through the platform. Now that you have created the Workspace, you are one step closer to setting up the platform. Let's connect a Channel to the platform to start interacting with your Contacts. > Find the [list of Channels supported on respond.io here](https://respond.io/help/channels). ​ ### Connect a Channel In your Dashboard, click the Connect Channel button to access the Channel Catalog. Then, select a Channel from the Channel Catalog and click Connect. Alternatively, navigate to your Workspace Settings > Channels and select a Channel from the Channel Catalog and click Connect. Every Channel has its unique connection flow. Get an overview of each Channel and learn the step-by-step connection flow in the Channel’s quick start guides. - Messaging Channels > We are constantly updating the step-by-step instructions with the latest information. If you find any mismatch of information, please do let us know [here](https://respond.io/contact). ### What's Next? You have created a Workspace and connected a Channel. Now you can start inviting your teammates to collaborate. - Inviting Users ## [Contact Details](https:/respond.io/help/contacts/contact-details) Learn how to use the Contact details panel to gain more insights on your Contacts. ### Getting Here In the Inbox module, select a Contact from the conversation list. To view the Contact's details, click the Contact details icon or profile picture. Alternatively, in the Contacts module, click on a Contact from the Contact list to view the Contact's details. Contact details consists of: - Contact Name and ID - Contact Channels - Merge Suggestions - Contact Fields - Tags - Block and Unblock Contact - Delete Contact ### Contact Name and ID The Contact’s name and ID are displayed at the top section of the Contact’s details. #### Edit Contact name You can edit a Contact's name by clicking on the edit icon. Enter your changes and click on the check mark to confirm the changes. ### Contact Channels In the vertical sidebar, click on the **Channels** tab. In this tab, you can find a list of Channels connected to the Workspace with different indications. There are 3 types of Channels you can find here - Active Channel, Inactive Channel and Unavailable Channel. #### Active Channel Active Channels are Channels that are connected and have existing interactions with a Contact. The date and time these Channels were connected are indicated. > For Facebook, you can hover on the Channel card to view and click on the link button. This lets you navigate to the conversation on the relevant Facebook page. #### Inactive Channel Inactive Channels are Channels that are yet to be connected with the Contact. They can be connected by initiating a conversation with the Contact. Clicking on the Send first message will select the Channel by default in the messaging bar. This is only applicable for WhatsApp, SMS and email, providing the Contact's phone number or email address is present. #### Unavailable Channels Unavailable Channels are Channels that Contacts do not have existing interactions on. These Channels cannot be connected to a Contact at the initiative of a Workspace User. The connection has to be initiated by the Contact, who needs to send the first message on these Channels. #### Remove Channels > Only **Owners** and **Managers** can perform this action in the Contacts module. You can remove a Channel from the Contact via the **Remove** icon. This is used when the Channel is no longer relevant to the Contact e.g. the Contact has changed phone number. The conversation history will remain and not be removed even if the Channel has been deleted. ### Merge Suggestions In the vertical sidebar, the Contact Details tab will notify you of merge suggestions. Upon opening the tab, you'll find a Merge Suggestions card displaying potential duplicates, allowing for easy merging of Contacts. #### Duplicate Contacts Within a Workspace, there can be multiple Contact profiles belonging to the same person. In such scenarios, these duplicate Contact records can be merged into one complete record. Platform Users will be alerted about potential duplicate Contacts through merge suggestions. Merge suggestions are made based on the repeated use of a phone number or email address on two or more Contact profiles. A green tick icon will be shown on the right of the suggested Contact’s email or phone number to indicate the duplicate value. Once these duplicated Contacts have been verified, click on Merge to perform the merging of Contacts. > You can immediately undo a merge by clicking the “Undo merge” button on the “Merge successful” callout. > Owners and managers can see merge histories in the Contacts Module. > Merge suggestions will also be prompted on the [Dashboard](https://respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/dashboard#merge_suggestions). > Learn more about [how to merge Contacts](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contacts-overview#merge_contacts). > Blocked Contacts will not be included in the merge suggestions. ### Contact Fields Each Contact has a specific set of fields that describe them and help provide context to users who interact with them. > Learn how to customize the order of the Contact fields [here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/contact-fields#customizing_the_view_of_contact_fields). #### Standard Fields | Fields | Type | Description | Editable | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Contact Profile | - | The profile picture and display name are obtained from the Channel on which the Contact interacted. | - | | First Name | Text | Contact's first name, which can be sourced from the Channel or manually updated. | ✓ | | Last Name | Text | Contact's last name, which can be sourced from the Channel or manually updated. | ✓ | | Country | Country | A representation of where the Contact originates from. The value can be sourced from the phone number or manually updated. | ✓ | | Language | Language | Contact's language, which can be sourced from the Contact's browser, Channel or manually updated. | ✓ | | Email Address | Email Address | Contact's email address, which can be sourced from the Channel or manually updated. | ✓ | | Phone Number | Phone Number | Contact's phone number, which can be sourced from the Channel or manually updated. The phone number must include the country code and follow the E164 format. | ✓ | | Assigned To | Dropdown | The current assignee to whom the Contact is assigned. | ✓ | | Conversation Status | Dropdown | The current status of the Contact's conversation. | - | > Learn more on [how to add a WhatsApp contact here](https://faq.whatsapp.com/general/contacts/how-to-add-an-international-phone-number?lang=en). #### Custom Fields The custom fields configured in the Workspace will also be shown in the Contact details. > Learn more about [custom fields](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/contact-fields#adding_a_new_custom_field) here. ### Tags Tags assigned to this Contact will be visible at the bottom of the details view. Tags are primarily used to group Contacts and can be used to filter Contacts. #### Assigning Tags 1. Click the plus icon. 2. Search for the desired Tag(s). 3. Select the checkbox(es) for the Tag(s) you want to assign. 4. If the Tag doesn’t exist, create a new one you’ll have the option to create a new one. > Learn more about adding Tags [here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-tags#creating_tags). #### Removing Tags 1. Click the “x” icon next to the Tag you want to remove. > Learn more about deleting Tags [here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-tags#deleting_tags). > Removing a Tag doesn’t delete it from the platform but may affect Contact Segments and Workflows. > To help keep the Workspace organized, try to standardize how you assign Tags to your Contacts. Assign only required Tags to a Contact to create more meaningful Segments. ### Block and Unblock Contact To block or unblock a Contact, access the more actions menu at the top of the Contact details drawer by clicking on the three dots icon. #### Block Contact > This action can only be performed in the Contacts module. If Contacts are sending you spam messages, you can block the Contacts using the **Block Contact** option to stop receiving messages from them. When you block a Contact: - the conversation will be automatically closed, and then blocked. - any messages sent by the Contact after they're blocked will not be displayed on the conversation window. - any messages sent by the Contact after they're blocked will not be counted towards your Monthly Active Contacts usage from the next billing cycle onwards. - all ongoing Workflows for the blocked Contact will be automatically stopped. > If you have mistakenly blocked a Contact, you may reverse the action by using the Unblock Contact option. > Learn more on [how to manage spam here](https://respond.io/help/automate-conversations/managing-spam). #### Unblock Contact 1. In the Contacts module, click on Blocked Contacts 2. Select the Contact you want to unblock 3. Click on the three dots icon 4. Click Unblock Contact ### Delete Contact > This action can only be performed in the Contacts module by **Owners** and **Managers** with no restrictions. If Contacts are no longer relevant, they can be deleted from the Workspace. When you delete a Contact, its conversation history is also removed. > Please remember that once Contact information is removed, it cannot be recovered. You can delete a few Contacts by selecting the check boxes adjacent to them or select all Contacts on a page by selecting the checkbox on top of the page. Then, click **Delete** , confirm the number of contacts to delete in the dialog that opens, and select **Delete**. > To delete all Contacts on your worskpace in one go, use the **Delete** button. The deletion process runs in the background and may take some time, depending on the number of Contacts and system availability. Typically, the process begins within a few seconds and deletes Contacts in batches to ensure smooth and efficient processing. > When selecting more than 100 Contacts using the Select All button, the **Assign Tags** and **Export to CSV** buttons will be disabled. If fewer than 100 Contacts are selected, these buttons will be hidden. ## [Contact Fields](https:/respond.io/help/workspace-settings/contact-fields) Create and manage Contact Fields to save additional information about your contacts. ### Using Contact Fields Contact Fields collect Contact information, such as first and last names, preferred languages and location. The information collected in Contact Fields can be used as [dynamic variables](https://respond.io/help/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) to personalize messages. Contact Field changes or updates can be used to trigger relevant Workflows. ### Getting Here > **Warning:** This setting is accessible by Owners and Managers only! This setting can be accessed from the **Settings** navigation menu under the **Workspace Settings** sub-menu item, **Contact Fields**. > Use the search bar at the top to quickly find the Custom Field that you are looking for. ### Viewing Contact Fields By default, a set of standard Contact Fields will be created for the Workspace for Users to update Contacts' information. Standard Contact Fields cannot be edited or deleted from the Workspace as these fields may affect platform operations. The list of standard Contact Fields are as follows: | Field Name | Description | | --- | --- | | First Name | The Contact's first name. The value can be provided by Channel if applicable. | | Last Name | The Contact's last name. The value can be provided by Channel if applicable. | | Phone Number | The Contact's phone number. The value can be provided by Channel if applicable. | | Email Address | The Contact's email address. The value can be provided by Channel if applicable. | | Country | The Contact's country. The value can be derived from the Contact's phone number if applicable. | | Language | The Contact's preferred language. The value is derived from the Contact's client system if applicable. | | Profile Picture | The Contact's profile picture. This value can only be provided by the Channel if applicable and cannot be changed by the User. | ### Adding a New Custom Field Custom Fields are User-created Contact Fields that help to further identify Contacts. **Step 1:** Navigate to the Settings Module > Contact Fields **Step 2:** Click Add Custom Field, a dialog will appear for you to fill in the required information. **Step 3:** Name the new Custom Field and provide a brief description for easy identification and understanding of its purpose. The Field ID, generated from the name, is uneditable and serves as a unique identifier for integrations and APIs. > Make sure Custom Field names and standard Contact Field names are different to prevent dynamic variables in messages from retrieving the wrong data. Read more about [dynamic variables here](https://respond.io/help/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables). **Step 4:** Select a field type for your new Custom Field. Be sure to choose an appropriate field type to collect relevant and better information for your Contact. You may select from the following field types: | Field Type | Description | | --- | --- | | Text | Suitable for information with string as a formatE.g., Name, Address, Preferred Name | | List | Suitable for information that has a limited set of values (Max character limit for the value is 255)E.g., Plan Type Gender, Favourite Brand, Country, Customer Type | | Checkbox | Suitable for information that has a true or false valueE.g., Lead Status, Allergic, Availability | | Email | Suitable for information that is in email formatE.g., Work email, Personal Email | | Number | Suitable for information that requires number formatE.g., Plan Value, Number of Transactions | | URL | Suitable for information that requires link formatE.g., Company Website, Privacy Policy, File Link | | Date | Suitable for information that is in date format ("YYYY-MM-DD". e.g. 2023-10-25)E.g., Birthdate, Last transaction dateYou can select dates from the year 1900 to the year 2100 for custom date fields. | | Time | Suitable for information that is in time formatE.g. Preferred contact time | > Choosing the right field type will enable information validation to improve the collection of Contacts' information. > **Warning:** The platform no longer supports specifying a default value of a Custom Field due to server performance. ### Editing a Custom Field From the Custom Field record, click **Edit** under the Actions menu and the **Edit Custom Field** dialog will be opened. Make changes to the Name, Descriptions, values (if applicable) and default value and click **Update**. > **Warning:** After a Custom Field is added, you cannot change the **Field ID** and **Field Type**. If you need to do so, you can create another Custom Field with the preferred Field ID and Field Type. ### Customizing the View of Contact Fields You can customize the displayed order of Contact Fields by clicking on the Customize View button. To reorder the Contact Fields in the Contact Details Drawer, drag and move them to the desired arrangement and click on the Save button. The new arrangement will be reflected in the Contact Details Drawer for all Workspace Users. To change the display of the Contact Fields on the Contact Details Drawer, change the visibility setting to your desired display option. There are 3 options for the visibility of Contact Fields: - Always show: When this option is selected, the Contact Field will be displayed in the Contact Details Drawer. - Always hide: When this option is selected, the Contact Field will be hidden in the Contact Details Drawer. - Hide when empty: When this option is selected, the Contact Field will be hidden only when its value is empty. Once the changes are saved, the new visibility configuration will be reflected in the Contact Details Drawer for all Workspace Users. To view all hidden Contact Fields, click the **Show all fields** toggle in the drawer. You can hide them again by clicking on the **Hide fields** button. ### Deleting a Custom Field > Only **Owners** can delete custom fields. When a Custom Field is no longer needed, it can be deleted from the Workspace by choosing **Delete** from the Actions menu. Deleting a Custom Field will completely remove it from your Workspace and any data associated with the field will be removed. ## [Contact Import](https:/respond.io/help/workspace-settings/data-import) Learn how to import, review, and manage data in the platform. ### Getting Here > This setting is accessible by Owners and Managers only! Access this feature from your Workspace settings under the Data settings sub-menu item, Contacts import. You can initiate a new Contact import or view your Contact import history in this page. ### Contact Import Click on the **Import Contacts** button to [initiate a new import](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contact-import). You can add new Contacts, update existing Contacts or do both in an import. ### Contact Import History You can view the details of your previous Contact imports in the Contact Import History table. | Table Headers | Description | | --- | --- | | Date Imported | Date of import | | File Name | CSV file name | | Uploaded By | User who performed the import job | | New Contact | Number of new Contacts added | | Updated Contact | Number of existing Contacts updated | | Error Count | Number of Contacts with errors that did not get imported | | Tag Added | Tags added to the successfully imported Contacts | | Status | The status of the contact import job.Completed: Import job is completedProcessing: Import job is in progressExpired: Import job was initiated over 7 days agoFailed: Server error | > A results file can be downloaded within 7 days of a completed import job. After 7 days, the results file will no longer be available and the Import Status will change to Expired. ## [Contact Import (How to)](https:/respond.io/help/contacts/contact-import) Learn how to bulk import Contacts or add them individually. ### What is Contact Import? Contact import allows you to add and update multiple Contacts on the platform. Contact import is useful for the following reasons: - Sync a Contact List to the platform Syncing your Contact List with the platform helps you identify Contacts when they message you. - Bulk update Contacts on the platform Update the information of multiple existing Contacts on the platform instead of updating them one by one. - Initiate a conversation with the Contact Start conversations with Contacts in your Contact List without needing them to send you the first message. > Sending the first message is only applicable for WhatsApp, SMS and email, provided that the Contact's phone number or email address is added. ### Importing Contacts The Contact Import process is divided into 3 parts: Upload CSV file, Mapping and Review. #### Part 1: Initiate a Contact Import To import contacts, you need to upload a CSV file. Each row in your CSV file represents a contact and each column represents a contact field. **Step 1:** In the **Contacts** Module, click on the arrow in the **Add Contact** button > **Import Contacts**. > Alternatively, navigate to Settings > [Data Import](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/data-import) > click the **Import Contacts** button. **Step 2:** Upload a CSV file with the Contacts and details that you would like to import. Ensure the CSV file fulfills the following requirements: - Only CSV files are accepted for import. - File size must be less than 20MB. - File must contain a least one row. - File must contain less than 200,000 rows. - A First Name column is required to add new Contacts. - At least one column must be mapped to an identifier (except for Add All Contacts Despite Duplicates import option). - All phone numbers in the CSV file must include the country code and it is recommended to use the "+" sign, e.g. +60189988776. - Recommended format for Date field: "YYYY-MM-DD". e.g. 2023-10-25 To see an example of a populated CSV file, download the sample by clicking on the hyperlink. **Step 3:** Select the import purpose for this file. | Import Purpose | Action | | --- | --- | | Add new contacts only | Adds only new Contacts in the CSV file to the Workspace. | | Update existing contacts only | Updates only existing Contacts in the Workspace with values from the file. | | Add & update contacts | Updates existing Contacts and add new Contacts to the Workspace. | | Add all contacts despite duplicates | All Contacts in the file will be treated as new Contacts. You can review and merge duplicate Contacts manually on the platform. | **Step 4:** Select an Identifier to recognize existing Contacts. The identifier can be a phone number or email. If your import purpose is **Update Existing Contacts Only**, you can also select **Contact ID** as an identifier. > Do note that email addresses are not case-sensitive. This means that [john.smith@gmail.com](mailto:john.smith@gmail.com) and [John.Smith@gmail.com](mailto:John.Smith@gmail.com) will be recognized as the same email address on the platform. > The identifier is not available for selection if you have selected the **Add all contacts despite duplicates** Import Purpose option in the previous step. **Step 5:** Add Tags for all Contacts that are being added to or updated on the Workspace as needed. Then, click **Next**. > An import tag will be generated automatically to identify each imported batch. This tag can be removed. #### Part 2: Map CSV Headers to Contact Fields Map the column headers in the CSV file to Contact Fields in your Workspace. This determines which Contact Field will be updated with a column’s values. If a column header in the file perfectly matches a Contact Field name (e.g. Phone Number), it will be mapped automatically. Ensure that the defined identifier is mapped. Each Contact Field can only be mapped once. If you wish to skip a column so its values are not imported, uncheck the checkbox on its left. A minimum of one column must be selected to proceed with the import. ##### “**Do Not Overwrite” Checkbox and its Functions** If you have selected the **Update existing contacts only** or **Add & update contacts** Import Purpose option, a **Do Not Overwrite** option will appear. **When Do Not Overwrite is checked:** - Fields with existing values will not be overwritten, values will be added only when the field is empty. - New tags will be added without removing existing tags. > By default, a value in the CSV file will replace the corresponding existing field value in your Workspace. **Example:** Contact A in your Workspace has the email [*contactabc@email.com*](mailto:contactabc@email.com). In the uploaded CSV file, Contact A is identified by their phone number and has the email address [*contact123@email.com*](mailto:contact123@email.com). If the checkbox is unchecked (default), the existing value will be overwritten and Contact A’s email will be updated to [\_contact123@email.com](mailto:_contact123@email.com).\_ If the checkbox is checked, the existing value will not be overwritten and Contact A’s email will remain as [*contactabc@email.com*](mailto:contactabc@email.com). > Once the columns have been mapped, click **Next**. The import file will then be validated. Keep in mind that importing larger CSV files will take longer. #### Part 3: Review Import The number of Contacts that will be added and updated after the import, or skipped due to errors, will be reported. Once ready, click **Import** to proceed. > Rows containing errors will not be imported. To identify errors in the original rows, click on "Download error file" to download a CSV file with an “Error” column. Resolve the errors described in the error messages. Once done, upload the corrected CSV file or return to Part 1 to reconfigure the import. Once the file has been validated, click **Import** to proceed. A dialog box will appear to confirm that the import has started. > The import process may take some time. You can monitor its progress by going to **Settings** > **Data Import**. ### Check Import Result You will be notified via email and the notifications center on the platform when the import job has been completed. You can download the results file from your email or the Import History table in **Settings** > **Data Import**. This file will be available for 7 days. The results file will contain 2 additional columns: *Import Status* and *Errors*. The Import Status column can have one of 4 possible statuses: | Import Status | Result | | --- | --- | | Imported | Contact was added successfully. | | Updated | Contact was updated successfully. | | Skipped | Contact was skipped based on import purpose (e.g. new Contact in an Update Existing Contacts Only import). | | Error | Contact wasn’t imported due to error(s). | The Errors column will flag rows with errors detected during the import. Contacts in these rows were not imported. To import these Contacts, resolve the errors and retry. ## [Contacts Overview](https:/respond.io/help/contacts/contacts-overview) The Contacts module allows you to manage all the Contacts the platform has interacted with. ### Getting Here > This module is accessible by **Owners** and **Managers** only! To access this module, in the side navigation menu > click **Contacts**. ### Navigation The Contacts Module has 3 main components: - Segments - Contacts Table - Contacts Menu ### Segments Segments are located on the left side of the **Contacts** module. Use Segments to group Contacts based on specific criteria and filters. > Learn more about [Segments here](https://respond.io/help/contacts/segments). ### Contacts Table You can find your Contacts’ records and information in the Contacts Table. The column headers with a sorting icon are the columns that are sortable, you may sort the records of these columns by clicking on the column headers. Note that the information shown in your Contacts Table depends on the columns you have [selected to display](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contacts-overview#customizing_columns). By default, the following columns are displayed: | Column | Description | | --- | --- | | Name | Displays the profile picture, first name and last name of the Contact. | | Channel(s) | Displays up to 3 connected channel icons. If there are more than 3 connected channels: - The first icon is the last interacted channel. - The second and third icons are the time the channels are connected, in an ascending order. - The number of remaining connected channels are listed in numerical form. When hover, the channel names and time connected are displayed. | | Email | Displays the email address of the Contact. | | Phone | Displays the phone number of the Contact. | | Tags | Displays the tags assigned to the Contact. | | Country | Displays the country flag which the Contact is from. | | Language | Displays the language of the Contact. | | Conversation status | Displays the conversation status of the Contact: Open, Closed, Snoozed, Blocked. | | Assignee | Displays the name of the user assigned to the Contact. | | Last message | Displays the time the last message is sent or received. | | Date added | Displays the date the Contact was created on the platform. | | Actions | Displays an action menu that allows user to perform actions, such as viewing Contact's profile details and blocking Contacts from future interactions. | #### Actions In the last column of the Contacts Table is an action menu. Click on it to view the available options: - View Details: Opens the Contact's record to show more details. - View Messages: Show a Contact's message history in the Inbox Module. - Block / Unblock Contact: Blocks a Contact from future interactions, or unblocks a Contact that you have mistakenly blocked. For a blocked Contact, any incoming messages received will not be reflected on the Inbox Module nor will it trigger any Workflow, and any ongoing Workflows for the Contact will automatically be stopped. - Delete: Deletes the Contact from the Contact List. > Be mindful when you delete a Contact as this will delete the conversation history associated with the Contact and the action cannot be undone. #### Contact Details > Learn more about [Contact details](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contact-details) here. View a Contact’s details by clicking on their profile picture or the Contact details icon. The Contact details consists of - Contact Name - Contact Channels - Merge Suggestions - Contact Fields - Tags > A profile consists of a profile image and name, supplied by the messaging channel the Contact used to message the platform. In the absence of a profile image, an avatar will be provided. In the absence of a profile name, the phone number or email address will be used instead. ### Contacts Menu The Contacts Menu is located on the top of the Contacts Module. It consists of the **search** bar, **filter** button, **Add Contact** button, **Add Segment** button, and **Actions** menu. #### Adding Contacts 1. In the Contacts Module, click the + Add Contact button. > You can also choose to import multiple Contacts. Learn more about [importing Contacts here](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contact-import). 2\. Fill in the Contact's information in the form provided. > Learn more about [adding WhatsApp Contacts here](https://faq.whatsapp.com/general/contacts/how-to-add-an-international-phone-number?lang=en). 3\. Review the information and click **Add**. > Automation and automatic Contact assignments will not be applied to Contacts added from the Contacts Module. #### Searching for Contacts If you wish to search for a particular Contact, input your query in the search box. > Learn more about the [Contact search behavior here](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview#search_for_contacts). #### Filtering Contacts You can view a list of Contacts that fulfill a set of criteria by applying filters. 1. Click the filter icon to open the filter drawer on the right. 2. Add a single filter or a filter group with multiple criterias. 3. Configure the filters. The following are criterias that can be filtered:Contact Field (e.g. First Name, Last Name, Phone Number, Email)ChannelContact TagLast Interacted ChannelTime Since Last Incoming Message 4. Contact Field (e.g. First Name, Last Name, Phone Number, Email) 5. Channel 6. Contact Tag 7. Last Interacted Channel 8. Time Since Last Incoming Message 9. View the filtered results, which are updated in real-time and immediately reflected in the Contacts Table. > To view all of your Contacts without any filters applied, click on the **Reset Filter** button located at the bottom right of the filter drawer. 5\. Click on the **Save as Segment** button to save your Segment. > Learn more about [Segments here](https://respond.io/help/contacts/segments). #### Exporting Contacts > Only **Owners** and **Managers** with no such restrictions can perform this action. > You can only export 100 Contacts per page from the Contacts Module. #### Customizing Columns The columns in the Contacts Table can be customized depending on your needs. Select Customize Columns from the Actions menu to do this. Select the checkboxes to indicate the columns you wish to display in your Contacts Table. The column display will automatically update and reflect your selections. > The **Name** column is required and cannot be deselected. #### Selecting Multiple Contacts To select Contacts, check the box to the left of their respective names in the Contact row. Alternatively, select all Contacts after applying the desired filters. Once selected, you can then perform the following actions. #### Delete Multiple Contacts > \- Only **Owners** and **Managers** with no such restrictions can perform this action. - You can delete unlimited Contacts in one go on the platform.- Deleting a Contact will also delete the conversation history associated with the Contact. 1. Select the Contacts you want to delete > Click the Delete button. 2. On the pop-up, enter the number of selected Contacts and click Delete to confirm the deletion of selected Contacts. #### Assign Tags to Multiple Contacts 1. Select the Contacts you want to tag. 2. Click the Assign Tags button. 3. Input your desired tags and click Add Tags to assign the tags to the selected Contacts. > You can only assign Tags to 100 Contacts at a time. ### Merge Contacts 1. Select two Contact profiles you want to merge > click the Merge button 2. Compare and review the Contact profiles and select the appropriate values to retain for the merged Contact. Then, click the Merge button to merge both profiles. > Merging two Contacts consolidates all associated Channels, Messages, Events, and Comments into the merged profile. This provides a holistic view of the Contact and their interactions with the platform. > \- You cannot merge Contacts who have been blocked. The **Merge** button will not be enabled if you have selected blocked Contacts. - Conversations closed by merging Contacts will NOT trigger a Workflow. - If you experience delays in merging Contacts, it may be due to system caching. If an error occurs, please retry after 10-15 minutes. ### Unmerge Contacts If you accidentally merge two Contacts, you can unmerge them. 1. Search for the merged Contact profile that you wish to unmerge. 2. At the end of the Contact row, click the Actions menu and select Unmerge Contact. 3\. Select the Contact you wish to unmerge and click the **Unmerge** button. > When you unmerge a Contact, all interactions that happened after the Contacts were merged will be associated with the primary Contact only. The secondary Contact will keep any interactions made before the merge happened. > If you experience delays in unmerging Contacts, it may be due to system caching. If an error occurs, please retry after 10-15 minutes. ## [CRM Integration: ActiveCampaign](https:/respond.io/help/zapier/crm-integration-activecampaign) Learn how to integrate ActiveCampaign with respond.io using Zapier to automatically manage Contact information and update agents on deal statuses. Streamline your marketing and sales processes and engage with your customers in a more personalized way to gain valuable insights about your customers by integrating ActiveCampaign to respond.io using Zapier. With this integration, you can automate various processes and tasks between ActiveCampaign and respond.io, such as: - Real time contact data updates between ActiveCampaign and respond.io - Updating deal statuses in respond.io when new deals are added in ActiveCampaign - Adding comments to Contacts in respond.io from ActiveCampaign We’ve created Zapier templates to accomplish some common business goals, so you don’t need to start your Zaps from scratch. > All templates will require you to connect to respond.io; follow the steps to set up a [respond.io Zapier integration here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier). ### List of Zapier Templates for ActiveCampaign and respond.io #### Add new respond.io Contacts to ActiveCampaign Keep your customer lists aligned across apps with this integration. When you add a new Contact in respond.io, ActiveCampaign will create a matching Contact or update one if there’s additional information to add. Use this template: - Add new respond.io contacts to ActiveCampaign #### Add new ActiveCampaign Contacts to respond.io Want to chat with your ActiveCampaign Contacts via instant messaging? Add them as Contacts on respond.io to start a conversation on their preferred messaging app. When a Contact is added to a list in ActiveCampaign, this integration will a new Contact to respond.io or update a Contact’s info if they are an existing Contact. Use this template: - Add new ActiveCampaign contacts to respond.io #### Add comments to respond.io conversations for new or updated ActiveCampaign deals Want agents to keep track of your ActiveCampaign deals and deals status on respond.io? With this integration, whenever a new deal is added or an existing deal is updated, a comment about it will be added to the relevant conversation in respond.io. Use this template: - Add comments to respond.io conversations for new or updated ActiveCampaign deals #### Add comments to Contacts in respond.io if new ActiveCampaign notes are added to Contacts It’s important to have context when having conversations with leads over respond.io. With this integration, you’ll easily get the latest information from ActiveCampaign. When a note is added to a Contact in ActiveCampaign, a comment will be automatically added to their conversation in respond.io. Use this template: - Add comments to contacts in respond.io if new ActiveCampaign notes are added to contacts. > We have Zapier templates integrating with other popular CRM & E-Commerce platform. See the [full list of templates here](https://zapier.com/apps/respondio/integrations#zap-template-list). ## [CRM Integration: HubSpot](https:/respond.io/help/zapier/hubspot) Learn how to use Zapier and Workflows to automatically sync Contact data and create deals and tickets by integrating HubSpot with respond.io. > Business Goal 1: Synchronize Contact information in HubSpot and respond.io. ### Synchronize Contact Information in HubSpot and respond.io **Understanding Contact Syncing Logic** There are four tasks that can be automated in order to sync contacts. **Sending data from respond.io to HubSpot** - Create or update a contact in HubSpot when a new Contact is added in respond.io. - Create or update a contact in HubSpot when a Contact is updated in respond.io. **Sending data from HubSpot to respond.io** - Create or update a Contact in respond.io when a new contact is added in HubSpot. - Update a Contact's information in respond.io when the Contact is updated in HubSpot. #### Create or update a contact in HubSpot when a new Contact is added in respond.io. When a new Contact is added in respond.io, the Zapier template will automatically search for that contact in Hubspot using the email as the identifier. These are the expected outcomes. | Trigger Event | Conditions | Actions | | --- | --- | --- | | New Contact is added in respond.io | Contact exists in HubSpot | Update Contact in HubSpot with new details | | New Contact is added in respond.io | Contact does not exist in HubSpot | Create a new HubSpot Contact | | New Contact is added in respond.io | Contact does not have an email in respond.io | Zap will stop | **Method** - Use a Zapier template **How-to** Use this template: - Create or update contacts in HubSpot when new contacts are added in respond.io ##### Template Configuration **Respond.io Trigger** > First, follow the steps to set up a [respond.io Zapier integration here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier) to configure the trigger. Run the trigger test and continue on to the action. **Filter Action** > Filters by Zapier and multi-step Zaps are only available on [Zapier’s Starter plan](https://zapier.com/app/pricing) and above. This template contains a filter so the Zap will only continue if the respond.io Contact’s email address exists. This is because HubSpot has set email as the required identifier to be used by Zapier. **HubSpot Action** Map the fields to be filled in for the newly created Contact. HubSpot has a long list of fields, but email is the only mandatory one. Scroll down and choose any other fields you want to add, e.g., first name, last name, phone number. If you have created [Custom Fields](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/contact-fields#adding_a_new_custom_field) in respond.io that match certain HubSpot fields, consider mapping those as well. #### Create or update a contact in HubSpot when a Contact is updated in respond.io When a Contact is updated in respond.io, the Zapier template will automatically search for that contact in Hubspot using the email as the identifier. These are the expected outcomes. | Trigger Event | Conditions | Actions | | --- | --- | --- | | Contact is updated in respond.io | Contact exists in HubSpot | Update Contact in HubSpot with new details | | Contact is updated in respond.io | Contact does not exist in HubSpot | Create a new HubSpot Contact | | Contact is updated in respond.io | Contact does not have an email in respond.io | Zap will stop | **Method** - Use a Zapier template **How-to** Use this template: - Create or update contacts in HubSpot when they are newly-updated in respond.io ##### Template Configuration **Respond.io Trigger** > First, follow the steps to set up a [respond.io Zapier integration here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier). For this trigger, you’ll need to choose which updated fields you want to be included as a trigger. There is the option to select Standard or Custom. For this example, we chose Standard as this would be the best choice for most common use cases. Add all relevant fields by selecting from the dropdown. **Filter Action** > Filters by Zapier and multi-step Zaps are only available on [Zapier’s Starter plan](https://zapier.com/app/pricing) and above. This template contains a filter so the Zap will only continue if the respond.io Contact’s email address exists. This is because HubSpot has set email as the required identifier to be used by Zapier. **HubSpot Action** Map the fields to be filled in for the newly created or update Contact. HubSpot has a long list of fields, but the only mandatory field is email. Scroll down and choose any other fields you want to add, e.g., first name, last name, phone number. If you have created [Custom Fields](/help/workspace-settings/contact-fields#adding_a_new_custom_field) in respond.io that match certain HubSpot fields, consider mapping those as well. #### Create or update a Contact in respond.io when a new contact is added in HubSpot When a new contact is added in HubSpot, the Zapier template will automatically search for that contact in respond.io using email as the identifier. These are the expected outcomes. | Trigger Event | Conditions | Actions | | --- | --- | --- | | Contact is added in HubSpot | Contact exists in respond.io with an email | Update Contact in respond.io with new details | | Contact is added in HubSpot | Contact does not exist in respond.io | Create a new respond.io Contact | | Contact is added in HubSpot | Contact exists in respond.io without an email | Create a new respond.io Contact* | \*If you recognize this has happened, you can [merge the contacts](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contacts-overview#merge_contacts). **Method** - Use a Zapier template **How-to** Use this template: - Create or update contacts in respond.io when new contacts are added in HubSpot ##### Template Configuration **HubSpot Trigger** Select your HubSpot account and set up the trigger. For most use cases, simply select Continue. If you have custom fields you want to add, select these from the Additional Properties dropdown. **Respond.io Action** > First, follow the steps to set up a [respond.io Zapier integration here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier). Select email as the Identifier Type. Map the other fields with the information you want from HubSpot, e.g., first name, last name, phone number. #### Update a Contact’s information in respond.io when the Contact is updated in HubSpot When a new Contact is added in HubSpot, the Zapier template will automatically search for that contact in respond.io using email as the identifier. These are the expected outcomes. | Trigger Event | Conditions | Actions | | --- | --- | --- | | Contact is updated in HubSpot | Contact exists in respond.io with an email | Update Contact in respond.io with new details | | Contact is updated in HubSpot | Contact does not exist in respond.io | Create a new respond.io Contact | | Contact is updated in HubSpot | Contact exists in respond.io without an email | Create a new respond.io Contact* | \*If you recognize this has happened, you can [merge the contacts](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contacts-overview#merge_contacts). **Method** Use a Zapier template **How-to** Use this template: - Add new recent updates to HubSpot contacts to respond.io ##### Template Configuration **HubSpot Trigger** Select your HubSpot account and set up the trigger. For most use cases, simply select Continue. If you have custom fields you want to add, select these from the Additional Properties dropdown. **Respond.io Action** > First, follow the steps to set up a [respond.io Zapier integration here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier). Select email as the Identifier Type because HubSpot uses email as the required identifier for Zapier. Map the other fields with the information you want from HubSpot, e.g., first name, last name, phone number. ## [CRM Integration: Pipedrive](https:/respond.io/help/zapier/pipedrive) Learn how to integrate Pipedrive with respond.io using Zapier to automatically manage Contact information and update agents on deal statuses. Streamline your sales and customer support processes by integrating Pipedrive to respond.io using Zapier. With this integration, you can automate various processes and tasks between Pipedrive and respond.io, such as: - Real-time contact data updates between Pipedrive and respond.io - Updating deal statuses in respond.io when new deals are added in Pipedrive - Adding notes in Pipedrive when a conversation closes in respond.io We’ve created Zapier templates to accomplish some common business goals, so you don’t need to start your Zaps from scratch. > You will need to connect to respond.io to use the Zapier templates. Follow the steps to [set up your respond.io and Zapier integration here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier). ### List of Zapier Templates for Pipedrive and respond.io #### Add new respond.io Contacts as Pipedrive people Add leads in Pipedrive while a conversation is happening. If you chat with new leads over instant messaging via respond.io, this automation will create a new person in Pipedrive for the respond.io Contact. Use this template: - Add new respond.io Contacts as Pipedrive people #### Add new respond.io updates to Pipedrive people Don't worry about manually updating respond.io Contact information to your Pipedrive account because this integration takes care of that for you. Anytime a selected field for a respond.io Contact is updated, Zapier automatically updates the fields of that person in Pipedrive. Use this template: - Add new respond.io Contact updates as Pipedrive people #### Create or update new Pipedrive Contacts in respond.io when a new person is added in Pipedrive Start chatting with Pipedrive leads right away by adding them as Contacts on respond.io. With this automation, when you add a new person in Pipedrive, they’ll be added as a respond.io Contact if they’re not, so you can start a conversation with them. It will also update an existing Contact profile in respond.io with any new information. Use this template: - Create or update new Pipedrive Contacts in respond.io #### Add new Pipedrive people updates to respond.io Contacts If you chat with leads over instant messaging, you’ll want to have the latest information about them to add context to your conversation. With this automation, when a person is updated in Pipedrive, they’ll be updated in respond.io so you’ll know if any details have changed. Use this template: - Add new Pipedrive people updates to respond.io Contacts #### Add respond.io comments for new Pipedrive deals It’s important for sales agents to know if a deal is in progress when they’re chatting with a Contact over respond.io. This integration will add a comment to the Contact’s conversation in respond.io when a new Pipedrive deal is created so agents can see it when they chat. Use this template: - Add respond.io comments for new Pipedrive deals #### Add comments to conversations in respond.io when new Pipedrive deals are updated With this integration, a comment will be automatically added to the corresponding conversation in respond.io whenever a Pipedrive deal is updated so agents are always informed of the latest deal updates. Use this template: - Add comments to conversations in respond.io when new Pipedrive deals are updated #### Find persons and add notes to Pipedrive contacts when new respond.io conversations close Closing notes in respond.io allow agents to summarize the outcome of the conversation with a Contact. Pass on this valuable information to Pipedrive with this integration. With it, a note will be added to the contact in Pipedrive with respond.io’s closing note. Use this template: - Find persons and add notes to Pipedrive contacts when new respond.io conversations close > We have Zapier templates integrating with other popular CRM & E-Commerce platforms. See the [full list of templates here](https://zapier.com/apps/respondio/integrations#zap-template-list). ## [CRM Integration: Salesforce](https:/respond.io/help/zapier/salesforce) Learn how to integrate Salesforce with respond.io using Zapier to automatically manage Contact information. Streamline your communication with leads by integrating your Salesforce platform to respond.io using Zapier. With this integration, you can automate various processes and tasks between Salesforce and respond.io, such as: - Real time data updates to respond.io Contacts when new leads are created - Enriching Salesforce lead data with new updates from respond.io. We’ve created Zapier templates to accomplish some common business goals, so you don’t need to start your Zaps from scratch. > All templates will require you to connect to respond.io; follow the steps to set up a [respond.io Zapier integration here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier). ### List of Zapier Templates #### Create a record in Salesforce when a Contact is created in respond.io If your conversations with leads start over instant messaging, you’ll want to add the lead to your Salesforce records. With this automation, it’s simple. Whenever you create a new Contact in respond.io, they’ll be added as a Salesforce record automatically. Use this template: - Create Salesforce records for new respond.io contacts #### Update a lead in Salesforce when a respond.io Contact is updated Save time on updating your leads in Salesforce with this integration. If you update a Contact in respond.io, they’ll be updated in Salesforce so your data is always up-to-date. Use this template: - Update Salesforce leads from respond.io #### Create or update a new Contact in respond.io when a new Salesforce record is created Want to chat with your Salesforce leads over instant messaging? This integration makes that effortlessly possible, automatically generating a Contact in respond.io whenever a new record is generated in Salesforce. Use this template: - Create or update contacts in respond.io when new Salesforce records are created #### Update a Contact in respond.io when a Salesforce record is updated When you chat with a Contact in respond.io, you’ll want to know what their status is in the sales funnel and get any additional information to add context to the conversation. Use this automation to update Contact details in respond.io when new Salesforce records are updated so you’ll always have the latest info. Use this template: - Add new Salesforce record updates to respond.io contacts > We have Zapier templates integrating with other popular CRM and e-commerce platforms. See the [full list of templates here](https://zapier.com/apps/respondio/integrations#zap-template-list). ## [Custom Channel Overview](https:/respond.io/help/custom-channel/custom-channel-overview) Get an overview of the Custom Channel and its capabilities. > You need to have an Advanced plan to connect your Custom Channel to respond.io. Please [upgrade or subscribe](https://respond.io/pricing?utm_source=google-ads&utm_campaign=18466766122&utm_content=141428885669&utm_term=respond.io%20pricing&creative=624935810553&device=c&placement=&gclid=CjwKCAjwt52mBhB5EiwA05YKo3G0atZgCRWEmvFZcXhEIeZD1qa50n0O7q4a5EP6v88ur9Aq4KXhzRoCzW0QAvD_BwE) to an Advanced or Enterprise plan of respond.io to use this feature. Look at our [GitHub project here](https://github.com/respond-io/custom-channel-integration-example) as an example of a Custom Channel you can try deploying on your server. ### How it works Watch this video for a tutorial on how your custom channel works with respond.io. #### Receiving a Message To receive a message via a Custom Channel, the following steps need to be followed: 1. When Contact attempts to send a message, the messaging service provider will call your custom integration server with the message payload (please review the API documentation of messaging service provider for reference). 2. Your custom integration server will receive the message and post it to respond.io (in respond.io format). 3. respond.io will receive the post request, save the message and display it on the Inbox module. #### Sending a Message To send a message via a Custom Channel, the following steps need to be followed: 1. When a User/Workflow/Broadcast attempts to send a message, respond.io will call your custom integration server with the message payload (in respond.io format). 2. Your custom integration server will receive the message and will post it to the messaging service provider in the format that they require (please review the API documentation of messaging service provider for reference). 3. The messaging service provider will receive the Webhook and confirm if the message has been delivered successfully. > If the message is not delivered successfully, you can try adding a retry mechanism in your custom integration server. ### Channel Capabilities The Custom Channel capabilities are listed below: - Message Status Availability - Broadcasts - Rate Limits #### Message Status Availability For the Custom Channel, the message status availability is shown in the table below: | Message Status | Availability | | --- | --- | | Sent | ✅ | | Delivered | ✅ | | Read | ✅ | | Failed | ✅ | #### Broadcasts It is possible to send broadcast messages through a Custom Channel connected to respond.io. > \- Learn more about [how to send a broadcast here](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast) - Learn how to [deal with failed broadcast messages here](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/dealing-with-failed-broadcasts) #### Rate Limits A rate limit is the number of API calls an app or user can make within a given time period defined by the channel. The rate limit for a Custom Channel is set at 20 requests per second. ### Channel Limitations - With Custom Channels, it is not possible to detect whether a messaging window is open or closed. - It is also not possible to send tagged or template messages. ## [Custom Channel Quick Start](https:/respond.io/help/custom-channel/custom-channel) Configure third-party messaging apps into respond.io. This integration allows your team to chat with your customers over any messaging Channel via a custom implementation. ### Connecting a Custom Channel **Step 1:** Go to **Settings > Channels** **Step 2:** Click **Add Channel > Custom Channel > Connect** **Step 3**: Enter the destination Webhook URL where outgoing messages will be sent. **Step 4**: Select the ID type for the Channel > click **Next** ID types are used for user identification and are used to communicate with your custom integration server. There are two types of IDs available: 1. Phone Number: Use this if the messaging service provider recognizes Contacts based on their Phone Number.Sample format: +60177872890 2. Sample format: +60177872890 3. Custom ID: Use this if the messaging service provider recognizes Contacts based on a custom-generated ID.The maximum character length is 50.A-Z, a-z, 0-9, _ , =, + , / and @ are allowed. 4. The maximum character length is 50. 5. A-Z, a-z, 0-9, _ , =, + , / and @ are allowed. **Step 5**: The following dialog will provide the **Channel ID**, **API Token**, and **Webhook URL** e.g. 1. Channel ID: gfd8g7fd89dgfd 2. API Token: aaaxczsadzxcasdacxzcasdaaaxczsadzxcasdacxzcasd 3. Webhook URL: https://app.respond.io/custom/channel/webhook/Using a Phone Number ID type allows you to initiate a conversation and send the first message to a Contact. #### Pass Messages to respond.io **Webhook URL** is used to post the **Messages**, **Messaging Echoes** and **Messaging Receipts** to the respond.io platform. The provided code will trigger the webhook on respond.io, creating a Contact if necessary and saving the message under that Contact. **Sample for Messages** **Sample for Messaging Echoes** **Sample for Messaging Receipts** | Field | Description | Validation | | --- | --- | --- | | channelId | Unique Channel ID | Required. Unique field. Is generated by respond.io. | | contactId | Unique Contact ID | Required. Unique respond.io contact id. Max 50 characters. | | events.type | Event Type | Required. Available type: message, message_echo, and message_status. | | events.mld | Message ID | Required. Unique message ID. Max 50 characters. | | events.timestamp | UNIX Epoch Time (milliseconds) | Required. Time of the event that triggered the callback. | | events.message.type | Message Type | Required. Available message types: text, attachment, location and quick_reply. Refer Message Type section for other message type samples. | | events.message.text | Message Text | Required. Max length 7,000 characters. | | events.status.value | Text | Required if event.type is message_status. Available status values: sent, delivered, read, and failed. | | events.status.message | Text | Required if events.status.value is failed. | | contact.firstName | First Name | Optional. Max 50 characters. | | contact.lastName | Last Name | Optional. Max 50 characters. | | contact.profilePic | Profile Pic URL | Optional. Avatar size should be no more than 100 kb. Recommended 720x720. | | contact.locale | Locale Code | Optional. Refer here for the list of values. | | contact.countryCode | Country Code | Optional. 2 letters country code - ISO ALPHA-2 Code. | | contact.timezone | Time Zone | Optional. (min: -24) (max: 24). | | contact.email | Email Address | Optional. Max 50 characters. | | contact.phone | Phone Number | Optional. Max 18 characters. | | contact.language | Language | Optional. ISO 639-1. | **Response - Success (HTTP status → 200)** #### Handle Outgoing Messages from respond.io respond.io will call the endpoint `/message` > Ensure you apply the **Outgoing Message** code on the `/message` route of your web server. Here is the cURL example of respond.io calling the endpoint: **Response - Success (HTTP status → 200)** Authentication needs to happen at the endpoint before sending the message to the Messaging Service Provider. Here's an example of using an express middleware for this purpose: > We've included an example of a Custom Channel you can test on your server. Check out our GitHub project [here](https://github.com/respond-io/custom-channel-integration-example). ##### Messages Type **Sample for Text** | Field | Description | Validation | | --- | --- | --- | | type | Message Type | Required. text | | text | Message Text | Required. Max length 7,000 characters. | **Sample for Media File** | Field | Description | Validation | | --- | --- | --- | | type | Message Type | Required. attachment. | | attachment.type | Attachment Type | Required. Available attachment types: image, video, audio and file. | | attachment.url | URL | Required. Max 2,000 characters. Make sure it’s a public link so users or contacts are able to see the content. | | attachment.mimeType | Mime Type of the Attachment | Optional | | attachment.fileName | File Name | Optional. The File name should include an extension. Max 256 characters (including file extension). Sending a file without an extension or with the wrong extension might cause the contact or user to be unable to open the file. | | attachment.description | File Description | Optional. Max 256 characters. Only applicable for attachment.type = image. | Ensure that the attachment URL isn't forcibly downloaded by the browser. The HTTP response's `Content-Disposition` header should have the default value, which is `inline`. **Sample for Location** | Field | Description | Validation | | --- | --- | --- | | type | Message Type | Required. location. | | latitude | Coordinates | Required. Latitude (±90°) within valid ranges. | | longtitude | Coordinates | Required. Longitude (±180°) within valid ranges. | | address | Location Address | Optional. Max 256 characters. | **Sample for Quick Reply** | Field | Description | Validation | | --- | --- | --- | | type | Message Type | Required. quick_reply. | | title | Quick Reply Title | Required. Max 256 characters. | | replies | Reply Text | Required. Max 10 replies with max. 256 characters for each reply. | ### Error Codes **Error (HTTP Status → 4xx)** ### Channel Configuration **Step 1:** Click **Settings** > **Channels** **Step 2:** Locate the Custom Channel > click **Manage** **Step 3:** In the **Custom Channel Configuration page** you will see the following configurations: - Channel Icon - Upload an image that serves as the icon for your Custom Channel. - Channel Name - The Channel Name can be changed and is used internally to identify the Channel. - Webhook URL for Outgoing message — The webhook URL for outgoing messages to this Channel. - Webhook URL for Incoming message — The webhook URL for incoming messages to this Channel. - ID Type — These are used for user identification and are used to communicate with your custom integration server. - Channel ID — Unique Channel ID to identify your Custom Channel. - API Token — A unique identifier used to authenticate a user to access an API. **Step 4**: Click **Save Changes** to update the Custom Channel configuration. ### **FAQ for Custom Channel Webhooks** #### Why does the webhook return a 200 status even if the message fails to be delivered to respond.io? When connecting a Custom Channel, messages sent to respond.io through webhooks will always return a 200 status code immediately, regardless of whether the message was successfully passed to respond.io. This is due to the nature of webhooks, which are designed to return an immediate response without verifying the success of the message delivery. ## [Custom Inboxes](https:/respond.io/help/inbox/custom-inbox) Use Custom Inboxes to filter and save a list of Contacts and conversations that fulfill a set of conditions. ### Using Custom Inboxes Use a Custom Inbox to create a list of Contacts according to predefined filters. Custom Inboxes can help you tackle your to-do list as quickly as possible. > Respond.io also provides Standard and Team Inboxes. Depending on their access levels, Workspace users can use these to manage their Contacts and conversations. Learn more about the different inboxes [here](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview#inbox_sidebar). ### Adding a Custom Inbox If the Standard and Team Inboxes do not address your filtering needs, you can add a Custom Inbox to the Workspace and reuse it when necessary. **Step 1:** Create a Custom Inbox in Inbox module by clicking the **+** button next to the Custom Inbox label. **Step 2:** Name your Custom Inbox with an appropriate name for easy reference. By default, newly created Custom Inboxes are only accessible by the creators. Creators may share their Custom Inboxes with their team or other Workspace users. Select **Create** to create your Custom Inbox. **Step 3:** Next, configure the filters for your Custom Inbox. The categories available within a condition include: - Contact Field (inclusive of all custom fields) - Channel - Contact Tag - Last Interacted Channel - Time Since Last Incoming Message. > Nested conditions are now supported. Review and click **Save** to set the filters for the new Custom Inbox. > By default, newly created Custom Inboxes are only accessible by the creators. Creators may share their Custom Inboxes with their team or other Workspace users. ### Renaming a Custom Inbox You can edit a Custom Inbox’s name after creating it. To do this, select the **Actions menu** next to your chosen Custom Inbox. Select **Edit** > **Settings** and edit its name under **Custom Inbox name**. Save changes by selecting the **Save** button. > **Tip**: Make sure the name is self-explanatory for easy reference. ### Sharing a Custom Inbox You can share a Custom Inbox you created with other users or teams in the Workspace. Custom Inboxes can be shared with one of three different settings: - Private - The inbox can only be accessed by the creator. - Public - The inbox can be accessed by all Workspace users. - Shared - The inbox can be accessed by specific users or teams. **Step 1:** Select the Custom Inbox > click on the Actions menu > select Edit > select Settings **Step 2:** Select your preferred Share Option. If you select **Shared**, select the Users or teams you would like to grant inbox access to. **Step 3:** Review and select **Save.** > A Custom Inbox can be shared with multiple users, multiple teams, or a combination of both. ### Editing a Custom Inbox **Step 1:** Navigate to the Custom Inbox configuration panel of a Custom Inbox by selecting the action menu next to the Custom Inbox name. **Step 2:** Change the filtering options as desired. If any changes are made, the word "Unsaved" will be appended at the end of the Custom Inbox name. **Step 3:** Save the Custom Inbox by clicking Save at the bottom. You can also select “Save as new Custom Inbox” to save the filters as a new inbox. ### Deleting a Custom Inbox To delete a Custom Inbox, select **Delete** from the action menu. > **Warning:** Only saved Custom Inboxes can be edited, renamed and deleted. Standard, Team (such as Mine) and Blocked Contacts Inboxes cannot be edited, renamed or deleted. > **Warning:** Deleting a Custom Inbox affects all Workspace users it's shared with, and it can't be restored afterward. ## [Dashboard](https:/respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/dashboard) A summary of workforce performance and important key metrics across your Workspace. ### Getting here > This module is accessible by Owners and Managers only! When you log in to the platform, you will be greeted with the **Dashboard** screen by default. You can also access this module via the side navigation menu. From the Dashboard, you will be presented with a variety of widgets to help you monitor your workforce and provide a comprehensive snapshot of what is happening in your Workspace. ### Dashboard Widgets There are 5 widgets in the Dashboard and each has a different purpose:- 1. Contacts 2. Team Members 3. Conversations 4. Merge Suggestions 5. Upcoming Broadcasts #### Contacts This widget will list all Contacts with an open conversation. Each Contact will show the display avatar, name, last message sent/received, duration since the conversation was opened and Contact assignee if available. This list is sorted by conversation duration, from longest to shortest. > Clicking on the Contact's record will navigate you to the Inbox Module with the selected Contact's chat history and details. #### Team Members This widget lists all the Users in the Workspace. Each user row will show the User's avatar, name, status, Team and assigned Contacts. The team and status filters can be applied to drill down to a group of Users. > The team filter will not be shown if there are no teams within the Workspace. #### Conversations This widget reports on the number of opened and closed conversations based on the selected time range. From the top right corner, you can select different time ranges such as *Today*, *Yesterday*, *Last 14 days* and *Last 30 days*. #### Merge Suggestions This widget lists all the merge suggestions based on the Contact's email address or phone number. The User can choose to merge or dismiss the suggestion. If a User dismisses the suggestion, it will not be shown in this widget again but can be found in the contact details drawer. #### Upcoming Broadcasts This widget lists all the upcoming broadcasts that were scheduled in advance. Each broadcast row will show the broadcast's name, channel, scheduled date and time. This list is sorted by earliest to latest scheduled time. ## [Data Export](https:/respond.io/help/workspace-settings/data-export) Export data from the Workspace to perform in-depth analyses. ### Getting Here > This setting is accessible by Owners and Managers. Access this feature from your Workspace settings under the Data settings sub-menu item, Data export. ### Exporting Data 1. Select the data to be exported. You may select from Contacts, Conversations, Messages or Failed Messages. > **Failed Messages** data export is useful to analyze Contacts who did not receive your outbound messages, including Broadcast messages. 2\. Select a date range. This is only applicable for **Conversations**, **Messages** or **Failed Messages**. > Date range is limited to one year only. 3\. Once done configuring, click **Export Data** to begin exporting. 4\. Once the file is ready to be downloaded, you will receive a notification and you may download the file from the Data Export History table. 5\. Once your file has been downloaded, open the downloaded file and check for the following special characters. > The platform automatically appends a special character indicator, **'** , before these special characters (= , + , - , @ , 0x09"(tab), 0x0D (carriage return) , ; , \` , |). You must remove this special character indicator (') from the downloaded files before you can further process it on another platform. ### Important notes - Data Export is only allowed one at a time per Workspace. If there is a processing data export job in a Workspace, Users cannot perform another data export job within the same Workspace. - The requested data export file is only valid for 7 days, starting from the time requested. If you need to download the same file, please request the same data export. - In case the data export request takes longer than 15 minutes, the job will be dismissed and User can request a data export again 30 minutes after the initial request - You can perform a User ID lookup using exported user data. Learn how to export user data here. - To see the correct time format, you would need to Import Data/Import From Text and change the File_Origin to "65001: Unicode (UTF-8)" in the import wizard. ### Data Export History | Table Headers | Description | | --- | --- | | Date Requested | The date of which the data export was requested | | Data Set | The data set that was requested | | Requested By | The user who requested for the data export job | | Status | The status of the data export request | ## [Developer API](https:/respond.io/help/integrations/developer-api) Use respond.io’s Developer API to take advantage of many core features, including automating messages, syncing CRMs and triggering Workflows. > **Tip:** Please see our specific [API Documentation here](https://developers.respond.io/) for more information. Developer APIs empower any developer or team to build custom solutions and integrations. Respond.io’s Developer API allows users to take advantage of many core features in respond.io, including automating messages, syncing CRMs and triggering Workflows. ### Getting Started > Developer API is only available for Growth Plan and above. #### Step 1: Navigate to Integrations in Workspace Settings. From the **Settings** Module, navigate to the menu item, **Integrations**. #### Step 2: Navigate to Developer API From the list, search for Developer API and press **Edit**. #### Step 3: Add Access Token Press **Add Access Token** to add a new access token. This token is needed to access our API endpoints. ## [Dialogflow Overview](https:/respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-overview) Get an overview of how to use Dialogflow with respond.io. Dialogflow, formerly known as Api.ai, is a natural language understanding platform that makes it easy to design and integrate a conversational user interface into your mobile app, web application, device, bot, interactive voice response system, and so on. Using Dialogflow, you can provide new and engaging ways for users to interact with your product. With Dialogflow integrated with the respond.io platform, you can: - Develop powerful conversational functionalities - Deliver messages on the requests of users - Store profile-specific information - Retain contextual awareness ### Dialogflow Editions Dialogflow offers two main types of agents: **Dialogflow CX** and **Dialogflow ES**. - Dialogflow CX is designed specifically for large-scale and complex conversational systems suitable for enterprises. - Dialogflow ES is a simpler edition that is well-suited for small to medium-sized businesses and organizations that are just starting out with chatbots and conversational systems. > Learn more about [Dialogflow editions here](https://cloud.google.com/dialogflow/docs/editions). ### Connecting to Dialogflow To set up the Dialogflow API Integration with respond.io, you can take a look at the following article: - Connecting to Dialogflow ### Dialogflow + respond.io The following table summarizes what you can achieve with the Dialogflow + respond.io integration: | Feature | Dialogflow Only | Dialogflow + respond.io | | --- | --- | --- | | Natural Language Processing | ✅ | ✅ | | Intent Manager | ✅ | ✅ | | Entity Management | ✅ | ✅ | | Multi-channel Integration | - | ✅ | | One-Click Deployment | - | ✅ | | Contact Manager (CRM) | - | ✅ | | Broadcasting | - | ✅ | | Surveys | - | ✅ | | Automatic Tagging | - | ✅ | | AI-Human Hybrid/Handoff | - | ✅ | | Variable Values | - | ✅ | | File Storage and Delivery | - | ✅ | | Parametric Code Generator | - | ✅ | | Store and Manage Responses | - | ✅ | The respond.io platform utilizes Dialogflow's parameters and events to achieve the functionalities in the table above. To learn more on how to make the most out of this integration, take a look at the pages below: - Custom Payloads - Parameters - Events **Limitations** When a Contact starts a chat via Dialogflow for the first time, the Dialogflow bot can only process and respond to text messages and keywords on the respond.io platform. Files, images or videos will be ignored. Instead, it will reply with the default message for that conversation. ## [Dialogflow: Connecting to Dialogflow](https:/respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-connecting-to-dialogflow) Learn how to connect a Dialogflow Agent to respond.io. > To help you better understand the integration between DialogFlow and respond.io, you may read the following blog posts: [\-How to Build a Chatbot with Dialogflow](https://respond.io/blog/dialogflow-tutorial) [- How to Use respond.io as a Dialogflow CRM](https://respond.io/blog/dialogflow-crm-dialogflow-human-handoff) Connecting Dialogflow to respond.io is simple as you will only need to retrieve a JSON file from Dialogflow and upload it to respond.io platform. ### Video Tutorial This video guide will take you through generating and retrieving the Google Service Account Key (a JSON file) from your Dialogflow Agent and uploading it respond.io platform. ### Setting Up Dialogflow > Prior to generating the Google Service Account Key, you will need to have a Google account to sign into Dialogflow. In order to set up Dialogflow, we will need to do the following: - ​Getting a Dialogflow account​ - ​Creating a Dialogflow agent​ - ​Connecting to Dialogflow​ > You may skip the step and proceed to the next if you have already performed it. #### Getting a Dialogflow Account **Step 1:** [Navigate to this page](https://dialogflow.cloud.google.com/) and proceed to login with your Google account. **Step 2:** Review the terms and check the box. Click Accept to proceed. > You have now created your Dialogflow account and you can proceed to the next step, Creating a Dialog Agent. #### Creating a Dialogflow Agent In Dialogflow, there is a module named **Agent** that acts as the brain of your bot. This component will help your bot understand and classify human languages. **Step 1:** Once you have logged in, click the dropdown arrow and click **Create new agent** at the side navigation menu. **Step 2:** Give the agent a name for internal reference. Make any necessary changes to the default settings. | Fields | Description | | --- | --- | | Name | For identification purposes. This name will be used for internal reference only. | | Language | The language to be used for Dialogflow's natural language processes. Choose the language of your target audience. | | Timezone | The timezone to be adopted for analytics purposes on Dialogflow. | > Note that a new Google Cloud Project will be automatically created to the Dialogflow Agent when created. The Google Cloud Project will be used to connect Dialogflow to respond.io. **Step 3:** When you are ready, click **CREATE** to create the agent. > Now, the Dialogflow Agent is created and you can proceed to connect Dialogflow to respond.io. #### Connecting to Dialogflow Connecting Dialogflow to the respond.io platform is simple as you will only need to retrieve a JSON file from Dialogflow and upload it to the respond.io platform. **Step 1:** Login using your Google account that is associated with [Dialogflow](https://dialogflow.cloud.google.com/). **Step 2:** Navigate to the Settings module by clicking the ⚙ icon beside the Agents dropdown menu. **Step 3:** In the General tab, click the link in the Service Account to view the associated Google Project. **Step 4:** With the Google Project open, click **Go to project setting**. **Step 5:** In the **IAM & Admin** menu > Select **Service Accounts** **Step 6:** In the Service Account Details screen, name the Service Account and click **CREATE AND CONTINUE** **Step 7:** Assign the **Dialogflow API Client** role to the service account > click **CONTINUE** **Step 8:** The Grant users access to this service account step is **optional**. **Step 9:** Click **DONE** **Step 10:** Locate the previously created Service Account and select **Manage Key** from the actions menu. **Step 11:** In the Keys screen, click **ADD KEY** > **Create new key** and select **JSON** when prompted which format of key is preferred > click **CREATE** > The JSON file will be automatically downloaded to your computer's **Downloads** folder. **Step 12:** Log in to respond.io with your user account and navigate to **Settings** > **Integrations** **Step 13:** From the list, search for Dialogflow and click **Connect**. **Step 14:** Select the language of your target audience and upload the JSON file downloaded from **Step 11**. **Step 15:** Click **Connect** to connect the Dialogflow Agent to the platform. > Your Dialogflow Agent is now connected to the respond.io platform. The Agent will start to respond to any incoming messages. > Having trouble with connecting to Dialogflow? Contact us [here](https://respond.io/contact). ### Dialogflow Multilingual Agent When creating an agent in Dialogflow, the language you choose is set as the default language. With the Multilingual Agent feature your agent can now support additional languages. **How Dialogflow Multilingual Agent works in respond.io** The Language Field in the contact’s details on the respond.io platform is used in the request sent to Dialogflow. When a request is sent to Dialogflow, the contact's language will be included and Dialogflow will resolve and respond according to the language value. Example: If the Contact's Language Field is English, the platform will request an *en* response and if the Language Field is Spanish the platform will request the *es* response. > Learn more about [Multilingual Agents here](https://cloud.google.com/dialogflow/es/docs/agents-multilingual#add). > For this to work, you will first need to create a Multilingual Agent in your Dialogflow account. #### How to Create a Multilingual Agent To create a Multilingual Agent, follow the steps below. **Step 1:** In the left sidebar menu, click the **+** button to add another language. **Step 2:** In the **Languages** tab click **Select Additional Language** and select an additional language from the dropdown menu. **Step 3:** To add language localization for a specific region, hover over the language and click **\+ Add locale**. > Locale-specific languages are languages that are specific to a region or a country. **Step 4:** Click **SAVE** > The Language Field on the platform must be filled for the Dialogflow Multilingual Agent to work. Learn more about [Contact Fields here](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contact-details#contact_fields). ### What's next? The interaction between Dialogflow Agent and Contact is managed by intents. In summary, intents are used to describe the expected behavior for one conversation turn based on the prescribed incoming behavior. Read more on how to manage intents: - Managing Intents ## [Dialogflow: Creating a Chatbot](https:/respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-creating-a-chatbot) Learn how to use the Dialogflow integration to create a chatbot. > **Tip:** For more advanced and easier to use automated replies to conversations, consider using [Workflows](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview). Respond.io has extensive integrations with Dialogflow that cater to various use cases, including creating chatbots. The following image shows an example of how Dialogflow can be used to automate specific responses. > **Tip:** To better understand the integration between Dialogflow and respond.io, read the following blog posts: [How To Build a Chatbot with Dialogflow](https://respond.io/blog/dialogflow-tutorial)[How To Use respond.io As a Dialogflow CRM](https://respond.io/blog/dialogflow-crm-dialogflow-human-handoff) > Dialogflow's chatbot is [not supported for email channels](https://respond.io/help/email/email-overview#email_limitations) on respond.io due to Dialogflow's intent text input limit. Consider using [Workflows](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview). ### Connecting to Dialogflow Follow the guide below to connect to Dialogflow - Connecting to Dialogflow ### Creating a Basic Intent For this guide, we will create a basic intent that enables the chatbot to answer inquiries regarding operating hours. **Step 1: Create Intent** Navigate to the [Dialogflow](https://dialogflow.cloud.google.com/) console and click **Intents** on the side navigation menu. Press the ➕ or **CREATE INTENT** from the top of the module. **Step 2: Name Your Intent** Enter a name for your intent. Your intent name should represent the end-user expressions it recognizes. For example, `operating_hours_enquiry`. **Step 3: Include Training Phrases** > The template phrases will be deprecated and ignored during training. Learn more [here](https://cloud.google.com/dialogflow/es/docs/intents-training-phrases#example_and_template_modes). Training phrases are the phrases that will trigger the specific intent and the expected behavior. You can compile the most commonly asked questions in regards to operating hours and include the list as training phrases. For example, *What are your operating hours?* *What time do you close?* *Are you open on Sundays?* *Which day do you close?* *Are you open on the weekends?* *What time do you open?* *What time do you close?* **Step 4: Build Intent Response** Scroll down to the **Responses** section and add a **Text Response**. > **Tips:** You can send multiple responses.You may add a few response variants and a response will be chosen by randomized selection for the Contact. The response we will build for this intent is: *Our operating hours are Monday to Saturday, 10am to 10pm. We are closed on Sundays and Public Holidays. Let us know if you require further assistance.* **Step 5: Test It Out** You can test it with the testing panel located at the right side of Dialogflow or test it with the connected Channels. ### What's Next? Now that you know how to create an intent, enhance it with more use cases specific to your company. - Managing Intents ## [Dialogflow: Custom Payloads](https:/respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-custom-payloads) Learn about supported Custom Payloads on respond.io. ### Custom Payload Support Dialogflow does not have templates for sending custom payloads to all the channels supported by the respond.io platform. Use the table below as a reference for the templates to be used. | Channel Type | Supported by respond.io | Template Docs | | --- | --- | --- | | Facebook Messenger | ✅ | ​Link​ | | LINE | ✅ | ​Link​ | | Telegram | ✅ | ​Link​ | | Viber | ✅ | ​Link​ | | Twitter | - | - | | Website Chat | - | - | | WeChat | ✅* | - | | WhatsApp Business API (respond.io WhatsApp BSP) | - | - | | WhatsApp Cloud API | ✅* | - | | WhatsApp 360dialog | - | - | | WhatsApp MessageBird | - | - | | WhatsApp Twilio | - | - | | WhatsApp Vonage | - | - | | SMS Twilio | - | - | \*Channel will receive the message intended for Facebook; use the Facebook Template Docs for this channel. ## [Dialogflow: Events](https:/respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-events) Learn how to use events to trigger Dialogflow intents. Use events to trigger Dialogflow intents. Aside from user input, events are also used to trigger intents. Any intents with the event name listed under the “Events” section will be triggered when an event occurs. A good example of this is the default `WELCOME` event, which is already built into Dialogflow. This event is triggered whenever a new user begins chatting with the bot. ### Parametric URLs Any intents with the events for `REF_[PARAM]` or `REF_START_[PARAM]` are triggered when the user arrives from a parametric URL. **Example:** m.me/respondio?ref=\[PARAM\]. If you would like a custom parameter to trigger a Dialogflow intent, please ensure the parameter has a prefix of `REF_` on the intent's event configuration. Example: `REF_PARAM` Referring to the example above, if you want to trigger an intent from m.me/respondio?ref=medium , add `REF_MEDIUM` to the intent's event configuration. > Bear in mind that the `REF` prefix is not necessary for the `WELCOME` event as this event is a default event built into Dialogflow. ## [Dialogflow: Fulfillment Webhook Request](https:/respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-fulfillment-webhook-requests) Learn how to use fulfillment webhook requests to pass data from respond.io to Dialogflow. If you are building a Dialogflow Agent that uses [Dialogflow Fulfillment](https://cloud.google.com/dialogflow/es/docs/fulfillment-overview) extensively, you will find the data passed by the channel provider useful for your application. This data is passed from the respond.io platform to Dialogflow using the originalDetectIntentRequest field. ### Contact Object To allow for more advanced use cases of the API, the Contact object is appended to the request by the platform. The cId item in the Contact object reflects the same value used in the Contacts API. #### Facebook #### LINE #### SMS Twilio #### SMS MessageBird #### SMS Vonage #### Telegram #### Twitter #### Viber #### WeChat #### Webchat #### WhatsApp Business API #### WhatsApp Cloud API #### WhatsApp Twilio #### WhatsApp MessageBird #### WhatsApp Vonage #### WhatsApp 360dialog v1 #### WhatsApp 360dialog v2 ## [Dialogflow: Managing Intents](https:/respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-managing-intents) Personalize the chatbot responses by configuring intents. ### What is an Intent? Dialogflow's definition of Intent: *An intent categorizes an end-user's intention for one conversation turn. For each agent, you define many intents, where your combined intents can handle a complete conversation. When an end-user writes or says something, referred to as an end-user expression, Dialogflow matches the end-user expression to the best intent in your agent. Matching an intent is also known as intent classification.* A basic intent contains the following : - Training phrases - These are example phrases for what end-users might say. When an end-user expression resembles one of these phrases, Dialogflow matches the intent. > The template phrases will be deprecated and ignored during training. Learn more [here](https://cloud.google.com/dialogflow/es/docs/intents-training-phrases#example_and_template_modes). - Action - You can define an action for each intent. When an intent is matched, Dialogflow provides the action to your system, and you can use the action to trigger certain actions defined in your system. - Parameters - When an intent is matched at runtime, Dialogflow provides the extracted values from the end-user expression as parameters. Each parameter has a type, called the entity type, which dictates exactly how the data is extracted. - Responses - You define text, speech, or visual responses to return to the end-user. These may provide the end-user with answers, ask the end-user for more information, or terminate the conversation. A more complex intent may also contain the following: - Contexts: Dialogflow contexts are similar to natural language context. If a person says to you "they are orange", you need context in order to understand what the person is referring to. Similarly, for Dialogflow to handle an end-user expression like that, it needs to be provided with context in order to correctly match an intent. - Events: With events, you can invoke an intent-based on something that has happened, instead of what an end-user communicates. > The intents can be triggered based on your contacts' **Country** and **Language**. If your contact has a country or language value present in their contact details, the intents can be triggered based on the different values of country and language. ### Viewing Intents **Step 1: Login to Dialogflow** Navigate to the [Dialogflow](https://dialogflow.cloud.google.com/#/agent/appointmentscheduler-fiqd/intents) console and login with your user credentials. **Step 2: Navigate to Intents** Select the agent you would like to configure and select Intents from the side navigation menu > All the default intents and created intents will be listed in this view. ### Default Intents When you create an agent, two default intents will be created for you by Dialogflow. - Default Welcome Intent: This intent is matched when the contact begins a conversation with the platform. This intent should return a response that lets the end-user know what your agent does or what they can say to begin a conversation. - Default Fallback Intent: This intent is matched when the agent cannot match the end-user expression to any other intent. #### Default Welcome Intent > **Tip:** Learn more about [Dialogflow's definition of Default Welcome Intent](https://cloud.google.com/dialogflow/es/docs/intents-default#welcome). As you can see, the Default Welcome Intent has a pre-requisite of Welcome event and greetings phrases. When a contact messages you for the first time, this intent will be matched according to what was specified. Refer to the following example: > **Suggestion:** To manage Contact's expectations, we suggest including responses that inform the contact that they are interacting with a chatbot. #### Default Fallback Intent > **Tip:** Learn more about Dialogflow's [definition of Default Fallback Intent](https://cloud.google.com/dialogflow/es/docs/intents-default#welcome). When the incoming message or event does not match any of the existing intents, a fallback intent will be matched instead. Refer to the following example : > **Suggestion:** If the Agent cannot understand the message, the Agent should offer to hand off the conversation to a live agent to help with the contact's issue. ### Creating an Intent You can create new intents if you would like to create automated processes for specific use cases. With Parameters and Events, intents can be created to suit multiple use cases. In order to help you better understand, the following guide will be based on a specific use case as described below: *Company XYZ often receives queries on order status from the website's webchat. As they were going through the conversations, they detected a common pattern where their agents would ask for the customer's customer ID to further check the issue or resolve the enquiry. Once they obtained the customer ID from the customer, they would update the custom field and add it as a tag.* Based on the scenario above, the process of obtaining the customer ID can be done by the chatbot. Once the customer ID is obtained, the contact will be handoff to a human agent for further assistance. Let's break it down into simpler steps: 1. Create an intent to prompt for customer ID. 2. Create an intent to obtain the customer ID. 3. Save the customer ID as a custom field on respond.io. 4. Add a tag. 5. Hand off the conversation to a human agent. 6. Notify the human agent. 7. Disable the bot. **Expected Outcome** #### Creating a Basic Intent **Step 1: Create Intent** Navigate to the [Dialogflow console](https://dialogflow.cloud.google.com/#/agent/appointmentscheduler-fiqd/intents) and press Intents from the side navigation menu. Press the ➕ or **CREATE INTENT** from the top of the module. **Step 2: Name your Intent** Enter a name for your intent. Your intent name should represent the end-user expressions it recognizes. For this scenario, we'll name it `order_status_enquiry`. **Step 3: Include Training Phrases** Based on the scenario above, we should include training phrases that asked for order status specifically. Start by typing in the placeholders in Training Phrases section. You can include multiple phrases to cater for different type of phrases. For example: *where is my order could you help me check my order please what is the status of my order* **Step 4: Build Intent Response** For this intent, the response should prompt the Contact for their customer ID to be used for the following intent. Scroll down to the **Responses** section and type in the response. You can either add a **Text Response** or **Custom Payload**. For this scenario, **Text Response** will serve the purpose. > **Tips:** - You can send multiple responses at one time for better readability. - You may add a few variants of the response and they will be randomized when sent to Contacts. The response we will build for this intent is: *I apologize in advance if your order is taking too long. Can I have your customer ID please?* > **Tip:** Learn more about [response templates here](https://respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-response-templates). #### Creating an Entity Before we can save the value as a custom field, we will need to create an entity to detect the value from incoming messages. Based on the scenario above, we will name this entity as `customerId` and it will be used to store the customer ID for a customer. **Step 1: Create an Entity** Navigate to the Entities module. Press on the ➕ or **CREATE ENTITY**. **Step 2: Name the Entity** For this example, we will name it customer\_id. **Step 3: Enter the possible values** The entity should accept a string with 5 integers in length. Regular expression will be applied to validate the value. For this example, the value will be `(\d){5}` that accepts any string with 5 digits. > **Tip:** Learn more about [regular expressions here](https://github.com/google/re2/wiki/Syntax). > **Tip:** Learn more about [entities here](https://cloud.google.com/dialogflow/es/docs/entities-overview). #### Creating an Intent with Parameters **Step 1: Create Follow Up Intent** Navigate to the [Dialogflow console](https://dialogflow.cloud.google.com/#/agent/appointmentscheduler-fiqd/intents) and press **Intents** from the side navigation menu. Locate the previous intent created and press **Add follow-up intent**. > A follow-up intent is used instead because this intent will need to be triggered after the specified intent. By default, the context and action will be populated by default so that the intent will work in sequence. **Step 2: Include Training Phrases** The phrases to include in this intent will most likely be phrases that contain the customer ID. We can input a phrase and highlight the text that is likely to be the customer ID. Select the entity created earlier and annotate the text with it. By default, a parameter will be created when you annotate a text with an entity so store the values. > **Tip:** Learn more about [annotating training phrases here](https://cloud.google.com/dialogflow/es/docs/intents-training-phrases#annotation). **Step 3: Build Intent Response** For this intent, the response should inform the contact that the customer ID has been received and a human agent will take over the conversation and resolve the issue. Scroll down to the **Responses** section and type in the response. Add a **Text Response**. The response we will build for this intent is : > Thanks for providing your customer ID. Your issue is being assigned to our human agents. #### Saving a Value as a Custom Field When the contact responds with their customer ID, the value can be saved as a custom field in respond.io platform. > In order to save the value to a custom field, please ensure the custom field is created on the respond.io platform. To save the value, add a parameter `RB_FIELD_{custom field's name}`. In this case, the parameter will be `RB_FIELD_customerid` and set the entity `$customer_id` as the value. #### Adding a Tag Add a parameter `RB_ADDTAGS` and set the entity `$customer_id` as the value #### Handing Off the Conversation Now, we want to hand off the conversation to a human agent. This can be achieved with another parameter, `RB_USER_ASSIGN` and set the user's email as the value #### Disabling the bot The parameters will be executed in sequence. Lastly, we will disable the bot response for this contact because we do not want any intent to be triggered when the contact is handled by a human agent. To do so, we will add another parameter, `RB_BOTSTATUS` and set `FALSE` as value. > When a bot is disabled, contacts can no longer receive messages from the bot until the bot status is enabled. The bot status can be enabled manually through the messaging console or via automation. #### Location Handling When a location is received from a contact, an event of type `LOCATION` will be sent to Dialogflow. You may add `LOCATION` to the events to trigger the respective triggers. Check out the other parameters available to use in Dialogflow: - Parameters ### Testing an Intent If you need to test the intent, use the Testing panel located at the right side of Dialogflow console. ### Deleting an Intent From the intent list, hover over the intent you wish to delete. Press the trash icon of the intent. ## [Dialogflow: Parameters](https:/respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-parameters) Learn how to use custom Dialogflow parameters for multiple use cases. Respond.io uses custom Dialogflow parameters to enhance the application's functions to cater to multiple use cases. In Dialogflow, parameters are generally used to connect words and phrases in a User’s response to entities. So if someone says "My birthday is on March 13," the phrase "March 13" will be automatically detected and treated as a date entity. You can read more about parameters in [Dialogflow on their documentation page](https://cloud.google.com/dialogflow/es/docs/intents-actions-parameters). With the respond.io platform, you can use parameters to cover more use cases. You can use them to save and collect information provided by your Contacts, for example by [assigning dynamic tags](https://respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-parameters#tagging), [setting custom fields](https://respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-parameters#contact_fields_and_values). You can even [notify support representatives](https://respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-parameters#sending_custom_notifications) when a contact requires assistance. You can also use the respond.io platform to [store and easily manage your intent responses](https://respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-parameters#snippets). There is a lot that can be achieved when you use the respond.io platform in conjunction with Dialogflow Intent parameters. ### Parameter Reference The list of parameters you can use on Dialogflow to communicate with the respond.io platform. | Parameter Name | Value | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | ​RB_ADDTAGS​ | tag1, [tag2, ...] | Adds the specified tag(s) to the Contact profile on the respond.io platform | | ​RB_REMOVETAGS​ | tag1, [tag2, ...] | Removes the specified tag(s) from the Contact profile on the respond.io platform | | ​RB_BOTSTATUS​ | false | Turns the bot off for the specific contact. This is useful in cases were you want to pass the conversation from the bot to a human. | | ​RB_MARKDONE​ | true/false | Opens or closes a conversation for a Contact. This is useful for support. Opens a conversation for Contacts who are still expecting something, while closing a conversation signifies Contacts who have been attended to. | | ​RB_NOTIFY​ | notification_message | Sends a notification to the humans on the respond.io platform, accompanied by a notification message | | ​RB_SUBSCRIBE​ | true/false | Subscribes or unsubscribes a Contact. Unsubscribed Contacts will not receive broadcast messages. | | ​RB_FIELD_FIRSTNAME​ | value | Fills the First Name field of the Contact profile with the specified value | | ​RB_FIELD_LASTNAME​ | value | Fills the Last Name field of the Contact profile with the specified value | | ​RB_FIELD_FULLNAME​ | value | Fills the Full Name field of the Contact profile with the specified value | | ​RB_FIELD_EMAIL​ | value | Fills the Email Address field of the Contact profile with the specified value | | ​RB_FIELD_PHONE​ | value | Fills the Phone Number field of the Contact profile with the specified value | | ​RB_FIELD_LANGUAGE​ | value | Fills the Language field of the Contact profile with the specified value, e.g., en-us | | ​RB_FIELD_[NAME]​ | value | Adds a custom field onto the Contact's profile with the specified value. This is best used for non-dynamic information, such as email, birthday, etc. | | ​RB_REMOVEFIELDS​ | field1, [field2, ...] | Removes the specified custom field(s) from the Contacts on the platform | | ​RB_USER_ASSIGN​ | value | Assigns the Contact to one User in your team | | ​RB_SNIPPET​ | snippet_id | Sends the specified Snippet to the Contact | | ​RB_FILE | file_id | Sends the specified file stored on the platform to the Contact | ### Tagging Contacts' information can be stored in the form of tags. Tags can be manually added/removed in the [Contacts Module](https://respond.io/help/contacts) or [Inbox Module](https://respond.io/help/messages), programmatically added/removed using [Workflows](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview), and added/removed using parameters in Dialogflow intents. > **Important:** Tags are used for audience segmentation in broadcasts. Keep that in mind when adding/removing tags using Dialogflow intents. #### Using Tag Parameters ##### Adding Tags Using the `RB_ADDTAGS` parameter, you can assign a tag to a contact. Tags will be added to the contact based on the value of the parameter. You have the option to add multiple tags by separating them with commas. > Note that tag names cannot contain spaces. You may want to use underscores instead. #### Removing Tags Using the `RB_REMOVETAGS` parameter, you can remove a tag from a contact. Tags will be added to the contact based on the value of the parameter. You have the option to remove multiple tags by separating them with commas. #### Best Practices When creating new tags, it is a good idea to define short but meaningful names that are easily identifiable. Ideally, you would want other people to be able to understand the tags associated with a user. With slot filling using entities, you have an option of dynamically creating new tags. However, this is not advised as it will quickly lead to tag pollution. To reduce tag pollution, try not to be too specific or too generous with the tagging in order the keep the number of tags to a minimum. When using tags to keep track of a user’s topic interest, you can use the same tag in several intents that have the same topic. This can identify that the user has a specific interest or concern while reducing tag pollution. ### Turning the Bot Off Dialogflow Bot can be turned on/off manually from the [Inbox Module](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview#how_do_i_turn_off_the_dialogflow_bot) and automatically using [Workflows](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview#how_do_i_turn_off_the_dialogflow_bot). In addition to that, a bot can also be turned off using parameters in Dialogflow intents. Using a Dialogflow intent to turn a contact's Bot Status off can be used in order to create a human handoff in your bot workflow. When Bot is disabled for a Contact, no messages are passed to Dialogflow. Contacts with Bot disabled will appear on the platform under [Unassigned section in Dashboard](https://respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/dashboard#contacts). #### Using the Bot Status Parameter With `RB_BOTSTATUS`, you can turn the bot off for the specific user by setting the value to `false`. #### Best Practices The Fallback intent does not include a place to add parameters. When turning off the bot from Dialogflow, you should create a quick reply in your Fallback intent asking the Contact if they want to talk to a human. If the Contact responds with the *yes* quick reply, that should take them to the intent with the `RB_BOTSTATUS` parameter. When using this parameter to disable the bot, you may also want to update the User status on the platform with `RB_MARKDONE` and send a notification on the platform with the `RB_NOTIFY` parameter within a single intent. ### Closing a Conversation The [Assignment and Closing a Conversation system](https://respond.io/help/messages/assignment-and-closing-a-conversation) open a new conversation for all new Contacts and all Contacts with new messages. This ensures that all Contacts who require assistance show up in the [unassigned list](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview#contact_list). > By default, the platform will open a new conversation for all new Contacts and Contacts who send a new message. A conversation can be opened or closed for a Contact manually in the [Contacts Module](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contacts-overview) or [Inbox Module](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview), opened or closed programmatically using [Workflows](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview), and closed using parameters in Dialogflow intents. To close a conversation of a Contact from Dialogflow, use the `RB_MARKDONE` parameter in your Dialogflow Intent(s). #### Using The Marked Done Parameter To close a conversation of a Contact, use the `RB_MARKDONE` parameter in your Dialogflow intent and set the value to `true`. Any Contact who triggers an intent using the `RB_MARKDONE` parameter with value `true` will have their conversation closed on the respond.io platform. #### Best Practices By default, all new Contacts and Contacts with new messages will open a new conversation. You'll want to set add `RB_MARKDONE` as `true` for intents that do not require a human agent when triggered. You may want to think about using this intent in tandem with [`RB_NOTIFY`](https://respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-parameters#using_the_notification_parameter) to trigger a notification when a conversation is opened for a Contact. The notification message can be used to pass on information on what needs to be done for the specific Contact. ### Assigning To assign a Contact to a User from Dialogflow, use the `RB_USER_ASSIGN` parameter in your Dialogflow Intent(s). #### Using The Assignment Parameter To assign a Contact to a User, use the `RB_USER_ASSIGN` parameter in your Dialogflow intent and set the value as the email of the platform User you wish to assign to. Any Contact who triggers an intent using the `RB_USER_ASSIGN` parameter with a valid User email in Value is assigned to that User on the respond.io platform. ### Sending Custom Notifications By default, the [Notification System](https://respond.io/help/user-account/notifications) will send notifications to platform Users when a Contact sends a new message. Additional notifications can be created and sent to platform Users using parameters in Dialogflow Intents. To send a notification to platform Users use the `RB_NOTIFY` parameter in your Dialogflow Intent(s). #### Using the Notification Parameter A notification can be sent to the platform using the `RB_NOTIFY` as the Parameter Name. The value of the parameter will be sent as the notification. > **Tip:** You may use [a dynamic variable](https://respond.io/help/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) in the value of the parameter by typing $dynamic.variable. #### Best Practices Use the $contact.name dynamic variable in order to let the platform User know which Contact needs attention. Use `RB_NOTIFY` together with [`RB_BOTSTATUS`](https://respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-parameters#using_the_bot_status_parameter) and [`RB_MARKDONE`](https://respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-parameters#using_the_marked_done_parameter) to ensure the Contact gets the attention they need. > **Tip:** Learn more about [how notifications work on the platform here](https://respond.io/help/user-account/notifications). ### Unsubscribing Every now and then you will have a Contact text you "STOP". This is likely because they no longer want to receive [broadcasts](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/broadcasts-overview). Setting `RB_SUBSCRIBE` as `false` in Dialogflow will unsubscribe Contacts from all future broadcasts. > Bot responses and direct messages will not be affected. #### Using the Subscription Parameter With `RB_SUBSCRIBE`, you can subscribe or unsubscribe a Contact to the bot by setting the value to `true` or `false` respectively. Unsubscribed Contacts are excluded from future platform broadcasts. #### Best Practices If you are using the `RB_SUBSCRIBE` parameter to manage broadcast permissions you should create a custom field in respond.io to display a Contact's subscription status. This can be done by using the [`RB_FIELD_[NAME]`](https://respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-parameters#using_field_parameters) parameter together with `RB_SUBSCRIBE`. ### Contact Fields and Values Contacts' information can be stored in the form of values in Contact Fields. In addition to the default fields, [custom fields](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/contact-fields#adding_a_new_custom_field) can be added & removed in the Settings Module. New custom fields can also be created from Dialogflow. > If you use a field parameter in Dialogflow and the corresponding custom field does not exist in the platform, a new custom field will be created. Contact field values can be manually changed in the [Contacts Module](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contacts-overview) or [Inbox Module](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview), programmatically changed using [Workflows](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview), or changed using parameters in Dialogflow intents. #### Using Field Parameters ##### Setting Field Values You can edit a Contact's custom field value with `RB_FIELD_[FIELD_ID]` where “\[FIELD\_ID\]” is replaced with the ID of the custom field. The custom field ID is generated as name of the custom field in SNAKE\_CASING. The value of the custom field would be set as the value in the parameter. For example, if you are collecting the blood types of Contacts and a Contact has blood type AB positive, you would send the parameter `RB_FIELD_BLOODTYPE` with the value of AB+. > **Tip:** You can use custom field values as [dynamic variables](https://respond.io/help/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables). **Default Fields** The same can be done for any of the default Contact fields. For example, the parameter `RB_FIELD_PHONE` can be used to update the value of a Contact's phone number. By default, Contacts on respond.io have the following Contact fields: | Field Name | ID | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | First Name | FIRSTNAME | The first name of the Contact | | Last Name | LASTNAME | The last name of the Contact | | Full Name | FULLNAME | The full name of the Contact, i.e., First Name + Last Name | | Email Address | EMAIL | The email address of the Contact | | Phone Number | PHONE | The phone number of the Contact | | Language | LANGUAGE | The language of the Contact | > These default fields are automatically filled using available information provided by the channel when the Contact is first created. #### Clearing Fields To clear a field value for a contact, you can use the parameter `RB_REMOVEFIELDS`. The value would be the names of the fields you want to remove. You have the option of clearing several fields at once by separating them with commas. ### Snippets The [Snippets](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/snippets) system is used to store the content of commonly used responses on the respond.io platform. Snippets can be sent out manually in the [Inbox Module](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview) to reduce typing or sent using parameters in Dialogflow Intents. By sending Snippets in your Dialogflow Agent, you are able to store the content of your Intent responses on the respond.io platform where they can be easily managed and edited. Multiple intents can also use the same Snippet. In this case, editing the Snippet will update the content of the response across all of the Intents. To send a Snippet using Dialogflow Intents, use the `RB_SNIPPET` parameter. The triggering Intent will respond with the Snippet content. #### Using the Snippet Parameter With `RB_SNIPPET`, you can send a Snippet as the response. Set the value of the parameter to the [Snippet ID](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/snippets#snippet_name_and_id) that you wish to send. > Updating or changing the name or content of a Snippet will preserve the existing Snippet ID. ### Sending Files Files can be sent manually in the [Inbox Module](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview) or sent using parameters in Dialogflow Intents. Using the `RB_FILE` parameter, you can send files stored in the [File Manager](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/files) to Contacts who trigger a Dialogflow Intent. #### Using the File Parameter Before you can send a file, you must upload the file(s) to the respond.io [File Manager](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/files). Then use the `RB_FILE` parameter with the [file ID](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/files#file_name_and_id) as the value to send a file to a Contact. > Only Files uploaded to the space connected to Dialogflow will be sent. Files uploaded to other spaces will not be sent to the Contact. ​ ## [Dialogflow: Response Templates](https:/respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-response-templates) Learn how to use Response Templates to send responses to Contacts. When creating an intent in the Dialogflow console, you'll be presented with several response templates. `Default` appears automatically for every new intent, but other templates are available for several messages apps. Please use the guidelines below when working with Response Templates. > You may include [Dynamic Variables](https://respond.io/help/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) in your response templates. `{{$dynamic.variable}}` (E.g., Hi `{{$contact.name}}`, what's your phone number?) ### Using Response Templates Dialogflow has created Response Templates for Facebook Messenger, Telegram, LINE, Viber and Slack. When sending messages to a Channel supported by Dialogflow, use the Response Template for that app. When a Channel does not have a Response Template in Dialogflow, please refer to the table below. > These guidelines are only for Response Templates; be aware that [custom payloads](https://respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-custom-payloads) have their own guidelines. In short, our platform will forward messages to each respective Channel based on priority below. If an answer is not available in the 1st priority Response Template, the 2nd Priority Response Template will send. | Channel | 1st Priority | 2nd Priority | | --- | --- | --- | | Facebook Messenger | Facebook | Default | | Instagram | Facebook | Default | | LINE | LINE | Default | | SMS MessageBird | Default | - | | SMS Twilio | Default | - | | SMS Vonage | Default | - | | Telegram | Telegram | Default | | Twitter | Default | - | | Viber | Viber | Default | | Website Chat | Facebook | Default | | WeChat | Facebook | Default | | WhatsApp Business API (respond.io WhatsApp BSP) | Facebook | Default | | WhatsApp Cloud API | Default | Default | | WhatsApp 360dialog | Facebook | Default | | WhatsApp MessageBird | Default | - | | WhatsApp Twilio | Default | - | | WhatsApp Vonage | Default | - | As you can see from the priority table above, some channels support Facebook Response Templates because respond.io transforms the Facebook Response Templates and sends them to the Contact in a suitable messaging format. ## [Dynamic Variables Overview](https:/respond.io/help/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) Learn how to personalize your messages and enhance workflows with dynamic variables. Dynamic variables can be used to personalize outgoing messages. Addressing Contacts personally in Conversations can be a key component of relationship building by making them feel seen and included. There are three types of dynamic variables on the platform: 1. Standard Contact Variables represent standard contact fields such as first name, last name and email. 2. Custom Contact Field Variables represent customized fields added to the space. 3. Workflow Variables are temporary variables that exist only during a Workflow session. Once the Contact exits the Workflow, the value of the variable will be erased. There are three types of Workflow Variables: Trigger Variables, Output Variables, and variables created through Ask a Question step. ### Dynamic Variables: Examples Dynamic variables can be included by adding the "$" prefix to the contact field. The following are its syntax: `$contact`, `$assignee` or `$system` > The platform supports the interpolation of static text + dynamic variables. #### Standard Contact Variables | Variable | Description | | --- | --- | | $contact.name | Is replaced by the full name of the contact (First Name + Last Name). | | $contact.firstname | Is replaced by the first name of the contact. | | $contact.lastname | Is replaced by the last name of the contact. | | $contact.email | Is replaced by the email of the Contact. | | $contact.country | Is replaced by the Contact's country. If the Contact has no country stored, it will not be replaced and the actual string will be sent. | | $contact.id | Is replaced by the contact ID of the Contact. | #### Custom Contact Field Variables | Variable | Description | | --- | --- | | $contact.field_name | Is replaced by the value in the custom field. For example, if the Custom Field "City" exists and one contact has the value "New York", sending $contact.city will be replaced by New York. | #### System Variables | Variable | Description | | --- | --- | | $system.current_datetime | Is replaced by the current date and time in the Workspace’s timezone. Format: YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss (e.g. 2023-01-10 09:15:27) | | $system.current_date | Is replaced by the current date in the workspace’s timezone. Format: YYYY-MM-DD (e.g. 2023-01-10) | | $system.current_time | Is replaced by the current time in the workspace’s timezone. Format: hh:mm:ss (e.g. 09:15:27) | #### Assignee Variables | Variable | Description | | --- | --- | | $assignee.id | Is replaced by the user ID of the assignee for a Contact. | | $assignee.name | Is replaced by the full name of the assignee for a Contact (First Name + Last Name). | | $assignee.email | Is replaced by the email of the assignee for a Contact. | | $assignee.firstname | Is replaced by the first name of the assignee for a contact. | | $assignee.lastname | Is replaced by the last name of the assignee for a contact. | | $assignee.team | Is replaced by the name of the assignee’s team. | #### Workflow - Trigger Variables Trigger variables are variables that are tied to a Workflow trigger. They are only available when the specific trigger is used for the Workflow. **Trigger Variables for the Conversation Opened Trigger** | Variable | Description | | --- | --- | | $conversation.opened_timestamp | The date and time when the conversation opened. Format: YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss (e.g. 2023-11-10 09:15:27) | | $conversation.opened_by_source | The source (e.g. Contact, User, Workflow, Zapier, API, Make) that triggers the conversation. | | $conversation.opened_by_channel | The channel ID that triggers the conversation opened. | | $conversation.contact_type | The contact type (New Contact or Returning Contact) of the conversation. | | $conversation.first_incoming_message | The first incoming message of the conversation after the conversation is opened. | | $conversation.first_incoming_message_channel_id | The channel ID of the first incoming message of the conversation after the conversation is opened | **Trigger Variables for Conversation Closed Trigger** | Variable | Description | | --- | --- | | $conversation.opened_timestamp | The date and time when the conversation was opened. Format: YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss (e.g. 2023-11-10 09:15:27) | | $conversation.opened_by_source | The source (e.g. Contact, User, Workflow, Zapier, API, Make) that triggers the conversation opened. | | $conversation.opened_by_channel | The channel ID that triggers the conversation opened. | | $conversation.closed_time | The date and time when the conversation was closed. Format: YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss (e.g. 2023-11-10 09:15:27) | | $conversation.closed_by_source | The source (e.g. Contact, User, Workflow, Zapier, API, Make) that triggers the conversation closed. | | $conversation.closed_by | The user ID of the user who closed the conversation. If the conversation is closed by bot, workflow or API, this field will be empty. | | $conversation.closed_by_team | The team ID of the user who closed the conversation. | | $conversation.contact_type | The contact type (New Contact or Returning Contact) of the conversation. | | $conversation.assignee_team | The team name of the user who assigned the conversation. | | $conversation.first_assignment_timestamp | The date and time of when the conversation was first assigned. Format: YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss (e.g. 2023-11-10 09:15:27) | | $conversation.first_assignee | The user ID of the first assignee. | | $conversation.first_response_time | The time taken to give the first response from the time when the conversation was opened. No value is shown if any of the following occurs: - the conversation is closed without any response. - if the first response is provided by API or the Contact was assigned to the user before, and then the conversation is opened by the agent. Format: YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss (e.g. 2023-11-10 09:15:27) | | $conversation.first_response_by | The user ID of the user who gave the first response. | | $conversation.last_assignment_timestamp | The date and time of when the conversation was last assigned. No value is shown if any of the following occurs: - the conversation is closed without an assignee. - no assignment happens in the conversation, e.g. the conversation was assigned to the user before the conversation is opened. Format: YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss (e.g. 2023-11-10 09:15:27) | | $conversation.last_assignee | The user ID of the last assignee. | | $conversation.time_to_first_assignment | The time taken to first assign the conversation to the first user. Format: hh:mm:ss (e.g. 00:19:08) | | $conversation.first_assignment_to_first_response_time | The time taken to give the first response from the time when the conversation was first assigned. Format: hh:mm:ss (e.g. 00:19:08) | | $conversation.last_assignment_to_response_time | The time taken to give the first response by the last assignee from the time when the conversation was last assigned. Format: hh:mm:ss (e.g. 00:19:08) | | $conversation.resolution_time | The time taken to resolve the conversation from the time when the conversation was opened. Format: hh:mm:ss (e.g. 00:19:08) | | $conversation.first_assignment_to_close_time | The time taken to resolve the conversation from the time when the conversation was first assigned. Format: hh:mm:ss (e.g. 00:19:08) | | $conversation.last_assignment_to_close_time | The time taken to resolve the conversation from the time when the conversation was last assigned. Format: hh:mm:ss (e.g. 00:19:08) | | $conversation.average_response_time | The average time taken to give responses to contact. Format: hh:mm:ss (e.g. 00:19:08) | | $conversation.assignments_count | The number of assignments in the conversation. | | $conversation.incoming_messages_count | The number of incoming messages received during the conversation. | | $conversation.outgoing_messages_count | The number of outgoing messages sent during the conversation (excluding broadcast messages). | | $conversation.responses_count | The number of responses sent in the conversation. | | $conversation.category | The conversation category as specified in the closing note. | | $conversation.summary | The closing note summary of the conversation. | **Trigger Variables for Click-To-Chat Ads Trigger** | Variable Name | Description | | --- | --- | | $clicktochat.ad_timestamp | The timestamp when the incoming message was received. | | $clicktochat.ad_first_incoming_message | The first message in the conversation resulting from Click-to-Chat ad. | | $clicktochat.ad_channel_id | The ID of the channel through which the incoming ad message was received. | | $clicktochat.ad_channel_type | The channel through which the ad-related conversation is taking place. | | $clicktochat.ad_contact_type | The type of contact associated with the ad: new or returning | | $clicktochat.ad_id | The CTC ad ID number. | | $clicktochat.ad_name | The CTC ad name. | | $clicktochat.ad_campaign_id | The CTC ad campaign ID number. | | $clicktochat.ad_campaign_name | The CTC campaign name. | | $clicktochat.ad_adset_id | The CTC ad adset ID number. | | $clicktochat.ad_adset_name | The CTC ad adset name. | | $clicktochat.ad_ad_url | The URL of the CTC ad. | | $clicktochat.ad_reference | The reference associated with the CTC ad. | | $clicktochat.ad_status | The status of the CTC ad. | | $clicktochat.ad_objective | The objective of the CTC ad. | | $clicktochat.ad_optimization_goal | The optimization goal of the CTC ad. | | $clicktochat.ad_destination_type | The type of destination associated with the CTC ad. | > In the event that a standard contact field shares the same name as a custom contact field, priority for data retrieval will be given to the standard contact variable. For correct data retrieval, make sure all the variable names are unique. ## [E-Commerce Integration: BigCommerce](https:/respond.io/help/zapier/big-commerce) Learn how to integrate BigCommerce with respond.io using Zapier to automatically manage Contact information and send customers messages. Streamline your communication with customers and improve overall customer experience by integrating your BigCommerce platform to respond.io using Zapier. With this integration, you can automate various processes and tasks between BigCommerce and respond.io, such as: - real time customer data updates between respond.io and BigCommerce - sending customers messages about their orders - sending abandoned cart messages to prompt purchases We’ve created Zapier templates to accomplish some common business goals, so you don’t need to start your Zaps from scratch. > All templates will require you to connect to respond.io; follow the steps to set up a [respond.io Zapier integration here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier). ### List of Zapier Templates #### Add new respond.io Contacts as BigCommerce Customers Get a record of potential customers into BigCommerce. This automation will add new respond.io Contacts that you’re chatting with as BigCommerce customers. Use this template: - Add new respond.io contacts as BigCommerce customers #### Add new BigCommerce customers as respond.io Contacts Need to chat with your BigCommerce customers? This integration allows you to create or update a respond.io Contact when a new customer is added in BigCommerce. Use this template: - Add new BigCommerce customers as respond.io Contacts #### Send respond.io messages for new BigCommerce orders Customers expect quick confirmation when they place an order. With this automation, you can send BigCommerce purchasers a message via respond.io on the messaging app they use most frequently so they’ll get order confirmation right away. Use this template: - Send respond.io messages for new BigCommerce orders #### Send messages via respond.io for abandoned carts in BigCommerce Prompt customers to make a purchase by sending them a message via the app they use most. This integration will send an instant message to customers if they’ve left something in their BigCommerce cart. Use this template: - Send messages via respond.io for abandoned carts in BigCommerce > We have Zapier templates integrating with other popular CRM and e-commerce platforms. See the [full list of templates here](https://zapier.com/apps/respondio/integrations#zap-template-list). ## [E-Commerce Integration: Magento](https:/respond.io/help/zapier/ecommerce-integration-magento) Learn how to integrate Magento with respond.io using Zapier to automatically manage Contact information and send customers messages. Streamline your communication with customers and improve overall customer experience by integrating your Magento platform to respond.io using Zapier. With this integration, you can automate various processes and tasks between Magento and respond.io, such as: - real time customer data updates between respond.io and Magento - sending customers messages about their sales invoices and orders We’ve created Zapier templates to accomplish some common business goals, so you don’t need to start your Zaps from scratch. > All templates will require you to connect to respond.io; follow the steps to set up a [respond.io Zapier integration here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier). ### List of Zapier Templates #### Send messages via respond.io for new Magento orders Keeping customers updated on their orders manually is time consuming. With this integration, though, you'll automatically send them a text message via respond.io when they place a new order in Magento. Use this template: - Send messages via respond.io for new Magento orders #### Send respond.io messages for new Magento sales invoices Handling invoices is a breeze with this integration. Automatically send a customer a message with an invoice attached via respond.io when a new sales invoice is generated in Magento. Use this template: - Send respond.io messages for new Magento sales invoices #### Send customer messages via respond.io for new Magento order shipments Want to make sure customers get their shipment notification right away? Automatically notify them on their preferred instant messaging app via respond.io when they place an order in Magento. Use this template: - Send customer messages via respond.io for new Magento order shipments #### Add new respond.io Contacts as Magento customers When you start chatting with a new Contact in respond.io, you may want to add them to your customer list in Magento. Use this automation to create a customer in Magento whenever you add a new respond.io Contact. Use this template: - Add new respond.io contacts as Magento customers #### Add new Magento customers as respond.io Contacts You’ll want to have the latest Contact information available when you chat with someone in respond.io. Use this automation to create or update a Contact whenever a new customer is added in Magento. Use this template: - Add new Magento customers as respond.io contacts > We have Zapier templates integrating with other popular CRM and e-commerce platforms. See the [full list of templates here](https://zapier.com/apps/respondio/integrations#zap-template-list). ## [E-Commerce Integration: Shopify](https:/respond.io/help/zapier/e-commerce-integration-shopify) Learn how to integrate Shopify with respond.io using Zapier to sync Contact information and manage orders and carts. > Business Goal 1: [Automatically sync Contact information in Shopify and respond.io](#automatically_sync_contact_information_in_shopify_and_respondio). > Business Goal 2: [Manage orders and carts by sending customers messages and keeping agents up-to-date on status changes](#manage_orders_and_carts_with_respondio_and_shopify). #### Prerequisites for integrating respond.io with Shopify using Zapier Shopify uses email as the required Zapier identifier for contacts. To send information between respond.io and Shopify, you’ll need to: - ensure you have Contacts’ email addresses in respond.io. To automatically collect Contacts’ emails in respond.io, consider using Workflows. - ensure customers check out with an email address. To do this, go to Shopify Settings > Checkout and accounts > Customer contact method > select email. #### Automatically sync Contact information in Shopify and respond.io > Check if you have the [necessary Contact identifiers and settings](https://respond.io/help/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify#prerequisites_for_integrating_respond_io_with_shopify_using_zapier) for your Zaps to work. **Understanding Contact Syncing Logic** There are four tasks that you can automate in order to sync contacts. **Sending data from respond.io to Shopify** - Create a customer in Shopify when a new Contact is added in respond.io. - Update a customer’s information in Shopify when it is updated in respond.io **Sending data from Shopify to respond.io** - Create or update a Contact in respond.io when a new customer is added in Shopify. - Create or update a Contact’s information in respond.io when a customer is updated in Shopify. ##### Create a customer in Shopify when a new Contact is added in respond.io When a new Contact is added in respond.io, the Zapier template will automatically search for that contact in Shopify using the email as the identifier. These are the expected outcomes. | Trigger Event | Conditions | Outcomes | | --- | --- | --- | | New Contact is added in respond.io | Customer exists in Shopify | Zap will stop | | New Contact is added in respond.io | Customer does not exist in Shopify | Create a new Shopify customer | | New Contact is added in respond.io | Contact does not have an email in respond.io | Zap will stop | **Method** - Use a Zapier template **How-to** Use this template: - Add new respond.io contacts as Shopify customers. ##### Template Configuration **Respond.io Trigger - New Contact** > First, follow the steps to set up a [respond.io Zapier integration here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier) and set up your respond.io trigger. Test the trigger and continue to the next step. **Filter Action** > Filters by Zapier and multi-step Zaps are only available on [Zapier’s Starter plan](https://zapier.com/app/pricing) and above. > Create a [Custom Field](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/contact-fields#adding_a_new_custom_field) in respond.io and name it `Contact Note`. Only continue if… - Contact Email exists in respond.io. This is because Shopify uses email as a required identifier for Zapier. - Select +And to add Contact Note in respond.io does not contain #shopify. This is necessary to prevent a Zap loop due to Zapier’s limitations on contact syncing. **Formatter Action** `Last name` is required by Shopify to complete a Zap. This action will fill in the `last name` field if respond.io Contacts do not have a last name on record. Most of the configuration is already done by the template. Simply fill in “Unknown” or any other default value you want to use. **Shopify Action - Find Customer** Select your Shopify account and continue to set up the action. Map the name and email fields to identify the Contact > choose **Yes** for the step to be considered a success when nothing is found > tick **create Shopify Customer if it doesn’t exist yet**. Map the fields to be filled in for the newly created customer. - Fill in email and last name (mandatory fields). - Fill in the Note field with #respond to prevent Zap loops (this is case sensitive). - Choose any other fields you want to add. - If you have Custom Fields in respond.io that match certain Shopify fields, consider mapping those as well. ##### Update a customer’s information in Shopify when it is updated in respond.io When a Contact is updated in respond.io, the Zapier template will automatically search for that contact in Shopify using the email as the identifier. These are the expected outcomes. | Trigger Event | Conditions | Outcomes | | --- | --- | --- | | Contact is updated in respond.io | Customer exists in Shopify | Customer information is updated in Shopify | | Contact is updated in respond.io | Customer does not exist in Shopify | New Customer is created in Shopify | | Contact is updated in respond.io | Contact in respond.io does not have an email | Zap will stop | **Method** - Use a Zapier template **How-to** Use this template: - Add new respond.io contact updates to Shopify customers ##### Template Configuration **Respond.io Trigger - Contact Updated** > First, follow the steps to set up a [respond.io Zapier integration here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier) and set up your respond.io trigger. Test the trigger and continue to the next step. **Filter Action** > Filters by Zapier and multi-step Zaps are only available on [Zapier’s Starter plan](https://zapier.com/app/pricing) and above. Only continue if… - Contact Email exists in respond.io. This is because Shopify uses email as a required identifier for Zapier. **Formatter Action** `Last name` is required by Shopify to complete a Zap. This action will fill in the `last name` field if respond.io Contacts do not have a last name on record. Most of the configuration is already done by the template. Simply fill in “Unknown” or any other default value you want to use. **Shopify Action - Find Customer in Shopify** Select your Shopify account and continue to set up the action. Map the name and email fields to identify the Contact > choose **Yes** for the step to be considered a success when nothing is found > tick **create Shopify Customer if it doesn’t exist yet.** Map the fields to be filled in for the newly created customer. - Fill in email and last name (mandatory fields). - Fill in the Note field with #respond to prevent Zap loops (this is case sensitive). - Choose any other fields you want to add. - If you have Custom Fields in respond.io that match certain Shopify fields, consider mapping those as well. **Shopify Action - Update Customer in Shopify** Map the fields you want to fill in to update customer in Shopify. - Choose Shopify Customer ID as the customer identifier. - Fill in Last Name with the Output value from the Formatter step. - Choose any other fields to be updated. ##### Create or update a Contact in respond.io when a new customer is added in Shopify When a new customer is added in Shopify, the Zapier template will automatically search for that contact in respond.io using email as the identifier. These are the expected outcomes. | Trigger Event | Conditions | Outcomes | | --- | --- | --- | | New customer is added in Shopify | Contact exists in respond.io | Update Contact in respond.io with any new details | | New customer is added in Shopify | Contact does not exist in respond.io | Create a new respond.io Contact | | New customer is added in Shopify | Contact exists in respond.io without an email | Create a new respond.io Contact | **Method** - Use a Zapier template **How-to** Use this template: - Add new Shopify customers as respond.io contacts ##### Template Configuration **Shopify Trigger - New Customer in Shopify** Choose your connected Shopify account and test the trigger. **Filter Action** Only continue if… - Note in Shopify does not contain #respond. This is necessary to prevent a Zap loop due to Zapier’s limitations on contact syncing. > Filters by Zapier and multi-step Zaps are only available on [Zapier’s Starter plan](https://zapier.com/app/pricing) and above. **Respond.io Action - Create or Update Contact in respond.io** > First, follow the steps to set up a [respond.io Zapier integration here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier). > To prevent a [Zap loop](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier#zap_loop), add a [Custom Field](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/contact-fields#adding_a_new_custom_field) in respond.io and name it Contact Note. Map the fields you want to add for the respond.io Contact. - Choose Email as the Identifier Type. - Fill in the Contact Note field with #shopify (this is case sensitive). - Fill the other fields with the information you want from Shopify. ##### Create or update a Contact in respond.io when a customer is updated in Shopify When a customer is updated in Shopify, the Zapier template will automatically search for that contact in respond.io using email as the identifier. These are the expected outcomes. | Trigger Event | Conditions | Outcomes | | --- | --- | --- | | Customer is updated in Shopify | Contact exists in respond.io | Update Contact in respond.io with any new details | | Customer is updated in Shopify | Contact does not exist in respond.io | Create a new respond.io Contact | | Customer is updated in Shopify | Contact exists in respond.io without an email | Create a new respond.io Contact | **Method** - Use a Zapier template **How-to** Use this template: - Add new Shopify customer updates to respond.io contacts ##### Template Configuration **Shopify Trigger - Updated Customer in Shopify** Choose your connected Shopify account and test the trigger. **Respond.io Action - Create or Update Contact** > First, follow the steps to set up a [respond.io Zapier integration here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier). Map the fields you want to add for the respond.io Contact. - Select email as the Identifier Type. - Fill the other fields with the information you want from Shopify. #### Manage Orders and Carts with respond.io and Shopify If your customers are respond.io Contacts and you have their email, you can send them instant messages about their Shopify orders and notify agents about customers’ order status. First set up [Contact syncing](https://respond.io/help/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify#automatically_sync_contact_information_in_shopify_and_respond_io) so your customers are more likely to be in both places. > For channels like WhatsApp and SMS, you will also need to have the customer’s phone number. > Check that you have the [necessary Contact identifiers and settings](https://respond.io/help/e-commerce-crm-integrations/e-commerce-integration-shopify#prerequisites_for_integrating_respond_io_with_shopify_using_zapier) for your Zaps to work. #### Benefits of Managing Orders and Carts with respond.io and Shopify - Keep customers informed about their Shopify orders over their preferred messaging channel - Track customer activity and send tailored messages to prompt purchases **Methods** - Send customers instant messages related to their orders using Zapier. - Send abandoned cart messages to prompt customers to complete their Shopify purchase using Zapier. - Update respond.io Contacts’ Shopify order status using Zapier. ##### Send customers instant messages related to their orders using Zapier > This can only be done if the customer is a respond.io Contact and you have their email. For channels like WhatsApp or SMS, a phone number is also required. **How-to** Use this template to send a message to a customer when they make an order in Shopify: - Send messages via respond.io for new Shopify orders Use this template to send a customer a receipt for their Shopify order: - Send respond.io messages for new Shopify paid orders Use this template to send customers messages about changes to their order status: - Send messages via respond.io for newly updated Shopify orders ##### Template Configuration The configuration is similar for all of these templates. **Shopify Trigger** Select your Shopify account, test the trigger and continue. **Respond.io Action - Send Message** > First, follow the steps to set up a [respond.io Zapier integration here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier). Map the fields accordingly: - Identifier Type: Choose email - Identifier Value: Choose Shopify customer email - Channel Type: Select Last Interacted Channel or Specific Channel. - Message Type: Select Text, Attachment, Quick Reply, Custom Payload, or Email. > If the last interacted channel has a messaging window that is closed, the message will not be sent. Use Specific Channel to send template or tagged messages. ##### Send abandoned cart messages to prompt customers to complete their Shopify purchase using Zapier > This can only be done if the customer is a respond.io Contact and you have their email. For channels like WhatsApp and SMS, a phone number is also required. **How-to** Use this template to send abandoned cart messages: - Send respond.io messages for new abandoned Shopify carts ##### Template Configuration **Shopify Trigger - New Abandoned Cart in Shopify** Select your Shopify account and select the age of the cart in hours. Test the trigger and continue. **Respond.io Action - Send Message** > First, follow the steps to set up a [respond.io Zapier integration here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier). Map the fields accordingly: - Identifier Type: Choose email - Identifier Value: Choose Shopify customer email - Channel Type: Select Last Interacted Channel or Specific Channel - Message Type: Select Text, Attachment, Quick Reply, Custom Payload, or Email > If the last interacted channel has a messaging window that is closed, the message will not be sent. Use Specific Channel to send template or tagged messages. ##### Update respond.io Contacts’ Shopify order statuses using Zapier You can only do this if you have the Contact’s email in respond.io. These are the expected outcomes. | Trigger Event | Conditions | Outcomes | | --- | --- | --- | | Shopify order activity | Contact exists in respond.io with an email | Add tags to respond.io Contact | | Shopify order activity | Contact does not exist in respond.io | Zap will stop and send an error message | | Shopify order activity | Contact exists in respond.io without an email | Zap will stop and send an error message | **How-to** Use this template to add tags to respond.io Contacts so agents can see Contacts’ Shopify purchase activity: - Add custom tags to contacts in respond.io after new purchases in Shopify ##### Trigger Configuration **Shopify Trigger** Select your Shopify account and the type of order activity you want to trigger the Zap. For this example, we’re using paid, closed, shipped orders. You may set up different Zaps for different order statuses. **Respond.io Action - Add Tags in respond.io** > First, follow the steps to set up a [respond.io Zapier integration here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier). Choose email as the identifier and fill in the Shopify customer email as the value. You may type in the tags or choose from Shopify fields. ## [E-Commerce Integration: WooCommerce](https:/respond.io/help/zapier/ecommerce-integration-woocommerce) Learn how to integrate WooCommerce with respond.io using Zapier to automatically manage Contact information and send customers messages. Streamline your communication with customers and improve overall customer experience by integrating your WooCommerce platform to respond.io using Zapier. With this integration, you can automate various processes and tasks between WooCommerce and respond.io, such as: - real time customer data updates between respond.io and WooCommerce - sending customers messages about their orders and bookings We’ve created Zapier templates to accomplish some common business goals, so you don’t need to start your Zaps from scratch. > All templates will require you to connect to respond.io; follow the steps to set up a [respond.io Zapier integration here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier). ### List of Zapier Templates #### Send messages via respond.io for new WooCommerce bookings Customers appreciate the convenience of having booking information handy in their phones. This integration allows you provide that, effortlessly. Set it up to automatically send customers an instant message via respond.io when they make a new booking on WooCommerce. Use this template: - Send messages via respond.io for new WooCommerce bookings #### Send messages via respond.io for new WooCommerce orders Want to send customers their order confirmation to the messaging app they prefer to use? This automation sends customers an instant message via respond.io when they place a new order in WooCommerce. Use this template: - Send messages via respond.io for new WooCommerce orders #### Add new WooCommerce customers as respond.io Contacts Want to chat with your WooCommerce customers over instant messaging? This automation automatically creates or updates a Contact in respond.io when a new customer is added in WooCommerce. Use this template: - Add new WooCommerce customers as respond.io contacts #### Update WooCommerce orders when respond.io Contacts are tagged If a customer contacts you via instant message about an order, you can make an order update in WooCommerce by adding a Contact tag in respond.io. This automation updates a WooCommerce order when a Contact tag is updated in respond.io, saving time and keeping order status aligned. Use this template: - Update WooCommerce orders when respond.io contacts are tagged #### Find or create customers in WooCommerce when new respond.io Contacts are created Add potential customers that you chat with on respond.io to your WooCommerce customer list easily. This integration automatically finds or creates a new customer when you add a new respond.io Contact. Use this template: - Find or create customers in WooCommerce when new respond.io contacts are created > We have Zapier templates integrating with other popular CRM and e-commerce platforms. See the [full list of templates here](https://zapier.com/apps/respondio/integrations#zap-template-list). ## [Email Overview](https:/respond.io/help/email/email-overview) Connect an email inbox to chat with customers through email. When using the respond.io platform for email messaging, it's important to understand what email is and how it works. Email is short for electronic mail and is a way for users to exchange information over telecommunications. This can include text, files, images, or other attachments that are sent through a network to a specified individual or group of individuals. ### Connecting Email #### Gmail Inbox If the inbox to be connected to is a valid Google Workspace account, it can be connected to the platform with some extra configuration. Please refer to this page on how to connect to Gmail. - Gmail #### Other Email Providers Not using Gmail? Don't worry, the inbox can be connected via IMAP/SMTP. There is an option for non-Gmail users whether other email providers can be connected by providing some credentials and configuring a forwarding rule. - Other Email Providers ### Channel Capabilities The channel capabilities of different Email channels are listed below: - Message Status Availability - Supported File Types - Metadata Received by Channel - Text Formatting #### Message Status Availability The message status availability for different Email Channels is shown in the table below: | Channel | Sent | Delivered | Read | Failed | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Google Workspace | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Other Email | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | #### Supported File Types Google Workspace supports images with a maximum file size of 10 MB. #### Metadata Received by Channel Different channels provide different sets of Contact's metadata to the respond.io platform. The list of Contact's data you’ll be able to obtain from different Email channels is shown in the table below: | Channel | Metadata Received by Channel | | --- | --- | | Google Workspace | Email Address | | Other Email | Email Address | #### Text Formatting For email channels, the platform provides a rich text editor in the message composer to assist you in formatting your message by making text bold, underlining it, embedding links, adjusting alignment, changing color, and more. #### Email Action Menu The email action menu consists of two items: - Show original email: Opens the full email in a dialog. - Reply email: Works the same as “Reply to” for continuing the email thread. ### Channel Limitations Email Channels have a distinctive communication style that differs from messaging Channels. In particular, content style in email is typically expected to be more formal, long, and slow compared to instant messaging Channels, which tend to be short, casual, and quick. Therefore, when using the email Channels on the respond.io messaging platform, there are certain limitations that users should be aware of. - Email broadcasting is not supported on respond.io as the broadcast module is designed for sending broadcasts over messaging Channels. Email broadcast has a different infrastructure as well as requirements and rules to avoid domain being flagged. Thus, consider using messaging Channels for broadcasts. - Dialogflow's chatbot is not supported for email Channels on respond.io due to Dialogflow's intent text input limit. For more advanced and user-friendly automated replies to conversations, consider using Workflows. - When using the Ask a Question step in Workflows, you may experience some limitations such as a new email thread you created will have a blank subject and each question you ask will be sent as a separate email instead of in a single email thread. This is because email and the Ask a Question step feature are not compatible technically. We do not recommend using the Ask a Question step with the email channel. However, if you are interested in having this feature available, you can upvote the feature request here. - Inline images in emails are not displayed. Currently, inline screenshots or images sent through email are hidden in the message body. To view them, you must click “Show Original Email” in the conversation panel. Note: This is a platform limitation, but we are working on an improvement so that images will be easier to access in the future. ## [Facebook Chat Plugin](https:/respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/facebook-chat-plugin) Learn how to add a Facebook Customer Chat Plugin to your website. > Effective immediately, the Chat Plugin in guest mode on Facebook will no longer be available. Furthermore, Meta has announced that the Facebook Chat Plugin will be deprecated and no longer function as of May 9, 2024. However, features such as m.me links will remain available for use. Learn more about [Chat Plugin here](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/discovery/facebook-chat-plugin/). The Facebook Customer Chat Plugin allows customers to chat through Facebook Messenger on your website. If your website visitors already have a conversation history with your Facebook page, the history will be visible on Facebook Chat Plugin. This helps to create a single experience for your contacts and enables you to continue the conversation even after they have left your webpage. However, it requires website visitors to be logged in to their Facebook account to chat. Visitors that are not logged in will be prompted to do so. ### Creating a Facebook Chat Plugin Script **Step 1: Navigate to the Growth Widgets module** From the **Settings** module, navigate to the menu item, **Growth Widgets**. **Step 2: Click Add Widget and locate the Facebook Chat Plugin** Once you've located the Facebook Chat Plugin, select it and click **Create Widget**. **Step 3: Specify the domains** Enter the domains that you would like the Facebook Chat Plugin added to. > Facebook Chat Plugin does not allow using \* to replace the subdomain (e.g., https://\*.respond.io). **Step 4: Select your Facebook Channel** Select one of your connected Facebook channels from the dropdown list. **Step 5: Configure additional settings** If you want to further customize the widget, click the **Advanced Settings** button to show the additional settings. The parameters you can adjust are outlined as below: **Color Theme** Using the interactive color picker, choose a color that best suits your brand and the website. **Add Reference Code** A reference code can be added to Contacts who chat with you through the Chat Plugin so that you can track the source of the contact. It will appear in the messages of the Contacts as an in-line event when a conversation is opened. **Display Greeting Dialog** The widget can be set in three modes: - Show: Greeting pops open after a specified delay - Hide: Only the messenger logo will be shown until the user clicks on it - Fade: Greeting pops up after a specified delay then fades away **Greeting Dialog Controls** The following Greeting Dialog controls can also be adjusted: - Greeting Dialog Delay: Set the delayed time for the greeting dialog pop-up (in seconds) - Greeting message for logged in user: Greeting message for users whose browsers are already logged in to Facebook - Greeting message for logged out user: Greeting message for users whose browsers are not logged in to Facebook **Step 6: Proceed to obtain the script** Click the **Generate Widget** button in the top right and obtain the script to be added to the webpage. Alternatively, you can email the instructions to someone else. ### Installing the Chat Plugin Installing the Facebook Chat Plugin will be similar to installing the web chat widget. Please refer to this [guide](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview#installing_the_chat_widget) on how to install the chat plugin. ### Troubleshooting #### Chat Plugin Not Showing/Loading Try the following methods: 1. Check if the web page URL starts with HTTPS, Facebook Chat Plugin may not work on websites without SSL certificates. 2. Check the domain is whitelisted correctly in Facebook Chat Plugin Settings. #### Chat Plugin Not Showing/Loading (Installed With Wix) Try the following method: 1. Move the Facebook Chat Plugin to the top of the Tracking Tools & Analytics list. ## [Facebook Message Tag](https:/respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/message-tag) Send a tagged message to contacts after the 24-hour messaging window. Facebook Messenger typically has a timeout period that does not allow sending a message after the 24-hour messaging window. This timeout period started from the last incoming message from a Contact. However, Facebook Messenger allows sending a message beyond the timeout if the message is sent with a Message Tag. The following are the tags available on the platform: - Confirmed Event Update Send reminders or updates for an event they have registered for (e.g., RSVP'ed, purchased tickets). This tag may be used for upcoming events and events in progress. - Post-Purchase Update Notify an update on a recent purchase (e.g. Notify customers of the shipping information after an item is shipped out). - Account Update Notify a non-recurring change to their application or account. (e.g. The account has been approved). **Extended Messaging Window with the "Human\_Agent" Tag** In addition to the above tags, the "Human\_Agent" tag can also extend the messaging window. This tag allows for an extended period to respond to customer inquiries, broadening the messaging window from 24 hours to 7 days. This extension is beneficial for addressing more complex or detailed customer interactions that require additional time for resolution. On the respond.io platform, the "Human\_Agent" tag is automatically applied to messages, extending the messaging window by 7 days from the last incoming message. > Message tags should not be used to send promotional content, including but not limited to deals, offers, coupons, and discounts. ### Sending Tagged Message > When the last message from a Facebook Contact is beyond 24 hours, the message composer will be replaced with a button to **Send tagged message**. 1. Click Send tagged message from the messaging composer to send a message. 2. Select an appropriate Message Tag based on your message content. 3. Type in the message you want to send to the Contact. You can also use snippets by typing "/" in the text field. 4. Review the details and click Send Message. The message will have a timestamp, show that a tag is used and the user who sent it. > Sending tagged messages outside of the approved use cases may result in restrictions on the Facebook page's ability to send messages. ## [Facebook Messenger Overview](https:/respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview) Get an overview of the Facebook Messenger channel and its capabilities. Facebook Messenger is the free instant messaging on Facebook that allows users to send text messages, photos, videos and voice messages. Learn how to [connect your Facebook page to respond.io here](https://respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-quick-start). Once connected, Facebook has several features to help you encourage your current and potential customers to send a message to your Facebook Messenger. ### Pricing You can use Facebook Messenger for free. ### Capturing Conversation Facebook Messenger requires customers to send your business the first message to start a conversation. There are a few ways to encourage customers to initiate a chat: - Chat links: This is an m.me URL that you can add to your website or in newsletters. When customers click the link, they will be directed to your Facebook Page in Messenger to chat with you. - QR codes: A QR code can be placed in physical locations, such as hotels, restaurants or malls. When customers scan the code, they will be directed to your Facebook Messenger to chat with you. - Chat Plugin: This allows customers to message you directly using the chat widget on your website. - Facebook comment auto replies (private replies): You can set up your Facebook Page to automatically send a private message to any customer who comments on your Page's posts. - Click to Messenger Ads: These are Facebook ads that can be placed in various places on Facebook, Facebook Messenger and Instagram. When customers click the ad, they will be directed to your Facebook Messenger to chat with you. ### Channel Capabilities These are the capabilities of Facebook Messenger: - Supported File Types - Message Status Availability - Messaging Window - Broadcasts - References - Rate Limits ### Supported File Types The file types supported by Facebook Messenger and the maximum file size for each type are as follows: - Image (25 MB) - Audio (25 MB) - Video (25 MB) > For any unsupported file type or file that exceeds the maximum file size sent via Facebook Messenger, the file will automatically be turned into a URL link on the respond.io platform. ### Message Status Availability The table outlines the availability of message statuses in Facebook Messenger. | Message Status | Availability | | --- | --- | | Sent | ✅ | | Delivered | ✅ | | Read | ✅ | | Failed | ✅ | ### Messaging Window When Contacts send a message to your business through this channel, you have 24 hours to reply to them. You can extend this window to 7 days with Facebook Message Tags. Learn more about [Facebook Message Tags here](https://respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/message-tag). ### Broadcasts You can send a broadcast content to your Contacts, but a [Facebook Message Tag](https://respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/message-tag) is required. Learn more about [how to send a broadcast here](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast). > You are not allowed to send marketing messages to your Contacts without their permission. If this is detected by Facebook’s algorithm, your business may be banned from sending messages. Learn how you can [request permission to send marketing messages here](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/send-messages/recurring-notifications/). ### References References in Facebook Messenger are used to track the source of a conversation. By adding a referral parameter to the end of your [m.me](http://m.me/) URL, you can track where your Contacts are coming from when they click on the link. This information helps you to identify the best-performing content across various mediums like blogs, videos, social media and ads, so that you can optimize your campaigns to reach out to more customers. Learn how to [add a reference](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/growth-widgets) when creating a Facebook Widget or QR Code. > Due to changes implemented by Facebook for pages and users in the European Union, the reference will not be passed to our platform reliably by Facebook. Therefore, automation that requires a reference as a trigger will not work for some Contacts as expected. ### Rate Limits A rate limit is the number of API calls an app or user can make within a given time period defined by the channel. Learn more about the [rate limits for this channel here](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/graph-api/overview/rate-limiting/). ### **Conversation Routing (May 2025 Update)** Starting May 2025, Meta is deprecating the Handover Protocol (HOP) and replacing it with **Conversation Routing**. This affects how conversations are assigned to apps connected to your Facebook Page. Key points: - Default App handles organic or non-ad conversations. - Marketing App handles ad-driven (Click to Messenger) conversations. - The Human Agent Tag workaround is no longer valid for thread control. - You must enable the “Take control of conversations” setting per app to ensure proper message handling. No action is required for most users, but we recommend validating your message flows post-migration. > [Learn more about Conversation Routing here](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/handover-protocol/conversation-control). ## [Facebook Messenger Quick Start](https:/respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-quick-start) Connect a Facebook Page to chat with customers over Facebook Messenger. ### Introduction This Quick Start Guide will walk you through the basics of setting up a Facebook Messenger Channel with respond.io. You will learn how to create a Facebook Business Page, connect your Facebook Business page to respond.io and how to configure your Facebook Messenger Channel to meet your business needs. ### Getting a Facebook Business Page A Facebook Business Page is a way for businesses, brands, and organizations to reach their customers. The following section describes the requirements to get one. #### Requirements Before you create a Facebook Business Page, you will need the following: - A personal Facebook Profile - To get a personal Facebook profile, follow these steps. > Your personal **Facebook profile** and your **Facebook Business** page are considered two separate accounts by Facebook. - Category - The type of business you are creating. You can select up to three categories that best describe your business, brand, or organization. Learn more about the best practices to choose a category for your Page or profile on Facebook. Now, to create your **Facebook Business Page** you can either: - Go to the Facebook for Business website and click the Create a Page button. - Follow the steps in Create a Facebook Page for your Business to create your business page. #### Meta Business Verification Verifying your business gives you access to certain Meta technologies and developer features. [Learn more about Facebook Business Verification here](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/meta-business-verification). ### Connect Facebook Messenger Channel on respond.io Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on How to Connect Messenger to respond.io. Follow the steps below to connect respond.io with Facebook Messenger. **Step 1:** Click **Settings** > **Channels** **Step 2:** Click **Add Channel** > **Facebook** **Messenger > Connect** **Step 3:** Click **Connect With Facebook** **Step 4:** Sign in with a Facebook Account > You must sign in using a Facebook account with admin access. **Step 5:** Select the Facebook Business Page **Step 6:** Click **Done** to complete the setup > Once you have completed the setup, any messages sent to your Facebook Page will now be received in your respond.io Workspace. > To chat with your customers over Facebook Messenger, you will need to create a Facebook Page and you must be the page admin. ### Channel Configuration The Facebook Messenger Configuration page allows you to change your Channel's name and also gives you a click-to-chat link. **Step 1:** Click **Settings** > **Channels** **Step 2:** Locate your Facebook Messenger Channel > **Manage** **Step 3:** In the **Facebook Messenger Configuration page** you will see the following: - Channel Name - The Channel Name can be changed and is used internally to identify the Channel. - Chat Link - A click-to-chat link is a shortened URL that directs customers to start or continue a conversation with your Facebook account. The customer is redirected to a new or existing thread, based on whether the user had previously messaged your Facebook account. You can also generate a QR code to share the chat link to your Contacts. > [Learn how to create your Messenger click to chat link](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/discovery/m-me-links/). ## [Facebook Private Replies](https:/respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/private-replies) Automatically send a private message to users that comment on your Facebook Post. [Facebook Private Replies](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/discovery/private-replies/) allows a private messages to be sent automatically from your Facebook page to any Facebook user who comments on one of your Facebook Page Posts. If the Facebook user replies to this automated message, the reply will be shown on the Platform and if this is the first time the Facebook user has messaged you they will become a Contact. > Facebook users who comment on your post will only become a contact when they respond to the direct message. > **Warning:** Ads are not supported for Facebook Private Replies. ### Configuring Private Replies 1. Navigate to Settings > Channels 2. Locate your Messenger Channel, click on Manage. 3. Select Private Replies 4. Configure settings to track comments under any post or a specific post. 5. If you choose to track comments under a specific post, you will need to specify the posts to be tracked. 6. Add an auto-reply message to send to Contacts who interacted with the post. 7. Click Save to save your configurations. > **Note:** When choosing *Track comments under a Specific Post*, the **Select Facebook Post** dropdown will only display your **10 most recent posts**. The platform will now track any new comments that are made and automatically send a message to new users. ### Eligibility rules for Facebook Private Replies Private replies are subject to Meta’s rules and will only be delivered if all of the following conditions are met: - Each post or comment can only receive one private reply. - The private reply must be sent within 7 days of the original post or comment. - The comment must be made by a user to the Page surface. - If the user has blocked messages from the Page, or if the Page has disabled messaging, private replies will not work. For more details, see [Meta’s official documentation](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/discovery/private-replies/). ## [Files](https:/respond.io/help/workspace-settings/files) Learn how to manage and store files on the respond.io platform. ### Getting Here > This module is accessible by Owners and Managers only! Access this feature from your Workspace settings under the Data settings sub-menu item, Files. The Files Module allows you to upload documents to the platform that you can later send to specific Contacts from the [Messages Module](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview) or broadcast from the [Broadcasts Module](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/broadcasts-overview). ### Files Overview From this table, you can browse through the list of existing files that have been uploaded onto the platform. > **Tip:** Use the 🔍 function to search for the file you are looking for. #### File Name and ID The file name displays the human-friendly name of each file on the system. Meanwhile, File ID is the unique identifier used to label the files stored on the platform. > The File ID will be used to [send files](https://respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-parameters#sending_files) from our system through integrations. #### Description and File Type The description shows a short description of the content for each of the files. The file type column displays what kind of files they are. #### Date Added This is the date on which the file was added to the system. #### Actions You can perform the following actions with files: - ​Download​ - ​Edit​ - ​Copy File ID​ - ​Delete​ ### Uploading a New File #### Step 1: Navigate to Files Module From the side navigation menu, select Files from the menu. #### Step 2: Click Add File At the top bar, click **Add File** and the **Upload File** dialog will show. #### Step 3: Name the file and describe it Enter a name for the new file along with a short description. These fields will help you identify the file to be sent and the file content > **Tip:** Try to pick short, meaningful names and descriptions to make identifying files easier. This becomes increasingly useful when the number of files grows. #### Step 4: Select the file To attach a local file, simply drag and drop the file from your computer onto the dropzone. Alternatively, you can also click on the dropzone and select the file from your computer that you wish to upload. **Supported file types** The allowed file types have been listed in the following table: | Format | File type | | --- | --- | | Image | jpg, jpeg, gif, bmp, png, svg, ai, webp, tiff, jfif | | Documents | txt, xls, xlsx, doc, docx, csv, ppt, pptx, pdf, log, xml, json, html, url, ppsx, ovpn, sxc | | Audio/video | mp3, mp4, mov, wav, mpg, mpeg, mpga, adp, avi, webm, ogg, oga, ogv, 3g2, midi, mid, m4a, qt, mp2, opus | | Compressed | zip, tar, tgz, gz, tar.gz, rar | **Maximum file size:** 20MB > If your file size is larger than 20 MB, it is suggested that you compress it into a ZIP folder before uploading. ### Sending Files > Before sending a file to your Contact, make sure the Contact's Channel is capable of receiving the file to prevent undelivered messages. [Check compatibility here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/files#channel_compatibility). #### Step 1: Navigate to the contact you want to send the file to You can send a file to your Contact by pressing the clip icon 📎 on the messaging bar. #### Step 2: Select a method Select your preferred method to select the file to be sent. **Upload New File** If the file is not present on the platform yet, you can upload a new file directly from the messaging console. **Select existing file** You can send an existing file on the platform to the contact. Choose the file from the dropdown. Once you have uploaded or selected a file, press **SEND** to send the file to your Contact. #### Channel Compatibility While the respond.io platform accepts uploads up to 20MB in size, different Channels have their own guidelines and specifications for files they can accept. For example, some don't accept certain file types while others may limit attachment sizes. | Channel | Maximum File Size | Supported File Types | | --- | --- | --- | | WhatsApp Business Platform (API) | Image: 5MB Document: 100 MB Audio & Video: 16MB Sticker: 100KB | 3gp,amr,csv,doc,docx,jpeg,jpg,mp4,mpeg,opus,pdf,png,ppt,pptx,webp,xls,xlsx,xml | | Facebook Messenger | Image: 8 MB Others: 25 MB | 3g2,3gp,3gpp,aa,aac,aax,ac3,aiff,ape,asf,au,avi,csv,dat,divx,docx,f4v,flac,flv,gif,jpeg,jpg,m2fts,m4a,m4b,m4p,m4r,m4v,mka,mkv,mod,mov,mp3,mp4,mpe,mpeg,mpeg4,nsv,ogg,ogm,ogv,pdf,png,tod,vob,wav,wma,wmv,xml,zip | | Instagram | Image: 8 MB Audio & Video: 100 MB | bmp,gif,ico,jpg,png | | WhatsApp - Cloud API | Image: 5MB Audio & Video: 16MB Other: 100MB | 3gp,amr,csv,doc,docx,jpeg,jpg,mp4,mpeg,opus,pdf,png,ppt,pptx,webp,xls,xlsx,xml | | WhatsApp - Twilio | 16 MB | amr,jpeg,jpg,mp4,pdf,png | | WhatsApp - MessageBird | Image: 5MB Audio & Video: 16 MB Other: 100 MB | amr,doc,docx,jpeg,jpg,m4a,mp3,mpga,oga,pdf,png,ppt,pptx,txt,xls,xlsx | | WhatsApp - Vonage | Image: 5MB Audio & Video: 16 MB Other: 100 MB | 3gp,mp4,mp3,mp4a,amr,mpeg,m4a,pdf,doc,ppt,pptx,sxd,sxw,sxc,odf,odp,odt,xlsx | | WhatsApp - 360Dialog | Image: 5MB Audio & Video: 16 MB Other: 100 MB | 3g2,3gp,aac,amr,csv,doc,docx,m4a,mp3,mp4,mp4a,mpeg,odf,odp,odt,opus,pdf,ppt,pptx,sxc,sxd,sxw,xls, xlsx,xml,zip | | WeChat | Image: 5 MB Other: 25 MB | amr,jpeg,jpg,mp3,mp4,png | | Twitter | Image: 5 MB Other: 20 MB | gif,jpeg,jpg,mp3,mp4,png,webp | | LINE | 10 MB | aac,jpeg,jpg,m4a,mp3,mp4,png,wav | | Telegram | Image: 5 MB Other: 50 MB | 3g2,3gp,3gpp,aa,aac,aax,ac3,aiff,ape,asf,au,avi,csv,dat,divx,docx,f4v,flac,flv,gif,jpeg,jpg,m2fts,m4a,m4b,m4p,m4r,m4v,mka,mkv,mod,mov,mp3,mp4,mpe,mpeg,mpeg4,nsv,ogg,ogm,ogv,pdf,png,tod,vob,wav,wma,wmv,xml | | Viber | Image: 1 MB Other: 50 MB | 3g2,3gp,3gpp,aa,aac,aax,ac3,aiff,ape,asf,au,avi,csv,dat,divx,docx,f4v,flac,flv,gif,jpeg,jpg,m2fts,m4a,m4b,m4p,m4r,m4v,mka,mkv,mod,mov,mp3,mp4,mpe,mpeg,mpeg4,nsv,ogg,ogm,ogv,pdf,png,tod,vob,wav,wma,wmv,xml,zip | | SMS - Twilio | 1 MB | jpeg,jpg,png | | SMS - MessageBird | 1 MB | jpeg,jpg,png | | SMS - Vonage | 1 MB | gif,jpeg,jpg,png | | Gmail | 25 MB | N/A | #### Fallback Sending Method When you attempt to send a file that is incompatible or does not meet the requirements of the messaging channel, the platform will automatically replace your attachment with a URL link to your file instead. This way, the file can reach the Contact even if the Channel does not support receiving such attachment types. ### Downloading a File If you are unsure of a file's content, download it and check its contents before sending it to your Contact. Click on Download in the Actions menu to download the file to your computer. ### Editing a File If you need to make a change to a file's name or update its description, click the **Edit** button in the Actions menu. ### Copying the File ID During integration, you may need the File ID of a file to facilitate a process. The File ID can be obtained by selecting **Copy File ID** from the Actions menu and the File ID will be copied onto your clipboard. ### Deleting a File If a file is no longer relevant or is not in use anymore, it can be deleted from the Workspace by choosing Delete from the Actions menu. > Be careful when you delete a file as it may be used by other Users in the Workspace. Bear in mind that the deletion cannot be undone. ### Troubleshooting #### Sending High-Resolution Photos If you fail to send a photo to your Contact, please check its resolution and make sure it is less than 85 megapixels. Channels like Facebook have photo resolution and megapixels restrictions. #### Sending Videos If you fail to send videos to your Contact, please check the video resolution as some Channels may not support high-resolution videos. You may try to send the video again with a lower resolution. #### Receiving and Sending Files If your Workspace has trouble receiving and sending files to your Contacts, your network may have restricted some IPs. Please add the following to whitelist the IPs : ## [General info ](https:/respond.io/help/workspace-settings/settings-general) Under General Workspace settings, configure your workspace name, timeout settings and timezone. ### Getting Here > This setting is accessible to **Owners**, and to **Managers** with the required permissions. You can access it from the **Settings** navigation menu, under **Workspace Settings → General info**. ### Configuring User Inactivity Timeout The **User Inactivity Timeout** setting allows you to configure how long a user can remain idle on the platform before their status is automatically changed to **Offline**. You can set the timeout period between **1 minute** and **60 minutes**. ### Setting a Workspace’s Timezone The **Time Zone** setting applies to the workspace you are configuring. It affects how workspace data is displayed in Reports, Dashboards, and View Filters. Changes are saved automatically as you update the setting. ### Configuring the Weekly Recap Email The **Weekly Recap Email** provides a summary of your workspace’s **Conversations** and **Lifecycle** performance. It is delivered to selected recipients every **Monday** at **9:00 AM** in their local timezone. By default, this setting is enabled for all new Workspaces. The email will only be sent if relevant data is available—no email is sent if all tracked metrics are zero. **The tracked metrics consist of:** - Customer Won: Number of customers entering the Won stage, with a conversion rate (Won customers ÷ total Contacts entering the Lifecycle) - Customer Lost: Number of customers entering the Lost stage, with a drop-off rate (Lost customers ÷ total Contacts entering the Lifecycle) - Opened conversations from new and returning Contacts - Average first response time, including the percentage of Contacts who received a reply in under 10 minutes. #### Managing Recipients You can choose which users should receive the weekly email: - Owners are automatically included in the recipient list and updated if their role changes. - Managers can be manually added or removed. - Agents are not eligible to receive the email and will not appear in the list. To configure recipients: 1. Use the Recipient dropdown. 2. Select users from the list. 3. Selected names will appear as tags. 4. Changes are saved automatically. #### Unsubscribing Recipients can change their preferences anytime by clicking on the link in the email footer. If a Manager without Workspace Settings permission clicks this link, they will be redirected to the platform’s default landing page. ### Legacy: Configuring How Conversations Open (Deprecated) The option to configure how conversations are opened was available to users with legacy data (older workflows and processes based on previous behavior). If you do not see this option, it means it no longer applies to your workspace. ## [Get WhatsApp API Account for Government Agencies](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/get-whatsapp-api-account-for-government-agencies) Get a WhatsApp API Business Account for your Government Agency In this article, representatives of Government Agencies that are strategically moving towards using WhatsApp API as a communication platform can learn how to set up WhatsApp Business Account (WABA). The process involves the following main steps: - Getting Meta approval - Setting up WABA (WhatsApp Business Account) - Getting MBV (Meta Business Verification) > Learn more on how government organizations can use WhatsApp to connect with people [here](https://www.facebook.com/government-nonprofits/blog/building-community-on-whatsapp). ### Getting Meta Approval All Government Agencies must get pre-approval from Meta before creating their WABA. ### **Pre-requisite** - The Government Agency website is operational and secured (using SSL encryption). - A Customer Success Manager (CSM) from respond.io to assist you with the submission process. ### **Procedure** 1. Contact us to request for a WABA for Government Agency. 2. A Customer Success Manager (CSM) at respond.io provides you with a Government Access Form. 3. Once you’ve filled in the form, send it back to your CSM to be submitted to Meta. 4. Receive approval from Meta. This may take up to 3 working days. ### Setting Up WABA Once you have received the pre-approval from Meta, you can proceed to [sign up for a WABA by following the instructions here](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-api-quick-start). ### Getting MBV For Government Agencies, the following supporting documents are required for MBV: - A government letter with letterhead (Mandatory) - Certificate of Formation (Presidential and Ministerial decree, Governor’s regulations) - Declaration letter - Utility bills (phone, internet) with the same address - Tax filing document Once you have your supporting documents ready, proceed to [verify your business in the Meta Business Manager by following the steps here](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/meta-business-verification). After submitting your MBV request, it may take up to 2-4 weeks for you to receive an email and notification on your Meta Business Manager about your MBV approval status. ## [Getting Contacts to Message You](https:/respond.io/help/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you) Encourage Contacts to message your business via QR codes and chat links. > **Business Goal:** Get new Contacts into respond.io by encouraging them to message your business via QR codes and chat links. Most messaging apps require Contacts to send you the first message before you can chat with them. QR codes and chat links help encourage new Contacts to message you. QR codes are best used on posters, fliers, receipts, packaging and business cards. Chat links make it easy for people to message you from social media posts, emails and websites. ### Benefits of Getting Contacts to Message You Getting Contacts to message you helps: - Get new Contacts who want to hear from your business - Ensure Contacts have opted-in to receive messages ### Method for Getting Contacts to Message You - Generate a scannable QR code or shareable chat link. #### Generate a scannable QR code or shareable chat link **Method Objective** - Generate a scannable QR code or shareable chat link from the respond.io Growth Widgets settings. **How-to** Here’s how to generate QR codes and chat links on the respond.io platform. Go to Settings > Growth Widgets > Explore Widgets > select QR Code. Choose your preferred messaging Channel from the dropdown. We’re using Facebook Messenger as an example. ##### Download a QR Code Fill in the information like phone number or reference > click Download > select QR Code size.The optional "reference" to add is for tracking purposes to show that the Contact came in from this link. Note that not all channels have this option. ##### Get a shareable link Most channels will automatically give you a link when create a QR code. Simply copy this link and use it wherever you like. The optional "reference" in this example is for tracking purposes to show that the Contact came in from this link. Note that not all Channels have this option. ## [Getting Ready for Inbound Conversations](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/getting-ready-for-inbound-conversations) Learn about conversation windows, sending message templates and setting up a simple entry point to manage WhatsApp messages from your customers. In this document, we will help you to prepare for inbound conversations. An inbound conversation happens when a customer sends you the first message and you respond to continue the chat. However, chatting with customers on WhatsApp is not as simple. WhatsApp has its set of rules for messaging. Here are some of the topics that we’ll cover for WhatsApp Inbound Conversations: - Understanding Customer Service Window - Submit and Send a WhatsApp Message Template - Adding a WhatsApp button to your Facebook page ### Understanding Customer Service Window A Customer Service Window is the 24-hour period when a customer initiates a conversation with your business. Once you reply to the customer, a [service conversation](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-pricing#service_conversations) will be opened. Once it has been more than 24 hours since customers last messaged you, you will be outside the customer service window. You can use a message template if you need to follow up with a customer. > Learn more about [Customer Service Window here](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/conversation-types/#customer-service-window). ### Submit and Send a WhatsApp Message Template A WhatsApp message template is sent outside the Customer Service Window and will reopen conversations with customers. This will help you follow up with customers that have not replied. We have prepared a sample message template that you can send as a follow-up to your customers. **Sample message template:** *“Hello {{1}}, I'd like to follow up on our previous conversation. Is there anything else you need assistance with? Let me know and I'll be happy to help.”* However, you will need to [submit the message template](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-message-templates#setting_up_message_templates) for approval first. > You need to have sufficient balance to send message templates. You can top-up your credits in your WhatsApp Fees on the respond.io platform. Learn more about [WhatsApp Fees here](https://respond.io/help/organization-settings/whatsapp-fees). **Steps to send the message template:** 1. Click the Send Message Template button in the messaging bar. 2. Select the sample template to send to your Contact. 3. Add the parameter text ($contact.name). 4. Review the information and click Send. > You can also create and use your own message templates. Learn more [about message templates here](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-message-templates). ### Adding a WhatsApp button to your Facebook page Adding a WhatsApp button to your Facebook page is a simple and effective way to get customers to message you. When a customer clicks the button, this opens a free entry point conversation where you will get a 72-hour [free entry point conversation](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-pricing#free_entry_point_conversations) window, unlike the regular 24-hour customer service window. This gives you more time to respond to customer inquiries and provide them with the assistance they need without additional charges. **What you need to add a WhatsApp button to your Facebook page**: - A WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) linked to your phone number. - A Facebook Business page. **Steps to add a WhatsApp button to your Facebook Business Page:** 1. On your Facebook page, click Settings. 2. Click Linked Accounts. 3. Select WhatsApp on the left panel and enter the phone number used for your WABA. 4. Click Send WhatsApp Code to verify your number. You will receive a code on WhatsApp. 5. Enter the code and click Confirm. 6. Click Add Button to add the WhatsApp button to your Facebook page. > Learn more about how you can [maximize entry points here](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/grow-your-whatsapp-audience-by-maximizing-entry-points). ### Next Steps You’ve learned about Customer Service Window, sent a message template to follow up on your customers and added an entry point for customers to reach out to you. You’re ready for the next step - [Getting Ready for Promotional Messaging](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/getting-ready-for-promotional-messaging). ## [Getting Ready for Promotional Messaging](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/getting-ready-for-promotional-messaging) Learn how to broadcast promotional messages using WhatsApp message templates. Sending promotional messages is a powerful marketing tool that can increase customer engagement and drive sales. This article will help you prepare for sending broadcast promotional messages to your customers. We will cover the prerequisites, sending the promotional message and increasing messaging limits on WhatsApp. ### Pre-requisites for Sending Promotional Messages Here are a few things you need to prepare and understand before sending promotional messages: - Sufficient balance in WhatsApp Fees - Create and submit a message template - Ensure your phone number quality rating is not low or flagged - Ensure your Contact has opted in to receive promotional messages > It is mandatory to ensure your Contacts have opted in before sending marketing messages. Sending without consent can cause message failures or restrictions. Learn more about WhatsApp Opt In in our [blog post](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-opt-in). #### Sufficient Balance in WhatsApp Fees To send promotional messages, you need to use WhatsApp message templates. Therefore, you need to ensure that you have enough balance in your WhatsApp account. You can top-up your credits in your WhatsApp Fees on the platform. > Learn more about [WhatsApp Fees here](https://respond.io/help/organization-settings/whatsapp-fees). #### Create and Submit a Message Template Before sending promotional messages, it is essential to create and submit your message templates for approval. Ensure to follow the [template guidelines](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/message-templates/guidelines) to avoid your template from being rejected. > Here are some [template samples](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-broadcast-message-sample#toc-mobile-6) that you can use as a reference when creating and submitting your message template in the platform. #### Ensure your Phone Number Quality Rating is not Low or Flagged If your [phone number quality](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-messaging-limits#phone_number_quality_rating) rating is low or flagged, your phone number status will change to **Flagged** or **Restricted and may restrict you from sending broadcast promotional messages.** ### Sending the Promotional message Once you have ensured that your WhatsApp Fees balance is sufficient, your message template is approved, and the message template quality rating is not low or flagged, you can now send your promotional message. You can use the broadcast feature in the platform to send your promotional messages to your Contacts quickly and easily. Additionally, you can [import your Contacts](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/import-to-broadcast) to send broadcasts to specific groups. > Learn how to [send a broadcast here](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast). > If your business is unverified, you can only send broadcast messages to up to 250 unique Contacts. ### Increasing your Messaging Limits to Send More Messages Increase daily messaging limits to send promotional messages to more customers. Here’s how you can raise your messaging limits: - Criteria to increase your messaging limits - Steps to increase your messaging limits > You can check your current messaging limits in the your [WhatsApp Accounts](https://business.facebook.com/settings/whatsapp-business-accounts) > Settings tab > WhatsApp Manager > Account tools > Phone Numbers #### Criteria to Increase Your Messaging Limits Your portfolio’s messaging limit can increase if both of the following conditions are met: - Message Quality: You are sending high-quality messages across all of your business phone numbers and templates, with a Medium or High quality rating. - Usage Threshold: In the last 7 days, your portfolio has initiated at least 50% of its current messaging limit (e.g., 1,000 conversations if your limit is 2K). #### Steps to Increase Your Messaging Limits If your business consistently sends high-quality messages across all phone numbers and templates, and meets the usage thresholds at each tier, your messaging limits can scale from **250 → 2K → 10K → 100K → Unlimited** in as little as **4 days**. > Learn more about [Increasing Messaging Limits here](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-messaging-limits). #### Struggling to Increase Your WhatsApp Messaging Limits? The **Alternate Path Program** gives you another way to scale your messaging limits without completing full business verification. If you consistently send **high-quality messages** and meet usage thresholds, Meta can upgrade your limit based on performance. **From 1K → 10K** - Day 1: Send at least 500 messages to unique contacts. - Your limit increases to 10K within 24 hours of the 500th message. **From 10K → 100K** - Day 2: Send at least 5,000 messages to unique contacts. - Your limit increases to 100K within 24 hours of the 5,000th message. **From 100K → Unlimited** - Day 3: Send at least 50,000 messages to unique contacts. - By Day 4 (24 hours after the 50,000th message), your limit increases to Unlimited. In short: By meeting the thresholds each day, you can move from **1K → Unlimited in just 4 days**, provided your messages maintain a **Medium or High quality rating**. ### Phone Number Quality Rating The quality rating assigned to your phone number is based on customer feedback about the messages they’ve received in the past seven days. - 🟢 High (Green): Customers respond positively to your messages. - 🟡 Medium (Yellow): Some concerns have been raised. You should address them. - 🔴 Low (Red): Significant issues or complaints — you need to improve quickly. > Check your phone number quality rating in **WhatsApp Manager > Phone Numbers tab > Quality Rating column** ### What happens when your Quality Rating is low? If your quality rating drops: - You won’t be downgraded to a lower limit, but scaling will pause until your rating improves. - You will receive email and Business Manager notifications as a warning. **Restricted status:** This occurs when you reach your portfolio’s messaging limit. During restriction, you cannot start new business-initiated conversations until the 24-hour cap resets, but you can still respond within the customer service window. > **Shared limit note:** Because messaging limits are shared at the portfolio level, one phone number can consume the entire allowance for all numbers. ### Improve Your Quality Rating To improve your quality rating, consider these steps: - Check Templates: Identify whether any templates added in the last 7 days are causing negative feedback. - Policy Compliance: Make sure your notifications comply with WhatsApp’s policies. - User Opt-In: Only send messages customers have explicitly agreed to receive. - Best Practices: Review WhatsApp’s Best Practice Guide and optimize your messaging style. By following these steps, you’ll increase customer satisfaction and improve your eligibility for higher messaging limits. ### Next Steps You’ve learned how to send promotional messages and increase your messaging limits. Let’s move on to the next step in your journey to [become a WhatsApp Official Business Account](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-official-business-account-green-tick). ## [Getting Started with AI Agents](https:/respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents) Learn how to set up an AI Agent with templates to get started fast. AI Agents are automated assistants that reply to customers, follow your instructions, and take actions like assigning or closing conversations—saving your team time and improving response consistency. With ready-made templates, you can instantly deploy agents for common roles like handling inquiries, FAQs, or routing chats to the right team. This guide shows you the fastest way to get started—minimal setup, maximum value. > **Quick note:** AI Agents are included with Growth and higher plans. ### Step 1: Go to the Inbox 1. Open the Inbox module. 2. Click Create AI Agent from either:the left side panel, orthe Assignee dropdown (top option). 3. the left side panel, or 4. the Assignee dropdown (top option). 5. Or click on AI Agent module on the left side navigation bar. ### Step 2: Select an AI Agent template 1. On the templates page, choose a template:Receptionist – Handles general inquiries and routes conversations to the right team.Sales Agent – Responds to product interest and helps qualify leads.Support Agent – Answers FAQs and provides help based on your documentation. 2. Receptionist – Handles general inquiries and routes conversations to the right team. 3. Sales Agent – Responds to product interest and helps qualify leads. 4. Support Agent – Answers FAQs and provides help based on your documentation. 5. Click Use Template ### Step 3: Review and customize your AI Agent (optional) - The Create AI Agent page comes pre-filled with template prompts you can customize with details like your company name—and edit anytime to fit your needs. - Depending on the template you’ve selected, you can customize how your AI Agent sounds, what it does, and who it interacts with—for example, adjusting the agent’s voice and tone or assigning conversations to specific teams. - You can review and edit:Name and descriptionInstructions (the agent’s role, tone, and behavior)Enabled actions (e.g., Close conversation, Assign to agent or team, Update Lifecycle stage)Optional: Click + Add AI knowledge source to upload documents or URLs. - Name and description - Instructions (the agent’s role, tone, and behavior) - Enabled actions (e.g., Close conversation, Assign to agent or team, Update Lifecycle stage) - Optional: Click + Add AI knowledge source to upload documents or URLs. > Uploading knowledge sources will allow your AI Agent to answer specific business-related questions—such as where your business is located, your return policies, contact information, and more. [Learn more](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/managing-ai-knowledge-sources) #### Receptionist template This Receptionist template helps you: - Greet Contacts and identify their needs. - Capture essential details to pass along. - Route conversations to the right team or person for further assistance. - Close conversations once the Contact has been informed of next steps. Best suited for teams that want to stay responsive at scale and ensure every message reaches the right team without delay. Here's how you can get started: ##### Add AI knowledge sources (recommended) Upload or link sources that will help the Receptionist identify intent and route efficiently: - Business hours & SLAs (Service Level Agreements) - Intake questions that your team commonly uses ##### Choose where to route conversations (recommended) Decide which team or agent each inquiry should go to by replacing {{Select Team}} in the Instructions and Actions box with Teams or User names. For example: - @Support Team for issues and troubleshooting - @Sales Team for pricing or purchase-related inquiries - @General Inquiries for anything else - Another AI Agent for specialized workflows ##### Configure the template actions This template comes with two pre-enabled actions: - Close conversations: Wraps up resolved chats with a short summary. - Assign to agent or team: Hands off to a human/another agent/team with context. Use ‘@’ to mention an agent or team in the instructions box. For example: ##### Prompt examples Below are optional, ready-to-use instruction prompts you can paste into the **Instructions** box on your Receptionist configuration page. They’re designed to help you fine-tune the template for your business. **Office hours & SLA awareness** This prompt teaches your Receptionist AI Agent how to politely handle conversations that happen outside of your business hours. Instead of leaving Contacts confused, the agent: - Informs them of your office hours. - Lets them know when a human will next be available. - Continues assisting in the meantime with clear, empathetic answers. **Which actions need to be enabled** - Assign to agent or team: So the conversation can still be routed to the correct team once office hours resume. - Close and summarize conversation: So the AI Agent can neatly close the chat after informing the Contact and capturing any details for follow-up. > Make sure to set the office hours in your prompt correctly. You can also define how AI should respond in this case or if there are any specific teams to assign to outside of office hours. #### Sales agent template This Sales Agent template helps you: - Recommend plans/products (incl. from images the customer sends). - Escalate to a human/team when needed. - Update Lifecycle stages and Contact fields automatically. - Close conversations with a short summary when done. Here's how you can get started: ##### Add AI knowledge sources (recommended) Upload or link the single source of truth your agent should trust: - Product catalog / feature matrix (ideally structured) - Pricing & plan comparison (incl. regional rules, promos) - Availability / lead times / shipping ##### Choose where to route conversations (recommended) Decide where the agent should assign conversations. For example: - @Sales Team for strong intent, demo/quote requests - @Support Team for post-purchase help or technical blockers - Another AI Agent for specialized workflows (optional) ##### Configure the template actions This template comes with four pre-enabled actions: - Assign to agent or team: Hands off to a human/another agent/team with context. Use ‘@’ to mention an agent or team in the instructions box. - Update Lifecycle stages: Moves the Contact through your sales funnel. - Update Contact fields: Captures key lead data for follow-up. - Close conversations: Wraps up resolved chats with a short summary. ##### Prompt examples Below are optional, ready-to-use instruction prompts you can paste into the **Instructions** box on your Sales Agent configuration page. They’re designed to help you fine-tune the template for your business. **Lead qualification** This prompt helps your Sales AI Agent qualify leads quickly by asking only the essential questions (budget and location in this example). It then applies simple decision rules to determine if the lead should be marked as qualified or unqualified, updates their Lifecycle stage, and routes them accordingly. **Which actions need to be enabled** - Update Lifecycle stages: To mark Contacts as Hot Lead or Unqualified. - Assign to agent or team: To route qualified leads to the Sales Team for follow-up. - Update Contact fields: To save captured details (budget, location) for future reference. - Close and summarize conversation: To end the chat once qualification and routing are complete. > Make sure to tweak the prompt to fit your lead qualification criteria and ensure that the actions fit your processes. **Product recommendation from an image** This prompt teaches your Sales AI Agent how to handle image-based product inquiries. When a Contact sends a photo, the agent identifies key details (brand, model, connectors, dimensions), cross-checks against your catalog, and recommends the best-fit product. If the match is unclear, it asks clarifying questions or escalates to Sales. It can also capture customer preferences (like size, color, budget) for future use. **Which actions need to be enabled** - Assign to agent or team: To escalate product inquiries that need a quote, invoice, or deeper compatibility checks to the Sales Team. - Update Contact fields: To save confirmed preferences such as size, color, or budget band. - Close and summarize conversation: To neatly end the conversation after making a recommendation or handoff. > You can tweak any of the information that you want AI Agent to extract from an image or focus on certain aspects of an image. Also ensure that you have the necessary Contact fields created. #### Support Agent template This Support Agent template helps you: - Answer product questions using your AI Knowledge Sources. - Escalate smoothly to a human when the answer isn’t available. - Ensure customers get timely and accurate help. - Close conversations with a clear summary when done. Best suited for teams that want to deliver consistent, responsive support without making customers wait. Here's how you can get started: ##### Add AI knowledge sources (recommended) Upload or link resources that help your Support Agent answer accurately: - FAQs for your products and services - Help articles and step-by-step guides - Troubleshooting playbooks - Warranty, returns, and policy documentation ##### Choose where to route conversations (recommended) Decide who should receive cases that can’t be resolved by the AI Agent: - @Support Team for unresolved technical/product issues - @Sales Team if the request turns into a purchase or upgrade inquiry - Anyone in the Workspace if no specific team is defined ##### Configure the template actions This template comes with two pre-enabled actions: - Close conversations: Wraps up resolved chats with a short summary. - Assign to another team or agent: Hands off to a human/another agent/team with context. Use ‘@’ to mention an agent or team in the instructions box. ##### Prompt examples Below are optional, ready-to-use instruction prompts you can paste into the **Instructions** box on your Support agent configuration page. They’re designed to help you fine-tune the template for your business. **Issue clarification and fixes** This prompt guides your Support agent to handle customer issues step by step. It starts by confirming what’s happening and which product or order is involved, then runs through a short checklist of up to three safe fixes. If the problem is solved, the agent closes the loop politely. If not, it escalates smoothly to your Support Team with context already summarized. **Which actions need to be enabled** - Assign to agent or team: To escalate unresolved issues directly to the Support Team. - Update Contact fields: To capture important details like product model, order number, or variant. - Close and summarize conversation: To end the chat with a clear summary once the issue is resolved or handed off. > Ask questions that matter to your business and make sure the flow matches your support policies. **Save churn** This prompt equips your Support AI Agent to handle cancellation requests empathetically and systematically. It helps uncover the main reason for churn, then offers a targeted save option (discount, pause, downgrade). If the customer declines two offers or insists on canceling, the case is smoothly escalated to a human support team with the context captured. **Which actions need to be enabled** - Assign to agent or team: To hand off immediately when the reason is “something not working” or if the Contact declines both save offers. - Update Contact fields: To capture the churn reason and any preferences (pause, downgrade). - Update Lifecycle stages: To mark the Contact as At Risk or Churned if cancellation proceeds. - Close and summarize conversation: To end the interaction with a clear summary once the save attempt or escalation is complete. > Make sure to assign to the right team and ensure processes fit your organisation. ### Step 4: Test your AI Agent (optional) Before publishing, you can simulate how your AI Agent will respond to customer messages using the **Test AI Agent** feature. This lets you validate your prompts and preview any actions—such as assignments, Contact field updates, and others—without affecting real customers. Here’s how: - Go to the Chat tab in the panel on the right - Type a test message to simulate a conversation - Watch how your AI Agent replies and triggers actions - You can also reset the conversation or update the test Contact fields to try different scenarios - Upload files like PDFs, images, or documents to test how your AI Agent reads both text and files For best results, we recommend: - Testing different types of customer questions - Checking whether actions are triggered as expected - Making small prompt adjustments and re-testing to keep better track of improvements > Learn more about [testing AI Agents](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/how-to-test-ai-agents) ### Step 5: Publish your AI Agent - Click Publish. - The agent is now live, active, and available in the assignee dropdown of the Inbox module. - Make sure to test your AI Agent as much as possible before assigning it to Contacts. ### Step 6: Start using your AI Agent > Once published, your AI Agent can start handling conversations either **automatically** or **manually**, depending on your setup. **Manual handling (requires human action)** - Go to the Inbox. - Assign the conversation to your AI Agent from the Assignee dropdown. **Automatic handling (does not require human action)** If you’ve: - Set AI Agent as the default assignee - Used a Workflow to assign conversations > AI Agent will start replying without any manual action. Both the **Contact** and your **teammates in the Inbox** can see when the AI Agent is generating a reply. #### Taking over conversations from your AI Agent You can now manually take over a conversation that is currently being handled by your AI Agent. This feature ensures that when the AI provides an incorrect answer, can’t address the customer’s query, or is taking too long to respond, a human agent can immediately step in. When the AI Agent is actively engaging with a Contact, a Takeover callout will appear in the message composer. Click **Takeover** to: - Immediately stop the AI Agent from replying - Reassign the conversation to you If other conversation restrictions apply — such as **insufficient WABA balance**, a **blocked contact**, or **no connected channel** — these conditions will be shown instead, and the Takeover callout will remain hidden until they’re resolved. Once you’ve taken over, the AI Agent will no longer respond to this conversation until it’s reassigned to the AI again. ## [Getting Support](https:/respond.io/help/help-menu/getting-support) Learn how to request for the respond.io support team to get in touch with you ### Getting Here To get help from our support team, select the **Help** icon on the side navigation menu and select **Get Support** from the menu. > The **Talk to an Expert** page can also be accessed from the Resource Center. The **Talk to an Expert** page opens in your default browser. ### Getting Support Provide the following information so that our experts can reach out to you. 1. Enter your name in the Name field. 2. Enter your email address in the Email field. 3. Select your country code and provide your contact number. 4. Enter your company name in the Company name field. 5. Enter the subject of concern in the Subject field. 6. Providing some preliminary information regarding your concerns in the Tell us how we can help you field. 7. Click Submit. Someone from the support team will reach out to you. ## [Glossary of Terms](https:/respond.io/help/quick-start/glossary-of-terms) To help users better understand the platform, here are the definitions of commonly used terms. To help users better understand the platform, here are the definitions of commonly used terms. #### Assignee A User to whom the Contact was assigned. #### Assignment The action in which a Contact is assigned to any Users in the Workspace. - Assignment and Closing a Conversation #### Broadcast A feature to transmit specified content to a group of Contacts through a specified Channel. - Broadcasts #### Channel The messaging medium connected to the platform to receive and send messages to Contacts. For example, Facebook Messenger can be connected to respond.io as a messaging channel to engage with Contacts. - Messaging Channels #### Closing Notes Closing notes are conversation summaries that are provided by Users when closing a conversation. The closing notes can be used for reporting and analytical purposes. - Closing Notes #### Contact Contacts are people who have interacted with the messaging channels connected to the platform. Their contact profile is created when they send their first message on any connected messaging channel. - Contacts #### Contact Field An attribute type that collects facts about Contacts that are relevant to your business. You can add custom Contact fields in addition to the default ones. An example of a custom Contact field can be the plan the Contact is subscribed to. - Contact Fields #### Contact Search Use filters to search and sort Contacts in the different inboxes. Filter by open, closed and snoozed conversations. - Contact Search #### Conversation The interaction between a Contact and the messaging channel is referred to as a conversation. A Contact can have many conversations with a Workspace and each conversation will have its own metrics and context. #### Custom Inbox A collection of Contacts and their conversations based on a set of criteria. Custom Inboxes can be used in the Contacts and Inbox module to filter Contacts according to the selected criteria. - Custom Inbox #### Integration An active connection that can be configured with a third-party product to help you to achieve more with respond.io. A common use case is using DialogFlow as a bot to respond to messages. - Integrations #### Messages A written communication sent to or by your Contact via any of the messaging channels. A Contact may send multiple messages at a time and they can be in various forms, such as text or multimedia. - Messages #### Organization A collection of Users from the same group or company who share a subscription. In an organization, a User's role can be an Admin, Billing Admin or Member. However, a User can belong to multiple organizations when necessary. - Organization Settings #### Snippet A message template to send standardized replies and canned responses to your Contacts. Snippets can be shared with other Users across the Workspace. - Snippets #### Tag A manual attribute to group Contacts on the platform. Tags can be added to Contacts via automation or manual tagging. In addition to that, they can be used to filter Contacts and create Contact segments. #### Team A group of Users who share a common goal in the workforce. - Teams #### User A person who is given access to a Workspace on the platform. - Users #### Workflows Workflows is a visual Workflow builder used to automate processes. Workflows can incorporate elements like Contact data to build automation such as automated messaging, auto-assignment and more. - Workflows #### Workspace A Workspace is an independent sub-account within the Organization. Each Workspace has its own database, Users, Channels and settings, among others. ## [Google Workspace Quick Start](https:/respond.io/help/email/gmail) Connect respond.io to Gmail or Gsuite account and start receiving emails on the platform. > To connect a Google Workspace (formerly known as GSuite) account is required. Read more [here](https://swiy.io/1gHs) on how to create the account. Gmail is a free email service developed by Google. Users can access Gmail on the web and using third-party programs that synchronize email content through POP or IMAP protocols. > **Warning:** This feature is still currently in BETA release and undergoing verification by the Google Cloud team. You might be presented with "The app isn't verified" during the connection process. > **Warning:** As of now, the Google Workspace Channel does not support Contacts API and Zapier Integration due to technical regulations. > If you are looking to connect your personal Gmail account, refer [here](https://respond.io/help/email/other-email#gmail). ### Before connecting Google Workspace Due to security purposes, you will need to whitelist the respond.io Google app in your Google Workspace Admin before connecting your organization's account to the platform. > You may refer to this [official guide](https://support.google.com/a/answer/7281227?hl=en) by Google on how to whitelist a third-party app to access Google Workspace data. **Step 1: Log in to your Google Workspace Admin** Navigate to this [link](https://admin.google.com/) and log in with your administrator account. **Step 2: Navigate to Security Settings** From the navigation drawer, select **Security** > **Access and data control** > **API Controls**. **Step 3: Locate API controls** Navigate to the **App Access Controls** section and click **MANAGE THIRD-PARTY APP ACCESS**. **Step 4: Configure New app** Click on **Configure New App** and choose OAuth App Name or Client ID. **Step 5: Search for respond.io App** Under Search OAuth App name or client ID, enter the client ID. Select the **respond.io** app. `784630659939-o1ulpn0fja7p8563r3oplp1hj9gj9tnp.apps.googleusercontent.com` **Step 6: Select the OAuth Client ID** Select the OAuth Client ID from the list that matches the provided ID above. **Step 7: Confirm and Add** Select Trusted to allow access. Press Configure to add the respond.io Google app to your Google Workspace trusted list. > The app is now whitelisted and you may proceed to connect your organization's Gmail to respond.io. ### Connecting Google Workspace Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on How to Connect Google Workspace to respond.io. **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Add Channel** **Step 2:** Locate the Google Workspace Channel > Click **Connect** **Step 3:** Click **Connect >** check the *“I have whitelisted the app / informed my administrator to do so”* checkbox **Step 4:** Click **Connect with Google.** This will redirect you to sign in with your desired Google account. Step 5: Once you have signed in with the desired Google account, the dialog will show the Gmail account. Click **Create Channel** to confirm. > Once you've completed the setup, any emails sent to your Gmail will now be received in your Workspace. > **Warning:** If you encounter errors when connecting to Gmail, please ensure that you've enabled cookies and pop-ups in your browser. ### Channel Configuration > Google Workspace Channel can be configured with a unique Channel name. > The ability to hide the respond.io branding is only available to organizations with subscriptions. **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Channels**. **Step 2:** Locate the Google Workspace Channel > Click **Manage > Configuration.** You can configure the following:‌ - Channel name - Name used internally to identify the account. - Sender name - The sender name is what your customers will see in their inbox as the sender of the email. By default, the sender name includes the name of the agent assigned to the conversation (using our variables) and the name of the company. - Workflow sender name - The sender name is what your customers see in their inbox as the sender of the email when it is sent through the workflow. By default, the sender name is set as the name of the company. - Signature - You have the option to create your own signature that will be automatically added to all your outgoing emails. If desired, you can choose to hide the signature by unchecking the checkbox. By default, the signature will be in the following format:RegardsThe first and last name of the assigned agent (using our variables)Company name In addition, you have the ability to include an image and customize your signature using our rich text editor to create your desired format. By default, this signature will be applied to customers who are connecting a new email channel. For existing users, your previous settings will remain in effect until you modify your configurations. - Hide respond.io branding in reply - Option to hide the respond.io branding in replies to your Gmail contacts (Available to organizations with subscriptions). - Default copied email address: This option allows emails added here to be automatically copied in every outgoing email. - HTML Background: This option enables or disables the HTML background in the emails that are sent out. - Additional Settings - Email credentials and IMAP/SMTP settings are used to connect the inbox to receive and send emails to/from the platform. **Step 3:** Click **Done** to update the Channel configuration‌. ## [Grow your WhatsApp Audience by Maximizing Entry Points](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/grow-your-whatsapp-audience-by-maximizing-entry-points) Learn how to reach customers and gain Contacts by adding multiple WhatsApp entry points. ### Benefits of Maximizing Entry Points Maximizing entry points to drive WhatsApp conversations offers the following benefits: - Increase audience reach & engagement for business: this helps to increase business visibility by catering to a broader audience and engaging with customers who use different messaging platforms. - Efficient Support for Customers: this allows customers to have the flexibility to choose the most convenient messaging platform for them to get support from business. - Expanded Audience Reach: A business can cater to a broader audience and draw in customers using various entry points. This helps increase visibility, attract new potential customers and boost your business’ popularity in the market. ### Create a QR Code and Chat Link for Entry Points Most entry points require a WhatsApp chat link or QR code. To create a WhatsApp chat link or QR code, you will need the following: - A WhatsApp Business account - A valid phone number connected to your WhatsApp Business account. #### Chat link and QR code on respond.io platform You can create a chat link and QR code on the respond.io platform. Here’s how: **QR Code** > Learn how to [create a QR code in Workspace Settings > Growth Widgets](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/growth-widgets). **Chat Link** 1. In your Workspace, go to Settings > Channels 2. Select your WhatsApp Channel > Configure 3. Copy the chat link > Alternatively, you can go to respond.io’s [WhatsApp Link Generator](https://respond.io/whatsapp-link-generator) to generate a chat link. ### Best Entry Points with the Most Traffic - Your Business Website - Facebook - Instagram #### Your Business Website The first place a potential customer will most likely look up your business will be your business website. Direct your website visitors to message you on WhatsApp through their WhatsApp app by adding a WhatsApp Growth Widget to your business website. > Learn how to [add a Growth Widget to your website here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/growth-widgets). #### Facebook Facebook is another popular platform where potential customers can find your business. Let your customers message you easily when they visit your Facebook page by adding a WhatsApp button to your page. Here’s what you need before adding the button to your page: - A WhatsApp Business account linked to your business phone number - A Facebook page for your business > Learn how to add a WhatsApp button to your Facebook page in [this step-by-step guide](https://respond.io/blog/how-to-add-whatsapp-button-on-facebook-page#toc-mobile-4). #### Instagram Instagram is also another popular platform for businesses to communicate with their customers. Let your customers message you easily when they visit your Instagram page by: - Adding a WhatsApp action button to your Instagram profile - Adding a WhatsApp link to your Instagram bio - Adding a WhatsApp link to your Instagram Stories highlights > Learn how to add the WhatsApp button and links in [this step-by-step guide](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-link-for-instagram#toc-mobile-2). ### Other Digital Entry Points Besides the entry points mentioned above, there are several other digital, organic or paid entry points that can help to increase the number of potential customers reaching out to your business. We will cover what those entry points are and how you can use a WhatsApp chat link to direct customers to message you. #### Social Media Add WhatsApp Chat Links to your other social media platforms to increase the potential of customers reaching out to your business. ##### Add a WhatsApp Chat Link to your TikTok Profile Bio 1. Navigate to your profile. 2. Click Edit Profile. 3. Click Add a bio. 4. Add your WhatsApp chat link. 5. Click Save. ##### Add a WhatsApp Chat Link to your YouTube video description You can add a WhatsApp chat link in your video description to direct viewers to message you after watching a video. Here are the steps: 1. In your YouTube Studio, select a video that you want to add a WhatsApp chat link to. 2. Click the Edit icon. 3. Add the WhatsApp Chat Link in your video description. 4. Click Save. > You can also [add a WhatsApp chat link to your video info cards](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6140493?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop). However, this feature is limited to [YouTube Partners](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72851?hl) only. #### Ads You can add your WhatsApp chat link to your ads to allow customers to contact you if they are interested. Here are some examples: - Click-to-chat adsFacebook ads that lead directly to WhatsAppInstagram ads that lead directly to WhatsApp - Facebook ads that lead directly to WhatsApp - Instagram ads that lead directly to WhatsApp - Google adsThese ads should lead to a landing page first, such as your business website. Then, let customers message your business via the WhatsApp Growth Widget. - These ads should lead to a landing page first, such as your business website. Then, let customers message your business via the WhatsApp Growth Widget. #### E-Commerce Website Add a WhatsApp Chat Link or a WhatsApp Widget to your e-commerce website to increase the potential of customers reaching out to your business. #### Email Marketing You can also include your WhatsApp chat link in your marketing emails to allow customers to contact you about your promotional campaigns. #### Business Mobile App Some businesses may have their own mobile app. If your business has a mobile app, you can add a chat link to your mobile app messaging feature or module that redirects to WhatsApp and start chatting with your business. ### Offline Entry Points While digital entry points are more convenient, there can be instances where having a QR code ready for users to scan and start a chat immediately can be beneficial for your business. Below are some examples of places where you can place QR codes for users to scan and chat with your business. #### Retail and Pop-up Stores Place a QR code in your retail or pop-up stores such as the cashier or entrance to allow users to chat with your business should they need while browsing or purchasing your products. #### Print Advertising QR codes can also be placed in print advertising to allow users to scan and chat with your business. Here are some examples of print advertising that you can place your QR codes in: - Billboard - Newspaper - Magazine - Brochure - Catalogs ## [Growth Widgets](https:/respond.io/help/workspace-settings/growth-widgets) Create and manage widgets that can be embedded on your website so site visitors can contact you via your preferred channel(s). A Growth Widget allows you to embed a single channel or multichannel widget on your website so visitors can connect with you via their preferred messaging apps. > If you are looking to add a Website Chat Widget, learn more [here](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview). ### Getting Here > This setting is accessible by Owners and Managers only. This setting can be accessed from the **Settings** navigation menu under the **Workspace Settings** sub-menu item, **Growth Widgets**. Under the Growth Widget Settings section, you can see a list of existing widgets in your Workspace. Here, you can edit and manage these widgets or create new ones. In this setting, you can: - Create a widget - Manage existing widgets - Delete a widget ### Creating Widget **Step 1:** Click the **Add Widget** button to explore all the available widgets. **Step 2:** Select the widget you would like to create > click the **Create Widget** button > You can only select single-channel widgets if the Channel is connected to the Workspace. #### Configure Widget Configure the selected widget according to the required fields. ##### Website Domains Add website(s) where the Widget will be added in the Website Domains field. Here's how to whitelist websites: - If the user adds https://app.respond.io , then only https://app.respond.io will be whitelisted. Any other subdomain or root should not work. - If the user adds https://*.respond.io , then all subdomains including the root domain will be whitelisted. - If the user adds https://respond.io , then only the root domain will be whitelisted. ##### Choose your Channels Select the Channel you want to create a widget for from the dropdown list of available Channels. ##### Advanced Settings You may click the **Advanced Settings** button to further configure the optional fields. - Hover Text: Display when hovering over the widget - Pre-filled Text (Optional): Prefilled text before sending a message - Include current page URL: Check this checkbox to include the current page URL in the pre-filled text > The “include current page URL” feature is only available for WhatsApp, Viber, and email Channels. ##### Install the Script Copy the generated script to install it on your website and click the **Done** button. Alternatively, forward the installation instructions via email. > Refer [here to learn how to install the script on your website](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget#installing_the_chat_widget). > Click the Generate Widget button in the top right corner once done. ### Managing Widgets Once you have created a widget, you can manage it as below. #### Open the Installation Code To see or copy the installation code (script) of the created widget, click the **Installation Code** button and follow the instructions on the screen. > This function is not applicable to the QR Code Generator. #### Download the QR Code To download the generated QR Code, click the **Scan Code** button, then the **Download** button and select your desired pixel dimensions for your scannable code. > This is only applicable to the QR Code Generator, not the other messaging widgets. > For more information on how to utilize this feature, read our [blog article on using scannable codes here](https://respond.io/blog/facebook-messenger-code). #### Customizing the Widget To customize existing widgets, click the **Customize** button to open the customization page. There are 5 sections you can customize depending on the type of widget: ##### **General** You may configure the following general settings: - Widget Name: Name used internally to identify the widget - Website Domains: The websites on which the widget is to be installed. If you do not add your website to this list, your widget will not load. You can enter multiple URLs if you plan on installing the widget on multiple websites. ##### **Channels** You may customize the following to define the behavior of the widget based on the selected channel: - Hover Text: The hover text is shown in a tooltip when hovering over the widget. - Pre-Filled Text: The pre-filled text is an input suggestion when a Contact starts a conversation. - Reference: The reference will appear when a conversation is opened and allow you to track the source of the contact. - Colors: Choose the channel icon’s background color and icon appearance in the widget. ##### **Display & Appearance** You may customize the following to change the display appearance of the widget on your website: - Popup Message: The popup message is shown to website visitors once per day 5 seconds after the page loads. If it is not defined, no popup message will appear. - Widget Size: Choose from the Large, Standard or Small widget size. - Display Options: Choose to display this widget on desktop, mobile devices or both. ##### **Position** You may change the position of the widget on your website based on the following settings: - Alignment: Specify if you would like to display the widget on the bottom left or right of the website. - Vertical Spacing: Specify the amount of vertical spacing between the widget and the bottom of the screen. - Horizontal Spacing: Specify the amount of horizontal spacing between the widget and the edge of the screen. ##### **Additional Settings** Additional customization for widgets: - Hide Respond.io Branding: Remove the respond.io branding from your widget. ### Deleting a Widget To delete an existing widget, click the **Delete** button and follow the instructions on the screen. Doing so will completely remove the widget from your Workspace. > Be careful when deleting a widget from your Workspace. When a widget is deleted, all its configurations will be deleted. Deletion cannot be undone. ## [How to Align AI Conversations with Your Brand Voice](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/align-ai-conversations) Learn how to maintain a cohesive tone in responses generated by AI to ensure every interaction reflects your brand voice. > In this article, you'll learn the techniques to shape the personality of your AI to ensure that AI-drafted replies are aligned with your business’ brand voice. Your brand voice determines how your business writes, speaks and engages with audiences. Before using AI Assist to draft replies to your customers, define the AI Assist Persona with specific behaviors, traits or communication style so that replies drafted by AI Assist are consistent with your brand voice. This reduces the need for extensive or any modifications to replies, allowing agents to promptly deliver the best replies to customers. ### Methods If your business already has established brand guidelines, you can tailor the AI Assist Persona to align seamlessly with them. Alternatively, if your business lacks specific brand guidelines, you can choose to utilize some of the examples of AI Assist Persona descriptions listed on this page and customize it to suit your preferences. - Method 1: Use existing brand guidelines. - Method 2: Customize the default AI Assist Persona to match your brand voice. #### Method 1: Use existing brand guidelines Overwrite the default AI Assist Persona with your existing brand guidelines to ensure its replies are aligned with your established brand voice. **Method Objectives** - Define AI Assist Persona using your brand guidelines - Test AI Assist > **Prerequisite:** Only Workspace Managers and Owners have the rights to access and modify the AI Assist settings. ##### Define AI Assist Persona using your brand guidelines **Step 1:** Go to *Workspace Settings* > *AI Assist > AI Assist Persona.* **Step 2:** In the *AI Assist Persona* field, define the personality of your AI Assist according to your brand guidelines. ##### Test AI Assist > **Prerequisite:** Ensure you have [uploaded Knowledge Sources or materials](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-assist#adding-knowledge-sources) for AI Assist to formulate the replies accordingly. **Step 1:** On the *AI Assist* tab, click *Test AI Assist*. **Step 2:** Fill in your prompt and press *Enter*. Here are two tests done using different AI Assist Personas: **Example 1** AI Assist Persona - You will be a seasoned customer support agent. You will consistently verify the accuracy of my responses before sending. You will be concise and succinct in your answers. Do not use technical jargons. **Example 2** AI Assist Persona - You will be a seasoned customer support agent. You will consistently verify the accuracy of my responses before sending. You will be thorough in your explanations and include technical jargons when necessary. #### Method 2: Customize the default AI Assist Persona to match your brand voice If your business lacks brand guidelines, this section provides examples of AI Assist Persona descriptions that you can use. **Method Objectives** - Determine key factors for defining an AI Assist Persona - Define AI Assist Persona - Test AI Assist ##### Determine key factors for defining an AI Assist Persona Here are 5 key factors to consider when defining your AI Assist Persona: 1. Brand Identity: Have the persona reflect the mission and core values of your business to complement your brand identity. 2. Target Audience: Identify your target audience or your customers and have the persona resonate with their preferences and needs. 3. Communication Style: Determine the tone of voice that represents your brand. Do you want the persona to communicate with your target audience in a friendly, professional, technical or assertive tone? 4. Industry Standards and Regulations: Consider any industry-specific standards and regulations that need to be aligned with the persona. 5. Ethical Considerations: Consider integrating some ethical guidelines for the persona, such as diversity and inclusion, data privacy and responsible AI usage. ##### Define AI Assist Persona > **Prerequisite:** Only Workspace Managers and Owners have the rights to access and modify the AI Assist settings. **Step 1:** Go to **Workspace Settings** > **AI Assist** **Step 2:** In the **AI Assist Persona** field, define the personality of your AI Assist. The following table outlines recommended characteristics and communication styles for various business types, along with corresponding AI Assist Persona definitions for each business type. You may use these definitions as-is or modify them to suit your business needs. | Business type | Personality / Characteristics | Communication Style | AI Assist Persona definition | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Education | Helpful, patient, informative, empathetic, inclusive. | Friendly tone, clear and concise, positive reinforcement and encouragement. | I will be a knowledgeable and patient mentor within our educational community. I am dedicated to providing assistance and encouragement in a clear and concise manner. My priority is to create a comfortable learning environment and support the development of every learner, which is achieved through friendly and empathetic communication. | | Retailer (sporting goods) | Fashion savvy, athletic enthusiast, energetic, friendly, motivational. | Upbeat and engaging, conversational and inspirational tone, avoid technical jargon. | I will embody the spirit of a dynamic sporting goods assistant, trendy and fashionable. With in-depth knowledge in the world of sports, I will convey messages with high energy and excitement. My communication style will be a blend of inspiration and humor, ensuring a fun and engaging experience for every interaction. | | Retailer (Luxury goods) | Elegant, sophisticated, trendy, professional, informative. | Poised, eloquent, exclusive, avoid technical jargon. | I will embody the essence of an experienced personal shopper specializing in luxury goods. Possessing extensive knowledge within this refined realm, I communicate in a sophisticated and elegant manner. I am committed to curate an exclusive and personalized experience for every interaction. | | Aviation | Committed to safety of passengers, offers proactive assistance and resolve issues promptly, expert in airline regulations and operations. | Warm and friendly tone, detailed-oriented, concise, honest. | I will serve as a customer support specialist and an expert in aviation operations and regulations. I will communicate with clarity and conciseness, ensuring precise assistance. Despite the complexity of the aviation world, I will maintain a warm and calm tone, providing support that instills confidence and trust in every interaction. | ##### Test AI Assist > **Prerequisite:** Ensure you have [uploaded Knowledge Sources or materials](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-assist#adding-knowledge-sources) for AI Assist to formulate the replies accordingly. **Step 1:** Go to **AI Assist** > **Test AI Assist** **Step 2:** Fill in your prompt and press **Enter** Here are two examples depicting the AI-drafted replies for the same inquiry with different AI Assist Persona definitions: **Example 1: Retailer (Sporting goods)** AI Assist Persona - I will embody the spirit of a dynamic sporting goods assistant, trendy and fashionable. With in-depth knowledge in the world of sports, I will convey messages with high energy and excitement. My communication style will be a blend of inspiration and humor, ensuring a fun and engaging experience for every interaction. **Example 2: Retailer (Luxury goods)** AI Assist Persona - I will embody the essence of an experienced personal shopper specializing in luxury goods. Possessing extensive knowledge within this refined realm, I communicate in a sophisticated and elegant manner. I am committed to curate an exclusive and personalized experience for every interaction. ### Pro Tip If English is not the native language of your business, you have the option to [add Knowledge Sources](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-assist#adding-knowledge-sources) in your native language. This will help AI to understand your customers’ inquiries and respond to them in that language. ## [How to Analyze Reports for Sales](https:/respond.io/help/reporting-and-analytics/reporting-for-sales) Track and report on sales activities and agent performance. > In this article, you'll explore methods for effectively tracking and monitoring the activities and performance of your sales agents. The Reports module provides insights on trends and team performance on the platform. Use it to generate reports for the management team’s planning purposes and keep track of sales agents’ activities and performance. ### Benefits of Reporting for Sales Use reporting for sales to: - Get insights on where leads are coming from. - Track and monitor sales agents’ activities and performance. ### Methods for Reporting for Sales 1. Analyze lead trends and agent performance on the platform. 2. Export historical data to a CSV file from the Workspace Settings. 3. Send real-time data to a Google Sheet or external data warehouse using Workflows. #### Analyze lead trends and agent performance on the platform > Use this method to view general trends and monitor day-to-day sales activities. **Method Objectives** - Track number of new leads. - Track which Channels leads are coming from. - Monitor agents’ sales activities. **How-to** > Learn more about the [Reports module here](https://respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview). ##### Track number of new leads Compare New vs. Returning Contacts to see how many new leads have come in and how many conversations are with existing leads or customers. Go to Reports module > Conversations > Conversations Opened > select **Contact Type** in the *Group By* drop-down list > select the date range. ##### Track the Channels that leads are coming from Find out where the majority of leads are coming from by tracking messaging Channel sources. You can view this in the Messages report tab. Go to Reports module > Messages > Incoming Messages. View all Channels or use the filter to select the Channels that you want to display. ##### Monitor Agents’ Sales Activities > Learn more about [Closing Conversation Summaries here](https://respond.io/help/sales-use-case/track-productivity-by-closing-conversations). Use the information from Conversation Categories and Summaries to track relevant sales activities and gauge agent productivity. You can see how many conversations agents are having and what the result of those conversations are, e.g. *qualified lead*, *deal won*, *deal lost*. Go to Reports module > Conversations > Conversation List. View the agent and lead names, how many messages were sent, the conversation category and the summary of sales activity completed. #### Export historical data to a CSV file from the Workspace Settings > Use this method to get historical sales data. **Method Objective** - Export historical data on Conversations and Messages. **How-to** ##### Export historical data on Conversations and Messages > Learn more about [exporting data here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/data-export). Use the Data Export feature to export Conversations and Messages for in-depth analysis. Go to Settings module > select Data Export under Workspace Settings > choose the data to export > set the date range in the drop-down list (only available for **Conversations**, **Messages**, and **Failed Messages** data) > click **Export Data** to be begin the process. Once it’s ready, download the file from the Data Export History table anytime within 7 days. ##### Messages Data Details By downloading Messages data, you’ll get records of all messages sent from the Workspace within the selected date range. Messages data includes Date & Time, Sender ID, Sender Type, Contact ID, Message ID, Contact Type, Message Type and Content of the message. ##### Conversations Data Details By downloading Conversations data, you’ll get records of all closed conversations from the Workspace with the selected date range. Conversations data include Conversation ID, Date&Time Conversation Started, Date&Time Conversation Resolved, Contact ID, Assignee, Number of Outgoing Messages, Number of Incoming Messages, Date&Time First Response, Resolver, First Response Time, Resolution Time, Category and Summary of the conversation. #### Send real-time data to a Google Sheet or external data warehouse using Workflows > Use this method to get real-time report on Conversations and send to a data warehouse. This method allows you to export selected real-time data updates for closed conversations in the Workspace. Export the data automatically to a Google Sheet or an external data warehouse using Workflows for consistent and uniform data collection based on your business needs. **Method Objective** - Update information about closed conversations with leads in real time and export it for analysis. **How-to** ##### Update information about closed conversations with leads in real time and export it for analysis > Learn more about [Workflow Trigger Variables here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers#trigger_conversation_closed). Automatically save and export information when a conversation is closed using Trigger Variables from Workflows. For sales, you may want to look at the *conversation category* and *conversation summary*. Set Trigger to Conversation Closed > select the preferred Trigger Conditions > use the Trigger Variables list in the toggle as a reference for specific data you choose to export based on your business needs. Apply the relevant Trigger Variables in the configuration of the Add Google Sheets Row Step or HTTP Request Step to automatically send selected closed conversation data to a Google Sheet or a data warehouse. ## [How to Analyze Reports for Support](https:/respond.io/help/reporting-and-analytics/reporting-for-support) Keep track of all the metrics relevant for your support performance and conversations. > In this article, you'll explore methods to track and monitor all metrics relevant for your support performance and conversations. The Reports module provides insight on trends and team performance on the platform. Use it to generate reports for long-term support trend analysis and track the performance of your support team as a whole or agents individually. ### Benefits of Reporting for Support Use support reports to: - Generate and analyze reports with metrics relevant for the management team’s long-term planning. - Generate and analyze reports with metrics to keep track on team and agents’ performance. ### Methods for Reporting 1. Analyze support trends and track team and agent performance in the Reports Module. 2. Export historical data to a CSV file from the Workspace Settings. 3. Send real-time data to a Google Sheet or an external data warehouse using Workflows. #### Analyze support trends and track team and agent performance in the Reports Module > Use this method to analyze trends and track agents’ performance in the platform. **Method Objectives** - Identify the busiest times of the day. - Identify the type of customers that are sending you messages. - Identify the most used Channel for inbound conversations. - Identify the average response and resolution time as a team. - Evaluate the performance for each agent. - Identify potential anomalies for resolved conversations. - Identify potential anomalies for outbound conversations. **How-To** > Learn more about the [Reports module](https://respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting) [here](https://respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting). ##### Identify the busiest times of the day Use the *Conversation Opened Heatmap* to observe peak periods for open conversations within a selected period. This helps support managers identify the busiest times within a day for agents, the purpose of scheduling agents or justifying hiring needs. Go to Reports module > Conversations > Conversations Opened Heatmap. ##### Identify the type of customers that are sending you messages Use the *Conversations Opened by Contact Type* to identify if the conversations were opened by new or returning Contacts. If the opened conversations are mostly from new Contacts, this could mean your business is getting inquiries from new customers. If the opened conversations are mostly from returning Contacts, this could mean they are returning customers messaging your business to complain about a service or product. Go to Reports module > Conversations > Conversations Opened > select **Contact Type** in the *Group By* drop-down list > select the date range. ##### Identify the most used Channel for inbound conversations Use the *Incoming Messages* chart to identify the Channel customers used the most when sending messages to your business. Understanding the Channel's popularity among your customers helps to justify a subscription cost for a particular Channel if necessary. For example, if most of your customers are using WhatsApp to message you, then it’s justifiable to keep paying for your official WhatsApp API account. Go to Reports module > Messages > Incoming Messages. ##### Identify the average response and resolution time as a team Use the Leaderboard chart to identify the overall average response and resolution time of any team. Go to Reports module > Leaderboard > Average Response Time or Average Resolution Time > select **Team** in the *Group By* drop-down list. By default, only the top 10 users or teams will be shown in the charts. If you would like to see the average response and resolution time for different team(s), use the *Teams* filter to get data for individual teams. ##### Evaluate the performance of each agent Use the *User Performance* table to view detailed performance reports on each agent. Here, you can compare agents' workload and set a benchmark for performance goals based on the average statistics. All metrics in this list are based on conversations closed by the agent. Go to Reports module > Users > User Performance table list. To see an individual agent’s performance in other report tabs, use the *Users* filter when you are on those tabs. ##### Identify potential anomalies for resolved conversations Use the *Conversation List* table to get a rundown of all resolved conversations. Go to Conversations > Conversation List table. Support managers can use this list to evaluate the quality of conversations with customers by analyzing the columns available here. For example, if a conversation has a long Resolution Time with high number of Messages, you'll want to investigate if this was an uncommon issue or if the agent requires more training on an existing issue. The closing note summaries written by your agents when [closing conversations](https://respond.io/help/support-use-case/closing-conversations) can be monitored for further analysis by clicking on the Contact name should any closing notes raise red flags. ##### Identify potential anomalies for outbound conversations Use the *Outgoing Messages* *by Source* chart to identify anomalies for outbound conversations in your team. Support agents usually do not message the customer first unless it’s necessary for follow-up purposes or used by dedicated support agents to stay in touch with VIP customers. For example, if a support agent is found to have a high open conversation rate, managers may want to check in with the agent for an explanation. Go to Reports module > Messages > Outgoing Messages > select **Outgoing Message Source** in the *Group By* drop-down list > filter *Users* to see the data on outbound messages sent by a specific agent. #### Export historical data to a CSV file from the Workspace Settings > Use this method to obtain historical data. This method allows you to get historical records for messages or closed conversations from the Workspace by exporting the data to a CSV file for your long-term in-depth support trend analysis. **Method Objectives** - Get historical records on Conversations or Messages **How-to** ##### Get historical records on Conversations or Messages > Learn more about [Data Export here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/data-export). Use Data Export to export Conversations or Messages records from the Workspace for in-depth analysis. Go to Settings module > select **Data Export** under Workspace Settings > select the data to export from the drop-down list > set the date range from the drop-down list (only available for **Conversations**, **Messages**, and **Failed Messages** data) > click **Export Data** to begin the process. Once it’s ready, download the file from the Data Export History table anytime within 7 days. ##### Messages Data Details By downloading Messages data, you’ll get records of all messages sent in the Workspace within the selected date range. Messages data includes Date & Time, Sender ID, Sender Type, Contact ID, Message ID, Contact Type, Message Type and Content of the message. ##### Conversations Data Details By downloading Conversations data, you’ll get records of all closed conversations in the Workspace with the selected date range. Conversations data include Conversation ID, Date&Time Conversation Started, Date&Time Conversation Resolved, Contact ID, Assignee, Number of Outgoing Messages, Number of Incoming Messages, Date&Time First Response, Resolver, First Response Time, Resolution Time, Category and Summary of the conversation. #### Send real-time data to a Google Sheet or an external data warehouse using Workflows > Use this method to get real-time data updated in an external data platform. This method allows you to pick and export selected real-time data updates for closed conversations in the Workspace. Export the data automatically to a Google Sheet or an external data warehouse using Workflows for consistent and uniform data collection based on your business needs. **Method Objectives** - Send data to a Google Sheet or an external data warehouse. **Workflow Setup** ##### Send data to a Google Sheet or an external data warehouse > Learn more about [Add Google Sheets Row Step](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-steps#step_add_google_sheets_row) or [HTTP Request Step](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-steps#step_http_request). Use Workflows’ Trigger Variables to send specific closed conversation data to a Google Sheet or an external data warehouse. These Variables are only available when the Conversation Closed Trigger is selected. Set Trigger to Conversation Closed > select the preferred Trigger Conditions > use the Trigger Variables list in the toggle as a reference for specific data you choose to export based on your business needs. Apply the relevant Trigger Variables in the configuration of the Add Google Sheets Row Step or HTTP Request Step to automatically send selected closed conversation data to a Google Sheet or a data warehouse. > Learn more about [Trigger Variables here](https://respond.io/help/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables#workflow_trigger_variables). ## [How to Automate Calculations Using AI](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/automate-calculations-using-ai) Learn how AI Assist can resolve customer queries that involve calculations. > In this article, you'll discover how AI can automate calculations on the platform, relieving agents of performing this task manually. When your business frequently receives calculation-related inquiries from customers, AI can perform the calculation for you. This guarantees speedy and accurate replies to customer queries. ### AI Assist Setup for Calculation Inquiries Learn how to add pricing or quantifiable information as Knowledge Sources for AI Assist to help you with calculation inquiries. - Prepare pricing or quantifiable information in a non-tabular format - Add information as a Knowledge Source - Test AI Assist #### Prepare pricing or quantifiable information in a non-tabular format > You can upload **CSV files** as knowledge sources for **AI Assist**. However, at this moment, AI Assist cannot reliably process data stored in **Excel** or **Google Sheets** files. [Learn more](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/managing-ai-knowledge-sources) If your pricing or quantifiable information is in a tabular format, convert the information to a non-tabular format. There are 2 ways to do this: 1. Automatic conversion in ChatGPT (recommended for a large volume of data). 2. Manual conversion (recommended for a small volume of data). > ChatGPT supports **simple table formatting** (rows and columns in plain text or CSV). However, **Google Sheets files and spreadsheet-style formats are not supported**. #### Automatic conversion with ChatGPT **Step 1: Upload Your CSV File** You can upload your CSV file directly into ChatGPT. **Step 2: Ask ChatGPT to Analyze or Automate Your Calculations** Once your file is uploaded, describe what you’d like ChatGPT to do — for example: - “Calculate the average response time per agent.” - “Summarize lead conversion rates by month.” ChatGPT will automatically process your data and return results. > If you want to include data directly in your document instead of uploading a file, convert your table to plain text or CSV format and paste it into the chat before asking ChatGPT to analyze it. **Step 3: Provide Clear Instructions for Data Processing** If your goal is to transform or reformat data before using it elsewhere (e.g., in a report or PDF), you can include step-by-step instructions such as: 1. Read the CSV file. 2. Identify the relevant columns. 3. Format or clean the data as text. 4. Combine the results into a single text block. These steps help ChatGPT understand the structure and formatting you expect. **Step 4: Guide ChatGPT to Format the Output Text** After the data is processed, you can guide ChatGPT to format the text for display. For example, you can ask it to format text as: > “In `{{Market}}`, the cost per conversation for Marketing is `{{Marketing column}}`, for Utility is `{{Utility column}}`, for Authentication is `{{Authentication column}}`, and Service is `{{Service column}}`.” This ensures consistent phrasing and structure in your output. **Step 5: Generate the PDF** Once the text is formatted, ask ChatGPT to generate a **PDF file** containing the output. For example: > “Generate a PDF using this formatted text.” **Step 6: Download the PDF** When the PDF file is ready, download it directly from the chat interface. ##### Manual conversion If you’re converting the information manually, refer to the examples in this section. Here, the tabular information has been formatted to a non tabular format: 1. Messaging costs Tabular format: Non-tabular format: **2\. Storage space costs** Tabular format: Non-tabular format: **3\. Part quantities** #### Add information as a Knowledge Source > **Prerequisite:** Only Workspace Managers and Owners have the rights to add Knowledge Sources. With pricing or quantifiable information stored in the right format, you can add the file as a Knowledge Source for AI Assist to reference when answering queries that requires calculations. Learn how to do this [here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-assist#adding-knowledge-sources). #### Test AI Assist > **Prerequisite:** Only Workspace Managers and Owners have the rights to test AI Assist. Test AI Assist to ensure the calculations are correct. If the calculations are incorrect, modify the pricing or quantifiable information accordingly, delete the wrong information that’s been added to the Knowledge Source, and then add the new information as a Knowledge Source. ## [How to Automate Lifecycle Tracking in Google Sheets](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/how-to-automate-lifecycle-tracking-in-google-sheets) Learn how to track leads and optimize sales with our Lifecycle Google Sheets template. Managing leads effectively is crucial for any business aiming to optimize its sales funnel and increase conversion rates. With our **Lifecycle** feature, you can track and manage Contacts through every stage of your sales process. To gain deeper insights and make data-driven decisions, you can automatically log your Contacts’ data, including names and Lifecycle Stages, into Google Sheets. In this guide, you’ll learn how to: - Automatically capture and log conversion data in Google Sheets. - Analyze key metrics like conversion rates and drop-off rates to optimize your sales process. - Leverage insights from your data to improve your sales strategies. Learn how to use the Google Sheet template by watching this video, or read on for a step-by-step guide: ### Benefits of Tracking Lead Data Automatically - Automate the process of capturing Contact names, Lifecycle Stages, and timestamps. - Monitor how individual Contacts move through different Lifecycle Stages with historical timestamps. - Analyze conversion and drop-off rates to improve your sales process in real-time. - Keep all critical Contact data in one place for easy access and analysis. ### Understanding Key Metrics #### Conversion Rate The conversion rate measures the percentage of Contacts who progress from one Lifecycle Stage to the next, indicating the effectiveness of your sales process at each Stage. **Why It’s Important:** A higher conversion rate means your strategies are effectively moving leads toward becoming customers. **Example:** If 100 Contacts are in the “New Lead” stage and 40 move to “Hot Lead,” your conversion rate between these stages is 40%. #### Drop-off Rate The drop-off rate indicates the percentage of Contacts who do not move to the next stage, highlighting potential bottlenecks or issues in your sales funnel. **Why It’s Important:** Identifying stages with high drop-off rates allows you to investigate and address underlying problems. **Example:** If 60 out of 100 “New Leads” change to “Cold Leads,” your drop-off rate is 60%. ### Step-by-Step Guide #### Step 1: Download the Google Sheets Template To get started, download our **Google Sheets template** designed for tracking lifecycle data. - Download Template: Download Google Sheets Template - Template Features:Pre-defined columns for Contact ID, Contact Name, Lifecycle Stage, and Timestamps.A pivot table for analyzing conversion and drop-off rates across stages. - Pre-defined columns for Contact ID, Contact Name, Lifecycle Stage, and Timestamps. - A pivot table for analyzing conversion and drop-off rates across stages. **Note:** Copy the template to your Google Drive and adjust headings and columns as needed, ensuring they match for workflow setup. Remember to delete any pre-filled data before using it for your own use. #### Step 2: Create a Workflow to Log Data ##### Option 1: Using the Lifecycle Updated Trigger 1. Navigate to Workflows: - On your dashboard, go to Workflows > + Add Workflow. - Select Start from Scratch. **2\. Set Up the Trigger:** - Choose the Lifecycle Updated Trigger. - This will initiate the workflow whenever a Contact’s Lifecycle Stage changes. **3\. Add the Google Sheets Step:** - Click on + Add Step and select Add Google Sheets Row. - Connect your Google account and select the spreadsheet and worksheet where you want to log the data. **4\. Map the Data Fields:** Map the Contact’s information to the corresponding columns in your Google Sheet: - Contact ID: $contact.id - Contact Name: $contact.name - Lifecycle Stage: $contact.lifecycle - Timestamp: $system.current_datetime **5\. Save and Activate the Workflow:** - Review your workflow settings. - Click Save and Publish the workflow. ##### Option 2: Using the Update Lifecycle Step If you have specific triggers based on your business objectives, you can use other triggers and include the **Update Lifecycle** Step. 1. Choose a Trigger: Select a trigger that suits your needs, such as Contact Field Updated. **2\. Add the Update Lifecycle Step:** - Click on + Add Step and select Update Lifecycle. - Choose the Lifecycle Stage you want to assign to the Contact. **3\. Add the Wait Step:** - Add a 10-second waiting period between steps to allow data to be collected and updated. Learn more **4\. Add the Google Sheets Step:** - As in Option 1, add the Add Google Sheets Row Step and map the data fields. **5\. Save and Activate the Workflow:** - Review all steps. - Click Save and Publish the workflow. > This option allows you to control when the Lifecycle Stage is updated and logged, giving you more flexibility. #### Step 3: Test the Workflow Before rolling it out, test the workflow to ensure data is correctly captured and logged: 1. Simulate a Lifecycle Stage Change: Manually change a Contact’s Lifecycle Stage to trigger the workflow. **2\. Verify Google Sheets Entry:** Check your Google Sheet to confirm that a new row has been added with the correct data. ### Analyzing the Data With your data automatically logging into Google Sheets, you can use the built-in pivot table or create your own to analyze key metrics. The pivot table helps visualize how Contacts move through each stage of your sales funnel. You can access it in the **Pivot Table** tab in your Google Sheet. Use it to analyze the following metrics: - Total Contacts at Each Stage: See how many Contacts are currently in each Lifecycle Stage. - Conversion Rates Between Stages: View the percentage of Contacts moving from one Stage to the next using the inbuilt table. - Drop-off Rates: Identify Stages where Contacts are not progressing. ### Interpreting the Data **Identify Bottlenecks:** High drop-off rates at a particular Stage may indicate issues that need addressing. **Monitor Conversion Rates:** Analyze the percentage of Contacts moving from one Stage to the next to understand how effectively your sales funnel is performing at each Stage. **Improve Sales Strategies:** Use insights to train your sales team on best practices for moving Contacts through the funnel. ### Understanding the Impact on Your Business By tracking and analyzing Lifecycle data, you can make informed decisions that positively impact your business: - Refine marketing and sales strategies with data-driven insights. - Identify and address drop-off points that can lead to more efficient sales funnels. - Focus efforts and resources on stages in your sales process that yield the best results. - Monitor and make adjustments based on current data trends. ### Conclusion Automating the tracking of Contacts and logging data into Google Sheets empowers your team with valuable insights to optimize the sales process. By leveraging our Lifecycle feature and workflows, you eliminate manual data entry, allowing your team to focus on engaging with Contacts and closing deals. ## [How to Automate Product Info Sharing in Conversations Initiated via CTC Ads](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/automated-product-info-sharing-in-conversations-initiated-via-ctc-ads) Learn how to share product information automatically and route interested Contacts to Sales. > In this article, you’ll discover how to automatically provide Contacts from Click-to-Chat ads with product information and offer them the option to talk to Sales or end the conversation based on their interest. The beginning of a conversation with a lead is time-sensitive and presents an opportunity for rapport building. If a lead clicks a Click-to-Chat (CTC) ad and no human agent is available to respond either because it’s outside of business hours or the human agents are busy, a delayed response could lead to missed opportunities for valuable sales or upsells in your business. On the other hand, if a lead promptly receives information, it increases the chances of converting their interest into a sale. This crucial stage can be automated for your business using the **Click to Chat Ads: Share Product Information + Route to Sales** Workflow template. #### **Benefits** - Leads get answers to their initial queries without delays with company-sanctioned information. Faster response time helps establish brand integrity. - The leads are empowered with product knowledge and can decide whether to take the conversation further. Therefore, only leads interested in buying the product are directed to sales. - Automation reduces manual effort and frees the Sales team from more high-value tasks like closing deals. This enhances a business’s scalability without a proportionate increase in labor. #### **Workflow Setup** To use the **Click to Chat Ads: Share Product Information + Route to Sales** workflow template, select **Workflows** > click **\+ Add Workflow** > select **Click to Chat Ads: Share Product Information + Route to Sales** > click **Use Template**. Workflow Steps and their functions: 1. Trigger: The Workflow starts whenever a conversation is opened by a lead clicking a CTC ad. Select Click-to-Chat Ads as a trigger. 2. Welcome Message: Send a welcome message to the lead and let them know they will receive product information using the Send a Message step. 3. Send Product Message: Send product-related information using the Send a Message step and select Message Type as Text. 4. Send Product File: Send product-related information in an image file using the Send a Message step and selecting Message Type as File or Image. 5. Add Product Tag: Add the product’s tag to the Contact information for retargeting later. 6. Wait for Contact to Review Files: Optionally, you can wait for the Contact to review the product information using the Wait step. 7. This step uses the Ask a Question step to provide a list of options to the Contact by selecting the Question Type as Multiple Choice. The answers will be saved as a variable to be used in the following branch steps. You can configure the answers to these steps based on your business needs. In this Workflow Template example, we have prepared answer options as follows:Talk to SalesEnd ConversationThe Contact’s response is saved as a variable called lead_choice. 8. Talk to Sales 9. End Conversation 10. Route Selected Chat Menu Options: This step routes Contacts based on their responses. In this template, branches are created for two answers.Assign to Sales: Select the following options:Category: VariableField: lead_choiceOperator: is equal toSelect: Talk to SalesEnd Conversation: Select the following options:Category: VariableField: lead_choiceOperator: is equal toSelect: End Conversation 11. Assign to Sales: Select the following options:Category: VariableField: lead_choiceOperator: is equal toSelect: Talk to Sales 12. Category: Variable 13. Field: lead_choice 14. Operator: is equal to 15. Select: Talk to Sales 16. End Conversation: Select the following options:Category: VariableField: lead_choiceOperator: is equal toSelect: End Conversation 17. Category: Variable 18. Field: lead_choice 19. Operator: is equal to 20. Select: End Conversation 21. Talk to Sales: The Contact selects this option if they are interested in the product. The Assign to Sales branch handles this.Send Assignment Message: Send a message to the Contact that they are being assigned to an agent.Assign to Sales Team: Assign to a sales agent using the Assign To step.Assigned Message: The Contact is informed that they have been assigned to a sales agent. 22. Send Assignment Message: Send a message to the Contact that they are being assigned to an agent. 23. Assign to Sales Team: Assign to a sales agent using the Assign To step. 24. Assigned Message: The Contact is informed that they have been assigned to a sales agent. 25. If you are using the Click-to-Chat Ads Trigger, add the Send Conversions API Event Step.If you are using the TikTok Messaging Ads Trigger, add the Send TikTok Lower Funnel Event Step.Send Conversions API Event: Send the event data to Meta for tracking and optimization. Send TikTok Lower Funnel Event: Send the event data to TikTok for tracking and optimization. 26. End Conversation: The Contact selects this option if they are not interested in the product. The End Conversation branch handles this. 27. Send Goodbye Message: Send a goodbye message to the Contact informing them that the conversation is ending. > Once you have completed the setup, publish your Workflow to start sharing product information and route Contacts according to the selection they have made on the menu. ## [How to Avoid Workflow Loops](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/how-to-avoid-workflow-loops) Learn how to prevent workflow loops that cause unnecessary repetitions, system overload, and delays. **Workflow loops**—where processes repeat unnecessarily or require multiple back-and-forth steps—can impact both **your team** and **customers** in different ways. From **support delays** to **billing issues** and **confusing purchase journeys**, these inefficiencies can lead to frustration, wasted time, and slower resolutions. This guide covers how to prevent workflow loops, common causes, and troubleshooting solutions. ### What Are Workflow Loops? A workflow loop occurs when a step in a process unintentionally triggers itself or another step repeatedly, creating an endless cycle. This can lead to system overload, wasted resources, and unnecessary delays—frustrating both your team and customers. ### Common Causes of Workflow Loops The most common cause is using the **Trigger Another Workflow (TAW) Step** incorrectly. For example: - Workflow A assigns a tag that triggers Workflow B. - Workflow B contains a TAW Step that re-triggers Workflow A, creating an endless loop. **How to Avoid It** - Ensure workflows triggered by TAW Steps don’t reference or re-trigger the original workflow. - Keep workflows independent to prevent unintended loops. > Learn more about the Trigger Another Workflow Step [here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-trigger-another-workflow). ### Best Practices to Avoid Workflow Loops Here are some ways you can avoid loops in your own workflows: #### Simplify workflow design Large, complex workflows have a higher risk of loops due to many interconnections. Instead: - Break down complex workflows into smaller, independent processes. - Reduce dependencies between workflows. #### Plan and test your workflows Before publishing a workflow: - Map it visually. You can use sketches or the Workflow Builder to do this. - Test it first. Do this with the Test feature to check for potential loops. #### Avoid circular logic If using the **TAW Step**, ensure it **does not** trigger a workflow that links back to itself. **Combine related actions** into a single workflow to reduce unnecessary interdependencies. #### Use Open & Close Conversation Triggers These triggers **prevent workflows from running indefinitely**: - Open Conversation ensures workflows start only when needed. - Close Conversation stops a workflow from re-triggering through a TAW Step. > Workflow templates like **Multi-Level Chat Menu: Main Menu** and **Sub Menu** use this concept to prevent loops. Learn more about these templates [here](https://respond.io/help/convert-leads/create-automated-chat-menus). ## [How to Block Contacts and Manage Spam](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/managing-spam) Learn how to stop receiving spam by blocking Contacts. > In this article, you’ll learn how to stop receiving spam messages on the platform. Spam messages increase clutter in your inboxes and may trigger unwanted Workflows or agent assignments. Spam messages may also contain harmful links that could lead to malware. Discover a simple and effective method to manage spam messages and reduce unwanted messages received on the platform, minimizing disruptions to your business operations. If Contacts have been mistakenly blocked, you can always unblock them and resume communication. ### Methods - Block a Contact via Inbox Module - Block a Contact via Contacts Module (only for Owners and Managers) - Unblock a Contact > Before blocking a Contact, you may want to refer [here](https://respond.io/help/automate-conversations/managing-spam#impacts_of_blocking_contacts) to understand the implications of doing so. #### Block a Contact via Inbox Module When viewing a conversation from a Contact, you may come across the message(s) as a spam. Follow these steps to manage this: 1. Go to Inbox > locate the conversation with the spam message. 2. From the Messaging Console, click the action menu icon. 3. Click Block Contact. You will see a confirmation message. 4. Click Block to confirm and you will receive a message indicating the successful block. #### Block a Contact via Contacts Module You can also block Contacts from the Contact list. However, this module is only accessible by Owners and Managers. Follow these steps to manage spam messages: 1. Go to Contacts and locate the Contact who sent the spam message. 2. Under the Actions column, click the action menu icon parallel to the Contact. Alternatively, click the Contact’s name or profile photo to display the Contact’s profile, then click the action menu icon. 3. Click Block Contact. You will see a confirmation message. 4. Click Block to confirm and you will receive a message indicating the successful block. #### Unblock a Contact If you have accidentally blocked a Contact, you can always reverse the action by using the same methods as to blocking a Contact. You will see the **Unblock Contact** option available for blocked Contacts. With that, you will be able to resume conversation. **Unblock via Inbox module:** **Unblock via Contacts module:** ### Impacts of Blocking Contacts #### Unable to receive messages by the Contact Any messages sent by the Contact after the block occurs will not be displayed in the conversation window on the Inbox module, and will not be counted towards your Monthly Active Contacts (MAC) usage in the next billing cycle. #### Contact interaction disabled You will not be able to send any messages or interact with the Contact. The messaging console for the Contact will be disabled. #### Conversation closed and blocked The conversation will automatically be closed and blocked. The conversation will be moved to the **Blocked Contacts** inbox. #### Contact moved to Blocked Contacts Segment The Contact will not be displayed in any Segment, except in the **Blocked Contacts** Segment. #### Ongoing Workflows automatically stops If the conversation has any ongoing Workflows, these Workflows will automatically be stopped. > You can still initiate a Workflow shortcut for blocked Contacts. However, if the Workflow has a step that interacts with the Contact in terms of messaging the Contact, open or close conversation step, the Workflow will automatically end upon reaching this step. #### Snoozing not available You will not be able to snooze blocked Contacts. #### No merging of Contacts You will not be able to merge a Contact with a blocked Contact and vice versa. ## [How to Collect Contacts’ Emails and Phone Numbers](https:/respond.io/help/capture-leads/collect-contacts-emails-and-phone-numbers) Learn how to collect customers’ or leads’ email addresses and phone numbers when conversations open. > In this article, you’ll discover how to collect customers’ or leads’ email addresses or phone numbers for identification when conversations open. Contacts’ email addresses and phone numbers (in [E164 format](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.164#Numbering_formats)) are valuable information that can be used to identify an existing customer or lead for more context. With a better understanding of a customer or lead, agents can provide better assistance. ### Benefits of Collecting Contacts’ Emails and Phone Numbers Use the email addresses or phone numbers collected to: - merge Contacts when a Contact messages you from a different Channel. - be able to sync Contacts and Contact properties with another CRM. ### Methods for Collecting Contacts’ Emails and Phone Numbers Here are four methods that you can use to collect Contacts’ emails and phone numbers: 1. Automatically obtained from Channel's Metadata. 2. Ask for email or phone number using Workflows. 3. Use Pre-Chat Form on Website Chat Widget. 4. Identify logged-in Contacts via Website Chat Widget. #### Automatically obtained from Channel's Metadata > **Use this method** when you are using channels that pass metadata containing Contact's email or phone number to respond.io platform. Respond.io platform automatically receives Contacts’ emails or phone numbers for the following channels: - WhatsApp - SMS - Email For channels that do not provide Contacts’ emails or phone numbers to respond.io platform, use the other methods to collect the information. #### Ask for email or phone number using Workflows > **Use this method** when you expect Contacts to message you via instant messaging. **Method Objectives** - Select a Workflow Template and customize steps if needed - Continue the Workflow when the question is skipped ##### Select Workflow Template and customize steps if needed In the **Workflows** module, click **\+ Add Workflow** and choose your template: - To collect emails, click Welcome Message & Ask For Email > Click Use Template. - To collect phone numbers, click Welcome Message & Ask For Phone Number > Click Use Template. Customize the steps based on your business needs. **1.** [**Trigger**](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers): The Workflow starts when a conversation is opened by a Contact. **2\. Welcome Message**: [Sends a message](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-send-a-message) to greet your Contact. **3\. Have Email** / **Phone # already?**: This is a [Branch](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-branch) step to check if the Contact Field already contains the email address or phone number. | Condition | Outcome | | --- | --- | | Contact’s email or phone number does not exist | Asks the question | | Contact’s email or phone number exists | Skips the question | **4\. Ask for Email** or **Ask for Phone Number**: This [Ask a Question](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-ask-a-question) step lets you send a message to the Contact asking for email or phone number if the Contact Field does not contain the email or phone number. > Consider continuing your Workflow with [Routing](https://respond.io/help/inbound-conversations/route-contacts-by-team-functions) or [Assignment](https://respond.io/help/inbound-conversations/assignment-strategy-automatic-contact-distribution-load-balancing). > Once you have completed the setup, click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the Workflow. #### Use Pre-Chat Form on Website Chat Widget > **Use this method** when you expect Contacts to message you via Website Chat Widget. When Contacts message from the Website Chat Widget, you’ll need to get their names in addition to the email addresses or phone numbers. > **Important:** You must first add and install the [respond.io Chat Widget](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget). > Learn more about [Pre-Chat Forms here](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget#pre_chat_form). Here’s how to set up the Contact information you want to collect from the Pre-Chat Form: 1. Click Settings > Click Channels > Click Website Chat Channel > Click Customize. 2. Open the Pre-Chat toggle and enable Pre-Chat Form. 3. Add First Name and Email Address or Phone Number fields to the form, and then make the fields Mandatory for Contacts to fill them out. #### Identify logged-in Contacts via Website Chat Widget > **Use this method** when you expect Contacts to message you via Website Chat Widget from a logged-in area on website. If Contacts are logged in, you can automatically get the names, email addresses, phone numbers and more. Follow the instructions to add JavaScript code to your website [here](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget#identifying_logged_in_users). ## [How to Convert Image to Text Using AI](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/convert-image-to-text-using-ai) Learn how to extract information from images and subsequently use the information to improve the performance of your AI. > In this article, you’ll explore methods for extracting information, such as text from images, empowering you to efficiently use the information to enhance the performance of your AI. Using AI with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology enables businesses to extract information from images, hence streamlining the data entry process, reducing the manual effort and minimizing the risk of errors. This approach facilitates the conversion of crucial information from images into text format, enabling businesses to upload the information as [Knowledge Sources](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-assist#adding-knowledge-sources). Consequently, this contributes to enhancing the accuracy of AI replies, ensuring they are up-to-date. ### How to Convert Image to Text This article outlines steps for converting image to text using two AI tools in the market: Sider and ChatGPT-4. For your consideration, read on to find out which tool fits your business requirements and budget. 1\. Sider - Extracts text, numbers and equations from images. - It can only recognize handwriting in English. - Extraction feature is free, requires a paid upgrade to use additional features. - Requires a word processor to convert the extracted text into a PDF file (for those wanting to use extracted text as Knowledge Source). 2\. ChatGPT-4 Text Extractor - Can accurately recognize text in images. - Only available in ChatGPT-4 and requires a paid upgrade to use this feature. - Can directly convert the extracted text into a PDF file. **Method Objectives** - Convert image to text using Sider. - Convert image to text using Text Extractor in ChatGPT-4. #### Convert image to text using Sider 1. Download the Sider extension on your computer > Create an account and log in. 2. Click the Sider icon on the extension bar to launch the sidebar > Click the OCR icon. 3\. Upload the image. Ensure the file size is less than 10MB and the width or height of the image is not more than 4096 pixel. > Read [here](https://respond.io/help/converse-with-customers/convert-image-to-text-using-ai#pro_tips) for more tips on how to enhance the accuracy of the extraction process. If the image uploaded fits the requirements, the extraction process will automatically begin and the result is displayed once the process is complete. 4\. Click *Formatting* for Sider to automatically format the text into a readable layout. 5\. To upload the extracted text as a Knowledge Source, convert the text into a PDF file by clicking the Copy icon at the result to copy the entire text. 6\. Paste the text to a word processor (e.g. Microsoft Word or Google Docs) and save the file as PDF. 7\. Upload the PDF file as a [Knowledge Source](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-assist#adding-knowledge-sources). #### Convert image to text using Text Extractor in ChatGPT-4 1. On Text Extractor in ChatGPT-4, click 📎 icon and upload your image. Ensure the file type is supported e.g. JPEG, PNG, BMP, TIFF or GIF. > Read [here](https://respond.io/help/converse-with-customers/convert-image-to-text-using-ai#pro_tips) for more tips on how to enhance the accuracy of the extraction process. 2\. Once the image is uploaded, click the Up arrow icon to start the extraction process. 3\. Once the extraction process is complete, the results will be displayed. 4\. To upload the extracted text as a Knowledge Source, convert the text into a PDF file by providing an instruction to generate a PDF file based on the text. The following is an example of the instruction: Convert text to PDF 5\. Download the PDF file generated. 6\. Upload the PDF file as a [Knowledge Source](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-assist#adding-knowledge-sources). ### Pro Tips The effectiveness of the text extraction depends on the capabilities of the tool being used. To enhance the accuracy of text extraction from images, you may consider some of the key requirements listed as follows: - Image quality: Use high-resolution and sharp images. Avoid low-resolution or pixelated images. - Text legibility: Use image with clear and legible text. - Minimal interference on background: Use image with text overlaid on simple backgrounds. Avoid image with text that blends into the background or that comes with watermark. - Text orientation: Use images with text that are horizontally aligned. Text that are rotated at an angle may not produce the best results. ## [How to Create Automated Chat Menus](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/create-automated-chat-menus) Learn how to create automated Chat Menus to handle multiple inquiries simultaneously and provide customers with instant access to information 24/7. > In this article, you’ll discover how to automate repetitive or common inquiries and route customers to an agent when needed. ### Benefits of Using Automated Chat Menus Use automated Chat Menus to: - offer self-service options that allows customers to find answers quickly and independently. - improve support availability by offering 24/7 access to information about your business that’s accurate and consistent. - automate repetitive inquiries and free up online agents' time to focus on more complex queries or specialized tasks. ### Workflow Setup Learn how to use the Workflow Template to set up an automated Chat Menu: - Select the Chat Menu Workflow Template and set up menu options. - Set up responses for answer options that can be automated and live agent option. - Route Contacts to other responses automatically. - Set up response for invalid answers from Contacts. #### Select the Chat Menu Workflow Template and set up menu options In the **Workflows** module, click **\+ Add Workflow** > Click **Simple** **Chat Menu** > Click **Use Template**. **1.** [**Trigger**](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers): The Workflow starts when a conversation is opened by a Contact. **2\. Greeting Message**: Provides a standard greeting that acts as an immediate response to your Contact. This [greeting message](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-send-a-message) can be edited. **3.** **Chat Menu with All Options**: This step asks the Contact question and provide a list of answer options. The answers will be saved as a variable to be used in the following branch steps. You can configure the answers of these steps based on your business needs. In this Workflow Template example, we have prepared answer options as follows: - Product A - Service B - About Us - Talk to Sales #### Set up responses for answer options that can be automated and live agent option **4\. Route Selected Chat Menu Option**: This step routes Contacts based on their responses. In this template, branches are created for four answers. If you have more answers, [add more branches](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-branch) accordingly. > If you changed the answers options from the previous **Chat Menu with All Options** step, e.g. *Product A*, *Service B*, do replace the sample values in this branch step. If the Contact selects the answer option *Product A*, *Service B* or *About Us*, the Contact will be routed to Branch 1, Branch 2 or Branch 3 respectively. These branches provide an example of how you can share information with Contacts and keep a record of their responses automatically. **5\. Send Information:** Sends a message with text. **6\. Send Image:** Sends a message with image. **7\. Add Tag:** [Adds a tag](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-update-contact-tag) to keep a record of Contacts responses. It can be used to [segment Contacts](https://respond.io/help/contacts/segments) for broadcasts. If the Contact selects the answer option *Talk to Sales*, the Contact will be routed to Branch 4. This Branch will assign the Contact to a live agent and inform the Contact about the assignment by sending a message. You can configure and customize these steps as needed. **8\. Assign to Sales**: Configure this [Assign To](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-assign-to) step with a team or a specific agent based on your business needs. **9\. Assignment Message**: Sends a message to inform Contact about their assignment status. #### Route Contacts to other responses automatically For Branch 1, Branch 2 and Branch 3, the automation will continue by showing Contact the Chat Menu again and route Contact to other responses using [Jump](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-jump-to) steps. #### Set up response for invalid answers from Contacts The Contact will be routed to the Failure Branch if they do not select a response and attempt to type a different answer. This Branch will inform the Contacts of their invalid response by sending a message and has a [Jump](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-jump-to) step for the Contact to go back to the menu options. You can configure and customize these steps as needed. The Jump step has a maximum of 3 jumps. If the Contact insists on providing an invalid response, here are 3 suggestions to manage this situation: 1. Add Assign To step: To attend to the Contact with specific problems by assigning the Contact to a support team or a manager based on your business needs. 2. Add a Jump to Assign Sales step: To avoid losing out on a business deal by assigning the Contact to the Sales team. 3. Add Send Message step and Close Conversation step: To inform Contact that you’ll be closing the conversation and Contact can send a message again to chat. This will then end with the Close Conversation step to close the Contact’s conversation. > Once you have completed the setup, click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the Workflow. ## [How to Create Automated Welcome and Away Messages](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/create-automated-welcome-and-away-messages) Learn how to set up automated welcome and away messages to respond to customers immediately. > In this article, you’ll discover how to respond to customers’ first message immediately and manage customers’ expectations on your business response time. When customers starts messaging your business, you can automate a welcome and an away message to ensure they receive an immediate response even when no agent is available to attend to their inquiries. This can help reduce customer wait time and set customers’ expectations on business hours and response times. ### Benefits of Automated Welcome and Away Messages Use automated welcome and away messages to: - improve customer experience by providing a prompt response 24/7. - provide assurance to customers that their messages are received, which can prevent them from sending the same messages multiple times. - manage customers’ expectations by providing information such as business hours and response times. ### Methods for Sending Automated Welcome and Away Messages 1. Send a welcome or an away message when a Contact opens a conversation. 2. Send welcome and away messages based on business hours. #### Send a welcome or an away message when a Contact opens a conversation > **Use this method** to immediately send a greeting or an away message when a Contact messages you. In the **Workflows** module, click **\+ Add Workflow** and choose your template: - To send a welcome message, click Welcome Message > Click Use Template. - To send an away message, click Away Message > Click Use Template. The Workflow template is set up with a Trigger and Send a Message step. You can configure the messages as needed. 1. Trigger: The Workflow starts when a conversation is opened by a Contact. 2. Welcome Message or Away Message: Sends a message to greet your Contact, or inform your Contact that you’re currently not available and when they can expect a reply. > Once you have completed the setup, click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the Workflow. #### Send welcome and away messages based on business hours > **Use this method** to send a welcome message during business hours and an away message outside of the business hours. In the **Workflows** module, click **\+ Add Workflow** > Click **Away Message with Business Hours** > Click **Use Template**. The Workflow template is set up with a Trigger, Business Hours step and Send a Message step. 1. Trigger: The Workflow starts when a conversation is opened by a Contact. 2. Business Hours: Set up your business hours. Once configured, this step will route Contacts based on the date and time conditions. 3. Welcome Message or Away Message: If the conversation is opened within the business hours, a welcome message will be sent. If the conversation is opened outside of the business hours, an away message will be sent. This step lets you configure the messages, if needed. > Once you have completed the setup, click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the Workflow. ## [How to Draft Customer Replies with AI ](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/how-to-draft-customer-replies-with-ai) Use AI Assist, AI Prompts and AI Assist Persona to draft the best replies to address customers inquiries. > In this article, you'll discover how agents can use AI to draft the optimal or best replies to customers’ inquiries. Optimal replies refer to answers that are relevant to the customers’ needs or inquiries, where information is accurate and without grammatical errors or typos, and that match your business’ brand voice. ### Methods - Method 1: Draft accurate replies with a single click using AI Assist. - Method 2: Draft replies that match AI Assist Persona with your brand voice. - Method 3: Optimize replies with AI Prompts. > You can apply these methods concurrently to ensure you cover all areas to enhance the capabilities of your AI Assist. #### Method 1: Draft accurate replies with a single click using AI Assist For AI Assist to draft accurate replies to customer queries, you have to first provide information (known as Knowledge Source on the platform) that can be used to draft those replies. The information sources can be from existing documentation and self-help material, business website links, product FAQs, Snippets and/or the internet. You can review and edit the drafted replies before sending to the customers. There are 3 options to enrich the Knowledge Source. You can apply these options simultaneously depending on your needs. > **Prerequisite**: Only Workspace Managers and Owners have the rights to access and modify the AI Assist settings. ##### Option 1: AI-drafted replies based on existing documentation or webpage links [Upload information](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-assist#adding-knowledge-sources), such as a link to your business or product FAQ, for AI Assist to reference when drafting customer replies. This option comes in handy for businesses that already have existing information ready for upload. ##### Option 2: AI-drafted replies based on existing Snippets If your agents rely heavily on existing [Snippets](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/snippets) on the platform to converse with customers, then turn the [*Use Snippets as a Knowledge Source*](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-assist#configuring-ai-assist) toggle on. AI Assist will automatically refer to the Snippets for answering queries, eliminating the need for agents to memorize all the Snippets and manually select them. Turn this toggle off if your business does not use Snippets. ##### Option 3: AI-drafted replies based on external sources If your business primarily handles general inquiries and sees value in incorporating replies from external sources like the internet, consider turning the [*Reply Outside of Added Knowledge Sources*](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-assist#additional-settings-best-practices) toggle on. This benefits businesses in fields like legal services, consulting or education, where customers often seek generic information about specific laws or career prospects in various courses of study. Turn this toggle off if your business demands precise replies or aims to prevent AI Assist from mentioning competitor brands or products. > Please be aware that enabling the *Reply Outside of Added Knowledge Sources* toggle may result in information from external sources that could be inaccurate or irrelevant. It is crucial to review the replies before sending them to customers. #### Method 2: Draft replies that match AI Assist Persona with your brand voice You can [define the persona of AI Assist](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-assist#additional-settings-best-practices), specify the role or purpose it has in a conversation and shape its personality or skillset to govern its behavior, ensuring that the drafted replies align more closely with your brand voice. In addition, you can have AI Assist to draft goal-oriented replies. For example, it can intelligently suggest scheduling an appointment with your sales team. > Refer [here](https://respond.io/help/converse-with-customers/align-ai-conversations) for examples on how to craft your AI Assist persona. #### Method 3: Optimize replies with AI Prompts Conversations with customers can be greatly improved by enhancing the quality of each message using AI Prompts. There are 4 [default prompts](https://respond.io/help/messages/interacting-with-respond-ai#prompt_details) available on the platform. For an example, agents can use the **Fix spelling & grammar** prompt to correct typos and errors in replies. This ensures a high level of professionalism and clarity in their communication with customers. Customized prompts are designed for more specific needs. For an example, if your business mainly deals with customers in Mexico, add an AI Prompt that allows your agents to conveniently translate replies to Mexican Spanish before sending them to customers. Example of the AI Prompt is as follows: > Learn how to add AI Prompts [here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-prompts). ### Best Practices 1. Ensure Knowledge Sources are always updated to avoid AI Assist referencing to outdated or incorrect information. 2. With updated Knowledge Sources, test your AI Assist to ensure you are satisfied with the replies drafted. Learn how to do it here. 3. Establish an internal feedback system for agents to report inaccuracies and suggest improvements to AI-drafted replies. This contributes to an ongoing learning process for both your agents and AI Assist in an effort to deliver the best replies to your customers. #### **Example of a Use Case**: **Improve Students’ Onboarding Experience** - When students start their journey at an educational institution, they often share common questions revolving around topics like orientation session dates, tuition fees, financial aid availability, dormitory arrangements and more. With AI Assist, support professionals can effortlessly draft accurate replies to these common questions. This streamlined approach ensures that students experience a smoother onboarding process and receive tailored support that precisely addresses their needs. ## [How to Enrich Customer Data from a CRM or other Business Software](https:/respond.io/help/capture-leads/enrich-customer-data) Retrieve customer properties like Fields from your CRM or business software that holds your primary customer list and add the data to the Contact in respond.io. > In this article, you'll learn how to get the most up-to-date information about a Contact. Retrieve customer properties like Fields from your existing CRM or business software that holds your primary customer list and add the data to the Contact in respond.io. ### Benefits of Enriching Customer Data Use the latest customer data collected from your CRM or business software to: - know if a Contact is an existing customer. - give support agents visibility to additional properties about a customer. - route customers differently based on their properties. ### Methods for Enriching Customer Data Here are a few ways to enrich customer data from your CRM or business software: - Retrieve customer data from an external CRM or business software using a Workflow - Sync Contact information between HubSpot and respond.io - Add WooCommerce customers as respond.io Contacts - Sync Customer Information between Magento and respond.io ## [How to Get a Complete View of the Customers](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/get-a-complete-view-of-the-customers) Learn how agents can gain a comprehensive understanding of Contacts’ conversations and profiles. > In this article, you’ll discover how to ensure that agents have a holistic view of the customers before conversing with them. It is important for agents to have an understanding of the Contacts’ entire journey with your business, which include their previous interactions and outstanding issues. With this knowledge, agents can quickly identify and resolve problems, and provide a more positive customer experience to your Contacts. ### Benefits of Getting a Complete View of the Customers - Have visibility of customers’ journey to better understand their needs. - Avoid misunderstandings and asking repetitive questions. - Improve resolution time and customer satisfaction. ### Methods to Get a Complete View of the Customers Here are some methods that you can use to obtain more context of your Contacts and conversations. 1. Review Contact’s profile. 2. Retrieve customer properties from existing CRM or business software. 3. Review conversation history. #### Review Contact’s profile > **Use this method** to obtain updated conversation context. **Method Objectives** - Check for Contact merge suggestions - Perform Contact merge Duplicate Contact records can occur on the platform due to data entry errors or customers contacting the business using different messaging channels. When this occurs, the Contact’s conversation history is spread across multiple messaging channels. Before starting a conversation with a Contact, it is recommended to check for and merge duplicate Contact records. This consolidates the Contact’s conversation history and gives the agent a complete view of the Contact’s past interactions. ##### Check for Contact merge suggestions When the platform detects that the phone number or email address of a Contact is used by another Contact, there will be an indicator on the **Merge Suggestions** tab at the vertical sidebar of the Inbox Module. ##### Perform Contact merge When there’s an indication for merge suggestion, check for relevancy and then perform a Contact merge to consolidate multiple Contact records into a single, complete record. Learn how to [merge your Contacts here](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contacts-overview#merge_contacts). #### Retrieve customer properties from existing CRM or business software If you have an existing CRM or business software that holds your primary customer list, you can retrieve the customer data and add them to the Contact profiles in respond.io. > **Use this method** when you do not have a Zapier subscription or you only need to get extra details of a particular Contact. - Retrieve customer data from an external CRM or business software using a Workflow from Hubspot > **Use this method** when you have a Zapier subscription. - Integrate ActiveCampaign with respond.io - Integrate BigCommerce with respond.io - Integrate HubSpot with respond.io - Integrate Magento with respond.io - Integrate Pipedrive with respond.io - Integrate Salesforce with respond.io - Integrate Shopify with respond.io - Integrate WooCommerce with respond.io #### Review conversation history > **Use this method** to obtain more context of the conversation history. You can view all previous and ongoing conversations with your Contacts from the Inbox Module. Before starting a conversation, it is recommended to read the conversation history so you can understand the context and provide the best possible service. > To reduce the time needed for agents to go through the entire conversation, Owners or Managers can consider making closing notes and summary mandatory every time a conversation is closed. When the conversation is re-opened, the agent who is assigned to the Contact can quickly read through the conversation summary to understand the context of the previous conversation without going through the entire conversation history. Learn more about closing notes [here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/closing-notes). ## [How to Get Contacts’ Consent for Personal Data Collection](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/get-contacts-consent-for-personal-data-collection) Learn how to automatically ask for customers’ consent to the privacy policy for personal data collection purpose. > In this article, you’ll discover how to automate privacy policy consent requests from Contacts before continuing the conversation. It is important for businesses to get consent from Contacts before collecting their personal data in order to respect their privacy choice and be compliant with local data protection regulations. ### Benefits of Getting Contacts’ Consent for Personal Data Collection Get consent from Contacts for personal data collection to: - demonstrate respect for privacy by transparently informing Contacts about data collection, usage and storage practices. - safeguard your business from legal liabilities by ensuring prior consent is received before using personal data from Contacts. ### Workflow Setup Learn how to use the Workflow Template to get consent from Contacts to collect their personal data. - Send Contacts policy link and ask for consent - Route Contacts based on response #### Send Contacts policy link and ask for consent In the **Workflows** module, click **\+ Add Workflow** > Select **Request Consent: Privacy** > Click **Use Template**. **1.** [**Trigger**](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers): The Workflow starts when a conversation is opened by a Contact. **2\. Send Privacy Link**: [Sends a message](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-send-a-message) to ask your Contact to read your privacy policy. Click the step and ensure that you update the link to direct Contacts to your privacy policy. **3\. Request Consent**: This [Ask a Question](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-ask-a-question) step provides an option for your Contact to accept the privacy policy before proceeding to the next step. In this Workflow Template example, we have prepared the answer option *AGREE & PROCEED*. A default response timeout of 5 minutes is added to this step, whereby the Contact is given 5 minutes to respond. #### Route Contacts based on response One of the three scenarios may occur at this point: **4\. Contacts accept the privacy policy** If the Contact selects the answer option *AGREE & PROCEED*, an acknowledgment message is sent to inform the Contact of the status. The Contact will also be automatically tagged with “Consent: Privacy”. This tagging allows you to easily identify Contacts who have accepted your privacy policy and [segment these Contacts](https://respond.io/help/contacts/segments) for broadcasts. **5\. Contacts provide invalid response** The Contact will be routed to the Failure: Invalid Branch if the Contact sends a different answer. This branch will start with the **Jump to Request Consent** step to route the Contact to the previous **Request Consent** step. This [Jump](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-jump-to) step has a maximum of 3 jumps. After the third attempt in providing an invalid response, the Contact will be routed to the **Send Fail Message** step. **6\. Contacts do not respond within the configured timeout** The Contact will be routed to the Failure: Timeout Branch if the Contact does not respond within 5 minutes, which is the default timeout. This branch will start with the **Send Fail Message** step informing Contact of the failure in receiving consent, that you’ll be closing the conversation and Contact can send a message again to chat. This branch will then end with the **Close Conversation** step to close the Contact’s conversation. > Once you have completed the setup, click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the Workflow. ## [How to Guide Customers from Exploration to Purchase with Engaging Menus](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/how-to-guide-customers-seamlessly-from-product-exploration-to-purchase-with-engaging-menus) Learn how to create comprehensive Main and Sub Menus for inbound Contacts that allow them to self-explore your product line. > In this article, you’ll discover how to create comprehensive Main and Sub Menus for inbound Contacts that allow them to self-explore your product line. You will also learn how to aid product exploration and tag their interest on the platform for targeting later. Automate the process of showcasing your extensive product line and sharing product information using interactive product menus. When a Contact initiates a conversation, they are greeted with a menu that lists products amongst other options. Upon selecting a prodyct from the menu, the Contact immediately receives specific information about that product, at the same time, the Contact’s interests are tagged on the platform. Contacts interested in Sales are facilitated by providing access to Sales team using the same menu options. To achieve these results use a combination of the **Multi-Level Chat Menu: Main Menu** and **Multi-Level Chat Menu: Sub Menu** Workflow Templates. ### Benefits Use the interactive chat menus to: - Empower Contacts with prompt access to product information around the clock. - Provide interested Contacts direct access to your Sales team. - Keep track of Contact preferences and behaviors to understand market trends and for retargeting. ### Workflow Setup To use the **Multi-Level Chat Menu: Main Menu** workflow template, in the **Workflows** module, click **\+ Add Workflow** > Click **Multi-Level Chat Menu Main Menu** > Click **Use Template**. 1. Trigger: The Workflow starts when a conversation is opened by a Contact. 2. Greeting Message: Provide a standard greeting message that acts as an immediate response to your Contact. This greeting message can be edited. The following options are selected:Channel: Last Interacted Channel so the message is sent to the same channel as the Contact.Message Type: Text. 3. Channel: Last Interacted Channel so the message is sent to the same channel as the Contact. 4. Message Type: Text. 5. Main Menu Options: This Step presents a menu to the Contact with several options for selection. In this template, the Ask a Question Step is used to present four options to the user. The options are:Question Text: The Contacts are asked what they need help with.Question Type: Using Multiple Choice, four menu options are presented.There are four options: Product, Service, About Us, and Talk to Sales. You can edit these values as per your need.The selected option is saved as a variable called mainmenu_all. This name can be edited as per your need. 6. Question Text: The Contacts are asked what they need help with. 7. Question Type: Using Multiple Choice, four menu options are presented. 8. There are four options: Product, Service, About Us, and Talk to Sales. You can edit these values as per your need. 9. The selected option is saved as a variable called mainmenu_all. This name can be edited as per your need. 10. Route Selected Main Menu Option: This Step routes the Contact to a branch based on the option they selected from the menu using the Branch Step. Four branches have been added to handle the four options presented in the Main Menu Options Step. 11. Product branch: When the Contact selects Product from the Main Menu, this branch handles it. The following options were selected to create this branch:Category: VariableField: mainmenu_all (this is the variable that was used to keep a record of the Contact’s selection)Operator: is equal toSelect: Product 12. Category: Variable 13. Field: mainmenu_all (this is the variable that was used to keep a record of the Contact’s selection) 14. Operator: is equal to 15. Select: Product 16. Service branch: When the Contact selects Service from the Main Menu, this branch handles it. The following options were selected to create this branch:Category: VariableField: mainmenu_all (this is the variable that was used to keep a record of the Contact’s selection)Operator: is equal toSelect: Service 17. Category: Variable 18. Field: mainmenu_all (this is the variable that was used to keep a record of the Contact’s selection) 19. Operator: is equal to 20. Select: Service 21. About Us branch: When the Contact selects About Us from the Main Menu, this branch handles it. The following options were selected to create this branch:Category: VariableField: mainmenu_all (this is the variable that was used to keep a record of the Contact’s selection)Operator: is equal toSelect: About Us 22. Category: Variable 23. Field: mainmenu_all (this is the variable that was used to keep a record of the Contact’s selection) 24. Operator: is equal to 25. Select: About Us 26. Talk to Sales branch: When the Contact selects Talk to Sales from the Main Menu, this branch handles it. The following options were selected to create this branch:Category: VariableField: mainmenu_all (this is the variable that was used to keep a record of the Contact’s selection)Operator: is equal toSelect: Talk to Sales 27. Category: Variable 28. Field: mainmenu_all (this is the variable that was used to keep a record of the Contact’s selection) 29. Operator: is equal to 30. Select: Talk to Sales 31. Trigger Sub-Workflow: This Step triggers a new workflow template (Multi-Level Chat Menu: Sub Menu) that provides a tailored menu related to the option selected by the Contact. This Workflow Template is triggered using the Trigger Another Workflow Step and the following options are set:Workflow: Multi-Level Chat Menu: Sub Menu.Workflow Step: Start from the beginning. 32. Workflow: Multi-Level Chat Menu: Sub Menu. 33. Workflow Step: Start from the beginning. 34. Failure branch: This a default branch of the Ask a Question Step and is used in case, the Contact does not select a valid option, the Workflow goes into the Failure: Invalid branch (this is a default branch). Here, the Contact is sent a polite message, and the main menu is shown again.Jump to Main Menu: This Step presents the main menu to the Contact again so that they can make the correct selection using the Step called Jump to Another Step. The following options are selected:Step: For this workflow template the Main Menu Options Step is used.Send Assignment Message: Sends the Contact a message that they are being directed to an agent.Jump to Assignment Sub Workflow Step: The Step assigns the Contact to an agent by jumping to the Trigger Assignment Sub-Workflow Step of the Multi-Level Chat Menu: Sub Menu workflow template. 35. Jump to Main Menu: This Step presents the main menu to the Contact again so that they can make the correct selection using the Step called Jump to Another Step. The following options are selected: 36. Step: For this workflow template the Main Menu Options Step is used. 37. Send Assignment Message: Sends the Contact a message that they are being directed to an agent. 38. Jump to Assignment Sub Workflow Step: The Step assigns the Contact to an agent by jumping to the Trigger Assignment Sub-Workflow Step of the Multi-Level Chat Menu: Sub Menu workflow template. To use the **Multi-Level Chat Menu: Sub Menu** workflow template, in the **Workflows** module, click **\+ Add Workflow** > Click **Multi-Level** **Chat Menu: Sub Menu** > Click **Use Template**. 1. Trigger: The Workflow starts when it is manually triggered by another workflow i.e., the Multi-Level Chat Menu: Sub Menu workflow template in this case. 2. Product Message: Provides a standard product-related informative message using the Send a Message Step. The following options are selected:Channel: Last Interacted Channel so the message is sent to the same channel as the Contact.Message Type: Text. 3. Channel: Last Interacted Channel so the message is sent to the same channel as the Contact. 4. Message Type: Text. 5. Product Menu Options: This step presents a menu to the Contact with several options for selection. In the template, the Ask a Question Step is used to present three options to the user.Question Text: The Contacts are asked which product they need to learn more about.Question Type: Using Multiple Choice, three menu options are presented, i.e., Product A, Product B, and Back to Main Menu. You can edit these values as per your requirements.The Contact’s response will be saved in a variable called product_all adjacent to the Variable toggle. You can name this variable as per your requirement. 6. Question Text: The Contacts are asked which product they need to learn more about. 7. Question Type: Using Multiple Choice, three menu options are presented, i.e., Product A, Product B, and Back to Main Menu. You can edit these values as per your requirements. 8. The Contact’s response will be saved in a variable called product_all adjacent to the Variable toggle. You can name this variable as per your requirement. 9. Route Selected Main Menu Option: Four branches are added using the Branch Step to handle the four options presented to the Contact. 10. Product A branch: When the Contact selects Product A from the Product Menu, this branch handles it. The following options are selected to create this branch:Category: VariableField: product_all (this is the variable that was used to keep a record of the Contact’s selection)Operator: is equal toSelect: Product A 11. Category: Variable 12. Field: product_all (this is the variable that was used to keep a record of the Contact’s selection) 13. Operator: is equal to 14. Select: Product A 15. Product B branch: When the Contact selects Product B from the Product Menu, this branch handles it. The following options were selected to create this branch:Category: VariableField: product_all (this is the variable that was used to keep a record of the Contact’s selection)Operator: is equal toSelect: Product B 16. Category: Variable 17. Field: product_all (this is the variable that was used to keep a record of the Contact’s selection) 18. Operator: is equal to 19. Select: Product B 20. Back to Main Menu branch: When the Contact selects Back to Main Menu from the Product Menu, i.e., they want to return to the menu presented by the Multi-Level Chat Menu: Main Menu template**,** this branch handles it. The following options were selected to create this branch:Category: VariableField: product_all (this is the variable that was used to keep a record of the Contact’s selection)Operator: is equal toSelect: Back to Main Menu 21. Category: Variable 22. Field: product_all (this is the variable that was used to keep a record of the Contact’s selection) 23. Operator: is equal to 24. Select: Back to Main Menu 25. Send Product Information: These are the first Steps in the Product A and Product B branches that send a descriptive message about the product to the Contact using the Send Message Step:Channel: Last Interacted Channel is used so the Contact gets the information on the channel they are using.Message Type: Text.The product information can be provided here. 26. Channel: Last Interacted Channel is used so the Contact gets the information on the channel they are using. 27. Message Type: Text. 28. The product information can be provided here. 29. Send Product Image: Send the product image to the Contact using the Send Message Step:Channel: Last Interacted Channel is used so the Contact gets the information on the channel they are using.Message Type: File or Image.The product image is uploaded. 30. Channel: Last Interacted Channel is used so the Contact gets the information on the channel they are using. 31. Message Type: File or Image. 32. The product image is uploaded. 33. Tag Product Interest: Tag the Contact’s interest using the Update Contact’s Tag Step. This information is useful for retargeting the Contact. The options selected are:Action: Add Tag.Tag: A tag that shows the Contact’s interest e.g., Product A or Product B. 34. Action: Add Tag. 35. Tag: A tag that shows the Contact’s interest e.g., Product A or Product B. 36. Jump to Product Menu: The Contact returns to the Product Menu Step using the Jump to Another Step after having consumed all the information they need. You can select the required step from the Step dropdown list. 37. Back to Main Menu Message: This is the first Step in the Back to Main Menu branch and sends a message to the Contact that they are returning to the main menu i.e., the menu presented by the Multi-Level Chat Menu: Main Menu template. 38. Trigger Main Menu Workflow: This Step triggers the Multi-Level Chat Menu: Main Menu Workflow which shows the Contacts the options of the main menu. > You have created extensive Main and Sub Menus for inbound Contacts to allow them to self-explore your product line, provide them with product information, tag their interest on the platform, and access the Sales team when required. ## [How to Import to Broadcast via WhatsApp](https:/respond.io/help/broadcasts/import-to-broadcast) Learn how to send a broadcast message to a large number of Contacts with whom you have never started a conversation. > In this article, you’ll discover how to manage large contact lists effortlessly and start connecting with them through broadcast messages - even before they interact with your business. Respond.io lets you import huge contact lists obtained from events, campaigns or other platforms and proactively initiate connections with them using broadcast messages. This eliminates the need to send individual messages to each Contact beforehand. > You can only send broadcast messages to **Contacts with whom you have already interacted**, except when using WhatsApp or SMS. For WhatsApp and SMS, you can send broadcasts even to Contacts you have not interacted with before, as long as you have their phone number. Other channels either require the Contact to send your business the first message or do not support broadcast. This article explains how to send WhatsApp broadcast messages using the Broadcasts module on the respond.io platform. This article explains how to send WhatsApp broadcast messages using the Broadcasts module on the respond.io platform. You can only send broadcast messages to Contacts with whom you have not interacted using WhatsApp or SMS. Other Channels either require Contacts to send your business the first message or do not support broadcast. This article covers the sending of WhatsApp broadcast messages using the *Broadcasts* module on the respond.io platform. ### Prerequisites - To send broadcast or bulk messages via WhatsApp without restrictions, you will need the following:A WhatsApp API account that’s connected to respond.io.A WhatsApp Message Template approved by Meta.Sufficient balance in the WhatsApp Business Account.A phone number with the Connected status and a good quality rating. - A WhatsApp API account that’s connected to respond.io. - A WhatsApp Message Template approved by Meta. - Sufficient balance in the WhatsApp Business Account. - A phone number with the Connected status and a good quality rating. - To access the Broadcasts Module on the respond.io platform. you must have the Owner or Manager access level. > Make sure your Contacts have opted in externally and are expecting messages from you before you proceed to import to broadcast. If they’re migrated from another platform to the respond.io platform, the opt-in would have been obtained when they were using the previous platform. Doing this can prevent your Contacts from reporting or blocking your number. ### Process Steps Watch this video for a tutorial on how to reach a broad audience with promotional messages and notifications on WhatsApp. #### Step 1: Import Contact List To begin, have the Contacts' details saved in a CSV file for a streamlined import process, eliminating the need for manual data entry. It is recommended to add a tag to the import. Tagging helps you identify the batch of Contacts that you have imported, for example leads collected from a product launch event. Refer [here](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contact-import) for a step-by-step guide on how to import Contacts. #### Step 2: Create and Send Broadcast Message Once Contacts have been imported to the respond.io platform, create and send a broadcast message by following these steps: 1. Go to the Broadcasts Module > Click + Add Broadcast. 2. Name your broadcast > Add a label for reference > Click Create. 3. Create a Segment to target a specific group of Contacts for the broadcast. Click the dropdown menu at Segment > Click + Add Segment > Name the segment > Click Save. 4. To easily find the batch of Contacts that you have imported, ensure these are filled in:Category: Contact TagOperator: has any ofSelect: Click the dropdown and select the tag that was used for the import process. 5. Category: Contact Tag 6. Operator: has any of 7. Select: Click the dropdown and select the tag that was used for the import process. 8. In Channel Type, select Specific Channel. 9. In Channel, select the connected WhatsApp API channel to send your broadcast. 10. Turn the Send message only to contacts who have previously interacted with this channel toggle off. This ensures the broadcast message can be sent to Contacts with whom you have not interacted before. 11. Under Message Content, select the relevant Message Template > Fill in the required details. 12. Under Message Preview, see how your message will appear to your Contacts. You can click Test Broadcast to send a sample message to yourself before sending the actual broadcast message. 13. Click Next > Click Send Broadcast to send the broadcast message immediately, or Schedule Broadcast to schedule it for a later date and time. > For more detailed information of the steps, refer to [this page](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast). > A broadcast message may fail to be sent due to numerous reasons. If this happens, learn more about [troubleshooting failed broadcasts here](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/dealing-with-failed-broadcasts). ### Examples of Use Cases The following are some use cases for this feature: #### Marketing - Promoting seasonal sales, holiday discounts, or time-sensitive offers to a select group of customers. - Sending invitations to webinars, workshops, product demos or other events to customers. - Sharing significant company achievements, milestones, or news to keep the brand top-of-mind and foster a sense of community. #### Sales - Sharing limited-time offers or discounts that are exclusively available for a select group of customers. - Announcing the launch of a new product or service to a select group of customers. - Notifying customers when a previously out-of-stock item is back in inventory. #### Support - Informing customers of planned system maintenance or unexpected outages. - Notifying customers of changes to the company’s terms of services or other important policies. - Sharing tips and guides to help customers use the products and services more effectively. ## [How to improve lead targeting and automatically send purchase events to Meta when a customer makes a payment](https:/respond.io/help/retain-customers/how-to-improve-lead-targeting-and-automatically-send-purchase-events-to-meta-when-a-customer-makes-a-payment) Learn how to automatically send purchase data to Meta to eliminate spam leads, improve ad targeting, and boost ROI, all with a ready-to-use Workflow Template. In this article, you’ll learn how to improve lead targeting and send purchase events to Meta when a customer reaches the payment stage in their Lifecycle. Tracking customer purchases in real-time is essential for keeping data accurate and improving business insights. By automating this process, businesses can reduce manual tracking efforts and ensure Meta receives up-to-date information whenever a customer completes a payment. With the **Send CAPI for Customers Won** Workflow Template, you can seamlessly integrate Lifecycle updates with Meta’s Conversions API to keep records accurate and structured. ### Benefits - Eliminate spam leads by sending clean data to Meta. - Optimize ad targeting for higher-quality conversions. - Boost ROI—some businesses see up to 2x better results. - Automate purchase tracking based on lifecycle stage changes—no manual intervention needed. - Ensure real-time, reliable data transmission for accurate customer journey tracking. ### Workflow Setup > Need help setting up CAPI? [Talk to us](https://wa.me/85257228299?text=I%20need%20help%20with%20CAPI%20)—we’ll guide you through it. To use the **Send CAPI for Customers Won** Workflow Template: 1. Go to Workflows. 2. Click + Add Workflow 3. Navigate to Send CAPI for converted leads. 4. Click Use Template. **Workflow Steps and their functions** 1. Trigger: Lifecycle Updated The workflow starts when a customer’s Lifecycle Stage updates to indicate a successful payment. This ensures that the purchase event is only sent when the customer officially reaches this stage. 2. Step: Send Conversions API Event This step triggers a Purchase event via Meta’s Conversions API to record the transaction.Select your Meta Business account and portfolioChoose the relevant Meta Business Account and Business Portfolio to send the event.You must select at least one account (WhatsApp, Facebook, or Instagram) for the event to be processed.Set the event type to “Purchase”Selecting “Purchase” allows you to include the purchase value for more accurate tracking.Enter the purchase valueIf the purchase amount is known, enter the actual value.If the value is unknown, you can enter $1 as a placeholder.Meta records the purchase event for ad campaign optimization, helping businesses in lead targeting. 3. Select your Meta Business account and portfolioChoose the relevant Meta Business Account and Business Portfolio to send the event.You must select at least one account (WhatsApp, Facebook, or Instagram) for the event to be processed. 4. Choose the relevant Meta Business Account and Business Portfolio to send the event. 5. You must select at least one account (WhatsApp, Facebook, or Instagram) for the event to be processed. 6. Set the event type to “Purchase”Selecting “Purchase” allows you to include the purchase value for more accurate tracking. 7. Selecting “Purchase” allows you to include the purchase value for more accurate tracking. 8. Enter the purchase valueIf the purchase amount is known, enter the actual value.If the value is unknown, you can enter $1 as a placeholder. 9. If the purchase amount is known, enter the actual value. 10. If the value is unknown, you can enter $1 as a placeholder. ### Best Practices **Ensure timely event upload** - Meta allows flexible event timestamps, meaning you can send past purchase events as long as the event time is correct. - However, for WhatsApp, events must be sent within 7 days of the purchase. After that, the CTWA_ID expires, and the event will fail. **What happens If the event fails?** - If the CTWA_ID expires after 7 days, the event fails. This only affects WhatsApp transactions. - Even if the event fails, Meta will still use the purchase event data to improve its algorithm. - If the conversation was on Facebook or Instagram, this issue does not apply. ## [How to Optimize Agents’ Productivity in the Inbox Module](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/optimize-agents-productivity) Guide agents in their use of the Inbox module to effectively respond to customers. > In this article, you’ll discover how to optimize agents' productivity in handling conversations on the respond.io platform. Agents may not always utilize the full capabilities of the Inbox module, which often results in a comparatively slower response time. Discover how agents can maximize the use of the Inbox module features to handle conversations seamlessly and boost productivity. ### Benefits of Optimizing Agents' Productivity in the Inbox Module - Streamlining the handling of conversations. - Providing enhanced customer support through a deeper contextual understanding. - Elevating the overall effectiveness of communication. ### Methods for Optimizing Agents' Productivity in the Inbox module Here are methods that you can use to optimize productivity in the Inbox module: 1. Speed up conversation search and filter process. 2. Merge duplicate records to get updated context for each Contact. 3. Initiate conversation on other Channels with the Channel Switcher feature. 4. Snoozing conversations for inbox management and follow-ups. 5. Deliver canned responses with Snippets. 6. Respond intelligently with the AI Assist feature. 7. Use keyboard shortcuts for convenience and speed. #### Speed up conversation search and filter process The Sort by feature provides agents numerous options to filter the Conversation list and find relevant conversation. An agent actively working to resolve open issues can filter the Conversation list by *Open* conversations and sort it by *Newest*. The agent can easily switch the sorting to *Longest Open* to review issues that have been opened for the longest. This saves the agent’s time from having to scroll endlessly to locate conversations. > Learn more about [Contact searching, filtering and sorting here](https://respond.io/help/inbox/inbox-overview#filter-and-sort). #### Merge duplicate records to get updated context for each Contact Duplicate Contact records can occur on the platform due to data entry errors or customers contacting the business using different messaging channels. When this occurs, the Contact’s conversation history is spread across multiple messaging channels. Before starting a conversation with a Contact, it is recommended to check for and merge duplicate Contact records. This consolidates the Contact’s conversation history and gives the agent a complete view of the Contact’s past interactions. ##### Check for Contact merge suggestions When the platform detects that the phone number or email address of a Contact is used by one Contact or more, there will be an indicator on the **Merge Suggestions** tab at the vertical sidebar of the Inbox module. ##### Perform Contact merge When there’s an indication for merge suggestion, check for relevancy and then perform a Contact merge to consolidate multiple Contact records into a single, complete record. Learn how to [merge your Contacts here](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contacts-overview#merge-contacts). #### Initiate conversation on other Channels with the Channel Switcher feature Agents can use the **Channel Switcher** feature to initiate conversations on different Channels with Contacts who aren’t responding to previous messages. For a quick guide on how to access the Channel Switcher, click [here](https://respond.io/help/inbox/inbox-overview#channel-switcher). #### Snoozing conversations for inbox management and follow-ups Snoozing a conversation provides an alternative to closing a conversation. Agents can use this feature to put aside idle conversations for a given period of time so that their inboxes are clutter-free and they can focus on active conversations. Agents can also use this feature to automatically remind them to follow up on important conversations. For example, an agent can snooze a conversation with a VIP Contact and closely follow up with the Contact after a specific period of time to check if the Contact is satisfied with the resolution or if the issue is still recurring. > Learn how to [snooze and unsnooze conversations here](https://respond.io/help/inbox/inbox-overview#snoozing-a-contact). #### Deliver canned responses with Snippets Agents can use pre-defined reply templates, also known as snippets or canned responses, to quickly answer common questions. This helps to ensure that your agents provide a consistent response to the Contacts, while still allowing personalization in their responses as needed. > Learn how to [use snippets here.](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/snippets#using_snippets_in_messages) #### Respond intelligently with the AI Assist feature AI Assist helps agents draft replies to Contacts’ queries and tweak messaging if necessary. > Learn how to [draft replies using AI Assist here](https://respond.io/help/converse-with-customers/how-to-draft-customer-replies-with-ai). #### Use keyboard shortcuts for convenience and speed Agents can compose messages to Contacts more quickly with the use of keyboard shortcuts. See the [available keyboard shortcuts here](https://respond.io/help/quick-start/responding-to-messages#useful-tips). ## [How to Optimize Customer Onboarding with Automated & Customized Welcome Messages](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/how-to-optimize-customer-onboarding-with-automated-customized-welcome-messages) Learn how to automatically send customized welcome messages to Contacts coming from various messaging channels and assign them to relevant agents with whom they have interacted earlier. > In this article, you’ll discover how to automatically send customized welcome messages to Contacts coming from various messaging channels and assign them to relevant agents with whom they have interacted earlier. If Contacts are reaching out to you via various messaging channels, you can respond by promptly sending tailored messages to them and guiding them to agents they have talked to previously using the **Welcome Message: Channel Specific** Workflow Template. ### Benefits of Seamless Transition to Agents Seamlessly transition customers to agents to: - Tailored welcome messages and automated agent assignments streamline lead capturing and set the tone right from the start. - Allow customers to experience quick and efficient handling of inquiries, leading to higher satisfaction and increased customer loyalty. ### Workflow Setup To use the **Welcome Message: Channel Specific** workflow template, click **\+ Add Workflow** > Click **Welcome Message: Channel Specific** > **Use Template** in the **Workflows** module. 1. Trigger: The Workflow starts when a conversation is opened by the Contact. 2. Check Contact’s Channel: Check which channel the Contact is coming from using the Branch Step. Each channel has a separate branch. The following settings are used to create branches for various channels:Category: Last Interacted Channel, to check what the last interacted channel was.Operator: Is equal to.Select: The required channel.Add as many branches as needed using the Add Branch button. 3. Category: Last Interacted Channel, to check what the last interacted channel was. 4. Operator: Is equal to. 5. Select: The required channel. 6. Channel Specific Welcome Message: Provide a customized greeting as a prompt response to your Contact using the Send a Message Step:Channel = Last interacted channel, so the message is sent to the same channel the Contact is using.Message type = Text has been set. 7. Channel = Last interacted channel, so the message is sent to the same channel the Contact is using. 8. Message type = Text has been set. 9. Assign to Team: Assign the Contact to an agent dedicated to the channel using the Assign to Step:Action = Assign to a user in specific user to assign the Contact to a dedicated agent.Assigned to = Select the relevant agent. 10. Action = Assign to a user in specific user to assign the Contact to a dedicated agent. 11. Assigned to = Select the relevant agent. 12. Assignment Message: Sends the Contact a message specifying the agent that has been assigned to them. To achieve this, the following values have been set in the Send a Message Step:Channel = Last interacted channel so the message is sent to the same channel.Message type = Text has been set. 13. Channel = Last interacted channel so the message is sent to the same channel. 14. Message type = Text has been set. > Contacts coming from various digital channels are sent customized messages and assigned to dedicated agents. ## [How to Promptly Transfer Conversation Between Agents](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/promptly-transfer-conversation) Automate the reassigning of conversation if the initial agent does not respond within a specified period. > In this article, you’ll discover how to automatically transfer a customer conversation to a different agent if the initial agent does not respond within a defined time frame. Prompt transfer of conversations when the initial agent is unable to respond within a specified time frame ensures that customer queries are addressed in a timely manner. This reduces response time and fosters a positive customer experience. ### Workflow Setup Learn how to configure your Workflow to automatically route an open conversation to another agent if the first agent does not respond to the customer after a certain period of time. > This setup is applicable only to the first assignment of an open conversation. **Set up**: 1. Set the Workflow to trigger when a conversation is opened by a Contact:Trigger: Conversation OpenedCategory: SourceOperator: is equal toSelect: Contact 2. Trigger: Conversation Opened 3. Category: Source 4. Operator: is equal to 5. Select: Contact 6. Add an Assign To step to assign the conversation to a team or a specific agent based on your business needs. In this example, the Workflow is configured to assign to a specific agent. 7. Then, add a Wait step. You can set the duration for the reassignment of the conversation to another agent if the initial agent does not respond within the specified duration. In this example, the duration is set to 15 minutes. 8. Add a Branch step to define the conditions that must be met for the agent reassignment to occur. In this example, 2 conditions are configured: *First condition* - Category: Contact Field - Field: Conversation Status - Operator: is equal to - Select: Open AND *second* *condition* - Category: Time Since Last Outgoing Message - Operator: does not exist 5\. If the conditions are met, add an [Assign To](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-assign-to) step to reassign the conversation to another team or a specific agent based on your business needs. In this example, the Workflow is configured to assign to an agent in a specific team. > To ensure your customer is attended to in a timely manner, you may want to reassign the conversation only to agents who are currently online. For this, turn the *Only assign to online users* toggle on. 6\. Optionally, you may add an [Add Comment](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-add-comment) step to write a note about the Contact for internal reference or action. In this example, a comment will be sent to the second agent to inform of the Contact reassignment. > Once you have completed the setup, click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the Workflow. ### Pro Tips 1\. The examples of configurations provided for each step are intended solely as a guide for setting up the Workflow. You may opt to modify the configurations and/or add additional steps according to your needs. 2\. Understanding the Assignment logic: - Assign to users round robin enables the system to distribute conversations with Contacts equally among agents. - Assign to user with least open contacts enables the system to distribute conversations with Contacts among agents, starting with agents who have the lowest number of open Contacts. 3\. Continuous monitoring of the effectiveness of the Workflow is important to ensure the configurations remain relevant to your business needs. ## [How to Qualify Leads and Track Conversions with TikTok Lower Funnel Events](https:/respond.io/help/retain-customers/how-to-qualify-leads-and-track-conversions-with-tik-tok-lower-funnel-events) Learn more about qualifying leads and tracking conversions using a Shortcut-triggered Workflow that tags contacts and sends Lower Funnel Events to TikTok for better ad targeting. This Workflow Template allows you to **qualify leads and track conversions efficiently**. By using this workflow, agents can click on a **Shortcut** to tag contacts based on their actions—whether they placed an order, completed a payment, or submitted a form. Simultaneously, the workflow **sends Lower Funnel Events back to TikTok**, improving ad targeting and optimizing campaign performance with valuable conversion insights. ### Benefits - Qualify leads and track conversion events for better ad optimization. - Gain deeper insights into conversion events to improve targeting strategies. - Streamline the lead lifecycle by tagging contacts as qualified, unqualified, or sale-closed. ### Workflow Setup 1. The Workflow is triggered when you click on the Shortcut. You start the workflow by selecting a Shortcut to categorize a lead or purchase event. 2. Select a lead or purchase event (Order placed, Payment completed, Form submitted) and enter a value. 3. Then, Add a Tag to your leads for better organization. 4. The Workflow automatically sends a Lower Funnel Event to TikTok, ensuring the data is sent back to TikTok for better ad targeting. 5. Add comments for additional context, such as potential value or follow-up notes. ### Best Practices - Ensure accurate event tagging: Select the correct event type (Order Placed, Payment Completed, or Form Submitted etc.) to maintain accurate data. - Leverage conversion data for better ad optimization: Use the event insights to retarget high-intent users and exclude unqualified leads from ad spend. - Monitor TikTok Ads Manager for performance tracking: Regularly review the effectiveness of lower funnel event tracking to optimize campaign performance. - Add meaningful comments for future engagement: Ensure agents provide context when tagging leads (e.g., potential deal size, follow-up required) to help prioritize outreach. ## [How to Route Contacts by Shifts](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/route-contacts-by-shifts) Automatically route customers by shifts or business hours. > In this article, you’ll discover how to route contacts automatically by shifts or business hours. Routing Contacts by shifts or business hours is helpful if you have Contacts from different locations, messaging you at different times of the day. This strategy can be used to optimize the allocation of your resources to ensure your Contacts receive timely responses to their inquiries. #### Benefits of Routing Contacts by Shifts Route Contacts by shifts to: - improve response time by automatically routing customers to the available team in a timely manner and assigning customers to agents that are currently on shifts. - increase customer satisfaction with proper routing and shorter waiting time for Contacts. #### Workflow Setup In the **Workflows** module, click **\+ Add Workflow** > Click **Multi-Team Routing: Shifts** > Click **Use Template**. **1.** [**Trigger**](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers): The Workflow starts when a conversation is opened by a Contact. **2\. Welcome Message:** [Sends a message](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-send-a-message) to greet your Contact and let them know the inquiry will be attended to by an agent. **3\. Morning Shift / Afternoon Shift / Night Shift**: [Set up your business hours](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-date-and-time) for the morning, afternoon and night shifts. In this Workflow Template example, the shifts are configured to cover 24 hours of the day from Monday to Friday. This step will route Contacts to an agent on the team that is on shift, based on the date and time conditions. **4\. Assignment Message**: Sends a message to inform Contact about their assignment status. Contacts will be routed to the Failure Branch if they have contacted you outside of your business hours, in this case during the weekend. This Branch will send an away message to the Contacts and has a [Jump](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-jump-to) step to assign the Contact to an agent on the team for the next upcoming shift, in this case the morning shift. You can configure and customize these steps as needed. #### Customer Journey Example 1. Customer sends your business a message on Monday at 4.30pm. 2. Conversation opens and triggers this Workflow. 3. Customer automatically receives a welcome message. 4. This Workflow will automatically route customer to the team working in the afternoon shift and an agent from that team will be handling the inquiry. 5. Customer automatically receives a message informing about the assignment status. ## [How to Route Contacts by Team Functions](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/route-contacts-by-team-functions) Automatically route customers based on the team the customers want to speak to or customers’ contact data. > In this article, you’ll discover how to automatically route Contacts to the right team based on their needs or contact data. It is important to set up a good automated routing system to help streamline your customer service process and ensure your Contacts are being attended to by the correct team in a timely manner. ### Benefits of Routing Contacts by Team Functions Route Contacts by team functions to: - improve customer experience when Contacts are routed to agents who have the expertise to address their specific concerns effectively. - improve resolution time by connecting Contacts to the right team, reducing transfer and escalation time. ### Methods for Routing Contacts by Team Functions 1. Route based on Contact’s answer. 2. Route based on Contact data. #### Route based on Contact’s answer > **Use this method** to route Contacts based on the team they want to speak to. - Ask Contacts the team they want to speak to. - Route Contacts to the right team for assistance. ##### Ask Contacts the team they want to speak to In the **Workflows** module, click **\+ Add Workflow** > Click **Multi-Team Routing: Multiple Choice by Contact** > Click **Use Template**. **1.** [**Trigger**](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers): The Workflow starts when a conversation is opened by a Contact. **2\. Ask for Team**: This is the [Ask a Question](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-ask-a-question) step to ask Contact the team the Contact wants to speak to and save the answer as Variables. The [Variable](https://respond.io/help/dynamic-variables/how-to-use-dynamic-variables#workflows) will be used in this Workflow’s Branch step for routing purposes. The Ask a Question Step can be set up with multiple choice answers. In this Workflow Template example, we have prepared answer options as follows: - Sales - Support ##### Route Contacts to the right team for assistance **3\. Sales or Support Branch**: This is a [Branch](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-branch) step to route Contact to the right team based on the answer the Contact has selected in the previous Ask a Question step. If the Contact selects the answer option *Sales* or *Support*, the Contact will be routed to Branch 1 or Branch 2 respectively. **4\. Assign to Sales Team / Assign to Support Team**: Configure this [Assign To](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-assign-to) step with a team based on your business needs. **5\. Assignment Message**: Sends a message to inform Contact about their assignment status. > Once you have completed the setup, click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the Workflow. #### Route based on Contact data > **Use this method** to route Contacts to the right team based on existing Contact information. Contact information such as language or country can be derived automatically from the [Channel the Contacts used to message your business or from the Contact's phone number](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contact-details#standard_fields). > Consider doing [customer data enrichment](https://respond.io/help/support-use-case/enrich-customer-data) earlier in this Workflow so that the data collected can be used to make automated decisions on the next Workflow steps for your Contacts. Use a [Branch](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-branch) step to route Contacts based on existing Contact information. We’ll use *Language* as the Contact Field in this example. In the Workflow, add a *Branch* step and configure the step: - Category: Contact Field - Field: Language - Operator: is equal to - Select: Select your desired language. > Consider [Auto-Assignment](https://respond.io/help/inbound-conversations/assignment-strategy-automatic-contact-distribution-load-balancing) as your next step to automatically assign Contacts to the right agent. > Once you have completed the setup, click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the Workflow. ## [How to Route Contacts by their Preferred Language](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/how-to-route-contacts-by-their-preferred-language) In this article, you’ll discover how to automatically route contacts to Agents based on the Contact’s language preferences. > In this article, you’ll discover how to automatically route contacts to Agents based on the Contact’s language preferences. Businesses that have a number of international customers want to route their Contacts to an Agent who can communicate in the Contact’s preferred language. Such businesses can use our platform to achieve this goal by using the following two Workflow Templates: - Contact Routing: By Language - Contact Routing: Ask Language Preference ### Benefits of Routing Contacts by Language Route Contacts by language to: - Improve customer experience by communicating in their native language. - Increase agent productivity by eliminating the language barrier and directing the right customer to the right agent. ### Workflow Setup To use the **Contact Routing: By Language** workflow template, download the template JSON file. - JSON File #### Workflow Steps and their functions: 1. Trigger: The Workflow starts whenever a Contact opens a conversation. 2. Route by Language: The workflow checks what the Contact’s language is. In this workflow template, four branches handle the results:English: This branch checks if Contact’s language is English. The following options have been selected:Category: Contact FieldField: LanguageOperator: is equal toSelect: EnglishArabic: This branch checks if Contact’s language is Arabic. The following options have been selected:Category: Contact FieldField: LanguageOperator: is equal toSelect: ArabicYou can add more languages in a similar manner by adding Branches.No Language Info: This branch routes to the Contact Routing: Ask Language Preference workflow, when no Language information is available. The following options have been selected:Category: Contact FieldField: LanguageOperator: does not existElse: This branch routes to the Contact Routing: Ask Language Preference workflow, when the Contact’s language is not supported by the platform. 3. English: This branch checks if Contact’s language is English. The following options have been selected:Category: Contact FieldField: LanguageOperator: is equal toSelect: English 4. Category: Contact Field 5. Field: Language 6. Operator: is equal to 7. Select: English 8. Arabic: This branch checks if Contact’s language is Arabic. The following options have been selected:Category: Contact FieldField: LanguageOperator: is equal toSelect: Arabic 9. Category: Contact Field 10. Field: Language 11. Operator: is equal to 12. Select: Arabic 13. No Language Info: This branch routes to the Contact Routing: Ask Language Preference workflow, when no Language information is available. The following options have been selected:Category: Contact FieldField: LanguageOperator: does not exist 14. Category: Contact Field 15. Field: Language 16. Operator: does not exist 17. Else: This branch routes to the Contact Routing: Ask Language Preference workflow, when the Contact’s language is not supported by the platform. **Assign to Team:** The Contact is directed to the respective team that speaks their language. In this workflow template, the Contacts are assigned to one of the following teams: - Assign to English Team: In the English branch, this step assigns the Contact to the English Team. - Assign to Arabic Team: In the Arabic branch, this step assigns the Contact to the Arabic Team. **Ask Language Preference**: In case no language info is provided, the **Trigger Another Workflow** Step is used to trigger the **Contact Routing: Ask Language Preference**. **Language Not Supported**: In case the Contact’s language is not supported by the platform, the **Trigger Another Workflow** Step is used to trigger the **Contact Routing: Ask Language Preference**. **3\. Assignment Message**: The workflow informs the Contact to whom they have been assigned using the Step message. > Once you have completed the setup, click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the Workflow. The **Contact Routing: Ask Language Preference** workflow template can be manually triggered from the **Contact Routing: By Language** workflow template when the Contact’s language information is missing or if the Contact’s language is one that is supported by the platform. > You can learn more about which Channels provide language metadata information, [here](https://respond.io/help/channels). To use the **Contact Routing: Ask Language Preference** workflow template, download the template JSON file. - JSON File #### Workflow Steps and their functions: 1. Trigger: The Workflow starts whenever this workflow is triggered manually. > You can use this template as stand-alone template by triggering the workflow when the Contact opens the conversation. **2\. Ask for Language Preferences**: The Workflow asks for the Contact’s preferred language using the Ask Step. The following options have been provided in this Workflow template: - Question Type: Multiple-ChoiceEnglishArabic - English - Arabic - Save Response As: Variable (the selected option is saved in the Language_preferred in this template). **3\. Route by Language**: The workflow checks what the Contact’s language is. In this workflow template, two branches have been created: - English: This branch checks if the Contact’s language is English. The following options have been selected:Category: Contact FieldField: LanguageOperator: is equal toSelect: English - Category: Contact Field - Field: Language - Operator: is equal to - Select: English - Arabic: This branch checks if the Contact’s language is Arabic. The following options have been selected:Category: Contact FieldField: LanguageOperator: is equal toSelect: ArabicYou can add more languages in a similar manner by adding Branches. - Category: Contact Field - Field: Language - Operator: is equal to - Select: Arabic **4\. Update Language**: This Step updates the language information of the Contact for the next time on the platform using the **Update Contact Field** Step. In this workflow template, the following options have been selected: - Update Language EN: Updates Contact’s language to English.Contact Field: LanguageLanguage: English - Contact Field: Language - Language: English - Update Language AR: Updates Contact’s language to Arabic.Contact Field: LanguageLanguage: Arabic - Contact Field: Language - Language: Arabic **5\. Assign to Team:** The Contact is directed to the respective team that speaks their language. In this workflow template, the Contacts are assigned to one of the following teams: - Assign to English Team: This step assigns the Contact to the English Team. - Assign to Arabic Team: This step assigns the Contact to the Arabic Team. **6\. Assignment Message**: The workflow informs the Contact to whom they have been assigned using the Step message. > Once you have completed the setup, click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the Workflow. ### Usage Recommendation - For Channels where language metadata is available: Contact Routing: By Language - For Channels where language metadata is not available or the platform does not support the Contact’s language: Contact Routing: Ask Language Preference. > It is worth noting that the workflow templates can only be used for languages supported by the platform. The availability of a Contact's language information depends on the Channel they are coming from. The table below indicates which channels provide language information and which do not. | Language Info Available | Language Info Not Available | | --- | --- | | Telegram | Facebook Messenger | | Viber | Instagram | | Line | 360 Dialog WhatsApp | | WeChat | MessageBird WhatsApp | | Twitter | MessageBird SMS | | | Twilio WhatsApp | | | Twilio SMS | | | Vonage WhatsApp | | | Vonage SMS | | | Gmail | | | Live Widget | | | WhatsApp Cloud API | | | Chat API | | | Contact Form | | | Nexmo | | | Skype | ## [How to Route Contacts from CTC Ads to Agents](https:/respond.io/help/capture-leads/how-to-route-contacts-from-ctc-ads-to-agents) Learn to automatically assign contacts coming from Click-to-Chat Ads to Agents. > In this article, you’ll discover how to automatically assign Contacts coming from Click-to-Chat (CTC) Ads to Agents. To streamline the process of transitioning Contacts coming from CTC Ads to skilled Agents, it is essential to focus on responding to their queries in a timely and efficient manner. This can be achieved seamlessly using the **Click to Chat Ads: Assignment** Workflow Template. > For businesses that want to assign conversations coming from CTC Ads to AI Agents instead of agents, refer to this [article](https://respond.io/help/automate-conversations/maximize-customer-service-potential-with-ai-agent). #### Benefits of Seamless Transition to Agents Seamlessly transition Contacts to agents to: - Minimize delays, automatically streamline Contacts from CTC Ads to agents . - Allow Contacts to experience quick and efficient handling of inquiries, leading to higher satisfaction and potentially, increased Contacts loyalty. #### Workflow Setup To use the **Click to Chat Ads: Assignment** workflow template, click **\+ Add Workflow** > **Click to Chat Ads: Assignment** > Click **Use Template** in the **Workflows** module. 1. Trigger: The Workflow starts when a conversation is opened via a Click-to-Chat (CTC) Ad.You can learn more about the Click to Chat Ads trigger here. 2. Welcome Message: Provides a standard greeting that acts as an immediate response to your Contact, informing them that an agent will be assigned to them soon. To achieve this, the following values have been set in the Send a Message Step:Channel = Last interacted channel has been selected so the welcome message is automatically sent on the channel that the Contact is coming from.Message type = Text has been set. 3. Channel = Last interacted channel has been selected so the welcome message is automatically sent on the channel that the Contact is coming from. 4. Message type = Text has been set. 5. Assign to Team: Assigns the Contact to a team. To achieve this, the following values have been set in the Assign to Step:Action = Assign to a user in specific team to assign the Contact to an agent in the selected team.The relevant team can be selected from the Select Team dropdown list.Assignment Logic = Assign to users round robin, the default setting has not been changed. 6. Action = Assign to a user in specific team to assign the Contact to an agent in the selected team. 7. The relevant team can be selected from the Select Team dropdown list. 8. Assignment Logic = Assign to users round robin, the default setting has not been changed. 9. Assignment Message: Sends the Contact a message specifying which agent has been assigned to them. To achieve this, the following values have been set in the Send a Message Step:Channel = Last interacted channel has been selected so the welcome message is automatically sent on the channel that the Contact is coming from.Message type = Text has been set. 10. Channel = Last interacted channel has been selected so the welcome message is automatically sent on the channel that the Contact is coming from. 11. Message type = Text has been set. > Contacts coming via CTC Ads have been assigned to agents automatically. ## [How to Route New and Returning Contacts](https:/respond.io/help/retain-customers/route-new-and-returning-contacts) Learn how to identify new & returning customers to route & manage them separately using Workflows. > In this article, you’ll discover how to differentiate and manage new and returning Contacts separately. - Some businesses may want to treat new and returning customers differently to address their unique needs and expectations. - This can be achieved on respond.io platform by using Workflows. - When a Contact start a conversation, the platform will automatically identify if the Contact is new or returning and route them separately. ### Benefits of Routing New and Returning Contacts - Provide personalized customer experience for returning Contacts to help foster loyalty and customer retention. - Allow businesses to prioritize efforts towards capturing new Contacts’ attention and converting them into loyal patrons. ### Workflow Setup Click **Workflows** > Click **\+ Add Workflow** > Select **Routing: New & Returning Contacts** > Click **Use Template** Workflow steps and their functions: 1\. **Trigger:** This Workflow starts whenever a conversation is opened by a Contact. 2\. **New or Returning Contact:** This branch step checks if a Contact is new or returning and route them to different branches. At this point, you can choose to add steps under each branch based on how you want to manage your new and returning Contacts. Here are a few suggestions: - New Contact branch: consider adding steps to welcome new contact and collect contact information for data enrichment. - Returning Contact branch: consider adding steps to automate frequently asked questions or to identify customer type for further contact personalization. > Once you have completed the setup, publish your Workflow to start routing new and returning Contacts. ## [How to Route VIP Contacts](https:/respond.io/help/retain-customers/route-vip-contacts) Learn how to identify VIP Customers to route and manage them differently from other Customers using Workflows. > In this article, you’ll learn how to identify VIP Contacts to provide a tailored customer experience and differentiate them from non-VIP Contacts. ### Benefits of Routing VIP Contacts - Treating VIP Contacts differently ensures a more personalized and expedited service. This can lead to enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty. - Having a different route for VIP contacts allows businesses to efficiently allocate resources, ensuring that highly skilled agents cater to VIP customers’ unique needs. ### Workflow Setup Learn how to use the Workflow Template to identify and route VIP Contacts. - Check Contact for an existing email - If Contact has an Email: Get Contact Data and Route VIP Contact - If Contact has no Email: Ask for Email and Route Contact #### Check Contact for an Existing Email In the **Workflows** module, click **\+ Add Workflow** > Click **Routing: VIP Contacts** > Click **Use Template**. 1\. [**Trigger**](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers): The Workflow starts when a conversation is opened by a Contact. 2\. **Have** **Email Already?**: This Branch step checks if the Contact has an email or not in the Contact’s Email Address field. #### If Contact has an Email: Get Contact Data and Route VIP Contact If the Contact has an Email in the Contact’s Email Address field, the Contact will be routed to the **Have Email** branch. In this branch, the Contact’s data will be retrieved from an external CRM or data warehouse via a HTTP request step to identify if the Contact is a VIP. If the Contact is a VIP, the Contact will be routed to the VIP Contact branch. 3\. **Get Contact Data from CRM or Data Warehouse:** This is an HTTP request step that will retrieve the Contact’s details from a data warehouse such as a CRM. Click on the Workflow step to configure the Method, URL, and Header to retrieve the Contact’s data. In the Response Mapping section, map the *$.customerType*(name of key from the response based on your CRM or Data Warehouse) key to store its value as a variable named *CustomerType*. Learn how to [configure HTTP request step](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-http-request) here or get a developer to assist with this configuration. 4\. **Route VIP & Regular Contact:** In this Branch step, the Contact will be routed based on the *CustomerType* variable. If the *CustomerType* is VIP, it will be routed to the VIP Contact branch. If the *CustomerType* is not VIP, it will be routed to the Regular Contact branch. ##### Next Steps after Routing Contacts Here are steps to consider after Routing VIP and Regular Contacts: - VIP Contact: Add an Assign To step to assign to a specific user or dedicated agent to attend to the VIP Contact. - Regular Contact: Add an Assign to step to assign to a user in a team or Workspace with an assignment logic that fits your business needs. Learn more about Assignment Strategy: Contact Distribution & Load Balancing. #### If Contact has no Email: Ask For Email and Route Contact If the Contact does not have an Email in the Contact’s Email Address field, the Contact will be routed to the **No Email** branch. In this branch, the Contact will be prompted with a question to ask for their email. Once you have received the Contact’s email, a Success Message will be automatically sent and the Workflow will Jump to Get Contact Data where the Contact’s data will be retrieved from an external CRM or data warehouse via a HTTP request step to identify if the Contact is a VIP. If the Contact is a VIP, the Contact will be routed to the VIP Contact branch. 5\. **Ask for Email:** Ask for the Contact’s email with the [Ask a Question step](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-ask-a-question). 6\. The Ask for Email step can have a Success or Failure outcome: - Success Message (Success): Once you have received the Contact’s email, the automation will send a Success Message to the Contact. - Jump to Ask for Email (Failure: Invalid): If the Contact sent an invalid response to the Ask for Email question, the automation will jump back to the Ask for Email step up to 3 times. By the 4th time, if the response is still invalid, you may consider routing to an agent or a manager to manage this Contact. 7\. **Jump to Get Contact Data:** After sending a Success Message, the Workflow will continue by getting Contact’s data and identifying if the Contact is a VIP using a [Jump to step](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-jump-to). > Once you have completed the setup, click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the Workflow. ## [How to Send a Simple Broadcast](https:/respond.io/help/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast) Learn how to send a simple broadcast to a group of Contacts on supported Channels. > In this article, you'll learn how to create, configure and send a broadcast or bulk message to your Contacts. > Trial plan users are not allowed to send broadcasts. ### Creating a New Broadcast > Refer to the overview page of the [respective channel](https://respond.io/help/channels) to find out if a specific channel supports broadcasts. **Step 1:** From the side navigation menu, select the **Broadcasts** module. **Step 2:** Click **\+ Add Broadcast**. **Step 3:** Enter your Broadcast Name and Labels > Click **Create**. > Labels can be useful for analytics purposes in the future. > A new draft broadcast will be created and the broadcast builder will be opened. ### Configuring a Broadcast **Step 4:** Select a Segment to target specific group(s) for your broadcasts by clicking the drop-down menu: > If a segment is not selected, the broadcast is not sent. To use an existing Segment, select the Segment. To create a Segment: 1. Click the drop-down menu > Click + Add Segment. 2. Enter a name for your new Segment > Click Save. 3. Filter your Segment by adding conditions or groups. Use Category and Operator fields based on your criteria. Contacts that fulfill the criteria will appear in the Contact list. 4. Click Update Segment to save the segment. **Step 5:** At **Channel Type**, select an option to send your broadcast: - Specific channel: This allows you to send the broadcast to Contacts in that Channel. Any Contacts in your selected Segment without that Channel will be excluded from the broadcast. - Last interacted channel: This allows you to send the broadcast to the Contacts’ last interacted Channel with the platform. **Step 6:** At **Channel**, select the Channel that will be used to send the broadcast message. All channels that are connected and support broadcasts will be available for selection. > Note that Email, Instagram, Google Business Messages, WeChat and Website Chat do not support broadcasts. > Sending a broadcast will not change a Contact’s last interacted Channel. **Step 7:** Configure the message content for the broadcast. The availability of broadcast contents differ depending on the channel selected: - For WhatsApp Business API Channels, you can only select WhatsApp Message Templates for the content. - For Facebook Messenger Channels, you can only select Facebook Message Tag for the content. - For channels other than WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger Channels, you can choose to send Text Message, Multiple Choice, Survey, File or Image. > Dynamic Variables are not supported for LINE, Viber and SMS channels. #### Sending a broadcast to a Specific Channel The content you want to broadcast should be added based on the requirements of the chosen Channel. #### Sending a broadcast to Contacts’ Last Interacted Channel You need to define message content for each Channel, as each Channel has its own limitations for the broadcast content. By default, all Channels that are supported for broadcasts will be selected in the **Selected Channels** section. If you want to exclude certain Channels from the broadcast, simply deselect them from the list. Deselecting a Channel means the Contacts associated with it will not receive the broadcast message. > **Important**: Depending on your plan, your monthly [number of broadcasts may be limited](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview#broadcast_message_limits). ### Preview and Send a Test Broadcast **Step 8:** Preview your Messages in the **Message Preview** section before sending them. **Step 9:** [Send a test broadcast](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview#why_can_t_i_search_for_a_contact_to_send_a_test_broadcast) before sending the actual broadcast. Check how your content will appear to your Contacts. Search for a Contact by name or phone number to receive the test broadcast content. You can search for a Contact as long as they have the Channel available. > Check and verify the content before sending the broadcast. ### Check Target Audience for a Broadcast **Step 10:** Check the Target Audience to see the breakdown of the number of messages being sent and the number of recipients who will receive the broadcast. > The number of messages may differ from the number of recipients. For example, if you are sending 2 broadcast messages each to 10 recipients, the breakdown shows “*Sending a total of 20 messages to 10 recipients*”. #### Target Audience Breakdowns for different Channels ##### Facebook, LINE, Viber, Telegram and Twitter Here are the details of the Target Audience Breakdown for Facebook, Line, Viber, Telegram, and Twitter. | Item | Description | | --- | --- | | Total Contacts in the Segment | The number of Contacts that are currently in the selected Segment. | | Contacts not available on the selected Channel(s) | The number of Contacts in the selected Segment who do not have the selected Channel. | | Total broadcast recipients | The total number of Contacts that this broadcast will be sent to. Total broadcast recipients = Total Contacts in the Segment - Contacts not available on the selected Channel(s) | ##### WhatsApp, SMS and Custom Channel ##### Toggle ON: Send message only to Contacts who have previously interacted with this channel When this toggle is enabled, the broadcast messages will be sent to Contacts who have interacted on the selected Channel. Here are the details displayed in the Target Audience Breakdown for WhatsApp, SMS and Custom Channel when the Toggle is ON. | Item | Description | | --- | --- | | Total Contacts in the Segment | The number of Contacts that are currently in the selected Segment. | | Contacts not available on the selected Channel(s) | The number of Contacts that are in the selected Segment who do not have the selected Channel(s). | | Contacts that have never interacted on the selected Channel(s) | The number of Contacts in the Segment who have never interacted with the selected Channel(s). | | Total broadcast recipients | Total number of Contacts that this broadcast will be sent to. Total broadcast recipients = Total Contacts in the Segment - Contacts not available on the selected Channel(s) - Contacts that never interacted with the selected Channel | ##### Toggle OFF: Send message only to Contacts who have previously interacted with this Channel When this toggle is disabled, the broadcast messages will be sent to Contacts who have interacted on the selected Channel AND Contacts who have access to the Channel but have not had any interactions yet. Here are the details displayed in the Target Audience Breakdown for WhatsApp, SMS and Custom Channel when the Toggle is OFF. | Item | Description | | --- | --- | | This will be the first message received over this Channel by {n} of the recipients. | The number of Contacts that will receive this broadcast as their first message. | | Total Contacts in the Segment | The number of Contacts that are currently in the selected Segment. | | Contacts not available on the selected Channel(s) | The number of Contacts that are in the selected Segment who do not have the selected Channel(s). | | Total broadcast recipients | The total number of Contacts that this broadcast will be sent to. Total broadcast recipients = Total Contacts in the Segment - Contacts not available on the selected Channel(s). | ##### Last Interacted Channel Here are the details displayed in the Target Audience Breakdown for Last Interacted Channel. | Item | Description | | --- | --- | | Total Contacts in the Segment | The number of Contacts that are currently in the selected Segment. | | Contacts without a Last Interacted Channel | The number of Contacts who never send or receive a message. | | Contacts with an unsupported Last Interacted Channel | The number of Contacts who the Last Interacted Channel does not support Broadcasts (for e.g. email). | | Contacts on excluded Channel(s) | The number of Contacts in the Last Interacted Channel that have been excluded from the Selected Channels. | | Total broadcast recipients | The total number of Contacts that this broadcast will be sent to. Total broadcast recipients = Total Contacts in the Segment - Contacts without a Last Interacted Channel - Contacts on excluded Channel(s). | > Make sure that your Contacts have valid phone numbers and are expecting messages from your business. If you receive too many spam reports, your account may be flagged. ### Schedule Broadcast and Customize Send Rates **Step 11:** Decide when to send the broadcast. You may send a broadcast immediately, or schedule it for a later date and time. **Step 12:** You may customize your send rate based on a maximum limit of the total number of messages sent per second, minute, or hour. However, the rate to send messages cannot exceed 7 days. Should the speed exceed the channel limit, broadcast messages may fail to send, as the channels may block them, which counts towards broadcast usage. > \- Custom Send Rates are only available as an add-on. [Contact us](https://respond.io/contact) for more information. - If send rate is not configured or not available, the broadcast will be sent as soon as possible with a limit for each Channel. ### Send Broadcast **Step 13:** Confirm and verify the recipients and broadcast content > click **Send Broadcast**. > Scheduled broadcasts will be sent at the specified date and time and will appear in the **Scheduled** status. ## [How to Send CSAT to Customer and Save Data in Google Sheets or CRMs](https:/respond.io/help/retain-customers/send-csat-and-save-data) Use a Workflow Template to automatically send CSAT surveys to customers with closed conversations and save data in Google Sheets, CRMs or other data warehouse. > In this article, you'll discover how to automatically send CSAT surveys to customers with closed conversations and save data in Google Sheets, CRMs or other data warehouse. With a Workflow, you can automatically send customers a CSAT survey when any conversation is closed. Then, you can save the data to keep track of positive and negative customer feedback and monitor satisfaction levels over time. ### Benefits of Sending CSAT and Saving Data Use CSAT surveys to: - Understand customer satisfaction levels and identify areas for improvement - Track data to gain insights into customer preferences, needs, and expectations - Identify dissatisfied customers and provide an opportunity to address their concerns, potentially turning them into loyal customers ### Method for Sending CSAT and Saving Data - Send CSAT survey and save data using Workflow Templates #### Send CSAT survey and save data using Workflow Templates **Method Objectives** - Set up your Google Sheet, CRM or data warehouse to receive survey data. - Select a Workflow Template and customize Ask a Question steps if needed. - Manage positive response and save data in Google sheet or data warehouse. - Manage negative response and save data in Google sheet or data warehouse. - Manage invalid and no responses. ##### Set up your Google Sheet, CRM or data warehouse to receive survey data To get started, there are a few steps to take before creating your Workflow. Depending on where you want to save your CSAT responses, here’s how you can prepare the external platform. ##### Set up your Google Sheet Create a Google Sheet with the following headings: Agent ID, Agent Name, Team, CSAT Score, CSAT Follow Up Feedback, First Response Time, Resolution Time, Conversation Category, Conversation Summary, Contact ID.You may edit the headings as desired to meet your business needs, but note that if you change them, you will also need to edit the column mapping in the [Save to Google Sheet step in the Workflow](https://respond.io/help/support-use-case/send-csat-and-save-data#manage_positive_response_and_save_data_in_google_sheet_or_data_warehouse). ##### Set up your CRM or data warehouse All CRMs and data warehouses will be set up differently, but here are some things you should prepare:- Find out which API keys you need.- Determine which fields in your CRM or data warehouse are available for saving CSAT data. These will be needed for mapping purposes when you set up the Workflow.- Add any custom fields necessary to your CRM or data warehouse. **Workflow Setup** There are workflow templates set up by our team that you can use immediately. These templates can be edited to fit your business needs. > Learn more about [Workflow Templates here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview#creating_a_new_workflow_from_a_selected_template). ##### Select a Workflow Template and customize Ask a Question steps if needed There are two templates to choose from depending on where you want to save your data. Here’s how to select and set them up. ##### Select template to save CSAT responses to a Google Sheet On the respond.io platform menu, click **Workflows > + Add Workflow**. Then, click **CSAT to Google Sheet** > **Use Template** ##### Select template to send CSAT responses to a CRM or data warehouse On the respond.io platform menu, click **Workflows > + Add Workflow**. Then, click **CSAT to Data Warehouse** > **Use Template** The template is set up with an Ask a Question step triggered after a conversation is closed. You may edit the question and multiple choice replies if desired. The response is automatically saved as a [Variable](https://respond.io/help/dynamic-variables/how-to-use-dynamic-variables#workflows) named *csat\_score*. > **Note:** If you change the 👍 and 👎 response options here, you’ll also need to change the responses in the branch configuration. The default timeout branch is 6 hours, but this can also be edited or toggled off. ##### Manage positive response and save data in Google sheet or data warehouse The branch step is set up to handle positive and negative responses differently. First, we’ll look at managing a positive response. When the customer selects 👍, they will be routed to this branch where they’ll receive a message and their responses will be saved. Edit the Send Thank You Message step as desired. There are two ways to save positive responses. ##### Saving responses in a Google Sheet Configure the data to send to a Google Sheet.Select the Google Sheet you’ve prepared earlier for saving CSAT data > Add relevant Variables to the Column Mapping fields. Learn more about the [Add Google Sheets Row Step here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-steps#step_add_google_sheets_row). Here’s an example of how we would match Variables to the available columns. Here’s what the Google Sheet should look like after receiving positive feedback: ##### Saving responses in a CRM or data warehouse Configure the HTTP request step to send the data to your CRM or a data warehouse. Learn how to [configure the HTTP request here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-http-request). ##### Manage negative response and save data in Google sheet or data warehouse If a negative response is given, the branch step will route to an [Ask a Question step](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-steps#step_ask_a_question) to get a follow up feedback. Edit the question as desired. Edit the Send Thank You Message and Send Fail Message steps if desired. Then, depending on which template you’ve chosen, the response will be saved accordingly. ##### Saving responses in a Google Sheet Select the same Google Sheet you’ve created to save CSAT responses and map the fields accordingly. Learn more about the [Add Google Sheets Row Step here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-steps#step_add_google_sheets_row). Here’s an example of how we would match Variables to the available columns. Here’s what the Google Sheet should look like after receiving negative feedback: ##### Saving responses in a CRM or data warehouse Configure the HTTP request step to send the data to your CRM or data warehouse.Learn how to [configure the HTTP request here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-http-request). If no feedback is given, the Fail Message will be sent, and all the data except *CSAT Follow Up Feedback* will be saved. Configure *Save CSAT Feedback 3 step* exactly as done for the first two CSAT Feedback steps. ##### Manage invalid and no responses If a customer replies with answers that are not in the provided options, this will be considered invalid and the customer will be routed to the Failure: Invalid branch. If a customer does not reply within the time frame you’ve configured earlier, the customer will be routed to the Failure: Timeout branch. The Workflow is set up with a [Jump Step](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-steps#step_jump_to) if the response is invalid. This will jump back to *Ask for CSAT* step. The default configuration is one jump, but you can edit the number of jumps allowed. If the customer continues to send invalid responses, or if there is no response, a Fail Message will be sent. Edit the message as desired. ## [How to Send Outbound Sales Messages](https:/respond.io/help/capture-leads/sending-outbound-sales-messages) Import Contacts to send cold messages or follow up with leads. > In this article, you'll learn how to import Contacts to send cold messages or follow up with leads. Sales agents can import leads from their existing lists as well as adding leads individually in the platform. Following up with leads who have not contacted the business in some time requires opening closed conversations. ### Benefits of Sending Outbound Sales Messages Send outbound sales messages to: - Follow up on potential leads. - Let existing leads know about changes or new features that might prompt them to purchase. ### Methods for Sending Outbound Sales Messages 1. Add or import leads and send the first message. 2. Open closed conversations to follow up with leads. #### Add or import leads and send the first message > **Use this method** when you want to import leads to send them a message. When your sales agents have picked up lead information from physical events or sales campaigns, you’ll want to import Contacts into respond.io to message them. > Learn more about [merging and importing Contacts here](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contacts-overview). **Method Objectives** - Import Contacts via a CSV file. - Add Contacts on the go using the Add Contact feature. **How-to:** ##### Import Contacts via a CSV File > Learn more best practices for [importing contacts here](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contact-import). When you want to import a large number of Contacts at once, import them via a CSV file in the **Contacts** module. This option is best for sales managers. ##### Add Contacts on the go using the Add Contact feature > When you [restrict agents’ views](https://respond.io/help/sales-use-case/supervising-sales-agents#limit_agent_views_and_prevent_lead_stealing_using_advanced_restrictions), they won’t have access to the bulk import option, but they can still add Contacts using this method. This feature is best for agents who need to add one Contact at a time, for example, when they meet someone at an event. It also works in the [mobile app so agents can add Contacts on the go](https://respond.io/help/mobile-app/messaging-from-your-mobile#adding_contacts). In the **Inbox** module, select the Add Contact icon > fill in the Contact details and click **Add** > the Contact is successfully created. > Learn more about [how to add a Contact here](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview#add_a_contact). #### Follow up with leads who have closed conversations > **Use this method** when you want to follow up with leads. **Method Objectives** - Find leads with closed conversations. - Reopen conversations with leads and send an outbound message. **How-To:** ##### Find leads with closed conversations > Learn more about [Contact Search, Sort and Filter here](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview#contact_search_sort_filter). Use the Sort and Filter dropdown along with the Search Bar to find a specific lead on the platform. Choose the right filters based on the location of the lead within the platform, then input the Search Bar with fields such as Contact’s first name, last name, email or phone number. > The search behavior depends on the field type you input. Learn more about [search behavior and the fields that can’t be searched here](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview#search_behavior). There are two ways to find a lead with a closed conversation. If the lead is assigned to you, go to the Mine Inbox > select the **Closed** filter > type the Contact’s name, phone number or email in the Search Bar. If the lead is not assigned to you, go to the All Inbox > select the **Closed** filter > type the Contact’s name, phone number or email in the Search Bar. > Keep in mind that if a lead is snoozed, it will not be under closed conversations. You’ll have to [un-snooze the Contact](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview#snoozing_a_contact) to see it in your inbox again. ##### Reopen the conversation with a lead to send an outbound message > Learn more about [Channels Capabilities](https://respond.io/help/channels/channels-overview#channel_capabilities) here. The ability to reopen a conversation differs among Channels. Most Channels allow you to send outbound messages anytime, some Channels have a messaging window with limitations, while some Channels do not allow you to message leads after the messaging window closes. **Channels with no messaging window** Most Channels allow you to message leads any time after they’ve become a Contact on the platform. The list of Channels without a messaging window are Telegram, LINE, Website Chat, SMS and Email. To reopen a conversation, go to the Inbox Module > use the text box to send a lead an outbound message. **Channels with messaging limitations after the messaging window closes** However, some channels have a messaging window that limits what you can send after the messaging window is closed. Here are the channels with messaging windows and their limitations. ##### WhatsApp WhatsApp has a 24-hour messaging window. After the messaging window closes, use WhatsApp Message Template to send outbound messages. These Message Templates are messages that require pre-approval from WhatsApp. Learn more about [WhatsApp Message Template](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-message-templates) here. ##### Facebook Messenger For other messaging platforms, Facebook Messenger has a standard 24-hour messaging window. However, respond.io has an extended 7 days messaging window period due to Facebook’s HUMAN\_AGENT tag integration on the platform. After the messaging window closes, use a Message Tag to send outbound messages. Learn more about [Facebook Messenger Message Tags](https://respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/message-tag) here. ##### Viber Viber has a 24-hour messaging window. Messages sent by the bot outside the messaging window will be considered Chatbot-initiated Messages. Viber provides free 10,000 chatbot-initiated messages every month. Once exceeded the monthly free limit, you'll get an [error message on the platform](https://respond.io/help/channels/channels-overview#messaging_window).To send more chatbot-initiated messages beyond the monthly limit, you must agree to Viber’s Chatbot Commercial Terms. Learn more about [Viber Bot pricing and message types limitations here](https://respond.io/help/channels/viber#how_much_does_a_viber_bot_cost). **Channels that do not allow outbound messages after messaging window closes** There are also channels with a messaging window that do not allow businesses to send any outbound messages after the messaging window closes until their lead sends them a message again. Here are the channels with messaging windows and their limitations. ##### Instagram For other messaging platforms, Instagram has a standard 24-hour messaging window. However, respond.io has an extended 7 days messaging window period due to the HUMAN\_AGENT tag integration on the platform. After the messaging window closes, no outbound messages can be sent to leads. Learn more about [Instagram here](https://respond.io/help/channels/instagram). ##### WeChat WeChat has a 48-hour messaging window with a maximum limit of 20 outbound messages within this timeframe. The messaging window will close if either 48 hours session has expired or 20 outbound messages have been sent within this session. After the messaging window closes, no outbound messages can be sent to customers. Messages sent outside the messaging window will not be delivered and there will be a red exclamation mark next to the message sent indicating the message is not delivered. If the Contact responds to your message, both the messaging window and message limit will be reset. Learn more about [WeChat here](https://respond.io/help/wechat/wechat-overview). Once a conversation is open, the lead will automatically be assigned to the agent who sends the outbound message. When the agent has finished chatting with a lead and closes the conversation, the agent may be unassigned from the lead depending on the closing conversation logic your business decides to use. > Learn more about [closing conversations here](https://respond.io/help/sales-use-case/track-productivity-by-closing-conversations). ## [How to Send Outbound Support Messages](https:/respond.io/help/retain-customers/send-outbound-messages) Follow up on customers’ issues as needed by sending outbound messages. > In this article, you'll learn how to send outbound messages to customers with previously closed conversations when needed. Some issues may need more time to resolve, requiring support agents to follow up with a customer after a conversation is closed. To reopen a conversation, agents will need to find the Contact with a closed conversation on the platform and send an outbound message based on the conditions of each Channel. ### Benefits of Outbound Messages Support agents may need to send outbound messages to: - Follow up with customers on unresolved issues after closing the conversation on the platform. - Provide updates to VIP customers with dedicated support agents. ### Method for Sending Outbound Messages - Find the Contact with a closed conversation and reopen the conversation to send an outbound message. #### Send Outbound Messages **Method Objectives** - Find the Contact with a closed conversation. - Reopen the conversation with a customer to send an outbound message. **How-To** ##### Find the Contact with a closed conversation > **Tip**: Learn more about [Contact Search, Sort and Filter here](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview#contact_search_sort_filter). Use the Sort and Filter dropdown along with the Search Bar to find a specific Contact on the platform. Choose the right filters based on the location of the Contact within the platform. Then input the Search Bar with fields such as Contact’s first name, last name, email or phone number. > The search behavior depends on the field type you input. Learn more about [search behavior and the fields that can’t be searched here](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview#search_behavior). There are two ways to find Contact with a closed conversation. - If the Contact is assigned to you, use the Mine Inbox > select the Closed filter > type the Contact’s name, phone number or email in the Search Bar. - If the Contact is not assigned to you, use the All Inbox > select the Closed filter > type the Contact’s name, phone number or email in the Search Bar. ##### Reopen the conversation with a customer to send an outbound message > **Tip**: Learn more about [Channels Capabilities here](https://respond.io/help/channels/channels-overview#channel_capabilities). The ability to reopen a conversation differs among Channels. Most Channels allow you to send outbound messages anytime, some Channels have a messaging window with limitations, while some Channels do not allow you to message customers after the messaging window closes. **Channels with no messaging window** Most Channels allow you to message customers any time after they’ve become a Contact on the platform. The list of Channels without a messaging window are Telegram, LINE, Website Chat, SMS and Email. To reopen a conversation, go to the Inbox module > use the text box to send a customer an outbound message. **Channels with messaging limitations after the messaging window closes** However, some channels have a messaging window that limits what you can send after the messaging window is closed. Here are the channels with messaging windows and their limitations. ##### WhatsApp WhatsApp has a 24-hour messaging window. After the messaging window closes, use WhatsApp Message Template to send outbound messages. These Message Templates are messages that require pre-approval from WhatsApp. Learn more about [WhatsApp Message Template here](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-message-templates). ##### Facebook Messenger For other messaging platforms, Facebook Messenger has a standard 24-hour messaging window. However, respond.io has an extended 7 days messaging window period due to Facebook’s HUMAN\_AGENT tag integration on the platform. After the messaging window closes, use a Message Tag to send outbound messages. Learn more about [Facebook Messenger Message Tags here](https://respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/message-tag). ##### Viber Viber has a 24-hour messaging window. Messages sent by the bot outside the messaging window will be considered Chatbot-initiated Messages. Viber provides free 10,000 chatbot-initiated messages every month. Once exceeded the monthly free limit, you'll get an [error message on the platform](https://respond.io/help/channels/channels-overview#messaging_window).To send more chatbot-initiated messages beyond the monthly limit, you must agree to Viber’s Chatbot Commercial Terms. Learn more about [Viber Bot pricing and message types limitations here](https://respond.io/help/channels/viber#how_much_does_a_viber_bot_cost). **Channels that do not allow outbound messages after messaging window closes** There are also channels with a messaging window that do not allow businesses to send any outbound messages after the messaging window closes until their customer sends them a message again. Here are the channels with messaging windows and their limitations. ##### Instagram For other messaging platforms, Instagram has a standard 24-hour messaging window. However, respond.io has an extended 7 days messaging window period due to the HUMAN\_AGENT tag integration on the platform. After the messaging window closes, no outbound messages can be sent to customers. Learn more about [Instagram here](https://respond.io/help/channels/instagram). ##### WeChat WeChat has a 48-hour messaging window with a maximum limit of 20 outbound messages within this timeframe. The messaging window will close if either 48 hours session has expired or 20 outbound messages have been sent within this session. After the messaging window closes, no outbound messages can be sent to customers. Messages sent outside the messaging window will not be delivered and there will be a red exclamation mark next to the message sent indicating the message is not delivered. If the Contact responds to your message, both the messaging window and message limit will be reset. Learn more about [WeChat here.](https://respond.io/help/wechat/wechat-overview) Once a conversation is open, the customer will automatically be assigned to the agent who sends the outbound message. When the agent has finished chatting with a customer and closes the conversation, the agent may be unassigned from the customer depending on the closing conversation logic your business decides to use. > **Tip**: Learn more about [closing conversations here](https://respond.io/help/support-use-case/closing-conversations). ## [How to Simplify Customer Escalation with Automation](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/simplify-customer-escalation) Automate the process of transferring issues to the second-level support team. > In this article, you’ll discover how to enable agents to initiate issue escalations to second-level support teams while engaging in customer conversations. When more complex customer issues arise, this Workflow enables first-level agents to easily escalate issues using a Shortcut button. Customers will be routed to the selected second-level team, along with a summary of the issue. This helps second-level agents to quickly understand customer problems and improve resolution time. ### Benefits of Simplifying Customer Escalation with Automation - Streamline internal business processes by automating the routing system. - Improve collaboration between teams by ensuring a smooth flow of information. - Reduce customers downtime by routing more complex issues to specialized agents. ### Workflow Setup Learn how to use the Workflow Template to set up an automated issue escalation process: - Select the Issue Escalation Workflow Template. - Configure the Shortcut Trigger. - Automatically route Contacts to the selected team and assign to an agent. #### Select the Issue Escalation Workflow Template In the **Workflows** module, click **\+ Add Workflow** > Click **Issue Escalation** > Click **Use Template**. **1.** [**Trigger**](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers): The Workflow starts when the agent selects the Shortcut button from the Inbox module. Under *Shortcut Configuration*, the shortcut name and description can be edited. Under *Shortcut Form*, you can set up the form that will be displayed when the agent selects the shortcut. In this template, the form allows the agent to select the second-level support team and fill in a summary of the issue. In this example, we have added two teams: - Billing - Technical Support > To speed up the resolution process, switch the **Required** toggle on for the *Summary of Escalation* so that the agent is required to provide a description of the issue before escalation. This summary gives the second-level agent a better understanding of the issue before continuing the conversation with the Contact. #### Automatically route Contacts to the selected team and assign to an agent **2\. Route Contact to Selected Team:** This is a [Branch](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-branch) step to route Contact to the second-level support team that the agent has selected in the previous step. If the agent has selected the *Billing* or *Technical Support* team, the Contact will be routed to Branch 1 or Branch 2 respectively. **3\. Assign to Billing Team** or **Assign to Technical Support Team**: This is an [Assign To](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-assign-to) step that allows you to set up the auto-assignment based on your [strategy preferences](https://respond.io/help/inbound-conversations/assignment-strategy-automatic-contact-distribution-load-balancing#workflow_setup). **4\. Escalation Summary to Billing** or **Escalation Summary to Technical Support:** This is an [Add Comment](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-add-comment) step where the second-level agent who is assigned to the Contact will receive a notification that includes the comment and the summary of the issue. > Once you have completed the setup, click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the Workflow. ### How It Works: Issue Escalation Workflow First-level agent, Yong, is unable to solve a complex technical issue faced by a customer. Yong decides to escalate this issue to the right team for assistance. 1. From the Inbox module, Yong clicks the Workflow button > Selects the Escalate to the Billing or Technical Support Team Shortcut in the Shortcut tab. 2. A form is displayed:Escalate to Team: In the dropdown, Yong selects Billing.Summary of Escalation: Yong provides a summary of the issue. 3. Escalate to Team: In the dropdown, Yong selects Billing. 4. Summary of Escalation: Yong provides a summary of the issue. 5. Yong clicks Start. A notification indicates that the workflow has been initiated, and the Contact is transferred to the second-level agent in the Billing team. ## [How to Start a Workflow Based on Broadcast Response](https:/respond.io/help/broadcasts/workflow-based-on-broadcast-response) Send a broadcast with multiple choice questions and automatically handle Contacts’ responses. > In this article, you'll learn how to send a broadcast message and automatically handle responses from Contacts. When you send out bulk messages, you may receive a massive influx of messages in response to an offer or survey. Workflows allow you to quickly respond to and segment these messages. ### Benefits of Starting a Workflow Based on Broadcast Response - Separate broadcast responses from other messages - Segment Contacts according to their responses - Easily handle a large response to broadcasts ### Methods for Starting a Workflow Based on Broadcast Response - Method 1: Send a broadcast message to make an announcement and set up an automatic response. - Method 2: Send a broadcast message with a multiple-choice question and set up an automatic response based on replies. ### Method 1: Send a broadcast message to make an announcement #### Method Objectives - Set up an announcement as a broadcast to the Contacts. - Automatically check if the message received is a response to a broadcast. #### Set up an announcement as a broadcast to the contacts > **Tip:** Learn more about [how to set up a broadcast here](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast). **Step 1**: Go to the Broadcast module and set up a broadcast. For message content, select **Add** **Content** > **Text Message** and provide an announcement that will be sent as a broadcast. **Step 2**: Set up the Workflow with a Trigger condition and a Branch condition to filter responses. **Setting** **Workflow Trigger for when a conversation is opened by Contact** > **Tip:** Learn more about [Triggers here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers#trigger_conversation_opened). 1. Expand the Trigger Conditions menu and select Source from the Category dropdown list to start the Workflow with the Conversation Opened Trigger. 2. Select is equal to from the Operator dropdown list. 3. Select Contact from the Select dropdown list. **Setting Branch options to check the message source and content** 1. Add a Branch to the workflow and select Last Outgoing Message Source from the Category dropdown list. 2. Select is equal to from the Operator dropdown list. 3. Select Broadcast from the Select dropdown list. 4. Click Add Condition to add another condition. 5. Click the And operator. 6. Select Last Outgoing Message from the Category dropdown list. 7. Select contains from the Operator dropdown list. 8. Enter the message sent in the broadcast on the Value field to signify which broadcast message this response is for. #### Automatically check if the message received is a response to a broadcast you sent When a message is received from a Contact, this Workflow checks if the message is the response to a broadcast message sent by you; if yes, it checks what the broadcast message was. If the text of the broadcast message is the one you have set the response for, the Workflow will proceed, else it will end. ### Method 2: Send a broadcast message with a multiple-choice question in the broadcast #### Method Objectives - Send a multiple-choice question or question with limited responses as a broadcast to the Contacts. - Automatically check if the message received is the response to your broadcast. #### Send a multiple-choice question or question with limited responses as a broadcast to the Contacts **Step 1**: Go to the Broadcast module and set up a broadcast. Under Content, select **Multiple Choice** to ask a Multiple Choice question. You can also use Text Message to ask a simple yes or no question. > **Tip:** Learn more about [how to set up a broadcast here](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast). > **Tip**: For WhatsApp template messages, [use Quick Replies](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-message-templates). **Step 2**: Set up the Workflow with a Trigger condition and a Branch condition to check if the last sent message was a Broadcast. **Setting** **Workflow Trigger for when a conversation is opened by contact** > **Tip:** Learn more about [Triggers here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers#trigger_conversation_opened). 1. To start the workflow with the Conversation Opened Trigger, ensure that the Conversation Opened trigger is selected. 2. Expand the Trigger Conditions menu and select Source from the Category dropdown list. 3. Select is equal to from the Operator dropdown list. 4. Select Contact from the Select dropdown list. **Setting Branch options to check the message content** > **Tip:** Learn more about [using the Branch Step here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-steps#step_branch). > **Tip:** Learn more about [Triggers here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers#trigger_conversation_opened). 1. Add a Branch to the workflow (for each choice) and select Last Outgoing Message Source from the Category dropdown list. 2. Select is equal to from the Operator dropdown list. 3. Select Broadcast from the Select dropdown list. 4. Click Add Condition to add another condition. 5. Click the And operator. 6. Select Variable from the Category dropdown list. 7. Select conversation.first_incoming_message from the Field dropdown list. 8. Select is equal to from the Operator dropdown list. 9. Enter the text of the first choice (of the multiple-choice question) in the Select field. Once done, create a new branch for the next option until all choices have been handled. #### Automatically check if the message received is the response to your broadcast When a message is received from a Contact, this workflow checks if the message contains one of the options from the multiple-choice questions sent via broadcast message. If yes, then the workflow will proceed, else it will end. ### Setting up Workflow for automatic responses > **Tip:** Learn more about the [Send a Message Step here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-steps#step_send_a_message). For this example, we will send a new product brochure to the Contact interested in our new product brochure. 1. Add the Send a Message step to the relevant branch. 2. Select File or Image from the Message Type dropdown list. 3. Select a file or image. > **Tip:** Learn more about the Send a Message Step here. > **Tip:** Another option in response to certain replies is [routing](https://respond.io/help/sales-use-case/routing-leads). ## [How to Streamline Meeting Scheduling via CTC Ads](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/streamline-meeting-scheduling-via-ctc-ads) Learn to automatically send your business calendar link to your customers to allow them to book an appointment. > In this article, you’ll discover how to streamline the meeting booking process for leads, whether generated from Click-to-Chat (CTC) or other ads. With automation, businesses reduce reliance on human agents. The process of booking an appointment with your business becomes inefficient and slow when a lead has to rely on a sales agent to book an appointment on their behalf. Not only does this inconvenience customers, but it also adds to the administrative overhead of sales agents. This stage can be automated for your business using the **Click to Chat Ads: Appointment Scheduling** workflow template. Not only will this solution convenience leads, but it will also help scale your business without any additional cost. ### **Benefits** - Helps business scalability. - Increases customer satisfaction by allowing them to book an appointment based on their availability immediately. - Reduces the burden of booking appointments on sales agents. ### **Workflow Setup** To use the **Click to Chat Ads: Appointment Scheduling** workflow template, select **Workflows** > click **\+ Add Workflow** > select **Click to Chat Ads: Appointment Scheduling** > click **Use Template**. Workflow Steps and their functions: 1. Trigger: This Workflow is triggered when a conversation is opened by a lead clicking a CTC ad. 2. Send Calendar Link Message: The business’s calendar link is sent to the lead via a message using the Send a Message step. Select Message type as Text and provide the message you want to send along with the link to your business’s calendar. > Businesses can replace the dummy link with the link to their business calendar. Some recommended calendar tools that businesses have adopted popularly are Calendly and Google Calendar. > Once you have completed the setup, **Save** and **Publish** your Workflow to start sharing/streamlining your business calendar for bookings. ## [How to Supervise Sales Agents](https:/respond.io/help/reporting-and-analytics/supervising-sales-agents) Supervise and manage sales agents on the respond.io platform. > In this article, you'll learn how to supervise and manage sales agents on the respond.io platform. Businesses need to monitor sales agent performance, assign tasks and prevent conflicts among agents. ### Benefits of Using respond.io Features for Sales Agent Supervision Sales agent supervision on the respond.io platform helps: - Improve productivity by monitoring agent performance. - Assign agents to follow up with leads. - Prevent lead stealing by restricting agents’ views. ### Methods for Sales Agent Supervision - Monitor sales agents’ performance and assign them follow-up tasks using the Dashboard and Notification Center. - Limit agent views and prevent lead stealing using Advanced Restrictions. #### Monitor sales agents’ performance and assign them follow-up tasks using the Dashboard and Notification Center > **Use this method** when you want to evaluate performance and assign tasks in the Platform. **Method Objectives** - Monitor agents’ activity. - Assign follow-up tasks to agents. **How-to** ##### Monitor agents’ activity > **Tip:** Learn more about the [Dashboard here](https://respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/dashboard). Use the Dashboard for daily supervision as it provides a summary of your agents’ activities and important key metrics across your Workspace on the platform. Managers can analyze sales activities and identify issues that require immediate attention. For example, if you see a conversation with a lead has been open for too long, click on the Contact to open up the conversation in the Inbox Module and investigate the issue. ##### Assign follow-up tasks to agents > **Tip:** Learn more about the [Comments feature here](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contact-activity#comments). When you notice that a conversation has been open for a long time, see if the agent forgot to close it or if the lead needs to be followed up with. Use the Comments feature to notify the assigned agent to resolve the issue. For example, if a lead showed some interest but hasn’t responded further, ask the agent to send them information about the latest promotion. When an agent is tagged, they will be notified of the task in the Notification Center. > **Tip:** Learn more about how to [use the Notification Center to manage tasks here](https://respond.io/help/user-account/notifications). #### Limit agent views and prevent lead stealing using Advanced Restrictions > **Use this method** when you’re using auto-assignment and want to prevent agents from accessing other agents’ leads. **Method Objective** - Keep agents from viewing leads who are not assigned to them. **How-to** ##### Keep agents from viewing leads who are not assigned to them > **Tip:** Learn more about [User Restrictions here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/users#managing_user_roles_and_access). You may want to keep sales agents from seeing other agents’ leads. Here’s how to do it: Go to Settings and select Users > Find the agent’s name in the list and select the Edit button. Go to the Advanced Restrictions menu > select the Restrict Contact Visibility option > then select user from the dropdown. This means the agent will only be able to see the Mine inbox in the Inbox Module. ## [How to Supervise Your Support Agents](https:/respond.io/help/reporting-and-analytics/supervising-your-agents) Allow managers to identify issues on a daily basis and task agents to solve the issues. > In this article, you'll discover ways for managers to identify issues on a daily basis and task agents to solve the issues. Monitoring your agents’ performance and conversations with customers on a daily basis allows managers to identify issues that require immediate attention. Those issues can be tasked to an agent for resolution by notifying them on the platform. ### Benefits of Supervising Your Agents Having managers supervise agents on a daily basis helps to: - ensure urgent issues are being identified and dealt with immediately. - maintain a productive work rate among agents. ### Method for Supervising Your Agents - Supervise daily activities using the dashboard and notify agents about issues to resolve. #### Supervise daily activities and notify agents about issues to resolve **Method Objectives** - Identify issues from analyzing daily activities. - Notify agents to manage the issue. **How-To** ##### Identify issues from analyzing daily activities > **Tip**: Learn more about the [Dashboard here](https://respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/dashboard). Use the Dashboard for daily supervision as it provides a summary of your agents’ performance and important key metrics across your Workspace on the platform. Managers can analyze day-to-day activities and identify issues that require immediate attention. For example, if you see a Contact conversation is open for too long, click on the Contact to open up the conversation in the Inbox Module and investigate the issue. ##### Notify agents to manage the issue > **Tip**: Learn more about the [Comments feature here](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contact-activity#comments). When a manager identifies an issue and wants to task an agent to solve the problem, use the Comments feature to notify agents about the task. For example, should you find the conversation with a customer is still ongoing but the assigned agent is offline, simply comment and tag an available agent to notify and task them to continue the conversation with the customer. When an agent is tagged, they will be notified of the task in the Notification Center. > **Tip**: Learn more on [how to use the Notification Center to manage tasks here](https://respond.io/help/user-account/notifications#notification_center). ## [How to Test AI Agents](https:/respond.io/help/ai-agents/how-to-test-ai-agents) Learn how to safely test your AI Agent before publishing by simulating conversations and previewing actions without affecting real customers. Before you publish your AI Agent, it’s important to make sure it behaves as expected. With the **Test AI Agent** feature, you can simulate full conversations within the AI Agent setup flow—no live Contacts or workarounds required. ### How to Test Your AI Agent 1. Go to AI Agents > Create (or Edit) 2. On the right panel, select the Chat tab 3. Type a message to simulate a customer query 4. Watch how the AI Agent responds in real time You’ll also see logs of any actions the AI Agent takes. Currently, these are: - Assigning to agent or team - Updating Contact fields - Updating Lifecycle stages - Closing a conversation ### Reset & Update the Test Contact You can reset the conversation at any time by selecting **Reset Chat**. This clears the chat history so you can start fresh. You can update the test Contact’s name, email or other fields in the Contact fields tab to see how the AI Agent responds to different inputs. These changes won’t affect your real Contacts—they’re only used for testing purposes. ### Test AI Agent with Files You can also test how your AI Agent reads and processes both **text and files** — just like real customer conversations. To do this, select the file icon in the Test AI Agent panel and upload a file from your **device** or **file library**. #### What You Can Upload - Supported file types: .pdf, .jpg, .png, and other common formats - Maximum file size: 20 MB per file - Files can be added from your device or the in-app file library #### How It Works - You can send text, files, or both in a single message. - Hover over a file to remove it if needed. - Once sent, files appear in the chat just like in the Inbox composer. - The AI Agent will analyze up to 5 most recent files per request (additional files can still be sent but won’t be processed). ### Best Practices - Use natural, realistic inputs: Simulate messages the customer would actually say to test how well the AI Agent understands them. - Reset between runs: Clear the chat before each new test to avoid unintended context from earlier responses. - Edit Contact fields to explore logic branches: Try different languages, names, phone numbers and more to ensure your conditions and actions respond correctly. - Tweak prompts in small steps: After each test, revise only one prompt block at a time. Save and test again to isolate what works. - Monitor action logs: Check for expected behavior (e.g., “assigned to @Rachel”) to verify prompt logic and setup. - Test tone and personality: Review whether the responses match your configured tone (e.g., friendly, professional). ## [How to track and analyze TikTok Messaging Ad conversions](https:/respond.io/help/reporting-and-analytics/how-to-track-and-analyze-tik-tok-messaging-ad-conversions) Learn how to automatically track leads from WhatsApp or Messenger and save the data into a Google Sheet to optimize future campaigns. In this article, you’ll learn how to track Contact engagement from TikTok ads and automatically store the data for performance analysis. This Workflow Template adds a Tag to Contacts based on the Channel they interacted with and saves the data to a Google Sheet for campaign optimization. By tracking engagement when a lead clicks a TikTok Messaging Ad, you can analyze performance across Channels to identify which ones work best, enabling you to refine future campaigns more effectively. ### Benefits - Performance tracking across Channels: Compare how well TikTok Messaging Ads perform on different platforms (e.g., WhatsApp, Messenger) to identify the most effective Channel. - Data-driven decisions: Store Contact engagement data in Google Sheets for detailed performance insights and better campaign optimization. - Segmentation and follow-up: Segment leads based on the Channel they used to engage with your ad, allowing for more personalized follow-up campaigns. ### Workflow Setup To use the **TikTok Messaging Ads: Conversion Tracker** Workflow Template, **navigate to Workflows,** click **Add Workflow**, then select **TikTok Messaging Ads: Conversion Tracker**, and click **Use Template**. **Workflow Steps and their functions** 1. Trigger: The Workflow is triggered when a lead interacts with a TikTok Messaging Ad. Use TikTok Messaging Ads as the trigger event. 2. Route by Last Interacted Channel: The Workflow routes the Contact with a Branch Step based on their last interacted Channel (e.g., WhatsApp, Messenger). If the Channel doesn’t match either of these, the Workflow moves to the “Else” branch. 3. Add leads tag In this step, a tag is added to the Contact based on the Channel they used. Tags such as “Leads from WhatsApp” or “Leads from Messenger” are added for future segmentation. 4. Save ad data to Google Sheets This step automatically logs ad performance data, including the Channel and Contact details, into a Google Sheet. This allows your team to analyze which Channel is generating the most valuable leads. > Download the [Google Sheets template here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GPc_fN8CD5819kpVKF3uiXUG9_sxtj_bs6Mo1rghl54/copy?usp=sharing). > Once your workflow is set up and running, you’ll be able to monitor TikTok Messaging Ads’ performance across different Channels, track conversion data, and refine future campaigns based on the collected insights. ## [How to Track Conversation Source from Multiple Websites](https:/respond.io/help/capture-leads/track-conversation-source) Learn how to track where conversations are coming from even when using the multiple widgets of the same channel on different websites. > In this article, you’ll learn how to track which website or landing page each conversation comes from, even if you're using multiple widgets of the same Channel on multiple websites. A business can use a Growth Widget on its website or landing page to allow visitors to start communicating with them via their preferred Channels. If you're using the same Growth Widget on multiple websites or landing pages, you’ll know that it is difficult to track from which specific website or landing page a visitor initiated a conversation. Discover how one setting can help you gain total control of website tracking and gain insights into where each conversation begins. > Learn more [about Growth Widget here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/growth-widgets). ### Pre-requisites - Only Owners and Managers have access to create Growth Widgets or configure their settings. - To create a Growth Widget, the respective Channel must have already been connected to the Workspace. For example, if you want to create a Facebook Widget, you must connect your Facebook Page to the Workspace beforehand. ### Process Steps #### Step 1: Create and Configure Growth Widget 1. Go to Settings > Workspace Settings > Growth Widgets > click Add Widget 2. Select a widget you want to create > click Create Widget > You can create a single-channel widget to allow visitors to contact you using only that particular Channel, or create a Multichannel Widget to provide more Channels that visitors can choose from to contact you. 3\. Configure the Growth Widget: - Website Domains: Fill in the website or landing page where you want the widget to be displayed. - Choose your channels: Select an available Channel based on the selected widget. 4\. Click *Advanced Settings* to display additional configurations. The key point in enabling website-specific conversation tracking is by defining this field: - Pre-Filled Text: Type the unique message for this widget. This is the message that the visitor will see when they start a conversation from the website or landing page defined. - Include current page URL: Check this box to add the current page URL to the pre-filled text. This helps you identify the exact page your visitors are on when they click the Growth Widget to send a message. > *Pre-filled Text* is only available for Channels that allow pre-filled messages to be defined, such as WhatsApp and Viber. > Include current page URL is only available for Viber, WhatsApp and email channels #### Step 2: Install the Growth Widget Install the Growth Widget on your website or landing page by copying the widget script code and pasting it into your website’s or page’s code. This website is the same one defined at *Website Domains* at [Step 1](https://respond.io/help/capture-conversations/track-conversation-source#step_1_create_and_configure_a_growth_widget). #### Step 3: Repeat the Process Repeat [Step 1](https://respond.io/help/capture-conversations/track-conversation-source#step_1_create_and_configure_a_growth_widget) and [Step 2](https://respond.io/help/capture-conversations/track-conversation-source#step_2_install_the_growth_widget) for each website where you want to use the Growth Widget. Remember to fill in a unique pre-filled text for each widget so that you can identify the source of the conversation. > For more detailed information of the steps, refer to [this page](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/growth-widgets#creating_widget). ### Examples of Use Cases The following are use cases that can benefit from this: #### Support and Information Requests Let’s look at the step-by-step process: 1. A visitor lands on a help article on your website. 2. The visitor wants assistance or more information related to the content, so he clicks the Growth Widget on the page, and then clicks the WhatsApp icon. 3. WhatsApp (either the app or web version) is opened and populates a new message with a pre-filled text, e.g. "[Link to help article on website] - I just visited this link and I have some questions. Can you help me out?". The help article link is dynamically filled based on the specific page the visitor was on. 4. The visitor reviews the pre-filled text and is allowed to add some personal notes, and then sends the message. 5. You receive the message on your business's WhatsApp account. The pre-filled text lets you know which help article is generating the inquiry. #### Appointment Scheduling Let’s look at the step-by-step process: 1. A visitor navigates to a specific car's landing page on your website. 2. The visitor wants more information or to book a test drive, so he clicks the Growth Widget on the page, and then clicks the WhatsApp icon. 3. WhatsApp (either the app or web version) is opened and populates a new message with a pre-filled text, e.g. "Hi! I would like to book a test drive for [Car model] on [Link to the landing page of the car]". The car model and link are dynamically filled based on the specific page the visitor was on. 4. The visitor reviews the pre-filled text and is allowed to add some personal notes, and then sends the message. 5. You receive the message on your business's WhatsApp account. The pre-filled text lets you know exactly which car the visitor is interested in. This helps in tracking the cars that are driving appointment bookings. ## [How to Track Productivity by Closing Conversations](https:/respond.io/help/reporting-and-analytics/track-productivity-by-closing-conversations) Use the Close Conversation feature to track sales agent productivity. > In this article, you'll learn how to use the Close Conversation feature to track sales agent productivity. Respond.io’s Close Conversation feature is a powerful tool that can be used for many use cases on the platform based on your business needs. For sales use cases, it can be used to track agent productivity in the Reports Module. ### Benefits of the Close Conversation Feature The Close Conversation feature can be used to: - Track agent productivity in the Reports module by viewing how many leads they interacted with. - Provide summaries of activities completed in each Conversation. ### Method for Managing Closing Conversations - Track agent productivity on the respond.io platform with the Close Conversation feature. #### Track agent activity on the respond.io platform Agent productivity can be tracked by how many conversations they have with leads and what activities take place in those conversations. Businesses can use the **Close** button to monitor these activities in the **Reports** Module. > **Tip:** You can track agents’ activities such as lead qualification and sales completed by labeling closed conversations. For deal tracking and management for long sales cycles, [connect respond.io to your external CRM](https://respond.io/help/sales-use-case/using-respond-io-to-create-deals-in-a-crm). **Method Objectives** - Close the conversation when an activity with a lead is completed. - Monitor all closed conversations. **How-To** ##### Close the conversation when an activity with a lead is completed > **Tip:** Learn more about [Closing Conversations here](https://respond.io/help/messages/assignment-and-closing-a-conversation#closing_a_conversation). To close a conversation with a lead, use the **Close** button on top and add an optional Closing Note to provide a summary of the conversation. > **Tip:** Learn how to [enable and configure the Closing Notes here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/closing-notes#closing_notes_setting). In the Closing Note, add a Conversation Category and Summary. For sales agents, common categories include Order Issue, Payment Issue, and Product Inquiry. #### Generate Summaries with AI Instead of typing out a summary manually, use **AI** to generate a professional, concise recap of the conversation before closing it. 1. Click the Close button at the top of the conversation window. 2. Access the Closing Note:If your workspace has Closing Notes enabled and set to mandatory, the dialog will appear automatically.If Closing Notes are optional, click the arrow next to the Close button to open the dialog manually.If Closing Notes are disabled, the dialog will not be accessible at all. 3. If your workspace has Closing Notes enabled and set to mandatory, the dialog will appear automatically. 4. If Closing Notes are optional, click the arrow next to the Close button to open the dialog manually. 5. If Closing Notes are disabled, the dialog will not be accessible at all. 6. In the Closing Note composer, click the Summarize icon. 7. An AI summary will be generated based on the latest open conversation (up to 100 messages). You can review and edit it before posting. > The AI-generated summary focuses on key highlights such as customer issues, decisions made, or agent actions. #### **Here’s how:** ##### Monitor all closed conversations > **Tip:** Learn more about [Conversation Lists here](https://respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-conversations#conversation_list). To monitor closed conversations, use the Conversation List in the **Reports** Module. The list table shows an overview of all closed conversation, including data such as first response and resolution time, conversation summary and more, within a selected time period. > Tip: Learn more about [reporting for Sales here](https://respond.io/help/sales-use-case/reporting-for-sales). > **Tip:** If your business has short cycles, you may want to automatically unassign Contacts from agents when conversations are closed. Learn how to [create a Workflow for this here](https://respond.io/help/support-use-case/closing-conversations). ## [How to Transfer Contacts to the Next Shift Automatically](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/transfer-contacts-to-the-next-shift) Learn how to route open conversations to the next shift. > In this article, you’ll discover how to transfer open conversations to the next shift with a click of a button. Businesses that rely on shift-based operations often face the challenge of ensuring smooth transitions and handovers when one agent's shift ends and another's begins. If your business has multiple working shifts, use this Workflow to allow your agents to transfer open conversations using a shortcut button to the next shift with a summary of the conversation. ### Benefits of Transferring Contacts to the Next Shift Automatically - Reduces downtime during shift transitions by providing the next-shift agents with some context about the open conversation. - Streamlines the handover process from one agent to the next by automating the system when triggered. - Improve communication between teams by ensuring important information is seamlessly transferred between shifts. ### Workflow Setup Learn how to use the Workflow Template to set up an automated conversation handover: - Select the Shift Transfer Workflow Template and set up the shortcut configuration to trigger the workflow. - Identifying the Shift Transfer period. - Assign Contacts with open conversations to agents in the upcoming shift, along with a summary note. - Shift Transfer Failure: Transferred to Soon Note. #### Select the Shift Transfer Workflow Template and set up the shortcut configuration to trigger the workflow In the **Workflows** module, click **\+ Add Workflow** > Click **Shift Transfer** > Click **Use Template**. [**Trigger**](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers): The Workflow starts when an agent selects the **Shortcut** button. Under *Shortcut Configuration*, provide the following information: - Shortcut Icon and Name: Select an icon and provide a name to identify your Shift Transfer Shortcut. - Description: Describe the purpose of the shortcut. Under *Shortcut Form*, provide the following information: - Form Field: The conversation summary goes here. - Field Type: Select Text so that the agent can provide a summary of the open conversation to the next agent. - Output Variable: Provide a name for the variable that contains the summary. #### Identifying the Shift Transfer period **1st / 2nd / 3rd Shift Transfer Period**: Specify the [operational days, business hours and time zone](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-date-and-time) of each shift. Then, provide the shift transfer window within which an agent can transfer the conversation to the next shift. #### Assign Contacts with open conversations to agents in the upcoming shift, along with a summary note **Assign to 2nd / 3rd / 1st Shift Team**: Configure this [Assign To](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-assign-to) step with a team based on your business needs. You can also set up the auto-assignment based on your [strategy preferences](https://respond.io/help/inbound-conversations/assignment-strategy-automatic-contact-distribution-load-balancing#workflow_setup). **Transfer Summary Note 1 / 2 / 3**: This is an [Add Comment](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-add-comment) step where the transfer summary notes are sent to the agent who will be assigned to the Contact. #### Shift Transfer Failure: Transferred to Soon Note When an agent transfers the conversation before the stipulated time, the **Transferred Too Soon Note** is sent to the agent and the transfer is prevented. In this Workflow Template, the date and time conditions have been set up to allow agents to transfer Contacts to the agent in the next shift in the last 30 minutes of the agent’s shift and not before that. > Once you have completed the configuration, click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the workflow. ### How It Works: Shift Transfer Workflow 1. From the Inbox Module, an agent clicks the 3-dot menu icon > Shortcuts > Transfer to Next Shift shortcut to transfer the conversation to an agent in the next shift. 2. The agent provides a summary of the conversation on the Transfer to Next Shift dialog and clicks Start. 3. The Contact is either automatically routed to the agent available in the next shift or if it is too early, the agent is informed. ## [How to Troubleshoot a Failed Broadcast](https:/respond.io/help/broadcasts/dealing-with-failed-broadcasts) Learn about the reasons broadcasts may fail to be sent and how to resend broadcasts to Contacts who did not receive them. > In this article, you'll learn how to effectively identify and troubleshoot the causes of broadcast failures. ### Identify the Cause of Broadcast Failure If you suspect that a broadcast has failed, here are a few ways to investigate and identify it. - Check the Failed Message Log in Reports module - View error message in Failed Status - Check the number of Completed Recipients #### Check the Failed Message Log in Reports module Sometimes, broadcasts are completed, but some Contacts fail to receive the messages. This could happen because the broadcast exceeded or violated the Channel limitations. To view messages that failed to be delivered for a specific broadcast: **Step 1:** Go to *Reports* module > *Messages* > *Failed Message Log*. **Step 2:** You can filter the messages: - by Broadcast Name: Select the broadcast(s) to view only messages for the selected broadcast(s). - by Date: Select the date the broadcast was sent. **View the errors** by scrolling all the way to the right in the Failed Message Log report. In this example, the majority of errors were caused by Contacts blocking the business on the Channel. > If you find errors in the Failed Message Log, check the limitations of the channel the broadcast was sent on. #### View error message in Failed Status In the *Broadcast* module, select *Failed* status > choose your broadcast. The error message will appear in the Broadcast Details Drawer. Here is a list of reasons for failed broadcasts: | Error Message | Failed Reason | | --- | --- | | Contact Segment not found | The Contact Segment could not be found. | | Limit Reached: The maximum number of Segments in a Workspace is 500. Delete a Segment before creating a new one. | You have reached the maximum number of Segments allowed in the Workspace. You will need to delete a Segment before creating a new one. | | Contact Segment name must be unique. | The Segment name is duplicated. You need to create a unique name for each Segment. | | Broadcast Failed: Broadcast messages allowed in plan exceeded. | The Broadcast failed because the limit in the current plan has been exceeded. The broadcast message limits can be found here. | | Broadcast Failed: No Contacts in the Target Segment | The Broadcast failed because there are no recipients in the Target Segment selected. Ensure that there are Contacts in the Target Segment. | | Broadcast Failed: Target Segment not found. | The Broadcast failed because the Target Segment was not found. | #### Check the number of Completed Recipients If you find that your Completed Recipient number is different from your [Targeted Recipient](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast#check_target_audience_for_a_broadcast) number, it could be due to several reasons. ##### The behavior of dynamic Segments Segments are updated whenever [a Contact enters or exits the Segment](https://respond.io/help/contacts/segments#how_does_a_contact_automatically_enter_or_exit_a_segment). There may be cases where Contacts enter or exit the Segment during the duration between scheduling and sending of a broadcast message. This is an expected behavior due to the dynamic nature of Segments. **Example:** Suppose a broadcast is scheduled to send in 2 days to 100 Contacts in a Segment. During the 2-day period, 5 new Contacts that fit that criterion are automatically added to the Segment. When the broadcast is sent out, it will be delivered to 105 Contacts. The targeted recipient number is 100, while the completed recipient number is 105. ##### The Segment includes duplicated Contacts A broadcast is sent to one Contact, while any duplicate Contacts are excluded from the number of recipients, which will reduce the original Targeted recipient number. The platform will not attempt to send the broadcast message to duplicate Contacts. To avoid having duplicate Contacts, we recommend the following best practices: - Merging Contacts in the Dashboard. - Selecting Add & Update Contact option when importing Contacts. In some cases, a Broadcast may fail if a Segment contains Contacts with no assigned Channel (often caused by improper imports). To resolve this: 1. Identify and remove Contacts without a Channel:Go to the affected Segment.Apply the filter: Channel > does not exist.Save the filterSelect all Contacts > Delete 2. Go to the affected Segment. 3. Apply the filter: Channel > does not exist. 4. Save the filter 5. Select all Contacts > Delete 6. Reimport the List:Use the original list of Contacts for the segment.Set the phone number as the identifier.Import using the Add + Update Contacts method.Assign a new Tag to distinguish this updated segment. 7. Use the original list of Contacts for the segment. 8. Set the phone number as the identifier. 9. Import using the Add + Update Contacts method. 10. Assign a new Tag to distinguish this updated segment. ##### The format of the identifier is incorrect If a Channel using a phone number as an identifier (e.g. WhatsApp, SMS) has an invalid format, it will be excluded from the recipient count and the platform will not attempt to send the broadcast message to those Contacts. Here’s a [guide for the recommended formats](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contact-import). ### Channel Limitations for Broadcasts > The following channels do NOT support broadcasts: Instagram, Website Chat, WeChat, Gmail or other email. To avoid broadcast failure, take note of the limitations of each channel. See the following for specific channel limitations and policies on broadcasts: - WhatsApp - Viber - Facebook Messenger - Telegram - LINE - SMS Twilio, Vonage and MessageBird - Custom Channel > If the Send Rate limit is higher than the Channel-allowed rate limit, there will be an error displayed by the Channel and it will be counted towards the Broadcast Messages quota usage. ### Resending Failed Broadcast Messages When broadcasts cannot be fully sent due to Channel limitations, they are delivered partially. **Example:** A business that belongs to WhatsApp's standard tier can only send out 1,000 messages in a 24-hour period. If the business sends out a broadcast with 1,500 messages, only 1,000 messages will be delivered and the other 500 will fail. In such cases, you might want to identify the recipients who have not received the message and resend it to them. **There are two methods to resend failed broadcast messages:** - Download Failed Messages using Data Export, reimport to add tags in bulk, create a Segment, and resend (recommended). - View the Failed Message Log from the Reports Module, manually add tags, create a Segment, and resend. #### Download Failed Messages using Data Export, reimport to add tags in bulk and resend > **Tip:** Learn more about [Data Export here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/data-export). > We recommend using this method because it provides you with the Contact ID, which makes resending messages in bulk easier. **Step 1:** Go to *Settings* > *Data Export* > Select *Failed Messages* from the dropdown > Set the date range for the date when the broadcast was sent > Click *Export Data* and download the CSV. The CSV provides the following information: Date & Time, Sender ID, Sender Type, Contact ID, Message ID, Content Type, Content, Channel ID, Type, Sub-type and Error. Filter the CSV by Channel ID to show only the failed messages from the Channel the broadcast was sent on. ##### How to find your Channel ID To find your Channel ID number, go to Settings > Channels. The Channel ID is under the Channel name in the list. **Step 2:** Go to *Import Contacts* > add the CSV file > select *Update existing contacts only* > select *Contact ID* for the identifier. > **Tip:** Learn more about [Contact Import here](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contact-import). Add a tag, e.g., *failed broadcast 110122* to identify these as the Contacts that did not receive the broadcast and import. **Step 3:** Create a Segment that contains the failed messages by filtering with the following criteria: *Contact Tag* > *has any of* > *Tag*. **Step 4:** Resend the broadcast to these Contacts using the Segment. #### View the Failed Message Log from the Reports module, manually add tags and resend > **Tip:** Learn more about the [Failed Message Log here](https://respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-messages#failed_message_log). **Step 1:** Follow the steps to [check the Failed Message Log](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/dealing-with-failed-broadcasts#check_the_failed_message_log_in_reports_module) and identify the Contacts who did not receive the broadcast. **Step 2:** Go to each contact’s profile on the list who did not receive the broadcast and add a tag, e.g., *failed broadcast 110122*. > **Tip:** Learn more about [Contact Tags here](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contact-details#tags). **Step 3:** Create a Segment that contains the failed messages by filtering with the following criteria: *Contact Tag* > *has any of* > *Tag*. **Step 4:** Resend the broadcast to Contacts with the new Segment. ## [How to Use Dynamic Variables](https:/respond.io/help/dynamic-variables/how-to-use-dynamic-variables) Learn about the four places to use dynamic variables: in the Messages Module, in Snippets, in Workflows and in Dialogflow. ### Messaging Console You can include a dynamic variable in your message while responding to a contact. There are two ways to use dynamic variables: 1. By typing the dollar sign "$" 2. By clicking on the variable Icon at the bottom of the Inbox Module Besides contact fields, you can also include a custom field by typing the custom field's name.  ### Snippets While composing a snippet's content, you can include a dynamic variable to personalize your quick replies.  > **Tip:** You can have multiple dynamic variables in a single piece of content. Make use of them while composing your messages. > **Warning:** If the field you are trying to send is empty or the field does not exist at all, the string will not be replaced. ### Workflows Besides trigger variables that are tied to a specific trigger, there are also other variables that can be created and used in the Workflows.  1. Save responses from the Contact as variables in the Ask a Question step. 2. ​It is also possible to create output variables by adding Form Field in a Shortcut Form. The values of the variables are defined and provided by the User who initiated the Shortcut and filled out the Shortcut form. 3. Then, use the dynamic variables saved in Workflow steps. **Workflow Steps that support dynamic variables** | Step | Type | | --- | --- | | Send Message | Text | | Send Message | WhatsApp Template | | Send Message | Facebook Tagged Message | | Ask a Question | Question Text Field | | Branch | Contact Field Condition | | Branch | Variable Condition | | Update Contact Field | - | | Add Comment | - | | Close Conversation | Summary | | HTTP Request | - | | Add Google Sheets Row | - | > **Note:** When verifying HTTP request outputs with dynamic variables, please note that variables without a value will result in a return of `null` or `undefined`. ### Dialogflow You can also include dynamic variables in Dialogflow for the [responses](https://respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-managing-intents) and values of [parameters](https://respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-parameters#sending_custom_notifications). To use dynamic variable in Dialogflow, type `{{{$dynamic.variable}}}`.  **Example of usage of dynamic variables in value of parameter:** **Example of usage of dynamic variables in responses:** ### Developer API If you’re integrating dynamic variables using the Developer API, ensure they are formatted correctly using **double curly braces** {{ }}. For example: `{{$contact.firstname}}` This is required to allow the API to process and substitute the variables as intended. > **Note:** For detailed instructions and examples, refer to the [Developer API documentation](https://developers.respond.io/docs/api/a748f5bfb1bb5-send-a-message). ## [How to Write an Optimal AI Assist Persona (Best Practices)](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/how-to-write-an-optimal-ai-persona-best-practices) Learn how to write a good AI Assist Persona that helps align AI with your brand voice on respond.io. [AI Assist Persona](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-respond-with-ai#configuration) defines the tone and voice that your AI features, like the [AI Objective Step](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-respond-with-ai), employs to interact with customers. It's crucial to align this persona with your brand's voice to ensure a consistent customer experience. By clearly defining how the AI engages with customers, you can ensure that every interaction not only reflects your brand's values but also meets your customers' expectations. ### Understanding AI Assist Persona In order to write a good AI Assist Persona, it is important to understand its components. Here is a diagram to help you understand the basic components: - Role: Define the AI’s role, such as Sales Assistant, Customer Support Representative, etc. - Behavior: Specify the desired tone, style, or perspective for AI. Instructing the AI to use a “friendly and casual response” or a “professional sales approach” in their conversation sets a friendly or professional tone to how the AI converses with the customers. - Context: Provide context to the AI by being specific, sharing important information, and explaining expected results. For instance, "The customer is interested in a Tesla. Guide them on the steps to purchase one from Tesla Inc.". Here, the AI has been informed that the customer comes in with a specific interest in Tesla (so the AI can provide information in the given context) and that the customer needs to be guided on how they can buy the car from Tesla Inc. - Scenarios: Scenarios can help provide context to AI. Providing good scenario-based instruction to an AI involves framing your request within a specific context or setting, which helps guide the AI’s response to be more targeted and relevant. For example, you might instruct the AI Objective: “If customers mention product X or its prices, advise them ‘For more information about this product, please say that you want to talk to a representative.’” This helps the AI tell the Contact (Customer) that if they want to speak to a human, they just need to say so—prompting the AI Objective to end the step and execute the “Contact Asks to Speak to Human Agent” branch. > Remember, AI is not perfect and can make mistakes. Using the tips provided in this article will help prevent your AI Objective Step from [hallucinating](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallucination_(artificial_intelligence)). ### **Best Practices for Writing an AI Assist Persona** > AI Assist is powered by GPT-4.1 mini, and these best practices will help you overcome its limitations. The main challenge while writing a persona is to write it in a way that it avoids confusing the AI, the key to avoiding this is: - Having no contradictory instructions - Having no repetitive commands Contradiction and repetition confuse AI, which leads to undesired responses and unpredictable behavior caused by hallucinations. Here are some best practices for writing AI Assist Personas: - Do not provide objective instructionsDon’t use AI Assist Persona to give objective instructions.You can select the required goal from the Objective field of the AI Objective Step. Selecting the right objective provides all the necessary information to the AI Objective Step to successfully execute the conversation.Your aim should be limited to controlling the conversation style and tone. - Don’t use AI Assist Persona to give objective instructions. - You can select the required goal from the Objective field of the AI Objective Step. Selecting the right objective provides all the necessary information to the AI Objective Step to successfully execute the conversation. - Your aim should be limited to controlling the conversation style and tone. - Demonstrate through examplesThe AI Assist Persona can be provided examples that demonstrate how you want AI to behave.For instance, specify a greeting like this in the persona; “You can greet customers by saying: ‘Hello, welcome to Respond.io. We are currently experiencing limited capacity. We've employed an AI to assist you with your queries’ ." This sets a clear starting point for conversations. - The AI Assist Persona can be provided examples that demonstrate how you want AI to behave. - For instance, specify a greeting like this in the persona; “You can greet customers by saying: ‘Hello, welcome to Respond.io. We are currently experiencing limited capacity. We've employed an AI to assist you with your queries’ ." This sets a clear starting point for conversations. - Exclude exit conditionsDo not specify instructions on when the AI should end interactions. Specifying exit conditions is redundant and potentially confusing for AI.If the AI's task is to collect information, it will naturally conclude the interaction once all necessary data is gathered. For instance, do not include this in the persona: ”Keep the conversation going until the customer decides to end it; don’t stop talking even if the customer seems unresponsive.” This could potentially confuse the AI as the platform already handles the exit condition. - Do not specify instructions on when the AI should end interactions. Specifying exit conditions is redundant and potentially confusing for AI. - If the AI's task is to collect information, it will naturally conclude the interaction once all necessary data is gathered. For instance, do not include this in the persona: ”Keep the conversation going until the customer decides to end it; don’t stop talking even if the customer seems unresponsive.” This could potentially confuse the AI as the platform already handles the exit condition. - Complete sentencesUse complete sentences while writing the persona to make everything clear and easy to understand.Providing complete and clear instructions yields the best results for critical applications or when precision is crucial. - Use complete sentences while writing the persona to make everything clear and easy to understand. - Providing complete and clear instructions yields the best results for critical applications or when precision is crucial. - Close conversationsYou are encouraged to close conversations or use the Close Conversation Step in Workflows once they have concluded.This keeps the conversation clean and easy for the AI to understand when it picks up the conversation later.If the conversation has not been closed earlier, it might cause AI to hallucinate. - You are encouraged to close conversations or use the Close Conversation Step in Workflows once they have concluded. - This keeps the conversation clean and easy for the AI to understand when it picks up the conversation later. - If the conversation has not been closed earlier, it might cause AI to hallucinate. #### Providing Context Using AI Assist Persona Context is very important for AI to understand the task at hand. Here is a list of the types of contexts that can be provided: - Task context: Explain what the AI is expected to do, e.g., "You are tasked to answer FAQs from customers…". - Historical context: Inform the AI of relevant past interactions, e.g., "Previously, the customer expressed interest in buying a product…". - Language and communication style: Guide how the AI responds to specific language styles, e.g., "If the customer uses broken/slang English, always reply in formal English…". - Boundaries: Define what the AI should avoid and explain why, e.g., "You do not have information about parcel delivery statuses. Do not answer questions regarding this topic…". #### Why are Objective Instructions Not Recommended? In the context of AI Objective, selecting an goal that best meets your requirements (using the **Objective** field) is enough; the AI Objective does not need to be given objective instructions, such as ensuring the format of the phone number is correct when collecting phone numbers. Even though an AI Assist Persona *can* technically include objective instructions, it is **not** advised to provide such instructions while defining the persona. Our platform already takes care of these instructions, and giving them confuses the AI. > Adding goal instructions to the persona might contradict the goal selected from the **Objectives** dropdown for the AI Objective Step, thus leading to confusion. ### Examples of Well-Written AI Assist Personas **Example 1**: Let’s provide a persona that has a defined role and behavioral instructions. - More effective: "You are a sales agent who is tasked to provide product recommendations based on the customer's price preferences." We defined the role in the first part of the sentence and provided context in the second."You will be concise, clear, friendly, and you use emojis occasionally." The expected behavior of the role with complete sentences. - Less effective: "Recommend the best product available. Use emoji. Be clear. Also be friendly." No role definition, context missing. **Example 2**: Let’s provide context to the AI using AI Assist Persona and instruct it to greet the customer as a way to start the conversation (before collecting information). - More effective: "You are a sales agent who is tasked to request for information." We defined the role and context."The customer has previously made a purchase on our platform." We provided historical context."You will greet the customer: Hi, thank you for your never ending support for ABC company. Let me gather some information before we proceed in order to serve you better." We provided instructions about the style of communication here. - Less effective: "Ask for information one by one. Thank the customer for their support of the company." Incomplete sentence, no context, no info about style of communication. Asking for information one by one is already covered in the objective. **Example 3:** Let’s provide a persona with context of its role, greetings, context of the conversation, and no objective instructions. It also has a scenario instruction where AI knows that it has no information in solving the customer issues. - More effective: "You are a customer support agent for respond.io." We defined the role."The customer has contacted us to sort out some issues but we will need to ask collect some information before proceeding to pass to a human agent". We provided context. - Greet the customer by saying: "Thank you for contacting respond.io. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused while using our platform. However, let me gather some information from you before proceeding to help you with your inquiries". We defined the communication style and provided examples."You do not have information on how to solve issues for the customer since your only task is to asks questions". The behavioral instructions. - Less effective: "Ask what issue is the customer facing. Apologize to the customer. Don't ask any other questions. End the conversation if the customer is very frustrated". No role related info, no information about communication style or behavioral instructions. ### Examples of Badly Written AI Assist Personas **Example 1:** "*Check if the customer is eligible for a discount by accessing the sales database, and if they are, apply it automatically.*" - Issue: Includes function calls to access databases, which the AI Objective might not support. **Example 2:** "*Keep the conversation going until the customer decides to end it; don’t stop talking even if the customer seems unresponsive.*" - Issue: Could lead to intrusive or annoying interactions, does not consider the workflow step’s built-in exit condition. **Example 3:** "*End the conversation if the customer repeats a question.*" - Issue: Improper handling of customer frustration or confusion without a clear exit condition. Meanwhile, it lacks empathy. **Example 4:** "*If a customer takes more than a minute to respond, remind them every 10 seconds that you are waiting*." - Issue: The AI only responds at the point when the AI responded. It does not keep track of time and executes a task at every intervals. Hence, this will not work. **Example 5:** "*You will greet the customers and then wait for them to initiate more conversation. Make sure to confirm their identity by asking for their email and checking if it’s valid. You must call our backend system to fetch their previous tickets. If they seem frustrated, terminate the conversation immediately. Keep asking them if they have resolved their issue until they say ‘yes’.*" - Issues:Includes Function Calls: The persona instructs the AI to call backend systems, which is not supported if the AI Agent system cannot perform such operations.Variable Validation: It incorrectly includes the task of validating an email, which should be set up in the system configurations rather than the AI Persona.Impractical Exit Conditions: It directs the AI to terminate the conversation if the customer is frustrated, which should not be in the AI Persona as exit conditions are predefined by the system.Repetitive Questioning: It instructs the AI to repeatedly ask if an issue is resolved, which could annoy customers and is not reflective of understanding or responsive dialogue. - Includes Function Calls: The persona instructs the AI to call backend systems, which is not supported if the AI Agent system cannot perform such operations. - Variable Validation: It incorrectly includes the task of validating an email, which should be set up in the system configurations rather than the AI Persona. - Impractical Exit Conditions: It directs the AI to terminate the conversation if the customer is frustrated, which should not be in the AI Persona as exit conditions are predefined by the system. - Repetitive Questioning: It instructs the AI to repeatedly ask if an issue is resolved, which could annoy customers and is not reflective of understanding or responsive dialogue. ## [How to Write Effective AI Agent Prompts](https:/respond.io/help/ai-agents/how-to-write-effective-ai-agent-prompts) Learn how to write effective AI Agent prompts with best practices, tips, and practical examples. Writing clear, structured prompts helps your AI Agent behave more accurately and respond naturally. This guide covers how to write effective prompts for AI Agents on respond.io, including both **Instructions** and **Actions**. ### Instructions vs. actions | Type | Purpose | | --- | --- | | Instructions | Guides the AI Agent’s overall behavior, tone, and goal with step-by-step instructions | | Actions | Tells the AI Agent exactly when to perform these actions and how to do it (e.g. assign, close, update fields) | ### Writing instructions When creating instructions, structure them clearly so AI Agent always knows **who it is, how to behave, and what steps to follow**. We recommend breaking down instructions into four parts. | Element | What it does | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | Context | Set the scene for AI Agent. Explain who it’s talking to, and what the main goal of the conversation is. | - You’re speaking to someone reaching out to the company. - They may be a new or existing Contact. - Your goal is to determine their intent and route them to the right team or person. | | Role & communication style | Define how AI Agent should act and sound. Include its role, tone, and rules for communication. | - You’re a polite, professional and efficient receptionist. - You will ask one question at a time and never answer any queries yourself. - You’re a calm, helpful support agent who uses simple, clear language. | | Flow | Lay out the conversation step by step. This tells AI Agent exactly how to guide the interaction. | 1. Greet and ask: “Hi {{$contact.firstname}}! 👋 How can I help you today?”2. Based on their reply, infer intent: Issues related → assign to {{select team}} Pricing related → assign to {{select team}} If no clear intent → assign to {{select team}}3. Always thank them and let them know someone will assist shortly.4. Ask if there’s anything else to pass along. If not, close the conversation politely. | | Boundaries | Defines what AI Agent should not attempt (e.g. legal advice, medical diagnosis, financial advice, stock checking, ). | Do not provide: - Financial advice (e.g., “Should I invest in Tesla stock?”) - Medical advice (e.g., “What dosage of Lexapro should I take?”) - Legal advice (e.g., “Can I sue my landlord for this?”) - Real-time product availability (e.g., “Is the iPhone 16 Pro in stock at Best Buy?”) Instead, politely redirect: - Suggest consulting a professional (doctor, lawyer, financial advisor). - Suggest checking the official source (retailer’s website, customer support). | | Follow-up | Tells the AI Agent to send an automatic message if the Contact doesn’t reply within a set time (up to 1 day and up to 5 times per prompt). | If the Contact doesn’t reply after 6 hours, follow up to check if they’re still interested. | > **Note:** AI Agent instructions support up to **10,000 characters**. If you exceed the limit, you’ll be prompted to shorten your instructions before saving. #### Tips for instructions Writing clear, structured instructions helps your AI Agent behave consistently. Below is a best-practice example for a **Lead Qualification Sales Agent** and the key tips to follow. - Use canonical terms (the exact names and actions from your Workspace):Teams/agents: e.g. @Support Team, @Sales Team, @Jane DoeActions: e.g. Assign to, Close conversation, Update Lifecycle stages, Update Contact fieldsContact fields: e.g. Name field, Email field, Phone field — so data is saved/updated correctly - Teams/agents: e.g. @Support Team, @Sales Team, @Jane Doe - Actions: e.g. Assign to, Close conversation, Update Lifecycle stages, Update Contact fields - Contact fields: e.g. Name field, Email field, Phone field — so data is saved/updated correctly - Structure your instructions clearly:Break steps into logical order (Greet → Ask → Decide → Assign)Use point form instead of paragraphs (Shift + Enter for line breaks)Use headers (# H1, ## H2) for each section. For example: - Break steps into logical order (Greet → Ask → Decide → Assign) - Use point form instead of paragraphs (Shift + Enter for line breaks) - Use headers (# H1, ## H2) for each section. For example: - Keep language clean and usable:Write in clear, conversational English (other languages work too if canonical terms are preserved)Use symbols (=, <, :) for comparisons or conditionsKeep grammar/spelling correctUse emojis sparingly (to stay approachable but professional) - Write in clear, conversational English (other languages work too if canonical terms are preserved) - Use symbols (=, <, :) for comparisons or conditions - Keep grammar/spelling correct - Use emojis sparingly (to stay approachable but professional) - Be clear about capabilities:State what the Agent can and cannot doDon’t overload instructions with details → use Actions for execution (e.g. assigning, closing, updating fields) - State what the Agent can and cannot do - Don’t overload instructions with details → use Actions for execution (e.g. assigning, closing, updating fields) - Organize by flows and scenarios:Start with a top-level flow (e.g. Greet → Ask → Decide → Assign)Break it into scenarios for common situationsExample: In the Sales Agent prompt above, “Qualifying Lead” is its own scenarioThis makes prompts easier to read, update, and maintain - Start with a top-level flow (e.g. Greet → Ask → Decide → Assign) - Break it into scenarios for common situationsExample: In the Sales Agent prompt above, “Qualifying Lead” is its own scenario - Example: In the Sales Agent prompt above, “Qualifying Lead” is its own scenario - This makes prompts easier to read, update, and maintain ### Writing action prompts Action prompts are used when AI Agent performs something **before** sending a reply — like assigning a chat or closing the conversation. These should be **short, specific**, and **focused on execution**. #### How to write them For each action, describe: - When it should happen (the condition) - What the Agent should do | Action | Prompt Example | Optional Customizations | | --- | --- | --- | | Assign to agent or team | “If the contact says they want to speak to someone, assign to the @Sales team.” | You can specify how the assignment is made (e.g. round robin or least open conversation). | | Close conversation | “If the issue is resolved or the Contact says ‘thanks’, close the conversation and write a summary.” | You can decide whether a summary is generated when a conversation is closed. By default, a summary is created — specify “do not generate a summary” if you want to turn it off. You can also set rules for which closing notes to include. | | Update Contact field | “If the Contact shares their company name, update the Company field.” | You can define the exact value to save (e.g. “only save if email ends with @companyname.com”). | | Update Lifecycle stage | “If they express interest in buying, update Lifecycle stage to ‘Qualified’.” | You can specify exactly which Lifecycle stage name should be applied. | #### Tips for actions AI Agents can be told what to do in two places: - Instructions boxHere you usually write your step-by-step flows, e.g. “Greet → Ask → Assign → Close”.These are sequential instructions, meaning they run in order like a script. - Here you usually write your step-by-step flows, e.g. “Greet → Ask → Assign → Close”. - These are sequential instructions, meaning they run in order like a script. - Actions settingsHere you can configure non-sequential rules, e.g. “If user asks for a human → Assign to @Support Team”.These don’t depend on the flow; they can trigger anytime. - Here you can configure non-sequential rules, e.g. “If user asks for a human → Assign to @Support Team”. - These don’t depend on the flow; they can trigger anytime. For **best accuracy**, it’s recommended to cover actions in **both places** (instructions *and* action settings). This way AI Agent always knows what to do. > If you only add them in the **instructions box**, make sure the **respective actions are enabled** too — otherwise AI Agent won’t be able to execute them, even if your instructions mention them. ### Writing prompts for follow-ups AI Agents can automatically send follow-up messages when a Contact doesn’t respond after a specific time — helping you keep conversations going and increase engagement. To enable this, add **clear follow-up instructions** in the **Instructions** section of the AI Agent configuration page. Here’s an example showing how an AI Agent handles follow-ups, responses, and conversation closure: **How this works:** - After 2 minutes of no response, AI Agent automatically sends the follow-up message. - If the Contact still doesn’t respond after that, AI Agent executes the next actions in the prompt — closing the conversation, updating Lifecycle status, and sending the final message. - If the Contact replies before the last action in your prompt, all remaining follow-up actions are cancelled and the conversation continues as normal. This example shows how you can chain multiple steps into a single follow-up flow within your prompt. #### Follow-up basics - AI Agent checks if the Contact hasn’t replied after the time you specify in your prompt. - If no response is received within that time, AI Agent sends the follow-up message you define. - Follow-up sequence stops automatically if:The Contact replies before the scheduled timeThe conversation is unassigned or closedAI Agent determines the Contact is no longer interested, has said goodbye, or the objective is achieved - The Contact replies before the scheduled time - The conversation is unassigned or closed - AI Agent determines the Contact is no longer interested, has said goodbye, or the objective is achieved You can include one or multiple follow-ups in your prompt to handle different scenarios or escalation steps. > If you’ve written follow-up instructions **before** the Follow-Up feature was launched, you’ll need to **resave your template** for the changes to take effect. #### Follow-Up Limits - Each follow-up must be scheduled within 24 hours (1 day) of the previous message. - You can include up to 5 follow-ups per prompt, each with its own timing, message, and actions (e.g., send a reminder, assign a user, or close the conversation). - AI Agent will follow the timing defined in your prompt, but messages sent outside WhatsApp’s 24-hour window may fail to deliver. - After the final follow-up, AI Agent continues any remaining actions defined in your prompt (e.g., assigning or sending messages). ### Using the prompt optimizer When editing **instructions or action prompts,** you can use the prompt optimizer tool to improve clarity and phrasing while keeping the original intent. Use it when: - You want a more polished or structured version of your prompt - You’re not sure how to phrase things clearly - You’re starting from scratch and want guidance Simply click **Optimize,** review the suggested rewrite, and adjust if needed. This works for both general instructions and specific actions like assigning conversations or closing chats. ### Using variables Variables make responses feel personal and accurate. | Variable | Use | | --- | --- | | @name | Mentions user and team names | | $contact.field | Pulls info from contact fields (e.g. $contact.email) | Variables can be used in both instructions and actions — especially when gathering or referencing Contact details. #### Using the @ variable The **@ variable** allows AI Agents to assign a conversation to a specific **team**, **human agent**, or **another AI Agent** based on the instructions or action prompt. It supports routing that mimics manual assignments made in the Inbox — making it especially useful in templated actions. | Use case | Prompt example | What happens | | --- | --- | --- | | Assign to a specific team | “If the Contact is asking about product pricing or discounts, assign the conversation to @Sales.” | Routes the conversation directly to the Sales team | | Assign to a specific agent | “If the Contact has a pending order issue they discussed with David before, assign the conversation to @David Lee.” | Assigns the conversation to a specific human agent in your Workspace | | Assign to another AI Agent | “If the Contact needs troubleshooting help, assign the conversation to @Support Agent.” | Hands off the conversation to another AI Agent you have configured | | If Contact requests help from a human | “If the Contact asks to speak with a real person at any time, assign the conversation to any team using round robin.” | Assigns to the next available team in a fair rotation | | If unsure of the right team | “If you cannot determine the topic or team after two clarification questions, assign the conversation to anyone by least open conversations.” | Routes the conversation to the anyone in the workspace with the fewest active conversations | | Assign to a specific team by round robin or least open conversation | “If the Contact is asking about product pricing or discounts, assign the conversation to @Sales by Round robin / Least opened conversation” | Routes the conversation to the anyone in a team by either round robin or with the fewest active conversations | #### Tips for variables - Use clear logic in your action prompts (e.g. “If the Contact asks about pricing, assign to @Sales.”). - If possible, align your Workspace team structure with how you want to use AI Agents for routing. #### Using Contact field variables in prompts You can use `$contact.fieldName` to dynamically reference a Contact’s existing information. These are especially useful when: - You want AI Agent to personalize its greeting or response - You need to verify or confirm details the Contact has previously shared - You want to avoid asking for info that’s already available | Use case | Prompt with variable | | --- | --- | | Confirming a Contact’s name | “Hi $contact.firstName” | | Verifying email before sending a quote | “I see your email is $contact.email — is that the best address to send the pricing details to?” | | Referencing status in a follow-up | “It looks like your current status is $contact.lifecycle. Would you like help moving forward from here?” | | Personalizing based on previous inquiry | “Thanks for reaching out again about $contact.productInterest. How can I assist you today?” | | Confirming preferred language or region | “Would you like to continue in $contact.language or switch to another language?” | #### Tips for Contact field variables Contact field variables personalize your Agent’s responses and help it save or update customer data automatically. - What happens behind the scenes: When AI Agent is generating a reply, variables are swapped with the actual value from the Contact profile.Example: $contact.name → becomes “Wilson” in the conversation. - Example: $contact.name → becomes “Wilson” in the conversation. - What AI actually sees: AI Agent only sees the value (“Wilson”), not the variable label ($contact.name). #### Why this matters - If you just write “the email you gave earlier”, AI Agent won’t know you meant $contact.email — it will only see the value (like wilson@email.com), and could get confused if multiple emails are mentioned. - By always referencing the field name and the value (e.g., Email: $contact.email, Phone number: $contact.phone), you make it crystal clear which piece of information you’re talking about. - If you want AI Agent to save or update a field, be explicit and mention the field ID in your prompt:Example: “Save and update the email field if the user provides a new one.” - Example: “Save and update the email field if the user provides a new one.” #### Prompt examples Now that you’ve learned how to structure prompts, use variables, and write clear instructions, let’s look at some full examples. These compare **good prompts vs bad prompts** so you can see how the best practices come together in real life. ##### Example 1 **Good prompt** **Why this works:** - Clear headers, top-level flow, scenarios. - Fast to read, easy to maintain. **Bad prompt** **Why this doesn't work:** - No headers, no sections, no sequence. - Readers must guess the order and actions. ##### Example 2 **Good prompt** **Why this works:** - Clean, professional English with precise terms. - Canonical actions/teams/fields are used verbatim. **Bad prompt** **Why this doesn't work:** - Slang/typos (“pls”, “suppot teem”), vague actions, inconsistent capitalization. - No canonical team names or action verbs. ##### Example 3 **Good prompt** **Why this works:** - Each action has prerequisites and exact order. - Separate step lists remove ambiguity. **Bad prompt** **Why this doesn't work:** - Assigns before identifying; updates lifecycle randomly; closes too early. - No clear triggers for each action. ## [How to write effective AI knowledge sources](https:/respond.io/help/convert-leads/how-to-write-effective-ai-knowledge-sources) Learn how to compose the most effective knowledge sources for the AI features on respond.io. **AI knowledge sources** power respond.io’s AI features — including **AI Agents** and **AI Assist** — by providing the business-specific information your AI needs to respond accurately and naturally. By supplying well-structured, up-to-date content, you help your AI understand your products, services, and policies, enabling it to handle specialized conversations confidently and autonomously. > Learn how to add knowledges sources [here](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/managing-ai-knowledge-sources). ### What business information works best? Your AI doesn’t have access to your unique business details by default. To enable it to answer accurately, provide information such as: - Company policies - Product or service specifications - Pricing and plans - Support processes - Shipping, return, or refund guidelines ### Recommended types of knowledge sources Use materials that are accurate, up to date, and well-organized. Recommended types include: #### Manuals, guides, and FAQs (recommended) Manuals, help center articles, guides, and FAQs are excellent because they are usually: - Well-structured and easy for AI to process - Designed to answer common questions clearly #### Published Google Docs Google Docs work well for content that needs frequent updates. Use the **Published link** (not the editable one) to ensure proper access, and remember to resync manually after making changes. #### Homepages, websites, and blogs Your company website or blog can provide the latest product or service information. Use the auto-sync feature to keep your knowledge sources updated at set intervals. - Avoid using web pages with heavy imagery or poor structure, as they are harder for AI to interpret. - You can now add up to 5 additional URLs to a single website source. - Use include/exclude globs to focus on relevant sections (e.g., docs, FAQs) and skip irrelevant ones (e.g., marketing pages). ### Writing guidelines for knowledge sources When developing your knowledge sources, follow these key recommendations: - Keep it clear and concise: Use straightforward language and avoid jargon or overly complex terms. - Cover common questions: Include information that addresses frequent inquiries and customer pain points. - Keep it updated: Regularly review and update your knowledge sources to reflect the latest information. - Rewrite for clarity: Improve readability to ensure the AI can easily understand and use the content. - Analyze AI performance: Review conversations to identify areas where the AI struggles or provides inaccurate responses. - Test and refine: Continuously test AI responses and iterate until the performance meets your expectations. > **Multi-language capability**: Knowledge sources now support content in any language. The AI will automatically detect and respond in the same language as the Contact. ### Tables and structured data AI can now process **tables and CSVs** more accurately: - Use .csv, .docx, or table-based PDFs for structured data. - Keep tables clean and simple (avoid merged cells or heavy formatting). - Use clear headers and consistent data types for each column. ### Multilingual content Knowledge sources support content in **any language**, enabling AI features to understand and respond in the same language as the conversation. You can include one or multiple languages within your knowledge sources. The AI will automatically detect and use the appropriate language based on the customer’s message. ### Writing best practices Follow these formatting and structural best practices to optimize your knowledge sources: - Be focused and precise: Provide targeted, task-relevant information to help the AI Objective Step locate answers quickly. - Use task-based organization: Structure content by the tasks or functions the AI needs to handle. - Use headings: Create a clear hierarchy to improve readability for both humans and AI. - Indent information where needed: Indentation helps organize content and makes it easier to scan. - Highlight key points: Use bold formatting to emphasize important details. - Use complete sentences: Full sentences improve clarity and reduce misunderstandings. - Example of good FAQ formatting:Recommended:Question: Can customers return the item within 30 days of receiving it?Answer: Yes, customers can return the item within 30 days of receiving it, as long as the price tag is intact.Not recommended:Question: Can customers return the item?Answer: Yes. - Recommended:Question: Can customers return the item within 30 days of receiving it?Answer: Yes, customers can return the item within 30 days of receiving it, as long as the price tag is intact. - Not recommended:Question: Can customers return the item?Answer: Yes. Well-crafted knowledge sources are the foundation of accurate, natural, and reliable AI performance. By keeping your content organized, up to date, and easy to understand, you’ll empower our AI features such as **AI Agents** and **AI Assist** to deliver smarter and more human-like responses across every interaction. ## [HubSpot](https:/respond.io/help/integrations/hub-spot) Learn how to connect your HubSpot account with respond.io to access contact properties seamlessly. The HubSpot integration enables you to connect your HubSpot account with your respond.io workspace. With this integration, you can: - View and edit HubSpot contact properties like email, phone number, lifecycle stage, and more directly in respond.io. - Reduce platform switching by accessing contact data inside the Inbox and Contacts modules. ### What you’ll need - Admin access in HubSpot. - Owner or Manager access in respond.io. ### Setting Up the Integration #### Install the HubSpot Integration 1. In your Workspace, go to Workspace settings > Integrations 2\. Navigate to HubSpot and select **Manage**. 3\. Select the **Connect HubSpot** button. 4\. A new pop up will be opened for you to sign in with your HubSpot account. Follow along the steps to connect your HubSpot account. - Authorize respond.io to access your HubSpot data. > Note: Each respond.io workspace can only connect to **one** HubSpot account. 5\. Once connected, you’ll see a confirmation message and your HubSpot account details. ### Viewing HubSpot Contact Properties in respond.io You can view HubSpot properties in the **Inbox** and **Contacts** modules. ##### Inbox module Go to **Inbox** and click on a Contact to view their HubSpot properties in the right sidebar. ##### Contacts module Go to **Contacts** and click on a Contact to view their HubSpot properties in the right sidebar. For both the Inbox and Contacts modules, if no match is found, you can verify and update the contact’s email or phone number. You can then click **View in HubSpot** to open the Contact’s profile directly in HubSpot. ### Selecting and Editing HubSpot Contact Properties in respond.io You can now customize which HubSpot contact properties are visible in your respond.io workspace and directly edit selected properties within respond.io. If you already have a HubSpot account connected in respond.io, you’ll need to refresh permissions to enable these updates. 1. Go to Workspace settings > Integrations 2. Select HubSpot 3. Refresh your access token #### Selecting HubSpot Contact Properties 1. Navigate to Workspace settings > Integrations 2. Click Manage next to HubSpot. 3. Under Manage HubSpot Properties, click Customize view to choose which contact properties to display in the Inbox and Contacts modules on respond.io. 4. Click Save to apply your settings. #### Editing HubSpot Contact Properties You can now edit certain HubSpot contact properties directly within respond.io. To enable this feature, go to **Manage HubSpot properties** and turn on the toggle. Once enabled, all users in your workspace will be able to edit the selected HubSpot properties from respond.io. Non-editable fields remain read-only and must be updated directly in HubSpot. **Important Notes:** - Email and Phone Number fields are non-editable. - Ensure you have proper permissions in both respond.io and HubSpot to edit fields. - If changes do not appear immediately, refresh your page after 1 minute due to API caching. To discard changes, select the **Restore** icon next to each editable field. This can be accessed in both the **Inbox** and **Contacts** module. ##### Inbox module - Go to the Inbox module and select a contact. - Select the HubSpot icon. - Click on the HubSpot property you want to edit and update the information. Your changes sync immediately to HubSpot. ##### Contacts module - Go to the Contacts module and select a contact. - Select the HubSpot icon. - Click on the HubSpot property you want to edit and update the information. Your changes sync immediately to HubSpot. ### Creating HubSpot contacts automatically Any new contact created in HubSpot will also be automatically created in respond.io, ensuring that your CRM and messaging platform are always in sync. This improves workflow efficiency and helps you respond to new leads faster. > **Note:** This feature only applies to *new contacts added in HubSpot after enabling the setting*. Existing HubSpot contacts will **not** be created automatically on respond.io. To sync existing HubSpot contacts, import them manually into respond.io. #### How to Enable To set it up: 1. Go to Workspace Settings > Integrations > HubSpot. 2. Turn on the Create Contacts automatically toggle. #### Optional Settings Two optional checkboxes appear when the main toggle is enabled: ##### Add “Auto-Create: HubSpot” Tag - Automatically adds a tag “Auto-Create: HubSpot” to Contacts created via this integration. - This helps identify how the Contact was sourced, but will not trigger workflows on respond.io. - The tag is listed in the Tags module and cannot be manually removed or edited. ##### Include Bulk-Imported Contacts - When selected, Contacts added to HubSpot via Bulk Import will also be created on respond.io. - These Contacts do not count towards MAC (Monthly Active Contacts) and do not trigger workflows unless a conversation is initiated. ## [Inbox Overview](https:/respond.io/help/inbox/inbox-overview) Learn how to navigate the Inbox module to manage conversations and inboxes. ### Getting Here This module can be accessed from the side navigation menu under the menu item, Inbox. ### Sidebar This is where you can search for an inbox or select your preferred inbox view. There are 4 inboxes to choose from: - Standard inbox - Team inbox - Custom inbox - Blocked Contacts inbox #### Standard inbox There are 3 displays within the Standard inbox: - All: Shows all conversations on the platform. - Mine: Shows Contacts and conversations assigned to the User only. - Unassigned: Shows conversations that haven’t been assigned. > Agents with restricted Contact Visibility can only see the Mine inbox. Owners, Managers and Agents with unrestricted access are able to view all Standard inboxes. #### Team inbox This displays the inboxes of the various Teams in your Workspace, such as Sales, Marketing and Support. Access to the Team inbox is granted as below: - Agents with the “View Contacts assigned to User only” restriction are not able to view any Team inbox. - Agents with unrestricted access or with the “View Contacts assigned to User’s team” restriction are able to view their own Team inbox. - Owners and Managers are able to view all Team inboxes. #### Custom inbox This section shows all the Custom Inboxes created by the User or shared by other Users. There are three sub-sections: - All: Shows all Custom Inboxes created and shared with the Users. - By me: Shows all Custom Inboxes created by the User. - By others: Shows all Custom Inboxes shared with the User. > Only the inbox creator can make changes to the settings. Learn how to [create a Custom inbox here](https://respond.io/help/messages/custom-inbox#adding_a_custom_inbox). > Learn about [Custom inbox share settings here](https://respond.io/help/messages/custom-inbox#sharing_a_custom_inbox). #### Blocked Contacts inbox This displays the conversations of Contacts that have been blocked. Access to this inbox is granted to Agents, Owners and Managers. This inbox will be displayed only if you have access to view conversations of blocked Contacts and there is at least 1 blocked Contact in the Workspace. ##### New Message Indicator The blue dot indicator indicates a new incoming message in the relevant inbox. It disappears when the inbox is opened. > This feature only applies to Standard and Team inboxes. The blue dot follows this priority order when marking new messages: **Mine > Team > Unassigned > All** If a new message appears in your **Mine** inbox, the blue dot will highlight it there only—it won’t appear in the **Team** or **All** inboxes. This behavior is consistent across the inboxes, following the same priority hierarchy. ##### Open Conversation Count The Open Conversation Count indicates the number of open conversations in an inbox. > This feature only applies to Standard and Team inboxes. ### Incoming Calls Agents with access to calling features will see an **Incoming Calls tab** in the Inbox sidebar. This menu helps agents stay organized and respond to calls efficiently, while respecting assigned permissions. **Visibility of Incoming calls** The visibility of incoming calls depends on the **Contact Visibility restriction** applied to the agent: - No restrictions: Agent can view all incoming calls, including those from unassigned Contacts or those assigned to other agents. - Restricted to team: Agent sees calls only from Contacts assigned to themselves or their team members. - Restricted to self: Agent only sees calls from Contacts assigned directly to them. Other tabs (e.g.All) may be hidden. The Incoming Calls menu includes three tabs (if permitted by the agent’s restriction level): - All: Shows all visible calls, including unassigned and those assigned to others (if unrestricted). - Assigned to me: Shows calls from Contacts assigned directly to the agent. - Unassigned: Shows calls from Contacts without an owner. Each call entry displays the Contact’s name, Channel icon, assignment status, and—for WhatsApp calls—phone numbers (which may be masked if masking is enabled). If there are no incoming calls for a specific tab, an empty state message will appear. **Ongoing calls** Once a call is active, the Inbox will display a **call card** showing key details of the ongoing conversation. - A call timer appears on the left, tracking call duration. - A Record button is available on the card, allowing agents to record the call if needed. - To end the call, click the End button. **Contact assignment on calls** When handling calls, Contact assignment is automatically managed: - If an agent answers an incoming call from an unassigned Contact, the contact is automatically assigned to the agent. - If an agent initiates an outgoing call to an unassigned Contact, the Contact is also automatically assigned to the agent. **AI call summary** When enabled, an **AI Call Summary** is automatically generated after each recorded call ends. This provides a quick overview of the conversation without needing to replay the recording or read the full transcript. The summary gives you: - A call title summarizing the main topic - A high-level summary of key points discussed - Action items with owners and next steps You can also: - Copy the summary to your clipboard - Download it as a .txt file for external use > Note: AI Call Summary is only available when Call Recording is enabled. Learn how to enable it [here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/calls#workspace-call-settings). ### Chats and Calls view You can now **switch between Chats and Calls** using the tabs above the Conversation List. - Chats view shows your ongoing conversations. - Calls view displays call logs from your connected channels. Use these tabs to quickly toggle between messaging and calling without leaving the Inbox. ### Create new Contact and Search #### Create new Contact Click the **Create new Contact** icon to add a new Contact directly from the conversation list. - Fill in basic information such as name, phone number, and email. - You can assign the Contact to a specific team or inbox. > This shortcut helps you manually add new Contacts for outreach or record-keeping purposes. #### Search for Contacts Next to the Create new Contact button, click the search icon to search for Contacts, Messages and Comments. To search for a particular Contact, click the **Contacts** button bellow the search bar. > You can only search for a Contact's first name, last name, phone number and email. 1. Partial or wildcard search: The search results include Contacts that are a partial match to the search query. Example: The search result for car includes Carlos and Carter , but not Scarlet and Oscar. Here are the Contact details that are included in the search:First nameLast namePhone numberEmail 2. First name 3. Last name 4. Phone number 5. Email 6. Strict-searching: Only Contacts that are an exact match of the search query will be included in the search result.Custom fields, except for checkbox type, date type and time type. 7. Custom fields, except for checkbox type, date type and time type. 8. Contact fields that cannot be searched:CountryLanguageGenderAssigneeConversation StatusCheckbox type (custom field)Date type (custom field)Time type (custom field)Tags 9. Country 10. Language 11. Gender 12. Assignee 13. Conversation Status 14. Checkbox type (custom field) 15. Date type (custom field) 16. Time type (custom field) 17. Tags > For unsearchable contact fields, use filters to find the desired Contacts. #### Search for Messages or Comments from All Contact Conversations To search for a Message or Comment, click the **Messages** or **Comments** button, under the search bar. The search automatically begins once 3 characters are provided in the search bar with the recent messages/comments listed first. > The messages in text format that can be searched, include WhatsApp Templates, quick replies, and story replies. - Basic match: Search for 1 keyword. Example: the search results for “fox” returns all the conversations with messages/comments with the word “fox” in them. - Exact match: Searching for exact words. Example: the search result for “quick brown” returns conversations with an exact match ("quick brown") in them. This helps narrow down your search to most relevant conversations. - Emoji: Search for any emoji. 1 emoji equals a single character, so the search starts after 3 emojis are entered. - Email address: When searching for email addresses, messages/comments that have the exact match, partial match, or domain-specific match are included in the search results. Example: the search for the domain “@gmail” returns all email addresses of the specified domain. - Numbers: When searching for numbers, messages/comments that have the exact match or multi-number match will be included in the search results. Example: the search result for “016 014”, includes “…your number start with 016…” and/or “…your number starts with 014…”.Message/Comment search is not filtered based on inbox, sorting, or conversation status. #### Search for Messages and Comments from a Single Contact’s Conversation You can also search for a message or comment inside a Contact’s conversation. Select the Contact and click the search icon on top to open the search bar. Enter the keyword that you want to search. You can use the arrows or the search results dropdown to navigate through the search results in the Contact’s conversation. #### Search Behavior - Your recent searches are listed in the same dropdown. - You cannot search for Broadcasted messages. - The search results are not case sensitive. For example, the search result forSAMANTHA includes samantha, SAma and SAM. ### Filter and Sort - All status: Shows all conversations in the Conversation List of the selected inbox. - Open: Only shows conversations that are open in the Conversation List of the selected inbox. - Closed: Only shows conversations in the selected inbox that are closed. - Snoozed: Only shows conversations that are snoozed in the Conversation List of the selected inbox. - Unreplied: Shows only conversations that you or your team have not yet replied to. This is displayed as a toggle next to the filter dropdown. > A conversation is considered **unreplied** if its most recent message is an **incoming** message from the Contact. All other conversations are considered **replied**. The sorting options are: - Newest: Sorts Contacts by newest messages to oldest messages. This sorting does not take broadcast messages into account. Where a Contact receives a broadcast message and it is the newest message, this will not move the conversation to the top of the list. - Oldest: Sorts Contacts by oldest messages to newest messages. This sorting does not take broadcast messages into account. - Longest (Open/Closed/Snoozed): Depending on which filter is chosen, conversations are sorted from the longest to the shortest conversation duration that were opened, closed or snoozed.For conversations that have been unsnoozed, the conversation status time before the snooze occurred will be applied.Contacts without conversation closed data will be displayed on top of the list. - For conversations that have been unsnoozed, the conversation status time before the snooze occurred will be applied. - Contacts without conversation closed data will be displayed on top of the list. - Shortest (Open/Close/Snoozed): Depending on which filter is chosen, conversations are sorted from the shortest to the longest duration that were opened, closed or snoozed.For conversations that have been unsnoozed, the conversation status time before the snooze occurred will be applied.Contacts without conversation closed data will be displayed at the bottom of the list. - For conversations that have been unsnoozed, the conversation status time before the snooze occurred will be applied. - Contacts without conversation closed data will be displayed at the bottom of the list. > \- The **All Status** filter option is not applicable to the Longest or Shortest sorting options. - The filter option will be defaulted to **All Status** and disabled for **Blocked Contacts** inbox. - Conversations for blocked Contacts will only be displayed in the **Blocked Contacts** inbox, regardless of the filter option selected. In the same dropdown, there’s the advanced filters option. It helps you create tailored lists of Contacts. You can save these lists as Custom Inboxes for quick access. ### Conversation List The Conversation list shown is based on the selected inbox. Standard and Team inboxes refresh in real-time when the inbox is selected or a new message is received. Custom inboxes have to be manually refreshed by clicking the refresh button on the “Last updated X time ago” banner at the top of the list. #### Selecting a Conversation By default, the Conversation List is filtered by “All” and sorted by the newest messages first. Selected conversations are highlighted in blue. ##### Conversation Indicators | Indicator | Description | | --- | --- | | Conversation Status | This label is displayed on the bottom left of each conversation in the Conversation List. It shows ‘Closed’ and ‘Snoozed’ statuses. No label is shown if the conversation is open. | | Channel | The channel icon is located at the bottom right of the Contact profile photo icon. | | Unread Count | If there are unread messages, there will be a count highlighted in a blue box besides the Contact's name. | | Last Message | The date on the top right of the Contact record shows the last message sent or received. The arrow indicates if the most recent message was outgoing or incoming. | | Assignee | The initial or User avatar on the bottom right indicates which User this contact is assigned to. | > If you need a find a specific Contact or conversation quickly, use the search bar at the top. Learn more [here](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview#contact_search_sort_filter). #### Quick actions You can use quick actions to manage and organize conversations more efficiently. With quick actions, you can: - Close a conversation - Open a conversation - Snooze ongoing conversations - Select predefined Shortcuts - Assign conversations to team members #### Adding a Contact Agents can add individual Contacts from the Inbox module. To add a new Contact, click on the **Add new contact** icon next to the search and filter bar. Add in the contact details and select Save. ### Messaging Console This is where you can view, draft and compose messages to communicate with Contacts. When a Contact is selected from the Conversation List, their conversation history, inclusive of Message Metadata and Contact Events, will load here. #### Message Metadata Message metadata, including the sender, status, and timestamp, is displayed in a callout next to a message. Refer to Message Status for more information on the different message statuses. The message sender indicates how the message was sent. | Category | Sender | | --- | --- | | Platform | Workflows | | Integration | Dialogflow | | Provider | Facebook InboxWhatsApp EchoFacebook Messenger Message Tag | | Human | User Name (Regular Outgoing Message) | | API | API | #### Messages Action Menu Use the messages action menu to reply to specific messages in a conversation, generate replies using AI and translate messages using AI. The reply action menu consists of 4 options: - Copy (to copy a message) - Copy link - Reply - Reply with AI Assist - Translate ##### Copy Use the **“Copy”** option from the message actions menu to quickly copy the content of any message to your clipboard. This is especially helpful when you need to: - Share message content with teammates in another channel or tool. - Reference a Contact’s message in notes or comments. - Quote part of a conversation in external documentation or follow-ups. Simply click **Copy**, and the full text of the message will be available for pasting wherever needed. ##### Copy link You can copy a direct link to any message in a conversation using the **“Copy Link”** option in the message actions menu. This is useful when you want to: - Share a specific message with teammates for context. - Refer back to key messages during internal discussions or troubleshooting. When someone clicks the link, they’ll be taken directly to the Contact’s conversation with the **referenced message automatically highlighted**, making it easy to locate in long threads. > Note: Message links are only accessible to respond.io users within your workspace. They won’t work for Contacts or external users. ##### Reply When a Contact replies to one of your messages, the Inbox module will indicate the exact message they are referring to for context. It's important to note that the Reply-To Context feature is available for both incoming and outgoing messages. **Reply to incoming message** **Reply to** **outgoing message** > This feature is only available for selected Channels such as: - WhatsApp Business Platform (API) - WhatsApp Cloud API - Telegram ##### Reply with AI Assist In the reply action menu, select Reply with AI Assist to draft a response using AI Assist when replying to a specific message. ##### Translate with AI Prompts You can translate messages and comments using AI Prompts in the messaging composer. > Email channels have different menu action items. These are the **Reply** and **Show original email** actions. [Learn more](https://respond.io/help/email/email-overview) #### Message Status When you send a message to a Contact, you can check its delivery status by hovering your mouse over the message. For each message sent to the Contact, there will be an indicator that indicates the status of the message. The statuses are described as followed: > \- Message Status is only applicable to messages sent within a Channel's messaging window. - If a message fails to be sent to a Contact, hover over the message to view the error message from the platform or the Channel source. > Some messaging channels have limited coverage of message statuses. Refer to the [overview page of the respective channel](https://respond.io/help/channels) to learn more about the availability of message statuses for the channel. #### Conversation Events Message History will also keep track of important events, such as when a conversation was closed and by which source. | Event Category | Event | | --- | --- | | Assignment | User Assigned User Assigned by Workflow Automation User Assigned by Bot Failed to Assign | | Unassignment | User Unassigned by Close Conversation (Legacy) User Unassigned User Unnassigned by Workflow Automation | | Conversation Closed | Conversation Closed (User) Conversation Closed (Workflow) Conversation Closed (Bot) Conversation Closed (Contact Merge) | | Conversation Opened | Conversation Opened (User) Conversation Opened (Workflow) Conversation Opened (Contact) Conversation Opened (Welcome Event) Conversation Opened (Get Started Event) Conversation Opened (Click-to-Chat) | | Snooze | User Snoozed the Contact Contact Unsnoozed | | Broadcasts | Broadcast Sent | | Workflows | Automation Workflow Started Automation Workflow Ended | | Bot Status Update | Bot Status Off Bot Status Off by Bot Bot Status Off by Automation Workflow Bot Status On Bot Status On by Bot Bot Status On by Automation Workflow | | Channel | Event coming from Channel | | Page Change | Event when a visitor navigates to a different page (Web Chat) | | Contact | Contact Merged Contact Unmerged New Channel Added Contact Blocked Contact Unblocked | ##### Conversation Events with Reference It is possible to trigger an event with a reference on supported Channels (Facebook, WhatsApp). References include tracking different links placed in different Channels or tying a Channel user to a session or account in an external app. A Conversation Opened or a Channel event can be triggered with a reference and the reference code will be stored with the event. For events that contain URLs as sources, the URL will also be stored and shown in the Inbox module. > Events will belong to a conversation if they are triggered during an open conversation. #### Sending Messages Refer to this [quick guide](https://respondio.helpdocs.io/quick-start/responding-to-messages) on how to send messages to your Contacts. > **Important**: - Some messaging channels have a limited messaging window. Be sure to plan your replies ahead of time to ensure your message is delivered. Refer to the [overview page of the respective channel](https://respond.io/help/channels) to learn more about the channel's messaging window. - You cannot send any messages to Contacts that have been blocked. The [messaging console](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview#messaging_console) will be disabled for blocked Contacts. > You can use [AI Prompts](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-prompts) to help enhance your messages before sending them to customers. > Use [shortcuts](https://respond.io/help/quick-start/responding-to-messages#useful_tips) in the messaging console to quickly access emojis, snippets and variables. #### Receiving Messages New messages will appear in the contact list of the Inbox module. New Contacts will be unassigned by default. ##### Typing Indicators **For Contacts:** When a human agent or AI Agent begins typing, a typing indicator is shown to the Contact. This reassures them that a reply is on the way and encourages them to stay engaged in the conversation. - Supported Channels (for Contacts):WhatsAppTikTok MessagingTelegram - WhatsApp - TikTok Messaging - Telegram **For Users (agent-to-agent):** Agents can also see when human agents or AI Agents are typing a reply to the same Contact. This feature is available across **all channels**, helping teams avoid duplicate responses and ensuring that effort is directed toward Contacts who still need attention. #### Link Previews The Link Preview feature involves displaying link previews in messages, enabling users to remove these previews from the message console. > Link Previews are available for the following Channels: All WhatsApp Channels (except Vonage), Instagram, Telegram and LINE. ##### Link Preview Content The Link Preview content includes image, title, description, and the website link associated with the URL. ##### Remove Link Preview in the Messaging Console You can remove link previews from the messaging console when entering a URL. To remove a link preview, click on the "remove" button. ##### Link Preview Behavior **Incoming Message** - Link previews will be displayed for incoming messages that contain URLs. **Outgoing Message** - If you sent a message with a link preview, the Contact will receive the message along with the link preview, provided the Channel supports it. - If you have removed the link preview, it should not be displayed in the messaging console. - The Contact will receive the message without the preview if it was removed by the sender. > Only one link preview will be shown per message. When multiple URL links are present in a message, the preview of the first URL will be displayed. #### Channel Switcher Connect with Contacts across multiple Channels. Use the Channel switcher in the messaging console to switch between Channels to maintain your interactions with Contacts. ##### Unsupported Messages & Custom Payload Messages that are not supported will have a fallback display with Unsupported Message or Custom Payload text and Type (if available). Click **Show More** to view the JSON payload of this message. Examples of Unsupported Messages are: - Contacts - Ads Events - Line Flex Message - Instagram Profile - Instagram Avatar - Telegram Poll #### Email Channel Composer > This composer only applies to emails and will not be shown if you switch to other channels. For email channels, we provide additional functionalities in the message console to assist you in properly formatting and sending messages to your Contacts. These include: - Rich Text Editor: You can utilize the rich text editor in the messaging console to format your message by making text bold, underlining it, embedding links, adjusting alignment, changing color, and more. - Subject: In the message console, you can view the subject of each email you send via email channels. Additionally, when composing a new outgoing email in the messaging console, you have the ability to specify the subject. Please note that a subject is required for new outgoing emails, but you can receive and reply to emails from your contacts that do not contain a subject. - CC and BCC: Similar to regular email functionality, you can add additional email addresses to the CC and BCC fields when composing your outgoing email in the messaging console. Note that if the emails that are copied are contacts on the platform, it will not start a new conversation for them. - Reply: In addition, you have the ability to reply to specific emails that you have previously sent out. To do this, navigate to the specific message in the messaging console and click on the reply icon to initiate your reply to the email. > If you edit the subject of the message you are replying to, it becomes a new email. - Conversation History: Customers can see their conversation history when they click on the email open icon on the message called “Show email content”. Note that the history only shows for emails coming from your Contacts. ### Adding Internal Comments The **Comments** feature allows your team to collaborate seamlessly by exchanging internal notes directly within a conversation. Comments are visible only to workspace users and remain hidden from contacts. Use them to: - Share insights and observations - Request feedback from teammates - Leave instructions or notes before handing over a conversation #### How to Add a Comment 1. Open a ConversationNavigate to the contact you want to collaborate on and open their conversation in the Inbox Module. 2. Click “Add Comment”This opens the internal comment composer, where you can start typing your note. 3\. **Mention Team Members** Type @ followed by their name to tag specific users in your comment. #### **Use AI to Summarize the Conversation** Instead of writing a summary manually, save time by letting **AI** do this for you. 1. Click the “Summarize” ButtonYou’ll see this in the comment composer toolbar. We use AI to scan the previous messages in the current conversation and generate a concise, bullet-point summary.Using AI can summarize up to 100 messages from the latest open conversation. 2\. **Edit the Summary (Optional)** The summary will be appended to your comment. You can refine the content before posting it—especially useful for handovers or status updates. #### **Enhance Your Message with AI Prompts** Need help phrasing your comment? Click the **AI Prompt** icon in the comment composer to generate suggestions based on your intent. This works similarly to the AI Prompts feature in the message composer and supports both default and custom prompts. ### Conversation Actions #### Contact Assignment and Closing a Conversation Assigning a Contact and closing a conversation work in tandem to help your team stay organized when dealing with an influx of conversations. Assign Contacts to specific agents and archive resolved conversations by closing them. Contact Assignment and Closing a Conversation are designed to work together to reduce the workload of the agent and manager. There are a few key actions that happen automatically to achieve this: - Anytime the platform receives a new message from a Contact with no open conversation, a new conversation will be opened for this Contact. - Any Agent who responds to an unassigned Contact will automatically assign the Contact to themselves. - The Agent will remain assigned to the Contact after the conversation is closed. Refer [here](https://respond.io/help/messages/assignment-and-closing-a-conversation) for more information. #### Snoozing a Contact A Contact can be **snoozed** to temporarily exclude them from the Contact List until a specified time, at which point they automatically reappear. This helps you set quick reminders for follow-ups. 1. Select the Contact in the Conversation List. 2. Select the Snooze icon or use the quick actions menu. 3. Choose a Snooze duration from the dropdown. Once the selected Snooze time ends, the Contact will **reappear in your conversation list** with the status changed back to its previous state. Whether a snoozed Contact is hidden or remains visible in the conversation list depends on the filter you are using: - Open or Closed: Snoozed Contacts will be temporarily hidden until the snooze time ends. - All or Snoozed: Snoozed Contacts will still appear. You cannot snooze Contacts that have been **blocked**; the Snooze icon is unavailable in those cases. > When you snooze a Contact, they will not appear in the **Mine** list until the specified time. > You cannot snooze Contacts that have been blocked. The alarm icon will not be available for blocked Contacts. **Unsnoozing a Contact** To **unsnooze** a Contact early, click the **Unsnooze** icon or select “Unsnooze” from quick actions. The Contact immediately reappears in your **Mine** (or appropriate) list. Their conversation status reverts to what it was before snoozing. You will also be notified when the Contact is unsnoozed. Here’s how: - Reminder Line Item: When a Contact is snoozed, a line displays at the top of the messaging console. It disappears once the contact is unsnoozed. - Hover Callout: Hover over the Snooze icon to see the exact unsnooze timestamp. - Push Notification: When the Snooze ends, a push notification is sent to the assigned agent(s) according to the workspace notification settings. - Notification Center: A corresponding entry appears in the notification center with the ⏰ icon and text prompting you to open the conversation. #### Blocking a Contact If your Contact is sending you spam messages, you can block the Contact by clicking the action menu icon at the top right of the Inbox module > **Block Contact** > **Block**. After blocking a Contact, you will no longer receive messages from them, nor will you be able to send messages to them. > Refer to this [guide](https://respond.io/help/automate-conversations/managing-spam) to learn more on how to block Contacts and understand the implications of blocking them. #### Unblocking a Contact If a Contact has been mistakenly blocked, you can reverse the action via the same action menu icon. Once a blocked Contact is unblocked: - the conversation is moved back to the All or other inboxes depending on the conversation filters applied. - the conversation will remain closed. - the messaging console will be enabled and you may start sending and receiving messages from the Contact. - the Contact is moved to All or other Segments depending on the filters. #### Shortcuts Use the Shortcut icon to trigger workflows for a Contact. - View and search the available shortcuts for the Contact - You can trigger the shortcuts to start the Workflow for the Contact #### Ongoing Workflows View and select Workflows with the ongoing Workflows icon. - View and search the ongoing Workflows for the Contact - Choose and stop a Workflow for the Contact - Stop all workflows for the Contact ### Vertical Sidebar In the rightmost column of the Inbox module, you can access the Contact Drawer of a selected Contact by clicking on any tabs in the vertical sidebar. The vertical sidebar has 2 tabs: - Contact Details - Activities - Call activities tab in Contact drawer - HubSpot properties - Salesforce fields #### Contact Details In this tab, you can access key information about the selected Contact such as their phone number, email, country and language. This information can be updated when necessary. You can also view any merge suggestions if duplicate Contact information is found, along with the list of Channels connected to the Workspace. Read more about **Contact Details** [here](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contact-details). ##### Merge Suggestions The merge suggestions card displays when potential duplicate Contacts are detected, listing all Contacts with the same phone number or email address as the selected Contact. Read more about **Merge Suggestions** [here](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contact-details#merge_suggestions). ##### Channels In this tab, you can find a list of channels connected to the Workspace with different indications. Read more about **Channels** [here](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contact-details#contact_channels). #### Activities In this tab, you can find all the internal comments and conversation events related to the selected Contact. Read more about **Activities** [here](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contact-activity). #### Call activities tab in Contact drawer You can now access all call-related activities for a Contact in a dedicated Calls activities tab within the Contact drawer. This helps you easily view missed calls, ongoing calls, declined requests, and more, all in one place. - Clicking the icon toggles the tab open and closed. - Activities are grouped by date for easy browsing. ##### Viewing Call Activities When a Contact has call-related history, a list of activity cards appears in the Calls tab. These activities are grouped by date (same as the existing Activities tab). The following events are tracked: - Permission Request accepted / declined - Incoming & Outgoing Calls (Ongoing and Ended) - Missed Call / No Answer - Call Ended due to max duration ##### Call details If enabled in Workspace settings, you’ll also have access to additional call details such as recordings and transcripts. These are displayed alongside call activities but come with their own dedicated controls. **Call Recordings** - Playback directly within the call event card. - Download recordings for offline reference. **Call Transcripts** > Transcripts are available only if **Call Recording and Call Transcripts** are enabled in Workspace settings. - View transcripts inline. - Copy text for easy reuse. - Download full transcripts for documentation or compliance. > Ongoing calls will always appear at the top of the list. ##### HubSpot and Salesforce integrations If your Workspace is connected to HubSpot or Salesforce, you’ll see CRM information directly in the Contact Drawer. From here, users can view, manage, and edit supported fields—streamlining contact management without leaving the Inbox. Accessing HubSpot properties: Accessing Salesforce fields: > Learn more about [HubSpot](https://respond.io/help/integrations/hub-spot) and [Salesforce](https://respond.io/help/integrations/salesforce-integration) integrations. ## [Instagram Overview](https:/respond.io/help/instagram/instagram-overview) Get an overview of the Instagram channel and its capabilities. Instagram is a free, online photo-sharing application and social network platform that was acquired by Facebook in 2012. Learn how to [connect your Instagram Business Account to respond.io here](https://respond.io/help/instagram/instagram). Once connected, Instagram has several features to make it easier for your current and potential customers to reach your Instagram account or your inbox to send you a direct message. ### Pricing You can use Instagram for free. ### Capturing Conversation Instagram offers several ways to help customers find you on the app and initiate a chat: - Chat links: This is a shortened URL using the https://ig.me/m/username format that you can add to your website or in newsletters. When customers click the link, they will be directed to your Instagram inbox. - QR codes: A QR code can be placed in physical locations, such as hotels, restaurants or malls. When customers scan the code, they will be directed to your Instagram inbox. - Chat widget: An Instagram Widget can be added to your website to direct customers to your Instagram inbox. - Click to Instagram Direct Ads: These are Instagram ads that can be placed in various places on Facebook, Facebook Messenger and Instagram. When customers click the ad, they will be directed to your Instagram inbox. ### Channel Capabilities Learn more about the capabilities of Instagram: - Supported File Types - Message Status Availability - Messaging Window - Rate Limits #### Supported File Types The file type supported by Instagram and the maximum file size for the type is as follows: - Image (8 MB) - Video (25 MB) - Voice Message (25 MB) > Messages that are not supported will have a fallback display with Unsupported Message or Custom Payload text and Type (if available).  For any **unsupported file type** or files exceeding the maximum file size sent via Instagram, the file will automatically be converted into a URL link on the [respond.io](https://respond.io) platform. When you receive a **Custom Payload**, you can click *Show More* to view the JSON payload of the message. **Examples of unsupported messages** - Deleted messages - Instagram profiles - Instagram avatars - Live messages - Reels #### Message Status Availability The table outlines the availability of message statuses on Instagram. | Message Status | Availability | | --- | --- | | Sent | ✅ | | Delivered | ✅ | | Read | ✅ | | Failed | ✅ | #### Messaging Window Instagram doesn’t allow sending messages after 7 days since the last Contact reply. You can only reply once the Contact has sent you a message. Messages sent 24 hours after the Contact's last message will be tagged with the HUMAN\_AGENT tag. #### Rate Limits A rate limit is the number of API calls an app or user can make within a given time period defined by the channel. Learn more about the [rate limits for this channel here](https://developers.facebook.com/micro_site/url/?click_from_context_menu=true&country=MY&destination=https%3A%2F%2Fdevelopers.facebook.com%2Fdocs%2Fmessenger-platform%2Foverview%23rate-limiting&event_type=click&last_nav_impression_id=1PTL98UV9qetN5ywu&max_percent_page_viewed=80&max_viewport_height_px=688&max_viewport_width_px=1440&orig_http_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fdevelopers.facebook.com%2Fdocs%2Fmessenger-platform%2Finstagram%2Ffeatures%2Fprivate-replies%2F&orig_request_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fdevelopers.facebook.com%2Fajax%2Fdocs%2Fnav%2F%3Fpath1%3Dmessenger-platform%26path2%3Dinstagram%26path3%3Dfeatures%26path4%3Dprivate-replies®ion=apac&scrolled=true&session_id=1V2YJR9cXKzXnMyY1&site=developers). ### Channel Limitations #### Broadcasts Due to Instagram’s limitations, you cannot send a broadcast through this channel. #### Vanish Mode Instagram API does not support Vanish mode. If you wish to use Vanish mode, no messages will be received on the respond.io platform. ## [Instagram Quick Start](https:/respond.io/help/instagram/instagram) Connect an Instagram Business account to chat with customers. ### Getting an Instagram Business Account To set up an Instagram business account, you need to [create an Instagram account](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fhelp.instagram.com%2F155940534568753%3Fhelpref%3Dfaq_content%26fbclid%3DIwAR24Vfof43q1MRkIlYh2YGNp40myIEak-7vxERnrWr8HuL29o1j-kH5POhY&h=AT3r7PdswaQP1BQJpjL09qJl5gXb2-Syy7kHcvhGy260FHugKCwqRaKzVdJ-faDDxmeVQpMfBSZVS4TFGbrTURdmDhQZJPXFc0rbXqGyqgh6-s-aFJRQsFR4ERgiau4J5maosGqY3ss) or use an existing Instagram account. ### Preparing Instagram for Connection **Step 1:** Switch to Professional > Follow this [guide](https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/502981923235522) to switch your Instagram account to a Business account. **Step 2:** Allow Access to Messages > Follow this [guide](https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/791161338412168) to **Allow Access to Messages**. ### Connecting an Instagram Business Account To chat with your customers over Instagram, connect respond.io to an Instagram Business account. **Step 1**: Go to **Settings** > **Channels** **Step 2**: Click **Add Channel** > **Instagram** > **Connect** **Step 3:** Click **Connect With Instagram** **Step 4:** Sign in using your business' Instagram account **Step 5:** An authorization request dialog will appear, click **Allow** > Once the Channel is connected, [scan the QR code](https://respond.io/help/instagram/instagram#channel_configuration) to send a test message and make sure everything is working properly. ### Channel Configuration The **Instagram Configuration page** allows you to change your Instagram Channel Name and is also where you can get your Chat Link. **Step 1:** Click **Settings** > **Channels** **Step 2:** Locate the Instagram Channel **\> Manage** **Step 3:** In the **Instagram Configuration page** you will see the following configurations: - Chat Link - A click-to-chat link is a shortened URL that directs customers to start or continue a conversation with your Instagram account. You can share this link to refer customers to a new or existing thread, based on whether the user has previously messaged your Instagram account. You can also generate a QR code to share the chat link to your Contacts. > [Here's how to create your Instagram Chat Link.](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/instagram/features/ig-me-links/) - Channel Name - The Channel Name can be changed and is used internally to identify the Channel. **Step 4:** Click **Save Changes** ## [Instagram: Auto Private Replies](https:/respond.io/help/instagram/instagram-auto-private-replies) Learn how to automatically send private messages to users who comment on your Instagram posts, reels, ads, or live stories. Auto Private Replies for Instagram allow you to automatically send private messages to users who comment on your Instagram content. Whether it’s a post, reel, ad, or live story, this feature helps you proactively engage potential customers and streamline lead conversion. ### What are Auto Private Replies? Auto Private Replies are automated Instagram Direct messages triggered when someone comments on your: - Posts - Reels - Ads (that appear on Instagram) - Live stories (only during the live session) These replies can be configured to send across all content or only on specific posts/reels. > **Note**: A Contact will only be created in respond.io after the user replies to your private message. ### Getting Here 1. Go to Settings > Channels 2. Select your Instagram Business Account 3. Click on the Private Replies tab ### Configuring Auto Private Replies Once you’ve opened the **Private Replies** tab in your Instagram Channel settings, choose how you’d like to configure your automatic replies. > This reply will be delivered in the person’s **Inbox** folder if they follow your Instagram Professional account, or in their **Message Request** folder if they do not follow your account. #### All Posts, Reels, and Live Stories Send the same reply to every comment across your Instagram content. 1. Select the option “All posts, reels, and live stories” 2. Enter your message in the Autoreply message text boxExample: “Hi $contact.firstname! Thanks for your comment. Let us know how we can help.” 3. Click Save. This reply will be automatically sent to all new comments. > **Tip:** You can use Contact variables like `$contact.firstname` and `$contact.name.` #### Specific Posts and Reels Set up unique replies for selected Instagram content. 1. Select the option “Specific posts and reels” to customize replies for each item. 2. Click + Add post. A dialog will open to configure your reply for a specific post or reel 3. Select a post or reel from your published content in the dropdown. Posts and reels are labeled. 4. Enter your message in the Autoreply message text boxExample: “Hi $contact.firstname! Thanks for your comment. Let us know how we can help.” 5. Click Add. The configured item will appear in a list below. 6. View on Instagram or click Edit next to any item to modify its message. (Optional) ### Limitations | Limitation | Details | | --- | --- | | One-time Message | Only one private message can be sent per comment. | | Message Window | Replies must be sent within 7 days of the comment. | | Live Stories | Replies only work while live, not after. | | IGTV Comments | Not supported. | | Contact Creation | User must reply to your message to become a Contact on respond.io. | | Contact Variables | Supports: $contact.name, $contact.firstname. | ## [Install Website Chat Widget on Joomla](https:/respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/install-on-joomla) Learn how to install a web chat widget on your Joomla website. Adding a web chat widget on your Joomla website is a quick and easy process. It does not require any coding skills or technical knowledge. ### Setting Up for Installation In order to install a web chat widget on Joomla, you will need the following: - Access to your Joomla admin panel. - A code snippet for your web chat widget. If you don't have a code snippet already, you will generate one when creating a respond.io [Website Chat Widget](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview) or using the [Facebook Chat Plugin](https://respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/facebook-chat-plugin) for [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview). > If you have the channels already connected on the respond.io platform and you need to retrieve the generated code snippet, follow the [instructions here](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview#finding_the_website_chat_widget_code_after_connecting_the_channel). ### Installing on Joomla **Step 1: Log in to Joomla** Log in to your Joomla admin panel and click on "**System**" on the navigation bar. **Step 2: Find the current site template** Navigate to the Template section. Click on the site template and select the current template. **Step 3: Paste the Script** Copy your plugin script from the respond.io platform. On the left panel of the Template Page, click the **index.php** section and paste the chat plugin script before `` tag. Once you have pasted the script into the appropriate section, press the **Save** button. **Done!** Open the website and check out the chat plugin. You will find it in the bottom-right corner. Now your website visitors can chat effortlessly with you. If you used the code snippets generated from the respond.io platform, you will be able to manage the conversations and update the appearance of the widget from the Platform. > The chat widget is now active on your website! ## [Install Website Chat Widget on Shopify](https:/respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/install-on-shopify) Learn how to install a web chat widget on your Shopify store. Adding a web chat widget to your Shopify store is a quick and easy process. It does not require any coding skills or technical knowledge. ### Setting Up for Installation In order to install a web chat widget on Shopify, you will need the following: - Access to your Shopify account. - A code snippet for your web chat widget. If you don't have a code snippet already, you will generate one when creating a respond.io [Website Chat Widget](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview) or using the [Facebook Chat Plugin](https://respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/facebook-chat-plugin) for [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview). > If you have the channels already connected on the respond.io platform and you need to retrieve the generated code snippet, follow the [instructions here](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview#finding_the_website_chat_widget_code_after_connecting_the_channel). ### Installing on Shopify **Step 1: Log in to Shopify** Log in to your [Shopify account](https://accounts.shopify.com/store-login) and click on "Online Store" on the navigation bar. **Step 2: Click on Edit Code** Navigate to the Themes section. Here, click on the Actions dropdown menu and select the Edit Code option. **Step 3: Paste the Script** Copy your plugin script from the respond.io platform. On the left panel of the Edit Code Page, click the **Sections** folder to expand it. Press the **footer.liquid** section and paste the chat plugin script. Once you have pasted the script into the appropriate section, press the purple **Save** button on the top left. **Done!** Open the website and check out the chat plugin. You will find it in the bottom-right corner. Now your website visitors can chat effortlessly with you. If you used the code snippets generated from the respond.io platform, you will be able to manage the conversations and update the appearance of the widget from the Platform. > The chat widget is now active on your website. > **Note**: If you are using an external theme and the widget is not working, please try embedding the website code under the **theme.liquid** section before **** ## [Install Website Chat Widget on Squarespace](https:/respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/install-on-squarespace) Learn how to install a web chat widget on your Squarespace website. Adding a web chat widget to your Squarespace website is a quick and easy process. It does not require any coding skills or technical knowledge. ### Setting Up for Installation In order to install a web chat widget on Squarespace, you will need the following: - Access to your Squarespace account. - A code snippet for your web chat widget. If you don't have a code snippet already, you will generate one when creating a respond.io [Website Chat Widget](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview) or using the [Facebook Chat Plugin](https://respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/facebook-chat-plugin) for [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview). > If you have the channels already connected on the respond.io platform and you need to retrieve the generated code snippet, follow the [instructions here](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview#finding_the_website_chat_widget_code_after_connecting_the_channel). ### Installing on Squarespace **Step 1: Log in to Squarespace** Log in to your [Squarespace account](https://login.squarespace.com/). Under the Websites tab, select the website to which you want to add the plugin. **Step 2: Open settings** From the left navigation panel, select **Settings**. **Step 3: Open Advanced Settings** From there, navigate to the **Website** section and click on **Advanced**. **Step 4: Open the Code Injection Console** From the advanced settings menu, select **Code Injection**. **Step 5: Paste the Script** Copy your plugin script from respond.io and paste the script into the **Footer** section. Once you have pasted the code, press **Save** on the top left. **Done!** Open the website and check out the chat plugin. You will find it in the bottom-right corner. Now your website visitors can chat effortlessly with you. If you used the code snippets generated from the respond.io platform, you will be able to manage the conversations and update the appearance of the widget from the Platform. > The chat widget is now active on your website! ## [Install Website Chat Widget on Wix](https:/respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/install-on-wix) Learn how to install a web chat widget on your Wix website. Adding a web chat widget to your Wix website is a quick and easy process. It does not require any coding skills or technical knowledge. In order to install a web chat widget on Wix, you will need the following: - Access to your Wix account. - A code snippet for your web chat widget. If you don't have a code snippet already, you will generate one when creating a respond.io [Website Chat Widget](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview) or using the [Facebook Chat Plugin](https://respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/facebook-chat-plugin) for [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview). > If you have the channels already connected on the respond.io platform and you need to retrieve the generated code snippet, follow the [instructions here](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview#finding_the_website_chat_widget_code_after_connecting_the_channel). ### Installing on Wix **Step 1:** Sign in to your [Wix Account](https://users.wix.com/signin). **Step 2:** Navigate to Settings > Advanced Settings > Tracking & Analytics > + New Tool > Custom. **Step 3:** Add the code snippet generated from the respond.io platform to the paste the code snippet here field. **Step 4:** Complete the form as required and click **Apply** to save the changes. > If you have multiple domains, an additional option Select the relevant domain, will appear in the Custom Code Form. > The chat widget is now active on your website! ## [Install Website Chat Widget on WordPress](https:/respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/install-on-wordpress) Learn how to install a web chat widget on your WordPress website. Adding a web chat widget to your WordPress website is a quick and easy process. It does not require any coding skills or technical knowledge. ### Setting Up for Installation In order to install a web chat widget on WordPress, you will need the following: - Access to your website's WordPress Dashboard. - A code snippet for your web chat widget. If you don't have a code snippet already, you will generate one when creating a respond.io [Website Chat Widget](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview) or using the [Facebook Chat Plugin](https://respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/facebook-chat-plugin) for [Facebook Messenger](https://respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/facebook-messenger-overview). > If you have the channels already connected on the respond.io platform and you need to retrieve the generated code snippet, follow the [instructions here](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview#finding_the_website_chat_widget_code_after_connecting_the_channel). For successful installation, ensure your website domain is filled in. There are two ways to go about this. Go to respond.io **Settings** > select **Channels** > select your website chat channel > click configure > add website domain.  Go to respond.io settings > select **Growth Widgets** > click on the widget you want to add to your website > in the **General** toggle, add your website domain to the **Website Domains** field. ### Installing on WordPress **Step 1: Log in to WordPress** Navigate to your website’s WordPress Admin Dashboard and log in. **Step 2: Navigate to the Plugins Page** From the left navigation panel, click on **Plugins**. On the Plugins Page, press the blue **Add New** button on the top of the page. **Step 3: Add New Plugin** Using the search bar, search for the **WPCode** plugin. You will see many options on the search result page that you can use, but we will be using the "Insert Header and Footers" plugin by WPCode for this tutorial. Press the **Install Now** button and make sure you activate the plugin to make use of it. **Step 4: Open Headers and Footer Console** From the left navigation menu, click on Code Snippets and select **Header & Footer** from the submenu. **Step 5: Add the Live Chat Script** Copy your plugin script from respond.io and paste it into the **Script in Footer** section of the Header and Footer console page. Once you have pasted the script, click on the blue "**Save**" button at the bottom of the page. **Done!** Open the website and check out the chat plugin. You will find it in the bottom-right corner. Now your website visitors can chat effortlessly with you. If you used the code snippets generated from the respond.io platform, you will be able to manage the conversations and update the appearance of the widget from the platform. > The chat widget is now active on your website! ### Identify Logged-in Users > This section is only applicable if your website has a user login feature. **Step 1: Log in to WordPress account** Navigate to your website's WordPress Admin Dashboard and log in. **Step 2: Open the Theme Header Files** From the left navigation menu, click on **Appearance** and select the **Theme File Editor**. Proceed to select the **Theme Header** file. **Step 3: Add the retrieved User ID and name code** Copy the sample code below and paste it into the Theme Header file. Once you have pasted the code, click on the **Update File** button at the bottom of the page. > The sample code below is to get the user ID, first name and last name from WordPress. Feel free to amend if you would like to get other contact fields. \` **Step 4: Open Headers and Footer Console** From the left navigation menu, click on **Settings** and select the **Header & Footer** plugin from the settings submenu. **Step 5: Add the Identify Logged-In User Script** Copy the sample code below and paste it into the **Script in Footer** section of the Header and Footer console page. Note that, the **identify logged-in user script** must be placed above **Live Chat script**. > The sample code below is using the user Id as the identifier and passes along with the first name and last name. Feel free to amend if you would like to get other contact fields. Once you have pasted the script, click on the blue "**Save**" button at the bottom of the page. **Done!** Open the website and check out the chat plugin. The logged-in users of your WordPress can be identified. Once the identifier passed is matched with an existing contact, the current conversation will be resumed. ## [Installing respond.io Mobile App](https:/respond.io/help/mobile-app/installing-respondio-mobile-app) Learn how to download and install respond.io on your mobile. The respond.io mobile app is designed to let you receive instant notifications on new messages, quickly respond to customers’ inquiries and perform other tasks - all from your mobile devices so you can stay connected with your customers even without a desktop access. ### Downloading respond.io Mobile App Open your built-in phone camera and scan the following QR code: Alternatively, go to your [App Store (iOS)](https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955) or [Google Play Store (Android)](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io) and install the mobile app. **Minimum requirements (mobile phones/devices)** These are the minimum requirements required to install and run the mobile app on your mobile phone/device: - Android: 7 or above - iOS: 15.1 or above **Recommended specifications** While the mobile app will run on devices that meet the minimum requirements, we recommend the following specifications for optimal performance, stability, and speed: - RAM (iOS): 4GB or higher - RAM (Android): 6GB RAM or higher - Operating system: Latest available OS version ### Signing In to respond.io Account Once the download is completed, open and sign in to the app by providing your login and password. If your profile has Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) enabled, you are re-directed to a page where you must enter a 6-digit authentication code generated by your preferred authenticator app (Google Authenticator or Authy) to log in to your profile. If you are using Single Sign-On (SSO), then your account’s Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) will be bypassed. It is recommended that you set up and use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on your SSO Identity Provider (IDP). > If you do not have a respond.io account, you need to first create one on your desktop. Learn more on how to [create an account](https://respond.io/help/quick-start/setting-up-an-account). #### Sign in with Magic Link Access the mobile app effortlessly with our magic link sign-in option, eliminating the need for a password. Open the app, select “Sign In with Magic Link” as your sign-in method, enter your associated email, request the link, and check your email for the unique magic link. Clicking on the link will grant you secure access to your account, all without the hassle of remembering a password. **Step 1:** In the mobile app login page, select “Sign In with Magic Link” as your sign in method **Step 2**: Enter your email address and click Send Magic Link **Step 3**: Check your email by clicking on the email provider link > If you did not receive an email, check your spam folder or click **resend link** to resend the magic link to your email. **Step 4:** Click the **Sign In** button in the email received ### What’s Next? Learn more about what you can do on the respond.io mobile app: - Messaging From Your Mobile - Managing Notifications On Your Mobile - Configuring Mobile App Settings ## [Integrations](https:/respond.io/help/workspace-settings/integrations) Learn about about connecting and managing all available integrations with respond.io. ### Getting Here > These settings are only accessible by Owners and Managers. These settings can be accessed from the **Settings** navigation menu under the Workspace Settings sub-menu item, **Integrations**. In these settings, you can: - Connect an integration - Edit an integration - Disconnect an integration ### Connecting an Integration **Step 1:** Go to **Workspace Settings** > Select **Integrations**. **Step 2:** Find an integration that best works for your use cases and click **Connect**. > Learn more about the integrations we provide: [- Developer API](https://respond.io/help/integrations/developer-api) [\- Dialogflow](https://respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-overview) [- Zapier](https://respond.io/help/integrations/zapier) [\- Make](https://respondio.helpdocs.io/integrations/make-formerly-integromat) [\- Google Sheets](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-steps#step_add_google_sheets_row) **Step 3:** Different integrations will require a different connection method. Follow the respective on-screen instructions. ### Editing an Integration For each of the active integration, there is an option to edit the integration by clicking **Edit**. Be sure to update the correct credentials to avoid any connection failure and processing errors! ### Disconnecting an Integration When an integration is no longer needed, it can be removed by clicking **Disconnect**. > Be careful when you disconnect an integration. Make sure that nothing is dependent on the integration. ## [Interacting with AI Prompts](https:/respond.io/help/inbox/interacting-with-ai-prompts) Learn how to interact with AI Prompts and how to use it while messaging. In the Inbox module, compose your message in the messaging console. Select **AI Prompts** and choose which prompt you’d like to improve your message with. Click **send** once you’re happy with the changes. > To change the settings of AI Prompts, go to **Workspace Settings > AI Prompts.** #### Prompt Details Here is a list of prompts available to you for selection: | Prompt | Details | Prompt Options | | --- | --- | --- | | Change Tone | Select this prompt to set your response’s desired tone/attitude. Your response can be set to one of the following tones. | Professional: Select to give a formal and objective tone to your response. Friendly: Select to give a likable tone to your response. Empathetic: Select to give an understanding and considerate tone to your response. Straightforward: Select to give a “to-the-point” tone to your response. | | Translate | Select this prompt to translate your response from one language to another. When you enter a response and select this prompt, a list of languages displays for you to choose from. Your response is converted to the chosen language. | Multiple languages. For your convenience, languages used most recently are listed first. | | Fix Spelling & Grammar | Select this prompt to check and fix errors in your response, e.g., spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, incorrect/missing punctuations, etc. | - | | Simplify Language | Select this prompt to make the response easier to comprehend by making it concise and direct. | - | | Custom Settings | Up to 4 custom prompts are available for selection according to your need. You can learn more about managing these custom prompts here. | - | > If a selected prompt is not working, you have likely exceeded your plan’s usage limit. #### Adding internal comments with AI Prompts Use AI Prompts while adding internal comments to summarize key points, adjust tone, or clarify a message for your teammates. This is useful during collaboration or handovers. > You’ll find the AI Prompts icon directly within the **comment composer** #### Adding closing notes with AI Prompts When wrapping up a conversation, you can use AI Prompts to quickly refine or summarize your closing note content. ## [Inviting Your Teammates](https:/respond.io/help/quick-start/inviting-users) Invite teammates as Users to the platform to collaborate with them. ### **Step 1: Navigate to Users Settings** You can access the Users settings by navigating to Settings >Workspace Settings >Users. ### **Step 2: Add a User** Press ADD USER to add your teammate to the Workspace. You may invite your teammate using their email address and specify an appropriate access level for them. > Learn more about the [different Access Levels and their permissions here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/users#managing_user_roles_and_access). An email invitation will be sent to the newly-added User and they will be prompted to register if they do not have an account on respond.io. ### **Step 3: Group Users in Teams** When Users accept your invitation, you may create Teams to group your Users for better visibility. Learn more on [how to manage Teams here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/teams). ### What's Next? Let's move on to the next guide on how to respond to messages. - Responding to Messages ## [Legacy Pricing](https:/respond.io/help/article/85zbaxlypy-legacy-pricing) This article provides details on our **legacy pricing plans**, which may be useful if you’re still on one of these plans and need information that is no longer available on our updated pricing page. > These pricing details apply only to customers on our **legacy** **Team, Business, and Enterprise plans**. Upgrade to our [**latest pricing plans**](https://respond.io/pricing), which offer **more MAC tiers tailored to your use case,** along with additional features to better support your needs. ### Plans Overview #### **🏆** Team - Professional tools for small companies to market, sell & support on multiple channels - Monthly plan: $99/month | Annual plan: $79/month, $948 billed annually #### **🚀** Business - Multi-team workflows, advanced reporting & flexible integrations for mid-size companies - Monthly plan: $299/month | Annual plan: $249/month, $2,988 billed annually #### **🏢** Legacy Enterprise - Tailored solution design & implementation support for mid to large companies - Custom pricing > Upgrade to our [**latest pricing plans**](https://respond.io/pricing), which offer **more MAC tiers tailored to your use case**, along with additional features to better support your needs. ### Plans Feature Comparison | 🌟 Features | 🏆 Team | 🚀  Business | 🏢 Legacy Enterprise | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Users Included (Seats) | 10 | 25 | *Unlimited ✨ | | Monthly Active Contacts | 1,000 | 3,000 | Custom | | AI Credits | 2,000 | 5,000 | Custom | | All Core Features | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Advanced Reporting | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Google Sheets Step | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | HTTP Request Step | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Custom Channel | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Customized Limits | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | | *Unlimited Workflows | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | | *Unlimited Broadcast Messages | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | | Data Export | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Single Sign-On (SSO) | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | | Mask Phone Number & Email Address | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | > A Monthly Active Contact is anyone you interacted with through calls or messages during the billing month. ### Feature Comparison ~*\*Subject to fair use policy*~ #### Channels | WhatsApp Business Platform | From $0.006 per conversation, varies by country. First 1000 service conversations free monthly. Calculate your fees | | --- | --- | | Vonage SMS | From $0.0706 per message sent, varies by country. | | Twilio SMS | From $0.0079 per message sent, varies by country. | | MessageBird SMS | From $0.043 per message sent, varies by country. | | Channels | 🏆 Team | 🚀  Business | 🏢 Legacy Enterprise | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Facebook Page | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Instagram | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Website Chat Widget | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Google Business Messages | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | WeChat Official Account | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | LINE Official Account | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Viber Bot | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Telegram Bot | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Email | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Viber Business Messages | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Custom Channel | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | #### Voice Calling | Channel | 🏆 Team | 🚀  Business | 🏢 Legacy Enterprise | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | WhatsApp Business Calling API | Included during Beta | Included during Beta | Included during Beta | | Messenger Calls | Coming soon | Coming soon | Coming soon | | Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) | Coming soon | Coming soon | Coming soon | #### Inbox & Contacts | 🌟 Features | 🏆 Team | 🚀  Business | 🏢 Legacy Enterprise | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Total Contacts | *Unlimited | *Unlimited | *Unlimited | | Monthly Active Contacts | 1,000 | 3,000 | Custom | | AI Credits | 2,000 | 5,000 | Custom | | Users (Seats) | 10 | 25 | *Unlimited | | Team Inboxes | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Custom Inboxes | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Supervisor Dashboard | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Snippets (Canned Response) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Shortcuts | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Contact Import | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Contact Merging | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | File Manager | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | #### Workflows & Automation | 🌟 Features | 🏆 Team | 🚀  Business | 🏢 Legacy Enterprise | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Workflows | 5 | 20 | *Unlimited | | Sales Lead Distribution | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Support Routing & Assignment | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Shortcuts Trigger | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Incoming Webhook Trigger | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Webhook Events | ❌ | 2 | ✅ | | Google Sheets Step | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | HTTP Request Step | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | #### Broadcast & Marketing | 🌟 Features | 🏆 Team | 🚀  Business | 🏢 Legacy Enterprise | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Broadcast Messages | 25,000 | 200,000 | *Unlimited | | Contact Management (CRM) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Channel Optimization | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Dynamic Variables | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Chat Menus | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Drip Campaigns | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | #### Support | 🌟 Features | 🏆 Team | 🚀  Business | 🏢 Legacy Enterprise | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 24/5 Chat Support | Standard | Priority | High Priority | | 30 Days Onboarding Program | Add-On | Add-On | Add-On | #### Reporting & Security | 🌟 Features | 🏆 Team | 🚀  Business | 🏢 Legacy Enterprise | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Workspaces | 1 | 3 | 10 | | Workspace Management | ❌ | ❌ | Add On | | Advanced Reporting | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Data Export | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | SLAs | ❌ | ❌ | Add On | | Single Sign-On (SSO) | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | | Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Mask Phone Number & Email Address | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | #### Integrations | 🌟 Features | 🏆 Team | 🚀  Business | 🏢 Legacy Enterprise | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Developer API | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Make.com | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Zapier | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Dialogflow | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | CRM Syncing | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ## [Lifecycle](https:/respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle) Learn how to track and manage Contacts throughout your sales process on our platform. The **Lifecycle** feature helps you track and manage Contacts throughout every stage of your sales process, from the first interaction to conversion. By organizing your Contacts into different **Lifecycle Stages**, your team can gain valuable insights into where each Contact is in their customer journey, making it easier to tailor communications, manage conversations, and ultimately, convert leads into customers. #### Setting up Lifecycle The **Lifecycle** feature is automatically enabled for new organizations when they sign up. You can start organizing your Contacts into Lifecycle Stages right away in the Inbox and Contacts modules. You can also enable Lifecycle manually by turning on the **“Show Lifecycle Stages”** toggle in the platform’s settings. This will make Lifecycle visible in the Inbox and Contacts modules. To do this, go to **Workspace settings** > **Lifecycle.** Watch how to set up Lifecycle for your organization: #### Getting Started **Lifecycle** is a flexible, customizable tool that allows you to define the stages of your sales process and easily move Contacts through these stages as they progress. When a new Contact sends a message, Lifecycle automatically assigns them to a default stage, ensuring that all your Contacts are organized right from the start. ##### Lifecycle Stages Lifecycle comes pre-configured with four primary stages and one Lost Stage to help you get started. Lifecycle Stages: - New Lead: The Contact has shown interest for the first time. - Hot Lead: The Contact is actively interested and ready to move forward. - Payment: The Contact is considering your offer and payment is in progress. - Customer: The Contact has made a purchase and is now a paying customer. **Lost Stages:** Lost Stages are designed to track Contacts who leave the sales process, offering insights into drop-off points. Lifecycle comes with one Lost Stage, which you can edit or remove like all other Stages: - Cold Lead: The Contact has stopped showing interest and is no longer responsive. You can also add more Lost Stages to suit your business and sales process. Some examples are: - Unqualified: Contact does not meet your business criteria (e.g., budget, needs). - No Response: Multiple follow-ups, but the Contact remains unresponsive. - Lost to Competitor: Contact chose a competitor’s product or service. > If you were using Lifecycle before the introduction of Lost Stages, the Cold Lead stage will remain in the main Lifecycle Stages column by default. To move it to Lost Stages, you’ll need to **manually recreate it** there and then delete it from Lifecycle Stages. ##### Setting a default Stage You can set a default stage to automatically categorize new Contacts as soon as they message you. For instance, you can set "New Lead" as your default Stage to categorize all initial Contacts. To set a default Stage: 1. Go to Workspace Settings > Lifecycle 2. Select the three-dot button > Select Set as default 3. Select Save ##### Creating a new Stage You can create, rename, and manage up to 20 stages in total, which can include both **Lifecycle Stages** and **Lost Stages**, allowing you to customize your sales process and track drop-offs effectively. **Creating new Stages:** 1. Go to Workspace Settings > Lifecycle 2. Select Add Stage 3. Give your Stage a name and description 4. Select Save > Rearrange Stages by dragging and dropping them to your desired position using the button on the left. **Creating Lost Stages:** 1. Go to Workspace Settings > Lifecycle 2. In the Lost Stages column, select Add Stage 3. Enter a name, description, and emoji for the stage 4. Select Save Lost Stages are not assigned to default inboxes but help you track drop-offs within your sales funnel. ##### Assigning Lifecycle Stages You can assign or update a contact’s Lifecycle stage from two places. **From the Inbox or Contacts module:** 1. Open the contact’s conversation or profile. 2. Select the Lifecycle stage 3. Choose the stage you want from the list. To remove the current stage, click **Clear selection** (only available if a stage is already set). ##### Automatically assign new contacts: You can set a default stage for all new contacts. 1. Go to Settings > Workspace Settings > Lifecycle. 2. Click the three-dot menu next to the stage you want to set as default. 3. Select Set as default. Now, any new contact (including those created from incoming messages) will be assigned this stage automatically. > 💡 Only one default stage can be active at a time. Setting a new one will replace the old one. ##### Deleting a Lifecycle Stage You can remove a stage from your Lifecycle settings at any time. If the stage has contacts assigned to it, you’ll be asked what to do with them. **To delete a stage:** 1. Go to Settings > Workspace Settings > Lifecycle. 2. Find the stage you want to delete. 3. Click the three-dot menu next to the stage name. 4. Select Delete. If the stage has contacts:You’ll see how many contacts are using that stage.You can choose to move them to a different stage by checking Assign Contact(s) to another Stage and picking a new stage from the dropdown. 5. You’ll see how many contacts are using that stage. 6. You can choose to move them to a different stage by checking Assign Contact(s) to another Stage and picking a new stage from the dropdown. 7. Click Delete to confirm. > ⚠️ You must keep at least one Lifecycle stage. If there’s only one left, you won’t be able to delete it. #### Using Lifecycle in the Inbox Module In the **Inbox module**, you can quickly assign and update stages for your Contacts. This includes both **Lifecycle Stages** and **Lost Stages**, allowing you to track progression in your sales process. For example, if a lead becomes unresponsive, you can move them to a Lost Stage such as Cold Lead. > You can create **custom inboxes** to filter and manage Lost Stages as needed, as they don’t appear as a default inbox. You can also filter conversations by stage, helping agents prioritize leads and focus on Contacts that are ready to move forward in the sales process. Each time a Lifecycle Stage is updated, it creates a Contact Event that logs when and by whom the change was made. This helps keep a record of every stage transition, offering transparency and clarity to your team. See how Lifecycle works in the Inbox module once it's turned on: #### Using Lifecycle in the Contacts Module You can also view and change Stages of individual Contacts in the Contacts module. To do this, select the Contact and the Lifecycle Stages will be displayed in the Contact details drawer. You can make changes to it as needed. Owners and managers can also segment and filter Contacts by their Lifecycle Stage or Lost Stage, enabling better tracking of drop-offs and opportunities for re-engagement. To filter, use the filter option to sort and view Contacts based on their current Lifecycle Stage. Using the filter option is a fast, efficient way to search and display Contacts based on their Lifecycle Stage or other criteria. You can also create Lifecycle segments to view and filter Contacts. Segments allow you to group and manage Contacts based on their stage, offering a convenient way to stay on top of your sales pipeline. Each time a Contact’s Lifecycle Stage is updated, it’s logged as an activity in the Contact’s Activities tab. This provides a clear record of every stage change, helping you track a Contact’s journey over time. #### Lifecycle Metrics in the Dashboard With Lifecycle metrics in the Dashboard, owners and managers can now view the distribution of Contacts across Lifecycle Stages at a glance. This includes real-time counts for each stage (excluding Lost Stages), such as the number of open, snoozed, or unassigned conversations for a given stage. To view Lifecycle metrics: 1. Navigate to the Dashboard. 2. Scroll to the Lifecycle section. 3. View the metrics cards for each Lifecycle Stage. ## [LINE Overview](https:/respond.io/help/line/line-overview) Get an overview of the LINE channel and its capabilities. LINE is a Japan-based, cross-platform popular messaging app and social media platform primarily used in Asian countries. The key features include Messaging, Stickers, a Timeline, Vice and Video calls, Games and Entertainment and Official accounts. To connect to a LINE channel a LINE Official Account is required. You can create a LINE Official Account [here](https://respond.io/help/channels/line#creating_the_line_official_account). If you already have a LINE Official account, proceed with [connecting your LINE Official Account to respond.io](https://respond.io/help/line/line). ### Pricing LINE Official Accounts are free to create. The free Communication plan has a messaging limit of 500. Paid plan accounts come in two tiers - Light and Standard. These accounts can exceed the paid plan message limit but will incur fees for each additional message sent. You can learn more about the plans [here.](https://respond.io/blog/line-business#toc-mobile-5) ### Capturing Conversation To start a conversation, LINE requires users to send you the first message. This is to prevent brands from spamming users. There are two ways to encourage users to initiate a chat: - Chat Links - QR Codes #### Chat Links You can use Chat links in texts, images, and buttons. These links can be shared in text messages, emails, websites or social media, enabling customers to quickly find your Official Account to chat with you on LINE. Learn how to create a LINE link [here](https://respond.io/blog/line-link#toc-mobile-6). > Limitation: The links do not work on the LINE desktop app. When users click the LINE links on their desktop, it will either open the official LINE website or pull up a page with a QR code which the Contacts can scan with the LINE app on their phone to initiate the conversation. #### QR Codes Use QR Codes in physical stores to encourage customers to scan on their mobile devices and initiate a chat with your business on LINE. Learn how to generate a QR Code [here](https://respond.io/blog/line-link#toc-mobile-6). ### Channel Capabilities The capabilities of LINE are listed below: - Supported File Types - Message Status Availability - Messaging Window - Broadcasts - Rate Limits #### Supported File Types The file types supported by LINE and the maximum file size for each file type are as follows: - Image: Up to 1 MB (with preview). For images exceeding 1 MB and up to 10 MB, the image will be converted into a link. - Audio (200 MB) - Video (200 MB) > Messages that are not supported will have a fallback display with Unsupported Message or Custom Payload text and Type (if available).  For any unsupported file type or file that exceeds the maximum file size sent via LINE, the file will automatically be turned into a URL link on the respond.io platform. For Custom Payload, you can click S\_how More\_ to view the JSON payload of this message. Examples of unsupported messages for LINE are:- Contact Cards- Flex messages #### Message Status Availability For the LINE messaging channel, the message status availability is shown in the table below: | Message Status | Availability | | --- | --- | | Sent | ✅ | | Delivered | ❌ | | Read | ❌ | | Failed | ❌ | #### Messaging Window LINE has no messaging window as long as you remain in a customer’s contact list. The Contact will not receive any message if they block you. However, if the Contact unblocks your account, you will receive a Welcome Event notification on the conversation history on the respond.io platform and the Contact will be able to receive your message again. However, LINE has certain messaging limits. These limits are in place to prevent spam and misuse of the platform. The messaging limit will be based on your [LINE subscription plan](https://respond.io/blog/line-business#toc-mobile-5). #### Broadcasts You can send broadcasts to LINE Contacts using the respond.io platform. LINE has no restrictions on broadcast message content. However, the available number of broadcast messages is limited to your [LINE subscription plan](https://respond.io/blog/line-business#toc-mobile-5) and [respond.io plan](https://respond.io/pricing?utm_source=google-ads&utm_campaign=18466766122&utm_content=141428885669&utm_term=respond.io%20pricing&creative=624935810553&device=c&placement=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwoK2mBhDzARIsADGbjeq40AqziP2vgzpNCmAIFvSIFvsv4rQTfUIeMN3GvtWbglw5GkQRzbkaAlSlEALw_wcB). Broadcast messages that exceed the monthly limit will [fail to send.](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/dealing-with-failed-broadcasts) > You won’t be able to import Contacts to the respond.io platform directly to broadcast the messages. You will need to build your Contact list by getting Contacts to send you the first message. [Read more](https://respond.io/help/line/line-overview#capturing_conversation) on how to get Contacts to start a conversation. #### Rate Limits A rate limit is the number of API calls an app or user can make within a given time period defined by the channel. Learn more about the [rate limits of this channel](https://developers.line.biz/en/reference/messaging-api/#rate-limits). ## [LINE Quick Start](https:/respond.io/help/line/line) Connect a LINE Official Account to chat with customers over LINE. > To connect LINE, a LINE Official Account is required. Read our [guide](https://respond.io/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-line-for-business/#8crh6) to create a LINE Official Account. LINE is a popular messaging app in Asia, with over 800 million users. This LINE Official Account integration lets you respond to messages directly from our platform. > If you do not have a LINE Official account, proceed with [Creating the LINE Official Account](https://respond.io/help/channels/line#creating_the_line_official_account). If you have a LINE Official account, proceed with [Configuring the LINE Official Account](https://respond.io/help/channels/line#configuring_the_line_official_account). ### Creating the LINE Official Account **Step 1**: Go to [this page](https://manager.line.biz/) and sign up for a LINE Official account **Step 2**: Click **Create LINE official account** and fill up the required information. ### Configuring the LINE Official Account Once you have your LINE Official Account ready, you may start configuring LINE Official Account. **Step 1**: Sign in to the [LINE Official Accounts Platform](https://manager.line.biz/account) using your LINE account credentials. **Step 2**: Go to **Settings** > Select **Messaging API** from the side navigation menu > Click **Enable Messaging API**. **Step 3:** Use your LINE account to link or register a Developer account. **Step 4:** Enter a Provider name or select an existing Provider. **Step 5:** Add the link to your business's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. This is optional, so you can skip it if you don't have this information. **Step 6:** Click **OK** to save changes. You will need the Channel info to connect your LINE Official accounts to the respond.io platform. **Step 7**: Navigate to Response Settings > enable **Webhooks**. Once you have configured your LINE Official account, you are ready to connect your LINE Official account to the respond.io platform. > **Important information:** If you have the **Chat** and **Webhooks** toggles turned on at the same time, messages sent from the Line Developers Console will not be reflected on the respond.io platform due to the channel's limitation. ### Connecting the LINE Official Account Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on How to Connect LINE to respond.io. > Before you move to this step, ensure you've made and set up a LINE Official account. In order to connect to a LINE Official account, you will need the following: - LINE Channel ID - LINE Channel Secret - LINE Channel Access - Webhook URL provided by respond.io platform **Step 1:** Go to **Settings > Channels** **Step 2:** Click **Add Channel > LINE > Connect** **Step 3**: Follow the instructions under **Configure Channel** > Tick the checkbox and click **Next** **Step 4**: Follow the instructions under **Get Channel Information** > **Next** **Step 5**: Under **Enable Webhooks**, set **Webhook URL** on the respond.io platform. Add the URL to LINE Official Accounts Platform and save it. **Step 6:** Click **Save Changes** to complete the setup. > Once you've completed the setup, any messages sent to your LINE Official Account will now be received in your Workspace. > Once the Channel is connected, [scan the QR code](https://respond.io/help/line/line#channel_configuration) to send a test message and make sure everything is working properly. ### Channel Configuration > LINE channel can be configured with a unique channel name. **Step 1:** Click **Settings** > **Channels** **Step 2:** Locate the LINE Channel > click **Manage** **Step 3:** In the **LINE Configuration page** you will see the following configurations: - Chat Link - A click-to-chat link is a shortened URL that directs customers to start or continue a conversation with your LINE account. You can share this link to refer customers to a new or existing thread, based on whether the user has previously messaged your LINE account. You can also generate a QR code to share the chat link to your Contacts. - Channel Name - The Channel Name can be changed and is used internally to identify the Channel. - Channel Secret - Channel access tokens as a means of authentication for Channels. **Step 4**: Click **Save Changes** to update the Channel configuration > Ensure the details are correct for messages to be received successfully in your LINE account. > For the other details, take extra note while updating as it might fail to receive messages from your LINE Official Account. ## [Make](https:/respond.io/help/integrations/make) Learn how to integrate respond.io with Make. Connect respond.io to Make and unlock the possibilities through thousands of integrations. You can integrate your Contact information from the respond.io platform to thousands of CRMs, email providers, CMS, analytics tools, ads, and more. Let's have a quick look at this integration. ### Getting Started In order to get started with the respond.io - Make integration, you will need the following: - A respond.io account - A Make account For most scenarios (same as Zaps in Zapier), you’ll need to use a contact identifier, either email or phone number. If you don't have a record of a Contact’s email or phone number in respond.io, you may not be able to complete a scenario. ### Creating Scenarios There are two ways you can create scenarios: - Create a scenario from a template - Create a scenario from scratch #### Create a Scenario from Template Templates are predefined scenarios that you can expand and customize to create scenarios. We have created some templates connecting respond.io to some popular CRM and e-commerce platforms. You can then share these with friends and colleagues. To use a scenario template, follow these steps: **Step 1:** Log in to respond.io > go to the **Settings** module > click **Integrations**. **Step 2:** Click **Edit** next to the **Make** option > select a template from the list. #### Create a Scenario from Scratch To create a scenario from scratch, follow these steps: **Step 1:** From your Make account, click **Scenario** on the left menu > click **\+ Create a new scenario**. **Step 2:** Our integration with Make requires the usage of 3 modules: **Triggers**, **Actions** and **Searches**. > A major difference between Make and Zapier is that the **Actions** module in Make can also be used at the beginning of a scenario. This means the whole scenario can run without a trigger. A scenario can also have an unlimited number of **Actions** or **Searches** modules. Learn more about the modules [here](https://www.make.com/en/help/modules/types-of-modules?utm_source=respond-io&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=respond-io-partner-program). 1. Choose your trigger or action app: The scenario will be triggered by an event that occurs or has occurred in this app.If you’re using respond.io as the trigger, click on the big plus sign > search respond.io in the search bar > select the Respond.io app. Available triggers:Watch Contact Assignee UpdatedWatch Contact Lifecycle UpdatedWatch Contact Tag UpdatedWatch Contact UpdatedWatch Conversation ClosedWatch Conversation OpenedWatch New CommentWatch New ContactWatch New Incoming MessageWatch New Outgoing Message 2. Watch Contact Assignee Updated 3. Watch Contact Lifecycle Updated 4. Watch Contact Tag Updated 5. Watch Contact Updated 6. Watch Conversation Closed 7. Watch Conversation Opened 8. Watch New Comment 9. Watch New Contact 10. Watch New Incoming Message 11. Watch New Outgoing Message 12. Select your event: This will be the event that occurs or has occurred in the selected app that triggers the scenario.View the full list of trigger events available for respond.io here. 13. Select or connect your app account: Select or connect the specific app account to use in the Scenario trigger or action.To connect respond.io in Make, follow the instructions here. 14. Set up and test your trigger: Set up the options to fit your needs and test your trigger to see if it pulls in the right data.Learn more about setting up your scenario trigger or action here. **Step 3:** Follow these steps to add and set up an **Actions** module: 1. Choose your action app: The scenario will perform an action in this app when it is triggered. To use respond.io for the action, click + add another module > search respond.io in the search bar > select the Respond.io app. Available actions:Add Space TagAdd a CommentAdd a Tag to a ContactAssign or Unassign a ConversationContact LifecycleCreate a ContactCreate a Custom FieldCreate or Update a ContactDelete Space TagDelete a ContactGet a ContactGet a Custom FieldGet a MessageGet a UserMake an API CallOpen or Close a ConversationRemove Contact LifecycleRemove a TagSend MessageSend a Message (Legacy)Update Space TagUpdate a Contact 2. Add Space Tag 3. Add a Comment 4. Add a Tag to a Contact 5. Assign or Unassign a Conversation 6. Contact Lifecycle 7. Create a Contact 8. Create a Custom Field 9. Create or Update a Contact 10. Delete Space Tag 11. Delete a Contact 12. Get a Contact 13. Get a Custom Field 14. Get a Message 15. Get a User 16. Make an API Call 17. Open or Close a Conversation 18. Remove Contact Lifecycle 19. Remove a Tag 20. Send Message 21. Send a Message (Legacy) 22. Update Space Tag 23. Update a Contact 24. Select your event: This will be the event that the scenario will perform in the selected app when the trigger app sends data to the action app to proceed.View the full list of action events available for respond.io here. 25. Select or connect your app account: To connect respond.io to Make, follow the instructions here. 26. Set up and test your action module: Set up the data that you want to send over to your action app and test if it's working as expected.Learn more about setting up your scenario action here. **Step 4:** When your scenario is ready, you can do the following: 1. Schedule your scenario to run: Schedule the time interval in which a scenario should run by clicking Scheduling settings and making your desired changes.Note that only trigger modules that are instant triggers can run immediately. 2. Rename your scenario: If required, rename your scenario by clicking the scenario's name at the top left. 3. Activate your scenario: Exit the scenario editor by hitting the arrow icon at the top left > switch the toggle to ON. > Scenarios can have an unlimited amount of actions and the process is the same as adding a single new action. #### **Connect respond.io to Make** When connecting Respond.io app in Make for the first time, you are required to sign in and add an API Key. Follow the steps below: **Step 1:** Log in to the respond.io Workspace you wish to connect > go to the **Settings** module > click **Integrations** under **Workspace Settings** > click **Connect** next to **Make** option. You will be directed to the Make page in respond.io. **Step 2:** To copy the API Key, click the unhide icon > click the API Key. **Step 3:** On [Make](http://Make.com), click the **Respond.io** module > click **Add** in the **Connection** drop-down menu > paste the API Key in the **API Token** field > click **Save**. > If required, you can change the connection name. > You will only need to do this for your first scenario with respond.io. For all the following scenarios, you can simply choose your connected account from the drop-down menu in the scenario setup. However, if you create a new team, you have to connect your account again when setting up a scenario for the new team. ### Handling Failed Message Delivery When integrating respond.io with Make, one common issue you might face is the failed delivery of messages due to insufficient funds or other errors at the messaging channel level. **Setting Up Error Handling:** - Capture Delivery Failures: Utilize the "Get Message" module in your Make scenario to check if the message was successfully sent. This step will help in identifying messages that failed due to errors such as insufficient funds. - Error Feedback to Make: Adjust your scenario to ensure that any error received from the messaging channel is passed back to Make. This enables the automation platform to receive accurate feedback about the message delivery status. - Automated Retry Mechanism: Implement a mechanism within Make to retry sending failed messages automatically. This can be set up by adding conditional logic in the scenario where, if a message fails, it triggers a retry action after a specified delay. - Notification and Logging: Optionally, include a step to log these incidents or notify team members through a comment or tagging system within the platform, enabling visibility and manual intervention if required. **Best Practices:** - Enable Auto-Top-Up: To minimize the risk of message delivery failure due to insufficient funds, enable auto-top-up features for your messaging accounts. - Regular Monitoring: Set up regular checks or alerts for the status of your messaging fund balances and the performance of your message delivery scenarios. - Documentation and Support: Ensure that your team members are aware of these mechanisms and understand how to troubleshoot and adjust scenarios as needed. ## [Managing a Workspace](https:/respond.io/help/workspace-settings/managing-a-workspace) Get a general overview of available Workspace settings and how to use them. ### Getting Here > Workspace Settings are accessible by Owners and Managers only! This module can be accessed from the side navigation menu under the menu item, Settings > Workspace Settings. A Workspace is an independent sub-account within the Organization's account. Each Workspace has its own database, Users, Channels and settings, among others. This Module allows you to manage your Workspace Settings. From here, you can: - Configure the User Inactivity Timeout period - Connect the workspace to Messaging Channels and Integrations - Manage Users and Teams within the Workspace - Manage Contact Fields - Manage Snippets - Manage Files > Changes and edits are saved automatically. ### Understanding When to Use Multiple Workspaces or Organizations When managing a Workspace, it is important to understand whether your business needs multiple Workspaces within a single Organization or multiple Organizations. This decision depends on the degree of operational independence required: #### When to Use Multiple Workspaces in One Organization - Manage User access levels independently for different teams or departments. - Configure unique AI knowledge sources to suit specific use cases. This setup works best for teams or departments that share a subscription and broader organizational settings but need operational separation. #### When to Use Multiple Organizations - Manage subscriptions (e.g., Monthly Active Contacts and User seats) independently. - Set up separate billing for WhatsApp Business API (WABA) fees. - Fully segregate User access levels and security settings (e.g., Single Sign-On). - Create entirely independent AI knowledge sources. Multiple Organizations are ideal for businesses needing operational autonomy, such as franchises, subsidiaries, or distinct business units. ## [Managing AI Knowledge Sources](https:/respond.io/help/ai-agents/managing-ai-knowledge-sources) Learn how to add, manage, and optimize knowledge sources so your AI can deliver more accurate, reliable, and context-rich answers. AI knowledge sources help our AI features such as AI Agents and AI Assist respond accurately using your business content—FAQs, documentation, and help guides. This guide explains how to add, manage, and optimize knowledge sources for better agent performance. ### Supported file types and link formats You can add structured and unstructured content as knowledge sources. **Supported formats include:** - Documents: .pdf, .txt, .md, .csv, .docx, .pptx, .ppsx - Images: .jpeg, .png, .bmp, .webp, .tiff - Links: Public webpage URLs ### Adding knowledge sources Knowledge sources are the primary data used by AI Agents and AI Assist to generate helpful, context-aware responses. These are indexed automatically and typically ready to use within a few minutes. You can add or manage knowledge sources from these locations: 1. AI Agents > Manage knowledge sources 2. AI Agents > Select a template or start from scratch > Add knowledge sources 3. Workspace Settings > AI Assist > Manage knowledge sources From any of these locations, you can: 1. Upload filesDrag and drop multiple supported files: .pdf, .txt, .md, .csv, .docx, .pptx, .ppsx, and image formats (.jpeg, .png, .bmp, .webp, .tiff).You can upload up to 5 files at a time, with a maximum of 100 file-based knowledge sources per workspace.File size limits: 20MB per file. 2. Drag and drop multiple supported files: .pdf, .txt, .md, .csv, .docx, .pptx, .ppsx, and image formats (.jpeg, .png, .bmp, .webp, .tiff). 3. You can upload up to 5 files at a time, with a maximum of 100 file-based knowledge sources per workspace. 4. File size limits: 20MB per file. 5. Add website URLsPaste any public webpage URL in the Website URLs field.By default, the crawler goes 3 levels deep but can be adjusted up to 100 levels.You can add up to 5 additional URLs under one website knowledge source.Click Resync to refresh content or set an automatic sync schedule to keep it updated.You can upload up to 3 knowledge sources in parallel (files or website URLs) — no need to wait for one to finish before starting another. 6. Paste any public webpage URL in the Website URLs field. 7. By default, the crawler goes 3 levels deep but can be adjusted up to 100 levels. 8. You can add up to 5 additional URLs under one website knowledge source. 9. Click Resync to refresh content or set an automatic sync schedule to keep it updated.You can upload up to 3 knowledge sources in parallel (files or website URLs) — no need to wait for one to finish before starting another. 10. Monitor statusEach knowledge source displays a status:Completed – Ready to useIn Progress – Processing or indexingError – Needs fixing (e.g., file unreadable, crawl blocked)Partially Completed – Some content saved, but the processing hit a limit or timed out 11. Each knowledge source displays a status:Completed – Ready to useIn Progress – Processing or indexingError – Needs fixing (e.g., file unreadable, crawl blocked)Partially Completed – Some content saved, but the processing hit a limit or timed out 12. Completed – Ready to use 13. In Progress – Processing or indexing 14. Error – Needs fixing (e.g., file unreadable, crawl blocked) 15. Partially Completed – Some content saved, but the processing hit a limit or timed out > Learn more about using knowledge sources with AI Assist [here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-assist#adding-knowledge-sources). #### Advanced settings (for website knowledge sources) When adding or editing a website knowledge source, you can fine-tune crawling behavior in **Advanced Settings**: - Include URLs from sitemapThis is enabled by default. Use it if you’d like to crawl more URLs, including pages not linked from your added website URLs.You can also add a sitemap manually as a URL (e.g., https://example.com/sitemap.xml).Pages from sitemaps start at a crawl depth of 1, and large sitemaps may take longer to crawl. - This is enabled by default. Use it if you’d like to crawl more URLs, including pages not linked from your added website URLs. - You can also add a sitemap manually as a URL (e.g., https://example.com/sitemap.xml). - Pages from sitemaps start at a crawl depth of 1, and large sitemaps may take longer to crawl. - Additional URLs (optional): Add up to 5 more entry points. - Max crawling depthSet how many link levels to follow. For example, 0 means only the provided URL is crawled and 1 includes directly linked pages.Higher values allow deeper crawls. Crawl depth is set to 3 by default. - Set how many link levels to follow. For example, 0 means only the provided URL is crawled and 1 includes directly linked pages. - Higher values allow deeper crawls. Crawl depth is set to 3 by default. - Include URL globs (optional):Specify URL patterns for pages you want the crawler to include.This applies only to links found on pages — not the Website URLs you’ve entered. To ensure a specific page is crawled, add its URL directly under Website URLs. - Specify URL patterns for pages you want the crawler to include. - This applies only to links found on pages — not the Website URLs you’ve entered. To ensure a specific page is crawled, add its URL directly under Website URLs. - Exclude URL globs (optional):Use this to exclude certain URLs from being crawled.This applies only to links found on pages — not the Website URLs, which are always crawled. - Use this to exclude certain URLs from being crawled. - This applies only to links found on pages — not the Website URLs, which are always crawled. #### What are URL globs? A **glob** is a pattern you can use to tell the crawler which pages to include or skip, without listing every single URL one by one. - * (single asterisk) covers just one level of pages. - ** (double asterisk) covers all levels, including deeper subpages. #### Include globs **Correct examples:** - https://example.com/docs/* → Includes only pages directly under /docs/ (like /docs/page1), but not deeper paths. - https://example.com/help/** → Includes everything under /help/, including subfolders and nested pages (like /help/tutorials/page1). **Incorrect examples:** - https://example.com/*help* → Won’t work as intended. Single * only matches inside one path segment, not across folders. - example.com/** → Missing the https:// protocol, which the crawler may reject. #### Exclude globs **Correct examples:** - https://example.com/docs/* → Skips only the immediate pages under /docs/ (like /docs/page1), but won’t skip deeper ones. - https://example.com/archive/** → Skips everything under /archive/, including nested folders and subpages. **Other correct examples:** - https://example.com/**?foo=* → Skips any URL on example.com that contains the query parameter foo. **Incorrect examples:** - /*?foo=* → Too broad; could unintentionally skip pages across all domains. Always include your domain (e.g., https://example.com/**?foo=*). - https://example.com/ (without /**) → Excludes only the homepage, not subpages. ##### Why use globs? Globs are particularly useful when your website contains a mix of helpful and unhelpful pages for AI training. They give you more control to: - Save time: Instead of adding dozens of similar URLs one by one, include them all with a single pattern. - Reduce noise: Exclude irrelevant sections (e.g., marketing pages, blog archives, or login pages) so the AI focuses only on support-related content, for example. - Handle complex sites: For large help centers or multi-domain setups, globs ensure coverage of relevant sections without oversyncing unrelated material. - Prevent errors: By excluding problematic or irrelevant URLs (like staging environments or outdated archives), you reduce crawl failures and improve AI answer quality. ##### Tips for writing effective globs - Be specific but not too narrow: https://example.com/help/** is better than https://example.com/**, which might crawl too much irrelevant content. - Use exclude globs for cleanup: If your support pages contain mixed content, use exclude patterns (e.g., */promo/**) to filter out marketing material. - Avoid overlapping globs: Overlapping include and exclude rules can cause confusion. Always double-check patterns to ensure you’re not unintentionally skipping important pages. ### How AI Agents use knowledge sources When setting up an AI Agent—whether you’re starting from a template or building one from scratch—you can connect relevant knowledge sources right away. You can also manage them later by going to **AI Agents > Manage Knowledge Sources**. **Knowledge sources are used to:** - Answer product questions accurately - Provide help content in context - Avoid hallucinations or guesswork when AI Agents respond When creating or editing an AI Agent: - All available knowledge sources are listed for you to review. - You can enable or disable specific knowledge sources depending on the agent’s purpose. - Once enabled, the AI Agent will use the knowledge sources to inform its replies to Contacts. To improve accuracy and response quality: - Use topic-specific sources: Avoid lumping many topics into one file. - Limit noise: Remove branding footers, disclaimers, or unrelated info before upload. ### Managing existing knowledge sources You can update, replace, resync, or remove knowledge sources via the **AI Knowledge Sources** page. #### Edit a knowledge source For editing files, you can: - Rename your knowledge source - Replace the uploaded file (e.g., swap a PDF with a .txt version) For editing website URLs, you can: - Rename your knowledge source - Update your Website URL - Set or adjust resync schedules - Make further configurations in Advanced Settings If you update the website URL or make changes in Advanced Settings, you’ll need to resync the knowledge source again for the changes to take effect. #### Delete a knowledge source Remove unused or outdated files or URLs to stay within limits and keep your AI features updated with the most accurate information. - Click Actions > Delete - Deleted knowledge sources will no longer be used to generate replies #### View logs (for web URLs) Click **Actions > View Logs** to review the details of a website knowledge source crawl. The logs give you full visibility into what was captured: - Start and additional URLs – See the website URLs you entered along with any extra URLs added in Advanced Settings. - List of all crawled links – Every URL visited is shown. - Clickable links — Each crawled link opens in a new tab so you can view the crawled content directly. - Extracted content size – Check how much text was pulled from each page, displayed in KB or MB. This makes it easier to confirm that important pages were included, identify missing or irrelevant content, and troubleshoot any crawl issues. #### Resync website sources To refresh outdated web content: - Click Actions > Resync next to a website source - When you click Resync, the process starts immediately and an icon appears to show it’s in progress. You’ll be notified if the resync doesn’t finish fully, such as: - Hitting the character limit: the source will show as Partially Completed, and all content crawled up to the limit is saved - Timeout or connection errors: the crawl may stop early, with partial content preserved where possible > **Resync** is disabled when a knowledge source is actively syncing. ### Workspace limits for AI knowledge sources To keep things running smoothly, there are limits on how many knowledge sources you can add and how much content can be stored. Here’s a simple breakdown: - Total storage size: Up to 20MB per workspace - Number of files: Up to 100 file-based knowledge sources per workspace - Add/edit actions: Up to 50 changes per day (adding or editing sources) - Crawl depth: Website crawls go 3 levels deep by default, but you can increase this up to 100 levels - Extra website URLs: You can add up to 5 additional URLs per knowledge source If you hit any of these limits, syncing and adding new sources will pause until space is freed up or limits reset. ### FAQs and Troubleshooting ## [Managing Broadcasts](https:/respond.io/help/broadcasts-module/managing-broadcasts) Learn how to view, clone, cancel, delete and export a Broadcast. ### Viewing a Broadcast To view and filter your Broadcasts, use the statuses displayed on the left side. Additionally, you can choose your preferred view by selecting the tabs on the top right side. #### Table View View your broadcasts in a table by clicking on the **Table** tab. Click on a broadcast to pull up the Broadcast Details Drawer on the right for more information on the broadcast. #### Calendar View View your broadcasts in a calendar by clicking on the Calendar tab. Click on a broadcast to pull up the Broadcast Details Drawer on the right for more information on the broadcast. ### Adding a Broadcast You can create a broadcast and schedule for the broadcast message to be sent to your Contacts on a specific date and time. Refer [here](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast) to learn more on how to create broadcasts. ### Cloning a Broadcast You can create a broadcast similar to an existing one by cloning one (of any status). When a broadcast is cloned, the channel, target audience, content and broadcast time of the original broadcast are copied over to the new broadcast. The name of the new broadcast will also follow the name of the original broadcast and appended with `clone` at the end. You can still make necessary changes before scheduling it. There are two ways to clone a broadcast: - From the Actions menu - From the Broadcast Details Drawer ### Canceling a Broadcast Cancelation of a broadcast is possible only for scheduled broadcasts. Broadcasts in other statuses cannot be canceled. Once a broadcast is canceled, it will not be sent out on the scheduled date, it will be reverted to draft status. You may edit and schedule the broadcast again. A scheduled broadcast can be canceled by selecting **Cancel Broadcast** from the actions menu. > You cannot cancel a broadcast that is in the **In Progress** status. ### Deleting a Broadcast A broadcast can be deleted from your Workspace by selecting **Delete** from the actions menu. > You may only delete broadcasts in **Draft** status. Keep in mind that the deletion cannot be undone. ### Exporting Broadcasts > Only **Owners** and **Managers** with no such restriction can perform this action! To export the broadcasts shown in the view, select the export option from the actions menu at the top right corner. You may export all your broadcasts to a CSV file for reporting purposes. ## [Managing Notifications On Your Mobile](https:/respond.io/help/mobile-app/managing-notifications-on-your-mobile) Learn how to use the Notification Center tab on your respond.io mobile app. ### Getting Here On the mobile app, navigate to the **Notification Center** tab via the bell icon at the bottom screen. > If you have multiple Workspaces, you can check if you are at the correct Workspace from the [mobile app settings](https://respond.io/help/mobile-app/configuring-mobile-app-settings) prior to performing any action. ### Overview Notifications are displayed in the **Notification Center** when the following occurs: - Someone mentions you in a Comment. - Contact import you’ve initiated is completed. - Data export you’ve initiated is completed. - Any custom notification set up. You can also receive mobile push notifications on your mobile device when the following occurs: - You receive an incoming message. - A Contact is assigned to you. - Someone mentions you in a Comment. - Any custom notification set up. > To ensure the deliverability of the mobile push notifications, ensure that you have enabled and allowed notifications on your mobile device. The number on the bell icon indicates the number of unread notifications. Tap the bell icon to display the **Notification Center**. You can perform various actions from here, such as: - Filtering Notifications - Viewing Comments That You Have Been Mentioned - Archiving Notifications - Unarchiving Notifications #### Filtering Notifications Filter notifications by status: - New - This tab lists all unread and unarchived notifications. - Archived - This tab lists all archived notifications. - All - This tab lists all notifications regardless of archived or unarchived. #### Viewing Comments That You Have Been Mentioned Tap the notification to display the conversation with the comment that you’ve been mentioned. From here, you can continue messaging the Contact, view Contact’s details, etc. Learn more on how to use the [Messages tab on respond.io mobile app here](https://respond.io/help/mobile-app/messaging-from-your-mobile). #### Archiving Notifications There are 2 ways to do this: - To archive a new notification: In the New tab, swipe the notification to the right > tap Archive. - To archive all new notifications at once: In the New tab, tap Archive All > tap Archive All on the pop-up message. #### Unarchiving Notifications - In the Archived tab, swipe the notification to the right > tap Unarchive. ## [MessageBird SMS Quick Start](https:/respond.io/help/sms/messagebird-sms) Learn how to connect MessageBird SMS to chat with customers. > MessageBird previously offered account creation through their [Connectivity Platform](https://dashboard.messagebird.com/en/sign-up), but they've transitioned to a new platform - the [Engagement Platform](https://app.bird.com). While you can connect respond.io to an account created on the [Connectivity Platform](https://dashboard.messagebird.com/en/sign-up), unfortunately for new MessageBird account creation, the connection is currently not supported. We are looking into future integration option with the [Engagement Platform](https://app.bird.com), so stay tuned! Messagebird is a cloud communications platform that allows you to send and receive SMS text messages through web service APIs. This Messagebird integration lets you respond to SMS messages directly from our platform. ### Setting Up MessageBird #### Purchasing a Virtual Number > Note that you will have to [top up your MessageBird account](https://dashboard.messagebird.com/en/paymentflow/add-funds) in order to purchase a Virtual Number. **Step 1: Sign in to your MessageBird account** Navigate to the [MessageBird dashboard](https://dashboard.messagebird.com/). If you're not already signed in, you may have to log in with your [MessageBird account](https://dashboard.messagebird.com/en/sign-up/) first. **Step 2: Buy a Number** On the sidebar, select **Numbers**. On the Numbers page, select the blue **Buy a Number** button on the top right. **Step 3: Choose a phone number** Select a phone number that you prefer and best suits your company's needs. You can select a number from any country available on MessageBird. > Be sure to select a phone number that supports SMS capability as it is required for this connection to work. ### Connecting MessageBird Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on How to Connect MessageBird SMS Number to respond.io. **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Add Channel** **Step 2:** Locate the MessageBird SMS Channel > Click **Connect** **Step 3:** Sign in to your MessageBird account and navigate to the [MessageBird dashboard](https://dashboard.messagebird.com/) > [Flow Builder](https://dashboard.messagebird.com/en/flow-builder). **Step 4:** Locate the **Call HTTP endpoint with SMS** template and click **Try this flow**. **Step 5**: Select the preferred phone number and click Save. **Step 6:** From the Flow Builder, click **Forward to URL** icon and select **POST** as the method. **Step 7:** From the respond.io platform, copy the generated URL and paste it to the URL field in MessageBird. **Step 8:** If there are no errors, you may proceed to publish and activate the flow. **Step 9:** On the respond.io platform, follow the instructions and click **Next**. **Step 10:** Navigate to the [Developer Access Page](https://dashboard.messagebird.com/en/developers/access) and click **Show Key**. Add the API key to the respond.io platform. **Step 11:** Select the phone number from the dropdown on the respond.io platform. **Step 12:** Click **Save Changes** to complete the setup. > Once you've completed the setup, any SMS sent to the MessageBird phone number will now be received in your Workspace. ### Channel Configuration > MessageBird SMS channel can be configured with a unique channel name. **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Channels**. **Step 2:** Locate the MessageBird SMS Channel > Click **Manage > Configuration.** **Step 3:** Configure the Channel name, which is used internally to identify the account. > Ensure all your details are entered correctly as errors may cause outbound messages from your MessageBird SMS account to fail. **Step 4:** Click **Save Changes** to update the Channel configuration. ## [Messaging From Your Mobile ](https:/respond.io/help/mobile-app/messaging-from-your-mobile) Learn how to manage Contacts, conversations and messages from the Messages tab on your respond.io mobile app. #### Getting Here On the mobile app, navigate to the **Inbox** tab via the chat icon at the bottom screen. > If you have multiple Workspaces, you can check if you are at the correct Workspace from the [mobile app settings](https://respond.io/help/mobile-app/configuring-mobile-app-settings) prior to performing any action. #### Managing Conversations ##### Selecting an inbox Tap the hamburger icon at the top left of the screen and tap the inbox that you want to view. - Standard inboxAll: Shows all conversations.Mine: Shows only conversations that are assigned to you.Unassigned: Shows only conversations that haven’t been assigned. - All: Shows all conversations. - Mine: Shows only conversations that are assigned to you. - Unassigned: Shows only conversations that haven’t been assigned. - Team inbox: Shows the inboxes of each Team in the Workspace. - Custom inbox:Created by me: Shows all inboxes created by you.Created by others: Shows all inboxes shared with you. - Created by me: Shows all inboxes created by you. - Created by others: Shows all inboxes shared with you. - Blocked Contacts inbox: Shows conversations of Contacts that have been blocked. > **Team** and **Custom** inboxes can only be created and configured on your desktop. Read about [adding a custom inbox here](https://respond.io/help/messages/custom-inbox#adding_a_custom_inbox). > **Blocked Contacts** inbox will be displayed only if you have access to view conversations of blocked Contacts and there is at least 1 blocked Contact in the Workspace. #### Viewing and Sending Messages ##### Identifying Unread Messages Easily identify unread messages via the number in blue on a Contact, which also indicates the number of unread messages for the Contact. ##### Managing Unreplied Conversations The Unreplied Filter allows you to quickly find and respond to messages that haven't received a reply yet, ensuring that no important conversation gets overlooked. 1. Navigate to your Inbox tab. 2. Enable the Unreplied Filter: Tap the filter button at the bottom-right corner of your inbox.Inactive state(default): Shows all conversations.Active state:Filters only unreplied conversations. The button turns blue with a cross icon. 3. Inactive state(default): Shows all conversations. 4. Active state:Filters only unreplied conversations. The button turns blue with a cross icon. 5. Disable the Filter:Tap the button again or the cross icon to revert to showing all conversations. > This filter includes **new messages** and unreplied messages from **February 12, 2025**. Older messages will not be displayed when the filter is active. ##### Downloading and sharing images You can share or download images that were sent or received. Just tap on the image to preview it and then tap the relevant icon at the top right of the image. ##### Adding Comments Tap a Contact to view the messages. Easily toggle between adding a comment for internal discussion (by tapping the yellow Comment icon) and communicating with your Contact (by tapping the blue Pencil icon). > Note that Comments are not visible to your Contact. Tap the messaging console at the bottom screen to compose and send messages to your Contact. You can also tap the **+** icon next to it to display more options: ##### Generate AI Summaries You can now generate AI-powered summaries of the current conversation directly from the **Comment composer**. This helps summarize lengthy threads before handoff or documentation. To use it: - Tap the AI Summary icon in the Comment composer. - Wait while the summary is generated. - You can edit the summary before posting it as an internal comment. You can also use **AI Prompts** in the comment composer if you need help phrasing your comment or summary. This works similarly to the AI Prompts feature in the message composer and supports both default and custom prompts. ##### Adding Media Upload files, images and videos from your device or library. > \- The supported file types include JPG, JPEG, GIF, BMP, PNG, TXT, XLS, XLSX, DOC, DOCX, CSV, PPT, PPTX, MP3, MP4, MOV, WAV, MPG, MPEG, ZIP, TAR, TGZ, GZ, PDF, LOG, XML. The maximum file size is 20MB. > You can send up to **50 files** per message in both the Inbox and Snippets on mobile and web. ##### Recording Voice and Video Message Record a voice or video message to send to your Contact. You can also preview your recording before sending it, re-record to make changes and delete the recording, adjust the playback speed and share the audio file. ##### Sending Snippets Select a Snippet to send to your Contact. To view the full Snippet, tap and hold the Snippet. Snippets can be created from your desktop via the [Settings module](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/snippets). You can now include files (e.g. product images, PDFs) in Snippets on mobile. This allows agents to: - Send commonly shared files (like brochures or product images) faster. - Avoid uploading the same files repeatedly for similar customer queries. - Maintain consistency in product messaging. ##### How to Add Files to Snippets: 1. Go to your Inbox module on the mobile app. 2. Tap the Snippets icon in the message composer. 3. Select a Snippet that contains files. 4. You’ll see the file attachments listed below the Snippet text. 5. Tap Send to deliver the message and the files together. > The Snippet preview popup now shows a file count and filename so you know what’s included before sending. ##### Adding Dynamic Variables Add a [dynamic variable](https://respond.io/help/dynamic-variables/how-to-use-dynamic-variables) to personalize messages to your Contacts. Tap the icon to display a list of variables. ##### Using AI Prompts Reply messages using AI prompts. Tap the icon to display different type of prompts you can use. > To switch to a different Channel, tap the current channel above the messaging console and select another Channel from the list. ##### Typing Indicators **For Contacts:** When a human agent or AI Agent begins typing, a typing indicator is shown to the Contact. This reassures them that a reply is on the way and encourages them to stay engaged in the conversation. - Supported Channels (for Contacts):WhatsAppTikTok MessagingTelegram - WhatsApp - TikTok Messaging - Telegram **For Users (agent-to-agent):** Agents can also see when human agents or AI Agents are typing a reply to the same Contact. This feature is available across **all channels**, helping teams avoid duplicate responses and ensuring that effort is directed toward Contacts who still need attention. ##### Taking over conversations from your AI Agent You can now manually take over a conversation that is currently being handled by your AI Agent. This feature ensures that when the AI provides an incorrect answer, can’t address the customer’s query, or is taking too long to respond, a human agent can immediately step in. When the AI Agent is actively engaging with a Contact, a Takeover button will appear in the message composer. Tap **Takeover** to: - Stop the AI Agent from replying - Reassign the conversation to you If other conversation restrictions apply — such as **insufficient WABA balance**, a **blocked contact**, or **no connected channel** — these conditions will be shown instead, and the Takeover callout will remain hidden until they’re resolved. Once you’ve taken over, the AI Agent will no longer respond to this conversation until it’s reassigned to the AI again. #### Copy a Message Link You can now copy links to any message or comment. To copy a link: 1. Long-press on an incoming or outgoing message or comment 2. Tap Copy link in the menu 3. The link is copied to your clipboard, and a confirmation will appear When opened: - The app will scroll to and highlight the message - If not logged in, you’ll be prompted to log in first - If you're in a different workspace, it will auto-switch to the correct one ##### Keyboard Shortcuts You can also use our handy keyboard shortcuts below to save time and work more efficiently: | | Shortcut | Action | | --- | --- | --- | | Snippets | Slash sign / | Choose from a list of snippets displayed. | | Dynamic Variables | Dollar sign $ | Choose from a list of Dynamic Variables displayed. | | Mentions | At sign @ | Choose from a list of users displayed. | > Messages that are unsupported will have a fallback display with Unsupported Message or Custom Payload text. Some messaging Channels have a limited messaging window. After a certain period, you will not be able to to send messages to your Contacts and will have to use WMT or Message Tags to continue the chat. Read more about [messaging windows here](https://respond.io/help/channels/channels-overview#messaging_window). ##### Email Messages Add your subject line together with the email body before sending. - By default, the subject line should show the previous email’s subject line. - To reply to an email thread, tap "Reply" to add its subject to your reply. - For new emails or threads, edit the subject line in the message composer. ##### Using AI Assist AI Assist is a key feature in our messaging app, designed for automated and intelligent response drafting. It enhances user communication by providing quick and tailored responses. **Activation and Interaction:** - You can activate AI Assist by clicking the AI Assist icon on the message composer, or double tapping or long-pressing on any message, and then clicking Reply with AI Assist. - Initial Use: On first usage, you are introduced to AI Assist with an onboarding guide. - Regular Use: Subsequent usage will trigger an immediate response draft. - AI Assist is visible and usable only when the message composer is empty. - You can edit AI-drafted responses by inserting them into the message composer. - For channels that support reply-to, a reply-to preview for that message will be displayed. **Rating Responses:** - In both the AI Assist console and message console, you can rate responses with thumbs-up or thumbs-down icons.A thumbs-up triggers a confetti animation, indicating that the drafted response is correct and adequate.The thumbs-down action is linked with a feedback mechanism that activates every third click, allowing you to provide specific insights for improving the AI responses. - A thumbs-up triggers a confetti animation, indicating that the drafted response is correct and adequate. - The thumbs-down action is linked with a feedback mechanism that activates every third click, allowing you to provide specific insights for improving the AI responses. ##### Translating messages Translate messages instantly on our platform. You can translate incoming messages to understand customer needs in your preferred language. **Activation:** - Double tap or long-press on any message, click AI Prompts, and then select the language to be translated to. You can also translate your own messages to reply to your customers in their preferred languages. **Activation:** - Tap the + icon next to the message composer, tap the magic wand icon to display the list of AI prompts, tap Translate, and then select the language you want the message to translate to. > You may switch between **View Original** and **View Translated** to view the message in its original and translated languages respectively. ##### Reply-to The Reply-to feature improves communication by offering a straightforward way to reference specific messages within a conversation, especially useful when multiple topics are being discussed. This functionality allows you to clearly indicate which message they are responding to. **Using Reply-To**: - You can activate reply-to by double-tapping or long-pressing on any message. - Swiping right on a message automatically adds a reply-to preview for that message. > If the channel isn't **WhatsApp** or **Telegram**, using reply-to or swiping right triggers an alert about unsupported channels. **Behavior After Activating Reply-To:** - The message to be replied to gets highlighted and color-coded. - The contact name displays for incoming messages, and the assignee name for outgoing messages. - Switching to Channels not supporting reply-to removes the preview. - The reply-to preview truncates to one line with ellipses for longer texts. - You can interact with the reply-to preview:Clicking it navigates to the specific message.The cancel button removes the preview. - Clicking it navigates to the specific message. - The cancel button removes the preview. > Reply-to gestures are disabled for messages in pending state. > After sending a Reply-To message, clicking the replied message leads to and highlights the message with a blinking effect. ##### Closing Conversations There are 3 ways to do this. - From the conversation history, tap the Tick icon at the top right of the screen. - From the conversation history, tap the three-dot action menu at the top right of the screen > tap Close Conversation. - In the Open tab, swipe Contact to the left > tap Close. Depending on the [Closing Notes Settings](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/closing-notes#closing_notes_setting), different options are available when closing a conversation: 1. Yes: If the setting is not enabled. 2. Add closing notes: If it is mandatory to close each conversation with a Closing Note. 3. Close without closing notes: If it is not mandatory to close each conversation with a Closing Note. ##### AI Summary for Closing Notes AI Summary is also available when writing **Closing Notes**. - Tap the AI Summary icon in the dialog. - The system will generate a summary based on the conversation. - You can edit the summary before closing the conversation. > This option will appear if your workspace has Closing Notes enabled and set to mandatory or optional. If Closing Notes is disabled, this option won’t be accessible at all. When wrapping up a conversation, you can also use **AI Prompts** to quickly refine or summarize your closing note content. ##### Snoozing Conversations There are 2 ways to do this. - From the conversation history, tap the Snooze icon > tap an option to snooze the conversation until a specific date. - In the Open or Closed tab, swipe Contact to the right > tap Snooze > tap an option to snooze the conversation until a specific date. When you snooze a Contact, the Contact will be removed from your Contact list and placed in the **Snoozed** tab until the specified time. Once the snoozed time is up, the Contact will reappear in your Contact list. You cannot snooze Contacts who have been blocked. ##### Unsnoozing Conversations There are 2 ways to do this. - From the conversation history, tap the Unsnooze icon. - In the Snoozed tab, swipe Contact to the right > tap Unsnooze. > When you unsnooze a Contact, the Contact will appear in your Contact list. You will also be notified when the Contact is unsnoozed. Here’s how: - Reminder Line Item: When a Contact is snoozed, a line displays at the top of the messaging console. It disappears once the contact is unsnoozed. - Push Notification: When the Snooze ends, a push notification is sent to the assigned agent(s) according to the workspace notification settings. - Notification Center: A corresponding entry appears in the notification center with the ⏰ icon and text prompting you to open the conversation. ##### Search Bar You can search for Contacts, Messages and Comments in the search bar. > Learn more about [Search here](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview#search_for_contacts). ##### Search Messages from a Contact’s Conversation You can search for messages within a conversation with a Contact. There are 2 ways to do this: - Contact profile 1. Tap the Contact’s profile 2. Select “Search in Messages” - Three-dot action menu 1. Tap the three-dot action menu to open the list of actions 2. Select “Search” > Learn more about [searching messages from a Contact’s conversation](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview#search_for_messages_and_comments_from_a_single_contact_s_conversation). ##### Messaging Using the Notification Drawer Stay organized and respond faster with: **Quick reply from notifications** Reply to messages directly from the notification drawer without opening the app. Simply tap “Reply” on a message notification to send your response instantly. **Image previews in notifications** View shared images directly within your notifications for better context and to help you save you time and effort when replying messages. **Notification Grouping by Contact** Keep your notifications tidy with automatic grouping by Contact (with Workspace name displayed). Tap a group to expand and see all related notifications or collapse for a cleaner view. #### Managing Contacts ##### Searching, Filtering and Sorting Your Contacts ##### Search for a Contact Type the Contact’s First Name, Last Name, Phone Number or Email address in the search bar. ##### Filter your Contacts Select the desired tab to filter your conversations. - All - This tab lists all conversations. - Open - This tab lists all open conversations. - Closed - This tab lists all closed conversations. - Snoozed - This tab lists all conversations that have been snoozed. ##### Sort your Contacts Tap the sort icon at the top right of the screen to sort your Contacts. - Newest Message - This option sort Contacts by newest to oldest messages. - Oldest Message - This option sort Contacts by oldest to newest messages. - Longest Open / Closed / Snoozed - Depending on the tab filter, sort Contacts by the longest length of time the conversation has been opened, closed or snoozed (from longest to shortest duration). - Shortest Open / Closed / Snoozed - Depending on the tab filter, sort Contacts by the shortest length of time the conversation has been opened, closed or snoozed (from shortest to longest duration). > Learn more about [Contact searching, filtering and sorting here](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview#contact_search_sort_filter). ##### Adding Contacts Tap the person icon at the top right of the screen > fill in the Contact’s information > tap **Save**. > Once the Contact has been added, the Contact will automatically be listed in the **Closed** tab. ##### Viewing and Editing Contact Details Use this option to view and edit the Contact’s details. To view the Contact’s details, go to the conversation history and tap the Contact’s name at the top screen. Alternatively, tap the three-dot action menu at the top right of the screen and tap **View Contact Details**. To modify the Contact’s details, make changes to the details, and then tap **Save**. > If new custom fields are needed, you can configure them from your desktop via the [Settings module](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/contact-fields#adding_a_new_custom_field). You can also start a voice call with the Contact by tapping **Call:** - If a phone number is available, you will be directed to your mobile phone’s calling app with the phone number automatically populated. - If a phone number is not available, you will be directed to the Phone field with the keypad displayed for you to enter the phone number. > For organizations on the Enterprise plan with the phone number masking feature enabled, agents won't be able to see the Contacts’ phone numbers. This means they can't use the call feature. Even if an agent adds a phone number to the Contact, upon saving, it will be masked and the call feature will remain unavailable. ##### HubSpot Once you’ve connected your HubSpot account to your workspace, you can also view HubSpot contact properties in the mobile app. > Learn how to connect your HubSpot account to your workspace [here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/hub-spot). To view the HubSpot properties, select **HubSpot** under Contact Details. You can also open the Contact’s profile directly in HubSpot by selecting **View in HubSpot.** You can also tap to copy HubSpot properties and quickly paste them into another conversation or Contact detail, making it easier to share key information without switching between platforms.  ##### Editing HubSpot contact properties You can edit certain fields by tapping on them. Save your changes by tapping the **Save** button or by unfocusing the field. > Email and phone number fields can’t be edited. To undo your changes, tap the **Restore** icon to return the field to its original content. ##### Salesforce Once you’ve connected your Salesforce account to your workspace, you can also view Salesforce contact fields in the mobile app. > Learn how to connect your Salesforce account to your workspace [here](https://respond.io/help/integrations/salesforce). To view the Salesforce fields, select **Salesforce** under Contact Details. You can also open the Contact’s profile directly in Salesforce by selecting **View in Salesforce.** You can also tap to copy Salesforce fields and quickly paste them into another conversation or Contact detail, making it easier to share key information without switching between platforms.  ##### Editing Salesforce contact fields You can edit certain fields by tapping on them. Save your changes by tapping the **Save** button or by unfocusing the field. > Email and phone number fields can’t be edited. To undo your changes, tap the Restore icon to return the field to its original content. ##### Assigning Contacts to a User From the conversation history, tap the section below the Contact’s name, or tap the three-dot action menu at the top right of the screen and tap **Assign User** > select the user to whom you want to assign > tap **Done**. > Learn more about [Contact assignment here](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview#contact_assignment_and_closing_a_conversation). ##### Unassigning Contacts from a User From the conversation history, tap the section below the Contact’s name, or tap the three-dot action menu at the top right of the screen and tap **Assign User** > tap **Unassign** > tap **Done**. > This moves the Contact to the **Unassigned** inbox. Learn more about [Contact assignment here](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview#contact_assignment_and_closing_a_conversation). ##### Blocking Contacts If Contacts are sending you spam messages, you can block the Contacts to stop receiving messages from them. From the conversation history, tap the three-dot action menu at the top right of the screen > tap **Block Contact** > tap **Block**. > Before blocking Contacts, you may want to refer to this [guide](https://respond.io/help/automate-conversations/managing-spam#impacts_of_blocking_contacts) to understand the implications of blocking them. ##### Unblocking Contacts If Contacts have been mistakenly blocked, you can reverse the action and resume conversation with them. From the conversation history, tap the three-dot action menu at the top right of the screen > tap **Unblock Contact** > tap **Unblock**. #### Automation and Workflow Tools ##### Enabling or Disabling Dialogflow Bot Using Dialogflow, you can create a bot to direct a user through conversations and understand their intentions. To enable this, go to the conversation history and tap the three-dot action menu at the top right of the screen > tap **Enable Dialogflow Bot**. To disable it, repeat the step and tap **Disable Dialogflow Bot**. > This option is unavailable if Dialogflow is not connected to your Workspace. Learn more about [connecting Dialogflow to your Workspace here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/integrations). ##### Selecting Shortcut Use this option to initiate a Workflow that is created with the “Shortcut” trigger. To initiate a Workflow, go to the conversation history and tap the lightning icon at the top right of the screen, or tap the three-dot action menu at the top left of the screen and tap **Select Shortcut** > tap the shortcut. > Shortcuts can be created from your desktop via the [Workflows module](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers#trigger_shortcut). ##### Viewing and stopping ongoing Workflows You can view and stop any ongoing Workflows for a Contact with this option. To view the list of ongoing Workflows for the Contact, simply go to the conversation history and tap the three-dot action menu at the top right of the screen > tap **Ongoing Workflows**. Tap Stop to stop the particular ongoing Workflow or tap Stop all to stop all ongoing Workflows for this Contact > tap Confirm on the pop-up screen and the selected ongoing Workflow or all ongoing Workflows will be immediately stopped. ## [Messenger Calls](https:/respond.io/help/facebook-messenger/messenger-call) Learn how to use Messenger Call to receive and make calls. > **Note**: Messenger Calls is currently in **closed beta** and not yet available to all customers. If you're interested in early access, please [submit this form](https://rspd.link/WSMW). > Supported in all countries where Messenger business messaging is currently available (with the current exception of ePD countries and the U.S.). ### Overview Messenger Calls allows you to make and receive calls through Facebook Messenger directly on respond.io. This feature enables businesses to provide real-time support and communication with their customers. ### Prerequisites - Connect your Facebook Channel on respond.io. If you haven't connected your Facebook Channel, you can do so here. - Enable Calls in your Channel configuration page. - Enable Messenger calling feature for your Facebook page. #### How to enable Messenger calling feature for your Facebook Page 1. Obtain Approval for the Calling FeatureEnsure your Facebook Page is approved for the Messenger calling feature. (This may require submitting a request to Meta for access via respond.io) 2. Ensure your Facebook Page is approved for the Messenger calling feature. (This may require submitting a request to Meta for access via respond.io) 3. Enable Calls via the Meta Business Suite Mobile AppOpen the Meta Business Suite app on your mobile device.Navigate to Tools > Settings > Calls.Locate the option to enable calls and verify your call hours. 4. Open the Meta Business Suite app on your mobile device. 5. Navigate to Tools > Settings > Calls. 6. Locate the option to enable calls and verify your call hours. 7. Connect your Facebook Channel on respond.ioIf you have already connected your Channel on the platform, reconnect your Channel again by refreshing the permission. 8. If you have already connected your Channel on the platform, reconnect your Channel again by refreshing the permission. ### Receive a Messenger Call When a customer initiates a call via Messenger: 1. A notification will appear on the Incoming Calls tab in your Inbox. 2. You can choose to accept or decline the call. 3. If accepted, the call will take place and you can start talking to the Contact through the platform. ### Make a Messenger Call #### How to Request Permission to Call **Conditions for Sending Permission Requests:** - Open Conversation Window: Permission requests can only be sent during an open conversation window, meaning there’s an active chat history with the Contact. - Request Limits: You can send up to two call permission requests per conversation thread per day. **Steps to Request Permission:** 1. Go to the conversation with the Contact you wish to call. 2. Click the phone icon in the message composer. 3. Click the Request permission to call button. 4. The Contact will receive a notification asking for their consent. The Contact can either approve or decline the request. **What happens next?** - If the Contact approves, you’ll be able to call them immediately or within the next 7 days. - If the Contact declines, you can send another permission request later (up to two times per day). > Messenger Call permissions remains valid for up to **7 days** from approval. > Call permission also remains valid for 7 days after any of these actions: - The Contact has a fully connected call with the business. - The Contact calls the business but the business did not pick up the call. #### Call the Contact Once Messenger Calling is enabled, follow these steps to initiate a call: 1. Open a conversation with a Contact on respond.io. 2. Click on the Call button in the conversation actions bar. 3. Request permission to call the Contact. 4. Once accepted, you can initiate the call and the Contact will receive a notification on their Messenger app. ## [Meta Business Accounts](https:/respond.io/help/integrations/meta-business-accounts) Learn how to integrate your Meta Business Account with respond.io, featuring support for Meta click-to-chat ads and the Meta Conversions API. The **Meta Business account integration** with respond.io offers powerful tools like the **Meta Conversions API** and **Meta click-to-chat ads** to enhance your marketing efforts. The **Meta Conversions API** connects your marketing data directly to Meta, helping you optimize your ads, improve your ROI and track performance more accurately across WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram. Additionally, **Meta click-to-chat ads** allow potential customers to start a conversation directly from ads on Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram. With respond.io, you can seamlessly track engagement, leverage Workflows, and personalize interactions based on the customer’s journey from the moment they click on your ad. > Learn more about [Meta Conversions API here](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/marketing-api/conversions-api/business-messaging/). > Learn more about [Meta click-to-chat ads here](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/1816962591668838?id=371525583593535). ### Key Features and Benefits of this Integration - Trace Conversion Source: Identify the Meta ad that initiated a conversation to enhance conversion tracking and target sales efforts effectively. - Workflow Triggers: Create specific Workflows in respond.io for Contacts engaging with Meta ads, enabling personalized customer interactions based on their ad engagement. - Ad Performance Tracking & Optimization: Send conversion event data back to Meta to gain insights into ad performance and effectiveness. ### How to connect your Meta Business Manager account to respond.io 1. In your Workspace, go to Settings > Integrations 2\. Navigate to Meta Business accounts, click **Manage** 3\. Click on the **Add account** button 4\. A new tab will be opened for you to sign in with your Facebook account. Follow along the steps to connect your Meta Business account. > Congratulations! You’ve successfully connected your Meta Business Manager account to respond.io. ### Using Meta Conversions API in respond.io #### Using Meta Conversions API in the Workflows Module In the Workflows module, you can create automated Workflows that send conversion events to Meta. By adding the **Send Conversions API Event** workflow step, you can track conversions triggered by customer interactions on WhatsApp, Messenger, or Instagram. - Trigger personalized events: When customers interact with your Meta ads, you can automatically trigger events like Lead submitted or Purchase made, sending this data to Meta for performance tracking. - Event customization: Choose the conversion type (Lead or Purchase), and customize the data to be sent, such as customer information, event time, and custom fields. > This integration allows you to automate ad performance tracking and optimize your campaigns based on real-time conversion data. > Learn how to [configure and set up the Send Conversions API Event Workflow step here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-send-conversions-api-event). #### Using Meta Conversions API in the Inbox module ##### New Contact event When a Meta Conversion API event is triggered, a new Contact event will appear in the Inbox module. This event allows you to track when a **Lead** or **Purchase** conversion is sent to Meta. - For a Lead conversion: The Contact event will display “Meta Conversion API Lead Event sent” along with the date and time of the event. - For a Purchase conversion: The Contact event will display “Meta Conversion API Purchase Event sent” along with the date and time of the event. ##### Contact activity In addition to the Contact event, the **Activity** section within a Contact’s details will log any conversions sent via the Meta Conversions API. You will see the type of conversion (Lead or Purchase) along with the date and time of the event. ### Using Meta click-to-chat ads in respond.io Meta click-to-chat ads allow potential customers to start conversations with your business directly from ads on Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram. When customers click on the ad, a new conversation is automatically initiated on respond.io, providing your team with the tools to track and engage with these customers. #### Using Meta click-to-chat ads in the Workflows Module In the Workflows module, you can automate personalized responses and actions using the click-to-chat ads trigger, enabling workflows like sending welcome messages or assigning conversations to specific team members whenever a customer clicks on a Meta Click-to-Chat ad. To enhance your Workflows, explore more specific use cases: - How to Streamline Meeting Scheduling via CTC Ads - How to Route Contacts from CTC Ads to Agents - How to Automate Product Info Sharing in Conversations Initiated via CTC Ads #### Using Meta Click-to-Chat Ads in the Inbox Module When a customer clicks on a Meta Click-to-Chat ad, a new Contact event will appear in the Inbox module, allowing your team to track when the conversation was initiated through the ad. - Contact event for ad clicks: The Inbox will display “Click-to-Chat Ad Event” along with the ad details, including the ad name and the time the customer clicked the ad. In addition, the **Activity** section within a Contact’s details will log the click-to-chat ad event, providing your team with a full history of customer interactions tied to Meta ads. ### How to set up Click-to-Chat (CTC) Ads in Meta Ads Manager 1. Go to Ads Manager. 2. Click Campaigns. 3. Click Create to start a new campaign. 4. Select a CTC-supported objective: Traffic, Engagement, Leads, or Sales. 5. Select the setup method. Recommended settings usually work well unless you have a highly customized strategy in mind. 6. Review your campaign settings, including Budget Settings. You can learn more about campaign budgets here. When ready, click Next to configure your Ad Set.You can create multiple Ad Sets under the same campaign. 7. You can create multiple Ad Sets under the same campaign. 8. Name your Ad Set clearly 9. Select Message destinations as the Conversion location 10. Select the Facebook Page for Messenger, and/or Instagram account for Instagram Direct Messages, and/or WhatsApp account for WhatsApp messaging used in this ads campaign. 11. Select your Performance Goal. The available options depend on your campaign objective. Learn more here. 12. Set your Budget and Schedule. 13. Configure your audience, then click Next to configure your adYou can create multiple ads under a single Ad Set. 14. You can create multiple ads under a single Ad Set. 15. Update the ad name to something descriptive. 16. Under Identity, confirm the Facebook Page and/or Instagram account the ad will run under. 17. Set up your ad: choose an existing post or create a new one.If you choose Create AdSet up the creative assets. You can use multiple images or other supported formats.CropTextImage generationEnhancementsIf you choose Use existing postSelect one of your published posts or create a new one. 18. If you choose Create AdSet up the creative assets. You can use multiple images or other supported formats.CropTextImage generationEnhancements 19. Set up the creative assets. You can use multiple images or other supported formats. 20. Crop 21. Text 22. Image generation 23. Enhancements 24. If you choose Use existing postSelect one of your published posts or create a new one. 25. Select one of your published posts or create a new one. #### Optional steps - Creative testing: Experiment with variations of your ad. Learn more here. - Tracking & Conversion events: Add events you want to monitor. #### Final step Preview your ad, make any final tweaks, and click **Publish** to set your CTC campaign live. ## [Meta Business Verification](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/meta-business-verification) Learn how to verify your business with Meta. The business verification process helps Meta confirm that your business is a legitimate business or organization. Not all businesses need to complete the verification process. You will only need to verify your business for these few reasons: - To migrate your phone number to respond.io as your Business Solution Provider (BSP). - To increase messaging limits, enabling engagement with a larger audience. - A pre-requisite to apply for a WhatsApp Official Business Account. - To add more than 2 phone numbers to your WhatsApp Business API account. ### Business Verification Requirements - Admin of Meta Business Manager (MBM): You need to have an Admin access level in your MBM to perform the verification process. - Complete Business Info: Prepare for the verification process by filling out the Business Information section of your Meta Business Manager. This is to ensure that the organizational details such as your legal business name, business address, business phone number, business email address and website match with the supporting documents you provide. - Supporting documents: You are required to provide supporting documents when submitting your business for verification to verify your business name, business address, phone number. These documents are necessary to ensure successful verification. We recommend to prepare a minimum of these 2 or 3 documents:Business license - To verify the legal name and address of the businessCertificate of Incorporation - To verify the legal name and address of the businessUtility bill - To verify the business phone numberThe same support documents are also required for Government Agencies.The details in the supporting documents must match the business name, business address, business phone number that are included in the Business Info section of your MBM. - Business license - To verify the legal name and address of the business - Certificate of Incorporation - To verify the legal name and address of the business - Utility bill - To verify the business phone number ### Steps to Verify your Business in Meta Business Manager Follow the steps below to verify your business in your Meta Business Manager: 1. Go to Security Center in your Business settings > Click on Start Verification 2. Add your organization details such as Name, Address, Phone number and Website. 3. Select a contact method to receive a confirmation code 4. Add your business’ supporting documents 5. Enter the confirmation code 6. Click Done > Once you’ve completed the verification process, you will receive an email and notification on your MBM about the approval status within 10 minutes up to 14 working days. Alternatively, you can also check your approval status by going to your [**WhatsApp Accounts**](https://business.facebook.com/settings/whatsapp-business-accounts) > **Settings** > **Business Verification.** ### What to do if your Approval Status is Rejected? There may be several reasons your approval status is rejected: - Your submission details such as organization details is incomplete. - The supporting documents are not viewable. - The business details on legal documents do not match the details you provided during the submission. > Learn more about the [reasons your business cannot be verified](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2342133782492969?id=180505742745347). **What you can do:** 1. Go to the Security Center to review the reasons. 2. Ensure that the supporting document details match with the business info section in your MBM. 3. Resubmit with additional supporting documents if necessary. Learn more about the accepted document types here. ### Display Name Review > Before a display name can be approved, Meta requires that messaging limits be increased to the 1k tier (125 messages in a 7-day rolling period). When the business verification is complete, the display name review for all phone numbers associated with your account will be automatically initiated. The display name is your business name that customers see on your WhatsApp Business profile. > You will receive an email and a notification on your MBM within 1 to 2 days about the display name approval status. > Learn more about your [WhatsApp Business display name here](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/338047025165344?ref=search_new_0). #### Display Name Rejected: How to Proceed? To increase the chances of getting your display name approved, it is recommended to use the name of your brand or business. Additionally, ensure that your display name adheres to these [guidelines by Meta](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/757569725593362). ## [Meta Product Catalog](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/meta-product-catalog) Learn how to use Meta Product Catalog with respond.io. The Meta Product Catalog is designed for your business to upload and showcase your product inventory. It offers functionalities such as an interactive product catalog card, enabling your business to increase your products' visibility and engagement. You can also integrate the catalog with broadcast features to reach a wider audience and workflows to provide a more customized shopping experience. > Supported Channels: WhatsApp Business Platform (API) & WhatsApp Cloud API ### Getting Started with Meta Product Catalog Before you can start using Meta Product Catalog, you first need to connect a catalog to your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) in your Meta Business Manager (MBM). > Learn more about [linking your catalog to your WABA in your MBM here](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/158662536425974). > If your business operates within India, there are specific legal requirements to sell on WhatsApp. Learn more about [selling online on WhatsApp Business Platform in India](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/1104628230079278). ### Connecting Meta Product Catalog to your Workspace **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Channels**. **Step 2:** Locate the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) Channel > Click **Manage.** **Step 3:** Click on **Meta Product Catalog** > **Connect Catalog** ### Configuring Meta Product Catalog in your Workspace Once connected, you can configure the following: - Enable Catalog (toggle): When enabled, you can send product messages to let your Contacts access your product catalog. - Allow Contacts to add products to their cart (toggle): When enabled, your Contacts can add products to their cart. When disabled, the Add to Cart button won’t be displayed. Contacts can still view products. - Header Text for Multi-Product Messages (text): Edit this text to use as a header when sending multi-product messages. - Preview Catalog: Click the “Preview Catalog” button to review and verify the contents of your catalog. > Disabling the catalog won’t remove the connection to your MBM. You won’t be able to use the Meta Catalog feature on our platform, and it won’t be visible to your Contacts in WhatsApp. ### Using Meta Product Catalog Across Modules and Features Learn how to use the Meta Product Catalog across various modules and features. These include: - Using Meta Product Catalog with WhatsApp Message Templates - Using Meta Product Catalog in Messages - Send Product Message Templates in Workflows - Configure your Broadcast to Send Product Template Messages - Using Meta Product Catalog in the Mobile App - Sending Meta Product Marketing Template Messages with Integrations in respond.io - Using Meta Product Messages as Webhooks #### Using Meta Product Catalog with WhatsApp Message Templates > Templates that include the Meta Product Catalog are categorized as [Marketing Conversations](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-pricing#marketing_conversations) and further sub-categorized as Product Messages. ##### Create or Edit a Product Message **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Channels**. **Step 2:** Locate the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) Channel > Click **Manage.** **Step 3:** Click on Templates > click **Submit Template** or select an existing template to edit. > To edit an existing product message, set your Category filter to “Marketing” to easily find your product messages. > Button text in templates is set by Meta and can’t be edited. **Step 4:** In the Category list, select Marketing > Product Message > Learn more about [submitting a WhatsApp Message Template here](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-message-templates#creating_and_submitting_message_templates). When editing your template, you can change your Template Format to: - Catalog message: Shares your full catalog when a user clicks on the template button. Headers aren’t allowed for this template format. - Multi-product message: Shares up to 30 selected products from your catalog when a user clicks on the template button. Headers are mandatory for this template format. > Learn more about [editing a WhatsApp Message Template here](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-message-templates#edit_a_whats_app_message_template). > While editing your Product Message Template, you can preview it on the right side. **Step 5:** Once you are done creating or editing your template, click Submit Template. #### Using Meta Product Catalog in Messages Access your Meta Product Catalog and send single or multi–Product Messages or the full catalog to your Contacts via an integrated catalog browser. ##### Sending Product Messages **Step 1:** Click on the Meta Product Catalog icon > select your desired product(s) or click on **Send Full Catalog** **Step 2:** Send your Product Message ##### Receiving Orders with Product Messages When your customer makes an order via the catalog, you will receive an incoming message and can view the order. > The total estimated cost and quantity of products ordered will be displayed at the values set when the order was initially placed, regardless of any later changes in prices or product availability. #### Send Product Template Messages in Workflows You can send Product Template Messages in the “Send a Message” step in the Workflows Module. **Step 1:** In your Workflow, add a Send a Message step **Step 2:** Configure your Channel, select WhatsApp Template as the message type, and fill in the Message Content **Step 3:** Click **Select Products** to select your desired product(s) > Catalog Message Templates will send all products in a single catalog to your Contacts. You can also select which product to feature as a thumbnail. > You can select up to 30 products with Multi Product Messages Templates for Contacts to view. > Product Message Templates can also be sent in the Messages module. #### Configure your Broadcast to Send Product Template Messages > Learn the basics of how to [send a simple broadcast here](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast). **Step 1:** After configuring your Segment, Channel Type and Channel, select your Product Message Template from the Message Template list. **Step 2:** Click on the Select Product button and select up to 30 products to send in your broadcast with Multi Product Message Templates. > You can also send all products in a single catalog with a Catalog Message Template. **Step 3 (Optional):** Choose a thumbnail for your Product Message and preview it in the Message Preview section on the right. The first product is always used as the thumbnail by default. > Once configuration is complete, click **Next** to schedule your Broadcast. #### Using Meta Product Catalog in the Mobile App ##### Send Single or Multi Product Message **Step 1:** Click “+” and select the Meta Product Catalog icon **Step 2:** Select a single product, multiple products or the full catalog ##### Send Product Template Messages Click on the message template icon and select from the list: - Single product message template - Multi-product message template - Catalog message template ##### Receiving Orders Tap on **View Order** to view. #### Sending Meta Product Marketing Template Messages with Integrations in respond.io You can send Product Marketing Template Messages in the Send a Message action step in Zapier and Make. ##### Zapier **Step 1**: Choose the **Send a Message step** **Step 2**: Select a **WhatsApp Channel** that has a catalog connected to it **Step 3**: Select **WhatsApp Template** as the Message Type **Step 4**: Select a **Product Marketing Template message** and configure as needed ##### Make **Step 1**: Choose the **Send a Message step** **Step 2**: Select a **WhatsApp Channel** that has a catalog connected to it **Step 3**: Select **WhatsApp Template** as the Message Type **Step 4**: Select a **Product Marketing Template message** and configure as needed #### Using Meta Product Messages as Webhooks You can use Product Messages as webhooks in respond.io, Zapier and Make. ##### Respond.io **Step 1:** Create a webhook trigger under integrations. Go to Settings → Integrations → Add Webhook **Step 2:** In the Webhook Event list, select Incoming or Outgoing Messages. **Step 3:** Select Message Type: **Product Message** ##### Zapier 1. Create a webhook trigger under integrations 2. Select Incoming or Outgoing Messages 3. Select Message Type: Product Message ##### Make 1. Create a webhook trigger under integrations 2. Select Incoming or Outgoing Messages 3. Select Message Type: Product Message ## [Migrating from WhatsApp Personal or WhatsApp Business App](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/migrating-from-whatsapp-personal-or-whatsapp-business-app) Learn what you need to do to migrate to WhatsApp Business API using an existing WhatsApp Personal or Business app phone number. > Trying to connect your WhatsApp Business App to respond.io? > **Important:** You **do not need to delete your WhatsApp account** if you want to connect your WhatsApp Business App number to respond.io. With **WhatsApp Coexistence**, you can use the **same phone number** on both the app and respond.io via the WhatsApp API — no account deletion required. [Learn how to connect your WhatsApp Business App to respond.io](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-coexistence) and access API features (with some limitations) A phone number for WhatsApp Business API cannot be used in any WhatsApp Personal or Business App. Therefore, if you want to register for WhatsApp Business API using a phone number that has been registered for WhatsApp Personal or Business App, you will first have to delete the WhatsApp account associated with that phone number. ### Deleting Your WhatsApp Account > Do ensure to backup your chats and media files prior to deleting your account, if required. **Step 1:** Open WhatsApp > Navigate to **Settings**. **Step 2:** Tap **Account** > **Delete My Account**. **Step 3:** Enter your phone number in [full international format](https://faq.whatsapp.com/general/contacts/how-to-add-an-international-phone-number) > tap **Delete My Account**. **Step 4:** Tap the drop-down list to select a reason. **Step 5:** Tap **Delete My Account**. > Once the WhatsApp account is deleted, the phone number is available to register for a WhatsApp Business API. Learn how to sign up for a [WhatsApp Business API account here](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-api-quick-start). ## [n8n](https:/respond.io/help/integrations/n8n) Learn more about integrating respond.io with n8n to automate complex workflows. > **Important note:** Available on **all respond.io plans except Starter**. The n8n integration allows you to connect your respond.io workspace with **n8n**, a powerful automation platform. With this integration, you can build advanced workflows using respond.io triggers and actions directly in n8n. With this integration, you can: - Automate complex workflows with low-code logic. - Connect respond.io to hundreds of apps via n8n. - Use respond.io triggers (e.g., new messages, Contact updates) inside n8n. - Perform respond.io actions (e.g., send a message, update a Contact field) from n8n. ### What you’ll need - An Admin or Manager role in respond.io. - An n8n account - An API key for n8n generated inrespond.io (Workspace Settings > Integrations > n8n). ### Setting up the integration #### Step 1: Generate an API Key in respond.io 1. In your respond.io Workspace, go to Workspace settings > Integrations > n8n and click Connect. 2. Copy the generated API key and store it securely. > If needed, you can regenerate the API key anytime from this page. #### Step 2: Install the respond.io node in n8n - For n8n Cloud: The node will appear in the marketplace (you'll need to install the node to start using it). Learn more about installing nodes for n8n cloud. - For self-hosted n8n: Manually install the respond.io node by following n8n’s guide to installing community nodes. > **respond.io node name**: `@respond-io/n8n-nodes-respond-io` #### Step 3: Build a Workflow in n8n - In n8n, add the respond.io node as either a trigger or an action. **Available triggers:** - Contact Assignee Updated - New Incoming Message - New Outgoing Message - New Comment - Conversation Closed - Conversation Opened - New Contact - Contact Tag Updated - Contact Updated - Contact Lifecycle Updated **Available actions:** - Get All Channels - Get All Closing Notes - Add Comment - Add Space Tag - Delete Space Tag - Update Space Tag - Remove Tags - Delete Contact - Merge Contact - Find Contact Channels - Find Contact - Add Tags - Get Many Contacts - Update Contact - Create or Update Contact - Create Contact - Get All Custom Fields - Find Custom Field - Create Custom Field - Assign or Unassign Conversation - Open or Close Conversation - Remove Contact Lifecycle - Update Contact Lifecycle - Find Message - Send Message - Find User - Get All Users ## [Notifications](https:/respond.io/help/user-account/notifications) Learn all you need to know about notifications on the platform. Using notifications, respond.io platform will send you alerts whenever there are contacts that require your attention. Notifications can be received anytime, even though you are not on the platform. ### Notification Channels #### Notification Center The Notification Center can be found in the top navigation bar of the platform. It is represented with a bell and a number indicator. The number represents the unread count of notifications the user has. When you press on it, the notification center will appear and it will list all your notifications sorted by time received. The unread notifications will have a slightly darker background than the others. The notification center has 3 tabs namely New, Archived and All and their functions are as follows:- - New - This tab lists all unread and unarchived notifications. - Archived - This tab lists all archived notifications. - All - This tab lists all notifications regardless of archived or unarchived. ##### Archiving or Unarchiving a Notification This Notification Center will also work as a task manager where users can archive or unarchive the tasks when necessary. You can archive any task by hovering over the notification in the NEW tab and clicking on the x on the top right corner of the notification. Alternatively, if you would like to archive all, you can do by clicking on Archive all on the top right of the notification center. If you accidentally archive a notification, you can unarchive the notification by doing the same in the **Archived** tab. #### Desktop Notification Whenever a user is away from the platform, desktop notifications can be sent to them via the browser. > We recommend using Google Chrome to enable your desktop notifications to ensure the reliability of the notifications' delivery. ##### Google Chrome > Guide on enabling desktop notifications: [Chrome](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/3220216?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en), [Firefox](https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/push-notifications-firefox), [Opera](https://help.opera.com/en/latest/web-preferences/#notifications), and [Microsoft Edge](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-notification-and-action-settings-in-windows-10-8942c744-6198-fe56-4639-34320cf9444e). #### Mobile Notification If you are using the respond.io mobile app, you will be able to receive notifications on your mobile too. Learn more about [notifications on your respond.io mobile app here](https://respond.io/help/mobile-app/managing-notifications-on-your-mobile). #### Email Notification If you prefer to receive notifications via email, we also send notifications to the email address you provided during sign-up. The notification includes actionable information that will keep you informed of what is important and the action that needs to be taken. **Examples of Email Notifications** #### Sound Notification When a new message is received, the notification sound will be played based on the preferences. The sounds will only play when the user is active in the Messaging Module. ### Notification Types On the platform, there are many events that will trigger a notification such as: | Notification | Description | | --- | --- | | New Incoming Message | A notification will be sent to the preferred users notifying them of the new incoming message. | | Contact Assigned | A notification will be sent to the assigned user, notifying them of the contact assignment performed by another user or automation. | | Comment Mention | A notification will be sent to the mentioned user, notifying them of the comment mentioned by another user. | | Custom Notification | When a Custom Notification is sent via RB_Notify, everyone on the platform will receive a notification. | | Contacts Import Notifications | A notification will be sent to the user who performed the task notifying them of the completion of the contacts import. | | Data Export Notifications | A notification will be sent to the user who performed the task, notifying them once the file from data export is ready to be downloaded. | > For **Custom Notification**, it will be sent to the users as long as the user opts to receive notifications. For **Contacts Import Notifications**, it will be sent to the user regardless of the notification preference of the user. The following table lists how each type of notification is being sent on the respective channels. | | Notification Center | Desktop Notification | Mobile Notification | Email | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | New Incoming Message | ❌ | ⭕ | ⭕ | 🔶 | | Contact Assigned | ❌ | ⭕ | ⭕ | 🔷 | | Comment Mention | ✅ | ⭕ | ⭕ | ⭕ | | Custom Notification | ✅ | ⭕ | ⭕ | ❌ | | Contacts Import Notifications | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | | Data Export Notifications | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ Always Send ❌ Never Send ⭕ Send based on Preference 🔷 Send based on Activity Status and Preference 🔶 Send based on Activity Status, Preference and Notification History > Notifications with 🔷 are only sent when the user opts to receive such notifications and their activity status is offline. > Notifications with 🔶 are only sent when the user fulfills the following: 1. The user opts to receive such notifications. 2. The user is offline. 3. The user has not received such notification from the same contact throughout his inactivity. ### Notification Preferences Notification Preferences can be accessed from the Settings navigation menu under the Personal Settings sub-menu item, Notifications. Under the Notification Preferences section, you can change how often you want to receive notifications for each notification channel. **Preferences for Messages and Assignment Sound Notifications** | Preference | Description | | --- | --- | | Play sound notifications for contacts assigned to me or unassigned contacts | Users opt to receive the following notifications when they are active on the platform: - New messages from assigned contact. - New messages from unassigned contacts. - Contact assigned. | | Play sound notifications for contacts assigned to me only | Users opt to receive the following notifications when they are active on the platform: - New messages from assigned contact. - Contact assigned. | | Do not play sound notifications | Users opted out from receiving notifications sound when they are active on the platform. | **Preferences for Call Sound Notifications** | Preference | Description | | --- | --- | | Play for Contacts assigned to me and unassigned contacts | Users opt to receive the following notifications when they are active on the platform: - New incoming call from assigned contact. - New incoming call from unassigned contacts. - Contact assigned. | | Play for Contacts assigned to me only | Users opt to receive the following notifications when they are active on the platform: - New incoming call from assigned contact. - Contact assigned. | | Play for all Contacts | Users opted out from receiving call notification sounds when they are active on the platform. | | Mute all | Users opt out of receiving all notifications, including sound and visual alerts, when they are active on the platform. | **Preferences for Desktop, Mobile and Email Notifications** | Preference | Description | | --- | --- | | Send me notifications for all contacts and mentions | Users opt to receive the following notifications on the preferred channel: - New incoming messages from all contacts. - Contact assigned. - Comment mention. | | Send me notifications for the contacts assigned to me, contacts unassigned and mentions | Users opt to receive the following notifications on the preferred channel: - New incoming messages from assigned contacts. - Contact assigned. - Contact unassigned.Comment mention. | | Send me notifications for the contacts assigned to me and mentions | Users opt to receive the following notifications on the preferred channel: - New incoming messages from assigned contacts. - Contact assigned. - Comment mention. | | Send me notifications for mentions only | Users opt to receive the comment mention notification on the preferred channel. | | Do not send me any notifications | Users opted out from receiving notifications on the preferred channel. | #### Default Configurations **For users who signed up and created an organization**, their default notification preference will be the following: | Notification Channel | Default Configuration | | --- | --- | | Sound Notification | Play sound notifications for Contacts assigned to me or unassigned Contacts. | | Desktop Notification | Send me notifications for all Contacts and mentions. | | Mobile Push Notification | Send me notifications for all Contacts and mentions. | | Email Notification | Send me notifications for all Contacts and mentions. | **For users who signed up by invitation**, their default notification preference will be the following: | Notification Channel | Default Configuration | | --- | --- | | Sound Notification | Play sound notifications for Contacts assigned to me only. | | Desktop Notification | Send me notifications for Contacts assigned to me and mentions. | | Mobile Push Notification | Send me notifications for Contacts assigned to me and mentions. | | Email Notification | Send me notifications for Contacts assigned to me and mentions. | > Remember to click the **Save Profile** button to save the changes made to your User Profile. ### Notifications Troubleshooting #### Push Notifications Are Not Arriving ##### User inactivity timeout is too high Mobile notifications are only sent when the User Activity Status is Offline. The User Activity Status is affected by the User Inactivity Timeout configuration, which by default is set to 5 minutes in every space. You can reduce the timeout from Settings > General > User Inactivity Timeout. ##### Android App Notification Settings Are Not Enabled You can turn the app notifications from App info > Notifications > All respond.io notifications. ##### Android Battery Optimization Is Enabled For respond.io App Some Android phones, in their pursuit to improve the battery life, will kill the app background process. Follow the next steps to disable battery optimization on your phone: Android 8.x and Higher: 1. From Settings > Search settings: Battery optimization 2. Select All apps 3. Search respond.io 4. Select the option Don't optimize The App will no longer be restricted from running background processes. ## [Organization Overview](https:/respond.io/help/organization-settings/organization-overview) Learn how to create and view an Organization, as well as access the Organization settings. ### What is an Organization on respond.io? An Organization is a collection of Users who belong to a group or company and share a subscription. On the respond.io platform, an Organization owns the subscription, Users and Workspaces. An Organization can have one or many Users. Users can belong to multiple Organizations by invitation. For a better workforce, there are different roles within an Organization that allows Users to perform different functions. Refer [here](https://respond.io/help/organization-settings/organization-users) to learn more about organization roles. ### Choosing Between Multiple Workspaces or Organizations When scaling on respond.io, businesses can choose to set up multiple **Workspaces** within one **Organization** or create additional **Organizations**. Here are some key benefits and use cases for each approach: #### When to Use Multiple Workspaces in One Organization Using multiple workspaces within a single organization is ideal if your teams share a subscription but need some independence in management: - Manage User Access Levels per Workspace: Assign different user roles for each workspace without impacting the organization-level access. - AI Knowledge Sources: Set up unique AI knowledge bases tailored to each workspace’s needs. #### When to Create Multiple Organizations Creating separate organizations can provide higher independence and control in several key areas, ideal for businesses with distinct operational requirements: - Independent Subscription Management: Each organization can manage its own subscription, modifications, and user count. - Separate Billing for WABA Fees: Distinct WhatsApp Business API fees can be managed separately per organization. - Independent Security Settings (e.g., SSO): Configure security measures individually, allowing tailored access and login requirements. - Distinct AI Knowledge Sources and User Access Controls: Define AI resources and user roles independently for each organization. - Independent User and Workspace Access Management: User access levels and Workspace access can be managed separately between Organizations. For businesses with multiple brands or regions needing fully separate operations and management, creating separate organizations is recommended. However, for departments or teams that collaborate closely under the same brand, using multiple workspaces within one organization often provides the necessary flexibility. ### Creating an Organization > The Organization can only be created during a User's sign-up. A User can only create one Organization. If you require more than one Organization, contact us [here](https://respond.io/contact). **Step 1:** Register for a new account using this [guide](https://respond.io/help/quick-start/setting-up-an-account#register_an_account). **Step 2:** Once you’ve completed the registration and verification of your email, navigate to the respond.io platform and sign in with the registered user account. **Step 3:** Upon the first sign-in, the platform will prompt the you to create an Organization. Fill in the required information. The information will be used for internal reference only. > Once the details are submitted and the Organization is created, a new Workspace is automatically created with a default name provided by the platform. ### Accessing Organization Settings > Organization settings can only be accessed by **Organization Admins**, **Billing Admins** and **User Admins**. Organization members cannot access organization settings as they do not have the privileges to make changes to an Organization. > Mobile compatible views might not display Organization settings to administrators. Please make sure it is being viewed in "Desktop Mode" or directly from a desktop browser for the best experience. Organization settings can be accessed via the **Settings** module. Refer to the respective tab for more information: - General - Users - Workspaces - WhatsApp Fees - This tab is available if you have connected the respond.io WhatsApp Business API to your organization. - Billing & Usage ## [Organizing Lifecycle Stages for Accurate Reporting](https:/respond.io/help/reporting-and-analytics/how-to-move-an-existing-lifecycle-stage-from-primary-to-lost) Learn how to correctly move Lifecycle Stages to ensure accurate reporting in respond.io. If your organization enabled Lifecycle **before** we introduced [Lost Stages](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle#getting_started), your Lifecycle Stages were created without categorization (i.e., they weren’t explicitly “Lost” or “Won”). As a result, you may have Lost Stages mixed in with your Lifecycle Stages, which can lead to inaccurate data in your reports. This guide will show you **two scenarios** for fixing this issue: 1. When the current Lifecycle Stage you want to move is not a Won Stage 2. When the current Lifecycle Stage you want to move is a Won stage ### If the Current Lifecycle Stage Is Not a Won Stage **Example**: A Lifecycle Stage named Lost Leads actually belongs in the Lost Stage. 1. Create a new stage in Lost Stage with a placeholder name.For instance, if the Lifecycle Stage is Lost Leads, create a new stage under Lost Stage called Lost Leads (New). 2. For instance, if the Lifecycle Stage is Lost Leads, create a new stage under Lost Stage called Lost Leads (New). 3. Delete the old Lifecycle Stage and reassign existing Contacts to the new Lost Stage. - Delete the old stage Lost Leads. - When deleting, check the box Assign to new stage, and select the newly created Lost Stage called Lost Leads (New). > Note: The system will migrate and reassign all Contacts from the old stage to the newly created Lost Stage. This process may take a few minutes. 3\. Rename the new Lost Stage to replace the old stage name. - Once the reassignment is done, rename Lost Leads (New) back to Lost Leads. That’s it! You’ve now moved your Lifecycle Stage to a Lost Stage successfully. ### If the Current Lifecycle Stage Is a Won Stage **Example**: Lost Leads is mistakenly set up as the Won Stage, but you actually want Paying Customer to be the Won Stage. Unlike Lifecycle Stages, **Won stages cannot be deleted** directly. Therefore, you can’t simply delete it and reassign Contacts to a new stage. Instead, follow these steps: 1. Create a new stage in Lost Stage with a placeholder name. For example, if the Won Stage name is Lost Leads, create a stage under Lost Stage called Lost Leads (New). 2. Export your Contacts so you can bulk-update them: Use Data Export to export your contact list to a CSV file. Open it in Excel (recommended due to potential size constraints). 3. Filter and update the Lifecycle Stage in Excel: Open the exported CSV file — ideally using Microsoft Excel. > You may use Google Sheets as well, but note that it can occasionally fail if the file contains a very large number of contacts. - Locate the Lifecycle column. - Filter for Lost Leads (the incorrect Won Stage). - Change Lost Leads to Lost Leads (New) for those contacts. 4\. **Import the updated contact list** back into respond.io: - Save your changes as a CSV. - Use the Contact Import function to import the updated file. - In the Import Settings:Set the method to Update existing contacts only (make sure you have a unique identifier like phone or email).Ensure no default tags are unintentionally added.Learn more about Contact Import here. - Set the method to Update existing contacts only (make sure you have a unique identifier like phone or email). - Ensure no default tags are unintentionally added. - Learn more about Contact Import here. 5\. **Wait for the system to update the Contacts**. - After the import, give the system a few minutes to update their Lifecycle fields. 6\. **Verify and rename the old Won Stage**: - Use the Segments module or Dashboards to check if any Contacts are still in Lost Leads (the old Won Stage). - Once none remain, rename Lost Leads to Paying Customer (New). 7\. **Delete the previous (incorrect) Won Stage**: - If you previously had Paying Customer in a Won Stage position, you can now delete that old stage (assuming it’s no longer needed) and reassign any Contacts if prompted. - When deleting, check the box Assign Contact(s) to another Stage and select Paying Customer (New). Your new Won Stage is now set correctly, and your Lost Stage is properly categorized. You can also rename Paying Customer (New) to Paying Customer, and do the same for Lost Leads (New). ### Best Practices - Allow Time for Data Updates: All contact reassignments may take a few minutes. We recommend checking back in the Dashboard or the Segments module to ensure the reassignments have completed. - Validate Reporting: Once your stages are correctly categorized, your reporting data in Lifecycle Reports will be more accurate. You may need a week or two of new data to see the full effects in your dashboards. ## [Other Email Quick Start](https:/respond.io/help/email/other-email) Connect respond.io to an email inbox and start receiving emails on the platform. Internet Message Access Protocol, IMAP, is a two-way incoming mail protocol that only downloads email headers instead of its entire content. The two communication allows the protocol to sync whatever changes are made on the email client to the server. Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, SMTP, is an email protocol used to send emails from a local client to a recipient's address. SMTP uses a Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) to send your communication to the right computer and email inbox. ### Before Connecting Other Email If you wish to connect Gmail and Yahoo, it will require an additional step for authorization. Please refer to the following guides on how to do so. ### Connecting Gmail Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on How to Connect Gmail to respond.io. **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Add Channel** **Step 2:** Locate the Gmail Channel > Click **Connect** **Step 3:** Click **Connect** > Sign in with your email and app password > The app password is NOT the same as your login password. Learn how to [create and use your app password for Gmail here](https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/185833?sjid=18319566383069702152-AP). ### Connecting Yahoo Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on How to Connect Yahoo to respond.io. **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Add Channel** **Step 2:** Locate the Other Email Channel > Click **Connect** **Step 3:** Click **Connect** > Enter your email and password credentials > The app password is NOT the same as your login password. Learn how to [create and use your app password for Yahoo here](https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN15241.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMvbUx_nu4sWoYzwZGGXTJBPM6X0niJ-GS7rDkiUvb4Rt_YHnEACKhSxV8CWciYuGp5oIlF6Y45DM8CqhODrQAITJV5gaG8jfOB7mWWJZiJzwyx0djDaWp1OBBynTzwVEg_toNsmRISVbE29LgpI1xi1xn2nVt5rPx9ze0vWsksy). > Upgrade to Yahoo paid account to access its email forwarding feature. Learn more about the Yahoo email forwarding feature [here.](https://respond.io/help/email/other-email#cannot_access_the_email_forwarding_feature_in_yahoo) ### Connecting Other Email Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on How to Connect Other Email to respond.io. **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Add Channel** **Step 2:** Locate the Other Email Channel > Click **Connect** **Step 3:** Click **Connect** > sign in with your credentials and set up the SMTP settings. ### Set up Email Forwarding Once you've filled in the required information, click **Next**. A forwarding email address will be provided and it needs to be set up in the email inbox settings. Refer to the following providers on how to set up the Email Forwarding rule: - Google - Microsoft Exchange 2007 - Microsoft Exchange 2010 - Microsoft Exchange 2013 or later - Microsoft Exchange Online - GoDaddy - Yahoo! Business - Apple Mail - iCloud - Amazon WorkMail > Once you've completed the setup, all incoming emails can be received in your Workspace. Do note that emails sent directly from the email provider will not be reflected in the platform. ### Channel Configuration > Email channel can be configured with a unique channel name. > Note: The ability to hide the respond.io branding is only available to organizations with subscriptions. **Step 1:** Go to **Settings** > **Channels‌** > Locate your email Channel > click **Manage** **Step 2:** Make the necessary configuration You can configure the following:‌ - Channel Name - Name used internally to identify the account. - Sender Name - The sender name is what your customers will see in their inbox as the sender of the email. By default, the sender name includes the name of the agent assigned to the conversation (using our variables) and the name of the company. - Workflow Sender Name - The sender name is what your customers see in their inbox as the sender of the email when it is sent through the workflow. By default, the sender name is set as the name of the company. - Signature - You have the option to create your own signature that will be automatically added to all your outgoing emails. If desired, you can choose to hide the signature by unchecking the checkbox. By default, the signature will be in the following format:RegardsThe first and last name of the assigned agent (using our variables)Company name In addition, you have the ability to include an image and customize your signature using our rich text editor to create your desired format. By default, this signature will be applied to customers who are connecting a new email channel. For existing users, your previous settings will remain in effect until you modify your configurations. - Hide respond.io branding in reply - Option to hide the respond.io branding in replies to your Gmail contacts (Available to organizations with subscriptions). - Default copied email address: This option allows emails added here to be automatically copied in every outgoing email. - HTML Background: This option enables or disables the HTML background in the emails that are sent out. - Additional Settings - Email credentials and IMAP/SMTP settings are used to connect the inbox to receive and send emails to/from the platform. **Step 3:** Click **Done** to update the Channel configuration‌. ## [Phone Number Migration to respond.io WhatsApp Business Platform (API)](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/phone-number-migration-to-respond-whatsapp-business-api) Learn how to migrate your phone number from other BSPs to respond.io WhatsApp Business API. ### Benefits of migrating to respond.io WhatsApp Business Platform (API) Migrating to respond.io's WhatsApp Business Platform (API) provides businesses with a wide range of benefits such as: - Lower costs and transparent charges with our intuitive WhatsApp Fees module. - Support for the latest features of WhatsApp Business Platform (API). - Faster message delivery through respond.io BSP than those sent through an on-premise solution. - Reliable service and connection with minimal interruptions to your WhatsApp Activities. - Zero Impact on your existing workflows and broadcasts upon successfully migrating to respond.io. ### What will be migrated? | Migrated | Not Migrated | | --- | --- | | ✅ Display name | ❌ Low-quality, rejected, or pending message templates. | | ✅ Phone Number Quality rating | | | ✅ Messaging limits | | | ✅ Official Business Account status (Blue Tick) | | | ✅ Any high-quality message templates previously approved | | ### Migration pre-requisites To ensure a successful migration, read and understand the following pre-requisites before migrating to respond.io WhatsApp Business Platform (API): - You need a Meta Business Manager account with an admin access role to sign up for a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) under respond. Additionally, Your business must be verified, and your phone number display name and WABA must be approved (name_status is APPROVED). Business phone numbers with pending display name change requests cannot be migrated. - Your phone number display name must be approved - You need to turn off your WhatsApp number two-step verification in your Meta Business Manager. If you've gone through the classic sign-up method, contact your current BSP to turn off your two-step verification for you. - Ensure that your respond.io WhatsApp Business Account have sufficient phone number slots to accommodate the phone number you’ll be migrating from. If not, consider removing a phone number or verifying your business to have more phone number slots. - You must have access to the phone number you want to migrate in order to receive a One-Time Password (OTP) via SMS or phone call. - Register the phone number to get it through the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system if required. - Allow pop-ups on your browser. Here’s a guide if you are using Google Chrome Browser. - You have to use the same business account in your Meta Business Manager that is currently linked to your WhatsApp BSP account. > Ensure your WABA/MBM currency is set to **USD**. This step is crucial to avoid issues with sending business-initiated conversations despite having sufficient credits. ### Migration limitations - Test Numbers: Test business phone numbers issued by WhatsApp cannot be migrated. - Cloud API Only: Migrated business phone numbers can only be registered for use with the Cloud API, not the On-Premises API. - Message History and Media: Message history and uploaded media will not be migrated if the source WABA is on On-Premises API. - Template Quality Ratings: Migrated templates will start with an UNKNOWN rating, updated after 24 hours if sufficient data is available. ### Steps to migrate to respond.io WhatsApp Business Platform (API) Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on How to Migrate WhatsApp Business Platform (API) to respond.io BSP. #### Step 1: Begin phone number migration 1. Go to Workspace Settings > Channels > navigate to WhatsApp Business Platform (API) > click Connect 2. Select the relevant option if you are connecting a new Channel or connecting an existing WhatsApp Business Platform (API) account. Then, click Get Started. > For new WhatsApp Business Platform (API) account, you can follow along the connection flow or follow [this guide](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-api-quick-start#how_to_sign_up_for_whats_app_business_platform_api). 3\. Select whether you are connecting an exisiting account with respond.io or another BSP. Then, click **Next**. 4\. Click on **Migrate With Facebook** 5\. Login with your Facebook account to grant permissions 6\. Click **Get Started** to proceed > Granting permissions will allow respond.io to manage your WhatsApp Business Account and billing. #### Step 2: Connect your Facebook Account and Select or Create a New WABA 1. Click on the Connect with Facebook button 2. Sign in to your Facebook account 3. Create or select an existing WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) registered under respond.io. 4. Fill in your business information > It is advisable for you to create a new WhatsApp business account to avoid potential issues after the migration. #### Step 3: Enter the Phone Number 1. Enter the phone number (in the E164 format) along with the country code in the input field. 2. Select your preferred method to receive the one-time password (OTP) - SMS or a phone call. > Users using a virtual phone number must have access to the virtual phone number to receive the One-Time Password (OTP) via an SMS or a phone call. #### Step 4: Verify ownership of the phone number 1. Enter the one-time password (OTP) you received via SMS or a phone call to verify your phone number. 2. Then, click Next > Finish #### Step 5: Select the Channel you are migrating from 1. Select the Channel you are migrating from 2. Click Save > Congratulations on migrating your WhatsApp Business account to respond.io! **What happens next:** - If no previous Channels exist, a new Channel will be created for you. - You can now configure the Channel, access the WhatsApp Fees Module to manage your balance and send and receive messages. - Your broadcasts and Workflows that were previously set up for your previous WhatsApp Channel are now automatically reconfigured to work with your newly connected respond.io WhatsApp Business Platform (API) Channel. > To prevent future charges, cancel your subscription with your old WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) once you've successfully migrated to respond.io's WhatsApp Business Platform (API). ## [Phone Number Migration to WhatsApp Cloud API](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/phone-number-migration-to-whatsapp-cloud-api) Learn how to migrate phone number from WhatsApp BSPs to WhatsApp Cloud API. ### Benefits of Migrating to WhatsApp Cloud API WhatsApp Cloud API is a new platform that offers businesses a direct connection to WhatsApp's infrastructure and it’s a self-service option as compared to going through WhatsApp partners (BSPs). Some benefits of using WhatsApp Cloud API are: - a more cost-effective option. - a more reliable and stable connection to the platform. - the ability to build custom integrations that fit your specific business needs. - a flexible and scalable solution for businesses of all sizes. > Learn more about [WhatsApp Cloud API here](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-cloud-api). ### What will be Migrated? Note that the following elements can be migrated from the WhatsApp BSP to the WhatsApp Cloud API. #### Can be migrated - Phone number associated with the account. - Any previously approved high-quality message templates. - Display name of the Phone number. - Quality rating of the Phone number. - Messaging limits. - Official WABA status. #### Cannot be migrated - Low-quality, rejected, or pending message templates. ### Pre-Migration Requirements: What to Prepare for Your Migration Setup > Take note of phrases that will be frequently used throughout this document: **\-Source WABA**: The WhatsApp BSP from which we are migrating. -**Destination WABA**: The WhatsApp Cloud API to which we are migrating. #### Pre-Migration Requirements Checklist: - Existing Meta Developer App: If you do not have a developer app created, click here to create your app in Meta Business Manager (MBM) and get started with WhatsApp Cloud API. This app must be created under the same business account (business ID) as the source WABA. - Business ID: The Source and Destination WABAs must be associated with the same MBM or have the same business ID. - Business Verification: The Business ID has to be verified. If your business is not yet verified, follow these steps to get it verified. - WABA Review Status: The review status of the Source and Destination WABAs must be approved. - Payment Method: A payment method must be configured for both the Source and Destination WABA. Ensure that the payment method is set up at both the source and the destination. - Two-Step Verification: Two-step verification must be disabled on the phone number being migrated. > When all of the above is checked and completed, the migration process can continue. #### Configuring Phone Numbers and WABA IDs Meta has designed the WABA IDs to not be migratable. Due to certain limitations, a workaround has been implemented as a solution. For migration of phone numbers to occur, both source and destination WABA IDs must be under the same Meta business manager account. This means that migrating a phone number will only result in the transfer of that number between WABAs and will not allow for any other changes. To successfully migrate a phone number, the following steps must be carried out: - Add a new number to the destination WABA: This will generate a new WABA ID for the number you wish to migrate to. You may skip this step if you have an existing WABA with a number that is no longer being used. > Learn more about [connecting phone numbers to WhatsApp Cloud API here](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-cloud-api#toc-mobile-10). - Delete the new number from the destination WABA: This will vacate a spot for a number to be added to the destination WABA. Alternatively, if you have an existing unused number, you can delete that number. > Once the number is deleted, proceed to migrate the customer's current number to the new WhatsApp business. ### API Documentation for the Migration Process > It is important to note that currently, these migration steps outlined in the API documentation can only be executed by a developer or someone with a similar technical background. However, we understand that this can be a limitation for some and we are working towards developing a more user-friendly and accessible solution in the future. Need help? Contact us [here](https://respond.io/contact)! #### Step 1: Begin Phone Number Migration ##### Callback URL: `POST ` | Name | In | Required | Type | Description | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | version | path | True | string | The API version. | | wabaId | path | True | string | The WhatsApp Cloud API WABA ID. | > Go to [Business Manager > Business Settings > Accounts > WhatsApp Business Accounts](https://business.facebook.com/settings/whatsapp-business-accounts/) to find the ID of a WhatsApp Business Account. Select the account you want to use. A panel with account information, including the ID will appear. ##### Parameters **Header** `Authorization: Bearer {Access Token}` > The System user generates your Access Token in the WhatsApp Business Accounts tab of the Business Manager. Read [this guide](https://web.facebook.com/business/help/503306463479099?id=2190812977867143&_rdc=1&_rdr) to learn how to access the system user and create or copy one. **Body** | Name | Type | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | cc | num | Numerical country code for the phone number being registered.note: Plus (+) sign is not needed for country code. | | phone_number | num | Phone number being migrated, without the country code or plus symbol (+). | | migrate_phone_number | boolean | Set to true to migrate phone number. | **Status** | Name | Description | | --- | --- | | 200 OK | Success. | **Response** `{ "id": "phoneNumberId" }` #### Step 2: Request for Code (PIN) to Verify Phone Ownership ##### Callback URL `POST ` | Name | In | Required | Type | Description | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | version | path | True | string | The API version. | | phoneNumberId | path | True | string | This is the response returned in Step 1. Copy and Paste the number into the callback URL in this step. | ##### Parameters **Header** `Authorization: Bearer {Access Token}` **Body** | Name | Type | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | code_method | enum | Method of receiving the registration code. Supported values: SMS and Voice. | | language | enum | Language in which you want to receive the registration code. See language codes. | **Status** | Name | Description | | --- | --- | | 200 OK | Success. | **Response** `{ "success": true }` > The code has been sent to the phone number that is being migrated via the selected method (SMS or Voice). #### Step 3: Verify the Code ##### Callback URL `POST: ` > The code (6-digit pin) received in the phone number from step 2 will be used to verify the ownership. ##### Parameters **Header** `Authorization: Bearer {Access Token}` **Body** | Name | Type | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | code | num | 6-digit registration code received after completing Step 2. | **Status** | Name | Description | | --- | --- | | 200 OK | Success. | **Response** `{ "success": true }` > Confirms that the phone ownership is verified. #### Step 4: Register Phone Number ##### Callback URL `POST ` ##### Parameters **Header** `Authorization: Bearer {Access Token}` **Body** | Name | Type | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | messaging_product | enum | Messaging service used. In this case, use "whatsapp". | | pin | num | 6-digit registration code received after Step 2. | **Status** | Name | Description | | --- | --- | | 200 OK | Success. | **Response** `{ "success": true }` > The phone number is successfully registered to the WhatsApp Cloud API WABA. You can now send messages to your destination WABA. > WABA ID is not migrated. The newly migrated number will be associated with the WABA ID of the previously deleted number. #### Step 5: Check the Migrated Phone Number in Meta Developer App A successful migration can be verified through the Meta Developer App. To do this, follow these steps: 1. Navigate to WhatsApp > Getting Started 2. In the phone number dropdown list, confirm that the number is present and accurately reflected. ## [Profile](https:/respond.io/help/user-account/profile) Learn how to manage your User profile on the respond.io platform. ### Getting Here A user can view their user profile from two locations: - User profile menu - User profile page ### User profile menu View your user profile menu by clicking on your profile photo at the bottom of the left sidebar. #### User profile Displays your name and email address. #### Activity status indicator Using this, you can change your current status within the platform. Learn more about [Activity Status](https://respond.io/help/user-account/user-activity-status). #### Actions **Notifications** Click to manage notifications preferences. **Billing & Usage** Click to go to the Billing & Usage page of the Organization. (Only shown to Organization Admins and Billing Admins) **Sign out** Click to sign out of the platform. ### User profile page The User profile page is more extensive than the User profile menu, where you can edit more information on your user profile. This page can be accessed from the Settings module > Personal Settings > Profile. #### Profile Avatar Click on the avatar to change your avatar image. Drag and drop an image into the placeholder or click it to upload from your computer. Use the edit tools below to adjust your avatar or click the trash icon to remove it. Once satisfied, click **Set As Avatar** to save. > This image will be visible to everyone on your Team. #### Activity status indicator Change your current status within the platform. Find out more about [Activity Status](https://respond.io/help/user-account/user-activity-status). #### Profile information **First Name & Last Name** You can make changes to your first name and last name. > Your first and last name will be displayed to your Team and Contacts. Make sure you put an appropriate name. **Password** You can change or update your profile password on this page. > Remember to choose a strong and secure password that fulfills the [password security requirements](https://respond.io/help/user-account/resetting-your-password#password_security_requirements), and spend some time remembering it. **Language** You can switch to your preferred language by clicking on the Language dropdown. The available languages are: - English 🇬🇧 - Spanish (Español) 🇪🇸 - Portuguese (Português) 🇵🇹 - Arabic (عربي) 🇸🇦 - Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ) 🇲🇲 - Thai (ภาษาไทย) 🇹🇭 - Traditional Chinese (繁體中文) 🇹🇼 - Simplified Chinese (简体中文) 🇨🇳 - Italian (Italiano) 🇮🇹 - German (Deutsch) 🇩🇪 - Russian (Русский) 🇷🇺 - French (Français) 🇫🇷 - Japanese (日本語) 🇯🇵 - Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) 🇮🇩 - Turkish (Türkçe) 🇹🇷 - Korean (한국어) 🇰🇷 - Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) 🇻🇳 - Hebrew (עברית) 🇮🇱 #### Notifications In this dropdown menu, you can change how often you would like to receive notifications. For more information on Notifications, read more [here](https://respond.io/help/user-account/notifications). ### Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) **Pre-requisite**: You must install an authenticator app, i.e., Google Authenticator or Authy, on your mobile. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) addresses the issue of password vulnerability and provides an additional layer of security (e.g., in case your password is compromised). This reinforces the safety measures taken to protect sensitive data by eliminating the chances of unauthorized access to your account. All of this is achieved by adding a layer of protection to your account that requires an authentication code in addition to your password. Once you have provided the correct password, you must provide an authentication code (generated by an authenticator app installed on your mobile device) to log in. > **Warning:** In case you lose access to your authenticator app (e.g., your phone is lost), you can [contact our customer support](https://respond.io/contact). > When your organization requires you to enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on your account, you will receive a related email and notification. #### Enabling Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on Your Account You can enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on your account by following the steps provided below: 1. Turn the Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) toggle on. 2. Open the preferred authenticator app on your mobile and scan the QR code that displays on the platform. Alternatively, enter the alpha-numeric code that displays (in case you cannot scan the code from your mobile device) into the authenticator app. 3. Enter the 6-digit code generated by your authenticator app into the Set Up Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) dialog box. 4. If required, click Submit. 5. A dialog confirms that Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) has been enabled, click Done to return to the Profile page. #### Disabling Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) You can disable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) by toggling off **Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)**. A confirmation dialog is displayed, confirming your choice. ### Dark Mode Customize your viewing experience by choosing your preferred theme. The platform offers three display options, including Dark Mode. **How to enable Dark Mode:** 1. Go to Settings > Personal Settings > Profile 2. Under Dark Mode, select On to enable dark mode ## [Reporting a Bug](https:/respond.io/help/help-menu/reporting-a-bug) Learn more about reporting bugs to the respond.io team. ### Getting Here To help us fix issues with respond.io, select the **Help** icon on the side navigation menu and select **Report a Bug** from the menu. > The **Report a Bug** page can also be accessed from the Resource Center. The **Report a Bug** dialog opens in your default browser. ### Reporting a Bug Follow the steps provided below to report a bug. 1. Select the bug location from the Bug Location dropdown. By default, the name of the module you are currently working in is populated in the dropdown. 2. Depending on the option selected from the Bug Location dropdown list, other related fields may or may not appear. Suppose you select Broadcasts; you will have to specify the Broadcast ID to help narrow down the issue. 3. Provide a summary of the bug in the Bug Summary field. 4. Select a file that further elaborates the bug in the Bug related media upload field. 5. Click Report. The bug is reported and sent to the respond.io team to verify and fix. ## [Reports Overview](https:/respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-overview) Use reports to get insights on workforce performance on the platform. The **Reports module** provides powerful insights into your team’s performance on respond.io and helps businesses make informed, data-driven decisions. This module is available on **all pricing plans**, but the **depth of reporting features depends on your plan**. ### Reports availability by plan The reports available to you will vary based on your plan: | Plan | Available Reports & Features | | --- | --- | | Starter | - Real-Time Dashboard - Conversation Analytics - Messages Reports - Contacts Reports - Sales Leaderboard - User Performance Report - Team Performance Report - Report Filters | | Growth & Advanced | Everything in Starter, plus: - Agent Responses Metrics - Resolutions Reports - Assignment Reports - Broadcast Analytics | Starter plan users will only see a simplified set of widgets (e.g., Conversation and User summaries), while Growth and Advanced plans include all 11 tabs with full metrics, filters, and CSV exports. ### Timezone Considerations All data in the Reports module is shown based on your **Workspace Timezone settings**. Be sure to configure your preferred timezone to ensure report accuracy. Data shown in the reports are according to the Workspace’s [Timezone settings](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/settings-general#setting_a_workspace_s_timezone) so ensure that you have set your preferred timezone. ### Access & Navigation > This module is available to **Owners** and **Managers** only. **To access:** 1. Navigate to the sidebar menu 2. Click on Reports ### Report Tabs In this module, there are 9 reporting tabs. Each tab consists of metrics, charts and listings related to the entity. The tabs are as follows: - Lifecycle - Calls - Conversations - Responses - Resolutions - Messages - Contacts - Assignments - Leaderboard - Users - Broadcasts ### Report Filters Each tab has its own set of report filters that enable you to perform in-depth analysis or create insightful information from the reports. Some filters are only applicable to certain overviews in the report tabs. In this case, those overviews will be empty and indicated as not applicable. The filters applied are retained on the user level and not affected by changes made by other users so that you can pick up from where you left off. ### Report Features #### Group By For charts that contain multiple breakdown options, you can click the *Group By* drop-down list to view the options available. #### Download Charts Click the 3 dots icon next to the chart to download the selected chart. There are 3 options available: **SVG**, **PNG** and **CSV**. #### Export Data to CSV and Customize Columns Click the 3 dots icon next to a list of data to export the list to a CSV file. You may also choose to display or hide columns to view only details that are relevant to you. Your selections will not affect the viewing of other users. #### Percentage of Difference On the right side of the metrics shown in some of the charts, you can see a percentage of difference. The value is compared to the same period prior to the selected period. If the selected period is the last 7 days (e.g. 17 Mar - 23 Mar), the percentage of difference is compared to the 7 days prior to the last 7 days (e.g. 10 Mar - 16 Mar). ## [Reports: Assignments](https:/respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-assignments) View the Contact assignment activity on the platform. The Assignments report provides an insight into how Contact assignments are working and if the assignments are done effectively on the platform. You can learn the total number of assignments and number of assignments done by source, as well as gain deeper insights on each Contact assignment that happened within a selected period. ### Getting Here Navigate to the **Reports** module and click **Assignments**. ### Filters - Frequency and date — Select a date range from the drop-down list to be applied to the report. Alternatively, you can define the date range by frequency. The following options are available:TodayYesterdayLast 7 DaysLast 14 DaysLast 30 DaysThis MonthLast Month - Today - Yesterday - Last 7 Days - Last 14 Days - Last 30 Days - This Month - Last Month - +Add Filter — You can refine the view of the report components by adding more filter(s). The following filters are available:SourceAssigned ToAssigned By UserContact - Search the Contact by Contact name and Contact ID. Use Contact filter to see the assignments for the specified Contact.Conversation ID - Filter by conversation ID to view the assignments that occurred in one conversation. As a manager, you can use this filter to analyze why certain conversations had many assignments. - Source - Assigned To - Assigned By User - Contact - Search the Contact by Contact name and Contact ID. Use Contact filter to see the assignments for the specified Contact. - Conversation ID - Filter by conversation ID to view the assignments that occurred in one conversation. As a manager, you can use this filter to analyze why certain conversations had many assignments. - Clear All — You can use this option to reset the filters to the default selections. > You may encounter a chart with the following message displayed: \- *The selected filter(s) are not applicable here*: This means the filter(s) you have selected are not applicable to the chart.- *The selected filter(s) have no applicable data*: This means no data is available for the selected filter(s), for e.g. the chart is new and only available at a date later than the selected date range. ### Report Components #### Contact Assignments **Metric** The number and percentage of Contact assignments within the selected period by sources. > Unassignment will also be counted as an assignment. The ways to assign and unassign a Contact are as follows: | Source | Description | | --- | --- | | Developer API | The Contact was assigned by Developer API. | | Workflow | The Contact was assigned by Workflow step. | | Bot | The Contact was assigned by Dialogflow bot. | | Zapier | The Contact was assigned by Zapier action. | | Make | The Contact was assigned by Make action. | | User | The Contact was assigned by user from the Messages module. It applies when a user sends an outgoing message and the Contact is assigned to the user. | | Contact Import | The Contact was assigned using the Contact Import feature where the assignee is indicated for the Contact in the Assignee column in the CSV file. | | Close Conversation (Legacy) | The Contact was unassigned when a conversation is closed. | | Click-to-Chat Ad | The Contact was assigned when they clicked an advertisement and sent a message. | > Different sources will be displayed in this report depending on the selected period. **Bar Chart** The number of Contact assignments within the selected period by sources. **Pie Chart** The percentage and total number of Contact assignments within the selected period by sources. #### Contact Assignments Log Here are the insights you can gain from each Contact assignment that happened. Learn more about each column in the following table: | Table Headers | Description | | --- | --- | | Timestamp | The date and time when the Contact was assigned. | | Conversation ID | The Conversation ID of the Contact where that assignment happened. | | Contact ID | The Contact ID of the Contact assigned. | | Contact Name | The name of the Contact assigned. | | Previous Assignee | The previous assignee of the Contact. If there is no previous assignee, this will be shown as “-”. | | Assigned To | The new assignee of the Contact. | | Source | The source of assignment. | | Assigned By | The user who assigned the Contact to the assignee. Only applicable if the source is User. | > Reports table has a limitation of generating a maximum of 10,000 row of results. If you need more data, consider using [Data Export](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/data-export). ## [Reports: Broadcasts](https:/respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-broadcasts) View the delivery rates of broadcasts to gain insights into the performance and delivery data of the broadcasts. The Broadcasts report provides insights into the results of each broadcast. You can refine the data to analyze the performance in terms of broadcast messages delivery and the number of recipients of a single broadcast or a campaign of multiple broadcasts. > A broadcast consists of the broadcast messages sent to recipients. #### Getting Here Navigate to the **Reports** module and click **Broadcasts**. #### Filters - Frequency and date — Select a date range from the drop-down list to be applied to the report. Alternatively, you can define the date range by frequency. The following options are available:TodayYesterdayLast 7 DaysLast 14 DaysLast 30 DaysThis MonthLast Month - Today - Yesterday - Last 7 Days - Last 14 Days - Last 30 Days - This Month - Last Month - +Add Filter — You can refine the view of the report components by adding more filter(s). The following filters are available:Channel: Channels that have been deleted from the Workspace are not available for selection. However, the report will include data from these deleted channels.LabelBroadcast Name: This is useful to filter out a specific broadcast to analyze its performance.Sent BySegment - Channel: Channels that have been deleted from the Workspace are not available for selection. However, the report will include data from these deleted channels. - Label - Broadcast Name: This is useful to filter out a specific broadcast to analyze its performance. - Sent By - Segment - Clear All — You can use this option to reset the filters to the default selections. > You may encounter a chart with the following message displayed: \- *The selected filter(s) are not applicable here*: This means the filter(s) you have selected are not applicable to the chart. - *The selected filter(s) have no applicable data*: This means no data is available for the selected filter(s), for e.g. the chart is new and only available at a date later than the selected date range. #### Report Components ##### Broadcasts Overview This overview shows the number of broadcasts completed and failed within the selected period based on the delivery time. It helps you to understand the overall performance of the broadcasts. **Metric #1: Broadcasts Completed** The number of completed broadcasts within the selected period. **Metric #2: Broadcast Failed** The number of broadcasts that failed to deliver within the selected period. **Bar Chart: Broadcasts Completed vs Failed** The number of broadcasts that are completed and failed to deliver within the selected period. ##### Broadcasts Completed This overview shows the number and percentage of broadcasts completed within the selected period based on the delivery time. The chart can be grouped by *Channel* or *Sent By* to understand the performance of broadcasts that are sent on different channels or by users who sent the broadcasts. ##### Broadcasts Completed by Channel **Metric** The number and percentage of broadcasts completed within the selected period by channel. **Bar Chart** The number of broadcasts completed within the selected period by channel. **Pie Chart** The percentage and total number of broadcasts completed within the selected period by channel. ##### Broadcasts Completed by Sent By **Metric** The number and percentage of broadcasts completed within the selected period by users who sent the broadcasts. **Bar Chart** The number of broadcasts completed within the selected period by users who sent the broadcasts. **Pie Chart** The percentage and total number of broadcasts completed within the selected period by users who sent the broadcasts. ##### Broadcast Messages This overview shows the number and percentage of broadcast messages for the broadcasts that were sent within the selected period based on the delivery time. The chart can be grouped by *Channel* or *Sent By* to analyze the broadcast messages performance by different channels and by users who sent the broadcast. > Only broadcasts that has started sending and completed will be shown in this report. The number is added once a broadcast is initiated. ##### Broadcast Messages by Channel **Metric** The number and percentage of broadcast messages for the broadcasts that were sent within the selected period by channel. **Bar Chart** The number of broadcast messages for the broadcasts that were sent within the selected period by channel. **Pie Chart** The percentage and total number of broadcast messages for the broadcasts that were sent within the selected period by channel. ##### **Broadcast Messages by Sent By** **Metric** The number and percentage of broadcast messages for the broadcasts that were sent within the selected period by users who sent the broadcasts. **Bar Chart** The number of broadcast messages for the broadcasts that were sent within the selected period by users who sent the broadcasts. **Pie Chart** The percentage and total number of broadcast messages for the broadcasts that were sent within the selected period by users who sent the broadcasts. ##### Recipients > Only broadcasts that has started sending and completed will be shown in this report. The number is added once a broadcast is initiated. **Metric and Chart** The number of recipients who received the broadcast messages from all the broadcasts that were sent within the selected period based on the delivery time. ##### Broadcast Messages Delivery (Linear) > This metric only takes into account data for broadcasts that were sent within the selected period. > \- The tracking of messages delivery status is only up to 30 days. So for an example, if a message gets read only after 30 days, the delivery status will no longer be updated to **Read**. \- If Contacts have turned off **Read Receipts** on the WhatsApp app's privacy setting, messages they have read will not be reflected in the **Read** metric. Instead, they will be reflected in the **Sent** and **Delivered** metrics. This may cause a discrepancy between the number of **Read** and **Delivered** messages. **Metric and Chart** The number of broadcast messages for the broadcasts that were sent, delivered, read and failed within the selected period. > To learn more on how the date range filter affects the data that is displayed in this chart, refer [here](https://respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-broadcasts#faq_and_troubleshooting). ##### Broadcast Messages Delivery (Cumulative) > This metric only takes into account data for broadcasts that were sent within the selected period. > \- The tracking of messages delivery status is only up to 30 days. So for an example, if a message gets read only after 30 days, the delivery status will no longer be updated to **Read**. \- If Contacts have turned off **Read Receipts** on the WhatsApp app's privacy setting, messages they have read will not be reflected in the **Read** metric. Instead, they will be reflected in the **Sent** and **Delivered** metrics. This may cause a discrepancy between the number of **Read** and **Delivered** messages. **Metric and Chart** The cumulative count of the number of broadcast messages for the broadcasts that were sent, delivered, read and failed within the selected period. > To learn more on how the date range filter affects the data that is displayed in this chart, refer [here](https://respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-broadcasts#faq_and_troubleshooting). ##### Broadcasts List Here are the insights you can gain from each broadcast that happened. Learn more about each column in the following table: | Table Headers | Description | | --- | --- | | Broadcast Timestamp | The date and time the broadcast was scheduled to be sent. | | Name | The name of the broadcast. The name contains a hyperlink to the Broadcast module with the Broadcast Details Drawer of the selected broadcast opened. | | Label | Label added to the broadcast. | | Completed Timestamp | The date and time the broadcast was completed. | | Segment | The segment to which the broadcast was sent. | | Channel | The channel from which the broadcast was sent. | | Sent By | The name of the person who sent the broadcast. | | Recipients | The number of recipients for the broadcast. | | Total Messages | The total number of broadcast messages for the broadcast. | | Sent | The total number of broadcast messages with the Sent status. | | Failed | The total number of broadcast messages that failed to deliver. | | Delivered | The total number of broadcast messages with the Delivered status. | | Read | The total number of broadcast messages with the Read status. | > Reports table has a limitation of generating a maximum of 10,000 row of results. If you need more data, consider using [Data Export](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/data-export). ## [Reports: Calls](https:/respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-calls) Track and analyze call performance across your Workspace. ### What are Call Reports? Call Reports provide visibility into your call activity — helping you monitor total call volume, response rates, and average duration. These reports help you answer key questions like: - How many calls are being answered or missed? - Which channels or agents handle the most calls? - When are your peak calling hours? Use these insights to optimize agent staffing, improve answer rates, and monitor performance trends over time. ### Getting Here 1. Navigate to the Reports module. 2. Click Calls in the left-side menu. ### Filters Use filters to customize the data shown in your reports. - Date Range: Choose a time range such as Today, Last 7 Days, or set a custom range. - +Add Filter: Filter by:ChannelContactUserCall Event (e.g., Answered, Missed, No Answer) - Channel - Contact - User - Call Event (e.g., Answered, Missed, No Answer) > If a selected filter doesn’t apply to a certain chart, or returns no results, a message will indicate this. ### Report Components #### Basic Metrics These high-level metrics summarize overall call activity within the selected period. - Total Incoming Calls: All answered and missed calls received. - Total Outgoing Calls: All answered and no-answer calls made. - Average Call Duration: Average length of all answered calls. Each card includes a comparison to the previous period (trend up, down, or unchanged). #### Call Breakdown Charts Visualize trends in your incoming and outgoing call performance. #### Incoming Calls - Stacked Bar Chart: Shows answered vs missed calls per day. - Donut Chart: Displays overall proportion of answered vs missed calls. #### Outgoing Calls - Stacked Bar Chart: Shows answered vs no-answer calls per day. - Donut Chart: Displays overall proportion of answered vs no-answer calls. #### Grouping Options Use the **Group by** dropdown to change the data grouping: - Call Status (default): Answered, Missed, No Answer - Channel: WhatsApp, Messenger, etc. #### Call Heatmaps Identify peak hours and days for your team’s calling activity. - Incoming Calls Heatmap: Orange-colored cells represent the volume of answered and missed incoming calls. - Outgoing Calls Heatmap: Green-colored cells represent answered and no-answer outgoing calls. Darker shades = higher call volumes. Each call is logged based on its start time only. #### Call Log Get a detailed view of all calls made or received. **Column Descriptions:** - Contact: Clickable name linking to the conversation. - Call Event: Incoming or Outgoing. - Call Status: Answered, Missed, or No Answer. - Channel: Platform used (e.g. WhatsApp). - User: The agent who handled the call. - Call Duration: Time spent on the call. Not shown for unanswered calls. - Timestamp: Start time of the call or end of the attempt. - Call recording: Playback link to the audio file (if available). - Call transcript: Download link for the text transcript (if the call was transcribed). - Call summary: Preview of the AI-generated summary, with full content available on hover (if enabled). You can sort the log by **Call Duration** and **Timestamp**. Use pagination to browse through more entries. ## [Reports: Contacts](https:/respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-contacts) The Contacts reports tab consists of all the metrics and information related to Contacts. The Contacts report provides metrics regarding Contacts in a Workspace. Gain insights on the number of Contacts added, connected, deleted and merged, as well as identifying popular Contact sources and channels used. The new Paid Ads source category includes both Meta Click-to-Chat Ads and TikTok Messaging Ads. This makes it easier to track how many Contacts were acquired through your advertising efforts. These will appear in both the bar and pie charts under the “Paid Ads” group. > Paid Ads: Contacts added by clicking a Meta or TikTok advertisement and initiating a message. Sub-sources (Meta or TikTok) are also tracked in logs. ### Getting Here Navigate to the **Reports** module and click **Contacts**. ### Filters - Frequency and date — Select a date range from the drop-down list to be applied to the report. Alternatively, you can define the date range by frequency. The following options are available:TodayYesterdayLast 7 DaysLast 14 DaysLast 30 DaysThis MonthLast Month - Today - Yesterday - Last 7 Days - Last 14 Days - Last 30 Days - This Month - Last Month - +Add Filter — You can refine the view of the report components by adding more filter(s). The following filters are available:Channel - Channels that have been deleted from the Workspace are not available for selection. However, the report will include data from these deleted channels.UserSourceContact - Search the Contact by Contact name and Contact ID. Use Contact filter to see the conversations for the specified Contact. - Channel - Channels that have been deleted from the Workspace are not available for selection. However, the report will include data from these deleted channels. - User - Source - Contact - Search the Contact by Contact name and Contact ID. Use Contact filter to see the conversations for the specified Contact. - Clear All — You can use this option to reset the filters to the default selections. > You may encounter a chart with the following message displayed: *\-The selected filter(s) are not applicable here*: This means the filter(s) you have selected are not applicable to the chart. - *The selected filter(s) have no applicable data*: This means no data is available for the selected filter(s), for e.g. the chart is new and only available at a date later than the selected date range. ### Report Components #### Contacts Overview **Metric #1: Contacts Added** The number of Contacts added within the selected period. **Metric #2: Contacts Deleted** The number of Contacts deleted within the selected period. **Metric #3: Contacts Merged** The number of Contacts merged within the selected period. **Bar Chart: Contacts Added vs Deleted vs Merged** The number of Contacts added, deleted and merged within the selected period. #### Contacts Added **Metric** The number of Contacts added within the selected period broken down by source, or how the Contacts were added. The ways to add a Contact are as follows: | Source | Description | | --- | --- | | User | The Contact was added by a user via the Add Contact dialog in Contacts module or the Inbox module. | | Contact Import | The Contact was added via Contact Import in Contacts module. | | Developer API | The Contact was added via Contact API. | | Incoming Message | The Contact was added when he/she sent an incoming message to the platform. | | Echo Message | The Contact was added when his/her conversation was imported from the supported messaging channel such as Facebook. | | Zapier | The Contact was added via a Zapier action. | | Make | The Contact was added via a Make action. | | Click-to-Chat Ad | The Contact was added when they clicked an advertisement. | | Auto-Create: HubSpot | Contact was automatically added from HubSpot. | | Auto-Create: Salesforce | Contact was automatically added from Salesforce. | **Bar Chart** The number of Contacts added within the selected period by source. **Pie Chart** The percentage and total number of Contacts added within the selected period by source. #### Contacts Connected **Metric** The number and percentage of newly-connected Contacts within the selected period broken down by channel. This report helps to identify the channels the new Contacts are coming from or added. Contacts get connected ([active](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contact-channels#active_channel) on platform) when there is an outgoing message successfully sent to the Contact or when an incoming message is received from the Contact. The ways a Contact can be connected are as follows: | Source | Description | | --- | --- | | Developer API | The Contact was connected via an outgoing message sent by Developer API. | | Incoming Message | The Contact was added when an incoming message was received from the Contact the platform. | | Echo Message | The Contact was connected when his/her conversation was imported from the supported messaging channel (Facebook). | | Zapier | The Contact was connected via an outgoing message sent by Zapier action. | | Make | The Contact was connected via an outgoing message sent by Make action. | | Broadcast | The Contact was connected via an outgoing broadcast messages sent to the Contact successfully. | | User | The Contact was connected via an outgoing message sent by user from the Inbox module. | | Click-to-Chat Ad | The Contact was connected when they clicked an advertisement. | **Bar Chart** The number of Contacts connected within the selected period by channel. **Pie Chart** The percentage and total number of Contacts connected within the selected period by channel. #### Logs There are 4 logs available to view the Contact activities within the Workspace. > Reports table has a limitation of generating a maximum of 10,000 row of results. If you need more data, consider using [Data Export](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/data-export). ##### Contact Added Log Here is a log to view each Contact that was added to the Workspace. Learn more about each column in the following table: | Column Name | Description | | --- | --- | | Timestamp | The date and time when the Contact was added. | | Contact ID | The ID of the Contact. | | Contact Name | The name of the Contact. | | Source | The source of creation of the Contact. | | Sub-source | The Ad Sub-source of the Contact, shown as Meta Click-to-Chat Ads or TikTok Messaging Ads, if the Contact was added via Paid Ads. | | Ad Campaign ID | The Ad Campaign ID from which the Contact originated. | | Ad Group ID | The ad group ID from which the Contact originated. | | Ad ID | The specific ad ID that the Contact interacted with. | | User | The name of the user who perform the action. Only applicable when the source is User. | ##### Contact Connected Log Here is a log to view each Contact that was connected to your Workspace. Learn more about each column in the following table: | Column Name | Description | | --- | --- | | Timestamp | The date and time when the Contact was connected. | | Contact ID | The ID of the Contact. | | Contact Name | The name of the Contact. | | Source | The source of connection of the Contact. | | Sub-source | The ad sub-source of the Contact, shown as Meta Click-to-Chat Ads or TikTok Messaging Ads, if the Contact was connected via Paid Ads. | | Ad Campaign ID | The campaign ID from which the Contact originated. | | Ad Group ID | The ad group ID from which the Contact originated. | | Ad ID | The specific ad ID that the Contact interacted with. | | User | The name of the user who sent the outgoing message. Only applicable when the source is User. | ##### Contact Deleted Log Here is a log to view each Contact that was deleted from your Workspace. Learn more about each column in the following table: | Column Name | Description | | --- | --- | | Timestamp | The date and time when the Contact was deleted. | | Contact ID | The ID of the Contact deleted. | | Contact Name | The name of the Contact deleted. | | Source | The source of deletion of the Contact, which can only be User. | | Sub-source | If the Contact was initially added via Paid Ads, this shows the sub-source (Meta or TikTok) even after deletion. | | Ad Campaign ID | The campaign ID tied to the deleted Contact, if available. | | Ad Group ID | The ad group ID tied to the deleted Contact, if available. | | Ad ID | The ad ID tied to the deleted Contact, if available. | | User | The name of the user who delete the Contact. | > If a user has been deleted from the Workspace, the username will be replaced with the user ID. Export all user IDs from User Settings before removing users for future username verification based on user ID. ##### Contact Merged Log Here is a log to view each Contact merge that happened. Learn more about each column in the following table: | Column Name | Description | | --- | --- | | Timestamp | The date and time when the Contact was merged. | | Primary Contact ID | The ID of the Contact after merging. | | Contact Name | The name of the Contact after merging. | | Source | The source of Contact merging, which can only be User. | | Sub-source | If the merged Contact came from Paid Ads, this shows the sub-source (Meta or TikTok). | | Ad Campaign ID | The campaign ID of the merged Contact, if applicable. | | Ad Group ID | The ad group ID of the merged Contact, if applicable. | | Ad ID | The ad ID of the merged Contact, if applicable. | | User | The name of the user who performed the Contact merging. | ## [Reports: Conversations](https:/respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-conversations) The Conversations reports tab consists of all the metrics and information related to conversations. The Conversations report provides insights on the volume and traffic of conversations in the Workspace. These metrics only considers data from conversations that are closed within the selected period. Managers can use these data to identify the busiest times of the day, the most used closing category, the most popular channel used and more. ### Getting Here Navigate to the **Reports** module and click **Conversations**. ### Filters - Frequency and date — Select a date range from the drop-down list to be applied to the report. Alternatively, you can define the date range by frequency. The following options are available:TodayYesterdayLast 7 DaysLast 14 DaysLast 30 DaysThis MonthLast Month - Today - Yesterday - Last 7 Days - Last 14 Days - Last 30 Days - This Month - Last Month - +Add Filter — You can refine the view of the report components by adding more filter(s). The following filters are available:Conversation Closed SourceFirst AssigneeFirst Response ByLast AssigneeClosed By TeamClosed By UserConversation CategoryConversation Opened ChannelConversation Opened SourceContact TypeContact - Search the Contact by Contact name and Contact ID. Use Contact filter to see the conversations for the specified Contact.Conversation ID - Get the conversation ID from the Conversation List to see the performance of the particular conversation. - Conversation Closed Source - First Assignee - First Response By - Last Assignee - Closed By Team - Closed By User - Conversation Category - Conversation Opened Channel - Conversation Opened Source - Contact Type - Contact - Search the Contact by Contact name and Contact ID. Use Contact filter to see the conversations for the specified Contact. - Conversation ID - Get the conversation ID from the Conversation List to see the performance of the particular conversation. - Clear All — You can use this option to reset the filters to the default selections. > You may encounter a chart with the following message displayed: *\-The selected filter(s) are not applicable here*: This means the filter(s) you have selected are not applicable to the chart. - *The selected filter(s) have no applicable data*: This means no data is available for the selected filter(s), for e.g. the chart is new and only available at a date later than the selected date range. ### Report Components #### Conversations Overview **Metric #1: Conversation Opened** The number of conversations opened within the selected period. **Metric #2: Conversation Closed** The number of conversations closed within the selected period. > The number of conversations closed will not include the conversation closed when merging Contacts or when deleting a Contact (as this action will not close the conversation). **Bar** **Chart: Conversation Opened vs Closed** The number of conversations opened and closed within the selected period. Only the filters below are applicable to this chart: - Conversation Opened Channel - Conversation Opened Source - Contact Type - Contact - Conversation ID #### Heatmaps ##### Conversations Opened Heatmap This heatmap shows the traffic and distribution of the conversation opened across the hours of the day within the selected date range based on the conversation opened timestamp. This can help managers observe peak periods for inbound conversations and plan their manpower accordingly. The areas with a darker color indicates a higher number of conversations opened while those with a lighter color represents a lesser number of conversations opened. Use filters to analyze the traffic of conversations for a particular set of conversations. Only the filters below are applicable to this heatmap: - Conversation Opened Channel - Conversation Opened Source - Contact Type - Contact - Conversation ID ##### Conversations Closed Heatmap This heatmap shows the traffic and distribution of the conversation closed across the hours of the day on the selected date range based on the conversation closed timestamp. The areas with a darker color indicates a higher number of conversations closed while those with a lighter color represents a lesser number of conversations closed. This can help managers understand the correlation between conversations closed and conversations opened in the *Conversations Opened Heatmap* to check for unusual trends or behaviors. You can apply filters to analyze the traffic of certain sets of conversations. #### Conversations Opened This overview shows the number and percentage of conversations opened with various metrics breakdowns within the selected period based on the conversation opened timestamp. Use filters to analyze the traffic of conversations for a particular set of conversations. Only the filters below are applicable to this chart: - Conversation Opened Channel - Conversation Opened Source - Contact Type - Contact - Conversation ID The chart can be grouped by *Contact Type*, *Conversation Opened Source* or *Conversation Opened Channel*. ##### Conversations Opened by Contact Type **Metric #1: New** The number of conversations opened by new Contacts within the selected period. **Metric #2: Returning** The number of conversations opened by returning Contacts within the selected period. **Bar Chart: New vs Returning** The number of opened conversations by new and returning Contacts within the selected period. **Pie Chart: Percentage of New vs Returning** The percentage and total number of opened conversations by new and returning Contacts within the selected period. ##### Conversations Opened by Source **Metric** The number of opened conversations broken down by source. The ways to open a conversation are as follows: | Source | Description | | --- | --- | | User | The conversation was opened by the user from the Messages module. | | Contact | The conversation was opened by a Contact who sends an incoming message. | | Workflows | The conversation was opened by a Workflows Trigger. | | Developer API | The conversation was opened by a Developer API call. | | Zapier | The conversation was opened by a Zapier action. | | Make | The conversation was opened by a Make action. | | Paid Ads | The conversation was opened when a Contact clicked a Meta Click-to-Chat Ad or TikTok Messaging Ad. These are now grouped under a unified Paid Ads source, with additional ad-level attribution in reporting. | > Note: "Click-to-Chat Ad" has been renamed to Paid Ads to support both Meta and TikTok attribution. In charts and tables, sub-sources (Meta or TikTok) will be shown for more granular insights. **Bar Chart** The number of opened conversations within the selected period by source. **Pie Chart** The percentage and total number of opened conversations within the selected period by source. ##### Conversations Opened by Channel **Metric** The number of conversations opened broken down by channels. This helps to identify the most effective channels to communicate with the customers. **Bar Chart** The number of opened conversations within the selected period by channel. **Pie Chart** The percentage and total number of opened conversations within the selected period by channel. #### Conversations Closed This overview shows the number and percentage of conversations closed with various metrics breakdowns within the selected date range based on the conversation closed timestamp. The chart can be grouped by *Conversation Category*, *Conversation Closed Source* and *Contact Type*. ##### Conversations Closed by Category **Metric** The number of conversations closed within the selected period by category. > Conversation categories can be [configured in the **Settings** module](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/closing-notes#conversation_categories). **Bar Chart** The number of closed conversations within the selected period by category. **Pie Chart** The percentage and total number of closed conversations within the selected period by category. ##### Conversations Closed by Source **Metric** The number of conversations closed within the selected period by source. The ways to close a conversation are as follows: | Source | Description | | --- | --- | | User | The conversation was closed by the user from the Messages module. | | Bot | The conversation was closed by a bot who is attending to the conversation. | | Workflows | The conversation was closed by a Workflows step. | | Developer API | The conversation was closed by a developer API call. | | Zapier | The conversation was closed by a Zapier action. | | Make | The conversation was closed by a Make action. | | Blocked | The conversation was closed when a Contact is blocked. | **Bar Chart** The number of conversations closed within the selected period by source. **Pie Chart** The percentage of and total number of conversations closed within the selected period by source. ##### Conversations Closed by Contact Type **Metric #1: New** The number of conversations closed by new Contacts within the selected period. **Metric #2: Returning** The number of conversations closed by returning Contacts within the selected period. **Bar Chart: New vs Returning** The number of conversations closed by new and returning Contacts within the selected period. **Pie Chart: Percentage of New vs Returning** The percentage and total number of conversations closed by new and returning Contacts within the selected period. #### Conversation List Here are the insights you can gain from each conversation that occurred. ##### Click here to learn more about each column: | Table Headers | Description | | --- | --- | | Closed Timestamp | The date and time when the conversation was closed. | | Closed By Source | The source of how the conversation was closed. | | Closed By | The name of the user who closed the conversation. If the conversation is closed by blocking a Contact, this will be shown as “-”. | | Closed By Team | The team of the user who closed the conversation. | | Opened Timestamp | The date and time when the conversation was opened. | | Opened By Source | The source of how the conversation was opened. | | Opened By Channel | The channel from where the conversation was opened. If the conversation is manually opened by clicking on the “Open” button, this will be shown as “-”. | | Conversation ID | The ID of the conversation. | | Contact ID | The ID of the Contact. | | Contact Name | The name of the Contact associated with the conversation. | | First Assignment Timestamp | The date and time when the conversation was first assigned. If the conversation has an assignee before the conversation was opened, the first assignment timestamp will be the same as the conversation opened timestamp. | | First Assignee | The name of the first assignee. If the conversation has an assignee before the conversation was opened, the assignee will be the first assignee. | | First Response Timestamp | The first response time provided by any user to the Contact. Format-> hh:mm:ss or mm:ss | | First Response By | The name of user who gave the first response. | | Last Assignment Timestamp | The date and time when the conversation was last assigned. If there is only one assignment throughout the conversation, the last assignment timestamp will be the same value as first assignment timestamp. | | Last Assignee | The last assignee of the conversation. If there is only one assignment throughout the conversation, the assignee will be the last assignee. If the conversation get unassigned before the conversation is closed, this will be shown as “Unassigned”. | | Time to First Assignment | The time taken to assign the conversation to the first user. If the conversation has an assignee before the conversation is opened, then this will be shown as “-”. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: First Assignment Timestamp - Opened Timestamp | | First Response Time | The time taken to give the first response from the time when the conversation was opened. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: First Response Timestamp - Opened Timestamp | | First Assignment to First Response Time | The time taken to give the first response from the time when the conversation was first assigned. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: First Response Timestamp - First Assignment Timestamp | | Last Assignment to Response Time | The time taken to give the first response by the last assignee from the time when the conversation was last assigned.This response must be linked to an incoming message. When a conversation with an incoming message is assigned to the first assignee, and then reassigned to the second assignee, even if the second assignee provided a response before closing the conversation and is the last assignee, this will be shown as “-” because the response is not linked to the incoming message due to the reassignment. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: First response from last assignee - Last Assignment Timestamp | | Resolution Time | The time taken to resolve the conversation from the time when the conversation was opened. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: Closed Timestamp - Opened Timestamp | | First Assignment to Close Time | The time taken to resolve the conversation from the time when the conversation was first assigned. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: Closed Timestamp - First Assignment Timestamp | | Last Assignment to Close Time | The time taken to resolve the conversation from the time when the conversation was last assigned. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: Closed Timestamp - Last Assignment Timestamp | | Average Response Time | The average time taken to give responses to Contact. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: Sum (Response Timestamp - Incoming Message Timestamp) / Responses | | Assignments | The number of assignments in the conversation. If the conversation is closed without assigning to a user, this will be shown as “0”. Unassignment is also considered as an assignment. | | Incoming Messages | The number of incoming messages received during the conversation. | | Outgoing Messages | The number of outgoing messages sent during the conversation (excluding broadcast messages). | | Responses | The number of responses sent in the conversation. | | Conversation Category | The conversation category as specified in the Closing Note. | | Summary | The conversation summary as described in the Closing Note. | > Reports table has a limitation of generating a maximum of 10,000 row of results. If you need more data, consider using [Data Export](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/data-export). ## [Reports: Leaderboard](https:/respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-leaderboard) Instantly identify and analyze top performing users and teams in the Workspace. The Leaderboard report provides a visual representation of data that shows how users or teams are performing relative to each other on a specific metric. Managers can use these metrics to highlight exceptional performing agents or teams, or identify agents or teams that requires improvement. Each metric ranks top performers at the top of the list and only the top 10 users or teams will be listed on the chart. Use filters to compare specific set of users or teams. ### Getting Here Navigate to the **Reports** module and click **Leaderboard**. ### Filters - Frequency and date — Select a date range from the drop-down list to be applied to the report. Alternatively, you can define the date range by frequency. The following options are available:TodayYesterdayLast 7 DaysLast 14 DaysLast 30 DaysThis MonthLast Month - Today - Yesterday - Last 7 Days - Last 14 Days - Last 30 Days - This Month - Last Month - +Add Filter — You can refine the view of the report components by adding more filter(s). The following filters are available:User - Use this to view the performance of a specified user(s).Team - Use this to view the performance of a specified team(s). - User - Use this to view the performance of a specified user(s). - Team - Use this to view the performance of a specified team(s). - Clear All — You can use this option to reset the filters to the default selections. > You may encounter a chart with the following message displayed: -The selected filter(s) are not applicable here: This means the filter(s) you have selected are not applicable to the chart. - The selected filter(s) have no applicable data: This means no data is available for the selected filter(s), for e.g. the chart is new and only available at a date later than the selected date range. ### Report Components > By default, only the top 10 users or teams will be shown in the charts. #### Conversations Assigned (by User or Team) **Metric** The users’ or teams’ number and percentage of conversations assigned within the selected period. The number of assignments is added every time a conversation is assigned to a user or team. **Bar Chart** Compares the users’ or teams’ number of conversations assigned within the selected period. **Pie Chart** The users’ or teams’ percentage and total number of conversations assigned within the selected period. #### Conversations Closed by User or Team **Metric** The number and percentage of conversations closed by users or teams within the selected period. The number of conversations is added every time a conversation is closed by a user or team. **Bar Chart** Compares the users' or teams' number of conversations closed within the selected period. **Pie Chart** The users' or teams' percentage and total number of conversations closed by users or teams within the selected period. The next few charts compare users’ or teams’ performance on metrics related to response and resolution time. Use the drop-down menu on the top right of each chart to switch between group by User and group by Team views. #### Average First Response Time **Metrics** The average amount of time taken by users or teams to send the first response to Contacts from the time when the conversations were opened, within the selected period. This metric is attributed to the user who provided the first response. #### Average First Assignment to First Response Time **Metrics** The average amount of time taken by users or teams to send the first response to the Contact from the time when the conversation was first assigned, excluding the time to assignment. This metric is attributed to the user who provided the first response. #### Average Response Time **Metrics** The average amount of time taken by users or teams to respond to Contacts within the selected period. This metric includes all responses given by the user in all conversations, regardless of the assignee of the conversations. #### Average Resolution Time **Metrics** The average amount of time taken by users or teams to close conversations from the time when the conversation was opened, within the selected period. This metric is attributed to the user who closed the conversation. #### Average First Assignment to Close Time **Metrics** The average amount of time taken by users or teams to close conversations from the time when the conversation was first assigned, excluding the time to assignment. This metric is attributed to the user who closed the conversation. #### Average Last Assignment to Close Time **Metrics** The average amount of time taken by users or teams to close conversations from the time when the conversation was last assigned to the user, within the selected period. This metric is attributed to the user who closed the conversation. ## [Reports: Lifecycle ](https:/respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-lifecycle) Discover how Lifecycle Reports tracks leads from new to paying customers, measuring conversions, drop-offs, and time metrics for an optimized funnel. Lifecycle Reports help you track your Contacts’ journey from a new lead to a paying customer (or lost) by visualizing their progression through defined funnel stages. These reports answer key questions such as: - How well is your business doing at converting new leads to paying customers? - Where and why do contacts drop off? - How fast are you at converting customers? ### **What Are Lifecycle Reports?** Lifecycle Reports are designed to give you a clear picture of your contacts’ progression through the sales or customer journey. We use a funnel model where each Contact: - Enters the funnel: When a Contact is first assigned a lifecycle stage. - Moves through stages: Such as New Lead, Hot Lead, Payment, and finally, the Won (or Customer) stage. - Exits the funnel: Either by reaching the Won stage (as a paying customer), by moving into a Lost stage (drop-off), or by having their Lifecycle stage cleared (becomes empty). Once a Contact no longer has any assigned stage, they’re considered to have exited the funnel. > **Contacts that never enter this funnel are excluded from the metrics.** This ensures that only active lifecycle journeys are tracked, giving you an accurate view of conversion and drop-off rates as well as timing metrics. ### **How Does It Work?** **When Your Lifecycle Journey Starts** Once a Contact receives their very first Lifecycle stage, we start capturing their progress in all related reports. The date of that initial stage assignment is recorded as the “funnel entry” date for every metric that follows. > For instance, if a new lead is assigned a **New Lead** stage on February 1st, that date marks the start of Lifecycle tracking for that Contact. All conversions, drop-offs, and time-based calculations tie back to this original funnel entry date. **Every Stage Matters** Every time a contact changes stages, that movement is logged—whether they move forward, skip stages, or move backward. > For example, if a contact moves from **Stage 1** to **Stage 3**, then directly to the **Won** stage, the system tracks that **Stage 2** was skipped but still logs that the contact effectively passed “through” Stage 2. This ensures the funnel accurately reflects each stage transition, even when skipped. Any time spent in a skipped stage (like Stage 2) isn’t reflected in Lifecycle Reports. **Returning to the Funnel** A **lifecycle journey** begins the very first time a Contact is assigned any Lifecycle stage (for example, **Stage 1**) and ends when they ultimately reach a **Won Stage** or a **Lost Stage**. If a Contact leaves at a Lost Stage but comes back later (e.g., gets reassigned to **Stage 1** again), we treat that as a **new** journey—complete with a new start date. > For example, a Contact might move from **Stage 1** to **Stage 3** and eventually land in a **Lost Stage**, ending their first journey; then, weeks later, the same Contact could be requalified and assigned **Stage 1** again. This second assignment is considered a fresh journey, letting you track how they progress (or drop off) the second time around. ### **Visualizations & Metrics** Your Lifecycle Reports dashboard displays key metrics that reveal how effectively contacts move through the funnel. Here’s a breakdown of each metric and why it matters: #### **Overall Conversion Rate** ##### What It Tells You: The percentage of contacts who **successfully reach the Won stage** out of all contacts that entered the funnel. ##### Why It Matters: - Indicates the health and effectiveness of your sales process. - Helps identify if certain stages are causing major drop-offs. ##### Example: If **100 contacts** enter the funnel and **40** reach the Won stage, your overall conversion rate is **40%**. > A **high conversion rate** typically means your follow-up and nurturing strategies are successful. #### **Average Time to Conversion** ##### What It Tells You: How long (on average) it takes for a contact to go from **funnel entry** to **Won stage**. ##### Why It Matters: - Helps you forecast sales cycles and adjust engagement strategies. - Reveals opportunities to streamline processes and shorten the sales cycle. ##### Example: If Contact A converts in 2 days, Contact B in 4 days, and Contact C in 6 days, the **average time** to conversion is **4 days**. > Shorter conversion times often mean a **more efficient** sales process. #### **Overall Drop-Off Rate** ##### What It Tells You: The percentage of contacts that end up in **any Lost stage** rather than converting. ##### Why It Matters: - Highlights where leads disengage or abandon the process. - Allows you to pinpoint bottlenecks and take targeted actions (e.g., re-engagement strategies). ##### Example: If **100 contacts** enter the funnel and **30** move to a Lost stage, the drop-off rate is **30%**. > A **high drop-off rate** suggests there may be **bottlenecks** or misalignments in your funnel that need attention. #### **Average Time to Drop-Off** ##### What It Tells You: The average time it takes for a contact to **exit** the funnel by reaching a Lost stage. ##### Why It Matters: - Pinpoints if drop-offs happen early or later in the funnel. - Informs where you should adjust messaging, resources, or follow-up timing. ##### Example: - If on average contacts drop off 2 days after first entering the funnel, you know early-stage engagement needs improvement. - Conversely, if the average time to drop off is very long your team may be dedicating excessive time and effort to leads that ultimately don’t convert, signaling a potential need for more efficient qualification or nurturing strategies. > Identifying **when** drop-offs occur helps you focus on **specific stages** for retention efforts. #### Using Lifecycle Reports with Paid Ads If you’re running Meta Click-to-Chat Ads or TikTok Messaging Ads, you can now combine **ad source attribution** with **Lifecycle stages** to get deeper insights into lead quality and funnel performance. You can now: - Filter Lifecycle Reports by:Ad CampaignAd GroupAds - Ad Campaign - Ad Group - Ads - Group the Lifecycle Funnel chart by:Ad CampaignAd GroupAdsSource (which now includes “Paid Ads” with sub-sources for Meta and TikTok) - Ad Campaign - Ad Group - Ads - Source (which now includes “Paid Ads” with sub-sources for Meta and TikTok) These filters and grouping options let you: - Track how many ad-sourced contacts reach stages likeQualified, Paying Customer, or Cold Lead - Compare performance across campaigns to see which ads bring in leads that actually progress through your funnel - Identify drop-offs by campaign to optimize targeting or messaging strategies > Tip: Contacts that don’t come from any ads will appear as No Campaign, No Ad Group, or No Ad in the grouped charts. #### **Getting Started with Lifecycle Reports** To start using Lifecycle Reports, follow these practical steps: #### **1\. Enable the Lifecycle Feature** - Navigate to your workspace settings. - If Lifecycle is not enabled, turn on the Show/Hide Lifecycle Stages toggle to enable it. > Learn more about our Lifecycle feature [here](https://help.respond.io/l/en/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-lifecycle). #### **2\. Access the Reports Module** - Once Lifecycle is active, go to the Reports section and select Lifecycle. - The Lifecycle report page will default to a pre-selected date range (e.g., the last 14 days). #### 3\. **Configure Date Filters** - Use the Date Picker to choose when contacts first entered a lifecycle stage. Only those who began their lifecycle journey during this period are included in the report. - Options include Today, Yesterday, Last 7 Days, Last 14 Days, Last 30 Days, etc. > **Note:** Because this date filter applies to the **start** of a contact’s journey, any contacts who entered a stage before (or after) the selected date range will not appear in the metrics. #### **4\. Review and Interpret Metrics** - Study the conversion and drop-off metrics on the dashboard. - Hover over charts and cards for callouts that explain each metric in detail. ### **Using Lifecycle Reports** After setting up, here’s how you can use Lifecycle Reports to optimize your business: #### **Monitor Conversion and Drop-Off Rates** - Review the overall conversion and drop-off rates to assess your sales performance. - Compare current metrics with previous periods (using percentage differences) to gauge trends. #### **Locate and Understand Your Drop-Off Points** - Identify Where They Drop Off: The report shows which stage contacts exit from, helping you pinpoint the exact point in your funnel where leads are disengaging. - Understand Why They Drop Off: By reviewing destination Lost stages (e.g., “No Budget,” “Not Interested,” etc.), you gain clarity on the most common reasons for lost opportunities. - Actionable Insights: If a significant number of contacts drop off from Stage 2 with “No Budget,” you can refine your qualification process or tailor outreach strategies to address that specific objection. This targeted approach helps reduce overall drop-offs and improves funnel efficiency. #### **Analyze Time-to-Conversion and Time-to-Drop-Off** - Identify how long contacts remain idle in each stage. - Use these insights to determine if your follow-up strategies are effective or if certain stages need improvement. ### **Leverage Visualizations** The **Lifecycle Journey Funnel** graph shows you the number of contacts at each stage. The **Lost Stages Breakdown** chart helps you pinpoint which lost stages are most common. A detailed **Breakdown Table** offers granular data on: - Conversion rates per stage - Average time spent in each stage - Drop-off destinations (which Lost Stage contacts move to) - Common drop-off reasons (e.g., “No Budget,” “Not Interested”) ### **Export and Customize Data** Use built-in options to export data to CSV or customize the columns as needed for further analysis. ### **Best Practices** #### **Limit Stage Changes** Try not to frequently add, delete, or rearrange lifecycle stages unless necessary. Drastic or repeated changes in stage configuration can disrupt data consistency and affect the accuracy of your reports. #### **Keep Your Data Updated** Regularly update contact statuses and lifecycle stages. Inaccurate data can skew conversion and drop-off metrics. #### **Use Default Stages Correctly** Avoid modifying or deleting critical stages like the Won stage. These stages are essential for accurate metric calculations. #### **Regularly Review Trends** Monitor changes over different date ranges. This can help identify if a campaign is improving conversion speed or if there are persistent drop-offs in specific stages. #### **Train Your Team** Ensure that everyone responsible for updating contact details understands the importance of logging proper lifecycle transitions. ## [Reports: Messages](https:/respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-messages) The messages reports tab consists of all the metrics and information related to messages. The Messages report helps you gain insights into overall messages performance. This report helps you to understand: - The volume of incoming messages from different channels. - The number of outgoing messages sent from the platform by channel, source, type and sub-type. - The outgoing messages delivery status (Sent, Delivered, Read, Failed) on the platform. ### Getting Here Navigate to the **Reports** module and click **Messages**. ### Filters - Frequency and date — Select a date range from the drop-down list to be applied to the report. Alternatively, you can define the date range by frequency. The following options are available:TodayYesterdayLast 7 DaysLast 14 DaysLast 30 DaysThis MonthLast Month - Today - Yesterday - Last 7 Days - Last 14 Days - Last 30 Days - This Month - Last Month - + Add Filter — You can refine the view of the report components by adding more filter(s). The following filters are available:Channel - Channels that have been deleted from the Workspace are not available for selection. However, the report will include data from these deleted channels.ContactOutgoing Message SourceOutgoing Message TypeTeamUserBroadcast Name - Channel - Channels that have been deleted from the Workspace are not available for selection. However, the report will include data from these deleted channels. - Contact - Outgoing Message Source - Outgoing Message Type - Team - User - Broadcast Name - Clear All — You can use this option to reset the filters to the default selections. > You may encounter a chart with the following message displayed: - *The selected filter(s) are not applicable here*: This means the filter(s) you have selected are not applicable to the chart. - *The selected filter(s) have no applicable data*: This means no data is available for the selected filter(s), for e.g. the chart is new and only available at a date later than the selected date range. ### Report Components #### Incoming Messages **Metric** The number of messages received within the selected period by channel. **Bar Chart** The number of messages received within the selected period by channel. **Pie Chart** The percentage and total number of messages received within the selected period by channel. #### Outgoing Messages The chart can be grouped by *Channel*, *Outgoing Message Source*, *Outgoing Message Type* and *Outgoing Message Sub-type*. ##### Outgoing Messages by Channel **Metric** The number of messages sent within the selected period by channel. **Bar Chart** The number of messages sent within the selected period by channel. **Pie Chart** The percentage and total number of messages sent within the selected period by channel. ##### Outgoing Messages by Source **Metric** The number of messages sent within the selected period by source. Messages can be sent via the following ways: | Source | Description | | --- | --- | | User | The message was sent by a user from the Inbox module. | | Bot | The message was sent using DialogFlow integration. | | Broadcast | The message was sent using the Broadcast feature in the Workspace. | | Workflows | The message was sent from a Workflow step. | | Developer API | The message was sent from Developer API call. | | Zapier | The message was sent from Zapier action. | | Make | The message was sent from Make action. | | Echo Message | The message was sent from other platform or channel. | | Click-to-Chat Ad | The message was sent after clicking an advertisement. | **Bar Chart** The number of messages sent within the selected period by source. **Pie Chart** The percentage and total number of messages sent within the selected period by source. ##### Outgoing Messages by Type **Metric** The number of messages sent within the selected period by type. There are 3 types of outgoing messages: | Type | Description | | --- | --- | | Session | The message sent was a regular message. | | Facebook Message Tag | The message sent was tagged with Facebook Tags. | | WhatsApp Message Templates | The message was sent using a WhatsApp Message Template. | **Bar Chart** The number of messages sent within the selected period by type. **Pie Chart** The percentage and total number of messages sent within the selected period by type. ##### Outgoing Messages by Sub-type **Metric** The number of messages sent within the selected period by sub-type. Sub-type is only applicable to Facebook channel when a Message Tag is sent and WhatsApp channel when a WhatsApp Message Template is sent. - For Facebook Message Tags - The metric is broken down by the Facebook Tags used to send the message. - For WhatsApp Message Template - The metric is broken down by the name of template used to send the message. **Bar Chart** The number of messages sent within the selected period by sub-type. **Pie Chart** The percentage and total number of messages sent within the selected period by sub-type. #### Outgoing Messages Delivery (Linear) > \- The tracking of messages delivery status is only up to 30 days. So for an example, if a message gets read only after 30 days, the delivery status will no longer be updated to **Read**. - If Contacts have turned off **Read Receipts** on the WhatsApp app's privacy setting, messages they have read will not be reflected in the **Read** metric. Instead, they will be reflected in the **Sent** and **Delivered** metrics. This may cause a discrepancy between the number of **Read** and **Delivered** messages. **Metric** The number and percentage of outgoing messages within the selected period by delivery status i.e. Sent, Delivered, Read and Failed. **Line Chart** The number of outgoing messages within the selected period by delivery status i.e. Sent, Delivered, Read and Failed. #### Incoming Message List From this list, you can review the details of each message received from a Contact. Learn more about each column in the following table: | Table Headers | Description | | --- | --- | | Timestamp | The date and time the message was received. | | Contact ID | The ID of the Contact from whom the message was received. | | Contact Name | The name of the Contact from whom the message was received. | | Channel | The channel on which the message was received. | | Content | The content of the message. | > Reports table has a limitation of generating a maximum of 10,000 row of results. If you need more data, consider using [Data Export](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/data-export). #### Outgoing Message List From this list, you can review the details of each message sent to a Contact. Learn more about each column in the following table: | Table Headers | Description | | --- | --- | | Sent Timestamp | The date and time the message was sent. | | Source | The source of how the message was sent. | | User | The user who sent the message. It is only applicable when the source is User. | | Contact ID | The ID of the Contact to which the message was sent. | | Contact Name | The name of the Contact to which the message was sent. | | Delivered Timestamp | The date and time the message was read. Any change to the delivery status after 30 days will no longer be reflected here. | | Read Timestamp | The date and time the message was read. Any change to the delivery status after 30 days will no longer be reflected here. | | Channel | The channel on which the message was sent. | | Type | The type of message sent. | | Sub Type | The sub-type of message sent. | | Content | The content of the message. | > Reports table has a limitation of generating a maximum of 10,000 row of results. If you need more data, consider using [Data Export](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/data-export). #### Failed Message Log From this log, you can review the details of each message that failed to be sent to a Contact. | Table Headers | Description | | --- | --- | | Timestamp | The date and time the message failed to be sent. | | Source | The source of the message. | | User | The user who tried to send the message. It is applicable only when the source is User. | | Contact ID | The ID of the Contact to whom the message failed to be sent. | | Contact Name | The name of the Contact to whom the message failed to be sent. | | Channel | The channel on which the message failed to be sent. | | Type | The type of the message. | | Sub Type | The sub-type of the message. | | Content | The content of the message. | | Error | The error that caused the failure to send. | > Reports table has a limitation of generating a maximum of 10,000 row of results. If you need more data, consider using [Data Export](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/data-export). ## [Reports: Resolutions](https:/respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-resolutions) View the resolution rate of conversations so you know if your customers’ inquiries are being resolved in a timely manner. The Resolutions report provides details to how fast the conversations are being assigned to users and closed. Understanding the resolution rate helps you to gauge the time spent on resolving customers’ inquiries and to identify any setback in your triage processes. > Resolutions report will be based only on closed conversations. Open conversations will not be taken into account. ### Getting Here Navigate to the **Reports** module and click **Resolutions**. ### Filters - Frequency and date — Select a date range from the drop-down list to be applied to the report. Alternatively, you can define the date range by frequency. The following options are available:TodayYesterdayLast 7 DaysLast 14 DaysLast 30 DaysThis MonthLast Month - Today - Yesterday - Last 7 Days - Last 14 Days - Last 30 Days - This Month - Last Month - +Add Filter — You can refine the view of the report components by adding more filter(s). The following filters are available:Conversation Closed SourceFirst AssigneeFirst Response ByLast AssigneeClosed By TeamClosed By UserConversation CategoryConversation Opened ChannelConversation Opened SourceContact TypeContact - Search the Contact by Contact name and Contact ID. Use Contact filter to see the conversations for the specified Contact.Conversation ID - Get the conversation ID from the Conversation List to see the performance of the particular conversations. - Conversation Closed Source - First Assignee - First Response By - Last Assignee - Closed By Team - Closed By User - Conversation Category - Conversation Opened Channel - Conversation Opened Source - Contact Type - Contact - Search the Contact by Contact name and Contact ID. Use Contact filter to see the conversations for the specified Contact. - Conversation ID - Get the conversation ID from the Conversation List to see the performance of the particular conversations. - Clear All — You can use this option to reset the filters to the default selections. > You may encounter a chart with the following message displayed: - *The selected filter(s) are not applicable here*: This means the filter(s) you have selected are not applicable to the chart. - *The selected filter(s) have no applicable data*: This means no data is available for the selected filter(s), for e.g. the chart is new and only available at a date later than the selected date range. ### Report Components #### Average Resolution Time **Metric** The average amount of time taken to close a conversation from the time the conversation was opened. **Line Chart** Compares the average resolution time for the selected period with data from the previous period. #### Resolution Time Breakdown This table shows the breakdown of the conversations that are closed within the selected period by the resolution time of the conversations. - Resolution Time - Values are grouped by the following ranges: <5min, 5m-15m, 15m-30m, 30m-1h, 1h-3h, 3h-8h, >8h. - % Conversation - The percentage of conversation where the resolution time falls within that range. #### Average First Assignment to Close Time **Metric** The average amount of time taken to close the conversation from the time the conversation was first assigned. Also called Resolution Time based on First Assignment, this metric does not take into account the waiting time for an open conversation to be assigned to the first user. **Line Chart** Compares the average amount of time taken to close the conversation from the time it was first assigned to a user for the selected period with data from the previous period. #### First Assignment to Close Time Breakdown This table shows the breakdown of the conversations that are closed within the selected period by the first assignment to close time of the conversations. - First Assignment To Close Time - Values are grouped by the following ranges: <5min, 5m-15m, 15m-30m, 30m-1h, 1h-3h, 3h-8h, >8h. - % Conversation - The percentage of conversation where the first assignment to close time falls within that range. #### Average Last Assignment to Close Time **Metric** The average amount of time taken to close a conversation from when the conversation was assigned to the last user. Also called Resolution Time based on Last Assignment, this metric helps managers to analyze the average resolution time of the conversation from when the last agent was assigned and excludes the time of prior reassignment. **Line Chart** Compares the average amount of time taken to close the conversation from the time it was last assigned to a user for the selected period with data from the previous period. #### Last Assignment to Close Time Breakdown This table shows a breakdown of the conversations that are closed within the selected period by the last assignment to close time of the conversations. - Last Assignment To Close Time - Values are grouped by the following ranges: <5min, 5m-15m, 15m-30m, 30m-1h, 1h-3h, 3h-8h, >8h. - % Conversation - The percentage of conversation where the last assignment to close time falls within that range. #### Average Time to First Assignment **Metric** The average amount of time taken to assign the conversation to the first user. This helps you to understand if your inbound conversation process is efficient in routing conversations to users as quickly as needed, without leaving Contacts waiting for too long. The data include assignments done manually by user, and automatically by Workflows, Bot, Developer API and Zapier. **Line Chart** Compares the average amount of time taken to assign a conversation to the first user for the selected period with data from the previous period. #### Time to First Assignment Breakdown This table shows the breakdown of the conversations that are closed within the selected period by the time to first assignment of the conversations. - Time To First Assignment - Values are grouped by the following ranges: < 30s, 30s - 2min, 2 - 5min , 5 - 10min, 10 - 30min, 30 - 1h, >1h. - % Conversation - The percentage of conversation where the time to first assignment happened within that range. #### Average Number of Assignments to Close **Metric** The average number of assignments in a closed conversation. This helps manager understand if assignments are done accurately overall. For most businesses, the lesser number of assignments or reassignments means the conversations are assigned to the right agent that could assist in handling customers’ issue. This could reduce the resolution time which in turn result in higher customer satisfaction. **Line Chart** Compares the average number of assignments that occurred until the conversation is closed for the selected period with data from the previous period. #### Number of Assignments to Close Breakdown This table shows the breakdown of the conversations that are closed within the selected period by number of assignments of the conversations. - Number Of Assignments - Values are grouped by the following ranges: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, >4. - % Conversation - The percentage of conversation where the number of assignments falls within that range. #### Conversation List Here are the insights you can gain from each conversation that occurred. ##### Learn more about each column: | Table Headers | Description | | --- | --- | | Closed Timestamp | The date and time when the conversation was closed. | | Closed By Source | The source of how the conversation was closed. | | Closed By | The name of the user who closed the conversation. If the conversation is closed by blocking a Contact, this will be shown as “-”. | | Closed By Team | The team of the user who closed the conversation. | | Opened Timestamp | The date and time when the conversation was opened. | | Opened By Source | The source of how the conversation was opened. | | Opened By Channel | The channel from where the conversation was opened. If the conversation is manually opened by clicking on the Open button, this will be shown as “-”. | | Conversation ID | The ID of the conversation. | | Contact ID | The ID of the Contact. | | Contact Name | The name of the Contact associated with the conversation. | | First Assignment Timestamp | The date and time when the conversation was first assigned. If the conversation has an assignee before the conversation was opened, the first assignment timestamp will be the same as the conversation opened timestamp. | | First Assignee | The name of the first assignee. If the conversation has an assignee before the conversation was opened, the assignee will be the first assignee. | | First Response Timestamp | The first response time provided by any user to the Contact. Format -> hh:mm:ss or mm:ss | | First Response By | The name of user who gave the first response. | | Last Assignment Timestamp | The date and time when the conversation was last assigned. If there is only one assignment throughout the conversation, the last assignment timestamp will be the same value as first assignment timestamp. | | Last Assignee | The last assignee of the conversation. If there is only one assignment throughout the conversation, the assignee will be the last assignee. If the conversation get unassigned before the conversation is closed, this will be shown as “Unassigned”. | | Time to First Assignment | The time taken to assign the conversation to the first user. If the conversation has an assignee before the conversation is opened, then this will be shown as “-”. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ssFormula: First Assignment Timestamp - Opened Timestamp | | First Response Time | The time taken to give the first response from the time when the conversation was opened. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: First Response Timestamp - Opened Timestamp | | First Assignment to First Response Time | The time taken to give the first response from the time when the conversation was first assigned. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: First Response Timestamp - First Assignment Timestamp | | Last Assignment to Response Time | The time taken to give the first response by the last assignee from the time when the conversation was last assigned.This response must be linked to an incoming message. When a conversation with an incoming message is assigned to the first assignee, and then reassigned to the second assignee, even if the second assignee provided a response before closing the conversation and is the last assignee, this will be shown as “-” because the response is not linked to the incoming message due to the reassignment. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: First response from last assignee - Last Assignment Timestamp | | Resolution Time | The time taken to resolve the conversation from the time when the conversation was opened. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: Closed Timestamp - Opened Timestamp | | First Assignment to Close Time | The time taken to resolve the conversation from the time when the conversation was first assigned. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: Closed Timestamp - First Assignment Timestamp | | Last Assignment to Close Time | The time taken to resolve the conversation from the time when the conversation was last assigned. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: Closed Timestamp - Last Assignment Timestamp | | Average Response Time | The average time taken to give responses to Contact. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: Sum (Response Timestamp - Incoming Message Timestamp) / Responses | | Assignments | The number of assignments in the conversation. If the conversation is closed without assigning to a user, this will be shown as “0”. Unassignment is also considered as an assignment. | | Incoming Messages | The number of incoming messages received during the conversation. | | Outgoing Messages | The number of outgoing messages sent during the conversation (excluding broadcast messages). | | Responses | The number of responses sent in the conversation. | | Conversation Category | The conversation category as specified in the Closing Note. | | Summary | The conversation summary as described in the Closing Note. | > Reports table has a limitation of generating a maximum of 10,000 row of results. If you need more data, consider using [Data Export](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/data-export). ## [Reports: Responses](https:/respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-responses) View the response rate of conversations so you know if your Contacts’ inquiries are being attended to in a timely manner. The Responses report helps you understand how fast your users respond to your Contacts. Use the filters to analyze specific response time data that is relevant to your business needs. > \- Responses report will be based only on closed conversations. Open conversations will not be taken into account. - Responses report only considers responses given by users. Responses via Workflow and Dialogflow are excluded. ### Getting Here Navigate to the **Reports** module and click **Responses**. ### Filters - Frequency and date — Select a date range from the drop-down list to be applied to the report. Alternatively, you can define the date range by frequency. The following options are available:TodayYesterdayLast 7 DaysLast 14 DaysLast 30 DaysThis MonthLast Month - Today - Yesterday - Last 7 Days - Last 14 Days - Last 30 Days - This Month - Last Month - +Add Filter — You can refine the view of the report components by adding more filter(s). The following filters are available:Conversation Closed SourceFirst AssigneeFirst Response ByLast AssigneeClosed By TeamClosed By UserConversation CategoryConversation Opened ChannelConversation Opened Source - Now includes Paid Ads as a source type, with sub-sources for Meta Click-to-Chat Ads and TikTok Messaging Ads.Contact TypeContact - Search the Contact by Contact name and Contact ID. Use Contact filter to see the conversations for the specified Contact.Conversation ID - Get the conversation ID from the Conversation List to see the performance of the particular conversations. - Conversation Closed Source - First Assignee - First Response By - Last Assignee - Closed By Team - Closed By User - Conversation Category - Conversation Opened Channel - Conversation Opened Source - Now includes Paid Ads as a source type, with sub-sources for Meta Click-to-Chat Ads and TikTok Messaging Ads. - Contact Type - Contact - Search the Contact by Contact name and Contact ID. Use Contact filter to see the conversations for the specified Contact. - Conversation ID - Get the conversation ID from the Conversation List to see the performance of the particular conversations. - Clear All — You can use this option to reset the filters to the default selections. > You may encounter a chart with the following message displayed: *\- The selected filter(s) are not applicable here*: This means the filter(s) you have selected are not applicable to the chart. - *The selected filter(s) have no applicable data*: This means no data is available for the selected filter(s), for e.g. the chart is new and only available at a date later than the selected date range. ### Report Components #### Average First Response Time **Metric** The average amount of time taken by a user to send the first response to the Contact from the time the conversation was opened, within the selected period. **Line** **Chart** Compares the average first response time for the selected period with data from the previous period. #### First Response Time Breakdown This table shows the breakdown of the conversations that are closed within the selected period by the first response time of the conversations. - First Response Time - Values are grouped by the following ranges: < 30s, 30s - 2min, 2 - 5min, 5 - 10min, 10 - 30min, 30 - 1h, >1h. - % Conversation - The percentage of conversation where the first response time happened within that range. #### Average First Assignment to First Response Time **Metric** The average amount of time taken by the user to send the first response to the Contact from the time when the conversation was first assigned, excluding the time to assignment. This metric allows managers to analyze how fast the agents send the first response to the customers when the open conversations got assigned to them for the first time. **Line** **Chart** Compares the average first response time based on first assignment for the selected period with data from the previous period. #### First Assignment to First Response Time Breakdown This table shows the breakdown of the conversations that are closed within the selected period by the first assignment to first response time of the conversations. - First Assignment to First Response Time - Values are grouped by the following ranges: < 30s, 30s - 2min, 2 - 5min, 5 - 10min, 10 - 30min, 30 - 1h, >1h. - % Conversation - The percentage of conversation where the first assignment to first response time happened within that range. #### Average Last Assignment to Response Time **Metric** The average amount of time taken by a last assignee to send the first response to the Contact from the time when the conversation was assigned to the user. This metric helps managers to analyze the average response rate of the conversations based on the time the last agent was assigned and excludes the time of prior reassignment. **Line** **Chart** Compares the average first response time based on last assignment for the selected period with data from the previous period. #### Last Assignment to Response Time Breakdown This table shows the breakdown of the conversations that are closed within the selected period by the last assignment to response time of the conversations. - Last Assignment to Response Time - Values are grouped by the following ranges: < 30s, 30s - 2min, 2 - 5min, 5 - 10min, 10 - 30min, 30 - 1h, >1h. - % Conversation - The percentage of conversation where the last assignment to response time happened within that range. #### Average Response Time **Metric** The average amount of time taken for users to respond to Contacts in a conversation. Managers can learn the overall speed of responses in all conversations for the selected period. **Line Chart** Compares the average response time for the selected period with data from the previous period. #### Average Response Time Breakdown This table shows the breakdown of the conversations that are closed within the selected period by the average response time of the conversations. - Average Response Time - Values are grouped by the following ranges: < 30s, 30s - 2min, 2 - 5min, 5 - 10min, 10 - 30min, 30 - 1h, >1h. - % Conversation - The percentage of conversation where the average response time happened within that range. #### Average Responses **Metric** The average number of responses given by any user in a conversation. This overview provides an indicator for managers to how much agents are chatting with customers and how engaged the customers were. **Line Chart** Compares the average number of responses by any user for the selected period with data from the previous period. #### Responses Breakdown This table shows the breakdown of the conversations that are closed within the selected period by responses of the conversation. - Responses - Values are grouped by the following ranges: 0, 1-2, 3-10, 11-20, >20. - % Conversation - The percentage of conversation where the number of responses falls within that range. #### Conversation List Here are the insights you can gain from each conversation that occurred. ##### Click here to learn more about each column: | Table Headers | Description | | --- | --- | | Closed Timestamp | The date and time when the conversation was closed. | | Closed By Source | The source of how the conversation was closed. | | Closed By | The name of the user who closed the conversation. If the conversation is closed by blocking a Contact, this will be shown as “-”. | | Closed By Team | The team of the user who closed the conversation. | | Opened Timestamp | The date and time when the conversation was opened. | | Opened By Source | The source of how the conversation was opened. | | Opened By Channel | The channel from where the conversation was opened. If the conversation is manually opened by clicking on the Open button, this will be shown as “-”. | | Conversation ID | The ID of the conversation. | | Contact ID | The ID of the Contact. | | Contact Name | The name of the Contact associated with the conversation. | | First Assignment Timestamp | The date and time when the conversation was first assigned. If the conversation has an assignee before the conversation was opened, the first assignment timestamp will be the same as the conversation opened timestamp. | | First Assignee | The name of the first assignee. If the conversation has an assignee before the conversation was opened, the assignee will be the first assignee. | | First Response Timestamp | The first response time provided by any user to the Contact. Format-> hh:mm:ss or mm:ss | | First Response By | The name of user who gave the first response. | | Last Assignment Timestamp | The date and time when the conversation was last assigned. If there is only one assignment throughout the conversation, the last assignment timestamp will be the same value as first assignment timestamp. | | Last Assignee | The last assignee of the conversation. If there is only one assignment throughout the conversation, the assignee will be the last assignee. If the conversation get unassigned before the conversation is closed, this will be shown as “Unassigned”. | | Time to First Assignment | The time taken to assign the conversation to the first user. If the conversation has an assignee before the conversation is opened, then this will be shown as “-”. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: First Assignment Timestamp - Opened Timestamp | | First Response Time | The time taken to give the first response from the time when the conversation was opened. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: First Response Timestamp - Opened Timestamp | | First Assignment to First Response Time | The time taken to give the first response from the time when the conversation was first assigned. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: First Response Timestamp - First Assignment Timestamp | | Last Assignment to Response Time | The time taken to give the first response by the last assignee from the time when the conversation was last assigned.This response must be linked to an incoming message. When a conversation with an incoming message is assigned to the first assignee, and then reassigned to the second assignee, even if the second assignee provided a response before closing the conversation and is the last assignee, this will be shown as “-” because the response is not linked to the incoming message due to the reassignment. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: First response from last assignee - Last Assignment Timestamp | | Resolution Time | The time taken to resolve the conversation from the time when the conversation was opened. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: Closed Timestamp - Opened Timestamp | | First Assignment to Close Time | The time taken to resolve the conversation from the time when the conversation was first assigned. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: Closed Timestamp - First Assignment Timestamp | | Last Assignment to Close Time | The time taken to resolve the conversation from the time when the conversation was last assigned.Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: Closed Timestamp - Last Assignment Timestamp | | Average Response Time | The average time taken to give responses to Contact. Format → hh:mm:ss or mm:ss Formula: Sum (Response Timestamp - Incoming Message Timestamp) / Responses | | Assignments | The number of assignments in the conversation. If the conversation is closed without assigning to a user, this will be shown as “0”. Unassignment is also considered as an assignment. | | Incoming Messages | The number of incoming messages received during the conversation. | | Outgoing Messages | The number of outgoing messages sent during the conversation (excluding broadcast messages). | | Responses | The number of responses sent in the conversation. | | Conversation Category | The conversation category as specified in the Closing Note. | | Summary | The conversation summary as described in the Closing Note. | > Reports table has a limitation of generating a maximum of 10,000 row of results. If you need more data, consider using [Data Export](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/data-export). ## [Reports: Users](https:/respond.io/help/dashboard-reporting/reports-users) The Users reports tab consists of all the metrics and information related to Users. The Users report provides a comprehensive list of individual performance to assist managers in monitoring their agents’ performances and identifying potential improvements. Use the filters to compare the performance of different users or teams. ### Getting Here Navigate to the **Reports** module and click **Users**. ### Filters - Frequency and date — Select a date range from the drop-down list to be applied to the report. Alternatively, you can define the date range by frequency. The following options are available:TodayYesterdayLast 7 DaysLast 14 DaysLast 30 DaysThis MonthLast Month - Today - Yesterday - Last 7 Days - Last 14 Days - Last 30 Days - This Month - Last Month - +Add Filter — You can refine the view of the report components by adding more filter(s). The following filters are available:User - Use this to view the performance of a specified user(s).Team - Use this to view the performance of a specified team(s). - User - Use this to view the performance of a specified user(s). - Team - Use this to view the performance of a specified team(s). - Clear All — You can use this option to reset the filters to the default selections. ### Report Components #### User Performance You can gain insights on the key performance metrics of the users. All metrics in the table only calculates data from conversations that are closed. Learn more about each column in the following table: | Table Headers | Description | | --- | --- | | User | The name of the user. | | Team | The team to which the user belonged. | | Conversation Assigned | The number of conversations assigned to the user. | | Conversations Closed | The number of conversations closed by the user. | | Unique Contacts Closed | The number of conversations with unique Contacts closed by the user. | | Messages Sent | The number of outgoing messages sent by the user. | | Comments | The number of comments added by user. | | Average First Response Time | The average amount of time the user took to send the first response from the time when the conversation was opened. | | Average First Assignment to First Response Time | The average amount of time the user took to send the first response from the time when the conversation was first assigned. | | Average Response Time | The user’s average response time from the time when conversation was opened. | | Average Resolution Time | The user's average resolution time from the time when conversation was opened. | | Average First Assignment to Close Time | The user's average resolution time from the time when conversation was first assigned. | | Average Last Assignment to Close Time | The user's average resolution time from the time when conversation was last assigned. | | Max Resolution Time | The user's maximum resolution time from the time when conversation was opened. | | Max First Assignment to Close Time | The user's maximum resolution time from the time when conversation was first assigned. | | Max Last Assignment to Close Time | The user's maximum resolution time from the time when conversation was last assigned. | > The User Performance list only displays users who have closed at least one conversation in the selected time range. > Note that Reports table has a limitation of generating a maximum of 10,000 row of results. - If you need more data, consider using [Data Export](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/data-export). - If a user has been deleted from the Workspace, the username will be replaced with the user ID. Export all user IDs from User Settings before removing users for future username verification based on user ID. #### Comment Log In this log, you can view the comments added in any conversation of the Workspace. Learn more about each column in the following table: | Table Headers | Description | | --- | --- | | Timestamp | The date and time when the comment was added. | | Commented by | The source (user / Workflow) who added the comment with the name of user or Workflow. | | Contact ID | The ID of the Contact to whom the comment was added. | | Contact Name | The name of the Contact to whom the comment was added. | | Comment | The content of the added comment. | ## [Requesting a Feature](https:/respond.io/help/help-menu/requesting-a-feature) Learn about requesting for a new feature or voting for existing ones. ### Getting Here To request a feature, select the **Help** icon on the side navigation menu and select **Request a Feature** from the menu. > The **Request a Feature** page can also be accessed from the Resource Center. You are re-directed to a page in your default browser where you can request for a new feature or vote for the existing ones. ### Requesting a Feature You can request a feature by following the steps given below: 1. Enter a short description of the requested feature in the TITLE field. 2. Enter a detailed description of the requested feature in the DETAILS field. The details will help our team at respond.io understand what you need and how it will help your business. 3. Optionally, select an image file that will help us understand the feature better. 4. Click CREATE POST. Your request is now visible to other users and can be voted for. #### Viewing and Voting for Requests Select a request featured on the page to view its details. You can also sort/filter the listed requests by selecting a sorting option or filter criteria. The number adjacent to a feature request represents the number of votes it has received. Click the feature request to view details. You can also vote for a feature if you like it by selecting the button adjacent to it. Click once to vote for the feature and click again to remove your vote. ## [Resetting your Password](https:/respond.io/help/user-account/resetting-your-password) Learn how to reset your password when you forget your login details. In the event that you forget your password, you can reset your password from two locations: - Login Window - Personal Settings ### Login Window If you forgot your password during login, you can reset your password in the login window. **Step 1: Press Forgot Password** From the login window, press Forgot Password located at the bottom left. **Step 2: Enter your email address** On the password reset screen, enter your email address and press the blue GET VERIFICATION CODE button. If the email provided is a valid account, you will receive an email with the verification code. **Step 3: Check your inbox** Check your email inbox for the verification code. If you couldn't find the email in your inbox, be sure to check the spam or junk folder. Or, press Resend Code to receive a new verification code. > If you still have not received the email within 10 minutes, do not hesitate to [contact us](https://respond.io/contact/). **Step 4: Enter the verification code** Enter the verification code on the password reset screen. **Step 5: Reset your password** You will have to choose a new password in order to regain access to your account. Note that passwords need to fulfill the [password security requirements](https://respond.io/help/user-account/resetting-your-password#password_security_requirements). > Remember to keep your account password safe and secure. Do not share it with anyone. respond.io will never ask for your password. ### Personal Settings If you would like to change your account password while you are already logged in, you can do so from the user profile page. 1. From the navigation menu, click on Personal Settings. 2. Click on the Change Password button on the Profile page. > You won’t be able to change your password if you are logged in with Google. Re-login again to change the password. **Step 3: Change your password** Type in the existing password and the new password that you would like to change into. **Step 4: Confirm your password** To verify your password, you will need to retype your password. **Step 5: Save your changes** Press the CHANGE PASSWORD button to save the changes you made to the password. Note that passwords need to fulfill the [password security requirements](https://respond.io/help/user-account/resetting-your-password#password_security_requirements). > Remember to keep your account password safe and secure. Do not share it with anyone. respond.io will never ask for your password. ### Password Security Requirements - Contains at least 8 characters - Contains at least 1 number - Contains at least 1 special character (^$*.[]{}()?-”!@#%^&?/\,><’:;|_~`+=) - Contains at least 1 uppercase letter - Contains at least 1 lowercase letter ## [Resource Center](https:/respond.io/help/help-menu/resource-center) Learn more about the resource center and how to enable or disable it. ### Getting Here You can click the **Resource Center** icon from any page on respond.io to access the following resources: - Help Center: To search for the documentation in our Help Center related to the module you are in. For example, if you click the icon from the WORKFLOWS page, a list of articles related to the workflow module is displayed. - Request a Feature: To request the respond.io team for a feature. You will be directed to the Feature Request page of the respond.io website where you can request for a new feature or vote for an existing one. - Get Support: To talk to an expert. You will be directed to the Contact page of the respond.io website where you can provide your contact information and a member of our support team will get in touch with you to help you resolve your issue or address your concerns. - Book a Demo: To book a demo with our team. You will be directed to the Book a Demo page of the respond.io website where you can provide your contact information and a member of our team will get in touch with you to reserve a slot for the demo. - Business Academy: To view the Business Academy. You will be directed to the Business Academy page and attend courses that help you learn how to communicate better with your clients using messages. #### Enabling/Disabling Resource Center The **Resource Center** toggle is enabled by default. However, you can disable the button by selecting the **Help** icon on the side navigation menu and swiping the **Resource Center** toggle to the left. Similarly, you can swipe the toggle to the right to enable it. ## [Responding to Messages](https:/respond.io/help/quick-start/responding-to-messages) Here are some quick tips on how to respond to Contacts in a more efficient and productive manner. ### Inbox Module The Inbox module is where you can view all conversations with your Contacts and interact with them when necessary. You can access this module from the left navigation menu. #### Receiving New Messages New messages will appear in the contact list of the Inbox module. New Contacts will be unassigned by default. #### Replying to a Contact When the platform receives messages from a new Contact, the Contact will have an open conversation and is unassigned. There are two ways Users can respond to Contacts: #### Responding Using Text A User can compose and send new messages from the text box below the conversation history window. Simply click the messaging console area and start typing. #### Responding Using Voice Messages **Step 1: Click on Microphone** User can click on the microphone icon in the messaging console to start recording the voice note. **Step 2: Start recording** Once the recording starts, the User can record a message for up to 5 minutes. **Step 3: Click Stop** When done, the User can click on the stop button to end the recording. **Step 4: Send the message** The User can play back the recording before sending it to the Contact. If the recording is not suitable, the User can delete the recording and repeat the process again. > For Channels that support voice messaging, the recording will be sent as voice notes. If the Channel does not support voice messaging, the recording will be sent as an attachment. #### Useful Tips Here are some useful tips when responding to your Contacts : - Use AI prompts to improve your messages. - You can use the following keyboard shortcuts in the messaging composer: | Action | Keyboard Shortcut | | --- | --- | | Open emoji picker | : | | Add snippets | / | | Use variables | $ | #### Make use of Snippets to reply faster Snippets are message templates or canned responses that can be used to reply to Contacts. - Snippets #### Attach files when you need to You can attach files such as invoices, instruction guides or more when necessary. - Files When you are ready to send the message, hit the Send button or press Enter on your keyboard to send it. When you respond to an unassigned Contact, the Contact will be assigned to you automatically. > You can send up to **50 files** per message in both the Inbox and Snippets. ### Assigning a Contact A Contact can be assigned to a User via two methods: Auto-assignment via Workflows and manual assignment. > **Tip:** Assigning a Contact to a User is important so that your teammates are aware of who is responding to the Contact. #### Manual Assignment If your business does not wish to assign the Contacts automatically, the assignment can be done manually via the Inbox module. [Here is how you can assign a Contact to another User](https://respond.io/help/messages/assignment-and-closing-a-conversation). #### Automatic Assignment Automatic assignments can be set up using the Workflows module. Workflows help you reduce manual work by automating processes. Learn more about [Workflows here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview). #### Unassigning a Contact A Contact can be unassigned from a User via two methods: - Manual unassignment - Auto-unassignment via Workflows #### Manual Unassignment Users can manually unassign conversations in the Inbox module. Here is how you can [unassign a contact](https://respond.io/help/messages/assignment-and-closing-a-conversation#unassigning_an_agent_from_a_contact). #### Auto-Unassignment Via Workflows You can automatically unassign Users from Contacts via Workflows, particularly after a conversation is closed. Learn more about [Workflows here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview). ### Conversations #### What is a Conversation? In the context of the platform, the interaction between the contact and platform is referred to as a conversation. Conversations are used to organize the communication in context. A contact can have multiple conversations with the platform but only one open conversation at a time. Referring to the example above, Susan had contacted the platform at different times with different purpose. Susan had three conversations with the platform attended by different users. Each conversations has a different context and a specific issue to be resolved by the customer support team. #### Opening a Conversation Conversations can be opened to initiate an interaction and it can be done by the following methods:- **1\. New Incoming Message from Contact** When a contact without any open conversation sends a message to the platform, a conversation will be opened for this contact. The same applies for new incoming message from new contacts. **2\. User** A user can manually open a conversation from the Inbox module. **3\. Automation** An automation can be created with the Open Conversation which will result in a new conversation being opened for the triggering contact. **4\. Welcome Event** For Channels like Facebook and Viber, the Welcome Event can open a new conversation for a contact if there is no existing open conversation. #### Closing a Conversation Once you have resolved a Contact's issue, close the conversation so the Contact is no longer in the Open Conversation queue. This reduces noise in your inbox. > When a conversation is closed, the Contact and their future conversations will remain assigned to the same User. If you need to refer to the Contact or their conversation, search for them in the Contacts module. Following are some other ways conversations can be closed: **1\. Automation** An automation can be created with the Close Conversation which will result in closing the open conversation for the triggering contact. **2\. Dialogflow** Using the RB\_MARKDONE parameter, a conversation can be closed for the triggering contact. **3\. Contact Merge** If there is an open conversation from the secondary contact, the conversation will be closed automatically. #### Closing Notes Users can use closing notes to provide a summary of their conversation with a Contact. Read more on Closing Notes. - Closing Notes #### Conversation Metrics Find metrics and analytical insights such as Resolution Time and Closed Count on conversations in both Reports and Dashboard to track team performance. Find out more on conversation metrics in the following modules: - Dashboard - Reports ## [Salesforce](https:/respond.io/help/integrations/salesforce-integration) Learn how to connect your Salesforce account with respond.io to seamlessly access and view your contact fields. The **Salesforce integration** allows you to connect your Salesforce account with your **respond.io** workspace. With this integration, you can: - View Salesforce contact fields like email, phone number, lead source, and more directly in respond.io. - Reduce platform switching by accessing contact data inside the Inbox and Contacts modules. ### What You’ll Need - Admin access in Salesforce. - Owner or Manager access in respond.io. - API access to your Salesforce account. ### Setting Up the Integration #### Install the Salesforce Integration 1. In your respond.io workspace, go to Workspace settings > Integrations. 2\. Find Salesforce and select **Manage**. 3\. Click **Connect Salesforce**. 4\. A new tab will open—sign in to your Salesforce account and authorize respond.io. 5\. Once connected, you’ll see a confirmation message with your Salesforce account details. > Note: Each respond.io workspace can connect to only **one** Salesforce account. ### Viewing Salesforce Contact Fields in respond.io You can view **Salesforce fields** in both the **Inbox** and **Contacts** modules. ##### Inbox Module - Open a conversation in Inbox. - Click on a Contact to view their Salesforce fields in the right sidebar. ##### Contacts Module - Navigate to Contacts. - Select a Contact to view their Salesforce fields in the right sidebar. For both **Inbox** and **Contacts** modules: - If a match is found, Salesforce fields will appear automatically. - If no match is found, verify that the contact’s email or phone number matches exactly between respond.io and Salesforce. - You can click View in Salesforce to open the full profile in Salesforce. > **Note**: Salesforce fields in respond.io are **read-only**. To edit, update them directly in Salesforce. ### Selecting and Editing Salesforce Contact Fields in respond.io You can now select specific Salesforce contact fields to display in your respond.io workspace and edit these fields directly within respond.io. If you already have a Salesforce account connected in respond.io, you’ll need to refresh permissions to enable these updates. **Here’s how:** 1. Go to Workspace settings > Integrations 2. Select Salesforce 3. Refresh your access token #### Selecting Salesforce Contact Fields 1. Navigate to Workspace settings > Integrations. 2. Click Manage next to Salesforce. 3. Under Manage Salesforce fields, click Customize view to choose which contact fields to display in the Inbox and Contacts modules on respond.io. 4. Click Save to apply your preferences. #### Editing Salesforce Contact Fields You can now edit certain Salesforce contact fields directly within respond.io. To enable this feature, go to **Manage Salesforce fields** and turn on the toggle. Once enabled, all users in your workspace will be able to edit the selected Salesforce fields from respond.io. Non-editable fields remain read-only and must be updated directly in Salesforce. **Important Notes:** - Email and Phone Number fields are non-editable. - Ensure appropriate permissions in respond.io and Salesforce to edit fields. - If changes do not appear immediately, refresh your page after 1 minute due to API caching. To discard changes, select the **Restore** icon next to each editable field. This can be accessed in both the **Inbox** and **Contacts** module. ##### Inbox module - Open the Inbox and select a contact. - Select the Salesforce icon. - Click on the Salesforce property you want to edit and update the information. Your changes sync immediately to Salesforce. ##### Contacts module - Access the Contacts module and select a contact. - Select the Salesforce icon. - Click on the Salesforce property you want to edit and update the information. Your changes sync immediately to Salesforce. ### Creating Salesforce contacts automatically Any new contact created in Salesforce will also be automatically created in respond.io, ensuring that your CRM and messaging platform are always in sync. This improves workflow efficiency and helps you respond to new leads faster. #### How to Enable To set it up: 1. Go to Workspace Settings > Integrations > Salesforce. 2. Turn on the Create Contacts automatically toggle. #### Optional Settings Two optional checkboxes appear when the main toggle is enabled: ##### Add “Auto-Create: Salesforce” Tag - Automatically adds a tag “Auto-Create: Salesforce” to Contacts created via this integration. - This helps identify how the Contact was sourced, but will not trigger workflows on respond.io. - The tag is listed in the Tags module and cannot be manually removed or edited. ##### Include Bulk-Imported Contacts - When checked, Contacts added to Salesforce via Bulk Import will also be created on respond.io. - These Contacts do not count towards MAC (Monthly Active Contacts) and do not trigger workflows unless a conversation is initiated. ## [Security](https:/respond.io/help/organization-settings/organization-settings-security) Learn how to configure SSO settings, enable/disable SSO for your organization and Setting up SSO on respond.io for Google Workspace ### Getting Here > Single Sign-On (SSO) is available for Advanced plans and above. To upgrade or subscribe, please [contact us](https://respond.io/contact). Admins can access and edit SSO settings via **Organizational Settings** > **Security**. **Billing Admins** can view but not edit this page. ### What is Single Sign-On? SAML-SSO enables secure login across one or multiple organizations using a single set of credentials. It enhances security, streamlines access, and allows seamless switching between SSO-enabled organizations with the same Identity Provider (IDP). Learn about the platform sign in, sign out and sign up behaviour when SSO is enabled/disabled in the following table: | Feature | Admin/User Admin Users | Other Users | | --- | --- | --- | | Organization Sign Up | Organization Admin invites a user to the organization via email. | The user accepts the invite by clicking the link provided in email. Users can log in to the organization using their email without providing additional information. If SSO is disabled for an organization, the user is logged out automatically and they must use their email and password to login to the organization again. The password may likely require updates. | | Organization Sign In | | SSO enabled org: The user can sign in using their SSO-authenticated email. | | | | Non-SSO org: The user can sign in using their organizational email and password or sign in with Google. | | SSO Session Duration | | All users will remain logged into an SSO-enabled organization for 24 hours, after which they will automatically be logged out and will be required to log in again. | | Signing into Multiple Organization | Platform Admin allows the user access to multiple organizations. | When a user logs in using SSO and is part of several organizations with a shared IDP, the user is asked which organization they want to log into. | | Signing into a Single Organization | Platform Admin allows the user access to one organization. | Since the user is part of only one organization, they are led to it directly. | | | | SSO to SSO Org Swapping: When a user switches between SSO-enabled organization that shares the same Identity Provider (IDP), the user’s access will still be validated to check if it has the required authority. | | | | SSO to Non-SSO Org Swapping (and vice versa): While switching between organizations, the user is automatically logged out and must log in to the non-SSO organization with the correct set of credentials. | | Access Denial | Admin users or Admins can deny access to a user’s credentials by deleting or disabling the user from the IDP and/or removing them from the platform. | The user can no longer login to the organization. | | | | When user is removed from the IDP or Organization, they must reset their password to regain access to the other organizations they are enabled for. | #### Configuring SSO Settings SSO can be enabled on new and existing organizations; however, it must first be configured before SSO is enabled. ##### External Configurations for SSO In order to use SAML SSO, you need to add the user’s work email to the IDP. This configuration is done externally, i.e., outside the respond.io platform. ##### Internal Configurations for SSO On the **Security** page, click the **Configure** button to configure SSO. On the Configure SAML SSO dialog that opens, configure the following options: | Configuration Options | Description | | --- | --- | | Entity or Issuer ID | The globally unique name for an Identity Provider or a Service Provider. Use the copy icon to copy this URL and paste it to your IDP. | | Audience URL | Determines the intended recipient or audience for the SAML Assertion. Use the copy icon to copy the URL to your clipboard and provide the URL in the relevant field of the Identity Provide (IDP). | | Assertion Customer Service (ACS) URL | The combination of the Secure Token Server subsystem address, its port number for handling SAML messages, the SAML binding, and any necessary information that is specific for CIC or ICWS. Use the copy icon to copy the URL to your clipboard and provide the URL in the relevant field of the IDP. | | Use SAML Assertion Encryption | Toggled off by default.Toggle on (not recommended) - Only enable this feature to accept encrypted SAML assertions from your Identity Provider (IDP). It is not recommended because not all IDPs support this encryption. | | Download Certificate | Click Download to download the certificate and later upload it to your identity provider (IDP). | | Download Public Key | Click Download to download the key and later upload it to your identity provider (IDP). | | Identity Provider or Issuer Entity ID | Paste the Identity Provider (IDP) or Issuer Entity ID. Copy this information from the IDP and paste it here. | | Identity Provider or Issuer Entity ID | Paste the Identity Provider (IDP) or Issuer Entity ID. Copy this information from the IDP and paste it here. | | Identity Provider Single Sign-On Service URL | Paste the Identity Provider Single Sign-On Service URL. Copy this information from the IDP and paste it here. | | Identity Provider Single Logout Service URL | Paste the Identity Provider Single Logout Service URL. Copy this information from the IDP and paste it here. | | Email Identifier Mapping Variable | Paste the identifier that corresponds to a user's email. This value is case-sensitive. Copy this information from the IDP and paste it here. | | Identity Provider Certificate | Provide a list of domains you want to allow access to while restricting all others. The domains must follow the proper format, e.g.,www.domainname.top-level-domainhttp://domainname.top-level-domainhttps://domainname.top-level-domainLeaving this field empty will not restrict any domains. | | Configure | Verifies the configuration settings and then saves the updates. | Once SSO has been enforced, all users within the organization will receive the notification via email and the notification center. #### Editing Configuration Once you have provided SSO internal configurations, click the **Edit Configuration** button to edit the settings. However, if SSO is enabled, you cannot edit the configuration and must temporarily disable SSO by clicking the **Disable** button on the **Edit SSO configuration for this organization** dialog. You are automatically signed out and need to sign in again with the email and password for the (SSO disabled) organization. #### Deleting Configuration If you want to remove the configuration, click the **Delete Configuration** button and confirm the deletion by clicking **DELETE** on the pop-up that displays. This disables the users and logs them out. #### Enabling/Disabling SSO for your organization On the **Security** page, turn the **Enable login with SSO** toggle on; on the dialog that opens, click **Enforce**. All users are automatically logged out of the organization and can log in using the approved email address. A notification and email is sent to you informing you that you have been logged out because SSO has been enabled in your organization. Turning the toggle off disables SSO for your organization, users are automatically logged out and can only log in using their email and password. Users who do not have a password yet will need to reset their password on the login page. A notification and email is sent to you informing you that you have been logged out because SSO has been disabled on your organization. ### What is Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) addresses the issue of password vulnerability and provides an additional layer of security (in case your password is compromised), reinforcing the safety measures taken to protect sensitive data (by eliminating the chances of unauthorized access to your account). This additional layer requires your organization's users to provide an authentication code generated by an authenticator app installed on their mobile devices. Once the users provide the correct passwords, they must provide an authentication code to log in. #### Enforcing Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for All Users > Enforcing Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) affects all organization users and may impact their ability to use the platform i.e., they are restricted from accessing the organization's data (if they have not already set Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on their profile). It is recommended that you give them a warning ahead of time or enforce it at a time when most users are not using the platform to avoid interrupting their progress. To enforce Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on all users within an organization, follow the steps below: 1. Turn the Enforce Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on all users toggle on. 2. On the confirmation dialog, click Enforce to confirm. Once turned on, all the users in the organization will be sent an email and notification that they need to turn Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on immediately. > Each user is responsible for [enabling Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)](https://respond.io/help/user-account/profile#enabling_two_factor_authentication_2fa_on_your_account) on their own profile. #### Disabling Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Enforcement for All Users You can disable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) enforcement on the users of your organization by turning the **Enable** **Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for all users** toggle off. When disabled, the Two-Factor Authentication (2 FA) enforcement of the organization is removed, and users don't need to enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) anymore. All users in the organization (including those that have not enforced Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)) can now view all modules. > Individual users can still opt to enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on their profile. ### Granting the Platform Support Permission Turn this toggle on to grant respond.io support permission to access your account and quickly resolve issues themselves. A notification pops-up when you enable this option. You can disable this option by toggling this option off. > Our team only has view-only access to your account to provide technical assistance. They cannot modify, edit, or alter your data and you can revoke this access at any time. ### Inviting a User to an SSO-Enabled Organization The organization admin can invite a user to an organization from the **Workspace Settings** > **Users** page. Find more details [here](https://respond.io/help/organization-settings/organization-users#adding_an_organization_user). #### Signing Up to SSO-Enabled Organization Users can sign up using an invitation sent to their email address. Click the link in the email, verify the email on the page that opens, and click **Sign In**. #### Signing in to SSO-Enabled Organizations Users can sign in to the SSO-enabled organization using the sign-in page by providing their email address; the IDP validates the email address before logging them into the organization on respond.io. If the user is part of multiple organizations, it can select an organization from the Organization dropdown list on the **Select an Organization** dialog. ### Setting up SSO on respond.io for Google Workspace Follow this step-by-step guide to add respond.io as a Custom SAML App in your Google Admin Console. **Step 1**: In your Workspace, Navigate to **Settings** > **Security** **Step 2**: Click **Configure** **Step 3**: Go to [https://admin.google.com/ac/apps/unified](https://admin.google.com/ac/apps/unified) and click **Add app** > **Add custom SAML App** **Step 4**: Enter the App Name and Description and click **CONTINUE** **Step 5**: Copy the **SSO URL,** **Entity ID** and Download the **Certificate** **Step 6**: In your Workspace: - Paste the SSO URL to the Identity Provider (IDP) Single Sign-On Service URL field - Paste the Entity ID to the Identity Provider (IDP) or Issuer Entity ID field - Upload the Certificate to the Identity Provider (IDP) Certificate field **Step 7**: In your Workspace, copy the **Assertion Customer Services (ACS) URL** and the **Entity or Issuer ID** **Step 8**: In Google Admin: - Paste the Assertion Customer Services (ACS) URL in the ACS URL field - Paste the Entity or Issuer ID in the Entity ID field Then, click **CONTINUE** **Step 9**: Click **FINISH** **Step 10**: In Google Admin, click **User access** **Step 11**: Select the service status **ON for everyone** and click **SAVE** **Step 12**: In your Workspace, enter the **Allowed domains** and enter "email" in the **Email Identifier Mapping Variable** field **Step 13**: Click **Verify** to complete ## [Segments](https:/respond.io/help/contacts/segments) Learn how to use Segments to group Contacts based on certain criteria and filters. A Segment is a set of Contacts that are grouped based on certain criteria using filters. Segments are used for categorizing Contacts for broadcasts and can be found in the Contacts Module. They are publicly shared and can be viewed by all users with access to the Contacts Module. > [Custom Inbox](https://respond.io/help/messages/custom-inbox) is no longer linked between the Inbox Module and Contacts Module. Custom Inbox now only exists in the Inbox Module. ### Creating a Segment > You can create a **maximum of 500** Segments in your Workspace. **Step 1:** In your Workspace, go to **Contacts** > click the **\+ Add Segment** button > A Segment can also be created by clicking the Filter icon when all Contacts are selected. **Step 2:** Enter a name for your new Segment and click **Save** > A Segment must have a unique name to prevent broadcast failure. #### Add Filters to your New Segment **Step 1:** Select your newly created Segment from the left side menu > Click the filter icon; a sidebar will appear on the right side. **Step 2:** Filter your Segment by adding conditions or groups. Use Category and Operator fields based on your criteria. Contacts that fulfill the criteria will appear in the Contact list. **Step 3:** To save your Segment, click the **Update Segment** button. > All the created Segments will appear on the left in the list of Segments. The numbers beside the Segment name indicate the number of Contacts in the Segment. ### Editing a Segment To edit a Segment with different criteria, click the Segment number/action icon > **Edit** or click on the filter icon for the selected Segment. You can edit the conditions as needed and also save the edited version as a new Segment. > The number displayed on the filter icon indicates how many filters have been applied to that Segment. ### Renaming a Segment To rename a Segment, click the action icon and select **Rename.** ### Deleting a Segment To delete a Segment, click the action icon and select **Delete**. > Deleting a Segment is permanent and cannot be recovered! ### Default Segments Several default Segments are available for use in all Workspaces. These Segments (except the **All** and **Blocked Contacts** Segments) can be edited, renamed, or deleted. | Name | Filter | | --- | --- | | Contacts created <7 days ago | [Contact Field - Created At] is less than (time) [7 days ago] | | Contacts inactive >30 days | [Time since last incoming message] is more than [30 days ago] | | Contacts with tags | [Contact Tag] exists | | Country known | [Contact Field - Country] exists | | Language known | [Contact Field - Language] exists | | Blocked Contacts | Not applicable | > Contacts who have been blocked will only be displayed in the **Blocked Contacts** Segment. ## [Setting Up an Account](https:/respond.io/help/quick-start/setting-up-an-account) Follow this quick guide to register and set up a respond.io account on the platform and mobile app. To begin using respond.io, sign up on the platform following a four-step process which requires a valid email address. Once registered, you can create your organization and set up workspaces. All first-time users are guided through an onboarding module, which introduces the platform's basic features. ### Signing up #### Step 1: Navigate to the Sign-up page Click [here](https://app.respond.io/user/register) to open the sign-up page. #### Step 2: Select a sign up method You can sign up using your Google account. Alternatively, you can sign up using your work email and password. #### Step 3: Fill in the required information Provide your first name, last name, email and password. Click **Get Started** when you are done providing your information. > Ensure your password is secure and is at least 8 characters long, has 1 special character, 1 lower case, 1 upper case and a number. #### Step 4: Verify your email address You will receive a verification code at the email address provided in Step 3. Entering this code is mandatory to complete the verification process. > If you don't receive the code, check your spam or junk folders. Or [contact us](https://respond.io/contact) if the problem persists. ### Setting up an Organization Once you have signed up, you can begin your journey by setting up an organization and giving us some information about your preferences. The information you provide helps us understand you better. After providing all the information, click **Get Started** to start using respond.io. #### Workspaces inside an Organization A Workspace is an independent sub-account within the Organization. A Workspace can have multiple Users, and a single User can be granted access to multiple Workspaces. Each Workspace operates autonomously, so changes in one Workspace will not be reflected in other Workspaces within the same Organization. Your first Workspace is created when you create an Organization. ### Onboarding yourself As a first-time User, you are directed to the onboarding page. Here you learn the basics of messaging, connecting Channels and inviting your team members, automating communication with Workflows, and increasing your outreach with Broadcasts. If you navigate to another module, you can return to the onboarding module by clicking the purple icon on the side navigation menu. #### Messaging and Inbox Send yourself a message and see how your message appears in the Inbox module. You receive the message in the Inbox module from a demo Contact on a demo Channel. #### Connecting Channels and Inviting your Team Next, connect to a Channel of your choice to send outbound messages. A few popular channels have already been listed, however, you can explore other Channels by clicking **Discover all channels**. Click **Connect** to connect to the preferred Channel. > Learn more about connecting Channels [here](https://respond.io/help/channels). #### Automating with Workflows You can automate your conversation using workflows created in the Workflow module. Click **Next** to view a list of pre-designed workflow templates. Click **Use Template** to test a template. You can view a complete list of workflow templates by selecting **Discover all templates**. > Learn more about the Workflow module [here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview). #### Sending Broadcasts To send a broadcast, connect a Channel that allows broadcast messages and create your broadcast message. > Learn more about the Broadcast module [here](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts-module/broadcasts-overview). ### Signing in to respond.io Navigate to the respond.io platform and sign in by providing your login and password. If your profile has [Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)](https://respond.io/help/organization-settings/organization-settings-security#what_is_two_factor_authentication_2fa) enabled, you are redirected to a page where you must enter a 6-digit authentication code generated by your preferred authenticator app (Google Authenticator or Authy) to log in to your profile. > You must install an authenticator app e.g., Google Authenticator or Authy, on your mobile to generate a 6-digit code that can be used to sign in to the platform. If you lose access to your authenticator app (e.g., your phone is lost), you can [contact customer support](https://respond.io/contact). Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) to add an additional security layer to your profile. > Upon first sign-in, the platform will prompt the user to create an Organization. ### Signing in to the mobile app This step is optional. However, we encourage you to use the mobile app to work on the go. Learn more on [how to install and log in to respond.io mobile app on your mobile device here](https://respond.io/help/mobile-app/installing-respondio-mobile-app). ### Download respond.io Web App This step is optional. You can download the Web App by clicking the Open Web App icon in the address bar and clicking "Install" to save the app to your desktop. ### What's next? Now the space is created, start configuring the Workspace for the platform users. Here is what we suggest you do next: - Connecting Channels ## [SMS Overview](https:/respond.io/help/sms/sms-overview) Get an overview of how to connect an SMS channel to chat with customers. **Short Messaging Service (SMS)** is a long-standing and widely used way to communicate via text. On respond.io, you can send and receive SMS by connecting with one of our supported partners. Once you’ve created an account with a partner and provisioned a phone number, you can link it to respond.io and manage SMS conversations just like any other channel — alongside your other messaging and calling tools. ### Supporting Partners If you wish to connect SMS to the respond.io platform, please consider the following partners: - Telnyx (supports SMS and Calls) - Twilio - MessageBird - Vonage > If you are interested in using a partner that is not listed here, please request a new channel integration on the respond.io [Feature Request](https://roadmap.respond.io/) board! ### Channel Capabilities The channel capabilities of SMS supporting partners are listed below: - Message Status Availability - Supported File Types - Metadata Received by Channel - Broadcasts - Rate Limits #### Message Status Availability The message status availability for different SMS channels is shown in the table below: | SMS Channel | Sent | Delivered | Read | Failed | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Twilio | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | MessageBird | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Vonage | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Telnyx | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | #### Supported File Types The file types supported by different SMS channels and the maximum file size for each file type are shown in the table below: | SMS Channel | Image Size Limit (MBs) | Audio Size Limit (MBs) | Video Size Limit (MBs) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Twilio | 5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | | MessageBird | 1 | 1 | 1 | | Vonage | 2 | - | - | | Telnyx | 1 | 1 | 1 | #### Metadata Received by Channel Different channels provide different sets of Contact's metadata to the respond.io platform. The list of Contact's data you’ll be able to obtain from different SMS channels is shown in the table below: | SMS Channel | Metadata Received by Channel | | --- | --- | | Twilio | Phone number, City, State, Postal code, Country | | MessageBird | Phone number | | Vonage | Phone number | | Telnyx | Phone number | #### Broadcasts Respond.io’s supporting SMS partner channels have no restrictions on the content or number of messages businesses can send in a broadcast. Broadcast messages will be charged at the usual per-message rate. > \- Learn more about [how to send a broadcast here](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast). - Learn how to [deal with failed broadcast messages here](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/dealing-with-failed-broadcasts). #### Rate Limits A rate limit is the number of API calls an app or user can make within a given time period defined by the channel. Learn more about the rate limits of SMS channels below: - Twilio - MessageBird - Vonage - Telnyx ## [Snippets](https:/respond.io/help/workspace-settings/snippets) Create and manage canned responses to effortlessly reply to frequently asked questions. ### Getting Here > This module is accessible by Owners and Managers only! This setting can be accessed from the **Settings** navigation menu under the **Workspace Settings** sub-menu item, **Snippets**. The Snippets Module allows you to create standardized replies or canned responses to reply to frequently asked questions with a couple of keystrokes. Once you have created your Snippets, you will be able to use them to quickly compose your replies in the [Inbox Module](https://respond.io/help/messages/messages-overview). ### Snippets Overview From this table, you can take a look at the existing Snippets in your Workspace. > Use the 🔍 at the top of the Snippets Module to quickly find the Snippet that you are looking for, based on the name of the Snippet, message, and ID. You can also filter the Snippets by a topic or Snippets without a topic in the dropdown field next to the search field. #### Snippet Name and ID The Snippet name displays the human-friendly name of each Snippet. The name will be used as the command when looking to input the prescribed text into your message. Meanwhile, Snippet ID is the unique identifier that is automatically generated to label each Snippet in the system. The Snippet ID can be used for sending [Snippets via integrations](https://respond.io/help/dialogflow/dialogflow-parameters#snippets). > Snippet names are only supported in the alphanumeric/Latin alphabet. To support more languages in snippet names beyond the alphanumeric/Latin, you may upvote the [feature request here](https://respond.canny.io/feature-request/p/snippets-support-non-alphanumeric-characters-for-snippet-name). #### Message The Snippet Message is the actual text content that is inputted when using the Snippet. #### Topic The Snippet Topics are tags that help you organize your snippets. Snippets can be tagged with up to 10 different topics. > Use Topics to organize your Snippets into groups. To view Snippets tagged to a specific topic, use the Topic Selector and select a topic to view the tagged Snippets. #### Files Snippets now support file attachments! You can attach up to **50 files** to each Snippet either by uploading from your device or selecting from your file library. ##### How to Add Files to a Snippet: - When creating or editing a Snippet, you will see an option to attach files. - Click the "+ Add File" button. - You can either upload a file from your device or select an existing file from the file library. - Files will be stored in the platform’s native file storage. - Maximum of 50 files can be attached to a single Snippet. ##### File Restrictions: - File types and sizes follow the current platform's file storage restrictions. - Duplicate file names within the same Snippet are not allowed. - If a file is deleted from the storage, it will no longer be available in the Snippet. #### Actions You can perform the following actions to Snippets: - Create - ​Edit​ - ​Delete​ ### Creating a New Snippet 1. On the Snippets screen, click + Add Snippet. 2\. Fill in the required information: | Fields | Description | | --- | --- | | Name | Name your Snippet with a short identifying title. This will be used when searching to input the Snippet in the Inbox Module. | | Message | Text content that will be inputted into the message bar when selected. You may include Dynamic Variables to personalize your message content. | | Topic | Topic tags are used to categorize the Snippets for easier visibility. However, this field is optional. | | Files (optional) | Attach up to 5 files to a Snippet. This can be done by uploading from your device or selecting from the file library. | 3\. When you have filled in the fields, click **Create** to save the Snippet. > Take note that each Workspace can only have up to 5,000 Snippets. ### Editing a Snippet 1. You can make changes to an existing Snippet by navigating to the Snippets screen > click the Action menu > click Edit. 2\. Make the necessary changes to the Snippet, and then click **Update**. > Be mindful when you make changes to a Snippet as Snippets are shared across the Workspace with other Users. Editing a Snippet may affect other Users in the Workspace. ### Deleting a Snippet If a Snippet is no longer relevant or a duplicate of another, it can be deleted from the Workspace by navigating to the **Snippets** screen > click the Action menu > click **Delete**. > Be careful when you delete a Snippet as it may be used by other Users in the Workspace. Bear in mind that the deletion cannot be undone. ### Using Snippets with File Attachments When replying to Contacts in conversations, you can now use Snippets with files attached to quickly compose a response. ##### How to Use a Snippet with Files: 1. Navigate to the Contact you wish to respond to and type a forward slash ( / ) in the message composer. 2. Type the name of the Snippet to search for it. 3. If a Snippet contains files, the number of attached files will be displayed. 4. Select the desired Snippet, and both the text and files will be inserted into the message composer. ##### Important Notes: - If there are already files in the message composer and you insert a Snippet with additional files, only up to 5 files in total will be added. For example, if you already have 3 files, only the first 2 files from the Snippet will be inserted. - If a file attached to a Snippet is missing (deleted from storage), it will not be inserted into the message. ### Using Snippets When replying to Contacts in conversations, you can use prewritten Snippets to quickly compose a response. 1. Navigate to the Contact you wish to respond to and then type the forward slash in the message composer. Type the name of the Snippet to search for it. For example, you can start typing /new to search for a Snippet named New Year Snippet. 2\. As you type, suggestions are displayed based on your query. Select the desired Snippet and the message will be populated into the message composer. 3\. Review the Snippet content and make any necessary changes. Once done, you may send it to the Contact. > Always review the content before sending it to make sure the content is relevant to the occasion. ## [Step: Add Comment](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-add-comment) Learn about the configuration, best practices and use cases when implementing the Add Comment Step. This Step adds a note about the Contact for internal reference or action. ### Configuration Write your desired comment in the text field. You can add a Variable using $ or tag another user using @. To tag the current assignee, type @assignee. ### How It Works After writing your desired comment, it will be added to the Contact’s profile. If a User is tagged in the comment, they will receive a notification and can take the necessary action. - E.g. Workflow {Workflow Name} has mentioned you in a comment. ### Best Practices Here’s a best practice for this step you can follow to optimize your workflow: - Placing multiple comments side by side may be overwhelming for agents. Instead, use the Add Comment Step throughout the workflow to help track a Contact’s progress and identify the current step of the workflow. ### Suggested Use Cases Here are some ways you can use the Add Comment Step: - Improve workflow tracking: Using the Add Comment Step can help track a workflow’s status, making it easier to identify the current step and any potential issues. - Document and consolidate information: Comments serve as documentation of decisions made, actions taken, and important information, aiding in future references. ## [Step: Add Google Sheets Row](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-add-google-sheets-row) Learn about the configuration, best practices and use cases for implementing the Add Google Sheets Row Step. This Step adds new rows to a Google Sheets worksheet using the specified column mapping values. > This step is only available for Growth Plan and above. ### Configuration There are three key configurations for adding a new row to Google Sheets: - Google Sheets - Worksheet (Tab) - Column Mapping Select the Google Sheets file you want to populate. > Make sure you have editing access to the worksheet you are trying to connect to. Once you've chosen the desired Google Sheets file, select the worksheet or tab you want to populate. > Ensure that the sheet name doesn't contain punctuation and the first row of the worksheet is a header row with filled-in column names. If Column A's first row has a missing value, data will be inserted at the top of the sheet, not at the bottom. After determining the worksheet or tab, open the Column Mapping configuration drawer. You can configure up to 26 columns (Column A to Column Z). Fill in the column fields with the desired data. To include Variables, use the "$" prefix to support the interpolation of static text and Variables. You can also use system variables as the Column Mapping value to timestamp when new Google Sheet Rows are added, helping you track events. For Google Sheets calculations, add the formula in the relevant field to automatically calculate and display the value when a new row is added to the worksheet. If you want to leave a column blank in the sheet, leave its field in the configuration drawer empty. > To update the worksheet and column mapping fields, click on the refresh button in the configuration drawer. ### How It Works When the Workflow is triggered, the values specified in the column mapping field will be added to the Google Sheets worksheet, creating a new row at the bottom of the table to display the data. When editing a worksheet, first stop the Workflow. Then, update the column fields in the Step configuration drawer before republishing the Workflow to reflect the changes. Failing to do so may result in a data mismatch between the Workflow input and the new rows in the worksheet. Editing a worksheet involves the following actions: - Deleting existing rows or columns - Adding rows anywhere other than at the bottom of the worksheet - Changing the column sorting of the sheet - Renaming, adding, or rearranging columns - Renaming the workbook or the worksheet ### Potential Failure The Add Google Sheets Row Step can encounter two potential failures: - Lack of editing permission for the chosen Google Sheets file. - The selected worksheet has reached its cell limit or is already full. - In some cases, data may fail to pass to Google Sheets due to exceeding Google’s API quota. This is more likely when handling large volumes of data in bulk. If the quota is exceeded, new rows will not be added. In such cases, the contact will bypass this Step and continue with the rest of the Workflow's journey. ### Best Practices Here’s a best practice for this step you can follow to optimize your workflow: - Avoid updating the sheet tab name or the main worksheet name after setting up the step. Doing so will stop data population in the sheet and necessitate reconfiguring the step. - Define the required headers in the Google Sheets first before setting up the Workflow step. - Avoid using checkboxes, dropdowns, or other pre-filled formatting in empty rows, as these are treated as values. This may cause data to populate in unexpected rows. Use a clean sheet or dedicate a section without such formatting for more predictable behavior. - When sending large volumes of data, consider batching or spreading out requests to avoid exceeding Google’s API quota limits. ### Suggested Use Cases Here are some ways you can use the Add Google Sheets Row Step: - Save time with automated data entry: Reduce manual efforts by adding data automatically to Google Sheets. Connect a Google Sheet to create a new row with variables added to specific columns. ## [Step: AI Objective](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-ai-objective) Learn about the configuration, best practices and use cases when implementing the AI Objective Step. The AI Objective Step automatically hands off a conversation to AI, which uses your configured knowledge sources and settings to either answer incoming questions or collect required information. It continues chatting until the objective is met or a failure condition is triggered. This step relies on: - Objective Type (Answer Questions or Collect Information) - Knowledge sources (any documents, URLs, or Snippets you’ve uploaded) - Snippets Toggle (if on, the bot can pull from saved Snippets) - Reply Outside Knowledge sources Toggle (if on, the bot falls back to a general AI model when it can’t find an answer in your sources) Once the AI Objective Step starts, AI Objective engages the contact until all questions are answered or required information is collected. Make sure to send a final “thank you” or goodbye message to close the conversation properly. ### Branches Every AI Objective Step has these five branches: 1. Success (always enabled)Answer Questions: Triggers when all incoming questions can be answered from your knowledge sources.Collect Information: Triggers when all required variables have been collected from the contact. 2. Answer Questions: Triggers when all incoming questions can be answered from your knowledge sources. 3. Collect Information: Triggers when all required variables have been collected from the contact. 4. Failure: Speak to HumanActivated if the contact requests a human agent.Enable by toggling on Contact Asks To Speak To A Human. 5. Activated if the contact requests a human agent. 6. Enable by toggling on Contact Asks To Speak To A Human. 7. Failure: AI Unable to AnswerActivated if the bot can’t find or generate an answer from your knowledge sources (only for Answer Questions).Enable by toggling on Failure: AI Unable To Answer. 8. Activated if the bot can’t find or generate an answer from your knowledge sources (only for Answer Questions). 9. Enable by toggling on Failure: AI Unable To Answer. 10. Failure: Others (always enabled)Catches any unexpected technical issues (e.g., channel disconnects). 11. Catches any unexpected technical issues (e.g., channel disconnects). 12. Failure: IdleActivated if the contact doesn’t reply within the configured timeout (60 minutes by default).Enable by toggling on Add Contact Idle Branch. 13. Activated if the contact doesn’t reply within the configured timeout (60 minutes by default). 14. Enable by toggling on Add Contact Idle Branch. Below is a quick reference for each branch: | Branch Name | When It Triggers | How to Enable | | --- | --- | --- | | Success | • Answer Questions: All questions answered by knowledge sources • Collect Information: All required variables captured | Always enabled (cannot be removed) | | Failure: Speak to Human | Contact explicitly asks for a human | Toggle Contact Asks To Speak To A Human | | Failure: AI Unable to Answer | Bot couldn’t find a match in knowledge sources (Answer Questions only) | Toggle Failure: AI Unable To Answer | | Failure: Others | A technical error occurred (e.g., channel disconnected) | Always enabled (cannot be removed) | | Failure: Idle | Contact doesn’t respond within timeout | Toggle Add Contact Idle Branch | ### Configuration When you add an **AI Objective Step**, you configure these elements: #### AI Objective Builder Click **Launch AI Objective Builder** to open a guided, chat-style interface. Instead of filling in multiple fields manually, the Builder asks you to: - Pick whether AI Objective should Answer Questions or Collect Information - Provide any required variable details (for Collect Information) - Preview and finalize your setup Click **Launch AI Objective Builder** to open a guided, chat-style interface. Instead of filling in multiple fields manually, the Builder asks you to: - Pick whether AI Objective should Answer Questions or Collect Information - Provide any required variable details (for Collect Information) - Preview and finalize your setup #### Objective Type Choose one of two objectives: - Answer Questions: AI Objective will use your knowledge sources to answer all incoming questions (great for FAQs or simple support flows). - Collect Information: AI Objective will ask the contact specific questions, store their responses as variables, and update contact fields or external apps (ideal for lead qualification or data collection). Choose one of two objectives: - Answer Questions: AI Objective will use your knowledge sources to answer all incoming questions (great for FAQs or simple support flows). - Collect Information: AI Objective will ask the contact specific questions, store their responses as variables, and update contact fields or external apps (ideal for lead qualification or data collection). #### AI Persona Write a short description of how AI Objective should speak (tone, role, and expertise). For example, “A friendly support agent who provides concise, helpful answers.” > If you skip this, a default professional persona is applied. A clear persona helps ensure the bot’s replies match your brand voice. #### **Collect Information (Variable Settings)** If you selected **Collect Information**, these additional fields appear: - Variable Configuration – Click to add or remove variables. - Required – If on (default), the bot will keep asking until it captures this data. - Variable Name – Label your variable (e.g., contact_age). You can reference it later in the Workflow using $contact_age. - Variable Type – Choose from options like Text, Phone Number, Email, etc. - Variable Description – Provide guidance or validation rules (e.g., “Phone number must start with +601 and be 11–12 digits”). - Add Another Variable – Click to add more as needed. Filling in these fields accurately can help the AI Objective Step collect the information you need from your customers. #### Advanced Settings (Both Objectives) - Add Contact Idle Branch – Toggles on the Idle branch if the contact doesn’t reply within the timeout. - Contact Asks To Speak To A Human – If on, any message like “I want a human” switches to the Speak-to-Human branch. - Failure: AI Unable To Answer – (Answer Questions only) If on, any unanswered question moves to the “cannot answer” branch. ### Knowledge Sources & Snippets **AI Objective** needs at least one **AI** **knowledge source** to function. These sources provide the factual content AI Objective uses to answer questions or ask for details. Here’s how to add knowledge sources: 1. Go to Workflows > Select a template OR Select Start from scratch > Select AI Objective Step > Add knowledge sources 2. Select Answer Questions Objective > Add knowledge source - Keep Sources Focused: For best results, upload topic-specific documents (e.g., “Product A FAQ” rather than a single large file). - Enable Snippets: If you turn on Use Snippets as a knowledge source, AI Objective can pull from your saved Snippets. If off, it ignores Snippets and only uses full knowledge sources. > Tip: If AI Objective can’t find an answer in your knowledge sources but **Reply Outside knowledge sources** is enabled, it will fall back to use general knowledge to base responses on. If that fallback is disabled, AI Objective will only respond when it finds a match in your sources. > Learn more about using AI knowledge sources [here](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/managing-ai-knowledge-sources). ### Best Practices & Troubleshooting - Break Up Large Files: Avoid uploading one huge PDF. Splitting content into focused files helps AI Objective locate answers faster. - Double-Check Variable Names: If you rename a variable, update any references (e.g., $new_variable_name) in later Workflow steps. - Test Branches: Try both objectives (Answer Questions and Collect Information) to ensure contacts move through branches correctly. - Review Error Branches: If contacts are ending up in “AI Unable to Answer,” either add missing content to your knowledge sources or allow AI Objective to reply outside of knowledge sources. - Refine Persona: If responses sound off, tweak the AI Persona text to better match your desired tone. - Properly Close Chats: Always send a final goodbye or confirmation message so AI Objective knows the conversation is complete. ### Suggested Use Cases Here are some ways you can use the Branch Step: - Maximize Customer Service Potential with AI Objective: The AI Objective Step enables businesses to engage with customers instantly by providing quick responses to low-level conversations involving basic product information (e.g., FAQ’s), policies (e.g., return policy), basic troubleshooting steps for common technical issues or errors, etc. By taking over such routine conversations, this frees up human agents for more complex conversations and tasks. ## [Step: Ask a Question](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-ask-a-question) Learn about the configuration, best practices and use cases when implementing the Ask a Question Step. This Step sends a question to the Contact on the Last Interacted Channel if all conditions are met. ### Configuration There are two key configurations in Ask a Question: - Question Text: Enter the question you want to ask the Contact. - Question Type: Select from various response options available to the Contact. Question Types are shown below: | Question Type | Description | | --- | --- | | Text | Any text-based answers. | | Multiple Choice | Share up to 10 possible answers for Contacts to choose from. Each answer is limited to 20 characters. | | Number | A number value. You can set minimum and maximum values for the expected answer. | | Date | A date in a specified format. Format allowed: - MM/DD/YYYY - YYYY/MM/DD - MM/DD/YY - MM-DD-YY - MMM/DD/YYYY - MMM-DD-YYYY - MMM/DD/YY - MMM-DD-YY - MM/DD - MM-DD-YYYY - YYYY-MM-DD Where: - M represents a digit for the month - D represents a digit for the date - Y represents a digit for the year | | Phone | A phone number value. Format: Country code with number (e.g. 60112233455) | | Email | An email address | | Website/URL | A valid URL | | Rating | The Contact can pick a rating between 1 and 5 stars | | Location | The Contact can send a location message type. Channels that do not support location type messages will have to send locations with the accepted format - (longitude, latitude) e.g. (3.1545313, 101.7151839) | Once you’ve chosen the Question Type, the **Save Response As** field will open. There are three options as to how responses can be saved: - Contact Fields - Variables - Tag (only for multiple choice responses) **Contact Fields** To save the Contact's answer as a Contact Field, simply turn the **Contact Field** toggle ON and then choose the appropriate Contact Field from the drop-down menu. **Variables** To save the answer the Contact provides as a Variable, turn the **Variable** toggle ON, and name the Variable in the field to the right. > Learn more about [Variables here](https://respond.io/help/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables). **Tag** To save the answers the Contact provides as Tags, turn the **Tag** toggle ON. Please note that this is only applicable for multiple-choice questions. ### Advanced Settings There are two advanced settings you can use: - Add Timeout Branch - Add Message Failure **Add Timeout Branch** To set how much time the Contact has to answer the question, turn the **Add Timeout Branch** toggle ON. The timeout period can be up to 7 days, or the default period of 7 days will be automatically set. You can add Steps to determine what happens to Contacts who don't respond in time, or the Workflow will end when the timeout is reached. **Add Message Failure Branch** To handle failed messages, turn the **Add Message Failure Branch** toggle ON. Messages with invalid or unmatched answers will be directed to the Failure Branch. If there are no Steps defined in the Failure Branch to guide the Contact's next steps, the Workflow will end. ### How It Works With the Ask a Question Step, you can collect responses from Contacts. The question will be asked on their Last Interacted Channel, and they must answer it correctly within the allocated time to proceed. They can answer with either a number value or a text response, depending on the Question Type. > For multiple-choice questions sent via email, answer options will be automatically numbered (1,2,3…). ### Potential Failure There are three possible causes of failure here: - If the Contact doesn’t have an associated Channel and can’t receive the question. - When a Contact doesn’t answer the question within the timeout period. - General failures, such as expired API keys, closed messaging windows or network issues. The Contact will exit the Workflow if any of these failures occur. > If a conversation with a Contact is closed while the Ask a Question Workflow Step is still ongoing, any message sent by the Contact won’t reopen the conversation. You can find more information in the FAQ [here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview#when_contacts_with_closed_conversation_sends_a_message_while_a_workflow_with_ask_a_question_step_is_ongoing_will_it_open_the_conversation). > When using the Ask a Question Step with the email Channel, take note of the [potential limitations](https://respond.io/help/email/email-overview#email_limitations). ### Best Practices Here are some best practices for this step you can follow to optimize your workflow: - Use Variables to save responses from Contacts for a personalized customer experience. Ensure their responses are in the correct format to use them effectively. - For multiple-choice questions, create a Branch. If you receive an invalid response, inform the Contact with a Send a Message Step. You can also let the Contact go back to the Ask a Question Step using a Jump Step. If there's no response within a certain timeframe, use a Send a Message Step to offer further assistance from your team if needed. - Use multiple-choice questions to help your Contact find what they're looking for. If the Timeout Branch occurs, use the Jump Step to redirect them and let them choose an option again. ### Suggested Use Cases Here are some ways you can use the Ask a Question Step: - Get Contacts’ Consent for Personal Data Collection: Be compliant with WhatsApp’s Business Policy by getting Contacts to opt-in to receive future messages from you on WhatsApp, before collecting their personal data. - Collect Contacts’ Emails and Phone Numbers: Easily collect existing or new Contact’s emails or phone numbers for identification when conversations open. This can help your agents give better assistance as they will have a deeper understanding of your customers or leads. ## [Step: Assign To](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-assign-to) Learn about the configuration, best practices and use cases when implementing the Assign To Step. This Step assigns the Contact to: - A specific user - A user in a specific Team - A user in the Workspace - Unassigns the Contact ### Configuration There are two key configurations in the Assign To Step: - Action - Assignment Logic In **Action**, Contacts can be directed to one of four assignment actions: - A specific user: Contact assigned to a chosen User - A user in a specific Team: Contact assigned to anyone in a chosen Team - A user in the Workspace: Contact assigned to any User in the Workspace - Unassign: Contact is removed from their assigned User or Team Once you’ve selected an Action, decide how you want to distribute your Contacts across your Users with Assignment Logic. In **Assignment Logic**, you can choose one of two options: - Assign to users round-robin: New Contacts assigned equally to every User in turn - Assign to the user with least open Contacts: Contacts assigned to the User with the fewest open Contacts > These options are only available for A User in a specific Team and A User in the Workspace assignment options. ### Advanced Settings There are two settings you can use that are independent of each other: - Only assign to online users: Contacts assigned to Users who are currently online. - Only assign to users with fewer than XX open contacts assigned to them: Contacts will be assigned to Users with fewer open Contacts than the specified threshold. > These two settings are only available for A User in a Specific Team and A User in the Workspace assignment options. You can also add a Timeout Branch to your Workflow. This sets a specific timeframe within which a Contact should be assigned to a User. The timeout period can be set for up to 7 days or the default period of 7 days will be implemented. Add Steps to define the journey for Contacts who do not respond in time, or the Workflow will end when the timeout is reached. ### How It Works Contacts will be assigned to Users based on certain assignment actions and conditions. If Advanced Settings is switched ON and there are no Users meet the conditions, Contacts will wait in a queue until they get assigned or until the timeout period ends. ### Potential Failure There are three possible causes for failure in the Assign To step: - If the Contact isn’t assigned to anyone within the default 7-day timeout period, and there’s no Timeout Branch to continue the journey. - If the chosen User has been deleted from Workflows. - If the chosen Team a Contact is assigned to has no Users or is empty. In such cases, the Contact will exit the Workflow. ### Best Practices Here are some best practices for this step you can follow to optimize your workflow: - Limit the number of Contacts each agent handles at a time, especially during high daily loads to avoid overwhelming them. - Manage customer expectations effectively by including a Send a Message Step after the Assign To Step takes effect. This automatically informs customers which agent will be handling their inquiry. ### Suggested Use Cases Here are some ways you can use the Assign To Step: - Assignment Strategy: Automatic Contact Distribution & Load Balancing: Improve response time by automatically assigning Contacts to your sales and support agents based on their availability. - Route Contacts by Team Functions: Optimize agent specialization and response times by routing Contacts to teams based on their specific expertise and functions. This ensures that customer inquiries are resolved faster and more accurately. ## [Step: Branch](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-branch) Learn about the configuration, best practices and use cases when implementing the Branch Step. This Step defines the Contact's journey in the Workflow based on certain conditions. You can configure the Branch Step using various combinations of Categories and Operators. ### Configuration #### **Creating** **Branches** Click **Add Branch** to create up to 9 Branches with one **Else** Branch. #### **Branch Conditions** A maximum of 10 conditions that are connecting using either AND or OR logical operators are allowed per branch. Each condition needs a defined category, operator and value. In the example below, the branch condition checks if the Contact's **First Name** is equal to John **AND** the **Last Name** is equal to Doe. ##### **Selecting a Branch Category** The Category field allows you to select the fields that need to be verified. The available categories include: | Categories | Description | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | Contact Field (inclusive of all Custom Fields) | Specifies that the value in the selected Contact field needs to be checked. The Field drop-down list displays so you can select the Contact field you want to check. | Check the Contact's First Name. | | Contact Tags | Specifies that the value in the selected Contact tags needs to be checked. The Operator drop-down list displays so you can select the operator you want to use. | Check the Contact Tag. | | Variables (inclusive of trigger variables and output variables from the Shortcut form) | Specifies that the value of a variable needs to be checked. The Field drop-down list displays so you can select the variable you want to check. | Check the variable called clicktochat.ads_status. | | Assignee Status | Specifies that the assignee status needs to be checked. The Operator drop-down list displays so you can select the operator you want to use. | Check the Assignee Status. | | Last Interacted Channel | Specifies that the last interacted channel needs to be checked. The Operator drop-down list displays so you can select the operator you want to use. | Check if there is a Last Interacted Channel. | | Last Incoming Message | Specifies that the last incoming message needs to be checked. The Operator drop-down list displays so you can select the operator you want to use. | Check if the Last Incoming Message has the word "Help". | | Last Outgoing Message | Specified that the last outgoing message needs to be checked. The Operator drop-down list displays so you can select the operator you want to use. | Check if the Last Outgoing Message has the word "Satisfied". | | Last Outgoing Message Source | Specifies that the last outgoing message source needs to be checked. The Operator drop-down list displays so you can select the operator you want to use. | Check if the Last Outgoing Message Source is broadcasts. | | Time Since Last Incoming Message | Specifies that the time since the last incoming message needs to be checked. The Operator drop-down list displays so you can select the operator you want to use. | Check if last incoming message was sent between Jan 15 - Jan 17. | | Time Since Last Outgoing Message | Specifies that the time since the last outgoing message needs to be checked. The Operator drop-down list displays so you can select the operator you want to use. | Check if last outgoing message was sent between Jan 15 - Jan 17. | | Assignee Status | Specifies that the assignee status needs to be checked. The Operator drop-down list displays so you can select the operator you want to use. | Check if the Assignee Status is Online. | ##### **Selecting a Branch Operator** In a Branch Step, the branch operator is used to evaluate conditions and decide which branch to follow. When setting up the Branch Step, you select the branch operator, which is used to compare a variable or value with a specific condition. The choice of branch operator depends on the condition you want to evaluate in the Branch Step. Here's a table to guide you in choosing the right operator for evaluating conditions. | Operators | Description | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | Is equal to | Check if two values or expressions are equal to each other. | 3 is equal to 3 (returns true) | | Is not equal to | Check if two values or expressions are not equal to each other. | 3 is not equal to 4 (returns true) | | Is greater than | Check if one value or expression is greater than another value or expression. | 5 is greater than 3 (returns true) | | Is less than | Check if one value or expression is less than another value or expression. | 3 is less than 5 (returns true) | | Is between | Check if a value or expression is within a certain range of values. | 5 is between 1 and 10 (returns true) | | Exist | Check if a value or expression exists. | The variable x exists (returns true) | | Does not exist | Check if a value or expression does not exist. | The variable y does not exist (returns true) | | Contains | Check if a string or collection of items contains a certain value. | "Hello world" contains "world" (returns true) | | Does not contain | Check if a string or collection of items does not contain a certain value. | "Hello world" does not contain "universe" (returns true) | | Has none of | Check if a collection of items has none of the specified values. | [1, 2, 3] has none of [4, 5, 6] (returns true) | | Has all of | Check if a collection of items has all of the specified values. | [1, 2, 3] has all of [2, 3] (returns true) | | Has any of | Check if a collection of items has any of the specified values. | [1, 2, 3] has any of [2, 4, 6] (returns true) | | Is timestamp after | Check if the timestamp is after a specific date. | Set a reminder for a submission in 3 days. | | Is timestamp before | Check if the timestamp is before a specific date. | Set a reminder for a Contact's birthday. | | Is timestamp between | Check if the timestamp is between two dates. | A Contact field was updated between April 22 - June 23. | | Is greater than (time) | Check if the timestamp is greater than a certain measure of time. | Check if the last interacted time with a Contact was more than 30 minutes ago. | | Is less than (time) | Check if the timestamp is less than a certain measure of time. | Check if the Contact sent a message less than 30 minutes ago. | | is between (time) | Check if the timestamp is between a certain time frame. | Check if an appointment was set between certain dates. | ##### **Branch Cloning** Once a branch has been added and configured, you may clone it by selecting the Clone icon. The cloned branch is a duplicate sibling branch that includes the categories and conditions selected in the original branch. However, you can further edit the branch as required. The cloning feature saves the time and effort required to recreate branches from scratch. ### How It Works The Branch Step in a Workflow acts as decision points within a Workflow and determines the Contact's journey. If none of the conditions in the Step are met, Contacts will be re-directed to the Else Branch. ### Best Practices Here’s a best practice for this step you can follow to optimize your workflow: - Give your Branch a name to help you visualize the Step better without having to open the configuration of the Step. ### Suggested Use Cases Here are some ways you can use the Branch Step: - Route New and Returning Contacts: Differentiate and manage new and returning Contacts separately to address their unique needs and expectations. This provides a personalized customer experience for returning Contacts and helps capture new Contacts’ attention, turning them into loyal patrons. - Route VIP Contacts: Identify VIP Contacts for a personalized customer experience and distinguish them from non-VIP Contacts. This allows highly skilled agents to address VIP customers’ specific needs, leading to improved customer satisfaction and loyalty. ## [Step: Close Conversation](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-close-conversation) Learn about the configuration, use cases and how it works when implementing the Close Conversation Step. This Step closes a conversation with the Contact. ### Configuration Both configurations in the Close Conversation step are optional but might prove useful for documentation or analytics. The two configurations are: - Conversation Category: Users can select the appropriate category from the available options in Closing Notes on the platform. - Summary: This provides a summary of the conversation. ### How It Works When triggered, the conversation with the Contact will close. If the conversation category and summary are configured, the conversation will close with the Closing Notes appended. ### Suggested Use Cases - Manage Spam: Use the close conversation step to automatically close conversations once the Contact has been determined as spam by the workflow. ## [Step: Date & Time](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-date-and-time) Learn about the configuration and use cases for implementing the Date & Time Step. This Step checks the current date and time based on defined conditions and guides Contacts through the Workflow accordingly. ### Configuration There are three possible configurations within this Step - Timezone: select a timezone that your business operates in. - Business Hours: set the working hours for each day in a specified timezone. - Date Range: set a start and end date in a specified timezone. ### How It Works This Step checks the current date and time against the set conditions. If it falls within the specified date and time, the Contact proceeds to the next Step. **Failure Branch** If the date and time conditions are not met, the Contact will be redirected to the Failure Branch. If there are no Steps configured under the Failure Branch, the Workflow will end. ### Suggested Use Case - Route Contacts by Shifts: Use the Date & Time Step to set your business hours or date range, enabling automatic routing of Contacts based on shifts or business hours. ## [Step: HTTP Request](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-http-request) Learn about the configuration, best practices and use cases for implementing the HTTP Request Step. This Step enables sending HTTP Requests and saving their responses as Variables. > This Step is only available for Advanced plan and above. ### Configuration There are two key configurations in the HTTP Request Step: #### HTTP Request Method The specific method required for the request. Choose the appropriate method from the dropdown list. #### URL In the URL field, enter the URL endpoint of the external API to retrieve data. To include Variables, use the "$" prefix to support the interpolation of static text and Variables. > You can now use IP addresses and port numbers in the HTTP request step, giving you direct access to servers and flexibility to access services on non-standard ports. > Please note that the respond.io domain is blacklisted. Sending an API call to this domain is not allowed, as it could cause looping issues. #### Body To ensure correct decoding by the request recipient, expand the Body section and include a body along with the Content-Type Header. #### Headers In the Header section, you can add headers to the HTTP request in pairs. The key represents the header name, and the value represents the header value. You can use Variables as headers by adding the prefix "$". However, remember that only up to 10 headers are allowed. #### Response Mapping For JSON API responses with key-value pairs, you can save specific response elements as Variables. In the Response Mapping section, input the key of the JSON object on the left and assign a name to the variable on the right. Keep in mind that only JSON responses can be saved, and you can have a maximum of 10 response mapping settings. **Examples:** To save a response in different formats, fill in the JSON key corresponding to the data you want to save. `{ "name": "Jason", "zip\_codes": "12345", "phone": "123123" }` To save the phone number from the above response, use **$.phone** as the JSON key. `{ "custom\_fields": { "firstName": "John", "lastName": "Doe", "locale": "en\_GB", "timezone": "5", "gender": "male", "phone": "123123", "email": "zy@respond.io", "customerid": "1" }, "created\_at": 1575618542 }` To save the phone number from the above response, use **$.custom\_fields.phone** `{ "data": { "id":"1776025372480910", "contacts" : \[ { "firstName":"John", "lastName":"Doe", "locale": "en\_GB" }, { "firstName":"Jane", "lastName":"Doe", "locale": "en\_GB" } \] } }` To save the first name 'Jane' from the above response, use **$.data.contacts\[1\].firstName**. #### Save Response Status as Variable To save the response status from the HTTP request as a Variable, turn ON the *Save Response Status as Variable* toggle. Then, name the Variable in the field provided. ### How It Works When activated, this step will send an HTTP request to the specified URL, using the defined body and header. You can guide the Workflow based on the response status. For instance, you can create a Branch for "status code is equal to 200". If any other response status code is received, a Jump Step could return Contacts to the HTTP Request Step. Alternatively, the Contact could be directed to the Failure Branch if the branch conditions are not met. If there are no steps set up under the Failure Branch, the Workflow will conclude. > If your HTTP request exceeds 10 seconds, it will result in a timeout, causing the request to fail. ### Potential Failure To avoid potential failures in executing HTTP requests, ensure the following conditions are met: - Use the correct HTTP method and Content-Type Header. - Ensure to include the required protocol http:// or https:// in your URL based on what your system supports to avoid request failure. - Ensure the Content-Type is valid. - Exclude the port number from the URL. - Avoid using a self-signed certificate in the URL. - Verify that the authorization is valid. - Ensure our IP addresses (52.74.35.155, 18.138.31.163, 54.169.155.20) are not blocked. If any of the above conditions are not met, the Contact will skip this step and proceed with the remaining journey. > When verifying HTTP request outputs with dynamic variables, remember that Variables without a value will return as **null** and **undefined**. ### Best Practices Here are some best practices for this step you can follow to optimize your workflow: #### When the HTTP Request is Successful 1. Save Response Status as a Variable:Ensure the first step is to save Response Status as Variable for further actions. 2. Ensure the first step is to save Response Status as Variable for further actions. 3. Branch Step:Add a Branch Step to evaluate the HTTP request status.If the status is 200, the request is successful.If not, configure an alert to notify the manager about the unsuccessful request. 4. Add a Branch Step to evaluate the HTTP request status. 5. If the status is 200, the request is successful. 6. If not, configure an alert to notify the manager about the unsuccessful request. 7. Google Sheet for Monitoring:Record the Response Status in a Google Sheet for a clear visibility on the success or failure of requests. 8. Record the Response Status in a Google Sheet for a clear visibility on the success or failure of requests. 9. Comment:Add a comment in your workflow to document the Response Status. This will help you track and review errors more efficiently. 10. Add a comment in your workflow to document the Response Status. This will help you track and review errors more efficiently. #### When the HTTP Request Fails 1. Save Response Status as a Variable:Similar to the successful request, save Response Status as Variable for error handling. 2. Similar to the successful request, save Response Status as Variable for error handling. 3. Use Wait or Jump Step for Retries:Implement the Wait Step to pause before retrying an unsuccessful request.Alternatively, use the Jump Step to go back to the HTTP Request Step and attempt the request again. 4. Implement the Wait Step to pause before retrying an unsuccessful request. 5. Alternatively, use the Jump Step to go back to the HTTP Request Step and attempt the request again. 6. Comment:Document the error by creating a comment to record the HTTP Request errorInclude Contact details and tag the person in charge. 7. Document the error by creating a comment to record the HTTP Request error 8. Include Contact details and tag the person in charge. 9. Google Sheet for Monitoring:Utilize the Google Sheet Step to log the Contact information and error details for monitoring and review. 10. Utilize the Google Sheet Step to log the Contact information and error details for monitoring and review. 11. Task Assignment:Assign the task to a specific user to initiate another process within the workflow and try again. 12. Assign the task to a specific user to initiate another process within the workflow and try again. ### Suggested Use Cases Here are some ways you can use the HTTP Request Step: - Route VIP Contacts: Utilize the HTTP Request Step to fetch Contact details from a data warehouse like a CRM. This enables you to identify VIP Contacts, allowing for a personalized customer experience and distinguishing them from non-VIP Contacts. ## [Step: Jump To](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-jump-to) Learn about the configuration, best practices and use cases for implementing the Jump To Step. This Step allows the Contact to jump to another specified Step in the Workflow. ### Configuration There are two configurations within this Step: - Step: Choose the Step where the Contact's journey will proceed. The jump can go to any Step in the Workflow, in any direction. - Limit jumps to a maximum of __: Specify how many times the jump can happen. The highest value allowed is 10. ### How It Works The Contact will jump to the specified Step and continue its journey. The Contact can keep repeating the Jump Step until it reaches the maximum number of allowed jumps. Once the maximum is reached, the Contact will skip the jump on the next attempt and move to the next specified Step after the Jump Step. If there's no next Step, the Contact will exit the Workflow. The jump counter resets when the Contact exits the Workflow. ### Best Practices Here’s a best practice for this step you can follow to optimize your workflow: - Avoid using the Jump Step more than 3 times to prevent disruptions to your Contact's journey. ### Suggested Use Cases - Create Automated Chat Menus: Route Contacts to automated menu options depending on their specific response by using the Jump Step. This reduces the likelihood of them leaving the chat completely and helps them find answers quickly and independently. Route Contacts by using Jump Step - Route Contacts by Shifts: When Contacts are routed to a failure branch (outside working hours). Use the Jump to Step to assign the Contact to an agent on the team for the next upcoming shift. ## [Step: Open Conversation](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-open-conversation) Learn about the best practices, use cases and how it works when implementing the Open Conversation Step. This Step opens a Conversation with the Contact. ### How It Works When the Workflow is triggered, a conversation with the Contact opens, with one of the following outcomes: - The Inbox Module displays “Conversation opened by {Workflow name}” when the contact initiates the conversation. - For conversation started by clicking an advertisement, the message includes which channel the advertisement was clicked and the link to the advertisement (so you can gain perspective). For example, “Conversation opened through a Facebook Ad (link to advertisement)”. The Ad Summary Card also displays for you reference with a description of the advertisement. ### Best Practices Suppose the Contact’s conversation is closed and you want to open the conversation by sending a message. Use the open conversation step to open a conversation before you send a message to the Contact in the workflow. > Sending a message from the workflow will not automatically open the conversation. Whereas sending a message from the Inbox module will automatically open the conversation. ### Suggested Use Cases - Open the conversation before sending a message: For example, if you use an Incoming Webhook as a trigger and a customer abandons their cart on the e-commerce platform, it will trigger the workflow. You can then open a conversation and send a follow-up message to the customer. ## [Step: Send a Message](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-send-a-message) Learn about the configuration, best practices and use cases when implementing the Send a Message Step. ### Configuration There are two key configurations for sending a message: - Channel - This is the chosen Channel for sending the message. The options are Last Interacted Channel, which specifies that the message will be sent through the last Channel of interaction with a Contact, or a choice from all connected Channels. - Message Content - Use this once the Channel is specified. The Default Message text must be filled in in order to save and publish your Workflow. To send a **Default Message**, choose from two message types: A text-based message or a media message. Text-based messages can be configured to include emojis, Variables or Snippets. To include Variables, add the prefix "$" to support the interpolation of static text and Variables. To include a Snippet, add "/" and select the preferred Snippet. > Limitation: The message cannot be longer than 2,000 characters. Media messages can be sent in the form of a file or image. Select the desired file from the device or the File library. You can send up to 5 attachments per email. To send a **Channel Response**, configure a Channel-specific response. Choose a Channel and the message type (text or file/image). Some channels even have special message types, which can be selected from the Message Type dropdown menu. This includes template messages by supported channels such as WhatsApp and Facebook. **Email Channel Message Composer** When using an email Channel you can add a subject to the email and compose it in rich text editor. If you choose not to add a subject, the email will be sent with a blank subject. ### Advanced Settings Turn the **Add Message Failure Branch** toggle ON to handle failed messages. When a message fails to send in this step, it will be directed to the failure branch. ### How It Works A message will be sent via the chosen Channel. If a Channel Response has been specified, it will be used. Otherwise, the Default Message will be sent. If Last Interacted Channel is selected, the message format will depend on the existence of a Channel Response. If a Channel Response for that channel exists, the Channel-specific response will be sent. If no Channel Response for that channel exists, the Default Message will be sent. ### Potential Failure There are two potential failures in sending a message: - If the Contact does not have an associated Channel. - General failures, such as the expiry of API keys, closed messaging windows or network issues. If the above failures occur, you can create an alternative flow with the Message Failure Branch for your Contacts. ### Best Practices Here are some best practices for this step you can follow to optimize your workflow: - Send automated messages with the bot 🤖 emoji so that your customers know that this is an automatic response. - Make messages readable by using a format that best fits your Channel of choice. For example, if you are using an email Channel, formatting emails with paragraphs will make it easier to read for your customers. ### Suggested Use Cases Here are some ways you can use the Send a Message Step: - Create Automated Welcome and Away Messages: Manage customers' expectations by sending an automated welcome and away message. Customers will receive an immediate response with relevant information such as business operating hours, even if no agent is available to attend to their inquiries. - Create Automated Chat Menus: Provide immediate and automated responses to common inquiries and messages around the clock. This availability allows customers to send and receive responses at any time, improving customer satisfaction with timely communication. ## [Step: Send Conversions API Event](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-send-conversions-api-event) Learn about the configuration, how it works, best practices and more when implementing the Send Conversions API Event step. > Need help setting up CAPI? [Talk to us](https://rspd.link/kR9C)—we’ll guide you through it. > **Important:** Due to the **ePrivacy Directive (EPD)**, sending Conversions API (CAPI) events via **Facebook or Instagram Pages** registered in **Europe or Japan** may be restricted. While Meta’s documentation does not explicitly mention the Conversions API under affected APIs, Meta has confirmed that **restrictions may apply** depending on several factors, such as the **type of event**, **data being sent**, and **recipient region**. If you encounter errors like Messaging Event Within Messaging Restrictive Region, it is expected behavior for pages based in Europe or Japan. For more details, refer to [Meta’s update here](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/europe-japan-updates#context). The **Send Conversions API Event** step allows you to send conversion events from respond.io to Meta when a specific condition in a workflow is met. This is useful for tracking conversions such as **Leads** or **Purchases** across WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. The data sent helps you optimize ad performance and track customer interactions through Meta’s Conversions API. ### What is Conversions API (CAPI) and why use it The **Conversions API (CAPI)** helps businesses improve ad performance by sending verified conversion data from WhatsApp, Messenger, or Instagram directly to Meta to optimize campaign performance. With CAPI, you can: - 🚫 Reduce spam and low-quality leads. Meta learns from real, verified conversions such as phone-verified or closed-won customers. - 💰 Spend smarter. Meta optimizes ad delivery toward audiences that resemble your qualified leads, improving cost efficiency. - 📈 Gain more accurate reporting. Since CAPI sends data server-to-server, it’s unaffected by browser restrictions or privacy limits. - ⚡ See quick impact. Businesses using CAPI typically experience up to 60% fewer spam leads within weeks. In short, CAPI ensures Meta sees the *right signals*—so your ads reach the *right people*. ### How It Works The **Send Conversions API Event** step allows you to send conversion data directly to Meta based on customer interactions with your ads or messaging. When this step is triggered in a workflow, the configured event data is sent to Meta’s Conversions API, where it is processed and linked to your Meta ad campaigns. Using CAPI **significantly reduces spam** by signaling to Meta to **prioritize high-quality leads** that are more likely to convert. Your business achieves this by sending positive signals to Meta, essentially requesting, "Provide more leads like these successful ones." The **Send Conversions API Event** step supports: - Lead Conversion: Automatically send data when a lead is submitted through interactions with your Meta ads. - Purchase Conversion: Track purchases made through ads or messaging interactions. ### Configuration There are several key configurations when using the **Send Conversions API Event** step: #### Meta Business account - Meta Business account: Select the connected Meta Business account you want to use to send the event. - Meta Business Portfolio: Choose the relevant Meta Business Portfolio linked to the selected account. #### Event Information > You need to select at least one of the following accounts for the event to be sent. - WhatsApp Business Account: Select the WhatsApp Business Account for the event. If unselected, no WhatsApp-related event will be sent. - Facebook Page: Choose the Facebook page linked to the event. If unselected, no Messenger-related event will be sent. - Instagram account: Choose the Instagram account connected to the event. If unselected, no Instagram-related event will be sent. #### Event Type - Purchase: Choose this option when a purchase is made or a checkout is completed. You will need to provide additional fields such as currency and total value. - Lead Generated: Select this when a lead has been generated through an ad interaction. > **Purchase event-specific fields**: **\-Purchase Currency**: Select the currency for the purchase. - **Total Purchase Value**: Enter the total cost of the order. This field can support Contact field variables or Workflow variables. #### Advanced Configurations Use Contact fields or workflow variables to automatically fill in customer information for better conversion accuracy. ##### Customer Information Some basic information (e.g., email and phone number) is already pre-filled. The more information you provide, the better Meta can optimize your ads. Meta requires a minimum of 50 signals of the event sent via CAPI to begin optimizing ads and campaigns effectively. > At least one customer information field is required. If all fields are empty, the event will not be sent. #### How to create a dataset in Meta Ads Manager > Learn more about [how to create a dataset in Meta Ads Manager here](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/5818684664831465?id=10156299554375078&utm_source=chatgpt.com). ### Test your Meta Ads Event > Testing your Meta Ads event ensures that everything is set up correctly before deploying it. Follow these steps to run a test event and troubleshoot any issues. **Step 1**: Select the data source where the test event will be sent. > This field will only be enabled once a **Meta Business Portfolio** is selected. This step ensures your test event is sent to the correct tracking source in Meta. **Step 2**: Add a Test ID (e.g., TEST123) from your Meta Events Manager to track this specific test event. > **How to get the Test ID**: Navigate to **Meta Events Manager > Data Source > Test Events**. This ID is essential for tracking the test event in Meta Events Manager. **Step 3**: Click the button to trigger a test event to be sent to Meta. > If the event is sent successfully, a message will appear: “Conversions API test event sent. Go to your Meta Events Manager to view the test event.” *These messages ensure you can track whether the test event was successfully sent.* #### Response section This section shows the response Meta sends back after the test event is processed. Once the event is sent, Meta’s response will populate this field, allowing you to troubleshoot any potential issues. > You can easily copy the response by hovering over the response field and clicking the copy icon. ### Best Practices Here are some best practices for using the **Send Conversions API Event** step effectively: 1. Ensure Data Accuracy: Make sure the customer data (e.g., email, phone number) is correctly mapped to avoid errors in sending conversion data to Meta. 2. Select the Right Event Type: Always choose the appropriate event type (Lead or Purchase) based on the nature of the conversion you’re tracking. 3. Test the Event: Before deploying your workflow, use the test function to verify that the conversion event is properly sent to Meta. ### Suggested Use Cases - Ad performance tracking: Automatically send conversion data to Meta when a customer completes a specific action (like a purchase) to track the performance of your ads. - Lead management: Use this step to send leads generated from ads directly to Meta, allowing you to optimize lead-generation campaigns. - Multi-Channel tracking: Track conversions across WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram by sending interaction data to Meta, providing insights into which platform drives the most conversions. ## [Step: Send TikTok Lower Funnel Event](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-send-tiktok-lower-funnel-event) Learn about the best practices, use cases and how it works when implementing the Send TikTok Lower Funnel Event Step. ### Step: Send TikTok Lower Funnel Event With the **Send TikTok Lower Funnel Event** step, you can track key customer actions from respond.io to TikTok. These events help TikTok optimize ad performance by providing insights into how users interact with your business across multiple platforms. ### How it works The **Send TikTok Lower Funnel Event** step lets you send conversion data to TikTok based on specific actions within a workflow. When the workflow reaches this step, the event data is sent directly to TikTok, improving ad performance and audience targeting. Supported event types include: - Place an Order - Complete Payment - Submit Form - Cancel an Order - Disqualified Conversation - Spam These events help TikTok optimize your ads for actions such as completed purchases, form submissions, and disqualified interactions, ensuring that your campaigns focus on the most relevant leads. ### Configuration > Connect your TikTok Business account in the Integrations module before configuring this step. When setting up the **Send TikTok Lower Funnel Event** step, you need to configure the following fields: #### TikTok account Select the TikTok account where the event will be sent. This field is required. #### Event type Choose one of the supported event types. The event you select will determine the additional fields required for configuration. #### Event details - Value: Input the total value associated with the event (e.g., total order value). - Currency: Select the currency for the transaction. #### Advanced settings > Fill in more details about the event to help TikTok understand your audience better and optimize your ad performance. Additional fields like **Content type**, **Description**, and **Content details** can be configured for better optimization. You can add up to 20 content items if needed. ### Best practices - Provide more content info: Share detailed content data to help TikTok better understand your audience and optimize ad performance. - Select the right event: Choose an event type that matches your goals, like tracking orders or filtering out spam interactions. ### Suggested use cases - Ad performance tracking: Automatically send conversion data to TikTok when a customer completes a specific action (order placed, payment completed, etc.) to track the performance of your ads. - Lead management: Use this step to send leads generated from ads directly to TikTok, allowing you to optimize lead-generation campaigns. ## [Step: Trigger Another Workflow](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-trigger-another-workflow) Learn about the configuration, best practices and use cases for implementing the Trigger Another Workflow Step. This Step allows a Contact to continue in another Workflow, either starting from a particular Workflow Step or from the beginning of a chosen Workflow. This is done by connecting different Workflows together. ### Configuration There are two key configurations in Trigger Another Workflow: - Workflow: Choose the next Workflow for the Contact to proceed with. - Workflow Step: Next, pick the specific Workflow Step from the chosen Workflow for the Contact to continue in. You can either select a specific Step or let the Contact start the Workflow from the beginning. > For Trigger Another Workflow Step to work, a Workflow and a Workflow Step must be selected. You can view the complete list of Workflows connected with the Trigger Another Workflow Step to keep track of your Contacts journeys. The total number of connected Workflows will be displayed next to the information icon. You can also click **Show more** to view the list of Workflows that are connected. Two categories will show: - You are triggering: Shows all Workflows connected to the current Workflow via Trigger Another Workflow Step. Clicking on the Workflow name will go to the specific Step in the current Workflow. - Triggered by: Shows all Workflows that will trigger the current Workflow. Clicking on each Workflow name will open up the Workflow in a new tab. ### How It Works With the Trigger Another Workflow Step, you can connect different Workflows together. This directs Contacts from one Workflow to another and makes your Workflows more flexible to provide a more customized, streamlined experience for your Contacts. You can either direct Contacts to a specific Step in the other Workflow or allow them to continue their journey at the start of the other Workflow. ### Best Practices Here are some best practices for this step you can follow to optimize your Workflow: - Clearly name and label your Workflows and Workflow Steps. This makes it easier to select the specific Workflow or Workflow Step to connect. - Remember to publish Workflows that are connected to the original Workflow. - Before you stop a Workflow, check if it’s connected to another one. Stopping a connected Workflow will result in Contacts continuing with the original Workflow where Trigger Another Step is activated. This may lead to errors or an incomplete Contact journey. - Refrain from consecutively listing multiple "Trigger Another Workflow" steps in immediate succession. When they are placed one after the other, they run concurrently, which may not always be the desired behavior. A more effective approach is to integrate them into separate branches or distinct workflows. For instance, in the context of workflows, consider having Workflow A initiate Workflow B, and then have Workflow B initiate Workflow C. This sequential arrangement ensures that Workflow B will complete before triggering Workflow C. ### Suggested Use Cases Here are some ways you can use the Trigger Another Workflow Step: - Separating leads and existing customers: Merging multiple chat menus to manage both leads and customers can become complicated. Streamline your interactions with Contacts by using the Trigger Another Workflow Step to open chat menus and re-route assignments. - Multilingual service Workflows: Reduce potential miscommunication by rerouting Contacts based on language using the Trigger Another Workflow Step. Connect various Workflows to automatically route Contacts depending on the language used. - Return to main menu: Allow Contacts to return to the main menu to view and choose different options, even if they have entered an entirely different Workflow. ## [Step: Update Contact Field](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-update-contact-field) Learn about the configuration, how it works and use cases when implementing the Update Contact Field Step. This Step modifies a Contact Field with a defined value set by the user. ### Configuration There are two key configurations within this Step: - Contact Field: Select the Contact Field to be updated. - Contact Field Selected: Specify the value to be updated. It is possible to type “$” and select the appropriate Variable to update the Contact Field. ### How It Works When the Workflow is triggered, the Contact Field in this Step will be updated with the defined value. ### Suggested Use Cases Here are some ways you can use the Update Contact Field Step: - Automatically update Contact’s profile: Use the "Update Contact Field" step to maintain accurate and up-to-date customer information, such as name, address and phone number. - Automatically manage Contacts in Segments: The "Update Contact Field" step can help you automatically move Contacts in & out of Segments based on the Segment’s criteria. ## [Step: Update Contact Tag](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-update-contact-tag) Learn about the configuration, how it works and use cases when implementing the Update Contact Tag Step. The Step adds or removes a Contact's Tag. Select the required action from the **Action** drop-down. Click the plus icon to select the desired Tag(s) from the **Tags** field. Similarly, click the cross icon to remove the Tag from the Step. > In the search bar, if you enter a Tag name that does not exist, the option to create a new Tag appears. Learn more about adding Tags [here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-tags#creating_tags). ### Configuration There are two key configurations in this step: - Action: Select either Add Tag or Remove Tag as a condition for the Tag. - Tag: Choose the Tag from the dropdown menu or type its name to specify it. ### How It Works When the Workflow is triggered, the Contact Tag in this step will be updated with the value you have defined. ### Suggested Use Cases - Managing Spam: Allow your support agents to mark Contacts with a SPAM tag using a shortcut button and filter spam Contacts in your Inbound Conversations Workflow. This saves time by eliminating the need for agents to deal with spam Contacts. - Create Automated Chat Menus: Improve support availability by automating common inquiries, adding Tags to Contacts to distinguish their journeys and preferences, and directing Contacts to agents as needed. ## [Step: Update Lifecycle](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-update-lifecycle) Learn about best practices, use cases and how it works when implementing the Update Lifecycle Step. The Update Lifecycle Step allows you to change the Lifecycle Stage of a Contact based on specific conditions within a workflow. This is helpful for managing lead progression and automating stage transitions within the sales pipeline. The data helps teams streamline processes by aligning each Contact’s Stage with the next steps in the customer journey. ### How It Works The **Update Lifecycle** Step enables you to automatically adjust a Contact’s Stage in your sales process based on their interactions or status. When triggered in a Workflow, the selected Lifecycle Stage will be assigned to the Contact, allowing teams to organize leads and Contacts according to their position in the sales funnel. The Update Lifecycle Step supports: - Predefined Lifecycle Stages: Move Contacts through your Lifecycle Stages, such as New Lead, Hot Lead, or Customer. - Custom Stages: Add, rename, or modify Stages based on unique requirements to reflect your sales process accurately. ### Configuration There are several key configurations when using the **Update Lifecycle** Step: 1. Select Lifecycle StageChoose from your existing Lifecycle Stages to assign a new Stage to the Contact.Options are predefined in your Lifecycle settings, but you may add new Stages if needed. 2. Choose from your existing Lifecycle Stages to assign a new Stage to the Contact. 3. Options are predefined in your Lifecycle settings, but you may add new Stages if needed. 4. Remove Lifecycle StageOtherwise select to remove the Lifecycle Stage, leaving the Contact without an assigned Stage. 5. Otherwise select to remove the Lifecycle Stage, leaving the Contact without an assigned Stage. ### Best Practices Ensure that your Lifecycle Stages are well-defined to avoid confusion in workflow configuration. Proper mapping and naming conventions will streamline contact management. ### Suggested Use Cases - Automated Lead Qualification: Use the Update Lifecycle Step to advance leads through qualification stages as they interact with your platform. - Sales Pipeline Management: Automatically move Contacts through Stages to keep sales reps updated on the latest lead status. - Customer Retention Tracking: Transition Contacts to customer or follow-up Stages based on purchase or interaction data. > Use our [Google Sheets template](https://respond.io/help/convert-leads/how-to-automate-lifecycle-tracking-in-google-sheets) to capture key data and track conversion rates with the Update Lifecycle Step. ## [Step: Wait](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/step-wait) Learn about the configuration and use cases for implementing the Wait Step. This Step creates a waiting period before the next Step begins. ### Configuration In this Step, the only configuration is the **Wait For** field, which decides the duration the Contact will wait before the next Step starts. The maximum wait period allowed is 7 days. ### How It Works The Contact remains at this Step for the set waiting time before proceeding to the next Step. You can also set specific waiting times based on your Contact’s needs and preferences. This can be done with waiting times consisting of seconds, minutes, hours, or days with the Wait Step. ### Suggested Use Cases Here’s how you can use the Wait Step: - Sending follow-up messages: Improve personalization efforts by tailoring subsequent messages more effectively. Use the Wait Step to send a follow-up message to your Contacts after a designated time period following the sending of a promotional message. ## [Tags](https:/respond.io/help/workspace-settings/workspace-settings-tags) Learn about adding and deleting Tags from the Settings module. ### Getting Here Access this feature from your Workspace settings under the Inbox settings sub-menu item, Tags. ### Managing Tags You can add, edit and delete Tags from the **Tags** page. #### Creating Tags To create a new Tag, click the **Create tag** button. On the **Create tag** dialog, provide the following information: | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | Emoji | Click the emoji icon and select an emoji from the list that displays. | | Name | Provide a name for the Tag. | | Color | Select a color for the new Tag. | | Description | Describe your Tag here. This description is displayed when you hover over the Tag in the Inbox module for guidance. | > Once added, you can use the **Search Tags** field to search for a Tag that you want to edit or delete. #### Editing Tags From the **Actions** menu, select **Edit** to edit the Tag you are interested in. Update your Tag on the **Edit Tag** dialog box and click **Save** to save your edits. #### Deleting Tags From the Actions menu, select **Delete** to delete the **Tag** you want to delete. On the dialog that displays, enter the number of Contacts assigned to this Tag in the text area to confirm deletion and click **Delete permanently**. The Tag is permanently removed from all Contacts with this Tag on the platform. This may affect Contact segments and workflows. ## [Teams (previously Team Settings)](https:/respond.io/help/workspace-settings/teams) Under the Team Workspace settings, you can add, delete or manage Teams belonging to the Workspace. ### Getting Here > This setting is accessible by Owners and Managers only! This setting can be accessed from the **Settings** navigation menu under the **Workspace Settings** sub-menu item, Team settings. ### Team Overview A Team is a collection of Users that can be used for resource sharing and Contact assignment. #### Team Name The name used to identify the Team. #### Team Description A short description of the team to help you better understand its function. #### Actions There are three possible actions here: - Add a Team - Manage a Team - Delete a Team > Use the 🔍 at the top to quickly find the Team that you're looking for. ### Adding a Team #### Step 1: Go to Teams settings Go to Workspace Settings > Select Team settings. #### Step 2: Add Team To add a Team to your space, click **Add Team**. The **Add Team** dialog should open up. #### Step 3: Name and describe the Team Enter a name for the new Team along with a short description. These fields will help you identify the Team easily. #### Step 4: Add Team Members Add Users to the team by typing their names. Suggestions will appear as you type. To remove a User, click the ❌ next to their name. You can add more Users later if your subscription plan allows it. Refer to the [FAQ](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/teams#faq_and_troubleshooting) for the maximum Users per Team. Note: Each User can belong to only one Team. To move a User, remove them from their current Team before adding them to another. #### Step 5: Save Team Review the details and click **Save** to add the Team. If you’ve reached your subscription’s Team limit, delete existing Teams to create new ones. Refer to the [FAQ](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/teams#faq_and_troubleshooting) for details on Team limits. ### Managing a Team To edit Team details (name, description, members), click **Manage** next to the Team. - Each User can belong to only one Team. - To move a User, remove them from their current Team and add them to the new one. ### Deleting a Team When a Team is no longer in use, you can delete it from the Workspace. Once deleted, it can no longer be used by anyone else. #### Step 1: Go to Teams Settings Go to **Workspace Settings** > Select **Team settings**. #### Step 2: Delete the Team Click **Delete** next to the Team name and confirm in the dialog box. - Deleting a Team does not remove its Users; they remain unassigned. - This action is irreversible, so proceed with caution. ## [Telegram Overview](https:/respond.io/help/telegram/telegram-overview) Get an overview of the Telegram channel and its capabilities. Telegram is a cloud-based instant messaging and voice-over IP service developed by Telegram Messenger LLP. Learn how to [connect your Telegram bot to respond.io here](https://respond.io/help/telegram/telegram). Once connected, this Telegram bot integration lets you respond to messages directly from our platform. ### Pricing You can use Telegram for free. You may opt to subscribe to [Telegram Premium](https://telegram.org/faq_premium) with a monthly fee to get exclusive features from Telegram. ### Capturing Conversation Telegram requires customers to send your business the first message to start a conversation. There are a couple of ways to encourage customers to initiate a chat: - Chat links: This is a shortened URL using the t.me/username format that you can add to your website, social media profiles or newsletters. When customers click the link, they will be directed to start a chat with you. - QR codes: A QR code can be placed in physical locations, such as hotels, restaurants or malls. When customers scan the code, they will be directed to start a chat with you. - Chat widget: A Telegram Widget can be added to your website to direct customers to start a chat with you. ### Channel Capabilities These are the capabilities of Telegram: - Supported File Types - Message Status Availability - Messaging Window - Broadcasts - Rate Limits #### Supported File Types The file types supported by Telegram and the maximum file size for each type are as follows: - Image (10 MB) - Audio (20 MB) - Video (20 MB) - File (20 MB) > Messages that are not supported will have a fallback display with Unsupported Message or Custom Payload text and Type (if available).  For any unsupported file type or file that exceeds the maximum file size sent via Telegram, the file will automatically be turned into a URL link on the respond.io platform. For Custom Payload, you can click S\_how More\_ to view the JSON payload of this message. Examples of unsupported messages for Telegram are:- Contact Cards- Pinned messages- Reactions- Polls #### Message Status Availability The table outlines the availability of message statuses in Telegram. | Message Status | Availability | | --- | --- | | Sent | ✅ | | Delivered | ❌ | | Read | ❌ | | Failed | ❌ | #### Messaging Window Telegram does not have a messaging window. Once Contacts have started a chat with you, you can send messages to your Contacts anytime without any limit. > At any point, Contacts may block your Telegram bot. To understand further on the implications of this, refer to the FAQ [here](https://respond.io/help/telegram/telegram#why_do_i_get_this_forbidden_bot_was_blocked_by_the_user_error_message). #### Broadcasts You can send an unlimited number of broadcasts to your Contacts. Learn more on [how to send a broadcast here](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast). > At any point, Contacts may block your Telegram bot. To understand further on the implications of this, refer to the FAQ [here](https://respond.io/help/telegram/telegram#why_do_i_get_this_forbidden_bot_was_blocked_by_the_user_error_message). #### Rate Limits A rate limit is the number of API calls an app or user can make within a given time period defined by the channel. Learn more about the [rate limits for this channel here](https://core.telegram.org/bots/faq#:~:text=When%20sending%20messages%20inside%20a,messages%20per%20second%20or%20so). ## [Telegram Quick Start](https:/respond.io/help/telegram/telegram) Connect a Telegram Bot to chat with customers over Telegram. ### Getting a Telegram Bot > To connect Telegram, a Telegram Bot is required. Read our [guide](https://respond.io/blog/telegram-for-business#toc-mobile-9) to start. > The Telegram Bot that you want to connect to must not be connected to the Controller Bot. Refer to the [FAQ](https://respond.io/help/telegram/telegram#why_can_t_i_receive_inbound_messages_even_though_my_telegram_channel_is_connected) for more information. ### Connecting a Telegram Bot #### Connecting an existing bot Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on How to Connect Your Existing Telegram Account to respond.io. **Step 1:** Go to **Settings > Channels** **Step 2:** Click **Add Channel > Telegram > Connect An Existing Bot** **Step 3:** Message the [BotFather](https://web.telegram.org/#/im?p=@BotFather) **Step 4:** Send the command `/mybots` **Step 5:** Select the bot to connect **Step 6:** Select **API Token** from the menu options and copy it **Step 7:** Add the API token to the corresponding field on the respond.io platform **Step 8:** Click **Connect** to complete the setup #### Connecting a new bot Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on How to Connect Telegram to respond.io. **Step 1:** Go to **Settings > Channels** **Step 2:** Click **Add Channel > Telegram > Create A New Bot** **Step 3:** Message the [BotFather](https://web.telegram.org/#/im?p=@BotFather) **Step 4:** Send the command `/newbot` and follow the instructions **Step 5**: Add the token in the corresponding field on the respond.io platform **Step 6**: Click **Connect** to complete the setup > Once you have completed the setup, any messages sent to your Telegram Bot account will now be received in your Workspace. > Once the Channel is connected, [scan the QR code](https://respond.io/help/telegram/telegram#channel_configuration) to send a test message and make sure everything is working properly. ### Channel Configuration > The Telegram Channel can be configured with a unique Channel name. This name will be used internally to identify the account. **Step 1:** Click **Settings** > **Channels** **Step 2:** Locate the Telegram Channel, click **Manage** **Step 3: Make the necessary configuration** **Step 4:** In the **Telegram Configuration page** you will see the following configurations: - Chat Link - A click-to-chat link is a shortened URL that directs customers to start or continue a conversation with your Telegram account. You can share this link to refer customers to a new or existing thread, based on whether the user has previously messaged your Telegram account. You can also generate a QR code to share the chat link to your Contacts. - Channel Name - The Channel Name can be changed and is used internally to identify the Channel. > **Important**: Ensure the details are correct for messages to be received successfully in your Telegram account. **Step 5**: Click **Save Changes** to update the Telegram Configuration page ## [Telnyx SMS Quick Start](https:/respond.io/help/sms/telnyx-sms-quick-start) Learn how to connect Telnyx SMS to chat with customers. Telnyx is a cloud communications platform that allows you to send and receive SMS messages through its carrier-grade network. With [respond.io](https://respond.io), you can manage both **Telnyx SMS and Telnyx Calls** in one place. ### Requirements Before you connect Telnyx SMS to [respond.io](https://respond.io), ensure you have: - An active Telnyx account - A Telnyx phone number with SMS capability ### Setting Up Telnyx SMS 1. Sign in to your Telnyx account. 2. Purchase or use an existing Telnyx phone number that supports SMS.In the Telnyx Portal, go to Real-Time Communications > Numbers > Buy Numbers.Filter for numbers with SMS capability.Complete the purchase. 3. In the Telnyx Portal, go to Real-Time Communications > Numbers > Buy Numbers. 4. Filter for numbers with SMS capability. 5. Complete the purchase. ### Connecting Telnyx SMS to respond.io 1. In respond.io, go to Workspace Settings > Add Channel. 2. Locate the Telnyx SMS Channel and click Connect. 3. Select the Telnyx phone number you want to use. 4. Click Save Changes to complete the setup. Once connected, any SMS sent to your Telnyx number will appear in your Workspace. ### Channel Configuration You can configure your Telnyx SMS Channel name for internal reference: 1. Go to Workspace Settings > Channels. 2. Locate the Telnyx SMS Channel> Click Manage > Account. 3. Enter your preferred Channel Name. 4. Save changes. ### **Notes & Limitations** - File Size Limits: Images, audio, and video up to 1MB each. - Message Status: Sent, Delivered, and Failed are supported; Read status is not available. - Phone number masking is not available for Telnyx SMS. ## [Telnyx VoIP Overview](https:/respond.io/help/telnyx-voip/telnyx-voip-overview) Get an overview of the Telnyx Channel and its capabilities. Telnyx VoIP is a cloud-based voice solution that enables businesses to make and receive traditional phone calls directly on respond.io. This integration allows teams to manage voice conversations alongside messaging channels in one unified workspace. Learn how to create and connect your Telnyx VoIP account to respond.io here. Once connected, your team can handle inbound and outbound calls, access call logs, and manage phone numbers directly through the Telnyx portal. ### Pricing Telnyx VoIP operates on a **pay-as-you-go** model. Users are billed directly by Telnyx, with no additional charges from respond.io. - Outbound calls: From $0.007/min (depending on destination) - Inbound calls: From $0.0055/min For accurate and up-to-date pricing, visit the [Telnyx pricing page](https://telnyx.com/pricing/call-control). ### Managing Calls Telnyx VoIP enables traditional phone communication with your customers. Here’s how your team can get started: - Phone number purchase: After connecting a Telnyx sub-account, purchase local or international phone numbers in the Telnyx portal. International numbers may require submission of additional documents — see Telnyx documentation for details. - Voice interactions: Use the respond.io Inbox to make and receive calls using your Telnyx number. - Call logs: All call activity is automatically logged in respond.io for reference and reporting. > In addition to call logs, **recordings** (if enabled in Workspace Settings → Calls) will appear in the **Contact drawer** and in **Reports: Calls**. ### Channel Capabilities Once your Telnyx VoIP channel is connected, your workspace will support the following features: | Capability | Availability | | --- | --- | | Outbound calling | ✅ | | Inbound calling | ✅ | | Call logging | ✅ | | Call status tracking | ✅ (e.g. missed, answered) | | Call control (mute, hold, end) | ✅ | | Call transfer | ✅ | #### Call transfers Telnyx Calls now support **call transfers, allowing agents to transfer active calls to other available teammates within the Workspace.** #### How to transfer calls 1. Click the Call Transfer icon on the call card. 2. Select the agent you want to transfer the call to. 3. (Optional) Add a note to provide context before transferring. **Notes:** - Agents with restricted call capabilities won’t appear in the transfer list. - Agents who are already on a call cannot receive a transfer — the initiating agent will see a snackbar notification if the transfer fails. - If the receiving agent doesn’t answer within 30 seconds, the call automatically reverts to the initiating agent. ### Call Coverage - Voice Coverage: Global inbound calling is supported. Outbound calls to countries outside the US require additional verification. Note: International outbound calling requires Level 2 Verification. > Calls cannot be made if the Telnyx number status is not active. You’ll see an error in respond.io if the number is inactive. ### Limitations Due to the nature of Telnyx and respond.io’s integration model, the following limitations apply: - Sub-Account Limits: A maximum of 3 Telnyx sub-accounts can be created per respond.io workspace. - Trial Users: VoIP Channels are disabled for trial users. - Manual Number Purchase: Phone numbers must be purchased and managed within the Telnyx portal. - White-Labeling: Telnyx is not white-labeled. Users will interact directly with the Telnyx dashboard for account setup, verification, payments, and number management. - Automation & Workflows: Automation based on VoIP call events (e.g. missed calls) is currently out of scope. ## [Telnyx VoIP Quick Start](https:/respond.io/help/telnyx-voip/telnyx-voip-quick-start) Create and connect a Telnyx account to call your customers. This guide will help you connect and configure Telnyx VoIP as a voice Channel on respond.io. With Telnyx VoIP, you can make and receive traditional phone calls directly in the platform, enabling seamless voice conversations with customers. ### Prerequisites Before connecting Telnyx VoIP to respond.io, ensure the following: #### 1\. A Valid Business Email You’ll need a valid business email address to create your Telnyx sub-account. This email will be used to log in to the Telnyx portal and receive important updates. #### 2\. Access to Payment Method To activate your Telnyx account, you must set up a payment method and purchase a phone number from the Telnyx portal. ### Telnyx Account Verification To unlock the full functionality of your Telnyx sub-account—including purchasing numbers, setting up voice capabilities, and enabling international calling—you need to complete the **Telnyx Account Verification** process. #### Identity Verification (eKYC) Before purchasing numbers or submitting Level 2 requests, Telnyx requires users to complete identity verification (**eKYC**). - You’ll receive an email to verify your identity after logging in to the Telnyx portal. - To complete this, go to Account Settings > Verifications and click Start Identity Verification. - You will also receive an email notification to complete the KYC process in the Mission Control Portal. > ⚠️ If you haven’t verified your identity, you will not be able to purchase numbers or proceed with Level 2 verification. #### Level 1 Verification Most users are **automatically Level 1 verified** after confirming their email. This allows you to: - Purchase local numbers in your country (after completing eKYC) - Set up voice capabilities (US & Canada only) > Navigate to **Account Settings > Verifications** in your Telnyx portal to check your verification status. #### Level 2 Verification To enable additional features such as international calling, apply for **Level 2 Verification**. Requirements include: - Your account must already be Level 1 verified - A payment method added to your account - The following company information:Company nameContact phone numberFull business address (including street, city, state, postal code, and country) - Company name - Contact phone number - Full business address (including street, city, state, postal code, and country) Once submitted, Telnyx may contact you via email to confirm use case details. Approval may take up to 48 hours. If your request is denied, reach out to [support@telnyx.com](mailto:support@telnyx.com) for assistance. > ⚠️ Only organization owners can access the verification section. Sub-members will not be able to submit verification requests. > ⚠️ **Important**: After your account is approved for Level 2 Verification, you still need to **manually configure your Outbound Voice Profile (OVP)** in the Telnyx portal to whitelist the countries you want to call. If this step is skipped, you may encounter the error: **403 Dialed Number is not included in whitelisted countries D13** To configure your OVP: 1. Log in to the Telnyx portal 2. Go to Voice > Outbound Voice Profiles 3. Select or create a profile 4. Under Allowed Destinations, add the countries you want to call 5. Save your changes You must assign this profile to your number to enable international calling. ### Connecting Telnyx VoIP to respond.io > Personal Telnyx accounts are not supported. The integration works via sub-accounts managed under respond.io. Follow these steps to connect your Telnyx VoIP channel: 1. Go to Settings > Channels. 2. Click Add Channel and select Telnyx VoIP. 3. Click Connect and enter your business email address. 4. Telnyx Sub-Account Creation:A Telnyx sub-account is automatically created for you.You’ll receive a password reset email from Telnyx. 5. A Telnyx sub-account is automatically created for you. 6. You’ll receive a password reset email from Telnyx. 7. Log in to the Telnyx portal and complete the following:Verify your identityAdd a payment methodPurchase a phone number (local or international — international numbers may require submission of additional documents. See Telnyx documentation for details.) 8. Verify your identity 9. Add a payment method 10. Purchase a phone number (local or international — international numbers may require submission of additional documents. See Telnyx documentation for details.) 11. Return to respond.io, select your purchased number, and confirm the connection. > ✅ Once connected, you can start making and receiving calls using your Telnyx number in the respond.io Inbox. ### Channel Configuration After connecting your Telnyx VoIP Channel, you can manage settings by going to Settings > Channels > Telnyx > Manage. #### Channel name Customize the name for internal reference. #### Number status Only **Active** numbers can be used for calling. Inactive numbers will trigger an error when used. #### Additional resources Use the **Go to Telnyx** button to: - Purchase additional phone numbers - Manage account settings - Top up your balance ### Testing To ensure your Telnyx VoIP setup is working correctly: - Make an outbound call to a contact from the respond.io Inbox. - Use a separate device to call your Telnyx number and test inbound call handling. - Check call logs in the Inbox to confirm status, duration, and agent handling. ## [TikTok Messaging Ads Integration](https:/respond.io/help/integrations/tiktok-messaging-ads-integration) Learn all about TikTok Messaging Ads and how to set up both the integration on respond.io and TikTok Messaging Ads on TikTok Ads Manager. Respond.io now offers integration with TikTok, specifically for [**TikTok Messaging Ads**](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/about-tiktok-messaging-ads?aadvid=7096064798990893058). In this article, we’ll cover: - Key Features and Benefits of this Integration - About TikTok Messaging Ads - How to Set Up TikTok Integration on respond.io - How to Set up TikTok Messaging Ads on TikTok Ads Manager - Using TikTok Messagings Ads in respond.io ### Key Features and Benefits of this Integration - Trace Conversion Source: Identify the TikTok Messaging Ad that initiated a conversation to enhance conversion tracking and target sales efforts effectively. - Workflow Triggers: Create specific Workflows in respond.io for Contacts engaging with TikTok Messaging Ads, enabling personalized customer interactions. - Ad Performance Tracking & Optimization: Send click event data back to TikTok to gain insights into ad performance and effectiveness. ### About TikTok Messaging Ads #### What is TikTok Messaging Ads? [TikTok Messaging Ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/about-tiktok-messaging-ads?aadvid=7096064798990893058) enable potential customers to start conversations with businesses via TikTok Direct Messages and Instant Messaging Apps. - Direct Messaging Ads: Users stay within the TikTok app and use TikTok’s direct messaging feature to chat with advertisers. - Instant Messaging Ads: Users are redirected to third-party messaging apps, like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, to chat with advertisers. > Only **Instant Messaging Ads** are currently supported on respond.io. #### Why Choose TikTok Messaging Ads? - Reach new customers: Tap into a new audience and meet new customers by leveraging the power of TikTok's vibrant community. - Shorten the path-to-action: Two-way communication allows customers to get what they need from business to make a decision and take action faster. - Qualify leads immediately: Screen for prospects that are likely to convert immediately. - Put their customers at the center: Be where your customers are and build lasting business relationships with new and existing customers for higher lifetime value. > **Important notes for using TikTok Instant Messaging Ads** - Ensure you have TikTok ad account. [Guide to set up a TikTok Ads Manager account](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/create-tiktok-ads-manager-account) - If you are using WhatsApp, you will need to use a unique phone number for the WhatsApp Business API that is not used in any other WhatsApp personal or business accounts. You can sign up for the WhatsApp Business API directly on respond.io. ### How to Set Up TikTok Integration on respond.io #### Getting Here Go to your **Workspace Settings** > **Integrations >** Navigate to **TikTok ads accounts >** Click **Manage** #### Connect TikTok Ads Account 1. Click the Add account button 2. A new tab will be opened requesting you to sign in to your TikTok Ads Account. Click Confirm to sign in. > Congratulations! You have successfully connected your TikTok Ads Account to respond.io. Let’s continue setting up with the next steps below. #### Link Channels to TikTok Ads account 1. Select the TikTok Ads account from the dropdown 2. Click the + icon to select Channels associated with your ads. You can use the search bar to find and select Channels. 3. Ensure the checkbox for sharing Contact details is checked. (default) 4. Click Connect to complete the setup. #### Manage TikTok Event Set > To edit your TikTok connection name, click the edit icon and change to your desired name. ##### View Ads 1. Click the Manage button and select View ads to display a list of all your ads. 2. To sort ads by a specific ad account, choose the ad account from the dropdown list. 3. Click on a specific ad to preview it. ### How to Set up TikTok Messaging Ads on TikTok Ads Manager #### TikTok Messaging Ads Setup > Read the full [official documentation here](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-set-up-tiktok-instant-messaging-ads). ##### Campaign Level 1. Log on to TikTok Ads Manager 2. Go to Campaign and click Create 3. Choose Lead generation as your campaign objective 4. Optional: Use "Split Test" for Targeting, Bidding & Optimization, Creative 5. Click Continue to move on to Ad Group level ##### Ad Group Level 1. Choose "Instant messaging apps" as your "Optimization location" 2. Select Dayparting to manage the specific days and times you can respond to messages. 3. Set a daily budget per preference 4. Choose Optimization goal: **Optimization goal: Conversations** - Conversation optimization would only be available for WhatsApp and FB Messenger messaging apps destination and for clients who have integrated with Messaging Management Tool partner (MMT) - Select the correct "Messaging event set". Ensure you collect the correct Messaging event set which has been generated on your partner platform or created by yourself. 1. Instant messaging apps will be set as the default destination. Under Select your app, choose the instant messaging app you want to use. 2. If you chose Messenger, add in your Facebook Page ID. Note: You can find your Facebook Page ID by visiting your FaceBook Page, clicking About, and then Page transparency. 3. If you chose WhatsApp, add in your WhatsApp phone number. 4. You can check to see whether the settings are correct by clicking Check if the ID opens properly and scanning the QR code to preview. 5. Click Submit. 6. Optimization goal: Click **Optimization goal: Click** 1. Choose Instant messaging URL as your destination. 2. Supported social media apps are:WhatsappMessenger 3. Whatsapp 4. Messenger 5. Follow each app's official guide to generate their respective deeplink:WhatsApp: https://faq.whatsapp.com/425247423114725/?cms_platform=iphone&cms_id=425247423114725&draft=falseFacebook Messenger: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/discovery/m-me-links/ 6. WhatsApp: https://faq.whatsapp.com/425247423114725/?cms_platform=iphone&cms_id=425247423114725&draft=false 7. Facebook Messenger: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/discovery/m-me-links/ 8. Click Submit. 9. Click "Next" to move on to Ad level ##### Ad Level 1. Optional: Use TikTok identity to deliver Spark Ads 2. Clearly state that users can click on the ad CTA to send a message to the advertiser 3. Ideally, include "message us" as the CTA in the creative/video 4. For Conversation optimization, select Messenger or WhatsApp and provide respective IDs 5. Verify settings by scanning the QR code to preview the chat #### Create a Message Event Set > Read the full [official documentation here](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-create-message-events-on-tiktok-events-manager?lang=en). ##### TikTok Events Manager 1. Log in to TikTok Ads Manager. 2. Select Tools, then choose Events to enter Events Manager. 3. Under Data Sources, select Connect data source from the left navigation bar. 4\. Choose **Messaging** and set a name for the Message event set. 5\. Select **Automatic setup with partner platform** and select your MMT to create a new event set on your MMT platform. 6\. Once done, TikTok Events Manager (TTEM) will display the event set created on your MMT. ### Using TikTok Messagings Ads in Respond.io #### Using TikTok Messaging Ads in the Inbox Module The Inbox module now supports tracking Contact events linked to TikTok Messaging Ads. ##### TikTok Messaging Ads for WhatsApp & Messenger Contact Event When a Contact clicks on a TikTok Messaging Ad that leads to WhatsApp or Messenger, a Contact event is sent to respond.io and you can view it in your Inbox module. TikTok Messaging Ads events provide detailed information about the ad, including its name, description, and an image. Click on the **View ad** button to view this ad in your browser. **Web** **Mobile** #### Using TikTok Messaging Ads in the Workflows Module > Learn how to configure the [TikTok Messaging Ads trigger here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers). Not sure how to use TikTok Messaging Ads? Check out our use case article and Workflow template to tracks ads performance. - How to track and analyze TikTok Messaging Ad conversions #### Viewing Conversations Opened through TikTok Messaging Ads in the Reports Module 1. Navigate to the Reports Module > Conversations > Select a time period for your report 2. Scroll down to the Conversations Opened report > Select Group By Conversation Opened Source 3. Conversations opened via TikTok Messaging Ads will be grouped under “Click-to-Chat Ads” alongside Meta Click to Chat ads. #### Track Paid Ads Attribution in Contacts & Lifecycle Reports You can now view TikTok Messaging Ad performance beyond clicks—see how many leads converted. Go to the **Reports Module > Contacts or Lifecycle**, and: - Filter or group by Ad Campaign, Ad Group, or specific Ad - Track lead progress from New Lead to Paying Customer - Identify which ads bring in high-quality leads, not just traffic No more guesswork—just clear attribution and lifecycle tracking, all in one place. ### View your TikTok Messaging Ads performance on TikTok Ads Manager View "Cost per results (conversations)" in the reporting section to monitor the campaign performance. You can also go to **"Custom columns"** and **choose Messaging Event.** Select Conversations (Instant messaging app) to report on performance. ### Combine the Power of TikTok and Respond.io to Accelerate Business Results 🚀 **Big News!** TikTok Instant Messaging Ads are now globally available! Now, businesses can connect with TikTok leads on WhatsApp and Messenger to offer consultations, schedule appointments, and close sales—all in a single conversation. [**Book a consultation today!**](https://respond.io/demo) ## [TikTok Overview](https:/respond.io/help/tiktok/tiktok-overview) Get an overview of the TikTok Channel and its capabilities. > \- TikTok Business Messaging is in Open Beta and currently unavailable on respond.io for organizations registered in the United States. - Business Accounts in the **European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom** cannot use the API to manage or send direct messages. TikTok is a short-form video platform with a growing user base that allows businesses to engage with customers through TikTok Business Messaging. Learn how to connect your TikTok Business Account to respond.io [here](https://respond.io/help/tiktok/tiktok-quick-start). Once connected, TikTok Business Messaging offers several features to help your current and potential customers reach your TikTok account or message your inbox directly. ### Pricing You can use TikTok Business Messaging for free. ### Capturing conversation TikTok provides several ways for customers to find you on the platform and start a conversation: - Chat links: TikTok does not support chat links. However, you can share your profile link for customers to initiate conversations. - QR codes: A QR code can be placed on physical locations like stores, cafes, or event venues. When customers scan the QR code, it opens the chat directly at https://tiktok.me/{username} instead of your business profile. QR codes also support pre-filled messages, just like WhatsApp, so customers can jump straight into the conversation with context. - Profile link: You can generate a direct link to your TikTok Business profile, allowing customers to visit your TikTok Business profile and initiate conversations from their app. - TikTok Messaging Ads: These are TikTok ads that direct users to your TikTok inbox when clicked. These ads help you engage with potential customers. Learn more about TikTok Messaging Ads here. ### Channel capabilities Learn more about the capabilities of TikTok Business Messaging: #### Supported file types > TikTok media sending is unavailable in the following regions: Australia, Colombia, European Union, India, Iran, Japan, Nigeria, North Korea, Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States. The following file types and maximum file sizes are supported by TikTok: - Text: Maximum of 6,000 characters. - Images: JPG and PNG formats, up to 3MB. - TikTok posts: supported for incoming and echo messages only. Unsupported file types or large files will be displayed as fallback messages with a URL link in respond.io. Examples of unsupported messages for TikTok Business Messaging are: - Video and voice messages - Stickers - TikTok avatars - Deleted messages > Sending and receiving image attachments via API are only available when both the sender and receiver are in countries that support image attachments in direct messages. Image sharing is not available in all markets. #### Message status availability The table below shows the availability of message statuses on TikTok Business Messaging. | Message status | Availability | | --- | --- | | Sent | ✅ | | Delivered | ✅ | | Read | ✅ | | Failed | ✅ | #### Messaging window TikTok Business Messaging has a **48-hour messaging window**. After receiving a message from a Contact, you can send up to **10 consecutive messages** within this 48-hour window. If you reach the **10-message limit**, you must wait for the Contact to send another message before continuing. Each time a Contact sends you a new message, the **messaging window and message limit reset**, allowing you to send another **10 messages** within the refreshed 48-hour period. > Messages sent outside the **48-hour window** will not be delivered. #### Rate limits TikTok enforces a rate limit of **10 queries per second (QPS)** for messaging operations. This rate limit is subject to change based on TikTok's policies. #### Channel limitations Due to TikTok’s API limitations, the following features are not supported: - Business-initiated messages: You cannot initiate conversations with TikTok Contacts. - Broadcasts: Broadcasting messages to multiple Contacts at once is not supported. - Video and voice messages: Businesses cannot send video or voice messages via TikTok Business Messaging. - Quick replies & multiple-choice buttons: TikTok does not support interactive button elements. On respond.io, these will appear as plain text within the message. This includes buttons used in the "Ask a Question" Workflow step. ## [TikTok Quick Start](https:/respond.io/help/tiktok/tiktok-quick-start) Connect a TikTok Business Account to chat with customers over TikTok. > \- TikTok Business Messaging is in Open Beta and currently unavailable on respond.io for organizations registered in the United States. - Business Accounts in the **European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom** cannot use the API to manage or send direct messages. ### Introduction This guide will help you set up and configure TikTok as a messaging Channel on respond.io. By integrating TikTok Business Messaging, you can manage TikTok conversations alongside your other channels, providing a seamless experience for engaging with your customers. ### Prerequisites Before connecting TikTok to respond.io, ensure the following: **TikTok Business Account**: Make sure you have a TikTok Business Account. Start by creating a personal TikTok account and then switch it to a Business account. [Create one here](https://www.tiktok.com/signup). > In the app, click “...” on the top right of the Profile page, go to **Settings** **and privacy** then click **Manage account** and select **Switch to Business Account**. Choose the category that best fits your business to receive customized content, events, and solutions. **Message settings**: Set your TikTok Business Account to accept direct messages from everyone. Otherwise, you’ll need to manually accept messages in the TikTok app. [Edit your message settings](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-update-your-tiktok-direct-message-permission-for-tiktok-messaging-ads?lang=en). ### Connecting TikTok to respond.io > Personal TikTok accounts cannot be connected. A TikTok Business Account is required to connect. 1. Go to Settings > Channels. 2. Click Add Channel and select TikTok. 3. Click Connect with TikTok. 4. Log in using your TikTok Business Account credentials and authorize access. 5. Follow the prompts to complete the connection process. > Once connected, your TikTok Business Account will appear in the Channels list and a QR code will be generated for customer interactions. ### Channel Configuration After connecting your TikTok Channel, you can customize the settings: 1. Channel name:Go to Settings > Channels > TikTok > Manage.Update the Channel name for internal identification. 2. Go to Settings > Channels > TikTok > Manage. 3. Update the Channel name for internal identification. 4. Chat link and QR code:Navigate to the Growth Widgets section.Generate and download a QR code to share with customers.When scanned, the QR code opens a chat directly at https://tiktok.me/{username} instead of your business profile.You can also include a pre-filled message, so Contacts start the conversation with context, just like WhatsApp. 5. Navigate to the Growth Widgets section. 6. Generate and download a QR code to share with customers. 7. When scanned, the QR code opens a chat directly at https://tiktok.me/{username} instead of your business profile. 8. You can also include a pre-filled message, so Contacts start the conversation with context, just like WhatsApp. #### Testing To ensure everything works: 1. Scan the QR code or click the generated chat link. 2. Confirm it opens a TikTok conversation (not just the profile). 3. Send a test message. 4. Check the respond.io Inbox for the incoming message. ## [Turn-off WhatsApp Number Two-Step Verification](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/turn-off-whatsapp-number-two-step-verification) Learn how to turn off WhatsApp Number Two-Step Verification in your WhatsApp Manager. Turning off the two-step verification in your WhatsApp Manager is a required step before you can [migrate your phone number to respond.io WhatsApp Business API](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/phone-number-migration-to-respond-whatsapp-business-api). > Only users with an Admin access level can perform this action. ### Guide to Turn Off WhatsApp Number Two-Step Verification **Step 1:** Log in to your [Meta Business Manager](https://business.facebook.com/settings/whatsapp-business-accounts). Go to **WhatsApp Accounts** > Select your account > **Settings** tab > Click on **WhatsApp Manager** **Step 2:** In the left side menu, click on **Phone numbers.** **Step 3:** Click on the **settings** icon on the right. **Step 4:** Select Two-step verification > click **Turn off two-step verification** button. **Step 5:** In the pop-up window, Click **OK** and an email will be sent to you with instructions to turn off the two-step verification. **Step 6:** Click on the link in your email to turn off two-step verification for your number. > Once you have turned off two-step verification for your WhatsApp number, proceed with the next step of the [migration process](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/phone-number-migration-to-respond-whatsapp-business-api) to respond.io WhatsApp Business API. ## [Twilio SMS Quick Start](https:/respond.io/help/sms/twilio-sms) Learn how to connect Twilio SMS to chat with customers. > To connect with Twilio, you will need a [Twilio account](https://www.twilio.com/login). Twilio is a cloud communications platform that allows you to send and receive SMS text messages through web service APIs. This Twilio integration lets you respond to SMS messages directly from our platform. ### Setting Up Twilio **Step 1: Sign in to your Twilio account** Sign in with your user credentials. If you don't have a Twilio account, sign up for a free account with a $15 credit. **Step 2: Get a phone number** Head over to the [Twilio Dashboard](https://www.twilio.com/console/) and press the red **Get a Trial Number** button. Twilio will recommend a phone number based on your location. **Step 3: Choose a phone number** Select a phone number that you prefer and best suits your company's needs. You can select a number from any country available on Twilio. > **Warning:** Be sure to select a phone number that supports SMS capability as it is required for this connection to work. > Don't forget to add your credit card information to your Twilio Account before you make the SMS Channel public. The charges for each message will depend on your country. ### Connecting Twilio (SMS) Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on How to Connect Twilio SMS Number to respond.io. [*https://www.youtube.com/embed/6NrJBpt9se4?feature=oembed*](https://www.youtube.com/embed/6NrJBpt9se4?feature=oembed) **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Add Channel** **Step 2:** Locate the Twilio SMS Channel > Click **Connect** **Step 3: Sign in** with your user credentials at [**Twilio**](https://www.twilio.com/login) **Step 4:** Locate the Account SID and Auth Token on the dashboard and add them to the corresponding fields on the respond.io platform. **Step 6:** Select the Twilio phone number on the respond.io platform. **Step 7:** Click Save Changes to complete the setup in respond.io. > Once you've completed the setup, any SMS sent to the Twilio phone number will now be received in your Workspace. ### Channel Configuration > Twilio SMS channel can be configured with a unique Channel Name. **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Channels**. **Step 2:** Locate the Twilio WhatsApp Channel > Click **Manage > Configuration.** **Step 3:** Configure the Channel name, which is used internally to identify the account. > Ensure all your details are entered correctly as errors may cause failure to receive messages from the connected Twilio SMS account. **Step 4:** Click **Save Changes** to update the Channel configuration. ## [User Activity Status](https:/respond.io/help/user-account/user-activity-status) Learn how to set your User Activity Status on the platform. Your User Activity Status is visible to everyone in your Team and appears throughout the platform. You can see it in the bottom-left corner, where a colored indicator is displayed next to your avatar. ### User Status User Status allows a Team to determine a User's status before assigning a Contact to them. Besides that, it is also used for [Automatic Contact Assignment](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio#toc-mobile-4) for conditions where a new Contact in the queue can only be assigned to online users. The User's activity status on the platform can appear as: - Online - Busy - Offline Change your status by pressing on the activity status indicator and selecting your desired status. #### Online Mode This status indicates that you are currently available on the platform to answer messages. Assigning Contacts to online Users ensures Contacts' issues can be resolved as soon as possible. There is a setting in Automatic Contact Assignment that allows you to assign new Contacts to online Users only. > Read about [Automatic Contact Assignment](https://respond.io/blog/auto-assignment-automatic-assignment-respondio) to learn more. #### Busy Mode This status indicates that you are temporarily unavailable on the platform. This mode can be useful when you are on a break. > **Tip**: If you need to access the platform but don't want any Contacts to be assigned to you, use this status to inform your colleagues or bypass the Automatic Contact Assignment if it is enabled. #### Offline Mode This status cannot be selected from the status options as it is automatically set. When a User is inactive after the defined User Inactivity Timeout period, the status will automatically change to Offline. The same behavior applies when a User is logged out of the platform. When you log into the platform or become active, your status reverts to the previous status automatically. > For more information, read more on [User Activity](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/settings-general#configuring_user_inactivity_timeout). ## [User settings](https:/respond.io/help/workspace-settings/users) Under the User Workspace settings section, you can manage the Users that have access to your Workspace. ### Getting Here > This setting is accessible by Owners and Managers only! This setting can be accessed from the Settings navigation menu under the Workspace Settings sub-menu item, User settings. In these settings, you can: - Add a user. - Revoke an existing user. - Edit an existing user. ### User Settings Overview Here, you will be able to see the list of existing Users that have been invited to help you manage your Workspace. If they have not accepted your invitation, their email address will be marked as pending. #### User Profile The user profile consists of the User's profile avatar, display name, user access level and email address. There is a status indicator at the bottom right of the User's profile avatar. If the green indicator is present, then it means the user is online. This status reflects their presence in real-time. #### Last seen The time beside the Action buttons shows the User's last seen status or last activity on the platform. This is useful for monitoring purposes. #### Actions There are two possible actions to take here: - Revoke User's access - Edit Users > **Tip:** Use the 🔍 at the top to quickly find the User that you are looking for. ### Adding New Users **Step 1**: Navigate to Users settings and select Users from the menu. **Step 2**: Click Add User **Step 3**: Enter the Email Address of the User whom you wish to invite **Step 4**: Select an appropriate Access Level for this new User. > Learn more about [Access Levels](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/users#user_access_permissions_details_chart) here. **Step 5**: For Managers and Agents, advanced restrictions may be applied if necessary depending on your Organization's needs. **Step 6**: Once you have filled out the fields, Click **Add** to add the user into your Workspace > An invitation email will be sent to the User's email address that you entered. The new User will have to click on a link embedded in the invitation email to gain access to the Workspace. > When you add a User to the Workspace, the User will be added to the Organization if they have not already been added. ### Exporting Users If you wish to export the Users of your Workspace, click on the **Export** button. You can export your Users in a CSV file. ### Managing User Roles and Access > A User cannot revoke or edit their own access. This requires another User with the privilege to do so. There are three User roles on the respond.io platform. Different User roles have different levels of access to the Workspace they have been invited to. The following are the available roles: - Owner - Manager - Agent Assign roles to Users wisely in order to protect your Workspace. Roles allow you to limit the level of access of each collaborator invited to your Workspace. #### Owner Owner is a user access level that has access to all the modules of the platform except for billing. Owners can be invited to the Workspace by the Owners of the Workspace. As an Owner, you can: - Have access to all modules - Manage Workspace settings - Invite Owners, Managers and Agents to the Workspace to collaborate - Manage Users #### Manager Managers are invited to work on the Workspace by Owners. As a Manager, you can: - Have access to all modules - Restricted accessibility to Workspace Settings - Manage Workspace Settings - Invite Agents to the workspace to collaborate - Add Whatsapp Template Message (Twilio and MessageBird) ##### Advanced Restrictions The following is the list of restrictions that apply to Managers: **Access to Workspace Settings -** Managers with this restriction cannot access the Workspace Settings. Therefore, they won't be able to manage or change the settings. They also cannot add or delete Channels. To do so, the Owner access level is required. **Contact Deletion -** Managers with this restriction are not allowed to delete Contacts. **Data Export -** Managers with this restriction are not allowed to perform any data export from any modules in the Workspace. **Integration -** Managers with this restriction cannot connect any integration to the platform. > Managers cannot connect Channels. #### Agent Agents are expected to respond to messages on the platform and have limited access. As an Agent, you can: - Have access to Messages Module only ##### Advanced Restrictions The following is the list of restrictions applicable to Agents: **Restrict** **Contact Visibility** - View Contacts assigned to their Team and themselvesAgents with this restriction can only view Contacts who are assigned to themselves and their team in the Mine Inbox and Team Inbox. The agent won't be able to view unassigned Contacts and Contacts that are assigned to those who are not in their team. - Agents with this restriction can only view Contacts who are assigned to themselves and their team in the Mine Inbox and Team Inbox. The agent won't be able to view unassigned Contacts and Contacts that are assigned to those who are not in their team. - View Contacts assigned to themselves onlyAgents with this restriction can only view contacts assigned to themselves in the Mine Inbox. The agent won't be able to view unassigned contacts and contacts assigned to someone else. - Agents with this restriction can only view contacts assigned to themselves in the Mine Inbox. The agent won't be able to view unassigned contacts and contacts assigned to someone else. > For agents with the above restrictions, Contact views are accessible but they may not see the same Contact count as others if the view has Contacts they cannot access. The Contact view will only list the Contacts they are allowed to view. **Restrict Call Capabilites** This new restriction allows you to control whether an Agent can **receive or initiate calls**. **When enabled (Restriction applied):** ❌ Agent **cannot** see the Incoming Calls menu in the Inbox ❌ Agent **cannot** make outgoing calls (call buttons hidden) ❌ Entire **Calls Inbox View** is disabled for the Agent ❌ Restricted Agents won’t show up in the call transfer list **When Disabled (Not applied - default):** ✅ Agent can make and receive calls (based on their Contact Visibility settings) > This setting can be applied during Agent onboarding or from the **User Settings.** **Restrict Workflows Button** Agents with this restriction cannot see the Workflows icon in the messaging module. Hence, agents cannot initiate a Shortcut or view Ongoing Workflows. **Mask Phone Number and Email Address** Agents with this restriction will not be able to completely see a Contact’s Phone Number and/or Email Address. > Agents can add a phone number or email if the Contact’s profile does not initially have one, but cannot update them once this information has been added. To update them, agents need to seek assistance from their manager. > Note that this option is only available for Advanced and Enterprise plans. #### Revoking Access To revoke a User's access to your Workspace, press their respective Revoke Access button. This will open up the Revoke Access menu. ##### Assign Contacts to another User Revoking a User's access will remove them from your Workspace. By default, any Contacts that were previously assigned to this User will be marked as unassigned. If you want these Contacts to be assigned to another User, enable the checkbox option and select a User to assign Contacts to from a dropdown menu. > When revoking a User's access, their access to the Organization will remain. If you need to remove them from the Organization, please [refer to this guide](https://respond.io/help/organization-settings/organization-users#deleting_an_organization_user). > Be careful when you revoke a User's access. This action cannot be undone. #### Editing Users Click the Edit button to open up the Edit User menu and make changes to your existing users on your Workspace. You can only make changes to a User's access level. Once you are done, click the Update button to save your changes. ### User Access Permissions Details Chart ✅ = has access ⭕️ = can be allowed by Owner ❌ = no access | | Owner | Manager | Agent | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Dashboard | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Contacts | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Messages | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Shortcut | ✅ | ✅ | ⭕️ | | Broadcast | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Reports | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Workspace Settings | ✅ | ⭕️ | ❌ | | -- General Settings | ✅ | ⭕️ | ❌ | | -- Users | ✅ | ⭕️ | ❌ | | -- Teams | ✅ | ⭕️ | ❌ | | -- Channels | ✅ | ⭕️ | ❌ | | -- Contact Fields | ✅ | ⭕️ | ❌ | | -- Integrations | ✅ | ⭕️ | ❌ | | -- Snippets | ✅ | ⭕️ | ❌ | | -- Files | ✅ | ⭕️ | ❌ | | -- Data Export | ✅ | ⭕️ | ❌ | | User Profile | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Notification Preferences | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ## [Using AI Agent Actions](https:/respond.io/help/ai-agents/using-ai-agent-actions) Learn to use AI Agent actions effectively and keep every conversation organized and on track. While AI Agent is replying to a Contact, it can perform specific platform actions like assigning the conversation, closing it, or updating contact information. Understanding these actions helps you design AI Agents that handle conversations smoothly and logically. This guide covers exactly how each action works, how to write effective instructions for them, and how to avoid common pitfalls like conflicts with your existing Workflows. ### Why Actions Are Important Your AI Agent’s replies help handle customer conversations smoothly. But often, replying alone isn’t enough—your Agent also needs to take clear next steps to move Leads across sales or support pipeline. That’s exactly what **Actions** are for. They help your AI Agent move beyond just replying, ensuring conversations progress logically down the conversion funnel, customer details stay accurate, and teams always know who should handle each chat next. By using the right actions, your AI Agent knows exactly what to do while replying—giving your team peace of mind and keeping your conversations organized and effective. ### Actions Your AI Agent Can Take In this guide, you’ll learn how to configure them by prompting and directing your AI Agent. The key to agentic behavior lies in providing the AI Agent with enough context—clearly defining what to do, and when to do it. During a conversation, your AI Agent can take the following actions: #### Close conversations **What this action does:** This action can be used to close a conversation once the Contact’s request has been fully resolved. Think of it as your AI Agent **politely wrapping up a chat in person**. - You can also provide a closing note—a label that explains why the conversation ended. To do this, just mention the closing note category in your instructions. For example: - When AI Agent closes a conversation, it will also automatically summarize the conversation and select a closing note.Note: If you don’t want summaries or notes, you can instruct: “Do not generate a summary or choose a closing note.” For example: **When to use:** - Use this action when the AI Agent has completed the customer’s request—like answering FAQs, collecting feedback, or solving a simple issue—so conversations don’t stay open unnecessarily. **Best practices:** - Always include the exact instruction “Close the conversation” so AI Agent knows to trigger it. - Clearly explain the specific scenario where the conversation should close (e.g., “If the customer confirms they have no more questions…”). - Pair this action with a friendly, definitive closing response for AI Agent to use such as: “I hope that helps! If you have other questions, feel free to message again.” **Limitations:** - AI Agents can only choose from existing closing notes. They cannot create new closing notes or modify your existing list. To ensure the correct closing note is applied, use the exact closing note name in your instructions. - AI Agents can only summarize the latest 20 messages in a conversation. Older messages will not be included in the summary. If important context appears earlier in the conversation, instruct the AI to ask a clarifying question or restate key details before closing. #### Assign to agent or team **What this action does:** Assigns the right human agent, team, or even another AI Agent once the AI Agent has done its part. This is especially useful for escalating to a human when the AI Agent can’t resolve an issue, ensuring customers always get the right level of support. You can also control **how team members get assigned**. There are two methods: - Round Robin: Assigns conversations in rotation so workload is shared evenly. - Least Open Conversation: Assigns to whoever currently has the fewest active conversations.Note: If no method is specified, AI Agent defaults to round robin. You can also assign to individual agents or even unassign a conversation by instructing, "Unassign the conversation". **When to use:** - Use this action when the conversation needs to move beyond the AI Agent’s scope—for example, to a human agent for deeper support, to a specialized team (like Billing or Sales), or even to another AI Agent designed for a different task. **Best practices:** - Use these terms in the actions instruction: “Assign to @User/Team Name” to trigger this action for a scenario. For example, “If {something happened}, assign to @User/Team Name”. - Ensure your AI Agent asks relevant qualification questions to determine the right team. - Clearly define conditions in your instructions (e.g., “Assign to Sales if customer mentions pricing or demo”). **Limitations:** - AI Agents cannot see who is online. They have no visibility into agent availability or presence, so they cannot choose the “next available” or “currently active” user. Always specify the exact team or agent name if availability matters. - AI Agents cannot schedule assignments for a future time. Instructions like “Assign to Sales at 5pm” will not work because the AI cannot delay an assignment. However, immediate assignment logic based on current conditions (e.g., “Assign to Sales if within business hours”) will work, as the AI evaluates the condition in real time and assigns immediately. - AI Agents cannot run round robin across multiple teams. They can only distribute conversations within one specific team at a time. - AI Agents do not choose the assignment method (round robin vs least open). However, round robin can only be applied within a team, not across individual users. This means agents must be part of a team for round robin to work. If you want to use least open or any other method, you must explicitly specify it in your instructions; otherwise, the AI will default to round robin at the team level. #### Update Contact fields **What this action does:** Updates Contact details (name, phone number, budget, etc.) automatically based on information collected during the conversation. This is especially useful for **keeping your Contact’s data up to date**, so agents can focus on meaningful interactions instead of admin work. - You can also mention Contact field names in your instructions to improve accuracy and ensure data is saved in the right place. For example: **When to use:** - For lead qualification, customer onboarding, or booking appointments. **Best practices:** - Clearly provide AI Agent with instructions to ask the customer for specific details (e.g., “Could you share your preferred email address?”). - Train your AI Agent with knowledge sources so it gives accurate, context-specific answers when replying to Contacts. **Limitations:** - AI Agents cannot detect when a Contact field update fails. If the field name is unclear, misspelled, or doesn’t exist, the update simply won’t happen, and the AI won’t know it failed. To avoid this, always use the exact field name or field ID in your instructions. - AI Agents cannot create or delete Contact fields. They can only update fields that already exist in your workspace. If you need new fields or structural changes, create them manually before referencing them in your AI Agent instructions. #### Update Lifecycle stage **What this action does:** Changes a customer’s Lifecycle stage (e.g., from “New Lead” to “Qualified Lead”) based on conversation context. This is especially useful for **automating lead progression and keeping your sales pipeline accurate without manual updates**. **When to use:** - When the AI Agent qualifies a lead or achieves a specific milestone in customer engagement. **Best practices:** - Clearly define the criteria needed to advance the Contact’s Lifecycle stage. - Always provide the exact Lifecycle Stage name so the AI Agent updates to the right stage at the right time. For example: **Limitations:** - AI Agents cannot create new Lifecycle Stages. They can only update a Contact to stages that already exist in your workspace. If you want to use a new stage, you must create it first before referencing it in your instructions. ### Writing Instructions to Trigger Actions Good AI Agent instructions directly lead to clear, actionable responses. When writing instructions, keep these best practices in mind: - Clearly specify conditions and desired outcomes. For example: - Use straightforward, simple language. Avoid ambiguity. - Anticipate common scenarios and build clear, simple instructions for each action. - You can also define what to tell the customer when an action is used. For example: ### Timing & Action Behavior - AI Agents always perform actions before generating a reply. - Actions like “Close Conversation” or “Assign Conversation” take effect once a scenario is received. For example, if the Contact said there are no more questions, AI Agent will first close the conversation, and then generate a thank you note. ### How actions work with audio messages AI Agents can now **understand audio messages** shared by Contacts in real conversations. **When an audio file is received:** - It is automatically transcribed into text so the AI Agent can understand its content. - The AI Agent processes the transcribed message and can perform relevant actions, such as assigning the conversation, updating Contact fields, or closing it, based on what was said. - You can view transcripts of audio messages sent to AI Agents below the message bubble. **Important notes:** - Audio messages that are sent before a conversation is assigned to an AI Agent will not be taken into context and will not be displayed. - Transcriptions may not show up instantly. Refresh your browser or switch to another conversation and back in to view transcript. **Supported audio and video file formats:** - Audio: MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A, OGG/OGA, Opus, AAC, AIFF, WEBA - Video: AVI, M4V, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPEG, MPG, WEBM, WMV, 3GPP ### Chaining Actions Together You can combine multiple actions in one scenario with common examples below. > For chained actions (For example, 1️⃣ Update Lifecycle → 2️⃣ Update Contact Field → 3️⃣ Close Conversation), make sure to place them in “Instructions” and **ensure that the actions are turned on.** Examples: **Update Contact Field + Assign Conversation** **Update Lifecycle Stage + Close Conversation** **Best practices:** - Keep it logical and goal-driven: Only chain actions if they naturally follow one another (e.g., qualify a lead → close the conversation → assign to Sales). - Keep the order clear: Place actions in a sequence that reflects how a real conversation would flow — don’t assign a conversation before collecting the key info. - Don’t overload one scenario: Stick to 2–3 actions max. Too many chained actions can make it harder for the AI Agent to predict and troubleshoot. - Be explicit in your instructions: Clearly state each step, rather than relying on the AI Agent to “guess” what comes next. **What to avoid:** - Vague instructions Problem: AI Agent won’t know which Lifecycle stage to use or when to trigger the action. - Contradicting actions Problem: This creates confusion for the AI Agent and leaves the conversation in an undefined state. - Overloading one scenario Problem: Too many steps in one chain make the flow unpredictable and hard to debug. Best to split them and follow natural order. For example: First, ask for phone number, then save it. Second, update Lifecycle to “Qualified", etc ### Avoiding Workflow & Assignment Conflicts When setting up actions, ensure they don’t conflict with your existing Workflows or manual team assignments: - Check Workflow assignments: If you have Workflows assigning conversations automatically, ensure these don’t override your AI Agent’s assignments unintentionally. - Default AI Agent considerations: If using a default AI Agent, ensure its actions align with any automated Workflows that trigger at conversation open. > **Best practice:** Regularly review your Workflows alongside AI Agent settings to avoid conflicts and unexpected behavior. ### FAQ and Troubleshooting ## [Using AI Assist](https:/respond.io/help/inbox/using-ai-assist) Learn how to use the AI Assist feature to generate responses to customer queries. Once you have [provided all the necessary knowledge sources](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-assist#adding-knowledge-sources) and [tested the responses](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/ai-assist#testing-ai-assist) drafted by AI Assist, you can start using it in the Inbox module by clicking the **AI Assist** button. ### Drafting Responses to Incoming Messages When you click the **AI Assist** button, it drafts a response based on the content of the last few incoming messages. If you like the response you can choose to send it or else you can change it by clicking the thumbs-down icon. However, you can choose to compose and send your own messages as well. AI Assist drafts responses for the last incoming message(s); however, it does consider the entire conversation. Below is an example to help you understand which incoming messages AI Assist draft responses to: In this example, it is assumed that the **AI Assist** button was clicked after Response 2 was sent. Even though a response has already been sent, AI Assist still drafts a response to Message 3 and 4. However, it has not drafted a response to Message 1 and 2 due to the presence of Response 1. If you find that the **AI Assist** button is not active on the Message console, find the list of reasons below: - A response is already typed out in the composer. - The chat window has expired. - The message composer is disabled. - No channels connected (new contact). - The conversation has been closed. - The last 50 messages (irrespective of source) were outgoing messages. ### Providing Feedback to Responses You can evaluate the response drafted by AI Assist by giving it a thumbs up if you liked it or a thumbs down to replace the response with a new one. The thumbs-down feedback will play an important role in improving the quality of responses drafted by AI Assist in the future. ## [Viber Overview](https:/respond.io/help/viber/viber-overview) Get an overview of the Viber channel and its capabilities. Viber is a cross-platform instant messaging and voice-over IP application operated by the Japanese multinational company Rakuten. As of December 2018, it has over a billion users, with its popularity stemming mainly from Europe and Asia. Learn how to [connect your Viber chatbot to respond.io here](https://respond.io/help/viber/viber). Once connected, this Viber chatbot integration lets you respond to messages directly from our platform. ### Pricing Based on the new [Bot Commercial Model](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/15247629658525), chatbots created on February 5th, 2024 onwards will be charged a monthly maintenance fee of EUR 100 per bot (or as otherwise may be agreed in writing with Viber via a signed addendum) plus charges for every chatbot-initiated message delivered. Chatbots created prior to February 5th, 2024 will still operate based on the previous [Commercial Model](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/8746671603485-Chatbot-Commercial-Model) that charges businesses when sending chatbot-initiated messages beyond the free limit (until further notice by Viber). ### Understanding Messaging on Viber There are 3 categories of messages on Viber: #### Welcome message Chatbots can send one [welcome message](https://developers.viber.com/docs/api/rest-bot-api/#sending-a-welcome-message) to a user as soon as they open the conversation before the user subscribes. This message can be used to introduce your chatbot and encourage the user to subscribe to the chatbot. Welcome messages are free. #### Chatbot-session messages Viber requires Contacts to send your business the first message to start a conversation. A session starts once the Contact sends your business the first message and lasts for 24 hours. All messages sent within the 24-hour session window are known as chatbot-session messages and are free. After the 24-hour session window closes, you can open a new session with chatbot-Initiated messages to continue the conversation with the Contact. #### Chatbot-initiated messages A chatbot-initiated message is an outbound message sent by the chatbot owner (business) to the Contact without an active session between them. A session starts when the Contact replies to a chatbot-initiated message and lasts for 24 hours. All messages sent within the 24-hour session window are free. After the 24-hour session window closes, you can start a new chatbot-Initiated message session if you want to continue the conversation with the Contact. Otherwise, you can wait for the Contact to send you a new message to initiate a chatbot-session message. ### Understanding Viber's Bot Commercial Models ##### Commercial Bot Model from February 5th, 2024 onwards This [model](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/15247629658525) is applicable to chatbots created on February 5th, 2024 onwards. **Monthly charges** Chatbot owners will be charged a monthly maintenance fee of EUR 100 per bot as well as for every chatbot-initiated message delivered. Refer to the message rates here. Charges will not be applied to the following messages: - the welcome message. - messages exchanged during an active session. The 10,000 free chatbot-initiated messages per month is NOT applicable to this model. ##### Commercial Bot Model prior to February 5th, 2024 This [model](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/8746671603485-Chatbot-Commercial-Model) is applicable to chatbots created before February 5th, 2024. **Monthly free limit**You can send up to 10,000 free chatbot-initiated messages per month. **Beyond the monthly free limit**Once you've exceeded the monthly free limit of 10,000 chatbot-initiated messages, you will see a red exclamation mark next to the undelivered message along with an error message on the platform. To send more than 10,000 chatbot-initiated messages in a month, your business will need to agree to the [Viber Chatbot Commercial Terms](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/8746671603485-Chatbot-Commercial-Model#vibers-chatbot-commercial-terms-agreement) and pay per message. Under the terms, your business must pay a deposit and messaging charges will be deducted from that. The cost per message [varies by destination country](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/8746671603485-Chatbot-Commercial-Model#rate-card). **Tip:** To reduce charges, consider setting up methods to [capture customer conversations](https://respond.io/help/viber/viber-overview#capturing_conversation). ### Capturing Conversation There are a couple of ways to encourage customers to initiate a chat: - Chat links: This is a deep link with the URI of your chatbot that you can add to your website or in newsletters. When customers click on the link, they will be directed to start a chat with your Viber chatbot. - QR codes: A QR code can be placed in physical locations, such as hotels, restaurants or malls. When customers scan the code, they will be directed to start a chat with your Viber chatbot. - Chat widget: A Viber widget can be added to your website to direct customers to start a chat with your Viber chatbot. ### Channel Capabilities These are the capabilities of Viber: - Supported File Types - Message Status Availability - Text Formatting - Messaging Window - Broadcasts - Rate Limits #### Supported File Types The file types supported by Viber and the maximum file size for each type are as follows: - Image (1 MB) - Audio (50 MB) - Video (26 MB) - File (50 MB) > For any unsupported file type or file that exceeds the maximum file size sent via Viber, the file will automatically be turned into a URL link on the respond.io platform. #### Message Status Availability The table outlines the availability of message statuses in Viber. | Message Status | Availability | | --- | --- | | Sent | ✅ | | Delivered | ✅ | | Read | ✅ | | Failed | ✅ | #### Text Formatting You can use text or markdown formatting in your messages. Learn more on [how to format your text here](https://developers.viber.com/docs/tools/text-formatting/). #### Messaging Window When a Contact sends a message to your Viber chatbot, a 24-hour session window starts. All messages sent within the 24-hour session window are referred to as chatbot-session messages and are free. After the 24-hour session window ends, you can start a new chatbot-Initiated message session to continue the conversation with the Contact. To understand further on how a session works, click [here](https://respond.io/help/viber/viber-overview#understanding_messaging_on_viber). #### Broadcasts Viber has no restrictions on broadcast message content. For chatbots created after February 5th, 2024: - The charges for chatbot-initiated messages will apply to broadcast messages. Refer to the rates here. For chatbots created prior to February 5th, 2024: - The monthly free limit of 10,000 chatbot-initiated messages will apply to broadcast messages. - Broadcast messages exceeding the 10,000 limit will fail to be sent. - To send messages above the limit, the business will need to agree to the Viber Chatbot Commercial Terms and pay per message. > Learn more on [how to send a broadcast here](https://respond.io/help/broadcasts/sending-a-simple-broadcast). #### Rate Limits A rate limit is the number of API calls an app or user can make within a given time period defined by the channel. Learn more about the [rate limits for this channel here](https://developers.viber.com/docs/api/rest-bot-api/#send-message:~:text=Can%20send%20up%20to%20100%20messages%20to%20a%20user%20in%20an%20hour). ## [Viber Quick Start](https:/respond.io/help/viber/viber) Connect a Viber chatbot to chat with customers over Viber. ### Getting a Viber Bot > Starting February 5th, 2024, you can no longer create Viber bots on your own and must apply [directly to Viber](https://share.hsforms.com/12pxGHMtAS3yq_3KcxQ6g1A4fpwx). > Learn more about the [current Bot Commercial model here](https://help.viber.com/hc/en-us/articles/15247629658525). Requirements: - A personal Viber account > To create a Viber Chatbot, read our [guide](https://respond.io/blog/viber-for-business#2r06a). ### Connecting a Viber Bot #### Apply For a Bot **Step 1:** Go to **Settings > Channels** **Step 2:** Click **Add Channel > Viber > Connect > Apply For A Bot** **Step 3:** Fill in the [Viber Form](https://share.hsforms.com/12pxGHMtAS3yq_3KcxQ6g1A4fpwx) to receive your private token once your application has been processed and approved. > If you already have a private token, click the **I Have A Bot Token** button to proceed to the next step. **Step 4:** Click on **I Have A Bot Token** > Navigate to the info page in your Viber Admin Panel > Copy and paste your private token in the 'Viber Bot Token' field and click **Connect** #### Connecting an existing bot Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on How to Connect Your Existing Viber Account to respond.io. **Step 1:** Go to **Settings > Channels** **Step 2:** Click **Add Channel > Viber > Connect > Connect an Existing Bot** **Step 3**: Sign in to [Viber Admin Panel](https://partners.viber.com/login) **Step 4:** After signing in, select a Bot to connect to respond.io. If you don't have a Bot, create a Bot account **Step 5:** On the Bot Info page, locate the Token and add it to the corresponding field on the respond.io platform **Step 6:** Click **Complete** to complete the setup in respond.io > Once you have completed the setup, any messages sent to your Viber Business Account will now be received in your Workspace. > Once the Channel is connected, [scan the QR code](https://respond.io/help/viber/viber#channel_configuration) to send a test message and make sure everything is working properly. ### Channel Configuration > The Viber Channel can be configured with a unique Channel name. This name will be used internally to identify the account. **Step 1:** Click **Settings** > **Channels** **Step 2:** Locate the Viber Channel > click **Manage** **Step 3:** In the **Viber Configuration page** you will see the following configurations: - Chat Link - A click-to-chat link is a shortened URL that directs customers to start or continue a conversation with your Viber account. You can share this link to refer customers to a new or existing thread, based on whether the user has previously messaged your Viber account. You can also generate a QR code to share the chat link to your Contacts. - Channel Name - The Channel Name can be changed and is used internally to identify the Channel. > **Important**: Ensure the details are correct for messages to be received successfully in your Viber account. **Step 4**: Click **Save Changes** to update the Viber Configuration page ## [Vonage SMS Quick Start](https:/respond.io/help/sms/vonage-sms) Learn how to connect Vonage SMS to chat with customers. > To connect with Vonage, you will need a [Vonage account](https://dashboard.nexmo.com/sign-up). Vonage is a cloud communications platform that allows you to send and receive SMS text messages through web service APIs. This Vonage integration lets you respond to SMS messages directly from our platform. ### Setting Up Vonage #### Purchasing a Virtual Number > Note that you will have to [upgrade to a paid Vonage account](https://dashboard.nexmo.com/payments/new) in order to purchase a Virtual Number. **Step 1: Navigate to the** [**Vonage Developer Dashboard**](https://dashboard.nexmo.com/) Sign in with your user credentials. If you are not already signed in, you may have to log in with your [Vonage account](https://dashboard.nexmo.com/sign-up) first. **Step 2: Purchase a phone number** Under the Numbers section of the sidebar, select **Buy numbers**. **Step 3: Choose a phone number** Select a phone number that you prefer and best suits your company's needs. You can select a number from any country available on Vonage. > Be sure to select a phone number that supports SMS capability as it is required for this connection to work. ### Connecting Vonage Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on How to Connect Vonage SMS Number to respond.io. **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Add Channel** **Step 2:** Locate the Vonage SMS Channel > Click **Connect** **Step 3:** Sign in to [**Vonage**](https://dashboard.nexmo.com/sign-in) with your user credentials on the Vonage Website. **Step 4:** Locate the API Key & API Secret on the Dashboard and add them to the corresponding fields on the respond.io platform. **Step 5:** After you've filled in both values, follow the instructions by clicking **Next**. **Step 6:** Navigate to [Your Numbers](https://dashboard.nexmo.com/your-numbers) and locate the phone number. Add it to the corresponding field on the respond.io platform. **Step 7:** Navigate to the phone number settings and click the settings icon next to the number to be connected. **Step 8:** From the respond.io platform, copy the generated URL and paste it to the Inbound Webhook URL field in Vonage. **Step 9:** Click **Save** to save your Webhook configuration. **Step 10:** Click Save Changes to complete the setup. > Once you've completed the setup, any SMS sent to the Vonage phone number will now be received in your Workspace. ### Channel Configuration > Vonage SMS channel can be configured with a unique channel name. **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Channels**. **Step 2:** Locate the Vonage SMS Channel > Click **Manage > Configuration** **Step 3:** Configure the Channel name, which is used internally to identify the account. > Be careful when entering your details as errors might cause failure to receive messages from the connected Vonage SMS account. **Step 4:** Click **Save Changes** to update the Channel configuration. ## [Webhooks](https:/respond.io/help/integrations/webhooks) Learn how to use the webhooks integration to get your applications notified about real-time events in your respond.io workspace. > Webhooks are only available for Advanced plan and above. Learn more about Webhooks in our [Webhooks documentation here](https://developers.respond.io/docs/webhooks). Connect with various systems and services like email marketing platforms, CRM tools, e-commerce platforms, and project management software to receive real-time platform updates on respond.io. By connecting your webhook URL (REST endpoint) with the platform, you can synchronize relevant events with your CRMs and databases, ensuring accurate and up-to-date information across all your systems. ### Configuration **Step 1**: In your Workspace Settings, navigate to **Integrations > Webhooks >** Click **Connect** **Step 2**: Click on the **Add Webhook** button to add an **Endpoint URL** and select a **Webhook Event** > The specific URL endpoint is needed to receive and process the request. ### Webhook Events Here are some common use cases for the webhook events: - Conversation Closed - Every time a conversation is closed, automatically update Contact details or save conversation details in a 3rd party app/system for record-keeping and track the number of closed conversations for analysis. - New Contact - Every time a new Contact is added, automatically add new Contacts to the CRM, send welcome messages, and notify team members about new Contacts. - New Outgoing Message - Every time a new outgoing message is sent, automatically send notifications for each outgoing message, log message details in the CRM, and assign tags or lead scores based on message content. - New Incoming Message - Every time you receive a new incoming message, automatically send notifications for each incoming message, log message details in the CRM, and assign tags or lead scores based on message content. - Contact Updated - Every time a Contact is updated, automatically update the Contact’s information in the CRM and send notifications to relevant team members about the changes. - Conversation Opened - Every time a conversation is opened, automatically notify team members of new customer conversations in real-time and open conversation details. - Contact Assignee Updated - Every time a Contact assignee is updated, automatically inform team members when they are assigned a new Contact and manage follow-up tasks or reminders. - Contact Tag Updated - Every time a Contact tag is updated, automatically update your lead scores, manage email marketing lists and send targeted marketing campaigns based on Contact tags. - New Comment - Every time a new comment is added, automatically notify team members about new comments and sync comments across respond.io and other systems. > Learn more about what information can be passed with these webhook events in our [Webhooks API documentation here](https://developers.respond.io/docs/webhooks/lwocem4sq812x-overview). ## [Website Chat Widget Overview](https:/respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview) Get an overview of the Website Chat Widget and its capabilities. Respond.io’s Website Chat Widget unifies website chat and messaging channels in a single widget. This widget appears as a pop-up window on your website, allowing customers to choose between starting a chat with you via live chat or through other [Messaging Channels](https://respond.io/help/channels) you have connected to on the widget header. > Respond.io provides an alternative way for your customers to contact you from your website, which is via a Growth Widget. To learn which widget is right for your business, check out [this section](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget-overview#website_chat_widget_vs_growth_widget). ### Website Chat Widget vs Growth Widget #### Website Chat Widget A Website Chat Widget focuses on enabling quick communication and support between customers and your business. The live chat is a session-based conversation, which means it has no messaging window and your business will not be able to contact your customers once the chat has ended. Learn how to [add a Website Chat Widget to your website using respond.io here](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget). #### Growth Widget A Growth Widget allows you to embed a single channel or multichannel widget on your website so customers can connect with you via their preferred messaging apps. A Growth Widget can incorporate a Website Chat Widget as one of its components and it has a wider scope of usage which includes: - Generating leads by collecting customers’ details such as email addresses and phone numbers. - Engaging users by encouraging customers to follow or engage with your business on various social media platforms. Learn more about [Growth Widget here](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/growth-widgets). ### Pricing You can set up a Website Chat Widget using respond.io. Refer [here for the available plans](https://respond.io/pricing). ### Capturing Conversation Customers have to send your business the first message to start a conversation. There are a couple of ways to encourage customers to visit your website to initiate a chat: - Chat links: Add a URL in emails, newsletters or business cards that directs customers to your website to start a chat with you. - QR codes: A QR code can be placed in physical locations, such as hotels, restaurants or malls. When customers scan the code, they will be directed to your website to start a chat with you. - Live chat: The live chat option allows your customers to receive assistance and answers in real time. However, to ensure you can reach out to your customers even after the live chat has ended, you will need to collect Contact details from live chat conversations. There are three ways to do this:Pre-chat form: Set up a form before the chat starts. This will require your customers to fill out their contact details before they can start chatting with you.Dialogflow chatbot: Utilize a Dialogflow chatbot to interact with visitors and collect their information.Workflow: Create a Workflow that prompts Contacts to provide their email or phone number for identification purposes. - Pre-chat form: Set up a form before the chat starts. This will require your customers to fill out their contact details before they can start chatting with you. - Dialogflow chatbot: Utilize a Dialogflow chatbot to interact with visitors and collect their information. - Workflow: Create a Workflow that prompts Contacts to provide their email or phone number for identification purposes. ### Channel Capabilities These are the capabilities of Website Chat Widget: - Supported File Types - Message Status Availability #### Supported File Types The file types supported by Website Chat Widget and the maximum file size for each type are as follows: - Image (20 MB) - Audio (20 MB) - Video (20 MB) - File (20 MB) > For any unsupported file type or file that exceeds the maximum file size sent via Website Chat Widget, the file will automatically be turned into a URL link on the respond.io platform. #### Message Status Availability The table outlines the availability of message statuses in Website Chat Widget. | Message Status | Availability | | --- | --- | | Sent | ✅ | | Delivered | ✅ | | Read | ✅ | | Failed | ✅ | ## [Website Chat Widget Quick Start](https:/respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget) Add the respond.io Website Chat Widget to your site. The Website Chat Widget allows website visitors to Contact you via live chat or through other [Messaging Channels](https://respond.io/help/channels) you have connected. ### Connecting a Website Chat Widget Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on How to Connect Website Chat to respond.io. **Step 1:** Go to **Settings > Channels** **Step 2:** Click **Add Channel > Website Chat > Connect** **Step 3:** Fill in the website(s) where the Widget will be added. Refer to the following on how websites can be whitelisted. - If the user adds https://app.respond.io then only https://app.respond.io will be whitelisted. Any other subdomain or root should not work. - If the user adds https://*.respond.io, then all subdomains including the root domain will be whitelisted. - If the user adds https://respond.io , then only the root domain will be whitelisted. **Step 4:** Select a Theme Color for the Widget using the interactive color picker. > Choose a color that matches your brand **color** and website. **Step 5:** Select an Icon for the Widget to show on the website. If you prefer to upload a customized icon, you can upload a square icon with a recommended size of 256px x 256px. > Widgets can be further customized once connected. **Step 6**: Click **Next** > Add script to your preferred website. Alternatively, you can send the installation instructions to someone else via email. ### Installing the Chat Widget > You may require a webmaster or technical admin to assist in installing the chat widget on the website. Please seek assistance if necessary. Depending on what system you use to create and manage your website, we have created a step-by-step guide to walk you through installing a Chat Widget onto your website. - Install on WordPress - Install on Shopify - Install on Wix - Install on Joomla - Install on Squarespace For other platforms or services, navigate to the HTML source of the page. Paste the script before the `` tag. If you require assistance, you can choose to forward the script along with installation instructions to your website administrator. Select the respective checkbox and enter the email address of someone who can help you install the chat plugin. > The respond.io Website Chat Widget will appear on your site once the script has been successfully installed. ### Customizing the Chat Widget **Step 1:** In your Workspace, go to **Settings** > **Channel** **Step 2:** Locate the Website Chat Channel > click **Customize** > Customize the Website Widget to match the website's appearance so the widget will look seamless. On the right side of the page, there is a preview of the website chat widget. Any customization made to the widget will reflect on the widget to help you get a better idea of what you are customizing. #### Display & Appearance You may customize the following to change the display appearance of the widget on the website. | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | Theme Color | The chosen color will be used as the primary color of your widget. | | Text Color | The chosen color will be used as the primary text color of your widget. | | Website Chat Icon | The selected icon is used inside the widget bubble together with the Theme Color. You can upload a custom icon if necessary. | | Popup Message | The Popup Message is shown to website visitors once per day 5 seconds after the page load. If not defined, no popup message will appear to the website visitors. | **Validation for Website Chat Icon:** - Maximum file size: 1MB - Maximum file dimension: 256 x 256 px - Shape: Square #### Position | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | Align To | Users can choose to specify a position whether to display the widget on the left or right of the platform. | | Vertical Spacing | Users can specify the amount of vertical spacing between the website chat widget and the bottom of the screen. | | Horizontal Spacing | Users can specify the amount of horizontal spacing between the website chat widget and the side of the screen. | | Widget Size | Users can choose the size of the widget from Small, Standard or Large. | | Display Options | Users can choose to display this widget on the desktop, mobile devices or both. | #### Header Elements | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | Title | The Title will show at the top of your chat widget. | | Tagline | The Tagline will be displayed under the title. | | Website Chat Logo | Drop your logo image here so it will show at the top of the Website Chat. The format can either be in PNG, SVG or JPG and the file size is not more than 4.0 MB. | | Channel Icons | This option will enable Contacts to contact you through their preferred Channel providing the options are given. You can add up to six Channels and it will be shown at the top of the Website Chat Widget. | | Channel Icons Color | The Channel Icons can be displayed in white or colored form on your chat widget. Select White or Colored to go with the Theme Color of your chat widget. | **Validation for Website Chat Logo:** - Maximum file size: 4MB - Maximum file dimension: 1024 x 1024 px - Shape: Square ##### Channel Icons If the Website Chat Widget has never been configured before, connected Channels with adequate information will be listed by default as Widget Channel links. You may add the widget Channel links and specify the necessary information for the selected Channel. Here is the list of Input Field required for each of the Channel Links supported. | Channel Links | Input Field Required | | --- | --- | | WhatsApp | WhatsApp Phone Number | | Facebook Messenger | Facebook Page ID | | Telegram | Telegram Bot Name | | Twitter | Twitter ID | | LINE | LINE ID | | Viber | Viber Public Account Name | | SMS | SMS Phone Number | | Email | Email Address | | Phone Call | Phone Number | | Custom Link | URL Address and Icon | | Custom QR | QR Image and Icon | **Validation for Channel Icon:** - Maximum file size: 1MB - Maximum file dimension: 256 x 256 px - Shape: Square #### Pre-Chat Form Enabling this option will add a pre-chat form to your Website Chat. If enabled, your website visitors will be presented with a form to fill out before they start the chat. With this option enabled, you can include additional custom fields when necessary. In addition to that, you can also customize the label for the default fields on how they appear to your Contacts. > The field labels can be customized to a different language to match the website's language. #### Additional Settings | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | Input Bar Text | This text will function as a placeholder in the typing area. | | Text Font | The font that will be used to display the font in the website chat widget. | ##### Restrict Incoming Attachments When this option is checked, the website visitor does not have an option to attach an attachment in the website chat widget. ##### Keep website chat hidden When using this option the widget will be completely hidden. Until the Anchor Reference has been clicked or when the chat is opened via the programmatic API. `#webchat_widget` Using the above anchor you can create a button on your page, to open the widget once clicked. ##### Hide Respond.io Branding Using this option you can remove the respond.io Branding from your Widget. ### Channel Configuration **Step 1:** Click **Settings** > **Channels** **Step 2:** Locate the Website Chat > click **Manage** **Step 3:** In the **Website Chat Configuration page** you will see the following configurations: - Chat Link - The URL link for your Contact to reach your Channel. - Channel Name - The Channel Name can be changed and is used internally to identify the Channel. - Website Domains - Website(s) that are connected to your Widget. - Website Chat Code - The code you can paste in your website’s HTML source if you need to retrieve the generated code snippet. > If you don't include your website in this list, your widget won't load. You can add multiple URLs if you're using the plugin on multiple websites. **Step 4**: Click **Save Changes** to update the Website Chat Configuration page ### Identifying Logged-in Users The logged-in users of your website can be identified by adding a simple JavaScript code to your website code. Once the identifier passed is matched with an existing Contact, the current conversation will be resumed. > The term “user” is used in the context of your website. In the respond.io platform, we continue to refer them as “Contacts”. **Guide on how to use the code** - Edit the code (given below) to send respond.io the identifier of the currently logged-in user. This can be the email address or Contact ID or based on any other Contact field. Please note that an identifier is a required field. - Paste the code right in the head tag of every page where you want the website chat to appear.The script for identifying logged-in users must be placed above the website chat code that can be found in the website chat configuration dialog. - The script for identifying logged-in users must be placed above the website chat code that can be found in the website chat configuration dialog. - You can also send respond.io Contacts Fields associated with your Contacts so we will store the Contact field during the Contact creation process. The field name (or slug) can be found in the Contact Fields module. - Please note that if you are using this feature, the pre-chat form will be ignored which means Contacts do not need to fill up their information before initiating a conversation. The example above is passing an email address as identifier and during Contact creation process, all the Contact fields passed will be stored. ### Programmatic Control (API for Users) The Website Chat Widget can be opened and closed via your Website JavaScript code. This allows you to create a custom "Chat with us" button on your Website, and trigger the Website Chat Widget to open when a visitor clicks on the button. #### Actions 1. Open chatDescription: Opens the chat widget.Syntax: $respond.do("chat:open") 2. Description: Opens the chat widget. 3. Syntax: $respond.do("chat:open") 4. Close chatDescription: Closes the chat widget.Syntax: $respond.do("chat:close") 5. Description: Closes the chat widget. 6. Syntax: $respond.do("chat:close") #### Event Listeners 1. Chatbox was openedDescription: Handles the chat widget opened event (triggers your callback function).Syntax:$respond.on("chat:opened", callback) 2. Description: Handles the chat widget opened event (triggers your callback function). 3. Syntax:$respond.on("chat:opened", callback) 4. Chatbox was closedDescription: Handles the chat widget closed event (triggers your callback function).Syntax:$respond.on("chat:closed", callback) 5. Description: Handles the chat widget closed event (triggers your callback function). 6. Syntax:$respond.on("chat:closed", callback) #### State Check Methods 1. Is chat open?Description: Returns true if the chat widget is opened, else false.Syntax: $respond.is("chat:open") 2. Description: Returns true if the chat widget is opened, else false. 3. Syntax: $respond.is("chat:open") 4. Is chat closed?Description: Returns true if the chat widget is closed, else false.Syntax: $respond.is("chat:closed") 5. Description: Returns true if the chat widget is closed, else false. 6. Syntax: $respond.is("chat:closed") ## [WeChat Overview](https:/respond.io/help/wechat/wechat-overview) Get an overview of the WeChat channel and its capabilities. WeChat (微信 or Weixin) is a Chinese multi-purpose messaging, social media and mobile payment app developed by Tencent, a Chinese technology company. WeChat provides features like text messaging, hold-to-talk voice messaging, broadcast (one-to-many) messaging, video conferencing, video games, mobile payment, sharing of photographs and videos and location sharing. As of the end of March 2023, WeChat had over 1.3 billion monthly active users. If you have a WeChat Official Account, proceed with [connecting your WeChat Official Account to respond.io.](https://respond.io/help/wechat/wechat) ### Pricing WeChat Official Accounts are free to create. However, an [annual fee needs to be paid](https://wechatwiki.com/wechat-resources/wechat-official-account-registration-fees/#official-account-registration-fees) to verify the account. Learn more about the verification process [here](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-9). > WeChat will cancel the unverified Official Account after 30 days. ### Capturing Conversation WeChat requires users to follow your account and message you first to start a conversation to prevent brands from spamming users. WeChat has two features to get your customers to follow your account and start a conversation: - QR codes - In-app searches #### QR Codes QR codes can be displayed in physical stores and websites or used in emails you send customers to encourage them to scan it on their WeChat mobile application to follow you and initiate a conversation. Learn how to generate a QR Code [here](https://respond.io/help/wechat/wechat-overview#how_can_i_create_a_qr_code_for_my_we_chat_account). #### In-app Searches WeChat has a powerful search engine that allows users to search your official account in-app by the display name and keywords in your description. Users can easily follow you and start a conversation. Learn more about WeChat In-app search [here](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-10). ### Channel Capabilities The capabilities of WeChat are listed below: - Supported File Types - Message Status Availability - Messaging Limits #### Supported File Types The file types supported by WeChat and the maximum file size for each file type are as follows: - Image (10 MB) - Audio (2 MB) - Video (10 MB) #### Message Status Availability For WeChat, the message status availability is shown in the table below: | Message Status | Availability | | --- | --- | | Sent | ✅ | | Delivered | ❌ | | Read | ❌ | | Failed | ❌ | #### Messaging Limits WeChat has limited the amount of time businesses can chat with Contacts to prevent spamming. WeChat Official Accounts have a messaging window of 48 hours to reply to a Contact. Due to the channel’s limitation, businesses can only send up to 5 messages within this 48 hours session. The messaging window will close if 48 hours have passed or the business has reached the 5 messages limit since the last incoming message from Contact. If the Contact responds to your message, both the messaging window and message limit will be reset. > If you exceed the 5 messages limit or once the 48-hour session expires, a red exclamation mark appears next to the message sent on the platform, indicating the message is not delivered. You won’t be able to send messages after the session expires unless the Contact reopens the messaging window with a new message. ## [WeChat Quick Start](https:/respond.io/help/wechat/wechat) Connect a WeChat account to chat with customers over WeChat. ### Getting a WeChat Official Account > To connect WeChat, a WeChat Official Account is required. Read our [guide](https://respond.io/blog/wechat-official-account#toc-mobile-7) to start. ### Connecting WeChat Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on How to Connect WeChat to respond.io. **Step 1:** Click **Settings** > **Channels** **Step 2:** Click **Add Channel > WeChat > Connect** **Step 3**: Follow the steps for the **Get channel information** section > click **Next** **Step 4**: Follow the steps for the **Configure Channel** section **Step 5**: Click **Complete** to complete the setup on the respond.io platform > Use the WeChat app on your mobile phone to scan the QR code on the webpage. > Once you have completed the setup, any messages sent to your WeChat Official Account will now be received in your workspace. > WeChat audio messages do not play in Chrome because the *.wav* format is not supported. ### Channel Configuration > The WeChat Channel can be configured with a unique Channel name. This name will be used internally to identify the account. **Step 1:** Click **Settings** > **Channels** **Step 2:** Locate the WeChat Channel > click **Manage** **Step 3:** In the **WeChat Configuration page** you will see the following configurations: - Channel Name - The Channel Name can be changed and is used internally to identify the Channel. - App Secret - Channel access tokens as a means of authentication for Channels. - Webhook URL - A unique URL that sends automated messages from Channels. - Verification Token - Proves that a particular user owns a particular WeChat account. - App ID - The unique ID for a particular WeChat account. This can’t be configured. > Ensure the details are correct for messages to be received successfully in your WeChat account. **Step 4:** Click **Save Changes** to update the WeChat Configuration page ## [What is respond.io?](https:/respond.io/help/quick-start/what-is-respondio) Get a brief introduction to the respond.io platform. Respond.io is a business messaging platform that connects Contacts from any Channel to every Team. The platform allows customers to message you via any Channel and provides a 360° view of every Team in the company. We want to help you better manage your Contacts and conversations from various Channels and make it easier for you and your team to respond to your Contacts in a more efficient way. The platform also enables collaboration with your teammates. ### Features ### Shared Inbox A shared inbox allows you to collaborate with your teammates and respond to your Contacts lightning-fast. This way, you and your teammates can co-operate on conversations and deliver amazing customer experiences, faster. ### 360° Customer View No more logging in to multiple platforms — find all your customer chats in one place. No matter the Channel, you are able to find a single story for every customer. Custom Fields and Tags also make it easier to segment your customers. ### Chat Automation Less work, more messages for a more productive workforce. Create Workflows to help your teammates better manage their efforts in resolving customer issues. ### Respond on the Go The respond.io mobile app allows you to work from your mobile device on the go and at your convenience. Respond to customer conversations across Channels and enjoy access to essential information at your fingertips. ### Try it Out! The best way to discover the platform is to try it out yourself. Whether you are thinking of connecting a business messaging app to the platform or creating a web chat widget from scratch, **get started with a free trial of the respond.io platform** with the following guide. No credit card required! - Setting Up an Account If you already have a Workspace on the platform, you can brush up on platform navigation and some of our features here: - Workspace Modules If you already have a respond.io account and would like to work on your mobile device, learn more on installing and using our mobile app here: - Mobile App ## [WhatsApp Business App Quick Start (WhatsApp Coexistence)](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-coexistence) Learn how to connect the WhatsApp Business App to respond.io for seamless messaging and automation. ### Overview WhatsApp Coexistence allows you to connect your WhatsApp Business App to respond.io via the WhatsApp API using the same phone number. You can continue using the WhatsApp Business App while unlocking automation, CRM syncing, reporting, and other features on respond.io. This setup is ideal for teams that want to adopt API-based workflows gradually without giving up the app they’re already using. ### What you can do - Connect your WhatsApp Business App number to respond.io without giving up the app - Send and receive messages from both platforms - View messages sent from the app on respond.io as echo messages - Use respond.io features like automation, CRM integration, team visibility, and more > **Note:** Contact and message history syncing is currently not supported. Want this feature? [Upvote here](https://rspd.link/XZ7e) to show your interest. ### Requirements - WhatsApp Coexistence is available only to businesses actively using the WhatsApp Business App, based on Meta’s review of account age and messaging quality. - WhatsApp Business App version 2.24.17 or later. Learn more. - Add phone number to your Meta Business Manager. Learn more. - Your business must not be registered in a currently unsupported country. At the moment, this includes Nigeria and South Africa. > **Important:** You must open the WhatsApp Business App at least once every 14 days to keep your Channel connection active. If the app is not opened, the connection may be removed, affecting message deliverability. ### Setup Guide #### Add phone number to your Meta Business Manager 1. In your Meta Business Suite, Go to Settings 2. On the side menu, select WhatsApp accounts 3. Click Add > Link a WhatsApp Business account 4. Enter your phone number #### Connect Channel 1. On respond.io, go to Settings > Channels > Add Channel. Then, Select WhatsApp. 2. Click here to connect WhatsApp Business App. 3. Click Connect With Facebook and log in with your Facebook account and follow the embedded sign-up flow. 4. Complete the setup. Your WhatsApp Business App will remain usable, and you can start using respond.io **You’ll be able to:** - Continue using your WhatsApp Business App - Send and receive messages on respond.io using the same number - View messages sent from the app as echo messages ### Echo Messages Messages sent from the WhatsApp Business App will appear on respond.io as **echo messages**. These provide visibility into team conversations and allow you to sync contact data or follow up via automation. **Behavior of echo messages:** - Will not open a service window - Will not trigger automation - Will not start a new conversation - Will create a contact if one doesn’t exist ### Feature changes after connecting to respond.io Once your WhatsApp Business App is connected to respond.io (via WhatsApp Coexistence), **some native features of the WhatsApp Business App will no longer be available**. These changes are made by WhatsApp and apply to all integrations with third-party platforms like respond.io. | Feature | Change | | --- | --- | | Broadcast Lists | You will no longer be able to create or send Broadcast Lists from the WhatsApp Business App. Existing lists will become read-only. However, you can still send broadcasts using the Broadcast module on respond.io.Note: When sending broadcasts via the WhatsApp Coexistence Channel on respond.io, messages are subject to a stricter rate limit of 20 messages per second, as enforced by Meta. Exceeding this rate may cause delivery errors such as “rate limit hit.” | | Message Edit/Revoke | This feature will no longer be supported in individual (1:1) chats. | | Disappearing Messages | Automatically turned off for all individual (1:1) chats. | | View Once Messages | Disabled for all individual (1:1) chats. | | Live Location Sharing | Disabled for all individual (1:1) chats. | > For more information, you can refer to [Meta's official documentation](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/embedded-signup/custom-flows/onboarding-business-app-users#feature-comparison). ### Known Limitations (Phase 1) | Feature | Supported | | --- | --- | | Message and contact history import | No | | Group chats, calls, and status updates | No | | View past chats on WhatsApp Business App | Yes | | CRM and automation on respond.io | Yes | | Companion devices | Must be reconnected after setup | | Message rate limit (Coexistence) | Capped at 20 messages per second (per Meta’s policy) | ## [WhatsApp Business Calling API](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api) Learn how to use WhatsApp Business Calling API to receive and make calls. > **WhatsApp Business Calling API is currently in Beta.** ✅ **User-initiated calls**: Supported globally for numbers in all regions where Meta’s Business Messaging operates and WhatsApp Calls are supported on mobile. These calls can be received directly in your respond.io Inbox — free of Meta fees. ✅ **Business-initiated calls:** Supported in all countries except for numbers from **U.S.**, **Nigeria**, **Canada**, **Vietnam**, **and Turkey**. **🚫 Not supported:** Numbers from **sanctioned regions** (North Korea, Syria, Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk). ⚠️ **Limited reliability**: In some regions such as **United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt**, call reliability may vary due to local government restrictions. Calls may intermittently fail or not connect. ℹ️ Access and availability may change once the Beta period ends. WhatsApp Calls allows your business to make and receive voice calls with customers directly through the respond.io platform. ### Enable WhatsApp Calls > **Eligibility requirement:** Your WhatsApp Business number must have a messaging limit of at least **1,000 business-initiated conversations in a rolling 24-hour period** to enable WhatsApp Calls. Learn more [about WhatsApp messaging limits here](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-messaging-limits). Before you can use WhatsApp Calls, you need to enable it in your Workspace Settings. 1. In your Workspace Settings, navigate to Channels. 2. Select the WhatsApp Channel you want to enable WhatsApp calls for and click Manage. 3. Navigate to WhatsApp Calls in the left sidebar, and turn on WhatsApp Calls. > Once enabled, you will also have the option of allowing or not allowing your Contacts to call you. If turned off, your Contacts can’t call you, but you can still call them. ### Receiving calls > A minimum balance of $10 is required to receive WhatsApp calls. [Learn more](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api#why_is_a_minimum_balance_required_to_make_or_receive_calls). You will receive calls from 2 places, the Inbox sidebar and directly within a conversation with the Contact who’s calling. You can accept and decline calls in these 2 places as needed. - The Inbox sidebar - Directly within the conversation with the Contact who’s calling > While on a call, you’ll still be notified of new incoming calls but can’t accept them until the current call ends. When a call is answered, you’ll see a record button if call recording is enabled. #### Missed calls > Missed calls will be marked as Contact events, so you can follow up later. #### Call transfers Telnyx Calls now support **call transfers, allowing agents to transfer active calls to other available teammates within the Workspace.** #### How to transfer calls 1. Click the Call Transfer icon on the call card. 2. Select the agent you want to transfer the call to. 3. (Optional) Add a note to provide context before transferring. **Notes:** - Agents with restricted call capabilities won’t appear in the transfer list. - Agents who are already on a call cannot receive a transfer — the initiating agent will see a snackbar notification if the transfer fails. - If the receiving agent doesn’t answer within 30 seconds, the call automatically reverts to the initiating agent. #### Improving call pickup rates Frequent missed calls, especially those outside business hours, can lead to a poor experience for your Contacts. **To reduce missed calls and improve pickup rates**, we recommend setting your business hours in Meta Business Suite: **How to set it up:** 1. Go to Meta Business Suite 2. Navigate to WhatsApp Settings > Business Profile 3. Set your Business Hours > Calls received outside these hours will be auto-rejected by Meta, and **won’t count against your pickup rate**. ### Make a call > A minimum balance of $10 is required to make WhatsApp calls. [Learn more](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-business-calling-api#why_is_a_minimum_balance_required_to_make_or_receive_calls). First, you need a Contact’s permission to make a call. Once granted, this permission becomes **permanent unless they revoke it** > **Note:** Contacts can revoke permission at any time. If they do, you’ll need to request it again before making another call. #### How to request permission to call > **Conditions for sending permission requests:** \- **Open conversation window**: Permission requests can only be during an **open conversation window**, meaning there’s a recent chat history with the Contact. - **Request limits**: You can send **one request per 24 hours**, with a maximum of **two requests in 7 days**. - If a message template was used to open the conversation, you must first receive a reply from the Contact before sending a permission request. Go to the conversation with the Contact you wish to call. 1. Click the phone icon in the message composer > click the Request permission to call button. > The Contact will receive a notification asking for their consent. The Contact can either approve or decline the request. - If they approve, you’ll be able to call them immediately and anytime moving forward, as long as they don’t revoke permission. - If they decline, you’ll need to send another permission request again after 24 hours to call them. #### Call the Contact > **Tip:** If a Contact grants permission, you can call them anytime—even after a missed call—without needing to request permission again, **as long as the permission has not been revoked.** > Once a Contact grants permanent permission, your business may still make **up to 5 call attempts in the first 24 hours without being limited by a 7-day window.** 1. Click the phone icon in the conversation actions bar. 2. Select the phone number you want to call from the dropdown. Click to initiate the call. 3. During your call, there will be a Contact card with a call timer on the left. To end the call, click the End button. ### Pricing for WhatsApp Calls > WhatsApp does not offer free business initiated calling on the Business API. For detailed information about rates and countries, check out [Meta's official documentation here](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/cloud-api/calling/pricing). WhatsApp Calls on the Business API are charged based on the type of call and the country code of the user. Here’s a quick overview: **Inbound Calls (User-Initiated)** - Starting May 1, 2025, calls initiated by the user to the business will be free. **Outbound Calls (Business-Initiated)** - Charges apply for calls initiated by the business, which require user permission beforehand. **Pricing Details** - Rates are time-based and calculated per minute. - Prices vary depending on the country of the user calling or being called. - Calls are billed according to WhatsApp’s pricing structure, and invoices will reflect the exact usage. > Ensure you review the [country-specific rates](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/cloud-api/calling/pricing#volume-based-pricing--vbp--rate-card) to understand your costs better. ## [WhatsApp Business Platform (API) Channel Configuration](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/whats-app-business-api-channel-configuration) Learn how to configure your WhatsApp Business Platform (API) channel and manage your profile on respond.io. ### Configuring WhatsApp Channel Name A WhatsApp Business Platform (API) channel can be configured with a unique channel name. **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Channels**. **Step 2:** Locate the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) Channel > Click **Manage.** **Step 3:** Configure the Channel name, which is used internally to identify the account. **Step 4:** Click **Save Changes** to update the Channel configuration. ### Managing Profile for WhatsApp Business Platform (API) If there is a need to make a change or check your WhatsApp Business Platform (API) Profile, it can be done on the respond.io platform. **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Channels**. **Step 2:** Locate the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) Channel > **Manage > Profile** **Step 3:** If the profile hasn't been synced, click **Sync Profile** to obtain the latest WhatsApp Business Profile information from WhatsApp. **Step 4:** You may edit the following information as needed: | Fields | Description | | --- | --- | | Profile Photo | Image shown as the profile picture of the WhatsApp Business Account. An image size of 640x640 is recommended. note: Images smaller than 192x192 may cause issues when resizing during upload. | | About | The business's About text. This text appears in the business's profile beneath its profile image, phone number, and contact buttons - maximum of 139 characters. | | Address | Address of the business. Maximum of 256 characters. | | Description | Description of the business. Maximum of 512 characters. | | Email | Email address (in valid email format) to contact the business. Maximum of 128 characters. | | Vertical | Industry of the business. Must be one of these accepted values: - Automotive - Beauty, Spa and Salon - Clothing and Apparel - EducationEntertainment - Event Planning and Service - Finance and Banking - Food and Grocery - Public Service - Hotel and Lodging - Medical and Health - Non-profit - Professional Services - Shopping and Retail - Travel and Transportation - Restaurant - Other The business vertical cannot be set back to an empty value after it is created. | | Website | URLs (including http:// or https://) associated with the business (e.g., website, Facebook Page, Instagram). Maximum of 2 websites with a maximum of 256 characters each. | **Step 5:** Review the information and click **Save Profile**. ### Metadata Received by Channel Different channels provide different sets of Contact’s metadata to respond.io platform. You can obtain the following Contact's data from this channel: - Phone number - Phone number ID - Profile name - WhatsApp ID ### Supported File Types The file type supported by WhatsApp and the maximum file size for the type is as follows: - Audio & Video (16MB) - Document (100 MB) - Image (5 MB) - Sticker (100 KB) > Messages that are not supported will have a fallback display with Unsupported Message or Custom Payload text and Type (if available). For any unsupported file type or file that exceeds the maximum file size sent via WhatsApp Business Platform (API), the file will automatically be turned into a URL link on the respond.io platform. For Custom Payload, you can click *Show More* to view the JSON payload of this message. Examples of unsupported messages for WhatsApp Business Platform (API) are: - Contact Card - Reactions - Deleted Message - Polls - Ephemeral Message > Make sure that the file format of your file is supported; otherwise, the file may fail to send despite being within the size limit. This happens when the file is not converted properly. Learn more about the [supported media types here](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/cloud-api/reference/media#supported-media-types). ### Text Formatting You can use text or markdown formatting in your messages. Learn more on [how to format your text here](https://faq.whatsapp.com/539178204879377). ### Rate Limits A rate limit is the number of API calls an app or user can make within a given time period defined by the channel. Learn more about the [rate limits for this channel here](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/cloud-api/overview/). ### Limitations #### WhatsApp Groups Group Messages are not supported by WhatsApp Business Platform (API). Meta has deprecated the development of this feature. #### Unsupported number types WhatsApp does not allow VoIP, toll-free or landline numbers. This includes: - Telnyx numbers (no longer supported since January 2023) - Google Voice numbers (VoIP) ### Best Practices to Avoid WABA Disablement To ensure long-term stability of your WhatsApp Business Platform (API) setup and avoid unexpected bans or disruptions, follow these best practices: #### Use a verified and unique Meta Business Manager (MBM) - Only use one MBM per business. Creating multiple MBMs with the same business name, address, or website may be flagged by Meta. - If a previous MBM was banned, avoid using the same business details to create a new one—Meta may instantly ban it. - Verify your MBM by submitting official business documents (e.g. business license, matching website). - Control access carefully: Only grant admin rights to real Facebook profiles with consistent activity (posts, friends, etc.). - Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for all Admins. #### Manage WhatsApp Business Accounts (WABAs) responsibly - If a WABA is banned, appeal via Meta Support. Do not create a new one while the appeal is pending—this may be seen as policy evasion. - Use clear and accurate display names. For example, “Acme Co – California” is better than just “Acme”. - Do not delete and recreate phone numbers frequently (“burning” numbers). Instead, resolve the reported issue via Meta. #### Handle Facebook users the right way - Admins must use authentic Facebook accounts with real history. - Avoid using newly created or duplicate accounts solely for access purposes. - Limit access to essential team members and regularly audit MBM users. - Enforce 2FA to reduce the risk of unauthorized access. #### Keep your business aligned across platforms - Ensure your business name, address, website, and other details match across your MBM, WABA, and Ad Account. - This alignment increases trust with Meta and improves your chances of verification. #### If your WABA gets disabled - Do not panic or create a new WABA. - Submit an appeal via Meta Business Support. - Gather and provide necessary documentation (e.g., business license, proof of domain ownership). - Review and correct any violations of Meta’s Business Messaging Policy. > Following these best practices helps ensure your WhatsApp setup remains secure, stable, and compliant with Meta’s policies. ## [WhatsApp Business Platform (API) Quick Start](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-api-quick-start) Get a WhatsApp Business API account fast to start chatting with your customers. ### WhatsApp Business Platform (API) Overview WhatsApp API is designed for medium to large companies that want to use WhatsApp with multiple users. It presents an attractive opportunity for businesses to broadcast messages to a wider audience and monitor agents’ and teams’ performances. However, WhatsApp API does not come with an interface to send and receive messages. Fortunately, respond.io solves that problem by providing you with an easy-to-use messaging platform that allows businesses to easily sign up and connect to the WhatsApp API. > WhatsApp API is not free to use and incurs charges based on the number of conversations. Learn more about [WhatsApp Pricing here](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-pricing). > If you have a WhatsApp API account from another Business Solution Provider (BSP), you can [migrate your phone number to respond.io here](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/phone-number-migration-to-respond-whatsapp-business-api). ### Pre-requisites to Sign Up for a WhatsApp Business Platform (API) account Here are a few things you need to prepare and understand before getting a WhatsApp Business Platform (API) account: - Respond.io account - Phone Number OR Virtual Phone Number (NEW!) - Meta Business Manager (MBM) #### Respond.io account You’ll need [a respond.io account](https://respond.io/lp/whatsapp-api?utm_source=google-ads&utm_campaign=19951281981&utm_agid=147199650959&utm_term=whatsapp%20api%20software&creative=654558725924&device=c&placement=&gclid=CjwKCAjwjYKjBhB5EiwAiFdSfhLW4ASprbzxLm5jnda_mC3tcFfJQLwnzeLAv1G2Z6V8TPNywDjdPBoCZhsQAvD_BwE) to get access to the platform for the WhatsApp API sign up process. #### Phone Number ##### Use your own phone number - The phone number must be valid (can receive SMS or phone call for OTP verification). - If your number is already in use on the WhatsApp Personal App or WhatsApp Business App, you must delete your account first. Learn how to migrate your existing WhatsApp number.Your phone number must not be from any of these restricted countries: - Your phone number must not be from any of these restricted countries:Crimea (+7978)Cuba (+53)Iran (+98)North Korea (+850)Syria (+963) - Crimea (+7978) - Cuba (+53) - Iran (+98) - North Korea (+850) - Syria (+963) ##### Use a Meta-Provided Virtual Phone Number (NEW!) To simplify onboarding, **Meta now offers free Virtual Phone Numbers** (555 business phone numbers) during the sign-up process. **Benefits:** - No need to purchase a new phone number. - Auto-verified (No OTP verification required). - Seamless integration into the onboarding process without additional setup. These virtual numbers allow businesses to immediately complete onboarding and start using WhatsApp without delays. #### Meta Business Manager - You need a Meta Business Manager (MBM) to sign up for a WhatsApp Business Platform (API) account. However, if you currently do not have one, you can create one during the embedded sign-up process. - Ensure that your business adheres to the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy. - Ensure that you have an Admin access level in your MBM. - When filling out your business info in your MBM, ensure that your website is valid. > **What is a valid website?** - Viewable and belongs to your business - Has a matching email domain and web address - Features your company's name or logo. Having a valid website in your MBM serves as a best practice to prevent any potential issues if and when you want to apply for [Meta Business Verification](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2058515294227817?id=180505742745347). ### How to sign up for WhatsApp Business Platform (API) Watch the video below from [0:00](https://youtu.be/zAXMnAHT9uA) to [1:17](https://youtu.be/zAXMnAHT9uA?t=77) on how to sign up for a WhatsApp Business Platform (API) account. ### Connecting WhatsApp Business Platform (API) to respond.io 1. On respond.io, navigate to Workspace settings > Channels 2. Click Add Channel > look for the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) Channel card from the Channel Catalog > Click Connect. 3. Click "Get Started" and proceed through the eligibility checks. 4. Click Connect With Facebook button and log in to your Facebook account. 5. Click Continue to grant permissions for respond.io to manage your WhatsApp Business account and billing. 6. Select an existing Meta Business account or create a new account. (The following steps will show you the steps to create a new Meta Business account) 7. Fill in your business information and make sure your website is valid > Click Next. 8. Create or select your WhatsApp Business Account. To create a new account, under Choose a WhatsApp Business account, select Create a WhatsApp Business account. Under Create or select a WhatsApp Business profile, select Create a new WhatsApp Business profile > Click Next. 9. Create a WhatsApp business profile. Fill in your business details as necessary > click Next. 10. Add your WhatsApp phone number 11. Verify your phone number with the code provided via text message or phone call > Click Next. 12. Click Finish. Congratulations! You have successfully signed up and connected your WhatsApp Business Platform (API) Channel with respond.io. You can edit your profile information such as adding a profile photo, address, description and other configurations. Learn more about [managing your WhatsApp Business Platform (API) profile here](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whats-app-business-api-channel-configuration#managing_profile_for_whats_app_business_api). > Ensure your WABA/MBM currency is set to USD. This step is crucial to avoid issues with sending business-initiated conversations, even when you have sufficient credits. ### Send a Test Message Once you have successfully signed up and connected your WhatsApp Business Platform (API) Channel, you can send test messages to your WhatsApp Business Account and reply to messages on the respond.io platform. - Send a test message - Use this link https://wa.me/{phoneNumber} link to start sending test messages to your WhatsApp Business account. - Reply to the test message -Navigate to the Inbox module in the respond.io platform to send a reply. > Alternatively, you can try using our [WhatsApp Link Generator](https://respond.io/whatsapp-link-generator#Generator) to generate a chat link for your phone number to send a test message. ### What’s Next? You’ve successfully signed up for a WhatsApp Business Platform (API) account and connected the Channel to respond.io. You are now ready to move on to the next step of your journey - [Getting Ready for Inbound Conversations](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/getting-ready-for-inbound-conversations). ## [WhatsApp Cloud API](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-cloud-api) Connect a WhatsApp Cloud API account to chat with customers over WhatsApp. > You can now migrate your connected WhatsApp 360dialog account to respond.io WhatsApp Business API to enjoy higher reliability, lower costs, and access to new features. Learn more about the [migration process here](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/phone-number-migration-to-respond-whatsapp-business-api). > To connect WhatsApp Cloud API, a Facebook app with WhatsApp Product enabled is required. Read this [guide](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-cloud-api) on how to set up your Facebook app. Facebook announced the release of WhatsApp Cloud API on 20th May, and it’s available to any business of any size, big and small to communicate with customers using the official WhatsApp API. > This channel has a limited 24-hour messaging window due to WhatsApp regulations. Learn more about WhatsApp's business policy [here](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-overview#messaging_window). ### Connecting WhatsApp Cloud API Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on How to Connect WhatsApp Cloud API to respond.io. To chat with your customers over WhatsApp Cloud API, connect a WhatsApp Business Profile and Meta Business Account. > Facebook App and Meta Business Account are required and you must be the admin of both to connect. **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Add Channel** **Step 2:** Locate the WhatsApp Cloud API Channel > Click **Connect.** **Step 3:** Click the **Connect With Facebook** button. **Step 4:** Sign in using the Facebook account with admin access to the Facebook App and Meta business account. **Step 5:** In the dropdown list, select the WABA name with the WhatsApp number you would like to connect. **Step 6: Add the Callback URL.** Go back to the **WhatsApp** section in Facebook Developer App. Navigate to the **Configuration** subsection and set up the Callback URL. Add the generated Callback URL and verify the token from respond.io to the corresponding fields at the webhook dialog. **Step 7:** On the Facebook App, verify and save changes to the app. **Step 8: Subscribe to the webhook event.** On your Facebook App, select the **Webhooks** tab under the **Products** panel and select **WhatsApp Business Account** in the dropdown list. Click on subscribe messages event. **Step 9**: Click the toggle at the top of the page to turn on live mode. > Remember to fill in your privacy policy URL. If this is blank, you will not be allowed to turn on live mode. **Step 10**: Click Save Changes to complete the setup. > Once you've completed the setup, any messages sent to your WhatsApp number will now be received in your Workspace. ### Channel Configuration > WhatsApp Cloud API Channel can be configured with a unique Channel name. **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Channels**. **Step 2:** Locate the WhatsApp Cloud API Channel > Click **Manage.** **Step 3:** Configure the Channel name, which is used internally to identify the account. **Step 4:** Click **Save Changes** to update the channel configuration. ### Metadata Received by Channel Different channels provide different sets of Contact’s metadata to respond.io platform. Here’s the list of Contact’s data you’ll be able to obtain from this channel: - Phone number - Phone number ID - Profile name - Whatsapp ID ### Managing WhatsApp Cloud API Profile > If there is a need to make a change or check your WhatsApp Cloud API Profile, it can be done on the respond.io platform. **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Channels**. **Step 2:** Locate the WhatsApp Cloud API Channel > Click **Manage** > **Profile.** **Step 3**: Click Sync Profile to obtain the latest WhatsApp Business Profile information from WhatsApp. **Step 4**: Edit the following information as needed. | Fields | Description | | --- | --- | | Profile Photo | Image shown as the profile picture of the WhatsApp business account.An image size of 640x640 is recommended. | | About | The business's About text. This text appears in the business's profile beneath its profile image, phone number, and contact buttons. | | Address | Address of the business. Maximum of 256 characters. | | Description | Description of the business. Maximum of 512 characters. | | Email | Email address (in valid email format) to contact the business. Maximum of 128 characters. | | Vertical | Industry of the business. Must be one of these accepted values:AutomotiveBeauty, Spa and SalonClothing and ApparelEducationEntertainmentEvent Planning and ServiceFinance and BankingFood and GroceryPublic ServiceHotel and LodgingMedical and HealthNon-profitProfessional ServicesShopping and RetailTravel and TransportationRestaurantOtherThe business vertical cannot be set back to an empty value after it is created. | | Website | URLs (including http:// or https://) associated with the business (e.g., website, Facebook Page, Instagram). Maximum of 2 websites with a maximum of 256 characters each. | **Step 5**: Review the information and click Save Changes. ### Managing WhatsApp Message Templates > Before sending a message template to a Contact on the respond.io platform, ensure you've done the following: \- Submitted the message template for approval- Added the approved message template to the Workspace by syncing the message template #### Submitting Message Templates **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Channels**. **Step 2:** Locate the WhatsApp Cloud API Channel > Click **Manage**. **Step 3: Click Templates > Submit Template** to submit a message template for approval. **Step 4**: Fill in the required information needed to create a template. | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | Template Name | The name can only contain lowercase alphanumeric characters and underscores ( _ ) | | Category | The category to which the message template belongs. | | Language | The language that the template is written in. | **Step 5**: Create the message by filling in the necessary components, then review the message in the preview section. You may include parameters {{1}}, {{2}}, etc. as placeholders to be filled in with personalized content. | Building Block | Description | | --- | --- | | Body | The Body contains the most important text of your template. Only text is supported.You may use markdown to format the content of this block. Learn more here. | | Header | The Header is optional and serves as the title or header of your template. It supports the following: - Text - Image - Video - Document * Respond.io platform accepts uploads up to 20MB in size. | | Footer | The Footer is optional and only supports text. It can be used to provide supplementary information in your message template. | | Button | The Button is optional and adds interactivity to your templates. There are two types available: Call To Action Button - Used to send your client to a Website or call a Phone Number - Maximum one URL and Phone Number per template - URL can have a parameter or personalizationQuick Reply Button - Used to get quick answers from your client - Maximum 3 Quick Reply buttons per template - Each Quick Reply button cannot have more than 20 characters * Quick Reply Buttons are supported only on iOS, Android and web platforms, but not on Windows platform. Refer to more details here. | **Step 6: Provide sample value** This is only applicable if you have included any parameters in your message template content. > Providing sample values to the parameter in the message template will assist the WhatsApp reviewer in understanding the message you are trying to send to your Contacts. > **Important Link:** [WhatsApp Message Template guidelines](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/message-templates/guidelines) #### Syncing Message Templates **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace Settings** > Click **Channels**. **Step 2:** Locate the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) channel > Click **Manage**. **Step 3: Click Templates > Sync Template** to begin the syncing process. > The synchronization process has been completed. This means: \- The message templates will be listed with their corresponding statuses.- The last synced date time will be updated.- If your template is rejected, the rejection reason will be displayed below the rejected message template. The following table lists the possible statuses for the message templates: | Status | Description | | --- | --- | | Submitted | The message template is submitted and pending approval. | | Approved | The message template is approved and can be sent to contacts. | | Rejected | The message template is rejected and cannot be used. | > Use the search and filter at the top right corner of the listing to easily find your templates! ### Supported File Types The file type supported by WhatsApp and the maximum file size for the type is as follows: - Audio & Video (16MB) - Document (100 MB) - Image (5 MB) - Sticker (100 KB) > Messages that are not supported will have a fallback display with Unsupported Message or Custom Payload text and Type (if available). For any unsupported file type or file that exceeds the maximum file size sent via WhatsApp Cloud API, the file will automatically be turned into a URL link on the respond.io platform. For Custom Payload, you can click *Show More* to view the JSON payload of this message. Examples of unsupported messages for WhatsApp Cloud API are: - Contact Card - Reactions - Deleted Message - Polls - Ephemeral Message ### Rate Limits A rate limit is the number of API calls an app or user can make within a given time period defined by the channel. Learn more about the [rate limits for this channel here](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/cloud-api/overview/#:~:text=The%20Cloud%20API%20supports%20up%20to%2080%20messages%20per%20second%20(mps)%20combined%20sending%20and%20receiving%20of%20text%20and%20media%20messages%20by%20default%2C%20and%20up%20to%20250%20mps%20by%20request.). ## [WhatsApp Fees](https:/respond.io/help/organization-settings/whatsapp-fees) Learn how to manage your WhatsApp Business Account and view your credit balance, usage history and more. > Respond.io is now an [official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP)](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-api-quick-start)! This module allows you to manage your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) connected to the respond.io WhatsApp Business API, including: - Topping up your WABA balance - Configuring auto-recharge or balance alerts - Viewing top-up and usage history ### Getting Here To access WhatsApp fees: 1. Go to Organization Settings 2. Select WhatsApp fees **WhatsApp fees is:** - Available if you’ve connected the respond.io WhatsApp Business API to your organization. - Accessible by Organization Admins and Billing Admins only. ### WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) Each phone number connected via the respond.io API is associated with one WABA. - Shared Balance: The WABA balance is shared across all connected phone numbers. - Details Displayed: Lists the phone number, channel name, and workspace name for each connected API. #### Current Balance The current balance shows your WABA’s remaining credit, deducted immediately for **paid Service Conversations and template messages** (Marketing, Utility, Authentication). Balances may slightly differ due to processing but are adjusted monthly. If your balance reaches 0, you won’t be able to send **paid messages**. Service Conversations are covered by the free tier, but template messages (Marketing, Utility, Authentication) are not — these will fail if your balance is empty. To avoid disruptions, ensure a sufficient balance or enable [auto recharge](https://respond.io/help/organization-settings/whatsapp-fees#auto_recharge). The current balance shows the approximate remaining balance of your WABA. Your balance will be deducted immediately when a paid conversation is initiated. #### Top Up Balance To top up your WABA balance: 1. Select Top Up and enter an amount with a minimum of $10 and maximum of $2,000 per transaction. 2. A 5.5% transaction fee (charged by Stripe) applies. Learn more. 3. After payment, your balance updates instantly, and a receipt is sent to your billing email (Go to Organization Settings > Billing & Usage > Update Billing Information to find your billing email). #### Auto Recharge Enable **Auto Recharge** to automatically top up your WABA balance when it falls below a set amount. - Configure trigger and recharge amounts via the dialog box after toggling Auto Recharge. Use the Edit button to update settings anytime. - A 5.5% transaction fee (charged by Stripe) applies. Learn more. Auto Recharge helps prevent insufficient balance and account suspension. #### Balance Alert Enable **Balance Alert** to receive platform and email notifications when your WABA balance drops below a set amount. - Set the trigger amount and recipients in the dialog box after toggling Balance Alert. Use Edit to update settings anytime. - Notifications are sent only to Organization Admins and Billing Admins. #### Top Up History View all top-up transactions by clicking Top Up History. Download receipts using the View Receipt button. #### Usage History A monthly invoice summarizing WhatsApp charges is generated at the start of each month, including both **conversation charges (Service Conversations)** and **per-message charges (templates: Marketing, Utility, Authentication).** View your usage and download invoices via the **Usage History** and **View Invoice** buttons. ## [WhatsApp Message Templates](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-message-templates) Use WhatsApp Message Templates to engage with Contacts at any time. ### What are Message Templates? WhatsApp message templates are pre-defined messages that businesses can use to initiate conversations with customers. Templates can be used for a variety of purposes, including customer service, notifications, and sending promotional messages. There are a few things to keep in mind when using WhatsApp message templates. - WhatsApp message templates are not free and are charged based on the number of conversations and the template category you use. Learn more about WhatsApp pricing here. - WhatsApp Message Templates require pre-approval from Meta to ensure they abide by WhatsApp’s Business and Commerce Policies. - You can only send message templates to your customers to continue the conversation after the 24-hour Customer Service Window ends, which will start a business-initiated conversation. ### WhatsApp Message Template Categories Business-initiated conversations are broken down into 3 message template conversation categories: - Utility Templates: These templates relate to a transaction, post-purchase notifications and recurring billing statements. - Authentication Templates: These templates enable businesses to authenticate customers with passcodes during the login process such as account registration or recovery. Use copy code or one-tap autofill buttons to deliver a one-time password (OTP) via an authentication template. - Marketing Templates: These are templates to market a product or service to customers, such as relevant offers to customers who have opted in. > It’s important to choose the right template category during the submission process to avoid your message template getting rejected. Learn more about [WhatsApp message template categories here](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/updates-to-pricing/new-template-guidelines). #### Template Updates by Meta **Automatic Category Updates** > **Effective Date:** June 1, 2024 To ensure that all templates are correctly categorized, Meta will implement a recurring process that automatically identifies and updates the category of any marketing or utility templates that have been miscategorized, according to their guidelines. - Monthly Notifications: On the first day of each month, Meta will notify users of any miscategorized marketing or utility templates that will be updated on the first day of the following month. Learn more here. - Requesting a Review: Meta will also offer the option to request a review of affected templates if customers feel that a particular template’s category should not be, or should not have been, updated. Learn more here. **Per-User Marketing Message Template Limits** > **Effective Date:** May 23, 2024 - WhatsApp will limit the number of marketing conversations a user can receive from any business, based on the total marketing messages received from all businesses. - This limit applies only to new marketing conversations and does not affect ongoing marketing conversations between a business and a user. **Template Pacing for Utility Templates** > **Effective Date:** May 2024 - Template pacing will include utility messages, requiring real-time user feedback on newly created, unpaused, or non-green quality rated templates for the first 7 days. - Templates previously paused and then unpaused, or new templates without a green quality rating, will be subject to pacing to ensure high-quality user engagement. ### Setting Up Message Templates #### Rules for Creating Message Templates There are some rules to follow when creating message templates to increase the chances of your message template being approved by Meta. ##### Message Template Content Rules These are some of the content that are prohibited when sending message templates: - Threatening content - Data collection - Prohibited services - Contests or quizzes ##### Message Template Formatting Rules There are formatting rules for each part of the message template. - Name: Lowercase alphanumeric characters and underscores. Other special characters and spaces are not allowed. - Body: Cannot contain tabs or more than 4 consecutive spaces and its character limit is capped at 1,024 characters. This includes letters, numbers, special characters, and emojis. - Placeholder: Must be written within double curly brackets, like this: {{1}}. When customizing the content of a placeholder, you may include letters, numbers, or even special characters. > Learn more about [WhatsApp Message Template content and formatting rules here](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-2). #### WhatsApp Message Template Fields Overview The WhatsApp Message Template table below shows a general overview of each template. The following is a description of what each column represents: | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | Status | Indicates the current Status of the Template | | Name | Indicates the Name of the Template | | Category | Indicates the Category of the Template | | Quality | Indicates the Quality of the Template | | Language | Indicates the Language of the Template | | Label | Indicates the Label of the Template | | Actions | Indicates the icon to open up the Action menu | #### Creating and Submitting Message Templates > Meta assigns categories to message templates submitted for WhatsApp Business Platform (API) and Cloud API channels based on their [template guidelines](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/updates-to-pricing/new-template-guidelines) and the content of the templates. This can prevent your template from being rejected for miscategorization. **Step 1:** Navigate to **Settings** > **Channels**. **Step 2: Locate the WhatsApp Business API channel >** click the **Manage Templates** icon. Alternatively, click **Manage** > **Templates**. **Step 3:** In the Channel configuration page, click **Templates** > **Submit Template.** **Step 4:** Fill in the required information to create the template | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | Template Name | The name can only contain lowercase alphanumeric characters and underscores ( _ ) | | Category | The category to which the message template belongs. Learn more on how to choose a template category with these template guidelines. | | Language | The language that the template is written in. | **Step 5:** Create the message by filling in the necessary components, then review the message in the preview section. | Building Block | Description | | --- | --- | | Body | The Body contains the most important text of your template. Only text is supported.You may use markdown to format the content of this block. | | Header | The Header is optional and serves as the title or header of your template. It supports the following: • Text • Image (.jpeg, .jpg, .png) • Video (mp4) • Document (.xt, .pdf, .ppt, .doc, .xls, .docx, .pptx, .xlsx) • Location | | Footer | The Footer is optional and only supports text. It can be used to provide supplementary information in your message template. | | Button | The Button is optional and adds interactivity to your templates. There are two types available: 1) Call To Action Button - Used to send your client to a Website or call a Phone Number - Maximum one URL and Phone Number per template URL can have a parameter for personalization 2) Quick Reply Button - Used to get quick answers from your client - Maximum 3 Quick Reply Buttons per template - Each Quick Reply button cannot have more than 20 characters * Quick Reply Buttons are supported only on iOS, Android and web platforms, but not on Windows platform. Refer to more details here. | **Step 6:** Provide sample value if you have included any parameters in your message template content. > Providing sample values to the parameter in the message template will assist the WhatsApp reviewer to understand the message you are trying to send to your Contacts. **Step 7:** Click on **Submit** to submit your message template for approval. > Once you have submitted your message template for approval, you must wait approximately 24 hours for the approval process to be completed. Check your template status on the platform by navigating to Settings > Channel > your connected WhatsApp Channel > Templates. Then, sync your template to get the latest status update. #### Syncing Message Templates > WhatsApp Business Platform (API) and Cloud API message templates are now automatically synced. The purpose for syncing your message templates on the platform is to retrieve their latest [message template statuses](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/message-templates/guidelines#statuses). ##### Steps to sync message templates **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace** **Settings > Channels**. **Step 2: Locate the WhatsApp Business API channel >** click **Manage**. **Step 3:** In the Channel configuration page, click **Templates >** click **Sync Templates** to begin the syncing process. **Step 4: Syncing Completed** When the syncing is complete, the message templates will be listed with their corresponding statuses, quality ratings and the last synced date time will be updated. The rejection reason will be displayed below the rejected message template. The following table lists the possible statuses for the message templates: | Status | Description | | --- | --- | | Processing | The message template is submitted and pending approval. | | Approved | The message template is approved and can be sent to Contacts. | | Rejected | The message template is rejected and cannot be used. | | Disabled | The template has been disabled due to recurring negative feedback from customers. | | Appeal | The template is under appeal. | | In Review | The template is still under review. Review can take up to 24 hours. | | Reinstated | The template is under reinstated. | | Flagged | The status occurs when the quality rating is low. This is a warning status. If the quality rating improves to a high or medium in 7 continuous days, the status will return to Approved. | | Paused | The template has been paused due to recurring negative feedback from customers. | > Use the search and filter at the top right corner of the listing to easily find your templates. #### Review Template Status: Rejected after Submission > Meta determines the template category based on the template contents and their [template category guidelines](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/updates-to-pricing/new-template-guidelines). There could be several reasons why Meta did not approve your message template: - Technical issues: Ensure your message templates are formatted correctly and do not contain any technical errors. - Inappropriate language or tone: Avoid using offensive, harassing or spammy language. - Incorrect use of template category: Ensure the right template category is selected to match the type of message being sent. For example, when sending an authentication code to your customer, an authentication template must be used. - Violation of Meta Commerce Policy: Make sure your message templates comply with the Meta Commerce Policy, which includes guidelines on content such as spam and unapproved products or services. > Check out some other [reasons message templates gets rejected here](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-6). ##### What to do when my message template is rejected? Follow these steps to resolve the issue: - Review the rejection reason: Check the rejection reason on relevant platforms (respond.io, FBM). - Edit and resubmit the message template on:respond.io: Create a new message template, edit message and resubmit.Facebook Business Manager (FBM): Edit the message template in your FBM. Then, submit the edited message template. Learn more here. - respond.io: Create a new message template, edit message and resubmit. - Facebook Business Manager (FBM): Edit the message template in your FBM. Then, submit the edited message template. Learn more here. ### Sending Message Templates Before sending your message templates, ensure that your message template has been approved and the status is *Active*. #### Steps to send message templates: **Step 1:** Click the **Template Message** icon in the messaging bar. > To send a Message Template after the customer service window has expired, click the Send Message Template button at the bottom of the Inbox Module. **Step 2:** Select the template to send to your Contact. **Step 3:** Personalize the message and specify the parameters for the template. You may use [Dynamic Variables](https://respond.io/help/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables) to fill in the required fields i.e. the values for {{1}}, {{2}}, etc. > When a user is typing the values for the parameters, the parameters in Message Preview will be replaced with the values for users to review before sending it to the Contact. **Step 4:** Review the information and click **Send.** #### Best Practices when Sending Message Templates Before sending your message templates, there are certain best practices you can follow to ensure your message template is well-received and not being blocked or reported as spam by your customers. This is to ensure your message template quality rating remains at a high quality. Some examples include not spamming your customers and getting opt-in from your customers. ##### Obtain customer opt-in before sending message templates Opt-in is a mandatory process where businesses obtain explicit consent from their customers to send them messages. This consent is required for sending marketing, utility, and authentication conversations outside the 24-hour window after a customer's last message. ##### User preferences for receiving Marketing Templates In addition to obtaining opt-in, be aware that WhatsApp users can manage their preferences for receiving marketing messages from businesses directly in the WhatsApp app. Meta has introduced a **Template User Preferences for Marketing Messages** setting: - Users can toggle OFF marketing message templates from a business. - If toggled off, your marketing message templates will not be delivered to that contact — even if they have previously opted in. - This is a WhatsApp platform feature and is not controlled or visible from respond.io. Learn more in [Meta’s official guide here](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/cloud-api/guides/send-message-templates#user-preferences-for-marketing-messages). > Note: Always ensure your marketing message strategies respect both the opt-in and the user preferences at the Contact level. **Available Opt-In Methods:** - SMS: Requesting consent through a text message. - Website: Using a consent form or opt-in checkbox. - In a WhatsApp Thread: Directly asking for consent in a WhatsApp chat. - By phone: Using an interactive voice response (IVR) flow - In person or on paper: Obtaining written consent via a physical document. > Learn more about [getting opt-in here](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/overview/getting-opt-in/). > Learn more about [WhatsApp message template best practices here](https://respond.io/blog/whatsapp-template-message#toc-mobile-12). #### Sending Location Message Templates There are 2 ways you can send a Location message template: - Use Google Maps URL: Copy the Google Maps URL that you want to send and paste it into the URL field. > After you have entered the Google Maps URL, the fields below will be automatically filled in except the Address field which must be filled in manually. - Input address fields manually: Input the Name, Address, Latitude and Longitude fields manually. The accepted format for latitude and longitude are (3.1545313,101.7151839) or {"longitude":3.1545313,"latitude":101.7151839}. ### Edit a WhatsApp Message Template **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace** **Settings** > **Channels** **Step 2: Locate the WhatsApp Business API channel >** click the **Manage Templates** icon. Alternatively, click **Manage** > **Templates**. **Step 3:** In the Channel configuration page, click **Templates > c**lick **Edit Template** located in the **ACTIONS** menu **Step 4:** Edit the content that you wish to update **Step 5:** Click on **Submit** to submit your message template for approval. **Limitations** - Only message templates with an Approved, Rejected, or Paused status can be edited. - You cannot edit the Template Name, Template Category and Language of an approved message template. - Approved message templates can be edited up to 10 times in a 30 day window, or 1 time in a 24 hour window. Rejected or paused templates can be edited an unlimited number of times. - Editing a template from the platform can only be done with WhatsApp Business Platform (API) and WhatsApp Cloud API Channels. > After editing and resubmitting a message template for approval, it will be assigned an 'In Review' status. > After an edited WhatsApp template has been approved, the workflow and broadcast will continue to send the previous content of the template. ### Delete a WhatsApp Message Template **Step 1:** Navigate to **Workspace** **Settings** > **Channels** **Step 2: Locate the WhatsApp Business API channel >** click **Manage**. **Step 3:** In the Channel configuration page, click **Templates > c**lick **Delete Template** located in the **ACTIONS** menu. > You cannot delete sample message templates provided by Meta. The delete button will still be present, but the message template will still exist if you click delete. ## [WhatsApp Messaging Limits](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-messaging-limits) Learn how to increase WhatsApp messaging limits This article explains WhatsApp Messaging Limits: how many business-initiated conversations you can start, how limits increase, and what affects your eligibility. ### Understanding Messaging Limits Messaging limits define the **maximum number of unique WhatsApp users your portfolio can message with** [business-initiated conversations](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-pricing#business_initiated_conversations) **outside of the 24-hour customer service window, within a 24-hour period**. Conversations that customers initiate are not capped. > Check your current messaging limits and scaling information in [**Meta Business Manager**](https://business.facebook.com/settings/whatsapp-business-accounts) **> WhatsApp Manager > Overview (Limits section)**, or in the new **Messaging Limits panel** once available. - Existing businesses: Your portfolio inherits the highest limit from any phone number inside it.Example: If one number is at 100K and others are lower, the portfolio limit is set to 100K and shared across all numbers. - Example: If one number is at 100K and others are lower, the portfolio limit is set to 100K and shared across all numbers. - New businesses: New portfolios start with a limit of250 conversations per day. Any new phone numbers you add will automatically share the portfolio’s current limit. > **Note:** Since limits are shared at the portfolio level, it’s possible for **one phone number to consume all of the shared allowance** in a day. **Scaling tiers:** - 250 unique customers - 2K unique customers - 10K unique customers - 100K unique customers - Unlimited unique customer > **Important:** The quota is always calculated over a 24-hour period. Once your business meets Meta’s criteria, your portfolio can be upgraded to the next tier **within 6 hours** > Learn more on [how initiating conversations with messaging limit works](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/messaging-limits/#messaging-limits). ### **Scaling Paths (to reach 2K limit)** New business portfolios start at **250**. To unlock the **2K tier**, you must complete **one** of these scaling paths: - ✅ Verify your business in Meta Business Manager. - ✅ Have your solution provider verify your business (if you were onboarded by one). - ✅ Messaging activity path: Send 2,000 delivered messages (outside of customer service windows) tounique WhatsApp users within 30 days, using high-quality templates. Once you complete any of the above, Meta reviews your messaging quality: - If approved → your limit increases to 2K immediately. - If denied → you’ll remain at 250 and receive an alert with next steps. ### Increasing Messaging Limits **(beyond 2K)** Meta automatically reviews your portfolio to decide if you’re ready for the next tier. You qualify when: - Message Quality: Messages sent across all phone numbers and templates maintain a Medium or High rating. - Conversation Usage: In the last 7 days, you’ve initiated at least 50% of your current portfolio limit. If both criteria are met, your limit will automatically upgrade to the next tier **within 6 hours**. > If your business phone number quality rating drops, its messaging limit will not be downgraded. Here is an example of how you can increase your messaging limit from 2K to 10K in 1 day: | Time | Conversations Started | Total in Last 24h | Condition Met? | Messaging Limit | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 9 AM | 600 | 600 | ❌ (<1K) | 2K | | 12 PM | 400 | 1,000 | ✅ (50% met) | 2K | | 6 PM | – | 1,000 | – | 10K(upgraded within 6h) | ✅ **How it works:** - At 12 PM, the portfolio reaches 1,000 conversations (50% of the 2K tier). - Meta reviews eligibility. - By 6 PM (within 6 hours), the limit upgrades to 10K. > **Important:** Your quota is always measured over a **24-hour window**. The **6 hours only refers to how quickly Meta upgrades you once you qualify**, not to a reset of your quota. #### Alternate Path Program The Alternate Path Program provides you (businesses) with an alternative way to increase your WhatsApp messaging limits without relying solely on traditional business verification. Instead, you can qualify for higher messaging limits based on your messaging activity and quality. ##### How It Works: - Open 1K Conversations in 30 Days: To be eligible for the Alternate Path Program, your business must initiate 1,000 or more business-initiated conversations within a 30-day rolling period. These conversations must be conducted using templates that maintain a high-quality rating. - Quality Review: Once your business reaches the 1,000-conversation threshold, Meta will analyze your messaging quality to determine if your messaging activity warrants an increase in your messaging limit. This analysis focuses on how well your messages are received by users and the overall engagement quality. - Decision: Based on this review, Meta will approve or deny an increase in your messaging limit. If approved, your business’s messaging limit will be increased from 250 to 1,000. If denied, you may need to focus on improving your messaging quality and try again, or you may need to request an increase through support. ##### Benefits of the Program: - This program allows businesses to scale their messaging capabilities based on performance rather than just verification status. - It allows businesses facing challenges with traditional verification to still increase their messaging limits by demonstrating strong engagement and high-quality messaging. ## [WhatsApp Official Business Account (Blue Tick)](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-official-business-account-blue-tick) Learn how to get a WhatsApp Official Business Account. Distinguish your business and be more recognizable to your customers with your display name and a blue tick instead of a phone number when you message customers with a WhatsApp Official Business Account. > Learn more [about WhatsApp Official Business Account here](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/overview/business-accounts/#official-business-account). ### Pre-requisites for getting a WhatsApp Official Business Account Here are some pre-requisites before applying for a WhatsApp Official Business Account (OBA): - WhatsApp API account: A WhatsApp API account is required. Sign up here if you do not have one. - Business registered for at least 30 days: Your business must be registered on the WhatsApp Business Platform for at least 30 days before you can apply for an Official Business Account (Blue Tick). - Business Verification Complete: Ensure that your business is verified. Learn how to verify your business here. - Display name approved: If you have recently changed your display name, do check the approval status for your new display name in your WhatsApp Manager and ensure the status is approved. - Two-step verification enabled: Your WhatsApp two-step verification should be enabled by default when you connect your WhatsApp API account to respond.io. If is it not enabled, you can do so before submitting the OBA request. - Notable business: Your business must meet notability requirements. To be considered notable, your business’ brand name (same as your WhatsApp display name) must be mentioned in five articles from publications with sizable audiences and the articles must not be paid promotions. You will be required to provide links to these articles during the submission process. Learn more about business notability. > Before you submit a request, ensure that your messaging limit has been increased to 1000. You can check your current messaging limits in your [WhatsApp Accounts](https://business.facebook.com/settings/whatsapp-business-accounts) > Settings tab > WhatsApp Manager > Account tools > Phone Numbers. Learn more about [WhatsApp messaging limits](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-messaging-limits#increasing_messaging_limits). ### Steps to Apply for WhatsApp Official Business Account Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on how to apply for a WhatsApp Official Business Account. **Step 1:** In your [Meta Business Suite](https://business.facebook.com/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fbusiness.facebook.com%2F%3Fnav_ref%3Dbizweb_landing_fb_login_button%26biz_login_source%3Dbizweb_landing_fb_login_button), select your business account > **Settings** **Step 2:** **More Business Settings** > Select your WhatsApp account > **Settings** tab > **WhatsApp manager** **Step 3:** Under WhatsApp Accounts, select the phone number you want to verify for the blue tick > If you have not enabled two-step verification, you can turn it on now by navigating to the **Two-step verification** tab. **Step 4:** Go to **Profile**, fill in the details > click **Submit request** **Step 5:** On the pop-up, fill in the required information and add the supporting links to show that your business is notable. Then, click on **Submit**. > When providing the reason for requesting the blue tick, include a brief explanation of your company and its position in the market to justify your blue tick application. > Once you have completed your submission, Meta will notify you if your application was successful. If your application was not successful, you can submit your application in the next 30 days. ### Next Steps You’ve gotten your WhatsApp Official Business Account, now it’s time to show off that blue tick to even more people by allowing more people to reach out to your business. Move on to the next step in your journey - [Grow your WhatsApp Audience by Maximizing Entry Points](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp/grow-your-whatsapp-audience-by-maximizing-entry-points). ## [WhatsApp Pricing](https:/respond.io/help/whatsapp/whatsapp-pricing) Learn about WhatsApp's pricing model: Free Service Conversations and per-message template billing. > **What's changing from July 1, 2025** WhatsApp is introducing **per-message billing** for template messages (Marketing, Utility, Authentication). **Here’s what’s new:** \- **Per-message billing** replaces conversation-based pricing for template messages. - **Utility templates** sent within the **24-hour customer service window** will now be **free**. - **Volume-based pricing** applies to Utility and Authentication templates (tiered discounts based on monthly volume). - Meta may **reclassify templates** where needed — the updated category will determine the correct billing rate. - **Service Conversations** remain unchanged — they are still billed **per conversation**. Learn more about the pricing changes in [Meta’s official documentation](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing/updates-to-pricing). ### Service Conversations (Conversation-based, but free) A Service Conversation starts when your business replies to a customer’s message within the 24-hour customer service window. - All free-form messages sent during this 24-hour window are included at no cost. - There is no limit to how many messages can be exchanged. - If you do not reply to the customer, no conversation is opened. When 24 hours have passed since the Contact’s last message: - The 24-hour customer service window has closed. - You can no longer send free-form messages because Meta doesn’t allow free-form messages after the 24-hour window closes. - To continue the conversation, you must send a message template, which is billed per message based on its category (Marketing, Utility, Authentication). - Alternatively, you can wait for the Contact to reply. - Once the Contact replies, the customer service window reopens and free-form messaging becomes available again. > Learn more about [customer service windows](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/messages/send-messages#customer-service-windows). ### Template Messages (Per-Message Billing) From July 1, 2025, **all template messages** are charged **per message sent** — not per conversation. Each template message you send will incur a separate charge based on its category. #### Marketing Templates - Marketing templates are used to promote products or services, send offers, updates, or invitations. - They are charged per message sent. - There is no longer a “Marketing Conversation window.” #### Utility Templates - Utility templates are used for transactional updates, such as order confirmations, shipping updates, or recurring billing. - They are free if sent within the 24-hour customer service window (after a customer’s message). - They are charged per message if sent outside the 24-hour window. #### Authentication Templates - Authentication templates are used to verify customers, such as sending passcodes for login or account verification. - They are charged per message sent. #### Volume-Based Pricing for Utility and Authentication Templates - Meta offers volume-based pricing for Utility and Authentication templates. - Monthly pricing tiers apply — as your monthly message volume increases, tiered discounts are automatically applied. - Our platform will automatically calculate and apply the correct tiered rate based on your usage. #### Template Category Reclassification - Meta may reclassify templates based on its latest definitions. - If a template is reclassified, the updated category will determine which per-message rate is applied. - Our platform will automatically update template categories and apply the correct billing. ### Free Tier Conversations As of **November 1, 2024**, you can open an **unlimited number of Service Conversations** at no charge. (Previously capped at 1,000 free Service Conversations per month.) > Template messages (Marketing, Utility, Authentication) are **not included** in the free tier. > Learn more about [Free Tier Conversations](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing/updates-to-pricing#free-service-conversations). ### Free Entry Point Conversations Free Entry Point Conversations start when a customer messages you via: - Click to WhatsApp Ad - Facebook Page Call-to-Action button **How it works:** Businesses must respond within **24 hours** to open a **72-hour Free Entry Point conversation**. **During this 72-hour window:** - All message types are free of charge. - No other conversation categories will be opened. - Multiple templates of different categories can be sent at no cost. - If the 24-hour Customer Service Window closes before the 72-hour window ends, you can still send template messages at no cost, but not free-form messages. > Learn more about [Free Entry Point Conversations](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing/updates-to-pricing#free-entry-point-conversations). ### How are messages charged? **Summary of charges:** - Service Conversations → per conversation - Marketing Templates → per message sent - Utility Templates → free within 24h, otherwise per message - Authentication Templates → per message sent - Free Entry Point Conversations → free for 72 hours **Key points:** - Each template message is charged per message, even if sent in an existing conversation. - The concept of an open “template conversation window” no longer applies. **Pricing depends on:** - Template category - Recipient’s country > View Meta’s updated [rate cards here](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing/updates-to-pricing#rate-cards). ## [White-label API](https:/respond.io/help/article/white-label-api) Get Developer API information here to perform specific functions via API. We provide the following developer APIs that allow users to perform specific functions via API. The APIs will work for resellers too simply by changing `app.respond.io` to the custom domain. Refer to the following pages for more information on developer API. - Contacts API - Messages API - API 2.0 Documentation > Due to proxy limitations, we highly discourage resellers to use their custom domain to access the developer APIs as there may be a latency issue. > The [developer API v2.0](https://developers.respond.io/#white-label-reseller) supports a white-label domain `api.chatapi.net` for Resellers. ## [White-label Custom Domain Name](https:/respond.io/help/article/custom-domain-name) Learn how to set up your Custom Domain as a respond.io reseller. By setting up your custom domain, you will be able to set up your white-labeled platform on your own website (e.g. app.yoursite.com) instead of app.respond.io. In order to achieve this, you will have to enter your domain in the White-label Module and add a CNAME record to your DNS settings that point your custom domain to `hosting.respond.io`. > This feature is only available for official respond.io Reseller Partners. ### Setting Up domain at respond.io **Step 1: Navigate to the White-label Module** Find the Domain Settings section. **Step 2: Specify the custom domain** Under the Custom Domain Name section, enter the domain that you would like to use (e.g. `https://app.yoursite.com`, `https://platform.yoursite.com`, or `https://www.yoursite.com`). > For more information on setting up your white-labeled platform, check out our [Reseller Program page](https://respond.io/help/partnership/reseller-program-overview-get-started#becoming_a_reseller). ### Setting Up Your Domain at DNS To set up your domain, you will need to add a CNAME record to your DNS settings that point to respond.io. **Step 1: Sign in at your domain's host website** First, you will have to sign in to your domain host's website. Your domain host is typically where you purchased your domain name (e.g. [GoDaddy](https://godaddy.com/), [Enom](https://www.enom.com/), or [Name.com](https://www.name.com/)). > If you do not know who your domain host is, you can take a look at this [guide](https://support.google.com/a/answer/48323) to identifying your domain host by Google. **Step 2: Add a CNAME record** > Please ensure that the traffic for your DNS record Name is not proxied to Cloudflare. Once you have logged into your domain host's website, you will need to add a new CNAME record. > For more specific instructions, you can visit your domain host's documentation. Alternatively, you may want to contact their support team for help. Go to your domain’s DNS records. Here, you want to add a record to your DNS settings, selecting CNAME as the record type. When adding a new CNAME record, you will need to include three fields: | Field Name | Instructions | | --- | --- | | Host (or Name) | This is the subdomain of your site.For example, if your site is yourdomain.com and you wish to host our platform under app.yourdomain.com, then you would enter app for this field.You can also enter www to host it under www.yourdomain.com. | | Values (or Points to) | The Value is where your CNAME record will point to.Enter hosting.respond.io. | | TTL | The Time to Live is how long the server should cache this information (in seconds).Enter 43200 for 12 hours. | After filling in the fields, save your new CNAME record to be updated onto your domain host. > It can take up to 48 hours for changes to take effect across global servers. However, they typically happen much sooner. If your Custom Domain does not work right away, the CNAME probably has not propagated yet. > Once your CNAME records have been updated, you will be able to log onto your Reseller Platform through your domain. ### Troubleshooting If for some reason your custom domain name still does not work after following the above instructions, you may want to try creating a new record that points to `47.52.81.46`. #### HTTP 404 Error Message If you receive a 404 error message when trying to access your custom domain, even after your DNS record has been updated, it’s because the custom domain hasn't been configured on the respond.io platform. On the respond.io platform, log in with your Reseller account and follow [these instructions](https://respond.io/help/partnership/custom-domain-name). ## [White-label Invite Teammates & Create Workspaces](https:/respond.io/help/article/white-label-invite-teammates-create-workspaces) ### **Invite teammates** Once you have done the above, you can invite teammates to co-manage this organization with you. We have different organization access levels to suit your organization's needs. You can learn more about the different organization access levels provided in respond.io. - Organization Users ### **Create Workspaces and Invite Users** You can create multiple workspaces and invite users to the workspaces. Learn more on how to manage workspaces and users: - Workspaces - Organization Users ### Best Practices **1\. Provide Manager or Agent access to your customers and their users** If you have a client or a customer, invite the person in charge of the space as a Manager or Agent instead of an Owner. This way, you can restrict them from deleting any important configuration within the platform. **2\. Ensure that you only provide Organization Member access to your customer and their users** Organization members do not have access to the organization settings and therefore they cannot make changes to this module at all. **3\. Engage a user admin to manage the user accounts of the organizations** We provide an organization role, User Admin to manage the users and their access levels within the organizations. This role will enable a user to add, delete or edit a user, their access to spaces and access levels within the organization. **4\. Wait until all is sorted out before inviting your customer and their users to the platform** To prevent your customers and their users from receiving marketing emails from respond.io, we will need to manually remove your organization from the marketing subscription list. It will require 7 working days to process the unsubscription. If you would like to escalate this process, please contact our support team on this. ## [White-label Platform Appearance](https:/respond.io/help/article/platform-appearance) Learn how to manage the white-label platform appearance to suit your branding needs. ### Getting Here > This feature is only available for official respond.io Reseller Partners. From the organization settings, press on the White-label menu item to access the white-label module. ### Brand The brand of the platform can be changed and customized for your branding needs. | Brand Item | Type | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | Name | Text | The name is to be used across the platform and some other places such as email and etc. | | Theme Color | HEX Color Code | The primary color to be used across the platform. | | Original Logo | Image (JPG, PNG or SVG)Minimum 140px(W) x 14px(H) | The logo is to be displayed across the platform. | | Alternate Logo | Image (JPG, PNG or SVG)Minimum 140px(W) x 14px(H) | The full white version of the logo is to be displayed across the platform. | | Square Logo | Image (JPG, PNG or SVG)Minimum 64px(W) x 64px(H) | The square logo is to be displayed across the platform. | ### Help Button In the Help Button section, you can modify the Help Button that appears on the top bar of the platform for users who require assistance. You can set the URL link so that it takes users to your own documentation/help pages. You can also link them to where they can contact you for support, e.g. your Facebook Messenger link. If you wish to remove the button entirely, you can toggle off the Enable Hide Button toggle. ## [Workflow Steps Overview](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-steps) Learn about the fundamental configurations of a Workflow Step and discover all the available Steps in a Workflow. ### Getting Started To begin building your Workflow and defining its next Steps, you first need to set up a [Trigger](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers). Once the Trigger is configured, you can proceed with adding and configuring the necessary Steps. Here are the various actions you can perform with Workflow Steps: - Add a Step - Configure a Step - Edit a Step name - Duplicate a Step - Move a Step - Delete a Step ### Add a Step To add a new action within the Workflow, add a Step by clicking on the + node to select the desired action from the list. > **Important information:** Maximum 100 Steps per Workflow. ### Configure a Step To configure a Step, click on a step to access the configuration drawer on the right and customize its settings according to your preferences. Depending on the specific Step, you can add various configurations and other advanced settings. ### Edit a Step Name To edit the Step name, click the Edit icon and input the desired name for this Step. Then, click the green tick icon to confirm the changes. ### Duplicate a Step To copy a Step in the Workflow, hover over the Step and click the Copy icon that appears on the top right. To paste a copied Step in the Workflow, click on the + node you want to paste the Step in and select Paste Step (with the copied step name) in the Add Step menu. > Step duplication is only possible within the same workflow. ### Move a Step Click and hold the Step and drag it to the desired position to move a Workflow Step. When moving a parent Step with child Steps attached beneath it, all the child Steps will be moved together with the parent Step. ### Delete a Step To remove a Step from a Workflow, hover over the Step and click the **Delete** icon that appears on the top right. If you delete a Step with branches (e.g. Branch, Send a Message), all the subsequent Steps will also be deleted. A dialog box will appear to confirm this action. ### List of Steps Below is a list of available steps in the Workflows module. You can click on each step to learn more about its functions. | Step | Description | | --- | --- | | AI Objective (legacy) | Automate conversations using AI Objective. This step is a legacy feature and will be removed in the near future. | | ​Send a Message​ | Send a customized message with specific content to the Contact.​ | | ​Ask a Question​ | Prompt the Contact with a specified question on the Last Interacted Channel. | | ​Assign To​ | Assign the Contact to a specific user, a user in a team, a user in a workspace, or unassign it.​​ | | Branch | Create Workflow Branches based on conditions to direct the flow of the Workflow. | | ​Update Contact Tag​ | Add or remove one or multiple Contact Tags associated with the Contact. | | ​Update Contact Field​ | Modify the values of Contact Fields for the Contact. | | ​Open Conversation​ | Open a Conversation with the Contact. | | ​Close Conversation​ | Close the active Conversation with optional closing notes. | | ​Add Comment​ | Add an internal comment about the Contact or conversation. | | ​Jump To​ | Redirect the Workflow to a different Step in the journey. | | ​Wait​ | Pause the Workflow for a specified period of time before advancing. | | Trigger Another Workflow | Allows a Contact to continue in another Workflow from a particular Step or the beginning of a chosen Workflow. | | ​Date & Time​ | Create Workflow Branches based on date or time conditions. | | HTTP Request | Send an HTTP request to another application for integration purposes. | | Add Google Sheets Row | Add information from the Workflow to a Google Sheet. | | Send Conversions API Event | Sends conversion events back to Meta when a Meta ad is clicked, or a message related to a Meta ad is received. | | Send TikTok Lower Funnel Event | Sends conversion events back to TikTok when a TikTok ad is clicked or a message related to a TikTok ad is received. | ## [Workflow Triggers](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers) Learn all about Triggers and how they can be used to make a Workflow run. ### Workflow Trigger A Trigger is an event that will initiate a Workflow. Every Workflow must start with a Trigger and can have only one Trigger. All Triggers are defined by conditions. A Trigger will only fire and initiate a Workflow when all conditions are met. Start creating your Workflow by selecting the Trigger and configuring it accordingly. Here is the list of available Triggers: | Trigger | Description | | --- | --- | | Conversation Opened | Triggered when a conversation with the Contact is opened. | | Conversation Closed | Triggered when a conversation with the Contact is closed. | | Contact Tag Updated | Triggered when a specified tag is added to or removed from the Contact. | | Contact Field Updated | Triggered when the specified contact field is updated or edited. | | Shortcut | Triggers when the shortcut is selected from the Inbox module. | | Incoming Webhook | Triggers when an external app or service sends an HTTP POST request. | | Click-to-Chat Ads | Triggers when an Ad is clicked or an Ad related message is received. | | Manual Trigger | Triggers for a Contact when the Trigger Another Workflow Step is executed and linked with a Workflow with this trigger. | | TikTok Messaging Ads | Triggers when a TikTok ad is clicked or a TikTok ad-related message is received. | | Lifecycle Updated | Triggers for a Contact when their Lifecycle stage is updated. | After the Trigger has been specified, move on to [Step configuration](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-steps#workflow_step). Choose any of the available steps. #### Advanced Settings Each Trigger setting has an Advanced Settings toggle at the bottom that specifies Trigger once per contact (except for Manual Trigger). This restricts Contacts from ever repeating this Workflow, so they can only go through the Workflow journey a single time. When the toggle is ON, the Workflow will not be triggered for any Contact who has enrolled in this Workflow before, even if the condition was set to OFF when it happened. **Configuration of Trigger** Every Workflow has to start with a Trigger and can only have a single Trigger. When the trigger conditions are met, the Workflow will be carried out sequentially on the triggering Contact. ### Trigger: Conversation Opened Initiates the Workflow when a conversation with the Contact is opened and all trigger conditions are met. **Configuration** The trigger condition for this Workflow is limited to source, which identifies how the conversation was opened. Where no conditions are added, the Workflow will trigger whenever a conversation is opened no matter the Source. The Sources are as follows: | Source | Description | | --- | --- | | User | The conversation is opened by the User (outbound conversations).Common use cases:New features updatesFollow-up messages | | Workflow | The conversation is opened by a Workflow step. | | Contact | The conversation is opened by the Contact (inbound conversations).Common use cases:Contact routingContact assignment | | API | The conversation is opened by the Developer API. | | Zapier | The conversation is opened by a Zap. | | Make | The conversation is opened by Make. | | Click-to-Chat Ads | The conversation is opened by clicking on an Ad. | For each Source, a maximum of 10 conditions is allowed with either AND or OR logical operators. Each condition is required to have its own source, an operator and a value. **Trigger Variables** All trigger variables for the Conversation Opened trigger reflect information related to the conversation, such as conversation first incoming message. Learn more about trigger variables for the [Conversation Opened trigger here](https://respond.io/help/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables#workflow_trigger_variables). ### Trigger: Conversation Closed > Adding conditions to the conversation close trigger is optional. If no conditions are added, the Workflow will trigger whenever a conversation is closed no matter the Source. Initiates the Workflow when a conversation with the Contact is closed and all trigger conditions are met. **Configuration** There are two possible trigger conditions for Closed Conversations: Source, which identifies who closed the Conversation, and Category, which identifies the conversation's classification. The following Sources will trigger this Workflow if they close a conversation: | Source | Description | | --- | --- | | User | The conversation is closed by the User. | | Workflow | The conversation is closed by a Workflow step. | | Bot | The conversation is closed by bot. | | API | The conversation is closed by the Developer API. | | Zapier | The conversation is closed by a Zap. | | Make | The conversation is closed by Make. | > Conversation closed by merging contact will NOT trigger a Workflow. This Workflow will also be triggered if conversations related to specified Categories are closed. These Categories are determined in the Closing Notes section of the platform. In Workflows, they will appear as choices in the dropdown menu for values. For each Source and Category, a maximum of 10 conditions is allowed with either AND or OR logical operators. Each condition is required to have its own source, an operator and a value. **Trigger Variables** All trigger variables for the Conversation Closed trigger reflect information related to the conversation, such as conversation resolution time, first response time and the closing summary of the conversation. Learn more about [trigger variables for the Conversation Closed trigger here](https://respond.io/help/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables#workflow_trigger_variables). ### Trigger: Contact Tag Updated Initiates the Workflow when specified Tags are added to or removed from a Contact. **Configuration** To configure this Workflow, select an action that will act as a Trigger. The options are when a Tag is added to a Contact or when a Tag is removed from the Contact. Next, select Tag(s) that will be the condition(s) to be met for the Workflow's initiation. > Importing contacts with tags or custom fields doesn't automatically trigger Workflows. To activate Workflows after importing, a secondary action is required. For more information on initiating Workflows post-import, refer to our developer API or integration tools like Make/Zapier. ### Trigger: Contact Field Updated Initiates the Workflow when a specified Contact Field is updated. **Configuration** Any Contact or Custom Field can be configured as a Trigger for this Workflow. Select the Contact Field that will act as a condition for this Trigger. Any update to this field will initiate the Workflow. > Importing contacts with tags or custom fields doesn't automatically trigger Workflows. To activate Workflows after importing, a secondary action is required. For more information on initiating Workflows post-import, refer to our developer API or integration tools like Make/Zapier. ### Trigger: Shortcut Initiates a selected Workflow from the Shortcut menu in the **Inbox** module. **How it Works** Shortcut refers to a Workflow that is created with the trigger ‘Shortcut’. This feature allows Users to launch Workflows that have Shortcut as a trigger without leaving the **Inbox** module. In the **Inbox** module, click the Shortcut icon at the toolbar of the message composer. This will open the Shortcuts menu, which shows all the Shortcuts published in the Workspace. Select the desired Shortcut to initiate its Workflow. The Shortcut icon will be disabled if there are no Shortcuts created and published in the Workspace. > If you do not wish to allow Agents to initiate Shortcuts, disable it in the [Advanced Restrictions settings under Workspace User Settings](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/users#editing_users)​. **Configuration** You can configure Shortcuts with individual icons, names and descriptions. When the Shortcuts menu opens, these will be displayed to allow you to easily identify and select the desired Shortcut. **Shortcut Form** In the configuration drawer of the Shortcut trigger, you can opt to create a Shortcut form. Any time the Shortcut is triggered, the form will open. The Workflow will only be initiated after the form has been filled in by the User. The Shortcut form can be customized with form fields to input data or comments. The values filled in can be saved as variables and used in the Workflow. **To add a form field:** 1. Click the + Add Form Field button. 2. Name the form field. For e.g. Order ID, Refund Reason. 3. Select the field type. The available field types are: - Text - List (dropdown) - Checkbox - Number - Date - Time - Phone Number - Email - URL 4\. Name the variable for this field. 5\. Use the output variables in the Workflow Steps. Learn more about [output variables here](https://respond.io/help/dynamic-variables/dynamic-variables#workflow_trigger_variables). 6\. Set the form field as required by switching the **Required** toggle to ON. This makes it mandatory for Agents to fill in the data or comments. ### Trigger: Incoming Webhook Initiates the workflow when a specific event occurs on a third party application and the information is sent via HTTP request. > This trigger is available for **Business plan and above only**. **Configuration** Once you select this trigger, a unique webhook URL is automatically generated for each of your workflows. You will send HTTP POST requests to this URL to eventually trigger the workflow. You will then need to provide the JSON key in your payload that matches the contact identifier type. This allows our system to identify which Contact or Contacts will be triggered by the workflow. It has a max character limit of 500. There are three main Contact identifier types (how we identify a Contact): - Contact ID - Email - Phone number You can also store the parameters in your incoming webhook payload as variables so you can use them in other steps in the workflow depending on your use case. **Requirements:** - The JSON key in your payload must match the text in the JSON field on the platform. - The same JSON key cannot be saved twice; it must be a defined value (not an object or an array). - The JSON key has a max character limit of 500. You will complete the process by saving the JSON key-value to a variable. The variable must be unique in text and has a max character limit of 30. A maximum of 10 variables is allowed. Please note that only JSON body can be saved. **Example** How to fill in the JSON key to save a response for different response formats: To save the phone number in the above JSON Body, use $.phone as the JSON key. To save the phone number in the above JSON Body, use $.custom\_fields.phone. To save the first name ‘Jane’ in the above JSON Body, use $.data.contacts\[1\].firstName. ### Trigger: Meta Click-to-Chat Ads Initiates the workflow when a Facebook Ad is clicked or when a message related to the Ad is received. **Configuration** After selecting this trigger, connect your Facebook account to configure it. Once connected to Facebook, select the Ad Account and relevant ads that you want the Trigger to be linked to. > Only ads created and managed in the Ads Manager can be selected from here. If you created Ads from within a Meta application, e.g., Meta Business Suite or Instagram, they will not be listed here for selection. **Ad selection** Select **All ads** to apply to **all current and future ads** in the selected Ad Account. - To enable this, choose the “All Ads” option from the new segmented control button. - When this option is selected, the Workflow will automatically trigger for all ads managed in the selected Ad Account, including any ads added in the future. > If you prefer to target specific ads, select the **“Selected Ads”** option to manually choose ads from the dropdown. **Trigger Variables** When a Meta Click-to-Chat ad is triggered, respond.io retrieves **metadata** from the ad and stores it in **Trigger Variables**. These variables are useful for personalizing messages, routing leads, and passing campaign data to external tools. **Available variables:** | Variable | Description | | --- | --- | | $clicktochat.ad_timestamp | Time the ad was clicked | | $clicktochat.ad_first_incoming_message | First message sent by the contact | | $clicktochat.ad_channel_id | ID of the messaging channel | | $clicktochat.ad_channel_type | Channel type (e.g. Messenger, WhatsApp) | | $clicktochat.ad_contact_type | Type of contact (e.g. new or existing) | | $clicktochat.ad_id | Ad ID | | $clicktochat.ad_name | Name of the ad | | $clicktochat.ad_campaign_id | Campaign ID | | $clicktochat.ad_campaign_name | Campaign name | | $clicktochat.ad_adset_id | Ad Set ID | | $clicktochat.ad_adset_name | Ad Set name | | $clicktochat.ad_ad_url | URL of the ad | | $clicktochat.ad_reference | Reference string attached to the ad | | $clicktochat.ad_status | Status of the ad | | $clicktochat.ad_objective | Objective of the campaign (e.g. Leads, Traffic) | | $clicktochat.ad_optimization_goal | Optimization goal defined in Ads Manager | | $clicktochat.ad_destination_type | Destination type (e.g. Messenger, WhatsApp) | > **Note:** These variables may return null depending on the metadata received from Meta. They are only available during Workflow execution after the ad is triggered. **How to use** Use any variable in your Workflow steps by referencing it with a dollar sign $. For example: - Send a personalized message: Hi! Thanks for clicking on our $clicktochat.ad_name ad! - Add the campaign name to a Google Sheet - Branch workflows based on campaign or ad set ### Trigger: TikTok Messaging Ads Initiates the workflow when a TikTok ad is clicked or when a message related to the ad is received. **Configuration** After selecting this trigger, connect your TikTok ads account in Integrations to configure it. Once connected to TikTok, select the Ad Account and relevant ads that you want the trigger to be linked to. > Only ads created and managed in the TikTok Ads Manager can be selected from here. **Ad selection** Select **All ads** to apply to **all current and future ads** in the selected Ad Account. - To enable this, choose the “All Ads” option from the new segmented control button. - When this option is selected, the Workflow will automatically trigger for all ads managed in the selected Ad Account, including any ads added in the future. > If you prefer to target specific ads, select the **“Selected Ads”** option to manually choose ads from the dropdown. **Trigger Variables** When a TikTok ad interaction triggers the Workflow, respond.io retrieves **metadata** about the ad and stores it in **Trigger Variables**. These variables can be used throughout the Workflow for personalization, routing logic, and integration with external tools (e.g., Google Sheets). **Available variables:** | Variable | Description | | --- | --- | | $tiktokmessagingad.ad_timestamp | Time the ad was clicked | | $tiktokmessagingad.ad_first_incoming_message | First message sent by the contact | | $tiktokmessagingad.ad_channel_id | ID of the messaging channel | | $tiktokmessagingad.ad_channel_type | Channel type (e.g. TikTok) | | $tiktokmessagingad.ad_contact_type | Type of contact (e.g. new or existing) | | $tiktokmessagingad.ad_id | Ad ID | | $tiktokmessagingad.ad_name | Name of the ad | | $tiktokmessagingad.ad_campaign_id | Campaign ID | | $tiktokmessagingad.ad_campaign_name | Campaign name | | $tiktokmessagingad.ad_adgroup_id | Ad group ID | | $tiktokmessagingad.ad_adgroup_name | Ad group name | | $tiktokmessagingad.ad_operation_status | Operation status of the ad | | $tiktokmessagingad.ad_secondary_status | Secondary status of the ad | > **Note:** Not all variables may be available for every ad interaction. These variables can return null if the information is not provided by TikTok. **How to use** Use these variables in any Workflow step by referencing them with a dollar sign $. For example: - Add a tag: $tiktokmessagingad.ad_campaign_name - Update a custom field - Pass metadata to external apps via HTTP Request or Google Sheets ### Trigger: Manual Trigger The Manual Trigger can’t work on its own. It can only run through the Trigger Another Workflow Step. > Learn more about the [Trigger Another Workflow Step here](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-trigger-another-workflow). If you’re connecting two or more Workflows together with the Trigger Another Workflow Step, you can use the Manual Trigger on the Workflows connected to the original Workflow. This means the connected Workflows will only work when a Contact enters the Workflow with the Trigger Another Workflow Step. **Configuration** The Manual Trigger can only be used with the Trigger Another Workflow Step. Let’s say Workflow A is created with the Manual Trigger, and it’s connected to Workflow B. Workflow A will only trigger when Workflow B is published, and a Contact will enter Workflow A through the Trigger Another Workflow Step. ### Trigger: Lifecycle Updated The Lifecycle Updated Trigger initiates a workflow whenever a Contact’s Lifecycle Stage changes. This allows you to automate actions based on Contact progression through your sales stages, such as lead qualification, follow-ups, or customer retention efforts. #### **Configuration** **Enable Lifecycle in Settings** Ensure the Lifecycle feature is enabled in your workspace settings. If Lifecycle is not enabled, you will need to turn it on before configuring this Trigger. **Select Lifecycle Stage(s)** After selecting this Trigger, choose the Lifecycle Stage(s) that will initiate the workflow. - All Stages: Triggers the workflow whenever a Contact’s Stage is updated, regardless of the specific stage. - Specific Stages: Triggers the workflow only when a Contact’s Stage is updated to one or more selected Stages. You can select one or multiple Stages as needed. **Configure Advanced Settings (Optional)** - Trigger When Cleared: Optionally, enable this setting to trigger the Workflow when a Contact’s Lifecycle Stage is cleared, leaving no assigned Stage. - Trigger Once Per Contact: When enabled, this ensures the Workflow is triggered only once for each Contact, even if they re-enter the selected Stage. > Use our [Google Sheets template](https://respond.io/help/convert-leads/how-to-automate-lifecycle-tracking-in-google-sheets) to capture key data and track conversion rates with the Update Lifecycle Step. ## [Workflows Overview](https:/respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview) Learn how to view, set up and manage Workflows automation. ### Getting Here > This module is only accessible by Owners and Managers. You can access this module by selecting **Workflows** from the side navigation menu. The Workflows Module is a visual Workflow builder used to automate processes. Workflows can incorporate elements like Contact data to build automation such as automated messaging, auto-assignment and more. A Workflow consists of a [Trigger](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers) and one or more [Steps](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-steps). ### Workflows Module > Use the 🔍 at the top of the Workflows Module to quickly find a Workflow. The main page of the Workflows Module is a listing page. It provides an overview of the Workflows in your Workspace. Below are the actions that can be performed in Workflows: - ​Creating a New Workflow​ - Creating a New Workflow from a Selected Template - ​Saving a Workflow​ - Testing a Workflow - ​Publishing a Workflow​ - ​Stopping a Workflow - Stopping a Workflow for a Contact​ - ​Editing a Workflow​ - Cloning a Workflow - Deleting a Workflow - Exporting a Workflow - Importing a Workflow #### Creating a New Workflow To create a Workflow: 1. Navigate to the Workflows main page. 2. Click + Add Workflow. 3. Name the Workflow. 4. Click Create. The Workflow Builder will be displayed. 5. Start building the Workflow by selecting a Trigger. You can then add steps along with the necessary configurations or conditions. 6. Once completed, click Save. The Workflow created will be in Draft status. > **Important information:** You can create up to a maximum of 150 Workflows per Workspace. #### Creating a New Workflow from a Selected Template Create a Workflow from the list of templates: 1. Navigate to the Workflows main page. 2. Click the + Add Workflow button. 3. Click Use Template on the preferred template. 4. Click the Use Template button. The pre-built Workflow will be created. Update the steps highlighted in red. 5. Once completed, click Save. The Workflow created will be in Draft status. #### List of Workflow Templates | Workflow Template Name | Description | | --- | --- | | Assignment: Least Open Contacts | Assign a Contact to the team member with the least open Contacts every time a Contact starts a conversation. | | Assignment: Round Robin | Assign a Contact to a team member round robin every time a Contact starts a conversation. | | Assignment: Round Robin + Online Only | Assign a Contact to an online team member round robin every time a Contact starts a conversation. | | Assignment: Unassign After Conversation Closes | Unassign Contact from a team member every time a conversation is closed. | | Away Message | Send an away message every time a Contact starts a conversation. Turn it on and off by toggling the workflow on and off. | | Away Message with Business Hours | Send an away message every time a Contact starts a conversation outside your business hours. | | Click to Chat Ads: Appointment Scheduling | Provides contact a link to your business calendar to enable them to schedule an appointment. | | Routing: New & Returning Contacts | Identify new and returning Contacts to route them differently every time a Contact starts a conversation. | | Welcome Message | Send a welcome message every time a Contact starts a conversation with you. | | Welcome Message & Ask For Email | Send a welcome message every time a Contact starts a conversation with you and ask for the email if you don't have it. | | Welcome Message & Ask For Phone Number | Send a welcome message every time a Contact starts a conversation with you and ask for the phone number if you don't have it. | | Click to Chat Ads: Assignment | Assign a Contact to a team member with expertise in handling as inquiries every time a Contact starts a conversation from a Click to Chat ad. | | Click to Chat Ads: Share Product Information + Route to Sales | Send product information and direct interested contacts to Sales agents for contacts coming from CTC ads. | | Issue Escalation | Create a shortcut button to ensure agents follow the process & provide a summary when escalating issues to 2nd level support teams like Finance and Technical Support. | | Multi-Level Chat Menu (Main Menu) | Create an extensive chat menu with a wide range of interactive options for contacts to explore before assigning to an agent. Combine this with the Multi-Level Chat Menu (Sub) template to reveal more relevant options that interest contact or to return back to the Main Menu. | | Multi-Level Chat Menu (Sub Menu) | Show contacts a Sub Menu triggered from the Main Menu to answer FAQs and provide an option for contacts to return to the Main Menu. | | Multi-Team Routing: Multiple Choice by Contact | Assign a Contact to a team member based on the team the Contact wants to talk to every time a Contact starts a conversation. | | Multi-Team Routing: Shifts | Assign a Contact to a team member based on the current shift (business hours) every time a Contact starts a conversation. | | Request Consent: Privacy | Get a Contact's privacy consent before continuing the conversation. | | Shift Transfer | Enable your agents to transfer Contacts to the next shift using round robin logic & ensure agents provide a conversation summary. | | Simple Chat Menu | When contacts first message your business, you can automatically respond with a chat menu, offering self-service options for common inquiries and an option to speak to an agent. Show a chat menu to the Contact to answer frequently asked questions (FAQs) about products, services & your company and understand their interests before assigning to a live agent when required. | | Welcome Message: Channel Specific | Send a different welcome message to Contacts for each channel. | | CSAT to Data Warehouse | Send a CSAT to measure customer satisfaction of your agent's support after closing a conversation and send the data to a data warehouse for analysis. | | CSAT to Google Sheets | Send a CSAT to measure customer satisfaction of your agent's support after closing a conversation and send the data to a google sheet for analysis. | | Routing: VIP Contacts | Get contact data from a data warehouse to identify VIP contacts and route them for specialized service every time a contact starts a conversation. | | Broadcast Response: Assign to Agent | Assign Contacts to Agents based on their broadcast response. | | Sales Call Report | Create a Shortcut for Sales agent to share a report on their call with Contacts. | | Unsubscribe from Broadcasts | Identify Contacts who unsubscribe from broadcast messages before sending the Contact a confirmation message and mark the Contact as opted out from receiving future broadcast messages. | | Contact Routing: Ask Language Preference | Ask for Contact’s preferred language, update their language preference on the platform, and connect them with the appropriate team of Agents. | | Contact Routing: By Language | Identify the preferred language of incoming Contacts automatically and direct them to the suitable team of Agents. | #### Saving a Workflow A Workflow can be saved by clicking the **Save** button in the Top Bar of the Workflow Builder. > \- You cannot save a Workflow that contains a trigger but has no Step. - You can save a Workflow only when all Step configuration errors have been resolved. **Resolving Workflow Errors** If a Step in the Workflow is configured incorrectly, the ⚠ sign will appear in the Top Bar. Hover over the icon to see which Steps have configuration errors. Click on the Step in the dropdown list to identify it in the Workflow builder and open its settings in the configuration drawer. #### Testing a Workflow > The Test Workflow feature does not support two specific Channels: **Custom Channel** and **WeChat**. You can test your workflow before publishing it by clicking the **Test** button in the Top Bar of the Workflow Builder. This button is enabled once you have resolved any errors in your workflow. 1. On the Test Workflow dialog, select a channel from the Channel dropdown list to test your workflow. 2. If your workflow trigger (e.g. Conversation Opened) has trigger variables, the Trigger Variable (optional) dropdown displays on the dialog. You can select the required dummy values for testing. You can also leave the fields empty; they will be considered null and the workflow will be tested using null values.The dummy values for workflow triggers you provide while testing the workflow do not apply to the workflow once it's published. Once published, the date and time defined in the Date & Time Step will be used for validation. Learn more about Workflow Trigger Variables here. 3. Click Next. 4. On the Test Workflow dialog, the QR code and chat link for the selected channel are displayed. Scan the QR code using a mobile device or click the link to open the chat in your browser. 5. Send the code (e.g. TEST1234) on the opened channel to trigger the workflow for testing. 6. You can send the code as many times as you need to trigger the workflow so you can test it. The code cannot be used once the End Testing button is clicked. 7. Click End Testing to close the Test Workflow dialog when you are done testing. #### Publishing a Workflow To start a Workflow, you need to publish it. A Workflow can be published from two places: - From the Actions menu in the Workflows listing page - With the Publish button inside the Workflow Builder The Workflow will run once it is published. Contacts who meet the trigger criteria will enter the Workflow. To edit a published Workflow, you need to first stop the Workflow. > You can only publish a Workflow that is in the **Draft** or **Stopped** status. #### Stopping a Workflow > When a Workflow is stopped, all enrolled Contacts will be ejected immediately. They will not be re-enrolled into the Workflow when it is re-published. A Workflow can be stopped from two places: - From the Actions menu in the Workflows listing page - With the Stop Button inside the Workflow Builder Once a Workflow is stopped, it can be edited. > You can only stop a Workflow that is in the **Published** status. #### Stopping Workflow(s) for a Contact You can stop the desired workflows one by one or all workflows for the Contact in one go: **Inbox Module** > Before you can stop a Workflow in the Inbox module, you need to [enable it in the Workflow Settings in the Workflows module](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview#why_can_t_i_stop_a_workflow_from_the_messages_module). Navigate to the Workflows icon, in the **Ongoing Workflows** tab, click **Stop** on the desired Workflow or select **Stop all** to stop all the workflows. > Agents with restricted access cannot view the Workflows icon. To enable this feature for them, navigate to Workspace Settings to [edit the user’s restrictions](https://respond.io/help/workspace-settings/users#agent) > Ongoing workflows that are enabled via Workflow Settings will appear in the list of published Workflows, and these are the only Workflows that can be stopped for a Contact. Workflows that are published but not ongoing will also appear in this list; however, they cannot be stopped. **Workflows Module** Access the Workflow Settings from the Action menu in the Workflow overview page or within the Workflow builder by clicking the settings icon and toggle on **Allow users to stop this Workflow for a Contact**. #### Editing a Workflow You can edit a Workflow by clicking the Actions menu on the Workflows listing page, and then clicking **Open in Builder**. You can edit the Workflow from the Workflow Builder. > A Workflow can only be edited when stopped. #### Cloning a Workflow You can create a Workflow by cloning an existing one. Click the Actions menu on the Workflows listing page and click **Clone**. When a Workflow is cloned, the trigger and Steps are copied over to the new Workflow. The name of the new Workflow will also follow the name of the original Workflow and appended with `clone` at the end. You can still make necessary changes before publishing it. #### Deleting a Workflow You can delete a Workflow by clicking the Actions menu on the Workflows listing page and clicking **Delete**. Click **Delete** again on the pop up message to confirm the deletion. > \- You cannot delete Workflows in the **Published** status. To do so, you have to first stop the Workflow. Keep in mind that the deletion cannot be undone. - When a Workflow is deleted, all existing Contacts in the Workflow journey will be ejected. #### Exporting a Workflow You can export a Workflow by clicking the Actions menu on the Workflows listing page, and then clicking **Export Workflow**. The Workflow will be downloaded as a JSON file. It can then be imported to another Workspace or Organization. #### Importing a Workflow You can import a Workflow by clicking the dropdown arrow beside the **\+ Add Workflow** button on the Workflows listing page, and then clicking **Import Workflow**. Click **Browse file** to select your Workflow and click the **Import** button. To import your Workflow successfully, please make sure: - The file is in a JSON format and was created on the respond.io platform - All the values in the JSON file are correctly listed and formatted - The file cannot exceed 400 KB - The file cannot contain more than 100 Workflow steps Imported Workflows inherit the name and description from the import file. If the name already exists, the name of the imported Workflow will be appended with a number starting at (2) and increase by 1 for duplicates. E.g. `Welcome Message (2), Welcome Message (3), Welcome Message (4)`. > \- A validation is done upon importing, whereby the values in a Workflow Step will be removed if they do not match the available data in your Workspace. E.g. if a Workflow Step contains data such as Channels, User IDs or Teams that are not in the Workspace, these values will be removed. - You cannot import a Workflow that contains a trigger but no Step. ### Workflows Module Listing #### Workflow Columns Each Workflow will have the following associated information in its columns. **Workflow Status** The Workflow Status is used to determine if the Workflow is currently running. There are three possible statuses: - Draft: A Workflow that has never been published - Published: A Workflow that is currently implemented - Stopped: A previously published Workflow that has been stopped **Other Columns** Each Workflow has additional columns detailed below. | Header | Description | | --- | --- | | Name | Displays the name and description | | Last Published By | Displays the last User who published it | | Last Published | Displays the last published date | | Created By | Displays the User who created it | | Date Created | Displays the date it was created | #### Actions Menu The last column in the Workflows row contains the Actions Menu. The following actions can be performed here: | Action | Description | | --- | --- | | Publish Workflow | Only shown when Workflow is in Draft or Stopped | | Stop Workflow | Only shown when Workflow is Published | | Edit Name/Description | Allows editing of Workflow name or description | | Open in Builder | Opens the Workflow in the Builder | | Clone | Creates a duplicate Workflow in Draft Status | | Export | Exports the Workflow in a JSON file | | Workflow Settings | Opens a dialog to configure settings to stop a workflow for a Contact | | Delete | Deletes the Workflow | ### The Workflow Builder To open the Workflow Builder, you need to create a Workflow or edit a Workflow. The Workflow Builder is a visual editor where Steps can be added, removed and configured. It consists of four main sections: - ​Top Bar​ - ​Assistive Tool​s - ​Canvas​ - ​Configuration Drawer​ #### The Top Bar The top bar is used to manage key Workflow items like its name, description, errors in step configuration and status. The elements of the top bar are as below. | Name | Displays Name and allows editing of Name or Description | | --- | --- | | Error Indicator | Indicates a step configuration error | | Workflow Settings | Allow users to stop Workflow for a Contact and set exit conditions to stop a Workflow for a Contact | | Save Button | Allows Workflow to be saved | | Status Button | Allows Workflow to be published or stopped | #### Workflow Settings **Allow users to stop Workflow for Contact** - Toggle on to allow users to stop Workflow for Contact immediately at any point from the Inbox module. You can enable this setting without stopping the workflow. **Set exit conditions to stop this Workflow for a Contact** - Toggle on to stop Workflow for Contact:When outgoing message is sentWhen incoming message is receivedWhen a user is manually assigned to a ContactOngoing Workflows need to be enabled from Workflow Settings to work. Make sure this option is switched on before using this feature. - When outgoing message is sent - When incoming message is received - When a user is manually assigned to a Contact | Exit Conditions | Function | Exceptions | | --- | --- | --- | | Outgoing Message | When this exit condition is checked for the selected Workflow, any outgoing messages sent by the user will stop the Workflow for any Contact in the selected Workflow. | - When the message is sent within the Workflow: This condition won't trigger if a "Send Message" step is part of the Workflow. - Broadcast messages: This condition won't work for Broadcasts. - Any integrations, such as Developer API, Zapier, Make.com, Google Sheets, Dialogflow, etc., are not considered when this condition is triggered. | | Incoming Message | When this exit condition is checked for the selected Workflow, any incoming messages received by the user will stop the Workflow for any Contact in the selected Workflow. | - When a contact responds to a question within the chosen Workflow (e.g., an 'Ask a Question' step), this condition won't be triggered. | | Manual Assignment | When this exit condition is checked for the selected Workflow, manually assigning a user on the Inbox module will stop the Workflow for any Contact in the selected Workflow. | - When the assignment occurs via Workflows or APIs. | > You can choose multiple exit conditions, and the first one that occurs will trigger for the Contact. #### Assistive Tools The five Assistive Tools are designed to help you navigate the Canvas: - Zoom In - Zoom Out - Center - Undo - Redo #### Canvas Canvas is the drag-and-drop interface that provides an overview of the Workflow. It allows the user to observe the logic and sequence of a Contact's journey during an event. Actions such as building new Steps, dragging or dropping Steps and connecting Steps take place here. #### Configuration Drawer To configure a Trigger or Step, click on the Trigger or Step block to open its configuration drawer. The actions possible in the configuration drawer include: - Edit the Step name - Define the action of the trigger event or Step ## [Workspaces](https:/respond.io/help/organization-settings/workspaces) Learn how to create and manage Workspaces within your Organization. ### Getting Here > These settings are accessible only to **Organization Admins**, **Billing Admins** and **User Admins** of **Business and Enterprise plans**! How to access Workspaces: 1. Go to Organization Settings 2. Select Workspaces Here, you can: - Add a Workspace to the Organization - Edit a Workspace - Delete a Workspace ### Workspaces Overview Here, you can see the list of Workspaces in the Organization. | Column Name | Description | | --- | --- | | Name | The name used to identify the Workspace in the Organization. | | No. of Users | The number of Users assigned to the Workspace. | | Date Added | The date on which the Workspace was added. | | Actions | Actions you can perform on the workspace. You can edit and delete workspaces. | > **Tip**: Use the Search function at the top to quickly find the Workspace you are looking for. ### Managing Workspaces > The following features are only available to **Organization Admins** and **User Admins**! > Billing Admins can only view workspaces and make no changes. #### Adding a Workspace 1. Go to Workspaces > Select Add Workspace 2. Enter workspace name > Select Next 3. Invite users via email > Choose access level (Owner, Manager, Agent) > Select Invite Users > A Workspace can only be added if the Organization’s subscription allows it. #### Editing the Workspace 1. Click the three dots under the Actions column and select Edit. 2. Update Workspace details, such as name or usage limit, and click Save. **Note:** - If your Organization is part of the Reseller Partner Program, you can enable a Contact limit for the Workspace. Once the limit is reached, the Workspace will no longer receive messages from new Contacts. - Editing usage limits may not be available on all plans. #### Deleting the Workspace 1. Click the three dots under the Actions column and select Delete. 2. Enter the Workspace name to confirm, then click Delete. **Note:** - Deleting a Workspace removes all Contacts, Channels, fields, and associated data permanently. - This action cannot be undone, and lost data cannot be recovered. - Export any data you want to keep before deleting your Workspace. ### Managing Multiple Workspaces #### Accessing a Workspace When you log in, you are redirected to the last Workspace you interacted with by default. If you don’t have access to any Workspace, you’ll be redirected to the modules you have permission to access. - Admins, Billing Admins, and User Admins without Workspace access will be directed to Organization Settings. - Members without Workspace access will be directed to Personal Settings. #### Switching between Workspaces Users with access to multiple Workspaces can switch between them using the **Workspace Switcher** in the side navigation menu. All accessible Workspaces within the Organization are listed. You can also search for the intended Workspace by typing in the Workspace name. > Switching between SSO and Non-SSO Organization may require some additional steps. You can find more details [here](https://respond.io/help/organization-settings/organization-settings-security). ## [Zapier](https:/respond.io/help/zapier/zapier) Learn how to integrate respond.io with Zapier. Connect respond.io to Zapier and unlock the possibilities of 5000+ integrations. You can integrate your Contact information from the respond.io platform to thousands of CRMs, email providers, CMS, analytics tools, ads, and more. Let's have a quick look at this integration. ### Getting Started In order to get started with the respond.io - Zapier Integration, you will need the following: - A respond.io account - A Zapier account > For most Zaps, you’ll need to use a contact identifier, either email or phone number. If you don't have a record of a Contact’s email or phone number in respond.io, you may not be able to complete a Zap. ### Creating Zaps There are two ways you can create Zaps: - Create a Zap from template - Create a Zap from scratch #### Create a Zap from Template Templates are pre-built Zaps. We have templates available connecting respond.io to popular CRM and e-commerce platforms. To use a Zap template, choose from the list of [respond.io templates here](https://zapier.com/apps/respondio/integrations#zap-template-list) and click **Try It**. #### Create a Zap from Scratch To create a Zap from scratch, follow the steps below: ##### Step 1: Navigate to Zap editor In your [Zapier Account](https://zapier.com/), hover over the left sidebar menu and click **\+ Create Zap**. ##### Step 2: Add and Set Up a Trigger 1. Choose your trigger app: The Zap will be triggered by an event that occurs in this app. Available triggers:Contact Assignee UpdatedContact Tag UpdatedContact UpdatedConversation ClosedConversation OpenedContact Lifecycle UpdatedNew CommentNew ContactNew Incoming MessageNew Outgoing MessageIf you’re using respond.io as the trigger, search respond.io in the search bar and select respond.io app. 2. Contact Assignee Updated 3. Contact Tag Updated 4. Contact Updated 5. Conversation Closed 6. Conversation Opened 7. Contact Lifecycle Updated 8. New Comment 9. New Contact 10. New Incoming Message 11. New Outgoing Message 12. Select your event: This will be the event that occurs in the selected app that triggers the Zap.View the full list of trigger events available for respond.io here. 13. Select or connect your app account: Select or connect the specific app account to use in the Zap trigger.To connect respond.io in Zapier, follow the instructions here. 14. Set up and test your trigger: Set up the options to fit your needs and test your trigger to see if it pulls in the right data. > Learn more about [setting up your Zap trigger here](https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/8496288188429-Set-up-your-Zap-trigger#trigger-types-0-0). ##### Step 3: Add and Set Up an Action 1. Choose your action app: The Zap will perform an action in this app when it is triggered. Available actions:Add CommentsAdd Space TagsAdd TagsCreate ContactCreate Custom FieldCreate or Update ContactDelete ContactRemove TagsDelete Space TagRemove Contact LifecycleSend MessageAssign or Unassign ConversationUpdate ContactUpdate Contact LifecycleOpen or Close ConversationGet All ChannelsUpdate Space TagGet All Custom FieldsGet All Closing NotesFind ContactGet All UsersFind MessageFind Contact ChannelsGet Many ContactsFind Custom fieldFind UserIf you’re using respond.io for the action, search respond.io in the search bar and select respond.io app. 2. Add Comments 3. Add Space Tags 4. Add Tags 5. Create Contact 6. Create Custom Field 7. Create or Update Contact 8. Delete Contact 9. Remove Tags 10. Delete Space Tag 11. Remove Contact Lifecycle 12. Send Message 13. Assign or Unassign Conversation 14. Update Contact 15. Update Contact Lifecycle 16. Open or Close Conversation 17. Get All Channels 18. Update Space Tag 19. Get All Custom Fields 20. Get All Closing Notes 21. Find Contact 22. Get All Users 23. Find Message 24. Find Contact Channels 25. Get Many Contacts 26. Find Custom field 27. Find User 28. Select your event: This will be the event that the Zap performs in the selected app when it is triggered.View the full list of action events available for respond.io here. 29. Select or connect your app account: Select or connect the specific app account to use in the Zap action.To connect respond.io in Zapier, follow the instructions here. 30. Set up and test your trigger: Set up the data that you want to send over to your action app and test to see if it's working as expected. > Learn more about [setting up your Zap action here](https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/8496257774221-Set-up-your-Zap-action). ##### Step 4: Name and Publish the Zap When your Zap is ready, give your Zap a name and click **Publish**. > Zaps are not limited to a single action, learn how to further [customize your Zaps here](https://learn.zapier.com/customize-your-zap). ### **Connect respond.io to Zapier** When connecting respond.io app in Zapier for the first time, you are required to sign in and add an API Key. You can obtain the API Key in respond.io’s platform settings as shown in the steps below. #### Step 1: Navigate to Integrations Zapier Page Log in to the respond.io Workspace you wish to connect and navigate to the **Settings** module > **Integrations** under the Workspace Settings > Click **Connect** next to Zapier. You will be navigated to the Zapier page in respond.io. #### Step 2: Obtain the API Key To copy the API Key, unhide and click on the API Key. #### Step 3: Connect your respond.io Account On Zapier, click **Sign in** to open a pop up. Paste the API Key in the pop up and click **Yes, Continue** to connect respond.io app in Zapier. > You will only need to do this for your first Zap with respond.io. For all following Zaps, you can simply choose your connected account from the dropdown in the Zap setup.