WhatsApp business vs personal: A quick guide

WhatsApp is popular messaging app for casual chatting with friends and family in real time, used by more than a billion active users. With so many users, it's a powerful way for businesses to connect with potential customers too. That's why many companies start by using the personal WhatsApp app to talk to their audience.

However, as a business grows bigger, WhatsApp's limited features don't meet the needs of professional customer communication and service. That's where WhatsApp Business accounts comes in - an app made specifically for businesses to efficiently manage conversations with customers at a larger scale.

While you can have both apps on one device, WhatsApp Business has key differences that help businesses provide better customer experiences as they get larger.

Why businesses need WhatsApp Business app

The regular WhatsApp is great for chatting with friends and family, yet it doesn't have the right tools for properly communicating with customers as a business. WhatsApp Business fills this gap by providing helpful tools made specifically for businesses, like showing product catalogs and sending automated messages.

As business gets larger, personal WhatsApp can't keep up, and the extra features of WhatsApp Business become a must. Even big companies use the WhatsApp Business API to get more advanced communication options they need.

WhatsApp Business overview

What is WhatsApp Business?

WhatsApp Business is a free app for businesses of any size. It has all the regular WhatsApp features, plus extra tools to better manage conversations with customers. Available on both Android and iPhone devices, businesses can get a basic account or an official one with a green checkmark badge on their profile and in chats.

Main features

WhatsApp Business provides several useful features:

• Quick replies: Save and reuse common messages

• Automatic messages: Set up greetings and responses

• Labels: Organize your chats

• Interactive buttons: Let customers take quick actions

• Message statistics: See who read yourmessages

• Product catalog: Show customers your products/services

• Create customer support chats: You can use them to answer customer questions or address complaints in real-time

• Short links: Enables you to share a link so customers can start a chat with you directly

Typical use cases

WhatsApp Business is flexible and can be used by all kinds of businesses across different industries, usually it's used by small business owners. Here are some common ways it gets used.

Customer service

Many companies use it to handle questions about orders, process returns, or provide shipping updates. The quick reply feature makes it easy to respond to frequent questions quickly. For example, an e-commerce brand could save replies for "Where is my order?" and shipping detail requests.

Business communication

Teams can create group chats to share information and discuss client needs. The label tool helps keep all these different conversations organized. Say, a marketing agency could have separate labels for each client's campaign chat.

Marketing

Businesses can send out weekly promotions, showcase products using the catalog, or send updates to broadcast lists of customers all at once. Like a clothing boutique could broadcast a catalog of new arrivals each season.

Booking appointments

Service providers like hair salons, doctor's offices, and more use it to confirm bookings, send reminders, and allow customers to easily reschedule. For instance, a dental practice could send an automated reminder two days before each appointment.

Lead generation

With tools like click-to-chat ads or QR codes, potential customers can quickly start a conversation to learn more about products and services. Imagine a software company could add a chat button to their website for demos.

From healthcare providers scheduling appointments to schools updating parents, WhatsApp Business adapts to meet diverse business communication needs.

Explore more use cases in detail in this guide on How to use WhatsApp Business in 2024. You'll learn how to set up and use your WhatsApp Business account, make the most of tools like product catalogs and automated messages, and connect the platform with your existing CRM for smooth customer communication. This guide covers everything you need to know to improve your customer service, marketing, and sales strategies with WhatsApp Business.

Comparison of key features

Account setup

WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business app require separate accounts with different phone numbers. But you can have both apps on the same phone.

Profile customization

With WhatsApp Business, you can create a full business profile showing your address, description, email, website, and hours. This helps customers easily recognize and trust your business.

Messaging tools

WhatsApp Business provides messaging tools that aren't available in the regular WhatsApp app:

• Quickly send and receive messages

• Automatic greeting/away messages

• Labels to organize different chats

• Product/service catalog to showcase offerings

These tools allow businesses to respond faster and manage more conversations efficiently.

Pricing and availability

Cost comparison

The regular WhatsApp app is free for personal use. The WhatsApp Business app is also free to download and use.

Business API cost

For larger businesses, there is a WhatsApp Business API that charges per conversation instead of per message. You can find more details on pricing here.

Availability

Both WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business work around the world, allowing you to easily communicate with customers globally.

Integration with other tools

WhatsApp Business can connect to other software, most notably customer management systems (CMS). These connections can be: native (built by the CMS company itself) and third-party (built by outside developers).

Connecting WhatsApp Business to your CMS can help in several ways:

• Better engage with customers

• Respond to messages faster

• Keep all customer communication organized

• Increase sales opportunities

• Get helpful data and analytics

Using WhatsApp Business together with your existing CMS makes customer communication and tracking more efficient and unified.

Limitations

Using personal WhatsApp for business

While you can use the regular WhatsApp app for business, it doesn't have the specialized features that WhatsApp Business provides like:

• Automated greeting/away messages

• Quick replies for common questions

• Product/service catalogs

Limitations of WhatsApp Business

The standard WhatsApp Business app works well for small businesses, but may not meet the needs of larger companies. More advanced features require the WhatsApp Business API, which costs extra money and has additional setup steps.

Other drawbacks of the standard app include limited ways to connect it with other tools, no way for multiple employees to manage conversations from the same account, and potential issues handling very rapid business growth.

Conclusion

WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business are both powerful communication tools, but serve different primary needs:
WhatsApp is ideal for personal conversations - simple and easy for keeping in touch with friends and family. WhatsApp Business provides businesses, especially smaller ones, with features like:

• Automated messaging

• Quick replies

• Product catalogs

• And more tools to enhance customer engagement and efficiency.

For businesses using messaging apps, it's important to understand which version better fits your current needs. WhatsApp Business provides valuable extras as a company grows and requires more professional, streamlined customer communication capabilities.
The right choice comes down to whether you need it for personal connections or business operations. Selecting the proper version of WhatsApp allows you to get the most benefit from it.

FAQs

What is the primary difference between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business?

WhatsApp is for personal conversations, while WhatsApp Business has extra tools designed specifically for businesses like business profiles, product/service catalogs, and automated messaging capabilities.

Is WhatsApp Business free to use?

Yes, the WhatsApp Business app itself is free to download and use. However, there may be costs for larger businesses that need to use the WhatsApp Business API and its advanced features.

Can I switch my personal WhatsApp account to a WhatsApp Business account?

Yes, you can easily convert your existing personal WhatsApp account to a WhatsApp Business account without losing any chat history.

What types of businesses can benefit from using WhatsApp Business?

WhatsApp Business can be helpful for all kinds of businesses - small local stores, service providers, online sellers, and more. Any business that needs to communicate directly with customers can use the app's features to improve those interactions.