WhatsApp Business is undoubtedly one of the leading communication platforms in the current era. To ensure that you, a business owner, are using the platform effectively to attract and retain customers, we’ve compiled a list of the best WhatsApp Business tools in 2024.
What is WhatsApp Business used for?
For people who aren’t familiar with WhatsApp Business, it is the business communication platform that was launched by WhatsApp, the world’s No. 1 text messaging platform. WhatsApp Business & WhatsApp Business API were developed to help businesses seamlessly connect with their customers through text, voice & video communications and proactively offer real-time assistance to them. Since it has around 1.5 billion active users, it is one of the best platforms to attract new clients, engage existing ones and expand your brand identity.
In addition to being a superior customer support platform, WhatsApp Business is also an excellent marketing tool that can grow your business. With WhatsApp Business, your business can:
- Reach more customers through chatbots.
- Engage customers on a more personal level with automated messages.
- Improve your brand image with instant resolutions.
- Promote your products & services through rich product/service catalogs.
- Share latest news/deals with broadcast lists.
Suggested Reading: 8 WhatsApp Business Best Practices For 2024
What are WhatsApp Business Tools?
The WhatsApp Business platform is a sound communication tool that helps businesses connect with customers. However, the native iteration of the platform offers only basic communication support that might not satisfy all the needs of a specific business. For example, e-commerce businesses that wish to curb cart abandonment might not see excellent benefits by integrating just the WhatsApp Business API platform. They might need a tool like chatbot that can offer more personalized customer support and increased engagement. With a good WhatsApp tool, your business will be able to simplify its marketing efforts and communicate more effectively with your customers.
Top 10 WhatsApp Business Tools
The following is a list of some of the most used WhatsApp Business tools in 2024. This list will help you identify the tool that is critical for your business growth and integrate it to improve your processes.
WhatsApp Shared Inbox by TimelinesAI
The WhatsApp Shared Inbox tool from TimelinesAI helps businesses manage WhatsApp chats across several devices & profiles on one screen. This helps increase the collaboration between your teams and ensure seamless issue resolutions for all your customers. In addition to enabling single-window chat management, the shared inbox can also help your business integrate WhatsApp chats into Salesforce, PipeDrive and other service providers.
Features:
- Manage personal & group chats from a single screen.
- Ability to label chats & set follow-ups/reminders.
- Enables mass messaging features using CSV files.
Limitations:
- Slow chat loading speeds and minor bugs.
- No feature to auto-assign tasks based on specific conditions.
- Mass messaging supports limited numbers and the starter plan only allows 50 messages per month.
Suggested read: WhatsApp’s Shared Inbox and its Uses
No-code WhatsApp Bot by Gallabox
Gallabox’s no-code WhatsApp chatbots are the best in the business because it provides endless customization and excellent automation. The company’s USP is creating unique and engaging multilingual bots that cater to specific business domains and purposes. In addition to automated no-code chatbots that offer 24/7 support, the company also provides a superior no-code workspace that takes care of all lead generation and customer support needs.
Features:
- Zero set-up fee for multilingual no-code chatbots.
- Helps create WhatsApp chatbots in minutes.
- Offers one-stop CRM support with its unique no-code WhatsApp workspaces.
Limitations:
- Since it is a new platform, businesses might take some time to get completely acclimated to its features.
- If no other user is added, all chats are assigned to the same user.
- Limited opportunities when it comes to integrating & managing WhatsApp groups.
Suggested read: How to Setup WhatsApp's No-Code Chatbot
WhatsApp Business APIs by WATI.io
WATI.io offers excellent WhatsApp Business integration support to businesses and enables them to completely manage customer communications using WhatsApp. The platform also provides WhatsApp integration support to several leading CRMs, social media and messaging tools.WATI’s USP is its ability to provide custom WhatsApp API solutions to businesses based in several domains including e-commerce, real estate & healthcare.
Features:
- No fee for setting up WhatsApp Business APIs.
- Provides access to rich media messages & interactive buttons.
- Single platform for managing customer queries, template messages & WhatsApp broadcasts.
Limitations:
- Some customers have noted that the message dashboard & message sorting function are slow & do not update in real-time.
- WATI adds its own branding on the chat widget since it is not part of their subscription.
- Webhooks & some other features are not part of the basic plan.
Suggested read: All you need to know about WhatsApp Business API
Bulk messages from WappBlaster
WappBlaster is a leading WhatsApp marketing service provider that provides WhatsApp bulk messaging support for businesses. The automation platform helps businesses create target WhatsApp broadcast lists and send template messages in multiple languages. An intuitive user interface and anti-blocking algorithm for bulk WhatsApp messaging are its unique selling points.
Features:
- Multilingual messaging capability.
- Provides access to rich media messages & interactive buttons.
- Single platform for managing customer queries, template messages & WhatsApp broadcasts.
Limitations:
- The reporting process is not elaborate and does not have demographic filters.
- Cannot edit already sent messages & change typos/grammatical mistakes easily.
- Sending videos & HQ photos might slow down the bulk messaging process.
Suggested read: How to send WhatsApp Broadcast: A guide for 2024
Customer support widgets from Callbell
Callbell is a chat management service provider that excels in offering custom WhatsApp chat widgets for businesses. The company helps businesses create & integrate chat widgets into websites and other channels and take control of customer conversations. The company also provides WhatsApp chat management solutions to businesses and helps them connect with their customers seamlessly.
Features:
- Free chat widget installation. The company only charges for the channels that businesses chose in their plan.
- Ability to continue conversations even when the customer leaves.
- Easy and quick widget installation.
Limitations:
- Past conversations will take a while to load and some conversations might get lost.
- Reduced ability in sending voice messages or large files.
- No integration with Google +
Suggested read: How to use WhatsApp Business for marketing
Surveys from Outside Voice
Outside Voice is a company that specializes in building structured data layouts using WhatsApp API and create premium surveys. The company lets businesses build targeted video, audio and text surveys & forms through WhatsApp. This allows them to get much more meaningful and deeper responses from their customers.
Features:
- Ability to run video surveys through WhatsApp.
- Can be deployed quickly and easily, and it doesn’t need mobile web.
- Collates and shows all responses in a single window.
Limitations:
- Since it is a survey platform, there are less CRM/social media integration opportunities.
- There are also limited opportunities for AI automation & insight generation.
- The company’s response-based pricing system can make it an expensive option for small businesses.
Virtual WhatsApp environments from Boxy
Boxy is a physical device that can help create a GDPR compliant WhatsApp environment. It helps users in remote locations connect to WhatsApp without worrying about the GDPR regulations. Since Boxy is designed to work as a complete WhatsApp console, it can connect to computer accessories like webcam and keyboard.
Features:
- Creates a GDPR compliant WhatsApp environment.
- Can connect to webcam, monitor and keyboards to act as a comprehensive WhatsApp web system.
- Small and easy-to-use box design that can be carried anywhere on-the-go.
Limitations:
- Physical device is prone to hardware issues and damage.
- Limited opportunities for mobile integrations.
- Could be considered pricy because it is a physical device.
WordPress WhatsApp plugin from Userlike
Userlike is a company that offers excellent WhatsApp integration opportunities for WordPress plugin. With Userlike, businesses can integrate chatbots, buttons, forms and other WhatsApp features into their WordPress websites easily. The company provides plugin plans that suit the need of every business.
Features:
- Provides integration assistance to CRM tools for a unified messaging solution.
- Offers multilingual chatbot creation assistance.
- Provides options to integrate and use on mobile phones.
Limitations:
- WhatsApp widgets with all the features are only available in the costliest plan.
- Advanced automation options are limited.
- The interface is not intuitive and it might take some time getting used to it.
Reminders from Remindax
As the name implies, Remindax is a leading reminder software that helps people and businesses track their activities, mark expiration dates and set reminders to help them finish the activity within the deadline. With WhatsApp, Remindax will help businesses send automated alerts & reminders to their customers. Businesses can also set multiple customized reminders with minimal effort.
Features:
- Set personalized automated reminders & notifications.
- Excellent automation assistance to help send reminders on-the-go.
- GDPR compliant and secure messaging support.
Limitations:
- Limited opportunities for analytics and insight generation.
- Options for making bulk changes is limited.
- Some clients have informed that the customer service response time is rather slow.
Web chats from EazyBe
EazyBe is an extension that allows businesses to engage in web chats with their customers through WhatsApp easily. The tool allows businesses to select phone numbers and start conversations immediately with their customers. This helps them to instantly connect with their customers and generate a personalized customer experience efficiently.
Features:
- Easy one-click WhatsApp conversations from your website.
- Helps businesses connect with customers without the need to save their mobile numbers.
- Easy to set-up and run. Provides a free plan.
Limitations:
- Limited integration opportunities since it is an extension.
- Little to no ability to engage in multilingual conversations.
- Data tracking & analytics options are highly limited.
Limitations of having Multiple WhatsApp Business Tools
Now that we've looked at some of the most popular WhatsApp Business tools and identified the benefits that they provide, you might be tempted to choose all of them in a bid to increase your profits. However, it is not advisable because each tool has a distinct use case and it is better to choose the best ones that suit the need of your business. There are several limitations in choosing multiple tools, they are as follows:
- It is expensive - Many WhatsApp Business tools will require you to buy a monthly or annual subscription plan to access all their features and use all their services. This can make it more expensive, especially for small and medium businesses.
- It will be confusing & counter-productive - It will not be easy for you to manage multiple WhatsApp Business tools or make informed decisions about how each tool performs. Issue resolution will also become an issue as your team has to be in touch with multiple vendors.
- They may interfere with each other - Some businesses have noticed that their multi-tool integration might interfere with each other and cause problems when it comes to managing conversations, sharing files and sending broadcast messages.
- There might be a lack of innovation - Many businesses that had used multiple WhatsApp Business tools have informed that they suffered from a severe lack of innovation simply because they didn't have the time to analyze their business needs and their requirements through proper planning. This means that they might be using obsolete tools that are difficult to upgrade. This might hinder their progress and even lead to poor results.
Suggested read: How Chatbots Are Making Life Easier For Small Businesses
Automate your entire business process on WhatsApp with Gallabox!
If you’re looking for a simple yet effective WhatsApp tool that can help your business process to be better organized and ensure excellent profits, look no further than Gallabox!
Gallabox’s WhatsApp Business Solution offers native integrations with e-commerce platforms like Zoho, Woo-commerce and Shopify. Check out our other integrations here. We also offer industry-specific WhatsApp chatbots customized to the needs of each market. Industries we currently support: Education, Travel, Banking and Finance, Real Estate and E-commerce.
Further Reading:
Here are some articles that you might find interesting,
