Introducing WhatsApp Business Calling API Beta!

Businesses have been able to interact with users directly on WhatsApp using the chat channel for a long time now. With one of the latest beta features on the WhatsApp Business Platform by Meta, users now will have an option to initiate a call to businesses right within a chat. The all-familiar call button that we use to call friends and family is now extended to businesses.

Exotel’s Voice Contact Center and IVR flows are now directly accessible within WhatsApp! Enterprises will now be able to offer a true omnichannel experience to customers on WhatsApp for complex and urgent service and marketing needs. 

User-initiated calling flow in WhatsApp

*Note – This is a simulated example for demonstration purpose only

With this, some of Business’ key business needs are being addressed –

• Omnichannel support – Users don’t have to leave WhatsApp to get support via calling for complicated queries that have a much higher turnaround time when addressed via chat. Broken journeys across multiple channels can now be replaced with one conversation window!
• Lead Generation – Businesses can now send messaging campaigns with templates that have a calling call-to-action message to get valuable inbound leads.

Customer Support 

More effective support operations from one thread which can lead to faster resolution and follow-ups.

Businesses can improve their Customer Support experience by enabling both the calling and chat channels in the same conversation window. 

• Enabling Voice for roaming customers – Businesses who have users traveling outside the country of operation often find it difficult to provide voice support to their users because of roaming charges. With the WhatsApp Business Calling API Beta, businesses only need to extend their current support mechanism to WhatsApp to cater to this user base.

Note: This is a Beta feature and specifics are subjected to change over the course of this one year. WhatsApp Business Calling API Beta is now available for businesses in select countries, which include India, Mexico, and Brazil, among others.

Agents on the Exotel dashboard can accept calls that are made from WhatsApp

One of the prerequisites to enable the WhatsApp Business Calling API Beta is for the business-side leg to be on VoIP. This can be achieved via Exotel’s Enterprise-grade contact center, platform APIs and a range of SDKs to bring VoIP directly into your Android, iOS or Web applications! All the features including IVR, agent management, reporting, etc are intact and extended to calls with the WhatsApp leg!

Here’s a simple workflow illustration for businesses to start using the WhatsApp Business Calling API Beta –

What’s Next?

• Business-initiated Calling – You can soon make business-initiated calls to your users on WhatsApp, with a required permission flow. With the WhatsApp calling screen showing the name of the business with a verified badge, your users will have no doubt who the call is from, which may lead to increased call pick up rates. 
• International Calling – Your global users will not miss out on your voice customer experience that were previously limited by high costs and latency.

Reach out now!