In 2022, Meta introduced a new feature: predefined reply buttons for the WhatsApp Business Platform. In the following, we'll explain how they work, and why you should integrate them into your customer communication.
Interactive buttons have long been a popular feature on messaging apps. In 2022, Meta brought the feature to the WhatsApp Business Platfom (API) as well. We'll look at how the predefined buttons work, what types of buttons exist, and why you should use them.
Why buttons on WhatsApp at all?
What's easier, typing out a reply on your smartphone or just hitting a button? Exactly! Using buttons in a WhatsApp chat makes the conversation between company and customer easier and faster. However, until recently, WhatsApp only offered numbers, letters, and hashtags as a quick way to guide users in a conversation with a chatbot.
In 2022, WhatsApp rolled out an update to their interactive message templates, and included interactive buttons, officially called predefined buttons.
These buttons make the dialog between bot and user smoother, and eliminate the issue of a dead-end conversation when a user misspells a keyword and the bot doesn't understand the command.
Now, through a few clicks, the customer gets the same result as in a lengthy conversation, thus improving the quality of customer support. Another positive factor should also be considered: WhatsApp Business Platform buttons make conversations between businesses and customers shorter, and companies can spend the time and resources elsewhere.
What are WhatsApp Business Platform buttons?
The predefined buttons are a premium business feature. It's currently only available to companies that use the WhatsApp Business Platform. Users of the free WhatsApp Business app can't use the buttons (as they also can't integrate chatbots).
Meta defines the predefined reply button messages as part of the interactive message templates. As such, businesses have to set up the reply buttons through a message template, which, in turn, has to be approved by WhatsApp before sending it to users.
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