Everything you need to know about WhatsApp Business Premium

WhatsApp Business is a free messaging platform for small and medium-sized businesses to interact better with customers. It offers unique features that are not available in the normal WhatsApp app like business profiles with essential information, quick replies, and automated greetings. With all the amazing features, WhatsApp Business still has its limitation. Hence, WhatsApp has decided to release a more advanced feature known as WhatsApp Business Premium or WhatsApp Premium. 

WhatsApp Business Premium is an optional paid plan designed to provide advanced services to businesses. If businesses decide not to subscribe to WhatsApp Premium, their current experience using the business app will remain unchanged. However, those who choose to join, can easily unsubscribe at any time through the App Store or Play Store and continue to enjoy the premium subscription benefits until the end of the billing period. 

What is WhatsApp Premium?

Image from WhatsApp

WhatsApp Premium or WhatsApp Business Premium are quick features designed to provide your business with enhanced efficiency and improved customer engagement.

As your small business continues to expand and attract more customers, it’s important to use the right tools to support its growth. 

Here are two WhatsApp Premium features:

1. Create a dedicated WhatsApp web page to enhance your business’s online presence and make it easier for potential customers to find and connect with it.

2. Multi-agent support for up to 10 devices, allowing multiple team members to engage with customers through a single business account.

WhatsApp Business Premium: how is it different from the normal WhatsApp Business app?

WhatsApp Business caters to small and medium-sized enterprises with a free plan, equipping them with essential features for effective customer interactions. On the other hand, WhatsApp Business Premium is designed to offer additional features on top of the free WhatsApp Business app, helping merchants streamline workflows and increase exposure. 

For a quick comparison, refer to the table below:

Why use WhatsApp Business Premium for your business 

Professional business web page

WhatsApp Business Premium provides a customizable and easy-to-remember link that leads customers to your professional WhastApp web page. This web page displays your business name, profile picture, hours, address, website, catalog, and more. 

You can create and manage this page easily, which allows you to showcase your brand professionally and attract customers when you communicate with them on WhatsApp. These features will not only enhance your business visibility but also create a better experience where they can access as much information as possible as they make inquiries on their preferred messaging app.

How to set up a WhatsApp Business web page profile

To create your own WhatsApp web page, go to your WhatsApp Business app and follow the steps below:

1. Go to Settings > Premium > Web page & link.

2. Tap Create and share web page then select Get started and enter your desired custom address link.

3. If your preferred link is unavailable, try using another name until you find an available one.

4. Once you have a valid link, tap Publish page to create your web page successfully.

5. You can now tap View page to see your web page live on the web and share it with your customers.

Sharing the link outside of WhatsApp will direct customers to your web page while sharing it within WhatsApp will open a chat with your business. You can also display a printed WhatsApp QR code of the link at a physical location for customers to easily access your web page. 

Learn how to create a unique QR code and WhatsApp link for your business.

Do note that while the link to your web page is customizable, you still have to follow the policy and terms set by WhatsApp.

Link up to 10 devices

With WhatsApp Premium, you can connect up to 10 devices to your account and give them unique names, which simplifies the process of using multiple devices for your business. Oftentimes, when your team members are interacting with customers on WhatsApp Web using the same WhatsApp Business account, an accidental login that exceeds the limit can force someone out of the account. 

This can lead to a significant issue if one of them is chatting with an angry customer halfway or messages are missed out just because of that. However, on WhatsApp Premium, you will no longer have to worry about that issue. 

Other than that, with each logged-in device named, you can easily see which device or team member sent a message and keep track of the conversations they’re handling, efficiently monitoring the activity of each team member. You can also assign chats to a specific colleague, making sure customer inquiries get answered quickly by the right person.

How to link 10 devices on WhatsApp Business Premium

Here’s how you can link multiple devices:

1. Open the WhatsApp Business app on your primary phone.

2. Tap More options and then Linked devices.

3. Use your primary phone to scan the QR code on the screen of the device you want to link.

4. Enter a device name, such as the agent's name using the device. You can change the device name anytime.

Find out how you navigate one WhatsApp Business account with multiple users.

How much is WhatsApp Business Premium

Meta has yet to release the official pricing for WhatsApp Business Premium. You can head over to their official website and contact their sales team to find out more about WhatsApp Premium prices. 

How to get WhatsApp Business Premium

While it’s enticing to try out WhatsApp Business Premium, it is unfortunately not available in all countries. If it is available in your country, then do know that the process of subscribing to WhatsApp Business Premium is easy with just some simple steps.

Steps on how to get WhatsApp Business Premium: 

1. Tap the menu icon and go to Settings.

2. Click on Premium.

3. Choose either Start free trial or Subscribe and then select Subscribe.

4. Start using the premium features after your payment is successful.

If you want to experience WhatsApp Business Premium at no cost, you can sign up for the 30-day free trial. During the sign-up process, you will still need to provide your payment information, but you won't be charged until the trial period concludes. 

Remember to cancel your subscription before the trial ends to prevent any charges. For more information on how to manage your subscription plan, head over to their FAQ page to find out more. 

Limitations of WhatsApp Business Premium

WhatsApp Business Premium is an amazing tool for small or medium-sized businesses, but it does have some disadvantages. 

Unable to track progress

Without access to detailed metrics such as response times, message volume, and customer satisfaction on an agent level, businesses may struggle to optimize their customer support operations effectively. The absence of these critical performance indicators may lead to more challenges in optimizing your current business messaging strategy 

If you’re unable to track team member performance, you could miss opportunities in rewarding high-performing agents or identifying those who require additional training or support. This could hinder your business's ability to enhance overall team efficiency and affect the quality of your customer interactions.

Broadcast feature unavailable for linked devices

WhatsApp Business Premium does not allow you to create and view broadcast lists on linked devices. In other words, you can only create and view broadcast lists on the primary phone, preventing you from sending out broadcast messages to customers through other linked devices. 

Consequently, businesses may encounter difficulties in effectively communicating with a broader audience, potentially leading to slower outreach efforts, which can be a drawback for businesses looking to maintain efficient communication with their customer base.

Looking for a WhatsApp Premium sender for broadcast messages? Check out our complete guide.

Restricted automation feature

While WhatsApp Business Premium does offer some automation features, such as labels to organize chats and messages, and tools for quick responses to customers, its automation capabilities might be limited compared to specialized customer service platforms or dedicated chatbot solutions. 

Learn all you need to know about WhatsApp Chatbots.

Although the provided automation tools can assist businesses in managing conversations more effectively, they might not suffice for handling complex inquiries or providing highly personalized responses. This limitation could result in an increased manual workload for the support team, impacting the response times and failing to satisfy consumers these days with decreasing user patience. 

WhatsApp Business Premium alternative: upgrade to WhatsApp Business API

Upgrading to WhatsApp Business API would be a better option for businesses looking to scale quickly without compromising customer experience. This is because WhatsApp Business API offers more advanced features and greater flexibility, which can significantly enhance customer support and communication strategies. Here are some reasons why upgrading to WhatsApp Business API might be beneficial:

• Advanced analytics: WhatsApp Business API provides detailed performance metrics for better optimization of customer support operations.

• Enhanced broadcast: With WhatsApp Business API, businesses can send broadcast messages across all linked devices without a contact limit (the free WhatsApp Business app only allows 256 contacts), improving communication efficiency. You also do not need to look for another WhatsApp Premium sender software to blast messages to a large audience.

• Complex automation: The API version offers more extensive automation capabilities, including setting up chatbots with keyword triggers or implementing AI solutions

• Interactive message features: WhatsApp chat buttons or list messages are some effective WhatsApp functions that can encourage your target audience to reply with just one click.

• Third-party integration: The API supports integration with third-party tools, such as existing CRM or e-commerce platforms, streamlining workflows and providing a frictionless customer experience on WhatsApp

Businesses can use WhatsApp Business API through two options: direct integration with WhatsApp, which requires technical knowledge, or by partnering with an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) like SleekFlow for a more simplified approach.

SleekFlow is a reputable Business Solution Provider (BSP) that offers a comprehensive platform to help businesses leverage the full potential of WhatsApp Business API. With its user-friendly website and mobile application, SleekFlow facilitates seamless integration with WhatsApp Business API, empowering businesses to optimize their customer engagement, support, and communication strategies all in one platform.

Here’s why you should consider SleekFlow as your official BSP:

• SleekFlow guides businesses in setting up their API account. 

• Create and manage pre-approved message templates effortlessly with SleekFlow. 

• Advanced automation features, like auto-replies and chatbots.

• SleekFlow provides comprehensive analytics tools to monitor key performance metrics, empowering data-driven decisions and improving WhatsApp-based communication.

• Seamless integration with CRM platforms and ticketing systems.

• SleekFlow is now an ISO 27001-certified platform that prioritizes data security, encrypting communications, and adhering to data protection regulations.