Customer Messaging
WhatsApp Business API is Meta's paid programmatic API for businesses to send/receive WhatsApp messages at scale. Unlike the free WhatsApp Business app (single phone, single user), the API supports multi-agent conversations, broadcast campaigns, CRM integration, and automation via Business Solution Providers (BSPs) — making it the right choice for businesses above 2-3 agents handling WhatsApp.
WhatsApp Business API is accessed via Meta-approved BSPs (Wati, AiSensy, Interakt, Gupshup, Karix, Twilio India in India). BSPs provide: API access, agent inbox UI, chatbot builder, template management, CRM integrations, analytics. Pricing: BSP platform fee (~₹1,166-4,899/month — Interakt bills ₹3,499/quarter, AiSensy from ~₹1,500/month, Wati Growth ₹2,199/month) + Meta per-message charges. Meta moved from per-conversation to per-message billing on 1 July 2025; India rates from 1 January 2026 are ₹0.8631 per marketing message and ~₹0.115 per utility or authentication message, with free-form replies inside the customer's 24-hour window free. For Indian businesses, WhatsApp Business API enables: 24/7 customer support, broadcast notifications, abandoned-cart recovery, lead nurture, automated booking, omnichannel customer experience. Most modern Indian SMBs adopt it once they cross 1,000 monthly customer messages.
Industries served: E-commerce, D2C brands, Real estate, Education, Healthcare, Financial services, Hospitality, Customer support across all industries
Related terms: WhatsApp Business App, BSP (Business Solution Provider), Message Templates, WhatsApp Cloud API, Conversational Commerce
WhatsApp Business App: free, single phone, single user, basic catalog, limited broadcast (256 contacts). Suitable for solo / micro-business. WhatsApp Business API: paid (~₹2,500-5,000/month base + per-message), multi-agent inbox, unlimited broadcast, chatbot builder, CRM integration, analytics. Required for businesses with 3+ agents or 1,000+ messages/month.
Wati is most popular Indian BSP (clean UI, easy setup, ~₹2,500/month base). AiSensy is competitive (~₹3,000, strong marketing automation). Interakt is best for D2C / e-commerce (₹3,499/quarter ≈ ₹1,166/month, and passes Meta rates through without markup). Gupshup and Karix serve enterprises with custom needs. Twilio India for technical teams building custom integrations. For typical Indian SMB, Wati or AiSensy is the right starting point.
Typical Indian SMB doing 5,000 customer conversations/month: BSP platform ₹2,500-3,500 + Meta charges ₹3,000-4,500 (mostly service messages) = ~₹5,500-8,000/month. For high-volume marketing (50,000+ broadcast messages), can scale to ₹50,000+/month. Compare to staffing equivalent customer-touch agents: WhatsApp Business API delivers massive cost-per-conversation savings.
For business-initiated messages (outside the 24-hour customer service window), WhatsApp requires pre-approved templates. Templates use variables (like {{customer_name}}, {{order_id}}) and must follow Meta's commerce policy. Submit templates via your BSP — approval takes 24-48 hours. Categories: Authentication, Utility, Marketing — different per-message pricing. Once approved, you can send template messages to opted-in customers freely.
Yes — Wati, AiSensy, Interakt all have native Zoho CRM integration. Customer WhatsApp messages create / update Zoho leads, contacts, or tickets. Agents respond from Zoho or BSP UI. Conversations logged against contact records. Setup typically 1-2 hours via marketplace install + OAuth. Similar integrations available for HubSpot, Salesforce, Freshsales.
Free WhatsApp Business API setup for Indian businesses — Wati, AiSensy, or Zoho integration.