WhatsApp is exceptionally great as far as business platforms go, but to make the most out of it businesses need automation. And automation, requires you to have the finest of WhatsApp Business API solution providers out there.
If you have been using Wati.io for this, and are on the lookout for top Wati alternative, this post is for you.
What is Wati.io?
Owned by Clare.ai, Wati is a WhatsApp Business API solution Provider that has been one of the top choices for WhatsApp eCommerce for many brands.
Wati allows businesses to apply for the WhatsApp Business API through their platform and utilize features like their no-code required chatbot builders for automating customer responses, creating flows and a shared inbox for good team collaboration and providing customer support.
Some of the key strengths of Wati.io include:
• Enables sending out personalized WhatsApp broadcast campaigns to regularly engage and nurture customer relations.
• Allows you to build chatbots to provide responses to common customer queries, and create automated conversation flows.
Is WhatsApp Business API of Wati good?
Wati since its inception in 2020, has come to be a common solution used by many for the WhatsApp Business API. Wati helps businesses automate a lot of conversations on WhatsApp with different custom workflows that make tackling repetitive tasks less of a hassle.
But Wati has its own limitations, such as a restricted chatbot. And some users have reported that its automation capabilities are limited, especially for businesses that want to scale at a faster rate.
Top 2 Wati features in 2024
These are some of the key Wati features that brands find handy for WhatsApp Business.
• Broadcast bulk messages
Wati.io enables brands to carry out effective campaigns to existing customers and prospects with the WhatsApp broadcast feature. This feature is nothing but bulk messaging to multiple contacts directly through WhatsApp.
Wati.io offers the functionality of email marketing for WhatsApp and allows you to automate your broadcast messages for effective campaigns. Messages created in Wati.io are pre-approved and hence compliant with WhatsApp’s guidelines. You also have the option to send out on-brand personalized template messages to different contacts as well.
• Custom Notifications
The Wati.io custom notification feature is another major strength of the platform for WhatsApp eCommerce marketers. Users can send out timely alerts to customers and prospects in order to improve conversion. This feature can also help in better functioning within the team as team users who have been assigned to customers or contacts will be alerted about incoming messages.
You can share product restock alerts, cross-sell and send out recommendations based on the customers’ past purchases and interests, notify on discounts, sales and special offers and more. The custom notification feature is also reliable as a tool to ensure continuous communication between the users, teams and customers.
5 Limitations of Wati’s WhatsApp Business API
From customer reviews and experiences, here are the top limitations of Wati reported:
1. Bugs and Lags
Many Wati users have reported facing many bugs and lagging within the platform. This can often get in the way of a seamless experience and if it’s a consistent issue, can ruin the overall effectiveness of the platform.
2. No sales-enabling tools
Wati has a lack of sales enablement tools that could be used to prompt customers into purchasing products/sales. This lack of features like payment, product sharing, and sales performance tracking can sometimes get in the way of closing deals and winning sales on WhatsApp.
3. Single channel support
Wati.io is a platform that’s completely dedicated to WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp Business alone. So if you are a business that provides support and engages customers through other platforms as well, you will need to purchase a CRM tool separately in order to enable multi-channel support and communication.
4. High pricing
Compared to many other WhatsApp Business API solution-providing platforms out there that offer similar, as well as additional features, Wati.io’s pricing leans towards the heavier side. While it may be the right choice for larger businesses who can afford it, the heftier price isn’t friendly or feasible for small businesses looking to grow by leveraging the WhatsApp Business API.
5. Not suited for scaling
Wati can only host a single WhatsApp Business account in each instance, so brands cannot connect additional numbers to the platform or unite communication across teams, stores etc. within the same platform as the business starts growing and scaling. This limits the business especially if they are planning to rapidly scale.
Top 3 Wati alternative in 2024 [Easy To Use + Cost Effective]
When considering features in comparison and what more you can get access to, here are the top Wati alternative:
1. Interakt
Interakt, a Jio Haptik product & Official Meta Business Partner, is one of the top WhatsApp Business solution alternatives that enables businesses to manage customer conversations, increase sales, automate support & acquire more customers via WhatsApp.
Along with your run-of-the-mill WhatsApp features, it also offers a range of AI-powered WhatsApp features such as Smart Ads, AnswerBot, Concierge, etc., making it a one-stop solution for businesses.
With over 25000 leading brands onboard, Interakt has established itself as a leading player in the WhatsApp Business Platform space.
Top Interakts’ WhatsApp Business API Features:
a. Market:
Acquire new customers and re-engage existing ones with AI-powered Smart Ads and insightful WhatsApp campaigns:
• Click to WhatsApp Ads
Acquire more customers via WhatsApp Ads using Interakt’s CTWA ads on Facebook and Instagram that have a “WhatsApp” button attached as the call-to-action, leading your customers to your WhatsApp chat.
Interakt now offers AI-powered CTWA ads called – Smart Ads, which can be created right on the Interakt platform with minimum efforts
• WhatsApp Broadcast
Use Interakt’s WhatsApp Notifications campaigns to send bulk promotional messages about offers, discounts, order alerts, etc. to customers & market your products directly on WhatsApp.
• Concierge
Interakt’s AI-powered Concierge recommends the best campaigns and cohorts for maximum returns, with insights on click-through rates (CTR) to optimize your strategies.
b. Answer
• WhatsApp CRM: Use Interakt’s dedicated Shared Team Inbox to respond to all your customer queries in real time and instantly provide instant resolution with quick replies, notification templates, rich media & more.
• AnswerBot: Streamline customer support with Interakt’s AnswerBot, freeing up human resources for more complex tasks.
• Unified Platform: Provide seamless support across WhatsApp and Instagram, catering to your customers’ preferred channels.
• Automated Workflows: Effortlessly design conversational flows that guide your customers through various processes like WhatsApp for appointment booking, new student registration, document collection, and more. Or leverage Interakt’s predefined, customizable templates to meet all your business needs, so there is no need to start from scratch!
c. Sell:
• WhatsApp Commerce: Start your own WhatsApp shop & increase your daily orders by sending catalog messages to your customers directly to their WhatsApp chat.
• E-store Integration: Automatically intergate your WhatsApp catalog with platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, or Excel to boost conversions.
• WhatsApp Payments: Accept payments securely through WhatsApp Pay, offering a native and convenient shopping experience.
• Commerce Templates: Enhance the shopping experience by incorporating catalogs, Limited Time Offers, and Copy Code into templates, and seamlessly receive comprehensive order details via APIs.
d. Miscellaneous
• OOTB Integration with 15+ Platforms: Enable seamless WhatsApp integration with Clevertap, Moengage, Webengage, Pabbly, CRMs, payment gateways, and business apps like Zoho, Google Sheets, Razorpay, PayU, Return Prime, etc., to use Interakt as a full-stack WhatsApp business solution.
• Template Library: Interakt’s WhatsApp Notification Library is Your one-stop destination for ready-to-use WhatsApp templates. No more creating content in a frenzy, just copy-paste the ready-to-use, engaging notification templates to send out festive greetings, promotional messages/order updates, and more on WhatsApp!
2. DelightChat
DelightChat is an Omni channel help desk as well as a WhatsApp Marketing software designed for small and medium businesses to deliver efficient customer service through WhatsApp. This Wati alternative is built in such a way that customer support and issue resolution become extremely less taxing tasks.
DelightChat’s multi-channel support also allows businesses to streamline customer service experiences across all their support channels.
Pros:
• DelighChat features an omnichannel inbox that enables you to manage multiple channels including WhatsApp, Facebook, emails, Instagram and Live Chat.
• Features a complete WhatsApp marketing suite, and WhatsApp broadcast messaging to customer lists using the API.
• Automated flows such as abandoned cart alerts, order confirmations, delivery updates, COD verification etc.
• Respond to queries and collaborate with the team from a single screen, saving time and increasing output.
• Shared inbox feature that enables better team collaboration.
Cons:
• Integrates only with Shopify.
• The pricing is expensive for growing small-sized businesses.
• The chatbot builder is basic.
• There is no support for Click to WhatsApp ads.
• Lacks deep customer segmentation features.
3. Gupshup
Gupshup has come a long way and turned into one of the leading conversational engagement platforms out there. Gupshup’s WhatsApp API enables brands to engage customers across their business journey in real time while adhering to WhatsApp’s compliance rules. Gupshup is used by both large and small-scale businesses for creating and enhancing conversational experiences.
Pros:
•Extremely easy to use and simple and has a smart user interface.
• “Click-to-chat” ads for acquiring quality leads and engaging them better.
• Send diverse types of promotions, offers, alerts etc.
• Easily set up highly performing campaigns.
• Share interactive single and multi-product messages to showcase what you have in store.
• Chatbot automation to handle routine tasks and provide instant customer support.
Cons:
• Lack of a good dashboard to track your list.
• Does not have insights such as customer behavior, reports and blocks to assist marketers.
Conclusion
For those who are on the lookout for a reliable and competent WhatsApp Business API solution provider and an affordable Wati alternative, Interakt is a practical choice to go for.
Interakt houses a diverse and highly efficient suite of tools and features and is designed to scale with your business. This in effect makes the platform an ideal candidate if long-term growth is where your sights are set towards.
Thinking of getting Interakt?
