Want to know how to use WhatsApp business with multiple users? Or can WhatsApp business be used on multiple devices or phones? This first-hand how-to guide answers all your questions about using WhatsApp Business with multiple users. It includes how to set up WhatsApp Business multiple users and use it for marketing, sales and support.
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You can use WhatsApp Business with multiple users in two different ways. Through the WhatsApp Business App or WhatsApp Business API, also known as WhatsApp Business Platform. Each platform has its capabilities and restrictions therefore making it suitable for different business sizes.
The WhatsApp Business App features and capabilities are designed with small businesses in mind. The setup process is straightforward and businesses can use the app for free. Plus, it includes business tools like greeting and away messages, WhatsApp Catalog, WhatsApp Pay and quick replies.
Most importantly, WhatsApp Business App allows you to use WhatsApp Business for multiple users on up to five devices, including four linked devices and one phone at a time for each number. This allows more agents to respond to lead and customer messages from anywhere.
In 2022, WhatsApp released a paid plan, WhatsApp Business Premium, which enables you to connect up to 10 devices and assign chats to specific agents. However, this plan is only available for Android users and in certain countries.
If your team size stays the same, having 5 to 10 devices connected to one WhatsApp number is sufficient. As your business grows, you’ll need a more sophisticated platform to handle more agents, contacts and messages. This is where WhatsApp API comes in.
For larger businesses with teams of agents, it’s important to handle high volumes of messages fast. They’ll also need to reply to all contacts promptly with tools like AI and advanced automation and track their team workload and organization performance.
However, these additional features are only available to WhatsApp API accounts when connected to a customer conversation management software like respond.io.
So, which WhatsApp product is for you? The flow chart below will help you determine the most suitable WhatsApp Business product for either micro-small businesses and SMEs and large businesses planning to use WhatsApp with multiple users.
Next, we'll examine each product's features and the associated pros and cons in detail.
If you're a micro-small business owner considering WhatsApp Business App, read on to find out how to use WhatsApp Business with multiple agents on the app.
Any business can use the WhatsApp Business App with multiple devices or users. To link a device, follow the steps below.
You can get the QR code on WhatsApp Business Web or WhatsApp Business Desktop App on your companion devices. Simply go to https://web.whatsapp.com/ or open the desktop app, and a QR code will be displayed on your screen for you.
The steps above work on Android devices. For iPhone users, go to WhatsApp Settings in Step 2 and follow the rest of the instructions above. Upon linking, your team can access WhatsApp Business on your additional devices without the need to keep your phone connected.
Using WhatsApp Business App with multiple devices is convenient for small businesses, but this is only a temporary solution or feasible when your business is starting. As your business expands, you’ll soon encounter problems with using linked devices, such as:
Because of these reasons, using the app is only something you should do as a temporary solution before moving to WhatsApp API.
Larger businesses with more sophisticated needs require a platform with more advanced features to solve the WhatsApp Business multiple users problem. For that, we need to use WhatsApp API connected to a messaging software.
WhatsApp API is designed for SMEs and large businesses that want to scale and manage their teams, messages and customers more effectively. Here are some basic things you need to know about WhatsApp API:
Signing up for WhatsApp API with respond.io is quick and easy. The entire process takes only a few minutes – from linking your Facebook Business Account (now known as Meta Business Portfolio) to adding a phone number. Because respond.io is also a customer conversation management software, you can start messaging customers right after creating your WhatsApp API account.
Next, let’s discuss setting up WhatsApp API with multiple users on respond.io.
Setting up WhatsApp Business with multiple users on respond.io is easy and fast. To add users to respond.io, follow these three simple steps.
1. Navigate to Settings > Workspace Settings > Users.
2. Click Add User to invite agents to the Workspace using their email address.
When adding Users, you can give them an appropriate User Role. This allows you to limit the level of access of each collaborator invited to the platform. You can choose between three User Roles:
3. Create Teams to group your agents for better visibility after they accept your invitation.
For detailed guidance on how to add and edit team members' profiles, invite new users, view team members and their roles, create new teams and manage them effectively, explore our comprehensive help center article. Next, let’s explore how to use respond.io to message customers on WhatsApp.
Next, we'll show how you can use WhatsApp Business with multiple users on respond.io for different use cases, including sales, customer service, marketing with WhatsApp click-to-chat ads, re-marketing with WhatsApp Broadcast.
With respond.io’s Workflows automation builder, you can use WhatsApp API for sales and support with multiple agents. You can easily set up WhatsApp auto replies, including sending your WhatsApp catalog and greeting messages to make a strong first impression on new customers.
Additionally, you can send away messages when no agents are online or when customers message your business outside of operating hours.
For a more advanced alternative, anytime there’s an inbound message, you can use AI Agent, an AI-powered chatbot, to serve as the initial responder to handle routine inquiries or route customers to the right team based on the customers’ profile, conversation purpose and customer life cycle.
Once the Workflows for inbound messages are set up, you can prioritize important customers first and ensure no customers are left unattended by assigning them to the most relevant or available agent on your team. This is especially powerful for a sales use case as fewer customers will drop off, leading to higher conversion rates.
Do you run WhatsApp click-to-chat ads and struggle with qualifying leads and handling a large volume of inbound messages? With respond.io, you can collect lead information and qualify them faster by asking a question. Plus, you can increase lead conversion by replying to them promptly with Respond AI Agent.
While you get a 72-hour messaging window instead of a 24-hour messaging window when leads message you from WhatsApp ads, it's still essential to have a plan for restarting conversations after the window has closed.
One way to reconnect with leads en masse is to use message templates for WhatsApp bulk messages. This enables you to send pre-approved messages to your leads even after the 72-hour window has elapsed.
Broadcasting works great for retargeting campaigns. It’s as simple as selecting the contacts who have opted in to hear from you, creating message content with media attachments and adding a Call-to-Action or Quick Reply Button. Once you're done, simply send or schedule a broadcast in advance.
Once the leads start replying, you'll receive a high volume of messages. But remember, you can now manage your messages more effectively and have teams of agents replying to them at the same time on different devices.
Thanks to Respond AI Prompts, you can effortlessly translate your messages into over 90 languages, ensuring effective communication across borders. With just one click, it makes your communication more precise by adjusting the tone of your messages and correcting spelling and grammar mistakes.
You can also use AI Assist to generate responses to your incoming customer messages automatically. The AI crafts replies based on the knowledge sources you provide, ensuring each response is relevant and contextually appropriate.
While we have solved the WhatsApp Business multiple users problem, businesses still need to understand their customers better and ensure everyone in their team is performing.
Respond.io’s Reports Module enables real-time monitoring of your agents' performance and workload. You'll know exactly how many conversations an agent is currently handling and if they're efficient at closing conversations based on their resolution time. You can even see how agents are performing relative to each other.
Plus, respond.io has specially designed tools to facilitate collaboration among agents. Handy features like adding Comments and tagging another colleague in a conversation allow agents to collaborate, respond and resolve Conversations faster. Comments are essentially internal notes where you can document an issue or situation for you and your Team to refer to when necessary.
Also, our Contact Merge feature allows you to have a 360-degree view of your customers with our omnichannel inbox. This helps your Agents reply to customers more efficiently when all the Contact information is readily available from one centralized dashboard.
Last but not least, stay connected to your customers even when you're on the go with the respond.io mobile app. No more missing a conversation. Instead, get notified each time you receive a new message or whenever someone assigns you a new Contact.
Now that you know what respond.io has to offer, let’s go through some real-world examples of how businesses use WhatsApp business on multiple devices with respond.io.
Respond.io has empowered businesses to handle high volumes of conversations effectively by expanding WhatsApp multiuser access. Due to its experience in helping businesses worldwide grow, Meta has vetted the company for its expertise and recognized it as badged Meta Business Partner.
We have interviewed some respond.io customers to learn how they take their businesses to the next level with WhatsApp's multi-user functionality. Below, we’ve compiled a few success stories that will inspire you to kickstart your WhatsApp multiple users journey.
Lamarsa Coffee, a Malaysia-based coffee equipment retailer, was handling customer communication over WhatsApp Business App. However, the WhatsApp Business App is limited to one phone and four other devices, which means only a few agents can answer conversations at one time.
As its business expanded, Lamarsa Coffee found it challenging to handle the high volume of conversations over WhatsApp. To solve the WhatsApp Business multiple users problem, Lamarse Coffee migrated to WhatsApp API and connected it to respond.io for greater multiuser access.
Through enhanced WhatsApp multi-user functionality and respond.io’s advanced Workflows, Lamarsa Coffee has successfully improved first response times by a whopping 38%!
Dubai-based self-storage company, 800 Storage, had limited multiuser access to WhatsApp Business App. This results in slow response time, which in turn affects business growth. By upgrading to WhatsApp API and integrating it with respond.io, 800 Storage is now ready to handle a high volume of conversations through WhatsApp multi-team access.
Thanks to multiuser access for WhatsApp, agent performance has significantly improved across the board, with first response times reduced by 30% to 1 minute and 56 seconds!
You’ve made it to the end! Are you ready to use WhatsApp business with multiple users? Try respond.io and its WhatsApp Business API for free!
The WhatsApp Business App allows free use on up to five devices. If you wish to use WhatsApp on up to 10 devices, you can opt for a WhatsApp Premium subscription.
For businesses requiring more than ten users, WhatsApp API is the solution. This, however, involves WhatsApp’s conversation-based pricing and the use of a messaging software, which incurs additional costs.
The WhatsApp Business App supports up to five devices, including four linked devices and one phone per account, but not on two phones simultaneously.
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