What is a WhatsApp BSP? 9 steps to Choose your Business Solution Provider

WhatsApp, a powerhouse in the messaging world, is only as good of a channel as the software it is provided by. It's not just for catching up with friends anymore; businesses are using it to chat, connect, and help their customers like never before.

WhatsApp Business Solution Providers, or BSPs for short, are a crucial factor in this success. These are the go-to experts who transform how businesses like yours use WhatsApp. They're the behind-the-scenes magicians turning your WhatsApp into a supercharged tool for customer engagement. Think of WhatsApp automation, or even integration with other channels, for cross-channel campaigns and offering amazing customer service on all channels.

But what exactly are BSPs? And how do you choose the best one for your business? Getting WhatsApp in both your support and marketing is fairly essential these days, to open a two-way street where your business and customers talk, engage, and connect in a way that's easy, personal, and efficient. Let’s learn all we can about Business Solution Providers!

What is a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP)?

Have you ever wondered how some businesses seem to have a magic touch when it comes to customer communication on WhatsApp? The secret ingredient is often a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider, or BSP for short. These providers are like the expert chefs of the WhatsApp world, offering beside the right software, also support and winning strategies for businesses.

A BSP is essentially your all-access pass to make the most of WhatsApp. They help businesses figure out what WhatsApp can do for their business and integrate it into their everyday operations. This means you can chat with customers, send updates, and even handle support requests right from WhatsApp, making life a lot easier for you and your customers.

How BSPs fit into the WhatsApp Business Platform and Meta Business Partner ecosystem

BSPs are part of a bigger picture. They build their software on the WhatsApp Business Platform and are an essential part of the Meta Business Partner ecosystem. Think of it as a big family, where every member, including BSPs, plays a unique role in supporting businesses like yours. They make sure you’re using WhatsApp in the smartest way possible to connect with your customers.

WhatsApp BSPs and WhatsApp API Providers

Now, let’s talk about the link between BSPs and WhatsApp API. It’s as simple as the WhatsApp Business API being a bit like a bridge that connects your business systems to WhatsApp. BSPs help you cross this bridge smoothly, with the use of the WhatsApp API. They ensure you get the most out of WhatsApp's API, which is crucial for handling customer chats efficiently, sending timely updates, and keeping your customer service top-notch.

The alternative to the WhatsApp API is the WhatsApp Business App, which offers significantly fewer features. Using a BSP is really like having a superpower that lets you manage loads of customer conversations without breaking a sweat. Plus, with API access, you can automate responses, send personalized messages at scale, and do a whole lot more to keep your customers happy and engaged.

Check out our detailed guide if you’re curious to learn more about the best WhatsApp API providers and how they can benefit your business. In the next section, let's dive deeper into the criteria to choosing the best BSP for your business type.

How to Choose the Best Business Solution Provider in 9 Steps

Picking the perfect WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) for your business can feel a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. But don't worry, it's simpler than it sounds, especially when you know what to look for. The right BSP can be a game changer, streamlining your communication and connecting you with your customers like never before.

Take these steps into account when deciding on the best WhatsApp BSP:

Step 1: Define your business needs

First, pinpoint what you're looking to achieve with WhatsApp. Do you need to automate customer service, boost sales through your WhatsApp channel, or improve customer engagement even on channels beside WhatsApp? Identifying these goals early on helps you find a BSP that specializes in these key areas, ensuring they align with your business objectives.

Your WhatsApp Business Solution Provider ideally also works towards the same goal as you do. Whether you’re trying to improve the general customer experience, or mainly focus on a specific aspect. Your goal could for instance be reduced to just customer support, or just adding the option for sending WhatsApp broadcasts as part of your existing stack.

Step 2: Research potential providers

When looking into BSPs, think beyond the immediate. You need a provider who isn't just offering a service, but like we said before, is a partner in your business growth. 

When researching BSPs, consider these key aspects:

• Proven experience all WhatsApp aspects you need: Look for providers offering fast and efficient ways to grow your WhatsApp community, setup customer service and even successfully implemented WhatsApp chatbots and widgets into your shop system.
• Orientation on eCommerce functionality: Evaluate their ability to enhance your sales through integrations like WhatsApp for Shopify, or whether the focus is on growing revenue, or only limited to simply adding WhatsApp as a support channel. (that doesn’t offer any useful WhatsApp marketing)
• Customer engagement assets & library: Check if they share best practices for customer engagement based on their experience.

This means finding a BSP that's innovative, has a proven track record with WhatsApp, and can offer long-term strategic insights. They should understand your industry and have case studies or testimonials to back up their claims.

Step 3: Evaluate their expertise and reliability

A good BSP should have deep knowledge of WhatsApp's functionality and best practices. Check their history for any innovative solutions they've provided to past clients. Assess their reliability by looking at their years in business, the stability of their solutions, and customer feedback. Remember, a reliable BSP is key to a successful WhatsApp strategy.

Step 4: Determine the level of client support

Support is crucial. The ideal BSP should offer comprehensive support, from technical assistance to strategic advice. 

Choose a BSP that offers:

• Expert support: They should provide expert, always-on support, helping you navigate and manage your WhatsApp channel effectively.
• Legal Compliance assistance: Ensure they can guide you on legal matters like GDPR compliance. For WhatsApp, this mainly relates to the double opt-in best practices, and how data is stored.

Particularly important is their ability to navigate legal and compliance issues, like GDPR if you're dealing with the EU market. This support should be ongoing, ensuring that you always have expert guidance as you use WhatsApp in your business.

Step 5: Analyze pricing and value

When it comes to pricing, balance cost against the features and value provided. Especially with regard to Meta’s conversation fees, are they the same or is there an added charge?

• Premium software features: Check for features like automation, marketing tools, sales integrations, service management, audience building, and analytics.
• Value-based pricing for services: Ensure the cost aligns with the value, especially in terms of stability and ongoing support.
• WhatsApp Business pricing: More about this later, but be sure to check how much the BSP charges per conversation.

A good BSP should offer a range of functionalities like automation for efficiency, marketing tools for sending broadcasts, shop integrations for eCommerce, and even AI as overarching feature for performance tracking. The price should reflect not just the services provided, but also the value they add to your business.

Step 6: Double check marketing and sales capabilities

Your chosen BSP should help you maximize leads and sales through WhatsApp. They should offer tools for advanced audience segmentation to send marketing broadcasts that are actually relevant and increase sales. It's also essential that they provide useful solutions like chat bubbles and other widgets to help you grow your WhatsApp audience , making your WhatsApp community more engaging and interactive.

Step 7: General legal compliance, privacy and data security

Ensuring legal compliance, especially for data protection, is non-negotiable. The BSP should be knowledgeable about laws like GDPR and equipped to keep your business compliant. This step is critical to safeguard both your business and your customers' privacy.

The same goes for general software requirements. How is customer data stored? Is my own data safe, as well as all information from my customers? Where is data shared, and which third parties have access? These are all viable questions to qualify a BSP.

Step 8: Check integrations and possible connections

Seamless integration with your existing systems is key to a smooth operation. Your BSP should provide solutions that easily integrate with your current tech stack, making it rather simpler than harder to use WhatsApp for support, marketing, automation, or all three.

Another thing to check here is how open the sales and support team is to implement your ideas. This can be with regard to new ideas, or how resourceful the team is to make things happen. There are for example even ways to integrate with Shopify using APIs and simply sending webhooks!

Step 9: Request demos or trials

Lastly, before finalizing your decision, it’s wise to request a demo or a take a trial. This hands-on experience will give you a clearer picture of how the Business Solution Provider’s services work and how well they fit with your business needs. It can even give you a good feeling about the BSP team behind the WhatsApp software.

Final checklist for choosing a WhatsApp BSP

With all this information, you're now equipped to choose the BSP that best suits your business's unique needs and goals.

1. Strategic partnership: Look for a provider who offers long-term strategic insights and innovative solutions.
2. Expertise and reliability: Choose a provider with a strong track record in WhatsApp solutions and client success stories.
3. Comprehensive support: Ensure they offer ongoing technical and strategic support, including legal and compliance guidance.
4. Value for price: Assess the range of services against the pricing, ensuring you get the best value for your investment.
5. Marketing and sales tools: Check for advanced marketing strategies, sales-boosting features, and innovative user engagement tools.
6. Legal Compliance (GDPR): Verify their knowledge and compliance with data protection laws, like GDPR.
7. Seamless integration: Ensure their solutions can integrate easily with your existing systems.
8. Demos and trials: Take advantage of free demos or trials to evaluate the BSP's services firsthand.

By following these detailed steps and keeping this checklist in mind, you'll be well on your way to selecting the best WhatsApp Business Solution Provider for your business.

What is offered by WhatsApp BSPs?

When it comes to WhatsApp Business Solution Providers (BSPs), they're like the Swiss Army knives of customer engagement. These providers offer a suite of services that can totally transform how you connect with your customers:

• WhatsApp software: The actual platform built on the WhatsApp Business API that enables multichannel customer service, marketing and all aforementioned features.
• Business strategy consulting: Advice on how to actually make the most out of this software, and even specific strategies for quick wins as well as long-term success.
• Done-for-you service like AI automation: Training a chatbot on your behalf and setting up processes to improve your efficiency.
• Training for your teams: Training your support team to turn conversations into sales, and training your marketing to use support data for their segmentation.
• Assets, inspiration and market research: Let’s be honest, WhatsApp is a conversational channel and this can be tough to understand. A good BSP offers you a library of ideas, copy-paste campaign examples and plug-and-play strategies.

BSPs are all about making your life easier and your customer interactions smoother. They offer tools that automate responses, manage chats, and even send out updates and promotions, all through WhatsApp. Imagine handling customer requests quicker than you can say "WhatsApp" – that's the kind of efficiency we're talking about.

And the best part? All these tools are designed to seamlessly fit into your business, making the shift to automated and streamlined communication super simple. Speaking of, want to create a direct link to your WhatsApp chat? Check out this handy WhatsApp Link Generator.

Team collaboration, productivity and efficiency

Now, let’s talk about teamwork and customer engagement. WhatsApp BSPs aren't just about talking to customers; they're about bringing your team together to offer the best service possible. With features like a single inbox and a 360 customer profile, everyone on your team can be on the same page. It's like having a bird's-eye view of every customer interaction.

But wait, there's more – BSPs can turbocharge your customer interactions with AI. Imagine automating 70% of incoming requests, freeing up your team to focus on more complex queries. Plus, sending out personalized marketing campaigns? That's a piece of cake with these tools. You're not just sending messages; you're creating conversations that count.

Learn more about getting that amazing green tick of verification on WhatsApp, and for the inside scoop on WhatsApp automation, we got you covered. Get ready to take your customer engagement to the next level!

WhatsApp BSP pricing structure and transparency

Talking about money can be tricky, but when it comes to WhatsApp Business Solution Providers (BSPs), understanding their pricing models is super important. It's not just about how much you pay; it's about knowing exactly what you're paying for. Transparency is key here.

BSPs usually have different pricing models to fit various business needs. Some might charge based on the number of messages sent, while others might offer monthly packages. What's crucial is that you get a clear picture of the costs upfront. No one likes surprise fees, right?

Knowing what you're paying for helps you budget better and ensures you're getting value for your money. For a deeper dive, see the WhatsApp Business API for specifics, or check out the official WhatsApp pricing.

Free trials and demos

Ever tried shoes on before buying them? It's the same with BSPs – most offer free trials or demos, and this is your chance to "try before you buy." These trials let you test out their services, see how they fit into your business, and decide if they're the right tool for you.

During a trial, you can check out how easy the system is to use, how it handles your customer interactions, and if it really does make life easier for your team. It's all about making sure that the BSP aligns with your business needs and goals.

And guess what? You can take your first trial right away with Hoola! We offer a trial that lets you experience firsthand how our services can elevate your customer engagement. Jump in and see how it works for you – it's the perfect way to make an informed decision.

Take away and all about WhatsApp Business Solution Providers

Alright, let's wrap this up. Choosing the right WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) isn't just a checkbox on your to-do list; it's a crucial decision that can shape the way you communicate with your customers. With the right BSP, you’re not just sending messages; you’re creating a dynamic and engaging customer experience.

Looking into the future, BSPs are set to play a massive role in business communication. They're turning WhatsApp into a powerhouse for customer interaction, where everything from sales to support happens smoothly and efficiently. The future is bright, and it's buzzing with possibilities, all thanks to the magic of WhatsApp BSPs.