The two-fold nature of charges
Almost any business enquiring about WhatsApp API pricing understands the problem from the get-go: there are two charges to consider, which can be pretty confusing. Meta charges a per conversation rate depending on the category a conversation falls under. Additionally, your provider , in this case Bizzriser , charges for the platform, the dashboard, the chatbot builder, the broadcast system, the team inbox, and the level of support that comes along with it. These are separate charges, not interfering with one another, which should be reviewed as individual points.
WhatsApp conversation categories and the rates associated with them
Meta categorizes conversations into four types, each of which has its own pricing policy. Marketing conversations, which include all promotional content, are the most expensive to deliver as they require a higher level of approvals and permissions to be delivered. The lowest-per Conversation categories are those of a utility nature, i.e. they inform the customer about the status of a pre-existing transaction. Conversations of an authentication nature, covering OTP and other similar communications, have a separate pricing tier. Finally, Service conversations are those where a business responds to a customer-initiated conversation within 24 hours, so they’re either free of charge or close to being so , which brings us to the next topic.
The charges imposed by the provider
Any dashboard, bot building tool, broadcast system, shared inboxes, or support infrastructure you utilize has to come from somewhere. In this particular instance, none of the abovementioned comes from Meta: your Business Service Provider (BSP) manages the development and maintenance of each tool on an individual basis, so they charge separately for each additional service.
An illustration of rates per month
Let’s imagine an average-sized business with a moderate volume of conversations. Say, three thousand utility messages distributed evenly throughout the month and one thousand marketing-related messages sent as part of any promotional campaigns launched on major holidays or seasonal events. A rough estimation would see the costs for WhatsApp conversations being approximately split evenly between the four categories.
As for the costs associated with the BSP, these are usually a fixed rate per month that has little to do with the volume of messages sent. In most cases, the abovementioned is enough to keep a small or medium-sized business within a certain budget tier, depending on how much activity the account sees.
Ways to keep the expenses in check
The main way to reduce the costs associated with WhatsApp marketing has to do with reducing the volume of messages sent per year. A large part of the spending in this area is down to marketers sending out unsolicited messages promoting a business’s products or services. The most sensible way to reduce the marketing conversation headcount is to segment the target audience and send product or service offers only to those who are actually interested. The next best measure is to utilize the free conversation window whenever the business task allows for it.
How to get further assistance
Pricing tiers rarely account for individual circumstances, which is why a conversation with a potential provider is essential to establish a realistic estimation for a particular use case.