With a massive user base, is the most popular communication software in Hong Kong! It is a valuable tool for businesses to conveniently and effectively communicate with customers. In order to suit business objectives, it is necessary to enhance the Business API account’s extension features. However, you may find two kinds of Business API on the market: official Business API and unofficial third-party providers. To ensure that your API is secure, stable, and meets your business needs, eCommerce should choose your provider carefully.
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This article will examine the differences between official and unofficial APIs and offer some recommendations for selecting a suitable provider. If you do not want to make any mistakes with your business account, read on!
Business API is a application programming interface that is designed specifically for merchants. It was originally a set of API codes, and there is no direct user interface for consumers to utilize.
Unlike the free Business, merchants cannot download the API directly from the App Store or Google Play. You must instead obtain the API from a third-party provider, like VIMOS, or develop it yourself.
VIMOS provides an easy-to-use application program interface in addition to assisting users in applying for the Business API. Moreover, VIMOS supports both PC and mobile versions. Without any programming or software development skills, merchants can easily enjoy the extended functionality of the Business API.
Functionalities include:
Further reading: 3 Benefits of Business to Boost Your eCommerce Sales
In general, Business API suppliers have two categories. They are Meta’s officially recognized solution providers (Business Solution Providers) and unofficially recognized third-party API suppliers.
While both provide comparable functionality, only a few recognize the unofficial API. may permanently block your account and you may lose all your customer information if your account exhibits unusual behavior. Before this, let us first distinguish between unofficial and official APIs.
Meta (formerly Facebook) has restricted access to the Business API until May , and only well-known brands can use it. As a result, many small and medium-sized businesses obtain unofficial APIs in order to use the API’s extended functions. They accomplish this by obtaining data from third-party suppliers.
Merchants, however, frequently create accounts using the official API. Before they can officially open an account, they must provide various supporting documents and go through complicated procedures. Therefore, many small businesses may opt for a third-party provider that can directly obtain the API. The reason primarily is for convenience, so that they do not have to go through multiple steps.
This is a Facebook-based interface for connecting to and optimizing its functionality. Connecting to the Business API and performing business authentication are both difficult procedures. Furthermore, the official API charges mostly higher than the unofficial API. But its “officially recognized” status has undeniable advantages, allowing merchants to avoid the risk of account closures.
Now that you understand the fundamental differences between the unofficial and official Business APIs, how do they differ in other ways? Learn more information by reading the table below.
Unofficial API vs Official API
Additional resources for further reading:
You can also find out if your API provider is an official partner by visiting the Meta website’s list of Business Solution Providers. These providers not only ensure ’s network stability. They also allow merchants to submit template messages to Meta for approval.
Potential Risks of Unofficial API
It is easier and less expensive for small businesses to apply for the unofficial API. For the time being, most smaller businesses do not require a personalized system to meet their customer service needs. In the short term, the unofficial API’s benefits and convenience can quickly meet the needs of small businesses.
Although unofficial APIs appear to have a lower audit threshold, they pose more risks. Your customer information will become increasingly important as your company grows. Moreover, if the merchant is using an unofficial API and Meta detects suspicious account behavior, the merchant is likely to lose the account. Using unofficial APIs is illegal according to ’s terms and conditions, and sending a large number of broadcast messages, initiating conversations with non-contacts, and other suspicious activities are examples. Simultaneously, you will lose your hard-earned customer base and information.
If merchants want to keep in touch with their existing customers and retain their records, the official API is the best option. However, if you do not mind losing customer information and can always get a new number, an unofficial API may fit your business.
Further reading: Business Regulations on Broadcast Messages
True, the procedures for obtaining an official API are complex and stringent. Notwithstanding, it is critical for medium to large businesses to demonstrate the enterprise’s authenticity.
The official API also provides more stable and efficient services in terms of message volume and stability. In addition, this enables merchants to send promotional messages to a large number of users quickly. If your company and customer base are broadening, it is best to consider using the official API to prepare for future expansion.
Green Tick You may also notice that some business accounts have a green tick next to their name. The other term is “green badge” and it appears if the account is a verified business. Furthermore, verifies that the account is from a well-known and authentic brand, which greatly increases the profile’s credibility. If you want to apply for a green badge, keep in mind that only the official API can do so.
Further reading: Green Badge – Purpose, Benefits, Eligibility, and Application Process
Although the official API is a reliable and secure platform, eCommerce should consider the following points before upgrading their account:
Although the official API is a reliable and secure platform, eCommerce should consider the following points before upgrading their account:
Message Restriction: Before sending messages to users for the first time, the official API account must send an approved template message. This is necessary if you do not want other users to be constantly interrupted by promotional messages. The review will take place once the template message is submitted for evaluation, which takes a long time.
Relevant Industry Restrictions: does not officially recognize the establishment of partnerships with industries such as drugs and alcohol. Furthermore, may reject some financial consulting industries.
The process for opening a Business API account is complex. When opening an official business account, businesses must submit specific documents to ensure the business’s authenticity and complete specified verification procedures.
Want more information on API Providers? Feel free to contact us.
VIMOS is an official Business API provider. Through the official Vendor Link and development API, VIMOS provides small and medium-sized merchants with dependable and affordable extensions. After you register as a VIMOS user, our team will guide you through the application process for a Business API account. Furthermore, step-by-step instructions will be provided to ensure that you can successfully log in to the Business API!
Here are Vimos’ top features:
By utilizing automated customer service marketing, VIMOS is dedicated to assisting small and medium-sized businesses with online growth. Businesses are likely to boost their overall profitability as a result of VIMOS’s technical expertise, customer service, and marketing support. Furthermore, our team has extensive marketing and software development experience, which is extremely valuable for brands looking to highlight themselves in the market!
Sign up for a 7-day free trial of VIMOS Customer Service Marketing Platform today and experience the power of Business API. Book a 15-minute business consultation with our dedicated team and receive additional discounts afterward!
An unofficial list refers to lists of numbers or contacts that businesses use through unofficial APIs, which are not sanctioned by . These lists can be risky as they may lead to account bans or security issues.
Yes, using unofficial APIs is against ’s terms of service and can be considered illegal. may permanently ban accounts using unofficial APIs, which also poses risks to data security and business reputation.
To verify your account as an official account of , you must go through the business verification process with a Business Solution Provider. This involves submitting business documents and getting approval from . Once verified, you can apply for the green tick.
A approved account means that the account has been verified by and meets all their requirements for business use. This approval grants access to the official Business API and additional features, such as the ability to send template messages and higher message throughput.
Using an unofficial API can lead to several risks including permanent account bans, loss of customer data, security breaches, and non-compliance with ’s terms of service. It also lacks the reliability and support offered by the official API.
Businesses should use the official API because it ensures compliance with ’s policies, provides better security, reliability, and support. It also allows businesses to access advanced features and maintain the integrity and trust of their communication channels.
Yes, small businesses can greatly benefit from the official API. It provides tools for efficient communication, customer engagement, and marketing automation, which can help small businesses enhance their customer service and grow their business effectively.
There’s a lot of business buzz right now about the messaging app, and with good reason. has quickly emerged as the go-to messaging app for over 1.6 billion consumers around the globe. It’s a fast, simple, and convenient way for family and friends to chat, create group texts, share photos and videos, send and receive documents, and engage in private, secure conversations anytime, day or night. Now, with the unveiling of Business API, companies worldwide are clamoring to use it, too.
And why not? In today’s omnichannel world of texts, chats, posts, and tweets, consumers increasingly want to interact with businesses the same way they connect with their family and friends. It turns out that messaging apps—like , LINE, and Facebook messenger—are taking the lead as the preferred communication channels in use today. In fact, as the world's most popular messaging channel, owns the leadership position with users in over 180 locales, unleashing over 60 billion messages every day.
That’s why progressive businesses worldwide are excited about the potential of the platform. The Business API allows developers to build new experiences that reach even more people in even more parts of the world and result in even more effective customer engagements.
With , companies can send appointment reminders, shipping alerts, order notifications, product demonstration videos, verification codes, boarding passes, and 2-way customer surveys and support messages. It’s immediate, more personal, and international in reach. And it’s secured by the end-to-end encryption that makes so trusted. If employed correctly, messaging can take your business communications to a whole new level of engagement: private, real-time B2C conversations delivered on the world’s preferred messaging app.
Simply put, Business allows companies to safely and securely message their customers directly within the messaging platform. One advantage over SMS is that is tied directly to a single number and provides a branded business profile rather than a string of digits. This allows consumers to immediately know who they are chatting with or receiving messages from. also provides reliable delivery information, providing companies the additional benefit of knowing what messages have been delivered and, ultimately, read.
There is also a growing trend to use business messaging for ‘conversational commerce’ purposes: enabling sales and support teams to answer product or customer service questions with rich, contextual messages that will, ultimately, facilitate a new transaction or keep a current customer happy.
Since comes preinstalled on many smartphones worldwide, user adoption has skyrocketed and is continuing to grow. That means your customers are probably already using the app. To make that customer connection, all you need to do is set up a Business profile and associate it with your business number And because your business presence is tied to only one number (short codes not required!), you can easily include it in all of your marketing programs to entice more customers to make that direct connection with you.
and SMS have long been the most common channels businesses use to connect with their customers. They are effective channels in their own right. But in an omnichannel world, that’s changing. Messaging apps like have capabilities that allow you to have a more significant impact on customer satisfaction, while expanding your reach, improving deliverability, managing support costs, increasing conversions, sharpening security, and achieving other important business KPIs.
Of course, other messaging channels like SMS, MMS, RCS, LINE, Facebook Messenger—plus chat and voice—still have a central role in any businesses communication strategy, and are likely here to stay. However, in some Latin American, Asian, and African locales, it is the total app of choice, giving many companies a chance to engage a broader global audience.
Employing Business as part of your messaging strategy can be a game changer—a necessary tool to help you remain competitive. We've compiled five reasons to consider using Business in your customer communications.
Cementing great brand relationships with customers is the holy grail for most businesses. And delivers on that promise by providing businesses with a closed, personal environment in which to communicate one-on-one with their customers. With , companies create ‘Business Profiles,’ a unique, fully-branded business identity. This allows you to provide specifics like and contacts, social media links, store addresses, website URLs, and suitable business details or offers. More importantly, your Business profile gives you the opportunity to inject your brand personality with every customer interaction. And because verifies all business accounts, your customers are assured it’s not an imposter on the other end when they opt-in to connect with you.
Because Business profiles are mandatory, your branded business identity serves as the familiar face that greets users when you message them, increasing their trust in you and their loyalty to your business. And because enables multimedia communications—think photos, documents, videos, slideshares, and more—brands have the freedom to be creative with their conversations. Moving beyond a simple text or , you can infuse your brand ethos in uniquely new ways to make even more engaging customer connections. Courtney Monroe, IDC’s Group VP of Worldwide Telecommunications Research, echoes this sentiment, proclaiming that is a “powerful channel for businesses seeking to deliver an enhanced customer experience for their customers.”
When was the last time your office or home rang? Or the last time you responded to direct mail? Traditional communication channels like these—and even more recent digital ones like SMS and —are no longer solely meeting consumer demand. In fact, they’re being abandoned in favor of more convenient omnichannel solutions. Successful companies understand that to deliver exceptional customer experiences they have to fish where the fish are and be on the channels their customers prefer. In fact, a Dimensions Data study reveals that nine out of ten consumers would prefer using messaging to communicate with businesses, and, according to Nielsen, 56% would rather message customer service than speak on the .
SnapTravel is just one of the forward-thinking organizations already embracing Business. They understand the need to allow their customers to easily find and book hotel rooms on a variety of messaging channels and have recently expanded their service to include . Moving to has allowed SnapTravel to expand globally, giving more customers the freedom to reach SnapTravel on whatever messaging app they prefer.
If your customer base is global, or if your customer travels globally, know this: as of early , is the number one messaging app in 104 locales. And it has the highest smartphone penetration rates as high as 95% in some of those locales. Because it’s free for users, has, in less than a decade, become the most popular app for personal and business conversations. That popularity is unrivaled in Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, with the exception of China who tends to prefer WeChat for business communications. The rise of smartphone penetration in these regions has also accelerated the use of messaging apps as a preferred channel for commercial transactions, as well. If you want to tap into a more global market, should absolutely be in your communications portfolio.
Consider how is used by PATH, a global health non-profit based in Seattle. PATH has been working in Zambia to support the National Malaria Elimination Center with data collection, research, and community engagement. An early adopter of messaging, PATH knew that success would require the Zambian Ministry of Health to connect with frontline health providers through a channel that was simple to use and already employed by health workers. Their use of SMS showed incredible promise, and as usage of has increased in the region, PATH is adopting its use as a business application to assist with tracking data submissions, identifying reporting patterns, improving message targeting, and ensuring more secure and private connections.
On , chat is a two-way street: businesses and customers can interact directly. Real conversations don’t ask one participant to text ‘Y’ for yes, or close an app and dial the if they want to take the conversation to the next level. Today’s customers want to reach out to businesses and have real conversations, not just respond to one-way messages directed at them. This is especially true in parts of the world where two-way interactions were not possible at all due to regulatory issues, poor quality of numbers, and connectivity issues. addresses these issues by being the first app to deliver quality, reliable two-way messaging around the globe. And while serves as a great channel for notifications like delivery alerts, purchase confirmations, and customer support, it also allows a more direct way to engage your customers and have the two-way conversations that normally take place in a physical store location or over the . Apps are increasingly used to research products and services, get reviews and consultations, make a payment process, file a complaint, or book (or reschedule) a service call—all without having to , , or even visit a brand’s website. These days, conversations like these are happening within messaging apps.
Deliveroo, an innovative online food delivery service, works with over 35,000 restaurants in 12 locales and was one of the first brands to integrate messaging to support exceptional customer experience. To transform the way their customers eat, Deliveroo knew they needed to also provide the best possible food delivery experience. To accomplish this the British-based company decided on an omnichannel approach, to be available on whichever channel their customers preferred. “We’re thrilled to now be able to offer order notifications and status updates to our customers via ,” says Deliveroo CTO Mike Hudack.
Adhering to ongoing in-country regulations and compliance issues is a constant struggle. One of the most significant benefits of is its end-to-end encryption and strict attention to protecting subscriber privacy. The appeal to users is obvious: customers want a familiar but secure way to connect with businesses they’re looking to engage with. And as the need for businesses to remain compliant and secure is a constant balancing act, safeguards companies, as well. Also with two-factor authentication (2FA) baked right into the app, you can rest assure that the users you’re messaging with are, indeed, who they say they are.
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