How to use WhatsApp Business buttons effectively

WhatsApp interactive buttons are a feature of the WhatsApp Business Platform. To add WhatsApp interactive buttons to your customer communication toolbox, you’ll need to first create a WhatsApp Business account which gives you access to the WhatsApp Business API.

Buttons can be included in template messages that have to be sent to Meta for approval. Make sure that you follow Meta’s guidelines on message templates to give your templates the best chance of getting approved.

Buttons can also be used in messages to single recipients who have contacted the business via WhatsApp in the past 24 hours i.e. they have replied to one of your templated messages or have initiated a chat themselves via one of your configured entry points.

For example, you may have sent out a special offer on a new product range that has just arrived. A person could have used a quick reply button in that message to say ‘Tell me more‘. You can then reply with CTA buttons within 24 hours of receiving the message.

The WhatsApp object types that you can add buttons to are the following:

These buttons can include any of the following:

See how buttons can be incorporated into workflows for specific use cases.

It may seem obvious but make sure you choose the right type of button for the action you want to support.

Use Quick Reply buttons for responses where you want to receive data back from the person that will trigger another action, even if that is a simple Yes or No.

Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons are for directing users to perform an action themselves. like visiting your website or calling a number. You can track if the person follows through, but it is not mandatory for successful completion of the workflow.  

Buttons are ideal for binary Yes or No replies and other responses that are clear cut. If you are having trouble keeping your button text below the 20-character limit then you should probably explore other options, for example a menu of options or a free text response. Each button must clearly indicate the action to avoid misunderstanding.  

Buttons are a great tool, but they should be used sparingly and for responses that they are best suited for. Similar to how a long voice IVR menu can get tedious to navigate, too many irrelevant buttons may overwhelm and distract people from the core objective of the exchange. A good rule of thumb is to use up to three Quick Reply buttons or two CTA buttons per workflow.

Rather than overusing buttons, think about combining them with some of the other options that WhatsApp provides like image carousels, lists of more descriptive options, or even short videos. Think about the intention of the person and what they would need to achieve their goal efficiently and positively.

Once you have mastered the basics of using buttons, you can go further and personalize options based on each person’s preferences and conversation history. For example, for an eCommerce business if a person always chooses the ‘Next Day Delivery’ option at checkout then you display this as the primary button with a secondary ‘Select another option’.  

Mobile devices come in all shapes and sizes. Don’t just use a single device in your testing as buttons may look and behave differently depending on whether someone is using an iPad or an android device. In a worst-case scenario, an important button may not be accessible on a particular device. In addition, you should also test on different screen resolutions as you may be excluding people that have larger text due to poor eyesight.

Track the performance of key metrics like conversions and clicks to ensure that your buttons are performing effectively in the workflows that you use them. If you can gather user feedback, then that is even better – you can even use buttons to do this! Over time preferences and user behavior change so make sure you have the qualitative and quantitative data available to help you to continually improve.

WhatsApp interactive buttons make it easier for customers to reply to your notifications and messages, resulting in higher response rates and more conversions. They can perform an action or make a request with single button click – what could be easier.

More granular customer segmentation results in messaging that is more focused on a customer’s individual needs. This enables more personalized interactions that lead to greater levels of engagement and customer satisfaction.