Ever feel like you're shouting into the void with your WhatsApp broadcasts? Or maybe you're worried about getting restricted because your messages aren't resonating with your audience? As businesses increasingly leverage the power of WhatsApp to engage with their audience, understanding and optimising for quality rating becomes imperative. \ \ In this blog, we will navigate through the intricacies of WhatsApp Quality Rating, shedding light on the key strategies that can elevate your business's standing on this widely-used messaging platform. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or a budding startup, this guide is crafted to empower you with the knowledge needed to enhance your business's performance on WhatsApp. By the end of this guide, you'll be a master of WhatsApp Quality Rating, ensuring your messages reach the right people, at the right time, and with the right impact.
What is WhatsApp Quality score?
Think of it like a credit score for your WhatsApp business account. A high quality rating grants you access to a larger audience and unlocks powerful features, allowing you to reach more customers and build stronger relationships. But a low rating can cast you into the shadows, limiting your reach and hindering your ability to connect.
WhatsApp marketing isn't just about sending messages; it's about building trust and credibility with your customers. A high quality rating signals that you're a reliable and trustworthy business, while a low rating can send the opposite message. The Quality Rating on WhatsApp for business accounts is a reflection of how your customers have received your messages in the past seven days. It's essentially a measure of your business's messaging quality.
WhatsApp evaluates your messages based on various factors, including:
- User feedback: This includes blocks, reports, and negative feedback from users.
- Message content: WhatsApp analyses the content of your messages, checking for spam, promotional content, and other violations of their messaging policies.
- Account activity: This includes factors like the number of messages you send, the frequency of your messages, and the number of recipients.
What are the different rating levels?
🟢 Green: This indicates high-quality messages and means you're sending messages that are compliant with WhatsApp's policies and appreciated by your users.
🟡 Yellow: This indicates medium-quality messages, meaning there may be some areas for improvement in your messaging practices.
đź”´ Red: This indicates low-quality messages, suggesting your messages are potentially violating WhatsApp's policies or negatively impacting your users' experience.
If your Quality Rating is consistently low, you may face consequences such as:
- Reduced message limits: WhatsApp may limit the number of messages you can send per day.
- Account restrictions: WhatsApp may restrict your account's functionality or even disable it.
- Loss of access to features: You may lose access to features like chat labels, product catalogues, and more.
When your quality rating reaches a low state or your phone number status changes, you'll receive an email and notification in Business Manager as a warning. Your Status will change to Flagged or Restricted
- Flagged: This status occurs when the quality rating reaches a low state. Businesses can't upgrade messaging limit tiers during the Flagged phase. If the message quality improves to a high or medium state by the seventh day from when your status was moved to Flagged, the status will return to Connected. If the quality rating doesn't improve, your status will still return to Connected, but you'll be placed in a lower messaging limit tier.
- Restricted: This status occurs when you reach your messaging limit. During a Restricted phase, you can't send any notification messages until the 24-hour window is reset. You can still respond to any messages that customers initiate.
How to ensure your Quality Rating does not drop?
Maintaining a high-quality rating for your WhatsApp Business account is crucial for building trust and providing a positive experience for your customers. Positive interactions and a high-quality rating contribute to customer satisfaction, which is essential for customer retention. Satisfied customers are more likely to continue using your services or products and may even become advocates for your business. So maintaining a high quality score isn’t just about abiding by WhatsApp’s guidelines, rather it’s a two way street I would say. You maintain a good quality score by sending high quality messages which keeps your users engaged positively and in turn helps you in adhering to WhatsApp’s guideline.Â
WhatsApp may use a variety of factors to determine your quality rating, and while the exact algorithm is not disclosed, here are some general tips to help ensure your quality rating does not drop
- Get Opt-ins - When people willingly opt-in to receive messages from your business, it's a positive sign. Why? Because WhatsApp sees that your communication is welcomed and valued by your customers. This positive interaction is a key ingredient in maintaining a high-quality score. When users opt-in, it's a clear signal to WhatsApp that your messages are relevant and desired. This not only enhances your business's credibility but also helps you avoid being flagged as spam. And trust me, steering clear of the spam zone is absolutely crucial for your account’s long-term success. Plus, when your messages are seen as valuable by your audience, they're more likely to engage with your business. This not only makes for happy customers but also contributes to higher interaction rates. Not just that, opt-ins also give you a unique advantage when it comes to personalised communication. Since users have expressed interest, you have the green light to send them tailored content, offers, and updates. This targeted approach not only keeps your audience engaged but also helps in building long-term relationships with your customers. You can also allow users to choose the frequency of messages they receive. Provide options like "daily," "weekly," or "monthly" so that users can customise their experience based on their preferences
- Easy Opt-out - Clearly communicate the opt-out process in your messages. Include information about how users can stop receiving messages from you. For example, you can include a message like "Reply STOP to unsubscribe" at the end of your broadcast. Consider providing a Click-to-Action (CTA) button to unsubscribe and make the process even easier. If people find it hard to opt out, they might mark your messages as spam instead. And that's obviously not good for your business. But, if you make the unsubscribe process a breeze, it shows you respect your customers' choices. In addition to that, always respect opt-out requests promptly. As soon as a user sends an opt-out request, promptly honour it. Cease sending promotional messages to users who have opted out, and ensure your system is set up to automatically update your messaging list accordingly.Â
- Send “conversation-starter” messages - People love a good chat. So, think of your messages like you're starting a friendly conversation with your customers. Keep it natural, genuine, and, most importantly, relevant. You want your customers to feel like they're talking to a friend, not just receiving another generic message. Start by understanding your audience. What do they care about? What challenges do they face? Tailor your messages to resonate with them. It could be a simple "Hey [Customer's Name], we hope your day is going well! Did you know we just launched a new feature that makes [specific benefit]? We thought you might find it super handy! What do you think?" Personalised, timely, and offering something of value. Always encourage a response. Ask questions that prompt them to share their thoughts. It could be as easy as "We're thinking about adding some cool new products to our lineup. What would you love to see more of?" By doing this, you're not just pushing information; you're inviting them to engage. Also encourage conversation by asking open-ended questions that require more than a simple yes or no answer
- Using the same number for broadcasts and support - It's all about creating a consistent and seamless experience for your customers. When they see your business popping up in their chats, whether it's for a broadcast or a support message, using the same number builds trust and recognition. It's like keeping a steady flow in the conversation. Now, from WhatsApp's perspective, they're all about ensuring users have a positive interaction with businesses on their platform. Using a single number for broadcasts and support helps WhatsApp gauge the reliability and authenticity of your business. It lets WhatsApp algorithm just see that you are not just sending out blasts to your audience but having healthy interaction with them at the same time, which is perceived as a positive sign by WhatsApp
- Opt for batch deliveries - Keep your account’s quality score high by opting for batch deliveries of campaigns. Why batch deliveries? Well, it's all about pacing yourself. Instead of bombarding everyone on your audience list with the same message in one single day, consider sending out campaigns in batches by segmenting your available list of audience. It makes WhatsApp think that you are not spamming your audience in bulk with unnecessary content. It's like having a friendly chat rather than being a spammer. When you do batch deliveries, you're showing WhatsApp that you're considerate of user experience. It's like saying, "Hey, we're here to share awesome stuff, but we won't flood your inbox."
- Use templates that have not been paused - As we already know, to send a business initiated message WhatsApp requires us to get the message template approved. Now when you use those templates to send campaigns to your audience, if those templates get marked as spam by your audience (threshold unknown) then WhatsApp can temporarily disable/pause your template. And to keep your WhatsApp quality score high, our suggestion would be to avoid re-using the templates that have been previously paused and reinstated by WhatsApp.
- Have a back up number - WhatsApp API providers like Peach, let you add multiple numbers to your WhatsApp business account. And we think it is always better to have more than one number added to the account. So that, in case your number is disabled due to low quality score, you still have a back up number to continue with your WhatsApp campaigns instead of putting a hold on it.
Here is how Peach can help
- Multiple phone numbers - Peach lets you add multiple phone numbers to your WhatsApp account. Having multiple phone numbers acts as a safety net, ensuring continuous communication with customers even if one number is blocked or restricted by WhatsApp due to low quality score. This feature provides a layer of security, preventing disruptions in your outreach efforts and maintaining a consistent presence.
- Multilingual messages - Send messages to your audience in a language that they understand, to reduce spam reports and maintain the quality score of your number. Speaking to someone in a language that they understand can definitely make them feel like they are speaking to one of their own and in turn reduce spam reports for your number. It enhances personalisation by tailoring messages to the individual's language preference, creating a more intimate and personalised communication experience
- Multiple Agents - Having multiple agents added to your account ensures that all your customer queries get answered quickly and swiftly with little to no wait time. WhatsApp perceives that as a green flag. Faster response to customer's messages will boost your quality
Need expert advice to pave your way to achieving high quality ratings? Team Peach is here to help you get started!