Blog WhatsApp Quality Score & Broadcast Limits: A Complete Guide

Sonakshi Deb Roy

Are you a business or organisation using WhatsApp to communicate with your customers or members? If so, you may have come across something called the WhatsApp Quality Score and Broadcast Limits. These two factors can impact your ability to send messages through the platform and it's important to understand how they work in order to effectively use WhatsApp for your business.

In this complete guide, we'll break down exactly what the WhatsApp Quality Score and Broadcast Limits are, how they are calculated, and how you can improve your score and avoid running into limits. We'll also provide tips on how to effectively use WhatsApp for your business while staying within these guidelines.

So whether you're new to using WhatsApp for business or you're an experienced user looking to optimise your messaging strategy, this guide has something for you. Let's dive in and explore everything there is to know about the WhatsApp Quality Score and Broadcast Limits.

What is WhatsApp quality score?

WhatsApp uses a variety of factors to determine a user's quality score, including the number of successful deliveries and read receipts, as well as the number of blocked or reported messages

As a business owner using WhatsApp, it's important to understand your Quality Rating and phone number status. Your Quality Rating shows the message quality your customers received in the past 24 hours, and can be in one of three states: green (high quality), yellow (medium quality), or red (low quality). If your Quality Rating falls into the red category or your phone number status changes, you may receive a notification in Business Manager and your status may be changed to Flagged or Restricted.

If you are Flagged, it means that your Quality Rating has reached a low state. If you are able to improve your message quality to a high or medium state and maintain it for 7 days, your status will return to Connected. If your Quality Rating doesn't improve, your status will still return to Connected, but you'll be placed in a lower messaging limit tier.

If your status is Restricted, it means that you have reached your messaging limit. During this time, you won't be able to send any notification messages until the 24-hour window resets. However, you can still respond to any messages initiated by customers.

It's important to keep an eye on your Quality Rating and phone number status to ensure that you are providing the best possible service to your customers. By understanding these metrics, you can take steps to improve your message quality and avoid any issues with your account.

Introduction to QBM

In today's highly competitive and commoditised market, customer focus is key to standing out from the crowd. In the realm of marketing, this is especially true due to the constantly evolving needs, wants, and desires of consumers. Modern marketing is all about creating unique, personalised experiences for customers through tools that bring brands closer to them.

One such tool that is gaining traction in the marketing world is Quality Based Messaging (QBM), a feature under the WhatsApp Business API. QBM allows businesses to engage with customers through contextual messaging that meets certain quality criteria set by WhatsApp. These messages must meet certain quality criteria set by WhatsApp, hence the name "Quality Based Messaging." While the WhatsApp Business API has traditionally been used for support and transactional purposes, QBM expands its use case and opens up a range of opportunities for businesses.

With QBM, businesses can send reminders about payment dates, subscription renewals, special deals and discounts, new product launches, abandoned cart alerts, and more. Launched in September 2021, QBM has the potential to revolutionise the way businesses communicate with customers. Its interactive and responsive nature allows marketers to get a deeper understanding of a customer's choices, thought process, and buying patterns – almost as if they are having a one-on-one conversation with the customer.

WhatsApp is committed to maintaining a balance between the needs of businesses and the privacy of its users. To achieve this, the platform has implemented a Quality Based Messaging limit that regulates the number of messages a business can send to a phone number. The limit is based on the quality rating of the phone number, which is determined by user feedback such as blocks and opt-outs. To reach the top tier of this limit and be able to send unlimited messages, a business must have a history of consistently sending high-quality messages with a low number of unsubscribes and opt-outs.

But the quality aspect of WhatsApp's messaging doesn't stop there. The platform expects businesses to adhere to the ERT code, which stands for expected, relevant, and timely. This means that customers should have opted-in to receive messages, the messages should be personalised and contain clear next steps, and they should be sent within a specific time window of customer interactions. Additionally, businesses must use approved message templates as outlined in WhatsApp's guidelines. By following these rules, businesses can ensure that they are sending valuable, targeted messages to their customers while still respecting their privacy.

Tips to improve WhatsApp quality score

Improving your quality score on WhatsApp is important if you want to reach more people with your messages and have a better overall experience using the app. Here are some best practices to follow to improve your quality score:

  1. Make sure your messages are relevant and timely. Sending relevant and timely messages to your audience will help increase your quality score. This means sending messages that are relevant to your audience and sending them at a time when they are most likely to be engaged.
  2. Use high-quality images and videos in your messages. WhatsApp allows you to send images and videos as part of your messages, and using high-quality content can help to improve your score.
  3. Keep your messages short and to the point. Long messages can be hard to read and may not be as effective at engaging your audience.
  4. Use proper grammar and spelling. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it's important to make sure that your messages are easy to understand and free of errors.
  5. Engage with your audience. Respond to messages and questions promptly and make an effort to build a relationship with your contacts.
  6. Use hashtags and mentions to increase visibility. Utilising hashtags and mentioning other users can help to increase the reach of your messages and improve your quality score.
  7. Don't spam your contacts. Sending too many messages or sending the same message to multiple contacts can lead to a lower quality score. Make sure to only send relevant and timely messages to your contacts.

How is the message limit linked to your quality score?

As a frequent user of WhatsApp, you may have noticed that there is a limit to the number of messages you can send within a certain time frame. This message limit is directly linked to your quality score on the app.

Your quality score on WhatsApp is a measure of how often you send messages that are flagged as spam or unwanted by other users. This score can impact your messaging experience on the platform.  It takes into account things like the number of messages sent and received, the size of the messages, and the frequency of use. The higher your quality score, the more messages you can send and receive without running into any limitations.

However, if your quality score is low, you will be restricted in the number of messages you can send.

So, why is this important? Well, having a higher quality score means that your messages are more likely to be delivered promptly and without any issues. It also means that you won't have to worry about hitting any pesky message limits, which can be frustrating when you're trying to communicate with customers.

What does quality score say about your customer engagement?

When it comes to customer engagement on WhatsApp, one important metric to consider is the quality score. But what exactly does this score say about your interactions with customers?

First, it's important to understand that the quality score is determined by WhatsApp based on the relevance and value of the messages you send to customers. This means that if you are sending relevant and valuable content to your customers, your score is likely to be higher. On the other hand, if you are sending spammy or irrelevant messages, your score is likely to be lower.

So, what does this mean for your customer engagement? A high quality score indicates that you are effectively communicating with your customers and providing them with valuable information. This can help to build trust and loyalty with your customers, as they feel that you are genuinely interested in helping them and providing them with useful information.

On the other hand, a low quality score may indicate that your communication with customers is lacking in relevance or value. This can lead to disengagement and a loss of trust with your customers, as they may feel that you are not taking their needs into consideration.

The quality score on WhatsApp is an important metric to pay attention to as it can give you insights into the effectiveness of your customer engagement. By focusing on sending relevant and valuable messages to your customers, you can improve your quality score and enhance your customer relationships.

How to maintain high quality to build a loyal audience on WhatApp?

If you are looking to build a loyal audience on WhatsApp, maintaining high quality is key to achieving this goal. Here are some tips to help you succeed:

  1. Clearly define your target audience: Knowing who you're creating content for will help you tailor your messaging and ensure that it resonates with your audience.
  2. Set high standards for content quality: Whether it's through editing, fact-checking, or using high-quality images and graphics, make sure that your content is always polished and professional.
  3. Focus on providing valuable content: Your audience will come back to you if they feel they are getting something of value. Make sure to consistently share informative, engaging, and useful content.
  4. Engage with your audience: Encourage your audience to interact with you by asking for their feedback, opinions, and questions. Show that you value their input and take it into consideration when creating content.
  5. Be responsive: Make sure to promptly reply to messages and inquiries from your audience. This shows that you care about their needs and concerns.
  6. Consistently post: Establish a posting schedule and stick to it. This helps build trust and predictability for your audience.
  7. Use high-quality visuals: Visuals are a great way to grab your audience's attention and keep them engaged. Use high-quality images, videos, and graphics to enhance your content.

In conclusion, it is important for businesses and individuals using WhatsApp to understand the concept of quality scores and broadcast limits. These elements play a significant role in determining the success of your messaging campaigns and ensuring that your messages are delivered effectively to your intended audience. By following best practices and adhering to WhatsApp's guidelines, you can optimise your quality score and avoid reaching the broadcast limits, ensuring that your messages are delivered smoothly and efficiently. Ultimately, understanding and managing your quality score and broadcast limits will help you effectively leverage the power of WhatsApp as a communication tool for your business or personal use.

It is important to note that WhatsApp regularly updates its Quality Score algorithm, so it is important to stay up to date and make necessary adjustments to your messaging strategy. Additionally, it is crucial to follow WhatsApp's guidelines and best practices to ensure that your messages are delivered and not flagged as spam.

WhatsApp Quality Score and Broadcast Limits are important tools that help to keep the platform running smoothly and effectively, and they are essential for anyone looking to make the most of their WhatsApp messaging efforts. By taking the time to understand how these features work and how to optimise them, businesses can ensure that their messages are delivered to the right people at the right time, and maximise the impact of their messaging campaigns.