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With millions of active users on both platforms, Telegram and WhatsApp are perfect for businesses to connect with potential and existing customers, provide support, and achieve business goals.
In this blog, we’ll discuss both Telegram and WhatsApp Business. We’ll look at features of both messaging apps, and share the benefits of each platform so you can decide whether you want to use one or the other. Or perhaps even both!
Telegram features vs WhatsApp Business features
WhatsApp and Telegram are both social messaging platforms and have some similar features. But there are slight differences.
First, let’s look at data usage
With recent updates to privacy policies especially on iOS devices, users can, and definitely want to, look into the details of what data is being collected and how exactly it is used. It is of course, equally important for businesses to know what type of data is being collected, shared and kept.
WhatsApp collects basic data such as name and phone number, has access to your contacts and blocked users, and tracks your location (if you allow it) and usage to optimize your experience.
Tip: To find out the extensive list of the data WhatsApp collects and tracks, click on “Settings” within the app, select “Account”, and click on “Request Account Info”.
By default, WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption for texts, which means that WhatsApp cannot see the content of your messages.
In the case of Telegram messages, there is no end-to-end encryption by default. This means Telegram can view the content of your messages for some channels. However, by enabling the Secret Chat feature, your conversation with specific users is encrypted, cannot be forwarded, and can self-destruct.
Groups
WhatsApp allows you to add up to 256 people to a group chat. The platform also enables users to send broadcast messages to 256 people at a time. And this message will be viewed by all customers in that group as a private message.
The Telegram app allows you to add up to 200,000 people to a group. Which can mean that you can send a message to your entire customer base at once. You can have private group chats that people can join by invitation or create public groups on specific topics that customers can find by public search.
Telegram also has a channel feature where administrators can send messages to members. Similar to WhatsApp’s broadcast messages, Telegram users cannot see other members of a channel they belong to.
File sharing
WhatsApp users can share files that are up to 100MB in size. Telegram enables users to share files up to 2GB in size. Files in Telegram are stored on the cloud and not on the host’s device while WhasApp stores files on the host’s device.
Automation
Putting Telegram vs WhatsApp Business we see that both have automation features but again there are slight differences. WhatsApp offers an API that allows for many great features. After connecting to the API businesses can send automatic welcoming messages to new customers and outside-of-business-hours messages.
Note: when a business account wants to reply to a customer’s request there is a rule that’s called the 24-hour window. Within this timeframe, the business must have sent a message that comes from a pre-approved template. This is so WhatsApp can make sure conversations are flowing, and the quality of conversations is good.
Telegram on the other hand has no messaging window and is compatible with multiple third-party apps that allow businesses to send automatic messages at any time.
Bots
If you have a connection with the WhatsApp Business API, through a WhatsApp Business solution provider, you can make use of a chat- and flowbot feature. This feature enables businesses to have smart automated conversations with customers, and gather customer data at the same time.
This, however, is only possible through the API, not the WhatsApp Business application.
The Telegram app has third-party chatbots that allow businesses to perform a variety of tasks. From conducting polls, to receiving and confirming payments, Telegram bots have extensive capabilities.
Analytics
With the WhatsApp API, business accounts can get metrics about conversations and messages with customers. The analytics field in the API provides cost information for a given period as well as a number of messages you send from and receive to your business account.
To view analytics from Telegram you need to integrate with third-party tools.
Collaboration options
Telegram allows users to access an account from multiple devices and this enables team members to collaborate, interact and perform other administrative functions within the app.
The same goes for WhatsApp! You can use Whatsapp Business with multiple team service & support team members.
Benefits of Telegram vs WhatsApp for Business
If the following features are essential for your business, then Telegram is a better option.
- Group capacity. Consider Telegram if your focus is to build a large community because it allows up to 200,000 people in a group.
- Control. Telegram allows group administrators to delete messages sent by members, a feature WhatsApp does not support. This Telegram feature allows group owners to control spam or unsolicited promotions.
- Pinning messages. Telegram allows you to pin messages to the top of a group or channel. Business owners can use this feature to send important messages such as information about store closures during the holidays.
- Visibility. With public channels on Telegram, users can find and join a channel by using the search bar. For example, if a user is looking for a group about pizza in your city, and your channel name or description contains the relevant keyword, the user can find and join your channel.
Benefits of WhatsApp for Business vs Telegram
WhatsApp for Business might be a better option for your business if the following features are a priority:
- Stories. The WhatsApp Business story feature allows users to share text and visual demonstrations of products in a non-spammy way. Stories are great for marketing as they are more engaging than messages in a group.
- Engagement. WhatsApp Business enables users to have a much more active and engaging community.
- Security. Customers prefer secure lines of communication. They want to know their data is protected. WhatsApp Business is a more secure platform than Telegram.
- Active users. WhatsApp still has a more active user base than Telegram. With over 2 billion active users it is the most popular platform worldwide. While this does not mean that more customers can find you, customers are more likely to reach out to your teams because they’re more familiar with WhatsApp.
- Group call. WhatsApp has a group audio and video call feature enabling users to speak with multiple people at a time. Telegram has no group calling feature at this time.
Manage multiple channels on Trengo
To maximize the features of both platforms a business solution provider is the key. Tools such as Trengo are a great solution if you want to unlock all Telegram and WhatsApp Business features while adding these channels to your inbox and integrating it into all your customer data. Trengo is a smart customer engagement platform that integrates messaging apps to a shared inbox while offering clever automation such as chatbots and rules.
Thinking of using Telegram or WhatsApp for your business? Or even both?
