(NAIROBI, KENYA) – Kenyan businesses will pay new fees from 1st October to respond to customer messages on WhatsApp, as Meta begins charging for service and utility messages on its WhatsApp Business platform.
The US technology company will charge $0.0040 (KES 0.52) per delivered message where firms respond to customers within an open 24 hour customer service window. At current rates, that is £0.0032 / €0.0037 per message.
Kenya will be charged the same rate as regional peers Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. Nigeria will pay KES 0.87 per message, South Africa KES 0.98 and Egypt KES 0.47.
Meta said the 24 hour customer service window is calculated from the time each user message is sent. The company will only charge businesses for messages and the fee will apply when the text has been received by the recipient. Customers seeking information from businesses are spared the charge.
The messages now attracting a fee are split into two types. A service message is a WhatsApp text where a business responds to customer questions, such as replying to a query from a client. A utility message is a text where businesses update customers on the status of their goods, such as confirming payment for orders.
Service messages are either from a customer service representative or a third party artificial intelligence tool. The two services have been free since WhatsApp Business was launched in 2018.
Meta has been charging a higher fee for firms using WhatsApp to promote their goods and services. Promotional or marketing messages in Kenya cost $0.0225 (KES 3). The rate is KES 7 per message in Nigeria, KES 5 in South Africa and KES 8 in Egypt.
WhatsApp Business is a standalone version of the popular messaging application designed for small business owners to connect with customers. The platform offers additional features such as product catalogues, automated replies and broadcast messaging. It also has paid API services for larger enterprises, which allow high volume messaging and integration with customer relationship management systems.
Meta Business Agent, an AI assistant built into Meta’s platforms including Messenger and Instagram, was introduced in June to automatically handle customer service and sales conversations at all times. The agents can answer customer questions, recommend products, negotiate prices, book appointments and escalate conversations to human staff when necessary.
Meta Business Agent messages are charged per text through a bundle. The global rate is $2 (KES 259) per one million tokens. One message typically consumes 20,000 to 25,000 tokens, translating to approximately five US cents or KES 6 per message. Simple responses consume fewer tokens and cost less, while complex responses are more expensive.
A query such as “At what time do you open your Nairobi CBD branch?”, which can be addressed in four messages, can consume 80,000 tokens, translating to $0.16, or about KES 21. More complex enquiries, such as taking a customer through selecting and checking out goods from an online catalogue, can consume about 10 messages, or 250,000 tokens, translating to up to $0.50, or about KES 65.
In Kenya, thousands of small enterprises use WhatsApp Business as their primary customer communication channel. Many depend on automated replies that can answer simple questions like a shop’s working hours or share external links to the business’s catalogue.
Meta has warned that for any businesses that do not have a payment method on file by 30th September, the company will stop delivering service messages as of when they become charged on 1st October.
The new charges add to features Meta has recently monetised globally. Last year, the company began billing businesses for WhatsApp marketing messages. Currently, Meta only charges for marketing and Business Agent messages.
The move comes as Kenyan businesses increasingly rely on digital platforms to reach customers. The additional cost per message may push some small enterprises to seek alternative communication channels or pass the cost to consumers through higher prices.
