Chat App Message Service is an intelligent messaging engine that connects you to users worldwide through a unified API. It seamlessly integrates WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Viber, SMS, and email, enabling you to deliver everything from one-time passwords (OTPs) and order notifications to personalized marketing campaigns that engage and convert.
Built-in visual editor lets you design multi-turn conversational workflows—no coding required. Simply describe in plain language or drag and drop components to get started instantly.
About Chat App Message Service
Scan the QR code with WhatsApp to try the demo
|
Before you begin
To get the most out of this guide, we recommend you first review:
Why choose Chat App Message Service
Traditionally, to reach a global audience, businesses need to separately integrate with channels such as WhatsApp, SMS, and email. This process is expensive to develop, complex to maintain, and often result in failed deliveries due to carrier restrictions.
Chat App Message Service addresses these challenges:
Unified API for fast integration
A single API connects you to major messaging channels, including WhatsApp, Viber, Messenger, and Instagram, slashing integration time from weeks to just a few hours.
High deliverability & two-way conversations
Messages are delivered over internet-based channels, bypassing traditional SMS filters. Users can reply directly, enabling real-time engagement that boosts customer service efficiency and conversion rates.
Rich messaging formats
Go beyond plain text: Send images, videos, documents, and interactive messages with buttons or lists. Perfectly suited for OTPs, shipping notifications, promotional campaigns, and more.
Officially certified & compliant
Alibaba Cloud is a Meta Business Solution Provider (BSP) and an official partner of Viber. We streamline the entire onboarding process, including business verification and message template approvals, while ensuring compliance with global standards such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
Intelligent engagement tools
Build automated, multi-turn conversations effortlessly with Chat Flow, a no-code, visual workflow editor. Easily deploy AI-powered customer service bots to deliver 24/7 support in minutes.
Feature support
Feature | Viber | SMS | Messenger | |||
Text messages | ||||||
Image messages | ||||||
Video messages | ||||||
File messages | ||||||
Button | ||||||
List | ||||||
Message templates | (Requires pre-approval from Meta) | |||||
Bulk messaging | ||||||
Session window | 24 hours | 24 hours | N/A | N/A | 24 hours | 24 hours |
Message receipts |
Use cases
Cross-border e-commerce
Send order confirmations, shipping reminders, and promotional messages to boost customer loyalty and drive repeat purchases.
User authentication
Deliver secure and reliable OTPs, providing a modern, high-deliverability alternative to traditional SMS.
Customer service
Automatically respond to common questions and create support tickets to reduce manual labor costs.
Global operations
Engage a global audience with multi-language templates.
For detailed use cases in typical industries, refer to Use cases.
How it works
Chat App Message Service is a multi-channel messaging platform. It receives requests through a unified API gateway. A channel adapter then converts each request into the native protocol format of the target channel, such as WhatsApp or Viber. The platform uses a built-in Message Queue for asynchronous processing and retry-on-failure, ensuring high throughput. A webhook mechanism provides real-time status updates, such as sent, delivered, and read, to your business system for message tracking.
Core capabilities
Connect and send
Official BSP: As an officially recognized Business Solution Provider for Meta and Viber, we ensure stable and compliant channel access.
Rich content: Support diverse message types, including text, image, voice, video, files, buttons, and lists.
Message template management: Create, submit for approval, and manage the full lifecycle of message templates across all channels.
Message status tracking: Get real-time updates on message status, including sent, delivered, and read, through webhooks.
Message sending modes: Send messages to individuals or groups with options for instant or scheduled delivery.
Unified API: Provide an industry-standard API to quickly send messages or integrate with your business systems, such as CRM, ERP, and order management systems.
Automated workflow: Orchestrate complex message interaction flows with Chat Flow, a visual workflow editor.
Operate and manage
Chat Flow: Visually design and deploy multi-turn AI conversations and automate high-frequency business processes.
AI assistant building: Use natural language generation components in Chat Flow to build your AI assistant.
Audience management: Import and group your contacts. Build rich user profiles by capturing valuable interaction data over time.
Unified multi-channel management: Centrally manage different channels such as WhatsApp and Viber.
Message status tracking: Use webhooks to get updates for template approvals and message status (sent, delivered, and read), ensuring full transparency and control.
Message sending process
Sending a message with Chat App Message Service involves the following steps:
Create a channel and connect to your business account.
Use the template manager to design and create a message template. WhatsApp templates require pre-approval from Meta.
Call the unified multi-channel API to send a message request.
The API gateway handles identity authentication, request validation, and traffic control.
The channel adapter converts the standardized message request into the native protocol format for each channel.
The Message Queue processes sending requests asynchronously. This enables traffic shaping, ensures high availability, and includes a built-in retry mechanism.
The service receives and processes message status updates from each channel, then pushes the final status to your business system as a message receipt through a webhook.
Going live
Data security
Data storage: Message content is encrypted in transit and at rest. It is retained for 30 days by default for troubleshooting purposes. Personal information, such as user phone numbers, is protected under regulations such as GDPR and CCPA.
Data residency: Data is stored in dedicated Alibaba Cloud data centers.