WhatsApp for 2FA and MFA: Enhancing Customer Experience and Reducing Costs with WhatsApp OTP.

High SMS costs in the Asia-Pacific region and the widespread use of WhatsApp are leading enterprises to adopt WhatsApp One-Time Passwords (OTPs) for user verification as a cheaper option for sending OTPs. This approach offers customer-centric businesses a more reliable and cost-effective solution compared to traditional SMS alone.

Understanding WhatsApp OTP

WhatsApp OTP leverages WhatsApp's extensive reach and end-to-end encryption to deliver one-time passwords (OTPs) to users securely. With over 3 billion users worldwide, WhatsApp provides a familiar and reliable platform for delivering OTPs.

Verified WhatsApp Accounts

Utilizing verified WhatsApp accounts enhances the trust and authenticity of your communications. These accounts are distinguished by a green badge, indicating that the messages come from a credible source. This verification process helps deter phishing attempts and boosts user confidence.

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Key Benefits of WhatsApp OTP

1. Cost Optimization

Adopting WhatsApp OTP can lead to significant cost savings. Depending on your SMS volume and customers' geographical locations, the cost per authentication can drop dramatically. While SMS OTPs can cost up to $0.44 per message in regions in Asia Pacific, WhatsApp OTPs range between $0.015 and $0.00088 per message.

Sourced from Twilio

2. Enhanced User Experience

Receiving SMS OTPs can be challenging for users traveling abroad. WhatsApp OTPs bypass these issues, ensuring seamless communication regardless of the user's location, as long as they are connected to Wi-Fi.

3. Security Enhancement

With WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption, OTPs are secure from interception or tampering during transmission, making WhatsApp OTP a safer alternative to traditional SMS.

4. Reliable Communication

WhatsApp's global user base ensures highly reliable message delivery. Unlike SMS, which can be delayed due to network issues, WhatsApp messages are delivered promptly and consistently.

Additional Considerations

While the benefits of using WhatsApp OTP are significant, it is important to consider user education, privacy concerns, and technical integration for a smooth transition. Inform customers about the switch to WhatsApp OTP with SMS fallback to enable easy adoption. Clearly communicate the security advantages and data protection measures to address privacy concerns. Additionally, collaborating with a reliable provider like Authsignal’s integration with Bird ensures best practices, seamless integration, and minimal disruption to existing systems.

Integrating WhatsApp OTP is a strategic move that offers cost optimization, enhanced security, and a superior user experience. With a global user base and end-to-end encryption, WhatsApp OTP is becoming a popular authentication method for customer-focused enterprises.

Consider enhancing your authentication process with WhatsApp OTP today to experience these benefits firsthand.

Integrating passkeys is another great way to reduce the cost of SMS while optimizing user experience. See for yourself; try our passkey demo and experience seamless, phishing-resistant authentication. With Authsignal, you can integrate passkeys into any stack.