Explore the capabilities of WhatsApp channels in Unified Messaging and compare them with WhatsApp channels in Service Cloud Digital Engagement and Marketing Cloud Engagement. Availability: If a capability is listed as “Not applicable” for a particular channel type, it is because the capability does not align with the channel’s purpose or limitations. For example, agent capabilities are not relevant for Marketing Cloud Engagement, as marketing interactions primarily involve automated responses rather than human agent interactions. Setup and Routing Capability Unified Messaging WhatsApp Channel Enhanced WhatsApp Channel in Service Cloud Digital Engagement WhatsApp Channel in Marketing Cloud Engagement Automated channel setup (no case required) Yes Yes Yes Message routing method Journey Builder for marketing interactions, Omni-Channel for service interactions Omni-Channel Journey Builder Tab-based capacity Yes, during service interactions Yes Not applicable Status-based capacity Yes, during service interactions Yes Not applicable Messaging Session Start and End Capability Unified Messaging WhatsApp Channel Enhanced WhatsApp Channel in Service Cloud Digital Engagement WhatsApp Channel in Marketing Cloud Engagement Customer can start session Yes Yes Yes Agent can start session Yes, via the Send Message global action Yes, via the Send Message global action No Automated outbound messages Yes Yes, via the Send Conversation Messages invocable action Yes, via Journey Builder Agent can end session Yes Yes Not applicable Agent can mark session inactive Yes Yes Not applicable Available session statuses Yes: New, Consent, Waiting, Active, Inactive, Ended, Error Yes Not applicable Send and receive messages via an API No No Yes, via the Marketing Cloud LLTS WhatsApp API Customer Experience Capability Unified Messaging WhatsApp Channel Enhanced WhatsApp Channel in Service Cloud Digital Engagement WhatsApp Channel in Marketing Cloud Engagement Typing indicator: customer side No No Not applicable Typing indicator: agent side No No Not applicable Read receipts: customer side No No Not applicable Read receipts: agent side No No Not applicable Delivered receipts: customer side No No Not applicable Delivered receipts: agent side Yes Yes Not applicable Desktop application support Yes Yes Not applicable Agent Experience Capability Unified Messaging WhatsApp Channel Enhanced WhatsApp Channel in Service Cloud Digital Engagement WhatsApp Channel in Marketing Cloud Engagement Quick text Yes Yes Not applicable Message templates Yes Yes Not applicable Einstein recommended replies Yes Yes Not applicable Agent-to-agent transfer Yes Yes Not applicable Agent-to-flow transfer Yes Yes Not applicable Agent-to-queue transfer Yes Yes Not applicable Flag raise Yes Yes Not applicable Supervisor whisper to agents Yes Yes Not applicable Conversation transcripts Yes Yes Not applicable After-conversation work timer Yes Yes Not applicable Einstein Bots integration Yes Yes Not applicable Individual-object linking Yes Yes Not applicable Channel menu Yes Yes Not applicable Content Sharing Capability Unified Messaging WhatsApp Channel Enhanced WhatsApp Channel in Service Cloud Digital Engagement WhatsApp Channel in Marketing Cloud Engagement File sharing Yes Yes Yes Text Yes, up to 4,096 characters Yes, up to 4,096 characters Yes, up to 4,096 characters Emoji Yes Yes No Images Yes, size limits vary Yes, up to 25 MB outbound Yes, up to 5 MB Documents Yes, size limits vary Yes, up to 30 MB inbound Yes, up to 100 MB via public URL Audio files Yes, size limits vary Yes, up to 25 MB outbound Yes, up to 16 MB via public URL Video files Yes, size limits vary Yes, up to 25 MB outbound Yes, up to 16 MB via public URL GIFs Yes (inbound only) Yes (inbound only) No Enhanced links Yes Yes Yes Automated notifications Yes Yes Yes, via Journey Builder Payment requests Yes, during service interactions Yes No Authentication requests Yes Yes Yes, via Journey Builder Right-to-left languages Yes Yes No Automated Responses Capability Unified Messaging WhatsApp Channel Enhanced WhatsApp Channel in Service Cloud Digital Engagement WhatsApp Channel in Marketing Cloud Engagement Auto-responses Yes, via Service channel settings and Journey Builder Yes, after user sends an initial message Yes, via default responses Keyword-based auto-responses Yes Yes Yes Security and Consent Management Capability Unified Messaging WhatsApp Channel Enhanced WhatsApp Channel in Service Cloud Digital Engagement WhatsApp Channel in Marketing Cloud Engagement Sensitive data rules Yes, during service interactions Yes No Encryption at rest Yes Yes Yes Channel consent levels Implicit opt-in, explicit opt-in Implicit opt-in, explicit opt-in, double opt-in Explicit opt-in Customers can opt out Yes Yes Yes Like Related Posts Salesforce OEM AppExchange Expanding its reach beyond CRM, Salesforce.com has launched a new service called AppExchange OEM Edition, aimed at non-CRM service providers. 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