WhatsApp Business on May 7 launched its new Business AI agent in India, aimed at helping small and medium businesses manage customer support, lead generation and sales operations through automated interactions on the platform.
The company said the AI-powered feature is available in multiple Indian languages through the WhatsApp Business app and is designed to simplify business operations.
According to the company, the Business AI agent can automatically respond to customer queries, book appointments, provide product recommendations and support sales conversion activities.
The AI agent will be capable of responding to customer questions round the clock. Businesses will be able to capture leads, schedule appointments, recommend products and manage customer interactions through the feature.
The platform also supports local Indian languages.
After setup, the Business AI agent works by using information from a business’s previous chats, profile and website. It can also be trained using WhatsApp Catalog and Meta Commerce Manager to provide more accurate and personalised responses to customers.
The AI system can provide customers with information related to products, prices, offers, discounts and shipping. It can also automatically answer frequently asked questions.
Meta India Director of Business Messaging Ravi Garg said the company had been conducting pilot testing of the feature with select businesses over the past few months. Besides India, the feature is also available in markets including Brazil and Cambodia.
The company has introduced multiple control options for business owners using the AI agent. Businesses can decide whether the AI should interact only with new customers, respond to users arriving through advertisements or manage conversations for all customers.
If a conversation becomes sensitive or complex, the AI system can transfer the interaction directly to the business owner.
Messages sent by the AI agent will carry an “AI” label to indicate that the response has been generated by artificial intelligence.
Meta also indicated that UPI payment support could soon be integrated within WhatsApp chats. Additional payment options may also be introduced in the future.
Meta said future updates to the platform could include AI capabilities involving video in addition to text and images to help businesses engage with customers more effectively.
Gunveen Kaur, founder of The Purple Sunset and part of the pilot programme, said the AI agent helped the business close six to seven orders directly each day.
According to Kaur, the business recorded an increase of about 40% in sales during the pilot phase.
