Can AI reply to my customers' WhatsApp messages?

WhatsApp Business app vs WhatsApp Business Platform

• WhatsApp Business app: free, runs on a phone, and includes a business profile, catalogue, labels, quick replies and automatic greeting and away messages. It suits small volumes handled by one or two people, but it does not support AI-generated replies on its own.
• WhatsApp Business Platform (API): designed for software to send and receive messages. Businesses access it directly through Meta or through a provider (often called a Business Solution Provider) that offers a dashboard, shared inbox and chatbot tools. This is the route for AI replies and multiple agents.

How an AI WhatsApp assistant works

1. 1A customer sends a message to your business number.
2. 2The message reaches your system through the API.
3. 3The AI checks your approved information (prices, timings, stock, order status, FAQs) and drafts a reply.
4. 4Simple questions are answered straight away; complaints, payments, unclear requests or a customer asking for a person are handed over to your team with the conversation history.
5. 5Your team can review conversations and correct the information the AI uses.

Rules to know before you start

• Opt-in: you need customers' permission before sending them business-initiated messages such as offers or reminders.
• Reply window: free-form replies are generally allowed for a limited period after the customer messages you; outside that, businesses use pre-approved message templates.
• Charges: Meta charges for some message types, and providers add their own fees. Check current pricing on Meta's site and with your provider.
• Policies: Meta's business and commerce policies limit what can be sold and how automated assistants may be used, and they change over time. Read the current version before building.

Make the AI answer from your facts

An assistant is only as good as the information behind it. Give it your own price list, product catalogue and policies rather than letting it guess, tell it to say when it does not know, and test it with real customer questions, including ones in Hindi, Gujarati or Hinglish if that is how your customers write.