WhatsApp launches Business AI feature in India

WhatsApp has launched Business AI on WhatsApp in India, enabling eligible businesses to provide AI-powered customer support, automate responses, capture leads and book appointments. The feature will also support UPI payments within chats in the coming weeks.

Hyderabad: WhatsApp on Thursday announced the launch of Business AI on WhatsApp in India, bringing AI-powered customer support directly to the WhatsApp Business app.

Available in all native languages in India, the feature enables eligible businesses to respond to customer queries round the clock, capture leads, book appointments and drive sales without needing any additional tools or platforms.

---

Business AI on WhatsApp can be customised based on a business’s own information, allowing businesses to automate responses to frequently asked questions and assist customers with queries related to products and services, pricing, discounts, shipping and more, a press release said.

Starting soon, it will also be able to facilitate payments directly within a WhatsApp chat using UPI. Over the coming weeks, Business AI will be available for all eligible businesses to use on the WhatsApp Business app, it said.

Speaking on the launch of Business AI, Ravi Garg, Director, Business Messaging, Meta India, said with the introduction of Business AI on WhatsApp, the company has now put that power directly into the hands of small businesses, ensuring they never miss a customer query outside business hours or struggle to keep up during peak demand.