Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, May 7: WhatsApp on Thursday announced the rollout of “Business AI” in India, a new artificial intelligence-powered feature aimed at helping small and medium enterprises manage customer interactions more efficiently through the WhatsApp Business app.
Backed by Meta, the feature is designed to provide businesses with automated customer support directly within WhatsApp, enabling them to respond to customer queries 24/7 without relying on additional software or external platforms.
According to the company, Business AI will help businesses handle tasks such as responding to frequently asked questions, capturing leads, scheduling appointments, and driving sales conversations automatically. The AI system can also be customised using a company’s own business information, allowing it to answer questions related to products, pricing, offers, shipping, and services.
WhatsApp said the tool will support conversations in multiple Indian languages, making it more accessible for businesses and customers across the country.
The platform also announced that Business AI will soon support in-chat payments through India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), allowing businesses and customers to complete transactions directly within conversations.
Despite the automation, businesses will continue to have full control over customer interactions and can manually take over conversations from the AI whenever necessary.
The company said the feature will be gradually rolled out to all eligible users of the WhatsApp Business app over the coming weeks.
Citing internal research, WhatsApp noted that 91 per cent of online adults in India communicate with businesses through chat platforms every week, underlining the growing importance of conversational commerce.
Speaking on the launch, Ravi Garg said small businesses often face difficulties managing large volumes of customer enquiries with limited staff and resources.
He stated that Business AI aims to bridge this gap by giving SMEs advanced customer engagement capabilities directly within the app they already use.
Eligible businesses can activate the feature through the Tools section of the WhatsApp Business app by selecting “Your Business AI” and following the guided setup process.
The AI assistant can also be trained using existing business profiles, catalogues, and documents, while businesses will retain the flexibility to edit, pause, or disable the feature at any time.