WhatsApp has introduced a new feature called the Meta Business Agent for WhatsApp Business users.
This AI-powered assistant can manage customer conversations 24/7 at no extra cost. Business owners can set up the AI agent on WhatsApp,
and it will automatically reply to customer queries, answer questions, and even help convert potential customers into leads throughout the day.
If required, a human can also take over the conversation at any time. Meta announced this new feature during WhatsApp’s third annual Business Summit held in Mumbai.
What is the Meta Business Agent?
The Meta Business Agent is an AI service designed for businesses using WhatsApp Business.
It uses information shared by a business, such as its product catalog, website, business profile, and opening hours, to answer customer questions and manage common conversations.
The AI agent is especially useful for small businesses that may not be able to respond to customers all the time. If needed, a human can step in and continue the conversation.
Is the Meta Business Agent Available in India?
Yes, Meta has launched the Business Agent in India, but it is being rolled out in phases.
At present, only selected businesses in certain countries have access to the feature. This means not every WhatsApp Business user can use it immediately.
Businesses that have not yet received access can join the waitlist and use the feature once it becomes available to them.
How to Set Up the WhatsApp AI Business Agent
Business owners can set up the Meta Business Agent by opening the Tools tab in WhatsApp Business and selecting the AI Agent option. They simply need to follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.
After setting it up, businesses can train the AI by uploading documents and images, adding sample replies, highlighting best-selling products,
and sharing purchase-related information. According to Meta, this helps the AI provide more accurate and useful responses to customers.
Businesses can also choose when the AI should reply. For example, it can respond to all new one-on-one chats, conversations from people who are not saved in contacts, or chats started through Facebook and Instagram advertisements.
The AI responses can also be paused while the system continues learning from conversations. Businesses can switch the AI on or off for individual chats whenever they want.
If a business owner starts replying manually, the AI will stop responding in that chat until it is turned back on or unmuted.
Meta also says that if the AI detects a customer who needs human assistance, it will send a notification to the business.
What Can the Meta Business Agent Do?
The AI Business Agent can answer a wide range of customer questions, including business hours, store location, product details, pricing information, and product recommendations based on customer needs.
When a customer starts chatting with a business that uses the Meta Business Agent, WhatsApp will display a message informing them that Meta’s AI is processing the conversation to improve AI quality and personalize responses for that business.
Apart from replying to customers, the AI can also create summaries of missed conversations and generate useful insights from customer interactions.
Important Things Businesses Should Know
Meta says that messages sent and received in chats where the Meta Business Agent is active may be collected to improve the AI, even if the AI is later muted. However, if a business removes the Meta Business Agent completely, new chats will no longer be used for AI training.
Turning on the Meta Business Agent may also affect some existing WhatsApp features, including broadcast lists, disappearing messages, and greeting or away messages.
In addition, when the AI Agent is enabled for the first time, all previously connected devices will automatically be disconnected.
Meta Also Introduces AI Platform for Large Businesses
Along with the new AI agent, Meta has also launched the Meta Business Agent Platform. This platform is designed for large businesses, allowing them to build, customize, and deploy AI agents on a much larger scale.
The launch comes shortly after WhatsApp updated the pricing model for the Meta Business Agent Platform.
Similar to AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic, businesses using this platform will now be charged based on a per-token pricing model.
