WhatsApp is enhancing its business suite with new AI-powered capabilities. The company announced on Tuesday that large businesses will soon be able to connect with customers via voice calls, paving the way for AI-driven voice agents.
Voice Calls Now Available for Larger Business Accounts
Currently, small businesses can chat with customers over voice on WhatsApp, but this feature has not been available to larger enterprises—until now. In the coming weeks, larger businesses will gain access through the API, enabling customers to place voice calls and businesses to return calls, a feature not available during previous tests.
WhatsApp plans to introduce the ability for customers to send and receive voice messages from businesses. By activating voice communication pipelines, companies can leverage AI-powered voice agents from startups like Vapi, ElevenLabs, Coval, or Phonic to handle customer service interactions.
Additionally, an AI-powered chat-based customer support and outreach feature, initially tested last year, is now expanding to more merchants in Mexico.
AI Recommendations to Boost Sales
WhatsApp is also exploring AI to recommend products on merchants’ websites. This AI could engage customers with personalized suggestions and answer follow-up questions through WhatsApp, enhancing the shopping experience.
WhatsApp Business boasts over 200 million monthly users and has become a significant revenue source for Meta through click-to-WhatsApp ads and paid messaging features for merchants. While AI tools are currently free, Meta may introduce pricing once these features scale.
What The Author Thinks
AI is rapidly transforming how businesses engage with customers, making interactions more efficient and personalized. WhatsApp’s push into voice and AI-powered recommendations reflects a broader trend where human agents are augmented—or replaced—by AI solutions. While this boosts convenience, businesses must balance automation with genuine human connection to maintain trust and satisfaction.
Featured image credit: NewsBytes
For more stories like it, click the +Follow button at the top of this page to follow us.