Meta is giving its money-maker, WhatsApp Business, a smarter, chattier upgrade — and no, it’s not just emojis this time.
Combining customer service with the power of AI, Meta has announced voice calling for large businesses on WhatsApp, a feature that, until now, has been in the exclusive domain of smaller businesses. This should be the hallmark of customer service finally speaking up on a world platform.
Coming within the next few weeks via API, the new feature would allow large brand names to make and receive calls directly from customers through WhatsApp Calls. Contrary to last year’s tests, which allowed for customer-initiated calls only, businesses can now call their customers back. User voice messages to/from businesses are now also included in this upgrade. Welcome the AI voice agents.
Speaking of AI, Meta is not stopping at calls; it’s doubling down on AI-powered product recommendations, turning WhatsApp into more than just a chat app — it is becoming your virtual shopping buddy.
Meta says that it can leverage startups like Vapi, ElevenLabs, Coval, or Phonic to integrate AI voice agents into these new pipelines. So yes, next time you are asking for a return, don’t be surprised if an AI voice is gently explaining the policy.
These ding-dong little AI features are icing on the cake. With Meta-style possibilities, it may be monetized once the scale of adoption becomes big.
Meanwhile, AI chat-based support, which started from testing last year, is working its way into Mexico, and product recommendation treatments are soon to appear on more merchant sites.
Follow-up questions would be similarly dealt with by AI, providing businesses with a smarter way to continue conversations (and conversions).
With 200 million-plus monthly users on WhatsApp Business along with revenues flowing in from click-to-WhatsApp ads and merchant messaging fees, Meta’s move into voice and AI is probably not just an innovation. It is a very long term path for deeper, smarter engagement.
So, before your next customer service experience on WhatsApp starts to feel eerily helpful, relax and maybe consider that it’s really just a robot with well-behaved manners.
