Meta is bringing new voice calling options to businesses on WhatsApp while continuing to explore how artificial intelligence can help with product recommendations and customer interactions.
Voice Calls Are Coming to Larger Businesses
So far, small business accounts on WhatsApp have been able to talk to customers using voice calls. Larger businesses, though, didn’t have access to this feature. That’s now changing. Over the next few weeks, bigger businesses will be able to use voice calling through WhatsApp’s API. This update will allow customers to call businesses directly, and businesses will also be able to call them back, a function that wasn’t available during earlier testing last year.
Meta plans to introduce another feature soon. Businesses will soon be able to send and receive voice messages from customers within WhatsApp, which adds another layer of convenience to the way companies handle support.
AI Voice Agents May Become Part of Customer Service
With these new voice options, companies can set up AI-powered voice agents on WhatsApp. Startups like Vapi, ElevenLabs, Coval, and Phonic are already working on solutions that can manage customer service calls using artificial intelligence. These AI voice systems could eventually take on a larger role in customer interactions, helping businesses automate more parts of their support process.
AI Tools Are Expanding in Other Areas Too
Meta has been gradually adding more AI features to WhatsApp’s business suite. An AI-powered chat support tool that began testing last year is now expanding to more merchants in Mexico. The feature helps businesses handle customer chats using automated responses, and its rollout is now reaching a wider group.
The company is also working on AI-driven product recommendations. Meta is developing ways for its AI to suggest products to users during conversations with merchants. After making an initial recommendation, the AI could also continue helping by answering follow-up questions or providing order updates through WhatsApp.
WhatsApp Business Remains a Key Part of Meta’s Strategy
WhatsApp Business has grown to over 200 million monthly users and continues to be an important source of revenue for Meta. The company earns money through ads that lead users to WhatsApp and also charges businesses for some of the messaging tools available on the platform.
At the moment, Meta’s AI features are free to use. But as the company builds out these services and they reach more businesses, there’s a chance that Meta could eventually introduce paid options for its AI tools.
The latest updates, including voice calling for larger businesses, are starting to reach WhatsApp’s business customers today. A broader rollout to all users is expected over the next several weeks.
Note: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools.
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