WhatsApp Business Voice Calling and AI Features: What to Know
Meta is expanding its suite of tools for WhatsApp Business by introducing voice calling for large businesses and exploring AI-powered product recommendations. These updates are designed to improve how businesses interact with customers, especially at scale. WhatsApp Business, now used by over 200 million businesses monthly, is a critical revenue channel for Meta. The addition of voice call capabilities and AI-driven interactions is expected to boost customer engagement and streamline service. If you’re a business owner or marketer wondering how this affects your customer support strategy, this update could change the way you connect with your audience.
Voice Calling Comes to WhatsApp Business Accounts
While small businesses have long been able to use WhatsApp for voice chats, large businesses were previously excluded from this feature. Now, Meta is rolling out WhatsApp Business voice calling through its API, allowing customer calls and business call-backs. This marks a major shift in how companies can offer customer service via WhatsApp. During earlier tests last year, only one-way calling was supported—but with this rollout, businesses can now both initiate and receive voice calls. This two-way communication is essential for service-based industries, ecommerce platforms, and customer support centers looking to engage users more personally.
In addition to live voice calls, WhatsApp will soon support voice messaging between customers and businesses. This feature further enhances asynchronous communication, ideal for global businesses working across different time zones. By offering rich, voice-enabled customer support, WhatsApp Business is positioning itself as a full-service platform, competing directly with legacy support channels like phone systems and live chat widgets.
AI-Powered Product Recommendations and Voice Agents
Beyond voice capabilities, Meta is also investing in AI-powered product recommendations and conversational agents. These features aim to enhance the buyer journey by using customer data to suggest personalized product options in real time. While AI chatbots have already been introduced in limited markets, Meta is now expanding these pilots—especially in Mexico—where AI-based customer support is gaining traction. These tools could eventually include upselling or cross-selling features that mimic in-store experiences but within the WhatsApp app.
AI voice agents—powered by companies like ElevenLabs, Vapi, Coval, or Phonic—can soon be layered onto WhatsApp Business to create end-to-end automated support. Businesses could use this capability to run natural-sounding, AI-driven voice interactions with customers, reducing the need for human agents and improving efficiency. Though currently offered for free, Meta may eventually monetize these AI tools as they reach maturity and scale, opening new business models within its platform.
The Future of WhatsApp Business: Monetization and Scale
WhatsApp Business already generates significant revenue for Meta through click-to-chat ads and messaging-based monetization models. As Meta adds voice calling and AI features to WhatsApp, the company is laying the groundwork for a more dynamic business suite that may soon become a paid offering for advanced tools. Businesses using WhatsApp will benefit from more seamless, multichannel communication, but they should also prepare for the likelihood that future access to AI features could come with a subscription or usage-based cost.
For marketers and business owners, staying ahead of these changes is essential. As WhatsApp continues to evolve, integrating features like automated voice responses and personalized product recommendations, it will reshape how customer relationships are managed at scale. These updates reinforce Meta’s commitment to making WhatsApp not just a messaging app, but a central hub for business engagement worldwide.
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