AI chatbot for WhatsApp

How a WhatsApp AI chatbot works

Messages a customer sends to a business's WhatsApp number arrive through the WhatsApp Business Platform (the Cloud API). The platform forwards each message to the business's software via a webhook. There, a large language model reads the message, looks up relevant information in the business's knowledge base or systems, and returns an answer, which is sent back through the API into the same WhatsApp thread.

Two rules shape what is possible:

• Session window: a business can reply freely for 24 hours after a customer's last message. Outside that window, only pre-approved message templates may be sent.
• Opt-in: the customer starts the conversation or gives consent; businesses cannot cold-message arbitrary numbers.

What it can do

• Answer frequently asked questions from the business's own knowledge, day and night.
• Look up order or booking status when connected to the relevant system.
• Capture leads by collecting a name, email or request.
• Hand off to a human agent when the question is too complex or sensitive.

Because WhatsApp is a persistent, identity-linked channel, the agent has more context than an anonymous website chat: it knows the phone number and the conversation history.

What you need to set one up

1. A WhatsApp Business account and a phone number registered on the WhatsApp Business Platform.
2. A provider or platform (such as Conveya) that connects to the Cloud API and hosts the AI agent.
3. A knowledge base the agent answers from, and optional connections to the systems it should act in.

Native integration with the Cloud API is preferable to a third-party aggregator, because it avoids an extra layer between the business and WhatsApp.