Answer customer questions with a WhatsApp AI chatbot.
Give customers clear answers from reviewed business information, even when they do not follow a script. The chatbot can work alongside structured flows and hand the conversation to your team with its context.
In one line
A WhatsApp AI chatbot connects a language model to the official WhatsApp Business API. It understands everyday questions, answers from approved sources, and routes the conversation to a person when the available information is not enough.
A scripted path breaks when the customer changes the subject.
Customers ask follow-up questions, correct details, switch language, and return to an earlier step. A useful WhatsApp chatbot needs to understand that detour, answer from approved business context, and either resume the task or involve a person.
Fixed paths cannot anticipate every phrasing or mid-flow question.
An isolated AI reply is not enough if the customer cannot return to the task.
A handoff loses trust when the customer has to repeat the conversation.
Pricing is hard to compare unless platform fees and Meta messaging charges are separated.
Jump to a section
What it is
A chatbot answers from the information you approve.
A WhatsApp AI chatbot listens to messages sent to your business number and uses a language model to understand the request. It answers from reviewed business content, keeps the current conversation in context, and hands the chat to your team when it reaches a knowledge or policy limit.
For live details such as an order status or an available appointment, the chatbot needs an approved tool connected to the source system. A knowledge base alone cannot confirm changing information.
How it works
What happens after a customer sends a message.
The same process can handle a question that arrives during a structured flow. After answering, the chatbot can return the customer to the right step instead of abandoning the task.
Understand the message and its place in the conversation
Find relevant information in the approved knowledge source
Use a connected tool when the answer depends on live data
Write a clear reply in the customer's language and context
Hand off with the transcript and a summary when a person is needed
Where flows fit
Use flows for steps that need a fixed path.
Structured flows suit tasks such as collecting consent, capturing an address, or asking a standard set of qualification questions. The chatbot handles the less predictable parts, such as a clarification or a question asked halfway through. It can answer the detour and return the customer to the relevant step.
What it answers
Give the chatbot reviewed business information.
Add website pages, PDFs, frequently asked questions, or supported catalog information to your workspace knowledge. The chatbot uses that reviewed content for answers and escalates when the source does not support a response. Scheduled indexing can pick up source changes without training a new model.
Website pages
PDF documents such as rate cards, menus, policies, and handbooks
Plain-text FAQs and macros
Shopify product catalog and order data
Custom data via REST or webhook
What it does
Connect a tool when the answer depends on live data.
A chatbot should not guess an order status, appointment slot, or payment result. For these questions, the workflow reads the relevant record through an approved integration and formats the response.
Shopify, Razorpay, Shiprocket, Zoho CRM, Google Calendar, Cal.com, Google Sheets, Google Drive, and Zapier are available. WooCommerce is in progress. Each connector page states its actions and limits.
Where humans come in
Hand the conversation to a person with its context.
When the AI reaches a knowledge gap, policy boundary, or low-confidence reply, the conversation is routed to the team inbox. The teammate sees the message history, an AI-generated summary, the contact record, and prior notes. After the teammate resolves the case, the approved resolution can become workspace-scoped context for a similar future intent.
Why it works on WhatsApp
Built on Meta's official Business Cloud API, not unofficial workarounds.
Waaru is built on Meta's official WhatsApp Business Cloud API. Messages are delivered through Meta's infrastructure, templates follow Meta's review process, and the business number is connected through a WhatsApp Business Account. There is no QR-code or WhatsApp Web automation workaround.
That distinction matters because unofficial automation can violate platform terms and put business messaging continuity at risk.
Side-by-side
AI-first conversation handling vs. a fixed-path chatbot.
Compare the behaviour customers experience, not the label on the feature list.
Capability
Waaru
Fixed-path chatbot
AI scope
Over the whole conversation
Single flow node
Off-script recovery
Detect, answer, resume the flow
Generic fallback message
Knowledge grounding
Reviewed workspace knowledge
Optional KB upload, often static
Tool calling
Typed schemas, native Shopify, Razorpay, REST
Limited to Zapier
Human handoff context
Full transcript + AI summary + CRM record
Conversation dropped into shared inbox
Markup on Meta fees
0%, written on the pricing page
Check the provider's current rate card
Platform access
Free
Check platform and AI add-on terms
AI features
Paid separately
Check the current plan matrix
Native MCP for AI agents
Yes
Check tool coverage and permissions
Meta messaging rates vary by message category and recipient market. Compare each provider's current platform fee, AI add-on, and message rate against Meta's published pricing before deciding.
Integrations
What the chatbot can do, out of the box.
Pre-built tool integrations so the AI can take action, not just talk. Coming-soon entries are on the public roadmap.
Connect customer conversations to support tickets.
Zendesk
Coming soon
Connect WhatsApp threads to a support-ticket lifecycle.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
What is a WhatsApp AI chatbot?
A WhatsApp AI chatbot connects a language model to the official WhatsApp Business API. It understands everyday questions, answers from reviewed business information, and sends the conversation to a person when needed. Unlike a rule-based chatbot, it does not require every customer phrase to be written in advance.
Is Waaru's WhatsApp chatbot built on the official WhatsApp Business API?
Yes. Waaru is built on Meta's official WhatsApp Business Cloud API. Messages use Meta's infrastructure, templates follow Meta's approval process, and the business number connects through a WhatsApp Business Account. Waaru does not use WhatsApp Web automation.
How long does it take to get a WhatsApp AI chatbot live?
Setup time depends on Meta business and number readiness, the knowledge sources you want reviewed, and the tools the workflow needs. Start with one high-volume intent, connect the required source or tool, test the handoff, and expand after the first journey is reliable.
Does Waaru add a markup on Meta conversation fees?
No. Waaru adds 0% markup to Meta's published messaging rates. Meta charges remain separate from the Waaru platform fee, so the two cost lines can be evaluated independently.
What happens when the bot doesn't know the answer?
The AI says it needs help and routes the conversation to your team inbox. The teammate receives the transcript, an AI summary, the contact record, and prior notes. After resolution, an approved answer can be indexed as workspace-scoped context for a similar future request.
Can the chatbot handle multiple languages?
Yes. The underlying language model handles English, Hindi, Hinglish, and major Indian languages out of the box. The AI replies in the language the customer wrote in, including code-switching between languages mid-conversation.
Can I still use flows for parts of the conversation I want to control?
Yes. Use a flow when a task needs fixed steps, such as consent, booking, or qualification. The chatbot can handle an unexpected question and then return the customer to the relevant step.
Does the chatbot work with my Shopify store?
Yes. The direct Shopify connector can read bounded orders, customers, products, variant availability, and fulfilment tracking, and it receives selected order and refund events. Store mutations, abandoned-checkout recovery, discounts, refunds, and COD-to-prepaid changes are outside the current connector release.
What should I compare across WhatsApp AI platforms?
Test a real journey that includes an off-script question, a tool call, a policy boundary, and human handoff. Then compare the transcript, approval controls, logs, recovery behaviour, support, and the separation between platform fees and Meta messaging charges.
How much does a WhatsApp AI chatbot from Waaru cost?
Public signup is open. The platform is free. AI features are paid separately. Meta messaging charges remain separate, with 0% Waaru markup.
Research notes
Evidence checked for this page.
Definitions and pricing context on this page use primary documentation from Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic. Provider rates change, so current pricing pages remain the final source for a buying decision.
Meta publishes WhatsApp Business Platform pricing by message category and recipient market.
Meta · WhatsApp Business Platform pricing · Accessed 8 August 2026
OpenAI distinguishes agents that independently accomplish tasks from simple chatbots that do not control workflow execution.
OpenAI · A practical guide to building agents · Accessed 8 August 2026
Anthropic distinguishes workflows with predefined code paths from agents that dynamically direct their process and tool use.
Anthropic · Building effective agents · Accessed 8 August 2026
