This announcement was made during the company’s Conversations event held in London.
The Business Agent aims to automate numerous customer-facing operations, such as answering queries, suggesting products from a business’s catalogue, scheduling appointments, qualifying leads, and managing specific sales-related communications. Companies can also determine when customer chats should be handed over to human agents.
Meta stated that the tool, currently utilized by over one million businesses on WhatsApp and Messenger, will now be available to enterprises of various sizes worldwide. Additionally, the functionality will be extended to Instagram.
This launch coincides with a trend of technology firms increasingly integrating generative artificial intelligence into their customer service and business communication solutions.
Initially, businesses will have free access to the Business Agent, with plans for paid subscription options to be introduced in the coming months.
As part of the expansion, new features on WhatsApp will help users find businesses through AI-powered agents via search and contact-sharing functionalities.
Meta also rolled out tools designed to assist businesses in overseeing customer conversations, which include summaries of missed chats, updates on customer interactions, and conversation analytics. These features will be initially available to a select group of businesses utilizing the WhatsApp Business app, Instagram Pro, Messenger, and Meta Business Suite.
In addition, Meta introduced the Meta Business Agent Platform, allowing businesses to create, customize, and deploy AI agents while integrating them with external systems like e-commerce and customer support platforms.
The platform comes equipped with controls and monitoring features tailored for larger organizations and facilitates deployment across WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram.
The announcements highlight Meta’s ongoing efforts to broaden AI-driven business services throughout its messaging ecosystem, where interactions between businesses and customers are already taking place through its platforms.
