WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in the UK with over 30 million users. Your customers are already using it. Many of them would prefer to message your business on WhatsApp rather than call, email, or fill in a contact form.
The question is not whether to be on WhatsApp. It is whether you can afford to answer every message manually.
Why WhatsApp for business?
- 98% open rate (compared to 20% for email)
- 90% of messages read within 3 minutes
- Customers already have it installed
- No app downloads required for your customers
- Rich media: photos, documents, voice messages, location sharing
The problem with manual WhatsApp
You connect your business number to WhatsApp Business. Messages start coming in. Great. But now:
- You are answering the same questions repeatedly ("what are your prices?", "are you open Sunday?")
- Messages come in at all hours
- You cannot hand off to a team member easily
- There is no searchable history across customers
- You miss messages during busy periods
The solution: AI-powered WhatsApp automation
Here is how it works with Zivvo:
Step 1: Create your AI agent (2 minutes)
Sign up at zivvo.ai. Create a new agent. Give it a name (e.g. "Sarah" or your business name). Select your industry.
Step 2: Upload your documents (2 minutes)
Upload your price list, menu, service guide, FAQ document, or anything you would give a new employee. PDF, Word, or text. The AI reads and understands everything.
Step 3: Connect WhatsApp (5 minutes)
Go to Connections, click WhatsApp. Follow the Meta Business setup to link your WhatsApp Business number. Zivvo handles the technical integration.
Step 4: You are live
Customers message your WhatsApp number. The AI answers instantly from your documents. If it cannot answer, it escalates to you. You reply on your phone. The customer gets your answer on WhatsApp.
What can the AI handle on WhatsApp?
Based on our testing across 12 industries:
- Price enquiries: "How much is a haircut?" answered instantly with the correct price
- Opening hours: "Are you open Sunday?" answered from your documents
- Service information: "What is included in the VIP package?" full details provided
- Comparisons: "What is the difference between X and Y?" side-by-side comparison
- Calculations: "How much for 3 biryanis and 2 naans?" correct total calculated
What gets escalated to you?
- Booking requests (need to check availability)
- Complaints (need human empathy)
- Questions not covered by your documents
- Anything the AI is not confident about
The 24-hour service window
WhatsApp Business API has a rule: you can only send messages to customers within 24 hours of their last message. After that, you need to use approved template messages.
Zivvo handles this automatically. Within the 24-hour window, the AI responds freely. Outside the window, if needed, it uses your approved templates.
Cost
The AI cost is included in your Zivvo plan (from 19/month). WhatsApp Business API itself is free for customer-initiated conversations in the UK (Meta covers the cost for the first 1,000 conversations per month).
Ready to automate your WhatsApp? Get started at zivvo.ai and connect WhatsApp in under 10 minutes.