WhatsApp messaging
WhatsApp Messages, Answered by the Same Secretary Who Answers Your Phone
When a customer messages your business on WhatsApp, Kai reads it, replies inside WhatsApp’s 24-hour customer service window, records consent, and files the thread next to that customer’s calls and texts. Buyers search for a "WhatsApp AI agent" — what you actually get is a secretary named Kai working one more inbox. Setting up a WhatsApp sender is still a hands-on step we do with you; self-service sender setup is not available yet.
customer service window enforced before any free-form reply is sent
inbox holding a customer’s calls, texts, and WhatsApp thread
and START honored on WhatsApp as its own consent channel
monthly pricing with no per-minute charges
Best fit
Businesses whose customers already message rather than call — home services, movers, rentals, clinics, and cross-border or Spanish-speaking customer bases — that want WhatsApp answered by the same secretary, in the same inbox, under the same consent rules as calls and texts.
What Is Live Today, and What Still Needs Provider Approval
It is worth being precise about this, because most WhatsApp pitches are not. What is running in KaiCalls today is the conversation half: inbound WhatsApp messages are received and normalized, tagged with the WhatsApp channel, and attached to the customer they belong to. Replies are sent through the same gateway your texts use, with WhatsApp’s 24-hour customer service window enforced before a free-form message goes out. WhatsApp consent is tracked as its own channel, so STOP and START on WhatsApp mean WhatsApp — not your calls, not your texts. And if replies are enabled for that line, Kai answers in-window with your business context rather than a canned auto-responder.
What is not live is the part everyone assumes is a checkbox: creating the WhatsApp sender itself. A business cannot simply be switched on for WhatsApp. It needs a Meta Business account, a verified business, a phone number that is not already tied to a personal or existing WhatsApp account, and an approved display name — and the provider path that lets a platform like KaiCalls do that on your behalf requires Twilio Tech Provider status or Meta Embedded Signup approval. We do not have that yet, so there is no button in the dashboard that provisions a WhatsApp sender, and there will not be one until the approval and the credentials genuinely exist.
The practical consequence: WhatsApp today is a hands-on setup we do together, not a self-service toggle. We would rather say that plainly than ship a switch that appears to work and quietly does nothing. The same rule applies to what we show you afterwards — a sender is only ever displayed as connected when the provider itself confirms it, never because a form was submitted. Template messages for reaching a customer after the 24-hour window has closed, and WhatsApp campaigns, are on the same footing: not available yet, and not described here as if they were.
Why WhatsApp Threads Go Cold
WhatsApp is where a lot of customers now start. The problem is not getting the message — it is that nobody is watching the app, and the rules for replying are stricter than a text.
Nobody owns the WhatsApp inbox
The message lands on one person’s phone. If that person is on a job, driving, or off for the day, a ready-to-buy customer waits hours for a reply.
The 24-hour window closes quietly
WhatsApp only allows a free-form business reply within 24 hours of the customer’s last message. Miss it and the thread is locked to approved templates — usually discovered the hard way.
Consent gets tracked in someone’s head
A customer who says STOP on WhatsApp has opted out of WhatsApp — not of your calls or texts. Without a record per channel, that distinction is guesswork.
WhatsApp Conversations Kai Handles
New customer inquiries
A first-time message asking about services, availability, or pricing gets your approved answer and a captured contact, in-window, without waiting for someone to pick up their phone.
Quote and job requests
Kai asks the follow-up questions your team would ask — what, where, and when — and files a summary against the customer record so a quote can go out without a round of phone tag.
Existing customer follow-ups
Because the WhatsApp thread sits with that customer’s calls and texts, a returning customer is not a stranger — your team can see the whole relationship in one place.
Opt-outs and quiet requests
A STOP on WhatsApp is recorded as a WhatsApp opt-out with a timestamp and source, scoped to that channel, so nobody has to remember who asked to be left alone.
Conversations that need a human
Anything outside what Kai should answer stays visible to your team with the thread, the channel, and the remaining reply window shown, ready for a person to step in.
What Buyers Should Know Before Choosing WhatsApp Business Messaging
KaiCalls is built for owners and lean teams that need calls answered without adding a full-time receptionist. The important questions are simple: what calls should Kai answer, what details should it collect, and when should a human take over?
Real call coverage
Kai answers forwarded calls, asks the caller why they are calling, captures the details your team needs, and sends a usable summary.
Clear call rules
You decide which calls Kai handles, which questions he asks, and which situations should be transferred or flagged for follow-up.
Honest limits
Kai should not pretend to be a doctor, lawyer, or property manager. He captures information and routes calls based on rules you approve.
How a WhatsApp Message Moves Through KaiCalls
Once a WhatsApp sender is connected to your account, an inbound message follows the same path a text does — with the WhatsApp-specific rules enforced on top.
The message arrives and is matched
The inbound WhatsApp message is normalized, tagged with the WhatsApp channel, and matched to an existing customer record or filed as a new one, so the thread sits with that person’s call history instead of in a separate silo.
Consent and the reply window are checked
STOP and START are processed as WhatsApp consent, separately from SMS and voice. The 24-hour customer service window is stamped from the customer’s last inbound message and checked before anything is sent back.
Kai replies, or your team takes over
If replies are turned on for that line and the window is open, Kai answers with your business context and captures what the customer needs. Your team sees the thread, the channel, the consent state, and the remaining window, and can take the conversation over at any point.
Live demo
Hear Kai Handle the Same Request by Voice First
The WhatsApp demo is not self-serve yet, because a WhatsApp sender has to be connected before a message can reach us. Call the phone demo instead — the questions Kai asks and the summary you get back are the same ones you see on a WhatsApp thread.
Demo scenario
Try this scenario when calling Kai.
Customer (WhatsApp)
Hi, do you have anything open Thursday? I need a quote for a two-bedroom move.
Kai
I can get that started. Roughly what are you moving from and to, and what is the best number if the team needs to confirm Thursday?
What you see
The thread is filed under that customer with the channel marked WhatsApp, the consent state recorded, and the 24-hour reply window shown so your team knows how long a free-form reply stays open.
What Goes Wrong With AI Phone Answering
A good demo voice is not enough. AI answering only helps when the call rules, handoff, and escalation process match how your team actually works.
Outdated call rules
Services, hours, prices, staff names, and escalation contacts change. Kai needs current business rules to answer callers well.
Incomplete handoffs
A useful summary explains what the caller needs, how urgent it is, how to reach them, and what should happen next.
Bad escalation boundaries
Medical, dental, legal, and property calls need clear routing rules. Kai should capture and escalate instead of making professional judgments.
What Kai Does on a WhatsApp Thread Today
Answers an inbound WhatsApp question with your business hours, services, and approved answers, inside the 24-hour window.
Captures the customer’s name, what they need, and a callback number, then files it against the customer record your team already uses.
Records WhatsApp consent and honors STOP as an opt-out of WhatsApp specifically, leaving calls and texts unaffected unless the customer opts out of those too.
Shows your team which channel a conversation came in on, and how much of the free-form reply window is left.
Hands off cleanly — anyone on your team can step into the same thread and reply as themselves.
Declines to invent a reply outside the window instead of sending something WhatsApp would reject.
WhatsApp on a Personal Phone vs WhatsApp in KaiCalls
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I turn on WhatsApp myself from the dashboard today?
No. Self-service WhatsApp sender setup is not available yet. Connecting a WhatsApp sender requires provider approval that KaiCalls does not have yet — either Twilio Tech Provider status or Meta Embedded Signup. Until then it is a hands-on setup we do with you. Contact us and we will tell you exactly what your business needs before anything is promised.
What actually works once a WhatsApp sender is connected?
Inbound WhatsApp messages are received, tagged as WhatsApp, and attached to the right customer. Replies are sent within WhatsApp’s 24-hour customer service window. WhatsApp consent, including STOP and START, is recorded as its own channel. And if replies are enabled for that line, Kai answers in-window with your business context.
What is the 24-hour customer service window?
WhatsApp only allows a business to send a free-form reply within 24 hours of the customer’s most recent message. KaiCalls stamps that window from the customer’s last inbound message and checks it before every send. If the window has closed, the reply is blocked rather than silently failing at the provider.
Can Kai message a customer first on WhatsApp?
Not today. Reaching a customer outside the 24-hour window requires approved message templates, and template management is not built yet. Kai replies to conversations customers start. If you need to reach someone first, use a call or a text.
If someone replies STOP on WhatsApp, does that stop my texts too?
No. WhatsApp is tracked as its own consent channel. A STOP on WhatsApp opts that person out of WhatsApp and leaves SMS and voice consent as it was — opting out of one messaging channel does not imply the others.
Does WhatsApp share the same customer record as calls and texts?
Yes. That is the point. A WhatsApp thread is filed against the same customer as that person’s calls and texts, with the channel marked, so your team sees one relationship instead of three disconnected apps.
Is WhatsApp billed or metered separately?
Not today. WhatsApp-specific billing, metering, and campaign support are not built yet. Your plan is the same flat monthly pricing with no per-minute charges described on the pricing page.
Want WhatsApp Answered Like Your Phone Is?
Start with the part that is live today — Kai answering your calls and texts — and talk to us about WhatsApp. We will tell you what your business needs for a WhatsApp sender before we promise anything, because setting one up is still hands-on.