WhatsApp Unveils AI Voice Calls and Smart Shopping Tools to Empower Business Interactions

At the Conversations 2025 event held in Miami, Meta introduced a transformative update to its WhatsApp Business Platform, aimed at revolutionising how companies connect with their customers. These new features include AI-powered shopping tools, voice and video calls, and a smarter, centralised marketing system, making WhatsApp more than just a messaging service for businesses.

Until now, WhatsApp's role in customer service primarily involved chat-based interactions. But this is changing. Meta has announced that businesses will soon be able to make and receive voice and video calls directly on WhatsApp, marking a significant upgrade. This feature is designed to handle more complex customer queries that are often difficult to resolve over text.

“Whether it’s answering complex questions or offering guidance that’s hard to type out — this new calling feature could make the overall support experience faster and more personal.”

This shift will help brands offer a more human, efficient, and engaging customer service experience. Of course, calls will only be made once customers have given their consent, ensuring privacy remains a top priority.

In addition to voice and video calls, voice messaging is also making its way to the platform. This opens up more flexibility, particularly in sectors like healthcare, education, and finance, where verbal communication is often more effective.

Meta is also exploring the future of AI voice assistants. It hinted at voice-based AI assistance possibly arriving soon, allowing customers to interact with an AI agent in real time to solve problems — just by talking.

On the marketing front, WhatsApp Business is receiving a major productivity boost. Meta is integrating its popular Ads Manager interface into WhatsApp, allowing businesses to manage advertising campaigns not just on WhatsApp, but also across Facebook and Instagram — all in one place. This includes ad tracking, budget management, and promotional planning.

With the help of Meta’s Advantage+ AI, businesses can also automate their campaigns for maximum efficiency. It optimises spending and ad placements, even placing content in WhatsApp Status updates. For companies with repeat customers or seasonal offers, this means faster, smarter marketing with minimal effort.

Perhaps the most forward-looking addition is the new Business AI shopping feature, currently being tested in Mexico. This tool helps customers browse, get personalised product recommendations, make purchases, and even receive post-sale support — all without leaving the chat. Meta plans to roll this out globally in the near future.

These features are particularly promising for small and mid-sized businesses, offering a cost-effective solution to reach more people, streamline customer service, and boost sales — all within a single app.

With these upgrades, Meta is positioning WhatsApp Business as a one-stop platform for communication, shopping, and marketing — simplifying life for both companies and customers alike.