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Meta $META +3.18% announced the global launch of its Meta Business Agent on Wednesday, making AI-powered customer service and sales tools available to businesses of all sizes on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger.
According to the company, capabilities include fielding customer inquiries, suggesting products from a business catalog, scheduling appointments, vetting potential sales leads, and completing transactions. A handoff mechanism lets the agent escalate to a live employee once conversations reach a point the owner defines. Pilot programs that ran in India, Mexico, and Brazil have yielded an installed base of over one million businesses on WhatsApp and Messenger ahead of the global rollout, according to Engadget.
Another feature being tested would send business owners a daily summary each morning, recapping customer conversations from the night before and pointing out important trends. Right now, only selected accounts on WhatsApp Business, Instagram Pro, Messenger, and Meta Business Suite can try it, but businesses can join a waitlist for access. Meta also plans to add tools for collecting market data, tracking competitors, and connecting with calendar software.
