WhatsApp Business new verified badge and AI tools: All you need to know

Meta announced new features including the full availability of a verified badge for small businesses to establish credibility and credentials with consumers. The company also spotlighted Artificial Intelligence tools for enhancing the messaging experience. For the WhatsApp Business app, Meta will make it easy to activate AI directly to enable businesses to engage more efficiently with their customers which it had recently started testing this in India.
The company also announced customised messages on the WhatsApp Business app and said that features and updates will help businesses across the country build a presence and create great in-chat experiences for customers.
It also announced WhatsApp Bharat Yatra – an outreach to various tier 2 and 3 cities in India for offering on-ground, in-person training to small businesses. The company will train small businesses in setting up their WhatsApp Business accounts, creating catalogues and educating them on how to set up ads that click to WhatsApp.
Meta India, Vice President Sandhya Devanathan noted, “The way we WhatsApp a business has only continued to grow. The manner in which Indians are WhatsApping businesses is second to none.”
“Millions of small businesses use the WhatsApp Business app in India, and they frequently tell us that they want to stand out and build credibility with their customers. Now, Meta Verified is available to all eligible small businesses in India using the WhatsApp Business app,” according to a Meta release.
“This new feature, available for a fee, gives businesses the ability to send personal messages with a customer’s name and customisable call-to-action buttons and will also enable them to schedule the day and time the messages are sent,” the release said.
It added, “People don’t want their WhatsApp to become overloaded like other channels, making them miss out on important messages from people and businesses they care about and want to hear from. That’s why we’re focused on helping businesses foster meaningful and valuable connections with people. Whether a business is creating a custom flow or running a messaging campaign for a holiday sale, there are several things to keep in mind to help them be successful on WhatsApp.”