How to Set Up a WhatsApp AI Assistant for Your Business
To set up a WhatsApp AI assistant for your business, you connect a WhatsApp number from your own Meta app (on Meta's Cloud API) to an AI tool, then tell the assistant what to say. With Talksy that means pasting two values from Meta, a permanent System User access token and your App Secret, after which Talksy finds your WhatsApp account and numbers and configures Meta's webhook itself. From then on, the assistant replies to every customer message from your instructions and uploaded documents, day and night.
The steps below match what you'll see in Talksy and in Meta's dashboards as of October 2026. Budget about 30 minutes the first time, most of it in Meta's settings.
Why put an AI assistant on WhatsApp?
Because that's where a lot of customers already are. Meta says WhatsApp has more than 3 billion users in over 180 countries, and in a Kantar survey for Meta of more than 11,000 adults in 22 markets, 73.3% said they prefer messaging when communicating with a business. Messages arrive at all hours, and a reply three hours later often arrives after the customer has moved on.
An AI assistant answers the routine ones immediately: prices, opening hours, availability, policies, directions. Your team reads the full conversation history afterwards.
What do you need before you start?
- A Meta Business portfolio in Meta Business Settings.
- A Meta app with WhatsApp added, created at developers.facebook.com/apps. If you've never done this, Meta walks you through adding the WhatsApp product.
- A WhatsApp Business Account and a phone number on the Cloud API, added under WhatsApp > API Setup in your app. Meta's documentation explains which numbers are eligible.
- A payment method on your Meta account. Since October 1, 2026, Meta charges for service messages beyond 1,000 a month per number, and stops delivering chargeable messages if there's no payment method.
- A Talksy account (the 14-day trial needs no card) with an assistant created.
Step 1: Write the assistant's instructions and upload your documents
Do this first, so the assistant is ready the moment WhatsApp connects.
In Talksy, create an assistant (or start from a template such as FAQ Bot or Customer Support) and write its instructions in plain language: who you are, what you sell, your tone, opening hours, and rules such as "never promise delivery dates" or "for complaints, give our email address."
Then upload documents to the knowledge base. On WhatsApp, the assistant searches them for every reply. PDF, CSV and TXT files up to 10 MB each are supported. Good first uploads are a price list, an FAQ, your returns or cancellation policy, and a menu or service list.
Step 2: Create a permanent access token
This is the step people most often get wrong. In Meta Business Settings, open System users:
- Click Add, give the system user any name, and set the role to Admin.
- Click Add assets and assign both your app and your WhatsApp account, each with full control. Forgetting one of the two is the most common reason setup fails.
- Click Generate token, choose your app, and tick the permissions whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management.
- Copy the token immediately. Meta shows it only once.
Don't use the token from WhatsApp > API Setup. Meta's "Generate access token" button there creates a temporary token that expires in about a day. It works when you test, and the next morning your assistant silently stops replying. Talksy checks the token's expiry when you paste it and warns you if it's a short-lived one.
Step 3: Copy your App Secret
At developers.facebook.com/apps, open your app, go to App settings > Basic, and click Show next to App Secret. Meta will ask for your password.
Step 4: Connect WhatsApp in Talksy
In Talksy, open your assistant, go to the Channels tab, and add a WhatsApp channel. Paste the access token and the App Secret, then click Verify & connect. Talksy then:
- Asks Meta which app the token belongs to, so you don't have to type the App ID.
- Confirms the token is valid, matches the app, and has the right permissions. A missing whatsapp_business_messaging permission means replies would fail; a missing whatsapp_business_management permission may stop Talksy configuring the webhook for you.
- Finds the WhatsApp Business Account and phone numbers the token can reach. If there's more than one number, you pick which one this assistant answers.
- Points your app's WhatsApp webhook at Talksy.
When it succeeds, you'll see "Webhook configured automatically." There's nothing left to do in Meta.
If Talksy can't work something out (for example, the token can see too many accounts), it shows fields for the Phone Number ID and App ID, both found on WhatsApp > API Setup. And if your Meta app already sends WhatsApp webhooks to another service, Talksy won't overwrite that; it either adds an override for this WhatsApp account or shows you a webhook URL and verify token to paste under WhatsApp > Configuration.
Step 5: Test it like a customer
Save the channel, then message your WhatsApp number from a personal phone:
- Ask your three most common questions.
- Ask something that's in an uploaded document but not in the instructions, to check the knowledge base is being used.
- Ask something it shouldn't answer, and confirm it declines politely.
- Open Conversations in the Talksy dashboard and check the exchange is there.
Illustrative example, not a real conversation.
Customer: Hi, do you deliver to Leeds and how much is it?
Assistant: Hi! Yes, we deliver across Leeds. Standard delivery is £4.95 and arrives in 2–3 working days; orders over £50 ship free. Would you like the link to our shop?
If an answer is wrong, fix the instructions or the document and ask again. Most early mistakes are missing or ambiguous information.
What should you know about WhatsApp's rules and fees?
- The 24-hour window. Businesses can reply freely within 24 hours of the customer's last message; outside it, only pre-approved templates can be sent (Meta pricing). Talksy replies immediately, so it works inside that window, and it doesn't send templates.
- Meta's fees are separate. Meta bills your Meta account directly at its own rates. Talksy doesn't add a markup because it isn't in the billing path.
- Service messages after October 2026. The first 1,000 service messages per business number each month are free; Meta charges from the 1,001st (details).
- Text only. Talksy reads text messages. Photos, voice notes, documents and locations aren't processed.
Troubleshooting: the common problems
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Worked yesterday, silent today | Temporary token from API Setup | Generate a System User token (Step 2) |
| "No WhatsApp numbers were found" | System user lacks the WhatsApp account asset, or no number is added | Assign the WhatsApp account with full control; add a number in API Setup |
| Meta rejects the App ID / App Secret pair | Mistyped or old App Secret | Copy it again from App settings > Basic |
| Token "belongs to a different Meta app" | Token generated for another app | Regenerate it and pick the right app |
| Messages arrive but no replies | Plan limit reached, or missing payment method at Meta | Check usage in Talksy; add a payment method in Meta |
What about Telegram?
Telegram is far simpler, and the same assistant can answer both. Open BotFather in Telegram, create a bot, copy the token it gives you, and paste it into a Telegram channel in Talksy. Talksy sets the webhook. There are no Meta-style fees.
How much does it cost?
Talksy plans include monthly message allowances shared across WhatsApp and Telegram: Starter $19 (1,000 messages), Growth $49 (5,000) and Scale $149 (20,000). There's no overage: at the limit, the assistant pauses until the next cycle. Each plan also includes AI phone answering and local US or Canadian numbers. See pricing.
Comparing WhatsApp tools? Our WATI alternatives page covers inbox-and-broadcast platforms, which suit teams that reply by hand. For WhatsApp-heavy businesses, see the guides for salons and spas, restaurants and UK businesses.