Support

WhatsApp for B2B SaaS support and sales, done properly

How the WhatsApp Business Cloud API works, what the 24-hour window and templates mean for you, and how Kairev runs a compliant, disclosed AI assistant on it.

Kairev team16 Sept 2026 · 7 min read

Why WhatsApp matters for B2B

In many markets WhatsApp is where customers already are. A support question that would sit in an email queue for hours gets asked, and expected to be answered, in minutes. For B2B SaaS teams selling internationally, offering WhatsApp support is often the difference between a happy customer and a churned one.

The catch is that WhatsApp is not email. It has rules about who may message whom, when, and with what, and the rules are enforced by Meta.

How the Business Cloud API works

Businesses connect through Meta’s WhatsApp Business Cloud API. Kairev uses Meta’s official Embedded Signup, so each company connects its own WhatsApp Business number and stays in control of it.

Three concepts drive everything:

  • Customer-initiated conversations. When a customer messages you, a 24-hour service window opens in which you can reply freely.
  • Templates. Outside that window, or to start a conversation, you must use a pre-approved message template.
  • Opt-in. You need the customer’s permission before sending them business-initiated messages.

Kairev only sends free-form replies inside an open 24-hour window. Outside it, templates are the only option, and that rule cannot be switched off.

What a good WhatsApp support flow looks like

  • The customer asks a question and gets a disclosed AI reply within seconds, grounded in your docs and past tickets.
  • If the question is about billing, security, legal terms or anything sensitive, the assistant hands off to a person with a summary.
  • If the customer mentions upgrading, adding seats or a missing integration, the signal is passed to your sales team.
  • Every conversation is logged, searchable and linked to the customer's record.

Customers should always know they are talking to an AI assistant, and always be able to reach a human. Kairev discloses this at the start of every WhatsApp conversation and offers a handoff at any point. Disclosure wording is editable; disclosure itself cannot be disabled.

For business-initiated messages, record opt-in on the contact, keep the messages relevant, and make stopping easy. Treat WhatsApp like a channel your customer lent you, not one you own.

Sales on WhatsApp: replies, not cold pitches

Kairev’s Sales Desk uses WhatsApp for replies to people who have already engaged, for example a prospect who asked to continue a conversation there. It does not run cold outreach on WhatsApp. That protects your number, your brand and your customers’ trust.

Getting set up

  1. Connect your WhatsApp Business number through Meta’s Embedded Signup inside Kairev.
  2. Teach the Company Brain your docs, help centre and past tickets.
  3. Set handoff topics and review the disclosure wording.
  4. Turn on the Support Desk and send yourself a test message.

Most teams complete this in an afternoon. The Company Brain keeps improving as your team resolves new cases.

FAQs

Can Kairev use a number we already have on the WhatsApp app?

A number can only be on one of the app or the Business API at a time. Most teams move their support number to the API, or use a dedicated number for it.

Who pays Meta's conversation charges?

You do, through your own Meta business account. Kairev does not mark them up.

What happens when the assistant is unsure?

It says so and hands off to a person rather than guessing. The handoff includes the conversation summary and what it already checked.