In Kerala, WhatsApp is where customers ask about prices, opening hours, admissions, appointments and orders – often late at night. An AI chatbot can reply instantly, in English or Malayalam, collect the customer's details and pass hot leads to your team in the morning. Here is how to set one up properly.
What a business chatbot can do
- Answer common questions about products, fees, timings and locations
- Qualify leads – ask what they need, their budget and when to call back
- Book appointments, demos, site visits and test drives
- Share brochures, price lists, location pins and payment links
- Send order, delivery and appointment updates
- Hand the conversation to a staff member when needed
Rule-based bot or AI bot?
| Rule-based (menu) bot | AI (language model) bot | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Buttons and fixed menus | Understands free-typed questions |
| Best for | Simple, predictable flows | Varied questions, many products, mixed languages |
| Set-up effort | Low | Medium – needs your knowledge base and guardrails |
| Risk | Frustrates users with unusual questions | Must be grounded in your data to avoid wrong answers |
Most businesses do best with a mix: an AI that understands the question, grounded in your own documents, with buttons for common actions such as “Book a call”.
Use the official WhatsApp Business Platform
Automated messaging should run on Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform (the “API”), through Meta directly or an approved provider. Unofficial bulk-messaging tools break WhatsApp's terms and can get your number banned. On the official platform, conversations a customer starts can be answered freely within the customer service window, while messages you start (offers, reminders) use pre-approved templates that Meta charges for by category.
How to launch in four steps
- Collect your knowledge: FAQs, price lists, policies, brochures and past chat questions.
- Design the flows: greeting, lead capture, booking, hand-over and out-of-hours replies.
- Connect your systems: CRM, calendar, payment links and order status.
- Test, launch and review: read real conversations weekly and improve weak answers.
Measure what matters
Track response time, the share of chats resolved without a person, leads captured, bookings made and customer ratings. A good bot should cut first-reply time from hours to seconds and free your team for the conversations that need them.
Tinos builds AI-integrated solutions including website and WhatsApp assistants connected to your CRM. See also our guide to natural language processing for business.
Frequently asked questions
Can the chatbot reply in Malayalam?
Yes. Modern language models understand and reply in Malayalam and in mixed Malayalam–English (“Manglish”). Test the answers with real customers before launch.
Will the chatbot give wrong answers?
An AI bot should answer only from your approved content and hand over to a person when it is unsure. Reviewing conversations every week keeps accuracy high.
Can I keep using my existing WhatsApp number?
Usually yes, but a number moved to the WhatsApp Business Platform can no longer be used in the normal WhatsApp app at the same time. Many businesses use a dedicated support number.
