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AI DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
WhatsApp Chatbot Development for Business
We build custom WhatsApp chatbots for your business, in Arabic and English, connected to your CRM, bookings and orders, built remotely by our team in Mumbai, India. This is a done-for-you build, not a do-it-yourself tool. Projects typically cost USD 5,000 to USD 200,000 and take around two months.
Built For YouArabic and EnglishCRM, Booking and Order LinksHand-off to Your TeamYou Own the Code
"FNA Technology builds custom WhatsApp chatbots for businesses. This page is for teams that want a WhatsApp chatbot built for them, not for people looking for a do-it-yourself tool or a template library. Our team is in Mumbai, India, and works with clients remotely, with an account manager as your point of contact throughout. Mumbai is 9 hours 30 minutes ahead of US Eastern time in summer and 1 hour 30 minutes ahead of the UAE, so we agree call times before work starts. Since we were founded in 2023, we have delivered 25+ projects, hold a 5.0 rating on Google from 15 reviews, and have shipped software for clients in India and the GCC. You can message our live demo bot on WhatsApp in Arabic or English, with no sign-up. If you need a chatbot on your website or app as well, see our AI chatbot development service; for Arabic-first and Gulf dialect projects, see our Arabic chatbot service. New to chatbots? Start with our complete guide to AI chatbots for businesses."
OVERVIEW
How long does it take to build a WhatsApp chatbot?
Most projects take around two months, depending on size. Before the full build, we can build a working demo or proof of concept of your problem in one day, so you see the approach first. Discovery then ends with a dated plan for your chatbot, and that plan is the timeline we work to.
Discovery comes first: we agree the one or two jobs the chatbot must do well, such as answering questions, qualifying leads, booking appointments or sending order updates, which systems it must read from or write to, and when it must hand the chat to a person. Conversation design follows, where you review the greeting, the menus and buttons, the answers, and what the bot says when it does not know.
In parallel, your WhatsApp account has to be ready. Your business needs a verified Meta business account and a phone number for the WhatsApp Business Platform, and every message your business starts outside a customer's 24-hour reply window must use a template that Meta has approved. These steps are done in your own Meta account, in your business's name, and we guide your team through them. Start them early, because Meta's checks can take longer than the build itself.
Testing runs in a separate test environment on real phones, against real questions from your customers, including Arabic, English and messages that mix the two, typos, angry messages and the questions the bot should refuse. What lengthens a timeline most: each extra integration, a second language or dialect, business verification and template approvals, content that is out of date, and slow decisions on either side.
ARCHITECTURE & DELIVERY
What WhatsApp requires before your chatbot goes live
A WhatsApp chatbot for a business runs on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform, not on the free WhatsApp Business app, and Meta's rules shape what the bot is allowed to send. These are the rules every build has to plan for, taken from WhatsApp's own Business Messaging Policy, platform terms and pricing pages.
An official connection to WhatsApp
The chatbot connects through Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform, either directly through Meta's Cloud API or through a Meta business solution provider. Unofficial tools that automate a normal WhatsApp account are not allowed. The account is set up in your business's own name, and we guide your team through the set-up.
Opt-in before you message people
WhatsApp says you may only contact people who have given you their number and agreed to receive your messages. Its policy recommends a separate opt-in for each type of message, such as order updates or offers, and requires you to respect every request to stop. Collecting opt-in and honouring stop requests stay with your business, so plan the consent wording on your forms before launch.
The 24-hour reply window and templates
When a customer messages you, a 24-hour customer service window opens, and it resets with each new message. Inside it, the bot can reply freely. Outside it, your business can only start a conversation with a message template that Meta has approved, and Meta can review, pause or reject a template at any time.
A clear way to reach a person
WhatsApp allows automated replies, but its policy says a business must also offer prompt, clear and direct escalation paths, such as handing the chat to a human agent, a phone number, email or a support form. Every bot we build has a hand-off to your team.
A business bot, not a general AI assistant
Meta's platform terms ban AI providers from using WhatsApp to offer a general-purpose AI assistant as the main service. AI that only supports your own business, such as answering customer questions or booking appointments, falls outside that ban. We scope every bot around your business's own jobs and content.
Message fees are charged by Meta
Meta charges per delivered message, at rates that depend on the message category, such as marketing, utility, authentication or service, and the customer's country. Since 1 October 2026, each business phone number gets 1,000 free service messages a month, and Meta charges from the 1,001st. These fees are separate from the build price.
Meta updates these rules and prices from time to time, so check its current policy and pricing pages before you launch, and ask any provider which version they are working from.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
01.01
Customer Support on WhatsApp
Answer questions about your products, prices, policies and orders at any hour, from your own approved content. When the answer is not there, the bot says so and passes the chat to your team instead of guessing.
- → Answers from your content
- → Menus and free-text questions
- → Ticket creation
- → Hand-off to a person
01.02
Lead Capture and Qualification
Greet people who arrive from your website, a QR code or a click-to-WhatsApp ad, ask the questions your sales team would ask first, and send qualified leads to your CRM with the source attached.
- → Qualification questions
- → CRM sync
- → Lead source tracking
- → Routing by topic or region
01.03
Bookings and Appointments
Let customers check availability, book, reschedule or cancel inside the chat, connected to your calendar or booking system, with reminders sent as approved templates.
- → Live availability
- → Booking and rescheduling
- → Reminder templates
- → Calendar or booking system link
01.04
Orders, Payments and Status Updates
Look up order and delivery status, send payment links and confirm payments, connected to your store, order system or payment gateway. For a real example, see how we built an order and payment status bot for a bill-payment platform in the GCC, in WhatsApp chatbots for retail and D2C brands.
- → Order and delivery status
- → Payment links
- → Order confirmations
- → Store and order system link
01.05
Arabic and English Conversations
Bots that answer in Arabic and English and are tested on formal Arabic, Gulf dialect and messages that mix the two, with a native speaker reviewing the answers. For Arabic-first projects, see our Arabic chatbot service.
- → Arabic and English
- → Gulf dialect testing
- → Mixed-language messages
- → Native-speaker review
01.06
Integrations
Connect the bot to the tools you already run, such as your CRM, helpdesk, booking system, store or your own database, so it can read live data and create records instead of only talking. We do not work from a fixed list: if a system has an API or a data export, we work out how to connect it during discovery.
- → CRM and helpdesk
- → Booking and order systems
- → Payment gateways
- → Your own databases
01.07
What We Build It With
The bot connects to WhatsApp through Meta's Cloud API or a Meta business solution provider, chosen for each project. We use OpenAI or Claude models, chosen by how complex the chatbot's job is, and the bot answers only from your approved content. Live data, such as an order status or a free booking slot, comes from your own systems through their APIs, never from the AI model.
- → Cloud API or a solution provider
- → OpenAI or Claude models
- → Answers from your content
- → UAE cloud hosting option
01.08
Chatbots Beyond WhatsApp
When the same assistant must also run on your website, in your app or for your own staff, see our AI chatbot development service.
- → Website and app chat
- → Internal assistants
- → One knowledge base
- → Shared hand-off rules
COMPARATIVE INSIGHTS
Ready-made WhatsApp tool or a custom-built chatbot?
Many businesses do not need a custom build. The right choice depends on how standard your conversations are and whether the bot must work inside your own systems.
| Factor | Ready-made WhatsApp tool | Custom-built chatbot |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A subscription platform with a flow builder, shared inbox and templates that your team sets up | A bot designed and built around your process, connected to your own systems |
| Enough when | You need FAQs, simple menus, basic lead capture or broadcasts, and use mainstream tools it already connects to | The bot must check live orders, bookings, stock or accounts, follow your own rules, or connect to systems no platform supports |
| Arabic and English | Varies by vendor; test it with your real customer messages | Built and tested for the languages and dialects your customers use |
| How you pay | A monthly subscription, often per seat or per volume, plus Meta's message fees | A project price, plus hosting, AI model and Meta's message fees each month |
| Watch out for | Limits on what it can connect to, and fees that grow with volume | A vague scope, and no plan for who maintains it after launch |
If your customers ask the same few questions and the bot never needs to look anything up, start with a ready-made tool or WhatsApp's own quick replies: we will tell you, because a custom chatbot you do not need helps no one. A custom build pays off when the bot has to do work in your systems, not just answer.
PRICING & VALUES
What a WhatsApp chatbot costs to build and run
Projects typically cost between USD 5,000 and USD 200,000, depending on size. After a discovery call we write a scope: the jobs the bot does, its languages, the content it answers from, the integrations, the templates it needs, the milestones and the project price. You see the budget before development starts, FNA signs the contract with you directly, and we invoice in US dollars or UAE dirhams.
Running costs come on top of the build and are paid each month as you use them: Meta's message fees, hosting and the AI model's usage fees, plus a provider's platform fee if your set-up uses a Meta business solution provider. Meta charges per delivered message, with rates that depend on the message type and the customer's country; check Meta's WhatsApp pricing page for the current rates. The WhatsApp rules on this page come from WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy and Meta's terms for the WhatsApp Business Platform.
When you compare quotes from any company, ask three things: are Meta's message fees passed on at cost or marked up, is VAT added to them, and what is the estimated monthly running cost at your expected message volume? Ask for these next to the build price, not after launch. If you are still choosing between ready-made tools, our guide to the best AI chatbots in the UAE for business lists the options and their prices.
The price moves most with the number of jobs and flows, each integration, a second language or dialect, how much content has to be cleaned up first, and how much support you want after launch through our support and maintenance service. For WhatsApp set-up in the Gulf, read our WhatsApp chatbot guide for GCC businesses.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about our ai development services services.
How do you build a WhatsApp chatbot for a business?
We agree the jobs the bot must do, guide your team through setting up a verified Meta business account and phone number on the WhatsApp Business Platform in your business's name, design the conversation, connect the bot to your content and systems, get the templates approved, and test it on real phones with real customer questions before launch. A hand-off to your team is built in from the start.
Should a business use a ready-made WhatsApp chatbot tool or have one built?
Use a ready-made tool if your conversations are standard, such as FAQs, simple menus, basic lead capture or broadcasts, and it already connects to the tools you use. Have one built when the bot must check live orders, bookings or accounts, follow your own rules, or connect to systems a platform does not support.
How long does it take to build a WhatsApp chatbot?
Most of our projects take around two months, depending on size, and we can build a working demo or proof of concept of your problem in one day. After discovery you get a dated plan. Business verification and template approvals, extra integrations and a second language are what lengthen it most.
What does a WhatsApp chatbot cost to build and run?
Our projects typically cost between USD 5,000 and USD 200,000, depending on size. Running costs are paid each month as you use them: Meta's per-message fees, hosting and the AI model's usage fees, plus a provider's platform fee if your set-up uses one.
Can the chatbot connect to our CRM, booking system and payment gateway?
Yes. We do not work from a fixed list of tools: if a system has an API or a data export, we work out during discovery how to connect it, whether it is a CRM, helpdesk, booking system, store, order database or payment gateway. Integrations are scoped and priced before development starts.
Do you build WhatsApp chatbots for appointment booking and lead qualification?
Yes. These are two of the most common jobs we build. For bookings, the bot checks availability and books, reschedules or cancels inside the chat, connected to your calendar or booking system, with reminders sent as approved templates. For leads, it asks the questions your sales team would ask first and sends qualified leads to your CRM with the source attached. When you compare companies, ask each one to show you a booking or lead flow working on WhatsApp.
Can the chatbot hand a conversation to a person?
Yes, and WhatsApp's policy requires businesses that use automation to offer a clear way to reach a person. Our bots hand the chat to your team when the customer asks for a person, when the answer is not in the approved content, or when your rules say a person should take over.
How do I check that a WhatsApp chatbot company follows WhatsApp's rules?
Ask whether it uses the official WhatsApp Business Platform, how the bot collects and records opt-in, how it handles requests to stop, which messages will need approved templates, and how a customer reaches a person. A company that cannot answer these clearly is a risk to your phone number.
Do you build WhatsApp chatbots in Arabic and English?
Yes. We build bots that answer in Arabic and English and test them on formal Arabic, Gulf dialect and messages that mix the two, with a native speaker reviewing the answers. You can try our live demo bot on WhatsApp in both languages.
Can I see one of your WhatsApp chatbots working?
Yes. You can message our live demo bot on WhatsApp in Arabic or English, with no sign-up, using the link at the top of this page. Try your own questions, including ones it should not answer.
Who owns the chatbot and where is the data kept?
With FNA, you own the source code, and your WhatsApp Business Account and phone number are in your business's name. Who holds the hosting and AI model accounts is agreed for each project in writing before work starts. We can host in a UAE cloud region when your data has to stay in the country.
Do you work with businesses outside India?
Yes. Our team is in Mumbai, India, and works with clients remotely through video calls and regular progress updates. We have shipped software for clients in India and the GCC, and we invoice in US dollars or UAE dirhams. Mumbai is 1 hour 30 minutes ahead of the UAE, and 9 hours 30 minutes ahead of US Eastern time in summer (10 hours 30 minutes in winter), so we agree call times before work starts.
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