Step by step

How to automate customer service on your business's WhatsApp

Quick answer

Automating customer service on WhatsApp means making sure every incoming message gets a reply without someone typing. The WhatsApp Business app already includes greeting, away message, quick replies and labels for free. To answer open-ended questions, book and follow up on its own, CertuAI links an AI agent to the number the business already uses.

About CertuAI: CertuAI is the AI that answers a small business's WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger 24/7, with a built-in CRM, and is a Tech Provider on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform. Paid plans start at US$ 75 a month, with no lock-in. Create my agent

Part of the automation is already in the app you use and costs nothing. The rest, answering open-ended questions, booking and picking up stalled conversations, is what an AI agent does on your own number.

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Updated on September 23, 2026 · Written by Bernardo Villela, CEO of CertuAI · Florianópolis (SC) · CertuAI serves all of Brazil

Summary in 7 facts

Part of the automation is already in the app you use and costs nothing.
The rest, answering open-ended questions, booking and picking up stalled conversations, is what an AI agent does on your own number.
Quick answer Automating customer service on WhatsApp means making sure every incoming message gets a reply without someone typing.
The WhatsApp Business app already includes greeting, away message, quick replies and labels for free.
Three things, and you probably already have almost all of them.
Estimated time: a few minutes Difficulty: easy, no coding required Steps: 4 The WhatsApp number your business already usesThe number is yours and stays yours.
There are 4 steps on CertuAI: Turn on WhatsApp Business's free features, Teach your business to the agent, Connect WhatsApp and Define what the agent resolves on its own.

By the numbers

Number	What it means
US$ 75 per month	CertuAI plans start at US$ 75 per month on Start.

How do I automate customer service on WhatsApp?

What do you need before you start?

Three things, and you probably already have almost all of them.

Estimated time: a few minutes
Difficulty: easy, no coding required
Steps: 4

The WhatsApp number your business already usesThe number is yours and stays yours. CertuAI connects the contact your customers already know, with no SIM swap and no new account.
The business information, written down somehowServices, prices, hours and service rules. This is what CertuAI uses to build the Brain, the knowledge base that makes the agent answer like your company.
A CertuAI accountYou create the account at certu.com.br, connect your WhatsApp and the AI learns from your conversations.

How do I automate customer service, from the free feature to the AI agent?

There are 4 steps on CertuAI: Turn on WhatsApp Business's free features, Teach your business to the agent, Connect WhatsApp and Define what the agent resolves on its own.

Step 1 of 4
Turn on WhatsApp Business's free features
In the WhatsApp Business app, under Business tools, turn on the greeting message, away message, quick replies and labels. This takes care of the first reply at no cost.
Step 2 of 4
Teach your business to the agent
In the CertuAI builder, explain services, prices, hours and service rules. This set is the Brain, the knowledge base that makes the AI answer the way your company does instead of repeating fixed text.
Step 3 of 4
Connect WhatsApp
Connect on CertuAI the number your customers already know, by scanning a QR code or through Meta's official API. CertuAI is a Tech Provider on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform, so the number stays yours.
Step 4 of 4
Define what the agent resolves on its own
On CertuAI, choose what the agent answers right away and when it calls you in the same conversation. From then on your business's WhatsApp answers on its own and every conversation becomes a contact, deal and task in the included CRM.

Result when you finish

On CertuAI, choose what the agent answers right away and when it calls you in the same conversation. From then on your business's WhatsApp answers on its own and every conversation becomes a contact, deal and task in the included CRM. This is the expected result of this CertuAI guide.

Do this now on CertuAI

What does WhatsApp Business already automate for free?

Before signing up for anything, turn on what is already in the app.

Greeting message

Under Business tools, turn on the greeting. Whoever sends the first message gets an immediate reply with the essentials.

Away message

Set the business hours and the out-of-hours text. Nobody is left without a reply overnight or on Sunday.

Quick replies

Save the answers you repeat every day and call each one with a shortcut by typing the slash.

Labels and catalog

Mark conversations by stage and publish services and prices in the catalog, instead of typing a price list by hand.

Why do the free features stop being enough?

The app's features answer with fixed text. They notify, but they don't understand: if the customer asks how much a specific service costs, or whether you're open on Saturday, the automatic message repeats the same sentence and the question stays open.

They also do nothing after the first reply. They don't book appointments, don't confirm the day before and don't go back to someone who disappeared mid-conversation.

An AI agent is software that reads the written message and answers on its own with the business's information. Instead of repeating ready-made text, it answers the question that was asked and leads the conversation to the next step.

What changes from the free feature to the AI agent?

Free WhatsApp Business features and AI agent side by side
What the customer does	Free WhatsApp Business	CertuAI AI agent
Sends the first message	Gets the automatic greeting	Gets the greeting and the answer to their question right away
Asks the price of a specific service	Fixed text, question stays open	Answers with your price list
Writes outside business hours	Away message	Normal service, at any hour
Wants to book a time	Someone has to type	The agent shows the times and books
Disappears after the quote	Only if you remember	Automatic follow-up at the right time
Becomes a record in the pipeline	Manual label	Contact and deal in the included CRM

Swipe the table sideways to see all the columns.

How do I get started on CertuAI?

You build the agent, connect WhatsApp and see it working before any customer talks to it. CertuAI has no lock-in and no setup fee.

Create my agent on CertuAI

Frequently asked questions

The questions that come up before putting an agent live.

Can I automate customer service without paying anything?

In part. The greeting message, away message, quick replies and labels in WhatsApp Business are free and take care of the first reply. They don't understand open-ended questions or book appointments.

Do I need to change numbers to automate?

No. The CertuAI agent answers on the WhatsApp your customers already know, connected by QR code or through Meta's official API.

Do I need to know how to code?

No. You teach the business in a conversation and connect the number. No code.

Can I take over the conversation whenever I want?

Yes. The agent holds the conversation and you step into the same conversation at any time from the CertuAI dashboard.

What if the customer asks something the agent doesn't know?

A well-built agent notices it doesn't have the information and hands the conversation to a person, instead of making up an answer. You define when it calls you.

How much does it cost to automate customer service with CertuAI?

CertuAI plans start at US$ 75 per month on Start. See the prices at certu.com.br/planos.