WhatsApp, Telegram and email - one agent
One agent across 15+ messaging channels, with persistent memory across sessions.
Customer enquiries
WhatsApp AI customer service for Singapore SMEs
Olano puts an AI front desk on your WhatsApp number: it answers in your voice, checks your real systems before replying, and hands anything sensitive to your team for approval - every action on an audit trail. Start with one workflow; live in days, not months.
WhatsApp never closes. Your team has to.
For most Singapore SMEs, WhatsApp is the shopfront - and where enquiries quietly die. Messages after closing sit unanswered until morning; by then the customer has asked your competitor. During the day the same questions repeat: price, stock, opening hours, when you can come.
Each message pulls staff away from walk-in customers, and because the chat lives on one phone, leads rarely reach the CRM - so nobody follows up. The fix is an agent that checks your systems, answers properly, and knows when to hand over. If after-hours enquiries are your biggest leak, see missed lead recovery.
How the workflow runs
A customer asks on WhatsApp. The agent finds the answer in your knowledge base - or queries live inventory, your calendar or CRM - and replies within the scope you have approved. Refunds, complaints, discounts and unapproved commitments escalate to staff with the full conversation attached.
Scope is set with trust levels 0-4 (Observer to Assistant to Collaborator to Autonomous to Developer) plus per-category approval gates; anything outbound waits for approval by default. Every reply, tool call, escalation and approval lands on an immutable audit trail. For the full pattern, read how to automate enquiries with human approval.
Customer asks on WhatsAppAgent checks knowledge base, inventory, calendar or CRMReplies within approved scopeRefunds, complaints and commitments escalate to staffEvery action on the audit trail
What the front desk includes
Every workspace is isolated and yours alone, backed by 450+ connector tools and 75+ built-in integrations.
Grounded in your documents
The agent answers from your uploaded price lists, policies, product specs and SOPs - in your voice, not a generic one.
Approval gates
Per-category gates hold financial actions, external sends and commitments for a human. Outbound waits for approval by default.
Audit history
An immutable audit trail records every reply, tool call, escalation and approval.
Hard spend caps
AI usage runs on a transparent meter, with a hard spend cap agreed before launch.
Bring your own keys
BYOK is supported at no extra cost, and work can route across 18+ LLM providers, mixed per agent.
What it looks like in the chat
Two sample conversations: answer from real data, escalate what needs a person.
Price and stock, with a clean handover
Sample conversation. The agent answers from a connected system, then escalates the request it is not approved to decide.
Today
hi, do you still have the 45L storage box? how much?
Hi! Yes - the 45L storage box is S$39, and we have 6 in stock. Shall I set one aside for pickup, or arrange delivery?
if I take 10 can you do a better price?
Bulk pricing needs approval from the team, so I won't quote it myself. I've passed this chat to a colleague - they'll confirm the price here shortly. Shall I reserve 10 units meanwhile?
From enquiry to confirmed booking
Sample conversation. The agent checks the real calendar, offers slots, and books the appointment for the team.
Today
do you have any servicing slots this Saturday?
Yes! Saturday we have 10:00 am and 2:30 pm open. A standard service is S$90 and takes about an hour. Which works for you?
2:30 pm please
Done - you're booked for Saturday, 2:30 pm. It's on the calendar, the team has your details, and I'll send a reminder on Friday.
Proof: a parts store that answers every enquiry
One motorcycle-parts retailer runs two Olano WhatsApp agents on its live inventory - one for customers, one for staff.
A real-time agent that answers with accurate inventory data, photos and suggestions, working 24/7 for us.
- 24/7
- Always-on WhatsApp replies
- 10-15
- Customer enquiries answered per day
- 2
- Agents live on their inventory
FAQ
Can the agent answer in our company voice?
Yes. Replies are grounded in the documents you upload - price lists, policies, product specs, SOPs - and the tone you approve during setup. You review sample conversations before it talks to a real customer.
Can it check live inventory or other systems before replying?
Yes. Agents connect through 75+ built-in integrations and a 200+ MCP server library, so a reply can carry a live stock count, a price, or a real calendar slot. One parts retailer's agent answers 10-15 enquiries a day against live inventory.
Does it replace our staff?
No. It supports your team rather than replacing it: the agent absorbs repeat enquiries, while refunds, complaints and commitments escalate to a person with the full conversation attached. Approval-first is the default.
Does a human approve replies before they go out?
You decide. Trust levels 0-4 start with every outbound message waiting for approval, then widen the approved scope as the agent earns confidence. Financial actions and commitments stay behind a human at any level.
What does setup cost and how long does it take?
Every Olano engagement is scoped individually - pricing reflects the workflows involved, required integrations, operating volume, deployment architecture, and ongoing management requirements. Following an initial consultation, we provide a fixed proposal before any work begins. AI usage runs within hard spending controls agreed in advance, and access is never priced per seat.
Related use cases
The WhatsApp front desk pairs naturally with these workflows.
Missed lead recovery
Catch enquiries that arrive after hours or slip past a busy team, and follow up before leads go cold.
AI booking assistant
Turn chat enquiries into confirmed calendar appointments, with reminders that reduce no-shows.
AI CRM & sales assistant
Log every WhatsApp lead into the CRM automatically, so follow-up never depends on one person's phone.
Put an AI front desk on your WhatsApp number
Book a consultation: we map one workflow, quote it before we build, and go live within 1-2 business days of onboarding.