WhatsApp AI agent
A WhatsApp AI agent for your business, built and managed in Singapore
Olano is a Singapore AI studio that builds, connects and runs WhatsApp AI agents for businesses. The agent answers enquiries from your own price lists and live systems, captures leads, books appointments and hands anything sensitive to your team. For customer-facing work it runs on the official WhatsApp Business Platform, a single-workflow pilot might cost S$300 to S$1,500 a month, and most single-workflow systems are live within days of onboarding.
What the agent does on your WhatsApp number
It answers your customers the way a well-briefed member of staff would, at any hour, and passes anything it should not decide to a person. In practice that means:
- Answers from your facts. Price lists, policies, product specs and SOPs you upload, and live systems where you have them: a stock count from your inventory, a free slot from your calendar, a record from your CRM.
- Captures and qualifies leads. Every enquiry is recorded where your team will see it, instead of living on one phone.
- Books appointments against your real calendar and confirms them in the chat.
- Handles what customers actually send: voice notes (transcribed), photos and documents, in the language the customer wrote in.
- Hands over cleanly. Refunds, complaints, discounts and commitments go to your staff with the full conversation attached.
The same agent can also answer on Telegram, email and other channels (15+ in all), and every reply, tool call and approval is recorded on an audit trail. It does not take phone calls.
What it costs
A single-workflow pilot might cost S$300 to S$1,500 a month plus your review time. After a 30-minute consultation we send a fixed proposal before any work begins; figures are in Singapore dollars, exclusive of GST, and access is never priced per seat. Three cost lines make up the total:
| Cost line | Who charges it | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Design, build and management | Olano | A fixed proposal after scoping; a single-workflow pilot might cost S$300 to S$1,500 a month |
| AI model usage | Olano, on a transparent meter; or your AI provider directly if you bring your own keys | A hard spending cap agreed before launch; your own keys carry no extra cost |
| WhatsApp messages | Meta, directly or through Twilio | For Singapore numbers: US$0.016 per service or utility message after 1,000 free service messages per number a month, and US$0.0732 per marketing template (checked 16 October 2026) |
Meta's rates, the 24-hour rule and a worked monthly bill are in our WhatsApp Business API pricing guide.
How long it takes
Most single-workflow systems are deployed within days of onboarding; larger engagements with custom integrations typically take one to three weeks. The timeline is part of the fixed proposal, so it is agreed before work starts.
You review sample conversations before the agent talks to a real customer, and it starts with every outbound message waiting for approval. You widen what it may do on its own as it earns your confidence.
Official WhatsApp Business Platform, or a QR code
For customer-facing work we connect through the official WhatsApp Business Platform, either directly with Meta's Cloud API or through a Twilio WhatsApp sender. A third option pairs a number by QR code, the way WhatsApp Web does. Which one fits depends on where your number lives:
| Meta Cloud API | Twilio WhatsApp sender | QR pairing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it connects | Your own Meta app on the WhatsApp Business Platform, no provider in between | A Twilio account with a registered WhatsApp business sender | Scan a QR code with your phone |
| Best for | A number in your own WhatsApp Business Account | Customer-facing traffic on a number already in Twilio | Your own number and small-scale use |
| Who bills the messages | Meta, directly | Meta's rates, through Twilio, plus Twilio's fee | No per-message charge from Meta |
| Group chats | No, one-to-one | No, one-to-one | Yes |
| Writing first | Within 24 hours of the customer's last message, otherwise an approved template | Within 24 hours of the customer's last message, otherwise an approved template | Any time |
On the two business routes the agent's tools and instructions are the same, so moving from Twilio to Meta's Cloud API later does not mean rebuilding it. Outside WhatsApp's 24-hour window the agent picks one of your approved templates instead of sending a message WhatsApp would silently discard.
Who stays in charge
You decide what the agent may do alone, and everything it does is recorded. Trust levels 0 to 4 start with every outbound message waiting for approval; financial actions and commitments stay behind a person at any level. Your staff see each escalation with the whole conversation, and an immutable audit trail records every reply, tool call and approval.
Each client runs in its own isolated environment, encrypted at rest and in transit, and you choose which AI models handle the work. The PDPA still applies to the personal data the agent handles, as it does to any system; our PDPA guide covers consent, purpose and the questions to put to any vendor. This is general information, not legal advice.
Proof: a parts store on live inventory
A motorcycle-parts retailer outside Singapore, a busy shop of the same shape as many here, runs two Olano WhatsApp agents on its own inventory API: one answers customers around the clock with live prices, stock and product photos, about 10 to 15 enquiries a day; the other lets staff manage stock from a phone. Read the case study.
When a different kind of company fits better
If your team wants a shared inbox, broadcast campaigns and a builder to run everything themselves, a self-serve inbox platform such as SleekFlow, WATI or respond.io may suit you better than a studio. Olano is for businesses that want the agent designed, connected to their own systems and kept running for them. Either way, ask every provider the questions in the FAQ below, including us.
Related
The detail behind each part of this page.
WhatsApp AI customer service
How the front desk workflow runs, with sample conversations.
WhatsApp AI customer service in Singapore
The practical guide: scoping, approvals and evaluating a platform.
WhatsApp Business API pricing
Meta's per-message rates for Singapore numbers, with a worked bill.
Inventory-connected WhatsApp
Two agents on a live inventory API, customers answered 24/7.
PDPA and AI agents
Consent, the PDPC's guidelines and the vendor questions.
AI agents in Singapore
What agents do beyond WhatsApp, and what running them takes.
FAQ
Who can build a WhatsApp AI agent for a business in Singapore?
Two kinds of company. Inbox platforms such as SleekFlow, WATI or respond.io give your team the tools to build and run its own. Studios and agencies build it for you. Olano is a Singapore AI studio of the second kind: we design the agent, connect it to your WhatsApp number and your systems, and keep running it after launch, with a fixed proposal before any work begins.
How much does a WhatsApp AI agent cost in Singapore?
With Olano, a single-workflow pilot might cost S$300 to S$1,500 a month plus your review time, quoted in Singapore dollars exclusive of GST as a fixed proposal, and never priced per seat. Meta bills WhatsApp messages separately: for Singapore numbers, US$0.016 per service or utility message after 1,000 free service messages per number a month, and US$0.0732 per marketing template (checked 16 October 2026).
Does Olano use the official WhatsApp Business API?
Yes, for customer-facing work. Olano connects to Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform directly through the Meta Cloud API, or through a Twilio WhatsApp sender. A third option pairs a number by QR code, the way WhatsApp Web does; it suits your own number and small-scale use.
Who owns the WhatsApp number and the customer conversations?
On the official route, your business does: with the Meta Cloud API connection the number stays in your own WhatsApp Business Account and Meta bills you directly. Each client's workspace is isolated and yours alone, and the agent's instructions and memory are files you can download.
How long does it take to set up a WhatsApp AI agent?
Most single-workflow systems are deployed within days of onboarding. Larger engagements with custom integrations, such as your own inventory API, typically take one to three weeks, and the timeline is agreed in the fixed proposal before work starts.
Can the agent hand a chat over to a person?
Yes. Refunds, complaints, discounts and commitments escalate to your staff with the full conversation attached. Trust levels start with every outbound message waiting for approval, and financial actions and commitments stay behind a person at any level.
Does it understand voice notes and other languages?
Yes. The agent transcribes inbound voice notes and can reply with generated speech, handles images and documents, and answers in the language the customer wrote in. It does not take phone calls.
Olano's prices, timelines and controls are as published on olano.sg; WhatsApp connection options are from the Olano user guide; Meta's Singapore message rates were checked on 16 October 2026 (see the pricing guide for sources). SleekFlow, WATI, respond.io, Meta, WhatsApp and Twilio are trademarks of their owners; Olano is not affiliated with them.
Put an AI agent on your WhatsApp number
Book a 30-minute consultation. We map your enquiries, tell you which workflow to start with, and quote it as a fixed proposal before any work begins.