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Guide

# An AI receptionist for a small business in India: what it can and cannot do

An AI receptionist answers the questions customers ask every day, at any hour, and passes the rest to your team.

By the ESSENSE team · Last updated 31 October 2026

## What can it do?

- Answer timings, location, prices and policies from your own information.

- Take an enquiry’s details and book a callback.

- Share order or appointment status from your system.

- Reply on WhatsApp or the website, in the customer’s language.

## What should it not do?

- Make promises that are not written in your information.

- Handle complaints, refunds or sensitive matters on its own.

- Pretend to be a person. Customers should know they are talking to an AI.

## How do you start safely?

- Collect the 30 questions customers ask most, with correct answers.

- Connect the AI to that information only.

- Set a clear rule for handing over to a person.

- Read a sample of conversations every week and improve the answers.

## What about WhatsApp’s rules?

A receptionist that serves your own customers is exactly what Meta’s WhatsApp Business Platform is for. Since 15 January 2026, Meta does not allow general-purpose AI assistants on its business API, but business support and sales bots are allowed.

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[Tell us about your business](https://www.essense.co.in/contact/) and we will map out a practical path, with a written quotation before any work begins.

## Related answers

- [How does an AI chatbot for WhatsApp Business work?](https://www.essense.co.in/answers/ai-chatbot-for-whatsapp-business/)

- [How do I integrate AI into my business?](https://www.essense.co.in/answers/how-to-integrate-ai-in-business/)

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Source: https://www.essense.co.in/blog/ai-receptionist-for-small-business-india/ · ESSENSE®, an ImpactPlus company · growth@impactplus.co.in · +91-8401192901