Set up your WhatsApp Business profile before an AI agent answers
Before a customer sends you a WhatsApp message, they often look at your business profile: the name, the photo, the hours, the address. When an AI agent starts answering on the number, that profile and the agent's notes need to say the same thing. If the profile says you close at six and the agent says seven, customers trust neither. This guide goes through each part of the WhatsApp Business profile, what to put in it, and how to keep it in step with the notes you give your agent.
Why the profile matters more with an AI agent
When you reply by hand, you correct mistakes as you go. If your profile has old hours, you notice when someone turns up and the door is locked. An AI agent answers from its notes, quickly and confidently, and it cannot see your profile unless you tell it what is there. Two versions of the truth soon cause problems.
- A customer reads the hours on your profile, then gets different hours from the agent.
- The profile still shows an old address after a move, and the agent gives the new one, or the other way round.
- The catalogue shows a price you changed months ago, and the agent quotes the new one.
The fix is simple: update the profile first, then copy the same facts into the agent's notes, and change both together from then on.
The profile, field by field
The WhatsApp Business app lets you fill in a business profile in its settings. The exact fields and their names can vary a little by country and app version.
| Field | What to put | What the agent needs to match |
|---|---|---|
| Business name | The name customers know you by, written the same way as on your sign and website. | How the agent signs off, if it does. |
| Profile photo | Your logo or a clear photo of the shop front. It shows small, so keep it simple. | Nothing, but it helps customers know they have the right number. |
| Category | The closest match, such as hair salon or restaurant. | Nothing directly. |
| Description | Two or three plain sentences: what you do, where, and for whom. | The same words, so the agent describes you the same way. |
| Address | Your full address, or the area you cover if you go to customers. | The address and directions in the notes. |
| Business hours | Your opening hours for each day. | The hours the agent gives, including holidays. |
| Email and website | The addresses you actually check and want customers to use. | Where the agent sends people for more detail. |
| Catalogue | Products or services with prices, if you use it. | The prices in the notes. |
Writing a description that works
The description is the one place on the profile where you write freely, and most businesses either leave it empty or fill it with slogans. A good description answers the three things customers wonder first. Here is a before and after.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Best cuts in town!! ✂️ Book now | Hair salon in Mill Lane, Hebden Bridge. Cuts, colour and treatments for women and men. Message us to book, Tuesday to Saturday. |
| Quality plumbing services | Plumber covering Leeds and Bradford. Boiler repairs, leaks and bathroom fitting. Message with a photo of the problem for a quick estimate. |
Names and details are examples.
Notice the second example tells people what to send. That makes the first message more useful for the agent too, because the customer arrives with a photo instead of just "hi".
Hours, holidays and the hours your agent answers
Your business hours on the profile are the hours you are open. They are not necessarily the hours your AI agent answers, and it helps to keep the two ideas apart.
| Question | Where it is set |
|---|---|
| When is the business open? | Business hours on the WhatsApp profile, and the same in the agent's notes. |
| When should the agent reply to live messages? | In the agent's notes. Spaces has no per-account working hours for live replies, so you tell the agent, or pause sending. |
| When can scheduled messages and routines go out? | In the working hours set on each scheduled message or routine. |
| When can WhatsApp new chats and follow-ups go out? | New chats and follow-ups go out between 8:00 and 21:00 local time. A reply to someone who wrote in the last two hours goes out at any time. |
Before a bank holiday or a week off, update the profile hours and add a line to the agent's notes on the same day. If you are closing completely, pausing all sending in Settings stops everything at once, and reading keeps working.
The catalogue and prices
If you use the catalogue, it is effectively a price list customers can browse. Keep it short and current. An item with an old price is worse than no item at all, because the customer will quote it back to you or your agent.
Give the agent the same prices in its notes, with any rules around them, such as "from" prices, what changes the price, and when to say a person will confirm an exact quote. Our guide on replying to price enquiries covers how to word those answers.
A checklist before you connect the number
- Business name matches your sign, website and invoices.
- Profile photo is clear at a small size.
- Description says what you do, where and what to send.
- Address and hours are correct, including any upcoming holidays.
- Email and website are ones you check.
- Catalogue items and prices are current, or the catalogue is empty.
- Greeting and away messages are set the way you want once the agent is answering, so customers do not get two replies.
- The agent's notes repeat the same hours, address, prices and description.
Then connect the number. You scan a QR code with the phone that has the number, the same way you would link WhatsApp on a computer. Spaces asks for a short business brief when you set it up, at most eight questions, so have these facts to hand.
After you connect: the first days
A newly connected number replies to people who write in from the first day. New chats that you start follow a warm-up, whatever your agent asks for.
| Since connecting | New chats an hour | New chats a day |
|---|---|---|
| First 3 days | 1 | 2 |
| Rest of week 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Week 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Weeks 3 and 4 | 3 | 8 |
| After that | 5 | 10 |
This is published provider guidance, written in our own words and last updated on 28 Aug 2026. It is advice, not a promise from the platform, and the platform can change what it watches for at any time.
- Connect a number with a real history of conversations, not a brand-new one. Fresh numbers can be blocked after only two or three new chats.
- Wait up to 24 hours after connecting or reconnecting before starting any new chats.
- Leave at least 10 to 20 seconds between messages.
- Keep new chats few, start with people likely to reply, and write first messages that invite an answer. Many new chats without replies is what WhatsApp watches for.
The first week is a good time to check the profile against real conversations. Read what customers ask most. If several people ask for parking or prices, add those to the description or the catalogue as well as the notes.
Example: profile and agent saying the same thing
| Who | Message |
|---|---|
| Customer | Are you open on Monday? Your profile says closed but it's a bank holiday |
| AI agent | Hi Tom, you're right, we are closed on Mondays, bank holidays included. We are open again on Tuesday from 9:00. Would you like a time on Tuesday? |
Names and details are examples.
The customer checked the profile first, and the agent confirmed it. That is exactly what you want: one answer, wherever the customer looks.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Updating the agent's notes but not the profile, or the profile but not the notes.
- Leaving the description as a slogan, so customers write "hi" and wait.
- Listing an email address nobody reads.
- Forgetting holiday hours on the profile while the agent knows about them, or the reverse.
- Using a personal photo or nickname on a number customers think of as the business.
Notes to give your AI agent
About us (matches our WhatsApp profile):
- Name: ...
- What we do: ... (same words as the profile description)
- Address: ... Parking: ...
- Opening hours: ... Holidays this month: ...
- Prices: ... (same as the catalogue)
- Email for documents: ...
Rules:
- If a customer quotes something different from the above, say you will check with the team and tag the chat "follow up".
- Never give a different address, hours or price from the ones above.Who you message
Summing up
Your WhatsApp Business profile is the first thing many customers read, and your AI agent's notes are what it answers from. Fill in every field plainly, write a description that tells people what to send, keep hours and prices current, and change the profile and the notes together. Then the customer gets one consistent answer, whether they read it or ask for it.
Pricing
FAQ
Can my AI agent read my WhatsApp Business profile?
Do not rely on it. Copy the facts from your profile into the agent's notes instead, so the agent always answers from the same information customers can see.
Do my profile hours stop the agent replying out of hours?
No. Profile hours tell customers when you are open. For live replies, tell the agent in its notes when to answer, or pause sending. Scheduled messages and routines have their own working hours.
What should I write in the business description?
Say what you do, where you do it and what customers should send you, in two or three plain sentences. Skip slogans. A clear description leads to clearer first messages.
Should I use the catalogue if I have an AI agent?
It helps if you keep it current, because customers can browse prices before asking. Give the agent the same prices in its notes, so the two never disagree.
Do I need to change anything in Spaces when I update my profile?
Nothing in Spaces itself. Update your agent's notes with the same change on the same day, so it gives the new hours, address or prices straight away.
What happens on the first day after connecting?
Your agent can reply to people who write in straight away. New chats you start follow a warm-up over four weeks, and guidance says to wait up to 24 hours after connecting before starting any.
Should the profile say that an AI agent answers?
You can mention it in the description, and it is good practice to be open about it. Our guide on telling customers they are talking to AI suggests simple wording.
What if I am closing for a week?
Update the profile hours, add a line to the agent's notes, and consider pausing all sending in Settings if nobody will follow up. Reading keeps working, so nothing is lost while you are away.