WhatsApp calls for business are inbound and outbound conversations with a customer inside the messenger, placed from the CRM card, with no separate number and no roaming. Your customer is already on WhatsApp: they write, read and take calls from familiar brands there. Since 15 July 2025 a business can officially call them in the messenger: on that day the WhatsApp Business Calling API reached global GA through official BSP providers (Meta for Developers, 2025). Meta does not bill the business for calls the customer starts, while business-initiated calls are charged in 6-second pulses by country code and monthly minute volume; the current rate card applies from 1 April 2026 (Meta for Developers, 2026). For Uzbekistan this is a fresh channel: there is almost no local material on WhatsApp calls, yet demand is already growing. Below: what WhatsApp Business Calling is, how to call customers from a CRM, what it costs and how it differs from ordinary telephony and text chat.
What WhatsApp Business Calling is
WhatsApp Business Calling is voice calls between a business and a customer right inside WhatsApp, through the official Business Calling API. The channel reached global GA on 15 July 2025 through official BSP providers (Meta for Developers, 2025). It supports calls started by the business and by the customer, click-to-call and IVR. Video calls are not yet available for business accounts.
Put simply: the customer makes or takes the call not from an unfamiliar landline number but inside the messenger, where they see the company's name and logo. The call goes over the internet, like an ordinary WhatsApp voice call. Industry reviews call this «a new front in business voice»: Meta has opened a voice API to verified businesses (MEF, 2025).
The key elements of the channel:
- Voice-only. Audio only; video for business accounts was not available at launch (Meta for Developers, 2025).
- Two directions. Business-initiated calls (the business calls the customer) and user-initiated calls (the customer calls the business).
- Click-to-call and deep links. A «Call» button in a message, an ad or on a website opens a WhatsApp call.
- IVR and dialling. A voice menu and routing to the right manager, as in a classic PBX (Twilio, 2025).
Can you call customers on WhatsApp from a CRM
Yes. Since global GA on 15 July 2025 a business can make and take WhatsApp calls programmatically, through the Business Calling API and an official BSP (Meta for Developers, 2025). In practice this means the manager presses «Call» right in the customer card in the CRM, and the conversation runs over WhatsApp, with no separate phone.
Why this beats the bare WhatsApp app on a manager's phone:
- One context. Before the call the manager sees the whole chat, the order history and the customer's enquiries.
- Recording and history. The call is logged in the card instead of getting lost on an employee's personal phone.
- Routing. An incoming WhatsApp call goes to an available manager or to the right department.
- Analytics. The conversation can be transcribed and scored automatically, with no manual listening.
How WhatsApp calls differ from ordinary telephony and chat
WhatsApp Business Calling closes the gap between text chat and ordinary telephony: it adds voice where the customer already talks to the brand. According to industry reviews, the channel's main advantage is recognition: the customer sees the business's name and logo, not an anonymous number (respond.io, 2025). Below, the three formats are compared on the criteria that matter to a sales team.
| Criterion | WhatsApp calls | Ordinary telephony (SIP) | Text chat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Channel for the customer | A familiar messenger | Landline or mobile number | Chat in a messenger |
| What the customer sees | The business's name and logo | An unfamiliar number | The business's name and logo |
| Cost to the business | Customer's call: no bill from Meta; business call: 6-second pulses at the country rate | Carrier and PBX rates | Channel rates |
| Cost to the customer | Over the internet | Carrier rate | Over the internet |
| Video calls | No (not yet for business accounts) | No | — |
| Who initiates | Business and customer | Business and customer | Business and customer |
| Speed of resolution | Voice: fast | Voice: fast | Slower, asynchronous |
| Logged in the card (Zukko) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI review RU/UZ (Zukko) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Source for the «channel», «voice-only» and «initiator» rows: Meta for Developers, 2025; for the «cost to the business» row: Meta for Developers, Calling API Pricing, rates from 1 April 2026.
The short conclusion: a WhatsApp call is voice with a messenger's reach. Ordinary telephony is still needed for landline numbers and customers outside WhatsApp. That is why in Zukko.AI they do not compete but work together in one CRM.
How to connect WhatsApp calls in Zukko.AI
In Zukko.AI, WhatsApp Business Calling is one of the voice channels inside the built-in telephony. The platform already handles calls in the browser (web-phone) and from mobile, recording to the customer card and AI review of the conversation in Russian and Uzbek, as well as SIP connection to local carriers: Sarkor, Uztelecom, Twilio. WhatsApp calls are added as one more call source in the same card.
What it looks like for the business:
- Step 1. We connect the WhatsApp Business account through an official BSP and verify the business.
- Step 2. We switch WhatsApp on as a voice channel in Zukko.AI next to SIP telephony.
- Step 3. Managers make and take calls right from the customer card; the conversation is recorded and transcribed.
Connection time: for SMB from 2 hours with data and access ready, for enterprise with on-prem deployment up to 30 days, including verification and routing setup. Zukko.AI is a platform of AI agents for business, not a standalone chat widget: a WhatsApp call, a SIP call and the chat live in one customer card, and the AI employee (AI agent) works with all three.
Zukko.AI is an AI-CRM with built-in telephony: a web-phone in the browser, calls from the app, automatic recording of the conversation to the customer card and AI call analytics in Russian and Uzbek; it connects over SIP to Sarkor, Uztelecom and Twilio, and to WhatsApp Business Calling.
Which tasks WhatsApp calls from a CRM cover
WhatsApp calls work best where the customer has already written in the messenger but the question is faster to settle by voice. According to industry reviews, businesses use the Business Calling API for order confirmation, support and upselling in a channel the customer knows (respond.io, 2025). Voice plus the chat context shortens the path to a resolution.
Working scenarios for businesses in Uzbekistan:
- Handling enquiries. The customer wrote on WhatsApp, the manager calls back in one click and settles the question by voice.
- Confirming orders and delivery. A call in a familiar channel instead of an anonymous number that people often ignore.
- Upselling and win-back. A warm call across the base of people who have already talked to the brand.
- Support. A complex question is faster to solve by voice, and the recording and transcript stay in the card.
Every such call lands in the customer card with a recording and an AI review, so the head of sales sees 100% of conversations, not a sample. More on connecting channels on the integrations page.
What to consider before launching WhatsApp Calling
The channel has been in global GA for just over a year, so its rules and availability are worth checking at the time of launch. WhatsApp Business Calling reached global GA on 15 July 2025, but Meta regularly updates the scope (countries, video calls, limits) and pricing (Meta for Developers, 2025; MEF, 2025). So check with an official BSP before you start.
What to pay attention to:
- Business verification. The WhatsApp Business account has to be verified through an official BSP.
- Availability by country and video. Re-check the current scope: video for business accounts was not available at launch.
- Pricing. Calls from the customer to the business are not charged; outbound calls are counted in 6-second pulses by country code and monthly minute volume. Meta revises the rates, and the current rate card applies from 1 April 2026 (Meta for Developers, 2026). Confirm the final price with the provider's markup with your BSP.
- Consent and recording. The call recording notice is set up the same way as in ordinary telephony.
The short version
WhatsApp Business Calling brings voice to where the customer already talks to the brand. The channel reached global GA on 15 July 2025 through official BSPs and is voice-only for now (Meta for Developers, 2025). For businesses in Uzbekistan this is a rare early window: demand for WhatsApp calls for business is growing, and there is almost no local content. In Zukko.AI a WhatsApp call is not a separate app but a voice channel inside the built-in telephony: the call lands in the customer card with a recording and an AI review in Russian and Uzbek, next to SIP with Sarkor, Uztelecom and Twilio. Connection takes from 2 hours for SMB and up to 30 days for enterprise. Want to see how WhatsApp calls and ordinary telephony work in one CRM?
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to call customers through WhatsApp for business
Yes. Since 15 July 2025 the WhatsApp Business Calling API has been available in global GA through official BSP providers, and a business can make and take calls programmatically (Meta for Developers, 2025). The account must be verified through a BSP. Check the current scope and rates with the provider before launch.
How do WhatsApp calls differ from an ordinary phone call
The main difference is recognition and the channel. The customer sees the business's name and logo rather than an anonymous number, and the call goes over the internet inside the messenger (respond.io, 2025). Ordinary SIP telephony is still needed for landline numbers and customers outside WhatsApp. In Zukko.AI both channels work in one CRM.
Does WhatsApp Business Calling support video calls
No, at launch the channel is voice-only: video calls are not available for business accounts (Meta for Developers, 2025). Audio calls started by the business and by the customer, click-to-call, deep links and IVR are available. The channel has been in GA for just over a year, so re-check the scope with an official BSP before launch.
How do I integrate WhatsApp with a CRM in Uzbekistan
In Uzbekistan WhatsApp is still connected to CRMs mostly through Russian connectors built for messages. Calls need the Business Calling API through a BSP. In Zukko.AI a WhatsApp call lands in the customer card with a recording and an AI review in Russian and Uzbek, next to SIP telephony with Sarkor and Uztelecom.
Is a WhatsApp call recorded to the customer card
Yes. In Zukko.AI a WhatsApp call is logged to the customer card automatically, just like a SIP call: with a recording and a transcript in Russian and Uzbek. The head of sales sees 100% of conversations, not a sample. The recording notice is set up the same way as in ordinary telephony.
How long does it take to connect WhatsApp calls
For SMB, from 2 hours with data and access ready. For enterprise with on-prem deployment, up to 30 days, including business verification and routing setup. The exact timing depends on how ready the WhatsApp Business account is and how fast the official BSP completes verification.
How much do WhatsApp calls for business cost
Meta does not bill the business for calls the customer starts. Business-initiated calls are paid in 6-second pulses: the rate depends on the country code of the number and the minute volume in the calendar month, and a partial pulse counts as a full one. The current rate card applies from 1 April 2026 (Meta for Developers, 2026). Confirm the final price with the provider's markup with an official BSP.