Meta plans to expand WhatsApp chatbot's reach in India

New Delhi: Meta, which launched the Meta Business Coach tool on WhatsApp as an innovative and easily-accessible way for owners of small-and small-and-medium-sized(SMBs) across India, on Friday announced that it plans to expand the reach of the chatbot in India in the coming months. The company said that in less than four months alone, almost 150,000 small business owners in India have accessed the Meta Business Coach, an automated chatbot devoted to providing digital skills and tools to SMBs.

"Across metros and smaller towns, India lives and connects on WhatsApp. When we thought about expanding our existing business skilling efforts, we couldn't think of a more powerful solution than one on WhatsApp," Archana Vohra, Director, Small and Medium Business, India at Meta, said in a statement. "As more small businesses rapidly move to online in India, we understand how critical timely and easily accessible business skills become for them to unlock growth. We hope the Meta Business Coach will be their partner along this journey, providing training that they need through their mobile phones," Vohra added.

The tool is already available in English and Hindi, and there are plans to launch it in additional languages in the coming months. As a free curriculum tool, it features step-by-step courses and tutorials as well as helpful infographics, videos, and audio clips. The learning material is recommended based on the user's needs and queries, with an option to navigate the curriculum via the menu.