Guide
10 questions to ask any WhatsApp assistant provider
A neutral checklist. Ask the same ten questions to every provider you consider, including us, and write the answers down.
Answers valid:
In short
- Ask every provider the same ten questions, including us.
- Get the answers in writing, and keep them.
- If a provider cannot answer in writing, treat that as an answer.
- Be careful with “most accurate” claims that have no dated test behind them.
- Our own answers sit under each question, with a link to the page that backs them up.
The ten questions
Open a question to see what to ask, what a good answer looks like, and how we answer today.
Is the price clear, and what counts as a chat?
- Ask
- What exactly will I pay each month? What counts as a chat, a message, a conversation or a user?
- A good answer
- A dated price in writing, a worked bill, and a stated rule for what happens when you go over your plan.
How Baladi Labs answers
A one-time setup fee, then a monthly fee, with WhatsApp’s own fees, edits and maintenance included. Before you start, you get your plan in writing: the monthly price, the chats included, the price of extra chats and the setup. A chat is one customer talking to the assistant on one day, however many messages they send. You get an alert at 80% of your plan, and it never stops answering.
What are the WhatsApp fees?
- Ask
- Does WhatsApp charge on top of your price? Do you add a markup?
- A good answer
- The answer is written down, either way.
How Baladi Labs answers
WhatsApp’s own fees are included in the monthly price. We add no markup, and you receive no separate WhatsApp bill.
Can I cancel, and can I take my data with me?
- Ask
- What is the notice period? Can I export my data? What happens to it afterwards?
- A good answer
- Month to month, no exit fee, an export before you leave, and a date by which your data is deleted.
Has it been tested in Arabic dialect and Arabizi?
- Ask
- Has it been tested with Lebanese dialect, Arabizi, French and English mixed in one chat? Can I see the results, with a date?
- A good answer
- Example messages, results, known limits and a date. Be careful with “most accurate” claims that have no test behind them.
How Baladi Labs answers
It replies in the language the customer writes in, and an Arabizi message gets an answer in Arabic. We ran 300 realistic messages in Lebanese dialect, Arabizi, formal Arabic, French, English and Spanish on 11 October 2026: 299 passed every check, and the one that did not is explained on our Arabic test page. We also test every new assistant with you before it goes live, and we are happy to run your own messages.
How does a person take over?
- Ask
- Can I step into a chat? Does the assistant then stop? Can a customer ask for a person?
- A good answer
- Yes to all three, with the rules written down, and a clear way to hand over what the assistant cannot answer.
How Baladi Labs answers
Type in a chat from your phone and the assistant goes quiet in that chat for 2 hours. If a customer presses “talk to a person”, it pauses for 24 hours. What it cannot answer is passed to you, and it does not guess.
Where is my data, and how is it protected?
- Ask
- Where is data stored? Which providers handle it? Is it encrypted? Who can see it?
- A good answer
- Named providers and regions, a clear list of what is in place today, and what is only planned, marked as planned. No certificate you cannot verify.
How Baladi Labs answers
Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, with access only for named people using two-step login. Hosting is in the EU (Frankfurt) or on your own servers. Our providers are listed on the security page. Our security management is built on ISO/IEC 27001:2022.
Who owns the data, and is it used to train AI?
- Ask
- Who owns the chats and customer details? Is any of it used to train AI models?
- A good answer
- You own it, and the provider says in writing that it is not used for training.
What setup support do I get?
- Ask
- Who sets it up? How long does it take? What do I have to provide?
- A good answer
- A named person, a time frame, and a list of what you need to bring.
How Baladi Labs answers
We build your fact sheet with you, connect your WhatsApp number and test the assistant with you. It starts with a 15-minute call, and setup takes 5 to 7 days once we have your information.
Can I test it before customers see it?
- Ask
- Can I try it with my own questions before it goes live?
- A good answer
- A test period on your own information, with a chance to fix mistakes first.
What are the contract terms, and what is not included?
- Ask
- Is there a minimum term or automatic renewal? What does it not do? Who do I call when something goes wrong?
- A good answer
- Short terms, a plain list of limits, and a named contact.
These are the answers we give today. If anything on this page changes, the dated pages it links to change first.
Ask us the ten questions
Send us your own list. We answer in writing, within one working day.