AI receptionist for phone calls and WhatsApp with one customer history (2026)

Short answer. Yes, there are AI receptionists that answer both phone calls and WhatsApp on the same customer history. In ContactShip, a contact center platform with AI agents for phone calls and WhatsApp, a voice agent answers the calls and a WhatsApp agent answers the messages, and both land on the same contact record: every call with its recording, transcript and summary, every WhatsApp conversation, plus notes, tasks and the contact's stage in your pipeline. When the customer calls in the morning and writes in the afternoon, whoever picks up next sees what was already said. Plans start at USD 49 a month with a 7-day free trial and no card; WhatsApp messages also carry Meta's per-message fee.

This guide is written by the ContactShip team. Product facts come from the ContactShip app and its documentation, as of October 19, 2026; WhatsApp rates come from Meta's official rate card in USD, effective October 1, 2026.

Why one history matters

When phone and WhatsApp live in separate tools, the customer is one person and the information is split in two. They call, explain the problem, then write on WhatsApp and have to explain it again. With one contact record, the second conversation starts where the first ended.

What happens when a customer calls, then writes

An example with a fictional real estate agency, Altavista Propiedades:

What the contact record holds

• Calls: each one with its recording, transcript, summary, sentiment and tag.
• WhatsApp conversations, in the same inbox as Instagram and Messenger.
• Notes, comments and tasks, including a "Send WhatsApp" task for your team.
• Properties: every contact property travels to the WhatsApp agent as a variable it can use in its instructions.
• Pipeline stage and tags.

If the same person ends up as two contacts, for example one created from a call and another from WhatsApp, the Duplicates view lists contacts that share a phone or an email so you can merge them.

The follow-up on WhatsApp after a call

WhatsApp only allows free-form messages within 24 hours of the customer's last message. A business that writes first, for example right after a call, needs a template approved by Meta. In ContactShip you send it in one of three ways:

1. From the inbox, choosing the template and filling its variables.
2. As a message campaign to a list of contacts, with delivered, read and replied metrics.
3. From the API (Send WhatsApp Template), for example from Make or n8n when the post-call webhook arrives.

Once the customer replies, the 24-hour window opens and the WhatsApp agent can answer with free-form text. If the customer stops replying, the agent's follow-up stages write again within that window.

Pipelines: where each contact stands

Contacts move through boards with stages: new lead, qualified, visit booked, closed. AI agents move the contact to the next column when they complete a call, and each stage can notify your other tools by webhook to Make, n8n or Zapier.

What Meta charges for templates

Meta charges each template by the customer's country. Rates per delivered message in USD, effective October 1, 2026 (source: Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform rate card):

A post-call confirmation is usually a utility template; a promotion is a marketing template. Messages your customers send you are free. All countries, the 1,000 free service replies and examples are in our WhatsApp Business API pricing guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an AI receptionist that answers both phone calls and WhatsApp with the same customer history?

Yes. In ContactShip, voice agents answer calls and WhatsApp agents answer messages, and both are saved on the same contact record with the call summaries, the conversations, notes, tasks and pipeline stage.

Can the AI send a WhatsApp message after a phone call?

The follow-up after a call goes out as an approved WhatsApp template: from the inbox, as a campaign, or automatically through the API, for example from Make or n8n when the post-call webhook arrives. Once the customer replies, the WhatsApp agent continues the conversation.

Does the WhatsApp agent know what was said on the call?

The WhatsApp agent receives the contact's lifecycle stage, earlier history and properties. The full call, with transcript and summary, is on the contact record for anyone on your team.

How much does a WhatsApp template cost after a call?

It depends on the customer's country and the template type. A utility template costs USD 0.0008 in Colombia, USD 0.0085 in Mexico and USD 0.026 in Argentina (Meta's USD rate card, effective October 1, 2026).

How much does an AI receptionist for calls and WhatsApp cost?

In ContactShip, plans are Starter at USD 49 a month (about 140 call minutes at USD 0.35 per minute), Pro at USD 150 (about 470 minutes at USD 0.32) and Growth at USD 799 (about 2,850 minutes at USD 0.28), with a 7-day free trial and no card. A local number costs USD 10 a month (USD 15 in Colombia), and WhatsApp templates carry Meta's per-message fee.

Can a person take over from the AI?

Yes. When a case needs it, someone on your team takes over with the full history on the contact record.

What to do next

• Most contacts start with a call: set up the voice agent first, then a utility template for the follow-up.
• Most contacts start on WhatsApp: connect WhatsApp Business and assign a WhatsApp agent to the channel; add the voice agent for callers.
• You need the numbers first: see what Meta charges per message and what calls cost per minute.
• Ready to try it: start the 7-day free trial, no card needed, or read the overview of ContactShip in English.

Last updated: October 19, 2026. Sources: ContactShip app and documentation (contact record, inbox, templates, campaigns, API, boards, Duplicates), October 2026; Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform rate card in USD, effective October 1, 2026. The agency in the example is fictional.