Build WhatsApp AI Commerce Agent (Meta API + Zoho Catalyst + Zoho CRM +OpenAI/GEMINI)

We are building a production-grade WhatsApp AI agent for a consumer brand, using official Meta WhatsApp Cloud API and Zoho Catalyst as the orchestration layer. The system will support: AI-led conversations (with strict guardrails) Seamless human handoff Real-time ecommerce integrations Controlled content & media delivery This is not a chatbot builder project. We are building a scalable, auditable, enterprise-safe system. Core Stack (Non-Negotiable) Meta WhatsApp Cloud API Zoho Catalyst (backend, orchestration) Zoho CRM (single source of truth) Zoho Drive (approved knowledge & media) Shopify (D2C ecommerce) LLM via API (OpenAI preferred) What the System Must Do 1. WhatsApp Messaging (Official API) Set up Meta Business Manager, WABA, phone number Webhooks for inbound/outbound messages Template + session message handling 2. Zoho Catalyst Backend Webhook receiver (Meta → Catalyst) Secure secrets management Session handling (24-hour rule) Service layer for: WhatsApp API Zoho CRM Zoho Drive Shopify LLM 3. AI Orchestration (Guarded) Intent classification & confidence scoring Cohort awareness (Consumer, Distributor, Dealer, Academia, Vendor) AI replies only where allowed Automatic escalation for: Refunds / payments Vendor & B2B cases Human requests AI is a reasoning layer, not a decision-maker. 4. Zoho CRM Integration Lookup / create Leads, Contacts, Accounts Update intent, cohort, conversation summaries Assign owners on escalation CRM remains the system of record 5. Zoho Drive → Knowledge Sync Use Zoho Drive as the only AI knowledge source Sync approved content (FAQs, product info, policies) Folder-based access control Scheduled refresh (Catalyst cron) No hallucination beyond Drive content 6. Commerce & Media (Phase-1 Safe) Shopify Real-time price & stock lookup Order status Checkout links Quick Commerce City-based deep links (Blinkit / Zepto / Instamart) No scraping, no price guarantees Personalized Media Template-based images (name, product, CTA) Curated recipe videos served contextually WhatsApp-compliant media only (No full AI video generation in Phase 1.) Deliverables Working end-to-end WhatsApp AI system Zoho Catalyst source code CRM & Drive integration documentation Environment & deployment guide Go-live checklist Knowledge transfer session What We Are NOT Looking For No BSP-only solutions (Twilio / WATI-only) No SalesIQ-based builds No chatbot UI builders No hardcoded flows without CRM No uncontrolled generative content Ideal Freelancer Profile Proven experience with Meta WhatsApp Cloud API Hands-on Zoho Catalyst or deep Zoho API experience Comfortable designing AI + human hybrid systems Understands data governance & hallucination risk Thinks in systems, not just code Please include: Relevant WhatsApp API projects Zoho Catalyst / CRM / Drive experience Architecture examples (if available)