Tier-zero FAQ is not the same as an agent
Grounded FAQ bots answer from static docs — return policy, shipping times, plan features. Agents invoke APIs: fetch order status, initiate replacement, tag CRM. Indian D2C brands often need both layers on WhatsApp where customers already complain.
Skipping FAQ quality and jumping to tool use produces confident wrong order IDs. Sequence matters: nail retrieval on macros and policy PDFs, then add read-only tools, then mutating actions with approval.
Governance Indian customers expect
Support agents must respect language preference — English, Hindi, or Hinglish — without inventing refund exceptions. Escalate billing disputes and legal threats to humans quickly. Log every tool call for QA sampling.
Peak sale events (Diwali, Big Billion Days) need rate limits and graceful degradation — fallback messages beat infinite loops when OMS APIs throttle.
Phased rollout on WhatsApp and desk
Phase 1: RAG on help center plus WhatsApp handoff. Phase 2: read-only order lookup. Phase 3: replacement create with supervisor approval for high-value SKUs. Measure CSAT and average handle time per phase; do not roll phase 3 until phase 1 evals pass.
Sabrixa builds WhatsApp-first knowledge for SMBs and custom agent graphs for teams with existing CRM and OMS APIs — same grounding philosophy, different complexity tier.