AUTO REPLY, END TO END
WhatsApp Business auto reply, end to end
WhatsApp Business auto reply is three built-in tools: a greeting message for new chats, an away message for the hours you are closed, and quick replies you insert by hand. They are free, they take five minutes, and they send fixed text. Knowing exactly where that stops is what saves you money later.
The short version
- Greeting message: sent automatically to someone messaging you for the first time, or after a long gap.
- Away message: sent on a schedule you choose, usually outside your business hours.
- Quick replies: saved text you insert yourself with a forward slash. Not automatic.
- None of the three can check availability, price a specific service or book anything.
IN THIS GUIDE
Every page in the WhatsApp auto reply guide
- How to set it up Set up, edit, turn off or remove auto reply in WhatsApp Business on Android and iPhone: greeting messages, away messages and quick replies. →
- Message templates Copy-and-paste auto reply message templates for WhatsApp Business: greeting, away, out of hours, pricing, booking and holiday replies you can edit. →
- Not working? Why your WhatsApp Business auto reply is not working or not showing, in the order worth checking: schedules, recipients, greeting rules and the API. →
- Beyond the built-in tools When built-in auto reply is not enough: reply bots, the auto reply API, buttons and options, Meta AI replies, and auto reply without a Business account. →
The three built-in tools, side by side
| Tool | When it fires | You control | What it cannot do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greeting message | First message from a new customer, or after a long gap. | The text and who receives it. | Change with what they asked, because it is sent before you know. |
| Away message | On a schedule: always, custom hours, or outside your business hours. | The text, the schedule and the recipients. | Answer the question, check a calendar, or take a booking. |
| Quick replies | Only when a person types a forward slash and picks one. | The text, the shortcut and the keywords. | Send itself. There is always a human in the loop. |
What auto reply is genuinely good at
It closes the silence. A customer who messages at ten at night and hears nothing assumes the business is dead; the same customer who gets a two-line message saying you open at nine will usually wait. That is worth having and it costs nothing.
It also sets expectations you can keep. A greeting that says send the service and the day you want makes the next message useful, which saves a round trip for both sides. And quick replies save real typing for the three answers your team gives every day.
Where it stops, and why that costs bookings
Every built-in auto reply is the same sentence to everyone, because it is written before anyone asks anything. It cannot read the message it is replying to.
So the customer who asks how much for a colour and cut on Thursday afternoon receives thanks for your message, we will get back to you. They now have exactly what they had before, except that a business has confirmed it is not answering. Most people message a second business while they wait.
That is the whole gap. Not response time, which the auto reply solved, but resolution: the price, the availability, the booking. The built-in tools were never designed to do that, and no amount of rewriting the message will make them.
A good auto reply does four things
- Names the business, so the customer knows the message reached the right place.
- Answers the most common question up front instead of promising to answer it later.
- Gives a real time when a person will reply, and then meets it.
- Asks for what you need to help, so the next message is useful rather than a hello.
When the message is right and it still is not enough
Elily replies on the same number, but reads the question first: your services, your published prices, your hours, live calendar availability, and a handover to your team when a person should decide.
QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU START
Common questions
What is auto reply on WhatsApp Business?
Three built-in tools in the free WhatsApp Business app: a greeting message for first-time chats, an away message on a schedule you choose, and quick replies a person inserts manually. All three send text you wrote in advance.
Is WhatsApp Business auto reply free?
Yes. The WhatsApp Business app and all three automation tools are free. Costs only appear if you move the number to the WhatsApp Business Platform, where Meta charges by message category and software charges its own fee.
Can auto reply answer customer questions?
No. It sends the same text to everyone regardless of what they wrote, because the message is composed before the question arrives. Replies that depend on what was asked require the WhatsApp Business Platform.
Can I use auto reply and a chatbot on the same number?
Not at the same time. A number is either on the WhatsApp Business app, where the built-in automations run, or on the WhatsApp Business Platform, where connected software replies. Moving to the Platform switches the app's tools off for that number.
How many auto replies can I set up?
One greeting message and one away message, each with its own recipients and, for the away message, its own schedule. Quick replies are a list you build, and they are inserted by a person rather than sent automatically.
KEEP READING
Where this goes next
THE NEXT MESSAGE CAN BE HERS
Keep the auto reply. Add the part that finishes it.
Send Elily your website link on WhatsApp. She reads your services, prices and hours, answers as your business and books into your calendar.
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