WhatsApp Business automatic messages.
WhatsApp Business automatic messages are the texts you already have ready so you never type the same thing twice: the welcome greeting and the away notice send on their own, and your team sends quick replies with a shortcut, no retyping needed.
Types of automatic messages in the WhatsApp Business app
The ones the app ships with, before you move to an AI agent.
| Type | When it sends | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome message | The first time someone messages you, or after a long while without talking | Introducing the business and setting what the customer can expect from the chat |
| Away message (always on) | At any time, while it's turned on | Warning upfront that a reply may take longer than usual |
| Away message (scheduled) | Only outside the business hours you set | Letting the customer know when you'll reply, so they don't wait in vain |
| Quick replies | Typed by whoever is answering, with a shortcut that starts with "/" | Answering common questions without typing the same thing every time they come up |
How to set up automatic replies in WhatsApp Business
Four steps, all inside the app's business tools.
- 01
Open business tools.
They live in the app's settings, under the business tools section, at no extra cost.
- 02
Turn on the welcome message.
Write the greeting and choose who gets it: everyone, only new contacts, or everyone except a few.
- 03
Turn on the away message.
Set it to always on, on a schedule, or only outside your business hours.
- 04
Save your quick replies.
For questions that repeat, with a shortcut you pull up by typing "/" in the chat.
Examples of a welcome message, an away message and quick replies
The exact wording you can adapt to your business, in two tones for your one welcome message and two real away cases.
Welcome: direct tone
"Hi there! Thanks for reaching out to [business]. We're open [hours]; we'll get back to you shortly." A clear, short option for your welcome message.
Welcome: warm tone
"Great to have you here! Tell us what we can help you with today." The other version of the same message, more casual if your brand calls for it.
Away: outside hours
"Thanks for writing to [business]. We're outside our business hours right now; we'll reply [hours]." Keeps the customer from expecting a reply that won't come until the next day.
Away: always on
"We got your message. Someone from our team will reply as soon as possible." Useful when message volume swings a lot during the day.
Quick reply: hours and location
"We're open [hours] at [address or mode]. Anything specific we can help with?" Saves typing the same thing to everyone who asks where you are.
Quick reply: shipping or delivery
"We ship to [cities or areas] within [estimated time]. Where do you need your order delivered?" Answers the most repeated question for catalog-based businesses.
Where the app's automatic messages fall short
These messages are fixed: they always say the same thing, don't understand what the customer is asking, and can't qualify them, book an appointment or charge them. They're for a heads-up, not for actually serving customers.
A customer who asks about price, hours and availability in the same message just gets a generic greeting, not an answer to what they actually asked.
They also can't be personalized per customer: the same welcome message reaches someone messaging you for the first time and someone who's bought from you ten times, with no distinction between the two.
- They don't read your business's catalog or prices: they just repeat the text you wrote once.
- They don't trigger off a customer action (abandoned cart, payment received); only off messaging you or a schedule.
- They don't stop on their own once the customer already got the information they needed.
What happens once the business outgrows fixed messages
While a business handles a handful of chats a day, a good welcome and away message is enough. The problem shows up once conversations grow: someone still has to answer the same thing over and over, and the automatic message doesn't remove that load, it just delays it.
That's where an AI agent connected through the API fixes the problem at the root. There's no fixed text to replace, but a real conversation the agent carries from start to finish, follow-up included, with no need for anyone to be online.
- The agent handles WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and calls from one inbox, not just the chat.
- Every conversation enters a funnel with stages, instead of drifting off after the opening greeting.
How an AI agent replies instead of a fixed message
Understands the real question
Answers with your business's knowledge (catalog, prices, FAQ), not the same text for everyone.
Remembers each customer
Knows if they've talked to you before and about what, so the customer never repeats their story.
Understands voice notes and images
A customer sends a voice note or a photo and the agent replies just as it would to written text.
Hands off to a person with context
When a human is needed, they get a summary of the conversation, not an empty chat they have to read start to finish.
Follows up on its own
If the customer stops replying, the agent messages them again without anyone reminding it to, up to five times.
Learns from what it couldn't answer
Groups the questions it missed, shows how many there are, and proposes how to answer them next time; you review and approve.
Sources
- How to use greeting messages WhatsApp
- How to use away messages WhatsApp
- How to use quick replies WhatsApp
Frequently asked questions about WhatsApp automatic messages
How do I set an automatic message on WhatsApp Business?
From business tools, in the app's settings: that's where you turn on and write the welcome and away messages, at no cost.
How do I automatically send a welcome message to new customers?
Turn on the greeting message in the WhatsApp Business app: it goes out when someone messages you for the first time or after 14 days without writing. To greet people who subscribe from a form or an ad before they write, you need the API and an approved template.
How do I set up the away message?
In business tools you choose whether it sends always, on a set schedule, or only outside your business hours.
Can automatic messages answer different questions?
The app's can't: they always say the same text, no matter who's writing. An AI agent does understand each question and replies differently based on what the customer needs.
Can an automatic message book an appointment or take a payment?
The app's can't. An AI agent can book appointments, qualify the customer and, in Colombia, take a payment in the same conversation.
What's the difference between the welcome message and a quick reply?
The welcome message sends on its own, with no one typing it in the moment; a quick reply is picked and sent by whoever is answering, with a shortcut that saves typing time on every repeated conversation.
From a fixed message to a real answer.
Book a call: we'll show you how the AI agent replaces your automatic messages without losing your number or your chat history.
Plans from USD 400/month with 1,000 AI-handled customers. See plans