Have you ever fancied yourself having the superpower of being in multiple places at the same time? Well, it is actually quite possible if you have access to the WhatsApp Business app or WhatsApp API. We’re talking about automatic replies on WhatsApp and no you can’t actually be in several places at the same time. Sorry! 🤭
By setting up automatic replies on WhatsApp you can make sure that no customer or client feels unattended while you are away or busy with other tasks. By taking the time to set up automatic replies on WhatsApp you are taking a major step to elevate the overall customer service experience.
Automatic replies guarantee that none of your customers feel ignored or unappreciated while you are unavailable. Whenever customers send you a message they get a quick and prompt response reassuring them that you will get back as soon as possible or assisting them with the necessary information that they need. Auto-replies ensure that your customers aren’t left hanging and you can relax knowing that no customer goes unanswered even when you are sound asleep.
Table of Contents
What is WhatsApp Auto Reply?
WhatsApp currently has over 3 billion users and is a fantastic channel for marketing your business. With WhatsApp messages having an astounding open rate of more than 98%, WhatsApp marketing has become a top choice for marketers and businesses.
With WhatsApp’s large user base, it can be quite common to receive a large volume of messages which you may not be able to respond to instantly. Or it may be the case that you receive messages after business hours. It is during circumstances like these when WhatsApp auto-replies come to the rescue.
A WhatsApp auto-reply is a feature that allows you to send a pre-configured WhatsApp message to a customer automatically without your involvement in the WhatsApp Business mobile app or on the WhatsApp API. In this article, we will take a look at the benefits of setting up auto-replies and how you can set up auto-replies of your own whether for personal or business reasons.
Why use WhatsApp Auto-Replies?
Before jumping into learning how you can set up your own auto-replies, let us take a look at why you should consider using them and the benefits that come along with using them.
Improved customer service: Auto-replies ensure that your customers receive a swift high-speed response when they send you a message acknowledging their presence and making them feel respected and heard.
Round-the-clock availability: Whenever you receive messages during off-work hours whether it be late at night or early in the morning or during quality family time, you can chill and be assured that your customers are being attended to even in your absence.
Time saving: By automating messages to frequently asked queries using previously crafted messages businesses can reduce the workload of their support staff and save lots of precious time by not having to respond to the same repeatedly asked questions.
Personalization: Auto-replies can be formatted to include the customer’s name or other specific details making the conversation more personal.
Sets clear expectations: Auto-replies can be used to inform a customer of your availability and an estimated time for your follow-up response. Informing this prior to following up makes sure your customers do not stay waiting thereby preventing frustration.
Now that we have looked at the benefits of setting up auto-replies, let’s dive into how you can set them up yourself.
How To Set Up and Send Auto-Replies?
WhatsApp auto-replies can do so much more than just send an “unavailable” message or “greeting” message to your customers. Also, WhatsApp auto-replies sent using WhatsApp API can be so much more dynamic than the simple and ordinary auto-replies that can be sent through the free WhatsApp Business app. Let’s look at the different ways of creating auto-replies for the free WhatsApp Business app and the WhatsApp API:
- Auto-replies using the WhatsApp Business mobile app
- Keyword-based auto-replies using WhatsApp API
- Auto-replies using chatbots using WhatsApp API
Let’s delve into each one of them and explore how you can set them up yourself.
1. How To Set Up Auto-replies on the WhatsApp Business mobile app?
Setting up auto-replies on WhatsApp Business mobile app is pretty easy. Follow the simple instructions below to do it by yourself:
Step 1 – Activate away messages
Open the WhatsApp Business app and click on the three dots in the top right corner of your screen. Then click on Business tools → Away message. Tap on the toggle button next to “Send away message” to enable auto-replies.
Step 2 – Customize away message
Tap on the message and write the message you wish to send to your customers to let them know you are away. Keep in mind to write this carefully and think quite a few times before finalizing it.
Step 3 – Schedule your away message
Schedule your away messages depending on your availability. There are three options for you to choose from:
- Always send: Choose this only if you are not going to be available for quite an extended period of time.
- Custom schedule: Choose this option if you need to send away messages during specific intervals during the day.
- Outside of business hours: Enable this option to send away messages to your customers outside of your everyday working hours. For this to work it is incredibly important that you set the working hours in your WhatsApp Business profile.
Step 4 – Select your recipients
Figure out who needs to receive away messages from you and then choose one of the options below:
- Everyone: Send an automatic premade message to anyone and everyone who texts you after business hours.
- Everyone not in the address book: Send an auto-reply to everyone not saved in your contact list.
- Everyone except: If you don’t want to send auto-replies to certain contacts, choose this option.
- Send to: Only send messages to particular contacts that you select.
2. How To Set Up Keyword-based Auto-replies Using WhatsApp API?
You can also set up auto-replies for when customers send you specific keywords. Note that this can only be done when you get access to WhatsApp API via tools like WANotifier. This feature helps you better guide your customers to help them place an order or get answers to queries etc.
Let us take a look at how you can set up keyword-based auto-replies with our tool WANotifier. Similar steps may apply to other WhatsApp API tools in the market:
- Open your WANotifier dashboard and click on “Automations” and then choose “Auto-replies”
- Click on the “Add new” button located in the top left corner. Now a popup must be visible on your screen.
- On the very top of the popup under the phrase “MESSAGE TEXT” you can list out the trigger words or phrases that will serve as triggers when customers send you a specific word or phrase.
- Below that under the “MESSAGE TYPE” section you can choose whether the triggered auto-reply will be a text message or a message template.
- Further below that you can write down the auto-reply that you would like your customer to receive when they send you those particular trigger words or phrases.
That’s it! Now you have created your very own trigger-based auto-replies. You can now enable them or disable them whenever you want from under the “status” column. The auto-replies will be triggered as per your set trigger words.
3. How To Set Up Auto-replies Using WhatsApp Chatbots?
Another way to set up auto-replies is by using a WhatsApp chatbot feature provided by WhatsApp API tools like WANotifier. You can learn how to build your own WhatsApp chatbots here.
Here are some of the interesting features that come with using WhatsApp chatbots:
- Even better customer service: Chatbots are more complex and advanced capable of delivering first-class customer service when compared to standard auto-replies. Chatbots can take on multiple customer inquiries simultaneously and provide rapid answers ensuring that no customer goes unattended.
- More interactive: Chatbots can provide more personally tailored messages and can generate unique replies instead of the same pre-built message in case of auto-replies.
- 24/7 support: Your business doesn’t sleep and neither do your chatbots. Chatbots provide instant replies at any time of the day regardless of any situation.
- AI integration: It’s 2024 and AI is officially here to stay. By integrating artificial intelligence and making your chatbot AI-powered, they can deliver answers quicker and more detailed than ever before.
- Lead generation: Chatbots can help discover prospective leads and engage with them to potentially make a sales conversion.
- Multilingual support: You can program your chatbot to converse in many different languages and expand your outreach to customers of different ethnic backgrounds across the world.
You can use these methods to set up your own auto-replies in WhatsApp. Let us now check out some of the best practices to be kept in mind while drafting your auto-replies.
Best Practices For Drafting Perfect Auto-replies
Here are some tips that will help you create a clear, crisp and concise auto-reply message that you can send to your customers:
- Keep it concise: Keep your message short and to the point. Avoid unnecessary text and long messages. Keep in mind to provide all the essential information while also avoiding large sentences.
- Greeting: Make sure you start off with a friendly greeting such as “Hello” or “Hey there” and personalize the message by adding their name after the greeting.
- Be professional: Write your message in a formal and polite tone and avoid slang words and abbreviations to ensure your message is clearly understandable to the readers.
- Response time: Let your customers know that you are currently unavailable and give them an estimated time within which they can expect a response from you.
- Alternative contact methods: If you have one or more platforms where people can contact you where you may respond faster let them know about it through your auto-reply.
- End with appreciation: Finish off your message with gratitude by thanking your customers for reaching out to you. You can end it by saying “Thank you for your patience” or “I am grateful for your understanding” or any other way you see fit.
Crafting your auto-reply using these tips is a great way to make a remarkable and outstanding first impression on your customers.
FAQs
What is WhatsApp auto-reply?
WhatsApp auto-reply is a feature that enables you to send an automatic reply to customers when you are unavailable. You can set this up on the free WhatsApp Business mobile app at a basic level or use WhatsApp API-based tools like WANotifier for more complex auto-replies.
How to set up WhatsApp auto-reply on WhatsApp Business app?
To enable auto-replies on WhatsApp Business click on the three dots in the top-right corner of your screen and then click on “Business settings” and choose “Away message”. Here you can write and modify your away message and schedule them for when you need it.
Is there a limit to the number of auto-replies I can send on WhatsApp?
As of now, WhatsApp Business does not impose any limit on the number of automatic replies one can send. So you can send as many auto-replies as you want. In the case of WhatsApp API, you can still send an unlimited number of auto-replies but each message will cost you the standard WhatsApp API charges.
Is it possible to send WhatsApp auto-replies during specific times?
Of course. You can schedule your auto-replies to be sent as and when you’d like. This is particularly handy for dealing with customer inquiries after your business hours.
Can you send different WhatsApp auto-replies to different customers?
Yes, it is possible for you to personalize WhatsApp auto-replies based on a customer’s needs and requirements whether it be common queries or customer groups. This gives you the ability to cater to customers in a more individualized manner further improving customer experience.
Conclusion
WhatsApp auto-replies can be a lifesaver when it comes to running a business. WhatsApp auto-replies do so much more than just prevent you from losing your customers. It makes your customers feel valued, appreciated and understood.
One cannot overlook the power of automatic replies on WhatsApp when it comes to WhatsApp marketing. With that said go ahead and set up your own auto-replies on WhatsApp to make sure that your customers get the best possible customer experience with you or your business.
