Many features in WhatsApp can help supercharge your messaging campaigns, but an often underutilized one is WhatsApp’s auto-reply tool. Available to businesses, auto reply can help improve customer satisfaction, reduce the number of support tickets, and boost your team’s productivity. Here’s how the feature works and how to use it for your company.
What is WhatsApp auto reply?
WhatsApp auto-reply, a feature in the WhatsApp Business app, allows users to set automated responses to incoming messages. It ensures that customer inquiries are acknowledged even when you and your team cannot respond immediately.
WhatsApp away messages are preset responses sent automatically to anyone who messages your WhatsApp Business account. This message ensures that no customers are unanswered, even if they ping you outside of normal business hours or when your team is at capacity handling other queries.
How to enable WhatsApp away messages
Note that you’ll need a WhatsApp Business account to enable away messages — this feature is only available to those using the WhatsApp Business app. You will also need an active internet connection to set up auto responses.
Once those prerequisites are squared away, follow these steps to set up a WhatsApp auto reply message.
- Open the WhatsApp Business app.
- Tap Settings > Business Tools > Away Message.
- Turn on Send away message.
- Under Message, tap the message to edit it, then tap Save.
- Tap Schedule to schedule your away message. Choose from the following options:
- Always send: send at all times.
- Custom schedule: send only during the specified period.
- Outside of business hours: send only outside of business hours.some text
- Note: This option is only available if you have set your business hours in your business profile.
- Tap Recipients to determine who should receive your away message. Choose from the following options:
- Everyone: send to anyone who messages you while you have the Away Message feature turned on.
- Everyone not in address book: send only to customers who aren't in your address book.
- Everyone except…: send to all customers except those you select.
- Only send to…: send only to selected contacts.
Meta will verify your message once you’ve saved it, but otherwise, that’s all you need to do to set up auto replies from your WhatsApp Business account.
Use Plivo’s WhatsApp API to set auto replies
Plivo enables a more advanced version of auto-reply on WhatsApp, triggering responses based on specific user responses. Plivo’s Customer Service suite (CX) offers a no-code chatbot tool powered by ChatGPT.
Plivo's AI chatbot offers self-service options, troubleshoots simple requests, and frees up your agents to tackle more complex issues. AI agents handle customer problems such as handling exchanges, updating and/or modifying information, and tracking orders to increase efficiency. When AI agents cannot resolve a customer's issue, they get the information your team needs to handle escalations effectively with notes and summaries.
For example, a WhatsApp user could ask your business’s chatbot for the balance in their bank account outside of normal business hours. The chatbot can verify their identity and share their information without needing one of your team members to log online and manually look up this information. It’s that simple.
Why should you use auto reply in WhatsApp?
There are several benefits to setting up auto reply on WhatsApp — here are just a few.
Ensure round-the-clock communication with clients and customers
Your company is always "available" with WhatsApp Business auto-replies. Whether a customer writes in at midnight, sends an early-morning request, or messages from a different time zone, they can always get a response.
Ease the workload for customer service teams
WhatsApp's auto reply tool reduces your team's workload by handling repetitive inquiries. The right autoresponder message unlocks self-service options for your customers, allowing your team to focus on more complex tasks without feeling overwhelmed.
Deliver immediate answers to common questions
If you're frequently answering the same questions, consider setting up an auto-reply chatbot on WhatsApp. It provides immediate answers to FAQs, saving everyone time.
Enhance trust through timely replies
A fast response — even if it's automated — shows customers they're valued. Write an away message that assures users of follow-up or directs them to your help documentation to foster trust and strengthen your brand's reputation. Consistent and well-crafted auto-replies reflect professionalism, helping to maintain a positive brand image.
What are the limitations of WhatsApp auto reply?
While auto reply is a useful tool in your arsenal, there are some limitations to the away message feature in WhatsApp.
Personalization options are basic
While the WhatsApp Business app allows for some customization of auto replies, these responses may not fully address more intricate or specialized customer queries. Your automated replies are just a stop-gap measure until your team is able to provide the detailed, tailored responses that some situations require. Likewise, auto replies can start to feel insulting if you use them too frequently. Aim for a balance between automated responses and direct human interaction to ensure customers feel valued.
Restricted scheduling flexibility
You can set up WhatsApp auto reply messages for specific time frames, but that’s about as far as the tool’s scheduling capability goes. For instances when adaptable scheduling might be necessary— such as during unplanned closures or emergencies—WhatsApp’s away message scheduling tools may not be flexible enough to accommodate last-minute changes.
Likewise, auto replies are simply pre-set messages; if they are not frequently updated or properly tailored to specific situations, they can confuse (and frustrate) your customers.
Lack of Advanced Functionalities
Basic auto reply can only take your business so far. The lack of more sophisticated options, such as AI-powered responses, limits the functionality of this tool. Likewise, WhatsApp Business offers limited data on the performance of auto-replies, making it difficult to analyze their effectiveness. Without detailed insights, optimizing your automated communication strategies may be challenging.
Next-level WhatsApp auto replies: Set up an AI chatbot
Plivo’s AI self-service chatbot is constantly accessible, compassionate, and reflects your brand — learning from your company’s knowledge base, policies, and brand guidelines. Speedy self-service options help customers get the answers they need instantly. Plus, the bot can route complicated requests to the right person for stress-free resolution.
Plivo CX empowers your team to go beyond simple, automated away messages. With our service chatbot, you get a brand new team member that makes life easier for your human agents and your customers. Learn more: AI-Powered Self-Service Chatbot & 24/7 Support with Plivo CX.
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