‍How to set up WhatsApp Auto Reply in WhatsApp Business: A complete guide

If you're like most people, you probably use WhatsApp to stay in touch with friends and family. But did you know that WhatsApp can also be a valuable tool for most medium and large businesses? With its auto-reply feature, you can easily respond to customers without having to be glued to your phone 24/7. In this complete guide, we'll show you how to set up an auto-reply in both the WhatsApp Business app and the WhatsApp Business API, so that you can start streamlining your customer communications. 

Let's get started!
Auto-replies are an efficient way to communicate with your customers, especially when you do not have the time or resources to engage in direct person-to-person communication. WhatsApp auto reply is a feature that allows businesses to respond quickly and easily to customer queries without having to manually type out each response. This feature can save time, energy, and resources which can be put into other tasks.

What is a WhatsApp auto-reply?

An auto-reply in WhatsApp is a feature that allows someone to set an automatic, pre-written response to any messages they receive. Using these you can automatically respond to any incoming messages from your customers. WhatsApp auto-replies are useful for businesses that want to provide timely and effective customer service, as well as individuals whose phones may be inaccessible during certain times of the day.

Types of WhatsApp auto-reply messages:

WhatsApp Business app:

There are mainly two types of automated messages available on the WhatsApp for Business mobile app. 

1. Away message: Messages that you can send when your business is not working. For example on holidays or after business hours
2. Greeting message: Messages that you can send as an automatic reply to greet people in minutes

WhatsApp Business API:

Businesses using the WhatsApp Business API can get access to multiple types of automated messages including

1. Welcome or Greeting messages
2. FAQs (frequently asked questions)
3. Product descriptions
4. Delivery updates 
5. Cart abandonment and more

Benefits of auto-reply in WhatsApp:

The benefits of using auto-replies in WhatsApp are numerous. Firstly, it allows businesses to respond quickly and efficiently to customer queries while maintaining a professional image. This can help improve customer service and customer satisfaction levels, resulting in greater customer retention. Additionally, auto-replies can be used to promote products and services, allowing businesses to reach more people with their marketing messages.

Limitations of using auto-reply for WhatsApp Business solution:

WhatsApp auto-reply can be an effective solution for small businesses wishing to provide customer service without hiring dedicated support staff. These businesses should also be aware of WhatsApp auto-reply's drawbacks.

• Firstly, it is essential to have an active internet connection in order to provide a successful WhatsApp service, otherwise, users will receive unanswered messages and potentially bad reviews from unsatisfied customers. This lessens the advantages of WhatsApp auto-reply while making the process more difficult and time-consuming for business owners and managers.
• Secondly, WhatsApp auto-reply cannot offer personalized responses. If several queries or complaints come in, users might feel unsatisfied with standard answers, resulting in further frustration and potentially negative reviews. 
• Furthermore, it is difficult for customers to know whether the response they have received has been directly generated by WhatsApp auto-reply or by a person, which could cause confusion and frustration.

Based on the aforementioned advantages and limitations, you should make a call on whether you should set up an automatic reply in WhatsApp.

Examples of auto-reply messages in WhatsApp:

We suggest using the 4 Cs framework to create auto-reply messages in WhatsApp. The "Four Cs" framework is a method for creating effective communication, which includes being clear, concise, compelling, and courteous.

• Away message, outside of business hours

Here are a few examples of away messages that you can use in WhatsApp Business using the Four Cs framework:

• Clear: "Thanks for reaching out. Our shop is currently closed but we'll be open at {time} {date}. We'll be happy to assist you then. Have a great evening!"
• Concise: "Closed now. Open {time} {date}. We'll be happy to assist you then. Have a nice evening!"
• Compelling: "Don't miss out on our exclusive deals! We're closed now but will open at {time} {date}. See you then!"
• Courteous: “Thanks for reaching out. We're currently away. Back on (Date) at (Time). Appreciate your patience. Have a great day”

• Holiday template

• Clear: "Happy holidays! Our shop will be closed from December 25th to January 2nd. We'll be back in business on January 3rd and look forward to serving you again. Have a great holiday season!"
• Concise: "Happy holidays! Closed from Dec 25 - Jan 2. Back on Jan 3. See you then!"
• Compelling: "Don't miss out on our holiday sale! Our shop will be closed from December 25th to January 2nd. We'll be back in business on January 3rd and look forward to serving you again. Have a great holiday season!"
• Courteous: “Happy holidays! Our shop will be closed from Dec 25th to Jan 2nd. We'll be back on Jan 3rd. Thanks for understanding. Have a great holiday season”

• Greeting message

• Clear: "Welcome! We're excited to help you with all your needs. How can we assist you today?"
• Concise: "Hello! Thanks for reaching out. We're here to help. What do you need help with?"
• Compelling: "Glad you reached out! We're here to exceed your expectations. How can we help you today?"
• Courteous: “Thank you for reaching out! We're here to provide you with excellent service. How can we assist you today? We appreciate your business and look forward to working with you.”

Here are a few examples that you can use if you’ve access to the WhatsApp Business API.

• Cart abandonment message:

• Clear: "Hi {First_name}, we noticed that you left {Product name} in your cart. Don't miss out on these great deals. Complete your purchase now!"
• Concise: "Hi {First name}, don't forget about your cart! It's still waiting for you. Complete your purchase now."
• Compelling: "Hello {First name}, don't miss out on your chance to own {Product name}! Complete your purchase now and get a special discount of {discount percent}!"
• Courteous: "Hello {First name}, left {Product name} in your cart? No problem! We're here to help. Complete your purchase now and get a special discount."

• Order shipment message

• Clear: "Hi {First Name}, your {Order Name} has been shipped! Thank you for choosing us. We look forward to your next purchase!"
• Concise: "Your {Order Name} is on its way {First Name}. Thanks for choosing us. See you soon!"
• Compelling: "Thanks for your purchase {First Name}! Your {Order Name} is on its way. Don't forget about our loyalty program for future discounts!"
• Courteous: "Hello {First Name}, we just wanted to let you know that your {Order Name} has been shipped. We appreciate your business and hope you enjoy your purchase. We look forward to serving you again in the future."

Well, now that we have all the features, the question is how do we enable auto-reply in WhatsApp.

How to set auto-reply feature in WhatsApp?

It depends on whether you’re using the WhatsApp Business app or the WhatsApp Business API. Let's begin with the WhatsApp Business app.

Set up business hours in WhatsApp Business app

Before we even begin thinking about business hours or sending a WhatsApp auto-reply message Before setting up the auto-reply feature, you need to set business, we should first understand that this app is suitable only for solopreneurs and extremely small businesses with only one customer-facing person.

For the teams for whom it's acceptable, here's how you can set business hours.

1. Go to "Settings" --> "Business Settings"
2. Go to "Business Profile"
3. Edit your profile
4. Click on "Schedule"
5. Select your business hours from the list of times given below

Now that you've set up business hours, the next step is to set up auto-reply on the WhatsApp Business app. This is relatively simple. Here are the steps you need to follow to enable auto-reply.

1. Open the WhatsApp Business app.
2. We need to navigate to the business settings. For this, you need to tap "More options" --> Business tools --> Away message.
3. Turn on Send away message.
4. Under Away message, tap the message to edit it, then tap OK
5. Tap Schedule to schedule your auto-reply message. 

• Always send: send at all times.
• Custom schedule: send only during the specified period.
• Outside of business hours: send only outside of business hours

Next, you'll have to choose the contacts to whom you can send these messages. Here's how you can select contacts on WhatsApp.

Tap Recipients to determine who should receive your away message.

• Everyone: Send to anyone who messages you while you have the Away Message feature turned on.
• Everyone not in the 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.

Once this is done, you can send automated messages to your customers.

Let’s move on to the WhatsApp Business API.

WhatsApp Business API is well-suited for usage by medium and large businesses with more than. The set of steps below applies only to businesses that have finished the Facebook Business Manager and a WhatsApp business account.

Most businesses will often integrate their WhatsApp Business API with other third-party applications like Donut.cx to set up automated WhatsApp replies. Depending on the types of template messages you've used, you can customize auto-replies to suit each situation. Some of the most common auto-reply messages used are

• Automated welcome message: Within your working hours, you can send welcome messages
• Custom campaigns reply: You can create such replies to any WhatsApp queries that you receive as responses as part of your marketing campaigns.
• Cart abandonment with Shopify: If you're an e-commerce shop on Shopify, then one of the biggest challenges you're facing is the extremely high cart abandonment rates. Using these automated cart abandonment messages, you can nudge the customer immediately into completing their purchase.

Depending on your use cases, you will find various business tools that provide features like WhatsApp auto-reply bot, WhatsApp APIs, and a chat window. We suggest that you go with business tools that support these features without burning your pocket.

We might be a little biased, but you shouldn't look beyond Donut.cx. Donut.cx is an official WhatsApp Business API partner and gives you access to official marketing and customer support solutions that you can use to engage, sell and support your customers daily. Get started with Donut.cx today.