WhatsApp Auto Reply Messages for Business (With Examples)

If customers message your business on WhatsApp, the first reply matters more than most owners think. A customer who writes at 9pm and hears nothing often messages a competitor next.

WhatsApp Business gives you three free tools for this: a greeting message, an away message and quick replies. Below are samples you can copy, how to set them up, and the point where an auto reply stops being enough.

How to Set Up Auto Replies in WhatsApp Business

In the WhatsApp Business app, open Settings, then Business tools. You will find:

• Greeting message: sent automatically the first time someone messages you, or after a long gap.
• Away message: sent when you are outside the hours you set, or when you switch it on manually.
• Quick replies: saved answers you send yourself with a shortcut, such as /prices or /address.

Set your business hours in your profile first, then schedule the away message "outside of business hours" so it runs on its own.

Greeting Message Samples

Simple and warm

Hi, thanks for messaging [Business name]! Tell us what you need and we will get back to you shortly. For prices and opening hours, see [link].

For appointment-based businesses

Hello and welcome to [Business name]. To book, send us the service you want and two times that suit you. We confirm every booking personally.

For restaurants

Thanks for contacting [Restaurant name]! For table bookings, send the date, time and number of guests. Our menu is here: [link].

Away Message Samples (After Hours)

Standard after-hours reply

Thanks for your message. We are closed right now and open again at [time] on [day]. We will reply as soon as we are back.

After hours, with a next step

We are closed for today, but your message is safe with us. If it is about a booking, send your preferred date and time and we will confirm first thing tomorrow.

For trades and home services

Thanks for getting in touch. We are on a job right now. Please send your postcode, a short description and a photo if you can, and we will call you back today.

Quick Reply Ideas

• /prices: your main prices, or a link to them
• /hours: opening hours and address
• /book: how to book, with a link
• /area: the areas you cover

Quick replies save typing, but someone still has to be there to send them.

Where Auto Replies Stop Working

Greeting and away messages send the same text to everyone, whatever they asked. That is fine for "we will be back at 9am". It is not fine when the customer asked:

• "How much is a full set of acrylics?"
• "Do you have a table for six on Saturday?"
• "Do you cover Leyland?"

They get a polite message and no answer, so they keep shopping. The away message did its job, and the business still lost the enquiry.

What a WhatsApp Chatbot Does Differently

An AI WhatsApp chatbot reads each message and answers the actual question from information you have approved: prices, hours, areas, policies. Then it asks the questions you would ask (what they need, when, where) and passes a ready-made lead to your team.

The important parts:

• It only answers from what you give it, so it does not invent prices or promises.
• A person can take over any chat at any time; the chatbot pauses while they do.
• It connects through Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform and only replies to people who message you first.

I build these as a managed service, with a monthly review of real conversations so wrong or missing answers get fixed. You can see how it works and what it costs on the WhatsApp chatbot for business page, or compare all plans on the AI chatbots page.

Which Should You Use?

• Fewer than a handful of WhatsApp messages a day? A good greeting and away message, plus quick replies, is enough. Use the samples above.
• Lots of repeated questions, or messages arriving while you are busy or closed? That is where a WhatsApp chatbot pays for itself, because each answered enquiry is one that does not go to a competitor.

If you are not sure which side you are on, get a free plan: tell me how many messages you get and what people ask, and I will tell you honestly whether a chatbot is worth it yet.