How to Set Up WhatsApp Auto-Reply for Your Business
There are two ways: the free auto-replies built into the WhatsApp Business app, and an AI chatbot that reads each message. Here is what each one does, and how to choose.
Option 1: the free auto-replies in WhatsApp Business
The free WhatsApp Business app (not the regular WhatsApp) has three message tools. You find them under Settings, then Business tools. Menu names can change between app versions, so look for these names:
- Greeting message: sent automatically when a customer messages you for the first time, or after a long time without messages. Use it to say hello and set expectations.
- Away message: sent when you are not available. You can send it all the time, on a schedule you set, or outside the working hours in your business profile.
- Quick replies: saved answers your team sends by typing a shortcut. They save typing, but a person still has to read the question and choose the answer.
A good away message says when you will reply and what the customer can send now, for example the order number or the product name, so your first reply can be useful.
What the free option can't do
- It sends the same fixed text to everyone. It doesn't read the question.
- It can't answer "is this available?", "how much is delivery to Nasr City?" or "where is my order?".
- After hours, every real question waits for the morning.
Option 2: an AI chatbot on WhatsApp
An AI chatbot reads each message and answers it from information you approve: your services, opening hours, policies or product list. It can understand Egyptian Arabic, formal Arabic and English, and pass the conversation to your team when it should.
It runs on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform, not on the free app. That needs a business account with Meta, and Meta charges for messages under its own pricing, which you can read on Meta's pricing page.
Which one is right for you?
- The free option is enough if you get a few messages a day, they are mostly the same questions, and someone on your team can reply within working hours.
- A chatbot makes sense if many messages arrive after hours, customers ask about specific products, prices or orders, or your team spends hours typing the same answers.
Common questions.
Yes. The greeting message, away message and quick replies are part of the free WhatsApp Business app.
No. It sends one fixed message. Answering each question differently needs a chatbot.
The chatbots we build do. They understand Egyptian dialect, formal Arabic and English.
Meta charges for messages on the WhatsApp Business Platform under its own pricing, which depends on the type of message and the country. The free app's auto-replies don't have these charges.
Get Too Many WhatsApp Messages To Answer?
Tell us what customers usually ask, and we tell you what a chatbot could handle.