Greeting, away and quick replies in the app.

How do you set a WhatsApp Business automatic message by hours?

First, fill in your business hours on the business profile. Then:

1. In the Tools tab, tap Away message.
2. Turn on Send away message.
3. Tap the message to edit the text.
4. Under Schedule, choose Outside of business hours. This option only shows up if your hours are on the profile.
5. Under Recipients, choose who gets it and tap Save.

The phone must be connected to the internet for the message to go out.

How do you set an away or vacation message?

The path is the same as for the away message. The difference is the Schedule field:

• Always send: replies at any time until you turn it off.
• Custom schedule: replies only during the period you set. Use it for vacation, a holiday or store renovation.
• Outside of business hours: follows the hours on your profile.

When the vacation ends, check that the message is off, so customers do not get a closed notice while the store is open.

How do greeting messages and quick replies work?

Greeting. In Tools, tap Greeting message, turn it on and write the text. Meta says it goes to people writing for the first time or after 14 days without a conversation. When Meta AI agent, Meta Business Agent, is connected, the greeting is turned off.

Quick replies. In Tools, tap Quick replies, create the message and set a shortcut. You can save up to 50. In a chat, type a slash (/) and pick one. The app also creates default replies from your profile data, such as address and hours.

Setup happens in the phone app. On WhatsApp Web and desktop, Meta says you cannot use photos or videos in quick replies.

What are good ideas for an automatic message?

Short texts that say when the person will get an answer work best. Adapt them:

• Greeting: "Hi, this is [bakery name]. For orders, send the item and the pickup time."
• After hours: "We are closed right now. We open at 7 a.m. and will answer as soon as we arrive."
• Vacation: "The store is closed until the 15th. Your message is saved and we will reply when we are back."
• Quick reply /pix: your Pix key and the name shown on the receipt.

These messages have fixed text. For a reply that understands the question, checks the schedule and hands off to your team, you need the official API with AI, explained in automated customer service on WhatsApp and in WhatsApp chatbot. Lotaloja sets this up through its WhatsApp customer service offering. See examples for restaurants and bakeries, the guide on AI in customer service or take the free assessment.