Automated Welcome and Away Messages

When someone messages your business, you’ll want to respond to them as soon as possible. Automated welcome and away messages allow an immediate response and can be used to manage Contacts’ expectations.

Benefits of Welcome and Away Messages

Use welcome and away messages to:

• Provide a standard greeting and introduction to your business.

• Respond to Contacts immediately.

• Let Contacts know when they can expect a reply.

Methods for Sending Welcome and Away Messages

1. Send a basic automated reply when a Contact opens a conversation.

2. Send welcome and away messages based on business hours.

Send a basic automated reply when a Contact opens a conversation

Use this method when you want to immediately send a greeting or an away message when a Contact messages you.

Method Objectives

• Set up the Workflow templates to send a welcome or away message.

Workflow Setup

There are Workflow templates set up by our team that you can use immediately. These templates can be edited to fit your business needs.

Learn more about Workflow Templates here.

Set up the Workflow templates to send a welcome or away message

On the respond.io platform menu, click Workflows > + Add Workflow and choose your templates.

To send a welcome message, click Welcome Message > Use Template

To send an away message, click Away Message > Use Template

The Workflow template is set up with a Trigger and the Send a Message step. This sends an automated reply to Contacts when a conversation is opened.

Learn more about Triggers and Send a Message Step.

Edit the welcome and away messages to send an automated reply

Send a Message step configuration for Welcome Message

Click the Welcome Message step to edit the Message Content. The Message Type should remain as Text. Finally, click Save and Publish to activate the Workflow.

Send a Message step configuration for Away Message

Click the Away Message step to edit the Message Content. The Message Type should remain as Text. Finally, click Save and Publish to activate the Workflow. A basic Away Message lets Contacts know that no one is currently available. Turn this Workflow on when agents are all away and turn it off when they’re back online.

Send welcome and away messages based on business hours

Use this method when you want to send a welcome message during business hours and an away message outside of these hours.

Method Objectives

• Set up the Workflow templates to send a welcome or away message based on business hours

• Configure business hours to send an automated reply

• Configure Welcome and Away message steps if needed

Workflow Setup

There are Workflow templates set up by our team that you can use immediately. You can edit the templates to fit your business needs.

Learn more about Workflow Templates here.

Set up the Workflow templates to send a welcome or away message based on business hours

On the respond.io platform menu, click Workflows > + Add Workflow. Then, Click Away Message with Business Hours > Use Template.

To send an away message based on business hours, click Away Message with Business Hours > Use Template

The Workflow template is set up with a Trigger, Date & Time step and the Send a Message step. This sends an automated reply to Contacts when a conversation is opened based on business hours.

Configure business hours to send an automated reply

Use the Date & Time Step to set your business hours.

Learn more about Date & Time Step.

Configure Welcome and Away message steps if needed

Use the Send a Message Step to send an automatic welcome or away message.

Click the Welcome Message or Away Message step to edit the Message Content. The Message Type should remain as Text. Finally, click Save and Publish to activate the Workflow.

Learn how to configure Welcome and Away messages.