WhatsApp Business includes three built-in automated messaging tools: a greeting message (sent to first-time contacts), an away message (sent when you are outside business hours), and quick replies (saved responses for common questions). All three are set up through the Business Tools menu. For businesses that need more than canned responses, AI automation through the WhatsApp Business API handles conversations with full natural-language intelligence.
The Three Built-In Auto-Reply Tools
1. Greeting Message
The greeting message is sent automatically when a customer messages your WhatsApp Business number for the first time, or when they message you after a 14-day period of inactivity.
How to set it up:
Open WhatsApp Business App
Tap the three-dot menu, then "Business Tools"
Tap "Greeting Message"
Toggle on "Send Greeting Message"
Tap the edit icon to write your message
Choose who receives it: "All contacts," "Everyone not in your address book," "Everyone except..." or "Only send to..."
Tap "Save"
What to write: Keep the greeting short and useful. Acknowledge the customer, set expectations for when they will hear from you, and optionally prompt them to share what they need.
Example: "Hi there, thanks for reaching out to [Business Name]. We typically respond within 2 hours during business hours (Mon–Fri 8am–6pm). Please let us know how we can help."
Do not make the greeting so long that it feels like a legal disclaimer. Three sentences is the right length.
2. Away Message
The away message is sent automatically when a customer messages you outside your set business hours or when you manually enable "away" mode.
How to set it up:
In Business Tools, tap "Away Message"
Toggle on "Send Away Message"
Write your message
Set the schedule: "Always send," "Custom schedule," or "Outside business hours" (uses the hours set in your Business Profile)
Choose recipients (same options as greeting message)
Tap "Save"
What to write: Acknowledge the message, confirm when you will respond, and if relevant, give them a way to help themselves in the meantime.
Example: "Thanks for your message. We are currently outside our business hours (Mon–Fri 8am–6pm). We will get back to you on the next business day. For urgent enquiries, you can also reach us at [email/phone]."
The limitation: Away messages are static. They cannot answer the customer's actual question. A customer who asks "Is the size 12 dress still available?" receives a generic "we are away" response. The next morning, your team wakes up to a queue of unanswered questions, many of which no longer need answers because the customer moved on.
3. Quick Replies
Quick replies are pre-written responses saved to shortcuts. In a conversation, type "/" followed by the shortcut keyword and the full response appears, ready to send with one tap.
How to set it up:
In Business Tools, tap "Quick Replies"
Tap the "+" button
Write the message (supports text, images, and files)
Set a shortcut keyword (without the "/" — just the keyword)
Tap "Save"
Useful quick replies to set up:
Shortcut | Message |
/hours | "We are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, and Saturday 9am to 2pm. Closed on Sundays." |
/location | "We are at [address]. Here is the map link: [Google Maps URL]" |
/payment | "We accept MTN Mobile Money [number], Visa, and Mastercard." |
/price | "Our pricing starts from [amount]. Here is our full price list: [link or image]" |
/delivery | "We deliver within Accra in 2 to 3 business days. Nationwide delivery takes 4 to 7 days." |
The Limitations of Built-In Auto-Replies
The three tools described above work well for a solo business owner managing conversations personally. They hit clear ceilings as a business grows.
Quick replies require a human to trigger them. They are shortcuts, not automation. Someone on your team still has to read every incoming message and manually send the right quick reply.
Away messages cannot handle real questions. A customer asking about product availability at 11pm receives a generic "we are away" message. Tomorrow morning, they have probably already bought from a competitor.
There is no AI understanding. The built-in tools cannot read what a customer has written and respond with relevant information. They can only send pre-set text at pre-set times.
There is no learning or improvement. You cannot analyse what questions come in most frequently, what language customers use, or how the auto-replies are performing.
What AI Automation Adds
The WhatsApp Business API, accessed through a platform like Intelli, replaces the three built-in tools with a full AI assistant trained on your business's specific knowledge.
Instead of an away message that says "we are closed, talk tomorrow," the AI assistant reads the customer's question at 11pm and replies: "The size 12 dress in red is currently in stock. Here are the available colours: [list]. You can also see the full product range in our catalogue: [link]. To place an order, reply with the size, colour, and your delivery location."
The AI handles this for unlimited concurrent conversations, 24 hours a day, every day. It does not get tired, does not miss messages, and does not send the wrong quick reply.
For ALX Ghana, this is how their team went from manually responding to every student enquiry to achieving 13x improvement in lead conversion. The AI qualified every incoming enquiry instantly, regardless of the time it arrived.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the greeting message and away message include images or documents? The away message supports text only. The greeting message supports text only. Quick replies can include images, videos, and documents.
Can I set up different away messages for different times? Not with the built-in tool. You can only set one away message. For context-specific responses (different message on weekends versus weekday evenings, for example), you need the API with Intelli's flow builder.
Do auto-replies count against WhatsApp Business API message limits? Auto-replies in the Business App do not involve the API and have no message limits or costs. Automated replies through the API platform do use the 24-hour service window, which is free for inbound-triggered conversations.
If a customer messages during business hours and I have a greeting message set to "all contacts," will they receive it? Yes, if they are a new contact or have not messaged you in 14 days. You can avoid this by setting the greeting message to trigger only outside business hours or for contacts not in your address book.
Can I turn off auto-replies for specific conversations? Not in the Business App. Auto-replies apply to all qualifying conversations based on the recipient settings you choose. The API gives you more granular control.
Ready to go beyond canned responses? Intelli's WhatsApp AI Assistant handles every incoming conversation intelligently — answering real questions with information specific to your business.
