As a business owner, your customers are your top priority.

You want to build good relationships with them and provide quick answers to their questions. But, it's impossible to be on the clock 24/7.

So, what do you do?

We recommend sending automated messages through WhatsApp Business. Automatic replies help you meet customer needs and boost sales — even while you're away from work.

Let's dive deeper into the benefits and talk about how to get started.

WhatsApp Business Interaction

What is a WhatsApp Automated Message?

An automated message is a streamlined form of customer communication.

With WhatsApp Business, you can set up messages that deliver automatically — even when your team is unavailable.

That way, when customers ask questions or reach out for support, you can reply without typing out a message in the moment.

How is this possible?

The Power of WhatsApp Chatbots

You can automate messages using the WhatsApp Business app and WhatsApp API.

Both of these programs rely on AI for message automation.

Chatbots respond to users and deliver information based on keywords or instructions in the message. With WhatsApp API, you can program bots to:

• Provide help
• Answer FAQs
• Raise tickets (if the user's question is unanswered)

The result: your customers get instant responses to their questions, and you have more free time in your schedule.

When Should I Use WhatsApp Automated Messages?

Use WhatsApp automated messages to:

• Send order confirmations/updates
• Ask customers to review your product/brand
• Reach out to new users
• Let customers know you're out of the office

WhatsApp Automation

Why use WhatsApp specifically?

WhatsApp Message Automation Boosts Marketing Efforts

Here's the thing — everyone is on WhatsApp.

And that everyone needs the same attention and care all the time.

WhatsApp is the most widely used messaging app, with over 2 billion active users globally.

WhatsApp Users Worldwide

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In addition to its regular texting services, it lets businesses automate entire conversations.

WhatsApp helps teams:

• Improve customer interactions
• Speed up response times
• Streamline purchasing process
• Overcome challenges (e.g., timezone differences)

Types of WhatsApp Automated Messages

Automated Greeting Messages

Greet new clients or reach out to current customers who've been inactive.

You can program this standard message to:

• Automatically respond to new chats
• Restart conversations that have been idle for 14 days

Automated Away Messages

Away messages let your leads or clients know that you received their message and will get back to them as soon as possible.

You can set away messages for specific times (i.e., when you're on vacation or outside business hours).

WhatsApp Away Message Sample

Quick Reply Templates

Save and reuse your most common messages/replies.

Place a designated keyword after "/" to edit several message templates and add them to your chat box.

Also read: WhatsApp Auto Reply: How to Set Up Automatic Replies for Business in 2026

How To Set up Auto Reply in WhatsApp Business

The WhatsApp Business app lets you set up automatic replies for greetings, away messages, quick replies, and more.

Here's how:

1. Click "more options" —> "business tools" —> "away message"
2. Turn on "send away message" and click the message to edit it
3. Schedule your away message:
4. Always send — deliver at any time
5. Custom schedule — deliver only during a specified period
6. Outside business hours — deliver only during non-business hours
7. Note: This is only accessible if you specify business hours in your profile
8. Choose recipients:
9. "Everyone" — send to all your contacts
10. "Everyone not in your address book" — send to customers NOT in your address book
11. "Everyone except…"  — exclude specific contacts
12. "Only send to…" — send to selected contacts ONLY

Note: Make sure to click "SAVE" after setting up automated messages.

Also read: Why Your Shopify Store Needs WhatsApp Auto Reply

Takeaway

Sending automated messages through WhatsApp helps you provide excellent customer service at any time of day.

WhatsApp Business is free, popular among users, and easy to use.

But if you need help getting started — or want to take your messaging strategy to the next level — consider using Zoko.

Zoko lets your whole team manage WhatsApp auto-replies from one phone number. We also quickly automate responses/replies for you, and our specialized API saves you time and resources.

Learn more about WhatsApp Business and its automation features here.

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