Setting Up An Automatic WhatsApp Greeting Or Welcome Message

First impressions are everything when it comes to your business communication strategy. But how can you make sure you hit the right note every time? Enter: automatic greeting messages on WhatsApp Business.

This handy feature allows you to write fully customised messages that will be sent to new contacts (or those getting back in touch after a certain period of time). You can greet customers, personalise the messaging experience, capture information and get your interaction off to a great start when you unlock the power of WhatsApp Business welcome messages.

Here, we’ll look at what auto-greetings are and the benefits of using them. We’ll also look at how to craft a good WhatsApp welcome message, some inspiration for different scenarios, and how to set up auto-messages on WhatsApp Business.

What are automatic greeting messages on WhatsApp Business?

Automatic greeting messages are welcome messages that are sent to your customers on first contact, without you having to lift a finger. This is a feature offered by WhatsApp Business that helps to enhance the experience for your contacts. When enabled, this feature will send a pre-crafted response to customers in two scenarios:

1. When customers message your business for the first time
2. After 14 days of inactivity from the customer

The feature can be found under the Business Tools tab on WhatsApp Business, and can be turned on, turned off, or edited at any time. You can also choose which recipients will receive greeting messages:

• Everyone (this will send to all contacts)
• Everyone not in address book (this will send to only numbers you haven’t saved as contacts)
• Everyone except (this allows you to choose a few contacts that you don’t want greeting messages to be sent to)
• Only send to (this allows you to create a list of contacts that you want greeting messages to be sent to)

Top tip: WhatsApp Business will only send greeting messages when your phone has an active internet connection. If you turn your phone off or disconnect it from the internet (such as out of office hours), greeting messages won’t be sent during that time.

How to set up an automatic greeting message on WhatsApp Business

Step-by-step guide to set up greeting messages on Android

1. Open the WhatsApp Business app.
2. Select the menu icon (three dots).
3. Select Business tools, then Greeting message.
4. Enable the Send greeting message option.
5. Tap on Greeting message to edit the text, then tap OK.
6. Choose Recipients and select one of the following options:
   1. Everyone (send to everyone who messages your account)
   2. Everyone not in address book (send to customers who aren’t in your address book)
   3. Everyone except… (send to all customers except those you specify)
   4. Only send to…: (send only to specific customers)
7. Tap SAVE.

Step-by-step guide to set up greeting messages on iPhone

1. Open the WhatsApp Business app.
2. Select Settings > Business Tools > Greeting Message.
3. Enable Send greeting message.
4. Under MESSAGE, tap the message to edit it and then choose Save.
5. Choose Recipients and select one of the following options:
   1. Everyone (send to everyone who messages your account)
   2. Everyone not in address book (send to customers who aren’t in your address book)
   3. Everyone except… (send to all customers except those you specify)
   4. Only send to…: (send only to specific customers)

What are the benefits of automatic greeting or welcome messages on WhatsApp Business?

Using automatic greeting messages on WhatsApp Business brings a variety of benefits for you and your customers. Here are the top eight reasons why you should consider adding an automatic welcome message to your account:

1. Greet customers warmly. Make a great first impression every time a client gets in touch with a friendly and welcoming auto-message.
2. Manage expectations around response times. An automatic greeting message is a great way to highlight office hours, so that customers who message at other times know when they can expect a reply to their query.
3. Set the tone. Your automatic greeting is a great way to get your brand’s personality and tone of voice across from the very first contact.
4. Confirm message receipt. The long wait from message to response can be unsettling for customers who don’t get a reply immediately, and they might start to wonder if it’s gone through at all. By setting up an automatic welcome message you can reassure contacts that their message has been successfully received.
5. Build trust and brand loyalty. Consistency is key when it comes to establishing rapport with your customers, and engaging in the same tone from the very first message demonstrates your credibility.
6. Enhance the customer experience. You want your customers to have positive thoughts about your brand, right? That starts with prompt, professional responses as soon as they get in touch.
7. Answer FAQs quickly. If you often have customers getting in touch with queries, why not include the URL to an FAQ page on your website? That means less time spent waiting, a quicker resolution and a smoother experience for your client.
8. Share in an honest and transparent way. Most people understand that some days will be busier than others, and are more likely to be forgiving of a delay if they’re told upfront about it. You can enable automatic greeting messages when your workload increases to let customers know when you’ll be able to reply.

How to craft a good automatic greeting message for WhatsApp Business

It’s easy to write a great automatic greeting message when you know how. Follow our step-by-step process to help you get your message just right.

Before you begin

It’s worth asking some questions before you start writing:

• What is the main message about the business that I want to convey?
• Why are most customers getting in touch via WhatsApp?
• What information would be most helpful to share?
• What issues could this greeting message solve for my business?

For example, you might want to make your customer feel special, and share your brand’s unique tone of voice from the start. If most customers are getting in touch outside of office hours to ask questions, sharing a link to the FAQs might be the most helpful.

WhatsApp greeting message best practice guidelines

Once you’ve ironed out your answers to the points above, it’s time to start drafting. Here are some best practices to help you along the way:

Keep it brief, clear and easy to understand

Your welcome message doesn’t need to be long – and in fact, the most effective ones are often short and sweet. Read it through several times (and ask others on your team to review it as well) to make sure that it is clear and easy to follow.

Be honest and transparent

Everyone appreciates honesty, and your welcome message presents a great opportunity to do just that. Set out your expectations of when you’ll be able to respond or clearly state your office hours so customers know why you’re not answering immediately.

This can be especially effective during holidays or periods when you’re understaffed. By letting your customers know that there may be a delay immediately, you manage their expectations and allow them to relax in the knowledge that you’ll get back to them at the specified time.

Be genuine, but on-brand

It’s important that your greeting message sounds like it was written by an actual person, and not a robot. Write in a warm, friendly and professional tone, while incorporating as much of your brand’s tone of voice as possible.

If one person looks after your WhatsApp Business account and handles all replies, try adding their name as a personal sign off to the message. Having a name to connect with your customer service team will instantly put your customer at ease, and make the interaction feel more personal.

Automatic WhatsApp Business greeting message ideas

Still in need of inspiration? No problem. We’ve put together some top WhatsApp Business greeting message ideas for you to customise to suit your brand.

Generic WhatsApp Business Greeting Message Examples

• Hello and welcome! What can I help you with today?
• Thanks for reaching out to us today, [customer name]! Please feel free to ask any questions and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours. Thanks! [Customer service team member name]
• Hello! Welcome to our business and thanks for reaching out. We’re excited to be a part of your shopping experience. What can we help you with?
• Welcome! You’ve come through to [business name]. What can we do for you today?
• Hi! Thank you for your message. One of the team will be in touch in the next 24 hours. Speak soon!

WhatsApp Greeting Message Examples for Out Of Office Hours

• Hi there! Thanks for getting in touch. We’re currently closed but will be in touch as soon as possible. Our business hours are [insert business hours]. Thank you!
• Welcome to [business name]! Our team is currently out of the office but we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

WhatsApp Greeting Message Examples for Holidays & Special Events

• Happy New Year [customer name]! Wishing you a wonderful year ahead.
• Wishing you and your family a very happy Eid al-Fitr!
• Merry Christmas! Wishing you a fantastic festive season from [business name].
• Happy Hanukkah from our team!

WhatsApp Greeting Message Examples During Busy Periods

• Hi [customer name], we’re currently experiencing large volumes of messages at the moment, and we’re working hard to reply to them all. Please expect a delay of an additional 24 hours to get back to you.
• Hi [customer name]! Due to [reason for issue] we aren’t able to respond as quickly as usual. Please expect a response in the next 24 hours, or if your query is urgent, please call our offices on [business number]. We appreciate your patience!

WhatsApp Greeting Message Examples To Provide More Info

• Hi! Thanks for getting in touch with [business name]. We’ll aim to get back to you within the next 24 hours. In the meantime, you might find your question has already been answered on our FAQ page [website FAQ URL]. Thank you!

How can I manage my work-life balance better with WhatsApp Business?

I’m so glad you asked! With our survey finding that the expectation of constant availability is fuelling employee burnout, it’s more important than ever to find solutions that help you protect the boundaries between work and personal time.

Luckily, you can install both WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp Messenger on the same device. That means instant separation between your personal messages and your professional contacts – and the ability to mentally switch off when you’re not working.

Unfortunately, you can’t use the same number to verify two WhatsApp accounts, so you’ll need a second virtual phone number to verify your WhatsApp Business app.

YourBusinessNumber offers the ideal solution. In just a few clicks, we’ll generate a brand new mobile number and send it directly to you via SMS – so you can instantly unlock the power of WhatsApp Business. You’ll stay in complete control with our flexible contracts and be safe in the knowledge that our friendly customer support team is on hand to answer any questions.

Get A Virtual Number Now!

Receive your number for WhatsApp verification in just 3 clicks!

Generate now

Talk to an expert. Call us now