WhatsApp Business auto-reply: how to set it up, its limits, and a smarter option for shops

Yes, WhatsApp Business is a free app from WhatsApp, built for small business owners and available on Android and iPhone.

It looks and works just like regular WhatsApp, and adds tools for business:

• A business profile with your address, email and website.
• Lists to organize your customers and find chats easily.
• Messaging tools to reply faster, like greeting messages, away messages and quick replies.

WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business are two separate apps. You can’t use the same number on both at the same time, but you can move your number between them.

From the Tools tab, tap Greeting message, turn it on, and write the message customers get when they first message you.

The greeting is sent automatically the first time a customer messages you, or when they message you again after 14 days without a chat. The steps:

1. Open the Tools tab and tap Greeting message.
2. Turn on Send greeting message.
3. Tap the message to edit it, for example “Hi there! How can we help you today?”, then tap OK (Save on iPhone).
4. Tap Recipients and choose who gets it: everyone, everyone not in your contacts, everyone except people you pick, or only people you pick.
5. Tap Save.

Your phone needs an internet connection for greeting messages to send.

From the Tools tab, tap Away message, turn it on, and choose when it sends: always, on a custom schedule, or outside business hours.

It tells customers you’re busy or away from your phone, and that you haven’t forgotten them. The steps:

1. Open the Tools tab and tap Away message.
2. Turn on Send away message.
3. Tap the message to edit it, for example “Hi! We’re closed right now and will reply as soon as we open.”, then tap OK (Save on iPhone).
4. Tap Schedule and choose Always send, Custom schedule, or Outside of business hours.
5. Tap Recipients and choose who gets it, with the same options as the greeting.
6. Tap Save.

Outside of business hours only shows if you’ve added your hours to your business profile. If you can’t find it, add your hours there first.

From the Tools tab, tap Quick replies, add a new one, write the message and give it a shortcut you can call up by typing “/” in any chat.

Quick replies save the messages you send often, like prices or payment details, and can include images or videos. The steps:

1. Open the Tools tab and tap Quick replies.
2. Tap the icon to add a new quick reply.
3. Write the message.
4. Tap Shortcut and choose a short word you’ll remember, for example “delivery”.
5. Tap Save.

To use one: open a chat and type “/” in the message field to see all your quick replies. Pick one, edit it if you like, and send.

You can store up to 50 quick replies. The app also creates default replies from your business profile, like your address and hours.

These tools send fixed text you wrote in advance and don’t understand the customer’s question, so they can’t answer a price or a question you didn’t write a reply for, and they can’t take orders.

• The greeting goes out once: on a customer’s first message, or after 14 days without a chat. If they ask again the same day, it won’t send again.
• The away message tells customers you’re not available, but doesn’t answer their question.
• Quick replies are sent by you, by hand, from the chat. They save typing, not response time.
• None of them read the question: if a customer asks “How much is this dress in L?” or “How much is delivery to Alexandria?”, auto-reply sends the same saved text.
• They don’t collect order details (item, address, payment method) or pass them to you.

That isn’t a flaw; it’s how they’re designed. They’re great for welcoming customers and reassuring them, but the question itself still waits for you.

When most of your messages are the same questions about prices, sizes, hours and delivery, customers wait hours for your reply, and orders get lost in the chats.

An AI WhatsApp agent understands the customer’s question and answers from your shop’s information. TagoAgent learns your products, prices, hours and delivery policy, answers customers on your own number in Arabic and English, collects order and booking details and sends them to you, and checks with you on decisions that need you.

• Auto-reply says “we’ll get back to you”. The agent answers now, even at 2 AM.
• Auto-reply sends one text to everyone. The agent answers each question from your prices and info.
• Auto-reply doesn’t know about orders. The agent collects the item, address and payment method and sends it to you to review.

TagoAgent is still in beta and can miss a detail. Test its replies with your shop’s information and review them as you get started.