WhatsApp Welcome and Away Messages: Setup and Sample Texts
On a Friday evening at 22:30, a customer writes: "Are you open tomorrow?" You are asleep, and the message goes unanswered until morning. When you check in the morning, the customer may already have written to your competitor. A welcome message and an away message fill exactly this gap: even when no one is at the desk, the customer thinks, "My message got through, and I know when they will get back to me." In this article you will find the difference between the two message types, how to set them up in the Business app, sample texts by industry, and what to watch out for when using them together with the WapFlow bot.
Two Message Types, Two Different Purposes
A welcome message goes to someone who is speaking with you for the first time, or who has not written in a long while. Its purpose is to introduce you and point the way. An away message is for times when you cannot reply, and it manages expectations.
| Welcome message | Away message | |
|---|---|---|
| When is it sent? | When a new customer writes, or after a long gap | During the time slots you choose (for example, outside working hours) |
| Main job | Saying hello, showing what you can help with | Telling people when you will be back |
| Length | 2-3 sentences | 2 sentences |
| Tone | Warm and inviting | Clear and informative, not apologetic |
Which message is triggered in which situation, and the waiting periods, may vary by version. After setting it up, test the result yourself by writing to your number from another phone.
Setting Up in the Business App
In the business tools menu, you will find two sections called Welcome message and Away message.
- Open the Welcome message section and turn on sending.
- Write the text. If possible, use the customer's name.
- Select the recipients: options such as new customers, people not saved in your contacts, or everyone except specific people will appear.
- Save, then go to the Away message section.
- Set the sending time: always, within a specific date range, or outside working hours.
- Write the text, select the recipients, and save.
- Write from a test number to try both messages.
If you have not yet set up a Business account, start with the steps in our Business app guide.
How to Write a Good Welcome Message
A customer wants to learn something from their first message. So the job of the welcome message is not to answer the question, but to set the customer on the right path. A three-part structure works well: the business name, what you can help with, and the customer's next step.
Hello, welcome to Lale Çiçekçilik. You can write to us for orders, wedding flowers, and funeral wreaths. Tell us the product you want and the delivery address, and we will help you right away.
Points to keep in mind:
- Write a short greeting, not a five- or six-line promotional text.
- State clearly what you need from the customer: product name, date, neighborhood.
- Do not include prices, campaigns, or time-limited discounts; a welcome message stays the same for months.
- If you use emoji, stick to one or two.
How to Write a Good Away Message
An away message must contain two pieces of information: why you cannot reply right now and when you will get back. Do not write apology paragraphs; customers want to know what to expect.
Hello, we are currently outside our working hours. We reply on weekdays between 09:00 and 18:00. We have received your message and will get back to you first thing in the next working session.
We are closed today. We will get back to you from 09:00 on Monday. If it is an urgent matter, you can reach us on our registered phone number.
A promise must be kept. If you write "We will get back to you tomorrow morning" and then stay silent until noon, it would have been better not to send the message at all. So write the time information in a form you can act on, such as "first thing in working hours."
Sample Texts by Industry
The texts below are fictional. Change the business names and hours to suit your own.
Hairdresser and beauty salon
Hello, welcome to Lila Kuaför. For an appointment, write the service you want and the day and time that suits you; we will check our calendar and get back to you.
Dental clinics and healthcare businesses
Hello, we have received your message. For an appointment, you can write your name and the days that suit you. Please do not write complaints or details about your treatment through this channel. In emergencies, please call 112.
In healthcare, a welcome message should not provide diagnostic or treatment information, nor ask for personal health data. Also avoid wording that could be considered advertising.
Lawyers and accountants
Hello, we have received your message. For a meeting request, you can write your name and a short title for the matter. For privacy reasons, please do not send documents or identity details through this channel; we will collect them face to face or through a secure channel during the appointment.
E-commerce and shipping
Hello, we have received your message. For questions about orders, please write your order number. We return messages on weekdays between 09:00 and 18:00.
Restaurant and cafe
Hello, for a reservation, please write the date, the time, and the number of guests. Our working hours are 11:00 to 23:00. If you wrote after hours, we will get back to you first thing in the morning.
Which Message Should Go to Whom?
Sending the welcome message to everyone can flood your existing customers with a greeting they do not need. For most businesses, the least intrusive setting is to send it to people who are not saved in your contacts, or to those who write for the first time. The away message can apply to everyone, but it should not be sent to the same person again and again in a short time.
- Keep regular customers outside the scope of the welcome message.
- For holidays and religious festivals, plan the away message in advance with a date range.
- If your branches have different working schedules, write each branch's own hours to its own number.
Avoiding Conflicts With the WapFlow Bot
In WapFlow, the Reply Rules and Working Hours settings can perform the functions of these two messages: by defining a rule for the audience of First-time senders, you set up the welcome; with the outside-working-hours option, you set up the away message. The difference is this: the WapFlow bot can look at keywords and give different replies, add AI-generated responses, and fall silent once you write in the chat yourself.
If the Business app's welcome message and the WapFlow bot are both on for the same number, the customer can receive two separate replies. So choose one. If you want to use the bot, turn off the welcome and away messages in the phone app and keep a single source on the WapFlow side. For setup and ready-made texts, see our auto-reply bot article and our auto-reply message examples.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Result | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| A welcome text that is too long | The customer skips it without reading | Do not go beyond three sentences |
| Outdated campaign information | An expired discount promise and a complaint | Do not write time-limited information |
| Hours that do not match the profile | Loss of trust | Manage the hours in one place |
| Promising a reply time and not keeping it | The customer goes elsewhere | Write a realistic timeframe |
| The bot and the app message overlapping | Two greetings to the same person | Keep a single source |
Improving the Messages Over Time
The first text you write will probably not be ideal; that is normal. Look at the first messages that arrive two or three weeks later. Note what customers ask most often after the welcome message. If half of them ask for the address, add a pointer such as "our address is saved on the map." If they often write to ask the same question, answer that question in the first message. That way a second message is not needed.
The same applies to the away message. Of those who write outside working hours, how many are writing about something urgent, and how many just want information? If it is urgent, adding a phone number to the message can save your customer. If it is for information, a link to frequently asked questions or a short answer reduces the morning pile-up. Make these adjustments once a month, because as your business hours, address, and products change, the message will become outdated.
Checklist Before Going Live
- Are there any typos or outdated information in the text?
- Are the working hours the same as on the profile?
- Is it clear what you need from the customer?
- Does it look odd when the welcome and away messages arrive at the same time?
- Have you tested it from another phone?
- Is the away message ready for public holidays and religious festivals?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the welcome message sent in every conversation?
No. It is usually sent to a new customer or to someone who writes after a long gap. Since the exact waiting period can vary by version, test it on your own account.
What happens if a customer replies to these messages?
The message only provides information; any replies come to you as a normal chat. There needs to be a person or a routine to check the replies.
Is an away message considered a bulk message?
No, it is sent in response to a message the customer has written to you. However, it is good practice not to include advertisements or campaign announcements in it.
Are these available on a regular WhatsApp account too?
These tools are specific to Business accounts. They cannot be used on a regular account.
Does WapFlow manage these automatically?
The WapFlow bot replies according to the rules you define. It does not change the welcome and away settings in the phone app; if you use both together, avoiding conflicts depends on your settings.
If you do not want to miss customers who write outside working hours, you can try the WapFlow bot and manage keyword-based replies, working hours, and AI answers from a single panel.
