Quick answer
To set up WhatsApp auto replies, list the questions customers ask most, write a short answer for each, then attach each answer to a trigger: a greeting for new chats, an away message for closed hours, or keywords such as "price" and "location". The free WhatsApp Business app offers greeting and away messages; a team inbox on the WhatsApp Business API adds keyword replies, buttons, menus and hand-over to staff.
Key takeaways
- Start with the questions customers actually ask; a good auto reply answers one of them completely.
- The WhatsApp Business app supports a greeting message, an away message and quick replies typed by staff.
- Keyword auto replies, buttons and menus need the WhatsApp Business API through a provider such as chat.or.ke.
- Add Kiswahili and common misspellings to your keywords, and always give customers a way to reach a person.
- Test on your own phone before switching on, then review real chats weekly.
A customer who messages "Hi, are you open?" at 8:45pm and hears nothing until the next morning has probably bought from someone else. Auto replies fix that gap: an instant, useful answer while your team is busy, closed or asleep.
This guide shows how to set them up properly, first in the free WhatsApp Business app and then with keyword replies and menus in a team inbox. It is aimed at owners and managers of small businesses in Kenya, and includes ready-to-adapt wording.
Before you start
You need a few things in place before you write a single reply:
- A WhatsApp Business number, either in the Business app or connected to the WhatsApp Business API through a provider.
- Your list of common questions, taken from your real chats over the last two weeks.
- Current facts: prices, delivery areas and fees, opening hours, location, payment details (Paybill or Till number).
- A decision on hand-over: who picks up chats the auto reply cannot answer, and when.
- About two hours for a first version.
If you are still deciding between the app and the API, read WhatsApp Business app vs API first.
What auto replies can the free WhatsApp Business app send?
The WhatsApp Business app offers two automatic messages, a greeting message and an away message, plus quick replies that staff insert by typing a shortcut. You find them under Settings, then Business tools.
- Greeting message: sent automatically when someone messages you for the first time, or after a long gap without messages.
- Away message: sent automatically when you are closed. You can send it always, on a custom schedule, or outside the business hours on your profile.
- Quick replies: saved answers your staff insert by typing "/" and a shortcut. They are not automatic; a person still sends them.
This is enough for one person on one phone. It does not read keywords, send menus or route chats to different staff. For that you need a provider on the WhatsApp Business API, which is what the steps below cover.
Step 1: List the questions you answer every day
Open your WhatsApp and go through the last two weeks of chats. Write down every question that came up more than a few times and how you answered it.
A Nairobi boutique might end up with: price of an item, available sizes, delivery to specific estates, delivery fee, how to pay, location and hours, and returns. A Mombasa hotel might list room rates, availability, airport transfer, restaurant hours and day-pass rules.
Group them, then rank them by how often they come up. Your first auto replies should cover the top five to eight.
Step 2: Write short, complete answers
Write each reply so the customer does not need to ask a follow-up question. Keep it to two to four short lines, use the customer's language and end with a next step.
Example for delivery:
We deliver across Nairobi the same day for orders before 2pm, and to other towns via courier in 1–2 days. Send your location and we will confirm the fee. 🚚
Example for payment:
You can pay via M-Pesa Till number 123456 (Rainbow Styles). Send the M-Pesa message here once paid and we will confirm your order.
Swap the example Till number and business name for your own. Avoid replies that only say "An agent will get back to you"; they answer nothing. Our guide on writing canned responses that sound human has more examples.
Step 3: Choose the trigger for each reply
Every auto reply needs a trigger, the thing that makes it send. In chat.or.ke's Automation & Flows, keyword auto replies can match an exact word, a phrase or a pattern.
Add every way your customers ask the same thing:
| Reply | Keywords to add |
|---|---|
| Prices | price, prices, how much, bei, bei gani, cost |
| Location | location, where are you, directions, mko wapi, iko wapi |
| Delivery | deliver, delivery, mnaleta, do you deliver, shipping |
| Payment | pay, paybill, till, mpesa, m-pesa, lipa |
| Opening hours | open, hours, closing, mnafunga saa ngapi |
Watch for clashes. A short keyword like "pay" may also match "payment failed", which needs a person rather than your Till number. Use exact or phrase matching for short words, and test real messages.
Step 4: Add a welcome menu with buttons
A welcome menu shows options customers tap instead of type, which removes most guesswork. On the WhatsApp Business API, a reply-button message can show up to three buttons and a list message up to ten options.
A simple welcome for a shop:
Karibu Rainbow Styles! 👋 How can we help? [See prices] [Delivery & payment] [Talk to us]
Each button leads to the right auto reply, or to a person. In chat.or.ke you can start an automation from a keyword, a welcome menu or a Click-to-WhatsApp ad. To go further, with multi-step questions, see how to build a WhatsApp chatbot without code.
Step 5: Decide what happens when the auto reply cannot help
Every automated set-up needs a clear exit to a person. Add a "Talk to us" option to your menu, and add keywords such as "agent", "person", "help" and "mtu".
When a customer reaches a person, pause automation for that chat so the bot does not interrupt the conversation. chat.or.ke lets agents pause automation on a single conversation and reply personally. For a full plan, read how to hand over from a chatbot to a human.
Step 6: Add an AI assistant for questions you did not script
Keyword rules only catch the words you listed. An AI assistant can answer the long tail, such as "do you have the black one in 38 and can it reach Juja by Friday?", using your own business information.
The chat.or.ke AI assistant learns from your website, documents and FAQs and replies in English or Kiswahili. Start it in suggestion mode, where agents approve each draft, and only turn on automatic replies once you trust its answers.
Step 7: Test, go live and review weekly
Test everything from a personal phone before customers see it. Send each keyword, misspell a few, tap every button and ask for a person. Check that the hand-over works and that nothing replies twice.
After launch, review real conversations once a week:
- Which questions still reach staff that an auto reply could answer?
- Which auto replies led to confused follow-ups?
- Have prices, hours or delivery fees changed?
Update replies the same day facts change. An auto reply with an old price is worse than none.
How much do WhatsApp auto replies cost?
Auto replies in the WhatsApp Business app are free. On the API, auto replies are messages like any other, so they are charged per message.
With chat.or.ke there is no monthly fee and no extra charge for automation or the AI assistant. A reply sent within 24 hours of the customer's message costs KES 0.75 from your prepaid M-Pesa wallet, messages customers send you are free, and going live needs a one-off setup of KES 2,500. The pricing page has every rate.
Published 20 October 2026 Updated 20 October 2026 Plain-text version
