Auto Replies
What it is
An auto reply is a simple rule: when a customer's message looks like this, send this answer at once. It is the quickest, plainest tool Threadline has. There is no AI involved: the same words always get the same reply.
Find it at Automations, Auto replies (an Admin area).
The problem it solves
Some messages do not need a smart answer. A customer who writes PRICE wants your price list. Someone who writes at 3 a.m. should hear "We're closed, we'll reply at 9". A brand-new customer should be welcomed. For these you want:
- the exact wording you chose, every time;
- no waiting and no chance of the AI wording it differently;
- a way to stop the AI from adding a second answer.
Auto replies give you that, in a minute, without building a full automation.
How it works
When a message arrives, Threadline checks in this order:
- Your automations that start from a message.
- Your auto reply rules, lowest priority number first. The first rule that matches replies.
- Your channel's away message, if it is outside business hours.
- The AI.
So an auto reply always comes before the AI, and you decide whether the AI should also answer.
1. Making a rule
Click New auto reply and fill in the form.
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Name | For you only, for example "Price keyword". |
| Channel | One channel, or All channels. |
| When | What starts it. See below. |
| Reply with | What to send. See below. |
| Priority | A number. Lower numbers are tried first. The default is 100. Use 10, 20, 30 for rules that must win. |
| Stop the AI from also answering this message | On by default. Turn it off if you want the AI to add its own answer too. |
| Enabled | Switch a rule off without deleting it. |
When: the three kinds of trigger
| Trigger | Starts when… |
|---|---|
| A keyword is used | The message matches your keywords. You choose how: exactly the keyword, contains the keyword, or matches a pattern (for experts). Capital letters never matter. Separate several keywords with commas or new lines. |
| A welcome (first message) | Someone writes to you for the first time. |
| Outside business hours | The message arrives when the channel is closed according to its business hours. If no channel has business hours set, the rule shows a note saying so, because it would never fire. |
Reply with
- A text message. You can use
{{contact.name}}and your other contact details. - An approved template. Useful when the 24-hour window may be closed. See WhatsApp Templates.
- An image from your media library, with a caption.
- Start an automation. Hand the contact to a longer automation.
If a rule cannot send (for example the template is not on this number, or the text is empty), it is skipped and the next rule gets a turn. A rule never blocks your customer from getting an answer.
2. Reading your rules
Each rule in the list shows its priority (for example #100), its name, a summary of the trigger, the channel, what it replies with, whether the AI stays quiet, and used N time(s). Use the used count to find rules nobody triggers.
Auto reply or automation?
| Use an auto reply for… | Use an automation for… |
|---|---|
| One instant answer to a keyword, a welcome or out-of-hours | Several steps, waiting, questions, tags, deals, branches |
| Something a non-technical person can set up in a minute | Something that changes data or reacts to many events |
Good to know
- Keywords are checked on the message the customer just wrote, not the whole conversation.
- A very long pattern is refused. Patterns are limited to 200 characters and are tested safely so one cannot slow the app down.
- If a person has taken over a conversation, the AI stays quiet anyway.
- Two rules can match the same message. Only the one with the lowest priority number replies.
Common questions
My rule never fires. Check that it is Enabled, that its channel matches, that the keyword really appears in the message, and that a rule with a lower priority number is not answering first. For an out-of-hours rule, make sure a channel has business hours.
The customer got my reply and an AI answer. Turn on Stop the AI from also answering this message.
Can I reply with a PDF or a video? Not yet. Use text, a template or an image.