How do I use the auto-reply feature within Webchat?
With Birdeye, businesses can set up an auto-reply message for visitors who submit a message via Webchat. To ensure Webchat is aligned with your business hours, Birdeye gives you the ability to customize an auto-reply for 'Business hours' and for 'Outside business hours' no matter whether live chat is enabled or disabled.
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Here are the auto-reply messages you can configure:
| Auto-reply message | Live chat status | Description |
| Online message | Enabled | Message sent to the user on the webchat as a response, during business hours |
| Offline message | Enabled | Message sent on webchat outside business hours |
| Message sent as a text to contact if agents are offline | Enabled | When no agent is available then this message is sent on the contact's phone as a text during or outside business hours |
| Text sent to contact | Disabled | This message will be sent to the contact's phone during or outside business hours if live chat is disabled |
| Closing message | Enabled/Disabled | This is the closing pop-up message that appears when the webchat has timed out during business hours and outside business hours, it's displayed by default. |
Configuring auto-replies if live chat is disabled
To configure the auto-reply messages during or after business hours if live chat is turned off, click on the corresponding ‘Pencil’ icon. You can customize the ‘Closing message’ and the text to send the contact.
NOTE:
You can see the chat flow on the left and configure the messages.
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Configuring auto-replies if live chat is enabled
To configure the auto-reply messages during and outside business hours when live chat is enabled, click the corresponding 'Pencil' icon. When a pop-up window appears next to the widget preview, you can configure the ‘Online message’, ‘Closing message’, the message that will be sent as a text to the contact outside business hours or if agents are offline during business hours.
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The Webchat auto-reply feature is directly aligned to the ‘Business hours’ on your Birdeye review profile:
- If a business is ‘Open 24/7’, an online message will be sent.
- If business hours have been set to ‘Appointment only’, an offline message will be sent
- If business hours have been set to ‘Custom’, messages will be sent based on your business hours.
NOTE:
Every location can have different business hours within an enterprise.
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To set up an auto-reply, click on the 'Settings' tab on the left navigation rail, then click on 'Inbox,' and select the 'Webchat' option.
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On the new page, go to the 'Chat flow' tab. Here you can toggle between on and off buttons to enable/disable live chat during the operative and inoperative hours. Once done, click on the 'Save' button to save the messages for your visitors.
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