Auto-replies are messages that go out without you tapping anything. They’re different from AI-drafted replies, which always wait for your approval. Auto-replies handle the high-volume, low-judgment questions so you can ignore Instagram for a day and still not miss anything important.
The three rules to turn on first
- “Are you open today?” Auto-replies pull your opening hours from Settings and answer with the closing time. Single highest-volume question across every small business inbox.
- “Can I book in?” Replies with your booking link and a friendly nudge. If you take walk-ins, the reply says so.
- “How much for [service]?” Pulls pricing from your services list. Falls back to “starting from $X” when prices vary.
The safety rails
Auto-replies never fire when:
- The message tone reads as negative or upset (complaints always come to you).
- The message mentions a refund, dispute, allergy or other risk word from your industry.
- The customer is asking something the AI is not confident about. It drafts a reply and waits for you, instead of guessing.
Setting one up
Settings → AI → Auto-replies → New rule. Pick a trigger (a keyword, a topic, or “any message”), write the reply, and decide whether it fires immediately or only after a delay (e.g. only on weekends, only outside opening hours).
Reviewing what fired
Every auto-reply that goes out shows up in the inbox marked Auto-sent. You can read what was sent, edit a follow-up if needed, and turn off any rule that’s misbehaving.