WhatsApp Business greeting message: what it is for, nine you can copy, and the settings that decide who gets it

A greeting message is the automatic reply the WhatsApp Business app sends when somebody messages your business for the first time, or returns after a long gap. The best ones do four things in two short lines: say who is writing, confirm that a person will reply, say when, and ask the one question that lets you actually help on the first human reply. You set it inside the app under Business tools, where you also choose which contacts receive it. Nine copyable greetings by business type are below, plus the away message that pairs with them.

This page covers the automatic greeting and away message that a business sends. For broadcast marketing messages, the template approval rules and copyable offer wording, see WhatsApp marketing samples.

What the greeting does, and when it fires

In the WhatsApp Business app the greeting is one of the automated replies, alongside the away message and quick replies. It sends when a customer writes to you and there has been no conversation for a while, which in practice means a first time enquiry or somebody coming back after a long silence. Two points follow, and they shape the wording:

• The person messaged you first. They have already decided to get in touch, so the greeting does not need to sell. It needs to set expectations and collect the one detail that saves a round trip.
• It is the message that always gets read. It arrives one second after they write, while they are still looking at the screen.

WhatsApp publishes the current behaviour in its own help centre and in the app's Business tools screen, which is the place to check the trigger timing.

The settings that decide who gets it

When you switch the greeting on, the app asks who should receive it. The choice matters more than most teams realise.

Recipient setting	Who it covers	When to use it
Everyone	Every contact who messages you after a gap	Retail, clinics and anywhere most enquiries are new
Everyone not in my contacts	Numbers you have not saved	When saved contacts are clients who would find an automatic line odd
Everyone except	All contacts minus a list you pick	Exclude suppliers, staff and your biggest accounts
Only send to	A chosen list	Testing the wording on yourself before switching it on

Switch it on with Only send to first, message your own business number from a personal phone, and read the greeting as a customer sees it. Then widen it.

The four parts of a greeting that earns a reply

1. Who is writing. The business name in the first words, so nobody has to check which shop they messaged.
2. A human is coming. One phrase making clear this is an automatic line and a person follows.
3. When. A real window. Within the hour, by 6pm today, tomorrow morning. Specific beats vague.
4. One question. The detail your team always has to ask anyway: the model, the date, the area, the size. Asking it here removes a whole exchange.

Keep it to two lines, and add a self serve link only if it genuinely answers the common question, such as a price list or a booking page.

Nine greetings you can copy

Square brackets are your variables. Replace them and delete anything that is not true for you.

• 1. Retail or online shop. Hi, [Brand] here. Thanks for messaging, a person replies within [time] during [hours]. To be quick about it, tell me the item and size you are after and I will check stock.
• 2. Clinic or dental practice. Hello, this is [Clinic]. Reception will answer within [time]. If you are booking, send the treatment and two dates that suit you.
• 3. Restaurant. Thanks for messaging [Restaurant]. We reply between [hours]. For a table, send the date, time and number of people. Menu: [link]
• 4. Salon or spa. Hi, [Salon] here. We answer between [hours]. Tell me the service and the day you want and I will send the open slots. Book yourself here: [link]
• 5. Estate or property agent. Hello, this is [Agency]. An agent replies within [time] on working days. Tell me buying or renting, the area and your budget range.
• 6. Tuition centre or school. Hi, thanks for writing to [Centre]. We reply between [hours]. Tell me the student's class and subject and I will send timings and fees.
• 7. B2B services firm. Thanks for getting in touch with [Company]. One of the team replies within [time] on working days. A line on what you are trying to solve and your timeline helps us put the right person on it.
• 8. Repair or service business. Hello, this is [Business]. We reply within [time] during [hours]. Send the make, the model and a photo of the fault and we will tell you the likely fix and cost.
• 9. Software or app support. Hi, this is [Product] support. A human replies within [time] on working days. Send the account email and what you were doing when it went wrong and we will pick it up there. Help articles: [link]

The away message that pairs with it

The greeting handles arrival. The away message handles timing, and it prevents the silence that loses an enquiry. In the app you can send it outside your business hours, on a custom schedule, or always.

• Outside hours. Thanks for messaging [Brand]. We are closed now and open again at [time] on [day]. Your message is in the queue and we will reply first thing. For anything urgent, [alternative].
• Weekend or holiday. [Brand] here. We are closed until [date] and will reply when we are back. If you need to order in the meantime, everything is here: [link]

Set the hours in the app so the away message and your business profile agree. A profile saying open until 8pm with an away message firing at 5pm is the most common inconsistency here.

Mistakes worth avoiding

• Opening with Dear customer. It reads as a system. Use the business name instead.
• No time commitment. We will get back to you soon is the line people complain about. Give a window.
• Selling in the greeting. A discount in an automatic reply to somebody who has asked a question slows the conversation down.
• Four links. One at most, and only if it answers the usual question.
• Never reviewing it. Read it once a quarter and after any change to your hours, phone number or booking link.
• No question. The greeting that asks for the one missing detail saves your team the most time of anything here.

On the Business Platform, the greeting is yours to build

There are two ways to run WhatsApp for a business: the Business app, which small teams use from a phone and which holds the settings described above, and the WhatsApp Business Platform, which larger senders use through a provider. On the Platform there is no greeting switch in a settings screen. Because the customer messaged you first, you are inside the customer service window and your system can reply in free form text without template approval, so the greeting becomes an automation you or your provider configure, with the same four parts. Meta documents the Platform behaviour and the current window rules in its own developer documentation, which is the reference to check as you build it.

Where people get stuck on WhatsApp Business greeting message

How do I set a greeting message on WhatsApp Business?

In the WhatsApp Business app, open Settings, then Business tools, then Greeting message. Switch it on, write the message, choose the recipients, and save. Test it by messaging your business number from another phone before you widen the recipient list.

When does the greeting message actually send?

When a customer messages you and there has been no conversation for a while, which covers a first time enquiry and a return after a long gap. It does not send on every message in a live conversation.

What is the difference between a greeting message and an away message?

The greeting welcomes a new or returning enquiry whenever it arrives. The away message covers the hours when nobody is there. Run both, because they answer two different worries.

How long should a greeting message be?

Two lines. Business name, a person is coming, a time window, and one question. The app shows the remaining characters as you type, and staying well inside it keeps the message readable on a locked screen.

Can I have different greetings for different customers?

The app holds one greeting at a time, and the recipient settings let you include or exclude specific contacts. Teams needing several variants by product or language usually move to the Business Platform through a provider, where the reply is built as an automation.

The first message about your business is not always yours

Your greeting is the first message a customer reads from you. Often a customer has read another first message already: an assistant's reply to "is this shop reliable, and how do I reach them?" That reply may give a phone number, hours or a description that you did not write.

Ask the assistants about your business as a customer would, and check the contact details. AI Knows Us runs those questions regularly, so the first message about you is one you have seen.