WhatsApp away message generator

What it does

The WhatsApp Business app can answer automatically in two situations: a greeting message for new conversations, and an away message for when you are not available. This generator writes both from your business name, opening hours and how quickly you usually reply, plus an optional holiday message for closures such as Eid or the new year. Choose English, Arabic or both, and a friendly, formal or brief tone.

Opening hours are grouped the way people read them, so five identical weekdays become "Monday to Friday: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm" rather than five lines. Arabic versions use Arabic day names and ص and م for morning and evening.

How to use it

1. Enter your business name and choose the language and tone.
2. Pick a reply promise you can keep, or choose not to promise a time.
3. Tick the days you open and set the hours. Choose which day your week starts on.
4. Add a booking link and an urgent phone number if you have them.
5. Tick "Write a holiday message too" and set the dates if you are closing for a break.
6. Copy each message into the WhatsApp Business app: Tools, then Greeting message or Away message.

How to read the result

The greeting message card is the text new customers see first. WhatsApp sends it on a first message and after 14 days of silence in a chat, so write it for someone who does not know you yet: who you are, when you will reply and what to tell you.

The away message card lists your hours so the customer knows when to expect an answer. Set its schedule to "Outside of business hours" in the app. WhatsApp's help centre notes that this option needs business hours in your profile, and that your phone needs an internet connection for either message to send.

The holiday card is for a "Custom schedule" covering the dates you are closed. It names the day you are back, so customers are not left guessing.

"Open hours per week" adds up the hours you entered, which is a quick way to spot a typo such as 6:00 am instead of 6:00 pm.

Recipients are set separately in the app: everyone, everyone not in your address book, everyone except chosen contacts, or only chosen contacts. Greeting messages are turned off while Meta Business Agent is connected.

To bring more chats in, add a WhatsApp chat button to your website. An away message tells people to wait. If you would rather they got an answer at midnight, an AI agent on WhatsApp can reply to common questions, take bookings and pass the rest to your team in the morning.