Make automatic call replies follow your business hours
When WhatsApp calls are rejected automatically, choose whether the reply is sent always or only outside business hours. The reply can tell the caller when you open next.
Before you start · 2 things · for owners and managersA default business hours calendar, call rejection turned on in the session
Before you start · 2 things · for owners and managers
A default business hours calendar, call rejection turned on in the session
- You need: The Update permission on the WhatsApp Web channel
- A business hours calendar set as the Workspace default. See Set business hours and holidays.
- Call rejection turned on in the session. See Explore WhatsApp Web’s extra features: groups, polls and calls.
Steps
1
In Cortex Chat, open the settings menu, choose Session features and pick the session. Or, in WhatsApp Sessions, choose Features in the session’s actions menu.
2
Under Send the auto-reply, choose Always or Outside business hours.
It’s saved straight away. With Outside business hours, an “Open now” or “Closed now · opens…” indicator shows, with a Manage business hours link.
3
In Auto-reply after a rejected call, add the
{{next_opening}} variable to the reply text if you want, with its button under the text.It becomes, for example, “Thu 09:00” in the calendar’s local time, and stays empty while you’re open.
4
Choose Save under the text.
How it works
The call is always rejected while rejection is on. The timing only controls the reply.
One reply per call, however long the phone rings, with a 10-minute gap for each caller.
The automatic reply doesn’t mark the chat as read or answered, so it stays in Unanswered.
Every session follows the workspace’s default calendar. There’s no separate calendar for each session, and changing these options doesn’t need the business hours permissions, only the permission to edit the channel.
If something goes wrong
What you see
Why
What to do
“Set business hours first. No reply will be sent until you do.”
The workspace has no default calendar.
Choose Manage business hours, then create a calendar and make it the Workspace default.
Good to know
With Outside business hours and no default calendar, no reply is sent, and a warning says so.
Deleting the default calendar leaves the sessions with no business hours until you choose a new default.
Did this guide solve it?
If not, we’ll ask what was missing.