Reply automatically to the first message in a new chat
The trigger Someone messages you for the first time runs once per chat: when someone messages you for the first time. It suits welcomes and telling your team.
Before you start · for owners and managersPermission to edit workflows
- You need: Permission to edit workflows
Steps
How it works
It runs on incoming messages only, and doesn’t run on groups.
A new chat usually has no linked record yet. That’s why conditions are available on the message text, the sender’s name and number, the channel, and the language. See Conditions: operators, relative dates, messages and language.
To reply in the same chat, choose The chat it came in on under Send from in Send a WhatsApp or other message from an automation.
The template “Answer a first WhatsApp message right away” is ready in Ready templates: 25 automations by goal.
If something goes wrong
A real example
First booking messages waited hours for a reply.
- The trigger Someone messages you for the first time on the booking number.
- An instant reply: “Hello {{sender_name}}, our booking team will reply to you soon.”
- A Notify a team member step for the reception team, with the message text.
Every patient gets a reply within seconds, and reception knows about the chat right away.