Whatsable
When your business isn't open, customers shouldn't be left wondering when they'll get a response.
With the regular WhatsApp Business app, setting an away message is relatively straightforward. But if you're using the WhatsApp Business API, setting up automated messages outside your business hours can require additional configuration.
The good news is that you can automate this process while staying within WhatsApp's business messaging framework.
In this guide, we'll show you how to set up WhatsApp away messages with the WhatsApp API using Whatsable, and how you can combine them with AI-powered customer support and automated follow-ups.
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🎥 Watch the Full Video
Want to see the setup in action?
Watch the full video below to see how to configure WhatsApp API away messages, business hours, automatic replies, and AI-powered responses.
What Are WhatsApp Away Messages?
A WhatsApp away message is an automatic response sent to customers when they contact your business outside your defined business hours.
For example, if your business is open Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM, someone who messages you at 8 PM could automatically receive:
Thanks for contacting us. Our team is currently offline. We'll get back to you during business hours.
This simple automation helps set expectations and lets customers know that their message hasn't been ignored.
For businesses using the WhatsApp API, away messages are particularly useful because customer conversations are often connected to CRMs, automation tools, AI agents, and other business systems rather than being managed entirely through the WhatsApp Business app.
Why Automate WhatsApp Messages Outside Business Hours?
Customers don't necessarily contact businesses during convenient hours.
A potential customer might send a message:
- Late at night
- Early in the morning
- During weekends
- On public holidays
- Outside your team's working schedule
Without an automated response, the customer may receive nothing until someone returns to work.
An away message provides an immediate response and can help prevent confusion.
More importantly, it can become part of a larger WhatsApp automation workflow.
For example:
Customer sends message → Business is closed → Automatic reply → AI handles the conversation or schedules follow-up → Human takes over during business hours
This means your WhatsApp number can continue working even when your team isn't online.
How to Set Up WhatsApp API Away Messages
With Whatsable's Notifyer platform, you can configure away messages directly from your WhatsApp automation settings.
Once your WhatsApp number is connected, the basic setup involves four steps.
1. Open Away Message Settings
Go to your Whatsable dashboard and open:
Settings → Away Messages
Turn the away message feature on.
From here, you can configure when your business is considered open and what message customers should receive outside those hours.
2. Choose Your Business Hours
Select your time zone and define the days and hours when your business is available.
For example:
Monday–Friday: 7 AM–9 PM
Any message received outside those hours can trigger your automated away response.
This is especially useful for businesses that operate on a fixed schedule but still receive WhatsApp messages around the clock.
3. Write Your Automatic Reply
Next, create the message customers will receive when they contact you outside business hours.
Keep it simple and useful.
For example:
Thanks for reaching out! Our team is currently offline. We're available Monday to Friday from 7 AM to 9 PM and will get back to you as soon as we're back online.
You can also use the message to tell customers what they should do if their request is urgent or provide a link to useful information.
4. Save Your Changes
Once your business hours and automatic reply are configured, save the settings.
Your WhatsApp API away message is then ready to respond automatically when customers contact you outside your defined business hours.
Away Messages + AI: A More Powerful WhatsApp Setup
An away message is useful on its own, but businesses can take automation further by combining it with an AI WhatsApp chatbot.
Instead of simply telling customers that the business is closed, an AI agent can continue helping them.
For example:
Customer:
"Do you offer monthly plans?"
AI:
"Yes, we do. We have three monthly plans..."
The AI can answer questions using your business knowledge, provide information, qualify leads, and handle routine conversations even when your team isn't available.
This creates a significant difference between:
Basic automation:
"Sorry, we're closed. We'll reply tomorrow."
and
AI automation:
"We're currently outside business hours, but I can still help you with your questions."
Whatsable's AI bot can be configured with your business information and instructions so it can handle customer conversations automatically.
Learn more about Whatsable's AI chatbot
Let Humans Take Over When Needed
AI doesn't have to handle every conversation.
One of the most useful parts of an AI-powered WhatsApp workflow is the ability to move between automation and human support.
For example, a customer might initially be talking with the AI.
If a team member decides to take over the conversation through the WhatsApp Business app, the AI can recognize the human activity and stop responding so the employee can handle the conversation.
This creates a human + AI workflow rather than forcing businesses to choose between automation and human support.
The AI handles routine conversations while your team remains available for conversations that need a personal response.
Automatically Follow Up With Customers
WhatsApp automation can also continue working after the initial conversation.
Suppose a customer asks about your product but stops responding.
Instead of relying on a salesperson to remember to follow up, an AI-powered workflow can automatically check the conversation and send a follow-up based on rules you've defined.
For example, you could configure follow-ups to:
- Run only Monday through Friday
- Avoid sending messages late at night
- Wait a certain amount of time between messages
- Stop when the customer replies
- Follow up a limited number of times
This turns WhatsApp into more than a support channel. It can also become an automated lead nurturing and sales follow-up channel.
See how Whatsable's AI follow-ups work
A Simple WhatsApp Automation Workflow
For many businesses, the complete setup can look like this:
Customer sends WhatsApp message
↓
Is the business open?
↓
No → Send away message
↓
AI available? → AI answers questions
↓
Lead needs human help? → Team member takes over
↓
Customer stops responding? → Automated follow-up
This gives customers a response regardless of when they contact your business, while still allowing your team to control important conversations.
WhatsApp API Away Messages for Your Business
If you're using the WhatsApp Business API, automated away messages are a simple way to improve your customer communication outside working hours.
But the bigger opportunity is connecting away messages with other WhatsApp automation features.
With a platform such as Whatsable, you can combine:
- WhatsApp API messaging
- Business-hour automation
- AI customer support
- Lead qualification
- Automated follow-ups
- Human handoff
- CRM integrations
- Broadcast campaigns
Instead of WhatsApp stopping when your team leaves the office, your automated workflows can continue handling routine customer interactions.
Start automating WhatsApp with Whatsable
Final Thoughts
A business doesn't have to be online 24/7 for its WhatsApp number to remain useful 24/7.
A well-configured away message immediately tells customers what to expect. Adding AI takes that a step further by allowing customers to get answers even when your team isn't available.
For businesses using the WhatsApp API, this combination of business-hour automation, AI responses, human handoff, and automated follow-ups can create a much more responsive customer experience without requiring someone to monitor WhatsApp around the clock.