What is a routine in Spaces?
Not every customer message needs an AI. Some jobs are the same every time, such as sending your opening hours when someone asks, or chasing a quote that has gone quiet. In Spaces those jobs are done by routines. Here is what a routine is, what it can and cannot do, and how it fits alongside your AI agent.
In one sentence
A routine in Spaces is a simple rule that does one set action when something happens or at a set time, such as sending a saved reply when a message contains a keyword; it is not an AI and never writes anything new.
In more detail
Every routine has two halves. The first is the trigger, which is what starts it. The second is the action, which is what it does. A trigger can be a time, such as every weekday at 9am, or an event, such as a new message arriving, a message containing a keyword, a LinkedIn connection being accepted, no reply after a number of hours, or a new comment on a post.
The action is always something you have set up in advance. A routine can send a message you wrote, reply with one of your saved replies, which Spaces calls snippets, tag the chat, call a webhook or email you a summary of unread messages. On Instagram, a routine can also reply to a comment on your post and, where Instagram allows it, send the commenter one private message.
The important word is set. A routine does not read the message and think about it. It checks whether the trigger matches and then does exactly what you told it to. If someone writes "what time do you open on Sunday?" and your routine is set to send your opening hours when it sees the word "open", that is what it sends.
That makes routines predictable, which is their strength. You always know what a routine will say, because you wrote it. It also makes them blunt. A routine cannot tell that a customer is upset, that two questions were asked at once or that the keyword was used in a different sense.
Routines and AI agents work well together. A routine handles the narrow, repetitive jobs that should always go the same way. Your AI agent, such as Claude, ChatGPT or Grok, handles the conversations that need reading and judgement. Both send through the same account and the same safety limits.
An example
| Routine | Trigger and action |
|---|---|
| Opening hours reply | When a message contains "open", "hours" or "closing time", reply with the saved opening hours snippet. |
| Quote chaser | When there has been no reply for 48 hours after a quote, send one short, friendly check-in. |
| Comment reply | When someone comments "price" on an Instagram post, reply to the comment and send them one private message with the price list. |
| Morning summary | Every weekday at 8am, email the owner a summary of unread messages. |
| Tag new leads | When a message contains "quote" or "estimate", tag the chat as a lead so it is easy to find. |
Routine or AI agent: which to use
| Question | Routine | AI agent |
|---|---|---|
| How it decides what to say | It sends the text you saved for that trigger | It reads the message and writes a reply from your notes |
| Copes with odd phrasing | Only if your keywords happen to match | Usually, if your notes cover the topic |
| Can it surprise you | Never: it only sends what you wrote | Sometimes, which is why notes and handover rules matter |
| Best for | Fixed answers, timed messages, tags and summaries | Questions, bookings, orders and anything that needs a judgement |
| Set-up effort | A few minutes per rule | Writing clear notes and connecting the agent |
A good rule of thumb: if you would give the same answer word for word every time, a routine can send it. If you would think for a moment first, leave it to your AI agent or to a person.
Triggers you can use
- A time of day, such as every day at 9am.
- An interval, such as every few hours.
- A custom schedule, such as the first Monday of each month.
- A new message arriving in a chat.
- A message containing one of your keywords.
- A LinkedIn connection request being accepted.
- No reply from the other person after a number of hours.
- A new comment on one of your posts.
Keyword triggers work best with words customers actually use. Look back through a week of messages and note the exact words people type when they ask about prices, hours or delivery. Those are your keywords.
Writing good set replies
Because a routine sends the same text every time, the text has to work for everyone who triggers it. Short, warm and complete is the aim. Here is an example snippet for a bakery. Details are examples.
Thanks for your message! We are open Tuesday to Saturday, 8am to 4pm, and Sunday 9am to 1pm. We are closed on Mondays. If you would like to order a cake, just reply with the date and we will get back to you.- Answer the question fully in the first two sentences.
- Avoid anything that changes often, or remember to update the snippet when it does.
- End with one easy next step, such as replying with a date.
- Avoid sounding like a robot. Write it as you would type it on your phone.
- Keep one snippet per topic, so each one stays short.
Working hours and pausing
You can give a routine working hours, so its messages only go out during the times you choose. If a routine is due outside those hours, it waits until they start again. This is useful for chasers and check-ins, which feel more natural during the day.
You can pause a single routine at any time, and pausing cancels its waiting runs. If you pause all sending for your workspace, every routine waits too, and they carry on by themselves when you resume. If a chat has been handed to a person on your team, routines stay out of that chat until it is handed back.
Common mistakes
- Keywords that are too broad. A routine on the word "price" may fire on "the price was wrong", which is a complaint, not a question.
- Replies that go stale. If your hours or prices change, update the snippets the same day.
- Too many routines in one chat. A customer who gets three set replies in a row will feel processed. Keep routines few and clear.
- Using routines for outreach. Routines are for people who have contacted you or expect to hear from you.
- Never checking the runs. Look at what each routine did every week or two, and switch off the ones that are not helping.
Why it matters for your business
- Fixed answers go out as soon as the trigger happens, in words you chose.
- You always know exactly what a routine will say, because you wrote it.
- Chasers and summaries happen on time without anyone remembering to do them.
- Your AI agent and your team are free for the conversations that need thought.
- Every routine send uses the same safety limits as any other message from the account.
How Spaces handles it
In Spaces, a routine belongs to one connected account. You set the trigger, the action and the time zone, and you can add working hours. A routine can send a message, reply from up to 20 snippets saved on it, reply to a comment and message the commenter once, tag the chat, call a secure webhook address or email a summary of unread messages.
A routine send is treated exactly like any other send from that account. It uses the same gaps between messages and the same daily limits. If the account is at its limit, the routine waits. If the account has been signed out or paused, the routine stops until it is working again. It never sends to someone who has said stop in that chat.
You can list your routines, pause or edit one, delete one and see a record of what each routine did and when. You or your AI agent can set routines up, so you can simply ask your agent to "send our opening hours whenever someone asks when we are open" and check the routine it creates.
In short
A routine is a set reply or set action on a trigger. It is not an AI, which is exactly why it is useful for the jobs that should always go the same way.
Start with one routine for your most common question, check what it sends for a week, then add a chaser or a morning summary. Leave anything that needs judgement to your AI agent or your team.
FAQ
Is a routine an AI?
No. A routine sends the text you saved or does the action you chose when its trigger happens. It does not read the meaning of a message or write anything new. Your AI agent is the part that reads and writes.
What is a snippet?
A snippet is a saved reply attached to a routine, with the keywords that choose it. When a message matches, the routine sends that snippet word for word.
Can a routine and my AI agent both reply in the same chat?
They can, so plan who does what. A common split is routines for fixed answers such as opening hours, and the agent for everything else. Keep routines few so customers do not get a pile of set replies.
Do routines follow the safety limits?
Yes. A routine send uses the same gaps and daily limits as any other message from that account, and it waits if the account is at its limit.
Can I stop a routine sending at night?
Yes. Give it working hours. If it is due outside them, it waits until they start again.
What happens to routines if I pause all sending?
They wait. When you resume sending, they carry on by themselves.
Can a routine message people who have never contacted me?
Routines are meant for people who have contacted you or expect to hear from you. Spaces refuses the same cold message sent to many people, and it never sends to someone who said stop in that chat.
Which channels do routines work on?
Routines work on connected chat accounts, such as WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn, Messenger and X, wherever the platform supports the action. Comment routines are for Instagram and LinkedIn posts.