Out-of-hours auto reply templates

An out-of-hours reply tells someone who wrote while you were closed that their message arrived, when you will answer, and where to find quick answers in the meantime. It should go only to people who messaged you.

When to use it

Use these as the first reply to anyone who writes in the evening, at the weekend or on a day off. A short reply that sets expectations stops people from giving up and asking someone else.

Give a time, not a vague promise. “We will reply by 10am tomorrow” is far better than “we will get back to you soon”.

If an AI agent answers for you overnight, you can go further than a holding message and actually answer common questions, then leave anything it cannot handle for the morning.

8 templates to copy

Copy a template, replace the words in square brackets, and read it once before you send it. Change anything that does not sound like you, because customers answer messages that sound like a real person who knows them.

Hi, thanks for your message! We are closed right now and will reply by [time] tomorrow. Our hours are [opening hours]. If it is about [common question], you can [quick answer or link].

Thanks for your message. We are closed until [time] [day] and will reply then.

Hi, thanks for getting in touch. We are closed at the moment, but you can see live availability and book here: [link]. For anything else, we will reply when we open at [time].

Hey, thanks for the message! We are away until [time] [day] and will answer then. Prices and opening hours are in our highlights if you need them sooner.

Hi, thanks for messaging [business]. We are closed right now and will reply when we open at [time]. If it is urgent, call [phone] during opening hours.

Subject: Thanks, we have your message

Hello,

Thank you for your email. Our office is closed until [time] on [day], and we will reply then. Our opening hours are [opening hours].

If your message is urgent, please call [phone].

Kind regards,
[business]

Thanks for your message. We are closed until [time]. If this is an emergency, please contact [emergency service or out-of-hours number]. Otherwise, we will reply first thing.

Hi [name], we are closed right now, but I can help with bookings, prices and opening hours. What would you like to know? Anything else will go to the team, who start at [time].

What to avoid

• Sending the out-of-hours reply more than once to the same person in one evening.
• Promising a reply time you cannot keep. Pick a time with a margin.
• Using an out-of-hours message to advertise offers to people who wrote about something else.
• Leaving out an emergency route if your business deals with urgent problems.
• Messaging people who did not write to you to tell them your hours.

Give this to your AI agent

Paste this into your AI agent’s instructions and replace the words in square brackets. Your agent then follows the same rules every time. What else to tell your AI agent.

Outside opening hours ([opening hours]), reply once to each new message. Answer simple questions about prices, availability and opening hours directly. For anything else, tell the person a member of the team will reply by [time] the next working day, and leave the chat for them. If the message sounds urgent or unsafe, give them [emergency route] straight away.

Channel rules that apply

• WhatsApp. WhatsApp restricts automation and bulk sending on ordinary and Business app numbers, so treat automated sending as a risk you manage rather than one you remove. Reply in chats customers started, and never broadcast these messages to a list. Spaces keeps a connected number to at most 200 messages and 10 new chats a day, and a newly connected number warms up over four weeks. WhatsApp limits
• Instagram. Instagram only lets you message someone who has not replied inside its messaging window, so replies in existing chats work best. Reply to people who messaged you, commented or asked to hear from you. Instagram limits
• Messenger. Like Instagram, Messenger limits messages to people who have not replied, so replies in existing chats work best. Keep to people who wrote to your Page first. Messenger limits
• Email. A new chat here is a new email thread. Replies on a thread someone started are not held back by the warm-up. Spaces sends one email at a time to one person, never bulk email. Email limits

Spaces lowers the risk of a restricted account with enforced limits, warm-up and pacing, but no tool can guarantee a platform will not act on an account. How Spaces keeps accounts safe.

FAQ

Let your AI agent answer for you

Spaces connects your own WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn, Messenger, X and email accounts to the AI agent you already use, so it can reply in your words and keep every account inside safe sending limits. No card needed to start a trial.

Related

More hours and closures templates: Holiday closing notice. All message templates.