--- description: Respond immediately when Contacts message you. Set up an AI Agent or Workflow to send a first reply and manage response expectations. title: Automating Your First Response image: https://assets1-proxy.respond.io/api/v1/image/assets%2F11f7a662b80a4675973850b067c01fa5%2F3f43c48b21b24f4e8b02b100c0c8fab0 --- [New🌍 WhatsApp API Calling is now available globally! Start making calls with respond.io today. Learn more![arrow-icon](https://assets1-proxy.respond.io/api/v1/image/assets%2F11f7a662b80a4675973850b067c01fa5%2Fe43213a7a9314673bd8d2060c25f9b87)](/whatsapp-business-calling-api) Help me with... ⌘ 1. [All Collections >](/help) 2. [ Quick Start >](/help/quick-start) 3. Automating Your First Response # Automating Your First Response When a Contact messages the business, responding immediately sets the right expectations. For Growth plan users and above, an AI Agent is the recommended approach β€” it handles the first interaction as a real conversation, understands the contact's intent and can route them to the right team. Workflows are the alternative when a simpler, fixed reply is sufficient. ## Before you begin * A messaging Channel must be connected to the Workspace. * AI Agents require a Growth plan or higher. * Workflows are available on Growth plan or higher. ## Method 1: Use an AI Agent (Recommended) > Plan requirement: Growth plan or higher. [See plans here](https://respond.io/pricing). An AI Agent does more than send a welcome message β€” it handles the first interaction as a real conversation. When assigned to a conversation, the Receptionist template greets the contact, understands their intent, asks follow-up questions and routes them to the right team based on context. Unlike a Workflow, the agent does not automatically turn off outside business hours β€” it continues responding based on the instructions it's been given. ### Set up the AI Agent first Create a Receptionist AI Agent, then configure the instructions below before publishing. See [Getting Started with AI Agents](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents) for the full setup guide. Once published, you can set the AI Agent as the default assignee for incoming conversations in your Workspace settings. ### Configure a welcome response The Receptionist template includes pre-filled welcome instructions. Open the **Instructions** field and review the defaults β€” the greeting, tone and opening question are already configured. Update any placeholders with your actual team names, user roles or agent persona, and adjust the style to match your business. ### Configure an out-of-office response The AI Agent does not turn off during out-of-office hours β€” it continues responding and adjusts based on its instructions. It has no automatic awareness of your business hours or timezone, so these must be explicitly stated in the **Instructions** field: * State the business's office hours and timezone (e.g., Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm SGT) * Tell the contact when a human will next be available * Let them know the team will follow up when office hours resume **Actions to enable for out-of-office handling:** * **Assign to agent or team** β€” routes the conversation to the right team or agent based on the AI Agent's instructions (note: assignments happen immediately, not at a scheduled future time) * **Close and summarize conversation** β€” closes the chat once the AI Agent has fully resolved the interaction. Use only when no human follow-up is needed; if the contact still requires a human, use **Assign to agent or team** instead > For a ready-to-use prompt, see the **Office hours and SLA awareness** example in the [Receptionist template section](https://respond.io/help/ai-agents/getting-started-with-ai-agents#receptionist-template) of the Getting Started with AI Agents guide. ## Method 2: Use Workflows > **Plan requirement:** Growth plan or higher. [See plans here](https://respond.io/pricing). The Welcome Message and Away Message Workflow templates send a fixed text message when a conversation opens. No conversation takes place β€” the message is sent once and the contact waits for a human to follow up. Use this method when a simple, static reply is sufficient. ### Option A: Basic welcome or away message Use this option to send a greeting immediately when a conversation opens, or to notify Contacts that no agent is available. #### Welcome message ![](https://assets2-proxy.respond.io/ph8r57dk1q9w/j6BCg9FZZM1R1YlBAaVjB/40ff9c6073ec39e23a5f0aa97f46c590/Screenshot_2026-05-28_at_3.36.37%C3%A2__PM.png?fm=jpg&q=80&w=1200&fl=progressive) 1. Navigate to **Workflows** \> **\+ Add Workflow**. 2. Select **Welcome Message** \> **Use Template**. 3. Click the **Welcome Message** step and edit the message content. 4. Keep the Message Type as **Text**. 5. Click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the Workflow. #### Away message ![](https://assets2-proxy.respond.io/ph8r57dk1q9w/6FYqcRCh9q4fnL98hQxw1U/1b63026225b8c59b25421fb7dac813b4/Screenshot_2026-05-28_at_3.38.40%C3%A2__PM.png?fm=jpg&q=80&w=1200&fl=progressive) 1. Navigate to **Workflows** \> **\+ Add Workflow**. 2. Select **Away Message** \> **Use Template**. 3. Click the **Away Message** step and edit the message content. 4. Keep the Message Type as **Text**. 5. Click **Save** and **Publish**. Turn the away message Workflow on when agents are unavailable and off when they return. > Learn more about [Workflow Templates](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflows-overview#creating%5Fa%5Fnew%5Fworkflow%5Ffrom%5Fa%5Fselected%5Ftemplate) and the [Send a Message step](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-steps-overview). ### Option B: Welcome and away messages based on business hours ![](https://assets2-proxy.respond.io/ph8r57dk1q9w/5LceXDHoSUZ9s4uwanhpY3/600df6adb6d2514bc586659c0fad9a1b/Screenshot_2026-05-28_at_3.39.26%C3%A2__PM.png?fm=jpg&q=80&w=1200&fl=progressive) Use this option to send a welcome message during business hours and an away message outside them β€” automatically, without manual toggling. 1. Navigate to **Workflows** \> **\+ Add Workflow**. 2. Select **Away Message with Business Hours** \> **Use Template**. 3. Click the **Date & Time** step to configure business hours. 4. Click the **Welcome Message** or **Away Message** step to edit the message content. 5. Keep the Message Type as **Text**. 6. Click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the Workflow. The Workflow branches automatically: Contacts receive the welcome message during business hours and the away message outside them. > Learn more about the [Date & Time step](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-steps-overview). ## FAQ and troubleshooting ### What's the difference between an AI Agent and a Workflow for first responses? A Workflow sends one fixed message when a conversation opens and stops. An AI Agent continues the conversation β€” it can ask questions, route the contact and handle out-of-office scenarios dynamically. AI Agents require a Growth plan or higher. ### Does the AI Agent turn off during out-of-office hours? No. The AI Agent does not automatically turn off outside business hours. If the AI Agent is assigned to a conversation, it continues to respond based on its instructions. For out-of-office handling, include your business hours and timezone in the Instructions field so the agent can communicate availability accurately. ### How do I edit an existing welcome or away message? For Workflows: open the relevant Workflow in the **Workflows** module, click the message step, update the content, then click **Save** and **Publish**. For AI Agents: open the agent in the **AI Agents** module, update the **Instructions** field and click **Save**. ## What's next? Let's move on to getting Contacts to message the business. * [Getting Contacts to Message You](https://respond.io/help/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you) Share this article [![Telegram](https://assets1-proxy.respond.io/api/v1/image/assets%2F11f7a662b80a4675973850b067c01fa5%2F44daca77a4844f0c8fd29040ddeba057?width=22)](https://api.whatsapp.com/send?text=https://respond.io/help/quick-start/automating-your-first-response)[![Facebook](https://assets1-proxy.respond.io/api/v1/image/assets/11f7a662b80a4675973850b067c01fa5/fff57eeb01160bc604392f519b4f3461ca16f0fa1b6a587b20b142cdf1ad0ba7?placeholderIfAbsent=true&width=22)](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://respond.io/help/quick-start/automating-your-first-response)[![Linkedin](https://assets1-proxy.respond.io/api/v1/image/assets/11f7a662b80a4675973850b067c01fa5/7aaf8d87b5410844d83e06a4ed663e4f551b8c5ef51dbb20a8ff064a1eed9a0f?placeholderIfAbsent=true&width=22)](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https://respond.io/help/quick-start/automating-your-first-response)[![Twitter](https://assets1-proxy.respond.io/api/v1/image/assets%2F11f7a662b80a4675973850b067c01fa5%2F4e03e02422a94e8eab9b8b41457c2371?width=22)](http://twitter.com/share?url=https://respond.io/help/quick-start/automating-your-first-response) ## Related articles πŸ‘©β€πŸ’» * [Getting Started With Respond.ioComplete the Onboarding module to connect Channels, set up Lifecycle, configure AI Agents, and invite teammates to respond.io. ](/help/quick-start/getting-started-with-respondio) * [Glossary of TermsFind definitions for key respond.io platform terms β€” including Contacts, Channels, Workflows, AI Agents, Inbox, and Broadcasts. ](/help/quick-start/glossary-of-terms) * [Responding to MessagesReply to Contacts via text or voice, assign conversations, and manage open and closed conversations in the respond.io Inbox. ](/help/quick-start/responding-to-messages) * [Getting Contacts to Message YouGenerate QR codes and chat links on respond.io to encourage new Contacts to start conversations with your business across any Channel. ](/help/quick-start/getting-contacts-to-message-you) * [Inviting Your TeammatesAdd users to a respond.io Workspace, assign access levels, and organize team members into Teams for better collaboration. ](/help/quick-start/inviting-your-teammates) Can't find what you're looking for? πŸ”Ž [Contact Support](/contact-us) 2026-05-29T10:07:15.713Z help ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","articleBody":"Respond immediately when Contacts message you. 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