Set reply rules for a lead's first reply

Reply rules answer a lead who writes back with wording you wrote, chosen by the words in their message. They live in the First message editor, the first row on the Workflows tab of Inbox, under the wording, in the panel headed Replies to what a lead writes back. Open the info mark beside that heading and it says a reply is answered by the first branch its words match.

Rules answer the lead’s first reply and the ones after it, up to a limit. The panel only appears for a business with a sheet behind it.

What has to be on

Three things, all at once:

• the district’s Reply rules switch, which only a district admin can reach
• this sheet’s own switch, beside the panel’s heading, once it has branches
• Messages go to set to The lead, higher up the same editor

While the district switch is off, the sheet’s switch is greyed out and the panel says why. While Messages go to is set to Me, for now, rules answer nobody at all, not even you, so use the tester below instead.

Start from the set of six

With no branches yet, the panel offers one button. Press Start from a set of six, and open the info mark beside it for the list: wrong number, who is this, price, interested, time to call, busy. Nothing sends until you switch the sheet on.

The six arrive as Wrong person, Who is this, Asked about price, Interested, Gave a time and Busy for now, with your name already in the wording. Rewrite each one in your own words. Asked about price sends no words on purpose: it tells you and hands the conversation to you.

How a message finds its branch

Asked not to be contacted sits at the top, marked Tried first, and it’s checked before every branch you write. Open the info mark beside its name: it can’t be deleted, and it closes the conversation, marks it lost and tells you. You can change its words, its name and its switch.

Then the rest of the list is read in order. A branch set to The message is exactly one of the words beats one set to The words are anywhere in the message, and between two of the same kind the higher branch wins.

Matching ignores capitals and punctuation, and it looks for whole words, so “sure” never matches inside “insure”. Apostrophes are dropped, so “that’s” and “thats” match the same branch.

Write a branch

To add one:

1. Press Add a branch, or Edit on an existing one.
2. Give it a Name.
3. Type The words this catches, with a comma between phrases.
4. Choose What counts as a match.
5. Write What this branch replies, or leave it empty for a branch that acts without speaking.
6. Set what else it does: Tell me on WhatsApp, Hand the conversation to me, Move the card to and Check back after.
7. Press Save this branch.

Open the info mark beside Name: the name is shown in the thread on every reply the branch sends. The lead sees previews the reply beside the form. A line of three dashes splits it into separate WhatsApp messages, and Pictures and files adds images or PDFs.

Move the card to offers Leave it where it is, Replied, Booked, Won and Lost. Check back after takes days, up to 90, with 0 for never. Give it a number and What the check-back says appears for the follow-up’s wording.

A new branch starts with Tell me on WhatsApp on. Those alerts go to the number under Tell me on WhatsApp higher up the editor, straight away, before the reply itself waits. A sheet holds up to 50 branches.

The arrows beside a branch move it up or down, and its switch turns it off without deleting it. Delete asks first, because its wording goes with it.

Try a message

Type into What a lead might say and press See what happens. The answer names the branch, shows the messages the lead would get, and lists what else happens.

The tester answers as if the sheet’s switch were on. A line under the answer says so when something would stop the reply from really going. When no branch catches the message, it says the message would wait in your inbox and you’d be told.

When a reply goes out

The panel says how long a reply waits. By default it’s 45 seconds after the lead’s message, and one that falls in quiet hours waits for them to end. The panel names the hours, which are 22:00 to 09:00 unless your sheet has others.

A conversation gets 12 automatic replies by default. Once it has had them, the next branch that matches sends nothing. It hands the conversation to you and tells you instead. Two messages sent in quick succession get a single answer.

What stops a rule

Rules leave a conversation alone once it’s set to You are handling it or Closed under Details. If a lead on a conversation you’re handling asks not to be contacted, you’re told and nothing changes, so take them off yourself.

With Watching this sheet off, or nothing under Tell me on WhatsApp, a rule still matches, closes and moves stages, but sends nothing and tells nobody.

Switching Texting off for the district doesn’t stop rule replies. Switching Reply rules off does, on every number, whatever a business has set. See Turn texting, agents, rules or workflows off for the district.

Where an AI agent is published on the same number, rules go first. A message no branch catches goes on to the agent.

Caution

A check-back or a reply already waiting to send still goes out after you take the conversation over. A check-back is cancelled only when the lead writes again, or when a message is sent from the phone that number runs on.

FAQ

Why didn’t a rule answer my own test message?

Messages from your own number are kept out of the lead pipeline, so rules never answer you. Use What a lead might say instead.

Can I delete the opt-out branch?

No. You can reword it, rename it or switch it off, but it always sits first.

Does a rule’s reply show in the thread?

Yes. It shows in Conversations with the branch’s name above the bubble, so you can tell which branch sent it.

The six branches button has gone. How do I get the set back?

The button only appears while a sheet has no branches of its own. Delete the ones you have and it comes back.