Auto-reply message examples for small businesses

An auto-reply is often the first thing a customer hears from your business. Most read like an afterthought: “Thanks for your email, we’ll be in touch.” The customer still doesn’t know when, or whether anyone saw the message.

A better one takes a minute to write. Below are auto-reply email examples and text and chat versions you can copy for each situation, then how to switch them on.

What a good auto-reply says

• A real time. “Within 2 hours” or “by 10am tomorrow” beats “as soon as possible.” Only promise what you can keep.
• A way out for urgent cases. A phone number, a booking link or the page with the answer.
• The answer to the top question. If half your messages ask about opening hours or delivery, put that in the reply.
• Your voice. Write it the way you’d say it at the counter. Customers read it as a message from you.

Keep it short. Most people read it on a phone.

Auto-reply email and chat examples for first replies

These go out the moment someone writes, during opening hours. They tell the customer a person is on it.

Email:

“Hi, thanks for writing to [business]. We’ve got your message and someone from the team will reply within [2 hours] today. If it’s about an order, our [order status page] has the latest on delivery.”

Website chat:

“Thanks! Someone from the team will be with you in about [5 minutes]. While you wait, can you tell us your order number or the date you’d like to book?”

Asking for the order number or date up front saves a back-and-forth later.

After-hours message examples

These go out when you’re closed. Point people to anything they can do without you, like booking online.

Email:

“Thanks for your message. We’re closed right now and open again [tomorrow at 9am]. We’ll reply first thing. You can book online anytime at [link].”

Website chat:

“We’re offline until [9am]. Leave your question and your email, and we’ll reply in the morning. Opening hours and prices are at [link].”

Booking-based business:

“Hi! We’re closed for the evening, back at [9am]. To book an appointment now, use [link]. For anything else, we’ll get back to you tomorrow morning.”

Busy-day examples

Use these when replies are slower than usual, like during a sale, a launch or when someone’s out sick.

Email:

“Thanks for your patience. We’re getting more messages than usual and replying within [one working day] instead of the usual few hours. Many answers are already in our [FAQ].”

Chat:

“It’s a busy one today, so replies are taking about [30 minutes]. Leave your question and your email, and we’ll answer here or by email.”

Closed for holiday message examples

Set these a few days ahead, with the exact dates.

Holiday closure:

“Thanks for getting in touch. We’re closed from [December 24] to [January 2] and will reply from [January 3], in the order messages arrived. Orders placed now ship on [January 3].”

Closed for a day:

“We’re closed today for [a staff training day]. We’ll be back tomorrow at [9am] and will reply then.”

Out-of-office message examples for when you’re away

If customers write to you personally, your own away message counts as customer service too.

Vacation:

“Thanks for your email. I’m away until [Monday, June 15] and won’t be checking messages. For anything urgent, [name] can help at [email]. Otherwise I’ll reply when I’m back.”

Out for the day:

“I’m out of the office today with limited access to email. I’ll reply tomorrow. If it can’t wait, call us at [number].”

Left the company:

“Thanks for your email. I’ve left [business]. [Name] now looks after [area] and can help at [email].”

Text message (SMS) auto-reply examples

Texts need to be shorter. A standard text fits 160 characters, and a longer one is split into parts. Stick to plain letters. A curly quote, an emoji or any other special character cuts the limit to 70. Each of these fits in one text:

• After hours: “Thanks for texting [business]! Closed now, back at [9am]. Book anytime: [short link]”
• Busy: “Got your text! Busy right now, so expect a reply within the hour.”
• Holiday: “Closed until [Jan 2], and we will reply then. Happy holidays from [business]!”

How to switch auto-replies on

Gmail: go to Settings, then See all settings. Turn on Vacation responder on the General tab, set the dates and message, then save. According to Google’s help page, most people get the reply only the first time they write. They get it again if they write after four days while it’s still on. Emails in spam and messages from mailing lists don’t get a reply.

Outlook: in Outlook on the web, open Settings, then Account, then Automatic replies. Turn them on and pick a time period, or they stay on until you switch them off. Microsoft’s guide has the steps for the Windows app.

WhatsApp Business: the app has away messages built in. Set one for when you’re closed.

Texts and website chat: the setting lives in the tool behind your business number or chat widget. Look for “away message,” “auto-reply” or “office hours” in its settings.

Test each one. Write to yourself from another account and check what arrives.

From auto-reply to AI reply

An auto-reply only promises that someone will answer later. It can’t tell a customer whether you have a slot on Friday or where their order is. When most of your messages are questions like those, the customer still waits.

At HB-Themes, my WordPress theme business, our support auto-reply used to promise an answer within 48 business hours. Now AI answers most messages within minutes, at any hour.

Take one message, sent to a salon at 9pm: “Do you have anything Saturday afternoon for a cut and color?”

• The auto-reply says: “Thanks for your message. We’re closed now and will reply by 10am tomorrow.”
• An AI reply says: “Hi! We have 2pm or 3:30pm on Saturday with Mia. Want me to book one of those for you?”

The first customer waits until morning and may book somewhere else tonight. The second one has an answer before they put the phone down.

AI still shouldn’t answer everything. Complaints, refunds outside your policy and anything that needs judgment belong with a person. Our guide to which customer messages AI should answer covers how to split them. If AI replies to customers in the EU, it has to say it’s AI, as our guide to the EU AI Act disclosure rule explains.

How Wibbu handles messages after hours

Wibbu, the inbox we’re building, answers routine customer messages from your own information, day or night, across your channels. Opening hours, prices, availability and order questions get a real answer instead of a promise.

When a message needs a person, Wibbu hands the conversation to your team with the full story and a reply already drafted. Your rules decide which messages AI may send and which always go to someone on the team.

The templates above still have a place. Use them for anything AI hands over, so the customer knows when a person will reply.

Common questions

What should an auto-reply message say? That the message arrived, when a person will reply and what to do if it’s urgent. Add the answer to your most common question if there’s room.

How long should an auto-reply be? Two to four short sentences for email and chat. For texts, stay under 160 characters so the message arrives in one part.

Should I send an auto-reply during opening hours? Yes, if replies take more than a few minutes. A first reply with a real time stops customers from writing again or going elsewhere.

Will customers get my auto-reply every time they write? Usually not. Gmail and Outlook both limit how often one person gets it. The setup steps above have the details.

Is an auto-reply the same as an AI reply? No. An auto-reply is the same fixed message for everyone. AI reads the message and answers the question itself.