Your auto replies know when your shop is open, your team can test each reply on their own phones first, and each market's messages come from the right number.
Before You Start
- Connect your WhatsApp Business number first. See Connect and Configure WhatsApp.
- Read Setting Up Auto Reply Rules for Your WhatsApp to see how replies work.
- You need access to Settings in the Console.
- If you set this up before: these settings moved from the old General Settings tab to two pages, and your saved hours, test numbers, market numbers and calling choices are still there, so nothing needs to be set up again.
Choose Your Setup
| Level | Fits shops like | What you set up | Read these sections |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | One laundry in Singapore with one WhatsApp number, replying to customers itself | Business Hours and a Test Group | Where to Find It, Setting Up Business Hours, Setting Up Your Test Group, Saving Your Changes, Checklist Before Going Live |
| Intermediate | A shop on the Professional plan whose staff call customers about pickups and quotes | Everything in Easy, plus Calling | Calling |
| Advanced | A business with shops in Singapore and Malaysia, each with its own WhatsApp number | Everything in Easy, plus Hours for each number and Number per market | Hours for Each Number, Number per Market |
With the Easy setup alone, your after-hours and within-hours replies work and you can test them safely. You can add calling or a second number later.
Overview
Your WhatsApp settings are on two pages. The Auto replies page holds Business Hours and the Test Group, which every reply shares. The WhatsApp Settings page holds Number per market and Calling, which control how your connected numbers send messages and make calls. Business Hours here only decide when replies treat a message as after hours. They are separate from your POS shop's opening hours.
Where It Works
- Console: you set everything up in Settings.
- WhatsApp: customers get the right auto reply for the time they message you, and each market's messages come from its own number.
- Inbox: with Calling on, staff see a Call button in WhatsApp conversations.
Why Set It Up
- Replies at the right time: an After Hours Notice reply only knows your shop is closed if your Business Hours are set.
- No surprises for customers: the Test Group lets you see a new reply on your own phone before any customer gets it.
- The right number for each country: Malaysian customers get messages from your Malaysian number, not your Singapore one.
If you leave Business Hours off, no message ever counts as after hours. Replies set to After business hours never go out, and replies set to Within business hours go out at any time of day. If the Test Group is empty, replies set to Testing go to nobody.
Where to Find It
Business Hours and Test Group
- Click the ⚙️ Settings icon in the top-right corner.
- Under the CRM section, click Auto replies.
- Under Settings, below your replies, click Business Hours or Test Group.
To go back to the list, click Auto replies in the path at the top of the page.
Number per market and Calling
- Click the ⚙️ Settings icon in the top-right corner.
- Under the Administration section, click Integrations.
- On the WhatsApp Business card, click Manage.
The WhatsApp Settings page opens, with Number per market at the top and Calling below it.
Setting Up Business Hours
Business Hours tell your auto replies when your shop is open. The Within business hours and After business hours conditions in your replies follow what you set here, and so does the @Next Available Time placeholder in your messages. These hours do not open or close your POS counter or change the times customers can pick when booking.
- On the Auto replies page, under Settings, click Business Hours.
- Turn on Enable business hours.
- Choose your Timezone.
- Set the hours for each day, as described below.
- Click Save at the top right of the page.
Timezone
Pick the timezone of your shop. Most Singapore shops choose Asia/Singapore.
| Option | Where it fits |
|---|---|
| Asia/Singapore (SGT, UTC+8) | Singapore |
| Asia/Kuala Lumpur (MYT, UTC+8) | Malaysia |
| Asia/Jakarta (WIB, UTC+7) | Western Indonesia |
| Asia/Bangkok (ICT, UTC+7) | Thailand |
| Asia/Hong Kong (HKT, UTC+8) | Hong Kong |
| Asia/Tokyo (JST, UTC+9) | Japan |
| Asia/Shanghai (CST, UTC+8) | China |
| Australia/Sydney (AEST, UTC+10) | Eastern Australia |
| Europe/London (GMT, UTC+0) | United Kingdom |
| America/New York (EST, UTC-5) | Eastern United States |
Weekday
Each day has its own switch. Leave it on for the days you open. If you turn a day off, every message that day counts as after hours, and you can't set its hours.
Opening hours
Click the day's Opening hours field. Pick a time under Start and a time under End, then click Confirm. If a day is switched on but has no opening hours, the whole day counts as after hours.
Break
Use this only if your shop closes for lunch. Click the day's Break field, pick the Break Start and Break End times and click Confirm. Leave it empty if you don't take a break.
Back on the list, the Business Hours row shows your timezone when the hours are on. When they are off, it shows "Off: replies never count a message as after hours".
Hours for Each Number
For Advanced setups: this list appears under your business hours when you have connected more than one WhatsApp number. Each number shows "Same as the business hours above" until you change it.
- Under Hours for each number, click the number.
- Turn on Use its own business hours. It starts with a copy of your shared hours.
- Change the Timezone and the hours for that number.
- Click Save at the top right of the page.
If you leave the switch off, messages to that number follow the shared business hours.
Setting Up Your Test Group
The Test Group is a list of your own team's phone numbers. A reply set to Testing only goes to these numbers, so you can try it on your own phone before any customer gets it.
- On the Auto replies page, under Settings, click Test Group.
- In the Phone Number field, choose the country code. It starts on your shop's country, for example +65 for Singapore.
- Type the phone number and click Add. The number appears below the field. Add stays greyed out until you type a number.
- Add more numbers the same way.
- Click Save at the top right of the page.
If you haven't added any numbers yet, the panel shows "No test numbers added. Add phone numbers to enable test-only auto-reply rules."
Removing a number
Click the × on the number, then click Save at the top right of the page.
How testing works
Each reply has a Status. When it is set to "Testing: replies only to the Test Group", messages from your test numbers get the reply and messages from everyone else don't. In the Replies list, a reply in testing shows a coloured Testing badge next to its name.
Saving Your Changes
Business Hours, the Test Group and your replies all save together with the one Save button at the top right of the Auto replies page. There is no Save button inside each panel. You can change your hours, add a test number and edit a reply, then save them all at once. The page shows "Auto replies saved" when it is done.
If you try to leave the page with changes you haven't saved, the Console asks you first.
Number per Market
Use this only if you sell in more than one country and have connected a WhatsApp number for each. A market is a country you sell in, such as Singapore or Malaysia. Here you choose which number each market's order notifications, payment reminders and Online Store sign-in codes are sent from.
- Open the WhatsApp Settings page, as shown in Where to Find It.
- Next to each market, choose a number from the list.
- Click Save at the bottom of the Number per market section.
Number for each market
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Default number | The market's messages come from your default number, shown under the option |
| One of your connected numbers | The market's messages come from that number |
With only one connected number, this section shows "Add a second number in Settings › Integrations › WhatsApp to send each market from its own number." See Connect Multiple WhatsApp Numbers.
Calling
Use this only if your staff want to phone customers on WhatsApp from the Inbox. Calling comes with the Professional plan. On another plan, the section shows "Calling customers on WhatsApp comes with the Professional plan." with a See plans button, and its switches stay greyed out.
- Open the WhatsApp Settings page, as shown in Where to Find It.
- In the Calling section, turn on Call customers from the inbox.
- Choose whether to turn on Record calls.
- Click Save at the bottom of the Calling section.
Call customers from the inbox
If you turn this on, staff get a Call button in WhatsApp conversations. A customer must allow calls first, and WhatsApp sends them an Allow calls button when you ask. Customers can't ring your number themselves, and Meta bills your WhatsApp account for each minute of a call you place.
Record calls
You can only turn this on when calling is on. If you turn this on, WhatsApp tells both people before the recording starts. Recordings appear in the conversation and are kept for 180 days.
After you save, the section lists each of your numbers with "Calling on" or "Calling off". For the full calling guide, see Call Customers on WhatsApp from the Inbox.
Example Setup
CleanFast Laundry has POS shops in Tampines and Jurong and one Singapore WhatsApp number.
- Business Hours: on, Asia/Singapore.
- Monday to Saturday: 08:00 AM to 08:00 PM, with a 01:00 PM to 02:00 PM break on weekdays.
- Sunday: switched off.
- Test Group: the owner's number and the Tampines supervisor's number.
A customer who messages at 9:30 PM on a Tuesday, or at any time on a Sunday, gets the After Hours Notice. A customer who messages at 10:00 AM on a Wednesday doesn't. While the owner tests a new reply, only those two phones get it.
Checklist Before Going Live
Before you change any reply's status from Testing to Live, check:
| Check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| ✅ Business Hours are on | The Business Hours row shows your timezone, not "Off" |
| ✅ Timezone is right | It matches where your shop is |
| ✅ Hours are right | Each day's opening hours and break match your real hours |
| ✅ Closed days are off | Each day you're closed has its switch off |
| ✅ Test Group has numbers | At least one team number is added |
| ✅ Changes are saved | You clicked Save at the top right of the Auto replies page |
| ✅ Replies are tested | You sent test messages and got the right reply at the right time |
FAQs
Do these business hours change when customers can book or when my POS opens?
No. They only decide when WhatsApp auto replies treat a message as after hours. Your shop's opening hours and booking times are set separately.
I set this up in the old General Settings tab. Do I need to do it again?
No. Your hours, test numbers, market numbers and calling choices moved with the settings. Open each page once to check they look right.
Why didn't my test number get the reply?
Check that the number is in the Test Group with the right country code, that you clicked Save at the top right, and that the reply's status is Testing. Also check its conditions: an After business hours reply only goes out outside your hours.
Do Live replies also go to my test numbers?
Yes. A Live reply goes to every customer, including your team's numbers.
What happens if I turn Business Hours off?
No message counts as after hours. Replies set to After business hours stop going out, and replies set to Within business hours go out at any time.
Does calling cost extra?
Calling needs the Professional plan, and Meta bills your WhatsApp account for each minute of a call you place.
What's Next
Your business hours and test numbers are ready, so your replies know when you're open and your team can try them safely. Next, set up your first reply in New Customer Welcome, which greets people messaging your shop for the first time.