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Default Actions & Business Hours

Summary​

Default Actions provide baseline conversational automation across your entire WhatsApp Business line. They ensure your business never goes silent by greeting new visitors, sending out-of-office notifications when your team is off duty, nudging unresponsive customers with multi-stage follow-ups, warning before the WhatsApp 24-hour service window closes, and prompting customers for satisfaction ratings when conversations are resolved.

All default action rules are managed under Automations → Default Actions (/dashboard/automation/defaultActions).

Accessing Default Actions​

  1. In the top navigation bar, click Automation.
  2. In the left-hand navigation sidebar under Automations, select Default Actions.
  3. The page displays the Business Hours Schedule banner at the top, followed by eight specialized automation cards.

1. Setting Up Your Business Hours Schedule​

Your business operating hours govern when automated out-of-office away messages trigger and when your team is considered active.

How to Configure Your Schedule:​

  1. In the Business Hours Schedule banner at the top of the Default Actions page, click Configure Schedule.
  2. In the configuration modal:
    • Active Working Days: Check each day of the week your organization is open (e.g., Monday through Saturday).
    • Working Shift Hours: Define your start time and end time for each active day (e.g., 09:00 AM to 07:00 PM).
    • Operating Timezone: Select your official regional timezone (e.g., Asia/Kolkata for IST).
  3. Click Save Working Hours.

Note on Holidays: To designate full-day closures for national or public holidays, configure the holiday calendar under Settings → Holidays. On configured holidays, Wabixo automatically treats the entire day as outside working hours.

2. The Eight Configurable Default Actions​

Each default action can be activated independently using its checkbox toggle and linked to a pre-saved Reply Material from your materials library.

1. Out of Office Reply​

  • Trigger: Sent automatically when an inbound customer message arrives outside your configured business hours or on an active holiday.
  • Configuration: Check the toggle and select an out-of-office reply material (e.g., "Thank you for contacting us! Our team is currently offline. We will respond promptly when our office opens at 9:00 AM.").
  • Behavior: Ensures customers receive immediate reassurance even when your staff is off the clock.

2. Welcome Message​

  • Trigger: Delivered instantly when a new customer initiates a conversation on your WhatsApp line for the first time, or reaches out after a prolonged dormant period without matching any specific keyword rule.
  • Configuration: Check the toggle and select a welcoming greeting material or interactive menu to guide the customer.

3. Timeout Actions (Multi-Stage Waiting Nudges)​

  • Trigger: When a customer sends a message and is waiting for a response during high-volume periods, automated nudges are sent sequentially if the thread remains unaddressed.
  • Configuration:
    • Build up to 4 custom stages.
    • For each stage, specify the wait time in minutes (e.g., Stage 1 after 15 minutes, Stage 2 after 45 minutes).
    • Select the appropriate reassurance material for each stage (e.g., "Thanks for your patience! All our agents are currently assisting other customers. You are next in queue.").
    • Use the trash icon to remove unnecessary stages or click Add Timeout Stage to expand the sequence.

4. Follow-Up Actions (Multi-Stage Customer Check-Ins)​

  • Trigger: Sent when an agent has replied to a customer, but the customer goes silent without completing the transaction or inquiry.
  • Configuration:
    • Build up to 4 custom stages.
    • Specify the delay in minutes for each follow-up stage (e.g., Stage 1 after 60 minutes, Stage 2 after 240 minutes).
    • Assign tailored follow-up materials (e.g., Stage 1: "Hi there, just checking in to see if you have any questions about the proposal we shared?").

5. 24H Window Expiry Reminder​

  • Trigger: Warns customers before Meta's mandatory 24-hour customer service window permanently expires.
  • Configuration:
    • Enter the warning threshold in minutes prior to window expiration (e.g., 60 or 120 minutes before expiry).
    • Select an alert material reminding the customer to send a reply if they need continued assistance (e.g., "Our 24-hour service window will close shortly. If you still require help, simply reply to this message to keep the conversation open.").

6. Unrecognized Interaction Fallback​

  • Trigger: Triggered when a customer sends an unformatted message mid-conversation that does not match any configured keyword trigger, active bot step, or AI intent.
  • Configuration: Select a helpful fallback message that directs the user back to valid options (e.g., "We didn't quite catch that. Type MENU to see available services or AGENT to speak with our support team.").

7. Post-Resolution Rating (CSAT Prompt)​

  • Trigger: Sent automatically the moment an agent marks a conversation as Solved in the Team Inbox.
  • Configuration: Select a pre-saved feedback prompt (e.g., "Your inquiry has been marked resolved. How would you rate your support experience with us today? Reply with a number from 1 to 5.").
  • Impact: Customer replies feed directly into the agent's real-time CSAT star rating displayed in the workspace header.

8. Expired Chat Reactivation​

  • Trigger: If an agent marks a conversation as resolved after the 24-hour window has already closed, standard free-form messages cannot be sent due to Meta policy.
  • Configuration: Select an approved Meta WhatsApp Template (e.g., an account update or re-engagement utility template). Wabixo will use this approved template to deliver the closing note or feedback request to the customer.

3. Saving Changes​

After enabling, disabling, or modifying any of the eight automation cards:

  1. Click the primary Save Changes button in the top-right header (or the floating Save Settings button on mobile).
  2. A confirmation notification confirms that your updated automation rules are live across your active WhatsApp line.

4. Customer Troubleshooting & FAQs​

Problem: Customers receive the out-of-office message during open office hours​

  • Why it happens:
    1. The timezone in your Business Hours modal does not match your local timezone.
    2. The current day was accidentally disabled in your working days list.
    3. Today's date was entered as a public holiday in Settings → Holidays.
  • How to fix it: Click Configure Schedule on the Default Actions page, verify that the active days and shift hours are accurate, confirm your timezone (e.g., Asia/Kolkata), and inspect your holiday calendar under Settings.

Problem: The Welcome Message did not send when a customer texted "Hello"​

  • Why it happens: In Wabixo's decision hierarchy, Keyword Actions and the AI Agent take precedence over generic welcome messages. If "Hello" is assigned to a keyword rule or handled by an active AI Agent, the welcome message is intentionally bypassed to avoid duplicate replies.
  • How to fix it: If you want the Welcome Message to trigger, remove the generic greeting keyword from your Keyword Actions list.

Problem: Follow-up check-in messages stop sending after 24 hours​

  • Why it happens: Meta restricts free-form automated messaging once 24 hours have elapsed since the customer's last inbound message.
  • How to fix it: Ensure all follow-up stages are scheduled within the initial 24-hour window (e.g., within 1,440 minutes). To contact a customer after 24 hours, send an approved Meta broadcast template.