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Automation Control & Working Hour Keywords

Overview​

Conversational automation allows businesses to respond to incoming customer messages instantly, provide 24/7 availability, route inquiries based on customer intent, and deliver professional out-of-office notices.

In Wabixo, automation rules are split into two complementary modules under Settings:

  1. Automation Control (settings/automation): Central toggle for first-time welcome messages, default action sequences, business hour schedules, away autoreplies, and conversation inactivity alerts.
  2. Working Hour Keywords (settings/agent_request_keywords): Configurable customer phrases that evaluate operating hours before deciding whether to assign the conversation to a human agent or trigger an after-hours notice.

1. Automation Control (settings/automation)​

To configure default automation behavior, navigate to Settings > Automation Control.

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Automation Control                                     │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Master Automation:         [ ENABLED / Active ]        │
│ Operating Schedule:        [ Mon - Sat: 09:00 - 20:00 ]│
│ First-Contact Welcome:     [ ON ] "Welcome to..."      │
│ Out-of-Office Autoreply:   [ ON ] "We are closed..."   │
│ Inactivity Reminder:       [ 15 min ] Nudge customer   │
│ Auto-Resolve Inactive:     [ 24 hours ]                │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Core Configuration Options​

SettingOperational FunctionBusiness Impact
Master Automation SwitchGlobal enable/disable switch for automated bots and keyword triggers.If disabled, incoming chats remain in the unassigned queue without receiving automated bot replies.
First-Contact WelcomeSends an automated greeting template or text message when a new customer contacts your number for the very first time.Guarantees an immediate response within seconds, setting a professional tone.
Out-of-Office ResponseAutomatically triggered when a customer sends a message outside configured business hours or on holidays.Informs the customer of operating hours and prevents frustration over delayed human responses.
Inactivity NudgeSends a gentle reminder if a customer stops replying mid-conversation (e.g. after 15 or 30 minutes).Recovers abandoned sales inquiries and keeps conversation funnels moving.
Auto-Resolve Inactive ChatsAutomatically resolves conversations if the customer does not respond after a designated period (e.g. 24 hours).Keeps agent inboxes clean and prevents stale chats from skewing workload metrics.

2. Working Hour Keywords (settings/agent_request_keywords)​

Certain customer inquiries require immediate human assistance (e.g., "speak to manager", "human support", "talk to agent"). However, if a customer requests an agent at 2:00 AM on Sunday, routing the chat to an empty inbox without feedback leads to negative customer experiences.

The Working Hour Keywords module solves this by defining phrases that trigger a Business Hours Check before escalating.

How Keyword Evaluation Works​

  Customer messages: "I want to talk to an agent"
                         │
                         ▼
           Matches Working Hour Keyword?
                         │
            ┌────────────┴────────────┐
            │ YES                     │ NO
            ▼                         ▼
   Is Current Time Within      Execute Standard
      Operating Hours?         Bot / Keyword Flow
            │
     ┌──────┴──────┐
     │ YES         │ NO
     ▼             ▼
  Route to Human   Send Out-of-Office Notice
   Agent Queue     & Log for Next Business Day

Managing Working Hour Keywords​

  1. Navigate to Settings > Working Hour Keywords (/dashboard/settings/agent_request_keywords).
  2. Review the list of active keywords. Default keywords include:
    • agent
    • human
    • support
    • representative
    • talk to human
    • help desk
  3. Add New Keyword: Enter the trigger word or phrase in the text input and click Add Keyword.
  4. Toggle Status: Use the toggle next to each keyword to activate or pause evaluation without deleting the keyword.
  5. Delete Keyword: Click the trash icon to permanently remove obsolete phrases.

[!TIP] Include common colloquial terms and local language variants (e.g. kisi se baat karni h, executive call, help desk) to ensure accurate detection across diverse customer queries.

Best Practices for Conversational Automations​

  1. Keep Welcome Messages Concise: Provide clear options or menu numbers rather than long blocks of text.
  2. Always State Expected Response Times: In after-hours messages, explicitly mention when an agent will be back online (e.g. "Our team will respond promptly tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM").
  3. Coordinate with Auto-Assignment: Ensure that if an agent request keyword succeeds during working hours, your Auto-Assignment rules have available agents to take over immediately.