The After-Hours Auto Response feature sends an automatic message to customers who text, email, or message your store while you are closed. This lets customers know your store is not currently open and that someone will respond once your team is back online. It creates clear expectations for your customers and provides peace of mind during busy seasons.
Before You Begin
The After-Hours Auto Response relies on your store hours being set correctly. The system uses your configured hours to determine when your store is open or closed.
If you have not yet configured your store hours, please see How to Set Your Regular and Custom Store Hours first.
Note: This feature can only be configured in the Dashboard (web version of Clientbook) by users with Admin and/or Manager access.
Enabling the After-Hours Auto Response
- Navigate to the store settings page by going to Setup, then Stores, then click Edit Store.
Note: If you have multiple store locations, this setting will need to be enabled & configured for each store individually.
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Locate the "After Hours Auto Response" feature within the "Messaging" section of the Edit Store page.
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Enable the feature by clicking the toggle to turn it on. Then add your custom message in the text box.
Best Practice: Include your store hours in the automatic response so customers know when they can expect to hear back from you. For example: "Thank you for reaching out! Our store is currently closed. We are open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm and will respond to your message as soon as we return. We appreciate your patience!" -
Save your changes. Confirm everything looks correct, then scroll to the top of the page and click Save.
When Does the Auto Response Send?
The After-Hours Auto Response is triggered when a customer contacts your store through any of these channels while you are closed:
- SMS text messages
- Webchat
The message is sent once per conversation when the customer first contacts you outside of your store hours. It will not send repeatedly if the same customer sends multiple messages.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
The auto response is sending at the wrong time
This is usually caused by an incorrect time zone setting. Navigate to Setup, then Stores, then Edit Store and verify that your Store Time Zone is set correctly. For example, if your store is in New York but your time zone is set to Los Angeles, your after-hours message could go out three hours early or late.
The auto response is not sending at all
Verify the following:
- The After-Hours Auto Response toggle is turned on.
- Your store hours are configured correctly (the system needs to know when you are open and closed).
- The message text box is not empty.
- You have clicked Save after making your changes.
Associate Hours vs. Store Hours
Clientbook also offers an Associate Hours feature that allows individual associates to have their own working hours and out-of-office auto responses. This is separate from the store-level After-Hours Auto Response.
When a client who is assigned to a specific associate messages outside of that associate's working hours, they can receive an individual out-of-office reply. The message will still appear in both the associate's inbox and the store inbox.
To learn more about setting up associate-level hours and out-of-office messages, see New Messaging Features: Auto-Close Conversations, Associate Hours, and Overdue Message Notifications.
Related Articles
- How to Set Your Regular and Custom Store Hours: Configure the hours your after-hours auto response relies on.
- New Messaging Features: Auto-Close Conversations, Associate Hours, and Overdue Message Notifications: Set individual associate working hours and out-of-office responses.
- Enabling Appointments for Stores: Learn how store hours affect appointment scheduling.