Keeping customers engaged and making them feel valued is key for a great experience. The best way to show how much you value your customers is to give them prompt replies and fulfill their needs.

But sometimes that's just not humanly possible.

So how do you maintain effective customer communication and get a good night’s rest? 

The solution is modern messaging software, like Salesmsg! 

With such software, not only can you set up auto-reply text messages to stay in touch with customers but also give timely responses to their inquiries.

In this article, we’ll teach you what an auto-reply text is, why it’s important, how to set it up for your business, and give you some examples to get started.

What is an Auto Reply Text Message?

Auto-reply text messages are preset responses that are automated to keep customers informed. These are set up with a specific customer action, such as a missed call or new sign-up, and are sent as the action is triggered. 

Auto-replies keep customers in the loop until you get back to them, such as letting them know you're out of the office and will reply tomorrow.

An auto-reply message promotes a positive customer experience because you don’t leave them hanging. Responding quickly, even if you don’t give a detailed answer at the time, provides customers the satisfaction of receiving a response.

Why You Should Set up an Auto Reply Text for Your Business

Improve Customer Service

Sending auto-reply messages empowers you to give prompt replies to customers and answer commonly asked questions instantly. According to Forrester Research, 77% of customers say that valuing their time is the best thing a company can do to improve customer service. Good customer service is integral to business success and can give your business a competitive advantage.

Keeps Customers Engaged

Understandably, customers who don’t get a reply from businesses are likely to go to a competitor. By setting up auto-reply texts you can ensure customers know what’s going on and when you'll get back to them. It can help them feel acknowledged, valued, and cared for. This helps you maintain the customer relationship and preserve their trust.

Helps you Focus on Other Things

It’s normal to take a break from work, go on a vacation, or be busy with other clients. When these situations arise, you may be unable to respond to customers immediately. Auto reply text messages allow you to keep your customers in the loop by informing them and providing alternative ways to contact you, or direct them to another available medium. This gives you peace of mind in not feeling the pressure to immediately respond to customers while you're working on other projects or enjoying the day off.

How Do You Set Up Automated Text Messages?

To get started with automated text messages, you need to have a text automation tool like Salesmsg. Here’s a step-by-step guide to signing up and setting up an auto-response for your business.

Sign Up with Salesmsg

Signing up with Salesmsg is easy.

1. Go to the Salesmsg homepage.
2. Click on Sign Up at the top-right side.
3. Enter your contact and payment information.
4. Click on “Sign Up” located at the bottom.

After signing up and verifying your payment info, you’ll need to choose a number to associate with your business in order to set up auto-replies. Salesmsg allows you to choose from different types of US and CAN numbers or opt for a toll-free number. If you wish to use a landline number Salesmsg can text-enable your landline number for most VoIP numbers.

Set "Out of Office" Hours

After signing up you’ll be provided with a dashboard to keep track of all your business text messages. From the Salesmsg dashboard:

1. Go to Settings > Inboxes > [Inbox Name] > Settings
2. Turn Status to On.
3. Select your timezone.
4. Add your Business hours.

Now that you’ve set your availability it’s time to craft the perfect after-hours auto-response for your customers.

Create an Auto-Reply Text

After setting your business hours you’ll see an empty box at the bottom. This is where you’ll write the auto response to send to customers if they contact you outside of business hours. Keep in mind that an auto-reply message costs the same amount of credits as a regular SMS. To learn more about credits check out our guide for How Do Message Credits Work?

Write your message and then hit "Save Business Hours." Now, the next time somebody tries to contact your business through SMS after hours, they’ll get the custom text message you set up.

Knowing what to write can be a little overwhelming, especially given the 160-character limit. Keep reading to get inspired by our professionally crafted auto reply text examples below.

15+ Auto-Reply Text Message Examples to Help You Get Started

We’ve compiled a list of the best auto-replies to send to customers for many situations. These tried-and-tested examples are proven to improve customer satisfaction and drive more sales to your business.

Out of Office

“Thank you for contacting XYZ Enterprise. We’ve received your message and one of our customer representatives will speak to you shortly!”

You can also guide the customer to an alternative medium to keep them engaged:

“Thanks for reaching out to XYZ Enterprise! We’ll reply to you shortly. In the meantime check our Help Center for an answer to your question there.”

Vacation Out Of Office Auto-Reply

If you’re a sole owner or running a small business, an informal auto-reply telling your customers that you're on vacation helps keep communication transparent.

“Hey, Anne here ! Thank you for your message, I’m on vacation till 25th October, but you can contact my colleague Jason at 000-000-0000 and he’ll be happy to help!”

Promotional Out of Office Auto-Reply

You can even direct customers to explore other products you offer till they wait for a reply:

“Thank you for contacting us. I’m currently out of the office and will get back to you within 24 hours. In the meantime, explore our products on [URL].”

Missed Calls

You can auto-respond to missed calls by letting customers know you've received their call and assure them you'll reach them back.

“Hi, this is John from XYZ Enterprise, sorry I missed your call. I’ll get back to you soon or you can schedule an appointment here: [URL]”

To improve customer service, you may want to send a personalized text to existing contacts:

“Hi Marc, this is John from XYZ Enterprise. Sorry, I missed your call but I’ll get back to you as soon as I get back to the office!”

Reaching Out

“Hey! Thank you for visiting the XYZ Enterprise website. When you visit us the next time, you can claim a 20% discount on your next purchase here: [URL]”

When a visitor first visits your website you can re-engage them to increase the chances of them converting into a customer. Offering an incentive is also a good way to create a sense of urgency.

Order Tracking Auto-Reply Updates

Apart from the generic auto-replies, it’s possible to set up text-to-join keywords with an SMS auto reply tool like Salesmsg. These are keywords that trigger a response after the customer texts a specific keyword. They are commonly used to take consent from customers to be sent text alerts regarding a shipment.

“Thank you for opting into text alerts from XYZ Enterprise. We’ll start sending you real-time updates on your package”

Sales and Product Offerings Auto Replies

“Hi, thanks for reaching out to our Sales team. One of our representatives will speak to you shortly. Till then view more details at our website: [URL]”

Welcome Messages

“Thank you for becoming part of the XYZ Text Club! You’ll start receiving all the news about our latest and greatest collection of products”

Welcome auto-replies can be a great way to make customers feel welcomed and start the relationship on the right foot.

Welcoming New Sign-ups

“Thanks for signing up with XYZ Enterprise! If you ever need any help with your account, don’t hesitate to contact our support team: 000-000-0000”

Welcome auto-replies can be an effective way to help customers feel welcomed and start the relationship on the right foot.

Welcoming Customers

“Thank you for your purchase! Remember to stay in touch and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any issues with your product.”

Thanking customers for purchasing from you is an easy way to engage with them. These welcome messages should be personalized to reassure the customer that customer support will be able to help them if the product doesn’t look or work as intended.

Customer Service

“Thank you for your question, one of our contact representatives will reach out to you shortly. Thanks for your patience.”

Once a customer sends you a message you need to be able to respond instantly, even if you can’t answer the question at that moment. This will assure the customer that you received their message and they can expect a reply back from you soon.

Contest Entry Confirmation

“Your answer has been submitted for the XYZ Enterprise Summer Competition. We’ll announce the lucky winners on Wednesday around 3:00 PM.”

Hosting SMS contests can be a smart way to gather an audience. Since these attract many participants, sending automatic responses to the contestants can save you headaches.

Customer Support

"Got an issue? No problem! a member of our support team will get back to you shortly. Thanks for your cooperation."

Sometimes, customers would reach out to your customer support team if they come across any issues with your service. Salesmsg allows you to create shared and private inboxes for your support team with the ability to auto-respond to incoming texts.

High-Volume Notifications

“Thank you for your message. We’re currently experiencing unusual amounts of traffic so we’ll try to get back to your request as soon as possible!”

Setting an automatic reply to customers during rush hours can help to take some of the load off your support team. It aids the support team in managing the overwhelming amount of calls and messages, as well as informing customers about the situation.

5 Auto Reply Text Best Practices to Maximize Conversions

1. Set Clear Expectations

Tell your customers why you may not be able to respond at the moment and when they can expect a reply. Don't keep your customers hanging with a vague response like: “We’ve received your message, please wait.” Be specific.

2. Be Specific

When creating your auto-reply texts try to be as specific as possible. You don’t want to confuse your customers and risk misunderstandings.

3. Provide Alternative Contact

If you receive incoming messages during off hours make sure to provide an alternative contact for customers to forward their needs. For example: if you’re unavailable to talk on the phone, direct them to your website to create a support ticket.

4. Include Enticing CTAs

At the end of your automated messages include CTAs to help guide the user on what to do. Include your website link or tell customers to visit your branch. Anything that creates a sense of urgency and prompts them to commit an action.

5. Personalize Your Automatic Replies

SMS is a personal medium of communication and helps you engage with customers better. To make your customers feel valued, personalize your automated messages and mention them by name or some other detail like the product they purchased from you.

Conclusion

Today customer communication is key to a better customer experience. Gartner Research states that due to growing competition 89% of businesses expect to compete on customer experience. Although timely responses to customers are important, many businesses may not be available 24/7 to respond to customer needs.

In this article, we learned how we can maintain constant customer communication with customers through auto-replies including how to auto-reply to customers with Salesmsg. By automating your response, an auto-reply text can be triggered whenever a customer contacts you.

You can set up auto-replies for your business with Salesmsg today! Get started with a 14-day free trial and enjoy flexible features and an easy-to-manage dashboard. Start driving more customers through SMS marketing.