Automated Replies Feature

How To Get Started

We're excited to introduce the new automated reply feature to CrowdConversations, designed to streamline your communication and ensure your members always receive a timely response. This tutorial will get you started with setting up various types of automated messages.

Step 1: Define Your Business Hours

Before setting up your automated replies, you'll need to define your business hours. This is crucial for replies based on whether an inbound message arrives within or outside your operational times.

1. Navigate to your account and select the option to edit the account.

If you are already on your account, you will need to navigate to this page and then simply click the name of the account on the new page to be shown the option to edit your account.

2. Add the hours when you are open.

For days you are closed, such as Saturday and Sunday, leave those days blank.

• Set your time zone on this page if you haven't already. This time zone will be used to correctly compare incoming message times against your defined business hours.

Step 2: Create and Manage Your Replies

Once business hours are set, you can begin adding your automated replies.

• You'll find automated replies either in the user dropdown or in the account navbar on the left.

• You will see an empty index where you can find and edit your replies.

  

There are several types of automated replies you can set up:

• Reply-now replies:

  These are given first priority when created. You can turn this reply off when it's no longer needed. A "reply all" (likely meaning "reply now" or a general immediate reply) will go to the top of the list, acknowledging the need for easy setup.

  

• Keyword replies:

  These allow you to define specific keywords. If an inbound message contains one of these keywords, the predefined message body will be sent. For example, if 'hours' is defined as a keyword, and someone asks "what are your hours?", your message detailing open times would be sent.

• Calendar date(s) replies:

  Ideal for holidays or specific days when a known event is occurring.

  

• Day and time replies:

  Perfect for recurring events, such as "every Monday 9 am-5 pm". This could also work for one-time events, like a maintenance window on a specific Thursday from 10 am to 4 pm. The message will be active during that specific time and stop sending once the work is complete, assuming the time aligns with completion.

• Business hour replies:

  These replies are triggered based on whether the message came in inside or outside of your defined business hours, depending on your selection (within or outside of business hours).

Understanding Reply Priority and Ranking

Instead of the system automatically choosing which message takes priority (e.g., after-hours on a holiday), we've implemented a ranking feature. This allows you and your team to determine which reply takes priority.

Use the bars indicated to drag and drop your automated replies based upon priority.

• A reply-now message, when created, will automatically go to the top of the list.

• If a message is not turned on, it will not be sent regardless of its rank.

• An option could be to have your reply-now message created but turned off, and ranked first, so that it only needs to be turned on when needed.

Important Note: Opt-Out Language

Please be aware that we are not automatically appending opt-out language to these messages. If you wish to include opt-out language (e.g., "Reply 'N' to opt out" as some companies frequently do), you will need to add it manually to your messages. The mechanism for handling opt-outs is already built; if anyone replies with "STOP," "OPTOUT," etc., they will be automatically marked as opted out and will no longer receive notifications.