WhatsApp Business Greeting and Away Messages: 40 Examples for Indian Businesses

A good WhatsApp greeting message does three things in two or three lines: it confirms the customer reached the right business, tells them what you can help with, and says when a person will reply. A good away message says you are closed, gives the exact time you will be back, and offers one useful thing the customer can do now, such as a link to prices or a booking page. Everything below is written to that standard and can be copied, edited and pasted into the WhatsApp Business app or your WhatsApp CRM.

If you are still deciding between the free app and the API, read our comparison of the WhatsApp Business app and the WhatsApp Business API first, because the two handle automatic messages very differently.

How greeting and away messages actually work

The practical point: on the app, the greeting is a one-shot text. On the API, the welcome is the first step of a small conversation, so it should end with choices, not with a paragraph.

Five rules before you copy anything

• Three lines maximum. Most people read the greeting in the notification preview. Anything below the fold is lost.
• Give a time, not a promise. "We reply within 30 minutes between 10 am and 7 pm" beats "We'll get back to you soon".
• One next step. A link, a button or a question. Not four of each.
• No discount in the greeting unless you are sure you want every enquiry, including existing customers, to expect one.
• Match how you speak. A kirana store and a law firm should not sound the same. Emoji are fine when your brand uses them; one is enough.

Greeting messages by business type

Retail shop or showroom

1. Namaste! Thanks for messaging Sharma Electronics. Tell us the product or model you're looking for and we'll share price and stock within 20 minutes (10 am to 8 pm).
2. Hi! You've reached [Store Name], [Area]. Send a photo or name of what you need and we'll check availability for you. Store timings: 10:30 am to 9 pm, Tuesday closed.
3. Welcome to [Store Name]. For today's prices reply PRICE, for store location reply MAP, or just type your question.

D2C brand or online store

4. Hi, thanks for writing to [Brand]! For order status, share your order number. For product questions, just ask. We reply within an hour, 9 am to 9 pm.
5. Hey! This is [Brand] support. Order issue, return or product advice? Tell us in one message and a real person will reply shortly.
6. Welcome to [Brand]. Browse the full range here: [link]. Need help choosing a size? Send your usual size in any brand and we'll suggest ours.

Clinic or diagnostic centre

7. Hello, thank you for contacting [Clinic Name]. To book an appointment, share the patient's name, preferred doctor and date. For emergencies, please call [number] instead of messaging.
8. Welcome to [Lab Name]. For home sample collection, send your area pin code and preferred time. Reports are shared on this number once ready.
9. Namaste. This is the front desk of Dr. [Name]'s clinic. OPD timings: 10 am to 1 pm and 5 pm to 8 pm. Please share your query and we will respond within OPD hours.

For clinics, the emergency line matters. A patient in distress should never wait on a WhatsApp queue. See our guide to WhatsApp for clinics and hospitals for the full setup.

Coaching institute or school

10. Hi, thanks for your interest in [Institute]. Which course are you asking about? Reply 1 for JEE, 2 for NEET, 3 for Foundation. Our counsellor will call you back today.
11. Welcome to [School Name]. For admissions 2026-27, reply ADMISSION. For fee queries, reply FEES. For anything else, type your question.

Agency, consultant or B2B

12. Hi, thanks for reaching out to [Agency]. Share a line about your business and what you need, and we'll reply with next steps within the working day.
13. Hello, you've reached [Firm Name]. For a quote, please send your requirement, quantity and delivery city. Our sales team replies Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm.
14. Thanks for messaging [Name] from [Company]. I'm usually in meetings till 4 pm; I'll reply personally after that. If it's urgent, write URGENT and my team will pick it up.

Restaurant or cloud kitchen

15. Hi! Welcome to [Restaurant]. Menu: [link]. To order for delivery, send your items and address. Table booking? Tell us date, time and number of guests.
16. Thanks for messaging [Cloud Kitchen]. We deliver 12 pm to 11 pm within 5 km of [Area]. Reply MENU for today's specials.

Salon, spa or gym

17. Hello! Welcome to [Salon]. To book, share service, preferred date and time. We'll confirm the slot within 15 minutes during working hours.
18. Hi, thanks for your interest in [Gym]. Want a free trial session? Reply TRIAL with your preferred timing and we'll book you in.

Real estate

19. Hi, thanks for your interest in [Project Name]. Reply 1 for 2 BHK details, 2 for 3 BHK, 3 to book a site visit. Our advisor will call within the hour.
20. Hello, this is [Agent Name], [City]. Tell me your budget, preferred area and buy or rent, and I'll share matching options today.

Away messages that don't annoy people

The away message is where most businesses lose goodwill, because "We are currently unavailable" tells the customer nothing. Every away message should state when you're back and what they can do now.

21. Thanks for your message! We're closed right now and will reply at 10 am tomorrow. Meanwhile, prices and timings are here: [link].
22. Hi, our team is offline for the night. Your message is saved and you'll hear from us first thing after 9:30 am.
23. We're closed on Sundays. We'll reply on Monday morning. For order tracking any time, use [tracking link].
24. Thanks for writing in! We're on a festive break till [date] and will reply on [date]. Orders placed on the website are still being accepted.
25. Hello, the clinic is closed now. For emergencies, please call [number] or visit the nearest hospital. For appointments, we'll reply at 9 am.
26. Our support hours are 10 am to 7 pm, Monday to Saturday. Your query is in line and will be answered in order. You don't need to send it again.
27. Hi! We're at lunch until 2:30 pm. Leave your question and we'll pick it up right after.
28. Thanks for reaching out on a public holiday. We'll be back on [day]. If this is about a pending delivery, it's still on its way; couriers work today.

Line 26, "You don't need to send it again", cuts down the repeat "hello?? hello??" messages that bury a queue by morning.

Quick replies you'll use every day

Quick replies are saved answers you insert with a shortcut. These cover most of the repeated questions small businesses get.

29. /price - Here's our current price list: [link]. Prices include GST. Want me to check a specific item?
30. /location - We're at [address]. Google Maps: [link]. Parking is available [where].
31. /timings - We're open [days], [hours]. Closed on [day].
32. /payment - We accept UPI, cards and cash. For online orders, you can pay via this link: [link].
33. /delivery - We deliver in [city] in [x] days. Delivery is free above Rs [amount]; below that it's Rs [amount].
34. /return - You can return unused items within [x] days. Share your order number and a photo, and we'll arrange pickup.
35. /thanks - Thank you for choosing [Business]! If you have a minute, a Google review helps us a lot: [link].
36. /followup - Hi [name], just checking whether you had a chance to look at the quote we sent. Happy to answer any questions.
37. /busy - Got your message! I'm with a customer right now and will reply within 15 minutes.
38. /escalate - I'm sorry about this. I've passed it to our manager, [name], who will call you today before [time].
39. /docs - Please share clear photos of: 1) [document], 2) [document]. PDF is fine too.
40. /closing - Glad we could help! If anything else comes up, just message here.

For the review request in /thanks, timing matters more than wording. Our Google review collection guide covers when to ask.

Setting them up

On the WhatsApp Business app

Open Settings, then Business tools. Greeting message, Away message and Quick replies are all there. For the away message, choose "Outside of business hours" and set your hours in the business profile first, otherwise the schedule has nothing to follow. Send yourself a message from another phone to test the greeting, because it only fires for a new or long-silent chat.

On the WhatsApp Business Platform

On the API there is no built-in greeting setting; your provider's automation handles it. In a WhatsApp CRM such as ZupiChat, you would set a welcome rule for new contacts, an out-of-hours rule tied to your team's working hours, and saved replies that every agent in the shared inbox can use. Because the welcome goes out inside the customer service window the customer just opened, it can carry buttons, which makes routing much cleaner than asking people to type 1, 2 or 3. Our WhatsApp auto-reply setup guide walks through the rules step by step.

Common mistakes

• Greeting that repeats every time. On the API, fire the welcome only for new contacts or after a long gap, or regular customers will hate it.
• Away message during working hours. A wrong time zone or a forgotten holiday schedule makes you look closed when you're open.
• Menu with eight options. Three or four choices get tapped; eight get ignored.
• Promising what nobody delivers. "Reply in 5 minutes" with one person handling 200 chats a day will backfire within a week.
• No human exit. Every automated menu needs a "talk to a person" option.

The short version

• Greeting: who you are, what you help with, when a person will reply, one next step.
• Away: when you're back, exactly, plus one thing the customer can do now.
• Quick replies: write one for every question you answer more than a few times a week.
• On the API, turn the welcome into buttons and always keep a route to a human.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the WhatsApp Business app send a greeting message?

The WhatsApp Business app sends the greeting when a customer messages you for the first time, or when they message you after 14 days or more with no conversation. It does not fire on every message, so it cannot replace a proper auto-reply or chatbot for businesses that get repeat queries from the same people.

Can I use buttons in a greeting message?

Not in the free WhatsApp Business app, where greeting and away messages are plain text. On the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) through a provider, your welcome reply can include quick-reply buttons or a list menu, because it is sent as a normal message inside the customer service window the customer just opened.

Should the greeting message be in Hindi or English?

Use the language your customers write in. Many Indian businesses do well with a short English greeting plus one line in Hindi or the local language, or with a button that lets the customer pick a language. Keep it short either way: a long bilingual block is skipped, not read.

Does an away message count as a reply for response-time purposes?

It tells the customer you received the message, which reduces repeat pings, but customers still judge you by when a real answer arrives. Treat the away message as an expectation-setter with a specific time, not as the answer. If you promise 10 am, someone must actually reply by 10 am.

How many quick replies should a small business create?

Start with the eight to twelve questions you answer most often: price, location, timings, delivery, payment modes, return policy and booking. Look at a week of chats and write a quick reply for anything asked more than a few times. More than 30 quick replies usually means nobody remembers the shortcuts.