Overview
The Business Hours Management System helps you define your team’s availability, automate responses, and streamline ticket handling across WhatsApp, Instagram, and Email. With this, you ensure your support team is efficient, customers are clearly informed, and no unnecessary tickets are created outside of your active hours.
Key Benefits
- Automatically respond to customer messages during non-working hours
- Prevent tickets getting routed to agents when your team is offline
- Customize business hours by either separate for each day or common hours
How to Set Business Hours in the Support Inbox
- Go to the Settings Page > Business Hours
- Toggle on the days your support team is available
- Select your working start and end times for each day
- Use the “Same working hours everyday” option if applicable
- Click Save to apply changes
📸 Refer to the attached screenshot for visual guidance.
How to Set the Outside Business Hours Message
- In the same Business Hours Page, click on the setting icon on top and go inside
- For each channel (WhatsApp, Instagram, Email), you can:
- Customize the subject and body of the message
- Use dynamic variables to include your working hours
- These messages are triggered when customers message you outside working hours
What is Message Frequency?
You can configure how often the Outside Business Hours message is sent:
- Once per ticket – Message is sent only the first time the customer tries to talk to an agent outside the business hours
- Every time – Message is sent every time the customer tries to talk to an agent outside the business hours
This helps balance customer communication without spamming.
What Happens When a Customer Tries to Reach an Agent Outside Business Hours?
For WhatsApp & Instagram (Bot Active):
- No agent ticket is created
- System sends the configured non-working hours message
- Chat remains a Bot Ticket
- Tags added:
- Outside_Business_Hours
- Agent_Talk_Requested (only once per ticket if agent request is detected)
- Entry points blocked:
- Direct user messages (e.g., “talk to an agent”)
- Bot fallback
- Flows with agent handoff
- Template messages offering agent chat
For Email or Bot-disabled WhatsApp/Instagram:
- A ticket is created with a “Outside_Business_Hours” tag
- No automated response is sent unless configured in the email settings
If no custom message is set, a default message will be sent:
“Our support team is currently unavailable as we are outside business hours. Please reach out during our working hours for assistance. Thank you for your patience!”
How Do Inactivity Timers Work With Business Hours?
Admins can choose how inactivity timers behave outside business hours:
- Pause Outside Hours – Timer stops during non-working hours (ideal for business-hour based SLAs)
- Run Continuously – Timer runs 24/7 (useful for always-on support)
Real-Life Scenarios
Scenario | What Happens |
Customer types “I need help” at 9 PM (outside hours) | WhatsApp bot replies with the non-working message, no ticket created, Agent_Talk_Requested & Outside_Business_Hours tag added to the ticket. |
Instagram flow routes to agent after hours | Agent chat blocked, fallback message sent |
Email received at 10 PM | Ticket is created with Outside_Business_Hours tag |
No business hours set | System assumes 24/7 availability – agent tickets are created anytime |
Points to Remember
- Setting up business hours ensures better team productivity, customer transparency, and automation control
- Holiday support coming soon!