As a business, you want to be there for your customers around the clock. But realistically, it’s impossible to be available to your customers at all times, even with a fast tool like business texting. Auto replies, a message automatically sent in response to a customer texting you, can help you manage customer expectations when you’re unavailable. Here are 18 auto-reply examples, sorted by use case, and a quick explanation of how automated replies work in the Textline app.

Customer support auto-reply text message examples

Customers want a reply right away, even if a customer service team is out of the office or unavailable. Setting up automatic reply messages lets customers know that you received their message, and they can expect a reply within whatever time frame you give them. Here are some auto reply text message examples for your customer service department to use.

1. Out of office: Outside business hours 

Thanks for contacting Riley’s Sporting Goods! Our business hours are Monday to Friday 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. We will reply to messages within business hours. 

2. Out of office: Holiday hours 

Betsy’s Cookies are closed for the winter holidays. We will reopen our stores on Monday, January 3 at 11 a.m. 

3. The message was received and in the queue 

Thank you for contacting Divya’s Support Team. We got your message and will respond to you within 12 minutes. 

4. Alternative contact options: Phone

5. Alternative contact options: Website

Thanks for reaching out to the team at Meadows Marketing! We are currently out of the office and will be back on July 6. For self-service, please visit our help center: www.meadowmarketing.com/helpcenter/. 

6. Frequently asked questions

Thanks for contacting Eve’s Flower Garden. For questions regarding floral care, please visit our FAQ: evesfloralgarden/faqs/

7. Request more information from a lead

Thanks for contacting Dino’s support team. Please text us your order number, and the email used to place your order.

8. Direct customer support conversations

Hi 👋 you’ve reached Gigi Jewelry. What can we help you with?

1. Product questions

2. Jewelry care

3. Order update

4. Returns or exchanges

Or reply to this text for any other questions/concerns!

Sales and marketing auto-reply text message examples

In sales and marketing, you want to reply to a lead quickly to retain their interest in your product or service. Companies that attempt to reach a new lead within an hour are seven times likelier to have a sincere conversation with decision-makers than those who wait even 60 minutes. 

You can use automated replies to text back leads (and customers) immediately to ensure you don’t leave them hanging. Consider using these auto-reply examples for your sales and marketing teams.

9. Out of office: Sales representatives‍‍

10. Gather more information on a lead

Thanks for reaching out to Glendale Vending Solutions! To better serve you, can you please provide us with your name, company size, and website?

11. Customers text in to gather more information

Thank you for texting into Rev Spa. 🧖‍♀️ We are currently offering a monthly pass for $99 facials. Text us back here to schedule an appointment, or call us at 555-456-0943.

12. Direct sales conversations

Hey, there! You’ve reached the sales department at Capybara HR. Please make a selection below:

1. Request a demo

2. Learn more about our Employee Engagement platform

3. Other

Logistics and operations auto-reply text message examples

Logistics and operations understand that efficient processes are vital in handling business and meeting metrics. Sending automated text replies can help your logistics and operations teams manage messages without sacrificing time. Take a look at some of our auto-reply examples for logistics and operations to give you an idea of how you can do that. 

13. Delivery delays

14. Confirming a sign-up

Thanks for confirming your subscription to the Hollow News daily newsletter! We text out condensed news stories once per day. Please note, we do not reply to messages here. To reach us, you can shoot us an email at editors@hollownews.com.

Medical businesses auto-reply text message examples

Medical businesses constantly deal with messages of a similar nature, like sending out a prescription refill request, but the responses still need to be tailored to each customer. With auto-replies, you can send out automated messages while retaining personalization with variable fields. Below are examples of auto-replies for medical businesses to give you an idea of how to use them.

15. Direct emergencies to 911

You’ve reached the Ronda Pregnancy Resource Center outside of service hours of Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. We will respond to your text inquiry the next business day. For emergencies, please call 911. 

16. Providing information

All patients eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine will need to schedule an appointment online. For more information, visit www.stmarysclinic.com/covid19/vaccinations/.  

17. Message received

18. ‍Direct patient conversations

Thank you for contacting St. Mary’s Clinic. Please reply with the number related to your inquiry so that we can better serve you.

1. Scheduling 

2. Billing

3. Medical records

4. Other

Best practices for sending automated replies

If you want to come up with original automated reply templates, here are some best practices to keep in mind:

1. Introduce yourself or your business
2. Be specific but concise
3. Set proper time expectations (i.e., we’ll respond within 12 hours)
4. Provide an alternative form of communication for urgent issues
5. Make sure replies apply to the customer’s needs (i.e., the response is about returns if a customer is reaching out about a return)

How to set up auto-reply text messages

Auto-reply messages are triggered in response to whatever conditions you set for them. Your conditions can be as simple or complex as you want them to be. For example, you can set a condition to send an auto-reply after 15 minutes if an agent hasn’t replied to a text message. Or you can select the conditions to shoot out a text response if a customer uses a specific phrase or word. 

You can learn more about automated responses in our Textline Help Center or text us at +1 415-849-4349.