Summary
Wati includes 2 ready-to-use built-in automation rules that help you instantly respond to incoming WhatsApp messages - one for welcome messages and another for out-of-office replies. In this article, you’ll learn how each rule works, when it gets triggered, and what it does, so you can stay responsive and manage customer conversations with confidence.
Instructions
Introduction to built-in (default) rules
When you sign up with Wati, you’ll find two built-in rules already set up in your account:
WA Out of Office Rule
WA Welcome Message Rule
These rules are designed to automatically respond to incoming messages based on whether they arrive during or outside of your working hours.
Note: To create or manage rules in Wati, go to Automations and click on Rules.
Important
The two built-in rules - WA Out of Office and WA Welcome Message - are free to use and come pre-configured in your Wati account.
By default the status of these rules is set to Off. If you want to use them, you can turn the status On.
You can click on Working hours setting to adjust your business hours as needed.
Welcome and Out-of-Office rules now support all incoming message types
Welcome Message and Out of Office rules use the New WhatsApp message is received trigger. This trigger now runs for all types of incoming messages, not just plain text.
As a result, customers who start a conversation by sending a image, voice note, or document can now receive your welcome or out-of-office reply.
To make either rule respond only to text messages:
Go to Automation > Rules and open the rule.
Click Add a Filter, or click Edit on the existing filter block.
Under Filter by, select Incoming message contains media.
Select Does not contain media.
Save the rule.
Modifying or customizing built-in rules
You can customize the message content in these rules, but other settings (like triggers or filters) cannot be changed. You cannot delete built-in rules either.
If you need more flexibility, you can create new custom rules. These will be charged based on your usage.
1. WA Out of Office Rule
This rule helps you handle messages that arrive outside your defined working hours.
When is it triggered?
The rule is triggered when a new WhatsApp message is received and all the following conditions are met:
Timestamp is not within your defined working hours
The contact initiates a new chat
No keyword rules match the message
Note: Click on Working hours setting to adjust your business hours as needed.
What actions does it take?
Once triggered, the rule sends the configured response. You should see the following configuration under Action.
Under Action Type you will see - Send Message
Under Message Type, the reply is sent as Text.
Under Choose from library you will see - WA Out of Office message.
Example use case: When the Out of Office Rule is used
Scenario: Your support team works from 09:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday. A customer sends a WhatsApp message on Saturday at 14:30 asking about order tracking.
What happens: The WA Out of Office Rule is triggered because the message arrives outside your working hours. The customer receives an automatic reply like:
"Thanks for reaching out! Our team is currently offline. We’re available Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18:00. We’ll get back to you as soon as we’re back online."
This keeps the customer informed and sets expectations without requiring a live agent.
2. WA Welcome Message Rule
This rule is for sending automated welcome messages when a contact reaches out during your working hours.
When is it triggered?
The rule is triggered when a new WhatsApp message is received and all the following conditions are met:
Timestamp is within your defined working hours
The contact initiates a new chat
No keyword rules match the message
Note: Click on Working hours setting to adjust your business hours as needed.
What actions does it take?
Once triggered, the rule sends the configured response. You should see the following configuration under Action.
Under Action Type you will see - Send Message
Under Message Type, the reply is sent as Text.
Under Choose from library you will see - WA Welcome message.
These default rules ensure timely and relevant responses without manual effort. You can customize these rules or add new ones as needed to better suit your business needs.
Example use case: When the Welcome Message Rule is used
Scenario: A new customer messages your business on Tuesday at 10:00, during your working hours, asking about your product features.
What happens: The WA Welcome Message Rule is triggered because the message arrives during working hours, and it’s a new chat. The customer receives an automatic welcome message like:
"Hi there! 👋 Thanks for contacting us. One of our team members will get back to you shortly. In the meantime, feel free to check out our FAQs here: [link]"
This helps make a good first impression while the customer waits for a live response.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General Overview
1. What built-in automation rules are available in Wati?
Wati provides two built-in automation rules: WA Out of Office Rule and WA Welcome Message Rule. These rules automatically respond to incoming WhatsApp messages based on whether the messages arrive during or outside defined working hours.
2. Are the built-in WA Out of Office and WA Welcome Message rules free?
Yes. The WA Out of Office Rule and WA Welcome Message Rule are free to use and come pre-configured in Wati accounts.
3. Are the built-in rules enabled by default?
No. The WA Out of Office Rule and WA Welcome Message Rule are set to Off by default. You must turn a rule On to use it.
4. How can I adjust the working hours used by the built-in rules?
Click Working hours setting to adjust your business hours. The WA Out of Office Rule uses these hours to determine when a message arrives outside working hours, while the WA Welcome Message Rule uses them to determine when a message arrives during working hours.
Message Types
5. Do the Welcome Message and Out of Office rules work with messages other than text?
Yes. The New WhatsApp message is received trigger used by the Welcome Message and Out of Office rules now runs for all types of incoming messages, including images, voice notes, and documents.
6. How can I make the Welcome Message or Out of Office rule respond only to text messages?
Open the rule under Automation > Rules, then add or edit a filter. Under Filter by, select Incoming message contains media, choose Does not contain media, and save the rule.
WA Out of Office Rule
7. When is the WA Out of Office Rule triggered?
The WA Out of Office Rule is triggered when all of the following conditions are met:
A new WhatsApp message is received.
The message timestamp is outside the defined working hours.
The contact initiates a new chat.
No keyword rules match the message.
8. What does the WA Out of Office Rule do when it is triggered?
The WA Out of Office Rule sends the configured response as a text message. Its default action uses the WA Out of Office message from the library.
WA Welcome Message Rule
9. When is the WA Welcome Message Rule triggered?
The WA Welcome Message Rule is triggered when all of the following conditions are met:
A new WhatsApp message is received.
The message timestamp is within the defined working hours.
The contact initiates a new chat.
No keyword rules match the message.
10. What does the WA Welcome Message Rule do when it is triggered?
The WA Welcome Message Rule sends the configured response as a text message. Its default action uses the WA Welcome message from the library.
Customization
11. Can I customize or delete the built-in automation rules?
You can customize the message content of the built-in rules, but you cannot change their triggers or filters. You also cannot delete the built-in rules. If you need more flexibility, you can create custom rules, which are charged based on usage.