After-hours auto-replies
After-hours auto-replies are automatic messages sent when a customer writes while the business is closed. In the minimal version they state the opening hours and response times, managing expectations; in AI-powered implementations the assistant actually answers questions, collects the request and books appointments, leaving the agents only what requires human intervention on return.
After hours is chat's natural gap: customers write when they have time, often in the evening and on weekends, while the business replies when it's open. Leaving silence means losing the window of interest, especially on sales inquiries, where the customer meanwhile writes to a competitor. The minimal auto-reply states hours and response times; the evolved one actually takes charge of the request.
With an AI assistant, after hours stops being a stopgap: the assistant answers questions about products, prices and availability, books appointments by checking the calendar, collects the data of complex requests and leaves them ready for the team. On return, agents find conversations already advanced instead of a queue of unanswered messages. Transparency remains important: the customer must understand they're talking to an assistant.
With SendApp, the AI assistant covers after-hours by actually replying: it gives information, books appointments and collects requests, and on return the team finds conversations already handled or ready for action.
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From theory to practice
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