Out of Office lets you send automatic messages to customers during specific time ranges—like weekends or after-hours—when human support isn't available. This only works for WhatsApp and only triggers for conversations in "Open" status (transferred to humans).

Out of office messages are sent when all three conditions are met: the channel is WhatsApp, the conversation status is "Open" (transferred to a human agent), and the customer messages during your configured out of office time range.

Understanding when it triggers matters. If a customer messages the AI on WhatsApp on Saturday at 3 PM, and the AI can't help so it transfers the conversation to "Open" inbox, and the customer messages again on Saturday at 4 PM, and you have out of office configured for weekends, then the message is sent. But if the AI answers successfully and the conversation stays in "Automated" status, no out of office message is sent—the AI is available 24/7.

Out of office is sent once per conversation maximum. If a conversation is "Open" on Saturday and the customer sends their first message, out of office is sent. If that same customer sends 5 more messages throughout the day, no additional messages are sent. This prevents spamming customers with the same auto-reply.

📸 [Image: Screenshot showing example of out of office trigger conditions]

Creating an out of office message involves configuring both the time range and the message content.

On the left side, you configure the time range. Give the rule a title for internal use (like "Weekend Coverage" or "After Hours"). Select which days this rule applies—you can choose specific days (Monday, Tuesday, etc.) or multiple days (Monday-Friday, Saturday-Sunday). Then set the time range: toggle "Entire Day" ON to apply for full 24 hours, or set specific hours with a start and finish time.

Example time ranges: Monday-Friday 6:00 PM to 8:00 AM (after-hours on weekdays), Saturday-Sunday entire day (full weekends), or Monday-Friday 8:00 PM to 11:59 PM (late evenings only).

📸 [Image: Screenshot showing time range configuration with day selection and hour inputs]

On the right side, you write the out of office message customers will receive. Good out of office messages acknowledge the customer's message, set expectations for response time, and provide alternative contact methods if applicable.

Examples: "Thanks for reaching out! Our support team is currently offline for the weekend. We'll respond to your message on Monday during business hours (9 AM - 6 PM). For urgent issues, please call [phone number]." Or: "Thank you for contacting us! Our team has left for the day and will respond to your message tomorrow morning (9 AM - 6 PM). We appreciate your patience!"

📸 [Image: Screenshot showing message content field with example]

You can create multiple out of office rules for different time ranges. For example, rule 1 for Monday-Friday 6:00 PM to 8:00 AM (weekday nights) and rule 2 for Saturday-Sunday entire day (weekends).

The critical requirement: time ranges cannot overlap. Overlapping schedules will cause errors. Don't create rule 1 for Monday-Friday 5:00 PM to 9:00 AM and rule 2 for every day 6:00 PM to 7:00 AM—these overlap Monday-Friday from 6-7 AM. Instead, create rule 1 for Monday-Friday 6:00 PM to 8:00 AM and rule 2 for Saturday-Sunday entire day with no overlap.

📸 [Image: Screenshot showing multiple out of office rules configured without overlaps]

Out of office only sends for conversations that have been transferred to human agents (showing in "Open" inbox section). If your AI is handling conversations successfully (status: "Automated"), customers won't receive out of office messages even during your configured hours. This is intentional—the AI is available 24/7. Only when a conversation has been escalated to humans and is waiting in your Open inbox does the out of office message apply.

Each conversation receives the out of office message maximum one time. On Saturday 10 AM, a conversation opens and the customer messages, out of office is sent. Saturday 2 PM, same customer messages again, no message (already sent). Saturday 8 PM, same customer messages again, no message (already sent).

Set realistic expectations in your message. Tell customers when they'll hear back, not just that you're away. Instead of "We're currently unavailable. We'll get back to you soon," say "Our team is offline until Monday at 9 AM. We'll respond then!"

Provide alternatives for urgent issues if you have emergency support options. For example: "Our chat support is offline for the weekend. For urgent order issues, call us at +1-555-0123 (available 24/7)."

Match your actual availability—don't promise responses you can't deliver. If your team starts work at 9 AM but doesn't check WhatsApp until 10 AM, say "We'll respond after 10 AM" not "9 AM."

Keep messages friendly. Out of office messages are still part of your customer experience. Instead of "Support is unavailable. Your message is queued," try "Thanks for reaching out! We're away for the weekend but we'll get back to you first thing Monday morning!"

Test your time ranges after setting up. Transfer a test conversation to "Open," message during your configured out of office hours, and verify the message sends correctly.

Standard business hours coverage: Monday-Friday 6:00 PM to 9:00 AM, Saturday-Sunday entire day. Message: "Our support team is currently offline. We're available Monday-Friday, 9 AM - 6 PM. We'll respond to your message during our next business hours!"

Weekend-only coverage: Saturday-Sunday entire day. Message: "Thanks for your message! Our team takes weekends off to recharge. We'll respond on Monday morning. For urgent issues, please email [email protected]."

Holiday coverage: December 24-26 entire day. Message: "Happy Holidays! Our team is celebrating with family. We'll be back on December 27th and will respond to all messages then. Thank you for your patience!"

⚠️ Out of office not sending: Verify the conversation is in "Open" status (not "Automated" or "Closed"). Check that the time range matches when the customer is messaging. Confirm the channel is WhatsApp (doesn't work for other channels). Verify time ranges don't have conflicts.

⚠️ Customer received message multiple times: This shouldn't happen (maximum once per conversation). Check if multiple different conversations were opened—each new conversation gets one out of office message.

⚠️ Can't create new out of office rule: Check for overlapping time ranges with existing rules. Adjust times to eliminate any overlap between rules.

⚠️ Message sent during business hours: Review your time range configuration carefully. Check your timezone settings to ensure they match your actual location.

⚠️ Want different messages for different channels: Not possible—out of office only works for WhatsApp. For other channels, configure handover messages in Deploy settings (article 2.7).

→ 4.9 Blocked Contacts — manage customers you've blocked from your inbox