Why you should set up an automated response on Facebook for your business (and how to do it in 5 minutes)

If you’ve been running your business’ social media for a while, you know by now that immediate responses are crucial, but they aren’t always possible. An automated response can help when you’re overwhelmed with messages, or if it’s 3 am and no one is available to respond. 

What is an automated response?

It’s a tool that allows you to reply to messages on Meta platforms (like Facebook and Instagram) in a specific time frame. It’s helpful for businesses and their social media managers because it allows them to respond to new people who are reaching out to them while they’re away. 

Automated responses will help you:

• Establish trust and credibility by making sure your message gets delivered, even when you’re not at the office.
• Save time by delivering pre-written answers automatically, in real time, with no effort on your part.
• Engage with potential clients while they are already thinking about doing business with you.
• Warmly welcome your customers with a message assuring them that you’ll get back to their enquiry. 

When you choose to send a default automated message, it will be the first response your business will send out to customers who contact you through your social media page. 

Here’s an example of what it looks like:

Hi [first_name], thanks for reaching out! We’re currently away right now but we’ll get back to you as soon as we return. 

We are open Monday – Saturday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm For enquiries, you may check out our FAQs on our website here > [link]

By sending an automated response to your email, you let potential customers know that their message was received. It also lets them know that you will get back to them when you are able to. This is often what people want to hear, rather than no response at all. Automated responses set expectations and help direct people to another channel or platform. You could use an automated response to direct people to an FAQ page.

Here’s how to set up automated responses according to Meta

Start by going to your Inbox on Meta Business Suite desktop.

1. Click Automated Responses.

1. Review the type of automated responses available, and click on the dropdown menu to expand your options. You can:
   1. Create your own:
      1. Click Custom keywords.
      2. Create a name for your automated response.
      3. Select whether you want to send the automated response on Messenger, Instagram, or both.
      4. Add up to 5 keywords or phrases. Remember, when someone uses any of these keywords or phrases in a message to your business, they’ll get an automatic response.
      5. Select the timing for when you want to send the automated message. Remember, this is the amount of time after someone sends you a message that they’ll receive that automated response.
      6. Customize your automated message with text, photos, videos, buttons and personalization.
      7. Preview how the message will look on the right.
      8. Click Save.
   2. Use suggested presets
      1. Click one of the preset automated responses. Learn more about these suggestions.
      2. Follow the instructions on the following screens to set up the automated response.
      3. Preview how the automated response will look on the right.
      4. Click Save.

Your automated response will now be turned on and begin sending immediately when triggered according to the person’s individual settings. To turn it off, go to Suggested presets and click on the type of automated response you want to turn off. Then, click the toggle button at the top to turn it off. You can edit any automated response by clicking on it from the menu.

Voila! You’ve got an automated responder that’s there for you when you need it. 

But of course, you can’t rely on automatic responders alone. Remember, an automated response is great, but not if it’s your only response resource. Customers will need to talk to a 100% human representative if they want to feel heard and continue doing business with your brand. 

Hiring a Community Manager is the best solution if you’re under the pump with messages coming left and right (which is a good thing!) Our Community Managers give you what autoresponders can’t- we empathise with your customers and provide them with personalised real time solutions. Get in touch with our team of expert Community Managers today.