KiliChat Help

Appearance

Automatic replies and opt-out keywords ​

Besides flows, KiliChat has simple automatic replies you can switch on in a minute. They're under Settings → Automation, in the Inbox automation card. Everyone can see these settings; only admins can change them. Click Save changes after editing.

How do I set up a welcome message? ​

  1. Go to Settings → Automation.
  2. Turn on Welcome message ("Greet new contacts automatically during working hours").
  3. Write your message in the Welcome message box. It starts as "Welcome! How can we help you today?".
  4. Click Save changes.

When is the welcome message sent? ​

  • Only to a new contact: someone sending their very first message to this number. Contacts you imported count as new until they write.
  • Only during working hours (see below). A new contact who writes after hours gets the off-hours reply instead, if it's on.
  • Only if no flow handles the message. If a flow starts (for example one set to A new contact messages for the first time), the welcome message isn't sent.

How do I set up an off-hours reply? ​

  1. First set your hours under Settings → Working hours: the Time zone (for India, Asia/Kolkata), and for each day whether you're open and from what time to what time.
  2. Click Save hours.
  3. Go to Settings → Automation, turn on Off-hours reply ("Let people know you're away when they message outside working hours").
  4. Write the Off-hours message. It starts as "We're closed right now and will reply when we're back."
  5. Click Save changes.

Save your working hours first

The Working hours tab shows Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 6 PM, as a starting point. These hours are not used until you click Save hours. Until then, KiliChat treats you as always open, so the off-hours reply never goes out.

When is the off-hours reply sent? ​

  • When someone messages outside your working hours, or on a day marked Closed.
  • At most once every 12 hours per chat, however many messages they send.
  • Only if no flow handles the message.

TIP

Tell people when you'll be back: "Thanks for messaging Lakshmi Silks! We're closed now and open again at 10 AM. Leave your question and we'll reply first thing."

How do opt-out keywords work? ​

When a customer sends an opt-out keyword, KiliChat:

  1. Marks them as opted out.
  2. Stops any flow running for them.
  3. Replies: "You have been unsubscribed. Reply START to subscribe again."

Opted-out contacts don't get broadcasts, sequences or templates, and bots stop replying to them. Your team can still chat with them in the inbox if they write in.

The keywords are STOP and UNSUBSCRIBE to begin with.

How do I change the opt-out keywords? ​

  1. Go to Settings → Automation.
  2. Edit Opt-out keywords. Separate them with commas, like STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, NIRUTHU, BAND.
  3. Click Save changes.

The whole message must be the keyword: "stop" or "STOP" works, but "please stop sending offers" doesn't. Capitals don't matter.

How does someone opt back in? ​

If an opted-out customer sends START, KiliChat subscribes them again and replies "You are subscribed again." The opt-in keyword is always START; it can't be changed in Settings.

Your team can also opt someone back in from the Contacts page, but only do that if the customer asked. See Contacts.

Can I use a flow instead of these automatic replies? ​

Yes, and flows can do much more (buttons, questions, hand-over). Use a flow triggered by A new contact messages for the first time instead of the welcome message, or a flow on keywords like hi. Don't use both for the same thing, or customers may get confusing double replies. See Start a flow.

Off-hours replies have no flow equivalent, so keep using the setting for those. Note that if a flow handles a message out of hours, the off-hours reply isn't sent.

What other inbox automation is in Settings? ​

The same card also has Round-robin assignment, Mark chats "Waiting on customer" when we reply, Automatic status changes and a Reply deadline (minutes). These organise your team's inbox rather than reply to customers. See the inbox guide.

Do automatic replies cost anything? ​

No. They answer a message the customer just sent, so they're inside the free 24-hour window.