WhatsApp BusinessWhatsApp's help page "How to use greeting messages" (read on 14 November 2026) says a greeting message is a customisable message that is sent automatically to customers when they first message you, and again when a customer messages you after 14 days of inactivity in their chat with you.
Setting it up
The page gives these steps: from the Tools tab tap Greeting message, turn on "Send greeting message", edit the text, then choose Recipients: everyone, everyone not in your address book, everyone except chosen contacts, or only chosen contacts. Then Save. Your device needs an internet connection to send greetings.
If it does not send
- Check recipients: "Only send to" or "Everyone except" may exclude the customer.
- Remember the 14-day rule: someone who wrote to you in the last 14 days will not get a greeting.
- The page says greetings are automatically turned off while Meta Business Agent is connected.
- Toggle the feature off and on, update the app and restart the phone.
Eight sample greetings
- Hello! Thank you for contacting ____. How can we help you today?
- Welcome to ____. We reply between ____ and ____. Please tell us what you need.
- Hi, this is ____. Are you looking for an order, a price or an appointment?
- Thank you for your message. We will reply as soon as we can. Our address is ____.
- Hello! For prices please send the item name. For orders please send your address.
- Welcome back! How can we help you this time?
- Thank you for writing to ____. Our shop is open ____ to ____.
- Hello, thank you for your interest. Please tell us your area and what you need.
Keep a greeting short; its job is to say "we got your message" and tell people what to send next. Read the quick replies guide for the next step.