Configuring messaging responses and business hours

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<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">If you add an AI agent to your messaging channel, the messaging response is deactivated and replaced by the AI agent'sstandard responses.</p>
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<div class="p">
<div class="note attention">
<span class="attentiontitle"></span> The messaging response is available on all plans. Business hours are
available on all plans except Team.</div>
Your customers' first interaction with
your business is important. You can customize the default messaging response that greets
your customers in the Web Widget or mobile channel. You can apply a schedule to set
business hours for your messaging channel, if you'd like, then configure different
responses for during business hours and outside of business hours.</div>
<p class="p">If you add an AI agent to your messaging channel, the messaging response is deactivated
and replaced by the AI agent's <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8774095741466" target="_blank">standard responses</a>. </p>
<p class="p">This article contains the following sections:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="messaging_widget_responses__ul_d2c_n3p_xbc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_nxy_njd_btb">About the messaging
response</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_kzg_ync_gnb">Setting the messaging response and business hours schedule</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_nxy_njd_btb">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">About the messaging response</h2>
<div class="body">
<div class="p">The default messaging response is activated when a customer launches the Web Widget.
The messaging response includes: <ul class="ul" id="topic_nxy_njd_btb__ul_erp_y3p_xbc">
<li class="li">Basic greeting for customers </li>
<li class="li">Request for information about their support needs </li>
<li class="li">Message letting the customer know they’re being connected to a live
agent</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p class="p">Without any configuration, the default messaging response appears to end users as
follows.</p>
<img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_nxy_njd_btb__image_lby_vqd_btb" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/default_messaging_response_name.png" width="350">
<p class="p">Behind the scenes, agents are notified that a support request has been received, and
they can accept the request and begin responding to the conversation.</p>
<p class="p">You can apply a schedule to the messaging response so that you can set different
responses during business hours and outside of business hours. Otherwise you can set
one message that will always be sent.</p>
<p class="p">If you want to add an AI agent to your channel, you can do that at the bottom of the
Responses section, instead of setting the messaging response. In that case, the
messaging response is deactivated and replaced by the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8774095741466" target="_blank">AI agent's standard responses</a>. </p>
<p class="p">The default messaging response does not support automatic translation or dynamic
content in custom ticket fields, so to use those features you should add an AI
agent.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_kzg_ync_gnb">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Setting the messaging response and business hours schedule</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">The default messaging response includes a basic greeting for customers, a request for
information about their support needs, and a message letting them know they’re being
connected to an agent. </p>
<p class="p">You can apply a <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408842938522" target="_blank">schedule you've created</a> so that you can set different
responses during business hours and outside of business hours. If you do not apply a
schedule, customers receive the same response regardless of the time or day they
contact you in your messaging channel.</p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To customize the messaging response and set a schedule</strong></p>
<div class="p">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_kzg_ync_gnb__customizeresponse">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_kzg_ync_gnb__image_tkl_qkz_gqb" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ac_channels_icon.png">
<strong class="ph b">Channels</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">Messaging and social &gt;
Messaging</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li">Click the name of the channel you want to edit.</li>
<li class="li">Scroll down, then click the <strong class="ph b">Responses</strong> section to open it.</li>
<li class="li">If you want to apply a business hours schedule for your messaging channel,
under <strong class="ph b">Business hours</strong>, select a saved schedule.<p class="p">If you haven't
created a schedule and would like to, click <strong class="ph b">Manage schedules</strong> to
set up a schedule now.</p>
<div class="p">
<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> Schedules are not available on Team plans, but you can use <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408842866074" target="_blank">out of office triggers</a> to manage basic
responses. </div>
</div>
</li>
<li class="li">In the <strong class="ph b">Response during business hours</strong> section, update the following,
whether you've applied a business hours schedule or not:<ul class="ul" id="topic_kzg_ync_gnb__ul_usn_4sc_3rb">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">First message</strong>: Enter the text that appears when a customer
launches the Web Widget.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Customer details</strong>: Select the information you want to request
from the customer before handing them off to an agent. You can
request the customer's name or email address, or use custom text or
drop-down ticket fields to gather information. If you use custom
ticket fields you've created, keep in mind:<div class="p">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_kzg_ync_gnb__ul_ihn_w2s_ryb">
<li class="li">Permissions for ticket fields must be set to Editable
for end users. When a field is included in an Ask for
details step, end users are required to submit a
response, regardless of the requirement configuration on
the permissions page.</li>
<li class="li">Nested drop-down fields are not supported.</li>
<li class="li"> Blank selection values are not displayed as options in
the dropdown.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p class="p">When these fields are presented to the customer during a
conversation, the composer is not available until the customer
enters the required information. If you're using <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4411666638746" target="_blank">authentication for messaging</a>,
signed-in users aren't asked for their name or email
address.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Follow-up message</strong>: Enter the text that appears after the
customer submits their details.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li">If you've applied a business hours schedule, click the <strong class="ph b">Outside business
hours</strong> tab, then update the first message, customer details, and
follow-up message.</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
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