---
title: "How To Manage Auto Responses"
canonical: "https://resourcecenter.kenect.com/space/Messaging/44728438/How%20To%20Manage%20Auto%20Responses"
format: markdown
---
In this article, you will learn how to schedule and manage your auto responses. Auto responses can help inform your contacts of important business information. Whether it's a greeting text, after hours message, or a special occasion, auto responses make it easy to communicate your important business information.

# **Auto Responses**

#### **Step-by-Step Guide**

1. Click on the Settings gear icon in the bottom-left corner, then select 'Auto Responses.'


![image-20240508-143044.png](media://1f8c8d4a-c52e-4f4d-a86a-c4790dc3e270)

2. You are then brought to the below page:

![image-20241030-141749.png](media://fd770b78-c635-4801-8389-5af8eaa6c616)

3. In the Auto Responses page, you have the following sections;

#### **Business Hours**

The default hours are 8:00am to 5:00pm. You will need to make sure to update this section to reflect your current business hours. Also make sure to enable or disable individual days as needs of seasons change.

![image-20241030-142248.png](media://457ac872-0eb8-4d02-9d25-360b6923e141)

#### **Business Hours Response** 

This response is what a new contact will receive when they initiate the conversation. They will receive this message one time only. If you message the contact first, they will not receive this message. Having a Business Hours Message is a great way to engage your customers quickly, improving your customer's experience.

![image-20241030-141909.png](media://1d1d6b59-129a-4b57-a7c7-f751e8a9b501)

#### **After Hours Response**

This response will be sent every time a contact messages your business outside of your set business hours. If your business is closed on weekends, this message will be sent when a contact reaches out.

![image-20241030-141932.png](media://8ca19fd1-f363-429a-986c-d8724f374517)

#### **Holiday / Custom Response**

When enabled, this message will override your Business Hours Response and After Hours Response. This is used for holidays, events, or inclement weather that may cause temporary closure. 

![image-20241030-142000.png](media://1b4e02f7-2b7d-48b0-83ec-330751fc7061)

4. Make sure if any changes are needed depending on time of year, special events, etc. These are confirmed by multiple individuals

> ℹ️ **IMPORTANT: **If you are not an administrator of your Kenect account you will not have access to this page. If you need access, either contact your current Kenect admin or reach out to your Customer Success Manager or The Kenect Support Team

# **FAQS (Frequently Asked Questions)**

- **If I change my business hours will it automatically update my hours on our Google Profile? **
  - No, you will need to update your business hours in Kenect and on your Google Profile.
- **When do my clients get the auto responses?**
  - The Business Hours responses is triggered to send off once to any brand new inbound message (*Whether that is a lead or just a text to the main number) *This message doesn't send multiple times.
  - The After Hours response is triggered to send off once an hour, for every message the client sends in after hours (*Ex: Client messages in at 5:01pm, and then again at 6:03pm, they will receive two responses, one for each text sent during each separate hour)*
  - Disable messages and send custom message during all hours: This type of message will send back once to every inbound response over a 24 hours period a customer sends in.
- **Is there a limit to how long my messages can be?**
  - Yes, currently Kenect only supports automated messages up to 1,017 characters (including spaces). Additionally, emoji’s may count as more than one character if added.
    - We recommend not using emoji’s in these responses.