How to Configure Auto-Reply in Dialogwa
Auto-reply sounds simple until you meet the edge cases: groups, personal chats, business hours, and the customer who just wants a human. Most tools hide those realities behind a single toggle and hope you never hit them. We built configuration around those realities instead, because that is where support actually breaks down.
Two modes, two switches
Every session has two independent toggles. Personal reply answers direct messages. Group reply answers mentions and quotes inside groups. You can run one, both, or neither. We keep them separate because a reply that delights a DM often annoys a group, and mixing them is the fastest way to get muted.
Choosing the source
An auto-reply needs content. You have two options:
- A dialog tree you build in the Dialog menu.
- A webhook URL that returns text from your own system.
If your answer is static or menu-based, use the dialog. If it depends on your database, use the webhook. There is no wrong choice, only a wrong fit for the question.
The setup, step by step
- Open the session settings.
- Turn on auto-reply for personal, group, or both.
- Pick the dialog or paste your webhook URL.
- Send a test message from another number and confirm the reply.
- Check the logs once a day for the first week to catch surprises early.
A webhook in practice
When a message matches, we POST the payload and expect a reply. Notice we send you the raw text and the session so your logic can branch on either:
// your server
app.post("/dialogwa-hook", (req, res) => {
const text = req.body.message;
res.json({ reply: "Thanks, we received: " + text });
});What trips people up
The most common mistake is turning on group reply before the tone is right. Group members did not opt into a bot, so the bar for relevance is higher. We tell new customers to run personal reply alone for a week, watch the language, then decide if groups are ready.
The caveat
Auto-reply is not an excuse to ignore people. We see churn when businesses turn on a bot and walk away. Set an expectation in the message, offer a path to a human, and check the logs weekly. The goal is faster first response, not a closed door.
One number, many languages
If you serve more than one language, do not build one giant tree with both. Build a language branch at the root, then mirror the structure underneath. We keep the dialog text in the same locale as the session so a customer in Jakarta and one in London get different menus from the same gateway. It is more content to maintain, but the alternative, a menu nobody fully understands, is worse than the work.
Save the replies you are proud of
Because auto-reply text lives in the dialog, it is worth treating it like copy you would publish. We reuse the same welcome and FAQ lines across sessions instead of rewriting them per brand, which keeps the voice consistent and the maintenance low. When a reply tests well, we promote it to a snippet the whole team can drop in. Small discipline like this is why a one-person operation can sound like a polished support desk without hiring one.
Start small
Enable personal reply first with a single welcome menu. Add groups only once you are confident the tone fits. You can always expand later, and your customers will thank you for the restraint.