WhatsApp Business quick replies: 26 examples with a shortcut

What WhatsApp Business quick replies are

A quick reply is a text you save once in the WhatsApp Business app and then insert into any chat with a shortcut. It doesn't go out on its own: a person picks it while replying, can edit it before sending, and only then does it leave. It's the tool for the questions that come up every day: hours, address, payment methods.

According to WhatsApp's official help center, you can store up to 50 quick replies, and they can include media messages such as images and videos. The app also creates default replies from your business profile information, for example your hours and your address.

• Maximum of 50 stored quick replies.
• They support images and videos on the phone; media files aren't supported in quick replies on Web or Desktop.
• Default replies come from your business profile: complete it to get them.

How to create them step by step

The steps below are from the official help center for Android. On iPhone the path is the same, from the Tools tab.

When choosing the shortcut, use short words the whole team can remember. The shortcut is what you'll type after the slash in the chat.

• From the Tools tab, tap Quick replies.
• Tap the add icon.
• Tap Message to write the text.
• Tap Shortcut to set the keyboard shortcut for that reply.
• Tap Save.

How to use them in a chat

There are two ways to insert a quick reply into a conversation, and both also show the default replies the app builds from your profile. In both, the text appears in the text input field and you can edit it before sending.

• From the text field: open the chat, tap Message and type a slash (/). All your quick replies appear; pick one.
• As an attachment: open the chat, tap the attach icon and choose Quick reply.
• To delete one: in Tools, Quick replies, tap and hold the one you want to delete. It can't be recovered, so keep a copy of the important ones outside WhatsApp.

Examples: business information

These are the most used. Fill in the brackets with your details and avoid prices or timeframes that change often, because a saved reply goes stale without anyone noticing.

• /hours: “We're available [days] from [time] to [time]. Outside those hours you can leave your question and we'll reply as soon as we're back.”
• /address: “We're at [address], [landmark or neighborhood]. Pickup is available [days] from [time] to [time].”
• /payments: “We accept [payment methods]. If you pay by bank transfer, send us the receipt here and we'll confirm.”
• /shipping: “We deliver to [areas]. Send us your address and we'll confirm the cost and delivery day.”
• /catalog: “Here's our up-to-date catalog. Tell me what you're interested in and I'll confirm availability.”

Examples: sales and orders

In sales, a quick reply is there to ask for the missing details without typing them again every time. The more concrete the request, the fewer back-and-forths.

• /price: “To give you the exact price I need to know which product or service you're looking for and the quantity. With that I'll confirm right away.”
• /stock: “Let me check and I'll confirm availability in a moment. Is it for pickup or delivery?”
• /order: “To take your order I need: product, quantity and whether you'll pick it up or want it delivered. With those three details I'll confirm the total.”
• /confirmed: “Done! Your order is confirmed. I'll let you know here when it's ready for pickup or on its way.”
• /deposit: “To reserve the product we ask for a deposit of [percentage or amount]. I'll send you the payment details and, once we receive it, it's set aside under your name.”

Examples: appointments and bookings

For appointments, one quick reply per moment: ask for the details, confirm, cancel and remind. That way everyone on the team replies the same way.

• /booking: “To book I need your name and the day and time you prefer. With that I'll confirm availability.”
• /confirm: “Your appointment is confirmed for [day] at [time] at [address]. If you need to change it, let me know here in advance.”
• /cancel: “Understood, I'm cancelling your appointment on [day] at [time]. Whenever you want to reschedule, write to me and we'll check availability.”
• /reminder: “A reminder that you have an appointment tomorrow at [time]. Reply to this message if you can't make it, so we can free up the slot.”

Examples: after-sales and complaints

In a complaint, the first message has to organize and calm things down. Ask for the details to look into it, and don't promise a solution before knowing what happened.

• /complaint: “I'm sorry about the inconvenience. To look into it, send me your order number and a photo or description of the problem. I'll prioritize it.”
• /exchange: “You can exchange within [timeframe] with the receipt, as long as the product is unused. Tell me what you'd like to exchange and we'll arrange it.”
• /warranty: “The product has a [timeframe] warranty. Send me the receipt and a description of the problem and I'll tell you how we proceed.”
• /delay: “Your order is delayed. I'm looking into it and I'll confirm the new date here as soon as I have it.”

Examples: courtesy and closing

Courtesy replies don't solve anything on their own, but they prevent silence: they let the customer know someone read the message and the question is being handled.

• /thanks: “Thanks for writing to us! For any other question, we're right here.”
• /wait: “I've got your question. Give me a few minutes to check and I'll reply here.”
• /handoff: “I'm passing you to [name or department], who handles this directly. I'll share your question so you don't have to repeat it.”
• /close: “All sorted. If you need anything else, reply to this message and we'll continue. Have a great day!”

Examples by industry

Every industry has its repeated question. These four answer it up front and adapt by changing the name and the details in brackets.

• Food service, /menu: “Here's today's menu. We take orders from [time] to [time]. Tell me what you'd like and whether it's for pickup or delivery.”
• Real estate, /viewing: “To arrange a viewing of the property, tell me which days and times work for you and I'll confirm.”
• Beauty, /services: “We offer [services]. Tell me which one you're interested in and your availability, and I'll suggest an appointment.”
• Professional services, /inquiry: “Thanks for reaching out. Briefly describe your case and I'll tell you how we proceed and what documents we need.”

Best practices

A well-made quick reply reads as if the person answering had written it, not like a sign. That's why it's worth leaving room to personalize and reviewing the text before sending it.

Review the list now and then: over time you accumulate replies nobody uses and others that went stale. Fewer replies, well maintained, work better than fifty nobody checks.

• A clear shortcut in the same style for all of them (for example, always lowercase and without accents).
• Read the text before sending and add the name or the specific detail.
• Don't save prices or timeframes that change often.
• Keep the tone consistent across all replies: same formality, same voice.
• Keep a copy of the important replies outside WhatsApp, because a deleted one can't be recovered.

How they differ from automatic replies and from an AI assistant

Quick replies are chosen by a person; automatic replies go out on their own when a message arrives, like the app's greeting message or away message. An AI assistant is a third level: it reads what the customer wrote and drafts a reply from the business information, without anyone picking or typing it.

The three coexist. The quick reply saves time for whoever is answering; the automatic one covers when nobody is there; the AI answers complete questions and leaves the case to a person when needed. We have a separate guide with 30 automatic reply examples.

• Quick: a saved text that a person inserts and sends.
• Automatic: goes out on its own when a message comes in, with a fixed text.
• AI assistant: understands the question and answers from the business information.

Signs they're no longer enough

Quick replies work as long as one person, from one phone, can answer everything. When volume grows, symptoms appear that no shortcut solves: chats nobody picked up, two people answering the same thing, or questions that change every time and don't fit a fixed text.

At that point the problem stops being how long it takes you to type and becomes who handles each conversation and with what information. That's when it's worth looking at a shared inbox on the WhatsApp API, with routing by department and, if the business needs it, an assistant that answers from the information you loaded.

• Several people answer the same number and nobody knows who took each chat.
• The questions change: a price for a quantity, availability for a date, a specific case.
• People write after hours and the reply arrives the next day.
• Nobody knows how many inquiries were lost this week.

What Volga offers and what it doesn't

Volga doesn't have saved quick replies: the inbox has no slash shortcuts and no list of texts to insert. We say it plainly because it's the first thing people coming from the WhatsApp Business app ask.

What it offers is something else: without AI, an auto reply menu on WhatsApp whose options reply with a text, open a submenu or hand the chat to a person or a department, plus an after-hours notice based on the hours you set, available on every plan. On AI plans, the assistant answers from your business information and flags the conversation as handed off to your team when the customer asks for a person; with Smart Intake, from the Scale plan, it also takes orders and details.

• No saved quick replies for the team.
• An auto reply menu with handoff to a person or department, without AI, on every plan.
• An after-hours notice on WhatsApp, Instagram and your website chat.
• An AI assistant on AI plans, and Smart Intake from Scale.