Boulevard offers After-hours responses to help you ensure clients always get a text back, even outside business hours.
Set up a custom after-hours message in Client Notifications>Auto-responses. A dedicated phone number is required, and usage rates apply.
This is an ongoing, automated text message that is sent to clients when they text outside of your location's business hours.
Set up after-hours responses
Navigate to Client Notifications>Auto-responses
Select "After-hours response"
Customize your after-hours text. Automatic text replies will send to clients who text you outside of the hours you've set up in in Manage Location > Details > Location Hours.
If after-hours responses are turned on, and outside of your business hours, your Messages status will change to indicate you're in After-hours status.
Once you're After-hours, this status can't be changed, and will expire when you re-open based on your business hours. You can disable after-hours auto-responses at any time in Client Notifications.
FAQ: After-hours responses
How do I know what time after-hours messages will be sent?
They'll send based on the location's business hours you've set up in Manage Location > Details > Location Hours. If you don't have location hours set up, you won't be able to turn on after-hours responses.
Will automated after-hours responses be sent when clients just reply "Yes" to confirm their appointment?
No.
Will a client get multiple after-hours responses each time they text in outside of business hours?
If a client texts in multiple times while my business is closed, and after-hours are enabled, the client will only get one after-hours response text within a 12 hour window.
What phone number do auto-responses come from?
They'll be sent from your location's dedicated phone number.
Can I change the default auto-response messages?
Yes. While we've pre-populated a default text message for you (in both away and after-hours responses)—you can customize this to fit your brand.
Can I change my status back to Active once I'm in After-hours?
No. Once after-hours responses are turned on, this will be reflected as "After hours" in your Messages status. This status can't be changed, but will expire once your business has re-opened (based on your location hours).
What's the cost of auto-response texts?
Usage rates apply. Pay based on text segments sent and received, similarly to Boulevard's other custom client notifications or two-way texting.
What's the difference between away messages and after-hours responses?
Boulevard offers "away status" with a custom "away message" Messages. While this is also an automated text response to clients, they serve different purposes and are managed in different places within Boulevard.
Away status/Away messages are temporary, intended for your day-to-day. They'll expire based on the custom duration you set, and this is done through your "Away" status in Messages.
After-hours responses are ongoing, automated replies that will send daily, anytime your business is closed (so long as you've got them turned on in Client Notifications). These are managed in Client Notifications.
Can I use both away messages and after-hours responses?
Yes! You can use one or the other, or better yet, use them in tandem to ensure clients always get a text back.
If I have after-hours turned on, and I also enable an away message, will both get sent?
No. Away messages take priority—then, once your away status duration is up, after-hours responses will take over if you've got those enabled.