Guests expect a quick response, but someone is not always at the desk. Automations let you send an automatic reply when an incoming message matches conditions you set, so a guest who writes out of hours, or on a specific channel, gets an immediate acknowledgement instead of silence. You decide when a reply goes out, what it says, and whether it applies across your whole organisation or to a single property.
How automations work
Rules match incoming messages. Each automation checks incoming guest messages against the conditions you set, and replies only when they match.
Conditions can be combined. Group conditions with "and" and "or" to target a scenario precisely. You can also set a catch-all rule as a fallback. There are twelve conditions to choose from, listed below.
Replies go out on the same channel. When a message matches, the reply is sent automatically on the channel the guest used and appears in the conversation as an automated reply.
A reply interval prevents repeats. A cooldown stops the same guest getting the same automatic reply again within a set interval.
Scope to organisation or property. Apply an automation across the whole organisation, or limit it to one property.
Order matters. An automation can stop later automations from running, so you can control which reply wins when more than one could match.
How to create an automation
Go to Messaging > Inbox Settings > Automations.
Click New automation.
Give it a name so you can recognise it later.
Choose the scope: the whole organisation, or a specific property.
Set the rules: choose Include all messages, or Select rule and build the conditions an incoming message must match. Combine them with "and" / "or", and use Add group for a second top-level group.
Under the rules, set Times are interpreted in to either My local time or UTC. This decides how any time-based condition is read, so check it before you rely on one.
Choose the action. Today there is one: Send an Out of Office message.
Write the text message that should be sent. You have up to 500 characters.
Set the reply interval in minutes. This is the cooldown described above. Set it to 0 to reply every time.
Click Save. You can activate or deactivate the automation from the list afterwards.
The twelve conditions
These are the conditions you can build a rule from. The first eleven are the same ones you will recognise from Teams.
App. The app you want to receive the message from.
Audience. Messages from guests in a given audience.
Email Subject Keyword. Tickets whose email subject contains selected keywords.
Message Body Keyword. Tickets whose message body contains selected keywords.
Message Channel. The channel the message came in on, for example WhatsApp or Email.
Message Language. The languages you want to receive messages in.
Recipient Email Address. Tickets sent to a selected address, including cc.
Sender Email Address. Tickets from a selected address.
Reservation Stage. Guests at specific steps of their journey.
Website Url. The website URL the guest is messaging from.
Operator absence. No operators are online with access to this ticket.
Availability hours. A guest sends a message outside of your set availability hours.
Who the reply comes from
Automated messages are sent by the automation bot operator, which is created by the first automation in your organisation. So the first time you save an automation, a new operator appears in your account. That is expected, and it is what guests see as the sender of an automatic reply.
Managing an automation
The menu on the right of each automation in the list offers four options.
Edit. Change anything about it.
Deactivate. Stops it running, and can be undone.
Duplicate. Makes a copy. This is the quick way to build a per-property variant of an automation you already have: duplicate it, then change the scope and the message.
Delete. Removes it permanently.
Use the All, Active and Inactive tabs, or the search box, to find an automation in a long list.
What you can use it for
Out-of-hours replies. Acknowledge guests who message outside your availability hours.
Channel-specific greetings. Send an opener or a "we have received your message" on a particular channel, such as WhatsApp.
Cover when no operator is online. Send a fallback reply when nobody is available to pick up.
Reservation- or content-based replies. Reply differently based on message content, reservation stage, or guest segment.
Language-specific replies. Acknowledge a guest in their own language using Message Language.
Known limitations
Text replies only. The only action available today is sending a text reply. An automation cannot assign an operator, change a conversation's status, or send information to another system.
500 characters. The reply is capped at 500 characters, so keep it to an acknowledgement rather than a full answer.
Common questions
Is this the same as the AI Agent?
No. Automations send a fixed reply you have written when a message matches your rules. The AI Agent generates its own answers to guest questions. They are separate features.
Will a guest get the same automatic reply over and over?
No. A reply interval acts as a cooldown, so the same guest will not receive the same automatic reply again within that interval. Set the interval to 0 if you do want a reply every time.
Can I limit an automation to one property?
Yes. Each automation can apply to the whole organisation or to a single property. To run the same automation at several properties with different wording, duplicate it and change the scope on the copy.
Who is the new operator that appeared in my account?
That is the automation bot operator, created automatically by your first automation. It is the sender of your automatic replies.
Need help? Open Talk to Us in the left menu, or email support@bookboost.io.