How to Change Facebook Auto Reply

Setting up your Facebook auto-reply is a fantastic first step for customer service, but what happens when your business hours change, a promotion ends, or you just want to refresh your welcome message? You've come to the right place. This guide will walk you through exactly how to change your Facebook Page’s automated messages and give you some pro tips for making them more effective and engaging.

First, Which Auto-Reply Are You Changing?

Meta Business Suite, where these settings live, offers several types of automated responses. Before we get into the step-by-step process, it’s helpful to know which one you’re looking to update, as they each serve a different purpose.

• Instant Reply: This is the most common one. It’s an immediate message sent to anyone who messages your Page for the first time. It’s your front door welcome mat.
• Away Message: This message sends automatically when your Page status is set to "Away" or outside of your specified business hours. It's perfect for managing expectations when your team isn't online.
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): This feature allows users to see a list of predefined questions when they open a chat with you. When they tap a question, your pre-written answer is sent automatically. It's great for deflecting common inquiries about hours, location, or services.
• Custom Automations: You can also set up more advanced replies based on specific keywords in a user's message, which can help pre-qualify leads or direct people to the right resources.

For most page owners, changing the Instant Reply and Away Message is the primary goal. We'll focus on those first, then cover how to edit your FAQs.

How to Change Your Facebook Instant Reply and Away Message

The days of fumbling through your Page settings are over. All of these controls now live inside Meta Business Suite, which streamlines everything for Facebook and Instagram. Here's a clear breakdown of the steps.

Step 1: Access Meta Business Suite

First things first, you need to get to the right place. You won't find these settings on your public-facing Facebook Page or in the standard Facebook app.

• On your computer, go to business.facebook.com and make sure you have the correct business account selected if you manage more than one.
• From the main menu on the left-hand side, look for and click on Inbox. This is your command center for all messages across platforms.

Step 2: Navigate to Automations

Once you're in the Inbox, you'll see all your recent conversations from Messenger and Instagram DMs. At the top of the Inbox view, look for a small icon that either has three sliders on it or is labeled Automations. Click it.

This is where the magic happens. All of Facebook's automated messaging tools are organized here in one clean dashboard. You'll see cards for "Instant reply," "Away message," "Identify unanswered messages," and more.

Step 3: Select and Edit Your Instant Reply

1. Click on the Instant Reply card. A new window will pop up where you can customize its settings.
2. Toggle On/Off: The first thing you'll see is a toggle switch. This is how you can quickly enable or disable the Instant Reply without deleting your message text. Make sure it's switched on if you want it to be active.
3. Choose the Platform: You can select whether this reply should send on Messenger, Instagram, or both. If you only want to change your Facebook auto-reply, just make sure Messenger is checked.
4. Edit Your Message: This is the main part. You’ll see a text box containing your current auto-reply message. Go ahead and delete, rewrite, or tweak it.

Pro Tip: Click the "Add Personalization" button below the text box. This lets you insert handy placeholders, like the customer’s first name, last name, or your Facebook Page link. Starting your message with "Hi [Customer's First Name]!" immediately feels warmer and less robotic than a generic greeting.

For example, you could change a generic message like:

Thanks for your message! We'll get back to you soon.

To something more branded and helpful:

Hi [Customer's First Name], thanks for reaching out to Modern Designs! Our team is busy creating, but we'll respond to you within 24 hours. While you wait, feel free to check out our portfolio here: [Your Website Link]. Chat soon!

Step 4: Save Your Changes

Once you’re happy with your new message, just click the blue Save changes button at the bottom of the window. Your updated Instant Reply is now live!

Editing Your Away Message (The Process is Almost Identical)

Changing your Away Message is just as straightforward. From the Automations dashboard:

1. Click on the Away Message card.
2. Set Your Schedule: Here, you need to tell Facebook when you are "away." You can do this by setting weekly business hours. If someone messages you outside of the hours you define here, the Away Message will trigger. Make sure your time zone is set correctly!
3. Edit Your Message: Just like with the Instant Reply, write your message in the text box. Away messages are all about managing expectations. Let people know when they can expect a response.

Here’s an example of a good Away Message:

Hey [Customer's First Name], thanks so much for your message! You've caught us after our normal business hours (Mon-Fri, 9 AM - 5 PM). We'll reply first thing when we're back in the office. Thanks for your patience!

After crafting your message, click Save changes and you're all set.

Updating Your Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

FAQs are powerful because they can instantly resolve a query without any human intervention. Here's how to edit them from the same Automations screen.

1. In the Automations dashboard in your Inbox, click on the card for Frequently Asked Questions.
2. You’ll see a list of your existing questions. You can click on any question to expand it and reveal the corresponding automated response.
3. To change one, simply click the three dots icon next to that question and select Edit question. You can then rewrite the question text, the automated answer, and even add an optional button or media (like a picture).
4. You can also add new questions with the Add a Question button or delete outdated ones.
5. Once you're done, remember to click Save changes.

Best Practices for Writing Strong Auto-Replies

Knowing how to change your auto-reply is only half the battle. Knowing what to write is what separates an empty "we'll get back to you" from a genuinely helpful customer experience.

1. Set Clear Expectations

This is the number one job of any auto-reply. Be honest with your customers. If your team only answers messages during business hours, say that. Answering a simple question of "when" an answer can be expected reduces customer anxiety and prevents repeat messages.

Don't say: "We'll reply ASAP."
Do say: "We reply to all messages within 1 business day."

2. Always Inject Your Brand's Personality

An automated message doesn't have to sound like a robot wrote it. Is your brand fun and playful? Formal and professional? Make sure your message reflects that voice. A little bit of personality goes a long way in making a customer feel like they’re connecting with a real brand, not just an empty inbox.

3. Provide Another Path Forward

A great auto-reply offers an immediate next step so the customer doesn't feel stuck waiting. Think about what a user might be looking for and guide them there.

• Link to your website's help center or FAQ page.
• If they're asking about a product, link to your online shop.
• If it's about a specific issue, provide a support email or an alternative contact method.

4. Review and Update Them Seasonally

Your business changes, and your automated messages should, too. It builds incredible trust when a customer sees an up-to-date message.

For example, during the holidays, you could change your away message to:

Hi there! Our team is currently out of the office enjoying some holiday cheer with our families. We'll be back on Jan. 2nd and will respond to your message then. Happy Holidays!

This small bit of relevance makes your brand feel much more human and professionally managed.

Final Thoughts

Updating your Facebook auto-replies is a fast and easy tweak you can make in Meta Business Suite that has a surprisingly big impact on your customer experience. By keeping your Instant Replies, Away Messages, and FAQs current and helpful, you manage expectations, build trust, and free up your team to focus on more complex conversations.

When you're ready to start managing all of your brand’s social conversations from one place, we built Postbase with a unified inbox to bring your comments and DMs from all platforms into a single, clean view. Our single inbox helps you stop jumping between apps and makes community management feel totally manageable, so you never have to worry about missing an important message again.