Creating WeChat Auto Response Messages

This article shows you how to create auto response messages.

For best results, you should create two types of auto response messages:

• Welcome response
• messages based on keyword responses

Welcome response

This text message is automatically sent to each new follower of your WeChat account. It's the first direct contact you have with new followers.

The Welcome reponse contains two pieces of information: 

• a brief text message
• keyword options that trigger auto response messages with topic-specific content (e.g. special text messages, images, rich post, or links)

Keyword response

Followers who read your Welcome response are prompted to receive more information by inputting a keyword. A keyword response is often a number (e.g. 1, 2, 3) from a pre-set list of options.

After the WeChat system recognizes a keyword input, it delivers the information you created and placed into the auto response system.

For example, look at the Auto Response image below. If followers press:

• 1, they receive contact information
• 2, they receive a map with store locations
• 3, they receive a link to a page with a list of products

Creating messages

Creating a customised auto response system is a three-step process:

• create a Welcome response with keyword options
• create keyword response triggers and message content
• create a default message when the system does not recognize the follower's keyword input

1  Locating the Auto Response page

1. On the top menu, click WECHAT. The WeChat Content page displays.
2. On the left side menu, click the SETTINGS folder and then Auto Response. The Auto Response page displays.

2  Creating a Welcome response 

The Welcome response is a special auto response message. It's sent one time to each new follower of your WeChat account. It contains a brief text message, your keyword responses, and a brief description of the keyword response option.

If the follower selects an option, they receive the information which you placed inside the WeChat auto response system.

To create a Welcome response:

1. Scroll to the top of the Auto Response page.
2. Inside the Welcome response panel, click the Edit button. The Edit Response panel displays.
3. Type a brief English text message on the top line; include a prompt to select a keyword response option.
4. Enter a list of keyword response options (usually numbers).
5. Type a brief title beside each keyword option.
6. Click the translator button to insert Simplified Chinese script, if required.
7. Click Update. 

3  Creating rules for auto response triggers

The next step is to create a rule for each keyword response option placed in the Welcome response (Step 2). A rule is a trigger that sends a follower topic-specific content based on a given input.

Here's an example. We created a rule called Info 1. This rule has two triggers: 1 and one. The second keyword trigger (one) was added as a contingency.

• If the follower enters 1, the auto response system sends content called Info 1.
• If the follower enters one, the auto response system sends content called Info 1.

To create a rule and attach content to a keyword response:

1. Scroll to the bottom of the Auto Response page.
2. Click ADD in the Keyword Response box. The Add Rule page displays.
3. In the field Rule Name, type a unique name. This name appears only in the list of rules.
4. In the field Keyword Name, type a keyword that followers enter to trigger this response. Numbers are a good choice because they are easy to read and input. This keyword should match one of the keywords responses you put in the Welcome response.
5. In the next box, we suggest selecting Exact Match instead of Partial Match.
6. Click Save Key. The keyword appears inside a light green box under Keywords List.
7. Repeat steps 4 to 6 to add up to 10 keyword names to the same rule.
8. Under Response, select a content option: write a text message, insert an image, or add a rich post.
9. Click ADD RESPONSE.
10. Click Save at the top of the page.

For more information about placing digital assets inside an auto response message, see:

• Adding Text Messages
• Adding Images
• Adding a Rich Post

4  Confirming the rule

There are two ways to confirm your rule has been saved. 

Option 1

1. Click Auto-Response under the WeChat Content heading. The list of rules displays at the bottom of the screen.
2. Locate your new rule in the list.
3. Confirm the rule name, message type, and keywords.

Option 2

This preview option works if your auto response message contains text or an image. This option does not work if your response contains a rich post.

1. Hover the mouse pointer on a rule. The toolbar displays.
2. Click View. A rule panel displays.
3. Inspect the rule name, list of keyword responses, and content (text message or image).

5  Editing rules and message content

You can edit a rule, add or remove keyword names in the Keyword List, and modify message content.

1. Click Auto-Response under the WeChat Content heading. Go to the Keyword Response box.
2. Hover the mouse pointer on the rule you want to change. The toolbar displays.
3. Click Edit. The Edit Rule page displays.
4. Change the settings, as required.
5. Click Update at the top of the page.

6  Deleting a rule

You can delete a rule.

1. Click Auto-Response under the WeChat Content heading. Go to the Keyword Response box.
2. Hover the mouse pointer on the rule you want to remove. The toolbar displays.
3. Click Delete. There is no confirmation prompt.

7  Creating a message response

Message Response works like a default text message. The Message Response message is sent to a follower who inputs a keyword response not covered by your rules, as described in Step 3. This feature can save you time because you won't have to respond to every inquiry manually.

To create a Message Response:

1. Click Auto-Response under the WeChat Content heading. Go to the Message Response box.
2. Click Add. The Add Response panel displays.
3. Type a text message in the field.
4. Click the translator button to translate the text to Simplified Chinese, if required.
5. Click Save.

8  Editing a message response

To edit a Message Response:

1. Click Auto-Response under the WeChat Content heading. Go to the Message Response box.
2. Click Edit. The Edit Response panel displays.
3. Edit the text message.
4. Click the translator button to translate the text to Simplified Chinese.
5. Click Save.

9  Deleting a message response

To delete a Message Response:

1. Click Auto-Response under the WeChat Content heading. Scroll down to Message Response.
2. Click Delete. There is no confirmation prompt. The message has been deleted.