Facebook Page auto reply: how to set one up that answers

A customer sees your boosted post at 11:40 pm, taps Send message, and types "price koto?". Two seconds later Messenger shows: "Thanks for messaging us. We will get back to you as soon as possible." She waits a minute, then goes back to the feed, where three other Pages sell the same kurti.

That reply was an auto reply. It just did not answer anything.

This guide explains the kinds of Facebook Page auto reply you can set up, what each one is good for, and how to build one that tells the customer what she asked, in the language she asked it.

What is a Facebook Page auto reply?

A Facebook Page auto reply is a Messenger message sent automatically when someone writes to your Page, without a person typing it. It can be a fixed greeting, a fixed answer triggered by a word, or a written answer from a chatbot that reads the question.

The difference between those three matters more than any setting. A greeting buys you time. An answer makes the sale.

Which auto reply options does Meta Business Suite give you?

Meta Business Suite has built-in automations under Inbox → Automations. They are free and quick to set up, and all of them send text you wrote in advance. Names and availability change from time to time and can differ by Page, so check what your Page shows.

These are a good start. A Page with none of them leaves customers staring at an empty chat. But for a shop that gets fifty "price?" messages a day, fixed text runs out quickly.

Why do keyword auto replies miss so many messages?

Keyword replies miss messages because customers do not type the same words. Bangladeshi buyers write in Bangla script, in Banglish, in English, and often all three in one message.

Say you set a keyword reply on "delivery charge". Here is what actually arrives:

delivery charge koto?
dhakar baire koto nibe?
ডেলিভারি চার্জ কত?
Ctg te pathale koto lagbe
shipping cost?

Only the first one matches. The rest get the generic greeting, or nothing.

Keyword rules also break on mixed questions. "Kurti ta M size e ache? r Sylhet e koto din lagbe?" asks about stock and delivery time together. A keyword reply can send one fixed block of text. It cannot answer both parts.

Keywords still have a place. Use them for things that never change and that customers type in a predictable way, such as a campaign word from your post ("type EID25") or a request for your shop address.

What should a good Facebook Page auto reply actually do?

A good auto reply answers the customer's real question with your real facts, quickly, in the customer's language, and knows when to stop. Use this as a checklist for any setup, Meta's or a third-party tool's:

1. Answer, don't acknowledge. "Price 1,250 taka, M and L available" beats "Thanks for your message".
2. Use your data only. Prices, stock, delivery charges and policies must come from what you wrote down, never a guess.
3. Match the language. A Banglish question gets a Banglish answer. A Bangla question gets Bangla.
4. Ask one short question when unsure. If someone writes "price?" with no product, reply "Kon product ta? Post er code ta pathan" rather than listing everything.
5. Hand over cleanly. Complaints, wholesale enquiries and changes to a placed order should go to a person, with the team notified.
6. Stay quiet when a person is talking. Two voices answering the same customer looks careless.

Here is the kind of exchange you are aiming for:

Customer: apu ei three piece ta koto? COD hobe?

Page: Ei three piece ta 1,650 taka. Hae, cash on delivery hobe. Dhakar bhitore delivery 60 taka, baire 120 taka. Size ki lagbe?

The prices and fees in that example are placeholders. The point is the shape: price, the answer to the second question, the delivery fee, and a next step.

How do you set up an auto reply that answers questions?

To get answers instead of greetings, connect your Page to an AI chatbot that reads each message and replies from a knowledge base you build. The setup is the same whatever tool you choose.

1. Collect the questions

Scroll back through your last 100 chats and count. Most Pages find the same short list: price, size or colour, stock, delivery charge, delivery time, COD, exchange, and "where is my order?".

2. Write down the facts once

Put every answer in one place: product names with prices and options, Inside Dhaka and Outside Dhaka charges, delivery times, exchange rules and shop hours. If it is not written down, no bot can answer it correctly.

3. Keep Meta's instant reply short, or turn it off

If a chatbot will answer within seconds, a generic "we will get back to you" only adds noise. If you keep it, make it useful: "Product er code ba photo pathan, ekhuni dam janiye dicchi."

4. Decide what goes to a person

Write your handover rules before you go live: complaints, bulk orders, custom sizes, payment problems, anything angry.

5. Test like a customer

Send messages from a second Facebook profile, using the exact spellings your customers use. Include a product you do not sell, to check the bot says so instead of inventing a price.

How does SaleMag handle Facebook Page auto replies?

SaleMag connects your Page through Channel Setup with Facebook login and puts its Messenger chats into a shared inbox. You then link an AI chatbot that answers from your knowledge base: your product list, files, web pages, FAQs and policy text. It replies in the language the customer writes in, including Banglish, and is instructed never to invent prices, policies or links.

When the bot is unsure (with handover on) or the customer asks for a person, the chat moves to your team and everyone is notified. Once a teammate replies, the bot stays quiet in that chat for 15 minutes. Keyword flows from the automation builder can still send fixed replies, and with AI order taking switched on the bot can build a cash-on-delivery order and send an order-form link. The Facebook Page auto reply page shows the full setup.

SaleMag answers Messenger messages only. It does not reply to comments on your posts or ads, so keep asking commenters to message the Page.

Are there Meta rules for Messenger auto replies?

Yes. Meta's Messenger Platform lets a Page reply freely for 24 hours after the customer's last message. An auto reply that answers within seconds is well inside that window.

After 24 hours, Meta limits what a Page may send. Meta has also offered a human agent tag that gives a person on your team longer to reply to a customer's question, if the Page qualifies; check Meta's current Messenger Platform policy before relying on it. The practical rule is simple: answer while the customer is still in the chat, and do not plan sales follow-ups days later on Messenger.

If you also sell on WhatsApp, the same idea applies there, under different rules. The WhatsApp Business app vs API guide explains what changes when you move a busy number to the official API.

Next steps

Start small: list your ten most common questions, write the answers down, and test them against real Banglish messages before you switch anything on. Then read every automated conversation for the first week.

When you are ready for answers instead of greetings, start free with SaleMag and link a chatbot to your Page, or see pricing.