Timing

Control when your follow-up messages go out. Set business hours, grace periods, and day-specific schedules so customers hear from you at the right times.

Grace Period

If a customer reaches out outside your business hours, the grace period lets follow-ups still go out for a set window of time. The idea is simple: if someone messages you at 9:05 PM and your hours end at 9 PM, they’re clearly still around and available.

Grace Period (in minutes)

• 30 minutes - Works for most businesses
• 0 minutes - Turns off the grace period completely
• 60-120 minutes - More flexibility for late inquiries
• Up to 1440 minutes (24 hours) - Maximum allowed

How it works: When the customer messages, the grace period timer starts. Any follow-ups scheduled during that window will still go out, even if you’re technically outside business hours.

Follow-up Delivery Scheduling

You have three options for when follow-ups go out.

Always On (24/7)

Messages go out any time, any day. Use this for emergency services or anything where customers expect an immediate response.

Same Schedule Every Day

One set of hours for all days. Simple to manage.

Example: 8 AM to 8 PM daily

You can also add breaks:

• 8 AM to noon
• 1 PM to 6 PM

Good for lunch breaks or split shifts.

Custom Schedule Per Day

Set different hours for each day of the week.

Options per day:

• Off - No follow-ups (e.g. Sundays)
• 24 hours - All day (e.g. Saturdays during busy season)
• Custom hours - Whatever makes sense for that day

Real examples:

• Monday-Friday: 9 AM to 6 PM (regular business)
• Saturday: 10 AM to 2 PM (half day)
• Sunday: Off (you need a break)

Multiple time blocks:

• Lunch break: 9 AM-12 PM, then 1 PM-5 PM
• Split shift: 6 AM-10 AM, then 2 PM-6 PM

What Actually Works

Different Business Types

Service Businesses (plumbers, HVAC, contractors)

• Grace period: 60 minutes (gives you some flexibility)
• Monday-Friday: 7 AM to 7 PM (people need repairs)
• Saturday: 8 AM to 4 PM (weekend work)
• Sunday: Off (or emergency only)

Professional Services (lawyers, consultants, accountants)

• Grace period: 30 minutes (keep it professional)
• Monday-Friday: 9 AM to 6 PM (office hours)
• Weekends: Off (people expect this)

Emergency Services (24/7 operations)

• Always On
• Grace period: 120 minutes (maximum coverage)

Retail/Online Stores

• Grace period: 30 minutes
• Match your actual store hours
• Maybe extend for online operations

Time Zones

The system uses your business time zone automatically. One less thing to worry about.

Don’t Make These Mistakes

Setting Hours You’re Not Actually Available If you set follow-ups for 6 AM but you don’t check messages until 9 AM, customers will get frustrated. Be honest about when you’re really available.

Grace Period Too Long A 4-hour grace period means follow-ups might go out at 2 AM. That’s not helping anyone.

Forgetting About Weekends Decide if you want weekend follow-ups or not. If you’re off weekends, just turn those days off completely.

Over-complicating Time Ranges Multiple time blocks can get confusing. Start simple, add complexity only if you really need it.

Testing Your Setup

Quick check:

1. Look at when your first follow-up is set to go
2. Add your grace period time to that
3. Are you comfortable with messages going out that late?

If the answer is no, adjust it.

What We’ve Learned

Start smaller: Begin with shorter hours, expand if you need to

Watch what happens: See when customers actually respond - that tells you if your timing is working

Adjust for seasons: Busy season? Maybe extend hours. Slow period? Maybe dial it back

Grace period sweet spot: 30-60 minutes works for most businesses. Enough to catch conversations, not so much that you’re texting people at dinner time

Be realistic: Don’t set hours you can’t actually keep. Customers notice when you’re not really there during your “business hours”

The whole point is making it work for both you and your customers. Nobody benefits from badly timed messages.

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