Learn how to automatically respond to patient texts when you are out of the office, on lunch, or on vacation, ensuring patients know when to expect a reply.
✨ When You Need This Guide
Auto-attendants help keep your practice running smoothly even when you aren't at your desk. Use this guide if you are:
Setting up an auto-reply for when your office is closed.
Going on vacation, heading out for lunch, or covering non-business hours.
Asking, "How do I turn on an away message?" or "How do I make ALOHA® reply automatically when I’m gone?"
Wondering how to pause live replies without missing patient messages.
What This Covers (And What It Doesn't)
✅ What this covers: Setting up auto-replies based on your schedule, manually toggling away messages, and customizing your message text.
❌ What this doesn't cover: Sending bulk messages
You'll Need:
Access to your ALOHA Account
Your office hours set correctly in ALOHA.
Option 1: Automatically Send Messages After Hours
Option 1: Automatically Send Messages After Hours
This method is perfect for standard business hours. ALOHA will handle the replies for you based on the schedule you set.
Navigate to SCHEDULING > SETTINGS.
Turn ON the Auto-Attendant toggle.
Review your business hours on the calendar to ensure they are correct:
Blue shaded hours = Your open business hours.
White areas = Off-hours (this is when the away message will auto-trigger).
Click Save Settings to lock in your updates.
Next, go to CONTACTS > CONVERSATIONS.
Click to choose the message you want to send when you are out. ALOHA has a default "Out of Office" message you can use.
🛎️ Result: During off-hours (white areas on your calendar), ALOHA will now automatically send your selected message when patients reach out.
Option 2: Manually Turn Auto-Attendant On or Off
Option 2: Manually Turn Auto-Attendant On or Off
If you prefer to control exactly when the message is sent—such as during a random lunch break or an emergency closure—use the manual switch.
Go to CONTACTS > CONVERSATIONS.
Toggle the Auto-Attendant switch ON (blue check) at the top of the page.
Select the message you would like ALOHA to send from the dropdown.
💡 Important: Remember to turn the switch OFF when you are back in the office. ALOHA will keep sending your away message until you manually toggle it off!
How to Edit Your Away Message
How to Edit Your Away Message
Want to use your own language or include specific instructions (like an emergency number)?
Go to CONTACTS > SAVED MESSAGES.
Find the "Out of Office" message or click + Create Message.
Give it a clear name and write your custom reply.
Return to CONTACTS > CONVERSATIONS and assign this new message as your auto-attendant message.
✅ Example of a great away message: "Hi there! 👋 Our office is currently closed. We’ll get back to you during our regular hours. If this is urgent, please call us at {out of office number}."
💡 Common Questions
💡 Common Questions
What You Might Notice | Why It's Happening | What to Do |
My away message is sending while I'm in the office. | Your calendar settings might be incorrect, marking open hours as "off-hours." | Go to SCHEDULING > SETTINGS and check the calendar. Remember: Blue means open/business hours; White means closed/away. |
I'm back from lunch, but patients are still getting the away message. | If you used the manual toggle (Option 2), it does not turn off automatically. | Go to CONTACTS > CONVERSATIONS and manually toggle the Auto-Attendant switch to OFF. |
Patients are receiving a generic message instead of my custom one. | The system might still be set to the default "Out of Office" message. | Go to CONTACTS > CONVERSATIONS and ensure your specific custom message is selected in the dropdown menu. |
🎉 You'll Know It's Working When
🎉 You'll Know It's Working When
Patients receive your selected auto-response during the correct time window.
You see the Auto-Attendant banner or message active on the Conversations page.
The inbox stays quiet with fewer real-time response needs.
💬 Need Help? We're Here!
💬 Need Help? We're Here!
If you have questions about setting up your schedule or away messages, our support team is ready to help.
Contact us:
📞 1-800-563-0469
💬 Chat with us in-app
📧 support@getaloha.com