A chat greeting is the first thing a visitor or customer sees before they type anything. A good one tells them they are in the right place, says what you can help with, and sets an honest expectation about the reply. This article gives greeting examples for three places: the chat bubble on your website, the first reply to an Instagram or Facebook DM, and the away message for when nobody is online. Each example is short enough to use as written, with the VivaDialog setting it goes into and the limits that apply.
What a good greeting does
Greetings that get answered usually do four things in a few lines:
- Say who is talking: the business name or the team, not “the bot”.
- Say what you can help with, so visitors know what to ask.
- Give an honest reply time, only if you can keep it.
- Invite one specific action: a question, a choice, or a link.
Skip the filler. “Welcome to our website! We are so excited to have you here” says nothing a visitor can use. The version that works is closer to “Hi, this is the Corner Bakery team. Ask about orders, opening hours, or allergens.”
Website chat greeting examples
In VivaDialog, the Website chat widget has a Greeting: the first message visitors see, up to 300 characters. Left empty, the widget shows a standard greeting in the widget’s language. You set it under Settings, Channels, Website chat, in the widget editor, next to a live preview. Website chat is included from the Starter plan and is not part of the free trial.
Here are greetings written for different kinds of sites. Each is under the 300-character limit.
| Site | Greeting |
|---|---|
| Bakery | Hi, this is the Corner Bakery team. Ask about orders, opening hours, or allergens. We usually reply within 30 minutes while we are open. |
| Online shop | Hello! Ask us about sizes, delivery, or an order you already placed. We read every message. |
| Clinic | Welcome. You can ask about opening hours, prices, or how to book a visit. For urgent problems, please call the clinic directly. |
| Course or class | Hi! Questions about class times, trial lessons, or prices? Write here and we will answer. |
| Agency | Hello, you are talking to the studio team. Tell us what you are working on and we will tell you whether we can help. |
| Short version | Hi! How can we help? |
Two cautions. The widget never asks for a name, so do not write “Hi [name]”: visitors show up in your inbox as Website visitor. And promise a reply time only when you will meet it, because the visitor reads it as a commitment.
Add shortcut cards under the greeting
Under the greeting you can add up to 4 shortcut cards, set under Shortcuts on the home screen (optional). Each card has text of up to 40 characters and a Type:
- Question: when the visitor taps it, the card’s text is sent as their message. Your automations, flows, and AI answer it as usual.
- Link: opens a page of yours in a new tab. The address must start with https.
Cards turn the common questions into one tap, which suits visitors on a phone. Example sets:
| Business | Cards |
|---|---|
| Shop | “Where is my order?” (question), “Delivery times” (question), “Size guide” (link), “Returns” (link) |
| Clinic | “Opening hours” (question), “Prices” (question), “Book a visit” (link) |
| Class studio | “Class times” (question), “Book a trial” (link), “Prices” (question) |
A question card only helps if something answers it. Pair each question card with an automation that watches for the same words, or with the AI Agent if you turned it on for Website chat. Automations and flows that apply to all channels answer website visitors too. The Website chat help page has the full setup and the limits that protect your quota.
Welcome replies for Instagram and Facebook DMs
On Instagram and Facebook, there is no widget. The greeting is an automatic reply to a new DM, built with an automation. Under What starts this automation?, choose New DM, and under Which messages?, choose Every message or a few Words to look for.
Read the next point before you pick Every message: it answers every new DM, not only the first one in a conversation. Keep the text short so it does not repeat awkwardly, or use one of the narrower versions below.
A first reply that sets expectations
DM away message replies to each new DM with a short note:
Thanks for your message! We usually reply within [write a time, e.g. 2 hours].
Fill in the bracket with a time you can keep. The automation cannot be saved while a placeholder is left.
An away message outside opening hours
Away message outside opening hours sends only when the message arrives outside the days and hours you set, and stays quiet during opening hours so your team answers:
Thanks for your message! We’re closed right now. We’re open [write your days and hours, e.g. Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00].
Check the days, the hours, and the time zone before you save.
Reply only if nobody answers in 15 minutes
Auto-reply only if nobody answers in 15 minutes waits, and if someone on your team answers first, nothing is sent. If not, the customer gets:
Thanks for waiting! We’ll reply within [write a time, e.g. 2 hours].
This feels less automatic than an instant note, because it only appears when a person was not quick enough. Under Wait before running?, an automation can wait from 1 to 60 minutes.
A holiday notice
Closed for a holiday tells every new DM when you are back:
Thanks for your message! We’re closed until [write your return date] and will reply when we’re back.
Switch it off when you return.
A menu of common questions
A flow can do more than a one-line note. Menu of common questions answers a “hi”, “hello”, or “menu” DM with a short menu and replies to the option the person picks:
Hi {name}! What can we help with?
- Opening hours
- Location
- Talk to us
Flows come with Growth and higher. The flows help page describes the builder.
Thank people who share you in a Story
Thank people who share you in their Story sends a thank-you DM when someone mentions your account in an Instagram Story:
Thank you so much for sharing us in your story! It means a lot.
Greeting versus answer
A greeting is not an answer, so do not make people wait behind it. If the DM already contains a question, such as a price or opening hours, a reply that only says “Thanks for your message” feels like a brush-off. Use quick replies for the questions you get most as separate automations, and keep the greeting for the messages that match nothing else. When several automations match one message, only the one with the highest priority replies.
Add Skip messages that contain with words like refund or complaint to any greeting that should stay out of a conversation with an upset customer, and let a person handle it.
Limits to keep in mind
- One automatic reply per comment or message, even when several automations match.
- Nothing older than 24 hours gets an automatic reply, and your own account never triggers an automation.
- On Instagram and Facebook, Meta allows a reply within 24 hours of the customer’s last message. The 24-hour window explained covers what happens after that.
- A Website chat visitor can send up to 2,000 characters per message. Automations and AI answer at most 20 messages from one visitor a day (UTC). After that, the messages still reach your inbox.
- A message with no letters or digits, such as only an emoji, is not answered automatically in Website chat. It still arrives in the inbox.
For how the channels sit side by side, the unified inbox guide describes what arrives from each one. If you are weighing chat tools for your site, live chat alternatives compared covers when a widget is the right fit.
Frequently asked questions
How long can a chat greeting be?
In VivaDialog’s Website chat widget, the greeting can be up to 300 characters. Each shortcut card can have up to 40 characters of text, and you can add up to 4 cards.
What should a chatbot say first?
Say who you are, what you can help with, and one thing the visitor can do next. Add a reply time only if you can keep it.
Can I use the visitor’s name in a website chat greeting?
No. The widget never asks for a name, so the greeting is the same for everyone. On Instagram and Facebook, a DM gives you the sender’s name, and templates such as the menu flow use it.
Do greetings count toward my conversation quota?
A conversation answered by an automation or AI counts toward your monthly conversations, on every channel including Website chat. Replies you type yourself never count.
Can I send a different greeting outside business hours?
Yes. Use the away message outside opening hours template, set the days, hours, and time zone, and the note is sent only when your team is out.
VivaDialog is in early access right now, and participants get the Growth plan free for 30 days. The pricing page has the details.