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The Follow-up skill lets your AI agent automatically send one follow-up message to a customer who stops responding, so quiet conversations get a second nudge without an agent watching the inbox. This page shows how to turn on Follow-up in AI Studio, set the wait time and message, and understand when the follow-up does and does not send. Follow-up lives in the Engagement group on the Skills tab, alongside the related Auto-resolve skill. The two are independent — you can enable either one on its own.

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Prerequisites

  • You created an AI agent in AI Studio. If not, start with Set up your AI agent in AI Studio.
  • WhatsApp is connected and the conversation is handled by the AI agent.
  • You know the Skills tab basics (adding a skill and using its card).

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Step 1: Open the Follow-up skill

  • Go to AI Studio and open the AI agent you want to configure.
  • Open the Skills tab.
  • In the Engagement section, add Follow-up if it is not there yet (Add skill → Follow-up → Add).
  • Use the switch on the Follow-up card to turn the skill on.
  • Open the card to configure its settings.

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Step 2: Set the wait time

The Follow up customer after field controls how long the agent waits with no reply before it sends the follow-up.
  • Enter a number, then choose the unit: Minutes or Hours.
  • The minimum value is 1, and the number must be positive.
  • The default is 2 Hours.
The unit options are Minutes and Hours only — there is no day or week option. To wait roughly a day, use a value in hours (for example, 12 Hours). Also see Stay within WhatsApp’s 24-hour window before choosing a long wait.

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Step 3: Write the follow-up message

The Follow up message field is the exact text the customer receives. This message is required when Follow-up is on.
  • Type the message you want to send (for example, “Hi, do you have any other questions?”).
  • Keep it short and specific so it reads as a genuine check-in.
The agent sends this message as written. It is not rewritten or generated by AI, so what you type is what the customer sees.

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Step 4: Save the skill

  • After any change, an Unsaved skillset banner appears at the top of the page.
  • Click Save skillset to apply your settings, or Discard skillset to revert.
Follow-up is active once the switch is on and your settings are saved.

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How AI follow-up works

Once Follow-up is on, the agent tracks how long the customer has been quiet:
  • The wait time counts from the customer’s last message.
  • If the customer replies again, the timer resets and counts from the new message.
  • When the wait time passes with no new customer message — and the conversation is still handled by the AI agent — the agent sends your follow-up message once.
  • Only one follow-up is sent per quiet period. The timer starts over the next time the customer replies and then goes quiet again.
The pending follow-up is cancelled if the conversation changes state before the timer elapses, including when:
  • The ticket is resolved manually.
  • The ticket is closed by the Auto-resolve skill.
  • The conversation is handed off to a human agent.

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Stay within WhatsApp’s 24-hour window

WhatsApp lets businesses send free-form (non-template) messages only within 24 hours of the customer’s last message — this is Meta’s customer care window. The follow-up message is a free-form message, so it follows the same rule.
  • If your wait time pushes the send moment past the 24-hour window, WhatsApp does not deliver the free-form follow-up and it is skipped.
  • Keep the Follow up customer after value well under 24 hours (a few hours works well) so the follow-up lands inside the window.
This is a Meta platform policy and can change. For the current rules, see the WhatsApp Business Policy. Check latest Meta docs if you rely on long delays.

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Use Follow-up with Auto-resolve

Follow-up and Auto-resolve are separate skills. A common setup uses both: nudge the customer first, then close the ticket if they still do not reply.
  • Set the Auto-resolve wait longer than the Follow-up wait. This gives the follow-up time to send before the ticket closes.
  • When a ticket auto-resolves, any pending follow-up is cancelled, so the customer never gets a follow-up after the conversation has already closed.
To configure Auto-resolve, see Add and manage skills in AI Studio.

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FAQ

Is the follow-up message written by AI? No. The agent sends the exact Follow up message you saved. It is not generated or rewritten by AI. How many follow-ups does one customer get? One per quiet period. The timer resets every time the customer replies, so a customer who goes quiet again later can receive another follow-up. Why didn’t my follow-up send? The most common reasons are: the customer replied and reset the timer, the ticket was resolved or handed to a human agent, or the wait time exceeded WhatsApp’s 24-hour window. Can I set the wait in days? No. The unit options are Minutes and Hours. Use hours for longer waits, but stay under 24 hours so the message can be delivered. What is the default wait time? 2 Hours, with the message required before you can save.