Missed WhatsApp Enquiries After Hours? 6 Fixes for Singapore Salons and Studios

October 29, 2026 · 7 min read · by Furoki

It's 10.47pm. A customer who just saw your work on Instagram sends a WhatsApp: "Hi, how much for balayage? Got slot this Saturday?" You're asleep, or closing up, or halfway through a client's colour. By the time you reply the next morning, they may have booked somewhere that answered first.

Every salon, nail studio, lash studio, pilates studio and tuition centre in Singapore knows this message. The good news is that most of the fix is free, and you can set it up this week. This guide walks through six fixes, from the 5-minute ones to the more complete ones, and what each one actually solves.

Why the late-night message matters

An enquiry that arrives after hours isn't a lesser enquiry. It's often someone who has just finished work, put the kids to bed or scrolled past your page, and is ready to decide. Those customers usually message a few places at once. They're not judging who's best at 10.47pm; they're judging who gives them enough to decide.

So the goal isn't to be awake at midnight. It's to make sure that whoever messages you gets a useful answer, or at least a clear next step, without you lifting a finger.

Fix 1: Set your hours and an away message (5 minutes, free)

In the WhatsApp Business app, go to Tools → Away message. You can send it always, on a custom schedule, or outside of business hours, which only appears once you've set your hours in your business profile. So set your hours first.

Most away messages say "We're closed, we'll reply tomorrow". That sets expectations, but it doesn't help the customer decide. A better one gives them something to act on:

Hi! Thanks for messaging us 🌸 We're closed now and will reply from 10am. Prices: [your price list link] · Book a slot any time: [your booking link] · 中文也可以 😊

Swap in your own links and opening time. If many of your customers write in Chinese, add a line in 中文 too.

Fix 2: A greeting message for first-time customers (5 minutes, free)

Under Tools → Greeting message, WhatsApp sends an automatic welcome when someone messages you for the first time, or after 14 days of no chat. Use it to point new customers to the three things they almost always want: your price list, your booking link and your location.

One thing to know: WhatsApp's help centre notes that greeting messages are switched off automatically if you connect its built-in Business AI feature. If you try that later, check your greeting still behaves the way you expect.

Fix 3: Quick replies for the questions you answer every day (30 minutes, free)

Quick replies are saved answers you send by typing "/" in a chat. You can store up to 50. They don't send by themselves, but they turn a two-minute reply into a five-second one when you're between clients. Start with:

• /price your main services and "from" prices
• /slot how to check availability or book
• /where address, nearest MRT, parking
• /policy deposits, lateness, cancellations
• /trial trial or first-visit offer, if you have one

Write each in English and, if your customers need it, in 中文 too. If a price depends on hair length or a class level, say so plainly instead of guessing.

Fix 4: Answer the question before it's asked (an afternoon, free)

The cheapest message to answer is the one nobody needs to send. Put your price list, opening hours, location and main policies:

• On your website, as text rather than only an image, so Google and AI assistants can read it.
• On your Google Business Profile, with up-to-date hours (including public holidays) and the right category. Google says complete and accurate profiles are more likely to show up in local results.
• In your Instagram bio or highlights, linking to the same page.

Not sure what your site is missing? Furoki Marco is a free audit of how Google, Google Maps and AI assistants see your business, with fixes ranked by what brings in enquiries.

Fix 5: Let people book without waiting for you

"Got slot Saturday?" is a scheduling question, and humans are slow schedulers. If you already use a booking tool, put its link in your away message, greeting, quick replies, Instagram bio and Google profile. If you don't, a simple booking page with your real availability is still better than a back-and-forth that starts the next morning.

The catch: booking links work best for customers who already know what they want. First-timers with questions ("is this suitable for thick hair?", "which level should my son join?") still need a conversation.

Fix 6: An AI front desk that answers and books for you

This is where an AI front desk fits. Instead of a fixed away message, it holds a real conversation: it answers price and policy questions, checks availability, books or reschedules, and sends confirmations and reminders. The important part is where its answers come from. A good one answers only from prices, hours and policies you've approved, and passes anything else to a person with the full conversation, instead of making something up.

That's what Furoki Concierge does. It answers in English and 中文, books and reschedules appointments, sends day-before reminders, and opens a handoff for your team when a chat needs a human. Website chat is live today; WhatsApp on your own number is rolling out with our first pilot businesses. You can chat with a demo salon to see how it handles questions like the one at the top of this post.

Which fix is right for you?

Fix	Cost	Set-up time	What it solves	What it doesn't
Away message	Free	5 min	Sets expectations, shares links	Doesn't answer questions
Greeting message	Free	5 min	Points new customers to prices and booking	Only fires on first contact or after 14 days
Quick replies	Free	30 min	Makes your own replies faster	Still needs you to send them
Prices and FAQs online	Free	An afternoon	Fewer questions in the first place; helps you get found	Customers still ask about availability
Booking link	Depends on tool	An hour or two	Bookings without back-and-forth	First-timers with questions
AI front desk	Monthly plan	From your existing price list	Answers, books, reminds, hands off	Shouldn't replace you for complaints or sensitive chats

The next morning: clear the backlog in order

Whatever you set up, some chats will still wait for you. In the WhatsApp Business app, labels help: tag chats as "new enquiry", "waiting for slot" or "follow up". Reply to new enquiries first, then anyone who asked about a specific day, then everything else.

One rule for follow-ups: Singapore's Do Not Call provisions

Answering a customer who messaged you is customer service. Sending promotions to a Singapore number is different. Under the PDPA's Do Not Call provisions, before you send a marketing message to a Singapore phone number you need either a valid check against the DNC Registry (results are valid for 21 days) or the person's clear and unambiguous consent, given through a positive action and recorded so you can refer to it later. The PDPC's example is a customer ticking a box that says they agree to receive offers by SMS. Make it easy to opt out, too.

In practice: reply to enquiries freely, but don't add everyone who ever asked a price question to your promo broadcast.

Frequently asked questions

How do I auto-reply on WhatsApp after business hours?

In the WhatsApp Business app, set your business hours in your profile, then go to Tools, Away message, turn it on and choose the schedule 'Outside of business hours'.

What should a salon's WhatsApp away message say?

Set expectations and give a next step: when you'll reply, a link to your price list, a link to book, and a line in Chinese if many customers write in Chinese.

Can an AI chatbot answer salon prices correctly?

It should only answer from prices, hours and policies you have approved, and pass anything else to a person with the full conversation. Furoki Concierge works this way, in English and Chinese.

Can I send promotions to everyone who messaged my business?

Not automatically. Under Singapore's Do Not Call provisions, a marketing message to a Singapore number needs a valid DNC Registry check (valid for 21 days) or the person's clear and unambiguous consent, recorded for later reference.