Auto-reply isn't firing.
Customer fills in the widget but doesn't get the auto-reply SMS. Diagnose the cause.
The 60-second checklist
1. Did they enter a mobile number
The auto-reply only fires if the visitor provided their mobile in the widget form. If they only typed a message and submitted, there's nowhere to send the SMS. The conversation still appears in your inbox, but no auto-reply goes out.
Check the conversation. If the visitor mobile field is blank, that's the answer.
2. Is the auto-reply turned on
Go to Settings, Auto-replies. Confirm the relevant auto-reply (inside hours or after hours) is enabled and has a message in it.
An empty auto-reply does not send. The system treats blank as "off" deliberately, so you don't accidentally send empty SMS.
3. Is the time-of-day matching the right auto-reply
If the test happened at 2pm and your business hours are set to 9am to 5pm, the inside-hours auto-reply should fire. If the test happened at 8pm, the after-hours auto-reply should fire. Confirm:
- Your business hours are set correctly
- Your timezone is set to your local AU state
- The auto-reply for the relevant period is enabled
4. Have they texted STOP before
If the same visitor's mobile number has previously texted STOP to your TapText number (or any other TapText tenant they've interacted with), they're suppressed and no SMS will be sent to them. This is the law, not a TapText quirk.
You'll see a "suppressed" badge on the conversation in your inbox if this is the case.
5. Have you hit your daily SMS cap
If your daily SMS spend cap has been hit (we set a daily ceiling on top of your monthly cap to protect against runaway usage), inbound widget messages still capture but auto-replies don't fire until the next day. You'll see a banner in the dashboard if this is happening.
Re-fire an auto-reply that didn't go out
Go to the conversation in the inbox. Click the three-dot menu, choose Resend auto-reply. This forces the auto-reply to send (assuming the recipient isn't suppressed).
Common cases that aren't bugs
- Customer didn't fill in mobile. No auto-reply, by design. Reach out manually if you have another way to contact them.
- Customer is on Do Not Disturb. The SMS was delivered, their phone just isn't showing it. Not a TapText issue.
- Customer's carrier filtered it. Rare on Aust carriers, but possible. Send a manual follow-up from the inbox.
Still stuck
Email hello@taptext.com.au with the conversation ID and what you expected to happen.