# Wait for a customer reply in Automations

Use **Wait for reply** when the next step depends on the customer's answer. For example, send an appointment reminder, wait for a confirmation, then update the contact or follow up if no reply arrives.

> Automations is in Early access. Your workspace permissions determine which actions you can perform.

## Before you start

Add an SMS or WhatsApp send to your workflow. SMS needs a number in your workspace that can receive messages. WhatsApp needs a sender in your workspace and one individual phone recipient.

Email replies are not supported. Replies in WhatsApp group conversations are not supported.

Your workspace needs permission to send and read messages for the selected channel. Normal [channel requirements](/docs/guides/automations/messages) and the workspace’s automated-send limits still apply.

## Add the wait

1. Add **Wait for reply** on the send's **Success** path. You can also select **Also wait for a reply** when adding an SMS or WhatsApp send.
2. In **Reply to**, select the earlier send. If only one send is eligible, it is selected automatically. The send can have other steps between it and the wait.
3. Set **Wait up to** to the duration you want to allow for an answer.
4. Connect **Reply received** to the step that handles the answer. Use **Choose a path** to distinguish a confirmation, a request for help, and other replies.
5. Connect **Timed out** to a follow-up or an explicit outcome. Handle send failure from the send step's separate failure path.

The workflow starts capturing replies when the message is accepted for sending, so a fast answer can be saved before the run reaches the wait. The timeout begins when the run reaches the wait; the [run time limit](/docs/guides/automations/schedules-and-delays#run-time-limit) can end it earlier.

## Use the reply

On the **Reply received** path, choose fields under **Reply → Message** in Available data. An SMS send provides SMS fields. A WhatsApp send provides WhatsApp fields, which can include text, button responses, or media. Check which optional fields are present before using them.

The wait accepts an eligible reply without interpreting its meaning. Your next step decides what to do with an answer such as “yes”, “no”, or unexpected content. The **Timed out** path has no reply data.

## Avoid overlapping questions

Replies match the channel and the business/customer phone-number pair within the workspace. They do not identify which question the customer intended to answer. The same reply can satisfy eligible waits in several workflows, and a late answer can satisfy a later question.

Use [Run overlap](/docs/guides/automations/run-settings) to skip a new run while this automation is already waiting for the same pair. Coordinate other automations that message that customer too; overlap settings apply to one automation at a time.

## Preview and check the result

[Preview the workflow](/docs/guides/automations/preview) with a reply, an unexpected answer, and a timeout. Preview uses sample data without sending messages. Check the paths and fields, then publish when you are ready for real messages.

In **Runs**, inspect the **Wait for reply** step and its selected branch to see whether a reply arrived or the wait timed out. A timeout completes the wait step successfully and follows the **Timed out** path. The run's final status depends on what happens next.

If retrieving the reply message fails permanently, the run fails rather than taking the timeout path. Inspect the failed step for the cause and check channel read permissions.

If **Reply to** has no choices, connect the wait to an earlier SMS or WhatsApp send's success path. A send reached only through its failure path is not eligible.

Pausing the automation prevents new runs but lets existing waits continue. Cancel an individual run when its follow-up work should stop.

## Next steps

- [Wait for delivery receipts or application events](/docs/guides/automations/waits).
- [Use workflow data](/docs/guides/automations/data).
- [Inspect runs](/docs/guides/automations/runs).

## Related resources

- [Automations](/docs/guides/automations) (docs)