To set different business hours for each team or inbox in Papo (https://papo.global/), you configure the business hours directly on the desired inbox and link only the responsible team to it. This way, each team operates on its own schedule, and messages received outside one department's hours do not interfere with the others' operation.
When a company has multiple teams — such as Sales, Support, and Finance — each one can have different working hours. Papo lets you create separate inboxes for each channel and, in each one, define the days and times when human support is active. Outside that period, the system automatically sends a personalized absence message and keeps the conversation in the queue, without assigning it to any agent, until the next shift begins.
| Feature | What it does | Benefit for different teams |
|---|---|---|
| Business hours per inbox | Defines the days and times a specific inbox is open. | Each team (e.g., Sales, Support) can have its own schedule without conflicting with others. |
| Personalized absence message | Automatic text sent to the customer when the message arrives outside that inbox's hours. | Clearly communicates the department's hours, managing expectations and reducing customer anxiety. |
| Linking teams to the inbox | Restricts access to the inbox to members of that team only. | Ensures conversations reach the right specialists and that agents from other departments are not notified unnecessarily. |
| Assignment control | Out-of-hours conversations are not distributed to agents; they stay in the queue until the next shift. | Prevents the SLA from being affected and keeps the team from receiving notifications during their time off. |
How business hours per inbox work
The logic is simple: each inbox you create (WhatsApp, Instagram, email, etc.) can have its own business hours. When a new message arrives, Papo checks the hours of that specific inbox.
- Within business hours: The conversation follows the normal distribution flow — it is assigned to an agent from the linked team, according to round-robin rules or manually.
- Outside business hours: The system immediately sends the absence message configured for that inbox and keeps the conversation as "unread" in the general queue. It will only be assigned to an agent when the inbox's business hours start again.
So, if the Sales team works from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Support from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., each will have its own support flow without interfering with the other.
Step by step to configure different hours per team
Follow these steps to create inboxes with independent hours and link them to the right teams.
1. Create separate inboxes for each team
Go to Settings → Inboxes and add a new inbox for each channel the team will use (e.g., "WhatsApp Sales", "Instagram Support"). During creation, you can choose the channel and then link agents or teams. If you haven't created the teams yet, you can do that later.
2. Set the inbox's business hours
In the inbox list, find the inbox you want to configure and open its settings. Look for the Business Hours section (or similar). There you can:
- Check the days of the week on which the team provides support.
- For each day, set the start and end times of the shift.
- Leave days unchecked (e.g., Saturday and Sunday) to indicate there is no support.
3. Customize the absence message
In the same place, there is a field for the automatic message that will be sent to customers outside business hours. Write a text that includes:
- A thank-you for reaching out.
- A note that the team is outside business hours.
- The business hours of that department.
- An expectation for a reply (e.g., "We'll get back to you as soon as we return, starting at 9 a.m. on Monday.").
Example for the Sales team:
"Hello! Thank you for contacting our Sales team. Our business hours are Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Your message has been received and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. See you soon!"
Save your changes.
4. Link the team to the inbox
Still in the inbox settings, go to the Members tab (or similar). Select the desired team (e.g., "Sales Team") or add agents individually. Only those members will have access to the conversations in that inbox. To create and manage teams, use the dedicated Teams section in your account settings.
5. Repeat the process for the other teams
Create as many inboxes as needed, each with its own hours and absence message. This way, the Support team can have extended hours, while Finance operates only during standard business hours, for example.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have different hours for sales and support using the same WhatsApp number?
Not directly on the same number. The ideal approach is to create separate inboxes for each team, each connected to a different channel (e.g., one WhatsApp number for Sales and another for Support). That way, each inbox will have its own business hours.
What happens if a customer sends a message outside a specific team's hours?
The conversation is recorded in that team's inbox, the customer receives the personalized absence message, and the conversation is not assigned to any agent. It will wait for that inbox's next shift to begin before being distributed.
Can the absence message be different for each inbox?
Yes. Each inbox lets you configure its own absence message, which will be sent automatically when a message arrives outside that inbox's configured hours.
Does this affect the agent round-robin?
No. The round-robin (automatic distribution) only happens during the inbox's business hours. Outside them, conversations are not assigned to anyone, preserving the order of arrival for when the shift starts again.
Do I need to create a team before linking it to the inbox?
Not necessarily. You can add agents individually on the inbox's members tab. However, creating teams makes management easier, since it lets you add or remove team members once and have the change reflected in every inbox where that team is linked.
How can I test whether the configuration is correct?
Send a message to the connected channel (e.g., WhatsApp) outside the hours configured for that inbox. You should receive the absence message automatically, and the conversation should not appear assigned to any agent until the shift begins.
Read also
- How to link inboxes to specific teams?
- How to configure rules to automatically assign conversations from a specific channel to a team
Create your free Papo account and set distinct business hours for each team in minutes, at no initial cost.