WhatsApp follow-up deadlines that run on your working hours.

Every enquiry has a clock. It pauses when you are closed, resumes where it stopped, and shows your team and managers what is due.

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Why most response timers mislead you.

A simple stopwatch counts the night as waiting, and restarts when a chat changes hands. Neither tells you how long the customer really waited.

working hours
A message at closing time looks overdue by morning, so people stop trusting the number.
follow-up
Sent quotes and quiet chats have no due date, so chasing them depends on memory.
fair measure
Staff get blamed for time before they had the case, or a slow handover hides a long wait.

Six clocks, each with one job.

A manager sets working days, working hours and reminder timings. These are the clocks that run on them.

  1. First reply

    Starts when the enquiry arrives. It measures what the customer actually waited, and it does not reset when a case changes hands.

  2. Acknowledgement

    Starts at assignment. Did the owner pick the case up?

  3. Owner reply

    Starts at assignment. Did the owner reply once they had it? A new owner gets a fresh clock after a transfer.

  4. Manager alert

    Starts when a reminder goes unanswered, so a manager sees it next.

  5. Quiet follow-up

    Runs when your team sent the last message and the customer has gone quiet.

  6. Quote follow-up

    Starts when a quote is marked sent and has no answer yet.

What it does not do.

  • Clocks do not send anything to customers. They hold your team to account, and a person still writes the reply.
  • Due and overdue cases show inside Clientlo, on the case and in the manager queues. Phone and browser alerts are not available yet, so someone needs Clientlo open.
  • A late reply closes the wait but does not erase it. A breach stays on record by design, so it cannot be cleaned up afterwards.
  • Public holidays are not filled in for you. Your calendar starts blank rather than guessing.

Questions.

What happens outside working hours?
The clock holds its remaining time and carries on when you reopen. It does not restart, so an enquiry at closing time is not treated as overdue overnight or given a new allowance in the morning.
Does the clock reset when a case is transferred?
The first-reply clock never resets, because the customer has been waiting the whole time. The new owner gets fresh acknowledgement and reply clocks, so they are not judged on time before they had the case.
Can we choose our own deadlines?
Yes. Managers set working days, working hours and reminder timings. Changing them affects future deadlines only, and never silently moves one that already exists.
Can someone delete a missed deadline?
No. A breach that happened is permanent. Managers cannot edit the audit log either.
How is this different from a follow-up reminder app?
A reminder is one person's note. These clocks run on every case by default, and managers can see them without asking anyone.

Read next

WhatsApp enquiry managementWhatsApp shared inboxFor managersHow it worksAll features

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