> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.gallabox.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Bot Wait Time and Drop-off
> Control how long a rule-based bot waits for a reply, what it says and does when the wait runs out, and how nudges, flow-level drop-off and channel settings fit together.
> **Who can use this?**
>
> * Owners and Admins, and roles that can update bots, for setup.
> * Anyone troubleshooting why a bot stopped, or why a chat was unassigned or resolved.
When a customer stops replying, a rule-based bot waits for a set time and then **drops off**. It sends an optional message and runs the actions you choose. This page covers rule-based bots. For Chat AI Agents, see [Channel Behaviour](/ai-agents-and-bots/chat-ai-agent/channel-behaviour#session-timeout).
## A bot stopping is not the chat closing
When the wait time runs out, the bot stops handling the conversation. It sends your timeout message, if you wrote one, and runs your timeout actions.
The conversation is only resolved if one of those actions is **Resolve Conversation**. With the default action, **Unassign Conversation**, the chat moves to **Unassigned** and stays open.
## Set the bot's wait time
Every rule-based bot has one wait time that applies to all its flows.
In **AI Agents and Bots**, find the bot, click **⋯**, and choose **Settings**.
Under **What if the contact didn't respond to the agent's questions**, set **How long the agent can wait for reply?**. You can choose 1–59 minutes, 1–23 hours, or 1–7 days.
In **What should the agent say to contact after the designated wait time?**, write what the customer receives when the bot stops.
In **What should the agent do after the designated wait time?**, pick at least one action.
The actions you can choose:
| Action | What it does |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Assign Conversation** | Assigns the chat to a team member |
| **Assign Conversation To Team** | Assigns the chat to a team, using that team's assignment rule |
| **Assign Conversation To Contact Owner** | Assigns the chat to the contact's owner |
| **Unassign Conversation** | Moves the chat to **Unassigned** |
| **Resolve Conversation** | Resolves the chat |
| **Update Conversation Tag** / **Remove Conversation Tag** | Adds or removes a conversation tag |
| **Push to Sequence** | Enrols the contact in a sequence (WhatsApp only) |
Bot settings save straight away. You don't need to publish.
**New bots wait 3 minutes, then unassign the chat.** Many customers take longer than that to reply, so the bot hands them to **Unassigned** partway through the flow. Set a wait time that fits how your customers actually reply.
### When the countdown starts
The countdown starts from the bot's **last message**. It restarts every time the bot sends another message. It isn't counted from the start of the flow.
## Give one flow its own wait time
Use flow-level drop-off when one flow needs a different wait from the rest of the bot. For example, a payment flow might wait longer.
Open the flow and click **Edit Flow**.
Turn on **Enable flow-level drop-off**. For this flow, it replaces the bot's wait time, message and actions.
Set the wait time. Then choose up to three actions in **What should the bot do after the designated wait time?**.
When you first turn it on, the wait is 1 minute and the action is **Unassign Conversation**. Change both before you save.
If **Enable flow-level drop-off** shows **Upgrade**, your plan doesn't include it.
## Nudge before dropping off
A nudge reminds the customer before the bot gives up.
In the flow's settings (**Edit Flow**), turn on **Nudge contact if question message is unanswered**:
* **Set no. of attempts**: up to 2.
* **Set delay time**: up to 60 minutes between attempts.
* **Nudge message**: optional. The bot sends it and then asks the unanswered question again.
**Nudges add to the wait.** The wait time only starts after the last nudge.
For example, with 2 nudges 10 minutes apart and a 3-minute wait:
* the first nudge goes 10 minutes after the question,
* the second goes 10 minutes later, and
* the bot drops off 3 minutes after that: 23 minutes after the original question.
Nudges are available on rule-based flows only.
## Choose what happens when a flow finishes
A flow that reaches its last step doesn't close or unassign the chat. The conversation stays with the bot, and the customer's next message is matched against the bot's flows again.
To do something when the flow finishes, turn on **What actions should the agent take after the flow completion?** in the flow's settings. Then pick one or more conversation actions, such as **Resolve Conversation** or **Assign Conversation To Team**.
If a flow ends with an **Assign Conversation** node, don't also choose **Unassign Conversation** here. The finish action runs after the node and undoes the handoff.
## When the timeout doesn't run
The bot skips its timeout message and actions if any of these happened while it was waiting:
* the customer replied,
* a team member or another bot took over the conversation, or
* the conversation was already resolved.
## Other settings that end or move a chat
Several settings can move or close a conversation. Only some of them apply while a bot is handling it.
| Setting | Where | What it does | Can it act while a bot has the chat? |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :----------------------------------: |
| Bot wait time | Bot settings, or the flow's settings | Bot stops and runs its timeout actions | Yes |
| **Resolve Conversation** node, or flow-finish actions | The flow | Resolves or moves the chat on purpose | Yes |
| [Auto resolve chat](/whatsapp/channel-configuration#auto-resolve-chat) | Channel configuration | Resolves the chat when a team member's last message gets no reply in time | No |
| [Agent fallback](/whatsapp/channel-configuration#agent-fallback-management) | Channel configuration | Reassigns the chat when the assigned team member doesn't reply in time | No |
| Meta's 24-hour window | WhatsApp rule | Never closes a chat. After 24 hours you can only send templates. | Not applicable |
Auto resolve chat and agent fallback only act on conversations assigned to a person. If a chat closes while a bot is handling it, the cause is the bot's own settings or the flow.
## Changing settings on live conversations
* Flow settings you save in **Edit Flow** go live straight away on a published flow. This covers keywords, nudges, finish actions, and flow-level drop-off. Changes on the canvas need **Publish**.
* Conversations already in progress pick up most changes. The exception is the bot's wait time: a conversation keeps the wait time it started with. Test a new wait time on a new conversation.
## FAQs
Check these in order:
1. Is **Enable flow-level drop-off** on in this flow with a shorter time? It replaces the bot's wait time.
2. Is the bot still on the 3-minute default?
3. Did a flow-finish action or a **Resolve Conversation** node close it?
4. Did the conversation start before you changed the wait time? It keeps the old one.
If your settings all match and the chat still closes early, email **[support@gallabox.com](mailto:support@gallabox.com)**. Include the bot name, a sample contact number, and the time of the bot's last message.
Nudges add to the wait. The wait time starts after the last nudge. See [Nudge before dropping off](#nudge-before-dropping-off).
The bot only runs its timeout actions if the customer didn't reply and nobody took over. Check that **What should the agent do after the designated wait time?** has at least one action.
If your settings are right, email **[support@gallabox.com](mailto:support@gallabox.com)**. Include the bot name, a sample contact number, and the time of the bot's last message.
A team member or another bot took over, or the chat was already resolved. The bot skips the message in both cases.
No. Ask nodes use the bot's wait time, or the flow's if flow-level drop-off is on. To remind the customer before the bot stops, use [nudges](#nudge-before-dropping-off).
## Related articles
* [How conversations reach a bot](/ai-agents-and-bots/how-conversations-reach-a-bot)
* [Troubleshooting bots](/ai-agents-and-bots/bots/troubleshooting)
* [Action Nodes](/ai-agents-and-bots/bots/nodes/action-nodes)
* [WhatsApp channel configuration](/whatsapp/channel-configuration)