When it is used
The first message is sent exactly as you write it when a conversation opens with a greeting or an unclear message (“hi”, “hello”, “info?”). If the contact instead opens with a clear question (“how much is a cleaning?”), the agent skips the canned opener and answers the question directly. So the first message is a warm welcome for vague openers, not a wall the agent puts in front of every conversation. A good first message is short, names your business, and invites the person to say what they need. For example:Hi! Welcome to Acme 👋 How can we help you today?
Personalization variables
You can drop contact variables into the first message so it greets people by name, such as the contact’s first name ({{contact.first_name}}). When a contact has that detail on file, it fills in; when they do not, write the sentence so it still reads naturally without it. A safe pattern is to keep the greeting friendly whether or not the name is present, rather than leaving an awkward gap where a missing value would go.
Keep personalization light. One familiar touch (the first name) feels warm; stuffing several variables into the opener feels like a mail merge.