# Shop Closed for a Cyclone? Tell Customers First

> How to tell customers your shop or clinic is closed for a cyclone or heavy rain: a WhatsApp update the AI answers from, calls to booked customers, and reopening.

Source: https://business.mysmartassistant.ai/blog/shop-closed-bad-weather-message · Published 2026-10-27 · Language: English · Publisher: MySA Business (https://business.mysmartassistant.ai)

![Before a cyclone the shop sets Today's update on WhatsApp; a customer asks if the shop is open; the AI replies with the closure and the reopening time; customers with bookings get a call](/blog/weather-closure-flow.svg)

A shop closed due to bad weather message tells customers, before they set out, that you are shut, until when, and what happens to their booking or order. With MySA Business, the AI on your WhatsApp number can answer every "aaj khula hai?" from a one-line **Today's update**, and an AI call campaign can reach the customers who had a booking. The message is short; the job is to make sure everyone who needs it actually gets it.

## Why it matters this week

On 26 October 2026, IMD expected Cyclone Arnab to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast near Yanam, between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, by the forenoon of 28 October, with red warnings for extremely heavy rain in several coastal Andhra districts and in southern Odisha. Odisha closed schools and colleges in five districts on 27 and 28 October. Forecasts change, so follow the latest IMD bulletin and your district administration, and close for as long as they advise. Safety comes first; this article is about what to tell customers once that decision is made.

The same steps work for any closure you did not plan: a flood warning in Mumbai, a heatwave afternoon, a power cut, a bandh.

## Who needs to hear from you

Not every customer needs a message. Sort them first:

| Customer | What they need | How MySA can reach them |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Asks on WhatsApp whether you are open | Closed or open, and when you reopen | The AI answers from **Today's update** |
| Has a booking or a visit on the closed day | That it is moved or cancelled, and how to rebook | An AI call campaign, or the calendar's own messages |
| Is waiting for an order or a repair | That the delivery date has moved | An AI call campaign with the new date per customer |
| Bought from you before | Usually nothing until you reopen | A broadcast once you are open again |

## Answer every "aaj khula hai?" on WhatsApp

If your WhatsApp number uses **Smart reply (AI)**, open **WhatsApp → Settings** and write a **Today's update** for that number, for example "28 October ko cyclone ki wajah se dukaan band hai. 29 October ko 10 baje se khulegi." The AI uses it on top of your Business Details, so a customer who asks about timings, delivery or a visit gets the closure in the answer.

![WhatsApp Settings: Smart reply (AI) with Today's update, Custom auto-reply, Missed call auto-reply and WhatsApp Auto-Call](/docs-media/whatsapp-settings.png)

> **Example**
>
> **Customer:** Kal clinic khula hai? Mera 11 baje ka appointment hai.
>
> **AI:** Namaste. Cyclone ki wajah se 28 October ko clinic band hai. 29 October ko 10 baje se khulega. Aapka appointment shift karne ke liye hamari team aapko call karegi.

The clinic is made up. Change **Today's update** back when you reopen; the AI does not know the weather, only what you wrote. More on how the replies work is in [WhatsApp auto reply for business](/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply-for-business).

If a customer rings your WhatsApp number instead, **Missed call auto-reply** can decline the call and text them back, if they have messaged you before. The AI cannot answer WhatsApp calls itself.

## Call the customers who were booked

Customers with a booking on the closed day should not find out at a locked door. An outbound campaign takes a list, an Excel or CSV file of their numbers, and calls each one with your purpose, such as "28 October ki booking cyclone ki wajah se cancel hai; customer se naya din poochho." Columns named `var1` to `var15` let each call carry its own detail, such as the booking time, so the AI can say "aapka 11 baje ka appointment". Run a test call to your own phone first. See [Campaigns](/features/campaigns).

If your bookings live in **Appointments**, you can cancel a whole closed day at once from the **List** view (tick **Select all**, then **Cancel N bookings**), and each customer with a **Live** booking gets a WhatsApp from MySA's number saying which booking was cancelled and your number to book again. On an inbound call, the AI can also move a caller's own booking to a new day when they ask. See the [Appointments docs](/docs/appointments).

Customers who say "jab khulega tab call karna" are added to **Follow-ups** with the time they asked for, and **Auto-callback** can ring them then. See [how to handle "call me later"](/blog/how-to-handle-call-me-later).

Calls are never placed inside your [DND hours](/docs/dnd), so a late-night list waits for the morning.

## Tell everyone when you reopen

A message to all past customers on the closed day adds noise to an already anxious day. The better moment is the day you reopen. If **Broadcasts** is enabled for your workspace, you can send one approved WhatsApp template, such as a reopening notice with your timings, to a list of past customers from your own WhatsApp Business number, now or scheduled, with your **Opted out** list left out. The template needs Meta's approval before you can send it, so set it up ahead of the next monsoon, not on the day. See [WhatsApp Broadcasts](/docs/whatsapp-broadcasts).

## Phone calls on your business number

On inbound calls, the AI answers from your approved **Business Details**, and approved wording cannot be edited; changing it means building a new version and approving it. That is too slow for a one-day closure. So for the closed day, rely on WhatsApp's **Today's update** and on calling booked customers yourself first, and keep your Business Details for the facts that stay true. If you want the AI to say that you close during red alerts, write that rule into your next version.

## What works today, and what it does not do

| Works today | Does not do |
| --- | --- |
| AI WhatsApp replies that include your **Today's update** | Know about the weather or a warning on its own |
| AI calls to a list of booked customers, with each one's details | Change your Business Details for calls in minutes |
| Cancelling a whole day in **Appointments**, with a WhatsApp to each customer | Send SMS or email |
| Call-backs at the time a customer asked | Call inside your DND hours |
| A reopening broadcast from an approved template, if Broadcasts is enabled | Work if your WhatsApp number or phone line itself is down |

These are scenarios, not customer stories.

## Getting started

1. [Create a workspace](/signup) and verify your mobile number to get ₹100 of Test credit in the separate **Test** environment.
2. Build and approve your Business Details: timings, branches, booking and delivery rules.
3. Press **Try now**: the AI rings your own phone, so you hear how it speaks.
4. Go **Live** and top up the prepaid wallet. WhatsApp AI replies run on your Live workspace; connect your number under **Channels → WhatsApp** and turn on **Smart reply (AI)**.

Calls of 10 seconds or less are free; longer calls are billed per started minute. The rate for your workspace is shown in the console. [Talk to sales](/contact) for volume pricing.

## Frequently asked questions

### What should a closure message say?

That you are closed, the date, why in a few words, when you reopen, and what happens to bookings or orders. "28 October ko cyclone ki wajah se band, 29 ko 10 baje se khulega" is enough.

### Can the AI tell WhatsApp customers we are closed today?

Yes. Write it in Today's update for that number in WhatsApp Settings. The AI adds it to its answers until you change it.

### Can I call everyone who had a booking on the closed day?

Yes, with an outbound campaign from a list of their numbers. Each call can carry that customer's booking time through the var1 to var15 columns.

### Will the AI on my phone line know we are closed?

Not for a one-day closure. Phone answers come from your approved Business Details, and changing them needs a new version, so tell booked customers by call and use WhatsApp's Today's update for the rest.

### When should I message all my customers?

When you reopen, not during the storm. A reopening broadcast needs an approved WhatsApp template, so prepare one in advance.