What are announcements?

Announcements are a special type of FAQ in Simple Chat used for urgent, store-wide notices your customers should hear about even if they never ask the right question.

Typical examples include shipping delays, warehouse closures, holiday cutoffs, payment outages, or other service disruptions that affect many shoppers at once.

How announcements differ from regular FAQs

Unlike regular FAQs, announcements are always included in the AI’s context regardless of what the customer asks. That means the assistant can proactively communicate important updates instead of waiting for someone to mention shipping or downtime.

When to use an announcement

Use announcements when silence would mislead customers—for example:

• Carrier delays affecting all orders this week
• A warehouse closure pushing fulfillment back
• A known checkout or payment issue you are resolving
• A site-wide promotion exception with fixed legal or ops wording

Use regular FAQs for stable policies and questions that only matter when the shopper asks about that topic.

How to create one

When adding or importing FAQs, set type to announcement (in the app or in the CSV type column). Write the answer as clear, customer-ready language—the same text you would post on a banner or support auto-reply.

Keep announcements focused and current. Retire or schedule them when the situation ends so the AI does not keep citing resolved incidents.

Pair with scheduling

For time-bound incidents, combine announcements with start and end dates (configured in the app) so the notice automatically stops applying when operations return to normal.