> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.heyy.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Set reply timeouts

> Handle a contact who stops replying with the Contact Not Replied condition.

**Reply timeout**, also called **Contact Not Replied**, is a timer condition on the **AI Employee** automation action: if the contact does not reply within a set window, the automation can act instead of leaving the conversation open indefinitely.

## Configure it

1. Open the **AI Employee** action in the automation editor.
2. Set the **Reply timeout** duration and unit to match your SLA — for example, 30 minutes.
3. Connect the timeout branch to whatever should happen next.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/heyy-c8bd5c9e/1coCVJUJuVs6SA9x/assets/ai-employees-automations-reply-timeout.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=1coCVJUJuVs6SA9x&q=85&s=0a74c9f19d30deadc9e8b8293634483e" alt="Reply timeout configuration" width="1366" height="632" data-path="assets/ai-employees-automations-reply-timeout.png" />
</Frame>

## What to do when it fires

| Outcome                         | When to use it                                                                             |
| ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Close the chat**              | The conversation was likely resolved or abandoned; free it up rather than leaving it open. |
| **Reassign it**                 | Route to a different team or teammate for a fresh follow-up attempt.                       |
| **Hand to another AI Employee** | Trigger a different employee for a lighter-touch, automated follow-up message.             |

Fully custom — place the timeout condition wherever it is useful in the flow, and pair it with whatever next step matches your SLA. See [Add an AI employee to an automation](/help/ai-employees/going-live/add-to-automation) for how this fits alongside channel selection and exit points on the same action.