Messaging customers
Customer messages
18 messages, each tied to one moment in a visit or a booking. Every one can be switched off, reworded, and set up differently on each channel and in each language — and all of them go out under your name, so they are worth reading before your customers do.
Where to find them
Location settingsCustomer messages. They are set per location, so a branch with a different tone — or a different language — can say something different.
Needs the permission messages.update (update messages). Owners and Admins have every permission by default.
Waitlist messages (9)
| Message | Sent when |
|---|---|
| Waitlist visit created | Sent when a visit is added to the waitlist |
| Waitlist visit changed | Sent when a waitlist visit is changed |
| Waitlist visit next in line | Sent when a waitlist visit is next in line |
| Waitlist visit alerted | Sent when the operator notifies a waitlist visitor that it is their turn |
| Waitlist visit no-showed | Sent when a waitlist visit is marked as a no-show |
| Waitlist visit served | Sent when a waitlist visit starts being served |
| Waitlist visit completed | Sent when a waitlist visit is marked as completed |
| Waitlist visit followed up | Sent at least five minutes after visit completion |
| Waitlist visit cancelled | Sent when a waitlist visit is cancelled |
The one that matters most is the alert when it is somebody's turn. If you only ever edit one message, edit that one — and say where to go, not just that you are ready.
Booking messages (9)
| Message | Sent when |
|---|---|
| Booking created | Sent when a booking is created |
| Booking changed | Sent when the booking time, duration, party size, service or resource changes |
| Booking reminded | Sent ahead of time to remind the customer about the booking |
| Booking alerted | Sent when a booking is alerted |
| Booking no-showed | Sent when a booking is marked as a no-show |
| Booking served | Sent when a booking starts being served |
| Booking completed | Sent when a booking is completed |
| Booking followed up | Sent at least five minutes after visit completion |
| Booking cancelled | Sent when a booking is cancelled |
The reminder is the one that earns its keep here: a message the day before is the cheapest no-show reduction available to you.
Each message, on each channel
Every message is configured separately per channel, because the same words do not work in all three. An email can carry the full detail; a push notification has a line and a half.
- Email — Customize outgoing email.
- WhatsApp — Customize outgoing WhatsApp messages.
- SMS — Customize outgoing SMS.
- Push — Customize outgoing push notifications.
A channel switched off for a message simply is not used for it. Switching everything off for a message stops it being sent at all, which is the way to silence one you do not want.
Merge tags
Drop these into the wording and they are replaced when the message is sent. The editor shows a preview with sample data so you can see what a real one looks like.
{{ name }}— Customer name{{ business }}— Business name{{ date }}— Booking date{{ hour }}— Booking time{{ link }}— Manage link{{ position }}— Waitlist position
The manage link is the one to keep
It takes the customer back to their status page or booking details. Customers close tabs and lock phones; the link in your message is how they find their place again. Where a message can point somewhere, you choose the destination — status page, booking details or location home.
Email: two ways to send it
- Platform template — Place the message body inside the system email template.
- Custom template — Send the email body as a standalone email.
The platform template gives you a tidy branded email with no effort. The custom template gives you total control and the responsibility that comes with it.
When to spend an SMS
Push notifications are free and SMS is not, so each message can decide whether its SMS is worth sending given what the push did:
- Always send SMS
- Send SMS only if WhatsApp is not delivered
- Send SMS only if push is not delivered
- Send SMS only if push is not tapped within one minute
The middle option saves the most money and trusts the most. The third tests something real — did a human actually touch the notification — at the cost of a minute's delay. Which to pick, and what “not delivered” can honestly mean, is covered in channels and fallback.
For the message that matters, send it
“It's your turn” is the message the customer is waiting on. Saving a fraction of a penny by deferring it a minute is a false economy — set that one to always send and economise on the others.
Languages
Each message can have wording per language your location supports, so a bilingual branch is not stuck choosing. Languages are set under localization.
Writing them well
- Say who it is from.A message from an unrecognised number saying “you're next” gets ignored.
- Say what to do.“Come to the front desk” beats “we are ready for you”.
- Keep the text short. An SMS is 160 characters, and a link eats a chunk of that.
- Send yourself one. Join your own queue on your own phone and read what arrives.
When a message does not arrive
A send that fails never fails the visit — the customer keeps their place and your team sees the change either way. The failure is recorded rather than surfaced as an error, so if a customer says nothing arrived, check troubleshooting rather than assuming the visit went wrong.