Customers and reminders
Your customers, the messages they get, and how they change their own bookings.
Customers
Everyone who books appears under Customers, as the same customer your other Ellibo apps know. A booking with an email or phone already on file joins that customer.
Open a customer to see their bookings and no-shows, and what they owe if your role covers money. Statement shows their account. If you use Helpdesk, their tickets show here too.
If you use CRM, someone new also becomes a lead. Turn this off under Settings > Preferences.
To bring in your list, go to Settings > Import customers. Use a CSV file with name, email and phone columns, up to 2,000 lines at a time.
What customers are told
| Message | When |
|---|---|
| Booking confirmed | On booking, with a calendar invitation |
| Waiting for approval | When it needs your approval |
| Booking moved | When the time changes, with an updated invitation |
| Booking cancelled | When it's cancelled |
| Reminder | Before the visit |
| Given to someone else | When the booking goes to another person. It says "your booking is with someone new" |
| Missed appointment | When you mark a no-show, unless you turn it off under Settings > Preferences |
| Thank you, after the visit | After it's completed, if you turn it on |
Emails work on all plans.
Reminders
Under Settings > Preferences, enter the hours before a booking to send a reminder. 24,2 sends one a day before and one two hours before. You can set up to four. Reminders go only to confirmed bookings.
Thank customers after their visit turns on the thank-you message.
Change the words
Go to Settings > Messages and click Edit on a message.
- Send this message - turn one message off here, for one channel.
- Subject and Words - your own words. They need Standard or up. Leave a box empty to use our words, in the customer's language.
You can use {name}, {appointment}, {when}, {staff}, {business}, {where}, {link}, {manage} and {number}.
On Professional and up, set the Name customers see and where Replies go to. Emails then carry your name, and replies reach you.
SMS
SMS needs Professional or up and your own MSG91 or Twilio account. We add no mark-up.
- Go to Settings > SMS & WhatsApp and connect your account.
- Turn on Send SMS to customers.
WhatsApp needs Professional or up and your own WhatsApp Business API number from Meta. WhatsApp bills you directly, and we add nothing.
- Go to Settings > SMS & WhatsApp. Enter the Phone number ID and Access token, and save. Messages are on as soon as the number is saved.
- On Settings > Messages, enter the name of an approved WhatsApp template for each message you want to send. A message with no template name isn't sent.
SMS and WhatsApp reach only customers who gave a phone number.
Customers change their own bookings
Each confirmation and reminder email has a Reschedule or cancel link. It works until the cut-off you set on the appointment type under Customers can change until. After that, they are asked to contact you.
Customer portal
On Business, turn on Let customers see and change all their bookings, from an emailed link under Settings > Booking page. Your page then shows a My bookings link. Customers enter their email and get a link, with no password. It lasts 7 days and shows their upcoming and past bookings.
Remove someone's details
On a customer's page, Remove their personal details from Bookings clears their name, email, phone and answers from finished bookings. Cancel any open bookings first. Invoices stay, as the law asks. Only someone with access to settings can do this.