Booking reminders for salons and studios
When to use it
Section titled “When to use it”- You run a salon, barbershop, nail or lash studio, or spa, and no-shows leave gaps in your day.
- Clients book by phone or WhatsApp today and you want them to book through a link instead.
- You want reminders by SMS or WhatsApp, not email.
Where the data comes from
Section titled “Where the data comes from”| How | What |
|---|---|
| A booking form | The booking form this playbook creates. Put its link in your Instagram bio, your WhatsApp status and your Google profile. Each booking saves its time on the client. |
What it sets up
Section titled “What it sets up”| Kind | Name | What it does | Lands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form | Book an appointment | The booking form. Service, time slot and a phone number; each booking sends booking.created. | Draft, not published |
| Template | Booking confirmed (SMS) | Booking confirmation by SMS. | Ready |
| Template | Booking confirmed (WhatsApp) | Booking confirmation on WhatsApp (needs Meta approval). | Ready |
| Template | Booking cancelled (SMS) | Kind message after a cancellation, with the booking link. | Ready |
| Template | Booking cancelled (WhatsApp) | Cancellation message on WhatsApp (needs Meta approval). | Ready |
| Follow-up | Booking saved | When a booking comes in, save its time on the client and confirm it. | Off |
| Follow-up | Booking cancelled | A cancelled booking clears the saved time and sends a kind rebooking message. | Off |
| Segment | Appointment within a day | Appointment within the next day. | Ready |
| Segment | Appointment within hours | Appointment within a few hours. | Ready |
| Template | Appointment tomorrow (SMS) | Day-before reminder with address and how to change the booking. | Ready |
| Template | Appointment tomorrow (WhatsApp) | Day-before reminder on WhatsApp (needs Meta approval). | Ready |
| Template | Appointment today (SMS) | Short reminder a couple of hours before. | Ready |
| Template | Appointment today (WhatsApp) | Short reminder on WhatsApp (needs Meta approval). | Ready |
| Follow-up | Appointment reminder: a day before | Hourly run over "within a day"; one reminder per appointment. | Off |
| Follow-up | Appointment reminder: same day | Hourly run over "within hours"; one short reminder per appointment. | Off |
The questions it asks
Section titled “The questions it asks”| # | Question | Default | Fills in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What should messages call your salon or studio? | none, must answer | org_name |
| 2 | Which number should clients call or message to change a booking? | none, must answer | salon_phone |
| 3 | What address or directions should the day-before reminder include? | none, must answer | salon_address |
| 4 | What can clients book? Give each a short id and the name clients see. Use the same ids as your services in the service catalog. | Haircut, Braids, Manicure, Facial | services |
| 5 | Should reminders go by WhatsApp instead of SMS? Needs a connected WhatsApp Business number and Meta approval for four templates. | No | use_whatsapp |
Other settings
Section titled “Other settings”These have defaults. Change any that don’t fit.
| Setting | Default | Key |
|---|---|---|
| Hours before for the second reminder | 2 | same_day_hours |
| Trait that holds the next appointment time | next_appointment_at | appointment_trait |
| Greeting when a first name is missing | there | greeting_fallback |
| Default phone country on the form | ‹workspace country› | default_country |
| Time zone | ‹workspace timezone› | timezone |
Timings
Section titled “Timings”- A booking is confirmed straight away, by SMS or WhatsApp.
- The reminders run every hour.
- First reminder when the appointment is less than a day away, second when it is less than 2 hours away. Each client gets each reminder once per appointment.
- A cancellation clears the saved time, so no reminder goes out, and sends a short message with your booking link.
Channels
Section titled “Channels”| Channel | Needed for | Before it can send |
|---|---|---|
| sms | Confirmation, both reminders and the cancellation message | An SMS provider, or Origamy managed SMS after business verification (KYC). |
| The same four messages, if you switch WhatsApp on | A connected WhatsApp Business number, and the four templates approved by Meta. |
What you need to do
Section titled “What you need to do”- Set up your services in the service catalog (length of each, your opening hours), and your stylists if clients choose one. Then open the booking form's time slot question and check every service is bound to the right catalog entry. Booking forms can't be published until that is done.
- Publish the booking form and put its link where clients find you. Tell clients the link is the quickest way to book.
- Switch on "Booking saved" and "Booking cancelled" first: they copy each booking's time onto the client and clear it on a cancellation. The reminders read that time.
- Connect an SMS provider or finish business verification. If you chose WhatsApp, connect your WhatsApp Business number and submit the four WhatsApp templates for Meta approval before switching those follow-ups on.
- Book a test appointment with your own phone, check the confirmation, then switch the two reminder follow-ups on.
- In the form builder, add each stylist or chair as its own resource if clients choose who they see, and set a buffer between services so slots don’t overlap. Short, plainly named services (“Braids, medium”) book better than long menus.
- A deposit stops no-shows better than any reminder. If you take deposits, a booking form can ask for payment through your connected payment provider, and holds the slot until it’s paid. Say in the reminder how to change a booking, so clients don’t just disappear.
- Most clients in Nigeria and across Africa answer WhatsApp faster than SMS. Try the WhatsApp option once your Meta templates are approved, and keep SMS as the fallback while you wait.
- The reminders run every hour, so a client who books at midnight gets the day-before message straight away. Set opening hours in the service catalog so late-night bookings aren’t offered.
This playbook is synthesized: no customer has run it with us yet. If you build it, tell us what you changed, and we’ll replace it with the real version.
Copilot eval
Section titled “Copilot eval”The request used to test the copilot on this playbook (a live eval):
I run a hair salon and clients book through our online booking form. Text each client a confirmation when they book, again the day before with our address and the number to call to change it, and again two hours before. If someone cancels, send a short sorry message with the booking link so they can rebook.
It passes when every piece is a valid draft and everything lands off, with at least: segment, workflow, message_template. It must never use: discount.