Customer Messaging

The messaging system lets you communicate directly with customers without sharing your personal phone number or email.

Message Types

BarberSlot supports three types of notes/messages:

Private Notes (Internal Only)

Visible to: You and your staff only Not sent to customer: Stays in your system

Use for:

• Customer preferences (“Likes it short on sides”)
• Internal reminders (“Check if he wants beard trim”)
• Service notes (“Used product X last time”)

To create:

1. Open customer profile or booking
2. Click “Add Private Note”
3. Type note
4. Save

Sent Messages (One-Way)

Visible to: Customer receives via email/SMS Customer can: Reply using magic link

Use for:

• Appointment reminders
• Follow-up thank you messages
• Service announcements
• Special offers

To send:

1. Open customer profile
2. Click “Send Message”
3. Type message
4. Click “Send”
5. Customer receives email with message

Reply Messages (Two-Way)

Visible to: Both you and customer Customer replies: Via secure link (no login required)

Use for:

• Answering customer questions
• Confirming appointment details
• Addressing concerns

How it works:

1. You send message to customer
2. Customer clicks reply link in email
3. They type response (valid for 7 days)
4. You receive notification of reply
5. You can continue conversation

Sending Messages

From Customer Profile

1. Go to Customers menu
2. Select customer
3. Click “Send Message”
4. Type message
5. Send

Customer receives: Email with your message and reply link

From Booking

1. Open booking in calendar
2. Click “Message Customer”
3. Type message
4. Send

Automatically includes: Booking details in message

Message Templates

Save time with pre-written templates:

Confirmation Message

Hi [Customer Name],

Your appointment is confirmed for [Date] at [Time]
for [Service] with [Barber].

Looking forward to seeing you!

[Shop Name]

Reminder Message

Hi [Customer Name],

Friendly reminder: Your appointment is tomorrow at [Time].

See you soon!

Thank You Message

Hi [Customer Name],

Thanks for visiting us today! We hope you love your new look.

Book your next appointment: [Booking Link]

Custom templates:

1. Settings → Message Templates
2. Create template
3. Use variables: [Customer Name], [Date], [Time], [Service]
4. Save and reuse

Reply Tokens

When you send a message, customer receives a reply token - a secure link they can use to respond.

How Reply Tokens Work

Security features:

• Expires after 7 days
• Single conversation thread
• No login required for customer
• Tied to specific message

Customer experience:

1. Receives your message via email
2. Clicks “Reply to this message” link
3. Lands on simple reply form
4. Types response
5. Submits (no account needed)

You receive:

• Notification of new reply
• Reply appears in message thread
• Can continue conversation

Reply Token Expiry

After 7 days:

• Link no longer works
• Customer must contact you directly
• Prevents stale conversations

To continue after expiry: Send new message (generates new token)

Message Notifications

For You (Barber)

Get notified when:

• Customer replies to message
• New message received

Notification methods:

• In-app badge (red dot on Messages menu)
• Email to your account email
• Browser push notification (if enabled)

To configure:

1. Settings → Notifications
2. Toggle message notification preferences
3. Save

For Customers

Customers receive:

• Email with your message
• Reply link
• SMS copy (if they have phone number and SMS enabled)

They control: Can opt out of message notifications (but still receive booking confirmations)

Message Polling

For real-time updates without refreshing:

System automatically checks for new messages every 30 seconds when you’re on:

• Customer profile page
• Messages page
• Booking detail page

Uses optimized polling: Only fetches messages since your last check (efficient).

Read Tracking

See when customers read and reply:

Message statuses:

• ✉️ Sent: Message delivered to customer
• 👁️ Read: Customer opened the email
• 💬 Replied: Customer sent a response

Tracking shows:

• Sent timestamp
• Read timestamp (if opened)
• Reply timestamp (if responded)

Privacy note: Read tracking only works if customer’s email client allows it (some block tracking pixels).

Bulk Messaging (Coming Soon)

Future feature for sending messages to multiple customers:

• Select customer segment
• Compose message
• Send to all at once

Use cases:

• Announce holiday hours
• Promote new services
• Re-engage inactive customers

Currently: Messages must be sent individually.

Best Practices

Do’s ✅

1. Be professional (you represent your business)
2. Keep messages concise (customers are busy)
3. Use templates for common messages
4. Respond quickly to customer replies (within 24 hours)
5. Personalize when possible (use customer name)
6. Thank customers after appointments

Don’ts ❌

1. Don’t spam (only send relevant messages)
2. Don’t use all caps (seems like shouting)
3. Don’t share links to external sites (security concern)
4. Don’t pressure customers to book
5. Don’t send marketing without consent

Message Privacy & Security

Data Protection

• Messages encrypted in transit
• Stored securely in database
• Only accessible to authorized staff
• Included in GDPR data exports

Customer Privacy

• Reply tokens expire (prevents long-term access)
• Customers can opt out of messages
• No personal contact info shared
• Compliant with email marketing laws

Troubleshooting

Problem: “Customer says they didn’t receive message”

• Check spam/junk folder
• Verify email address is correct
• Resend message
• Try SMS if available

Problem: “Reply link not working for customer”

• Check if 7 days have passed (expired)
• Send new message to generate fresh link
• Clear browser cache and try again

Problem: “Not receiving customer replies”

• Check notification settings
• Verify email notifications are on
• Look in spam folder
• Check Messages page directly

Problem: “Message marked as spam”

• Avoid spam trigger words (“FREE”, “URGENT”, etc.)
• Keep messages relevant and personal
• Ensure customers opted in

Next Steps

• Manage customer data: Customer Management
• Get support: Support System
• View calendar: Calendar Guide

Questions? Contact support@barberslot.com