Bring lapsed clients back with automatic rebooking reminders

A rebooking reminder is a WhatsApp message that invites a client to book again once they have gone longer than usual without returning. You do not send it by hand. You decide, for each service, how many days is a normal gap between visits, and Zelun checks regularly, on its own, for clients who have passed that gap.

A client is invited when all of these are true:

• Their last checked-out appointment for that service is older than the number of days you set on the service.
• They have no future appointment for that same service.
• They gave you permission for rebooking reminders, which is separate from appointment messages.
• They have a phone number on file.

A service with no reminder days set never sends anything. For a client with enough visit history, Zelun may use that client's own usual gap between visits instead of the service default; otherwise it uses your number.

There is no screen that lists who is about to be reminded, and no button to send or schedule a reminder yourself. The check runs by itself on a regular schedule, and what you control is the days on each service, each client's permission, and your messaging credits.

1. Marketing permission. A client only receives a reminder if Rebooking reminders (marketing, separate from the above) is ticked on their record. Having WhatsApp appointment messages ticked is not enough, and ticking one never ticks the other. Clients you import from a file start without it. Only tick it for clients who agreed to receive these reminders.
2. WhatsApp. Reminders go out on WhatsApp only. There is no email or SMS fallback. Connect WhatsApp first (see the WhatsApp connection article).
3. Messaging credits. Rebooking reminders are marketing messages, so they use your prepaid messaging credits, not the messages included in your plan. With no credits left, they are not sent. The article on what messaging your plan includes explains the difference.
4. A dedicated sender, if you have one. If your business sends from its own WhatsApp number, the reminder template must be approved for that number. If it is not, the reminder is not sent, and it is never sent from the shared sender instead.
5. The Services section is on My business, and the client's permission is on the Clients page.

Choose when a service should prompt a reminder

1. Open My business and go to Services.
2. Add or edit a service. In Rebooking reminder (days, optional) enter the number of days after which a returning client is usually due. A whole number is required.
3. Press Save service. The service now shows a badge saying that a rebook nudge goes out after that many days. Leave the field empty and the service never prompts a reminder.

Record a client's permission

1. Open Clients in the side menu.
2. When you add a client, or later on the client in Clients, tick Rebooking reminders (marketing, separate from the above). Untick it to stop reminders for that client.

Keep credits available

1. Check your messaging credits as described in the article on what messaging your plan includes. Top them up before you expect reminders to go out.

• A WhatsApp message from your business that mentions the service and a suggested time, with a button that opens your booking page. It comes from the shared sender or from your own number, depending on your setup.
• If they reply with a clear yes to the message, the suggested slot is booked for them, as long as it is still free.
• If the slot is no longer free, or Zelun cannot tell which reminder the reply belongs to, nothing is booked, and they get a reply with their booking link so they can choose a time themselves.
• Each client gets at most one reminder for each lapsed visit. They do not get another until they have visited again and lapsed again.
• A client who was just offered a freed slot from your waitlist for the same service is not sent a reminder at the same time.
• A client without marketing permission never receives these messages.

• Expecting a reminder for a client who only has appointment messages on. The marketing permission is a separate box.
• Leaving the reminder days empty. The service then never prompts reminders.
• Looking for a list of upcoming reminders or a send button. They do not exist. The check runs on its own.
• Running out of credits. Reminders stop, while WhatsApp appointment messages are not affected.
• Clients without a phone number. They cannot be reminded.
• Expecting a flood on day one. To protect your sender's quality rating, the number of reminders sent for a company in one day is capped, so a large backlog is spread over several days.
• Expecting an SMS or email instead. Reminders are WhatsApp only.

The recurring and rebook article, the messaging article and the clients article cover the neighbouring topics.