Let clients confirm, cancel and reschedule by replying to a text message

When Zelun sends a client an SMS about an appointment, the client can answer that same text to act on it. There is no app to open, no WhatsApp and no link to tap. Zelun understands a small, fixed set of replies:

• yes, si, confirm or confirmar confirms the appointment.
• no, cancel or cancelar cancels it.
• cambiar, reagendar, reschedule or change starts a reschedule.
• rebook books the time suggested in a rebooking reminder.

Capitals and accents do not matter, but the reply must be exactly one of these words, not a longer sentence. Zelun does not try to understand free chat over SMS.

Every reply is tied to the specific text it answers, not just to the phone number. So a client with two appointments who answers the reminder for the earlier one only affects that one. If Zelun cannot tell which appointment a reply is about, it changes nothing and texts back a link instead.

SMS uses your prepaid messaging credits. Each text Zelun sends uses credits, including the follow-up texts in a reschedule.

1. Clients receive SMS only if they have a phone number and you ticked SMS appointment messages (on when a phone is present) on their record. That box cannot be ticked without a phone.
2. Prepaid messaging credits in your account. The billing screen explains that credits are used for SMS and for WhatsApp marketing messages, and how many each uses.
3. Know which sender your texts come from. Every band can send from the shared platform sender. Higher bands also get a dedicated sender, an SMS number of your own that you provision. Having your own number does not make texts free.
4. The text-message provider must be set up for the environment. If it is not, replies are not accepted at all. You cannot change this yourself, so ask Zelun if replies never seem to arrive.

The admin screens do not currently have a switch for booking a brand-new appointment by SMS from free text. What you can rely on is confirming, cancelling, rescheduling and rebooking by reply.

Allow SMS for a client

1. Open the client's record under Clients.
2. Tick SMS appointment messages (on when a phone is present). Each permission is separate from the others.

See and set your sender

1. Open WhatsApp in the side menu and find Notification sender.
2. Read which sender is in use: Shared platform sender or Dedicated shop sender. The panel explains why, based on your band.
3. On a band that includes a dedicated sender, press Provision SMS number. Clients then see the line SMS from with your own number.

Check what was sent

1. Open the appointment in the Appointment book.
2. Press Delivery status to see the reminders and confirmations tied to it, with the Channel each used.

• A reminder by SMS, to which they can answer with one of the words above.
• Confirming applies the same confirmation they would give from a WhatsApp reminder.
• Cancelling cancels through the same rules as other channels, including your late-cancel window, and the cancellation is recorded as coming from SMS.
• Rescheduling: after cambiar or a similar word, they get up to three times as a numbered list, since SMS has no buttons. They reply 1, 2 or 3 to choose, with no web page needed. If the chosen time was taken in the meantime, they get fresh times. If there are no open times at all, they get a link to manage or book instead.
• Rebooking: replying rebook to a rebooking reminder books the suggested time if it is still free.
• A reply Zelun does not recognise gets a short help text listing the commands, with a link to manage or book. Nothing changes on the appointment.
• If a client sends many messages in a short time, Zelun stops replying to that number until the window resets. If the provider delivers the same reply twice, it is applied once.

• Expecting free chat. Only the fixed words work. A sentence like "can we move it to Friday" gets the help text.
• Ticking SMS for a client with no phone. It cannot be ticked.
• Assuming a dedicated number makes SMS free. It does not. SMS always uses prepaid credits, whichever sender is used.
• Running out of credits and wondering why replies stop. Texts back to clients need credits as well. Check your credits on the billing screen.
• Telling clients to reply with a time. For rescheduling, they reply with the number of an option you offered, not with a time.
• Expecting an SMS booking switch in the admin. There is no such switch today in the screens.

Compare with booking by WhatsApp, see how reminders go out, and read what is included and what uses credits.