Customer Messages are communications sent directly between your business and the customer before, during, and after their visit.
Waitwhile provides several types of automated messages that are triggered based on customer actions or queue status. These messages are broken down into two (2) categories:
Waitlist Messages
Booking Messages
Within your Waitwhile account, you can enable and customize different message templates to best suit your customer journey and business needs.
Messages for your Waitlist and Bookings flows
Confirmation (Waitlist & Bookings): This is automatically sent to the guest once they have been added to the waitlist or created a booking. This message is also sent upon booking approval when the Booking approval setting is enabled.
Next in line (Waitlist only): This message is used to automatically notify a customer when they reach a specific point in line. You can set a different line point for SMS vs email.
Reminder (Bookings only): This message is sent at a set time before a booking (Ex. 1 hour or 24 hours before). It is typically used to remind a guest about their appointment.
Alert (Waitlist & Bookings): This message is sent when you press the bell icon while a Guest is on the waitlist. In most business setups, it's used to manually notify a customer when it is their turn.
Serving (Waitlist & Bookings): This message is sent automatically when a customer is marked as “Serving.” This takes place when the guest is moved to the Serving queue via the green check icon .
Completed (Waitlist & Bookings): This message is sent when a guest has been moved from Serving to Completed. This can be used to thank a guest or send a survey link to gather guest feedback.
Follow Up (Waitlist & Bookings): Sent at a set time period following a visit having been marked as Completed. This is typically used as an alternative to the Completed message.
Cancelled (Waitlist & Bookings): Sent when a guest cancels their visit or booking to let them know that it's been processed. This can also be triggered by a staff member manually cancelling the visit or a visit being auto-cancelled.
No-show (Waitlist & Bookings): This message is sent when a staff member marks a guest as a No Show.
Visit changed (Waitlist & Bookings): SMS and email sent automatically if the visit has significantly changed.
Rejected (Booking Only): SMS and email sent automatically if the booking request is rejected by a staff member.
How to customize your message templates
Under Customer Messages, select the type of message you want to edit (e.g., Confirmation, Reminder).
Modify the text to suit your business tone and style. Personalize the message using variable fields like name, wait time, or queue position (e.g., “Hi {{ name }}, your wait time is {{ eta }} minutes!”).
Click Save to update the template.
Note: Keep your messages clear and concise to ensure guests receive key information at a glance. When configuring SMS templates, be mindful of the number of SEGMENTS you use to keep costs low.
Configure customer message options
To further tailor the communication experience b/w your customers and staff, Waitwhile offers additional configuration options for more control. These settings include:
SMS sending number: Obtain a dedicated phone number for your Waitwhile business communications.
Warning: This feature is reserved for Enterprise Subscription Plans & customers looking to use Text-to-join.
alphanumeric sender ID: Obtain a dedicated sender name for your Waitwhile business communications.
Customer responses: Enable this configuration if you want to allow customers to respond to outgoing SMS or email communications.
Email customization: Customize default buttons that appear within email communications
Saved replies: pre-configured templates used to respond to common inquiries or messages.
Offer messaging in different languages
Waitwhile allows you to customize your messages in multiple languages to accommodate your diverse customer base. With the platform’s localization settings, you can create message templates in various languages and have them automatically sent based on the customer’s preferred language. This ensures seamless communication regardless of where your customers are from.
Proper message management ensures smooth communication with your guests, improves their experience, and reduces no-shows. With Waitwhile's flexible message settings, you can automate communication, tailor messages to your brand’s tone, and manage delivery methods effortlessly.
Have additional questions or need assistance? Reach out to us via chat or at support@waitwhile.com.