Text messages in Bookly can be sent automatically based on events or scheduled in advance for clients and staff (see more).
Important: SMS messages are billed separately. Pricing varies depending on the destination country.
Setup
Step 1: Activate the SMS feature
- Log in to your Bookly Cloud account.
- Go to Products.
- Click Get Started next to SMS Notifications.
Step 2: Add an administrator phone number
- Open the SMS Notifications section.
- Enter a valid phone number in international format in the Administrator phone field.
Step 3: Set up CRON for scheduled messages
To send scheduled notifications, you need to configure cron:
- Use Bookly Cloud Cron, or
- Run the following command hourly:
wget -q -O - http://[your-domain]/wp-cron.phpIf needed, contact your hosting provider for assistance.
Best practice:
- Send customer reminders around 8:00 PM, 1 day and 1 hour before the appointment
- Send staff reminders 30–60 minutes before shift end
Step 4: Configure notification messages
- Choose a notification type. You can use an existing template or create a custom one.
- Write your message.
- Use placeholders (variables) in {curly brackets} for personalization.
- Set the sending time for scheduled notifications.
Custom Sender ID
Custom Sender ID allows you to display your business name instead of a phone number.
Please note that prices for messages with a custom sender ID are typically 20-25% higher than the normal message price. Refer to the price list for more details.
Note
a) Not all countries allow custom sender IDs due to local regulations. If custom sender ID is not supported in the destination country, the message will be sent using a generic number from the SMS gateway;
b) Ensure that the Sender ID is longer than 3 characters but not exceeding 11 characters.
If your message exceeds the limit, it will be split and charged as multiple SMS.
- Latin characters: up to 160 per message
- Other characters (e.g., Cyrillic, Chinese, Arabic): up to 70 per message
You can use an online SMS length calculator to check your message.
SMS Campaigns (Marketing Messages)
Use campaigns to send bulk SMS messages to your customers.
Step 1: Create a mailing list
- Go to SMS Notifications > Mailing list.
- Click New list.
- Enter a title.
Add recipients:
- Automatic selection
The system automatically adds contacts who match the selected criteria and have attended at least one service with the chosen providers. For example, selecting “All Staff” includes any customer who has had an appointment with any staff member.
- Manual selection
You can add contacts manually by entering phone numbers in international format, one per line.
Click Add recipients to save.
Step 2: Create a campaign
- Open the Campaigns tab.
- Click New campaign.
-
Set Campaign title.
-
Set Sending options:
Manual > "Ready to send" > click Start Now.
Scheduled > "Pending" until launch time. - In the Recipients field, select a mailing list.
- Enter your message and click Save.
Messages are sent based on your WordPress timezone.
View results in the SMS Details tab.
Note
Not all Bookly placeholders are supported in SMS campaigns. Currently, you can use the following codes: {company_name}, {company_phone}, {company_website}, {client_name}, and {client_phone}.
SMS Verification (Customer Phone Validation)
Ensure customer phone numbers are valid during booking.
For Step-by-step booking form
Go to Settings > Customers > Verify customer's contact information.
Options:
- Off – Disable verification
- Always verify phone – SMS code sent every booking
- Only if data is different from the previous order – SMS sent only if phone number is new
For Modern booking forms
- Open your booking form.
- Go to the Details tab.
- Enable Verify phone.
⚠️ Make sure the SMS template for verification is enabled.
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