Keep clients informed about appointments

Your client should never turn up at the wrong time. That's why they hear about it as soon as something changes that affects them – by email by default, and by text message too if you like.

When your client hears from you

• Book an appointment with a client → “Your appointment at …”: date, time, artist, service, address, the deposit with payment instructions and reference if there is one, plus the Cancel or reschedule button and your cancellation rules. If the appointment is “Requested”, it says “Your appointment request” – the studio still confirms it.
• “Requested” or “Reserved” → “Confirmed” → “Your appointment is confirmed” – also when the deposit has arrived.
• Change date, time, artist or location → “Your appointment has been moved”: the new time, with the old one below.
• Status “Cancelled” → “Your appointment has been cancelled” – with a button to your online booking if it's switched on.

Nothing goes out for blockers, appointments without a client, appointments in the past, or purely internal changes such as notes, workstation, end time or deposit. A cancelled appointment only gets the cancellation. Deleting doesn't notify anyone – to let your client know, cancel the appointment instead.

The email goes out on behalf of your studio, in German or English – depending on the language in the client record. Notes and health details are never included. If your client replies, the reply goes to the address from Settings → General.

In the appointment dialog

At the bottom of the appointment you'll see two checkboxes as soon as a change affects your client:

• Notify client by email – preselected. Without an email address in the client record it's disabled; saving still works.
• Also by text message – not preselected. A short text with a link to the appointment page.

After saving, Inkfuchs briefly shows how your client was notified. If something didn't go out, you'll find the reason under Logs for emails or SMS – the appointment is saved either way.

Dragging in the calendar, cancelling, status

When you drag a client's appointment, Inkfuchs asks briefly – with the same checkboxes. Move saves and notifies, Cancel leaves the appointment where it was. Same when you cancel and when you confirm an appointment from the right-click menu. Only changing the length is internal – nobody asks.

Undo uses the same choice: if your client got the new time, they also get the old one back. Restoring a deleted appointment doesn't notify.

Text messages: short and currently not charged

The text names your studio, the date, time and a short link to the appointment page – no service, artist or health details. It's an additional text: currently not charged and listed with its cost under Logs, SMS tab. Inkfuchs may charge for additional texts in the future – we'll announce it in advance. The one reminder text per appointment stays included.

The checkbox is only available when texts work for you: from the Pro plan, with a mobile number in the client record and if your client hasn't declined texts (client record → “Reminders by text”). Otherwise it's disabled and tells you why. Confirmations and cancellations go out by text at most once per appointment – even on a double click.

What's preselected

Under Settings → Reminders & aftercare, in Confirmation & changes, you choose whether the checkboxes are ticked. Default: email on, text off. The setting also applies to appointments created in other ways.

FAQ

Does my client get two emails for an online booking?

No. When your client books online, they get the booking confirmation from the booking page. The checkboxes are for appointments you book or change in the studio.

Can I switch the email off?

Yes – just untick it, for one appointment or as the default in settings. We wouldn't recommend it, though: clients who have their appointment in writing turn up on time.