Customers & Automation
Birthday & Rebooking Automations
Birthday & Rebooking Automations
Automatically send birthday greetings and rebooking reminders to your customers — celebrate their special day with a booking prompt, and nudge clients to return after their last visit, all without lifting a finger.
Where to find it — Web: Sidebar → Engage → Automations → Birthday message or Rebooking nudge card → "Settings". Mobile: More → Engage → Birthday Settings or Rebooking Settings.
Overview
Birthday and rebooking automations let you:
- Automatically send a birthday greeting a configurable number of days before each customer's birthday
- Automatically send a rebooking nudge a configurable number of days after a customer's last visit
- Choose between email or SMS for each automation
- Customise the message template with personalisation variables (customer name, venue name, booking link)
- Enable or disable each automation independently
Note
Birthday and rebooking automations require the Engage add-on (Australia and United Kingdom) or a PRO subscription (New Zealand). SMS channels are only available in Australia and the United Kingdom. Only the venue Owner can configure automations.
Birthday message
The birthday automation sends a greeting to customers whose birthday is approaching. The message includes a booking prompt so the customer can treat themselves to an appointment.
How it works
- The system runs daily at approximately 9:00 AM in your venue's timezone.
- For each customer with a date of birth on file, the system checks if their birthday falls on the target date (today plus the configured number of days before).
- Eligible customers receive a message via the configured channel (email or SMS).
For example, if you set "7 days before", a customer whose birthday is on 15 March receives the message on 8 March.
Configuring the birthday automation
On web
- Go to Engage → Automations in the sidebar.
- Find the Birthday message card (cake icon).
- Click "Settings".
- Toggle the automation on.
- Select how many days before the birthday to send:
| Option | When the message sends |
|---|---|
| 1 day | The day before the customer's birthday |
| 3 days | Three days before |
| 7 days | One week before (default) |
- Select the channel: SMS or Email.
- Edit the message template (see Template variables).
- Click Save.
On mobile
- Go to More → Engage → Birthday Settings.
- Toggle the automation on.
- Tap a days before option: 1 day, 3 days, or 7 days.
- Tap a channel: SMS or Email.
- Edit the message template.
- Tap "Save Changes".
Default birthday template
The default SMS template is:
Happy birthday {{customerName}}! As a little gift from us at {{venueName}}, you can book your next visit here: {{bookingUrl}}
When sending via email, the system uses the subject line "Happy Birthday from [venue name]!" with your template as the email body.
Who receives birthday messages
A customer receives a birthday message when:
- The birthday automation is enabled
- The customer has a date of birth recorded in their profile
- The customer has the required contact information (email address for email, phone number for SMS)
- The customer is not blocked
- The customer has not opted out of reconnect messages
Customers without a date of birth on file are automatically skipped. To ensure more customers receive birthday messages, add their date of birth when creating or editing their profile.
Rebooking nudge
The rebooking nudge sends a reminder to customers who have not visited in a configured number of days, prompting them to book their next appointment.
How it works
- The system runs daily at approximately 9:00 AM in your venue's timezone.
- For each customer, the system checks if their last visit falls within a 3-day window around the target date (configured days after ± 1 day).
- Eligible customers receive a message via the configured channel.
For example, if you set "28 days after", a customer who last visited on 1 March may receive the nudge on 28, 29, or 30 March (the 3-day window accounts for timing variations in the daily cron).
Configuring the rebooking nudge
On web
- Go to Engage → Automations in the sidebar.
- Find the Rebooking nudge card (refresh icon).
- Click "Settings".
- Toggle the automation on.
- Select how many days after the last visit to send:
| Option | When the message sends |
|---|---|
| 14 days | Two weeks after last visit |
| 21 days | Three weeks after |
| 28 days | Four weeks after (default) |
| 42 days | Six weeks after |
| 60 days | Two months after |
| 90 days | Three months after |
- Select the channel: SMS or Email.
- Edit the message template (see Template variables).
- Click Save.
On mobile
- Go to More → Engage → Rebooking Settings.
- Toggle the automation on.
- Tap a days after option: 14, 21, 28, 42, 60, or 90 days.
- Tap a channel: SMS or Email.
- Edit the message template.
- Tap "Save Changes".
Default rebooking template
The default SMS template is:
Hi {{customerName}}, ready for your next visit at {{venueName}}? Book here: {{bookingUrl}}
When sending via email, the system uses the subject line "Time to rebook at [venue name]!" with your template as the email body.
Who receives rebooking nudges
A customer receives a rebooking nudge when:
- The rebooking automation is enabled
- The customer has a last visit date recorded
- The last visit was within the configured window (days after ± 1 day)
- The customer has the required contact information (email or phone)
- The customer is not blocked
- The customer has not opted out of reconnect messages
- The customer has not received a reconnect message in the last 30 days
The 30-day cooldown prevents customers from receiving both a reconnect wave and a rebooking nudge in quick succession. If a customer received a Client Reconnect message recently, the rebooking nudge is skipped until the cooldown expires.
Tip
Set your rebooking nudge timing to match your typical service cycle. Hair salons often use 28–42 days, while barbershops may prefer 14–21 days. Check your average rebooking interval in your analytics to find the right timing.
Template variables
Both birthday and rebooking templates support three personalisation variables:
| Variable | What it inserts | Example |
|---|---|---|
{{customerName}} |
The customer's name (falls back to "there" if no name on file) | "Sarah" |
{{venueName}} |
Your venue name | "Luxe Salon" |
{{bookingUrl}} |
A direct link to your venue's booking page | A URL to your storefront |
Wrap variables in double curly braces exactly as shown. The template hint below the text field on both web and mobile shows the available variables.
Automation cards on the dashboard
Both automations appear as cards in the Automations section under Engage:
| Automation | Icon | Card title | Card description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birthday | Cake | Birthday message | "Celebrates the client with a booking prompt." |
| Rebooking | Refresh | Rebooking nudge | "Prompts clients to book again after enough time has passed." |
Each card shows:
- Whether the automation is enabled or disabled
- The configured channel (SMS or Email)
- The timing (e.g. "7 days before birthday" or "28 days after the last visit")
- Activity summary — last sent date and send count
Role access
| Action | Owner | Manager | Stylist |
|---|---|---|---|
| View automation cards and activity | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enable or disable automations | Yes | No | No |
| Configure timing, channel, and template | Yes | No | No |
On mobile, non-owners see the message: "Only venue owners can change automation settings."
Platform differences
| Feature | Web | Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Navigation | Engage → Automations → card → Settings | More → Engage → Birthday/Rebooking Settings |
| Days selection (birthday) | Dropdown: 1, 3, 7 | Button group: 1 day, 3 days, 7 days |
| Days selection (rebooking) | Dropdown: 14, 21, 28, 42, 60, 90 | Button group (wrapped): 14, 21, 28, 42, 60, 90 |
| Channel selection | Dropdown: SMS, Email | Button group: SMS, Email |
| Template editor | Textarea (4 rows) | Multiline text input |
| Template variable hints | Shown below textarea | Shown below text input |
| Save button | Disabled until changes made | Bottom sticky, disabled until changes |
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Customer did not receive a birthday message | Check that the customer has a date of birth recorded in their profile. Without a date of birth, they cannot be matched. Also verify they have the required contact information (email or phone) and have not opted out of reconnect messages. |
| Rebooking nudge not sending to any customers | Verify the automation is enabled and you have clicked Save. Check that customers have a last visit date — customers who have never visited (or whose visits are not recorded) are not eligible. The rebooking nudge also respects the 30-day reconnect cooldown. |
| Customer received a rebooking nudge but recently visited | The nudge is based on the last recorded visit date in the system. If a customer visited but the appointment was not marked as completed (e.g. a walk-in that was not logged), the system may still consider them overdue. Ensure all visits are recorded as completed bookings. |
| Messages are going out at the wrong time | Automations run at approximately 9:00 AM in your venue's timezone. If your timezone is set incorrectly, messages may send at unexpected hours. Check your venue timezone under Settings. |
| Cannot edit automation settings | Only the venue Owner can configure automations. Managers and Stylists can view the cards and activity but cannot make changes. |
| Birthday messages sent on the wrong date | The message sends the configured number of days before the birthday, not on the birthday itself. If set to 7 days, the message arrives one week early. Set to 1 day if you want the message to arrive the day before. |
| "Only venue owners can change automation settings" on mobile | This message appears for Managers and Stylists. Ask the venue Owner to configure the automation settings. |
Related Articles
Last updated: March 2026