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Counter-Offers

Counter-Offers

When a customer's requested time does not work, suggest up to 3 alternative time slots instead of declining outright — the customer receives an SMS and email with one-tap acceptance links.

Overview

Counter-offers let you:

  • Suggest alternative times when a pending booking request does not suit your schedule
  • Send up to 3 time slots for the customer to choose from
  • Let customers accept with a single tap from their email or SMS — no login required
  • Automatically expire offers after a configurable window (default 24 hours)

Note

Counter-offers are available when your venue uses Review first booking mode (a PRO feature). In Instant confirmation mode, bookings are confirmed automatically and there is no approval step.

How Counter-Offers Work

Customer requests booking → Venue reviews → Suggest other times → Customer accepts or offer expires
  1. A customer books online and the request arrives with Pending status
  2. You review the request in the booking inspector
  3. Instead of approving or declining, you click Suggest Times (web) or Other Times (mobile)
  4. OpenChair finds available slots and you select up to 3 to offer
  5. The customer receives an SMS and email with the offered times
  6. The customer taps Accept This Time on their preferred slot
  7. The booking is confirmed automatically at the new time

If the customer does not respond before the deadline, the offer expires and any deposit is refunded.

Sending a Counter-Offer

On Web

  1. Open a Pending booking in the booking inspector
  2. Click Suggest Times (shown with a refresh icon)
  3. The "Suggest other times" dialog opens, showing available slots within 3 days of the original request
  4. Select up to 3 alternative time slots (each shows the date, time, and staff member)
  5. Click Send [N] option(s) (e.g., "Send 2 options")

A toast confirms: "Alternative times sent to [customer name]".

On Mobile

  1. Open a Pending booking in the booking detail screen
  2. Tap Other Times (shown with a calendar icon)
  3. The "Suggest other times" sheet opens with available slots
  4. Select up to 3 slots
  5. Tap Send [N] option(s)

The booking status changes from Pending to Counter offered.

What the Customer Sees

Email

The customer receives an email titled "Alternative times available" with:

  • A message: "[Venue name] couldn't do your requested time but has suggested alternative(s):"
  • Each offered time slot with date, time, and staff member
  • An "Accept This Time" button for each slot
  • An expiry warning: "These alternatives expire in [N] hours. If none of these work, your request will be cancelled and any deposit refunded."
  • A link to "View all options and manage your request"

SMS

The customer receives an SMS with a link to their manage booking page where the counter-offers are displayed.

Manage Booking Page

When the customer opens their manage booking link, they see:

  • A status badge: "Alternative times offered"
  • Each offered slot as a card showing:
    • Date (e.g., "Mon, Mar 24")
    • Time range (e.g., "2:30 PM - 3:30 PM")
    • Staff member (e.g., "with Sarah")
    • An "Accept This Time" button
  • An expiry notice: "These offers expire on [date] at [time]"
  • A "No Thanks, Cancel Request" button to decline all offers

When the Customer Accepts

When the customer taps Accept This Time:

  1. The booking is confirmed at the new time and staff assignment
  2. The booking status changes from Counter offered to Confirmed
  3. The customer receives a booking confirmation email and/or SMS
  4. The venue receives an in-app notification
  5. The counter-offer deadline is cleared

Acceptance uses a secure HMAC token — the customer does not need to sign in. They can accept directly from the email link.

When the Customer Declines

If the customer taps "No Thanks, Cancel Request":

  1. The booking status changes to Declined
  2. Any deposit is refunded automatically
  3. The customer receives a decline notification

Offer Expiry

Counter-offers expire automatically after the configured window. The default is 24 hours.

When an offer expires:

  • The booking status changes from Counter offered to Expired
  • Any deposit is refunded automatically
  • The customer receives an expiry notification: "This booking request expired before it could be confirmed. Any deposit has been refunded automatically."

Configuring Expiry Time

The counter-offer expiry window is set in your venue settings. The default is 24 hours.

Sending Multiple Rounds

You can send counter-offers more than once. If the customer has not yet accepted or the previous offer has not expired, sending new counter-offers replaces the previous set and resets the expiry deadline.

The booking stays in Counter offered status. The status transitions to Confirmed (if accepted), Declined (if the customer cancels), or Expired (if the deadline passes).

Status Flow

From Action To
Pending Suggest Times Counter offered
Counter offered Customer accepts Confirmed
Counter offered Customer cancels Declined
Counter offered Deadline passes Expired
Counter offered Suggest Times again Counter offered (deadline reset)

Tip

If a customer does not respond to your counter-offer but contacts you directly, you can still approve the original booking or create a new one manually.

Platform Differences

Feature Web iPad Phone
Suggest Times button Suggest Times Other Times Other Times
Counter-offer dialog/sheet Dialog Sheet Sheet
Max slots offered 3 3 3
Customer acceptance page Web page (manage link) Web page (manage link) Web page (manage link)

Troubleshooting

Issue Solution
No "Suggest Times" button on a booking Counter-offers are only available for Pending bookings. If the booking is already confirmed, cancelled, or expired, the button does not appear. Ensure your venue uses Review first booking mode (PRO).
Customer did not receive the counter-offer Check the customer's phone number and email on file. Verify your venue's quiet hours settings — SMS is not sent before 8 AM or after 9 PM.
Counter-offer expired before customer responded The default expiry is 24 hours. Contact the customer directly and create a new booking manually if needed.
Customer accepted but booking shows wrong time The booking is updated to match the accepted slot. Check the booking inspector — the new time and staff should be reflected. If the time appears incorrect, it may be a timezone display issue.

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Last updated: March 2026