Customers & Automation
Notification Templates
Notification Templates
Customise the automated booking messages your customers receive — confirmations, reminders, review requests, and welcome messages — so every touchpoint sounds like your brand.
Where to find it — Web: Sidebar → Engage → Automations → Booking Messages section. Mobile: Brand Voice screen (template regeneration only — full editing is on web).
Overview
Notification templates let you:
- Customise the subject, email body, and SMS body of your four core booking messages
- Choose a brand voice persona that shapes the tone of all generated messages
- Regenerate templates with AI to match your chosen voice
- Insert dynamic variables (customer name, service, date, time) that auto-fill for each recipient
- Control Do Not Disturb hours so non-urgent messages are held overnight
Notification templates are available on all plans. AI template regeneration and business memory (facts that personalise AI output) require a PRO subscription.
The four booking message templates
OpenChair sends four types of automated booking messages. Each has an email variant (subject + body) and an SMS variant.
| Template | When it is sent | Example subject line |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmation | Immediately when a booking is created | "Booking confirmed - {{serviceName}}" |
| Reminder | Before the appointment (configurable hours) | "Reminder: your appointment is coming up" |
| Review request | After the appointment is completed | "Thanks for visiting us" |
| Welcome | When a new customer books for the first time | "Welcome to {{serviceName}} bookings" |
These are the only four templates you can customise directly. Other automated messages — such as cancellation notices, reschedule confirmations, counter-offers, and waitlist offers — are system-generated and cannot be edited.
Editing booking message templates
On web
- Go to Engage in the sidebar.
- Open Automations.
- Scroll to the Booking Messages section.
- Click the template you want to edit — Confirmation, Reminder, Review Request, or Welcome.
- Edit any of the three fields:
| Field | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Email Subject | The subject line of the email the customer receives |
| Email Body | The HTML body of the email — supports formatting |
| SMS Body | The text message the customer receives (160-character limit) |
- Click Save.
Template actions
| Action | Icon | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Save | — | Persists your edits. The template source changes to "manual". |
| Regenerate with AI | Sparkles | Rewrites the template using your current brand voice persona. See AI template generation. |
| Reset to default | Rotate | Reverts the template to the built-in default wording. |
| Preview | Eye | Shows how the email will look to the customer. |
On mobile
The full template editor is not available on mobile. To edit templates, use the web app. On mobile, you can regenerate all templates from the Brand Voice screen when you change your voice persona (see Changing your brand voice).
Template variables
Variables are placeholders that auto-fill with real data when the message is sent. Use the format {{variableName}} in your template text.
| Variable | What it inserts | Example |
|---|---|---|
{{customerName}} |
Customer's first name | "Sarah" |
{{serviceName}} |
Name of the booked service | "Hair Colour" |
{{staffName}} |
Assigned staff member's name | "James" |
{{date}} |
Appointment date | "15 Mar 2026" |
{{time}} |
Appointment time | "2:30 pm" |
{{manageLink}} |
Link for the customer to reschedule or cancel | A URL to the self-service booking management page |
Variables work in all three fields — email subject, email body, and SMS body.
Brand voice
Your brand voice persona shapes the tone of all AI-generated booking messages. When you regenerate templates, the AI writes in the style of your selected persona.
Choosing a voice persona
OpenChair offers 16 voice personas. Each has a distinct tone, vocabulary style, and set of sample messages so you can preview how it sounds before committing.
| Persona | Tone | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| The Stylist | Warm, creative, conversational | Hair salons, colourists |
| The Host | Polished, professional hospitality | Premium salons, day spas |
| The Crew | Direct, efficient, punchy | Barbershops, fast-paced studios |
| The Classic | Traditional, formal, dignified | Established salons, gentlemen's barbers |
| The Guide | Calm, soothing, wellness | Spas, wellness centres, massage |
| The Assistant | Ultra-concise, zero personality | Any venue wanting minimal copy |
| The Bestie | Excited, Gen-Z slang, emoji-heavy | Young, trend-driven salons |
| The Artisan | Quiet perfectionist, craft-focused | Boutique colourists, bespoke studios |
| The Muse | Inspiring, aspirational | Transformation-focused studios |
| The Clinician | Medical, safety-first, no emoji | Medical aesthetics, skin clinics |
| The Consultant | Premium advisor, exclusive | Luxury salons, consulting rooms |
| The Studio | Laid-back artist, confident | Creative studios, indie salons |
| The Shop | Neighbourhood, community | Local barbershops, community salons |
| The Founder | Owner speaking personally (first-person) | Owner-operator businesses |
| The Maven | Warm luxury, boutique, curated | Boutique salons, high-end studios |
When you first create your venue, OpenChair recommends personas based on your industry. The default persona is The Host (professional).
Changing your brand voice
On web
- Go to Brand Voice in the sidebar.
- Browse the available voices — use the Recommended or All voices toggle to filter.
- Click a voice card to preview its sample messages (greeting, booking confirmation, waitlist notification).
- Click Save changes.
- If you already have booking message templates, the Update your booking messages? sheet appears — choose which templates to regenerate in your new voice (see AI template generation).
On mobile
- Go to Brand Voice (accessible from the More menu or settings).
- Browse voices using the Recommended / All voices toggle.
- Tap a voice card to preview.
- Tap Save changes.
- The Update your booking messages? modal appears if templates exist.
What happens when you change your voice
When you save a new voice persona, all existing booking message templates are flagged as needs review. This means:
- A review badge appears on each template in the Booking Messages editor
- You are prompted to regenerate templates in the new voice
- Templates you have manually customised are highlighted so you can choose whether to overwrite them
- Templates are not overwritten automatically — you decide which ones to update
Business memory (PRO)
Business memory stores facts about your venue that the AI uses when generating templates and other messages. This gives the AI context about your business so it can write more relevant, personalised copy.
Note
Business memory requires a PRO subscription.
Adding a fact
- On the Brand Voice page, scroll to the Business Memory section.
- Tap Add a fact.
- Enter the fact (up to 200 characters). Example: "We specialise in balayage and lived-in colour."
- Tap Add fact.
Limits
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum facts per venue | 20 |
| Characters per fact | 200 |
The AI also suggests facts based on your venue profile. You can add, edit, or dismiss these suggestions.
AI template generation
AI template generation rewrites your booking message templates using your selected brand voice persona and business memory context.
How it works
- You trigger regeneration — either from the template editor (sparkles icon) or when changing your brand voice.
- The AI generates new text for the email subject, email body, and SMS body of each selected template.
- The generated templates are saved and marked with source "AI generated" in the template metadata.
- If generation fails, the built-in default templates are used as a fallback.
Regenerating a single template
In the Booking Messages editor on web, click the sparkles icon on any template tab to regenerate just that one template.
Regenerating all templates
When you change your brand voice, a sheet asks "Update your booking messages?" You can:
- Update all — regenerates all four templates in the new voice
- Select which to update — if you have manually customised some templates, checkboxes let you choose which to overwrite. Manually edited templates are marked with a pencil icon and the label "You've customised this."
- Not now — keeps existing templates and flags them for review
Template metadata
Each template tracks its history:
| Field | What it records |
|---|---|
| Source | default (never edited), manual (hand-crafted), or ai_generated |
| Needs review | Whether the template should be reviewed after a voice change |
| Last generated at | When the AI last generated this template |
| Last reviewed at | When someone last reviewed and saved this template |
| Voice persona | Which voice was used for the last generation |
Automation-triggered notifications
Beyond the four booking message templates, OpenChair can send several other automated notifications. These are configured in the notification settings and use their own templates:
| Automation | What it does |
|---|---|
| Appointment reminder | Sends a reminder a configurable number of hours before the appointment |
| Post-visit review | Requests feedback after a completed appointment |
| Birthday message | Sends a birthday greeting a configurable number of days before the client's birthday |
| Rebooking nudge | Sends a follow-up after a configurable number of days since the last visit |
| Welcome message | Sends a welcome message to new customers after a short delay |
| Cancellation notice | Notifies the customer when a booking is cancelled |
| No-show follow-up | Sends a message after a customer is marked as a no-show |
| New client follow-up | Sends a follow-up message to first-time customers |
Each automation can be enabled or disabled individually and supports email, SMS, or both channels.
Do Not Disturb
Do Not Disturb (DND) prevents non-urgent notifications from being sent during overnight hours.
| Setting | Default |
|---|---|
| DND enabled | Yes |
| Start time | 9:00 pm (21:00) |
| End time | 8:00 am (08:00) |
DND uses the venue's timezone. Messages that fall within the DND window are held — they are not sent and are logged as blocked_dnd.
Urgent messages that bypass DND
The following message types are always delivered immediately, even during DND hours:
- Booking confirmation
- Reschedule confirmation
- Magic link (passwordless sign-in)
- Booking acknowledgement (pending request received)
- Booking decline
- Counter-offer
- Deposit expiry
- Reconfirmation request
Push notification preferences
Each team member can control which push notifications they receive on their mobile device.
| Category | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Booking Updates | New bookings, cancellations, status changes | On |
| Booking Reminders | Reminders before upcoming appointments | On |
| Promotional | News, tips, and special offers | On |
A master Push Notifications toggle enables or disables all categories at once.
Where to configure
- Mobile: Tap your profile or settings → Notification Settings
Push notification preferences are per-user (not per-venue) and are available on all plans.
SMS character limits
| Scenario | Limit |
|---|---|
| SMS template body | 160 characters (auto-truncated to 157 + "..." if exceeded) |
| Single SMS segment | 160 characters |
SMS messages that exceed 160 characters after variable substitution are automatically truncated. Keep your SMS templates concise — variables like {{manageLink}} can add significant length.
Tip
Test your SMS templates with realistic data. A long service name or staff name can push the message over the limit. The truncation happens silently — the customer receives the shortened version.
New Zealand venues: SMS is not available. All notifications are sent via email only.
Platform differences
| Feature | Web | Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Edit booking message templates | Yes — Engage → Automations → Booking Messages | No (use web) |
| Change brand voice persona | Yes — Brand Voice page | Yes — Brand Voice screen |
| Regenerate templates after voice change | Yes — sheet with template selection | Yes — modal with template selection |
| Business memory (PRO) | Yes — section on Brand Voice page | Yes — section on Brand Voice screen |
| Preview templates | Yes — eye icon in template editor | No |
| Reset template to default | Yes — rotate icon in template editor | No |
| Push notification preferences | No (mobile-only feature) | Yes — Notification Settings |
| Keyboard shortcuts | Standard browser shortcuts | iPad: Cmd+S to save, Escape to discard |
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Customer did not receive a notification | Check the customer's contact details are correct. If the email has previously bounced, it is suppressed automatically — update the email address. Check if DND was active at the time of sending. |
| SMS was cut off mid-sentence | SMS is limited to 160 characters after variable substitution. Edit the template to shorten the text, or use shorter variable values. |
| Templates do not match my brand voice | Go to Brand Voice and check which persona is selected. If you recently changed your voice, templates may be flagged as "needs review" — regenerate them from the Booking Messages editor. |
| "You've customised this" warning when regenerating | This means you previously edited the template by hand. Regenerating will overwrite your manual changes. Uncheck it if you want to keep your version. |
| Cannot edit templates on mobile | The full template editor is only available on the web app. On mobile, you can regenerate templates when changing your brand voice, but direct editing requires web. |
| AI regeneration produced unexpected results | The AI uses your brand voice persona and business memory as context. Check your business memory facts for accuracy. You can always edit the generated text or reset to defaults. |
| Notifications are not sent at night | Do Not Disturb is enabled by default (9 pm – 8 am in your venue's timezone). Urgent messages (confirmations, reschedules) bypass DND. Non-urgent messages are held. |
Related Articles
- Sending Quick Messages (SMS & Email)
- Customer Profile & History
- Concierge Automation
- Booking Inspector & Quick Actions
- Automated Notifications
- Engage
Last updated: March 2026