For businesses
WhatsApp appointment booking: let customers book from a link
WhatsApp appointment booking works best when the chat and the booking are kept apart. Customers message you with questions, and you send them a link where they see your free times and book themselves. The WhatsApp Business app can send that link for you, in a greeting, an away message or a saved reply.
Booklaa gives you the booking page and its link. It has no connection with WhatsApp: the link is what joins the two, and the booking is made on the Booklaa page. The wording below works with any booking page.
Why booking by chat gets hard
It starts out easy. A regular asks for Saturday, you check the diary and you reply. Then the messages add up:
- One booking takes several messages, because each time has to be offered and answered.
- Messages arrive while you're with a customer, or after you've gone home.
- Two staff reply from the same number and offer the same slot.
- A time agreed in a chat never reaches the calendar.
- Nobody gets a reminder unless you send it yourself.
Three ways to set up WhatsApp appointment booking
| By hand in the WhatsApp Business app | A booking link in the chat | A chatbot on the WhatsApp Business Platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it's booked | You agree a time in messages and write it down | The customer taps a link and picks a free time | The customer answers questions or fills in a form inside the chat |
| Outside opening hours | It waits for your reply | The customer books at any hour | The bot replies at any hour |
| What you need | The app, which is free to download | The app and a booking system | A developer or a Business Solution Provider, and a booking system behind it |
| What the cost depends on | Your time | The booking system | Meta's charge per message delivered, plus any provider's fees |
| Suits | A few regulars | Most small businesses | Larger businesses with many messages |
Meta describes the app as made for small businesses and the Platform for medium and large ones. Its WhatsApp Flows can put a booking form inside the chat, and they're built in WhatsApp Manager or through its API. What people call a WhatsApp booking system is usually this third kind.
For most small businesses the link is the sensible middle. It needs no developer and the customer sees every free time at once, and you still chat on WhatsApp about everything else. If you don't have a booking system yet, how to choose an online booking system sets out what to check.
How to put your booking link in WhatsApp
You set up the first three in the WhatsApp Business app, under the Tools tab. Swap in your own name, times and link.
Your greeting message
A greeting message goes to people who message you for the first time, or after 14 days of quiet. A regular who wrote last week won't get it, so you still need the saved reply below.
Hi, thanks for messaging [business name]. To book, pick a service and a free time here: [your link]. Got a question? Reply here and we'll get back to you.
Your away message
An away message can go out all the time, on a schedule you set, or outside business hours. That last option needs your hours in your business profile, and your phone needs an internet connection for any of them to send.
We're closed right now and will reply from [time]. You can book any time here: [your link].
Saved replies for the questions you get every day
Quick replies are saved messages you call up by typing "/" in a chat. These four are a good start:
- /book: "Here's the link to book: [your link]. You'll see all our free times and get your confirmation straight after."
- /full: "Sorry, that time has gone. The times still open are here: [your link]."
- /change: "You can move or cancel from the link in your booking confirmation, up to [X] hours before. After that, message me here and I'll help."
- /prices: "Our services, prices and how long each one takes are all here: [your link]."
Your business profile and QR code
Add the link as the website in your business profile, so anyone who taps your name can find it. WhatsApp's own short link and QR code open a chat with you, and your booking page is one step further on. On a poster or in your Instagram bio, put the booking link beside them.
What your customer sees after tapping the link
On Booklaa the link opens your page in the phone's browser, with no app or account needed:
- The customer picks a service, then a team member or anyone free, then a time. At a restaurant, that's a party size, a seating area, any dishes ordered ahead and the occasion.
- They give a name and an email or mobile number.
- The booking details arrive by email or text message, with a link to cancel or move the booking up to a cut-off you set, an add-to-calendar link and directions.
- A reminder goes out the day before, by email and by text message.
You choose whether each booking confirms at once, or waits for you to accept or decline it.
None of these messages go through WhatsApp. If you'd like to send a personal reminder there, for a long appointment say, you send it by hand:
Hi [name], see you tomorrow at [time] for your [service]. If you need to change it, use the link in your confirmation or message me here.
When a customer still books in the chat
Some regulars will always message you, and that's fine. Keep one rule: a time isn't booked until it's on the calendar. On Booklaa you add a phone or walk-in booking by hand, and a chat booking goes in the same way, so nobody else can take that time online. Then confirm it:
You're booked for [day] at [time] with [name]. See you then. Next time you can pick your own time here: [your link].
Leave the chat for what it does well: a photo of the colour someone wants, a question about parking, a note about an allergy.
To get a booking page and a link for these messages, list your business on Booklaa.
Questions
Can customers book appointments directly on WhatsApp?
With the free app, only by messaging you, and you record the time yourself. Booking inside the chat needs a chatbot on the WhatsApp Business Platform, usually set up through a provider. A link is simpler: the customer taps it and books in the browser.
Do I need a WhatsApp Business account to take appointments?
You can take bookings on any WhatsApp number, but the greeting message, away message and quick replies are in the WhatsApp Business app. The app is free to download.
Can WhatsApp send appointment reminders automatically?
The WhatsApp Business app lists no appointment reminders among its features. Automatic reminders on WhatsApp need the Business Platform, where Meta charges for each message delivered. Booklaa sends its reminders by email and text message.
What happens if a customer messages outside business hours?
An away message answers for you, and it can carry your booking link, so the customer can book straight away. Set your hours in your business profile so it only goes out when you're closed.
Can customers cancel or reschedule through WhatsApp?
They can ask you, and you change it yourself. On Booklaa they can also do it from the link in their booking details, up to the cut-off you set. After that they contact you.
Does Booklaa connect to WhatsApp?
No. Booklaa gives you a booking page and a link you can send in WhatsApp. The booking is made on the Booklaa page, and the confirmation and reminder go by email and text message.
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