Client replies, replying Y to confirm, and STOP

When clients text back, their replies land in Messages, beside every text and email your salon has sent. FullColumn deals with two kinds of reply by itself: a "Y" that confirms an appointment, if you've asked for it, and STOP, which opts the client out of the kind of text they replied to. Everything else waits for someone on the team to read it.

#The Messages page: every text and email

Messages in the menu opens the Activity tab: every text and email to and from clients, newest first and grouped by day.

• Filter with All, Replies, Sent, Failed, Logged and Queued.
• Search messages finds a client's name, their mobile number or a word from the message.
• Tap a message to read all of it, with who it went to, when it was sent and delivered, and how many tries it took. The client's name opens their profile.
• Each message says what it was: Confirmation, Reminder, Campaign, Reply, Opted out, Form request, After the visit (automatic) and so on.
• Feedback request is the After the visit message when it carries a feedback form, or a feedback form you send by hand; as a Google review request it's After the visit (automatic); a consultation form you send is a Form request (automatic messages).

The latest 200 messages are shown. A client's own messages are also on their profile, under Messages (client profiles). Emails to the team, like alerts and day sheets, aren't in this list.

#Reading client replies

A new reply shows a dot and New reply, and the number waiting shows beside Messages in the menu and on the Today page ("A new message from a client.", with Read). The list keeps itself up to date while it's open.

• Opening a reply marks it read. Mark N replies read marks them all.
• Replies in the filters shows only messages from clients.
• People who've chosen Client replies in their alerts are told straight away, on their phone or by email (team alerts).

A reply is matched to the text it answers, or to the client with that mobile. One from a number that isn't on any client card shows the number instead of a name.

#Replying to a client

Open their reply and press Reply. A new message opens with the client already chosen; write your answer and press Send text (sending a one-off message).

#Letting clients confirm by replying Y

1. Open Settings → Reminders & SMS.
2. Under Texts & email, tick Ask clients to reply Y to confirm.
3. Press Save changes.

Reminder texts then say "Reply Y to confirm." (that's {reply_hint} in the wording), and a reply that's only a yes marks the appointment Confirmed. These all count: Y, Yes, Yep, Yeah, Yup, Confirm, Confirmed, C, OK, Okay, Sure, Will do and See you, in any case, with or without a full stop or exclamation mark.

• It confirms the appointment the text was about, or else the client's next booked appointment.
• The appointment's history says "Client replied to the reminder", and the reply is marked read without alerting anyone.
• A reply with anything more ("Yes, but can I come at 3?") isn't treated as a yes: it waits in Messages for someone to read.

Changing Ask clients to reply Y to confirm needs Connect Stripe and SMS, and change payment settings; owners have every permission.

#When a client replies STOP

A reply of just STOP (or STOP ALL, UNSUBSCRIBE or OPT OUT) opts the client out straight away. It's in Messages as Opted out, their history says "opted out by text" (or "said no to feedback requests by text"), and nobody needs to do anything. It only applies to your salon: other salons on FullColumn keep their own choices. What it switches off on their client details depends on the text they replied to:

• STOP to a marketing text (a campaign or automatic marketing) switches off Marketing texts.
• STOP to a feedback request (the After the visit message with a feedback form, or a feedback form you sent by hand) switches off Feedback requests only.
• STOP to any other text (a confirmation, a reminder, a form request, a message from you) switches off Marketing texts, Appointment reminders and Feedback requests.
• A STOP that isn't a reply to a particular text switches off Marketing texts and Feedback requests.

With Marketing texts off, the client gets no campaign or automatic marketing texts. With Feedback requests off, they're no longer asked how their visit went, by text or email. With Appointment reminders off as well, they get no automatic reminders (by text or email). Messages about appointments they've booked still go: confirmations, cancellations, notes for their services, form and deposit requests, answers to booking requests, and texts you send them yourself.

Marketing and feedback requests to that mobile stop for every client card that has it, so a family sharing one phone opts out together. Emails carry an unsubscribe link instead. In a marketing email it switches off the client's Marketing emails and Marketing texts; in a feedback request it asks "Stop feedback requests?" and switches off Feedback requests only. Either way, it tells them they'll still get messages about their own appointments.

#Messages from clients' booking links

Inside your Changes & cancellations online window (Settings → Online booking), a client can't change or cancel an appointment from their booking link, but they can ask you to, with a message if they like. Their message shows in Messages as Asked to change the time or Asked to cancel, marked New message. Nothing about the appointment changes until you act on it, so get back to them: Reply works here too (what clients see).

#Who can see Messages

Everyone on the team can open Messages and send a client a message. People without See clients' phone numbers and email addresses see numbers and email addresses hidden, in the list and in messages. Campaigns, Automations and Promo codes need Send campaigns, set up automatic marketing, and make promo codes (with "Give discounts" too).

#Common questions

#Do replies use SMS credits?

No. Only the texts your salon sends use credits.

#Do replies reach us on the shared number?

Yes. Replies to the shared number come back to the salon that texted that client, in Messages.

#Can I stop STOP from working?

No. A client can always opt out by replying STOP, and every marketing text and feedback request ends with "Opt out: Reply Stop".

#A client replied Y but the appointment didn't change. Why?

Check that Ask clients to reply Y to confirm is on, that the reply was only a yes, and that the appointment was still Booked (one already confirmed stays as it is, and the reply waits in Messages).