Sending an SMS

Once you have set up SMS, in addition to automatic reminders and notifications you can also manually send messages to your customers.

Manual SMS messages can be sent from a few places.

The most common methods are:

• From the SMS/chat icon in the top navigation

• From a customer record using Send SMS

• From a booking, where the Send SMS button appears if the customer has a mobile number and SMS is enabled

Best practice is to send SMS from the customer record or booking where possible, rather than typing a mobile number manually. This keeps the message linked to the customer history.

If you start a new SMS conversation by entering a mobile number directly, Pointa will still try to match the number to an existing customer. If no customer is found, the SMS conversation will be stored against the mobile number only.

Reading and Replying to SMS

SMS conversations open in a chat-style window.

The left side shows recent conversations and search results. You can search by customer name or mobile number.

The right side shows the selected conversation.

Unread incoming SMS messages are highlighted in the SMS area. Opening the conversation marks it as read.

New incoming SMS messages can appear live while Pointa is open, so staff can respond without needing to refresh the page.

SMS From Bookings

When viewing a booking, Pointa may show a Send SMS option if SMS is enabled and the booking/customer has a mobile number.

This is useful for short operational messages, such as:

• Asking the customer to call the salon

• Letting the customer know you are running late

• Confirming an appointment detail

• Following up on a booking question

For booking reminders, use the automated reminder settings rather than sending every reminder manually.