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Booking confirmations

What goldenhour sends, and when

Seven automated touchpoints around every appointment : tuned to maximize show-up rate without spamming. Every step has a sensible default; you can toggle individual touchpoints on or off in Settings → Notifications.

The seven touchpoints

  1. 01

    Booking confirmation

    SMS + Email

    When: Immediately on booking

    Service, date + time in client's local zone, total, deposit status, manage link, calendar (.ics) attachment. For spray-tan: rinse-time stamped on the message. Artist also gets an inbox notification.

  2. 02

    Pre-tan prep checklist

    SMS

    When: T-36 hours

    Spray-tan vertical only. SMS with a link to the public prep page where the client ticks off each prep item + signs the waiver. Required before the appointment.

  3. 03

    24-hour reminder

    SMS + Email

    When: T-24 hours

    Service + time + manage link. Designed to give the client one last chance to reschedule outside the policy window if they need to.

  4. 04

    2-hour nudge

    SMS

    When: T-2 hours

    Short, friendly. "Quick reminder you're booked with us at 4pm." Designed to catch the last-minute forgotten appointment + reduce no-shows. Toggle off in Settings → Notifications if you don't want it.

  5. 05

    Post-care + aftercare

    SMS + Email

    When: T+24 hours after completed

    Vertical-specific aftercare tips + rinse-timer link (spray tan) + rebooking-link prefill. Empty for verticals with no post-care config.

  6. 06

    Review request

    SMS + Email

    When: T+12 hours after completed

    Customizable: links to your Google review URL when set, falls back to a generic 'tell a friend' message. Skips clients who reviewed in the last 90 days. Toggle off in Settings → Retention.

  7. 07

    Rebook nudge

    SMS

    When: T + per-client cadence

    Smart-rebook: cadence inferred from the client's own appointment history (median interval over last 10 visits). Falls back to your account default for new clients. Quiet-hours respected. Toggle off in Settings → Retention.

Design notes

Why these defaults

  • SMS is single-segment by default. We pack into ≤160 characters when possible so the client gets one message + you pay one segment.
  • Quiet-hours respected. Touchpoints 5/6/7 (post-care, review request, rebook nudge) all defer outside your configured quiet hours. The transactional ones (1-4) always send because they're event-driven.
  • Custom-domain emails. If you’ve verified your email-from domain (Settings → Custom domain → Email), every email sends from noreply@your-brand.com instead of goldenhour’s default.
  • Per-client opt-out is sticky. If a client texts STOP, their marketing-opt-out flag flips + every future automated marketing send skips them. Transactional confirmations + reminders for already- booked appointments still fire.

Related: SMS marketing compliance