Settings
Appointment texts: setup, consent, and allowances
Why texts need approval and opt-in, how to read your setup status, and what to check when one does not arrive.
The Appointment texts tab controls the confirmations and reminders your customers receive by SMS. Texts are the single most effective thing you can do about no-shows — but they are also the most regulated part of BookerFlow, so this tab works differently from the others.
Three things must be true
A customer receives an appointment text only when all three of these hold. If any one is missing, no text goes out — and this is almost always the explanation when they do not arrive.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| 1. Texting is active on your account | Your messaging setup has been completed and approved. This is not instant — see the status section below. |
| 2. Your plan includes texts | Lite is email-only by design. Starter includes 60 eligible sends a month and Pro includes 500. |
| 3. The customer opted in | They ticked the consent box when booking. Without it, they get email only — no exceptions. |
Email confirmations are never affected
Reading your setup status
Sending business texts in Canada and the US requires the carriers to vet the sender — that is the network's rule, not ours. Your account moves through these states:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Not configured | You have not started. No appointment texts are sent. |
| Needs info | Something in your submission is missing or unclear. Check the tab for what is outstanding and supply it. |
| Pending review | Submitted and waiting on the carriers. Nothing to do but wait — this can take several days and is outside our control. |
| Approved | Texting is live. Confirmations and reminders go out to customers who opted in. |
| Rejected | The carriers declined the registration. The tab explains why; usually something in the business details needs correcting before resubmitting. |
| Suspended | Sending has been stopped, typically after complaints or a compliance problem. Contact support. |
Do not promise customers texts until you are Approved
Consent — why we ask
Customers must actively agree before you may text them. That is a legal requirement across Canada and the US, and the penalties for ignoring it fall on the business sending the messages — you, not BookerFlow.
So BookerFlow records consent at the moment of booking and keeps the evidence. The consent checkbox on your booking page is on by default. Customers can reply STOP to any message to opt out, and HELP for information — both are handled automatically and immediately, and a customer who opts out will not be texted again even if they book afresh.
There is no way to text customers who did not opt in, and there is no setting that overrides it. That is deliberate. The full terms are in our SMS & Messaging policy.
Your monthly allowance
The allowance counts eligible appointment sends — one confirmation or reminder to one customer — rather than carrier-billed SMS segments. A long message that a carrier splits in two still counts once against your allowance.
Starter includes 60 a month, Pro includes 500, and Business is set per account. The count resets monthly, and one-time packs of 100 or 500 extra sends can be bought without changing plan. The tab shows how much you have used.
If you run out, texts stop but everything else carries on: bookings still work and confirmation emails still go out. See Plans and what each one includes for how the allowances compare.
A customer says they got no text
Check in this order — the first two explain most cases:
- Did they opt in? Open the appointment and check. An unticked consent box is by far the most common answer.
- Is your status Approved? If it is Pending review, nothing is being sent yet.
- Is there allowance left this month? The tab shows used and remaining.
- Did they reply STOP at some point? Opting out is permanent until they opt back in, and it carries across future bookings.
- Is the number a mobile? Landlines and some virtual numbers cannot receive SMS.
If all five check out and the text still did not arrive, send us the appointment date, the customer's first name, and roughly when it should have gone — that is enough for us to trace the individual message.
Related articles
Plans and what each one includes
Lite, Starter, Pro, and Business — staff limits, text allowances, and what changes when you move between them.
Who gets emailed when a booking comes in
The two team-alert settings, which addresses receive them, and how to pick a setup that does not bury you.
Booking rules: notice, cancellation, and how far ahead
Every option on the Booking tab in Settings, what each one does to your booking page, and what to pick.
Still stuck?
Send us the details and we will take a look. Including your booking link and the date and time you are asking about gets you a faster answer.
Last reviewed July 30, 2026.