Client follow-up: bring back clients who haven't booked in a while¶

In short: the follow-up is the message that offers a new appointment to clients who haven't booked in a while. You choose how many weeks after the appointment it goes out and on which channel, email or WhatsApp. Wably sends it at the right moment, only once, and if the client replies on WhatsApp the assistant books the appointment in the same chat.

Clients who stop booking don't tell you¶

A client who stops booking doesn't warn you: they just don't come back, and you notice months later when you look at a half-empty schedule. And nobody has time at the end of the day to scroll through the address book to work out who has been gone too long.

Behind clients who stop coming back, there is rarely a specific reason. The person meant to return, then a week went by, then a month, and the booking never happened. Often one message at the right moment is enough to bring back clients who had simply put it off.

How client follow-up works¶

You switch on the follow-up from the Home of the dashboard, where you choose two things:

• After how many weeks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 or 12, counted from the end of the client's last appointment.
• The channel: email, WhatsApp, or email with WhatsApp for clients who haven't given you their address.

Everything else is automatic. Once the weeks you chose have passed, the client receives a message suggesting they book a new appointment. If they book in the meantime, the count starts again from zero. If they already have an appointment on the calendar, they receive nothing.

Wably writes the text and it can't be edited. It follows the tone you set in the Home, formal or friendly, and the language of your business. Nothing goes out at night: messages are sent between 10:00 am and 7:00 pm, in your business's time zone.

Every setup step is in the documentation for the dashboard Home.

A reply turns into a real booking¶

This is the difference between the follow-up and a message blasted to your whole address book. On WhatsApp the client can reply, and the assistant is the one who answers: it offers the free times and confirms the appointment in the same chat, without you having to step in.

The assistant doesn't introduce itself again as a virtual assistant. The conversation picks up where the message left off, just as a person would do.

The follow-up by email¶

If you choose email, the client receives the same invitation to book a new appointment, in the same tone. The email contains a button that opens WhatsApp with the message already written: all the client has to do is press send, and from there the conversation carries on with the assistant, as in the example above.

Email only reaches clients whose address you have. With the email and WhatsApp option, those who never gave one receive the message on WhatsApp. How Wably keeps your clients organized is explained in contact management and address book.

One message only, by choice¶

The follow-up goes out once per cycle. If the client doesn't reply and doesn't book, they don't receive a second message, or a third.

It isn't a limitation, it's a choice. The first message is kind: you remembered them and you're making room for them in your schedule. A second and a third, sent to someone who didn't reply, turn into chasing, and people who feel chased end up blocking the number. It's the same rule as the automatic review request: you ask once, then you let it be.

What the follow-up doesn't do¶

• It doesn't ask clients how they are. It only suggests booking a new appointment, nothing more.
• It doesn't send discounts, offers or promotions. It's an invitation to come back, not a sales message.
• It doesn't go out if the client already has an appointment on the calendar. Anyone who has already booked receives nothing.
• There's no text for you to write. Wably prepares it, with the tone and language you have set.

Who needs the follow-up after the appointment¶

Mostly businesses whose appointments repeat over time, where clients are happy to come back but don't always remember to book:

• beauty salons and massage studios, for clients you haven't seen in a few weeks
• personal trainers, for clients who have stopped training
• nutritionists, for clients who haven't booked their next check-in yet
• pet grooming, for clients who skip the next trim
• tattoo studios, for clients who left a piece half finished

All the other categories are in solutions by profession.

Included in the Standard plan¶

The follow-up is included in the Standard plan. It isn't available on Starter. The full comparison is on the plans and pricing page.

On cost, it's better to be clear from the start, as with the review request. WhatsApp messages are billed by Meta directly to your business account, and the follow-up falls into the Marketing category, which costs more than an appointment reminder. Better to know it now than to find out on the invoice. Email is free.

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