Common Wably problems: setup and solutions¶

This page gathers the common problems a professional runs into when setting Wably up for the first time and in the first weeks of use. The questions follow the order of setup: activation, WhatsApp, calendar, hours and lengths, locations, appointments added by hand, contacts, reminders. Each answer gives the short fix and the link to the full guide.

The four checks that solve most common problems¶

Before looking for your case, check these four points in the dashboard:

Master switch on, in the green band at the top of the Home.
WhatsApp Business and Google Calendar on Connected, in the Integrations card on the Home.
Business hours saved, with at least one open day: see Business hours.
Free trial or subscription active: once the trial has ended, the assistant stops. See the free trial.

Use the password recovery link on the sign-in screen. Your sign-in email is the one you registered with: in Profile it is read-only. If the problem persists, write to us. Guide: signing in for the first time.

I've completed the guided activation but the assistant doesn't reply¶

The guided activation gets everything ready, but you are the one who switches the assistant on. Go to the Home and turn on the master switch in the green band at the top. If the guided activation bar isn't at 100%, open the step that isn't ticked and complete it. Guide: guided activation.

In what order should I set Wably up?¶

Follow the order of the guided activation: Profile, Business hours, Info & services, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, WhatsApp. That way, when the assistant starts replying, it already knows your hours, services and prices. Import your Google contacts before switching it on: family and friends enter your contacts disabled, that is with the toggle off, and don't receive automatic replies.

The free trial has ended and the assistant no longer replies¶

At the end of the 30-day trial, if you haven't activated a plan, the assistant stops. The same happens if the subscription payment doesn't go through. Activate or update your plan from Profile, with the Manage button. Guides: the free trial and managing your subscription.

Connecting WhatsApp Business¶

Do I have to change number or tell my clients?¶

No. Wably works on the WhatsApp Business number you already use. You keep writing from your phone as always, the assistant replies in parallel on the same number and your chats stay where they are. Your clients don't have to do anything. Read more: WhatsApp Business without changing your number.

I use regular WhatsApp, not WhatsApp Business: can I connect it?¶

Wably connects to the WhatsApp Business app. If you use regular WhatsApp on your practice number, first install the WhatsApp Business app on the same number: the app offers to bring your existing chats with you. Meta may require the number to have been in use on WhatsApp Business for a few days before connecting it. Then connect the number from the Integrations screen.

Connecting WhatsApp doesn't work¶

Check three things. The WhatsApp Business app must be updated to the latest version. The phone with your practice number must be at hand, because the process asks you to confirm it. The number must not already be connected to another platform that uses the official WhatsApp APIs: in that case it has to be disconnected first. If the error persists, write to us with a screenshot. Guide: connecting WhatsApp Business.

WhatsApp was connected and now shows as disconnected¶

Meta disconnects the number if the WhatsApp Business app stays closed on the phone for about 14 days, or if the app is uninstalled. Open the app at least once a week, so you stay well clear of the limit, and don't uninstall it. If WhatsApp no longer shows Connected in the Integrations card, reconnect the number from the Integrations screen.

The assistant doesn't reply, or replies to the wrong people¶

The assistant doesn't reply to anyone¶

Check in this order: master switch on the Home turned on; WhatsApp on Connected in the Integrations card; trial or subscription active. If you received an email about the daily safety limit, the assistant is paused until midnight and then starts again on its own, or it starts again right away if you raise the limit from the Home. Guide: daily safety limit.

The assistant doesn't reply to one specific client¶

Open Contacts and look for the client: if they're disabled, the assistant stays silent. Contacts imported from Google always arrive disabled. A client also shows as disabled for a while when you've written to them (6 hours) or when they've accepted the pause the assistant offers so they can write to you (until 10 minutes after their last message): after that they're re-enabled automatically. If they're enabled, the conversation may have been stopped by the automatic safeguards, which step in when too many messages arrive within a few minutes or when an automated system is replying on the other side. In that case it starts again on its own.

The assistant replied to a family member or a friend¶

The assistant replies to anyone who writes to you and isn't in Contacts, just as it would to a new client: that's what brings you new bookings. To leave out family, import your Google contacts with Sync: imported contacts come in disabled and stay disabled until you enable them. Enable clients only. Use AI for all only if the number is dedicated to work. Guide: why contacts start disabled.

The assistant replies a few seconds late¶

That's intentional. Many clients send two or three messages in a row: the assistant waits a few seconds, reads them all and replies once, instead of replying halfway through a sentence.

The assistant stops replying after I step into a chat with a client¶

Did you write to that client in the last 6 hours, or send them /bot off? Then the assistant is stopped only with that client. To turn it back on straight away, write /bot on in their chat (see Reply to clients manually).

Google Calendar and availability¶

Appointments taken by the assistant don't show up in the calendar¶

Check that Google Calendar is on Connected in the Integrations card. Then check you're looking at the right calendar: if your Google account has more than one calendar, Wably only writes to the one chosen in the Calendar selector on the Integrations screen. Guide: choosing the booking calendar.

The assistant offers a time when I already have something on¶

There are two causes. The commitment is on another calendar: Wably only reads the calendar chosen for bookings. Or the event is marked as free in Google Calendar instead of busy: free events don't block the time. Move the commitment to the booking calendar or mark it as busy.

On one day the assistant doesn't offer any times¶

Check in this order. The day is closed in Business hours. There's an "all-day" event on the booking calendar: it blocks the whole day, even if it's just a personal reminder such as a birthday. The diary for that day is already full. For the same day, the assistant doesn't offer times starting within an hour from now.

How do I block holidays, public holidays or a free afternoon?¶

Create an event on the booking calendar. An "all-day" event blocks the whole day, an event with a time blocks just that slot. There's nothing to set in Wably: the assistant reads your diary and doesn't offer those times. Read more: Google Calendar sync.

I moved or deleted an appointment directly in Google Calendar¶

That's fine. Wably checks the calendar every 30 minutes and catches up: the reminder follows the new time, and a deleted appointment doesn't get a reminder. Changes you make yourself in the diary don't trigger the cancellation alert, which only covers changes made by clients on WhatsApp.

Hours, lengths and the appointment grid¶

The times offered don't fall on the hour¶

Times start from the day's opening time and advance by a step equal to length plus buffer. With a 60-minute length and a 10-minute buffer the step is 70: 14:00, 15:10, 16:20. For round times, make length plus buffer add up to 60 minutes (50+10, 45+15, 55+5) or 30 minutes (25+5, 20+10). Guide with examples: Business hours.

I have two lengths: how do I keep both on a tidy grid?¶

There's a single buffer that applies to every length, and each length advances with its own step. Choose lengths that, with the same buffer, add up to 60 or 30 minutes. Example with a 10-minute buffer: first visit of 50 (step 60) and follow-up of 20 (step 30). With a 30-minute follow-up the step becomes 40: 9:00, 9:40, 10:20. Two lengths are included in the Standard plan, Starter has one. Read more: appointments with different lengths.

After a short appointment the assistant offers a time off the grid¶

That's intentional. With two lengths, the assistant also offers the time that starts from the end of an appointment already in the diary plus the buffer. If a follow-up ends at 9:30 and the buffer is 10 minutes, it also offers 9:40. That way the time left free by a short appointment can be booked again.

How do I set a lunch break or a gap between one client and the next?¶

The gap between one client and the next is the Buffer between appointments, in the green panel at the top of Business hours. The lunch break is switched on day by day, with its own start and end time. If you work in the morning and the evening with a long gap in between, use the lunch break to cover the gap.

A client asks for a treatment that isn't among the lengths¶

The assistant offers the lengths you have set, with the names you chose. The services written in Info & services are your price list, they don't create bookable lengths: lengths are set in Business hours. Give the lengths the names your clients use, for example "First visit" and "Follow-up session".

The times offered are off by one or more hours¶

Check the Time zone in Profile. The assistant calculates times in your practice's time zone, even for clients writing from abroad.

Multiple locations and two addresses¶

I work in two practices: how do I tell the assistant where I am each day?¶

In Info & services, in the Practice address field, write one line per location, starting with the days. For example:

Monday and Wednesday: 12 High Street, Leeds

Tuesday and Thursday: 4 Park Road, York

The assistant shows the free times split by day with the location, and repeats the location in the confirmation request and in the final message. With a single location, just write the address. If you work at clients' homes or online, leave the field empty. Read more: appointments in multiple locations.

The assistant gives the wrong location or quotes the full address¶

Check the format of each line: the days written out in full (Monday, not Mon), then a colon, then the address, as in the example. Each day must appear in one line only. When it can't match a location to a day with certainty, the assistant quotes the full address exactly as you wrote it and lets the client choose. It never presents a location on a day you haven't listed. Full guide: appointments in multiple locations.

My hours are different in the two locations¶

No problem: the location is tied to the day and hours are set day by day in Business hours. If on Monday you're in one location from 9 to 13 and on Tuesday in the other from 14 to 19, set those slots on the two days.

One of the two locations is closed for a while¶

Block those days on the booking calendar with an "all-day" event. The assistant reads the diary and doesn't offer times on those days.

Appointments added by hand to the diary¶

Can I add an appointment by hand?¶

Yes, directly in Google Calendar, on the calendar chosen for bookings. You don't need another diary: the time immediately shows as busy for WhatsApp bookings and the client gets the reminder like everyone else. For a client already in your contacts the number in the notes is enough; for a new client you need number and name. Guide: reminders from your calendar.

What do I write in the event so the reminder goes out?¶

Three rules. Write the client's phone number in the event notes, in any format: without an international prefix, Wably uses your practice's country. Put the name in the title, as two or three words with no digits, or a line "Client: First Last" in the notes. Give the event a time, not "all-day". If the client is already in your contacts, the number is enough. If they're new you need number and name: with the number alone Wably doesn't create the contact, so as not to fill your contacts with nameless entries, and the reminder doesn't go out. Example: title "Emma Clarke", notes "07700 900123, second session".

The reminder for an appointment written by hand didn't go out¶

The most frequent causes: the phone number is missing from the notes; the event is "all-day"; the event is on a different calendar from the booking one; the client is new and the event has no recognisable name, for example because the title is too long and the notes have no "Client:" line; you have two people with the same name in your contacts; you added the appointment after the previous day's send time. Reminders are included in the Standard plan. Guide: the reminder didn't go out, why?.

Can the client reschedule on WhatsApp an appointment I wrote myself?¶

Yes, if the event holds the number the client writes to you from and, for a new client, their name too. Wably links the appointment to that client within about half an hour of it being added, then the client can reschedule or cancel it in chat as if they had booked it themselves.

I use Calendly or Google Calendar appointment schedules¶

The client's name is recognised on its own, the phone number isn't. In your booking form, add the phone question and make it required: without a number the reminder doesn't go out.

Wably created a contact with an odd name¶

It happens when the name is taken from the event title: Wably saves the contact with a note asking you to check it. If you save contacts to Google Contacts, correct the name in your phone's contacts and the correction reaches Wably on its own. To avoid it, write a line "Client: First Last" in the notes.

Contacts and address book¶

Do I have to add my clients to Wably by hand?¶

No. Contacts arrive in three ways: from your Google contacts, with the Sync button in Contacts and automatically every night; from new clients who book on WhatsApp; from appointments written in the diary with the client's number and name. Read more: contact and address book management.

Why are all imported contacts disabled?¶

It's a safeguard. Your Google contacts also include family, friends and suppliers, and you don't want the assistant replying to them. Switch on the toggle for clients only, or use AI for all if the number is dedicated to work. Contacts created from a booking or from an appointment in the diary arrive already enabled.

A new client doesn't appear in Contacts¶

A new client enters Contacts when they book, not at their first message. Contacts from your Google address book arrive with Sync or with the automatic nightly update. If you're looking for someone, use the search field to search by name or phone.

I want new clients to end up in my phone's contacts too¶

On the Home, switch on Save new contacts to Google Contacts. Wably adds the new clients who book on WhatsApp to your Google contacts. It only adds: it never changes or deletes the contacts you already have.

Can Wably delete or change my Google contacts?¶

No. Sync runs from Google Contacts to Wably. Whatever you enable, disable or remove in Wably doesn't touch your Google contacts. The only write possible is adding new clients, and only if you switch on the dedicated toggle. Guide: sync is one-way.

Reminders, reviews and emails¶

Reminders don't go out for any client¶

Check four things. The plan: reminders are included in Standard. The Send reminders toggle on the Home. The send time: the reminder goes out the day before at the time you chose, 11:00 if you don't change it. The Meta payment: reminders are paid messages billed by Meta, and Meta blocks them if your Meta Business account has no valid payment method.

The second reminder on the day itself doesn't arrive¶

The second reminder starts switched off: switch it on from the Home and choose how many hours before the appointment to send it (2, 3 or 4). It never goes out before 7:00 and is skipped if the appointment is less than an hour away.

The review request doesn't go out¶

Check that the Review link field in Info & services holds the link, and that the Review request toggle on the Home is on. The request goes out only once per client, after their first appointment, between 8:00 and 21:00. With the Email channel only clients with an email address receive it. It's included in the Standard plan. Read more: automatic review requests.

I don't receive the 19:00 daily summary¶

The summary only arrives if the assistant handled bookings or changes in the last 24 hours: on days with nothing new you receive nothing. Check that the toggle is on in the Alerts for you card on the Home and look in your spam folder.

A client cancelled but I didn't get the alert¶

The cancellation alert only covers cancellations and reschedules made by clients on WhatsApp, within the threshold you chose: 24, 48 or 72 hours. Cancellations further ahead are in the daily summary. Changes you make yourself in the diary don't trigger alerts. The alert is included in the Standard plan. Read more: cancellation alerts and free slots.

What the assistant tells your clients¶

A client sent a voice note or a photo¶

For now the assistant only reads written messages. It replies to the client that you will see voice notes, photos and documents in the chat, and invites them to write their request. You find them in the WhatsApp Business app as always. Guide: clients' voice notes, photos and documents.

The assistant can't answer about prices and services¶

The assistant only says what you have written in Info & services and doesn't make things up: if a piece of information is missing, it refers the client to you. Fill in Services and prices, General information and FAQ, then press Save: the new information applies straight away. On the Starter plan the assistant uses the Business description and the Practice address; services, prices, general information and FAQ are included in Standard. Guide: Info & services.

The assistant's tone is too casual for me¶

On the Home, in the How the assistant behaves card, choose the Tone: Friendly uses an informal register, Formal a polite, formal one. Choosing the tone is included in the Standard plan.

A client writes to me in another language¶

The assistant replies to each client in the language they write in. The Language in Profile is your practice's main language and doesn't limit replies. Read more: multilingual assistant.

A client wants to reschedule an appointment booked from another number¶

For security, the assistant only changes appointments linked to the number the message comes from. If a parent booked for their child from their own phone, the reschedule has to be requested from the same number, or you do it yourself in the diary.

A client asks for an opinion on their case¶

The assistant doesn't give clinical or specialist assessments: it books, answers about services, prices and practice information, and refers everything else to you.

WhatsApp message costs¶

Who pays for WhatsApp messages and how do I keep spending under control?¶

WhatsApp messages are billed by Meta directly on your business's WhatsApp Business account, not by Wably. The Daily safety limit on the Home pauses the assistant beyond the number of messages you chose (200, 360, 800 or 1500 a day, 360 if you don't change it) and lets you know by email. To estimate your spending, use the calculator in plans and pricing.

Still stuck?¶

Write to us and we'll reply by email. To help us solve it faster, tell us what you were doing, the day and time of the problem and, if you can, attach a screenshot of the screen. Never send us passwords or access codes.