Bookings
Attendance Check Requests
Attendance check requests ask clients if they are still coming, then show replies on the calendar and booking detail.
Last updated 30 August 2026
TL;DR
- Attendance checks ask clients if they are still coming before an upcoming confirmed appointment.
- Owners and managers configure attendance behaviour from Appointment reminder and its channels from Automations > Booking & payment.
- Calendar and booking detail show Attendance states such as Scheduled, Awaiting reply, and Client is coming.
- Staff can manually send, resend, or mark a client as coming from booking detail.
Attendance check requests help reduce no-shows by asking clients to confirm before they arrive. They are configured as part of Appointment reminder and use the same reminder timing. A client response records attendance confirmation on the booking, but it does not change the booking lifecycle status from Confirmed.
What is an attendance check request?
An attendance check request is a reminder prompt that asks the client to confirm they are still coming. In the codebase the internal field names still use reconfirmation, but the user-facing product language is Attendance check.
When an attendance check is active, booking surfaces can show:
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Attendance check scheduled | The booking is eligible and a request is scheduled. |
| Awaiting reply | The request was sent and the client has not replied yet. |
| Client is coming | The client confirmed from the attendance link. |
| Replied by SMS | The client replied by SMS with a confirmation keyword. |
| Marked as coming | A team member marked the client as coming. |
How do you turn on attendance checks?
Owners and managers configure attendance behaviour, reminder timing, and wording from Appointment reminder. Automatic channels are selected from Booking & payment.
- Open Automations.
- Open Appointment reminder.
- Choose when the reminder sends and configure attendance behaviour.
- Open Booking & payment and turn on Email, SMS, or both for Attendance check.
The reminder timing options are 1 hour before, 2 hours before, 4 hours before, 12 hours before, 24 hours before, and 48 hours before.
Note
Attendance check configuration requires PRO. Appointment reminders themselves can still exist separately from the attendance-check add-on.
When Attendance check is combined with the appointment reminder SMS, you can still customise the reminder text. OpenChair adds the fixed Reply Y if you are coming, C to cancel, R to reschedule. prompt automatically and shows the complete message and estimated SMS segments before you publish.
How clients respond
Clients can respond from the attendance-check link or by SMS when SMS reply actions are included. The link page title is Please confirm your appointment unless the link opens the cancellation path first.
| Client action | Button or reply | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Confirm | Confirm appointment or SMS Y, YES, CONFIRM, CONFIRMED | Marks the booking as confirmed by the client. |
| Reschedule | Reschedule or SMS R, RESCHEDULE | Opens or sends a reschedule path when policy allows. |
| Cancel | I need to cancel, Cancel appointment, or SMS C | Cancels the appointment through the normal cancellation flow. |
The attendance link can show Invalid access link, Already marked as coming, or Booking not active when the link is invalid, already used, or no longer applies.
Manual actions from booking detail
Staff can manage attendance checks from web and mobile booking detail surfaces. The booking must be upcoming, Confirmed, and have either an email address or phone number before OpenChair can send a request.
| Operator action | When it appears |
|---|---|
| Send attendance check | The booking can receive a request and no request is currently awaiting reply. |
| Send now | Compact view for a scheduled attendance check. |
| Resend attendance check | A request was already sent and the client has not replied. |
| Mark coming | A request is awaiting reply and the client has confirmed outside the link flow. |
Manual sends have a 60-second cooldown to prevent duplicate messages.
Rules and limits
Attendance checks only apply to bookings that can reasonably receive a response.
| Rule | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Booking status | Only upcoming Confirmed bookings can receive or record an attendance check. |
| Contact details | The booking needs an email address or phone number to send a request. |
| Already confirmed | A booking already marked as coming cannot receive another attendance check. |
| Past bookings | Past bookings cannot receive or record attendance checks. |
| SMS matching window | SMS Y / C / R replies act on the most recent reminder or attendance check sent to that phone number in the last 24 hours. |
Who can use this
| Role | Access |
|---|---|
| Owner | Can enable or disable attendance checks in Automations and use booking-detail actions. |
| Manager | Can manage Client messages settings and use accessible booking-detail actions. |
| Team | Can use booking-detail attendance actions when they can access the booking. |
Common mistakes
Attendance checks are not the same as booking approval. Booking approval decides whether a requested online booking becomes confirmed. Attendance checks ask a client with an already confirmed booking whether they are still coming.
Attendance checks do not change the booking status to a new lifecycle state. OpenChair records reconfirmedAt and the response source, then displays the attendance signal on calendar and booking-detail surfaces.
SMS reply actions only work for customers who receive SMS from your venue. Email clients use the attendance-check link instead.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Attendance check is unavailable | Confirm the venue is on PRO and that you are an owner or manager. |
| Send attendance check does not appear | Check that the booking is upcoming, Confirmed, and has an email address or phone number. |
| Client says the link is invalid | Ask them to use the latest email or SMS link. The page shows Invalid access link when the token is missing or expired. |
| SMS reply went to the wrong booking | OpenChair uses the most recent reminder or attendance check sent to that phone number in the last 24 hours. Review nearby bookings manually if a client had multiple reminders close together. |
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Common questions
- What is an attendance check request?
- An attendance check request asks a client to confirm whether they are still coming to an upcoming appointment. Replies are recorded on the booking without changing the booking status.
- How do I turn on attendance checks?
- Open Automations, open Appointment reminder, then configure attendance and reminder timing. Use Booking & payment to choose automatic Email or SMS delivery. A PRO plan is required to turn attendance checks on.
- Can staff send an attendance check manually?
- Yes. Open an upcoming confirmed booking with client contact details and use Send attendance check or Resend attendance check from the booking detail.
- What can customers do from an attendance check?
- Customers can confirm the appointment, reschedule when policy allows, or cancel. SMS clients can also reply Y, C, or R when SMS reply actions are included.