Customers & Automation
Customer Communication Preferences
Last updated 8 July 2026
Customer Communication Preferences
Customer communication preferences give each client a secure page for optional message choices. They can turn off marketing and follow-up messages without blocking booking-critical service messages.
TL;DR
- Customers open a signed link at /[venue-slug]/preferences/communications?token=....
- The page is branded to the venue and titled Communication preferences.
- Customers can manage optional messages such as Earlier openings, Aftercare follow-ups, Rebooking reminders, SMS promotions, Email promotions, and Browser notifications.
- Service messages and Appointment reminders are shown as required or read-only.
- Staff can send a fresh preference link by SMS or email from the client profile or linked inbox conversation.
- Owners and managers can update supported preferences after verbal consent; each change is audited.
What customers see
The public page shows the venue name, optional venue logo, and the heading Communication preferences. It explains that booking, payment, receipt, security, and legal messages still send when required.
The Contact linked to this page card shows masked contact details:
| Field | Possible display |
|---|---|
| Masked email or Not linked | |
| Mobile | Masked phone or Not linked |
| Browser push | Subscribed or Not subscribed |
The Required service messages card lists message types that cannot be fully disabled from this page:
- Booking confirmations and changes
- Receipts, invoices, and payment links
- Security and sign-in links
- Legally required opt-out confirmations
The preferences card shows each row with a status label and, when editable, a switch.
| Preference | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Service messages | Booking changes, receipts, payment links, and security links. Required. |
| Appointment reminders | Appointment reminders. Read-only in this version. |
| Earlier openings | Waitlist spots, cancellations, or earlier appointment offers. |
| Aftercare follow-ups | Care instructions and check-ins after appointments. |
| Rebooking reminders | Reminders when it may be time to book again. |
| SMS promotions | Offers and announcements by SMS. |
| Email promotions | Marketing emails and offers. |
| Browser notifications | Browser alerts where a subscription exists. |
Status labels include Required, Blocked, Unavailable, On, Off, and Saved.
Send a preference link
Staff can send a secure preference link from the customer profile or a linked inbox conversation.
From the customer profile:
- Open the client profile.
- Go to the account or communication area.
- Find Communication preferences.
- Open Manage if the panel is collapsed.
- In Customer preference link, select Send by SMS or Send by email.
From a linked inbox conversation:
- Open the conversation.
- Confirm the sender is linked to a client profile.
- Find Optional preferences in the conversation header area.
- Select Send by SMS or Send by email.
When the link is sent, the toast says Preference link sent to [recipient]. Operator-sent links expire after 14 days.
Customer link behaviour
Preference links are signed and time-limited. Message-footer links last 90 days; operator-sent links last 14 days. The public page is set to noindex and does not show raw contact details without a valid token.
If the link cannot be opened, the page shows one of these states:
| State | Message title |
|---|---|
| Missing or invalid token | This preference link cannot be opened |
| Expired token | This preference link has expired |
| Too many requests | Too many preference requests |
Invalid and expired pages tell the customer to ask the venue for a fresh secure link. The customer can use Return to [venue]. If the token is tied to a booking, the valid page can also show Return to booking.
Staff-managed changes
Owners and managers can update supported optional preferences after the customer gives verbal consent. The staff panel explains:
Use staff changes when the customer gives verbal approval. Use the preference link when they should review choices themselves.
Supported staff-managed preferences are:
- Earlier openings
- SMS promotions
- Email promotions
- Aftercare follow-ups
- Rebooking reminders
Staff cannot use the operator panel to force browser push back on. Browser push depends on the customer's browser permission and subscription state.
When a staff member turns a preference on or off, a confirmation dialog appears:
| Dialog | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Enable [preference]? | Continue only if the customer verbally agreed to receive those messages. |
| Turn off [preference]? | Continue only if the customer asked not to receive those messages. |
| Restore [preference]? | Continue only if the customer verbally agreed to receive those messages again. |
Successful staff updates show Communication preference updated. Restores show Preference restored with verbal consent.
Hard opt-outs and blocked states
Some states cannot be overridden from the preference centre.
| State | What it means |
|---|---|
| SMS STOP or Blocked by STOP | The number replied STOP. Ask the customer to reply START before SMS can be re-enabled. |
| Email blocked | The email address bounced or complained. Update the email before sending. |
| Browser notifications blocked | The customer's browser permission or subscription is blocked. They need to update it from their device. |
| Unavailable | The required contact method or push subscription is not linked. |
For SMS, STOP and START keywords remain the hard carrier-level control. The preference page can turn SMS promotions off, but it cannot override a STOP row.
Auditing and privacy
Every page view, preference change, blocked change, and operator-sent link is audited. The audit records venue, customer where known, preference key, channel, actor type, source, and safe request metadata such as hashed IP and user agent where applicable.
The preference centre does not expose raw provider IDs, message bodies, internal notes, or raw tokens.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | What to check |
|---|---|
| Customer says the link expired | Send a fresh link from Communication preferences. Operator-sent links expire after 14 days. |
| This number has replied STOP. Reply START by SMS to re-enable texts. | Ask the customer to reply START first, or send the preference link by email. |
| This email address is blocked after a bounce or complaint. | Update the customer's email address before trying email promotions or email preference links again. |
| No mobile number is linked to this preference link. | Add or confirm the mobile number on the customer profile, then send a fresh link. |
| No browser subscription was found for this link. | Browser notifications can only be managed when a matching browser push subscription exists. |
| Staff cannot change a row | Required messages, appointment reminders, browser push, blocked rows, and unavailable rows are not staff-editable. |
FAQ
What can customers turn off?
Customers can turn off optional communications such as Earlier openings, Aftercare follow-ups, Rebooking reminders, SMS promotions, Email promotions, and Browser notifications where available.
Can customers turn off booking confirmations?
No. Booking, payment, receipt, security, and legal messages are required service messages and still send when needed.
How do I send a preference link?
Open the customer profile or a linked inbox conversation, find Communication preferences or Optional preferences, then select Send by SMS or Send by email.
Can staff change preferences for a customer?
Owners and managers can update supported optional preferences after verbal consent. Each change is audited against the staff account.