Simple Salon makes it incredibly simple for you to set up your SMS, it's pretty much already done for you.
- Step 1: Buy some SMS Credits (If you aren't on a subscription plan that is inclusive of SMS or you need to purchase extra credits).
- Step 2: Turn on your automatic Appointment Reminders
Head over to your Admin page, and click your Messaging tab.
You'll notice that the Enable SMS Account box is ticked, and Simple Salon Messaging is selected as the SMS Provider:
Step 1. Buy SMS Credits
If you are on either the 'Pro' or 'Max' subscription plan, you will have Included SMSs to use each month.
If you're on the 'Starter' plan, or you've run out of Included SMS Messages, this is where you'll come to buy credits.
Important: You must have a Credit Card linked as your default payment method in order to purchase Credit. Direct Debit is not currently an option for purchasing Credit. Click here to learn how to add a Credit Card as a payment method.
In the SMS Account Setup section, click Buy Credit:
The Top-Up SMS Balance pop-up will appear, where you can select how many credits you would like to purchase:
Once you click Purchase, you will be asked to confirm payment.
The credit card you have on file will be used for the payment. Simply click Yes to proceed, and the credit amount will be added to your balance:
If you want your SMS Balance to automatically recharge, tick the Enable Auto Top-Up setting:
You'll need to choose your Recharge Threshold amount, and the Amount to Recharge.
The Recharge Threshold is the amount your balance needs to get to before the Amount to Recharge is triggered.
In the above example, when our credit balance reaches $10, it will recharge $50.
Notes:
- 1 SMS equals 160 characters. If you go over 160 characters, the system will automatically allow you to use more than 160 characters, however you will be charged for 2 SMSs. If you do not wish to go over the 160 character limit, you can un-tick the Allow Multiple SMS Messages setting, via the profile icon (bottom left) > Settings > Marketing Settings.
You can also click here to see the SMS Character breakdown.
- Marketing messages sent will not use your purchased Credit balance (i.e. SMSs sent from the Marketing page). If you have an Included SMS balance, this can be used for Marketing. Otherwise, you will be required to make payment on the spot, so you know exactly how much you're spending on a specific SMS Marketing Campaign before it gets sent out.
Turn on Your Automatic Appointment Reminders
Also in the Messaging tab of your Admin page you'll see your Smart Send section:
Click Edit next to your Appointment Reminder, and:
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Tick SMS Enabled and/or Email Enabled (emails are free of charge through Simple Salon)
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Enter in the number of Days BEFORE Appointment to send message (the system will automatically send out the reminders this number of days before the appointments)
- If you've created your own SMS Reminder template, select it from the SMS Template drop-down menu. If you've created your own Email Reminder template, select it from the Email Template drop-down menu:
Save your Automatic Appointment Reminder Details.
Notes:
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The 2 Way SMS is automatically setup in your Simple Salon Messaging account so that when a client replies Yes to their SMS Reminder, the letter C (for Confirmed) will automatically appear on their appointments.
However, the Default SMS Templates for Appointment Reminders do not automatically contain a "Reply Yes" section. You will need to either edit the default, or customise your own message. For info on how to do this, check out this article.
- You can see your replies in your Campaign Report (via your Marketing page). You can change the dates, click Recipients for any SMS campaign, and check out the replies in the Response column. Click here for more information on the Campaign Report.
Are you ready for the next article in your Getting Started section? Click here!
If you have any questions, please send them to us via the Submit a Request option in your Help & Support page.