Automated reservation confirmations and reminders via SMS/email

Purpose

1. To automate reservation confirmations and reminders through SMS and email for enhanced guest communication, reduced no-shows, and enriched customer engagement in a Cantonese restaurant.

2. Automatedly relay reservations’ details, timing, location, and cancellation options to guests immediately after booking and send scheduled reminder notifications prior to the reservation date.

3. Reduce manual processes by integrating reservation systems with communication platforms, automating notifications in both English and Chinese to cater to a diverse clientele.

4. Enable tracking of message delivery and customer responses to automate updates and cancellations in real-time.

Trigger Conditions

1. When a new reservation is created via online booking system, phone call, or walk-in entry.

2. When a modification or cancellation of a reservation occurs.

3. Trigger scheduled reminders (e.g., 24 hours and 2 hours prior to booking time) automatedly.

4. On customer response to confirmation messages (e.g., reply YES/NO to SMS).

Platform Variants

1. Twilio SMS

 • Feature/Setting: Use Programmable Messaging API; configure sender phone number, automation for reservation creation, and set webhook for reservation updates.
 • Sample: Automate POST to /Messages endpoint with reservation details.

2. SendGrid

 • Feature/Setting: Use v3 Mail Send API; automate dynamic email template with placeholders for reservation data.
 • Sample: Automation via /mail/send API with API Key.

3. Nexmo (Vonage SMS)

 • Feature/Setting: SMS API; automate sending SMS confirmations and reminders using automated trigger from reservation event.
 • Sample: Automate request to /v1/messages endpoint.

4. Mailgun

 • Feature/Setting: Messages API; automate sending personalized email confirmations/reminders.
 • Sample: POST /messages with reservation template.

5. Plivo

 • Feature/Setting: SMS API; automate configurable sender ID, reservation triggers, and delivery receipts.
 • Sample: POST /v1/Account/{auth_id}/Message/

6. MessageBird

 • Feature/Setting: SMS Messaging API; automate SMS batch sends for reminders.
 • Sample: Automate /messages endpoint with JSON payload.

7. Amazon SES

 • Feature/Setting: SendEmail API; automate scheduled and triggered transactional emails for booking confirmation.
 • Sample: Automate call to SendEmail with dynamic content.

8. ClickSend

 • Feature/Setting: SMS API; automate two-way messaging for confirmations and customer replies.
 • Sample: POST /v3/sms/send

9. Infobip

 • Feature/Setting: API channel for SMS/email; automate workflow triggers on reservation events.
 • Sample: Automated call to /sms/1/text/single endpoint.

10. Slack API

 • Feature/Setting: Chat.postMessage for internal staff alerts on confirmed reservations.
 • Sample: Automate reservation alerts to kitchen team channel.

11. Outlook 365

 • Feature/Setting: Graph API for sending emails; automate triggered confirmation emails from Outlook address.
 • Sample: Automate POST /v1.0/me/sendMail

12. Gmail API

 • Feature/Setting: Automate draft/send reservation confirmations from restaurant’s inbox.
 • Sample: POST /gmail/v1/users/me/messages/send

13. WhatsApp Business API

 • Feature/Setting: Automate message templates for reservations and reminders.
 • Sample: POST /v1/messages with WhatsApp templates.

14. Telegram Bot API

 • Feature/Setting: Automate direct customer reminders via bot chats.
 • Sample: SendMessage method automation.

15. Salesforce Marketing Cloud

 • Feature/Setting: Triggered Email/SMS sends via Automation Studio.
 • Sample: Automate send definition for reservation event.

16. HubSpot

 • Feature/Setting: Workflow Automation; trigger email/SMS confirmation upon new reservation property change.
 • Sample: Automate via Workflow action.

17. Zoho CRM

 • Feature/Setting: Automated workflow for sending SMS/email via integrated third-party plugins.
 • Sample: Setup Blueprint for automatable triggers.

18. ActiveCampaign

 • Feature/Setting: Automate email/SMS campaign for reservation confirm/remind via automation builder.
 • Sample: Reservation triggers automatedly enroll contacts.

19. Freshdesk

 • Feature/Setting: Automated notifications via Freshdesk Omnichannel (SMS/Email); automate reminders as tickets/messages.
 • Sample: Automation rules on new reservations.

20. Pabbly Connect

 • Feature/Setting: Automated workflows for multi-channel confirmations.
 • Sample: Reservation system webhook triggers message sends.

21. Intercom

 • Feature/Setting: Automated message for reservation acknowledgement and reminder via chat/email.
 • Sample: Series automation when new lead/reservation created.

Benefits

1. Automation reduces human error and ensures timeliness of confirmations and reminders.

2. Automating communications boosts reservation show rates and minimizes lost revenue from no-shows.

3. Automator enables staff to focus more on hospitality, rather than repetitive notification tasks.

4. Automatable tracking of guest responses provides real-time reservation status without manual intervention.

5. Automatedly personalized communications increase customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

6. Consistent automation audit trail for compliance and service quality verification.