SMS
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      1. aleno Help Center
      2. Restaurant Settings
      3. SMS

      Automated SMS: Templates

      In this article, we will show you what to bear in mind when customising SMS templates and provide you some templates to choose from.

      Why SMS? 

      SMS is designed to exchange relevant information as quick and short as possible. No chatting, no blaablaa, no stories.

      It is meant to be short. It is meant to be important. And, therefore, it receives more immediate and higher attention than more random messages via WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal etc and also much higher opening rates than emails.

      In short: You reach your guest's attention more likely and much faster by sending a reservation confirmation or cancellation via SMS compared to emailing or chat apps.

      SMS - What matters? 

      Keep it short, stay focused

      SMS means Short Message Service. On the one hand, it's meant to boil your text down to pure information, be it "I love you" our "Reserved for you: Bloody Leek, 21.11.23, 19:30, 4 P. " Reduce to the max and get your message seen, read and understood.

      Keep it short, save money

      On the other hand, you have to keep the message short to not waste money. SMS are processed in segments. And SMS are charged by segments. An SMS with more than 160 characters consists of multiple segments and therefore costs at least twice as much as a short SMS.

      Please note:

      • Do not use place holders for content with (potentially) great length. Using a place holder for the first AND last name may insert a short Jay Hat or a long and costly Anna-Magdalena Schmidhuber-Sonderegger. Individual links to cancel a reservation can easily reach a length of multiple segments and therefore multiply costs.
      • Do not use filler or unnecessary words.
      • If a text is to be deleted, enter a space in the empty text field. This is the only way to save the change/deletion of the text.

      SMS - Templates

      Minimal templates

      The minimal template is a basic simple date/time confirmation. This ensures that 1 notification = 1 segment = CHF 0.09.

      • Confirmation SMS - Neutral

        Your booking: {{RestaurantName}}, {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}, {{ReservationPeopleCount}} P.

      • Confirmation SMS - Formal

        We confirm your booking for {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}, {{ReservationPeopleCount}} P. 
        Your {{RestaurantName}}

      • Reminder SMS - Neutral

        Reminder: Reservation at {{RestaurantName}}, {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}, {{ReservationPeopleCount}} P.

      • Reminder SMS - Formal

        Short reminder: We reserved for you {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}, {{ReservationPeopleCount}} P. 
        Your {{RestaurantName}}.

      • Cancellation SMS - Neutral

        Cancellation: Reservation at {{RestaurantName}}, {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}, {{ReservationPeopleCount}} P.

      • Cancellation SMS - Formal

        Your booking for {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}, {{ReservationPeopleCount}} P.  has been cancelled. We apologize.
        Your {{RestaurantName}}.

      • Dismissed SMS - Neutral

        So sorry. We cannot welcome you at {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}} at {{RestaurantName}}.

      • Dismissed SMS - Formal

        Unfortunately we cannot welcome you on {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}. We apologies.
        Your {{RestaurantName}}.

      • Provisional SMS - Neutral
        Provisional Reservation at {{RestaurantName}}, {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}, {{ReservationPeopleCount}} P.

      • Provisional SMS - Formal
        Your booking for {{RestaurantName}}, {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}, {{ReservationPeopleCount}} P. ist provisional.

      • Credit card is auto-dismissed SMS - Neutral
        So sorry. We cannot welcome you at {{ReservationStartDate}} {{ReservationStartTime}} at {{RestaurantName}} due to failed payment.

      • Credit card is auto-dismisses SMS - Formal

        Unfortunately we cannot welcome you on {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}} due to failed payment.
        Yours {{RestaurantName}}.

      • Credit card is requested SMS - Neutral

        To complete your reservation at {{RestaurantName}}, provide your credit card details within {{ReservationCreditCardLinkExpirationTime}} hours.

      • Credit card is requested SMS - Formal

        Please provide your credit card details within {{ReservationCreditCardLinkExpirationTime}} hours to complete your reservation.
        Yours {{RestaurantName}}.

      • Sell items is auto-dismissed SMS - Neutral
        So sorry. We cannot welcome you at {{ReservationStartDate}} {{ReservationStartTime}} at {{RestaurantName}} due to failed payment.

        Sell items is auto-dismissed SMS  - Formal

      • Unfortunately we cannot welcome you on {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}} due to failed payment.
        Yours {RestaurantName}}. 

      • items are requested SMS - Neutral

        To complete your reservation at {{RestaurantName}}, provide your credit card details within {{ReservationCreditCardLinkExpirationTime}} hours.

      • items are requested SMS  - Formal

        Please provide your credit card details within {{ReservationCreditCardLinkExpirationTime}} hours to complete your reservation.
        Yours {{RestaurantName}}.

       

      Detailed templates

      Detailed templates may include customer tags too like first name or such. This could spend more than 1 segment but some guest may like it more.

      • Confirmation SMS - Neutral

        Booking confirmation for {{CustomerFirstName}}: {{RestaurantName}}, {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}, {{ReservationPeopleCount}} P. 
        Please call us for changes. 

      • Confirmation SMS - Formal

        We confirm your booking at {{RestaurantName}} for

         Mr./Mrs. {{CustomerLastName}}, {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}, {{ReservationPeopleCount}} P.
        Please call us for changes.

      • Reminder SMS - Neutral

        Booking reminder for {{CustomerFirstName}}: {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}, {{ReservationPeopleCount}} P.  at {{RestaurantName}}.
        Please call for changes.

      • Reminder SMS - Formal

        Please remind your booking for

         Mr./Mrs. {{CustomerLastName}}, {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}, {{ReservationPeopleCount}} P.
        Your {{RestaurantName}}

      • Cancellation SMS - Neutral

        Hi {{CustomerFirstName}}. So sorry, we have to canel your reservation at {{RestaurantName}}, for {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}, {{ReservationPeopleCount}} P.

      • Cancellation SMS - Formal

        Your booking for  Mr./Mrs. {{CustomerLastName}}, {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}, {{ReservationPeopleCount}} P.  has been cancelled. We apologize.
        Your {{RestaurantName}}.

      • Dismissed SMS - Neutral

        Hi {{CustomerFirstName}}. So sorry. We cannot welcome you at {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}.
        Your {{RestaurantName}}.

      • Dismissed SMS - Formal

        Dear Mr./Mrs. {{CustomerLastName}}. Unfortunately we cannot welcome you on {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}. We apologies.
        Your {{RestaurantName}}.

      • Provisional SMS - Neutral
        Hi {{CustomerFirstName}}. Your booking at {{RestaurantName}}, {ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}, {{ReservationPeopleCount}} P. is provisional.

      • Provisional SMS - Formal
        Dear Mr./Mrs {{CustomerLastName}}. Your booking for {{RestaurantName}}, {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}}, {{ReservationPeopleCount}} P. is provisional and only valid after confirmation.

      • Credit card is auto-dismissed SMS - Neutral
        Hi {{CustomerFirstName}}. We cannot welcome you at {{ReservationStartDate}} {{ReservationStartTime}} at {{RestaurantName}} due to failed payment. So sorry.

      • Credit card is auto-dismisses SMS - Formal

        Dear Mr./Mrs {{CustomerLastName}}. Unfortunately we cannot welcome you on {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}} due to failed payment.
        Yours {{RestaurantName}}.

      • Credit card is requested SMS - Neutral

        Hi {{CustomerFirstName}}. To complete your reservation at {{RestaurantName}}, provide your credit card details within {{ReservationCreditCardLinkExpirationTime}} hours.

      • Credit card is requested SMS - Formal

        Dear Mr./Mrs {{CustomerLastName}}. Please provide your credit card details within {{ReservationCreditCardLinkExpirationTime}} hours to complete your reservation. 
        Yours {{RestaurantName}}.

      • Sell items is auto-dismissed SMS - Neutral
        Hi {{CustomerFirstName}}. We cannot welcome you at {{ReservationStartDate}} {{ReservationStartTime}} at {{RestaurantName}} due to failed payment. So sorry.

        Sell items is auto-dismissed SMS  - Formal

      • Dear Mr./Mrs {{CustomerLastName}}. Unfortunately we cannot welcome you on {{ReservationStartDate}}, {{ReservationStartTime}} due to failed payment. 
        Yours {RestaurantName}}.

      • items are requested SMS - Neutral

        Hi {{CustomerFirstName}}. To complete your reservation at {{RestaurantName}}, provide your credit card details within {{ReservationCreditCardLinkExpirationTime}} hours. 
        So sorry.

      • items are requested SMS  - Formal

        Dear Mr./Mrs {{CustomerLastName}}. Please provide your credit card details within {{ReservationCreditCardLinkExpirationTime}} hours to complete your reservation. 
        Yours {{RestaurantName}}.