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msgIn – Guest communication directly in aleno

In this article, you'll learn how to use msgIn to receive, manage, and document all messages related to your reservations directly in the aleno backend – and how this can significantly simplify your daily operations.

📝 TL;DR – In a nutshell

With msgIn, you receive guest messages directly in the aleno backend – automatically linked to the corresponding reservation.

Key features at a glance:

  • Replies to automated emails are linked directly to the reservation

  • Comments from the widget appear as separate messages

  • You can reply directly from aleno – no external email client needed

  • All messages are documented in the reservation history

👉 Activate under Settings > Email > Configuration

Übersicht 

 

With msgIn, aleno becomes your central communication hub for reservations: guest replies and comments are received directly in aleno – organized, clearly displayed, and always in the context of the relevant reservation. This significantly reduces the effort of manually transferring information from external email programs into reservations. 

Function 1: Guest replies to automated emails (e.g. reservation confirmations)

Guests often reply directly to automated emails such as reservation confirmations. With msgIn, these replies land directly in the aleno inbox – automatically linked to the corresponding reservation.

Example: A guest replies saying that instead of 6 people, only 4 will be coming. You click straight from the message into the reservation, adjust the party size, and send an updated confirmation – all within one system, without manual searching or copy-pasting.

 

Function 2: Reservation comments

Guests can leave comments during the online reservation process – for example, table preferences or notes about special occasions. These comments appear as separate messages in the msgIn inbox.

Example: A guest leaves a comment requesting a specific table or mentioning that it's their partner’s birthday. You can jump straight to the reservation, make the necessary arrangements (e.g. assign the preferred table), and reply to the guest directly from the inbox.

 

Function 3: Communicate directly with the guest

You can send personal messages to guests directly from aleno – using the same layout as your automated emails. Ideal for making individual arrangements.

Example: Want to ask for pre-orders or suggest an alternative time? No problem. Open the reservation in the BooqIn or SeatIn view, click on “Show more” and use the “External message” field to write and send your email.

You can customize the template for these messages under Settings > Email > Templates > Individual Message to suit your needs.

Function 4: Complete documentation of guest communication

All automated and manual messages are documented within the respective reservation. This ensures the full communication history is traceable and visible to the entire team.

Example: You can check any time within a reservation to see whether a change has already been agreed with the guest – including the full message history.

The advantage: All reservation-related communication in one place

With msgIn, communication with guests becomes efficient and clearly organized:

  • All reservation-related messages in one place: All incoming messages are collected in the aleno backend – no need to log in to an external email program.

  • Direct communication from within the reservation: You can reply to guests directly from a reservation. The entire message history stays linked and documented.

  • Full transparency: The entire email conversation is visible within the reservation – accessible to your whole team.

  • Less manual copying: Instead of transferring content from external emails manually, all information is already where it belongs – in aleno.

📌 Important: Even if msgIn is activated, guests can still send emails directly to your restaurant’s general email address. These messages will not appear in aleno and may need to be transferred manually.

Where can I activate msgIn?

You can activate msgIn in your aleno account under: Settings > Email > Configuration

There you can enable message reception and configure additional options for email communication.

The inbox: What shows up here?

The msgIn inbox in the aleno backend collects:

  • Replies from guests to automated emails, e.g. reservation confirmations, reminders, or cancellation notices

  • Comments guests leave via the widget, such as table preferences or notes about special occasions

  • Replies to manually sent emails that were sent directly from aleno

All incoming messages are linked to the corresponding reservation and displayed in the reservation’s message section.

How does the inbox work?

Once msgIn is activated, a small envelope icon ✉️ appears at the top right of the aleno menu. When new messages arrive, the number of unread messages is shown in red.

Clicking the envelope opens the inbox. There you'll also find the Sent and Archive folders.

In the inbox, you can:

  • Open messages: Click on the subject line.

  • Reply directly: Open the message and use the text field below to write your individual reply.

  • Jump to the reservation: Click the reservation code (e.g. A156) to go straight to the SeatIn view of the reservation.

  • Archive messages: Click the small box icon 📥 at the end of the row.

  • Mark as spam: Click the shield icon 🛡️.


In the Sent folder, you'll also find all automatically sent emails, including their delivery status.
📘 An overview of the status color meanings can be found here.

📌 Important: Access to the inbox can be granted individually for each user.
Go to Settings > Users & Roles, select the relevant user, and check the box for msgIn under the Access section.

What happens if msgIn is not activated?

Even without msgIn, you can still receive guest messages – but not directly in aleno:

  • Replies to automated emails (e.g. reservation confirmations) are forwarded to the restaurant email address stored in the system.

  • The communication takes place outside of aleno – you'll need to manually copy the content into the reservation, e.g. as a note, to keep your team informed.

With msgIn, you avoid these extra steps – and ensure that all relevant information ends up exactly where it belongs: in the reservation.