BukaTime includes a built-in messaging system to communicate with clients by email or SMS, and to manage ongoing conversation threads.
Chasing clients by phone or juggling a personal inbox makes it hard to keep a clear record of what was said and when. Having all your client conversations in one place means the whole team is on the same page, every reply is logged, and nothing important gets buried in someone's personal inbox.
Sending a New Message
Use the Email and SMS buttons in the top-right toolbar of the Messages page to start a new outbound conversation.
New Email
- Click Email in the toolbar.
- Select the client from the Client picker.
- Enter a Subject and write your message in the body.
- Click Send.
New SMS
- Click SMS in the toolbar.
- Select the client from the Client picker.
- Write your message.
- Click Send.
If the client does not have a phone number on file, you will be prompted to add one before sending.
SMS sending is subject to a monthly quota. A usage bar is shown in the compose dialog so you can see how much of your allowance remains.
The Messages Page
The Messages page is a communication workspace with:
- Thread list (left panel) — All conversation threads, showing the client name, last message preview, and unread indicator.
- Active thread (right panel) — The full conversation with the selected client.
Finding a Conversation
Use the search bar at the top of the thread list to filter by client name, email, or phone number. You can also filter by channel type using the toolbar tabs.
Reading a Thread
- Go to Messages.
- Click a thread from the list.
- The full conversation history appears on the right.
Replying to a Message
- Open the thread.
- Type your reply in the message input at the bottom.
- Click Send.
Logging a Message Received Outside the App
Sometimes a client texts your personal number, calls in, or sends a message through a channel you don't have connected. You can keep those conversations in the record too:
- Open the client's conversation thread.
- Click Log inbound in the toolbar.
- Paste or summarize what the client sent.
- Click Save.
The message is added to the thread with an inbound label so the history stays complete.
AI Suggestions
When an inbound message arrives, the AI assistant reads it and may propose an action — for example, confirming an appointment, rescheduling, or sending a drafted reply. When a suggestion is pending, it appears above the reply form inside the open thread.
You can:
- Review the proposed action and the draft reply.
- Edit the draft reply before sending.
- Click Approve & send to carry out the action and send the reply.
- Click Reject (or Dismiss) to ignore the suggestion and handle the message yourself.
If your studio's AI usage allowance is reached, new inbound messages are not classified until it resets. A banner in the affected thread tells you. Your messages still arrive — you answer them yourself in the meantime.
Automated Notifications
BukaTime can automatically send messages to clients at key moments:
| Trigger | Notification |
|---|---|
| Appointment created | Booking confirmation |
| Appointment rescheduled, reassigned, or cancelled | Change notice (if Appointment changes is on and the per-change Notify client box is checked) |
| Appointment upcoming | Reminder message |
| Appointment reminder deadline | Request for the client to confirm they are attending |
Enabling/Disabling Notifications
- Per studio — Go to Studio Configuration → Notifications and toggle Appointment changes and Appointment reminders. See Client Notifications for the full reference.
- Per client — On the client's profile, toggle Skip confirmations and SMS marketing.
Appointment Reminders
If Appointment reminders is enabled for your studio:
- Clients receive a message before their appointment (48 hours before, by default).
- They are asked to confirm they will attend via a link.
- The deadline for confirmation is shown in the message (24 hours before the appointment, by default).
- Their response is logged in the appointment record.
Thread Management
From within a thread, you can:
- Archive the thread to keep your inbox tidy without deleting the history.
- View thread settings for participant information.