Booking Abandoned Automation

This section outlines the process to notify customers when they abandon their booking midway.

Overview

Booking abandonment happens when a customer starts the booking process but doesn’t complete it. To bring them back and recover lost revenue, you can set up an automated WhatsApp/SMS reminder using the Booking Abandoned Automation.

Note: If the customer does not complete the checkout within 60 minutes of initiating a booking, it is considered abandoned. The reminder message will be sent automatically once the automation is turned on.

Use Case Example

Business Type: Yoga Studio Scenario: A customer named Arun started booking a Yoga Class on 23rd November, but didn’t finish the booking.

Goal: Send him a friendly WhatsApp reminder to complete the booking and offer support if needed.

Steps involved in setting up an Automated Workflow

If you have already set up the WhatsApp / SMS template for the Booking abandoned event, then jump to this section.

A.1.Setting up WhatsApp Template

1. Navigate to WhatsApp Templates

Step 1 : Navigate to WhatsApp Templates

1. Go to Templates > WhatsApp in the Mercuri CX dashboard.

1. Click Create Template.

2. Select the WhatsApp Account that will be used to send out WhatsApp messages.

1. Configure Template Details

Fill in the basic template info:

• Template Name: bookings_abandoned (Use an easy name to identify later)

• Language: English (or as per your customer base)

• Category: Marketing

[ Understand the different categories of WhatsApp templates]

1. Fill Template Components

Header (Optional):

• In the Header section, choose the type of media you want for the header.

• From the dropdown, select Text (since we want to display a text-based header).

• Enter the text for your header.

• To make it dynamic, use variables ({{1}}, {{2}}, etc.) so that the header automatically changes based on customer or service details.

👉 Example: Complete Your Booking {{1}}

Here, {{1}} will be replaced with the service title (e.g., "Yoga class").

• Scroll to Samples for header content.

• For each variable, provide a:

  • Value Type → e.g., Service Title

  • Sample Value → e.g., Yoga class

This helps Meta review and approve your template by understanding how variables will be used.

Note: Headers can contain only one variable if needed

[Click here to explore different media that can be added to the header ]

Body:

1. Add the message content in the Body section of the template.

2. To include dynamic information like customer name or service title, use the "Add Variable" button located at the right end of the Body field.

Sample message :

Hi {{1}},
We noticed you started booking {{2}} on {{3}}, but didn't complete it. We don't want you to miss out!

If you need any assistance or have questions, we're here to help. Just reach out to our team or click the link below to complete your booking:

Looking forward to serving you soon!ice website.

Variables :

Add a variable value to the corresponding placeholders with a sample value

Note: Each {{ }} It is a placeholder that gets replaced dynamically during automation:

• {{1}} → Customer name

• {{2}} → service Title

• {{3}} → Start Date and Time

Note: Assign sample values for each variable before submitting for approval.

Add Complete Booking Button :

1. Click the Add Button > select Visit Website

2. Configure details for the Call to Action section as follows:

   • Type of Action: Visit Website

   • Button Text: Complete Booking

   • URL Type: Dynamic [Click here to learn more about the types of URLs.]

   • Website URL : https://yourstore.com/checkout/{{1}}

3. Under Sample URL Setup:

   • Variable value: Booking Checkout Link

   • Sample text: https://yourstore.com/checkout/12345_{(Example of tracking link for template approval)}

   • Click on Create template after filling in all the required details.

[Know more about the different buttons available in templates]

A.2.Setting up SMS Template

1. Go to the Templates section in the left-hand menu of the Mercuri dashboard, and select SMS.

2. In the top-right corner, click Create Template to begin.

3. Fill in Template Details

You’ll be directed to the SMS template creation form. Fill in the following:

• Template Name: Enter a short, descriptive title so it’s easy to identify the purpose of the message.

Example

booking abandoned

• Template Text: Craft a clear and concise message (within 160 characters). You can personalize it using dynamic variables.

• Click the Add Variable button in the bottom-right corner of the body section to insert placeholders.

  Example:

  Hi {{1}}, you started booking your {{2}} on {{3}} but didn’t finish it. Don’t miss your spot! Complete your booking here: {{4}}. For help, reply to this SMS.

4. Variable Mapping

Map each {#var#} to the actual data fields, like customer name , service title, start date and time , booking checkout link.

5. Preview

View the SMS Preview to see how the final message will appear to customers.

6. Save the Template

Click Create to save your SMS template. It will now be available to use in campaigns, automations, or workflows.

B. Adding the WhatsApp / SMS template to the Automated workflow

• Go to the Automation section in the dashboard.

• Click on Create Automation.

• Choose the automation type as Booking abandoned from the list.

• Select the preferred communication channel as WhatsApp/ SMS for delivering the automated message.

• Choose the approved bookings_abandoned template that we created in earlier steps.