Message guests and email your members

Send a confirmation, a "are you running late?" note, or a table-ready message.

1. 1In the reservation list, click the speech-bubble icon on the guest's booking card (Message…).
2. 2Under Message, choose Confirm reservation (or Resend confirmation), Late arrival or Table ready.
3. 3Check the Message preview and the delivery line (for example Email + SMS).
4. 4Click Send.

The button shows Queued, and the message appears in the Conversation list below with its delivery status.

• Texts use your venue's fixed wording; you can't write a custom text.
• Table ready needs a table assigned first.
• The icon is hidden once the party is seated.

If this doesn't work: If Send is grey, the guest has no allowed way to be reached. Add an email address to their booking or profile.

Say something that isn't one of the standard messages, such as directions or a special request.

1. 1Click the speech-bubble icon on the guest's booking card.
2. 2Choose Private message.
3. 3Add a Subject (optional) and type your message (up to 2,000 characters).
4. 4Click Send.

• Private messages go by email (and app notification if the guest has one), never by text.

A guest texted back or replied to an email.

1. 1Click Messages in the header and find their message under Inbox.
2. 2Click it to open their booking and see which one it is.
3. 3In the reservation list, click the speech-bubble icon on that booking's card and send your reply (a standard message or Private message).

• The inbox itself has no reply box; you reply from the booking card.

A message didn't reach the guest.

1. 1Check the guest's phone number or email is right, and fix it in their booking or profile if not.
2. 2Open the booking. Under the red SMS delivery failed note, click Retry message.
3. 3Or click the speech-bubble icon, find the failed message in Conversation, and click its circular-arrow button (Retry delivery).

• For urgent changes, call the guest.

Check what a guest has been sent and what they replied.

1. 1Click the speech-bubble icon on their booking card.
2. 2Scroll to Conversation. Your messages are on the right, the guest's replies on the left.

See new texts and emails from guests.

1. 1Click Messages (speech bubble with a red count) in the header. On a phone, tap More › Messages.
2. 2On the Inbox tab, click the small arrow on a conversation to read it in place, or click the conversation to open its booking.

• The inbox shows unread messages from today's service. Search by guest name to find older ones.
• Click Mark all viewed to clear the inbox, or the × to dismiss one conversation.
• Which kinds of message appear is set in Application Settings › Messaging › Communications inbox.

Look up a message from a previous day.

1. 1Click Messages in the header.
2. 2Type the guest's name in Search guest name, or pick a type such as Confirmations or Cancellations.

Check today's confirmations, reminders and member emails.

1. 1Click Messages in the header.
2. 2Click the Sent tab.

• Click a member email row to open its Campaign report.

Tell every guest still to arrive about parking, weather or a change.

1. 1Set the header date to the day you want (it covers every service that day).
2. 2On a computer, click ⋯ at the far right of the header, then Bulk message service. On a phone or tablet, tap More › Bulk messaging. (Pay-as-you-go venues see Emergency Messaging.)
3. 3On the Emergency Notice tab, find the Email card.
4. 4Type your message. Use the field picker to add the guest's name, party size, date or time.
5. 5Check Recipients, then click Queue … emails.

• It goes by email only, to guests who haven't been seated yet (Unconfirmed, Confirmed, Late or Arrived). Guests with no email are skipped.

Close for weather, or tell guests you're running behind (managers and admins).

1. 1On a computer, click ⋯ at the far right of the header, then Bulk message service. On a phone or tablet, tap More › Bulk messaging. (Pay-as-you-go venues see Emergency Messaging.)
2. 2On the Emergency Notice tab, set Notice to Closure or Delay, and choose a Reason.
3. 3For a closure, pick the date or date range and the Service periods. For a delay, set which bookings are affected.
4. 4Check the previews, including Cannot reach (guests with no way to contact; their phone numbers are listed to call).
5. 5Click Review emergency notice, then Send notice.

You'll see how many texts and emails were queued.

• The text wording is fixed and can't be edited.

Send news, an event or a menu to everyone on your mailing list (Premium).

1. 1On a computer, click ⋯ at the far right of the header, then Bulk message service. On a phone or tablet, tap More › Bulk messaging. (Pay-as-you-go venues see Emergency Messaging.)
2. 2Click the Member emailer tab.
3. 3Type a Subject. Leave Restaurant header on to start with your logo and banner, and set its Title.
4. 4Click Add an element and choose Text, Image or Button. Repeat to build the email.
5. 5Use Move up and Move down to reorder blocks, and the red bin to remove one.

• Buttons can link to a web page, an uploaded file, your website, a map, a phone call, an email, or Book a table.
• Your work is saved as you go with Save draft, and comes back when you reopen the tab.

Put an image in a member email.

1. 1Add an Image block, then click Add an image.
2. 2Pick a photo you've used before, or click Upload new (JPEG, PNG or WebP).
3. 3For a new upload, choose a shape (for example Banner 16:9), drag and zoom it, then click Save image.

• Uploads are also saved to the Image library (Application Settings › Image library).

Check how it looks before it goes to everyone.

1. 1Click Preview email (eye icon) to see it. Save PDF downloads a copy.
2. 2Click Send me a test to email it to yourself.

Send it now or pick a time.

1. 1Click Email members at the bottom.
2. 2Choose Send now, or Schedule and pick the date and time.
3. 3Click Email members (or Schedule email) and approve with your PIN if asked.

It goes to everyone on the mailing list with an email. Addresses that bounced or marked spam are skipped. A notice arrives in the header when it's done.

• To cancel a scheduled email, click Saved emails › Scheduled › Cancel send. It moves back to Drafts.

Start from an email you sent before.

1. 1In Member emailer, click Saved emails.
2. 2Under Sent, click Duplicate to edit a copy, or Resend to send it again.

• There's no template library; duplicating a past email is the way to reuse one.

Check bounces and fix bad addresses after a send.

1. 1In Member emailer, click Delivery report (or click the email under Messages › Sent).
2. 2Read the counts (sent, bounced, marked as spam).
3. 3Tick members with problems and click Retry selected, or click a row to retry with a corrected address. Remove selected takes them off the mailing list.

• The report is available a short while after sending finishes.
• While sending, Stop sending halts it. If Hostbook pauses a send, use Resume sending or Cancel the rest.