How to automatically remind a customer of their reservation

Between the time a reservation is made and the time it actually takes place, several days often pass—enough time for the customer to forget, or for an unforeseen event to prevent them from showing up without remembering to give notice in time.

This guide shows you how to set up this reminder in the automation builder from WhatSMS, in three steps.

Step 1 — Set the trigger time

In the visual editor, drag a time-based trigger node set to your restaurant’s standard timing—usually a few hours before the reservation, when the customer can still respond before it’s too late to reschedule.

Step 2 — Set up the active confirmation message

Edit the next message node to request a simple confirmation, not just a notification. The customer responds directly in the conversation—confirming, canceling, or asking to adjust something—without having to call. A reminder without a request for a response is just a notification; with a request for a response, it becomes an active confirmation.

Step 3 — Add a condition for missing responses

Connect a condition node that checks whether a response was received within the defined timeframe. If not, the reservation remains visible as pending on the dashboard without being automatically canceled—the decision on how to proceed is left to the team, with full context about the situation.

A Second Reminder, When Appropriate

If the first reminder goes unanswered, the same condition node can trigger a second reminder closer to the reservation time, without becoming so persistent as to annoy the customer.

Adjust the Tone of the Reminder

The text of the message node is fully editable and can vary depending on the type of restaurant—more informal for a casual spot, more formal for a special-occasion restaurant—keeping the communication aligned with the restaurant’s identity, rather than always using the same generic text.

Overall, a well-calibrated reminder is one of the simplest automations to set up, and one that has the most immediate impact on reducing no-shows.

Combined with the ease of cancellation, this type of reminder transforms the relationship between the restaurant and the customer into a more personal exchange, rather than a simple administrative record of a reservation.

After a few weeks of use, customer response patterns become predictable enough to fine-tune the exact time of sending, identifying the moment that generates the highest confirmation rate for your restaurant’s typical customer profile.

You can Set up this automatic reminder for free and adjust the order dispatch time to match your restaurant's actual schedule.