WhatsApp Reschedule and Cancel Appointments in Chat
Customers who need to move or cancel an appointment usually send a WhatsApp message rather than call. AeroChat handles that message from start to finish. It finds the booking in your system, such as Calendly, Cliniko, Zenoti, Phorest or Google Calendar, applies your cancellation policy, moves or cancels the appointment and confirms the change in the chat.
What happens today
“Can I move Thursday to next week?” arrives while the front desk is with a customer. Someone has to find the booking, check the diary, reply with options and wait for an answer. Each change takes three or four messages and a few minutes of someone’s time.
When a cancellation is not processed, the slot stays blocked and nobody else can book it. When a reschedule is missed, the customer turns up at the wrong time.
How it runs on WhatsApp
- The customer asks to move or cancel. AeroChat finds their upcoming appointments by phone number, or asks for their booking reference or email when no number is available.
- It reads back the appointment and asks which one, if there is more than one.
- It checks the change against your policy, such as the notice period and any late cancellation fee.
- To reschedule, it reads the free slots in your booking system, offers three times and moves the appointment.
- To cancel, it cancels the appointment in the system so the slot opens up for someone else, then offers a new time.
- It confirms the change in the chat. If a late fee applies or the customer disputes the policy, it hands the conversation to your team.
The recipe
Copy this into AeroChat
When someone asks to reschedule or cancel an appointment, follow these steps.
- Find their upcoming appointments in our booking system by phone number. If there is no phone number, ask for their booking reference or email.
- Read back the appointment and ask them to confirm which one they mean.
- If the appointment is more than 24 hours away (example), make the change without a fee.
- To reschedule, offer three free slots with the same staff member in the next 14 days (example) and move the appointment to the one they choose.
- To cancel, cancel the appointment and ask if they would like to book another time.
- If the appointment is less than 24 hours away (example), explain our late change policy before making the change.
- If they ask to waive a fee or are unhappy with the policy, hand the conversation to the front desk.
Always confirm the new date and time in writing at the end. Reply in the customer’s language.
Set the notice period and rebooking window to match your own policy before you paste it.
Connect the systems behind it
- Calendly: finds the scheduled meeting and cancels it, or sends the reschedule link for that meeting.
- Cliniko: finds the patient’s appointment and moves it to another free time with the same practitioner.
- Zenoti: finds the guest’s appointment at the right centre and changes or cancels it.
- Phorest: moves or cancels the client’s appointment in your salon diary.
- Google Calendar: moves or deletes the event and checks free times. Connect it by signing in with your Google account.
Using a different system? If it has a public API, it connects to AeroChat the same way: describe what you want, paste in its key, and it runs.
Can’t find your tool? Message us in the chat on this page and we’ll tell you how it connects.
What it costs on WhatsApp
The customer’s request is free. AeroChat’s replies are service messages, free up to 1,000 a month per business phone number and charged per message after that. Offering three new slots in one reply finishes the change in fewer messages, which now saves money. Rates vary by country and are set in Meta’s rate cards. AeroChat passes Meta’s WhatsApp fees through at cost.
Also on Instagram, Messenger, TikTok and web chat
The same workflow runs on Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok (direct messages and TikTok Shop buyer chat), Telegram, the chat on your website and email, with the same booking system connections. The change lands in one diary whichever channel the customer used.
Who uses it
See how it works for dental clinics (reschedule and cancel for dental clinics) and hair and beauty salons (reschedule and cancel for salons).
Questions
Can customers reschedule an appointment on WhatsApp themselves?
Yes. They message your WhatsApp number, AeroChat finds the booking, offers new times from your diary and moves it. Your team sees the change in the booking system.
Does it apply our cancellation policy?
Yes. You write the policy into the workflow, such as the notice period and the late fee, and AeroChat follows it. Anything outside the policy, such as a request to waive a fee, goes to your team.
Does a reschedule message cost anything on WhatsApp?
The customer’s message is free. Replies sent within 24 hours of the customer’s last message are free up to 1,000 a month per business phone number, then charged per message at Meta’s rate for that country.
Which AeroChat plan do I need?
Workflows via Skills are on every plan, Free included. Starter has 500 AI responses and 3 seats. Growth has 2,000 AI responses and 10 seats, with payment links and broadcasts. Advanced has 5,000 AI responses and 25 seats.
Let customers change their own bookings
Start your 7-day free trial. No credit card needed.
On Shopify? Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store.
Related: appointment reminders and confirmations and reducing no-shows.