Timely has made it easier for businesses to send and receive SMS and email messages to customers in a move that blends several communication platforms with a cloud-based scheduling service.
A Messages tab lets businesses view SMS and email messages sent to their customers. Timely users in New Zealand also could receive SMS replies from customers such as for confirming appointments. The feature would be rolled out to Timely users in Australia and the US next, the company said on its blog.
The upgrades would save time by allowing customers to confirm their own appointments rather than chasing up each customer by phone, SMS or email, Timely said.
SMS replies cost 0.5 credits per SMS received and was activated by default. Timely users could switch off SMS replies in the General settings panel. Customers could also confirm their own tentative appointments by replying with an SMS or clicking a button in an email reminder.
The messaging update followed a release a week earlier that let customers book appointments directly from a Facebook business page. A Book Now icon sitting immediately below the main photo opened the Timely app within the Facebook page so customers could select the location and time for their appointment.
Timely pushed through a bunch of basic updates in December such as the ability to merge customers, improved customer search, appointment management and interface upgrades.