8 Ways To Use the Thank-You & Follow-Up Email Features
If you own a service business, messaging every client after their visit is probably hard to keep up with, especially when you have a packed schedule.
Fortunately, if you’re using Bookedin, there are two features that can handle that for you and make your life easier: the Client Thank-You Emails and the Client Follow-Up Emails.
Both features let you send automated messages that clients will receive after they’re done — whether it’s an hour later, the next day, or even a month after. Either way, you won’t have to do any of those manually each time.
Some might use these for a quick “Thanks for coming in” and leave it there, but these emails can do a lot more for your business. That’s why we’ve put together this guide on how to make the most of these features and consistently get repeat bookings.
What’s the Difference Between These Features?
In case you haven’t had a chance to try either or both of these features, here’s a quick rundown of how each one works.
- Thank-You Emails are sent an hour after an appointment, class, or workshop is finished.
- With Follow-Up Emails, you pick the timing yourself, as long as it’s after the client’s visit. So, you can schedule these to land right around the time a client is due for their next visit, whether that’s two weeks or eight months later.
It’s best to use both features, since they reach clients at two points you can’t cover with just one message.
An hour after a visit, everything about it is still fresh, from the result to the conversations they’ve had with you.
Weeks or months later, they’ll probably have lots of other things going on in their lives. So, what’s useful by then is a message that puts you back on their radar.
Both emails give you the option to use the same message for all your services or customize it per service. Also, with Follow-Up Emails, you can set a different send time for each service.
Note: Both features are available only on Bookedin’s Pro plan. If you’re not a Pro user yet, now’s a good time to take a look at what the plan includes.
8 Ideas for Your Client Thank-You & Follow-Up Emails
Now, let’s go into some of the smartest ways to put both features to work.
1. Invite clients to schedule their next appointment, class, or workshop
- Works best as: both a Thank-You Email and a Follow-Up Email
With both emails, you can include a “Book Again” button that leads the client straight to your booking page.
You can also suggest when they should return (e.g., a month after their last session), so the next step is a lot more obvious.
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2. Encourage them to leave a review
- Works best as: either, depending on the service
A Google or Yelp review can do wonders for your business, but most clients won’t bother unless you make it easy. So, use this chance to ask for one — and don’t forget to include the link to your review page.
Which email feature you use depends on when your work looks its best. For a haircut, a massage, or a workout class, a Thank-You Email is perfect, since clients have already made up their minds about your work.
For anything that needs time to settle (like a healed tattoo or a hair color that needs a wash or two to look natural), a Follow-Up Email is the way to go. Wait for a few weeks so that clients can honestly speak to how your work actually held up.
3. Promote a loyalty perk, package, or membership
- Works best as: either, depending on what you’re offering
Both emails are a great way to make sure clients will find out about these offers.
For loyalty perks (like discounts or free add-ons after a certain number of visits), these work best in a Thank-You Email. It’s a good time to let them know that their most recent visit just got them closer to getting the loyalty reward.
Meanwhile, if you’re offering packages (like a 10-class pack) and memberships, it’s better to use a Follow-Up Email. These things cost money upfront, so oftentimes, it makes sense to market these to clients who are sure they’re coming back.
4. Share aftercare instructions or tips
- Works best as: a Thank-You Email
Clients tend to forget most of what you told them during the visit, so an email that arrives an hour later gives them something they can actually refer back to.
That could mean tattoo healing instructions, what not to do after a facial, how to keep color-treated hair from fading, or stretches to do between training sessions.
Tell them what to expect and what to avoid, so they’re not worrying over nothing (or worse, doing something that ruins the results).
Also, if you have a longer guide or a short video for these on your site, link to it in the email rather than writing it all out.
5. Ask clients to post about their visit on social media
- Works best as: a Thank-You Email
Most satisfied clients would be willing to spread the word about your business, whether it’s a photo or video of the results with your account tagged, or a shout-out in their Stories. Usually, they just need a quick reminder.
Also read: How To Turn Your Instagram Followers Into Paying Clients
6. Spell out what happens next
- Works best as: a Thank-You Email, then a Follow-Up when you deliver
Both emails come in handy when you owe a client something even after the visit or session ends. Confirm what’s coming, when they can expect it, and what happens if it’s delayed. This gives them peace of mind and minimizes the back-and-forth.
For example, if you’re a photographer, you can send a Thank-You Email mentioning when the edited gallery will be done and roughly how many images it’ll have.
If you tell clients they’ll have their photos in two weeks, set the Follow-Up email for 15 days. It can say something like, “Your gallery should be in your inbox now. If it hasn’t shown up, give me a call or send a text.”
7. Get clients to refer their friends
- Works best as: a Thank-You Email
A client who just had a great service is your best shot at a referral. In your email, add a line like “Know someone who’d love this? Send them our way!” Make sure to include your booking link too, so passing it along takes only one tap.
If you offer a referral perk, briefly explain how it works. Something like “Send a friend, and you both get $15 off your next visit” is clear enough that the client likely won’t be asking for further details.
8. Suggest a service, class, or workshop they haven’t tried yet
- Works best as: a Follow-Up Email
Most clients tend to book the same thing every time, and usually they’re not thinking about what other options they could try next time.
For instance, the client who recently got a 60-minute massage might not realize there’s a 90-minute option. Alternatively, the haircut regular might have forgotten that your beauty salon also offers scalp treatments and even nail services.
An automated email a few weeks out is a natural place to suggest something else, especially when it pairs with or builds on what they already came in for. That way, it feels like you’re giving them a bit of helpful advice, not a sales pitch.
Also, unlike a suggestion made in person, these emails take the pressure off clients. They don’t have to give an answer on the spot, so they can think it over and decide on their own time.
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About the Author
With over a decade of experience across startups, online publications, and agencies, Marcy is all about delivering content that connects brands with the audiences they're trying to reach.
