Email Templates

Sent to the customer immediately after a booking is confirmed. This is the most important email in the system — it serves as the customer's receipt and includes all booking details.

Sent whenever an admin manually changes the status of a booking (e.g., from "Pending" to "Confirmed", or from "Confirmed" to "Completed"). Keeps the customer informed about their booking's progress.

Sent when a payment is successfully received and processed. This acts as a payment receipt for the customer and is separate from the booking confirmation.

Pre-booking reminder emails sent automatically before the appointment. You can configure multiple reminder intervals (e.g., 24 hours before and 1 hour before) to reduce no-shows.

Sent to the site administrator (and optionally additional email addresses) whenever a new booking is created. Ensures you never miss an incoming booking.

Sent to the customer when their booking is cancelled, whether by the customer themselves via the cancel link or by an admin from the dashboard.

Sent after a booking has been completed. Ideal for requesting feedback, sharing a review link, offering a discount on the next booking, or simply thanking the customer.

Step 1: Select a Template

1. Navigate to WP Booking System → Settings → Email Templates
2. In the left sidebar, click the template you want to edit (e.g., "Booking Confirmation")
3. The template editor will load with the current subject line and body content

Step 2: Customize the Subject Line

1. Click the "Subject" input field at the top of the editor
2. Type your custom subject line
3. Insert variables as needed — e.g., Booking Confirmed: {service_name} on {formatted_date}

Step 3: Edit the Email Body

1. Use the WYSIWYG (rich text) editor to compose your email content
2. Format text with bold, italic, headings, lists, and links using the toolbar
3. Click the placeholder buttons above the editor to insert variables at your cursor position
4. The placeholders are grouped by category for easy browsing:
   • Booking — ID, date, time, duration, status, price, notes
   • Customer — name, email, phone
   • Service — service name, staff name
   • Payment — payment status, method, total cost, bank details
   • Other — site name, site URL, reschedule/cancel links, formatted date/time
5. Click Save Template when finished

Step 4: Preview and Test

Always preview and test your templates before relying on them in production.

Keep Subject Lines Clear and Concise

Include the most important information (booking ID, service name, or action) in the subject line. Aim for under 60 characters to prevent truncation in email clients. Always include at least one identifying variable like {booking_id} or {service_name}.

Include Reschedule and Cancel Links

In confirmation and reminder emails, always include {reschedule_url} and {cancel_url}. This empowers customers to manage their own bookings and reduces the volume of admin support requests.

Test in Multiple Email Clients

Use the "Send Test Email" feature to send tests to Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, and mobile clients. HTML rendering varies significantly between email clients, so always verify that your templates look correct everywhere your customers use email.

Use Follow-ups for Customer Retention

Configure the follow-up email with a delay of 24 hours after completion. Include a link to rebook, a review request, or a coupon code for their next visit. This is one of the most effective ways to drive repeat bookings.

Configure Reminder Timing Carefully

A 24-hour reminder gives customers time to prepare or reschedule. A 1-hour reminder serves as a last-minute prompt. Avoid sending more than two reminders per booking to prevent email fatigue. For services requiring preparation (e.g., fasting for a medical appointment), a 48-hour reminder may be more appropriate.

Emails Not Arriving

WordPress uses the PHP mail() function by default, which many hosting providers restrict. If emails are not being delivered:

1. Install an SMTP plugin (e.g., WP Mail SMTP, FluentSMTP)
2. Configure it with a reliable email service (Gmail, SendGrid, Mailgun, Amazon SES)
3. Send a test email from the SMTP plugin to confirm delivery
4. Then use WP Booking System Pro's "Send Test Email" to verify booking emails

Emails Going to Spam

If booking emails land in the spam/junk folder:

• • Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your domain
• • Use a dedicated transactional email service
• • Avoid spam trigger words in your subject lines (e.g., "FREE", excessive punctuation)
• • Ensure the "From" address matches your domain

Variables Not Replacing

If you see raw variable names (e.g., {customer_name}) in sent emails instead of actual values:

• • Verify you are using the exact variable syntax including curly braces
• • Check for typos — variable names are case-sensitive
• • Use the placeholder buttons instead of typing variables manually to avoid errors
• • Ensure the variable is relevant to the template type (e.g., {bank_transfer_details} only works when bank transfer is the payment method)

Reminders Not Sending

Reminder emails rely on WordPress cron. If they are not being sent on time:

• • Verify that DISABLE_WP_CRON is not set to true in wp-config.php
• • For low-traffic sites, set up a real server cron job to hit wp-cron.php every 5 minutes
• • Install a cron monitoring plugin to verify jobs are running