The communication channel clients actually answer
Voice calls go to voicemail. Emails get buried. SMS gets read within 90 seconds, on average. For a spa front desk, two-way SMS is the difference between answering 80% of client questions same-day and missing half of them.
What’s included
- Inbound SMS routing. Every text the client sends comes into the GHL front-desk inbox, threaded by client.
- Templated replies for common questions. “What time do you close?” “Do you have parking?” “Is the cleanser nut-free?” — pre-templated answers send in 2 taps.
- AI-suggested replies. For longer questions, the AI drafts a reply the front desk can edit and send.
- Auto-tag urgency. Messages with “I need to cancel” or “I’m running late” get flagged as urgent in the inbox.
TCPA-compliance is built in
- Every client opt-in is documented at the moment of consent (booking form, package purchase, or paper form digitized at intake).
- “STOP” / “UNSUBSCRIBE” / “QUIT” automatically suppresses the number from all future messages.
- A2P 10DLC registration is filed during install — usually a $150 fee elsewhere, included free here.
- Marketing vs. transactional message separation, so confirmations always go out even if the client opted out of marketing.
The conversations that build relationships
- Day-of-service: “Looking forward to seeing you at 2pm — text us if you’ll be more than 5 min late.”
- Post-service: “How are you feeling after today’s [service]? Reply 1 for great, 2 for had a question.”
- Day-7: “Just checking in — how’s the result holding up?”
These are short, low-pressure, and feel like a real conversation. Response rate is 35–50% on day-of, which is many multiples higher than email.
Front desk time saved
A medium-volume spa front desk handles 60–120 client SMS exchanges per day. With templated replies + AI drafting + auto-tagging, the per-message handling time drops from ~3 minutes to under 30 seconds. That’s two hours back to the front desk every day.