Each client profile has two consent switches: Transactional Consent and Marketing Consent. They record what the client agreed to, and Softalon uses them to decide what it may send or share. Both are off for new clients unless the client or your team turns them on.
The two kinds of consent
Transactional consent and SMS
Softalon won't text a client who doesn't have Transactional Consent:
- In the Send Notification dialog, the SMS channel is unavailable for that client.
- In an automation, a Send Notification step on the SMS channel skips that client, and the run notes that the message wasn't sent.
Email, WhatsApp and push messages don't check this switch. They have their own rules. For example, a client can turn off a channel in their notification settings on your booking site, and Softalon then won't send them anything on it.
Marketing consent and email marketing tools
If you've connected an email marketing integration, Softalon keeps it in sync with this switch:
- A new client with Marketing Consent is added to the tool.
- Turning the switch on adds the client. Turning it off removes them.
- Deleting a client who had Marketing Consent removes them from the tool.
See Sync clients to Mailchimp, Klaviyo or Brevo.
Marketing Consent doesn't let you send promotions from Softalon. Messages you send with Notify are for transactional messages only, no matter what the client agreed to. See Send a message to a client.
How clients give consent
When a client books on your booking site, the contact step has two checkboxes:
- A transactional one, shown when the phone number field is on: "I agree to receive transactional text messages from" your salon.
- A marketing one: "I agree to receive promotional offers, updates, and marketing messages."
Both are unchecked by default. If the client already has a profile, ticking the transactional box turns on Transactional Consent. A later booking without the tick never turns it off. The marketing box only applies to clients who are new when they book.
Update consent yourself
Open the client's profile from Clients, change the switches in the consents card and click Save. You can also set them in the Create Client dialog when you add a client during booking.
Only turn consent on when the client has actually agreed, for example in person or in writing. Sending messages without consent can break messaging laws and carrier rules where you work.
Common questions
The client has no phone number, or Transactional Consent is off. Add the number or turn on the switch if the client agreed.