Boulevard Blog

Blog • Product Release

Never Miss a Message Again with Boulevard's Auto-Responses

A man checks a smartphone while sitting on a stool.

Boulevard’s auto-response feature ensures clients always get a text back, even if you’re on a lunch break or closed for the night

When you run a self-care business, the key to success is building relationships with your clients. The best way to do that is by keeping in touch with them. But what happens when your schedules don’t sync up? If a client needs help while you’re out to lunch, closed for the day, or on vacation, you have three options. You can ignore the client (not great), give up your free time (also not great) — or you can use self-care management software with an auto-response feature.

Boulevard’s award-winning client experience platform now offers custom automatic responses to client text messages. Using our intuitive Messages interface, you can set up impromptu away messages or daily after-hours replies. Your clients can get instant responses, even if you’re not around to answer them personally. Auto-responses can be a quick and easy way to build trust with your clients and prevent no-shows. You just need to know how to set them up.

How do Boulevard’s auto-responses work?

If you’ve set up an away message in a chat app or an out-of-office reply in your email, you’re already familiar with auto-response messages. You’re not around to respond to messages, so a computer program or mobile app does it for you.

Boulevard’s auto-responses work the same way. If a client texts your business while you’re unavailable, they’ll get an automated reply. Boulevard lets you set up two different kinds of auto-response:

  • Away messages are temporary replies for short periods away from your front desk. If you’re on a lunch break, in a staff meeting, or with another client, the Boulevard platform will respond to texts with a customizable “be back soon” message. You can set a duration or end your away status manually.

  • After-hours responses send an automated reply to clients when they text in outside of your location’s business hours. These automatically activate at closing time, then deactivate when you open again. You can also set different after-hours messages for different locations.


Boulevard offers templates for both kinds of messages, but you can customize the message to fit your brand. 

Build better client relationships

In the self-care industry, you get clients by providing excellent service, but you keep clients by building strong relationships with them. Auto-responses help your business offer a consistent, personal client communication experience that keeps clients engaged and boosts retention. Imagine that a client texts in with a question or concern while you're away temporarily or closed for the night. If they're unaware you're unavailable, they may feel ignored or neglected. Auto-responses keep clients informed and acknowledged, leading to a more personal and premium communication flow.

Communicate with clients, even when you’re away

Whether you take the time to craft a personal auto-response message or just a brief “I’ll be back later,” your clients will appreciate knowing that they’re not texting into the void. A few quick clicks are all you need to remind them that you care, even while you take some time for yourself.

Client Experience Guide
Shanalie Wijesinghe

Shanalie Wijesinghe

Content Strategy Director

Shanalie Wijesinghe is the Content Strategy Director at Boulevard. She lends her industry and platform expertise to both in-house staff and partner salons and spas. A salon industry veteran with more than 15 years of experience working for high-end luxury salons such as Sally Hershberger and BENJAMIN, Shanalie was previously Director of Education for Boulevard and blends her knowledge of the beauty and technology industries to help put the company’s partners and employees on the path to success. A Bay Area native and first-generation immigrant, Shanalie is a graduate of the Paul Mitchell School specializing in cosmetology, styling, and nail instruction.

Shanalie Wijesinghe . @justaskshani

We're ready for you.

See what's possible with a personalized demo.

Related Posts

Technology Meets Hospitality: Automating With a Human Touch

Learn how automation can deliver personalized messaging, give clients the power to book their own appointments, and much more.

Read Article

5 Ways Self-Care Businesses Can Start Using AI Today

Artificial intelligence isn’t some futuristic tech — you can use it right now to optimize bookings and help market your self-care business. Discover how inside.

Read Article

Booking Bailout: Why 70% of Gen Z & Millennials are Abandoning Appointments

Learn what causes Gen Z and Millennial clients to abandon their self-care appointments during the booking process — and how you can stop it from happening.

Read Article

Why Communication With Your Clients Is Crucial

Communicating with clients is key to nurturing relationships and avoiding no-shows. Here’s how to use SMS texts and emails for better client communication.

Read Article

Responding to Client Reviews: Turning Feedback Into Opportunities

Learn how responding to online reviews — both positive and negative — can attract new business and build authentic connections with current clients.

Read Article

Boulevard's Best: Why You Shouldn't Underestimate the Power of Client Referrals

Boulevard's Best: Why You Shouldn't Underestimate the Power of Client Referrals

Read Article

How to Build Bespoke Enterprise Experiences With Powerful APIs

Boulevard’s APIs give your enterprise the flexibility and control to build unique experiences, workflows, and simplify tasks. Here’s how.

Read Article

How a Great Experience Can Be the Key to Winning Over Gift Card Clients

Turn gift card clients at your self-care business into regular visitors by providing top-notch service and keeping the lines of communication open.

Read Article

How to Make Client Communication Powerfully Simple

Good communication is the key to excellent client experiences and retention, but not all platforms are created equally to support it.

Read Article

Sign up for weekly blog updates.

Sign up to our newsletter.

Press & Media

For Press & Media inquiries, please reach out to press@joinblvd.com.

get in touch