Skip to main content

WhatsApp Business Integration

Connect Reservly to WhatsApp Business to let customers book through chat or receive real-time booking notifications. There are two approaches depending on what you need.

Two Approaches

  1. Booking chatbot— A WhatsApp chatbot powered by ManyChat, Twilio, or a custom Make.com/N8N workflow that uses Reservly's API to let customers browse services and book.
  2. Booking notifications— Receive webhook notifications when bookings happen and send WhatsApp messages to yourself or your team.

Prerequisites

  • WhatsApp Business API access via Twilio, 360dialog, or the Meta Business Platform directly.
  • A Reservly account with an API key (write scope). Go to Settings → Integrations to generate one.
  • An automation platform: Make.com or N8N (recommended for connecting the pieces together).

Approach 1: Booking Chatbot via Make.com

This approach uses Make.com as the middleware between WhatsApp and Reservly. When a customer sends a WhatsApp message, Make.com processes it and calls the Reservly API.

Step 1: Set Up the Make.com Scenario

Create a new scenario in Make.com with a WhatsApp Business → Watch Messages trigger (or a generic Webhook trigger if using Twilio). This fires every time a customer sends your WhatsApp number a message.

Step 2: Parse the Customer Message

Add a Routermodule to determine the customer's intent based on their message text:

  • If the message contains "services" or "menu" → fetch services
  • If the message contains a date (like "tomorrow" or "April 5") → check availability
  • If the message is "book" or "confirm" → create the booking

Step 3: Call Reservly API

For each route, add an HTTP → Make a Request module that calls the appropriate Reservly endpoint:

Fetch services
curl https://reservly.io/api/public/luxe-salon/services
bash
Check availability
curl "https://reservly.io/api/public/luxe-salon/slots?date=2026-04-05&service_id=SERVICE_ID"
bash
Book an appointment
curl -X POST https://reservly.io/api/public/luxe-salon/book \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer rsvly_YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "service_ids": ["SERVICE_ID"],
    "date": "2026-04-05",
    "time": "10:00",
    "customer_name": "Jane Doe",
    "customer_email": "jane@example.com",
    "source": "whatsapp"
  }'
bash

Step 4: Send the Response Back via WhatsApp

After each API call, add a WhatsApp Business → Send Message module (or Twilio Send SMS module) to send the formatted response back to the customer.

For example, after fetching services, format the response as a numbered list the customer can reply to.

Approach 2: Booking Notifications

This simpler approach sends you a WhatsApp message whenever a new booking comes in — no chatbot required.

Step 1: Set Up a Reservly Webhook

In Reservly, go to Settings → Integrations → Webhooks and create a new webhook:

  • URL: Your Make.com or N8N webhook URL
  • Events: booking.created

Step 2: Create the Automation Workflow

In Make.com or N8N, create a workflow with three steps:

  1. Webhook trigger— receives the booking data from Reservly
  2. Format message— build a WhatsApp message using the booking details
  3. Send WhatsApp— send the message via Twilio

Step 3: Send via Twilio

Use the Twilio API to send a WhatsApp message with the booking details:

Send WhatsApp notification via Twilio
curl -X POST "https://api.twilio.com/2010-04-01/Accounts/YOUR_SID/Messages.json" \
  --data-urlencode "Body=New booking! {{customer_name}} booked {{service}} on {{date}} at {{time}}" \
  --data-urlencode "From=whatsapp:+14155238886" \
  --data-urlencode "To=whatsapp:+1YOUR_NUMBER" \
  -u YOUR_SID:YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN
bash

Replace the placeholders with your Twilio credentials and phone numbers. The From number is your Twilio WhatsApp sandbox or approved sender number.

Testing

  1. Chatbot approach: Send a message to your WhatsApp Business number and walk through the booking flow. Check Reservly for the new booking.
  2. Notification approach: Create a test booking through your Reservly public page and verify the WhatsApp notification arrives.
  3. In both cases, check your Reservly dashboard to confirm the booking was created with the correct source.

Example Use Case

Luxe Salon & Spa adds their WhatsApp number to their Instagram bio and Google Business profile. Customers who prefer WhatsApp can message the number to book appointments. The salon also receives instant WhatsApp notifications for every new booking, so staff can prepare without checking the dashboard.

Next Steps