Appointment reminders in Telegram, without SMS costs
On 29 September 2026 Slotsy started sending SMS to clients. The same day it turned out SMS to Ukrainian numbers do not go out: the sender name "Slotsy" is still being approved by the Ukrainian SMS operator, and a sender name registered as international costs much more per message, which is why Slotsy charges 3 credits for an SMS to a Ukrainian number and 2 for a Polish one. In the studio in Kraków where Slotsy started, most clients have Ukrainian numbers.
On that same 29 September I decided to put a free reminder channel in Telegram next to SMS. The first client connected it on the evening of 29 September. As of 01.10.2026, SMS to +380 still does not go out.
Short answer. In Slotsy a client presses "Connect Telegram" after booking, then "Start" in the bot, and the reminders the salon sends by SMS arrive in Telegram instead: in her language, in the salon's name, without spending SMS credits, on the Free plan too. The 24-hour and 1-hour email reminders keep arriving as before. For clients with Ukrainian numbers this is today the only channel besides email: SMS to +380 does not go out yet on 01.10.2026, and once it does it will cost 3 credits. The bot cannot write first, so the one tap has to come from the client.
Create a Free account: 0 zł, no card, alongside your current system; Telegram reminders work from the first booking.
How the client connects
- After booking, on the confirmation screen or later on her booking's page, the client sees a "Reminders in Telegram" block and presses "Connect Telegram".
- The button opens the Slotsy reminders bot in Telegram; the client presses "Start".
- The bot replies in the salon's name: "Salon name: done, reminders about your bookings will come here." The booking page then shows that reminders will arrive in Telegram instead of by SMS.
The link behind the button works once, and the connection belongs to one studio: a client booking with two salons on Slotsy connects the bot separately in each. The "Connect Telegram" button never appears in the client's general account, only on a specific booking's page. The full client-side steps are in the help centre.
What arrives in Telegram, and what still comes by email
| Channel | What arrives | Cost for the salon | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| confirmation, reminders 24 h and 1 h before | 0 | any, Free included | |
| Telegram | events switched on in "SMS to customers", by default the one-hour reminder | 0, no credits | any, Free included; the client connects the bot once |
| SMS to a Polish number | the same events | 2 credits | paid plans (Start 70, Team 200, Business 400 credits a month) |
| SMS to a Ukrainian number | the same events | 3 credits; still not going out on 01.10.2026 | paid plans |
Telegram replaces only SMS. The email reminders 24 hours and 1 hour before a visit go out the same way as before, whether or not the client connected the bot. If a salon switches on the day-before reminder in addition to the default hour-before one, or the confirmed, approved, declined, moved and cancelled notifications, the same events reach the client in Telegram, with no gap against what SMS sends.
Why Telegram
Gradus's "Media Consumption 2025" survey, published 11.11.2025 (fielded 15 to 17.09.2025, 1,100 respondents aged 18 to 60 in cities of 50,000 or more, in Ukraine, not among Ukrainians living abroad), found that 92% of users in Ukraine use Telegram weekly, and WhatsApp rose from 30% to 41% over the year. The survey covers people living in Ukraine; what share of clients living in Poland check Telegram weekly is not something this data measures.
Telegram's own bot documentation sets two conditions that shape how this connection works: a bot cannot start a conversation, the user has to message it first, and the bot platform itself is free for both users and developers. The first condition is why the client has to press "Start": without that step the bot has no right to speak first. The second is why this channel costs nothing: Slotsy does not pay for a Telegram message the way it pays an operator for every SMS.
What the salon sets up
Under Settings → Notifications, on the "SMS to customers" card, there is a switch called "Offer reminders in Telegram". It is on by default and spends no credits, not when it is switched on and not for every reminder that goes through this channel instead of SMS. It also works on the Free plan, where SMS is not available at all because Free has no credits.
Turning the switch on does not by itself get clients to use it; they need to hear about it once, ideally after their first visit. A short message you can send: "You can get your appointment reminder in Telegram an hour ahead. On your booking page, press Connect Telegram, then Start in the bot." The setting covers the whole salon, not one booking at a time: switch it on once, and every client after that sees the button on her own. The full setup is documented under Notifications.
What the bot in Slotsy does not do
- The connection belongs to one studio, not to the client as such: the same person booking with two salons on Slotsy connects the bot twice.
- The "Connect Telegram" button only appears on a specific booking's page, never in the client's general account.
- The link behind the button works once.
- Sending /stop or blocking the bot in Telegram sends the client back to SMS if the salon has credits, or to email only if it has no credits or runs the Free plan.
- When a salon turns off "Offer reminders in Telegram", the button disappears from new bookings and clients who were already connected fall back to SMS.
- The bot only sends reminders: no chat with the salon, no sign-in, no offers.
Booksy and Fresha: SMS yes, Telegram no
Booksy Biz's price list states plainly that automatic appointment reminders are always free; it does not mention Telegram, WhatsApp or Viber. Fresha's price list includes 50 SMS or WhatsApp messages a month in the plan price (50 per employee on Team), after which SMS costs 0.10 zł and WhatsApp costs 0.15 zł or 0.90 zł a message depending on the type; Telegram is not mentioned there either.
If a salon's clients mostly have Polish numbers, Booksy's free system SMS reminders cover them without any extra action from the client, which is simpler than asking anyone to connect a messaging app. Slotsy makes sense when a meaningful share of clients have Ukrainian numbers and read Telegram: the reminder reaches them at 0 zł, on any plan, Free included, where SMS does not exist at all. I wrote about what SMS itself costs in Slotsy, before Telegram enters the picture, in the article on SMS reminders; on what reminders do to no-shows, in the piece on cutting no-shows. Full price and feature comparisons: Slotsy vs Booksy, Slotsy vs Fresha.
Frequently asked questions
Does this cost the salon anything? No. It spends no SMS credits and works on any plan, Free included.
Does the client have to do anything? Yes, once: press "Connect Telegram" on her booking's page, then "Start" in the bot. Without that step the bot cannot message her.
Does it work on the Free plan? Yes. Telegram reminders need no SMS credits, so they are available where SMS is not.
What happens if the client stops the bot? Sending /stop or blocking it in Telegram sends her back to SMS if the salon has credits, or to email only if it has none or runs the Free plan.
Can the client message the salon through the bot? No. The bot only sends reminders: no chat, no sign-in, no offers.
What if a client books with several salons on Slotsy? She connects the bot separately in each one, from that salon's booking page.
Prices, sources and features checked 01.10.2026. If something has changed, write to us and we will fix it and show the update date.
Create a Free account: 0 zł, no card, alongside your current system; Telegram reminders work from the first booking.