Email & SMS Communications

Plan Requirement: Core or Ultimate

Great communication is the foundation of a memorable bridal experience. CloudBridal gives you flexible tools to connect with your customers by email or SMS—whether you want to send a quick message, automate reminders, or streamline your workflow with templates. This guide will help you get started and make the most of these features.

Communication Overview

CloudBridal supports both email and SMS for customer communication. Email is best for detailed updates and formal messages, while SMS is perfect for quick reminders and conversational exchanges. Both channels are fully integrated, so you can manage, automate, and review all your communications in one place.

Accessing Communication Tools

The easiest way to get started with customer communication is right from the customer's profile. Simply open any customer, switch to the Communications tab, and you can send emails or SMS messages directly from there. This is the most direct and common workflow for boutiques who want to reach out quickly or handle one-off conversations.

If you want to save time on frequent messages or set up automations, you can visit Settings > Email & SMS to create and organize templates for both channels. Templates are completely optional, but they can help you keep your messaging consistent and efficient as your business grows.

For a bird's-eye view of all SMS activity, the Message Center acts as your business-wide SMS inbox, making it easy to keep up with every conversation across your team. The message center is accessible from the top-right corner in the main navigation.

Communicating from the Customer Profile

The customer profile is your main workspace for managing all communications with a client. In the "Communications" tab, you can:

• Send emails or SMS messages directly to the customer, whether it's a quick update, a follow-up, or a more detailed message.
• View the full history of messages, including delivery status for emails and whether messages were sent automatically or manually. This helps you keep track of every conversation and follow-up.
• Use templates for efficiency if you have them set up, but you can always write a custom message on the spot.
• See alerts for unread SMS messages, so you never miss a customer's reply or inquiry.
• Pause all future communications for a customer if they request it, right from their profile.
• Through a mobile device, call the customer directly from their profile for quick phone follow-ups.

This makes the customer profile the best place to handle day-to-day communication, follow-ups, and customer service—all in one place.

Appointment Communication

Appointment-related emails and SMS messages are managed separately from general customer communications. These notifications and reminders are configured directly within the appointment settings, allowing you to customize the content and timing for each appointment type. This ensures that your customers receive the right information at the right time for their bookings. For more details on configuring appointment communications, see the Appointment Settings documentation.

Choosing Between CloudBridal Native SMS and Twilio Integration

By default, CloudBridal lets you send SMS messages right away using our built-in phone numbers—no setup required. This is great for most boutiques who want a simple, reliable way to text customers. However, if you want more advanced features (like automated SMS reminders, longer messages, or image support), or if you're in the UK where regulations require you to use a dedicated number, you may want to set up Twilio (or Twilio/Vonage in the UK). Twilio gives you more control and helps future-proof your communications. For a detailed comparison and setup instructions, see the Twilio Integration documentation.

Email Communication

Sending Emails

You can send emails to your customers at any time—no template required. Just open a customer profile, click Send Email, and write your message. Every email you send is tracked, so you can always see the delivery status and message history.

Email Automation

One of the most powerful time-saving features is automation. By defining automation rules on your email templates, you can configure messages to go out based on various different conditions. To create automations, simply follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Emails & SMS settings and create or edit an email template
2. In the form, enable the Send This Email Automatically checkbox
3. Set up the conditions according to how and when you would like to send the email

• Days: Set up number of days before/after the condition to send the email
• Condition: Defines the rule which causes the message to automatically trigger. See below for details.
• Additional Settings: Depending on the condition, you can configure details like customer types to include, item types to include, etc.

4. Compose the email subject and body, using Smart Fields as needed.

After setting this up, your emails will start to automatically be processed based on your defined rules. To view the communication history, simply click on the Actions dropdown for the template and select the View Send History option. This surfaces the history of messages sent for the template.

Available Conditions for Automation

Appointment conditions are grouped into several categories:

• Appointment Date: First Appointment Date (Item Purchased), First Appointment Date (No Item Purchased)
• Customer Date: Customer Event Date, Prospect/Customer Profile Created Date
• Order Date: Order Date of Sale, Order Expected Arrival Date
• Order Status: Sends message when order status transitions to selected status

Example Automations

• Congratulate customer on their wedding: [X] days after Customer Event Date
• Ask customer to leave a review: [X] days after First Appointment Date: Item Purchased
• Ask customer for feedback: [X] days after First Appointment Date: No Item Purchased
• Schedule follow-up appointment when special order arrives: [X] days after Order Status Changed: Arrived

You can get creative with your automations based on your business needs.

Email Deliverability & Best Practices

While CloudBridal does everything possible to deliver your emails, it's important to know that email delivery is not always guaranteed. Sometimes, emails can end up in a customer's spam or junk folder due to factors outside of CloudBridal's control. Here are a few tips to help improve deliverability:

• Use professional, consistent wording
• Avoid ALL CAPS or excessive punctuation in your subject lines and body
• Keep your content clear and relevant to the recipient
• Regularly check your email history for bounces or delivery issues

If you notice emails aren't being delivered, review your trigger and filter settings, make sure customer data is accurate, and try sending a manual message. For persistent issues, CloudBridal support can help troubleshoot.

SMS Communication

Sending SMS

Just like with email, you can send SMS messages to customers at any time—no template required. Open a customer profile, appointment, or the Message Center, and type your message. You can add emojis, and if you're using Twilio, you can even include images. Native SMS is limited to 150 characters, but the Twilio integration removes this restriction. Every SMS conversation is saved in the customer's history, and you'll get notifications for new incoming messages. You can also mark messages as unread for easy follow-up.

SMS Automation

SMS messages can be automated just like emails - feel free to review the above Email Automation section for instructions. The main difference is that SMS automations require using your own Twilio account. We also recommend keeping text messages short and direct. For longer messages, emails are a more appropriate channel.

Message Center

The Message Center is your hub for SMS. Access it from the main navigation to see all your business's SMS conversations in one place. You can filter by unread messages, reply directly from the inbox, and jump to the relevant customer profile. Marking messages as read or unread helps your team stay organized and ensures no customer inquiry slips through the cracks. Additionally, the assigned staff member will show next to the message, making it clear who should reply to the message.

Tips for Effective Communication

• Keep messages short, clear, and relevant
• Personalize with variables for a friendly touch
• Preview and test templates before saving
• Respect opt-outs and quiet hours (CloudBridal handles this automatically for automated messages)
• Use templates for efficiency, but don't hesitate to send custom messages as needed

Integrations & Advanced Features

For advanced SMS features, automation, and regulatory compliance, you'll need to set up Twilio or Vonage. The Twilio Integration guide walks you through the process. You can also send payment links and receipts via email or SMS (Stripe integration required for payments, Twilio for SMS). Appointment reminders and status updates can be automated through both channels, and you can customize these settings for each appointment type. See Appointments Setup for more information about configuring appointment-related communications.

FAQs

Can I automate both email and SMS messages?

Absolutely. Both channels support automation based on triggers like appointment dates, order status, and more. SMS automation requires Twilio or Vonage.

What happens if a customer opts out of SMS?

CloudBridal manages opt-outs automatically. If a customer replies STOP, they won't receive further SMS messages.

What happens if a customer opts out of email?

CloudBridal allows your clients to opt out of email communications by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email.

Are there limits on message length or attachments?

Native SMS is limited to 150 characters, but Twilio removes this limit and allows images. Email supports rich text and attachments.

Can I see all communications with a customer in one place?

Yes! The Communications tab in the customer profile shows all email and SMS history, and the Message Center provides a business-wide SMS inbox.

How do I pause all communications for a customer?

Edit the customer profile and enable "Pause Future Communications" to stop all automated and manual messages.

If you need more details or run into any issues, don't hesitate to contact CloudBridal support or check out the relevant integration documentation.

Updated on: 10/07/2025