Use variables in SMS notifications to make your Twilio messages more informative and relevant by automatically populating key details.
Learn how to work with the available variables when setting up SMS notifications, including creating custom variables.
New to Twilio? Read the first article in this series for an introduction to the Twilio SMS notification feature.
Accessing the features mentioned in this article
Where can I find this feature using the top menu?
- Manage > Integrations > Communication
What more do I need to use this feature?
- Admin permissions to manage Integrations.
- You must have a Twilio account before enabling this integration.
Which Checkfront version supports this feature - classic items, classic products, or both?
- This feature is available in both our classic items version (Inventory > Items) and our classic products version (Inventory > Products). → Learn more about products
What is a variable?
An SMS message variable is a placeholder in a text message template that the system replaces with specific information—such as a Customer's name, email address, or booking ID—when it sends the message.
Working with SMS Variables
You can include Dynamic SMS variables in SMS messages. When the system sends a notification, the variable you add to the message is automatically replaced with the relevant information from your system. Simply paste the variable into the message field.
For example, you may begin with Hi {$CUSTOMER_NAME}. When the system delivers the notification to the Customer, it replaces the variable with the name they entered during the booking process. The message, therefore, begins with Hi John Smith.
The following are the system variables you can use:
| Variable | Description |
{$COMPANY_NAME} |
Name of your company. |
{$CHECKFRONT_URL} |
URL of your Checkfront account, e.g., myaccount.checkfront.com. |
{$ACCOUNT_ID} |
ID of the staff account that the Staff member used to make the booking. |
{$CREATED_BY} |
Where did the booking come from, e.g., Staff or website |
{$CUSTOMER_NAME} |
Name of the Customer. |
{$CUSTOMER_FIRST_NAME} |
First name of the Customer. |
{$CUSTOMER_LAST_NAME} |
Last name of the Customer. |
{$CUSTOMER_EMAIL} |
Email address of the Customer. |
{$BOOKING_ID} |
Unique booking ID. |
{$BOOKING_TOTAL} |
Total amount for the booking. Includes currency formatting. |
{$BOOKING_STATUS} |
Current status of the booking, such as Deposit or Paid. |
{$BOOKING_QTY} |
Quantity booked on the invoice. |
{$BOOKING_ITEMS} |
Name of item(s) or product(s) being booked. Multiple items or products are comma-separated. |
{$BOOKING_DATE} |
Date of booking. May include a date range or time, depending on the booking. |
{$BOOKING_START_DATE} |
Starting date of the booking. |
{$BOOKING_END_DATE}( |
Ending date of the booking. |
{$BOOKING_TIME} |
The time for which the Customer or Staff Member made the booking. |
{$BOOKING_START_TIME} |
Starting time of the booking. |
{$BOOKING_END_TIME} |
Ending time of the booking. |
{$BOOKING_DETAILS} |
Details of item(s)/product(s) being booked. The system pulls this value from the details box provided in the item or product setup. A new line separates multiple items or products and includes the item or product name. |
{$BOOKING_EXTRA_DETAILS} |
Extra details added to your items/products. |
{$BOOKING_ITEMS_URL} |
URL to the individual items or products included in the booking. |
{$BOOKING_RATES} |
List of items or products booked with their respective rates. |
{$BOOKING_DISCOUNT_CODES} |
Name of any discount code(s) applied to the booking. Multiple codes are comma-separated. |
{%BOOKING_ADMIN_URL} |
Link to the booking in your Checkfront account backend. |
{$BOOKING_PAYMENT_URL} |
Link to the payment page for this booking. If no balance is due, this redirects to the receipt (BOOKING_URL) page. |
{$BOOKING_PAY_FULL_URL} |
Link to the payment page for this booking. This link and related content requests the full payment from the Customer even if they still owe a deposit. If no balance is due, this redirects to the receipt (BOOKING_URL) page. |
{$BOOKING_CANCEL_URL} |
Direct link for the Customer to cancel their booking. |
{$BOOKING_PDF_URL} |
Direct link to a PDF of the booking. |
{$BOOKING_GUESTS_URL} |
URL to the Guest Details page of the booking. You must have the Guest Forms feature enabled for use. |
{$BOOKING_URL} |
URL to the booking receipt, along with links to PDF and Payment pages. |
{$BOOKING_URL}&view=documents |
Link to the 'Required Waiver Documents' page. |
{$BOOKING_LOCATION_LINKS} |
Displays the name of each item or product in the booking with a hyperlinked address that shows the location on Google Maps. |
{$SINGLE_ITEM_LOCATION_LINK} |
Link to the item's or product's location in Google Maps. Displays the first item or product in the booking's location only. |
{$SINGLE_ITEM_ADDRESS} |
Hyperlinked address to the item's or product's location in Google Maps. Displays the first item/product only at the booking's location. |
{$SINGLE_ITEM_LOCATION_URL} |
Displays a clickable URL linking to the item's or product's location in Google Maps. |
{%EMBED_INVOICE} |
This macro embeds a full invoice into the email. Differs depending on Text or HTML. |
Creating custom variables
In addition to the system variables outlined above, you can create your custom variables based on the custom fields added to your booking form.
For example, if you create a custom field asking for the person booking's favorite color, you can create a variable to record it in a notification.
You only need to add the field ID (e.g., color) to the variable template.
So, it would look something like this: {$COLOR}
|
Learn more about custom form fields For a detailed creating custom booking fields, check out the following article series: |
Next Steps
The following article looks at sending SMS notifications to Staff and Customers.
< Creating SMS notifications in Checkfront | Sending SMS notifications to Staff and Customers with Twilio >