Automated notifications to parents and clients
A confirmation received after a booking or an admission enquiry changes how a school or an independent professional is perceived. The site sends only e-mail automatically: contact-form messages reach you, and for bookings made on the 4appointments page the visitor gets an e-mail if they leave an address. SMS and WhatsApp are sent separately, through 4notify.net. Below you'll see how it works and what data you may lawfully collect.
How to turn on notifications, step by step
- Turn on the public booking page in your 4appointments account and add the button to it on your site.
- Ask for an e-mail address on the booking page and the contact form: automatic messages are sent only with one.
- Confirm each booking in your 4appointments calendar, so the reminders start, about 24 hours and 1 hour before.
- Publish the explicit consent to send notifications on the form, as the legal basis.
- Test the flow with a trial booking, before switching it on publicly.
When notifications go out
- An acknowledgement e-mail for a booking made on the booking page, if the visitor leaves an e-mail address.
- E-mail reminders about 24 hours and 1 hour before, once you confirm the booking.
- Every message sent through the contact form is e-mailed to you, so you can reply.
- SMS or WhatsApp are not sent automatically by the site; for them you can use the separate 4notify.net app, with its own account.
What data you may lawfully collect through a website or booking form
An admissions or booking form collects personal data: name, phone, email and, sometimes, the age or grade of the child being enrolled. The most fitting legal basis is the explicit consent of the person filling in the form — a ticked box, never assumed. Where the form concerns a minor, consent belongs to the parent or legal guardian.
- Collect strictly the fields used for admission, booking or notification — not extra data "just in case".
- The consent text next to the form clearly states which notifications are sent and on which channel.
- The person who gave consent can withdraw it at any time, with a simple message or email.
- Data is kept only for as long as its purpose lasts — a completed booking or a closed admission file.
- A security incident affecting this data must be notified to the supervisory authority within 72 hours (GDPR, Art. 33).
Table: email vs. SMS vs. WhatsApp
Three message channels and what the site sends automatically
| Channel | How it works |
|---|---|
| SMS | Not sent automatically by the site; sent separately, through 4notify.net |
| Not sent automatically by the site; sent separately, through 4notify.net | |
| The channel for automatic booking messages and contact-form messages |
Practical example
Hypothetical example: a private school that takes admission enquiries through the contact form can reply to each parent by e-mail; for visits booked through the 4appointments page, a parent who leaves an address gets an acknowledgement and reminder e-mails.
Common mistakes
- Collecting contact data with no explicit consent checkbox on the form.
- Not replying to form messages, so the person repeats the request through another channel.
- Not asking for an e-mail address, even though no automatic confirmation is sent without one.
- Keeping data indefinitely, with no term tied to the purpose it was collected for.
- Not offering a simple way to withdraw consent for notifications.
How 4SoftEdu helps
- Automatic e-mail messages for bookings made on the 4appointments page; SMS and WhatsApp can be sent separately from 4notify.net, an app in the same ecosystem.
- A consent checkbox included from the start on admission and booking forms.
- Contact-form messages reach your e-mail; reminders start once you confirm the booking.
- 4appointments and 4notify are separate apps, each with its own account, in the same ecosystem.