Shops already using the booking link of an online booking system for barbershops get bookings straight into the schedule without noting them down from chat. The next step is for customers to get a confirmation message and a reminder before their booking, sent from the shop’s own LINE Official Account. Customers see the shop’s name, not the system’s.
What customers see is covered in how to take barbershop bookings through LINE. This post is the shop’s side. You do it once, and every booking’s messages go out by themselves after that.
Before you start
- Basic plan or higher. LINE messages aren’t included in the Free plan. The booking link works on every plan.
- The shop owner’s account. Staff don’t see the connect button.
- A computer. The LINE Developers Console works on a phone, but copying long values back and forth is less error-prone on a big screen.
In QueueD, all the steps are in ตั้งค่า › LINE (Settings › LINE), under the heading “แจ้งเตือนผ่าน LINE” (LINE notifications). Steps 1 to 3 show before you connect; steps 4 to 6 show after you connect.
1. Create a LINE Official Account
Create one in LINE Official Account Manager (manager.line.biz). If the shop already has an account, you can use it. Customers who are already friends stay friends.
Note down the account’s Basic ID, the code starting with @ shown under the account name. The system uses it to build the button that opens a chat with your shop for customers after they book.
2. Enable the Messaging API and copy two values
In LINE Official Account Manager, go to Settings › Messaging API and enable it. The first time, you’ll be asked to choose or create a Provider; the shop’s name is fine.
Then go to the LINE Developers Console (developers.line.biz), choose the Provider, and choose the channel for the shop’s account.
- Channel secret is in the Basic settings tab.
- Channel access token is at the very bottom of the Messaging API tab. Press Issue to create a long-lived one.
These two values are the keys to your account. Don’t send them in chat or paste them anywhere.
3. Enter the three values in QueueD and connect
Enter the Basic ID, Channel secret and Channel access token, then press “เชื่อมต่อ LINE” (Connect LINE). The system stores the last two encrypted and never shows them again, not even on the settings page.
Once connected, the screen shows a “เชื่อมต่อแล้ว” (Connected) badge and steps 4 to 6 appear.
4. Set the Webhook URL and press Verify
QueueD shows your shop’s Webhook URL with a copy button. Paste it in the LINE Developers Console, Messaging API tab, under Webhook settings, and do three things:
- Paste the URL into the Webhook URL field.
- Turn on Use webhook.
- Press Verify.
Come back and refresh the settings page. If everything is right, the warning badge “LINE ยังไม่เคยเรียก webhook” (LINE has never called the webhook) changes to “webhook ตรวจแล้ว” (webhook verified), with the date and time.
An account can have only one Webhook URL. If the shop’s account is connected to a chatbot or another system, pasting this URL cuts that system off.
5. Your account’s existing settings keep working
You don’t need to turn anything off. Chat, auto-reply messages and the greeting message work as before. QueueD only sends messages about bookings; it doesn’t answer chats for the shop.
One thing to know: the first time, customers send a 6-digit code from the booking page into the chat. If auto-reply is on, the auto-reply will respond to that code too. Add the line “ส่งรหัสจากหน้าจองแล้ว ระบบผูกบัญชีให้อัตโนมัติ” (“Sent the code from the booking page? Your account is linked automatically”) to it, and customers won’t be confused.
6. Test it for real
Add the shop’s account as a friend from your own LINE, then book once through the shop’s booking link, like a customer. After booking, the screen shows a 6-digit code and a “เปิด LINE แล้วส่งรหัส” (Open LINE and send the code) button. Press it and send. The confirmation message should arrive within a few seconds.
Don’t skip this step. The “webhook ตรวจแล้ว” (webhook verified) badge only tells you that LINE can talk to the system, not that the system can send messages back. Only a message arriving on a real phone confirms that.
When you’re done testing, you can cancel the test booking in the booking schedule.
If messages don’t arrive
The badge still says “LINE ยังไม่เคยเรียก webhook” (LINE has never called the webhook). Check that you pasted the whole URL, turned on Use webhook, and pressed Verify. If all of that is right but the badge doesn’t change, the Channel secret is usually wrong. Copy it again from the Basic settings tab and reconnect.
The badge says “webhook ตรวจแล้ว” (webhook verified) but messages don’t arrive. It’s usually the Channel access token. Press disconnect, issue a new token in the LINE Developers Console, and connect again. Reconnecting also clears the badge, so you have to press Verify again.
The shop’s test worked, but some customers don’t get messages. That customer may not have sent the code after booking. The booking still goes into the schedule as normal, just without messages. As for reminders, they go out 30 to 60 minutes before the booking, so bookings made less than half an hour ahead get no reminder.
Messages stop mid-month. Confirmations, reminders and reschedule notices all count towards your LINE OA account’s monthly message quota. You can see how much is left in LINE Official Account Manager.
Changing accounts or stopping
The “ตัดการเชื่อมต่อ” (Disconnect) button is on the same page. Press it and the system stops sending messages to customers immediately. To connect again, you have to enter the Channel secret and token again, because the system doesn’t keep the old values for you to see.
Where to start
If you don’t have a LINE OA account yet, start with step 1 today; the rest can be done in one go later. If you already have an account, all six steps can be finished in a single sitting at the computer.
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