Four ways to take a booking
Every other booking QR generator assumes you have an online booking system. Plenty of small venues do not, and the booking still has to happen. This tool makes four kinds of code:
| Code type | What happens when scanned | Needs |
|---|---|---|
| Booking page | Opens your booking page in the browser | A booking system |
| Text message | Opens a text to you with the request already typed | A mobile number |
| Opens a WhatsApp chat with the request already typed | WhatsApp on your number | |
| Phone call | Opens the dialler with your number filled in | A phone |
The text and WhatsApp codes are the interesting ones. The person scanning does not have to decide what to write or look up your number. The draft opens saying what they want, they add a day and time, and they send it. That removes most of the friction that stops someone booking from a poster.
Nothing sends automatically. Both iOS and Android open the message as a draft and wait for the person to press send, which is a deliberate safeguard rather than a limitation of the code.
Which one to choose
- You have a booking system. Use the booking page code and point it at the booking page itself, not your homepage. Every extra tap loses people.
- You take bookings on your mobile. Use the text code. It works on every phone, needs no app, and you get the request in writing, which beats a voicemail you cannot read back.
- Your customers already use WhatsApp. Use the WhatsApp code. It is the same idea with a better interface and read receipts, but only if your audience actually uses it. Our WhatsApp guide covers the number format, which is where most people go wrong.
- You would rather talk. Use the call code. Fewer bookings than a message, but better for anything complicated, such as a clinic triaging what the appointment is for.
If you are unsure, pick the text code. It is the only one that needs nothing from you but a mobile number, and it gives the customer a written record of what they asked for, which prevents a lot of arguments about what was booked.
Writing the message that arrives
The prefilled message is the part worth thinking about, because it is what lands in your inbox fifty times a week.
Good messages leave a gap the customer has to fill. "Hi, I would like to book a table for 2" invites them to add a day and time. A message that already includes a day and time is worse, because they have to delete it first, and people abandon rather than edit.
Ask for one thing you always have to chase. For a restaurant that is usually the time. For a salon it is which service. For a clinic it is whether they have been before. One question, not three.
Keep it short for a second reason: every character goes into the image. A one line message keeps the code sparse enough to print small. A paragraph pushes the grid up and forces you to print larger, which we measured in our format comparison. You can check any finished code against our stress test before it goes to print.
Where the code goes
- The window, facing out. This is the one that earns its place, because it works when you are closed. Someone walking past at 10pm can book for the weekend. Print it at 4 to 5 cm and put it at eye height.
- Table cards and menus, for the next visit rather than this one. Pair it with the reason to come back.
- The receipt or the bill folder. The moment after a good meal is when people book again.
- A pavement board or poster, printed larger. A code read from two metres away needs to be around 20 cm, and our sizing guide has the arithmetic.
Always print what the code does beside it. "Scan to book a table" gets far more scans than a bare code, because people do not scan things when they cannot predict what will happen.
Common questions
Will the booking send itself?
No. The message opens as a draft with the text filled in, and the customer taps send. No phone lets a scanned code send a message on its own.
What if I change my booking page later?
A printed code cannot be repointed, so aim it at a URL you control and change what lives at that address rather than reprinting. Our guide to static and dynamic codes explains the tradeoff and when a paid redirect is genuinely worth it.
Can I use a landline for the text code?
No. A text code needs a number that can receive SMS. Use the call code for a landline, or a mobile for text.
Does the party size have to be in the message?
No, and for a salon or clinic it usually should not be. Set it to "do not mention a number" and the message drops it.
How do I know it works before printing a hundred of them?
Scan it yourself with a phone that is not yours, ideally one that has never messaged you, and check the draft that opens is the one you expect. Then run the image through our stress test to see how much blur it tolerates at the size you are printing.
Related tools
Confirming a slot that is already booked? The appointment code generator puts it in the client's calendar with a reminder. Also useful for a venue: a WiFi code for guests, a location code if you are hard to find, and a feedback code for afterwards. Our guide for cafes and restaurants covers which codes belong where in a venue.