Instantly win back lapsed café customers with Ferbz’s automated WhatsApp reminders

Below is a step‑by‑step walk‑through of the win‑back reminder automation, as if you were watching a screen‑recording of the Ferbz dashboard. All navigation reflects the exact module names and fields described in the brief.

1. Log in and open the Automation tab
   From the Ferbz home screen, click the Automation icon on the left sidebar. The canvas opens with a “Create New Journey” button at the top right.

2. Start a new journey with plain English
   Click Create New Journey. In the text box that appears, type:
   “win back anyone who hasn’t ordered in 30 days”
   Ferbz’s AI instantly parses the intent and suggests a three‑step flow:

   • Trigger: “Days since last order = 30”
   • Message 1: “We miss you – 10 % off your next coffee”
   • Wait 2 days
   • Message 2: “Still thinking about it? Here’s a combo offer just for you”

3. Confirm the trigger
   The AI‑generated trigger appears as a card. Verify that the field reads Days since last order and the value is 30. You can edit the number if you want a different window (e.g., 45 days). This trigger pulls directly from the Customers module, which records the date of each order at checkout.

4. Select or create WhatsApp templates
   Click the Message 1 card. A side panel opens listing any existing WhatsApp templates. If you already have a “We miss you” text saved, select it; otherwise click Create New Template.

   • Template name: WinBack‑30‑Day‑First
   • Message body: “Hey {{customer_name}}, it’s been a while! Enjoy 10 % off your next coffee with code WELCOME30 – valid for the next 5 days.”
   • Media (optional): Upload a high‑resolution image of your signature latte.
     Save the template. Repeat for Message 2, perhaps naming it WinBack‑30‑Day‑Second with a combo‑meal image.

5. Define the wait period
   Click the arrow between Message 1 and Message 2. In the pop‑up, set Wait 2 days. This tells Ferbz to pause the journey after the first reminder and only send the second if the customer hasn’t responded or placed an order.

6. Add a branch (optional)
   If you want to stop the journey when a customer places a new order, click the Add Branch button on the wait line. Choose Trigger: New order placed. Connect the “Yes” branch to End Journey and the “No” branch to Message 2. This ensures you don’t spam a customer who has already returned.

7. Review the visual canvas
   The canvas now shows:
   Trigger → Message 1 → Wait 2 days → Branch (New Order?) → Message 2 → End.
   The AI‑generated flow is fully editable; you can drag cards, rename steps, or add more messages.

8. Activate the journey
   Click Activate at the top. Ferbz immediately enrolls every Customer whose days since last order equals 30. The enrollment count appears on the right side (e.g., “Enrolled 124 customers”).

9. Monitor on the Reminders board
   Switch to the Reminders tab. You’ll see a live list:

   • Scheduled: Customer #102 – “WinBack‑30‑Day‑First” – scheduled for 2026‑09‑10 10:00 AM
   • Sent: Customer #087 – “WinBack‑30‑Day‑First” – sent 2026‑09‑08, delivered, read at 10:03 AM
   • Failed: Customer #056 – invalid phone – failed, will retry automatically

   Each row displays the credit cost (1 credit per reminder) and a link to the WhatsApp conversation for quick follow‑up.

10. Check credit consumption
    Click the Wallet icon on the top bar. The balance shows, for example, ₹799 = 1,000 credits. After the first batch of 124 reminders, the wallet deducts 124 credits, leaving 876 credits. No hidden fees appear.

11. Review performance in Reports
    After a week, go to Reports → Automation. Select the date range and the “Win‑Back 30‑Day” journey. The report shows:

    • Messages sent: 124
    • Delivered: 119 (96 %)
    • Read: 112 (90 %)
    • Orders placed within 7 days of first reminder: 27 (22 % conversion)
    • Revenue uplift: ₹7,845 (average ticket ₹290)

Worked Example – “Café Aroma, Jaipur”

Background: Café Aroma serves 150‑200 customers daily, with a loyalty card that gives a free coffee after 10 visits. Over the past month, the owner noticed a dip of 18 regulars who hadn’t visited for more than a month.

1. Import customers – Using the Customers module, the owner uploads a CSV of 2,400 loyalty‑card holders (name, phone, last order date).
2. Create the win‑back journey – In Automation, the owner types “win back anyone who hasn’t ordered in 30 days”. The AI suggests the flow described above.
3. Customize the message – The first template reads:
   “Hi {{customer_name}}, we miss you at Café Aroma! Show this WhatsApp message and get 15 % off any beverage this week.”
   The second template offers a “Snack‑Combo” image with a ₹50 discount code.
4. Activate – The journey enrolls 18 customers whose last order was on 2026‑08‑02.
5. Reminders board – Shows 18 scheduled messages for 2026‑09‑10. After sending, 17 are delivered, 16 read.
6. Result – Within 5 days, 5 of those 18 customers place a new order, generating ₹1,470 in revenue. The owner sees the uplift in the Reports page and notes a 27 % recovery rate for lapsed patrons.

Time saved – Before Ferbz, a café owner would manually scan the POS for “last order” dates, copy phone numbers into a spreadsheet, draft a WhatsApp text, and send each message individually. For Café Aroma’s 18 lapsed customers, that process would take roughly 45 minutes (≈ 2‑3 minutes per contact). With Ferbz, the entire workflow from identification to delivery is automated in under 5 minutes, freeing the staff to focus on service.

Revenue recovered – In the worked example, 5 out of 18 lapsed customers returned, producing ₹1,470 in sales. At an average ticket of ₹290, that is a 5.1 % increase in weekly revenue that would otherwise have been lost. Scaling to a larger café with 200 lapsed patrons, a similar 27 % recovery would add roughly ₹15,600 per week.

Credit‑controlled cost – Each reminder costs 1 credit. For the 18‑customer batch, only 18 credits were used (₹1.80). The owner can predict spend precisely, unlike a flat subscription that may be under‑ or over‑used. Even a busy outlet sending 500 win‑back reminders a month would spend only 500 credits (≈ ₹500), well within a ₹799 wallet.

Consistent communication – The automation guarantees that every eligible customer receives the same professionally crafted WhatsApp message at the exact same interval. No missed follow‑ups, no duplicated texts, and no reliance on staff memory.

Actionable insights – The Reminders board instantly flags failed deliveries (invalid numbers, opt‑outs) so the owner can clean the contact list. The Reports module quantifies read rates and conversion, letting the café experiment with different offers (e.g., 10 % vs 15 % discount) and see which yields the highest return on credits.

Overall, the win‑back reminder automation turns a reactive, labor‑intensive task into a data‑driven, low‑cost engine that nudges regulars back to the counter, stabilising daily footfall and protecting the café’s bottom line.

Ready to stop losing regulars to silence? Sign up for a free Ferbz trial, top up your wallet, and build your first win‑back reminder automation in minutes. Visit the dashboard at https://dashboard.ferbz.com/ and explore the Automation tab, or drop a line to support@ferbz.com for a guided walkthrough. With Ferbz, every lapsed coffee lover gets a timely, personalized WhatsApp nudge—so your café’s tables stay full and your revenue stays steady.