The two causes behind 'nothing is sending'
Barbershop automatic messages usually stay silent for one of two reasons: the trigger itself was never switched on, or the shop has run out of its monthly message balance. Both look identical from the outside — a customer who should have gotten a welcome or win-back message just doesn’t — but the fix for each is completely different.
Waya’s four triggers (welcome on enrollment, stamp added, reward redeemed, win-back after 14 days) each ship off by default with an editable message. Turning one on without writing a message, or never toggling it on at all, produces the exact same silence as a real bug — so check the toggle before assuming anything is broken.
Cause one: the trigger toggle was never flipped
A trigger that looks configured — a message drafted, a threshold set — still won't send if the on/off switch for that trigger is off. This is the most common reason a shop believes automatic messaging is broken when it was simply never activated in the first place.
- Welcome on enrollment: off means new customers get no signup confirmation at all
- Stamp added: off means no lock-screen confirmation after each visit
- Reward redeemed: off means no confirmation when a free cut is claimed
- Win-back after 14 days: off means lapsed customers never get reminded
Cause two: the monthly message balance is spent
The second cause is simpler to miss because it isn’t a setting at all — it’s a running total. Free includes 100 messages a month, Growth 5,000, and Premium is unlimited; broadcasts and automatic triggers draw from the same shared balance. A shop that sent a large one-off campaign near the end of the month can exhaust that balance, and every trigger goes quiet until the balance resets or is topped up.
| Plan | Messages/month | Fix if exhausted |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 100 | Wait for reset, or upgrade to Growth |
| Growth | 5,000 | Top up 500 for 5 SAR, 1,000 for 10 SAR, or unlimited for 20 SAR |
| Premium | Unlimited | Not applicable — balance never runs out |
Check both causes in order
Work through the toggle before the balance, since the toggle is the more common cause and takes seconds to check.
- Open the notification triggers screen
Confirm each of the four triggers shows as on, not just configured.
- Open each trigger and read the message
An on trigger with blank or default text still needs a real message written.
- Check the message balance for the month
A balance at zero silences every trigger regardless of its toggle state.
- Top up or upgrade if the balance is the cause
A 5 SAR top-up covers 500 messages instantly from the in-app Store.
- Send a test enrollment
Enroll a test card to confirm the welcome message actually lands.
What a working setup looks like
Once both causes are ruled out, Waya’s triggers run without further attention: welcome fires at signup, stamp-added confirms each visit, reward-redeemed confirms a free cut, and win-back fires after 14 days of inactivity, checked daily with a 30-day dedupe.
Plan the message budget as you grow
Free’s 100 messages a month suits a single chair testing the program; a busy multi-chair shop running welcome, stamp, reward, and win-back messages plus occasional campaigns typically needs Growth’s 5,000 a month well before it needs Growth’s other features. Waya’s limits are worth knowing while you plan this: no POS or till integration, no SMS channel, and the Android merchant app is in closed testing, so staff use the web dashboard or the Waya iOS app.
If dead triggers were the whole story behind a quiet month, fixing the toggle and the balance is usually enough on its own — you rarely need to also rework the full launch sequence once messaging is confirmed to be working end to end.
Frequently asked questions
Why are not my barbershop automatic loyalty messages sending?
Almost always one of two causes: the trigger’s on/off toggle was never switched on, or the monthly message balance is already spent. Check the toggle first — it’s the more common cause — then check the balance, which is shared between broadcasts and automatic triggers.
Does an on trigger with a blank message still send anything?
No. A trigger switched on but never given a written message produces the same silence as a trigger left off — always open each trigger and confirm real text is saved, not just the toggle state.
What happens when the monthly message balance runs out?
Every send stops, automatic triggers included, until the balance resets the following month or you top up. Growth and Premium shops can top up instantly from the in-app Store: 500 messages for 5 SAR, 1,000 for 10 SAR, or unlimited for 20 SAR.
How many messages does a typical barbershop use per month?
It depends on customer count and how many triggers are on, but a multi-chair shop running welcome, stamp, reward, and win-back messages for a few hundred customers commonly exceeds Free’s 100-message cap, which is why Growth’s 5,000 a month is the natural next step.
Is there a way to test that a trigger is actually working?
Yes — enroll a test card yourself and check that the welcome message lands on the wallet lock screen within a few minutes. That single test rules out both a toggle problem and a balance problem at once.