Amara Wellness
A WhatsApp booking flow paired with USSD-based mobile money payments, letting clients book and pay for an appointment without installing an app.
Industry
Hospitality & Wellness
Timeline
9 weeks
Team
2 engineers
Category
Workflow Automation
Where things stood
Amara's clients were booking appointments by phone call during business hours only, and many didn't have reliable data access for a booking app or website — but nearly everyone had WhatsApp and a basic phone that supported USSD.
How we got there
WhatsApp booking flow
Built a structured WhatsApp flow — service, stylist, time slot — on the WhatsApp Business API instead of requiring a native app install.
USSD payment fallback
Integrated a USSD payment flow for clients paying via mobile money, so a booking can be paid for without a smartphone or app at all.
Two-way calendar sync
Synced confirmed bookings directly into each location's existing scheduling calendar so staff didn't have to work from two systems.
What changed
24/7
Booking availability outside business hours
~45%
Bookings now made via WhatsApp instead of phone
0
App installs required for a client to book and pay
Tech stack
WhatsApp Business API
Runs the structured booking conversation clients use to pick a service and time.
USSD Gateway
Handles mobile money payment prompts for clients without smartphone data.
Node.js
Orchestrates the booking flow, payment confirmation, and calendar sync.
PostgreSQL
Tracks bookings, payment status, and calendar availability.
Twilio
Sends WhatsApp and SMS booking confirmations and reminders.
TypeScript
Kept the booking and payment state machine consistent across both channels.
