This page describes how customers opt in to receive SMS messages from Alfred, the appointment scheduling service operated by New Hudson Technologies LLC, and how those messages work. Reply STOP at any time to opt out. Reply HELP for help. Msg & data rates may apply.
Try it now — text our operator number: +1 (646) 921-6477.
See also our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
How Alfred uses Instagram Direct for appointment scheduling.
Independent barbershops can connect their Instagram Business account to Alfred. Customers can then book appointments by sending the shop a direct message on Instagram, the same way they would on SMS. There are no marketing or promotional DMs — only transactional appointment messages.
The customer always initiates the conversation by DM'ing the shop's Instagram Business account first (e.g. “hi, I'd like to book a haircut”). That first inbound message is the explicit opt-in. The bot never cold-DMs anyone, and never reaches out to a follower who hasn't messaged first.
Replies are sent inside Meta's standard 24-hour customer service window. After 24 hours of inactivity the bot stops sending messages on that conversation; the customer just needs to send a new DM to re-open the window. This matches Meta's Messenger Platform policy.
Reply STOP to any message at any time and the bot will stop messaging you on Instagram for that shop. You can also block the shop's account in Instagram, which Meta enforces upstream.
We store the Instagram-scoped sender id and the conversation content needed to handle scheduling. We do not import your follower list, contact list, or any other data outside the conversations you've initiated with a participating shop. Tokens for the shop's Instagram Business account are encrypted at rest. See our Privacy Policy for the full picture.
Important information about how Alfred uses SMS for appointment scheduling.
Alfred sends transactional appointment messages on behalf of independent barbershops that subscribe to our service. There are no marketing or promotional messages.
You can try Alfred yourself by texting our demo / operator number: +1 (646) 921-6477. Send any message (for example, “I want to book a haircut”) and Alfred will reply. Texting this number is your explicit opt-in to receive transactional SMS replies described below. Reply STOP at any time to opt out. Msg & data rates may apply.
Customers initiate contact themselves — they text the barbershop's phone number (listed on the shop's Google Business Profile, website, or in-shop signage) with a request like “I want to book a haircut.” This first outbound text is the explicit opt-in. The bot's welcome reply confirms the consent and includes opt-out instructions.
Customers may also opt in in-person at the shop counter when a barber adds them to the system. All consent is logged with a timestamp.
Sample message: “Your appointment is confirmed for Sat, Apr 12 at 2:00 PM. Reply STOP to opt out.”
Reply STOP to any message at any time to permanently opt out. Reply HELP for help. Msg & data rates may apply.
Phone numbers and message content are used only for the appointment scheduling described above and are never sold or shared for marketing. See our Privacy Policy for full details, including how to request deletion of your data.