Frequently Asked Questions

Bukanako is an omnichannel booking and queue management platform built for service businesses in Botswana. It lets your customers book appointments, join walk-in queues, and receive reminders through WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, SMS, and web — all managed from a single dashboard.

Any service business that takes appointments or manages walk-ins. Salons and barbershops, medical clinics, tutoring centres, workshop organisers, spas, fitness studios, auto services — if people need to book time with you, Bukanako is for you.

No. Customers book through channels they already use — WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, or SMS. They message your business number and follow the prompts. No downloads, no sign-ups, no friction.

Sign up for a free Motho account on our website. You'll set up your business profile, add your services, configure your availability, and connect your booking channels. The whole process takes about 10 minutes.

Yes. The Motho plan is completely free and includes up to 30 bookings per month, basic queue management, and a single staff account. It includes WhatsApp as your first channel — upgrade to unlock Messenger, Instagram, and SMS.

Not at all. The dashboard is designed to be simple and intuitive. We also provide free onboarding support to help you get everything configured across all your channels.

Most businesses are up and running within 30 minutes. Add your services, set your hours, connect your channels, and share your booking link. Your first customer can book the same day.

"Buka" means "book" and "nako" means "time" in Setswana. Bukanako — book your time. It reflects our mission: making it effortless for every service business in Botswana to be bookable on every channel their customers use.

A customer messages your business on any supported channel — WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, or SMS. The automated assistant guides them through selecting a service, choosing a staff member (optional), picking a date and time, and confirming. The whole flow takes under 60 seconds.

Yes. You can set up individual staff profiles with their own availability, services, and working hours. Customers see who's available and book directly with the person they want — regardless of which channel they use.

Absolutely. Customers join your queue by messaging your number on any channel or scanning a QR code at your premises. They see their position and estimated wait time in real time. No more crowded waiting rooms.

Bukanako automatically sends reminders before each appointment — typically 24 hours and 1 hour before — on the same channel the customer used to book. Businesses using reminders see no-show rates drop by up to 60%.

Yes. You can block out lunch breaks, holidays, personal time, or any period when you're unavailable. These slots won't appear as bookable to customers on any channel.

Customers can cancel or reschedule through the same channel they booked on. You set the cancellation policy — for example, "cancel up to 2 hours before" — and Bukanako enforces it automatically.

Yes. You can create event-style services with a set capacity — for example, a workshop with 30 seats. Bukanako tracks registrations across all channels and closes booking when full.

Yes. For businesses like tutoring centres or fitness studios, you can set up recurring sessions — for example, "Maths revision every Tuesday at 3pm." Students register once and get reminders for each session on their preferred channel.

Yes. Calendar sync is available on the Kgwebo+ plan and above. Bookings made through any channel automatically appear in your personal calendar, and vice versa.

Bukanako supports WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs, and SMS. The free Motho plan includes WhatsApp. Kgwebo and Kgwebo+ plans unlock all channels. Every channel feeds into one unified dashboard.

No. You manage all channels from a single Bukanako dashboard. One inbox, one calendar, one analytics view — regardless of whether a customer booked via WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, or SMS.

You can send booking-related messages — confirmations, reminders, follow-ups, and updates. Bukanako is not a mass-marketing tool. All messages must be related to a booking or customer interaction to comply with platform policies.

On WhatsApp, customers see your verified business name and profile picture. On Messenger and Instagram, they see your Facebook/Instagram page name. On SMS, they receive messages from your registered business number.

Yes. When a customer replies on any channel, you'll see their message in your Bukanako dashboard. You can respond from the dashboard or set up automated responses for common questions.