Headcount Buddy

An SMS helper for amateur sports teams.

View project on GitHub

Getting Help with Headcount Buddy

Headcount Buddy is designed to feel like a knowledgeable helper, not a help desk. Most of the time, if you’re confused about something, you can just ask — right in the same text thread you already use.


Ask a question in plain text

If you’re not sure how something works, just say so. You don’t need a special format.

You: How do I cancel an event?

Headcount Buddy: To cancel an event, just text me something like “Cancel Thursday’s practice” and I’ll take it from there. Want me to send a reason to the group, or just a plain cancellation notice?


You: What does STOP do?

Headcount Buddy: Texting STOP opts you out of all messages from this number. You won’t receive any more texts until you text START to re-subscribe. Heads up — your organizer won’t be notified either way.


Ask in your own words. Things like “how do I add someone to my team?” or “what happens if a player says maybe?” work just fine. Headcount Buddy will look up how the feature works and explain it in plain language.


Text commands worth knowing

A few short keywords do specific things, no matter what’s going on:

Text this What happens
HELP Get a quick summary of what Headcount Buddy can do
INFO See basic info about the service
STOP Opt out — no more messages until you text START
START Re-subscribe after opting out

Share feedback or report a problem

Found something confusing? Hit a bug? Have an idea? Just tell Headcount Buddy directly in the chat.

You: The confirmation message I got yesterday was really hard to read — way too many lines.

Headcount Buddy: Thanks for flagging that — I’ve passed it along to the team who builds Headcount Buddy. I’ll also keep your replies shorter going forward. Anything else I can help with?

You can share feedback, report something that went wrong, suggest a feature, or just say something nice. It all goes to the people building the service. You don’t need to email anyone or fill out a form.

Note: Feedback you share this way goes to the Headcount Buddy team — not to your organizer or your teammates.


Reach a real person

Some things are better handled by a human. If you:

  • Want to set up a new team and aren’t sure where to start
  • Hit a problem the assistant can’t resolve
  • Have a question that just isn’t getting answered

Send an email to help@headcountbuddy.com and a person will get back to you.


Quick tips for getting unstuck

  • Just describe what you’re trying to do. “I want to move Saturday’s game to Sunday” works. You don’t need to know the right command.
  • If something seems off, say so. “That doesn’t look right” or “I think you misunderstood me” is enough to get things back on track.
  • You can always ask “what can you do?” Headcount Buddy will walk you through its capabilities.