SMS Reminders for Appointment

Key points

• • Reduce no-shows with automated SMS reminders before appointments.

• • Improve attendance rates and better schedule management.

• • Professional text message notifications with complete information.

• • Automatic reminder scheduling with no manual management needed.

• • Seamless integration with the booking workflow.

Key points

• • Appointment module installed and configured.

• • SMS functionality enabled (requires SMS credits or provider).

• • At least one appointment type configured.

• • Phone number collection enabled in booking forms.

Steps

• 1. Customer books appointment and provides phone number.

• 2. System automatically schedules SMS reminder based on configuration (default: 1 hour before).

• 3. SMS is sent automatically at the scheduled time.

• 4. Customer receives text message with date, time, location, and appointment description.

Key points

• • New appointment types automatically get a 1-hour SMS reminder by default.

• • Phone number collection automatically enabled in booking forms.

• • Notification automatically displays: "We will use it to remind you of this appointment".

• • No additional setup required - works out of the box after installation.

Steps

• 1. Go to Appointment → Configuration → Appointment Types.

• 2. Open the appointment type and scroll to the Reminders section.

• 3. Click Add a line.

• 4. Configure: Type as SMS Text Message, When as timing (e.g. 1 hour before), Interval as time unit.

• 5. Click Save.

Common configurations

Key points

• • Add multiple reminder lines for different times.

• • Example: 1 week before + 1 day before for important appointments.

• • Customers receive all configured reminders.

• • Recommendation: Maximum 2 reminders to avoid annoying customers.

Reminder timing by appointment type

Key points

• • When entering phone number, sees notification: "We will use it to remind you of this appointment".

• • Lightbulb icon displays helpful information.

• • Receives email confirmation (standard) + SMS reminder automatically scheduled.

• • SMS includes: date and time, location, business name, brief description.

Key points

• • Reminder: You have an appointment tomorrow at 2:00 PM with ABC Dental Clinic for Dental Checkup. See you soon!

• • Messages are concise, professional, with all necessary information.

• • Automatically includes business name for customer recognition.

Key points

• • From appointment type: Open settings → Reminders section → see all configured SMS reminders.

• • From calendar event: Open appointment in Calendar → Reminders tab → see reminders for specific appointment.

• • Edit defaults: Modify in appointment type settings, applies to new bookings only.

• • Edit individual: Modify in calendar event, applies only to that booking.

Key points

• • For appointment type: Open settings → Reminders section → remove SMS reminder lines → Save.

• • For individual appointment: Open calendar event → remove SMS reminder → customer will not receive SMS.

Key points

• • Ensure SMS includes: clear date and time, business name, appointment type/purpose, location if relevant.

• • Keep messages concise (SMS character limits), professional tone, action-oriented.

• • Make phone numbers required in form, clearly labeled, validated for correct format.

• • Inform customers: why you need their phone number, that they will receive SMS reminders, how to opt out if needed.

Implementation examples

Key points

• • Each SMS sent consumes credits from SMS provider.

• • Cost varies: Domestic SMS cheaper, international more expensive, bulk rates may be available.

• • Optimize usage: Appropriate reminder timing (not too many), only send to confirmed appointments, consider email for some reminders.

• • Budget planning: Estimate monthly appointment volume, calculate SMS needs, factor in no-show reduction savings - ROI typically positive.

Key points

• • Be transparent: Clearly state SMS reminders will be sent, get implicit consent through booking form, provide opt-out mechanism.

• • Data protection: Store phone numbers securely, only use for appointment reminders, do not share with third parties, delete when no longer needed.

• • Compliance: GDPR (Europe) - get consent and allow opt-out, TCPA (USA) - respect do-not-call lists, local regulations and industry standards.

Common issues and solutions

Key points

• • Custom SMS templates: Settings → Technical → SMS Templates → find "Calendar Reminder" → customize message content → use variables for dynamic content (date, time...) → test thoroughly.

• • Integration with other modules: Calendar (all appointment reminders), Contacts (phone number management), Website (online booking forms), CRM (lead appointment reminders).

Key points

• • Do customers need to opt-in? By providing phone number and seeing the notification, they implicitly consent to appointment reminders.

• • Can customers opt-out? Yes, they can request to opt-out. You should honor these requests and remove SMS reminders from their appointments.

• • What if customer does not have phone number? They can still book appointments. SMS reminders simply will not be sent, but email reminders will still work.

• • Can I customize SMS message content? Yes, administrators can customize the SMS template in technical settings.

• • Do SMS reminders work internationally? Yes, but international SMS costs more. Ensure your SMS provider supports the destination country.

• • What happens if SMS delivery fails? The system logs the failure. You can check delivery status and manually contact the customer if needed.

• • Can I send SMS in different languages? Yes, if your system is configured for multiple languages, SMS can be sent in the customer's preferred language.

• • How do I know if SMS was delivered? Check the SMS delivery logs in technical settings or contact your SMS provider for delivery reports.