Text Reminder for Appointments: 18 Templates to Use [2024 Update]

If you run any kind of practice that requires making appointments, using text reminders for appointments is an excellent method to help streamline your schedule. Not to mention, it can also help you retain patients and clients. Maybe you’ve already integrated text reminders into your practice. But maybe you haven’t, and want to understand how they could help you. If that sounds like you, you’ve come to the right place for an overview of text appointment reminders!

Most simply, a text appointment reminder is an SMS message sent on behalf of an organization or business that reminds a customer or client of an upcoming appointment. They’re usually quite short, and only contain the essential details of the appointment. This includes a way to confirm or cancel that appointment as well. Most businesses who use text reminders automate them, to make them even easier to use for their staff.

Why are Text Appointment Reminders Important?

One of the key reasons why it’s so important to use text reminders for appointments is that people actually read them. In fact, with texts’ 98% open rate, your clients or customers are far more likely to see and respond to text reminders than phone calls or emails. This, in turn, reduces no-shows and cancellations, which is a huge plus for your business or practice.

Appointment text reminders are also important to have in your arsenal because of their automated nature. Meaning, setting up automated reminder texts is a low-cost action that pays off for you and your business. And beyond their cost-effectiveness, they’re generally well-received by customers – even preferred!

The industry being hurt most by missed appointments is the medical industry. Patient no-shows and late call outs can be as high as 8%. Patients may not realize that they are costing you money when they don’t show up because they are not considering the overhead costs that it takes to run your office. If you are finding that you have blocks of unprofitable free time throughout the day due to missed appointments, you should be considering implementing an appointment reminder service to help eliminate them.

Automated phone messages can serve as a reminder of the details of your scheduled appointment. The message should be short and to the point, mentioning the purpose of the appointment, the date and the time. You could also politely mention other useful information such as if they are a no-show how they will be billed.

Schedule your voice message to go out at 48 hours before the scheduled appointment time. Mention that in order to avoid being charged as a no-show they should let your office know no less than 24 hours ahead of time if they need to reschedule and give them a phone number to call to do that. Or better yet, ask them to answer yes or no to the question of whether they can be expected to show up. A telephone polling feature offered by an appointment reminder service like DialMyCalls can track the response for you and send it straight to your account.

If they answer no, or call and cancel on time then you have time to fill a slot that they have now vacated.

Other businesses need this type of appointment reminding system as well. Nail and beauty salons lose money on walk-ins when they hold a spot for a customer who made an appointment and then fails to show up. Law offices too are plagued with clients not showing up for scheduled meetings, potentially costing the attorney hundreds of dollars in fees he or she could have been collecting.

Appointment reminding with recorded messages will also improve the way an office is run and make it more pleasurable for clients who do show up on time. To combat missed appointments, many offices will overbook time slots, anticipating that a certain percentage will not show up. This leaves clients in the waiting room longer then they should be, causing delays that could take hours to catch up on.

What are the Benefits of Text Appointment Reminders vs Call or Email Reminders?

The massive open rate for text messages is just one of the many benefits of using text appointment reminders. They can also help you cut down on time spent scheduling and moving people’s appointments around on the calendar. Though, that said, you may not have to move people around much: less than 5% of appointments have been shown to be canceled or rescheduled after a text confirmation.

---

“less than 5% of appointments have been shown to be canceled or rescheduled after a text confirmation.”

---

You might not have thought of this additional benefit, but it can help you keep track of your clients and customers as well, including any repeat offenders when it comes to cancellations or showing up late. Having a better idea of who is making this a habit can help you decide whether or not to keep those clients.

How to Write Text Reminders for Appointments

• Be Concise
• Consider Timing
• Make Conversation
• Urgency

So you’ve decided you’re ready to give appointment text reminders a go. It’s a great decision, and one that will make running your practice so much easier. The first step, when you’re ready to start using text reminders for appointments, is writing them concisely and well, and in a way that prompts your customers and clients to respond. Here are some key tips on how to write text reminders:

• Be concise and clear. As you draft your text reminders, pay attention to your tone and language, making sure to keep things brief, bright, and friendly. You’ll also want to make sure that follow-up reminders – including about missed appointments – come across as understanding and helpful. That way you’re far more likely to receive the response you need.
• Consider your timing. Even the most well-concocted text messages will get ignored if you send them at the wrong time. So what’s the right time? Generally speaking, people are most likely to read text messages that are sent during regular working hours. (So rush hour or late at night should definitely be off the table!)
• Make it a conversation. While you may not expect a response from your customers or clients, you should plan in case they try. Be sure to use a business number that allows replies, and consider including calls-to-action in your texts that prompt confirmations and verifications. The back-and-forth will create more of a solid connection.
• Apply a sense of urgency. This means stressing the importance of the appointment to your customer or client, as well as emphasizing the significance of their response. And you can always express urgency without being too pushy – being personable is a great way to do this in your appointment text reminders.

Beyond the drafting of the message itself, though, what else should you remember about text reminders for appointments? Read on for a few more details that you definitely won’t want to forget.

Make Sure Contacts Have Opted-In

Opting in is huge when it comes to automated text message reminders for appointments. When it comes to messages from a business, in fact, it’s legally necessary to verify that customers have opted in. Beyond that, though, it’s just a good marketing practice that establishes trust.

Generally speaking, a good way to give your contacts the chance to opt in is to make it an option when they give you their phone number. Once you have consent, you must include the following in your first message to new SMS contacts:

• Your business’s name.
• Expected message frequency – meaning, how often, generally speaking, that you intend to send messages each month.
• Potential SMS carrier fees and costs.
• Your value proposition. This means that, if you’ve offered any kind of reward for opting in, you have to deliver that in the first text message you send.
• Instructions to opt-out or receive more information. This is essential; some people do not want to keep using texts to stay organized. So you need to make sure you give them the option, even if they’ve already opted in.

Finally, while it’s not a requirement, it is a good idea to have customers confirm that they want to continue receiving SMS messages from your business. This ensures that they’re fully on board.

Only Use When Necessary

The last thing you want to do is alienate your client base by bombarding them with text messages. People are sent so many kinds of messages and notifications as it is; when it comes to text reminders for appointments, less is more. So a few good rules of thumb are to be sparing, only send the essential details, and – as noted above – do your best to only send texts during regular business hours.

Personalize Where Possible

You should always include a client’s name in auto text appointment reminders. If your message is impersonal, you and your business can come across as negative or even alienating, and ultimately lower the chances of engagement or response. Being personal shows that you’re willing to go the extra mile to develop long-term relationships with your customers or clients.

Include a Call to Action

Including a strong call-to-action is one of the best practices you can use when sending text reminders for appointments. When you give people a clear and obvious way to confirm, cancel or reschedule their appointments, you greatly reduce no-shows, which is a huge plus for you and your staff. Make sure your call-to-action is a straightforward instruction, such as, “Reply ‘Y’ to confirm or ‘N’ to cancel.”

Examples of Automated Text Reminders

Once you get a feel for what makes great, effective text reminders for appointments, it’s time to draft your message. If you have a strong template ready ahead of time, it makes sending your messages out that much easier. Here are a few sample templates for you to use to get started!

Appointment Confirmation Example #1

Appointment Confirmation Example #2

Appointment Confirmation Example #3

Appointment Reminder Example #1

Appointment Reminder Example #2

Appointment Reminder Example #3

Missed Appointment Example #1

Missed Appointment Example #2

Missed Appointment Example #3

Reschedule Appointment Example #1

Reschedule Appointment Example #2

Reschedule Appointment Example #3

Appointment Starting Soon Example #1

Appointment Starting Soon Example #2

Appointment Starting Soon Example #3

Appointment Feedback Example #1

Appointment Feedback Example #2

Appointment Feedback Example #3

How Can You Politely Send a Reminder Text?

• Greeting
• Purpose Statement
• Appointment Details
• Assistance and Rescheduling Option
• Polite Closing

Step #1: Start with a Friendly Greeting

Begin your message with a warm and personalized greeting. Use the recipient’s name to make it feel more personal and respectful.

Step #2: Clearly State the Purpose of the Message

Early in the message, mention that it’s an appointment reminder. This sets the context right away and helps the recipient understand the purpose of the text.

Step #3: Provide Specific Appointment Details

Include the date, time, and location of the appointment. If applicable, also mention the nature of the appointment (e.g., consultation, check-up, meeting). This helps avoid any confusion or miscommunication.

Step #4: Offer an Option for Assistance or Rescheduling

Give the recipient a way to reach out if they have any questions or need to reschedule. Provide a contact number or email and encourage them to use it if necessary.

Step #5: End with a Courteous Closing

Conclude your message with a polite closing. Express your anticipation or thanks for their upcoming visit. For example, you could say, “Looking forward to seeing you,” or “Thank you for choosing our services.”

What Is the Best Software to Send Text Reminders?

• DialMyCalls
• Acuity Scheduling
• SimpleTexting

DialMyCalls

DialMyCalls

is the best appointment reminder software overall for professionals.

This is a mass notification system that can send texts, phone calls, and emails automatically to everyone on your list, including yourself. With a free account setup and an incredibly user-friendly interface, it’s easy to get started and get everyone on board.

Features

• Messaging Dashboard
• Broadcast Reports
• Plan Contact
• Convenient Integrations

Messaging Dashboard

Get updates on all of your messages in one place. Respond to individual inquiries and make clients and coworkers feel heard without alerting all message recipients.

Broadcast Reports

Tired of no-shows and lack of communication? Use broadcast reports to know exactly who received your message, who replied, and other ways to get in contact with them.

Plan Contact

Plan your messages, no matter what they look like. Record voice messages and prewrite texts and emails, with email available for Voice/Text broadcasts.

Convenient Integrations

Does your company prefer using different services and doesn’t want to switch? No problem! Dial My Calls’ powerful API allows you to integrate your messages into some of the most popular services on the market.

Acuity Scheduling

Acuity Scheduling

is the best patient reminder software for self-care and healthcare businesses.

They are a “flexible scheduling software” that allows clients to make secure payments on top of scheduling.

Features

• Custom Intake Forms
• Automated Booking
• Availability Control

Custom Intake Forms

Know exactly who your client base is by having them answer questions of your choice when they send you their info.

Automated Booking

Put your availability in an easy-to-read format so clients can book without your intervention.

Availability Control

Set your availability in just a few clicks to keep clients aware of exactly when you’re available.

SimpleTexting

SimpleTexting

by Sinch is the best appointment reminder software for small business marketing.

They are a mass texting service that also allows communication one-on-one with clients for marketing with a personal touch.

Features

• Criteria Groups
• Follow-up Texts
• SMS & MMS Texting

Criteria Groups

Generate groups to text based on criteria, like new members and other demographics.

Follow-up Texts

If people don’t respond to your messages, give them a nudge with a follow up text.

SMS & MMS Texting

Whatever works better for you and/or your company, send SMS or MMS texts.

Platform	Ease of Use	Customer Support	Other Features	Pricing	Score
DialMyCalls	4.8	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7
Acuity Scheduling	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7
SimpleTexting	4.7	4.8	4.5	4.5	4.6

All of the ratings above are from Capterra.com.

Easily Automate Your Text Appointment Reminders with DialMyCalls

If you’re ready to take the next step in streamlining client communications for your business, now is a great time to explore your options. DialMyCalls is an automated texting, calling and emailing platform that has a great deal of capabilities when it comes to messaging customers, including automated text reminders for appointments, two-way messaging, and broadcast options for texts, email, and voice calls. Give us a call to learn more about how adding DialMyCalls to your communication strategy can help you stay organized and in touch with your client base today.

• Previous Article
• Next Article