10 appointment reminder SMS templates for every business
Sending appointment reminders via SMS is a simple, but very effective tactic to reduce no-shows. Here are some templates you can use right away.
Templates for upcoming appointments
You can use these templates to remind customers of upcoming appointments, depending on how you manage the appointment process.
Reply to confirm or cancel
Hello {First Name}, this is a quick reminder for your upcoming appointment with us on {Date} at {Time}. Please reply YES to confirm or NO to cancel. Thank you!
An example of what the template SMS message looks like for the recipient.
Reply to confirm, cancel, or call to reschedule
Hello {First Name}, this is a friendly reminder about your upcoming appointment with us on {Date} at {Time}. Please reply YES to confirm or NO to cancel. If you need to reschedule, please call us at {PhoneNumber}. Thank you!
Reply or call to reschedule
Hello {First Name}, just a friendly reminder about your upcoming appointment with us on {Date} at {Time}. If you need to reschedule, please reply NEW and we’ll assist you in finding a new time slot. Thank you!
Templates for appointment changes and updates
Sometimes, you might need to change an appointment time if you’re running late or have an unexpected clash. Here are a few templates to notify your customers in those cases.
Confirm a reschedule
Hi {FirstName}, just a quick update regarding your appointment on {Date} at {Time}. Unfortunately, we need to reschedule due to unforeseen circumstances. Please reply NEW to confirm your availability for a new date and time. Thank you for being so understanding!
Confirm a specific time
Hello {FirstName}! Due to unforeseen changes in our schedule, your appointment on {Date} at {Time} has been pushed to {NewTime}. Please reply YES if this change is suitable or NO to cancel. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Reply to be contacted
Hey {FirstName}, due to unforeseen circumstances, we need to change your appointment time tomorrow. Please reply UPDATE if you are available to discuss alternative options. Thank you for being so cooperative, and apologies for the inconvenience.
Templates for cancelling appointments
Sometimes, life and other circumstances get in the way, and appointments must be canceled, either by you or by your customers. Here are two templates you can use in those cases.
Appointment canceled by your business
Hello {FirstName}. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, we must cancel your appointment on {Date} at {Time}. Please get in touch with us at {PhoneNumber} or email {EmailAddress} to reschedule your appointment. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Cancellation request by a customer
Hi {FirstName}. We understand plans can change. Please confirm your request to cancel the appointment on {Date} at {Time} by replying CANCEL to this message. Thank you!
Templates for missed appointments
Unfortunately, sending appointment reminders won’t eliminate no-shows completely. When that happens, you can send follow-up messages. Even though this cost your business time and revenue, it’s crucial not to scold customers or be passive-aggressive, as their reasons could be genuine.
Reschedule by phone
Hello {FirstName}, we noticed you missed your appointment with us. If you’d like to reschedule, please reach out to us at {PhoneNumber}. We’re here to help you find a new time that suits your schedule.
Reschedule by email or phone
Hey {FirstName}, it looks like you missed your appointment with us. Don’t worry, we understand things sometimes come up. Please let us know if you’d like to reschedule or if there’s anything else we can assist you with, feel free to call us at {PhoneNumber} or emailing {YourEmail}.
Real examples of how our customers use appointment reminders
Apollo 24|7 is a leading healthcare platform in India, who uses our omnichannel solution for end-to-end patient care. They send appointment reminders and alerts to patients via RCS, with SMS as a failover channel, seeing 15% higher conversions than before implementing our solution.
Check out the full story:
Oladoc is the largest digital healthcare platform in Pakistan, connecting patients with healthcare providers and health services. They used our platform to send personalized promotional messages and appointment confirmations via SMS, seeing a 25% reduction in costs and 5% increase in revenue.
Check out the full story:
Key things to remember when texting appointment reminders
It’s not simply a case of texting appointment reminders to every customer—there are a few key points to remember to ensure your reminders are efficient, effective, and adhere to privacy and data protection regulations.
- Timing: Reminders should be at least 24 hours before the appointment time, but ideally 48 hours. This not only reminds customers about their appointment, but also gives them plenty of time to cancel so you can fill the slot if necessary. You should also avoid sending them during the early morning or evening hours, and rather send them during the day.
- Personalization: Make sure the recipient is more likely to read your email by including personalization. If your SMS starts with ‘Dear customer,’ then it risks going unread.
- Clarity: Only include essential information, such as the date and time of the appointment, the location, and the appointment type. You can also include any specific information, such as a door access code or whether the lift is broken, for example.
- Call-to-action: Tell your customers what to do next by including a call-to-action (CTA), such as a reply to reschedule, call to cancel, or confirm by clicking a link.
- Compliance: SMS messages from businesses must adhere to specific privacy and data protection laws, such as GDPR. You can learn more about SMS compliance here.
- Frequency: There is no need to overdo it. One or two appointment reminders should be enough.
- Tone: Because you have a lot to say in not so many words, you should always keep a professional and friendly tone.
Want to try creating your own SMS appointment reminders?
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